Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars: Chaos Theory

Act 21: Usagi Doubts her Decision

By: Sora Kazeno

Usagi's adventures on Kinmoku continues and isn't quite the escape she was looking for.

Usagi wore a bright pink dress as she sat down for lunch.

Her thoughts shifted back to this morning. Once Sailor Star Destroyer burst into her room earlier she was wide awake. She sat up and stretched.

After he talked to her in the hallway, Seiya returned back into the room to check on her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Usagi said as untied her hair to flow down her back. "Shiori-san…. is very passionate about being a senshi." She tried to be diplomatic in her approach which was a switch for her.

Seiya couldn't help but notice how different Usagi had become since she awakened as Sailor Cosmos. She was more mature yet seemed to lack even more self confidence in her abilities. She was terrified she would hurt someone again. He smiled, "that is one way to word it. She's like the older annoying sister I never had." He sat down next to her again. "Were you able to sleep okay?"

"Yes… thank you for staying here last night…" Usagi said as she fumbled with her fingers. It still felt weird to talk to Seiya so candid about her feelings.

"I better go before she comes back," Seiya said with a wink. "I'll see you a little later."

The smell of food snapped her back to the present. Usagi tried to hide a yawn behind her hand. She was able to sleep eventually but she still felt so tired.

Princess Kakyuu noticed Usagi's exhaustion, "perhaps your training should be delayed until tomorrow. I know you had some difficulties this morning and I'm sure your body is still adjusting to your new abilities. When a person's powers as a senshi are first awakened it is very taxing." She said with a reassuring smile. "I think tomorrow I will train you myself on some of your healing and restoration abilities."

"You are training her yourself Princess?" Questioned Shiori from the end of the table. Next to her sat her fellow in training senshi, Yuna and Sakura.

"Of course, it is my specialty. I know Sailor Galaxia specializes in offensive attacks," explained Princess Kakyuu as she picked up her fork. Another thought occurred to her. She turned to face Taiki, Yaten and Seiya before she continued, "after lunch I think it would be wonderful if you took Usagi-san into the city to be able to experience like outside of the palace. Consider it culture training. I'm sure a day of relaxation will help you be rested and prepared for tomorrow."

Yaten was not thrilled at the thought of keeping an eye on Usagi but she is an honored guest on their planet. He formulated a plan to try to get out of his new responsibility, "but if we are off grounds who will be here to protect you?"

Princess Kakyuu laughed, "you know I'm not helpless!"

Yaten hung his head slight at her comments. He knew she was correct.

Princess Kakyuu sensed his hurt reaction and added, "I have other senshi here to protect me. I want the three or rather four of you to enjoy yourselves. When is the last time you have been able to spend time together not associated with a mission?"

"I see your point," said Taiki as he thought about her response, "I can't recall."

Princess Kakyuu moved some of her salad around with a fork, "it's settled then. Let's eat."

Eternal Sailor Pluto gripped her time staff in her hand. She had passed through the door a while ago. Since Sailor Cosmos' awakening she spent many hours here checking. Waiting. Searching. She wanted to continue see how the future of this current time line would run its course. But she was afraid of what she would find. She continued to tell herself that as long as there was peace everything would be alright. But she worried about Small Lady. She had grown fond of the young girl over the years and it was still difficult for her to come to grips with the idea that she no longer existed in this timeline. She knew she could travel to a different timeline and see her again but she felt like an outsider and it was in the gray area of being taboo with her powers.

There was nothing wrong with her traveling to the future. She had done this multiple times escorting Small Lady. But this time she was alone again. She was used to being alone. She waited a few minutes and was able to convince herself to move forward and see what awaited their future. The door ahead of her slowly opened and bright sunlight entered the darkened corridor.

Sailor Pluto shielded her eyes for a moment while they adjusted to the brightness. She looked around at Tokyo. The city looked identical to present day Tokyo. Crystal Tokyo had truly vanished and the people of Earth were not under the influence of the Dark Moon or any of the energy crystals. The Earth did not have to be reawakened by the Queen. She felt comforted by the thought that there would be an end to the fighting on Earth but she couldn't help but wonder where the others were. She walked down one of the streets and received a few glances. Then she heard the whispering.

"What is a senshi doing on Earth?"

"Are we in danger?"

"Why isn't she on the Moon?"

Sailor Pluto turned into an alleyway and regretted her decision of spending so much here. She quickly summoned the doors of time and left before she heard or seen anything else. As the doors closed behind she was even more confused as to why they assumed she would be on the Moon. She shook her head and decided that question was best left to be unanswered. The future predicts peace and that was all she needed, even if the cost of it happened to be Small Lady.

