Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 4: Death Busters.
Episode 62: A Game of Senshi.

By Razor Knight
Last update: August 23, 2013
Last edited: June 6, 2017

Usagi stopped as she was about to walk into her house, and turned to look at Luna. "I've made up my mind."

"Are you going to tell them?"

Usagi nodded before walking in. "Mom, dad, are you both home?"

Ikuko walked down the stairs, followed by Kenji. She knew the tone Usagi was using, it meant something was worrying her. "What's wrong?"

Usagi stared at them in turns. "I've been hiding something from you both. Just listen to what I have to say, and then you can be mad at me if you want."

Kenji frowned. "What is-"

Usagi had thought about many ways to say it, but in the end, chose the 'easiest' path. "I'm Sailor Moon." Her parents just stood there, staring at her, for several seconds, before she sighed. "It's not a lie."

"But you can't be..."

Luna looked at Usagi. "They won't believe it until they see it."

Usagi nodded, not giving her parents enough time to think about the fact their pet cat had just spoken to her. "I was expecting that. Moon Star Power!"

The two adults stared in shock as their daughter transformed in front of them. "She really is..."

Moon smiled at Kenji. "I'm sorry I never told you this, but... We need to keep our identities a secret. I hope you're not mad about-"

"Mad? If half of what I heard in the news or read about you is true, then you've been saving the world for the last two years."

"That we do," Moon admitted.

"Is that Chiba guy like you?"

"Yes," Moon knew she had to keep other details about her and Mamoru to herself. Like the fact they already, in a way, had a daughter.

"So that's what you do when you go out after school? You go fight evil?"

Moon looked at Ikuko. "Not usually. You told me before that you liked the new me. That is, in part, thanks to this 'job' I have. I've been training for several months now, in order to become a better fighter... And it's helped me become what I am."

"But why you?" Kenji asked, "why not leave all those monster attacks to the army?"

"Because human armies are quite useless against most of the creatures we fight," Luna interjected.

Ikuko looked at her. "So, Luna can speak now?"

"I could speak all along," Luna admitted, "and if you want to blame someone for what Usagi is telling you, you can blame me. I'm the one who recruited her."

Moon frowned. "That's not true. You just helped me remember who I was."

"What does that mean?" Ikuko asked.

"I don't get all of what my smarter friends tell me, but from what I remember, and what they said, Senshi were a special kind of warriors, and existed for countless centuries in the past. I was... I was a princess in my past life, and the strongest warrior of my generation."

"Princess of the Moon, I guess?" Kenji said. At Moon's surprised stare, he shrugged. "Hey, I'm still trying to believe all this, but if you're Sailor Moon, then it would make sense."

Ikuko sat down on the couch. "This is... It's a lot to take, to know that you're one of those Senshi, to know that you're risking your life out there. But also, I must admit that I wished you could be like the Senshi, back then, that you would grow more responsible and mature. It makes me... It makes us proud."

"Risking my life..." Moon said and flinched.

"What's wrong?"

"I've decided to stop lying to you about all this, so I won't hide this from you, either. I've already died. Twice. Mamoru died too. It's-"

"Wait, what do you mean you died?"

"What do you think I mean?" Moon said, her mood darkening for a second as she stared at Kenji. "Uh, sorry dad, it's just not easy to talk about it."

"But you're here right now."

"I died once when those plant monsters attacked, months ago. I heard the news, how the comet had 'mysteriously changed its course, after coming close to crashing into the Earth.' Some said it had been us Senshi, and they're right. I did that. The comet was going to crash into the Earth, and would kill millions. I couldn't let that happen, even if it would, and did, cost me my life. But our foe, after seeing his error, used something which brought me back."

"And the second time?"

"Fighting the leader of those videogame characters that kept on showing up, weeks ago. He attacked my friends, and that distracted me long enough for him to..." Moon shook her head to banish the memories. "Fortunately, we already knew Sailor Saturn could revive others, but she can only do that once per target."

"Once per person?" Ikuko wasn't dumb, so she knew exactly what that meant. "If you die again, then you..."

"That's why I realized I couldn't keep lying to you. I wanted you to know, because next time it happens, it could be permanent."

