Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

A/N: I was going to split this into two chapters, but there didn't seem to be a good spot to stop. So instead, here is a really long chapter to make up for the long wait! Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Fond Farewell

-Twenty One Years Earlier-

The only sound in the room was the occasional clink of silverware hitting plates as the four Inner Senshi finished dinner. The Outers had eaten earlier and were now scattered around the palace. Serenity and Mamoru had gone out for the evening, presumably taking Chibi-Usa with them.

A servant moved nervously around the table with a bottle of wine. Minako had drained hers, so the young girl silently refilled the glass. There was a flutter of the tablecloth as Ami pushed her plate away and sat back in her chair, contemplating the space between Rei and Minako across the table. The servant moved to Makoto's nearly empty glass but, just as she tilted the bottle down to fill it, the Senshi of Thunder moved to take the last sip.

"I'm so sorry, Ma'am," the girl gasped as a trickle of red liquid splashed across the brunette's hand.

Makoto's eyes narrowed as she shook the droplets from her hand. "Why don't you watch what you're doing," she growled.

"Sorry," the girl whispered again as she quickly filled the glass and stepped back.

"Maybe you don't need any more," Minako suggested in a low voice.

Makoto stared at her for a long moment before lifting the glass and draining it in a single gulp. "Fine." She turned to the servant hovering nervously in the corner. "You heard the boss, get that out of here."

"But-"

"I said go!" she roared. Tiny arcs of electricity jumped across her knuckles and the glass in her hand shattered. The servant squeaked in alarm and ran from the room. Makoto let out a breath and sat back heavily. She tossed the remains of the glass onto the table where they broke apart and scattered between the four plates. Rei held her fork loosely and seemed not to have noticed what had happened. She simply continued to stare at her barely eaten dinner. Minako glared at Makoto and shoved her plate away roughly, then crossed her arms on the table.

Ami cast a glance toward the door where the servant had retreated before turning her exasperated stare toward the brunette. "Makoto, why did you do that? The people of the city are already afraid of us."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, feeling her anger drain away as suddenly as it had come. "I don't know what's wrong with me lately."

Ami nodded and offered a ghost of a smile. "It's alright, we can go speak to the serving girl later. Just try to remember that we don't want the public to think any worse of us than they already do."

Minako huffed, drawing both of their attention. "The people aren't afraid of all of us. Just you."

Ami's stare turned glacial as she turned to their commander. "Well," she said acidly, "forgive me for not taking the time to, ah… socialize… with them."

"Ami don't," Makoto warned, gesturing discretely toward Rei, who was still staring blankly down at her plate.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Minako snapped. Her hands clenched to fists where they rested on the table.

Ami rolled her eyes and straightened. "It means that the rest of us spend our time working on ways to help everyone in this city while you're down at the east side bars 'entertaining yourself'." She mimed quotes in the air for her last two words.

Minako's lip curled in a snarl but it disappeared as Rei lifted her head and noticed them for the first time all evening. "What?" She shot Minako a confused look. Looking straight at her, the dark circles under her amethyst eyes were clearly visible.

"It's nothing," Minako murmured, glaring daggers at the table.

Makoto couldn't hold in a frustrated groan. She threw up her hands in exasperation. "Oh, come on! How can you not know?"

Minako's eyes widened in panic and she moved to place a hand over Rei's on the table. "It's not how they're making it sound," she reassured her partner. "I just go out because I… get lonely here sometimes."

Rei didn't seem to register her words. She jerked her hand away, staring at Minako with a raw, hurt expression. "Y-you're cheating on me?"

Minako grabbed her hand and pulled it back to her. "Of course not, Rei, I would never do that to you. I just like being around people. I miss talking and laughing and just…" she gestured futilely as she searched for the words. "I don't know," she said finally, "I just miss everything."

"What do you mean?" Rei asked quietly. "You have us. You have me…"

Minako dropped her hand as her expression hardened. "No, I don't. You're always gone, Rei. You spend all of your time trying to see the future and you're completely missing the present."

