Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars: Chaos Theory
Act 54: Everyone has a Shining Star
Sora Kazeno
Sailor Cosmos walks around the ruins the Silver Millennium. She realized they are traveling slower than she originally anticipated. Perhaps they weren't in a rush to save the Earth after all. She looks up at the stars, based on the position of the Moon; they have to pass this way before they reach Earth. She can sense two powerful starseeds approaching and two weaker ones. She can faintly see four moving stars in the distance. It was time to greet as Sailor Uranus would affectionately call them, the outsiders.
She floats up into the galaxy, toward the direction of Earth, making the Moon the last stopping point before reaching Earth. She waits patiently as the shooting stars come closer and brighter. They are on a crash course with her.
After a few minutes her patience begins to wear thin, it is taking them longer than it should to reach her, they have decreased their speed. They noticed her.
The small group slowed their pace when they see the Guardian ahead.
"We are sitting targets if we go closer and try to challenge her in an open space. We have never battled this way before." Sailor Galaxia can feel her heart racing. She glances at the Moon. "We should change course for the Moon, we might stand a fighting chance there. It's only a short distance from the Earth."
"I think that is her original goal based on her location. She is purposely giving us a chance to detour there," Princess Kakyuu is frustrated at their current options. She had hope they could arrive on Earth with little detection and find the Starlights right away. "I think we have to take it. We are at a complete disadvantage here."
"But will Sailor Cosmos have more of an advantage here, or on the Moon, her place of origin?" Sailor Galaxia asks out loud. When she doesn't receive a response, she realizes they don't have many options.
The four change their direction to land on the Moon instead of the Earth. The area closest to them is of course what remains of the Silver Millennium.
"I think I've read about this place," Sailor Star Creator comments, looking at her surroundings.
"This has to be what remains of the Silver Millennium," adds Sailor Star Protector. "It was supposed to be the greatest kingdom of its time until it was destroyed by someone from Earth."
Sailor Galaxia interrupts them. "Be on guard." She watches the sky carefully for any signs of Sailor Cosmos approaching them. Anxiety grows with each passing second. Nothing changes. They are in stances ready to attack or defend, depending on the approach Sailor Cosmos takes.
As minutes pass it becomes apparent to Sailor Galaxia. "She is toying with us." Her stance relaxes a little. She tries to see as far as she can into the sky but there is no way she can see Sailor Cosmos. "She is somewhere nearby."
"Yes. I can still feel her presence as well," Princess Kakyuu confirms. The wait is becoming worse than the battle. "I wish we knew exactly where she is. Her presence is too vague."
"You're losing your touch," Sailor Cosmos taunts them from behind.
The four senshi turn around to find the Guardian sitting on the remains of large stone pillar. Sailor Star Creator and Sailor Star Protector rush to stand in front of Princess Kakyuu to act as a shield if needed.
Sailor Cosmos shakes her head at the new Starlights. Their fukus are silver. "You are still in training. I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish here other than donate your weak starseeds to me. Maybe in a few decades, you might be able to contribute a bit more." Her words are harsh, met to upset them and have anger cloud their judgement.
Sailor Star Protector steps forward, accepting the challenge. "We will protect our Princess from any threat."
Sailor Cosmos smiles at her response. "Somehow I don't think you will live long enough to fulfill that promise." She raises her arm, displaying the golden bracelet with a smile.
Sailor Galaxia and Princess Kakyuu's stance become more ridged. This is the not the same woman that saved the Earth from Chaos.
Sailor Earth and Tuxedo Kamen arrive at the shrine out of breath. Their transformation allowed them a boost in their speed when every second matters. The sudden appearance of them fully transformed startles everyone.
"We found Sailor Cosmos," Sailor Earth blurts out between breathes, trying to pass along the message as fast as possible. "She left quickly after saying something about some guests arriving." Sailor Earth leans over, resting her hands on her knees trying to take a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart.
This gave Tuxedo Kamen a change to catch his breath and finish the message. "She is planning on taking the Starlight's Princess' starseed," he adds. Realizing this should have been said first.
"Where is she?" Taiki interrupts. He, Yaten, and Seiya are already on their feet, ready to run out of the shrine as soon as they know where to go.
"I don't know… other than something about preparing the kingdom…" Tuxedo Kamen tries to piece things together. He tries to figure out what she means by preparing the kingdom. What kingdom? Is this a reference to the last time the group fought Chaos? Is she going to the Starlights home? He asked himself these questions over and over while they ran to the shrine.
Tuxedo Kamen's comment was all Seiya needed, he runs out of the room confusing Yaten and Taiki. The two Light members snap out of it and follow behind him.
"Where are you going?" Rei yells after them. Her question is unanswered as they are no longer in the building. The group looks back and forth at each other.
"Preparing a kingdom…" Setsuna slowly repeats.
"Guests arriving…" Haruka adds. "Does she mean the guest is the Starlights Princess?"
The group does not speak for several minutes while try to piece everything together.
Yui gasps. "Do you think she meant the Silver Millennium?" She looks at Setsuna for confirmation.
Setsuna nods her head. "It is worth checking, she did restore the kingdom in the previous timeline."
"But everything is in ruins? How could she…" Rei's voice trails off for a moment. "Just how powerful is she?"
"Let's go. We don't have time to waste. Any starseed she collects will only make her more powerful," Haruka stands up and heads for the door.
A moment later, everyone is outside. The Starlights are nowhere to be seen.
"We don't have time to waste." Minako touches her pendant. "Venus Eternal, Make Up!"
"Mars Eternal, Make Up!"
"Jupiter Eternal, Make Up!"
"Callisto Power, Make Up!"
"Umbriel Power, Make Up!"
"Triton Power, Make Up!"
"Charon Power, Make Up!"
"Uranus Eternal, Make Up!"
"Neptune Eternal, Make Up!"
"Pluto Eternal, Make Up!"
After the senshi are transformed, Sailor Pluto turns to face Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Earth. "Please stay here in case we fail to reach the Princess." She looks at Tuxedo Kamen in the eyes. "Mamoru-san, you are one of the few people that can reach her. We can't risk losing you too."
Tuxedo Kamen wants to argue but he understands her point. His power pales in comparison to the other senshi. He might be more in the away than of service.
Sailor Earth shrugs. She is glad her brother is willing to stay on Earth this time. But there is something that is bugging her with how Sailor Pluto worded her plea to Tuxedo Kamen. "What did she mean by one of the few people that could reach her?"
"She seems to react more when certain people talk to her. Rei-chan had limited success." Tuxedo Kamen explains to Sailor Earth not completely following what she is getting at.
"Ah. Okay. But… she said, we can't risk losing you too. It is as if she was saying someone else has a lot of success that isn't Rei-chan." Sailor Earth points out.
