Beyond Moonlight
Author: Krys Yuy
Summary: The Teen Titans get the shock of their lives when a new superhero shows up on the scene. Cautious by nature, Robin is surprised when he feels an unexplainable connection to the new heroine. Could this be love at first sight?
Pairings: SailorMoonxRobin, StarfirexBeastBoy, RavenxCyborg
Warnings: Possible swearing, violence, possible OOCness, and spoilers for Teen Titans and Sailor Moon.
Rating: PG-13
Notes: Post-Switched (Season 1) for Teen Titans and post-Sailor V Makes the Scene (Season 1) for Sailor Moon. Again, I'm being flexible with the Sailor Moon universe. Now, I think I'm kinda combining the anime and manga. Venus knows about the past life and that Sailor Moon's the princess. But, because of the dangers of the Negaverse, she is masquerading as the princess until Moon really wakes up. Also, I know the TT episode Fear Itself is in the second season, but I used it here. Remember how I said that after the Switched episode, I would basically be going anywhere with the TT timeline? I haven't really caught up with all the episodes, so I wanted to use a scenario I remembered pretty well. Please try not to be confused. If you have any questions, e-mail me. Also, since I'm not too familiar with the TT show, I'm glad a lot of people left suggestions in their reviews. If you want to see my response to your reviews, visit my LiveJournal. The address is in my author profile. Someone brought up the fact that it wasn't believable for everyone to be paired up. The pairing I'm willing to let go is RavenxCyborg. Unless someone wants those two? Please leave a review and tell me your opinions on the pairings. Also, I'm doing this as a poll to see if everyone actually reads the author's notes or not and how well they read the chapter. Leave a review and answer this question: What is the time gap between the prologue and chapter one? Please review!! Thanks!
Archive/Distribution: Fanfiction-Net, otherwise ask first.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used. =0P I also do not own the dialogue taken from the Teen Titan episode Fear Itself (only like three lines!).
"Winning isn't everything."
"It's just the only thing that matters." – Speedy and Robin, Winner Take All
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Chapter 01 – Mysterious Stranger
Whispers would come to her in the dark. They promised frightening things that left her scared and alone. She floated endlessly in a black void, always feeling sluggish and calm. Sometimes she would start to panic, but then there was a pricking sensation before the floating began again. Words and voices she didn't understand haunted her constantly.
"Add more fighting…"
"Meet… Te… tans…"
"Not yet…"
"Power… dormant…"
"Take away… identity…"
"Only… Moon now…"
"… a puppet…"
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Sailor Moon gasped as she woke up, eyes wide and panicked. She gulped in air and tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. "Where am I?" She lifted her sore body off the ground and stood up slowly. She tried to remember what happened to her last, but with a jolt, realized that she couldn't remember anything at all. Her family, her friends, her life... 'I know I'm… Sailor Moon. I fight for those who can't. But who am I really?' Her head hurt and she couldn't think clearly.
She looked around at the dumpsters and the trash cans before she saw an opening to the streets. She walked slowly out of the reeking alley. Gradually, the fog began to lift from her brain and she was able to study her surroundings. "What city is this?" she wondered, glancing at all the bright lights and stores.
Someone tugged on her gloved hands, and she looked down at a seven-year old child. The little girl was smiling at her curiously. Moon returned the smile instantly and the girl grew bolder. She tugged on the heroine's arm again so Moon had to kneel down to her level. Her eyes were bright with questions. "Are- are you a Teen Titan?" the girl whispered as if asking her to tell an important secret.
'Teen Titan?' Sailor Moon shook her head no, and nearly regretted it when the girl's face fell in disappointment. "I'm sorry," she said sincerely.
The girl shook her head. "It's okay," she mumbled. Then she brightened with another look at Sailor Moon's uniform. This time she pulled on the large red bow on Moon's front. "But you are a superhero, right?"
Well, she was a fighter for justice. That much she remembered. "I'm Sailor Moon." She grinned as the child squealed excitedly.
"Wow! This is so cool!" the girl exclaimed. "My brother is going to be so jealous when I tell him I met a superhero! Sailor Moon!" She jumped up and down.
Moon laughed and enjoyed the feeling of amusement that ran through her, rejuvenating her tired mind and body. "Can you tell me where I am?" she asked.
The girl looked at her strangely, but was all too happy to comply. "We're in Jump City, silly!" she informed matter-of-factly.
