Chapter 15: Argument

After a few hours of just doing figuring out what to do. Those who went into different timelines from the broken clocks; except for Hotaru and ChibiUsa; made it back. They made it back in the safe room. Haruka had been walking around, worried about Michiru; she was wondering what she meant about using too much of her power. What was this new energy she felt deep inside? Was it something that her other self gave her? Or was it something more darker? Ami was next to Michiru's side in the bedroom. She was taking care of Michiru's wounds. She was thinking about things, but she didn't understand what was going on. Outside of the bedroom, Haruka sighed and saw the others walk into the room. They went to sit down and went to do whatever.

"Listen, Pluto." Said Haruka, as she approached her.

"What is it?" She replies.

"I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but ..." Answered Haruka.

"I don't think anything could be more depressing." Setsuna sighed.

"I'm being serious." Haruka paused, "Please."

"Oh?"

"If anything bad happens ..." Began Haruka.

"Don't say that!" Interrupted Setsuna.

"If anything bad happens ... Please ..." Haruka paused, "Please take care of Michiru. You are the only one I can really trust to do this."

"Don't start this again, Haruka." Paused Pluto, "We fight together. Don't think you're not gonna make it out, you are strong. It's not about her anymore ... Or even me. You are surrounded by friends who care about you."

"Setsuna."

"Now that I have regained my memories ..." Setsuna pauses, "I've visited this past time loop ... I've seen you die ... Several times, Haruka."

"Setsuna?" Haruka noticed the tears streaming down Setsuna's face.

"Don't get me wrong!" Setsuna paused, wiping the tears away, "I'm just saying that ... I don't want to see you die again. I remember in one of those loops, I gave my life away to protect some of you. So please, don't dread on the fate of all of us. Do it for Michiru."

"This has to be the most honest discussion we've had." Haruka said.

"I'm glad." Smiled Setsuna.

"How can you be smiling at a moment like this?" Asked Haruka.

"It's natural." Setsuna paused, "I will be here for you."

"Thank you." Answered Haruka.

Rei walked towards Setsuna.

"Rei, how are you?" Asked Setsuna.

"I'm fine." Rei paused, "Are you alright? You seem to be a bit pale since you visited a time loop."

"I wasn't expecting to see all those deaths." Stopped Setsuna, brushing her hair from her eyes, "I feel sorry for Sailor Moon though. She has gone through a lot . . . She has gotten stronger though. I guess we all have gotten closer through this. I'm fine. I have a lot of hope now."

Rei nodded as she glanced towards Haruka.

"Oh, you were here?" She asked.

"Yes." Rei answers, "Forgive me for overhearing your discussion."

"No, it's okay." Haruka smiled.

Rei walked towards Mako, who was towards the kitchen in the end of the room. She glanced at her.

"Rei . . ." Began Mako.

"Yes?" Replies Rei.

"If you die again, I will never forgive you!" Mako answered.

"Jupiter."

"I also got a call from the outside."

"Okay."

Rei walked towards Mamoru.

"I sense tension between Uranus and Neptune."

"Yeah, I know." She replied to him.

She turned to Minako who was sitting next to her at the dining table.

"What's our next move?"

Rei shrugged.

"By the way, has anyone seen ChibiUsa and Hotaru lately?" Asked Rei.

Minako scratched her arm for a moment.

"Since they were the least injured, they've gone to the past to stop the monsters and to break the clocks then . . . If they ran into their past selves they can just lie . . ." Minako answered.

"I see. I didn't even get to say goodbye to them." Replied Rei, her voice sounding depressed, she took one glance up at Haruka who had been standing next to the table, looking towards Michiru, "Haruka, shouldn't you be with Michiru?"

"Every time I approach her, she puts the sheets over her head and doesn't come out, even when I thank her!" Haruka glanced at the floor below her, "I have never seen Michiru so angry at me before."

"Did you know Michiru had a spell on her?" Asked Usagi, cautiously.

"I didn't know why she would be carrying around my space sword. But, I found out my past self was the one who did it." Uranus replied, "Since you had a shield I thought I might as well leave it at that."

"So, Mamo-chan and I have it, as well?" Questioned Usagi another time.

"Yeah, you still have it." Paused Haruka, "If you are in danger, it should be able to protect you. Magic itself will be guarding you. To be honest, I didn't know about this power until the monster kidnapped me on the first floor."

Usagi nodded, finally understanding what kind of magic Haruka was hiding from them all along.

"I see." Mamoru answered.

"In other words," Usagi paused, "Magic is protecting us, right? And can't you take it away from us?"

"What are you talking about?" Asked Mamoru.

"Usagi, if it's protecting you, why would you want to have it taken away from you?" Minako added.

"I think Haruka could be saving it." Usagi answered, "Since it's so amazing. That's the reason I asked."

"The enemy is after you!" Mamoru paused, "It would be the best if you had some protection."

"I'm fine hiding behind you, Mamo-chan!" Usagi laughed, "I know you would protect me."

"The magic . . . That's protecting you . . ." Haruka paused, "Because it is connected with the crystal."

Usagi took a drink of water from her glass on the table.

"I would gladly take the magic back if you don't want it, my kitten." Haruka said.

"I'll protect her either way." Paused Mamoru, fixing his tux, "Just don't go wandering around those parts where "Steve" could be lurking."

"Yes! I'll be fine." Usagi cheered, "Rei will be there for me, too!"

"What about me?" Minako asked, looking hurt.

"You inner guardians get along so well." Giggled Setsuna, "I'm almost jealous."

"I wouldn't call this "getting along", Pluto." Mamoru said.