Tuxedo Kamen's lips twitch at her choice of words. "I'm sure it's nothing." He tries to brush off her concerns even though his face is displaying a completely different story.
Sailor Earth isn't going to let it pass. "Who is this other person that is not Rei-chan?" She stares at him, waiting for an honest answer. "I know that you are hiding something." When he doesn't respond she adds. "You've never been good at lying to me."
Tuxedo Kamen clenches his right fist. He hates that he needs to say it out loud and admitting it. "She is probably referring to Seiya-kun." He hates to have to say that name out loud but based on recent events that were revealed about the other timeline, it is the only person that would make sense.
"…oh…" Sailor Earth says quietly. She mentally kicks herself for not piecing it together soon. The guy Usagi supposedly chose in the other timeline. Nothing else needs to be said on the topic. She knows Mamoru is going to do everything that he can to not lose Usagi when the timeline changes, but is it even possible? Would he be able to alter the other timeline? She hopes he is successful.
Sailor Cosmos looks at the two starseeds that hover above her left hand. "I guess you didn't train them hard enough Hikaru-san. I wonder how much simpler their training was compared to when you trained me…" She continues to look at the starseeds while she talks. "Hmm. They might not offer much but a starseed is a starseed."
Sailor Galaxia's eyes narrow. "Trained you? I never…" She stops. The other timeline the others spoke of. If she trained Sailor Cosmos at any point on how to use her abilities, the Guardian just became more deadly.
She smiles and finally looks up from the starseeds to see the bruises and cuts on Princess Kakyuu and Sailor Galaxia. "I thought both of you would have put up more of a fight. You seemed so much stronger last time… but then again my abilities were not as strong as they are now." She raises her staff to attack them again but stops and jumps back out of the way of several energy blasts. She turns to look at her new challengers.
The three Starlights are standing to the side. Sailor Star Maker and Sailor Star Healer watch Sailor Cosmos carefully, ready to attack if needed. Sailor Star Fighter appears hurt by the confrontation that is about to begin.
"Hmm," Sailor Cosmos comments, "you arrived faster than I anticipated." With a flick of her wrist, the two starseeds disappear. "Not the two starseeds I wanted, but two less senshi to annoy me."
Sailor Star Healer and Sailor Star Maker use this moment to run over and stand in front of Sailor Galaxia and Princess Kakyuu. A quick look at their appearance tells them they were injured in the battle.
Sailor Star Fighter follows behind them, she takes her place between the other Starlights and Sailor Cosmos. A quick look around and it is obvious which two starseeds she had taken, the remaining Starlights in training. She takes a moment to choose her words carefully as she recalls something Sailor Pluto had said. Fighter may be one of the few people that can reach her.
"Odango," she speaks softly. "This isn't you." She continues, taking a few steps forward to Sailor Cosmos who does not respond. "I know you are in there somewhere Odango, trying to defeat Chaos." She walks a few more steps forward, watching the Guardian for any change, if any of her words are reaching the senshi. "Help us free you. What can we do to help you?" Fighter is now a short distance away from Sailor Cosmos.
Sailor Cosmos stares at the Starlight for a moment before she bursts into laughter. "You don't realize who you are up against," with a sound of annoyance, she raises her staff in the air to attack Fighter.
Sailor Star Fighter reacts without thinking by running forward and hugging Sailor Cosmos tightly, preventing her from attacking.
Sailor Cosmos eyes widen as she gasps loudly. "You're the second person to do that…" She sounds confused and surprised by the Starlight's gesture.
Sailor Star Fighter pulls her closer. "I'll never stop trying to help you Odango."
Sailor Cosmos lowers her staff; her arms are now lowered to her sides. Seconds tick by as she remains unmoving. The once icy stare she had moments ago softening. Her fingers twitch. She slows raises her arms, hugging Fighter back. "…Seiya…" she whispers, sounding exhausted.
Fighter pulls back for a moment to look down at Sailor Cosmos. Her arms still lingering on the Guardian's back. She doesn't want to believe she hallucinated what she heard. She can feel tears well up in her eyes at the look in Usagi's eyes she is so familiar with.
"I don't have much time…" she struggles to pass along the message. "Chaos is hiding the starseeds somewhere in the Time Streams. You have to tell Setsuna-san so she can find them." Sailor Cosmos inhales, sharply pushing herself away from Fighter and breaking the embrace. "Chaos will be retuning in a moment. You must re-seal it in the cauldron." She fumbles with the rings on her fingers, trying to take them off. She is able to free the ring on her index finger and middle finger from her right hand. She places them in Fighter's palm and then closes the Starlight's hand around the rings. "These will have to do for now. Take these, keep them from Chaos. They are powerful amplifiers. The first one I gave you limits my ability to see premonitions of the future and the second grants the power for resurrection. I wish I could do more but it's the only thing I can think of to weaken Chaos." Her hand lingers on Fighter's for a few more moments before breaking the contact and putting more distance between them.
She speaks loudly to allow the Starlights, Sailor Galaxia, and Princess Kakyuu to hear her. "You have to seal Chaos back into the cauldron. I'm sorry. I have to leave before Chaos takes control again and attacks you." She hesitates for a moment to look at Princess Kakyuu and Sailor Galaxia. Her staff glows white along with Sailor Galaxia and Princes Kakyuu. Some of their cuts heal and the bruises lessen. Without another word, she vanishes into a flash of white light; right as the senshi from Earth arrive.
Sailor Fighter opens her fist slightly to make sure the rings are still there. She closes her fist tightly around them as many emotions run through her. Sailor Cosmos tried to help them for a few moments right after Fighter hugged her. She is lost in her own thoughts as she vaguely hears people speaking around her.
"It appears we just missed Sailor Cosmos. Where did she go?" Sailor Pluto asks the senshi from the Kinmoku star system.
No one answers her at first. Sailor Galaxia breaks the silence. "We don't know. All we know is she left before Chaos could take control again." She turns to look at Princess Kakyuu and after receiving a head nod from the Princess she continues. "She also confirmed our suspicions the only way to stop Chaos is to reseal it within the cauldron."
"Before Chaos took control again… that means you were able to reach Usagi. How were you able to?" Sailor Mars is filled with hope at the thought of Usagi responding to the others. She realized as soon as the question left her, she already knew the answer. Seiya is here.
"Fighter." Princess Kakyuu responds taking a step forward. "We were fortunate the Starlights arrived when they had, another minute or so Chaos would have taken our starseeds. The journey from Kinmoku to this planet is long and taxing. We lost the other two Starlights in training, Sailor Star Creator and Sailor Star Protector." Her eyes are downcast when she speaks of their loss, "They saved us from Chaos."
