Flee to Destiny
By: Bethany
Originally Released: 3/2002
Revised: 7/2015

Chapter 13 - The Past Comes a Haunting

The sound of a pin dropping on the hardwood floors would have caused an echo, I was sure. The silence was thick between us and the Outer Senshi - and uncomfortable. I was thankful when Setsuna finally began speaking. "The Silver Milieum was a time of peace in the solar system. The only remote trace of hostility was between the Earth and Moon. But it was so scarce that we never suspected something coming of it. And maybe it wouldn't have, except for a much stronger force invading the universe." The Senshi of Time closed her eyes, clutching the Time Staff and drawing it closer to her, as if drawing strength from it.

"I could do nothing at the time of the invasion outside of warn the planets in its path. One by one Uranus, Neptune and Saturn were defeated. By passing the inner planets without our notice, it attacked Earth with its powerful grip - taking over completely. With the destruction of the Earth Kingdom, the Moon was the only authority left in the solar system that could fight. The power of the Silver Crystal was strong, and would have prevailed eventually. The power behind the evil knew this, and therefore took a different direction - something no one could have prepared for.

"By this time the Queen's daughter - Princess Serenity - had already fallen in love with the Earth prince. It was no secret, despite what the young couple thought. But there was someone else, someone who also lusted after the young heir to the Earthian throne; Beryl. Tapping into her jealousy, the evil Metallia played on Beryl's desires and fed her power. When the final battle of Earth came, Endymion refused Beryl and she became enraged. Promising Beryl that she could have revenge, Metallia lead Beryl and her followers to the Moon where she tried to kill the Princess."

I couldn't remember the last time I blinked. I felt Mamo-chan gripping my hand, but sensed nothing else. Everything that I had wanted to know for so long was being laid before me. I had always thought it was by random chance that I the Earth maiden had targeted me. I had no idea she had lusted after Endymion and I was her specific goal. Somehow the knowledge made me that much sadder for Endymion - Mamo-chan - to have jumped in front of the blow. The image came to my mind with the words and a shiver ran down my spine. I pressed myself closer to Mamo-chan's side.

"I believe you know what happened after that, Endymion took the blow meant for Serenity and fell. In her grief, the Princess killed herself. Queen Serenity, seeing everything from afar, locked Metallia away and sent all the Star Seeds to the future. Her last breath was that promise to her daughter, the promise of rebirth with her Prince, which is the reason we are all here today." Setsuna sat back like the effort it took to say all of this drained her. She sighed, her eyes closing for a long moment.

If the memories were as weighted with grief as they felt to me, I could imagine why she would be exhausted. "But what does this have to do with now? And Shingo?" I mumbled, afraid that if I spoke too loud I would break the spell that had been cast over everyone in the room.

For a long minute no one spoke. Finally Haruka began, leaving off where Setsuna had stopped, acting like I had never spoken. "When Queen Serenity released the power of the Moon, Metallia was locked away and sent to the far reaches of the solar system. It has taken her thousands of years to work her way back to Earth. When she finally made it back to take over Beryl again, she was weak. That is the reason for all the Youma who drained human energy. But now that Beryl is dead, she needs another body to do her bidding. For all we know, she needed it all along."

"We suspect," Michiru began in her soft voice, "that she has been trying to take several humans for this, but none were capable of with standing her power and not resist it."

My eyes grew so wide they hurt. Flashbacks... bruises that covered Shingo's body... Youma's trying to take him... Beryl's desire for my unborn baby... I choked on the sob that rose in my throat. I simply couldn't find the words to ask the questions burning in my mind. And even more, I feared the answers. Mamo-chan must have been thinking the same thing as I; only he could say what I found too hard. "Would there be any markings on a body it tried to take? Any evidence?"

Hotaru's eyes sparked interest, but said nothing before Michiru nodded. "Dark splotches, bruising perhaps." Her delicate eyebrows rose at the look of utter despair on my face. "Did Shingo have any of these signs?" I didn't have to answer; the look on my face said it all. Michiru nodded like she was confirming an earlier thought.

