Title: Snake Eyes
Author: Hidden Angel
Email: hitoshichan@bishoujosenshi.com
AN: This was previously posted under an old author name. It -is- my story, just
under a different author name than before.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mitsukai listened to the phone ring endlessly before her answering
machine finally picked it up in her place. She listened to her tired voice,
muffled through the pillow she held over her head, until she heard it click over
to the caller.
"Hey, Mitsukai? Um, this is Jesse. Just calling to find out if you're
all right, you know. After that youma attack and you ran off . . . well nobody
saw you, so," there was a pause, and Mitsukai could hear Jesse taking a breath,
"When . . . if you get this, please call me back soon."
Seconds later, Mitsukai grimaced as the loud beeping of the machine
pierced through to her sensative ears, announcing that Jesse had hung up the
phone.
'I have got such a headache . . .' she thought, and cringed again as a
shot of pain pierced her mind. 'Seizui-baka finally powered down? Wonder what
she was up to last night . . .'
Suddenly, Mitsukai sat straight up in her bed, "KAMI! What time is it?"
she exclaimed to herself and promptly rolled off the bed. She groaned as she
pulled herself up to look blindly at the clock. She blinked a few times to get
the numbers in focus and when she did, she cursed to herself.
'No wonder I have a headache . . . after yesterday, I haven't eaten in
nearly twenty four hours!' she cried to herself, and let her head flop back onto
the bed, resting sagely on her arms. 'Something's different about Seizui-baka
this time . . . she's stronger, as if that was possible. Yet, so am I . . .'
she laughed bitterly to herself, 'Over three thousand years in exile *would* do
that to her. Twice that for myself.'
-You are not who you were, Mitsukai-chan.-
Mitsukai blinked and raised her head, looking around slowly for the
voice that had penetrated her reviere. 'Huh? What was that?'
-You have changed more in the ten thousand years since the Silver
Millennium was created than I had in the thousand it took for me to be re-born.-
"What? Who are you? I'm confused, I *was* Usagi-chan, wasn't I?"
Silence, "WASN'T I?"
-This change could prove disastrous. Hold on to your innocent heart,
Mitsukai-chan. It . . .- the voice faltered, -It may be . . . it may be the
only thing,- the voice faded again.
"The only thing what? Who are you?" Mitsukai demanded to the air.
-It may be the only thing to keep me alive . . .- the voice responded
weakly, then it was gone.
Mitsukai stood up slowly and stretched. Her shoulders and back resisted
rather painfully, but moved anyway. Stifling a yawn, Mitsukai slowly shuffled
into her bathroom and blanched when she saw that she was *still* in her dress
from the night before.
She splashed some cold water on her face in an attempt to wake herself
up after the long night. She changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a
loose sweatshirt before going to see who all had called her while she was
asleep.
Entering the kitchen, she blinked in suprise at the rapid flashing of
the message light. She couldn't even manage to count how many times it blinked
before pausing, and returning to it's rapid-fire pace. Attempting to do so only
made her headache worse.
Finally deciding on what to do, Mitsukai hit the play button and
proceeded to fix herself dinner.
"Naitono-san, um . . . I heard you go out last night but I never heard
you come in . . . then I heard about the youma attack at the restaraunt you said
you were going to. I checked with the hospitals but you weren't checked into
any of them. I just wanted to make sure you were all right."
Her landlord. Mitsukai smirked as she listened to him drone on some
more. 'Just one of the many advantages of your apartment being right next to
his . . .' she thought.
The next few messages were really obscure. All it was, was a fading
dialtone. Though it wasn't a normal dialtone. There was an obvious, steady
beep through it. 'Morse code?' Mitsukai thought, confusedly. She quickly
dismissed her head of that thought, 'Too regular to be morse code. What coudld
it be, though?'
The next message cleared up her questions. "Oh, um, Mitsukai-chan . .
." a small voice said.
Mitsukai's ears immediately perked up when she heard it, 'I know that
voice!' she thought, frantically. 'I know it!'
"Mitsukai-chan, this is Tsukino Kanshisha* from Tokyo. I got your
number from an old friend of yours, Meiou Setsuna," Mitsukai's eyes widened at
Setsuna's name and she momentarily stopped fixing her dinner.
