As they listened to the cries of help from Usagi and Harusuke, the rest of the guardians, as well as Luna and Artemis, desperately tried to think of something to get inside of the vine-ridden apartment building so they could save them.
"If the Makai Tree keeps growing like this, it'll eventually end up draining the Earth of all its energy!" cried Luna.
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Sailor Venus cried as she aimed with her finger. "We have to stop it before that happens! VENUS CRESCENT-"
Sailor Venus was just about to fire her signature attack when Sailor Mars suddenly sensed something. A presence of some kind.
"Hold a second!" the red Guardian cried. "Don't attack those vines!"
"What is it?" asked Sailor Venus.
"Just now, I sensed something," said Sailor Mars as she walked up to the vines, placing a hand on the surface of one. "I could be wrong, but... the Makai Tree might be an intelligent being."
Everyone was surprised to hear this. Then, the roots that blocked their path began to move out of the way, revealing the darker halls inside of the building. Now they were able to get inside.
"It looks like it's letting us in," said Sailor Mars quietly. "But we'd better be careful. We don't know what's waiting for us in there."
"Yeah. Let's get going," agreed Sailor Jupiter.
The four guardians, along with their cat companions, then went inside. They hopped over roots, rubble, and large cracks while being aware of their surroundings. Then Sailor Mars felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end, warning her of impending danger. At that moment, a strange pod came out of nowhere from the darkness and spat a stream of hot acid towards Sailor Mars. Reacting quickly, Sailor Mars jumped out of the way in time for the acid to melt the floor where she once stood. To make things worse, more of the Makai Tree's roots blocked their path in the front and from behind, trapping them like rats.
"It's a trap!" cried Sailor Venus. "It's blocked us off again!"
"I should have guessed!" cursed Sailor Jupiter. "It lured us in here so that it could trap us!"
"I guess this tree is intelligent!" Sailor Mars said.
More strange pods came out from the roots and began to fire spray after spray of acid at them. They all jumped and leaped to dodge, but it was only a matter of time before someone got hit. Then, a spray of acid managed to nick Luna on her left shoulder, causing the black cat to yowl in pain.
"MERCURY BUBBLE SPRAY FREEZING!"
Thinking quickly, Sailor Mercury aimed and unleashed a flurry of her freezing bubbling, turning all of the pods as well as the sprays of acid into solid ice. As soon as the pods were no longer a threat, everyone went to Luna to check her injury.
"Luna, are you alright?!" asked Sailor Venus as she cradled her in her arms. "Please say something!"
"Yeah, I'm alright," winced Luna. "It only grazed me, is all."
"You sure, Luna?" asked Artemis.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," reassured Luna. "Besides, this isn't the time to be worrying about me. We have to hurry and get to the center of the Makai Tree."
But their troubles were only beginning. Right then, more roots of the Makai Tree shot forth and threatened to pierce them, but Sailor Mars quickly took action.
"MARS FIRE SOUL!"
Sailor Mars unleashed a powerful ball of fire that burned right through the wall, creating a way out. Everyone rushed out from the hole to make their escape as the roots followed after them in hot pursuit. They soon came to an elevator and scrambled inside it, hoping to use it to escape. But as Sailor Mercury pressed the button, nothing happened. She pushed the button again and again, but the doors wouldn't close as the roots grew ever closer.
"What's the matter, Sailor Mercury?! Get us out of here!" Sailor Jupiter cried urgently.
"I can't! The elevator's not working!" Sailor Mercury cried back.
"Keep trying!" urged Sailor Mars. "Hurry!"
"Come on! Please, move!" begged Sailor Mercury, as she pushed the button even more furiously. "Come on, come on, move!"
But the elevator didn't as the roots got even closer.
"We're not going to make it!" cried Artemis.
Luna then looked up and saw their chance to escape. Just above them, the emergency escape hatch was on the elevator ceiling.
"Above us!" the black cat yelled. "The escape hatch!"
Sailor Jupiter looked up and immediately kicked the door off the hinges, and everyone jumped through the opening of the hatch just as the root barreled right into the elevator.
Back on the rooftop, Mamoru, Usagi, and Harusuke were still at the mercy of the Makai Tree, which was draining all of their energy. Mamoru, at some point, had passed out, but Usagi and Harusuke were still conscious and were held captive by the Makai Tree's roots.
"Usagi! Just hang in there!" yelled Harusuke.
"I'm trying!" Usagi whimpered as she struggled to get free.
Harusuke then stretched out his hand, trying to reach for his sister. "Give me your hand, Usagi! Come on! I'll try to pull you out!"
Usagi then did so, trying her best to reach for her brother. Their hands reached out inch by inch, bit by bit, until finally, just as they were barely touching fingertips, someone appeared, hovering just above them, kicking their hands away. Usagi and Harusuke looked up to see that Ail had appeared.
