Warning: the following chapter deals with a lot of speaking and very little action. I had to get this out of the way sometime.

R&R please!

"911. What is your emergency?"

"My boyfriend is unconscious and won't wake up."

"Okay ma'am. Where are you?"

"He's at the Tokyo University Library."

"Okay. Paramedics are now on their way to the library. In the meantime, I'm going to need you to do several things for me."

"I can't. I had to leave."

"I'm sorry?"

"I had to leave the library for a family emergency, but don't worry. He doesn't have any allergies, he's breathing, and I laid him down in the recovery position and all that."

"We really need you to g-"

"I can't. I'm already gone. Please, just… just help him." Usagi finished and snapped the cell phone shut.

Her mind was spinning at 100 miles an hour. She felt like an ass for leaving Mamoru at the library, but she was done doing nothing. She had sat back last night and now her 4 best friends basically lost their souls and were lying unconscious in her boyfriend's apartment. Usagi felt a sob coming on. 'Crying is so not going to help right now' she thought bravely as she turned the corner back to Mamoru's apartment.

Snapping out of the elevator before it had even fully opened, Usagi paged Luna on her communicator. "Luna?"

"Usagi."

Usagi let out a breath when she heard Luna answer, and pulled her set of keys with Mamoru's spare out of her pocket. "Luna, where have you been? Nevermind. We have a BIG problem. I need to see you now. Ah damnit."

Luna tensed up at the sudden expletive, "Are you okay? What happened?"

Usagi picked up her keys. "I just dropped my keys. I'm walking into Mamoru's now. Where are you?"

Luna heard the sound of a door opening. "We're actually..." Luna paused as she saw her charge walk through Mamoru's door. "...right here."

Upon seeing Luna sitting beside Ami, Usagi felt the tears start to prick her eyes again. "He-he's gone, Luna."

The black cat jumped off the cot and walked to the blonde who was slowly hunching over the back of the chair. "Usagi, I have a feeling about what you're going to say, and, as much as you want to grieve, we cannot. Time is of the essence. Now, Artemis and I-"

Usagi's sobs broke out and interrupted the speech. Luna looked around in confusion. There really wasn't any time to waste. A flash in the corner of her eye showed Artemis walking into the room. Luna looked at him in desperation, and the white feline nodded.

"Usagi. Mamoru is not gone. He loves you too much to leave you. He's just..." Artemis paused as he thought of a nice way to put things, "...he's just waiting for you. Although we don't know where that is, don't you think it would be unwise to leave him wherever he is waiting?"

The sounds of sobs stifling made both cats nod and sit down. Usagi used the hem of her shirt and dried the tears that had fallen down her cheeks. Upon opening her eyes, she saw the cats on the floor staring up at her with saddened eyes. Just knowing they were here for her gave her the extra push needed to start moving again. "Okay... I'm... I'm okay."

"So, after Pyrite left, I saw this website that he had left open on the screen. I wrote out as much as I could."

Usagi handed the half-filled out paper to Artemis. He glanced at the contents and pushed it to Luna. "This confirms what we had."

Luna nodded and stared at Usagi. "Usagi. When you showed us that picture of Mars's tiara, we immediately knew we had seen this before. It was just a matter of remembering where we had seen the information. Just over an hour ago, Artemis found the database that held the records of battles during the Silver Alliance. One battle in particular was what we were looking for."

Usagi stared blankly at Luna. "I don't know of any other battles other than the one on the moon."

Artemis coughed, "Well, we didn't feel it necessary to divulge extra information that was irrelevant at times. We know how you um... hate extra studying."

At his comment, Usagi slightly blushed. Old habits die hard, but memories died even harder. Luna glanced at her partner before finishing her lecture. "Like I was saying, one battle that raged on during the war of the Silver Alliance bore the same information about the attacks that happened to the girls."

Usagi straightened. 'This has happened before!' "Great then. What can we do? How did they defeat it back then?"

The cats looked at one another with a look that Usagi knew meant nothing good. "They didn't defeat it, did they?"

