Beep, beep, beep, beep!

The shrill alarm sound of the communicator interrupted this so special moment and ended their kiss abruptly.

Regretfully, Usagi turned away from Mamoru and frantically searched for the device in her pocket. After finding it, she took a deep breath and pressed the yellow star button.

Immediately, Ami's face appeared on the screen. She seemed to be in a great hurry and looked completely out of breath as she called out to Usagi in an alarming voice, "Usagi...there's a youma in Juban Park. You have to come right away... hurry, please!"

"Got you, I'll be right there!"

With a very serious expression on her face, she turned back to Mamoru, who had involuntarily overheard Ami's call for help. Inwardly, she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

'For heaven's sake ... why? Why now of all times?!'

"Usako!"

Mamoru, grabbed her hand while looking deep into her eyes. Without further hesitation, he pulled out a single red rose from the inside pocket of his jacket.

"It's time."

Usagi sensed that this meant the end of their date. A date she wouldn't have even remotely thought she would have a few days ago. With Mamoru. That it would take such a course. And that her real nemesis was the one person Usagi felt more for than for anyone else in this whole wide world. The kiss was so dreamlike and how she would have liked to stay a little longer in this unbelievably beautiful state. Together with Mamoru.

Love was truly the most beautiful of all feelings that a person could feel. And with this kiss, Usagi had understood how much Mamoru actually meant to her. That he always had. And nothing and no one would be able to stop her from loving him.

Forever.

Only the attacks by the Dark Kingdom today could mar this so romantic course of their date. Usagi gave a noticeable sigh of relief and nodded to Mamoru with a mixture of disappointment and readiness to fight as she gripped her golden brooch tightly to her red bow with her small hand.

By transforming into their other identities, there would be no time for any more Usako-Mamo-Chan romance. Mamoru was so right when he said earlier that they should always enjoy the moment.

It was a little easier then to accept the fact that they had to save the world and fight evil.

Usagi's eyes narrowed, and for the first time since she had become Sailor Moon, she was confident that she could actually accomplish the mission that had been thrust upon them. She raised her hand to the sky and shouted the magic words. Unlike a few days ago, she was almost relieved to know Mamoru was beside her side this time.

"Moon Prism Power... MAKE... UP!"

--

In the park, four Sailor soldiers came face to face with a terribly hideous Youma, who had just absorbed a huge amount of energy from several people. Unconscious, they lay on the ground, and in this state presented the warriors with a picture as if they were on a battlefield rather than in a beautiful park. It was definitely a very powerful kind of monster and quite ugly too.

The girls positioned themselves and Rei began to rebuke the Dark Kingdom emissary in a most annoyed tone.

"How dare you cause so much trouble in this beautiful park? We will not allow you to continue scaring innocent people and robbing them of their energy!"

Ami was also annoyed at the youma in the highest degree and joined in

"An oasis like this is meant for animals and people. They should spend quality time together here in peace!"

In chorus, all four girls now gave the youma unmistakably to understand

"We are the Sailor team! And... in the name of our planets we will punish you!"

The youma seemed downright bored and completely unimpressed by the Sailor warrior girls' performance. With a sneer on his face, he hissed at them

"Ha, you stupid Sailor brats, I'm going to destroy you all and you're going to suffer horrible torture in the process, gnahahaha."

With a loud, contemptuous laugh, it began to fire a veritable storm of dark energy at the girls. Successfully, one by one, they deftly dodged the attack. Sailor Mercury was the first to use her weapon, shouting with the fiercest determination

"Sabao Spray!"

"Um what?"

The monster's vision was completely obscured by the highly effective weapon. Thus, he could not anticipate what would happen next. Aside from his horrible appearance and unfriendly manners, this Youma was also quite simple-minded, like almost every one of the monsters the Dark Kingdom dispatched to Tokyo all the livelong day. The remaining three Sailor soldiers decided to take advantage of the youma's absolute incompetence to combine their attacks, and one by one they shouted out loudly

"Crescent Beam!" - "Firesoul!" - "Supreme Thunder!"

"Aaaarrrggghhhh!" Before the monster could react, it was turned into an igneous pile of dust by the powers of the four warriors.