"I won't allow you to lay a finger on my Usagi!" Ail spoke coldly to Harusuke.
An then appeared as well. "Ail, don't you dare talk to my Harusuke like that!" she scolded crossly.
Ail then shot a look at An, filled with shock and disbelief. "What?! What did you say?!"
An then clasped her mouth, blushing bright red before composing herself, her aura flaring in anger. "Well, you just called her 'your Usagi,' which means that you love that girl more than you do me, and that makes me so mad!"
"I-It's not what you think!" stammered Ail nervously. "My love you for is different than-"
"I don't want to hear your lame excuses!" interrupted An crossly, as she turned towards the Makai Tree. "Makai Tree, take that girl's energy, now!"
"No, Makai Tree! Take that guy's energy instead!" interjected Ail. "Don't tell me you've forgotten how I've always taken care of you?!"
"I will not stand for you disobeying me!" An insisted. "Now, take her energy right now!"
The Makai Tree's branches and leaves began to glow and did as ordered. However, instead of draining them one at a time, it began to consume both of their energy, making the Tskino siblings cry out in agony. Ail and An were horrified and rushed over to help their respective crushes, trying to free them.
"Hold on, Harusuke! I'll get you out!" cried An, as she desperately pulled. "Stop this, right now, Makai Tree! Don't drain Harusuke's energy out of him!"
"Usagi, hold on! Let her go, you damned tree!" cursed Ail. "You ungrateful creature! Let go of her, right now!"
The Makai Tree seemed to grunt as it glowed, unleashing a powerful wave of energy that sent Ail and An blowing backward. Also, the roots that held the Tsukinos finally lessened, setting the two of them free, but now they were falling straight for the ground below. Luckily, An and Ail saw them falling and quickly teleported to their rescue, both of them catching their respective lovers as they landed on the Tsukinos were dazed and confused, but they were still alive.
"Usagi! Harusuke!" a voice suddenly cried.
"And Mamoru's up here too!" gasped another.
"And just as we thought, the Gingo sibling were Ail and An!" spoke a third.
An and Ail looked up and saw the other guardians and Luna and Artemis, much to Harusuke and Usagi's relief.
"The others made it here," Harusuke gasped weakly. "About time..."
"Usagi, Harusuke, are you two OK?!" asked Sailor Mercury.
"No... not really," Usagi rasped.
Ail and An then set Harusuke and Usagi down, facing the Inner Sailor Guardians.
"So, you've come here to fight us, have you, Guardians?!" Ail barked crossly. "That's not exactly a wise plan!"
"That's right, so do yourselves a favor and stop getting in our way!" An snarled.
The two aliens then shot into the air going on the attack. She unleashed a blast of force with a wave of her hand at the Guardians, causing them to scatter to dodge immediately. Ail attacked next, firing a shot of his own at Sailor Mercury, Sailor Venus, and Luna, who avoided the attack by jumping. Sailor Mars then unleashed her own attack.
"MARS FIRE SOUL BIRD!"
The Guardian of Fire unleashed a powerful fireball which took the shape of a large bird as it shot straight towards the two aliens. However, the two aliens were quick to block the incoming attack by erecting a barrier around themselves, causing the firebird to dissipate upon contact, much to Sailor Mars' shock. Next, mercury, Jupiter, and Venus jumped into the fray, trying to use their attacks too, but Ail and An were too quick as they both unleashed powerful blasts blowing them all back. They then continued to blast them with their energy making them all cry out in pain and agony while the two aliens laughed, enjoying the suffering they were inflicting.
"Your attacks are useless against us!" Ail and An cackled. "Learn your place, lower lifeforms!"
Usagi and Harusuke saw that their friends were in trouble, and they gave each other one look, nodding.
"I'll take care of Mamoru!" Harusuke said as he rushed over to him.
Usagi then sprang into action calling out her phrase.
"MOON CRYSTAL POWER MAKE UP!"
Transformation Sequence: Usagi
Usagi holds up the Crystal Star brooch as it opens, revealing the Silver Crystal inside. Usagi waved her hand on the Silver Crystal, and it flashed it a bright short burst of pink light emitting a chime. It does it a second time, and on the third, it shines brightly, enveloping Usagi in its glow. Usagi then holds the brooch above her head, suspending it in between her hands, drawing it to the center of her torso, flipping it once before placing it in the center of her chest. She then spins around a few times as the crystal begins to glow even brighter than before in pink light. She holds her hands up as a pair of wings spring forth from her back while pink ribbons come out from the crystal wrapping around Usagi's body, forming her leotard. The wings on her back disappeared as more pink ribbons wrapped around her arms and hands, creating white gloves and red boots around her calves and feet. As the blue skirt appears around her waist, one more pink ribbon ties at her back as she does a kind of spread-eagle motion with one leg up, a glowing moon symbol appearing on her forehead. Her tiara, earrings, choker, and ordango covers appear, and Usagi, now Sailor Moon, finishes with her signature pose.
