"White Cat is Sailor Tin Nyanko!?" The inners exclaimed in unison.
"Mhm," Usagi weakly nodded. "That's what Haruka-san said."
Usagi, Ami, Makoto and Minako had met up at Rei's place to discuss the recent events.
"Who would have thought that this white cat would actually be that evil, black cat! I knew we couldn't trust those feline pests!" Minako exclaimed.
"Hey," Luna said.
"T-That doesn't mean she's evil now, right?" Usagi replied.
"Usagi-chan…" Makoto said disapprovingly.
"I mean, she was helping us so far!" Usagi insisted. "Even if she used to work for Galaxia, it doesn't mean she is the same person!"
"That's what she wants you to think!" Minako replied.
"No, I think Usagi-chan might be on to something," Rei said.
"Rei-chan!?" Minako exclaimed, shocked.
"As in, she might literally not be the same person. As in, she might not actually be Sailor Tin Nyanko," Rei clarified.
"Rei-chan, what do you mean by that?" Ami asked. "According to Usagi-chan, she is. That's also what Haruka-san said…"
"Sailor Tin Nyanko was also wearing a black outfit. This girl is wearing a white outfit," Rei said.
"Well, she's just wearing a different uniform then," Makoto replied.
"Don't you remember? When Tin Nyanko lost one bracelet, half of her outfit turned white."
Usagi suddenly understood where it was going.
"I healed her!" she exclaimed. "Well, I partially healed her, when I used my power on her. She lost one bracelet, but it's not just that. I half-purified her and thus, part of her outfit turned white! That must have been the original colour of her uniform! Kakyuu said she used to be a good Sailor Senshi who had been corrupted by Galaxia!"
"Exactly. So this girl must be the real senshi Tin Nyanko used to be, before she was brainwashed into being evil," Rei added.
"Wait, but… Usagi-chan only healed half of her, right? Then why is her entire outfit white now?" Makoto asked.
"And why is she alive in the first place?" Minako asked further.
"Well, we did all die and were brought back, so it wouldn't be far-fetch to think she was brought back too," Ami said. "She was a Sailor Senshi too after all. And now that Chaos is defeated, she should be fully freed from its influence."
"Then why hasn't she told us!?" Minako insisted. "It's suspicious that she kept it to herself!"
"I mean… I don't want to play devil advocate, but she might have just been afraid of our reaction, given… well, our past history," Rei said.
"I'm more concerned as to why she's still here, shouldn't she be back on her own planet?" Ami wondered.
"Her own planet," Luna mumbled.
"I guess we will have to ask her next time we see her, and make her tell us!" Makoto declared.
"P-Please, let's not jump to conclusions and give her a chance to explain herself," Usagi said.
"That'll depend on her and how willing she is to talk," Makoto replied.
"I… I'm sure she had her reasons-"
"Doesn't matter. With those people turning into monsters, she might know something. We have to make her talk," Minako said.
"Should we… speak with Haruka-san and the others about that?" Ami asked.
"I have a feeling they won't be very open to the idea of giving Tin Nyanko a chance," Rei replied. "Evil or not, she is still an outsider to this solar system."
"So… let's keep this between us, for now," Usagi requested. "At least until we talk to Tin Nyanko and clear up this misunderstanding."
Minako seemed like she was hesitating before she sighed.
"Fine," she replied. "But if she does something remotely suspicious, I'm calling Haruka-san immediately."
Usagi couldn't shake this feeling of unease in her chest. So White Cat, this new ally she thought she had made, was actually Tin Nyanko, an old enemy of hers. Now that she thought about it, she should have seen it coming… part of her might have always had a doubt and yet, she pushed it away in the deepest part of her subconscious. And somehow, she felt like she was still forgetting an important detail.
Regardless, Tin Nyanko had to be an ally now, right? She had to be fully healed by now. Her outfit was completely white after all, and she wasn't wearing Galaxia's bracelet anymore.
" Yeah, everything is going to be alright, " Usagi thought. " Tin Nyanko isn't our enemy anymore. I'm sure Haruka-san and the others will understand eventually… "
Usagi nodded. If only she could just talk to White Cat and clear up this misunderstanding already…
She then noticed a shadow lurking near her house as she was about to come in.
"W-Who's there…?"
Slowly coming out from the shadow was a familiar figure.
"Hey, Usagi-chan."
It took a few seconds for Usagi to fully recognize her. Suzu Nyanko, her classmate, was facing her, wearing a rather adult outfit. With her yellow button-down shirt, oversized white jacket and fedora hat, she looked more mature- and way too old to be a first-year high school student.
