A/N

Thank you guys for the reviews, I really laughed while reading them!

It's always so refreshing to see your reactions and thoughts on this fic. A good half of you mentioned words like 180, or plot twist and I'm reminded that for you guys it really does seem out of left field. In reality, I've been planning this for quite a while now, even if things don't always go according to plan, so most of what I'm writing while exciting isn't much of a surprise to me. I know where it's going, how it'll end, so there's no intrigue for me, and it's really nice to know that other people see this fic differently!


The Destroyer, they called her.

I didn't want to think about Rini's words, or Minako's explanation, or about anything that had to do with the past day at all. Tomorrow, we would pick up where we'd left off; that meant this would possibly be my last night of ignorant bliss before I had to face whatever hellish news awaited me.

I wanted to enjoy these last moments, but sleep would not come to me and the spare bedroom of Matsuo's apartment had little to offer as a distraction. I could feel it hovering at the back of my mind, waiting just under the surface; all the pieces were there, waiting to be put together to form a picture that already had dread curling within me. Desperately, I skimmed topic after topic, looking for something, anything to occupy my thoughts with for even just a short period of time. Regrettably, the only things that came to mind were equally as unpleasant to ponder over.

A single day into the new year and I was already neck deep in problems.

On the bedside table to my left a small alarm clock was stationed, the time on its face reading 11:47 in the evening. I counted my breaths, the number of slates in the closet doors; when the clock hit 11:57, I counted off each tick as the handle turned and turned, marking each second as it passed. Only when midnight came did I roll onto my back and lift myself into an upright position, surrendering to the mayhem of my mind. I tore one of the pillows from behind me and hugged it tightly as the thoughts washed through me.

Sailor Moon was the Queen's most trusted advisor… Her enemies were dealt with mercilessly… Early years of the Order of Elysion… Helped bring about the second Silver Millennium… Mother and Father never used the word strongest…

A ten hour train ride to Otaru, an ace up his sleeve, and Matsuo had relented with hardly more than a single protest on my part. Mamoru could barely look me in the eyes or hold a conversation with me; I'd kept his past, the truth of Naru, and the whereabouts of the Silver Crystal from him, and Mamoru didn't even appear cross with me anymore. None of the Sailor Scouts had acted upset when they had every right to be; in fact, Minako's behavior, her lack of reaction, had been down right strange. Everyone had been far too… courteous, gentle, when I hadn't given them much of a reason to be.

Sailor Moon was the Queen's most trusted advisor.

When her kingdom had stumbled into some trouble, Rini had just, what, skipped back a few centuries to find me? Minako had said she'd been the one to alert them to my disappearance mere hours after I had left; Rini had come to that day specifically with the knowledge that I would be nowhere to be found for quite the span of time thereafter. That… would require some forethought, the kind I certainly wouldn't expect a seven year old child to have. However, my skepticism dwindled as I recalled our first meeting, how she'd been perched at that intersection, clearly waiting for someone to appear.

Someone that obviously wasn't a parent.

If Sailor Moon was truly so legendary, then it wasn't that much of a stretch to assume Rini had grown up on stories of her; at her young age, she probably still heard such tales, especially if The Destroyer was her namesake. I mean, most little girls enjoyed tales of Princesses and Knights on white horses, but I supposed when you were already an actual Princess such stories no longer held the same appeal. So, if Rini was to be believed, when some unknown horror had befallen her home, family, and kingdom, her first course of action had been to… leap back in time and find her childhood Heroine?

Given, it certainly sounded like the logic of a seven year old, but still.

It felt excessive, extreme; what exactly had happened to the future to warrant it? Distantly, I thought I remembered something about this. A black, inverted crescent moon; Rini, all grown up and… evil? Damn it, I couldn't remember fully anymore, all my knowledge just kept drifting back to Beryl, her army, because it'd been the sole focus of my attention for so long. Why had the future been attacked so harshly in the first place if Sailor Moon was such a badass?

Never lost a single battle, huh?

Sailor Moon was the Queen's most trusted advisor

Yes, clearly so well versed in the ways of ruling over an entire planet that my advice would be of any use, far more so than that of a literal Princess. Setting aside the fact that Serenity had been bred to sit on a throne and rule, who in their right mind would ever consider me for such a high ranking position anyway? Who would hand me that sort of power? What absolute fool…

My heart skipped a beat as the words played over in my head. Sailor Moon was the Queen's most trusted advisor

Sailor Moon was the Queen's most trusted advisor.

Sailor Moon was the Queen's most trusted-

Oh, no.

Rini's voice continued to echo inwardly as I sprung out of bed, nearly tripping on the blanket, and tumbled heavily onto the floor in ways that would no doubt leave bruises. Mother and father never used the word strongest, it was always vicious. The Destroyer, they called her. You must come back with me, Sailor Moon; if anyone can fix my home, it's you.

Because I wasn't there anymore.

