Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars: Chaos Theory
Act 43: Boston Bound
By: Sora Kazeno
The last two days, before the group left for the tour, passed in a whirlwind. Rei barely received her passport on time. The wrong equipment was sent ahead to Hawaii and had to be sent back. It was a nightmare for the tour promoters.
Usagi sat on a bench in the park near her home. It would be a while before she would be back. She knew she would have to make frequent trips back home for those were her family's conditions that were agreed upon. She could make it home in the blink of an eye as Sailor Cosmos, but she couldn't step outside the home. After all, Tsukino Usagi was traveling with the Three Lights and couldn't be in America and Japan that quickly.
The past two days, she spent a lot of time reflecting on her plans after the tour. She tried to come up with something and each time she was unsuccessful. She didn't understand why it was so difficult for her to know what she wanted to do. She never had this problem in the past. Before… everything changed. It always came back to this. Each time she would have the same answer. Not knowing the future meant… she didn't know which direction to go.
She watched a few children with their mothers on the playground in the distance. The sight made her think of Chibi Usa and how she would never have those memories with Chibi Usa in the future. But… there was the silver haired girl.
She felt restless. She got up from the bench and looked for a more secluded area in the park. She transformed into Sailor Cosmos. She had a few hours until she needed to go back home to say her farewell to her parents and head out to the airport. She had finished packing this morning, so unlike her to be ready and not waiting until the last minute.
Within minutes, she stood on the grounds of the Silver Millennium. Whenever she was restless, she came to the palace. Slow restoration seems to be therapeutic. However, she was beginning to realize there wasn't too much left. She walked the long empty halls. The only sound came from the clicking of her heels, the fabric of her cape rustling on the ground with each step.
She was unsure how many times she walked these halls, lost in thought. Eventually she found her way outside onto the balcony overlooking the Earth. It looked so peaceful in the night sky. In the distance she saw Mercury. She inhaled sharply when she saw a brief flash of light from Mercury heading to Earth. She assumed it was Ami. She knew Ami had made several trips back to Mercury during the past year. She didn't think anything of it.
A loud beeping sound disrupted her thoughts. It was her communicator. She always kept it with her incase of emergencies. Her heart rate increased at the possibility of a problem.
"Usagi, where are you?"
Sailor Cosmos didn't respond right away, Surely, she hadn't been gone that long. "What time is it?" She meekly asked.
"We should have left 10 minutes ago but we've been waiting for you!" Rei complained, her voice full of agitation.
"I… I'll be there in a moment. I'm finishing something up."
"Well hurry up, the limo is waiting for you outside your house."
"Limo…" Sailor Cosmos slowly repeated. It really was starting. "Give me three minutes." Sailor Cosmos had to rush back to Earth and grab her possessions from her room. She couldn't appear in front of strangers as Sailor Cosmos. "Okay..." She said, calming her thoughts to make it easier for her to teleport. A few moments later, she was shooting through the Milky Way.
Sailor Cosmos stood in the middle of her room with her eyes closed. She waited for the bright light to fade before she opened her eyes. She quickly reverted back to Usagi.
Usagi checked her bag quickly to make sure she had all the essentials. She double checked her purse for her passport. Her wallet was there with American currency. As far she knew, she had everything.
A knock was at her door.
"I'm coming!" Usagi called out as she struggled to pick up her bag. It was heavier than she originally thought.
"Did you need help with anything?" Seiya asked, trying not to be impatient with Usagi's tardiness.
"Just trying… to carry this bag…." Usagi tried not to drop it on the floor. She took a few more steps and it fell onto the ground with a loud thud.
Seiya opened the door after hearing the noise. "Odango, are you alright?" He found the large suitcase on the floor in front of her feet.
"Yeah… it's heavier than I thought it would be…" Usagi responded sheepishly.
"Is this everything?" Seiya picked up the bag from the ground.
"Yeah…" Usagi confirmed. She grabbed her purse and a small backpack. "Sorry…. I wanted to clear my head before we left…" Usagi lightly touched the pendant around her neck. "I'm just nervous."
"It's okay," Seiya reassured her. He kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Tonight is simple, an overnight flight to Hawaii. We'll be there before sunrise and miss the crowds. There is one promotional event in the evening… but maybe after the event we could go to that beach you mentioned."
Usagi beamed. "I would love it!"
The flight took longer than expected due to a mechanical delay leaving Japan. They arrived in Hawaii three hours later than what was planned and the time change also threw them off. They gained almost an entire day. The delay meant they were arriving in the morning rush at the airport instead of a few hours prior in the darkness of the night. But the fans didn't care. They wanted to see their idols and waited. The group never expected the welcome.
The Three Lights got off the small private jet first. Yaten raised a hand in front of his face, trying to block out the morning light. The group tried to sleep a few hours on the plane but they were too excited for the tour. They might have slept for an hour if they were lucky.
Taiki tried to hide a yawn. He was glad the hotel was a short drive from the airport. It was 7:30am, they had nine hours until their first promotional event. He was glad it was scheduled for later in the day.
Seiya took a few steps out of the airplane and paused on the steps. He looked at the tall palm trees and smiled. The scenery was definitely different from Japan.
Minako took a few steps off the plane and began to fan herself. "So hot..." she murmured. Hawaii was further south from Tokyo but she did not anticipate it would be so warm, so early in the day.
Rei and Usagi followed a few steps behind. They have a few small carry-on bags. The rest of their bags were going to be transported to the hotel by the tour aids. They were considered VIP guests and anything they needed would be handled for them.
The six walked over to the sliding doors, leading them to the check area for customs. As soon as the glass doors opened, the crowd erupted into screams. They froze. They expected a quick transition, not an army of fans.
Females voices yelled how much they love the Three Lights, wanted their autographs, a date, pictures, etc. Flashes of light meant photographers were hard at work taking pictures of the group. They couldn't do anything but push through the crowd.
"Who are those girls? Why are they with the Three Lights?"
"We love you, Yaten-san!"
Yaten groaned loudly. "Where is security?"
As if on cue, a few security guards appeared to keep the crowd at bay. The crowd continued to yell at the Lights, but at least they were twenty feet back, leaving them space to quickly walk by.
Customs was a quick process since they were used to celebrities arriving in the airport. The sooner celebrities were processed they could move on and the crowd in the background would disperse.
Security escorted the VIP guests to the garage area. There was no car. "The limo should be here any moment," the security officer said. He was a large heavyset man with a tan skin tone. "First time here?" He asked, trying to make small talk.
"Yes," Taiki responded. He turned his head when he heard footsteps fast approaching the group.
It was a teenage girl with bright red hair speaking in flawless Japanese, "Can I get a picture with you?" She held up her camera. She was alone.
Taiki looked over at Yaten and Seiya and shrugged.
"You can't be back here," the security guard intercepted her. "You have to wait to see them in concert like everyone else."
After a long hesitation, Taiki said, "It's okay. One picture."
The red-haired girl smiled. She walked over to Rei since she was the closest. "Can you take a picture of me with the Three Lights?" The girl smiled widely and handed Rei the camera.
Rei nodded her head slightly. She was not used to being around star struck fans. She was once a star struck fan of the Three Lights but that gradually decreased the more she saw them and spent time with them. Rei waited for the girl to stand next to the Three Lights to take the picture so the girl could be on her way. She snapped two pictures and handed the camera back.
The red haired girl thanked Rei and turned round to thank the Three Lights but instead of thanking them she ran forward to hug Seiya with one arm and Yaten with the other.
"Okay that's enough." The security walked forward and pulled her away from the Three Lights. He escorted her back inside.
Yaten glared at Taiki. "It was one fan, for a picture no big deal, right?"
Seiya was also annoyed but he didn't blame Taiki. "You didn't say anything and neither did I." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm guessing the fans are more aggressive in the United States. I'm thinking we should do less of that."
"Agreed." Taiki turned his head at the sound of tires in the parking garage. "Our chariot has arrived."
Rei, Minako, and Usagi stood there stunned by their nonchalant attitude by the fan throwing herself at them. "Does that happen… a lot?" Usagi asked slowly. She never thought of the length some of the fans would go to in order to get what they want.
"It's usually not that bad… at least in Japan." Yaten approached the limo. "I'm ready to leave this airport and get some sleep."
Two hours later, the group finally made it to the hotel, a bright pink building. The Royal Hawaiian, one of the oldest hotels on the island, opened in 1927. They were exhausted and all they wanted to do was sleep.
Seiya, Taiki, Yaten, and Minako each had their own room whereas Rei and Usagi would be sharing a room. Each room had a private balcony and spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. Usagi took a quick look out on the balcony. It was more beautiful than the pictures. She walked over to the bed and sat down.
"Let's do something later," Rei suggested, "we should sleep for a bit first. The beach isn't going anywhere."
Usagi nodded her head. She knew Seiya was also exhausted and had to rest before their first appearance tonight.
Late in the afternoon, Rei and Usagi emerged from their room, ready to explore Waikiki. After a quick lunch in the hotel's restaurant, they headed for the beach. The water was a brilliant shade of blue, neither had seen before other than in pictures. The water expanded across the horizon. Usagi took off her sandals to walk on the beach. Dozens of surfers were already in the water trying to ride the waves. Families on vacation swam in the water. Rei walked slightly next to her.
"Thank you for inviting me, Usagi," Rei said. They walked on the beach for a while. Across the street were numerous shopping areas and countless eateries. "I was thinking about tomorrow… we can do a few more of the unique sights to the island. I heard a lot of good things about Diamond Head. But it's going to be a lot of walking. They are scheduled to do a signing all of tomorrow afternoon before their first concert… but maybe they will have time for breakfast tomorrow… or dinner tonight?"
Usagi nodded her head. Usagi was quiet, taking everything in. "I still can't believe we are here…" Her voice trailed off.
Another monster appeared. The senshi in the olive fuku defeated the monster without any issues. They seemed to be appearing somewhat more frequently in the past few months. She didn't understand why they were here and where they were coming from. They are walking around mindlessly as if they were searching for something. She wiped the sweat off her brow. After a few minutes she reverted back to her civilian self. She collected her book bag and sprinted to campus. She didn't want to be late to class.
The evening promotional event occurred without any issues. The fans were beginning to recognize Minako from previous events, and in turn, some were becoming her fans. The idols did not return to the hotel until 9pm, later than they originally anticipated which scrapped any plans they had to see the others.
There was a knock on Usagi and Rei's door. They were watching an American game show, trying to see how much they could understand. Usagi went to the door and slowly opened it. Seiya was standing there.
"Everything went later than I expected…" His voice trailed off, trying to apologize again for not being able to keep some of the plans he made with her. He felt horrible he had to keep canceling their plans but the tour events had to come first, after all it was the reason they were able to travel around the world.
"You don't have to apologize. I know I'll be able to see you tomorrow at the first concert. I'm looking forward to it." Usagi smiled.
"Did you want to go for a walk at least?" Seiya's voice trailed off. He wanted to be able to spend some time with Usagi today that didn't include being completely sleep deprived, stuck on an airplane, or being around crazy fans at the airport.
Usagi's expression brightened. "Sure. Let me just grab my jacket."
Ten minutes later, they were walking on the private beach section of the hotel. It was quiet, giving them a chance to enjoy the moment. Past the shoreline, the sounds of the waves crashed as they made contact with the sand. Beyond the coast, darkness expanded outward. The Moon gave some light and a few of the stars illuminated the area. The hotel's outside lights could be seen far in the distance.
"This is the beach you were talking about the other day?" Seiya asked, looking down at the shore. There didn't seem to be much to the beach, but it was also late at night. "Did you and Rei-chan have fun today?"
"Hmph," Usagi nodded her head. "We walked the beach a bit and looked at some of the stores across the street. There are a lot of ABC stores. They're everywhere!"
"ABC…?"
"Yeah, they're like convenience stores. But they are full of travel gifts with only some food." Usagi pouted. "If it were Japan, they would have all kinds of food!"
Seiya laughed. "You know you can order food at the hotel and there are tons of eateries everywhere."
Usagi tears dropped. "Yeah… well…" She started laughing and continued to walk down the beach next to Seiya.
Seiya reached over and grabbed her hand. He squeezed it lightly. "I'm glad you're here Odango, even if I don't get to see you as often as I would like to…"
"I understand. You don't need to apologize. I know you would spend as much time as you could with me but you have to keep your commitments you've made. How was the event earlier this evening?"
"It was fine. We had a big turn out. There were more fans than they anticipated. But none were like the one we met in the airport." Seiya thought back to the red haired girl. "Minako-chan is starting to develop a fan base too."
"That's great! I know she has been working really hard. She's wanted to be an idol ever since I met her." They walked in silence for a little while, enjoying the quiet. They finally had a moment to themselves, no fans were around.
Seiya suddenly stopped walking; his action caught Usagi by surprise. Seiya leaned over and kissed Usagi. "You look so beautiful in the moonlight," he whispered.
Usagi's eyes widened at the sudden display of affection. "Seiya…" She murmured back, looking into his eyes.
