Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 3: Crystal City.
Act 1: Generations.
Episode 13: Past, present and future.
By Razor Knight
Last update: August 12, 2019
Shalim hadn't felt this way in centuries. Even in the rare cases where some beings could resist her eternal sleep, cases where the Nightmares weren't enough to deal with them were rare. She didn't usually need to fight. And to fight against someone who could keep up with her? That was almost unique. "I must admit you are quite the warrior, Serenity, and so is your daughter. But why bring that kid along?"
"Kid?"
Moon shook her head. "Kyouko, don't let her get to you. She can't beat us, so she wants us to lose our temper, to get careless."
"... Right."
Serenity smiled. "In fact, I think she's got more chances of defeating you than me."
"What?" Both Younger Saturn and Moon shouted.
Gin 'appeared' in Saturn's mind. 'Don't you trust your grandmother?'
'I do, but if she can't beat this creep, then-'
'Raw power isn't everything.'
Moon sighed. "Mother, do you have a plan?"
"Yes. A very good one."
"Can you promise me Kyouko won't get hurt?"
"I could, but I hate lying."
Shalim frowned. "Who is underestimating who now?"
"Still you, creep," Saturn said with a smirk. Her foe glared at her, then rushed forwards. The young Senshi knew that Shalim had no chance at all when it came to combat. Easy to dodge, easy to hit... If not for her 'immortality,' she would already be dead by now. An immortal newbie, Shalim was.
But she had noticed something else, because she had read and asked about most enemies the Senshi fought before she was born. Unlike Vadianne, Shalim had not left the source of her 'immortality' in display. It was hidden. But thanks to her powers, it was easy to see where.
"Not bad, for a kid."
Saturn smiled humorlessly. "I have to admit you're quite crafty. Just like your sister, there's an artifact that grants you your power. But unlike her, you hid it in the safest place. Inside you."
Shalim laughed. "So you know you can't defeat me. You cannot hurt me, and without hurting me, you cannot destroy the dream catcher."
Dream catcher? Not the silliest name for an ancient artifact, by far. "Hurt you? No, to defeat you I need to do the exact opposite." She didn't know if that would work, but- No, Serenity was trusting her with this. But was her power enough to-
'You know, you still rarely use me in battle.'
Younger Saturn sighed. 'I use my Moon powers a lot.'
'But not me. Not the Ginzuishou. You're a Serenity too. It's kind of sad that you always forget that, even at a time when you could really use the help. Do you fear me that much?'
Fear? No, she just- Saturn thought about it for a moment. Yes, of course, Gin was right. She had been thinking that her power wasn't enough, but she had only thought of her Senshi powers. "Oh wow, I'm such an idiot..."
Moon frowned. "Kyouko?"
"I'll tell you both later," she said then smiled as her Ginzuishou appeared. She looked at the evil woman and smiled in an eerily friendly way. "You know, no artifact can hold an infinite amount of energy. Not even my crystal. But it has a stupidly high limit, which is why we Serenities are lucky to be able to use it."
"... Is there a point to your rant?"
Younger Saturn's smile faded as her suit changed to its 'triple' colors. The suit was still white, but with stripes of gray, pink and purple running down her chest, and her arms. "If you were as smart as you think you are, you would have guessed it."
Shalim saw a beam shoot at her, but it didn't harm her. No, it was... Healing her? "What are you doing?"
"Healing you. Giving you energy. Enjoy it for as long as you can, which won't be long."
Shalim was no fool. She understood what her plan was now. She tried to force her foe to stop, but she was aware now, this 'kid' was a warrior, a very skilled one. She couldn't even touch her. It only took a minute, and as she felt the artifact cracking inside her body, she fell to her knees. "I lost? I am immortal, I cannot... I don't want to..."
Saturn saw the woman was aging fast. "You fear death? I can understand that. Still, your way of achieving immortality is evil."
Shalim looked at her, her face now wrinkled and old. "Being defeated by a kid would have been... Shameful, but I was beaten... By a warrior."
Serenity saw the woman's body turn to ashes, and the castle around them started collapsing. "Let's go back home."
Kyouko smiled as the three finished telling the others about what had happened. She then looked at Hisako. "I know the reason you got it wasn't a happy one, but congratulations on being the first Holy Senshi of our generation."
Usagi smiled. "Technically, that was me."
Kyouko frowned. "You don't count, mom."
Serenity flinched at that. "Wait, Kyouko knows..."
Usagi sighed. "Yes, she asked the obvious question, how you and me could only have a few years of difference in our ages. I... I talked it out with Hotaru, and we knew we would have to eventually tell her. Why wait a thousand years?"
Hisako frowned. "How long have you known about that?"
"Since I was twelve," Kyouko said.
