After the End
Chapter 1: Going off the rails
1992
Tokyo
Queen Usagi Lady Serenity stood alone in the center of an empty street. All was quiet, and the moon above shone warmly upon her. She had done it. She had made it to her past. Now perhaps, she would have time to undo what she had done.
She looked down at her tattered court gown and grimaced. There was no telling what a mess her hair was. She raised the sword in her right hand and it changed back into the rose and gold wand, an adaptation of the technology used to create her original Disguise Pen.
When Small Lady (don't cry) had turned seventeen, Serenity had given her the original Disguise Pen, and Ami (bite your lip and be strong) had created the more powerful, less showy, Incognita Wand.
"Here you are, all finished. My Incognita Wand."
"Incognita? What's wrong with 'Disguise Wand'?"
"This sounds more ...royal... I suppose..."
"Ami-chan! I feel like it's smarter than me!"
"Minako, it is smarter than you..."
"Rei-chan! You're horrible!"
She stopped for a moment, holding the memory, and let herself breathe. She was going to make it all better. She was going to fix everything. Serenity breathed deep and let the moment pass.
She waved the wand over herself, imagining what she wanted, and rose light cascaded over her from the rose crystal.
The light faded quickly to reveal a girl who, for all mortal purposes, was Tsukino Usagi, a fourteen-year-old junior high school girl. Someone whose greatest tragedies in life were the terrible test scores she hid from her mother, not the premature deaths of her husband and daughter (hush now) as the mere preamble to the slaughter of her entire kingdom.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Okay.
Serenity made a curious gesture with one hand and the wand slid into what looked like nothing at all. It would return when she needed it.
She walked into the night. Even after two thousand years, she still remembered the way home.
Usagi woke from her dream with an unpleasant abruptness. There was a hand over her mouth. She squeaked, the sound muffled, and looked with wide eyes into a queerly familiar face.
"Keep quiet, me." The other her said in a low voice. Usagi nodded. The other her removed her hand.
"Who are you? Are you my evil twin? A robot duplicate? That dream again? A-"
The hand was back.
"Look, we'll never get anywhere if you can't keep still for two breaths." The other her sighed, sounding eerily like Usagi's mother. "I came back too early. You won't understand any of this."
Usagi shrugged her confusion.
"Okay, let's try this again."
Both Usagi and the other Usagi were completely silent for a moment.
"Good." The other her said. "Now, listen, this is more important than I know how to communicate."
Usagi clapped both of her own hands over her mouth and sat back. The other her perched on the footboard, demonstrating a sense of balance that Usagi found quite foreign.
"I am you. That much should be obvious. I come from the far, far distant future, by means too complex to explain- and you wouldn't really understand anyway." The other her gave Usagi a sympathetic look. "I first found out about time travel about a year from now, and I didn't understand a lick of it."
Usagi was stunned. Of course, she believed herself- how could she not, but on the other hand, what?
"Excuse me? Other me?" Usagi raised a hand as though she was in class. "Why are you here? Do you need to tell me the lottery numbers or something?"
The other her looked confused for a few seconds. "Lotto-? Oh, that. The lottery has, um, a different meaning in my time. No. Not that." She took a deep breath. "I'm here because your future is, well, messed up."
Usagi considered that for a moment, and then started to cry. "I got expelled for bad grades? I knew it!" The other her reached over and muffled her before the wail could begin.
"No, Usagi! Please, this is far more serious than school! Please just listen!" Finally, Usagi straightened and sniffled her way to a stop. Fortunately, this was nowhere near enough to rouse the household.
"The bad things happen a long, long time from now. Before that, a lot of good things happen, okay?" The other her looked a little frazzled, so Usagi just nodded and tried not to say anything. "In just a few days you become a superhero. Yes, like Sailor V-chan..."
The other her talked for a few minutes, outlining Usagi's life for the next few years, up through her marriage and her daughter. She was going to be famous, world-renowned, a princess, and a queen- and get the hottest guy around to marry her. Usagi was ready to burst from happiness, and she kept making excited squeaks every time the other her mentioned anything new.
