Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars: Chaos Theory

by Sora Kazeno1

Sequel to Rebirth. New Sailor Animates appear and search for the starseed which contains Chaos. Chaos awakens within one of the senshi. How will the senshi manage the aftermath of the battle? Nothing will ever be the same; the future they prepared for is gone. The bonds of destiny are shattered. Everyone must learn to adapt to whatever the new future has in store for them.

44. Reunion

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars: Chaos Theory

Act 44: Reunion

By: Sora Kazeno

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Thank you for being so patient while I wrote the rest of the story! After two years it is done. So that means…. WEEKLY UPDATES on Saturdays, unless I'm out of town and then that means they will be posted before I leave. New acts will be posted each week until the end of the year.

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Several hours passed before Sailor Cosmos left the Silver Millennium to return to Earth. It was already late. She knew it would be best if she returned to the hotel, appearing a short distance away and reverted back to Usagi. She stretched her arms over her head. She had more questions now than she had at the beginning of the day. She could have sworn the hotel was nearby, but it was going to take her a little longer than she thought to get back. All of the American cities began to look the same.

---

Mamoru needed a break from staring at the same four walls in his dorm room. He sat in the lounge area of the floor. He tried to read a book to take his mind off of everything. He was planning on speaking with Rei and Usako again tomorrow. He hoped she learned something when she traveled to Pluto. He wasn't sure where the two girls were staying and he wasn't sure if Usako was even back.

Mai plopped down on the couch to the left of him. The sudden weight on the couch to the side of him startled him and he jumped up. His posture relaxed when he realized it was Mai. His heart rate was still elevated and he knew it would take a few moments before it returned to normal. Before he could open his mouth to speak, Ayumi sat down on the other side of the couch. "..Hi?" Mamoru didn't know what else to say. He felt like he was being cornered by the two women for something.

"You never talk about your past, Mamoru-san." Mai had so many questions about the mysterious person from Tokyo. He had lived on the floor for several months and occasionally socialized with the group but talked very little about himself. Mai knew it was traditional not to speak or boast about one's achievements… but even in polite conversation family was important.

The way the two women cornered him on the couch made him believe they weren't going to accept his past vague answers. Mamoru wasn't sure why this was so important to them at this moment. "There isn't much to tell."

"But we told you all about our families and haven't heard a lot about yours!" Mai moved in closer, wanting to hear every word.

"I lost my parents in a car accident and my memories when I was young and lived in foster care until I was old enough to take care of myself," Mamoru finally revealed.

Whatever Mai expected to hear, this was not it. She leaned back on the couch. Now she felt guilty for prying into his past. But there was still one more thing that was bugging her. How did he know Usagi? She had to know. She wasn't sure how to ask given she had just struck out. She looked over at Ayumi for help.

Ayumi knew what information she was after and Ayumi agreed to tag along since she was also curious. "You never did elaborate how you know Usagi-chan. I mean…. She just happened to visit here…. You two even have nicknames for each other. That isn't something that happens overnight."

He paled slightly. He knew this topic would eventually come up. "It's a rather long, complicated story…" His voice trailed off. He hoped that would be the end of it. But seeing Mai inching forward on the couch, she was not going to let it go. He tried to slightly change the subject, "Why the sudden curiosity?"

This time it was Ayumi's turn. She wanted direct information. "It's clear Usagi-chan means a lot to you, more than you are trying to let on… but something happened?" Ayumi waited for a response.

Mamoru clenched his fist. He didn't understand why he was suddenly the subject of their interest.

Suddenly, it hit Ayumi. "Before you left Japan… she broke your heart, didn't she?"

Mamoru and Mai were surprised by Ayumi's question. Mai wanted information but was starting to question the approach being used to obtain the information.

"Why does my past matter to both of you all of a sudden?" Mamoru responded with hostility. "What happened between Usako and myself is between us." Mamoru stood up and walked out of the lounge to return back to his room.

Ayumi and Mai continued to sit on the couch stunned by his sudden display of anger. "I just wanted to know how he knew Usagi-chan… so that I could try to figure out how she met Seiya-san….it can't just be because they went to school together," Mai whispered to Ayumi.

Ayumi shook her head. Everything blew up in her face. "I guess I didn't see the obvious conclusion until now."

"Eh?" Mai raised an eyebrow trying to figure out what Ayumi meant.

"Usagi-chan must have broke up with Mamoru-san for Seiya-san." Ayumi walked away leaving Mai standing there with her jaw gaped open.

---

Mamoru sat in his room rubbing his forehead. Why did the two girls suddenly want to know everything about his past? Something was not adding up but he couldn't focus on that right now. Of course they would have some questions after meeting everyone but they were more persistent than ever. His top priority had to be this new senshi. But he was running out of places to look. He considered the possibility she attended the same school as him.

---

Usagi sighed with relief when she found the right hotel. After a while they all looked so similar! She sheepishly made her way upstairs, pausing to look at the clock by the elevator she just exited. It was already after 11pm. She didn't realize she had been gone so long. She knew everyone would be worried about her and wanted to know where she was and what happened. She prepared herself for all the questions she was about to be asked. She figured she would return to her room first. She pulled the key out of her purse, unlocked the door and slowly entered. All of the lights were off. No one was there. She left out a sigh of relief for a moment. She put her things down. She wasn't sure where everyone was. The Three Lights might still be wrapping things up for their concert. She tapped on her communicator to contact Rei.

"USAGI! How could you run off like that! We've been worried! What were you thinking?" Rei shouted at her over the communicator. Usagi figured Rei would react like that.

"I needed answers and we weren't getting anywhere." Usagi stated with determination in her tone. She neglected to mention the part where she didn't receive a lot of new information. "I ran into that senshi again at the Silver Millennium! What was she doing there!?"

"What do you mean she was there!" Rei exclaimed.

Before anything else could be said, another voice cut into the line of communication. "Instead of shouting at each other over the communicator, come up to Seiya's room and tell us all what happened." It was Yaten.

Usagi was quiet for a moment, it made sense. She just didn't expect Yaten to try to be the peacekeeper between the two of them. If everyone was there, that meant Minako was there and she was usually the one that stopped them. "I'll be up in a minute." Usagi ended the transmission. "Everyone…?" Did everyone really mean everyone…?

Usagi hesitantly knocked on the door. She expected Rei to continue to yell at her once she entered the hotel room and the door was shut behind her.

The door opened and she was greeted by Seiya. "Odango, you made us worried." Relief was in his eyes now that she was back. He moved to the side to let her in.

"…. I just…" She couldn't find the words when she spoke to Seiya. He embraced her for a moment and then led her to where Yaten, Taiki, Rei, and Minako sat. Usagi felt some of her tension disperse when she realized there were five others in the room with her.

Usagi was directed to an empty chair. The group waited for her to speak, she was sure Rei told them what happened up until the point she left Earth to travel to Pluto. Usagi told them she was unable to see Sailor Pluto since she was not there and the Moon Senshi were unsure of her current location. None of the Moon Senshi heard of the senshi she described. Sailor Oberon and a few other senshi were going to review the books at the library on Mercury to search for information to try to help them.

"I hope they can find something," Minako commented, glad to have the Moon Senshi involved as well. She didn't want to admit it out loud but she worried at the thought of four senshi and Prince Endymion investigating everything. She didn't want them to be in danger while she and the Three Lights are supposed to continue the concert like nothing happened. She had to respect Usagi's decision. Yet a small part of her was relieved she would be able to continue on with the concert. As soon as they were done in South America, they were going to return to Boston if the matter wasn't resolved. She hoped it wouldn't take the full month. She wanted it to be simple.

Usagi finished discussing her conversation with the Moon Senshi. She told them about her run in with the new senshi on the Silver Millennium.

"She sounded angry," Taiki reflected on the comments the senshi had made to the Starlights during a previous encounter. "She had a personal connection to what happened. What kingdom could she be referring to?"

"Beryl was from Earth… she attacked the Earth first…or so I thought. What if what we thought we knew about Beryl is wrong?" Rei asked the group.

"She seems to keep repeating that she is the protector of Earth." Seiya couldn't shake the feeling that it was somehow related. There was another question he wanted to ask but given the nature of the question, it was not something he wanted to ask in front of them. He would wait until after they left and he would have a moment to speak with Odango. He had other news to tell her that he just learned today. He was sure it would upset her and wanted to inform her in private.

"So basically we are at the same spot we were in yesterday." Yaten sounded bored when he stood up. "Right now we are talking in circles. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." He looked over at Taiki, Seiya, and Minako. "We need to start wrapping up whatever we need to before noon tomorrow."

"Noon?" Usagi looked at him confused. She was missing something. What happens at noon? The Lights had a few days off before they traveled to South America. She looked over at Seiya.

"I'll explain in a minute." Seiya was frustrated at Yaten for bringing it up before he had a chance to speak with Usagi. "I guess you guys should start packing." The cat was already out of the bag.

Usagi looked at him with a puzzled expression. She waited for everyone to leave to ask him, "Seiya, what is going on?"

"Can I talk her privately?" Seiya asked the others in the room. Without a word, the others left granting his request.

"Today, the concert promoter in South America reached out to our manager and they want us to leave for South America right away for promotional events before we start our concert series. There was nothing we could do. They already booked our flight to leave at noon tomorrow." His voice softened when he had to say it out loud. "We'll be gone for a month… I won't be able to see you until we're done…" He wanted to apologize for this sudden change. "I really wanted to spend the next few days trying to help you Odango to figure out this new senshi…" His voice trailed off, he knew he sounded like he was making excuses.

Usagi didn't respond but closed the distance between them and hugged him closely to her.

"Odango," he whispered and hugged her back tightly. "I'm sorry I have to leave so abruptly. But… I guess if I leave sooner that means I can get back here sooner?" He tries to make light of the situation even though it was not true.

"It's okay, Seiya. I understand." She broke the embrace. "I know what I signed up for." She smiled sadly. "You can't disappoint all of your fans. Besides, it is only one month. We were apart a lot longer than that before. I can always talk to you on the phone! I think we'll still be in the same time zone… or at least close to the same time zone…" Usagi scratched her head, she couldn't remember.

Seiya knew Usagi was trying to be strong but she was upset. She had every right to be, she thought she had more time with him. "It is only temporary. Then when we are both in Japan, the next two months I'm all yours."

Usagi nodded her head slowly.

Seiya chuckled a little. "At least you get to miss winter."

"Huh?" Usagi looked at him in utter confusion.

"South America is in the southern hemisphere so that means it is winter there while it is summer up here."

"Oh wow. I didn't pack any winter clothes!" Usagi laughed with a hand behind her head.

They both laughed for a few more minutes before Seiya redirected their conversation to the mysterious senshi. "Odango, there was a question I wanted to ask earlier about this senshi, but I didn't want to ask it in front of the others."

"Oh?" Usagi's face became serious.

"This has been bugging me for a while. All of the planets in this solar system have a senshi, except Earth. Why is that?"

"Back during the time of the Silver Millennium… Earth was at odds with the kingdom for most of its history. It wasn't until the twenty years or so before the fall of the Silver Millennium that the Earth and the Moon were finally at peace. Crystals needed to harness the energy to become senshi and were given by the Silver Millennium to be protectors. The Earth was thought of as an enemy for centuries. I know my mother considered it…. But that was only after Endymion…" She paused. She wasn't sure if Seiya wanted to hear the rest of it.

"It's fine, Odango. I was the one that asked you." He reassured her.

"It wasn't until Endymion and I were engaged." Usagi's eyes lowered to the ground. "I don't know if the Earth had a secret senshi… but Seiya…." Usagi's eyes sadly widened as she recalled a previous dream. "Endymion had a sister in his past life."

Seiya's jaw dropped slightly. "Is it the same person?"

Usagi shook her head. "I don't know. I never met her. I only heard of her." Things started to fall into place. "That would explain why she keeps claiming she is the protector of Earth… but Seiya what if I'm are wrong? I don't want to say anything to Mamo-chan… what if it isn't her? I don't want to give him false hope that he might still have a family alive. Only to have his hopes shattered… again." Usagi closed her eyes tightly as thought about her predicament.

Seiya held her hands, he knew what she implied. She was supposed to be his family until recently. "I think we should keep this between us for now, Odango. I know you don't want to possibly hurt Mamoru-san anymore." He squeezed her hand lightly. "But during the next several weeks, when you talk to her, take that approach when you can to try to get information. If you are correct and catch her off guard, you might be able to confirm her identity."

Usagi nodded her head. It meant she would have to keep this from Rei, Michiru, and Haruka too. She didn't want to risk Mamoru knowing this theory until she was sure. He experienced too much pain in both lifetimes when it came to family. "If she is Mamo-chan's sister, I want to be positive before I say anything." She nodded her head again. "I'm sure the others will understand." She chuckled. "Of course we wouldn't find anything in the library at Mercury; it was supposed to be kept a secret."

"But that you have made things too easy, eh?" Seiya teased her. He glanced at the clock he was able to see over her head. It was nearly 1am. He still needed to finish packing and be ready to leave for the airport in ten hours. He needed to sleep and eat food. "Odango, I want to be able to spend more time with you. I still have a lot to do in the next ten hours or so."

Usagi tried to hide a yawn. "We should get breakfast tomorrow… around nine?" If it was later she could sleep in a little bit.

"Sure." Seiya agreed. He looked around the room and sighed. "I tried to keep things organized this time to make it easier to pack up and leave… but this happens every time." He always ended up buying things as a memento for each city. He had clothes thrown around his bedroom from immediately collapsing when he came back to sleep with the intention of picking it up in the morning, only to then have to hurry up and leave for some promotional events.

"I can stay a little longer and help you pack…?" Usagi offered. It felt a little awkward to help him pack to leave when she knew she was staying behind but she wanted to help him in any way she could.

