For the One I Love
Chapter 17
"Collision"
"What is this place?"
The clacking of heeled shoes echoed off what appeared to be dark marbled floors. The King had led them into one of the buildings connected to the large towers at the center of the city.
"The ruins of our old base." The King replied. "The enemy's power should not be able to reach us here."
"Where's Chibi-Usa?" Sailor Moon asked pleadingly.
"Do not worry. She is safe and protected. First, I want you to listen to what I am going to say now." Endymion rose his staff in hand, casting the entire room into one giant hologram. The Senshi gaped wide eyed as shimmering stars fluttered all around them, as if they were in space. Star Fighter clutched her hands anxiously.
The King began to tell his tale, as the hologram around them narrated his words. "A great calamity befell the Earth that you live on now, and the Earth settled into a cold sleep. It slumbered on for a long, long time. In time, it became the thirtieth century and with the power of the Silver Crystal and Neo Queen Serenity, Earth was awakened. And with Neo Queen Serenity as their queen, Earth began to prosper, centered around the future city, Crystal Tokyo."
"Neo Queen Serenity." Fighter bit her lip as what felt like a thousand needles stabbed at her skin. Now she understood; Usagi's destiny was to become Queen. To bring this system back under the rule of The Silver Millennium… with Mamoru at her side as King. Light of Hope and possessor of the strongest Sailor Crystal, it only made sense for her to regain her royal birth right. Fighter suspected from the moment King Endymion appeared who his wife would be, but he should have known, after all the kid had told her in the present that they were married in the future. Usagi obviously knew too, and her being the most self-less person Fighter ever knew, she knew Usagi would never be able to walk away from protecting this planet. "Still…" Fighter thought bitterly, surely, she didn't need Mamoru at her side to rule again. Fighter glanced over to Sailor Moon, waiting for the same recognition on her face at the name, but she was too deeply entranced by the King and his story.
"- we suppressed those evil beings. However, many of them did not want to be cleansed by the Silver Crystal and they journeyed out into space. After that, Crystal Tokyo prospered more than ever and the people lead peaceful lives, but the planet Nemesis-"
"The planet Nemesis?" Jupiter asked.
"It is the tenth planet of the solar system."
"The tenth planet?" Fighter lowered her eyes suspiciously before looking at an image of what appeared to be a giant green rock being projected over her head.
"The phantom Dark Planet, whose orbit was impossible to calculate and for the longest time, we could not locate its presence. We found that it was discharging an enormous amount of negative energy, and so its existence finally became clear, but…"
"That's where you found the evil beings who left Earth!" Artemis exclaimed.
"Exactly." Endymion nodded. "We did not know then, but the beings living there had changed into a life form that possessed a peculiar supernatural power. They were the Black Moon, the clan of the Dark Moon! Nemesis suddenly emitted a very powerful negative energy and attacked our Crystal Tokyo. Many warriors were killed, and leaving our final stronghold, Crystal Palace, and a deathly silence fell upon the rest of the world. The four guardian deities who protect this city, Sailor Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus, are expending their energy even now, desperately guarding this city."
"Warriors with the same name as us…" Mars gazed almost dreamily at the hologram of four familiar looking women in front of her.
"What does that mean?" Venus gasped taking in the mirrored reflections of themselves.
"They are you in the future."
"What?!" They all shouted in bewilderment.
"Due to the effects of the evil power, many of the people in this city have been put to sleep now and this city is facing destruction. I have also been gravely injured and am unable to move. Right now, the only thing that can save this Earth from the evil power is the legendary Silver Crystal." The King paused for a moment, lowering his head in a wounded manner. "However, the only person who can use it, Neo Queen Serenity, is in a deep sleep. Being unable to awaken her, we have no means to save this place now…." He trailed off, gripping his staff tightly in hand and trembling.
