The whole Neo-Team was assembled at the Cherry Hill Temple, following tradition, for a meeting. Zach was leaning on his broom in his Shinto robes looking bored; Lea and Lee were in the latest fashions looking happy as always and yet somehow bored. Marina was yacking about her new plans. Rini stood next to her, looking over the genius' shoulder nodding and agreeing with everything she said. Kylie was sparring with CJ and was smirking every time she got a fair hit in on the street fighter. He wasn't trying very hard, so he smiled every time she hit him, too. Nikki and Erin stood watching the mini-fight with a disconcerted air. Tara was staring at the sky where dark clouds had been forming for a while. Rylie stood near Rini and Marina so he could hear their plans. Art was napping in the weak autumn sunlight while Diana hung off of Rini's shoulder adding her two cents to the plans. Everyone seemed to be comfortable with their sense of peace. Their confidence in beating Darkstar was amazing for a group of rookie scouts who barely had a handle on working together very much nonetheless fighting a guy like Damien. Zach yawned suddenly and it was a loud yawn. "Who cares about some stupid plan? I mean, now that we're a full team, we can kick Damien's-" Lea clapped her hand over his mouth. "Zach!" She chided him. Marina took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes. "Zach, we need some sort of plan." Rini said with a smirk. "Yeah, we can't just rush in and fight with a bad ass like Damien." CJ said as he dodged Kylie's flying fists easily. Nikki and Erin merely nodded, content with not speaking. "Tch!" Zach starting sweeping up the fallen leaves again, muttering about plans and how dumb they were. Rylie turned away suddenly. "You guys have no idea how powerful Damien really can get. He's a reincarnation of darkness, it's in his blood." He glanced over at Tara who was still staring at the sky. She didn't seem to care about that last comment. Rini looked at the ground and then back up at her brother. "Rylie," He turned to her. "I know Damien's strong, maybe even way stronger than us, but we have something he doesn't." Lea nodded. "Yeah!" She looked to the rest of the Inner Team. "We've got friends!" Nikki picked up on where they were all going with this and grinned, looking at her teammates. "We've got teamwork." The feeling of semi-confidence in the group rose slightly from their comments. Maybe they didn't have the sheer power to beat Darkstar, but they would stick together through thick and through thin.

        Rylie gathered the Outer Team after the meeting with the Inners ended. Tara pretended to pay attention while staring at the sky every few seconds, a look of fear growing in her eyes. Erin was leaning against a nearby tree, her eyes closed in thought and Nikki and CJ were standing close to their leader looking honestly attentive. "Now, I know Marina's the Neo-Team strategist and all, but we need our own plan of action. Our fighting style is decidedly different from the Inners' style, as you all know. I'm willing to sacrifice everything if it will bring peace back to Earth and my sister wants no lives to be lost, evil or not." He paused to let them digest this. CJ nodded. "I'm with ya there, Rylie. But, how are we gonna beat Darkstar on our own?" Nikki looked equally confused on that note. "Yeah, I mean we're strong and everything, but without the Inners we're just sorta half a team, ya know?" Tara brought her dark eyes to Rylie who held the unsettling gaze steadily. "We need their help as much as you hate to admit it." Erin was silent, but she at least opened her eyes to see how Rylie would take this. He looked calm except for his eyes. "Listen, we are our own team. I am your leader; you are your own support. Depend on yourself before you depend on others; learn to trust your abilities above all else." He turned away from them on the pretense of watching Rini and the Inners have a sudo-fight.

