Tomoe was busily at work in his lab, incubating another Daimon for their next Pure Heart target. Kaolinite then appeared, catching his attention.

"Ah, Mistress Kaolinite," Tomoe greeted. "Have you located our next target yet?"

Kaolinite smirked with confidence. "Yes, I have," the woman said. "And unlike the others, this one, without a doubt, is the one we're looking for. Unlike the others, this one has a heart purer than any of the others we've pursued before. I can say without confidence that this one has a talisman."

"That sounds encouraging," Tomoe spoke with a mad giggle. "Then, I shall create you my greatest Daimon, one that will put the others to shame in comparison!"

Tomoe took a test tube that contained an embryo of a Daimon and poured it into a beaker. Kaolinite then held her wand above it and added a spark of her magic. The seed began to morph and grow in size until it burst out of the container, now a Daimon Egg. This Egg seemed more potent than before, exhibiting a green aura instead of a black one. The Egg floated over to Kaolinite's hands, and she chuckled in delight.

"Tomoe, I thank you," said Kaolinite. "You're the only one I can count on with things like these, other than the master. Keep up the good work."

"I live to serve you, Mistress Kaolinite," Tomoe spoke, giving a bow. "I pray for your success and that my Daimon won't fail you."


It was a sunny day at Juuban Park. The teens were over by the fountain, using their time after school to study a bit. Usagi was incredibly cheerful on this day because of one particular event that happens once every year.

"Hello, everyone! Guess what today it is?!" Usagi spoke bubbly. "Today is the thirtieth of June, and it's my birthday! As of now, I'm officially fifteen years old!"

But all of Usagi's friends, including Harusuke, didn't seem to notice or care while reading their textbooks.

"Oh, is that so? Congratulations," said Rei.

"Isn't that nice," said Makoto.

"You're having a birthday, huh? That means you're one step closer to death," commented Minako.

"You should start acting your age from now on," said Ami.

"And you should be watching what you eat too," added Harusuke. "They say the older you get, the fatter you'll get."

Usagi felt so caught off guard by the comments that she fell flat on her back, dumbfounded. "Why is everyone so cold today?" she wondered in her thoughts. "Did everyone wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

Then, Harusuke and the girls got from their bench and started to walk away.

"Hey, hold on a second! Isn't there something else you want to say to me?!" Usagi called.

"Oh yeah! You're right, Usagi!" said Rei. "Even though it's your birthday, don't be late for our study session at four o'clock! See you there!"

And before Usagi could say anything more, her friends, as well as her brother, walked on, leaving her behind.

The ordango blonde was now upset. "I don't want to study!" the girl wailed. "Why is everyone so mean?!"


Usagi then wandered around Downtown Juuban's Shopping District, still feeling disappointed. Then, as she passed by a store, she saw something that caught her eye in the window's display. Placed on top of a glass case was a pair of glass slippers. They both were colored green like jade and seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.

Usagi couldn't help but feel entranced, her eyes twinkling dreamily. "Wow. They're so pretty," she murmured. "I wish that someone would get me a pair of those for my birthday. If I did, I would feel just like Cinderella. Yeah! It would be just like the fairy tale, I would lose the slipper, and Mamo would be my prince bringing it to me."

The ordango blonde then began to picture herself in that situation, and she couldn't help but feel giddy from the thought.

"Maybe Mamo will buy these slippers for me," Usagi gushed. "That would be so romantic!"

Then, as Usagi walked away from the store, she happened to see someone walking down the street, just a few feet away from her. It was Mamoru. When Usagi saw her lover, she immediately raced over to the boy, glomping onto his arm.

"Usagi! I didn't expect to see you here!" Mamoru said, jumping a bit in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Whaddaya think?" Usagi giggled sweetly. "I came looking for you, Mamo."

Mamoru felt confused as well as unnerved by Usagi's behavior. "And why is that exactly?" he asked.

But Usagi thought that Mamoru was playing dumb. "As if he doesn't already know. What a kidder he is!" Usagi thought to herself. "He knows I know that he's out here looking for my birthday gift. Who needs uncaring friends and family when I have such a thoughtful boyfriend?"

