Chapter 19-The Crisis
Hotaru walked up to us and held onto Haruka's hand. "Haruka-papa, let's go home."
Still shocked by the events that just unfolded, Haruka slowly nodded while she continued to stare at her little girl.
The four of us walked awkwardly back to the car. Setsuna pushed the empty baby stroller while Hotaru walked with Haruka. I walked behind all of them and I looked sadly at my baby. What was the crisis that woke her up early? If her power was called, then it could only mean one thing. The evil must be extremely powerful this time.
"Michiru-mama, can I not drink milk tonight? I don't like it."
"What?" I was surprised by how mundane her request was. I guess she was old enough now to tell me what she liked and did not like. "Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?"
"Noodles!" She said as she climbed into her baby seat in the car. "Hahaha, I don't fit anymore." She got out of the seat and climbed onto Setsuna's lap instead.
On the drive back, Hotaru chatted away like a normal toddler. "Ooh! what's that? What about that? What's that one called? How come it was darker than the other stars?" She fired the questions at Setsuna.
Haruka drove in silence, deep in thought. I looked over at my happy daughter and felt pain in my heart.
"What is your favorite food?" Hotaru continued to ask Setsuna.
"Tea!"
"That's not a food. That's a drink. Pick another one."
"Popsicle?" Setsuna said awkwardly.
"Okay. Michiru-mama, can we have popsicles instead of noodles? When we get home?"
I reluctantly agreed.
Three hours later, with the sugar rush worn off, Hotaru finally tired herself out and fell asleep. She looked huge, sleeping in her baby crib. I gave her a goodnight kiss. She still smelt like baby powder and milk. I turned off the baby monitor and put it away in a drawer. "Don't need that now," I thought. I gently closed the bedroom door and joined the others in the living room.
"I think Hotaru will age quickly for the next few days until she reaches adolescence. In order for Sailor Saturn's power to fully return, the body needs to be mature." Setsuna explained as she continued to stuff food in her mouth. "Sorry. I haven't eaten in a thousand years. I forgot how good food tasted."
"What did you see at the time gate?" Haruka asked.
"The image wasn't clear. All I know was that this crisis would change the future timeline significantly."
"We need to meet up with the rest of the scouts tomorrow," said Haruka. "Plus, we need to re-introduce our daughter to everyone."
So that night, we retired to our beds, burdened with our troubling thoughts. It was a sleepless night. When we did fell asleep, nightmares occupied our dreamscape. That night, I saw a vision. Sailor Moon was standing on the moon, wearing her new uniform with wings. Then, her body was slowly entrapped by thorny vines. Her head slumped over and her body was limp.
The next morning, Hotaru emerged from her bedroom and she was a few inches taller. She was wearing one of Haruka's t-shirts, looking adorable.
"Good morning, Michiru-mama. Good morning, Haruka-papa. Good morning, Setsuna-mama." Hotaru said as she climbed onto one of the dining chairs. "Are we going to see Chibiusa today? Will we see everyone?"
"Eat your breakfast and drink your milk. You are growing now, so you need to eat more." Haruka-papa used her stern voice and placed a plateful of food in front of Hotaru. Frowning, Hotaru stared at the milk. I couldn't help but smile a little inside. The all-powerful soldier of ruin is afraid of milk, I thought.
She raised the glass and chugged the milk in one breath. Then she took a giant bite of the eggs and swallowed it without chewing much. "Done! Now can we go?"
We called the scouts for a meeting at the temple. It seemed like they too were attacked by the glass monsters last night. It was never a good sign when coordinating attacks happened.
We stopped on the way there and quickly bought some new supplies for Hotaru. New shirts, skirts and pants suitable for children from the age of 4 to 12. Hotaru picked out her outfit for the day and changed in the car.
When we arrived, everyone was there already. Mamoru was playing with Chibiusa while the scouts were deep in discussion. They spotted Setsuna first and they all gasped in surprised.
