Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 5: Labyrinth of Mirrors.
Episode 82: A light in the dark.

By Razor Knight
Last update: October 3, 2014
Last edited June 10, 2017

'I'm healing faster than I thought. I will soon be able to let your friends use my power.'

'I was getting used to being in the spotlight,' ChibiUsa 'said' to her guest, 'but I won't mind getting help, I was too close to failing last time.'

"Are you talking to your imaginary friend again?"

ChibiUsa looked at Aki. "How could you tell?"

"It's hard not to notice, since you just stand there staring into nothing."

"Eh, guess that happens." She turned to the mock battle and sighed. "I swear, Usagi and her future self- It's sometimes hard to think they're the same person."

"Why, is she that much stronger?"

"I... Never saw her fight," ChibiUsa admitted, "yet those around her - I can't talk a lot about the future, but let's say the power they have now is a very small part of what they will have."

Emi, had, along with the other two, showed up at the base that day to ask the Senshi a favor, but they had been sidetracked watching Usagi's fight. Usagi was fighting Terry, and even though Terry had more experience, Usagi seemed to be on equal grounds. True, the guy would not go all out, but even his current speed used to be too much for Usagi. "What about us..."

ChibiUsa shook her head. "Sorry, I can't tell you what I know you're about to ask."

"Huh, must be tough-"

The pink-haired girl looked at Maria. "You have no idea. Keeping secrets is sometimes hard, but in this case, I know a lot of things that I cannot tell, because history itself could change if I did."

"Your mother must trust you a lot."

ChibiUsa nodded and then looked at the fight. Both fighters were barely standing, she could see that, and yet neither was giving up. "She does."

Terry looked at Usagi for a moment as he recovered his breath. "I... Could beat you in a blink."

Usagi shook her head. "I know you could, but I'm actually enjoying this."

Terry laughed. "Good, but my ego won't let me lose."

The others had seen this plenty of times, Terry's tone was so casual it was hard to know he would be rushing at Usagi even before finishing his phrase. But still, Usagi had dodged to the side as Terry tried to punch her.

"What the fuck?" Terry said before falling to one knee.

"Heh, guess I finally-" Usagi started, then fell back on the ground. "Ugh."

"Wow, did he hit her?"

"I didn't," Terry admitted.

Rei walked to Usagi and smiled. "So you were so tired you were about to collapse, and still managed to dodge his full speed. Impressive."

"I guess," Usagi noted. It wasn't often that Rei praised her like that.

Mako had been watching it all, and was quite impressed. Still, she wanted to know what the 'sidekicks' were there for. "So what's up with you three?"

Emi sighed. "We wanted to ask something of you, of the Senshi, and after watching that fight, I know it's the right thing. We need to become stronger."

"Usagi is the only one stronger than you-" Mako started.

"Technically, yes. But realistically speaking, our mana reserves are still low, we need to learn the kind of mana gathering only Merlin knew about-"

"I still can't believe Merlin was a Demon Hunter."

Terry looked at Mako. "Makes sense, the guy supposedly did a lot of unlikely things, but from what I've seen of the Demon Hunters, they would fit that role."

"Merlin learnt how to greatly improve his mana management skills," Emi explained, "from a Senshi."

"A Senshi, back then?" Rei asked.

ChibiUsa smiled at that. "Isn't it obvious? Setsuna did it."

"So, she was the Lady of the Lake?" Terry joked, then shook his head. "Wait, that also makes sense, Arthur had Excalibur..."

"It's a long story, and we just know legends slightly different to the ones told in books," Emi admitted, "but the point is, if he learnt how to keep fighting for longer from a Senshi, then so can we."

"That sounds a bit overconfident," Mako noted.

"Perhaps it is," Aki said, "but what could we lose by trying?"

"Consciousness, a few teeth, some hair," Terry joked.

"You can be quite a jerk, you know?" Aki muttered.

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

Maria looked around, finally noticing something. "Wait, where is that girl, uhm, Aiko?"

"Still controlling the base," Aiko's voice said from all around them, "but I'm also getting ready for a little experiment."

"You say that so casually, it sounds like you're going for a walk," Emi noted.

