A New Purity Arises. Be New in the Light!
"If we destroy each other, which is inevitable at this point, who will defend this system we so treasure?" Sailor Yellow Sun asked. It was rhetorical question. For that reason, once again, no one spoke. "We don't have to be enemies! Just open your hearts!"
As long as Kigai stood in the center of the battlefield with the fallen Neptune and Uranus, both sides were afraid to attack. It was a sorry site, the remaining group of senshi. Only the inners and Sailor Saturn remained standing for the Silver Senshi and just four of the Golden Senshi: Sailor Orange Sun, Sailor Blue Sun, Sailor Pink Sun, Sailor Violet Sun, and Sailor Yellow Sun. No one dared to attack. No one dared to speak. No one dared to move. So all of the senshi just stood there, staring at the ground, at Yellow Sun, or at each other.
An ominous wind blew through them whipping their hair skirts around them, not one of them seeming to care. The rapidly moving cloud wisps moved over the sun and then past, putting great shadows then beams of sunlight over them, like their own emotions.
A long time of being wrapped in crisp wind passed when someone finally moved. Back behind the Solar Senshi line, a small being that appeared to be a mass of light yellow fabric stirred and moaned. Bengosha and Tsute spun around instantly, while Orange Sun glanced over her shoulder, then returned to leering at the moon senshi untrustingly.
Sailor Violet Sun turned around, gasped, and fell to her knees, in shock and joy.
"Princess!" Pink Sun exclaimed, hurrying over to her.
Blue Sun, who held her ground, still staring in awe at Aiji, asked, "Are you alright? You're alive!"
Princess Aiji moaned again, then pushed herself up to a sitting position, gently rubbing one eye sleepily. "Yes, I'm alive," she answered quietly, her voice sounding strangely livelier and her eyes a brighter blue.
Pink Sun gasped, "Something's changed!"
Many of the Silver Senshi saw it too.
"Aiji!" Yellow Sun exclaimed and sprinted over to her, leaving Uranus and Neptune. She plopped herself on the ground right next to her princess and gave her an enveloping hug. "You're better! You've recovered! Just look at you!" she exclaimed happily.
Aiji giggled, "So I have." She tried to stand, rather weakly, and failed. Tsute extended a hand and pulled her up, Yellow Sun following. The princess looked around at the decimated sight. Uranus, Neptune, Red Sun, and Indigo Sun all lay on the ground, clearly knocked out while everyone else was badly battered. She shook her head sadly, then walked slowly towards the center of the battlefield, then continued on towards Sailor Moon. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus instinctively put themselves in between their leader and the princess of the Sun.
"Don't worry," Aiji said sweetly, "I mean no harm."
Venus and Mercury relaxed and backed off.
"Sailor Moon," she began, "You did more than deplete our forces with that Ginzuishou of yours. You returned me to who I used to be, before that great loss. I can only assume you did the same for my fallen comrades. I thank you, and ask that you extend the favor to the others, as their hearts are hurt more deeply than even they know."
Sailor Moon nodded and smiled, "I take this as an end to the fight. I would gladly help you all. That way you'll not have that evil over you ever again and we can be friends." She giggled then pulled out the Eternal Moon Tier. "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!" Pure while light filled the area bathing all of the senshi in revitalizing energy, washing away the evil.
When the light cleared, the various Sun Senshi had very differing reactions; all of them were now in their school uniforms, no longer senshi. Kigai's bright green eyes held a look of ultimate bliss as she dropped her crutches to the ground beside her and gazed at her hands and feet in wonder. Bengosha stumbled backward and pressed the palm of her hand against her forehead in shock. Kanmi had fallen to the ground, sitting there and not quite sure what to think. Jika's eyes widened as she looked around, seeing in a new light. As if realizing what she had done she hurried over to Sailor Saturn and gave her a large hug, glaive and all. The tiny dark-haired senshi just giggled and grinned, returning the embrace with one hand.
Itazura and Furea also began to wake up, looking around and at themselves, dazed. Uranus and Neptune felt new strength, though Uranus still could not stand on her own. She was forced to drape an arm around Neptune's shoulder. Neither of them seemed to mind in the least bit.
"Oh!" Sailor Moon realized, "We need to get back and heal Pluto— and Sailor Green Sun!"
Sailor Mars nodded, "Let's go!"
All eighteen girls, now at peace, sat in a large sunny room at the Shinto Shrine. Usagi was just about to speak when there was a scratching at the door. Michiru, who was nearest, slid it open and Luna an Artimis bounded in, followed by three strange cats: one orange, the second sunny yellow, and the third deep, midnight blue.
"Look what the cat's dragged in!" Haruka said with a slight grin on her face, chuckling.
"We were in the control center and saw some strange energies, so we went to investigate," Luna explained.
"And we ran into these three," Artimis finished for her.