"Nyanko-san…?"
Nyanko.
Usagi noticed the light cut on her cheek, right beneath her eye. Then it clicked in her head. She got the last piece of the puzzle. It was no mere coincidence. Everything made perfect sense.
Usagi gulped upon this realization.
"What… what are you doing here?"
Nyanko smiled softly.
"I just… needed to see you."
"How… did you know where I live?"
"Oh… I saw you coming out from the arcade and followed you home."
"Ah…"
Well, that wasn't worrying at all…
"What… what happened to your face?" Usagi asked nervously, gesturing to her injured cheek.
Nyanko instinctively brought her hand to her cheek, looking flustered for a moment.
"It's… it's nothing. Just a scratch," Nyanko brushed away. "I must have got it from walking too close to a tree branch."
Huh-uh.
"Anyway, may I come in?" Nyanko asked.
Usagi stood in the doorframe, hesitating for a moment before giving her reply.
"Sure!"
"I can't believe we got fooled by this white cat," Minako mumbled. "I should have seen it coming. Damn feline menace…"
"Oy," Artemis said.
"I thought you wanted to trust her," Makoto replied. "You were the first among us to have faith in that cat girl."
"That was before we learned she was actually Tin Nyanko!" Minako exclaimed. "Now I can see why Haruka-san and Michiru-san were suspicious of her! She literally used to work for Galaxia!"
"But she was corrupted, wasn't she? This is what Kakyuu said," Rei said back.
"Yeah, well, that still means she gave her her star seed and joined her willingly first, right? Even if she ended up corrupted, that was her own choice, therefore her fault!" Minako argued.
"Hm, are we really sure that she willingly joined Galaxia though?" Ami pondered wisely. "It seems like we might be jumping to conclusions and it would be best to talk to her."
"Because talking to her was so useful before…" Minako muttered, sarcastic.
"Haruka-san and Michiru-san also gave their star seeds to Galaxia willingly," Rei said.
"Because they had a plan! They had a good reason…!"
"Who's to say White Cat didn't have a good reason too and it backfired and resulted in her being fully corrupted?" Rei persisted.
"That's… actually a good point," Makoto said. "She actually seemed decent once she was half-healed, even trying to warn us about not letting Galaxia take our star seeds…"
"Ugh… Fine, maybe you're right. I guess we'll have to ask her…"
"... Still, why does she somehow feel familiar to me…" Artemis suddenly said.
"Huh? Maybe because she's a cat?" Minako replied.
"All cats don't know each other, Mina," Artemis scolded.
"I feel like we are missing something important… White Cat, Tin Nyanko… Nyanko… hmm," Ami pondered.
"More like Black Cat," Minako muttered.
Speaking of black cats, Luna suddenly joined them on their way home.
"Luna!" Makoto exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Aren't you at Usagi-chan's place?"
"She has a guest over," the black feline replied. "And somehow, she made me… uncomfortable."
"Huh? A guest? Who?" Minako asked.
"I don't know, I've never seen her before. She was wearing a suit and seemed older, but Usagi-chan talked to her like they were the same age… a classmate perhaps?"
"A classmate? Wearing a suit?" Makoto said, surprised. "What did she look like?"
"Black hair in braids, a single earring, and a bell collar," Luna said.
"Wait… that sounds like Suzu-san," Ami said.
"Suzu-san?" Luna asked.
"A girl who's obviously crushing on Usagi-chan," Minako replied.
"Oh…"
"Hm, now that I think about it… Suzu-san…"
Then, it was like a lightbulb flashed above her head.
"I get it now!" Minako exclaimed.
"W-What? What do you get?" Makoto asked.
"Suzu-san! Her name, it means bell, right?" Minako replied. "That's why she's wearing that bell!"
Minako seemed so proud of her discovery.
"It's true that her surname is written with the kanji for bell," Ami said, "but… now that I think about it, 'suzu' can also mean 'tin', just written with a different kanji…"
"Huh, that's funny," Makoto replied, perplexed. "Hey, what was Suzu-san's given name again?"
"Um, it was, uh…" Minako tried to remember.
"Nyanko," Ami unceremoniously said. "Her full name is Suzu Nyanko."
"Suzu Nyanko, Tin Nyanko," Rei added. "It's the same exact name."
"Same meaning, different kanji," Ami said.
"Shoot, she also had a scratch, right under her eye," Luna added.
"This is where that masked woman injured White Cat!" Makoto exclaimed. "Quick, Usagi-chan might be in danger!"
