As they wait for Kun's father, Detective Yoshi Shin, Zoi comes up with a theory that needs to be tested. He won't share it with anyone, but the only couple he can test it on Rei and Jae, who the latter has taken great exception to. What is Zoi's theory? And can he prove it?

(Monday Evening)

Kenji walked toward the back door. Ikuko had talked him into talking to Mamoru while Kun spoke to his parents to see if his dad could come by to tell them what Yoshi and Kenji had found.

Kenji closed his eyes and sighed. He knew the boy hadn't done it on purpose. He had watched the night before how Mamoru watched Usagi's every move as if to protect her from any danger that would befall her, and he had already known he would lay his life down for her, for Usagi.

"Kenji," Ikuko said with a warning in her voice.

"I'm going; I'm going," Kenji said when he looked over at his wife who was crossing her arms and giving him a look. She was holding her spatula again as if it were a weapon. He looked away from her and pushed the backdoor open to walk outside.

Mamoru looked over to see who walked outside. "Mr. Tsukino, I'm…"

Kenji raised his hand to stop him from continuing. "Mamoru," he said. "My wife and your friends made a lot of good points when they told me and Ikuko what happened." He included the Sailor Guardians when he mentioned friends. As he saw it, the Shitennou Knights were also Usagi's friends. He knew all of them would lay their lives down for Mamoru and his daughter.

Kenji looked up at the sky and gazed at the Moon. He had always wondered why he felt drawn to it, but now he understood. Even though he didn't remember his past life which annoyed him that he couldn't recall the way his wife, son, or daughter could, he could make sense of some of the things in his life.

"Ikuko is right about Usagi, Mamoru," Kenji told him and then looked over at him when Mamoru looked over at him. "She wouldn't blame you, especially after hearing how everything had played out."

Mamoru looked back at the sky toward the Moon. "I know," he said as his hold on the Moon Stick tightened. "I was starting to come to terms with it just before you walked outside, but it doesn't stop the guilt."

Kenji knew, for that fact alone, was the main reason he liked Mamoru. He understood the weight of responsibility. "I suppose, for someone like you, it wouldn't," he said with realization. Though, there's something he was curious about. "How do you feel about how Usagi would feel?"

For Mamoru, that is what amazed him about his true love. "Relief," he told Kenji. "But at the same time…"

Kenji smiled as he understood. "I understand," he said. "That's what happens when you love someone."

"I need to talk to Kun," Mamoru said. He was steadier than what he was when they left the park or when they got to the Tsukinos, but he was the leader for the Shitennou Knight and needed to get back to it. He knew they could juggle the responsibility the way he had seen the Sailor Guardians had juggled the responsibility.

Kenji watched Mamour walk inside his house. That was the boy who was going to save his little girl. The boy that walked inside the house was the version of the boy his daughter loved with her whole heart. He was getting used to the fact his daughter big L'ed him, and he big L'ed her right back.

xXx

When Mamoru walked back into the house, he spotted Kun just hanging up the phone. "What's going on?" he asked.

Kun didn't say anything for a moment. He studied Mamoru for a moment before deciding if he was fit for duty.

"Kun," Mamoru said with a warning, knowing exactly what his first in command was assessing.

Kun smiled then, knowing if he wasn't caught assessing, then his prince wasn't fit for duty. "Just checking," he said. "Kenji and my father may have a lead as to where Beryl took Usagi." Kun looked over at the backdoor as Kenji walked in. "They were going to wait until tomorrow to give us this news, so we can rest."

"But now with Usagi, circumstances have changed," Mamoru said with realization.

"Exactly," Kun said. He sighed, and he had this nagging feeling in the back of his mind. "There's something that's been bothering me, Mamoru, and I can't put my finger on it."

"We're all here, so let's see if we can't figure out what it is that's nagging you," Mamoru said as they went through the living room doorway.

"You mean other than Minako?" Jae asked, picking up on the conversation Mamoru and Kun had been having.

"Hey!" Minako said.

"I only speak with the truth," Jae said.

Rei elbowed Jae in the ribs. "Stop while you're ahead, Jae," she seethed.

"Okay, jeez," Jae said, rubbing the spot where his girlfriend had elbowed him. "Can't any of you take a joke?"

