Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars: Chaos Theory
Act 52: Fractured Alliances
By: Sora Kazeno
They stare at the spot were Sailor Cosmos once stood. Each senshi lost in their own thoughts while they attempt to process this change. In a brief span of time, Usagi became Sailor Cosmos, appeared as Neo-Queen Serenity, went to an asteroid, destroyed the asteroid, returned to Earth and took three senshi's starseeds in front of them.
Sailor Uranus turns her attention back to Sailor Star Fighter. The Starlight is to blame for this. Because of Fighter, Usagi didn't choose Mamoru in another timeline, ruining everything. If Fighter was gone, Usagi could never choose Seiya. "This all your fault!" She yells at Fighter, turning her aggression on her.
Hearing her partner shout at the Starlight, Sailor Neptune turns see Sailor Uranus rush at Sailor Star Fighter with a golden ball of energy collecting in her hand. Sailor Neptune understands Haruka's anger and is about to follow her until Sailor Pluto jumps in front of them with her staff outstretched.
"Stop this!" She shouts at them to grab their attention. "I understand you are angry but this is not the answer." Her staff is inches from their chests. She hates the look of betrayal in the eyes of her teammates. Sailor Pluto wishes the Starlights returned to Kinmoku as well but they need them. She hates it.
"Move to the side," Sailor Uranus hisses at Sailor Pluto. The energy in her left hand continues to gather, growing larger in size as each second passes. "I don't understand why you would defend them."
"I can't move to the side. Everyone has to work together if we are going to stop Chaos. Remember we said we need everyone's help if we hope to stand a chance against Chaos." Sailor Pluto waits for a response from the two senshi before her, when she hears none she reluctantly adds quietly for them to hear, "I hate to say this but… Seiya-kun and Mamoru-san are the few people that can get through to Usagi-chan." Her eyes are downcast, not daring to meet the anger in the other's eyes. She can't bring herself to tell them Seiya will have a better chance of reaching Usagi.
Sailor Neptune sighs in annoyance and does not say anything else.
Sailor Uranus's eyes narrow at Sailor Pluto. With a gesture of her hand, the energy disperses in the air. Her menacing glare is directed at Sailor Star Fighter when she speaks. "This isn't over yet."
Sailor Star Fighter is silent, trying to keep her own emotions in check. How did it come to this? None of this is helping Odango.
"It is time we leave," Sailor Star Maker suddenly speaks up. Judging by the reception they received since they returned to Earth, the longer they remain in their presence the more likely they are to be attacked.
Sailor Star Healer does not bit her tongue. "It is clear we are not welcomed here." She begins to walk off followed by Sailor Star Maker and a reluctant Sailor Star Fighter.
"Wait," Sailor Venus pleads with them. "We need your help to save Usagi-chan!"
Sailor Jupiter adds, "we worked together to stop Chaos once before, I know we can do it again!"
The Starlights continue to walk away without acknowledging their pleas.
"How can you turn your back on Usagi?" Sailor Mars shouts behind them, her remark directed at Sailor Star Fighter.
Sailor Star Fighter closes her eyes tightly, as the uneasiness in her stomach increases. How can she turn her back on the person she loves the most? She has no way to help her at the moment and her presence is breaking apart Usagi's team. She pauses long to enough respond, "It is better this way, for now." Her voice is full of pain. She presses on with her teammates.
After the abrupt departure of the Starlights, the group begins to separate to go their own way. Minako and Makoto are the first to leave. They promised Ami they would meet her at the airport when her flight arrives from Germany.
They enter the subway without a word and get on the train to Haneda International Airport. The train car they selected is nearly empty and finding a seat is not an issue.
Several minutes pass before Minako breaks the silence. "I'm worried Haruka-san is going to attack them every time she sees them."
"I thought they were past this when they left last time."
"But the circumstances are different this time. Remember what Setsuna-san said about Usagi-chan not picking Mamoru-san? I still can't believe it."
Makoto shifts her weight in her seat. "It was always something we questioned when Mamoru-san was studying in America. They became so close."
"Mako-chan! Usagi-chan would never do something like that to Mamoru-san!" Minako voice becomes loud as the absurdly of her statement. After receiving few stares from the patrons she lowers her voice to a whisper. "I refuse to believe Usagi-chan would just give up on Mamoru-san just like that." Minako's eyes widen when she reflects back on the conversions she had with Rei. She sighs. "I guess Rei-chan was right."
Makoto's shoulder slump slightly. "There is more to the story that we don't know. Or even remember for that matter." She places her hand on the green crystal pendant around her neck. "I can't shake off some of the things she has said as Sailor Cosmos."
Minako grows quiet as she reflects. "She has said a lot of hurtful things toward Mamoru-san. As if she is really angry with him over something… it is like she wants to upset him. Which is the complete opposite of how she normally acts." Minako scratches her head trying to make sense of everything.
"Nothing about what has happened in the past few days is normal." Makoto can't even pretend to be optimistic.
"… what if…. What if we can't get Usagi-chan back to normal? What if we can't stop Chaos this time? Then what?" Minako's rattles off her thoughts, struggling to keep her emotions in check.
"We can't think like that!" Makoto snaps at her. "Usagi-chan is going to make it through this, she always does. We will be here to support her… as soon as we figure out the best way to help her."
"Yeah…"Minako eventually responds. Her shoes lightly kick the ground. "I just hope we're not too late." She is typically the most upbeat person in the group along with Usagi. They have never been in a situation like this before where Usagi has become their enemy.
The two girls sit in silence until the end of the line. They've arrived at the airport.
Once the Starlights left, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune could gradually let go of some of their anger. They are not speaking to Sailor Pluto.
Sailor Mars sighs. "We should return to the shrine, there is still so much to talk about."
Sailor Callisto speaks for her team, "I think its best. Sailor Pluto and Charon gave us part of the story of what this alternative timeline is like. Perhaps we can use it to our advantage to stop Chaos and save our Princess." She hoped she would receive more of a response for her teammates but she barely received a head nods.
Tuxedo Kamen turns to Sailor Mars, "we need to finish or discussion from earlier."
Sailor Mars nods her head in agreement. Seeing the look of confusion on Sailor Earth's face she adds, "Come back with us. I'm sure you and Mamoru-san also have a lot to talk about as well."
Sailor Earth gives a half smile. Her world was just thrown upside and she has so many questions that need answers. The way Sailor Pluto made it sound, she has a huge role to play. She frowns. Or was that something she said just to agree to make her come? These senshi are nothing like those she remembered from the Silver Millennium.
Ayumi didn't receive the answers she had hoped when she was at the Hikawa Shrine with the others. Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru seemed to be in a deep conversation with the Moon Senshi and didn't even notice she slipped out of the room.
She listened in the hallway as ideas went back and forth. Haruka has a different plan than Akari. Both of their plans are different than Setsuna's and Yui's. All of them are getting nowhere since they are not listening to each other. She sighs and leans her head against the wooden frame panel of the door. She doesn't understand why they aren't listening to Setsuna more since it sounded as if she had already been though a similar situation.
She feels out of place as she listens to them. Only a short time passed since she learned Endymion is still alive and met him on campus. It is obvious they need her help and she will assist since the fate of the Earth depends on their success. How she will actually help them is a mystery. Anger still looms over the lack of assistance from the Silver Millennium when the Golden Kingdom was attacked by Queen Beryl. Ironically if Silver Millennium would have helped her kingdom, it could have prevented their own kingdom from being destroyed and their Queen would still be alive.