He leaned in and kissed her again.
They were interrupted by several bright flashes of light. Paparazzi found them, ruining the moment. The photographer was going to sell the photo to the highest bidder. He was smart. He ran with his camera before anyone could try to stop him.
"… so much for a quiet, undisturbed moment," Seiya said with a groan. "I guess they snuck onto the property to try to take pictures of us. I have a feeling it is going to be like this for the rest of the tour."
Usagi sat in her seat near the front of the stage with Rei. She rubbed the back of her leg, still sore from climbing Diamond Head. She wasn't sure why she allowed Rei to convince her it would be fun to climb. Excitement filled the room. The fans couldn't wait for the concert to begin. They overheard three girls talking behind them in Japanese how they waited in line for hours in order to purchase tickets as soon as they went on sale; the fans didn't care they had a research paper due the following day for school, to them, seeing the Three Lights in concert was a once in a lifetime event.
Rei checked the time on her watch. "Minako-chan is supposed to go on in the next 10 minutes." She looked at the stage again. "I'm glad she received a lot of positive reviews in Japan."
The minutes continued to tick by and the crowd became more and more restless. They were anxious for the show to start. The noise began to die down when spotlights began to turn on the stage. Band members took the stage to do one final check of their instruments before Minako was set to join them. A few minutes later the band was ready.
An announcement was made in English, then Japanese. The announcements were to introduce the public to Aino Minako. The crowd clapped for Minako half-heartedly. They were there for the Three Lights and had to sit through Minako's performance first.
Minako walked on stage. The light reflected nicely off her royal blue dress. Minako waited a few moments to soak in the moment. The stadium was packed. This was her chance to dazzle everyone. She looked back to look at the band to nod her head, a signal she was ready. She turned around to face the crowd. The first few notes of her song played. She picked up the microphone. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She closed her eyes and listened to the beginning of her song. She took another deep breath and then began to sing her first song.
The stadium erupted into applause after Minako performed her first song. She moved onto her next song and the one after. After each song, she received more and more applause.
Minako smiled. The crowd liked her music. Everything was turning out better than she imagined. She had one song left. It was a surprise song that had never been performed in front of an audience. She waited for the explosion of sound. She started to hear a few screams, a few seconds later, the entire audience was screaming. Yaten Kou walked on the stage. Her last song was actually a duet with Yaten. He wasn't initially a fan of the idea, but the song writer had written a song that would only work as a duet and provide a great transition. Yaten was selected out of all of the Lights since his singing voice complemented Minako's the best.
Yaten slowly walked across the stage. He waited for the crowd to die down but they only seemed to grow louder as he took center stage next to Minako.
Usagi and Rei's jaws dropped. "Did you know she was singing a song with Yaten-kun?" Rei didn't take her eyes off the stage, waiting for their performance to start.
"…no…" Usagi slowly responded back. She watched Minako closely. "I thought we already heard all of her songs!"
"I guess they wanted to save something special just for the tour."
Minako waited until Yaten stood next to her. She covered the top of her microphone to speak to Yaten without the audience listening. "They're really loud…. How are we going to be able to sing over them?"
"It will be fine," Yaten reassured. "When we're both ready to sing, they will calm down."
Minako nodded her head and lifted up her microphone. Yaten did the same and gestured to Minako to turn around and look at the band behind them.
The band started the first few measures of the song. The crowd began to quiet down, they were anxious to hear the new song. The next several minutes, the crowd was silently listening to Minako and Yaten sing. As soon as the song ended, the entire audience were on their feet cheering. Minako was speechless at the thunderous applause. She looked over at Yaten and smiled.
Yaten smiled back. He directed her to wave at the crowd, take a bow, and enjoy the applause for her first performance.
Minako nodded her head enthusiastically. She waved at the crowd a little bit prior to turning to Yaten so both of them could bow at the same time. They bowed to both sides of the stage and the crowd continued to cheer.
Yaten gestured to Minako for both of them to leave the stage. She followed him off stage. Seiya and Taiki were waiting backstage.
"I can't believe how amazing the performance was!" Minako felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins.
"You were great," Taiki said while adjusting his tie one more time before the trio was to walk out on stage.
"Excellent job," Seiya echoed. He looked over at Taiki and Yaten, "you guys ready for this?"
A few minutes later, the Three Lights emerged on the stage.
Nami threw the newspaper on the ground. "I guess all the rumors were true after all."
"Yeah, I was really surprised. Who is she?" Mai squinted her eyes trying to figure out who Seiya was kissing in the newspaper picture, it didn't help. She still couldn't figure out what the girl looked like other than she was shorter than Seiya. "What is she like? What makes her so special?"
"I already tried looking up some more information on-line. They went to high school together but it seems like no one is revealing her name. I don't understand why it is such a big secret." Nami grumbled. She was annoyed she couldn't learn anything else about this mystery girl in the photograph.
Ayumi rolled her eyes. "You guys are spending way too much time obsessing over some idol group when you should be focusing on your studies."
"We can't study or write research papers every waking minute. We need a break from school life and this is our escape!" Nami said. "It is part of self help, doing things to make sure you reduce your own stress levels to help avoid burnout. It is very important for your mental health."
Mai grinned and looked at Ayumi.
Ayumi sighed. Nami was using her knowledge on psychology to minimize their obsession. She decided to play along, "If it makes you happy." Ayumi pulled out her notebook. "Finals are in two weeks."
Mai and Nami ignored Ayumi. "When the Three Lights are in town, we should try to go to some of their events. If we can't see them in concert, it would be the next best thing."
Three days later, Usagi stood out on the balcony of the room, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, one last time. She was amazed at some of the things she had seen. The Pearl Harbor memorial was not what she expected. She and Rei also visited the Iolani Palace and went snorkeling twice. They spent a lot of time walking around trying different foods.
The group was going to move on to Los Angeles in a few hours. It was about a 5 hour flight but they would be losing two hours due to the time change. The group would finally be able to spend some time together. They were all scheduled to go to dinner at a restaurant called Hell's Kitchen, which would also give the Three Lights some publicity since it was part of some cooking show that would be filmed. They would be shown for only a few seconds. They could enjoy the rest of their dinner. The camera will be mostly focused on the contestants. Usagi was looking forward to it.
"Are you ready, Usagi?" Rei asked, walking out onto the balcony. Rei watched the ocean for a few moments. "I really enjoyed it. It was very peaceful and relaxing. From what I understand, the next couple cities are the largest in America and will be kind of like Tokyo, everyone rushing around."
"Yeah," Usagi agreed.
Three hours later, they were sitting on the plane, on the runway, waiting to take off.
Yaten rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Is this how it is always going to be?" He looked out the window and saw a line of planes waiting for take off. "I know we were delayed in Japan because of a problem with the plane, but there is no issue… just a long line of other planes waiting. How do they organize this?" He gripped.
"American is not as …. efficient as Japan when it comes to scheduling and being punctual. It is very common for services to be delayed for various reasons. It's ironic they want you to arrive early on the off chance you will leave on time, when in reality you can end up waiting for several hours due to poor management." Taiki commented without looking up from his book.
Seiya shot Taiki a look that said, know-it-all. "You're not helping the situation Taiki… no matter how educational it is," he added. He leaned over to talk to Usagi. "You know the first time I was able to sit next to you on an airplane…."
Usagi smiled. "I don't think the airline attendants will become Sailor Stewardess." She referred to the time she was given a ticket to see the new Three Light's movie while the plane circled Japan. She received the ticket from Sailor Aluminum Siren after the senshi realized she was Sailor Moon. Her relationship with Seiya changed that night when they both realized they were senshi.
"We," Yaten said referring to himself and Taiki, "were ready to kill you for revealing your identity to save Usagi-chan."
Rei cleared her throat when a stewardess entered the cabin. Rei coughed a few more times.
"We finally received the clearance. We will be taking off in a few minutes," the stewardess informed them. "Once we are at the proper attitude, I will be back to check on you." She disappeared to the front of the plane.
The group sat down to dinner at Hell's Kitchen. There were a few familiar celebrity faces but most of them were unknown to the group.
Usagi looked down at the menu and then realized it was in English. She looked over at Rei to help her but Rei seemed to also be struggling. Minako was on the other side of Rei.
"Ah…" Seiya said, looking at the menu. He turned to Taiki, "I understand you will be translating for us…?"
Minako pouted for a moment. "I can help too. I did live in England for a few years."
"Then I leave it to you… but some of these I don't think are English," Taiki said, examining the menu.
"No," Minako agreed, "some of them are French." Minako reviewed the menu with everyone and translated the menu the best she could. She needed Taiki's help to explain a few of the dishes since she struggled with finding the word in Japanese. A waiter came around and took their order. The camera crew circled the restaurant patrons at this time and would return periodically for more footage regarding the restaurant.
"What makes this place so special it needs to be filmed?" Yaten asked, looking around. He looked over at the kitchen and saw a blonde haired man throwing food on the floor in the kitchen. His jaw dropped. "Guys…" he said, pointing at the kitchen.
The man in the white jacket began yelling at several people in blue jackets. They were too far away to hear what he was saying or understand. Based on his tone, he was upset.
"I hope we still get our food…" Minako watched the action in the kitchen. She narrowed her eyes and gasped. Now she understood what was going on. She recognized him. "He is a celebrity chef from England." Now she understood what was going on and explained to the others.
A few minutes later, their appetizers arrived. It was some of the most delicious food they had ever eaten. An hour later, they finally received their next course. Forty-five minutes later, they received their desert. It was an experience.
"That wasn't too bad…" Minako commented walking down the outside staircase of the steps. "This was an easier one. We made a few comments and ate without too many disruptions."
"Get ready, the rest of the events won't be so casual. We have a signing tomorrow and our first show here in the evening and the same schedule the day after, followed by two more signing sessions and then maybe some time to see the city." Taiki rattled off the schedule.
"And an interview on a television show at some point," interjects Yaten.
"That's bright and early tomorrow morning… so we're going to need some sleep." Seiya shook his head. "Next time we need to look at the schedule more closely and advocate a little more time not in the spotlight."
"We'll see you at your next show," Rei was already mentally planning her day with Usagi.
Usagi and Rei sat in the crowd. They vowed to go to each of the showings since they were traveling with the band. This was now the third performance they would sit through. Each audience was practically the same. They cheered for Minako, lost their minds when they saw Yaten, and went wild when all three of the Lights took the stage. Sometimes they went backstage to try to congratulate them on their show but it often became difficult since they had to meet with some of the fans backstage or complete more interviews. Many of them were for local Japanese newspapers for the growing Japanese community.
The crowd started applauding Minako when she began to walk across the stage. Her opening applause was gradually increasing with each show.
"She looks more relaxed after each show," Usagi whispered to Rei.
Rei nodded her head in agreement. "I was worried about her but she seems to be doing fine."
The show continued on as the others without any complications. The crowd applauded everyone. Some of the fans attempted to rush the stage when the Lights were finishing their last song but the security guards kept them in line.
Usagi and Rei snuck out with the other fans leaving the show to head back to the hotel.
"Some of these fans are nuts," Rei commented quietly to Usagi. "They told us the crowds in America would be different but I didn't think it would be like this." Some of them are acting like mad fan girls. She turned to Usagi, "… we weren't like this at any point…right?"
Usagi smiled. "Some of you were… at first but it didn't last long. I was the only one that never heard of the Three Lights by the time they transferred to the school." Usagi thought back to when the Lights transferred to the school and the large crowd. Seiya made a point to stop and say "hello" to her and called her Odango. She began to yell at him that was not her name while Rei, Makoto, Ami, and Minako looked at her dumbfounded and wanted to know how she knew Seiya.
"I spoke with Mamoru-san the other day," Rei said, changing the subject. "We're going to meet him for dinner one night and then the next day we can go to his school. I really want to see what Harvard looks like."
Usagi nodded her head and thought about seeing him two days in a row. "I know Michiru-san and Haruka-san also wanted to spend time with us…"
"They will be joining us for dinner the first night. I don't think Minako-chan will be free." Rei lowered her voice. "I didn't invite the Three Lights… given the circumstances."
"I'm sure they are too busy with tour events," Usagi justified another reason to not include them. Things would be too awkward for her and the others. She liked the thought of seeing Mamoru again to make sure he was okay. He emailed her that he was doing well and she hoped it was the truth.
The rest of their time in Los Angeles was uneventful. Usagi and Rei visited Hollywood and made sure to walk along the stars on the sidewalk. They only recognized a few. They tried to see which of their hands matched which celebrities at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. They also went shopping, to the beach, and a few parks. After a lot of pressure from Usagi, they finally went to Universal Studios. They stayed away from the museums since everything would be in English.
The second concert was just as successful. As the popularity of the Three Lights and Aino Minako seemed to increase in the United States, more promotional events and interviews were scheduled. The Lights were told they have to continue to build on the momentum to make the tour the biggest successes they could. They initially had a few extra days' break in Boston but that time seemed to dwindle as the events were added.