Despite my supposed reputation and badassery, I couldn't have stopped whatever catastrophe or enemy from attacking because I hadn't been around to do so. No one was angry with me, no one was trying to pick a fight with me, Mamoru was avoiding me, and Matsuo-

Was right outside the door as I ripped it open and the handle slammed against the wall. The sound cut through the quiet, making us both start. He stared at me with wide eyes as I took in deep breaths; I cut him off as he moved to speak, not even bothering to question why he was in front of my door at this hour, because what did that matter? At that moment in time, I only cared for an answer to a question I had never wanted to ask. "I'm dead, aren't I?"

Matsuo reeled back, as though I'd struck him.

His lips moved, but no words left him and along with the twist of his expression, it was answer enough. Everything seemed to slow down then; my heartbeat, time, the earth itself.

I was going to die.

I… I was really going to die.

"Hey," Matsuo wrapped me into an embrace, but my arms remained at my sides. The material from his shirt brushed against my cheek as his hands smoothed over my back in comforting movements. All emotion fled me, and I stood frozen to the spot, mind gone blank. Matsuo's voice cracked as he murmured nonsense into the air. " It's okay, it's okay, it- it'll be okay. We'll be okay…. It's going to be fine… Not set in stone… I won't- It's going to be okay…"

I'm going to die. The thought was idle, vague. I was more aware of my friend just then, the way he appeared to be unraveling before me. This just won't do.

I stepped back to put some distance between us and reached up, tugging lightly on a loose lock of his hair to get him to stop and pay attention. "How's a girl supposed to get any peace around here with such a filthy presence permeating the air? Let's go do something about it; you can give me the details along the way."

He blinked rapidly as I linked arms with him and pulled the two of us out of the apartment. Matsuo gave me a look, big brown eyes filled to the brim with warmth and pain and sorrow and gratitude. I released a fond sigh and patted his arm, grinning when he rolled his eyes and corrected my direction by turning us the other way.

Inside, I was curiously empty.


The taste of belligerence was heady and sharp against my tongue as I tried to breathe through my mouth rather than my nose; it was a vain effort, as the scent was just as pungent either way. Together, Matsuo and I stared up at the building, or what little we could actually make out of it through the roots and branches and leaves; if you squinted and looked closely, the words Juuban Odyssey Apartments were almost legible. It appeared that Rei had, at some point, tacked up some talismans to keep in or perhaps ward off something. Whichever one it was, I didn't know, and I made a mental note to ask Matsuo about them later.

I shook my head, tone dripping with disbelief. "Aliens. Actual, real life aliens in the Minato prefecture."

Matsuo shrugged. "Small universe."

It was an answer that merited an unenthusiastic hum on my end.

From Matsuo's other side, the alien, Ail, shifted impatiently; I ignored his movement, knowing that if I looked I'd have trouble not staring. The male had green skin for god's sake; minty green skin, pale blue hair, and the prettiest eyelashes I'd ever seen in my life. It was a challenge to refrain from staring, so I opted to avoid the extraterrestrial and his Easter egg coloring, not only because staring was rude, but also because just looking at him made me highly uncomfortable.

Highly uncomfortable and perhaps a bit unsettled by the knowledge of why he bothered me on a visceral level. Ail was eye catching, but there was a fluidity to his movements that worked against whatever natural allure he possessed, so otherworldly that part of me instinctively desired to push him as far away as possible. The subject of my thoughts spoke then, and to my dismay I found myself fascinated with the lilt of his voice as he murmured, "Are you quite certain she is the one your organization spoke of?"

"Yes." There was amusement in Matsuo's tone.

Though I didn't tear my gaze from the tree infested building, I could sense their eyes on me; well, more specifically, on the knitted hat I wore. It very clearly did not go with the Sailor Scout uniform, though I hardly cared; apparently, wanting to keep warm in this hellish winter weather was a crime. I moved forward toward the building, miniskirt billowing in the slight breeze around me, and without a beat, snapped, "Shut. Up."

"I didn't say anything." My idiot friend casually replied.

"You're thinking; it's irritating."

"Just take off the hat, Usagi-chan. You look ridiculous, Harumi would be ashamed. In fact, I'm pretty sure he'd cry if he could see you now."

"Bite me, Moon Boy."

Matsuo chuckled as I tugged the hat further down over my head. I summoned the moon stick only to find that it hadn't returned to it's original form but instead had remained a scepter. After a second of befuddlement, I accidentally dragged it across the ground for a moment, unused to the length; the steel on pavement made a terrible screeching noise and behind me, I could feel Ail the Alien rolling his eyes, gaze burning skeptically into the back of my neck. I resisted the urge to turn and bare my teeth at him for having the gall to think so little of me; yeah, I wasn't brave or particularly strong, but that didn't make me any less capable of grinding his face into the dirt.

Honestly, the nerve.

Wasn't even from this planet and- hm... Well, I supposed technically I wasn't from this planet either, but to be fair I did hail from an alternate version of Earth. Either way, this planet was my stomping ground; I was doing him a favor and Ail the Manner-less Alien thought he could condescend to me while being a guest in my… sort of home planet. The Silver Crystal warmed where it hung at my chest as I concentrated, summoning the flow of energy and directing it to the moon scepter. Of course, because nothing in my life could ever just go as planned, the Moon Healing Escalation technique had to go haywire on me.

