Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 6: Queen of Darkness.
Episode 93: Secrets.

By Razor Knight
Last update: May 11, 2015
Last edited: June 12, 2017

Five days had passed since the first time the Senshi first learnt of the new Youma plans. Thanks to Aiko and Ami - who was now making sure she took breaks from the fighting - the youma had few places left. But still, Aiko had noticed new places appearing to replace some of the ones they had eliminated, which meant the youma weren't going to give up that easily.

"Can't those assholes take the weekend off?"

"Mina..."

"I know, I know. But I can't be the only one thinking that."

Usagi sighed. "I'm tired of killing youma too. Wish there was another way to deal with this. Perhaps if we try reasoning with their leaders..."

"What, we teleport to the Dark Kingdom and say 'hey guys, could you please stop draining our people?'" Minako asked.

"That idea sounds crazy. I like it," Brad said.

"Five more points have just appeared," Ami noted.

Usagi looked at Ami. "How's your mom?"

"She's... Still trying to adapt."

"I'm sure even my mom's still trying to adapt to the idea of me being a Senshi," Usagi admitted. "Did you tell her about..."

Ami saw Usagi looking at Aiko, and shook her head. "I'm sure mom would, in the future, love the idea of a granddaughter, but... I think I'll need to be very cautious about introducing her to Aiko."

Aiko smiled and suddenly her body became her original one, that of a young girl. "Perhaps I can do this?"

"Didn't know you could do that," Usagi said. "Anyhow, I guess duty calls."

Aiko looked at Ami. "Mom, you should go rest for a while. I'll take care of things here."

Ami seemed ready to protest for a second, but then smiled. "Guess you're right."

"Those bastards have eliminated most of our draining points."

"We'll just have to speed up the process, then. Our cover's obviously blown, the Senshi can track us even if we only drain a laughable amount of energy from those humans."

"So, it's back to mother's ways of doing things, then."

Goshenite smiled evily. "Yeah. I'll go there myself - I've seen the reports, and I know I could handle a few of those Senshi myself."

"Be careful, sister."

"Of course. I will not underestimate the Senshi. That was what doomed our dear mother and her Generals, but we won't make the same mistakes again."

Jupiter walked out of the gym and sighed. This war was getting seriously annoying, and these Youma weren't even worth the time killing. "Then again, it's not like they're weaker than the old youma. But we've grown much stronger."

Dragon Sun nodded. "So, where to?"

Jupiter looked at her communicator. "Another shop a few blocks from here." After the incident with Ami, and another one where Dragon Lilith was close to being killed by a youma, they had decided to work in pairs. She couldn't complain about her partner. Sure, he could be as bad a joker as Terry at times, but...

"Are you still there?"

Jupiter flinched. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that."

"Nevermind. Let's just go take care of the next one, then we'll take a break."

Jupiter nodded, but a part of her mind was busy with something else. He was seemingly unaware of it, but she... Well, she wasn't sure herself. She liked Kage, but was it just 'like' or was there something else? She would have to figure it out, but right now, there was a war going. She would figure everything out once that was dealt with.

Usagi had decided to take a break, but as she got home, she noticed something. "Where's mom?"

Kenji looked up from the newspaper he was reading and shrugged. "She left a couple minutes ago, went to shop for some groceries."

Usagi winced. She hadn't warned them about it, but even if she had, not every store in the city was run by youma. She would probably be okay, so why- "No, I have to make sure."

"Usagi?"

"Sorry, dad, I have to go."

"... A Senshi thing, I guess," Kenji said to himself before returning to his newspaper.

"Welcome to our store."

Ikuko saw the two women there and frowned. "Where's Mr. Saito?"

"He had to run some errands today."

"He usually leaves his son in charge."

"He was also busy today."

Usagi reached the area right then, and saw what was going on inside the store. She could 'see' she was right, the youma inside that store were not cloaking their energy at all. Was it a trap? There were a lot of civilians in the area, so she would have to find a place to transform and-

"I don't believe any of that. Where is Mr. Saito?"

The pink-haired woman behind the counter sighed. "Stupid human scum, you should have just bought something, but you've pissed me off now. Die."