'Tsukino Kanshisha? What the hell?'
"So, I was wondering if," the message was cut off by Mitsukai abruptly
hitting the forward button on the machine.
'Tsukino Kanshisha. Who the hell is that?' Mitsukai thought as the
other messages played through. Despite the abnormal nature of them, their
meaning in entirety didn't quite enter her mind until the second to last message
played.
"Mitsukai-chan! This is Chiba Mamoru from Vogue magazine. I must admit
after that little stunt you pulled last night I was somewhat hesitant to take
you on . . . but I believe it will be well worth our efforts,"
'Kami-sama, he couldn't know, could he? He couldn't be involved!
Mamo-chan, what's happened to you?'
"So, if you have the time please call me at the office whenever it's
convenient . . ." Mamoru's voice faded off as Mitsukai slid down to her knees by
the phone, suddenly oblivious to her surroundings. The ticking of the clock on
the opposite wall filled her mind.
-A bomb is set to go off, Mitsukai-chan.- a small voice whispered to her
mind.
'But where is it, and what can be done to stop it?'
-Do your friends even remember you? Are you all alone again? You didn't
fare well by yourself when you first became Sailormoon, did you?-
'Yes, but things are different, now. I am not who I was.'
-Exactly. It is that, which shall destroy you and everything you try so
hard to save.- the voice said, now taking on a somewhat sinister tone.
Mitsukai scowled, but allowed her mind to be drawn further into the
conversation. -Seizui is very powerful. You'd be best to leave well enough
alone.-
'She is nothing that I haven't faced before. She may have power, but I
have so much more.'
-Just what do you have left? Mamoru, Endymion has betrayed you for her
fascade.-
Mitsukai's eyes widened in shock and she wrenched her mind quite
painfully from the connection. "NO!" she shouted out loud. She pounded her
hands on the ground and her anguished screams filled the apartment.
"Mitsukai! Mitsukai, are you all right?" a calm voice rang like music
through Mitsukai's ears and as she slowly raised her head, a soft glow engulfed
her and her tear-streaked face was immediately cleared of the stains.
"Serenity . . ." she breathed, as the glow receeded from her to
concentrate on an area in front of her. The ginsuishou (which was still in her
posession, despite her most recent kaihen*) floated in the center and expanded
to the form of Serenity.
"Mitsukai-chan, it's an honor to finally be in your presence," Serenity,
still engulfed in the immense light, bowed slightly and remained in that
position until the light had faded. "I have heard many stories of your
conquests, passed down since the beginning of the Silver Millennium."
Mitsukai blushed slightly, though she felt a strange stir of power draw
up within her. She scowled as she attempted to quelch the power, but it would
not receed. "Why are you here, Serenity?" she demanded, her voice harsh and
cold. "Do not tell me there is an additional battle aside from Seizui-baka that
I must face."
Serenity smiled softly, "I have heard your cry for help, dear one . . ."
she said, almost hesitantly. "I'm afraid I cannot do much, as I am only a
priestess and patron of yours now," small signs of nervousness took over
Serenity's form and Mitsukai relaxed almost instantly at these small breaks of
composure. "Yet, I have bestowed my powers upon a warrior here that may be of
some use . . . her spirit is very much in tune with my daughters, and what yours
must be for this to occur."
"Nani?" Mitsukai asked, scowling at the woman before her, "For what to
occur?"
Serenity smiled wider, "Didn't you know?" she asked, true innocence, but
pleasure, spreading across her features. "You, warrior, are the Eternal
Kingdom's creator. While this . . . amazing display of order and spectacularity
is no work of yours, the kingdom that will rise from it will be. You will need
help to keep the balance of power in order until you achieve your balance."
Mitsukai looked at Serenity in shock. "Why didn't I know of this?" she
demanded.
"The heart will tell you many things if you choose to listen. But
remember, you are not who you once were. The balance that must be achieved, as
of now, is nearly impossible. Don't loose heart, Mitsukai-chan. Naraku* is
depending on you."
