THE SECOND MOBIUS
Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars
by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)
May 2000 – September 2000
Revised - Winter 2001
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.
Episode 227: Welcome back parties! Trouble on the ice.
"Wake up, Usagi-chan!" Chibiusa screamed into the sleeping girl's ear. "Mamo-chan gets home today. It's Tuesday!" Usagi didn't move. Chibiusa shrugged at the girl, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her violently.
"WAKE UP, USAGI!" she yelled, her voice unbelievably loud. Usagi's sleepy eyes suddenly snapped open. She saw Chibiusa and groaned. With one swipe of her hand, she knocked the eight-year-old off her bed.
"Ow, baka!" Chibiusa hollered. She glared at her future mother spitefully. "That hurt! I was just trying to tell you it's Tuesday. Mamo-chan is coming home!" Usagi looked over at the clock. 12:00. 12:00? That woke Usagi up. She jumped out of bed, screaming at the top of her lungs.
"I'm going to be late!" she yelled, running out of her room and towards the bathroom in a cloud of dust.
"N-n-no! How could I have overslept?" Chibiusa sighed. Sometimes she wondered if that girl had split personalities or something. A wonder that this was her mother.
"Chibiusa, what was Usagi so hyper about?" Ikuko asked, walking into the room. She got a look of annoyance on her face when she saw that her daughter's room was a mess again. Chibiusa sighed and walked over to her "aunt".
"I told her that Mamoru-san is coming home and she freaked out," Chibiusa said. She shook her head in disgust. "Ikuko-mama, that baka needs an alarm clock. She's always late and always a crybaby and always a klutz and always a ditz." Ikuko smiled.
"And that's the Usagi we love, right?" she asked, pinching Chibiusa's cheek. "Besides, you're both practically the same. I mean, she is your cousin." Chibiusa hid a grin. Actually, Usagi was her mother, but she couldn't very well tell people that, now could she?
"Of course," Chibiusa giggled. She flopped down on Usagi's bed and decided to do her a favor. "Can we get a ride to the airport, Ikuko-mama?" Ikuko looked surprised.
"Sorry, sweetie," she said, patting Chibiusa's pink hair. "I can't. You should ask Kenji-papa."
"Awww…"
"Hush! Now go and get ready. When does Chiba-san's plane come in?" Chibiusa looked at the older woman quizzically. Usagi hadn't said when. She wondered about the time. Must be soon or else Usagi wouldn't have freaked out like she had.
"Soon, I think," Chibiusa said. Then she shrugged. "I don't know. Usagi didn't tell me."
"Usagi didn't tell you what?" a voice asked behind her. Usagi walked quickly into the room, all washed up and dressed. Chibiusa wondered how on earth that girl could move so fast. Chibiusa stuck her tongue out and pulled down her eyelid.
"You didn't tell me what time Mamo-ch…I mean, Mamoru-san is coming home!" she wailed, fake tears running down her face. "I haven't seen him in over a year!"
"Haven't seen you in over a year either," Usagi piped up, getting a sly look on her face. "And you see Mamo-chan every day in the…" Usagi suddenly stopped and looked at her mother. "I mean, that is, you…um…used to see Mamo-chan everyday, so you should have a brain full of memories, ne?"
Chibiusa glared at the taller, yet still petite girl. "Baka, you are no fun." With that, she stomped out of the room. Ikuko stared at her daughter for a second.
"Um, I'm going to go and get lunch ready," she said. She reached the doorframe and looked back at her daughter. "Want anything special?"
"Iie," Usagi replied. She shrugged. "Maybe peanut butter and jelly." Ikuko nodded. Usagi got a kawaii look on her face as she began grinning. "But we have to leave in an hour and a half. Mamo-chan's plane gets in a 3:00."
"Ara, 3:00?" she asked. "Honto?"
"Hai."
"Okay, then. I'll ask your father whether or not he can take you up to the airport. I'd like to see that nice young man again myself. How old is he now?" Usagi blushed.
"Ano, age hasn't really been a key thing in our relationship," Usagi said quickly, waving her hands around in front of her face. Ikuko began to look stern. "Um, he's three years older than me."
"Okay, at least you're honest," Ikuko commented. She looked over her shoulder. "Just don't let your dad hear that." Usagi giggled. She knew her dad overreacted every time she mentioned boys. Ikuko smiled also and left the room. Chibiusa sauntered in a few seconds after Usagi's mom left. Her red eyes were gleaming.
"So, he's coming in at 3:00?" she asked. Usagi glared at her intensely.
"Were you eavesdropping?" Usagi roared, her blue eyes turning into flames. She got a weird look on her face. Chibiusa grinned while she clicked her heels.
"What are you going to do if I was?" she replied in a singsong voice. She ran up to Usagi, yanked a blonde pigtail and ran off. "Catch me if you can, slow baka!" Usagi turned red as she started screaming.
"I'm going to get you Chibiusa!" she yelled before tearing out of her room.
"Yeah right!"
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"So, how'd it go?" Libra asked, tapping Emerald on the head. Her gold eyes gleamed a bit. "Find any clues yet?" Emerald bit her bottom lip. She was still trying to shake off that weird feeling that she felt during the "battle".
"There are too many sailor senshi," she said, crossing her arms. "Seven of them fronted me straight out while another three hid in the shadows." Emerald looked at the Oracle Mace in her hands hatefully. She had felt a tinge of guilt when she had attacked the pink sailor soldier.
"That's ten sailor soldiers," Libra whispered. She pulled on a blonde braid nervously. "What were the attacks of the three that hid in the shadows?"
"Aurora Borealis, Heaven Inferno, and Twilight Expansion."
"Oh, so the revelation really has begun?" a voice muttered through the darkness. A tall, slender figure stepped from the shadows a bit, the light casting an eerie darkness on her pale features. "Figures why you trashed our planet looking for that stupid talisman."
"Who are you?" Libra demanded as two more figures appeared next to the girl. "You're not a senshi of the zodiac, are you?" A white-haired figure shook her head, the long ponytail in the back swishing back and forth.
"Course not," she said, her green eyes snappy. "We've just come to see what your plan is. I mean, you've already searched our planet for the taboo talisman."
"What do you want?" Emerald asked, not bothering to look up. "I was just enrolled in this mission so if you want to fight for revenge, don't take it out on me." The tallest of the three, a brunette, looked a bit surprised.
"You look familiar," she whispered, low enough so that only her two companions could hear. She turned to them. "Doesn't she remind you of Sailor…"
"Who are you?" Libra suddenly flared up. Her gold eyes had frozen into ice. "Answer me now and I'll make your deaths a lot less painful." The first figure cocked her head to the side.
