Sorry about the way late update, didn't get a chance to work at all. Even this was edited and posted in a hurry. This particular chapter answers a whole lot of questions and basically is leading to the climax. Hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all, especially not Sailor Moon characters.

Chapter 12: Quiet before the Storm

Usagi sighed wearily in the darkness that was smothering her. It hadn't changed in the whole time she'd been wandering it, searching for something to lead her away. But there had been nothing.

Till now.

She felt his presence long before he announced it, and as she did she, went still, facing away from him. He was the one who had called her here- and let her search endlessly for a way out. He wanted her anxious when he spoke to her.

"Hello, Serenity"

"Scott," she acknowledged

"You know it's Courat now," he said, approaching her from behind. She couldn't see him when she turned around, but the darkness was suddenly more stifling and she could feel his presence. It was different from the one Scott had exuded. This was pure evil.

She shrugged, knowing that although she couldn't see a thing in the darkness, his eyes could see through it perfectly.

"The name strikes a familiar cord?" he asked from directly in front of her, moving even closer in the darkness. If he stepped any closer he would probably knock her right over- but she refused to give him the satisfaction of moving back. He lived off of her fear, enjoyed it like a drug.

"Slightly," she said, blinking uncaredly at the darkness in front of her. She could barely see the dark tint of green a few inches away. His breath wafted over her, almost causing her to gasp in fear. The chuckle drifted to her ears slowly and lazily, trying to elicit another response.

"What do you want, Courat?" she finally asked, wanting to leave this place more than anything else at the moment. Her heart hurt in this place, the darkness striking it almost like a knife.

"To talk," he said, and she could hear the smile on his face. She wanted to slap that smile off his face. How dare he smile at her uneasiness? Oh wait, he was the cause of her uneasiness- and he fed off of it.

"Talk, then," she said sourly, "Not chuckle, or smile or assault me- talk"

Hands immediately clasped her hips, pulling her closer to the cold mass in front of her, "But this is how I talk"

She didn't bother to react again, knowing it wouldn't make a difference.

He pushed her back slowly till they reached a wall- the darkness hiding it from her eyes. His hands slipped from her hips, making their way up to trap her hands between them. His eyes glinted sharply in the darkness as she looked at him wordlessly.

"You almost died- again," he said to her, his voice sour as he stated the fact, "I don't like that"

"Tell me something I don't know," she said, rolling her eyes, "You've never liked it when I die- but it's not up to you to decide."

He growled at her, "Everything of yours is mine to decide," his hands moved to her wrists, pulling them up and holding them harshly against the wall, "You belong to me"

"No," she snapped, "I don't. I am not a thing to own"

"Not a thing at all," he agreed, his face moving closer to her in the darkness, entering the nook between her neck and chin, kissing lightly, "But still mine."

What the hell? Did he even listen to the words coming out of her mouth?

He chuckled against her neck, his kissing increasing as she tensed beneath him, obviously understanding her thoughts.

"I'm going to make them pay for taking you from me time and time again," he panted between kisses, "And then, it'll only be the two of us, forever- and we can rule the world in darkness, like we were meant to."

"Firstly, they'll never leave me," she said, her face twisting into a grimace as he grinded against her hungrily, "And I don't care what you did- or do, you're not taking over this world."

"But don't you see yet?" he said, momentarily stopping his assault as he looked at her, "I'm stronger than even Metallia was- stronger than anything you've ever fought against before- and I'm only growing in power. None of you stand a chance against me" his pressure on her wrists increased ever so slightly, underlining his statement of his having more power.

"We'll stop you," she said simply

His face nuzzled her cheek, a smile easily being felt on her skin, "I doubt that"

"What did you do with the Starlights' Princess?" she asked, if he wasn't letting her leave, she might as well take advantage of being stuck here with him.

His lips kissed down her face till they reached her lips, "Here," he muttered against them, "I'll show you" and he kissed her deeply, and she felt something hook onto her and she was pulled farther into the darkness.

He was beside her, his arm possessively wrung around her waist as they flashed to a familiar scene.

Queen Selenity stood distantly in front of them, and they stood by the fallen Serenity and Endymion, whose hands were still entwined- where even in death they were together. Queen Selenity raised the Silver Crystal, tears falling thickly from her eyes as she banished the darkness and sent the people present to the future.

"She banished half of me," Courat spoke from beside her, looking pointedly at the man behind them who was creeping towards Serenity, a look of horror on his face. He fell to the floor, writhing in agony and as he did, a figure was lifted from him, exuding darkness and evil. He was tangible, but as he reached back for his physical self, he was pushed away.

