"Ugh…"

Nyanko arose from her sleep with a groggy mind. She didn't even have time to process her current predicament before she heard a voice coming from behind her.

"Finally, you're awake. I was starting to worry that I might have hit you too hard."

"... S-Seiren…?"

Nyanko slowly started to remember what happened. Mouse and Seiren fought and the latter nearly killed the senshi of Chuu, until Nyanko intervened. She drew the ire of Seiren to herself and was apparently knocked out.

As panic started to arise within her, Nyanko instinctively tried to rise up but realized with dread that she couldn't. She was lying on the ground, her hands tied up behind her back. She tried to look around as best as she could from her position, concluding that she was held captive in some sort of wooden basement. She then noticed Seiren not so far away, sitting on a chair, glaring down at her. Nyanko felt her heart skip a beat.

"Seiren… what… what are you going to do to me…?"

Seiren didn't answer right away. Instead, she sighed before standing up, circling the bound Nyanko.

"I told you, didn't I? That I wanted us to have a little chat," Seiren finally answered.

Nyanko's heart was now racing like crazy.

"Y-yeah, sure, let's… have a chat. Alright," Nyanko replied, trying her best not to freak out.

" Why did you kill Crow-san, Nyanko-san?"

Damn, Seiren didn't lose any time asking the hard question. She had stopped right in front of Nyanko, staring at her with an indecipherable expression. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time to brag about killing Crow to get Seiren off Mouse, but she was now deeply regretting her choice of words.

"I… I didn't mean to say that-"

"Why did you kill Crow-san?" Seiren interrupted with an insistent voice.

"I… I was corrupted… by the bracelets…"

"The bracelets…?"

"Y-Yeah, the bracelets…! It's the bracelets' fault! You saw it, my sailor suit, it-it was black when I was wearing the bracelets, right? And now it's white…! I wasn't being myself-"

Seiren suddenly seized her by the collar and lifted her, staring Nyanko right in the eyes.

"That sounds awfully convenient, don't you think?" Seiren said with a cold stare. "You weren't being yourself, you were just corrupted, running away from the responsibility…"

"No….no! That's not what I meant!" Nyanko frantically replied. "What I did was wrong, of course! But I'm not the same person anymore, I swear…! I'm sorry, I'm very sorry for what I did to Crow-"

"Why did you speak so harshly about it then? Why did you brag about killing Crow!?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just… didn't want you to hurt Mouse, so I said those awful things to you so you'd come after me instead! I just wanted to make you mad, I didn't mean anything I said! I'm sorry!"

"So you were just lying, huh? This was all just a joke…"

"W-well…"

"This wasn't funny, Nyanko-san! This was very hurtful! A joke is supposed to be funny!"

"I'm sorry-"

"You keep apologizing, but it doesn't change what you've done! Blame the bracelets all you want, claim you're not the same person anymore, you still killed Crow-san! Even if she's fine now, I can't forgive you for the pain you caused her!"

Seiren let go of Nyanko, who fell back to the floor.

"Ugh…!"

Seiren kneeled down while revealing her claws.

"So, the question now is, what am I going to do with you…" Seiren added with a gloomy expression.

"Please, Seiren-"

"Don't tell me you're going to beg for your life, after everything you have done…!"

Her claws were nearly touching Nyanko's defenceless neck.

"No, that's not it… you can do whatever you want to me, I deserve it… but please, leave the others alone! They are innocent! If you want to blame and punish someone, take me instead, but don't hurt any other people!"

Seiren looked taken aback for a moment before brushing her claws against Nyanko's throat.

"Well then, if you ask for it, don't mind if I slit your throat!"

Nyanko closed her eyes and her muscles tensed, waiting for the finishing blow. But instead, she felt a hand cupping her cheek.

"You really do mean it, huh," Seiren said softly.

Nyanko opened her eyes and was immediately paralyzed by fear when she noticed one of Seiren's claws dangerously close to her eye.

"Do you really want to take responsibility for your actions, Nyanko-san?"

Nyanko gulped then weakly nodded.