Finally, realization began to creep across the Senshi's faces at King Endymion's words. Sailor Moon's eyes widened, a sparkling mixture of disbelief and curiosity washed over them. "Neo Queen Serenity, who can use the legendary Silver Crystal…" She started, "You're not saying that's…"
The King smiled. "Yes, she is you in the future, Sailor Moon."
"What?!" She shrieked. "No way! I'm the Neo Queen Serenity in the thirtieth century?" She paused for a moment to look up at Tuxedo Kamen. "No way!" She grabbed his shirt in complete shock.
"Would you like to see a hologram of yourself?" King Endymion asked. Sailor Moon hesitated, still clutching Tuxedo Kamen's shirt astounded. She perked up a bit when she felt his hand slide over hers.
"Go ahead." He said gently, nudging her forward.
The king waved his staff, positioning another hologram in the middle of the floor before them. Fighter's breath caught in her throat. In the center of what looked like a bed encased in palace crystal, laid the most beautiful version of Usagi she'd ever seen. A form fitting white silk dress wrapped around her curved form, adorned with golden beading on top and a large bow forming wings in the back. She looked nearly identical to the Usagi that had been dancing around in Fighter's dreams. Her long flowing hair ran down past her feet, and atop her head sat a gold grown, the mark of the Moon Kingdom on her forehead.
"King?" Mercury voiced. "What is this stuff wrapped around the Queen's body?"
"Could it be…"
"The Silver Crystal?!" The cats asked.
"No, it is not." He replied. "Just as the enemy's attack was about to hit her directly, the Sailor Senshi used their powers and wrapped the Queen's body in crystal. Since then, the Queen has been asleep, never waking. And the daughter of the Queen and myself, Small Lady…"
"What?" Fighter tripped, tearing her gaze from Usagi's future form. The hologram faded away, revealing a trap door in the floor that began to open. The small pink haired girl laid curled up inside of it, sleeping peacefully. "What!?"
"Chibi-Usa!" Sailor Moon knelt down beside the child and hoisted her into her arms. "So, this is where you were." She coddled.
"Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, she is your daughter." The King said almost amused.
"What?!" Moon blushed fiercely. "Chibi-Usa is my daughter?! Me and Mamo's?" She looked over at Tuxedo Kamen, and the two exchanged an embarrassingly wary look. "What?!" They both blushed even deeper.
In all the excitement, no one saw Fighter stumble into the background. Her body went rigid against one of the palace pillars, her face drained of color as she stared wide-eyed from Chibi-Usa, to Sailor Moon, to Tuxedo Kamen… "A daughter…" Fighter continued to gaze at them. "They have a daughter together…" And that's when she felt it, her heart truly break. She clenched her hand near her chest. Usagi would never love Seiya now. She'd never allow herself to love someone else if she already cared for and knew of a daughter waiting for her in the future. But…
"What year, month and day did that happen?!" Mars blurted out, cutting across Fighter's thoughts.
"Please forgive my daughter's many breaches of decorum. She is desperate. I used to always tell her about the story of Sailor Moon. The most powerful Senshi of legend, Sailor Moon, and that is why she suddenly came up with the idea of going to the world of the past to seek help." The king addressed everyone. "The Black Moon, the clan of the Dark Moon… their objective is to defeat us, steal the legendary Silver Crystal and then conquer the world. The enemy realized they could not take our Crystal Palace, so now they are trying to destroy the world of the past, where you live."
"If the world of the past is destroyed…" Luna started.
"This world will also fall?" Artemis finished.
"I want you to protect the world you live in at all costs."
The Senshi nodded with determination.
"Without fail!"
"We will!"
"Wait." After regaining some of her composure, Star Fighter walked listlessly back towards the group. She stopped by Sailor Moon's side, keeping eye contact with the King to avoid staring in her direction anymore. "You still haven't explained something to me." The King nodded for her to continue. "If this is the future, how do you not know who I am? Usa- Neo Queen Serenity surely told you about the battle with Galaxia, and what's more- I've never heard of such a thing as a planet Nemesis in my time. When exactly did such a planet form?"