While listening to the Starlight's Princess speak, one thing kept nagging at Sailor Uranus. She has to know the answer to the question. Nothing made sense. She directs her question to Sailor Star Fighter. "How did you know she would be here and where to find her exact location?"
Sailor Star Fighter looks up, surprised Sailor Uranus was even taking to her. "I… acted on instinct. Somehow…" she pauses to turn around and look at Sailor Uranus directly. "I just knew she would be here… it's like I've been here before. I can't explain it." She didn't know how exactly she knew to go here. Something in her gut told her. Fighter presses her lips together slightly. Was she here in the other timeline they spoke of?
Sailor Charon frowns at this information. Fighter was here when Princess Serenity or rather Sailor Cosmos restored the Silver Millennium in the other timeline. She hates the idea of Princess Serenity with someone else but so much is at stake right now. She thinks back to what Sailor Pluto had discussed with her, one problem at a time. If Chaos isn't stopped nothing else will matter. Getting the Princess back with the Prince can come after. If this Starlight can reach Sailor Cosmos, they have to use it to their advantage to stop Chaos. Finally she speaks. "It's good you can reach her, that connection might be what we need to stop Chaos."
Sailor Pluto's eyebrows widen slightly at the change in Charon's stance. Perhaps she was beginning to understand their situation.
Sailor Uranus narrows her eyes in contempt at Sailor Charon but does not vocalize it. She instead looks at her partner next her, who looks equally irritated.
"Is this everyone that is left?" Sailor Galaxia looks the senshi over, noticing some are missing.
"No," Sailor Umbriel speaks up. "Sailor Earth and Tuxedo Kamen are still on Earth."
"Sailor Earth… Earth has two starseeds? I didn't know that was possible. I thought this star system only had one starseed per planet." She then looks at Sailor Umbriel, Sailor Callisto, and Sailor Charon carefully. "Apparently there are more senshi in this star system than I imagined."
Mamoru can't stop pacing around the room wondering what is taking the other senshi so long to return. "This was a mistake to stay here, I never should have agreed with Sailor Pluto." He knows it is too late and there is nothing he can do now. He pauses to look out the window again for any signs of the others returning. Once again, he walks away disappointed from the window.
"Mamoru-san," Ayumi calls him, trying to get his attention and draw his attention from the night sky. He doesn't respond; he walks back and forth in the room, lost in his own thoughts. "Endymion." Nothing. "Endymion. Endymion!" Ayumi raises her voice to gain his attention.
Mamoru suddenly stops walking to look at his sister. He finally realized Ayumi was trying to speak with him. "Sorry." He apologizes. He stops pacing for a moment but it is clear the same thoughts are still running through his head. "Maybe we should wait outside? It might be easier…" He wasn't sure if it would make a difference but he will have a better view and know when they return.
Ayumi nods her head in agreement. "Sure. Some fresh air is probably a good idea." Ayumi chuckles slightly to herself. The worst case scenario, he would have more room to pace back and forth.
The two head outside, each looking up into the sky for any signs. Seconds later, bright flashes of light appear near the shrine. As each light fades, it takes on the form of a senshi. The senshi mirror similar facial expressions, exhaustion and frustration. Ayumi waits for the rest of the lights to fade before she realizes Sailor Cosmos is not with them. Chaos is still out there. All of the senshi returned along with two new people.
"What happened?" Mamoru asks, hoping for something positive regarding the situation.
Sailor Venus walks over to him. "We didn't arrive until after she left. Sailor Galaxia, the Starlight's Princess, and the Starlights were there for more of what happened." She is annoyed they weren't as forth coming with information as she hoped. What were they hiding?
"Let's go inside. We need to discuss what we learned. And if anything, we might have a direction to go." Rei instructs everyone now that she detransformed. Everyone else followed her example. They don't speak as they return inside.
Seiya is behind the others. He places the rings he received from Sailor Cosmos in his pocket for the moment.
Princess Kakyuu notices his hesitation. "Fighter, are you alright?" She asks lightly placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know today was very difficult for you… to see her like that." Her voice trails over for a moment before changing the direction of the conversation. "You have to tell them what happened. It is important information everyone needs to know to stop Chaos."
Seiya sighs. "I know Princess. It's just… some of them… are not going to take the information well. They are already upset with us and this will only add to it."
"While that may be the case, keeping such vital information on how to stop Chaos and free Usagi-san would be worse." Princess Kakyuu encourages him.
Seiya sighs but knows she is right. "I wouldn't want them to hide anything from me. Okay. When in the time is right, I will let them know." He pauses to add something else that has bugged him. "They're angry with me for something… I haven't done yet. Or rather something I did in another timeline."
Princess Kakyuu looks at him confused. "There is still a lot I am not aware of."
"We should head inside." Seiya escorts the Princess inside.
Usagi looks up when she hears him approach. She wishes she could break free; she is tired of being imprisoned. She stands up as a way of greeting him.
"You've made this more difficult than it needs to be." Chaos tells Usagi when he approaches her.
"Your appearance is different this time." The man is tall with short black hair wearing a black suit. She looks back down at her feet, not interested in his appearance. "Did you really think I wouldn't try to stop you?"
"I expected you to try; I never imagine how well you would succeed." He lashes out in anger. "You know you are on your own. The sudden revelation you chose Fighter is quite a shock to them. Do you think they will forgive you that easily and that quickly? If they can't trust you, why would they want to save you?" He asks her, trying to break her spirit.
Usagi tries to sound confident when she responds back. "They will never give up when the Earth in danger."
Chaos shakes his head no. "It doesn't really matter anyway. It is only a matter of time until I have all their starseeds."
"Then what?" She tries to gather information she can pass along to the others at the first moment she has.
"I will correct history. And if you behave this time, I won't take your starseed."
"You won't take my starseed. You know it can be used against you. Just like it was the last two times and you lost." Usagi glares at him.
Chaos snickers in response. "I see you learned something from my mistakes. Yet you," he points at her, "keep making the same ones." He vanishes without uttering another word.
Usagi sighs and drops back down to the floor in defeat once she is alone. Everything is different this time. She can't help but feel depressed at her current circumstances. She was past this, and now she is reliving it again. This time she doesn't even have her brooch with her. When there are no villains to fight, why should she constantly keep it with her when she was trying to reawaken her abilities as Sailor Cosmos?
Sailor Cosmos. Is this partly her fault? If she never tried to summon these powers again, the timeline would have continued… and she would be Mamoru's wife. She looks at the engagement ring and wedding ring on her finger. Then she thought of Sailor Pluto. The Guardian of Time that changed everything. If Sailor Pluto never tried to change time, Chaos would still be defeated. She clenches her fists tightly. She refused to accept what Setsuna did… because she wanted to be with Seiya.
