Black Moon, Eclipse of the Sun

by Arthur Hansen

A continuation of Sailor Ranko. Epilogue finally finished.

3. Chapter 3

Black Moon - Eclipse of the Sun
Part 3

Neo-Sailor Moon looked back and forth, a sickly smile
plastered to her face. Eleven pairs of eyes watched her
intently. "Hi!" she said brightly, hoping to forestall the
inquisition.

Everyone blinked a second and then finally Sailor Mercury
stepped forward.

"Hello! Is that you, Usagi?" she asked curiously.

Neo-Sailor Moon thought about that for a second. Could she
have guessed who she was already that quickly? "Sure! It's,
um, been a while."

Sailor Mercury squinted and then smiled. "For you, maybe.
It's only been a few weeks since we've seen you."

Sailors Jupiter and Mars looked at each other and then
expressions of understanding dawned on their faces.

"Wow! Your hairs almost as long as our Usagi's. You really
do take after your mother, you know that?" Sailor Venus said
suddenly. A huge silly grin appeared on her face.

Sailor Pluto slowly backed away, trying to get a moment to
catch her whirling thoughts. Nobody noticed her, as their
attention was riveted wholly on Usa.

Sailor Sun and Sailor Io looked at each other in
consternation. Sailor Sun cleared her throat and interrupted
with, "Um, you know this pink haired 'Sailor Moon'?"

Rei smiled with a knowing smirk, and answered directly back,
"This is Usagi Chibi. She's Usagi's daughter from the
future."

Io and Sun glanced at each other and then shrugged. Odd, but
not that strange. Io asked, "So you're here to help us stop
what is going on?"

Neo-Sailor Moon's grin turned a bit sickly. "Um, just
passing through. Sorry." She snapped her wrist in just such
a way that the Time Staff flickered out of existence.

Mercury narrowed her eyes. That staff had looked very
familiar. She sneaked a glance around, looking for Sailor
Pluto. The older woman had stepped away from group and
seemed to be staring into the distance. That's what I had
thought, Mercury noted, as she mentally measured 'Usagi's'
staff versus that one. Something that should be impossible.

"Any ideas on who's causing the problem?" Sailor Mars asked.

Neo-Sailor Moon shook her head. "Mother doesn't talk about
the past much. Well, when I'm around."

Pluto frowned. Now why did that sound familiar? She snapped
back her thoughts back to the present. How could that have
happened? The Time Staff was not just a physical device. It
was a manifestation of the sub time lock, supposedly nearly
unbreakable. She had only seen it broken once, when her
predecessor had been killed by the Council for altering the
past disastrously. It had taken the power of an entire
planet to destroy the staff. Repairing it had been a major
adventure in and of itself.

She swallowed suddenly. Could her first thought have been
right? Was it possible that at some point in the future, she
died? Sailor Pluto knew she was as mortal as any other.

Well, any other highly powerful person that didn't age and
was almost unkillable, anyway, she thought wryly.

Sailor Jupiter scratched her head. "Why not?"

Sailors Neptune and Uranus shrugged at each other in
exasperation. Boy, didn't this feel familiar!

"Um. That's kind of tough to say. Maybe she didn't want me
to know about my future. I, uh, do tend to travel back here
a lot. Tee hee."

Sailor Mercury stepped up. "Why did you have a broken Time
Staff, Usa?"

A pained expression flitted across her face as her eyes
darted to the side, in the direction of Sailor Pluto. "I...
can't say. I'm sorry."

"Wow! You sound like you're a Guardian of Time!" Venus said
blithely. She glanced around, realizing that everyone was
staring at her. "Um. What did I say wrong this time?"

Sailor Mercury stared at her friend in consternation. How
could she make those leaps of intuition and then not realize
the importance of what she said? She turned back to Neo-
Sailor Moon just in time to see the girl materialize 'her'
Time Staff and start to spin it. "Wait! Stop!" Sailor
Mercury yelled out.

Sailors Sun and Io hadn't been following much of the
conversation up until this point, but they were still the
fastest Senshi around. They blurred into motion, following
Sailor Mercury's barely stated command. Sailor Sun started
to twist the staff out of her hand while Sailor Io tried to
put her in an arm-lock.

With a flash of scintillating light the three figures
disappeared.

Sailor Pluto hardened her resolve suddenly. She stepped up
to where the three had disappeared. Then she made a slashing
motion with her staff, opening another portal to follow Neo-
Sailor Moon. A ragged tear appeared in the air, brilliant
and white.

It sealed itself almost instantly.

Icy terror gripped her heart. That shouldn't have happened!

Two more slashes and two more tears in the air healed
themselves. She raised her arm for a third time, when a hand
gripped her wrist. "You're being blocked from following. You
don't have enough energy to break through here." Sailor
Mercury's serious eyes stared into Sailor Pluto's through
her visor.

Sailor Pluto drew herself up, back rigid. She opened her
mouth, when a hand was laid on her opposite shoulder. "We
just don't have the time to deal with what happened. We have
to save the princess. And we're down two already." Sailor
Mars held a warm continence, trying to soothe the obviously
troubled older woman.

"You are correct. Thank you for reminding me of my duty."
Sailor Pluto's stiff facade was up in place, hiding her
inner terror that she felt.

Sailor Mars held her gaze for a moment. Finally she turned
away. "We'll need someplace to stay while we plan our
counter attack. I suggest that we take over Jadeite's
fortress. "

Heads nodded in unison. "That's a good idea. We need to
regroup and rest for a while."

Sailor Saturn had walked slightly away from the group.
Shading her eyes, she took in a glint of metal in the
distance. "I think it's that way," she said pointing towards
the sparkle.

And with that the Senshi started to walk towards the sight
of one of their greatest victories.

-

A shadow watched an area of Tokyo that looked like a war
zone. Cars were overturned, fires burned in the background
and people were starting to filter back to fight the
devastation. Sirens arose in the distance, fire trucks
weaving through traffic. Police hustled people away from the
danger while trying to check for possible problems and
stragglers.

Konatsu frowned under his mask. He leapt to the roof of one
of the more intact buildings. His feminine form garbed in
the blackness that blended into the smoky air. A heritage
modified by his upbringing by his 'family'.

It had been mere happenstance that he had run into Ranma and
Akane before this fight broke out. What he had seen then had
been... different. It was time to go and report back to
Nabiki and Ukyo. She would be horribly upset that he had
left her behind to go 'sneaking'.

Soon he was bouncing from roof to roof, eating the distance
back to Nerima at an incredible speed. Panting from
exhaustion, he dragged himself that last bit into the Uchan.

Ukyo turned at the ringing that heralded another customer.
Surprise showed across her face at the weary figure who
staggered into the room. "Ukyo... I think... you had
better... call Nabiki," Konatsu huffed and puffed daintily
in between words.

"Uh, sure. What's up?" Ukyo glared at him in sudden
suspicion. Even from that far, she could smell smoke
clinging to the mussed up ninja.

"I think I know what Ranma and Akane are up too. I really
don't want to tell it twice," Or even once, Konatsu amended
silently.

"You jerk! You snuck off and went behind my back to spy on
my Ranma honey!" Ukyo's arm moved automatically, sweeping
out her combat spatula and pan-caking the startled cross
dressing ninja upside down and to the wall, hands warding
off evil and punishment.

One of her patrons had slipped just out of the way, nodding
her head appreciatively. She snapped out a card that read
'8.5'. "Not bad."

Ukyo was prepared to deliver a sound beating, when she
realized that Konatsu was out like a light. She silently
managed to get a grip on her temper, chanting under her
breath, "I am not that gorilla that beats up Ranma. I'm not,
I'm not, I'm not. I'm the cute fiancee."

With a sniff, she put her weapon of choice back and picked
up the phone.

-

Nabiki arched her eyebrow at the new art hanging on the wall
of the Uchan. "Well, well. Let me guess. He snuck off
without you?" She glided over to a corner seat near the
unconscious ninja.

"Yes, he did! I don't know what he was thinking!"

"I was thinking that Ranma wouldn't spot me," Konatsu said
as he flipped his feminine form over into the seat next to
Nabiki.

Nabiki suddenly grinned. "Playing possum?"

"Some thing like that. A ninja is trained to know when to
pick a fight and when to forestall one."

Nabiki blinked in surprise. She was sure that she'd only
taken her eyes off of Konatsu for just a second. How had he
managed to switch to a women's kimono and wrap? It usually
took her ten minutes to get hers right. It was quite
irritating that 'he' looked so feminine.

She shrugged it off. "Ok, Konatsu. Why didn't you take Ukyo
with you? That was the plan."

"I wish to say nothing of Miss Ukyo's skill. She is a
marvelous cook and a great martial artist, but..." Konatsu
looked uncomfortable for a second. "Miss Ukyo needs to be a
bit sneakier."

Ukyo stared flatly at Konatsu. "I'm not that bad."

"I am trained to sneak up on just about anyone. I almost
wasn't able to follow Ranma today. One time, when I was idly
considering the fact that Ranma had accidentally left his
back open for a second, he moved to counter any attack and
started to search around for me."

"So? He's got a good sense for danger. Ranma's kind of got
to, you know." Nabiki smirked. Ranma was always getting into
so many fights, it was a survival trait.

Konatsu tried to say something. He snapped his mouth shut
and then finally spoke up, "Ranma is usually not so...
prepared." He shrugged and put his small hands on his lap.

Ukyo frowned. "You're right. Ranma isn't usually that hyper-
sensitive."

Konatsu ducked her head in embarrassment. "I sometimes use
my skills to 'follow' the local martial artists around when
they're in public. It's amazingly good training." His
girlish smile hardened slightly. "I will figure out a way to
shadow Happosai or Cologne some time." He shook his head to
clear it of distractions. "Like I said, I follow different
people around. Akane and Kodachi are fairly easy. Kuno is
truly oblivious. Miss Ukyo is fairly aware of her
surroundings, but is not up to the skill of Ranma and Ryoga.
I still get caught sometimes by Mr. Saotome. He thinks it is
good training!"

"Genma? Heck, even Ukyo blindsided him one time," Nabiki
said blithely.

Ukyo shared her disapproval of Nabiki with a look.

Konatsu coughed politely. "Please? I was fairly adept at
shadowing Ranma a week ago. It really wasn't a challenge any
more." His face scrunched into a cute girlish pout. "Today
was a far different story for both Ranma and Akane. They
didn't let it show very much, but they were almost always
aware of what is going around them. As if they expected an
attack at any moment. I was almost spotted a half dozen
times in a half an hour. Two of those times were almost by
Akane!"