As she walked the familiar path back she contemplated what her role would be now. She knew she had to keep an eye on Haruka. Her anger toward recent events could make her behaviors rather unpredictable.

Taiki looked around the city of Amaryllis, a large metropolitan area close to the Scarlet Palace. It was normally one of his favorite places but today he was preoccupied by something Princess Kakyuu said earlier. He also didn't understand why he had to tag along with Seiya and Usagi. He and Yaten walked a few paces behind the couple.

"I feel like Princess Kakyuu is up to something," said Yaten as he spoke quietly to Taiki. His tone was low because he did not want to draw attention to themselves.

Taiki nodded his head in agreement. "She has a plan. Do you remember when we became senshi?"

"Oh course, who could forget that?" Yaten retorted back in a defensive tone.

Taiki sighed at Yaten's remark. He would have to spell everything out for him. "The Three Stars are being groomed to become the new Starlights. They will become the Princess' new protectors, just as we took over for the previous group of Starlights."

Yaten let out a long sigh. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet. I never planned ahead on what my next step would be. My only focus was to become a senshi."

Taiki looked ahead at Seiya and Usagi, "we can't be a team of two after all."

"I guess you're right. He will follow her anywhere," Yaten as she turned his gaze toward Seiya and Usagi.

Usagi laughed at Seiya's story. Seiya noticed the twinkle in her eyes as she laughed. "I'm surprised Odango at how much you want to learn about the history of Kinmoku."

"Kinmoku is important to you and it is your home. It is important to me too," said Usagi with a smile. Seiya grinned back at her. Usagi turned her head to the side as she thought of something she wanted to ask him. "How are sailor senshi chosen on Kinmoku? I know it is very different from the Silver Millennium. Only Princess' of their respective planets are allowed to be senshi but Kinmoku seems to have many on the same planet."

"Yeah…. I can understand the confusion if that is what you are used to," said Seiya as he scratched the back of his head as he thought about the best way to explain it to her. "Well… senshi are always chosen in teams of three. I was really surprised by how well all of the senshi seem to work together on Earth." Seiya thought of Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna and amended his remark, "…well most of the time."

Usagi looked at Seiya with a confused expression.

"Anyway," Seiya continued, "only woman can be senshi."

"But… wait… what?" Usagi stumbled with words. It was always something she never understood about Seiya how he could be both.

Seiya hesitated as he thought about Usagi's reaction and wondered what she would think about what he was about to tell her.

"It is rare the powers to be senshi are awaken in males and that was the case with Taiki, Yaten and myself. The last time it happened was several thousands of years ago. It is seen as a bad omen since the last time a major battle erupted within the galaxy. Everyone was anxious and as the battle against Chaos emerged, the citizens were terrified. Many went into hiding or left the planet until it was safe to return."

"A bad omen…" Usagi repeated as she thought about the words. "That's terrible."

"In order to become senshi, the three of us had to take on the form of women. After being in that form for many years it started to become… more convenient. There was a lot of stigma we received because of the circumstances of our own awakenings. Because of what we experienced it just… easier. Sometimes people forgot." Seiya paused to look at Usagi. "We returned to our original form when he followed the Princess to Earth. We thought it would be easier to find the Princess that way. It made it a lot easier to conceal our identities since no one would believe three male idols were really sailor senshi. When we returned to Kinmoku I had a hard time adjusting make to my life before I met you. I remained in my true form while Yaten and Taiki chose to remain as females. When we returned to Earth again they realized they had missed and that form so it was quite a shock the other day for all of us to be in our male forms again and still be Sailor Starlights."

Usagi placed her hand on his arm to comfort him. "I had no idea you've gone through so much." Usagi hesitated before she asked her next question, "where do the senshi in silver fit in?"

"There will become Princess Kakyuu's new senshi. A senshi does not serve for life. They are given the opportunity to return to a normal life if they chose. It is rare anyone has ever chose that option," explained Seiya. "I know that it is only a matter of time until they become the new guardians of the Princess."

Usagi remained silent as she thought about what Seiya told her. "That's… a lot to take in at once." She tried to change the topic since she felt uneasy.

"It's okay," Seiya said as he put an arm around her. "Now that I have you, I'm never letting you go," he whispered into her ear.

She smiled at his kind words. She easily became distracted by the scent of food. "What is that smell…. so hungry…" Usagi said as she began to follow the scent of food.

Seiya raised his left eyebrow at what happened. Once the initial shock wore off he laughed, "and so it begins."

Taiki and Yaten watched from the distance and Usagi went from food vendor to food vendor to try different cuisine. Whispering voices behind the duo caused them to turn their heads.