She touches her neckline only to be reminded the crystal pendant is not there. Why isn't it there if she became Sailor Cosmos? She sighs again rubbing her head. She wishes Seiya was here with her. He would know just what to say to give her confidence or motivate her. He is the one person that seems to truly under the challenges she faces as Sailor Cosmos, torn between different lives.
She holds her head in her arms. If she doesn't get out of here, she will never be able to see him again other than the brief moments when she is able to fight back against Chaos; a few tears slide down her cheeks.
"Are you finally ready to get back to work?"
Usagi's head bolts up after hearing her voice, the one of Princess Serenity. She is standing on the other side of the bars imprisoning Usagi. Usagi wipes her tears.
"You need my help to get out of here." She walks closer to Usagi, her face conveys determination. "But if you accept my help, you will chose Endymion when this is over."
Usagi glares at the Princess for a few moments before responding. "You can't exist without me." She refuses to be dictated to on who she should in a relationship with. She has dealt with that long enough in the past year. She is fighting back.
Princess Serenity raises her head in disdain. "Then I guess we are stuck here. You're powerless without me."
The group reviews all of the information they possess.
Hikaru places the cauldron in front of her. "We have to seal Chaos… but it is currently inhabiting a fully awoken Sailor Cosmos with all of powers making her dangerous. To add to the problem, there is a previous battle where we defeated Chaos but only she and Sailor Pluto have memories of this prior battle, and Sailor Pluto was absent for about half of it due to her starseed taken."
Setsuna interrupts Hikaru. "Chaos has a different plan this time, knowing it did not work last time. If the same plan was being used, the other senshi would have been turned against us. We also have to contend with returning all of the starseeds before this timeline ends and reverts to what it previous was."
"How much time do we have left?" Princess Kakyuu asks.
"It is hard to say, this has never happened. The sooner we seal Chaos, the better. We need a plan for that," Setsuna looks at the other senshi, trying to focus on the one thing they haven't seemed to figure out in the past couple of days.
"Can't you just stop time like you last time?" Haruka question Setsuna. She is referring to the time she and Neptune should have died in a helicopter crash but Sailor Pluto froze time long enough for them to escape to fight the Death Busters.
"No," Yui immediately answers. "Time is too unstable as it is. We tried our best to slow the passage of time but if we keep trying it could make things worse and time could eventually speed up to compensate."
Seiya's hand brushes against the rings in his pocket. They remind him of what Sailor Cosmos told him, the rings amplify her powers. If they are removed, it should theoretically reduce her powers? He ponders this idea for a few minutes while the others are still without a plan. He's not sure if it will work but none of the other senshi have a better idea. He's finally ready to share what happened earlier. He speaks up; this could be how they save her. "Her rings."
Minako barely hears Seiya over the others. "Could you repeat that Seiya-kun?"
Everyone became quiet in the room wondering what they missed.
"During a previous battle when her staff was taken, she said if we had our memories, we would know she also draws powers from her rings. Today she mentioned they amplify her powers. When Odango is in control, she is trying to help us by giving us information. So we need to get the rings."
The senshi exchange glance at each other but no one speaks.
Mamoru tries not to glare at Seiya. He hates hearing Seiya call Usa, his Usa, Odango at this moment. No one flinches at the nickname. They are used to hearing him call her that.
"That could work…" Setsuna finally agrees. "If we can collect her rings it should decrease her powers."
While Rei is glad to have a plan it won't be as simple as they make it sound. "It won't be that easy. It's not like she is going to just take off her rings and give them to us."
Taiki looks discreetly at Seiya but does not say anything to him.
Seiya directs his questions to Setsuna instead. "How do the rings work? Are they general power amplifiers or specific ones for each ring?"
"That is an excellent question. Each ring represents an ability. Attack, defense, healing, premonition, resurrection, time travel, teleportation, and learning the history of an object she comes in contact with. We should try to retrieve the attack, time travel, teleportation rings first."
"Though reducing her rings by any amount would be beneficial and hopefully make it easier to seal Chaos. Chaos is too strong at the moment for me to try to seal it. I'm worried it might find a way to break the cauldron if it is at full strength. If the cauldron becomes broken I don't know of another way to seal Chaos. It takes time to try to repair it, something we don't have," Hikaru looks back over at Seiya. What else is he not saying? What else did Sailor Cosmos privately tell him?
"Next time we see Usagi-chan, we have to try to get a ring." Setsuna looks over at Mamoru. "Do you think you can try talking to Usagi-chan like before? Maybe she will listen to you."
"Of course," Mamoru responds without hesitation. "I will do everything I can."
Nanami sighs in relief. "Finally, I feel like we are getting somewhere."
"I agree," Rin chimes in. "It was like we were spinning our wheels for days and not getting anywhere.
Akari isn't as hopeful as the two senshi next to her. "What happens if this doesn't work? We seem to be betting everything on this one move. Then what?"
"It has to work!" Makoto raises her voice. She doesn't want to think of the possibility of nothing working against Chaos. "I can't believe Usagi-chan would sit by and let Chaos win like this."
Seiya has tried to be patient but couldn't hold it in any more. "It's not that simple. You guys don't get it. She's fighting for her life in the most difficult battle she has ever faced and she is alone, in a place we can rarely reach. And having a time limit that we don't know when it will expire."
Haruka cut him off before he could say anything else. "Then we have to move quickly to secure the eight rings."
Seiya corrects her. "Six rings."
Yaten shakes his head slightly, now the other senshi were about to lose it. Leave it up to Seiya to be a hot head and reveal the information this way.
"No, there are eight rings." Yui repeats looking at Seiya suspiciously.
"She had eight rings, but we only need six." Seiya pulls the two pearl rings out his pocket to reveal to the others.
Several gasps of disbelief are heard throughout the room.
"How long were you planning on keeping such important information about our Princess to yourself?" Michiru's tone suggest she is about to fight him again.
"I had to make sure you weren't going to attack us this time," Seiya shoots back, his posture straightening up, unsure of what would happen next. His temper raising.
"Don't tempt me…" Haruka threatens and narrows her eyes at the Starlight she despises the most.
"Enough!" Setsuna yells at the three of them, standing up to take control of the conversation. "We don't have time for this. The more we fight among ourselves the faster Chaos will win. I know you never get along, but for now, for the Princess's sake, and the sake of Earth, you have to work together."
Setsuna's attention turns to Seiya. She is not ready to admit it out loud to the others and to Mamoru, but Seiya is the key to reaching this version of Usagi, not Mamoru. He already has two of her rings. "Do you know which rings you have and how did you get them?" She continues to choose her words carefully. She doesn't want to create a larger rift between the Outer Senshi and the Starlights when it is clear Seiya is instrumental to defeating Chaos.