"That would be great," Seiya was thankful for any help he could get. He knew he could sleep on the plane tomorrow but it also gave him an excuse to be with her longer. He smiled slightly. Sometimes he forgot that he didn't need to come up with excuses anymore to spend time with her. She was his girlfriend now. Sometimes it took a little while to sink in. Despite this recent attack, things seemed to be looking up.

---

Usagi pauses outside of Minako's hotel room door. She hates she is going to miss the rest of the tour she can't let anything jeopardize Minako's opportunity. She knocks on the door.

"Just a moment!" Minako calls out.

Usagi waits patiently at the door for several minutes wondering what is taking Minako so long.

Minako opens the door halfway. "Usagi-chan!" She answers with surprise.

"I want to stop by and wish you luck on the rest of tour Minako-chan." Usagi's comments are sincere. "You're not ignoring your duties as a senshi." She wants to encourage Minako as much as can to prevent her from feeling guilty from leaving where there is an attack brewing.

"If this isn't over by the time the tour ends, I'll be back to help." Minako responded with a look of determination in her eyes.

Usagi nods her head. "I know." There is a pause. "I should be going, I'm sure you have a lot to do and I am going to be meeting Seiya soon."

"Thank you Usagi-chan." Minako reaches forward to hug her for a moment. "I never would have had this opportunity if wasn't for you." She then laughs for a moment. "We've come a long way, huh?"

"Yeah." Usagi sighs. "I'll see you at the airport in a little bit?"

"Hmm." Minako agrees. Once Usagi is gone, Minako lets out a sigh of relief and closes the door. She leans again the door for a moment. She knows they were lucky this time. This is the closest anyone has come to finding out. She's lets out another sigh of relief.

"That was Usagi-chan wishing me good luck."

"Did she suspect anything?"

"No," Minako reassures him. "I don't think anyone does. I'm amazed we were able to keep it a secret this long."

He smiles at her. "Hopeful that will continue to be a secret for a bit longer." He walks back over to Minako puts his arms around her. Yaten holds her close and kisses her on the forehead.

---

Usagi couldn't believe it was already time to say goodbye to everyone. She said goodbye to Minako first. "Minako-chan, you've done an amazing job in all of your concerts and I know you're going to continue to do great. Focus on the concerts. We will handle everything here." Usagi tries to reassure Minako.

"Thank you, Usagi-chan." Minako smiled brightly at her kind words. "We will be back before you know it." Minako winked. She walked over to Rei to say goodbye. She wanted to give Usagi some privacy to say goodbye to Seiya.

Seiya led Usagi a little bit away from the group so they could say goodbye until after the tour. Seiya wasn't sure what to say at first. He knew it was for a short period of time but he still worried about her.

"I'll be fine," Usagi tries to reassure Seiya. "I'm sure we will have everything wrapped up before you guys come back." Usagi tried to sound very confident.

"So you're going to have all the fun without me, eh?" Seiya teased her.

"Fun?" Usagi was surprised by his word choice. "Have fun on the rest of your tour, and try now to work too hard."

Seiya's eyebrows widened. "All we do is work." Seiya grumbled a bit. But he knew it was part of being an idol. Seiya became serious. "I'm going to miss you, Odango." He leaned forward and hugged her tightly.

Usagi wrapped her arms around Seiya. "I'll miss you too." She whispered softly. She knew she didn't have much time left with him. "They're probably going to yell at you soon to get going."

Seiya broke the embrace. "They can wait another minute. If I don't kiss you now I'm going to have to wait another month, and that is too long." He didn't give her a chance to say anything. He leaned in and kissed her deep on the lips.

When they broke apart, Usagi smiled up at him. She could feel a few tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes. She was trying not to show any tears. She kept reminding herself it was only a month. Nothing bad would happen.

They spoke for a few more minutes and then it was time for them to say goodbye.

Seiya walked forward to join Minako, Yaten, and Taiki.

Good luck! I know the shows will be great." Usagi tries to sound cheerful saying goodbye to everyone.

"We'll keep you updated," Rei reassures them.

Seiya turned around to look at Usagi one last time before he had to walk down the hallway to the plane. He waved and Usagi waved back at him. He turned around to face his fellow tour members, "Let's go to South America."

Yaten, Taiki, and Minako gave enthusiastic responses. They walked ahead of Seiya; they were more looking forward to seeing another part of the world.

Seiya slowly followed everyone onto the plane. He was glad he was able to spend time with Odango this morning and say goodbye to her at the airport. Little did he know, it was the last time he would see her before everything was turned upside and all that he worked for would be gone.

---

Sailor Pluto waited until she was alone with Sailor Charon after their meeting with Sailor Callisto. They are running out of time. "We have to be ready in a few days. Past that, I'm not sure how much longer we can hold off speaking with Sailor Cosmos."

"Is that enough time?" Sailor Charon asked in disbelief. "But we still don't know the best way to harness the key's power. What if we are wrong?"

"Our backs have been up against the wall many times and each time we have been successful. This time will not be an exception." Sailor Pluto said with determination in her voice. "We have come too far to just give up."

Sailor Charon nodded her head in agreement. "The Queen does not belong with that Starlight. She needs to return to Prince Endymion." Her mouth parted slightly, surprised at something she said. "We've often spoken about not being sure if we had enough power, but when this key was developed… was the additional power of the Pluto crystal, and the garnet orb factored in? My powers also increased since she awakened as Neo Queen Serenity. I'm not sure what the new limits of my abilities are."

Sailor Pluto nodded her head. "This is very true. But I'm still concerned it might not be enough energy to turn back after such a long period of time."

"Then it might be time to involve a few of the other Moon Senshi that do not wish to see the Queen with the Starlight. They would be able to amplify our abilities." Sailor Charon argued once more. She wanted to involve some of the others.

"It's too dangerous."

"Then what about Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune? None of the senshi dislikes the Starlights more than the two of them."

"No. They are needed to be in Boston to continue to help Sailor Cosmos with the dirt creatures."

"She can handle them on her own," Sailor Charon raised her voice. She couldn't believe how stubborn the Princess of Pluto was acting. "It sounds like the new senshi isn't even really a threat."

"We have to spend our remaining time on being able to find the most effective means to harness the key's power," Sailor Pluto tried to calm Sailor Charon down. "We need to return to the Time Streams. If we are unable to use the key then trying to involve the others would be useless."

Sailor Charon slowly nodded her head in agreement. She still believed it was a mistake to not speak with the others to gain their support. She didn't care how dangerous it was. She knew the others wouldn't care either, as long as Serenity and Endymion were back together, as they should have been.

---

Usagi was quiet when she left the airport with Rei. The Three Lights made sure they would have transportation back to the hotel. Usagi and Rei slowly got out of the car. Rei attempted to thank the driver in English before they left.

Rei waited until they were back at the hotel. "Was there anywhere you wanted to go, Usagi?" Rei knew Usagi was upset to have to say goodbye to Seiya and wasn't sure what Usagi wanted to do next.

"We… should try to figure out what is going on. I want to speak with that other senshi again." She had to find out if she was Mamoru's sister but didn't know how to go about determining that. "The sooner we figure this out… maybe we can go to South America to catch the last show?" Usagi said, flashing the V sign.

Rei shook her head side to side. It was a typical Usagi answer. She had one idea but she wasn't sure if Usagi would be up for it. "Should we go and see Mamoru-san? He knows the city best and … well… you seem to be attacked often when you are with him which tends to cause the other senshi to appear."

"You… want to use me as bait?" Usagi looked at Rei carefully.

Rei blinked a few times. "I wouldn't quite say bait…" Rei realized how silly it sounded. The more she thought about it the more she realized Usagi did sound like she was bait. "Well… did you want to go see Mamoru-san?"

"… Sure." Usagi finally responded. She knew she needed to see the other mysterious senshi regardless.

"Let's go back to the room to call Mamoru-san and see if he can meet us somewhere." Rei suggested.

---

A short time later, Rei, Usagi, and Mamoru again walk the streets of Boston searching for clues. This was becoming routine for them. They didn't know where Haruka and Michiru were. They tended to like to handle things on their own.

Mamoru noticed Usagi seemed to be more quiet than usual. It was obvious to him something was bothering her. She often walked a few steps behind Rei and Mamoru as if she was lost in her own world in deep thought.

"Is Usako okay?" Mamoru quietly asked Rei when they were a little bit further ahead of Usagi.

"The Three Light and Minako left this afternoon to continue their tour in South America," Rei quickly explained. She figured if she kept her explanation short and simple it would be enough for Mamoru.

"Ah." Mamoru responded. It was his turn to walk quietly as thought about the first time he left for America and said goodbye to Usako at the airport right before Sailor Galaxia attacked the airplane full of passengers. After a moment he spoke up again. "Most of the attacks seem to be populated areas that lead up to the theater. Should we start there?"

"It's worth a shot," Rei didn't have any other ideas. She looked behind her at Usagi. Usagi seemed to be slowly following them. She assumed Usagi would follow them wherever they went.

The trio slowly walked around Boston for several hours. They were beginning to feel discouraged; they did not come across an attack. It seemed like when they wanted an attack to occur nothing happened and when they wanted peace an attack always transpired.

Usagi was now walking next to Rei and Mamoru. The three of them talked periodically about various topics to help pass the time. The trio seemed to work well together considering their past histories that both girls dated Mamoru at one point.

Usagi and Rei were discussing their adventures in New York on the subway and going to the garment district. Rei talked about some of the fashions they saw and how Minako could try to incorporate a few of the ideas into some of her outfits in the future.

Usagi's stomach growled. Rei and Mamoru sighed. "We've walked around all this time! Of course I was going to burn off a lot of energy!" Usagi argued. She didn't realize how hungry she was until that moment.

"There is a good burger place not too far from where we are," Mamoru said, double checking the street signs to make sure he was correct. He knew he couldn't go wrong with burgers. It was quick and simple. A short walk later they ended up at a Shake Shack.

Usagi's eyes widened when she realized she could get a large shake with her burger. As soon as her order was ready she devoured her food. She had to stop drinking her shake a few times when she started to get a brain freeze. As soon as the brain freeze passed, she resumed drinking her milkshake.

The group left Shake Shack and continued their quest for information. The sun was beginning to set over the city. The longer they went without any new information, the more they became discouraged. It almost felt as if the day was wasted.

Then they heard it; noise from up ahead. It was a loud banging noise. Usagi and Rei held their pendants as they rushed forward mentally preparing for another attack. They were getting closer to the corner and heard loud yelling. A large crowd gathered around the person yelling. It was a street performance. Dejected, they slowly walked away.

Usagi realized she spilled some of her milkshake on herself earlier. "Ugh!" Usagi gripped. She looked around sheepishly for a bathroom to try to clean up. She found a bathroom a few minutes later. Rei and Mamoru waited outside.

Rei and Mamoru ignored the people that were shouting again. They assumed they were related to street performance. A few people ran by. They strained to see what was going on as a large crowd of people bolted in their direction. They fought with the crowd to slowly move forward. A bright flash of light ahead caused them to double their efforts. A minute later they finally moved past the crowd. The mysterious senshi was attacking several of the rock creatures. She was surrounded.

The senshi saw a group of rock creatures appear behind Mamoru and Rei, lunging forward. "Behind you!" She shouted a warning.

Rei and Mamoru turned around; Rei didn't have enough time to transform.

"Cosmos Twilight Flash!" A large burst of energy hit the creatures, shattering them into several pieces, leaving Rei and Mamoru unharmed.

The other senshi watched Sailor Cosmos closely to determine her next move. She ignored the few remaining creatures that were behind her, ready to attack.

"Brilliant Barricade!" Sailor Cosmos created a shield around the other senshi to prevent her from being attacked.

The senshi redirected her attention to the creatures behind her. "Gaia Maelstrom!" The creatures vanished within seconds. She turned back to Sailor Cosmos to face her. "Thank you."

Sailor Cosmos nodded her head and walked forward. "We never had the opportunity to finish our conversation we started on the Silver Millennium."

The other senshi took a few steps forward. "I was under the impression there wasn't much left to discuss."

Sailor Cosmos' rings flashed for a brief second. She walked forward, closer to the other senshi. "It seems we both want to stop the creatures that are attacking the Earth. Perhaps, we can work together to stop them?"

Mamoru and Rei did not say anything. The other senshi did not know their other identities yet and didn't want to jeopardize anything. They both understood Sailor Cosmos' actions. They didn't know who she was yet but they had the same enemy. If they began to gain her trust, they would be able to figure out her identity.

Sailor Cosmos knew if she asked the other senshi again who she was, she would receive the same answer and it would only cause anger. Instead she asked, "How did you know who I was at the Silver Millennium?"

"Everyone knows the legend of Sailor Cosmos from my kingdom. Though, we weren't sure you actually existed." Her eyes lowered slightly. "I wish they were still around to know that you are real."

"You sound as if you are the last from your kingdom."

"…Yes." The other senshi finally responded. She took a half step back to distance herself. She already gave Sailor Cosmos more information that she had planned.

Sailor Cosmos walked forward a little more. "I understand that if we plan to work together, it is customary to shake hands?"

Rei watched Sailor Cosmos closely. This didn't sound like Usagi. It was like she was plotting something but she couldn't figure it out. She bit her tongue. Whatever it was, she was sure there was a solid reason behind it.

The other senshi hesitantly extended her arm when Sailor Cosmos approached. "I guess we can both agree to stop the creatures to protect Earth. Past that, we'll see."

"Agreed," Sailor Cosmos responded. She reached out with an outstretched hand. The two senshi shook hands. Seconds after their hands shook, a bright light flashed from the pinky ring on Sailor Cosmos' hand.

The other senshi recoiled her hand. "What is going on?'