Ayumi turns her attention back to the senshi's conversion when she overhears Haruka stating they have to do whatever it takes.
"I'm not sure if the others will be able to do what is necessary to stop her," Haruka continues, somehow able to keep her tone unemotional.
"This is our Princess you are talking about," Akari snaps at Haruka in disbelief. "How can you ignore that fact?"
"Princess or not, she is endangering this planet, time and space, and wants to collect our starseeds. When you lose your starseed you disappear, essentially cease to exist. The better question is how can you not take this threat seriously?" Haruka retorts back.
"Haruka is right." Michiru hesitates before she continues, "this is not the first time we have been in situation like this. You cannot underestimate Chaos, or we will lose."
Everyone sits in silence for a few moments processing their remarks.
Ayane's shoulders slump. "I guess this is something that we will have to come to terms with. I hate the situation we are in. Isn't there a way we can stop Chaos without hurting the Princess?"
Setsuna shakes her head slightly. "Not unless you can separate the two. The last time we fought Chaos, we were able break away Princess Serenity temporarily. Chaos still had control of Usagi-chan which meant she was in control of Sailor Cosmos."
"Why not do what you did last time?" Nanami interrupts. "If it worked in a previous timeline shouldn't it work in this one?"
Yui shakes her head. "Chaos has all of the memories of the previous battle and it will not repeat the same actions that were unsuccessful last time. We have to come up with something new." She looks over at Setsuna for a moment before she continues. "Unless we stop Chaos here and now our future will be grim."
"I can't accept this alternative timeline Sailor Pluto told us about. I can't believe Usa would do something like that." Mamoru sits with his arms crossed against his chest, ignoring the tea Rei placed in front of him five minutes ago.
"Normally I would agree, Mamoru-san. But ever since you came to pick up Usagi at the shrine she has been different." Rei takes a sip from her tea, unsure of how much she wants to share with Mamoru about a previous conversation she had with Usagi. "But this Usagi is completely different from two months ago."
Mamoru lets out a large sigh in frustration and in a way, agreement. "Usa has been different since that day. She had told me it was because she was worried about being Queen. I never thought it would have been something like this."
Rei nods her head in agreement. "We thought we knew exactly how the future would play out without ever thinking it would be anything different."
His expression becomes more serious. "I have to know what happened in this alternative timeline. Some of things Setsuna-san said when Usa first appeared as Sailor Cosmos and later when Usa returned to Earth…" His voice trails off; he can't bring himself to ask out loud if Usagi really chose Seiya in another timeline. It couldn't be true. His heart won't let him accept Sailor Pluto's words so easily.
She tries to choose her words carefully. "We know the other timeline is different…" Rei can't finish the sentence. Whatever she adds will only hurt Mamoru further when she doesn't have the answers he needed. Only Usagi or Setsuna could provide those. But he probably doesn't want to hear it or believe it.
"Usa would never ignore our future. Crystal Tokyo, Chibi Usa. I can't believe it." Mamoru's hands grip the teacup in front of him tightly. "She would never do that." He tries to convince himself that everything he heard in the past few days was wrong. They had to be. He needs them to be.
"We don't know what happened in the other timeline. What could have changed-"
"You sound like you are taking his side." Mamoru snaps at Rei. He didn't want to hear about potential changes. The timeline needs to remain the same.
Rei eyes narrow slightly. "I am not taking anyone's side. Since that day Usagi has acted strangely. I've seen strange things in the Great Fire I am just starting to make sense of."
"What did you see in the Great Fire?"
Rei shifts her weight on her cushion. The pieces are just starting to make sense to her. What if she told Mamoru something and she was wrong? But didn't he have a right to know what she was able to determine so far? After weighting her options in her mind for a few moments she reluctantly agrees to share what she has seen and what she thinks it might mean. "I can tell you what I have seen but I can't say for certain the meaning of everything. You have to remember that."
Mamoru doesn't respond right away. He wants concrete facts, like he can find in the medical field. But Rei's visions aren't exactly science. So many things about this world could not be explained. He nods his head for her to continue.
"One of the first images I seen in the Great Fire was what look like an adult version of Chibi Chibi. I assumed it was Chibi Chibi at the time because of the hairstyle. It was only a silhouette. Now I know I had actually seen Sailor Cosmos." Rei pauses long enough to sip from her tea. "Another time, I saw Neo-Queen Serenity standing next to someone taller than her. I couldn't determine who it was. That person was very blurry." She lies. She can't tell him it might have been Sailor Star Fighter based on the hair style and fuku. Maker and Healer wouldn't have made sense.
"You mean whoever it was, wasn't me…" Mamoru catches on quickly.
Rei tries to quickly explain. "If could be anybody. I just know I didn't see a cape of any sort."
Mamoru's posture stiffens. He tries to keep himself in check. He needs to hear this information from Rei, even if it wasn't what he wanted to hear. "What else did you see?"
"I saw several other visions after that. Neo Queen Serenity appears with eight senshi which I believe were the Inner and Outer senshi in our eternal forms. Another day she was with eight different senshi whom I now believe were the Moon Senshi." She pauses before she delivers the next piece. "Then I saw Neo-Queen Serenity walking in the gardens of the Silver Millennium with two children. I believe it was a girl and a boy."
"Another child beside Chibi Usa?" Mamoru leans back at the thought of another child. "I guess it is possible." Mamoru tries to push the thought out of his head of someone else standing next to Usagi and two children in the garden. As far as he knew there was only Chibi Usa but who is say there wasn't another child born later on in life? "Was there anything else?" He has a lot more questions for Rei but he needs all of the information first.
"I saw Prince Endymion. No. King Endymion standing next to another senshi. I'm guess that would be Sailor Earth." Rei drinks from her tea more without speaking. She watches Mamoru carefully. He is tiptoeing around the information and had expected more of an outburst at the thought someone else standing next to Usagi.
Mamoru feels cold all over as he recalls something Usagi said when she started acting different. "Rei-chan." He can feel a lump forming in his throat. "One night Usa was talking with me and asked me, how Ayumi-san was doing. I told her I didn't know an Ayumi-san. And now we just found her. This other timeline…" Mamoru's hands shake as realizes he can't avoid the truth any longer. "Who do you think could have been standing next to Usa in your vision?"
"I… I'm not sure. It could be so many people." Rei tries to be vague about her answer.
"Rei-chan… you know more than you are saying." Mamoru tries to keep his tone neutral when he asks the next question. "Have you spoken to Usa about anything you've seen in the visions?"
Rei frowns. "I tried to talk to her but she became very defensive when I asked her…" Rei pauses when she realized she said too much.
"Asked her about what?"
Rei bites her lip slightly as she scrambles for a plan, something that she would have asked Usagi about that makes sense other than about Seiya, but she can't come up with anything.
"Rei-chan, I want to help Usa, anything you tell can help us save her." Mamoru pleads with her.
Rei's shoulders slump in defeat. "Right before you showed up, I found Usagi outside the shrine, she seemed confused. A few minutes before she fell, she had told me she was going to go home after tea. She fell and got up. She seemed lost. This is the first time she started to act strangely." Rei looks up to meet Mamoru's gaze for the first time since they sat down to talk. "Mamoru-san, Usagi asked me if we were just in Boston for part of the Three Lights tour."