"It's that Fighter?"

"Yeah that I think so."

"Who is that girl she is with… or he is with? I'm not sure."

"I bet that's Sailor Cosmos!"

Taiki cleared his throat loudly at the two whispering girls. They turned to look at the source of the sound. Once they realized who they were they gasped and ran off.

"If this was Earth…. we would have been mobbed," Yaten said with a flick of his hair.

Michiru placed her mirror back on the dresser. She had grown accustom to relying on her mirror to see future predictions but the mirror revealed nothing in the past few days. She obsessively checked it as she waited for an image of the Princess. Once again it was blank and only showed her own reflection. She anxiously waited for the return of Setsuna. She seemed to have left in a hurry this morning. When the front door of the apartment opened Michiru rushed to the living room.

"Setsuna-san," Michiru said as she approached the elder woman, "there is something I've wanted to ask you for a while."

"Oh?" Setsuna said as she placed her bag on the counter.

"I have tried to make sense of this so many times in my head. If Chibi-Usa-chan is from the future and traveled back in time to help us defeat Pharaoh 90.. why has the timeline not altered since she is… no longer present?" Asked Michiru as she tried to ask as delicately as she could.

"There can be several reasons and I am not entirely sure. I have tried to determine which is the correct reason but all of them are plausible," Setsuna said as she tried to delay her answer. Her gut told her Michiru would not like the answer.

"Stop delaying Setsuna-san," said Haruka as she entered the room and stood next to Michiru.

"Very well," Setsuna said as she gesture to the couch to be seated. "Time is very… unusual. Each decision that we make on a daily basis will affect our futures. However, it has often been thought that there are some events that can not be completely changed or wiped out. An example of this would be Small Lady's appearance in our timeline." Setsuna hesitated to cross her right leg over her left. "Another theory is that Small Lady that we knew is from another timeline all together on its natural course. Meaning there are other timelines that are parallel to this one where Crystal Tokyo is thriving. I was sure this timeline was one and the same." Setsuna uncrossed her legs and stood up to look out the window. She didn't want to see the faces of the other woman as she told them her final theory, "or the Princess, Sailor Cosmos wishes for this current course to remain which would leave the past events unchanged but the future unwritten."

"But you are the Guardian of Time!" Haruka explained as she jumped to her feet. "You are supposed to be in charge of this!"

Setsuna turned around to face them. "My powers pale in comparison to hers. Do you remember when she first awakened as Sailor Cosmos? How easy it was for her to slip into the Time Streams compared to myself?"

Haruka slumped back down onto the couch as she recalled the events. "You tried to catch up to her…"

"But it was too late…" concluded Michiru as began to understand the situation. "Which ever theory is correct… there is nothing we can do… but the Princess?"

"It is her will, rather Sailor Cosmos on what the future will be," Setsuna said as she sat back down next to her comrades.

Usagi and the Three Lights returned to the Scarlet Palace after their fun filled day out after sunset. Usagi smiled and said, "I feel so energized after the food. It was so delicious!"

"I'm amazed there is any more food left on Kinmoku," Seiya teased her.

Taiki and Yaten laughed at Seiya's comments.

Usagi glared at Seiya for his rudeness. "You should be nicer to me since I'm a guest of honor on this planet!"

Seiya's face fell. "hmm…" He said thoughtfully. "I guess I should make it up to you then, come on!" He said as she grabbed her by the arm and directed her to another area of the palace.

"Where are we going?" Usagi asked as she continued to follow him.

"We're almost there," said Seiya as they walked. After a few more minutes they finally arrived at their destination. "Okay," he said as he moved to the side to allow Usagi to see the garden. "This is one of my favorite places here."

The garden was dimly lit and had a large water fountain. There were beautiful flowers everywhere. She recognized some that seemed similar to ones of Earth and countless others that she never seen before that were very exotic.

"There is also an amazing view of the stars," Seiya said as she put his arms around her.

Usagi looked at the stars above and the now quarter moon. "It is so strange to see two moons in the sky," she said as she looked over to the three quartered moon on the other side of the sky.

"Yeah," Seiya said as looked over at the quarter moon, "That moon there," he said as he pointed to the object in the sky, "is Kluya. It is slightly smaller than the moon to your left, Fusoya. According to mythology they were brothers that fought for the throne after their father died. Because of their misdeeds they were banished from Kinmoku and now watch over it."

Usagi was then distracted by the water fountain and tried to walk forward but she forgot Seiya still had his arms around her. She nearly fell over and took Seiya with her.

