The lights were turned back on. The senshi could now have a clear view of Nyanko, still unconscious and suspended mid-air. Her star seed was still floating above her head.
"Nyanko…!?"
Sailor Moon rushed toward the Mautian.
"Sailor Moon, be careful! It could be a trap," Uranus warned.
"Whoever did this already left," she said back. "I can't let her in this state!"
Sailor Moon raised her rod, ready to heal her.
"Woah… what was that!? And what's this!?"
Hidden under a table was Shigekane Hirari. It seemed like she had opted to take cover there during the attack instead of escaping like most guests.
"Shigekane-san, what are you still doing here?" Neptune asked.
Shigekane crawled from under the table, looking around her nervously.
"Is it over? Is it gone?" she asked.
"What, the monster? Yeah, it's gone," Neptune replied. "But why haven't you left already?"
Shigekane stood up proudly, patting her clothes as if to make sure she didn't have any dirt on them.
"I'm the host, I cannot leave until everyone leaves."
"That's very honourable of you yet very stupid in this instance," Neptune replied.
"Maybe, but everything turned out fine in the end, right? Nobody got hurt… what's going on with this one?"
She was pointing at the suspended Nyanko. Her attention seemed focused on the star seed- not that she should know what it was.
"This crystal…" Shigekane mumbled so softly that it was barely audible.
"Right, the star seed!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, pointing the Eternal Tiare at Nyanko.
"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"
Pink light flared at the top of the Tiare and streamed toward Nyanko in multiple waves with healing properties. The star seed returned inside the flower sitting atop their head, which closed up, before going back inside her body.
Nyanko's body lowered down on the floor and she suddenly opened her eyes, gasping. Sailor Moon immediately rushed towards her, helping the Mautian to get up.
"I'm… I'm alright… what happened?" Nyanko asked.
"Your star seed… it was extracted," Sailor Moon replied.
"... what?"
"By someone wearing those bracelets, the same you used to wear!" Uranus added in an accusatory voice. "One of your companions did this."
Nyanko seemed genuinely as shocked as everyone by this.
"N-No, it can't be…"
Uranus took a step towards her, but the inners immediately get in her way.
"More aside! We now know who's behind those attacks! It's Shadow Galactica!" Uranus declared.
"We defeated them!" Mars argued back. "Regardless, it doesn't mean Nyanko is related to that."
"Our princess was attacked! Why are you defending this invader!?"
"Nyanko was the one who protected me," Sailor Moon reminded her. "Whoever it is, she's clearly not with them!"
"Then it's a ploy, she's trying to deceive us by getting herself attacked by her own allies-"
"That's just plain stupid," Nyanko suddenly intervened. "As if I'd let anyone extract my star seed and take that much of a risk of literally dying just to trick you. You're just letting your hatred for me make you biased."
"I…! I never said I hated you," Uranus denied. "I just don't trust you. And who were those other Mautians you mentioned? Other ones from your old crew?"
"... I really shouldn't have mentioned them. And I don't feel like getting them into trouble because of your irrational dislike for outsiders."
"So you are covering for them-"
"Stop!" Sailor Moon exclaimed. "The Mautians she referred to… are Luna and Artemis."
Uranus looked taken aback by this sudden revelation.
"Luna and Artemis… are from outside the solar system?" Uranus asked as if she couldn't believe it.
"Yes, they are from Mau. Queen Serenity offered them a home on the moon, back when the Silver Millenium was still existing. She herself wasn't from this solar system. Fighting invaders coming here to hurt us is one thing, but refusing hospitality towards outsiders who come in peace is another one. This is not what our Queen stood for. This is not what I stand for. If Queen Serenity accepted Luna and Artemis, then why should we refuse someone who came from the same place as them? Someone who doesn't have a home anyone and does wish to help us? The Silver Millenium was built by an outsider- my past mother!"
"... Sailor Moon…"
"It's fine, Uranus. I think the girl has proven she wasn't an enemy. And she did protect the princess just now- risking her own life," Neptune said.
"Neptune… Fine," Uranus finally resigned. "But still, even if she's clear, the fact of the matter is, the attack was perpetrated by someone wearing Shadow Galactica bracelets. If it's not Galaxia, then it only leaves your fellow Animamates."
"... No. It's not any of them. It can't be," Nyanko mumbled.
"How can you be so sure?" Neptune asked. "You were resurrected on Earth, so why not them?"
"It's…"
"Nyanko… " Venus said urgently. "How can you be so sure it's not them?"
"... Fine. I got a way to make sure it's not any of them. But we will have to go back to… huh?"
They suddenly noticed that, in all their agitation, they completely forgot Shigekane was still there.
"... Why are you still here?" Neptune asked.
"I already told you, a host can't leave until everyone does. And you're still here."
The senshi all exchange suspicious glares.