Mamoru clenches the teacup tightly. "You should have told me sooner something was wrong with Usa." A part of him is angry at himself for not pressing the issues more with her when he noticed her behavior was off in their apartment but he didn't want to upset Usa. "What happened next?"
"I told her we hadn't seen the Lights in years. She asked me who the last villain was we fought. At the time her questions didn't make sense. But now…" her voice trails off.
"I didn't want to believe all of things Usa said when she first became Sailor Cosmos in front of us. It couldn't be true. We're happily married…." his voice trails off for a moment. "Rei-chan I have to know… just how close were Usa and…Seiya-kun before he left?"
"They were good friends and nothing more," Rei responds immediately. Her fingers tap her teacup lightly. She refuses to bring up the time she was concerned Usagi was going to pick Seiya right before the final battle. "Mamoru-san, I think it's all true about Usagi being from a different timeline. When you stop and look at everything now, it all makes sense. Her behaviors were so different when I confronted her again when I though she was acting strangely."
"What happened?"
Rei frowns. "I need you to listen to what I am about to say and understand I had the best intentions when I questioned Usagi."
"All right." Mamoru can feel his heart racing in his chest. He dreads what Rei is about to tell him.
"Based on what she had said to me about the Three Lights…. I had to ask her if …. If she missed him." Rei chooses her words carefully knowing this is hard for Mamoru to hear. "She became angry; an anger I had never seen before. She didn't stay long and stormed out after she told me, he isn't even on Earth and I had nothing to worry about. But then she made another comment I never expected from her." She tries to find a way to soften the blow she was about to deliver. "She made a comment about being with you because it was what was expected for the timeline."
Mamoru leans back in the cushion as if the wind was knocked out of him. He shakes his head, a part of him refusing to believe Usa would do any of those things. He processed everything for a few moments before he finally responds to Rei. "Normally I would never believe any of this but the way Usa has been acting, the only logical thing I can think of is this version of her truly is from some other timeline. I have to find a way to reach before everything returns to this other timeline. I have to find the Usa that I married."
Rei nods her head. It is all she can do. Based on what she has seen and heard, the timeline will change to the alternative one and there was no way to stop it. She keeps her final thoughts to herself. She doesn't want to upset Mamoru anymore. Usagi had feelings for Seiya but she never acted them the first time he was Earth. That was clear to everyone. Usagi never acted on them until this other timeline.
Usagi glares at the bars in front of her, confining her to a small space once more, imprisoned. She stares ahead frustrated. She has returned to this space, a location she thought she would never see again. How did it come this? She was supposed to be past this. She was in control of her abilities as Sailor Cosmos, wasn't she? Chaos is a thing of the past.
Chaos. She would never be able to control Chaos. Her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of someone yelling at her.
On the other side of the bars stands an angry Princess Serenity. How did she get to the other side? Why is she on the other side?
"You had to do something, didn't you? If you have left everything the way it was, the way it was supposed to be, Chaos would not be free!" Princess Serenity yells at Usagi, walking closer to her, closing the gap between them. "Everything was how it was supposed to be!" She shouts again in anger.
"As it should have been for who?" Usagi snaps back at the Princess. Adrenaline rushing through her, Usagi rises to her feet and stands as close as she can next to the bars to glare at the Princess.
Princess Serenity looks down at Usagi. "It is the natural order of things."
"Things change. The natural order is for me to be with Seiya! The timeline is going to change back to what it is supposed be. I'm meant to be with Seiya." She emphasizes his name at the end of her sentence.
Princess Serenity shakes her head in disgust. "You're being selfish. Endymion was always meant to be, you've seen the future we have together. Why would you do anything to jeopardize that? I don't understand."
Usagi laughs at Princess Serenity's comment. "Me selfish? You're the one that is being selfish that wouldn't let this go! I was happy with my choice."
"You have let everyone one down. They were preparing for a life with Crystal Tokyo and you took it away from them." Her voice softens. "How could you do that to Chibi Usa?"
Usagi's eyes narrowed. Hearing the name Chib Usa feels like old wounds are being ripped wide open again. "I was… no I am happy with Seiya."
"They will never forgive you choosing him. Not like this. You are married to Endymion, and yet you rush to arms of another man!"
"I was never married to Mamo-chan in my timeline. I wanted to return home. I could never forgive myself if I didn't follow my heart." Her voice grew softer as she realizes how much she has hurt Mamoru in this timeline. The things she said when she was controlled by Chaos. She steps back from the bars. For the first time she wonders what would happen if the timeline doesn't return to exactly what it once was. What kind of world will it be?
Princess Kakyuu picks her head up from her papers when Sailor Galaxia enters the room. Dread fills her at one brief glance at the senshi's face.
Sailor Galaxia's facial expression is grim. After receiving a brief gesture from Princess Kakyuu she voices her concerns. "I never imagined Chaos would return so quickly with such power and reincarnated within the person that defeated it last."
"We both had our doubts the Guardian would ever be found. I just wish we would have explored the possibility more after we met her but we assumed her starseed was so powerful because of the crystal she possesses." She pushed a few of the papers to the side.
Sailor Galaxia clears her throat. "I believe we need to travel to Earth immediately to stop Chaos before it travels to our star system. We've already seen she is out to collect starseeds and it will only be matter of time before she travels here to try to collect ours. We stand the best chance working with the other senshi on Earth. Frankly, I thought we would have left already."
"It's not that simple for me to abandon my people, they have been through so much and we are so close to having most of the planet restored."
"If we don't stop her there, there will not be a planet left for you to restore. The best way to protect your people is to stop Chaos before it can become more powerful."
Princess Kakyuu sits back in her chair for a moment letting out a deep breath. "I was afraid you were going to saying something like that." She stands up for a moment to look out the window behind her. There is no avoiding it any longer. "Begin to make plans to depart for Earth with the two remaining Starlights here. I feel we will need their help as well. We will need help from anyone we can get. The retired Starlights will protect the kingdom."
Seiya, Taki, and Yaten walked out of the park after the battle ended. Each wore khakis, a t shirt, baseball hat, and sunglasses. After an hour or so of wandering Tokyo trying to figure their next move they realize they are homeless. They don't have their old apartment and wandering the streets would not benefit them. They need rest, peace, and quiet. They would not achieve this wondering around Tokyo.
"We should find a hotel to stay for the night," Taiki speaks up suddenly.
"Yeah. Something simple," Yaten agrees with him as he looks up at the buildings around them for a nearby hotel. "Hmm maybe something that is sort of close to the shrine? But not something where people would expect us to stay?"
Seiya is lost in his own world, following them a distance behind. So it was true. The moment he has seen between himself and Usagi on the park bench kissing did actually happen. He should feel ecstatic he was able to kiss her but… it just feels hollow. A memory that doesn't seem real. What other moments did they have after this kiss? Enough for her to leave Mamoru and pick him instead. He tries to focus on something else, anything else but these thoughts wouldn't leave him alone.
After realizing Seiya will not be any help to them at the moment, Taiki realized one flaw with their plan. "But we need money to pay for a hotel and food."
Yaten sighs. Looking up he realizes they don't have a lot of time as the sun is no longer at the highest point in the sky. "We still have money in the bank, right?"