"If she infiltrated the school to get closer to Usagi-chan, she has to be suspicious! And she knows her true identity!" Minako exclaimed. "Let's go!"
The other inners nodded at their leader's order and started running. Minako pulled out her phone, hesitating, before catching up to them, heading for Usagi's house.
"So, this is your room," Nyanko said.
Usagi had led her to her bedroom. Her family weren't home so they were alone for now. Nyanko seemed somewhat nervous as she looked around.
"Yep, this is my room," Usagi confirmed.
"This is kind of embarrassing, to be in your bedroom…"
"Huh? Why so?"
"N-nevermind…!"
Usagi started feeling embarrassed too. Nyanko was acting like she was seeing her crush's bedroom for the first time. Yet, wasn't her crush supposed to be Sailor Moon? True, she was Sailor Moon, but Nyanko didn't know that.
Right?
"What's that?" Nyanko said, pointing to a cushion on the floor.
"Oh, that's Luna- my cat's bed," Usagi replied.
"Ah, I didn't know you had a cat."
"Yeah. She probably went outside though, I didn't see her anywear…"
"Hm, I see…"
Usagi sat down on her bed. Nyanko continued to look around for a moment before standing in front of Usagi.
"S-So, why… did you need to see me?"
Nyanko fidgeted a little before answering.
"I… haven't been fully honest with you, Usagi-chan. And I think it's time… I tell you the whole truth… about me."
Nyanko suddenly pulled out an object from her pocket: a silverish bell.
Ring-a-ling.
"What… what's that…?"
Nyanko closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath before opening them back, raising the bell to the ceiling.
"Mau Star Power, Make Up!"
Nyanko's body was immediately surrounded by lightful energy covering her clothes, transforming them into a particular, cat-like white sailor fuku. The bell was now golden and resting in the center of her bow.
"Ti- White Cat," Usagi said.
She had stopped herself from calling her by her previous name, remembering Nyanko's hostile reaction to be called that way.
White Cat smiled softly.
"You can still call my Nyanko, Usagi-chan."
"Nyanko…san… why… now?"
"Because I don't want to lie to you anymore. I want to fully come clean to you. But I meant it, you know? It wasn't a lie, when I said I was your ally, Sailor Moon."
Usagi felt her heart skip a beat.
"You… you knew…?"
"Yeah… sorry for hiding it. I just really wanted to get to know you as a normal person, not as former enemies. I know deceiving you was wrong but I was… scared. Of how you'd react… if you knew who I used to be."
"Who you used to be… that'd be, uh…"
"Sailor Tin Nyanko."
Just pronouncing that name seemed hard for Nyanko as if she could recall painful memories attached to it.
"You don't have to be afraid. I'm not her. Not anymore. She never was the real me in the first place, I was corrupted," Nyanko began to explain. "But thanks to you, I started regaining senses of my true self."
"Thanks to… me?"
"Yes. When you used your power on me, it healed part of me. You freed me from one of my shackles - those bracelets. You didn't just remove the bracelet, you purified it. And for that, I'll be eternally grateful to you."
"But I… wasn't able to fully heal you," Usagi said with regret.
Nyanko gave her a comforting smile.
"You couldn't have. At that time, I needed at least one bracelet in order to survive as my star seed had been stolen. But your efforts weren't in vain. It allowed me to be freed if only partially. After all this time lost in this restless darkness, you brought me light- some hope."
Nyanko leaned closer to Usagi.
"You saved me that day. You brought peace and salvation to my soul, and for that, I… I…"
She gently touched Usagi's cheek.
"Usagi-chan- Sailor Moon…"
"Nyanko…san?"
"I lo…"
"Stay away from Usagi-chan, you cat freak!"
Much to both Usagi and Nyanko's surprise, Sailor Venus burst inside the room.
"You wicked feline! You deceived a pure maiden with your sweet words and even infiltrated her life with your lies and manipulation!" Venus exclaimed before striking a pause, pointing at Nyanko. "In the name of Venus, I'll punish you with the power of love!"
Nyanko stepped back from Usagi, looking displeased.
"Tsk! Usually I'd love hearing those words from a girl, but right now you're kind of interrupting something…"
It was Sailor Mars's turn to step inside the room.
"Venus, wait!" Mars exclaimed before she looked at Nyanko. "You! Explain yourself right away! Or else, in the name of Mars, I'll have to chastise you!"
"Another nuisance… again, it's not that I don't like hearing girls tell me that, but I was kind of busy…"
"Venus, Mars, please wait!" Usagi suddenly said, standing up. "She's a Sailor Senshi just like us-"
"And she lied and pretended to be a normal student just to get close to you!" Venus retorted.