Usagi looked out the window at the large skyscrapers. They were in the process of landing in Chicago, in the middle of the afternoon. There was another time change. The time changes made it difficult for her to keep up. Her stomach growled. As soon as they landed, they were going to take a limo for food while their luggage was transported to the hotel. Everyone told her she had to eat pizza in this city. Right now, she didn't care. She just wanted food.
An hour later, they were finally leaving the airport. The group couldn't believe how hot and humid the temperatures were already. "How do people live here?" Rei said, fanning herself with a few brochures she picked up at the airport for local sites. She was going to ask Minako and Taiki to help translate some of the material during dinner.
Chicago was similar to Los Angeles. Two concerts and several guest appearances. One of the guest appearances led them to a Japanese grocery store in the heart of a Japanese community in Arlington Heights. Usagi and Rei spent some of the time in the bookstore looking for manga. They spent a small fortune at the grocery store for snacks and pastries they missed. The rest of the time Usagi and Rei visited the Sears Tower, Millennium Park, Navy Pier, and some of the local parks.
Tonight was the second concert in Chicago. There were more scheduled events before the short, evening flight to New York. Rei and Usagi were looking forward to window shopping and seeing new clothing designs. They had some time to browse in Los Angeles but saved most of the shopping for New York.
Usagi wasn't sure what she would do if Rei hadn't come with her on tour. She would have had to travel around the cities by herself with no sense of direction. She wasn't sure if she would have stayed with the group or returned home. She kept those thoughts to herself. She didn't want Seiya or the others to worry about her.
The senshi frowned again. She was getting tired of some of these random creatures. She was trying her best to keep the creatures from appearing in the news. She didn't want to create mass hysteria. She tried to figure out where they were coming from but they always appeared in different locations, different times of the day, and with different abilities. She lost track of how many she had defeated. She was being to see several monsters a day instead of a few random ones here and there.
She sighed loudly. "There has to be a reason for all of this…" She spoke out loud to herself. "There has to be a way to stop this." She searched the area for any signs of what could be the source. She found nothing. Everything was always a dead end.
She returned to the ruin site. She returned to the entrance way to the area of the castle but she was barred from going any further. The door had a locking mechanism. It identified her handprint but needed the handprint of someone else. Someone that wasn't alive any more. Her entire family was gone. She could not advance any further from her previous visit.
With a heavy heart, she looked at her former home one last time. She didn't plan on returning anytime soon. It was a reminder of what once was and will never be.
Fans were waiting for them at the airport, causing a delay to their destination. The fans screamed and tried to push their way forward multiple times. The security officers had to redirect the group a back way.
"It is only going to get worse," Yaten said, taking one last look at the screaming group behind him.
"Seeing how they act in America, it makes me miss the Japanese crowds… they aren't quite so aggressive," Taiki commented. New York City was even larger than Chicago and extremely crowded, everyone fighting for space on one island. It reminded them of Tokyo. However, New Yorkers were not as polite and more willing to push past people.
"I never realized everything the three of you had to go through being an idol. This tour has made me realize just how hard it is to be an idol. I knew it was going to be a lot of work but underestimated the amount!" Minako eyed the massive group of people trying to push pass security.
"Are you still up for the task?" Yaten turned to face Minako. "If you want out it can't happen until after the tour."
"It's not like that at all! I'm all in," Minako reassured the others. "I'm just still adjusting to the schedule. I know it will get easier."
The group stopped walking, and Usagi nearly walked into the back of Rei. Usagi was still reading some of the manga she bought from the previous city and not paying attention.
"Usagi!" Rei gripped. She spun around on her heels. "You can read that later! You need to watch where you're going!"
Usagi pouted at Rei. "Rei-chan is being mean again!" Usagi and Rei were starting to get to the point where they needed a break from each other. Usagi put away her book. "Ugh. Are we almost to where we need to be?"
"We'll be leaving the airport shortly," Seiya tried to defuse the situation. The last thing he wanted was a shouting match in the airport. "But I was thinking we could stop somewhere for lunch on the way. "We don't have an event for 5 hours." He looked over at the others who nodded their heads in agreement.
After dinner, Seiya had a chance to talk to Usagi privately. "Odango, you seemed upset earlier. What is really bothering you?"
"I'm fine," Usagi responded, she didn't want to talk about it.
He didn't believe it. "You're not acting fine."
"The tour … isn't quite what I pictured it to be," Usagi brushed a few strands of hair to the side. "I didn't realize how much we would be rushing from one city to the next. By the time we finally start to settle in, we're off to the next city. I'm also worried about everyone. I thought you were scheduled for more down time but seems like as the tour continues, more events keep being added. I don't think it is fair to everyone."
"Odango, this is how the business is. When you're in the spotlight, you have to maximize it. At some point, the popularity of the Three Lights will fade, and the fans will move on to some other popular group." Seiya tried to explain how show business worked.
"That doesn't seem fair."
"It might not be, but it is how it works. We don't have control over it."
Usagi was lectured by her parents for not checking in sooner and missing dinner with them up until tonight. She rushed through dinner as fast as she could to return. She and Rei had a busy day planned. She tried to explain to her parents because of the time change it was very difficult since it was either the middle of the day or the middle of the night.
She returned to New York just in time for lunch with Rei. After lunch they ventured around the city to see the Empire State Building, Central Park, The Rockefeller Center, Radio Hall, and Carnegie Hall. Tomorrow they had plans to see the 911 Memorial site and visit the fashion district before meeting the others for an event at Time Square.
During their time in New York, Usagi barely saw Seiya. As each event progressed she saw less and less of him. She was thankful Rei was with her. There was no way she would have managed on her own.
The sign read, "Welcome to Boston". It was a very short flight from New York City. Usagi nervously looked at her watch. She was going to see Mamoru in a few short hours at a restaurant between their hotel and the university.
Minako walked over to Usagi, "I wish I could join you and Rei-chan later, but most of my free time would be taken up." She pouted. "When we get back to Tokyo, I'm going to spend a week or two doing nothing but sleep."
Usagi smiled. The thought of sleep at the moment sounded wonderful. She was starting to get used to sleeping on the airplane but it wasn't long enough to catch up on her sleep. "Are you sure they are going to give you that much time?"
Minako tear-dropped, she knew there was some validity to Usagi's statement. "Errr… I'm sure I'll get a break…" Minako nervously tapped her two fingers together. "They can't have us working all the time!" She reassured herself. "Usagi-chan…. are you going to be okay? I mean… everything that happened…." She wasn't sure how to address the issue of her breakup with Mamoru. Minako tried to put herself in Usagi's shoes. She wasn't sure how she would react if she was in Usagi's position. Usagi was going to see the person she was supposed to marry and have a family with.
Usagi's face fell. "I'm sure it will be okay…" She spoke in a soft voice. Everyone became more concerned for Usagi the closer the group came to Boston. Now she is finally here. The anxiety only increased. She knew she would feel this way until the dinner ended with Mamoru. She tried to relax until then. She knew she was feeling nervous over nothing. Everything would be fine, it had to be. What could possibly go wrong?
Sailor Pluto re-read the section again. She pulled out the crystal key to look at the image in the book and compare it to the key in front of her. She finally found information in the text regarding the key. She smiled. She pulled out paper and began to take notes of information. She didn't dare remove the book from the library to take to a photocopier. She did not want to risk damaging the book using the bright light. The text explained how the key works… but not how to use it. It was not quite the information she was looking for but it was the most promising lead she had found in weeks.
She had to send a message to Yui about her findings; she was excited to move forward with the next step. She paused. She didn't have enough information to move on to the next step. She cringed. She still had a lot more she needed to learn about the key. She still had several more books to examine from the library. She decided to wait until she found the last piece of information before she reached out to Yui. Based on what she read so far, a task this difficult would require both of them.
Usagi and Rei arrived almost on time to the restaurant. Usagi stood behind Rei. She was having second thoughts about seeing Mamoru. Knowing Haruka and Michiru would be present; Usagi assumed the two Outer Senshi would try to pull something to have her and Mamoru alone.
Rei was about to walk into the dining room of the seafood restaurant when she realized Usagi was still standing near the hostess. "Usagi," Rei said in a stern voice. "You can't be chickening out now… it's too late for that. We are already here."
Usagi rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah…." Usagi took a deep breath to calm her nerves and flattened her dress one more time.
"Usagi…. I don't understand why you're so nervous," Rei spoke to her sternly. "Things ended with Mamoru-san and you're with Seiya-kun now. Unless," she hesitated. "Usagi, are you having second thoughts?"
"It's not like that, Rei-chan!" Usagi became defensive. "My relationship with Seiya is fine. I… I just … I still feel bad that I had to hurt Mamo-chan…" Her voice grew softer. "I never wanted to hurt anyone but… no matter what I did; someone was going to be hurt."
"Usagi…" Rei hugged her. "Let me know what you need." She tried her best to support her.
Usagi nodded her head. "Thank you, Rei-chan."
Rei smiled. "I think we've kept them waiting long enough." She turned to the hostess, "We're ready to be seated with our party."
The hostess smiled at them and led them to their table. Michiru, Haruka and Mamoru were already seated.
"Kitten, I'm glad you could join us," Haruka greeted her with a smile.
Mamoru's breath was caught in his throat at the sight of her. He hadn't seen her since he left Kinmoku. He told himself distance would make it easier for him to move past what happened. Just the sight of her, took his breath away. She still had the effect on him; she always would. It took him a few moments to find his voice. "Hi, Usako…"
"Hi Mamo-chan," she smiled meekly. The chair next to him was empty; it was clear that would be where she would be sitting for dinner. She needed to act like it wasn't awkward. She had to make it less awkward. "How has school been?"
Mamoru was surprised by her question. "It's been good, the first semester was an adjustment than what I was used to in Japan. The college structure here is rather different." He wanted to keep the conversation general and not bore her with the details of his studies. He also knew she would not understand the finer details. "It's very different from Japan." He repeated.
Rei laughed lightly. "We've been learning that too!"
Michiru smiled. "Yes. The culture and customs seemed to be very different depending on which region of America you are in." She looked over at Haruka, "We've had some… interesting experiences as well!"
Haruka shook his head, "Michiru…. They don't need to hear all of those stories…"
Usagi smiled. She began to relax. Some of her nervousness began to dissipate. She listened while Michiru shared a story that made Haruka squirm in her seat.
The rest of the dinner was uneventful. The group shared their experiences in America and traded stories. By the time dinner ended Usagi was looking forward to seeing everyone again tomorrow. She wanted to see Harvard and see the school Mamoru attended.
The following day, Usagi and Rei arrived at Harvard University with Haruka and Michiru. Michiru looked at the buildings in awe. "The campus has such wonderful architecture." Michiru admired the tall, old buildings.
Usagi looked at the building, many of them looked the same or very similar. The signs were in English. "I have no idea where to go…" She looked at the sign for the building again. She still couldn't understand.
Michiru smiled. "It's okay Usagi-chan, I know where to go."
Usagi appeared relieved. She walked behind Haruka and Michiru, taking in the sights around her. She wondered if the college was similar to the one Ami attended. The grounds were fairly empty since the semester already ended and most of the students had returned home. There was a short break before the summer classes began the following week.
Fifteen minutes later, they entered one of the dormitories. Michiru paused to look at the instructions on the piece of paper she received from Mamoru yesterday. They walked through the lobby and to a staircase. They walked up to the second floor.
They heard footsteps walking down the hallway and saw a woman with brunette hair leaving the bathroom. She paused to look at them, they were strangers to her. "Can I help you….?
Michiru smiled, "We're friends of Chiba Mamoru-san," Michiru frowned slightly. It was hard to change some of her speech. "Ara… Mamoru Chiba."
Mai smiled. "Ah. Mamoru-san told us you were coming. I'll show you where his room is," She began to take a few steps down the hallway and then turned around to speak to them in Japanese, "Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Mai. I'm a medical student with Mamoru-san."
The group was relieved to know Mai also spoke Japanese. "I'm glad you guys showed up. My roommate was driving me nuts. She has been practicing for some performances for a few days but she sounds like she is killing a cat."
"Killing… a cat…?" Haruka repeated slowly in confusion.
"Yes… she is struggling with this difficult piece of music on her violin and it sounds horrible," Mai explained.
"Oh?" Michiru commented, raising an eyebrow. "Perhaps she just needs some help."
"She's too stubborn and she is the only person that is studying music on the international floor. We're surprised she is here. She is really good and thought she would have gone to some other place like Juilliard." Mai shook her head. "I hope she figures it out soon."
"Perhaps I can help her?" Michiru offered.
Mai shrugged her shoulders, "It's worth a try. Let me take the rest of you to Mamoru-san's room first and then we can try to help out my roommate." Mai led the group halfway down the hallway. She knocked on the door number 228.
They heard shuffling sounds inside the room and Mamoru opened the door. "I'm glad you were able to make it." He was surprised to see Mai. "Thank you for helping them, Mai-chan."