Seiya laughed at her actions, "Odango, easy." Seiya removed his arms from around her and they walked forward to the water fountain.

Usagi sat down on the stone ledge of the fountain basin. She felt images of her past life flash across her mind's eye. She pictured herself as Princess Serenity playing in the garden of the Silver Millennium. The sun was warm and the other girls were nearby wearing the traditional dresses for royalty of their own respective planets.

"Odango, are you okay?" Seiya asked as he sat down next to her once he noticed the far off look in her eyes.

"Hmm?" Usagi said as she began to focus on the present again. "Yeah… I was … just remembering something from my past life. It's really weird sometimes. I still don't have all of my memories from that time but everyone now and then something will trigger a memory that I had forgotten."

"At some point you'll have to tell me what happened," Seiya said, "whenever you're ready."

Usagi nodded her head and turned her gaze upward to the stars once more. " I wonder if you can see Earth from here."

Seiya laughed, "No. It's too far away. I've tried countless times. I know the general area it is in but with some really high tech telescopes it is impossible."

Usagi pouted.

The black haired senshi finally made her way home and gasped at the scene before her. The Silver Millennium was in ruins and from the looks of it had been for a while. She walked around what was left of the palace trying to find a hint or a clue of what could have caused such a disaster. There was none.

She walked over to the remains of the training grounds where she had spent countless hours learning to hone in on her abilities with her comrades and the other princesses. Including the one she was worn to protect.

She smiled when she remembered how stubborn Princess Serenity was and tried to sneak in numerous times since she didn't want to feel left out. Only senshi were allowed on the training grounds and she was not a senshi. Princess Serenity had been scolded for the same actions too many times to count.

She paused when she found the remains of the gardens. She walked over to the spot where she had seen her Princess last and stood there. Princess Setsuna talked to her about their home. It was rare the two seen each other due to their responsibilities but when they were together they tried to spend as much time as they could since it was rare to see individuals from Pluto in this area of the galaxy. Later that evening Sailor Pluto was summoned and abruptly left due to a mission she received from Queen Serenity.

She left the garden area and traveled to another section of the palace that once contained the prayer room. She was amazed to see the large crystal completely intact. This room was typically reserved for the royal family and the sailor senshi. It felt funny to be in the room without the royal family present. She slowly walked forward. She gradually raised her hand to the crystal. She could still feel some energy emendating from deep within. Only the royal family could activate the crystal's true power. The senshi would lend their power to amplify it.

She sighed as she thought about the Queen and Princess. "How could this happen?" She spoke softly and continued to look at the remains of a once great palace. She thought about the power Queen Serenity had and the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou. She closed her eyes and visualized images of Queen Serenity, Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion. She smiled when she developed a plan. She would travel to Earth and search for the Prince Endymion. Surely the Prince would have looked over Princess Serenity if anything were to happen to her home. Their relationship was one of the worst kept secrets within the palace.

Sailor Cosmos stood in the gardens with Princess Kakyuu. She was confused her training session today would be in this location when all of her other training sessions had been in the normal training areas.

"I know you are confused as to why we are meeting here," Princess Kakyuu said as she read her expression. "Healing powers are essentially the restoration of something. And where better to begin than in a garden full of flowers in various stages of their life. We can start simple here." Princess Kakyuu walked over to lily and gently placed her hand under the withering flower. Her hand began to glow and the energy entered the flower. The flower began to perk up. A few seconds later it stood upright and full of life. "There are a few more lilies in the bushel that could use your attention."

Sailor Cosmos walked forward and followed Princess Kakyuu's actions. She found a withered flower and placed her hand under it. "… I'm not sure what do next… in the past I always used the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou…"

"Ah," Princess Kakyuu said as things began to fall into place. She was had a crystal to amplify her powers and because of it she lack confidence in her natural power. "Focus on what the flower will look like when it is restored. Close your eyes," she directed her. Once her eyes where closed Princess Kakyuu continued her instructions, "react out with your ability to listen to the flower, it will tell you how much energy it will need."

Sailor Cosmos focused all her energy on the flower. Within seconds she began to understand the energy and the damaged cells of the flower. A short white light began to glow from her finger tips and the lily quickly bloomed again.

An image flashed across her thoughts. Sailor Chi attacked Seiya when she was able to reach her when she was under Chaos' control. Seiya was severely injured by the attack. She became angry and used an offensive attack at Sailor Chi that destroyed her for hurting Seiya. She caught two golden bracelets in her hands and they disappeared. She was kneed next to him and she used her powers to heal the wounds he received from Sailor Chi. The use of her healing magic left her very weak and she began to fall over into him but it was his turn to catch her. But it didn't last as Chaos began to regain control after her energy was spent. She pushed him back before Chaos could hurt him.

