AN: Well, this took a little longer than I'd hoped, as I ended up being out of town for awhile. But nonetheless, here it is, after not too long of a delay! And this is a pretty action-packed chapter, so let's hope that makes up for the slight delay. :)

As always, a million thanks and more to my reviewers: Sage McGavin, MissFieyrabaMeponineWholock, lilymoon80, gabeliz . castillocarin, slightlyxjaded, and Sailor Nerd. You guys are awesome.


"Minako? Minako!" Usagi waved a hand in front of her friend's face.

"What's going on?" Makoto asked.

"He's back," Minako whispered.

"Who? Who's back?" Ami asked. But Minako just shook her head, her face white as a sheet, not saying anything else.

"Let's get her back to the base," Ami said. "Maybe she'll calm down a little bit once we get her away from whatever caused this."

Usagi looked around, trying to see if she could find whatever made her friend so upset, but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Makoto hauled Minako to her feet, and they all hurried off the Arcade, half dragging, half carrying Minako as she continued to mutter incoherently.

By the time they got to the Arcade, and quickly descended into their base, Minako had quieted some. She was no longer muttering to herself or clutching her head, but her face was still ashen and her eyes were still wide and haunted. Ami frowned at Minako's disheveled appearance, marched her over to a chair, and sat her down.

"Take this," she said, handing Minako a blanket from the cot in the infirmary area. She looked over Minako once more, pursed her lips and shook her head.

"Do you want to say what that was all about?" Ami asked as she made herself busy with the electric teakettle.

"He's back," she said hoarsely.

"Yes, you said that," Usagi said, propping her elbows up on her knees as she leaned forward. "But who? Who's back?"

"I…" Minako trailed off, swallowing audibly.

"Please, just tell us what's going on," Usagi pleaded. "You've been distant for a while now, zoning out during Senshi meetings, and you have this awful, haunted look in your eyes all the time. You're our friend, Minako. Can't you just tell us what's going on?"

"I don't really know where to start," Minako admitted, her voice cracking a little.

"How about the beginning?" Rei asked. Everyone turned to look at her, as she descended the stairs into the base.

"Usagi sent me a message, said there was a crisis with Minako," she said, offering up a weak smile. "I figured I should be here."

Usagi examined her friend. Rei was pale and looked shaken, she had obviously been telling the truth when she said she wasn't feeling well. But her concern over Rei would have to wait; Minako needed their help right now.

"The beginning…" Minako sighed, shook her head. "It's not as simple as that. But I'll try."

The teakettle whistled, and Ami prepared a mug, then pushed it into Minako's hands. "Drink this. It's chamomile, it will help."

"Thanks," Minako said, taking a hesitant sip from the mug. "I guess the beginning would be back in the Silver Millennium. How much do you all remember about our past lives?"

"A decent amount, I suppose," Makoto said, frowning. "I don't know, I haven't thought about it much. I remember the basics, of course. I remember we were the guardians of Princess Serenity, I remember that we served Queen Serenity…"

The other nodded their assent.

"Do you remember the Shitennou?" Minako asked. "When we fought the Dark Kingdom just last year."

"Of course," Ami said. "Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite and Kunzite. The four Holy Shitennou of the Dark Kingdom."

"Exactly," Minako said. "Except… there's more to it than that."

"What do you mean?" Usagi asked. "What else is going on?"

"I… I can't…" Minako pressed her lips together to try and steady her voice. She took another sip of the tea, then spoke again, her voice barely above a whisper. "They're coming back. They are back."

"The Shitennou?" Rei raised her eyebrows in surprise. "How? We killed them, we defeated Queen Beryl, we destroyed the Dark Kingdom… how could they possibly be coming back?"

"It's… well, it's complicated," Minako said. She shivered, and pulled the blanket closer around her shoulders. "I don't know how they're coming back, or why they're coming back now, when it's been so long. But the Shitennou are no longer involved with the Dark Kingdom. They're no longer…. evil."

"What do you mean?" Ami asked quietly.

"What I mean is… the Shitennou were brainwashed," Minako said. "Similar to how Mamoru was brainwashed into working for Queen Beryl."

Usagi shuddered at the memory, and Minako gave her a sympathetic glance.