"Jae, knock it off," Kun said, mildly, as he walked over to Minako to wrap his arms around her. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You've never been a nag." Then kissed her temple and then saw the smile Minako typically reserved for him.

Jae crossed his arms. "If it's not Minako, then what's been nagging you," he asked Kun with a grin at Minako who rolled her eyes.

"Why did Beryl take Princess Serenity instead of Prince Endymion?" Kun asked. He looked over at Mamoru. "We all know she's been obsessed with you, Mamoru, with Prince Endymion."

"She was going to be his betrothed," Makoto said.

Ami shook her head. "That would still give her more of a reason to kidnap Prince Endymion," Ami disagreed, "not Princess Serenity."

Zoi's eyes widened as he stared at the answer in Mamoru's hands. "The Legendary Silver Crystal," he said.

"Damn it, Zoi," Neph said, annoyed. "I was almost there."

"Think about it," Zoi said, ignoring Neph's comment. "That's what this whole thing has been about."

"But she left it behind," Artemis said, not understanding the Shitennou Knight of Purification and Healing.

Luna shook her head. "Not normally," she said. "Zoi's right." She walked over to Mamoru. "She's been careful with the Legendary Silver Crystal that has been attached to the Moon Stick, keeping it with her at all times. When you had your spell earlier, Mamoru, she had forgotten she laid it down next to her and forgot to grab it when she got up so you could speak with Zoisite in private." She looked up at Mamoru. "Mamoru, like with your Legendary Golden Crystal, the Legendary Silver Crystal is Usagi's life source. If that disintegrates, then she dies."

Ami's mouth dropped, understanding what Zoi and Luna were trying to tell them. "You think Beryl wants to restart time?" Ami asked.

"Exactly," Zoi said, pointing at Ami. He knew Ami would understand his reasoning. "All Usagi or Princess Serenity had to do was be herself for Mamoru or Prince Endymion to fall in love with her."

Makoto snorted. "She had to brainwash him to get that from him," she said.

"That's not exactly what happened," Kun said. He looked over at Mamoru, understanding who his friend and prince is in this life.

Understanding Kun, Mamoru nodded. "I had told Usagi and Ami on Saturday, before Nephrite and Kunzite were resurrected and/or healed, that even while I was brainwashed I still had this underlying instinct to protect Usagi," Mamoru said. "To protect my true love."

"Well, that explains everything," Kun said with a grin at Mamoru, as he put everything together. "Now we're on the right side and remember who we are, I can be grateful for that instinct getting in the way of our plans." He grinned at Mamoru. "Really grateful."

"Oh, shut up," Mamoru told him, getting embarrassed and rolling his eyes. "But Kun's point is Beryl never held my heart. Usagi held my heart all along." His eyes widened, remembering what he had told Usagi Friday night. "My heart."

"The Star Locket?" Luna asked him. She remembered that is what Usagi had called it when she told Ikuko everything. She hadn't been too happy Usagi had told her everything, but she supposed now she was because she knew that much. "Usagi has it on her, doesn't she?"

"She never goes anywhere without it," Minako confirmed. "She knows what kind of a situation she is in." She looked over at Mamoru.

"Minako's right, Mamoru," Ami agreed. "She wouldn't risk taking it out and playing it being in such close proximity to Beryl."

"If anything, it's a reminder and comfort to her that she's the one who holds your heart," Rei said.

"She wouldn't risk that for anything," Makoto added, "especially since she knows how much it meant to both of you."

"The Star Locket?" Zoi asked, finally remembering reading a passage in a book in his past life about items given out of love transcending through time and finding their original owners. He had a theory he wanted to test. "Mamoru, there's magic in that." He placed his hands on his face and rubbed it. "This is what happens when I'm the last, and my memories are coming back to me slowly." He wouldn't blame these people.

"Zoi, it happened with all of us," Neph told him, misunderstanding what Zoi was saying. "I still don't remember everything. I doubt I ever will."

Ryo watched Zoi carefully, paying close attention to his movements and facial expression. "Neph, it's not just that," he said. He now remembered a certain gift Sailor Mercury had given to Zoisite in their past lives out of love. "Zoi, are you sure?"

