Chapter 11-Whole Again

What do you do when your world collapsed around you? Usagi bent down and kissed Mamoru's forehead. Then, she let go of Mamoru's limp body and stood up.

Mercury, Jupiter, Venus had joined the other three in the circle of protection. They linked their hands and called upon their planet powers to increase the protection field around Usagi...

They were hurt. Badly. Each holding on, using the last of their strengths...in hopes of saving Earth's last hope.

Usagi wiped dry her tears and looked up with her determined eyes. There was no time to grieve.

She staggered towards her friends and regrouped with her soldiers. There had to be a way out of this..if only she could get her hands on that crystal...

The silhouette figure continued to laugh and fly about, enjoying the show of total chaos and destruction.

"I need to get closer to her." Usagi yelled.

"NO way." Mars yelled back through gritted teeth. "You will be disintegrated before you can get any closer..."

"There must be a way." Usagi clenched her fists. Serenity had helped her out through so many apocalypses back in the day. She would not give up this easily...Usagi get it now. Serenity was used as a pawn. She didn't mean any of the terrible things she said...

"What if they can merge now? Would that stop Serenity or turn Usagi evil as well?" Venus turned towards Mercury.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Mercury lamented. She turned and looked sadly at Usagi. "I am sorry, Usagi-chan."

"I have hope." Usagi placed her hand over her heart, where the compact once was. She felt bare, but she also believed in her own strengths inside. That was something Serenity taught her. "I think Serenity is trapped inside that darkness. She's not doing this, she's being controlled. I will find her...I will get her back!"

The soldiers looked at each other and nodded. They understood the risk, but there were no other options...

Venus looked between her princess and Usagi. Without another word, she tilted her head and called out, "Venus Planet Power..."

"Pluto Planet Power..."

"Neptune Planet Power..."

"Uranus Planet Power..."

"Mercury Planet Power..."

"Jupiter Planet Power..."

Mars glared at the silhouette figure and yelled, "Mars Planet Power..."

The lights ascended from their gems on the tiaras and shoot upwards...It then cascaded down and increased the field around them...

Usagi closed her eyes and pleaded silently. "Silver Crystal, please...lend me your powers...let me save you and Serenity...and the world...please..."

Slowly, bravely, the group advanced towards the mist.

Serenity could hear someone calling out her name...she sounded so far away...

Princess opened her eyes and stared into pitch darkness. "Where am I?..." She took a few steps and reached out with her hands...

Nothing.

She seemed to be floating in some sort of sub-space. No light, no input...except that sound...someone yelling her name...

The last thing she remembered was Endymion laying lifelessly on the ground. She had watched it happened. She screamed and yelled, and begged her body not to comply...yet when the rod descended and aimed for his chest, she couldn't do anything except watched in horror.

Perhaps this was hell...

Serenity...

There it was again. It sounded like Usagi...Did she die too?

"Hello?" Serenity spoke. The sound bounced and echo back. She waved her hands blindly about in the dark...

Nothing.

Just then, a dot of light danced in the distance. So small that Serenity almost missed it. It shimmered and flashed a few times and then it disappeared. Serenity placed a hand over her heart and felt it beat. A mysterious warmth started to wash over her...

There it was again. Usagi calling her name, desperately now...

Serenity took off and ran towards where the light was...

"Serenity...I need you." Usagi begged.

Sailor Princess continued to send out shots, deterring the advance of the soldiers. "Why are you fighting still? There is no hope..."

"There is always hope..." Usagi replied. "I will save you, princess Serenity. Please come back to me..."

"Ahhh..." The soldiers screamed as they first entered the field of the mist. Their fukus ripped and shredded...wounds started to appear on their skins...The powers they each held tried to regenerate and protect them, but new wounds appear faster than the old wounds could heal...

Usagi looked on with horror. "STOP!" She screamed. "Serenity...I know you are stronger than this. Please hear me. Please help me..."

The soldiers collapsed to their knees but their hands remained linked. Unwavering, they clutched their hands tightly.

Sailor Princess sent another wave of black energy towards the group. "Just give up already. This world deserves to be destroyed..."