They stared at each other as the silence lengthened. "I… I can't concentrate here." Rei's eyes were suddenly distant as she blinked rapidly. "I should go to my shrine."

"Don't!" Minako grabbed her wrist to stop her from standing. Rei gave her a lost look. "Please, just stay with me. I love you."

Rei nodded absently, her eyes traveling past her to the exit. "I love you too, but I have to keep trying. It's the only way to keep everyone safe."

Ami cleared her throat, drawing their attention back to her. "That won't be necessary soon," she informed them. "I think I'm close to a breakthrough with my research."

Rei's expression darkened. "I don't want anything to do with your research," she snarled.

Makoto bristled at Rei's tone. "Hey, don't take it out on her just because you two are having problems."

Rei raised her eyebrows in surprise. "We're not having problems."

"Yes we are, Rei," Minako said incredulously. "You act like you don't even want me around anymore!"

"Why would you need me," Rei snapped, keeping her glare trained on Ami. "Apparently you're getting all the attention you need in town." Minako gasped softly and Rei immediately regretted her words. "Mina, I didn't-"

"At least they want me!" Minako shouted over her. "And I could have any one of them if I wanted! Everyone wants me! Everyone except you!" She pushed away from the table, knocking over her chair as she strode out of the room.

Rei watched her leave, wincing when she slammed the door. She stared after her, looking lost again, before wearily rising and walking out to go the opposite direction.

Makoto contemplated the glittering chunks of crystal scattered across the table before turning to Ami. "Are you satisfied now?" she asked bitterly.

Ami frowned as she tore her attention from the door the others had left through. "What did I do?"

Makoto gestured after their companions. "Why is it so important to you to beat Rei with this detection system?"

"She doesn't respect my work," Ami replied with a sullen shrug.

"She just doesn't understand it."

"She doesn't want to." Ami corrected. She looked angrily up at Makoto. "None of you do."

Makoto thumped her fist on the table as her temper snapped for the second time that evening. "Maybe I don't. You're becoming a completely different person." Before she realized it she was on her feet and shouting. "And I've heard about what you're doing with your research. I want no part of that twisted madness!"

"Madness?" Ami cried, standing to face her. "How dare you!"

"You know, I've put up with a hell of a lot over the years but this…" She shook her head, stepping back before she did something she would truly regret. "Forget it. I've got better things to do." She crossed the room quickly and stomped out the door.

Ami was breathing heavily as she watched the door swing shut. "Well, me too!" she shouted after her. "All any of you have done lately is hold me back!" She moved toward the opposite door but stopped to yell over her shoulder. "I don't need you, Makoto. I don't need any of you!"

Hotaru stopped in the hall when she heard a door slam off to her left. She'd been on the way back to her quarters, but now she made a detour toward the dining room. There had been a lot of door slamming, bickering and anger in the last year and she was reluctant to see what had happened this time. She was about to push the dining room door open when a sniffle caught her attention.

In a shadowed alcove nearby, a small shape was just visible. Hotaru dropped down to crouch in front of the young girl. "Taru," she whimpered, turning shining garnet eyes toward her.

Hotaru sat on the floor and scooted over to sit next to Chibi-Usa. The young princess was pressed against the wall with her knees drawn up to her chest. Hotaru slipped an arm around her back and the princess crawled into her lap and collapsed against her shoulder, sobbing brokenly.

"It's alright, Usa," she whispered, hugging the child tightly. She continued talking softly until her crying faded to occasional sniffs and hiccups. When she seemed calm enough, Hotaru urged her to tell her what had happened.

She admitted to listening outside the door and tearfully recounted the shouting match she'd witnessed. Finally she pulled back to look at her friend's face. "And Taru," she said quietly, "I think they hate each other."

"Of course they don't," Hotaru replied immediately. She couldn't quite meet the princess's eyes as she said the words however. The fighting had been getting progressively worse and the Inner Senshi were becoming downright cruel to each other. She wondered how long it would be before one of them broke.