"Mamo, there's something that I want in particular for a present," Usagi spoke in a flirting tone. "I'd love for some glass slippers from my prince. I saw a pair at the glasswork boutique ship right around the corner of District Three. Come on! Let's go, so you can buy them right now before they're gone!"

Usagi tugged at Mamoru's arm, trying to pull him along, but Mamoru quickly resisted, now even more puzzled.

"Wait a minute, Usako. Christmas is still a long time away," said Mamoru. "So, it's a bit early to be buying you a Christmas present."

Usagi was now cross, her lovesick face turning into a scowl. "You better be joking, mister!" she snarled. "I'm not talking about Christmas! I'm talking about today!"

"Um, today?" repeated Mamoru, trying to think. "What day is it?"

Usagi felt like a bell that got banged by a mallet as she grew even more upset, her eyes brimming with tears.

Mamoru was now starting to panic and thought quickly. "I'm so sorry, of course, I know what day it is!" he said. "I was teasing you! There's no way I could forget!"

Usagi's eyes immediately sparkled. "Does that mean you remember?"

Mamoru nervously smiled. "Well, yeah. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I forgot the day we first met?"

Usagi then raised her hand, and before Mamoru had a chance to react, she swung and slapped across the cheek, hard.

"That's not it, you dolt!" Usagi snapped. "You just went a blew it!"

The ordango blonde then ran away, leaving Mamoru shocked as he held his stinging cheek. To make things even worse for the boy, a crowd of people had gathered either feeling bad for the guy or just finding the whole thing funny.

"W-What was that for?" Mamoru wondered to himself. "Was I at least close?"


Usagi now sat all by herself at Juuban Park, feeling sad, lonely, and miserable. It was bad enough that her brother and friends seemingly didn't care about her birthday but now had forgotten it? It was shaping out to be the worst birthday ever for her. She held her bookbag close to her chest and began to cry.

Just then, a hand gently patted her shoulder, causing the girl to look up. It was Haruka and Michiru.

"Hey there, Bun-Head. Why the sad face?" asked Haruka.

Michiru then took out a small handkerchief offering it to Usagi. "Here. Tears don't suit a pretty girl like you."

"Thank you, Michiru," said Usagi as she took the handkerchief.

Usagi then took the handkerchief, and to Haruka and Michiru's surprise, Usagi blew her nose into it, letting out a loud honk as she did. The ordango blonde then explained what had happened to the two.

"Well, so that's what's going on," mused Haruka.

"I'm quite surprised. I think it's terrible of Mamoru to forget your birthday," frowned Michiru. "If it were me, I would dump a boyfriend like that."

"Yeah, I agree!" Usagi indignantly agreed, her cheeks puffed in a pout. "Mamo's no boyfriend of mine anymore."

Then, Haruka came up to the ordango blonde and affectionately squeezed her shoulder, putting on a teasing smile. "If that's the case, does that mean I have a chance with you now?"

Usagi was surprised, while Michiru was a bit annoyed and jealous.

"Haruka, knock it off," huffed Michiru. "It's poor taste to tease her like that."

"But I'm not joking around," said Haruka, her eyes never leaving Usagi. "I quite adore Bun-Head Michiru."

Usagi felt her heart skip a beat as she felt her cheeks heat up. "Um, uh, thanks, I guess," she stammered. Then she suddenly remembered while thinking of a good excuse to leave. "Oh yeah! I have to be at Rei's place by four o'clock. I have to go! Bye, now!"

And Usagi raced away as fast as her legs could carry her.

Haruka chuckled. "She's so cute," she said.

"She's also quite emotional as well as pure-hearted," said Michiru. "She could have a talisman, you know."

Haruka flinched, her smile disappearing in a second. "No. She couldn't be," she said. "At least, I hope she doesn't."


Mamoru used the local phone booth to contact Rei back in the shopping district. After depositing his money and waiting a few seconds, Rei soon responded.

"Hello, Hino Residence."

"Hello, Rei," said Mamoru. "It's me, Mamoru. Do you know if Usagi's there or not?"

"Nope. 'Fraid not," said Rei. "Usagi still hasn't shown up yet."

"I see. I don't know exactly why, but I seemed to have upset the girl," explained Mamoru. "She was telling me something about today being special, although I'm not sure what it is about today that's so important."

"I think I might know why," said Rei. "But I'm surprised that you didn't know about it."