With those words spoken, the light faded once more into the small gem
that dropped to the floor in front of Mitsukai and shattered into millions of
pieces. Mitsukai, however, felt more at peace with it's state than any time
she'd had it in her possession. 'A token of Serenity's promise. Her power is
no longer accessible by the beholder of the crystal. It must now be bestowed.
And I must find this new warrior before Seizui does,' she thought, darkly.
The inner senshi and Artemis all stared, mouths agape, at the spot where
the outers and Luna once stood. "Ami-chan," Minako started, slowly, "What just
happened here?"
Ami was already typing furiously at her mini-computer as the question
was asked. Suddenly, she stopped and reached into her pocket to pull out a
small, ice-blue cellular phone. She tossed it deftly to Makoto and resumed her
frantic search for answers. "Mako-chan," she started, "Call my mother. We're
going to need her help in doing what we need to do."
"Ami-chan, your mother?" Rei asked, her voice serious. "How are we
going to get past her?"
"She already knows," Ami bit out, and growled slightly at the numbers
that were being shot back at her in such rapid sequence she couldn't get a clear
fix on their meaning. "I had to tell her last night when this blasted thing set
off. It just had a similar reaction when that portal sucked the outers and Luna
through."
Artemis watched the goings on with slight shock. He never thought it
was possible that Luna, of all people, had known of Usagi's true future the
whole time. 'It was all a façade? Did she purposely put on that face of hers .
. . did Usagi-chan know about this, too?' he thought, distractedly.
-An American president once said "If I had another face, do you think I
would wear this one?" It is very true, Artemis. More true than you might
imagine.-
"So, she didn't know . . ." Artemis mused to himself, unheeding of the
sudden message that had just been put into his mind.
A muttered curse broke his train of thought and he looked sharply up at
Minako, who blushed. "Sorry, Artemis-kun, but Ami just told us all something
quite shocking."
Artemis looked at Ami in curiosity, "What did you find, Ami-chan?" he
asked, softly. "Did you locate the outers, and Luna?" His voice was
authoritative, but Minako detected an underlying hint of sadness, and despair,
when he mentioned Luna's name.
Ami shook her head slowly, but her typing had not slowed. "I found a
hint about this Ethereal Angel of the Moon that might help us, though," she
muttered, and stared hard at her mini-computer as it scrolled more information
during a pause in her sequential typing.
"Apparently, there was an old enemy of hers that prevented her from
creating the Eternal Kingdom back a few thousand years after the Creation," she
mused, "The angel, just called Mitsukai at the time, managed to banish this
enemy at the least, but she did not have the energy to create the Eternal
Kingdom. In order to sustain her power, she had to have some sort of a source,
so the ginsuishou was created."
Rei scowled and turned to Ami, "So you're saying that a perfect
stranger, this woman we know nothing about, can use the power of the
ginsuishou?"
"We hardly don't know this woman, Rei-chan!" Makoto barked, slapping the
phone closed and entering the conversation with ease, "This woman is Usagi-chan,
you're best friend!"
Rei shook her head, "It's not, Mako-chan. Usagi-chan has separated from
her body and only her soul remains. Her mind, memories . . . everything has
separated," she took a breath, "Who knows what would be happening right now if
she hadn't."
The others grew quiet at this sudden revelation, but agreed with Rei
that it was best.
"If it's Usagi-chan's soul, we should still have nothing to worry
about," Makoto said, softly.
"Let's let Ami-chan finish what she has to say, first, minna," Artemis
said, his voice growing roughly soft. The group turned back to Ami in
respectful silence.
"As I was saying, she created the ginsuishou in order to sustain her
power. It was around the ginsuishou that the Silver Millennium was created.
The first Serenity vaguely knew of Mitsukai's existence, but believed she was
only a legend. Artemis-kun, this may come as a shock . . ."
"Luna and I were born from the same power, Ami-chan . . . it comes as no
surprise to me that she and I would not be considered 'earth' cats. Or
Lunarian, for that matter," Artemis stated, his eyes downcast. "She and I have
a lifespan of many, many thousands of years. Longer than Usagi-chan will live
as Queen . . . if she ever takes the throne, that is."
"What do you mean, if she ever takes the throne?" Rei demanded. "Of
course she'll take the throne! Sailorpluto promised us that!" she shouted.
