Author's notes:

Well hello there! I know, I'm a terrible fan fiction author, making you all wait so long. Unfortunately health and uni took over my life for the past couple of months, but the good news is that I'm finished uni until March…which means I will be able to update fortnightly from here on out (as best I can). This chapter is reasonably intense in nature and hence is shorter than usual. Hope you enjoy, and thank you all for your ongoing support.

Make sure to check out the important notes from the Prologue if you haven't already. Enjoy!

Music rec – Hell Hath No Fury by Rupert Gregson-Williams, from the Wonder Woman soundtrack

Chapter Fourteen

She knew what she was doing.

She had to lie and deceive, because if she didn't, she could never become the warrior that was expected of her. The warrior her mother was.

It was dark and quiet in the park late at night, and even though she had concocted her plan so no one would look for her, Rini still sought cover behind the granite statue standing tall from the tricking fountain. "Okay," she whispered to herself, heart beating hard and fast. "You can do this…"

The concrete was rough and cool under her knees as she cupped her heart-shaped locket in the palm of her outstretched hand as an invitation to the darkness she had to face. She willed all of her strength, all of her power, from the centre of her chest and down her arms, like hot blood flow, into the pink metal, the words of her transformation almost bursting from her. Something strong coiled within her, unlike anything she'd felt before, and the brooch in her grasp began to shake and glow, radiant and beautiful.

She knew it—she knew, if she had to, that she could become Sailor Chibi Moon; that she could fight and succeed alone—

Until the warm pink suddenly burned black.

"No..." She murmured, as the locket grew searingly hot in the palm of her hands. She hissed in pain and dropped it to the ground, where the black energy cracked the crystal heart straight through—a perfect, jagged break.

And then all hell broke lose.

The indigo night sky above her was consumed with thick cloud, and a chilling wind cut deep through to her bones, howling and swirling around her shaking body. The scorched locket crackled with electric power, and as she reached out her fingertips to snatch it up once more, the dark bolts of power leapt into her hands, like a strange, hypnotising gift. She felt frozen as the black energy danced with vivid pink in sparks before her, and as the storm rolled closer, she heard something cry her name.

"Heir Small Lady..."

A creature grew from the shadows in the tree line ahead, accompanied by another, and then another. She breathed heavily as rain began to pelt down on her back in a sting, blurring her vision of the dark beings. The energy coursed up her arms and began to claw at her throat, loading her with pain and power she had never, ever known. She groaned, dropping forward to catch herself, hunched and blinded.

One darkened form lurched forward from the group, and as it moved brokenly, she began to see the outline of a man. "Weak," it breathed.

She hauled herself to unsteady feet, seized by the energy that suffocated her and ignited her, all at once. "I am not weak," she managed, gripping her fists tightly, the crackle and spark chaotic by her sides.

There was a chuckle, another angry flicker toward her, before it was standing right before her, as much human as it was monster.

"Yes," he said, eyes black as ink and smile twisted. "You are."

With a flick of his fingers, she experienced pain unlike any she'd ever felt before.

The pink beam shot high into the sky, it's blushing hue illuminating the city and casting a blinding shimmer through the night. Usagi's lungs burned and her feet ached desperately as she sprinted toward the light, ignoring the overwhelming fear that flooded her as stormy cloud and black bolts surrounded the glowing energy.

"Rini!"

She couldn't let her come to harm—she wouldn't—and as they crossed the threshold of the brilliant light, into the eye of this hellish storm, Usagi saw Rini, suspended mid-air before a blackened, heartless creature.

"No!"

The dark form reeled toward them and the girl fell limp to the ground, motionless, where Seiya dove for her and bundled her into her arms. "It's alright Chibi Odango—you're alright, just breathe…"

Time grew painfully slow, and Usagi felt herself ignite ice hot with an emotion she could give no other name but rage. The feeling swamped her, immobilised her so that she felt the ground shake beneath her feet, but the flicker of that extreme power was severed as Rini gasped and coughed in Seiya's embrace.

Thank god.

She started toward them, but the shadows around her began to shift and change, shrouding the scene before her. She began to lose sight of Seiya and Rini, the only remnant of them a spark of electricity before the park became hazy. She steeled herself for battle, casting her eye across the concrete where her enemies had rescinded upon their arrival. Through the oppressive fog and beating hail, something glinted on the ground before her. She knelt to pick up the object, only to find the singed remnants of Rini's heart-shaped brooch.