Mamoru was about to ask why, but Rei suddenly began to yell through the phone.

"You idiot! You've always been like this, getting yourself into hot water by pretending to know what's bothering us, when in fact, you don't understand girls at all, you blockhead!"

"Wh-What do you mean by that?" Mamoru asked, his ear now ringing.

Rei then calmed down. "Today is Usagi's birthday," she explained. "I'm surprised you didn't know that."

Mamoru now understood. "So that's why she was so upset," he spoke with relief. "She should have told me about that. I mean, how the heck was I supposed to figure that out on my own?"

"Well, you better do something to make it up to her," warned Rei. "Because it won't be just Usagi that'll get upset. Harusuke will hunt you down and reap you a new one. You know how he gets when Usagi's upset."

Mamoru then cringed. "Y-Yeah. Don't worry. I know how to make it up to her," he said. "I'll see you at the Hikawa Shrine."

Mamoru then hung up and raced out of the booth, unaware that someone had been watching him outside of it, wearing her signature red dress disguise.


It was evening by the time Usagi made it to the Hikawa Shrine. She was still feeling blue, but she felt more remorseful than sad, primarily for slapping Mamoru the way she did.

"I feel so bad now," Usagi murmured to herself as she looked at her hand, remembering the impact. "I shouldn't have acted that way towards Mamo."

However, despite having the crappiest birthday, she decided to try and be cheerful. After all, she had a study session to go through, and she didn't want to let her friends and brother see her so sad. So, she walked over to the room where the study session usually was and slapped her cheeks while putting on a smile.

"Sorry I'm late," Usagi called. "Did I keep you guys waiting?"

But no sooner when Usagi opened the door, five poppers sharply cracked, making confetti rain down all over her as her friends suddenly popped out.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, USAGI!" everyone yelled.

Usagi was so speechless that her jaw hung open while her eyes widened. Minako then came over and plopped Usagi down on the table, which had dozens of plates filled with snacks.

"There you go," Minako smiled. "Our guest of honor deserves the very best seat!"

"Make sure to eat up!" Makoto added. "I put my heart and soul into making these birthday snacks."

Ami handed Usagi a brightly colored wrapped package. "This is for you, Usagi. It's from all of us," she said. "It's a workbook to help you prepare better for the next exam."

"First of all, why even tell her what it is?" asked Harusuke. "And secondly, why the heck is it a workbook?" He then took out a wrapped package of his own. "Here. Hopefully, this one will seem a little bit more on the normal side for a fifteen-year-old."

"O-Oh! Well, thank you," Usagi stammered with reticence. "I don't know what to say."

"Hey, why are you so quiet?! You need to liven up a little, Usagi!" barked Rei. "We threw this surprise party just for you to have some fun! So why don't you live a little?! It's your birthday!"

"Easy, Rei," soothed Harusuke. "You're getting a little too grouchy."

But Usagi felt a bit happier. "Yeah! You're right," she said with a smile. "It is my birthday, and I should be having fun!"

"Yeah! And in honor of Usagi's birthday. let's forget about studying today, too!" Minako cheered eagerly.

"Aw, right! Freedom from studying forever!" Makoto chimed in.

"No, just for today," Ami said sternly.

Makoto and Minako pouted sulkily at Ami. "Party Pooper," the two huffed.

As the party got underway, Usagi felt better knowing that everyone didn't forget her birthday, but she still felt sad about Mamoru.

"This is so sweet, but it just reminds me that I won't be getting a present from Mamo," Usagi thought.


Meanwhile, Mamoru searched all over the shopping district for the shop that Usagi mentioned. It was already nightfall.

"Now, where is it?" Mamoru mumbled to himself. "That store Usako was talking about should be around here somewhere. If I recall correctly, Usako said it was over at District Three."

He soon saw the boutique and rushed straight inside, looking around, trying to find the slippers Usagi wanted. But while he was searching, he didn't notice Kaolinite was pretending to browse around standing next to the glass slippers on display. Then, while nobody was looking, she took out the Daimon Egg and implanted it inside one of the slippers.

"That should do it for now," Kaolinite said to herself. "All I have to do is wait for the boy to buy them. Then, he can lead the Daimon straight to that girl."

