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 231: The ultimate destiny of the universe. The truths revealed
"So, what's this all about?" Mamoru asked as Usagi pulled him into the shrine. "You haven't said a thing since you came and pulled me out of my apartment." Usagi grinned.
"You'll see," she said as she brought him into the room the others had met earlier that day. Hogoshi and Chibiusa were already there. Chibiusa was trying to get everyone to play with her paper fortune teller. She was giggling as she read the predictions.
"You will live long and prosper," she laughed at Ami's fortune and ran to try it on Mamoru. "Mamo-chan, pick a number 1-10." Mamoru grinned and saw his girlfriend begin to get jealous.
"Seven."
"Yea!" Chibiusa cheered and moved the fortune teller seven times. She showed him the four numbers. "Pick a number now from what you see." Mamoru scratched his chin. Usagi growled under her breath, sending hazardous glances at Chibiusa.
"How about, let's see, four?"
"No!" Chibiusa yelped. "Pick two!" Mamoru sighed and nodded, but he was smiling. Chibiusa flipped the piece of paper over and laughed at Usagi. "It says, 'Mamo-chan is my boyfriend, not Usagi's.'"
"What?" Usagi screamed and made a lunge at Chibiusa. The pink-haired girl giggled as she climbed up Mamoru's back. "You get off him! He's my boyfriend! Get off of him!" Chibiusa was laughing the entire time, her arms around Mamoru's neck. Usagi made another lunge, but tripped on the paper fortune teller and collided into…
…Seiya. He was just walking through the door with Yaten and Taiki. They had been talking about some music when Usagi ran smack into Seiya, knocking them both to the ground.
"Ow!" Seiya moaned, rubbing the back of his head. "Odango-atama-chan! Can't you ever watch where you're going?" Usagi climbed off Seiya and glared at him. She got a very goofy look on her face.
"How many times have I had to tell you: don't call me odango-atama!" Usagi screeched. Yaten put a hand over his mouth and tried not to laugh. Taiki just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Seiya just laughed off Usagi's comment, which made the girl even angrier. Yaten burst out laughing, doubling over. Seiya gave him an amused glare.
"Shut up," he said, climbing to his feet. Yaten just kept laughing. Usagi folded her arms, stomped over to her friends, and plopped down next to Minako. Chibiusa laughed at her and it was clear that her other friends were trying not to laugh as well.
"Minnaaaaa!" Usagi suddenly cried out, huge baby tears falling from her eyes. "Why. Are. You. So. Mean? Whaaaaaaaa!" Mamoru stared at his girlfriend, but said nothing. He just shook his head sadly.
"What's all the noise about?" a voice asked from behind them. Everyone turned to the door and saw Yomicha coming into the room. Mamoru raised and eyebrow. He stared at Yomicha suspiciously.
"Who are you?" Mamoru asked, standing up. Usagi sensed tension. Oh, no! she thought. Mamo-chan, Seiya, and the others who just got here don't know Yomicha's a girl. Oh man, oh man.
"My name is Kano Yomicha," Yomicha replied smoothly. She walked right up to Mamoru. It was weird. She was almost as tall as he was. "I'm the one who called this meeting." Seiya stared at Yomicha, his arms folded.
"You?" he asked incredulously. His blue eyes were doubtful. "How on earth did you call this meeting?" Yomicha laughed a bit and rested against the wall, looking almost too cool. She sighed a bit.
"You really want to know, huh?" she asked. "You find it strange that a guy would call a sailor senshi meeting when he isn't a sailor senshi himself?" Mamoru and Seiya nodded. The girls were too busy trying not to laugh. Yomicha was really good at this.
"Well, Endymion-sama," she continued slowly and precisely. "This 'guy' would like to inform you that 'she' is a sailor senshi. Sailor Capricorn to be exact." It took two more seconds for the realization to sink in.
"So, you're a girl?" Yaten asked, his face full of surprise. Yomicha nodded, pleased at the shocked reaction. Mamoru's face clouded.
"You're the one who was debating…"
"…whether or not the princess would live," Yomicha interrupted with a sigh. "Yeah. That's me, all right." Chibiusa crossed her arms.
"You were risking two lives, y'know!" she said scornfully. "Usagi-chan is my mom." Yomicha just shook her head and took another deep breath. She looked at each person in the room, straight in the eye. There was an evil glint in her eyes no one liked very much. A beguiling smile appeared on her face as she walked over to Chibiusa.
"And no one knows your mom better than I do," she whispered into the small girl's ear. "And no one knows your Hotaru-chan better than I do." Chibiusa's jaw dropped.
"Y-you know Hotaru-chan?" she gasped. Yomicha simply nodded before backing away. The same smile was still on her face. She crossed her arms.
"I called this meeting for one reason," she said, her gaze wandering across the room. "It seems as though everyone here has a problem with their attacks. They don't seem to be working all that well. In fact, they don't seem to working at all." The group fell silent. A blush spread through each person there. Yomicha laughed a bit.
"I don't know what's causing this power outage," she explained, studying each person intently. "And I don't know how to fix it unless I know the problem. But-" Suddenly, Yomicha stopped talking. She was staring at Hogoshi adamantly. Hogoshi stared back at her, a flush spreading up her neck. Yomicha was very silent before snapping out of her trance.
"Excuse me, but when did this start happening?" she asked, cupping her chin in her hands. "I mean, the power outage?"
