Doubt & Trust

30th Century

The young pink-haired woman gazed into the horizon. She was exhausted, but her body refused to relax. She didn't even remember how that felt. The days had become a blur ever since she found her mother's body, just after receiving the news about her father. She barely remembered the funeral, even if it had been barely a month ago. She didn't even want to think about it; they had not thought about her when they started this stupid war nor when they became yet another casualty of it. She was furious at her father for fighting a losing battle, and despised her mother for being a coward until the very end.

They had not only left her an orphan, but they had also left her to deal with this mess, their mess, alone. She had inherited a kingdom on the verge of collapse. The crowning ceremony had happened just after the funeral. It had been rushed and devoid of any celebrations, just the absolutely necessary protocol to give her the power to finish leading this kingdom to its destruction. Not even the Sailor Guardians were present; those who were not already dead or missing, were too busy fighting in the front lines or setting up last-minute defenses. She could not fathom that her whole life had been ruined by one simple desire, by the need to possess a single object.

"If only I could-"

An enormous purple glow lit up the sky, followed by what could only be incandescent matter flying in all directions at the speed of light. The sound of an explosion followed a few seconds later, the waves of invisible energy shaking the moon's ground, and with it the whole palace. All the glasses around her shattered, those that reached her created fine cuts in her delicate skin. She held onto the curtains to keep her balance, but they tore off under her weight.

"Sailor Saturn ran out of options…" She said nonchalantly as she laid on the ground until the vibrations ended. She only knew of one person who could muster such destructive power, and she also knew what would happen if said power was unleashed.

"Your Highness!"

Her mother's aged servant stood under the door frame. Four women pushed past him and knelt around the new Neo Queen in an attempt to bring her back to her feet.

"I forgot you were coming." Serenity said coldly, pushing them away as she stood up on her own. "What are you doing here? You should be leading the troops."

"We came to protect you." Replied one of them as politely as she could in spite of the harsh welcome.

"Protect me?" She replied slightly amused. "How are you going to protect me exactly? The same way you protected my father and my mother?" She pressed, enjoying the pain she was causing. "That's very reassuring."

The blue-haired woman backed off instinctively. She looked at the other three women for support, but none of them had anything to say. She noticed a couple of hands curling up into fists, only to relax and let go of that anger. This was not the first time they had been insulted in such a manner, and frankly, deep down inside, her words carried some truth.

21st Century

Usagi woke up in complete darkness. She didn't recognize her whereabouts, but something about that place made her nervous. She placed both hands in front of her, hoping to grasp something that could clue her in on her location. She waved her hands in front of her but the blackness was such that her eyes couldn't see anything at all.

She sighed in frustration and chose a direction at random. She walked carefully at first, but nothing in her environment changed no matter how much she walked. She feared that every step brought her deeper and deeper into the darkness, but kept going until her legs couldn't move anymore.

She dropped to the floor exhausted. The surface was smooth and cold, as if she were walking on marble. She tried to remember what had happened to her in hopes of figuring out how to get out of there. She had a bad feeling about that place; she felt unsafe, as if she were being preyed upon by something terrifying.

She shook her head to chase those thoughts away. Nothing good will come out of scaring the hell out of myself, she thought with a forced smile on her lips. Chills ran down her spine as a sensation of being watched crept in. She stood up immediately, every muscle in her body tensed up, readying themselves for a fight-or-flight response.

Her eyes moved left to right and up and down, but they were unable to pick up on anything amidst that darkness. Her ears listened attentively for any sounds, but the area was so silent it was almost deafening. A few minutes passed but nothing happened.

"Silly Usagi, you're overreacting again!" She said out loud to reassure herself. She released the air she didn't know she had been holding in and started walking again, unsure of whether that was the direction she had been following before her break or not. Somehow she didn't believe that would make a difference. She took a few steps but a faint sound behind her stopped her dead in her tracks.

Setsuna laid in a hospital bed surrounded by every piece of medical equipment available. Michiru sat next to her, holding her hand. Setsuna unconsciously squeezed her friend's hand every time a pained expression appeared across her face.

Michiru's eyes darted from monitor to monitor, unable to understand what any of the data meant, but hoping that at some point it would all make sense. The constant beeping coming from the heart rate monitoring machine filled the room. Setsuna struggled to breathe even after having been administered oxygen; her torax moved up and down in fast and irregular intervals, making the aquamarine-haired woman all the more nervous.

She reached for her bag and took out her Deep Aqua Mirror. She wiped the fog off its surface with her embroidered handkerchief and looked at it intently. She wanted to force all the questions and fears that plagued her into the Talisman, but only one answer mattered at that moment. Something has gone awfully wrong in the future, she thought, taking a look at her friend's beaten up body, She barely made it out of there alive… What happened to the rest? She gripped the mirror's handle tightly until her knuckles turned white.

Her reflection stared back at her. She observed every inch of her face in great detail, growing more and more frustrated as the seconds passed with her question being unanswered. Michiru sighed in defeat and turned her attention to the machines, once again unable to understand what any of them meant. She shook her head from side to side in frustration, and buttoned up her coat. "I'll tell the nurse to heat up the room."

"Is it correct to keep this from Mamoru?" Ami asked, concerned.

"At least until we know more about this new enemy." Makoto replied very unconvincingly. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder, watching her friend as she breathed unevenly in her bed.