"Now, here is the bad, Usagi. Are you ready?"
Usagi took a deep breath and nodded. "I can hardly believe any of this is real!" She whispered excitedly. "In fact, I'm pretty sure this is another dream..." She screwed up her face. "If you turn into an evil custard, I'm going to hit you with my pillow."
The other her just smiled sadly. "All right. Just don't wake your parents- the mental fix they'd give themselves would be impossible to sort out." She took a moment and plunged forwards. "A few years after Small Lady was born, we received a visit from a strange ambassador from another region of space. They seemed friendly, so we agreed to treat with them. We established a trade route, held diplomatic functions, and so on. The Sailor Team even visited their home world a few times.
"We were friends. We thought.
"A month after Small Lady turned thirteen, they finally struck at us for real. There had been rumors of trouble, little incidents, little signs that they didn't respect us. Then the plague came.
"It was transmitted all along their trade routes. Everything they sent us- and they sent a lot- was contaminated with a magical virus. It only struck humans- those born of Earth, to be precise. A quarter of the world died. My Mamo-chan was among them."
The other her had to stop talking for a moment, wiping at her eyes. Usagi leaned forwards and hugged herself impulsively. The other her recovered herself quickly.
"After Ami-chan discovered the source of the plague, we cut off contact with them and declared war. It was exactly what they wanted. They invaded our colonies, destroyed and enslaved our people, until only Earth remained, and then only Crystal Tokyo. Finally, a few hours ago, Crystal Tokyo was destroyed. Everyone I knew and everyone I was supposed to protect was dead or enslaved.
"I traveled back in time."
Serenity looked at her younger self. Usagi was all big eyes and big heart, innocent trust incarnate. She had missed being that person.
"Can we fix it?" Usagi asked. "Can we fix the future? I don't want that to happen."
"We can. That's the only reason I dared to come back." She rested her hands on Usagi's shoulders. "I have to ask a great thing of you, little me." Usagi's face was far more serious than it had ever been in her fourteen years.
"Anything."
"I have to become you."
"What? You want to steal my body?" Usagi looked disgusted.
"Not really. We'll both become each other. I'll be you and you'll be me, one person in one body, just past and future together. We'll ...merge..."
"Merge?"
"You'll be you. Just... with my memories and experience." Serenity didn't mention the cynicism or the despair.
"I'll be you and you'll be me." Usagi looked up. "We'll save everyone?"
"We'll save everyone."
"Okay."
Serenity leaned forwards into that trusting face and laid a gentle kiss on Usagi's innocent mouth. She briefly thought I'm stealing my own first kiss. Then she dissolved into lights. Usagi gasped and, in that sharp intake of breath, she inhaled the lights. Usagi lit from within until her glow rivaled the moon.
Then she collapsed.
"Hey Odango Atama!"
"These are special cookies!"
"In the name of the moon- Sailormoon!"
"No, I won't let you win- I'll save everyone!"
"I remember..."
"Mamo-chan, I love you."
"I am Neo-Queen Serenity, ruler of this green planet."
"We would be please to make an agreement with you, on our terms of course."
"We must not listen to rumors."
"Mamo-chan, can you hear me? Mamo-chan?"
"Don't worry, Usagi-chan. Chibi-usa will be safe with me."
"There were no survivors."
"You will have to kill me."
"I traveled back in time."
"We'll save everyone?"
"Usagi-chan! Usagi-chan! Please wake up!"
Serenity sat straight up in bed, her eyes darting rapidly around the room. Spying an unfamiliar shape, she grabbed the closest object and flung it furiously.
"GAH! Usagi! Get out of bed!"
Serenity looked at her mother in supreme embarrassment, trying to reconcile the sensation of humiliation at her overreaction with the sudden flood of relief at seeing her mother again and also with the sense that this was completely normal and that she could probably sleep another five minutes if she really wanted.
She got up. "Sorry mom!" She called after her retreating, fuming mother. She started getting dressed, relying on Usagi's normal routine while she tried to let her situation sink in.
