A/N: Enjoy (and I hope this makes sense).
Chibi-Usa - no, Sailor Chibi Moon smiled at me. She was standing beside Pegasus, one gloved hand resting on his mane. Her body was see-through, just like it had been that time when she was fading away because Mamo-chan was under Nehelania's control, but she seemed to have no trouble standing. I straightened up a little, wondering if she was really there or if I was hallucinating. Maybe Rubeus had choked me for so long that I'd actually fallen unconscious, and I was dreaming that she and Pegasus had shown up.
"You're not dreaming," Pegasus said. He wasn't actually speaking, of course, being that he was a horse, but the golden horn on his forehead was glowing and I knew that the words were being sent to me telepathically by way of the golden crystal instead. "I'm sorry that it took me so long to come to your aide, Princess. I heard you calling for me, but I was otherwise occupied at the time." He turned his head just enough that he could nuzzle Chibi Moon's side. Even though she was see-through, he could touch her with no problems.
"But... how?" My throat was so dry that I could barely force the words out. I couldn't stop looking at Chibi Moon. She was a little bit older than the last time I'd seen her. I guessed that she was probably around fourteen, the age I was when I first transformed into Sailor Moon. Her hair was longer and she was taller, having finally lost the lingering bit of baby fat in her cheeks. She was beginning to have a fairly strong resemblance to Black Lady, and I could easily see the adult that she was well on her way to becoming.
"You called me here, Mommy," Chibi Moon said, her smile only growing wider. Her crimson eyes were bright with tears as she started to cross the room towards me. "I was sleeping when Pegasus woke me up and told me what happened with Galaxia and Chaos, about Daddy and the other senshi. I thought that meant I would die. But the ginzuishou... it heard your wish for me to survive. And it brought Daddy to you so that you guys could make it happen." She was blushing a little, and I could tell she felt awkward.
"So you mean... I really am..." I touched my stomach, hardly daring to believe what she was saying.
She nodded. "That's right. That baby is me. And someday, when you give her - me the pink moon crystal and I transform into a senshi for the first time, I'll remember everything."
"You'll... thank god." I closed my eyes. It was a struggle for me to absorb everything that she was saying. I'd been hoping for so long that hearing it confirmed was almost too much. My hands were shaking as I looked back at her. "But then how can you be here? I don't understand."
"It's just my spirit. I came to help you defeat Rubeus one last time. I'm the reason the Black Moon family came to bother you guys in the first place, so it's my duty to help you stop him," Chibi Moon said. "Once that's done, I'll go back to sleep. Just like Sailor Saturn did while Hotaru-chan was a baby, do you remember? When it's time, I'll wake up again and fight beside you."
It was impossible not to realize what that meant: if I wanted Chibi-Usa back, the daughter that I'd gone through so much with, she would have to become a senshi. Honestly, I didn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, I knew it was Chibi-Usa's destiny to become a senshi. It was what she was born to do, just like the rest of us. And I was already looking forward to the day when I wouldn't have to hide anything from her because she would simply know. But on the other hand, I hated the thought of her growing up to fight. I wanted the world to be a peaceful one by then, so that Chibi-Usa would never have to know what it was like to make these kinds of sacrifices.
The sound of stone and debris being pushed aside made me jump. I'd been concentrating so hard on what Chibi Moon was saying that I had almost forgotten about Rubeus. I turned to see that he was trying to get to his feet, but he seemed to be in a lot of pain. He was clutching at his belly and breathing hard. The blow that Pegasus had dealt to the ruby above us had obviously done him a fair amount of damage as well, and it was making me think twice about what I should aim for next time. It was true that my attack on Rubeus hadn't done all that much, but I thought that maybe an attack on his main power source might do a lot more. Especially now that I had a new trick up my sleeve, too.
"Rabbit." Rubeus lifted his head and looked at Chibi Moon. His eyes were glowing bright red with rage and I stiffened. "I should have expected that you would show up. You were just as much of a thorn in my side as your damned mother. At least this way I'll have the opportunity to destroy the both of you at once, and I'll have the satisfaction of knowing that this time I got every last bit of you."
"You think you can just do whatever you want," Chibi Moon said, glaring at him. This was the first time she had ever faced Rubeus as a senshi. The last time he'd been around, she was just a scared little girl with no way of fighting. It wasn't that way anymore. "Rubeus, you were always the worst! You got your kicks from frightening little kids and fighting with girls, always trying to find the person who couldn't stand up to you. It's disgusting. The world will definitely be a better place once you're gone."
He laughed at her. "You can say whatever you want to me, but it's not going to make any difference in the end." He finished pushing himself to his feet. I noticed that he was swaying where he stood.