"Um, the first time we transformed since a year ago," Rei commented. She looked at Yomicha who was lost in her thoughts. "Why?" Yomicha ignored the question and turned to Seiya.
"You guys showed up during the battle at the ice arena," Yomicha stated, not bothering to ask a question. "Your powers were working then. When did they stop?" Taiki shrugged.
"When we found Usagi-san in that courtyard of the zodiac light," he responded. Yomicha nodded as she looked from one person to the next. A smile crossed her face.
"Kei, you are too much," Yomicha murmured under her breath. She laughed a bit. "When did you guys get those rings?" Mamoru just stared at her. What did that have to do with their power outage?
"Usa-ko gave me, Seiya-kun, Taiki-kun, and Yaten-kun these rings at the picnic," Mamoru noted. "I'm not sure when the girls got theirs."
"We got them from Kei-chan a little before the first battle," Ami said, touching the blue stone on her right ring finger gently. "What does that have to do with anything?" Yomicha grinned.
"Kei is a sailor soldier too," she said. The shocked reactions from the group were good enough for her. "The minute you got those rings, your powers didn't work anymore. That's why Chiba-san and the others' powers worked before they got the rings. The rings, since you're sailor senshi and Kei is a sailor senshi, gathered your power out of your henshin devices and into the stone in the ring. Since none of you transform with the stone, your powers don't work."
"So, how do we fix it?" Usagi asked. She stared at the pink ring on her finger. "Take them off?"
"No!" Yomicha snapped. "That's the last thing you want to do. If you take off those rings, you'll have no chance of getting your powers back." She fell silent for a second. "Have you already found the Holy Grail this lifetime around?"
"Yeah," Mako muttered. "Around two years ago." Yomicha nodded.
"And Sailor Moon used the Holy Grail to go from her regular form to her super form?"
"Yeah."
"Did you know that you could use your rings like the Holy Grail?"
Silence.
"Well?"
"We…had no idea," Mako mumbled. She was pouting. Yomicha just smiled as she looked at the rings on their hands. There might be a way for their powers to start working again. I just wonder how…
"Listen, why don't you guys try transforming with the rings instead of the henshin pens?" Yomicha asked. Luna and Artemis looked up in alarm. Transform without the henshin pens?
"Yomicha-san, we've always transformed with the henshin pens," Minako argued, touching her gold and orange henshin pen delicately. "We can't just go from henshin pen to ring because you say so."
"Yeah," Chibiusa agreed, nodding. Her pink pigtails bobbed up and down with each nod. "And what about me and Usagi-chan? We transform with crystals. What are we gonna do about that?" Yomicha just looked at her and then looked at her watch. She had told them what time…
"I'm just saying that your powers are inside the rings now," she said with a sigh. "If you don't want to believe me, that's up to you." There was a shuffle on the other side of the door as Kei and Megumi walked in.
"Geez, MichiMichi-chan," Megumi gasped. Her cheeks were flushed pink as she glared at Yomicha. "Why did you have us rush all the way over here, huh?" She noticed the others in the room and managed a polite smile. "Hello."
"Kei-chan, you're a sailor senshi?" Hogoshi asked. Kei's eyes widened to their maximum extent as she turned to Yomicha. "Which one?" Kei was sending Yomicha murderous glances.
"Sailor Midnight, senshi of sacrifice," Kei muttered. She put her hands on her hips. "Yomicha, how do they know I'm a sailor soldier?" Yomicha didn't even blink an eye.
"I told them," she said. Her slate blue eyes were perilous as she stared sharply at Kei. "We couldn't go any further without telling them anything. It would have been too dangerous for them." Kei couldn't think of anything to say and just looked down at her feet. Megumi looked at the others.
"My soldier title is the senshi of forgiveness, Sailor Scorpio," she said, plopping down next to Chibiusa. The pink-haired girl immediately took up this opportunity.
"Excuse me, why do call me Small Lady?" she asked. Megumi tilted her head to the side a bit, a grin appearing on her face slowly.
"Isn't that what Pu called you?" she asked sweetly. Chibiusa was almost too shocked to say anything. She blinked a couple of times before gathering her nerves together.
"'Pu?'" Chibiusa gasped. "Only I call her that. Pu was my best friend. You can't call her by my nickname for her. And you still haven't answered my question. Why do you call me Small Lady?" Megumi just laughed a bit.
"Because Sailor Pluto is my planetary counterpart," she said. Her green eyes got dark for a second. "I wish I could see her again." Yomicha smiled sadly when Megumi mentioned Sailor Pluto.
"And I'm Sailor Saturn's zodiac counterpart," she added. "That's how I know Hotaru-chan so much." Rei looked up in surprise.
"Counterparts?" she asked. Her rusty violet eyes were deep in thought. "What do you mean by 'counterparts'? Do we have counterparts too?" Yomicha chuckled a bit, shaking her head sadly.
"Yes, each of you do," she said with a smile. She looked down a bit. "I was able to erase the zodiac soldiers' memories of their planetary counterparts so that they wouldn't try to harm you. Unless Sailor Leo comes back, you guys are pretty much home free." Usagi jumped up suddenly.
"Who are our counterparts?" she asked, looking very interested in the conversation.