"Jump City, huh?" She noticed that a lot of the people walking by were giving her awed or intimidated looks. "Umm… do you not see many superheroes around here?"
"Are you kidding?!" the girl demanded, shocked. "The Teen Titans protect us!" Pride reverberated through her young voice. "They live in the T-tower!" She pointed in the direction of the harbor.
Sailor Moon followed her finger and gaped at the giant T-tower planted on an island by the harbor. 'Whoa… a team of superheroes live there?' She abruptly shut her jaw. "Who are they?" she wondered.
"You're really not from around here, are you?" the little girl asked rhetorically. She sighed as if talking to one of her imaginary friends. "There are five people on the Teen Titans team. Robin, Raven, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy."
'Interesting… I wonder if they need help?' She nodded at the girl encouragingly, signaling her to continue her explanation.
The girl was only too eager. "Robin's the leader. He has a lot of cool gadgets. Raven is really creepy and mysterious. My brother says she's a psychic. Starfire's an alien who can throw green energy! She and Raven can both fly!" Her enthusiasm died a little as she talked about the next Teen Titan. "Cyborg is a mix of human and machine. He got into a horrible accident and they rebuilt him with robot parts," she said solemnly.
Sailor Moon gasped. 'Oh god… how horrible!'
"But he seems okay. He has a lot of new technology on him," the girl continued. "But my favorite Titan is Beast Boy! He's green and he can change into any animal he wants!" She practically had stars in her eyes. "They're all sooo cool!"
'I wonder if there's a fan club…' Sailor Moon thought wryly. She patted the girl's head and stood up. "Thanks for the info, sweetie."
Before the child could say anything, screams erupted from down the street. People came running their way frantically. Sailor Moon picked up the child and hugged her to her chest to prevent her from getting trampled. "What's happening?" the girl cried.
"Samantha!" an alarmed voice called. "Sam! Where are you?!"
"Mommy!" the girl answered loudly. "I'm over here! With Sailor Moon!" Even though she was scared, she still had to point out that she was hanging out with a superhero.
A harassed looking woman pushed her way through the crowd. "Oh thank god!" she exclaimed once she saw her daughter. She gladly took the child from Sailor Moon's arms. "Thank you." She nodded gratefully. "I've never seen you before. A new superhero?"
"Sailor Moon, Mommy!" Samantha replied, exasperated.
"Oh sorry." The woman grinned sheepishly and winked at the heroine. "We better let you do your job." She gestured to the people running away from the video store. "Good luck." Then she turned with the girl in her arms and followed the crowd.
"Bye Sailor Moon!" Samantha waved earnestly until she disappeared from sight.
"I guess I have to see what's wrong," she muttered to herself.
Moon ran down the street and into the video store. What she saw made her eyes widen considerably. She could only assume the Teen Titans were the ones battling the renegade video tapes, televisions, and… Was that evil candy? She gasped in horror and spotted the orange haired teenager. He was fat and his hair was shaggy. He laughed and kept pressing his remote control, which made anything he pointed at come to life. Cash registers were going after Starfire as Robin battled a cardboard samurai. Raven was tied up with video boxes and Beast Boy was handling the monster movie shelves. She guessed that Cyborg was the one being attacked by the candy.
As Sailor Moon tried to decide what to do, Starfire blew up the cash registers. However, she screamed as she was picked up by the thick wires of a large evil television set. Everyone else was occupied with their own distractions that Moon had to help her first. She slipped on her white goggles and jumped up onto one of the non-evil movie shelves.
Out of the corner of his eye, Robin noticed that Starfire was in trouble. He ducked beneath a sword blow from the cardboard samurai and kicked its face. Wait. Cardboard? Grinning, he took out one of his razor sharp bird-a-rangs and sliced up with one blow. As he straightened, he knew that the samurai was already split in half. Before he could even sprint to help Starfire, a voice rang out from the entrance of the store.
"Moon Tiara Action!"
Things rarely took Robin by surprise. But he was surprised as a golden sparkling disc came out of nowhere and cut through the wires holding Starfire. Something of a blur ran on the tops of the movie shelves and flipped over his head, catching the Tamaranian girl in its grasp. The blur stopped and Robin saw it was actually a girl, who looked to be around their age. Her long blonde hair was done in two pigtails that reached the ground. She wore a type of sailor uniform with white goggles on her face and red jewels in her hair. Robin the Boy Wonder was actually stunned for a few seconds.