"That banished half was mostly me, the one who was sent to the future with you, that was mostly Scott. But we remained in tune slightly with our whole self," they rose, following the dark mass that was Courat.

"I was exiled to die- but I couldn't, there wasn't anything within me to die," he said, watching with uncaring eyes as his past form butchered planets in fury, "Instead, I was driven to find what I had lost- forced to search endlessly for you,"

She watched wordlessly as he slaughtered and executed aimlessly upon finding that it wasn't the planet she was on. He was more insane than she had even thought possible.

"And then after some time, I came upon a planet that was very…" he paused, watching himself approach the figure on the Fireball Planet, "familiar. Kakyuu exuded something- something that reminded me of you

"But upon finding out it wasn't you- I was going to destroy as I usually did," he smiled maliciously slightly, "But Kakyuu was bent on making sure her Senshi survived- and offered me anything my heart desired- I took her."

He led Usagi through a haze of memories quickly, not seeming to care about the disgust it was causing her.

"Scott, meanwhile, had found you- and unleashed some of his powers," they wandered through familiar memories- but these were tainted with joy, unlike her sorrow-filled ones.

"When he first took you, it alerted me- and even from my distance I was able to combine my powers and Kakyuu's to make sure you all didn't discover who he was, and that those pesky Outer Senshi didn't interfere."

A gasp slipped from her, and he answered her unasked question, "I caused a disturbance on one of their planets- Saturn, I think. They went running and I shut off any chance they had of contacting you or helping you." As he finished speaking, the darkness reformed around her, cutting off her visual once more. Story time was over.

"And now I'm here," he said, a grin easily heard on his voice, "To claim you as mine."

She attempted not to react- but her body ignored her and shook fearfully. He believed that with his heart and soul- of which he had neither- then he believed it with his whole existence. It was the only thing he wanted- her- and he wouldn't give it up so easily again. Or, more likely, not at all.

His lips claimed hers, biting them till he gained entrance inside. He moaned against the forced kiss, pushing impossibly close to her. She writhed beneath him, attempting to push him away, but he refused to move, his body flattening her against the wall as he dug into her.

He finally broke away for air and she spat disgustedly, "I am not going to be yours, ever"

"I beg to differ," he said, a chuckle on his lips, "Even the fact that I can do this to you in your own dream from a galaxy away shows how powerful I am"

"You've left?" she asked hopefully

He smiled against her skin, "Don't you wish? I'll be back, don't worry. I just have a need of some power"

A visual flashed before her, a Senshi not familiar to her eyes fell before her, energy spent as she fought uselessly against the thing attacking her.

She gasped, realization hitting her. She felt all power leave her legs- the only thing holding her up were Courat's hands on her wrists- "You feed off of them" she breathed fearfully, "Off their deaths"

His hands dropped from her wrists and she immediately collapsed to the floor, horror shaking her. There was no wonder he was so powerful. How many Senshi had he butchered on his voyage? Hundreds? Thousands? Millions?

He flowed down to her, "Their pain strengthens me," he said, his hands pushing her to the floor. She didn't fight- her mind almost shut down in the shock of what he had revealed. He crawled over her, his lips assailing her taut neck and face.

"Why?" she whispered, "Why me?"

He paused above her and she saw the green eyes blink in front of her, "Because you are the purest, most beautiful, strongest woman in all the worlds. And I am the most tainted, darkest, strongest man ever. We belong together. We're perfect together"

She didn't answer, her body shaking in fury. She hated him. Hated him for what he had done in the past, for what he was doing- and what he might do. He wouldn't stop till they were all dead- and she was all alone.

His hands slipped underneath her shirt, pulling her flush against his hard body, "I want what's mine," he hissed, "And I won't hesitate to force it away."

She pushed him away disgustedly, not bothering to voice her thoughts. So much horror had never flowed through her- then again; she had never known the whole truth.

He growled angrily, holding her down, "Just give in," he whispered in her ear, "There's no way you can win- ever."

Her breathing increased, her fear off the charts. The darkness smothered her more than it ever had, "Just say the word- and all of this force can end," he said, "I'll make it easy for you- I won't make you watch as I kill them."

It wasn't even negotiable. She would never let the girls and Mamoru down by giving them up. She'd fight till she couldn't fight any more.

And that was what she did.

He attempted to hold her still, but she caught him in his groin, and as he rolled off, cursing, she made a run for it. Crawling away as fast as she could, she managed to get to her feet and ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

However, she collided against a hard chest within minutes of her escape. She attempted to turn and run, but unrelenting hands grabbed her wrists, "No," he spat coldly, "You will learn to be mine!"

He swiped his feet under her so she collapsed, and following her down- he pulled her shirt from her harshly, ripping it in the process.