"In your time?" The King asked perplexed, shifting his gaze to his past self.
"I- don't fully understand either." Tuxedo Kamen responded. Sailor Star Fighter pulled out her time key, revealing it to the King.
"That's, how-" He said taken aback.
"I'm from the future, but not this future. About three years into theirs." Fighter pointed to the people beside him. "Two years from their time, Usagi will meet me when she's sixteen. I travel to Earth from Kinmoku, taking on the identity of Seiya Kou and we fight Galaxia together. If this is the thirtieth century, why wouldn't you know any of this?"
King Endymion finally looked at her the way she had expected to be greeted since the very moment he saw her; he narrowed his eyes at her glaringly. "You're not supposed to be here are you?" Fighter jolted, that wasn't what she was expecting him to say. "That time key is Pluto's, asking for the Guardian of Time will even let you travel to Forbidden Era's. You stole it, and now you're messing with important timeline's, aren't you? Do you know how dangerous that is?"
"M-me?" The Senshi huffed, irritated and defensive. "You just welcomed your past self, wife, and friends into your home and told them everything about their future lives! How is that not messing with time?"
"This was always meant to happen. Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, and the Sailor Senshi were always meant to come here and learn of their future. Something was always meant to draw them here- it just happened to be the fall of Crystal Tokyo- just like The Silver Millennium, where the Queen was Princess."
"How do you kno-"
"I did not lie when I said I don't know who you are. The reason I don't is because everything you've mentioned has not happened yet."
"Wait." Jupiter interjected, scratching her head. "How does that make sense?"
"This is the future, isn't it?" Venus asked.
"Yes. This is the future- the future thirtieth century, based on the reflection of your current timeline." The King gestured to the Senshi of the past. "You," He pointed to Fighter. "if you were to travel to the thirtieth century from your present, their future, it would be entirely different than how it is now, because three years have passed since their time."
Star Fighter blinked. "You're saying…"
"The future is tied to the events in the preset that shape it. This future reflects their present, and your future reflects your present, because things can-"
"Change." Fighter finished for him.
"Most things, yes."
A feeling of rejuvenation washed over Sailor Star Fighter. Evidence of what the King was saying was right in front of her- the small pink haired girl in Sailor Moon's arms. As soon as she revealed she was from the thirtieth century, Fighter should have known. She was from the future yes, but she was much younger than the Chibi-Usa he had come across in his own timeline. Two different futures based on two different points in time… because the future was always changing to reflect the present. Usagi's words from the night in the clothing shop echoed loudly in Fighter's mind. "But! I- I did!" There was something there, something that if it wasn't for Mamoru and Chibi-Usa may become something more. Maybe there was still a way to change Usagi's mind, if time itself changed, if Serenity felt the same. Her resolve to go back to the Silver Millennium strengthened.
"Hang on." Mars sounded hopeful. "You said in your time there's no planet Nemesis, right? That means we defeat them?"
"To the best of my knowledge," Fighter replied, "my Usagi's never mentioned anything about a Black Moon clan."
"It doesn't matter!" Venus said happily. "You being here is all the confirmation we need that we beat them!"
In that instant, the King's projection started to warp and abruptly fade. Without a second to react, a vigorous gust of black wind funneled violently around the room, forcing everyone off balance as if the air were being sucked out of the room.
"I wouldn't count on that." A foreboding voice reverberated high off the walls, followed by the appearance of a young man grinning slyly above them.
"Who are you?" Sailor Moon hollered through the storm.
"NO!" Star Fighter shrieked, causing startled looks all around her. She didn't notice, all she saw was the man above her. White hair, piercing violet eyes, long purple cape and dressed all in white… Fighter's eyes dilated in fear, it was the man from her nightmares. "No!" He was real? She grabbed Sailor Moon's arm in a panic.