"Remember the last planet you attacked?"
Libra nodded.
"We're the sailor guardians from there. We have friends on that planet you're searching on. Very close friends. In fact, we've battled with them before."
"You're stowaways!" Libra gasped. She stood her ground. Turning back to Emerald, she said, "Go and get the others. Tell them we have adversaries on this ship."
Emerald looked over at the three. Something was vaguely familiar about them. But, no time for that now.
"Hai, I'll go." With that, she stood up and ran out of the room. Libra turned to face the trio. The white-haired figure groaned.
"Congratulations, baka," she groaned. "In a few seconds, we're going to have the entire ship turn on us."
"Well, I guess we've overstayed our welcome," the first one said, laughing a bit. "I guess we ought to leave." The brunette nodded.
"Next time, it'd be smart not to tell the entire story to the bad guys," she said.
There was a brilliant flash of light. Libra blinked a few times, only to realize that those three were gone. Her jaw dropped, but easily curved back into a smile.
"You can't escape that easily," she said, her voice echoing through the darkness. "I know exactly where you're headed."
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"Aw, come on!" Kei begged, grabbing Yomicha's arm. "Just because I'm a sailor soldier doesn't mean I can't have any fun." The three girls were sitting at an outdoor café in the middle of Juuban Shopping Mall.
Megumi just stared on at the two as she quietly drank her iced tea. They had been arguing for the last five minutes and neither had changed their mind. Megumi had decided just to stay out of the conversation. Besides, it was much more fun listening than participating.
"Yes, that's exactly what it means," Yomicha joked, prying the girl off her arm. Kei's face fell and Yomicha laughed. "You look so kawaii when you get the puppy dog look on your face." Kei blushed.
"Ara honto?" she asked.
"Honto. Anyway, you have to stop bugging me. You have to be a bit more serious. We have very limited time to bring out this revelation." She was somber now. Megumi decided to finally say something.
"Of course, since Kei-san is going to be…" she lowered her voice and looked around, "…sacrificed, I think we ought to go. For all we know, it might be fun. Stop being such a stiff, MichiMichi-chan." Yomicha blushed a bit.
"Hey, I'm strict on this stuff," she replied, blowing some silver locks from her eyes. "I didn't get the title 'soldier of discipline' for nothing." Kei looked over at Megumi who had finished her iced tea.
I don't get it, she thought to herself. Sometimes she sticks up for Yomicha-chan and other times she sticks up for me. I think she's indecisive. Then again, she's only, what, eight? Kids. I thought I understood them.
, she thought to herself.Megumi stared back at Kei with large green eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that, Kei-chan?" Kei quickly snapped out of her trance.
"No reason, no reason," she said, waving her hands in front of her face. "Just, um, daydreaming." Megumi cocked her head to the side.
"Well, can you daydream stare at someone else 'cause you make me uncomfortable when you look at me with this spaced out look in your eyes. It's like I have a wasp near my ear or something." Kei giggled at the childish response as she stood up. Yomicha and Megumi stood up too.
As they began walking, Kei wondered if her dad had gotten into Germany safely yet. He had left early this morning, before Kei was even awake. She had been mad at him for not saying good-bye because she knew she'd probably never see him again. Upset and hurt, she had called Yomicha and asked if she'd mind company. Of course, Megumi had made her tell her feelings. Kei had said nothing.
"I think she's daydreaming again," Megumi suddenly said, staring back at Kei. "Kei-san! Oh, Kei-san! Well, at least she's not staring at me." Kei blushed for nearly the umpteenth time that day.
"Gomen ne, Megumi-chan," she said with a giggle. "I'll daydream when I get back home. The I can daydream stare at the refrigerator and drool." Megumi burst into laughter. Yomicha laughed too. And they were laughing hard. Kei smiled, but the sight of them made her start laughing too.
Yomicha stopped to take a breath. "G-g-eez…" Burst of laughter, "…Kei-chan, you're…" Another row of giggles, "…too kawaii…" She couldn't even finish her sentence. After a couple more moments, they had all managed to suppress their laughter.
"So, where are we going again?" Yomicha asked, putting a hand on her hip. "The ice arena?" Kei nodded.
"Ice skating is fun," she said, twirling a violet tress. Her red eyes sparkled. "Plus, you always tend to meet up with some friends there. C'mon. It'll be fun." Megumi and Yomicha shared a look.
"Fun?"
Kei noticed the looks on their faces. "Nani? You don't know how to ice skate." Yomicha shook her head and Megumi shrugged.
"Last time we did ice skate was ten millennia ago," Megumi said, crossing her arms. "You tend to forget things that happened ten thousand years ago." Kei cupped her chin her hand.
"Well, I guess there's a second time for everything," she murmured. She quickly grabbed her two companions' hands and grinned. "Don't worry. I'm a …pretty good skater. It's real easy."
"Oh, sliding on a thin blade across slippery ice sounds real easy," Yomicha grumbled. "Some people can barely walk on ice with flat shoes on." Kei shrugged.
"Well, some people have the talent for it," she said. "That's what some people do for a living. So, it must be possible."
"Name one person who does that for a living."
"Um, my friend does. Her name is Seiko Hajime." Kei smiled a bit. "We call her Hajime-hime because she's like a princess out on the ice." Megumi shrugged.
"Maybe we can meet her," she said. Her green eyes scintillated a bit. She looked up at Yomicha. If someone is referred to as a princess, maybe she holds the taboo talisman. Kei, unaware of the glance exchanged between the two, began walking in the direction of the ice arena.
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"Konnichiwa, Rei-chan!" Minako shouted, running up the steps to the Hikawa Jinja. Her blonde hair bounced softly against her back. Ami, Mako, and Hogoshi were right at her heels.
"Konnichiwa, minna-chan!" Rei called, waving with one hand and holding a broom with the other. A black crow was sitting comfortably on her shoulder. Rei turned her head to it. "Deimos, I need to speak with them." The crow seemed to understand as it flew from its perched port from Rei's shoulder and into a tree.
"Hey, Rei-chan!" Hogoshi yelled. "How's it going?" Rei shrugged. She wasn't wearing her miko-san clothes as she usually did, but a nice cool summer outfit. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail by a red ribbon.
"Not too good," Rei said. She looked back towards the shrine. "It's too hot to try and do readings in my fire over the new enemies and it's too hot to do chores. I'm restless." Ami nodded.
"Well, we can all get some studying done," she suggested. The others looked at her strangely. Ami didn't even blush. "Suspected."
