Under normal circumstances, Rei would have considered herself at an advantage. Having a weapon, especially the assassin's weapon of choice she had trained with her entire life, against an unarmed opponent typically spelled a decisive victory. But what the Isu spectre lacked in weaponry, she made up for in magic and speed.

The two traded blows for what felt like ages, though only a minute had passed. Mars may have mirrored Rei's physical attributes, but her fighting style was not similar in the slightest. While Rei had been trained to disable or slay her opponent as quickly as possible, Mars did not seem in a hurry to dispatch her, all the while knowing how to keep the sharp end of Rei's blade out of reach.

Fire swirled her forearms, as if she were wearing flaming gauntlets. Rei instinctively recoiled every time Mars used her forearms to bat away her attacks. The sleeves of her jacket were all but burnt away. Shreds of charred fabric dangled from her elbows. Sweat, from both the heat and the exertion, stung her eyes. Instead of making another futile strike at Mars, Rei lunged away from her opponent to wipe the sweat from her eyes.

She felt exhausted, and she had yet to so much as leave a mark. Could this unremarkable metal even injure the Isu? Mars appeared as a transparent ghost, yet felt solid as they exchanged blows.

Rei angled her blade across her chest. The weight was off. A quick glance revealed that the leather straps binding it to her arm had succumbed to Mars' flames. Like her tattered sleeves, they also hung limply around her arm. With a scowl and a curse, she tore the useless device away.

"Neither fire, nor any metal of earth can defeat me," Mars spoke while regarding her.

Rei was unarmed. All she had left to her was a fiery bow strapped to her shoulder, which had already proven worthless against this being who seemed to be made of fire.

If Rei were capable of being rational during the heat of battle, she would have admitted, at least to herself, that the situation seemed hopeless. Not only hopeless for herself, but the others as well. Looking past Mars, Rei witnessed Minako's duel against Venus. Her Isu alter-ego was swift and powerful. They traded blow for blow, Minako wielding her blade and feline agility. From a distance, Rei could see her fatigue. Minako would not last much longer. Further past Minako, Ami had fallen, with her opponent fast approaching.

Despair fueled rage, inciting Rei's temper to a dangerous level. Mars' confidence while making a joke of her, a mere mortal among gods, brought her pulse to a pounding drumbeat inside her head.

It was time to go all in.

"Fuck the templars." Rei's voice was a labored, rasping whisper. "Fuck the assasins… And fuck you!"

Cursing did not affect the Isu, who remained stoic. "Embrace the fire of Mars."

Rei did not wait for her to finish speaking before rushing towards her. She had no plan; only a blinding fury sparking the inferno within her chest.

"Mars Snake Fire!"

Flames assumed the shape of a fanged cobra, snapping its jaws before engulfing Mars and flying towards her. The element multiplied during its approach; the roar dwarfing out all sounds of battle and dousing the cavern floor. There was no escaping the flames of Mars.

Not that Rei planned on running away. If she could hold a bow made of fire, and her clothes could burn from her body without so much as suffering a blister, then she had to be made of fire, too. It was why the Sacred Flames spoke to her. The reason Mars, the essence of fire and war, chose her.

Hino Rei did not fear the flames. She would bathe in their glory, or die in the attempt.

Rei spread her arms out in surrender, embracing her fiery baptism. Scorching heat engulfed her entire body. Every fiber in her mortal cage quivered as her cells absorbed it's majestic power. Her clothes burned and her skin sweat, but no physical harm came to her.

In fact, she felt more alive than ever before.

Overwhelming heat and magic swelled inside of her, knocking Rei to her knees. Something was responding, transforming, awakening in the center of her bones.

Within seconds, the fire dissipated. Rei clutched the blackened remains of her shirt. Delirious laughter racked her body. It worked! She survived!

No, not survived. She was not clinging to this mortal coil within an inch of her life. The fire cleansed her. Rejuvenated her. All her life, she had been attracted to fire. The Sacred Flames called to her at a young age, and she always fancied herself as having a unique affinity for the element. As she suspected, it was so much more than that. Rei did not tolerate fire; she was fire. It pumped in her heart. Coursed through her veins. Provided her with sustenance and meaning. Banished her aches and pains, making her stronger than ever before.

Disconcerted laughter ebbed. With the fire of Mars vanquished, Rei could hear the sounds of battle once more. Assassins and templars and Isu shouted for dominance. Colors encompassing the entire spectrum of the rainbow reflected against the floor around her. Lightning crackled. Gales blew her hair across her face. A raging waterfall coursed in the distance.

Of all the voices she heard and colors she witnessed, one was disturbingly silent. Rei focused her eagle vision, attuning herself to the sixth sense that she honed over a lifetime of assassin tutelage. Every footstep, every clash of steel, every grunt, resounded between her ears and in her chest. She narrowed her focus through the chaos, seeking out the heartbeat she cherished above all others.

Refusing to believe her senses, Rei sought Mina out through the chaos and mist.

Still, she refused to believe her senses.

"Mina, no!"

Forgetting Mars, forgetting the ever-watching violet spectre, she ran. Her feet carried her over the upturned, craggy floor. Sharp, jagged edges made crossing the terrain difficult, but Rei did not give the broken floor, or how it got to this stage, much consideration. There was only Minako, kneeling and bleeding with a sword silencing her chest.

Minako couldn't be. It must be a mistake. An impossibility. What would be the point? Awakening the original Isu… just to die? Rei absorbed the fires of Mars… Why hadn't Minako internalized her ancestor's powers? Rei did not allow herself to acknowledge reality as she made a desperate dash towards the scene.