Hikaru shook her head. "We avoided talking about that for this long... Why didn't you tell us?"
"You never asked."
"Like mothers, like daughter," Rei said.
Kyouko sighed. "There was one thing I was made aware of in that fight. I guess... A part of me didn't want to use the Ginzuishou in battle."
"Why?"
"I... Was afraid of it. All that power, on top of my own..."
Hikaru stared at her for a few seconds. "So during training... You weren't showing off?"
"No, I was scared of using it and hurting someone- I'm such an idiot. Sorry."
Hotaru looked at her. "I understand a bit of that. I feared my powers at first. Hated them, even. But I got over it, so I'm sure you can-"
Kyouko smiled. "After using them in this last battle? I know I shouldn't fear them, but I'll be careful with them. I've been a lousy Serenity for years, but I'll try to do better from now on."
Takamaru sighed. "I want to fight you again."
"We'll do that next time we train," Kyouko said.
Serenity smiled. "I suppose that's all for this meeting."
As the crowd thinned, Kyouko stayed behind, and so did Tsuki. Soon, the only four persons in the room were them and Luna, who was as curious as Serenity about Kyouko.
"Grandma, I need to ask... You could have beaten her, right?"
"Yes. Her artifact was magical, and I could have... Let's say I could have turned it off."
"So why did you let me-"
"Because Gin asked me to, told me you could learn something from that fight."
"She didn't tell me that."
Gin appeared next to them, only slightly startling Tsuki. "I cannot lie to a Serenity, but I can simply not answer questions which aren't asked."
"... Sneaky."
Serenity looked at Gin, then at Tsuki. "You already knew about her?"
"I saw her a few times before. Kyouko told me about her, so I guess Gin doesn't mind me listening to some of their talks."
Serenity smiled at that. "Good. She's not meant to be a secret, at least for us Senshi."
The first chance to really prove she was willing to change, and she had missed it. Not that she could have helped much, if the creatures attacking were close to Serenity's power. Still, Alma wasn't happy about missing a chance to prove her words weren't just words.
She had gotten used to training. Only two weeks passed since she started, but she had surprised her 'teachers.' She was quick to learn new things, both for magic and combat, and Usagi had told her that meant she was a warrior at heart. She had denied it at first, but... She couldn't lie, training was fun, if painful at times.
"Flare."
Hotaru leapt over the fire blast and tried to kick her chest. Alma ducked under that and shot a wind blast upwards, without calling the attack. "Good," Hotaru said as she blocked the blast with her hand. "You're really improving fast."
"Maybe I can find a job as a mage."
Hotaru smiled. "I'm not sure anyone needs that in this city, and mages outside this city are... Usually either vigilantes, criminals, or hired thugs."
"Damn."
"I know you insist on looking on your own, but... Friends should help each other."
"Friends... I'm still trying to figure out how you all can be so friendly to me."
"You aren't evil. That's enough for most of us. Anyhow, do you have any talent other than magic?"
"Talent? Other than cooking, I'm not that good at anything."
Hotaru nodded. "Maybe you should ask Mako, then. Can't speak for her, but she may find a place for you in one of her restaurants."
"... I'll give it a try."
A loud explosion was heard right then, and Alma saw Younger Mars picking herself off the ground near them. "You okay?"
Mars nodded as Younger Saturn floated her way, in her triple form. "I think I liked training with her better when she couldn't just go Serenity on me like that."
Her 'foe' powered down. "I can't keep this form going for long, but at least it's way more than a few seconds now."
Alma looked at them in turns. "But isn't Holy supposedly a thousand times stronger-"
"Math doesn't work well with Senshi powers," Hotaru said, "And Kyouko and the others should be ready to get their Holy form by now. And she is a Serenity. And a triple Senshi. Maybe Ami or Aiko have numbers to show how close she might be to Holy already."
"Didn't you get it in your late twenties?"
"Most of the Youngers have a decade of a head start on us, and plenty of people who can tell them how to improve. We were mostly self-taught, not counting Hakko's training."
"Oh, right... And your daughter is technically a third Sailor Moon. What is she called, Youngest Moon? Younger Younger Moon?"
"Technically?" Younger Saturn muttered. "Weird as it sounds, I'm more used to this than my Moon powers, but I'm not hiding from them. And really, I don't care what others call me, I am me. I get to choose my battle name. I am Younger Saturn."
"That's..." Alma sighed. "I guess I'm still not used to having a choice on what others call you. To not being called a monster anymore."
Kyouko smiled as she powered down. "Better get used to it, because you're not one." She then looked around. "Where's Mai?"
"She has a lot of tests coming. We may want her to train, but school is also important. Saving the world is our mission, but we Senshi need something to do with our free time. Also, despite some crazy rumors I heard outside the city, we do need to eat."