"Well, your counterpart is Sailor Cancer," Megumi began, sinking into a chair by the door. She looked and felt rather exhausted. "Lady Mercury's counterpart is Sailor Virgo. Sailor Aries is Lady Mars' counterpart. Lady Jupiter, your counterpart is Sailor Sagittarius. Lady Venus' counterpart is Sailor Libra and Prince Endymion's counterpart, even though a girl, is Sailor Leo. Also, Sailor Aquarius is Lady Uranus' counterpart and Sailor Pisces is Lady Neptune's counterpart." At hearing these, Ami sat straight up.
"Wait a second!" she exclaimed. "Each of our counterparts are actually our zodiac signs! I mean, I'm a Virgo and my counterpart is Sailor Virgo." Yomicha nodded.
"Of course," she said tiredly. Somehow, she had become very fatigued. She sank onto the floor next to Megumi's chair. Weird. Where had that come from? Holding in a yawn, she looked up at the other senshi who were busy chatting about the new information. "Just like…their planets are the ones you guard over." Kei had noticed how Megumi and Yomicha had suddenly dropped out of the conversation. She went over to them worriedly.
"Yomicha? Megumi-chan?" she asked, tapping Megumi on the shoulder. The little girl looked up, her eyelids heavy with weariness. She managed a small grin.
"Hey, Kei-chan," she whispered. Kei looked at her, a bit afraid. There was something dark in those green eyes that was almost too evil to comprehend.
"Hey, Megumi-chan," Kei replied softly, stroking the girl's curly red odangos. "Are you okay? You look kind of tired." The evil look in Megumi's eyes turned even darker, but the girl tried to keep her face calm.
"It's okay," she whispered, trying not to scare Kei. She didn't even know what was going on inside them. If she told her, Megumi knew that Kei would be scared out of her wits. "We're fine. Just a bit tired." Kei just nodded as Megumi nodded off and drifted to sleep. She kneeled next to Yomicha, who was still awake.
"Yomicha, are you really okay?" she asked, moving some wisps of silver hair from Yomicha's eye. Yomicha looked up and Kei saw that same evil look in her eyes that was in Megumi's. "I find it kind of weird that both you and Megumi-chan seemed to lose energy at the same time." Yomicha just put two fingers on Kei's lips, silencing her.
"Don't worry so much," Yomicha whispered, trying to smile. "We're okay." But her words betrayed her as a violent cough erupted from her lungs. Her body shook from the stinging forcefulness of it. Usagi and the others looked up in alarm.
"Yomicha-san?" Usagi asked, looking at the silver-haired girl anxiously. Her blue eyes were full of concern as she also looked at Megumi and Kei, who had a stricken look of horror on her face. "What's going on? Are you all right?" Yomicha was silent, but felt sick to her stomach. A terrible feeling of dread washed over her as she looked into Kei's eyes.
No. Not now, Yomicha silently begged. Not now. Not with the princess here. Any place other than here! Why does this always happen...why must we always fight to keep our past a secret...no. I won't tell her. Even if I have to lie. This might not be the lifetime. Maybe I can give them more time...I'll have to lie. Please, princess, forgive me.
, Yomicha silently begged.Another cough erupted from her lungs, this time shocking her. Yomicha snatched her hand out of Kei's and covered her mouth as she coughed brutally. Her lungs were burning as if they were on fire as the cough incinerated her throat. She could feel her blood boiling inside her and tried to keep calm. Dark, black rage burned in front of her watery eyes as the coughing fits became even worse than before.
"Yomicha!" Kei screeched, grabbing the girl in panic. Usagi stood up like a bullet as she ran over to the trio. The other senshi looked on in horror. Usagi kneeled next to Yomicha, who was shaking profusely from each cough.
"Yomicha-san!" Usagi gasped, holding out her hands. Her blue eyes had gone from concern to stricken panic. "Yomicha-san! Answer me!" The silver-haired girl was silent as she looked over at Usagi. The petite blonde gasped. Yomicha's eyes had become jet black instead of the soothing slate blue they usually were. "Yomicha-san! What's wrong?"
Kei was staring at her lover in horror. What had happened? Just seconds earlier, Yomicha was her old, charming self, teasing her as usual. Then, she had become tired and suddenly had gone into this spasm thing. What was it? Tears were spilling down her cheeks as she tried to get Yomicha to respond. What was going on?
The other senshi were staring at the four girls in shock. Rei was studying them. She clasped her hands together and made some motions with her hands, trying to get some sense one what was happening. Her eyes suddenly snapped open as she stared at Yomicha in shock.
"Evil spirits!" Rei shouted. She stood up, pulling out a strip of paper from her shirt pocket. She held it up in the air and began concentrating. "Aku ryo tai san!" she yelled, throwing the strip of paper at Yomicha.
Yomicha saw the flimsy piece of paper come hurdling at her, a confused look on her face. Suddenly, she burst out into a pernicious laughter that didn't even seem human. Kei backed away in horror as Yomicha's eyes turned from jet black to blood red. They glowed with an evil aura before the piece of paper burned from the intensity of the glare.
"Usa-ko!" Mamoru shouted, snatching his girlfriend away from the now dangerous girl. Usagi's blue eyes were widening with each passing second. She looked at Kei and then back at Yomicha was now practically vibrating with the negative energy. In fact, she looked like a demon. Her eyes were as black as the universe. A black sign glowed brightly on her forehead. Her hair had grown longer to its original extent and hairstyle, the silver strands streaming wildly across her face.
"What happened to her?" Mako asked, looking quiet scared as the figure rose to her feet. The black eyes were still on Usagi, who was now holding Mamoru in fright. Kei even backed away herself, as pale as a sheet of paper.