Sailor Cosmos stared at the flower lost in her own thoughts.

"Are you alright?" Princess Kakyuu asked as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

The touch snapped Sailor Cosmos back to reality. "I'm sorry…" she started to explained, "I just remembering something when… my powers first awakened. I was able to heal Seiya from an injury." She turned to look at the other dying flowers on the bushel. "It makes me wonder just how powerful my abilities truly are." She raised her staff slightly over her head and the crystal ornament flashed bright white. White energy that sparkled washed over the remaining flowers. All of the flowers began to twinkle and perk up. All of them were restored in an instant. She smiled at her accomplishment.

Princess Kakyuu waved over an attendant that stood in the background. "This is Umi," she introduced her. "An hour ago she tripped and injured her shoulder. The doctor has done all that he can for her. She will need to rest and time to allow the shoulder to heal. I would like you to speed up her recovery."

Sailor Cosmos looked at Umi and then Princess Kakyuu. "Umm.." She was nervous to heal a person since it was a lot different than healing flowers.

"Please," said Umi as she directed her attention to Sailor Cosmos. "Anything that you could do to speed up the process would be appreciated. I am honored to be in a position to help you with your training as well."

Sailor Cosmos gave her a nervous smile. How could she turn down someone like that? "Okay," she said as she tried to sound more confident that she felt. She placed her left hand on the Umi's injured shoulder. She closed her eyes and concentrated. The flash that she had seen when she first used her ability made it look so easy. But she had to relearn all of her new abilities. She redirected her attention to the task at hand. It took her longer to determine the amount and type of energy needed. Then it clicked. A soft white light began to glow around her hand and Umi's shoulder.

Umi smiled as she felt the energy wash over her. "My shoulder feels better already." Once Sailor Cosmos removed her hand, Umi began to take her arm out of the sling. She slowly moved her shoulder and her grin increased as she was able to move without pain.

Princess Kakyuu smiled at Umi's reaction, "please check back with the doctor before you return to your normal duties. Sailor Cosmos' abilities are developing and I want to verify nothing was missed."

A wave of exhaustion hit Sailor Cosmos and she gripped her staff tightly with her right hand to help her keep her balance. Princess Kakyuu rushed to her side and helped her over to the fountain basin nearby. "Rest here for a few moments. Healing abilities are very draining on the individual, especially when they are first used."

Sailor Cosmos sat quietly and focused on her breathing. She almost felt like she had the wind knocked out of her.

Princess Kakyuu sat down next her. "When you use your abilities to heal someone you transfer some of your own energy to them. When you relied on the crystal in the past, the crystal transferred some of its energy and a small fraction of your own. It's a lot different when energy is taken from only one source."

Sailor Cosmos nodded her head. "I'm hoping this will become easier over time," said Sailor Cosmos with optimism in her voice.

"Yes, as you build stamina and continue to practice this skill it will become easier," said Princess Kakyuu. "In another five minutes I would like to continue our lesson."

Sailor Cosmos was surprised at how quickly the Princess wanted to resume the training session. After a few more minutes she began to feel better. She felt her energy begin to return.

"Are you feeling better?" Asked Princes Kakyuu as she noticed Sailor Cosmos begin to perk up and her breathing became normalized. "The more difficult or extensive the task the longer it will take to recover."

Sailor Cosmos slowly rose to her feet. She felt shaky for a moment but steadied her balance. "Okay, I'm ready."

Princess Kakyuu walked to the other end of the garden and showed her an extremely withered plant. "I've tried to restore this plant several times but I was unsuccessful. I'm hoping you will have more luck." Princess Kakyuu frowned, "this is actually a plant from Earth. I came across these flowers and brought seedlings back here but I am struggling with growing it naturally."

Sailor Cosmos noticed the plant was on the verge of death. She had no idea what kind of flowers it would bloom. Knowing it was Princess Kakyuu's favorite she set her mind on bringing it back to life. She placed her staff in front of her and closed her eyes once more. She took a few deep breaths and began to release her energy into the plant. The base of the plant began to stand up as the stems turned green. The stems gradually straighten up as Sailor Cosmos continued to use her abilities. Soon the plant stood upright and was complete green. But she wanted to see what kind of flowers were her favorites and make the plant bloom.

"That is wonderful Usagi-san!" Princess Kakyuu commended her progress. "This is more than I was ever able to accomplish."