Taiki smiles. "You're right. But which one was it?" He looks around at some of the buildings nearby. "Mitsu…I think it started with."
"Mitsubishi?"
"No that is a car." There is a pause before he recalls a name. "Mizuno? No. That's not right," Taiki clears his throat after realizing his mistake.
"Mitsui?" Yaten suggests. "I could have sworn we picked something that we thought would be easy to remember."
"Mizuho." Seiya states with some hesitation. "There was one near our old apartment."
"That's right," Taiki agrees, relieved they finally knew which bank to go to. "If we hurry we might be able to withdraw some money before it closes."
Thirty minutes later, they are outside the bank, fifteen minutes before it closes. Yaten and Seiya wait outside while Taiki enters the bank since he has always dealt with any money questions from mangers in the past.
"I hope there is enough in there to stay in a hotel for a while and have some food." Yaten comments, trying to ignore his growling stomach, a reminder he hasn't eaten much in the past day or so.
Seiya lowers his hat slightly when he sees a group of young girls pass by out of reflex. He relaxes a little after they pass. A sudden pain in his eye causes him to take off his sunglasses. He rubs his left eye until he finds the culprit, an eyelash. He blinks a few times to make sure it was gone. He looked up without sunglasses on for a few seconds. It was all it took.
"SEIYA-SAN!" A girl starts shrieking. Her outburst turns heads.
Seiya fumbles with his sunglasses, nearly dropping them before he is able to place them on his face. The girl is standing next to him now. He doesn't recognize her.
But she recognizes the person next to him too. "Oh my gosh! It's Yaten-san too! Are you guys getting back together to make an album?"
Her shouts and questions began to attract other people on the street.
Yaten turns around to look through the window to see if Taiki is almost done in the bank. He turns back and finds now a group of fifteen chattering girls. He rushes inside and holds the door open long enough for Seiya to follow behind him.
The security guard approaches them wanting to know what is going on and he sees a group of girls trying to rush in after them. He looks at them briefly, "Oh. I was wondering where you two were." The young man looks over at the teller counter where Taiki is speaking to someone.
The guard shoos the girls out. "This is a business and you need to wait outside." Once they finally outside the guard immediately closes the doors and locks it. "The bank is going to close two minutes early today," he says gesturing at the clock.
"Thank you," Seiya smiles slightly at the security guard. He looks familiar but he isn't sure where he has seen him.
"They can help you leave out the back way. I'm not opening these doors again; they might tear this place up." The security begins walking around the rest of the area preparing to close the bank.
"Why did you take off your sunglasses? They might not have recognized you." Yaten grumbles at Seiya. "Now that people know the Three Lights are in town and it is going to make things more difficult. You would think after all these years the fans would have calmed down."
"It's a good thing they haven't," Taiki interrupts holding a thick envelope in his hand. "It turns out we have continued to be very popular after all of these years and we've been receiving a lot of royalties. Enough to pay our expenses for quite a while. This envelope only has a fraction of what is in our account."
"That's great." Yaten adds. "Let use some of that money to buy food and get a place to stay."
Twenty minutes later they find themselves at one of the many FamilyMart convenient stores all over Japan. They end up with sushi, bread rolls, sandwiches, bento boxes, and assortment of snacks and drinks.
They are at the counter being rung out by a middle aged woman when the opening cords to a familiar song begin to play on the radio behind her. Nagareboshi He.
The three exchange glances at each other but don't say anything.
The woman continues to ring them out without a word. Halfway through the song she gives them a total. She collects the money and gives them their change. The Three Lights are about to leave when she adds, "Come back any time around this time. It's usually quiet so you might not find too many people in here to recognize you," she winks at them. "But if you are coming out with a new record you have to tell me."
"It's undecided at this time," Taiki quickly answers.
"Thank you for being discreet." Seiya is relieved to know of one place they might be able to go without being surrounded around people.
"Sometimes it is hard to find a quiet space in such a busy city. If you're trying to stay out of sight, I would suggest InterContinental a few buildings down. It's full of business travelers and foreign tourists." She suggests with a smile.
"Thank you," Taiki acknowledges with a bow.
Less than an hour later, the three are sitting quietly in a hotel room eating the food they purchased. Several minutes pass before anyone breaks the silence.
"We should thank her tomorrow and buy some more from that store." Seiya said finishing a bento box. He tried to keep the small talk going; he wasn't ready to discuss Usagi yet.
Yaten sighs loudly. "After all of this time, nothing has changed with those senshi." He looks at Seiya. "Blaming you for something."
Seiya shrugs.
"Is it true? Have you received some memories from this alternative timeline like Sailor Cosmos said or is it just…" The look on Seiya's face causes Taiki to trail off.
"It seemed more like a dream them a memory. I wasn't even sure what I saw but then when she said that earlier… I can't help but wonder is what I saw was from the other timeline."
Yaten snickers. "So you are to blame."
Seiya became defensive. "I'm not the only one that changed the timeline! Based on what they said, it is a lot more complicated than that. They make it sound like Chaos was never supposed to return."
"Yet from what we gathered from Sailor Pluto this is the second time Chaos has controlled Sailor Cosmos." Taiki stands up to look toward the evening sun. "Sailor Cosmos… the Guardian. I never thought we would meet her in our lifetime. She was supposed to be lost to time. Her return will bring back power struggles among the planets in the future."
"We're not going to have a future, or any planets to worry about if we don't stop Chaos." Yaten interjects. "Any other ideas?" Yaten is about to continue speaking when suddenly in his mind's eye he is back on Kinmoku.
Shiori watched from the distance and snorted. "This is the great Guardian?"
Seiya narrows his eyes at her but before he could speak Taiki came to Usagi's defense. "Considering she has never had proper training as a senshi she is doing quite well."
"Proper training?" Shiori retorts back at Taiki. "How can a senshi not have proper training? What is she some kind of princess or something?"
Yaten, Taiki, and Seiya laugh at Shiori's remark. Their laugher upsets Shiori as she waits for an answer.
Once Seiya is able to stop laughing he responds, "She is a Princess… and much like Kinmoku her kingdom was destroyed when she wasn't powerful enough to prevent it."
Shiori's eyes soften at his comment. As much as she didn't like Sailor Cosmos no one should ever be helpless and witness their kingdom's destruction.
"She stopped Chaos when we could not," said Yaten as he turns his attention back to Sailor Cosmos' training.
With a final push, Sailor Cosmos is able to dissipate Sailor Galaxia's attack.
"We're going to trying something a little different this time," Sailor Galaxia instructs her, "instead of causing the attack to vanish I want you to push the attack back and reflect it at me."
Sailor Cosmos pouts her lips at the thought on how she would accomplish the task she was given. "I've never done anything like that before… I normally run from the attack."
"You don't need to anymore. You have the power to stop it and return it to the sender. You cannot be so nervous to let go of your powers."
"Now what is she doing?" Complains Shiori from the sidelines, "she is too weak."
"She's scared," Seiya said out loud. "She doesn't want to lose control of her powers again."
The surroundings return to the hotel room. Yaten turns to look at Taiki and Seiya in confusion, his eyes wide. "Did you…"
"A memory that happened on Kinmoku? But Tsukino-san has never been there… yet she told us she was there before…" Taiki rambles on.