Artemis shook his head. "No. It was a planet that was just past Pluto. Nahla was made up of rather peaceful individuals. They prided themselves with their quick speed, much like the Uranians, but the thing that set them apart was their metal making. They were the planet that most of the Alliance was buying weapons from. Despite that, the planet of Nahla was one of peace, and there were hopes of it soon joining the Alliance. Just before Beryl and the Negaverse attacked the moon, a quick battle broke out on Nahla. In it, every Nahlite suddenly lost consciousness. It only took a matter of weeks, before the whole planet was silent."

"Silent? You mean the whole planet just went to sleep and died off?"

"Not exactly. Here's where it gets tricky. Descriptions in the Moon Battle Chronicles depict warriors fighting alongside the Negaverse. These warriors were said to move with a speed unrivaled by anyone, and their blades cut down even the mightiest of opponents."

Usagi stared. "The Nahlites woke up and started fighting for evil?"

Luna shook her head dramatically, "The warriors that fought were the Nahlites, but they were not at the same time. You see" Luna jumped in quickly, already seeing the question mark in Usagi's eyes, "whatever happened on Nahla caused the people there to... divide themselves into two. It was literally a division between good and evil. The good aspects of every citizen stayed in the unconscious body while the evil and hatred was separated and given a new form. These new entities were made up of pure hatred. They are the evilness of every person personified as their human host."

"That doesn't make sense Luna." Usagi shook her head, "if that is what happened, than why am I not seeing the evil twins of the scouts and Mamoru?"

"Simply because they are good incarnate. You, as scouts, already have a natural split within you. Your human soul and your scout soul. Your human soul was not given very long for it to form; therefore, it has very little power. Your scout soul on the other hand has been steadily growing. When Pyrite came and did whatever he did to try and split you guys, the split between your two souls happened because that was all there was to split... What is your question?"

Usagi slightly smiled at Luna already knowing how confused she was. "Well, you told us that when we accepted the wands upon first being scouts, that we were becoming the scouts. Doesn't that kind of mean we already are just scouts? That we chose to leave behind the human soul?"

Artemis chuckled lightly, but a look from Luna made him stiffen, "Sorry. I just find it funny that she can remember a sentence from years prior, but she forgets to tie her shoes."

The sound of Luna's paw smacking Artemis's head lightly echoed around the dim apartment. Usagi took this time to walk and switch on the lights. It was growing too late, and she hated the glare of emergency lights bathing the room. After she checked on each girl, she sat on the living room floor and waited for the cats to come in.

"So, what were we last saying?" Usagi whispered.

Artemis went to chuckle again, but the look on Luna's face quickly made him swallow the laugh. "You thought that you purely had a scout soul."

Usagi nodded, "Right."

Luna took back her lecture role, "No. You don't. When you chose to become a scout, you basically started the training. Becoming a true sailor scout takes years of practice. In the olden days, sailor scout status was something that was very rarely given to people. Time, skill, and effort were the factors that determined whether one succeeded. Of course, the fact that the fates must choose you as the scout's host was also a valid reason. But, the point to this is that the girls and Mamoru have lost their incarnate souls. For example, Ami is lying on the cot behind you, but Sailor Mercury is not. Sailor Mercury was split."

A giant 'O' formed on Usagi's face. "And I take it that Endymion left Mamoru?"

Both cats nodded.

Usagi glanced around at the sleeping girls, "Soooo...where did they go if they're not fighting for team evil?"

"We haven't exactly determined that at the moment. We have suspicions, and we know they're at least on Earth, but we don't have a clear way of confirming them...at least, not a way that would let us know before time is up."

Usagi stiffened, "What do you mean 'before time is up'?"

"Well, this Pyrite fellow has been up to this gig for quite some time although he hasn't always gone by this name. He used to be known as 'The Great Divide", and he was the one that decimated Nahla."

Usagi blanched. 'Our new enemy has already destroyed planets, and now he's working on this one?