"Y-yes! I'd do anything…!"

"Anything to earn forgiveness and make it up for what you did to Crow-san?"

"Yes, anything! I'm taking full responsibility for everything that happened…!"

Seiren smiled.

"Do you want me to forgive you, Nyanko-san?"

Nyanko felt on the verge of crying.

"Please… forgive me, Seiren… I swear, I never intended to hurt you or Crow- all I wanted was to leave the both of you alone and at peace!"

Seiren's smile suddenly felt sad.

"Yes, that's what I wished too… all I wanted was for Crow-san to live peacefully, without the burden of our sins…"

"That's.. that's what I wanted too! For you two-"

"Alas, it was all ruined. All I can do is keep protecting Crow-san, keep protecting our peace together… And I know you also want that too, right?"

Seiren's voice seemed softer, sweeter even. Nyanko felt somewhat more at ease, like she could rely on Seiren and trust her.

"Yes…! All I wanted… was to protect you and Crow…"

Seiren was now gently stroking her cheek.

"I know, and I expect you to continue doing that. Can I count on you?"

"I…"

"If you do, I'll forgive you. I'm sure Crow-san will also forgive you."

Seiren's voice felt so soothing, Nyanko could feel her worries evaporating.

"I… I'll do whatever you want, anything to earn you and Crow's forgiveness."

Seiren's smile grew more sinister, but Nyanko didn't notice. Seiren then gently pat Nyanko's head.

"Good girl."

"Mouse-san, wait!"

The senshi from Chuu hadn't stuck around and was already on her way out. She didn't seem to have any intention to stop until Sailor Moon almost tripped over her.

"Eek…!"

Mouse was forced to stop abruptly. The inners also caught up to them.

"Mouse-san, please, listen-" Sailor Moon began.

"Out of my way!" Mouse let out. "I have to go after her…!"

"We don't even know where Seiren went!" Mars suddenly interjected.

"I didn't mean Seiren," Mouse muttered.

"Huh?"

"N-Nevermind! There's no time to lose, Seiren is a menace and she must be put down!"

"Oh, because it went so well the first time you tried," Venus said sarcastically.

Mouse turned back and glared at her.

"Listen, she only got me because she took me by surprise," Mouse replied. "I still managed to get some good hits on her. She might be stronger than she looks, but so am I."

"No offence, but I don't think it's that hard for a woman of her height to handle someone of your… size," Jupiter said.

"What… what's that supposed to mean!?"

"Well, Seiren is like, over 6 feet tall? While you're what, 4 feet…?" Venus added.

"I'm 4'2!" Mouse exclaimed, offended. "And Seiren isn't that tall! That's the high heels!"

"Alright, let's say 5'11, still damn tall," Venus replied.

"Urgh! Shut up!" Mouse snapped. "We're wasting time when we should be finding Nyanko…!"

"Since when do you care about Nyanko-san?" Jupiter interrupted.

Mouse clenched her fist and looked away, seeming abashed.

"I don't…! I just can't stand to let her get potentially killed because she tried to save me! I don't want to owe anything to that Mautian…!"

"Mautians are peace-loving people, your hatred of us is unfounded!" Artemis suddenly exclaimed.

Mouse jolted and fell on her butt.

"Eek, cat! And it talks…!"

"Excuse me? I'm a 'he', not an 'it'," Artemis replied, clearly offended.

"Why is this cat talking!?" Mouse exclaimed, ignoring him.

"Well, he's from Mau, so I guess that's normal there?" Venus replied.

"Artemis and I lived on Mau thousands of years ago, so maybe modern Mautians don't look like us anymore?" Luna added. "I mean, Nyanko looks pretty different from us, and how we remembered our fellow Mautians."

"Hm, I supposed if our ancestors looked like monkeys, maybe current Mautians evolved from cats," Mars suggested.

Mouse suddenly let out a growl.

"Urgh, I don't have time for this! Nyanko might already be dead by now, and if we don't stop Seiren, this planet is doomed! I won't let what happened to Chuu happen to Earth too…!"