Sailor Cosmos took a few steps backwards. She felt dizzy as images flooded her mind. The images were of this senshi at her past kingdom and in this lifetime. When she touched the senshi's glove she absorbed memories of the wearer's time as a senshi. Fortunately for Sailor Cosmos, the other woman had not been a senshi for too long. Thirty seconds later, the images no longer flooded her mind. Sailor Cosmos stared at her wide eyed. She knew which kingdom the senshi belonged to. She didn't want to use her power this way but she had to know.

When Sailor Cosmos did not answer her right away, the other senshi became upset. "This is some kind of trick isn't it?" She angrily turned around and began to storm off.

Sailor Cosmos knew she had to say something now before she lost her chance. "Princess Rosalinda, wait."

The other senshi stopped dead in her tracks.

"She used one of her abilities… it's why her ring flashed…" Rei whispered in shock to Mamoru. She recalled the moment when Neo Queen Serenity received her memories back.

"Who is Princess Rosalinda…?" Mamoru repeated slowly. The name did not sound familiar to him.

The senshi in the olive green fuku turned around slowly to stare at Sailor Cosmos. "No has called me that since the fall of my kingdom. That flash of light… it must have something to do with it. How do you know who I am?" Her demeanor was no longer friendly. She viewed Sailor Cosmos knowing about her past as a threat.

"I should have figured it out sooner. You blame the Silver Millennium for the destruction of your home but it was Queen Beryl that attacked the Earth before she went on a rampage and destroyed the Silver Millennium. She… devastated both kingdoms that night." Sailor Cosmos tried to reduce the anger she could sense was building up in the other woman.

"You again speak as if you were there."

Sailor Cosmos knew there was no turning back now. "I was, but not in the form you see me in now."

The other senshi stared at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?" She didn't understand what Sailor Cosmos meant. How could someone be there but not in the same form?

Sailor Cosmos took a deep breath. She wasn't sure how the Princess would react when she revealed her other form, but it was the fastest way to explain everything. It was also the only way to remove any doubt who she was about to claim to be. "I could explain it…. But it is better if I show you." She closed her eyes for a moment and the eight pointed star flashed on her forehead for a brief second before it vanished and was replaced by a golden glowing crescent moon. Her fuku once again lengthened into its full floor length dress. Her heart shaped odangos were replaced with round ones. Neo Queen Serenity once more appeared on Earth.

The other senshi stared at her while she tried to process what she just witnessed before her. She questioned if anyone else was alive after seeing Sailor Mars. "Queen Serenity…" She slowly said. "I don't understand… I thought you died with your kingdom." The senshi's shock began to wear off and transform into anger. "And isn't it your duty to protect your kingdom? How could you let my brother die there?"

"My mother did die; I am her daughter, now Neo Queen Serenity." The Queen planned on explaining how her mother used her powers to reincarnate those that perished at the Silver Millennium but the other senshi never gave her the chance.

The other senshi could feel her anger boiling over. "Serenity!" She hissed, rushing forward at the Queen. All of the anger she felt over the years was directed at the women in the white gown. It was because of her, the Moon Princess; her own brother abandoned the kingdom, his home, to warn the Silver Millennium of Beryl's imminent attack. Now he was dead. Energy crackled in her hands. All she could think about was hurting the person in front of her that caused her so much grief.

Neo Queen Serenity was shocked by the senshi's actions. She assumed the senshi would be angry but not to that level.

Instinct took over Mamoru. Neo Queen Serenity was in danger and he needed to protect her. In a flash, Prince Endymion stood there in front of her, his sword raised, ready to strike.

The senshi stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the Prince from Earth. Tears streamed down her face. "Endymion… you are alive…" She smiled slightly. "So it was you all along."

Endymion did not understand what was happening before him. Who was this person? How did the senshi know him? "Who are you?"

"Lower your sword Endymion," Neo Queen Serenity quietly directed him as she placed a hand on his arm. The last thing she wanted to see was the two of them fighting.

Prince Endymion was shocked by Neo Queen Serenity's words and turned around to look at her. He did not understand. He directed his questions to her now. "Who is she and what is going on?"

Rei stood a short distance behind, watching everything unfold. She had a suspicion of what the Queen would say next.

"Endymion," Neo Queen Serenity spoke softly, she wanted to make sure she had his full attention before she continued. "This is Princess Rosalinda of the Golden Kingdom, Sailor Earth."

Prince Endymion took a moment to process the information. He remembered Serenity told him he had a sister in his past life, a sister he couldn't remember since he never obtained his memories back from the Silver Millennium other than the attack on the palace. It was as if his own mind sealed the information away from him in order to protect him from something. He pushed the thought to the side. "My… sister…?" He finally sheathed his sword. He wasn't sure what else to say.

Sailor Earth slowly stepped forward, closing the gap between herself and Endymion. "When you first arrived at Harvard, you looked just like him but I didn't want to say anything in case I was wrong."

Prince Endymion looked at her carefully, "What do you mean, when I first arrived?"

Sailor Earth lightly tapped her broach and reverted back to Ayumi.

"Ayumi-san…" Prince Endymion slowly said her name. He struggled with all the new information at once.

Ayumi looked at Rei and stated, "You didn't seem so surprised by this so I'm assuming that makes you Sailor Mars."

Rei nodded her head. "We were all reborn."

"Aino Minako-san is a friend of yours… if I recall correctly that would make her the leader, Venus." Ayumi stated, not missing a beat. But there were still a few pieces she did not understand.

Prince Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity reverted back to their normal forms. It was clear this new senshi was on their side once she knew what happened at the Silver Millennium and that they were still alive.

"To answer your question," Ayumi directed her statements to Mamoru, "Several times I thought I saw someone that looked like you but each time I was wrong. I had to tell myself to accept the fact that you died." She now directed her attention to Usagi. "I thought the Queen could not be a senshi."

"When I was reborn, my mother made sure I could be a senshi to protect the planet against Queen Beryl when she would return. In order for us to be reborn, everyone that night at the Silver Millennium had to be reborn. She could not pick and choose who would be reborn. It was all or nothing. She did what she could so Earth would be protected in the future." Usagi looked down for a moment. She knew what Ayumi would eventually ask. "It wasn't until recently that my powers as Sailor Cosmos awakened."

Ayumi wanted to address the elephant in the room and ask why she wasn't with Mamoru given their past history but decided against it at this moment. "Tomorrow I would like to take you to the remains of our kingdom." Ayumi said to Mamoru and the others. "I'm afraid it is a long drive; teleporting requires too much energy to do so each way as well as walking for hours through the ruins."

"I can take us there tomorrow," Usagi offered.

"Are you sure? I did that once and it took hours to recover. Something about that area seems to have a dampener on abilities. I can't figure out why." Ayumi neglected to mention how much traveling to the Silver Millennium took out of her.

"Usagi teleported over ten senshi from a planet beyond Pluto, I'm sure she will be fine." Rei came to Usagi's defense. She neglected to mention the part where she teleported thirteen people to Kinmoku.

"Over ten senshi… how are there so many… oh right, Queen Serenity's secret guard, the Moon Senshi." Ayumi then remembered the other two senshi she came across. "Who were those senshi with long hair and wore black?"

"Those were the Sailor Starlights. They are from Kinmoku and have helped us protect the Earth several times." Usagi explained, she hoped that was enough of an explanation.

"Kinmoku… of course. I remember them on Earth long ago. They were trying to see if anyone in this galaxy inherited the abilities of Cosmos. I guess they weren't too far off." Ayumi looked at the others and knew she had to speak with Mamoru if she wanted to obtain the information she really wanted. "How about if we meet at school at ten in the morning? It will give everyone a chance to sleep in a little bit."

"Great," Rei smiled and nodded her head. "Usagi and I will walk back to the hotel. It will give you a chance to catch up."

"See you tomorrow," Usagi left with Rei.

When they were out of earshot Rei whispered to Usagi, "Did you know Ayumi-san is Mamoru's sister?"

"I didn't know it was Ayumi-san. I wasn't sure if the senshi we met was Sailor Earth. I never met her, Endymion spoke of her in the past. I didn't know Sailor Earth existed or considered that a possibility until yesterday." Usagi paused; she didn't want to discuss the conversation she had with Seiya the previous night. "I had to find a way to make sure. I couldn't tell Mamo-chan until I knew for sure. I didn't want to give him any false hope that a member of one of his families might still be alive."

"Usagi…" One of the qualities everyone admired about her was always the things of others before herself. One thing bothered Rei. "You should have told us."

"I didn't know if I was right until just now… when I saw some of her memories as Sailor Earth… seeing the Golden Kingdom destroyed…" Usagi's voice grew quiet. "So much destruction." Her mood brightened a few moments later. "But I'm glad that Mamo-chan was able to find his sister." Usagi smiled brightly to know he still had family. "I wonder… would we ever have met her if…." She didn't want to finish the sentence.

Rei knew what Usagi implied. "Who knows? But I don't recall ever seeing a Sailor Earth in the future. I always thought that there wasn't a senshi of Earth because Prince Endymion protected the planet instead."

"A Prince instead of a senshi? I never thought about it like that." Usagi was surprised at Rei's reasoning. "Either way, it's been a long day and we need some sleep for tomorrow!"

---

Ayumi couldn't wait any longer; she had to ask, "What really happened between you and Usagi-chan…er Serenity? I'm not going to buy it's a long story anymore. Something happened."

Mamoru sighed, he had a feeling this would come up sooner or later. Ayumi already understands their relationship from their past life and how complicated it ended up making the relationship in the present.

"I still don't know much about you, your past or anything about life at the Golden Kingdom." Mamoru countered. He also had so many questions he wanted answered.

Ayumi quickly developed a plan, "How about I tell you what you want to know and you tell me what happened. Something doesn't add up."

It would be an exchange of information. "Sure…" Mamoru finally agreed. "Did you want to go somewhere to get coffee or tea?" He sensed they would probably end up talking for hours.

---

Ayumi and Mamoru sat down a short time later in a small diner. Ayumi decided to start at the beginning and discuss their parents and their home. She shared some of her favorite stories and wanted to give him a sense of who their parents were.

Mamoru periodically asked questions for clarity. "How did you become a senshi? It seemed like the other girls never heard of Sailor Earth."

Ayumi smirked. "Well originally there was no Sailor Earth. The Silver Millennium and the Golden Kingdom were not on positive terms. Why were other planets granted longevity but not Earth? You along with our parents went to the Silver Millennium to try to work something out. I was sick and unable to attend. That is when you met Princess Serenity and the two of you hit it off. Your engagement only improved things. During a visit, mother was given a sailor crystal to be used to create a new senshi. Eventually I was given those powers since I was the Princess. But it was all kept in secret to avoid angering the other planets that still questioned Earth's loyalty."

"How was the Golden Kingdom destroyed?"

"Beryl began to rise to power and defeated many of the smaller kingdoms. You left to warn the Silver Millennium since it would only be a matter of time. I guess you hoped they would be able to defeat Beryl. Shortly after you left, Beryl breached our kingdom. As soon as she learned you were gone, she destroyed the kingdom. She didn't want anyone to warn Queen Serenity. I tried to stop her but I wasn't strong enough. Father was unable to get the Golden Crystal since it was sealed after a long war against the Moon decades before. The kingdom quickly fell."

Mamoru silently sipped some of his coffee. Now he felt partially responsible. "Tell me about the Golden Crystal. I've heard of it before."

"You have? From where?" Ayumi was surprised he knew of the crystal that was his birthright.

"The Moon Senshi and Sailor Pluto. I don't know much about it but from what I understand it was a part of the Golden Kingdom." It still sounded strange to say our kingdom when speaking to Ayumi. The person sitting across from him was supposedly his sister but she is still a stranger to him. Why did he remember so little from the time of the Silver Millennium? He felt like he was cursed to not know his parents in two lifetimes. Yet, sitting across from him was someone that was shedding light on his family at the Golden Kingdom, the family he thought he would never know.

"Sailor Pluto… I haven't heard that name in a long time." Ayumi put her coffee back on the table. "Our family was unique, only males could harness the power of the Golden Crystal, whereas at the Silver Millennium, only the females. Many believed your union would be unbeatable with both crystals." Ayumi cast her head downward. "But I don't know if we can ever get the crystal. It is blocked behind a series of doors. I was not able to get past the first door since it required two different palm prints from our bloodline to open the first seal. Tomorrow I want to explore what is there."

"That sounds great," Mamoru said, enthused at the prospect of being able to find the Golden Crystal. He wanted to be able to help Usako and knew he would be able to help her more if he possessed stronger abilities. "I want to see as much of the kingdom as possible."

"Sections of it are still intact, but there are also parts of it that are complete rubble. A portrait our family survived. I left it where it is. It didn't seem right to remove it from our parent's room. I was also worried it would be damaged if I tried to move it. I couldn't risk it."

"How is it that the kingdom has not been found by archeologists?" Mamoru had examined many past ruins of kingdoms in books or on-line hoping one of them would seem familiar, that one would remind of his past home but he felt nothing.

Ayumi smiled. "You can thank the crystal. Mother tried to explain it once, but I didn't understand how it works. I just know it protects the palace from those that don't belong. It might also be something that has to do with why it is difficult to teleport there. I don't think it will be an issue for Sailor Cosmos if she is as powerful as legends say she is… combined with the abilities of the Moon Princess, the potential… is scary."

"She is very powerful," Mamoru agreed. "I have seen her save the world time and time again." Mamoru still had several questions he wanted to ask Ayumi. "How is it that you survived the attack and not our parents?"

Ayumi shook her head. "I don't know. I've been asking myself that question for years. I'm assuming I was unconscious for a long time. When I woke up America was at war with Japan. A lot of time passed. I've barely aged since then. I'm assuming my abilities as a senshi have significantly slowed my aging process. I had to quickly learn to adapt to the new era. I got by on odd jobs here and there but after a while I had to keep moving since I didn't age. Eventually I met a family I stayed with and learned Japanese. The husband was a doctor and helped everyone regardless if they could pay. After while I learned a few things from him and he inspired me to become a doctor."

