Hey all. I've been worn out and crazy busy with the holiday season. I also suffer from acute anxiety so it's been...fun. I confess this chapter has no editing or anything else - I'm falling behind on my writing, but I'll try to keep up during the holidays so that those of you who have kept reading have a bit of something to read. Thanks, as always for sticking with me, and hopefully you'll all continue to enjoy this long-ass story at least a little.

-Onward.

Chapter 68

Shuu Li-Huang felt empty inside.

It was like someone or something had hollowed out his insides with a melon baller. He felt bereft. Lost. He ached, inside and out, but the physical wounds his body had endured had nothing on the pain roiling inside of him.

And somehow, that wasn't even the worst of his problems. He'd snuck into an old arcade in search of food and shelter. Maybe a place to spend the night. He'd been exploring when the floor had literally dropped out from under him. Somehow he'd missed a Shuu-sized hole, and had crash-landed on an old sofa in what looked like somebody's old safe room. There'd been some interesting machinery, he'd messed with some stuff, and now he was pretty sure he was on the moon. Or in one of the most intense theme parks he'd ever seen. Or, he'd inhaled something that'd scrambled his brains just a little, and he was higher than a kite right now.

Any of those scenarios seemed possible, so he couldn't rule anything out.

Lost, he stared out of the massive windows in the room where he'd… landed at the shadow of an Earth that was a dull greyish greenish. It seemed even in his hallucinations he couldn't quite escape the desolation he'd been drowning in for so long. Shuu put his palm against the cool surface of the glass, which somehow had a smooth, more refined feel to it – almost as if it were crystal instead of glass and sighed.

His eyes burned as he thought about his family.

How could he be here, be anywhere, when they were gone? He'd lost them. Failed them. It wasn't fair that he was still wandering around like a bum when they'd died without him. He wanted them back, but couldn't even remember how he'd lost them. It was all fuzzy now, and he wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

He sighed again, and forced himself to turn from the image of Earth – real or imagined – and surveyed the room he was in. Wherever he'd landed, it looked fancy. Lots of gilded columns and filigreed furniture and delicate crystal lighting fixtures. He forced himself to walk away from the windows, leaving the room to explore his surroundings at large.

The place was definitely a palace, but beyond that he had no idea where he was. Versailles? Buckingham? A fairy tale? His own head?

Nothing made sense anymore, but that had been his new normal since he'd woken up in a city that had been utterly destroyed.

But this place…felt safer.

He wasn't sure how, but he knew that the monsters weren't here, and couldn't get to him. The air felt cleaner – which was strange, because if he actually was on the moon, he wasn't wearing a space suit. And there wouldn't be an atmosphere, right?

At this point, he could barely keep himself upright, so he didn't really have the energy to question it. Rolling with his new circumstances, Shuu turned back toward the view of a devastated Earth as he hesitated in the doorway. Exhausted, he rubbed his face, overwhelmed by grief and loneliness. And an impotent anger demanding he take action.

But what action could he even take?

Shuu studied the hall in front of him. Once gilded columns still supported a highly arched ceiling with effortless style. He left the observation area and wandered with unsteady steps along grand, gilded corridors that echoed the sound of his own footsteps back at him eerily.

He drifted like a phantom through sitting rooms and eating rooms and sleeping rooms. For awhile, he lost track of everything – including himself. It was nearly a relief to let go of who he was and what he'd lost, even briefly. There was no one here – nobody to judge him. Nobody to comfort him.

He wasn't sure how long he drifted, but when he came back to himself, he was in a massive hall with huge, vaulted ceilings, supported by elegant, gilded buttresses. It wasn't wide, but it was long, and its dust-covered walls were lined with cobwebbed paintings, their frames once grand.

He drifted down the tunnel, his steps echoing in the cavernous space, and looked at the paintings. They were mostly women, young, and in brightly colored dresses – each woman representing a specific color in her attire. Some looked bright and cheerful. Others somber and serious.

Squinting, he leaned forward and reached out, brushing at the small metal plaque beneath a painting of a young woman in light blue, her smile shy as she clutched a harp that looked as though it were made of ice.

Princess Ami of Mercury the plaque read.

Well, that made sense. This was some kind of castle right? This whole place felt like a broken fairy tale, and a fairy tale needed at least one princess, didn't it?

Was he even awake right now?

He was in a lot of pain, so he had to be. Was he hallucinating then? Maybe that was it. He'd never left that basement, he'd just fallen, hurt himself badly, and he was probably in a coma right now, lying there in the dark. It spooked him a little that that didn't bother him much. This place, even as an illusion, was better than where he'd been.