"But the bruising stopped months ago, didn't it Usagi?" Rei fumbled, obviously as taken back by this information as I was. "Then surely that means-"

"That only confirms that he wasn't strong enough to fight it off," Setsuna interrupted her, bursting my small bubble of hope. "Evil to the body is like a disease, it feeds off the system. The bruises indicated his body fighting it off, when they stopped appearing; his body no longer had any resistance. How long ago was the last bruising?"

"Nearly four months ago," I mumbled. I just couldn't believe what they were saying. For months, under my nose, the enemy had been feeding evil into Shingo? But how... and more importantly: "Why are you telling me this now? When it's too late to stop them? This is information you should have shared before." I looked them all in the eye in turn, feeling especially hostile towards Haruka and perhaps Setsuna.

Haruka smirked with the arrogance of Uranus. Only they were one and the same. But how? The moody, self-persistent Sailor Uranus and the courteous Haruka that had helped me that day in the rain...? "If we had known about the condition Shingo was in, we could have prevented this altogether."

I didn't have time to react to what she was implying before Makoto blew up. "If you had known?" she bellowed, looking as if she were getting madder the longer she thought about it. "Are you saying we were supposed to come crawling to you, tell everything we know, when you didn't even want us around to fight? You have to got to be kidding me!"

Haruka looked to Michiru for help, but the petite Senshi said nothing. Mako-chan and Haruka continued to glare at each other and I thought they may start arguing again, but Hotaru placed herself between them and held her hands up calmly. "Fighting will not help," she said softly, but with a firmness that surprised me. I noticed how pleased Michiru and Setsuna appeared at her performance. "We were wrong, Haruka-papa. And you know that. Demo," she turned her slender body towards Mako-chan, "fighting amongst ourselves will not help Shingo, or our Princess."

Haruka backed up to the fireplace and sulked, Mako-chan doing much the same when she found none of the rest of us would join her crusade. Hotaru turned towards me, her face a mask of serenity. "The first thing we need to do is find Shingo. And hope," she paused, a flickering sadness coming and going in her eyes. "That we are not too late to save him."

It was nearly midnight before the Outer Senshi left, promising they wouldn't be far if I needed them.

"We can protect Usagi-chan just fine," Minako shot back when Haruka said this.

"We'll see," was the Senshi of Uranus' reply before she softly shut the door, putting any further discussion to and end - for now.

"We'll see," Mako-chan mocked, wagging her head. "What the hell does that mean, anyways?"

Mamo-chan rose, holding his hand out to me. Gratefully I took it and stood, gazing at my guardians and the lunar cats. "Let's not argue, onegai. I just want to fine Shingo and restore some sense of peace and order in my life."

Rei nodded thoughtfully. "That's all we want, too."

Mamo-chan and I bid everyone goodnight. And, taking Chibi-Usa, went upstairs to sleep. The guest bedroom Minako had appointed us was quiet large, nearly as big as the living room in our apartment. In the center of the room was a large mahogany bed with four posts that reached towards the ceiling. On either side of the bed was matching nightstands with lamps. A doorway to our right went into the adjoining bath.

Mamo-chan placed Chibi-Usa's crib at the foot of the bed and pulled out a suitcase I hadn't noticed earlier. He caught sight of my wondering gaze and smiled slightly. "Ami grabbed some things we might need..." He opened it up and grabbed a pair of pajama pants for himself and a nightshirt for me.

I changed quickly and crawled in the bed next to Mamo-chan. I stared out the window until I could faintly hear Mamo-chan's deep breathing indicating he was asleep. But no matter how tired I was or how much I longed to fall into a dreamless sleep - I couldn't. Call me crazy, but the silence in this house was getting on my nerves. I longed to hear the noises that were so frequent in our apartment.

I felt Mamo-chan reach out, pulling me towards him. I snuggled against his chest, but still couldn't get comfortable. "What's wrong?" he asked, breaking the silence and nearly scaring me to death since I assumed he was asleep.