"That's amazing," Mamoru could see several similarities between them.

Ayumi turned serious. "I've been talking for the past two hours, it's time I get a chance to hear your side. From what I gather, Queen Beryl attacked the kingdom and everyone was reborn after Queen Serenity used the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou." Ayumi didn't want to hear about the fall of the kingdom and the details surrounding everyone's death. "You guys were reborn on Earth. How did you guys meet?"

Mamoru knew he couldn't avoid the subject forever. He slowly told her about his first encounter with Usako and leading up the battle against Zoisite and the revelation of the Moon Princess. Queen Beryl essentially kidnapped him and turned him against Sailor Moon and what they believed to be the final battle against Queen Beryl. He told her what happened when the Black Moon initially attacked and the nightmares he had. He told her he was worried something would happen to Usako if he didn't listen to them so he broke up with her.

"You what? You seriously broke up with her because of some dreams and you didn't tell her?" Ayumi couldn't believe his actions. "I hope you figured out who was sending you those dreams and beat them up."

"Yeah… eventually I figured it out but that wasn't until later." Mamoru discussed Chibi Usa and her role as Usagi's "cousin". He discussed how they got back together after Usagi had a similar dream. He discussed Rubieus' attack on the city and how it led to them to travel through the Time Streams to the future, to a city called Crystal Tokyo.

"Wow…" Ayumi finally spoke after she put down another cup of coffee. She lost track of how many cups she had had. "I can't believe you were able to travel to the future. I thought that was taboo."

"Chibi Usa had a time key that was given to her by Sailor Pluto." Mamoru attempted to explain. "I know very few can travel through time without that key. The Black Moon was one of the exceptions. We still don't know how they were able to manage it."

Ayumi didn't understand why Mamoru referred to the younger girl as just Chibi Usa when she was supposedly Usagi's cousin. There was something more to the little girl. She waited for Mamoru to explain why he did not use a suffix for her. How close were they?

"Once we arrived at Crystal Tokyo, it didn't take long to figure out who had sent those nightmares." Mamoru paused. There was no easy way to say this and no matter how he worded it, it did sounds ridiculous years later. How could his future self think it was a brilliant idea? That future self never had Chaos awaken in Usagi.

"Don't just leave me hanging there, who was it? How long did it take for you to beat him up?" Ayumi was at the edge of her seat, anxious to hear who this mysterious person was.

"It was… King Endymion, my future self."

Ayumi opened her mouth but no sound came out. She tried several times to speak before she was successful. "That is the craziest thing I've heard all decade. Why? How?"

"It was supposed to be a test for us. We were supposed to learn that we could handle anything as long as we were together."

Ayumi shook her head, thinking to herself if she was Usagi she would be angry with him too. But that happened a few years ago. There were more recent events. "I just… wow." Ayumi could manage much more on the topic at that moment. "So who is this Chibi Usa person you keep talking about?"

"She…." He thought about how he wanted to word the information. "She is the daughter of King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity."

"What!?" Ayumi yelled loudly. She then covered her mouth. She didn't realize she had gotten so loud in the diner. A few people stared at them. "What do you mean daughter?"

"She is from a timeline where her parents are King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity." He neglected to mention how the timeline changed so much since then.

"… so you guys have a future daughter…. But you're still not together…. What the hell happened?" Ayumi couldn't understand how and why they weren't still together.

Mamoru shot her look. "It's been a long night. How about if we pick this up tomorrow?"

"Finish telling about this Black Moon and your return to the present first, then we'll call it. I'm sure you have a lot more after that." Ayumi at least wanted to hear the rest of this tale.

Mamoru sighed. "Okay. But then that's it for tonight." He reluctantly agreed. He finished telling her about the battle in the future against the Black Moon and defeating the Death Phantom.

"One quick question… you never mentioned the other Outer Senshi except for Pluto, where are they during all of this?" Ayumi finished her coffee and placed the mug back on the table.

"We didn't meet them until the next enemy. Which is where we will continue tomorrow." Mamoru quickly tried to end the conversation.

"It seems like everyone related to you is a senshi," Ayumi said as they headed to the door. "Let me guess, Michiru-san and Haruka-san are celebrities and senshi."

"…" Mamoru grinned nervously. He couldn't deny it since it was the truth and she would figure it out sooner or later.

"It is true!" Ayumi tried to keep her voice down. "Wow…" She froze and turned at him. "Now don't tell me something crazy like the Three Lights are part of this too."

Mamoru didn't respond.

Ayumi's jaw dropped. "You mean…. The ones in black that I saw… but… but… they are guys… right? I thought, I mean…. But the senshi were girls." Ayumi didn't understand how males could be senshi.

"Kinmoku is very different from here."

"So I heard," Ayumi responded. It took her a few minutes to begin to piece it together. "Wait a minute… Kinmoku… Sailor Cosmos was originally from… Kinmoku…" A few pieces began to fall into place. But she still had so many questions. "I have so much to ask now."

"Tomorrow."

Ayumi pouted a little. "Fine, tomorrow." She eventually agreed. "And I won't tell anyone about these … celebrities we discussed. I know how important it is to keep an identity." Although the others did not reveal their identities to her, she did not want to break the trust of Mamoru and others in the group.

---

The following morning, there was a knock at Mamoru's door. It was only eight am, there was no way Usagi and Rei were at the university this early. He barely woke up thirty minutes ago. Trying to hide a yawn he looked through the peephole in the door. It was Ayumi. His first thought normally led him to think there was an attack. "What's going on?"

"I wanted to hear the rest of the story." Ayumi responded, full of energy.

"So there isn't an attack?"

Ayumi looked at him confused. "No. Why would you think there was an attack?"

"Because it is eight am and we are not supposed to meet with each other for two more hours." Mamoru wanted to avoid telling her the rest of the story for as long as he could. He didn't realize she would be so persistent. They made an agreement yesterday and she kept up her part by telling him all about the Golden Kingdom. He knew he had to keep his part.

"I figured it would be better if I knew the rest of the story before we met up with Usagi-chan and Rei-chan." Ayumi was not going to accept no for an answer despite Mamoru's reluctance.

Mamoru considered it for a moment and gave in. He moved to the side to let her in. He didn't want to discuss his whole history in the hallway for other students to overhear.

Ayumi sat down in an extra empty chair in the room. She placed a small backpack on the floor. She crossed her legs and placed her hands on her lap. She was attentive, waiting for Mamoru to continue.

Mamoru sighed and closed the door. "You're really persistent. You know that?"

"That is how you know we are related. Our family was always stubborn. We never gave up when we were after something." Ayumi explained. "But enough delay; we only have so much time until they arrive."

Mamoru was surprised by Ayumi's bluntness. "Alright," He said as he sat down in a chair across from her. "I believe I mentioned meeting Sailor Uranus and Neptune for the first time." He began to discuss the Death Busters, Mistress Nine, Sailor Chibi-Moon, talismans, the Holy Grail and Super Sailor Moon. He then discussed the Dead Moon Circus, Pegasus, and Helios.

"Helios… I haven't heard that name in ages. You know he was once related to the Golden Kingdom?" Ayumi interjected. "He was a priest for the palace for years until he wished to return to Elysion."

"Wow…" Mamoru stared at Ayumi in disbelief. "Helios never told me he was related to the Golden Kingdom. But I wasn't able to help everyone during the final battle."

"What do you mean?"

"When the Dead Moon attacked the Earth, they were slowly poisoning the Earth. It led to me becoming weak and sick. I tried to push past it but I collapsed. If I went with them I would be a liability."

Ayumi gasped. "I know what you are talking about! I felt the same way for several years for a few days. I thought I had a bad version of the flu. Then it quickly passed. I thought I dreamed the Earth was in danger." Ayumi felt silly. "I can't believe I didn't know what was going on."

"You were tens of thousands of miles away at the time. There was no way for you to know," Mamoru didn't want Ayumi to beat herself up over something that would have been impossible for her to know. "Look at it this way, if you ever feel that way again then you know the Earth is in grave danger."

"So… what happened? How were they defeated?" Ayumi wanted to move on to hear more of the battle and what led to the breakup of Serenity and Endymion. She listened as Mamoru spoke of the final battle against Nehellenia and the mirror shards, including the one that landed in his eye. Sailor Chibi-Moon disappeared in Usagi's arms when her future was in question due to the battle.

Ayumi didn't want to interrupt but she had so many questions regarding Chibi Usa right now. Did she disappear in the present? She wanted to ask the question but based on how things appeared before her, how could Chibi Usa not disappear if Usagi was with Seiya? She decided against asking him.

Mamoru began to discuss the first time he left for America. Usagi said goodbye to him at the airport and he gave her a heart shaped promise ring. Shortly after the airplane departed, he was attacked by Sailor Galaxia. She took his starseed and he died. During that time, Usagi met Seiya when the Three Lights initially began to gain their popularity in Japan. He was revived at the end of the battle when Princess Serenity defeated Sailor Galaxia with the help of the Sailor Starlights. The other senshi also lost their starseeds. After the battle ended, the Starlights returned to Kinmoku. Seiya attempted to tell Usagi how he felt but Usagi told them they would always be friends and didn't understand what he was really trying to tell her.

Mamoru began to discuss when the Starlights returned to Earth a year later. Their talk was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Ayumi looked at her watch and frowned. It was already 10:15am. She knew she would have to wait for the rest of what happened. She wondered what happened when the Starlights returned to Earth when it sounded like everything was running so smoothly for Mamoru and Usagi. They were in the early stages of planning a wedding after Usagi's graduation.

Mamoru opened the door and was met by Usagi and Rei.

Usagi was about to say good morning but ended up yawning. She laughed nervously with a hand behind her head. "Good Morning!" She was finally able to greet them.

"Good Morning." Ayumi greeted the two younger women. "I packed some food for us. We should be leaving soon. There is a lot I want to show you." She began to dig inside her backpack and pulled out a notebook and map. "Usagi-chan, I wanted to show you the area we will be traveling to." Ayumi spent the next several minutes showing Usagi an area on the map that was in another state. "It would take us nearly half a day to travel by car. I'm grateful for the chance to be able to teleport there with your help."

"I would love to see the Golden Kingdom," Usagi responded with a smile. She always wanted to see Mamo-chan's home, but it felt funny to say those words out loud now. "We should transform here, and then teleport out." She looked over at Rei and nodded her head.

Rei took a step back from the others. She lightly touched her crystal pendant, "Mars Eternal, Make Up!" Flames consumed her and when the flames were reduced to embers, Sailor Mars stood there.

The room was smaller than Usagi initially thought and moved to the side also. She didn't want the others to be hit by any energy expelled when she transformed. She took a deep breath. She wasn't sure why but she still felt nervous. She had felt this way for the past few days and she couldn't shake it. She pushed those feelings to the side again. She tried to reassure herself the feelings would disappear after she seen the remains of the Golden Kingdom. "Cosmos Crystal Power, Make Up!" Usagi was once again surrounded by prism color light as her odangos took on a heart shaped appearance while they turned white to match her pure white sailor fuku. When the light faded, Sailor Cosmos stood there with her staff.

Ayumi knew it was her turn. She would have to travel as a senshi as well. She pulled out a golden pen. The bottom half of the pen was colored in a dark shade of blue. The top half was gold and a golden circle around a small circle. It looked like a planet in orbit and identical to the Inner Senshi's original transformation pens. "Earth Power, Make Up!" Blue and green light swirled from the pen. The blue light washed over her and formed part of her fuku. The green light erupted up the ground beneath her and formed her boots and olive green skirt. She struck a pose with her arms raised in a fighting/boxing stance.

Mamoru transformed into Endymion with significantly less of a fanfare. He closed his eyes for a moment and his clothes became the armor worn by the Prince of Earth. He opened his eyes and looked at the three senshi before him in his dorm room. This was not how he pictured his short vacation between semesters.

"I need the three of you to stand next to each other," Sailor Cosmos instructed the group. "It will make it easier to teleport. I'm going to go a little slower since I have never been there but it will take an extra minute or so, I don't want to overshoot the location."

"An extra minute…?" Sailor Earth slowly responded. "Just how fast can you travel?"

"I can be at the Silver Millennium in seconds," Sailor Cosmos responded without hesitation. "I believe I can be at Kinmoku in roughly thirty minutes, several galaxies away. I never really timed myself. I haven't traveled there often."

"Kinmoku…" Sailor Earth slowly repeated. Of course, Sailor Cosmos was from the Kinmoku star system and it was where the Sailor Starlights were from. Did this somehow influence Usagi? It was a question she would have to ask Mamoru the next time she got a chance to try to figure out what happened. She couldn't help but wonder if they would get back together. It was clear to her that Usagi still cared deeply for Mamoru or she wouldn't call him Mamo-chan.

The glow from Sailor Cosmos' staff redirected Sailor Earth's attention. She looked over at Sailor Mars and Endymion. Both seem calm they were about to teleport at a high rate of speed.

---

Within what seemed like a blink of an eye, the four of them stood near several mountains. There were no remains of a kingdom anywhere.

Sailor Cosmos was confused, she thought she followed the path Sailor Earth showed her on the map. She looked over at Sailor Mars and Endymion; they shrugged their shoulders.

"It's okay," Sailor Earth reassured them. "If you have never been here before, you won't see the palace unless someone reveals it to or you are from the Golden Kingdom."

"But I still don't see anything," Prince Endymion tried to not display the frustration he felt. His previous home was supposedly in front of his face and he couldn't see it.

"Give it a moment," Sailor Earth responded while she tapped her broach. "I wanted to try to keep this place hidden from everyone else. I didn't want the remains of our home scattered in museums across the world."