"Back in the Silver Millennium, the Shitennou were the guardians of Prince Endymion, similar to how we were the guardians of Princess Serenity. As Serenity kept sneaking off to Earth to meet with the Prince, we followed, and became acquainted with the Shitennou. And, eventually…"

"No…" Rei said, shaking her head. "No. Don't you dare, Minako. Don't you dare say that's who he is. Just don't."

"So, you remember, then," Minako said, meeting Rei's eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No…" Rei trailed off and clasped a hand to her mouth in horror, her eyes wide. "I can't… this can't be real."

Usagi looked between her two friends with confusion. "What's going on?"

Minako took a deep breath. "In our past lives, we were in love with the Shitennou. And now they're returning."

"Oh," Ami said quietly. "I see."

"Our past memories have slowly been returning," Minako said. "For several weeks now, I've been plagued by dreams of this mysterious man. I didn't know who he was at first, I just felt like I knew him somehow. As more memories returned, I realized what it was. Who he was."

"I'm not sure I understand…" Makoto said slowly, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "So, in our past lives we were in love with the Shitennou… and now they're returning… how is that a problem? Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"It's… well, it's a little more complicated than that," Minako said. "I wish I could explain, but I can't. It's something that needs to be experienced. As your memories return, you'll understand. I don't know why our memories are only returning now, and why it's not the same for all of us, but I have to believe there is some reason for it."

Makoto let out a breath. "Okay, then. I guess… I guess that's that."

"I'm sorry," Minako said, sniffling a little and clutching her mug of tea. "I know there are more important things to be worrying about, like the Black Moon Clan, but…"

"Hey, it's okay," Usagi said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Whatever is going on with the Shitennou, it's important to you. All of you. I understand that. I've been wrapped up in all the drama with Mamoru, so I certainly don't expect you to be singularly focused on defeating the Black Moon Clan."

"Thank you," Minako said, putting her hand on top of Usagi's. "I really appreciate it. More than I can say."


"Rubeus! Explain yourself!"

Rubeus winced at Prince Demande's harsh tone. "My liege… the Sailor Senshi have proved to be rather… difficult, more so than we'd anticipated. Even in this less advanced age, they are still formidable foes."

"I have heard this all before, and my patience is wearing thin," Demande said. "Did you not claim you had the perfect trap to lure out the Rabbit? You have failed me every time, Rubeus. I have put up with your incompetence because we are like a family, but I am not a man of infinite patience. This is your last chance. Capture the Rabbit, kill the Senshi, bring me the future Neo-Queen Serenity. Do something to prove your worth, or you are finished."

"I understand, my liege," Rubeus said, bowing deeply. He thought of Esmeraude's grating laugh, of how smug she would be if he failed, and his hands tightened into fists. This time, he wouldn't fail. He had underestimated the Senshi before, but no more. He would not fail his prince.


"Mamoru-san." Usagi politely nodded. It was the next morning, and she was picking up Chibiusa.

"Usagi-san," he said back, equally stiff and polite. "Chibiusa!" he called. "Time to go, Usagi is here."

The little girl came bursting out the door, and Usagi had to smile at her endless energy. Whatever else was going on, she was glad Chibiusa had some opportunities to just be a kid. No six-year-old deserved to go through what Chibiusa was going through.

"Hi," Chibiusa said a little shyly.

"Hi," Usagi said back. "Are you ready to go?"

The little girl nodded her head, and Usagi turned back to Mamoru, her smile fading as she forced her tone to sound polite and normal, and not betray all the feelings she had for the man in front of her. She wished he wasn't so good, so gentle, with Chibiusa. It only made her ache for him even more.

"Thank you for taking care of Chibiusa," she said. "I hope she wasn't any trouble."

"Of course," he said. "It was my pleasure, she's never any trouble at all."

"Won't you stay for a bit?" Chibiusa asked, tugging on Usagi's sleeve. "Please? We could play a game together."

But Usagi was already shaking her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. There are things I need to do today."

"And I have class," Mamoru said, kneeling down to ruffle Chibiusa's hair. "But I'll see you on Friday, okay?"