"There are other Senshi, right? You can just leave it to the others, you-"

"Yes, I could run away, I could abandon my friends, I could go back to being the careless girl I was before all this started," Moon said. Luna stared at her in shock. "But no, I can't go back. I won't go back. I'm their leader, I'm the one who, they say, never gives up. I've thought about giving up plenty of times, I admit to that, but I guess I'm hoping these aliens will eventually take the hint and leave."

Luna sighed. "Even if she quit, her powers would still be there. They can't be just removed. I don't think your daughter would be happy just watching others fight, when she can do something about it."

Kenji shook his head. "I'm not sure how to feel about this, but... Thanks for telling us about it. I always hoped you would do something important when you grew up, and you're already doing it now."

Usagi smiled as her form returned to normal. "I'm glad I told you. I won't have to keep lying to you anymore."

"And I won't have to keep pretending I'm a normal cat. It does get tiring after a while."

Shingo walked in right there, and heard Luna speaking. He realized what was happening, and smiled. "So you told them about it."

"Yeah."

"Huh? Shingo knew?"

"I figured it out on my own," Shingo admitted, "but why tell them now?"

"I know if I die again, it could be permanent."

"Oh, so those rumors are true, Game Master did kill Sailor Moon."

"Yes."

"And you'll still be fighting evil beings?"

"I fought one less than one hour ago," Usagi admitted.

"Aren't you afraid of-"

"Of course I am. But I heard someone say that courage is about defeating your fears... And I won't let my fear of death defeat me."

Shingo smiled. "That's awesome."

Usagi sighed. "I guess it is. Anyhow, I'm going to the base now. Luna?"

"I'm staying for a while, then I'll try to find where the enemy's hiding."

"Be careful," Usagi said.

Ikuko smiled. "Uhm, have fun."

"Yeah, I don't think I will, but someone has to keep this world in one piece."

Kenji chuckled as Usagi walked out, then noticed Ikuko staring at him. "Sorry, it's just that I thought she had changed so much, but I see she's still the same."

"I don't know... She used to not do things she didn't enjoy."

"That's true." Kenji stared at Luna. "What's your story, Luna?"

"To make a very long story short, I'm a Mooncat, a race similar to Earth's cats, but which was 'adopted' by the ancient Senshi as a sort of helper, and a guardian for the in-training Senshi."

"I would like to know more about the Senshi," Ikuko admitted.

"I can tell you what I know," Luna said, "but it will be a long story."

They didn't need any help. Specially not from them.

The two of them had been sabotaging the enemy's plans for a whole year, planting false leads and causing massive delays by having the Death Busters target all the wrong targets. While Pluto didn't seem to know (or wasn't telling them) what the Death Busters' goals were, they knew they wouldn't be good for mankind.

Now the enemy knew where the talismans were, and that made things escalate. They had hoped to find and eliminate their leader before it happened, but now that the Tokyo Senshi were being targeted, it was too late for that. They had to gather the talismans, for the sake of the world, even if it meant having the other Senshi as their enemies.

They couldn't afford to befriend them. It would be pointless. Some of them would have to be sacrificed to end this war. It was pitiful to watch them struggle against reality, but they would see their error when the time came.

"They're moving again."

"Let's go, this could be a talisman."

"Third time's a charm, right?"

"I'm not superstitious, but coincidences do happen."

"So, you're almost sixteen now."

Usagi smiled at Terry. "Should you be staring at me like that when your girlfriend's standing right next to you?"

Terry looked at Ami, who was staring at him with an unreadable face. "Uh... Sorry."

Ami shook her head. "I know you mean no harm, but it could get you in trouble, one of these days."

Two days had passed since Usagi told her parents the truth. They were still trying to make sense of it all, and she couldn't blame them.

She looked at Aiko. It was strange, but the girl looked almost as old as them now. Months ago, she was still a small girl... Yes, she knew it was just a projection, not an actual body, but it was still strange to see Aiko growing up like that.

"Should you be staring at my daughter like that?" Terry joked.

Usagi blushed slightly. "Uhm, it's not- I'm just surprised of how much older she looks now than when I first saw her."

"How does that saying goes, 'my little girl grew up and I didn't notice'?"

Aiko looked at Terry. "You should check your humor sub-routines, they're obviously glitched."

"You know, we should all go somewhere together," Usagi noted, "I mean, to take a break from our routine."

"How about the beach?" Terry asked.

"You just want to see us all in swimsuits," Usagi guessed.