"I think I can do more," Sailor Cosmos said as she focused her attention on making the plant bloom. Her staff grew brighter and small buds began to emerge. She scrunched her eyebrows as she tried to increase the size of the buds and help them bloom. A few of the buds began to open but they seemed to stop after they exposed a deep red color. The sight of the color made her feel more hopeful and even more determined to restore the flower. She closed her eyes again and her staff grew brighter as energy began to radiate over the plant. She began to feel the energy leaving her body and into the plant. She opened her eyes as she began to see the buds blooming into red roses. She gasped at the sight of the roses. It was as if someone punched her in the stomach. She felt a few tears gather in her eyes. She associated a red rose with him. She knew she always would. She abruptly stopped.

Princess Kakyuu was confused by her actions and she was unsure if they were tears of joy or sorrow. "Are you alright Usagi-san?" She put an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

Sailor Cosmos quickly wiped her eyes before the tears could fall down. "I need to sit down," she said as she began to feel weak.

"Yes, of course," said Princess Kakyuu as she guided her over to pale blue wired bench. She hesitated to see if Usagi would speak. When she didn't she stated, "I'm sorry if I've done anything to upset you…"

"No…" Sailor Cosmos said as she tried to keep her voice even. "It just… every time I see a red rose it makes me think of the past and …. Mamo-chan," she said. She felt uncomfortable discussing him with Princess Kakyuu but she was very upset at the moment.

"Ah," Princess Kakyuu said in a slightly icy tone, "the Prince of Earth." She heard a lot from Fighter upon their return from Earth and after recent events. She worried that Usagi would wake up one day and change her mind. If she did it would hurt Fighter deeply and she didn't want her to experience such pain. "I think it would be best if we ended our lesson for today. You've already accomplished a lot in a short period of time."

Sailor Cosmos nodded her head and continued to stay seated. "I think I'm going to stay here for a little while," she said to the Princess.

"Very well," Princess Kakyuu said as she rose. "I will see you later this evening for dinner." Without another word she head back to the palace.

Sailor Cosmos started at the rose bush. Hundreds of images and memories bombarded her. She thought of the glass slippers he bought her for her birthday. When Fiore was about to attack and he protected her as Tuxedo Kamen. She began to feel more tears forming in her eyes. She couldn't hold them back anymore. She thought back to when he gave her the heart shaped ring as a symbol of their love. She couldn't take it in anymore. She began to sob. She brought her knees up to her chest and rocked herself back and forth. For the first time since returned to herself she felt like she betrayed him. She began to question her hastily decision to leave Earth and come to Kinmoku to train and be with Seiya.

A realization hit her and caused her heart to skip a beat. Was it her anger at Mamoru because of Chaos? If it wasn't for Chaos, would she even be angry at him? She tried to tell herself no and there was more to it than that. Nothing was ever so simple. She thought about the loneliness she felt when she knew he was leaving for America without discussing such an important decision with her. Seiya helped her when she felt lonely or depressed. But Seiya didn't belong on Earth. She does. Kinmoku is his home planet. Her heartbeat began to increase rapidly as she realized she would one day have to say goodbye to Seiya as well. Then she would be alone on Earth with the other senshi. The same senshi she wasn't sure how angry they were with her.

Sailor Cosmos wiped a few more tears from her eyes as she tried to calm her nerves. She was out in the garden exposed and she cried her heart out. She took several deep breaths to regain her composure. She needed to head back inside and spend some time alone in her room.

It was a beautiful evening as they strolled through the garden at the Silver Millennium as they had done countless times in the past. She anxiously discussed her future and how she couldn't wait for a conflict to be resolved at the end of the galaxy that has taken up all her mother's attention.

Prince Endymion smiled at Princess Serenity's enthusiasm. She was so fully of life and very optimistic. He squeezed her hand softly as she chatted on.

"I can't picture my life without you," she said as she smiled.

"Nor can I,' he said as bend over and kissed her. He held her tightly.

A large gust of wind appeared and separated the two of them. Princess Serenity transformed into Neo Queen Serenity had her arms were around someone. He looked closer and noticed she had tears streaming down her face as she hugged Neo Princess Serenity.

"Don't go," she pleaded with the young girl.

"But I have to Mommy…. I'm not wanted anymore. Daddy gave up on us so easily." Neo Princess Serenity closed her eyes and completely faded away.

Mamoru bolted up in his bed, panting as he threw a blanket off of himself. He slowly rose from his bed still visibility shaken from his most recent nightmare. Ever since Usagi left he's had nightmares and nearly all of them involved Chibi Usa disappearing. He opened the door to his balcony for some fresh air. The breeze was cool.

