Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars: Rebirth
Act 3: Queen of Darkness
Sora Kazeno
Usagi and Mamoru slowly stand up. Usagi is in higher spirits than she was this morning. She smiles at Mamoru; he seems to know what to say to cheer her up. "We should probably go to the shrine since they have been waiting for me for a while…" Usagi responds slowly, already picturing being yelled at by Rei in her head. "I'm sure they're annoyed I'm late due to getting detention."
"They will understand," Mamoru reassures her.
Usagi looks at him, confusion written on his face.
He laughs slightly. "You really were distracted earlier. I was waiting for you after school and the other girls told me you had detention. I told them I would wait for you and then walk with to the shrine."
"Right… sorry," Usagi apologizes. "Today was been really hard up until now."
Mamoru places his hands on her shoulders. "I'm worried about you Usako; you've been more distant this past year. Let me help you with your struggles."
Usagi doesn't want to look at him. "I'm just tired of everything Mamo-chan." She's tired of the nightmares. Tired of all the battles, seeing everyone getting hurt, dying because of her. What kind of Princess is she if she can't protect everyone?
Mamoru frowns slightly. "I know Usako, but you know that is a part of our destiny."
A voice speaks up from behind them. "Your destiny is to die again."
The couple instantly turns around after they heard his voice.
Usagi stares at the man with short blond hair in a gray uniform. Her eyes go wide. "It can't be…"
Mamoru is equally shocked. "How…"
Polaris glares at the three Sailor Starlights before her, studying them. From what she was told by the Queen, these three do not match any of the descriptions she was given. Did she miss something? "I don't rem ember you being part of the White Moon." She shrugs. They are an obstacle that will need to be dealt with. "You're interfering." It's her turn to snap her fingers.
Rows of youma appear behind her. They are all red in the shape of tall women. They look identical to each other. They have black, unblinking eyes. "Take their energy and then kill them."
Rei, Makoto, Ami, and Minako shout out as they begin to feel their energy being drained.
The youma unleash black energy blasts at the Starlights. The senshi scatter to different ends of the courtyard, each moving to which ever Inner Senshi is closest to them. They have to free the other girls first. They are going to need their help. They are significantly out numbered.
Sailor Star Maker reaches Ami first. She pulls at the vine for a moment but it doesn't budge. She takes a few steps back. "Don't move." She instructs Ami as she raises her hands to her chest to attack.
Ami closes her eyes. She has to shield them from the bright energy.
"Star Gentle Uterus!"
The vines are destroyed as soon as they are attacked, freeing Ami.
Ami smiles at the Starlight for a moment. "I'm glad to see everyone back." Her blue crystal wand appears in her hand, "Mercury Crystal Power, Make Up!"
Sailor Star Maker moves onto Makoto to free her. She attacks a few youma along the way. There are many youma, but they are surprisingly weak. The youma's power is in their numbers.
Sailor Star Fighter reaches Rei. She pauses a few steps away. "Star Serious Laser!"
The blast was slightly off; it didn't cut through the entire vine. Her focus isn't on where it needs to be. "Damn it." Sailor Star Fighter curses as she yanks at the vine to break it the rest of the way.
Rei can easily tell the Starlight is distracted. Her lips tighten as she quickly makes an assumption as to why. "Usagi isn't here yet, she should be here soon."
Sailor Star Fighter pauses for a moment from removing the rest of the vines after hearing the Moon Princess' name. She shakes her head slightly; she can't worry about anything anyone else at the moment, even though her mind is racing. "Right now, the four of you are in danger." She pushes any other thoughts to the side and finishes removing the remaining vines.
Sailor Star Fighter's reaction told Rei everything she needed to know. Even after all this time, the Starlight still has strong feelings for her best friend. A potential complication Usagi did not need right now. As soon as Rei is free, she pulls out several ofuda, chanting for a moment before she throws them at the youma paralyzing them, buying them some time.
Sailor Star Fighter looks at the frozen youma and then back to Rei for a moment. "I never realized your spiritual powers are so strong."
Rei smirks. "There is a lot you don't know." She pulls out her red crystal wand. "Mars Crystal Power, Make Up!"
Minako tries to smile when she sees Sailor Star Healer approach her. "You guys just couldn't stay away, huh?"
"Something like that." Sailor Star Healer responds, annoyed. The Oracle was right; they're all going to die unless the Starlights find a way to change it. She attacks the vines, "Star Sensitive Inferno!"
Minako rubs her wrist when she is no longer confined by the vines. It's scratched and irritated. She groans slightly. She takes a step forward and feels a light headed, noticing how much of her energy was taken. She ignores the weakness; she has to help the Starlights. Her wand materializes in her hand. "Venus Crystal Power, Make Up!"
Sailor Star Healer didn't see the vine moving closer to her left leg until it was too late, it quickly wrapped itself around her leg, yanking her off her feet, hitting the pavement hard. She moved her head in just enough to avoid hitting it directly on the concrete. Seconds later she can feel some of her energy being drained. She rolls to the side to try to reposition herself to attack the vine to free herself.
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" A bright orange heart splices the vine in half.
Sailor Star Healer reaches over and removes the rest of the vine from her leg, slowly standing up. She fills a little winded. The vine didn't have a lot of time to take her energy but she is amazed at how quickly so much was taken.