The group continued to stare ahead looking for anything that would give the appearance of a palace. Several minutes passed, and the mountain area still looked the same. Endymion, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Cosmos continued to stare at the area, waiting for a change. Finally, a small spark of light shimmered in the air for brief seconds.

"Let's go," Sailor Earth directed the group moving forward. The group slowly followed her. She slowly walked forward and the air around her shimmered before she seemed to disappear. The other three quickly followed afterward, worried they would lose her. They seemed to walk through a non-visible barrier.

Endymion gasped at the sight of the remains of a castle. A few towers remained and few small structures. The rest of it was a collection of partially standing walls, rumble, and debris. The stone was a blend of colors between beige and gold.

The Golden Kingdom was in better shape than the Silver Millennium had been in prior to its restoration. Sailor Cosmos vaguely had an image of what the palace used to look like based on the few memories she had seen from Sailor Earth when she touched the senshi's glove the other day. Without a clear image of the palace it would be extremely difficult to restore the palace to how it used to appear.

Sailor Mars stood silently with the others, absorbing the sight in front of her. In the past year she had seen so many places in ruins or partial ruins on many planets. It made her wish she would have seen the structures when they were first built.

"Welcome to the Golden Kingdom, well… what remains. The sections that are intact are actually the living quarters. You have to be careful since some of the areas have loose stones and the structures are slowly falling apart." Sailor Earth explained to the group. "I want to show you part of the palace grounds before we make our way inside. There are a few areas of interest I have never been able to get past… it takes a palm print of two different family members." She turned to Endymion. "It might be where the Golden Crystal is kept. I'm not sure if disrupting its resting place will cause damage to the remaining structures."

"You mean if traps surround it," Sailor Mars clarifies. She knew what Sailor Earth implied. She just wanted to make sure everyone was on their guard to avoid any injuries. They were already relying on Sailor Cosmos' abilities enough and didn't want to see the Queen over exert herself.

"Regardless if there are traps, I want to see as much of the kingdom as I can." Prince Endymion hoped a tour of the grounds would help jog his memories and he could recall more of his past life.

"Lead the way," Sailor Cosmos added with a smile. She knew how important this was to Endymion to finally have answers about his past. She hoped they were able to find the Golden Crystal and it would give him a purpose.

"I'm not sure where to start… other than explain how the palace used to function and the purpose of some of the other structures that used to be here. After that we make our way forward to the remains that are still standing before us." Sailor Earth slowly discussed her thoughts with the others. The group nodded their heads in agreement and waited for Sailor Earth to continue.

For the next hour and a half, the group walked around the outer edge of the palace while Sailor Earth showed the group where different areas of the palace once stood. She stopped by a few trees that remained. One tree had a few growing branches on it and another one was in full bloom with sakura. "Like many tragedies that have occurred during the centuries, there are always a few trees that survive. Just like the Haiku Jumoku after Hiroshima or the recent attack in Oklahoma City. The Joshua Tree still remains. It's a sign that despite what horror happens, life will go on for the survivors and they will rebuild." Sailor Earth paused when she realized the four of them were all considered survivors of the attacks from Queen Beryl. She felt comfort to know she was not alone anymore.

Sailor Earth spent a few more minutes discussing the garden that used to surround the tree. It contained many roses of several different colors. She turned to look at Endymion, "You always loved this place. Mother thought you were more interested in being a gardener than learning how to be a future King."

Prince Endymion smiled. "Roses have always been the prettiest flowers." He was beginning to see the tie in with red roses and being Tuxedo Kamen. The sun was now directly overhead, meaning it was around noon already. "We should keep moving. I want to make sure we have enough daylight to see everything."

"I have flashlights once we enter the inside area. The further inward we go, the less light we will have. Without the original structure intact the design to have each room filled with natural light is lost." Sailor Earth explained to the group. She led the group forward about one hundred meters. There were a few pillars that were no more than several feet off the ground. "These pillars…" She paused, "were once parts of the archway of the main palace door." She walked forward and discussed what the hallway looked like that led to the grand ballroom.

Sailor Cosmos was surprised at how different the layout of this kingdom was compared to the Silver Millennium. She had assumed the layouts would be more similar since they were from the same period of time. "This palace is much larger than the Silver Millennium…" Sailor Cosmos commented as she took in the sights before her.

"This palace was built shortly after the Silver Millennium… there was more land so the palace could be larger. Many hoped due to its size, it would be the central place for the planets to meet rather than the Silver Millennium. However, many still preferred Queen Serenity and continue to conduct business at the Silver Millennium."

"I didn't realize that there had been so much bad blood between the Earth and the Moon prior to your parent's visit to the kingdom." Sailor Cosmos slowly said. For the longest time she thought the Silver Millennium was the beacon for the galaxy. Over the past years she was learning more and more how others had viewed her home. The Dead Moon, the Black Moon, and now the Golden Kingdom. "I guess there are always two sides to the same story after all."

"History is always like that," Sailor Mars added. "It is why there is always conflict. Each side wants what is best for them even if it costs someone else." She wished history would stop repeating itself but it was always the same. The only question was which country and what would the tragedy be.

Sailor Earth paused several times to point out structures to the group. This continued for another hour. She paused as she began to draw near the living quarters. She decided to show them chambers for the King and Queen first. The room was mostly intact. Their closets were still full of clothes. She paused by a painting of the family.

Endymion slowly walked over to the painting, hoping it would jog his memory. He paused looking at the painting. It was the first time he was able to see an image of his parents. The painting also contained two children, Rosalinda and Endymion. If he had had any doubts about his relationship with Ayumi, she was in the portrait next to him. His gut told him the painting was authentic. He continued to walk around the room hoping something, anything would trigger a memory. Still nothing. "I don't get it…" He finally admitted to the group out loud. "I thought being here would trigger some kind of memory but nothing."

"Your memories really seem to be buried deep in your mind. I'm not sure what it would take for you to have your memories returned," Sailor Earth was beginning to have doubts if Endymion would ever receive his memories from this life. She turned to Sailor Cosmos, "How did you regain your memories back?"

"I received limited memories back the first time we fought Queen Beryl. More of my memories began to return shortly before I became Queen. One of the abilities I gained as Sailor Cosmos, allows me to touch an object and gain its history… essentially the memories of that object. Moments after I became Queen, that ability was triggered when I touched a bracelet I had in a previous life. Within moments, I saw my entire life at the Silver Millennium."

"So it wasn't until you became Queen…" Sailor Earth repeated. "Wait… is that what happened yesterday? You used your ability to figure out my identity?" She was in disbelief and taken aback by Sailor Cosmos' sneakiness.

Sailor Cosmos knew how it would sound. "I'm still trying to learn to control my abilities… these powers are still somewhat new to me." It wasn't a complete lie. She did need to learn to control her abilities more; she just didn't want to admit that she planned on using that ability to learn Sailor Earth's identity.

Sailor Mars remained silent; she didn't want to start an argument between Sailor Earth and Sailor Cosmos. There was still so much to learn. "This room is well intact. Are there other rooms similar to this one?" She wanted to change the subject.

"Yes… my old room is a door or two down, as well as Endymion's." Sailor Earth began to walk toward the door to leave.

"My old room…" Endymion repeated. "I would love to see it."

"Sure. We can go there next," Sailor Earth led the way to his old room. She moved to the side to allow Endymion to enter the room. She wanted to give him a few moments alone in the room to collect his thoughts.

Prince Endymion slowly walked over to the dresser. For some reason, that object seemed familiar, something told him to start opening the dresser drawers. He slowly pulled on the knob and carefully opened the dark wooden drawer. There were a few shirts folded up and a letter in an envelope. The envelope had a seal with a crest. He carefully opened the envelope, the paper felt delicate in his hands and didn't want to risk ruining it. He pulled out the paper and slowly unfolded it. It was a letter, writing in a dark black ink. It was in language he could not read. He sighed.

Sailor Earth walked over to him and tried to read the letter. She frowned. "I can't read it. I don't recognize the language… but I think I have seen these symbols before near where the Golden Crystal is believed to be concealed. You always wanted to study languages to be able to communicate with multiple planets without the need of a translator. You thought it gave a personal touch that the royal families would appreciate." She smiled. "You were right; it did leaving a lasting impression on several." She passed the letter back to Endymion.

Sailor Cosmos was close enough to see the seal on the envelope, a very tiny crescent moon underneath the letter S in Lunarian. She didn't need to read the letter to know what it contained. It was an ancient love letter she had written to Endymion. Sailor Earth could not read Lunarian. Sailor Cosmos was not about to offer the information to her. She did not want to have to read the letter out loud, about her undying love for him. A part of her felt guilty for her decision to choose Seiya in this moment. She would always have some feelings of guilt for not staying with him, but she could not let her past continue to dictate her future.

Sailor Mars noticed the tension in Sailor Cosmos' body at the sight of the letter. She didn't press the matter. She assumed it was something she had written in her past life. Luckily they were standing behind Sailor Earth and Endymion.

Endymion continued to look through the drawers for anything. The rest of the contents were clothes. He walked over to a desk next to window and found a lot of documents. The writing was different than the others but he still could not read them.

"Those belong to a project you were working on with father to improve transportation in the city and the surrounding areas. The farmers found it difficult to sell their crops over great distances and you took it on as a project to try to solve the problem." Sailor Earth looked down the paperwork. "You were going to present your proposal to the ministers the following week and it was all you could talk about until the attack." She didn't want to rush Endymion when he was in his old room. They could skip her room and then move on to where the Golden Crystal was believed to be hidden in the lower chambers of the palace.

Endymion walked over to a bay window. Glancing out the window, he mostly saw rumble a dirt field. "There used to be a lake there…" His eyes widen when he realized for the first time, he had a memory of his past life, one that he remembered. It might be small but it was his.

Sailor Earth was surprised by his statement. She walked over to him. "You're right. There used to be a lake there but with rising temperatures and little rain, the lake eventually dried out a few years ago."

Endymion looked around the room again but nothing seemed to jog his memory this time. He assumed he would have to settle for the small glimmer he had. "Earlier you mentioned a section that was closed off to you."

Sailor Earth was surprised at first how quickly Endymion wanted to leave his room already even though he just remembered a minor detail. He was anxious to move forward to other areas. "It will take us a little while to reach the lower chambers. We have to be careful due to rumble and the only light we will have will be from our flashlights."

Twenty minutes later, the group began their decent down the staircase. With each step they took down the spiral staircase, the passage became darker and darker.

The flashlight Sailor Mars had in hands went out. "Ahh." She tried shaking it a little bit but it didn't help, the battery was dead. She turned around and went back up a few steps, waving her arms slowly. She knew she just passed one.

"Rei-chan, what are you doing?" Sailor Cosmos shouted after her. She was perplexed by the senshi's actions. "Everyone else is going the other way!"

"Give me a minute, Usagi!" Rei shouted back at her, infuriated. "I have a plan, just be patient!" She walked up a few more steps. Her fingers finally brushed against a wooden cylindrical object. She felt for the base of the object and slowly lifted it up from the wire mesh that held it in place. It was a little heavier than she anticipated. She carefully retraced her steps back down to the others.

"You came back with a stick?" Sailor Cosmos was amused to see Sailor Mars with what she thought was large wooden stick.

Sailor Mars rolled her eyes at Sailor Cosmos. "It is not a stick! It's a torch!"

"But we need fire, where do you think we are going to find fire—" Sailor Earth stopped speaking when she realized how silly she sounded. She was asking the senshi of flames where she was going find fire.

"Stand back a little." Sailor Mars instructed the others. She turned her back to them; she wanted to make sure that any extra sparks would not land on them after she ignited the torch. "Fire Soul!" She pointed at the torch with her free hand, and flames shot out of her index finger. The top of the torch was now full of flames. The torch illuminated the area better than any of the flashlights. Sailor Mars smiled at her small victory. She felt like she contributed and was helpful to the group. "Lead the way, Sailor Earth."

Sailor Earth smiled and turned back around to continue walking down the spiral staircase. "We still have a long way to go. After the staircase, there are several hallways we must travel, and a few more passageways."

For the next several minutes, the group did not speak as they continued down the stairs. Sailor Earth led the group, followed by Prince Endymion, Sailor Cosmos, and Sailor Mars.

Sailor Cosmos began to notice her mind wandering to the Three Lights. She wasn't able to reach Seiya last night due to the long flight and a publicity event shortly after the landed. She hoped everything was going well. The group still had a few days before their first concert in South America. A part of her wanted to sneak down to South America to see him. She could also use her Luna Pen. She smirked thinking how much Luna would yell at her if she knew what she was thinking about using the pen for. She wasn't paying attention to her footing and stepped funny on her heel. She began to fall forward with a surprised sound, "ooooohh!"

Sailor Earth froze when she heard the bizarre sound coming from Sailor Cosmos. She didn't understand what was going on.

Sailor Mars tear dropped as she saw everything unfolding in front her. It was typical Usagi behavior tripping over herself and she had a front row seat. Of course when she fell, she fell forward into Endymion and nearly knocked him over.

Prince Endymion was startled by the noise behind him. He abruptly spun around just in time for Sailor Cosmos to fall forward. Out of habit, he caught her in his arms and held her close for a moment, preventing her from falling down more and hurting herself.

Sailor Cosmos could feel her cheeks blush being in his arms. "Thank you… Mamo-chan." She realized she was trapped in his arms until he let her go.

Endymion held her for a moment, enjoying the feeling he had missed so much. He didn't want to let go, but he knew he needed to. It would only makes things more awkward for everyone. "Are you okay?" He asked; he wanted to make sure she wasn't hurt and he wasn't sure what else to say. He hated the idea that she wasn't his anymore but it was not something he was about to get into when Sailor Earth and Sailor Mars were present.

