Here's the third chapter saved on my old computer.

I don't own Sailor Moon.

Collides With Beauty

By: Rini

Chapter 14: Behind The Shadows

Serena stood in front of an apartment door. She tapped her heel impatiently as she continued to stare at the door. Her arms were folded and she blew a breath to get the hair away from her eyes.

" Honestly," Serena huffed.

She knocked louder on the door.

" Coming!"

" About time," Serena whispered to herself.

The door was swung open quickly. There stood a tall woman, her dark auburn hair was tied back with a yellow bow in a long braid that rested over her shoulder. Her dark scarlet eyes held a look of annoyance and impatience. She wore a pair of red shorts and a dressy yellow tank top. Her wrists were covered in gold bracelets and a pair of long, dangling earrings matched her many bracelets.

" Avery!"

" Serena!"

Avery, the auburn woman, grabbed Serena in a tight hug, causing the air to quickly leave her lungs. Avery stopped to stare at Serena, twirling her around.

" My, my, my. I see you're not so golden anymore."

Serena swatted her hand away," I didn't come here to flaunt my new look. Where are your other sisters?"

Avery closed the apartment door and walked Serena over to the couch. She then proceeded to plopped down on an old white armchair and put her feet up on the coffee table.

" Birdy is over at the store. Prisma should be home in a few minutes and you know Katsy. You can't stop that girl once she goes shopping. She might be coming home soon. She already maxed out like every card she has."

" I need to talk to all of you, especially Prisma."

Avery frowned at her," I didn't think you came by to say hello."

Serena shook her head," I have questions I need answered immediately."

Avery got up and walked towards the kitchen," I'll call Birdy and see if she can come down. Katsy is on her own for all I care."

Serena laughed," Still angry at her for taking your dress?"

" Damn right I am!"

Serena sat down on the couch and waited as Avery was on the phone in the kitchen. After fifteen minutes, the door opened up and revealed a very beautiful woman. Her hair was short and a dark green-black color. The woman was as tall as her sister Avery, as tall as all her sisters. She held an air of classic beauty and sophistication. She walked tall, proud with her head held high and her green eyes steeled against the world.

" Long time no see."

The green haired woman smiled," I knew you'd come here sooner or later Serena."

Serena stood up and embraced her," Nice to see you again Prisma."

Prisma held Serena in front of her and studied the young girl," You look so much different when last we met. You look stronger. You look sadder."

" A lot has happened from last we talked."

" Hey Serena," Avery started as she walked back into the living room," Oh Prisma. I didn't hear you come in. I called Birdy and she's too busy to leave and Katsy sure isn't leaving her spree anytime soon. Looks like it's just the three of us."

Prisma took off her black coat and put it on the coat rack. She smoothed out her black dress and sat down on the other side of the couch next to Serena. Avery went back to her reclined position on the armchair with her feet once more on the coffee table.

Serena took a deep breath," I'm sure you must be wondering what exactly has been going on since you left the Black Moon."

Avery frowned," Like we can forget. We see the things in the papers about the attacks."

" But we also saw other articles," Prisma said," Ones of a new sailor scout."

" That would be me. I am no longer the Sailor Moon you remember. I am Imperial Moon now."

Serena dived into her tale of how she became Imperial Moon. She told them of her breakup with Darien, her struggles with the Scouts, and her eventual battle and downfall against Emerald and Rubeus.

" Wow! I never would have guessed the girls were that stupid as to let you go like that," Avery laughed.

" So the Queen brought you back from the dead," Prisma mused.

" I have merged with the Princess side of myself, thus this new transformation. I've been working on my own, changing my own destiny. I'm tired of taking a back seat to Fate. I want my own future that I want to choose."

" Go Serena," Avery cheered.

Prisma narrowed her eyes at her sister," You do realize the consequences of your actions."

" Of course I do. I understand perfectly well what will happen. I haven't regretted a decision yet. However, that's not to say I haven't come across a few bumps in the road already."

Her story continued again. Serena recounted the events of her intense training and honing her powers. She told them about protecting the city on her own with just Luna and how the Scouts and Darien were not even aware she was fighting youmas on her own at night. She told them about meeting Prince Diamond and how she fought against him, the plan that Emerald and Rubeus came up with, her weakness to fall into Diamond's possession, and how Emerald and Rubeus finally met their end. The hardest to describe was what she believed to be her final act in saving Darien's life by giving up her own and how another power prevented it.

Prisma leaned back," You sure don't lead a quiet life do you?"

" I came here because the story isn't over yet. I had a visitor last night after I left Darien's apartment."

Serena reached into her pocket and put the delicate sapphire bird on the coffee table for Prisma and Avery to see. Prisma's eyes widened as she immediately swiped the bird from the table. She stood up and started to walk back and forth in the living room. She kept whispering things to herself and shaking her head, as though in denial. Avery just hung her head.

" Avery, why is Prisma acting so weird over that figurine?"

Avery grabbed her braid," I had hoped it wouldn't come to this."

Serena stood up," Will someone answer my question already?"