The demon stood up, the darkness around her growing. She looked over to Usagi and there was a hint of emotion in her eyes. Her face was etched in pain. "Princess," she whispered, her voice still the same. "I'm sorry it has come to this." She lowered her head and then looked over to Megumi. Gently, she shook the girl, waking her up. Megumi groaned a bit and stirred in her sleep before waking up.
"Huh…who woke me…geez, try and get some sleep," Megumi started, but then looked at the creature which had woken her up. She stared up at the demon in shock. "Yomicha-san!" she breathed. Tears welled up in her eyes, which were as black as Yomicha's. "We can't tell them." Yomicha's face looked full of regret.
"I won't," she whispered and turned back to the shocked group. She held out her hand and a dark orb appeared in it. But in a few seconds, the orb was as white as Usagi's silver crystal. "We haven't been exactly honest with anyone here," she stated as the white orb shone brightly. "We are, in fact, Pluto and Saturn's zodiac counterparts. But what you don't know is who we really and truly are. Our true forms." With that, she closed her eyes.
For the first time, the senshi saw that a dark orange sign was glowing on Megumi's forehead. The little girl sighed deeply. Don't tell them about their true past, my friend...it deserves to be locked and buried...maybe you're right...maybe this lifetime isn't the one...good luck, Sailor Capricorn.
The white orb seemed to be the only light in the room. Chibiusa had rushed over to her future parents and was holding them tight. The other senshi were staring in absolute horror as the darkness seemed to envelop them.
"Revelation Façade!"
Suddenly, the darkness erupted in a flash of white light as the orb seemed to spread across the horizon. The shrine disappeared as the senshi found themselves floating motionlessly in the darkness. There was no light whatsoever. Yomicha and Megumi were gone.
"W-What just happened here?" Hogoshi asked, floating uncomfortably upside down. She struggled to right herself, but found it physically impossible. "What happened with those two, Kei?" Kei shrugged, although she knew no one could see her in the blackness.
"I don't know," she lied. Her voice was shaking. "They were very mysterious from the start and never told me much about themselves. All I know about them are their ages and their senshi identities. Not much else." Chibiusa was gripping Mamoru and Usagi's hands tighter then she ever had before.
"This is scary," she whimpered. "Where are we?"
"All questions can be answered," a voice replied through the darkness, "if you just look inside your hearts, in which all answers are held."
"Is this some kind of riddle?" Yaten snapped. "This is not the time nor the place to be solving riddles."
"Transform," another voice echoed voicelessly. "Using your rings and henshin devices, transform. Call out the words of your destiny." Usagi was very quiet as she considered what Yomicha had said earlier about their rings. If it was true…
Letting go of her lover and future child's hands, she grasped the eternal brooch on her chest. Then she touched the ring on her right ring finger. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she let the silver crystal's power run through her blood stream. It was always an amazing power in her eternal form, but this was new. It was more powerful then she had ever felt.
Call out the words of your destiny…
Usagi's eyes snapped open as the light of the silver crystal drew back the darkness. "Moon eternal cosmos power, make UP!" she called out. The crystal on her brooch was shining even more brightly than it ever had before as she powered up into a new senshi form. Silver and pink ribbons enveloped her body, forming a beautiful new sailor fuku.
As she pulled herself into her final eternal pose, Usagi couldn't help thinking that this power was always in her heart, ready to be used.
"Usagi-chan!" Minako cried out. The darkness was gone, driven out by the light of the silver crystal. They all looked at Sailor Moon in awe. It was the basic eternal fuku design, but something was different. The golden moon birthmark on her forehead shone more like it did in the Silver Millennium. Her wings were white with silver feathers embedded in them. Her three skirts were shiny satin instead of the old fabric it was made out of. The locket on her chest was metallic. The earrings and pendant on her red velvet choker seemed to be made out of pure gold. The back pink bow trailed down to her knees.
"Oh, sagoi!" Sailor Moon yelped as she examined her outfit. "This is so awesome! I've never felt so powerful before." Taking a glance at the silver crystal, her smile grew wider. "And the silver crystal has a new shine to it. This is so totally cool!" The other senshi looked at each other, trying not to smile. Well, if the princess said that the power was fresh and new, there as no reason for them not to transform.
Pulling out their henshin pens and linking them with their rings, the inner senshi looked at each other and took a couple of deep breaths.
"Mercury crystal cosmos power…"
"Mars crystal cosmos power…"
"Jupiter crystal cosmos power…"
"Venus crystal cosmos power…"
"Destiny crystal cosmos power…"
"…make UP!" There were five flashes of glittery light as the five senshi were enveloped in power. They could feel their own realm of power running rapidly through their bodies. With an energetic effort, the inner senshi pulled themselves into their respective poses.
Sailor Venus' jaw dropped. "Amazing," she murmured, taking a glance at her improved sailor outfits. The skirts of the inner senshi were made of the same satin of Sailor Moon's skirts. The bows in the back and front were the same color, but seemingly glittery like there were stars embedded in it. The star pendants on their satin chokers were made of pure gold. The heart-shaped brooches on their front bows were metallic as well. The tiara gems were sparkly as well, with the faint signs of their planet glowing in them.