Sailor Cosmos tried not to look at him. She didn't want him to see her blushing. She kept her head down.

Endymion finally let her go and turned around to resume walking down the steps. He didn't have to see her face to know she was blushing, he could tell by her mannerisms. Over the years, he learned to read her body language.

Sailor Mars watched the interaction but didn't say anything. She knew Usagi will always have feelings for Mamoru and Seiya, no matter who she chose. She seemed pretty adamant when she chose Seiya. Sailor Mars couldn't help but wonder if Usagi would change her mind. Time would tell.

Sailor Earth didn't know what to say. She immediately picked up on Sailor Mars' and Endymion's actions. They made it seem like it was normal for Sailor Cosmos to trip and fall. She wanted to say something but decided against it. She would have a lot to say to Serenity tomorrow after she heard the rest of the story from her brother later tonight. She had to find out what happened between them. She couldn't comprehend how Serenity, who followed Endymion into death in a previous life, would no longer be with him. Serenity even knew of their future together and met their daughter Chibi Usa. She took a deep breath. She could begin to feel her anger boil but now was not the time or place. She needed to turn her attention to the door she was trying to open with Endymion. "Everyone needs to be careful; the steps become a little bit narrower as we get to the bottom of the staircase."

The group continued down the staircase without another word. Each was lost in their own thoughts.

Ten minutes later, they were finally at the bottom of the staircase. The air was noticeably cooler. Sailor Earth waited at the bottom of the stairs for everyone to catch up. "The hallway ahead narrows and we have to walk single file." She turned to back to face the others, "Sailor Mars, can you walk in front with me? The torch gives off more light than any of the flashlights."

"Sure," Sailor Mars carefully moved past Sailor Cosmos and Prince Endymion to stand behind Sailor Earth.

The hallway in front of her was much brighter now. "Thank you." She turned around to walk forward. She smirked. This left Prince Endymion and Sailor Cosmos at the back of the group. She hoped it might lead them to talking or something. For now, she would settle for both of them being in close proximity to each other.

Endymion was about to walk forward but hesitated. He gestured for Sailor Cosmos to walk in front of him. If something were to happen to the group, he wanted to be able to shield Sailor Cosmos from any possible danger from behind. He wasn't sure if any of the rock or dirt creatures would appear.

Sailor Cosmos hesitated. She felt funny walking in front of him when she knew he was anxious to see his home. But she understood what he was doing. She wasn't going to argue. She smiled slightly and walked in front of him. Inwardly, Sailor Cosmos was beginning to realize how long of a day this had been. They have been at the Golden Kingdom for hours and she didn't have issues until she seen the old love letter she wrote in a previous life and tripped down the stairs. She was always so clumsy. She kept walking forward and came to an abrupt stop when she realized Sailor Mars and Sailor Earth had stopped.

There was fork in the hallway. Sailor Earth hesitated and looked at both hallways. She should have paid better attention. Each hallway looked the same. She walked over to the wall of one and looked for a small mark she made with a pocket knife she had brought last time. There was no mark. She examined the second hallway and found a mark. This was the way to go. "We're going to take the path to the right," Sailor Earth finally declared.

"Are we still under the palace?" Sailor Cosmos asked. "It seems like we have been walking for a while."

"You're right. No, we are no longer under the palace, but in the mountains that are beyond the palace. My parents had several hiding locations in these passages in case of an attack. Ironically Beryl stuck too fast for them to get to safety." Sailor Earth continued to walk forward. The rest of the group followed her silently for the next several minutes. She paused at the corner of a hallway to check the wall again for a mark. She checked both walls and after a few moments found the markings that confirmed she was on the right path.

Sailor Earth turned around to face the group. "We are almost there." She began to feel anxious at the thought of being able to get past the first door. She hoped they would be able to free the Golden Crystal.

A few minutes later, they finally arrived.

"Endymion," Sailor Earth explained, "the two of us are the only living people that can open this door. It requires two different palm prints from the royal family. It was initially meant to be a fail-safe. No one anticipated nearly the entire family would perish at once." She waited a moment for him to walk past Sailor Cosmos and Sailor Mars.

Endymion now stood next to Sailor Earth. "What do we do next?"

"Place your palm on that green box," Sailor Earth pointed to the box on a stone slab. She carefully took off one of her gloves. She didn't dare de-transform in case she needed her abilities as Sailor Earth. She placed her right hand on a blue box, similar in appearance to the one Endymion touched.

The panels came to life and emitted a dim gold light as it read each palm. Once the scan was complete, a low rumbling sound was heard as the door slowly rose from the ground. It was the same technology that was used on several other planets. Palm scans were common during the age of the Silver Millennium. The technology was lost for centuries when it was believed the members of the royal families were dead.

Once the door finally opened, Sailor Earth entered the room, Endymion close behind. Sailor Mars followed after since she knew they would need the light from the torch. Sailor Cosmos was the last one to enter.

Sailor Mars found another torch in the room. She grabbed it off the wall and put it against the other one in her hand. She now held two flaming torches. It was a good idea when she first thought of it but then realized she couldn't do much holding both of the torches.

"Let me take one of those…" Endymion offered while he grabbed the newly lit torch. After he had the torch he walked back over to Sailor Earth.

"I don't believe this…." She said quietly in disbelief. There was one more door. "I don't know how to open it. I don't understand this writing… it looks similar to the ones from that letter you had earlier."

Endymion walked forward and looked at the writing. "I don't understand it either. Without being able to interpret it, can we get in?"

Sailor Cosmos took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She hoped they wouldn't ask about the letter. "Let me see."

Sailor Earth was surprised by her remarks. "Unless you can read an ancient language, I'm not sure you can help."

"It's worth a shot," Sailor Cosmos said with some cheerfulness. Looking at a few of the characters across the room she recognized it had Neo Queen Serenity's native tongue. She walked forward to examine the characters. "It is Lunarian."

"So… a dead language that no one speaks." Sailor Earth grumbled not putting the pieces together.

"A language nine people in this universe can speak." Sailor Cosmos corrected her. "But reading it is more difficult than speaking it…" She realized she could be here for hours and continue to struggle with its reading. Her eyes widened when she thought of the time she became Neo Queen Serenity, the language flowed without a problem. Yet she struggled as Sailor Cosmos. "I wonder…." She closed her eyes while a crescent moon mark appeared on her forehead. If anyone could help solve this mystery it was the Queen, not Sailor Cosmos. It should amplify her ability to read the characters. Her body grew bright as she transformed into the Queen. The staff of Cosmos remained with her.

Sailor Earth had mixed feelings seeing Neo Queen Serenity stand in front of her in the remains of the Golden Kingdom. She held resentments for how the Moon had treated the Earth in the past. But right now, she needed help from someone from the Moon if she wanted to try to free the Golden Crystal.

Neo Queen Serenity carefully studied the glyphs. She didn't speak for several minutes until she could give a summary of what she read to the others. "Behind this door lies the Golden Crystal. But it can only be awakened by one that is worthy. It can only be freed at a time when the Earth and the Moon are at peace."

"When the two planets are at peace…" Sailor Earth repeated. "So it's true, the Golden Crystal was imprisoned by the Silver Millennium after the war."

"A war that occurred before any of us in this room were born." Neo Queen Serenity tried to redirect Sailor Earth's focus to point out the problem occurred a long time ago.

"What do you think it means, when the two planets are at peace?" Sailor Mars wanted everyone to focus on the message and what it would take to free the Golden Crystal they kept hearing about.

"I'm assuming a time when the fighting ended." Neo Queen Serenity responded. She didn't want to continue to speculate. "There is more to it. It looks like there is a seal on this door; one that can only be broken by the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou."

"So we can't open it…" Sailor Earth said dejectedly. "The crystal hasn't been seen since the battle against Beryl when Queen Serenity used it."

Neo Queen Serenity smiled. "The crystal is a lot more resilient." The orb on her staff began to grow brightly as a round silver light began to emerge from the orb. The Ginzuishou flowed in the air and the staff disappeared.

Sailor Earth was speechless watching the events unfold. She underestimated the resources of the Queen significantly. For the first time, she really believed it was possible to obtain the Golden Crystal without any obstacles that could not be overcome.

Neo Queen Serenity used the light from the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou to help illuminate the characters in front of her. Part of the characters included instructions on how to break the seal on the last door. It wasn't easy and it seemed the crystal she held in her hands was the only way. There were several warnings about the Earth and some of the people in case the person that broke the seal did not know about the past. She disregarded the warnings. She knew the people of Earth are not like the ones described in this passage. After all, she was reborn on Earth and in a sense could now be grouped in with the people of Earth. She chose not to share the warning that was written. She knew it would anger Sailor Earth.

The crystal flickered in the Queen's hands. She spoke quietly in Lunarian in deep concentration. She was about to tempt something she had never done before and needed to focus all of her being into this one task.

Endymion, Sailor Earth, and Sailor Mars watched her every movement carefully. They didn't want to miss anything. They also knew there was nothing they could do help Neo Queen Serenity complete this task, other than not disturb her in any way. This was something only she could accomplish.

Neo Queen Serenity could feel the other's eyes on her. When she finished reading the incantation, she closed her eyes. She focused on the energy she felt from the crystal between her fingers and began to visualize its power being able to open the door and restore the crystal hidden within to its rightful owners. She knew it would finally give Endymion the power he searched for, the power he wanted to be able to protect the Earth and with a little luck, perhaps some of the memories he craved of his past life.

Suddenly a pulse wave emitted from the crystal. The ground beneath them shook for a moment, causing the three behind the Queen to become nervous. Was that supposed to happen?

A few moments later there is a rumbling sound coming from the direction of the door with the characters written on it. The slab of stone began to shift ever so slightly. The Maboroshi no Ginzuishou pulsed again, sending more energy at the door and this time the characters on the door lit up with a white light. A rumbling was heard once more as the door began to slowly rise from the ground.

The door seemed to take an eternity to Sailor Earth to rise to the top and lock in an open position. She couldn't believe she would finally see the crystal she had often heard her parents speak of. Its power was second only to the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou. She looked over at Endymion; she hoped her brother would be able to handle the power.

Neo Queen Serenity let out a deep breath as the light from the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou began to fade. She exerted more energy then she initially anticipated and staggered a few steps forward. She didn't understand why a task that seemed so simple required so much energy.

Endymion rushed forward to check on her. "Are you alright?" He placed an arm around her shoulders to help steady her.

"I'll be fine. I just need a moment," the Queen responded with her eyes closed. She focused on her breathing to reduce the pounding in her head. She wasn't sure if the pounding was from the energy she just used or from being so close to Endymion again. When she was Neo Queen Serenity and with Endymion, the feelings she had from him seemed to magnify even though Usagi made the decision to belong to another. "Go ahead, with your sister. I'll stay behind with Sailor Mars."

"Are you sure?" He didn't want to leave when she needed help.

"Yes. It won't take too long for my energy to recover." Neo Queen Serenity finally opened her eyes and smiled at him. She had to reassure him she was fine otherwise he wouldn't leave her side even if the Golden Crystal was in the other room. "Go ahead; the crystal should be in the next room."

Prince Endymion slowly removed his arm from around the Queen's shoulders. He hoovered for a few moments to make sure she was alright before he left her side. When she seemed stable, he began to walk away and head to the doorway. He slowly walked to the doorway and paused to look inside the room. A crystal pedestal with a golden object on it stood in the middle of the room.

Sailor Earth had already entered the room and approached the crystal. "This is it." She stared at the crystal in disbelief that it was finally in front of them. The crystal seemed dull. "There has to be a way to activate it…" She turned to Prince Endymion, "I'm not sure how, but I think you have to be the one."

Sailor Mars and Neo Queen Serenity entered the room. The Queen seemed fine.

"Did you find the crystal?" Sailor Mars asked when she noticed Prince Endymion and Sailor Earth standing by a pedestal. She didn't understand why they were just standing there when they went through all that trouble to free the crystal.

The Maboroshi no Ginzuishou suddenly flashed again and rose from the Queen's hands. Neo Queen Serenity was shocked by the crystal's actions and she looked down at the object floating above her fingers. The energy was directed at Sailor Earth.

Sailor Earth's transformation wand floated in the air in front of her. The symbol of Earth and an olive branch in gold appeared surrounded by a light green crystal. A pink wand with white wings appeared under the crystal. Sailor Earth felt a new wave of energy wash over her. Her round broach was now heart shaped, her back bow grew longer, a star appeared on her choker, and clear colored sleeves appeared. It was her super form. Sailor Earth gasped and looked down at her fuku. "How…"

"The crystal…. Upgraded your powers…" Sailor Mars explained to the other senshi. She couldn't believe how effortless it appeared to strengthen the other senshi's powers.

Sailor Earth looked at Neo Queen Serenity in disbelief. "How… Did you do that?"

"I'm not sure, but it seems the crystal strengthened your abilities as Sailor Earth. Though you are still not in your final form, Eternal." Neo Queen Serenity eyed Sailor Earth's new fuku. "Somewhere on this planet hidden is a crystal pendant. It is the key to unlocking your final form."

"Each of us had to go through a trial to find our respective crystals on our home planets." Sailor Mars chimed in, trying to explain some of the process to Sailor Earth. "But you have plenty of time for that."

Sailor Earth slowly nodded her head and then turned her attention back to Prince Endymion and the Golden Crystal. "I think it's time you woke the crystal up."

"Wake it up?" Prince Endymion repeated, perplexed. "How do you wake up a crystal?"

"The Golden Crystal was harnessed by our father, which means you are the only one that can use its powers to its full potential." Sailor Earth moved back to the pedestal.

Prince Endymion took a few steps forward until he was standing directly next to the pedestal with the crystal. He tried to learn as much as he could about the Golden Crystal from the Moon Senshi and Sailor Pluto but they were not able to offer much information, now the crystal lay in front of him. It was now or never. This was it. He slowly extended his arm out and his fingertips grazed the crystal. He closed his palm on the crystal and slowly lifted it up. Nothing happened. He looked at Sailor Earth, as if he expected something to happen.

