Time Dance

by PsychicDreams

Setsuna is pressured to tell all about the Silver Millennium. ...First Story Written...

Disclaimer and Authors Notes:

I don't own Sailor Moon. It is the property of Naoko Tacheuchi, Toei, and all the other companies who have rights to it. (Too many to name, if you ask me.)

This is based heavily the manga, anime, and my own imagination for some of it. If I get anything wrong, don't flame me or nothing 'kay? This is my first attempt at writing a fanfiction so don't hold me too accountable for the many mistakes I'll probably make. Hope you enjoy this story (this last little line is in case it ever makes it to the internet.)

The attacks come from the manga

My email address is also here in case anyone feels the need to email me:

Guardian4@atlantic.net.

Dais means throne or something along those lines.

Ward means apprentice

Moshi Moshi means hello

Ja ne means goodbye

Eldara means old generation

Eldana means new generation

"Time Dance"

by

PsychicDreams

Setsuna sighed as she looked out at the grounds through the open window in her room. When Galaxia left there had been a feeling of relief, as if a tension had lifted. Now it was three months later and the Starlights visit had awakened the need to know in the other Soldiers. A need to know about their pasts, their other lives and how they lived them. She inhaled the sweet aroma of the wind and air that came in through the open window, drawing strength from it before she called the meeting where she would tell all, breaking the promise she had made to herself thousands of years ago.

The Soldier of Time turned from the window. She heard no sounds in the house, as it should be. Haruka and Michiru were out somewhere and Hotaru was playing with Chibiusa in the park. Softly, so as not to disturb the silence, she padded to the phone. As she picked it up though she thought she forgot the number. Setsuna, you know you haven't forgotten any of their numbers! You just don't want to tell them but you know you have too. Just call the number!

Setsuna frowned at the insistent voice inside her head but did as told.

"Moshi Moshi?"

"Usagi-chan? It's Setsuna. I want to call a meeting of all the Senshi. Please meet at the Hikawa shrine in an hour. This is a very important meeting to all of us, so please don't be late." Almost as an afterthought, she said, "And bring the Starlights with you too."

"All right," murmured a confused voice. "Ja ne."

Setsuna dialed Rei's number and let her know that the girls and the Starlights would be coming over in an hour, then called all the other girls and let them know. She beeped Haruka and Michiru and told them she would pick up Hotaru and Chibiusa on her way.

When Setsuna hung up the phone she leaned against the counter for support before she got the keys to Haruka's favorite sports car. She smiled a little sourly at the pile of metal in her palm. They wanted to know about their past and they didn't have a clue how much it was costing her to tell them so in retaliation she would use Haruka's treasured sports car to get them there.

She found Hotaru and Chibiusa and ushered them towards the car before they could ask any questions. An hour later, every Soldier that was on the Earth was found in the Hikawa Shrine having tea in a relatively large room near the back that was reserved for important "all" Senshi meetings.

Setsuna took one last sip of her tea before meeting all of the eyes looking at her.

"I've called you all here for a specific reason." Luna, Artemis, and Mamoru all looked at one another for a moment before returning their attention to Setsuna again.

"We all know that, for a time, peace has descended. Not eternally, no never eternally, except for Crystal Tokyo perhaps, will there be eternal peace. There is always evil to fight, but I digress. What I called you here for doesn't specifically include you Starlights," she said looking at them, "or you Small Lady," looking then at Chibiusa with Diana perched on her head, "but you should probably learn more about what happened during the time of your grandmother Queen Serenity, and for you," she said once again turning to the Starlights, "it will help to show you where we came from, how we lived, and what happened in that time."

Setsuna then turned towards the other Senshi. "As for the rest of you, you have a right to know." She paused for courage and her hand was about to pick up the teacup when she felt a pressure on her wrist. She looked and found Usagi's hand and saw blue concerned eyes peering into her own.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

That simple phrase galvanized Setsuna. She simply stared at her princess. How far she'd come. Her wedding date was coming in a month, she had asked her, Setsuna, to design her wedding dress. Not only that, the gradually increasing maturity, she had proved that she could have grades as normal students. She would never have the grades that Ami had, but it didn't bother the future queen.

Setsuna gave a small smile and said, "Oh, but I do princess. I must tell you." She looked away for a moment then turned to the rest of the Senshi.

"I made a promise to myself when I first became the Time Guardian that I would never reveal what happened in the past and definitely not in the future. Well I now break part of that promise. I will tell you what happened in the past.

"The Senshi were chosen from the ruling family of each planet. Now you may ask what happens if there is more than one child of the family? Well it's simple. The patron deity of that planet would chose between them. For example if there were three children of the royal bloodline of the planet Mars, then the god Ares would then choose his champion and they would become the next Senshi of Mars. Most of the Senshi came from royal families but not always.

"Each of the Planets had castles in which each of the Eldana Senshi would train, live, and call home.

Ami, Mariner Castle was the place you called home.

Rei, though you may not remember it, your castle was named after two the twins that had founded the Royalty of Mars: Phobos Deimos Castle.

Io Castle was centered in the exact center of Jupiter, the pride of the planet and your home, Makoto.

Magellan Castle was the largest of all of them, Minako, and the one place that you could lose anyone who tried to find you.

Miranda Castle, Haruka, you loved and would always find a way to get on the roofs.

It was quite hard to reach Triton Castle, something you were proud of Michiru, because it was built half in and half out of an ocean.

Hotaru, your home castle was Titan Castle, one of the most decorative and quiet places.

And mine was Charon Castle.

"Keep them in mind as I detail the history as well as I can remember it."

Silver Millennium, Moon Castle

Queen Serenity watched as her daughter met with the children of the other planets. Most were the new Senshi, but there were some yet to be chosen that would be chosen today.

"Your Highness?"

Serenity turned and saw Luna. Like most advisors who came from the planet Mau, Luna and Artemis had human forms.

"Hello Luna. I see you came from the practice fields," she said, indicating the bow slung over her shoulder with her hand.

Luna gave an impish grin.

"I know it's time. Let's go."

As Queen Serenity entered the throne room, her personal guard fell in beside her. Like the princess, she had guardians too. Unlike the princess, her guardians were the Eldara Inner Senshi, whereas younger Serenity's guard would be the Eldana Inner Senshi.

Luna and Artemis took positions beside the throne where she sat and the Eldara Senshi surrounded it in a respectful distance. Fortunately or unfortunately, when one became a Soldier, if one were of royal blood, they couldn't assume the throne. They would still be recognized as a prince or princess, but they couldn't reign over the planet.

Since there were a few minutes before the actual ceremony started, Queen Serenity called her Senshi to her to talk for a few minutes. They were more than her guardians; they were her close friends and she hoped her daughter would develop close friendships with her guardians.

Stella smiled at the queen as she approached.

"Stella, who will your successor be?" asked the queen to Eldara Venus.

"A young girl by the name of Minako. She came from my cousin's branch of the family that lives with us in Magellan. It's so big over there, that it takes a lot of people to fill it up."

"Where are the Outer Senshi?" asked Tiaret, Eldara Jupiter.

"They're coming. Which is why we are waiting to proceed with the ceremony. You know that we have to have all the Eldara Senshi together before we can dub the new Eldana Senshi," answered Dalit, Eldara Mercury.

"Who will be your successor be Dalit?" Dalit frowned at the no response to her comment, but answered.

"A smart girl by the name of Ami. She always seemed kind of quiet to me, but she is very nice. If I'm not mistaken, I think she's my sister's daughter. I haven't been over at Mariner for so long, I don't know of any of the latest news."

Stella laughed, trying to keep herself from fidgeting at the thought of her beloved returning. "An elephant trumpeting at full bellow would seem quiet to you. You are always everywhere and not quiet at all!"

They all laughed and Dalit laughed with them. She didn't bother to deny since it wouldn't do any good; besides, it was true.

"So who's your successor, Tiaret?"

"Name of Makoto. A kindred spirit if I ever saw one."

"Yeah, you would say that. I mean it's not like she's your daughter or anything like that," drawled Dalit.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?!"

Queen Serenity just laughed then interjected. "Cut it out you two. It doesn't matter if it's Tiaret's daughter or not."

Stella turned to Taila, Eldara Mars. "Are the Outer Senshi here yet?"

Before Taila could answer, there was a loud bellow from outside the room.

"Guess they are."

"Stella, if you want to know something, ask the person you're asking about, not someone else!"

Stella just smiled at the furious Eldara Uranus, Kitenis. What infuriated Kitenis the most was that Stella never lost her calm once. Behind Kitenis was the Eldaras' Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn or otherwise known as (to their friends) Caden, Jalae, and Tacy.

"Come now, Kitenis, I didn't know you were here, so how could I ask you? And wouldn't it be silly to ask you if you were here yet if you were standing right in front of me?" asked Stella, smiling sweetly.

Kitenis just shook her head and turned to more important matters. Surreptitiously, Caden pecked Stella on the cheek. Stella smiled, knowing a more intimate hello would be when the sun touched down for the day.

"Well, is everyone ready?"

Queen Serenity held up a hand. "Kitenis, please, we still have a few minutes. Can't we talk for a little while longer? I mean, you just got here."

Kitenis paused for a minute then agreed. She was eager to talk and catch up on the others lives as the others were.

Jalae turned to Taila. "So who is your successor?"

Taila shrugged as if it was no big thing, but to everyone else there they saw a measure of pride there as she answered. "My daughter, Rei. She is extremely gifted with fire reading. Stronger even than me."

They never once talked about Rei's father, and as far as they knew, Taila hadn't told her daughter who he was. When they had first heard she was to become Sailor Mars, it had come as some surprise, considering what had happened with her father.

Jalae turned to look behind her, and then excused herself for a few minutes. A girl of fourteen had just entered and they spoke for a moment before she led her to the dais.

"Serenity, may I present my successor, Setsuna. She is older than the other girls who are about ten or so, but that is because we guardians of time need to be a little older. I've already conducted her through her rights as we do with Time Guardians. She is here to watch and acquaint herself with the chosen Eldana Senshi so she may contact them if need be."

Setsuna bowed before the queen and then excused herself. She was nervous about being in such exalted company, obviously, as she had twitched all through the short introduction.

"You've chosen well, Jalae. She's strong," remarked Tacy.

Caden turned towards Kitenis. "Who is your successor?"

Kitenis replied, "I have two candidates. My son Jaleth can't because he's a boy, but my cousin's daughter, Raleneth, or my brother's daughter, Haruka." She turned a raised eyebrow at Caden. "And yours is?"

"Either my sister's daughter Litenciath or my brother's daughter Michiru."

"Tacy?"

"What?"

"You're the only one left. Who's your successor?"

"A girl named Hotaru. She looks like a good choice. Of course, it's not set in stone yet. There is the granddaughter of my Uncle who had his tested in hopes of gaining some glory and something to gloat to people about, but I don't count it really. She doesn't want to be a Senshi. She admires them, sure, but she doesn't want to be one. Doesn't have the physical make for it, either."

"What's her name?"

"Natina," Tacy answered promptly.

Luna leaned down and whispered in Queen Serenity's ear that it was time to start. As the Queen stood up, the Soldiers took their places and everyone quieted down.

