Author's notes:

Hey guys! Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback, it's been great. Make sure to check out the important notes from the Prologue. Enjoy!

Music rec – Human by Christina Perri

Chapter Five

Seiya was dreaming again.

She was dreaming of being just a small child, sitting high on her father's shoulders as she watched an intricate dark crown be lowered onto their new princess' head.

Dreaming of being in her mother's arms, the long magenta braid of her hair, tied off with an old white ribbon, like a silken keepsake between her tiny fingers.

Dreaming of running amongst the coarse red sand with her cousins, laughing and playing in the hot ocean beneath a brilliant summer sunset.

Dreaming of the first time she walked the footsteps of a man, and felt like she was finally complete.

Dreaming of the day when everything and everyone she loved burned, until there was nothing left.

Dreaming of the wings of an angel with a crescent moon upon her head—an angel she dreamed to meet once more.

Rini woke to the feeling of movement on the soft mattress beside her, fluttering her eyes open to find a bright-haired toddler smiling down at her. "Chibi Chibi!"

She stretched her limbs long in the warm sunrise that had set their room in an amber glow, wondering how she had possibly slept all afternoon and all night. Her sore muscles felt rested for the first time in a long time, and she relished the sensation of stillness and peace that this place brought her—just for another few minutes.

"Chibi Chibi!"

"Yeah, yeah, heard you the first time, Chibi," she mumbled, her voice raspy with sleep. The little girl had pooled the netting of the canopy around her, fashioning it into what looked like a ballerina's skirt, and Rini laughed. "You're too cute for your own good…"

Above her, where the mesh gathered and pinched at the ceiling, a spark of light caught her eye. She frowned, tossing the silky sheet off her legs and parting the canopy. "What the…?"

Her jaw dropped as she watched, in complete awe, at the stunning sight above her. Sparkling, spidery air floated in the high stone space, bending and shifting so gently that it was nearly hypnotising, in its mess of beautiful, deep colours. The gaseous cloud crackled quietly and sent fluorescent sparks of light across the roofline, illuminating the room in a dancing rainbow. "Wow…"

Chibi squirmed down off the bed and stared up with her, her blue eyes wide. She started to giggle and clap her hands excitedly, twirling about the room. "Chibi!"

Rini shook her head as she watched the carefree child. "Yep, too cute," she said. Chibi suddenly gave her a cheeky look and bolted straight out of their bedroom door. "Hey, Chibi!"

She chased after her, astounded by how quick the child could be when she wanted to. "Chibi, get back here, you're going to wake everyone up!" She hissed at her, following her down the long hallway and around multiple corners. Chibi ignored her, skipping along the polished floor toward a large set of double doors at the end of the corridor. "Chibi, don't you go in there!"

She caught up to her, bending down to scoop the naughty girl in her arms. "You little brat," she scolded with a smirk, as Chibi nuzzled into her neck manipulatively. She cast a glance back over her shoulder. "It's almost like you know your way around here, Chibi…"

"Around here, around here!"

Rini moved to turn back to their room, when something through the crack in the doorway caught her eye. She tilted her head around and peered through, curiosity getting the better of her as she gently pushed the door open. On the other side, brilliant sunlight poured in to a huge, open space that was framed with floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking both the ocean to one perspective and a riverside city to the other. The space was calm in its simplicity, furnished with a couch setting and a long glass dining table, but it was the other touches that caught Rini's attention—an assortment of musical instruments, more than Rini thought she'd ever seen in one place.

"Rini, down!"

Chibi wriggled out of her arms and Rini put her down, letting the happy girl run about and look at the exquisitely carved instruments that were hanging on the walls, lazing on the furniture, resting against the wall. "Just don't touch, Chibi."

Rini moved further into the room, taking in the atmosphere. She ran her hand over the neck of a wooden guitar, and could almost hear the beautiful music being made. She bit her lip and plucked at one of the taut strings with her nail, the sharp sound echoing through the space quietly. "Huh…"

From the corner of her eye, she spotted a grand piano pointing out toward the wide ocean, it's black shine reflecting the fiery tones of the sunrise. She approached it, slipping in to sit at the bench and stare over at the complex wooden parts hidden beneath the lid. Tiny particles of dust caught the sunlight and fell to settle on fallboard, and Rini wiped them away, wondering how often the piano was played. She gingerly opened the cover, revealing the ivory keys underneath, and stroked the tips of her fingers over them. She had never played a piano before. With three fingers and her thumb, she pressed down on the keys, eyes wide as the combination of notes made a lovely sound. "Whoa…"

"It's got nice sound, hey?"