" I hoped that he could save him," Prisma began," But this only proves that things have gotten much worse."

" Tell me everything Prisma. I need to know what that person was talking about. He told me I had to kill Wiseman. I want to know who that was and what Wiseman is up to."

Prisma sat on the couch next to Serena again," Do you know anything about the future?"

" I know I am Rini's mother along with Darien as her father. I know something must have happened to the Silver Crystal in that time because Rini came back here searching for it. I also assume there is no Sailor Moon in the future either."

" You don't know the half of it," Avery replied.

" Serena. You must understand that there are rules. A person isn't supposed to know about the future because it can alter the flow of Time. It's forbidden."

" Don't lecture me on rules, Prisma. I know the rules better than anyone because she taught me them. You should know there is a loophole. I already know too much as it is and all of you being here have already altered Time, not to mention I merged with Serenity and I died. I think everything else considered, I'm already beyond the rules."

" Prisma," Avery began," I'll tell her if you won't. She needs to know. Maybe she can stop him."

Prisma held up her hand," I'll be the one."

" So start from the top," Serena said.

" The Black Moon Family is from the future as you know. We came here from the 30th century. Originally, we all lived on a moon called Nemesis. It's the opposite of the Moon Kingdom you remember. Nemesis is a dark, evil place. Only those who rejected the white light live there, those that are evil and hold nothing but contempt for mankind and Earth.

You met Prince Diamond already. He was the leader of our planet, our kingdom if you can call it that. He was a handsome, strong ruler. He was a proud man who hated that he and his people had been banished from the grace of the Earth."

" Why were they banished? Who banished them?"

" Sometime in the distant future, the Earth has this period known as the Great Freeze," Avery started," No one knows what caused it, but the Earth and all the people were encased in ice. The Earth began a period of regeneration. Then when the time came and everything was reborn over, a power awoke. It broke the ice and freed the world of all the cold and darkness.

This person used this great power to cleanse the planet of all evil. The evil was banished from the solar system and took refuge on the broken moon later called Nemesis. The ones who lived there hated everything about the power that kicked them out and swore revenge against it."

" The power? What was it? Was it the Silver Crystal?"

" The power was from the Silver Crystal. The Silver Crystal awoke and helped to reawaken the Earth. It was it's power that rid the Earth of evil. It was that power that everyone resented. The Silver Crystal brought about a new era of everlasting peace to the universe and started the Silver Millennium."

Serena gasped," But that means?"

" Yes. The Silver Crystal brought about a new era of peace ruled by the Moon Queen and her husband, Neo Queen Serenity and Neo King Endymion. You and Darien become the new rulers of the galaxy and unite everyone together. Your palace is Crystal Tokyo, the future version of the present day Tokyo. Your daughter is Rini, or more formally known as Neo Princess Serenity."

" I'm a Queen? So that means I banished you all to Nemesis."

" The details aren't completely clear, but essentially yes. Your crystal removed all the darkness and everyone who refused the light from the Silver Crystal from the galaxy as far away as possible. That's why Emerald and Rubeus and everyone hate the future and you. They hate that you were all able to defeat them so easily. That's what this whole plan was for."

" So you all came back here to change the past so that I'd never become Queen?"

" Originally," Prisma answered.

Avery growled," It was all Wiseman's fault. Diamond's original plan was to come to attack Crystal Tokyo and kidnap the Queen. He become so infatuated with the Queen he decided no one else could have her but himself. Then the idea came about to go to the past and retrieve the Queen there before she could become her and take her with us so the future becomes altered."

" That's why they sent the four of you after me. They figured if you captured me now, then I couldn't kick you all out later."

" You've met Diamond already. He's greedy. All he wants are two things, the Queen and power. End of story."

" But why is he so infatuated with me? What about me is so important?"

" Well your future self is pretty commanding. You have tons of power, a wonderful kingdom, a great family and friends, and the respect of everyone. You have a pretty impressive future to fulfill."

" Well if that's the case, why didn't he ever try to talk to me or something like that? Why didn't he do something else?"

" It's because of that bastard," Avery snapped.

" Wiseman."

" Wiseman appeared on our planet not long before we attacked Crystal Tokyo. He poisoned Diamond's mind with lies and visions. He warped everything that was once so great about him into something so twisted. He filled his mind with all fantasies about the Queen and how she was the only one who could ever complete him. He used Diamond's weakness to his own advantage."

" Diamond was a fool. We all were. Wiseman used every single one of us to do his dirty work. Wiseman is pure evil. He wants to destroy everything and isn't afraid to sacrifice anyone to get what he wants."

Serena sighed," I guess that explains why Diamond killed Emerald and Rubeus the way he did."

Avery sat up," The Diamond we used to know would never kill anything. He wanted peace again. He wanted Nemesis to grow and become beautiful. He wanted everyone to be happy and live again. This new Diamond is a cold, cruel man who wants nothing but utter chaos. It's what Wiseman's done to him."

" Diamond? Wanted peace? You must be joking."

" It's true. He wanted peace for him," Prisma said with an air of sorrow to her voice.

