The next morning, Setsuna put on a pot of coffee and opened her newspaper. She needed to give her mind a break. She had just poured her cup when she heard a banging on her door. "Oh great!"
She went to get it and it was a disheveled Endymion.
"Sit down," she said curtly as she went back to her coffee. Before she offered him any information, she decided to find out wht Endymion knew.
"I know I wasn't supposed to speak to my past life, but he had a new girlfriend. Anyway, he said Usagi doesn't want him anymore. She has a new boyfriend. What about Chibiusa and Crystal Tokyo?" He had forgotten all about the Silver Millennium and whether or not they had ever been in love at all.
"I know."
"What do you mean you know?"
"I mean, I went to talk to her and she said she didn't love Mamoru and she never did."
"WHAT?"
"She refused to take you back."
"WHERE IS SHE?"
"I'm not sure if I should tell you. If Mamoru couldn't get her back, I'm not sure future Mamoru will do any better. Let me convene the other scouts. Maybe they can reason with her, since they know her so well."
"What about Chibiusa?"
"She's fine for now (inexplicably). Let me meet with the other senshi and see how we can get through to Usagi. Don't panic and don't confront her. We don't need any more time paradoxes."
He nodded his head, but she wasn't sure if he'd actually obey. After he left, she called Haruka and Michiru.
"Hey, we need to have a meeting, and I think it's time we met the other senshi."
Setsuna went to their apartment, where she explained what happened at her failed meeting with their princess.
Haruka didn't see the problem. "If she'll form Crystal Tokyo and have Chibiusa, does it matter if she and Mamoru stay broken up?"
"Of course it matters. He is supposed to rule with her, not by himself or with a powerless woman."
Haruka felt uneasy. Setsuna was her friend so she instinctively trusted her judgment, but Usagi was her princess. Was it her role to tell her whom to date? She felt like this was insubordination some how.
Setsuna found the other senshis' phone numbers and she gave them each a call. They agreed to meet at Rei's jinja at 7PM.
Usagi was having brunch with Minako. They decided they needed some girl time.
"So, did you talk to Sapphire?"
"Of course, we went out last night."
"You know what I mean. Did you talk to him about ...?" Usagi raised and lowered her brow.
Minako laughed. "We talked about it."
"And…"
"And what?"
"And, was he any good?" Usagi raised and lowered her brow again.
"Yes, you ecchi."
Usagi threw a fry at her friend.
Minako responded with a napkin. "We had fun; I'm leaving it at that."
"And you were too scared to make a move."
"Shut up."
The two girls giggled through their meals.
Afterwards, Diamond and Usagi took Chibiusa to the zoo.
Endymion didn't confront Usagi, but he did follow her once she left her house the next morning. He saw her eat brunch with Minako and then saw her boyfriend pick her and Chibiusa up in his fancy car. "Is it money? Is that how he wooed her?"
He followed them to the zoo and his fists turned white from clenching them too hard when he saw Diamond carrying Small Lady on his shoulders.
She's MY daughter
How could Chibiusa be so happy with him? Doesn't she know that his interference could ruin her own existence? The girl, however, seemed totally at ease. The trio took pictures together, ate dipping dots together and they even got into a tickle fight, Usagi losing of course.
Chibiusa sighed happily. She missed spending time with Diamond. She knew her parents needed this time to build their relationship and in the future, it would be her time, but she wanted that time now.
"How about we go to the toy store before we go home?" Diamond offered.
"YAY!" Usagi scooped up Chibiusa and they went on their way.
Endymion overheard the conversation and growled. Now, he's spoiling her too!
He tried to follow them, but he lost them as they left the parking lot. There were too many people leaving at the same time.
Chibiusa found herself in the largest toy store in the city. They even had a rollercoaster.
Usagi started looking around. She didn't expect to see much for her, but it didn't hurt to look. "OH MY GOD. They have an easy bake oven. My mom would never let me get one."
"Do you want it?" Diamond teased.
"I'm too old now, but I wonder if Chibiusa would like it?"
"We'll ask her." Diamond grabbed the box.
Small Lady had found a bicycle. It was pink and white and made for a princess. "Can I get it?"