"We are now choosing the new generation of Senshi which will guard our peace. Will the candidate or candidates for the Senshi of Mercury please come forward?"

Ami gulped as she walked forward. Her eyes wandered for a bit of courage and she saw the Moon Princess waving unobtrusively, giving her confidence. Over the little time she had been on the Moon, she had become fast friends with the princess. Her step became less halting as she kept the princess in the forefront of her mind, gaining the courage she seeked. The queen and Dalit exchanged quick glances. They had seen what had happened and could see she would be a good Soldier.

When Ami halted, she could see that she was the only candidate. Her heart soared at that thought. She would be with her new friend Serenity.

"Princess Ami of Mariner Castle, you have been chosen to be the new Eldana Mercury. Do you fully accept the actions and details you must fulfill? Do you swear to protect Princess Serenity from any harm even if that cost is your own life? Do you make this choice of your own volition?"

Ami paused. Her eyes locked onto her new found friend and answered, her gaze never wavering, "Yes."

"Then Eldara Mercury, please step forward. Even though a Soldier cannot ascend to the ruling seat of their planet, if they are of noble blood, they remain a princess in their own right. Princess Dalit, Eldara Mercury, do you acknowledge your kinship with Princess Ami and accept her to be Eldana Mercury and your ward?"

Dalit and Ami's eyes locked. "Yes."

"Princess Ami of Mariner Castle, you are now Eldana Sailor Mercury and to train under the tutelage of Princess Dalit, Eldara Sailor Mercury. You may step down."

Ami bowed and left, breathing a sigh of relief. She winked at her new friend and made way for the new candidates.

"Will the candidate or candidates for the Senshi of Mars step forward?"

Princess Rei walked with grace as she approached the dais. Her eyes traveled just as Ami's did and as Ami's did locked eyes with Princess Serenity. Serenity smiled and Rei allowed herself a small smile in return. Both knew this was a serious event so neither was disturbed by the fact that the smile seemed a small contortion of the lips. Rei then turned her attention to the Queen.

"Princess Rei of Phobos Deimos Castle, you have been chosen to be the new Eldana Mars. Do you fully accept the actions and details you must fulfill? Do you swear to protect Princess Serenity from any harm even if that cost is your own life? Do you make this choice of your own volition?"

Rei never paused or hesitated. "Yes."

"Then Eldara Mars, please step forward.  Princess Taila, Eldara Mars, do you acknowledge your kinship with Princess Rei and accept her to be Eldana Mars and your ward?"

"Yes."

"Princess Rei of Phobos Deimos Castle, you are now Eldana Sailor Mars and to train under the tutelage of Princess Taila, Eldara Sailor Mars. You may step down."

As Rei turned and walked away, she gave a broad smile to Serenity who returned it in great relish.

"Will the candidate or candidates for the Senshi of Jupiter step forward?"

Makoto looked to neither side as she strode towards the dais with long strides. Already she was tall for her age.

"Princess Makoto of Io Castle, you have been chosen to be the new Eldana Jupiter.  Do you fully accept the actions and details you must fulfill? Do you swear to protect Princess Serenity from any harm even if that cost is your own life? Do you make this choice of your own volition?"

"Yes I do, Your Highness."

Queen Serenity smiled. A simple yes or no would do but that wasn't the Tiaret way.

"Then Eldara Jupiter, please step forward. Princess Tiaret, Eldara Jupiter, do you acknowledge your kinship with Princess Makoto and accept her to be Eldana Jupiter and your ward?"

Tiaret smiled at her daughter before answering with a very positive, "Yes."

"Princess Makoto of Io Castle, you are now Eldana Sailor Jupiter and to train under the tutelage of Princess Tiaret, Eldara Sailor Jupiter. You may step down."

When Makoto turned around, she surprised everyone and sent some people laughing when she whooped with glee.

"Will the candidate or candidates for Eldana Venus please step forward," repeated the Queen, laughter coloring her voice.

Minako walked confidently yet she was devoutly curious. She looked at everything and everyone. She became serious once she reached the dais but her eyes still shown with curiosity and merriment.

"Princess Minako of Magellan Castle, you have been chosen to be the new Eldana Venus.  Do you fully accept the actions and details you must fulfill? Do you swear to protect Princess Serenity from any harm even if that cost is your own life? Do you make this choice of your own volition?"

"Yes."

"Then Eldara Venus, please step forward. Princess Stella, Eldara Venus, do you acknowledge your kinship with Princess Minako and accept her to be Eldana Venus and your ward?"

"Yes."

Minako smiled. She knew what was coming.

"Princess Minako of Magellan Castle, you are now Eldana Sailor Venus and to train under the tutelage of Princess Stella, Eldara Sailor Venus. You may step down."

Minako turned around and flashed a "V" for victory at the crowd, which drew a few chuckles, and walked away.

"Will the candidate or candidates for Eldana Uranus please step forward?"

Raleneth and Haruka detached themselves from the crowd and stepped forward. Even at twelve, Haruka was an imposing visage.

Queen Serenity looked them over and then raised her hands above her head.

"Ouranos, God of the Sky. Come and choose your champion."

Suddenly there was a wind that blew from all directions before composing itself into the God Ouranos himself. He looked over the candidates carefully. Raleneth couldn't meet his eyes so he ruled her out. Haruka did and the spirit of the Soldier within her flared in his sight.

"I, God Ouranos, chose this one," he said pointing at Haruka.

"Thank you, Lord Ouranos." At this, Ouranos disappeared with the wind. Haruka could feel the breeze in her hair and at that moment, she knew what she wanted above all else. She wanted to do that. She wanted to be the wind.

"Princess Haruka of Miranda Castle, you have been chosen to be the new Eldana Uranus. Do you fully accept the actions and details you must fulfill? Do you swear to protect Princess Serenity from any harm even if that cost is your own life? Do you make this choice of your own volition?"

Haruka met the Queen's eyes fearlessly. "Yes."

The Queen nodded for a moment.

"Then Eldara Uranus, please step forward. Princess Kitenis, Eldara Uranus, do acknowledge your kinship with Princess Haruka and accept her to be Eldana Uranus and your ward?"

"Yes."

"Very well, Princess Haruka of Miranda Castle, you are now Eldana Sailor Uranus and are to train under the tutelage of Princess Kitenis, Eldara Sailor Uranus. You may step down."

Haruka flashed a thumbs up sign at Princess Serenity and left.

"Will the candidate or candidates for Eldana Neptune please step forward?"

As before, Litenciath and Michiru stepped forward, and as before Queen Serenity called upon the Gods.

Neptune, God of the Sea, made his entrance unobtrusively. Only the sound of the sea accompanied his appearance.

"Lord Neptune, please choose your champion."

Neptune looked into both girls' eyes deeply, seeing into the depths of their hearts. Finally, he chose.

"I choose this one," he said, pointing at Michiru.

Then Neptune disappeared before Queen Serenity could thank him.

"Princess Michiru of Triton Castle, you have been chosen to be the new Eldana Neptune. Do you fully accept the actions and details you must fulfill? Do you swear to protect Princess Serenity from any harm even if that cost is your own life? Do you make this choice of your own volition?"

"Yes."

"Then Eldara Neptune, please step forward. Princess Caden, Eldara Neptune, do you acknowledge your kinship with Princess Michiru and accept her to Eldana Neptune and your ward?"

"Yes."

"Princess Michiru of Triton Castle, you are now Eldana Sailor Neptune and are to train under the tutelage of Princess Caden, Eldara Sailor Neptune. You may step down."

Michiru turned and gracefully walked away.

"Would the candidate or candidates for Eldana Saturn please step forward?"

Natina and Hotaru both stepped forward but before Queen Serenity could say anything, Natina stepped forward again and spoke.

"Your Majesty, I have no wish to become Eldana Saturn. I was put in as candidate by my grandfather. Please choose Princess Hotaru or another."

"Very well, Princess Natina. You may step down."

As Natina stepped down though, a hand came out of nowhere to slap her. It never reached its intended target though. It was stopped by Artemis. By reflex, Natina flinched away.

"You will not touch that child," he said coldly.

Queen Serenity was beside herself, but showed no outward appearance but a calm acceptance.

"Luna," she whispered, "tell Artemis to escort him out and to another chamber. When this is done with, I wish to speak to him."

"Yes my Lady."

Luna walked over and whispered in Artemis' ear what the queen wished. Artemis nodded to the Queen, then twisted up the man's arm behind him and escorted him out.

Natina was white and was having a bit of trouble breathing. What people didn't seem to know was the reason why Natina's body was so fragile. Most of it was because of birth but it was helped by her grandfather a bit. Before anyone could do anything, Princess Serenity detached herself from the crowd and had started to walk her towards her father and mother who had been trying to reach her through the press of the crowd.

Queen Serenity took a moment to compose herself, and then continued.

"Princess Hotaru of Titan Castle, you have been chosen to be the new Eldana Saturn. Do you fully accept the actions and details you must fulfill? Do you swear to protect Princess Serenity from any harm even if that cost is your own life? Do you make this choice of your own volition?"

Hotaru looked at the princess for a moment who was still comforting Natina before turning back to the queen. "Yes."

"Then Eldara Saturn, please step forward. Princess Tacy, Eldara Saturn do you acknowledge your kinship with Princess Hotaru and accept her as the new Eldana Saturn and your ward?"

"Yes."

"Princess Hotaru of Titan Castle, you are now the Eldana Sailor Saturn and are to train under the tutelage of Princess Tacy, Eldara Sailor Saturn.

"Would all the Eldana Senshi and Princess Serenity come to the dais."

Princess Serenity stood next to her mother while the Eldana Senshi stood before her and Queen Serenity.

"Now receive your symbol and power."

Queen Serenity raised the Ginzuishou above her head and it pulsed. After each pulse a symbol would appear on each of the Eldana's heads and when all were there, the symbols of each planet pulsed in sync with the crystal three times before fading away.

Queen Serenity lowered her arms and the crystal disappeared.

"The Eldara Senshi will show you your transformations and attacks. Serenity," she said addressing her daughter, "go with the Eldana Senshi and get acquainted. Show them around."

"Yes mother," piped Princess Serenity, although in her eagerness to show her new friends her palace she nearly dragged Rei and Ami through the door because they weren't as fast as she was. The other Eldana Senshi followed. They were nervous about all the eyes upon them so they hurried out. Setsuna left quietly in their wake to approach the others and get to know them.

Queen Serenity dismissed the court and sent Luna to get Artemis. Serenity sat down and took a deep breath. The Senshi took up guard positions as Artemis and the man entered with Luna in the lead. They stood him before Serenity then stood to either side of him so he couldn't try anything.

"Why did you raise your hand to Princess Natina?" Her voice echoed in the chamber, empty of all except the Eldara Senshi, Queen Serenity, Luna, Artemis, and the nobleman.

The nobleman flinched as if struck. All he could do was shrug.

"I don't know you and I will not place a sentence on you, but if I ever hear that you raised your hand to anyone, especially on the Moon, I will exact a punishment. Now go." He nodded and quickly left.

Queen Serenity nodded to Luna and Artemis. They nodded back, morphed into their cat form, and took off after the nobleman. They'd watch him and tell her if he indeed disobeyed her.