"I'm positive," Zoi told him, in the way of brothers having a conversation without having a conversation. He knew Ryo would understand without explaining himself to him. He knew he had to prove it, and he looked at Ami. "Ami, can I borrow your mini computer?"

"Sure," Ami said and passed it over to Zoi without a second thought. She wasn't sure what he was after, but she trusted him wholeheartedly. If he had a theory, she knew he wouldn't share it until he had proven it.

Zoi kissed the side of Ami's temple before he typed in a few sequences as he walked over to Rei, knowing she was part of the only couple who can prove his theory. "Do you mind?" he asked Rei.

Jae didn't know what Zoi wanted, and he wouldn't let anyone hurt Rei, especially over his dead body. "Whoa, Zoi!" he said. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Proving my point," Zoi told him. He refused to say another word. He remembered going a few rounds with him in their past life, and they were about even when it came to winning arguments when it came to his theories.

"Jae, knock it off," Mamoru commanded. He knew Jae would have been the last one Zoi would have gone to, but he knew there was a specific reason why Zoi chose Rei and Jae. If it helped him get Usagi back, he was going to let Zoi prove his point. "Under everything, Jae, do you trust Zoi? He has something he needs to prove before he tells us. Is that not how he worked in the past?"

Jae's facial expression changed at being chagrined by his prince. "Fine," he said. "Just don't hurt her."

"I'm not going to," Zoi promised. "Jae, I'm not going to hurt either one of you." When they both nodded the okay, he typed in a few more keys and scanned both Jae and Rei. He looked up at the couple and down at the mini computer several times. When he was done scanning them, he started muttering indistinguishable words and started pacing.

"Zoi, use your words," Jae said with worry. "Can you tell me why it had to be me and Rei you had to scan? And nobody else?"

"That," Ryo said, pointing to the ruby and amethyst bracelet Rei wore, knowing Jae had given it to her just this evening.

"The bracelet?" Rei asked, confused as she looked it over. "Mars gave it to Jadeite in our past lives, and in this life, days before he had before he had been kidnapped and brainwashed by Beryl, Jae bought it because he had an urge to buy it. He didn't know or remember why until last night."

Jae looked over at Mamoru. "Mamoru, I had thought to give it to her because you had given the Star Locket to Usagi," Jae said as realization dawned on him on what Zoi wanted to prove. He realized he and Rei were the only couple present who could prove his point. "I wanted to give it to Rei as a reminder that she will…"

"Always hold your heart?" Ryo finished for Jae, amused at his reaction and interested in the fact it was the same way Mamoru had called the Star Locket. He looked over at Zoi for confirmation. "That's it, isn't it, Zoi?"

"Why is that important?" Jae demanded an answer from Zoi. "What did I do to make sure Rei is safe? To make sure Rei doesn't get brainwashed?" He didn't know why or how, but he knew those were the right questions to ask.

Mamoru looked over at Zoi putting together what he did with Usagi with what Jae did with Rei. "It's not just the words, is it?" he asked.

He looked over at Mamoru. "That's correct, Mamoru," Zoi confirmed. "The Star Locket for Usagi and the ruby and amethyst bracelet for Rei." He looked over at Mamoru. "This act of love from you and from Jae is protecting Usagi and Rei's minds, Mamoru."

"Does it guarantee that the Sailor Guardians are safe from brainwashing?" Kun asked Zoi. For the past few days, he wondered when he would give Minako a certain amber and sapphire necklace that had stayed hidden in his pocket. He only took it when he was alone.

"It seems that way," Zoi said, analyzing the data.

"Zoi, I gave Usagi the Star Locket before I told her I loved her," Mamoru said. "Will that make a difference?"

"It shouldn't, Mamoru," Zoi said. He started scanning Mamoru before he had been asked. "Now, I can tell you the results; not the combined results which is necessary for an accurate reading."

"I understand," Mamoru said. He knew that was what Zoi was going to say before he started scanning.

Zoi furrowed his eyes together in confusion, and said, "What the-" He typed a few more keystrokes and studied data he had compiled on Mamoru.

"Zoi, is everything alright?" Mamoru asked, curious about his reaction.

