Sailor Moon - Rise of the Exalted Knights

by Lisseas

Chapter Twelve - The Black Death Comes! Chibiusa's Lesson in Time Travel!

Posted: 23/04/2017

"Chibiusa?!" Usagi called for her daughter again, stubbornly refusing to admit there'd be no answer. She knew the girl too well to believe she'd just pop out of hiding and shrug it all off, but a persistent fear kept her going regardless. Tokyo wasn't safe anymore and, while Chibiusa wasn't the pushover she'd once been, she couldn't exactly take on a Chaos Paladin herself.

Even I struggled with that, she reminded herself, and I'm supposed to be the strongest Sailor Senshi on the planet.

Not that she felt like it right now. The bitter debate she'd left behind weighed heavy on her heart. It was bad enough to be forced into this situation in the first place, but it was slowly tearing their team apart. Day by day, little by little, her friends were turning on one another, and she was powerless to stop it.

That hurts most of all, she conceded. I can't reach anyone. I couldn't even convince my own daughter to stay. When did I get so good at ignoring my own conscience, let alone expecting others to do the same? A humourless, bitter chuckle slipped from her lips. I'm almost horrified that I'm not horrified.

She stopped dead in her tracks at the distant skitter of falling debris. Was it some poor survivor just trying to find some food, or an enemy sniper getting ready to blow her head off? Tokyo wasn't what she remembered, and it was beginning to look like it never would be again.

But that doesn't matter, she decided firmly. I have to press on. Focus on finding Chibiusa, and bringing her home. Think, Usagi. Think! Where would she go?

Weighing up the options didn't leave her with much. Chibiusa hadn't gone home - she'd checked with her mother - and she didn't have many other hangouts. The Crown Arcade had never been a favourite of hers, and the school she'd attended when here was a smoking ruin.

"So where would she go?" she wondered aloud, as frustration set in. "The only other place is…" Eyes widening with realisation, she turned abruptly on her heel and retraced her steps, heading back out of the city itself. "I only hope I'm right!"

Usagi and her friends knew it simply as 'the Park', and it remained largely untouched amidst Chaos' assault. There was little of value here to target, and such a wide, open area made a poor hiding spot for Tokyo's frightened populace. There were few signs of disturbance, either; a branch out of place here, some cracked paving there. Such damage faded quickly, however, as she wandered further in.

An odd metallic 'clink' drew her attention towards the centre, finally proving her hunch correct. Chibiusa sat alone on a swing, swaying back and forth gently. The chain was old and worn, snagging constantly to produce the strangely annoying 'clink', but she didn't seem to notice. Her arms hung limp beside her bowed head, fingers wrapped loosely around the rusted metal links. A moment passed in silence as Usagi watched her, the girl either unaware of her presence or unfazed by it.

"I thought I might find you here. It's as close to home as you can get without actually being there. Sort of."

Chibiusa didn't respond, or even turn her head. She just sat there, swinging back and forth, staring at the ground.

It was then that Usagi reconsidered, remembering her earlier failure at reaching Minako. Doubt crept in as she closed the gap, leaving her second-guessing herself. She needed a different approach, but what? Eventually closing the gap between them, she found herself leaning against the swing's metal frame, arms folded anxiously across her chest. "I'm sorry. I know we hurt you earlier, with our discussion, but we-"

"You're different," the girl muttered. "Wrong...and it's all my fault. I never should've come here. It was a mistake. A stupid, selfish mistake."

Usagi's heart ached for her. "You were just scared. Searching for a way to save your mother. You-"

"You're my mother!" Chibiusa snapped, her sudden outburst coming as a surprise. "Sure, we dance around it and make the occasional joke, but she's you...and it's getting harder and harder to ignore that."

"Why would you-"

"I brought you to Crystal Tokyo to save yourself…and destroyed your Tokyo in the process." She shook her head slowly, uncharacteristically bitter. "Then again, considering it's all connected, I've probably destroyed my home as well."

"Well, you…" Usagi was dismayed to realise she had no idea how to respond. "You still exist, right, so...it must as well?"

"Not necessarily."

She just about jumped out of her skin, startled by the unannounced appearance of Sailor Pluto. Now I know how Minako feels, she thought irritably. Setsuna really does do it on purpose, doesn't she?

