A Supernova

--Author's Ramblings:
Mysterious Blonde Girl: So, we've finally reached story 12. Isn't anyone
the least bit curious as to who the brains of entire operation is?
((silence))
Who's pulled us through Hell and high-water? Who nudges Kate's
inspiration?
((more silence))
Oh, come on! You don't think Kate did it alone?!
((crowd murmurs in agreement))
WELL, SHE DIDN'T! If it weren't for me, Kate would still be thinking
of a name for Sailor Polaris. If it weren't for me, there'd be no
sexy Starlit Prince! If it weren't for me, Lyra and--
((the hand of an angry Butler seizes the girl's large mouth shut))
Oh, okay, I won't reveal anything. Except my real identity! I am the
pretty-suited Editor Christina!
((silence)) ((Christina turns to Butler))
I TOLD you! They don't know me! I am Kate's best friend who gives
Kate ideas and helps her with plots. I do all the dirty work and
Kate just puts it on paper. I...
((crowd begins to snore))
Okay, I see--you all want to see what happened next, what peril...
((Butler glares at her))
Uh... on with the show!
--Important! This story is a bit more violent and depressing than any
other Galactic Sailors stories. Be forewarned!--
--Also, there are a lot of author's notes at the end I suggest reading!--
* * * * * * * * * * * *
And, last time 'round...

The Galactic Gals wanted to fight the Raider King. The Mistresses did not
want them to--excepting Hannah, because she's Saturn and she's cool.
Orion received Artemis' Guardian powers. The Mistresses, with a bit of
shoving from Molly, decided to fight alongside the Scouts. Tara had a bad
vision. The Mistresses, Scouts, and Starlit Prince teleported to the
Raider Starship.

And that, my friends, is where the story begins...
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Do you hope?
"Yes."
What?
"I hope to someday be free."
Do you pray?
"Yes."
What?
"I pray to the power of the stars."
Do the stars know all?
"I think they do."
Can you be sure?
"Nothing is ever sure."
Do you love them all?
"Of course I do."
How much do you love them?
"Enough to save them."
Even if it means risking your life?
"I do love them."
And?
"And, if that's what it comes to, I will."
Even if it means death?
"I love them."
How long will you love them?
"Until the end."
Is this the end?
"I think not."
Is this the beginning?
"I hope not."
Why not?
"I do not know."
Then what is this?
"A supernova."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Laughing, he watched as the large, multi-colored beam of light
dispersed and became many. His red, darting eyes were menacing, sparkling
in the pale torchlight of the Chamber of the Spirits. Nothing moved,
except him. Nothing breathed, except him. Nothing WAS...
Except him.
He was the Raider King. He was the only hope for the entire
civilization of Raider People. For the Andromeda Galaxy was cold and
bleak, and not a place for the Raiders...
With an evil smile, he watched the beams of light--all fifteen
beams--fly into their own receptacles. Their own little holding bays of
desolate evil.
"We have them," smiled the Spirit of Silver, glistening as it spoke.
And the King just nodded.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Do you hope?
"Yes."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Her head was throbbing as she rose, the vivid colors of her Sailor
fuku dulled, really, by her own two eyes. Nothing felt right about this
place. Nothing seemed to be alive or real. Everything seemed...misty?
Yes. Everything was shrouded in a pale, surreal mist. The air was
crisp, cool, and almost glowing. And in the mist somewhere--she could not
tell if it was nearby or far from where she stood on shaking legs--there
was a body.
"Small Lady?" came a soft, soothing voice.
She narrowed her eyes, squinting. The voice sent shivers up her
spine. Only one person called her Small Lady, anymore. Only one person had
a voice like that...
But that had been years ago.
Footfalls, like those caused by her own pink boots, echoed through
the air. Yet there was no ceiling.
Watching cautiously with bright red eyes, she took a small step
forward as well.
And out of the mists came Sailor Pluto.
"Puu?" Neo-Sailor Moon's voice was soft and timid as she looked at
the silhouette before her. It HAD to be Sailor Pluto! It was the same red-
and-black fuku that she'd seen earlier... The same silken green tresses
fell limply down her back and nearly to her ankles... The same lavender
key staff with its sparkling Garnet Orb was clenched in a fist...
She glanced again at the staff. The Orb wasn't sparkling. It ALWAYS
sparkled. Sailor Moon glanced into the crimson eyes. They were dull,
lifeless... Like those of so many youmas she had fought so many times.
Surely...
"Why aren't you at the Gate of Time?" she asked cautiously, reaching
a hand instinctively behind her to the very spot in null-space where her
Rod would be, should she need it.
Pluto smiled gently and held out her free hand, the bleached white
of the glove almost shining in the pale, mysterious light. "Diana is
watching the Gate, of course," she responded in her normal, serene tone,
"just like she did when you were a child."
Closing her eyes, Sailor Moon pulled the Galactic Rod from null-
space and pointed it directly at her companion's heart. Despite the danger
that she was faced with, Pluto's large eyes remained dull and lifeless.
"You forgot about Terrence," the heroine whispered, voice hoarse.
She paused for a moment, almost unable to move due to the likeness between
the illusion and the Sailor Pluto of reality. "Forgive me."
"DON'T!"
"Galactic Shower!"
The fake Pluto turned immediately to dust, but the power of the Rod
set off a chain reaction. The mist suddenly clouded and became fog, and
lightning lit up the sky. Sailor Moon shivered against her will, gazing
throughout the darkening mists. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She gulped
back the tears which were brimming in her eyes as thunder chorused about
the girl. She grimaced, stepping slowly backward.
What was this place? Where was she? And where were the other Sailor
Scouts?
"Reeny! Grow up!" came a loud, scolding voice. "Learn to behave!"
Sailor Moon paled and stumbled backward a bit, gasping. It sounded
like her mother's voice, only a bit harsher and more edgy. "What's going
on?" she choked, grip tightening on the Galactic Rod. "What did I..."
"You act just like your mother!" yelled Diana's voice loudly,
demeaning her. "You should grow up! Act your age for once!"
Thunder clapped once again, and the area lit up. A crowd of people,
all flailing their arms menacingly, was slowly approaching. "You are
nothing but a brat!" they all screamed, one loud, unison voice rising out
of the thick mists. "You are just like Serena, and we all know how she
turned out!"
The teen stumbled backward, faintly aware of the fact that she was
falling. One shaking hand reached out and managed to grasp onto something.
She sighed in relief, realizing how fast her heart was beating. Nothing
moved as she tried to focus on her surroundings.
Lightning flashed, and her red eyes made good of the pale light,
much to her personal chagrin.
Around her were the pale, sandy walls of what seemed to be a giant
chasm. Within her hand was a rather weak-looking, dead branch of some sort
of bush or tree. The pit didn't seem to end, and Sailor Moon drew in a
deep breath.
She was doomed. Positively doomed.
Once again, the Pluto-facsimile appeared, its lifeless wine eyes
glaring down at the Sailor Scout. "I warned you," it hissed, a vile smile
crossing its lips. "But you did not listen."
"Who are you?" screamed the teen, tears flowing down her cheeks
while she yelled, though she did not remember letting the dam of emotions
burst. "WHAT are you?"
The Pluto-thing smirked and shrugged, raising the staff above its
head. "Wouldn't you like to know?" it inquired dryly, shrugging as it
spoke. "Goodbye, Sailor Moon."
And the thing threw the staff toward Sailor Moon, fading as the
projectile neared the girl's head.
"I will come again!" announced Sailor Moon loudly, taking a deep
breath.
And the last fleeting sight she had before blacking out was of her
white-gloved hand letting go of the flimsy branch.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

