I stood out on my balcony, staring up at the blackness that disrupted the world around me. My chest was almost fully healed now, and I had stealthily taken off the bandaging. A circular scar formed between my breasts, but it was easy to hide underneath my dress. A day (well 24 hours) had passed since this strange new enemy appeared. Nothing else was happening. No new attacks from it, no new disappearances, and no new reports of more sightings. The senshi were huddled in my father's monitor room in the basement of the castle, trying to figure out ways to deal with the darkness. My mother stayed in the throne room and did her best to reassure the public, with Luna and Artemis's help. My friends were constantly at my side for protection, but a little while ago I forced them to join the other senshi. They should know as much as the others in case they could help.

Ilias, to my knowledge, had been resting in a guest room on the opposite of my hall. Earlier in the day, I asked Sailor Mars and Venus what they thought of him. Venus told me she thought he was very cute, of course. Mars was more skeptical, warning me to keep my distance from him due to her having a strange feeling about him. I wasn't so sure myself. He seemed like a fine person. My mind began to wonder to Pegasus's warning from before. About the new enemy and how powerful it was. What did he mean by it fooling me?

My fingers rested along the crystalline railing in front of me as I stared into the darkness, trying to understand it all. Subtle snoring from Diana on my bed carried through the breeze alongside me. I opened my mouth to call Pegasus out, since he said he would appear.

"It was you…" A voice made me jump. Hissing from my bed made me turn. Ilias was standing in my doorway, gazing at me with his deep eyes. Diana was awake and hissing at the intrusion. Her back arched high in the air and he tail was flared out in fluff. He ignored her and kept talking. "…who saved me." My heart was racing as I caught m breath.

"Ilias, you scared me!" I patted my chest lightly and walked back into my room. "Diana, calm down. He's okay." I said to my furry friend. She snarled and sat down. Diana really hated being woken up like that. I looked back to Ilias as he leaned against the door frame with his hands holding onto the crystal.

"You saved me, Princess," he repeated. "Your heart saved me from that creature." My eyes widened. My heart? Oh! My crystal's attack! That must be what he meant.

"Ilias, are you feeling alright?" I asked him cautiously.

"I heard from the others how you attacked that thing. You weakened it. It was how I was able to escape. I remember breaking free from its hold. A horrible screeching came from all around me, and I fell down…"His fingers grasped at the crystal as he spoke. "Your attack came from your heart, did it not?"

I was unsure of how to respond. "Um…I guess you could say that." Before I could say any more, he quickly approached me and pulled me into an embrace. Diana snarled. I was frozen for a moment before I realized that he was hugging me.

"Thank you, Princess. I do not have any way to properly pay you back for what you've done. I owe you my life!" He sounded exasperated. I wondered if he really slept at all. My arms felt the tightness of his back as I returned the gesture. I could smell something sweet from him, like peppermint. Something wet ran down my shoulder. He was crying?

"You don't owe me anything. It's my duty and wishes to protect everyone, even if you are not part of my immediate kingdom." I said softly. His grip loosened and he pulled away, rubbing his tears away.

"Princess…" he whispered in his harmonious voice. It made me want to melt all over. He took hold of my slender arm and kissed the back of my palm. I blushed furiously and gasped. Diana jumped off my bed and ran to my feet, looking up at him with concerned eyes.

"Oh my…um…there's no need for that, Ilias." I stammered in embarrassment and pulled my hand away. I glanced at Diana and picked her up, cuddling her in my arms. "Diana, this is Ilias," I introduced her. He smiled at her. "Ilias, this is my very best friend, Diana."

"It's a pleasure, Diana." He said, patting her on her head.

"Nice to meet you, too!" She spat. His eyes widened.

"Your cat speaks?"

"Of course I speak. I'm not a normal breed of cat, you know." She sounded irritated. It made me uncomfortable.

"Diana, there's no need for such hostility." I said to her. She huffed.

"You must be an enchantress, Princess. Your kingdom is full of magic!" Ilias purred to me, making me blush again.

"No, it's not like that…" I wanted to explain. But I didn't get the chance. I heard rough footsteps running up the stairs and saw Sailor JunJun appear at the door.

"Lady Serenity!" She gasped as she pulled her green hair out of her eyes. "Your father wishes to see you—" Her eyes instantly darkened as they darted to Ilias. "What is he doing here?"

"Oh, he just came to thank me—"

"I am sorry if I did something wrong. I just wanted to thank the princess for saving me, that's all." His soft voice rang like chimes in my ears. He walked over to JunJun who stood in a defensive stance. "I'll retreat to my room to rest." He flashed me a charming smile as he past JunJun. She peered at me and shrugged.

"Dad wants to see me? About what?" I asked as I pet Diana, who seemed much happier now.

"He has an idea about what to do about that blob thing. And it involves you."

"Oh! Okay, then!" I grinned as followed JunJun down to the monitor room. My heart jumped at the thought that I could really help out in this battle. It made me want to hug my father tightly, but I would save that for later.

Flickering lights enveloped me as I saw all the senshi circled around my father in the center of the large room. My face immediately brightened when I saw that Sailor Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, and Pluto had arrived. Diana leapt out of my arms and perched herself near my father.

