Time and Unforeseen Circumstances

A Sailor Moon Story by BenRG

Legal Disclaimer

Naoko Takeuchi created all the characters and the story of Sailor Moon. TOEI Animation produced the original animé 'Pretty Girl Soldier Sailormoon', while DiC Entertainment produced the English Language adaptation of the animé.

This is a non-profit work for free distribution through the Worldwide Web. The author intends no breach of any copyright or trademark property.

Author's Notes

This is in response to a thought that I had one night: Exactly how alike is the current generation of Senshi to their equivalents in the Silver Millennium? Would they get along with each other if they met? On the other hand, would they be either too similar or too different for them to tolerate their other selves? I decided to find out by putting the Inner Senshi into a position where they had no choice but to seek out the help of their previous selves.

I know that the underlying idea is similar to that used in another fan story called The Heart Remembers by Meshala. I'm not stealing your story, because you will soon see that the detail of the story is quite different.

Continuity: The Inner Senshi are all 18; Tuxedo Mask is 23; Rini and Heather are both 12. Queen Serenity is about 500 years old; The Silver Senshi are all between 20 and 25; Princess Serenity is 20; Prince Endymion is 25; Sailor Pluto is a walking time paradox and you can't pin an age on her.

Events take place (in our time) two years after the defeat of Chaos and the healing of Sailor Galaxia.

Events take place (in the Silver Millennium) a year before Beryl conquers Earth and attacks the Moon.

Censor: PG

Prologue – Strange Visitors

The Palace Gardens
The Silver Palace, Mare Serenitas, The Moon

Circa 8000 BC

"It is a beautiful night isn't it, Endy?" Princess Serenity asked her betrothed. She was sitting beside Prince Endymion on a stone bench in the Rose Gardens. The princess of the Moon was looking up at her soul mate's homeworld, which seemed to hang overhead beyond the Probability Glass dome that covered the palace and kept the atmosphere from escaping into the insatiable vacuum of space. In a star-speckled sky, the Earth was a mysterious blue-white jewel.

"I never tire of seeing it," Endymion agreed. "It is a thing of beauty." Serenity turned her head and realised that he was looking at her. She blushed prettily and looked away in embarrassment. "You know what I think is the most beautiful thing in the galaxy," he told her. "That is you, my one true love."

That made Serenity's blush even brighter. She should be used to it, but hearing compliments and endearments trickle from the lips of this… well this amazingly handsome man made her feel like a 14-year-old again. "Thank you for those few kind words," she mumbled, a silly smile on her face. She looked up again just in time for Endymion's lips to make contact with hers.

After a few minutes of the most pleasurable stimulation, Serenity managed to break contact to breathe. "Endy!" she gasped. "Really! What would happen if mother found us making out in the garden?"

Endymion grinned in that disturbingly predatory fashion that all the Earth-born humans seemed to use when they were in a good mood. "She'd roll her eyes and walk off with that strange secret smile of hers," he replied. "You know that she approves of us, Sere. So who am I to stop doing what the Empress of the Solar System approves of? Unless… you want to stop?"

Serenity rolled her eyes at the 'kicked puppy' expression that her fiancé had just put on his face. No, she didn't want him to stop. She didn't want to stop ever. However, she had to maintain some decorum, although a part of her wanted to start tearing at Endymion's clothes and start rolling about in the flowerbeds with him. She cut off that train of thought fast as she felt the heat rising in her face. Endymion noticed this and grinned again. "I am glad to have your agreement, love," he said with a mocking laugh.

The two began to kiss again, even deeper when, suddenly, Endymion's communicator began to bleep. The Prince of Earth tried to ignore it but the 'call' tone continued. His four bodyguards knew better than to continue bothering him with trivia if he didn't reply to his communicator immediately. Therefore, this was important. It was probably very important. When a siren began to howl somewhere nearby, it confirmed this impression, with interest.

Endymion broke contact with Serenity with an apologetic smile and pulled his communicator out. He smiled slightly as his fiancée tried to tidy her hair after the passionate kiss. Endymion flipped open the small communications device. "Endymion, go," he snapped.

On the small LCD screen, the familiar face of Lt. Col. Kunzite, the head of Endymion's personal guard appeared. "Endymion, the Palace is on a full alert," the white-haired broad-chested warrior snapped. "They've detected a time portal forming in the Inner Court." Serenity gasped when she heard that. The Inner Court was the room where her mother met with her Privy Council and ran her state. It was too close to the Queen's private quarters and her presence for comfort, especially with the rising tide of Dark Kingdom activity.

"A time portal?" Endymion repeated stupidly. "I thought only Senshi Pluto herself had access to a working time machine!"

"So did the Queen," Kunzite replied flatly. "The Senshi have already gathered there. What are your orders?"

Endymion's mind was racing, but he already had decided on his course of action. "Join them," he ordered. "I'll be there in a minute." He flipped his communicator closed and stood up. "Serenity…"

"Endy! No!" Serenity begged, tears starting in her blue-grey eyes. "It is too dangerous! It could be anyone coming through! Maybe even Metallia itself!"

Endymion grabbed Serenity by the arms. "Sere, you're right that whoever could do this is powerful and dangerous," he said quietly and firmly. "Your mother will need every warrior on the planet to protect her. Besides," and here Endymion smiled ruefully, "it would be bad form not to protect my hostess from a gatecrasher."