Usagi saw her mother being hit by a black energy beam, and she could, thanks to her power, see the energy being drained out of her fast. It was over in less than five seconds, and as her mother fell to the ground, Usagi could sense something else, something she didn't need her power to sense. Something that she wished she couldn't sense. "No! Moon Cosmic Power!"

The youma in the store heard the shout, but next they knew, the front wall of the building had been punched through, and so had the torso of one of them. The pink-haired one saw Sailor Moon standing there, glaring at her. "Oh, lucky me, the legendary Sailor Moon is-" She had to stop and dodge as a sword flew at her. "- Whoa, aren't you the nice one?"

"You bitch... You killed my mother."

"Oh, so that woman was... Heh, a pest, like her daughter, I guess."

Moon jumped at her, punching her as hard as she could, but the woman blocked it. Still, Moon's strength still knocked the woman back. "Shut up! I'm going to destroy you for this, then I'm going to kill your leaders for sending you here!"

The woman laughed at that. "I see, even when enraged, you still aren't far from what the legends say. I'll save you the problem, girl... I am Goshenite, daughter of Queen Beryl herself, and one of the leaders of the New Dark Kingdom. As for killing me, that won't happen, sorry. You win, keep this store and that corpse, the owner's unconscious on the back, along with his son."

Moon saw the woman vanish and let out a cry of frustration. "Damn it, that bitch, I'm going to-"

"Usagi, calm down."

Moon turned to see Saturn there, already working on bringing her mother back. "I... Wait, how did you know?"

"Aiko sensed a power flare here, and I was close so I kind of saw it. I can understand, though, all things considered."

"Power flare, what does-"

"You were using almost twice what you normally use. Guess you wanted to make sure they were dead."

"But that bitch escaped, I'm going to-" Moon stopped as she saw her mother opening her eyes. "Mom!"

Ikuko looked around in confusion. "What happened, last I remember was..."

"You died, and I brought you back. Usagi took care of the youma in this place."

"So that's what they were?"

Moon was sobbing. "This is my fault. I could have saved you if I had just transformed, but as usual, looking for a place to transform was my priority... Or at least it was until I saw you fall, I-"

"But don't those monsters always drain people? How did you know I was dead?"

"We Senshi have a skill that is... Frankly, it's more of a curse. We can sense when someone close to us dies. I-"

Saturn looked outside and saw a lot of people had gathered. "Shit, we need to get out of-"

"I don't care, Hotaru. I... Gather the others, I need to talk to them before doing something, but I'm still planning on doing it."

Saturn sighed and walked out of the store. "Okay, there's nothing to see here, please return to your homes."

"But that... Isn't that Sailor Moon?"

Saturn shook her head. "Yes, it's not like it's the first time you've seen her."

"Why is she-" the woman stopped as Saturn summoned her glaive. "Hey, no need to be rude."

"You're the one being rude," Saturn said in a monotone. "My friend is going through a lot right now, and you guys gathering to look at her like she's a circus freak isn't helping at all."

"Well, perhaps we should leave," someone from the crowd said.

"We saw her transform, I want to know who she really is," someone else said.

Saturn let out a growl. "Damn it, there's no reasoning with idiots, I guess. Let me put this clearly: I am Sailor Saturn, the Senshi of Death. I could easily just chop you all through and then revive you after I put you somewhere where you won't nag my friend. I'm trying not to do just that, but you're really making it hard for me."

"... Well, since you put it nicely," someone in the crowd said, and many of the civilians laughed at that.

Still, Saturn saw the crowd slowly dissolving, until the first woman who had spoken was the only one left. But Saturn could see her body language had changed. "What is it?"

"Uh... Is that her mother?"

Saturn frowned, but then shrugged. "Yeah."

"I was quite close to the store, I saw it all, how those creatures killed her, and how that girl turned into Sailor Moon. I... Sorry I was being a bitch."