Chibi-Usa wiped her eyes and gave her a watery smile. She seemed content with Hotaru's reassurance. She slipped back to the floor and settled back against the wall beside her. A minute later they heard soft footsteps approaching. They both got to their feet just as Neo Queen Serenity rounded the corner.

"Mommy!" Chibi-Usa ran to her and was immediately scooped up into a hug.

"What are you two up to?" she asked, smiling fondly at Hotaru over her daughter's head. If she noticed the still drying tear tracks on Chibi-Usa's face, she gave no sign.

"Nothing," Hotaru said, hooking her thumbs in the edges of her pockets. "Just talking."

Serenity nodded as she thought that over, then smiled brightly. She started walking, gesturing for Hotaru to follow. "Did you already have dinner?"

Chibi-Usa paused then nodded, shooting a guilty look at Hotaru for lying. Hotaru shrugged and tried to silently reassure the young girl. The queen had seemed especially delicate of late and everyone was doing their best not to upset her.

"That's good," she said absently, still smiling serenely. "Mamoru and I went out for dinner. It was wonderful!" She hummed softly to herself as she continued walking in the direction of the royal chambers. Suddenly she stopped and turned to face her youngest guard. "Does everyone seem a little tense to you?"

"Um…" Hotaru wasn't sure how much of the recent bickering she was aware of. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "I don't know, maybe a little," she mumbled, looking away.

Serenity stared hard at her before starting to walk again. Hotaru fell into step beside her, noting that she was smiling once again. "Maybe we should have a party. That would cheer them up." She stopped and set Chibi-Usa down. "I'm going to go find Setsuna. She's always so helpful with planning parties."

Hotaru privately wondered about that, but chose not to comment. Chibi-Usa gave her mother a toothy, forced smile before stepping back and grabbing Hotaru's hand. "I'm going to go to bed, Mommy." Serenity nodded, seeming not to hear her.

"I'll take you," Hotaru said quietly, giving her small hand a light squeeze.

"Good," Serenity said, already walking away from them. "I'm going to start planning my party. They'll be so happy…" She started humming to herself again as she floated down the hall away from them.

The two girls stayed rooted to the spot, watching until she disappeared around the corner. Hotaru sighed. Whatever was happening to the Inner Senshi seemed to be having an effect on the queen as well. She glanced down at Chibi-Usa and found the child biting her lip as she stared after her mother.

"Alright, you, time for bed." Hotaru caught her by her hands and swung her around, earning a delighted squeal as she settled the princess on her shoulders. "You've got to be rested up for your mom's party, right?"

"Right," Chibi-Usa agreed, smoothing down Hotaru's unruly hair from her perch. Hotaru smiled to herself as she made her way to the royal chambers. They'd dealt with bad things before. They would work everything out in the end, just like they always did.

-Crystal Tokyo: Distant Future-

The space ship was about eighty feet long; a cabin cruiser style that still traveled faster than average. It had two floors inside. The lower level was mostly maintenance and access to the various parts of the engine. It also held the bathing and storage areas. The upper floor was equipped with four bedrooms, a living area and a small dining space. It had been chosen for its speed and efficiency, but also because it was the largest ship available that only required one person to pilot it.

Currently, Chibi-Usa was following Haruka through the lower level as she gave her a tour of the vehicle. "See this panel?" Haruka illustrated by flipping two latches and pulling out a wide section of the wall. "This is where the back-up fuel cells are stored." Chibi-Usa leaned closer to look at the long thin tubes lined up in the opening. Each was hooked into brackets and glowed a faint green. "They'll recharge in here so make sure you pay close attention to your levels," Haruka continued. "Only switch one at a time and never let the ship lose power completely. And when you hook them up, make sure they're facing the right direction and straight in the chargers…"

She rubbed a hand down her face before turning to face the princess in the narrow hallway. "It's not too late to change your mind," she said quietly, giving Chibi-Usa an earnest look. "We can find another way, you don't have to do this."