Mai smiled. "Any time."
"Mamoru-san," Michiru interjected, "Mai's roommate seems to be struggling with some music. I might be able to assist her. I'll be back shortly." She smiled with a wink.
Mamoru chuckled slightly. It was clear Mai didn't realize who Michiru was.
"I hope you can help her," Mai led Michiru down the end of the hallway. "Sounds like she took a break, I know she's been struggling a lot. She's also from Japan. Her name is Asuka."
Michiru nodded her head and continued to follow Mai. Mai paused outside room number 250 to pull out a key to unlock the door.
"Hi Asuka-chan, I brought someone here that might be able to help you," Mai entered the room.
Asuka pulled the tie out of her blonde dyed hair that was used to pull it into a bun on top of her head. She didn't look up as she spoke. "Unless you brought a musical genius here, I'm not sure anything will work." Asuka finally looked up from the score on her music stand. Her jaw dropped as she slowly got up from her seat. "No way… Kaiou Michiru-san…" her voice trailed off, unable to stay anything more.
"Hello," Michiru greeted politely.
"You two know each other?" Mai questioned, confused Asuka already knew Michiru.
"No, we never met. But I would recognize Kaiou-san anywhere!" Asuka became excited and walked over to Michiru. "It is an honor to meet you!"
Mai looked at Asuka strangely. "I'm missing something…"
"Kaiou-san is a famous violinist in Japan and is here to play with the Boston Pops!"
"Eh? Mamoru-san is friends with a famous musician?" Mai exclaimed in disbelief. "What else is Mamoru-san hiding from us? Maybe he knows someone that can get Nami-chan and I tickets for tonight! I'm going to go ask!" She ran down the hallway back to Mamoru's room.
Asuka was speechless over Mai's actions. "She… ah… she's a really big fan of the Three Lights…"
"Ah," Michiru responded, trying to keep her tone neutral. She still did not like to hear them mentioned in conversations and tried to appear it didn't bother her. "I understand you are struggling with some music?"
"Yes," Asuka walked back over to her bed and picked up her violin. "Let me play for you."
Michiru nodded her head, "Go ahead."
Asuka played the section again. She struggled with being able to have the right tone and hit all of the difficult notes. She struggled to hang on and make it through the passage. Eventually she got to the point where she couldn't continue. She stopped. She felt somewhat embarrassed she could play the entire piece.
"May I?" Michiru gestured to borrow her violin.
"Yes of course."
Michiru placed the violin under her chin, "If you change your positions on the fingerboard it will make it easier. However, it is awkward on the wrist at times." She looked at the score and began to play the section nearly flawlessly.
Asuka watched in awe; she couldn't believe how Michiru played the section so easily after glancing at the music. Michiru's talent was not exaggerated. "Can you teach me…?"
"Of course," Michiru passed the violin back to Asuka. She explained the position work to Asuka and helped her with the correct placement of her wrist and fingers.
Mai ran back to Mamoru's room. She knocked loudly on the door which drew the attention of Nami and Ayumi next door. Ayumi flung the door open. "What's going on?"
"Mamoru-san has been keeping secrets from us!" Mai appeared annoyed, yet hopeful.
Ayumi started at Mai. She couldn't quite describe the expression on her friend's face. Something very strange was going on.
Mamoru opened the door surprised by the sudden loud banging. "Mai-chan, is something wrong?" His expression was serious. He was worried something had happened in the short time Mai escorted Michiru down the hallway.
Mai put her hands on her hips before she spoke. "Why didn't you tell us you knew a famous musician?" She didn't give Mamoru a chance to finish speaking. She turned toward Nami and Ayumi. "The person that I just walked over to the room to help Asuka-chan is apparently a famous violinist in Japan!"
"It's not something I go around telling people normally…" He tried to come up with a solid reasoning. He should have anticipated the next couple of statements.
"It makes me wonder what other famous celebrities you know in Japan that you haven't told us about! Next you're going to tell us you know the Three Lights and could get us tickets for the concert tonight?" Her last statement was rather sarcastic.
"Ahh…" Mamoru wasn't sure how to respond to her outburst. It was true that he did know the Three Lights but not in a good way. What was he supposed to say? He essentially hated one of them because they stole Usako away from him? They were aliens from another planet and fought with them to save the Earth? He quickly tried to think of something.
Usagi looked at Rei, unsure of what to do. There always were a few extra seats near them for last minute guests. Rei nodded her head.
"Actually…." Rei interjected, "Usagi and I… have three extra tickets to the Three Lights concert tonight-"
Mai's jaw dropped, she was speechless.
Nami rushed over to Rei and Usagi. "Are you guys serious! How did you get the tickets while you were visiting here?"
"Ah… er… it's a long story…" Rei said. She didn't want to go into details about how they knew the Three Lights. She just met them. She hoped they weren't like the other crazy fans they met. But she really wanted to help Mamoru out.
"You two go and have fun," Ayumi tried to weasel out sitting through a concert she was not in a hurry to see surrounded by thousands of screaming fans.
"You have to come with us!" Nami turned to face her roommate. "We've been telling you all semester how great their music is and how you can't pass up a chance like this! It is really hard to get these tickets. We tried for a while and were unsuccessful."
"…" Ayumi knew the tickets were hard to get but she didn't want to go.
"You have to come with us," Mai encouraged her.
Ayumi took one look at Mai and Nami. It was clear they were not going to take "no" for an answer. She sighed. "Fine… this one time."
Mai and Nami shouted and jumped up and down in excitement. They couldn't believe they would be able to see the Three Lights in concert tonight.
"What time is the concert?" Ayumi asked. She wanted to be able to make sure she had the details since Nami and Mai were too excited at the moment to pay attention.
"The concert starts at 7pm," Rei explained. "We don't have the tickets with us."
"We can meet you there… by the main entrance? Or is there a will call?"
"The main entrance sounds fine," Rei smiled. She neglected to mention where the seats were located and how close to the stage they would be. The two girls were really excited right now and they would only become louder once they knew where they would be seated.
Mamoru looked appreciatively at Rei for helping him out but he still wanted to change the subject. "How about getting lunch in a little bit when Michiru-san returns and I can show you the campus?"
"Sounds great, Mamo-chan," Usagi said.
Mai's head turned at the way Usagi had said Mamoru's name. "Oh…?"
Usagi cringed slightly at what she knew would happen next.
"So how do the two of you know each other…?" Mai's voice traveled off and suggested there was some kind of connection between the two of them.
"Ah.. err…" Usagi wasn't sure how much she wanted to reveal. She didn't want to say anything that would make Mamoru uncomfortable with his classmates.
Mamoru didn't respond and had a similar expression. He was fortunate.
Michiru walked down the hallway, just in time to distract them.
"Great, now that everyone is here, let's get going," Mamoru said, trying to get the group to move forward. They slowly began to move forward.
Mai and Nami chatted with Usagi and Rei about the night's concert while Michiru spoke briefly with Haruka.
Ayumi knew there was more to the story between Mamoru and Usagi but it was not something she was going to press for information, right now.
While walking around campus, they came across another classmate, Ryan. He was there to complete some paperwork. He greeted the group quickly and then kept walking. Ryan was a young Caucasian male. His pace slowed and he began to question what he saw. That couldn't have been who he saw with the group. But he had to go back and double check. He couldn't let it go until he knew for sure. He quickly turned around to catch up to the group. "Hey! Wait up!" He called out.
The group turned around to look at him. It was her. He couldn't believe it. "Haruka Tenou…. Here? On campus? Is there a race in the area? Are you going to attend school here?"
"… Just visiting…" Haruka responded slowly. She could understand more English than she spoke.
"Oh?" Mai looked at him confused. Then it clicked. He mentioned racing and Ryan was big into watching racing when he had the free time. She turned to look at Haruka in disbelief. "Don't tell me you're a celebrity too?" She asked in Japanese.
"Err.. um…. Somewhat… yeah…" Haruka finally responded. She didn't like to be cornered when she was not at professional events and especially how things unfolded this morning. "I might do some racing here and there…" Haruka tried to be modest.
"Can I get your autograph?" Ryan dug around in his bag for some paper for her to sign.
"Sure…" Haruka pulled out a pen from her jacket. She scribbled her name on paper for Ryan.
Ryan thanked her several times and left. He was upset he did not have his camera with him since he would have liked to take a picture. He couldn't believe he randomly ran into Haruka. It was the highlight of his week.
Mai shook her head. "How do you know so many celebrities in Japan?" She turned to face Usagi and Rei. "You guys are celebrities too, right?" She accused them. She couldn't believe they weren't celebrities since everyone else was.
Usagi laughed nervously. "I'm just a recent high school graduate." She neglected to mention she was Sailor Moon, now Sailor Cosmos and the Queen of the Silver Millennium.
"I'm the same as Usagi. I just graduated from high school and I'm a priestess at a shrine," add Rei. She pushed back a few strands of her black hair. She was hoping the other girls wouldn't be too starstruck when they went to the concert later this evening. "Which academic building are most of your classes in?" She wanted to change the subject
Nami pointed to a large building in the distance. "That is the psychology building. I teach a few courses there while I am finishing up my dissertation. She turned and pointed to a large building to the right. "That is the library. At some point, all of the students will live in that building completing research of some sort." She sighed. She still had a lot of work left to complete prior to graduation.
"What did you want to eat?" Mai asked as her stomach growled loudly.
"Well… I do recall Boston being famous for chowder?" Michiru commented. "I know it is something we wouldn't be able to find in Japan."
"You're asking the right person!" Mai began to lead the group off the campus.
Mamoru was silently listening to the girls talk. For now, he enjoyed the company and just being in her presence again.
Usagi and Rei stood near the main entrance, waiting for Mai, Nami, and Ayumi. The girls were already running ten minutes late. "I hope they get here soon." Rei comments looking at her watch again. "I don't want to miss Minako-chan's performance. Just to think, they have one more show tomorrow evening and then have a break for a day or two. Any thoughts on what you want to do while we're in Boston before going to Brazil?"
Usagi shrugged her shoulders. "I'll just be happy to spend some time with Seiya." She looked around at the crowd and still did not see the three women. "I think Michiru-san and Haruka-san are heading back to Japan in a few days."
"Yes. They have been in Boston for a while. I think tonight or tomorrow will be Michiru-san's last show."
"Sorry we're late!" Mai exclaims, rushing forward. "Traffic was horrible!" Mai was stretching the truth a bit. They were partially late due to traffic and also due to her and Nami having a hard time choosing what they would wear to the concert.
"We need to hurry to our seats so we're not late," Rei explained to the group and she began to turn to walk inside.
"It's only a warm up act," Nami said, not seeing the need to rush so quickly.
"The first performance received a lot of positive reviews," Usagi immediately came to Minako's defense. "I want to see her perform too."
"Oh…" Mai responded. She couldn't argue with them since they gave her tickets for tonight's show. "Sure. Lead the way." Mai would have to try to pick up a concert shirt during a break or at the end of the concert. She hoped they wouldn't be sold out. Now she was kicking herself for not arriving sooner.
Rei led the group toward the front of the stage. She showed her tickets to the usher and he let them pass.
"Oh wow…. You have tickets in the first section?" Nami exclaimed in disbelief. Not only was she going to see a concert for the Three Lights but she would be up close to the stage. "This is going to be the best concert ever!"
Mai grinned and turned to Ayumi. "You're in for a real treat today."
"Sure…" Ayumi gave her a half smile. She had a hard time being enthusiastic.
The group found their seats and sat down. Rei sat on the end, next to her was Usagi followed by Mai, Nami, and Ayumi. They were near the center of the stage.
Light caught Mai's attention out of the corner of her eye. She noticed Usagi's pendant for the first time. "That is a beautiful crystal pendant. What is it made out of?"
Usagi looked down at her pendent. "Thank you. I'm not sure what it is made out of."
Their conversation was interrupted when Minako took the stage. The audience began to clap and cheer. As the tour progressed, Minako noticed how the fans began to cheer for her more. There were short clips of her singing online. The first few notes of her song began to play. She closed her eyes for a moment to focus. She began to sing and slowly opened her eyes. She noticed Usagi and Rei in the front row cheering her on, next to her were three people she didn't recognize. As each measure passed, she felt herself relax more and more. Each time she performed in front of a crowd became easier and easier. As quickly as it began, her song was already over. The crowd cheered loudly. She beamed.
"She's really good," Mai clapped her hands loudly with the rest of the audience. "They did a great job finding an opening act."
Nami nodded her head in agreement. She turned to Rei and Usagi, "Thank you for getting such amazing tickets to share with us!"
"How did you get tickets in front of the stage?" Ayumi questioned. Something seemed off.