Kaolinite then walked away from the slippers, and when she did, Mamoru immediately caught sight of them and rushed them over to the counter to buy them. As soon as he finished paying for them, Mamoru departed the store and ran for the Hikawa Shrine. As he left, Kaolinite stepped out of the store and watched him go with an evil smirk, then she disappeared.

Not too far away, Haruka and Michiru happened to be close by, hiding just behind the phone booth, having to have seen everything.

"That was Usagi's boyfriend, Mamoru," pointed out Michiru. "And Kaolinite was watching him."

"Then, he might be our next target," said Haruka. "We'd better follow him."


Back at Hikawa Shrine, everyone sang Happy Birthday, and Usagi blew out the candles on her cake; however, Harusuke couldn't help but notice that Usagi was feeling less than happy.

"What's the matter, Sis?" asked Harusuke. "You seem depressed."

Usagi then sighed, unable to keep inside anymore. "Oh, well. You guys were going to find out about this eventually, so I might as well tell you," she said sadly. "Earlier today, I got mad at Mamo and slapped him on the cheek."

Everyone gasped at stared at Usagi, stunned.

"Whoa! That's hardcore, Sis! Even for you!" Harusuke spoke. "Why on Earth would you, of all people, slap Mamoru?!"

"I-I wasn't thinking. It was one of those heat of the moment reactions," Usagi guiltily mumbled while tapping her fingers. "After all, he did forget my birthday."

"But he didn't forget, Usagi," Rei objected gently. "The only reason he didn't know anything about it is that you never told him."

Now Usagi was surprised, feeling like a car had just crashed into her head.

"Did you even tell him when your birthday was?" asked Makoto.

"Well, come to think of it, I don't think I did," Usagi admitted. "But if you're in love, you'd be so in tune with the other person; you'd just know things like that."

"Well, if that's true, then surely you must know when Mamoru's birthday is, right?" said Minako.

Usagi then thought hard, trying to remember, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized how defunct her argument was. She had no idea whatsoever.

"Oh, I have no idea," Usagi laughed sheepishly. "My bad."

Everyone face-flopped to the floor.

"Wow, Sis. I knew that you were scatterbrained, but this is a whole new level," Harusuke sighed. "It seems that you slapped Mamoru for no good reason."

Usagi then shot up to her feet, knowing what she had to do now. "I'm going to go find him and apologize!" she announced. "I'll be right back!"

And before anyone could stop her, Usagi raced out of the room as fast as a jackrabbit.


Usagi ran as fast as she could, desperate to see Mamoru and apologize. At the same time, Mamoru was running as fast as his legs would let him, wanting to see Usagi. Then, the two lovers saw each other on the same street, eventually meeting in a warm reunion hug. Usagi was just about to apologize, but then Mamoru cut her off, presenting her the box that contained the slippers, pretending to be royal.

"I've been looking for you, my dear princess," Mamoru spoke dramatically. "Now, let's see if these fit on you."

Mamoru then bent down on one knee and opened the box revealing the slippers. Usagi's eyes widened with amazement and sparkled with delight as she took off her shoe and tried one of the glass slippers. But no sooner than she did, the shoe suddenly began to shine in an eerie red surprising them. The shoe sharply shook Usagi off of it, and in a blinding flash of light, it transformed into a Daimon.

The Daimon was very muscular, her body was of green glass, and her outfit was of gold, reminiscent of what spartan warriors wore in the olden days.

"Sorry, but there's no happy ending for this fairy tale!" the Daimon spoke, her eyes fixed solely on Usagi. "Your pure heart yearns for the love of a man, and I'm going to take it!"

Usagi scooted away with fright until she was against the window of a store. "What's going on here?!" she exclaimed. "Get away from me!"

"Usako!" Mamoru yelled as she rushed straight at the Daimon. "Leave her alone!"

The Daimon, not intimidated by the boy, glanced back and gave Mamoru a backward punch to the gut sending Mamoru flying into a fence that broke from the impact. Then, the Daimon moved in on Usagi, grabbing a firm hold on her shoulders. The ordango blonde desperately fought to break free, struggling while kicking her.

"Hey! Cut that out!" complained the Daimon. "You're going to crack me!"

Realizing that she had no other option, Usagi took off her Transformation Brooch, readying it to transform.