The Guardian of Time made her way around a crooked spinning wheel, eventually joining them by the swing. "It's true. This world was not meant to be as it is, but the situation is far more complex than either of you realise. It is no one individual's fault."

"Come on, Puu," Chibiusa said miserably. "I know I screwed everything up. You don't have to coddle me anymore."

"That's not what she's saying," Usagi assured her, glaring daggers at the new arrival. "This is no time for your typical enigmatic nonsense, Setsuna. Upsetting Chibiusa isn't any help at all!"

"Neither is lying to her," Pluto retorted coolly. "She's not a child anymore, Usagi. Stop treating her like one."

The rebuke hit her like a slap across the face. "I...you're right."

Chibiusa was less impressed. "Can you both just leave me alone? I'm sick of talking about this!"

"You prefer to sulk, then?" Pluto asked, cocking her head to one side.

The younger girl turned on her quickly, eyes blazing angrily. "I am not sulking."

"Then you're willing to listen. Good."

Relief flooded through Usagi as Chibiusa backed down. Setsuna had always a certain way with her, and she was glad to have her help here now.

"Time is fluid, Small Lady. Always in motion." Pluto waved the Garnet Rod in a small circle to aid her point. "Any knowledge of your own future can be dangerous, yes...but let us look at Usagi, your mother, as an example."

"Me?" the blonde squeaked.

"Your did come to this time, Chibiusa, which eventually resulted in a visit to her future. Your present. You then encountered my younger self at the Space Time Door and, as I saw no alternative means to save Neo-Queen Serenity's life, I decided to allow you safe passage."

"I'm not seeing an issue," Usagi interjected, idly folding her arms once again across her chest. "Everything worked out for the best."

"Indeed, it did," Pluto agreed. "For Crystal Tokyo. But what about here and now? We still don't know, do we?" With a brief sweep of her staff, she gouged a line in the dirt at her feet, then a second that split off to run parallel above it. "Let us recap. You visited your own future, and met your future self."

Suspicious of her motives, the blonde stared back warily. "But none of that changed anything."

"Didn't it?" Pluto jabbed her staff into the ground, right at the intersection of the two lines. "You returned to your time with the knowledge you would one day reign over a new Moon Kingdom as Neo-Queen Serenity. Suddenly, you had a goal. A purpose. Something to work towards beyond simply existing. You focused yourself, began working harder at school…eventually…"

Usagi felt her cheeks beginning to burn. "Fair assessment."

"You developed an interest in world affairs, and decided to study political science after finishing high school. Consciously or not, you began preparing yourself to lead a nation. An entire world, in fact." Pluto met her gaze with a look of curiosity. "You're still adamant your visit to Crystal Tokyo changed nothing?"

"Are you saying...that I wasn't supposed to do any of that?"

"I'm saying," Pluto answered, scrubbing the original line away with her boot, "That it doesn't matter anymore. As soon as you returned from Crystal Tokyo, that future ceased to exist. A new one took its place, one where Neo-Queen Serenity was arguably a more effective leader in her early reign due to having studied politics and leadership."

"So...wait, arguably?!"

"Focus, please, Usagi."

"I..." Her head was beginning to hurt. "I get it. At least, I think I do? You're saying that knowing what's coming must change the future in some way because, conscious or not, we're going to make different decisions when we know where we're going?"

"Which means I am the cause of all this pain and suffering!" Chibiusa cried, looking more distraught than ever.

Pluto shook her head gently. "You're jumping to conclusions, Small Lady. That isn't the point I was trying to make." She sighed quietly, apparently gathering her thoughts. "This is a mess, true, but not one entirely of your making."

"I'm not following, Puu. You just said-"

"Your decision to travel back here all those years ago played a part, yes, but this reality was always a possibility...and it's one that I allowed to happen."

Usagi began to see it. All their suspicions about Pluto's level of future knowledge... "Because you're the Guardian of Time."

"I am. As such, the fault ultimately lies with me." For the first time since they'd begun this conversation, she seemed...sad. "As does any guilt."

"But you were just trying to help me save my moth-" Chibiusa stopped abruptly, staring wide-eyed at Pluto's knowing smile. "Oh."

"If you would excuse my transgression is allowing you all passage to Crystal Tokyo in the first place, you must also excuse any of your own." Pluto's smile faded slightly. "It's only logical."

