Chapter 10
Hostility and Friends
"I can't believe Anshar used Chibiusa to nab the Rose Crystal from under our noses," said Sora who was back at the Tsukino residence.
"I know, it was too much for Chibiusa to bear," replied Usagi.
But their conversation was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on her bedroom door.
"Come in," he said.
The door opened, and in stepped Shingo.
"Hey, guys. Chibiusa's been feeling sad. All she's done is hang her head in shame and kept to herself," he said.
"It was another person who deceived her into being friends with her," replied Sora.
Usagi nodded in agreement, but was somewhat happy that her brother knew how to knock on the door, before coming into her room.
"Well, if there's anything she needs, we'll be there for her," said Shingo, as he and Sora exchanged a fist bump, and walked out.
"I can't fault him for how he acts around you, Sora," admitted Usagi.
"We've also found out that Sin is Anshar's sister, and is most likely the ringleader of those who want to rewrite the history of this world, and all the other worlds by creating a dark Destiny by altering the past," said Luna.
She was about to press on, when the phone rang.
"Usagi! There's someone on the phone who'd like to speak with you!" called Keiko.
"Guess we'd better go talk to them," said Sora.
Usagi nodded and the two of them walked to the phone that was waiting, but Sora decided to pick it up first.
"Hiya," he said into the mouthpiece.
"Oh, Sora. Good to hear from you," replied Ami.
"Same to you, Ami. So, what's up?" asked Sora.
"Well, the good news is that Mamoru has regained consciousness," said Ami.
Usagi was so happy she nearly cried tears of joy.
"Really, that's good. I'm glad he's still kicking," said Sora.
"The bad news is that he still needs to recover from Sin's attack. He needs to rest for a few days," replied Ami.
"Yeah, well, at least he still has his heart," said Sora.
But Usagi was so excited, that she quickly raced off into the living room, where Chibiusa was sitting with a sad expression on her face as Riku sat on a couch with his arms crossed.
"Good news, Chibiusa! Mamo's Okay!" she cried.
"Mamo's okay?" asked Chibiusa
"So his coma was only a temporary one," said Riku.
"How about we all go right to Mamo's apartment?" suggested Usagi.
Chibiusa and Riku nodded together.
"Okay, let's see how he's doing," the silverette said with a slight smile on his face.
They soon left the house, until Sora noticed them heading out.
"Well, anyway, Usagi, Chibiusa, Riku and I will see you at Mamoru's, Ami," he said.
"Okay, see you soon, Sora," replied Ami.
As soon as he hung up the phone, Sora turned to Keiko in the other room.
"Mrs. Tsukino, I'm also going to Mamoru's apartment to make sure he's okay," he said to her.
Keiko nodded, and continued her work as Sora walked out the door to follow his friends to where Mamoru resided. Once they had arrived, they saw that Roxas, Ami, Minako, Aqua, Terra, Makoto, Axel, and Rei were back as well, who greeted them warmly.
"Hey there," he said.
"Good to see you too, Sora. I'm actually a bit surprised that you'd say see you at Mamoru's and hung up the phone," replied Ami.
"At the very least, it's good that Mamoru's doing okay," said Makoto.
"He's waiting for you guys," added Rei.
"And now, we can refocus our efforts on defeating this new dark threat," finished Minako, who gently kissed Sora's cheek.
"For a moment there, I had a bit of an inkling about what would happen then," said Artemis.
As they went inside, to see how Mamoru was doing, they saw that he was resting in his own bed, and breathed normally.
"By the way guys, While I was with Minako and Artemis, this girl called Ishtar suddenly kissed me as her way of saying that we'd see each other again, and settle our score with Sin and the rest of her thugs," said Roxas.
"I nearly lost myself to darkness, but I was able to use it to beat Marduk," added Terra.
"As for me and Rei, we gave that Nergal kid a taste of her own medicine," remarked Axel.
"As for Nabu, she was a rather challenging foe that both Ami and I had ever faced, besides our previous adversaries, of course," finished Aqua.
While everyone else was conversing about their visit to the four countries, Sora, Usagi, Riku, and Chibiusa all entered Mamoru's bedroom to see him resting, as Ventus, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Namine were with him.
