AN: So… This is late coming out again. Why, you may ask? Because once more I have not gotten a decent number of reviews. Dear readers, please. I've told you time and again how I'm struggling with this story, so without some feedback it's going to take a long time for me to get through this. Hearing from you is encouraging and gives me a reason to press on. So please, keep that in mind.

Disclaimer: As usual, I own nothing and never will. *Sobs*

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"Uranus, what should I do? How do I put the Talismans back?"

"Odango Atama… rather, Sailor Moon… we don't mind. But… I want you to protect these Talismans… and please find the last Talisman…"

"Haruka-san!"

It was clear the older girl was fading fast. Her breaths were becoming shallower, and she was having trouble focusing her gaze.

"Legendary Messiah… the Holy Grail…"

"Legendary Messiah?" Venus repeated.

"Who's that?" Mars demanded.

"The dreadful Silence… and the coming of the ruin of the world… She's the only one who can stop it. When the Messiah has the Holy Grail, the world will be saved…"

Her eyes closed.

"NO!" Usagi screamed.

Zoisite bent over to examine her. "I can hear a faint heartbeat."

Their princess tried to wipe away her tears. "I… Haruka-san, why? If you had asked me… if you had only asked me… I would have been able to tell you the truth. I knew where to find the Talismans this whole time…"

"How?" Nephrite asked gently.

"The past… I didn't know before… because they didn't tell me what they were trying to find…" She managed a teary laugh. "I could have stopped this if I had known…"

"What was it?" Jadeite pressed.

"Their Talismans… I remember the Grail, now… Mother had it in her chamber… I didn't think it was this because they already had them… then… But… they do something else… I can't remember what…"

Tuxedo Kamen pulled her closer. "Usako, calm down. Shh…"

"How can we return the Talismans and their pure heart crystals to them?" Jupiter asked.

A pillar of flame erupted between them as they screamed, the men sheltering the women as much as they could. Kunzite had Chibi Moon as well, keeping her off to the side as Eudial dashed through and took the mirror and sword.

"I have two Talismans," she announced.

"No way!" Usagi cried. "MOON COSMIC POWER, MAKE-UP!"

She spun through the transformation as quickly as she could, determined that their enemies would not have the lives of anyone, let alone her precious Senshi.

"Those Talismans are the pure hearts of Haruka-san and Michiru-san! Give them back!"

Eudial leveled her weapon at them. "FIRE… BUSTER!"

The fire from before met Sailor Moon head on, throwing her back by the fallen Outer Senshi. A ring of it encircled the group.

"How do you like it?" their enemy drawled. "This is the power of the improved Fire Buster II which I'm applying for a patent!"

"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" Mercury cried.

It was no use. The flames only surged higher around them, causing another worried outcry.

"Shine Aqua Illusion doesn't work!"

"Eyes to eyes! Fire to fire!" Mars snapped. "BURNING MANDALA!"

It netted about the same results.

"Don't, Mars, the flames are getting bigger!" Jupiter ordered.

Eudial laughed. "Your damn attacks cannot extinguish the flames of Fire Buster. You guys will be burned to a crisp!"

She turned and ran off, and Kunzite narrowed his eyes. "Sailor Moon, go after her. We will combine powers to stop the fire as you do."

"No." Her voice was grim. "You don't have enough power."

"I can try!" Chibi Moon exclaimed. The others studied her skeptically. "I can! Luna-P is made with your future powers, so it should be enough. Luna-P, extinguish!"

The cat-ball exploded into a cloud of white smoke, and the fire instantly died out.

The Senshi and Shitennou immediately ran after Eudial, but Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen paused a moment by the dying warriors.

"Uranus, Neptune, wait and see! I promise… I'll take back the Talismans! And I'll restore your pure hearts!"

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She didn't expect to find them stuck to the floor.

"What happened?" she asked finally as she watched Zoisite do an exceedingly un-graceful flop in the gluey substance.

"Sticky liquid," Mercury reported. "We can't move!"

Kunzite was the only one loose- he had teleported an instant before the wave hit them. "I can get them out, but it will take a few minutes. You have to go after her before she gets away."

"…How?" An idea occurred to her an instant later and she winced. "That's how. Everyone, forgive me…"

She proceeded to use them as launching pads to clear the affected area, shouting a second apology over her shoulder as she continued following Eudial through the deserted cathedral.

'I have to save them… Uranus and Neptune's pure hearts… I have to get back the Talismans!'

Eudial was about to reach an exit when Sailor Moon reached her.

"You not only trample upon people's hearts but also try to steal their precious lives! Agent of love and justice, pretty Sailor Soldier, Sailor Moon! In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

She pulled the Spiral Heart Moon Rod, but Eudial just smirked. "Aren't you bluffing? I bested your deadly attack before. I hope you still remember. There's a distinct difference in power levels between us. If you don't want to die, you'd better leave right now!"