Moon dust didn't shimmer daintily from the scepter as I'd expected it to.

No, no, that was too normal, apparently.

Instead it surged, looking like a thousand teeny tiny stars, dancing and dipping and curling through roots and leaves as though carried along by a heavy wind. The crescent moon of my scepter glowed with unexpected brightness, drowning me in moonlight. I blinked several times as my eyes adjusted to the sudden change; it was like having someone hit the lights on without forewarning, not overwhelming exactly, just a surprise.

A chill went down my spine as a voice, otherworldly and definitely not belonging to me, whispered Thank you, Sailor Moon.

Then, the ominous tree building became, well, just a building as the tree itself seemed to lose all hostility and it's limbs withered into nothing. This left the structure with various gaping holes, somehow managing to make it look even less like an apartment building. Oddly enough, the Moon Healing Escalation also served to feed energy into Rei's wards, charging them; I knew this because as my attack died down and the light of the scepter dimmed, it finally became dark enough to spot the faint glow each seal now emitted.

I stared at them, and then the scepter, unsure what to think of the sudden magnitude in my power. Using the technique had felt… oddly relieving? Like wiping all the mud off a nice pair of shoes and seeing them spotless once more, or scrubbing dirt off after a long day and stepping out of the shower feeling good as new.

Matsuo appeared at my side, eyeing the seals. "Is, uh… Is that supposed to happen?"

I hadn't the faintest, but somehow I felt I shouldn't tell him that. "It isn't anything to worry about. Energy has to go somewhere right? Think of it like…charging a battery."

I was spouting nonsense but Matsuo, bless his little soul, was just a tad too focused on the faint glow of Rei's talismans to realize it. He nodded as though my explanation made perfect sense, and let the topic slip as Ail sped past us and into the building. My gaze followed the alien as Matsuo muttered, "I should probably go deal with that…"

"Or," I suggested helpfully, "You could not enter that death trap and instead choose to live another day."

He ran a hand down the scruff of his face, studying the precarious building. "Fair point."

I was truly a bit surprised when Ail exited the building only a minute later fully intact; really, there was no way that place would remain standing for much longer. It'd probably cave in on itself at the next faint breeze, if the groaning of its metalwork were any indication. As Ail grew closer, I noted the body in his arms with vague interest; it was that of a female, bearing similar features and the same green hue as Ail. He lowered himself to the ground, holding her dirt-caked form tightly, and the new angle allowed me to spot a green sprout cupped between her hands.

I glanced at Matsuo and saw that his confusion mirrored mine, but still found myself asking, "Didn't you say the girl had died?"

"Yeah, she was impaled by the tree like, two days ago."

"She's breathing now." I pointed to the rise and fall of her chest.

Matsuo gifted me with a deadpan look before flipping open the watch at his wrist. "I'm going to call this in, hang on a second."

I allowed Sailor Moon to slip away, glad for the coverage of my normal clothes; a shiver ran through me as I began to warm up, and I watched curiously as he stepped away and began speaking into the watch. The action reminded me of something I hadn't seen in quite some time, the same way one turned away out of common curtesy when answering their phone. The conversation lasted no more than two minutes, and after he hung up curiosity got the better of me. "Who were you talking to?"

"Ami." Matsuo explained. "She's at headquarters. We try to always have someone on hand there just in case, for moments like these."

"Is that necessary though? I mean, if everyone has those watches then being able to get into contact shouldn't be too difficult."

He raked a hand through his wavy locks. "It's just easier this way. Besides, it's not as though there's nothing to do there; right now Ami will be monitoring the city's police scanners or the emergency operator line for anything strange, or she'll be writing the day's entrance log or reading through the reports and taking notes for the next meeting. Our work is never really done, though I'm sure you'll see what I mean soon enough."

Police scanners? Reports?

I had about a million questions, but I held off on them, following behind Matsuo as he approached the extraterrestrials and bent down to their level. It took Ail a moment to look up, as though he'd had to force himself to.

"You can't stay here tonight," Matsuo began, "that building looks set to collapse at any moment. The Order can set you up in a hotel for tonight and the next few nights until your sister awakens, if that's okay with you. However, as per our agreement, as soon as she's fit for travel-"

"We'll be on our way." Ail finished. He muttered something about having had enough of our planet, but it was under his breath so I didn't catch the full of it from where I stood. Matsuo chuckled, and with a cheerful smile, we were all on our way. The next hour was one spent in quiet interest as I watched Matsuo get the aliens settled into a hotel room; he left them a number in order to get in contact with someone from the Order should they need to do so before leaving with promises to check in tomorrow and permission to get whatever they wanted via room service.

I was stunned.