He looked up into the evening sky and noticed the half moon in the sky accompanied by the inner planets. It was a clear night. He couldn't help but ask himself how things ended up the way that they had. He wondered if he took everything he had for granted since he knew Crystal Tokyo would one day emerge. His life was never supposed to turn out this way. His relationship with Usagi was supposed to be one of the stable things in his life not the most chaotic.

Chibi Usa gave him a sense of security over the years. He assumed everything would always be fine with Usagi. He wanted to kick himself for relying on that security so heavy and not spending enough time with Usagi when he had the chance. There were several things he would have done differently if he was given the opportunity. But as things stood now he didn't believe he would have the chance.

He needed to talk to Setsuna. It was too late in the day or early in the morning to talk to her. He wasn't sure what time of day it was other than late. It wasn't an emergency per say and he wasn't going to wake her up for something that could wait.

A soft knock on the door disrupted Usagi and her thoughts. She quickly got up and opened the door. She smiled softly at him.

Seiya immediately noticed how sad he looked in her eyes. "Odango, are you okay? I head you had some issues this morning during your training session," he said as he entered her room. Usagi was silent as she walked over to a couch and sat down. Seiya followed her without a word and sat down next to her. He awaited a response.

"Princess Kakyuu was teaching me how to heal things. She took me over to one of her favorite plants she picked up during your first visit to Earth. I tried really hard to restore the plant and it began to bloom," Usagi explained as she looked at her hands.

"That's great Odango!"

"…but then I realized they became red roses…"

"Oh…" Seiya said softly. He remembered the day she was attacked by Sailor Tin Nyanko in the rain and he saved her with a rose. He placed his hands on hers and waited for her to continue.

"It made me think about the past couple of years I've spent as a senshi and everything I've experienced. A part of me wishes I would have talked to everyone of more my wishes before I left. Everyone was so upset with me."

"It will be okay, Odango. I'm sure they will understand once you explain everything to them. By the time you return you'll have better control of your powers that you didn't have before. You've made a lot of progress in the past week. One of your goals is to become stronger so you can protect the others."

Usagi smiled at his kind words. She began to feel a little better about her decision to leave Earth and come to Kinmoku.

Seiya tried to kiss her on the lips but Usagi moved and he ended up kissing her on the cheek as she began to stand up. She stood up quickly and began to feel faint. Seiya helped her to her feet. "Easy," he said as he tried to steady her. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine!" Usagi said brightly. "I just stood up too quickly. I'm sure I'll be better once I have some food!"

Seiya laughed at Usagi's comments about food. "Well it is nearly time for dinner."

Sailor Cosmos stood before Sailor Galaxia again two days later. Sailor Galaxia wanted to teach her over defensive maneuvers that could be used as offensive. When she thought about their encounters in the past she realized that Usagi had a tendency to be defensive while the other senshi were offensive. "I've asked a few others to help me with your training today," said Sailor Galaxia with a mischievous smile.

"Others?" Asked Sailor Cosmos in a confused tone. She looked around the training grounds and gasped when she saw the Sailor Starlights walk forward.

"We're going to be a part of your training today Odango," said Sailor Star Fighter with a smile.

"We wouldn't miss this," added Sailor Star Maker. Sailor Star Healer nodded her head in agreement.

"The last time we trained together you had to block my attack. How well will you do against all four?" Sailor Galaxia asked her as the three Starlights walked over to stand to the right side of her.

Sailor Cosmos began to feel nervous and took a few steps back. "I don't know about this… that is a lot at once."

"You will be fine Odango," said Sailor Star Fighter as she tried to reassure her.

Sailor Star Healer was not as comforting, "in a real battle you don't have time for doubts. You either succeed or fail."

Although her words were harsh Sailor Cosmos understood Star Healer's message.

"I know you can do this," Sailor Star Fighter added. "You have to have the confidence you used to stop Chaos. Not once but twice."

Sailor Cosmos nodded her head. "Okay. I'll give it a shot," she said with a smile that was halfhearted. She was still very nervous and she tried to have an air of confidence around her but it was a struggle.

"I will attack first at a higher level than last time to help give you an idea of what you will be up against. Are you ready?" Sailor Galaxia asked the younger girl before her. Sailor Cosmos nodded her head and placed her staff in front of her.

With a crackle of energy Sailor Galaxia unleashed a powerful attack against Sailor Cosmos. White energy emitted from Sailor Cosmos' staff. After a few seconds Sailor Galaxia increased the power of her attack which caused Sailor Cosmos to take a few steps back but she able to hold her ground. The star on her forehead flashed brightly as she summoned more energy. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to curve the attack.