"Hey, that's no fair!" Chibiusa whined. "No one waited for me." Taking out her locket, she put her ring on the pink crystal inside. "Chibi moon crystal cosmos power, make UP!" There was a faint shine, but other than that, nothing happened. Chibiusa looked a bit cross as she gripped her locket firmly. A frown crossed her face. "How come mine doesn't work?"
Sailor Moon sighed and floated over to her. She looked at the pink crystal a bit and then at the ring. "Hmm, we both have the same rings, but you never used a crystal transformation before. Try using a 'crisis' transformation phrase. If that doesn't work, use what I said." Chibiusa nodded and tried again.
"Moon crisis cosmos power, make UP!" she called out. There was a huge flash of pink light. Super Sailor Chibi Moon suddenly appeared from the light, grinning wildly. "Thanks Sailor Moon!" Her own outfit still resembled her super form. The bow on the back was transparent now. The white part of her skirt was still made of the same fabric, but the pink and yellow strips running along the bottom were made of satin. The pink brooch on her red bow was metallic as well. The moon earrings and pendant on her pink velvet choker were gold, shining brightly.
"Our turn," Seiya whispered, pulling out the star locket in his pants pocket. He turned to his other two friends. "Ready?"
"Yeah," Taiki replied, placing the blue gem on the ring on the surface of his locket.
"Fighter star cosmos power…"
"Maker star cosmos power…"
"Healer star cosmos power…"
"…make UP!"
A few seconds later, the Sailor Starlights were in the soldiers' midst. Their outfits hadn't changed much, Healer noticed that with much relief. Only a gorgeous touch up on their appearance made them appear as if they were part of Serenity's court too.
Tuxedo Kamen also appeared. He was virtually the same. Eternal Sailor Moon cheered at his appearance and wrapped her arms around him. Not to be outdone, Chibi Moon followed, clinging to Tuxedo Kamen's leg tightly. The handsomely dressed young man staggered for a second as his future wife and daughter clung to him determinedly.
"Do our powers work?" Jupiter asked, making a fist. "If it doesn't, appearance won't really do us good in a battle." Venus shook her head and struck a pose.
"Uh-uh, the enemy might think we're so kawaii they won't even bother attacking us," she said. "After all, we are called the pretty soldiers of love and justice." With that, she got prepared to throw an attack. "Venus Love Me Chain!" A golden heart-linked chain appeared in her hand, glowing with a new orange light. Venus' face lit up. "All right!"
"Let me try!" Chibi Moon yelled as the Chibi Moon Kaleidoscope appeared in her hand. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" The tip of the kaleidoscope glittered with sugary white light and a heart snapped out of nowhere. "Yeeeea!"
"Do we think we have any new attacks?" Mercury asked. The others shrugged as a silvery giggle dawned from the white light. The others looked around in alarm and bewilderment. They knew that laugh.
"Do you have any idea where you are, my fellow sailor senshi?" the soft, tinkling voice asked. The two moon soldiers clung to Tuxedo Kamen even tighter. There was something in that voice that neither of them liked too much.
Suddenly, the bright white light was gone, leaving behind the black, infinite darkness. But something was very different about the second darkness then there was the first. It seemed sweeter and much more welcoming. The sailor senshi spun around in awe as they took in their new surroundings.
The entire landscape had a bluish-black tint to it. The ground seemed to be made of mirrors because they reflected the star studded night sky. The sky was a gorgeous velvet black color, with the planets hanging around like they belonged there. A thin, bluish fog was rising from ground, swirling around the soldiers' ankles. The only things strange about it were that the planets were almost too close together and that there was no sun. A shooting star fell near the planet Venus and landed somewhere beyond the horizon.
"Oh my goodness," Kei breathed. She was the only one not in a senshi form. Her large red eyes were reflecting the glowing diamond-like stars in the sky. She put her hand to her mouth. "Where on earth are we?" Jupiter chuckled a bit.
"We're not on Earth, that's for sure," she said, pointing to a massive blue and green planet floating above them. "Because that is the Earth." Kei's jaw dropped as she looked around at each of the planets.
"Look, there's the moon!" Chibi Moon exclaimed, pointing to a pearl looking object orbiting Earth. "I've never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life." The others nodded in agreement.
"Fellow senshi, do you have any idea where you are?" the same tinkling voice asked. A tall, silhouetted figure stepped into the horizon, surrounded by a bluish-violet aura. It walked towards them with a slightly suggestive hint in her step. "This is no ordinary place created in the middle of the solar system."
"Gee, ya think?" Mars snapped. Her tone seemed a bit out of place in the serene universe. She softened her tone a bit. "Of course not. I can feel it with every pore in my being. We're not really even in our universe."
"That is very correct, Lady Mars," the figure replied, bowing ever so slightly. A smile flashed across her face as a slight wind lifted the silver hair around the young woman's face. "You have actually gone through a hyperspace gate."
"A hyperspace gate?" Mercury gasped, recognition shining onto her face. She caught Jupiter's eye. Too easy, she thought turning back to the figure.
"As you might know," the figure said, pointing to herself, "I'm Lady Capricorn, soldier of discipline. What you don't know about us had always remained hidden in each lifetime. We might have been telling you lies and we might've not. It's up to you to judge the truth." She waved her hand above her head. She came into clear view then, her soft gray eyes shining oddly. Her sailor outfit was completely black, except for the blue bows and the two rows of blue piping on her sailor collar. "This is the ultimate destiny of the universe. Each sailor senshi is made up of their own heart and soul. It started way back in the beginning of time."