Before Usagi or Rei could answer, Minako's next song began. Usagi and Rei prepared to cover their ears. Minako was about to start singing and Yaten would be singing as he walked on stage to surprise the audience, a change from the original tour in Honolulu. As soon as the crowd set eyes on Yaten it would be extremely loud. Minako sang the first paragraph. Yaten began to sing backstage, a few people cheered but everyone wanted to hear his voice. He finished his paragraph and came onto the stage during twenty seconds of music before Minako would sing again. The theater began to applaud loudly. Rei and Usagi covered their ears from the screaming behind and next to them. Ayumi also covered her ears since Mai and Nami screamed at a high pitch next to her. She looked over at Rei and Usagi and noticed their ears were also covered. They were not as excited as the others to see the show; they acted as if they had seen it before. Ayumi shrugged.
Minako and Yaten concluded their duet and bowed before the audience. They received a thunderous applause. They announced there would be a short break before all of the Three Lights would take the stage.
Mai and Nami talked excitedly and wondered what it would be like to be able to perform a song with the Three Lights. Mai turned to Usagi and Rei and asked again how they were able to get such amazing tickets.
"I went to school with them," Usagi slowly responded. It was the truth. She didn't want to go and tell them she was Seiya's girlfriend in a room full of Three Lights fanatics. Some of them might be angry that she is Seiya's girlfriend. She dealt with enough angry classmates that were fans. She knew Mai and Nami would not be an issue but she was unsure about the rest of the people sitting behind them.
"Oh wow!" Nami exclaimed. "That must have been exciting to see them every day in school. But why come to Boston just to see them?"
"We are also visiting friends," Rei interjected. They were able to visit with Mamoru, Michiru, and Haruka. "Everything just seemed to fall into place," she added with a smile. Nothing she told the two girls was a lie. She just omitted part of the story.
"Thank you again for the tickets," Nami grinned. "It is like a dream come true that we can see them perform live." She turned to Ayumi, "what do you think so far?"
"Aino-san was good," Ayumi said. "I'm guessing the guy that came out for the last song is one of the Three Light's members?" She hadn't bothered to look up any information since she learned she would be attending their concert today. She preferred to spend her time on other things.
Nami shook her head in disbelief. "Of course that was one of the Three Light's members! That was Yaten-san, he is the best!"
Mai disagreed with her choice. "Seiya-san is the best! He is also the cutest of them all!" This fueled a debate between the two girls on who they thought was the hottest member of the Three Lights.
Ayumi sighed; she regretted saying anything. She heard this argument before too many times. It wouldn't stop until the Three Lights actually performed. She lowered herself in her seat and tried to drown them out.
Fifteen minutes later, the Three Lights took the stage. They had to wait an entire minute for the crowd to settle down before they could perform their first song. Their opening song was the one Seiya had performed for Usagi on Kinmoku. He sang the opening few verses. He also looked at Usagi when he sang this section since she had inspired the song. Yaten and Taiki joined in the song for the chorus and then sang separate verses. When the song ended, the theater erupted into more applause.
Mai turned to Usagi, "You're so lucky! It looked like Seiya was singing part of the first song to you!"
"Yeah…" Usagi said with a warm smile. She never grew tired of his voice. She noticed a change in his performance from when the Three Lights first arrived on Earth. In the past, they were trying to find Princess Kakyuu and that was the only person they wanted to reach. Since that was no longer their goal, their music evolved. The tone of their music changed. She liked the change. It was like they found their voice as a group. Usagi sat back in her seat. She relaxed and enjoyed the show.
The audience was on their feet and hoped the Three Lights would perform an encore of their songs. Another song later, the concert ended. Mai and Nami jumped up and down and quickly talked to each other about how amazing the concert was and that they were able to have this experience.
"Thank you so much, Usagi-chan and Rei-chan!" Mai beamed. "This was a once and a lifetime event. Thank you so much for inviting us."
Rei and Usagi smiled at the two girls. Ayumi seemed to enjoy the show.
"This day was just amazing. The only thing that would make this day better would be to meet them in person…." Mai's voice trailed off.
"But you were in the front row… you were already up close to them," Ayumi assumed it would be impossible for them to actually meet the Three Lights in person and wanted to point out how close they had been to the stage.
Rei exchanged a knowing glance at Usagi. They were friends of Mamoru and it was clear it would mean the world to them.
Usagi nodded her head. "Actually… did you want to meet them?"
Mai responded by screaming. Nami had to slap Mai to get her to stop screaming. "Of course!" Nami finally found her voice. The day kept getting better and better. She couldn't believe she had front row seats to a sold out concert and would be able to meet the band backstage.
Ayumi shook her head. There was something more to Usagi than she let on. No normal person would give tickets like that away and be able to see the band just like that. How were Usagi and Rei really related to the band? She decided to keep these thoughts to herself and let Nami and Mai enjoy meeting their idols.
The crowd slowly began to exit the theater. Usagi and Rei led the group to an exit sign toward the front of the stage. Other fans were being turned away and told to exit the theater.
Seeing everyone being turned away, Mai begins to doubt she would be able to go backstage to see the Three Lights.
Usagi approached the worker and did not recognize him as one of the stage hands that had been traveling with the band. She was about to open her mouth when she was told to leave and no one could go backstage.
"I should be on the list to go backstage," Usagi attempted to explain.
The guy with the baseball hat cut her off. "No one is going backstage; you need to leave before I call security."
Rei began to become frustrated. They never had this problem at any of the previous shows. "Look, we never had this problem at any of their other concerts. We've been traveling with the Three Lights for their entire tour."
Mai and Nami's jaws dropped. They couldn't believe what Rei just revealed.
The stage hand didn't buy her story. "Yeah right. I've heard that one before." He shook his head at their persistence. "Some girls already tried that earlier." He was starting to become annoyed at their persistence and not leaving the stage area.
Yaten exited out of a side door after hearing some of the noise. He looked at the scene before him trying to understand what was happening.
"Yaten-kun!" Usagi called out to him, hoping he could help clear up the confusion.
"Hmm?" Yaten said as he turned to where the group of girls stood. "What is going on?"
Before Usagi could say anything, the guy with the baseball hat informed Yaten, "These two girls are trying to sneak backstage, claiming they were traveling with the band," he rolled his eyes as he pointed at Usagi and Rei. This was getting out of hand. The worker was about to reach for his radio to call for assistance. He didn't want to make it look like he couldn't handle a few girls in front of a celebrity. He wanted to keep being hired for different events.
Yaten looked over at Rei and Usagi and began to laugh loudly. After a few moments he stopped laughing, "They can come back stage with whoever they are with." He knew Usagi and Rei were bringing some girls they met at the college earlier today.
The stage hand was baffled by Yaten's actions. "I don't understand," he mumbled. Why would Yaten all of the sudden let some girls backstage when he was the one that liked fans the least of the group.
Yaten realized he had to spell everything out to this worker. "Usagi-chan is Seiya's girlfriend. If you want to explain to Seiya why you wouldn't let his girlfriend backstage, it's up to you." Yaten explained with a smirk.
The worker stood there stunned for a few seconds. After he processed the information, he began to unhook the rope to let them pass. If one of the members of the Three Lights will vouch for the girls, it was good enough for him.
Ayumi began to put everything together. Mamoru did not seem to like the Three Lights. It was clear Mamoru had feelings for Usagi, yet according to what she just learned, she was with Seiya. Something about the entire situation made her feel unsettled. She couldn't understand why and couldn't shake the feeling.
"….Usagi-chan…." Mai slowly spoke in utter disbelief. "Why didn't you mention you were dating one of the Three Lights?"
Usagi turned to face her for a moment and laughed nervously, "well… um…err…" Usagi tried to come up with an answer. Usagi was walking backwards and walked into someone else before any of the girls could warn her there was someone behind her.
"Ouch!" Minako exclaimed walking out of her dressing room. Minako began to apologize to the person she walked into.
Usagi apologized to Minako at the same time. When the two realized they were apologizing to each other, they laughed. "You were great tonight, Minako-chan!"
"Thank you!" Minako beamed. "If you would have told me in school how much work this was I wouldn't have believed it!" She tried to hide a yawn. "Thank you for coming with us on the tour! There is no way my parents would have agreed if the two of you didn't come!" She didn't want to imagine what she would have done after graduation if her parents didn't agree to let her tour and make her debut. It was a dream come true.
"It is what friends do," Rei smiled at Minako. She raised her eyebrow slightly, "Besides we have to keep an eye on Usagi, someone needs to be able to call out the search party to find her!"
"Rei-chan is being mean again!" Usagi pouted.
"You guys must have been friends for a long time," Nami interjected based on how the three girls spoke to each other.
"For years," Minako said. "I don't think I've met you yet."
Nami, Mai, and Ayumi introduced themselves to Minako as some of Mamoru's classmates.
"You were amazing today," Nami complimented Minako's singing ability. "I heard you also went to school with the Three Lights and were able to audition to go on tour with them. What was the audition like?"
"I was really nervous," Minako admitted, "but once I started singing I began to relax. I've wanted to be an idol for years and I knew it was my chance to finally make my dreams come true."
"I'm glad you were able to make your dreams come true. It's inspiring to others to chase their dreams as well," Mai grinned.
"Thank you," Minako smiled brightly at the girl's encouraging words. Minako turned to Usagi, "Seiya-san is in his dressing room."
Usagi nodded her head and began to walk toward the end of the hallway to the dressing room.
Mai whispered to Nami behind Usagi, "I can't believe we're going to be able to meet the Three Lights!" Mai was ecstatic when she was able to see Yaten earlier but Seiya was her favorite Three Lights member. She couldn't believe she spent the day with Seiya's girlfriend and didn't know it. She never pictured someone like Usagi.
Ayumi followed quietly, taking in the sights. She thought the concert was okay.
Usagi knocked loudly on the door.
A few moments later, Seiya opened his dressing room door. "Odango?" His tone suggested he was surprised to see her backstage. She often left with Rei after the performance since the group typically had other things they had to attend to after each concert. "You must have heard we are ordering pizza." He teased lightly heartedly.
"Seiya!" Usagi yelled at him with her hands outstretched in front of her into small fists.
Seiya laughed even more. He looked up and noticed Rei was there along with three other girls he did not recognize. He assumed it was the girls Usagi told him about earlier in the day that attend college with Mamoru. "I see you have some friends with you."
Mai and Nami stood speechless in front of Seiya. They couldn't believe they were so close to one of the members of the Three Lights. They wanted to say something, anything, but couldn't utter a word. They stood silently and nodded their heads while Usagi introduced each of them to Seiya.
"It is nice to meet all of you," Seiya said with enthusiasm. "We did order some pizza and you guys are welcome to stay and join us. Dinner would have to be short though. We have a meeting in an hour to discuss the second half of the tour."
"That's right, you're going to South America after this!" Mai finally found her voice. "That must be amazing to be able to travel all around the world!"
Almost as if on cue, Yaten and Taiki were in the hallway with pizza. "Don't just stand there, move so we can eat!" Yaten gripped. He was starving. Everyone quickly moved out of the way as the two men placed the pizzas on the corner. They picked them up from the stage hands a moment ago since they didn't want to be bothered by anyone for the next hour. This was the closest thing they had to a break all day. They didn't want to waste a second of it.
Everyone grabbed plates and pizza. No one talked for a few minutes.
Mai wanted to ask so many questions but she didn't know where to start. She also knew she would never have another opportunity like this again.
"What has been your favorite city so far?" Ayumi suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
Taiki was the only one not with pizza in his mouth when the question was asked. "I'm not sure. Each city is different and has its own charm. Though, I like Boston since it is smaller than the past cities we were in."
"The crowds in New York were terrible," Yaten grumbled. He hated being around so many people, it was just like being back in Tokyo but the people were not as friendly.
"But Time Square was so pretty!" Minako countered back. "It was great we were able to perform in a theater nearby."
"Hmm…" Seiya thought about each city before he answered. "I'm guessing Honolulu. It was the first city we stopped at and we had the most free time before everything started."
After their initial nervousness faded away, Mai and Nami were able to ask the Three Lights different questions while the Lights asked them what it was like living in America.
"This is my third year in America," Nami said. "I'm actually from Kyoto. It was a huge adjustment leaving there. But it isn't so bad anymore, as long as you can speak English."
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Seiya told the person to come in.
It was the same guy in the baseball cap from earlier. He tried to keep his expression neutral when he saw all of the girls from earlier in the dressing room with all of the Three Lights members. "They are waiting for you."
Seiya sighed. "We will be there in a few minutes."
The other man nodded his head and left.
Mai knew she had one last shot. "Before we leave, could we get a few pictures?" Mai knew no one would believe her unless she had a few pictures to prove it. A few minutes later, and several pictures later, everyone left the Three Lights and Minako to attend their meeting.
Usagi, Rei, Mai, Nami, and Ayumi slowly walked out of the theater. They were about to go their separate ways when Mai said, "You know, I need to go back… I have to go to the bathroom." She felt sheepish for not going before she initially left the theater.
"I'll go back with you," Ayumi offered. She didn't want Mai to wander backstage to try to see the Three Lights again.
Mai was about to protest since Ayumi caught on to her plan. But she couldn't suddenly change her mind and say she didn't need to go anymore. "Sure… I might need a little help finding it."