"Fighter," she called shakily, as a feeling of sheer dread coursed through her.

The Starlight's reply was muffled, as though she were in another world, yet only feet away. Something flickered in the rain before her, and she suddenly couldn't tear her eye from the figure that slunk among the contorted shadows. Unlike the creatures dancing twistedly around him, the figure—the man—moved with haunting grace, pale fingertips wisping through the murky air and face masked by darkness.

Was this the enemy behind the creatures, or another victim of their violent deeds?

Usagi found herself enchanted, following alongside him in a trance. His downcast gaze tilted toward her through the curtain of dark hair that obscured face, a sadistic smile curling on the edge of his lips. She couldn't pull herself away, couldn't help but reach her fingertips through the haze toward his, like a magnet. Like something she had done before.

She should have known better.

In a heartbeat, he gripped his hand into a fist and the action clutched at her body and suspended her from the ground. He squeezed tighter and she winced at the intense pain grasping her frame, as if someone were sewing her ribcage closed. Her lungs constricted, gasping as the chilled air strangled in her throat. Her brain fought for the oxygen it needed, but the spinning, clouded world grew blacker by the second. She hissed, body ice cold. She would not give in—not like this.

"What are you?" She breathed.

He turned to look at her, and something cold pulsed through her as she looked back at him—sharp, vicious features on a face that was terrifying and beautiful in its inhumanity; a slanted smile, eyes that were blackened like a bruise, and an eight-pointed star marring his forehead like an angry scar.

"I am every nightmare you have ever endured, and every nightmare you are yet toendure."

He approached her, gait carnal.

"I embody everything you fear, and everything you desire."

He held her on the edge, the very brink of consciousness.

"I am Chaos," he told her, "and without me, there is no you."

They were words she felt she had heard before; like a fable she had been told long ago—one she didn't want to believe, refused to believe. As she held on through the numbing pain and stinging hail that beat down on her body, she challenged him with the little strength she had remaining. "You're lying."

"I do not lie," he said, arriving right before her. "But you have been lied to, Guardian."

"No," she managed, voice strangled. "I've played your games before—I won't believe what you say—"

He laughed, like another rumble of thunder, and reached a finger up to caress her chin. "Let me show you."

His malicious smirk ruptured into a silent scream as she was whisked off to another place—another time—and Usagi knew what she was seeing then. A memory, a vision. A truth.

She was back beneath the rainbow of lights produced by her fellow soldiers as they merged their power into one, shooting down upon the innocent man who had been overtaken by their enemy. Everything around her was oppressively silent, and the gravel and grass of the school's oval shuddered under her. She watched, frozen in her memory, as the warriors' power consumed him, as his tortured body dissolved before her eyes. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, as she watched the bittersweet end to the first life that they could not save.

The vision ended abruptly and she gasped urgently for breath once more, her hovered body growing limper by the second. Black energy lapped at the edges of the man before her, as he watched her, expression unreadable.

"This is only the very beginning of the lies you have been told." He said, eyes burning into her own. "You know nothing."

Emotion boiled within her, fighting against the crushing grasp. It crawled under her skin, as if her energy were desperate to escape. She glared back at him—but she knew those eyes; earthy flecks behind the black—

"You're only trying to turn me against them—turn us against each other so you can take over our galaxy…" She spat. I refused to be deceived by you.

"Oh, no," he laughed. "There is no need for that." He circled her until she could no longer see him, but feel his icy presence behind her, prickling on her skin. "You see, destroying you, piece by piece, is the greatest threat of all."

"You're wrong," she said, pushing past the ache that had imprisoned her."No threat is strong enough to overcome the love we have for this galaxy."

"It is you that is wrong, dear Guardian, " he murmured by her ear. "You are the threat."

Those were the last words she heard before searing heat lashed against her back and tore her open.

"Odango!"

Seiya grimaced as two golden pigtails disappeared into the mist, leaving her alone on the cold concrete, cradling an unconscious Rini in her arms. She gasped as the bitter air permeated her lungs and the rain soaked them both to the bone, and she bundled the young girl closer to her. "Don't do this, Odango," she hissed, seeking her out desperately in the haze. She couldn't see her, but she could feel her.

Just.