While her mother dealt with other various matters, Princess Serenity was dragging her friends to her favorite garden.

"Serenity, please! My arm feels like it's being ripped off!" Ami complained. Finally, Serenity let go of Ami and Rei's arms. Rei rubbed her arm for a few minutes before tearing off after Serenity who had taken to running. Each of the Eldana Senshi then realized that maybe defending Serenity wouldn't be as easy as they thought it would be.

They came to a stop in front of a huge tree.

"See? Isn't it beautiful? I come here all the time. You can see so many other planets as well. That's Earth there, the blue planet? And over there is Venus and farther away is Mercury. Unfortunately, those are the only ones you can see from here."

"It is a beautiful place," agreed Ami.

Setsuna remained silent for a moment then sat on the ivory bench placed under the tree. Serenity saw this and immediately sat down next to her. As Setsuna looked on in surprise, Serenity took the opportunity to study her and her new friends. Setsuna was a medium tall girl with a little over shoulder length green hair. Her dress seemed awfully dark to Serenity but it suited her looks.

Serenity looked to the others. Ami, with her blue hair and deep blue eyes. Rei, with her hair blacker than the night and proud form. Makoto with her muscles and height. Minako with hair as blond as her own. Michiru tall and graceful. Hotaru quiet but with grace and a light in her eyes. And of course Haruka, the only person taller than Makoto.

"Serenity?" a voice asked.

The princess jerked out of her introspective. She saw the others looking worried so she smiled at them and that eased their fears.

"What do you want to do first? We have a lot of time before you have to train."

"Well," Haruka said then paused.

It was only a few minutes that seemed like an eternity. No noise or sound accompanied the arrow coming towards the princess' body. Rei, seeing it first, dived for the princess and knocked her to the ground. Haruka and Makoto charged the assailant. All the man saw were children coming towards him so he didn't much pay any attention to them. That was his downfall. Before Haruka or Makoto could reach the assailant, he knocked an arrow in his bow and fired it, once again at the princess and once again it never reached its intended target. Setsuna, having had at least a little training prior to the ceremony, reached out and grabbed the arrow before it struck Rei, who was protecting the princess with her body. She knew that if she hadn't been a Senshi, she would never have gotten it. Her hand bled slightly from the sharp arrow. At that second, Haruka and Makoto slammed their bodies into the man. He staggered and almost fell. By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late.

"Serenity?!" called a voice. The man knew his time was almost done, but at least he could complete the secondary mission he was sent to do and that was eliminating the queen. Queen Serenity rounded a corner with the Eldara Senshi behind her. The scene seemed to freeze for a second before everyone went into action at once.

For the first time, the Eldana Senshi saw the Eldara Senshi, not their normal personalities, but the Senshi. It dawned on them that this was how they were supposed to act in a fight. How they would act in a fight once they got their power.

"Light Laser!" Her tiara glowed and a beam shot from it toward the man.

As Eldara Venus used her attack, Eldara Mercury yelled out.

"Eldana Senshi. Stay back! Take the princess and stay out of the way!"

The light laser held true and found its target. The man screamed as it hit his shoulder. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by the Outer Eldara Senshi while the Inner Eldara Senshi surrounded the queen.  

 "Who are you?"

The man looked at Queen Serenity. "Know this. This is just the beginning. Queen Metallia will rule the universe and the Moon will be destroyed." Then, before anyone could stop him, he plunged a dagger into his heart.

Queen Serenity wasted no time in running towards her daughter. What she saw froze her heart. Serenity wasn't moving. Did the arrow find its mark? To her eternal relief, it didn't.

"Eldara Neptune, please take the Eldana Senshi and the Princess to their quarters. Have Luna and Artemis come to the throne room and come quickly as well. We must discuss this."

Caden nodded and left. Serenity turned to her guards. "Follow me."

The remaining Eldara Senshi followed their Queen and met up with Luna, Artemis, and Caden outside the throne room door. She nodded to them and entered.

"Artemis, lock the door."

Artemis and Luna transformed to their human forms and did as told. They didn't know what happened, but when the queen said lock the door that meant bad news.

Stella began the meeting by telling the advisors just what happened. When she finished, each was grim faced.

"My Lady, why do I get the feeling that this is just the beginning?" asked Artemis.

"I'm terribly afraid it is. Luna, Artemis, I want you to find out anything you can about this Metallia. Where she is, why she's doing this, you know the drill. Senshi, you must step up the Eldana in training. They must be ready to fight and know their powers as quickly as possible. I have a feeling that this incident has precipitated a war. If this is so, and I hope I am wrong, then it is vital that they are ready to protect the princess and the planet. May the Crystal protect us all."

"Yes, Your Highness." They all bowed and left the room, leaving Queen Serenity alone in the silence.

Present Day, Tokyo, Hikawa Shrine

Setsuna stopped to water her dry throat and to let the others think about what she had told them so far.

"Are there any questions about what I told you so far?"

Usagi put her head in her hands before speaking.

"Why?"

Setsuna knew what Usagi asked and she dreaded answering it.

"Usagi, we all know that Beryl wanted Mamoru-san but what you don't know is why she attacked the Moon Kingdom. She attacked it because Metallia wanted her too, yes, but she…well she was jealous I think."

Usagi looked up. "Jealous of what?"

"I think that long ago, when Serenity just became queen, something happened. Queen Serenity was older than Beryl, which leads me to believe that the child Beryl had seen Queen Serenity and she didn't like 'what she saw'."

"What do you mean, 'what she saw'?"

"Beryl was a sage, Usagi-chan."

Usagi had a confused and sad look on her face, as if she knew what was coming. "What's a sage?"

"A sage is someone who can predict what happens or what may happen in the future." Setsuna moved her hair out of her face before continuing. "As I said, Beryl was a child, I think, when she first saw Serenity. I'm not sure what prompted her to do this but Beryl called on her Sight and saw everything. What she did not see was Metallia corrupting her body, mind, and spirit. I think Beryl would have told Serenity about it except for what she saw next." Setsuna paused then continued. "She saw Queen Serenity's child in love with someone. That someone was Endymion. Endymion and Beryl were about the same age at that time. Already, Beryl had developed a crush on him and to see that he wouldn't fall in love with her but another came as a real blow and not only another but someone on another planet. That made her jealous. She never stood a chance at all and I think it was that which drew Metallia to her.

"To Beryl, you had everything she did not: loving friends, prosperity, and someone who was your soulmate. She didn't care about the real person. To Metallia, Queen Serenity represented something she couldn't have. Power. Oh, Metallia had power, but not like Serenity.

"Any more questions before I continue?"

Silence.

"Very well then."

Silver Millennium, Mariner Castle

"I can't do it!" Ami cried out. She had understood everything except calling on her power. It had been three years since Ami had been chosen to be the Eldana Mercury and for a year and a half she had been trying to use her powers to no avail. What also worried Ami was Serenity. The attacks were coming more frequently and what would happen to her friend and princess if she couldn't get her powers to work?

"Yes you can," Dalit reiterated patiently. This isn't working, she thought. How do I get her to tap into her power? I know it's there. I can feel it simmering just beneath the surface.

"Try this, think about something you feel strongly about. Put it in the forefront of your mind and keep it there. Then call on your power."

Ami sighed inwardly. She'd done that before and it never worked, but she'd try it again. It wouldn't hurt. She closed her eyes to everything except an image of her princess. She went deep inside herself to find what she knew was there.

"Shine Snow Illusion!" she called out. Neither could tell who was more shocked, Dalit or Ami. It had worked. It was weak, but it was there and all her own.

"I did it!"

Dalit smiled. "Yes you did. Train with your powers and you will be ready soon. Unfortunately, with Metallia and Beryl marching against us, you will have to live on the Moon for a while in order to protect the princess. I will be there, but to protect the Queen. When we arrive after you are ready, you need to fight and learn teamwork with the other Eldana Senshi and you must be a Soldier. Not Ami, but Eldana Mercury and I am Eldara Mercury."

"I understand."

Silver Millennium, Phobos Deimos Castle

"Be careful, Rei!" Taila ducked as the Mars Flame Sniper soared over her head. Five feet off the target.

"Concentrate on the target. You have enormous power, but it won't do you any good if you can't aim it. Try again. Focus your sights on that target. Narrow your vision till you see ONLY that. Now."

Rei did as told and let her arrow soar again. This was the only attack she couldn't aim. Why she couldn't, she had yet to figure out. Six feet off the target.

"Damn!"

"Mistress Taila, urgent message for you."

"Oh dear," she muttered as she read.

Rei reacted at once to that tone. "What? What is it? Did something happen to the princess?" Her heart leapt with fear.

"Yes. A good and bad thing."

"What's the good thing?" Rei asked, stalling and trying to ready herself for the blow of the bad news.

"It seems the princess has fallen in love. Unfortunately, he lives on Earth, where Beryl and Metallia are based. We will just have to see how that works out."

Rei gulped. "And the bad news?"

"There was another attack. It was prevented, but they are coming more frequently now. The last one was only two weeks ago. If the Eldana Senshi can't get control and proficient with their power, I'm not sure what will happen. You see, once the Eldana being trained has learned, controlled, and are proficient in their power, they are to live on the Moon until this is over. Normally, this isn't what happens but we don't have a choice with all the assassination attempts on the Royal Family."

Rei was consumed with rage. How dare someone try to hurt her friend. The warning rang in her ears. "If the Eldana Senshi can't get control and proficient with their power, I'm not sure what will happen."

Eldana Mars turned angrily towards the target and focused her sights. She would do it this time. For Serenity.

"Mars Flame SNIPER!" The target was hit head on. Taila smiled as Rei used her sniper again and again, never missing. Things would work out. They had to.

Silver Millennium, Io Castle

Makoto was studying. She didn't like studying. She wanted to be out training and using her power, loving the feel of the electricity running through her system.

"Makoto, you don't stare off into space, you study," Tiaret interrupted.

"Mother, I can't study. I don't want to."

Tiaret sat down next to her daughter. "I know you don't want to study. You are my daughter and I hated studying too. Guess it was passed on. But Makoto, think about this. What happens one day when a fight has ended and the Princess is injured with a poison wound? You are the only one there. The other Senshi are coming, but they won't get there in time. You have to do something. Here's the thing: if you don't study and just practice, you may be extremely powerful, but if there is a crisis like that and it depends on your knowledge, not your power, what do you do? Would you be willing to let your friend die? All because you didn't want to study?"

Makoto thought about this for a while. Everything her mother told her was true and yet…

"Did that ever happen to you?"

"Yes. I didn't like to study and one day I was just fed up. I skipped the reading lesson on poison and practiced. A few weeks later, Eldara Neptune and I were in the middle of a battle. We had called in the others, but they wouldn't make it in time to help with the fight. Neptune was wounded. I didn't know what the poison was; therefore I didn't know how to treat it. Luckily, the other Senshi arrived in time to stop the poison, but it was then that I realized how precious studying was. I nearly lost a friend that I had had for a lifetime all because I was lazy."

"I see. Thanks mom."

Tiaret ruffled Makoto's hair. "Welcome daughter."