"Resurrection and premonition." Seiya purposely neglects to answer the second question.
"Good," Yui adds. "Not having the premonition ring will make it more difficult for to see the future. It's a start. Do you know where she went?"
"No. All I know is she was leaving before Chaos took control again," Seiya repeats his answer from before.
"You never answered the questions on how you retrieved the rings from Usagi," Rei asks Seiya, watching him closely. Based on everything that has happened since her conversation with Mamoru, she is convinced she saw Sailor Star Fighter standing next to Neo-Queen Serenity in the Great Fire.
Seiya looks at Rei for a moment wishing he could avoid the question, expecting Haruka to want to hit him again. "I talked to her and was able to reach her. Chaos temporarily lost control. She took off the two rings and gave them to me, hoping it would weaken her powers."
"What did you say to her, to reach her?" Rei insists on learning more information, refusing to allow Seiya to be vague.
"I think we should focus on finding Sailor Cosmos. If anything we should be relieved that she has two less rings," Princess Kakyuu interjects, coming to Fighter's defense. She is unsure how the others will react in the room. There is enough tension as it is. She will have to ask her Starlights later why there is so much animosity toward Fighter.
"There was one more thing…" Seiya slowly adds. He probably should have said this sooner. "Odango believes the starseeds are hidden in the time streams but I'm not sure what she meant."
Setsuna and Yui abruptly stand up. "That must be why we found Sailor Cosmos there." She turns to Yui. "We have a lot to search." Yui heads for the door and Setsuna is a few steps behind her. She pauses. "Thank you Seiya-kun… this might be what we need to stop Chaos." Without another word she leaves. She can't shut him out right now when Chaos needs to be stopped. She can address him again when this is over and why the Princess needs to return to her Prince.
"While you search for the starseeds, we'll search for the Princess," Akari states looking over at Rin and Nanami. The two girls nod their heads in the agreement. Akari hopes they can work together to end to this. It is clear that this Seiya person is important to the Princess and they need his help if they want to succeed.
Ayumi notices the look of pain on Mamoru's face that Seiya was able to reach Usagi in a way he was unable. She needs to take the focus off both of them. "Where else do we start looking? I guess we can cycle back through other areas we searched but splitting up also makes it easier for Chaos."
Sailor Cosmos rests one planet over on Mars. She glares at her fingers. Two of her rings are gone. So careless, she tells herself. Chaos is fully in control. Usagi is gradually becoming more of a threat. Her spirit refuses to be broken. The Starlights need to be dealt with, particularly the one she gave the two rings too. She smiles at the thought of how she can harm Seiya in retaliation.
She looks in the direction of the Earth and the Moon. Each second spent here is wasted time. Summoning energy from her ring and staff she teleports back to the Silver Millennium. As expected the other senshi have left. She looks around to confirm she is truly alone before summoning the starseeds.
Enjoying the bright shine, she gazes at the growing collection. "Soon." She smiles. "How should I manipulate Seiya next? I have to present more false information to Usagi that she believes is true. How could she so easily believe the starseeds are in the time streams? I can't wait for Sailor Pluto and Charon to search endlessly for them, falling right into my trap and then… they will be gone."
"But first..." She turns to face Earth. She needs more starseeds if she has any hope to make this timeline permanent. With a gesture the starseeds vanish. All of her attention is focused on Earth and the remaining starseeds.
Michiru rests her head on Haruka's shoulder as they cut through the park on their way back to the apartment. They needed a break from everyone else and some time to themselves. "I'm glad you convinced me to stop for a late dinner. I didn't realize how long it had been since we last ate."
"Every now and it then it is nice to appreciate the small things," Haruka comments, reflecting back to the time when they searched for pure heart crystals, running themselves ragged for their mission. There were times they nearly collapsed from exhaustion and would be so busy they didn't eat.
"I'm glad you enjoyed your last meal together," Sailor Cosmos tells them as she appears in front of them without warning.
Michiru removes her head from her partner's shoulder, surveying the area for bystanders.
Haruka contacts the others, hoping they can arrive quickly. If they are on their own, she is pretty sure how it will end.
Sailor Cosmos shakes her head at Haruka. "You're too quick to end the fun before it has even begun. You'll pay for that." With a quick flick of her wrist, golden blasts of energy from the bracelets race at Haruka.
Michiru shoves Haruka out of the way just in time to take the blast met for her love. She screams when she feels the pain hit in her chest. A pain she remembers too well. An orange flower appears from her chest opening to reveal a teal starseed.
"Michiru…" Haruka whispers in shock at first. As she begins to process what happened she shouts, "Michiru!" She desperately tries to grab the starseed to prevent it from floating to Sailor Cosmos. She is unsuccessful and the starseed travels over to Sailor Cosmos. Michiru collapses into Haruka's arms.
Once Sailor Cosmos has the starseed all of Haruka's attention is focused on Michiru. "Stay with me." She pleads with her, even though she knows what the outcome will be.
"I know you will help save us all by working with the others…" Michiru closes her eyes as she feels the rest of her body disappearing in Haruka's arms. She tries to say something else but all she can do is use the last of her strength to form a smile.
Sailor Cosmos looks at the starseed in her hands. "Finally a strong starseed. The Outer Senshi have such a bright shine. Imagine sacrificing yourself for someone when they're going to be next. What a waste."
Haruka stands up with tears in her eyes to face Sailor Cosmos. "She sacrificed herself for the person she loves just like Mamoru-san has done in the past for you." She wipes a few tears from her eyes. "You would do the same for him."
Sailor Cosmos shakes her head. "Me?" She asks, pointing to herself. "No. Serenity would and at some point Usagi might have… but now her attention is on Seiya." She is starting to grow bored with Haruka. "But you won't be around long enough to have to get used to it!" She prepares another attack.
"Go ahead. I won't fight you." Haruka closes her eyes, waiting to join Michiru any moment. The blast never hits her.
"Dead Scream…"
Sailor Pluto stands to the side with Sailor Charon, ready to attack Sailor Cosmos.
The attack prevented Sailor Cosmos from attacking Haruka.
Sailor Cosmos smiles when she looks at the two senshi that arrived. "Finally some valuable starseeds!" She focuses all of her energy on the time traveling senshi.
Sailor Pluto and Sailor Charon recognize their mistake too late. By coming to Haruka's aid it allows Sailor Cosmos to target them. If they lose their starseeds here, they will not be able to search the time streams for the other starseeds.
Sailor Pluto turns to Haruka, "we need help. Please transformation." She pleads with her. She never anticipated Haruka to walk away from the battle but she just lost Michiru.