"I hate to admit it, but it is indeed suspicious," Mars conceded. "So please, explain yourself!"
"... Look, I'm not a bad guy," Nyanko said.
"That's exactly what a bad guy would say!" Venus replied.
"I'm not your enemy! This is all but a big misunderstanding…"
"So you're not Suzu Nyanko? Or should I say, Sailor Tin-"
"Don't…!" Nyanko suddenly interrupted with a voice that sounded almost desperate. "Don't… call me that. That's… that's not me… not anymore… it never was really… me…"
Nyanko suddenly stopped talking. It almost seemed like she was out of breath.
"I… I'm sorry… I really didn't want… to deceive any of you…"
"N-Nyanko-san…!? Are you alright?!" Usagi asked.
Nyanko didn't answer. She started to stagger until she reached the window. Then, without warning, she opened it and jumped from it.
"Nyanko-san!?" Usagi exclaimed.
Venus quickly reached the window and looked down, seeing Nyanko running away.
"Damn cats!" Venus exclaimed. "They really do always fall back on their legs!"
"Where do you think you're going!?"
Nyanko winced. She had managed to escape from the Tsukino's house, but as soon as she started walking away, two other senshi blocked her way.
"You guys are really persistent," Nyanko complained.
"I'm Sailor Jupiter! If you're up to no good, I'll make you feel regret, it'll leave you numb!"
"... Please, stop treating me with a good time," Nyanko replied with a smirk.
"I am Sailor Mercury! I do want to trust you, but if you are an enemy, douse yourself in water and repent!"
"... No thank you, I don't like getting randomly doused by water! Geeze, you guys really love hearing yourself talk huh…"
"You won't get away!"
Venus and Mars rushed outside the house to join their comrades, followed by Usagi. Nyanko grunted.
"Ugh… I really am not looking for trouble you know…"
"Well, too bad, you should have thought so before sneaking in our lives like a cat burglar!" Venus let out.
"Can you please stop with the cat discrimination," Artemis complained.
"Yeah, I was about to say- wait, you, don't tell me…" Luna began, looking at Nyanko. "I knew there was something odd about you! You're from Mau, aren't you!?"
Nyanko gulped.
"... Mau…?" Usagi repeated.
"If you are a Sailor Senshi from Mau, then it means… you are Sailor Mau!?" Luna exclaimed.
"... I… I am… uh…"
"If you really are the current guardian of Mau, how could you have possibly sold your star seed to someone like Galaxia!?" Artemis cried out. "The Mautians are peace-loving people! It doesn't make any sense!"
"How dare you call yourself a senshi!? You betrayed Mau!" Luna added angrily. "You dishonor the great name shared by your predecessors!"
Nyanko clenched her fists.
"You don't know anything!" Nyanko suddenly exclaimed. "As far as I'm concerned, you're the real traitors! Where were you when Galaxia attacked Mau, huh? Not there! You abandoned Mau! You have no right to judge me while you weren't even there in the first place!"
Nyanko's angry expression turned sad.
"And now, there is no planet Mau," Nyanko revealed bitterly. "Shadow Galactica turned it into a world of death!"
Both Luna and Artemis looked utterly shocked.
"... What?" Luna was only able to mutter.
"What do you mean? What happened!?" Artemis immediately asked.
"Shut up!" Nyanko yelled, grabbing her head. "You weren't there, you don't know anything! You can't possibly understand! And yet you dare to judge me!? You should have been there then! If you think I'm a traitor, then so are you!"
"N-Nyanko-san, calm down…!" Usagi tried to intervene.
"NONE OF YOU KNOWS WHAT THE DARKNESS OF CHAOS TRULY FEELS LIKE!"
"H-hey, you better calm down!" Jupiter said, trying to seize Nyanko.
"KITTY BELL SHRIEK!"
An awful, shrieking sound that seemed to be coming from a thousand bells started to assault their hearing.
"Argh…!" Jupiter groaned in pain, bringing her hands to her ears.
"What's this awful noise!?" Venus complained.
Nyanko took advantage of their confusion and ran away. As soon as she left, the painful sound stopped. The inners tried to look for her, but Nyanko was nowhere to be seen.
"Tsk! She got away!" Venus let out.
Usagi rubbed her ears, which still felt sensitive after hearing that noise, then turned to Luna and Artemis.
"You guys are from another planet!?"
If you had read the manga, you might recognize a certain scene that was directly inspired by Stars.
ps: again, check the AO3 version for fanarts included in the chapters.