"Add to the attack," Sailor Galaxia directed to the Sailor Starlights.

The Starlights exchanged glances at each other as they doubted it would work but followed the instructor's directions.

"Star Serious Laser!"

"Star Sensitive Inferno!"

"Star Gentile Uterus!"

Sailor Cosmos gasped at the sudden increase in power she hadn't expected. Sailor Cosmos nearly fell over but was able to hang on for a moment. Her breathing became deeper as she continued to push herself. Her adversaries increased the power of their attack. An image suddenly came to Sailor Cosmos' mind. When she tried to take Sailor Galaxia's starseed Sailor Star Maker took the attack in order to spare Galaxia. Moments later Sailor Star Healer did the same for Princess Serenity. And here she was fighting them again. As her mind wandered over her attacks under Chaos' control she lost her concentration and was blasted back several feet.

As soon as they realized Sailor Cosmos was thrown back they ended the attack. Two of the Starlights were speechless and Sailor Galaxia frowned.

"Odango!" Sailor Star Fighter shouted as she began to run toward her.

"Leave her!" Yelled Sailor Galaxia as she began to walk toward Sailor Cosmos.

Sailor Star Fighter was shocked by the command she received. She spun around to stare at Sailor Galaxia, "what?"

"I will handle this," Sailor Galaxia said as she calmly walked past her.

Sailor Cosmos slowly sat up and rubbed her arm that throbbed. She looked down at the hand that just rubbed her arm and realized there was blood on it. The sight of it began to make her feel nauseous. Then she felt a sharp pain in her arm to accompany her injury and bit down on her lip to prevent her from crying out.

"You lost your concentration," Sailor Galaxia said as she approached Sailor Cosmos. She kneeled down on the ground to inspect the injury. It was a large somewhat deep cut. "Use your ability and heal the cut," she directed Sailor Cosmos. "It will help you with your concentration and I'm sure you'll be able to stay focused more next time. People are hurt when concentration is lost."

Sailor Cosmos was surprised by the bluntness of Sailor Galaxia's remarks but at some point she could understand that her injuries were due to a lack of focus on her part. She found it difficult to concentrate on healing her injury when she was in pain. "I'll… try…" she said as she winced from another sharp jolt of pain. She placed her left arm over the injury and closed her eyes. She tried to ignore the pain and focused on summoning her healing abilities. It took her almost a minute to regain her concentration. Once she was able to she began to heal the cut. The pain decreased which made it easier to focus. Several minutes later the cut was completed healed and the pain was gone.

Sailor Galaxia inspected her arm and everything seemed to be healed properly. "We should continue and try again," she told the younger woman.

Sailor Cosmos felt exhausted after using her abilities. She struggled to stand up and needed Sailor Galaxia's assistance to remain standing.

"Hmm," Sailor Galaxia said as she observed how weak Sailor Cosmos had become after using her healing ability. "Perhaps she should continue training tomorrow."

Sailor Cosmos nodded her head in agreement to her suggestion.

"Tomorrow I think we will take a different approach," Sailor Galaxia said as an idea came to her. "We will try hand to hand combat to help with your focus. If a punch is coming at you I find it hard to lose your concentration."

Sailor Cosmos' jaw dropped. "Hand to hand?" She repeated. "But I' never done that before."

"Then it is about time you learned. We start at daylight tomorrow morning with all the senshi. I am sure many can use a refresher," said Sailor Galaxia as she turned to walk back to the Starlights to inform them of the training session they would be involved in tomorrow. Once she finished her conversation with them she left.

Sailor Star Fighter rushed to Sailor Cosmos' side and asked her, "are you alright?"

"Yeah," Sailor Cosmos said as she leaned on her for support. "I should probably lay down for a while," she said in a tired tone.

"She never had hand to hand combat before?" Sailor Star Maker whispered to Sailor Star Healer with an eyebrow arched upward.

"This is going to be really interesting tomorrow especially since you know how Shiori-chan feels about Seiya," Sailor Star Healer whispered back in a hushed tone. "Seeing Usagi-chan trying to punch is also going to be funny," she added with a grin.

It was midafternoon when Mamoru knocked on their apartment door. He stood silently at the door and waited for someone to open the door. After a few moments he heard footsteps and Haruka opened the door.

"Mamoru-san," said Haruka as she was surprised to see him at the front door.

Setsuna appeared in the doorway behind her, "I'm surprised it took this long to talk to us."

Usagi continues her training in the next act even though she's been having some issues and seems constantly tired. What is that about? The identity of the mysterious senshi will finally be revealed and her connection to Setsuna. Stay tuned for Act 22: Borrowed Time