Rini whimpered in her grip, and as she tightened her hands around the girl's petite frame, tiny sparks of white zapped between them. Seiya frowned down at the fizzling electricity, like a blaze trying to ignite, and rapidly drew a gloved hand to her teeth, tearing the glove away. Rini's features grew paler by the second, and as Seiya felt her vision start to swim, she cupped her bare hand to her cheek and the power coursed between them like wildfire. "Hang in there, Chibi Odango," she whispered.

Weakly, she cast her eye out to the grounds, panic gripping her. It was her duty—her promise—to protect her, but her energy was seeping from her and she could feel herself starting to slip into unconsciousness. Fate had her glued at Rini's side, and suddenly she was stripped of her choice to protect the most important thing to her.

"Rini, come on, please," she said, voice desperate as she slumped with the adolescent in her arms. "Wake up…I have to go to her…"

The shadows before them darkened and Seiya's breath was ripped from her lungs in a crushing blow. She sucked for air urgently, dread washing over her. Something is very wrong…

With a jagged gasp, Rini lurched back, chest taut and neck extended. Seiya gripped her tighter, horribly torn by the girl who needed her in that moment and the young woman who may have been in danger.

Trust her, something told her—perhaps her own voice, perhaps Kakyuu's. She can do this.

She ground her teeth and stole another sip of precious oxygen, looking down Rini's stiff, pained body.

You can help her, the voice told her, you know you can.

"I'll try," she whispered, "I'll try, kid."

She curled the girl back toward her embrace and leant her head down toward the pink tendrils plastered to her face. Gently, she met Rini's forehead with her own, and a surge of energy bled between them. Ruby eyes flickered open to meet sapphire, and Seiya clutched her hand tighter. "It's alright," she told her.

"Rini!"

Through her blotchy vision, Seiya watched as Helios sprinted across the wet ground toward them, skidding to his knees and reaching out to Rini with shaking hands. Seiya tried desperately to tell him she was okay—to go to Usagi instead—but she couldn't speak. She could only watch as Helios' eyes darkened and his ruby gemstone shone vividly, and the young boy rose to his feet, a silvery storm amongst blackened cloud. The swarm of black figures shook before them, rearing their ugly heads as they were drawn to the bright light.

"Helios…" Rini whimpered as he stepped closer, but it was no use—the boy's intense gaze was set on the figures that jerkily approached. He stood tall, strong, and as the forms met his sunset glow, each was obliterated with a piercing screech, until finally there was nothing left but fog and pouring rain.

"Odango!" Seiya cried, as air rushed into her chest. "Odango!"

There was a scuffle alongside them as Sailor Saturn screeched to a halt before Helios, urging him in his angry state to be calm. "It's over, Helios—they're gone, everything's okay—"

Neptune dropped to the ground and took Rini from her grasp, holding her against her tightly. "She's alright," Seiya told her, struggling to set herself upright.

"Thanks to you," Neptune replied.

"Where is she?" She heard Uranus bark, although she didn't wait to hear Seiya's reply. She tore off into the hazy park, but stopped as the silhouette of two long pigtails emerged from the shadowed cloud. Relief rolled over Seiya—she was safe, she was alive—

But there was something different about her.

Her dainty figure, usually endearingly clumsy and awkward, moved with a strength she had never seen—a warrior's strength. She walked tall, a glimmer to her skin and a fullness to her petite musculature. And her eyes—god, her eyes—held a diamond hardness that stared down her fellow senshi as though she were her opponent.

"You lied to me."

Uranus visibly recoiled from the Moon princess as though she had been burned, and Usagi's ethereal glow only brightened as she approached through the storm. "You lied to me," she repeated lowly. The young woman shook, fists curled as Seiya had seen only one time before in an emotional rage.

"Usagi—"

"No!" She roared. "You told me he survived and you lied to me! Again!"

Her outburst was met with pure silence, and while Seiya couldn't be sure what Usagi was referring to, the betrayal pulsed through her own veins with matching acidity.

"We were trying to protect you—"

"Protect me?" Usagi growled, coming to stand in front of Uranus, who was cautiously—perhaps timidly—lowering to her knees. "Maybe you're the one who needs protection—from me."

Uranus breathed sharply, as though she were in pain, and Neptune gasped, looking rapidly between Rini's weakened body and her lover.

Another choice, Seiya thought, as she pulled herself to stand on wavering legs. The glint in Usagi's wayward gaze intensified and Uranus grunted, and Seiya knew she had to stop it.

"Sailor Moon!"

Seiya's cry broke her spell, her sparkling eyes snapping to lock with her own. "Please, Odango," she said, as Usagi began to come back to herself—the glow fading, her body relaxing once more. "You have to stop."