"Oh, come on!" Minako said cheerfully. "It's a gorgeous day outside, not a cloud in the sky, and we're moping around. We need some action around here." Hogoshi sighed. Wasn't that just a few days ago that Minako didn't want to do anything but mope?
Mako looked around. "Hey, Usagi's not here?" she asked, her green eyes curious. Then she remembered. "Oh yeah. Mamoru-san is coming home today. She and Chibiusa are probably at the airport."
"How about we go down to the ice arena?" Ami asked. "It's not hot in there plus it'll be fun to try and skate around." She smiled. "Maybe when Usagi and the others get back, they can join us here too. I mean, we might as well stay until it cools off a bit."
Hogoshi blushed. "Ice arena? Skating? As in a thin blade across slippery ice?" Mako nodded.
"It's real easy, you know." Rei rolled her eyes and sighed sarcastically. The others looked back at her.
"Easy for you to say," she said, wiping a strand of black hair from her eyes. "You're the figure skater here." Mako smiled. She was, of course, the figure skater. It was a natural ability. Hogoshi groaned.
"Thanks for the confidence builder," she muttered. She flipped her brown hair elegantly. "Well, I can watch you guys slip and slide, but I'm not going out onto any ice and break my neck."
"Oh, you won't break your neck!" Minako piped up. "The only thing that might get hurt is your dignity." Hogoshi dropped her head.
"Arigatou, Minako-chan."
Rei suddenly looked up as a cool breeze passed through. Her violet eyes were suddenly blazing with a fire from within. "W-what? What just happened?" Ami looked at her with concern etching across her face.
"Rei-chan, are you all right?" Rei shook her head as the crows began squawking loudly above their heads. Rei felt a premonition rising from deep inside her, swelling with every passing moment.
"I'm going to the fire to see what's up!" she yelled, running into the shrine. The others stared after her.
"I'm not going in there," Minako said. "It's too hot."
"Well, I'm not going in there either." The comment was followed by silence. Curiosity got the best of them and they hurried inside after Rei. They found her kneeling in front of the raging fire. The room was a bit stuffy and definitely hot.
"What is it, Rei-chan?" Hogoshi called out, but Rei was deep in prayer. Her eyes were shut and her hands clasped together. She was chanting some foreign phrase to the fire. "Rei-chan?"
"Quiet," Rei hissed, still locked in prayer mode. "I'm receiving an image from my premonition. Listen." The girls were completely quiet and still as they listened to the sharp crackling of the fire. They didn't hear anything abnormal.
Rei could feel the swelling threatening to burst inside of her. But she carefully kept it down. Too much power might make the fire go out. She kept chanting, her voice low and monotone.
Suddenly, a voice so weak that it was barely audible sounded through their heads.
"Sailor soldiers…"
"Who was that?" Minako asked, her blue eyes growing larger by the minute.
"Someone's trying to communicate with us," Rei whispered, her eyes still shut. "But I can feel that they are unsure or lost, as if they don't have enough energy to send this message."
"Well, we need to help this person," Mako said. "If they're weak that means they might be in troub…"
"Quiet," Rei suddenly called. "They're trying to communicate again." The room became oddly quiet as they waited for the voice to speak up again.
"Sailor soldiers…of the…Silver Millennium…" The voice droned out for a second. The girls looked at each other, wide-eyed. Rei opened her eyes.
"Please, tell us who you are," she said, her voice haunting and quiet, as if not to frighten the owner of the voice.
"My name…is…" The voice suddenly flickered out again into an inaudible whisper. Rei tried again.
"Can you materialize yourself?" Rei asked gently. "Do you need any help?" There was a gently breeze in the room as if the figure was nodding its head. Rei turned to the others.
"I can keep the connection for them to get here," she said. "Hogoshi-chan, you probably have the most power in here since you receive power from the moon and the four outer planets. Take out your locket." Hogoshi took a deep breath and pulled out the silver and black compact.
"Okay, let's try again," Rei called out to the invisible force. "Can you see Hogoshi-chan?" Silence. "Hello?"
"Hello…"
"Can you see Hogoshi-chan? She's the one with the bro…"
"I think I know who…she is…" Hogoshi was a bit shocked. There were few people who knew her, except for maybe at school and some of Usagi's friends. Weird.
Rei just nodded. "Place your hand on her locket if you can." Hogoshi felt an eerie sensation spread across her arm. Her hand felt frozen as if it had been covered in ice. The locket glowed a bit by the invisible touch. There was a shimmering of light in the room.
The fire went out.
"Yikes!" Minako cried out as the room became pitch black. She blinked a couple of times. Well, it was pitch black. She could still see the others thanks to the eerie glow caused by the figure.
"The materialization is almost complete," Rei whispered as all eyes turned to the white figure. Hogoshi was watching with wide, terrified eyes. The white light of the figure dimmed away.
"Oh my god…"
"It can't be…"
The figure, a young woman, looked at them. Her green eyes sparkled a bit as she reached out to touch Hogoshi. "I'm Kakyuu-hime. Your planet is in grave danger."
"Kakyuu-hime!" Ami cried, her blue eyes wide. "What do you mean?" Kakyuu shook her head, the thick red strands of her hair shaking.
"I don't have enough power to keep this transfiguration up long," she said, her voice solemn and quiet. "All I know is that this will be your toughest fight yet."
"Can you tell us who we're up against?" Hogoshi asked. Her green eyes were hesitant.
"They call themselves the Sailor Constellations, senshi of the zodiac," Kakyuu said. "There are eight evil senshi, but the other two are good. They get their orders from a princess, whose power comes from Polaris, the North Star. However, I know for certain that that Princess is not their true Princess. Their true princess radiates with pure energy."
"How do you know about them?" Minako asked, her face serious and her manner sober.
"They've already attacked our planet, looking for a taboo talisman," Kakyuu replied.
"Taboo talisman?" Mako asked. "That's what Sailor Emerald was talking about." Kakyuu looked surprised, but her image began to dim.
"Ara, I'm losing power," she said, not sounding the least bit surprised. "Yes, you must defeat them. I believe you've had a similar experience of an enemy looking for something hidden inside humans." Yes, there had been three experiences of that.
The first had happened two and a half years ago when the Death Busters were in search of the Holy Grail. That's when Minako, Rei, Mako, and Ami had been introduced to all of the outer soldiers, who were in search of the messiah of light.
The third experience had been when Nephernia and her circus crew had gone around searching for the golden mirror, which held Pegasus. Unbeknowst to them, Chibiusa held the golden mirror since she had befriend Helios, Pegasus, earlier.