Ail and An couldn't believe their eyes.
"No way! Usagi is Sailor Moon?!" Ail gasped.
"I thought their clumsy antics seemed oddly similar!" said An.
"Plants are vital to Mother Nature! They are friends to every living thing on Earth! And as the saying goes, 'Heaven does not create one plant above another plant or another plant below that plant!'" the Guardian of the Moon said. "I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice, Sailor Moon! And now, in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"
An groaned in annoyance. "I always did find that catchphrase annoying. Ail, get rid of Sailor Moon quickly!"
But now, Ail was reluctant, knowing that his crush and enemy were the same. "B-But wait... shouldn't we... " he stammered, trying to think of a way out. "I mean Sailor Moon is Usagi..."
"You still don't get it?! Why do you even care?!" snapped An. "If Usagi loved you, then why would she even think of defying us by transforming into Sailor Moon?!" She then smirked snootily. "In short, she never loved you at all!"
Ail was shocked, feeling his heart crumble at An's statement. "N-No... it can't be true..." he murmured miserably. "I don't believe it..."
Harusuke, who had managed to get Mamoru to safety, called out to Sailor Moon. "Usagi, Mamoru's OK! But he's barely conscious!"
Not wasting another second, Sailor Moon rushed over to Mamoru, kneeling beside him and gently lifting him. "Mamoru?! Mamoru, can you hear me? Please wake up! It's me, Usagi!"
Mamoru grunted as he winced in pain, aimlessly raising his hand. Sailor Moon his hand with her own in earnest as she rubbed it against her cheek. As Ail watched, feeling more heartbroken, An looked across to Harusuke, who was at the side away from Usagi and Mamoru.
"Since Usagi's obviously in love with that Mamoru fellow, Harusuke must be heartbroken as much as Ail is," An thought. "Therefore, this is an opportunity to steal his heart." She then reappeared just above Harusuke. "Harusuke dear, it seems that your darling Usagi is in love with Mamoru instead of you. It must be heartwrenching to see that the one you care for is with another man."
"Yeah? So what's your point?" Harusuke asked in a scowl.
"My point is that you should let me tend to your broken heart," An spoke alluringly. "I want you to join me. So lend me your heart, and together we shall roam the stars as man and woman. All you have to do is say the word, and I'll make quick work of these guardians so that we can be together."
Harusuke stared at An, completely baffled. Then his eyes narrowed in a hateful glare. "Sorry, Natsumi or rather An, but I'm not interested," he spoke firmly. "I won't nor will I ever join you. And just for the record, I could never love someone that would cause harm to my friends and family! Especially Usagi!"
An's eyes widened in shock, and her mouth hung open in disbelief as Harusuke rushed over to Mamoru and Sailor Moon, hoping to help with Mamoru's injuries. Now it was Ail's turn to be amused.
"Well, well. It seems like that man never had any romantic feelings for you either, An," mocked Ail.
An's shock was replaced with anger as her eye twitched and her teeth ground, seething with fury. "You're wrong!" she growled coldly. "There's just no way!"
"Well, then answer me this, and try to tell me that I'm wrong," said Ail. "Has that boy ever showed you any romantic affection by holding your hand or kissing you?"
An then flinched, letting out a gasp, which was all Ail needed to hear for an answer.
"Just give it up, An," Ail ordered. "Harusuke never loved you in the first place, and you should accept that fact."
That was the final straw, for, at that moment, An snapped and let out a shriek of anger and hate. "From the deepest love springs the deepest hate!" she yelled.
She then unleashed a powerful blast of energy at the three, blowing them back. But, Sailor Moon didn't let go of Mamoru's hand as they both hit the ground while Harusuke landed flat on his stomach just next to them.
"D-Damn it. That hurt," groaned Harusuke as he struggled to get back up. "Sailor Moon, are you OK?"
"Somehow," winced Sailor Moon.
"You annoying pests!" An hissed, still enraged. "Prepare yourselves for death!"
"Farewell, Usagi Tsukino, the Aphrodite of my heart," Ail spoke with pity and bitterness. "Or rather, our enemy Sailor Moon." He then turned towards the great tree before them. "Makai Tree! We no longer have any attachments to this planet! We both have tasted the misery of rejection, so we want you to wipe this all away forever! Release your awesome power, and destroy them all!"
Sailor Moon, Harusuke, and the others were horrified.
"Wipe it out?!" gasped Sailor Mercury.
"He can't do this!" cried Sailor Mars. "We have to stop them!"
The Guardians then leaped towards Ail and An hoping to stop them before it was too late, only to be knocked back down to the ground by another blast of energy from Ail. Next, Sailor Moon whipped out the Cutie Moon Rod and attempted to use her Moon Princess Halation, but An prevented her by firing a blast of energy, forcing her to skid backward until she was right next to Mamoru.