"We'll wait with Nami-san until we get out." Rei didn't want to leave Nami by herself until the other girls returned since it was getting late.
Mai and Ayumi quickly rushed inside.
Usagi, Rei, and Nami made small talk while they waited for the two other girls to return.
A loud noise disrupted their conversation.
"What was that?" Rei asked, alarm in her voice. Something didn't seem right to her. The odd screeching sound put her on edge; it reminded her of sounds youma make. But there shouldn't be any more attacks. The Black Moon was gone. They are supposed to be at peace. Her first instinct was to run in the direction of the noise but there they were with Nami, someone that wasn't a senshi. Without realizing it, Rei clutched the pendant around her neck. If things became too dangerous, she would have to transform.
Usagi glanced at Rei. Based on Rei's body posture, it was clear Rei sensed it as well. Usagi clasped her pendant. If there was danger she could easily transform and protect everyone. But she barely knew Nami. She couldn't act hastily in front of her until she knew for sure they were in danger.
The girls heard a scraping sound behind them. They turned around unsure of what they would find. The creatures moved slowly, dragging their feet. They were varying shades of brown; their bodies seemed to be made of mud or dirt. Their eyes were coal black with an open gaping mouth.
Usagi swallowed hard. They hadn't attacked them yet but she assumed it would happen any moment. A faint spark emitted from her pendant. It was clear what her plan would be.
"Usagi…" Rei attempted to warn her. She did not want Usagi to transform in front of Nami. She wanted to tell Usagi they have to find another way.
"What are those things?" Nami asked, panic in her voice as she took a few steps backward closer to Rei and Usagi. "What is going on?"
"I don't know…" Rei did not take her eyes off of the creatures. "We have to do something-"
"Deep Submerge!"
An aqua ball of water tore into the mud like creatures, quickly dissolving them into water. Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus stepped forward.
Nami's jaw dropped. "Sailor senshi…" She said in awe. She had heard about the senshi but had never seen them first hand.
Her voice surprised Sailor Uranus, she hadn't realized there was a third person at first. Now she understood why Usagi and Rei did not transform. "Are you okay?
She asked the group.
"We're… fine," Usagi slowly responded. They weren't physically injured but deep down she was frustrated. Every time, without fail, there was always a new threat. She tried to keep the anger she felt rising within her.
Sailor Neptune turned to Nami, "Do you know what those things were?" She wanted to determine what information Nami possessed.
Nami shook her head. "They looked like they were made out of dirt or something. They had this weird walk and it made a scraping sound."
"They are the remaining creatures from the Dark Kingdom when they attacked this planet."
The sound of a new somber voice turned everyone's head to the newcomer. She wore an olive green fuku with boots halfway up to her knees. The bow on her chest was royal blue and her back bow was a deep purple. Her gloves went just below her elbows. The form reminded them of their original fuku of the inner senshi before they received their super forms.
Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune stared at her. Who is she? There were not supposed to be any more senshi within this galaxy. Was she an outsider and her fuku happened to appear similar to theirs?
Rei cast a worried glance at Usagi. Usagi's facial expression concerned the senshi of flames.
Usagi focused on the new senshi in front of her. How did she know they were creatures from the Dark Kingdom? Even with her memories restored, she knew she had never seen this senshi before or heard of a senshi that seemed similar to this. She clenched her fist tightly.
The senshi narrowed her eyes when she noticed the planetary symbols of their foreheads. Their fukus were different from hers but there was no mistaking which kingdom they were Princesses of. "I am surprised to see you here on Earth. I thought the responsibility of the Outer Senshi was to protect the Silver Millennium from afar." Her voice was cold and condescending.
Sailor Neptune gasped lightly.
Sailor Uranus narrowed her eyes and formed a straight line with her mouth. She was going to let the other senshi talk as much as she wanted to at the moment in an effort to build clues to her identity.
"I don't understand why you are choosing to protect the Earth now when you clearly failed this planet last time," the other senshi sneered. It was becoming clear she has a vendetta against those from the Silver Millennium. "After all, your failure to protect the kingdom led to the fall of the Silver Millennium. But maybe this galaxy is better off without that wretched kingdom."
Usagi inhaled sharply. She wanted to scream at this senshi before her but she couldn't. She couldn't expose her identity right now.
"Who are you?" Sailor Uranus spat. She was tired of listening to the senshi before her and not having any answers.
The senshi laughed. "My name is not important. You have no business here. Leave. I am capable of protecting this planet without you." She quickly turned around and vanished in the darkness without a trace.
Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune briefly exchanged a look with Rei before they left. It was clear they wanted to talk to her and Usagi but not in the presence of Nami. They slipped away for the time being.
Rei slowly shook her head side to side. She turned to Nami, "Are you okay?"
"Am I okay?" Nami repeated slowly. "Are you kidding? This was the best night ever! I got to meet the Three Lights and even met some of the famous Sailor Senshi! This is the best night ever." Nami smiled broadly.
Moments later, Ayumi and Mai returned. "What happened?" Mai seemed confused by the tension with Usagi and Rei, yet Nami seemed excited.
"I'm not sure what happened, but we just met some of the legendary Sailor Senshi!" Nami exclaimed gleefully.
Mai raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"That's amazing," Ayumi said with some enthusiasm. She tried to hide a yawn. "We should get going. If the senshi appeared here, it might not be safe." She turned to Usagi and Rei, "are the two of you going to be alright?"
"We'll be fine," Rei quickly responded. "We can always go back inside and wait for the others."
"Thank you for inviting us! I hope we can see you again before you leave!" Mai said bowing to Usagi and Rei in appreciation. The three girls quickly left.
"Who was that?" Haruka asked as soon as the other girls were gone. She and Michiru waited in the shadows for them to leave before approaching Rei and Usagi. They had to discuss what they witnessed.
"I don't know," Rei frowned. "Her fuku looks like ours… Usagi… do you remember her?" Rei hoped Usagi could shed some light on the newcomer.
Usagi shook her head. "No." She slowly looked up at the others. Anger was in her eyes. "I've never met her." She clenched her fist tightly. A small spark emitted from her fingers near her knuckles. A few of her Sailor Cosmos' rings appeared for a few seconds and then disappeared. Her emotions were making her powers unstable. She closed her eyes and slowly unclenched her hand. She knew she needed to relax. She slowly exhaled and opened her eyes. "I never met her before." Usagi repeated. "The way she spoke of the Silver Millennium… how did she know so much about the kingdom?"
"Could she be a senshi that was kept in the dark? Somewhat like the Outer Senshi or the Moon Senshi?" Rei suggested. She knew it was unlikely and she was grasping at straws.
"That I don't know." Usagi looked at Michiru and Haruka, hoping for some sense of direction. She felt lost and out of place. She was torn. She wanted to continue to tour with the Three Lights and Minako but she knew it was her duty as a senshi to remain in Boston until the danger passed.
"Her fuku is too similar to ours to not be from this solar system. It is like the original form we had when we first awakened as senshi in this lifetime." Haruka speculated. She looked at Michiru.
Michiru nodded her head in agreement with Haruka's observation and added her own. "She can't be a Moon Senshi either. She lacked the golden trim on her skirt as well as a different color underskirt." She redirected her next statement to Usagi. "Haruka and I are going to delay our return to Japan to stay here to investigate."
Usagi could feel a few tears attempt to form in the corner of her eye. "I'm… also going to stay behind. I have to make sure the Earth is safe." It was clear by her tone she is frustrated at her situation but knew her duty as a senshi has to come first.
"I will also stay with the three of you," Rei volunteered. She wanted to do what she could to assist the others.
"I want the four of us to handle this…" Usagi said. "I refuse to let this ruin Minako's big break. She and the Three Lights should continue their tour." She paused. "I would like to believe the four of us can figure out what is going on without having to involve any of the others." She frowned at what she knew had to happen next, so she turned to Rei. "Rei-chan, we should go back inside and tell the others what happened. We can't suddenly disappear from the tour."
"We will check in with you tomorrow." Michiru turned to Haruka to leave. She did not want to be present when Usagi had to explain to Seiya she would not be on the tour. She was unsure if Seiya would try to blame them and simply, she didn't want to see the Three Lights.
"We will let you know as soon as we find out anything," Haruka stated as she turned to leave with Michiru.
Sailor Charon silently followed behind Sailor Pluto; her eyes taking in everything from the Time Streams. She was in an area she had never seen before.
"I can't believe I didn't see this sooner," Sailor Pluto suddenly said. They had spent so much time trying to find information on the key on Pluto, at the Silver Millennium, or looking for clues on Mercury. They never considered searching in the most obvious place. The Time Streams. It was the safest and most secure location to hide information about the key. Only three living people have access to this location. The third did not know of its existence nor did Sailor Cosmos know of the Crystal Key.
Sailor Pluto knew what she was about to do was considered taboo but she was certain Queen Serenity would have understood. The course had changed too much. The Queen did not have her daughter reborn to run to the arms of another. The Princess had been reborn to defeat Beryl in the future and eventually rule with Endymion.
Sailor Pluto knew she couldn't face the others. No one else could know her plan other than Sailor Charon. She needed Sailor Charon's help in such a difficult undertaking. It was one thing to reset a recent event but she had to reset an event from nearly two years ago. She was fortunate she found the book in the library on Mercury. The book is what led both of the senshi to their present location. They had come too far to not succeed. The end of the corridor snapped her back to reality.
Sailor Pluto and Sailor Charon stood in front of a platinum door.
Sailor Charon looked at her Princess wearily. She wanted the timeline to be restored to ensure Neo Queen Serenity ruled the Silver Millennium beside King Endymion. She wishes she could have seen the Crystal Tokyo everyone referenced. It would be difficult for her now and time consuming to try to find the timeline where the future they craved existed. If all went well, she would be able to experience the timeline first hand. But she knew it meant the other Moon Senshi would not know their respective Princesses again. She knew her own memories of the past year would eventually fade. As long as Serenity was with Endymion, it was worth the sacrifice.
Sailor Pluto exchanged a glance at Sailor Charon. She knew they were in the right place. The door bore the crest of the Royal Family of Pluto. If someone somehow gained access to the time stream they would not be able to make it past this. She placed her staff in front of her, the garnet glowing softly. The crest on the door began to glow faintly. An internal click was heard and the door shifted slightly to allow the two senshi entrance. She pushed the door open and saw a dark corridor. She looked back at Sailor Charon to make sure she was ready before they both proceeded forward.
Their boots clicked loudly down the empty hallway. A glimmer of light catches their attention. The light from the time streams illuminate light down the hallway. The next minute seemed very long as the two women walked the remaining distance.
Sailor Pluto finally reached the end of the corridor. It led to another room; in the center of the room remaining was a metal stand with a leather bound book. Sailor Pluto slowly approached the book and smiled brightly. She gradually reached out her hand to touch the book in front of her. As soon as her hand made contact with the book she felt a surge of energy. She shivered.
Sailor Charon walked over to one of the walls after observing text on the wall. "Setsuna-san…" She said softly after reading the first two lines in their native tongue. "There is a warning here you need to read…" Her eyes skimmed the warning. "What you are trying to complete is punishable by death."
"If you want to stop, I understand," Sailor Pluto walked over to Sailor Charon to read the warning. "However, these were the rules given by a kingdom and times that do not exist." Her eyes lowered at what she was about to say. "Under Queen Serenity's reign, this could be punishable by death. But Neo Queen Serenity knows not of what we are about to do and cannot since we are fixing her mistake."
Sailor Charon smirked slightly at what Sailor Pluto alluded to. Since the Silver Millennium no longer existed, what they were going to do was no longer punishable by death since they were ancient rules for a time that no longer existed. "We found the book now what?"
"Now…. We figured out the proper way to use the crystal quickly." Sailor Pluto turned to Sailor Charon. "We will take the book with us since we know the manuscript will be secure. We need to return to Mercury to learn the best way to harness the power. I need to search the library more, I don't have all the answers yet."
"That will take too long," Sailor Charon argued.
"It will take longer," Sailor Pluto agreed. "But we will only have one shot. We can't mess it up."
Sailor Charon nodded her head. When Sailor Pluto worded it from that perspective, she understood. If they were rewarded with the desired outcome, the wait would be worth it.
Usagi shivered slightly. She felt uneasy. She wasn't sure of the source of this feeling so she couldn't shake it. She assumed it was related to the appearance of an unfound sailor senshi and some creatures once again threatening the safety of Earth. The air conditioner blasted inside the theater. She shivered again.
"Usagi, are you okay?" Rei asked; she was also cold but not shivering like the girl next to her.
"I'll be fine," Usagi tried to brush it off. "I just have this bad feeling about something. I didn't have a premonition about any of this, and part of that worries me." She sighed. She also didn't like the idea of leaving the tour, but she had to prioritize her duties. Being a senshi always came first.
"Usagi, are you sure you're okay leaving the tour early?" Rei knew it was difficult for her to just abandon Seiya.