Though the idea of being trapped in an illusion really bothered him for some reason.

He stared silently at the portraits of royalty that lined the hall as their figures watched him silently back.

It was a little creepy.

Shuu shook himself, forcing his head to turn and look down the hall toward its end, hoping to shake that weird feeling. The portrait on the wall there was massive, taking up a great deal of the airy space, and grandly framed.

Whoever these people were, they were important.

It featured two women with identical, though strange hairstyles. They wore very long pigtails that were bound up in round buns. The older woman in the portrait had hair like pale lavender, and the younger woman had hair of pale gold. Both of them were beautiful, but it was the younger that seemed to suck him in with her smile.

Looking at her made his breath catch. His heart began to pound, and he felt a little lightheaded.

Her blue eyes seemed to glow at him from the painting. Her small, delicate mouth was curved in a perfect bow, the tilt of the lips suggesting that she'd been suppressing outright laughter at the time of the painting, joy radiating from her face. He fell in love with her immediately, without even knowing who she was. Something inside of him reached for her, longing for the woman in the painting so deeply Shuu could feel an actual tug in her direction.

Behind the woman, the older version of her stood with her hands resting on the girl's shoulders. It was clearly a portrait of mother and daughter, and the sight of it made him feel warm. Both women bore an upturned crescent moon symbol on their foreheads, and he wondered about it.

"I'm glad you made it here safely," a deep male voice said suddenly, breaking the silence. "I'm only sorry I couldn't pull you free sooner, but I have very limited ability here."

Shuu whirled, fists up and ready for a fight, even as he tried to combat the dizziness the sudden movement gave him. The apparition of a man, in full white tuxedo, complete with cape, stared at him from a short distance away. His eyes were hidden behind a white domino mask for some reason.

And Shuu could see the floor, walls, and furniture through him.

Shit. Was this some kind of ghost? Was he looking at a ghost right now? Monsters. Armageddon. A palace on the moon and princesses, and now ghosts.

Why not?

He gaped at the man stupidly, slowly lowering his fists, looking for something to say. What was he supposed to say to a ghost? The man smiled sadly. "You're Shuu Li-Huang," he said. Shuu scowled at him.

"How'd you know my name?" he growled.

"I know many things about you Mr. Li-Huang," the man said in a low voice full of melancholy. Incredible pain swept over his face for a moment and he turned away. "Forgive me but I needed to know. I needed to be sure you could keep her safe….happy," he whispered, face hidden. "I shouldn't have, but I wanted to know what kind of man you were. I hate you. And I'm so grateful for you."

Anger began to war with confusion inside of him. Who even was this guy? How could he hate Shuu if Shuu didn't even know who he was?!

"What?" he asked stupidly. He frowned then, getting his bearings. "What the hell is going on here? One minute I'm in my restaurant, worried about….something…" he trailed off here, head pounding, heart aching as he tried to claw through the fog around the memory of his last normal day. He pushed past it.

"Then I'm wandering around in a post-apocalyptic wasteland getting ambushed by these….monsters." He shuddered here, hunching his shoulders up. "Then I'm falling through rotten floors and landing on the moon, and now, I'm talking to dead guys," he muttered, gesturing with exasperation in the ghost's direction.

The phantom man smiled with empathy. He closed his eyes, furrowing his brow as if in pain. "Kongo no Shuu," he said softly, and Shuu jolted at the name. What a…weird thing to call him.

He'd never been addressed by that title before, had he?

His heart beat a little faster. A little harder.

Kongo, he thought, a strange pang of longing vibrating through him like a single, plucked string.

What in the hell was Kongo?

"I don't have much time. I've pulled you here because she is looking for you, and I needed her safe, one last time. The last time I can do anything for her." There was such raw grief in the man's voice that Shuu could feel an echoing ache inside of him. The man seemed to steady himself, and when he looked back at Shuu, his expression was hard.

"This won't make sense to you now, Kongo no Shuu, but I need you to remember this," he began. "To protect the Silver Crystal and the Moon Princess, the Golden Crystal must be dissolved, absorbed by your planet. This place is forever cursed, and so long as the Golden Crystal exists in your world, a link to this one will persist. And that will leave the Moon Princess in terrible danger. The Silver Crystal is connected to the Golden Crystal. Even now this monster is trying to break into the connection – to devour Usagi. You cannot let that happen. Once this monster has been subdued, you must root Elysion in the energy of your own Earth, and then let the Golden Crystal be absorbed. Your armor, the Kongo armor, can do this – because it resonates with your own Earth."

Shuu stared at the phantom man. He hadn't understood much beyond his Earth. And the implication of that phrase made him feel a little queasy. Because if he wasn't on his Earth, then where was he?