         Rini took a deep breath and launched into a summary of Marina's plans which took about a quarter of the time it had taken Marina to explain them. The whole team nodded and added something here and there when needed. Zach yawned when she finished. "Whatever. Lets just go wipe him out and be back in time to catch the anime convention tomorrow." Everyone falls over, sweat drops forming on their heads. "Uh, Z? I don't think that's such a great idea." Lee said, shaking his head and looking a little nervous. Lea didn't say anything she just stared at Zach. Kylie snorted. "I'm with him. Lets get this over with." Marina looked outraged and stood up gripping her laptop with white knuckles. "You people! I worked on these plans for three nights straight! Nights I could have been studying for that Chemistry test coming up in three weeks and all you can do is write it all off like this were a game." Rini saw a conflict forming and tried to intervene while Marina yelled at Zach and Kylie who fought back with no so good reasons. Lee and Lea tried to calm them down but it really wasn't working. Rini felt that she was pretty much useless to calm them down and walked away, towards a small grove of tall orange leafed trees off to the side of the main shrine. She took a deep breath of the autumn air around her, the smell of damp leaves carried on the cool, gentle breeze that stirred her hair suddenly. Mulling over her mixed emotions about leading this group of disagreeable people, she kept walking slowly along the path of fallen leaves. "You seemed troubled." A familiar voice made her whirl around. Standing in the shadow of a large old looking tree was Helios wearing civilian clothes. There was no horn or anything on his forehead; he looked totally normal, like a human. Rini jumped. "Geez! Helios! You scared me!" He looked apologetic and kind of crushed. "I am sorry, maiden. I did not intend to frighten you." She shook her head. "Its okay. I'm just really jumpy today, that's all." The white haired young man nodded. "I could sense that from the way you breathe." Rini leveled her garnet eyes on him. " You can tell how I feel by the way I breathe?" A slight blush crept over the pale man's face. "Well, only your breathing relates emotions or feelings to me, maiden." Rini blushed crimson. "Oh." They were silent for a long moment, listening to the far away sound of the Inners fighting. "They never wanna agree!" Rini cried suddenly, spinning around to face her friends' arguing. Helios stepped forward, his hand outstretched as if to touch her shoulder, but he thought better of it. Rini's eyes filled with tears. "Why can't I make them work together? Is it me? Am I a weak leader?" Helios shook his head. "No, Rini, listen to me now." She turned back around slowly, her eyes still filled with tears. "You are a strong person of pure heart and you are a wonderful leader. They just have not learned to work together yet, that is all. They don't trust in themselves as much as they trust in you." His voice faded suddenly as the wind stirred up leaves around them. Rini smiled a little, a tear escaping her eyes. "Thanks, Helios." She whispered, her voice too choked with emotions to say much more. Rini ran forward suddenly and hugged Helios with all her might. "I'm so glad you're here, Helios!" She cried happily. He smiled a smile very different from his usual smile as he hugged her back. "I'm happy to be here, too, maiden…especially since you wandered so willingly into my grasp!" Helios transformed suddenly, his hair darkening to black along with his eyes and his clothes shifted to the black outfit Damien always wore. He held Rini close to him, now Damien Darkstar, not Helios. Rini screamed and struggled to get free, but the evil lord was too powerful for her. He smirked at her pitiful efforts. "Come now! Do you really think I would let you go after you ran to me like that? I didn't know you cared, Princess!" The Darkstar symbol flared into life on his forehead suddenly and he leaned down towards Rini.

        The Inners were still fighting while the Outer Team observed with a disapproving air. Tara kept looking in the direction Rini had disappeared in, suspicious of something. When Rini's screams punctured the air, the whole Neo-Team looked first to the rest of their team and then to the other team. Nodding to the Inners, Rylie held up his transformation stick.

White Moon Crystal Orb Power!

        The Outers followed suit, calling their transformations and the Inners joined in.

Pluto Crystal Orb Power!

Neptune Crystal Orb Power!

Uranus Crystal Orb Power!

Mars Crystal Orb Power!

Venus Crystal Orb Power!

Jupiter Crystal Orb Power!

Mercury Crystal Orb Power!

          When they were finished transforming and posing, the Neo-Team ran hurriedly towards the place where Rini's screams had come from last. They had stopped abruptly halfway through their transformation sequences. What they found when they reached the place where Rini was shocked and sickened them. Damien was kissing a very unwilling looking Rini whose struggle weakened suddenly. She went limp in Damien's arms. He bent his head back and grinned. Rylie flew into a rage. "Darkstar! Drop my sister, now!" Neo-Pluto looked suddenly very uncomfortable, like there was something in the air that smelled weird. The other Neo-Scouts prepared their attacks, except for Neo-Mercury who was analyzing Darkstar. "STOP! You guys can't attack him!" All the Team looked at her, puzzled. "Neo-Mercury! We have to attack him!" Mars cried. She shook her blue hair. "No, you can't hurt him without hitting Rini." Dropping their attacks, the team watched as Damien shifted his hold on Rini so he could do something with his other hand. He held it down to the ground and his eyes glowed an evil shade of red. Neo-Pluto's eyes widened. "No!" She cried running forward suddenly. "Neo-Pluto!" The Moon Knight and the other Outer Team cried, moving forward a little too. Damien grinned wider. "Time to go, Princess. We have an appointment with your parents' younger selves." His outstretched hand glowed with a similar red light as his eyes. A black swirling portal appeared under said hand. Neo-Pluto slid to a stop in front of him. She held her staff out, key side down to the portal, and cried, "NO! I am Sailor Neo-Pluto, the Guardian of Time! This is violating every law of Time and Space! And I'll punish you in the name of Pluto!"