Sailor Moon lowered the alien girl as lightly as she could, not used to having the extra weight on her. The wires wrapped around the Tamaranian fell uselessly to the ground. "Daijoobu ka?" she asked quickly. The girl only looked at her curiously. "Oh I mean, are you all right?"
Starfire nodded. "Yes, thanks to you, dear stranger," she replied. "I am in your debt."
The moon heroine felt a presence behind her and stood up quickly. "Don't thank me just yet," she replied. She turned to face the hairy teenager who was causing all the video havoc.
"Who are you?" he asked, looking her up and down. "You're not a Titan."
All commotion in the video store seemed to pause as they waited for her to answer. She shook her head and smiled. "I'm Sailor Moon." The golden disc that had cut through the wires exploded through the evil television set as well, destroying it and creating sparks. Moon held out her hand and the disc returned to her. It slowly stopped revolving and revealed itself to be a tiara. She took it between her fingers but didn't put it back on. "Champion of Love and Justice. In the name of the moon, I will punish you!"
Though impressed, the orange haired teenager simply guffawed and waved his controller in the air. "No one punishes Control Freak!" he declared.
"Control Freak?" Sailor Moon repeated, wrinkling her nose. "What kind of name is that?"
Enraged, Control Freak once again pressed play on his remote and all evil activity continued in the store. Robin shook his head as if to clear it and ran up to Starfire and the mysterious stranger.
"Star! Are you okay?" he asked urgently.
Starfire smiled reassuringly. "I am fine, friend Robin," she answered. "Thanks to Sailor Moon."
Robin turned to be faced with wide blue eyes staring back at him from behind white goggles. He shook her hand briefly and ignored the tingles at the contact. "Thanks," he said simply. "I'm Robin."
She grinned brightly and a warm feeling rushed through him. "I know." She winked. "And you're Starfire," she said to the Tamaranian.
Starfire hugged her. "Oh these are joyous times! We will be the best of friends!" she exclaimed.
Somewhere in the background, they heard Cyborg and his struggle with the evil candy. "All right! If you're biting Cyborg, then Cyborg's biting back!"
All three turned to see the humanoid eat some of the candy. The other candies ran away after seeing that, but then Cyborg turned green and rushed out the store. Moon resisted the urge to giggle, and shared an amused look with Robin. The Boy Wonder then realized what he was doing, frowned, and immediately shifted into leader mode.
"Dudes! A little help?" Beast Boy called as he and Raven met back to back, each running from their own problems. "Hurry! Before he eats out our brains!!" The changeling squeaked as the cardboard cutout of the Wicked Scary monster inched closer to him with its tentacles.
"Yes, help would be nice," Raven said a little more calmly. She watched as the evil video tapes crept closer, and made sure the film didn't wrap around her again.
Robin, frustrated, looked up at the ceiling. An idea struck him but before he could take out his bird-a-rangs, Sailor Moon beat him again.
She held out her arm and laid her palm face up. The tiara she had been holding revolved, spinning faster and faster until it turned into the golden disc it had been earlier. "Sorry Control Freak, but I have to put a damper on your plans." She smiled and, with a large arc, threw her disc. "Moon Tiara Stardust!"
The weapon circled the entire video store, leaving sparkling dust wherever it went. Once the dust touched the evil video store objects, they all reverted back to their inanimate forms on the floor. It touched the teen superheroes as well, but only left behind a soothing sensation. Starfire laughed and twirled around as Beast Boy stuck out his tongue to taste it. Raven couldn't stop her own curiosity as she held out a hand to examine the glitter. Even Cyborg with his sick stomach was amazed by the show. Only Robin remained unaffected as he narrowed his eyes at the stranger.
Moon gestured with her hand and the disc came back. It transformed into a tiara and she put it on her forehead. She snapped her fingers and any remnants of the dust disappeared. Robin was about to confront her when Control Freak wailed at the loss of his video army.
"NO!!! It wasn't supposed to end up this way!" he cried, clutching his remote.
Robin stalked up to him, grabbed the remote, and lifted him up by the lapels of his brown jacket. He glared at the pathetic villain. "Ever think you watch too much TV?" he asked menacingly.
"This isn't over!" Control Freak promised, waving his arms around. "Do you hear me?! I'm not finished yet!"