Seiya sits back in his chair a little bit more. "They're memories from the other timeline. They're going to keep coming back in random bits that won't make any sense but just confuse you."
Taiki looks at Seiya. "I guess we can agree that there is some timeline we experienced but don't remember it yet." He begins to understand why Seiya has been withdrawn the entire day.
"But Sailor Cosmos has those memories and can use them against us to stop us from defeating her." Yaten's shoulders slump. "This is so much worse than when we fought Galaxia."
Mamoru is finally ready to leave the shrine. He tried to convince himself so many times over the past few days that everything was wrong. There was no alternative timeline Sailor Pluto spoke of. Sailor Cosmos is wrong and she is not from some twisted world where she chose Seiya. He can't avoid it anymore. He clenches his fists tightly wondering what happened to his Usa. He is going to bring her back, he has to.
"Endymion…?" Ayumi calls out softly from the distance.
He stops to turn around to see Ayumi approaching him. He had forgotten about her this entire time because he was so preoccupied with his wife.
"Can we talk for a while? We have a lot to catch up on." She looks at him hopefully.
Maybe the distraction would be good for him. "Sure." Then it dawned on him. "You don't have a place to stay."
"No." Ayumi agrees.
"Why don't you stay with me? It will also give us a chance to catch up." Mamoru suggests.
They begin the walk back to his apartment. Mamoru tried to discuss what he remembers from the Golden Kingdom but the memories were fragmented at best.
There is sadness in her eyes that he doesn't remember their past. Ayumi pushes the feelings to the side. He might not remember much of what happened but he is alive and walking next to her. She can't complain about that.
"I'm sorry it still feels funny to say I have a sister. I've always grown up alone without any family since I was young. It's a change, but a good one." He tries to reassure her that he is happy to have her here even if it might not look like it at the moment.
Ayumi fights back tears. "I thought you were dead this entire time and I didn't have any family left." She tries to smile a little when she adds, "Just to think we just missed each other in school by a few years. It's funny how we went to the same school."
They walk in a silence for a few minutes lost in their own thoughts before Ayumi speaks up. "I can't help but be worried what will happen once this over. What Sailor Pluto said about alternative timeline… everything as we will know it will just change? It doesn't seem fair."
"Fair…" Mamoru repeats. "There are so many things unfair about this situation but like any other challenge we have faced in the past, we will prevail." He stops walking for a moment.
Ayumi takes a few steps forward before she realizes Mamoru is no longer walking next to her.
"And I'm not going to stop until everything is how it is supposed to be." He vows.
Sailor Cosmos glares at her surroundings. She has been here a few times since she awakened in this timeline. This timeline will cease to exist and Chaos will disappear again, something she would not allow to happen.
Staring at the fabric of time, she looks for a clue or a weakness, something that can be exploited to slow or stop the timeline from shifting back to what it was. How did Sailor Pluto and Charon complete such a feat? Surely she should be able to do the same; she is far more powerful than them.
If she collects everyone's starseed she can use the energy from those starseeds to boost her own powers. That should compensate for any short coming she may have. What if she needs something else other than raw power?
The mark Saturn left on her arm is still present. Faint. The area of her skin is cold. Why is the mark not completely gone now that Saturn is no longer of this world?
Shaking her head, she curses her ability to only move forward in time and never back unless it is to return to the time from whence she came. If only she could travel back and see how Sailor Pluto and Sailor Charon changed the timeline. Or stop Saturn from placing this mark on her arm.
When nothing of value could be done here, she realizes she is wasting time that could be spent collecting the starseeds of the other senshi. Energy pours from her staff and she disappears from the time stream.
Sailor Cosmos reappears on Earth high in the atmosphere away from prying eyes while she chooses her next course of action. She could go to Rei's shrine but there will likely be numerous senshi there, making it more difficult to take their starseeds. If all of the senshi are there, there is a chance they could overpower her if not, injure her. They have strength in numbers she did not want to test until she collected starseeds from some of the more powerful senshi. She has to pick them off once by one if she wants her plan to succeed with as few problems as possible.
Her eyes settle on the apartment building where Makoto resides.
Makoto and Minako eagerly greet Ami at the airport. They help her with her two bags back on the subway and sit in the empty car.
"I'm sorry we had to pull you away from your studies," Minako apologized, "but we had to tell you what happened."
"We were also worried Usagi-chan would show up in Germany and just take your starseed." Makoto adds, trying to keep her voice low.
Ami nods her head solemnly, trying to hide a yawn behind her hand. "If it's alright I'd like to rest until we reach Tokyo to grab some dinner. I've had a hard time sleeping the past few nights."
"Oh..." Minako responds in surprise. "Sure… and the time change is going to be rough too. We'll discuss this once you've have a little rest." She looks over to Makoto in annoyance but there isn't much they can do. She was hoping Ami would have some ideas to help them but any brainstorming would have to wait.
Almost two hours later they are at a small café eating a late dinner of curry.
Ami sits quietly while she listens to more of the details from Minako and Makoto. She puts her spoon on her dish. "I hoped things weren't as bad as they seemed and this was all some sort of mistake or misunderstanding but… it's clearly not the case." She places a hand on the crystal pendant around her neck. "The appearance of this necklace confirmed something was off." After taking a few sips from her soft drink she continues, "this is the possibly the worst case scenario."
Minako frowns. "Ami-chan, you're not helping…"
"She's right though." Makoto comes to her defense. "When you think about it, we have always relied on Usagi-chan's power to save us. Whether it was against a youma, cardian, driod, daimon, lemures, or phage we always relied on her stop them at the end."
Minako stirs her drink with a straw. "She was the only one that could stop Galaxia… so we protected her and the Starlights… because we didn't want to see them get hurt and we knew we weren't strong enough." She sighs, resting her chin on her hands. "Now it sounds hopeless."
"But it's not." Makoto quickly adds. "We have all the other senshi and as long as we can reach Usagi-chan, we can stop Chaos."
"You're relying on Usagi-chan again," Ami points out.
Makoto leans back in her chair. "I guess it can't be helped."
After dinner, Minako follows Makoto and Ami back to Makoto's apartment. Minako insisted on walking back with them. Her residence is only a short distance from Makoto's and spent part of the walk assuring them she would be fine. "Well this is it." Minako said looking up at the tall building behind them.
Makoto looks up at the building. "I didn't think I would be back here for a few more months. I'm glad the landlord was able to lease it out for a few months and the other tenant happened to move out last week. Funny how things work out sometimes."
"What a wonderful evening for a reunion," Usagi calls out from behind them.
The three girls whip around in alarm at the sound of her voice.
Minako taps a few buttons on her communicator to summon the other senshi for assistance. "Usagi-chan is outside of Mako-chan's apartment."
"Minako-chan…" Usagi whines in a high pitched voice. "You're taking all the fun out of this." Usagi shakes her head in disappointment. "Well if that is how you want to greet your longest and dearest friend… Cosmos Crystal Power, Make Up!"
Ami stares at Sailor Cosmos, her first time seeing the senshi. She had heard the description from others on the telephone but to see it firsthand. The crescent moon mark on Usagi's forehead was replaced by an eight point star. "So it is real…"
Sailor Cosmos blinks at Ami a few times. "Of course it is real Ami-chan!" Using their hesitation she attacks them. "Divine Star Dust!"