Haruka moves in a fog and manages to nod her head. She goes through the motions but is not focused on the battle at hand. "Uranus Eternal, Make Up!" After she strikes a pose, she tries to get her mind on task. She reminds herself Michiru is not completely gone. If they retrieve the other starseeds, they can bring Michiru back but in order to do that they have to stop Chaos. Replaying these thoughts, it becomes easier to focus on the battle against Sailor Cosmos.
Sailor Pluto and Charon watch Sailor Cosmos carefully studying her actions, waiting for her to attack or find an opening for them to attack her.
"Now it's a fair fight!" Sailor Callisto announces her arrival with Sailor Triton and Sailor Umbriel.
Sailor Cosmos laughs at the Moon Senshi. "You're just filler with little power but a nuisance none the less. Curious, I wonder how well you were trained. Time to find out." She raises her staff and attacks. "Cosmos Twilight Flash!"
One single attack rushes at them. The Moon Senshi move to the side to dodge it but the attack splits several times into other beams of energy hitting them. The blast knocks the three Moon Senshi off their feet.
Sailor Uranus' jaw drops at the attack she witnessed. "I didn't know she could do that…" Her voice trails off.
"There is a lot I can do, I just never showed you!" Sailor Cosmos launches another attack with two beams of energy at Sailor Uranus. At the last moment it combines into one blast, hitting the unsuspecting Sailor Uranus. She falls to her knees, pulling out her talisman to strike back. Anger fills her after losing her partner. "Space Sword Blaster!"
Sailor Cosmos waves the attack away in annoyance. "If Sailor Galaxia deflected such a weak attack, why would you ever think it would work against me?"
"Morning Star!"
"Tidal Wave!"
"Crystal Hurricane!"
All three attacks make their way to the Guardian. "Brilliant Barricade." She didn't feel like moving to the side so she created a shield around herself. She grins when another idea occurs to her. Instead of allowing the energy to disperse, she collects the energy, adding some of her own and returning it to the Moon Senshi.
The three senshi try to scramble out of the way but are clipped by the energy knocking them to the ground.
"Destiny Spinster!"
"Pluto Chronis Typhoon!"
Sailor Cosmos yawns with her left hand and places her staff in front of her. "Brilliant Barricade." She hasn't broken a sweat yet from the battle. She looks bored with them. "You are wasting my time and your energy. Don't you realize I am in control of your destiny?" Sailor Cosmos unleashes a gold blast of energy from her bracelets at the senshi nearest to her.
Sailor Umbriel screams when the energy rips through her. When the light fades the orange flower has already bloomed and the royal blue starseed hoovers in the air for a few seconds before flying over to Sailor Cosmos, who appears to have little interested in the starseed.
"One less senshi for you to hide behind…" Sailor Cosmos taunts Sailor Pluto and Sailor Charon with a wide smile. She waits for a reaction from them and when she does not receive the response she wants she continues. "What will you do when I have everyone else's starseeds?"
Sailor Pluto and Sailor Charon refuse to answer or respond to her threats.
"Hide inside the time streams?" Sailor Cosmos continues. She laughs at them again. Her laughter suddenly stops when she hears his voice.
"Usa, you have to stop this."
She spins around expecting to see Tuxedo Kamen. She gasps in surprise when she is greeted by Prince Endymion instead. Her eyes widen as she can feel Serenity struggling to surface. Her look of surprise fades into one of annoyance. "You think a few simple words will remove my control? You are weaker than I imagined, just like Usagi." She snarls at him. "Maybe if you had the Golden Crystal you'd stand a chance. But I will never release its seal. It will remain out of your reach."
Sailor Pluto takes a step back. Release the seal on the crystal? Mamoru was searching for the golden crystal in the other timeline, did he find it and she was unaware while trying to restore the timeline? But why would there a seal for Usagi to remove? Of course, the Earth and the Moon were at odds with each other for decades before the alliance was formed.
Prince Endymion is not fazed by the mention of a Golden Crystal. He doesn't understand what she means or is it something that was said just to confuse him? He watches Sailor Cosmos for a few moments, trying to determine the best way to approach her and process who the person is standing in front of him. In a way, she is a stranger to him. A shell of her former self. It looks like her but it is not the same person. It only strengthens his resolve to reach her, find a way to save her. He has to pull her out the darkness and back into the light where she belongs.
"Usa…" He starts, and then corrects his mistake. "Serenity, tell us what you need so we can help you." He glances down at her fingers, confirming Seiya's statement she has six rings left. He is now less than a meter from her.
Sailor Cosmos reaches her left hand towards him and stops, recoiling her hand back. Smiles instead. "It's not going to work." Her eyes shift to the other senshi. Without another word she walks off and disappears.
No one speaks as they look at each in other in disbelief. Is she that far gone?
What the group did not see, was how close Serenity was to taking over. Chaos left before Serenity could take control. While it delays collecting more starseeds, it needs to preserve the power it has by not handing over or losing any more rings.
Sailor Cosmos reappears on the other side of the Earth, giving Chaos a change to regroup. Her fists are clenched tight while both forces fight for control. She closes her eyes, knowing it will end soon and Chaos will resume control. She opens her eyes again and blinks a few times. Usagi realizes she is in control while the two fight. She desperately wants to see the others but can't risk putting them in danger.
Instead, she finds a way to help them. She enters the time stream. Nothing seems out of place. Closing her eyes she tries to focus on any powerful energy sources that would indicate a starseed. She finds nothing. Pouting her lips she walks through another corridor and still finds nothing. She assumes Chaos has hidden the starseeds well to prevent anyone from finding them. But they have to here somewhere.
Her vision starts to become blurry and she feels dizzy. Serenity lost again. She uses the last of her strength and control to teleport herself out of the time stream and back to the place she was moments ago. She feels tired, a feeling that is becoming more frequent. A tear slides down her cheek as she knows what is about to happen next.
Princess Kakyuu speaks with the Three Lights and Hikaru privately. She directs her comment to Seiya. "You seem to have the best chance of reaching her but you have to be careful, it might not work every time."
"And I will keep trying until we stop Chaos," Seiya responds. "Any chance I have to eliminate Chaos, I will take it." He leaves out the part that Usagi is worth every second of it.
Yaten frowns. "We have to take chances but we are running out of time. We already know what Chaos can do to a planet." He looks over at the others in the room. "What choice do we have, sit around and hope for the best or take action?"
Hikaru nods her head in agreement. "That is the mindset we need to have. We stand the best chance of sealing Chaos if all of the rings are removed. I'm worried what will happen if we have to take them by force. She would not be easy to overpower." Her eyes lower. "We would probably not survive."
"Then we have to make sure it doesn't come to that." Taiki is solemn in his response.