Expenses aside, Matsuo had acted with a sort of easy professionalism that could only come with experience; there had been no hesitation, fumbling, or awkwardness on his end, and the only time Matsuo called in to Ami was to verify that all had gone well. The Order of Elysion… I hadn't had time to build much expectation, but what little I might have held had been thoroughly crushed. We walked in silence for a bit after that, wandering with no real destination in mind until we stumbled upon an open donut shop.

"Boston cream?" He asked me.

I considered it. "Two, and maybe a-"

"-Hot chocolate, extra whip cream." Matsuo grinned down at me. "I know."

I rolled my eyes as he went into the shop, the only customer at the moment. Behind the register, a lifeless employee eyed Matsuo's cheerful disposition with utter disdain. Matsuo, being the person he was, paid this no mind as he listed off his order. The employee turned away to fill it, and I moved until I was an inch from the glass and waved wildly until my friend caught the movement from the corner of his eye. He turned, and attempted to maintain a straight expression as I made faces at him through the glass. The employee said something to him, and he glanced away, replying. My breath was fogging the glass; quickly, I breathed heavily onto it while his attention was divided.

When he looked back, a crude drawing was displayed on the glass.

Matsuo choked on air, and a genuine laugh left me as I peeked in at him from the very edge of the store window. As he fumbled with the change, order in hand, and all but ran out of the store, I couldn't help but think that maybe the two of us hadn't changed all that much.

Maybe we would be okay.


Twenty minutes later found Matsuo and I returned to the apartment, taking refuge from the cold. We were sitting side by side on his couch, trying and failing to snack cleanly on our donuts, when I finally found an opening to pose the question on my mind.

"So… what exactly is this whole Order of Elysion business about?"

"Mmm, what do you mean?"

"Specifically?" I asked, and he nodded around his jelly filled treat. Pausing, I gathered my thoughts and attempted to form them into something coherent. "Well, For starters I guess I'm asking where the idea came from. I mean, the whole point of going after the Generals had been for the extra help in the future, so it sort of worked out the way I'd hoped."

What baffled me was how effortlessly the Sailor Scouts and the Generals merged.

"Actually, Usa-chan was the catalyst."

That was unexpected. "Oh?"

"It was just something she'd let slip during her first few days here." Matsuo shifted on the couch, leaning his back against the arm in order to face me fully. I mirrored his position, crossing my legs to make room as his spread out. He handed me a napkin to wipe my mouth with and continued. "Ami had asked her to explain what the Order was, Usa-chan had given a flimsy explanation –she'd been more focused on finding you at the time- and hadn't particularly cared for the line of questioning. Of course, Minako took to the idea like a dog with a bone.

"That girl can be really scary when she sets her sights on something. She just wouldn't drop it and after a few days she managed to squeeze more information out of the kid and then somehow roped the rest of us in." He shook his head, tone dangerously close to something like awe. "Honestly? I'm not even sure how she did it. You know, Minako-chan might just be as relentless as you, and that's saying something."

I crumpled my napkin and chucked it at his head. "What exactly is it that you guys do though? What's the point of the Oder of Elysion? And what the hell does Elysion even mean?"

"We protect." He replied easily. "We protect all the normal people, the ones with no idea what's out there and no way to defend themselves against it. Magic is real, aliens exist; the Dark Kingdom might be gone, but they aren't the only threats out there. Did you know Beryl used to be human? Not simply an ordinary human though; apparently, back in the Silver Millennium she'd been known as a sorceress."

"So…?"

Matsuo sighed in exasperation. "Think about it, Usagi-chan. The Generals are from earth, and they had powers before the Dark Kingdom. Rei-chan has psychic abilities and can do priestess stuff outside of her Sailor form; Mamoru is capable of psychometry and a few other impressive feats despite not being a Sailor Scout. What does that tell you?"

"That the two of us know some very special snowflakes?"

"Magic is everywhere!" He ignored that and threw his hands up, gesturing around us. "It's textbook knowledge what comes next, right? Great power can be used for both good and evil, depending on the person. We-"

"You watch over the city." It dawned on me then, the reason for listening in on police scanners. "You keep an ear out for anything remotely supernatural."

"We do other things too, of course." He sat back, satisfaction dripping from his voice. "Wading out useless information from the potential is a trial itself; potentials are recorded and logged, then put into order of importance, and then someone is sent out to do a preliminary investigation. If it turns out to be nothing, then that's logged too and we move onto the next one, but if a potential turns out to be our division, then a full scale investigation is mounted. It's only a teeny part of the overall work we do day by day. Scribing, researching, training, strategizing, investigating; we all do our part and then some."

"And the agreement with Ail?" I inquired. "Is that normal as well?"

Matsuo shrugged. "It's something new we're trying. We help them out, and they leave the civilians alone. Mostly. It was a bit of a rocky start."

Well, they were aliens, after all; there'd probably been some fighting going on. I processed this information, and a new thought occurred to me. "Okay then, so if everyone has their jobs, then what do you and Naru do? You guys are the normal ones, so what are your roles in this?"

He gave me a knowing look. "I know what you're really thinking. It's okay to say it, Usagi-chan. Why are ordinary people like us involved in this, what do we bring to the table?"