"Hmm? Paranoia?"

"Considering what I saw? Not... paranoia. They really could
be attacked at any time."

"All right, Konatsu. Spit it out. What trouble has Ranma
gotten Akane involved in?" Nabiki started to think of some
manner to repay Ranma for the problems he brought her
family.

"You're not going to believe me." Konatsu wilted under the
two girls gaze.

"Let us decided that, Sugar."

"Um, would you believe they're both magical girls fighting
to defend our world against monsters?" Konatsu said
tentatively.

Ukyo and Nabiki blinked. Ukyo roared out suddenly in
laughter. "That's a good one, Konatsu. Ranma in one of those
miniskirts? BWAHAHAHA!"

Nabiki sighed and massaged her forehead. Here she thought
Konatsu was one of the more level headed people that Ranma
dragged into their lives.Weird, but sane. "Ranma wouldn't be
caught dead with that sort of getup in public."

Konatsu plucked up his courage. "That's what really
happened. He, well she, was there with most of the other
magical girls fighting some horrid monster. Their fight
destroyed several blocks of Jubban's shopping district."

Ukyo finally quit laughing. She made a production of getting
out her small black and white TV and turning it on to a
local station that usually had the news on. She was dragged
away a moment later, as some customers walked in wanting
service.

Nabiki watched the set for a few minutes as they played the
top story of the hour. Her frown grew longer she watched it.
Pictures of the destroyed area were displayed. Amazingly
enough, no one had more than minor injuries. Nabiki
catalogued the different types of destruction that was being
blamed on 'rioting' and some sort of explosion.

She was having a hard time breaking her skepticism, though.
It was just too wild, even for Ranma. "I don't know. I just
can't believe that Ranma would do something... so girlish.
Not with his mother and her katana around. Just for the sake
of the argument, let's just pretend that I believe you. Were
there really that many 'Sailor Senshi' there?"

"Oh! Yes! There were all of them, Inner and Outer Senshi,
except Sailor Moon and Little Sailor Moon!" Konatsu said
excitedly. "And of course Ranma and Akane were two new ones
that I didn't recognize! And another new one who was very
similar to Sailor Moon, except her hair was pink!"

Nabiki blink-blinked. "Um. You know all that?" Nabiki didn't
even know that many.

"Well, not obviously all, but I am a member of the Sailor
Senshi Official Fan Club! Member number eight thousand and
thirty-two! Tee hee!" Konatsu said girlishly as she flashed
a 'V' for victory hand sign. He covered his mouth politely
to cover up his outburst.

This week was just getting weirder and weirder, Nabiki
thought to herself.

Ukyo managed to free herself from her work for a second.
"So, what's the verdict?"

Nabiki let her displeasure show. "We might not be able to
discount what Konatsu just said." She gestured at the TV,
letting Ukyo watch if for a second. "Ranma's destructive,
but not quite that bad."

Ukyo nodded slowly, as her world became less certain. "So
where does that leave us?"

Nabiki cocked her head slightly in Ukyo's direction. "Now
that is a good question." Thoughts rumbled and caromed
around in her mind.

"I wonder if I can get their autographs? It going to be such
fun to have friends that are actually some of the Pretty
Suited Sailors that fights for Love and Justice!" Konatsu
sighed dreamily.

The two girls exchanged looks of consternation as sweat
drops appeared on their brow.

-

The air rippled and churned, distorting and bending the
center of a circular room filled with incredible technology
and arcane artifacts. Suddenly a rainbow of light burst into
radiant existence, dropping three figures into the room.

"Get off of me!" Neo-Sailor Moon yelled at the two Sailor
Senshi.

"I'm getting off!"

"Ranma, watch your hands!" Sailor Io decided that she had
had enough of this and snapped a kick at Sailor Sun's
stomach, launching her into the air while knocking the air
out of her. It was a moments work to free herself then.

"Great. Just great. Do you realize the mess that you've
caused?" the pink haired girl said loudly, getting in Io's
face.

Io shrank back a bit. "Um? No."

"Hey, watch it! Back off!" Sailor Sun had managed to get to
her feet. Her face showed her intense displeasure at how
Sailor Moon was treating her wife.

"Do you realize the potential for disaster that bringing you
into the future could cause?" Neo-Sailor Moon started to
breath deeply and counted to herself to twenty-five, in
Latin and backwards. Calm. Calm was good.

Sun was about to reply when a door opened, admitting an
older women in a flimsy gown, wings moving automatically to
pass through the door. "Usa! I thought you said they
wouldn't be able to lock on to this location? We've got
visitors are on their way!" She stopped, taking in the three
figures that stood in the room.

"I wouldn't have, if these hitchhikers hadn't tagged along,
Ami." Sailor Moon, because that was what she truly was, at
this now, thought fast and furiously. She reached out to a
keypad that appeared in the air, typing a bunch of commands.
Items disappeared in a dizzying manner. Soon they were the
only things in the large cavernous room.

And not a moment too soon! With a suddenness that was
shocking four figures appeared, spider-like and very
familiar. Large figures, spider-humanoid but with eight
limbs, encased in darkly opalescent chitin.

Sailors Sun and Io shifted to a ready stance. They had had
the rest of the Senshi backing them up last time with just
one! How where they going to defeat four of them?

"Mercury, Sun, Io, hold them off for a minute!" Sailor Moon
shouted snatching the Time Staff off of the ground.

Sailor Sun gritted her teeth. There had to be something more
they could do! Io just grinned feraly.

Eternal Mercury raised her hand, blasting at the creatures
with some sort of spiraling bubble attack. Io and Sun were
shocked when one of the creatures was almost destroyed by
the single attack. This was Ami?

Sun leaped into the air, blasting at the lead creature. It
weaved and ducked most of the attack, it's form blurring. It
appeared behind Sailor Sun, smashing her to the ground.
Sailor Io flipped over the one that tried to emulate its
mate, pummeling it across the back. It staggered but then
flickered again. Io had just a moment to roll with the
stunning attack, bouncing off of the wall and shattering
shelves as she made a large impression in it.

Eternal Mercury was doing her best, but one of the creatures
was heading towards the pink haired Sailor Moon. That
distraction was enough, as she was struck into the air
herself. She slid to the ground unconscious after leaving a
sizable dent in the metal sheathed wall, blood seeping out
of her mouth.

"Oh, crud!" Sailor Sun thought as fast and furiously as she
ever had before. Inspiration struck suddenly. "Light Speed
Transport revised! Light Speed Attack Flurry!" she cried
out, her power glowing around her. The fight seemed to slow,
motions became muted as if everyone had become statues. All
of the light shifted red in her eyes, dimming the room.

Sailor Sun frowned and leaped onto the back of one the
creatures, smashing it with hundreds of blows as her
movements shifted the light around her upwards into the blue-
white frequencies. A wave of nausea struck her suddenly,
almost causing her to lose her concentration and her power.
Grimly wiping the sheen of sweat off of her brow, she went
to the second and the third one as fast as she could. She
smashed them with the same results, forcing herself to
ignore the nausea and bile that arose within her with each
weakening punch. Pieces of the three H'ragoth were barely
falling when the last one seemed to animate itself to sudden
action.

Sailor Sun found that even weakened by Mercury, this one was
almost a match for her at this intensely insane pace.
Grueling minutes passed as the two combatants traded blows.
The end came with surprising swiftness, as the last monster,
from a time past, disintegrated under it own power. It had
used far too much of itself to counter the Senshi of the
Sun's sudden increase in speed.

Sailor Io blinked in surprise as three of the monsters just
shredded in mid air. The room filled with a blinding
radiance for just a moment, obscuring the last one and then
Sailor Sun appeared in front of her. She was hurt and
bleeding from numerous wounds, her skin pale and haggard.
She appeared as if she hadn't eaten in days, her skin
hanging from her bony body.

"Ranma!" Sailor Io cried out, catching her love as she
collapsed.

"Hmm. Guess I don't have to do what I was planning. That was
impressive." Seeing as the threat was destroyed, Sailor Moon
reverted to her normal garb of sensible slacks and nice
pastel blue blouse.

"We've got to get her to Saturn! She'll be able to help!"
Akane cried out.

"She's busy." Usa walked over and started to wake up the
fallen Senshi of Mercury.

"What! Ranma could be dying! Why can't she come and help!"

"She's trying to defend her world. And losing."

-

Their first sign of any problem was when Sailor Pluto
reverted back to her merely mortal self. Setsuna blinked in
surprise. "W-what?" She stopped on the hike to Jadeite's
fortress suddenly, looking at her hands in confusion as she
expected to see her gloves.

Sailor Neptune stared for just a second. "Mercury, Mars. I
think we might have a problem."

Sailor Saturn looked on worriedly.

Sailor Mars looked back in annoyance. Everyone's attention
was riveted on Setsuna, as she stood still in her woman's
business suit.

Mercury frowned. A tap of her finger on her brow brought up
the scanner, its blue field shimmered into existence over
her eyes. She glanced quickly at the oldest Senshi. A quick
scan of the area revealed the problem almost at once. "This
isn't like last time we were here. We are very drained from
that fight with the... thing. I wouldn't be surprised if
Mars, Venus or Jupiter reverts pretty soon." As if her words
were a cue, Jupiter reverted to plain old Makato.

"Eeep! This isn't so good. Didn't you guys clean up a whole
bunch of youma last time you were here?" Makato said
nervously, glancing around.

"Yes. Those should have been the last ones. Let's be on our
guard anyways. Just to be on the safe side." Sailor Mars
tried to put her best face forward. She didn't relish the
idea of taking on even one youma while they were basically
defenseless.

With that, they resumed the march at a quicker pace. In the
distance, the sun of this realm started to set on the spires
of Jadeite's fortress. Soon they were passing among
shattered, windswept ruins. Empty doorways and led to broken
and gutted buildings, the only legacy of one of the greatest
threats that they had ever faced.

Fingers danced on glowing crystal buttons, opening the
mammoth arcane-marked metal doors. The Senshi, mostly in
their mortal guises, walked nervously into the abandoned
fortress. The golden hawk flew above them silently.

"It looks a lot more scary this time," Hotaru said, glancing
nervously around at the darkened corridors.

Minako bobbed her head frantically. "Yeah. That's what I
thought!"

Makato stopped herself from bopping the ditzy blond for
trying to scare all of them, as the hairs on her neck
bristled. She started to look around, trying to spot the
danger.

Sailors Neptune and Uranus slowly eased themselves back to
back, pulling Sailor Saturn close to them.