She'd done it. The first step. She was back in her younger body, with her younger personality fused with her older self. She felt much more upbeat already. This body still held the ginzuishou, the illusion silver crystal, in part. She would have to retrieve the njizuishou before she could use it, of course, but just being competent in battle would probably make the first stage of her plan ridiculously simple.
It was already fairly simple. Find her friends. Don't let them die. Destroy Beryl, Metallia, and all the rest, and make Earth safe for mankind. Then... well, then she'd have to deal with them.
Serenity clattered down the stairs, fully dressed, and grabbed her bento and three pieces of toast. She was determined not to eat her lunch in class. She'd lived for over two thousand years, but the humiliation of her junior high school punishments still troubled her on occasion. She scraped jam over all three slices, stacked them up, and left the house, giving her mother a quick kiss on the cheek before departing.
She ran briskly, unflustered, with purpose. She knew exactly what she was looking for- up ahead, around this bend- there! A tight ring of small boys surrounded a violet-black cat with a bandaged brow.
"Hey! Get away from that cat!" Serenity called, bearing down on them in a fury. The boys yelped and scattered, leaving only the cringing kitty. Serenity bent down close, moving gently. "Hey now, dear one," she cooed, "no need to fuss. You're okay now." Serenity gently stroked the cat, and got a gentle grip on her before peeling the bandage away. The cat hissed and tried to scratch.
"Luna!" Serenity snapped, holding the cat. "Don't you dare. I'm trying to help you." At the sound of her real name, Luna froze and looked up. Disbelief was clear on her tiny face.
Serenity picked her up. "Luna. Guardian of the Silver Millennium. Calm the hell down."
The little cat's jaw dropped. She still didn't speak, but the reaction was far too human for a 'real' cat.
"It's okay, Luna. I remember. I know exactly who I am." Serenity stood up, cradling the little cat. "I have to get to school, but if we're careful, we can talk on the way." After a few steps she looked down at the shocked kitty. "I know you can talk. Please say something."
"You know who you are?" Luna squeaked, voice rusty from disuse. "I don't remember you at all."
Serenity looked at her strangely. "Really?" She kept walking. "Okay, well I'm Sailormoon. The one who... right. I forgot you wouldn't remember me." (stupid) Serenity remembered there had been no Sailormoon during her mother's reign. "I'm Serenity." She said finally. It was true enough. (better not mention the future yet)
"Serenity? Can it really be you?" Luna was not going to be unshocked any time soon. "I can't believe I've found you so soon."
"Technically, I found you." Serenity couldn't resist. Luna had always been a little too superior. It was nice knowing things she didn't. "And really, you couldn't recognize this crazy hairdo?" (they don't have tact in the future) She smiled to take the sting off. "But I think you have something of mine."
"The ginzuishou?" Luna shook her head. "If you don't have it, I can't begin to think where it could be."
"No, I know where it- well, how to get it. I need my brooch."
"Very well, I can procure it for you." Luna paused. Her sharp little brain had caught up to something Serenity had said earlier. "How is it that you remember? Queen Serenity buried everyone's memories... they couldn't have resurfaced." Her eyes narrowed. "Prove you're who you say you are."
Serenity sighed. "I am the only child of Her Majesty Queen Serenity, Princess Usagi Lady Serenity. I was guarded by four soldiers of the four near planets; Mars, Venus, Mercury and Jupiter. I loved the Prince of the Earth, Endymion, and died for that love. I killed myself with the stone sword to follow him into death. My mother saved our souls and sent all of us forwards in time. The Dark Kingdom who destroyed our home is back and trying to take over Earth again. I like ice skating, the color pink, and rabbits. You snore and talk in your sleep and have a crush on Artemis which you won't admit. And you've seen Kunzite naked but you never told anyone... except me."
"I think... I think I believe you."
"You'd better." Serenity snorted, "Here we are." She turned and set the little cat down. "If you wait for me, I'll pass by this gate again once school is over." She turned to go inside.