"When I was younger, I used to think being a 'Senshi' was a job, something you got paid money for."
Kyouko looked at Alma. "I wish that was true. I still don't know what I'll do for a living."
Alma nodded. "You know, from what I've seen, you're a good mentor. You-"
Kyouko thought about it for a moment. "I... I always liked what mom does." She looked at Hotaru, who smiled. "I'm not sure yet, but being a teacher would be something I could get to like."
Right then, Usagi appeared, looking at her daughter for a second before turning to Hotaru "Can I speak to you for a second?"
Both Kyouko and Hotaru knew her enough to know she meant speaking in private. "Go ahead, Hisa and I can take over for a bit."
Usagi nodded. "I know."
Hotaru looked at her wife as they both appeared in their house. "Anything wrong?"
Usagi sighed. "Not 'wrong,' just weird. I was... Hidden for a while, and I heard what they were talking about."
Hotaru knew Usagi would at times 'not be there' if she wanted to see the young ones train without risking interrupting them. "I figured you were. What is weird about Kyouko wanting to be a teacher like me?"
Usagi smiled. "There was a very nice, yet strict teacher, when I was going through high school in the future. Her name was Kyouko Nanashi. When I heard our daughter talking about teaching, I... I imagined how she'll look in her late twenties."
'Nanashi?' Hotaru sighed at that. Kyouko was as bad at making up names as her mother. "From your face right now, I can guess she could look just like that teacher."
"I've been done grieving what happened in that future for a couple decades now, but... How could she be around if I-"
"Maybe it's just a coincidence, for once."
Usagi shook her head. "Setsuna, I need to ask you a few things."
Elder Pluto appeared near them. It was not the first time the younger Usagi had called her that way. "I suppose you do. I will answer what I can."
"Good enough. That Kyouko from my future, her last name was Nanashi. I may have been too young back then but I've seen enough fake names... Even created a few myself."
Pluto nodded. "She chose 'Nanashi' because she could not use her own last name, or her wife's last name, without making it too easy for you to figure out."
"But... How? Was I around in that reality? Did you guys know about the Hunters-"
Pluto shook her head. "No, in the reality you came from, we never knew. I've seen it myself. What you are 'remembering' right now is what this reality's future 'you' saw."
Usagi was about to say something, but then grimaced. "Shit, I can... I remember Kyouko Nanashi being my history teacher, but at the same time, I remember someone else being in her place... What the fuck?"
"If I could explain it, I would. It may be a consequence of what your mother did, or maybe your mind is somehow trying to let go of that other, painful future, by replacing it with the 'new' version."
"I... Damn it, time loops are a mess."
"I can't argue with that," Pluto admitted.
"Still, what I remember of that 'Nanashi' is... She'll be an awesome teacher."
"Just like her mom," Hotaru said.
"And you say I have a big ego."
"You do. And you're a bad influence for me."
Several years passed by, and the Senshi were enjoying the relative peace they had after their fight with the Second Dream Queen, as civilians called Shalim.
Serenity was thinking about how fast time seemed to pass for her. Kyouko was already in college, studying to follow Hotaru's steps. Usagi had warned her about what she could 'see and not see' in the future, so Serenity was proud of the young woman.
Kyouko and Tsuki had been living together for a few months. Serenity had, in her early days, been shocked, surprised at the thought of girls dating girls, but... Love was blind, as they said.
Alma and Takamaru were also dating. And Mai and Fubuki were in the 'like each other but are too shy to confess' phase.
Still, Serenity was aware of something. A powerful being was heading to Earth. For once, she could feel no evil intent, but she was far from naive. She would still keep her guard up.
A few days later, Serenity was waiting for the visitor, along with most of her friends. Even Alma had decided to join them, curious about this creature who could make Serenity feel uneasy.
No, there were two beings, Serenity could sense that as they drew near. Both beings were magnitudes above Holy Senshi power.
As they landed, she hid her surprise as well as she could. They looked like normal humans, a man and a woman, but from this close... This woman could probably use Galaxia and her allies as punching bags. Still, where were her manners? "Welcome to Earth."
The woman looked at her for a few seconds before smiling. "Thanks, it's been a while. You are a Serenity... Wait, there's three of you?"
Moon nodded. "I am Serenity's daughter, and this girl here," she looked at Kyouko," is my daughter."
"Oh, you're a dual Senshi, like me, and this one is... A triple Senshi? First time I see one."
Younger Saturn was not liking the way that womam was looking at her. "Who are you?"
"I have been many things through my life. A Senshi. A mother. A savior. Nowadays, I am just a tourist. Name's Ina, by the way. And this is my husband, Farren."