The second had occurred just over a year ago, when Galaxia had been wanting to put an end to the Sailor Wars. She had gone around taking anyone's star seeds, including those of the sailor senshi. They had met the Sailor Starlights and Princess Kakyuu in that battle.
"Kakyuu-hime," Hogoshi whispered as the princess began to fade. Her features began to glow faintly. "Is there anyway we can defeat them?"
"Be strong and never forget that your friends will never leave you," Kakyuu whispered, disappearing quickly. She smiled. "Even the ones you thought have." Kakyuu was suddenly gone and the fire raged up again.
Hogoshi didn't say anything. Something about what that princess had said had made her think. Be strong and never forget that your friends will leave you. Even the ones you thought have.
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"Mamo-chan!" Usagi cried out, noticing the dark-haired figure coming out of the airport terminal. Her blue eyes lit up as she saw the handsome young man for the first time in a year. She ran over to him. "Mamo-chan! Mamo-chan!"
"Usa-ko!" he said as the blonde girl flung her arms around his neck. He was unable to hug her back since he was holding some baggage in his arms. Chibiusa didn't say anything as she wrapped herself around his leg. Mamoru staggered a bit.
"Can I, um, put my luggage down?" Mamoru asked, looking at his petite fiancee. Usagi didn't respond. She just slowly unwrapped herself from her boyfriend. Mamoru looked down at his leg. Chibiusa wasn't letting go.
"This is a big surprise!" Mamoru said, smiling. "I get Usa-ko and Chibiusa!" Chibiusa nodded and let go of Mamoru's leg. He quickly put his luggage down on the ground and opened his arms wide. Usagi fell back in, crying.
"Mamo-chan, I missed you so much," she said. Mamoru smiled and gently lifted her chin so his eyes looked into hers. In a liquid and slow movement, he bent down and kissed her. This kiss was warm and tender and made Usagi tingle all the way down to her toes. She hadn't felt so good in over a year.
Chibiusa groaned and tugged at Mamoru's pants leg. Even though she was eight, she could still be as cute as a five-year old. Usagi looked down at her. Chibiusa looked jealous. "Mamo-chan is my Mamo-chan." Usagi got a wise look on her face.
"Yeah, but he's your daddy." Chibiusa looked disgruntled. Usagi got a look of triumph over her face as she said, "So I guess Mamo-chan is my Mamo-chan."
"Um, maybe we should leave now," Mamoru suggested, sensing the tension between is future wife and daughter. He picked up his luggage. "We're holding up traffic." Usagi nodded and grabbed Mamoru's left arm. Not to be intimidated, Chibiusa grabbed his right leg. Mamoru tilted over a bit. He looked at his family and sighed.
"Hey, it's kind of hot outside," Chibiusa informed her future parents sweetly. "Maybe we should go over to the skating rink to try and cool off." Mamoru smiled and Usagi steamed.
"Yeah, that sounds nice," Mamoru said. Then he saw Usagi's face and got a weird look on his face. "Um, but let's stop at my apartment first so I can put my luggage up."
"Did you buy me a present?" Chibiusa asked. Mamoru laughed at her cuteness, making Usagi even more jealous. Usagi pulled on Mamoru's arm.
"Did you buy me a present?" she asked, her blue eyes sweet. Her boyfriend looked a bit overwhelmed.
"Hey, you've been asking me all these questions and I haven't been able to ask a single one," he said, walking out the front door. This was proving to be more difficult. Not only was he caring baggage, but also, Usagi and Chibiusa were claiming a body part.
"Hello, Chiba-san," Kenji said as he saw his daughter coming outside the airport. The two men shook hands. Usagi smiled as she clung onto Mamoru's arm.
"Dad, do you think that you could drive us over to the ice skating rink?" Usagi asked her dad as she climbed into the backseat. Kenji and Mamoru placed Mamoru's luggage into the trunk.
"Yeah, yeah!" Chibiusa cheered, looking at her "uncle" with large red eyes. "Please, Kenji-papa? Pleeeease?" Kenji chuckled a bit at her innocence. Chibiusa immediately climbed into the front seat next to Kenji. "We won't stay long. It's just so hot that we need to cool off and catch up with Mamo-ch… Mamoru-san."
"Well, if you come back home on time," Kenji said slowly, "I guess so. But let's drop off Chiba-san before we go anywhere else." Usagi and Chibiusa cheered. Mamoru blushed a bit. They sure hadn't changed even after what had happened a year ago.
Usagi looked up at the handsome young man. She hadn't seen him in over a year. She had told him about Hogoshi and the outer soldiers. The pain was beginning to diminish. But, she still missed them. They had given up their lives so that she and the others could live. They had stuck to that cursed promise which had cost them their lives. Why had they been willing to sacrifice themselves?
Haruka...Michiru...Setsuna...Hotaru…would she ever see them again?
"Usa-ko, what's wrong?" Mamoru asked, gently touching Usagi's cheek. Tears were flowing down her cheeks. Usagi shook her head. As much as she loved Mamoru, she couldn't tell him the feelings that were bothering her. Why had those painful feelings returned now? They were stronger then they had been.
"Um, just thinking about something," Usagi said, trying to smile. "Nothing too serious. You know me, crying for no reason." Mamoru shook his head.
"Those tears aren't of a crybaby, they're sincere," he said. Usagi knew she couldn't hide anything from him.
"I miss them," Usagi whispered. "I know it's been a year, but I can't stop thinking about them. Especially now. It's as if something, a presence, keeps reminding me that they're not here."
"What are you talking about?" Kenji asked, looking back at his daughter through the rearview mirror. He stopped at a red light. "You miss who?" Usagi had never told her parents or school "friends" of the outers' deaths. There hadn't seemed to be a reason.
"Oh, she just misses some friends who moved away last year," Chibiusa supplied, casting a look back at her teenage mom. "I think she'll see them again. After all, they could be coming back where I live." Usagi wondered what she was talking about. Coming back where she lived? The future? How would that…
That's it! All senshi are always reincarnated! Could it be that the outers were reincarnated in the future?
Seeing the hopeful look on Usagi's face, Chibiusa continued, "But my home is kind of far away. I doubt they'll be there yet." Usagi got a sour look on her face. Time was so confusing. Geez…
"Don't worry Usa-ko!" Mamoru said, smiling down at the petite blonde. "You still have Chibiusa, your friends, and me. We won't ever leave you alone. After all, you're our princess."
Usagi smiled warmly. "Thanks Mamo-chan."