I held his stare, not denying it, and Matsuo continued. "We don't have super powers like the rest of you, but it's our fight too; we all share this world, and we have equal rights to fight for this cause. Being ordinary doesn't mean we can't do our part; Naru and I, we know what's out there, and we can do something about it."

"You can fight, so you should." I mused aloud. "I don't like it, but I guess I can understand what you're saying."

From a very distance perspective, though I wasn't going to say it.

"Naru and Ami are our intel, they focus mostly on research and recon. Believe it or not, Naru has a lot of pull in this city, and an alarming amount on contacts outside as well; I guess it has partially something to do with her having been in the newspapers a while back, or so I'm told."

"Naru the walking miracle." I suppressed a snort. "I remember it vividly. Go on."

"Well, she catches what we miss, the things people don't call into the police about. She has contacts with a few high standing people, but mostly it's small time journalists, nurses at the hospital, classmates and clients from her family store. Naru has a way of getting people to tell her what she wants; it's a mix of office and leg work. Sometimes we send her on preliminaries as well." He looked at me thoughtfully and, after a moment, added, "Naru is really good at what she does."

"And you? Are you any good?"

His grin was startlingly proud. "Oh, you'd better believe it. Makoto-chan and I work together upstairs; I'm the Order's drill instructor, so to speak. I work with the others on fighting styles, their teamwork, and so on."

"Oh, so like a gym teacher?"

Matsuo threw me an offended look that told me I'd hit my mark. "A gym teacher? Is that what you'd call Hajime-sensei?"

I smirked. "Hajime-sensei is a master of martial arts. You're more of a… coach, or a trainer."

Actually, now that I thought about it Hajime-sensei was proficient in far more than martial arts, if those extra lessons of his had been anything to go by. He knew an alarming amount of different fighting techniques for someone that taught love and forgiveness.

"If you'll recall, I'm Hajime-sensei's assistant." Matsuo sniffed. "I'm more than qualified for the job. In fact, I've been picking up a few different things from him for the past two months; you know, while someone was prancing about the country. I doubt the current you could take me on anymore."

Shit, I was two months out of practice.

He all but preened at my dawning expression, clearly pleased with himself and, well, we couldn't have that, now could we? "Careful there, Moon boy. It isn't common knowledge, but before I left Hajime-sensei was also teaching me a few things on the side. It's been a long time since we last sparred; you have no idea what I might be capable of now."

"Is that a challenge?"

I laughed; clearly someone had grown a bit too arrogant in my absence. I supposed it wouldn't hurt to knock his ego down a few pegs, provided I actually retained the skill to do so. I hid my uncertainty behind a wicked grin, smothering the feeling entirely, and to my delight Matsuo's own boaster dampened as he eyed me. It was possible he was reconsidering the offer, but I wasn't about to let him back out now.

"Oh, my dear, dear friend, it is most certainly a challenge. Unless…" I batted my lashes, grin stretching at the way he narrowed his eyes. "Unless you're too… scared? You can forfeit of course, there's no shame in doing so and really, who would blame you?"

"Usagi-chan," Matsuo chimed brightly, "When I win, I'm going to make you wear that rabbit costume Harumi made for a week."

"Fisticuffs at dawn then, is it?"

"Oh no." My stomach sank at the gleam in his gaze. "We're doing this at headquarters, after tomorrow's meeting."

I shrugged. "As you wish."

Inwardly, I prayed I hadn't just bitten off more than I could chew. Matsuo had always been excellent at aikido, and from the very beginning I'd been clamoring to keep up with him. I had a few tricks up my sleeve, but I was two months out of practice, and in those two months he had been learning new trick of his own; additionally, it had to be acknowledged that we shared the same teacher, meaning there was no telling whether Hajime-sensei had taught us both the exact same moves.

Matsuo claimed to be the Order's drill sergeant.

I could see it, too; out of everyone in the Order, he was by far the tallest and it had to be said that Matsuo was all muscle. The only person that towered over Matsuo was Hajime-sensei, the human personification of a tank and the very man he'd been mentoring under for the past few years. Matsuo's greatest skill lied in hand to hand combat, and after being surrounded by supernaturally inclined people for the past two months, I had no doubt that he'd sought to further his prowess in martial arts, if only to assure himself that he truly could make a difference.

How far had his drive brought him?

"So…" He murmured, pulling me back to reality. "Just out of curiosity, you definitely haven't been training while you were away, right?"

Ah. So I wasn't the only one with doubts then.

I rolled my eyes and teasingly replied, "As if I'd tell you."

After all, it was looking like I'd need whatever advantage I could get my hands on.


The next morning, guilt shadowed me as I strolled down the busier streets of the Azabu-Juuban district.

It was eight thirty in the morning, and on the other side of town Matsuo was still slumbering on the couch of his apartment. We'd fallen asleep sometime after three, so it came as no surprise that he had still been out cold when I'd slipped out the door earlier this morning. As my feet took me down familiar streets I mentally struggled to sooth my conscience; it wasn't as though I was doing anything wrong, honestly. I wasn't a child, and I didn't need to explain myself, ask permission, or require a babysitter when I went out.