Disgusted, Robin threw him to the ground where the teenager cried pitifully. The Boy Wonder turned to take care of more important matters, only to find her gone. "Where did she go?!" he asked, rushing up to his teammates.
Starfire looked sad. "When you were confronting Control Freak, Sailor Moon left." Her green eyes were inquisitive. "I asked her to stay, but she just smiled at me."
'There's still time…' Robin thought. "Titans, call the police and have them pick up Control Freak," he ordered. "I'm going after Sailor Moon."
"Hold up, Robin," Cyborg stated, resting his hand on his leader's shoulder. "What are you going after her for? She's one of the good guys."
Robin shrugged him off. "I have questions that need answering," he replied. Then he sprinted out the front door before anyone could stop him.
"Anybody get the feeling that Robin is in denial?" Beast Boy asked, scratching his head.
"De-ny-al?" Starfire repeated curiously. "Why would friend Robin be in denial over Sailor Moon? We are to be friends!"
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but BB may be right. Rob had a weird look in his eye just now," Cyborg commented. He turned the information over in his head as he alerted the police through a link on his arm.
"Hey!" Beast Boy stated, insulted.
Raven ignored the others jabbering and stared at the front of the store thoughtfully. Sailor Moon hadn't emitted any kind of evil energy. Actually, she felt rather… pure. Like light. 'My opposite,' Raven contemplated. 'But what was I feeling from Robin? It was urgency… but there's something else.' It was an emotion Raven was unfamiliar with. 'Robin didn't have to go after her, but he did. What's his motive?'
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Moon ran across the rooftops with only the night as her companion. She didn't know why she ran away from the Titans, but she needed time to remember what had happened to her. She knew that fighting evil was her job, almost like her destiny. When the people came running from the store, instinctively she had to help. Seeing the Titans was a shock, but it had only hardened her resolve to beat the bad guy. However, she didn't know why she ended up a superhero or where she came from. The Titans were just going to ask questions. She needed to know who she was first.
As she leapt across the gap of another rooftop, she caught the sounds of footsteps racing behind her. 'Who would follow me?' She looked over her shoulder to see the Titans' leader closing in on her. The same Robin whose intense masked gaze had her ready to tremble. 'He's fast! What am I gonna do?' She brushed aside her troubled thoughts. 'Baka! He's a good guy. He's not going to hurt you… hopefully.'
Even if she wasn't already tiring, she realized that he would catch up with her sooner or later. Better now before she collapsed from physical and mental exhaustion. The impromptu fight had left her drained enough. She whirled around just as she reached the edge of the rooftop and watched as the Boy Wonder halted a few feet away from her.
"What do you want?" she asked in a carefully neutral tone. She wanted no quarrel with the resident superheroes of Jump City.
Now that he caught up with her, Robin was at a loss for words. "I- we wanted to thank you," he began lamely. "It's not every day that a new hero shows up and helps us out."
Moon smiled at him, and once again, Robin was left uneasy. "You're welcome," she replied, her tone now going softer. A twinkle entered her eye. "But I have a feeling that's not why you're here."
There was a long silence before the Boy Wonder spoke. "I don't know," he admitted. "I needed to know…" Moon tilted her head inquisitively. "… who you were."
The warm look on her face faded away as she paled. She took a few steps back from him, and Robin's eyes widened in alarm behind his mask. She shook her head and answered tightly, "I'm Sailor Moon. That's all." 'That's all I know.'
He lifted his hand uselessly. He didn't like not knowing what to do or why he was there. Racking his brain, he tried to think of something to say. "I know that the other Titans would like to meet you personally. Starfire will be glad to see you again."
Moon's muscles relaxed as he didn't bring up any questions regarding her identity. Her facial features smoothed out of the hard lines. "I'd like to meet them, too," she replied sincerely. "They seem like good people."
"They are," he stated firmly. Without knowing why, but knowing it felt right, he stretched his hand out toward her in invitation. "Come with me."
Moon looked at his green gloved hand thoughtfully with her own hands clasped tightly in front of her. 'I want to,' she thought in shock. 'I want him… to rescue me.' She turned her head away. 'How can I feel like this? He's a stranger.' Her confusion brought back the headaches and she clutched her head. The fight drained whatever energy she had left to resist.
Robin watched her eyes shut in pain and the anxious feeling came back. "Sailor Moon? Are you okay?" he asked, stepping towards her.