"Even if I'm blown to bits, I will at least take back the Talismans!" She focused on the weapon. "MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!"

"FIRE BUSTER!"

The streams of hearts and flame met in midair, and Sailor Moon's attack shattered under its assault as Eudial laughed. "See? I told you. Fire Buster II is a big improvement over Fire Buster. Your failed attack is nothing to me. Sailor Moon, you've been interfering with me for so long… Today, I will make you pay for that."

The sun had come out from behind the clouds, and the light pouring through the stained glass windows cast strange shadows around the room. Eudial's face was all but indistinct through the bright colors. Then it vanished again, leaving the chamber all but dark.

"FIRE-!"

"Stop!"

Both combatants froze as another woman stepped into the room. She had long green hair and there was an air of authority about her. Sailor Moon recognized her at once.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Meioh Setsuna-san!"

"Eudial, I will take back the Talismans."

"What?" Eudial cried as the rest of the team rejoined Sailor Moon.

"PLUTO PLANET POWER, MAKE-UP!"

"Sailor Pluto!" said Chibi Moon.

"Nice to see you again."

"Why are you here?" Jupiter asked.

"The last Talisman… is with me!" Pluto declared, holding her Time Staff aloft. The Garnet Orb glinted at its head.

Eudial was shocked, but she recovered quickly. "This is convenient. I can save time and energy in finding the last one."

The Orb glimmered and detached itself from the staff, coming to rest in Pluto's hand. "I won't give you villains the Talismans!"

It began to glow a deep red, and that triggered a reaction in its two counterparts. Now shining as well, both the mirror and sword flew from Eudial's grasp even as she reached for them.

They formed a triangle as Pluto's tiara vanished, her planetary symbol appearing on her forehead. The other two Outer Senshi appeared before their respective items, reflecting similar changes.

"Uranus!" Sailor Moon cried.

"Neptune!" said Venus.

Pure heart crystals emerged from the Talismans and returned to their keepers even as the others watched.

"The pure hearts…" Jupiter whispered.

Mars finished the thought. "…Are going back into them!"

"I'm so glad!" Sailor Moon said.

The warriors opened their eyes and Uranus was the first to speak. "The real Talismans!"

"We don't need any sacrifices!" Neptune realized.

"Talismans have such mysterious powers," said Venus.

They reached out and took hold of their heart's treasures. Brilliant white light poured from them, all but blinding the others. When it cleared, a triangular pyramid of light had formed with the three Talismans at the base. Something else blossomed at its apex.

It was a chalice of sorts, cast of gold with a red base, a crescent moon at the top. Pluto studied it gravely.

"Depending on who controls it, it is said to either lead the world to ruin or peace with its unlimited power. This is the Holy Grail."

"The Holy Grail… is mine!" Eudial shrieked, drawing her Fire Buster and launching a burst of flame at the three guardians of the outer solar system and stopping them from reaching the sacred item. A second blast consumed the area around the rest of the warriors.

Thinking her victory assured, Eudial sprinted for the Grail laughing, but Sailor Moon was determined as well. She leapt through the flames and rolled before shooting to her feet.

"I won't let you have it!"

"Don't interrupt!"

She attacked the Moon Senshi again and the blonde was thrown back by the force of the flames with a shriek. As their enemy turned to the Grail once more, she struggled to her feet despite the burns and went after her.

The injury hindered her, but Sailor Moon's youth and speed allowed her to close the gap between herself and the villainess even as her Senshi still cried out whilst trapped in the inferno. They leapt for the Grail, but the younger girl managed at the last second to be just the tiniest bit ahead and managed to take the precious object first. As she did, her broach flared.

Eudial was thrown back as an impossibly brilliant wave of light poured through the building, instantly extinguishing the raging fires.

"Sailor Moon…" Chibi Moon whispered.

She held the Grail over her head as it opened. A fresh burst of power surrounded her. When it cleared, plain old Sailor Moon wasn't there. She was something… more.

Her uniform had changed- her skirt was now white, yellow and blue, and her bow had become white and was far longer than before. There were new ornaments in her hair. She looked beautiful.

"Sailor Moon!" her daughter cried again.

"A new awakening?" Tuxedo Kamen wondered.

Eudial wasn't prepared to admit defeat. "FIRE BUSTER!"

The flames shot forward, but as they reached this new Sailor Moon, she only held up a hand. They arced back and sent Eudial crashing through the window.

"Sailor Moon…" whispered Uranus.

"Is she the Messiah who will save the world from the Silence?" asked Neptune.

Pluto remained as inscrutable as ever.

