"We're fighting a losing battle."
"WHAT?!" Holden exclaimed.
"If we were winning, the future would've been unaffected. My guess is that the guardians, the King, and the Queen was put into sleep mode because something very bad is going to happen to the future. For example, someone might be dying that could change the Crystal Tokyo we know," Nessa explained, her expression oddly calm.
"Then we better make sure we win then," Roni said with a smile. Everyone nodded, the odd mood from before completely vanished. Tenshi appeared again and pulled Usagi aside as the girls try to figure out what to do next with the Three Lights and Mamoru.
"You knew, didn't you?" Usagi asked with a sigh. "I feel like I should be scolding you like a parent do to one's child."
Tenshi didn't say anything and kept on looking at the strange watch of hers, so Usagi continued on, but before she could, Tenshi looked up to her with wide eyes.
"If even one of the senshis die, the entire Crystal Tokyo will be destroyed," Tenshi said, grabbing Usagi's shoulder and shaking her slightly.
"They should be fine, you know. We've been through more than you can imagine together. Plus, I've already tested the pearl heart you gave me and it works fine," Usagi replied, shrugging Tenshi's hand off, although a quick look of concern and worry betrayed her confident words. A slight look of panic flashed across Tenshi's eyes.
"What pearl?" Tenshi asked.
"What do you mean, what pearl? The one you gave me that time Mistress nearly choked Nessa-chan to death," Usagi said, concerned. Tenshi nodded, and sighed in relief.
"Anyways, should we attack head on? I don't have much experience with the Mistress," Usagi said, crossing her arms. Tenshi looked off to the group.
"Me neither. Only Nessa and Izzy does," Tenshi said, looking back on her watch again. Usagi frowned.
"Isn't it Holden-kun's birthday soon?" Usagi asked. Tenshi nodded. They agreed on celebrating. But at this point, who knows what they are actually going to end up doing on that day...
()
It was the day after, when they decided on their plan. They would celebrate one last time, then attack. Agreements have been made, tears have been shed, and choices have been made.
No regrets, they had agreed on. But Usagi doubt that sentence will hold any meaning by the time they actually start fighting. They've faced off with Mistress one time before, although that didn't turn out quite well. But might as well do it again sooner or later.
By the time they finished celebrating Holden's birthday, it was already noon. They've transformed and they were ready.
They felt ready.
They felt so sure that they were going to defeat Mistress. But what they did not know, was that Mistress had expected them to come.
And whatever hope they had of defeating the Mistress, vanished once they arrived at Mistress's castle.
()
When they had first arrived, they were greeted by Alpha, who split the group up by creating these giant creatures. After those were gone, Meteor used her attack on her and they easily got past. Trying her best to ignore the bad feeling in her stomach, she picked up the box left behind from Alpha and they ran deeper into the heart of the castle.
()
They ran for a while before encountering Rocky. He took much longer and this time, there were more injuries. Moon already felt exhausted inside, but she knew she had to keep going. She used her 'Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss' on Rocky, and just like Alpha, a box appeared in his place as he... disintegrated, almost, into dust.
Moon picked up the box in curiosity and opened it. Inside, was a beautiful ring. It had two birthstones on it, an Aquamarine birthstone of March, and an Emerald, birthstone of May. The ring itself was made from the two birthstones and a golden wire. Before Moon can say anything though, Meteor grabbed the ring from her quickly, as if she didn't want anyone to see, and stuffed it in her subspace pocket.
Moon watched in confusion as Meteor pulled up her mask again. The white mask that she wore the first time they met, which she haven't wore in a while, at least after they revealed their identities.
Though Moon lost her train of thought as they all heard the sound of high heels clicking against the marble floor. She had expected it to be Mistress, or Lady Mer. But she didn't expect to see another woman, walking with a man, who had shoes that made less of a sound, so was concealed by the heels.
"Welcome to our home, Sailor Senshi," the man said, his voice sent chills down Moon's spine, definitely not the good type of chills.
"My name is Lady T'aime. And this is Titan. But feel free to call me V.E.N.U.S.," the woman, Lady T'aime said.
"Likewise, me S.A.T.U.R.N," the man, Titan, said. Moon felt, troubled, to say the least, and confused. But either way, they fought. And as they fought, bigger wounds were resulted, and everything was going well until Moon got distracted and Titan took the opening to try to shoot an attack at her.
Of course, the other senshi, being the princess's protectors, at least one, had to at least try to deflect the attack somehow.
To Moon, it was like watching a movie. And it was that one moment where everything slowed down into slow motion. She watched, with every pound of her heart going ba-pump ba-pump loudly in her ears, as she saw Comet throw an attack as Titan, stopping him fron doing further damage.
Moon froze as the attack suddenly solidify and turn into a net, bursting with electricity. She heard warnings, and shoutings, from the other senshi, but she couldn't move, suspended in fear.
Moon yelped in surprise as someone pushed her off to one side. She landed hard on her left arm. Her head whip up automatically in fear. Her body started shaking, her hands trembling, as Mars and Venus pulled her farther away from the net.
Moon knew the electricity of the net must be painful. No, agonizing, even. They continued fighting for as much as they can. After defeating the odd creatures Titan and Lady T'aime had created, the two henchmen/women disappeared for a bit.
When they did, Moon immediately ran back toward the net that was meant to trap her. Everyone formed a circle around it, unsure what to do.
"I'll remove the net, and once you get a opening big enough, use your healing on Constellation," Comet said, his eyes sad and solemn.
"I- I don't know if I can..." Meteor replied, her voice shaky. She sounded small. Like a child, afraid and scared after she was emotionally scarred.
"What do you mean, you can't?!" Asteroid added, confused.
"You can't, or you won't?" Angel said, her voice calm. Every word carefully woven like poison.
"Angel!" Moon chided. She felt bad enough already that Constellation got hurt because of her, but Angel's words are just... too much.
"I- I can't. I'm sorry. I want to bring her back too. But, Venus and Nebula, I'm sure you can tell, her aura is dead. The net stole the only thing that I needed to heal everyone," Meteor explained, her mask disappeared with a wave of her hand, revealing her tear streaked face and red puffy eyes.
"And that is?" Moon asked, once again, dreading the answer.
"Her soul."