Rei wanted to scream in frustration; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't summon her fire outside of her Senshi transformation. Rei growled and kicked the tree in frustration. Ugh, she needed to be able to do this! To protect her, Princess! She needed to be ready for whatever came her way! Rei sighed in frustration and kicked the tree again. "Rei, I understand you must be frustrated, but I don't think you should take it out on that poor tree." A voice came, and Rei stiffened before turning around swiftly to be met with the face of the Queen. Rei straightened and lowered her head.
"Sorry…Queen, it's just so frustrating. I'm trying so hard to get this right, and it's not working! Even I know I'm doing it right." Rei spoke as she gripped and pulled at her hair in frustration, and she knew it was inappropriate to act like this in front of the Queen. She was supposed to keep her composure in front of the Queen, but she just couldn't because she was just so frustrated.
Rei heard the Queen take a breath and put her hands on her shoulders. Rei looked up at the Queen, letting go of her hair. "Rei, calm down. What is it you are trying to do?" Rei sighed at the Queen's words and bit her lip,
"I'm trying to summon my fire, but it's not working."
The Queen sighed, and her grip tightened on Rei's shoulders a bit. Rei was confused as to why. "Rei, you're human now; how you used to summon fire is no longer feasible for your body. I will teach you the way you will need to summon fire now, but just know it will hurt." The Queen spoke, her voice calm.
Rei gritted her teeth and steeled herself. She would do this; she didn't care if it would hurt. If it were for her Princess, she'd do it a thousand times over for her Princess's sake. She wouldn't fail her again. Never again. "I don't care if it will hurt because it'll be worth it." Rei finally breathed out, and it was true. It would be worth it; any pain she could possibly go through would be worth it to protect her.
The Queen looked at her before merely nodding and turning Rei back around. She raised Rei's arm, so it was out in front of her before she spoke, "Focus, feel your heart beating. Imagine the blood traveling through your veins, and breathe slowly and deeply. Imagine a fire in your mind, and focus on nothing but your heart beating, your breathing, and the fire in her mind."
Rei did as the Queen instructed; she breathed slowly and deeply, and concreted on her the steady rhythm of her heart and the picture of burning flames in her mind. Then her body felt like it was on fire; everything was burning; her blood felt like it was burning, and it reminded her of her death in her previous life. But Rei didn't care because, in front of her, she saw a small flickering flame before her. Rei let out a shaky breath. She had down it. She had actually done it. Now, for sure, she could protect her Princess. "Rei, please don't use this unless it's absolutely needed, alright? If you overuse it, you can seriously hurt your body." Rei turned as the flame disappeared, looked at the Queen, and nodded.
"Yes, Queen. I will be sure to heed your words." Rei spoke, her voice calm and confident, and the Queen looked at her, maybe the smallest hint of worry in her eyes.
_
"I've been meaning to ask you what's it like on the Moon?" Endymion asked, seeing Serenity glance at him curiously before sighing and looking up at the sky.
"I don't think you'd like it. There isn't any weather, no wind, rain, or snow. There aren't any flowers that grow freely like they do on Earth. Also, you'd be very cold and unable to explore the planet because you'd be confined to the false atmosphere in the city and palace." Serenity spoke, and Endymion looked at Serenity and wondered why she'd speak of her own home in such a way.
"Do you not like the Moon?" Endymion finally asked and immediately regretted it when Serenity turned and looked at him, her eyes wide and shocked. Oh, it seems he was way off. What kind of idiotic question was that? Of course, she liked the Moon; it was her home, the capital of her kingdom. Why wouldn't she like it? Good going, Endymion; you might have just ruined your relationship with her. Maybe she wouldn't want to be friends anymore and—
"Endymion? Why are you staring at me like that? Your face went all pale. I assure you nothing about what you asked offended me in any way. I was just simply surprised, that's all." Serenity's voice cut through Endymion's thoughts, and Endymion slowly blinked before his face went red with embarrassment. Oh, he just embarrassed himself in front of the Moon Princess, of all people; ugh, why was he always so awkward in private?