Her beautiful azure eyes softened and grew glassy, and Uranus—now simply Haruka—panted as she was released from whatever hold the young woman had placed upon her.

"Seiya," Usagi murmured, before she collapsed into Haruka's arms, thick blood seeping into the white of her t-shirt.

"I can take her from here."

"I've got her."

"You're too weak—"

"I've got her."

Flashes of conversation, light and warmth drifted in and out of Usagi's awareness as she curled into the soft embrace that held her so tightly. A citrus scent filled her nostrils, the familiar heat vibrating her with energy that flowed to her very core. She wanted to bury herself into the soft flesh, and as she strained in her semi-consciousness to do so, pain shot through her back like a hot blade.

"It's okay," the voice told her—Seiya's voice, quivering as though she were afraid. "I've got you."

"Someone find Ami, and make space to lay her down—"

"We need towels, antiseptic, bandages—just get me them now!"

There was scattered movement all around her, and as she fluttered her eyes open and closed, she could see the tranquil hall of Hikawa shrine passing by her.

"Place her down here, so I can inspect her wounds."

She felt the grip tighten slightly, hesitance in Seiya's movements.

"It's the only way I can help her."

She felt cold as she was gingerly laid onto a soft surface, stomach flush against the material. She turned her cheek from the pillow to see a blurred outline of long, dark hair and deep blue eyes. There was a rip of fabric and cool air met her back. Seiya sucked in a breath and threaded her fingers through Usagi's. "Just breathe, Odango."

She winced as a stinging coolness connected with the skin that was sliced along the inside of one shoulder blade, trailing the length of her wound, and then moving to the other side. The sensation burned—but it was nothing compared to the initial pain she had experienced.

Reality floated in and out for what may have been minutes, or may have been hours. Her mind was filled with images of that indescribable man, telling her that she was the threat; rekindling unseen memories and lighting a fire within her that she didn't know she could ever possess. She could see their failure, played over and over, and wondered whether this would be the beginning of a war more bloody than ever before.

She woke abruptly, some time later, her hand empty and her body feverish. Ami sat alongside her, laying the last of her bandages across her back. She smiled at her. "Hello, Usagi," she said quietly. "Welcome back."

Haruka, who had been pacing by the doorway, spun to look her over. "She's shivering," she announced. "Why is she shivering?"

"She has a fever, Haruka," Ami said tiredly, placing a hand against her forehead. Vaguely, she registered a complete lack of clothing on her upper body—presumably cut away to allow Ami access to treat her wounds. She didn't care—the light sheen of sweat gathering on her back was cooling her temperature, and she breathed deeply as she came to fully. "I will get her something to bring it down."

Ami pulled a sheet over her lightly, swamping her in more heat that she simply didn't want, and headed for the doorway. As she made her way out, Seiya appeared, giving her a small smile and placing a hand on her shoulder, before Ami left for more supplies.

Usagi looked around at the Starlight, who was staring back at her with an indescribable expression on her face as she made toward her. "Don't overdo it, Odango—"

"Don't."

Haruka's voice was dangerously low as she blocked Seiya's entry, but Seiya simply glared at her. "I want to see her."

"I won't let you be alone with her, not while she's like this—"

"I want to see her—"

"I don't give a fuck what you want—"

Usagi couldn't stand it—she was still wielding so much hurt, so much anger, that she couldn't bear to watch them fight. "Get out, Haruka," she managed tersely. "Leave me alone with Seiya."

Haruka's jaw tightened and she nodded curtly, shouldering Seiya as she left the room. The action didn't seem to bother Seiya as she moved toward her swiftly. "Odango," she breathed, as she dropped down beside her. "I'm so sorry, I—"

"Rini," Usagi interrupted, fear suddenly consuming her. "How is Rini?"

"She's fine—a little weak, but otherwise just fine," Seiya said. She hesitated before she added: "I had her the whole time."

Usagi let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you so much, Seiya."

Seiya shook her head and dragged her fingers through her damp hair aggressively. "There's nothing to thank me for—I should have been protecting you, I should have—"

"But I'm okay, aren't I?"

"Hardly," she growled in reply, looking over the sheet that covered her back. "You're hurt, and that's my fault—"

"No," Usagi said, shaking her head. "This is not your fault—not even close."