"MOON COSMIC POWER MAKE-!"

But before she could finish, the Daimon swatted her brooch out of her hand, making it slide on the sidewalk out of sight.

"No! My brooch!" Usagi gasped. "Now, I can't transform!"

"Were you trying to hit me with that thing?!" the Daimon exclaimed. "That was dangerous! Especially to someone made of glass! You could have shattered me!"

The Daimon then pushed Usagi against the glass window and, using her powers, made Usagi's arms merge into the glass so that she wouldn't escape. Now, she was utterly defenseless.

"Now, you can't resist anymore," smirked the Daimon. "But don't worry. Your Pure Heart Crystal is what I want!"

The Daimon flexed her right arm, and her black star tattoo appeared on her bicep, and while aiming carefully, she fired a powerful beam of light straight into Usagi's chest, beginning to extract her crystal. Usagi shrieked in pain as it shone into her chest, unable to stop her or run away. While this happened, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune arrived on the scene, watching everything from inside an alley.

"That's Bun-Head!" gasped Sailor Uranus. "You mean that she was their target this whole time?!"

"Uranus, we should save her," urged Sailor Neptune.

"But what if her pure heart has a talisman?" Sailor Uranus asked. "Then what?"

"Well, this is a surprise," Sailor Neptune smiled. "You look like you don't know what to do if she did have one. But, then again, you are attached to her, so it's natural that you would have a problem doing anything that would hurt her."

Sailor Uranus was about to object when suddenly, an intense, powerful white burst of light erupted from Usagi's chest, catching them by surprise.

As Usagi's pure heart crystal started to come out, even the Daimon couldn't help but marvel at the sight of this.

"That light! It's brighter than a normal pure heart crystal!" the Daimon gasped. "It has to have a talisman inside it!"

"She's right about one thing; we've never seen something this intense before!" said Sailor Neptune. "What should we do?"

Sailor Uranus frowned grimly. "We don't have a choice," she said. "If that crystal has a talisman inside of it, then we have to take it!"

The Guardian of Wind and Earth began to rush out from the alley, but Sailor Neptune grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back.

"Uranus, listen to me!" Sailor Neptune spoke firmly. "Once we take that crystal from her, we won't be able to give it back to her, which means that Usagi will die. There will be no stopping it. You do understand that, right?"

Sailor Uranus was now silent, unsure of what to say or do. She knew more than anyone that she and Neptune had to complete her mission but wasn't sure if she was willing to sacrifice Usagi's life for the sake of it.

Usagi's Pure Heart Crystal had now been fully extracted, shining as bright as a star, while its owner started to fall unconscious. Then, just as it was about to go over to the Daimon, a single rose shot down from above, not only grazing the Daimon on her shoulder but also piercing the window just above Usagi's head. In response, the pure heart crystal quickly receded into Usagi while the glass window shattered, setting her free.

The Daimon, Uranus, and Neptune looked up and saw someone standing on top of the head of a crane arm, his cape billowing in the wind. It was Tuxedo Mask.

"And who are you?!" demanded the Daimon.

"A pure heart shines a ray of light through the darkness of night!" the masked man proclaimed. "I, Tuxedo Mask, am here to be the protector of that light so that it will always shine bright! Prepare yourself!"

Tuxedo Mask then leaped into the air and threw an array of roses at the Daimon, making them pierce the ground around her while forming a circle. The roses then released a powerful energy field that injured the Daimon as well as blind her. Tuxedo Mask then rushed over to Sailor Moon and whisked her away to safety on its roof.

"Usako, you must transform to Sailor Moon," urged Tuxedo Mask. "Quickly!"

"But I can't," Usagi spoke miserably. "That Daimon knocked my brooch out of my hand and is on the ground somewhere."

Tuxedo Mask was surprised, but he also knew there wasn't any time to stop and look for the brooch. "Then, we'll have to retreat for the time being," he said. "We can't do anything about it right now."

"But, I can't just leave it out there!" protested Usagi. "What if someone finds it?!"

"It's too risky to try and retrieve it now," Tuxedo Mask said. "You're the Daimon's target, and we have to keep you out of sight."

Usagi knew that he was right and had no choice but to comply. Tuxedo Mask now wore a guilty look.