Sailor Moon suddenly seized her by the shoulders.

"I know you feel guilty for what happened to your planet, but you're not alone. We're all here to protect this planet."

Mouse seemed hesitant.

"You don't know Seiren- she's a monster. A freak of nature. If she managed to destroy her own planet, she can do the same to this one… I can't take this anymore. I don't want to see another planet fall… she has to be stopped by any means!"

Mouse shook off Sailor Moon and walked away.

"Mouse-san, wait!"

But Mouse had already started to run away, leaving them behind. Sailor Moon wanted to go after her but Mars put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let her. She's determined. All we can do is find Seiren first," Mars said.

Despite her uncertainty, Sailor Moon nodded.

"I suppose you're right…"

Mercury rubbed her chin, thoughtful.

"Hmm, could it be…" she said absent-mindedly.

"What is it, Mercury?" Jupiter asked.

"Ah, nothing! I'm just having a doubt I'd like to confirm. I'll go back to investigate something where the party took place. Maybe the one who attacked us left a clue behind."

"What's the point? Didn't we already establish the culprit was Seiren?" Venus replied.

"I suppose we did… but I would still like to go back and make sure we didn't miss anything. I'll catch up to you guys later."

Mouse continued to run away until she noticed no one was coming after her. She stopped for a moment, collecting her thoughts.

"Were you serious when you said Seiren could doom the Earth?" a voice suddenly asked her.

Mouse jumped and started to frantically look around. A figure came out from the shadow and Mouse sighed when she recognized her.

"Phew, it's just you…"

"How dangerous is Seiren?" Uranus asked.

"Very dangerous. She destroyed her own home planet, and unlike any other Animamates, she wasn't corrupted in any way. Every action she did was from her own free will, with no outside influence from Chaos."

"And you're sure about that? About Seiren destroying her own planet?" a third voice suddenly asked.

Sailor Neptune came out from the shadow too, now standing by Uranus' side.

"Well, it's not like I witnessed it first-hand, but Galaxia said so, and Seiren never denied itt. I just can't see Galaxia lying about something like that."

"So you think she should be eliminated?" Uranus asked.

"This seems like the safest option," Mouse confirmed. "If you want to keep Earth safe, Seiren has to go. Same with Crow. She might be under Seiren's mind control, she still remains a threat too. And I doubt she'd let Seiren be taken down without a fight."

"So both of them need to be taken care of," Uranus concluded.

"It seems like… we don't really have a choice," Neptune admitted with regret.

"Well, I'm glad to see some Sailor Senshi here agree with me," Mouse said. "The others don't seem to share your views."

"It's not like we always agreed with their methods," Uranus revealed. "We are ready to do anything to keep our planet safe. Even sacrifice others."

Neptune averted her eyes from Uranus, as if she was recalling how far they went for the sake of their duty.

"I'm glad to hear that. I know we had our issues in the past, but can we put that aside and work together to take down the biggest threat right now?" Mouse suggested.

Uranus nodded.

"For now, I guess we can. But you're not off the hook either!"

"I know that. What I did was unforgivable, but at least let me help you eliminate Seiren. You can do whatever you want with me after it's done," Mouse said.

"Sounds like a plan," Uranus agreed.

"This way!" Luna said.

After Mouse's departure, the inners went back to their hideout. Luna wanted to use their supercomputer to try tracking down Seiren's cosmic signature. As soon as they had located her exact position, the inners were on their way to find Seiren.

And it led them right into the forest.

"What is it with villains hiding in the middle of the forest!?" Venus exclaimed. "And during the night on top of that! This place is spooky in the dark!"

"I left a message to Ami-chan so she can join us once she's done," Mars said.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's catch ourselves some fish!" Jupiter exclaimed.

Sailor Moon nodded and the group followed Luna into the forest, while remaining on their guard in case it was a trap. After a while, they reached their destination near a small river and were surprised to see what was there.

"A cabin? In the woods? Yep, definitely spookier than I expected," Venus said.

"Seiren must be hiding inside. Let's go!" Jupiter let out.