"I don't have a choice, Rei-chan. I know if I stay behind I can help end this quicker. It is the best way I can protect them." Usagi appeared glum. She was not looking forward to telling Seiya she was staying behind while he needed to proceed with the tour. She knew he would be upset and would want to stay with her to protect her and keep her safe. "If I can't protect them as Sailor Cosmos, what was the point of these powers awakening?"
Rei is silent. She understood Usagi's decision. Usagi is always willing to sacrifice herself for others. That part of her never changed. "I hope their meeting ends soon."
Usagi nodded her head in agreement. "It shouldn't be much longer." Usagi found a chair nearby and closed her eyes. She was tired. She quickly began to doze off.
When the door finally opened, Rei immediately stood up, "We need to talk immediately." Her eyes conveyed the seriousness of the recent events.
Minako sighed, she knew that look. "…there was an attack, wasn't there?"
Rei nodded her head slowly. "Usagi is sleeping in the chair over there." Rei pointed down the hallway in Usagi's direction.
"We should move this conversation back to the hotel. We will be bothered less there," Taiki suggested. "We can't stay here; it would draw too much attention."
"As soon as we leave, they plan on closing the doors until tomorrow afternoon before the last show." Seiya walked over to Usagi and sat down on the chair next to her. He shook her shoulder slightly to wake her up.
Usagi mumbled something.
Seiya smiled and shook his head slightly. "Odango, we need to get going."
"No…" Usagi mumbled. "Five more minutes, Luna."
Minako burst out into laughter. She had a similar conversation with Artemis in the past when he tried to wake her up for school after a long night of battling.
Seiya shook Usagi a bit more, "Time to wake up, Odango." He lightly touched her cheek.
Usagi began to stir and slowly opened her eyes. She was surprised to see Seiya in front of her. She slowly sat up. "I guess I fell asleep." Usagi took a deep breath and began to get up as she remembered why she was waiting for the Three Lights and Minako.
"We're going to head back to the hotel so we can all talk in private," Seiya explained.
Usagi nodded her head. She was used to being able to go to Rei's shrine to discuss an enemy attack.
The Three Lights and Minako listened to Usagi and Rei recount the events that occurred outside of the theater. They were fortunate it was empty which meant no one was injured.
"Yet another senshi…" Yaten shifted his position on the couch in Seiya's small suite. Taiki, Yaten, and Minako also had small suites down the hall. "Just how many senshi are in this star system?"
"I thought that was everyone…" Minako said softly. "We had no idea there were any more."
"Haruka-san and Michiru-san were also very surprised. We don't even know what to call her. She refused to give us her name," Rei frowned. She wanted to know the mysterious identity of this new sailor senshi but they did not have any clues.
"If she revealed her name, it would give away her identity. It's possible Usagi-chan might then know who she is, or at least heard of her in the past." Taiki assumed this new senshi was from this star system based on everyone's description. "We need to figure out our next move."
"The four of you are going to continue the tour, while-"
"Odango, you can't be serious!" Seiya exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "We can't just run off while there is another attack on Earth."
This was the part Usagi dreaded. She knew Seiya would be upset by the plan already put into place. "Seiya, Rei-chan and I can handle it. Michiru-san and Haruka-san are also staying behind in Boston." She turned to face Minako, "Minako-chan, you've worked so hard to get to this point. I can't ask you to give up your dream."
"Usagi-chan…" Minako didn't know what to say at first. Usagi was forcing her to put her duties as a senshi to the side to pursue her dream. Minako struggled with this idea since it went against everything she believed as a senshi. Yet, at the same time, Usagi was her Queen and had to follow her wishes. "I don't know what to say…" Minako finally stammered. "It just…. Doesn't seem right."
"We'll be fine, Minako-chan," Usagi tries to reassure her friend. "They don't seem that strong."
Usagi stood up to face Seiya. "We can stop them." She directed her statement to him. "If I can't protect the world as Sailor Cosmos, why do I have these powers?"
Based on Seiya's facial expression, it was clear he was not done talking about this with Usagi. He still did not agree with her decision.
"It's late," Taiki suddenly said. It was clear Seiya needed to speak with Usagi alone and he was trying to offer them privacy. He stood up to leave.
"We still have a lot to discuss," Yaten argued, not picking up the cue Taiki displayed.
"We should get some sleep," Minako countered, trying to fill in the gaps. "We still have one more show tomorrow and then we will have more time to discuss this. There is nothing else we can do."
Rei stood up. "I agree with Minako-chan."
Yaten stood there clueless for a moment, then everything clicked. "Ah." He nodded his head. "We'll have time tomorrow."
A few moments later, Seiya was alone with Usagi. He walked over to her and lightly placed his hands on her shoulders. "Odango, I'm worried about you. It doesn't feel right to move forward with the concert while I know you could be in danger."
Usagi smiled sadly at him. "I knew this would happen…" she responded softly. "I don't want to hurt you or upset you but I believe it is best for you to continue the tour. If the Three Lights suddenly canceled the rest of their tour and stayed in Boston it would raise too many questions. If Rei-chan and I left, it wouldn't be noticeable."
"Odango…" Seiya started but he stopped. He could tell she had already made up her mind. "I understand why you want to do this, to protect everyone but I still don't agree with it." He hugged her tightly. "I should be next to you, protecting you."
"Seiya…" Usagi paused thinking how she wanted to word this. "I know you want to keep me safe but… at the same time if you are continuing your tour; I know you will be safe. Otherwise I would worry about you too." She tried to think of a way to lessen the blow without outright dismissing his concerns. "We have been protecting the planet for years."
"I'm not saying that you can't protect the planet… it just… I want to be beside you," Seiya said softly; he rested his chin on Usagi's head while he held her close. "We're both pretty stubborn, aren't we?" He smiled slightly. "It will be rough to not see you every day…" He held tighter
"Yeah… though it would take only seconds for me to visit you as Sailor Cosmos…" Usagi hinted with playfulness in her voice. "But I think that would confuse people if I randomly showed up here and there. I don't want to cause you any more hardships."
Seiya pulled away from her to look into her eyes. "I feel the same way. I feel like I am abandoning my duties as a senshi to not protect you…" At that moment he realized he experienced a similar conflict when Princess, now Queen Kakyuu ordered the Starlights to remain on Earth and protect Sailor Cosmos.
"You are not abandoning your duties." Usagi attempted to reassure him. "The other senshi will be there to help. Too many times Minako-chan had to put her dream on hold because of her duties as a senshi. She had to make so many sacrifices…" Usagi's voice trailed off when she realized she was making this conversation more about Minako rather than Seiya. Usagi tried to lighten the conversation. "Besides, I don't know how all of your fans would react if the tour was suddenly canceled."
Seiya shook his head. "So that would disappoint you?" Seiya asked.
Usagi blinked. "Eh? I was talking about your fans…" Usagi didn't understand what Seiya implied.
"And here I thought you were my biggest fan…" Seiya faked being hurt for a moment. It was his attempt to lighten the mood. It was clear Usagi was not going to budge.
"Eh?" Usagi blinked. "So… I'm just your biggest fan…?"
"Odango, you know that you are more than that," Seiya said leaning forward to kiss her fully on the lips. He never wanted Usagi to doubt what she meant to him. He slowly pulled away from her.
"You don't have to worry about me…" Usagi tried to set his mind at ease.
"If roles were reversed, you would be worried about me."
Usagi didn't respond since she knew Seiya was right.
"During the meeting today, they moved up when we will be leaving for South America in a day. So… I'll only be able to see you for another day or two. I want to spend as much time as I can with you before we leave." Seiya led Usagi back to the couch so they could continue talking.
"How much free time do you have?" Usagi tried to keep her voice neutral. She knew his schedule would be busy.
"Well, I don't have to be at the theater until 1pm. There isn't too much to go over before our last North American performance. We can always go out and get some food tomorrow." Seiya knew Usagi could never turn down food. "The only problem is trying to figure out what kind of food you want."
Usagi pondered for a few minutes. She was tired of getting pizza. "Maybe some seafood… or chicken?" She brightened slightly. "We can also see some of the city." She left out the other thing their exploring would include, any clues for any other attacks in the city or information regarding the new sailor senshi. The limited amount of time she had with him started to sink in. "Seiya… can we just sit here for a while?"
"Sure."
"I can't just sit back and do nothing!" He continued to argue with her. No matter how many times he told her, she didn't want to hear it. He was wasting his time repeating himself and he knew time was running out. Time had already run out for his home. He knew what the next target would be; it was made crystal clear during the present attack.
"How can you abandon your home and your family at a time like this!" The senshi yelled back at him. She couldn't believe how stubborn he was. Why do some foreigners have to be more important than them? How could he be abandoning the kingdom? Her anger was close to boiling over.
She woke up suddenly in a cold sweat. She threw the covers off her. This happened countless years ago and he had paid the ultimate price. She slowly stood up quietly to make sure she did not disturb her sleeping roommate.
She walked over to her notes in the dark. She didn't understand why she would still have dreams about events that occurred so long ago. There was nothing she could do to change it. Dwelling on the past only fueled her anger. She forced herself to go back to bed and lay down to try to sleep.
Usagi rubbed her eyes. Seven o'clock seemed so early. She did not return to her own room from Seiya's until late. She wasn't sure what time she finally went to sleep in her own bed. She just wanted to sleep but knew the time she had with Seiya this morning was limited. The longer she stayed in bed, the less amount of time she would have to spend with him. With those thoughts in her mind, she forced herself to get up.
Rei was already up, completing her morning stretches in silence in a corner of the room. "You can come back really late last night." Rei had stayed up for a little while, expecting to speak with Usagi when she returned. She wasn't sure how her conversation with Seiya would go and she might have been upset and wanted to talk.
"Yeah…" Usagi slowly raised her arms over her head to stretch. "We talked for a while… and I eventually fell asleep." Usagi responded, trying not to blush. She left out a few details. She slowly stood up and nearly tripped.
"Usagi… are you okay?" Rei approached her; Usagi was usually clumsy but she seemed different.
"Yeah…" Usagi said as she slowly stood up from the tangled cover mess on the ground. "I'm going to leave shortly. Seiya has some free time until this morning and we are going to explore the city until the last concert."
"Ah. I guess that would be the only reason for you to be up so early," Rei teased Usagi. "After you're done, can we meet up?"
"Sure," Usagi quickly grabbed her things. She was supposed to meet with Seiya in less than an hour. She didn't have much time to get herself ready.
Seiya tried to hide a yawn as he waited for Usagi. He had a hard time going to sleep this morning. All he could think about was the conversation he had with Usagi. He was worried about not being there for her. She is powerful but he didn't like the idea of her being in danger. He sighed. Replaying everything in his head wasn't helping. He hoped there would be a break before the show to take a quick nap. It was going to be a really long day. A few minutes later, Usagi finally appeared. "I was starting to wonder if you were going to show up."
"Hmph." Usagi pouted while putting her hands across her chest. "I'm only a few minutes late!"
"Well… that is an improvement," Seiya commented. He tried to hide another yawn.
"You seem really tired," Usagi commented. As soon as she made her remark, she yawned.
Seiya laughed. "I guess I'm not the only one!" They stood in silence for a moment waiting for the elevator to reach the lobby. "Where did you want to go first?"
"I'm not sure… maybe walk around the city? Can we see if there have been any attacks in other locations?"
Seiya nodded his head in agreement. "But first I think we need to stop somewhere for some coffee."
An hour later, Usagi's stomach growled. She needed food sooner than later. A few of the restaurants they talked about going to would not be open for several hours. They settled on a diner to get breakfast.
They were getting ready to go when suddenly, "Seiya-sama!"
Seiya cringed slightly. There were a few girls rushing toward him with pens and one had a camera. He looked at Usagi.
Usagi shrugged her shoulders. "At least it is only a few?"
Seiya nodded his head. He signed a few autographs for them and took a few pictures. It was clear the fangirls wanted to talk with him more but he politely excused himself telling them he had a few errands before the final performance today. The girls finally let him leave a few minutes later.
"I guess it really doesn't matter where you are, they always seem to find you," Usagi smirked. "But at least it wasn't that one photographer."
"Yeah… Where else did you want to go?" Seiya checked his watch and realized it was later than he thought. "We should start making our way toward the theater…" He only had one hour left.
A mile away from the theater, yet somewhat close to their hotel, they heard shouting. Usagi and Seiya nodded at each other and began to run in that direction. They couldn't tell what the shouts were over since they were yelling in English.
A bright flash of light confirmed their suspicions. There was an attack. "Starlights…" Seiya recognized their energy signature right away.
"Are you sure?" Usagi questioned. They were too far away to hear any of those involved and only saw a flash of light.
"I'm sure," Seiya responded back, picking up his pace.
Sailor Star Maker and Sailor Star Healer easily defeated the creatures that were made of dirt; a pile remained on the ground where they once stood. Sailor Star Maker watched the pile closely to make sure the creatures did not reform. Very little was known about their new adversary.