"Hey, Mamo," Usagi said to him.
"How're you doing?" asked Sora.
"As good as can be expected, I guess. But, It's good to see you guys," replied Mamoru.
"Try to take it easy Mamoru, Sin's attack really did a number on you. But, both Usagi and Chibiusa are here with you, especially since you have strong ties to them," said Riku.
"Yeah, that connection is what kept us strong, thanks to you, Mamo," added Usagi.
"Well, at least you're both safe," replied Mamoru, but then he started coughing violently, making Usagi and Chibiusa concerned.
"Easy now Mamoru, everything's gonna be fine," Sora assured him.
"Thanks Sora, but I'll be alright. Because, I have something important to say to all of you," replied Mamoru.
"And what's that?" asked Chbiusa.
"I had something of another premonition within my dreams. Our adversaries went to a time long ago," he answered his future daughter.
Sora folded his arms in his chest. He gave Mamoru a very puzzled look.
"When you say long ago, you mean…" said Usagi.
"Yes, in the castle of the Moon Kingdom that existed during the Silver Millennium. There were people who were carrying the Rose Crystal," coughed Mamoru.
"Is it possible that Anshar has the Rose Crystal?" asked Riku.
"Sadly no, Riku. Anshar wasn't in possession of the item you seek. But, if we go to the Sea of Serenity of Earth, We might be able to go back to then. Our true enemy isn't Anshar, but someone much worse than him," replied Mamoru.
He started coughing much more violently, causing Riku to hold him down.
"Don't push yourself Mamoru. We'll get the Rose Crystal back, and give whoever was causing these changes some pay back of our own," he said.
"Yeah, just rest easy. We'll give you all the help you need, Mamoru," agreed Sora.
Usagi turned and gave Sora a warm smile that made Mamoru understand her feelings for those who wanted to help her boyfriend. They quietly left Mamoru's bedroom and rallied with those that had assembled in the living room.
"Poor guy," said Axel.
"I agree Axel. Everybody needs to focus their strength and tell me what your hearts are saying," added Luna.
"Mamoru did tell us something about our foes, Luna. They were able to traverse space and time by going back to the time of the final days of the Silver Millenium," said Riku.
"But the past is…" Minako was about to say, when Sora noticed something was up.
"What's wrong?" he asked her.
"Strange, I can't remember anything about Princess Serenity," she answered him.
Everyone else agreed with her, and nearly panicked.
"Whoa, hold your horses guys," said Roxas, who had his hands held before him.
"Could it be that nobody seems to remember me at all…?" gasped Usagi who was close to tears.
"Calm down Usagi, everybody is aware of you. But for whatever reason, everyone seems to have forgotten… Uh…" said Luna.
"Hmm, that's weird," murmured Sora.
"Is it possible that something has caused all of your memories to disappear?" asked Namine.
"It's possible Namine. Maybe in the past The Opposite Soldiers were able to do something to spark a change in history. Maybe that Destiny when we found out Usagi was really the Princess has been altered," replied Ami.
"Then could it be that Usagi will never be able to become Sailor Moon?" asked Minako.
"If that's it, then it could be that this change in history will mean that Mamoru and Usagi will never meet each other again," said Aqua.
"Does that mean, I'll never get together with Mamo?" asked Usagi, who was feeling a new sense of fear within her heart.
"There's no way I'm gonna let that happen. If Mamoru and Usagi aren't together, then it could result in a paradox that even Sailor Pluto fears," seethed Sora.
"Calm down, Sora. You know that'll never happen," said Rei, when she rested her hand upon his shoulder.
"If we can go back and ensure that what transpired in the past is preserved, everything will go back to the way it was," added Terra.
"Terra's right, that's what we have to do," agreed Ami.
"And we'll give those guys the payback they deserve," smirked Makoto.
"If anyone can help us go back to the past, it's Sailor Pluto, a Keeper of Fate, like Master Yen Sid. She can let us pass through the Door to Space-time, thanks to her connection with Chibiusa. Also, no matter how great the danger may be, we can take on any of those sickos who are using that door," said Roxas.