Kenji shook his head as he drove on. "Kids. You just can't understand them…"
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Megumi stood confidently in her ice skates. She looked back at Kei, who was having some trouble walking toward her. They were still outside of the rink, waiting for Yomicha to join them. Megumi smiled mischievously.
"After you, Kei-chan," she said. Kei glowered at the little girl. Then she smiled.
"Cute outfit." Megumi was wearing black ice skating dress with red sequins. Her odangos were held up by two black bows. Megumi smiled at the comment. "You looked older than eight."
"And you look older than…" Megumi began, but stopped. Kei still looked her age. She had on a purple skirt and a white bare midriff top. "You look nice, Kei-chan." She giggled at Kei's expression.
"'Comment appreciated' would be a good thing to say, Kei-chan," a voice said from behind her. Kei spun around and saw Yomicha approaching them. She had on a blue blouse and black pants. She still looked like a guy.
"Okay, even though you insist that you're a girl," Kei said, smiling, "you still dress like a guy?" Yomicha waved the question away with her hand.
"I don't like skating dresses," Yomicha said. She walked toward the entrance to the rink. "So are you going to just stand there or come out here and ice skate?" She walked out onto the ice calmly. Moving forward gracefully, Yomicha turned back to the other two. "What are you waiting for? Come on."
Kei looked at the ice and took a deep breath. Maybe she had been exaggerating when she said that she was a pretty good skater. Kei stared off at Megumi who was hesitantly standing on the ice. Yomicha reached out her hand and Megumi took it gratefully.
Kei stepped out onto the ice carefully. Immediately, her feet slipped out from under her and she feel flat on her stomach.
"Oooow," Kei moaned, struggling to get to her feet. But her feet and the ice just wouldn't cooperate.
Yomicha and Megumi came skating up behind her. Other people easily passed them by, careful not to trip over the violet-haired girl.
"You okay?" Megumi asked, kneeling next to the girl. Kei gave her a dead stare and Megumi laughed. "I think I like your daydream stare better." Yomicha laughed too as she gently helped Kei to her feet. Kei began to slip again.
"Hey, hey," Yomicha yelped, holding Kei tighter. "You might want to try and stand up straight first. Then try moving forward, as if you were walking. Except your gliding. No! Don't lean forward unless you have some speed. Better." Kei moved forward a bit. Well, that was a start. Taking a deep breath, she moved forward a bit more.
"Good, Kei-chan!" Yomicha cheered. Megumi clapped as Kei was finally able to stand up without slipping on the ice. Kei smiled to herself. It was hard, but it was a start. Maybe next time she shouldn't open her mouth so quickly.
Kei skated forward slowly, holding tightly onto Yomicha's arm. She was walking more than she was skating. Yomicha groaned to herself.
"Kei, I think that you should try skating."
"Yeah, I think so too," Kei snapped, irritated that Yomicha didn't understand that she was having a hard enough time as it was. "But I don't know how to skate so get off my back." Yomicha grinned.
"Whatever you say," she said, letting go of Kei's arm. They had been going pretty fast and Kei, suddenly released from Yomicha's protective grasp, went flying away. Her red eyes widened as she struggled to get control of her legs, which had stiffened.
"YOMICHA-CHAN!" she screamed as she sped quickly into the crowd. She could hear Yomicha laughing from behind her. Kei held her arms out in front of her to prevent her from getting hurt too seriously.
Kei's cheeks turned pink as she tried to maneuver out of the crowd and grasp the wall. "HEEELP!" Kei looked up, saw a wall coming straight ahead, and nearly passed out. This was going to hurt a lot. She turned her head to look back at Yomicha who was casually skating toward her. What did she think she was doing?
Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone grabbed Kei's waist and spun her around, so that she was skating backwards. The touch made her waist tingle a bit. And then, she stopped. She saw Yomicha still skating toward her, laughing hard.
"Oh…lord…" Yomicha gasped, doubling over. Tears were streaming down her face and she was gasping hard. "Kei-chan…you…" That was it. She couldn't finish. Yomicha just started laughing again.
Kei glared at her. Then she turned around to thank the person who saved her. "Hey, thanks…oh. It's you."
Hogoshi smiled at Kei. "What do you mean by that? I just saved your dignity."
"My dignity was already hurt," Kei muttered, her cheeks turning as red as her ruby colored eyes. She spun towards Yomicha. Megumi skated up to the trio, breathing hard. Hogoshi put her hands on her hips, smiling. Her green eyes twinkled.
"What are you guys doing here?" she asked as four other girls skated up behind her. Hogoshi groaned. "Now I have to introduce everybody." Kei shook her head.
"No, no," she said. "Let me. I know everybody here…I think." Rei shook her head and patted her red skating dress slightly.
"No you don't. Let Hogoshi-chan do it." The two girls looked at each other and Kei shrugged. Why not?
"Okay," Hogoshi said, taking a deep breath. She began pointing. "Kei-chan, this is Hino Rei-chan, Kino Makoto-chan, Mizuno Ami-chan, and Aino Minako-chan. Minna, this is Kei-chan. Well, you've met her already…" Kei nodded as the girls looked towards Yomicha and Megumi.
"Minna-chan, this is Kano Yomicha and Shidou Megumi," Kei said, happy that she didn't have so many people to introduce. She looked over at Minako, who was staring dreamily at Yomicha. Oh no! The girls still thought Yomicha was a guy.
"Um, Yomicha-chan, I think you have something to tell them," Kei mumbled loudly. Yomicha looked a bit confused, then saw Minako's face. Yomicha turned bright red and Kei got a bit of pleasure at finally seeing the sarcastic and boyish girl get embarrassed.
Kei grinned. "Go on."
Yomicha glared at Kei with murderous azure eyes. She then turned to the other girls. "I'm not a guy, so don't think it," she muttered beneath her breath. Kei grinned from ear to ear.
"I don't think they heard you."
Yomicha scowled. "I said that I'm a girl."
That was all that needed to be said. The shocked looks on nearly everyone's faces were good enough for Kei. Minako's pale blue eyes widened.
"A-a woman?" she sputtered. Her jaw dropped. "But you look like a guy." Hogoshi flinched at the words. Wasn't there someone else she knew and loved that looked like a guy?
Mako caught the sudden movement from Hogoshi and clapped her hand over Minako's mouth. "Oh, okay. I mean, I can see it now. You know, that you're a woman." Yomicha kept sending Kei hazardous glances.
"Happy?" she growled. Kei smiled.
"Yup."