"Wait, Serenity!" Luna quickly flipped into the air, pulling the brooch from her sub space pocket. "Here's the brooch. I didn't even know I had it until you mentioned it."
Serenity smiled. "Mother always was the sneaky one." She said enigmatically, and walked into the building.
"It's beautiful! But what is it?"
"You mean it's not familiar?" Serenity held out a golden brooch, laying it beside the one in Chibi-usa's tiny hand.
"No way! Really? I get to be a senshi now?" Chibi-usa was nearly floating from glee.
"I'm sending you back to the past to train, little one." Serenity smiled. Chibi-usa's warmth and curiosity would be the only thing that could save Hotaru. She tried not to think of the dangers inherent in the task she sent her daughter to accomplish.
"That's amazing!" Chibi-usa grinned, and then thought of something. "But, I'll miss you, mommy."
"You'll have Usagi, remember? She's mommy too."
"No, she's Usagi. You're mommy."
"Usagi! Put your lunch away and get out in the hall!" Serenity guiltily dropped her onigiri back into the bento. She hadn't even noticed she was eating it until Haruna-sensei caught her at it. (Damn my teenage appetite) Blushing furiously, she stood up to leave the classroom.
"Usagi, before you leave us, would you care to answer the question? Who was the inventor of the printing press?"
"Gutenberg?" Serenity guessed, and walked out. She missed Haruna's stunned expression.
At the end of class, Haruna called her over. "Usagi, we need to talk." Serenity sat down, a serious expression on her face. "Usagi, I've graded this morning's pop quiz, and I noticed something very surprising- I think I need to call your mother."
Serenity bowed her head. She remembered this one. Haruna held up the paper. A vivid red '98%' was circled at the top of the page.
"I don't understand." Serenity said. She'd never scored this high- especially this early in her life.
"Neither do I." Haruna sighed. "Usagi, I'm going to assume this is a fluke- I'm not going to tell your mother- but don't let it happen again."
"What?"
"As you know, our school takes cheating very seriously, and-"
"WHAT?" Serenity was livid. She snatched the paper away from Haruna. "I have never cheated in my life, Haruna-sensei!" She pulled herself up to her full (diminutive) height, and glared down at her seated instructor. "I will not mention this unjust accusation to my father- or anyone else- but do not dare accuse me again!"
"Then how-?" Haruna faltered.
"I knew the answers." Serenity met Haruna's gaze. "I thought you believed in all your students."
Serenity stormed out of the classroom in a red fury. She was halfway across the grounds before she realized how over the top her reaction had been. Haruna had never seen her score above a minimum passing grade. Haruna didn't know Usagi as anything but a lazy, hungry, sleepy teenager.
"Oops." She sighed. That had really been far too much. She hadn't counted on this reaction- but she knew mixing her current confidence with her juvenile self's impulsiveness could have unanticipated results. Serenity looked at the paper and shook her head. She crumpled it up and tossed it backwards towards a nearby trash bin.
"Hey! Watch it!"
She turned around very, very slowly, trying not to breathe.
It was him. Serenity just stared, eyes wide.
"Aren't you going to apologize?" Chiba Mamoru said, disgusted.
"Ah- Oh- Sorry, I'm sorry," Serenity gabbled. (Don't cry don't cry)
"Be more careful, Odango Atama." He turned and walked away.
"Usagi." Serenity said.
He half-turned back. "What?"
"I'm Tsukino Usagi. I'm sorry I hit you with my test." Serenity dashed a hand at her eyes, trying not to be obvious, but she was crying.
Mamoru walked closer. "Are you all right?"
She wasn't. He'd been dead for six years, and she had never really healed. "I'm fine, really." She sniffed, "it's nothing."
He caught her when she wobbled on her feet. Serenity just stood and sobbed into his chest. He still smelled like her Mamo-chan, her Endymion, but it wasn't really him- not yet. He wasn't ready to know who he was.
Eventually she cried herself out. Serenity wiped her eyes with her uniform sleeve. She knew they were red-rimmed now.