Sailor Earth shrugged her shoulders as if to say, your guess it's as good as mine.

Prince Endymion looked down at the crystal again. He rolled the crystal in between both of his hands. Nothing happened; the crystal did not seem to have any reaction to his touch. Suddenly there was a golden spark of light in his hands. He gasped and looked down at the crystal in hands. It flashed brightly once, and then engulfed the room in golden light.

The golden light gradually dimmed. Endymion was no longer in his armor and wore a lavender colored tuxedo with white gloves, a white glasses mask, a dark purple cape, a white bow tie with a charm and a white staff with a now shining golden crystal on top.

"…King Endymion…" Neo Queen Serenity whispered. She couldn't believe the sight in front of her. She clenched her fists tightly. She didn't understand the reaction she was having to seeing him in that form before her. It reminded her of the future she was supposed to have. But she chose another path. Some events were destined to happen such as both of them being King and Queen, just at different times and different methods.

"King….?" Sailor Earth slowly echoed. Was this the version he had seen of himself in the future?

King Endymion was speechless at his own transformation. He hadn't expected this to happen from touching the Golden Crystal.

Before anyone could speak, the ground began to shake.

"I guessed this room did not like having the crystal disturbed, but we are so far underground!" Sailor Earth started to panic, she wasn't sure if they could make it back in time.

Neo Queen Serenity quickly sent the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou back to her staff and regained the form of Sailor Cosmos. She felt a sense of calm wash over her. "Gather around." She instructed everyone. Before she could use her abilities, the group was engulfed in a golden light.

The golden light dimmed and the group realized they had reappeared outside the palace near the entrance.

"That was close," Sailor Mars commented looking at Sailor Cosmos.

Sailor Cosmos looked at King Endymion in disbelief, "That wasn't me…" She walked a few steps closer. "I think you just used the crystals' abilities for the first time."

King Endymion smiled slightly, "Now if only I knew how I did that."

Sailor Earth watched the interactions between the King and Sailor Cosmos closely. There was still something there between them. She was sure of it. She needed to figure out what happened in order to push the two of them back together. It made her anxious to return so she could talk to Endymion alone to hear the rest of the story. "We should be heading back, it's late." The sun had already set, the Moon was rising in the distance.

Sailor Cosmos nodded her head in agreement. She looked at Endymion, "Let me handle that part. I'm sure it will take you some time to figure out your abilities. Just remember to be patient." She smiled as a way to encourage him. She then gathered energy from her staff and the group disappeared into the night sky.

---

Sailor Pluto put down the book she had taken with her from the time streams. She had finally found what she needed. "This is it," She declared and passed the book over to Sailor Charon.

Sailor Charon examined the book and read the passage Sailor Pluto indicated. "Finally!" She exclaimed; relief washed over her. All of the research finally paid off. For the first time in months, she felt like all the time they spent on their theory was not wasted. She let out a long sigh. "When do we begin?"

"Tomorrow, midday." Sailor Pluto responded immediately. "There are a few preparations I need to make tonight and we need to be well rested before we enter the time streams. Waiting any longer would jeopardize our plan. We are already taking a gamble trying to change the past two years. It is a difficult and dangerous task for both of us."

Sailor Charon frowned; she didn't hear Sailor Pluto discuss having other senshi assist them in their plan. It sounded like the two of them would be on their own. She couldn't help but notice Sailor Pluto's renewed confidence in their ability to change time. "You seem very upbeat."

"I'm looking forward to seeing Small Lady again and Crystal Tokyo." Sailor Pluto smiled. "I will be happy when this is over." There was one part of their plan she was not looking forward to. "Though I am not looking forward to dealing with an angry Princess Serenity. It will take some time for her to adjust to the new change."

Sailor Charon had to ask to be sure. "So does that mean the Moon Senshi will return to be encased in crystal on Nemesis?" She never considered how changing the past would affect her ability to be free.

"For a little while. The Moon Senshi were supposed to be imprisoned for a little while longer…" Sailor Pluto knew she couldn't lie to her, she wanted to be honest with Sailor Charon so she knew exactly what would happen and the risks that were being taken.

"A little while? You've said that twice. It makes me question just how long a little while truly is." Sailor Charon was not thrilled to learn this information but she knew it was the only way. "If that is what it takes to have the Princess reunited with her Prince and the other one to go away, so be it." She didn't want to say Seiya's name or even Starlight. He was the source of all this chaos and she was going to remove the chaos. She already resolved to do that much. "Are there any other preparations we need to finish? I want to make sure we have everything we need."

"No." Sailor Pluto neglected to tell her the last preparation she needed to make. "I think we should spend time with the Moon Senshi tonight and tell them we are leaving tomorrow to go to Earth."

"You want me to blatantly lie to them?" Sailor Charon questioned her in disbelief at Sailor Pluto's request.

"Lie no. We are leaving tomorrow. We will go to Earth… eventually."

"They're going to think we went back to Earth since Sailor Cosmos was searching for you."

"Exactly." Sailor Pluto answered with a smile. "After we are done, we will return to Earth. Therefore we are not lying to them, just neglecting to mention the stop we are making in the process."

Sailor Charon stared at Sailor Pluto in disbelief. She didn't realize Sailor Pluto could be that sneaky. "You've been spending too much time with Haruka-san. That sounds like something she would do."

"I've learned from the best," Sailor Pluto responded with a wink.

---

When they returned back to Harvard, Ayumi didn't waste any time cornering Mamoru to hear the rest of what happened between him and Usagi. Mamoru was reluctant at first but Ayumi had kept her part by telling him about his past and even taking him to the remains of the Golden Kingdom. He now possessed the Golden Crystal. He hoped that one day it would allow him to remember more about his past life.

Ayumi was glad she could finally sit down with Mamoru to hear the rest of what happened. It took a lot of self-control to not confront Neo Queen Serenity over the course of the day. She wanted to know the entire story. She was trying to determine what basis Serenity chose to be with the Starlight rather than with Endymion. She listened carefully to Mamoru when he discussed the final battle against Chaos and Princess Serenity was able to stop Sailor Cosmos. "It sounded like Usagi had a traumatic experience. I find it interesting she only kissed him when she was under Chaos' control. It wasn't something she would have done otherwise."

"While that is true, Chaos did have a lasting effect on her. One I'm not sure of all the consequences."

"So, Princess Serenity defeated Chaos, how did she become Queen and I'm assuming she brought everyone back."

"She did. It was shortly after that she decided she was going to leave with the Starlights to train her new abilities on Kinmoku. So she left."

"And you just let her leave?" Ayumi shouted louder at Mamoru than she intended.

"I tried to get her to stay but she already made up her mind. Uranus and Neptune nearly attacked her but they knew they were not powerful enough to stop her."

Mamoru's word choice put things in perspective for Ayumi. "Who would be powerful enough to stop her?"

Mamoru hesitated, "I never thought about it like that."

"But now that you have the Golden Crystal, it could be a different story."

"I can't fight her. I couldn't hurt her." Mamoru explained to Ayumi, somewhat angry that Ayumi would think that he would fight Usako to try to get her to change her mind. That is not how the two of them handle their differences.

Ayumi wasn't sure if Mamoru would ever get to the point of using the crystal against his beloved to move their story forward. "I imagine she came back to Earth with the Starlights."

Mamoru resumed his tale by discussing what he knew of her brief visit to Kinmoku, developing Moon Disease, restoring the Silver Millennium, the Moon Senshi, the rise of the Black Moon, and her new visions of the future due to her new powers as Sailor Cosmos.

"You gave up at that point." Ayumi accused him before he could continue.

"No, I didn't," Mamoru became defensive. "For a while she was unsure by her initial decision and agreed to go on one more date with me. At some point, Seiya-kun and I fought."

"I hope you gave him a black eye."

Mamoru smiled but didn't verbally comment. "Usako was very mad at us." His expression softened. "Eventually I learned she had seen the future of the current timeline when she became Sailor Cosmos. That was never supposed to happen in the previous timeline. She told me… it was too painful to be with me when she knew Crystal Tokyo didn't exist."

"So you need to find a way to make it so Crystal Tokyo exists again," Ayumi couldn't believe how simple the fix sounded.

"I wish it was that simple. I spoke with Sailor Pluto at length and there is nothing she can do. Sailor Cosmos seems to be making sure this timeline flows correctly. I've tried." Mamoru lowered his eyes in sadness. "She's not the same anymore, she used to only have memories as Serenity but now there are also past memories of another lifetime when she was the original Sailor Cosmos."

Ayumi didn't quite understand Mamoru's statement. "So you're saying she is three different people?"

"Look at it this way," Mamoru attempted to explain, "I lived this life for years as Chiba Mamoru before I knew about Prince Endymion. You were never reborn but had to change your identity in order to fit in."

"And Usagi-chan is different because there is a part of her that predates Serenity." Ayumi understood what Mamoru was telling her but it still didn't matter. He belonged to Usagi or Serenity. She had listened to his story and all the complications. He messed up a few times but no relationship was perfect. "Despite everything, what she did wasn't right."

"It was her decision. I can't force her to be with me." Mamoru wasn't sure where Ayumi was going with her train of thought. If Usako was forced to be with him, it would not be the type of relationship he wanted, it wouldn't be truly meaningful.

"You mean to tell me I'm the only one annoyed by her decision?" Ayumi questioned in disbelief. She knew Uranus and Neptune were mad at her decision, but were they still upset?

"Some of the other senshi were also upset with her and I think some still are." Mamoru was not about to list the senshi to Ayumi.

Ayumi was quiet. She didn't want Mamoru to think she was attacking him. "You weren't kidding when you said it was a long story." It was an attempt to lighten the mood. She began to understand Mamoru's frustration. He didn't just give up but he tried several times. She knew the person she needed to speak to now was Usagi.

Mamoru nodded his head in agreement. "It wouldn't be the same unless a person knew the whole story but it would sound crazy and it's not something you can tell a lot of people."

"Agreed." She wanted to change the subject a little but not talk about anything related to the break up. "So how does it feel to be King?"

"It sounds… strange in a way. I just hope after whatever it is that is going, we won't have to fight anymore. I want to be able to focus on my studies without worrying if the Earth is in danger once more." Mamoru shifted his weight in his chair. He knew it would be a while before he became used to anyone referring to him as King.

Ayumi realized how late it was. "It's getting late and I have a few things I need to do tomorrow."

---

Usagi plopped flat on her back on the bed in her shared hotel room with Rei. She stared at the ceiling but didn't say anything. She didn't speak much on their way back from Harvard.

"Usagi… you've been really quiet." Rei finally spoke up. She waited a few moments but Usagi still didn't respond. She knew what was bothering her; she had seen how Usagi reacted earlier. "It was weird to see Mamoru-san as King Endymion."

"I knew it would happen at some point… but to actually see it… especially when I was in the form of Neo Queen Serenity…" Usagi's voice grew quieter as a few tears trickled down her cheek. "It made me think of Chibi Usa."

Rei got up from her bed and sat down next to Usagi on her bed. "You miss her a lot?"

"Every day. And I know I won't see her again… I'll still have a child…or two… but I guess it's just… I don't know how to describe it."

"It hurts." Rei said bluntly. "But Usagi… I have to ask… Do you regret it?" She wasn't sure how Usagi would answer her question.

"Sometimes… when I feel this way… after seeing events that were supposed to happen, but then it passes. I know I'll feel better in the morning. I guess I just have to learn to get used to seeing him in that form, just like everyone had to get used to seeing me as Queen." Usagi closed her eyes tightly. She hadn't expected to feel this way. "I thought as more time passed, it would get easier."

"Usagi, you spent years preparing for a future that completely changed. It is understandable that you are still adjusting." Rei studied Usagi carefully, trying to understand what she was going through. Usagi has gone back and forth with her decision in the past and she wasn't sure if she was wavering again.

"I wonder how their tour is going…" Usagi suddenly spoke up. "Imagine all the delicious food we are missing out on…" She laughed lightly. "But I'm not sad about missing the cold weather."

Rei smiled. "I heard you say that you didn't pack any warm clothes."

"Well, yeah, it is nearly summer!" Usagi sat up and stretched a little bit. She turned a little more solemn. "I wish I could have seen more of the Golden Kingdom before it was destroyed."

"What do you mean more of the Golden Kingdom, have you seen some of it before?"

"In… some of Sailor Earth's memories… but it was under attack… from the brief images I saw, it was beautiful."

"Did you plan that all along, to be able to see her memories to determine who she was?"

Usagi didn't respond right away. "The thought crossed my mind… I guess it just kind of happened." Usagi didn't want to hold it back anymore. "I had to know who the senshi was."

Rei decided to change the subject a little bit. "The Golden Crystal seems powerful… I hope Mamoru-san is able to learn how to use it."

"I'm sure he will be able to, it just takes time," Usagi thought back to her struggles to learn how to use the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou. "It takes time to learn how to use a crystal like that." Her voice grew quieter, "Though I hope he doesn't have to use it. I would rather these youma disappear quickly."

Their conversation was interrupted by a late night telephone call.

---

The next morning, Ayumi waited in the lobby of the hotel for Usagi. It was time she confronted the Princess/Queen from the Silver Millennium.

Usagi checked her watch again, noticing she was a minute or two late. She was in the elevator on her way down. She was surprised by the sudden call from Ayumi late last night to meet today. She thought it might have something to do with the new powers she gained yesterday. The elevator doors opened and Usagi walked outed. She easily spotted Ayumi in the lobby, she did not look happy. It made Usagi feel uneasy.