"Usako, I'm sorry, this is my fault," the masked man spoke with remorse. "I stupidly ended up putting you in danger by getting you those slippers."

"That's not true, Mamo!" Usagi reassured. "This isn't your fault, nor is it the time. We have to get out of here before that Daimon comes after us!"


Back with the Daimon, she managed to get out of Tuxedo Mask's trap and was about to go and search for him and Usagi when Kaolinite appeared.

"Cenicienta, where's the girl?" Kaolinite asked.

"Well, I had her in my hands, but I had an unexpected troublemaker, Lady Kaolinite," apologized the Daimon. "I don't know where she could be now."

"You fool! Find her right now!" Kaolinite snapped. "If you don't find her, I'll see to it that you'll end up as a pile of shards!"

"Y-Yes! As you wish!" Cenicienta gulped.

Then, Kaolinite noticed something lying on the ground next to her. It was Usagi's transformation brooch. As Kaolinite picked it up, she inspected it having the sneaking suspicion that she had seen it somewhere before. But then, she realized that only one person knew that had a brooch like this, and since she knew that Usagi had it, she began to put two and two together.

"Is it possible?" Kaolinite wondered to herself. "Could that girl be...?"

Suddenly, Cenicienta shouted. "Lady Kaolinite! Up there!"

Kaolinite looked up towards the roofs of the buildings and saw two figures jumping onto another roof.

"So, that's where they were!" Kaolinite snarled. "After them, Cenicienta! Don't let them escape!"

Cenicienta complied as she jumped straight onto the roof in a single bound in hot pursuit of Tuxedo Mask and Usagi. Knowing that the Daimon was right on their heels, the two quickly ran to a door leading to a downstairs parking lot. Once they went through it, they raced down the stairs, hoping that they could shake the Daimon. Soon they reached the bottom, but unfortunately for them, Kaolinite was waiting for them. Also, Cenicienta came bursting through the door leading the stairs, blocking their escape. The two were now trapped, but Tuxedo Mask bravely shielded Usagi with his cape, determined to protect her.

"You might as well give up now," Kaolinite cackled. "There's nowhere else for you to run."

Usagi wracked her brain, trying to figure out a way out of this situation. Then she looked at her wrist and saw her communicator. Usually, she would call for help, but she couldn't, knowing well that she would discover her true identity if Kaolinite saw her. It was then that she came up with an idea.

"I don't know if this will work, but I have to give it a try!" Usagi thought. "I just hope this thing picks up a lot of noise. Please, everyone! Hear this!"

Usagi then pressed the button on her communicator.


Meanwhile, back at the Hikawa Shrine, Haruuke and the others were still waiting for Usagi to return. While they waited, they helped themselves to some birthday cake until the plate was empty.

"Guys, I kinda feel bad now," Minako spoke guiltily. "Do you think it's okay to have eaten Usagi's cake without her?"

"I'm sure it's no big deal," soothed Rei. "It's better than having leftovers go to waste."

"Besides, she's probably having a good time with Mamoru," said Makoto. Then, Makoto let out a depressed and wistful sigh. "Man, I'm so jealous of that girl."

"Yeah, me too," agreed Rei. "As much as I hate to admit it, Usagi's lucky to have a guy like Mamoru. I mean, who wouldn't want a guy like that?"

"You sure about that, girls?" chuckled Harusuke. "I mean, you're all talking about the girl who didn't even know about her boyfriend's birthday, nor did she tell him about hers. But, I will say that those two sure do think alike. That makes them practically made for each other."

Ami, on the other hand, wasn't paying attention. Instead, like she always was, she had her nose buried in a book studying math. "This algebra question is pretty hard," she murmured thoughtfully. "What a challenge."

Everyone else stared at Ami, dumbfounded by her behavior. Just then, Harusuke's communicator began to beep, followed by the sound of Usagi and Mamoru's voices.

"Tuxedo Mask, save yourself!" Usagi's voice begged. "You have to run away without me! The only reason we're stuck is that I'm slowing you down!"

"Don't even think that, Usako!" Mamoru's voice said. "I won't leave you!"

"That's Usagi and Mamoru!" Rei cried.

"And it sounds like they're both in trouble!" gasped Harusuke. "Usagi! Where are you?!"