A muscle jumped in the Starlight's jawline but she said nothing. Her eye tracked across the expanse of her back. "May I…?"

Usagi nodded and felt the sheet being lifted away from her skin to gather low on her spine. She watched quietly as Seiya studied the bandaging, her beautiful face twisting with emotion as she released a shaking breath. "I'll destroy them—I swear, I'll—"

"Seiya," she coaxed, too fatigued to settle the guardian. "Stop, please." She propped a forearm under her cheek, resting heavily against it. "You can be as angry as you like, later."

The comment broke Seiya's temper, and she gave her a lop-sided smile. "I'll hold you to that," she said. Her gaze returned to Usagi's injuries, and she tenderly combed the fine hairs from the nape of her neck with her fingers. She relaxed into the soothing sensation as Seiya began to trace the curvature of her spine with the faintest touch of her fingertips, rolling over each vertebrae between her shoulder blades, her ribs and down the small of her back.

"My mother used to do this for me when I was small," Seiya murmured, watching her every move as though she were painting an exquisite picture. "It always helped me when I was upset."

Her roughened fingertips journeyed their way up the valley of her lower back, and Usagi felt her skin flush and tingle as she stopped at the base of her spine. She pulled her hand away and Usagi frowned at her. "You don't have to stop."

Seiya chuckled, quirking a brow at her reddened cheeks. "You sure about that?"

Usagi didn't answer, although it didn't seem that Seiya was looking for one as she replaced her touch and deviated off the straight of her spine, skimming along the dip of her waist on one side. Usagi's eyes drifted closed as Seiya trailed each rib, the very edge of her breast and swooped across the top of her shoulder to the opposing side. The feeling that pooled within her gut was indescribable; all from a moment so intimate, so calming, that she never wanted to end.

As sleep consumed her, she felt lips brush against her cheek. "Rest, Odango."

Rini glared up at the group of adults berating her. How much longer could this go on?

"I cannot believe you would do something like this, Rini," Setsuna was saying, more upset than Rini had ever seen her. "You've always been brave but this goes against everything I know about you—"

"You know the risks," Michiru said, shaking her head. "What if you'd been killed?"

She rustled the towel through her thick hair, squeezing the last of the moisture, and let out a growl. "What difference does it make? I'm as good as dead now anyway!"

Her comment was met with a moment of shocked silence, until Minako spoke up quietly. "Oh, Rini, please don't ever say something like that."

"It's true!" She cried, her eyes stinging. "I—I don't really exist—I'm not supposed to be here, I—"

She cupped her face in her hands and started to cry, and in an instant there were arms around her. "That is not true, Rini," Hotaru whispered in her ear. "You are exactly where you're supposed to be."

"We know what you were trying to do, and it was brave, Rini," Rei said, smoothing down her hair affectionately. "But you have to tell us—we're a team, and we have to do these things together."

Setsuna crouched down alongside her and she detangled herself from Hotaru's embrace with a sniff. "We can't afford to lose you—especially not now, when the timeline is so fractured."

She nodded and peeked over Hotaru's shoulder to Helios, who had been quiet since their arrival at the shrine. She met his eye and he gave her a small smile. "I should have known you wouldn't keep that promise," he said softly.

"Something has changed, drastically, and we have to let it run its course—promise me you will."

"I'm sorry, Helios, I had to do it—for Usagi—"

He held up a hand to quieten her. "It's alright, Princess," he said. "I understand."

She opened her mouth to tell him once again not to call her that, and to thank him, but she stilled as Haruka re-entered to room. The moody senshi had said nothing to her since their return, but Rini sensed the tension, thick in the air.

"How is she?" Makoto asked.

"She has a fever that Ami is tending to, and her wounds are clean," she replied factually. She folded her arms over her chest, and to Rini's complete surprise, Haruka softened when she met her eye. "Are you alright?"

She quickly dabbed at the tears clinging to her cheeks and nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Where's Seiya?"

"With her," she said.

"How is she?"

Haruka didn't respond, busying herself instead with reddened towels. Rini flushed angrily. "She saved my life, Haruka—the least you could do is tell me if she's okay—"

"She is," Haruka said shortly, and then turned to face the inner scouts to change the subject. "Usagi knew about the man who was killed at the school."

Rei shook her head. "How did she find out?"

"We don't know," Michiru replied. "But she was angry."

"That's an understatement," Haruka mumbled.

"Usagi doesn't get angry," Minako said disbelievingly. "It's not in her nature."