As soon as Sailor Star Maker's attack hits the vines, Makoto frees herself, pulling off the remaining vine pieces. Makoto is angry to have an attack when they were completely caught off guard. "Jupiter Crystal Power, Make Up!"
When all the senshi begin attacking the youma, the remaining youma are quickly defeated, leaving only Polaris.
The woman looks at the seven senshi closing in around her. These newcomers seem to work well with the senshi from the White Moon. Something she did not anticipate. "You're a bit stronger than I thought." She regroups and puts on a façade of confidence. She is about to attack them until a black blast of energy shoots up into the sky southwest from their current location.
The senshi look at the dark column of energy lighting up the sky; giving them a sense of dread.
Polaris laughs. The plan has worked wonderfully.
The seven senshi turn to look at Polaris, trying to comprehend what the dark energy symbolizes in the distance.
The senshi's look of confusion fuels her laughter. "You don't get it, do you?" When they don't respond, she boasts some more. "This was all a distraction. While you were busy here, you left the Moon Princess unguarded." The look of horror on their faces makes her smile. She smirks, "You're probably too late." Polaris vanishes.
"Damn it," Sailor Star Fighter curses under her breath. The person she wanted to protect more than anyone on this planet is in danger.
"How could we have missed this?" Sailor Jupiter asks out loud, cursing quietly under her breath.
Sailor Mercury taps on an earring summoning her visor to analyze where the energy came from. Tokyo is such a large city and it would be ineffective to run just run in that area without pinpointing the location. She pulled out her computer to assist her.
Sailor Mars frantically taps on her communicator trying to reach Usagi directly. It would be the fastest way. She receives nothing but static at first. "Usagi! Where are you?" She shouts into the device.
There is silence for a moment before a response is heard. "I'm at Arisugawa Park." There is a long pause before she speaks again. "We're fighting against-" Her answer is cut off.
"Usako!"
Seconds later the sound of a large blast is heard, followed by static and then silence.
"Oh my god… Usagi…" Sailor Mars looks at the other Inner Senshi. "We need to go," she turns to leave and realizes the Starlights have already gone. The senshi run to the staircase and see the backs of the three Starlights turning the corner ahead of them.
Usagi and Mamoru stare at the man before them blocking the exit to the park.
Usagi's eyes reveal her shock. "It can't be…"
"Impossible, we defeated you," Mamoru adds, trying to make sense of what he sees before him.
"Yet here I am," Jadeite gloats at them. Their unease is a welcome expression. "Did you really think you could defeat Queen Beryl's power so easily?" The mention of the Queen's name only fuels their anxiety. "The seal you placed was weak; it was only a matter of time." He turns his focus to Usagi. "I understand I missed a few things while I was away… Moon Princess."
Mamoru pulls out a rose to transformation.
Usagi grasps her transformation brooch. He knows what happened after he disappeared.
"Now hand over the crystal before I take it by force," Jadeite demands.
"Moon Eternal, Make Up!"
The rose in Mamoru's hand lights up to a pinkish red and he becomes Tuxedo Kamen.
"We can't even have a peaceful day anymore. You've disrupted the peace for the last time. For love and justice, I am the sailor suited pretty senshi, Sailor Moon! In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"
With a mere gesture of his hand, Jadeite sends Sailor Moon crashing into Tuxedo Kamen. His psychic powers are stronger than ever. The Sailor Moon before him wears a different fuku but she is still a pest that needs to be removed.
A red youma in the shape of a woman appears next to him. She has long claws that crackle with dark energy. "Get the crystal," Jadeite instructs.
"As you wish master," the youma responds before rushing forward unleashing a black bolt of energy at Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon. While they dodge the attack, a large black column of energy hits the ground and shoots upward.
The youma rushes forward at them. Tuxedo Kamen blocks the youma's claws with his cane.
Sailor Moon gestures with her hands for her tiare to appear. With a brief flash of white light, her tiare appears in her hands for a few seconds before it comes apart into two pieces and falls to the ground. Her eyes are wide. Horrified she looks down at her broken staff. How did this happen? She gasps as she remembers Sailor Galaxia slashing this weapon with her sword. Her tiare was never restored. Panic sets in when she realizes she can't do anything.
"Usagi?" She hears Rei call her on her communicator. "Where are you?"
It takes Sailor Moon a few moments to pull herself out of her daze. "I'm at Arisugawa Park." Her brain trying to process so many things at once: Jadeite, her tiare, Queen Beryl, her friends calling her potentially for help. She needs to tell them who they are fighting. "We're fighting against-" She never had the chance to finish her statement when she sees a large bolt of black energy rushing at her. She doesn't have time to move.
Tuxedo Kamen realizes he is too far away to reach her, throwing a rose will not help in this situation. He does the only thing he can; he shouts a warning, "Usako!"
Sailor Moon tries to brace herself for the oncoming attack.
An orange ball of energy hits the black energy, deflecting it.
Sailor Moon gasps and looks in the direction of the energy blast. A few sakura petals float in the air.
"The sky planet is my guardian deity, the soldier of the wind, Sailor Uranus!"
"The deep sea planet is my guardian deity, solider of embrace, Sailor Neptune!"
"The planet of time and space is my guardian deity, soldier of revolution, Sailor Pluto!"
"We are the three soldiers from the outer solar system. Here…"
"We are!" The three finish in unison.
Jadeite glares the three new senshi before him. He has never seen them before.
"Dead Scream…"
The purple ball of energy hits the youma and it disintegrates in seconds.