Mamoru began to stir at that moment, and his eyes slowly opened. Sailor Moon was quick to take notice.
"Mamoru, are you alright?! Hang in there!" begged Sailor Moon.
"S-Sailor Moon? I-Is that you?" murmured Mamoru.
"That's right. It's me, Usagi," Sailor Moon said, holding Mamoru's hand. "The girl you'd usually make fun of, Bun-head? Please try to remember. The Moon Kingdom, our battle with the Dark Kingdom, how you would always show up just in time to rescue me? Think back and remember the girl you love."
Mamoru stared at Usagi as he tried to do just that. He could feel it just scratching on the surface of his mind. However, An rudely and sadistically interrupted the two by blasting the two with multiple rapid energy blasts from her hand, blowing the two across the rooftop laughing all the while as the two wailed and screamed in pain. Due to their injuries from the alien's assault, the others could only watch as they tumbled across the rooftop.
"How annoying!" An cackled. "Just shut up with your little moment already!"
"Leave them alone!" Harusuke yelled. "They can't even protect themselves, let alone fight back! Just stop!"
But An didn't listen as she continued. Then, the two lost their grip on each other, and An fired another blast, aiming for Mamoru. But Sailor Moon using whatever strength she had left, got back up and stood in the way, taking the full force of it while shielding Mamoru, surprising everyone, most especially Ail.
"But why?!" demanded Ail incredulously. "Why would you risk your life like that?!"
"I'm willing to risk my life to protect the one that I truly love!" Sailor Moon grunted bravely.
An then fired another blast of energy at Sailor Moon, hoping to knock her back down to the ground, but the Guardian of the Moon stood firm, skidding backward a couple of feet.
"My, my. How noble of you, but rather than hear spout on with that bravado, I would much rather hear you scream," sneered An. "Come on, beg for help! Scream for mercy, you weak and pitiful human!"
"I... don't care what happens to me," Sailor Moon gasped as her body trembled. "But, please... spare Mamoru."
Ail, Harusuke, and Mamoru were all shocked and moved by Sailor Moon's courage, Ail especially for he had never seen anything like this before. An, on the other hand, wasn't so touched as she let out a haughty laugh.
"Give me a break! What a silly request!" An scoffed with scorn. "But if you think that your life's not that precious, then oh well, then!"
She raised her hand and then unleashed another mighty blast of energy. This time, Mamoru shot up to his feet using what strength he had and stepped into the line of fire protecting Sailor Moon as he took the full force of the blast, which sent them backward into a root, much to everyone's surprise. Not wanting to let up, An continued to blast Mamoru hoping to make him cave in, but the boy remained strong as he continued to shield Sailor Moon from her relentless attacks until he couldn't take it anymore. Finally, with one more blast from An, Mamoru let out a scream of pain before collapsing into Sailor Moon.
"No! Mamoru! Please hang on!" begged Sailor Moon, her eyes filled with tears. "Don't give up on me!"
Seeing Mamoru collapse in front of him and into Sailor Moon's arms with her eyes filled with tears, something snapped inside Harusuke. He whipped his head towards An and gave her a glare filled with anger and hate as he got up on his feet.
"That's it, An! You've gone and pushed this boy too far!" Harusuke yelled as he clenched his hand into a fist, his bracelet shining brightly. "So now you're going to pay!"
An and Ail looked at Harusuke, a bit surprised from what he just said as he raised his fist into the air.
"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"
Transformation sequence: Harusuke.
Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. Next, the symbol of the sun starts to shine on Harusuke's head as golden yellow and silver light envelop his body. First, the sun appears above him, shining its light upon him. Then, while Harusuke bathed in its light, a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. After that, the light shone on his legs, and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appeared on his legs with silver hexagon knee pads. Next, the light shone on his arms, and then golden gauntlets appeared on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him, and it crashes into his chest, making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers his head, exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Finally, Harusuke's eyes open, and he strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him.
An couldn't believe her eyes as Solaris now stood before her. "Impossible! Harusuke was Solaris this whole time?!"
"You better believe it!" Solaris spoke crossly. "I wanted to give you two a chance to redeem yourselves, but now, you've made the mistake of not only hurting Mamoru but also making my sister cry!"
An then flinched with surprise upon hearing the word 'sister' as was Ail, while Solaris shot straight towards An and Ail with his fist glowing with power preparing to attack. An managed to recollect herself in time and blasted Solaris away with her energy. Solaris got blown back, but he managed to land on his feet, sliding backward a little. She fired three more times, but Solaris quickly realized that Sailor Moon and Mamoru were right behind him. He gritted his teeth and took the full force of all three blasts. It hurt, but Solaris refused to go down.