There's a note on the door, I reasoned. I left all my stuff too, and promised I'd be back before five.

Matsuo was going to go into an epileptic fit either way though; I had a feeling he'd been outside my door for some time last night, probably afraid that I'd disappear on him again. I wouldn't though, not like last time, not after realizing how much pain I had caused him by leaving without a word. I understood his anxiety, but… I couldn't cater to it right now. In the wake of my last revelation I required some breathing room and, more importantly, there were a few things I needed to see to, without him or anyone else hovering over my shoulder.

First, I went to the bookstore.

I'd have gone to the library, but I was pretty sure they wouldn't let me take what I needed until the two month late fee had been paid and I was just too cheap to bother paying it; also, I didn't particularly feel like leaving a trail for Ami to sniff out, and checking out books would leave a list for her to eventually find, should it ever strike her fancy. I wasn't exactly doing anything criminal, but my business was my own and for that matter, so were my secrets.

The bookstore I went to had very little of what I was looking for, and I ended up stopping at two more along the way (dubious places that sold rocks and incense and talked about chakra) before I had a good pile of books to satisfy me and a satchel to carry them around in. I stepped out onto the street with my purchases, but make no further move as phase two of the plan came into action. This next part required a fair bit of forethought, and though I was not as strapped for time as I currently felt, I found myself anxious to get off the street before I ran into anyone familiar.

Rushing makes you sloppy, I chided myself. It had been so long since I had last plotted anything, and now that I was in familiar territory once again, my body was buzzing with new energy, almost as though it had just woken from hibernation. I told myself it wasn't thrill that had my heart pumping, merely adrenaline from having been out of the game for so long, playing with so little information. Focus Usagi.

Location; where did I go from here?

When he woke up, Matsuo would start looking for me; he'd drag Makoto into it if she didn't volunteer outright, and no doubt Rini would hop aboard. I had to operate under the assumption that all of the Order would be looking for me, for simplicity's sake if nothing else. So then, the only question left was where I could go to remain undisturbed for the next few hours. I knew the first places they'd look; the Fabler, the dojo, the Tsukino Residence. They'd check a few of the parks I used to haunt from time to time, the library, and keep an eye out near the train and bus stations.

Where was the last place they'd look though? Where was the last place I would ever consider for a hiding place?

Well… probably the middle school.

It settled my decision for me, and I scuttled down the road with my destination in mind. It would take them a good deal of time to even think about checking the school, because I loathed that place, would never willingly enter it of my own accord. Enough of them knew it, and they were perfectly right in thinking that way. To this day, I still wouldn't be caught dead in that place, even if it provided many hiding spots; which is why I wasn't going to go there.

I was desperate, but not that desperate.

Plus I was on a mission of sorts, and as luck would have it there was a very specific place where no one would think to look; a place that was perfect for what I endeavored to do. Going to the school would mean accepting my eventual discovery. Now, that wasn't to say that I expected to go uncaught for the entirety of the day, because capture was inevitable; no, I was simply doing my best to prolong it. The school would have been ideal had time not been an issue, but because it was, I couldn't have interruptions until all was said and done.

At about ten I slipped into the Hikawa shrine grounds and, after careful observation, ascertained that Rei was not within the premises.

Her grandfather had gone into what I thought to be a storage shed, and he could be heard muttering and making a racket as I snuck past and scurried into the open doorway. After all that traveling I'd done, the temples and shrines I'd visited, it felt sinfully wrong to be sneaking into sacred grounds without permission as I currently was. As I settled into the familiar back room of the house and perched myself under the open window, I couldn't help but send a prayer out, along with a vow to pay my respects as soon as I finished.

Call me crazy, but after dying, hopping dimensions, becoming friends with a sort of ghost, and using magic to fight off great evil, I was thinking that maybe it was time to stop scoffing at spirits or religion in general. Considering what I was about to attempt, I couldn't exactly condemn the existence or beliefs of such matters. By no means was I about to convert and become an avid follower (because god or no god this was a bullshit life) but that hardly meant I couldn't give respect where it was due.

So, I sent out a prayer of apology, hoped nothing would smite me, and got on with things.

Three hours later, with my books spread out on the floor in a half circle around me and a new wealth of information swirling in my head, I was ready to either curse all life, or curl into a ball and cry. It was all conjecture, theory; nowhere in any of these books, or likely anywhere in the world for that matter, would I find any substantial groundwork or basis to start working with. These texts were nothing more than guesswork made by observers, third parties that made a foundation so pitiful I wouldn't dare build upon it for fear of falling.

Yet I knew it was real.

I knew the astral realm must exist.

Astral projection was more or less an extreme version of lucid dreaming, only I'd never accomplished lucid dreaming; it was a step I'd skipped all together, so working my way up to astral projection the way these books prompted wasn't going to work. I didn't have months to climb the stepping stones, I had mere hours and as far as I knew this was the only way. If Rei had the ability to see visions and Mamoru could do whatever the hell psychometry was, then astral projection couldn't be all that much of a stretch, could it?