Rini jumped, nearly launching off the stool at the sound of that deep, husky voice from behind her. "I was just, um—" She turned to look at Fighter, blinking. Before her, leaning up against the wall with a cocky smirk, striking sapphire eyes and a long, blue-black ponytail, was a man. There was no question about it—it was Fighter. "Weren't you—"

"A girl?" The handsome teenager grinned. "Pretty neat trick, huh?"

Rini cocked her head at him as he flopped onto the couch nearby and stretched his arms out behind his head, yawning loudly. She skewed herself toward him on the bench, beyond intrigued and rather impressed. "So…you can just switch? Can everyone here do that?"

He shook his head. "Nah, just the three of us senshi," he said. "It's a unique power of ours."

"Wow," Rini said, taking in his strong, masculine physique. "That's really cool!"

"I think so," he smirked. Suddenly Chibi Chibi came racing over to him, a small object in her hands. She held it out to him, bouncing up and down happily. "Oh, what do you have here, Chibi? A harmonica!"

He scooped Chibi up and sat her on his lap, taking the harmonica from her. Holding it up to his lips, he played a quick, silly tune and the child fell into a fit of giggles. He repeated the jingle and she tipped over backward with laughter, pink curls sprawled across his legs. He chuckled at her, shaking his head. "Funny girl," he said with a smile. "Maybe we'll teach you to play one day, Chibi."

"Play, play!"

Rini watched, captivated by the interaction that seemed so natural and so warm. Chibi pulled herself upright and stole the harmonica out of Fighter's hand, blowing into it with force. He laughed as the horrid sound made the little girl jump with fright, and her lip started to quiver. "Hey, it's okay," he said as he sat up, adjusting the instrument in line with her mouth properly. "Gently…"

Chibi tried again, and this time the shrill sound was slightly more bearable, making Chibi giggle away once more. "Play, play!"

"That's right: play," Fighter said, as she clambered off him and ran about the room, blowing into the harmonica. He watched her with a smile. "Cheeky thing."

Rini slid off the bench and moved to join him on the adjacent armchair. "How do you know Chibi?" She asked, no longer able to contain the question. "And the Sol senshi?"

"Well," he started, looking over at her, "almost two years ago, our planet was attacked, and our princess escaped to Earth. We followed on a mission to find her, and disguised ourselves as a boy-band to try and draw her back to us through our music. Along the way, we met Sailor Moon and her scouts, and we met Chibi Chibi."

She narrowed her eyes at him disbelievingly. "You're lying…"

"About which part?"

"You disguised yourselves as a boy-band?" She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "It's true!" He grinned devilishly, flicking his ponytail over his shoulder. "The ladies loved us."

"I'm sure," Rini said flatly, trying not to laugh. "So…you met Sailor Moon?"

He nodded, casting his eye out over the river. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Our princess was searching for the Light of Hope to help defeat the enemy that we were up against, the same one that the Sol senshi were fighting. Sailor Moon helped us," he paused, and then glanced over at her, "she saved our lives."

She nodded slowly, close to blurting out everything about the Sol senshi and her role in their team, but thought better of it. Helios was right—until they knew they could trust these people, she had to remain guarded.

"It turned out that that little pink whirlwind over there—" he pointed to Chibi, who was busy bashing away at a keyboard that was strewn across the floor, "—was our Light of Hope, and we were able to destroy our enemy and return home."

Chibi—the Light of Hope? She chewed her lip, mulling it over. This kid is such a mystery…

"Didn't think we'd see her again, though," Fighter continued, settling back against the couch. He tilted his head at her, arms folded over his chest. "So, am I going to find out more about you, then? How do you know Chibi Chibi and the Sol senshi?"

Rini mimicked his posture, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at him through narrowed eyes. "Why should I tell you anything?"

"Let's see," he began, "for starters, I just told you everything you wanted to know. And secondly, you're not the only one who is 'friends' with the guardians of the Sol system—maybe we can help you find your way home."