Chibiusa slipped off the swing and began to pace, back and forth. "Even if I accept that, Puu, how can we all just accept death as unavoidable, even necessary? It goes against everything everyone ever taught me!" Her eyes met Usagi's own, imploring silently. "It's what you taught me."

Just like that, any relief she'd felt faded, replaced with the same guilt as before. "Chibiusa..."

"Everyone's changed so much! Just look at Mako and Minako, and how they're fighting. Look at Haruka, or Rei. They're just...angry, at everyone! At everything!"

"Grief wears many faces, Small Lady." Pluto let go of the Garnet Rod, and it remained stationary, drifting in the air beside her. "When confronted by such brutality as this, is it really so surprising we might drift from the idealism you remember?"

The girl stared back at her blankly. "...huh?"

Just a hint of irritation flashed in Pluto's eyes. "A more pragmatic approach doesn't mean we don't care. Nor does it have to make us bloodthirsty murderers."

Chibiusa recoiled a little. "I never said-"

"The friends you remember are still here, Small Lady. They've just grown as people. They're less naive, perhaps even more understanding of the evil this world is capable of. We don't want anyone else to die...but we accept that it's a possibility. Perhaps," she said, with a sad glance at Usagi, "Even unavoidable."

"I refuse to accept that!" the girl snapped, stamping her foot for emphasis. "It's unavoidable only if we allow it to be. If we all stop holding back-"

"We give ourselves a chance. A chance we don't have currently." Pluto's voice grew firmer somehow. More authoritative. "If we carry on as we have been, we will die. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but it will happen. Of that, I have no doubts."

Usagi wondered silently how much of that was intuition, and how much Setsuna had actually seen.

"Nobody wants this, Small Lady," the Guardian of Time continued, her voice softening slightly, "But as Minako said...it was forced upon us regardless, and we must do what we must to save this world."

"So, we change the rules!" Chibiusa stubbornly refused to give up any ground at all. "That's what we do! That's what I learned from all of you!"

The Garnet Rod was abruptly back in Pluto's grasp, lending her a more formal appearance from a moment ago. "What is the first duty of a Sailor Senshi?"

The younger girl was caught off-guard by the question. "I...what?"

"It's a simple enough question, one I'm sure you learned during your early training. What is the first duty of a Sailor Senshi?"

Chibiusa looked decidedly uncomfortable now. "...to protect her Queen."

"And?" Pluto arched an eyebrow. "In the absence of a Queen?"

"...her Princess."

Usagi saw where Pluto was going with this and joined in. "And then? A Sailor Senshi's second duty?"

"To..." Something akin to weary resignation flashed across the girl's face. "To her Kingdom. Her world."

Pluto nodded sagely, apparently pleased. "The preservation of life is a noble goal, Small Lady, one we should all strive towards...but there are times where it is simply impossible." She gestured skyward, to the faint reflection of the distant moon. "The Sailor Senshi have killed before, at the Fall of the Moon Kingdom a thousand years ago. They fought for their Queen, their Princess, and the very future of their Kingdom...and they slayed many on that day. Not for lack of caring, nor for amusement or pleasure, but because giving any less than their all meant certain death...and that meant they had failed in their duty."

Chibiusa remained silent, but any trace of defiance was gone from her face.

"That is the choice your friends now face. Do not condemn them for making it; grieve with them for the lives they may be forced to take." The older woman placed a hand on Chibiusa's shoulder and squeezed gently. "Never lose sight of your optimism, Small Lady...but don't allow it to blind you to reality, either."

"Everything's going to work out in the end, right?"

Pluto smiled sadly. "Time is fluid, remember? Even my knowledge has limits."

"At least tell me Mako and Minako will be okay. This can't be it for their friendship."

Her smiled slackened, just a little. "This is far from their first fight, and barely the most...vocal."

Chibiusa fidgeted nervously. "But they've always made up before."

"In the past, perhaps...but the precedent for such conflict is there." Pluto's shrug was far too casual for Usagi's liking. "Who's to say they wouldn't have found something else to fight about, that it wouldn't have been the final straw regardless?"

For reasons she didn't quite understand, despite the depressing conversation, Usagi couldn't help but giggle. "You are, in theory. You're the Guardian of Time, after all." She was relieved to see Chibiusa laugh as well, relieved that some of the tension was finally melting away.