"Sailor Moon is your sister, huh?!" An spoke in a cold and hateful tone. "Then, if that's the case, why didn't you join me?! You could have had all the love you ever wanted, and yet you chose to reject me by staying by your sister's side! Do you love her that much despite her being your relation with her?!"
"Because you were forcing me to love you, An! You were doing it back when you were Natsumi, and you're doing it right now!" Solaris grunted. "What you don't seem to understand is that love just can't be forced on people! It comes naturally and takes time to grow like a tree, and the love I have for Usagi is different! It's the kind you have for your friends and family! Usagi is someone I care about deeply along with everyone else, and I would risk my life to protect them even at the cost of my life!"
"Is that so? Then how about we put that to the test?" An smirked as she held up her hand again to fire a blast of energy. This time she was aiming towards the other Sailor Guardians. "If you care about your friends that much, then why don't I attack them?!"
Solaris snapped his head to the right and saw the Guardians, who were still beaten and weak from the previous assault. Not hesitating for a second, Solaris leaped towards the Guardians just as An fired a powerful blast of energy. The Inner Guardians braced themselves, but Solaris suddenly appeared before them, much to their surprise, and took the shot in full force, shielding them from harm.
"Solaris!" Sailor Moon cried.
An clicked her tongue in annoyance as she continued to blast Solaris again and again as he continued to shield the Inner Guardians from harm.
"Solaris! Get out of the way!" Sailor Mars yelled.
"If you keep taking those hits, you'll get seriously injured!" Sailor Venus shouted.
"No way! I ain't moving!" Solaris yelled as he struggled to stay standing. "I don't care what happens to me! I'll be damned if I'm going to stand by and let you all get hurt! I'll protect you guys from anyone that dares try to hurt you! I don't care who they are!"
As An continued her relentless assault on Solaris, she started growing more and more irritated.
"Why can't you just stay down already?!" An yelled as she prepared to unleash an even more powerful blast. "Just hurry up and die already!"
As she unleashed the blast, Solaris clenched his fist, making it glow in bright light, and released a powerful burst of energy of his own.
"SOLARIS NOVA FLARE!"
The two attacks collided, and Solaris' Nova Flare canceled out An's blast, making it shoot straight for her. An going on the defensive immediately erected a barrier to protect herself just in time. Solaris grit his teeth as he desperately tried to break through, the force pushing him back a few steps.
"It's no use, Solaris!" An spoke cackling. "Your measly little attack is nothing compared with my power!"
Solaris didn't let up as he put more power into his attack while letting out an attacking yell, which intensified the Nova Flare.
"Solaris, stop it! If you keep using up your power like that, you'll end up burning yourself out!" Sailor Mercury cried.
But Solaris didn't, putting even more power into his Nova Flare, making it spark and crackle as it kept pushing against An's barrier. Then to the surprise of them all, An's barrier began to crack and crumble, until finally, it broke, forcing An to teleport out of the way just before the blast hit her. Solaris finally stopped, but he was now very winded and weak as he fell backward about to faint. Luckily, the Guardians quickly caught him just before he hit the ground.
"Solaris! Are you alright?! Say something!" begged Sailor Mars.
Solaris opened his eyes as he gave a weak smile. "Don't worry... I'm OK. Just feeling tired is all. Guess I should have listened to you guys."
Ail watched this from where he hovered and felt moved, so much so that he almost began to shed tears as he started to understand the love they all shared.
"How beautiful... So very beautiful," Ail murmured. "Is that what it means to love? Is this what love truly is?"
"And what do you mean by that, Ail?!" An demanded crossly.
"I think... I finally understand now, An," Ail said to An as he looked across to her. "As Solaris said, you can't force love. It's something that is built and nurtured by caring for one another and can also be a powerful weapon."
"You don't know what you're saying, Ail!" An snapped. "You're just acting weak!"
"You're the one that's acting weak!" countered Sailor Jupiter. "When you truly love someone, the strength of that love gives you the courage to overcome anything, romantic or love from friendship, and Sailor Moon, Mamoru, and Solaris have proven that!"
An growled in anger and moved to attack Sailor Jupiter to shut her up, but then a familiar white rose shot down from above, forcing An And Ail to teleport out of the way to dodge it. Everyone looked to where the white rose came from and saw a man in white Arabian clothes standing on top of the roots of the Makai Tree.
"It's the Moonlight Knight!" cried Sailor Moon.
"All the creatures of the universe are friends," the Moonlight Knight called out to Ail and An. "Instead of fighting against them, open up your hearts to them."
"That's easy for you to say! You could never understand the suffering we went through!" An snapped fiercely. "We've wandered the entire universe all by ourselves with no one ever caring about us! We had to take whatever we could, and if we hadn't done that, we would have never survived!"
"Nothing good could ever come from stealing, An," the Moonlight Knight spoke gently. "It only brings you hatred and pain."