"You say you're friends of the Sol senshi, but how can I be sure—"

"Suit yourself," he said, tossing his feet up onto the coffee table and reaching for a nearby book disinterestedly. "Find your own way back, then."

"Fine," she grumbled. She hesitated, thinking carefully about what she could and what she absolutely couldn't tell him. "Sailor Moon and I…we're family."

He locked eyes with her, that intense gaze burning into her. "Family," he echoed, and a small smile spread across his lips. "I've gotta say…that was kind of obvious."

She glared at him. "Why?"

"That familyresemblance is strong," he said, grinning. He nodded across to Chibi. "I assume that Chibi is family too, then?"

Rini looked over at the little girl, who was blinking up at Fighter with her familiar blue eyes at the mention of her name. The child was a spitting image of her mother, so she could hardly say no. "Yeah," Rini replied vaguely. "She sure is…"

Fighter seemed dissatisfied with the answers he was receiving and narrowed his eyes. "Funny, if you're all family, that we never met when we were on Earth."

"Well," she started, summoning every ounce of her fiery nature and sticking her nose in the air haughtily. "I was away on important business."

He quirked an eyebrow at her with a chuckle. "You were away on business? How old are you, like twelve?"

She ignored his comment about her age and huffed. "Like I said, I don't have to tell you anything," she said. "I don't even know you!"

He laughed, a gravelly, relaxed sound that made her stomach twist uncomfortably. "Okay, okay," he said, his playful demeanour breaking momentarily as he levelled with her. "I understand that you're guarded, and I think that's a very smart move." He sat up and lifted Chibi onto his lap as she came over from the floor. "But if you are who you say you are, then we'll be more than happy to help you, I promise."

She said nothing, simultaneously tempted to tell him everything and wary that she could give too much away. They may have known the Sol senshi, but there was no guarantee they knew their true identities—the risk of compromising their safety was too great. But even so, her gut told her differently—the truth was that she trusted him, plain and simple.

"So, how about you tell me this," he said, jostling Chibi on his knee as she laughed, "how did the three of you get here?"

That she could tell him. "We're not exactly sure," she answered honestly. "It just sort of…happened."

Concern crossed his striking face and he frowned. "Was something wrong on Earth? Are the scouts in danger?"

His panic surprised her. "I…I don't know," she said quietly, and then shook her head at him. "I wasn't…near them. When it happened."

"Lost, lost!" Chibi suddenly said, waving her arms about vigorously. "Lost!"

Fighter ceased bouncing the girl and stared at her, his eyes softening as an expression crossed his features that Rini couldn't quite identify—a memory, perhaps? "That's right, Chibi, you were lost," he said to her. "But you're not any more, not while you're here with us."

Rini watched him, emotion suddenly washing over her tired body. "Thank you," she said softly.

He looked up at her, puzzled. "For what?"

"Welcoming us here," she replied. "I really hope that we can trust you guys, Fighter."

"Me too," he said. "And it's Seiya, by the way."

"Huh?"

"Seiya," he repeated, giving her a lop-sided smile. "That's my name. Sailor Star Fighter is my identity as a senshi."

Seiya. The name latched onto her somehow, clutching at her heart like she'd heard it many times before.

"Good morning," a voice came from behind them as Maker entered, already transformed into her soldier's fuku. She gave Rini a small smile, one that was perhaps a little cold, and then looked at Seiya. "Seiya, we have training this morning, had you forgotten?"

Seiya sighed dramatically and rose, placing Chibi onto the ground. She grizzled slightly as he did so, disappointed that her fun was over. "None of that now, Chibi," Seiya warned, tapping her gently on the nose with a smile. He turned to Maker. "I hadn't forgotten—I'll join you in a moment."

Maker nodded and left silently. Seiya placed his hands on his hips and looked down at Rini. "I'd better go," he said reluctantly. "We hold our training sessions just outside," he pointed out to a large, clear area overlooking the sea, "you can come along and watch, if you'd like."

Rini watched as Healer appeared with a group of people brandishing a variety of weapons. "What kind of training is it?"

"A mixture of things," he replied. "We're training up new senshi to protect Kinmoku and our princess."