"Oh…I see. Please forgive me for that." Endymion finally spoke, hoping he could salvage the conversation with this apology. Serenity laughed softly and looked at him with a smile,
"There's no need to apologize, Endymion. We're friends; after all, I think it's okay to be a bit awkward in front of your friends." Endymion smiled at Serenity's words,
"I, for one, am glad you're my friend Serenity." Serenity smiled at his words,
"As am I, and I sincerely hope that one day, this friendship might lead to an alliance between our kingdoms."
_
Mamoru opened his eyes and sighed; another memory, huh? Mamoru slowly sat up in his bed inside his lonely apartment. Mamoru sighed once again; why did he keep having dreams about him and Serenity? The conversations they shared in their previous life sitting on that flowery hill. In that memory, Serenity had seemed so sincere, and knew she probably had been. Serenity had always been so trusting. But the problem with that memory was that he seemed so sincere, and that couldn't be because he had just been using Serenity, right? If he had just been using Serenity, why had they talked about such mundane things? As actual friends would…he had just been using Serenity, hadn't he?
Mamoru's head fell into his hands, and he gritted his teeth as a sharp pain filled his head. What was this pain? Why did it hurt so much? What was he doing here?
Prince Endymion, it is your job to find me the Silver Crystal.
Mamoru smiled, and the pain subsided; that's right, he was supposed to find the Silver Crystal, and Mamoru thought he had the perfect way to do it.
_
Usagi was sitting at the table in Michiru and Haruka's apartment, slowly eating because she was still tired because Michiru had woken her up so early. Usagi looked at Haruka, and then her eyes flickered over to Michiru. She paused when she saw Michiru staring at the newspaper with a concerned expression. "Michiru? Why are you staring at the newspaper like that?" Usagi finally asked, a confused look on her face. Usagi never really read the newspaper, so she had no idea what could be bothering Michiru so much.
Usagi heard Michiru sigh, and she looked up at her a bit softly, "I think you should just see for yourself." Michiru spoke, holding out the newspaper for her to take, and Usagi did, though a bit nervously because she wasn't sure what in the newspaper could have bothered Michiru so until she looked down at the newspaper and read the headline.
Usagi's mouth dropped, and her eyes widened, "Tuxedo Mask leaked the Silver Crystal to the press? Do you think he's really Endymion, then?" Usagi spoke, her voice shaking a bit, and her heart started pounding. Usagi was about to say again when she felt hands cupping her cheeks, and she looked to see that Haruka had done so. She watched as Haruka kissed her forehead.
"Don't worry, kitten; we swear we won't let him hurt you," Haruka spoke softly, and Usagi let herself be comforted by her lover's words.
Usagi sighed and took a few deep breaths, "I just wonder what the leaking of the existence of the Silver Crystal to the press will do anyway. I don't even know where it is. Though…I'm pretty sure Venus does, but it's not like she'd ever tell."
Usagi heard Michiru chuckle, and she curiously looked toward her green-haired lover, "Well, I don't think we have much to worry about then. Venus has always been devoted to you, the kingdom, and her duty to protect you."
Usagi smiled, knowing this was definitely true. "Yeah, you're right; there is nothing to worry about."
_
Sakurada Haruna looked at her sister, Sakurada Natsuna, and then at her student, Aino Minako, who had on a chair in her sister's office, glared at the floor. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on here other than her sister had briefly explained that Minako was Sailor V and that she had wanted her here for further insight. But she didn't know what insight she could provide. She had only been the girl's teacher for a little over a month.
"So Minako, could you tell me what the Silver Crystal is?" Her sister finally asked, and she watched Minako's head snap up; she glared at her sister, and there was a dangerous look in her eyes.
"No. It's none of your concern because it doesn't belong to you." Minako finally spoke her voice hard, and she didn't seem like she'd elaborate further.
Haruna turned towards her sister and watched as her sister bit her lip a little and brushed some of her curly brown hair out of her face, "You see, Minako, we've been given some information about you and the other Sailor Senshi, and well it's a bit concerning." Her sister spoke, and she looked back towards Minako, who was still only glaring. "You see, Minako, an anonymous informant, has told us that the Sailor Senshi aren't from Earth, and you have this Princess–."
