Disclaimer: I do NOT own Sailor Moon.

Chapter One

"Idiot -- utter fool -- pathetic piece of human filth--"

"I think that is quite enough."

"No, I don't think so. I have yet to describe the process of how I will go about dismembering his body --"

"Please dear, shut your mouth."

It did the trick, leaving the raving woman with her mouth tightly closed. She glared angrily at the other woman sitting gracefully on the couch across the small room as she paced back and forth, refusing to sit down. Of course, the moment of silence lasted only a few seconds.

"I, unlike you dear, cannot sit back and mask my contempt, especially for fools who endanger the lives of millions just because they suffer from an inferiority-complex!"

"Hero-complex, dear."

"Whatever!" She banged her fist against the wall. "The point is, leaving the fate of the world in the hands of a human was one of the most ridiculous ideas you ever had!" At this, she pointed an accusing finger at the third person in the room -- tall, dark, slender woman whose dark eyes narrowed, while focusing on a clear orb placed on the center table.

The graceful woman on the couch sighed. "Have you conveniently forgotten that we, too, are now humans?"

"No," she grumbled bitterly. "I just console myself with the fact that my soul originated from those who descended from the divine."

She received a snort in reply.

"Haruka," the dark woman said gently, "perhaps if you listened to Michiru's request of shutting your mouth, I can accurately explain the situation and your role in correcting it, saving us all a great amount of time."

"Oh, I don't know, Setsuna," Haruka quipped as if there was a bitter taste in her mouth. A false smile then spread across her pale face. "Perhaps if you had been doing your job properly and watching the damn timeline instead of brooding in this shack you call a house, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place."

Setsuna chuckled. "Yes, my job," she spat out, picking up a porcelain cup placed next to the orb, taking a small sip.

Haruka looked at her suspiciously. "And what exactly are you planning on doing?"

At that exact moment, a soft knock sounded from the front door next to Michiru, causing the two visiting ladies to look up in surprise.

"Ah, right on time," Setsuna said smiling, placing her cup gently on the table.

"I wasn't aware we were expecting someone," Haruka stated. Her eyes narrowed maliciously.

"We were not expecting anyone. I was expecting very important company." She ran her fingers through her dark green hair. "Now I must ask that you both leave. My guest requested privacy and it would be very rude for me not to comply."

"You mean rude as in how you're kicking us out?" Haruka asked incredulously.

"Precisely -- now, shoo!"

Michiru raised an eyebrow at Haruka, daring her not to listen to the Time Guardian. With a roll of her gray eyes, Haruka glared once more at Setsuna before she and Michiru vanished into thin air.

With a wave of her hand, the clear orb -- which had now turned into a pale shade of pink -- disappeared, and Setsuna quietly got up from her chair. She walked across the small space of her modestly designed living room to open the front door. Her eyes lit up like a one thousand watt light bulb at the sight of the person standing curiously outside the door.

"Oh, welcome, my dear! You know how very much I admire punctuality, and you are always on time."

March 12, 1993

"Sailor Venus, you blonde twit! Get out of my way!"

The long flame of red-hot fire veered sharply to the right as if unable to decide on its true target, narrowly missing the blonde heroine by a few inches. It finally did make an impact upon a wildly flailing figure that resembled a blender with metallic vines for arms and legs. The creature howled in agony -- a sound so horrible it shattered the windows of the surrounding buildings, causing bits of glass to fly through the air -- and shot out another round of purple disks from a side opening one could only guess was some sort of mouth. The blonde girl once again jumped out of the way, as another flame flew past her head, barely grazing the edge of her long tresses. She let out a loud screech.

"Oh, my God! My hair!" she yelled, throwing herself on the grass, rolling across in order to put out the small flames that had formed on her hair.

Several onlookers were gazing across the large park at the scene. Five young girls, looking no older than fifteen were running, screaming, and occasionally flipping to get out of the way of the creature that had appeared less than half an hour ago on a crowded street in downtown Tokyo. Many of the odd purple disks had managed to hit several bystanders, making them fall into a dead faint on impact. The authorities had been called, but no amount of bullets from their firearms were able to stop the creature from wreaking havoc. At least two dozen people were lying unconscious on the sidewalks when a green sailor-suited girl aimed a harsh, electric attack at the offender. Several people began to scream out, "Save us, Sailor Jupiter!" at the girl. Within minutes, she was joined by four others, each dressed in a different colored suit, and all five had now managed to drive it away from the streets into a secluded area of a nearby park.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, the monstrous creature was about to be defeated.