"New senshi?" Rini frowned, the sentence confusing her. "I thought you had to be born a sailor soldier…"

He looked at her curiously. "You sure do know a lot about being a senshi," he said, and then grinned wickedly. "I think we have much more to talk about, when the time is right."

"We'll see," she said, swinging herself up out of the armchair and snatching up Chibi Chibi from the floor. "You'd better get to training or you might get in trouble, Seiya."

"Yeah, yeah…" he mumbled, making a face and heading toward the glass doors. He hesitated as he left, turning back to give her a mischievous smirk. "See you later, kid."

"Hey, I told you, I am not a—" she growled as he closed the door, hearing his hoot of laughter as he jogged off. "Oh, he makes me mad!"

"I can tell."

Rini turned to see Helios watching her from the doorway, biting back a smile. "Helios," she said, a little breathlessly, as she noticed he was devoid of his intricate robe. In its place was a loose white shirt that was dishevelled from a night's rest, the collar skewed and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. She blinked at him, unused to seeing him appear so...normal. She shook off the thought as her cheeks went rosy. "That was, uh—"

"Fighter," he finished, approaching her and patting Chibi on the head in greeting. "I thought it was."

She nodded, watching as the senshi was tossed a long battling stick, which he caught effortlessly and looped about his lithe frame. "His name is Seiya, actually. He and the other soldiers can all switch gender—it's a power of theirs."

Helios watched them too, fascinated. "Interesting," he said. "I would imagine that would be a most useful tool."

Rini hummed in agreement. "Yeah," she said. "They used it when they were on Earth, to disguise themselves while they were looking for their lost princess—that's how they met the Sailor scouts, after their planet was attacked a couple of years ago."

"I see," Helios said. "And they joined forces?"

"Seiya said Sailor Moon saved their lives and helped them return home," she told him, and then glanced at Chibi, who was fiddling with her pigtail. "And that Chibi was their 'Light of Hope', whatever that means."

This made Helios frown. "Strange," he said, taking a seat at the dining table. "Do they know the true identities of the Sol senshi?"

"I'm not sure—I didn't like to ask," Rini replied, letting Chibi down and sitting alongside him. "I just told him that Sailor Moon and I were family."

Helios nodded slowly. He ran a hand through the fringe of his fair hair, and then his fingertips settled on the red gem on his forehead. Something seemed to be bothering him. "Is something the matter, Helios?"

"This stone," he started, tracing it delicately, "it has never emitted any light nor any power, but I think it may be what helped me find you."

Rini tucked her knees beneath her and leant across, closing the space between them to inspect the sparkling gemstone carefully. The perfect, smooth teardrop glowed a ruby red, subtle and warm beneath her fingers. "What makes you say that?"

"It overcame the power of the Golden Crystal—its energy so strong that I couldn't control it," he said. "It broke the darkness in the strange realm I was wandering, and through the mist I was able to see a large gate, encircled with the phases of the Moon."

Rini pulled away to look at him, wide-eyed. "That's the Space-Time Door," she said, alarmed. "Was Sailor Pluto there?"

He frowned. "No one was there—the door simply opened," he said softly. "I have never met any of the soldiers of the outer solar system."

She shook her head. "I don't understand," she said, sitting back onto crossed legs. "Puu guards the gate of time—without her help, or the Space-Time Key, nobody else can move through time and space." She looked up at him, panicked. "What if something is wrong? What if something has happened to her?"

He grasped her hands between his own. "Don't fret, Rini," he said with a gentle smile. "I can't explain any of this either, but we will find a way back and I'm sure our questions will be answered."

Rini looked down at their entwined hands. "Maybe your gem is the answer," she said suddenly, looking him in the eye. "Maybe it can help us get back home!"

"Perhaps," he said. "But unlike the power of the Golden Crystal, which I can harness when necessary, I can't control this power." He stroked the back of her hand tenderly. "I'm sorry, Rini."

"It's okay," she said with a smile. She cast her eye out to the Kinmokian senshi, watching as they addressed their apprentices with skill and grace. "But Helios, we have to try and trust them—they may be our only way back."

Helios threaded his fingers through hers and stood, pulling her up with him. "Come, then," he said with a smile. "Let's see if we can get to know them a little better."