"YOU SHUT UP!" shrieked An as she fired another powerful blast from her hand.
The Moonlight Knight got sent flying until he slammed against the Makai Tree.
"An, please! You have to stop this right now!" yelled Solaris. "You're so overwhelmed with anger and hate that you're attacking and hurting everyone!"
"And whose fault do you think that is?!" An snapped as she glared at Solaris. "You're one of the reasons why I'm this way! You could have had everything you ever wanted if you accepted my love, but you chose these Guardians over me!"
"And I'm sorry about that, but that doesn't give you the right to lash out at people just because of a heartbreak!" Solaris shouted. "I understand what you're going through, and that's not the way to go!"
"And how could you possibly understand?!" shrieked An.
"Because I've gotten rejected too, or rather I know what it's like to be heartbroken, and trust me, it sucks!" Solaris spoke. "But I've learned to move on from it and learn to love again! So if you're still feeling heartbroken, An, then you can love again! Find someone else to love! You've got Ail, don't you?!"
An and Ail flinched and looked at each other.
"I don't know what your relationship between you and Ail is, An, but I know you two care about each other, don't you?!" Solaris went on. "You say that you both have been alone all this time and that no one cared about you, but that couldn't be any further from the truth. You both have each other, and people do care about you. I care about you! And if you always react with anger, then that's all you're going to know, and you'll never be able to know what true love really is and how you'll always express it towards others!"
Everyone stared at Solaris as he went on with his speech, while An bit her lip as her eyes began to fill up with tears.
"Please, An! Stop this senseless violence and open your heart! Don't keep lashing out in anger and let it along with the hate from heartbreak overwhelm you!" Solaris continued. "There are people who can help you, help you cope, help you ease the pain, and most of all, show you that there's a better way to love, but only if you're willing to let us!"
"Y-You're lying," An choked, trying not to sob. "You're just trying to trick me!"
"I swear to you, I'm not," Solaris spoke, holding out his hand. "I just want to help you, but I can't if you won't let me! Please trust me!"
An and Ail stared at Solaris, not sure of what to do. Sailor Moon and the others looked on as well, keeping silent and waiting to see what would happen. Then suddenly, the Makai Tree began to glow, reawakening with a demonic wail. The roots also came to life, ripping up from the ground sending the Guardians and Mamoru for a ride as they shot towards Ail and An.
"Look out!" Ail yelled as he pushed An out of the way to dodge the roots.
They dodged some of the roots, but one suddenly came at Ail from behind and hit him with a mighty slap sending him falling to the ground. An saw this and immediately teleported to his side, standing between him and the root that came towards her.
"Please stop!" An yelled. "Don't hurt him!"
But the root didn't stop as it continued straight towards An until it pierced straight through her chest. Ail, Solaris, Sailor Moon, and the others were horrified as the root retracted and An fell towards the ground.
"AN!"
Ail shot to his feet and rushed over to An, managing to catch her.
"An, why did you do that?!" Ail demanded. "Why did you... do such a thing?!"
"B-Because... Because I love you," An weakly spoke as her eyes filled with tears. "Now... I understand too. Love's something - you can't steal. Solaris was right. I do care a lot about you. You've always been there for me, and I've always been there for you..."
"An, please don't talk anymore," begged Ail, tears streaming down his face. "I don't want to lose you either, so just hang on! Stay with me! Don't leave me all alone!"
An smiled at Ail. "Something... warm is flowing through my body," she whispered. "I never felt this way before... perhaps... this is the kind of love... you described before. It feels wonderful. My only regret now - is that I'm leaving you - my dear Ail. But, remember - that I love you more than life itself, and you were the one true love - that I've desperately been seeking."
And with those final words, An took her last breath as her body fell lifeless in Ail's arms.
"ANNNNNNNN!" wailed Ail as he hugged his now lifeless lover in his arms, sobbing.
But unfortunately, Ail's grief was short-lived as another root from the Makai Tree shot straight for him. But despite seeing it coming, Ail refused to move.
"An, I'll be with you shortly," Ail quietly spoke as he held her tight, waiting for the end. "I can't live in a world without you with me."
"AIL, YOU'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF THERE!" Solaris yelled.
"STOP IT!" Sailor Moon screamed. "DON'T KILL HIM!"
Then, just when the root was about to stab Ail, it stopped just inches away from his back, and from the Makai Tree itself, a voice came.
"So you finally understand?"
Everyone immediately looked up towards the Makai Tree, their mouths agape and their eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
"The Makai Tree!" gasped Sailor Moon. "Did it just..."
"It talked! The Makai Tree just talked!" Solaris cried, pointing.
The Makai Tree began to glow brighter in white light, swallowing everyone in its glow. When the light died down, and everyone could see again, everyone looked around to see that they were no longer on the roof of the apartment building. Instead, they were hovering above what appeared to be an endless sea of water with a lone tree standing in the middle of it.