Jadeite eyes the three new senshi carefully. They seem strong and he is on his own. "Another time, Sailor Moon." He disappears from sight. Today was not a waste since he completed his objective.
Once Jadeite is gone, Sailor Moon collapses to her knees. She is completely overwhelmed by everything. A new enemy, or rather the return of an old enemy, the same enemy that destroyed her previous home. Her tiare is broken. How can she defend her friends? Everyone is going to be in danger again because of her. She shakes her head in disbelief. "How could he be back?"
Tuxedo Kamen kneels down on the floor next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. He hears footsteps rapidly approaching behind him. He sees the Inner Senshi and turns his attention back to Sailor Moon, his back facing them; he misses the others that appeared a few steps behind the Inner Senshi.
When the senshi arrive they find the Outer Senshi standing on the other side of a kneeled down Tuxedo Kamen; his body shielding most of Sailor Moon from view, minus her large feather wings. They can hear Sailor Moon saying something but can't figure what she is saying at first. Based on her tone, she is really upset. They give her space, she is safe.
"I can't handle this again," Sailor Moon softy speaks to those around her "Everyone died last time…" She closes her eyes tightly, tears spilling out. She can't finish the sentence and can't dismiss the image of all her friends dying against Queen Beryl. This was all too much for her at once.
"We don't recognize him but he seemed to know the both of you," Sailor Neptune comments looking down at the Princess. She looks up at the Inner Senshi and is the first of the five to notice the Starlights standing behind the other senshi. She gasps in surprise. The sound attracts the attention of the two senshi next to her.
"I don't believe it…" Sailor Pluto stares at them, not understanding why those three are here. She grips her staff tightly. Something about their appearance unnerves her.
"Did you bring this evil back with you, just like you brought Chaos with you last time?" Sailor Uranus immediately accuses the Starlights. She is angry at how upset Sailor Moon appears after this new enemy's appearance and it is easier to blame the Starlights at the moment.
Sailor Star Healer's eyes narrow. After everything that happened, the battles against Sailor Galaxia, the first thing those senshi do is blame them? Not happening. "We came here to help you." She leaves her response short.
Sailor Moon pauses and wipes a few tears from her eyes. She couldn't have heard that right. She imaged it. They're not here.
Tuxedo Kamen keeps his focus on Sailor Moon, not playing attention to what is transpiring around him.
"All of you are in danger," Sailor Star Maker adds, trying to make the Outer Senshi understand the gravity of the situation.
Sailor Moon's eyes widen, as she is starting to realize it's real.
"We couldn't stand by and do nothing." Sailor Star Fighter adds, trying to keep her cool.
Sailor Moon's head snaps up at the sound of Fighter's voice. She heard all three of the Starlights, she is sure of it. Could it be? She stumbles to her feet. She has to find out for sure. She takes a few steps to the side of Tuxedo Kamen. At first she only sees the Inner Senshi. She looks past them and sees the Sailor Starlights are present. "Starlights…" She says slowly, in disbelief.
Tuxedo Kamen turns around and stands up.
Sailor Moon takes a few steps forward, her eyes wide. After visually confirming the Starlights are here, she rushes forward, nearly tripping over her feet.
The other senshi watching this scene can't help but teardrop as Sailor Moon nearby falls over.
Sailor Moon reaches the Starlights and throws her arms around all three of them, hugging them as best as she could. "I'm so glad you're back." A few tears fall from her eyes as a sob escapes from her lips.
The Starlights are surprised by the gesture and after a quick glance amongst themselves they return the hug the best they could. This was not the greeting they expected.
The senshi behind them and Tuxedo Kamen watch quietly for a few moments until someone speaks.
"Usagi..." Sailor Mars whispers; surprised by her actions.
"Princess." Sailor Neptune murmurs.
Sailor Uranus doesn't speak but clenches her fist tightly. Seeing the Starlights here is not good news.
Sailor Moon takes a few steps back, breaking the embrace. Her face becomes serious as she meets Sailor Star Fighter's eyes. "But you're here because we are in danger."
Sailor Star Fighter eyes her carefully and nods her head. "Grave danger."
"What kind of danger?" Sailor Jupiter asks, becoming alarmed at this development. What do the Starlights know about the enemy that just attacked them? How did the Starlights even know about the enemy before they did?
"Is there a less public place we can talk? I'm sure a large gathering of Sailor Senshi will draw unwanted attention." Sailor Star Maker points out.
"The other side of the park," Sailor Mercury immediately suggests. "It is usually empty near the Plum Woods."
"Ami-chan…" Sailor Venus looks at the Senshi of Wisdom with a raised eyebrow.
Sailor Mercury looks at her confused. "It's a great place to study."
Sailor Venus teardrops. "Of course, of course. Studying." She seems disappointed at the response she received.
Everyone de-transforms and Ami leads them to another area of the park. They silently pass a memorial statue with a man sitting on a horse and a large children's playground. Ami continues on to a few paved stone paths into a wooded area. When they emerge on the other side there is a clearing with a large wooden pagoda with wooden benches. On the other side of woods is a lake.
Makoto looks at the scenery. "You mean this has been here the whole time?" She can't believe she never seen this before.
Everyone sits down on the benches. Once everyone is seated, the group wanted their questions answered all at once.
"How did you know we were in danger?" Rei suddenly asks the Three Lights.