Usagi had to fight a smile as she thought about the ridiculousness of the situation. She felt like one half of a divorced couple, constantly dropping Chibiusa off and picking her up from Mamoru's, as the girl split her time between the two places.

Every time, she'd ask Usagi to come in, but every time she declined. She didn't think she could stand seeing Mamoru and Chibiusa interact while she tried to pretend like it didn't matter. Besides, she was sure Mamoru didn't want her there.

"Come on," she said, grabbing the girl's hand. "We need to get back to my place."

"Bye!" Chibiusa called as they walked away. "See you later!"

"So!" Usagi said, a little too brightly. "Did you have a good time?"

"Mm-hmm," Chibiusa said. "We made curry for dinner. And then Mamoru taught me how to play mancala."

"That sounds nice," Usagi said. "So—" Her words were cut off by a shrill, piercing scream.

"Stay behind me!" she shouted, pushing Chibiusa behind her. She could see the youma up ahead; it was large and reptilian in appearance. It looked almost like what she imagined a dragon would look like. Large and long, with giant fangs, and a penchant for breathing fire.

The dragon-like youma sniffed the air, and then turned to face Usagi and Chibiusa. In the blink of an eye, it was by their side, and Usagi shoved Chibiusa out of the way, narrowly avoiding the blaze of flame herself. Clearly, telling Chibiusa to run wasn't an option here. It was too fast.

"It's okay," she said, throwing an arm out in front of Chibiusa, keeping a careful eye on the youma. "Whatever you do, don't draw its attention, alright?"

Chibiusa whimpered and nodded. "Okay. What are you going to do?"

Usagi smiled a little. "I'm going to call for backup. And then, I'm going to show the Black Moon Clan that they are done messing with me."

"Moon Prism Power, Make-Up!" She savored the familiar rush of power, the energy singing through her veins. She was tired of being in the dark about the Black Moon Clan. She was tired of them hunting down Chibiusa, she was tired of feeling helpless and out of control. She was just so tired. She was ready to end things.

"You're…. you're Sailor Moon?" Chibiusa gasped.

"Yes, I am," she said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I have to keep my identity secret from everyone."

The little girl wrapped her arms around Sailor Moon's waist. "Thank you."

Sailor Moon smiled. "You are most welcome." Carefully, she detached herself from Chibiusa's embrace, and pulled out her communicator. "There's a youma downtown. About two blocks east of Mamoru's apartment."

"On our way!" Rei said from the other end.

Sailor Moon squared off against the youma, keeping Chibiusa behind her. After its initial attack on them, it had turned its attention back to the civilians.

"Preying on the weak is cowardly," she said. "I am your foe, fight me if you dare."

The dragon youma turned towards her again and smiled, baring its fangs, which dripped with venom. Again, it was by her side in a flash, and she stumbled backwards to avoid its fangs. Still, one of them managed to graze her arm, and she winced.

Cursing, she drew out her scepter. This thing was fast. She wouldn't be able to hold it off very well until the other Senshi arrived, especially since her attention was divided between the youma and keeping Chibiusa safe.

"World Shaking!"

The ball of light slammed into the dragon and it recoiled in pain. Sailor Moon gave a look of relief towards the two new Senshi. Since they were so new to the team, she hadn't had any way of contacting them, and so she wasn't sure they'd show up.

"You alright?" Uranus asked.

Sailor Moon nodded. "Please, look after Chibiusa. I can't focus on the fight properly if I have to worry about her."

"Don't worry, I'll keep her safe," Neptune said, grabbing the little girl's hand, and pulling her further away from the youma. "You focus on the fight."

Sailor Moon didn't have a chance to thank her, as the youma swept out its long tail and knocked her off her feet. She thrust her scepter in front of her, blocking the youma as it tried to sink its fangs into her shoulder.

"Aaah!" she gave a cry as the tip of its fang pierced her shoulder and she shoved it off of her.

"Shabon Spray!"

"Thank Kami you're here," Sailor Moon said, holding a hand to her inured shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Mercury asked.

Sailor Moon nodded. "It didn't get me very deep. Got any useful information on this thing?"

"On it." She whipped out her computer and began typing away.