What?
"I hope to someday be free."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Two large, purple eyes fluttered open. Slowly, carefully, the
Mistress allowed her vision to focus on the room. And she smiled, amazed.
She was home.
It was, sure enough, the Cherry Hill Temple. She was sitting on the
same ratty brown couch that had been within the living room all her life.
Outside, she saw smiling children play ball in the courtyard while a young
couple chatted with the priest--her husband.
As delighted as she was, Raye furrowed her brow. How could she be
home? They'd all concentrated on the Raider Starship. They'd all focused
their energies. Even she. It just wasn't possible...
She slowly stood, smoothing the flowing red velvet of her Mistress
gown. Something didn't seem--no. Something just didn't FEEL right. And why
did the room look different? The Priestess walked toward the cream-colored
wall nearest to her and pressed the palm of her hand to it. It was solid
enough. Her high heels sunk into the beige carpeting just as her normally
barefoot feet would...
Laughing at herself, she kicked off her shoes and picked them off
the carpet. No use going against her beliefs now. She was home. She was
safe. And rule number one--no shoes in the temple.
Raye walked outside, finger-combing her black hair and trying to
make sense of all that could have happened. Had they won? No, that just
couldn't have happened without her knowledge. But, then again, the Sailor
Scouts couldn't have lost...
The air smelt of cherry blossoms in summer and of sea surf. She
smiled without thinking. This was the life she led. The perfect life. It
had taken years and years, but...
"And take good care of the place," her husband was saying to the
young couple, taking what appeared to be a large amount of money from
them in cash.
She rushed forward. "Chad!" she called out, an edge to her voice
that could only be described as livid. "What do you think you are doing?"
The woman of the couple laughed merrily, tossing her blonde hair
about her shoulders as she did so. "Oh, Mrs. Yuuichirou, you're so
funny!" she announced giddily, covering her mouth as the raven-haired
woman glared toward her. "Just hours ago, you approved our purchase of
your lovely little temple!"
Raye choked, as though she'd just sniffed the scent of something
truly foul. She glanced at Chad, whose green eyes seemed to be filled
with confusion. In her heart, she knew something was wrong. There was a
strange sensation running up and down her being...
"Sweetie, you did approve it," the priest assured his wife in a
calm tone. "Remember?"
Nodding a little, she held back tears. "Well, I hope you like it
here..."
The woman grinned and grasped a hold of her partner's hand. "We
will!" she announced. Pausing for a brief moment, she bowed quickly. "And
I'm sorry to hear about your daughter."
She reared back, as if hit. "W...What?" she stammered, disbelieving
of what she heard. "What about Tara?"
Glancing at one another, the couple darted off, away from the angry,
upset priestess, tugging the playful children behind them.
Chad put a soothing hand on her shoulder. "Don't you remember
anything?" he asked softly, cocking his head to the side. "Don't you
remember what happened to the Galactic Sailors and the others?"
"No." Her voice was cold. "Tell me."
He paused, gulping. "In order to win, the Galactic Sailors had to...
to..." His eyes focused on the ground. "Well, they had to give up their
lives."
A tear trailed down her cheek without warning, followed by several
others, and Chad shook his head slowly.
She knew that gesture. It meant that there was more bad news to
come.
"And...Raye..." He took in a sharp breath. "I'm dying."
Time seemed to stop. Raye stared into his eyes and immediately knew
the truth.
And, suddenly, there was nothing left to live for.
Diving into his arms, she began to sob, the tears flowing freely
down her cheeks without warning or willingness. Her life had been so
perfect and now...now...
He kissed her forehead. "Don't you worry, Raye," he whispered,
soothingly. "It will all be alright if you let it be."
The world seemed to shift on its axis suddenly, and the priestess
felt it. She closed her eyes, trying desperately to figure out why the
world didn't seem right. It hadn't since she'd first awoken on the
couch, but she had desperately tried to ignore it and focus on something
more substantial. Her husband.
But, now, it really didn't seem right. Everything seemed off
balance. Everything seemed...
That was it! It was reversed! The couch should have been against the
OTHER wall! The door should have been in a different place! That explained
why the room just didn't seem right! She pulled her lids tighter, focusing
on Chad's aura.
And she gasped. He didn't have one.
Trying earnestly to pull her body from his arms, she grunted. He
wouldn't move. His eyes, which had once been loving were now rather angry
and sparkled with evil. His grip pulled her closer.
"Afraid, Raye? Afraid of the truth?"
She bristled. "This isn't the truth!" she hollered, breath ragged as
she glared at the stranger in front of her. "You aren't my husband!"
One of his hands fell away from her waist and came up to her neck.
"Very good assumption, Miss Mars," he grinned, hiss of a voice sending
shivers down her spine. "I'm just sorry that it didn't come soon enough to
save you..."
Raye kicked at his shins and wiggled as best she could, but nothing
helped. His grip remained strong, and the hand on his throat grew tighter.
"You... MOSTER!" she spat, still struggling. "What is this place?"
"You'll never know," he retorted coolly, bringing his face down to
touch their noses together. "You will die here, and the Scouts will never
succeed."
"They don't need me," Raye informed him dryly, pulling her face as
far from his as possible. "They can win without the power of Mars."
The Chad-thing smirked. "Maybe so," he responded, "but they will all
share your fate in the end." With those words, he quickly drew his lips to
hers, dragging her into a rough, horrible kiss.
Pushing him away, the Mistress of Mars drew in all her courage and
spat in his face. "You are a monster," she growled, lowering her eyes,
"and not all the Scouts and Mistresses will be stupid enough to share my
fate."
And his hand tightened around her throat, strangling her slowly.
And all she could remember choking out was "please let Tara be
okay."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Do you pray?
"Yes."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

And Sailor Earth was running.
She hadn't remembered when the bees had first come out of the dark
tunnel she was in, and she couldn't remember how long she had been
running.
All she knew of was the danger. The unending, impossible danger that
trailed behind her, only a few paces behind. If she were to trip, to
stumble, to lose even half a pace...
Earth grimaced. She didn't want to think about it.
The buzzing of the bees and the sound of her boots hitting the stone
ground were the only sounds, and they reverberated throughout the tunnel
with each and every last step she took. Nothing seemed to move or so much
as change position, including herself and the insects. It was almost as
though...
She felt an urge to hit herself over the head with something very
blunt. It was all fake! There was nothing else in the world except her and
the bees because the only things that WERE in THIS world were her and a
swarm of blood hungry bees. And she smiled.
Then, as though it had just come into view, a glimmer of light
appeared. The light at the end of the tunnel. Her smile faded. Maybe it
was no illusion.
She ran through the opening and into a large meadow. Blue flowers
and blades of grass stretched for miles out before her. Her frown was
quickly replaced. She was safe.
The bees seemed to stop at the cave's mouth, as though the sun's
warm light scared them and took away their obviously unwavering speed. The
Sailor Scout of the Earth smiled. Safe at last.
Then, without warning, the buzzing seemed to amplify in volume, its
loudness twenty or thirty times that of the echoes that had been in the
cave. She turned slowly around, afraid of what could be making such a
sound.
Her green eyes quickly located the problem. A giant bee, a good ten
times her size, loomed above her, its wings beating loudly as she took a
slow step back. What was she supposed to do?
Sailor Earth did the only thing she could. "Earthly Thunderstorm...
STRIKE!"
Lightning hit the insect. Rain pelted down upon its thin wings,
breaking holes in them. Slowly, it fell to the ground, shaking the entire
meadow as it withered and turned to moon dust.
As soon as the creature fell to the ground, the world about her
collapsed and turned into a black eddy. She stifled a scream as she began
to be pulled toward the black hole. Could this be the end?
She fell onto a black marble floor, still conscious and very much
alive.
Maybe it wasn't the end, after all.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

What?
"I pray to the power of the stars."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