Pluto Chrono Disruption!

        The attack flew towards the portal and it made a popping noise and disappeared. Damien glared at her. "What do you think you're doing, little girl?" He held his hand out to her and an invisible wave of energy tossed her backwards. Within seconds he had made another portal and was stepping through, with Rini under one of his arms. "Farewell!" He cried as the portal swallowed them. Anguished cries followed him that echoed out in the still air.

        Neo-Pluto stumbled to her feet, clutching her staff. The other Outers ran over to her and Neo-Neptune grabbed her arm as she staggered forward. "Calm down! You're hurt!" The aqua haired girl cried. Neo-Pluto's eyes were filled with tears, maybe from the pain or from defeat. "I couldn't….I was too slow! I felt the time magic growing in the air and I could've stopped it then! Its all my fault!" They were silent as the Inners argued about how to save their princess. Suddenly, the Moon Knight knelt next to the slumped form of the Time Guardian. He gripped her shoulders firmly, his eyes fierce and bright. "Stop it. It's not your fault. We all-" "No!" Neo-Pluto pulled away and leaned on her staff to get up. "It was my fault! I could've saved her and I-" She choked and looked away from Rylie's eyes. Neo-Saturn slashed her glaive through the air. "Silence! If anyone is to take the blame here, it's me. I felt my brother's presence long ago and said nothing." Uranus shook his head. "You guys, it's none of our faults; it's Darkstar's." He growled the name like it was a bad word.

        Neo-Venus was reduced to tears when Neo-Mercury said she couldn't track Darkstar through Time and Space. Mars was once again her shoulder to cry on and he didn't seem too happy with the fact that their princess had been kidnapped right under their noses. The Knight of Venus had his arms crossed across his chest, thinking hard. Neo-Jupiter looked about ready to kick some ass and Neo-Mercury was just now sighing and putting her visor and mini-computer away. "Its hopeless. There's no way to know where he took her." Neo-Venus pushed herself away from Mars' soaked shoulder. "Don't say things like that! We can get her back if we try! Right guys?" She looked to her companions for support but they all looked away from her pleading eyes. She burst into sobs and hid her face in her hands. Neo-Jupiter looked about ready to kill her. "Why the hell are you crying? It's getting on my nerves!" The male Venus warrior snapped his eyes to the Jupiter warrior angrily. "Rini is Lea's best friend and she's upset because she's lost somewhere in time. Well, I suppose you wouldn't know about losing a friend, now would you?" "What's that supposed to mean, blondie?" Neo-Mercury just stood there woefully as this became a full-scale Inner Neo-Team fight. Mars started yelling at the Venus guy and Neo-Jupiter attempted to strangle Neo-Venus who intensified her sobs. 'What will it take to get them to just work together?'