"So, do you think we should check to see if Sailor Pluto's okay?" asked Usagi.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Chibiusa, do you think you can take us to her?" asked Rei.
"Sorry, but I have no idea where Puu is at the moment," she replied.
"Then, we'd better go to the Time-Space Door. But to get there, we'll need to use the Key to Space and Time," said Luna.
"Well, looks like this is all you Chibiusa," said Riku.
"But before we go, some of us need to stay behind and take care of Mamoru, while some of you go to the Space-Time Door," interjected Haruka.
"I agree. Seeing as Mamoru has awakened, Usagi would be upset if our foes tried to use this situation to their advantage," said Michiru.
"Guess there's no point arguing with two of four of the Outer Goddesses," said Riku.
"Well, since Usagi, Chibiusa, Riku and I will be going, then I guess, Hotaru, Xion, Axel, Rei, Minako, and Roxas should join us as well," said Sora.
"I guess that sounds fair," replied Usagi.
Chibiusa, and everyone else nodded in agreement. Then the three Inner Goddesses along with Chibiusa and Hoturu, all changed into their Sailor Goddess outfits. When they were ready, Sora turned to Sailor Chibi Moon.
"Here we go," he said.
Then Chibiusa stepped forward, and held the Time-Space Key close to her heart.
"Guardians of Time! Open the Time-Space Door in the sky for us! We call upon the true name of Time! The almighty Deity of Time, Father of the Protector, Chronos! Guide us, Protect us, and show us the way of the light!" chanted the young Sailor Goddess in training.
A golden light surrounded them as Sora summoned his keyblade, pointed upwards, and fired a beam of light that transported all of them to the Space-Time Door, thanks to his bond with Chibiusa. When they landed safely on the ground, apart from Usagi who landed in Riku's arms, they all turned and faced the door that Sailor Pluto was guarding.
"There it is," said Roxas.
They slowly but surely marched towards Sailor Pluto who stood vigilant in case of any dark entities that dared to try and rewrite history, by disempowering it in the past.
"Nice to see ya still kicking, Sailor Pluto," Axel said with a smirk.
"And to you Axel, but first Sailor Moon, seeing as you have the Silver Crystal, you must turn back at once," replied the Sailor Goddess of Fate.
"WHAT!?" gasped Sora and Usagi.
"Because the Time-Space Door is overflowing with darkness. The Crystal will never be able to overcome the darkness within. You must turn back, immediately! And the same goes for your Crystal as well, Princess," replied Sailor Pluto.
But Riku soon brandished his keyblade, lunged at Sailor Pluto, and struck at her, which made Usagi panic.
"Impossible!" she cried out.
Suddenly, Sailor Pluto faded away revealing Nergal in her place.
"How is it that you knew who I was when I was pretending to be Sailor Pluto?" she demanded.
"You reek of darkness. Even the light can't block the smell," replied Riku.
Rei nodded in agreement, her eyes filled with anger and hatred at seeing Nergal creating a facade.
"I guess Riku was able to follow the darkness right to you, Nergal!" she said with a smirk.
"Heh, I should have figured your friend would snuff me out, Sailor Mars. But this time, I'm going to end you," replied Nergal.
"So, you wanna play the hunter, while Sailor Mars is the prey, huh?" asked Axel, who had his Keyblade held at the ready.
"Don't even think that I have the same powers as I did from before," hissed Rei's arch rival.
"Fair enough, I was just thinking the same thing!" remarked Rei.
(For this battle, play "Eye of the Storm" from Kingdom Hearts 3)
Nergal lunged at both Sailor Mars and Axel, who had managed to jump clear, giving Sora an opportunity to hammer into her with his keyblade at the ready. Unwilling to back down, Nergal shrugged off the attack, and retaliated with an attack that she had been saving for this moment.
"HELLFIRE!" she shouted.
Massive flames burst from the palms of her hands and nearly collided with Sora, who used Shield to brace himself from the attack. What Nergal didn't expect was Xion striking at her from behind, which caused her to cry out in fury.
"You're a hollow puppet, who was used by Xehanort to stop Sora from awakening!" she snapped.