"So if we look at the mandatory substrates required for the tricarboxylic acid cycle, we can see…"

Usagi cupped her chin in her hand and gazed out of the classroom window longingly, watching as a group of students in sports uniform jogged around the oval under the hot sun. She would happily skip the jogging, but what she wouldn't give just to be outside…

"Usagi, can you give me the name of the enzyme required for this reaction?"

She snapped her head around to her teacher, who was staring at her expectantly from the front of the room. "Uh, something ending in –ase…?"

There was a chuckle throughout the room and the teacher looked unimpressed. "Well you're not wrong, I'll give you that much," he said, and turned back to the board. "The answer I was looking for was aconitase, which helps give rise to…"

Usagi groaned quietly and placed her head down on the desk, tuning out once again. The pencil in her hand doodled on the notepad right alongside her face, looping love hearts and stars between one another messily, until something hit the back of her head. She swung her pigtails around, looking for the assailant who had launched a piece of scrunched paper at her. Two seats back, one of her classmates, Rafu, was looking up at the ceiling, his arms folded over his broad chest. "Raf," she hissed, beyond done with the boy's daily antics, "stop it!"

He looked at her wide-eyed, feigning innocence. She had known the boy since she was in primary school, but it had only been in recent months that she had ever properly spoken to him and his group of friends. Frankly, they were obnoxious, but nice enough all the same. He nodded at the ball of paper and she scooped it up from the floor, unfolding it. The practice exam page had an explicit scribbling of her and whom she assumed was him scrawled across the multiple-choice questions, and she rolled her eyes. A snort of laughter came from alongside her, where Minako was peering across.

"Something amusing you'd like to share, ladies?"

Usagi crumpled the note back up into her fist hastily. "Nope, nothing at all!"

"Glad to hear it," the teacher said, and returned to the board.

She glanced over at Minako, who had covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. They both turned to look back at Rafu. "What?" he mouthed, and then pointed at Usagi, and then to himself, and then to the note with a wink.

"Oh, God," Usagi said under her breath, making a face at him. She swore—the older these boys got, the worse they became.

Makoto leant forward to whisper in her ear: "Just ignore him, Usa!"

The bell rang and the class exited quickly for lunch, leaving the teacher spluttering their homework instructions. Usagi buzzed after Minako and Makoto in the hall, meeting Ami by their lockers. "Biochem is such a drag!" She leant against the cool metal and spoke loudly as Rafu and his friends passed by, heading out toward the oval. "Especially when you have stupid jerks getting you in trouble!"

He grinned at her, shaking out his chaotic hair arrogantly as he passed. "You love it, Tsukino!"

Makoto slammed the locker shut and produced a lunchbox large enough to feed their entire group. "Like I said: ignore him."

"Aw, don't be jealous, Mako," he said teasingly as he walked backward, his friends going on ahead. He waved his arms up and down his body and wiggled his eyebrows. "There's plenty to go around…"

Makoto looked at him soberly. "I will punch you."

"I don't doubt it," he said with a smirk, chasing after his friends and calling over his shoulder: "But then Usagi can kiss it better!

"Ugh, shut up, Raf!"

Minako shook her head and tugged Usagi away. "Come on, Usa, let's go!"

They headed outside and chose a spot under the shade of a tree, sprawling themselves across the grass. Usagi leant back and crossed her ankles, drinking in the warm weather gratefully. "That's better," she hummed happily, staring up at the blue sky. "And no pesky boys to ruin our lunch…"

"Rafu only says those kind of things to get a rise out of you, Usagi," Ami said wisely, stacking her textbooks in her lap. "And your reaction only encourages his behaviour."

Minako plonked herself next to Usagi, raiding Makoto's delicious lunch before Usagi could get a look-in. "I still say he likes you, Usa…" She teased, munching away.

"He's gross," Usagi replied, still gazing up at the fluffy clouds floating above them. She shot a sly look at Makoto. "Mako doesn't think so, though!"

The brunette went a brilliant shade of red, suddenly very interested in the beautifully prepared food in front of her. "That's not true, I don't—"

"'I will punch you'," Minako imitated, augmenting her impersonation with a flirtatious spin. "And then, once I've punched you, I'll make it all better by giving you a—"

"Knock it off," Makoto scowled, slapping her lightly across the arm for effect. "I will punch him, if he keeps objectifying my friend!"