"Hello, Small Lady." Sailor Pluto smiled. She was the only one who still called me that name.

"Hi, Puu." I smiled back. She had been a dear friend of mine in childhood, protecting me through time travel. Now she protected the outer galaxy with the other Outer Senshi. My eyes briefly fell upon Sailor Saturn. She and I were close friends when we were younger. But Hotaru's senshi duties became her dominant lifestyle when we finished schooling, so she joined the others many years ago. I wanted to hug each of them, but I resisted. Now was not the time.

"Welcome, ChibiUsa." My father welcomed me. "Glad to see you are feeling much better."

"Yes, thank you. So what's this about a strategy?" I asked, joining the circle.

"Hmm. Well," my father turned to a monitor that was high above us all. Each monitor in the room covered different areas of the kingdom. The main one we ll focused on covered the mass in the sky. "Mercury discovered a weakness in this enemy."

"After gathering data from your attack on the mass, as well as information from people all across the planet, I've concluded that this enemy is pure energy."

"Pure energy?" I exclaimed in shock. Mercury gave me a swift nod. My father pointed to the monitor as various equations and data points appeared over the image.

"Whatever this mass is, it is made of pure energy. Negative energy. We still are not sure what its origins are, but it is capable of only consuming."

"That's why it stole people like it did, like Ilias?" I asked, starting to grasp the concept. My father nodded.

"Yes. Ilias was lucky because he was able to free himself."

"Your heart saved me…" Ilias's voice echoed in my head. I shook it off and tried to listen.

"The power from your crystal somehow managed to interrupt the energy flow of the mass. Usagi's crystal and Mamoru's crystal were not able to conduct nearly as much damage." Sailor Uranus said. I looked over at her and smiled slightly as she stroked Neptune's teal hair between her gloved fingers. It was nice to see they were as close as ever.

"Yes." My father replied. "It seems that ChibiUsa's crystal is going to be the only option in fighting this new enemy. Although we are trying to find other alternatives..." His mention of alternatives burned at my mind. Wasn't I good enough?

"What do you mean alternatives? My crystal works, so why not use it?" I scowled. His tall form turned to me.

"You remember what your mother went through, don't you? None of us want you to go through that." His words were tense. It was true that my mother used to crystal to the point where she would perish, but she always came back one way or another. Besides, I would rather give up my life than to see my world destroyed.

"Any updates on what the mass may be planning on doing?" Sailor Neptune asked. My father shook his head.

"We have no idea what its goal is, outside of the assumption that it will want to absorb all human energy."

I bit my lip. I had to fight this thing. If only I had help. This was so much pressure. And we had no time. It could attack at any moment. No time could be wasted.

"Alright then. It's obvious that I will have to fight this monster." I said with determination. My father's face fell with a sigh. Like mother, like daughter.

"But, Princess…" I heard CereCere whisper.

"No. It's been proven that my crystal holds the power needed to at the very least harm this thing. If I can control it enough, maybe I can fully eradicate it. If I can hurt it that much, then you guys can use your own powers to help me. That way, I won't overuse its power, and nothing will happen to me."

"Nothing?" My father arched an eyebrow, glancing own at my missing bandages. I blushed and crossed my arms over my chest.

"That was a fluke. I didn't focus enough. I'm sure I can control it. I've been training and training my powers for centuries, Dad. This is a perfect opportunity to show you all what I've learned." I smiled widely to show my confidence to them. I could sense their concern. Why was I still being treated like a child? "Really, I can do this. I'll be queenly-age soon. How will I rule this kingdom if I can't even protect it?"

There was a long pause as everything looked deep in their own thoughts. I chewed on the corner of my lip, praying that I convinced them enough. I felt my father's hand on my shoulder.

"You are so much like your mother, it's incredible." He finally said in defeat. "If I learned anything, it's to now underestimate the power of determination in this family. Do as you wish, ChibiUsa. But, everyone here must protect you. Your mother and I will stay at the castle." I hugged him tightly, surprising him.

"Thanks, Daddy," I whispered my loving childhood nickname for him as I squeezed. "I'll make you and Mom proud. I promise."

"I know you will." He squeezed me back and let me go. "We will strike at midnight. That will give ChibiUsa enough time to fully recover, as well as all of you to prepare." Everyone in the room nodded in union to my father's instructions. I suddenly felt as though eyes are burning into my back, but when I turned, I saw no one behind me.

How strange…I thought. My stomach rumbled. Sailor Pluto laughed gently.

"Time to eat?" She said humorously. I chuckled.

"Guess so."

"I'll have dinner prepared for us and will let Usako in on the plans." My father briskly left the room, and the other senshi followed.

"We believe in you, Princess." I heard Sailor Neptune say in her gentle voice as she passed with Uranus.

"We will protect you at all costs, ChibiUsa." Sailor Saturn put a hand on my shoulder before passing me. I nodded to her quickly and sighed. I began feeling butterflies jabbing the sides of my stomach. Is this nervousness what my mother felt before all those horrible battles?

"Let's go, Lady Serenity. You need all the rest you can get." Sailor VesVes practically pushed me to the stairs. I grumbled at her forcefulness and shrugged as I walked up with the rest of the group. The butterflies didn't let up.