"Wh-where are we?" wondered Sailor Moon.
"I think we're inside of the Makai Tree's consciousness," said Ail.
"That's right. I've brought you all inside, so you can know the full story of how I came to be," the Makai Tree's voice said. "Eons ago, on a particular planet, there was only the ocean and me. I had been alone for quite some time without a single soul to talk to, but then one day, I decided to change all of that.
Everyone could now see an up-close look at the tree as the pods that shot acid at the Inner Guardians a while back sprouted forth from the tree. But instead of shooting acid when they opened up, everyone was surprised to see numerous little children come out of the pods. They watched as all the newly born children stood underneath the leaves of the Makai Tree as it showered down sparkles of energy, giving them strength.
"I don't believe it!" gasped Ail. "The Makai Tree gave birth to my people?!"
"Yes, and I loved every one of them, and in return, they treated me with the utmost respect," the Makai Tree went on. "We lived in harmony and enjoyed all those happy times together. However, those happy times would not last forever."
The scenery of the Makai Tree in the vision then changed; the children around the tree were now full adults and appeared more vicious and wild than before, attacking one another using their fists or claws.
"Eventually, some of them gained knowledge and began growing selfish, fighting over who would have my energy," the Makai Tree resumed. "Their respect for me waned and eventually became consumed by anger, hatred, malice, and most of all, greed. However, I still had faith, hoping that eventually, all of us could live together in harmony once again. But it was not to be, for the violence kept escalating until it eventually destroyed their planet."
Everyone could now see the planet where the Makai Tree lived in outer space, sparkling and crackling due to the fighting. Finally, it then exploded in a brilliant flash of light. From it, the Makai Tree floated toward the outreaches of space, escaping the explosion in the nick of time, surrounded by a bubble protecting itself.
"Luckily, I was able to get away from the destruction with a few remaining survivors that loyal," the Makai Tree spoke again. "And so we wandered the stars searching many planets and different worlds. However, we could never find a place to call home."
They now could see the Makai Tree up close again. This time, all the people who lived there lay sprawled on the many branches, lifeless and dead, with only two others being the only ones alive. The two looked very familiar as they saw this terrible sight that lay before their eyes.
At that moment, there was another brilliant flash of light, and everyone soon found themselves back on the rooftop of the apartment, stunned after hearing the Makai Tree's story.
"As the years passed, the survivors began to perish, until there were only two of them left, Ail and An," the Makai Tree said sadly. "Poor sad souls who never knew about true love and got forced to rely on only on your strength and wits to keep yourselves alive."
"Makai tree... You poor thing..." whispered Sailor Moon with pity.
"Now it all makes sense," murmured Solaris. "Ail and An were stealing energy not only for keeping themselves alive, but they were also trying to keep the Makai Tree alive as well."
"That's right, but I didn't need the energy to grow. It's love that helps me," the Makai Tree said. "I made myself wither and weaker on purpose to try to send you and An a signal, Ail, but you didn't understand me."
"Please, Makai Tree, forgive us," said Ail. "We failed you."
"All is well, Ail. You do not need to apologize," the Makai Tree spoke kindly. "In the end, you as well as An finally learned what true love is, which is about caring for one another and is something you can't take. I'll take pride knowing that my patience has paid off, and you have discovered what I've struggling to teach my followers."
Ail didn't say anything more as he held the lifeless An in his arms, weeping quietly. Then the Makai Tree spoke again.
"Sailor Moon, may I ask a favor?" the great tree asked. "Please purify my body and my spirit with the power of your love. Rid me of all the negative energy that has poisoned me all these years."
Sailor Moon was surprised at this request feeling unsure, but Solaris looked across to her and gave me a nod, as did everyone else. Then, Sailor Moon took out the Cutie Moon Rod and turned towards the Makai Tree.
"Of course, I will," the Guardian of the Moon said as she raised her Rod high into the air activating it. She took aim at the Makai Tree, summoned all of her power from herself, and unleashed a powerful blast of light and sparkles. "MOON PRINCESS HALATION!"
When Sailor Moon's Moon Princess Halation hit the tree, it exploded in a bright and intense light blinding everyone in the area.
Sailor Moon and an unconscious Mamoru were now in a space that seemed to be separate from reality as the Makai Tree faded away from the light, which made Sailor Moon a bit worried.
"The Makai Tree... disappeared?" she murmured. "I... didn't kill it, did I?
"No, you saved it," said a voice from above. "The Makai Tree is going to be reborn, Sailor Moon. Or rather, Usagi Tsukino."
Sailor Moon then looked up and saw the Moonlight Knight hovering just above her. She was relieved that he was alright, but she was also surprised that the Arabian-clad warrior knew her secret identity.
"Moonlight Knight! Thank goodness you're alright," Sailor Moon said. "And... how do you know my name?"