Rei, Minako and Makato backed up into a small knot, all of
them looking outwards. Sailor Mercury's visor flashed into
existence, scanning the area.

Setsuna looked around numbly, gripping her staff in white-
knuckled fear. She seemed moderately disinterested in her
surroundings. As if they weren't important or relevant.

All of them jumped as the squeal of metal on metal that
started up suddenly. Slowly, ponderously, the massive doors
closed with a jarring clang, setting all of them on edge.

The silence was deafening, cloying. The blackness engulfed
them in a mind numbing wave. They caught their breath for
just a second.

The sound of electrical solenoids humming and banging into
new positions gave them just a moments warning before dim
red lights flicked on.

"Must be on emergency power. But Sailor Sun took the extra
time to charge some of the incidental systems," Sailor
Mercury muttered to herself. Her gaze, amplified by her
visor, searched the hallways left, right and ahead for
anything out of the ordinary.

Rei clenched her fist. "Let's move. We need to rest and to
think of some way to stop this latest menace."

Makato nodded her agreement, while Minako looked over to
Sailor Mercury in hope. A frown of concentration was all
that was on that ones face, plans being made and discarded
as she walked down the hallway towards Jadeite's main living
and work area.

Behind them, a shadow disconnected itself from the ceiling,
from between two pipes. Glowing red eyes glared at the
Sailor Senshi. Its eyes narrowed in thought as it turned
back to the door. Its massive claws slowly, silently twisted
the metal of the controls into a gaping hole. His hands
reached in and played with the wires for a second.

Crouching low, its head only six feet high, it ambled down
the left hallway on all fours. There were other things that
needed to be done. Soon it would have all the food it would
need or want.

And its revenge!

-

Sailor Sun looked and felt much better after being given a
feast to devour. She still looked ragged but at least her
pallor and health were no longer in question. The wondrous
magic that infused her combined with rigorous training was
already filling her form back out.

Sailors Sun and Io looked around the large room they had
been just led in to. The large doors closed behind them,
sealing them into the large circular room. Pillars and
arches lined the walls. Crystal seemed to be the preferred
material, for some reason. A large pool of water in a
fountain was centered in the room. Floating in the air above
the pool was an odd depiction of space and some sort of
nebulae.

Their gazes were drawn back to the figures standing around,
watching the floating image. Like Ami they wore gauzy gowns,
rather than their skirts of old. Each one had an unreal
ethereal grace. Still, they were easily recognizable.
Mercury joined Venus, Jupiter and Mars in watching their
King and Queen.

Queen Serenity looked over at the newcomers with warmth and
kindness. Her face turned back to the display. "Saturn seems
to be holding her own, with Uranus and Neptune's help." The
view in space shifted, showing the planet Saturn floating in
blackness. Its rings radiated a glowing ripple that traveled
out and then back in. Suddenly, a blinding light flashed
from just above the rings, traveling outwards and striking
as a sparkling cloud that had been approaching the planet.
The cloud seemed to ripple and tear, partially fragmenting.

The beam faded away, and the cloud slowly reformed, only to
be struck by an incredibly bright, yellow beam that bisected
the cloud, burning parts of it for a second. "The Solaris!
He must have been able to break away from the attacks
against Neptune and Uranus."

The view switched back to the first picture, which showed
the nebulae again. The cloud-like dust had hidden something
in their midst, but parted to give them a better view. The
view zoomed closer, showing shattered asteroids. The size
was hard to tell, but they appeared to be miles in length.
Something spherical glinted within it.

Queen Serenity bowed her head for a moment. "You were right,
Usagi. Pluto is no more." She inhaled deeply, steeling her
nerves. "How long until they breach the casing of the Gate
to Time?"

"It's built to withstand just about any physical attack. But
the Chronovores are not merely physical attacking. They are
literally aging it millions of years per minute. In just a
few hours, it will fail and give them access to the heart of
the Gate," the pink haired girl said quietly. "Not only does
it weaken the Gate's defenses, it also gives them an almost
unlimited source of temporal energy and to all time itself.
Their numbers are already staggering and easily renewed."

The view zoomed closer and closer in, showing glimpses of a
gigantic artifact, round with strange and glowing runes
carved within it. Its surface had something on it that
flowed in waves across it in unsymmetrical patterns.

The view shifted a final time, showing that the waves were
made of thousands, no millions of the strange creatures that
they had just fought, swarming across the surface, being
struck again and again by multicolored lightning. The
Chronovores fought to break the energies and skin of the
remains of Pluto with a fanaticism that was unbelievable.

"So, all is lost? I can not accept this. We had our future
of peace finally," Serenity said sadly, looking over at
Endymion.

"If we just had more time! We could build a better time lock
now. They would be easy to defeat then," the young looking
princess said. "But it's going to take years and most of our
resources. We're just out of time."

Io and Sun exchanged uneasy glances. This didn't sound so
good. The images were unnerving them.

Queen Serenity waved her hand, causing the view to shift to
encompass the entire solar system. A ragged halo surrounded
it, slowly filling out. "We may not have even hours. Their
strategy seems too simple and far too insane. Surround and
destroy us utterly, no matter the losses. Ami calculates
that in another ten hours, then they will be in position to
attack Uranus and Neptune in numbers. The Solaris won't be
able to hold them off for long then."

"And how are you holding out, Mother?" Worried eyes followed
the young queen.

"I will be able to maintain the teleportation blanket for
quite a while yet." Serenity walked over to put her hand on
her king's shoulder, both of them lost in thought for a
moment.

The door slid open silently, admitting a new presence into
the room. Sailor Sun glanced over and back, then snapped her
gaze at the figure. "A-Akane?" she stuttered.

The newest person was also dressed in a flowing white gown
of medieval flavor, as were most of the women. Sailor Io
stopped, taking in the two younger figures standing before
her. "Oh. I guess we're almost out of time then." Her gaze
darted between the two and then finally tore itself away to
land on her liege's visage. Her eyes unfocussed, as her face
became void of all emotions. "I-I have a message for you,
your majesty. I am to tell you that now the Staff has been...
procured, that now you must seek to unlock Solitude."

Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Mars all jumped in surprise.
They glanced at each other and then back at the messenger.

Mercury finally spoke up, "Solitude? Who told you that?"

Io looked uncomfortable, but responded without further
prodding. "The Guardian of Time." That was all she could
remember.

"But Pluto was killed when her planet was destroyed!" Venus
exclaimed.

"Well, the Guardian of Time can time travel." Io shook her
head in frustration. Why couldn't she remember this time in
her past?

Sailor Sun smacked her fist into her open palm. "Count us
in! We gotta help, Akane!"

"I don't know, Ranma. This is kind of spooky." Sailor Io bit
her lower lip for a second. "But you're right. We have to
help."

Usagi shivered, as she felt a dead hand pushing her towards
unfathomable actions. She looked over at the older Io and
asked, "Are they supposed to go?"

Io tore her gaze away from the younger Sailor Sun. "I can't
say. I'm sorry. I can't even really remember. Maybe?" Her
voice choked off. It wasn't supposed to hurt anymore. It had
been so long. Why the pain again?

"Well, that's three of us to go on this hare-brained
scheme." Usagi turned towards the Inner Senshi.

A gently raised hand stopped her as surely as a shouted
command. "They must stay here. I am sorry, but you will have
to go without them." The Queen's voice caught and nearly
broke. "Go safely and return quickly."

Usagi gaped for a second. She finally found her voice. "Yes,
Mother."

The elder Io looked at Sailor Sun for a second. Something
seemed to click internally. "I have something for you, too.
She said that you would need your blade. The one that you
left at the graveyard of the Moon's Guardian Fleet." Her
gaze jerked away suddenly, as she became intent on the view
above the waters.

"Huh?" Sailor Sun scratched her head for a second. "Oh.
Yeah! Hey, Ami? Can I have you look for something at about a
million miles out from the sun on the elliptic plane? It
aught to have an energy signature of... Ah, it would be
easier to show it, I think." At Mercury's nod, a small glow
grew in her palm.

Mercury's hands played across a shimmering control panel
that appeared in the air for a few moments. She blinked in
surprise and then nodded charmingly. "I have it."

Sailor Sun had been reading over her shoulder, bouncing
slightly. A neat trick, considering that she was a bit
shorter than Mercury at this point. "Thanks! That's an
amplifier, battery and control device all in one. It'll help
a lot. 'specially if I get into another tussle with these
things. Be right back!"

Before anyone could argue, she disappeared in a flash.

"Your Majesty, may I have your leave?" Io asked, bowing
slightly. "I should return to my moon to prepare its
defenses to help with Jupiter's own readiness." Her voice
seemed strained, as if too great of a weight was upon her.

"Of course. Venus, Mars? I think that you should go there
with Jupiter, too. Mercury is going to be needed here for
strategies." The Queen stood at the end of her speech, a sad
frown etched on her as she looked on the elder Io. Everyone
nodded to her respectfully.

The older people left the room, leaving just Sailor Io and
Princess Usagi sitting in uncomfortable silence. The
princess turned to use a computer console that floated
transparently next to her. Io wandered for a while, before
sitting next to the fountain as it burbled.

Akane looked over to the pink haired girl. She received a
glare that stalled any attempt at starting a conversation.
She was left struggling with the concept that she was really
in the future. It seemed so bleak and unfriendly. Was this
all that was waiting for her?

-

Sailor Sun appeared in space, a glowing golden corona
protecting her from the void. In front of her, floating in
space was her sword. Unbidden, words from a simple
attraction spell pulled it towards her waiting grasp. She
hefted its grip, testing the balance of the one handed
weapon. Its Celtic knot work still stood out, three gems
gleamed dully in the hilt.

Her thumb wiped at the some of the grime that clung to the
silver blade. Without thinking, she sent a burst of energy
through it, cleaning it as if it were new. With old senses
awakened anew, she probed its essence. It literally seethed
with energies.

"Hm. I guess it's been absorbing energy for... over two
thousand years. That'll be handy." She twirled it and then
snapped it into sub-space. Her gaze was pulled to the
floating droplets of metal that glowed dimly from the heat.

She shuddered as she realized that this was all that was
left of that fleet. How many people had she killed? Suddenly
feeling uncomfortable, she disappeared in another flash of
light.

-

Sailor Sun flashed into existence into the same room that
she had left. Two angry glares met her, wilting her mood a
bit more. "Ah, ready to go?" she asked spryly, trying to
break the dark mood.

"Yes. You know, we could have teleported out faster than
that light beam thingy you do," Princess Usagi said crossly.
With a snap of her fingers, she transformed into 'Sailor
Moon'.