Enraged at hearing the word puppet, Roxas charged forward and began blindly attacking Nergal with all he had with his two keyblades.
"STELLAR INCEPTION!" he shouted.
Several beams of light and darkness collided with Nergal which managed to send her flying towards Sailor Saturn who had her Silence Glaive held at the ready.
"DEATH RIBBON REVOLUTION!" she cried out.
Golden Ribbons surged towards her and sent her flying towards Sailors Venus and Mars.
"Venus Wink Chain Sword!" called Minako
Mars Snake Flame!" chanted Rei.
Both attacks hit Nergal, which sent her flying towards Riku and Sailor Chibi Moon.
"DARK SUGAR HEART FIRAGA!" they shouted together.
The full volley of Chibiusa's attack managed to cause Nergal some pain, as Riku jumped up and flung dark flames right at her. It was enough for her to land unceremoniously in front of Usagi and Sora who were furious at being deceived as they readied their weapons.
"MOON SPIRAL HEART RAGNAROK!" they cried out.
Beams of light fused with Sailor Moon's Moon Heart Spiral Attack then surged into Nergal causing her to drop to one knee.
"No! This is impossible! I can't beat you on my own! But, that's fine with me, because I have the Goddess of Time and Space, Sailor Pluto in my hands, and at my mercy. I'll see you all at the Time-Space Gateway!" she said with a smirk, as she rose up and vanished into a dark corridor, laughing maniacally.
"If you've hurt her, I'll make you suffer!" shouted Sora.
"Calm down, Sora, she's just trying to deceive us," Usagi said to him.
"Yeah, we've dealt with dirty tricks before, but we still need to find Puu," agreed Chibiusa.
Taking a deep breath, Sora calmed himself down and smiled sympathetically at Chibiusa.
"Right, you can never abandon your true buddies," he said.
"Well, if Sailor Pluto's not here, then the one who sent you here will vanish," added Usagi.
"Then let's go and help her," said Riku.
Everyone nodded, and marched through the corridors of time and space, whilst also being cautious of where to go in this twisting labyrinth of history unfolding before them. They even managed to deal with any Heartless within the winding halls of time along with some vicious youma that were waiting for them, until they reached a chamber where a great shock awaited them.
"PUU!" cried Chibiusa.
They all ran to see that Sailor Pluto was ensnared on some kind of tree.
"Be careful! Small Lady! Don't come any closer!" she said.
"What is this thing?" asked Roxas.
"This tree is filling my heart with darkness. Soon it will overwhelm me, and I'll turn into a Heartless. If any of you carelessly come any closer to the tree, then you too will be caught by it and be transformed into Heartless as well. You need to take my Garnet Rod that's near me, and use it to defeat all of the enemies that have gathered together in the present. If you use the power of the people wishing for peace, even if I vanish, the past will return to normal," Sailor Pluto said as she felt herself weakening.
"No way, we're not abandoning you, Sailor Pluto," replied Riku.
"That's right, choosing to kill you after you become a Heartless would only fill Usagi's heart with sorrow," added Sora.
"And no matter where you are, our hearts will always be connected to each other," finished Usagi.
But Sora lunged right at the tree with his keyblade in hand and cut it down in one singular stroke, which surprised everyone. The instant he did, Sailor Pluto nearly fell down, but Sora caught her in his arms and landed safely beside his friends.
"Whoa, maybe I went a little overkill," Sora said sheepishly, as he wrapped one arm around her.
"Actually, you didn't. So thank you, Sora, Small Lady, and yes, even the rest of you," she replied with a smile.
Quickly, Roxas tossed her an elixir, and she drank it down in one gulp. Then she and Sora hugged each other and soon slowly stepped away from each other, when they felt the area around them shudder.
"The Time-Space Doorway is shaking," said Usagi.
"Looks like it's time to leave before it collapses on us!" replied Riku.
Sailor Pluto nodded, and picked up her Garnet Rod.
"Then let's go!" she said.
Gathering whatever strength she had left, Sailor Pluto was able to transport them out of the Space-Time corridor, and back to the safety of Juuban as the tower shook violently.