It finally registered to Itazura what was going on. "Helia! Solara! Apollo! You're here! You're alive!" She rushed over to the three cats and brought them al into one big hug. Solara, the light yellow cat, was the only one that seemed to enjoy this gesture.
Just then, Luna understood the complete situation, "You're allies?!"
Usagi nodded, "The Ginzuishou purified them."
Itazura traced the dark moons on each of her cat's foreheads absently and Chou noticed the symbols that she had previously thought as a fact of life on all of them.
She cleared her throat and glanced at Usagi. "Um, Tsukino-san," she started, "Could you purify our guardian cats with the Ginzuishou too? They still have the dark symbols."
"Mmhmm," Usagi nodded and carefully opened her broach, removing the silvery crystal.
As she got out of the way, Itazura warned, "It's a bit shocking at first."
Solara giggled and Helia, the dark blue cat, rolled her eyes, while Apollo, orange in color, sat patiently. "I'd be glad to lift this burden," Apollo said evenly, "We're ready when you are Sailor Moon."
"It's Tsukino Usagi!" Helia corrected sharply, then sitting as Apollo was, ready to be purified. Solara finally got the hint and joined the pair of cats in sitting patiently.
"Ready?" asked Usagi, holding out the crystal.
Both Apollo and Helia nodded, while Solara just stared evenly at the crystal.
"Alright," Usagi nodded then held up the Ginzuishou, "Moon Eternal Power—!" The room was filled with bright white light. "Moon Healing Escalation!" The light concentrated on the three Sun Cats and the dark moons on their foreheads became golden circular suns.
"Thank you Tsukino Usagi," Apollo said weekly, after the pure light died down. "I feel free, myself, again."
"It was nothing," Usagi smiled nodded politely, putting the crystal back in its place. She moved to return to her seat, but her knees gave in and she tumbled backwards, pigtails flying.
"Usagi!" Setsuna gasped.
Bengosha was right behind her instantly, catching the falling princess.
Usagi was able to get into a sitting position by leaning on the taller girl. "Ohh," she moaned, "I'm suddenly really tired."
"It's the Silver Crystal," Ami informed her, "It takes a lot of strength. The use of it has almost killed you in the past. You've used it a lot recently."
"At least there's no more healing to do now," Usagi said weakly and moved to stand up, then wavered and fell back to sitting.
Furea, who was sitting next to her, laughed, "You're not going anywhere, Tsukino-san; at least not until you're rested a little."
Tsute cleared her throat. "Well," she began, "since we're all here now and ready, we might as well get started."
Aiji nodded and started the conversation, "As you Silver Senshi probably know, we would very much like to get back to the Sun, but we doubt there is anyone there any more, after that battle long ago. We were wondering if there was any way for us to check before plummeting through space and finding it deserted."
Luna nodded and pranced out into the middle of the room, so more people could see her. "We have a control center with some very high-tech computer equipment that you could use to look for signs of life when you need to. Apollo says he's just as good with computers as Artimis is."
"They're brothers after all," Solara commented, not looking up from grooming herself.
"Brothers!?" Minako exclaimed, "Artimis, you never told me you had a brother!"
Artimis laughed, "I didn't remember until I saw that poster the other day. He's my twin actually. I just have faint memories of him because of the relations of the Sun and Moon at the time of the Silver Millennium. We didn't see each other much, naturally."
"Oh, I see," Minako replied thoughtfully.
"Now that we've got that straightened out," Kanmi reminded the others, "Let's move on. I don't want to be here all night."
"We've got another dilemma," Tsute voiced, "We don't really have anywhere to stay. We need sleeping place until we leave. That is, if we leave. We'd need a roof over our heads temporarily even if we don't go, so we can find places to live permanently."
"You can stay in a couple of the extra rooms here in the shrine," Rei offered, "There's plenty of room. You'll just have to take care of most of your own food."
"Any objections?" Tsute asked her senshi.
After a moment of silence, Aiji answered, "Then it's settled. Thank you Rei for your hospitality. We greatly appreciate it."
"Now something we need worry about," Makoto started, "There's more youma than we can take care of quickly. We need your help with destroying them. You came her with them, after all."
"Fair enough," Jika agreed, "I can see her point."
"We should stay here until all the youma have been destroyed," Chou suggested sweetly.
"That sounds like a deal to me," Bengosha agreed as well.
Usagi nodded, then asked, "Is there anything else?"
"You need some rest," Setsuna said sternly after a few moments of no one speaking.
Usagi blushed and cast her eyes down, "I suppose you're right."
Minako giggled, "Oh Usagi-chan! You're so funny!"
As the sun set, a streak of bright light leaped across the sky and into Tokyo. Eight new senshi arrived in Tokyo.
"So this is it?"
"Yes, we're here."
"How do we find them?"
"That many senshi shouldn't be hard to find at all."
"I sense evil here."
"There's lots of it."
"When do we start looking? It's dark here."
"Why not now?"
"Of course!"