Moon shook her head and wavered slightly on her feet. "No. I'm- I'm sorry," she said weakly. Her vision was blurring at the edges. "But can you do me a favor?"
Robin's muscles tensed. "What?"
"Don't let me fall." Then she toppled forward with her hair flying behind her.
Robin relied on his lightning fast reflexes and a second later, she was safe in his arms. He clutched the amazingly light girl to his chest and wondered why he was doing this. He must be going out of his mind. 'I don't do this. I don't go after strangers. I don't trust easily.' With a start, he realized what he was thinking. 'Who says I trust her?' She whimpered in his arms and he looked down at her troubled face. 'But I have to help her. For now.'
He couldn't believe what he was doing, but pulled out his round communicator anyway. "Titans, get the tower ready," he said.
"Why?" Cyborg's voice crackled back.
Sailor Moon moaned and Robin tightened his hold on her. "I'm bringing home a visitor."
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Luna watched sadly as Ikuko cried on her husband's shoulder for what felt like the millionth time. Shingo, as usual, had locked himself up in his room. The whole Tsukino household had been turned upside down when Usagi didn't come home from Rei's temple. She hadn't been seen since. The police had come to the logical conclusion that she had run away since there was no ransom note or any sign of a struggle in the area. No physical evidence had been found to point otherwise. Only the Sailor Senshi knew the truth.
Tsukino Usagi had been kidnapped.
After the distress call from Sailor Moon's communicator, the other Senshi had shown up to find a destroyed sidewalk and messed up cars. One was flipped over while the other had been sliced down the middle. Mercury tried desperately to locate her, but something was blocking her signal. They searched everywhere, but with no message from her kidnappers, they had no idea where she had gone. The only thing left behind was Usagi's crushed communicator lying lonely on the street. She could be half-way around the world for all they knew. But what did someone want with Usagi?
'It's been a month,' Luna thought somberly. 'We know she's been taken by force. What have they done to her?'
"Oh Kenji… I miss her so much!" Ikuko exclaimed through her tears.
Kenji hugged his wife close and avoided looking at the family pictures on the mantel. He thought of his teenage daughter and what could have happened that made her run away. "I know, Ikuko. I know." He tried to stop his own tears, but failed miserably. The distraught parents sought comfort in each other as they tried to understand what happened.
Luna turned away from the depressing scene and made her way up the stairs. As she passed Shingo's room, she heard the sounds of crashing. The door was slightly open and she peeked in, concerned. Usagi's brother was tearing his room apart, throwing books and pillows, anything he could get his hands on.
"Baka Usagi!" he shouted angrily. "You stupid odango! Stupid, stupid meatball head!" He looked around at his destructed room and fell to his knees. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" He wrapped his arms around his knees and rocked himself. "I hate you…"
Luna hung her head and backed away. She continued to Usagi's deserted room and curled on top of the missing girl's bed. She remembered every time she had berated the girl for her clumsy antics and stupid mistakes.
"Honestly! How are we supposed to find the princess if you act this way?"
Luna's own red eyes filled with tears and she looked up at the crescent moon in the sky. "Usagi… Help us find you. Please… give us a sign. Anything. Please be all right. You have to be all right."
The twinkling stars were her only answer.
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Sailor Venus, also known as Aino Minako, typed rapidly on the computer underneath the Crown Arcade. Negative results kept flashing back at her and she hit the machine in frustration. "Damn it! It's no good, Artemis." She turned to the white cat at her side. "The computer can't locate her no matter what we do. Somebody's put a powerful cloak on her."
Artemis growled in mutual aggravation. "I just don't understand it! The computer says Sailor Moon is still transformed, but it can't locate her. That's impossible! Only if she de-henshined… that's the only way the computer wouldn't be able to pinpoint her. Sailor Moon's powerful aura can't be cloaked. I don't understand," he repeated.
Venus clenched her fists together on her lap. "I already failed in my duty," she whispered. "I was supposed to protect her."
Artemis jumped on the console and moved in front of her. "Venus… it's not your fault. You couldn't have known. You're still protecting her by keeping this charade. The Negaverse can't know who she is yet. Even if she's not here, it's still too dangerous."
"She could be anywhere!" the orange senshi cried out. "How am I supposed to lead the Senshi if I can't even find my own princess!?"
"Oh Minako…" Artemis said quietly, using her real name. "We'll find her. I promise you that. As long as her identity is hidden, no one can use her power as the princess against her. She won't awaken until we find the Silver Crystal."