"There's no way she understood anything we've been saying so far," Mercury said. "Anyway, we didn't mention anything that could reveal our identity…"
"Still, that was careless of us," Neptune replied.
"Hey, what did you hear exactly?" Mars asked Shigekane.
"Oh, uh, something about… Martians? Aliens? Do you mean those little green people? Was this monster sent by them? Is Earth getting invaded by Martians!?"
Mars sighed.
"Yeah, I don't think we have to worry about her," Mars said.
"Just, don't worry about that," Jupiter told the host. "We've got everything covered."
"We should probably get going then," Uranus said.
The senshi nodded and started walking away.
"Au revoir," Shigekane said, waving at them. "And thank you for your service…"
"So… why have you brought us here?" Uranus asked.
The senshi were standing in front of the ruins that were once Ginga TV. Most of them were now untransformed, with the exception of Uranus and Neptune. This was only because they were the only ones whom Nyanko didn't know the real identity, and it seemed like they wanted to keep it that way for now.
"I told you," Nyanko began, "I got a way to make sure it's not any of my old companions. And it turns out, this way lies here, in Ginga TV."
Minako looked around, looking doubtful.
"I don't know what you're hoping to find here," Mina said. "This place is a wreck!"
"You'd be surprised with what we can find here," Nyanko replied with a grin. "Hopefully it's still intact."
Nyanko walked through the debris, starting to look around for something. The senshi looked at one another, seeming uncertain.
"What are we looking for exactly?" Ami asked.
"A safe," Nyanko replied, crouching down to dig in some rubbles.
"A… safe?" Rei repeated.
"Yeah. Like, a metal box with a lock with numbers on it," Nyanko confirmed.
"Yes, I know what a safe is, thanks. But… why?"
"This was a shared safe the Animamates assigned to Earth used," Nyanko began to explain. "Only the four of us knew the combination."
"Okay… and?" Makoto said.
"Well, you see, there was a particular item I personally put inside. An item I'm sure if any of my companions was behind the recent attacks would want back."
"Wait… what kind of item?" Neptune asked.
Nyanko stood up.
"A notebook. It belonged to Aluminum Seiren. You might remember another one of my companions holding it- Lead Crow."
Usagi tried to remember and a specific event came back to her mind like a flash.
"When Lead Crow attacked us at school!" Usagi explained. "She was holding that notebook, apparently written by her 'rival' with my identity in it… !?"
"You realize it now," Nyanko said. "This notebook contained your secret identities, as well as all those Seiren was aware of. If one of my companions was behind those attacks, no doubt they would want to get their hands on that notebook. If their memory was back, they would remember the combination and get it back."
"Even the owner of that notebook? The one who wrote it?" Neptune asked.
"Yeah, even Seiren. If she really wanted to attack you all, I doubt that just by memories, she remembers your full name. Why do you think she even wrote them down to begin with? So she wouldn't forget. Crow knows about the notebook obviously, Mouse I'm not sure, but if any of them gain back their memories and intended to attack you, be certain they would at least look through this safe."
"So, you're telling us if we find this safe and the notebook is still inside, then none of them were behind those attacks?" Rei wanted to confirm.
"Precisely. If one of them were really the one who attacked us, then it's certain they would have taken that notebook."
"But if the notebook isn't there, then the opposite is also garantied- that one of them, at least, is our enemy," Uranus said with a gloomy look.
"..."
Nyanko didn't answer and continued to look around.
"If the notebook is still there, do you have any clues about who could be responsible for those attacks?" Minako asked.
"Hmm… I do know there used to be other Animamates before us, but I always assumed they were dead…"
"Wait, other Animamates? And why would they be dead?" Makoto asked.
"Well, given how eager Galaxia was to dispose of us whenever she didn't need us anymore and the fact I never saw them, it's pretty easy to guess they were killed and we were the one replacing them," Nyanko said.
"But, if you were resurrected, so should they…" Ami pointed out.
"Yeah, but they weren't on Earth, or nowhere near Earth when they died. And they shouldn't be corrupted anymore, so why would they be here to attack us?"
"Good point… But still, if it's not any of your companions, then it has to be another Shadow Galactica member," Rei said.
"I guess so… Huh, now that I think about it, I did meet another Animamate, way before I was sent on Earth… but I'm assuming she was disposed of too. I don't even know her name…"
"Hey, I think I've found it!" Ami suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone got their attention on Ami, who was crouching down near a safe buried in the ground. Nyanko took a few steps towards her until Uranus suddenly stopped her.
"Don't try anything," Uranus warned her. "If the notebook isn't there, you know what it'd mean."
"Pff, what do you expect me to try, with all of you surrounding me and watching my every step?" Nyanko shrugged.
"Hmmm."