"Don't you dare say another word! I swear if you touch a hair on the Princess's head, you'll regret it. I will make sure you regret it." Minako spoke, and as she said this, her eyes were dangerous and threatening. Haruna didn't know why but knew that Minako meant it, and she was afraid.
_
Rei had not expected this, not in the slightest. No, she had only been walking to school; she had not expected to be confronted by the Queen holding a newspaper pointing to something. Rei's stomach dropped when she saw what it was the Queen was pointing at. She was pointing at the section of the newspaper about Sailor Moon. Rei bit her lip and looked at the Queen nervously, "Venus was the one who…I'm sorry, my Queen…" Was all Rei managed to say, and her stomach churned nervously. She didn't know what to say; she hadn't wanted to be the one to bring this up to the Queen, but that seemed like it was definitely backfiring on her.
"So you knew?" Queen Serenity spoke, her voice firm, and her eyes looked like they would burn holes through her. Rei nodded and gulped, really hoping the Queen would understand if she could just explain. Suppose Rei could find the nerves to explain.
"But, Queen the Princess…she wants to do this. She wants to fight…" Rei finally managed to choke her words out, and she was scared, not because she thought the Queen would hurt her. The Queen would never. It's just Queen Serenity could legitimately be scary when she was angry.
Rei watched as the Queen sighed and placed her hands on Rei's shoulders. "Alright, but Rei, please talk to Serenity for me and ensure she understands the burden of being a Senshi."
Rei nodded, "Yes, my Queen. I will do that."
_
"Hey, bun-head, make sure to study to keep up your grades." Chiba Mamoru spoke, and Usagi huffed in annoyance. Not only did he look like Endymion, but he was also a real jerk! So Usagi just ignored him.
"Are you alright, Usagi? You look kinda of pale." Ami spoke, and Usagi quickly shook her head and looked at Ami,
"Yes, I'm fine. I just don't like who that guy reminds me of." Usagi spoke, smiling at Ami, and it was then that Makoto chimed in.
"Have you read the newspapers about the Silver Crystal? I don't know why, but it sounds really familiar." Usagi sighed and wondered momentarily if Makoto or Ami would ever remember who they used to be. Well, Usagi could only hope. She guessed it was a good thing that the Silver Crystal sounded so familiar to her.
"The Silver Crystal was a powerful jewel that was protected by the royalty of the Moon Kingdom. However, it was Mother who watched over it mostly. It's a jewel with untold powers; if it were to fall into the wrong hands, who knows what untold destruction it could cause." Usagi spoke, and she was not blind to the looks of uncertainty and fear on her friends' faces. Usagi sighed; hopefully, they'd remember eventually.
_
"Venus!" Ilene heard her Princess calling for her, so she turned and smiled when she saw her Princess standing there still in her nightgown, looking a bit nervous. Ilene smiled at her Princess, who stood there playing with her hair.
"What's the matter, Princess? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready? You're getting married today, after all." Ilene spoke, and she smiled as she said that. Though in reality, it was a bitter pill to swallow that her Princess, the one she had been protecting since she was born, was getting married. Truthfully, Ilene wondered where all the time had gone.
Now, don't get her wrong, she was happy for her Princess, and she'd continue to be happy knowing her Princess was happy. Though the people she chose…hm…it wasn't that Ilene thought her Princess had made a bad choice. She knew that Nerieda and Nephele were and would always be devoted to her Princess in every way. It's just that Ilene didn't really like or get along well with Nerieda. Nerieda was like a very annoying older sister to her. One that always seemed to try to get on her nerves. But Ilene was happy for her, and she smiled at her Princess, "Are you nervous? Well, don't be! There's no reason to be! Nerieda and Nephele love you, and they always will. So don't be nervous!"
Ilene watched her Princess smile, "You're right; thank you, Venus."
_
Serenity looked in the mirror nervously and stared down at her elegant, ornate white dress. The dress was tight and had a long, flowy skirt, and the skirt was decorated with small crescent diamonds and little flakes of gold, symbolizing the three different planets she and her lovers were from. Diamonds were plentiful on Neptune and Uranus, and they quite literally rained from the sky. Meanwhile, gold could be found rather quickly on the Moon. Serenity was still nervous despite her earlier conversation with Venus. She just couldn't help it; she was getting married to her longtime lovers. Finally, after, uh…what was it? After a hundred and forty-nine…eight years of being together, they'd be married and live together soon enough.