"Well..." Even Pluto seemed amused. "In the absence of such...confirmation...we are left to consider all possibilities, aren't we?" She gave Chibiusa's shoulder another squeeze. "You are a part of this, Small Lady, I won't deny it...but a small part, and just as vital for the good moments as the bad."

"That's true," Usagi agreed, with a faint smile of her own. "Just look at Hotaru. It was your friendship that let Sailor Saturn awaken. If not for you, she may have been lost to Mistress 9 forever."

The girl still seemed uncertain. "Even so…"

"Our lives would have been darker without you. I know mine would have!" Usagi gently nudged Pluto aside and seized both of Chibiusa's shoulders. "Even if this is some parallel timeline, I don't regret a moment of it. I'm able to carry on because of you, even through all the terrible moments. If I didn't have that to keep me going…well, this world would be even worse off than it is now." She pulled the girl in and held her tight, in a reverse of her earlier moment with her own mother. "Look forwards, not back. Don't focus on the things you can't control, because they'll only drag you down."

Chibiusa relaxed into her embrace, resting a cheek against her chest…before abruptly pulling back. "Wait a minute. You stole that from Ikuko-mama, didn't you?!"

Flustered, Usagi felt her cheeks heating up once again. "No! I just…borrowed part of-"

"You totally stole it!" the girl argued, albeit with a wide grin. "Admit it!"

Pluto just sighed. "The more things change…"

A moment passed, and Chibiusa lost a little of her newfound cheer. "I hear you, I guess, but I still don't like this. There must be a better way than-"

All three of their communicators went mad, cutting her off with a series of urgent chirps; Ami's pre-programmed general alert. A chill ran down Usagi's spine as she read the coordinates. "The store!"

They dashed down deserted streets, darting over abandoned cars and other obstacles. Worry began to set in as they neared their home away from home, fresh smoke billowing into the sky above. There'd been no response from their friends despite repeated attempts at contact, receiving nothing on their communicators beyond the initial alert. It left Sailor Moon on edge, fearful of what they might find.

Chaos told me I'd be the last to die, she recalled, almost sick with worry, but it said nothing about my friends…

"Still no answer," Chibi Moon muttered, sprinting along beside her. "Why aren't they answering?"

"The signal isn't getting through," Pluto observed grimly. "There's some sort of magical interference in the air. I can feel it on my skin, growing stronger the closer we get."

Moon couldn't feel any such 'interference', but she wasn't quite as old or experienced as Pluto was. It was a safe bet that Chaos had something to do with it, though; Mercury had tracked a 'dampening field' with her computer several times. Some sort of negative energy that moved as the creature did.

"Look!"

Her heart sank further as they rounded the final corner. The store's entrance had collapsed, broken concrete and shattered glass scattered around it. Thick, black smoke curled out from beneath it, a flickering orange glow hinting at more flames deeper within.

"No enemies." Pluto raised the Garnet Rod cautiously, eyes scanning the exterior. "No visible ones, at any rate."

Sailor Moon opened her communicator again, but got only static. Even the alert was silent now. She managed a sharp sigh of frustration and began moving along the storefront. "We have to get inside and find the others!" The heat began to subside a little ways down, hinting at a safer entry point. "Here! Come on!"

One by one, they slipped inside…into what was essentially a hellscape. Their so-called 'coat forest' was ablaze, leaving a hazardous, barely-there path to their makeshift base. As they pushed through with reckless abandon, it was impossible not to flinch at sporadic flare-ups that sent waves of searing heat washing over them. Moon cringed as several of her right wing's feathers evaporated, and pulled her trailing ponytails closer for fear they'd catch alight next.

"Hello?" she called, with a growing sense of urgency. "Can anybody hear me?!"

There was no answer, only the roar of the flames and a distant crash as something heavy collapsed. Several more harrowing seconds passed before they emerged in their central campsite to find…nothing. The improvised chairs were empty, several toppled, with no sign of their former occupants; their friends were gone.

Moon couldn't help feeling strangely relieved. "Maybe they made it out?"

"Or they were taken," Chibi Moon countered uncertainly.

"Regardless," Pluto added, with a hint of warning, "We can't stay here much longer. The whole building could come down on our heads at any moment."