Chibi-Usa met the bright blue eyes and smiled. "I'll be alright. I want to do this. I want to help."

Haruka nodded, letting a slow smile slide across her face. "You're a brave one, I'll give you that." She straightened and looked over her shoulder. "Where'd Hotaru disappear to? She should be hearing this too."

"Don't worry, I'll be able to explain it to her," Chibi-Usa promised. But she couldn't help looking past Haruka, as though Hotaru would materialize in the hall. She hadn't seen the other girl all morning. She stopped herself from frowning, trying to focus on reassuring Haruka instead. "Do you want to show me the pilot's controls one more time?"

By the time they started back to the palace, Chibi-Usa was sure she could fly the ship blindfolded. Haruka's nervousness about their trip seemed to be taking the form of long-winded lectures on the inner workings of her favorite vehicles. It wouldn't surprise the princess if the guard dragged her and Hotaru to the garage before their trip to visit her cars.

Michiru met them at the street and smiled fondly at Chibi-Usa before shooting Haruka a questioning look. "I think they're just about ready," Haruka replied to the unvoiced question.

Michiru nodded slowly. "Artemis and Mamoru are speaking with the palace quartermasters about stocking the ship for their journey. Remember," she said sharply, looking sternly back at Chibi-Usa, "If you begin to run low on supplies come back here first. I don't want you taking any more risks than necessary."

Chibi-Usa nodded dutifully. After all, Hotaru was essentially their child. They had every right to worry for her safety in a situation like this. She knew her own mother would never allow her to do something so dangerous.

The thought sobered her. They had agreed to keep the queen in the dark about their plan. They didn't want her to spend her last few hours of consciousness worried about her only daughter. They also didn't want to give her false hope in case their mission failed. No one had mentioned that second part, but Chibi-Usa knew the thought weighed heavily on each of them. All she could do was repeat the words that were becoming a silent mantra for her. Have faith in them. We will get them back.

They stopped by the front gates of the palace, where Mamoru was directing a group of workers. He still hadn't shaved, but he looked more alert. He held a clipboard and pen and was circling a huge stack of crates, checking things off on a list. Chibi-Usa suspected that finally feeling useful was doing wonders for him. She left Haruka and Michiru on the path and jogged over to him.

"There should be two hundred packets of dehydrated beans," he said as she approached. The nearest worker bent over the crate beside him to read the invoice attached to it. He gave the king a thumbs up and Mamoru nodded and made a mark on his clip board. "Hi, Sweetie."

"Hey," she replied, slipping under his pen arm to give him a hug. "How is…" she gestured toward the tower of crates, "all this… going?"

He gave her an affectionate squeeze. "It's a lot to prepare on short notice, but don't worry. It'll all be packed and ready by the afternoon." He shot her a rare grin. "Leave it to me."

Chibi-Usa chuckled. It was nice to see him in such good spirits. She gave him one more hug and left him to his task. She bounded across the courtyard toward where she'd left Haruka and Michiru. She found them on a bench beside the path, locked in a passionate kiss. She skidded to a halt and cleared her throat loudly, causing them to jump apart like guilty teenagers. It reminded her of Hotaru's comment the day before and she smiled.

Haruka smirked and Michiru slapped her arm playfully. "Are you ready to return to the palace?" Michiru asked, offering an arm and smiling serenely as though the last two minutes hadn't happened.

Chibi-Usa chuckled as she linked her arm through the older woman's. "Yea, I should probably find Hotaru. I haven't seen her all day."

She looked up just in time to see Michiru exchange a significant look with her partner. She waited curiously but it seemed that neither was going to elaborate.

Haruka gave her a thoughtful look, then nodded and started leading them toward the palace. "She called while you were gone. Apparently she and Setsuna are looking for something. She was acting pretty cryptic." Haruka leaned around her wife to give Chibi-Usa a beady stare. "Any ideas?"