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Sapphire looked around the desolate room. Where was everybody? She hadn't seen them since Emerald had told them that there had been stowaways in the palace.
"Why can't everybody just stay in one place?" Sapphire muttered to herself. She went to a mirror in the far corner of the room. Some senshi from the last solar system the zodiac senshi had attacked got to this place and then teleported off.
Sapphire walked over to a mirror in the far corner of the room. Just a couple of days ago, Emerald had gone through that mirror to get to Earth. She had come back very upset and had gone straight to Sailor Libra.
Looking into the mirror, Sapphire stared at her image. Her hair was ridiculously long, reaching all the way down to her ankles. The sailor fuku was too dark and brooding for her. Those blank eyes showed no depth. They were just plain empty.
"That's not me," she whispered to herself, reaching out to touch the mirror. The glass was cold, colder than ice. But the touch didn't seem to bother her. Sapphire looked down at her hand. Yes, her fingertips felt frozen, but…
Sapphire pushed harder onto her glass and felt her fingers go through gently. The mirror rippled like reflective silver water. Sapphire pulled her hand back and stared at it. She smiled to herself grimly. That was the door to the other world. Maybe…maybe if she went through, her memories might return. A flashback. Anything that could help her clouded and faded mind. The aqua eyes lifted away from her white-gloved hand and turned back to the image. What she saw was disturbing.
There was another person in the mirror. The soldier in the mirror looked remarkably like her, but different. Her hair was the same color, but much, much shorter. It was cut into a boy's style. The skirt, heart brooch, collar and back bow were dark blue. Her front bow was yellow…or was it gold? The same eye color, the same height, and wore the same expression on Sapphire's face.
Sapphire reached out to touch the figure. The mirror image did the same. Sapphire gently touched the icy surface of the mirror. Her hand accidentally went through the surface and the image wavered. The aqua eyes flew open as the moment was broken.
Sapphire stared sullenly at the mirror as the ripples slowly disappeared.
"Bunny-mama?" a voice asked from behind her. Sapphire spun around and saw Sailor Topaz standing on the other side of the room. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Yeah right," Sapphire snickered, turning back toward the mirror. "I was just about to try and go find the talisman." Topaz smiled a bit, her pale features lightening some.
"Can I come please?"
"No." Topaz got a sour look on her face, her violet eyes freezing. Sapphire stared into the shallow eyes. Where had she seen that look before? Something echoed slightly through her mind.
Your daughter…
Well, whatever it was, it could wait another hour or so.
Grinning to herself, Sapphire turned back to the mirror. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me where many people gather when it's hot."
The mirror rippled and the image was distorted as another picture came about. Sapphire felt Topaz's presence at her side. The vision came back, a bit blurry, but then it focused.
"A skating rink?" Sapphire questioned. "Well, well, well. I guess I have a bit of investigating to do." She turned back towards Topaz, who was seething outwardly. "Hey pretty girl, you can come with me next time, okay?"
Topaz glared at her. "Fine," she said shortly before storming out of the room. Sapphire turned back to the mirror. The image had faded away and she could see her own mirror image again. She grinned sardonically. This would be fun.
Touching the glass slightly, Sapphire took a deep breath. Cautiously, she stepped through the bitter cold mirror. It rippled like a pool as the young woman stepped through.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Can I get something to eat?" Kei asked, rubbing her stomach. She stared at Yomicha with huge red eyes.
"I'm hungry." Yomicha stared at her.
"Hungry?" she gasped, pretending to be shocked. "What do you mean 'hungry'? You just had a milkshake, two hamburgers, a hot dog, some nachos, and cotton candy! You are going to be sick!" Kei groaned and grabbed the front of Yomicha's shirt. Then she made her eyes look even larger and innocent.
"Please, Yomicha-chan?" she said, making her voice sound small and desperate. "I'm still hungry and my stomach really, really needs some food. Pleeeeeease?"
"Man, I don't have the money for both you and your appetite," Yomicha groaned as she skated toward the rink exit. Kei cheered and skated behind her.
While walking…or skating…over to the exit, Kei spotted a girl with orange hair doing double axles near her. Kei's eyes lit up.
"Hajime-hime!" she hollered over to the slender girl. The girl seemed to ignore her and went into a backward spin, her leg held outward from her. The spin slowed down to an elegant turn. The girl finally looked up, her deep blue eyes glowing.
"Kei-chan!" she said, skating over to her. Her smile was radiant as she stopped in front of Kei. Yomicha turned around and saw Kei conversing with Hajime. She groaned to herself inwardly. Why couldn't that girl ever make up her mind?
"Kei-chan!" Hajime began, hugging the girl. Kei hugged her back, but her balance was disturbed and nearly fell over. Hajime grabbed her just in time as Kei's feet began to slip out from under her. Hajime laughed. "Still the same, Kei-chan. Why haven't I seen you in a while? I thought you were my best friend."
Kei blushed a bit. "I've been going through a lot lately and I just needed to have some time to myself."
"Some time?" Hajime asked skeptically. She raised a slender sun-colored eyebrow. "Seven months is a rather lot of 'some time'." Kei looked at her friend sadly. In a few weeks, she'd be in another dimension. Might as well be friends for the rest of her short-lived life.
"Kei-chan, don't look like someone just told you your dog died," Hajime teased, pulling one of Kei's purple curls.
"My dog did die! Remember Pipsi?"
Yomicha stared at the orange-haired girl slightly. She looked very familiar, almost adjacent to her. Megumi skated up to Yomicha very slowly.
Noticing the look in Yomicha's eyes, Megumi said, "What's wrong MichiMichi-chan? You're looking at that pretty girl like you're suspicious of her." Yomicha stared down at the petite, red-haired girl, raising a delicate silver brow.
"Oh, nothing," she said. "That girl just looks awfully familiar...as if I should know her from somewhere."
The silver-haired girl shrugged. "I'm just probably seeing things." Megumi grinned.
"You probably are," she agreed. Then, her tone changed to serious. "We must keep our mind on the revelation. This lifetime is different. I know it. Maybe something will cha-"
"Watch it, pretty girl," a deep voice advised, skating out of the way. Megumi turned around and saw a tall, sandy blonde-haired young woman standing behind her. She was wearing a black skating outfit with black roses in her hair.
Yomicha raised an eyebrow. "Watch where you're going, miss." The girl glared at her.
"I don't need to watch where I'm going," she hissed, her voice as cold as ice. "I think you owe me an apology."
"I don't owe you a thing," Yomicha retorted, her voice growing more irritated. "You're the one who nearly collided into us. You don't need to get an attitude over something that was clearly your fault."