"No!" Moon snapped, surprised to hear more anger in her voice than intended. "We can't just leave. Not without finding some sign of the others first! We have to spread out and-"

"They're not here, Sailor Moon. That much is certain. We cannot-"

"Uh…" Chibi Moon's panicked cry cut her off. "What are those?!"

Following her finger, Moon saw them first; four dark figures, unaffected as they stepped through the flames. She peered at them warily, struggling to see through the smoke and ash, and finally shivered as their faces came into focus; blank, white masks with elongated, beak-like protrusions. "Hunters!"

"I thought they were just extra creepy Paladins?!" Chibi Moon said, with a nervous gulp. "Shouldn't they be rampaging monsters like the rest of their buddies?"

"The faithful need not be converted, child."

The hairs on the back of Sailor Moon's neck stood on end at the sound of his voice. It was unfamiliar, undeniably male with a hint of gravel beneath its almost melodic tones, clear above the din around them. There was no obvious anger or threat behind it, either…which somehow made it all the more ominous.

"We are her flock, her…chosen few. We accepted her gift freely, without hesitation, and she has rewarded our faith with her love and protection."

Bizarrely, Chibi Moon's eyebrow twitched. "Did he just call me child?"

Pluto nudged her gently with the Garnet Rod. "Now is not the time, Small Lady."

Despite the heat, Moon shivered again as the Hunters parted to reveal a fifth silhouette behind them, within the flames; their mysterious conversationalist. She swallowed past the sudden, painful lump in her throat to speak. "What have you done with our friends?"

A moment passed in silence as the inferno wavered, the figure stepping through to reveal a tall, lean man clad in Order of Black armour. The chestplate seemed thicker, though, heavier in its protection, with a large, elliptical pauldron ensconcing his right shoulder. Like his compatriots, he wore a Hunter mask…with one key difference; a ragged crimson smear that ran from the left cheek to the right eye. She thought it looked suspiciously like blood.

"They fled before the might of our faith, fearing our Lady Chaos' justice."

"Justice?!" Moon sputtered, unable to believe her ears. "There's nothing just about that monster!"

"You're missing the point." Pluto's piercing red eyes narrowed as she stared the masked man down. "They're not even trying to gloat. That means the others are still alive."

"For a time," he agreed, almost amicably. "But we will find them soon. She has foreseen it." Arms spread wide, he stepped slowly towards them. "Do not fear death, Senshi, for it is only another beginning. The first step down the path...to true salvation."

"Salvation?!" Moon found herself retreating, unconsciously keeping the distance between them the same. "I don't even…who are you?!"

"What good are names here at this, the end of days?" His head tilted slowly to one side, mask betraying no hints as to his true state of mind. "What good would my name do you? Clarification of purpose? Intent? What if I was a John? Matthew? Paul? What would that mean? What would that tell you about me? Would that ease the chill on the back of your necks? Perhaps I am a Shinsuke, or an Akira?" The blank eyes of the mask locked on Sailor Moon once again. "Maybe even…a Mamoru?"

Her stomach lurched at his use of that name. Does he know something about Mamoru? Is something wrong?!

"No," he continued, chuckling coldly. "I am none of those. You may call me, simply…the Black Death. A fitting enough title for this dying world, don't you think?"

Chibi Moon blanched visibly, her defiance wavering. "Okay, so that was creepy."

She wasn't the only one. Sailor Moon wanted desperately to stay and fight, to find her friends…but it would be foolish. The Hunters outnumbered them five to three, and their ability to cancel out Senshi magic only worsened those odds. Not that their attacks were especially useful in such a confined space anyway.

And the Hunters can throw attacks of their own, she remembered. All while nullifying ours. Fighting them here is a bad idea. She began a subtle attempt at backing away. "You don't have to do this. Chaos may have destroyed your Order, but there's still a chance to defeat it. Together."

There was nothing ambiguous about the masked man's snort. "My Order? Those fools used her gifts for their own selfish purposes, with no love for her in their hearts. They got what they deserved…as you will, in time."

Chibi Moon got the idea and began backing up with her. "Sailor Moon…?"

"No, Princess, we will never forsake our Lady Chaos." The Hunters' gauntlets burst into flame, wispy tendrils slowly growing in strength as they advanced. "There will be no Crystal Tokyo. You will never reign over this world. It will fall, as it must, to make way for the next. A new world. A stronger world. A world free of the Order of Black…" The venom practically dripped from his words. "…and of you."