Venus yanked the weapon from Minako, causing more blood to spurt from the cavity. Rei's legs burned as she pushed them past their limits. Even if she were as fast as Haruka, she would not have made it in time. Several feet separated them when Minako's body crumpled to the ground.

A sacrifice to the Isu and their Second Catastrophe.

Venus stood, wielding the blade coated in Minako's blood. A somber expression masked her features. Did she experience regret? Sadness? Despondence?

What Venus felt didn't matter, because Rei was about to ensure she would no longer feel anything at all. Through her sadness and rage, Rei knew without taking a moment to plan, she was going to end Minako's murderer. The fire in her veins blazed, fueled by vengeance. It directed her heartbreak to bloodlust, reminding her of what she was: fire and war.

"Mars Flame—"

Venus did not so much as look at her, but the same blazing orange glow that gave Rei pause also captivated her. Instead of jumping over Minako's prone body to attack Venus, Rei collapsed beside her. Every ounce of rage and bloodlust drained from her body when basking in the soft orange glow of… a shard of glass? An icicle?

"My crystal shard," Venus said from somewhere behind her.

A crystal shard? Rei couldn't say what it was, only that it rose from Minako's heart and radiated an incredible aura, filling her with ecstasy and comfort, as true as when she and Minako made love for the first time. It captivated her. Everything else vanished. Rei reached for the crystal shard until a sudden burning sensation resonating in her chest startled her.

Rei grimaced as the ball of fire in her chest grew larger. She tried to speak, but her insides felt like they were burning. She doubled over in pain, but was forced back by an invisible power from inside. Back arched, she found her voice as the searing pain escalated to unbearable heights. Her heart stopped as a crimson glow overcame her.

"And mine," Mars stated.

Spent, Rei succumbed to the flames. She fell beside Minako's body, warm with the glow of their magical crystals. Minako did not appear dead at all. Orange light highlighted her red lips and flowing hair. She was a slumbering goddess watching over Rei as she faded in and out of consciousness.

"Uniting our crystals with the lost shards and surrendering them to these descendants will be our final end… will it not?"

Rei struggled to turn her head towards the voice. Mars and Venus, standing over them. Their vibrant eyes pierced through the glow of their own crystals, resting in their palms. They were larger. More vibrant. Nearly whole. Missing only one piece…

"Not exactly," Venus replied. "It is more a merging than a forfeiture. Our spirits and memories shall live on in the crystals. And in turn, them."

Rei struggled to keep her eyes open. Combating the impending darkness to catch a glimpse of what the Isu planned. Her grip on consciousness was fading. Try as she did to take another breath, her chest was nothing more than a smoldering ruin.

"Do you believe they have the strength to defeat Saturn and stop the Second Catastrophe?"

"With our crystals, yes."

Voices in the darkness. She was dreaming. Two women continued to speak, interrupting her slumber. Someone touched her hand, moving it on top of another that she recognized even in this state.

"Then let's get on with it. The others are waiting."

"Don't I at least get a kiss first?"

Laughter. A sigh. A ball of fire forced into her heart, reigniting her smothered flame. Rebirth washed over her in a deluge of blistering heat and memories. Mars weaved her life as an Isu warrior, protector of her planet and Moon Goddess Serenity, and eternal lover of Venus, within Rei's life as an assassin.

Understanding, like a shroud of peace, comforted Rei's troubled soul. She finally knew what she must do.

No, what they all must do.

Rei hungrily gasped for air. She bolted upright, looking for Venus and Mars. They were nowhere to be found, of course. Not physically, at least. Rei pressed her palm against her chest, feeling the intensified thrum of the crystal inside her heart. She turned to find Minako sitting upright as well, smiling as if she'd just woken from a rejuvenating nap. Her torn and bloody jacket was replaced with Venus' uniform, pristine and beautiful. Rei could not tear her eyes away from Minako's sparkling blue ones, but she felt her bare legs and knew she was adorned in similar garb.

"Mina."

"Rei-ko!" Minako closed the gap between them with a suffocating hug. Rei stifled a chastising remark and allowed them a brief moment of respite. Burying herself in the sweet, aster scent of Venus, Rei sighed.

Their battles were not over. Not yet.

The reunion was interrupted with the sound of someone clearing their throat. Then a giggle. Rei begrudgingly pulled herself from Minako's hold. Everyone stood above them, watching with varying degrees of amusement. Like Rei and Minako, they had connected with their Isu ancestors and transformed into interplanetary warriors. Michiru, Haruka and Setsuna all wielded their improved sacred jewels. Ami, who Rei now 'remembered' as Mercury, wielded a harp of water. Makoto had only her fists, crackling with static.

Haruka gave a suggestive smirk. Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Rei held Minako's hand and helped her to her feet. The soldiers barely had time to connect their comrades' forms with their new memories before the haunting voice spoke once more.

"Prove yourselves worthy of Neo Queen Serenity."

Minako startled beside her. Rei turned to face the apparition once more. Their dusky eyes stared each other down in a contest of wills until Saturn looked to her scythe. She raised the glistening onyx blade towards the ceiling.

The warriors sprung into action. Rei lifted her hands. With a mere thought, the flaming bow returned. All seven of them poised to strike. Their combined determination all but erased the friction between them. They were no longer assassins. No longer templars. They were the chosen protectors of the crystals and the moon's royal family. And if they could not prove they had shed their life's inhibitions and were capable of working together to defeat Saturn, all of mankind would pay the price.

The violet spectre whispered, but her words echoed across the chasm. "I am the Second Catastrophe. Defeat me, or die in the attempt."