"…what?" he said stupidly, hoping desperately that he could just wake up. He was ready for the coma to be over now.

Strange emotions began boiling inside him then. Emotions that he didn't understand or even know how to process. Shuu shoved them aside ruthlessly, glaring at the man across from him. As he watched, the phantom image began to flicker. First slowly, and then with more regularity. Shuu reached out, alarmed. He hadn't exactly liked the guy, but it was better than being alone.

"Hey hey! Where are you going?" he yelped. "I'm not going to remember all that!"

"Dissolve the Golden Crystal, Kongo no Shuu. Use the Kongo armor." He faded for long, frightening moments before the weakest flicker of his image came back.

"An- Ple—se -ell-agi I- Lo—e- er," his voice was glitching now, words skipping like a computer trying too hard to process something.

Shit, Shuu thought, feeling panicked.

"Whoa hey, I didn't get that!" he yelled, waving his hands. The man simply continued to smile sadly, not reacting to Shuu's plea for clarity.

"I love you Usako. Please, be happy." The line was delivered with startling clarity. And then the phantom disappeared, silence settling heavily in the room. Shuu stood frozen in the same spot for several minutes, hoping it would come back. Willing it to come back. He told himself he just didn't want to be alone.

And…he kind of felt bad for the guy. It was clear even if he was a ghost he was sad about something – and that pulled at Shuu. He didn't like to see people unhappy. Exhausted, he staggered over to a padded chair that was still intact, sinking into its sturdy frame with an ungraceful collapse.

Everything suddenly became too much for him. The renewed emptiness tore at him. His body hurt. His spirit felt so heavy. The word Kongo kept buzzing around his brain like an angry bee, feeling important. And familiar.

A headache started to form again as he tried to think about where else he might have heard it. With a groan, Shuu let it go, huffing a gusty sigh and leaning his head back against the silken texture of the wall paper. That feeling of being adrift, lost, washed over him again, and despair came with it.

Was he going to be alone forever? Was he the last person alive? And more importantly…

Did he want to be the last person alive?

His thoughts took a dark turn as the silence around him pressed in, ringing in his ears and weighing down his breaths.

And then he heard it.

The darkness evaporated at the slapping of tiny, delicate feet against hard, polished stone.

These were not heavy, predatory steps. This wasn't a monster stalking him in the dark. The owner of these feet was running, full speed, nearby. They were either being pursued or maybe…pursuing someone. Absurdly, his thoughts turned to the ghost. Shuu blinked his eyes open and lifted his head wearily. Was this another ghost? Or maybe he was still hallucinating and his brain was inventing new and creative ways to keep him alert?

Could he be alert if he was hallucinating?

And then a woman rounded the corner, and his heart stopped for a moment.

Just a breath.

Before it began pounding double time against his ribs like a bass drum.

It was the girl from the painting.

It was the girl from the painting, but older. And in different clothes. She wore a tiara in place of the crescent moon, but he'd recognize her anywhere. Her skin gave off the slightest glow, as if lit from within. Her face was frantic, desperate, worry furrowing her brow and tears clinging to the corners of her blue, blue eyes.

He rose from the chair, mesmerized.

And then she turned and caught sight of him. And that face lit up. She looked at him, and joy pushed the worry from her face. She smiled a smile so dazzling it felt like having the sun in his eyes for a moment. Then she ran toward him.

"Shuu!" she yelled, her voice full of manic relief. "You're alive! Oh thank Gods! I'm so happy I found you!"

She leapt at him then, wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, and squeezed, her relieved laughter ringing next to his ear. Shuu staggered, unprepared for the force of her affection, and dropped back into the chair hard. Awed and numb at the same time, he wrapped his arms around her, and squeezed back, closing his eyes, breathing her in.

It felt perfect. Beautiful. Like being soothed by his mother after a nightmare.

Safe.

Loved.

Warm.

It was as if the light she radiated was pouring into him, healing his hurts. Soothing his aches. Filling the emptiness inside of him. His eyes burned. He buried his face in her shoulder, inhaling her scent. So familiar but not.

"I was so worried about you! I can't believe this happened, I'm so sorry Shuu!" she pulled back, cupping his face in her hands and looking at him with so much love his breath caught. But panic began to wedge a crack in the cocoon she'd shrouded him in.

She clearly knew who he was.

But he had no idea who she was. He felt the cold begin to seep in. He wanted to know who she was. He needed to. He couldn't imagine forgetting the love of a woman like this for any reason. Something of his fear must have shown in his face, because the glow surrounding her seemed to dull slightly as her brow furrowed.

"…Shuu?" she whispered, hesitantly.