"Shabon Spray!" the one with the blue skirt yelled and a dense fog gathered across the park. A dark, grayish speck could be made out in the distance -- the creature.

"Okay, Sailor Moon," she said, looking at the other girl who was also in a blue skirt. "I think that should confuse it for a while. Do what you do best."

"Right," Sailor Moon nodded. Reaching up to her forehead, she grabbed a gold tiara and yelled, "Moon Tiara Action!"

The tiara cut through the air almost gracefully, glowing with gold magic and hitting the creature's fake mouth. With one last ear-damaging scream, it lit up in an array of dark colors before glowing completely gold, and then… nothing. A small clink was heard as the tiara landed on the ground where the creature previously stood.

Sailor Moon walked slowly towards the twirling tiara before she picked it up.

"That was weird," she said, placing the tiara back on her forehead. "I don't think that I've ever gone through so much in so little time in my entire life." She stared blankly at the ground. "Mercury, just how long did it take to beat this thing?"

The blue-skirted girl looked at Sailor Moon, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I think the entire attack, including the time before we arrived was about twenty-five minutes." She scratched her dark blue hair. "It also had terrible aim. Taking into account how many of those disks flew from one throw, the entire city block should be out cold."

"So it was too easy," she stated.

Sailor Mercury nodded. The fog had almost completely cleared now, the air still crackling with fragments of Jupiter's electricity. The red-suited Senshi walked over to the group to sit on the curb, flattening out her skirt, looking up at the Senshi of ice who was thoughtfully biting her lip.

"What are you thinking, Ami?" asked Sailor Jupiter whose golden tiara with an emerald jewel was dangling at an awkward angle from a few strands of dark brown hair.

Mercury frowned. "I'm not… sure. I agree with Usagi. This battle has oddness written all over it. It was way too easy."

"Easy? Easy! Do you think my hair getting singed off was easy, Ami?" Sailor Venus yelled, holding the scorched strands of hair in her gloved hand, bits of grass covering her orange uniform. She glared at the grinning Senshi sitting on the curb.

"It isn't my fault you jumped in the line of my flames, Minako," Sailor Mars stated matter-of-factly.

"You won't be so pleased after you wake up with no hair tomorrow, Rei!"
Sailor Mars had the decency to raise a perfectly mocking tweezed eyebrow. "Are you capable of handling a pair of scissors, Venus? Love?"

"Why you little--!" screeched Venus as she lunged at Sailor Mars. Sailor Jupiter jumped between them just in time to restrain her. Mercury rolled her eyes at the scene while Sailor Moon was giggling madly and rolling on the ground.

"Can we come back to focus, please?" Sailor Mercury asked impatiently. "I don't mean to demean our skills in combat, Mina. It's just that considering our battles in the past, the time it takes to finally overcome our opponent is progressively getting smaller."

"Wait, isn't that a good thing? Doesn't that mean that we're just getting better at fighting?" asked Sailor Jupiter, carefully plucking out fragments of wood from her green skirt.

"Yes and no, Makoto. The injuries we suffer have been greatly reduced but our efficiency still does not account for the massive reduction of hostilities."

"In common-folk speak, please, because I have no idea what you're talking about," Minako said glumly.

"Maybe we're just that damn good," Jupiter put in simply.

"I think they're retreating. Or perhaps…" Sailor Mercury sighed. "Perhaps someone else is involved. I'm not completely sure. These last few attacks have been quite… unorganized. And the creatures are almost completely inept."

"Basically, they suck," Sailor Mars said. She was the only Senshi that had received little to no injuries. Her black hair remained nice and smooth, highlighting the beauty and rarity of her violet eyes.

"But who?" Sailor Moon asked. "Luna said we were the only warriors who were sent to find the Silver Crystal. If someone was helping us, she would know and would have told us."

"Its only a guess, Usagi," Mercury replied. "I can't imagine who would take such a risk."