Out of nowhere Sailor Titan, Oberon, and Callisto appear each grabbing one of the girls out of the way. The energy hits a tree and falls over onto the sidewalk.
The three Moon Senshi stare at Sailor Cosmos without exchanging a word. Each senshi carefully eying their opponent's movements for any sign of an attack.
Sailor Cosmos directs her comments to the senshi. "I was wondering how long you were going to hide in the shadows following them. Though I'm not sure why you think you would be able to protect them," she taunts.
Sailor Callisto stands in front of Minako, "You need to leave if you're not going to fight her or transform." Her tone is commanding, not giving her any other options.
"No..." Minako responds finally finding her voice.
"We're not going anywhere." Makoto add with more confidence than Minako. Turning toward Sailor Cosmos she adds, "We are going to stop you Usagi-chan."
Sailor Cosmos laughs at them. "You should have left when you had the chance. Instead you're going to lose your starseeds." She raises a wrist to display the gold bracelet. She enjoys the look of panic on their face at a mere gesture. Her grin widens. She attacks the senshi again half-heartedly. She wants to enjoy seeing them struggle to fight her back.
"Jupiter Eternal, Make Up!"
"Mercury Eternal, Make Up!"
"Venus Eternal, Make Up!"
Sailor Cosmos takes a few steps back from them, now eyeing them more carefully as there are six transformed senshi in front of her. Perhaps the Inners are finally ready to take her seriously as a threat.
Sailor Callisto tries to sound confident. "We will stop you Princess Serenity by force if necessary."
Sailor Venus tries a different approach. "It's not too late Usagi-chan. I'm sure there is a way to undo all of this. Just return the starseeds that you have and everything can be fixed and go back to the way it was."
Sailor Cosmos turns her head to the side in annoyance. "Go back to the way things where?" She looks at the crystal on top of her staff for a moment. "Why would I ever want to go back? Things need to stay as they are. Between timelines. But it is too late for you; your time is almost up." Her head snaps back to their direction, her eyes have an icy stare. "And you're wasting it."
"Starlight Breaker!" Sailor Cosmos launches an attack at the group; she is battling them seriously this time. No mercy. The attack is directed at the Inner Senshi.
Sailor Callisto uses the time to generate her own attack. "Morning Star!"
"Mirage Wave!" Sailor Oberon creates a wave of water to draw Sailor Cosmos's attention while Sailor Titan prepared her more powerful attack.
"Silence Buster!"
Sailor Cosmos whipped her staff around in front of her. "Brilliant Barricade!" A wall of energy blocks the attack. She takes a few moments to survey the scene around her. The Moon Senshi are attacking while Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus are just standing around. Their lack of action makes it easier for her.
Sailor Callisto feels her anger boil up at her Princess. "What are you doing?" She shouts at Sailor Venus. "Transforming and standing there doesn't do anything to stop Chaos and free Sailor Cosmos! Either fight seriously or Chaos will win. We can't do this on our own…" Her voice softens as much as she hates to admit it out loud. "We're not strong enough."
Sailor Jupiter tightens her fists as they shake. She hates every moment of this but they're right. If they don't do something they will all lose their starseeds and without them they will never be able to help Usagi. "Jupiter." She murmurs raising her hand above her head as the symbol of her planet hovers over her palm. A crackle of energy erupts from the symbol turning into radiating lighting. The light surrounds her body as she finishes her attack phase. "Coconut Cyclone!"
As soon as Sailor Cosmos heard the attack phase, she did everything she could to avoid being in its path.
"Mercury." The symbol of her planet appeared next to her hoovering in the air for a few moments before water rushed over the symbol and encloses it in water. She spins around once with a ball of water in hand before it rolls off her fingers into the ground transforming into horizontal lines of water rushing back up to her hands over her head. "Aqua Mirage!" Water and ice rushes from her hands.
"Brilliant Barricade!" She places another shield. Behind the light, Sailor Cosmos frowns, if they keep working together like this she will not be able to execute her plan. She wonders for a moment why is struggling more this time around. Her powers never returned after Saturn's mark was placed on her arm. That little girl sealed part of her power.
She tries to time her attack the best she can for when Sailor Cosmos drops her shield. She places her right palm near her stomach. "Venus." The symbol flickers for a moment before taking the shape of a red orange heart. Raising the heart symbol to near her own heart, she places her other hand on top of the heart as it twirls in a circle several times gathering energy. "Rolling Heart Vibration!" The heart splits in several other hearts become a wide random attack.
Sailor Cosmos lowers her shield just in time as Sailor Venus attack reaches her. There isn't enough time for another barricade. She jumps high in the air but part of the attack hits her ankle. She bits her lip to prevent herself from making a sound to acknowledge the attack made contact with her. She remains in the air, her feather wings now out. She is done playing games. Without a word she flicks her golden energy from her bracelets at Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter since they are closest.
Without hesitation, Sailor Oberon rushes forward to protect her Princess. She is more expendable and her Princess' intellect will be valuable to the other senshi to stop Chaos. She closes her eyes as the energy is about to hit her.
"No!" Sailor Titan rushes forward to protect Sailor Jupiter. She barely reaches her in time as the golden energy crashed into her. She screams as it feels like a part of her is being ripped out of her body. An orange flower bud appears from her chest and blooms into a flower. A small pink flower then opens revealing her lilac starseed. She collapses to the ground struggling to breathe.
A sky blue starseed emerges from the orange flower from Sailor Oberon's chest. She falls to the ground, barely breathing.
Sailor Callisto has tears in her eyes as she rushes to them.
The two starseeds float up into the air and into Sailor Cosmos outstretched hand. She looks at them for a moment. "Hmm. Not the two I was expecting, but I guess they will have to do."
Her comments enrage Sailor Callisto. "How can you do this? You are supposed to be the protector of this planet, not the one destroying it!"
"There are a lot of things that are supposed to happen and I plan on re-writing that history." Sailor Cosmos responds back. She looks at the starseeds one last time wondering how much additional power they will grant her before she gestures for them to disappear from her sight.
Sailor Mercury kneels on the ground before Sailor Oberon. "I'm sorry we waited so long to help you and that it took me this long to return to Tokyo." She wishes she could have spent more time with this senshi as it was obvious Oberon was the senshi to protect her based on her fuku and attack. "If only we could have met under better circumstances…" Regret fills her voice.
Sailor Oberon's body is fading away as small golden circles of energy leave her body. "I wouldn't have it any other way," she tries to reassure her Princess. "You're safe; that is all that matters." She closes her eyes one final time as the rest of her body disappears.
Sailor Jupiter eyes fill up with a few tears at the sight of two more senshi disappearing before her, bringing back memories when her own starseed was taken. "I'm sorry this happened," she tries to apologize but she isn't sure what to say. Is this what Sailor Moon witnessed during the entire battle against Sailor Galaxia with the Starlights? Seeing everyone die before her?
"Complete your duty, save this planet and find a way to save Princess Serenity." The light in Sailor Titan's eyes fade as she closes them. The rest of her body vanishes.
Now that the two senshi have completely vanished from sight, Sailor Cosmos prepares to attack again now that she dealt a strong blow to them. She raises her staff to attack again but stops suddenly as the hairs on the back of her head stand up in alarm. "Pluto." She spits out with venom in her voice. Her eyes narrow. Without another word, Sailor Cosmos vanishes from sight in a pink cloud.