        Later that day, the whole Team was moodily sitting in Rylie's apartment in Crystal Palace. They were discussing their next move, or rather Rylie, Erin, and Marina were while the others sulked, cried, or glared at their "teammates". "So, what you're saying is that we can track them?" Marina asked a nervous looking Erin who nodded. "Yeah, there's a way I can track them using the Time Staff, but it comes with a price." Rylie looked ready to sell Crystal Tokyo to get his sister back and motioned for Erin to continue. She looked down at her hands and then lifted her deep red eyes to them. "I, um, can use my full powers as Time Guardian to track them and then send you guys to wherever they are." Nikki looked up from her sulking to stare at her best friend, suspicion in her eyes. "Wha-" Erin held her hand up to her closest friend. "Just let me finish. I know you guys know what a Time Guardian does, right?" They all nodded and Marina spoke. "Yes, the Time Guardian protects Earth and all Time and Space from invasion, disruption, and pollution from negative energy from a timeless 5th dimension, AKA Time Realm. The Time Guardian is an immortal being who lives ageless in such a realm, forced to stay there for eternity. If they-" She froze, her blue eyes filled with realization. If Erin activated her powers, she'd be forced into the Time Guardian role forever. Trapped in the 5th dimension like her mother was for so long. Silence filled the room and all eyes fell on Erin who was messing with the hem of her black skirt, focused in on the material in her hands. Rylie narrowed his eyes on her and she lifted her own eyes to his sharp gaze. "Erin, you'd be trapped in the Time Realm if you did this to save Rini, wouldn't you?" She nodded. "Yep! But it's the only way to save her and to stop Darkstar so one little thing like this isn't too bad." Nikki jumped up. "What are you talking about? Erin, your life is not a little thing!" Erin smiled slightly. "Its not like I'm gonna be dead, its more like I'll be away at another school or taking a trip to Paris for a long time." Her voice sounded a little happier then her eyes looked, filling with tears at the mere thought of giving up her normal life for her friend. Tara brought her gaze to her only close friend. "Erin, don't go, please?" She sounded as small as she looked sitting there with her hands folded in her lap. The knuckles were whiter than usual because she was gripping her hands together so tightly, concealing emotion. Lee and Lea wore identical disapproving looks on their almost identical faces and Zach was shaking his head. "No, no, and no! There's no way we can ask ya to do that, Erin!" CJ and Nikki both nodded. The only one who seemed to understand was Kylie who moved to sit next to Erin. "Listen Erin, I know we've never been too close, but I think you have a good point. This is the only way and sacrifices have to be made if we want peace to reign again." Marina shook her head defiantly. "Impossible! This is pure insanity!" The whole room broke into shouts and sobs of why this was dumb or other ways of getting Rini back. Erin lifted her eyes to Rylie who had been watching her the whole time and she found sudden comfort in those blue orbs. He nodded slowly. "I think Erin should do what she wants." Uncertainty flashed in his comforting eyes as they washed over the now silent group of teens. They all looked back to Erin who closed her eyes and stood. Silent for a moment, she took a deep breath and transformed into Sailor Neo-Pluto. She turned to Rylie and held her staff out. "Prince Rylie, Warrior of Truth and Justice, with your blessing I will go track this evil down and send the Neo-Team to where the villain took your sister, Princess Lady Serenity." She bowed her head to Rylie who closed his eyes briefly, a pained look flashing across his face. Then he nodded again and spoke, his voice sounding more confident than he was. "Sailor Neo-Pluto, Guardian of Time, I grant you permission and my blessings to track down Lord Darkstar and to send my team and I to save the Moon Princess." Sailor Neo-Pluto lifted teary eyes to him and suddenly threw her arms around his neck before jumping back and shimmering with a maroon energy that transported her to the 5th dimension. Rylie stood their staring, stunned, at the spot she had last stood in. Nikki and CJ looked darkly at their leader for allowing Erin to doom herself like that. Rylie turned to the still silent group. He cleared his throat, ridding it of the lump that had risen there. "Lets transform and get ready to go. I don't think it'll take that long for Sailor Neo-Pluto to find Darkstar; she's strong." He trailed off and looked away. 'Goodbye, Erin.'

        Neo-Queen Serenity fainted when the Moon Knight told her and King Endymion what was going on. Endymion looked too shocked to speak as he explained to him how Erin had sacrificed her chances at a normal life to save Rini. The old Sailor Scouts stood assembled near the throne and Trista's heart wrenching cry made them all flinch. "Erin!" She screamed, anguished that her daughter had gone without saying goodbye. None of the Neo-Team seemed able to meet their parents' eyes; they were too ashamed that they couldn't protect their princess. "What are you going to do next, Rylie?" Endymion asked when the shouts and sobbing had subsided in the large throne room. The Knight of the Moon looked up at his father strongly, confident. "I know Erin can find Rini in Time, wherever she is. She'll contact us somehow and then send us to whatever time Damien is in. I-" He stopped as a shimmering recreation of Sailor Neo-Pluto appeared before him. She smiled slightly, exhausted looking. "I found them." She stated simply. No one spoke; they waited silently for their leader or the Pluto warrior to make the next move. "Good job! Will you send us there, now, Erin, er, Sailor Neo-Pluto?" The Moon Knight was stumbling over his words like a lovesick schoolboy. She just nodded. "Are you ready, everyone?" The new Time Guardian asked the rest of the Neo-Team. They all nodded or muttered yeah. Sailor Neo-Neptune ran forward to the image of her friend. "Erin! Are you trapped now? In the 5th Dimension?" Sailor Neo-Pluto shook her head with a slight smile. "But I will be when I send you all to the past." Silence prevailed; the only sound was Trista's slight sobs from somewhere in the crowd of old Sailors. Sailor Neo-Pluto smacked the bottom of her staff to the ground and the crack that sounded seemed to make the Neo-Team's surroundings shift and change into the foggy gray landscape of the Time Realm.