"How long are you staying?" Minako asks at the same time.
Michiru turns to Setsuna, "Is that what you meant by some kind of change, or a new path?"
Setsuna shakes her head she's not sure.
Taiki asks, "This the first time you were attacked, correct?"
Everyone is talking over each other. They can no longer hear each other's questions, let alone be able to answer them.
"That's enough!" Mamoru raises his voice loudly. "If we keep talking over each other we will never learn anything." Once he knows he has everyone's attention, he continues. "I think one of the first things everyone needs to know, is who our enemy is."
The Inner Senshi stare at him. The Outer Senshi turn their focus to the Prince. Usagi sits next to Mamoru with her head down, staring at her hands. The Three Lights are quiet, waiting for him to continue.
Haruka is tired of waiting. "Who was that man that attacked you?"
"It was Jadeite." Mamoru answers.
Rei gasps. "Mamoru-san, are you sure? We defeated him…" her voice trails off. Jadeite disappeared after they fought him at Haneda Airport and they never saw him again. He was replaced by Nephrite.
Minako looks over at Rei, "Who is Jadeite? I don't recall that name." She thought she remembered all the villains they had faced.
"He was the first of Queen Beryl's four generals. We fought him before we met you or Mako-chan." Ami explains, trying to absorb what his reappearance may mean.
"Queen Beryl…" Makoto repeats. "You don't think….?"
"That name sounds familiar…" Michiru interjects. She is certain she had heard that name. It was someone important.
"The name should sound familiar," Setsuna interrupts. "She is responsible for the destruction of the Silver Millennium." There is a long pause. "But I don't understand how she could have returned… that was the first battle you had as a senshi." She looks at Usagi for a response.
Usagi's head is down. She doesn't verbally respond but her body language tells another story. Her clenched hands shake in her lap, her nails digging into her skin. First the nightmares of battling Galaxia this morning and now Queen Beryl has returned.
Taiki, Yaten, and Seiya are sitting nearby. They don't say anything as they wait for the others to continue.
Seiya's eyes narrow as he recalls another time he saw Usagi shaking in the rain on the rooftop. Her posture is nearly identical, except she is sitting down instead of standing up.
Mamoru places his hands, lightly over Usagi's trying to comfort her. He seems surprised by how upset she has become just by mentioning the name Queen Beryl. "It's going to be okay, Usako."
Usagi stands up. It's all too much, she can't take any more. "No it's not!" She raises her voice at him. "I saw everyone die protecting me against Queen Beryl… what if it happens again? What if..." She can't talk anymore as a sob escapes her lips.
The image of the Inner Senshi sacrificing their lives to protect them, immediately come to the Three Light's minds.
The Inner Senshi recall the fight against Queen Beryl where they died one by one at the hands of the DD Girls.
"But she's back. Jadeite even said so!" Usagi shakes her head and walks off as tears fall down her face.
Mamoru gives her a moment before he stands up to follow her.
Once Usagi and Mamoru are out of sight, Makoto continues. "This is the worse time for something like this to happen." She hesitates. She doesn't know how much the Outer Senshi know about Usagi's recent struggles and the she knows the Three Lights know nothing. If they are going to work together, they have to explain what happened to Usagi. "She's still having nightmares about battling Sailor Galaxia. She… had another one last night."
"All of us have had nightmare after that battle." Rei sighs. "But hers won't go away; she saw so much more of both of those battles than we did." Her voice softens. "It's not something that any of us want to discuss either."
After a moment of silence, Taiki adds, "No one wants to talk about death and destruction."
The others are silent. The Starlights had seen a lot of destruction as well. On their home planet and when this planet was under siege by Sailor Galaxia.
Rei tries to lighten the mood. "How did you know we needed your help?" She chooses her words carefully.
Seiya speaks up. "We were shown a prophecy on Kinmoku in which Tokyo was in ruins and… all of you dead." He decides to be straight forward. It was better for him to explain everything while Usagi was not present. They need to know what they are facing or will be facing.
Rei inhales sharply. "You've seen it too…" Her eyes then turn downward, catching her mistake. She never told the other girls what she had seen in the Great Fire.
Minako turns to the person she is sitting next to, "Rei-chan, why didn't you say anything earlier?"
"How could I when Usagi has been struggling so much lately?" She looks up at Minako. "I didn't want to worry everyone until I was able to find out more."
"What did you see?" Ami asks, trying to gather as much information on the prophecy as possible.
"It is similar to what the Starlights described… it's just I wasn't sure if everyone was dead or unconscious." Rei closes her eyes tightly for a moment, trying to push that image out of her mind. She turns to Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna sitting behind her. "Thank you for helping Usagi before we could reach her."
Haruka nods her head in acknowledgement. Michiru smiles slightly. Setsuna's expression does not change.
There is an awkward silence for a moment before Minako speaks up. "If it wasn't for the Starlights, we would have been trapped in those vines and our energy drained."
"Vines?" Michiru repeats. She needs to know if they are the same ones she had seen in her mirror. "What did they look like?"
"They were long and very strong; bright red in color." Rei responds while picturing them in her mind.
That confirms it. "Those are the same ones I have seen in my mirror. But I saw Sailor Moon trapped in vines."
"I'm sure both are related. Somehow." Setsuna comments, looking over to the direction Usagi and Mamoru were last seen. "I hope the Princess is strong enough to handle this if it is Queen Beryl that has returned."