"How do I know that she's all right, though?" Venus wondered, emotion rippling through her. "How do I know that she's not hurt?"
Artemis looked down sadly.
"You know I'm right, Artemis," she stated, lifting her head. "You've seen her fight and you know how she acts. She's helpless by herself!"
There was a long moment of silence as the white feline contemplated his charge's words. "You have very little faith in your princess, Venus," he commented finally. "How do you know she won't pull through?"
Venus bit her lip and shook her head. "I have to assume the worst."
"There are only so many what-ifs you can torture yourself with," Artemis advised quietly.
Sailor Venus stood up and headed towards the exit. "You're wrong, Artemis," she said coldly. "There's always more."
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"Fate has been changed."
Sailor Pluto turned and bowed down in respect. "Your Majesty. I knew you would want to speak with me." The mists of the Gates of Time whirled around them, whispering secrets from the past and future.
"Come now, Pluto. You know I hate these formalities." Her soft tone resonated throughout the void of time and she rested her hand on the senshi's shoulder. "Please tell me what's going on."
Pluto stood up slowly as she clenched her Time Key tightly. "There's been a ripple in the past, something that wasn't supposed to happen," she informed. "I'm afraid I caught wind of it too late."
She tightened her hand on Pluto's shoulder before letting it drop at her side. "You're here to watch time, Pluto, not to interfere."
Pluto rarely expressed emotion, but this time, her mouth opened in shock. "But my Queen! It's affecting you now. It's changing the future!"
The Queen smiled sorrowfully. "The future isn't set in stone. Isn't that one of the cardinal rules of time?" She laughed softly at the time senshi's serious expression. "Pluto, it isn't the end of the world."
Pluto held her talisman close, using it for support. She couldn't understand her queen's calmness about the situation. "Respectfully, my queen." She bowed her head a little to look at the misty ground. "It would be the end of your world."
"I know." Her crystal blue eyes flickered with some unreadable emotion. "I was the first one to feel its effects. Everyone else will know sooner or later."
"I was wondering when the ripples would grow and finally reach you." An unseen wind ruffled her long hair and the black skirt of her uniform, creating an eerie effect. "The King?"
"He knows as well." She lifted an elegant hand to her heart. "And he suffers. He wants me to fix it."
Pluto finally detected the tiny note of defiance in her Queen's voice. She suddenly felt fear for the future. "Don't you want to?" she asked quietly.
Her eyes shimmered again, but this time, with a deep secret. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. She ignored Pluto's gasp and met her magenta gaze head-on. "I have a duty to my people, but I'm afraid I want to be selfish as well. Why can't I do both?"
"My Queen…"
She smiled softly as her eyes took on a far-away look. "Chibi-Usa is changing. Her hair… her eyes… It only flashes for a moment before it's gone, but I've seen it. Her attitude as well." Her tone turned wistful. "Everything is changing."
Sailor Pluto slammed the bottom of her staff to the ground, startling the queen. "Why are you allowing this?" she demanded. "Why do you want this change?"
"I can't stop fate, Pluto. No matter how much Endymion wants me to." Her blue eyes hardened with resolve. "The course of destiny has been changed and I can't stop it."
"You mean you won't," Pluto accused lowly.
The Queen accepted Pluto's animosity readily. She expected as much. This Pluto didn't want to lose the precious future that had been sought after ever since the Silver Millennium's downfall. "My feelings are changing too, Pluto. I've accepted it."
"This wasn't supposed to happen. I won't allow it."
"You'd be happy too, Pluto," the queen said, disarming the older woman with her words. "You wouldn't be here forever."
The time senshi shook her head. "I don't understand this. How could this have happened?"
"A queen wanted to see her past self, and now we're seeing the consequences." The Queen nodded as Pluto's face awakened with realization. "Meeting Sailor Moon caused its own ripple through time. That's how fate was turned off course." She turned around, ready to walk back.
"Serenity."
"Yes, Pluto?" She turned her head slightly, only to look at the senshi from over her shoulder.
"Are you ready to let go of everything you've ever known? Everything you've ever loved?" She watched as her majesty's white dress shimmered with the colors of the rainbow, and felt pain. "You have everything to lose, my queen."
"You're wrong, Pluto." She faced forward again. 'I have everything to gain.'
