Author's Note: Since there seems to be some confusion, this chapter is going to be very long in my attempt to clear things up. There's a part here I was going to save for later, but I don't want anybody getting too confused; they can't enjoy the story that way.

Chiharu stood in the room of the little Chibiusa girl, watching her sleep. She contemplated just how easy it would be to take her and kill her. It would be so easy to kidnap her, and make them all worry. The best part about it was that they had no idea where Chiharu went when she disappeared.

She had decided to let them get over the shock of Setsuna's injuries in hopes that she could catch them all off guard. However, they all seemed to be together all the time. Chiharu had to be careful and play her cards right, because she knew that she probably couldn't take on any more than three of them at once. When any of them were in fact alone, they were around a bunch of other people. Chiharu didn't want a whole goddamned city after her.

She sighed, knowing she'd have to try one of the failed plans of many of the Sailor Scouts' past offenders. Chiharu would have to disguise herself and formulate some kind of a plan. Open a store, or something, to catch one of the girls' attention. Overused, dull plan, but a plan nonetheless. The only problem with killing or taking Chibiusa was that the Sailor Scouts would mourn, yes, but then they would be after her. They would comb the ends of the earth for Chiharu, and she just could not hide that long. She knew they would find her no matter what.

Chiharu knew that one of them had a mirror, and she could easily tell where Chiharu was if she simply caught her reflection once. If that mirror happened to capture Chiharu's reflection, it would be the end. They would get plenty of information and they would know. Everything would be ruined. She'd never get the damn crystals and Gavin would never love her.

Prince Gavin of the Aeries galaxy wanted the Earth Solar System more than anything. He always told Chiharu, official protector of the galaxy, that the only things getting in his way were the damned Sailor Scouts of the Earth Solar System. They were stronger than almost any other scouts in the entire universe were. "Including you, Chiharu," he had told her. Chiharu had been filled with bitter jealousy. She was Sailor Aeries, goddamnit. She trained under the strongest star near the Earth Sphere Galaxy. She protected an entire galaxy (small, only four planets, but still an entire galaxy) alone.

Gavin told her all about the Silver Imperium Crystals, which had kept the Silver Millennium alive for so many years. He told Chiharu that those crystals were what gave the Sailor Scouts so much power. He said that if anyone else could get those crystals, they would become stronger than the Sailor Scouts would, and they would be able to take the Earth Solar System.

Chiharu, Sailor Aeries was convinced that if she could get Gavin his galaxy, he would begin to love her the way that she loved him. She wanted to kill the Sailor Scouts and give him his galaxy. To do that, she had to start with the crystals. She had to weaken the scouts somehow.

But part of her—

Don't think that. Don't even think about that. Just complete your mission.

As much as she tried to keep the thought away, it just came drilling back with incredible force. Part of her did not want to kill them. She was a Sailor Scout, too. Chiharu couldn't bring herself to kill any of them. The crystals belonged to them.

Chiharu gritted her teeth and clenched her fist.

"That's just too damn bad," she whispered to herself. "They've been in charge too long."

Stop lying to yourself to justify what you're doing.

"Stop it," Chiharu hissed, shutting her eyes.

It's wrong. If he can't love you because you're you, he isn't worthy of—

"STOP IT!"

"…Serena…?" Came Chibiusa's sleepy voice.

Chiharu gasped a bit at her outburst and sank back into the shadows, watching as Chibiusa slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Bunny, is that you?" Chibiusa stared into the darkest corner of her room and swallowed. She could see the shape of a woman there. "Bunny?" She said in a quiet, scared voice. The shape did not move. The dark shape just stood, as though she was trying to become the shadow.

"Bunny…?"

But she knew it was not Bunny in the corner.

"Come out!" Chibiusa said. Her voice was filled with a lot more courage than she was feeling.

"If I did, what would you do?" A voice crooned from the corner.

"What do you want?" Chibiusa's voice began to tremble, just a little bit.

"I want the crystals. I want the Imperium Silver crystals."

"Chibiusa? Who are you talking to?"

Chiharu stepped out of the shadows. "Is Bunny going to come in and save you?"

Chibiusa did not reply. She only clutched her blanket, pulling it up to her eyes.

"You don't want to come with me?"

Chibiusa opened her mouth to scream, but Chiharu grabbed her and held a hand over her mouth. She pulled Chibiusa up to her, waiting for Serena to come up, wanting Serena to see who was in control.

Serena pulled the attic door down, started coming up the ladder. "Chibiusa?"