"I came here with other intentions," He smirked at Sailor Moon, "but I heard something quite interesting just now." The man in white constricted his eyes as the dark symbol on his forehead transfigured into a third eye. The third eye shot out a beam of light, which immobilized the Senshi. "You. Senshi." He spoke to Fighter. "You will give me that key."
"Like- hell-" Fighter grunted against the force.
"I can't breathe." The Senshi coughed, trying hard to fight back.
"Burning…"
"Shine Aq…"
"It's no use." Jupiter groaned. "I'm losing my power."
"Come!" The man said firmly. Star Fighter began to rise, her hand running across Sailor Moon's arm as she floated upward. With a sudden lurch she stopped, suspended in air. Her head whirled around to see Sailor Moon clutching her hand, Chibi-Usa slumped across her other arm.
"Nrgg…" Sailor Moon gritted her teeth, fighting to keep hold. Fighter lurched again as her hand slipped, Sailor Moon moving slightly with her. "NRGG!"
"Sailor Moon…"
"It's no use." The man in white said as Sailor Moon slipped even further, losing more grip on Fighter's hand. "If we're meant to fail here, then I'll go elsewhere and change that future. Now, hand me that time key."
Fighter tried twisting her body to aim clearly. "Star-" She wheezed. "Serious- nargh!"
"Fighter!" Sailor Moon screamed as their hands finally broke. The next hands Fighter felt upon her were the man's. She kicked blindly, hoping to do any damage. She must have hit him, because the next moment the beam stopped. But before she could fall, he constrained her in his grasp. His hand knocked her heard in the chest as he tried grabbing for the time key. Determined, Fighter sank her teeth into his arm, resulting in her windpipe being crushed in a chokehold. With his opponent gagging for air, the man seized his chance and clutched tightly onto the key. Out of nowhere, gnawing pain pierced Fighter's head, blurring her eyes with tears as the man laughed.
"Don't come!" Usagi's voice screamed in Fighter's head. "Don't come!"
"No." Fighter fought against the pain. "Stop."
The man hoisted the time key, still fastened around Fighter's neck, into the air. "If you won't let me go alone, I'll take you with me and finish you later. Guardian of Time!" The key activated. Star Fighter struggled with all her might. If she could only knock his arm away from her temporarily…. "Take me to the past, where the Queen is princ-"
"-Tsukino Usagi!" In his excited anticipation, the man dropped his hold just long enough for Fighter to sputter out one breath of air, and she wasn't going to waste it. It was all she could think of to prevent him from going back to The Silver Millennium. As the pink light began to wrap around them, Fighter looked down into Sailor Moon's eyes. They were looking directly back, filled with a troubled ache. Her palm was outstretched as if Fighter's hand could still be there. She slowly shook her head from side to side as her lips formed words Fighter couldn't hear, but understood.
"Don't go…"
Fighter smiled sorrowfully down at the young Sailor Moon below her. She had gotten to know her all over again, fall in love with her all over again. Her energy, her smile, her sultry attitude towards Seiya in the beginning, her beauty, and kindness… she was almost her Usagi again, and now… "I'm sorry." Fighter mouthed back. With one final glow, and one final desperate attempt from Sailor Moon to reach out her hand, Fighter and the man vanished into the light. The last thing Fighter saw before vanishing was once again, an Usagi with tears in her eyes.
"CRACK!" "THUD!" Both Star Fighter's and the man's body came crashing down on top of each other as they hit hard rocky ground. Fighter quickly began scrambling to her feet but was immediately yanked downward. She hit the floor hard, and the man began to pin her there. Fighter swung out her leg. Knocking him off his knees, she kicked him off of her. His hand wrapped around her ankle, but Fighter, now upright, forced him off her with one final assault. She stumbled backward until she smashed into the wall behind her, panting heavily from the scuffle. She quickly took in her surroundings, a giant dark rock cave, before the man in white rose to his feet as well, furious and also panting. Her eyes fixated on him, anticipating his next attack until she saw something just beyond. Below them sat a large flat section of the cave, and on it stood what appeared to be people. Fighter squinted her eyes, and inhaled sharply.