"Is it the right size?" They found a store model to try out.
"I would get one size smaller," the attendant suggested. They had the perfect bike in the back.
"A bike and an easy bake oven. Aren't you the little Princess?"
"Actually, I am," Chibiusa teased before she realized what she had admitted.
"It's okay," Usagi whispered. "I got a visit from Setsuna."
"You know?"
"Yeah, I do. Now, let's get going you little spore."
The girl stuck out her tongue and Usagi returned the favor, leaving Diamond with the perfect picture on his phone.
Small Lady was tired after her day out and went to take a nap.
"Are you up to anything tonight?"
"No. I thought the girls would have called me by now, but maybe they're busy."
"Well, Rubeus has been bugging me about going out with, I don't even know who. If you want, I'll pick you up later."
"Maybe. Give me a call before you leave." Diamond kissed her and headed home.
He didn't notice Endymion following him. The future Mamoru had waited at Usagi's house, figuring he'd have to drop them off. He wanted to yell when he saw Diamond carrying in a bicycle for his daughter.
The man lived in a nice house, drove a nice car, and seemed perfectly pleasant. Endymion hated him.
Rei was sweeping the floor when Chad came to tell her that Ami and Makoto were here. Of course, they were the first to arrive. "So you do live," Rei teased as they came inside.
"Why wouldn't we live?" Ami questioned.
"No one's seen you, since you two lovebirds got together so."
The two girls blushed.
"Like you can talk," Makoto retorted. "Aren't you always with Esmeralda?"
"I'm not with her now. She and Rubeus are doing a bar crawl or something."
Minako showed up next. "Where's Usagi-chan?" Rei asked her.
"She said she was taking Chibiusa to the zoo. They should be done by now."
"She's probably eating knowing her."
Haruka and Michiru came next. "I'm Sailor Uranus, and I'm Sailor Neptune."
"How come we haven't met you before?" Ami asked.
"We usually patrol the galaxies, but there's been a lack of activity there, so we have been in Tokyo waiting until we were needed."
Last, but not late was Sailor Pluto. "Thank you for coming," she said as she sat down.
"Shouldn't we wait for Usagi?" Ami questioned.
"I didn't call her. You'll understand why when we get started." The group nodded, the inner senshi concerned that they were meeting without their leader.
Setsuna explained how villains had attacked Crystal Tokyo and sought Chibiusa. Neo-Queen Serenity sacrificed herself to save her daughter, and they had to put her in a medically induced coma. Chibiusa came back to this time to escape the villains chasing her and to find a way to save her mother in this time period.
"Endymion came to test Mamoru's love for Usagi because it had to be unwavering for this all to work, and he was supposed to break up with Usagi and then they would later reunite after she understood why he had ended it. However, something has disrupted the timeline. Instead of Usagi and Mamoru getting back together, both of them have started new relationships with other people, putting the future of both Chibiusa and Crystal Tokyo in danger. Inexplicably, the thugs chasing Chibiusa have vanished, and after I reached out to Usagi and Endymion reached out to Mamoru, we got nowhere. If we don't get them to resolve whatever differences they are, the future is in trouble."
Ami asked, "What can we do?"
"We need to figure convince Usagi and Mamoru that they need to get back together."
"But she doesn't love him," Minako insisted. "She never did, not in the Silver Millennium and not now."
"Wait?" Haruka interrupted. "I thought they were destined to be together because of their past history."
"It was all made up," Makoto added. "She and Endymion were engaged for political reasons. She loved Prince Diamond. She still loves Diamond."
"Wait," Michiru started. "Her new boyfriend is her old lover?"
"Yes, and they've already been apart for 1000 years. It's time they got to be together again," Minako insisted.
"What about the future?" Setsuna questioned the goddess of love.
"Our Princess has a responsibility to the world. She hasn't forgotten and she won't let us down, but she deserves to be happy in her own right too, and I'm not going to ruin something that makes her really happy."
"Nor am I," said Rei.
Makoto and Ami joined the other inner senshi, leaving Haruka and Michiru with a difficult choice to make. Did they stick with their closest friend against the other senshi and their own leader? They both looked at each other, confused about what to do.