Serenity rolled her eyes. "Fine!" she snapped. "I'm coming too!"

Endymion was about to protest, but he saw it was hopeless. Serenity was no soldier, but she could never stand aside when people might be hurt. "Alright," he sighed in a tone of defeat. "Just stay back and if anyone tells you to get out of the room, do as they say."

Serenity held Endymion's gaze for a moment before looking down and nodding in agreement. The two young lovers turned and fled for the palace.

***

The four Inner Senshi, Senshi Venus in the lead with her Crystal Sword, stood in an arc between Queen Serenity and the swirling green-black vortex of the time portal. It surprised no one that the ever-serene and tranquil Empress of the Solar System had refused to heed Venus' pleas for her to go to a safe place. She was a Queen and no coward to hide as others fought to protect her. The Silver Imperium Crystal hung above and in front of her, sending out rays of intense white light every few seconds.

As always with such things, the vortex was hovering in the centre of the Inner Court Room with no visible sign of support. There was a subsonic rumble of power everywhere.

Suddenly the main doors to the room swung open. Jadeite, Zoicite, Nephrite and Kunzite ran into the room and took up positions beside the Senshi, their swords drawn and their expressions unreadable. Queen Serenity turned when a rear door that led to the Royal Quarters opened and Prince Endymion walked out, his dark, dangerous eyes narrowed as he considered the time portal. The Queen's mouth opened in protest when she saw her daughter walking out into the room after her fiancée, but she caught the look of determination on the girl's face. Serenity was no coward who would hide away at such a time. Besides 'safety' was an ephemeral concept when facing someone able to travel through time. Much to her mother's relief, the girl stayed hidden behind the reassuringly solid form of Kunzite, peeking over the tall man's shoulder.

Suddenly, six figures appeared in the vortex. Four were of average height and two were much taller. Oddly enough, four of them were almost surrounding the other two as if they were an escort of a kind. The shorter of the two unknown figures in the middle of the formation carried something swaddled in cloth. All of them were wearing grey-white robes with obscuring hoods reminiscent of monastic robes.

The six figures stepped silently from the vortex, which collapsed behind them with as 'whoosh-pop' sound. Silently, the four 'escorts' lined up in front of the two figures that had walked in the middle.

There was a long pause before Queen Serenity spoke. "Who are you, and by what right to you violate the inner court of our palace?" she asked imperiously.

The figure carrying a burden seemed to stiffen. "Queen Serenity?" she asked, for the voice was female and hauntingly familiar, although it the translation spell that altered her words from her native language to Lunarian modulated it, making the voice unrecognisable.

She took a step towards the Queen only for Senshi Mars to leap in front of her. "If you want the Queen, you'll have to step over my cold corpse, invader," the violet-haired princess of Mars snapped. The fiery young woman drew her soul blade and held it out before her, ready to impale the invader if she took so much as another step forwards. Instantly, two of the 'escorts' stepped in between the two and posed aggressively, clearly ready to knock Mars aside if necessary.

"Enough!" the Queen snapped. "Stand down, Senshi Mars! Despite their unconventional mode of arrival, our guests have not yet demonstrated any hint of ill intent. Until such time as they do, you will treat them as my guests, is that clear?" Growling slightly, Mars lowered her sword and stepped back into her place in the cordon. The Queen stepped forwards. "I am indeed Queen Serenity, queen of the Moon and Empress of the Silver Alliance. To whom do I speak?"

Princess Serenity shivered slightly. Sensing her discomfort, Endymion stepped to her side. "What is it, Sere?" he asked worriedly.

"I know her," Serenity said. "There is something… oh, it's like déjà vu or something similar." The Moon Princess shook her head in frustration. "I know them and yet I don't." Endymion nodded. He felt it too.

Suddenly the woman carrying a burden spoke. "Queen Serenity, we come in peace," she announced in a formal tone of voice. "We come to you in desperation, for you are our last hope to avoid a great tragedy. As for our identities… well… perhaps I should just show you."

With infinite care, the woman set down her burden, pulled back her hood and opened her robes to show the clothes underneath. Taking their cue from their leader, the other visitors did the same. Endymion felt Serenity stiffen in his arms, and Serenity had to concentrate hard to avoid fainting. The Queen's mouth dropped open in a most undignified fashion. "This can't be," Venus whispered.

A series of electronic beeps broke the silence as Mercury activated her TACS computer and scanned the visitors. "There are some genetic and biological differences," the super-intelligent Senshi of Wisdom and Ice announced. "Nonetheless, the auras are identical," she continued. "They are who they seem to be." Mercury retracted her visor and looked up at the visitors again, trying to force her eyes to accept what they were seeing.

The lead visitor was wearing a white Senshi Fuku with a blue neckerchief, red boots and gloves and a multi-layered blue miniskirt with scarlet ribbons trailing back from the back of the belt. A crystal brooch was in the centre of the fuku's scarlet chest bow and the unmistakable radiance of the Silver Imperium Crystal shone out from it. Sunshine blonde hair hung down from two ondangos on her head, over her shoulders and down to her thighs. Beautiful dove-like white wings were folded against her back. Her eyes were coloured a deep cerulean blue. "Serenity?" the Queen whispered in disbelief.

To be continued…