                Sailor Neo-Pluto nodded to her teammates, her friends, the people she cared most about. They were ready but she didn't know if she was. The Knight of the Moon stepped forward hesitated and then walked swiftly to where she stood near the Time Gate. "Er…Sailor Neo-Pluto, can you send us to the exact time-frame my sister is being held captive in?" Something darkened the younger girl's face and she turned to the Gate. With a wave of the Time Staff, the blank, swirling surface shifted to a scene of old Tokyo. It looked sunny and happy there, like nothing was wrong. "Is this where they are?" The Moon Prince asked, his voice no more than a whisper. She nodded, her eyes dark with regret and worry. "So send us there now, Erin!" Sailor Neo-Venus cried, frustrated from all the waiting. The emerald haired girl turned back around and frowned. "Its not that easy. Damien is very powerful and he placed wards against my form of time magic on that time frame and all the ones closest to it." A murmur of horror rippled through them. Shaking his golden hair, the leader of the group glared at his subordinate. "Now what do we do?" Neo-Pluto seemed unsure of her next statement. "I could send you to the moment right before Damien took Rini, but I don't think you guys would be able to pull this off without powering up." Confused by her words, Mars stepped forward, angry. "Power up? What does THAT mean?" Sailor Neo-Pluto shrugged. "I just know that you can't go as you now are." Sailor Neo-Saturn spoke now. "I know a way. But we'd need the help of the Imperium Silver Crystal; the whole crystal." Rylie looked down at the fog-shrouded ground sheepishly. Everyone looked at him expectantly. "Uh, I don't have the Crystal, only half of it. Rini has the other half in the form of her Gold Crescent." He took out his own Silver Crescent to prove his point. Sailor Neo-Pluto looked honestly thoughtful, as did all the others. Laughing a little, the Time Guardian turned away from them and waved her staff. This created a portal that showed the scene right before Rini met up with Helios/Damien. "I'll send you here using my own powers to their fullest." Neo-Neptune shook her head. "Nope! I'll just wait for the other half of the crystal, thanks." Uranus nodded, his eyes locked on his friend. All the others seemed pretty hesitant too. The Moon Knight frowned, the weight of this decision ripping his heart to shreds. His little sister or the one person he actually felt real love for, not lust? What to do? Neo-Pluto turned her face back to them and they saw that she was smiling. "Hey! No worries! Be happy! Remember? The Crystal has powers to heal, right?" They all caught her meaning and seemed to be heartened. General agreement murmured among them that this seemed to be the way to go. Rylie looked hesitant still. The emerald haired warrior turned all the way around and tilted her head to the side. "What? You don't think I can do it?" Rylie shook his head. "No, its just that I don't like the idea of you dying, Erin." She closed her eyes to hide the tears but one escaped down her cheek. The Moon Knight reached his hand over to wipe it away gently and he let his hand linger long after the tear was gone. "I'll come back, okay?" Erin whispered, opening her eyes. Rylie nodded. "Promise?" Erin laughed a little and moved back to her portal. "Everyone ready? Good! Chronos, give me strength!" She pointed her staff to the portal and it flashed violently and whirled around and around till it created a vacuum in the realm. All the Neos felt themselves being sucked in. Neo-Pluto sensed this and shouted, "Don't fight it! Trust in yourselves and me!" All of them but the Moon Knight nodded and let their struggle go. Rylie was clinging to it with all his might even as he watched all his companions fly past him and into the portal. He slid towards Erin's back convinced that he could bring her with if he could just grab her. His hands reached her shoulders and gripped them firmly. She jumped a little and turned her face sideways to see him. "Cut it out! If you hold on I won't be able to-" She was cut off by her own gasp. The portal was closing, fast. Rylie fought the renewed powers she employed to get him into the portal. "Erin! Come with me! I need you! Please!" There was a shockwave of energy that picked the Knight of the Moon up and tossed him into the portal. It closed with a whoosh and left Neo-Pluto focusing on the image of their destination that floated in front of her. Suddenly her energy left her and her friends entered the image. "Good. They got there." She said as she fell to her knees gasping for air, this was more painful than she had thought. The Time Staff fell from her hand with an odd echoey clank. Smiling through renewed tears up at the image Sailor Neo-Pluto turned back into Erin. "I'll miss you guys." Then she shuddered as an odd stillness fell onto her. The gray-fogged world swirled away into darkness indefinitely.