"Mamoru, you remember how Luna said the Legendary Silver Crystal is Usagi's life source?" Zoi asked. He grinned then when Mamoru nodded. "Well, it seems I was able to get the answer anyway."

Mamoru's eyes went wide, realizing what Zoi was telling him. "You can tell me the brainwashing won't work on Usagi, right?" he asked Zoi. It was the one thing he wanted assurance on, hoping that was what Zoi could give him an answer on.

"That's exactly it," Zoi said. "The Star Locket is protecting Usagi. Your heart, Mamoru, is literally protecting her mind in the exact same way the bracelet is protecting Rei's mind. Jae's heart is protecting Rei's mind."

Mamoru leaned against the wall as relief flooded throughout his entire body. It was the best news he heard since Usagi had been kidnapped. Queen Beryl can't brainwash Usagi, but he was still scared of what he was going to find when they got to her. He knew, however, in order to save her, to save his true love, he needed to put his fear aside. If he was out of mind for a few hours, he didn't understand how Usagi kept it together for months. "Kun, Neph, Zoi, if you need to have a conversation with Minako, Mako, or Ami, respectively, do it now," he said, with a commanding voice. "We need all the help we can get."

"Yes, sir," all three men said in unison, dragging their respective partners to different parts of the Tsukino household.

When everyone had scattered, except for Rei and Jae, Ikuko walked over to Mamoru. "That was your worst fear, wasn't it?" she asked him.

"Yes," Mamoru said after staying silent for a moment. "I've been in that fog, Mrs. Tsukino. If I had two instincts going in different directions and couldn't make heads or tails out of it, I can't imagine what Usagi would feel, but yes, it was my worst fear." He looked down at the Moon Stick that held the Legendary Silver Crystal. "I will protect your daughter and her life source with everything I am."

Ikuko smiled at him. "I know you will," she told him. "Unbeknownst to us, the Star Locket has been already doing its job."

"I think we would all feel a little better once Beryl and Metalia's been dealt with and Usagi's home," Mamoru said. He would feel better once Usagi is out of harm's way.

"I've always been sorry that Kenji and I couldn't find you," Ikuko said, laying her hand on his cheek. "I no longer am sorry. All of these events led you here, it's meant to be."

"I feel that way," Mamoru said. Though he would prefer Usagi was here with him.

"Good," Ikuko said. She turned toward the stairs. "Kenji's upstairs with Shingo explaining what happened tonight."

Mamoru stiffened at the news. "Is that a good idea?" he asked her. He feared the boy would come down and start throwing accusations at him.

Ikuko gave him a look. "No more lies," she told him.

"Right," Mamoru said.

"Even without Usagi, Mamoru, this is a great team who are your friends at the very core," Ikuko told him. "They had you when you needed a moment to collect yourself."

"I know," Mamoru said, feeling slightly guilty that it had happened in the first place. "But now I need to be the leader for not just the Shitennou Knights, but also for the Sailor Guardians. Can I do this without her?" He looked over at Ikuko. "Can I really do this? Can I really lead all of them without Usagi by my side?"

Ikuko smiled at him and patted his arm. "You already are," she told him. She realized she could give him the boost of confidence, in much the same way she knew he had for Usagi in the months before he had been kidnapped and brainwashed. "The Sailor Guardians will follow you first because they love and trust Usagi and know that she loves and trusts you with her whole heart. Second, because they love and trust their boyfriends, your Shitennou Knights who also love and trust you. And third, if I haven't missed my mark, of which I highly doubt, all of them, both the Sailor Guardians and Shitennou Knights, consider you a friend."

Ikuko looked over at Rei and Jae who were having a quiet conversation. She thought they looked right together as Rei sat in Jae's lap with his arms wrapped around her while she laid her head on his shoulder. She always thought there was a piece missing of Rei, and Jae was the puzzle piece that had slid right into place, slid right into her heart, slid right into her soul.

Ikuko looked back over at Mamoru, thinking the same when it came to Mamoru and Usagi. "You are my daughter's soulmate in every sense of the word, Mamoru," she told him. "Don't doubt that."

"I won't," Mamoru promised her. He felt better after her pep talk.