"Actually, that's just what I want to do."

Two other Senshi were meanwhile training on their own, a few miles away from the base.

"Aphrodite's Light."

Brad saw the light blast approach and simply used his sword to deflect it. "That's good, Mina. You aren't actually a bad student when you take it seriously."

"Now I can go and beat enemies down without transforming."

"Perhaps you could have Sailor V return."

Minako shook her head at that. "That was a silly idea, and if even Kunzite could see through it, any sentient being would."

Brad laughed at that. "Anyhow, want to go check on the others?"

"Let's just go for a walk."

Brad nodded, but was worried about Minako's tone. Still, he didn't say a thing, he would let Minako tell him what was worrying her when she was ready to talk.

Aiko looked around in awe. It was just as interesting as she had expected - and now she knew her 'virtual' body worked perfectly even outside the base. "Perhaps I should go surprise mom," she noted, then cringed. No, she hand't imagined it, there were a few guys following her.

She picked up her speed, walking as fast as she could without giving out her non-human qualities. The men still kept with her pace, however, and it was clear to her what their intention was.

"Hey, miss, don't run away, we just want to talk."

"Yeah, right," Aiko muttered. She could see their faces even without turning to them - as her 'eyes' could see all around her - and she didn't like the way they were looking at her. "Go away, I'm not interested."

"But we're nice guys, miss."

Aiko was about to just take off running, when she saw someone walking to her. "Mo-" she caught herself before finishing the word. "Ami?"

Ami was, to say the least, surprised. "Aiko?" The other girl seemed to be in a hurry, and Ami realized why. "I suppose your test run attracted some unwanted attention."

"That's an understatement."

Ami stood her ground as Aiko walked past her. "I'll take care of these thugs."

One of the men looked at her. "Hey, that's not a nice thing to say. We just want that cutie, so move unless you want to join her-"

The other men stared in shock as their ally fell. The girl had somehow moved fast, and punched him down in a split second. "What the fuck?"

"I will not let anyone hurt this girl," Ami said.

"Crap, don't tell me this one is like that tall freak?"

Ami smiled at that. Mako apparently had gained a reputation amongst the gangs. Or perhaps these were just the same guys. "I will not warn you again," she said, glaring at them in turns.

Some of the men took out pocket knives. "You're all talk, girl."

Ami's smile turned into a cold stare. "So, you feel superior just because you have weapons? I know how that feels." She made a motion, as if to reach for something in her back, but that was just to hide the fact she was summoning a pair of swords out of thin air. She crossed them in front of her chest and took a few seconds to stare at the astonished men. "So, who wants the first slice?"

"Oh screw this, this city is full of freaky girls, I'm moving to Hokkaido!"

Aiko just stared in awe as the men all took off running. "Mom, that was awesome. But were you really going to-"

Ami shook her head. "I wasn't going to use these swords, but I could tell those men were only brave when their target seemed weaker than them. Why fight when you can just make your foes retreat?"

"Thanks."

Ami sighed. "Aiko, you could have scared them off yourself."

"I... Yeah, I guess."

"In any case, were you heading somewhere?"

"I was just walking around."

"So you weren't going to visit a certain witch, then?" at Aiko's surprised stare, Ami shrugged. "Usagi told me about it."

"Right, I didn't ask her to keep the secret."

"Truth is, I had noticed something strange about your behavior lately. I mentioned it when Usagi was around, and she told me what was going on. I don't think she'll tell anyone else, but she-"

"It's better that you know this instead of worrying that something's wrong with my program."

"All I can tell you about this is that you shouldn't be afraid of following your heart."

"I don't have one yet," Aiko joked.

Ami shook her head at that. "Sometimes I wonder if genetics aren't involved here. You have your father's sense of humor."

"So, is there something on your mind?"

Minako looked at Brad as they walked, and nodded slowly. "Plenty. I've been thinking about this war, about my duty as a Senshi, and about that whole talisman issue."

"I'm listening."

Minako stopped and sat in a bench. "Brad, don't you feel useless against these new enemies?"

"To be honest, yes. But I figure I'll just have to wait until the Princess' imaginary friend heals back to normal."