Usagi waved her off. "Don't worry about it," she said light-heartedly, and dug in to one of the sushi rolls. "He's just being a boy."

"Speaking of boys," Minako said, eying Usagi, "how have you been since Mamoru left for America?"

Usagi bit her lip, giving her a shrug. "Okay, I guess," she said. "It's for the best, like we talked about."

"Luna said that your sleep has been quite disturbed of late," Ami said, taking off her reading glasses and tucking them into her breast pocket. She watched Usagi with a concerned gaze. "She said that you've been having nightmares…"

"They're not really nightmares…" Usagi started, and then trailed off. Were they nightmares, or perhaps her closest held dreams?

"Well, you have to tell us if something's wrong, Usa," Makoto said firmly. "You can't keep things in like you did last time."

The tell-tale clink of a ball connecting with a metal bat sounded from the softball pitch nearby, and Usagi looked over, a sudden longing to see a devilish smirk and a long ponytail running her way. She could nearly hear her nickname on his lips, and the thought made her cheeks flame. Sometimes, these days, her thoughts were far from innocent and pure. Odango…

She felt eyes on her and watched as Minako looked between the softball ground and her friend. "Usa, maybe we need to talk about—"

A piercing scream interrupted them from the field, and the four girls were on their feet in an instant. Suddenly students were running, and Usagi looked on in horror as a man, shrouded in black shadow, held up one of the softball players by the throat. She broke into a sprint, the other scouts hot on her tail.

"Usagi, don't!"

She could hear Ami on her communicator, speaking to Rei and the other scouts. "You have to get here, we have a situation at the school!"

The seeping dark energy crept from the man's twitching body and stained the sky grey, banishing the sun and bringing on violent winds. The temperature dropped icily and thick raindrops began to fall, thunder accompanying their arrival. "We've got to do something!" Makoto yelled, reaching for her crystal change rod.

Ami pushed her wrist down. "We can't, not here!"

They were so close, and the young teenager held tight in the man's grip had turned ghostly white, her kicks and jerks falling stiller and stiller by the moment. The tall assailant's face was contorted with rage, his eyes entirely black and his body no longer his own. The snap and crunch of flesh could be heard across the pitch and Usagi realised it wasn't that of the girl—it was him, being tortured from the inside out. "It's killing them both!" She screamed. "Ami, we have to!"

She looked around desperately. Many of the students had fled, running into the building to safety, but the eyes of those still conscious watched on helplessly. Once again, they had been cornered—how could she possibly help them, if she couldn't become Sailor Moon?

The girl went limp in the man's grasp, and he tossed her body forcefully against the fencing like a ragdoll, snarling with fury. His back arched inhumanly and Usagi heard the crack of his spine. "No!"

His deformed body bent and twisted as the energy grew larger, and when he lifted his foot and slammed it back against the ground, it tore open the earth, the power knocking the four girls flat. "Cause…" it growled, because it was no longer in any way human, "chaos."

Usagi coughed and gasped for breath, the air thumped from her lungs as she hit the ground. She wiped blood from her cheek and looked up through blurred vision as hail began to pelt down painfully on her back. "Chaos…" she murmured. How could this be? They had defeated Chaos—they had done everything to banish it from their world. "How…?"

"Flame, sniper!"

A flaming arrow collided with the black mass, setting it alight as it screeched in pain. Sailor Mars stood protectively in front of her, and Sailor Neptune bent to help her to her feet. "Are you alright?"

Sailor Uranus, who was holding her glinting sword at the ready alongside Mars, looked back over her shoulder. "Usagi, you have to transform now, it's safe!"

She glanced vaguely around her through the storm, to the masses of innocent students huddled over in pain and fear, and to those who were already sapped of their energy. The noise of their cries, the furious storm, and the roars of their enemy, lit something within her, and she grasped her brooch between her icy fingers. "Moon eternal, make up!"

Instantly, she knew something was wrong.

"That's all you got out of her? That she's a relative of Sailor Moon's? I could have told you that!"

Seiya growled at Yaten, dodging a fist as they sparred on the dust amongst the training warriors. "I'm trying to gain her trust," he said, and swung his leg in a high kick. "Which is more than you're doing!"