The girl's cheeks turned red from anger. "You don't know what you're walking about. You better be careful what you say around me."
"Oh really?"
"You're asking for it."
Hajime and Kei noticed the commotion going on and skated towards the group.
"Hey, what's going on?" Hajime asked, her blue eyes sharp. "What are you two arguing about? What are your names?"
Yomicha glared at the blonde girl who was a bit shorter than she was. "Kano Yomicha. That girl nearly ran into Megumi-chan and didn't apologize." The girl just crossed her arms and got a crossed look on her face. Everyone turned to her, waiting for an explanation.
"Ryunnami Bunny," she said, her aqua eyes sharp. "I don't have time for this. I have better things to do then to talk to you."
"Don't get into any more arguments…"
"MINNA! WATCH OUT!"
Everyone turned around, only to see Usagi skating uncontrollably towards them. Her blue eyes were wide in confusion. Chibiusa, Mamoru, and Hogoshi were skating after her, top speed. Usagi was screaming at the top of her lungs as she slipped crazily on the ice.
Bunny stared at the oncoming odango-atama with surprise. She looked exactly like her! Usagi noticed Bunny as well and was briefly distracted from her terror. The blue eyes locked onto the aqua eyes for a brief second before Usagi crashed smack into Bunny. They both fell on the ice and went skidding backwards a couple of yards.
"Usagi-chan!" Chibiusa yelled skating toward the girl. She stopped in front of her as Usagi tried to untangle herself from Bunny. "You are such a ditz baka-Usagi!"
"Owww," Bunny moaned as she rubbed the back of her head. "Can't you ever watch where you're going?" Casting a glance at Yomicha, she grinned. "It wasn't my fault this time Kano-san." Yomicha just glared at her. Bunny rose to her feet swiftly. Then there was silence as everyone looked from Usagi to Bunny then to Usagi again.
"Wow, you two look just alike," Hogoshi breathed. Usagi looked at the taller young woman. She didn't think they looked alike at all.
Usagi then noticed a chain hanging from the girl's neck. On it was a glowing sapphire. "Wow, what a pretty necklace." She reached out and touched it. Almost immediately, she snapped her hand back. That sapphire of hers was omitting large amounts of evil energy.
"I have to go," Bunny mumbled under her breath, after noticing the shocked expression on Usagi's face. "See ya." With that, she skated away swiftly, leaving Usagi left in a daze. Her blue eyes became deep in concentration before filling with tears.
That scent of wind, she thought, looking over at Hogoshi. That same scent of wind. The regal air of a princess. Those haunting aqua eyes and that deep voice. It couldn't be…but I felt it. That's impossible. Impossible…
, she thought, looking over at Hogoshi. …"Hey, how is it that we're all at the skating rink?" Hogoshi joked, tapping Chibiusa on the head. "I mean, we have Kei and her friends, the other four girls, and now the moon family. Now is that weird or what?"
"Seems like we were thinking the same thing," Kei said. Her stomach growled. "Oh, Yomicha-chan! I'm still hungry. Can we go and get something to eat?" Yomicha groaned as Megumi giggled at bit. Hajime shook her head.
"One thing's still the same: your appetite," she murmured. Usagi smiled. Food sounded nice. After all, she didn't have lunch or breakfast.
"Mamo-chan, can we get something to eat too?" she asked, grabbing her boyfriend's arm. Chibiusa nodded in agreement. "I want a strawberry milkshake and a cheeseburger and some nachos and some cotton candy. Yeah, all of the above." Mamoru's jaw dropped.
"What? All of that?" he gasped, astonished. "Does your appetite ever weaken?" Usagi gave him a larger smile and hugged him.
"Please, Mamo-chan?" she begged. Chibiusa grabbed his right leg and held on.
"Yes, please, Mamo-chan," she pleaded, her russet eyes growing larger each second. "We didn't eat breakfast or lunch and we're really hungry and we might die of hunger and we need some food…"
"Um, I'll see what I can do," Mamoru responded, skating over to the rink exit. "What do you want?"
"Chili dogs! And cotton candy and milkshakes and nachos and cheeseburgers and…and…"
"Why don't you just come with me?"
"Yea!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Bunny skated off the rink, her confusion and anger bubbling into frustration. That petite blonde that had run into her and given her a dim flashback. It was so dim, that all she could see was a blurry vision of a glowing cup-like object being held by a girl with butterfly wings. What did that mean?
Bunny walked awkwardly off the ice and pulled off her ice skates. Might as well get the job over with now. She'd figure that stupid flashback sooner or later.
Gazing around, she quickly walked over to a door that said EMPLOYEES ONLY. Bunny clucked her tongue as she pushed the door open. A young man sat on a wooden chair, taking a break. Bunny wasn't the least bit surprised.
"Hey!" the guy yelped, quickly standing up. "Skaters aren't allowed back here." Bunny grinned as her eyes twinkled evilly.
"I know," she said, her voice near a whisper. Dark energy gathered around her hand. The boy's purple eyes grew wide.
"Are you a witch?" he gasped, backing away slightly. Bunny grinned as the sapphire on her chest glowed. The glow wrapped her in a blue light before dimming down. Instead of Bunny, Sailor Sapphire now stood in her place. The dark energy in her hand materialized into the Oracle Mace.
"Um, I think I'll leave now," the guy said, shaking. Sweat was pouring down his face as Sapphire lifted the tip of the Oracle Mace to him. A black beam shot out, heading straight for the guy. Too stunned to move, the guy was hurdled back against the wall by the beam.
A white orb flew from the young man's chest. His body fell limp as the spirit chalice flew away from him. His skin paled as his eyes went lifeless. Sapphire smiled as the spirit chalice flew toward her. Gently touching it, she stared at it slightly.
Flash!
"Please give it back," a girl cried, on her knees. She looked rather weak.
"I will…"
"…because it's not a talisman," someone else finished.
"Return it to it's true owner!"
"The destruction is coming. We must find the three talismans!"
Sapphire's eyes snapped open. What was that? Her hands were shaking as she automatically threw the spirit chalice back to the boy. His skin became warm again and he began breathing slowly.
"You won't even remember anything," Sapphire laughed, leaving the room. But that shaking feeling was still inside of her. Stepping out of the room, she smiled.
"Time to do a little more than the emanation," she said, looking out towards the ice rink. "It's time to be a little more creative."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Usagi sat at the seat, her face absolutely aglow. Her eyes turned into sparkles at the sight of all the food in front of her. She hugged Mamoru tightly.