"Nothing," I mumbled. I broke free from his arms and got up to check on Chibi-Usa. The moonlight coming in through the window gave her an angelic glow as she slept soundly. Her small fingers were balled into fists above her head and her small chest softly rose and fell with her breathing. Smiling I pulled the pale pink blanket up over her chest and returned to bed. Reassured Chibi-Usa was fine, I lay back on the bed and curled up against my Prince's back once more. Listening to the gentle thumping of his heart, I finally fell into a restless dream.

Over and over I saw Shingo's clone burning in the tub, except in my dream I could hear him screaming. My name, for help... over and over... screaming his pain...

"USAGI!"

I sat up quickly, the dream so vivid I was sure it was real. Beside me Mamo-chan slept on. I breathed a small sigh of relief, thinking surely if someone had been screaming, it would have woken him.

As if on cue, Chibi-Usa stirred and then began crying. I glanced at the clock, surprised that instead of having for only minutes as I had thought, it had been nearly two hours. With my eyes burning, I rolled out of bed and went to the crib. Chibi-Usa's small face was scrunched up and red, her tiny fists waving in the air above her. When I picked her up she calmed some, but not altogether. I didn't want to wake Mamo-chan up (he could get up next time, I figured) I started downstairs.

Such a huge house so late at night seem to take on a life of it's own. Without the sounds of traffic, or life in any form, I thought I could hear the house breathing. I had to laugh at myself, being scared at my age to walk through a dark hall.

No matter what I did or said to myself to try and take the fear away, though, it was persistent. I was thankful when I finally reached the first landing and the kitchen where I could turn the light on and let it chase the shadows back to the corners. Balancing Chibi-Usa in one arm, I felt up the wall for the switch that would turn the kitchen light on. Finally I found it, turned it on... and promptly screamed.

"Easy!" Haruka seemed terribly embarrassed as she jumped up, waving her hands in front of her.

I managed to clamp my mouth down, but my body still shook so badly I feared I would drop the baby. I leaned against the wall for support, all the while gasping for breath. "What are you doing? How did you get in here? Why were you sitting in the dark?" I fired my questions sharply, without so much as pausing for a breath. Chibi-Usa, who had temporarily been shocked by my scream, began wailing again.

I tried to rock her as I glared at Haruka, waiting for an answer. The Senshi of Uranus moved with a feline-like quality; stealthy and graceful, yet very much aware of her surroundings. She pulled a chair out for me and waited until I was seated before she sat across from me. For a few minutes she stared at her clasped hands. When she didn't say anything, even I glanced at what held her interest to see if the answer were somehow there and I hadn't taken notice.

Chibi-Usa continued to cry, and seeing no other choice, I began feeding her. Even though I told myself that I shouldn't be, I couldn't help being self conscience - even embarrassed - to breast feed in front of Haruka. I tried to place the blanket over my shoulder and when I finally got her arranged, set my attention back on the Sailor of Uranus.

Haruka seemed oblivious to what I was doing, as well as to the blush that tinted my face red. When she looked up, her expression was as solemn as death as she finally began speaking. "The truth is, I was... I wanted to make sure everything was alright." Her eyes shifted from mine almost as soon as she completed her excuse. I wondered if she really thought I was gullible enough to believe that was her only motives.

I narrowed my eyes, embarrassment forgotten. I was determined to understand this person. After all, we were all Senshi - surely we could get along. "The Inner Senshi and Mamo-chan are more than qualified to protect me, I believe," I retorted in a dry tone that sounded remarkably like the one she had used on us many times before. "Why don't you be honest for once, hmm? Tell me the real reason you're sitting in Minako's kitchen, by yourself, at three in the morning."

An emotion that bordered on respect flickered across Haruka's face briefly before she meet my accusing gaze without so much as blinking. A few tense seconds passed until finally she looked down again, a few blonde strains of hair gently caressing her forehead. She looked beyond her clasped hands, though, to a memory that I couldn't see - but I felt she could, more clearly than she would like. "It's strange, really, that I can remember some things with such clarity and others not at all. I can see the day my planet fell like it had happened only moments ago. I was meeting with members of my head guard; we were discussing the impending enemy when the alarms sounded. I fought with all I had; we all did. But in the end, it wasn't enough. I watched my childhood friends get blown to pieces; I watched members of my family crumple up and die all around me. We gave it our all, and when we had no more to give it moved on to conquer the next planet."