"Let's table this discussion for another day," Michiru suggested. "We won't resolve it today, anyway." She was glad to have said something without committing to anything.
She and Haruka quickly made their exit. "What a shit show," Haruka growled.
"No Kidding. This is like the teens vs. the old ladies."
"Who you calling old, and since when am I a lady?"
"I know. You're a scoundrel."
"No, I'm a gentlemen, you wench."
Setsuna found herself 0 for 2. Usagi wouldn't hear of the future and neither would her scouts. She wished Queen Serenity were here to talk some sense into the girl.
The inner senshi stayed to discuss this turn of events.
"What are we going to tell Usagi-chan?" Ami asked them.
"The truth?" Makoto asked more than stated.
"What exactly do we say?" Rei questioned. "Hey, Sailor Pluto convened your senshi behind your back to try and get us to conspire and get you and Mamoru back together, separating you from your true love. She won't trust Pluto or the other outer senshi."
"Maybe she shouldn't trust Pluto," Minako countered, "at least, not on this."
"Our loyalty is with her," Makoto said. "We have to tell her."
"Do we?" Rei questioned. "Yes, she needs to be told, but can't Luna do it?"
"Luna, Artemis, we should find them."
The two cats were enjoying their time with no youma. "Isn't this nice," Luna purred as she snuggled next to him.
They were about to nap again when the communicator went off. "Luna here."
"Hey, it's Minako. Is Artemis with you?"
"Yes. Is something wrong?"
"There's no youma or anything, but can you two come to the jinja?"
"Alright. Give us 25 minutes."
"It only takes 10 to run there," Artemis said.
"I know, but it will take me 15 minutes to get up."
They eventually ran to Rei's and got there to see what looked like an unhappy group of senshi.
"Where's Usagi?" Luna asked, noticing her absence.
"Sailor Pluto called for a meeting without her," Ami told the cats. Ami gave a summary of the meeting.
Luna was troubled but not surprised. "I was hoping this wouldn't happen."
"You knew?"
"I feared. Setsuna is very intelligent and she's quite meticulous, which is how she got the job in the first place, but one her downsides is that she can be too meticulous. She saw a future and now that it's changing, she assumes disaster and wants to change it back, but you can't go back.
Every future is the continuation of its present and its past. When you change the past, you change everything that happened afterwards. We can't expect Usagi and Mamoru to stay together when they now know their past romance is a lie. Their past romance was the foundation for their relationship. Even if we could get them back together, it would never be what it is in the future that Chibiusa knows."
"So it's too late anyway," Makoto said.
"It is too late to do what Setsuna wants us to do. It doesn't, however, mean it has to be the end of Chibiusa or Crystal Tokyo. I know if there is a way to protect the future, Usagi will find it and do it, but it won't be the path that her future had used before. Whether that is good or bad, who knows, but I am worried that Setsuna will not be deterred by your refusal to help her."
"Why would Queen Serenity make up a past romance for Usagi and Mamoru?" Minako asked the cats.
"I think it was wishful thinking," Artemis suggested. "She always wanted them to fall for each other because of her own ties to the Earth King, and Endymion was willing but the Princess never wanted him. Maybe she thought they would succeed where their past lives had failed."
"She didn't fail; she was murdered," Minako countered.
"I'm just postulating."
"I'm for one, am glad she's no longer with Mamoru. What a putz!" Rei snarled.
"Rei-chan!" Ami chided.
"Seriously. He throws flowers. That's not a power. He's too old for her. He wears that ugly jacket, and he broke up with her over a stupid dream? Really! Not to mention what a baka he was when she moved on to Diamond."
Luna started to chuckle. "I can't say I disagree, but Mamoru means well."
"He does. He's just a putz! Going back in time to test his love for his wife. Who does that? Shouldn't he know if he loves her?"
"I was thinking about that too," Minako said. "If he had to test his love, maybe he didn't even love her in the future that he knows."
While the inner senshi were debating Mamoru's putzness on a scale of 1-7, Diamond and Usagi were hanging out with Esmeralda, Rubeus and some of their college friends.