"I shall reveal the truth to you now, Usagi," the Moonlight Knight said. "By revealing my true identity to you."
He then reached for his mask and pulled it down, revealing the rest of his face underneath, but when he did, Sailor Moon was shocked to see that the true identity of the Moonlight Knight was the same as the unconscious man that lay just behind her.
Mamoru Chiba.
"M-Mamoru?!" gasped Sailor Moon, as she looked back and forth between the two. "But... how can there be two of you?!"
"You see, after our battle with Queen Beryl, Mamoru's memories had all but disappeared," explained Mamoru. "And yet, somewhere deep inside his heart, he had a strong resolve to protect Sailor Moon, or rather Usagi Tsukino from harm. That desire alone took life on its own, and that's how I came to be to fulfill that mission. But now, it has come to an end now that Mamoru has fallen in love with you once again. So the two of us will become one again as we continue to protect you, staying by your side."
Sailor Moon stared at Mamoru feeling happy but sad, knowing this was the last time she'd see him. The Arabian-clad warrior then gave one last, warm smile as he saluted for the final time.
"Adieu, my dear princess."
He then evaporated into a ghostly specter and floated over to Mamoru's body disappearing inside it, and that was the last time Sailor Moon saw him before losing consciousness in the light.
"Sailor Moon! Sailor Moon! Wake up!"
Sailor Moon's eyes opened as she awoke, finding herself in the arms of Mamoru.
"M-Mamoru, it's you!" Sailor Moon gasped. "But... is it you?"
Mamoru then smiled. "Of course, it's me, Usagi," he said. "And it's sure good to be back, Bun-Head."
The moment she called her by that name, Sailor Moon's eyes filled with tears of joy as she immediately embraced Mamoru in a tight hug.
"It's back! You're memory's finally come back!" Sailor Moon wept happily. "I'm so happy that your memory's come back!"
Mamoru returned the hug in earnest as he stroked the odango's head with comfort.
"Wait! What is this?"
Mamoru and Usagi, hearing Ail's voice, looked towards him, who was still holding An in his arms, but this time, she was glowing in bright light. The light lasted for a few seconds before dying down, and to the surprise of them all, An slowly opened her eyes, waking up from her slumber.
"Ail? Is that you?" An mumbled.
Ail's eyes were now trickling with happy tears as he embraced An tightly with joy. "You've come back to life! My An's come back to me!"
An returned the hug in earnest, feeling happy to see Ail too. At that moment, Sailor Moon saw something sparkling on the ground, which caught her eye.
"What is that?" Sailor Moon wondered, getting everyone's attention.
Ail and An then saw something that made their eyes wide with wonder. The sparkle that Sailor Moon saw was a tiny baby plant that was bright green and seemed to sparkle as it floated over to Ail and An.
"It's a Makai Tree sapling!" An gasped as she and Ail held it in their hands.
"An, why don't we take care of this little one on a new planet and start over?" Ail asked as he gazed into An's eyes.
An smiled in agreement. "Yes, with the energy of our love for each other, she'll grow to be a strong and healthy tree."
Sailor Moon and Mamoru could only smile as they watched two bask in their moment together.
They then watched as Ail and An flew away, slowly disappearing into the sky, but not before waving them goodbye, as did they. They soon had gone, and Sailor Moon sighed happily.
"I have a feeling that those two will be happy together," Sailor Moon said.
"Yeah, I'm sure of it too," agreed Mamoru. "As will we."
The two looked at each other and then leaned in to kiss when they were rudely interrupted. The other Guardians had appeared, grinning while snickering.
"Way to go, you two~" Sailor Venus teased.
"So I guess that means you two are an item again," snickered Sailor Venus. "But you two could show a little bit of restraint, you know."
"Aw, I'm so jealous that I want a guy like Mamoru now," sighed Sailor Mercury.
"Maybe I'll meet a guy just like Mamoru," giggled Sailor Mars teasingly. "Heck, maybe I should take Mamoru for myself."
"Hey! You can't have him!" snapped Sailor Moon. "He's mine, you hear me!"
As the Guardians continued to tease, Sailor Moon and Mamoru, Solaris, and the cats watched from afar, feeling amused.
"Looks like everything's back to normal, more or less," said Artemis.
"And Usagi and Mamoru are finally back together," smiled Luna. "Now, if only the girls would stop acting like a bunch of children."
"Oh, just let them have their moment, Luna," Solaris chuckled. "We did just save the world again, but I am a little worried about how the public's going to react when they see the building like this." He then shrugged. "Oh, well. Guess we'll have to let someone else worry about it."
The morning sun then peered over the horizon, signaling the end of another battle and a new day as this went on. But as this happened, Solaris' bracelet shone again, this time in a bright pink color. As the glow died down, unnoticed by anyone, a small, barely noticeable crack appeared.