"Sorry! It's easy for me to do it, so I did it!" Sun
explained, hands raised to hold off a verbal lashing.

"That almost made sense, Ranma," Sailor Io said dryly.

"We don't have any more time to waste. Ready?" Two nods
answered her. With a gesture, she opened a familiar portal

They stepped through into an open field of grass, a
glittering mountain of metal loomed overhead, disappearing
into a crater that was easily a mile wide.

"What the hell? Where did this come from?" Sailor Sun
exclaimed, eyes wide in surprise.

Sailor Io looked around, trying to see something that she
could recognize. Behind them she could see the dark metal
spires of Jadeite's fortress, sticking out of a forest of
ferns far off in the distance. "Ranma! That used to be where
our cave was!"

"Welcome to Solitude and one of the biggest mysteries of the
last millennium!"

-

Sailor Mercury tried to turn on some of the equipment that
had worked the last time they were here. "I don't
understand. Sailor Sun charged all this up," she said, a
confused expression stuck on her face. She banged the
console, trying to get it respond.

Sailor Neptune peeked out from behind a large mass of pipes
and machinery. "I think you might want to look at this!" she
called out.

Mercury trotted over to where the green-haired Senshi was
kneeling. She held an odd collection of wires and crystals
formed a hideous mask that was wired into the conduits.
"What do you think?" Neptune asked.

Sailor Mercury carefully poked and prodded at the wires and
circuit boards. The look of worry grew even deeper on her
face. "This could be used to siphon off the energy that was
stored. I would guess that it was some sort of youma that...
fed."

"No biggy. We find it and squish it. Problem solved," Sailor
Uranus said suddenly from behind them, a grim smile on her
face. She fingered her sword expectantly.

"This one looks pretty smart. It knows the area a lot better
than us. It could hunt us, not the other way around."

The sound of crashing metal shook the entire building
slightly. The three sailors looked at each other and dashed
off down the hallway, passing the rest of the gang that were
standing up in surprise from where they had been waiting.

Moments later, they were running down a familiar corridor
that they had used to enter so long ago. They skidded to a
halt just before slamming into a wall of metal wreckage.
Sailor Neptune cautiously nudged the debris and quickly
danced backwards to avoid being crushed.

"Don't bother! You'll waste the last of your energy and
leave yourself helpless!" Mercury cried out.

Sailor Neptune snapped a quick glance at her and nodded.
"Right! So now what?"

"I saw something move back down the corridor! Back the way
we came!" Uranus cried out.

Their hearts almost stopped as they looked at each other and
then they ran down the corridor as fast as possible, towards
their almost helpless friends. By the time they got back,
they heard the tail end of a fight. By the time they got
there, they found Sailor Saturn sprawled out and trying to
get to her feet. Minako, Makato and Rei were all missing.
Chizuko cawed weakly, folding up her wings and rolling to
her feet while Setsuna grimaced in pain from a cut on her
arm. She used the Time Staff to lever herself to her feet.

"Damn. He moved fast," Uranus said quietly. She watched over
the area carefully. "This place is a maze. He could be
anywhere!"

"We need to draw him out. Follow me!" Mercury said, trotting
down the corridor.

The rest followed quickly through the winding passages,
their breaths short and harried. Soon the large doors they
had entered in just a short while ago loomed above them.

Mercury stopped and cursed profusely. "He's already smashed
the controls!" She reached out to see about jury-rigging it
to open, being careful to not touch any of the wires. Her
forearm barely touched the edge of the hole when she jerked
as thousands of volts through and around her. It lasted only
a moment and then lights flickered as she dropped to the
ground.

"Mercury!" Sailor Neptune called out as the dark haired girl
collapsed to the ground, reverting to plain old Ami Mizuno.
She checked her quickly for a pulse, finding it erratic and
weak.

Sailor Uranus snarled and then yelled out, "World Shaking!"
while pointing her hand at the imposing door.

The remains of the door exploded outwards, pieces flying as
far as three hundred feet. Four figures jogged through the
remains of the open door.

Haruka cried out, "Keep moving! I'll slow it down so it
can't follow!" She spun around, her sword leaving an arcing
flash of light behind it. She felt slow and weak, merely
mortal. Fear coiled tightly around her heart.

Sailor Neptune stopped for just a second, agony etched on
her face. "I can't leave her," she said finally.

"But Momma!" Sailor Saturn called out beseechingly.

She handed the unconscious girl to Setsuna. "Don't worry
honey, we'll be fine. Setsuna, take Ami and Hotaru away and
hide. We'll stop it and catch up as soon as possible,"
Sailor Neptune called out heading back to stand by her love.

Setsuna stared after her friends and companions for a
moment. She shook her head in frustration. She hated feeling
so weak. "Come along, Hotaru. I need your help to carry
Ami."

Sailor Saturn looked as if she was about to argue, but
finally caved in. Taking most of the burden upon herself,
they set off into the hills.

-

Haruka prepared to sell her life dearly. Sweat oozed down
her brow and back. Her fingers held her sword painfully
tight, until she consciously relaxed. Her feat shifted
slightly as her knees bent. Shadowed eyes watched the dark
hiding areas, waiting for the youma.

A soft crunch behind her sent her spinning to try and cut
her unknown attacker. Sailor Neptune hoped back two steps,
luckily avoiding the lethal attack.

Haruka glared at her. What was she doing here? "I thought
you were going to protect Hotaru and Setsuna?" she barked
out.

"And who's going to protect you?" Sailor Neptune said
evenly, trying to hide her frustration at her lover's 'macho-
ness'.

"I'm going to stop it from following you."

"And let it kill you? Over my dead body!" Sailor Neptune set
a determined appearance on her face. "I... I couldn't leave
you. It would hurt too much. After all we've been through, I
couldn't bear to lose you. I'd rather die."

"And what about Hotaru?" Haruka said loudly.

Sailor Neptune turned her pained face away. "She's like a
daughter, but you're my lover. She's stronger than you right
now. She might be able to defend Setsuna and Ami better than
me. But all you have is your sword."

"She just a child!" Haruka shouted.

"She's a Sailor Senshi, if you haven't forgotten! We're
protectors of the weak and defenders of innocence. Hotaru's
just as much a warrior as you!" Sailor Neptune turned back
towards the angry blond woman.

Haruka opened her mouth to continue arguing when Neptune
grabbed her in a desperate hug, kissing her silent. After a
moment, she released Haruka. "I'd rather die than see that
thing take you too. So no more talk of me leaving."

Haruka nodded finally. Her look was discontented, but
determined. "I guess."

They separated, watching for the thing to leave Jadeite's
palace. Time drifted by for an hour, as shadows grew longer.
They spoke nothing, merely let the others presence
strengthen them.

Warrior instincts homed in a time far past, sent Haruka
diving as a large rock flew through the place where her head
had been. The dive turned into a roll that flipped her to
her feat as she charged the lanky youma.

It was a thing of nightmares, myriads of scar covered its
body. Its movements were shockingly fast and jerky, as it
sidestepped the vicious stab of the Space Blaster Sword. Its
glowing red eyes narrowed. It remembered what Jadeite had
told it so long ago.

Certain of the Senshi had deeper attachments to others in
their group. This blond girl was obviously Sailor Uranus.
The same Sailor Uranus that went out of her way to defend
Sailor Neptune. Ashkall was a survivor, if not a leader. But
even so, not being in the youma village had saved his
existence. And now he was ascendant.

Small cuts appeared on his arms as he blocked two more
blows. His toothy grin widened, as it let her stab it in
arm. For just the scantiest of moments, the blade was stuck.
Cruel claws grabbed her neck and held her in a modified bear
hug.

Seemingly unconcerned with the foul wound and sword still in
it, it turned back towards Sailor Neptune, slow steps eating
up the distance with deceptive ease. "You surrender or I
kill her!" it growled out as it carried its burden.

"What?" Neptune said in surprise. Damn it, Haruka. Why did
you have to jump in so close in?

Still moving toward her, it responded, "You attack, I kill!"

Her heart warred from within her with her duty. Hotaru and
Ami were depending on her! "Deep Subm... erk!"

That moment of indecision cost her as the youma's long leg
snapped out into her stomach, driving the wind from her.

Haruka screamed out, pushing what little power she had into
sword, causing it to glow and burn the stinking flesh that
held it.

The youma roared, flinging her into the air. Up became down
and then up again as she flipped around. The ground rushed
up at her, stunning her severely when she impacted. Lights
danced before her eyes as darkness attempted to steal her
consciousness.

"Haruka!" Sailor Neptune screamed out. She dodged the next
kick and punch. The youma had thrown Micharu over a hundred
feet!

They struck simultaneously. Neptune cried out, "Deep
Submerge!" as the youma fastened its claws on her shoulders,
strength flowing from her.

The youma howled as the attack tore at it, while the
Sailor's failing life force nit itself back together.
Finally her power failed, reverting her back to simple
Micharu.

The youma grinned nastily as it kept absorbing her life
force. Her skin started to hang loosely, almost all life and
vigor being viciously ripped from her. It let her drop to
the ground defeated, barely alive.

"Bastard! You've killed her! I'll see your soul in hell!"
Haruka shouted as she swung her sword, cutting deeply into
its chest.

"Argh!" it roared, striking out at the hated sword that
burned it.

Haruka's finger went numb as her sword was broken from her
grasp. "No!" she managed to scream out before a hand
encompassed her head.

The youma's wound started to close as the girl's struggles
weakened. Just before the spark of her life was
extinguished, it let her drop to the ground. With a roar of
triumph, it scooped up both of its new prisoners and dashed
into the fortress.

Unlit corridors were traveled unerringly, leading ever
deeper into the man made mausoleum. Dim light filtered out
of a large room. Cages lined it, rusty and forbidding.

Rei looked up, hoping to see the other Senshi, ready to
rescue them. She started as she saw the youma enter,
carrying two more of their comrades in arms. "Damn it!" she
muttered.

Makato glared from her cage, across the corridor. Shackles
held her feet loosely, a chain leading to the wall. Tough
cord was threaded through it, wires gleaming dully under the
tough rubber that wouldn't cut.

Minako looked on it horror from her own cage. What had
happened to Micharu and Haruka? They looked... drained!

"Food! You eat and I eat! I feed from you and become more
powerful and eventually eat all Earth!" it roared loudly.

"Go to hell, scumbag! I'm not going to be a candy bar for
you!" Makato yelled back to it.