Silver Millennium, Magellan Castle

"Welcome to our home, Eldana Outer Soldiers," Stella said. The Outer Soldiers stared in wonder at the palace before them. Magellan Castle was bigger than Miranda and Triton Castle put together.

"What do you do with all this space?" asked Hotaru.

"Well, not much of anything anymore. The palace was made this big by the first Sailor Soldier of Venus. She didn't like to be alone so she made it big enough to accommodate all her relatives and still be big enough to afford some privacy for each person. Every single room used to be full, but when she died some of her relatives moved out. Most stayed, except over the years, not as many children were born. So now, most of the rooms are empty. Because we have so much space, Balls work really well here but sometimes it gets eerie and it's very easy to get lost. The only reason I know where everything is, is because I grew up here. My branch of the family as well as Minako's branch, stayed here because it seemed to suit us. I know every single passageway because I explored it so much. There's so much here that everything keeps a kid very busy."

"Wow."

Setsuna looked around with detached interest. She was worried. Jalae had told her not to get to be close friends with the other Soldiers. Know them, yes, but not get to be great friends for that might interfere with her efficiency at the Time Gate. That was where the problem lied. She couldn't help becoming attached to the other Soldiers. They were becoming her family, something she didn't really have anymore. Her biological family didn't much care for the Senshi. Thought they were a waste of time, so naturally they didn't want anything to do with Setsuna when she became the Guardian of Time.

"Setsuna?"

Setsuna started. Stella had been calling her name for about five minutes now. She looked guilty. "Yes, Eldara Venus?"

"Let's not be formal. You may call me Stella. Anyway, I was asking you if you'd like to follow me along with the rest of the Soldiers, to the training ground."

"Oh? Yes, I'd like that."

Stella knew what the girl had been thinking about. It happened to every Time Guardian. Jalae had gone through it herself. They had to learn by themselves that being close friends with the other Soldiers was better than being aloof acquaintances. They had to learn that so when the time came, they could stand up for themselves and their friends. Actually having the other Soldiers as friends was more efficient than being by themselves.

Stella smiled as she led the way.

Silver Millennium, Moon Castle, Four Years Later

Serenity stood so still on her balcony that one could think she had become stone. The Earth seemed so close to her that she felt she almost touch it even though she knew it wasn't possible. Oh how she longed to go there. Never once had she been allowed. Ever since that day seven years ago, when the Eldana Senshi had been chosen and that attack, she had been guarded day and night. The Eldana Senshi, though, had been better about the guard thing than everyone else was. What they didn't understand was that on Earth was someone whom she longed to hold in her arms. The man of her heart. Prince Endymion.

Suddenly, Serenity couldn't stand it any longer. She fell to her knees and cried into her arms as she leaned against the balcony rail. She understood, now, the anguish her mother had felt when her father had died. They were soulmates as was she and Endymion. She didn't know just how she knew it, but she knew it deep inside her soul.

Out of the anguish, came the heartfelt sorrow. It was passed through the bond that she shared with Endymion. He knew how she felt because he felt it too. Endymion closed his eyes and walked to his room away from his Shitennou. They exchanged glances. They knew what was plaguing Endymion, but they simply didn't know how to handle a situation like this.

Suddenly Serenity couldn't stand to be alone anymore. Just like the bond she shared with Endymion that allowed him to feel what she felt, she had the same kind of friendship bond with the Eldana Senshi. Overcome with her urge to see them, she sent her feelings to them. She wanted them where she was. They were the only ones who understood her need to see Earth.

Silver Millennium, Moon Castle, Training Ground

The Eldana Senshi were now seventeen, except Setsuna who had just celebrated her twenty-first birthday not a week ago. The call from the princess had them so startled that Uranus, who had been using her Space Turbulence attack, missed the target by ten feet.

They took one look at each other before breaking into a run to the princess' room. They were like a family, the princess and the Eldana Senshi, and they were the only ones to whom Serenity would confide in besides her mother.

Rei was the first in the room, closely followed by everyone else.

"Serenity?" Rei asked softly, kneeling beside her. When Serenity saw her beloved Senshi next to her, she threw herself into Rei's arms with a wail and cried even harder.

Rei tightened her grip and rocked her back and forth, crooning soft words of comfort in her ear. The other Soldiers knelt down by Serenity offering comfort without words. Their presence was enough to calm her. After a few more minutes, she stopped crying and they led her to her bed where she promptly fell asleep. They tiptoed quietly out of the room to discuss the situation.

"We cannot allow this to go on anymore, you guys. I bet she hasn't slept in over three days," stated Ami.

"I agree, but what can we do?" asked Haruka.

Setsuna was quiet for a moment. "We take her to see him."

The others stared at her. "How would we do that?" asked Hotaru quietly.

"I agree with the idea, but if we did this and we were caught, it could mean our lives, you know that," said Makoto.

"Yes, but what are our lives worth without her? She's more than our princess; she's our friend and family. She will waste away without seeing him. The one time she saw him was enough to form a bond so strong it will transcend death. Knowing you met your soulmate then also knowing, at the same time, that you will never see him, would kill you, wouldn't it? We need to do this for her," Minako said.

"How would we work it out?" asked Michiru.

"Well, no one knows first of all. Not even the Queen. It stays between us. Four of us go with Serenity and the other four stay up here to keep suspicion away."

"Good idea, Minako, except you forgot one thing," Setsuna said. "Prince Endymion. If we don't find a way of contacting him, how do you think he will react if he sees four Senshi and the Moon Princess appear right in front of him?"

They all thought about this for a minute.

"Well," said Ami slowly. "I suppose we could talk to him the same way we would get Serenity there, but I can't see how we'd do that in the first place."

"The Time Door," exclaimed Rei. "Setsuna will go to the Time Door and get to Earth and talk to Endymion. When he knows and she comes back, she takes the people going to Earth the same way she went."

They all looked to Setsuna. Setsuna knew that this would violate her oath as Time Guardian, but right then, she didn't care. She had to help her princess. She nodded.

"All right, Minako, since you are the leader of the Senshi, pick the people to go to Earth and who will stay."

Minako thought for a moment. "The Inner Senshi will go. The Outers will stay here. We must move quickly. She doesn't have much time left," finished Minako as she stared at the door to Serenity's room. They all followed her gaze.

Silver Millennium, Earth, Prince Endymion's room

As he stared out the window, Endymion felt a breeze behind him. He whirled with his sword drawn, but was dumbfounded by what he saw. A Senshi.

"Who are you?" he asked, completely puzzled.

Setsuna looked at him. "I am Eldana Sailor Pluto. You may call me Setsuna."

"Oh. What are you doing here?"

"Please sit. This may take awhile," she said, indicating the chair with her hand.

When both were seated, she began. "I come on behalf of our princess. No one else knows what we have done or what we are about to do and if anyone did know, it would cost us our lives." She saw he still looked puzzled so she elaborated. "Unfortunately, our princess is in dire straits. She seems to be wasting away and if she doesn't see you, I fear she will die soon. So the other Eldana Senshi and myself have devised a plan. We plan to bring her here for a brief meeting with you."

Endymion couldn't believe what he was hearing. Serenity coming here? To see him?

"We felt it would be best to tell you beforehand. There will be four Senshi present. It's not because we fear you will hurt her, but because if anything does go wrong, they must be there to protect her or get her out of here as quickly as possible. I do not have a lot of time left so here it is. The Senshi who will be accompanying her will be Eldanas Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus. Eldana Venus is our leader. I must go, but one more thing. You must be alone."

Endymion wanted her to stay, but she disappeared before he could utter a word. That really wasn't a concern for him, though. He was euphoric, but he had to be careful. His guards might get suspicious.

Silver Millennium, Moon Castle, Outside Serenity's Room

"All right it's done. Is she ready?"

"We didn't tell her yet. We were afraid someone would suspect something."

"Well, get her ready to go. We don't have a long window of opportunity."

The Inner Senshi took one last long breath before plunging into Serenity's room.

"Serenity!" called Rei. Serenity was so startled she dropped her brush.

"Time to go," said Makoto.

Completely bewildered, Serenity asked, "Where are we going?"

Ami bent down and whispered in her ear. "You don't tell anyone or we'll all be in serious trouble, but we're taking you to see Prince Endymion. Now let's go."

Before Serenity could process this, she was out of the room and before Eldana Sailor Pluto.

"Come on, Princess."

Silver Millennium, Earth, Prince Endymion's Room

"Kunzite, I don't know what you are talking about," Endymion said distractedly. His Shitennou weren't leaving and they would be coming soon. He never knew how soon for at that exact moment, Princess Serenity and the Inner Eldana Senshi showed up. With a speed that no eye could hope to follow, the Inner Senshi had Endymion's Kings shoved up against the wall with their hands over their mouths.

Endymion wasn't paying any attention to that. All he saw was his princess before him. Serenity gave a cry of joy and ran to him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Endymion," she whispered.

Kunzite's eyes widened and he looked at Jadeite, Zoisite, and Nephrite. Only Jadeite showed any emotion other than a shocked expression. His body seemed to sag as if he had sighed with the difficulty of being Endymion's keeper. It took all four of them just to keep Endymion in line and even then, sometimes it wasn't enough.

Just then Kunzite noticed the body pressed up against his as the Soldier in front of him pinned him against the wall. It wasn't uncomfortable at all. She was very filled out, with curves in all the right places, and her hair was very soft and blonde. He raised his eyebrow at her, but she wasn't paying him any attention. She was watching Serenity and another Soldier in blue.

Mercury was keeping an eye on the time. She had been told by Setsuna that they only had, at max, a half an hour. Every few minutes she would glance at something she had tied to her wrist. Setsuna had given it to her temporarily. There was a lot of buttons on it, but all she could tell was the time. Given longer time with the device, she could probably figure it out, but she didn't have that time right then.

Finally Serenity seemed to notice where her guardians were and she giggled. Endymion looked as well and he grinned. The Senshi had them so effectively pinned by other means that not even a full nelson hold could have made them move. He doubted they were even aware of it. Each had their bodies pressed against his Shitennou's that they could feel every move each other made. Even their breathing.

Serenity, with a completely wicked look in her eye, turned to Endymion again. "Should I tell them to let them down? They seem to be enjoying it, though, so I'm hesitant."

"Probably should. Wouldn't want them to die of shock. They're my Shitennou," he added as an afterthought.

Serenity pulled away from Endymion. "Let them go."

The Inner Senshi exchanged glances, looked at their prisoners, then back at their princess. They were clearly reluctant to do so.

"Let them go," Serenity repeated.

Mars sighed. Jupiter muttered under her breath, "Oh, all right."

The Kings straightened their clothes once they were released.

"Endymion, what have you done?" asked Jadeite, irritated.

"Senshi, these are my guards. The one with the white hair is my ranking officer by the name of Kunzite. The one with the long blonde hair in a ponytail is my next ranking officer by the name of Zoisite. The one with long brown hair is next by the name of Nephrite. And last, but not least, the one who has a big mouth and very short blonde hair is Jadeite."

The Inners studied the Shitennou.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce yourselves?" asked Serenity, on the verge of laughing out loud. The Inners looked at each other and shook their heads at her.