"Careful, Lead Crow is probably around too," Artemis warned.

The inners nodded in unison and walked towards the cabin; it was of moderate size, with two small floors and a basement.

"Should we split up to cover more ground?" Sailor Moon asked.

"I don't think this place is big enough for that," Mars replied. "And if one of us is attacked while alone, we would be at a disadvantage. Better stick together."

"Alright, then let's go!" Jupiter exclaimed.

The inners stepped inside the cabin, the floor creaking under their feet.

"Old, creaking cabin in the woods… definitely spooky," Venus commented.

"Let's check the first floor first," Luna proposed.

The senshi started to thread carefully, looking around while trying to make as little noise as possible. It was hard given the floor was littered with various snack packages.

"Yep, this is definitely Seiren's hideout alright," Venus thought.

When they stepped inside a specific room they all froze in shock.

"Is that…?" Jupiter began.

"Karasuma-san!?" Venus exclaimed.

Lying on a couch, they found Karasuma Akane, still wearing her red suit, without her usual mask and hat. She was lying on her back, seemingly asleep.

"No, that must be Lead Crow," Mars said. "Or rather, Sailor Coronis…"

"I don't think she's awake… could she be…?" Sailor Moon said, worried.

She started to walk towards Crow to check on her.

"Sailor Moon, don't, it's too dangerous…!" Luna warned.

"I have to check if she's alright…"

"Do not get any closer to Crow-san!"

The group jolted when they recognized that voice and immediately turned around.

Seiren was standing in the doorframe, glaring at them with animosity.

"Seiren!?" Sailor Moon exclaimed.

"There you are!" Venus added. "What's up with the spooky cabin!? And what have you done to Crow?"

"Tsk! What have I done to Crow-san? This isn't me, this was all your fault!" Seiren let out.

"Huh?" Jupiter reacted. "What do you mean?"

"Poor Crow-san… I have to let her rest for now. She was living perfectly at peace as Karasuma-san, away from all her past sins and oblivious to the guilt that may eat her from the inside… and you had to ruin it all! This is all your fault!"

"Whoa, our fault? You're the one who took her memories away and brainwashed her!" Venus retorted.

"For her own good!" Seiren protested. "And now, because of you, I have to start all over… and eliminate everyone who knows about our past so she can never remember ever again!"

Upon hearing those words, the inners immediately took a defensive stance.

"This is insane!" Jupiter let out. "You can't do that!"

"I'll get rid of everything getting in my way, everyone who gets between me and Crow-san! All of you shall perish for our sake!"

She then raised her hand and pointed at the inners.

"Mermaid Tsunami!"

They all braced themselves for the upcoming attack but much to their surprise, nothing happened. They all looked at Seiren, dumbfounded, while the latter seemed embarrassed by herself.

"Oops," Seiren finally said. "I forgot I can't do that…"

"Now's our chance!" Jupiter yelled, rushing towards Seiren. "Ahhhh!"

"Eek…!"

Jupiter jumped right on Seiren before pinning her against the wall.

"Ack!"

"I got her!" Jupiter exclaimed. "You guys go look for Nyanko while I take care of her!"

The others nodded and quickly ran away, leaving Seiren to Jupiter.

The inners walked down the stairs, heading towards the basement and immediately spotted someone bound on the ground. As soon as she recognized her, Sailor Moon rushed towards her.

"Nyanko-san!?"

Sailor Moon knelt down, making sure Nyanko was alright. She sighed in relief when she saw the Mautian was only unconscious.

"Nyanko-san, wake up! We're here to save you!"

As Sailor Moon was starting to work on the rope restraining Nyanko's wrists, the latter suddenly woke up.

"U… Usagi-chan?" Nyanko weakly called.

"Yes, it's me! You're safe now…"

"No… you can't be here…!" Nyanko suddenly exclaimed. "Seiren, she's here… and she's dangerous. You need to leave, now!"

"What!? No way! We can't leave you behind-"

"I deserve it," Nyanko interrupted. "This is… my penance… for what I did to Seiren… and Crow. I deserve… whatever they are going to do to me…"

"No, don't say that! That's not true!" Sailor Moon protested. "You don't deserve any of this!"