"I hate heights," muttered Mistress Venus, pushing her back further
against the cool wall of rock. "I mean, I really, really HATE heights."
Below her was an endless ocean, its waves lapping gently against the
bottom of the cliff. Ordinarily, she would have had no problem diving off
the tiny ledge and into the cool water. Ordinarily, swimming to safety
would be a very nice opinion.
Ordinarily, she wouldn't have been on an endless cliff, a good mile
above the ground, with shark-infested waters below.
Mina pushed a blonde hair from her teary eyes. How did she get
herself into these messes? With a brief sigh, she inched farther along the
ledge, praying to each and every God that she'd ever learned of for
support and help.
But nothing helped. For hours upon hours she climbed, until the
clouds around her blocked the vast blueness of the ocean and until the
clouds above her grew thicker.
Eventually, all there was were clouds. Thick, fog-like clouds,
blocking her view and chilling the already cool air. Shivering, she
grabbed onto of a handhold in the rock.
Upon her touching it, the handhold crumbled in her palm, leaving her
to grasp only air. She held back a scream. Everything would be alright.
Everything had to be alright.
In her mind, she could see all eight of her children--Lyra, Becky,
Bobby, Celeste, Paul, Sarah, Johnny, and Lila--playing together and
running through the big white house on Venus Street. She could see the
look that had graced Andrew's face when she'd first announced her
pregnancy with Lyra. She could see her friends on the day they'd first
met, their faces aglow with sweat from the battle with Zoycite and
Malachite. And she could see Serenity on the day that she and Endymion had
said their vows.
And, at that exact moment, the Mistress of the Planet Venus knew
that she was going to die.
With a deep, brave breath, she continued to inch along the crumbling
ledge, her ears picking up the faint but harrowing sound of rock giving
way and breaking off. For some reason, she could hear the soft splashes.
And she knew she did not have long to live.
"God save the Mistresses," she whispered, hand flying to the gold
cross around her neck. "God save the Scouts."
She felt no fear nor regret as the ledge gave way beneath her feet
and she began to fall toward the ocean.
"And God save me."
The splash echoed off the cliff wall and into the air.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Do the stars know all?
"I think they do."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Taking a deep breath, she stepped slowly forward. Shivers ran up and
down her spine as she straightened to her full height of five feet and let
her brown eyes focus on the expanse of hallway before her.
As long as she could remember, nothing had been more frightening to
her than Crystal Palace. The building was extremely large, its top spires
stretching into the clouds and beyond. She'd always been a superstitious
child, really, her father's Halloween stories scarring her for life.
The footfalls of gold boots echoed through the hall as, slowly,
Sailor Polaris made her way toward the looming marble door. There, at the
end of the hall, it stood--foreboding as its real-life counterpart.
Or was this real-life? Sailor Polaris shuddered to think of it. What
was going on? One minute, she'd been yelling the word 'teleport' and
zipping through the air like a rocket. The next...
In all the visits she'd made to the Palace, it had never looked so
very spooky. The marble seemed dim, listless, and nothing moved. The
silence, really, was deafening in and of itself.
"HELP!" screamed a young voice from beyond the doorway.
The Scout bristled. She'd already heard that scream once, and it
sounded exactly like Celeste. But it was her duty to protect Celeste. That
child was destined. SHE was destined.
A fleeting thought of Tara's vision floated into her mind. Sailor
Chibi-Star--Celeste Ann Mokoti--was going to die. With or without the help
of her sister? Who could tell?
Taking a deep breath, Polaris laid a hand on one of the Crystal
doorknobs. Behind those doors was Reeny's room. A room that the Galactic
Sailors had spent much time in. A room that was a lot like home, really,
to the Scout.
She threw the doors open and gasped.
In the room was Celeste, bound to a chair and gagged with some sort
of cloth. And, hovering above her prone form, was a young man in a dark
tuxedo, his characteristic red hair blowing in the breeze which flowed
through the open window. He turned to look at Sailor Polaris, and the teen
shuddered before speaking.
"Richard." Her tone was dry as she stepped forward. "What are you
doing?"
A silver dagger sparkled in the tiny shaft of sunlight that flowed
from the window. He smiled evilly and raised it above the child. "Doing
what is right..."
Polaris couldn't hesitate. No time could be lost. And, Richard or
not...
"Starry Sky... SMASH!"
The ball of stardust caught the young man off guard and it smashed
him. His form turned to dust.
A slight smile tugged at her lips. It hadn't been Richard at all!
She was remarkably relieved.
"Lyra!" cooed the child as her sister neared her. "I didn't think
I'd ever see you again! I thought that the bad Richard would kill me!"
The knots untied easily, and the Scout stared blankly at the ropes
as her sister bounded out of the seat and smoothed her own purple skirt.
Celeste was a master at untying knots...
"Hey, 'Leste?" questioned Polaris, not turning around. "Were these
knots at all loose?" She turned her head slowly...
Just in time to see Sailor Chibi-Star aim the dagger at her back.
With a well-timed kick, the taller Scout knocked the knife from her
sister's hands, smiling as it soared through the open window. Chibi-Star
scowled and, with a grunt, dove for the older Scout.
But Polaris had seen it coming. Deftly, she landed a punch in her
sister's stomach and leapt out of her reach. The girl collapsed to the
floor, cowering against the wall.
"You're not Celeste," Polaris confronted her, brown eyes glaring.
"Who are you?"
The little girl tossed a blonde pigtail and, wordlessly, toppled
over the mahogany table next to her. With a shriek, her sister avoided the
projectile and let her reflexes take over.
"Starry Sky... SMASH!"
Chibi-Star was no more.
Her breath catching in her throat, Sailor Polaris watched the world
around her turn black. What had she done? She'd KILLED her sister! She'd
killed her little sister!
No. That couldn't have been Celeste. It was something else. An...an
illusion...
A gasp escaped her lips as she landed on a cool, black floor. The
room had some sort of domed roof, and she let out a sigh.
Across the room stood Sailor Earth.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Can you be sure?
"Nothing is ever sure."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Mistress of Mercury took a deep breath and looked at the empty
house. She'd lived in that home since she'd married her husband. On the
third day of her life, a beautiful blue-haired baby named Phoebe Solaria
had come home to that home. And now...
Greg dropped a large box at her feet. "So long, Amy."
Smoothing the blue gown, the Mistress touched the box slightly and
held back tears. "I...I don't..." She started again. "I don't understand,
Greg. What changed?"
"We changed," he spat, as though he were repeating the concept to a
small child for the hundredth time. "I just don't love you."
Amy shuddered. Nothing made sense. She'd opened her eyes to find
herself in the middle of a green front lawn. The Galactic Sailors were
supposed to be fighting the ultimate evil, and there she was, with her
husband by her side. Telling her that he didn't love her anymore. Telling
her that she was a failure as a wife and mother. Telling her...
"I don't GET it," she stressed, folding her arms across her chest
like an angry teen would. "What could change so fast that..."
She was interrupted by him slapping her across the face. "You
ungrateful little FAILURE," he snapped irritably. "You don't get it
because you're stupid." He kicked at the large box. "Just like you always
have been."
Tears brimmed in her eyes as he stormed past her, climbing into his
blue Mercury and driving off. Two years ago, when he had purchased the
car, they'd laughed at the irony that vehicle represented. Now, it just
wasn't funny.
A teen girl with blue-black hair rushed out of the house, pulling
the straps of a backpack onto her shoulders. "Why can't you be a good
mother?" Phoebe asked dryly, glaring at the woman. "Why do you have to
fail at everything you do?"
Anger brimmed within her soul. Amy was never angry. She was the
Mistress with the gentle soul. She was always kind and loving. She wasn't
anything beside that.
She turned away from her daughter. "Phoebe, I would appreciate it
if you would just drop the subject..."
"Because of you," continued the girl, "I no longer have a father.
Because of you, all I have is an empty house that I'm forced to move out
of. Because of you..."
Amy whirled around, slapping Phoebe across the face. The glint of
something silver caught her eye, and she gasped.
Her daughter had a gun.
"Don't move, Mercury," she commanded in a deep voice, much unlike
her normal timbre. "If you move so much as an inch, I shoot."
The woman put her hands into the air, her navy eyes not leaving the
gaze of the girl. "Who are you?"
Laughing, 'Phoebe' dropped her guard. "Do you know how many of your
little friends have asked that?" she inquired, amused. "More than I can
count, I'll tell you that!" Ice-colored eyes flickered. "But you, my dear
Merc, don't know what you're up against."
The fake Phoebe continued to laugh. Amy saw it as her only chance
and, wordlessly, slipped one of her shoes off and held it tentatively
behind her back.
"And another thing," continued the teen, still chortling a bit.
"What is it with these Scouts and their loyalties? Why do they always go
out of their way to be so kind and gentle and..."
Throwing the shoe suddenly, the Mistress smiled as it smacked the
fake Phoebe in the face. Rearing back, she fired the gun once--then
twice--into the air, dropping it as she clutched her face.
Only as Mercury dove for the weapon did the monster realize its
mistake.
"Okay, you," spat the Mistress, grasping the gun tightly in her
shaking hands, "I want answers. Who are you?"
"Kill me," challenged the creature, obviously unafraid. Amy made no
move toward it, and it laughed, tossing one of Phoebe's braids behind its
shoulder. "I thought so. You can't kill me because I look like your
daughter."
Taking in a deep breath, Mercury cocked the pistol. "You have no
idea why I'm not killing you," she responded slowly. "It might just be
because I want answers."
With a shrug, the Phoebe-monster smiled sweetly. "You're not getting
any," it retorted.
And the gun went off, lodging a bullet in its chest and killing the
creature.
As the world she was in dematerialized, Amy smiled in triumph. It
was fake. She'd always known it. That was the one thing that kept her
going forward.
And she landed in a room with two of the Sailor Scouts.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Do you love them all?
"Of course I do."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Sailor Phoenix bristled as she read the report card that was in her
hands. It couldn't be right.
She'd found herself at home, suddenly, her body in her desk even
though she'd never recalled sitting down in it. In fact, she'd never
really recalled making it home. Not, of course, that she would openly
admit that fact.
Something was wrong. She knew it was. It just didn't make sense for
her to suddenly be at home. Alone. With a really awful report card.
"GPA," she read aloud off the paper, voice weak. "2.35 out of 5.0."
A voice radiated into the room from behind her, and she grimaced
upon hearing it.
It was feminine. "We sent you to Crystal Music Academy hoping for
the very best," it said in a dry, clinical tone. "We did not get those
results."
Phoenix turned around to see her mother's face. The pale porcelain
cheeks, the bright navy eyes, the beautiful, silky, short blue hair... It
was almost too much to bear. She lowered her eyes to the floor and sighed.
"All my life," Amy continued, crossing her arms over the white lab
coat, "I hoped for a daughter who would make me proud. One I could love,
trust... One who would make me feel REAL..." She shook her head. "You have
failed me, Phoebe."
The girl choked back tears. "I'm sorry..."
"Sorry was never good enough," spat the woman angrily, tossing her
head. "And it surely isn't now."
Hanging her head, the Sailor Scout listened as her mother walked out
of the room and shut the door softly behind her.
This was too much. She couldn't deal with all the pressure and hate
that her mother showed her. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her pencil
and wrote a brief note. Saying she was going out.
Running down the street toward the bridge, Sailor Phoenix cried. For
the first time in years, she really cried. She cried for herself. She
cried for her mother and father. She cried for the realization that,
perhaps, she was finally worth nothing.
Not that she had ever been worth anything to anyone.
Reaching the bridge, she felt her breath catch in her throat. There
stood her father, his pale, strong features sort of...calling...to her.
"Dad?" she choked, wiping the tears from her face and hugging herself.
His voice was soft, but she heard the three words loud and clear.
"I am ashamed."
Gulping, she watched him turn, dark eyes filled with anger and
disappointment. "I have fought--for eons, mind you--with your mother to
keep you in a place you belong." He shook his head slowly, brown eyes
never leaving her face. "And now you go and let me down."
Her fingers tugged on the edge of her crimson skirt. "But... Dad..."
He shook his head and walked away.
Sobbing more loudly than before, Phoenix leaned against the bridge's
guard railing, watching the blue of the river rushing past. Her eyes hurt
from staring as the sunlight reflected off the water.
She meant nothing to her parents, now. Nothing. She was just a
stupid letdown in a Sailor fuku.
Slowly, carefully, she stepped up onto the stone bridge railing,
staring at the water below. It was, at most, one hundred feet to fall. Not
too far.
Staring down at her orange ballet slippers, she sighed and wiped the
tears from her cheeks. Expertly raising one foot, then the other, she
pulled of her shoes and tied the laces together. Her parents, if they
found them on the rail, would know what happened.
If they cared.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "'It is a far, far
better thing I do'," she whispered to the slight wind, "'than I have ever
done'." She smiled slightly at her words. Quite fitting that the last
words of "A Tale of Two Cities" would be the last words that a fourteen-
year-old actress would chose. She sighed. "'And it is a far, far better
rest I go to than I have ever known'."
Sailor Phoenix jumped.
And the water was cold.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