Minako's eyes are down. "We've failed her twice now. We weren't able to stop Queen Beryl either time."
Usagi is upset and doesn't want to talk about the events that have hurt her the most in her life. It takes several minutes of Mamoru quietly standing next to her before she is finally ready to talk. "I don't want to see anyone die again."
"We are stronger than ever. The size of the team has also grown. There are so many senshi to fight alongside." Mamoru tries to find some way of easing her worry by trying not to make the situation seem hopeless.
Usagi's body is still slightly shaking. She can't stop thinking about her most recent battle against Sailor Galaxia and now reliving another battle that was similar against Queen Beryl. She needs to find a way to save everyone without them getting hurt. She needs Queen Beryl to leave and go back to where she came from. Queen Beryl is different than Sailor Galaxia. There is no reasoning with her; she isn't being controlled by an evil entity.
Mamoru hugs Usagi tightly. He has never seen her so unnerved before. He has to find a way to help her snap out of it. "It's going to be okay Usako. We are all going to work together and find a way to stop her." He tries to reassure her. "I will be with you every step of the way."
After several minutes of standing in Mamoru's embrace, Usagi finds her voice. "I'm glad you're here Mamo-chan." Her voice grows softer. "I don't think I could do this without you." There is a long pause before she continues. "What if with everyone here, it's not enough? Even with so many senshi… we almost lost to Sailor Galaxia." She bites her lip. Picturing the nightmare she had this morning of the Inner Senshi losing their starseeds. Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn disappearing. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune doing what they believed was necessary to stop Sailor Galaxia only to lose their own starseeds. Chibi Chibi.
Mamoru breaks the embrace to look into her eyes. "I know it is hard for you to talk about what happened to anyone Usako, but you can't keep it bottled up forever. It's tearing you apart." He has tried so many times to have her open up about the events of that fateful battle, hoping it would somehow ease her pain. But each time, she refuses to discuss it.
Usagi sniffles a few times and wipes away the remaining tears. "We should… probably rejoin the others." She looks up at his eyes, trying to show him that she is okay now. "They are probably worried too."
Mamoru frowns slightly. Usako is avoiding discussing what happened to her. "Yeah, we should go back." He reluctantly agrees. He is worried if he pushes her too much, she'll shut him out even more. What happened to her was traumatic.
When Usagi rejoins the others, her eyes are still a red, a sign she was crying. She doesn't speak for a few minutes, she listens to the others. She tries to swallow the lump in her throat. "We have to stop her before she attacks the Earth."
"Where should we start to try to prevent this attack?" Taiki asks, trying to move the process along to complete their mission. He looks at Usagi for a moment, the girl he sees is the not one he saw on Earth last year.
Ami types on her minicomputer. "We can try—"
The rest of Ami's sentence is cut off by the sound of shrieking girls closing in on the group.
"OH MY GOD IT IS THEM!"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY ARE BACK!"
"IT'S THE THREE LIGHTS!"
"YATEN-SAMA!"
"SEIYA-SAMA!"
"TAIKI-SAMA!"
Yaten sighs loudly. "I knew this would happen in this form." He glares at Seiya and Taiki, really missing the sailor fuku at the moment.
Seiya winces. "That didn't last long." He glances at Yaten and Taiki. The three want to continue this conversation with the others but know it is impossible as the screaming fangirls approach.
"I was hoping to avoid this after so much time has passed," Taiki responds standing up, preparing to leave with the other band members.
Minako laughed. "You guys are probably more popular now than you were last year."
Seiya sees the swarm of girls closing the distance. "We'll have to talk more another time." His eyes drift to Usagi for a moment. He has to find out what happened to her, she has never been this depressed surrounded by all of her friends.
Taiki nods his head in agreement. "We'll be in touch."
The Three Lights quickly leave by taking a different path near the pond, trying to avoid the girls.
Five of the girls continue screaming, chasing after them.
The group of de-transformed senshi watch the display and teardrop.
A girl with shamrock colored hair stops as the rest of the group continues to follow the Three Lights. She turns to look at Usagi with disdain.
"Sonoko-san…" Usagi slowly responds when she sees the harsh look in the eyes of the other woman.
"Tsukino-san, I should have known you'd be around if the Three Lights came back." Sonoko addresses her classmate.
"We just kind of ran into them…" Usagi hesitantly responds. Sonoko's enthusiasm for the Three Lights only increased when they disappeared. She had search groups trying to figure out where they had gone. She questioned everyone the Three Lights had spoken to at school.
Sonoko's eyes narrow. "Well… you did win the softball game." She doesn't say anything else as she walks past Usagi to join the group of girls pursuing the idols.
Haruka looks at Usagi wide eyed. "Softball?"
Usagi laughs nervously and places a hand behind her head. "It's a long story."
"Perhaps next time we can hear that story," Michiru teases Usagi. "We should be leaving as well." She turns to Haruka and Setsuna. The trio leaves without another word.
Once they leave the park, Michiru speaks to her companions. "I'm scheduled to swim with Ami-chan tomorrow after school. I will follow up with her. There will be fewer distractions there." She pauses. "It's better for the Princess this way, leave her in the dark. I'll find out where Ami-chan suggests we should start."
There is a long pause between them. "I've never seen the Princess this upset before." Setsuna pauses for a moment to reflect on the time Usagi learned the three of them had spoken to Seiya when he promised he would see her again. "Well…" She pauses. "Never… when discussing an enemy." She reluctantly amends her statement.