Yet here, Serenity was standing here, incredibly nervous. She had no idea why either because she knew Nerieda and Nephele loved her, and she loved them so very much. Yet here she was, nervous? "Serenity?" Serenity heard her name being called and turned to see her mother standing in the doorway. Serenity paused and gave her nervous smile. Serenity watched her mother sigh and walk over to her, picking up the silver tiara that was adorned with flowers and pearls that Serenity was supposed to wear. "Nervous? Aren't you?" Her mother finally spoke as she placed the tiara on Serenity's head and adjusted her hair.
Serenity looked at her mother, a bit shocked, and honestly didn't expect Mother to understand, and she didn't know why she thought she just did. Maybe it had to do with the fact that her Mother was the Goddess of the Moon; she didn't know. "Don't give me that look, Serenity. I was young once, too, and I've been in love, too. I know how it feels to be nervous."
Serenity could only slowly nod at her head; to be honest, it was really hard to imagine her mother being young, like not physically, because her mother, like her, didn't look a day over twenty, but like imagining her mother young and in love. No, she couldn't imagine that. "Serenity, there is no need to be nervous. This is a happy day for you, and I couldn't be happier for you. I don't want you worrying about anything today, alright?"
Serenity nodded, and she was thankful she had such a loving Mother.
_
Ami stumbled through the schoolyard; why did she feel so weak? People were passing out, and her body felt strange. Was this the work of the enemy? Ami continued to stumble until she saw Luna; though she was weak, she called out to the cat, "Luna! People are passing out! I think this is the work of the enemy."
Ami saw Luna turn and look at her. Luna's mouth was moving, and it was clear to Ami that Luna was speaking. Ami's ears rang, and she could not hear what Luna was saying. Ami slowly watched as Luna started slowly making her way in another direction, and she was confused because she didn't know if Luna wanted her to follow or not.
Ami, unsure of what to do, decided to stumble after Luna, following the feline, hoping the cat knew what to do.
_
Michiru stood in her and Haruka's apartment, staring at the glass door that led to the balcony. Michiru's hand was pressed against the glass as she stared out the window. She could see the usually bustling streets of Tokyo were filled with unconscious bodies. Michiru sucked in a breath at the sight. Typically, if she wanted to look down at the city, she'd go on the balcony, but it wasn't safe to go outside right now.
Michiru pulled her gaze away from the window and looked around momentarily before her eyes landed on a bouquet of pink roses in a light blue vase. Michiru sighed, completely turned from the window, and walked towards the table the flowers sat on.
Upon reaching the flowers, Michiru put her finger on the petals, and smiled. She smiled, thinking about her younger lover, who had always been so bright. Michiru thought her smile alone could light the entire galaxy. Serenity…Usagi, her sweet, kind, and beautiful princess. Michiru continued to smile for a bit longer till her smile fell, replaced by a frown when she remembered how her love had to die. If only...how Michiru wished she could have survived or been blessed with a quick death like her and Haruka, but she hadn't.
Now, her Princess was fighting in a war against the people who had killed her so brutally. It wasn't fair that her Princess couldn't just live this life in peace. If Michiru could, she'd fight, too. But it wasn't her duty. "Michiru?" Michiru heard her name being called, and she turned to see Haruka standing there, hair still slightly damp, her shirt mostly buttoned up, and a towel draped across the back of her neck.
Michiru sighed and gave Haruka a small smile, "I'm sorry, I just can't help but worry about her." Michiru spoke as she watched Haruka walk towards her, pulling her into an embrace, her hand under her chin.
"I know, I worry too, but we just have to hope she'll be alright and be here for her when she needs us," Haruka spoke before pulling Michiru into a kiss.
_
Ami stared in absolute shock as her jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what she was looking at. In the arcade, under the Sailor V game, was a room full of computers. "Luna, this is…" Ami choked out as she watched Luna hop onto a small seat in front of the array of computers.