Sailor Mars frowned in confusion and slowly took a step toward the spot where the remains of the dimwitted youma had just vanished into thin air.

"Strange, that was far too easy even for the Dark Kingdom." She muttered suspiciously to herself. "We didn't even need Sailor Moon to moon dust that monster."

Sailor Mercury quickly took out her super-mini computer and immediately began to check the surroundings. After a few seconds of frantically typing on her keyboard, the blue-haired senshi finished her scan and looked up from the screen with a serious face.

"It seems there is still a high amount of dark energy. Can you sense it, Sailor Mars?"

Before the black-haired warrior had a chance to answer her comrade-in-arms, a horrific laugh rang out, followed by Zoisite suddenly appearing in the sky. Threateningly, the blonde general hovered directly above the Sailor warriors.

"Hahahaha, how right you are about your suspicions, Sailor Mercury. Wise beyond measure. Hah, what a shame your little friend Sailor Moon isn't here, but it will still be my pleasure to get rid of you all here and now once and for all!"

Just then, the arrogant villain was about to launch an attack against the girls, destroying them with a beautiful greeting from the Kingdom of the Dark. But his intention was interrupted by a strong female voice coming from the other side of the park, addressing him directly with a sharp tone.

"You are gravely mistaken! I won't let you hurt any of my friends, Zoisite!"

The second Zoisite had appeared on the battlefield, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask had also reached the park. The masked superhero with the cape had agreed to stay in the background under the cover of the trees for the time being, so for the moment it was only Sailor Moon who was trying to draw Zoisite's attention away from the Sailor warriors and toward her.

Like a true leader she stood there in her fighting pose. The moon wand she held firmly in her hand.

"I fight for love and justice. I am Sailor Moon! And... in the name of the moon... I will punish you!"

Surprised by her impressive appearance, the general whirled around in the air, but had himself back in control shortly after.

"Oh, how nice that you have also found your way here, Sailor Moon," he spoke in a mocking voice, "Since you do us the honor of attending this battle, I would be immensely pleased if you could hand over to me what I want from you." flashing his green eyes dangerously, he announced to Sailor Moon, tilting his head to the side with thieving glee

Five questioning faces stared at him in return.

"Uhhh, um, wait a minute... what exactly do you mean by that, Zoisite?!" Sailor Moon wanted to know from him with an innocent expression on her face.

"Pah, don't you try to play me for a fool, you damn Sailor brats!" Now Zoisite was really angry and lost his composure for a brief moment, "You know perfectly well that we have all of the Rainbow Crystals! So, kindly give me the key to create the Imperium Silver Crystal. Now!"

Except for Sailor Moon, the soldiers now almost lost their self-control and stared at the blond general

"You...what? Really?"! was all Sailor Mars managed to reply to Zoisite.

"We're not going to hand anything over to you at all, you stupid idiot!" Sailor Jupiter retorted gruffly. "Come on, let's attack the loudmouth!"

The four soldiers were about to mobilize their forces once again to attack the general, but were interrupted in their plan by a sudden change in his tactics.

"Fair enough. If you will not give me the key willingly, I will be forced to fight you. So you want a fair fight, you will get a fair fight" Zoisite now put on a condescending face as he continued to perch high in the air. "Just as I defeated Tuxedo Mask, I can do the same to you. I propose the Starlight Tower as a suitable battleground. I'll expect you at seven o'clock. Don't be late!"

With that, Zoisite ended his conversation with the girls and, grinning maliciously, vanished into thin air before his exclusive audience.

"No! NO !!! ... it just can't be!"

Sailor Mars went down on her knees, completely stunned. She stared at Sailor Moon, who was still standing on the opposite side of the park with a motionless expression on her face. Tears welling up in her eyes, Sailor Mars gulped in disbelief.

"Tuxedo Mask has been defeated by Zoisite? He's dead? That's ... that can't be ..."

Sailor Jupiter put her hand on a trembling Sailor Mars' shoulder and tried to calm her down.

"Sailor Mars, I'm sure Zoisite is just bluffing. He's trying to set a trap for us. It can't be what he wants us to know."

She now looked firmly at Sailor Moon and continued encouraging Sailor Mars, but kept her eyes on her leader.