"Mamoru-san mentioned she is still struggling with dealing with the battle again Sailor Galaxia. I have the impression she doesn't talk about the battle with anyone." Haruka is visibility upset when she thinks about her and Neptune's betrayal to try to stop Galaxia. "I don't blame her after everything we did."
"You did everything in your power to protect her. None of us fault either one of you for what happened." Setsuna explains. "We agreed as Outer Senshi that no matter what, one of us would survive to stop Sailor Galaxia." She pauses to look directly at Haruka. "You were trying to live up to that vow."
"Regardless, it doesn't make it easier," Michiru comments turning to Setsuna. She changes the topic. "I thought your staff was destroyed by Sailor Galaxia."
Setsuna shakes her head. "Talismans cannot be destroyed so easily. When we… disappeared, it gave all of the talismans time to mend. Our starseeds were returned and our powers were reborn."
Haruka looks at Setsuna in surprise. "Just how powerful are our talismans?"
Setsuna shakes her head side to side. "I'm not sure. I just know in that battle, Sailor Galaxia was stronger."
Usagi looks up at Mamoru. "I want to go to the shrine with the other girls for a little bit."
"Are you sure?" Mamoru asks, inspecting her with his eyes. In the last few hours, she has been through a lot.
Usagi gives him a small smile. "I'll be okay Mamo-chan, thanks to you." She tries her best to reassure him.
Mamoru realizes she is not going to change her mind. He looks at his watch. "I have to be leaving for work soon." He frowns. He wants to speak with her more but it will have to wait. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Usagi nods her head in agreement before she wraps her arms around him for a hug.
Rei, Makoto, Usagi, Minako, and Ami are seated in Rei's room on the shrine grounds.
Luna and Artemis were relieved to see Usagi unharmed and with them upon their return.
Minako stares at the tea cup in her hands. "I can't believe the Starlights are back."
Usagi leans back on her cushion. "I'm glad they are safe." She comments quietly.
"You seem really happy they are back," Makoto comments, looking over at Usagi.
Usagi closes her eyes for a moment. She isn't paying attention to Makoto. She remembers a time right before the Light of Hope awakened. Sailor Galaxia was about to attack her with dark energy from her sword and Sailor Star Fighter ran in front of her, shielding Sailor Moon with her own body.
Fighter was already bruised and cut from the battle but she refused to let harm come to Sailor Moon. Fighter yelled out when the attack hit her. Fighter told her, "I won't let you extinguish it! Not this girl…I will protect her light, no matter what. Even if it costs me my life."
Usagi frowns. Took many people will risk everything to protect her.
"Usagi-chan?" Makoto asks when she doesn't hear a response from the golden haired girl.
"Sorry…" Usagi apologizes. She doesn't know what Makoto said to her. "It's just since this morning… no matter what I do; I can't stop thinking about fighting Chaos."
The four girls are quiet, not sure what to say to Usagi.
"Usagi, I know it's difficult and… painful for you but it might be easier to talk to someone about it. Any of us will listen." Rei offers, hoping to get through to Usagi.
Usagi rests her elbows on the table and makes her hands under her chin. "Do we have to do our homework?" She mumbles. She is trying to change the topic to anything other than discussing Chaos.
The girls are disappointed and try their best not to show it. They want to help Usagi but they don't know how.
The Three Lights leave a familiar office building in Bunkyo City in Tokyo. It was a stop they knew they would have to make eventually during their stay on Earth. They delayed it as long as possible.
Yaten sighs as he looks back at the building. They had spent so much time here the last time they were on Earth. "It didn't take long for us to be spotted. We knew as soon as that happened, what the next step would be."
"Our manager looked like he seen a ghost." Taiki commented. "But it was better for us to show up before everything is in the news tomorrow morning."
"At least we have a more permanent place to stay now." Seiya is relieved to be able to sleep in an actual bed again. "I'm surprised we still have our old place." He pauses to look up at the night sky. A few stars are seen, but a lot of them cannot be seen over the bright city lights. "But he was way too eager to have us perform again as soon as he saw the three of us together."
"We are still idols on this planet." Yaten smirks. "We'll always be idols on this planet, no matter how much time has passed."
Taiki looks thoughtfully at the two men besides him. "Perhaps we can still find a way to use it our advantage. We need to keep an eye on everyone and now that we've been spotted in this form… we don't have to remain in the shadows watching over them. It gives us some new opportunities."
Yaten looks at him with a questioning expression. "Like what?"
Taiki is direct with his answer, completely serious. "We can go back to school."
Yaten's shoulders slump, he was not expecting going to school as part of Taiki's plan. School worked fine last time for their cover. But there is no reason for them to return to school this time.
"School… every day with Odango and the others?" Seiya slowly repeats.
"Don't get any ideas," Taiki interrupts Seiya. "Once this mission is over we will be returning home."
Yaten looks at Seiya. He had hoped when they left Earth last year any feelings Seiya had for Usagi would finally be over. His actions on Kinmoku quickly proved Yaten wrong. "Besides she has her boyfriend she was with today." He reminds Seiya, keeping him in check.
"I know that!" Seiya responds annoyed. "Bu I'm still going to protect her while I'm here. We're supposed to help the senshi, which means we have to protect them all if we want to stop what we seen in the prophecy."