Uranus finally let her go, not without glaring at her. Nyanko crouched down near the safe, hand on the lock.
"So, let's see…"
She entered the combination under the heavy stares of everyone. This was putting some pressure unto her. When she finally unlocked the safe, everyone got closer to take a look. Nothing to ease Nyanko. When she finally opened the door she could feel their glares behind her back.
There were a few items inside the safe. Nyanko started rummaging through it, pulling out at first an umbrella from it. She then opened it, revealing the mouses motif on it.
"Huh, I forgot Mouse put that there," she said. "That's kind of cute."
She put the umbrella away and picked another object: a silver bell.
"My spare transformation bell," Nyanko said.
Nyanko then pulled a few fashion magazines- a good tool to find targets back then, apparently. Once she had emptied the safe she stared at it for a moment, an expression on her face that seemed like her heart had stopped beating for a second.
"So?" Ami asked.
"... the notebook. It isn't there," Nyanko revealed.
"Well then, you know what it means," Uranus replied.
"W-Wait! It doesn't mean one of them took it, okay!? Or that one of them is behind those attacks!"
"You literally said that if it was one of them, they would for sure retrieve the notebook," Neptune said.
"Yeah, but not that it meant that'd be the only reason for someone to retrieve it…!"
"Enough kicking around the bush!" Uranus exclaimed. "If the notebook isn't there, then it means one of them took it, correct? Then you aren't the only one who got her memory back!"
"They can't! I interacted with all of them and none reacted to me! If any of them had their memory back, you can be sure they would have said something to me! Especially Crow! She'd try to kill me if she remembered what I did to her…"
"Don't you think it's suspicious if one of them does have her memory back and continues acting as if she doesn't?" Ami suggested. "Because if what you say is true, then this is the only option."
"Wait… did you just say you interacted with all of them?" Uranus suddenly reacted.
"... Oops…"
Uranus grabbed Nyanko by the collar.
"You met your companions and didn't tell us!?" Uranus exclaimed. "You hide the fact they were alive and knew where they were!? Why?!"
"Uranus, calm down…!" Usagi said.
"I was just monitoring them…!" Nyanko replied. "I kept a close eye on them, to see if they did remember, and never acted as if they did! I had no ill intent about that, I swear! I just… wanted to protect them…"
"Protect them? Protect the ones who might be attacking us? So you are an enemy after all!"
"No, protecting innocent people who don't even remember what they did wrong!" Nyanko yelled back. "None of them were at fault, they were corrupted and brainwashed against their will! And if they were blessed with a new life on Earth without the burden of our past sins, then I certainly won't put them through what I'm going through right now! Not after I betrayed them! Not after… what I did to Seiren and Crow…"
Uranus looked like she wanted to say something back but ultimately stayed quiet. She let go of Nyanko's collar, still clearly offensive.
"Fine. Then, now that you know some of them might not be as innocent as you think, tell us who they are," Uranus ordered.
"So you can attack them indiscriminately like you did to me? I don't think so," Nyanko said.
"You…!"
"Nyanko, I understand your intention, but you're really not helping yourself right now," Ami said.
The Mautian remained hesitating for a moment before she suddenly looked at Usagi.
"Alright… But, I'm only trusting Sailor Moon with this information," Nyanko said. "She's free to tell you if she wants after. This will be her decision."
"What-" Uranus began.
"I'm okay with that," Usagi said.
The inners seemed to agree with this decision. Neptune looked hesitating but ultimately agreed too. Uranus was clearly unhappy with this outcome but faced with everyone else agreeing, had to reluctantly comply too.
"Okay then," Nyanko said, walking to Usagi, to whisper in her ear. "So, the three other Animamates identities are…"
Only Usagi could have heard it. She looked taken aback as if she knew them- their civilian identities, that is. When she was done, Nyanko took a few steps back. Uranus immediately walked to Usagi.
"So, who are they?" Uranus asked.
Usagi was hesitating to answer.
"I… I don't think I feel comfortable sharing this information right away," she finally said.
"Princess…!"
"Well, if this is the princess's decision, we must respect it," Neptune said.
"Neptune…?"
"Yep, that's Usagi-chan's choice after all," Minako said.
The inners all nodded. Uranus glared at Nyanko, who shrugged.
"You can't blame me. That's Sailor Moon's decision," she sneered.
"You…"
"All I can say is that I'll keep a close eye on them. And if I suspect anything, I'll keep you updated," Usagi began. "But until now, as Nyanko-san said, if some of them are truly innocent, then they don't deserve to get dragged into this."
But a doubt remained. It was undeniable at that point that at least one of them had her memory back and took the notebook and was possibly behind those attacks.
Who and why remained a mystery that shall be uncovered.
Who took the notebook? Mouse, Seiren or Crow? Or a mysterious third party? Please let me know who you think in the reviews down bellow!