        Rylie felt her die. It was like the shockwave she had used to get him to leave only in his heart and way crueler. 'Erin.' He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth even as Rini started down the path into the grove where they stood. Any second then Damien would come in as Helios. Neo-Venus ran towards her friend screeching and the other Inners followed. Neo-Neptune took one look at Rylie's dejected stance and a tear slid down her cheek. Uranus patted her shoulder comfortingly and Neo-Saturn bowed her head in tribute. "She was truly a Warrior of Truth and Justice."

        Rini was totally confused as to why the whole Neo-Team was out in front of her when she could still hear them fighting behind her. There was no time to explain because just then Damien burst onto the scene. "Well! I don't know how you knew of my plan or how you got hear so quickly but you're going to pay for it!" He gathered some energy for an attack and Neo-Saturn braced herself to absorb it. There was an odd sort of serenity about this whole thing that the Knight of the Moon found quite comforting. As Damien blasted his whole team backwards several feet, he just stood there not even wincing as tiny blades of black fire licked at him. His eyes were out of focus and he seemed to be somewhere else entirely. Rini saw him standing there and she ran over. "Rylie! Come on!" When she saw no response she groaned and took out her transformation stick.

Moon Crystal Orb Power!

        Sailor Neo-Moon jumped in front of her totally out of it brother to deflect a large blast Damien had sent his way. She flinched; he had gotten stronger. "Damien!" Neo-Moon heard Neo-Saturn cry and she turned to see the trouble. The Silent Warrior was standing like a statue, holding her glaive tightly with both hands in front of her. Her face was in agony. Damien laughed quite insanely. "Aw! Poor little Tara! Am I producing too much energy? Are you absorbing it all into that glaive but it's running off into your body and causing painful things to happen? Wonderful!" He laughed and blasted the Inners who were just getting up from the last wave of energy. Sailor Neo-Neptune stepped forward, wrathful. "You'll pay for what you made Erin do, Damien!"

Neptune Tidal Wave!

        She screamed her attack phrase and the tidal wave raced towards Damien in full force. The villain smirked and threw his hand out at the last minute to stop the raging torrent. The water splashed to the ground in a sort of slow motion that made it all seem more dramatic. Neo-Neptune stared at her usually powerful attack while it lay there like, well, a puddle of water. She couldn't believe it. Uranus stepped up next to her, his face beyond rage. "Hey! Damien! You too scared to fight? Why are you blocking our attacks, huh? Scared we're too powerful? Well?" As he spoke he pulled out his Space Sword, its blade glowing with an otherworldly light. Damien smiled coldly. "No. But would you care to test that "we're too powerful" theory, man to super-being?" Uranus roared and rushed Damien, his blade flaring up. Damien produced a gleaming blade that held its own odd light. The edge looked sharp and somehow gleamed with a venomous sheen. Neo-Neptune covered her mouth with her hands as the fight began. She couldn't let herself scream or Uranus would be thrown off. He was so focused, but she knew he'd lose all that focus if she screamed. That's just the way it went.

        Meanwhile, Neo-Saturn was trying to stop absorbing all the energy her half-brother was producing. It was a whole lot of energy and she couldn't hold it all. Her glaive had started to feel hot in her gloved hands and her body wouldn't listen when she told it to let the blade go. Wincing as Damien released a massive amount of energy to throw Uranus to the ground, she fought back the tears that threatened to fall. 'Please. Just let go of the stupid glaive! Please! Why won't my arms listen? Why won't my legs turn and run?' Her thoughts scrambled in a panic to figure out the answers to all the unsolved (or unsolvable) questions. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her tense shoulder. Then she saw a concerned face close to hers, from behind her. "Sailor Neo-Saturn?" It was the Knight of Venus and his eyes were full of a mix of fear and worry. His hand felt comforting on her involuntarily tensed shoulder. "Venus. I need help. I can't let go of the Silence Glaive and through it my body is absorbing way too much of my brother's dark energy." Her voice sounded forced out of her suddenly unwilling mouth. Venus' face registered a flicker of fear before he moved quickly as if to take the Glaive from Neo-Saturn's hands. He gripped it above her hands and pulled with all his strength. At that exact moment, Neo-Mercury gave a shout from where she was monitoring Damien's energy levels near the line of trees, Damien yelled and blasted Uranus full on, and the Silence Glaive let off a blast that threw them all to the ground.