"Get off of me, Courat," she hissed, "Stop this right now."

"Or what?" he asked, not pausing in his pulling down of her pants, "Hm, Serenity? What will you do?"

She struggled beneath him, needing to get away. The darkness pressed in around her, making it harder and harder for her to fight back.

"NO!"

"USAKO!" Mamoru's voice burst through the darkness, lighting up the area for an instant.

Courat froze above her, his murderous gaze on her, "I'll be back to finish what I started!" he hissed

"USAKO!" Mamoru's voice exploded around her, the darkness suddenly flashing away at the light that burst from the depths of her mind.

She shot up, her breathing insane. Warm hands pulled her into their embrace, "It's okay," Mamoru whispered painfully, "It's okay."

Her eyes didn't bother to open to the light in the room, finding enough comfort from knowing it was there. She didn't know where the sobs came from, but Mamoru was soon rocking her soothingly, holding her as she sobbed into his chest.

What was happening?

She couldn't lose them. Not again. Not ever.

But Courat- he wouldn't rest till they were gone from around her- till they were punished from taking her away from him in their past lives and this life. He couldn't- wouldn't share her with anyone.

He may have said she wasn't a thing, but that was all she felt like. She hadn't done anything to prevent death from occurring in the Silver Millennium- would it be any different this time?

She had to make sure it was different this time around. She couldn't go through another turn of their deaths. She was tired of death- it was all she brought the Senshi and Mamoru. It was her curse.

Haruka's face appeared as she opened her eyes blearily, "Koneko-chan?" she questioned helplessly.

Usagi's eyes moved slowly past Haruka, resting on Setsuna. Her eyes were dead as she looked back at Usagi, knowing in her eyes.

Setsuna knew everything that was to occur- the future changed with every different decision made, but Setsuna looked dully back at her. As Usagi stared, waiting for a change in Setsuna's features, Setsuna closed her eyes tiredly, a tear slipping by unawares.

Ami was sitting by Setsuna, her eyes clearly on Setsuna. She glanced at Usagi, hopelessness in her eyes, trying to convey her sorrow.

Makoto was drained, leaning against the wall, her eyes half closed as she looked at Usagi. She attempted to give Usagi a brave smile, but it faltered, falling and leaving the true death of the situation.

Michiru sat beside her, her face a mask. As Usagi's eyes landed on her, it cracked. Usagi felt a sob break through her. Michiru never showed her weakness- she was one of the strongest women Usagi knew. But in that instant, even Michiru couldn't put up a strong front.

Minako was sitting distantly away from them, choosing to stare out the open door rather than inside- as if she knew there was nothing she could do to help. Her body was bowed, as if under the weight of the world- and that was true, wasn't it? Minako had taken the load upon her shoulders- and it was breaking her. She felt pride for Minako for holding out for so long- but how much longer could she? Nobody could survive under the pressure that Minako was facing- it was more than any human, even any Senshi could manage.

Her eyes rested on Hotaru, her face defining innocence. She had once given her life to rescue the child- and would do so again in a heartbeat if she had the chance. Her heart writhed as her own daughter's face swam before her eyes, beside Hotaru's happily. It had been Chibi-Usa's love for Hotaru that had saved her in the end- but Chibi-Usa was no more, could they manage without her? Hotaru wasn't looking at Usagi, rocking back and forth on her account slowly, her mind obviously far away.

Mamoru smoothed her hair as her sobs quieted, holding her more securely than she had ever been held. In those moments she struggled her hardest to put her depressing thoughts behind her. How could something destroy their love? It was impossible.
It hadn't been achieved in their last lives, and it wouldn't in this life.
They fought against hard odds- and came out victorious. Their love was what saved the world countless times, and it would come through once again- and again if needed.

Haruka looked helplessly at her still and it hurt her deeply. Haruka was the strongest woman she knew- she never backed down, but the helpless look in her eyes made Usagi want to shrink. Usagi was the thing that was doing this to her Senshi.

Rei sat behind her, her eyes attached to Usagi, knowing but not seeing. Her eyes were unfocused and Usagi knew she had seen some of what Usagi had just experienced. She knew the whole horrible truth. Her eyes focused as Usagi stared at her, she looked away dejectedly. She was the most affected- as always, because of her strong senses.

"What is it?" Haruka asked, her tone fearful as she looked at Usagi, "Are you okay?"

Usagi nodded slightly, "I'm fine"

Nobody responded, obviously knowing she wasn't truly fine.

"We're sorry for not being here," Haruka said quietly, "We shouldn't have left you alone"

"I wasn't alone," Usagi amended as she left Mamoru's embrace tiredly- her body feeling more tired than it had before when she had collapsed.