The youma chuckled low and softly. It grabbed a sack from
the ground, pulling out two odd looking fruits. It trod over
and opened her cage. "You eat first," it said simply.
Grabbing her before she could react, it shoved a piece of
the flat tasting fruit into her mouth. Barely giving her
time to breath and swallow, it fed her the food, slapping
her carefully whenever she tried to fight back.

Hot tears of rage coursed down her cheeks, as she felt her
life force being drained away. Finally, she was released,
collapsing to the ground as it walked to the next cage.
Minako scrambled as she started to scream, tripping over her
manacles.

-

Usagi just stared in incomprehension at the scene before
her. Who was this stranger, wearing a mask and a tuxedo?

"Who are you?" Tuxedo Kamen yelled out, dodging another
blast of silvery black energy from Wiseman.

"What? Who are you people?" Usagi called out, moving out of
the way of the fight.

"He means to send you back to a life you hate and despise!
He wishes to have you be something you do not. You know that
you want to be an ordinary girl, leaving behind the pain of
the life that he wishes to force upon you!" Wiseman cried
out loudly. Black lightning danced from his fingers,
destroying any rose that would come too close.

"That isn't true! I just want you to be happy!" Tuxedo Kamen
called out, pulling his cape over his face quickly to avoid
a small explosion of rocks from a near miss. What had he
just said?

"What? So she can go back to fighting and seeing her friends
in danger, time and time again? Hah! You are far crueler
than I. Let her go back to her family and friends, to the
peace that she so desperately desires!" Wiseman called out.

"If she has to fight, she only fights evil like you,
creature!"

"And fight she must? Oh, what a cruel taskmaster you are!
And if I was so evil, why do I want to give her what she
really wants?" Wiseman replied mockingly, from under his
dark robes.

"That isn't true! You are twisting my words!" Tuxedo Kamen
ducked back down the hall and around the corner.

"Your words show the truth of your manipulations, Tuxedo
Kamen." Wiseman stood in front of his throne, shadows
seeping from him in a dark pool. "And I will not let you
interfere. Not now!"

"Stop it, please stop it! Quit fighting!" Usagi screamed
out. Strange feelings arose from within her. Fear, pain,
anxiety and worry not of herself, from others far removed in
regions unknown. Light flared from her for just a second,
sending ripples across the solar system in a silver halo.
One her forehead, the sigil of the moon burned bright in
silver glory.

Tuxedo Kamen eyes widened as memories washed across the
surface of his mind, tickling protective instincts. "Usagi!"
he screamed out, trying to charge a man whom he knew far to
well. Wiseman! But he was the living embodiment of the
planet Nemesis, from the future! Even then, Nemesis had been
destroyed. "Die, Wiseman!" His cane bounced off of silvery
black lightening. How could he have such power over life and
death?!

"So, you remember me, do you? But it doesn't matter, the
more power she uses, the more powerful I become!" Skeletally
thin hands reached for the sky, as from behind him the
gigantic black crystal pulsed darkly. Silvery lightening
arced from it and into his palms. From the shadows below
their feet, figures rose smoothly, as riding an unseen
elevator. Four female silhouettes and one male stood in a
circle around the young man.

Tuxedo Kamen eyes shifted left and right, taking in the
black figures. Glowing blood red crescent moons appeared on
their foreheads. A cold chill traveled up his back as he
realized who these figures must be. Did Wiseman have that
much power? Power to bring back his dead minions?

"Strike him down, my Black Moon nobles! Strike him down for
the misery he and his queen will inflict on generations of
your kin!"

-

Ashkall loped along the floor, feeling better than he had in
weeks. Most of its scars were faded and almost gone. It left
behind the almost lifeless forms of the captured Senshi in
their cages. There were the two last ones that Ashkall
wanted to capture while it was still dark. The darkness was
when he would be strongest and they at their weakest. They
would be tired after hours of travel and easy prey.

For minutes he traveled at speeds that would shame the
greatest of Olympic athletes. It stopped to sniff the
ground, like an over sized dog. It spent the next hour
following the elusive trail. Its nose had saved it several
times since the dreaded fall of Jadeite, when the youma had
fought among themselves for supremacy of a dying planet.
Without food, the youma would eventually die a lingering,
painful death. That and turn on each other and feed for the
desperately sought life force that they desired.

Ashkall stopped, its nose picking up a strange odor that
reminded it of the plant that grew the fruit for the
prisoners. After a few seconds, it left, seeing no
importance to the small growth in one of the cracks in the
ground.

Red eyes narrowed, as it finally spotted its prey, laying
huddled together in a dirty crevasse in a hill. That large
glaive still radiated with great power. It would be hard to
approach without being seen.

It just had a moment of warning, as light flared above it,
to react to the sudden attack of the fiery bird above it
struck with sudden savageness, heat radiating from it in
scorching waves.

Sailor Saturn jerked at the sudden blinding light, as she
saw monster and Sailor Sun's familiar fight a mere two
hundred feet away. Her eye's squinted in the glare.

Chizuko clawed and bit, trying to destroy the monster that
had taken the other Senshi. "You will not hurt them!" the
bird cried out.

"You will not stop me! I hunger and I will not be denied!"
Ashkall screamed out, lashing out with brutal claws, rending
flesh and feathers.

Chizuko retaliated by biting at its eyes, managing to
destroy one. The hawk screamed in agony as one of her wings
was cruelly broken by a lucky swipe of a powerful claw.

"You will feed me too, bird!" it spat out, as it threw
Chizuko to the ground and cracked the parched rock. It's
claws dug in, draining even more energy than it had ever
imagined. Ashkall screamed in agony as liquid fire danced in
its veins, burning it from the inside out.

Spells that kept the sun's needed warmth in her breast were
loosened as the poor hawk felt its life force
metamorphosing, fragmenting the careful safe guards that
Sailor Sun had created a millennia ago. Chizuko let out a
feeble squawk before starting to explode, releasing golden
fire from her mouth and eyes.

"Saturn!" Setsuna cried out, alarm in her voice.

The light grew impossibly brighter as the bird erupted into
primordial flames, destroying anything near her instantly
with more power than an atomic bomb. Jadeite's fortress
shook and its armor cracked slightly, awakening their
prisoners deep within its bowels.

The mass of a mountain was instantly vaporized and flung
into the air, in a giant cloud that grew into a gigantic
mushroom, out shining the distant sun.

Terrible minutes later, in the heart of the terrible
conflagration, life clawed for survival as Sailor Saturn
pushed herself and her unparalleled weapon to maintain her
Silence Wall against the insane fury of elemental energy and
devastation.

Minutes that Setsuna used to good advantage, recalling
ancient spells and etheric energies that she had not used in
centuries. Words and gestures flew from her mouth and hands
in dizzying rapidity.

Time froze, deafening her with sudden silence, the raging
storm frozen solid. She took a moment to catch her breath,
pushing sweat drenched green hair out of her eyes.
Determination lit up in her eyes as she strode up to the
frozen Sailor Saturn. A mere touch accelerated the child to
same subjective speed that she was traveling.

Sailor Saturn stood for just a moment longer, before
collapsing, leaving a weak, battered and confused Hotaru
behind. "S-Setsuna? What's going on?" she said feebly.

"We are safe for a while. Can you walk? We need to make it
back the fortress before this state ends," she said,
carefully helping the young girl to stand.

"If we don't go too fast. What happened?" Hotaru asked,
leaning on the Silence glaive.

Setsuna leaned down and picked up the unconscious Ami.
Grunting under the burden, they walked away from the
blinding heart of destruction.

"Sailor Sun's friend, the hawk that she always has around,
was a creature that lives within the Sun. It can't survive
without powerful spells keeping its heat within it, making
it so it doesn't freeze to death in the cold of Earth or
space. But those spells were destroyed when the youma was
fighting it. Such power! My respect for Sailor Sun's
ingenuity and daring grows even more."

"Wow! Oh, no! Poor Chizuko!" Hotaru cried out. "She couldn't
have survived, could she?"

"No, there's no way. She probably froze to death almost
instantly, nearly vaporizing us in the process." Setsuna
came to end of their path, all that was left of the
mountain, caught in the lee of the blast as it was protected
by Saturn's wall. Quite calmly, she stepped off the path and
into the air as if it were solid ground.

"Uh, I can't do that Setsuna!" Hotaru said nervously.

"Don't worry. The spell I cast allows such impossibilities.
It would have to, otherwise we would smash ourselves against
air that is far heavier than lead. Just trust me," the green
haired woman said calmly. She reached out and helped the
waif take her first steps into the air.

"I didn't realize you could do this!" Hotaru exclaimed.

"Well, I didn't realize you could stop a nuclear bomb with
your wall. I think it's been a day of surprises all around,"
Setsuna said wryly.

-

"So, this place was discovered, but you can't get in?"
Sailor Sun asked.

"There's a door and even a keyhole. But no force that we've
been able to use has even scratched the surface of its
metal," Sailor Moon said, brushing an errant strand of pink
hair out of her eyes.

"So what's different this time?" Sailor Io asked as they
trekked along the carefully constructed path that led up the
side of the metal mountain.

"We were told by Pluto to come here, that's what," Sailor
Moon said shortly. "Maybe the Staff of Time might be able to
open it now."

"But, that's Pluto's staff-thingy, right?"

"Yes, it is," Sailor Moon ground out between clenched teeth.

"So why didn't she try to open it?"

"She did, but it wouldn't open. I'm guessing that it is some
sort of time lock. It'll only open right now!" Sailor Moon
smiled in anticipation.

With much fanfare, she inserted the Time Staff into the lock
and tried to open it.

Impatiently, she turned harder, straining to open it.

The pink haired princess glared at the obstinate lock. Why
wouldn't it open?

"The right time, huh?" Sailor Sun said sarcastically.

"Oh, shut up! You're always so obnoxious!"

Sailor Io could only nod in agreement as she rolled her
eyes.

-

Tuxedo Kamen circled warily, trying to keep the five
circling figures in his view. Each had their own distinctive
attack that he'd fallen prey to in the past. His clothing
was singed and smudged, his footsteps unsure. "Why do you
continue to hurt us? What did we do to deserve this?"

Usagi nodded dumbly in agreement, also wishing to know what
was wanted. This was so strange, so ethereal and distant.
The dim shadows were only broken by softly glowing figures.

"Still you speak your poisoned councils. At least this time
you speak against me yourself. Not through your 'advisors'.
How I cursed you and Queen Serenity when you banished our
fair family to Nemesis." The dark cloaked figure shook with
barely suppressed rage.

"That hasn't happened yet!" Tuxedo Kamen cried out as he
managed to remember that what he was being accused of was
something that would happen.