"What about other Senshi?" Sailor Moon asked. She looked around the now darkening park, a sign the night was soon to come. It was thankfully not a school night, and all girls had had a tiring last few weeks at their schools and a nice break was what they all desired.

"It would make sense," Sailor Venus said. "There are nine planets."

"Wow. You know your science. Bravo," Mars snickered. Venus rolled her eyes.

Sailor Moon watched her bickering friends. Mercury and Jupiter could only look at each other helplessly. Just a few short months ago, none of them knew that such a destiny was in their path… well, except Sailor Venus, but at least she had her own cat guardian to help her out, Artemis. They were teenagers, sworn to protect the world from the evils of Queen Beryl and her Dark Kingdom. She would have run away or given up if it wasn't for her friends. A warm feeling rose in her chest. It was almost as if it were meant to be.

"We were meant to be friends, weren't we?" Sailor Moon smiled. "I mean, we did have a choice to become the Sailor Senshi, but we didn't have to be friends."

"Oh, please don't bring up this fate crap again," Venus, groaned, placing her gloved hands on her face. "It's getting old."

"Bitter, are we?" Mars teased. "Upset that fate decided to stomp on your chances of landing Ryo Takato?"

"Shut up."

"Are you even sure you know what fate is? Here, let me explain it to you as simply as I can. I know you've played poker, so think of life as a game of poker. You are dealt a hand of cards -- that is your fate. You choose which ones you keep and which you'll discard -- that is choice. And finally, the outcome of the game-- your destiny."

"Thank you for that example, Rei. Next time I try to save your ass, I'll step back and leave your measly life in the hands of fate. I'm sure one of them will lend a helping-hand!"

"Oh, she made a funny! You're hilarious, Minako!" Mars got up from the curb and mock-bowed. "I bow to your grandeur, dear Venus, the goddess of Love."

The Senshi of Love and the Senshi of Fire continued to argue until Sailor Jupiter suggested they all go to their homes before they got caught by their parents for leaving the house without permission. This for some reason reminded Sailor Venus that half her hair was missing and she tried once again to attack Sailor Mars. Sailor Mercury then calmly explained to her that once they reverted to their civilian forms, all their injuries would be healed and her hair would no doubt grow back instantly. They did exactly that and when Venus saw her long, blonde hair flowing past her waist again, she merely blushed. They said their good-byes.

As Usagi walked home, she began to get a strange feeling that someone was watching her. There were few pedestrians walking about in the cool, spring night, but no one gave her a second glance. She began to shiver; remembering those countless times the same feeling had overcome her before, and how each time she had discovered nothing out of the ordinary. She shrugged and continued to walk, her small footsteps making almost no sound on the pavement.

Luna, her guardian cat, would no doubt be very angry once she returned to her room. When Usagi had received the call on her communicator from Makoto that there was trouble, she had not bothered to wake up the feline from her evening nap. This irresponsible act would only add to the cat's already unstable temper. She groaned. No use in worrying about it now and ruining a perfectly nice evening walk. She smiled, the sky already a dark blue and a pinkish area on the horizon. There would be no moon out tonight, although it didn't really matter, since many light posts decorated the almost empty streets.

It was rather quiet and she couldn't help but think about certain things… especially one person in particular. The night always reminded her of him, the man she was certain would hold her heart forever. Motoki the arcade manager paled when compared to her beloved hero, Tuxedo Kamen.

Her smile faltered as Usagi thought of the last time she had seen him which had been weeks ago. He had always come to her rescue, scooping her up in his strong arms and leaping them into safety. She hadn't told anyone, but it pained her to think about how he stopped coming… not even to say good-bye… not even for her to say thank you. If she closed her eyes, she could still picture his handsome masked face, she could remember how she would look into his dark eyes and get lost in them. She pretended that the light breeze was the feel of his soft, velvet cloak, that the darkness of her closed eyes was actually the color of his thick black hair.

She sighed as she reached the front steps to her house. Maybe, just maybe, she would see him again.

"Please eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

She snorted. "I find that hard to believe. You carry my genes."

The young girl looked angrily at her mother, throwing the fork on her plate. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Chibiusa," Usagi sighed, "We were going to tell you together. I'm sorry you had to find out like this, but we were trying to find the right time."