"What if they come after you, and I can't stop them?"

"I won't blame you for-"

"Good for you," Minako snapped, then shrank. "Uh, sorry, it's just-"

"If you weren't scared of this..."

Minako sighed. "I know, I know, facing your fears, I've heard all that already. I'm just not sure I can do it. And that connects to my other issue. I know I can't simply stop being a Senshi, but... I'm tired of it. The fighting, the pain of seeing my friends hurt, the-"

"Ignore all that, and focus on what this 'job' of us gave you," Brad said, "you've become a stronger warrior, a better woman, and you've met all your friends thanks to these wars."

"When you put it that way, it doesn't sound that bad," Minako said with a smile. "I wouldn't have met you if not for these wars."

"So what was it about the talismans?"

"I hate not knowing how to get mine. I'm one of the first Senshi to awaken, and yet I'm lagging behind."

"I can't help you with that, but hey, you were the first Senshi to learn how to use Demon Hunter magic. And pretty much the second Senshi ever to use that magic, if legends are to be trusted."

"I'm awesome, huh?"

Brad shook his head. "Talk about mood swings."

Suddenly, they heard shouting, and the area around them was covered in mist. "Damn, they're attacking someone," Minako said before running in the direction of the shouts, with Brad following her close.

Aiko and Ami had also been walking with no destination in mind, but their walk was interrupted as they saw two figures walk to them. Ami didn't need a scanner to know the couple meant trouble. "Aiko?"

"Already sent a message."

Ami nodded, then smiled. "I was saving a new trick for a time such as this. Shabon Spray."

Aiko blinked in shock as the mist settled down. "Oh, you can also do that now?"

Tiger Eye growled. "Petty tricks won't save you."

Ami smiled. "I don't need magic to beat you and your girlfriend, but it helps to have a few tricks down one's sleeves."

"What sleeves?" Tiger Eye mused.

The girl besides him giggled. "You're amusing, human." She then summoned a whip and lashed forwards with it, causing the mist to vanish. "I also have a few tricks hidden."

"Star V-Laser!"

The light beam hissed by, barely missing Tiger Eye's face. "You missed."

Venus snorted. "I didn't." Her foes noticed the tree falling on them in time, and leapt back to dodge it. "Damn, I hoped they 'wood' stay down."

Dragon Venus chuckled at that. "I think Terry's right, though, evil girls are always cute."

The 'girl' looked at him and smiled. "Thanks for the compliment, but who said I was a girl?"

The Dragon's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Damn it, something that cute can't be a guy."

"Name's Fish eye, and I was looking for you."

Ami gasped. "They're targeting us both!"

Tiger Eye smiled. "Playtime is over, though. One, two, three!"

Venus had to admit the magic they used was something else. Ami had leapt to the side as soon as she had heard the 'one' but the chains had shot out of the metal slab and caught her. "Damn it, we have to-"

"Your turn, cutie," Fish Eye said. "One..."

"As if I would let you!" Dragon Venus snapped and run to him.

"Pointless," Fish Eye snapped back. "Two, three!"

Venus cringed. Things weren't going well. Aiko had left - and Venus didn't even have time to be surprised of seeing her outside the base right now - so it was just her against these two.

"Dream wave!"

Or maybe not, Venus thought as ChibiMoon and Saturn rushed in.

Fish Eye saw his partner get knocked down and growled. "Oh, I'm so going to beat the bitch out of you now, kid!"

"No you won't!"

Venus was quite shocked. Diana had leapt at Fish Eye's face from out of nowhere and started scratching him before he could react.

Tiger Eye stood up and growled. "Damn it, I'm tired of you!"

Saturn grabbed the man's whip as he lashed out, stopping him from hitting her friend. "Get lost, circus freak."

"Bad move, Saturn," Tiger Eye mused. Before Saturn could figure it out, tendrils of energy shot through the whip, causing her to scream and fall down, unconscious. "That's one down, now..."

ChibiMoon rushed in, punching the man hard, and making him stagger back. However, her other foe had managed to knock Diana out, and took the chance to wrap his own whip around her neck. "Damn it, you cheaters."