"And if I have my way, it will never happen, Endymion." From
his robe's dark sleeves a torrent of brilliant and ruby red
energy, scorching the Prince of Earth.

Tuxedo Kamen started to scream, as liquid fire rooted his
feet to the ground. Suddenly, his voice cut off.

The silence was then broken by a high pitched scream, as
Usagi saw the strangely dashing and heroic figure had been
turned into stone. Dimly, she realized that she was the one
that was screaming.

-

Ami's eyes finally opened, feeling gritty and dry. Her heart
almost stopped. A gray metal ceiling, almost hidden in
shadows met her view.

"She's awake!" Minako shouted happily.

A small stampede of feat signaled the arrival of the rest of
the Senshi. Smiling faces surrounded the short haired girl.
Helping hands propped her up.

"How are you feeling?" Makato asked.

"I've felt better. So, what happened?" Ami asked. "I
remember trying to open the door to the outside."

"The youma is dead. So is Ranma's familiar. The youma ripped
her apart and she exploded," Minako said despondently.

Poor Chizuko.

"Well, at least it found something in the crater. Who would
have thought that there was something that immense hidden
beneath the mountains there?" Haruka mused. "Some sort of
military base. Whatever it's made of, it's tough stuff."

"We did find a door, but it's locked," Hotaru explained
helpfully.

"Well, I don't see why it's so important. Right now, getting
home should be our goal." Ami put on her thinking
expression.

"I don't doubt that, Ami. It's just that this find is so
immense. It beggars description. The thing is miles wide!"
Setsuna said quietly.

"Miles? Just how big of an explosion did Chizuko make?" Ami
asked in surprise.

"At least nuclear! And the metal didn't scratch in the
slightest. It should be impossible. Nothing is that strong,"
Setsuna explained. Well, except for the time gate hidden
within Pluto. But that was hardly physical.

"I have an idea. I'll need to build a shield against that
strange attack that tried to erase us. And I've got to
figure out some way of powering the portal home." Ami popped
and stretched. She stood up, noting that they were in some
very fine living room.

"So, do we need to go look for some fuel? Or are we going to
work on solar power or something?" Makoto asked.

"Fuels won't work any ways. It lacks the necessary magical
component of life forces. As far as I know, the only source
of life that will work here is us. And that'll be draining
us like the youma did. Not my idea of fun. Besides, there
aren't going to be any fossil fuels here. There hadn't been
life before Jadeite showed up."

"So we get to drain ourselves. Yuck. But if that's what we
have to do, then that's what we do. Our princess needs us.
That is all that's really important," Rei said decisively.

Everyone looked at her in surprise. Was this the same Rei
that continually complained about Usagi?

A sweat drop appeared on Rei's forehead. "What?"

"Um, nothing. That was just a bit surprising, coming from
you," Minako explained.

"I don't pick on her because I like to, you know. It's for
her own good."

Everyone blinked in surprise at that. Her sweat drop grew
even bigger.

"What?"

-

Ranma sat in the control chair of the Solaris. He was
dressed in a white and gold military uniform. In front of
him floated a glowing representation of the solar system.

"Do you think they took the bait, Sailor Jupiter?" he said
to a hologram floating to the left of it.

"It sure looks like it. They're forming an attack group in
the shadow of Jupiter, just like you thought they would,"
the brown haired woman said thoughtfully.

"It just seemed like the correct thing to do. Tell me when
they start to actually move in to attack the planet itself."

"Wait just a second. They're moving already. I'm hooking you
up with Io to synchronize the attack," she said curtly,
cutting off the communication.

"Wait! Hold on, I don't want to..."

"...talk to me, Ranma?" Sailor Io said softly. "I know. It
still hurts." Her hologram had formed in an open spot to the
left of him.

The defender of the Sun couldn't raise his eyes to meet her.
"I never wanted to hurt you."

"I know. I just met our past selves. They had accidentally
hitched a ride to the future with the princess. It just
about broke my heart, to see them before..."

"...before I destroyed any chance of us ever having kids? I
don't even remember what I'd done to overuse my powers
before fully exploring them. My memory from before the ice
age is so fragmented. So lost."

"That comes from having over a thousand years of memories.
Who would have imagined that the two of us would be the only
ones to escape that cataclysm." Sailor Io shook her head.
"But back to our duty. Fire at the predetermined location.
Give me a countdown to when it will strike the mirror."

The Solaris II shifted its orbit around the Sun. The great
gold miles long cylindrical shape split in great rectangles,
unfurling into a gigantic silver reflector, pointing at the
Sun. Smaller satellites around the great molten center of
the solar system focused even more energy on the mirror. A
mirror that was thousands of miles wide!

All of that energy was focused on a gem encrusted mirror, a
bare hundred feet across. Dancing beams of light flickered
from gem to gem. A beam of coherent light, amplified by life
crystals, blasted forth into the cold darkness.

"Fifteen minutes." Ranma stared at the small hologram in
front of him. "I never stopped loving you. But I just
couldn't stand to see your disappointment anymore. You had
always wanted children. And it was obvious who was the
problem."

"I never blamed you."

"But I did."

Minutes ticked by slowly. "Two minutes."

Sailor Io gripped the ice pedestal in front of her. Glowing
lights within it signaled the correct time. Around her
frozen citadel, a glimmering of snow started to drift
upwards. Soon it was followed by chunks of ice, flinging
themselves into the void of space.

The opalescent spiders, in a swarm thousands of miles wide
all turned to see stream of ice streak into space in front
of them, off to the side. Inaudible chittering traveled back
and forth across the hive mind. As the ice formed into an
oblong mirror, the danger became dramatically apparent to
them all. They could see the reflection of the sun, a mere
pinprick in the mirror. In panic, they started to flee the
path of the burning death, the hated sunbeam that killed
them.

Too late, the center of the swarm was instantly vaporized by
the beam. The mirror melted a mere moment later, but the
damage and cohesion had been broken.

Still numbering in the millions, the remains of the
Chronovores continued to charge the gigantic planet ahead of
them. The had banked on being able to take the largest world
and make it their base. They could not fail.

Their senses, attuned to energies and light beyond that is
visible, felt another wave of energy forming. In front of
them lay their last opponent to defend against
insurmountable odds. Eternal Jupiter floated in space,
protected from icy death and suffocation by her magical
aura. Behind her lay Jupiter, slowing spinning majestically
behind her. She held Eternal Mercury on her left hand and
Eternal Venus on her right.

Magnetic forces, from the greatest planetary magnetic field
in the solar system, concentrated in the rapidly dispersing
vapor from the sunbeam attack. Electrical potential grew
larger and more potent, until a planet-shattering bolt of
lightning exploded from the center of the cloud, striking
almost all of the final Chronovores with lethal levels of
electricity.

The dozens that were left were in full retreat, not
understanding how their victory had been stolen from them.
They never made it, as another bolt of solar vengeance
burned them from the firmament.

Eternal Mercury read more information off of a floating
screen. "We still have only four more hours before they
totally encircle us. Four hours until the end."

-

"We're running out of time, Sailor Moon. We have to figure
out some way in!" Sailor Io said.

"We know, Akane! We know! Damn things even impervious to the
Breaking Point." Sailor Sun again attempted to burn a hole
in it, to no noticeable affect.

"If only the Sailor Io from this time could remember more!"
Sailor Moon said, banging her fist against the impenetrable
armor.

"That doesn't make sense. She had to give us enough
information. We must not be looking at it correctly," Sailor
Sun mused.

"Sure..." the youngest scout said, her voice trailing off.
She was right. The clues had to be there. They weren't
looking at it correctly. And Sailor Pluto wasn't magically
appearing to solve their problems.

What was she missing?

"Too bad you can't go ask your future self what we need to
do," Sailor Io said, tapping the door.

That was it! Io hadn't said Sailor Pluto; she had said the
Guardian of Time. Usagi Chibi was the Guardian of Time now,
specifically trained by Pluto to take her place. So if Pluto
hadn't sent her here, maybe she had sent herself. So how
would she know the key to unlock this impenetrable fortress?
It had to do with the Key, of course.

Well, knowing herself, she'd have mentally encoded a
password, too. So, was that all it required, her choosing a
password now? Something she'd remember to use later, of
course.

Sailor Moon set the key in the lock again. "Open in the name
of the Queen!" she cried out loudly.

"That ain't gonna... work? How the heck..." Sailor Sun
trailed off in surprise, even as motes of light formed
around them.

In the blink of an eye they were in a high tech control
room, screens and flat crystal surfaces everywhere.

"That was it! Pu didn't send us here, I did! Which means
that I must have prepared this at some point in the future."
She paused a second. "That breaks all sorts of rules of time
travel. Those strictures are there for a very good reason.
Unless, these Chronovores are an actual threat to time
itself?"

"So, you're saying, if we don't stop them, it's not just the
solar system that goes kablooey, but everything will?"
Sailor Io exclaimed. "The entire universe?"

"Well, I think so. So what is this fortress?" she murmured
to herself.

A large hologram appeared, showing the green and blue
surface of Solitude. Bright cracks of light appeared,
splitting it into hexes. Under their feet, the ground rocked
as the hexes started to drift apart. Sailor Sun shoved her
nose up close to it.

"I... think this is what's really going on. Solitude is
breaking apart."

Out in space, where the only true view was, the world was
indeed breaking apart into gigantic plates. Beams of pure
white force crackled like lightning between each plate, even
as they flew wider and wider apart.

"It's a nascent lock! We can't save Pluto, because it's fate
is sealed in time. So this is a replacement lock! The only
real solution to an insoluble problem! We can't stop the
Chronovores, because we don't have enough time. But someone
in the future did and sent it back in time."

"I just got a headache!"

"Oh, hush, Ranma!"

Sailor Moon tapped the control panels in front of her in a
seemingly meaningful manner, her pink cow tails swishing as
she bobbed her head. "But where are they going to get enough
energy?"

"What?"

"You need an incredible amount of energy to lockdown the
local temporal zone. More than any planet will ever
produce."

"Solitude is falling way apart. Why?" Sailor Io asked,
pointing at the hologram.

"Solitude was hollow, I guess. So many of the pieces are
moving so fast. Wait, it seems to be moving to enclose this
sun."

Sailor Sun seemed to be enthralled when the sun came into
view on the holograph. "Could you use a sun?"

"I guess. It seems like the designer is going to try."

"The Phoenix are trying to signal someone, anyone, to rescue
them. Something is terrifying them!" Sailor Sun cried out in
sudden alarm.