"Oh all right," said Serenity. They didn't want to introduce themselves, so she would do it herself. Whether they liked it or not.

"The blonde haired one is the leader of the Soldiers and goes by the name Eldana Sailor Venus." She wouldn't say their real names. That was up to them. "The blue haired one is Eldana Sailor Mercury, the brown haired one is Eldana Sailor Jupiter, and the black haired one is Eldana Sailor Mars."

They all stared at each other suspiciously. Or at least the Inner Senshi did. The Shitennou were just admiring the beauty in front of them. Serenity then turned back to Endymion and the next twenty minutes taken up with Serenity talking with Endymion and the Inner Senshi watching the Kings.

Suddenly, Setsuna arrived. The Inner Senshi turned sharply towards her.

"Hurry, now! We've got problems! Queen Serenity is coming to see the princess and the Eldara Senshi are looking for us as well as Luna and Artemis!"

The Kings watched as each of the Inner Soldiers paled. They didn't know who Luna and Artemis were, they thought they knew who the Eldara Senshi were, and they knew who the Queen was. All in all, it sounded like this venture wasn't supposed to happen and if word got out about this, assuming they got back undetected, they were in very serious trouble.

Mercury and Mars ran to the princess. "Time to go! Come on!" And they effectively dragged the princess toward Setsuna. Jupiter and Venus turned to the Shitennou at the same time as Mercury and Mars had gone for the princess.

"This never happened," they whispered menacingly before they, too, ran towards the other Soldier who had just come. It was less than a minute later when they disappeared.

Silver Millennium, Moon Castle

"What took you so long?" asked Haruka as all the Eldana Senshi and the Princess pelted to her room.

"Tell you later," puffed Minako. They had just situated themselves in Princess Serenity's room when the Queen entered. To the queen, it looked like the Eldana Senshi were trying to cheer up the Princess.

"Eldana Senshi, the Eldara Senshi are looking for you. They want to you to be at the training grounds in five minutes," said the Queen softly.

They bowed and left. They sincerely and devoutly hoped their plan worked and it all hinged on the Princess's ability to act.

Present Day, Tokyo, Hikawa Shrine

Luna and Artemis were beside themselves with fury.

"How dare you take the princess to Earth like that! She could have been killed! You could have been killed! Worse yet, you could have been captured!" Luna raged. The Starlights seemed to be caught between the audacity of the Soldiers back in the Silver Millennium and amusement at the tirade they were getting now from two cats.

"Luna!" Haruka began. "That was a long time ago! A thousand years ago to be exact! Why are you harping at us now?"

It was Artemis who answered. "Do you know that the Eldara Senshi, the Queen, Luna, and I suspected something?! We had no idea what it was and that scared us to death! Good gods, you have no idea what you had done, did you?!"

Setsuna broke in. "Luna. Artemis. Calm down. It was a long time ago. It's over. Besides, what do you suppose would have happened if we hadn't done it?" she asked soothingly.

Chibiusa was just plain shocked. The Senshi had done this back then? "Puu? Did all the Senshi always wear their Soldier fuku?"

She nodded. "Except for the ceremony when the Eldana Senshi were chosen, we all wore our fukus.

"Let me continue."

Silver Millennium, Moon Castle, Serenity's Room, Five Months Later

"I don't think I can do this one more time," Minako complained as she wearily sank into an overstuffed chair. As it had turned out, Serenity's ability to act was extremely good. Queen Serenity didn't seem to be suspicious or know about what they had been doing. Besides the first time, they hadn't had any more close calls. Except for today.

"Even though I like to see Nephrite, I don't think my heart can take this," Makoto said as she slumped on the floor, exhaustion from the run to Serenity's room taking its toll.

All the Eldana Soldiers were in Serenity's room. The Outers were just plain breathless. They had the hardest job of all: making sure no one got suspicious.

"You know what?" said Michiru. "I think we need to give ourselves a reward."

Haruka got a wicked light in her eyes. "Serenity, you stay here." Serenity had improved rapidly since that first visit. She enjoyed every visit and despite the problems with getting her there and back, the Soldiers would never have stopped taking her.

"What are you planning, Haruka?" asked Hotaru.

"What do you say we go to the training grounds and watch the Eldara Senshi practice?"

The Eldana Senshi looked at each other as one, before tearing off for the training grounds.

They never got there.

Just then there was a small tremor that made them stop and look at each other in confusion. Then the Palace and the Moon shuddered as one and everything seemed to collapse at once. The Eldana Senshi were thrown off their feet. In the next second, they were running towards the princess' room. Yet again, they never reached their intended destination. The ground shook again and it never stopped after that. All the Senshi, Eldana and Eldara alike, were separated from the person they were to protect. Since they couldn't reach the Royal Family, they ran to fight the enemy attacking the Moon.

The Eldara Senshi were there first.

"Now!" Stella yelled. "Venus Light Beauty Heart!" Hearts of yellow and white flew from her hands and then soared in every direction available.

"Rip Tidal Wave!" Caden called out. She threw up her hands and brought then down in an X shape. Her eyes watched as tidal wave after tidal wave attacked, knocking every enemy in her range down.

"Space Star Fly!" Kitenis twirled faster and faster with her arms crossed over her chest as stars swarmed around her. She threw out her hands and they flew unerringly towards their intended targets.

"Charon Space Void!" cried Jalae as she turned once. She then reached down towards her feet then brought her arm up in an arc. She brought it slashing down towards the target, unleashing her attack.

"Death Slash!" Tacy held her arms in front of her. She then crossed them at the wrists. They glowed. She pulled them apart and the light flew out in small arcs in every which way.

"Aries Burning Flame Torch!" Taila threw her hand in the air and what looked vaguely like a torch was left in her hand. She twirled once and threw it at the man coming towards her.

"Jupiter Io Strike!" Tiaret cried out as she drew her planet symbol in the air. She seemed to grab it and light burst out of it as she hurled it out at her opponent.

"Mariner Ice River!" Dalit hugged her stomach as streams of water flew in all directions from her form. She brought both arms up in arcs and in one fluid movement, pulled them down towards the army seizing the castle.

With the Eldara Senshi's most powerful attacks piling the road, the Eldana Senshi ran forward.

"Mercury Aqua Mirage!"

"Mars Snake Fire!"

"Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!"

"Venus Wink Chain Sword!"

"Space Turbulence!"

"Submarine Violin Tide!"

"Chronos Typhoon!"

"Silence Glaive Surprise!"

The attacks took down the oncoming army, the Shitennou falling as well. The Eldana Inner Senshi barely took notice. They had become good friends and it pained them to have to kill them, but the Moon Kingdom and the Royal Family came first.

While the attacks stopped a lot of the army, it could not stop Metallia or Beryl. Queen Serenity watched with growing horror at what was happening. Yet nothing froze her blood more than seeing Queen Beryl head for her daughter, yet she couldn't believe her eyes when the Prince of Earth protected her. Why did he do that?

At that moment, the Eldara Senshi found her. She turned towards them.

"Find Luna and Artemis and bring them here!" she yelled over the roar of the attacks and the collapse of everything she had ever known.

When the Eldara Senshi returned with Luna and Artemis, Queen Serenity noticed the blood on the blade of Artemis and the nearly empty quiver on Luna's back. They were haggard, but willing to help.

"Gather around me. Lend me your power."

"Venus Light Beauty Heart!"

"Rip Tidal Wave!"

"Space Star Fly!"

"Charon Space Void!"

"Death Slash!"

"Aries Burning Flame Torch!"

"Jupiter Io Strike!"

"Mariner Ice River!"

As the Eldara Senshi powered up, Luna and Artemis did as well. What none of them had noticed was Metallia somehow looming directly over them. With a blast so large that it almost knocked the moon out of alignment, the Eldara fell. Luna and Artemis were knocked unconscious and returned to their cat forms. When Queen Serenity looked up from the ground, she saw something that made her heart freeze. Her friends were dead. Taila with her quiet voice; Dalit with her ready laughter and loud antics; Tiaret with her pride and fearlessness; Stella with her calm and quick smile; Caden with her fast wit; Kitenis with her battle wise mind; Tacy with her confidence in herself and others; and Jalae with her knowledge and insight into others hearts. All dead. Tears streamed down her eyes in droves. How could they be dead? The people she grew up with, the people she had confided in? They lay in the positions of their attacks, reminding her of the tragedy when her mother and her father had been murdered.

"No! No! NO!" cried Queen Serenity. Her shoulders shook with sobs and her sorrow racked her frame.

Makoto and Rei looked up as Queen Serenity cried out.

Makoto couldn't believe it. "Mother?" she whispered. "Mother?!" she yelled. It wasn't true. Her mother would get up any minute now and go on fighting. She wouldn't give up. No wound could bring her mother down. But as she looked on and her mother didn't move, Makoto had to admit her mother was dead. A rage she had never known before, ever, built up inside of her. How dare this person attack the Moon, her friend, and kill her mother?! She would make sure they paid dearly! Oh yes, she would.

Rei didn't say anything as she gazed at the still form of her mother. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She almost fell to her knees before she remembered what her mother had once told her.

"Rei, you must never give up. No matter what happens. What may happen could be heart wrenching, but other things, or other people, depend on you. You cannot let them down."

"But I can't read the fire!"

"Yes, you can. You must believe in yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, you cannot win. Even if someone you loved is killed, you cannot give up. While you fight for what needs to be protected, you may exact revenge, but that comes second. Revenge always comes second.  Now try again. This time believe you can do it.

"Believe."

"Believe," she whispered. "I believe, mother. I understand now what you were trying to tell me. I believe in myself and what I need to protect. Thank you."

Just then, the other Eldana Senshi saw their loved ones lying dead near the queen, yet they all heard Rei.

Venus, despite what had happened and the grief ravaging her heart of all its prizes and what she had held dear, raised her sword above her head. "For the Eldara Senshi, for our friend, for our princess, for Serenity, for the Moon, and for ourselves, we must fight! We can do it!"

They all cheered.

Queen Serenity heard the cheer and looked towards the Eldana Senshi. She realized then that her kingdom would be no more. She would rather die here with her friends by her side, but she wouldn't let the new generation die with her. They deserved a better chance at life.

As she stood up, her resolve firmly fixed in her mind, she saw something that changed her mind dramatically. Her daughter floating dead in the air, her hand linked with the Prince of Earth. She realized then that she had made a mistake. She almost called the Eldana Senshi to her until she realized they had died protecting the princess. Tears flowed down her cheeks, obscuring her vision. She had been a fool to ban the visits to Earth. She had been a fool to rush the training of the Eldana Senshi. She hadn't allowed them to have a childhood.

"What have I done?" she whispered. No, she wouldn't let it end like this. Yet where could she send them where they would have a peaceful childhood? Where they could live their lives as they wanted to? With no responsibility to be a Senshi? Where?

Her eyes fell on the Earth. Serenity had loved that place even if she had never gone there before. Maybe they would be happy there. Not in this time, but maybe in the future? Where there would be no wars? No Senshi needed?

Yes, that was best. Queen Serenity pulled out the Moon Wand and installed the Ginzuishou. She took a moment to look at Luna and Artemis. She would send them, too. She wasn't sure if they would have their human forms or not, but anything was better than to have them die here. They were young and in love. They should have a chance to explore that love more. Have a chance to live a life together in peace.