"Tuxedo Mask cannot be defeated. He has an eternal life."

"You're right about that, Sailor Jupiter!"

Tuxedo Mask stepped out from his hiding place high in the trees and glared at the four soldiers, who whirled around to face the masked superhero in utter amazement.

"Tuxedo Mask, you're alive!!!"

Sailor Mars had bright joy coupled with great relief literally written all over her face. However, a brief, friendly nod of his head gave way to a certain dejection in his voice.

"Unfortunately, it is true that Zoisite is now in possession of all the Rainbow Crystals. Through a perfidious ruse, he and Kunzite have managed to steal the two Rainbow Crystals from me. Nevertheless, they are still far from reaching their goal. Zoisite obviously thinks that you have an idea how to form the Imperium Silver Crystal from it. That's why he wants to trap you and lure you to Starlight Tower."

Sailor Venus looked questioningly at Tuxedo Mask

"A ruse? But how did that happen?"

Usagi was torn up inside.

This moment should have been perfect for her to stand up and explain to her allies everything that had happened exactly in the past few days. That she herself had been there when the Dark Kingdom had gotten the upper hand in the battle for the Rainbow Crystals. That she had had to transform into Sailor Moon in front of Mamoru's eyes in the elevator so that they could get out of this hell of the Starlight Tower alive.

That since that moment, simply nothing was the same as before.

But at the moment it was simply impossible for her to open her mouth. It had just happened all these many things lately, which practically paralyzed her in their fullness to speak openly.

Usagi suddenly didn't feel like fighting the enemy any longer and going to this meeting. Gone was the firm will she had displayed a moment ago. She was completely confused about her feelings for Mamoru. She desperately needed to stop lying to her friends.

Instead of taking the chance to finally clear everything up, she just stood there, silent and desperately wishing for a normal life for herself.

"So tell us, Tuxedo Mask," Luna was obviously determined to face the inevitable discussion with the masked hero, "are you the enemy or are you fighting with us?"

That was exactly how Sailor Mercury had confronted him with that question back before the embassy. The tension between them all was tense to breaking point. Standing high up in the tree, he fixed his ocean blue eyes, still hidden behind his mask, on the little cat.

"I may have said things to you that I didn't know could be misunderstood, causing you to think of me as your enemy. And believe me...I am truly sorry for that. However, since I lost my Rainbow Crystals to Zoisite, you should know that I will no longer stand in your way."

His gaze went over to Sailor Moon, who literally felt a shiver run down her spine as she returned it with her sky blue eyes.

"I don't want to take anything away from you that could help you accomplish your mission in this world here. For me the crystal doesn't have the same meaning, I would almost say that my view has changed since..."

Since she had transformed right before his eyes. Since it was clear that Usagi was Sailor Moon. Since his heart had understood for the first time that it beat just for this one girl in the world and he would protect her with everything he had. And if he had to go to the extreme for it.

"... Since I understood what love means."

His words came unerringly, and were enriched with an honest tone that made Usagi's eyes well up with tears.

Did Mamoru love her? Really?

What felt like an eternity passed, during which Sailor Moon inwardly prayed that everything could now change for the better. Maybe they could stand together against the villains and win the final battle. Hope sprouted in her.

"It looks like we have no choice but to trust him."

Sailor Venus was the first to openly share her thoughts with the others. Grateful and inwardly relieved, Sailor Moon nodded over to her.

"If you're really on our side, why do you still have your mask on, Cape Boy?"

Sailor Mars, with her incomparable temperament, spoke what the majority of the allies present seemed to think about Tuxedo Mask.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sailor Moon with a pleading expression on her face.

'Not now,' he thought, 'I haven't had a chance to talk to Usagi properly. First I have to let her know how I feel about her.'

From his lofty position high up in the tree, he cleared his throat briefly, then solemnly declared

"It is only a matter of time before I can reveal my identity to you, Sailor soldiers. For now, you'll just have to trust me. That's all I ask of you. I'll meet you in front of Starlight Tower later. I'll see you there."

With those words, he twirled his black cape and disappeared into the thicket.

"I honestly don't know what to make of that statement."