How much do you love them?
"Enough to save them."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

The burning aircraft before her sent shivers up and down her spine.
Where was she? Where was Alice?
A young brunette man stepped toward the woman, not at all surprised
by her appearance. It was as though strange women in hunter-green velvet
gowns often watched burning planes.
"Ma'am?" The man was addressing her. "Ma'am?"
Lita, the Mistress of Jupiter, glanced at him with darting green
eyes. "Yes? Yes?"
He smiled slightly. "Only one died in the accident, ma'am," he
assured her sweetly. "She was a young teen, traveling alone..."
She gasped.
She had been graced with no memory of what was going on. All she
knew was that Alice was on that plane. The one before her. The burning
plane. And, for some reason, it didn't seem odd. Not at all. It seemed...
Almost right?
And now, Alice was dead.
"Are you sure?" she inquired of the man, turning away as he nodded
weakly. Her eyes filled with tears.
Alice was gone. Completely gone. There was no hope. None at all.
Except...
She glanced at the man. "Can I see the body?"
He furrowed his brow, but the hopeful, helpless expression on her
face was too much to bare. He nodded.
They walked in silence across the field, Lita with her hands folded
across her waist. There was, at least, something that she could make
right.
Her entire life, she'd not been special. She'd just been one of the
Sailor Scouts. And then a Planet Mistress. She used the power of
lightning. The power of nature. And now, all she could do was protect.
And heal.
It had been written, years ago, that the Scouts, in their strongest
forms, could give up their lives to save another. And she would.
For the longest time, nothing scared her more than the thought of
her losing her powers. Her specialty. The one thing that made her more
than a mere mortal.
Losing Alice made her fear of losing her powers look how a child's
being afraid of the Bogeyman looked to a rational adult.
The man grimaced suddenly, and she knew at that moment that they
were coming upon the body. She nodded and shooed him off, her green eyes
drawn to the figure.
Auburn hair was matted with grass and blood. Her eyes were closed,
but a terrified expression was painted on her pale, beautiful face. Lita
felt her knees weaken. This was all that was left of her child.
To her untrained eyes, it appeared that one of Alice's arms--as well
as both her legs--had been broken in the crash. Her skull was cracked in
two places. She looked... She looked like something out of a horror movie,
and it took all of Lita's strong will to glance at it.
Kneeling, Lita removed her beads from around her neck, where they
automatically morphed to at transformation. Fingers trailing to the locket
that accompanied them, she held back tears. "Alice..." she breathed,
wetting her parched lips. "Alice, you mean more to me than my own life."
Green eyes closed as she raised the locket above her head. "Jupiter
Power!" she screamed, voice echoed through the field. "Save this girl!"
The overwhelming nausea of having all the strength drain out of her
knocked her onto her back in the grass. Her death grip on the locket
loosened, and Lita sighed. Soon, she would be dead.
But Alice would live.
From above her, somewhere, she could hear the young man laugh.
"Aren't we a clever Mistress?" it inquired sourly. "Giving up our powers--
killing ourselves--for a mannequin."
"No..." whispered Jupiter, struggling for breath. "This wasn't
supposed to happen..." She opened her eyes just enough to see the man
smile down at her.
"But," he retorted, "it did."
Somehow, she managed to listen to his shoes on the grass as he
walked away. Only that much of her conscious mind was still alive.
And then, in a single exhale, the footsteps died out forever.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Even if it means risking your life?
"I do love them."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Sailor Aurora Borealis leaned against the door of the tiny bathroom
stall, the darkness enveloping her body as she caught her breath.
She was on a plane. She'd opened the door and she'd seen a
stewardess. She was on a plane. Planes were small, cramped, high-up
places. Planes... Planes crash.
But the bathroom was dark. She sighed. Trapped between a rock and a
hard place.
"Where is everyone else?" she asked aloud, sinking to the floor and
pulling her knees to her chest. "How could I be the only Sailor Scout to
be here?"
Tara had said that she hadn't been in the vision. Was that it? She'd
not been in the vision because she hadn't made it to the starship?
No. No. That couldn't be right. Why would she--the only Scout with a
defensive attack--be left behind?
Unless, of course, she was unimportant...
A knock sounded at the door. "Are you alright, miss?" came a chipper
yet concerned voice. Aurora Borealis stood slowly and opened the door.
It was a young, chesty stewardess, with hair the color of molten
gold and bright copper eyes that reminded her of Orb's. "I'm...fine..."
she managed weakly, faking a smile. "Just fine."
Handing the teen a small bottle, the woman grinned sweetly.
"Dramamine," she informed the teen. "It keeps you from being airsick."
"But I'm not..." Not wanting to seem ungrateful, she smiled and
grabbed a Sprite of the stewardess' cart. "Thank you."
As she walked down the aisle to the only open seat--one way in the
back of the plane--she pondered the turn of events. Was she really left
behind because she was worthless? Was she that very dispensable? She
glanced down at the little bottle of orange tablets and poured two into
her open palm. She most definitely wasn't airsick, but wasn't it better to
be safe than sorry?
Popping the can of soda open, she gasped and dropped the pills to
the blue-carpeted floor. What if the reason she had not appeared was the
fact that she wasn't dead...yet.
She pretended to place the two pills in her mouth and take a swig of
her Sprite, but her brown eyes were intent on the golden-haired woman the
entire time. Sure enough, the stewardess saw Aurora Borealis' motion. And,
sure enough, she grinned evilly.
Standing slowly, she walked down the aisle, trying her hardest to
fake being green. The young woman cocked her head at the Sailor-fukued
teen. "You alright?" she asked softly.
The auburn-haired Scout shook her head slowly, clutching one hand to
her stomach. Hobbling toward the countertop, she leaned against it. "I
don't feel so good..."
"Well, you took your Dramamine," put in the stewardess sweetly.
"I'm sure you'll be fine..."
Shaking her head, Aurora let her free hand grope around on the
counter for something--anything--to oppose the woman with. Her fingers
closed around a butter knife. Groaning inwardly, she continued her search.
"I really don't think that the Dramamine will help this sickness," she
protested. "I think that this might be because of the medicine..."
"Are you allergic?" The stewardess reached for the counter...
Acting as quickly as possible, Aurora Borealis grabbed onto the
handle of some sort of frying pan and brought it down on the strange
woman's head, watching as her body went limp and blood trailed from her
skull. The Scout gulped. She'd killed the woman.
The plane, the seats--everything--went black, and she felt herself
fall slowly...
And she was in a black marble room with two of the Scouts and one of
the Mistresses.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