It took me a minute, but I got back on my feet as well. Chibi Moon was close enough to me that when Pegasus moved in front of us, he was able to shield us both. "Enough," he said sternly, the golden crystal flaring with his speech. "This planet and its treasures do not belong to you. They are not yours to destroy. You've had many warnings, and you've chosen to ignore all of them. You deserve what you're about to get, Rubeus of the Black Moon."
I turned towards Chibi-Usa, and our hands came together automatically. Even though I was expecting it, it was still a shock to realize that I could touch her even though I could see the wall behind her through her. "Ready?" I asked, pushing aside the weirdness.
"You bet," she said with a grin. "I've been waiting to get my revenge on Rubeus for years."
I laughed a little and we both held our free hands out at the same time. My staff and Chibi Moon's kaleidoscope formed at the same time. Rubeus started to tense, but he wasn't the one we were aiming at. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" we shouted together.
Our combined power was so much stronger than anything I would have been able to do on my own. I was awed as I watched the blinding silver light strike the ruby. There was a loud cracking sound, and Rubeus started to scream in pain. It was horrible, and if I could have I would've clapped my hands over my ears to block it out. I didn't dare let go of Chibi Moon, though. I just kept pouring magic into my staff, willing it to work, to be enough, to destroy Rubeus for good so that we could go home.
For a moment, I actually thought that it had. Worked, that is. The ground started to tremble beneath our feet, and I realized that the ruby was starting to shatter. It might have even been enough, but I was too tired. I could feel my strength beginning to slip away and I just couldn't keep it up any longer. The flow of magic gradually trickled to a stop, and I heard Chibi Moon crying out my name as I fell to my knees again. Rubeus was still screaming, and there was a high-pitched ringing in the air as the crack in the ruby grew larger.
Then, suddenly, Pegasus was looming over us. He ducked his head and the golden crystal flashed, but I didn't hear any words so I guessed he must have been talking to Chibi Moon. The next thing I knew, Chibi Moon had her hands on my arms and she was pulling me to my feet. It was so much harder to stand up this time, and I knew I was wobbling dangerously. Fortunately, I didn't have very far to go. Pegasus waited just long enough for both of us to clamber up on his back before he took off, leaping gracefully into the air. He made one circle around the room before he plunged towards the floor.
There was no exit, so I was expecting us to hit. I even closed my eyes in anticipation of a crash. But all I felt was a cool breeze against my face as we passed through harmlessly. And then we were flying through the halls of the ship. Pegasus seemed to know exactly where we were going, so I just curled my fingers around his silky mane and held on. Chibi Moon had her arms around my stomach and I could feel her against my back, but there was no warmth, no heat like you'd expect from a living body. It was an uncomfortable reminder that she wasn't actually there with me.
I estimated that we'd only been flying for about five minutes when Pegasus entered a room and I saw where he was taking us. On the other side of the huge room was Fighter, Maker, Healer, and Chibi-Chibi. The former were standing in a circle, and Healer was holding Chibi-Chibi. Much to my surprise, Petz and Berthier were there too. I didn't see any sign of Koan or Calaveras, though. All of them turned to look at us when the doors burst open, and I knew I'd never forget the looks of complete amazement we got.
"Odango?" Fighter said in disbelief, taking a step towards us when Pegasus landed. She stopped, her hands fisting, like she wasn't sure that she was allowed to get any closer.
"Seiya," I said, sliding down and throwing myself at her. It felt so good when her arms went around me that I had to hold back tears. She pressed me against her firmly but gently, always keeping in mind when I was injured, and I heard her breathing catch as Healer and Maker clustered around us.
"You're okay!" Healer said, wrapping her arms around the both of us. "But... how?"
"Pegasus and Chibi Moon saved me," I explained, pulling back just enough that I could see where Chibi Moon was. She'd climbed down from Pegasus, too, and she had knelt and was looking at Chibi-Chibi. Seeing the two of them brought tears to my eyes in spite of my best efforts to hold them back. It was the first time they'd ever met, and it struck me then that they already looked like sisters.
"Chibi Moon..." Fighter turned her head slowly and followed my gaze. "Your daughter? How...?"
"I'll explain later," I replied, knowing that this wasn't the time to get into something longwinded. Frankly, I wasn't even sure that I really understood it myself. "Are you guys okay?"
"We're fine," Maker told me. "Where's Rubeus?"
"Chibi Moon and I pooled our power together, but it still wasn't enough to stop him," I said. "Pegasus took us both away before he could recover. I think..." I looked around at my friends, meeting each of their eyes before I continued. "We're going to have to pool our power and give it everything we've got, every one of us, if we're going to make it out of here alive."
A/N: The reason Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi Moon used Moon Gorgeous Meditation instead of a spin on the eternal attack is because Chibi Moon does not have her eternal tier, and in my opinion she'd need that to use the more powerful attack.
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