I hadn't noticed until now what a deep, manly voice Haruka had. I felt so moved by the way she spoke softly, painfully. She looked up at me again, her eyes glassy. "I failed you that day, Princess. I'm not going to do it again."

I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until she finished. I exhaled deeply, feeling tears spring behind my eyes. I had only thought of myself up until now, how I had been affected by everything that had happened. But I wasn't the only one whose life had been destroyed. There was thousands whose world ended with mine. I glanced down, Chibi-Usa's eyes were half closed and she lazily drank some milk and then stopped to doze for a moment or two. I tried to think of something to say, something of comfort, but I could think of nothing; nor did I have time to.

The sound of footsteps caught our attention and I looked up expectantly just as Mamo-chan came to the entryway. "There you are," he mumbled, walking further in the room. He glanced at Haruka after rubbing his hands over his face, nodded briefly, and looked back to me.

"I was just coming back to bed." Without saying a word, I knew that he wouldn't go back upstairs without me. When I was sure Chibi-Usa was asleep again, I stood. Before I walked out of the kitchen, though, I looked back at the blonde Senshi, seeing her in a different light. "Thank you, Haruka-san." She said nothing as I left and ascended the stairs. But she didn't need to say anything, I understood perfectly.

The morning sun filtered by the sheer curtains the following morning pulled me awake. I stretched my body out, feeling around beside me for Mamo-chan. When all that greeted me was an empty bed, my eyes snapped open. It didn't take long to find him, though. He was at Chibi-Usa's crib - attempting to change her diaper. I got out of the bed, yawning as I did so, and stepped up to the other side of the crib. He stood back, obviously proud, but the corner of his mouth twisted with confuse. "Why does it look funny?"

I stifled a laugh and went around the crib, pointing to our daughter's bulky diaper. "You have to pull her bottom up to get the diaper under her." Undoing the diaper, I pulled her small feet up so that I could put the diaper in place.

Mamo-chan flinched when I had finished and looked up at him. "Doesn't it hurt her to pull her legs up like that?" Laughing I told him no. Mamo-chan went over to the suitcase to dig out clean clothes, shaking his head in disbelief all the while. "I wouldn't want someone pulling my legs up over my head like that," he mumbled to himself.

"You're hopeless, my love," I told him, kissing the back of his neck and in the same swift movement sprinting towards the bathroom, shutting and locking the door.

"Hey!" he protested, but I ignored him and got in the shower.

When I was done, I realized I was so determined to shower first I had forgotten my clothes. I wrapped a towel around myself and opened the bathroom door. At first I didn't see Mamo-chan anywhere, but that didn't last for too long.

As soon as I was clear of the bathroom door, I was lifted up and thrown on the bed. I screamed as my dark haired Prince began tickling me without mercy. "I'll show you! Sneaking past me!" he laughed, his fingers dancing over my ribs until I was laughing so hard I could hardly breathe.

"Stop!" I yelled, trying to push him off me. It was about as effective as a fly on an elephants back. The small knot I had my towel held together by suddenly fell apart, leaving me as naked as the day I was born - and well in Mamo-chan's appreciative gaze. He stopped tickling me, and even though I was grateful for that, I still had a hard time catching my breath.

A part of me was scared to death and eager to conceal my nudity under his eyes. After all, despite everything, I was still a virgin. But there was something in his eyes, something so loving and gentle that I found I couldn't speak, let alone move away.

His gaze drank me in from head to toe like a man dying of thirst. I held my breath as he placed his hands on my small of my stomach; his skin touching mine sent waves of warmth all over me.

"Usagi, are you okay?" Rei lightly knocked on the door, but neither Mamo-chan nor I moved, or answered. Without any warning, Rei pushed the door open. "Usagi, I heard screaming, I-" We both looked over just in time to see the Priestess stop, her face turning a bright red. "Gomen!" she squeaked and slammed the door shut.

I stared at the door, still in shock from Rei's sudden burst in the room and even faster departure. Mamo-chan placed his lips on my throat, and instantly Rei was long forgotten.