"Crescent Beam!" Venus had barely gotten the words out when the youma, which had been many feet away, suddenly appeared at her side, and wrapped its long tail around her waist.

"Venus!" Sailor Moon cried out, rushing towards the youma. But even though it had its tail wrapped around Venus, it was still perfectly capable of attacking, and she had to drop to the ground to avoid a fireball.

"Aaaah!" Chibiusa shrieked, and Sailor Moon hauled herself to her feet to see what was the matter.

"Deep Submerge!"

Another youma had appeared from behind Neptune and Chibiusa. This one had a hard shell covered in spikes and the head of a woman.

"Chibiusa!" Sailor Moon cried out.

"I've got it covered," Neptune said. "You focus on Venus."

Venus, still wrapped in the grip of the dragon youma was struggling to free herself from its hold as it squeezed her tighter and tighter.

Out of nowhere, a ball of light slammed into the youma and Venus fell to her knees, gasping for air. Sailor Moon looked around in confusion. Mercury was still researching the youma—now both youmas—for any weaknesses. Neptune and Mars were shielding Chibiusa while Jupiter and Uranus fought the new youma. Who had saved Venus?

But there was no time to worry about that. There were two youmas to fight, and she wasn't going to give in so easily. She pulled out her scepter, ready to end it all, when the dragon youma was upon her. Its mouth opened and she could see the fireball forming, but she was backed up against a building with nowhere to go.

"Sailor Moon!" Mars cried out as she saw the situation unfold.

Just as she felt a wave of blistering heat, she was suddenly airborne. Tuxedo Kamen. Of course. He'd always had a knack for saving her at the last second.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Get Chibiusa out of here," she said in response. "We'll keep the youmas distracted as best we can. Take her and run."

He frowned. "You're injured."

She brushed off his hand, which was examining the puncture wound in her shoulder and the long, shallow cut on her arm. "I'm fine. Didn't you hear me? Chibiusa is here, and she's in danger. Get her out of her now!"

He nodded. "Understood."

He set her down with some reluctance, and then ran off to where Mars, Neptune and Venus had formed a protective circle around Chibiusa.

"Anything?" Sailor Moon asked as she walked up next to Mercury.

Mercury sighed and turned off her computer. "I'm afraid there isn't much. These are both incredibly powerful youmas. They have no obvious elemental weakness, or any vulnerabilities that I can see, even after a complete scan."

Sailor Moon gritted her teeth. "Thanks anyways." She took a deep breath to steel herself, and then headed over towards the dragon youma. She hoped and prayed that it had been weakened enough for this to work.

"Moon Scepter Elimination!"

With one last final shriek, the youma dissolved into moon dust, and Sailor Moon breathed a sigh of relief. One down, one to go.

"Supreme Thunder!"

"Burning Mandala!"

The electric-charged fire hit the youma dead on, and it screamed in pain. Sailor Moon stepped forward to join in the fight, but she stumbled. Frowning, she got to her feet again. Why did her limbs feel so heavy? And why was her vision going blurry?

Suddenly, it hit her. The dragon youma sunk its venomous fangs into her shoulder. It hadn't been a very deep wound, but it was clearly enough to spread the poison. Shuddering, she tried to focus. She had to end this,and soon. Her own healing powers could cleanse some of the poison out of the system, but she wouldn't be able to completely heal until Mercury could craft an antidote.

She closed her eyes and focused on the venom. She could feel it running through her veins, poisoning her, killing her. She focused on eradicating it, and slowly her vision started to clear. She felt tired and worn out, but at least she could see clearly now and her limbs didn't feel so heavy.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" As Mercury's attack hit the youma, Sailor Moon pulled out her scepter again.

"Moon Scepter Elimination!" At last, the youma crumbled into moon dust. Thank Kami it was over.

"Is that the best you can do?"

Everyone looked around for the source of the voice, and Sailor Moon groaned inwardly when she saw the red-haired man from the Black Moon Clan who'd shown his face once before. She was tired, she was slowly being poisoned, and she wanted to be done.

"The famous Sailor Senshi," he mocked. "And you're worn out from my two little droids? Take this!"

A blast of dark energy came hurtling towards them, and everyone had to dive out of the way. Sailor Moon struggled to her feet, and then fell again. Why couldn't she move her legs?

"Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Kamen was by her side, and she wondered when that had happened. Hadn't he been somewhere else? With a sudden burst of clarity, she realized the poison was starting to take effect again.

"The venom from the dragon youma," she said. "I've been poisoned."

Tuxedo Kamen swore loudly and fluently. He placed his hands on her shoulder, where the fang had pierced her, and she felt a warm glow spread through her body. Her mind cleared and feeling came back into her limbs.

"Where's Chibiusa?" she asked, remembering why Tuxedo Kamen had left in the first place.

"Safe back at your house," he said as he lowered his hands. At her skeptical look, he continued. "I made absolutely sure there were no youmas nearby and that no one followed us. She is safe, I promise you."

Reluctantly, Sailor Moon nodded. She trusted him, if only with Chibiusa's safety.

"The venom is still in your system," he said. "So be careful."

"I always am."

This time it was his turn to give her a skeptical look.

"I'm always careful when I can afford to be," she amended. "But protecting this city will always come first."

"World Shaking!"

Sailor Moon glanced over her shoulder at the fight. The Senshi were giving it their all, but the red-haired man—Rubeus, she remembered—didn't seem to be affected. Squaring her shoulders, she joined in the fight.

"Moon Scepter Elimination!" The attack hit Rubeus directly, and he laughed.

"Do you think that's enough to kill me? I am Rubeus of the Black Moon Clan, second in command to the mighty Prince Demande. You will never defeat me!"

She wasn't expecting it to kill Rubeus, but she was expecting it to have some effect on him. It had hit him squarely in the chest! How had he not been affected by it?

"Crescent Beam!" Again, the attack hit him, but he didn't so much as wince.

Sailor Moon's vision started going blurry again, and she realized the poison was coming into effect quicker and quicker each time. She needed to end this now. And there was only one way she could think of.

Almost absentmindedly, her hand lifted to the brooch centered on her chest. Seeing what she was doing, and guessing her thoughts, Tuxedo Kamen started to vehemently shake his head.

"No. Absolutely not. Have you lost your mind?"

"He's resisting all of our attacks," she argued. "We're not powerful enough for him, and I'm slowly being poisoned. This ends, right now."

"The fact that you're being poisoned is exactly why you shouldn't do this! You're not strong enough right now, it's far too dangerous."

She ignored him. There wasn't time to argue, the longer she waited, the weaker she became. Lifting her chin up a notch, she marched forward and into the fray.

"What are you—no." Mars said as she saw what Sailor Moon was about to do.

Sailor Moon shook her head. "It's the only way." Drowning out the protests of the Senshi, she took a deep breath and detached the silver crystal from her brooch.

Uranus gasped.

"The Silver Crystal!" Neptune said. "How did we not see it before?"

"Protect the princess at all costs!" Uranus cried out.

Sailor Moon was barely aware of what they were saying; everything she had was focused on the silver crystal as she raised it high above her head. She felt her sailor fuku disappear as the white, flowing dress of Princess Serenity took its place.

"Moon Cosmic Power!" The silver crystal glowed, and power burst from it, illuminating the battlefield. Uranus and Neptune stood in awe at the full power of the silver crystal in its purest, unadulterated form as the other Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen scrambled to protect Sailor Moon.

"How can this—no!" Rubeus screamed in pain as the full force of the silver crystal hit him and he disintegrated into nothing.

"You can stop now," Tuxedo Kamen said carefully, placing a hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder.

She tried, but she felt paralyzed, her limbs locked into that position. Slowly, she managed to lower her arms, the silver crystal faded back into her brooch, and she fell to her knees, her white skirts billowing out behind her before they faded back into the skirt of her fuku.

"Sailor Moon?" Tuxedo Kamen's voice was desperate.

"I'm okay," she said. Or at least, she tried to say that, but her lips were so thick and heavy and she didn't think the words actually made it out.

"We need to get her back to the base," Mercury said. "I can craft an antidote there, and she can rest. Using the pure form of the silver crystal takes an enormous amount of energy.

"I'm coming with you." Tuxedo Kamen's tone made it clear there was no room for argument.