Chibi-Usa could only shrug. When they'd spoken the night before, Hotaru hadn't been in a very good mood. She was trying hard not to let anyone see how scared she was about the coming mission and was dreading seeing the Inner Senshi again. They'd talked late into the night until Hotaru had fallen asleep on the couch in the Outers' living room. She couldn't begin to guess what new thing Hotaru had found to stress herself out. She sighed and gave the older women a resigned smile. "I guess we'd better go find out."

"Everything's packed and ready to go."

Mamoru's soft voice brought Chibi-Usa out of her daydream. She'd been standing in the hall outside her mother's room, letting her mind wander as she waited for the others. She leaned against him when he put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "That means it's almost time to leave," she replied softly.

She looked up to see him nod solemnly. There was only one thing left to do and they both wanted to postpone it as long as possible.

The door to Serenity's room pushed open a crack and Luna stuck her head out. "She's awake," she announced tiredly. She hadn't left the Queen's side since they'd begun making plans and the exhaustion was beginning to show. None the less, she seemed happy as she leapt onto the foot of the bed. "Good Morning," she said pleasantly, taking a seat by Serenity's knee.

"Hello, Luna." Serenity reached forward to stroke the sleek, dark head. Her eyes were hollow and her cheeks seemed gaunt and sunken, as though she'd lost weight. Her blue eyes were so dull, Chibi-Usa had to fight the urge to turn away.

"Hey, Usako." She seemed to lose some of her listlessness when she looked up at her husband. He grinned as though nothing were wrong and sat beside her on the bed. She immediately curled against his side and smiled, then turned her gaze to Chibi-Usa and patted the spot on her other side.

"Hotaru's got a surprise, Mama," Chibi-Usa said as she scooted back to lean against the headboard.

"I love surprises." Her voice was hoarse from lack of use, but she sat forward excitedly. "What is it?"

Mamoru chuckled and wrapped an arm around her. "You remember the definition of a surprise, right?"

She leaned away from him enough to give him an indignant glare. "You're so mean to me," she complained. This only caused him to laugh harder. Hearing the familiar protest caused Chibi-Usa to cover her mouth to stifle the sudden bout of giggles. The moment of normalcy was nice, she thought, since it would be their last one for a while.

A knock at the open door allowed her to keep her spirits up. Hotaru leaned in, grinning excitedly. Behind her, Setsuna's expression was nearly identical. The bright smiles of the normally stoic soldiers increased everyone's curiosity.

"What's my surprise?" Serenity demanded without preamble, sitting as straight as she could to look past the two. Hotaru held up something small between her fingers. Serenity sat back against Mamoru, looking disappointed.

Chibi-Usa, however, got to her feet to examine the object. "What's this?"

"A memory file," she replied, shrugging nonchalantly. Chibi-Usa reached for it and Hotaru dropped her hand to her side, dodging her without seeming to. Garnet eyes narrowed and Chibi-Usa crossed her arms and glared sternly at her friend.

"It's only a copy," Setsuna said, stepping into the room. "Of this." She held up a tattered book.

Chibi-Usa forgot her struggle with Hotaru, frowning at the ancient thing in Setsuna's hands. "A book?"

"This reminds me of the 'surprises' you used to bring me when we skipped school," Serenity muttered under her breath.

Behind her, Mamoru sat forward with interest. "That looks really, really old," he decided.

"Oh, it is," Setsuna assured him, "About fifteen hundred years." She took the seat that Chibi-Usa had vacated and held it so the queen could see.

Serenity gasped softly as she recognized it. Her hand trembled slightly as she stroked the ancient leather with her fingertips. "Where did you find it?" she breathed.

"It was down in storage," she replied, as though it were nothing. Chibi-Usa raised her eyebrows in surprise. The rooms beneath the castle were packed full of centuries of stored objects. Setsuna must have worked all night locating the book.

"You're not starting without us are you?" a jolly voice teased from the door. They looked up as Haruka burst into the room with Artemis balanced on her shoulder. Michiru was close behind and seemed to be considering an apology for Haruka's abrupt entrance.