"It would also be a good place to train," Aiko noted. "Sand slows down your movements, so if you could get used to moving quickly in the sand-"

"We're going there to take a break from training," Terry noted, "but perhaps we could use your idea later on."

Just then, Yuichiro landed on his back close to them. "Okay, that didn't work out as planned."

Terry smirked. The guy had adapted to training rather quickly, and while he had a lot of catching up to do, he was willing to learn. "Hey, I have something for you."

"What is it?"

"Here."

Yuichiro looked at the small black cube Terry had tossed his way, and smiled. Rei had explained those weapons and how they worked, so he knew what to do. "Thanks," he said and the cube turned into a staff. "Heavy..."

"Are you going to keep talking, or are you going to get back here so I can kick you around?"

Yuichiro frowned. "Sometimes, you sound like you're really enjoying this."

"She is," Usagi noted, "I've known Rei long enough to know she only hates fighting if there's no reason for it."

Terry looked at Yuichiro. "I've been observing your training, and you're holding back. I'm not saying holding back is a bad thing sometimes, but you shouldn't worry about hurting Rei. You're still way too weak to be able to hurt her, even in her human form."

"I don't quite believe that."

Rei frowned at that, and rushed forwards, letting out a battle scream. Yuichiro acted instinctively, hitting Rei in the stomach with his staff's tip, but Rei didn't seem to notice the blow, she just grabbed the staff and used it to trip him. "You should really stop holding back. I have to hold back if you do, and that really doesn't help either of us."

Yuichiro stared at her. "Sorry, and... That was amazing, Rei."

Rei blushed slightly. "Uh, thanks. Now let's-"

"I'm detecting some low energy readings near Osa-P."

Usagi looked at Aiko. "An enemy?"

"I don't know. It's leaking way too little energy to identify."

"Whoever it is, it's cloaking from our scanners, then," Ami said. "We should try and catch them by surprise."

Umino was quite surprised as he heard Naru's story. "So that's what happened?"

Naru nodded. "I now it sounds strange, but-"

"Strange? I was possessed by some evil youma who used me as a vehicle for his evil plans. I don't think I could be skeptical about anything else after that. Also, my sources had told me about most of it."

"Sources... Umino, where do you exactly get your information from?"

"The web. I would not trust those sources, if I didn't already know who all the Senshi are. Your friend Hokuge is doing a very good job at misleading people."

"Hokuge's doing that? Why?"

"To help you remain unknown to the public. I've been doing my share of that, too. It's not like I can help you with your fight in any other-"

"What about your powers?"

"Hmph, I'm a joke."

"You can't mean that. You must know how Usagi was when she started. You're only as weak as you believe you are."

"Perhaps-"

"And also, you know me. I would not fall in love with a weakling."

Umino smiled. "I guess you wouldn't."

Naru was about to say something, but a woman walked in, so she turned to the customer. "Welcome to Osa-P."

The red-haired woman didn't seem to pay attention to her, instead looking at one of the gems in display. A rather large diamond. "Hmmm, this one will do."

"Excuse me, can I help you?"

Now the woman did turn to look at her, and the smile she gave her was a malicious one. "Of course you can, Nemesis, you can give me your heart crystal."

Naru saw the woman hold some sort of egg, which went into the gem. The diamond grew until it was just a few inches taller than her, and then 'eyes' also made of diamond appeared, looking at her. "Diamon!"

"Damn, it's one of them."

"Name's Kaorinite, kid. Not that it will matter if you know it once I'm done with you."

Umino glared at the woman. "You dare attacking Naru's house, and for that you will pay. Game On!"

"'Game On'"? Kaorinite muttered.

"Everyone's a critic," Game master said as his "transformation" (which was just his suit appearing over his normal clothes) ended.

"Diamon, get the girl, I'll deal with this pathetic sidekick."

Game Master snorted. "Really, someone as weak as you? I can defeat you in no time."

"You and which army?"

"Glad you asked," Game Master said, then snapped his fingers, and a group of small creatures appeared, rushing straight at her and dragging her out of the shop.

Naru sighed. "Seriously, Lemmings?" They had been quite effective at dragging that woman away, so she couldn't complain. She looked at the creature and noticed it was apparently waiting for her to move. "I'm not going to let you get me that easily. Nemesis Star Power!"

"Diamon!"