"The right time? I had to find out through my friends because they saw it on TV! You know how embarrassing it is when the freaking paparazzi know more about your dad than you do?"

"Darling--"

"Don't 'darling' me right now, mom!" Chibiusa yelled, pounding her fists on the wooden table. Her pink hair had come out of the buns atop her head and her dark blue eyes were almost black. "And you know what else? I saw him with her! Do you know how horrible that was?"

She did. The news had hit her with a tremendous force that could only be equaled by blows she had received many years ago… so long ago… But that was now in the past. She knew when she had seen the announcement, Chibiusa would find out, too. Chibiusa had arrived home hours late -- something she did not do often -- a sign she was distressed.

"Are you even listening?"

"Yes, I'm sorry." Usagi took a deep breath. This was not how she wanted things to turn out. She had not wanted a media frenzy, but stories had to be told, gossip had to be spread. And, of course, feelings were completely disregarded. She looked sternly at her daughter and prayed for serenity. "She is your father's fiancé now. You are going to have to accept that."

Chibiusa's mouth hung wide open. "Like hell I am! They only went out for a month! A 'month!' Now they're getting married? Give me a break! She's a stuck-up floozy only looking to get richer!"

"You don't know that."

"Please," she spat out indignantly. "She only dates the most richest, eligible bachelors in the entire world. She's a money-hungry whore!"

"Watch your language, young lady. You do NOT talk like that in front of me or in front of others. Am I making myself clear?"

She slammed the palms of her hands on the table, standing up in pure fury. "Like a crystal."

Usagi sat at the dining table frozen in shock as she watched her daughter walk away. She rarely saw her daughter in such a rage. Chibiusa was not irrational or impulsive. She was always calm and collected… just like her stubbornly intelligent father who she took after in both attitude and mindset. She had even inherited his dark, penetrating eyes that always seemed to look right through you but never allowed you to look into them. It was almost… disturbing, and for some unfathomable reason, Usagi had always been fascinated by those eyes. Everything else, however, the face, the similar hairstyle, the ability to eat considerable amounts of food, Chibiusa inherited from her mother, the only exception being her striking pink hair.

After getting up, placing the dishes in the sink and turning off the lights, she headed for the place she knew she would find Chibiusa. It always struck her as funny that when Chibiusa wanted to be alone, she chose the balcony outside Usagi's bedroom window. Usagi walked up the stairs and into the first door on the right, not surprised that the clear, white curtains were fluttering in the dark room. She walked to it and sure enough, Chibiusa sat cross-legged on the balcony. She looked up at the full moon that was a strange color that night -- an orange so dark it was almost red. She shivered.

"I'm sorry I overreacted and I'm sorry for running from a conversation like that," Chibiusa said, not bothering to look up. Her messy pigtails moved slightly in the wind.

"I forgive you." Usagi reached down to poke Chibiusa on her head. "Believe it or not, Chibiusa, I really am happy for your father. Everyone deserves joy in their life."

"But what about you? You deserve it more than anyone I know."

She smiled. "Of course I do."

"You still love him, don't you?"

Usagi sighed, "Chibiusa, I loved your father very, very much, please don't ever doubt that. He was my husband and together we created the most beautiful gift I could have ever asked for. For that reason, he will always have a special place in my heart. You see, once you love someone, you can't ever take it back because it has already been given. And sometimes, the feeling isn't the same anymore… and it changes into something else entirely. But it was there once and that is what matters most of all."

Silent tears ran down Chibiusa's face. "I wish it was you he was marrying."

Usagi smiled sadly, looking down at her. "That isn't going to happen, baby. We weren't meant to be."

""Did you want this? Did you imagine this would ever happen? I mean, why would you marry him if you weren't sure it would last forever?"

"Over time, things change… people change."

"I don't believe that. I believe that a person doesn't change at all. I think that as time passes, it slowly begins to show how or what a person really is. An unraveling of sorts."

Usagi furrowed her brows. "Where did you hear that? I've heard it before."

"A friend told me," Chibiusa denied quickly.

She bit her lip. Technically, it wasn't really a lie, more that it would be odd to explain to her mother the kind of 'friend' she had, and she wasn't entirely sure her mother would be accepting of that. "Mom, what did you want out of life?" she asked slowly. "What was your dream?"