Taiki takes Seiya's outburst in another way. "I'm glad you'll keep it straight this time."
Yaten raises his eyebrow at Taiki. He doesn't believe it will be that simple. Nothing is straightforward with Seiya when it comes to Usagi.
"Then it's settled. Our manager is already in the process of enrolling us." Taiki explains to them.
Seiya and Yaten look at him wondering when he had time to speak to the manager to have them re-enrolled in school.
"You were planning this the entire time," Seiya looks at him incredulously. School was not something that he enjoyed other than seeing Odango.
"School was one of the most enjoyable parts of our time on Earth." Taiki counters. And for him, it is a true statement.
"But we're not going to be here that long; won't school just be an unnecessary distraction?" Yaten counters, trying to avoid returning to Juuban High School.
"It's clear the enemy is going to be after Odango. We can keep an eye on her and the other senshi at school." Seiya pieces together Taiki's plan. But he would have to study and take exams again. That part of the plan he was not thrilled.
"I agree with Seiya. We need to fulfill our mission." Taiki pauses. He doesn't like to admit this part even though it is true. "We owe a lot to Tsukino-san for stopping Chaos."
Seiya is quiet. His mind wanders for a moment to the version of Usagi he witnessed today. She was a mixture of anger, worry, and sadness. She changed a lot in the past year. She seemed defeated. Similar to the expression she had when fighting Galaxia when she wanted to give up after she kept losing the other senshi. He shifts his thoughts back to present. Stopping the enemy will help, it will help all of them. "Who is this enemy we are facing? Minako-chan said they failed to stop her twice."
"They also mentioned the Silver Millennium. I remember it being mentioned in some books in Kinmoku but it was more of a footnote and very few details were given other than it was an ancient defunct kingdom." He looks at Seiya and Yaten, they have nothing to add. "There isn't much else we can do tonight."
"I'm worried about you Usagi-chan; you've been struggling a lot the past couple of days. And you're really tired because you haven't gotten a lot of rest." Luna's tone softens. "Please try to get some more sleep."
Usagi finishes changing into her pajamas. "Why? So I can have a nightmare again?"
Luna frowns. "You still need to try to sleep." She can't believe she has to tell Usagi to sleep more. The same girl she has struggled to wake up to be on time for school.
Usagi sighs and sits down on her bed. She pulls out the hairclips for the bun on the right side of her head. She is about to remove the clips from the left side and then stops. Her hands clench tightly around the hair clips. Her eyes focused on her hands. "How much danger are we in since the Starlights showed up?"
She looks at Luna. "The girls told me what I missed about a prophecy when we went back to the shrine. You heard what they said." She can feel tears form in her eyes. "I can't let that happen. I have to protect everyone and keep them safe but Luna, my tiare is broken. Sailor Galaxia broke it and… it's still broken, it fell apart." The tears fall from her eyes. "Without it, how can I protect everyone?"
"Your tiare is only a small part of your power Usagi-chan." Luna jumps up onto the bed. "You are so much more than your tiare. You are the senshi of love and justice."
Usagi smiles slightly at Luna's words.
"But… you'll never be able to protect or help anyone if you're exhausted all day and don't sleep." She nuzzles Usagi's arm. "I can't believe I actually have to tell you to sleep."
Usagi smiles a little and manages a small laugh. "Yeah. This would be unheard when we first met." Usagi places her hand over her mouth in vain to cover up a yawn. "I can barely keep my eyes open."
Sailor Galaxia is in a black fuku with black feather wings wildly swings her sword at Princess Serenity.
Princess Serenity dodges to the side to avoid the blade. "No!" She doesn't want to listen to the instructions she was given by the Light of Hope to fight back.
The Light of Hope pleads with the Princess to fight.
"I can't!" Princess Serenity yells back in response.
Sailor Galaxia continues to swing her sword; each swipe closer to hitting her until finally, Princess Serenity has no choice but to pick up the sword to defend herself. Her eyes are shut tightly. She just wants this to end. In the process, she ends up stabbing a part of Sailor Galaxia's wing; the golden senshi's blood dripping down the sword.
Princess Serenity slowly opens her eyes and gasps when she realized the physical harm she has cause to Sailor Galaxia.
"Curse you!" A shaky Sailor Galaxia responds. She raises her sword high in the air and uses all of her strength to swing it down onto the silver blade in Princess Serenity's hands. The blade scatters into hundreds of pieces.
Princess Serenity stares at the scatter pieces of the sword in disbelief. She slowly moves herself back from Galaxia, trying to place some distance between the two of them.
"It's over," Sailor Galaxia taunts the Moon Princess and laughs.
The Starlights watch helplessly below, unable to assist in in this phase of the battle.
"The Light of Hope you believed in has shattered." Sailor Galaxia explains how hopeless the situation is.
"The sword!" Sailor Star Fighter realizes Chibi Chibi became the sword.
The handle and the broken blade turns bright pink and transforms into the shape of Sailor Chibi Chibi. "Chibi Chibi?" She said in shock.
Sailor Galaxia continues to taunt her. "Now there's no one left who can stop me!" She enjoys tormenting Princess Serenity. "You are powerless to stop me! You should just give up." She enjoys talking down to the Princess. "You weren't able to save your friends or the man you loved. They all died before your eyes because you were too weak. You're not strong enough!" Galaxia tries to break her further, destroy any self-confidence she has left.