I hummed as I dressed Chibi-Usa in a pink summer dress and tied a small bow in her short stubble of hair. Her eyes were a clear, sparkling blue - just a shake lighter than mine, but not as dark as Mamo-chan's. I recalled Ami explaining to me that all babies were born with blue eyes; I prayed Chibi-Usa's would stay. Finished dressing myself and my daughter, I sat in the chair in the corner of the room and nursed her before we went to start another day of searching for Shingo.

Mamo-chan and I acted like two sneaky teenagers as we slipped quietly down stairs and into the kitchen where the Senshi were. But either Rei had squealed or we looked too happy, because four sets of knowing eyes meet us when we walked in.

Mako-chan placed two huge stacks of pancakes on the table and winked at me. "How did you all sleep, or need we ask?" I blushed, which was as good as a confession to them. Mamo-chan sat next to me, mumbled a "fine" and busied himself making our plates.

We had just about finished breakfast when the Outer Senshi returned. Haruka acted no differently and I said nothing about the conversation we had the night before. She acted just as indifferent as ever, making me wonder if she and I had really spoken, or if I'd dreamt it.

Mako-chan made no bones about her feelings. "Have you no words of wisdom for us little people this morning?" she asked, glancing up from her plate with a syrupy sweet smile on her face.

Haruka made no reply, only Michiru had the decency to look embarrassed for the both of them. Setsuna looked indifferent to the tense air the two Senshi had created and Hotaru actually smiled. Ami stood, directing herself to me. "We should get started. My mother will watch Chibi-Usa." I bit down on my bottom lip. I wanted to get Shingo back as soon as possible, but the idea of leaving Chibi-Usa with some one who was a stranger to her didn't sit well with me. The only comfort I had was that Dr. Mizuno had been my OBG-YN with my pregnancy and I trusted her completely. And, at a week old, Chibi-Usa probably didn't recognize me, let alone whoever else might have her. Mamo-chan brought the baby bag down and we left with Setsuna, who claimed the Time Gate was the fastest way to travel.

When we returned everyone was already discussing the course of action to take. Mamo-chan sat with his arm around me, knowing that I had cried when we left Chibi-Usa and was likely to begin again if given the chance. Determinedly I told myself that she was safe, and that was all that mattered. I concentrated on listening to what was going on around me. "The other night after the clone incident at Usagi and Mamoru's apartment, I found a dimensional portal at one end of the closet in Shingo's room," Ami explained. "That's how the Youma were getting to him and how they eventually took him, I believe. Both Michiru and I have examined the vortex, but the only conclusive evidence we have found is that someone has been passing through it recently. If it wasn't for that activity I fear we would have never discovered it to begin with."

Mamo-chan sat forward, his fingers pressed together under his chin. "You don't know where it goes? Or what we should expect if we pass through it?" he asked indubitably, his voice edgy. It was unlike Mamo-chan to question such things, I glanced at him wondrously. "We have access to technology that today's scientists only dream of, and the only thing we can find out is that someone has passed through it? After what happened the other night, I could have told you that."

It was clear from the look of shock on Michiru's face and that of anguish on Ami's that they wished almost as much as we that they had more facts. I squeezed Mamo-chan's leg, shaking my head slightly when our eyes meet. "I'm sure they tried to learn more, but were unable to," I said evenly, directing myself at Mamo-chan more than anyone else.

Mamo-chan nodded his head and ran his long fingers through his dark hair. He sat back, exhaling deeply. "I'm sorry, I'm just frustrated, I suppose." Michiru nodded and Ami looked relieved.

Haruka, of course, heard and felt what she wanted - and couldn't help herself but to add gasoline to the fire. In her eyes he had insulted Michiru alone, and as I feared - that was enough to get her started. "I don't see you doing any better, cape boy," she grumbled in our direction. "Especially not by the Princess. Feels like the Silver Millennium all over again. You can stay beside her while she has your kid, but don't have the decency to marry her-"

"Enough!" Even Haruka looked shocked at my outburst, as if she never believed I'd have the nerve to stand up and stop her from having her say. One look at Mamo-chan told me how angry he was, but I wasn't giving him a chance to strike out. I stood, staring her down, my hands on my hips. "Haruka, you have no right to say anything about my personal life. It's none-"

"Anything pertaining to your life is our business," she started to argue.