And?
"And, if that's what it comes to, I will."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

The world was red.
Red and black and gray and brown.
Slowly, carefully, Mistress Uranus paced up and down what was once a
sidewalk. Around her, buildings that had once been tall were leveled,
people that had once been alive were nothing more than rotting mounds of
flesh, and above...
The sun was black.
"What could have caused this?" wondered Alexandra aloud, running a
shaking hand through her short hair. "It seems so familiar..."
It was the Silence.
Just like the picture that, so long ago, Michelle had painted, the
world was desolate and empty. The city was practically flat. The world was
almost destroyed. And somewhere...
Somewhere, there would be a young woman wielding a Silence Glaive. A
young Messiah of Dark whispering the words "Death Reborn Revolution".
And nothing would ever be the same.
The mere thought of the Silence sent shivers down her spine as she
walked, her navy and gold gown somehow sparkling in the black sun. How
could she defend the world from this? And, more so...
How could she kill her daughter?
So many unanswered questions roared through her head as she walked
through what had once been Tokyo, her footfalls echoing around the carnage
and ruin. What could she do? She was only one person...
"If I had to pick one thing I am most afraid of," she sighed, body
trembling, "it would be this."
"The end of the world frightens you, Papa?" came a hissed, soft
voice.
The Mistress whirled around on her heels, coming face-to-face with a
young girl. She was no older than thirteen, fourteen, and her shoulder-
length black hair was a disaster. A tattered, worn brown-gray cape
fluttered in some sort of unseen, unfelt breeze, and--clutched in her
fists--was the Silence Glaive.
It was an enormous, frightening weapon of mass destruction, its
razor-sharp G-shaped blade glistening in the black sun. The young Hannah
twirled it idly above her head, as though it was a cheerleader's baton
rather than a nightmarish death tool. Alex shivered and stumbled backward.
This was her nightmare...
Come true.
Hannah laughed, purple eyes turning red for a brief moment. "If you
are so afraid," she smirked, "kill me. You can kill me, and that will end
this all."
"I'm not afraid of anything!" lied the Mistress, glaring at the
child and trying to remind herself that this demon was not her daughter.
But, it was. Just not the same version.
"Spare me, Alexandra," spat evil Hannah, snorting. "I've known you
for eons. Nothing you say can convince me. Confess the truth."
The blonde tossed her head. "There's no truth in it, Hannah," she
retorted coolly. "You don't know what you're talking about..."
"Ahh," nodded the other, "but I do. One of us will not survive this
meeting."
And the Glaive sparkled in the dark sun.
Uranus took a long, deep breath and let her shoulders slump forward.
"Hannah, whether you are evil or not," she sighed, "I love you. And this
will hurt me to do, but..."
Diving for the Messiah of Silence, the Mistress drove a punch toward
the girl's chin. Deftly, she dodged the punch, and she used her short
advantage to ram the butt end of the Glaive's staff into Uranus' gut. The
Mistress grunted and rolled to the side, avoiding the blade by scant
inches.
Nothing mattered, now. All she had to do was kill the Messiah of
Silence. That was all...
Her chance from so long ago was renewed...
She was too caught up in her petty thoughts to see the fist slam
into her face. Stunned, she scrambled backward, once again avoiding the
wrath of the Glaive.
"This is madness!" she screamed to Hannah as they stood four feet
apart, glaring madly into each other's eyes. "Neither of us shall win!"
Nodding, the child let the Glaive go slightly limp in her grip. "I
am sorry," she choked, purple eyes losing their evil quality and brimming
with tears. "Will you forgive me?"
Uranus smiled and stepped slowly forward. "Of course..."
With those two, gentle words, Hannah tightened her grip on the
Glaive and brought the broad, flat side of the silver metal down onto the
Mistress' head. There was the sickening sound of cracking bone as the
woman collapsed, still a bit conscious.
Clutching her head, the sandy-haired blonde glanced up. "How could
you?" she breathed. Blinking gray-green eyes, she groaned. "This isn't
real..."
"Maybe not as compared to Earth," admitted the evil Hannah-creature
with a slight smile. "But, for you, this is very real."
And the Glaive sparkled in the dark sun.
"Death Reborn Revolution."
How easy it is to end the world.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Even if it means death?
"I love them."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