        When the smoke cleared, the Moon Knight was the only one standing. If you could call it standing because it was more like slouching on one knee, panting and bleeding from all sorts of wounds. The other Neos lay in multiple states of injury-induced sleep. Damien was also lying on the ground with the Space Sword through his left shoulder; the deep wound leaking black blood. Uranus still had his eyes open and he was watching the Lord of Darkstar as he stood and yanked the now dim blade out of his body. A shower of black blood splattered the ground around his black-garbed figure. He didn't even wince as his blood leaked out all over his clothes, the pain had to be worse than that. It was almost with a look of ecstasy that he wore, standing there with his blood leaking out of him. Uranus felt sick to watch this evil being smile at his own pain. 'Freak.' He thought, letting himself slip into a dreamless sleep.

        Damien looked around him at all the Neo Team lying at his feet. Then he spotted Sailor Neo-Moon getting up and crawling to her brother, who was still just crouching there. She was crying and shaking him, trying to get him to snap out of it. She was so beautiful when she cried. He wanted to make her cry more, to see her in pain or even enraged. That was easy enough to do. He smirked as the last of the smoke swirled past the only two do-gooders conscious. Easy enough to make her cry, feel pain, get mad. Humans had such fluid emotions that came on easily and strongly. All he had to do was kill one of her friends, hell, kill all of them and she'd be so sad she'd never stop crying. Grinning suddenly, he started to gather the energy to wipe them all out except Neo-Moon, but he was interrupted by a voice from beyond the trees. "Damien! Drop the energy or I swear I shall unleash all the energy of the Gold Crystal on you!" A white figure rushed out of nowhere, a golden sword in its hand and a golden symbol on its pale forehead. Sailor Neo-Moon looked up from where she sat near her brother and almost fainted again. "Helios?!?" She cried, jumping up. The figure turned slightly and smiled at her. "Yes, maiden. I have come to help you." He was wearing the same outfit that the Angel of Dreams wore, but without the top hat. "Oh, get over it!" Cried Damien who looked more than a little put out by Helios' sudden entrance. He really wanted to see Neo-Moon cry more. Helios turned back toward the still bleeding enigma. "Damien of Darkstar, your reign of terror has ended on Earth. Leave this place at once!" He slashed the air with his golden sword and an invisible wave of light-force energy rushed through Damien. He cried out, and gripping his left shoulder. "I won't tell you my reasons for staying, cape boy, but I'll tell you I won't leave until I get what I want." Helios took a few steps toward the panting villain. He stopped close enough to Damien that he could kill him if he wanted to. Instead of ending it all, he leveled his golden blade at the black haired demon-boy. Sailor Neo-Moon watched totally surprised that Damien just sat there and that Helios wouldn't kill him. "I know what it is you seek and you are truly a fool to seek it. Not only will you not get what you want, but also you will be banished to the same prison your father was sent to when Queen Serenity defeated him so long ago. There you will stay alone, for all eternity." Damien glared up at the Elysian priest with an unparalleled hatred. "You're wrong, ya know. I will get what I want, all that I want. Or I will die trying." He smiled at Helios' silence. "And you are the fool, child of angels. Your race was broken and scattered by my father and I should be the one to end the line forever. I will start with that pitiful excuse for an Angelic, the girl. What was her name, again?" Helios made an outraged noise in his throat. "Leave her out of this! Her battle with your kind ended years ago! Her peace is well deserved!" Damien continued smiling that cold, smirkish smile that drove Helios into a rage. Neo-Moon, meanwhile, was totally caught off guard. Child of angels? Helios' race had been scattered by Damien's dad? What was up with that? Helios was struggling to keep his anger under control and Neo-Moon could see it. His hand shook with the effort to keep his blade still. Damien seemed to be enjoying it all too much. "Oops! I guess you didn't know that. Sorry, but its in my blood to destroy you, and your-" "Stop!" Helios threw his sword to the ground as he shouted, making Sailor Neo-Moon jump. She had never seen him mad before and he was really, really pissed off. "Damien, I never want you to mention her again! Never! Leave her out of this!" Damien looked over at Neo-Moon who was standing looking totally lost. "She doesn't know, does she? She doesn't know about your, well, I'm not supposed to mention her any more." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. Neo-Moon couldn't take it anymore. "Okay! That's it! Whatever this is all about, I'm about to end it!"