Ikuko smiled at him and then walked upstairs to join her husband.

xXx

Jae sat on the Tsukinos' living room couch with Rei in his lap, her head resting on his shoulder, while the others spoke to their significant others about something important. The arm that held the bracelet was laying on his chest as she stared at it, contemplating.

"You didn't think that was a thing until Zoi said something, right?" Rei asked him with curiosity. "You didn't know that when you gave me the bracelet, right?"

Jae shook his head as he played with the ends of her hair, remembering how he used to do this in their past lives. He realized he enjoyed remembering the small things most; though he didn't discount the big things either. "No," he said, answering both of her questions. "I can honestly say I didn't, but it doesn't make it any less true, Rei." He looked down at her and waited until she tilted her head up at him to kiss her. "I love you." He took her wrist that held the bracelet and kissed her wrist. "You hold my heart."

Rei smiled at the confession and the piece of jewelry he gave her earlier. "I know," she said, laying her head against his shoulder. "I love you, Jae, so very much." She felt safe and comfortable in Jae's arms as he threaded his fingers through hers, and she knew this feeling would never go away.

xXx

In the Tsukinos' backyard, Kun had dragged Minako outside. "Did you really find the amber and sapphire necklace?" Minako asked, faltering a bit.

Kun gave her a soft smile, and without a word to her, he pulled the necklace out of his pocket.

"Kun…" Her hands went to her throat as the words couldn't escape her throat quite yet. She would've collapsed if Kun hadn't prepared to catch her.

Kun held her against him as she found her voice and her legs. "Minako, I love you," he said, finally. "Though, my story with this necklace is different from Jae's."

"What do you mean?" Minako asked, finding her voice. She looked up at him confused.

"This is an heirloom," Kun told her. "My mother had given this to me days before Beryl had kidnapped and brainwashed me."

"So that part is the same," Minako said, musing about the point Jae had said the same as well. That it was given to him days before.

"It seems so," Kun said. He unclasped the necklace as she moved her long blonde hair out of the way, and then placed it around her neck. "There's nobody who's quite held my heart the way you have held it." He took her into his arms. "There's nobody I want holding my heart more than you. I love you, Minako, with everything I am. The only one who had gotten past my defense as if it were child's play."

Minako leaned away from him and smiled at him. "It was child's play," she agreed with a smirk. "But I feel the same way, Kun. You did the same thing with me, my love. You got past my defenses as if it were child's play."

"Two peas in a pod," Kun said.

"I love you, too, Kun," Minako said as he let her go and laid his hands on his cheek to kiss her as she laid her hands on his chest.

xXx

Neph dragged Makoto toward Kenji's office, and he closed the door behind him.

"Neph, there's no way you found the daggers with emerald and opal handles," Makoto told him. She knew she was rambling and couldn't quite stop herself. "If they cost an arm and leg when I bought them in the Silver Millenium, I can't imagine how much they would cost…"

Neph walked over to her as he took them out of his jacket pocket. "You mean these?" he asked. "I won them at a dagger throwing contest my school was hosting."

Makoto just stared at them as tears started pouring from her eyes. "Neph…"

"It wasn't something I normally wouldn't have entered, and my mom and I had gotten into an argument over me entering," Neph told her. "I told her there was something deep inside I knew they were meant to be mine and that I was supposed to give them to someone important." He laid one on Kenji's desk to unsheath and examine the other dagger. "She told me if I felt that strongly about it I should enter, so I did. It wasn't something I had ever practiced in this life, but it had turned out I was a natural."

"Your past life, Neph," was all Makoto could say, remembering how dagger throwing was one of his skills in their last life.

"It makes sense now, doesn't it?" Neph said and then hit her with another tragedy. "The thing is, Mako, that was also the day Beryl kidnapped and brainwashed me."

"Oh, Neph," Makoto said.

"I didn't even get a chance to tell my mom when she got home from work that I had won," Neph said. He sheathed the dagger he held and passed them both over to her. "They are yours, Mako, just as my heart is yours."

Makoto took them and laid them on Kenji's desk. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'll take them and cherish them, Neph," she promised, "as I will your heart."

Neph wrapped his arms around her middle. "I love you, Mako," he told her.