I couldn't say with certainty that the Serenity I had grown close to over the past two months was real. There were a lot of missing pieces, enough holes in my memory and things I didn't understand to have planted that seed of doubt and nourish its growth. I had to hope I wasn't crazy, and that this would work, because right now my mind was in chaos and I needed her help to sort through it. If Serenity wouldn't appear to me, then come hell or high water I was going to wherever she was.

I clutched the silver crystal between my hands and lied on my back, closing my eyes.

Relaxing my body was easy, but clearing my mind and keeping it that way took some effort. With each rise and fall of my chest I counted idly, opening the rest of my senses to the outside world. A faint breeze blew from the open window above me, weaving through leafless trees and sifting up the topmost layer of snow; odd, how warm I was, how comfortable the room felt despite the window being open. You'd have thought I'd be colder, so close to the wall, and yet not even the exposed skin of my face felt chilled.

The floor under me was warm, as though the sun had been shining on it for some time though the cloudy sky told a different story. The air should have been colder or warmer, but I felt no urge to wrap up in a blanket or strip the many layers of clothing; no… somehow I felt just right. I had stopped counting at some point, though when I couldn't say; the Silver Crystal was cupped to my chest, enveloping me as I thought of Serenity, her silver hair and bright blue eyes and gold crescent moon.

It felt as though hours and hours passed.

I drifted.


I stood in a courtyard, somewhere in the palace of the Moon Kingdom.

Above me, someone had painted the entire galaxy into the night sky; it was an explosion of stars, a thousand different swirling hues of purple and blue and even a little bit of green. The earth hovered in the distance, so startlingly close that I was sure if I reached out, I'd somehow touch it. The temptation left me as movement caught my attention and I turned to find Serenity standing not ten feet away; her lips were parted in surprise, a hand pressed against the base of her throat as she took me in.

I laughed, giddy as I approached her. "Hi- I can't believe that worked."

"I did not bring you here." She murmured, almost accusingly. "How.."

"I found a loop hole." At her disbelieving look, I shrugged. "I had some free time on my hands. Speaking of which, I've been trying to contact you for a while now; what's with the radio silence?"

I wasn't crazy, she was real.

She was real.

Serenity blew air out of her cheeks. "I was saving my energy. It is not so easy to manifest outside of the Silver Crystal as I do."

I nodded in understanding, considering her words, and then paused. "Wait. Wait wait wait. Do- Are you telling me we're inside the Silver Crystal right now?"

"Yes. You have been here before, if you recall."

I sputtered. "Uh, yeah, I guess, but I didn't know this was… yikes."

Did this count as astral projection? I didn't think so, but at the same time I was outside my physical body, wasn't I? Whatever, I couldn't be bothered with semantics at the moment; I'd agonize over the technicalities of it later, when I had time for an existential crisis or two. Serenity watched amusedly as I shook the thought off and addressed her once more, "Look, I don't know how much you know, so I'll just get out with it. I ran into some little girl on New Year's Eve and got her out of trouble, and then Matsuo showed up, and then I found out she's actually your time traveling daughter from the future- a thousand years in the future, more or less.

"She came back to convince me to return and save future you. She also started a cult with the Sailor Scouts and the Generals, claimed there's a way to bring you back to reality, and mentioned we were going to accomplish world domination; oh, and apparently I'm going to die at some point. I've got a sick nickname though." I paused to inhale air, and finished with, "So, what do you think?"

She stared.

I stared back.

Finally, after a good minute or two Serenity managed to spit out, "I beg your pardon?"

She looked a bit peaky, for an untethered soul that is; still, concern nagged at me, and I took her by the hands, lead us to sit at a nearby bench. With a long suffering sigh, I resigned myself to further elaboration. In the end, I managed to boil it down to this; the kid was almost certainly hers, and so far she appeared to retain knowledge that she could not otherwise have unless she truly was from the future; things such as where to find me, the exact date I would disappear, and the knowledge of Serenity and I having wronged one another.

I went on to explain what little I knew of the Order of Elysion, the truth Rini claimed of Serenity's possible revival, and what had been left unsaid- my eventual demise.

"I just- I don't know." Frustration leaked into my tone as I yanked on the ends of my hair. "How can I even begin to believe in what she says when I don't know the truth of her motives? I mean, when you think about it, Rini is kind of the reason the Order of Elysion exists; she brought me back here, too. It's a lot of power, having influence over that many people at once, having influence over the past like this."

I didn't voice my other fear.

The Silver Crystal… it was mine to guard, but not rightfully; Rini was the next Moon Princess, next in line to wield it should she want to. If she wanted it, if she tried to take it from me at any point- my heart clenched. I couldn't give it up, wouldn't give it up. No, she'd have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers because I wouldn't willingly part with it, not with Serenity's soul stuck in here and not after I freed her. The very thought made my body want to seize up. It was mine, my safety net, the only guarantee of freedom in this life; if I had the Silver Crystal, it could never be used against me, if I had it then I truly stood a chance in this world.