"Yomicha?" Kei asked, looking around. Lady Capricorn turned to the violet-haired girl, her slate blue eyes suddenly sharp as she glared at her.
"You wanted to know your past and the revelations," Capricorn said, her voice as smooth as silk. But barely restrained evil was hiding in that gorgeous voice. "And you will find out. But what you do know can hurt you." With that, she turned around.
"This is the universe you were born to, the only one you've ever known and will ever know," Capricorn continued, looking up at the planets. "Each of you were born under your own planet. Let me start back at the beginning of time. Way at the beginning, there was a perfect universe. The pure energies were keeping the evil energies in check. The most powerful item of the waking universe and pure energy was the ginzuishou, the imperial silver crystal." The planets in the universe disappeared as a shooting star landed behind Capricorn. It was an image of the silver crystal. After a second, the silver crystal disappeared in a shower of white sparks.
"Everything seemed perfect because the silver crystal kept giving strength to the universe. But unfortunately, the silver crystal was not strong enough to keep giving power solo. So, out of the entire pure, waking universe," the planets reappeared, "nine senshi were chosen to protect the silver crystal. Each one of them was chosen from a different planet that held different powers." Nine silhouettes appeared from behind Capricorn, each glowing with a different aura. "You see, each planet had its own special power. Mercury, the first planet, had the power of ice." Snow and bubbles encircled the first figure with a light blue aura. "The second planet, Venus, had the power of love and beauty." Golden hearts wrapped around the figure with an orange aura. "The third planet from the sun, Earth, had the power of the wind and sky." A strong gust of wind blew around the figure with a golden aura. "The fourth planet, Mars, held the power of fire." A wall of flames enveloped the figure with a bright red aura. "The fifth planet, Jupiter, had the power of electricity." A huge burst of green electricity exploded from beneath the figure that held a green aura. "This planet was the beginning of the five outer planets. It made more sense that at least one of the outer soldiers would protect the silver crystal than none so Sailor Jupiter became part of the inner planet soldiers."
Capricorn turned to the others allowing this to sink in. The four inner senshi stared at the four figures that were entitled to their planet names. Capricorn smiled a bit, her slate blue eyes glowing. "Those five senshi would protect the silver crystal." Sailor Moon frowned a bit. What about her?
"What about me, Capricorn?" she asked, tugging a blonde pigtail worriedly. "I thought that I was the owner of the silver crystal. How come I wasn't mentioned?" Capricorn giggled a bit.
"Oh, don't worry," she said with a reassuring smile on her face. "We will get around to you. But I must finish the rest of the story first." She turned back to the nine figures. "The remaining four senshi would protect the inner planet senshi from outside invaders. Those four would possess stronger powers than any of the inner senshi. They would be Uranus, the planet with the power of earth." A golden globe surrounded by rocks spun around the figure with a dark blue aura. "Neptune, with the power of water." A huge column of turquoise water rose around a figure with an aqua aura. "Pluto, with power over time and death." A dark cloud spread around the figure with a black aura. "And the planet with the power over silence and health, Saturn." A deathly looking beam shot from behind the last figure with a purple aura. The purple beam was soon covered in a black mist. "These were the legendary soldiers of love and justice."
The figures suddenly disappeared as a new person walked up, covered in a pink and white light. The figure was holding the silver crystal in her hands. "There was only one problem. None of the sailor planets were able to control the silver crystal, which was quickly losing its power. So, it was realized that a sailor planet could not control the silver crystal since each planet was equal. Not even Venus or Uranus, the two senshi leaders, could control the silver crystal. The silver crystal sought out an owner on its own, a girl with the purest and most innocent soul in the entire universe." The girl standing behind Capricorn raised the silver crystal in the air and shouted something. "She was the soldier from the only moon of the Earth. Her name was Sailor Moon." Sailor Moon smiled. That was more like it.
"The silver crystal soon became an object of power, with no more will," Capricorn explained as the nine other figures appeared behind the girl holding the silver crystal. "These ten became known as the planetary sailor senshi. They were able to keep peace within the posiverse…but not for very long. The sudden change in the positive universe caused a direct hit to black energies. With more power suddenly exerted in the waking universe, the dark energy became something akin to jealous of the power. So very slowly, they started sending dark energy into the pure universe. The darkness grew to an overwhelming extent, more powerful then anyone even imagined."
The sailor senshi stared in dread at the sudden absence of light in the gate. The ten figures standing behind Capricorn were swallowed up by the darkness. Even the light of the silver crystal was gone. The darkness soon covered every star and planet in the gate. Capricorn shook her head sadly at the soldiers' stricken faces. "The white universe was suddenly caught up in a battle with an enemy that was a thousand times stronger than they had ever imagined. The sailor planets tried as best as they could to divert the evil energies into a separate universe…but to no avail."
A sudden violent explosion sounded through the gate, knocking all the senshi to the mirrored ground, which reflected the scene above them. The sky was ablaze in fire and smoke and darkness. Just the intensity of the clouds burned the soldiers' eyes with tears. Sailor Moon looked away, tears spilling down her cheeks. Capricorn was silent for a second as she looked up at the sky that was still glowing like an ember.