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Her new transformation faded, and back in her own form Sailor Moon fell to her knees before collapsing backward. Tuxedo Kamen had to run to catch her before she could hurt herself. The others hurried to join them, barring the Outer Senshi.

"Sailor Moon!"

Her eyes opened slowly, and she managed to work up a smile. "Mamo-chan…"

"Are you all right?"

"Please pull yourself together!" Mercury encouraged.

"I feel weak… almost exhausted…"

"Sailor Moon isn't the Messiah?" Uranus asked. "The real Messiah has unlimited power. With such a small use, Sailor Moon was exhausted."

"Then the real Messiah exists somewhere else?" said Neptune.

"It seems that we have been given a new mission."

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They left after that, taking their helicopter back to Tokyo. Pluto accompanied them, a member of their team, leaving the Guardian Senshi and the Shitennou in the empty cathedral.

Sailor Moon was beginning to shake. "Kunzite… send me and Mamo-chan… to his apartment," she ordered.

"You should return home," he cautioned gently.

"No… just… do it…"

The eldest member of the team studied her for several long beats before inclining his head. "If that is your wish. I will return the rest of the team to Hikawa Shrine, then."

She nodded, so he laid a hand over hers and Tuxedo Kamen's. In a blink, they were gone.

"Zoisite, help me teleport everyone else back. Take only one at a time. There is no point in exhausting yourself needlessly."

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She released her henshin as soon as they arrived, but Usagi's trembling was only increasing. "Mamo-chan!"

"What's wrong?" he demanded. "Usako?"

"It hurts. It hurts, Mamo-chan!"

He pulled her closer, but he froze when his hand encountered something wet on her back. Moving her hair aside, his veins seemed to fill with ice.

It was blood.

The entire back of her school uniform top was stained crimson already, and more seemed to be seeping through. There were even hints of red on some of her hair.

"Usako, what's happening?" he asked, determined to stay calm.

"My wings… they hurt!"

"Wings?"

She managed to nod despite the shaking. "I guess… I'm an early bloomer…"

It took a moment to find the appropriate memories in Endymion's consciousness, but Mamoru understood an instant later.

The Moon Princess was supposed to inherit her wings at the standardized age of eighteen. Serenity had died at sixteen, so she never had, and Usagi was only fifteen in their current life.

"Mercury told you that day with so many Daimons that it made something possible. Is this…?"

"I guess…" Her voice trailed off as she cringed in pain. "Apparently."

"Did Queen Serenity ever tell you what to expect?"

"Not really… Not when it was still a few years away…"

"We'll figure it out," he assured her before handing her an old shirt of his. "Go get out of your uniform and wear this. It won't matter if it gets blood on it. Then I'll see what I can do about this."

He could hear her murmured complaints as she stepped into the bathroom to change. She left her crumpled uniform on the floor- he would wash it once he had taken care of her- and rejoined him on his bed, lying on her stomach so he could take a look at her back.

"Here we go," he murmured. "No full wings yet, but you've got little nubs at your shoulder blades. They cut through the skin, so that's why you're bleeding. Give me a moment to get my medical kit and I'll clean it off and bandage it for you. Okay?"

Usagi nodded. "Be fast?"

"I will."

And he was. Darting to the living room for his supplies took less than a minute, and he was already rummaging through it for the things he needed as he returned.

The wing nubs turned out to be exceptionally tender. He had to wash all the surrounding blood away first and to clean what remained with only the lightest of touches. Several layers of gauze were taped into place over each, and fortunately the bleeding had slowed enough that it didn't soak through.

"There, all better. Want some pain meds, or are you okay?"

"I'm okay. It hurts less now."

"Any ideas what happened to trigger this?"

"I think the Grail… maybe. It is mine, though."

"This is why you were so exhausted. Right?"

"I guess so."

He ducked into the bathroom and scooped up her uniform. "I'll soak this in some cold water. Do you want anything?"

She shook her head. "I just need to sleep, I think."

"I'll call Kunzite and have him ask Mina to make excuses for you. He won't ask questions."

"Okay," she murmured tiredly, already drifting off.

Mamoru sighed and went to the kitchen, filling the sink with cold water and dropping the bloody clothes in. Once that was going, he used his mental link with his generals to ask Kunzite to help, and as expected he agreed without question.

Task accomplished, he sank into a chair in his living room.

He hated how useless he was to Usagi. No matter what he did, she was always ahead of him, and there was never anything he could do to help her. She accomplished everything on her own.

Oh, he was proud of her for it. Anyone could see how far she'd come from the little crybaby of Sailor Moon's early days. He had the singular honor of being the only one that had been able to watch her from the very first, save Luna, and he didn't think Luna really appreciated the huge amounts of progress her charge had made.

Still, it was so frustrating to only be able to pull her away at the last minute, or to be the one that sat with her after her world saving antics left her injured. He wanted to be able to stand with her, to take the blows with her so she didn't always have to be the one that was hurt.