There was the sound of a scream, and then the feed cut off.

"There must be trouble!" Makoto spoke urgently. "We've got to get to Usagi and Mamoru now!"

"Then let's go!" encouraged Minako. "I'll contact Luna and Artemis and see if they can find out where they are!"

As everyone dashed out of the room to transform, Harusuke chewed his lip as his heart filled with worry.

"Usagi! Mamoru! Please be safe!" Harusuke prayed. "Just hang on until we get there!"


Usagi was now squeezed between a car and the wall, while Tuxedo Mask protected her from Kaolinite and Cenicienta. While Usagi tried to get Tuxedo Mask to leave her, Kaolinite attacked using her wand to fire a blast. Tuxedo Mask managed to get Usagi out of the way just in time, but Usagi's communicator got damaged in the process. Now there was no way for the others to know where they were.

Tuxedo Mask then whispered to Usagi. "Stand back, Usako," he whispered. "I'm going to buy you time so that you can escape. Then, when you see an opening, I want you to run for it, okay?"

Usagi objected to this plan, but Tuxedo Mask bravely stepped forward. "Come on! Let's see how tough you are!" he called out to Kaolinite. "Fight me if you dare!"

Kaolinite laughed. "How foolish. Cenicienta, why don't you play with this silly boy?"

The Daimon then morphed her hand into a large, broad sword and charged while Tuxedo Mask whipped out his extendable cane. The two then engaged in an all-out fight with swords, their weapons clashing and clanging with each other. While this was going on, Sailor Uranus and Neptune were hiding behind two concrete pillars, watching the fight unfold and waiting for the chance for Usagi's crystal to be reexposed.

"Uranus, are you sure about this?" Sailor Neptune asked.

"Y-Yes, I am," replied Sailor Uranus, hesitant but firmly. "Our goal is to gather the three talismans and find the Messiah to save the world! So, sacrifices will get made, but there's no way around it."

Sailor Neptune didn't seem sure, but she was willing to follow Uranus to the very end, even though what they were about to do was wrong.

As the fighting continued, Usagi wanted to stay and fight with Tuxedo Mask, but she knew that she couldn't do anything now and stayed where she was, waiting for a chance to run.

Then, when Tuxedo Mask managed to parry Cenicienta's sword, he shouted out to her. "Go, Usako! Now's your chance!"

Usagi then took off running as fast her legs could carry her while saying a silent apology, but then, Kaolinite cut her off.

"I guess you weren't listening when I said there's nowhere to run," Kaolinite smirked. "So stop trying, little girl." She then shook her head. "No, that's not right. I should be saying stop trying, Sailor Moon."

Usagi felt her heart stop in her chest as she instinctively gulped. "Wait. What? Wh-What are you talking about?!" she demanded, trying not to sound nervous. "I'm not Sailor Moon!"

"Is that so?" Kaolinite spoke, raising a brow. "Then I wonder what I should do with this then?"

The evil witch then dug into her cleavage and took out something that made Usagi's eyes go wide.

It was her transformation brooch.

"W-What is that? I mean, that's not mine!" Usagi spoke nervously, laughing. "I mean, why would I have something like that? And while it is a pretty brooch, I don't see how it relates to me being Sailor Moon. So you're just wasting your time!"

"Is that so?" Kaolinite spoke coolly. "Then, if you don't want it, then I suppose I'll have to destroy it."

Kaolinite then dropped the transformation brooch on the ground and stomped it, grinding it into the floor. Now, Usagi was in trouble. If Kaolinite continued stepping on her compact the way she was, it would soon break.

Tuxedo Mask saw that his girl was in trouble and knew he had to help. With a mighty swing of his cane as Cenicienta attacked, he managed to break the Daimon's sword in half. While the Daimon recoiled in pain and shock, Tuxedo Mask rushed towards Usagi and Kaolinite, desperate to come to his girl's rescue. However, Cenicienta quickly retaliated by taking a breath, and firing a blast of goo from her mouth, making it splatter on the masked man's back. Immediately, the goo began to spread all over Tuxedo Mask's body while hardening, eventually encasing him in a prison of glass.

Now Usagi was alone, without anyone to protect her and defenseless, as Kaolinite and Cenicienta cackled with triumph.