"The light of hope was beaten," she said slowly. Nine figures suddenly appeared behind her as the other senshi struggled to stand up. Their faces and any other part of their body that might give them away were completely hidden in darkness. The figures were lying on the ground, not moving at all. "It seemed as though it was all over. The black energies had surely won." There was a flash of white light behind the bodies. A girl holding the silver crystal walked up to each of the fallen senshi. "But, the soldier of love and justice was still alive. Using the last ounce of her energy and the full potential of the silver crystal, she drove back the negative forces into its own universe in another dimension." The glowing figure stood up, shouted something, and the energy of the silver crystal was released. It was brighter than anything any of the senshi had ever seen, brighter even than the sun itself. The light dimmed down suddenly and the figure holding the silver crystal collapsed to the ground.
Capricorn turned to the other senshi, a look of cold emotion in her eyes. "It was over. And each senshi had sacrificed themselves in order that life could continue. The pure universe had suffered many casualties, but none as tragic as the loss of the sailor senshi." She turned back to the figures. The brooches on the dead bodies glowed a bit and then emitted gorgeous lights, covering each body. "It was over. For then." The bodies slowly disappeared in showers of sparks. Capricorn turned to the other senshi. The soldiers of this solar system were crying silently. Even the Sailor Starlights were moved by the actions of the sailor senshi from the past.
Capricorn shook her head sadly, her silver hair spilling in waves down her shoulder. "Each of the sailor senshi had died, protecting their planets and each other to the very last struggle. The only thing left of any of them was the silver crystal, which had lost its shine." The silver crystal, which had been on the past Sailor Moon's chest, clattered to the ground. "It would be another one thousand years before the silver crystal regained its shine."
"Sailor Capricorn," Sailor Moon whispered in a heartbroken voice. "Why are you showing us this?" Capricorn stared back into the large blue eyes, which were now torn in grief.
"You must know the truth about the sacrifice and where everyone here actually comes from," she whispered. "After the first lifetime ended so terribly, it was sure that another would arise. The sailor soldiers' souls were reborn into different bodies than their firsts. The first soldier, Sailor Moon, awoke as a sailor senshi fourteen years after she was born. Her memories of the past were revived by the will of the silver crystal, which was put into a cat named Luna." A girl with two odangos and long blonde pigtails appeared, holding a black cat in her arms. "The senshi had unconsciously remade themselves in appearance."
"Later, her four senshi guardians were awakened," Capricorn continued as four sailor senshi appeared behind the blonde girl, who had transformed. "They became the sailor leader's closest friends. The outer senshi were also reborn and regained the memories of their past. They also became good friends of the sailor leader. Only one senshi did not awaken and that was the senshi of Earth. At least, it was assumed that she didn't awaken. So another soldier of earth was found. Even though a man, he was assigned to be Sailor Moon's bodyguard." A tall, new figure walked up behind the imaged Sailor Moon and wrapped his arms around her as a shower of roses fell around them. "His name was Tuxedo Kamen."
"After the guardian of time, Sailor Pluto, realized what had happened in their past lifetime, she set it up that each senshi would live out a thousand year life span and then die, except for her. She would be immortal, watching the Gates of Time for all eternity. As guardian of time, she had to make sure that the senshi were reborn and regained their memories." Capricorn sounded a bit choked up as she looked at a lone figure that suddenly appeared. She was holding a silver staff that resembled a key. "Well, it was very peaceful during those first 100 lifetimes. The people loved Sailor Moon so much, she was declared Queen of the white energies while the other senshi were declared princesses of their own planets." The senshi, all ten, reappeared behind Capricorn in their royal garments. "The pure universe was still a bit battered from the attack in the first lifetime. Using their powers, the sailor senshi began to rebuild their own universe."
Sailor Mercury cupped her chin in her hand. "Exactly how many lifetimes are there?" Capricorn smiled.
"1,102," she said, smiling. "I was born in Sailor Moon's hundredth lifetime." With that, Capricorn waved her hand above her head. The sailor senshi looked up and saw the signs of the zodiac glowing above their heads. "During the hundredth lifetime, the dark energies began to rip from their own universe back into ours. The pure universe was still battered from the attack one hundred thousand years since then and were caught by surprise by the sudden forcefulness of the attack." Ten figures appeared behind Capricorn. Darkness rose up from the night sky and began to cover the stars. "The leader of the invasion, a demon with the powers from the sign of Cancer, decided to lead an attack inside the sailor senshi. So each soldier was drawn into a battle within themselves." The darkness plunged towards the sailor planets, completely concealing them. The silver crystal fell to the ground.
Capricorn shook her head. "The demon was surprised by all the pure energies in the soldiers' bodies and had to back out after a long and costly battle." The darkness emerged from the soldiers' bodies and the exhausted senshi collapsed to the ground. Capricorn shook her head. "The dark universe once again took its toll. They had gathered tremendous power from the sailor soldiers and from there, the zodiac senshi were created." The darkness split into ten separate parts as ten more figures appeared. Then ten dark parts surged into the new figures bodies and they glowed with a dark and evil aura. "The sailor planets, as you know, are Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Tuxedo Kamen. The zodiac senshi became known as Cancer, Virgo, Libra, Aries, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Scorpio, and Leo." The senshi faced off, but Sailor Moon stepped forward, grabbed the silver crystal and blasted the zodiac senshi back. The figures disappeared all of a sudden. Sailor Saturn, Sailor Pluto and Sailor Moon stood before them.
"Hotaru-chan! Pu!" Chibi Moon cried, her red eyes lighting up a bit. She smiled as she looked at Capricorn. "Your counterparts?" Capricorn nodded as Saturn raised her Silence Glaive.