I may only stand four feet eleven, but I tried to pack as much authority into my voice as possible. Without any warning I felt warmth in my forehead, feeling like it was trying to push through my skin. I tried to block it out, but it was difficult with everyone in the room suddenly with their jaws open wide. "It's none of your business," I finished, locking gazes with the Senshi of Wind. Suddenly a brilliant glow blast through the room, causing everyone to block their eyes until it lessened.

"Usagi-chan..." Luna breathed, her voice full of amazement.

I turned to her, not understanding. It seemed everyone in the room was struck speechless by what they saw, even Haruka. I glanced around the room, hoping someone would speak instead of gape at me. I felt of my forehead, but I couldn't feel anything different. Where had the light come from? I caught my reflection in the mirror above the fireplace and beheld a crescent moon, a replica of Luna and Artemis', shining brightly on my forehead. It sat proudly between my eyebrows, faintly giving off light. Luna shook her head, but kept her eyes open as if afraid she was seeing things and didn't want to close her eyes and risk it disappearing. "Your birth right," my guardian feline whispered.

She finally closed her eyes and lifted her head up towards the ceiling. "Thank Selene," she said almost silently.

Thank Selene? I thought. Why? For a constant reminder of who I was? Not Tsukino Usagi, not even Sailor Moon. But Princess Serenity. The girl I had fought with all my life in one form or another had just succeeded in completely taking over my life. No, I wasn't feeling very thankful right now. But something had changed in the room, not with my inner guards, but with the Outer Senshi. Michiru looked very serious and pulled Haruka by the hand, effectively setting her back down on the couch. Hotaru looked extremely pleased and Mamo-chan was actually smiling.

I reached up, running the tip of my finger over the birthright shining brightly on my forehead. It shimmered back at me, mocking, a reminder that I was still a Princess no matter how badly I didn't want to be. Mamo-chan, perhaps sensing my mood as I stared at my reflection, stood up behind me and put his arms around me. His hands grabbed mine, "Usako-" Before he could finish whatever he was about to say, our entwined hands grew hot and a brilliant white light exploded into every dark corner of the room. Faintly I could hear Chibi-Usa stirring, could hear the shocked gasps from each of my guardians, but I couldn't take my eyes away from the glow in our hands. The broach on my shirt lifted open, the Silver Crystal floating out of it's hold. I felt a shimmer of power fall over my body and the beautiful white dress I wore as a Princess replaced the clothes I was wearing. I didn't turn to see, but rather felt Mamo-chan's clothes shimmer and change as well.

"What is happening?" I whispered to my Prince, looking back at our reflection in the mirror. The crescent moon on my forehead seemed to pulse with power. Mamo-chan turned me around, his eyes huge as the light of the Silver Crystal pulsed once, twice, and then a long rod began growing between us. The top of the rod formed a beautiful design, twisting around the metal rod, growing and turning to form a perch which the Silver Crystal settled onto.

After the crystal came to a rest atop of the staff, the light died down again. I stared at it, looking up to catch Mamo-chan's gaze. "What is this?"

"The Queen's rod," Luna whispered.

Mamo-chan and I both reached towards it at the same moment, our hands touching end to end. A smile lit up his face. "A new power, born of our love." I felt the dress fade away and saw Mamo-chan's armor shimmer back to his jeans and t-shirt. Everyone in the room held a collective breath with me. My broach transformed again, minus the Silver Crystal.

"Whoa!"

"Hey!"

Shaking my head to clear it, I looked around the room. Each of my guardians were pulling their henshin sticks out, each was glowing brightly. Another brilliant light exploded around the room momentarily and all of the henshin sticks fell into their respective owners lap at the same moment.

"Power ups?" Minako said, holding her own stick up. She jumped to her feet, "Venus Planet Power - Make up!" When nothing happened, Minako glanced around a little nervous.