Queen Serenity raised the wand above her head.

"Goodbye. I'm sorry for my all follies. Maybe I can make things right for you," she whispered. "Goodbye.

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

Light flowed from the Ginzuishou. Queen Serenity poured her wish into it. A new life for them. Please!

Metallia laughed. Now the power she had always envied would be hers! Beryl screamed and it was then that Metallia realized she was being torn apart by the very power she coveted most. She made one last final curse.

"You may destroy me Serenity, ruler of the now dead Moon Kingdom. Die here among the ruins of your dead home, but I shall rise again!" Metallia gave one final scream as she was sucked into oblivion.

Her power spent, Queen Serenity allowed herself to fall to the ground. She crawled slowly to where her friends were.

"My dear, dear friends. I have tried to atone for my foolishness. I've sent your Eldana Senshi to Earth of the future where they might have a chance at happiness. I'll see you soon, my friends. I love you all so much."

Slowly, with the release of that prayer and last goodbye to her friends, daughter, and the Eldana Senshi, she died. In a few minutes, all that remained of the great Moon Kingdom was dust and ruins. Among those ruins, the bodies of eight great warriors known as the Eldara Senshi and their Queen, who lay in their midst, was to be found.

Present Day, Tokyo, Hikawa Shrine

"And so in a few minutes, what had taken over five lifetimes to achieve, was destroyed."

Silence descended upon the people in the room. No one was dry eyed. Usagi ran from the shrine and Mamoru left to go after her. He found her under one of the trees outside that Rei cared for as lovingly as one would care for a child. She took one look at him and ran into his arms. Neither said anything, for indeed there was nothing to be said.

Back in the room, Makoto had put her head down and was weeping harshly. Haruka put her hand on her shoulder. Makoto looked up. At that moment she realized something. She had been a fool. Haruka had always been there. They were her family and she would always be there. There was no reason to worry that one day she would disappear as well. Oh God. My mother!

With a sob, Makoto threw herself to the waiting arms. They were strong and comforting and that's all that mattered to her.

"It's all right, Mako-chan. It's all right. We're all here for you. It's over," Haruka kept whispering over and over.

Rei tried to stop her tears, but the more she tried the more they came. Finally, she had the answer to a question she had been trying to answer for sixteen years. Why she could read the fire so strongly. Her grandfather could, but not as well as her, never as well as her. He had once mentioned that, saying that her mother had barely any ability with the fire at all. But now she knew why. Sobs forced their way out of her closed mouth.

"Mother," she whispered.

Arms went around her and she instinctively turned towards the warmth of the body they were attached to. A male body. She looked up and saw Yaten. Someone she hadn't been sure she really liked as a person that much; but as he looked down at her in sympathy and with tears in his own eyes, she had to admit that he was just as human as she and had human emotions. She then remembered what Usagi had told them about what had happened to their planet. It had happened to them too. The thought that he had gone through that too and that he knew what she was feeling brought her comfort and she buried her head into his shoulder and cried.

Ami couldn't believe what she heard. So that was their life back then. Her aunt had died for her. Gods no, she thought. How am I supposed to deal with this? What am I supposed to think? I mean, it's not as if my computer can come up with the answer to this.

Taiki was concerned. Of all the Soldiers here on Earth, it was Ami who was the most composed. She never seemed very upset. He put a hand on her elbow.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

Inside, Ami started to fume. He asked her if she was all right?! She just found out her aunt had died for her and he asked her if she was all right?! What did he think she was? A cold-hearted machine? Someone who couldn't feel pain? Someone who wouldn't care if they had just been told that their aunt had died for them?

Yet, all Ami could do or say was, "No."

Before he knew what happened, Ami was crying into his chest. Her small frame was racked with violent tremors because of the force of her sobs. Instinctively, his arms went around her and he comforted her as best he could.

Seiya had become aware of the fact that Minako was missing. No one else seemed to notice. He thought about just leaving the issue, but thought again. She shouldn't be alone right now. None of them should. With that thought in mind, he left.

He found her in the fire reading room, oddly enough. She stood staring at the flames with her arms wrapped tightly around her, looking strangely calm. That day he saw another side of Minako Aino.

"Minako-chan?"

She turned her head slowly towards him. What he saw in her eyes made him take a step back. Her eyes seemed almost devoid of emotion. Almost as if she was dead inside. That didn't seem right to him. Minako, the cheerful, full of plans, boy chasing Minako couldn't be dead inside. Bizarrely, it was that thought that allowed him to approach her. She turned her head to watch him and her eyes followed his every move.

He stopped next to her. She looked up at him for a moment before gazing at the fire again.

"Do you know that it never occurred to me that there might have been other Soldiers besides us that might have died. Now I realize that I am a fool." She turned to him. "Do you think I'm selfish? Is it wrong to always be concerned with yourself and the fate of the now? Do you think its wrong that I never once thought about the other people who died on the moon? Do you think I'm mean and selfish because I'm glad I'm alive when I should be back on the moon in the ruins of my former home with my aunt?" she whispered.

"No, you aren't selfish. It's not wrong to be glad that you are alive. Queen Serenity felt that you should be able to live again. She obviously felt you shouldn't have had to die in the Moon Kingdom. It's not wrong to be concerned about the fate of the now. You have hardly remembered about your past, so how could you remember about your aunt?"

With a wail of despair, Minako threw herself at the only comfort she could see. Seiya deftly caught her and ran his hand through her soft hair, whispering words of no consequence.

"Minako-chan, I know what you are feeling. I felt it after we survived the destruction of our home planet. You are not alone in feeling this. What you must realize is that, if you had been thinking about the past, could you have performed as effectively? Constantly thinking about the past can drive you insane. Thinking about all the things you could have done differently. The past is the past and you can't change that. Besides, who's to say that it was supposed to happen any differently?"

"You're right. I shouldn't be feeling this. I should concentrate on protecting the princess."

"No. You are wrong there. You should be feeling it. You just shouldn't allow it to rule your judgment. Feeling the anger, hurt, and sorrow begins the healing process. But this is what you have to remember: Don't forget about the past, but don't forget about the present and future either. You must live in the present, remember the past, and look forward to the future."

"Thank you, Seiya-kun."

With those three words, a bond formed between the two. It would start slowly, but it would keep the two together throughout the darkest hours of night.

Back in the room, Chibiusa sat quietly. Diana was comforting her parents so she went out to comfort hers.

"Usagi-chan?"

Usagi started. She turned her tear-streaked face towards her daughter.

"Oh Chibiusa-chan."

She bent down and Chibiusa ran into her waiting arms. Usagi lifted her up and Mamoru wrapped his arms around them both.

"Usako, don't cry. I'm here. We're all right."

"Mamo-chan…"

Again in the room, Setsuna, Michiru, and Hotaru were comforting each other and Luna and Artemis. As they gathered in the little room again an hour later, everyone seemed to have calmed down. Seiya and Minako held hands, occasionally exchanging a glance or two. Usagi leaned against Mamoru with her arms wrapped around Chibiusa; the three had gotten very close in that hour. Ami sat silently, with Taiki holding her wrist, as if to remind her where she was. Yaten had his arm around Rei and Haruka had her hand resting on Makoto's shoulder.

Setsuna cleared her throat.

"I probably shouldn't have told you all that. I should probably have let you remember by yourself, but I guess one of my main reasons for telling you was to finally tell someone and for someone to share my grief I guess. You see, I did not die when the Moon Kingdom fell. Something or someone told me to go to the Time Gate and stay there until I was needed. It is my greatest shame. You may be wondering how old I am. I am five thousand years old. I know I was twenty-one when the Moon Kingdom fell, but time works differently at the Time Gate."

Setsuna let the tears she had been holding in for five thousand years, out. Five thousand years of grief, pain, and loneliness came out. But this time she wasn't alone. She felt her friends all around her and finally, the hurt at being told she would be Sailor Pluto, Time Guardian, without ever being asked if she wanted to do it, began to heal. It would take a while for it to heal completely but the healing process had been started.

Rei stood up, drawing everyone's attention.

"I'll get some more tea."

She was gone for about two minutes. When she had the tea set out within everyone's reach, she sat down again next to Yaten. Despite the months of uncertainty she had harbored towards him because of his previous attitude, she was comforted when he put his arm around her once more. Maybe they could be friends someday instead of casual acquaintances who were sometimes on different sides.

 "You know, sometimes I never understood why we all seemed to click together deep inside. Why we all seemed to know so much about each other without being told," Haruka said. "Despite the sadness of the past, I'm happy I know. Please excuse me for a moment." Michiru made a movement to get up with her, but she waved at her to be seated. This was something she needed to do alone.

When Haruka was outside, she realized just how dark it really was. When she checked her watch, it said 7:00.

"Time flies when you're having fun," she muttered. She looked up at the sky once more. "Aunt Kitenis, thank you. I'm not going to say that I wish I was with you, wherever you are, because that would be a lie. I would like to see you again, but I don't want to see you again enough to want to wish I was dead. I'm needed here. Even though what I heard was sad, it was enough to bring all of us closer. The past is the past. I won't forget it, but I won't live my life there either. You would have loved it here though. You would truly have loved it here."

Haruka then turned back towards the shrine and left to find her friends, never seeing the unusual shadow near the steps.

"Haruka, you're back."

"Told you I'd only be a moment," she said with a smile.

Setsuna cleared her throat. "Even though there were sad times on the Moon, there were good times there as well. I can't be sure that I know what I'm doing exactly, but…" She paused, and then turned toward the Starlights.

"I know that we, as in the Outer Soldiers and myself, haven't been very nice or kind to you. I think that what we did was wrong yet at the same time right. It was right to be cautious to protect our prince and princess, but it was wrong to treat you with such hostility and never give you a chance to explain. I hope you'll forgive us one day."

The Starlights looked at each other then back at Setsuna. Slowly they nodded.

Luna stepped forward.

"Setsuna-san, I wish to thank you."

Setsuna's fell into complete puzzlement. "Thank me for what?"

"For telling us—"

Just as Luna started to talk, a large explosion occurred just outside the shrine and threw everyone down.

"What was that?" Chibiusa asked.

Luna, the ever-vigilant one, said "Never mind what it was, just transform!"

A garble of henshin phrases sounded and the only clear thing that was heard was, "MAKE-UP!"

Everyone rushed outside, dressed in their fukus and ready for battle. Rei stopped in her tracks as she saw her grandfather and Yuuichirou trying to take the youma on.

"No," she cried out instinctively and the monster was made aware of the Senshi's presence.

"Well, well, well. It's the Eldana Senshi. Would you like to join the Eldara Senshi? I could send you there easily."

Sailor Pluto turned to Sailor Moon, "This is no time for speeches. I know this 'thing.' You must leave. You and Tuxedo Kamen. This is something your powers would have no effect on. I had been reading one day in the Royal Archives when I came across a written battle. Not many battles are written down so I knew this was something of importance. I read it. Long ago, a creature came and attacked every planet. Finally it reached the Moon. It was long before your mother was even born. The Ginzuishou had no effect on it whatsoever. Neither will your powers, King Endymion. Only the Senshi's power will." It was later that they realized she called them by their Royal names without even thinking about it.