Princess Serenity stares at Sailor Galaxia, her eyes narrow. "No! I did save everyone after I defeated you! Chaos did not win!" She finds herself screaming at Sailor Galaxia consumed by Chaos in front of her.
Sailor Galaxia laughs at her retort. "You relied on everyone to save you. What kind of Princess are you? If you were strong enough on your own, you would have been able to protect everyone. Not only have you thrown away your pride as a senshi, you are a weak senshi!" Her tone becomes more serious. "You have to become stronger. And I know how." Sailor Galaxia smiles and turns her gaze to the three Starlights below. With a mere flick of her wrist, blasts of golden energy are discharged at the Starlights below.
The Starlights are too tired to move quickly to dodge the blasts. The golden energy hits their chests. They scream as the pain washes over them. Orange flowers bloom. Three starseeds appear: lavender, lime green, and sky blue. The starseeds float away from their bodies and the three Starlights crumble to the ground.
Sailor Galaxia smiles at the starseeds that avoided her for so long. She smiles at Sailor Moon. "You're all alone now. There is no one here to help you or protect you."
Usagi bolts awake in her bed. The first rays of the sun are coming in through the window in her room. Tears are streaming down her cheeks. She lets out a few sobs, trying to process everything she just experienced. The start of her nightmare really happened and then it turned into something different. What does the second half of that nightmare mean?
Usagi throws the covers off her body. There is no way she can go back to sleep after something so disturbing. She walks over to her radio and turns it on softly. She needs a distraction of some sort, something, anything. Her hand stops on the dial when she hears the radio show host. "The Three Lights were spotted together in Arisugawa Park yesterday evening. Fans are speculating what it means. Everyone is wondering if it means the group will get back together and continue performing. Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper announced a contest for the first photo submitted of the return of the Three Lights for ¥10,000."
Usagi stares at the radio for a minute and thinks back to the time Minako submitted pictures of her with all of the Three Lights separately in an effort to make it look like she was dating all their of them at once to the tabloids.
She sits down on a cushion near the chabudai in her room. She barely had a chance to talk to the Three Lights yesterday. She wanted to know how it was going rebuilding their home, how they are doing. She pouts a little, unsure of the next time she would see them. She had so much she wanted to ask them. Anything to take her mind off of the real reason they have returned to Earth, to prevent their deaths.
She stands up and walks over to her dresser to stare at a picture of her and Mamoru smiling. Delicately she picks up the frame and studies it. She smiles lightly. "At least you're here with me this time." She puts the picture back and her eyes are drawn to her brooch. How can she use her tiare again? More importantly, how can she fix it to make it work again? Did she really lose that power forever? She places her hand on her brooch. No, she tells herself. Her powers had been damaged before in the past and she has always found a way to mend them and save everyone, nothing will be different this time.
But until she figures it out, she is a liability to her friends. She is powerless to help them without it or some other attack. Her tiare is broken. Is there a way to still summon a tiara to attack? She frowns. She has never tried that attack in her Eternal form.
Her friends will do everything in their power to protect her. Is that how they all die in the prophecy? They protected her because she was too weak to defend herself? Why can't she be stronger like some of the other senshi? She needs to be able to attack and defend herself, but how?
She looks at the clock in her room and realizes she needs to get ready to leave. She sighs. She doesn't want to talk about the battle they had yesterday or the nightmare she just had.
Seconds after Usagi arrives at school, she is surrounded by Sonoko and the other members of the Three Lights fan club. She doesn't recognize most of the girls since they are not in her class but they seem to know her well.
"Is it true you saw the Three Lights yesterday?"
"Are they going to perform again?"
"How were you able to find them?"
"Do they look the same?"
"Are they still single?"
The questions kept coming.
Usagi stumbles to try to answer some of the questions based on the limited information she knows. The fan club seems to be focused on her more than ever since the softball game a year ago. Some of the girls had even blamed her for the Three Lights disappearing because of how mean she was Seiya. "I just kind of ran into them by accident," Usagi repeats again. She tries to walk past them to class but they are an unmovable force.
The bell rang, classes are about to begin. The girls have no choice but to disperse unless they wanted to be late.
Usagi is able to move past them and continue to her own class. She lets out a sigh of relief. She was never so happy to hear the morning bell.
Usagi glances at the clock. She is so hungry but she still has an hour left of class. She is sitting too close to the front to even consider pulling out her food and eating early. She'll be scolded by the teacher or given detention again. She taps her pencil in frustration.
The door to the classroom slides open and the principal enters the classroom.
All of the students scramble to stand up to bow and greet him.
"Good Morning," the principal waves back at them to sit down. He walks over to Urashima-sensei and whispers something to him.
The teacher nods his head.
"A few students will be joining the classroom shortly."
Minako's eyes light up when she hears the news. She turns to the door, waiting to see if her suspicions are correct.
I'm sure no one is really surprised on who will be joining the classroom.
So Queen Beryl is back? In the original DiC dub of Sailor Moon forever ago in the mid-1990s, Sailor Moon sent Queen Beryl back to where she came from, and was never killed/destroyed by Princess Serenity. I'm going with that story plot for this.
Will the other Shinitennou be in this this? No. They clearly died in the 90s anime and I have no plans on resurrecting them. I wouldn't even know where to start.
More action coming up as the Outers start putting their plan together! Find out on June 9th (release date of Part 1 of the Cosmos Movie) Act 4: Letting go of the Past