"So they have no idea how they got here and are not forthcoming about their relationship with the Sol senshi," Taiki pondered aloud as she moved alongside them, her voice low. She narrowed her eyes back toward the long windows of the palace on the hill. "I still don't believe helping them is the best idea…"

"You've made that perfectly clear," Seiya said, and caught Yaten's forearm to twist it behind her back, effectively ceasing the combat. "But it's our Princess' orders."

"Get off, jackass," Yaten mumbled, tugging her arm out of his grip and turning to face him. "And isn't that just terribly convenient, that suddenly we might be escorting some brats back to Earth…"

Seiya ignored her, levelling with Taiki. "Look, I know this is hard—we have no idea who they are," he said under his breath. "But can the two of you at least be civil? For Chibi's sake, if nothing else?"

Taiki looked at him apprehensively. "For Chibi, and our Princess, we will try," she said. "But if they are good people, they should have nothing to hide."

"She may be hiding something, but there may be a good reason for that," Seiya replied, looking between the two senshi. "We know what that's like, to be unable to reveal our true identities at the stake of others and our mission."

Yaten's jaw tightened. "Mm," she agreed half-heartedly. To Seiya's surprise, her lips twitched in a smile as the trio in question appeared on the dirt, Chibi running across to the Starlights happily. "Hello, Chibi Chibi."

"Chibi, I told you—no running off while they're training!" Rini called, and let out a long sigh, her voice laced with annoyance. She jogged over and frowned at the child. "It's dangerous, Chibi!"

"It's alright," Yaten said, bending down to look Chibi in the eye. "This little one knows her way around a battlefield."

Chibi giggled and reached for Yaten's hair, which had fallen over her shoulder as she knelt. "Chibi!" The toddler laughed and tugged at it. "Chibi!"

Yaten looked unimpressed and sighed. "And isn't that a fun game…"

"Sorry," Rini said, picking up Chibi and hiking her onto her hip. "She gets a bit excited, sometimes…"

Seiya grinned, cocking an eyebrow at Yaten teasingly. "Don't we all," he said, and she huffed and rolled her eyes. Helios caught up with them, stepping in close to Rini protectively. "Morning, Helios."

"Good morning," the boy replied with a kind smile, and Seiya instinctively liked him—he had from the moment he'd spoken the day before. "Thank you for the invitation to come and watch you all."

Seiya watched as Rini's crimson eyes tracked the movements of their upcoming soldiers curiously, and an idea itched at his mind. He snatched up a fighting stick from the dirt and held it out to her. "Better yet, why don't you join in?"

She looked at the stick and then back up at him. "Don't you have work to do?"

"Yes," Yaten grumbled.

"These two have it under control," he told her, ignoring Yaten. "I wanna see what you've got."

Rini gave Helios a sideward glance, who shrugged, and then thrust Chibi into his arms. "Alright," she said determinedly, taking the long stick from him with a smirk. "Let's go!"

She has so much fire, Seiya thought, watching with a smirk as she awkwardly twisted the rod in her grip, her tongue sticking out. He muffled a laugh. But maybe no skill…

Taiki looked at Rini, her expression unreadable. "Be careful with that," she said. She turned to Seiya as she walked away. "No injuries, Seiya."

"I can take care of myself!" Rini said defiantly, swishing the wooden stick through the air. She laughed triumphantly. "Ha! See?"

Seiya drew up an eyebrow at her, thoroughly amused. "Yeah, great job, kid," he said. "You only missed me by four feet…"

She scowled at him and propped the rod against one shoulder like a baseball bat. The familiar sight made Seiya's chest clench, as she smirked with false confidence and swished her pigtails around. "Well then how about this—" she swung out again, and Seiya dodged with ease. She pouted. "No fair…"

"Hold on, hold on," he said, holding his arm up to stop her from taking another shot. "Let me show you what you're doing wrong…"

"I'm not doing anything wrong—"

"Let me show you how you can do it better," he corrected, and approached, his hands raised in a truce. "Somebody sure doesn't like a little constructive criticism…"

Her pout soured into a glare, but she handed him the stick nonetheless. "Better show me how it's done then, Fighter."

