Alone

Setsuna Meioh frowned as the people all ran towards the screaming. Things were not going at all like they were suppose to. Not at all.

She clutched the pen in her hand tightly. There was only one way to balance the time line. Sailor Moon must reawaken her friends. But would she was the only problem. Had did she get her princess to allow her court the freedom they so desired?

Looking down on the colliding forces, Setsuna couldn't help the but smile at the irony of the situation. They all wanted one thing, they all wanted to protect. Though in Uranus's case her hate was directed right back at the one she cared so much for.

Shaking her head at the knowledge she sat down on the rooftop of the tall building, she'd have perfect view from here of the emergence of information. The Senshi might or might not be awakened today, either way she foresaw the bonds holding both her princess and her friend together breaking.

The strain would be to great, she'd foreseen that without the help of the powers she'd been cursed with.

She could only hope they pulled through, the darkness that approached was great and if they did not and the causalities would be numerous. More numerous than any could imagine...

She watched the battleground sadly as each girl arrived, staring at the young blond on the ground, her heart crystal having been taken away. Minako would lie like that for quite a while...


Sailor Moon ran when she felt the blast of power rock the ground. Uranus was here. Neptune was here.

She sped her pace to get there quicker. She needed to hurry, people could die without their heart crystal!

She emerged from the darkness and suddenly wished she hadn't. Before her stood three girls, two warriors, one masked fighter, and a crumpled girl with long silky blond hair. Minako...

She grabbed her tiara and flung it out into the battle, preventing the monster from getting any closer to the two Senshi. All eyes flung in her direction at the move.

"You!" glared Sailor Uranus, Sailor Moon felt her heart break at those eyes. She turned away and watched from the corner of her eye as Sailor Neptune laid a calming hand on the other, glaring at her as well. They hated her so much...

Her tiara came back to her and she caught it from the air, placing it easily back upon her head for later use. Who knew it may come in handy.

She clutched the scepter in her hands, having it appear out of no where at her call. She needed to destroy the monster before others were hurt...

She prepared the attack, but was hit in the side by the creature's terrible blast. The other Senshi didn't even spare her a glance, instead releasing their attacks at the monster. Sailor Moon shakily stood and watched them miss the monster, instead heading towards the civilians behind it. Three young girls that looked so familiar...

She swept off into a run and stood before them, taking the heat of the blast once more. She felt her strength begin to escape her when the two powerful attacks hit her full on. But she didn't care. Her friends were in danger, she had to protect them, she had to...

"Well look at that Neptune, the coward's still here."

But the woman was silenced by a flurry of light headed towards them, the breath of the large dog like creature.

"Uranus!" screamed the aqua haired soldier, pushing the other out of the way while she tried to move as well, the blast scraped against her arm and Sailor Moon couldn't help but feel the fear that tightened in her chest.

She pulled the tiara from her head once more and struggled to her feet. Her friends were all in such danger...

She flung the small Frisbee through the air, trying hard to distract the creature, and ran from the girls, using what little strength left to protect them. She had to...

The large dog got hit by the weapon and quickly grabbed it in it's teeth, crushing it with a bite. A woman appeared over it's head laughing maniacally. Red hair swarmed down and Sailor Moon stared up in fear. It was her again...

"So you annoying brats are back eh? Well no worries there, my little fluffy here will take care of you, Professor made him specifically for you all to play with. I know how lonely you must be getting..."

Sailor Moon felt her form flicker before she concentrated on the crystal on her chest. She had to save her friends, she couldn't afford to be weak right now!

The woman cackled again and glanced over at the young blond before sighing and grumbling over stupid talismans. The moon warrior couldn't help but shiver at it. It sounded so much like Beryls... Why did all the evil people have to laugh the same?

She disappeared as quickly as she came, her incessant laughter ringing heavily in the air. Sailor Moon felt ready to give up but at one look at her fellow soldiers, she struggled once more to her feet. She wouldn't let them down, she loved them to much.

Drawing on the warm feeling within her, she held her rod tightly in her hands. The dog roared back in anger and charged her down, she tried to use her powers but the time it took was to long, the giant creature was upon her already.

She screamed in pain and felt her form flicker again, this time longer. She watched through half closed eyes as those teal orbs stared at her in surprise, shock radiating. Her Senshi form flickered back to life as Sailor Uranus looked towards her.

The screams of her friends filled her mind, they flashed before her hazy gaze, pleading with her, begging her to free them. Tears leaked down each of their cheeks. Her prince stood before her his lips moving without words as her head rolled over slightly...

And then came another scream, that of Haruka as she fell in pain, agony that awoke her from her stupor. She looked over to see warrior hunched over in pain, the monster before her, it's mouth opened wide. Prepared to break the woman with it's powerful jaws just as it had broken the tiara...

Blue eyes widened and fear raced through her veins. Haruka was in danger.

Bu-Bump...

Haruka was in danger.

Bu-Bump...

Haruka was...

Bu-Bump...

A light, more powerful than she'd ever remembered, burst forth from her bosom, filling the air around her with a sizzling strength. It pulsated, the screams of a dying dog echoing through it before the light died away, in its place stood a Sailor Moon blank blue eyes staring ahead.

She crumpled to the ground and with her left all will. The girls all gasped, even Minako who'd been awoken by the familiarity of the light.