Usagi clutched the golden brooch on her chest that she had worn for as long as Chibiusa could remember. "I wanted to be a bride."

Her throat constricted and more tears formed in Chibiusa's eyes. "I'm sorry, mommy. I'm sorry that your dream was ruined."

"No, please don't cry," she said, stroking her daughter's hair. "It was only a dream. You must remember that a dream inevitably ends once we wake up."

"That is really depressing."

"Chibiusa, I hope that this doesn't discourage you from dreaming because some do become a reality. Just because mine didn't work out, doesn't mean yours won't. There are many other things to aspire to… like good health, for example."

Usagi frowned thoughtfully, as if debating whether to continue speaking. The moment passed, however, and her demeanor instantly changed. "Like leading a normal life," she added cheerfully.

"Mom, you say 'normal' like it's the best thing since bio-degradable styrofoam. It is so boring."

"Maybe just a little," Usagi agreed smiling. She frowned again, whispering a few words like a lost afterthought. "Sometimes, it's worth it."

Chibiusa looked up at her mother in confusion. "What do you mean, mom?"

Usagi clutched her brooch again, gazing at the now dark yellow moon. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Its late and I'm getting tired and I guess I'm just rambling. Why don't you go off to bed? The driver will be coming by to pick you up early in the morning to take you to the airport. Your father is in Okinawa and he wants you to spend it with him."

"Okay."

Chibiusa got up from the balcony floor and turned to see her mother staring dazedly at the moon. She always seemed to do that as if it was so interesting. Chibiusa didn't understand her fascination with this lifeless rock that affected the tides of the Earth. And for some reason, it bothered her that her mother did this often.

She stood in front of Usagi who hadn't moved an inch. "Uh, mom? I need to get back in."

"Oh," Usagi replied sheepishly, moving out of the way. "Sorry. Good night, little rabbit."

Chibiusa fought the violent urge to roll her eyes because she absolutely loathed being called that. "Good night," she replied, climbing inside the room and giving her mother a kiss on the cheek.

She walked out of her mother's bedroom and made it to her own bedroom -- the last room along the hall. She enjoyed having practically an entire side of a house to herself, even filling the guest room with extra bookshelves to hold the rest of her books.

Her room was a complete contrast to her mother's room. Whereas her mother tended to leave clothes and shoes and other items on the floor and on her dressers decorated with bright colors. Chibiusa was the opposite, loving order and tidiness, and the colors were soft yet dark. Sometimes she wondered how they could possibly be mother and daughter. She was a few inches taller than her… which wasn't a huge surprise considering how tall her father was. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of him. She wasn't on good terms with him at the moment, hadn't been for a month.

She quickly packed a bag with some clothes and other personal items for the small trip she would be taking tomorrow to her father's apartment in Okinawa. Really, though, she was just biding her time.

Her mother fell asleep in no time and nothing, except possibly a nuclear explosion in the middle of a hurricane would wake her from her deep slumber. Chibiusa grinned, her mother's sleeping habits came very handy sometimes.

She opened her window, a large tree conveniently placed right outside -- the real reason she had chosen this specific room. Slowly, she began to climb down it, thanking the gods that their cat was staying over at her mother's good friend Ami's house. Luna was a strange cat, and Chibiusa swore the cat understood everything that happened around her. What was even stranger was when her mother would claim crazy things like Luna "wanting" to stay at someone else's house or Luna "choosing" a different brand of cat food. How did she know? Annoyingly nosy cats did not talk! However, she did have to admit that the cat had an eerie way of expressing itself.

Chibiusa had already made it past several houses along the street, having done this several times before and was not afraid to walk alone during the late hours of the night. Her destination -- the last and smallest house on the block only ten minutes away. She had promised that she would be there at nine-thirty and Chibiusa was always very prompt. And if there was anything, the strange woman that lived in the small house loved more, was for everything to be right on time.

A/N: Some of you may wonder why I decided to make a change to Chibiusa's eye-color. I was actually influenced by a painting done by Naoko Takeuchi of Usagi & Chibiusa in which she has darkish blonde hair and red eyes. I decided to switch it and keep the pink hair. You can view the pic here: mangastyle . net /book4 /4-33 . jpg