They attacked in unison, hurling several fiery orbs at Moon and her friends. She dove to the ground, cringing as she very nearly set her own hair ablaze in the act. There was just no room to manoeuvre between the Hunters and the flames; a perfect trap.

"Kill the Time Guardian and the girl, but leave the Princess to her sorrow. Such is the word of our Lady!"

"Just…shut up!" Moon snapped back, summoning her Tiare. "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" Non-lethal by default, as always, her clumsy counterattack shimmered into being above the Hunters and began its descent. Two of them closed ranks, raising their forearms in a familiar fashion, and a field of black energy sprang into existence before them. The heart struck it and stopped, caught in place as it shrank away into nothingness. Like it had been absorbed…or eaten.

"They're the real deal, alright," she murmured, regrouping with Pluto and Chibi Moon. "Any ideas?"

"Run!" The Guardian of Time lunged at the robed figures, her staff a whirling blur of motion. She hit the first across the face, staggering him, before twirling and sweeping another's legs out from under him. The third caught her weapon, though, and drove it into the ground at his feet. Pluto froze as he buried a fist in her stomach, leaving her open to another punch to the jaw that knocked her down.

"Puu!" Chibi Moon rushed towards her but was cut off by another round of fireballs. She shrieked in panic but kept going, hair singed in the process, eventually landing a dropkick to a Hunter's knee.

Pluto used the distraction to retreat, joining them on the very edge of the 'clearing'. Their camp was all that remained, the 'coat forest' now an impassable, raging inferno. Grasping at straws, Moon saw a single door on the far wall; the small office they'd used as a hospital and dormitory.

That could be our way out, she thought, eyeing it warily, but this 'Black Death' and his Hunters are in our way.

"They can't be regular Hunters," Pluto said, gasping for breath. "Even the Paladins we fought back at the shrine weren't this fast."

The Black Death himself drew a large broadsword from his hip. "Our faith empowers us, Guardian. A boon from our Lady Chaos so we might better destroy her enemies."

"Really, shut up!" Moon snapped irritably, tired of his almost proselytising mannerisms. She set her feet as their advance began again, the other Hunters now drawing weapons as well. "Pluto, Chibi Moon? Get ready, both of you. Head for the office at my signal."

Chibi Moon glanced up at her. "What's the signal?"

With the Hunters closing in, Sailor Moon let her actions speak for her…and started herself down a road she knew she could never come back from. "Silver Moon Crystal Power…KISS!"

A brilliant golden blast erupted from the sceptre, blinding in its intensity. It swept across the Hunters like wildfire, driving them back as they tried to shield themselves. It was no use, though; she was just too powerful. Robes began to tear and masks blackened as their defences failed them…and that was the opening the Senshi needed.

"Go!" Moon cried, as the light from her attack began to fade.

They dashed by the Hunters, making a beeline for the door. First to arrive, Pluto threw it open, staff at the ready to cover their escape. Chibi Moon was next, stopping just on the threshold itself. Moon span around a Hunter blade, dismayed to see them already recovering. She nearly lost her footing as another reached for her, fingers wreathed in flames…

"Dead Scream!"

"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"

He never saw it coming, so focused was he on her. Pluto's attack tore into his body, prompting a cry of utter anguish, before Chibi Moon's heart dropped on him from above. Moon tore her gaze away; she didn't want to know if they'd just killed their first opponent or not. Pushing off, she leapt for the safety of her friends…only to hit the floor hard as something snagged her ankle.

"Going somewhere?"

Rolling onto her back slowly, painfully, she stared up into empty, black eye sockets; the Black Death himself loomed over her.

"You've lost." He produced a small, black disc from a pouch on his belt, turning it slowly in his grasp. "You're tired. I can see it in your eyes. Nobody would blame you if you simply…gave up. Accept your fate, I implore you. Let my Lady do what must be done. Fall...and allow the birth of the new world."

"Never," she growled, shaking her foot free of his grasp.

"I expected as much." His sigh was one of weary resignation. "So be it. Lady Chaos will put an end to your reign, and to the evil of the Sailor Senshi." She flinched as he leaned down, closing the distance between them. "She doesn't wish you dead just yet…but I can make you wish you were." He pulled back and tossed the disc into the ceiling, right above the door itself. "Tick tock, Sailor Moon. Tick…tock."