Luna hurried to keep from freaking out the woman, "b-but we still have time to act. It took him weeks to finish his crime back then, so I can imagine it will take him roughly the same time since he's been in hiding for so long."

Usagi kept getting paler, "So, you're telling me I have roughly a month before Earth is gone, and there's nothing I can do about it? Is that the moral of the story here?"

Artemis ran from the room when this question was asked. Usagi watched him leave then looked to Luna for an answer. Luna stared at the ground.

"Well, when we were looking in the Chronicles, we saw mention of some warriors that were well known for both their skill and bravery. These warriors used to reside here on Earth, but they've been gone for quite some time now. So long, in fact, that they have been dubbed legends in many cultures; ours including."

"Legends? Legends of warriors... Oh my gosh! Mamoru!" Usagi jumped up and grabbed the paper she had dropped closer to the door. "These guys! The Four Heavenly Kings." Usagi pointedly happily at the title and short paragraph she had jotted down. "The article Mamoru had open made reference to the legend of the Shittenou."

Luna nodded. "Yes. These are the warriors that I meant."

Usagi threw the paper in the air and let out a celebratory cheer. "Well who are they, and where can I find them, Luna because I have a date with a soon-to-be-dead demon."

Luna blanked at the question. 'How do I put this in words she won't scream at?' Luckily for her, Artemis ran in at that moment with a paper in his mouth and dropped it in front of the women.

"They're here." He said while pointing to a giant, white section on a map.

Usagi stared hard at the map, but shrugged her shoulders. "What is that? Did they forget to colour that part in?"

"Oh dear heavens child." Luna quipped before turning the map to face Usagi. "That is the North Pole. Where snow lives." She put in childish terms hoping it would work. Clearly it did when Usagi's mouth formed another 'O'.

"Ohhhh. Well. Okay. Give me the coordinates, and I'll be on my way to go awaken these warrior king guys."

Luna looked to Artemis nervously. Artemis spoke up, "Before we let you know where exactly you're going... we have to tell you something."

Usagi looked expectantly at each of them.

"These... Shittenou have had more of an impact than you know. Back in the peaceful days, they used to be Endymion's generals and loyal friends."

"Ohh, maybe I knew them in my past life! After all, Endymion and I were quite close."

Again the cats stared at each other almost as if they were mentally daring the other to speak the words. Once again, Artemis lost. "Yes, you did actually know them back then, but the thing is, Usagi... you've met them in this life too."

Usagi's mouth dropped, "Are you freaking kidding me? I've met them, and we're just sitting here speaking fairy tales? Let's go re-meet them."

"I doubt you'll wish you didn't say that when you meet them."

Usagi glanced at Luna out of the side of her eyes, "Why do you say that?"

Luna cleared her throat. "Well... It happens that... You see there was..."

"It's Beryl's former generals."

Once again, Artemis found himself being the center of attention due to his outbursts.

"Pardon you?"

Artemis glanced down. "Beryl's former generals are the legendary Shittenou." He mumbled as quietly as he could get away with.

Usagi stared at the white feline for what felt like an hour. After a few minutes, her eyes opened wide and she pulled in a large breath.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"So, you will only be able to transport to the areas that you were at during your battle with Beryl. Any area that you have been to and remember is where you can transport."

"And you can't come with me why?"

"We still need to concentrate on just where and how to locate the scout's essences."

Usagi slowly nodded, "Okay... and how am I supposed to find the shittenou?"

Artemis spoke up, "As magical beings, like the scouts, the generals you fought years ago were not the generals that lived a millennium ago. Their essences were locked away. Luna and I did some research, and we believe that Beryl had their essences located and locked away somewhere in her hideout. You'll be able to sense them when you're near them."

"Okay." Usagi said as she stood up. "I'll find them, bring them here, and we'll get our girls back. No problem to that. I'm going to get this going."

The cats looked at each other. "Usagi," Luna spoke while walking up and sitting on her feet, "although this seems daunting, we will get through this. No need to worry."