"I'm sorry." She looked up and stepped back.
"Do you need some help?" He looked very concerned. Young girls shouldn't cry like this.
Serenity shook her head. "Thank you. It's nothing you can help with." Yet. "I'm all right." She managed half a smile. Mamoru smiled back.
"Just be careful then." He said, and reached into his pocket. "Here- if you decide you do need anything." He pressed a card into her hand. Serenity watched him go.
Mamoru leaned on the wall, staring at the subway rails. His train would arrive soon. He was on his way to a night class on Physiology. Not that he was thinking about Physiology at the moment.
What had just happened? A teenage girl with dumplings on her head had hit him with a paper-based aerial attack. Then she had cried all over him for no apparent reason. Then he'd given her his card. Three things he'd never though would happen.
Why on earth had he given her his card? Mamoru had enough problems without some mentally unbalanced teenager calling up to weep at him. She was at least four years younger than him, and probably more than that. The weird hairstyle made her look very young and vulnerable. It was completely inappropriate. He shouldn't be thinking about her at all, especially not in this direction.
He resolved to ignore the entire incident. If he forgot about it, maybe she would too. It was working with his dreams, after all.
Serenity walked from Juuban to Osa-P Jewelry in silence, thinking in circles as she walked. She didn't know what to do about Mamoru. He was still unaware of their past lives together, not to mention their futures. She could keep him away for now, or she could try to tell him the truth about them. Serenity was quite sure he wouldn't believe her, even if she left out the time travel. It was all too implausible, even without the invaders from the future. She needed him, but he didn't need her. Not yet. She bit her lip and kept walking. She patted the card in her pocket. He would come to her eventually. She could wait. At least a little while.
She wasn't sure if coming back in time had changed anything yet. Would the timeline begin altering itself before she did anything major, or had her merge with her past self been enough to change everything else?
What about the Shintennou? Serenity knew who they were now. She had learned, years too late, that they had been Endymion's guards in the Silver Millennium. They had turned against him, or been turned. If she had known all this, she would never have killed them the first time around. She didn't know if they could be turned back, but she had to try. For Endymion's sake more than for theirs.
She didn't know how she should act. Should she be Serenity, or should she pretend to be Usagi? Her parents and Naru would certainly notice the difference if she went full-on Serenity in front of them. On the other hand, if she were Usagi in battle, it would be disastrous. Only dumb luck had saved her before, and she would not count on luck alone to save her now.
If the Dark Kingdom generals saw her acting like Serenity, looking like Serenity, they might make the connection. Usagi had been superficially very unlike her former self. Though their hearts were identical, Princess Serenity had been raised to be graceful and dignified, not a scapegrace crybaby. If Serenity acted too much like the Princess, they would recognize her. It would be too much to hope for stupid opponents. She pulled one blonde streamer over her should and looked at it with critical eyes. Maybe a disguise was in order? She hated the idea, but if it would help her cause...
Serenity heard shouting. She increased her pace. Osa-P was just ahead.
"That's right ladies, everything is on sale!" Mrs. Osaka was shouting into a megaphone in order to be heard above the crowd. Serenity smiled just slightly. Exactly as she remembered. But where was Naru?
"Today only, up to 95% off of anything! Anything at all! Diamonds, gold, pearls, rubies, and platinum!" The crowd rushed the store, and Mrs. Osaka just stood by and let them, smirking.
Serenity slipped into a nearby coffee stand and joined the queue, keeping her eyes on Osa-P. She reached the counter without looking at the clerk.
"Your order, miss?"
"Plain coffee." Serenity reached into her pocket for her allowance. She paid the clerk without looking away from the window, took her drink, and went to sit where she could see the store.
Hours passed. Serenity drank her coffee, and then another when one of the clerks bothered her. The crowd grew and shrank, grew and shrank, and finally dispersed. Serenity unfastened her Odango and let her hair drop around her shoulders, hiding her face. The sky grew dark as the last customer made her purchase. Serenity walked across the street and into the store.