"Shut up and die," Fish Eye snapped as energy zapped ChibiMoon.

Venus saw ChibiMoon fall to her knees and flinched. She saw Fish Eye walking to Dragon Venus, while Tiger Eye walked to Mercury. Where was everyone else? She couldn't defeat these two alone, and-

No, she couldn't give up before she even tried. She was Sailor Venus, she was one of the first Senshi to awaken in this era, and she would protect her friends.

The two Eyes had been about to check on the mirrors, but stopped as they noticed something. No, they hadn't imagined it, Venus' body was glowing, and there was something floating in front of her. A sword?

Venus looked at the sword and knew what it was. A talisman. Her talisman. "I will not let you circus freaks hurt them," she said as she grabbed the sword. "Venus Cosmic Power!"

Tiger Eye looked around, and saw Venus was the only one still able to fight. "I don't mind getting more than one target."

"You'll get nothing," Venus snapped as her transformation ended. Her suit was like Moon's one, but with her own color pattern. She smiled as she sensed something. "Now you see me..."

Fish Eye blinked. "She vanished?"

Ami's eyes had adapted to seeing fast movements, thanks to her training, so she could see a blur hit Fish Eye, and then Tiger Eye was also sent flying back. "She's moving incredibly fast."

Dragon Venus smiled. "I guess Senshi of Light, speed of Light?"

Tiger Eye and Fish Eye stood back to back, looking around. "Using invisibility is cheating!" Fish Eye snapped.

"Invisibility?" Venus mused as she stopped near them, then vanished again. "I'm just moving too fast for a weakling like you to follow." She stopped again, near them. "By the way, thanks for making things easier for me. Venus Wink Chain..." Venus spun in place quickly, and as she did, her sword changed, stretching out and turning into a long metal chain with fragments of metal attached to it. The sword was soon encircling her, but didn't touch her. As she stopped, the two villains knew what she meant, standing so close to each other could be bad for them. But they had no time to move before the attack came. "... Sword!"

Dragon Venus saw the 'whip' shoot forwards, shining with light, and as Venus pulled it back, it made a sharp cracking noise, its tip releasing a sword-shaped light blast, which sent the two villains flying up and smashing into a building's wall. "That was awesome."

Fish Eye noticed Venus walking calmly to him, and also saw Tiger Eye was out cold. "Damn it, Zirconia's going to shout at us for this!"

Venus saw the two men leave and sighed, but still looked around, just in case. No, they were really gone. "Good," she said as she fell to her knees.

Ami walked to her. "That sword is your talisman?"

Dragon Venus looked at it. "Damn it, Mina. Seriously, a chain sword?"

"Well, I do like whips, so this thing is similar," Venus commented as she stood up. "It's good that I beat them in one shot, though, I couldn't have fired a second one."

Ami turned to see ChibiMoon was sitting on the ground, and her body language made it clear she wasn't happy. "ChibiMoon, what..."

"Why the hell do I waste my time training if I'm going to get beaten around so easily?"

Saturn woke up in time to hear that, and sighed. "We all make mistakes," she said, noticing Venus' new suit. "Damn, I'm lagging behind now."

Venus smiled at that. "Guess you are."

Diana came walking to them. "You're reckless. Both of you."

"You jumped at that Fish Eye guy's face-" ChibiMoon started.

"This is not about me, and I can take more of a beating than you - it's my job to protect you."

"... Sorry. And yeah, I'm reckless."

Saturn sighed. "Let's go."

"Huh?"

"Back to the base, Terry may know what kind of training you're lacking."

"Okay," ChibiMoon said and started walking away, along with Saturn, but then stopped and looked back. "It's good to know I have friends I can trust to make up for my mistakes."

Ami looked around. "Where's Aiko?"

Venus shrugged. "Probably went back to the base."

"Technically, she never left the base," Ami said. "Anyhow, let's go back."

Dragon Venus nodded. "Got it. Mass Teleport!"

A/N: Fair warning: This act will be shorter episode-wise, but will have the usual long final episode to compensate. And, as usual, surprises are waiting for those who already read Cyber Moon.