"It's true," Hotaru told them. "I've never seen her that way before."

Rini rattled around in the dim depths of her memories of that evening, but all she could see was Usagi standing before them in the darkness, vivid and glorious. What had happened while she was unconscious?

"Perhaps the time is coming sooner than we thought," Hotaru said, looking to Setsuna.

Setsuna chewed her lip. "It doesn't make any sense," she said. "None of this does."

"But I'm still here, aren't I?" Rini pressed. "There must be a timeline somewhere—something must be leading us to the right future—"

"I think it's time to have Mamoru return to Tokyo," Haruka cut in. "Without him here things are even less certain."

Michiru nodded. "If things change rapidly in the present it is important that he's here," she said, and looked to Setsuna. "You'll contact him, Setsuna?"

The emerald-haired warrior hesitated before nodding, with just a hint of reluctance. "Of course."

Rini simply didn't know how to feel—about the return of her future father, the fate of her own life, beginning of her family's end, none of it. The prospect of a threat so deadly to the present world as they knew it, one that would require ever ounce of Usagi's life to preserve humanity's, left her numb.

It felt wrong.

"So the enemy came after Rini," Makoto started. "I guess we can assume it's definitely after Moon blood?"

"It would seem so," Ami said. "It feeds off human energy, but ultimately wants the same thing as every enemy has before it—to destroy the most powerful senshi of this galaxy."

"And take over," Rei added in agreement.

Rini habitually reached for her brooch to find that it wasn't tucked away in her blouse. The memory of it blackened and scorching her hand appeared in her mind, and she shook her head. "I don't know if that's right," she said. "It just…feels like it wants something more…"

"More than destroying Neo Queen Serenity in the flesh, along with the single heir to her throne?" Haruka questioned. "I doubt that."

She could almost feel the immense, tangible energy, comprised of black and fluorescent pink bolts, swirling her hands once more. Like a transformation. Like a new era. What does this mean?

Seiya woke with a crick in her neck and an ache in her hips, sprawled alongside the mattress where she had watched over Usagi until she fell asleep. Sun bled through the yellowed sliders and across the cotton sheets, heating her sore limbs as she stretched.

"Good morning," she heard, and sat straight to look at Usagi, who was perched on the edge of the bed, wrapped in the sheet that had been laid across her back overnight. The material skimmed the base of her shoulder blades, revealing the patched wounds that were curtained by mussed pigtails.

"Odango?" She said, voice gravelly. "What are you doing? You should be resting."

Usagi let out a contented hum and tipped her head back to the sunlight roaming across her body. "The sun is just so lovely," she said, and Seiya grew wary of her ease. "So warm."

Seiya slowly inched herself on the mattress. "Are you alright…?"

Usagi craned her neck around to look at her, colour in her cheeks but a frown on her lips. "It doesn't hurt any more," she said. "Shouldn't it still hurt?"

"Um, I would think so…" Seiya trailed off as she looked closer at the bandages curiously. The light dressing had rolled away from her skin in the night, and in the spot where an ugly cut should have been was perfectly pale skin, sporting the gentle pink of a scar. "What the hell…?"

"What is it?"

Seiya reached across the space between them and gently unravelled the gauze, revealing more and more of the scar that could have taken years to develop. "You're…healed," she replied, astounded. She peeled away the opposing side to find the same result. "How is this possible?"

Usagi turned to face her, bunching the sheet against the slope of her chest. "I don't know," she breathed, face alight with a soft smile as she stared back at her, their faces mere inches apart.

Seiya couldn't help it as she trailed her fingers against her cheek—she had to touch her, to know that she was real. "You are a mystery, Princess."

"Usagi, Usagi! How are you feeling this morning?"

Rini whirled into the room and came to a halt as she stared, wide-eyed, at the scene before her. A flush crept up her neck that matched her hair and it looked as though she were about to say something facetious, until her eye fell on Usagi's back. "Usagi, your back—it's, it's—"

"Healed?" Seiya finished, dropping her hand away and pushing up off the low bed. She rounded the mattress and helped Usagi to her feet. "Pretty amazing, huh, kid?"

Rini blinked at her. "Wow," she said, and then raced back through the doorway to call: "Ami! Usagi's wounds are healed!"