Sailor Callisto lets out a sigh of relief. The battle is over for now, giving them time to regroup. She turns her focus to the three senshi beside her. "Are you alright?"
Sailor Mercury stands up. "I'm sorry I was in school this long when this crisis was happening." There is a sound of determination in her voice.
"It's not your fault Ami-chan." Sailor Venus responds finally finding her voice again. "It's no one's fault. But I guess we really underestimated Usagi-chan when Chaos is in control of her."
"We are going to need all the rest we can. Go home." Sailor Callisto emphasizes to each senshi. "I will return to Rei-san's shrine and inform the others of this evening's event. Perhaps they will have some ideas."
"Go ahead," Sailor Jupiter responds as she finally stands up, still looking at the spot where Sailor Titan disappeared. "We will be fine." She tries to sound confident but her voice waivers at the end.
Mamoru walks around his living room while Ayumi is asleep in the bed. He is still in a daze trying to come to grips with everything. He sits down the couch, still trying to believe everything he was told in the past few days. He closes his eyes for a few moments. He pictures Usagi sitting next to him on the same couch.
Mamoru leads her over to the couch, "what happened this morning? Why did you leave so quickly?" His tone full of concern.
Usagi sits quietly as she thinks of what she wants to say. "I needed to speak to Rei-chan," Usagi starts as she looks down at the carpet. "A lot happened in the past month and I needed someone to talk to about it. Whenever I've had problems I've always talked to Rei-chan."
"Usako, whatever is wrong you can talk to me about it. I'm here for you and whatever you need," said Mamoru as he places his hands over hers. He tries his best to comfort her. It is clear she is upset about something and he needs to find out why.
Usagi shifts her hands out from under his and stands up; she has to put distance between them. She decides to be direct, "I going to Kinmoku tomorrow," Usagi said with her eyes still on the carpet. She didn't want to see the hurt look on his face. She waits for a response but receives none. "I have to learn more about my new powers…"
Mamoru stands up and places his hands on her shoulders. "Usako, you can't be serious! You can learn how to use your powers here with all of us. I can't let you go alone." When Usagi refuses to meet his gaze, he cups his hand under her chin causing her to look up at him.
Once Usagi felt his touch she knew she couldn't avoid it any longer. "I'm leaving… with Seiya."
Mamoru's hand falls from her face in disbelief. He shakes his head back and forth, "no…" he barely manages to say.
She turns around and shows her back to him. She can't watch this as tears threaten to fall. "I've already made my decision. It is something I need to do."
Mamoru collapses backward onto the couch, as if the wind is knocked out of him. "Usako… you can't… I don't understand… why you'd run to him…" He stutters his words, "you're going to throw everything away? Everything that we've had in both lifetimes?"
"Everything changed between us in the past month. It is too much for me to handle," said Usagi as she fights to hold back her tears.
"What about Chibi Usa?" Mamoru asks while his voice cracks with emotion.
Her name causes Usagi to turn around and face him. "Don't you understand she's gone?" Usagi cries at him. She can no longer keep her tears in check.
Mamoru gasps at her outburst.
"Pluto said Chibi Usa is no longer a part of the time line. The future for this planet has changed… our future. No matter what happens Chibi Usa will not be a part of it. I didn't want to accept it at first but Chibi Usa was shocked when she saw Sailor Saturn's fuku. I saw her disappear in the time stream. You didn't see the future I saw!" Usagi said as her voice is nearly hysterical.
"I refuse to believe Crystal Tokyo can disappear so easily!" Mamoru counters back; he stands back up and takes a few steps forward. He wants to desperately hug her and take away all of her pain.
"Crystal Tokyo is already gone…" Usagi said in a muted tone. "We have to choose a different path. The path for me includes going to Kinmoku," Usagi finishes her last statement as she looks at Mamoru in the eyes.
The look in her eyes stops him dead in his tracks. Mamoru is hurt and he didn't know what he can say to Usagi to dissuade her at this moment. If he pushes her too much she will surely leave. He can't believe everything he just heard. "I just can't believe you are willing to throw everything away like this Usako. I love you. I will never stop loving you. You're everything to me."
"… I'm sorry Mamo-chan…" Usagi said as she wipes a few tears away from her eyes and runs to the front door of the apartment, closing the door behind her.
He feels cold. Where did this event just come from? His eyes shoot open in case Usagi was sitting next to him. A sinking feeling in his stomach tells him that conversion happened in the other timeline. That was the moment she told him she was picking Seiya over him. His fist clenches and shakes in anger. How could she choose him? No. He tells himself this has to be a trick by Chaos to try to get him to give up on Usagi.
On wobbly legs he stands up walking over to their wedding picture. He picks up the picture staring at their smiling faces. She was so happy that day, wasn't she? Who is this stranger that has been here for the past two months? How could she have changed that much by being Sailor Cosmos?
It has to be fake he reassures himself again. She would never throw away what they built so easily. He hesitates. Did he take everything for granted? Did he take her for granted?
The following morning, they are still in their hotel room. "This is stupid," Yaten breaks the silence. "Staying here in this room is accomplishing nothing when Chaos is out there."
"How do you propose we find Tsukino-san?" Taiki questions Yaten. "A lot has changed in the past few years since we left and all of us are targets. Why does she want to gather all the starseeds, because Galaxia couldn't or does she have some other plan?"
Yaten shrugs in response.
"Other than the image yesterday of training on Kinmoku… have you guys has any other memories or visions… I don't want to call them? I can't be the only starting to see multiple images." Seya asked his teammates. He never knew when he would suddenly see some other event he was supposed to remember.
Taiki moves from the wall he was leaning against to sit on the couch next to Seiya. "I remember returning to school right before Chaos returned. Then everyone was gradually disappearing when we fought Chaos. I can only assuming their starseeds were taken based on recent events."
Yaten looks at Taiki in shock. "I am the only one not remembering other events?" He looks between Seiya and Taiki for some kind of verification. "I know we heard some crazy story from Sailor Cosmos when we were on the asteroid but it was hard to focus on her story when all of the sudden you're staring at the Guardian that was thought to never return." He sighs, throwing his hands up in the air. "Does it even matter that much when this timeline is going to change back to whatever it was and we'll remember then?" He is trying to understand why they are placing so much emphasis on recalling events that don't see relevant.
Seiya shakes her head. "Yaten, it's not that simple. Chaos doesn't exist in that timeline anymore and it is not going go away without a fight."
Yaten pouts a little. "That is the worst kind of enemy, one with nothing to lose." He turns to Taiki a more serious expression on his face. "How do we stop her?"
Sailor Pluto and Sailor Charon return to the room where they first discovered the crystal key. They were so happy to find the key here to reset everything and restore time.
"If only we could have seen this coming," Sailor Pluto's voice is full of regret. "I don't know how I missed something so important."
"No." Sailor Charon shakes her head in disagreement. "Even if we saw it coming, we still would have tried. I will continue to try because Princess Serenity…" She pauses for a moment. "Neo-Queen Serenity must be with her Prince. There could have been a timeline where we succeeded. Unfortunately this one wasn't it." Eyes focus on Sailor Pluto as she says, "It is still worth the risk."