She'd never felt so free.
The wind danced with her short brown hair as she zipped along,
through curves and straight-aways, the gentle purr of the motorcycle
soothing as she rode.
"I wonder," thought Sailor Comet aloud, "why I was always so afraid
of these things."
She'd not remembered much about the last ten or so minutes.
Everything was a blur, really. A shocking, strong blur. All she knew was
that she was on a motorcycle, riding through the country, fancy free. And
she'd never had so much fun before.
So much could so easily change. And she knew that. She knew that as
much as the next person did.
All her life, Comet had been terrified of her mother. When Alex
would get that gleam in her eyes and mount her monstrous motorbike, all
logical thoughts would leave her mind and she would be inspired... Well,
inspired to speed, cut corners, and take turns too fast.
Once, when she'd been eight or nine, she and Hannah had followed
their blonde parent in the family car, going as fast as her, taking curves
recklessly, not caring...
And, when they had wrecked the family car... Comet shuddered despite
the amused smile that crossed her face.
Flying fancy-free down the road. Being the wind. She suddenly
understood. She understood how her mother could have, for years, been so
reckless and unrestrained.
Because it was the only way to be.
Nothing mattered to Sailor Comet anymore. The breeze licked her
brown hair; the wind stung her teal eyes. The skirt of her fuku was
plastered against her stomach from the rough, unmistakable power of the
wind. Everything was as it should have been.
Like a dream.
"I wish..." Breathing in the crisp air, she smiled sweetly. "I wish
this was reality."
But the truth hurt. The truth cut like a knife. And, well... To know
that she wasn't truly riding through the country, soaring on a bike like a
bird on wings...
She didn't want the truth to come for her.
A sharp, unexpected curve caught her off-guard, and she tried her
best to balance out while turning and braking at the same time.
And, though she was Sailor Comet, she didn't understand motorcycles.
Something locked up and the bike toppled over onto its side,
dragging her with it as it flew into oncoming traffic. Screaming, she
closed her eyes and grimaced as she felt her bare legs being pulled across
the rough pavement.
Car horns screeched. Brakes squealed.
And, suddenly, Sailor Comet remembered why she was so afraid of
motorcycles.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

How long will you love them?
"Until the end."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Mistress Neptune dove deeper into the cool, crystalline water of the
sea, the smile on her pale face hidden to none. There was something...
magical...about the water. She'd always felt so... Since she was a child,
she'd delighted the feeling of the sweet water flowing over her body.
She'd fallen into the cool, perfect water without any warning, her
blue eyes growing wide as she realized that there really was no end to the
water. It was an unending expanse of perfect blue. She smiled slightly.
How sweet it truly was.
As she came out of the water for air, she allowed a sweet smile
cross her face. "This..." she breathed aloud, laying on her back in the
ocean. "This is wonderful..."
The aqua velvet of her gown was absolutely soaked through, but that
did not bother her. Her hair was matted against her face, but that did not
bother her. The salt water and the sun both stung her eyes, but that did
not bother her. All was perfect...
She started, gasping as frightening thoughts entered her mind. Where
was Alex? Where was Hannah? And Haley? And all the others...
This sea world she was alone in... It suddenly wasn't as great as it
had been. Treading water, Neptune tried to collect her thoughts. Nothing
made sense. Where were they? How could they not be with her? What was
happening?
Looking toward the horizon, she began to swim. Her progress was slow
at first but, as she became more determined and afraid, she began swimming
faster. She had to find her wife and the others! She had to find her
daughters! She had to!
Coming upon a coral reef, she sighed. Normally, the sight of the
bright coral and of the beautiful fish would have excited her. But she
couldn't stop. Not for anything.
As she swum above the reef, she began increasingly nervous. Sea
cucumbers lived in reefs. She hated sea cucumbers. They were spongy...
They were squishy... They were gross.
She laughed in spite of herself and pulled a few aqua-colored hairs
from her eyes. The Mistress of the Sea... Afraid of cucumbers. That was a
good one!
Suddenly, her foot caught on something. Screaming in surprise, she
tried to kick whatever-it-was away. Her other foot was suddenly caught and
she was pulled under the water's surface.
Kicking and paddling furiously with her arms, Michelle tried
earnestly to break free of the captor. Nothing helped. She was trapped
by...something...
Her blue eyes focused on her high-heeled feet, and shivers ran down
her spine. Sea cucumbers. Brown sea cucumbers. Millions of them. They were
holding her down, under the water.
And, if she didn't act quickly, they would kill her.
Struggling, the woman managed to bring her face to the surface just
long enough to take a breath. Diving back into the water, she glared at
the cucumbers.
They were not going to win.
Holding out a hand, she said a silent prayer to the god of the sea--
her god, Neptune--for support and help.
"Neptune Power!" she screamed, her voice choked by the water.
All the sea cucumbers disappeared suddenly, freeing her feet and let
her come, sputtering and coughing, to the surface of the ocean.
As she floated on her back, trying her very best to catch her
breath, she felt the world she was in start to...shake? Treading water
once again, she watched as the sky, the water, and the reef--the entire
world--turned black and began to swirl around her. Mistress Neptune
gasped. It had all been a mirage of sorts? But... But that didn't make
sense...
And she was delivered into a room to join three Sailor Scouts and
another Mistress.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Is this the end?
"I think not."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Pacing back and forth down the room's length, she sniffled and
clenched her fists. Why... Why did this all seem so wrong? Why did this
world not seem right?
The house she was in was small, cramped... Desolate, really. Whose
house was it? It looked like her house, but...
She walked to the coffee table and picked up a stack of greeting
cards, her purple eyes examine each one. 'Our condolences'... 'Sorry for
your loss'... 'Hope is a walking dream'...
The Mistress of Saturn furrowed her brow. What was going on? Had
someone died? Was that what the cards meant?
Summoning all her courage, she slowly pulled a random card from the
pile. "'No matter how bleak the road ahead'," she read aloud, smoothing a
finger over the raised rose print on the card's front. "'We will be on
your side'." She flipped the card open and glanced at the big, block print
inside. 'Sorry for your loss'. And then, she gasped.
Written under the block lettering was a message in the scrolling,
free script that could only belong to Reeny. She would recognize that
writing anywhere. And beneath her message, it was signed: "Reen, Ambry,
and Diana".
She read the hand-written message once, then twice, than three
times. Her knees felt week. Her stomach churned. It couldn't be right. It
just couldn't be right. If that card was telling the truth...
"You alright?" came a soft, cautious voice. Hannah whirled around to
see her sister--the sweet, unimposing side of Haley--standing in the
doorway to the living room. A sad, hopeful smile was painted upon her
tanned face as she cocked her head toward the Mistress. "I heard you
reading the cards again..."
Collapsing onto the blue couch behind her, Hannah clenched the sides
of her gown in her fists and held back tears. "What...what happened?"
Haley shrugged, shaking her head and slowly coming over to the
couch. "He was killed in a car accident," she responded softly, sweetly.
"You ask this every day, and every day we answer you..."
The young woman suppressed a scream. So, it was true. Brian--her
one, her only...her soul mate--was dead. And buried. "Did... Was it..."
"He died instantly. No pain." Haley slumped down onto the couch next
to her sister and squeezed her hand. "Why do you always repeat these
questions?"
Hannah leaned back into the couch, trying her best not to cry. Her
soul mate, her eternal partner... He was gone.
Wait! Her mind did a double take. Brian couldn't be dead! He could
only die if she died!
Looking to the brunette girl, the Mistress stood quickly and paced
over to the house's front window. Looking out on Crystal Tokyo, she
cleared her throat. "You liar."
"What?" questioned the teen.
"Brian cannot die," she responded coolly. "He's eternal. He cannot
die unless..."
Trailing off, she allowed the Silence Glaive to appear in her hands.
Slowly, she turned to look at the younger girl. "Who are you?" she asked
dryly, bringing the tip of the G-shaped blade to point at the girl's
chest.
Haley laughed. "I'm your sister, silly!" she giggled, not at all
frightened by the sharp, deadly blade that nearly touched her chest. "Oh,
yee of little faith!"
The tip of the blade touched the very center of the girl's chest as
the Mistress of Death lowered her eyes. "You are a liar and you are not
Haley." She took a deep breath. "Would you like to come clean, or should I
just kill you now?"
Teal eyes flashed evilly as the girl leaned back into the couch.
"Kill me." She smirked. "I dare you."
Hannah hardly had to lean forward on the Glaive. It moved a few
inches and plunged into the fake Haley's chest. The body of the girl
disintegrated quickly into dust.
Relief showed on the young woman's face as she watched the room turn
black and fade. It hadn't been real. Brian was alive and well.
And so was she.
As well as two other Mistresses and three of the Scouts, she
observed upon arriving elsewhere.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Is this the beginning?
"I hope not."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