Setsuna rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "We wouldn't dream of it." She ushered them closer with a wave. The two women settled on the bed, forming a loose circle around the queen. Chibi-Usa squeezed in close between Setsuna and her mother. It was a tight fit, she wasn't as small as she used to be, but they didn't complain. Hotaru sat across from her, leaning against Haruka. Michiru took the open space on Haruka's other side, closing a tight circle around the queen and the book.

"So what is it?" Chibi-Usa wondered. She ran her fingers hesitantly over the cover, not wanting to damage the ancient leather. Setsuna opened the book and held it out so everyone could see. A yellowed newspaper clipping dominated the first page. "'Mysterious Heroines Save Bus Patrons'", Chibi-Usa read the title softly before letting her eyes drop to the grainy photo. "Oh, wow."

The picture had been out of focus to begin with and the years had blurred the details even more, but the three girls were unmistakable. Sailor Moon stood triumphantly with her fists on her hips. Sailor Mercury was at her side looking down at her hands and, presumably, her first mini-computer. Sailor Mars had her arms crossed tightly on the other side, looking fierce and determined.

Chibi-Usa carefully turned the page. A smile began to form as she stared down at yet another clipping of the Inner Senshi, the photo accompanied by an article of another victory. Each page chronicled a different adventure. As they went through the pages, more of the senshi began to appear in the photos. Finally, they reached the last article entitled 'Sailor Senshi: Heroes of Tokyo'. The picture showed all nine soldiers.

Chibi-Usa smiled, amazed that such a thing could exist. "Where did this come from?"

"Grandpa Hino started it for us," Serenity replied. She smiled wistfully, her mind going back to the kind, if slightly lecherous, old man. "He started clipping the articles once he figured out that Rei was one of us."

Chibi-Usa nodded and turned the page. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Um… did he collect these too?" She looked up at her mother with wide eyes.

Serenity laughed, blushing lightly as she looked down at the two page spread. "No, these belonged to Minako."

Chibi-Usa nodded, returning her attention to the book. A series of trading cards were carefully arranged across both pages. Each one depicted a fancifully drawn Sailor Moon in a different pose. The skirt was slightly shorter and the top a little tighter and lower cut than she remembered. She stared from Sailor Moon waving her scepter to Sailor Moon blowing a kiss and smiling flirtatiously. "Huh," was all Chibi-Usa could manage.

"It gets better," Haruka assured her as she flipped the page.

"Oh," Michiru giggled behind her hand. "I remember when Minako came back with these. Ami was mortified."

Chibi-Usa could understand why. She gaped at the scantily clad Sailor Mercury. If it weren't for the color of the outfit, the woman in the tiny picture would be unrecognizable as the shy genius they'd grown up with.

Setsuna chuckled softly. "I see they took some liberties with her… assets."

"Funny you should mention that," Haruka said suggestively. She flipped through the pages until she found the ones she was looking for.

A ringing silence filled the room as every eye went from the set of trading cards before them to the scarlet-faced Senshi of Time. "I- is that supposed to be you?" Chibi-Usa managed finally.

Setsuna shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, obviously trying to regain her composure. "I suppose that since the card makers didn't know our identities, they couldn't come to us for input," she grumbled.

Hotaru looked down at the cards again. The skin tight outfit could barely be called a fuku. The skirt stopped at the tops of her thighs and the top looked like it was barely containing her. In one picture, her waves of dark emerald hair flowed around her body in a way that suggested she wore nothing else. "I feel like I'm too young to look at these, Setsuna-Mama," Hotaru joked, grinning playfully at the older woman.

Setsuna gave her a scolding glare but couldn't seem to hold it. Her expression dissolved into a playful smile and she reached out to shove Hotaru's shoulder lightly. "Hush. You said you wanted pictures."

"Good point." Hotaru smiled and turned her gaze to Chibi-Usa. "Will this do?" She held up the chip that contained the virtual replica of the scrap book.