I would sooner die than be powerless.

Serenity put her hand over mine, pulling me from my musings. "Do not fret just yet; first let us account for what we know to be true. We know this child to be who she says she is by your memory, at the very least. What else do you consider fact?"

I thought about it. "Well… she appeared eleven weeks ago. On the surface, she believes I am the key to fixing whatever mayhem has befallen her present. Other than that… I'm not sure."

"Then consider the possibilities." She began. "Firstly, if what she says about the future is indeed the truth, how do we proceed? I know for a fact that you do not intend to face off this unknown enemy either way. So then, what comes next?"

"If Rini speaks the truth…" What then? Part of me desperately wanted her to be right, and yet another part of me shied away from the thought, from its implications. "If she is right, then I need to make her tell me how I'm going to bring you back, that's priority number one. I should also find out what everyone else has learned of the future, gather as much information as possible before making any decisions. Even if she's lying, that's something I need to know in order to move forward from here."

"Look upon every action and word with doubt." Serenity told me. Her expression was oddly fierce, borderline protective. "Take everything you learn with a grain of salt and allow no one to be the wiser; if there is a falsehood to be found then we will find it. Until then…"

"Play along." I could do that, for now. For reasons I couldn't explain, it bothered me to think that Rei or Naru or even Minako could be in on some type of plan against me. It was easier to think that Rini was the most probable threat here, but I wouldn't allow myself to discard the other possibility just yet. I didn't particularly want to make an enemy out of the Order, but… well, if it turned out that way, I would do what had to be done; no one was going to hurt us, not if I had any say in the matter.

Beside me, Serenity hummed, turning her gaze skyward. After a moment, her lips curled up in a smile, soft and filled with nostalgia. "The Order of Elysion, huh?"

Curiosity nagged at me. "Does the name mean anything to you?"

"…Yes." A hint of longing entered her voice as she quietly replied, "Yes, it is of great importance to me. It was the capital of the Golden Kingdom, you see; Endymion's kingdom."

I understood then; Elysion, in honor of what had been lost.

"I'm going to bring you back." I told her.

She looked at me then, eyes wide at the promise. Whatever it was Serenity had been about to say, it became buried as she looked at me with something close to fear. "I do not wish to speak of it, please. If it's as you think, and the child came here for your help- here and not in her present time…"

"Don't. Don't worry about that, don't even think about it." I raised my chin at her forlorn expression, and scoffed. "Who do you think I am? God himself could ascend from the heavens and command me to die, and I'd live just to spite him."

She let out a giggle at my impish grin, and I took the opportunity to change the subject.

Inside me, the wheels had begun to turn.

I was going to die.

My mouth tasted of ash and I was empty empty empty.


When I found my way back into reality, my mind had settled.

I had a course of action, a vague idea of how to move forward from here. For now I would watch, listen, and wait; I was going to gather all the information one way or another, and after that, I would come to a decision. I knew there would be much to learn at the meeting tonight; Minako had insisted on it and I was glad, because we hadn't really gotten to the gist of everything last night and there was clearly more to be said. I had a feeling that it was time to shed some light onto the truth, from both sides.

She would want details on Serenity, and in turn I knew Minako had something weighing on her mind; information, perhaps, or an offer.

Only time would tell.

I gathered the books and stuffed them into the satchel, all the while thinking about what to give away and what to keep hidden at the meeting tonight; it was time to see how far their knowledge extended, how far Rini's did. However, first there was one more matter that needed to be dealt with here and now; I had to be in top form for the meeting if I was to keep my wits about me, and I couldn't do that with this hanging in the air.

Death could be ever so distracting.

Very carefully, I looked at the Silver crystal in my hands and did something I'd never done before. I took it off, set it down on the other side of the room, and returned to my place beneath the window. The Silver Crystal was Serenity, it connected her to me and after informing her of the situation I was sure she would be doing what she could to keep an eye on things. Right now, I didn't want her to hear my next thoughts; if I was going to make this work, then she couldn't see it coming, no one could.

With a new resolve, I began to plan.


A/N

"Where are the answers we were promised?!" You ask me. Well, I did manage to hit a few of them, but this chapter is already long enough and the next scene with the meeting had to be cut and saved for the next chapter because it is obscenely long. Also, I'd say we received a fair amount of new information in this chapter alone; process it, give it a pat on the head, and then bring your rage afterwards.

Could I have fit the meeting in and given you all those long awaited answers? Yeah, probably, but the chapter would be the longest one yet, we'd have information overload, some interactions would have to be cut out, and we wouldn't get to appreciate the little things.

So, more answers next chapter. (Not All Though)

To ward off the inevitable rioting for answers I promised but haven't gotten to, here's a little spoiler at what to expect next chapter.

Naru Confrontation! Manly feels! Alarming answers to the Usagi vs Metaria Debacle! Order of Elysion information! Other answers! Even MORE Questions! And! More!

Very informative, I know.

Thoughts? Questions?

Please Review!