When Ayumi first saw Usagi, she felt the need to yell at her. She went over what she would say to her multiple times in her head. She knew she couldn't start yelling at her in the lobby. "We need to go somewhere to talk more privately." The first place that came to mind was a park or walking path. It shouldn't be too crowded at this time of day. She decided to try Boston Common. It was an old historic park, not too far from the hotel.

Twenty minutes later, Usagi and Ayumi began to slowly walk on a deserted path. Ayumi knew yelling at her wouldn't work. It is a struggle to suppress her instinct for so long despite every fiber of being telling her to scream at Usagi. "I don't understand something," she finally spoke, "You followed Endymion into death, was reborn on Earth, learned you have a future daughter together yet still chose someone else. How?" Ayumi couldn't hold it back any more, the longer she spoke, the icier the tone.

Usagi was not used to Ayumi's bluntness. "It was my choice," Usagi finally responded. She never got to finish.

"How could you do that to him?"

"You weren't there. You don't know all of what happened."

"Mamoru-san told me everything…. It might have taken a lot of bugging, but I finally got the whole story from him."

"The whole story?" Usagi began to feel her own anger rise. He didn't have a right to tell Ayumi their entire history. "I made a decision and I am tired of having to defend it to everyone!"

"Maybe you have to keep defending yourself since everyone knows you made the wrong decision!" Ayumi raised her voice more. A few twigs snapped in the distance, followed by a squirrel darting across the path. "He loves you!"

"He has a funny way of showing it!"

"You never really gave him a chance!"

"He had years! Each time, there was always a reason to push me away and this time I pushed back!" Usagi was now shouting at Ayumi. She didn't realize she had all this pent up anger when discussing this topic. She was tired. Tired of everyone telling her who she should be with and she was making a mistake. It was not an easy decision for her to make.

"Your future was spelled out for you and threw it away; you threw away your own child!"

Usagi fists clenched tightly to the point where her knuckles were nearly turning white. "That was not the path anymore! I did not throw away a child; a different form of her will still exist in the future!"

"What would Queen Serenity say of your choice? She used the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou to save you and give you a second chance!"

"She is fine with my decision." Usagi spat out in a lower tone. "I've spoken with her several times by using the crystal. She understands my decision. What you don't understand is what it is like to learn the life you thought you'd have turned upside down again when you learn there is another part of your soul awakens. A part that gives you unlimited power, and the ability to soar among the stars." Her tone finally softened a little. She was still angry but some of her rage subsided.

"So all of that is worth trading in for Endymion. Is that what he is worth?"

"Is this why you called me out here, to yell at me?" Usagi realized explaining her actions were not going to work with Ayumi. Ayumi believed she should be with Mamoru, end of discussion.

"I called you out here to try to talk some sense into you," Ayumi lowered her voice a little. She didn't want to draw any more attention to them or their conversation.

"I don't need your judgement. Why can't I make decisions based on what I want, why does someone else always have to make decisions for me because they think it is best?" Usagi wanted to try to get through to Ayumi but it looked like she was hitting the same walls she was with Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna.

"He still loves you."

"…I know. I never said it was an easy decision." Usagi spoke in a quiet voice. Her emotions were all over the place. She felt anger one minute and sadness later as the conversation kept changing. Usagi was about to speak more but she saw something behind Ayumi. "Behind you!" She gave a warning.

Several dirt creatures lounged forward at the two women. More creatures were appearing behind them. It was clear the continuation of their conversation would have to wait until another time.

A part of Usagi was relieved for the disruption. She grew tired of Ayumi's constant questioning. She lightly touched the pendant around her neck before she called her transformation phrase, "Cosmos Crystal Power, Make Up!"

"Earth Crystal Power, Make Up!" Sailor Earth used her new transformation wand for the first time. The crystal erupted with pale green light and engulfed Ayumi. The energy looked like small leaves circling around her which became her fuku. Sailor Earth struck a pose at the end in a fighting stance, ready to protect the Earth from the dirt creatures. She wanted to hurry up and defeat them to continue her conversation with Usagi. She under estimated how many there where.

"Divine Stardust!" Sailor Cosmos hurled energy at the creatures. She instantly defeated them but there were more to take their place. They seemed to be appearing from all sides.

"We are too confined on this path," Sailor Earth observed. "We have to move to a wide open area."

"Won't that put other people in danger?" Sailor Cosmos shouted back, trying to dodge a few dirt creatures that seemed to be after her staff. She had to hold onto the staff tightly. She was beginning to see Sailor Earth's point. "I'll draw them out."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Sailor Earth asked, glancing in Sailor Cosmos' direction. She was surrounded by dirt creatures.

"Luminous Hail Storm!" Sailor Cosmos quickly gathered energy for an attack to buy her a few seconds to put her plan into action. Feathered wings appeared on her back. She wanted to make sure the dirt creatures were watching her so they knew where to follow her. Once they started to move forward on her, she took flight. A few of the dirt creatures jumped in the air trying to grab one of her legs but were unsuccessful. Sailor Cosmos lead the dirt creatures back out into the open. While she was in the air, she used her communicator and was able to reach Rei. Rei told her she would contact the others and they would be on the way.

Sailor Earth used the creatures confusion to double back on the trail and take a few shortcuts between trees to arrive at the same open area as Sailor Cosmos. Her jaw dropped. There were even more creatures, made of both dirt and rock. Sailor Earth took a few steps and leaned against Sailor Cosmos' now wingless back. "Any other bright ideas?"

"There are a lot of them but they are not very strong. The others are on their way." Sailor Cosmos attempted to sound more confident than she felt. She couldn't let Sailor Earth know she was becoming worried as more and more creatures appeared. They seemed endless.

"Starlight Breaker!" Sailor Cosmos blasted a small group of the rock creatures. Several more moved forward to take their place.

"Deep Submerge!"

"World Shaking!"

Orbs of aqua and gold light crashed into the dirt creatures, incinerating them in seconds. It created a temporary path to Sailor Earth and Sailor Cosmos.

"I heard you needed help," Sailor Uranus said as she now stood next to Sailor Cosmos. She looked at Sailor Earth, "We meet again."

Sailor Earth smiled slightly, she was glad to have assistance. As this point, she didn't care who was there to help them as long as the creatures were defeated

The path that was created by Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune had closed. They were once again surrounded by creatures.

"We each take a path and push them back." Sailor Uranus instructed everyone. She pulled out her talisman, while Sailor Neptune brought out her violin.

The four senshi attacked more the creatures they quickly lost count of how many they destroyed since more seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Burning Mandala!" Sailor Mars appeared and scorched a few of the creatures.

Sailor Cosmos knew she had to try to gather more energy to attack them all at once but she wasn't sure if she had an attack powerful enough or large enough to reach the remaining creatures.

Suddenly there was a flash of golden light. As quickly as it appeared, it vanished. When the light finally dimmed, King Endymion stood there. All of the creatures were gone.

Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune gasped. They had noticed the change in Sailor Earth's fuku but did not comment. They were not expecting to see a different version of Endymion. Based on the description they have heard in the past by Sailor Pluto and Sailor Moon, they assumed it was the form of King Endymion.

"How…" Sailor Neptune whispered, her gloved hand covering part of her mouth in shock. "Just what have we missed?"

"We found the Golden Crystal yesterday and its power transformed me into a King." King Endymion decided to keep the explanation simple. "The other senshi with us is Sailor Earth."

"Sailor… Earth…." Sailor Uranus said slowly, while turning to look at the black haired senshi. "Your … sister…?"

"That's correct." Sailor Earth said with a smile. "I'm glad you guys showed up there were a lot of creatures here."

The voices of the group began to sound muffled to Sailor Cosmos. She shook her head slightly as if to clear her head. It didn't work. Suddenly, all of her energy was being zapped from her. She dropped her staff and it fell with a loud clang to the floor, which drew the attention of the others.

They called her name, but it sounded so muffled and far away. Everything was becoming dark. Sailor Cosmos landed on the ground with her eyes closed. The mark of Cosmos was no longer on her forehead. Her fuku turned to pale pink ribbons.

---

Usagi opened her eyes again. She blinked a few times. Why was she standing outside of Rei's shrine? Where were King Endymion, Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, and Sailor Earth? She was about to ask Rei what happened to the creatures but Rei spoke first.

"I thought you were going to leave after the tea Usagi."

"Umm… right…" Usagi stammered. Why was Rei telling her to leave? She didn't find out what was going on. "Rei-chan… weren't we just in Boston for part of the Three Lights tour?"

Rei looked at Usagi like she lost her mind. "Three Lights tour? Have you lost your mind Usagi?" She lowered her voice when she saw the look of confusion on Usagi's face. "We haven't seen them in years, you know, since Sailor Galaxia was freed from Chaos."

Usagi couldn't believe what Rei was telling her. Did she forget that they just saw Seiya a few days ago? "Rei-chan, who was the last villain we fought?"

"Usagi, you're really starting to worry me. Are you feeling okay?" Rei walked forward and lightly placed a hand on Usagi's forehead to check to see if she had a temperature. She felt normal. "Usagi, you know the last person we fought was Sailor Galaxia when she was controlled by Chaos."

Usagi stared at Rei in disbelief. That wasn't right. What was she talking about?

"Can I help you?" Rei attempted to speak English to the American looking tourist wandering around the shrine.

Usagi turned around and gasped. It was her younger self. Something clicked. Is this where she traveled to in the past when she spoke with her older self to try to help her make a decision between Mamoru and Seiya? She thought it was five years in the future.

Whatever was going on here, she knew she had to speak with her younger self to keep the time flow moving. She would figure out what was wrong with Rei afterward. She underestimated how costly this mistake would be until hours later. She knew how important it was for herself to have this conversation. "I'll help her." Usagi told Rei and turned to stare at her younger self. She tried her best to recall the conversation she had when she traveled in time.

The American tourist bit her lip. Her plan wasn't as simple as she originally anticipated. Her younger self began to realize that her older self was expecting her to appear here. Of course, she thought to herself. Why wouldn't her older self know she would appear here? She mentally kicked herself for how flawed her plan was. How could she not have predicted this? She was in too much of a hurry to travel to the future for answers, she never considered this a possibility. She only wanted Mamoru and Seiya to stop fighting by making a decision.

"I've been expecting you," Usagi said, smiling at the American tourist.

Her younger self tried to play it off at first and act as if she didn't know the person in front of her. Maybe it would work. "I'm sorry you must have confused me with someone else." She gave her a nervous smile.

Usagi laughed at her younger self. "I tried that line too and if it didn't work for me, it will definitely not work for you!"

Busted, her younger self thought; she laughed nervously.

Usagi grabbed her younger self by the arm and led her over to another area of the shrine which housed the suzu bell. "I was young once too and I pulled the exact same stunt. Which means you don't know which destiny to pick after they fought each other."

Her younger self lowered her eyes to stare at her hands. She felt guilty for traveling to the future to try to solve her problem. But she knew she couldn't go on this way.

Usagi continued, "When you have a dilemma you cannot rely on running to the future to solve it. I know that you are confused about which man to choose. If you were to make your decision based on what you see here, you will question your decision for the rest of your life." Usagi hesitated to force her younger self to look up at her due to the long pause. Once she looked up, Usagi continued, "You have to be able to make the decision without knowing the future. The only guidance I can give you is this… it is the same words I was given, who does Tsukino Usagi love? Not Serenity. Not Cosmos. But Usagi. The other versions of you will fall into line once you make a final decision. The inner turmoil you feel will finally be over."

Her younger self swallowed, but her action did not alleviate the lump she felt. "But what if I make the wrong choice?" She asked, her voice shook as she spoke.

Usagi narrowed her eyes at her younger self's comment. "It is more dangerous to not make a decision since you are hurting the two people you love the most. Your indecision is causing the two sides of your soul to battle each other until one will be the victor. It cannot keep going on this way."

Her younger self was becoming upset by her remarks, "It's not that easy to decide!" She argued.

"Of course not. I never said it was easy," Usagi said in a soft tone trying to deescalate the anger the other girl felt. "But you must decide soon or you will lose them both."

Her younger self was about to open her mouth to respond but found herself unable to. She was silent for a few moments processing everything she had heard. "Thank you…" She murmured. She knew she had a lot to think about. "I should probably return back… Rei-chan is waiting to train me. And you know how she is if I'm late."

Usagi laughed in amusement. "I would hurry back."

Her younger self nodded her head. No one else was around which enabled her to transform into Sailor Cosmos. "Cosmos Crystal Power, Make Up!" Prism colors surrounded her body as her sailor fuku reappeared.

Sailor Cosmos closed her eyes. The top of her staff began to glow. Her body twinkled once it was surrounded by pink smoke. A few seconds later, she was gone.

Usagi smiled. She hoped she was able to help her. Now she needed to go back and speak with Rei. No more distractions.

"There you are."

Usagi turned around and gasped. She wasn't expecting to see him at the shrine. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"What's wrong with escorting you home?" He smiled at her. "I thought we could stop somewhere to get a bite to eat on the way home."

Usagi didn't understand. Home? There was something about the way he said home to her, as if it was a place where they both lived.

She was trying to make sense of everything. She just finished the battle with all those creatures, hadn't she? She placed a hand on her necklace. Alarm set in when the necklace was not there. She just had it moments ago, she was just Sailor Cosmos fighting those creatures. What if the creatures attacked again? She didn't understand how she ended up in Tokyo either. She lowered her hands. That's when she saw it. The heart shaped ring she had received from Mamoru when he first went to America. Her heart hammered in her chest. She immediately looked at the man's hand and noticed a golden band on his ring finger.

"Usa, what's wrong?" Mamoru asked his wife, not understanding why she seemed to be acting so strange.

---

Welcome to the fourth and final arc!

So this was Setsuna's plan. What do you think? What is Usagi going to do?

Find out next Saturday 9/17 in Act 46: Usagi's Inner Turmoil