"I do… I failed my own planet, backstabbed my allies… I betrayed everyone! I'm just a lowly traitor who deserves to be punished-"

"No, that's wrong…! I'm the one who decides who gets punished!" Sailor Moon exclaimed. "And you don't! You're a good person, Nyanko. You made mistakes, yes, but you're trying to make amends and since then, you were always there for me…!"

"Sailor Moon is right," Luna suddenly chimed in. "What happened to Mau wasn't your fault, it was Galaxia's!"

"Sorry we solely put the blame on you when we weren't even there when it happened," Artemis added. "You are not a failure, Sailor Mau!"

"You…"

"I would appreciate it if you didn't disturb Nyanko-san during her penance."

The inners winced and turned back.

"You again!?" They all exclaimed.

Seiren smirked at them, seeming way more confident than before. Sailor Moon immediately felt worried.

"Where's Jupiter!?"

Like on cue, Crow came out from the shadow, now wearing her mask. She was holding an unconscious Jupiter on her shoulder.

"Jupiter!?" Sailor Moon yelled out.

"I would have much preferred to let Crow-san rest until I'd dealt with you, and then fix her broken mind, but alas, there are always nuisances preventing me from getting what I want…"

"Crow-san, please, come back to your senses!" Sailor Moon begged. "You're being controlled!"

Her plea fell upon deaf ears. Crow's eyes behind her mask were emply, as if she wasn't there mentally.

"Nice try, but I'm not 'controlling' Crow-san. I already told you, didn't I? It's hypnotism, not mind-control."

"Let go of Jupiter, now!" Mars cried out.

"Or else what?" Seiren sneered. "It's over, Solar Senshi. I have the high ground now!"

"You shouldn't cry victory so fast!" let out a hidden voice.

"What!?"

"World Shaking!"

Seiren didn't see the attack coming. She would have been hit if it wasn't for Crow dropping Jupiter to jump in front of Seiren, taking the blow instead.

"Crow-san!?"

The Senshi of Coronis fell to the ground, knocked out.

"Using your girlfriend as a meat shield, how cruel of you," Neptune said, joining Uranus' side.

"I did no such thing!" Seiren defended herself. "I didn't ask her anything! Crow-san protected me from her own volition!"

"Easy to say when you've got her under your control," Uranus retorted.

"For the last time, it's hypnotism, not mind-control!"

"Same difference!" another voice said.

The inners were not expecting to see Mouse tagging along with the outers.

"I won't go easy on you this time," Mouse warned.

Seiren scoffed at that.

"That should be my line," she said back.

While they were arguing, Sailor Moon finished untying Nyanko.

"Please, there's no need to fight! We can still talk-" Sailor Moon tried to say.

"No, I think we're way past talking," Uranus interrupted her.

"Agreed," Seiren said bitterly.

Nyanko suddenly raised her hand, holding her bell item.

"Mau Star Power, Make Up!"

In an instant, Nyanko had turned into her senshi form. Crow let out a grunt, slowly waking up.

"Give up Seiren. Even with Crow, you're still outnumbered!" Venus said.

Much to their surprise, Seiren let out a sinister laugh.

"Oh, that's what you think. But unfortunately for you, I still have one last surprise for you!" Seiren declared proudly.

She then turned towards Nyanko before continuing.

"I'll leave the rest to you, Sailor Tin Nyanko."

"Wait what?" Sailor Moon let out.

"Kitty Bell Shriek!"

A sudden awful, shrieking noise paralyzed everyone. And the one causing it was none other than Nyanko.

"N-Nyanko…? Argh…!" Sailor Moon cried out, putting her hands against her ears. "Why…?"

"No, this can't be…? Ugh…!" Mouse reacted, falling to her knees because of the pain.

Seiren simply grinned, visibly unaffected by the sonic attack.

"Don't tell me…" Mars began, struggling to stay on her feet. "She brainwashed Nyanko too!?"