Artemis jumped up on the back of the chair she had been sitting in and cleared his throat. "The Prince and Princess have powered up your henshin, minna. You'll need to call on the power of your planet's crystals now. You should also have more powerful attacks now."

Minako nodded, clutching her henshin wand in her hand tightly. All the Senshi in the room stood, holding their respective wands in their hands:

"Venus Crystal Power - Make Up!"

"Mercury Crystal Power - Make Up!"

"Mars Crystal Power - Make Up!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power - Make Up!"

"Neptune Crystal Power - Make Up!"

"Saturn Crystal Power - Make Up!"

"Uranus Crystal Power - Make Up!"

"Pluto Crystal Power - Make Up!"

Luna and Artemis looked around, nodding their heads and looking relieved. "Finally," Luna breathed, "you are all back to the power level you had in the Silver Millennium. I'm so glad."

Despite myself, I was relieved as well. We would need all the power we could get to get Shingo back.

The sun's rays had only just begun to shine brightly on the city when we arrived back at the apartment Mamo-chan and I shared. As we approached the bedroom door, I felt a cold breeze whip down the hall. It was soon to become to clear where it was coming from. "It's the same as it was the night Shingo disappeared," I whispered, placing my palm on the door. The imprint of my hand in the frozen wood stayed a few seconds before disappearing. I tried to the door handle to no avail, but I didn't think it would open right away. This was familiar to me, much too familiar.

Tuxedo Kamen gently pulled me away from the door and tried the handle. I could tell from the look on his face that he didn't think it would open, either. He stood back and kicked the door, making it swing open. Inside the room was covered in ice. It hung from the bed, the toys, the night stand, even the light fixture.

"Dear Lord," I heard Jupiter mumbled behind me. I could only silently agree with her.

Memories that my mind had buried came back as I stared in that room. I could remember shoving on the door, and then it swung open. Only it felt more like someone had been standing on the other side, waiting for the right moment to let it go. And then... My eyes darted to the closet. I could remember Shingo screaming and as I looked up from the pool of my own blood I thought I had seen Shingo being dragged into the closet. These memories had been lost to me until I stood looking at the room now. If only I had been able to recall this earlier!

I blinked, walking across the small room to join the Senshi who were at the closet door discussing the vortex inside. "They were ready for us," I said, running my hand down the ice covered wall.

"So much for the element of surprise," Pluto stated dryly.

"Now we just do it the old fashion way," I stepped up to the vortex and peered into it. "Through the front door." Without so much as a warning, I walked through, leaving the Senshi to follow. To my surprise when I stepped out I found myself in a room very much like the one I had just left, except this one was missing the ice and cold. I waited for the other Senshi to join me, but none else came through the portal. I hesitated, one part of me wanting to go back and the other telling me to go forward. Before I could make that decision, it was made for me.

When I turned around, the portal was gone. "Great," I mumbled to myself. Mamo-chan was going to kill me when he found me.

It occurred to me that if this looked exactly like Shingo's bedroom in my apartment, then perhaps beyond the bedroom door was the rest of the apartment. And if I was lucky, at least one of the Senshi would have came out of the portal close by. With all of this decided (also note I decided I was crazy for going in alone) I went towards the door and turned the handle. To my disappointment, when I opened the door there was nothing. And mind you, I mean nothing literally. Unless you count black space that went on forever in all directions.

"Shimatta." I looked around in the small room I had come in. The closet door no longer contained a portal, the window didn't open. I even searched under the bed, but only found a pair of socks. The drawers all contained the same thing that Shingo's real dressers contained. Puzzled, but not finding anything to help me, I came to the conclusion there was only one thing to do.

I opened the bedroom door again and looked into the black abyss. Holding my breath, I said a small prayer to the powers that be; and walked out of the room.

-End Chapter 13.

Hi, hello, sorry this wasn't out this morning as I originally planned. I have no good exuse, I was reading fanfiction ^_^;

Disclaimer: I still don't own Sailor Moon, boo!

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and following - you are all awesome and I love you!

I'm going to go work on the next chapter now - ja!

God bless,
Beth