"Dark Flight!" Nemesis' attack didn't seem to faze the monster at all. "Oh come on, I got that attack one month ago, and it doesn't work?" She then frowned. Of course, the creature was made of diamond, that meant she would have to hit it in the right spot to-

The creature didn't feel like waiting, and tackled Nemesis. "Diamon!"

"Flame Seeker!"

Half the arrows struck the monster, while the other half hit the two rogue Senshi and knocked them off the roof they had been hiding on.

Uranus staggered up and saw there were a half dozen Senshi in there now. "Damn it, we need to check on-"

"Moonlight Pulse!"

The monster shattered to pieces and then vanished. Nemesis stood up and flinched. "Shit, that was one of the most expensive diamonds in the shop."

"Sorry."

Nemesis smiled at Moon. "Not your fault. Now where's..."

Just then, Kaorinite rushed by, chased by Game Master, who was holding some sort of futuristic rifle and shooting small green energy balls at her with it.

"Guess he's good with guns, too," Moon noted.

Kaorinite stopped running as the barrage of energy balls stopped, and turned to see Game Master kneeling on the ground. "Heh, I must admit you're a dangerous one, but as you see, you're not strong enough to-"

"I never meant to defeat you, just to distract you long enough."

Nemesis glared at Kaorinite. "You bitch made a mess of my shop and ruined a very good diamond. You're going to regret that. Dark Flight!"

Kaorinite saw the small, black butterfly flying at her and laughed. "Seriously, this small th-"

Game Master smiled as Kaorinite was knocked down to the ground by the butterfly's explosion. "Moron."

Kaorinite let out a furious scream as she stood up, then vanished.

"Did she-"

Moon's question was interrupted as Nemesis gasped in shock, then looked down. She could see Kaorinite's hand coming out of her chest, although she felt no pain at all. Still, Kaorinite's open palm was holding a black, star-shaped crystal, and as she pulled the hand back, the others could see there was no hole in Nemesis' body.

Game Master glared at the evil woman as Nemesis fell. "Give that back!"

Kaorinite leapt away from the others and smiled. "Sorry, but no. This is no Talisman, but still, destroying it will mean one less Senshi to worry ab-"

"She loves eating dirt," Dragon Mercury commented as Kaorinite went down. But who had attacked her? All he saw was a wide pink beam, but it was gone as soon as Kaorinite was sent flying. "Mercury?"

Mercury was scanning the alley from which the attack had originated. "I only see small traces of magic. Whoever it was, it's gone."

Game Master had picked the crystal Kaorinite had dropped after her unscheduled flight, and was kneeling next to Nemesis. "Whoever it was, it saved Naru."

Moon looked around. The two 'rogue' Senshi were gone, and so was Kaorinite. "Rei..."

"Yes?"

"Why did you attack those two?"

"They're helping the enemy, so-"

"If we just attack them without trying to reason with them first, we're just as wrong as they are."

Mars frowned for a moment, but then shook her head. "Sorry."

Mercury was still looking at the alley. "What I'm worried about was that last attack. Think it is that 'Golden Senshi' you mentioned?"

Game Master shrugged. "Your attacks are usually color-coded, right? That one Senshi's beam was golden, not pink."

"Pink beams..." Moon frowned. For some reason, that sounded familiar, but why?

Naru had turned back to normal, and sighed as she looked at the store. "Uhm, guys, you better leave."

"What's wrong?"

"I'll have to think of a way to explain all this to mom."

"Perhaps you could use Usagi's way," Dragon Mercury said. "And no, I'm not trying to joke."

Naru shrugged. "I don't know. I'll see you tomorrow, guys."

Umino turned back to normal. "I'll stay."

"You don't have-"

"I want to."

"Okay... Thanks."

As the group flew back to their base, Dragon Mercury finally decided to ask something he had noticed. "What's got you so worried, Usagi?"

Moon flinched. "Uhm, not much, just... For some reason that energy beam's been bothering me."

Mercury looked at the Dragon and shook her head, then turned to Moon. "I don't think it's an enemy."

"I'm sure it's not," Moon said. "Don't ask me why, because I don't know why, but I..."

Dragon Mercury smiled. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, eventually."

Mercury had a good guess on who their mysterious ally had been, and it would also explain why Moon was so edgy. But one thing didn't fit the puzzle. Why would she come back now? "We'll figure it out, we always do."

A/N: Tsukino family, meet Luna, the walking Senshipedia.

Kaorinite, meet a not-so mysterious ally. Or at least her energy beam.