Sailor Jupiter shrugged her shoulders slightly indecisively and looked over at Sailor Venus, who also seemed a little lost. "Should we trust him or not?!"

"I still think he's suspicious, especially since he won't show us who he really is."

Sailor Mars didn't seem fully convinced by Tuxedo Masks' confession. Even if she was almost sure to know who was hiding behind that white mask.

"I think he knows very well what he is doing. It's just a feeling I have, and usually I'm actually the one acting rationally. I think we should trust him." Sailor Mercury emphasized, letting her eyes rest gently on Sailor Moon.

"What do you think, Sailor Moon?" - Luna had been watching her protégé out of the corner of her eye for quite some time, carefully analyzing her reactions to what was happening

"Me?"

Usagi took a deep breath and explained to her mentor in a firm voice, each of her words coming from the bottom of her heart

"You know my opinion, and it hasn't changed in the slightest since we last talked about it, Luna. Girls! ", Usagi continued her plea, addressing each of the Sailor team. In turn, she received the everyones' full attention

"Please trust him and please ... have faith in me. I may be stupid, incredibly loud, bad at school, unreliable, especially when it comes to meetings, clumsy, and a bit of a crybaby most of the time, but-" now Usagi had tears in her eyes, but continued with the most confidence she could get out of herself.

"Someone told me that I'm also a person with a big heart for all those I care about. I swear to you that we will make it, but only if we trust each other and believe strongly in our strengths."

"Sailor Moon," with glazed eyes Sailor Jupiter took a step closer to her and extended her hand, "I personally would never doubt any of your decisions in this world and as our leader I will follow you...even if it means my downfall!"

The last part was meant rather half-jokingly by the brunette warrior, but somehow it was just clear to everyone present that sooner or later it would come to the final battle with the Dark Kingdom. And for all of the girls it was true that in the worst case they would have to pay with their lives to fulfill their mission.

"Sailor Jupiter is right!" Sailor Mars smiled at Usagi and also put her hand on Sailor Jupiter's "we will never give up fighting for our dreams!"

"That's right, we can defeat Zoisite and get the Imperium Silver Crystal!" Sailor Mercury joined the previous speakers and also put her hand on the others'.

"Love and friendship is stronger than anything else!" concluded Sailor Venus, and extending her hand to the other Senshi, they completed a circle whose strength would probably have surpassed that of the Imperium Silver Crystal at that very moment.

Usagi was very moved by this poignant sentiment. Even though the girls knew that they knew only half of the story since the events of Starlight Tower. Usagi had their trust. Her heart began to melt at the sight of these brave young women who were willing to go to their limits with such confidence and zest for life. For her. For Usagi Tsukino. A girl who was so insignificant and small in this infinitely vast universe.

"Thank you all... so much.", she whispered choked and barely noticeable.

A brief moment later, Artemis cleared his throat, somewhat rudely interrupting the meaningful moment.

"Um, Sailor team, I'm really glad we all agreed to take down Zoisite, but we actually still need to come up with a proper plan to succeed in the end, and I'm afraid we're running out of time."

"Well then, let's go back to the temple to discuss everything else."

Luna declared and was already about to head out.

'I love you all, my friends ... but for my own sake, I have to tell them now.'

"Luna, Artemis... girls," Usagi gulped. "There is something I need to take care of before I can go with you. As soon as I'm done, I'll join you immediately."

When Usagi had uttered this confession, she saw nothing but understanding in the eyes of her friends in response. Having the warriors behind her made her strong and confident. So full of hope she felt.

"It's all right, Usagi. We'll see you in a bit."

Sailor Mars seemed almost about to cry, but Usagi knew she was running out of time, so she quickly hugged each warrior in her typical Usagi way and ran off as fast as she could.

Love accompanied Usagi on the way to her destination. There was no uncertainty, everything suddenly seemed so crystal clear. Firmly, she clutched the golden medallion in her pocket that he had once given her after she had found it lying in the grass among the tombstones in the cemetery.

'Thank you so much, girls. I will fight with everything I have in me and save this world so we can all have our normal lives again.'

Usagi was sure of where she had to go now, and she knew that this was nothing but the right decision.