The Usagi from his dreams, with white flowing gown and gold beading, cradled what appeared to be an unconscious Tuxedo Kamen's head in her lap. The Inner Senshi and the cats stood off to the side, and a ponytailed man Fighter had never seen before stood in front of Usagi. Fighter's adversary caught on, and turned his head to look as well. As he did, a light emanated from Usagi transforming her into Sailor Moon, before she slumped over onto the Tuxedo Kamen.
"Don't even think about it!" Star Fighter growled. "I won't let you touch her."
"No." He said glancing back at Fighter. "I need Princess Serenity before she was Sailor Moon. I need that key!"
Fighter was prepared for it. She jumped, rolling to the left as his attack smashed the rock that was behind her.
"Star Serious Laser!" The man sidestepped her attack as well. Both of them struck at the same time, causing a small explosion as the spells met midair. Fighter dived behind one of the larger stalagmites for shelter. When the last chunk crumbled to the ground, Fighter countered. She burst out into the open, attacking the spot he had dodged behind, but he wasn't there. Turning around too late, Star Fighter once more found herself wrapped up in his hold. He quickly grabbed the chain attached to the key and wrapped it around Fighter's neck so she couldn't speak.
"Now, where was I before you interrupted? Guardian of time!" Fighter's eyes widened. "Take me to the past, where Neo Queen Serenity was Princess! The Silver Millennium!" The familiar pink light began to wrap around both of their bodies. As Fighter started to see her body vanish into the light, the man yanked her head upward by the neck, and wrenched off the kay. Snapping the chain against Fighter's throat, he shoved the coughing Senshi out of the light. Fighter held it in agony on the cold floor, turning around just in time to see him triumphantly fade away.
A silent scream caught in her throat, escaping only as a small squeak as she sat rooted to the spot with her mouth open. "What-" The throbbing pain began to subside as panic took over. "What have I done?!" Not only did she just allow an unknown enemy escape to the past- but he took the time key- her time key! Without her! Fighter ran her hands across her chest where the key originally dangled, still gaping at the spot he'd disappeared. "What- am I going to do?" She began to tremble. "I-I'm-!"
"AN IDIOT!" A female voice rang angrily across the cave walls. "A giant, STUPID, idiot!" There was no mistaking the voice, but Fighter thought it sounded too clear to be an illusion. She whirled her torso around in disbelief, only to be roughly lifted from the floor.
"What did you do?!" Sailor Star Maker barked, clenching balls of Fighter's outfit in her fists.
"Maker? Healer?" Fighter looked at them in stunned disbelief. "How-"
"Shut up! What did you do?!" Maker shouted again. "Just now? What happened?!"
"W- what do you mean?" Fighter asked confused.
"We've been trying to safely travel to your sorry ass to bring you back since you left!" Healer complained angrily. "Then after getting your little letter from that woman, and figuring out where you were heading next, we had no choice but to rush here and stop you using this again." She held up a small shiny piece of metal.
"You have a time key?" She gasped with relief.
"As soon as we started to make the jump, everyone in the present fainted! Everyone, Fighter! So answer me already, what the hell did you just do?!" Maker shook her.
"Everyone fainted?" Fighter looked into Maker's cold angry eyes. The fact that she was this upset unnerved her. She thought of her time key, how it had disappeared with the man in white moments before they arrived. It was the only explanation. "This is more serious than I thought."
"Yeah, a lot more serious! Do you realize what you've done, to Usagi? What your hot-headed actions were about to-"
"Whoa, wait." Fighter cut her off. "To Usagi?"
"You've been making her sick. Extremely sick, messing so closely with her timeline." Healer watched the words sink into Fighter's mind as alarm spread across her face.
"I- didn't know."