Pink Crystal Storm!

            The tiny shards of the crystal flew at Damien who laughed disappeared in a whirl of smoke. His laughter echoed off the air itself, hanging around like an ominous cloud. Helios fell to his knees and buried his head in his hands. Neo-Moon rushed over to him. She knelt in front of him, leaning to see his face. "Helios? Are you okay?" There was no response from the white haired man. The Knight of the Moon was standing now and he was staring at them, his eyes back to normal now. "Neo-Moon! Helios!" He jogged over to them only to get a glimpse of Neo-Moon's tear filled eyes and Helios' down turned head. "What…"He trailed off and stared off into space, not really wanting to know what had just happened or why. He still felt that piercing sense of pain in his heart for letting Erin die. 'What was it worth? We let Damien get away again and Rini's safe, but was it really worth a life?' Helios suddenly stood up and turned to the blond warrior. "Rylie, please do not think in such a way. A sacrifice of such purity is always worth something. A life for a life, as the saying goes. But a life freely given for a life that would be taken, that is truly the meaning here." Sailor Neo-Moon also stood, kind of confused again. Helios had been shocked into silence seconds before and now he was preaching to her brother about something she didn't know about. The Moon Knight shook his head. "I don't know, Helios. It hurts so much." The priest nodded even though the person he spoke to had his eyes closed as if blocking a painful memory. "I know how much it hurts." Rylie opened his eyes and looked into Helios'. He saw it all then, the pain of loss mingled with ages of loneliness and sorrow. He saw the sacrifice that someone dear to Helios had made to save them all. He saw the tears, the hatred, the love, and the laughter all in an instant. He blinked when it all stopped and Helios merely smiled. "Now you know, too." The white haired man turned to Neo-Moon. She stared at him as if pondering his identity. "It is truly I, maiden. I am not in a guise of any sort." The pink haired princess nodded. "I know, but there's a lot about you that I don't know, Helios. Like, about your past. What was Damien talking about?" Helios closed his eyes and shook his head. "This is neither the time nor the place for this discussion. I am truly sorry, maiden, but I must take my leave of you all." He turned to the Moon Prince now. "I bid you farewell and take heart, young prince. For all that is lost may yet be found again. Farewell." He did a back flip away from them and in a swirl of white feathers was gone. Sailor Neo-Moon looked at her brother and lifted an eyebrow. The Moon Knight sighed. "I don't think I can tell you right now, Rini. I'm sorry." Just then everything froze where it was. Neo-Moon's mouth slightly open to yell in fury at her big brother, the leaves drifting off their branches on the wind, the other group of Neos running to see what had happened. All the other Neos except one. Sailor Neo-Pluto was still walking, slowly, towards the Knight of the Moon. He heard footsteps and whirled around, ready to fight again. His face flew from tensed for battle to relieved beyond doubt. She stopped a few feet from him. "Rylie, you did well. You and the others managed to stop Damien from taking Rini and therefore you changed the future. I'll send you back to your own time now, where things will be back to normal." He made as if to run to her then stopped. "Everything?" She flinched. "No, there are things that cannot be undone by what you have done. I can't just pop back, ya know?" She tried to laugh a little, but ended up choking on her tears. Knowing about your own death wasn't exactly easy to deal with. The Moon Knight clenched his fists to keep himself from running to her. It was gonna be hard enough to say goodbye again without all the hugging and stuff. "Ready?" She asked quietly. He nodded, staring at her intently, memorizing everything about her. Her eyes, her face, her hair, the way she stood, and even the way the tear slid down her cheek. She clicked the bottom of her staff on the ground, hard, so it echoed in the unnatural stillness. He felt the time magic reach out to him and the other Neos, except Sailor Neo-Moon and the others that had come with Neo-Pluto. Smiling, she said, "I'll miss you, Rylie. And at least now you know why I didn't say goodbye before." He shrugged. "I figured you had your reasons. And, I, uh, I'll miss you, too." The world around him wavered and shifted. The odd sensation that he was falling grabbed hold of him and then he opened his eyes to his own apartment. All the others lay all around him sprawled as they had been after the fight. He closed his eyes, fighting his tears yet again. Saying goodbye is hard to do, twice.