"These connect to the computers on the Moon," Luna said, and Ami didn't know what to say as she walked towards the computers. There were computers on the Moon? She wondered how advanced the Moon Kingdom was if they had computers. "I need to use these computers to track the enemy to see where they're sending the signal from." Ami stared at the screens as Luna spoke, watching as they started to project a map of Tokyo.
Ami's eyes widened when she noticed something. There was a signal coming from Tokyo Tower, and stopped to think for a second, remembering how sometimes TV studios would transmit signals from Tokyo Tower. That must be it! If the enemy's signal came from anywhere, it must be Tokyo Tower! "Luna! They are probably transmitting their signal from Tokyo Tower! We should call the others!"
_
Usagi leaned against the wall of the building on the corner of the sidewalk. She gripped the Moon Stick in her hand; it was so hard to move and breathe; she felt so weak. She was scared that she was going to die. She didn't know why she felt so weak; one minute, she was watching the TV, and the next minute, she felt weak, and people were collapsing around her. She didn't know why she felt weak but she was sure this was the work of the enemy. Usagi did her best to take another step, taking a deep breath as she did so. But she lost her balance and fell on the ground, promptly passing out. The last thing on her mind was that she needed to do something. She needed to fix this.
Slowly, Usagi opened her eyes and felt she was in someone's arms. She looked up, her heart freezing as she recoiled in fear. She was in the arms of Tuxedo Mask, the man who looked so much like Endymion. She quickly found the strength to force herself out of the man's arms, trembling as she did so. Usagi quickly shook her head and picked up her Moon stick before wrapping her arms around herself, refusing to look back at Tuxedo Mask. "I'm sorry, Sailor Moon. I did not mean for it to end up like this. Please, you must transform and fix this!" Tuxedo Mask spoke, and Usagi's eyes widened, and she froze. He had known she was Sailor Moon? Usagi's heart beat rapidly, and she shook her head; no, she didn't believe that he didn't mean for this; she didn't trust this man.
"You didn't mean for this to happen? Well, what did you expect to happen?!" Usagi shouted, suddenly turning to look at Tuxedo Mask, anger in her eyes. Usagi shook her head and quickly turned away from Tuxedo Mask. She didn't have time for this; she had to fix things. It didn't even matter if she transformed here since no one was around except Tuxedo Mask, and he already knew her identity. Usagi slowly took another breath and raised her hand into the air, "Moon Prism Power Make Up!"
Usagi was Sailor Moon in a flash of light, and she didn't even bother throwing the white mask from her face as she usually did. Instead, she just breathed and raised the Moon Stick in the air. It was an instinct, really like she had already known what to do. There was a flash of bright light, and when it faded, Usagi passed out.
_
Queen Serenity sat in a chair in her small apartment and frowned deep in thought. Her daughter is a Senshi. That fact made her mind reel every time she thought of it. She bit her lip; she had no idea what IIene, Venus, had been thinking. Why hadn't Luna or Armetis stopped her? Why had they allowed her daughter to become a Senshi?
Why would Venus allow her daughter to be put in harm's way? Venus had always been one of her daughter's most fierce and loyal protectors, and Queen Serenity couldn't understand why Venus, of all people, would devise a plan that put her in such danger.
Queen Serenity sighed and shook her head. If her daughter truly wanted to fight and be a Senshi, she would allow it. But she found she didn't understand why her daughter would after dying so horribly before. Wouldn't her daughter want to stay safe? She didn't know because she hadn't spoken with her daughter. Queen Serenity hoped she would receive some form of answer from her daughter when they finally could meet and speak. Though just because she would allow her daughter to be a Senshi doesn't mean she wasn't going to have a long talk with Venus about it when they met.
She just hoped her daughter could remain safe and happy in this life until she was ready to finally take her place as Queen of the Moon.
_
Usagi opened her eyes and sat up. She found she was lying in a bed in an unfamiliar room. Whose bed was this? Whose home was this? Usagi didn't know. She didn't know why she was here. "I see you're finally awake." Usagi heard a voice speak; her heart stopped because she knew that voice. It was Endymion's voice. Usagi's heart sped up with fear, and slowly, she turned.
Usagi's eyes widened as she saw a man she recognized in a dress shirt and pants wearing a bowtie. She knew this man. This was Chiba Mamoru, but Usagi was confused; why was she in his home?