Moon came walking out of the store, with her mother trailing behind her. "Apology accepted," she said. She had heard it all, and she wasn't sure Saturn had been bluffing about killing and reviving the whole crowd. She could sometimes be a bit too enthusiastic about her job. "Saturn, go ahead to the base and have Aiko call everyone. I'll go after I leave mom home-"

"..." Ikuko sighed. "You don't need to escort me, Moon."

Moon smiled. "I want to."

"No, really, I won't stop in any store on the way home, I promise."

Moon sighed at that. "... Okay, mom. Sorry about-"

"It wasn't your fault."

Half an hour later, all the Senshi were gathering inside their base. Usagi had been silent for a minute even after the last of them got there, but she finally stood up and looked around the room. "Guys, what happened today made me realize that we... I can't keep the charade any longer. I don't want to have anyone else die because of my secret identity."

"What if any of us doesn't want to give their identities out?" Rei asked.

"I could just tell the world about me, I don't need to-"

"You're smart enough, Usagi. You know they would find out," Umino said. "If not for me and Yukiko keeping the most persistent hounds chasing the wrong leads, your identities would have leaked long ago."

"Well, I thought about that, and it was the reason I didn't bring it up again until now."

Rei smiled. "We've all talked about it, Usagi. I know at least Ami and Mako agree with you."

Minako nodded. "I do, too. If my mother was in danger, I would not doubt transforming. If my mother was killed by an enemy, I would have reacted just as you did."

Usagi looked at Terry and gave him a sad smile. "For a moment there, I think I finally understood..."

"Revenge does nothing but drive you to kill someone," Terry said, "don't focus on that thought, Usagi."

"I won't," Usagi said, "but if I get a chance to kill that bitch..."

"Deja vu, " Rei mused, looking at Terry.

"So, what do you guys think about what I said?"

Ami smiled at Usagi. "Honestly, I don't think there will ever be a 'good time' to let a secret such as this be known. As for the consequences, what could the fans do that evil alien overlords couldn't? And frankly most of our enemies know who we are."

"Fans can be quite annoying, though," Terry said looking at Chie, who stuck her tongue at him. "Still, if you're up for this, I'll get things ready. Let's make this right."

"What do you mean?"

"If we're going to tell the whole world, we may as well make sure the whole world gets to see it."

"Have you heard, they say the Senshi will appear today in Zeon TV."

"Yeah, it's everywhere, they say they aren't letting anyone into the studio, though."

Usagi had been about to leave the classroom when she heard that, and smiled. She looked at Haruna, her teacher, who was staring at her, and rose an eyebrow. Back before all the craziness started, she had thought Haruna a she-devil, bent on making her life miserable, but Usagi had learnt that Haruna was actually quite nice to students when they weren't lazy and irresponsible around her. "Something wrong, Ms. Haruna?"

Haruna waited until most of the students had left the classroom, seeing only Ami and Mako were there. "I just wanted to say... Good luck tonight, whatever it is you're planning to do."

Usagi looked at her. "Huh, what do you mean?"

Haruna smiled. "I know who you are, Sailor Moon. I'm not sure how your classmates don't figure it out, but-"

Mako laughed. "That was a good one. Didn't know you could joke like that."

Haruna shrugged. "Who's joking, Sailor Jupiter? I know you must keep your identities a secret, so don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Usagi shook her head. "It's okay. What we're planning for tonight... You should watch it."

Haruna was left wondering what that meant as Usagi and her friends left. She had heard about that special transmission, but she had half a heart to watch it. But if Usagi was so serious about it, perhaps it would be a good idea to watch it, after all.

Sailor Moon could still remember how scary things had been back when she first started fighting. But she wouldn't change that for a normal life. And the step she was about to take now could make a normal life an impossible thing for them. But then again, nothing was impossible for them, right?

"We're here tonight because, for the first time ever, the group known as the Senshi want to speak to the country as a whole. This is, in a way, a historical event..."