She ran. Ran from danger. Ran from evil.
Memories of her first Scout experience folded her mind. She
remembered the first time she yelled her attack, the first time the
Starlight Prince smiled at her, and the first time the other Sailor Scouts
had smiled down upon her, his bright blue eyes sparkling. And she also
remembered Raider Greed.
Yes, it was an irrational fear. Yes, it had no bearing. And, yes, it
did hurt to think of it.
But Sailor Chibi-Star was scared to death of Raider Greed.
The footfalls of green, high-heeled boots echoed across the
pavement, as did the sound of purple sandals making contact with the wet
sidewalk. Her blonde pigtails flew about her face and behind her as she
ran. But the horizon got no closer. The lamppost up ahead never passed. It
was as though time had stopped.
"Come back here!" screamed the raven-haired Raider, her green eyes
alight with evil. "Fight like a real Sailor Scout!"
The littlest Scout just shook her head and kept running. She wasn't
a real Sailor Scouts. She was the Keeper of the Nebulae, really...
She was going to die.
Tara had told them all of the awful vision. The vision in which
she--the small, weak, pitiful Scout--died. At first, she'd fought with her
mind, swearing that she was in no danger and that she would be fine.
Perfectly fine.
But she was going to die. She didn't doubt it, now. Her pace slowed,
then finally stopped as she turned around to face the tall, shapely Raider
in green leather. Nothing moved as she took a deep breath and lowered her
eyes.
Because, death or not, she was going to put up a fight.
"One-on-one," commanded Chibi-Star in a loud tone, voice echoing
through the neighborhood. HER neighborhood, or some facsimile thereof.
"Me and you. Winner takes all."
Greed licked her wine-colored lips and smiled cockily. "I like those
odds," she grinned. "But, let's further the wager."
The girl stood taller. "What's that?"
"No weapons." The Raider drew and discarded her sword, its blade
sparkling in the sunlight.
Nodding, the Sailor Scout pulled off her tiara and threw it to the
ground. "That will suspend my powers," she vowed, bowing slightly. "This
is going to be a clean fight."
"Of course."
There was a slight pause as the two stood, face-to-face, with one
another. With destiny.
And then, Chibi-Star ran toward the Raider, kicking and punching
like a tiny whirlwind. Twice, she landed punches in the Raider's washboard
stomach. Greed coughed and knocked the girl off her feet with little
difficulty. The child sprang to her feet and dove for the Raider.
But she'd expected that. A knee was plunged into the child's abdomen
as she dove, but Chibi-Star managed to somersault and get back up, barely
clutching her stomach. She jumped forward, kicking at Greed. She easily
landed her kick in the Raider's left thigh, and the woman stumbled, but
she didn't fall.
Then, without warning, the Raider grabbed onto Chibi-Star's right
arm and picked her up by it, throwing the girl onto the ground. Hard.
The world went black for a moment in Chibi-Star's mind be
brightening be up. Her vision was blurred, but she could see the
green-garbed evil looming above her, holding a small, black-bladed knife.
"You, Chibi-Star, are a worthy adversary," Greed chortled, kneeling
beside the girl. "I'm just better."
The knife flashed.
And the Sailor Scout closed her green eyes.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Why not?
"I do not know."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Seven.
Seven of them.
His blue-eyed gaze wavered as his eyes filled with tears. The
girls...all of them...
The Starlit Prince adverted his eyes from the bodies and gulped.
This couldn't be right. Tara had said...
But the Scouts liked to tease Tara because her visions were often
wrong. Maybe...just maybe...she'd once again been wrong.
No! His mind screamed at him. They couldn't all have died. Not all
of them! Not...
Not Lyra.
"Rich?" came a soft, careful voice. He turned quickly around,
knowing already who it was behind him. The voice was unmistakable.
Her blonde curls were wet, matted to her head by water and dried
blood. Her once-bright brown eyes were alight with fear. One of her two
arms hung limply at her side, as though something was wrong with it. In
looking at it, he sighed. It was quite obviously broken. The girl glanced
at him lovingly, clutching her functional hand to a wound on her stomach.
"I'm glad you're here..." Sailor Polaris breathed, taking a wobbly step
forward. "I was worried."
He blinked twice. "What... what happened?"
"They were too strong," she managed in a shaky voice, swaying a bit
as though she would fate. "They came and..." She shook her head. "I'm the
only one who lived."
The silence of the chamber was overwhelming as she gazed at him.
Tears filled her eyes, and she stepped backward as he neared her.
"Where were you, Rich?" she questioned, daringly. "Where were you to
save us?"
The Starlit Prince gulped. "I..." He sighed, almost crying himself.
He'd lost her trust. "I...don't know..."
She snarled at him. "Well, isn't that just well and good?" she asked
dryly, holding back the tears as her eyes turned angry. "You abandoned
us!"
He stepped back. Her statement broke his heart.
And yet, she pressed forward with it. "You left all of us alone, to
DIE!" Her voice was an angry hiss. "You will regret this..." She raised
one hand high above her head.
The beginning of her attack.
With a deep breath, he pulled three purple roses from null-space and
pointed the tips of them at her chest. "I'm sorry, Lyra..." he whispered
as she drew her hand from the air and downward, away from her body.
"Starry Sky... Smash!"
The ball of stardust, however large and however gold it was, was
nothing difficult to avoid. In fact, it was rather easy to get around,
and he jumped easily out of the way, landing on the opposite side of
Sailor Polaris as she once again readied her attack.
His deft accuracy was amazing as he threw the three roses at her
turned back, watching in horror and grief as she fell forward. Dead.
"I love you, Lyra," he whispered, watching in horror as the room
turned black and faded out. The air seemed to wobble, and he found himself
elsewhere.
Sailors Polaris, Earth, and Aurora Borealis were in the room. As
were Mistresses Mercury, Neptune, and Saturn.
And Polaris was kneeling over a body.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Then what is this?
"A supernova."
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Sailor Polaris was crying.
"Celeste..." she sobbed, burying her head in her gloved hands as
she choked on the word. "Oh, Celeste..."
The other Scouts and Mistresses stood to one side of the room, not
saying a word.
Large, black, and foreboding was the chamber. Bodies--bodies of
their friends and, in some cases, their mothers--were strewn about the
room, lying in different positions.
For, there had been no battle. There had been a massacre.
"Lyra..." whispered the Starlit Prince, stepping forward and placing
a hand upon the girl's shoulder. "It will be alright."
The brown-eyed Scout glanced up from her hands, only to look at the
body. Blood, sticky and not yet dried, matted the girl's hair around a
crack in her skull. In her chest, there was a wound from some sort of
knife. Blood from both injuries dotted her Sailor fuku, and her sister
choked back tears.
What had happened? She asked the group that very question.
Stepping forward, the Mistress of Mercury took a deep breath,
adverting her eyes from the prone body of her daughter. "We were all
placed in different worlds," she responded in a clinical voice.
"Illusions, really. We all believed where we were to be real."
Aurora Borealis nodded in agreement, strolling over and looking upon
the form of her dead mother. She knelt, touching the beads that were
clutched in her mother's left hand. "Some," she choked, almost unable to
speak as she held the beads of Jupiter, "more than others."
"What do we do, then?" questioned Neptune, wiping tears from her
face as she cradled Uranus' body in her lap. "What do we do? We are
obviously not strong enough!" Laying a soft kiss on her wife's forehead,
she rose and crossed her arms over her chest, the wet fabric of her dress
rough to the touch.
Saturn ripped a long stretch of cloth from her gown and placed it
over her sister's mutilated, bloody legs. "What can we do, Mother?" she
responded, shaking her head as she looked at the girl's body. "We have to
fight... To defend ourselves..."
With a negative shake of her head, Sailor Earth sighed. "They
probably tried that," she put in, her green eyes staring, shocked, at her
mother. "And they died."
"But we didn't." Polaris' voice was strong as she stood. She gazed
at Richard for a long moment before turning to the other five people in
the room. "We fight, we defend, and we live."
Taking a shaking breath, Aurora Borealis blinked back tears and
looped the string of beads around her neck. "This is something we must
do."
"For them," agreed Mercury, blinking back tears as she looked at
Phoenix's shoeless, wet body. "For the ones we love."
"And lost." Sailor Earth touched her mother's hand and wiped a
falling tear from her cheek. The others all glanced at her, all
overwhelmed by their private hurt.
Removing his mask, the Starlit Prince scratched the side of his
head. "I can't help but wonder what their last thoughts were..."
"Probably," came a strong, foreboding voice, "they were about the
incredible power of the Raiders!"
All turned to look at the center of the chamber. In the middle of an
odd, seven-pointed star stood a man. A man dressed in all black, a crimson
cape bellowing out behind him. Dark, dull eyes stared at them as an evil
smile crossed his face. "Welcome to the Raider Starship."
The blonde Scout's voice was dry as she glared at the man. "Who the
Hell are you?" she asked, clenching her fists.
He laughed. "I'm the reason that your little friends are dead!" he
announced loudly, laughter ear-splitting as he stared at her. "I am the
King of the Raiders."
Polaris tried to charge forward, but was stopped by on of her
Prince's strong hands upon her shoulder. She struggled, but something
beside Richard's hand stopped her.
"We're going to kill you." Mistress Neptune closed her eyes and drew
the Deep Aqua Mirror out of midair. "You do know that?"
He laughed, and the others all bristled. Mercury's computer appeared
in her hands, and Saturn gripped her Glaive.
Sailor Aurora Borealis touched the locket and the beads softly.
"Either you die, or we die." Her brown eyes narrowed. "And we'll tell you
the outcome of choice."
"Let's do it, Scouts," put in Earth, her tone strong. "Let's show
him why we lived."
Silver light sparkled and engulfed both Polaris and her prince.
After a brief moment, the light faded.
There, in a silvery gown with her Silver Star birthmark, stood the
Princess of the Stars, hand-in-hand with the Prince of the Stars.
The King scoffed, laughing a bit. "Who the Hell are you?"
The Princess smiled. "Who here would like to show the nice Raider
King what we're all about?" she asked in a sarcastically sweet tone. "Why
don't we all show them?"
Glancing at one another, then the Princess of the Silver Star, the
remaining Scouts and Mistresses furrowed their brows.
"Ummm..." Neptune glanced at her mirror and shrugged. "Submarine...
REFLECTION!"
A white light erupted from the outstretched mirror and enveloped the
king, who screamed and tried, in vain, to move.
"Damn you!" he yelled, glaring with those lifeless eyes at the
Mistress. "Damn you!"
With a slight laugh, Princess Lyra held one hand above her head.
"This is for Mistresses Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Uranus." She paused,
glancing at the fallen bodies of her closest friends. "This is for
Sailors Moon, Phoenix, Comet and..." She gulped. "And for Sailor Chibi-
Star."
She pulled her hand down, toward the floor, and pushed it away from
her body. "Starry Sky... SMASH!"
Stardust fell from the ceiling, smashing the King's body and
dispersing.
There he laid. The body of evil.
All was repaired.
Suddenly, a silvery streak came out of the King's dead body and
loomed above them. "Very nice," it laughed, two black eyes appearing in
the form. "I'm impressed."
The Scouts and Mistresses gasped.
It was the Spirit of Silver.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