The unknown device began emitting a high-pitched whine like something spooling up, steadily rising in intensity. Eyes widening in horror at realising its intended purpose, she scrambled to her feet and lunged for Chibi Moon, tackling her through the open doorway… just as the world exploded around her. Blinded, ears ringing, skin burning, Usagi put everything she had into shielding the girl in her arms as they fell, tumbling into sudden darkness…

"Sailor Moon?"

The voice was…familiar. Pluto? Sailor Pluto? Yes, it was her…but she seemed so very far away. Impossibly so. She blinked, or so she thought…but there was nothing. Was she blind? Why couldn't she see? Why did she hurt so much? Where was she? What had happened?

"Thank Selene," the other woman murmured. "I think she's coming to."

"Sailor Moon? Usagi?"

The second voice was also familiar; Chibiusa. She sounded so worried. About who? Her? The stifling darkness began to withdraw, a thin, horizontal slit of light splitting it in two. Now aware of a searing pain in her side, she tried to sit up.

"Easy." A hand accompanied Pluto's soothing voice, gently guiding her back down again. "Lie still a moment. Get your bearings."

Usagi finally managed to open her eyes. She was lying in a corridor or tunnel, lit by the dull, red glow of Pluto's Garnet Orb. Chibi Moon knelt over her, clearly relieved to see her awake.

"Are you okay?"

"I…I think so." She pressed a hand gently to her aching side and was perturbed at the sight of blood on her glove. The pain stretched from her hip to the top of her rib cage. "What happened?"

Pluto's jaw clenched ever so slightly. "Our new foe brought the store down on top of us. Fortunately, the floor gave way or we'd have been crushed." Her tone softened quickly. "You tried to shield Chibi Moon, but took the worst of it in the process."

"One of those jerks hit you with another fireball as you went down," the girl explained, stern glower not quite able to mask her concern. "It's a pretty nasty burn. You got lucky it just sort of glanced off."

"That explains the pain." Usagi let out a sharp hiss as she moved too quickly. "What about you? Both of you."

Pluto's skirt and rear bow were frayed at the edges, showing signs of burns, but any signs of damage ended there. "I was able to get a barrier up around us as we fell. It softened our landing enough that Chibi Moon and I avoided more serious injury. I regret I wasn't fast enough to prevent your-"

"Please, don't." Usagi accepted her hand, stifling another cry of pain as her burnt skin stretched taut. A brief look around revealed only dull, grey walls and a plain, concrete floor littered with debris. Some sort of maintenance area, perhaps? A door at the far end of the corridor was marked with an electrical hazard sign. "Where did we end up?"

"Service tunnels beneath the building, I believe. Janitorial, gas, electricity; that sort of thing."

The blonde nodded thoughtfully, chewing absently on her bottom lip. "So, how do we get out?" She followed Pluto's gesture, turning around to see a wall of rubble. The ceiling had indeed collapsed as they'd fallen, completely blocking any exit. "Oh."

"Escape, for the moment, seems unlikely."

Chibi Moon was a little less reserved in her assessment of their situation. "What Puu means to say is...we're trapped!"

AN: Well, a two week turnaround is a lot better than I've managed for a while. Consider me super stoked to get this up for you guys! I'm not sure it'll last, but I seem to be in a bit of a groove right now and I hope I can ride it a little while longer yet. Oh, and the Japanese episode titles make a triumphant return, maybe for the first time in this fic?

So, this was pretty much a direct follow-on from the last chapter. I didn't feel right leaving things where they were - I know, some of you will likely think this wasn't really any better! - and I do want to check in with someone else from here - chronologically, it makes the most sense to revisit this character - but I wanted to at least leave our heroines in not QUITE as pressing a situation as the *BOOM* everything goes dark *CLIFFHANGER* scenario I originally wrote. So, we got that little extra bit at the end. Not much else to add, really, except I hope I nailed everyone's characters, even as I've taken them places they may not have gone in the original anime. Likewise, I hope you're continuing to enjoy this fic. If you have the time, let me know how I'm doing. I love me some constructive criticism, as most of you know by now!

Thanks for your readership, as always.

Lisseas