They continue to talk but Seiya is no longer paying attention. He knows the Princess is worried about him but it also clear to everyone he will do everything in his power to help or save Usagi. He looked up from his seat and his surroundings changed.
Usagi laughed lightly at a comment Seiya made moments ago. They were resting on the park bench where they first kissed nearly two months ago. He kissed her on the cheek one more time before he finally leaves her alone. Usagi shook her head slightly at him.
"I thought you enjoyed it," Seiya said with a smirk, his tone suggestive. During the past few days since the last enemy attack they had been nearly inseparable. It was great for Seiya, but horrible for Mamoru whom was stilling trying to talk to Usagi.
Usagi blushed a shade of deep red. She changed the subject, "What would all your fans say?"
Seiya laughed at her question in delight. "We have already been seen in the newspaper together. Remember that article?" Seiya lowered his voice and looked at her mischievously, "What I would be more concerned about is what would the fan club at Juban High School do when we go back to school?"
Usagi's eyes widened as she recalled the softball game from the previous school year in order to defend their relationship. Their team won. It forced Sonoko to acknowledge Seiya and Usagi as friends. She remembered how upset Sonoko was at Usagi for all the time she was able to spend with Seiya. She felt nervous thinking of how she would react to her and Seiya as a couple. "But Sonoko-san… was okay. Right?"
Seiya moved closer to Usagi to provoke her, "You know people change Odango. She might see you as an even bigger threat."
Usagi turned in her former crybaby self for a moment, "I can't do that again!"
Usagi's reaction was not what Seiya anticipated. Her loud screech began to draw unwanted attention to them.
"Oi Odango," Seiya whispered quietly, "It was just a joke! A joke!" He tried his best to calm her down.
"You sure?" Usagi said with tear filled eyes.
"Of course! Besides you will have me right by your side," Seiya reassured her. He places an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.
Usagi's tears quickly vanished when a woman in a crimson dress appear in front of them. It is Haumea. "Isn't this touching?" She sneered at the tender display of affection. She laughed at them as she curled a few locks of her long hair between her fingers.
Seiya and Usagi bolted up from the bench.
Usagi immediately reached for her crystal pendant. She no longer had to hold back her abilities. She didn't have a reason to hesitate any longer. "Cosmos Crystal Power, Make Up!"
"Fighter Star Power, Make Up!"
Seiya rubs his head for a moment. Who are these other people he is seeing that they fought? He stands up. "I need a few minutes." Without another word he steps outside in the hallway and closes the door of the hotel room. He wants to hit the wall with his fist in frustration. Why can't he remember everything? Why do they have to come back in fragments?
He rests his head on the wall behind him. These are the memories, the moments Sailor Pluto robbed him of. He clenches his fist. What if he doesn't remember everything? What if after Chaos is defeated and the timeline goes back to what it was, Usagi picks Mamoru because they were married in this timeline? Then the relationship he is beginning to remember will all just turn to heartbreak. The thought of being a couple at the end of this, is what is keeping him going. He remains in the hallway while the others continue to talk.
Yaten waits until Seiya leaves the room before commenting. "Seiya is going to turn into a loose cannon when it comes to that girl. Judging on how he is acting, he probably saw another one of those memories from the other timeline."
"He seems to have them frequently." Taiki looks at Yaten wondering why he is bring this up.
"Memories?" Princess Kakyuu doesn't understand what they are talking about.
"Since we arrived on Earth, we have periodically received memories, or glimpses of events that happened from this other timeline Sailor Pluto spoke of. Seiya seems to have them more frequently." He pauses. "Maybe it is because he is closest to Tsukino-san."
Worry crosses Princess Kakyuu's face. "What happens in these memories?"
"He doesn't talk about them." Yaten shrugs. "But… there are a few things we gathered from what Sailor Cosmos said and the others. It's not something they really want to talk about and why they hate Seiya right now."
"Hate? I noticed they don't like him for someone reason, but what could he have possibly done wrong?" Hikaru tries to follow the dynamics of the different groups of senshi.
"Well… Tsukino-san married her boyfriend in his timeline. In the other timeline, everything is reverting back to, she chose Seiya instead." Taiki explains bluntly.
Princess Kakyuu gasps as her jaw drops. "So those memories…" she stops herself. No wonder he has been so distant from the others. "They blame him for something he has not done. He was on Kinmoku with us."
"But in this other timeline that things are changing back to…" Yaten doesn't need to finish the sentence.
Hikaru becomes angry. "This is why all the senshi have been unable to work together? Because she chose someone else in an alternative timeline? Don't they realize how much is at risk right now? If we don't stop Chaos, none of this will matter!" No one responds back since they all agree with her. "Is Chaos using this against them?"
"Yes. She is definitely saying things to get them angry and it works every time." Taiki confirms. "This is only taking into account the battles that we know of."
Hikaru sighs loudly. "This needs to be addressed."
"It has been addressed… to an extent but some of them won't let it go. I think they are starting to realize it's a mistake." Taiki pauses. "But the most frustrating part, until today there was no concrete plan on how to try to stop Chaos other than reach Tsukino-san."
"How was Chaos sealed in this alternative timeline?"
"By using the cauldron, but the last time her powers just awoke as Sailor Cosmos, which is not the case this time." Yaten watches Princess Kakyuu get up and leave the room. Seiya had not come back.
Princess Kakyuu closes the door behind her, silently standing next to Seiya.
He has his eyes closed, resting his head against the wall with his hands in his pockets.
"I'm sorry you are struggling so much."
At the sound of her voice, Seiya opens his eyes. He tries to downplay it. "We have been though worse situations."
"But none have been quite this emotional for you."
His posture changes, becoming more rigid but he doesn't verbally respond.
"I heard about this alternative timeline. And… some of the changes in this timeline. Is it true, you've seen some memories from this other timeline?" She doesn't want to pry too much but wishes to have a better understanding of everything.
Seiya knows he can't keep this from the Princess. She had seen how sad and depressed he was returning to Kinmoku without her. "Yes… we looked so happy in those memories. She even trained with us on Kinmoku."
Princess Kakyuu's eyes widened at the revelation. "Perhaps when this is all over, you can resume where you left off." She tries to be hopeful, knowing this is tearing him apart. Her words fail her. Instead she places her hand on Seiya's shoulder. "Let's work together to stop Chaos in the best possible way."
"Princess…" Seiya is able to form a small smile in the corners of his mouth. He is speechless.
"If we work together we could have been out of here," Usagi pleads with Serenity. "When you fought against Chaos earlier, it gave me a chance to try to find the starseeds in the times stream, but I didn't find any."
"Why should I rush forward toward a future I do not want, one that is wrong?" Princess Serenity argues back.
Usagi could feel her anger rising over having this conversation again. "Time is changing back to what it should be."