Sailor Pluto is quiet and does not verbally respond. She understands what Yui is feeling but so much is now at stake because of them. Given the opportunity would she try to restore time again and hope things would go differently? Would she try something different? Her lips pout slightly. That is exactly what Chaos is trying to do, hoping for the best to re-write its own history.
Pushing her thoughts to the side, "Regardless of how we feel about it, Chaos is active in this timeline and unless we stop it, there won't be a timeline where any of us exist." The hairs on Sailor Pluto's neck stand up when she senses a presence nearby in the time stream. "Come on," Sailor Pluto walks to the exit with Sailor Charon behind her.
They don't have to walk far down a narrow corridor until they are spotted. Sailor Cosmos appears behind them. "I was wondering where you've been hiding for so long and then I remembered the place you will always return to. The place that eventually led to my freedom, and the loss of yours." She raises her wrists close to her face, the jewels facing Sailor Pluto and Sailor Charon.
At the sight of the bracelets, Sailor Pluto inhales sharply, attempting to take a few steps back but they are in an enclosed space leaving them very little room to maneuver away from Sailor Cosmos.
Sailor Charon takes a step forward, as if to challenge Sailor Cosmos. "Princess Serenity, I know you are in there somewhere. It's not too late you can make everything right with Prince Endymion, there is still time." She pleads with the princess hoping to reach her.
Sailor Cosmos stares at the Moon Senshi for a moment before bursting out into laughter. "Why would I want to make anything right with him… or Seiya? All I want is their starseeds." She pauses and smiles widely. "Maybe I should start there. This host seems to care about them most…" She enjoys the look of panic across Sailor Pluto's and Sailor Charon's faces. "Thank you for giving me such a wonderful idea. I couldn't have thought of it without you." She doesn't utter another word as she vanishes from the time streams.
"Go and try to find the Starlights. I will go to Mamoru-san's apartment." Sailor Pluto directs her teammate.
Sailor Charon is about to object but Sailor Pluto stops her.
"I know where Mamoru-san's apartment is and we don't have a moment to waste. With every starseed Chaos collects it will become more powerful. We can't risk either one losing their starseed or we've lost against Chaos." Sailor Pluto vanishes from the time streams, hoping she can make it Mamoru's apartment in time.
Mamoru turned on the television at a low volume, hoping it would eventually put him to sleep. He stares at the screen but is not really watching what is on the screen.
Sailor Cosmos appears behind him while he is seated on the couch. Leaning over she drapes her arms around Mamoru's neck as she leans over to whisper in his ear. "Hello darling."
Startled by her sudden appearance, Mamoru breaks free from her loose grip and turns around to face her. His heart is racing from her sudden appearance. He doesn't say anything as he stares at her, his mouth slightly hung open in surprise.
Sailor Cosmos pretends to look hurt by his actions. "I thought you would be happy to see your wife."
Mamoru takes a few moments for the shock to wear off. "Of course I'm happy to see you Usa. You just surprised me." He picks his words carefully. The look on her face is not one of happiness to be in the same room with him. Her expression is foreign to him. The longer he watches her; he can't believe what she has turned into because of Chaos. He pushes his uncertainty to the side. She came here to this apartment for a reason. "Usa," He starts taking a few steps closer to her. "I know you are in there somewhere. Tell me what I can do to help you Usa so you're back here with me." He takes a few steps forward, closing the gap between him. He never hesitated this much approaching her in the past. Watching her eyes carefully, he looks for a sign, something to show he is on the right track.
Sailor Cosmos scuffs and takes a few steps backward from him. Her back brushed against the wall. She can't back up any more. Her heart skips a beat. She doesn't understand why this man has such an effect on her and the host body. She tries to sound confident pushing back against the emotions trying to push their way to the surface. "Usagi is weak without her powers as Serenity. And Serenity is nothing in comparison to the powers of the Guardian. Powers that make me near invincible in this form." Her eyes now meet his, challenging him. "Why would I give up such power and why want such a weak girl?"
Mamoru raises his voice. "She is not weak." His voice softens when he expresses his feelings. "She's the woman I love and I will never give up on her."
Sailor Cosmos is speechless; this was not the answer she anticipated from him. She looks away from. "Love is a useless emotion that gets in the way." Her chest feels tight when she utters these words to Mamoru. This should not be so difficult. Usagi already chose another, why does she still struggle to take his starseed?
"No. It is the most powerful emotion there is. No matter how hopeless the situation may seem, Usa never give ups. When she needs me the most, I'm there for her. I won't give up on her."
Sailor Cosmos's eyes drift to the wedding photo on the shelf behind Mamoru of the happy couple. "Love... hmm. That won't be enough to stop Chaos." Her voice has a hint of sadness.
Mamoru boldly takes another step forward. The gap between them is quickly disappearing with each step he takes. "Isn't it?"
Sailor Cosmos does not respond and does not look at him.
"Why haven't you taken my starseed then? Isn't it what you came here for? What is stopping you?" His heart is beating rapidity in his chest as he makes this statement.
Sailor Cosmos looks up at him and smirks. "What is the fun of taking a starseed if you can't make your prey scream?" She raises her right wrist in front of her face, the jeweled bracelet facing Mamoru.
Mamoru closes the remaining gap between them and hugs her tightly to his chest. "I love you Usa."
Sailor Cosmos' arms daggle to her sides, in shock by his actions. She can't speak as she tries to process her emotions. She struggles with controlling the inner turmoil. Usagi has never stopped fighting for control but now… Serenity is fighting as well, fighting harder than Usagi.
"I'll never leave you Usa." He hugs her tighter; terrified he may never have another moment like this with her again.
"Endymion…" she whispers softly. "You have to stop Chaos. Free the evil that has tainted this starseed." Her voice is soft as a few tears trickle down her cheek.
Mamoru gasps, taking step back. "How do I do that?" He asks her, hoping for a way to end this nightmare. Noticing the tears in her eyes, he brushes them away without thinking.
She smiles slightly at him at the gesture. Her eyes are lighter but full of sadness as she answers. "Sailor Galaxia and the Starlights know the most about starseeds. I know it is difficult but you have to work with them before Chaos collects all of the starseeds. It will stop at nothing to control time and space. It knows it has limited time before the timeline removes Chaos from existence once more." She rushes her last sentence, knowing her time is running out. "Be safe, my love." She stands on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek. Serenity can feel her control slipping. She uses the last of it to disappear from the apartment, ensuring his safety from Chaos for one more day.
Mamoru raises his hand to his cheek where he was just kissed. He stares at the space where she just stood, his feet feel glued in place. He had so much he wanted to stay to her, hold her tightly, and never let go. But just like that she was gone.
A loud knocking on his apartment door snaps him out of his daze. It is nearly midnight. He cautious approaches the door, checking the peephole to determine his unexpected visitor. Setsuna. He sighs in relief and opens the door.
"Mamoru-san!" Setsuna exclaims, relieved to see him. "I came warn you, Chaos might be on it's way-"
Mamoru interrupts her. "Usa was just here and left. Come on it," He pushes the door open to let her inside.
"What is going on?" Ayumi asks, rubbing her eyes. "A loud noise woke me up."
Chaos is struggling to keep control over Usagi at all times. Who will be able to reach her? Who's starseeds will she take next on 11/12? Find out in Act 53: When the Light is Extinguished
Might have been a little foreshadowing of the in process arc I'm developing mixed in here a bit…. ^_^