Moon looked at her friends as the man finished his introduction. Most of them were probably already thinking of how hectic their lives could become after that night, but she knew they were all supporting her on this, and she loved them all for it. She walked to the microphone and smiled at the camera. "I know many of those watching us right now have, at some point, wondered who we really are. I've heard the theories at my own school, and some of them came quite close to the truth. There is only one reason for us to be here tonight," she turned to look at her friends, nodding at them to be ready, "and that is, because we've decided our secret is no longer needed." As she said that, she turned to normal, and her friends all followed suit. "This is who we really are. Teenagers, though a bit older than we were when we started our mission. We have normal lives out there, and we hope we can continue having them after this, but we had our reasons not to want to hide anymore."

The man standing next to her was silent, but Usagi could see he was trying to hide a mixture of shock and excitement. She smiled at him before turning to the camera. "Oh, but I guess not many know the real me, even if they know Sailor Moon. So... Hi, my name is Usagi Tsukino, I'm seventeen years old and I go to Juuban High School."

The others all introduced themselves to the 'audience' (they had purposefully allowed no reporters in the building, as Terry had foreseen chaos if they did) and after they were done, Usagi casually sat on a sofa placed on the stage. "So, I suppose you have questions, and I plan on answering them, as long as they're not too personal."

The man was still trying to recover from the shock. Despite the girl being a good twenty years younger than him, the fact this girl was Sailor Moon made him feel quite intimidated. Sailor Moon. The one who had saved his daughter from a monster a few years ago... But he was sure she had saved a lot of people by now. "Uh, yeah, I suppose the first question I have is... Why? Why keep the secret until now? Why reveal it at all?"

"We've been considering doing this for a while, actually, but we weren't sure. But then..." Usagi paused and then sighed. "I'm sure those who saw it will be telling the same story tomorrow, so I won't hide it. My mother died, meters away from me, and I could have saved her if I didn't hesitate to transform in a crowded street. Once I saw her fall, I didn't care anymore, and I took care of her attacker. But even after she was brought back, I still didn't care if those who had seen me knew who I was. I realized that this secret of mine was partially responsible for what happened."

"Your mother is..."

"She's alive," Usagi said, looking at Hotaru, who walked to her, "the rumors of us dying in combat? They're very true. I've died twice. Hotaru here is one of the Senshi who can bring others back."

"I just wish I didn't have to do it so often," Hotaru noted.

"I see. Next question is... Don't you fear how your fans will react to this? I mean, most fans aren't bad but there are some who-"

And this was another thing Terry had prepared, something Usagi wasn't too sure of, but it would be a good show. "What could they do?" Usagi said, taking a gun out of her dress, "try to hurt us?" As she said that, she shot herself in the face with it, the bullet bouncing back and falling harmlessly to the ground. She then shot a nearby wall, so that they could see it wasn't a fake gun. "Normal human weaponry can't do anything to us, even if we're not transformed. I know, thanks to some of my more curious friends," this caused Ami and Terry to chuckle, "that we could take on a tank shell, in our normal forms, and not feel the blow."

"That confirms another rumor I heard," the man admitted. "What about... People who might target your families?"

For the first time since the transmission started, Usagi's smile was gone. "Mr. Sanada, I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to make this clear. There is a rumor I heard, about how Senshi can't hurt human beings. It's not quite 'can't' but 'won't', and if anyone out there tries to hurt someone we care about, then..." She crushed the gun she was holding, as if it was made of paper, and gave the camera a cold smile. "They will become the exception to that rule. We won't kill them, but while I'm known for being forgiving and kind, some of my friends aren't quite as nice when it comes to someone trying to hurt those we care about, and I may not feel like telling them to be nice."

Suddenly, Ami took something out of her pocket and sighed, nodding at Usagi "Youma," was the one word she said. The man saw Usagi turning back into Sailor Moon, and saw the other Senshi had also transformed. "What-"

"I'm sorry but we'll have to end this before we planned. Our enemies don't care about schedules." Moon turned to the camera and smiled. "But they won't win, not while we're here, so good night, everyone."

Dragon Sun smiled. "Let's go get them. Mass Teleport!"

The man, Sanada, looked at the camera and let out a sigh. "Well, there you have it. The Senshi finally decided to let the world know who they are. I wish them the best of luck in their future battles. This is Jun Sanada, wishing you all a good night."

A/N: Nothing bad or strange can happen after this, right?