Seiya laughed at the commotion that ensued down the hallway—it sounded as though the Sol senshi had spent the night. "Well, it was peaceful…"

Usagi said nothing, and when Seiya looked down at her she noticed the blush that stained her cheeks as she gripped on to Seiya's forearm tightly to steady herself. She quirked a brow at the young woman cheekily. "I warned you—I have that effect."

"Shut up…"

"Just don't let go of that sheet," Seiya added with a grin, "all bets are off if that happens."

"Seiya…"

Rini returned with a robe moments later, rushing to Usagi's side. She glared playfully at Seiya. "I think I can take it from here," she said.

"Good idea," Seiya chuckled. She stole one last glance at Usagi. "I'll be right back, Odango."

For the first time in her life, Usagi felt truly uneasy as she sat with her fellow scouts, bundled into a light robe and sipping on hot jasmine tea. There was a quietness among them that was immeasurably telling, and Usagi knew that they were aware of the lie she had discovered the night before.

Rini shuffled in next her, like glue at her side. "Can I get you anything, Usa?"

Usagi scrunched her nose at the girl. "Don't think being nice will get you out of the trouble you're in for going off on your own," she said. "You could have been killed, Rini, don't you understand?"

"Oh, I do," Rini said with a sigh. "I don't think I'll ever hear the end of it…"

"What were you thinking?" Usagi continued, placing the cup onto its saucer with a clink. She felt a lump form in her throat unexpectedly. "You have no idea how terrifying it was for me to see you like that—"

"I do, actually," Rini replied tersely. "You think I went out there for nothing, hm? I went out there for you, you stupid Odango-head—"

Their banter was broken by the clunk of the slider as Seiya entered, changed into a spare pair of pants and t-shirt. He looked around apprehensively at the group, who all seemed tired and tense. "You all stayed?"

Makoto nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "We had to know that Usa was okay."

"I told Taiki and Yaten," Minako added quickly. "They'll be here soon."

"Good," he said. Usagi noticed him eying Haruka warily before he moved to sit near her. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Usagi replied honestly, warmth spreading up her neck at the recollection of his touch on her back, her cheek. "Thank you."

"Usagi," Rei said seriously, "you have to tell us what happened, when you were attacked."

Usagi stared down into the murky liquid of her tea. You know nothing, she could hear, over and over. You are the threat.

What would she tell them?

"I know you lied to me about the man that was killed," she said finally, looking around at her inner soldiers. "And I know that wasn't your idea." She locked eyes with Haruka. "Another deceptive plan."

"Usagi, it may be true that the outer senshi have used some tactics that could be considered questionable—but we decided as a team that it would be best you didn't know," Ami told her.

"I get it," Usagi said through clenched teeth. "But to be strong together, we've got to be able to trust one another—"

Haruka let out a haggard sigh. "You can trust us, Usagi."

"We were so worried about you, after all that had happened, we didn't know how you'd cope," Minako said. "You seemed a little…fragile, you know?"

Usagi flinched at the description. She was not fragile—far from it, and it seemed that Seiya agreed as he bristled alongside her. "That's not fair—she's been stripped of everything—all of her powers, and yet she's stronger than she's ever been."

"How would you know?" Haruka murmured.

Seiya glared at her fiercely. "Well if I don't, you certainly should, after what happened yesterday—you came face-to-face with what she's capable of."

Usagi looked at him, confused. "What do you mean, 'what I'm capable of'?"

He frowned back at her, looking between the outer scouts and back to her once more. "You don't remember?"

She couldn't—all that she recalled was splitting pain and waking in Seiya's arms. "No, I don't."

Michiru spoke quickly. "It's not important—you were in a lot of pain and you weren't acting like yourself—"

"You were angry," Haruka interjected honestly. "Angry and incredibly powerful—I was no match for you."

Suddenly the faded edges of a memory began to sharpen, a feeling of rageand strength gnawing at her, whirling in the pit of her stomach. "Did I—did I hurt you?"

When Haruka didn't reply, she felt her hands begin to shake. She placed the tea aside and rose to her feet, unsure of where she was going or what she was doing. She just needed air.

You are the threat.

"Usagi, wait—"

"Don't go—"

"It's alright, we're here for you—"

She didn't listen—she simply steered past them, vision swimming, and escaped through the shrine doors. Fresh morning air hit her in a rush and she sank to the timber, sick to her stomach. Who was she, if she wasn't the girl she'd always known?

Dainty arms circled her and a nose nuzzled into her neck—a smell so familiar and so foreign. "I love you, Usagi," Rini whispered. "No matter what you have to become."