"For who?" The Princess glares at Usagi. "What it should be was on track being married to Endymion."
"Endymion is the past. I don't understand why I have to keep telling you this. Nothing has changed." Usagi tone grows softer when she realizes yelling at Serenity will not help either one of them. "If we can't worker together and help the others they will lose their starseeds. Chaos will not stop until he has collected all them, including Endymion's."
Princess Serenity doesn't respond for a few moments while she processes Usagi's statement. "Then why don't you do what is right to save them?"
Usagi can't believe the stubbornness of the Princess, but she's desperate. Trying to do anything she can to stay with Endymion.
Usagi's anger decreases slightly, she would do the same to be with Seiya. And before Chaos, she would have done the same to protect Mamoru. She would do the same to protect the one she loves. They are at a stalemate because they each want to protect the one they love.
"I… we need to finish talking Usako."
Usagi's heart began to hammer in her ears. She knew it would happen sooner or later. "I'm not sure… what is left to say…" she tried to brush it off. Being in such familiar surroundings put her on edge, she wasn't sure what would happen if she continued to remain here.
"Let me do the talking this time," he sat down on the couch and waited for her to join him.
Usagi gulped and sat next to him. She kept a short distance between them. She felt her heartache when she witnessed the pained look in his eyes before he began to speak.
"Usako… I want to apologize to you for all the pain I have caused you and my past actions," he paused as he debated how detailed he wanted to be about the different events, but felt afraid that it would bring hurtful memories to the surface for her. "During the time we spent apart, when you were on Kinmoku, it gave me time to reflect on a lot of things."
Usagi sat next to him, wordlessly.
"I should have discussed the nightmares I had with you when Chibi Usa first appeared. I never should have pushed you away even though I thought I was protecting you. You don't do that to someone that you care about, someone you love." He paused before he continued. He tried to stay in control of his emotions. "If what I experienced when you left for Kinmoku was anything like the experience you had all those years ago…. I don't know how you survived it." He looked into her eyes when he spoke, "you're strong Usako."
Usagi's eyes were sad as she listened to how Mamoru felt. He was in a lot of pain, pain she had caused. She didn't want to hear anymore but she couldn't run out of the apartment. Her mind told her to leave but her heart told her to stay.
"Can you forgive me for what I've done?"
Usagi parted her lips to speak but no sound immediately came out. She smiled slightly and tried again. "When I was on Kinmoku… it gave me a lot of time to think about things. Everything. It was hard to not be around everyone. It gave me a chance to examine what happened to me throughout my life. I feel a lot less angry then when I awoke as Sailor Cosmos. I forgive you Mamo-chan…" Usagi said as she looked down at her hands for what she was about to say next. "But it doesn't change my mind… about us." She couldn't look at him. She knew it was breaking his heart.
"… what can I do to change your mind?" He grasped at straws, hoping for something to give him a fighting chance.
"…I don't know…" Usagi stammered.
He reached forward and placed his hands on hers. Usagi gasped and looked up at him. He squeezed her hands slightly, "I just can't give up on us. I love you too much Usako. It's not that easy for me to just walk away from this. I don't think I'm strong enough. I need you in my life."
She felt like her heart was being torn apart. She abruptly stood up and walked over to balcony sliding door. She didn't want him to see the tears which threatened to fall. "…Mamo-chan…." She couldn't face him. "Why didn't you say all of this before? Why couldn't you tell me how important I was to you before?" She spun around as a few tears flowed freely down her face. She didn't care anymore. "You've always been so distant. You made me think at times I was nuisance to you. But now… everything you're saying… it's what I've wanted you to say for years."
The tears rapidly flowed down her cheeks. Mamoru walked over to her to close the distance between them.
She couldn't control it. "But why does it have to be now?"
"It's not too late Usako," Mamoru said while he placed his arms around her and held her close. She continued to cry into his chest.
Usagi didn't say anything as she cried. She felt so frustrated at everything.
Mamoru rubbed her back to comfort her. He felt a little guilty he never told her how he really felt until now. If he had, things would have turned out differently for him. It was a part of him that he disliked; he could never openly talk about his feelings with her.
Usagi slowly broke away from Mamoru and wiped the few remaining tears. "I should be going…." Usagi said quietly.
"Leaving…?" Mamoru asked confused. "But…."
"I don't think staying would be a good idea…" Usagi said as she tried to place more distance between their two bodies. "I know what is going to happen if I stay… and I can't do that to Seiya…" Usagi said, as her voice trailed off. She walked over to the door to collect her shoes. She used all the self-control she could muster. She knew she couldn't turn around to face him until she was across the room. She has to keep moving before her resolve waivered.
Mamoru stood frozen in place while he tried to process everything that happened. He watched Usagi open the door to leave and it snapped him back to reality. "Usako, wait!" He pleaded with her.
Usagi turned to face him with her hand still on the door knob. "I… I'm sorry. I have to go." Usagi flung the door open and ran out into the hallway.
Mamoru quickly ran to the apartment door to run after Usagi but she was already gone. He sighed. He felt like he had finally made progress and she left. He took a sharp intake of breath when he realized what she had meant. She knew what would happen if she stayed… and she didn't want to do that to Seiya. It was clear she still has feelings for him. He couldn't help but feel relieved by this revelation. But she still refused to leave Seiya. He needed to keep trying. He put on his shoes and grabbed his keys.
The tea kettle Mamoru was filling with water falls from his hands and into the sink after the scene he saw in his mind. His hands shake. He is terrified of what he witnessed.
He staggers over to the couch and collapses. Why would he ever think something like that? The scene seemed so real. He inhales sharply when he realizes why he saw that. It must be from the alternative timeline Setsuna spoke of. It was a follow up conversion he had with Usagi sometime after she left for Kinmoku and returned. She left Earth to go to Kinmoku with… him. How could she?
There has to be a way to stop these memories from returning. Each one seems to be more painful than the last. He looks at their wedding picture. He keeps trying to avoid the fear he feels of losing Usagi. He has moments where he is afraid he is going to lose her and then tells himself he is being ridiculous and Chaos is playing a trick. Then there are other moments where he is terrified he already lost her.
He rubs his head in his hands. But the evidence about the other timeline keeps mounting. Why did Sailor Cosmos give Seiya rings and not him? Why was Seiya able to reach her on a level he could not? The only plausible explanation he could think of was the other timeline. He needs to speak with Setsuna privately. How can they defeat Chaos and not have the other timeline return? Or something to they can do to give him a chance to set things right.
Act tile is a lyric from the Sailor Stars song.
Will it be too late before Serenity and Usagi finally work together? Who's starseeds with Chaos hunt next? Find out next week on 11/26 Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars Act 55: I Always Want to Protect You