"Guardians?" Usagi asked, "What are guardians?"

Everyone around the table glanced at her. All of them were shocked, they didn't know what to say. They were confused.

"Er . . .?" Rei began.

"Is it a type of food?" Asked Usagi again.

"No." Setsuna replied, noticing the confused look on Rei's face, "Nevermind."

"Hm?" Rei sighed after Mamoru did, she glanced at the princess, "Oh, Usagi, your bun is coming undone."

"Oh, that's true." Usagi replied after feeling the loose bun, she began to fix the problem.

"I'll help you." Paused Mamoru, "Please bend your head down."

"It's okay, I got it." Usagi smiled as she finished, "Look, Mamo-chan! I did it!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, you did." He replied, tiredly.

"So, can I have the magic back?" Haruka asked.

"Yeah, go ahead." Usagi paused, "It might put Michiru's mind at ease."

"Alright, I'm taking it back." Said Haruka, feeling her power getting a little stronger, "Thank you."

"Don't even think about that!" Yelled Michiru from the other side of the room.

The others were horrified by the sudden yell.

"This isn't good!" Usagi paused, running towards the bedroom, "Michiru, wait! Calm down!"

Haruka watched as Usagi went towards Michiru.

"That's a relief." Mamoru said.

"Is everything alright?" Asked Rei.

"Yeah, just shaken up." Answered Mamoru.

"I had forgotten . . ." Rei paused, "That Usagi has so many memories from this place that she has been losing her past memories."

"I wonder what memories she still has left." Setsuna saw Mamoru losing his balance in the chair, "Whoa, are you okay? Was it too much of a shock for you?"

"They'll probably be gone if we can get out of here, as well." Minako sighed, noticing Mamoru's worried look, "Don't be like that, Mamoru."

"Right." He said.

"I wonder how Michiru and the others are doing." Rei said.

Rei began to walk towards the other room, not prepared for what was going on.

"Mercury, calm down!" Usagi glanced at Michiru, "And you, Neptune, what were you talking about?!"

"You didn't tell me?" Ami asked, "Do you not trust me? Do you think I'm useless?"

"That's not what I am saying." Said Michiru.

"I control water, too! I'm quite aware that it's something you have taken very seriously." Hissed Ami.

Rei walked into the room. She had never heard Ami's voice sound that way before.

"I am sorry that I didn't grab your mirror, Michiru." Rei said.

"I'm the one who dropped it, so I must be the one to retrieve it." Michiru growled, "If not . . . The enemy will catch the scent and will come after me."

"I told you I would go get it!" Ami paused, "The enemy would be fooled. You're injured, let me go as a decoy!"

"I said, don't even think about that, Ami!" Yelled Michiru again, "I don't want to lose you!"

"Same here!" Ami paused, "I told you before that the enemy can't even see me, so it will leave me alone!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH YOU GUYS!" Usagi screamed.

The two stopped, shocked. They glance at her.

"Ami, you saw Michiru killed in the past you visited, didn't you?" Paused Usagi, "That's why you are worried?"

Ami stood there, didn't say anything.

"You too, Michiru . . . It's when you broke the clock down in that secret room!" Paused Usagi again, "You saw many people perish, didn't you?"

" . . . I did." She hesitated in answering Usagi's question.

"A clock?" Paused Rei, "You mean the one in the basement?"

"Yeah. Back then, I had no idea that it was something that had actually taken place in the past." Answered Michiru, calming down a little, "When I watched you, Ami, and Haruka die, I was able to endure it, because I was told it was all a lie . . . But we were deceived! The things we've seen are all true! Many of our friends have lost their lives! And Haruka's magic has become a real problem. She'd exceed her own limits and will lose her life because of it . . So, before it came to that I would ask you for advice about it."

Haruka slowly walked towards them, hearing what was being said.

"What?" Asked Usagi.

"How can I stop her?" Asked Michiru, "And then, to save Haruka, you guys would lose your lives instead. Sure it will stop the magic, but, that's not what I want."

"You asked me . . . For advice . . ." Usagi began, not quite wrapping her head around it.

"Whenever we ran into the enemy, like this . . . Someone would always die!" Cried Michiru, "And Haruka; with her strange new powers; was the one who died the most! If I asked you for advice, it'd be you. If I didn't, Haruka would be the one to ask. With only those two choices, I really didn't have a choice. But . . . since I couldn't choose between you . . . I was always fighting alone."

"So, did you ever ask me anything?" Haruka asked, angrily.

Rei turned to see her in the room.

"Oh . . ."

"Did you tell me not to overuse the magic?" Haruka cried, "Did you even once talk to me about it, Michiru?!"

"I-I didn't . . . I only questioned why you were using it." Michiru said.

"Then why don't you try it." Haruka hissed.

Both Haruka and Michiru glanced at each other. Without a second thought, Haruka turned her back towards the group.

"I see. I know what you were thinking. I've always known what you were thinking." Haruka began walking away.

"Haruka, where are you going?!" Usagi asked.

"See if I care . . ." Haruka used some of the magic to disappear.

"HARUKA!" Michiru ran down the stairs.

"What?!" Setsuna paused, "What's going on?"

Usagi, Ami, and Rei came out of the room.

"I-I don't know . . . She disappeared all the sudden!" Usagi paused, "I-I will go look for them."

"Hold on, Sailor Moon! Calm down." Setsuna grabbed a hold of Usagi, "You can't go alone. Let's split up into groups to look for them."

"Why now?" Minako came to the group.

"I'm coming with you!" Rei says as Mamoru joined the group.

"I'll go after Michiru!" Paused Usagi, running down the stairs, "I'm going right now!"