"I'm not sure. I bet he'd like to take care of her in moments like this." Rei countered, biting her nails.

"That's right!" Minako chimed in, way too energetically given the situation at hand. "Passion lights up like dynamite in the face of danger!" The blonde laughed loudly, her face revealing all the naughty thoughts that were crossing her mind at that moment.

"Minako!" Makoto scolded, but curiosity got the best out of her. "Do you think they would…?"

"Oh, they would!" Minako grabbed Makoto's hands and nodded aggressively.

"Girls…" Ami looked at them red in the face, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the current conversation.

"These are the protectors of the galaxy…" Luna whispered equally embarrassed, covering her eyes with her paw.

"Uh huh." Artemis agreed and laid next to her, wondering how much better his life would be if he had been born deaf.

"Who's there?!" Usagi called out to the darkness surrounding her. It had required all her strength to do it with a steady voice, but she doubted that would fool whoever hid in the shadows.

An answer in the shape of a high-pitch laugh came from all directions at once. Usagi turned on her heels a few times, attempting in vain to identify the source of that evil sound. The place fell silent again, but the laugh still rang in her ears. She could no longer pretend she wasn't frightened, she just wanted to find a way out of there immediately.

She pressed her fingers against her eyes, wishing for something, anything that could get her out of there. "The Silver Crystal!" She gasped in sudden realization as its glowing image appeared in her mind.

She opened her eyes and had to blink many times to adjust them to the brightness of the room. "Where am I?" She asked out loud, her voice hoarse from sleeping with her mouth open.

The nightmare she had just had quickly vanished from her mind as she recognized Rei's room. This was the first time she was alone there as her friend was usually very protective of it. A very vivid memory of what had happened a few hours ago assaulted her. She has been so confused from the nightmare she had just had that she had almost forgotten about the one she had just lived through. Is everyone else OK?

She got out of bed in an instant and headed towards the door. She didn't want to admit it, but something had been born inside of her after that battle with Sailor Galaxia. The dread of losing her beloved friends, of finding herself alone again, was paralyzing. She had always chosen to hope, no matter what the odds were, but something had changed then. She had tried to bury the fear under the many good days she had had with Mamoru, her friends, and her family, but it had never really left her. And she had just realized how strong this fear still was, now that a new enemy had come searching for her.

Rei slid the door open from the other side. "About time!" She pretended to be upset, but her concerned eyes scanned every inch of her body trying to pick up anything out of the ordinary.

Usagi crossed her arms in front of her instinctively, as if trying to protect herself from her friend's gaze. "Where's everyone?" She asked, trying not to sound as panicked as she felt inside.

"They left a while ago." Rei replied, putting a tray on her tea table.

"Rei… I…" Usagi moved closer to Rei.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Rei said stiffly, taking a step back. Something told her her friend was about to reach for a hug, but she was too scared that it would trigger another vision.

Usagi's hurt expression made Rei flinch for a second. The blonde one immediately tried to hide her own feelings with a smile. "No worries, I'll go see Mamoru!" She said too cheerfully as she moved past her stunned friend, being extra careful not to touch her.

"Usagi…!" Rei called out but her friend was already running to the shrine's entrance.

Usagi lost track of how much time had passed since she had left Rei's house. She could have taken a bus, but she needed time to think. She didn't know what she would tell Mamoru once she saw him, but she knew she had to see him. She only ever felt safe in his arms, and that was exactly what she needed right then.

She took the elevator up to his floor and walked very slowly toward his apartment, as if she were suddenly having second thoughts. She knocked once and held her breath, wondering again if this was the right thing to do. She didn't hear any noise inside, which made her a little nervous. She had a spare key with her but, for once, she felt like she could be intruding, so she waited instead. She heard some noises behind the door a couple of seconds later.

"Usagi?" Her fiancé couldn't hide his surprise at seeing her so late at night.

"Hi Mamoru." She said, forcing herself to smile.

Mamoru moved out of the way so she could come in. He looked at her quizzically as she took a seat on her favorite spot of the room. "It is very cold outside, huh?" He pretended to be oblivious to her whole mood, although it was very evident something was going on. She nodded in acknowledgement but didn't elaborate.

"Give me one second, I'll make you something." He added, hoping that something sugary would do her good.

Usagi twisted her handkerchief in her hands in a nervous fashion, regretting having come there. Mamoru observed her from the kitchen, mentally listing all the possible explanations to his girlfriend's odd behavior, but couldn't come up with anything.

"Here you go." He said, placing a cup of hot chocolate in front of her.

Usagi gave him a tired smile and grabbed it. She suddenly felt pressured to share with Mamoru everything about the attack that had happened that day, but she wasn't ready yet. Instead, she decided to drink the hot beverage and gain some time, hoping that she would find the courage she needed to articulate those words.

"Well?"

"Mamoru… I…" She knew it was stupid, but saying it out loud would only make it real, and she wasn't prepared to face that reality yet.

She suddenly felt very weak, not in a physical sense, but in spirit. The fears that had been haunting her ever since the battle with Sailor Galaxia came back to her in full force. She needed to be reassured, she needed to know that she would never find herself alone again, no matter what. She threw herself at Mamoru, desperately searching for the warmth of his embrace. She heard him gasp, but his arms immediately surrounded her.

And that was when Usagi first saw it.

TBC