A light formed around each of the inner court and they sizzled with color, each ones wide eyes blinking with comprehension, even the dark caped man clutched his head at the memories...

From the rooftop, Setsuna smiled softly. Under the moonlight she tucked away the small pen and moved away. She had no more business here...


Sailor Neptune glanced at the fallen warrior and then at the girl by her side. Her mind whirling with the recent discoveries. Sailor Moon was Usagi...

She shook her head and tried to get her companion to leave. It would be best if Haruka didn't try to hurt the younger girl. To many things were unknown what was best. The one thing she was sure of was that everything she'd thought she'd known had just been ripped away.

"Uranus, another time, please..."

Those green eyes looked at her strangely, she knew they did, she didn't even bother to figure out why though. She didn't want to know... She already knew to much as it was...

"Let's go Neptune."

They came under the veil of darkness, they left with the first rays of dawn. A new day upon her, Neptune didn't feel as refreshed as she should have.


Purple eyes stared with despair into the shadows. She was alone, all alone. Why? Where was papa? Where was her papa?

She was scared. She didn't like the dark, where was mama to sing her to sleep? Where was mama and papa?

Tears ran down her cheeks as she felt the cold wind crawl beneath her skin.

"Papa where are you?"


Ikuko watched silently as five girls entered house, four of them walking silently the fifth lying limply in their arms.

Ikuko felt a gasp escape her lips. Usagi!

They smiled sadly at her before walking past her, their presences demanding respect and their regal poise showing authority. Had it been anyone else she might have called the police. But it was not.

It was the warriors from her dream...

Tears ran anew from her eyes, her baby was a soldier and she hadn't even realized it. How could she have been so blind!

The loud ring of the telephone distracted her from her thoughts, she walked numbly to pick it up, answering in the traditional fashion with a quiet moshi moshi.

The voice that spoke back shook life back into her.

"Ikuko, is she- is she okay?"

Michiru. Michiru had fought beside Usagi, why hadn't she stopped this! Why hadn't the woman stopped this!

"She's unconscious," she whispered back, fear overwhelming her once more. What if her child didn't live through this fatal attack? How could such things after she'd just gotten well? It'd only been a week since she didn't awaken, how many more incidents would there be? How much more dangerous would these attacks become?

"I see," answered the other woman softly, the sorrow and confusion swamping her voice. Why didn't this woman who claimed to care so much stop this!

"Why..." she whispered, "Why?"

The silence was almost tangible as she awaited with baited breath for the answer. She received none that night for the line went suddenly dead and Ikuko had to fight back the tears.

Why?


Ami stared at their fallen leader and softly pushed away the golden locks, revealing a beautiful crescent of shimmering sunlight. She shut her eyes silently and knew already the other girls had done the same.

There was no reason to question the reasons, the feelings, they just did. She just did. She just was.

"Mercury power," she muttered almost noiselessly the others followed suit and they each glowed in unison, lighting up the room with a white more luminous than the moon that now seeped below the horizon, dawn was upon them.

"Mars power,"

"Jupiter power,"

"Venus power,"

The light died down as quickly as it came, the darkness of night slithering away at their presence. She almost smiled as those blue eyes opened but she didn't have time. There was never enough time...

She turned her head to her leader, the head warrior of Princess Serenity's court.

"Your highness," spoke the woman, and they all fell to their knees.

"Your foolishness almost cost us your life."

Silence followed the proclamation, just as she knew it would. They had not the time for the beautiful words their princess so loved to play with, they were sworn by duty, and held together by love. They were the Senshi of love and justice. They were the inner princesses of the lost silver millennium.

"Your highness, what you have done is imbecilic and very unbecoming of you. We are warriors sworn to serve you, it was our duty, our right, and our decision. You have stolen from us the memories given to our host to protect you!"

Shivers ran down the young princess's form, not from the cold but from the seriousness. The young one was the reincarnation of the child they protected and it showed greatly. However she felt the maternal love well up inside her all the more at the broken woman.

Their princess was kind and considerate, but this woman was beyond that, this woman had thought only of those she cared about. Something their princess had not done. Their princess had followed her heart and lead them all to destruction. This one had done the same only different. This woman had faced the darkness alone and locked them away. Something their princess would never have allowed. It made her cherish the girl even more.

"I won't loose anymore. I cant!"

"You have no faith in us?"

She knew their leader was not so cold. She knew that the princess of Venus lived, like her people, off the souls around her. Tunning in on the life around her. To be locked in the darkness with no such souls to taste... she knew the fate that awaited those who did not eat, she'd felt it herself. Even pain was better than the hollowness.

Tears leaked from their princess's eyes, the liquid sadness and fear. She feared them, her protectors?

"You almost died against Beryl..."

"And we should have, but you sustain us! Your undying love for us gave us strength when you had none. Can you not see that we can- will live as long as you do! Had you died tonight you would have for shamed us all-"

Her words cut off as the world around her flickered. They were not free, but they could be in battle. They would be in the darkness so long as there was no reason to protect their princess. However, the strength of her majesty was falling. Her spirit crushed under the immense weight of the darkness that was coming.

It would only be awhile before they were free, and until then they would pound relentlessly on the bonds separating them from the light. Her light.

They would be free once more.

The would.