"The planetary sailor senshi were able to force the dark zodiac senshi back to the brim of the gate where they had emerged from," Capricorn whispered sadly. "But, suddenly, the zodiac senshi let out a huge blast of power, killing many people. We physically slaughtered hundreds of people with our own hands. The planetary sailor senshi tried to fight back, but we had the same powers as they did. Saturn didn't want to use her Death Reborn Revolution because in doing so, the planetary sailor senshi would die and the zodiac senshi would be reborn. There were thousands of losses, including the soldiers' own personal families." A battlefield appeared. The sky was stormy and rainy, a bolt of lightning occasionally lighting up the gory battle scene. Bloodied and burned bodies were scattered all over the place. "Finally, I took it upon myself to completely get rid of all the senshi. Like Saturn, I had an ultimate attack that would destroy an entire world. It's called Final Ruin."
The scene behind Capricorn changed. Sailor Pluto and Sailor Capricorn were facing off. Pluto seemed very battered, using her staff to support herself. "Pluto was the only planet soldier left after I used Final Ruin, since she had been watching the time gate the moment I used it. I could tell she would hate me forever for what I did. We fought for a while, but it was clear I was winning. Sailor Scorpio showed up also, in hopes of destroying her planetary counterpart." A tall young woman with Megumi's hairstyle appeared next to the evil Sailor Capricorn. Sailor Mars' jaw dropped.
"The Sailor Scorpio I know looks unmistakably like a little girl," she said, staring at the gorgeous young woman in the black and red sailor fuku. Capricorn nodded.
"She is," she stated simply before turning back to the image. "Both Scorpio and I had the strongest powers of all the zodiac senshi. But, Pluto still had the power over time. Right when I was about to use my complete Final Ruin, Pluto stopped time. At the risk of her own life, she was able to pause time long enough for Sailor Moon and the others to regain their senses. But, it was too late for Sailor Pluto." In the image, Pluto raised her time key, the garnet tip glowing brightly. Capricorn and Scorpio stared in horror, realizing that their body parts no longer functioned at all. The sailor senshi began stirring and began to recover. The garnet orb on the time key stopped glowing and Pluto collapsed to the ground. Sailor Moon called out something as the other senshi rushed to their fallen ally. "Sailor Moon was more sad for us than she was angry." Saturn walked up to Sailor Capricorn. They held conversation for a long while. Scorpio looked a bit disgusted, but Sailor Moon began talking to her. Sailor Moon suddenly brought out her silver crystal and held it out. There was a blinding flash of light.
Capricorn turned back to the senshi. "You guys had something that we never ever felt before. There was that love between all of you that was stronger than anything we had ever felt." She looked down for a second. "Sailor Moon and Sailor Saturn cast their powers to revive Sailor Pluto, but I knew she'd never be able to forgive me. She'd hate me forever. And I also knew that Uranus and Neptune would never be able to forgive me either." There was an image of the three oldest outer senshi. Sailor Jupiter looked at Capricorn quizzically.
"What did you do to those two?" she asked. Capricorn turned her back to them, looking at the image.
"I personally killed their families right in front of them, and they could do nothing to stop it," she whispered. "And that's not even the worst of it. Even after all that had happened, the zodiac senshi were still on a rampage. The only way to close the gate between the white universe and the black universe was to get an energy powerful enough to seal the gate back for at least a thousand years. So that meant that a sailor soldier would have to die. Sailor Moon painstakingly chose out of all the people a girl with an innocent soul that rivaled hers. She would be called the soldier of sacrifice, Sailor Midnight."
A girl with curly violet hair stepped forward, holding a scepter looking object in her hand. Kei's eyes got wide.
"That's me," she breathed. She looked at the scepter in the girl's hand. "What's that?" Capricorn smiled a bit as the image disappeared.
"That is the taboo talisman that we've been looking for," she said softly, turning back to the planet and starlight senshi. "On the tip of the scepter is an orb which will hold your soul. In order for the revelation to be complete, the time gate needs to be open to the black universe. You have to do a combination attack that includes the silver crystal and the talisman. With that gone, the white universe is safe for the rest of that lifetime." Taking a deep breath, Capricorn waved her arm again. A tiny, pink-haired girl appeared.
"This is the Neo-Moon Princess," she said tiredly. "She was such like her mother, with a pure and innocent soul, she was given power also to become a sailor soldier so that in case the Queen died, her daughter would be able to use the silver crystal. This cycle will continue until time dies out in the end." The silver-haired girl fell silent then, allowing the new information to sink in.
Capricorn then turned to them and walked over to Sailor Moon. In an elegant bow, she kneeled before the blonde girl.
"You have seen my past now," Capricorn whispered. "You've seen what I was, a monster that would destroy on a whim. Three of your soldiers lives were completely altered by my actions. I can only hope that you can forgive me. And it doesn't matter because I already known my place to stand, and that's in this universe. That's the ultimate truth and the ultimate destiny of the universe." She saw all the senshi nod their heads and bit down on her tongue.
I'm sorry sailor senshi, princess, she thought. But until I'm for sure this is that lifetime, I cannot tell you the real story. Please...accept this for now and enjoy your lives. I'm sorry.
, she thought. .Random author's notes: In case no one understood Yomicha's last statement - that entire story was a lie, created just to satisfy the sailors' questions. Don't take it as the truth.