"You don't know a lot of things, which is why-" Maker set her back down on the floor, but didn't dare let go of her clothing. "you're coming back us, and we're going to fix this mess, right now."
"No!" She yelled.
"Fighter!"
"Really?!"
"No, you don't understand! I can't! I have to go The Silver Millennium!"
"STILL?!"
"Give it up already!"
"You don't understand!" Fighter pleaded.
"No! You don't understand!" Maker snapped. "Pluto told us what your interfering in The Silver Millennium could cost us! Do you know Fighter? Do you? No! You don't! The Silver Millennium, where Usagi lives as Princess Serenity! Where she dies, before she's reborn as Sailor Moon on Earth! A world without Sailor Moon, without the power of her Silver Crystal as it is today, could mean the destruction of the universe! Serenity committed suicide over the loss of Endymion, and in that tragedy her mother used the last of her power to send them into the future to be reborn! And you, stupid fool selfishly blinded by one-sided love were going to interfere and possibly put everything at stake! You don't think before you act!"
Fighter stared at Maker, speechless, and unmoving. She didn't know how to process this information, she could only continue staring at Maker's irate face. After a few moments, Maker closed her eyes and sighed heavily, letting go of Fighter. She knew she wouldn't run now.
"Then- I really have done something terrible." Fighter barely whispered. "And now, there's really no choice, we have to go back…" Healer opened her mouth to continue shouting, but Maker held up a hand to stop her. She could tell the difference in Fighter's eyes. They longer harbored the appearance of someone driven, but of someone defeated, and afraid.
"… What have you done?"
"I came across a man- an old enemy of theirs. I think- I think he wants Usagi. The way he-" Fighter choked down air. "He stole my time key, and time jumped to The Silver Millennium."
"Fighter-" It was worse than being yelled at. The sheer look of disappointment, terror, and cold silence made Fighter's body feel lifeless.
"Please." She begged, finding it hard to meet their eyes. "I need your help. This man will stop at nothing. I have to fix my mistake, to protect her, but I can't do this alone..."
"Like you said, we don't really have much of a choice at this point, do we?" Maker said coolly. "Healer-" Sailor Star Healer stepped forward, holding out the time key in her hand. Maker placed her hand on it, demonstrating for Fighter to do the same. As Fighter placed hers, Maker looked up at her. "You know what this means right? What has to be done, going back?"
"Yeah…" Star Fighter smiled dolefully. "After all this, it must be my punishment. How ironic." She chucked, then stopped as she felt tears beginning to form at the back of her eyes. She quickly shook it off, hoping no one noticed.
"Can you do it?" Maker pressed.
"I'll save her." She said determinedly. "To save our universe, and insure the future… I'll make sure nothing comes between Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion…not that man... no one."
"Alright then, let's go. To The Silver Millennium."
Out of curiosity, Sailor Star Fighter glanced over her shoulder back down to the flat section of cave. However, just like Fighter was feeling, it was already empty.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Click, clack…
"Just beyond here are the Royal Gardens. Not as gorgeous as what you would find on Earth's natural terrain, but still quite beautiful I'd hope."
"I'm sure they're lovely."
Click, clack…
"And, oh- there's my daughter. Darling! Would you mind coming over here for a moment? She's always here, one of her favorite spots." A woman placed her hands on a young girl's shoulders as she approached her mother. "Darling, we have a visitor here with us today. Introduce yourself." She added is a whisper.
The young girl, who wore a flowing white gown with gold beading, stepped away from her mother and approached the man in white, curtsying. She looked up at him with her royal blue eyes, and smiled politely.
"May I introduce my daughter, Princess Serenity. Serenity, Prince Demande from Nemesis. He'll be staying with us for a short period as we discuss a possible alliance between our two kingdoms."
"It's my pleasure to meet you." The Princess smiled and curtseyed again.
"Trust me." Prince Demande grinned. "The pleasure will be all mine."