A rock formed in his stomach as his heart began thundering in his chest.

"I'm sorry," he managed to whisper," but I don't….who….who are you?"

Horror crossed her face, and then was quickly washed over with pain.

"Oh…," she whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. "Oh Shuu. You don't….remember?"

His eyes burned. He hated himself for the pain he could see in her expression. "I'm sorry," he choked. "I'm so sorry."

Her lips trembled. Those big blue eyes filled, the tears spilling over, but she sniffed, firmed her chin, and tilted her head up. "It's ok," she said smiling gently, the sadness still reflected in her eyes. "It's ok." She leaned forward, wrapping him in a gentle hug. "We're going to figure everything out Shuu, I promise. But I've got you now, and I'm going to get you out of here, ok?"

She pulled back then, and seemed to take him in. Her expression hardened. "Can you walk?" she asked as she rose, her tone implying that if he couldn't she was prepared to carry him vast distances. He stood, trying not to groan, and forced himself to smile at her.

"You bet. Where are we going?" he asked. She had already turned, leading him from the gallery, back through echoing halls. She smiled at him over her shoulder, one of her hands firmly entangled with his, and tugged him behind her.

"I wanna get to the observation room. I think that's going to be the best place to find a way into Elysion and also, I want to see if there's anything we might need before we leave here for good," she said. Sadness flooded her face then, and she turned back around, leading him with single-minded determination.

When they arrived, Shuu recognized the room he'd been dumped in originally. Usagi let go of his hand and made a beeline for the console Shuu had thought was long dead. She laid a hand on it, and immediately, lights flickered on.

"Okay," she muttered to herself, "Let's see what gadgets might be around." She disappeared behind the counter, and Shuu could hear the sound of things banging around and getting tossed aside. Shortly after, objects began flying up and away from where Usagi was presumably squatting.

"No, no, no, no, no, no…." she muttered as things went flying. "Hey! POCKEY! I KNEW MY STASH WAS AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE!"

Usagi's head popped back into view, and she was carrying a huge pile of snack foods, beaming with enthusiasm. Shuu didn't know what he expected next, but for her to grab half the pile and shove it in his arms was not it. "Eat," she said sternly. "You'll feel better."

She disappeared back around the counter, and things resumed banging and crashing again as she muttered to herself. Shuu looked down, and his stomach growled. He didn't like the idea of taking any food from her, but he was so hungry. Wandering over to a bench made of crystal that seemed to be growing from the floor, Shuu sat, and dug in.

He munched as he kept watching her flitting around, gathering items, generally ripping the room apart in her searching. Before long, he'd demolished what she'd given him and she had a decent-sized pile of…stuff… she was sweeping into a sack. The palace rumbled ominously and she froze, looking up and around.

"Nut bunnies. We gotta get out of here," she muttered. She finished loading the sack and then groaned when she pulled it over her back. "Man, this thing is heavy," she complained, but straightened, smiling at Shuu.

"Okay, you ready?" she asked enthusiastically. But there was something….something around her eyes that sapped the warmth of the smile. Shuu nodded at her, not sure of what to make of her strange mood. Everything about her said she was light and cheerful, but there was something underneath that was….not.

"Uhh, can I carry that bag for you?" he asked, watching her shoulder its weight and march toward a giant crystal monolith in the room. She looked at him as if she wasn't quite sure he was sane and then shook her head.

"I'm good, but thanks Shuu! Save your strength ok?" she smiled back. "Besides, I'm super strong! I've got this!" she chirped. She didn't look very strong. Honestly she looked…fragile. But he kept that to himself. They stood in front of the giant crystal. Usagi took a deep breath, and frowned at it. "Okay. Elysion. Elysion. How do I get to Elysion?" she muttered.

The crystal flared to life suddenly. A slight man with white, tousled hair and a horn growing out of his head appeared. "Helios!" Usagi cheered with so much enthusiasm Shuu blinked. The man bowed his head deferentially. "Neo-Queen Serenity," he murmured back. Shuu stared at her as she flushed and flapped a hand at him.

"Now cut that out, Helios! It's just Usagi, ok?

Neo-Queen….Serenity?

Who was this woman? He hadn't met any royalty in his life, but he was pretty sure queens were more...regal?

"Helios, we need to get to Elysion! I don't know how to do it this way!" she said anxiously, bouncing up to her tiptoes. The man smiled at her gently.

"Neo-….Usagi," he began, correcting himself. "The Silver Crystal will take you here. Concentrate on Elysion, and think of a sweet dream," he murmured.