She kept as far from the front of the store as she could. Mrs. Osaka was busy with the other customer, and did not look up. Her long hair was making her anonymous, she hoped. Finally, the other customer left the store. Serenity walked up to the counter, brooch hidden in her left hand.
"May I help you, young lady?" Of course, since this wasn't really Mrs. Osaka, she wouldn't recognize Usagi.
"Yes, I'm looking for a loose stone." Serenity answered. "A clear, round crystal." The disguised creature's eyes narrowed. "We have a few loose diamonds, but
nothing like that." She looked at Serenity with suspicion. "Perhaps a pearl?"
"No." Serenity said. "I'm looking for the ginzuishou."The creature's eye twitched once, and Serenity struck her across the face with her off hand. "If you don't have that, how about the energy you've stolen? MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE-UP!"
She transformed. The henshin wound her hair back up into its traditional style. The youma just stared. It had never seen a senshi before, but it had heard of them. It shed its disguise quickly.
Two warriors faced each other across the jewelry counter. Sailormoon flipped backwards quickly as the youma struck, missing her by microns.
"Fool! No one faces Morga and lives!" The youma snarled.
Sailormoon just smirked. "Everyone I've ever heard say that is dead now." She reached up and removed her tiara, preparing to throw it. The golden discus shape formed in her hand. She flung it, and Morga dodged. The tiara swung back around, and Sailormoon caught it easily. Morga's left arm was cut and bleeding black. The youma hissed in pain. Then she gestured.
Serenity was grabbed from behind. Two of the patrons from earlier in the day had snatched her arms and her hair. She was pinned by people she couldn't harm, but there would be no reasoning with their dead eyes. Morga must have hidden them with glamour. She thought ruefully. She should have paid better attention to who was entering and exiting -or not exiting- the store.
"No!" Luna had just run into the jewelry store in time to see Serenity captured. She dashed as only a cat can, and jumped at Morga, clawing at the youma. Morga threw her aside with contemptuous ease. Luna slid across the floor when she landed, and did not get up.
"Got you, little senshi." Morga cackled, moving closer and raising her clawed hands. Serenity glanced from side to side, trying to think. Morga drew near. "I will be rewarded for this, I think." The claws swung.
Serenity dropped, throwing all of her weight downwards. The two zombified girls fell over at the unexpected alteration to their equilibrium. The claws whistled harmlessly overhead. Serenity rolled to the side, breaking away from the girls. She came up in a half-crouch and screamed.
All of her rage at the Dark Kingdom went into the scream. All of her anger, her grief, and her torment. The garnet circles on her odango caught her cry and amplified it into a shockwave. The lurching customers all dropped to the ground. Morga clutched at her ears and screamed in return, though not with the same force.
Serenity picked up her tiara once more, and threw it in a precise arc. Morga was still dreaming of Excedrin when it took her.
Serenity looked around. Everyone was slowly rising to their feet. She dashed to Luna's side. "Luna?"
"I'm fine. Just stunned." Luna got up slowly. "Make sure the store's clean, and then we have to get out of here!"
"Right." Serenity dashed into the back of the store. In the door to the store room she saw Mrs. Osaka slowly getting to her feet. Naru lay a few feet away. Serenity watched until she knew they were both unharmed. As she heard the first note of sirens in the distance, she scooped up Luna and fled the scene.
"I think that went fairly well for your first battle, Princess." Luna looked as pleased as if she had fought the entire thing herself. Serenity just smiled.
"We need to make sure the enemy doesn't discover my real identity, Luna." She was sitting on her roof, still in senshi form. "Please don't call me Princess again until it is safe."
"Of course, Pri- er, Usagi." Luna looked rather discomfited.
She picked up the Incognita wand and looked at it critically. "I think perhaps a disguise of some sort is in order." Serenity pulled her hair down again, setting the red discs next to her. "Luna, if I cut my hair in this form, will it stay cut in my normal form?"
"Cut your hair-?"
Some victories would be easier than others, it seemed.