The blast knocked through the last layer of protection and sent all the senshi flying a few hundred yards. They landed with a sickening thud and never rose again...

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo." Tears streamed down Usagi's face. Then a scream tore out of her mouth as the mist started to dissolve her body...

Sailor Princess looked on with a wide smile on her face. "Don't fight it. It's almost over."

Usagi staggered back on her feet. The pain was literally ripping her apart but she ventured on. She reached out with her hand.

"Princess Serenity, do you remember our first battle together? When we were faced with giant Queen Beryl? Do you remember the strength you gave me? Along with the powers given by my friends?"

"Shut Up!" Sailor Princess sent another wave of dark energy, hurling towards Usagi.

She tumbled backwards and landed on her back.

"There is no hope left. There is no love left. Let me end this.." Sailor Princess clasped both hands on the rod and sent more powers, funnelling more darkness into the core of Earth.

"I believe in you." Usagi got back on her feet. Soaked with her own blood, she staggered forward. "There is still so much love on this Earth. I love my family. I love my friends. I love Mamoru...and I love you."

She reached out her hand and walked towards Serenity.

Princess widened her eyes when her silver crystal started to crack. Instead of darkness, brilliant lights shone through the cracks once more and radiated outwards...

The light washed over and quelled the black mists. Dark figures start to shoot out of Sailor Princess's body and screamed in anguish as they touched the light. Her moon crescent turned back to its golden yellow...

Serenity reached out with her hand and clasped it around Usagi's. In a flash, two bodies merged into one.

The light continued to envelope the two of them...wrapping them both in a warm coccoon.

The silhouette figure materialized into an angry witch. In her last ditch effort, she hurled all of her dark energy towards the two...

Princess Serenity emerged from the light and blocked the dark energy easily. She smiled gently at the figure. "I know you have a lot of anger and hate inside of you. It doesn't have to be this way..."

She then looked towards the soldiers laying on the ground, barely alive. Her Endymion's body also laid on the grass...

"Silver Crystal...please lend me your power once more. Let me heal those wounded or hurt, and please...let me have Endymion back and my friends back." Serenity raised the crystal and allowed the light to radiate in every direction...

The light hit the witch and she screamed. Black energy poured out of the woman and evaporated towards the sky. The woman collapsed and fainted on the ground.

Slowly, her senshi awoken but Mamoru remained still.

Internally, Serenity knew this wouldn't be easy. She took a life. Mamoru died in her hands.

"Usagi, you have to be strong. You'll have to fight the battles by yourself from now on. The crystal will protect you." Serenity closed her eyes and said to Usagi.

"What do you mean?" Usagi asked, confused and worried. Mamoru was still lifeless on the floor and Serenity sounded like she's saying goodbye.

"I am sorry about everything. I am sorry about taking over your life. It was me, not the other way around. You inherited my destiny to fight and...well you sacrificed your normal life. There is only one way to save Endy...I mean Mamoru."

Usagi shook her head, refusing to believe what she was hearing. Now that they were as one body, she knew exactly what Serenity was about to do.

"Don't worry, your body will be able to sustain the crystal again, now that you have all of your energy. Even without me inside of you..." Serenity smiled sadly. "Thank you, Usagi."

Before Usagi could protest again, Serenity closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. A simple wish was all that was needed.

"Please take my spirt in exchange for Mamoru's." Serenity pleaded with the silver crystal.

"Waaaaaaiiiit!" Usagi flailed her arms out, trying to catch Serenity. Slowly, the figure started to turn transparent...

A bright light shot out of Usagi's body and entered into Mamoru's body. He started to stir...

"Mamo-chan?" Usagi wiped her tears and ran towards him. She gently cradled him in her embrace.

"Usagi? You are okay?" Mamoru placed a hand on Usagi's cheek. "It's really you now. Where is Serenity?"

At the mention of that name, Usagi burst into tears. Grief poured out of her, unstoppable. She felt like a part of her just died.

The rest of the scouts stood close by, silently offering strength to the grief stricken Usagi...