That sounded….well, kinda nice, but also kinda like a kids' movie. Then again, he'd fallen through a basement and landed in some sort of palace on the moon, had talked to a ghost and been rescued by a woman from a painting who was also apparently a queen, so he didn't really have a lot of room to talk.

He was leaning back toward the idea that he might have eaten something bad and was probably flying high at the moment. Or maybe this was a weird dream?

"Okay. I'm going to try now!" she said. She held her hands out, palms up, close to her chest, emphasizing the brooch there. She closed her eyes, furrowing her brow, and as Shuu watched, the Crystal in the brooch began to glow. It floated outward, and suddenly, it blossomed, transforming from a small teardrop to an incredible, multi-layered flower.

Usagi bit her lip, continuing to concentrate, and as he watched, the light grew brighter and brighter, surrounding them both. Finally, he had to close his eyes, the radiance burning through his lids for a moment before it seemed to fade. Shuu blinked his eyes back open to find himself standing in a different room than the one he'd just been in.

Helios, the man with the white hair, was now standing before them…looking very solid and real.

"Serenity, you made it," he breathed, looking at her with utter reverence before bowing. Usagi flushed again, rubbing the back of her head uncomfortably.

"Cut that out Helios, I mean it. It's just Usagi, ok? I'm not even a Princess anymore, let alone a Queen." There was an edge to her reply. Something darker, sadder. The man smiled at her softly.

"You will always be Serenity of the Moon, wielder of the Silver Imperium Crystal," he said reverently. "But I'll call you Usagi if that is what you desire."

Usagi looked distinctly uncomfortable for a moment, but huffed out a breath of air and then turned to Shuu. "Okay, you're safe here, Shuu. Rest, and I'll be back later, all right?" she said.

Shuu blinked. "Wait. Where're you going?" he asked.

Helios frowned, anxiety weaving through his expression. "Ne-Usagi. Please. Stay here," he murmured gently. Usagi put her hands on her hips then, white gloves balanced on the white of her skirt.

"Helios," she began, her tone that of someone trying to explain something to an impatient child. "I can't stay here. Not when my Senshi and our allies are out there fighting. Not when two whole worlds are counting on us to keep them safe. I know you're scared, but please, have faith in us. I won't let this monster destroy anyone else," she said, blue eyes hard like sapphires.

Helios looked away for a moment. When he turned back he smiled at her weakly. "I understand," he said. "I wish you a safe and victorious journey, Serenity."

Usagi put a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be ok, Helios. I know things have been…." She paused here, biting her lip. Helios turned, wrapping her in a hug, then and Usagi returned the embrace.

"They will never be forgotten," he said in a grave voice. Usagi squeezed her eyes closed, a few tears trickling out. She pulled back, giving Helios a watery smile.

"They won't," she said firmly. "This is for them too."

He nodded, appearing bolstered now. "Farewell, my lady. The gods watch over you and keep you. I will see you when you return," he said in a much stronger voice. Usagi hugged him again quickly.

"Much better," she whispered. She turned to Shuu then, putting a hand on his shoulder. He didn't know what was happening right now, but he didn't like the way it was making him feel. He didn't like the idea of her out of his sight.

"Okay Shuu! I'm gonna get these guys! You stay here and recover." She pulled the huge bag from her back. "The rest of the snacks are in here ok? Eat if you get hungry!" She trotted between he and Helios, smiling way too brightly.

"Okay guys! Save me some Pockey! I'll be back!" she made a V sign, laying it against her forehead. And then vanished.

Shuu blinked.

"Wait. Where'd she go?" he asked.

Helios favored him with an expression that clearly suggested he was trying to smile to cover up the true depth of his emotion. "Off to beard the lion in his den," he said cryptically. Shuu frowned at him.

"Umm, what?" he asked. Helios shook his head.

"Let's not worry about it right now. You need rest, for both body and mind," he said, ushering Shuu towards an arched hallway. Shuu scooped up the bag Usagi had left, surprised by how heavy it was. Despite its awkward weight, he bundled it against his chest, holding it as he staggered after Helios towards who knew where.

He hunched his shoulders, trying to understand why everything felt so wrong. Something inside of him was pulling him back, back towards that main hall. Back to the last place he'd seen Usagi. Something inside of him was demanding he find her, make sure she was safe. Make sure she was ok.

He was in a room now, with a massive and fluffy bed. Shuu didn't want to see how comfortable it was. He wanted to find Usagi. And the longer she was out of his sight, the more convinced he became that it was a mistake.

"I need to….I can't just…" he began to protest.

"Rest," Helios murmured in a strange voice. Shuu felt a wave of sleepiness take him. He gripped the bag for dear life, not completely rational.

He didn't even feel himself hit the bed.