Usagi was wearing a black leather dress with stiff cups and a pattern at the hip. "You look like a modern Xena," Rubeus told her.
"Huh!"
"You don't know Xena the Warrior Princess. Where was your childhood woman?"
"In Tokyo."
"Oh, dang. They syndicated it on Black Moon."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah. They love trashy heroine shows. There's this senshi show that's popular there, may as well be porn."
Esmeralda rolled her eyes. "The actress who plays Sailor Mars is ugly."
"Haha!"
Someone yelled out time for body shots. Usagi had never done one before and was surprised when Diamond put a shot glass in her cleavage and fished it out with his mouth.
"That's the classy way of doing it," Rubeus said. "Here's the fun way." He poured a shot down Esmeralda's chest and licked it up, causing Usagi to blush and Esmeralda to roll her eyes.
"You done yet."
"Come on. That was more fun for you than it was for me."
"You're not the one who's sticky."
"That's what you think."
Endymion was in the bar, watching from the corner. His Serenity barely drank. How was her predecessor, underage, in a bar, with another man? Now he's doing a shot off her chest. What would Serenity think if she saw this? Was she secretly like this when he had gone away to America?
He lost them in the crowd of bars. They had visited a few before they called it a night.
Usagi tried to sleep in on Sunday morning, but she was unsuccessful. Chibiusa was sent to wake her up. "Pancakes!" she yelled as she jumped up and down on Usagi's bed, shaking the girl awake.
"What?"
"Pancakes, sleepyhead Odango!"
"Ugh! 5 more minutes."
"I'm going to eat your pancakes." The girl ran downstairs.
Usagi dragged herself downstairs to eat.
"Told you I'd eat your pancakes," Chibiusa said as she took the last of them. Usagi just took them off her plate.
"Hey!"
"Haha!" The two girls bickered and eventually shared the stack of pancakes.
"You took a bigger half!" Chibiusa complained.
"I'm bigger."
"In the belly!"
"You take that back!"
Ikuko rolled her eyes. "What silly girls!"
After breakfast, Chibiusa went to watch the Sunday morning cartoons. Usagi started on her homework, and she was just about to change subjects when Luna came in through the window.
"I haven't seen you in a while," Usagi said as she looked up.
"I've been with Artemis and then I had to see the other senshi."
"Is something wrong?"
"It's not youma, but it is a problem." Luna explained how Setsuna had convened a meeting with the other senshi and how she is determined to get you back with Mamoru.
"Do you think she's dangerous?" Usagi asked her, worried that something might happen to Diamond.
"I think she's well-meaning, but the path to hell is paved with good intentions. If she doesn't calm down, she might do something really stupid."
Usagi was not happy with that answer. "What should I do?"
Luna wasn't sure what to tell her. "You could try reaching out to her, but you have to be careful. Her actions last night were bordering insubordination. You don't want to encourage that, but you also don't want a confrontation with her if you can avoid it. Maybe you should meet the other outer senshi first? They can give you some insight on Setsuna."
Luna had not spoken to the guardian of time since the Silver Millennium.
Usagi decided to go back to her homework and then figure out what to do about Setsuna.
She didn't do anything for a couple of days. She did tell Diamond and Sapphire to be careful, but neither of them was too worried about her. While Setsuna decided to take some time to plan her next action, Endymion was more impulsive.
Diamond and Usagi came to pick up Chibiusa from school one day when a man came out and starting yelling at him. "Leave my daughter alone you scoundrel!"
Diamond tightened his hold on the girl. "Who the heck is that?"
"It must be King Endymion." Usagi looked at him. "Why are you making a scene?"
"Me. What am I supposed to do, sit back and do nothing while my daughter is in the custody of a harlot and a pimp?"
Usagi's jaw dropped. Diamond's did as well and Chibiusa said, "what's a harlot? And what's a pimp?"
"They are not words that six year olds should concern themselves with."
"I'm almost seven!"
"Get in the car," Diamond hissed as he handed Usagi the key and Chibiusa. He squared up against the King.
"I don't know what you're trying to do here, but if you call Usagi out of her name again, I'll make you eat your words."