Then Neo-Queen Serenity walked back into the palace of Crystal Tokyo.
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Cyborg turned on the lights of the medical lab as Robin carried in his package. "I got all the medi stuff prepped 'cause I didn't know what you needed it for, Rob," the humanoid stated, gesturing to the supplies lining the walls.
"Thanks, Cy," Robin replied. He laid Sailor Moon on the bed carefully without disturbing her. "I think we need to do a full scan on her, see what's up." He felt Cyborg's gaze burning into his back. "What?" he asked without turning around.
"No offense, Rob, but this isn't like you," he commented. Cyborg punched in some buttons on the panel by the bed, and a red light emerged from the ceiling. It began going up and down Moon's body, and lists of vitals rolled on screen to a computer nearby. "You don't just take a stranger into the Tower, even if she's a superhero."
"… I know. Believe me, I know." Robin heard the beeping of the computer as the red light continued to wash over Sailor Moon. "But… this is different."
If Cyborg wasn't wary of the stranger, he would have grinned. Instead, he said, "Uh-huh."
Robin resisted the urge to touch her forehead, and crossed his arms to avoid further temptation. "So, tell me what's going on with her."
Cyborg went to the computer and scrolled down the screen. "Well, her body has apparently reached exhaustion, which is obvious by looking at her. At least we know she's not faking it," he stated.
"Exhaustion? But that was only one fight. There's no way that could've tired her out so easily," Robin replied, frowning.
"Well, Rob, the computer is saying she's been into some heavy stuff," Cyborg said, shaking his head.
"Drugs?" Even as he said it, Robin couldn't believe it.
"Sedation drugs," Cyborg answered grimly. "They would have to be forced in her. It doesn't take you to la-la land, if you know what I mean. These drugs knock you out completely. She was helpless."
Robin clenched his jaw as an unsuspected wave of fury washed over him. "What else?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"She doesn't appear to have been injured, though. I can't know for sure until I get a full x-ray." Cyborg typed some words into the computer and a rapid beeping began. "Whoo, what's this?"
Robin finally tore his eyes away from the young heroine and walked over to Cyborg. "What? What is it?"
"The scan has detected another drug deep in her system, Rob," Cyborg replied. As he read what came on screen, he whistled. "It can't identify it though. That's nearly impossible. This computer updates itself automatically with the latest medical information."
"But not the black market stuff," Robin stated, narrowing his eyes.
"No. You're right, Rob," Cyborg said. He went back to the panel and punched in another button. A blue light came out this time. "Starting x-ray. Stand back, Rob. You can't get too close now."
Robin just looked as the results came up. "There are no physical injuries. No broken bones or anything like that. That unknown drug seems to have caused soreness and… I think that's headaches?"
Cyborg joined Robin again by the computer. "Yep, you got it head-on. The scan indicates the patient has been suffering from some very severe headaches."
"Do we have anything to help her?" Robin asked as his eyes were once again drawn to the blonde heroine.
Cyborg harrumphed. "Of course we do, man." He typed on the keyboard some more. "End x-ray." The blue light stopped and retracted back into the ceiling. "Proceed with indicated medicine from computer." A needle emerged from the wall and smoothly injected the medicine into Moon's arm before it disappeared just as quietly.
Robin found himself standing next to the bed again. "When is she going to wake up?"
"She needs rest, Rob. Give her the night. She might actually sleep through tomorrow afternoon too though." Cyborg grabbed a blanket from one of the cabinets and headed back to the girl. "So I'm guessing she's going to be staying for awhile?"
Robin took the blanket from Cyborg and wordlessly draped it over Sailor Moon. He took his time getting her comfortable, while ignoring Cyborg's questioning gaze. Then he finally answered, "Yeah. She is."
Cyborg nodded. "Well, that's all I can do for her right now. When she wakes up and I question her, I'll be able to do a lot more." He yawned and went towards the exit. "I'm outtie."
Robin's hand hovered over Moon's forehead. "Cyborg?"
The humanoid turned around and took in the interesting sight of his leader leaning over the mysterious stranger. "Yeah, Robin?"
"Thanks." Robin gave in and tucked some of Moon's blonde hair behind her ears. 'What's happening to me?'
"Anytime, man." Cyborg pressed his palm against the panel by the door and it slid open after scanning his handprint. Once it closed behind him, Cyborg let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Robin, I hope you know what you're doing…"