"I love you, too," Mako had managed to whisper in his ear as her heart had gone to her throat.

Neph made her lean out of his arms, so he could take her face in his hands and kiss her sweetly on the lips.

xXx

Zoi had dragged Ami outside in the front yard as he watched Kun drag Minako toward the backdoor and Neph drag Makoto toward Kenji's office. He figured the only way he could privacy was outside in the front yard.

"Sailor Mercury gave Zoisite a book," Ami told him. "There's no way you had found a book that old."

"Do you remember what book?" Zoi asked. He knew with them it was more about a certain story than the item itself.

"It was about Amphitrite," Ami said. "She was the first mythological character Sailor Mercury told Zoisite about." She took Zoi's hands. "That was the password Zoisite used to lock the Earth from the Moon."

The memory filled in Zoi's head as he remembered it. "You have done a lot when I was waiting to be resurrected," Zoi said. He wasn't going to be angry with any of them because he knew how Ami is, and he loves her just the way she is. "I knew you would be the only one who would know what it was."

"That was intentional, wasn't it?" Ami asked.

"Yes," Zoi told her. "In the same book, it talks about a few other passages."

"Passages?" Ami asked.

"Including the items transcending through time," Zoi said. "Ami, without realizing it, you helped me form this theory." When he had de-transformed, he had his backpack with him. The book he spoke of had been placed into the backpack. He took the book out of the bag and passed it over to Ami.

"It's the same book," Ami said with surprise and then looked over at Zoi. "How is this possible?"

"When something is given out of love, sometimes in the next life, it finds itself back to its original owner," Zoi told her. "Days before King Minos had sent Zoisite, Kunzite, Jadeite, and Nephrite to scout out Metalia, King Minos had ordered Zoisite to close Earth down. Zoisite did that, but Metalia and Beryl still figured out how to brainwash us and get to the moon to kill everyone."

"It was Queen Serenity who had stopped them," Ami said.

"I figured as much," Zoi told her. "But when King Minos told me to close down Earth, he told me to use something you would figure out in case you were on this side and needed to go to the moon."

Ami gave him a look. "I wonder if he knew," she pondered out loud.

"That would be my guess," Zoi said. "I don't think it was just Queen Serenity's sacrifice, Ami."

Ami stared at him. "It was also King Minos's sacrifice," Ami said. "But that's not what she told us."

Zoi shook his head. "She didn't have the whole prophecy," he told her. "For whatever reason, Zoisite found the second part of the passage." He flipped to the back of the back and passed it over to her to read.

It was written in Old English, but it didn't stop Ami from being able to read it. When she was done, she looked over at Zoi. "I don't have this portion of the prophecy in my mini computer," Ami told him. "It's also his sacrifice."

"So what does that tell us?" Zoi asked her.

Ami smiled at her. "That love and connections have always been the answer, Zoi," she said. "That with your heart protecting me, we're all going to be okay."

Zoi smiled at her as he laid his forehead against hers. "You have my heart," he told her. "I love you."

Ami wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you too, and I will keep your heart safe," she promised him.

"I know you will," Zoi said as he wrapped his arms around her.

As he leaned down to kiss her, they heard someone say, "Hey, Ami!"

Ami and Zoi didn't pull apart from each other, but it was close. They did see a man with a striking resemblance to Kun come up to the house.

"Is that Kun's father?" Zoi asked her.

Ami nodded. "Yes," she said. "Come on. I'll introduce you." Ami took his hand and dragged him over to Kun's father. "Detective Shin, this is the final Shitennou Knight, Zoi Saitou. Zoi, this Kun's father, Detective Yoshi Shin."

"Kun told me that you guys were successful in resurrecting and healing the final Shitennou Knight," Yoshi said. "It's nice to finally meet you. You're the brains of the Shitennou Knights?"

"Uh…" Zoi said.

Yoshi let out a boisterous laugh. "You're humble too, I see," he said. "I also heard Beryl had kidnapped Usagi." He sighed as saw his son walk out of the house. "Kenji and I were going to wait until tomorrow to give you this news, but I can understand this can't wait." He started to walk over to Kun. "Come on, I will share with all of you what Kenji and I uncovered while you were in school and resurrecting the final Shitennou Knight."