Usagi stared down, but didn't meet the eyes of her mentor, "I don't have room for worry anymore Luna. I'm just running on faith."

"Okay, Usagi."

"I'll be back soon guys." She said softly and walked through the door.

Artemis walked up to Luna and sat down. He could feel the worry dripping off of her like sweat. Who could blame her? This felt like it had the possibility of being the biggest battle in the scout's history, but, if it was any pattern to the previous battles, Usagi would pull through. It had taken awhile to get the complete faith in her that he had now, but she was still surprising her, even now.

Artemis chuckled.

"Why did she leave through the door? Teleporting takes less time."

The steady sounds of beeps and pages echoing over the intercom greeted the blonde as she quickly walked into the hospital. Glancing nervously around to assess just who was watching her, she smiled at the front desk nurse and continued on in her quest. Her sneakers scuffed on the occasional step, but, other than that, she kept silent.

As she rounded the corner heading for the elevators, two doctors and a nurse walked towards her, taking up much of the hallway. Usagi squeezed into the wall as much as she could while attempting to hold her breath. Both doctors glanced at her, but continued their discussion past the hall that she was in.

Usagi sighed and continued.

On the fourth floor of the Juuban Medical Centre, Usagi stepped off the elevator and glanced around for direction. On the wall directly in front of her, the numbers 401-425 with an arrow pointed left, and the numbers 426-449 pointed right. Usagi turned right.

Stopping at room 438, Usagi glanced down the empty corridor, took a deep breath, and pushed into the room.

There laid Mamoru.

Usagi felt her breath leave as she spotted him on the bed. Quickly de-transforming from her nurse's outfit and locking the door, she ran to his side. 'His fingers are cold' she noted sadly, and held one in her hands in a weak attempt to warm him.

She swallowed a large gulp as she felt herself getting close to crying. 'I can't right now. I can't right now. I can't right now.' She chanted. She had an assignment to do; an assignment that would wake him up... or end the world. 'No, don't think like that idiot' she thought angrily. Usagi cleared her throat and smiled down at the unaware, sleeping face.

"Hi."

No answer. 'Of course there wouldn't be an answer. Life's not a movie where he miraculously wakes up at the sound of your voice, Usagi'. Usagi mentally kicked her smart-ass conscience and started again.

"Hey, I uh... I just wanted you to know that I'm leaving tonight for the North Pole. Luna and Artemis told me about how you used to have these general guys, who by the way are Beryl's former head guys. Apparently, they were kind of like the equivalent of the scouts to me, and the only way to wake you up is to wake the scouts up... and the only way to wake the scouts up in time is to wake up these general guys. I know... sounds complicated, don't think I didn't tell them that, but they assure me it's the only way." Her face watched his nose as it slowly grew bigger with each inhale then smaller as he exhaled.

"I know you'd get upset... probably pissed if you found out what I'm doing by myself. I swear I would have brought people with me if I had to do this again, but... fate happened to leave me to do this task." She squeezed his hand. "I'm going to be back as soon as I can. Once this is over, I swear my face will be the first thing you see."

Usagi let go of his hand and hovered her face over his, "Mamoru. I love you. I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop this when it happened, but so help me Goddess I will be there to end it. Just wait for me, okay? Just relax and wait for me." She kissed his still lips. Looking back at his eyes for any hint of movement, she kicked her conscience again. 'Thanks movies for always thinking a kiss is everything.'

Standing back, Usagi brought out her transformation pen. Throwing it in the air, she pictured the snow suit she had worn years ago on the slopes with Rei. The powers surrounded her and she felt the weight of the heavy snowsuit encasing her petite body.

One last smile from her sad face was sent to Mamoru, "I will see you again."

Standing straight and concentrating hard on her sailor powers, Usagi felt the heat of the crescent moon glow on her forehead. When it surged through her whole body, she closed her eyes and pictured the vast cavern of Beryl's old headquarters. "Sailor teleport!" She murmured, and, in a flash, was gone.