He gave her a withering look. "You need to find the centre of the stick's weight, and use that to your advantage," he said, holding it out flat in the palm of his hand so it balanced perfectly. He snatched it into the air elaborately, admittedly showing off a complicated manoeuvre around his torso and above his head. "And don't grip too hard, either. Here, you try."

He handed it back, fully expecting her to do exactly what she'd done before, but she took his advice and steadied the rod in the palm of her hand. "Okay…" she mumbled, and then snatched it up flawlessly, imitating his movement almost identically with ease. "How's that?"

He blinked at her, astonished by how nimble the awkward adolescent had suddenly become before his eyes. "You've done this before…"

"Nope," she said, repeating the action with a smile. "This is fun!"

Just as she twirled the stick above her head, Yaten was backed fractionally too close by her opponent, but her keen senses had her catching the rod before it connected with her skull. She narrowed her eyes at the young girl, tugging the weapon from her. "Watch it," she warned. "I don't like amateurs on my turf."

Rini's cheeks went scarlet and she glared at her. "Hey, it was just an accident—"

Seiya stepped in, sensing that Yaten's temper was at boiling point, but he was too late. The silver-haired senshi moved into the girl's space aggressively. "Listen here, Rini," Yaten said, her voice low. "That attitude might just get you in trouble if you're not careful—you have no idea who you're dealing with."

Rini was unmoved. "And neither do you," she said venomously.

Seiya stepped between them, facing the shorter guardian and giving her a cautionary glance. "Yaten, that's enough."

"Oh, and isn't this just like old times," Yaten said mockingly. "When you used to stick up for Usagi, instead of us—"

Seiya was ready to launch at her, when Rini spoke up quickly. "Wait—you know Usagi? Usagi Tsukino?"

Almost instantly, as that name fell from Rini's lips, Seiya felt a heavy sensation fall hard on his chest. Everything tilted on an angle, and his breath was sucked out of his lungs. He could feel her, and something was wrong.

"Yes, we know all the identities of the Sol senshi—we went to school with them," he heard Yaten reply coolly. There was a beat where his vision went hazy and he knew he'd swayed on his feet. "Oh, not this again…"

"I'm fine," he said, as Yaten threaded an arm under his shoulders to support him. "Really, I'm fine."

Taiki dismissed the session and appeared in front of him, her violet eyes examining him closely. "Is it happening again?" She pursed her lips and spun on her heel. "I'll fetch Kakyuu."

"What's wrong?" Rini asked from beside them. "Is he sick?"

Yaten snickered and moved him toward the palace. "You could say that," she said cryptically. "Make yourself useful and help me get him inside—you're so fat as a dude, Seiya…"

"Shut up, Yaten," he replied weakly. Rini moved alongside him tentatively, ducking her petite form under his arm. The contact immediately produced a crack of electricity so powerful that it was audible, igniting the space between them in a flash of white light. For a moment, he could breathe perfectly once more. What the…?

Rini leapt back, red eyes wide as they stared at one another. "I—I'm sorry—"

"Here, let me," Helios said, taking her place and helping Yaten—who was also staring at the pink-haired girl in shock—move him toward the castle.

Seiya glanced back over his shoulder, to where Rini stood motionless, watching after them. What the hell was that?

Eternal…

Usagi felt the locket hinge over her heart's crystal where it belonged, and gasped as power surged through her chest. She could feel the feathery wings try to escape from her back, and the crescent shape burn into her forehead, but something halted her transformation. She cringed in pain, crashing to her knees and gripping the brooch tightly. Pink ribbons burst forth from her heart's centre and wrapped around her body, hovering on her skin but producing no fuku. "No…"

"Sailor Moon!"

Suddenly Sailor Saturn was before her, cupping her cheeks in her dainty hands. "Sailor Moon, what's wrong?"

"My…true self…" She gasped, repeating the words Hotaru had spoken to her years earlier. She shook her head weakly. "I can't…" There was no transformation. No wings, no tier. "I can't transform…"

Saturn looked deeply into her eyes and then to her forehead, tracing the crescent moon with her fingertips. She shook her head in confusion and finally addressed the other scouts. "We fight without Sailor Moon!" She ordered fiercely, and the warriors prepared for battle. "We must protect our princess!"

Usagi gazed up as eight vivid colours filled the dark sky, shimmering and illuminating the storm until the evil was expelled from their home, before everything turned black once again.