Chiharu snickered aloud and Serena quickened her pace. "Chibiusa?!" Serena came out at the top of the ladder. "Chiharu!"

Chiharu's snicker grew to a laugh, horrible and long. "This is what you get when you relax, Sailor Moon!"

"How did you know I was here?! How did you know I'm Sailor Moon?!" Serena asked incredulously.

"Put two and two together, anybody can do it. There are some things you just know."

"I'll do anything, please, don't take Chibiusa!"

"Anything?"

"Anything!"

Chiharu stood, watching Serena getting ready to start crying. She thought of how easy this was. There weren't any other Sailor Scouts around to convince her not to give the crystal to her. No one to stop Chiharu. Serena hadn't taken any precautions and oh, how delicious this little scenario was.

"I need your Silver Imperium Crystal."

Serena fumbled with the brooch in her pocket and held it out with a trembling hand. "T-t-take it, just give Chibiusa back!"

Chiharu stared down at Serena's shaking hand, and thought for the first time that this must be a trick the Sailor Scouts were playing on her. There was a chance, however small, that they actually had been prepared. Somehow, this was just too easy.

What do I do?
Chiharu dropped Chibiusa and simultaneously grabbed the brooch, and then she threw herself backward and went crashing through Chibiusa's window, down toward the ground. Chiharu's image faded just before she would have hit the ground.
=-=
Setsuna sat in a chair in the kitchen and stared at the mirror. The mirror lay unobtrusively on the coffee table, face down, almost like it was waiting for her. The mirror was waiting for Setsuna to come over, pick it up, and look inside of it. To face her past. She hadn't been able to move since she had come in from dropping Michiru off at her apartment building. Setsuna felt, truthfully, almost threatened by what the mirror held. Threatened by it's knowledge. You have to face it. Slowly and with all the grace that she seemed to posses, Setsuna stood and walked over to the glass coffee table. She lifted the mirror and looked into it. Her nervous, tired expression stared back at her. Her image began to waver out, and it was replaced with another.

Two silhouettes can be seen against a dark wall. They are of a man and a woman. The man is walking, pacing back and forth, and the woman is sitting on the bed. In their silhouette, the woman's head hangs wearily, and the man makes frustrated gestures with his hands as he speaks. There is no other light but that of the moon and the stars.

"This isn't goddamned fair! He can't just expect me to stop leaving the castle!"

"Times have changed."

"Times have changed?! Is that all you have to say about it?! We're done, this is it!"

A sob is heard from the woman, and her voice, barely audible says, "I know." His silhouette stops its furious pace and stares at the woman's silhouette. "Do you think you're the only one losing sleep?! Do you think you're the only one who can think of nothing else!?" By now, she is crying steadily.

The man's silhouette heaves its shoulders in a sad sigh and he says softly, "My father, he wants me to meet this Moon Princess. He wants me to marry her in hopes that the relationship between the Moon and the Earth will better."

"I wish I didn't care. I wish we could just run away together," the woman whispers.

The man continues speaking softly, "Our sage Beryl has fallen ill."

"Ill of the mind," the woman replies, her voice even softer than his own. The two of them sit in a comfortable silence for a few moments. Then the man's silhouette sits on the bed and leans toward the woman's and its hand touches her shoulder.

"You've always spoken in riddles because you can't tell the things you know. That's one of the reasons I fell in love with you."

Another sobs comes from the woman, and she falls into his arms and finally begins to truly cry. Her voice is heart breaking. "Please don't go! I don't want you to go! You can't leave me, please don't leave me."

The man holds the woman, both of them in darkness, and his own tears slide down his cheeks. "I love you. I love you more than anything."

They both know that he cannot stay, but they both refuse to accept it, for now. They have known for many nights, and they have spoken of it many times. They have cried themselves to sleep in this very bed together five times since the news. This time, however, will be the last.

"It will be better," he promises, taking her by the face and looking into her tear-filled eyes. He fights off sobs as he speaks. "It will be better because we won't have to see each other. You won't have to look at me and be sad, you won't have to see me with her and wish it was you," with this last statement he broke off into a very short sob, unable to hold back completely. He pulls her toward him and they kiss. The kiss is full of passion and longing.

Slowly, they both calm. They lay together in the bed, their shapes dark.

"I love you," she says to him, her words deep and full of meaning.

"I love you, too." And he did love her.

The guardian and the prince made love for the last time, and when she was asleep, he bent towards her, kissed her lips gently. He put a hand to her forehead, brushing some of her hair out of her face and whispered to her, "You sleep now. It'll all be well again when you wake up." With this, he stole into the night, back to his kingdom and his home.