Hotaru hid behind me, feeling shy all of a sudden. "And everyone, this is Hotaru." I pointed at the little girl.
Everyone's face changed from surprise to worry in an instant, except Chibiusa. Her face lit up and she ran towards Hotaru. "Hotaru-chan! You are almost my height now. Hahaha, come. Mamo-chan and I found an ant hole here." She grabbed Hotaru's hand and ran toward the trees.
All of a sudden, winds started to rustle and dark clouds settle in the sky. The sun was covered with dense clouds. Rei and I sensed it first. We shot each other a knowing glance.
Glass shards rained down all around us again, morphing into a new army of monsters. We all transformed and started to battle. The inner scouts and Tuxedo Mask stayed close to Sailor Moon while Pluto, Uranus and I formed the outer circle. We did pretty well for a while, but the sheer number of them was simply too overwhelming. Our powers waned and the enemy gained the upper hand. Eight scouts and one Tuxedo Mask, we were punched and thrown around like little puppets by the monsters.
An evil laugh roared and a dark figure appeared over us.
"Queen Nehelenia!" Sailor Moon's eyes widen with shock. This was the enemy they defeated last year, sealed away forever in the new moon.
Nehelenia narrowed her eyes and stared at Sailor Moon with palatable hatred. She raised her hand and threw the attack directly at the princess. Tuxedo Mask was the closest, so he threw himself in front of her and shielded her from the attack. Then, the energy wrapped itself around him and pulled him into a floating mirror.
"MAMO-CHAN!" screamed Sailor Moon, as Nehelenia made the mirror disappeared.
"Sailor moon! You have one day to save your beloved prince. If you don't reach me by the next dawn, his mind will be wiped completely." With those last words, Nehelenia disappeared again.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO! Come back, please. Come back." Sailor Moon pounded her fist into the ground repeatedly, sobbing uncontrollably.
Chibiusa and Hotaru emerged from behind the trees. I was glad they weren't here for that fight. What kind of mother would send her four-year-old daughter into battle? I limped over to my daughter and hugged her tightly. Her face was contorted into a serious expression as tears welled up in her eyes.
Just then, Chibiusa let out a surprised yelp. She was blinking in and out of existence. "What's happening?" she said fearfully.
Sailor Pluto, the guardian of time, figured it out pretty quickly. The threat against Tuxedo Mask was big enough to impact the future timeline. Chibiusa, the princess from the future, would be wiped from existence if Tuxedo Mask died.
Even more traumatized, Sailor Moon screamed out. It was painful to watch Usagi suffer like this.
Hotaru wiggled herself out of my embrace. "Saturn Planet Power Makeup!" She yelled.
A little sailor soldier emerged from the cocoon. She swung her scythe effortlessly, even though it was much taller than her. "Sailor Moon, it is time to wake up and reveal your true self." Saturn closed her eyes and sent forth the power.
A new transformation brooch appeared and Sailor Moon's old uniform disappeared. Two gorgeous wings grew out of her back and enclose her body in a protective casing. She emerged as Eternal Sailor Moon.
"This is your true form, Princess," Saturn explained. "I was woken early so I could give you the power. We need you, Princess, to protect the world again."
"I need to go save Mamo-chan." Sailor Moon said, with her head hung in sorrow. "I don't want to live without him. I don't want to live without Chibiusa."
"Wait. Let us go. You stay here with Chibiusa. Nehelenia is after you, so this must be a trap. Please! Let us do it." begged Uranus.
Sailor Moon looked at us, with tears in her eyes. Without another word, she spread her wings and soared into the sky. Sailor Mars dove at her, trying to stop her from taking off. Instead, she missed and landed face-first on the ground.
We watched, helplessly, as Sailor Moon disappeared. Our prince was kidnapped. Our princess was flying straight into an enemy trap. The crisis that would threaten the future was set in motion.