"Is that right?" the futuristic man mocked.
"Shouldn't you go home to your wife? I mean, if she's still your wife that is." Diamond struck a nerve. Endymion went for a punch and missed. "You're still impulsive and hot tempered, just like last time."
"What the hell are you talking about?" The king went for a second punch, missing again.
"Don't you remember? The last time we fought, I killed you. I'd hate to do it again."
The king tried to kick him, but Diamond blocked it with his leg. "Give up while you're behind." He shoved the man to the ground got in his car and drove off.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," Diamond said as he got to the main road.
"I haven't seen him that mad in a long time," Chibiusa said as she curled into a ball.
"I can't believe he'd act like that in front of his own daughter."
"I might not be his daughter anymore," she grumbled. She had felt the connection she had to Endymion dying, and now it might finally be broken.
"What did you say?"
"Don't worry about it. Can you take me to Setsuna? I need to talk to her."
Usagi pursed her lips, but she wasn't surprised that Chibiusa knew her too. "I don't know where she lives. Do you?"
The girl shook her head. "Can I borrow your phone?"
Chibiusa gave the woman a call. She had kept her number written down on a pice of paper she kept in her backback.
"Hi, Setsuna. It's Chibiusa. You told me to tell you if I saw him. Yeah, he showed up at my school and made a scene. Can we talk? Where do you live? I'm on my way."
She gave the address and Diamond drove. When they got there, Chibiusa ran out of the car and knocked on the door.
"Should we go with her?" Diamond asked.
Usagi shrugged. "I would think so, but I never know with Chibiusa. She's full of secrets."
"You go up to the door with her, and I'll wait in the car. Wave to me, if you want me to join you."
She kissed his cheek and went after Chibiusa. Setsuna had just opened the door when she saw that Usagi was there with her.
"Small Lady, Princess. Come inside."
She shut the door, effectively telling Diamond to stay put.
"Can you tell me what happened today?" She looked at Chibiusa.
"He showed up and yelled at Diamond. He called Usagi a harlot and Diamond a pimp, but they wouldn't tell me what that means. Then he tried to fight Diamond, but he kept missing. They were arguing over something, but Usagi put me in the car, so I couldn't hear. Then Diamond shoved him down and we left. Then I called you and we came here."
"I see, and have either of you seen him before?"
"They shook their heads."
"I do, however, think he's been haunting Mamoru's dreams, but you probably already know that."
Setsuna didn't answer with words, but her eyes said everything. "I'm sure he's quite confused. He has been with Serenity for over 1000 years at this point."
He reminded me of why I dumped Mamoru, Usagi said to herself. The Earth Prince had seen her as a little girl and not a woman. When he did see her "all grown up" at the club, his first reaction was to think she had been scandalized, that Diamond had made her into some kind of slut. She resented that. Why shouldn'y she be proud of her body and be able to enjoy herself without being deemed loose.
"But the present is changing, which means the future is changing too. When will he catch up?" More importantly, when will you?
"I don't think it's that simple. You can't expect his memories to just vanish."
"Wouldn't they if he goes back home? His memories are based on what happened to Mamoru from now until 1000 years into the future. If Mamoru makes different choices now, then the basis for Endymion's memories will change. Right now, he thinks he's in love with Serenity, but if Mamoru loves another, won't he love her too?"
"Mamo-chan has a new girlfriend," Chibiusa said. "She's pretty and graceful." She gave Usagi an eye.
Usagi rolled her eyes at the girl. They both looked at Setsuna for an answer.
She did not have one to give. No, she did have an answer, but not one she wanted to tell the Princesses. "Mamoru and Endymion are linked, but they are not identical. Eventually, they will converge as one but until then, it is unclear how Endymion will react to the changes in the present. You cannot change the future by making a couple manipulations in this time."
"So, we can still form Crystal Tokyo and have Chibiusa even if I don't marry him."
"That's not what I said at all."
"Actually, I think it is. Thanks Setsuna."
Usagi skipped away. Chibiusa chuckled until Setsuna glared at her. Then she stopped.
"And to think, someday, she'll be a queen," Chibiusa remarked as the girls made their exit.