Serena's brow furrowed," For who?"

" For Sapphire. His younger brother."

" Sapphire? I've never met him before."

" Yes you have. He's the one who gave you that bird."

" But I don't understand."

" Sapphire is Diamond's younger brother. We grew up with Sapphire. He was such a smart child. He never knew darkness or sorrow, but Diamond did. Diamond wanted to protect his brother. He wanted to shield him from the pains of the world. He was the reason why Diamond wanted peace. Sapphire was tired of all the fighting. He wanted all this to end. He wanted a new start. Diamond wanted to give him that."

" But why did Sapphire stay with him after all the evil he's done?"

" Because he's fiercely loyal to his brother. He's all he has left in the world. He still believes that he can free Diamond from Wiseman's control. He still has hope that he'll snap out of this. In a way, he reminds me of you Serena. He has undying hope even in darkness."

Prisma quickly stood up and left the room, walking into the kitchen. Serena looked at Avery confused.

Avery frowned," Prisma was in love with Sapphire. They always loved each other. When we first attacked Crystal Tokyo, Sapphire promised Prisma he would stop Diamond. He said he would stay by his side and try to defeat Wiseman on his own and free his brother. He swore he'd free us from Rubeus and give all of us a new life. That bird is one of his creations. It's a sign."

Serena hung her head," He couldn't do it. He couldn't stop Wiseman."

" It means that the end is coming soon. I'm afraid he's going to do something heroic and get himself killed. Worse yet, I'm afraid Prisma is going to do something even dumber and throw her life away for him. There's no telling what either of them are going to do now. It's only a matter of time."

" Wiseman is the answer to everything. He's used every single one of you. He used me too. I remember him. The way he was pure darkness and chaos. He wanted to corrupt the Silver Crystal, but Diamond wouldn't let him near me."

" Well that's at least one thing to be thankful for," Avery smiled," Maybe he isn't entirely lost after all."

Serena raised an eyebrow," He destroyed Emerald and Rubeus right in front of us for no reason."

Avery smirked," You say that like it's a bad thing."

Serena laughed," Ok. So maybe they couldn't be saved, but they still didn't deserve that."

" So what do you plan to do now?" Avery asked.

Serena frowned," This just made my life that much harder. I can't attack Diamond if he isn't the cause of all this, but I can't get to Wiseman as long as Diamond is still around. I don't know if Sapphire is safe so I can't risk his safety."

" What about your teammates?"

" I can't trust them right now either. As far as I'm concerned, they still don't have any faith in my abilities and they don't know any of this whatsoever. Darien still doesn't trust me enough to tell me the truth about his dreams, which means I can't depend on him either. The only one I have now is Luna, but she can't fight. I need to protect Rini right now. That's my main priority."

" So where is the little Princess now?"

" She's with Darien. I left her there so I could tie up a few loose ends. I figured I'd lure Diamond out so I could fight him again, but after meeting Sapphire, I see that isn't an option."

" Serena, you need to do whatever you need to. That is definitely not the Diamond I remembered. There isn't even a guarantee he'll go back to normal if Wiseman is defeated."

" I could use the Crystal to cleanse him though couldn't I?"

" Isn't that what started this whole mess in the first place?"

Her shoulders slumped," Good point."

" Well you could still fight Diamond. Maybe you can knock some sense into him now that you know this is all Wiseman's fault."

" Why not just fight Wiseman myself right now?"

Avery jumped out of the chair and shouted," No! You must not do that under any circumstances!"

Serena's eyes widened," Why? What aren't you telling me Avery?"

Avery closed her eyes," The future is a horrible place. You have no idea the things Wiseman did to it. The only thing keeping it together now is the barrier the Scouts created. There is so much death and destruction. It's because of him."

" But I might have the power to stop him. I have to try."

" You don't get it. You're alone now. You may be strong, but you are just one person. Even the Queen couldn't stop him even though she had everyone around her. You must not fight him alone. Absolutely not."

" Ok," Serena replied," I won't fight him now."

Serena stood up and hugged Avery.

" I have faith in you Sailor Moon. I knew you would always be the one to save us."

Serena smiled and made for the door. She stopped as her hand rested on the handle.

" Why did you guys go after Rini?"

Avery shrugged," I assumed to draw you out."

Serena shook her head," Yeah. I guess that makes sense. Tell Prisma I'm sorry and that I'll get him back."

Avery nodded," Be careful. Remember what I said."

Serena waved and left the apartment.

Avery took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen. Prisma sat at the kitchen table with a mug of hot tea in front of her, staring intently at the jeweled bird.

" She'll save him. You know that."

" I know."

" I'm afraid for her. She isn't like the Queen, and we know what happened to her. She might not make it."

" I know she'll do it. If she can't, then we're all already doomed."

" You watch. She'll save Diamond and Sapphire and we can go back to the future and be a real family and have a real life."

Prisma looked at her sister," The future. I can sense it. This will all be settled there. Sailor Moon will see her future. I hope she can take it."

Avery frowned," I do too Prisma. I do too."