Ami shook her head doubtfully, "She may have promised that, Rei-chan,"
she said, softly, "But that doesn't mean that with this new train of events,
things in the future could now be drastically different."
"Not unless she dies," another voice popped up. Six heads swiveled to
see the newcomer.
"Who are you?" Makoto demanded, glaring at the tall woman before her.
"How long have you been listening in on our conversation?" Makoto's eyes flashed
a mysterious light as she popped her knuckles.
The woman smiled wryly and bowed respectfully in greeting, "Tsukino
Kanshisha," she said, simply. "I believe Artemis-kun knows of me . . ."
Artemis stared up at the woman in surprise, "Tsukino Kanshisa, you say?"
he asked, a considering look on his face. As the woman nodded, Artemis grinned
broadly, "Senshi, this woman is a survivor from the moon kingdom. Somehow she
survived Beryl's attack and was in a dimensional suspension until Setsuna-sensei
found her. Setsuna-sensei warned me of her existence when she freed her."
"Warned, Artemis-kun?" Kanshisha said, jokingly. "I would hardly think
she warned you. More like scared the heck out of you."
Artemis blushed the best a cat could blush and glared up at Kanshisha,
"And I suppose you fared much better when you learned of your homes fate?"
Kanshisha tossed reddened chestnut hair over her shoulder and green
flames literally shot from her eyes to Artemis. "We all went through that,
Artemis-kun. I consider myself very lucky to be alive, as you should to. But
instead, you're more worried about when you'll finally have peace!"
"That is what was always wanted in the Silver Millennium,
Kanshisha-sama," Ami spoke up. "With the one who created the Silver Millennium
re-born now . . . the moon's wishes are now our wishes again until Crystal Tokyo
is formed. If it is formed," she said. "You said yourself the future will not
be much different unless Usagi-chan dies."
Kanshisha nodded, "That, I did say. I just have one question."
"What's that?"
"Where *is* Usagi-chan, and where are Setsuna-sama, Hotaru-chan,
Haruka-san, and Michiru-sama?"
*Tsukino Kanshisha=Guardian of the moon
*kaihen=transformation
Author: Hidden Angel
Email: hitoshichan@bishoujosenshi.com
AN: This was previously posted under an old author name. It -is- my story, just
under a different author name than before.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mitsukai listened to the phone ring endlessly before her answering
machine finally picked it up in her place. She listened to her tired voice,
muffled through the pillow she held over her head, until she heard it click over
to the caller.
"Hey, Mitsukai? Um, this is Jesse. Just calling to find out if you're
all right, you know. After that youma attack and you ran off . . . well nobody
saw you, so," there was a pause, and Mitsukai could hear Jesse taking a breath,
"When . . . if you get this, please call me back soon."
Seconds later, Mitsukai grimaced as the loud beeping of the machine
pierced through to her sensative ears, announcing that Jesse had hung up the
phone.
'I have got such a headache . . .' she thought, and cringed again as a
shot of pain pierced her mind. 'Seizui-baka finally powered down? Wonder what
she was up to last night . . .'
Suddenly, Mitsukai sat straight up in her bed, "KAMI! What time is it?"
she exclaimed to herself and promptly rolled off the bed. She groaned as she
pulled herself up to look blindly at the clock. She blinked a few times to get
the numbers in focus and when she did, she cursed to herself.
'No wonder I have a headache . . . after yesterday, I haven't eaten in
nearly twenty four hours!' she cried to herself, and let her head flop back onto
the bed, resting sagely on her arms. 'Something's different about Seizui-baka
this time . . . she's stronger, as if that was possible. Yet, so am I . . .'
she laughed bitterly to herself, 'Over three thousand years in exile *would* do
that to her. Twice that for myself.'
-You are not who you were, Mitsukai-chan.-
Mitsukai blinked and raised her head, looking around slowly for the
voice that had penetrated her reviere. 'Huh? What was that?'
-You have changed more in the ten thousand years since the Silver
Millennium was created than I had in the thousand it took for me to be re-born.-
"What? Who are you? I'm confused, I *was* Usagi-chan, wasn't I?"
Silence, "WASN'T I?"