"How can you tell? Wait, the gravity field is fluctuating,
increasing radically "

"The sunspots are going wild! It's their form of an S.O.S."
Sailor Sun's fist gripped tighter and tighter, her knuckles
popping.

"Space is starting to fold!"

Plumes of fire, millions of miles tall were being ejected by
in between the hexes of Solitude. Space contracted,
uncounted rainbows of colors spreading in circular waves
across the edge of this reality.

"There are billions of them! I've got to try something to
save them!" Sailor Sun cried out.

"Ranma?" Sailor Io called out, reaching out and grabbing her
love. "Don't you dare leave me!"

At her touch, as if remembering something through a fog
memories, Sailor Sun's power flared. Following some unknown
cue, they chanted in unison, "Sailor Teleport!'

"What are they trying to do? Don't those idiots realize what
sort of forces are out there right now?" But she was talking
to thin air.

They appeared in outer space, close by one of the flares.
Akane's breath was taken away by the incredible view of
birds, formed of flames that danced in those hellish fires.
Seeming to spot them, hundreds of them fluttered away,
almost quicker than the eye could follow.

A mere moment later, a much larger and nobler looking
phoenix appeared at the edge of the still expanding plume.
'Sailor Sun, you came as you promised!' a familiar voice
called out across the void.

"Like I promised?" Sailor Sun stuttered. "Chizuko? What are
you doing here?"

'No time for that! My shell was destroyed and I was stranded
here a thousand years ago. You said it was important that I
prepare my people to flee this star!'

"That's it! We're going back to our dimension. But it isn't
safe. Not with the Chronovores running loose," Sailor Io
called out.

'Chronovores? The ancient enemy still?'

"Uh, yeah. They are attacking the Time Gate and... "

'They threaten reality itself! This must not happen. They
will throw the universe back into universal chaos!' Chizuko
laid back her head and let loose a resounding hawk-like cry
that nearly deafened them.

That cry was answered a million times over. Even as all the
plumes were filled with masses of the legendary firebirds,
the edge of space collapsed, rushing inward at the speed of
existence. For one second it seemed reality flip-flopped and
then stars appeared. Billions and billions of stars!

Out near the orbit of Pluto, a new star appeared, suddenly
warming everything near it!

And before them, around the ragged remains of the planet
known as Pluto, even more and more glittering time arachnids
teleported back to their desperate beachhead. Their plan
forgotten, they pulled all of their forces back even as they
struggled anew to crack the Time Gate.

Sailor Io gasped as she felt herself connect with the
ephemeral powers granted her by Io, surging life back into
her.

In front of them and spinning in rings out in space around
the remains of Pluto, patterns and glyphs of power sprang
into existence, twirling like some sort of combination lock.
In the center of the sudden light show, a sphere of metal
that was the true heart of the Gate of Time, cracks and
fractures raced across its surface.

With a soundless explosion, the Gate of Time shattered.

-

Dark clouds drifted over Tokyo, sending people scurrying on
their way. Even though it wasn't raining, people looked up
anxiously up at the clouds, one hand always ready with an
umbrella. In front of a foreboding bank, a man who was
trotting into its lobby seemed to strike the air. With a
startled cry, he was sent spinning, even as the air rippled
like a liquid mirror.

Ami stepped out of the opening portal as easily as she would
have a subway. A high tech set of glasses relayed
information to her from a kludged together computer in her
hands. A bubble of energy seemed to resolve itself around
her, faint sparks of electricity arcing across the surface.

"Got it! It's safe!" she called out behind her. "Hurry, the
portal will only stay open for a minute."

From behind her the rest of the group tumbled out in a
hurry. Haruka and Setsuna held their weapons at the ready,
staff and sword prepared to defend the others if necessary.
Right behind them came the diminutive Hotaru with her
Glaive.

As soon as they appeared, sparks and electricity appeared
around them in the same sort of bubbles.

"What's with the lightshow?" Rei asked, looking around. She
felt vaguely embarrassed by the attention they were
gathering.

"Alley! Quick!" Minako called out, leading the other in that
direction.

So the citizens of Tokyo were treated to the odd sight of a
large group of young women dashing for the nearest alleyway
as if their life depended on it.

More and more lightning crackled across the spheres of
invisible force that protected them. As Makoto followed them
into the alleyway, she thought she saw the whole area
flicker for just one second. The darkly gothic bank was
overlaid for just a second with a cheerful scene of an
outdoor restaurant, the foreboding crowd of dark suited men
and women shifting places with a more gaily garbed populace.

Blinding flashes of light illuminated the alleyway as the
Sailor Senshi transformed. Sailor Mercury focused on the
metallic bracelet, adorned with crystals and lights. The
bubble around her twisted as if alive, expanding and seeming
to become stronger and more defined. The other Senshi
followed her lead, enhancing their force fields.

"Okay. We made it back and we didn't get turned 'normal.'
Now, we just need to find out what did this and track it
back so we can attack." Michiru had manifested her mirror
and was busy staring into its depths.

Sailor Mercury sighed with relief as she started to work
with her silver millennium computer, her holographic visor
working much better than the cobbled computer she'd made in
Jadeite's dimension.

-

The ground shook, sending crystals tumbling. The dark robed
figure seemed to scowl, his eyes turning red as he drifted
towards a towering black crystal. Behind him, on what looked
to be a stage, Usagi sat at a long dinner table, seemingly
uncomfortable in her sun dress. Her haunted eyes would drift
furtively towards the odd crystal statue of a man in a
tuxedo, seemingly screaming in horror. It should have evoked
horror and terror, but all she could feel was an odd sense
of loss.

"Something... is interfering. Interfering with my world,"
Wiseman rasped quietly to himself. He was close, his black
crystal almost perfect, with no cracks or flaws. He could
feel more stress building within it, threatening to destroy
it. Someone must be remembering, fighting against the truth
of now, trying to bring back the old and unwanted past.
Shadows of women and men drifted through the ground like
smoke. "Find them. Purge them from here and now!"

"What are you doing, Wiseman?" Usagi's eyes looked up at
him, wide and innocent. At the edge of her vision, the wine
glasses and dinner shimmered for just a second.

"I am... protecting you. There are people who wish to do you
harm, put you in danger. My child."

She sat quietly, eating slowly and carefully. She felt
enclosed, trapped. Vertigo tried to grasp her in
claustrophobia. Bravely (why so bravely?) she showed no sign
of her discomfort.

She was startled by a resounding crash, thunder echoing
around the cavernous room. Dust shifted from the black
vaulted ceiling up above, cascading down.

"How can they remember?" Wiseman mused to himself. He hadn't
felt any resistance to his control in days.

The great double doors shattered inward, inlayed onyx and
obsidian scattering across the floor. The flood of water
seemed to sparkle and then vanished without a trace.

She felt herself float up to where the dark robed Wiseman
stood next to his crystal. A darkly translucent bubble
appeared around them.

The feeling of the unreal flowed through the young girl.
Even as the Sailor Senshi fought a desperate battle against
the resurrected foes of the Black Moon, Usagi watched the
amazing fight with detachment, almost disdain. A mist seemed
to diffuse what little light reached the room, giving the
scene a dreamlike quality.

They were obviously Wiseman's enemies, come here for some
reason. Why did she feel as if she had seen this same sort
of thing, time and time again? Her heart thrummed to an
unknown beat, a cadence deep and demanding, urging them on
into battle.

The battle seesawed back and forth, shadowy figures being
dispersed under many (odd but familiar) attacks. The Senshi
merely gritted their teeth when they were struck, giving
their wounded the chance to recover when they had to stop
because of their wounds. Sword, staff and spear spun a
deadly dance.

Finally, one of them (Mars, Usagi thought dimly) was unable
to duck and was overwhelmed. A shadowy woman with a blood
red moon symbol on her forehead ripped an ornamental
bracelet off. For one long second, two people seemed to
exist in one space. The young woman in robes collapsed,
clutching long scratches on her arm. She seemed to be saying
something, but it couldn't be made out through the force
field that enclosed the quiet at the storms heart.

The shadow smiled cruelly, but seeing her no threat turned
to help a uniformed man attack another of the strange girls.
With a grim determination, the raven-tressed girl crawled
towards the statue of horror. A look of terrible
concentration was on her brow. Sweat beaded on her brow.

Usagi silently mouthed 'Mamoru' along with the girl, a chord
of recognition struck deep within her. The archaically robed
girl stared at a piece of paper in her hand, as if to try
and fathom why she had it there. Trembling, she chanted
something unheard by Usagi, slapping the paper against the
statue, as if it were an evil spirit.

Silver crack of white light started fracturing from the
piece of paper, as if some great hammer had struck a star
that was encased within a fragile shell.

"I will not stand for this!" Wiseman shouted, shattering the
near silence within the bubble. Waves of darkness streamed
from his hands, striking the unprepared girl and the statue.
The darkness tore at the light, the paper and the girl,
abrading and scouring them.

Usagi noted dimly, far off in the analytical portion of
herself, that she must be screaming horribly. The scream was
realized as she determinedly threw herself towards Rei (her
name is Rei she thought dimly) and something else so
terribly important. The statue. Why was it so important to
her?

"Stop it! Stop it!" she shouted even as the darkness cut off
its relentless attack.

"You wanted this, Usagi! You wanted to be normal, to have an
uncomplicated life, free of these sort of burdens! I am just
giving you what you want!" the heavily cowled figure cried
out.

Rei looked up at the strange girl that was holding her
steady. Her questioning eye seemed to ask, who are you that
cares about me? Around them, the fight had stilled, as if
inconsequential in comparison to this event, this drama.

"I'm supposed to know her. And him too. They feel so
important to me. Why do I feel like this?"

"I've told you, you wish to be free of the duties that chain
you to these people! They would drag you back to an unhappy
life!" Skeletal hands slowly gathered dark energy in them.
"It is by your will that this happens! I am merely the
instrument of that will!"

Ripples in the air traveled between the two, as if the air
was liquid, in turmoil under a rain. "Duty..." ...is such a
terrible burden to bear. She clenched her hands, the fight
around her stalled with bated breath. She did feel an
overwhelming urge to give up these cares, to run free and
happy.

But beneath that urge lay a gaping sense of loss. A loss
that she could no longer carry within her.

"No." Her voice echoed hollowly across the room, alighting a
surge of hope among her friends that were watching.

"What? This is what you want! I can not lie about this! It
is part of my existence now!"

Rei rasped out a deep breath. Who was this evil? Why did she
feel as if conversation was far more important than the
battle that had raged around her. She looked over at the
girl, eyes bare inches apart. She should... "...believe in
yourself. I... believe in you."