"Thank you Mamo-chan!" she cried, kissing him on the cheek. "I promise I won't waste a single bit of it." Mamoru nodded.
"I guess Chibiusa won't either," he joked, pointing to the table. Chibiusa was already eating some of the food. Usagi's blue eyes grew wide.
"Hey brat! Stop!" she hollered, grabbing one of Chibiusa's pigtails. "That's my food too!" Chibiusa pushed Usagi back and stuck out her tongue.
"Not anymore," she said, looking at Mamoru. "My boyfriend bought it for me." Usagi went into a crazy mode, her anger bubbling up.
"He's my boyfriend, Chibiusa!" she screamed. Mamoru began to get embarrassed as people began looking in their direction.
"Um, Usa-ko…" he whispered, tugging his hysterical girlfriend's arm. Usagi stopped for a moment to catch her breath before starting to yell at Chibiusa again.
She would have continued yelling if a scream hadn't stopped her from doing so. Usagi looked up in surprise. She looked out the glass that separated the café from the skating rink. Everyone in the café looked out at the crowded skating rink and gasped.
"Usagi-chan!" five voices cried at the same time. Hogoshi and the others came running into the café. They looked out at the skating rink in horror.
A black-clad sailor soldier was standing in the middle of the rink holding the black scepter they had seen in the last battle. Her long, long pigtails hung all the way down to her black boots. Black roses were placed in her pointed odangos. She was aiming the Oracle Mace and shooting at everything and anything.
Usagi looked at the others in shock. "Minna-chan, we have to go and stop her." Hogoshi shook her head, the blood rushing from her head.
"No, not while she has possession of that thing," she whispered. "And our attacks don't even work." Usagi looked from one face to another.
"We can't just sit here and do nothing!" she cried. Chibiusa stood up in her chair and balled her hands in her fist.
"Yeah, we can't let innocent people get hurt!" she cheered, her pink pigtails bobbing enthusiastically. Mamoru clapped his hand over her mouth. They were, after all, still in a crowded place.
"Usagi-chan and Chibiusa-chan are right," Mako said. Her green eyes were fierce. "No one is going to get away with this." Ami nodded her head.
"Hogoshi-chan's right too," she said. "We need to be careful or else we'll be waist-deep in a lot of trouble."
The others nodded in agreement and rushed to the back of the room. Opening the exit door, they rushed out. Hogoshi was still against the idea when she heard a crash in the other room. She turned around and saw that the glass had shattered, sending black beams everywhere in the restaurant. People fell lifeless as their spirit chalices floated from their bodies. Anger grew inside of her.
"Let's do this," she hissed, slamming the door behind her. She pulled out her locket. Raising it above her head, she called out, "Destiny Cosmos power, make UP!" In a flash of silver stars, Sailor Destiny appeared. Her green eyes were snappy.
Nodding their heads at each other, the others transformed as well. Suddenly standing were seven sailor senshi and Tuxedo Kamen.
"Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" Sailor Moon and Chibi Moon yelped. Last time they had seen Tuxedo Kamen was during the last battle against Nephernia. They hugged him tightly.
"We don't have time for this," Mars snapped, bumping Sailor Moon on the head. "We need to help those people!"
"We'll try our attacks again, okay?" Venus asked, running ahead of them. "C'mon! Let's go!"
The soldiers ran around a corner and into the skating rink. People lay scattered across the ice, dead or unconscious. Destiny looked around in horror at the white spirit chalices floating above the owners. She then spotted a familiar figure lying nearby.
"Kei-chan!" she yelled, running towards her. Her feet were slipping on the ice, but that didn't matter. She kneeled next to Kei. There was no spirit chalice floating over her. "Kei-chan, are you all right?"
Kei groaned and stirred a bit. She began to regain consciousness. Blinking a few times, she groaned some more. "W-who are you? Where's Yomicha-chan and Megumi-chan and Hajime-chan?"
"My name is Sailor Destiny, miss," Destiny replied, helping the violet-haired girl sit up. "It's my duty to protect the people of this planet. We'll find your friends. Now you must get out of here." Kei nodded and struggled to sit up. Sailor Jupiter rushed over and helped Kei up. Walking slowly back to the rink, she looked at Tuxedo Kamen.
"Do you think you can get her out of here?" she asked. Kei struggled to shake her head.
"Not without my friends," she whispered. Her red eyes were tired. "I'm not leaving without my friends." Venus shook her head.
"We'll find them," she said, touching Kei's arm gently. Kei shrugged her shoulders and walked away.
"I'll be okay," she called back and then broke out into a run. The others stared at her. She seemed to have recovered fast.
Sailor Moon shook her head. "They're not here. Hajime-san is, but her spirit chalice is gone. Yomicha-san and Megumi-chan are gone." There was a laugh. Sailor Moon grabbed Tuxedo Kamen's arm, but looked around the rink determinedly.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
"Hold on there, pretty girl," a voice said with a chuckle. "Don't get overexcited." There was a flash of blue light and Sailor Sapphire appeared, hovering over them. "My name is Sailor Sapphire, soldier of darkness." Destiny stared at the blonde soldier.
"Sailor Sapphire, huh?" she asked, her voice wavering. She was feeling very uneasy around this girl. Her locket glowed dark blue a bit. "Why do you want to hurt innocent people?" Sapphire smiled as the Oracle Mace materialized in her hands.
"Now, why would I tell you that?" she asked, floating down to the ground. Tuxedo Kamen pulled out a rose and flung it at her. Sapphire just stared at the approaching object. Pointing the Oracle Mace at it, she fired. The rose disappeared in the black beam.
"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" Sailor Moon cried, pulling out the moon tier. Nothing happened. Sailor Moon's eyes widened in shock. "What? It doesn't work? The silver crystal isn't working…?"
Sapphire laughed. "The sailor leader's power doesn't work? Oh, this is too good." She pointed the Oracle Mace at Sailor Moon, an evil glint in her eye. "Good-bye now." There was a finger snap.
"I wouldn't bet on it."
Sapphire lowered the Oracle Mace, turning around to the stand behind her. "Who's there?"
Suddenly, the lights went out, the only glow from the red exit signs. Then a white spotlight came on, shining on three figures in the stands. Sailor Moon's eyes widened.
"It couldn't be…"
"For the planets that fought with us," the white-haired figure called out.
"For the princess who stood by us…" the tallest one said, her violet eyes shimmering.
"And for the moon child who always believed in us," the final figure called out. "I am Sailor Star Fighter!"
"Sailor Star Maker!"
"Sailor Star Healer!"
"Sailor Starlights! Stage ON!"