"What difference did it make?" Michiru asked, her eyes on Usagi's, "You've only been fighting a losing battle"

She looked away from her sharp eyes, "He's powerful"

It wasn't much of a defense for the Inner Senshi and Mamoru, but it was the truth. Courat had managed to hold them all in the darkness for almost three months now- and now it was getting late. The only hope they had left was to join together and eradicate the darkness.

"We have to get everyone together," she said, sighing, "There's no chance otherwise"

Ami nodded, drawing the attention of everyone within the room, "The Starlights said they'd be here at 9- they'll be here soon"

They waited in silence for about ten minutes, not bothering to voice their feelings- which everyone knew already. They all felt helpless and broken. They had never had such a hopeless fight- they had always felt superior to their enemies- because they had Usagi, the Moon Princess. But for it to be revealed that even her powers had not been able to stop the enemy…it killed them.

Ami waited patiently for Seiya, Yaten and Taiki to show up, her eyes on Setsuna. The Time Senshi knew something she wasn't revealing- something bad.

Ami was a specialist in reading people's features, and Setsuna's were set into a grimace- one revealing of her dislike of what was occurring.

Seiya, Yaten and Taiki entered at nine on the dot, walking up the stairs with energy she didn't know it was possible to have. She felt drained- as did the other Senshi. How had it come to this? They fought and fought against the darkness, but it never went away- ever. It was a hopeless fight. Death would claim them before they could stop the darkness- she could see it in Setsuna's eyes. The woman knew everything that was to happen.

She pulled out her computer, half her mind listening to the conversation occurring around her, the other half on the screen before her.
She was momentarily distracted when Usagi and Mamoru revealed Courat's deception in their past lives, but she managed to pull her mind to what was important.

Her computer was silent as it internalized her commands for it. The graph popped up, showing the immense power that had been floating around at the North Pole. It was no wonder the Silver Crystal had been unable to banish the power. It was immense- huge, more powerful than she had ever seen, and she'd seen a lot.

Setsuna excused herself after Usagi revealed how Courat drew his powers, tears spilling from her eyes. Ami followed silently, knowing this was possibly the only chance she'd have to talk with the Time Senshi alone.

"What is it, Ami?" Setsuna asked, not bothering to turn around to face her as she went to the steps to look over the town. Her hair whipped around her, flowing in the harsh wind. It made her seem even more hopeless.

"How does it end, Setsuna?" she whispered, needing to know the truth

"It is not visible," Setsuna said, "I come to a point-" she stopped, her voice catching horribly, "And I can see no more"

"What is that point?"

"Death," she whispered, shivering in the cold air, "Death claims the Outer Senshi once more"

"But we cannot die," Ami mused quietly, her heart beating fearfully, "We were chosen to protect the world"

Setsuna turned to look at Ami, her eyes dull, "Then reborn we must be, to continue our fight"

"We can't let this happen," Ami said, shaking her head, "We have to stop death"

Setsuna nodded slowly, "We must. We'd only be feeding his power if we die"

Ami ran a hand through her short blue hair, her eyes sparkling with tears, "What can we do?"

"Joining together is our only chance," Setsuna said, nodding at the room where all the other Senshi and Mamoru were, talking loudly, "We stand together- or die alone"

Lightning cracked in the distance, almost in reaction to Setsuna's words. Ami looked down to the computer in her hand, her face pale, "He is on his way back"

"He must have gotten what he wanted," Setsuna grimaced, "Power is drawn to him"

"We know what we must do if the unthinkable occurs," Ami said, her eyes closing

"Protect the Princess at all costs," Setsuna said, "Yes, we all know"

"My computer has been programmed to go to you if I am unable to deal with it," Ami said, sadness in her voice as she looked at her loyal computer, "Find as many as you can, and protect them"

She hated their failsafe plan. It had been perfected years ago- the first time she had met Setsuna. They were the ones who thought ahead, and thus it fell on them to prepare for the worst. And it seemed like the worst was to come.

The rain began to fall, drenching them within seconds as the lightning went off, a large crack of thunder making the talk from the room fall silent. They could feel it too. Ami didn't know if there wasn't a creature in the world that couldn't.

Darkness swirled around them, warning of the fight that was to come. There would be no more jumping around their fate. The time for warnings was done- it was all fight now.

"Time for the fight of our lives," Makoto muttered from within the room, but still her voice echoed through everyone, striking fear and apprehension in their hearts. They knew it was true. And they had to win it, or all was lost; Usagi was lost.


Next update should be normal timing, but reviews definitely keep me ready to update. So, REVIEW! Tell me if you liked the chapter or not, all comments welcome. Thanks for reading!