-This change could prove disastrous. Hold on to your innocent heart,
Mitsukai-chan. It . . .- the voice faltered, -It may be . . . it may be the
only thing,- the voice faded again.
"The only thing what? Who are you?" Mitsukai demanded to the air.
-It may be the only thing to keep me alive . . .- the voice responded
weakly, then it was gone.
Mitsukai stood up slowly and stretched. Her shoulders and back resisted
rather painfully, but moved anyway. Stifling a yawn, Mitsukai slowly shuffled
into her bathroom and blanched when she saw that she was *still* in her dress
from the night before.
She splashed some cold water on her face in an attempt to wake herself
up after the long night. She changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a
loose sweatshirt before going to see who all had called her while she was
asleep.
Entering the kitchen, she blinked in suprise at the rapid flashing of
the message light. She couldn't even manage to count how many times it blinked
before pausing, and returning to it's rapid-fire pace. Attempting to do so only
made her headache worse.
Finally deciding on what to do, Mitsukai hit the play button and
proceeded to fix herself dinner.
"Naitono-san, um . . . I heard you go out last night but I never heard
you come in . . . then I heard about the youma attack at the restaraunt you said
you were going to. I checked with the hospitals but you weren't checked into
any of them. I just wanted to make sure you were all right."
Her landlord. Mitsukai smirked as she listened to him drone on some
more. 'Just one of the many advantages of your apartment being right next to
his . . .' she thought.
The next few messages were really obscure. All it was, was a fading
dialtone. Though it wasn't a normal dialtone. There was an obvious, steady
beep through it. 'Morse code?' Mitsukai thought, confusedly. She quickly
dismissed her head of that thought, 'Too regular to be morse code. What coudld
it be, though?'
The next message cleared up her questions. "Oh, um, Mitsukai-chan . .
." a small voice said.
Mitsukai's ears immediately perked up when she heard it, 'I know that
voice!' she thought, frantically. 'I know it!'
"Mitsukai-chan, this is Tsukino Kanshisha* from Tokyo. I got your
number from an old friend of yours, Meiou Setsuna," Mitsukai's eyes widened at
Setsuna's name and she momentarily stopped fixing her dinner.
'Tsukino Kanshisha? What the hell?'
"So, I was wondering if," the message was cut off by Mitsukai abruptly
hitting the forward button on the machine.
'Tsukino Kanshisha. Who the hell is that?' Mitsukai thought as the
other messages played through. Despite the abnormal nature of them, their
meaning in entirety didn't quite enter her mind until the second to last message
played.
"Mitsukai-chan! This is Chiba Mamoru from Vogue magazine. I must admit
after that little stunt you pulled last night I was somewhat hesitant to take
you on . . . but I believe it will be well worth our efforts,"
'Kami-sama, he couldn't know, could he? He couldn't be involved!
Mamo-chan, what's happened to you?'
"So, if you have the time please call me at the office whenever it's
convenient . . ." Mamoru's voice faded off as Mitsukai slid down to her knees by
the phone, suddenly oblivious to her surroundings. The ticking of the clock on
the opposite wall filled her mind.
-A bomb is set to go off, Mitsukai-chan.- a small voice whispered to her
mind.
'But where is it, and what can be done to stop it?'
-Do your friends even remember you? Are you all alone again? You didn't
fare well by yourself when you first became Sailormoon, did you?-
'Yes, but things are different, now. I am not who I was.'
-Exactly. It is that, which shall destroy you and everything you try so
hard to save.- the voice said, now taking on a somewhat sinister tone.
Mitsukai scowled, but allowed her mind to be drawn further into the
conversation. -Seizui is very powerful. You'd be best to leave well enough
alone.-
'She is nothing that I haven't faced before. She may have power, but I
have so much more.'
-Just what do you have left? Mamoru, Endymion has betrayed you for her
fascade.-
Mitsukai's eyes widened in shock and she wrenched her mind quite
painfully from the connection. "NO!" she shouted out loud. She pounded her
hands on the ground and her anguished screams filled the apartment.
"Mitsukai! Mitsukai, are you all right?" a calm voice rang like music
through Mitsukai's ears and as she slowly raised her head, a soft glow engulfed
her and her tear-streaked face was immediately cleared of the stains.