Chibi-Usa placed her hand over Setsuna's and squeezed lightly. "It's perfect. Thank you."

"Perfect for what?"

Chibi-Usa bit her lip guiltily at her mother's innocent question. She turned to Setsuna for help but the older woman looked like a deer caught in headlights. "What?"

Serenity raised a blond eyebrow. "Why did you want pictures of everyone?"

"I wanted them," Chibi-Usa answered for her. "I was thinking about…" she paused but pushed forward reluctantly. "I was thinking about the Inner Senshi. I just wanted to remember the way things were with all of us."

She waited but, rather than break down, Serenity smiled gently and lifted a hand to cup her cheek. "I miss them too," she admitted softly. "But they'll come back." The others looked away at the Queen's tone of confidence, a feeling that none of them shared. "When they realize how much we need them, they'll come back." She yawned widely and dropped her arm back to her side. "You'll see," she assured them sleepily.

Setsuna gave the others a significant look and they shuffled off the bed to stand around it. Chibi-Usa realized it was time and forced herself to swallow the sudden lump in her throat. "I think you're right, Mama," she whispered, wrapping her arms around the frail woman in one last desperate hug. Finally she pulled away and stepped back to allow the others to say their goodbyes.

Hotaru went next, kneeling by the bed to talk softly to her. Chibi-Usa leaned against Setsuna and looked up at her. Her expression was troubled. "Puu? Are you worried?"

Setsuna slipped a hand over her shoulder and pulled her into a half hug. She was silent as Hotaru moved to her other side and Haruka and Michiru took her place. "A little," she said finally. "But it's to be expected." She wrapped her other arm around Hotaru and pulled both girls closer to her.

Haruka straightened and forced a smile in their direction. Michiru kissed Serenity's forehead then moved to stand by her wife. Her expression was carefully controlled but her eyes were clouded.

When Mamoru sat on the edge of the bed, Serenity looked past him to where the rest of them were grouped by the wall. "What's the matter with all of you?"

"They're just worried about you, Usako," Mamoru assured her. His blue eyes were swimming with tears but he managed a smile for her. "You need to rest."

Serenity yawned again. "I am a little tired," she admitted. She smiled wearily and pulled Mamoru down for a long kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered. He managed to turn his face away before the first tear fell. Setsuna stepped closer and he retreated back to stand by his daughter. Chibi-Usa wrapped her arms around his waist and he let a hand rest on her shoulder. They watched silently as Setsuna sat down beside Serenity.

"Everything's going to be alright, Setsuna," Serenity said tiredly. Setsuna nodded and placed a hand over her forehead. Her crystal blue eyes drifted closed and a trusting smile graced her lips. Setsuna's hand began to glow a faint burgundy. The color began to spread until the queen seemed to be cocooned in the light of the Time Senshi's power.

With her free hand, Setsuna gestured for Chibi-Usa to come closer. She crept uncertainly to the older woman's side, eyes wide as she stared down at her mother's sleeping form. Setsuna curled her hand around the back of the younger girl's neck and closed her eyes.

After several moments of silence, a different light began to fill the room. A bright white seemed to radiate from Serenity. It brightened to near blinding and Chibi-Usa had to force herself to watch despite the overwhelming urge to turn away. Slowly, the center of the brightness began to lift from the middle of Serenity's chest. For a moment, a pure white crystal hung suspended in the air between them. Then it drifted toward Chibi-Usa. She gasped as it entered her body, directly over her heart. For a moment, her body felt impossibly warm as though she'd been lowered into a hot bath. Then the feeling, and the light, faded.

She took a shaky breath and stepped back, lifting a hand to press her palm to her chest. "Is that it?" she asked. She looked from her mother, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully, to Setsuna.

The older woman nodded. "It's done." Chibi-Usa looked down at herself, as though expecting to see some sign that she now possessed the power of the Silver Crystal. But all she saw was her still-unfamiliar body and her trembling hands. Setsuna smiled, seeming suddenly tired. "You carry the power to save them now."