Mercury sighed and shook her head, but didn't say anything.

Sailor Moon pushed herself up onto her feet, but teetered and started to fall again. She would have, if Tuxedo Kamen hadn't been there to catch her. She could feel him healing her again, but it had less of an effect. The poison had been in her system for too long for him to do much good, she needed the antidote.

"I've got this," Mars said icily, and she slid Sailor Moon's arm over her shoulder, pulling her away from Tuxedo Kamen. Jupiter took her other side with an equally frigid glare, and the two of them helped carry Sailor Moon back to the base.


Usagi woke a few hours later, her thoughts fuzzy and unfocused. She groaned as she sat up, rubbing her temples. She had a killer headache.

"You're awake," Ami said. "Good. Here, take this." She held out a glass of water and some painkillers.

"Thanks," Usagi said, gratefully taking them.

"Princess!" Having seen that Usagi was awake, Haruka and Michiru rushed over and each dropped to one knee.

"Um… what?" She was thoroughly confused, and was just about to ask Ami if she was sure the poison had entirely left her system, when Haruka spoke.

"Please forgive us for our hostility. We had no idea who you were. We swear our fealty to you, and recommit ourselves to the cause."

"I don't think I understand," Usagi said slowly. "What are you talking about?"

"The silver crystal," Michiru said. "It can only be wielded by the true heir of the Silver Millennium. Our mission has always been to find and protect the heir, the reincarnation of Princess Serenity. We never realized she was you."

"Okay…" Usagi said, mulling their words over. "Um, great?" She had no idea what she was supposed to say. They had agreed to join forces with her already, that was enough to forgive their past rudeness.

A moment passed in silence, as both Haruka and Michiru continued to kneel in front of her, as if they were waiting for her to say something else. She sighed. "Look, this is great and all, but my head is killing me and I really just want to lie down for a bit longer. So, uh, you can rise."

"We swear we will protect you from now on," Haruka said as she rose, and placed a fist over her heart.

As they left, Usagi sunk back into the pillows on the cot and mulled over the events of the battle. So, Rubeus was dead. What now? And, she suddenly remembered, there had been that strange blast of energy, which had freed Venus. Who was behind that? She groaned. Of course, just when she felt like she was getting a handle on her crazy life, something else had to pop up and throw her for a loop.


Kunzite slinked back into the house, hoping nobody would notice, but no such luck.

"And where have you been?" Zoisite asked, peering up at him from the edge of his book.

"I was out for a walk," Kunzite said. "I had to see!"

Zoisite sighed and shook his head. "I told you not to get involved. We can't rush this, we have to let it play out its course naturally."

"I know," Kunzite said. "And I wasn't planning on getting involved, I just wanted to watch, to see her again. I never would have done anything, but…"

"But?" Zoisite prompted, giving him a disapproving look.

"But she was in danger! I couldn't just sit back and watch while she was being hurt. If it had been Metis, what would you have done?"

Zoisite frowned, and Kunzite knew he'd made his point.

"Personally, I don't see why it's such a big deal," Jadeite drawled from where he was lying on the couch, absentmindedly toying with a dagger. "Why can't we make our presence known? How do we even know they don't remember?"

"Jadeite," Nephrite admonished. "You know why. The mind is a delicate creature. If we reveal ourselves too soon, and they're not ready, the flood of memories could overwhelm the mind and shatter it."

Jadeite made a face at Nephrite's back, but he didn't say anything else and returned to flipping the dagger back and forth between his hands.

"There is… one other thing," Kunzite said, looking down at his hands, and the other three turned to look at him. "I saw her. More importantly, she saw me."

Zoisite inhaled sharply. "Kunzite, I told you—"

"I was being careful," he said. "I wasn't even seeking her out, not this time. I was up at the mall, getting some household necessities, and… she saw me."

"And?" Nephrite asked. "What was her reaction?"

"She recognized me," Kunzite said.

"Are you sure?" Zoisite asked. "Because if that's true…"

"I'm sure," he said. "There was no mistaking it." He glanced up, and looked Zoisite directly in the eye. "The Senshi know we have returned. They remember us."

"Well," Zoisite said after a pause. "This does change things."


AN: Please review! :)