"Serenity . . ." she breathed, as the glow receeded from her to
concentrate on an area in front of her. The ginsuishou (which was still in her
posession, despite her most recent kaihen*) floated in the center and expanded
to the form of Serenity.
"Mitsukai-chan, it's an honor to finally be in your presence," Serenity,
still engulfed in the immense light, bowed slightly and remained in that
position until the light had faded. "I have heard many stories of your
conquests, passed down since the beginning of the Silver Millennium."
Mitsukai blushed slightly, though she felt a strange stir of power draw
up within her. She scowled as she attempted to quelch the power, but it would
not receed. "Why are you here, Serenity?" she demanded, her voice harsh and
cold. "Do not tell me there is an additional battle aside from Seizui-baka that
I must face."
Serenity smiled softly, "I have heard your cry for help, dear one . . ."
she said, almost hesitantly. "I'm afraid I cannot do much, as I am only a
priestess and patron of yours now," small signs of nervousness took over
Serenity's form and Mitsukai relaxed almost instantly at these small breaks of
composure. "Yet, I have bestowed my powers upon a warrior here that may be of
some use . . . her spirit is very much in tune with my daughters, and what yours
must be for this to occur."
"Nani?" Mitsukai asked, scowling at the woman before her, "For what to
occur?"
Serenity smiled wider, "Didn't you know?" she asked, true innocence, but
pleasure, spreading across her features. "You, warrior, are the Eternal
Kingdom's creator. While this . . . amazing display of order and spectacularity
is no work of yours, the kingdom that will rise from it will be. You will need
help to keep the balance of power in order until you achieve your balance."
Mitsukai looked at Serenity in shock. "Why didn't I know of this?" she
demanded.
"The heart will tell you many things if you choose to listen. But
remember, you are not who you once were. The balance that must be achieved, as
of now, is nearly impossible. Don't loose heart, Mitsukai-chan. Naraku* is
depending on you."
With those words spoken, the light faded once more into the small gem
that dropped to the floor in front of Mitsukai and shattered into millions of
pieces. Mitsukai, however, felt more at peace with it's state than any time
she'd had it in her possession. 'A token of Serenity's promise. Her power is
no longer accessible by the beholder of the crystal. It must now be bestowed.
And I must find this new warrior before Seizui does,' she thought, darkly.
The inner senshi and Artemis all stared, mouths agape, at the spot where
the outers and Luna once stood. "Ami-chan," Minako started, slowly, "What just
happened here?"
Ami was already typing furiously at her mini-computer as the question
was asked. Suddenly, she stopped and reached into her pocket to pull out a
small, ice-blue cellular phone. She tossed it deftly to Makoto and resumed her
frantic search for answers. "Mako-chan," she started, "Call my mother. We're
going to need her help in doing what we need to do."
"Ami-chan, your mother?" Rei asked, her voice serious. "How are we
going to get past her?"
"She already knows," Ami bit out, and growled slightly at the numbers
that were being shot back at her in such rapid sequence she couldn't get a clear
fix on their meaning. "I had to tell her last night when this blasted thing set
off. It just had a similar reaction when that portal sucked the outers and Luna
through."
Artemis watched the goings on with slight shock. He never thought it
was possible that Luna, of all people, had known of Usagi's true future the
whole time. 'It was all a façade? Did she purposely put on that face of hers .
. . did Usagi-chan know about this, too?' he thought, distractedly.
-An American president once said "If I had another face, do you think I
would wear this one?" It is very true, Artemis. More true than you might
imagine.-
"So, she didn't know . . ." Artemis mused to himself, unheeding of the
sudden message that had just been put into his mind.
A muttered curse broke his train of thought and he looked sharply up at
Minako, who blushed. "Sorry, Artemis-kun, but Ami just told us all something
quite shocking."
Artemis looked at Ami in curiosity, "What did you find, Ami-chan?" he
asked, softly. "Did you locate the outers, and Luna?" His voice was
authoritative, but Minako detected an underlying hint of sadness, and despair,
when he mentioned Luna's name.