Mercury didn't need to dig too deep in her memory to remember. "Ina, one of the legendary Serenities. What I read about you is..."
Ina knew why the blue-haired Senshi was looking at her in shock. "Everyone makes mistakes, but only a few of us screw up big enough to make it to history books. I fell in love, I wanted Farren to be with me forever, but he... Rejected my offer. I was too blinded by fear, and made him immortal without his consent."
Farren had been silent, but when he saw the faces of those around him, he sighed. "I was shocked, I was scared. I made it clear to her, that I didn't like what she did. But she..."
Ina nodded. "I was a coward. I ran away. I spent a long time searching for a way to undo the 'damage' I had done, not knowing Farren had already forgiven me, and was even happy about the gift I had forced upon him. I discovered my Saturn side thanks to a strange creature I met and had to kill. And that creature taught me a way... A way to kill without really killing."
Mercury flinched at that. Reading it was one thing, but knowing it wasn't just a legend... "The book I read speaks of an insane woman, who could absorb the souls of those she killed, and gain their knowledge, their memories. She-"
Alma looked at the woman. Absorbing souls, not just destroy them? That sounded dangerous.
"Yes, I admit it. I was a monster. I still have that power, but I haven't used it in... Well, probably longer than your civilization has existed."
Farren nodded. "I can vouch for that. She was making up for her crimes for thousands of years, before she found me."
Ina looked at Serenity. "Let me give you a short version of all that. I was insane, I wanted to absorb Farren's soul. My mother tried to stop me and I... Killed her. But then I saw her memories. Even in her last moments, even as I attacked her, she still saw me as her daughter. She still loved me despite my madness. That... That made me realize what I had been doing, I left my sister Soma behind and she tried to lie about it, but Farren knew us too well. He went looking for me, and eventually found me."
Mercury sighed. "Well, that last bit was not in that book. But why are you here?"
"Nothing evil," Ina said. "As I said before, we are tourists. I have avoided this world for an eternity. I was just curious about what the Senshi looked like nowadays."
Serenity nodded. "I sense no evil intent in you. Are you staying for a while?"
"Only a few days. I've sensed a beacon of power, out there, in a galaxy close to ours. Several beacons of power, actually. Half a dozen Senshi. Are they from here?"
"Two are, but they don't call this planet home anymore," Mercury said. "You may have heard of them, Gala and Mitra."
"Sailor Galaxia and the first Sun? They're alive?"
"Galaxia... She helped us destroy Chaos when it showed up decades ago. And Sun was... She didn't die when Galaxia threw her into the sun, but she was not quite sane when she appeared. Fortunately Gala could stop her from rampaging."
"Wow, those two were legendary even back when I was young. Maybe we'll go look for them."
Endymion looked at the two visitors. "You say you're tourists. But you're still a Senshi."
"In title only. I haven't fought evil in centuries. I just train to stay ready for it, but I do not... After what I did back then, I frankly didn't... How to say it? I can guess you all feel your 'warrior' side tugging at you in times of peace. I learnt to silence it. It hasn't nagged me about fighting evil for the last few thousand years."
"That's..."
Ina looked at Younger Saturn. "Don't get me wrong. I respect what you do. I will help worlds that need it if I am around. I just don't go out looking for evil to kill, like I can guess Galaxia does. I want to live the rest of eternity with the man I love."
Elder Venus sighed. "This may be too personal, but... Did you have any kids?"
"We've had hundreds," Ina admitted. "But they are not immortal, nor Senshi, except for the few I had before my madness started. Maybe the Cycle agrees with me that I am no Senshi anymore."
Serenity looked up to the sky, then to Ina. "I hope you like what you see in this planet. The rest of the world is a mess, but-"
"The rest of the world?" Farren asked. "Aren't you Queen Serenity?"
"I know how it was in the past," Serenity said, but mankind isn't ready to give up boundaries and feuds yet."
"I see..." Ina looked around. "I sense many non-humans around."
"We have an alien race living in this world. They started off as an evil army, but... Nowadays most of them have realized they have no chance to win a war, so they saw peace was not that bad after all."
"Not all evil stays evil," Ina said, "I know that too well. In any case, I never get involved in local wars. We'll just be around for a while."
Serenity had known something for decades. The universe never ran out of things to throw at them, either good or evil. It just took breaks from it, once in a while. And to be honest, she was fine with that. A thousand years still looked like a long time to her, but she could see they would still be busy before the day Dimando showed up.
A/N: I have things planned for most of the new characters before the Dark Moon arrives, but I decided to pick up the pace, starting from this episode.
As for 'Kyouko Nanashi,' Nanashi can be read as 'Without name.' Will I ever run out of 'puny' names? I hope not.