She carried the burden of the world, and all he could do was pat her hand as she struggled to get past it. Half the time he was her burden anyway.

"I was supposed to be saving her," he told the empty room. "When did she outgrow me?"

"I'll never outgrow you."

Mamoru spun around at the sound of her voice, taking in the tantalizing sight of the girl he loved more than anything standing at the doorway of his bedroom in only one of his oversized shirts.

"I thought you were trying to sleep," he said gently.

She frowned, puzzled. "I did. It's been almost three hours."

"Three-?" He hadn't realized he'd spent that long lost in his thoughts. "I guess I should make some supper then. You must be hungry."

Usagi nodded. "Mamo-chan, are you okay?"

"Fine."

"Really. What's wrong?"

The upperclassman sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess I'm wondering when you stopped needing me."

"I'll always need you. What are you talking about?"

"In the beginning, you did. You were so afraid, and I was the one that helped you through it. But look at you now, Usako. What can I do to help you when you're helping everyone? You save me now. Not the other way around."

She reached for him, and he went to her at once as she wrapped her arms around his waist, ignoring the pull it exerted on her sore back. "But you save me too, Mamo-chan. I couldn't do this without you."

"You could too."

Usagi shook her head. "I couldn't. I'm not brave enough or strong enough or smart enough. If I didn't have you and my Senshi, I don't know what I'd do. You're my courage and my inspiration. I would be lost without you."

"You didn't see yourself today," he said in a low voice. "You were amazing. You held all the power in the world. You stopped an attack that had beaten all of us without a word. You were amazing, Usako. How can I compete with that?"

"So don't compete. We're not the same. I could never be a healer like you are. I'll never be clever or brave. I don't need someone like me. I need someone that balances me. Someone that can do what I can't. I need you, Mamo-chan. I will always need you. Even if it's only to let me cry on your shoulder when I'm scared. It doesn't matter, because in the end, regardless of how much you can do against our enemies, you can do so much for me."

Mamoru managed a chuckle. "Look at you, all grown up. I think you're wiser than you realize." She blushed at the compliment, making him laugh outright. "Let's get you some food."

He was just pulling various ingredients from the cupboard when someone knocked. He set the bag of rice aside with a sigh.

"I'll get it. It'll only be a second." He opened the door just a crack, ready to get rid of whoever it was, but stopped. "Motoki."

The blond pushed his way past Mamoru and headed into the living room. "You know how you told me your enemies had a thing for black stars? Do you know anything about the Marine Cathedral?"

"We were there earlier. Why?"

"They found a white panel van with a black star on it in the ocean nearby. There was a woman inside."

"What happened?" Usagi asked as she stepped out of the kitchen.

Motoki froze when he got a look at her. "What have you been up to? Mamoru?"

"What are you talk- oh. Motoki, you're being absurd."

She frowned and glanced between the two of them. "I don't know what either of you are saying."

"He's getting the wrong idea," Mamoru answered. "She's injured, you jerk. I didn't do anything."

"Injured? Are you okay, Usagi-chan?"

"I'll be fine."

"Why are you dressed like that?"

Usagi abruptly realized why Motoki had been acting so strange. "Oh! Motoki-onii-san, my uniform had blood on it, so Mamo-chan let me wear this while he washes it. It would be hard to explain to Mama, after all."

"See? I didn't do anything. You were saying?"

"I was saying? Ah. Yeah, they fished a van out of the water a few minutes ago after someone reported a break in. The woman was dead."

"Dead?" Usagi repeated. "Who is?"

"I think Motoki is telling us something happened to Eudial. What did the woman look like? Do you know?"

"Red hair, red clothes… I think?"

The petite teen nodded. "Eudial. She's dead? How?"

"According to the police, brake failure."

"How sad…"

"Well, at least we know," Mamoru told her. "Time to go home, Motoki. I was making dinner, and Usako needs to rest."

"You sure you're okay, Usagi-chan?"

"Yeah. Be careful, okay? I don't know when the enemy will make their next move."

"I will. See you guys tomorrow?"

"Probably," Mamoru responded.

"Great. Bye!"

The couple watched him go. Usagi turned to Mamoru as soon as the door closed.

"I know Eudial wouldn't have hesitated to kill us, but it's still sad. I had hoped…"

"You can't save everyone, Usako."

She sighed. "I guess not."

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AN: Okay, to be honest, the reason this is actually late is because I didn't get around to writing it till today. I've been entirely unmotivated. But the review thing is still true! I've been fairly nice about it so far, but I've got to say it now. I will not punish new chapters without a minimum of three reviews on the old one. I don't want to be mean, but I REALLY need the help with this one, so please humor me. Till next time!