Ami shook her head slowly, but her typing had not slowed. "I found a
hint about this Ethereal Angel of the Moon that might help us, though," she
muttered, and stared hard at her mini-computer as it scrolled more information
during a pause in her sequential typing.
"Apparently, there was an old enemy of hers that prevented her from
creating the Eternal Kingdom back a few thousand years after the Creation," she
mused, "The angel, just called Mitsukai at the time, managed to banish this
enemy at the least, but she did not have the energy to create the Eternal
Kingdom. In order to sustain her power, she had to have some sort of a source,
so the ginsuishou was created."
Rei scowled and turned to Ami, "So you're saying that a perfect
stranger, this woman we know nothing about, can use the power of the
ginsuishou?"
"We hardly don't know this woman, Rei-chan!" Makoto barked, slapping the
phone closed and entering the conversation with ease, "This woman is Usagi-chan,
you're best friend!"
Rei shook her head, "It's not, Mako-chan. Usagi-chan has separated from
her body and only her soul remains. Her mind, memories . . . everything has
separated," she took a breath, "Who knows what would be happening right now if
she hadn't."
The others grew quiet at this sudden revelation, but agreed with Rei
that it was best.
"If it's Usagi-chan's soul, we should still have nothing to worry
about," Makoto said, softly.
"Let's let Ami-chan finish what she has to say, first, minna," Artemis
said, his voice growing roughly soft. The group turned back to Ami in
respectful silence.
"As I was saying, she created the ginsuishou in order to sustain her
power. It was around the ginsuishou that the Silver Millennium was created.
The first Serenity vaguely knew of Mitsukai's existence, but believed she was
only a legend. Artemis-kun, this may come as a shock . . ."
"Luna and I were born from the same power, Ami-chan . . . it comes as no
surprise to me that she and I would not be considered 'earth' cats. Or
Lunarian, for that matter," Artemis stated, his eyes downcast. "She and I have
a lifespan of many, many thousands of years. Longer than Usagi-chan will live
as Queen . . . if she ever takes the throne, that is."
"What do you mean, if she ever takes the throne?" Rei demanded. "Of
course she'll take the throne! Sailorpluto promised us that!" she shouted.
Ami shook her head doubtfully, "She may have promised that, Rei-chan,"
she said, softly, "But that doesn't mean that with this new train of events,
things in the future could now be drastically different."
"Not unless she dies," another voice popped up. Six heads swiveled to
see the newcomer.
"Who are you?" Makoto demanded, glaring at the tall woman before her.
"How long have you been listening in on our conversation?" Makoto's eyes flashed
a mysterious light as she popped her knuckles.
The woman smiled wryly and bowed respectfully in greeting, "Tsukino
Kanshisha," she said, simply. "I believe Artemis-kun knows of me . . ."
Artemis stared up at the woman in surprise, "Tsukino Kanshisa, you say?"
he asked, a considering look on his face. As the woman nodded, Artemis grinned
broadly, "Senshi, this woman is a survivor from the moon kingdom. Somehow she
survived Beryl's attack and was in a dimensional suspension until Setsuna-sensei
found her. Setsuna-sensei warned me of her existence when she freed her."
"Warned, Artemis-kun?" Kanshisha said, jokingly. "I would hardly think
she warned you. More like scared the heck out of you."
Artemis blushed the best a cat could blush and glared up at Kanshisha,
"And I suppose you fared much better when you learned of your homes fate?"
Kanshisha tossed reddened chestnut hair over her shoulder and green
flames literally shot from her eyes to Artemis. "We all went through that,
Artemis-kun. I consider myself very lucky to be alive, as you should to. But
instead, you're more worried about when you'll finally have peace!"
"That is what was always wanted in the Silver Millennium,
Kanshisha-sama," Ami spoke up. "With the one who created the Silver Millennium
re-born now . . . the moon's wishes are now our wishes again until Crystal Tokyo
is formed. If it is formed," she said. "You said yourself the future will not
be much different unless Usagi-chan dies."
Kanshisha nodded, "That, I did say. I just have one question."
"What's that?"
"Where *is* Usagi-chan, and where are Setsuna-sama, Hotaru-chan,
Haruka-san, and Michiru-sama?"
*Tsukino Kanshisha=Guardian of the moon
*kaihen=transformation