"But he knows the Eldara Senshi! That must mean he knows us," protested Ami.

"No. Back on the Moon, the Senshi were always known Eldara and Eldana Senshi. Ever since the creation of the Senshi. He must still be trapped in that time within his own mind. Therefore we look like the Eldana Senshi of that time to him. Hurry Neo-Queen Serenity, King Endymion. You as well Princess Small Lady Serenity."

"But I'm a Senshi!" she protested.

"Yes, but from the future. This is a creature of the past. Your powers wouldn't have an effect either." The Royal Family nodded reluctantly and found a secluded place that would allow them to see the battle.

"So the Royal Line has gone into hiding has it? Well, it's time to repay what you did to me!"

"Wait, we aren't…"

A huge blast cut off Hotaru's statement and they were all thrown to the ground. Sailor Star Fighter jumped up quickly and readied her attack in seconds.

"Star Serious Laser!"

A beam of light came out and had no apparent effect either.

"WHAT?!" The Senshi stared in horror. The other Starlights jumped up and attacked, hoping against hope that their attack would do some damage.

"Star Sensitive Inferno!"

"Star Gentle Uterus!"

No effect. Pluto, her heart heavy, told them to guard Sailor Moon, ChibiMoon, and Tuxedo Kamen. Not that it would provide much of a defense if it came to that.

"Venus Love and Beauty SHOCK!"

"Jupiter Oak EVOLUTION!"

Streams of flowers flowed out of Jupiter's tiara and hearts flew from Venus' hand. It made a direct hit and did a comparable amount of damage.

"Now!" yelled Pluto. "Dead Scream!"

"Space Sword Blaster!"

"Submarine Reflection!"

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

The resultant explosion was everything they'd hoped, but their hearts sank as they saw the creature, singed but unharmed.

"We're just not closing enough damage!"

"If even our most powerful attacks don't work, then what do we do?"

Pluto thought for a moment, trying to recall anything she may have read that could tell her how to destroy that thing.

"Mercury, what are you getting on your computer and visor?" asked Jupiter, keeping a wary eye on the creature. It seemed content just to sit there and let them stew. Something Jupiter was not good at.

"I can't get anything. It's all useless information."

"What we seem to need is a power up," muttered Uranus.

"Power up," Pluto repeated distractedly.

"That's it!" cried Neptune. "We need our other attacks from the Moon Kingdom days!"

"Well, let me try it," Jupiter said at the same time Pluto yelled "Stop!"

"Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!" she cried. What she got, though, was not what she expected. Instead of attacking the enemy, the power backlashed into her, throwing her into the wall.

"Jupiter!" cried Sailor Moon.

Pluto rushed over. "I should have thought to mention it earlier. Neptune was right, we need our old Moon Kingdom attacks, but we can't just call them out and have them work. It doesn't work that way. The power of a Senshi is based on skill. You must feel the power, then call the words. You see, the backlash of power when you do that is there as a defensive mechanism."

"What do you mean defensive mechanism?" Mercury asked.

Before Pluto could answer, another explosion threw them to the ground and tentacles reached out to grab the bodies nearest it.

"Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Yuuichirou, Grandpa Hino!" Sailor Moon cried and struggled to go and save them. It took the combined strength of Tuxedo Kamen, ChibiMoon, Star Fighter, Star Maker, and Star Healer to keep her there.

Pluto struggled to her feet and looked on in horror.

"Pluto, why is it a defensive mechanism?" cried Mercury again.

"So if an enemy tries to use a Soldier's attack, it will backfire on him and not on the Soldier who it belongs to."

For six minutes, the tableau seemed to go on forever.

"Pluto, how do we get in touch with that power?" Neptune asked, her fear for her partner making her sound angry.

Yet again, before Pluto could answer, more tentacles came flying at them. This time they retracted without any prizes.

"We cannot do it by ourselves. Someone must be there to grant us that ability to feel the power. Back on the Moon, it was given to us by Queen Serenity when we became the Eldana Senshi. When you were all reborn on Earth, you didn't have all your powers present. The only thing Queen Serenity could do about your powers was give you the basic ability to your first attacks. She didn't want the Senshi to come back, but with that ability, it made you whole and that's what she wanted. She didn't know that enemies would attack Earth, but that's how you got your attack. Throughout the years, certain people have given you power ups. It's not as if they were giving you power ups, they were just giving you the ability to use another attack. The power has always been there."

"So what do we do now?" asked Uranus through gritted teeth.

Jupiter stared at Uranus in horror. I won't let her die like Mom!

Suddenly all around her there was fog.

"Haruka-san, Setsuna-san, Hotaru-chan, Ami-chan, Rei-chan, anyone?! Where are you?"

"Oh my dear Makoto."

Makoto froze. She knew that voice. "Mother?"

Tiaret appeared in front of her. "You have done so well. I've watched you grow up, make your first cake, your first day at school, defeat your first enemy. Everything. I am so proud of you. You live and you live a normal life. It's the one thing all of the Eldara Senshi regretted doing. Not allowing you to have a normal childhood; we knew what it was like to lose a childhood, but Serenity fixed it. She sent you to another time and another place. God, what wouldn't I give to be living with you, but my time ended a thousand years ago on the Moon Kingdom. You have a future and I have seen it. I have seen it through your eyes when you traveled to the future." Tiaret's eyes filled with tears. "Here is your ability. Draw upon your power. Take your power and my love, my dearest daughter. My Makoto." She leaned over and placed a kiss upon Makoto's brow and disappeared.

"Mother!"

A moment later, Jupiter was back in battle.

"Jupiter, we need you!"

What she saw made her see red. Neptune, Pluto, and Mercury were now caught.

"Let them go," she whispered menacingly.

The thing laughed. "No."

"Jupiter Coconut CYCLONE!" This time the attack didn't backfire. It flew straight and true. The creature writhed with pain and dropped the other Senshi.

The quickly ran to the safety of the others.

"Grandpa Hino, Yuuichirou. Leave. Leave this to us. Go."

But Grandpa Hino wouldn't leave. "Not without Rei-chan."

"Rei-chan is fine. She wants you to leave. She will meet you there."

With more cajoling and promises, Yuuichirou and the other Senshi got him to leave for a hiding place.

A little ways away, the creature began to heal its wounds. This wasn't going to be easy and those weren't familiar attacks. Yet they had to be them. It couldn't have taken him that long to break out of that prison. He pushed aside his doubts and pressed his attack.

"Jupiter, how did you get your ability?" Mercury asked.

"My mother gave it to me. I had some sort of vision and she gave it to me."

"We will all need our ability's to win this fight though," Uranus pointed out glumly.

"Maybe, since it was the Ginzuishou that gave us that power in the first place, maybe it could do it again? Usagi-chan's Ginzuishou?" Venus looked at Pluto as she asked this.

Pluto spoke hesitantly because she was unsure. "I don't know. Granted it was the Ginzuishou that gave us our power, but it was Queen Serenity that used it, not Usagi-chan. I don't think it wise to ask her to do that. It could have unpleasant consequences or none at all."

"She has a point, but what else do we do?"

No one had an answer and at that moment they didn't have much time to think about it either because the creature started its attack. It seemed to go on like that for an eternity: dodge, jump, fight, but it was really only twenty minutes later that a bedraggled group of Soldiers gathered together to decide what to do next.

"We cannot go on like this," Mercury wheezed.

No one needed to ask the question on everyone's minds. What do we do?

"Maybe we could use the creature's doubts against him," said Hotaru.

"He has doubts? It sure doesn't look like it," Michiru said, looking at the creature.

"Well, everyone has doubts. Doesn't matter about what really. I'm sure he has doubts about us. From what you told us, Pluto, and from what I remember, each generation of Senshi had different attacks. None were the same. So maybe Jupiter's attack and our others would cast doubt."

"Brilliant, Hotaru-chan, brilliant," Ami muttered.

"Pluto, you said that Usagi-chan's powers and that of the Starlights, Tuxedo Kamen, and ChibiMoon wouldn't work. Well, maybe they will. This is the present. Things have changed from the time of the Moon Kingdom. Back in the Moon Kingdom, there wasn't a Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, or the Starlights. Maybe because of the change of how we live and who fights, their attacks might work," Venus stated.

"You're right about that. It couldn't hurt."

"Mars go get Tuxedo Kamen, Sailor Moon, Sailor ChibiMoon, and the Starlights."

"Right."

Saturn slowly circled the creature, giving it a wide berth.

"You aren't in the same time you know. The Eldana Senshi you think you are fighting died long ago. You aren't even on the Moon," she taunted.

The creature paused. He wasn't on the moon? Yes he was, there was the palace in front of him, the Royal Family in one corner, delegates from another planet with them, and there was the Eldana Senshi, just like it remembered.

"Yes I am. You are very stupid to say things like that when I can see for myself that I'm on the Moon."

Mercury threw Saturn a horrified look mixed with comprehension.

"Senshi, to me!" she cried.

Everyone gathered around her.

"What is it, Mercury?" Moon asked.

"It's worse than we thought. It would have been good if we could have used its doubts against it, but it's trapped in the past. No matter where it is, it will think it's on the Moon Kingdom and that we are the Eldana Senshi of that time."

"Oh no."

"I don't get it," ChibiMoon said.

It was Luna who spoke. "What she means is, no matter if we looked totally different from what the Eldana Senshi of that time looked like, or if we sound different, or even if we have different attacks, it'll see everything we do as what they did. Even its vision is enveloped by hatred. It refuses to see anything except that it's on the Moon Kingdom, so everywhere it looks, it sees something that was on the Moon."

"Oh."

"That's bad," Jupiter stated, "So…what do we do about it.?"

"We just keep doing what we have been doing and that is attacking it. Hopefully we can wear it down enough so that someone can kill it."

"But you said the only way to kill it is to use our other powers. We don't have our other powers to use," Neptune said doubtfully.

"That's true but maybe, by the time we wear it down, we'll have thought of something."

"Decisions, decisions," someone muttered.

And so it went on once again. Jupiter finally collapsed from exhaustion. She was the only person who had an attack that was effective and she had been constantly using it. It was beginning to take its toll.

"Jupiter, look out!" cried Uranus. When she looked up, she saw tentacles reaching for her. They would reach her before she had a chance to move and she didn't have the strength.

"Mako-chan!" Uranus yelled again. No, not her friends. Not this time.

"Tuxedo La Smoking Bomb!"

Jupiter tried very hard to recognize the voice in her exhaustion-numbed brain. Finally she found it. A name to go with the voice. Tuxedo Kamen? He didn't have an attack like that did he? Perhaps he did, but she certainly couldn't think of anything at the moment.

The attack didn't do much more than slightly wound it, but it did give Uranus time to get Jupiter out of harm's way.

"Mako-chan! Mako-chan! Are you alright?"

Jupiter pulled herself out of the drowse she was in. She wanted to go to sleep. It was then that she realized that she was in her civilian clothes. She wasn't a Senshi anymore. Makoto felt as if she was standing beside her body, looking down at it. She watched with mild interest at herself and the others still fighting.

Uranus called Luna over. "What's happening to her? She won't respond to me at all!"