"This is all about me. My wants. Against duty and love..."
her voice was almost a whisper, so softly she talked.

Rei felt a breath of fresh air, revitalizing her and
awakening her memories. Her robes melted away into her
warrior's uniform. "Serenity."

"I will not go back into oblivion! I will destroy this world
first and make it a new Nemesis, undoing that hated future!"
His gathered ebon energy struck at her with a fury of a
howling wind. In front of it, the ground itself was
destroyed, shattered into dust.

In front of it, Usagi held up her cupped hands. Her tears
ran across her now peaceful face. Sparkling, her tears
formed into a small crystal with the brilliance of the sun.
A light so bright that no darkness could come near it, an
impenetrable damn against the abyss.

Wiseman staggered back, even as his shadows moaned in horror
at the light. Hands composed only of bones clawed at his
crystal, drawing more and more power.

Sailor Moon floated at the heart of the light. Behind her,
the stone-like casement that held Tuxedo Kamen was blasted
as if by some unstoppable explosion. At his feet, two cats
of opposite appearance blinked as their own prisons
disappeared.

The short skirted uniform became purer, a long gown of
softest white. Clear blue eyes opened, anger growing within
them.

"Wiseman. I don't know how, but this ends. Now!" shouted
Usagi; Serenity, the future queen clearly showing through.
This was the man, destroyed and come back, who tried to kill
her friends and her future family.

"I have your power! Even you can not stand against it!" the
avatar of Nemesis cackled insanely. Black lightning struck
the building and the ground with irresistible power.

"My power? My desire and my will?" Her eyes narrowed in
thought. "I am not the child I was. I can choose. And with
that choice, take back my power!" she cried out. Light
streamed out in glorious wonder to shine on the midnight
black crystal

"No! How can this be?" Wiseman cried out, panic layering his
voice with fear. Fractures appeared, blemishing its pure
finish.

"The Silver Millennium Crystal is my heritage! When my
purpose is pure, it can not be turned against me!" Terrible
strain was evident as she channeled such great power. "It is
me!"

"And she is not alone!" Endymion added even as he put his
hands upon her shoulder. A soft glow of gold emanated from
him.

Without any words, Sailor Mars followed suit, putting her
hands on Usagi's other shoulder. She glowed a radiant red in
response to her liege.

The Silver Crystal pulsed once with the brilliance of a
nova, traveling across the world in an eye blink. The whole
world seemed to shake, even as the shade of Nemesis was
expelled into space.

-

With a sun at her back and a force of millions of burning
spirits, Sailor Sun raised her sword high. Light glinted on
it from behind her. Without further ado, the forces of light
surged onward into battle.

From afar it looked to be a massive wedge of destructive
energy that struck the Chronovores with a force beyond
reckoning. Up close it resembled a dog fight of galactic
scale. Fiery beaks and claws tore at glassy carapaces. Back
and forth the battle flowed in the intense minutes of
fighting.

Approaching the battle, the shrinking sun of Solitude burned
more and more intensely, even as less light was visible. It
moved forward with terrible grandeur, a key fitting a lock.
Or perhaps more accurately, a lock that perfectly fit a key.

At the center of what used to be Pluto, the Chronovores
smashed themselves against the last barriers that kept them
from all time. Solitude swept toward them, now only twice
the size of what it was supposed to be. Incandescent beams
of pure white energy leaked from between the planetary
plates.

With only moments to go and a final barrier to breach,
warriors appeared. Swords, staff and glaive. The defenders
of the solar system roared a challenge as they flung
themselves into combat to delay them for just long enough.

The very ether seemed to seethe and boil as Solitude
engulfed the fracture of time. Invisible lightning pulled
the planet together with a silent snap, leaving the orbit
quiet for a long moment.

A new star appeared on the surface of Solitude. "We made
it," Queen Serenity said, looking around at the darkening
sky.

All of the Sailor Senshi had appeared. Sailor Sun's male
uniform seemed to contrast terribly with all of the flowing
gowns. Unconsciously, he gravitated near Eternal Io who was
watching the ongoing proceedings.

King Endymion nodded his agreement. Behind him, Eternal
Neptune had summoned her mirror to use its powers to scry
out the movements of the enemy. "It appears they have been
routed. It my take a few years, but we should be able to
track them down and make sure they never threaten us again."

A whirling circle of light appeared, heralding the
appearance of the Guardian of Time.

"Pluto-?" Serenity started to ask, startled when she saw her
daughter appear.

The neo-sailor bowed her head, tears threatening to pour
from her. She had almost put the death of Sailor Pluto
behind her. "She really was killed in the first attack by
Chronovores."

"She has a duty, to me and my line," Serenity said firmly.
"It is a far greater burden and even death can not stand
against such oaths." The Silver Millennium Crystal appeared
within her cupped hands.

"Mother? MOM!" Princess Usagi screamed out, only to be
stopped by Eternal Mars and her father.

The light sparkled and grew more intense as Queen Serenity
raised her hands far above her head. A soundless wind of
pure light came from her hands, blinding all who watched.
Even the most powerful among them, Eternal Saturn, had to
avert her eyes.

A small child's crying broke the stillness after the light
had left.

"Wha-" Two fingers silenced her, a gesture of her childhood
from her father.

"Sailor Pluto no more, but still cherished and beloved of
the House of the Moon. I name thee Setsuna of Solitude,
princess of the Court of the Moon, last child of Chronos.
For thy lands I grant thee Solitude, to protect and cherish
for the realm." A magical light followed her tracing finger
as it made a pattern on the small baby's forehead, its eyes
unblinking.

She turned to her daughter. "Into my daughter's care I place
you, as she was placed into yours. And so the circle is
complete."

The princess mutely took the small baby up, holding her
close. "Thank you, mother."

"It hurts me to see you hurt so over her loss. She was
closer to you than I could ever be with my duties," Serenity
replied sorrowfully. She was surprised when she was hugged
tightly by first her daughter and then the two of them by
her husband.

"There's still lots of time," her daughter said, her smile
echoed by her father.

All of the Senshi sniffled a little (even Sailor Sun had a
bit of dust in his eyes.) For several long minutes, they
cherished the royal family's reunion.

"This calls for a party!" Eternal Venus suddenly shouted,
her right hand raised up in a 'V' for a dramatic victory
salute.

Almost everyone stared at her in mute astonishment, except
Mars and Jupiter that rolled their eyes at their old friends
eternal immaturity. A bead of sweat grew on the blonde
princess of Venus's forehead.

Serenity suddenly started laughing, breaking an old facade
of seriousness. "Of course! It shall be held in celebration
of our victory. All of you are commanded to be present and
have fun."

"Uh, are you sure of that?" Sailor Sun asked. Parties had
not been something he had been able to get into. Especially
with Akane going to be there.

The Queen frowned for just a second. Following her command
by instinct, Jupiter and Mars grabbed him in two separate
but effective martial holds.

"You are going to be there, aren't you?"

"I'd be very upset with you if you didn't show up this time,
Ranma," Mars said dangerously.

Barely being able to breath, Sailor Sun managed to nod. That
wasn't fair ganging up on him like that.

Serenity smiled sunnily. She turned to the youngest members
of the Senshi present. "Well you two, are you ready to go
home?"

The younger Sailor Sun nodded dumbly as she stared at her
older self being manhandled by the two most martial of the
Inner Senshi.

Light encompassed them, flinging back down the paths of time
and space.

-

Ranma and Akane stumbled to a halt, feeling disoriented and
confused for just a second. In front of them stood the
familiar gates of Juuban High School.

"Huh? What happened?" Ranma asked.

"I don't know. But everything feels right now. Not like that
strangeness where we were the only ones who remembered being
married." His wife looked around, oddly bemused.

"Hey, kids! You all right?" an older man called out from his
car that was parked on the side of the road.

"Uh, yeah. We're fine." Ranma shrugged his unconcern to
Akane.

"Could I talk to you? I've gotta offer for you."

Cautiously, they walked over. His car was an older model,
quite beat up. He grinned at them. Whoever he was, he was
scruffy and had a pile of empty Styrofoam cups next to him.
"I'm a reporter. No, really. You see, I'm here looking for
the Sailor Senshi. I've got a map that shows this is the
center of the youma attacks. I'm going for an exclusive. My
paper is willing to pay big bucks for anyone who helps me
get the interview of the century."

"Oh, how neat. I don't know how much we could help. We just
transferred here from Furinkan High over in the Nerima Ward.
We haven't even seen the Sailor Senshi. Oh, I hope I do! It
would be so neat!" Akane gushed with her most vacant
expression.

"Uh, we're gonna be late for school." Ranma grabbed her and
pulled her quickly towards the school.

"No problem. Just keep me in mind kids!" The reporter
shrugged and scribbled a note on his pad of paper. He knew
he was on the right track.

"What was up with that?" Ranma asked no one in particular.

"That's just some nosey reporter that's been bugging us
lately," Ami said as she walked by, her nose in a book. "I
liked it when they just 'happened' to ignore us. I'm more
curious as to where you guys were. You missed all the fun."
She sure didn't look more interested, as she continued to
read her book.

"Hey! We were following directions. We were asked to grab
her, so we did. Wasn't our fault we got dragged into the
future. We helped save the whole solar system!" Ranma puffed
out his throat in pride.

"Yeah, it had to do with... Solitude, I think. I'm having a
tough time remembering though."

Ami nodded understandingly. "It's hard to remember after the
chronal disturbances of time travel. Regular teleporting is
far less disorienting."

"So, everything is back to normal?" Akane asked.

"Uh huh," Ami replied.

"Ranma! Akane! You're back!" Usagi squealed in delight,
leaping up from her desk. She grabbed Akane in a tight hug.

Ranma felt a slight difference from their future ruler.
"Say, why is she-"

"-here before class? I think Usagi has quit hiding from the
future. She's starting to grow up." Ami slipped into her
seat, still reading her book.

"I'm probably not going to understand what you're talking
about, am I?" Ranma asked seriously.

Ami looked up from her book and smiled shyly. "I think you
could. You just have to apply yourself. You're smarter than
you think. You just have to try."

"... Yeah. Maybe." But did he want to tap into the
intelligence that his past life had showed him he had? Then
again, he had adjusted to his cursed form too. It was just
more of the same thing. It didn't change what he is now,
just that in the past, that he was something else.

"Come on, Ranma! Quit acting so gloomy!" Akane called out
from across the room where she was sitting down."

Ranma smiled and trotted over. Somehow, if he still had
Akane, it didn't seem to worry him as much.

-

Epilogue to follow