She was floating in a sea of gold. Everything was gold.
Slowly, questions entered her mind.
And her lips answered.
Do you hope?
"Yes."
What?
"I hope to someday be free."
Do you pray?
"Yes."
What?
"I pray to the power of the stars."
Do the stars know all?
"I think they do."
Can you be sure?
"Nothing is ever sure."
Do you love them all?
"Of course I do."
How much do you love them?
"Enough to save them."
Even if it means risking your life?
"I do love them."
And?
"And, if that's what it comes to, I will."
Even if it means death?
"I love them."
How long will you love them?
"Until the end."
Is this the end?
"I think not."
Is this the beginning?
"I hope not."
Why not?
"I do not know."
Then what is this?
"A supernova."
And she realized what she had to do.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Galactic Sailors Say!
Phoebe: (appearing and squeezing water from her skirt) I'm a professional
actress, kids. Don't try any of these tricks at home.

(Video clip of Phoebe dancing to the end song from "Ami-chan no hatsukoi"
[Ami's First Love], smiling and giggling as she does so)

Phoebe: (blushing) How'd that get in there? (annoyed) Haley!

Haley: (peeking head out of a window in the background) Yes?

Phoebe: Clip 642!

Haley: OH! Not clip 842?

Phoebe: (groans)

(Video clips of: Comet's cycle tipping, Phoenix jumping from the bridge,
Chibi-Star being stabbed, Jupiter losing all her strength, Mars being
choked, et cetera, et cetera)

Haley: (sticking head out the window again) Sometimes, bad things do
happen. We here at Galactic Sailors are professionals--this is what we DO
for a living.

Phoebe: (stupidly) No Sailor Scouts were harmed in the making of this
picture!

(Video clip of all seven Scouts sitting in their director-style chairs,
sipping diet colas while make-up artists wipe fake blood off their faces)

Haley: See?

Phoebe: We all say...

ALL: SEE YA!

-I Know-
Look around...
(Tara, sitting next to Queen Serenity, stares up at the night sky)
So many things aren't clear...
(Phoebe looks blankly at a math book)
Don't worry, though...
(Lyra smiles while picking up her tuba)
You know that I'll be there...
(Sailor Pluto and Haley smile knowingly at each other)
A lot of things are so uncertain...
(Alice looks sadly at a clock while the sun sets over Crystal Tokyo)
The future's on its way...
(Reeny holds the Locket of the Moon, smiling)
Look at my crying eyes...
(Luna and Artemis console an upset Diana)
Don't take your love away!
(Hannah sighs, looking at a sleeping Haley)

Sometimes, the road looks long...
(Mina looks at her children with Andrew behind her)
And sometimes, the world seems wrong...
(Alex and Michelle smile at one another and then blush deeply)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six girls, untransformed, hold their lockets high)

Sometimes, you feel weak...
(Lita smoothes the hair of a crying Alice)
And sometimes, the future looks bleak...
(Raye and Chad stand behind Tara, who is staring at her locket)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six Galactic Sailors stand in a half circle)

Times will change...
(Amy looks out of a window and at Crystal Palace)
People will change, too...
(Endymion looks at Serenity, who is pouring over a book)
But deep inside...
(Lyra hugs Celeste)
I always will love you...
(Diana falls asleep on Reeny's lap)
I suppose there are questions now...
(Alice and Phoebe stare blankly at one another)
The answers are so far...
(Michelle stands in front of the orchestra, talking)
But look at me and smile now...
(Tara lovingly hugs her father)
I am your guiding star!
(Haley smiles at a studying Hannah)

Sometimes, the road looks long...
(Mina looks at her children with Andrew behind her)
And sometimes, the world seems wrong...
(Alex and Michelle smile at one another and then blush deeply)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six girls, untransformed, hold their lockets high)

Sometimes, you feel weak...
(Lita smoothes the hair of a crying Alice)
And sometimes, the future looks bleak...
(Raye and Chad stand behind Tara, who is staring at her locket)
But I know, I know, all you need is love.
(The six Galactic Sailors stand in a half circle)

I know...
(The Planet Mistresses stand in a circle)
I know...
(The Galactic Sailors stand in a circle)
All you need is love...
(The Mistresses and Sailors all stand together, holding hands, with their
eyes closed)
All you need...is...love...
(A single purple rose sits in a vase)

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Big-time notes here. Pay attention:

1.) I want no flames. If I get flames, I will do one of two things. I will
either write you back and be...not-so-kind...or I will discontinue
Galactic Sailors and you will be stuck, completely stuck, with the plot as
it is so far. Yes, the second is a blind threat, but...
2.) I just jumped about a week ahead of schedule by getting this done.
Forgive me!
3.) This story and the next one (Galactic Sailors 13--Darkness Endures)
are a bit shorter than normal. This is because there's not a whole lot of
subject matter.
4.) I would like to personally thank everyone who has read this far. I
know that this is a really long series story and, yes--it will get
longer. But, knowing that you all enjoy these stories... It really warms
my heart. I finally amount to something.

--KB--