"Take it easy. She just used so much of her strength for her attacks and kept using them that she's simply exhausted. She'll be all right. Let her rest and she'll wake up fine."

Uranus looked doubtful but did as told. Luna would look after her friend.

The Makoto spirit watched as Uranus ran to the fight. Curiously, she started to follow. When she found she couldn't walk forward more than a few paces from her body, her curiosity soared. Why couldn't she move?

A light flashed in front of her and the Makoto spirit saw Luna. Only it wasn't Luna. Luna didn't have a human form.

"Yes I do, Mako-chan."

The Makoto spirit started. How did it read her mind? Involuntarily her eyes flew to the Luna cat. She was motionless with her eyes closed. The Makoto spirit looked back at Human Luna.

"Yes, I had a human form. It will take some time, but I believe that Artemis and I can regain them in body and not only spirit. Please go back to Makoto. All you need to do is rest. You and I know that you are only exhausted. The reason you can't walk any farther is because your body is still alive. While the body is still alive, you cannot leave it. Besides, where would you go?"

The Makoto spirit looked at her body, at Cat Luna, and back to Human Luna. For a few minutes, it didn't move. Finally it decided Human Luna was right and left for her body again.

Cat Luna sighed with happiness as she opened her eyes and saw that Makoto was just sleeping peacefully. When she looked at the battle though, her happiness fled her. How were they to win? If she could give them all power ups, she would. In a heartbeat. But she couldn't. Only a Royal Family member, that wasn't a Senshi, could give it to them. The Eldara Senshi could, but where did that leave them? Absolutely nowhere. The Eldara Senshi were dead as well as Queen Serenity.

Luna sighed. She was supposed to have all the answers. Well she didn't. Not with this problem. She hung her head. Why?

Uranus looked back at Makoto every few minutes to make sure her friend was all right. Unfortunately, when she did that she wasn't paying much attention to the fight. It almost cost her. Uranus felt something hit her hard and she was on the ground. Neptune gave her an irritated look.

"Will you pay attention? Mako-chan will be alright. We won't be unless you concentrate on the matter at hand!"

"All right, all right."

With one last look at Makoto, she focused all her senses on the battle. Another twenty minutes later, they were in another sticky spot. The creature had them cornered and they had no way of getting out.

Finally Mars burst out, "Damn it! It isn't fair. Mako-chan is the only one with her attack that can hurt this thing and she's out cold. We can't fight like this!" She looked up at the sky. "A little help would be useful if it's not too much trouble!" she yelled.

Well, help came. A huge burst of light blinded all of them. When they could see again, they saw the creature across the yard nursing various hurts.

"Well Mars, looks like you got your answer," Venus said, stunned.

Mars didn't say anything. Well that certainly wasn't what she expected to happen. She looked up at the stars again. Okay……

Luna had seen the flash. Could it be? No…but. She looked towards the Senshi. They were all huddled together, looking like someone had just hit them upside the head. Slowly, they broke apart, cautiously walking and looking for any sign of what just happened.

Finally someone spotted it.

"What's that glow?" asked Star Maker.

They approached it cautiously, the creature watching. Could it be that they weren't the Eldana Senshi he knew?

When they got close to the glow, it irrupted in light.

"Sailor Moon get back!" Uranus yelled as Tuxedo Kamen grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him, affording her some protection. They all backed away several feet and watched the light suspiciously.

Finally it coalesced into a human shape. Sailor Moon caught her breath. Could this be?

Flows of hair fell from either side of its head till its hair looked exactly like Sailor Moon's. The Senshi looked from it to Sailor Moon and back again. Luna and Artemis ran forward till they were right in front of it.

The light emanating from it suddenly seemed to pull in instead of radiate out. The rays of light started to swirl and gave the shape substance. In a few seconds what had once been a humanoid shape was now Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom.

Queen Serenity would have been breathing very hard had she had a body. Tiaret hadn't been tired because she only projected herself in her daughter's mind. It had taken almost all of Queen Serenity's spirit to project herself in the real world. But what she saw made it all worthwhile. Her daughter and her friends, alive and well. She had watched her daughter grow up with the family of another, but she had been there. Yet that was nothing compared to actually being in the same space with her and being seen by her.

"Mother?" Moon whispered. She started to walk forward, but was forced to catch Makoto when she stumbled.

"Mako-chan, you should be resting," she admonished.

Makoto didn't answer. She was staring at Queen Serenity and looking at every corner of the yard for her mother as well.

When she didn't see her, she turned eyes full of tears towards Queen Serenity.

"I'm sorry, Princess Makoto. She couldn't come. I'm barely able to be here myself. They all wanted to. Maybe you'll see them. Now that we found out how to pierce the barrier, we may be able to make one last visit and goodbye. I'm sorry for what I did in the Silver Millennium. I made a lot of mistakes. I didn't let you have a childhood, I didn't let Serenity have a chance to visit the Earth, I didn't do a lot of things. I tried to make it right at the end. Tell me I did. Tell me I gave you another chance," she pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"Yes you did," Sailor Moon said tearfully. "Because you did that, I now know I have a future with the man I love and a loving daughter as well. I have all my friends with me and have made some new ones," she said, indicating the Starlights with her hand.

"Daughter?" Queen Serenity asked.

Sailor Moon indicated ChibiMoon with a nod of her head. Queen Serenity couldn't believe her eyes. Her child had one of her own. Or would, anyway. Tears spilled down her cheeks. Her spirit could rest now and be with her friends wholeheartedly. She had made up for her follies.

"Mother."

Uranus, sensing that Usagi wished to go to Queen Serenity yet not wanting to abandon her friend, held up Makoto. Usagi gave her a grateful look and ran towards the apparition of her mother.

Queen Serenity reached out to her daughter. As soon as they touched, Sailor Moon changed. The other Senshi had expected to see Princess Serenity, but that was not so. It was Neo-Queen Serenity who stood in Queen Serenity's arms.

Usagi looked down at herself and gasped.

"The only way for me to be able to touch you, is in your true form. Either a princess or a queen. The princess is dead, but the queen lives. Oh my daughter. My princess, my Senshi. You always had the heart of a Senshi inside of you." She hugged her close.

At that moment, the creature attacked.

"Serenity!" Luna called out, not sure whether she meant the Queen of the past or the Queen of the future.

Everyone looked on in horror as a black blast of power hurtled towards the queens. A blast of white light met it head on and they cancelled each other out. Queen Serenity smiled. They were always there to protect her.

"What was that white light?" asked Mercury.

"That? That was the Eldara Senshi." Queen Serenity gave them a kind smile. "Even though you are no longer the Eldana Senshi, I'll always you remember as them. The Eldara Senshi, even in death, are still with me. If I remember correctly, when the Queen or other Royal Family member dies, the Senshi that guarded them, when they die, are with them. Well, most of the time anyway. I think it only happens if the Senshi and the Royal Family member are close friends. If they are close friends, the bond that was made will guide them to where the other is. That's how I found them in the first place.

"My time is waning so I must make this quick. Serenity, Endymion, take your true forms."

There was a flash of light and Neo-Queen Serenity stood beside King Endymion.

"The time has come when you are to live in your true forms. Unfortunately, you cannot become Sailor Moon or Tuxedo Kamen. You can have one or the other. Now you must live in the future.

"Senshi, you must also have your true forms to protect the King and Queen."

With tears in her eyes, Queen Serenity raised her arms and the Ginzuishou floated between her hands.

"The Ginzuishou!" Mercury breathed. "But how? I can understand the future and present Ginzuishou thing, but not this."

"Mercury, you should know this by now," Queen Serenity admonished gently. "For each time there is a Ginzuishou. For each Royal Family member who controls the Ginzuishou, there are subtle changes to fit the new controller. So what happens to the old Ginzuishou before it changes? It stays with the old controller. It changes so that if the Ginzuishou of the past and the Ginzuishou of the future are in the same time, time won't contradict itself immediately. It is also a defensive mechanism for it. It will work properly for only that member of the Royal Family and it won't work at all for a non-member.

"Now, receive your power. I fear you will need it."

The Ginzuishou of the past pulsed. The Ginzuishou of the present and future didn't even twitch. It seemed she was right. With each pulse it brought back memories of their coronation as the Eldana Senshi. Like then, with each pulse, the symbol of their planet showed on their foreheads instead of their tiaras. Yet this time was also different from before. Suddenly their uniforms changed. When they looked down they saw their outfits looked like Eternal Sailor Moon's outfits only in their respective colors and no wings. Only the Starlights remained unchanged. This was not their power, so it would not affect them.

The creature, furious that the Senshi were not paying it any attention, threw out bolt after bolt of power. The Senshi scattered. Queen Serenity took the opportunity to hug her daughter one more time.

"I love you, my Serenity. Never forget that."

Slowly the visage of Queen Serenity disappeared. Inside her heart, Usagi knew she would never see her again, yet she was happy she had a chance to say goodbye.

"Let's finish this thing!" Eternal Uranus cried.

"Jupiter, are you all right?" asked Eternal Neptune.

"I'm fine. Let's do this!"

"Mercury Aqua Mirage!"

"Mars Snake Fire!"

"Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!"

"Venus Wink Chain Sword!"

"Space Turbulence!"

"Submarine Violin Tide!"

"Chronos Typhoon!"

"Silence Glaive Surprise!"

"Star Serious Laser!"

"Star Gentle Uterus!"

"Star Sensitive Inferno!"

"Pink Lady's Freezing Kiss!"

"Tuxedo La Smoking Bomb!"

The resultant explosion of all the attacks left afterimages on everyone's eyes.

"No way!" Eternal Venus exclaimed.

It was still there. So wounded it could barely do anything, but it was still there. Venus powered up again.

"Wait Venus," Mercury called.

Finally she saw what the others did. It was dying.

Neo-Queen Serenity stepped forward. "What are you?" she asked softly.

"I? I am…" It paused. What was it? It had never questioned what it was before or why it attacked in the first place. What was it doing?

"I don't know."

"If you don't know, why are you doing this?"

Its doubts started to close in on it. It didn't want to think about this. With a cry it attacked. Or tried to. The attack never formed. It gave one last shriek of despair before dissipating into the night air.

For a few moments nothing happened.

Jupiter could no longer hold herself up. Obviously she had been wrong when she said she was all right. As her legs gave way, she felt arms wrap themselves around her waist. She looked up to see Uranus supporting her. Jupiter gave her a weary smile.

"Thanks." Uranus nodded.

"Look," ChibiMoon said, pointing towards the horizon. The sun had just come into view. Everyone stared at the beautiful sunrise. They knew nothing would be the same anymore. Not with Usagi being Neo-Queen Serenity and Mamoru being King Endymion, but they would make the rest of the time they had left as regular people the best it could be. That was what Queen Serenity sacrificed her life for and they should use that gift to the best of their ability. Oh, there would be more enemies to come, but now they could deal with it.

Star Fighter wrapped her arms around Venus' waist and Mamoru held Usagi close. Today would be a good day. The sun rose high in the sky and the lamps went out. It was a beautiful sight.

Today would be a very good day.

The End

I hope you enjoyed this story…email me at Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction in the subject line so I know what it's about.