Seiya and Usagi arrived and were about to ask the two Starlights if they were alright, but another voice made their presence known before they had the chance.
"You don't belong in this solar system."
Sailor Star Maker and Sailor Star Healer whipped around, startled by the voice of a new person nearby. They couldn't believe they let their guard down to allow this person get so close to them.
"That's her…" Usagi whispered quietly to Seiya. They stayed out of sight from the others. She stared at her fuku, desperately searching for any sign or symbol she could recognize to identify this new person. She hoped in the light of day, she would see something she hadn't seen the previous night.
"You're not the first one to tell us that," Sailor Star Maker retorted back. The senshi before them did not have a noticeable planetary symbol. She kept her guard up. It was too soon to determine if she was a friend or foe.
"You should have listened," the other senshi counter back. She examined Starlight's fuku. "You're a long way home… I'm curious what star system would ever have their warrior dress… so… scandalous." She was fishing for information, attempting to provoke them to reveal who they were.
"You never told us your name," Sailor Star Healer countered. "At least when someone tried to kick us out they had the decency to tell us who they were."
The senshi looked past the Starlights and for the first time noticed Seiya and Usagi standing in the distance by some trees. "This is the second time in two days I've seen you near an attack with other sailor senshi. That curiosity could get you hurt." Her eyes focused on Usagi's hairstyle, "That is a very unusual style, one I have not seen in countless centuries."
Usagi's eyes narrowed. The other senshi was again referencing the Silver Millennium. The senshi was trying to make her angry but she forced herself to remain in control. She wanted more than anything to transform into Sailor Cosmos and force her to tell her what she knows. Usagi bit the inside of her lip lightly to try to calm down. She had to keep her emotions and abilities in check. Usagi stepped out into plain sight, asking her, "Who are you? You show up, make all these demands and won't even explain your justifications for the demands."
"My name is not important," the dark haired senshi said, pushing a few strands of her dark hair to the side. "All you need to know is that I am here to protect Mother Earth." She turned away from the others to begin to walk away. She paused long enough to state, "until next time." She disappeared from sight.
Sailor Star Maker addressed Seiya, "it's almost time for us to be at the theater."
"Yeah…" Seiya looked at Usagi, knowing he would prepare for a concert while he left Usagi vulnerable right after another attack.
"Go ahead," Usagi encouraged him. "I'm going to meet up with Rei-chan a little later."
Ten minutes later, Usagi came across Michiru and Haruka. The duo were walking toward Usagi and in the direction of the theater and the location of the attack the previous night.
"Usagi-chan," Haruka greeted. "I'm surprised to see you here."
Usagi explained to them what happened and the new remarks the mysterious senshi made today.
"She has to somehow be related to the Silver Millennium," Haruka looked at Michiru.
Michiru nodded her head in agreement. "Two days in a row she made references to the Silver Millennium.
"I wish Setsuna-san was back. I thought she would have been back by now," Usagi's voice conveyed disappointment toward the absent senshi.
"We have tried to reach her on her communicator and we have been unsuccessful," Haruka frowned, "I'm sure Setsuna-san would know something. I don't understand what is taking her so long. I thought she would have been gone for only a few months."
"If we have too, we will summon the Moon Senshi if we cannot handle it ourselves." Another idea struck Usagi. "There has to be somewhere we can go to learn about this new senshi."
"I remember Ami-chan mentioning a large library on Mercury that stored the history of the Silver Millennium. Maybe we can start there?" Michiru suggested. She paused when she reflected on another detail Ami had mentioned, "but they are written in ancient texts."
"We should still check it out. We don't have any other leads," Haruka encouraged the group. She was tired of the run around with this new senshi. The new senshi seemed to be somewhat on their side by eliminating the bizarre dirt creators. But she still didn't trust her. How could there be another senshi in this star system that no one knew about? This fueled her anger at Setsuna for returning to Pluto.
"It is worth a shot," Usagi slowly agreed. "I might be able to read some of the texts?" She didn't sound too confident. She liked the idea of being able to visit the planet Mercury. She had not been there since the fall of the Silver Millennium. Ami had spoken highly of the library.
The three women transformed into sailor senshi and departed for Mercury.
Sailor Cosmos, Sailor Uranus, and Sailor Neptune landed on Mercury and were immediately stunned by the temperature. They arrived at the top of a crater where the temperature was hot. The library was below and they made their descent downward, thankful the temperature dropped so quickly.
"Next time we can teleport right outside the library, now that we know where it is." Sailor Uranus was the first one down the creator area and had to carefully watch her step to avoid some of the loose stones.
Sailor Cosmos didn't understand why they didn't just teleport to the base of the library, or in her case fly. The Outer Senshi had their own way of doing things and assumed this was part of it. She continued to follow the others, nearly tripping on her cape countless times.
Fifteen minutes later, the three senshi stood outside the library.
Sailor Cosmos stares at the front doors, vaguely remembering this library from her past life.
Sailor Neptune slowly pushed the door open with a loud scraping sound. She slowly entered the library amazed at the books and desks.
"Where do we begin?" Sailor Uranus' question mirrored everyone's thoughts.
"I think we should start further back…" Sailor Neptune explained to Sailor Uranus and Sailor Cosmos. "In most libraries, sensitive information is kept toward the back to protect it."
"Then that is where we start." Sailor Uranus pressed forward, the other two senshi quietly following behind her.
Sailor Pluto's head jerked up when she heard voices. The half read book was still in her hands. She looked over at Sailor Charon to try to confirm her suspicions.
"I never imagined there were so many books here!" Sailor Cosmos said in awe. Her heels echoed lowly on the marble floor.
Sailor Charon and Sailor Pluto did not verbally exchange any words but they knew they needed to hide. They could not risk their Queen finding them there. She would have too many questions they could not answer. The two senshi hid in an alcove near several bookcases in a far corner of the room. Without books present, the three visitors would have no reason to examine their hiding place. They could eavesdrop without detection.
"I don't understand… how could there possibly be another senshi from this star system?" Sailor Cosmos wondered out loud. "I don't remember ever meeting her in the past… but I can't shake the feeling she is related to the Silver Millennium in some way. Her fuku is too similar to ours."
"Just because you never met her doesn't mean she didn't exist back then." Sailor Uranus countered back. She was frustrated. She knew there was a logical explanation for everything that happened; she just didn't know what it was yet.
Sailor Cosmos sighed in response. She knew Sailor Uranus was correct; she didn't want to admit it. "Who is she? She claimed to be the protector of Earth. But Earth is where all of us have protected for so many years. Why is she just showing up now?"
"And that is why we are all so protective of Earth, it is our home." Sailor Neptune paused for a moment before adding, "Most of us." It was an offhand remark directed towards the Moon Senshi and the Starlights.
Sailor Cosmos changed the subject to a different senshi. "I wish Sailor Pluto was here so we could ask her what was going on. Has she ever encountered this senshi before… were we…" Her voice trailed off. She was about to ask if they ever encounter this senshi in the future but there would be no way to determine. "If she doesn't return soon, should we go to Pluto to look for her? How much longer do we wait to try to make contact with her?"
Sailor Uranus responded back to Sailor Cosmos but her response sounded muffled to Sailor Pluto and Sailor Charon. Sailor Pluto made a gesture to Sailor Charon to signal they should leave in case they were found.
Once they were several hallways from the others, Sailor Charon finally had the courage to speak again. She felt like she was betraying the Queen more than ever by sneaking around and eavesdropping on her conversations. The timeline still needed to be fixed but listening in on her conversations didn't feel right. "What is going on?" She whispered to Sailor Pluto. How could there be another senshi? The Moon Senshi are supposed to be the last senshi. There were no more Princesses that she knew of.
Sailor Pluto did not respond. Very few knew of the last senshi. The kingdom the senshi was from, Queen Serenity, and herself. The Silver Millennium did not want to include the senshi in the inner court due to problems between the two kingdoms that arose. "She was never supposed to awaken again. Her powers were to remain dormant and her memories lost to the wind."
Sailor Charon stared at Sailor Pluto in disbelief. "What do you mean she was not to awaken? Who is she?"
"It is probably best if you do not know. We need to focus on restoring the timeline to what it is supposed to be, without all these anomalies." This new information renewed Sailor Pluto's sense of urgency to complete their mission. "The sooner we restore time; everything will be back to normal." She tried to convey the sense of urgency to Sailor Charon. "We need to return to Pluto. We cannot let the others see us here. It will only lead to more questions and make our task more difficult."
"But they don't know why we are here…"
Sailor Pluto turned to Sailor Charon to ask her, "What would you tell them regarding why we are here and not rebuilding on Pluto?"
Sailor Charon did not respond because she realized anything she would say would result in her lying to her Queen, which she wanted to avoid. "Let's go."
Sailor Callisto and Sailor Phobos were in a deep conversation about the rebuilding process and Sailor Pluto's rather bizarre behaviors. "I'm surprised Sailor Pluto is still here." Sailor Callisto tried to make sense of why Sailor Pluto seemed hesitant to return to her home on Earth with the other senshi. "I know she is upset by the Queen's choice… but she has a life on Earth with the other senshi…" Her voice trailed off. She struggled to rationalize the events that unfolded before her.
"I think that is why she hasn't left," Sailor Phobos responded in an attempt to defend Sailor Pluto's actions. "Yes, the reconstruction has been completed but when she returns home she will have to face a decision she does not agree with."
"Some do not want to see Usagi-san with Seiya-san," Sailor Callisto stated. Her voice lowered, "Many of the senshi do not want to see them together which is the main reason we ended up here. Time needed to pass for the other senshi to learn to accept the change."
"What if they do not accept that change?"
"At some point they have to. That is the course we are on. In order to effectively protect our Queen and the Silver Millennium they will one day have to cast their feelings to the side. Otherwise, a civil war may break out one day… but it would not last long."
Sailor Phobos smiled. "A civil war? We wouldn't stand a chance!"
Sailor Callisto became serious once more. "I think Sailor Pluto is up to something. She is plotting something… which is why she is still here. She doesn't want the others to know what is going on."
Sailor Phobos stared at her in shock. "If you know she is up to something, why aren't you doing anything to stop her?"
"It is not my place, nor do I know what she is actually doing. Whatever it is, she is doing an excellent job of hiding her true intentions."
"What you mean to say, you couldn't stop her even if you wanted to."
Sailor Callisto did not respond.
Mamoru shut off the news, another disturbance. No matter where he went, Tokyo or Boston there was always an evil lurking in the shadows. He sighed. Everyone believed after the last bout with the Black Moon, everything would be fine. That was the one enemy they knew they would eventually surface. They were unavoidable. But where did these dirt-like creatures come from? How many more were there? Who was controlling them? He had so many questions yet no answers to his questions. No one knew.
The fact that no one had spoken to him about these two events that occurred in the past 24 hours also disturbed him. Was he that far removed from the team he was once a core member of? He stood up and looked at his calendar on the wall. He had one week before the accelerated summer session began. He could devote a week to try to figure out what was going on. He was glad the rules at the university allowed him to stay here rather than return to Japan for one week. What would he do in Japan when ironically, Usako was here?
He felt removed from the others that he had been gone for so long and missed so much. A few of them reached out to him but a part of felt he was in the process of being abandoned. He shook his head. It was a feeling he is all too familiar with in his life, until he met her. Then he lost her. He was back to square one, but this time it was more difficult since he knew what he had lost.
A knock on the door snapped him back. He made his way to the door, unsure of who would be on the other side. He opened the door; it was Rei.
"Mamoru-san, we need to talk. Strange things have started to happen since last night. I've been trying to gather more information all morning but I'm still at a loss for what is happening in Boston." Rei was frustrated. She wanted to continue to enjoy the tour with Usagi and Minako but her duty as a senshi had to come first. It will always come first in her life. She mentally kicked herself for believing there could be peace for so long. She had to remind herself there will always be another battle, the only question was when.
Mamoru let Rei into his dorm room and closed the door. He did not want to risk anyone eavesdropping on their conversation. There was no way he could try to explain it to the others.
Rei filled Mamoru in about the attack last night. Rei was surprised when Mamoru told her about the attack this afternoon. "Usagi didn't tell me anything about it…" Rei paused to look at her watch. She didn't realize it was already 4pm. "I told Usagi I would meet up with her this afternoon and we would try to see if there were any clues we missed the night before. Could you come with me? There is still more I need to tell you."
Mamoru hesitated slightly. Things were still awkward between himself and Usako. But he wanted to see her. Things would always be awkward if he continued to avoid her. He also knew her time was limited in Boston since they would have to leave soon to move on to the next city or country. He didn't really pay attention to their traveling schedule.
"Alright. I'll do what I can to assist you and the others." Mamoru said with more confidence than he felt.
Rei discussed all the details that she could about the incident with Mamoru. As they arrived closer to the theater, she paused to tell him the most important detail. "Mamoru-san, you should know Usagi is staying behind in Boston to address this threat along with myself. Michiru-san and Haruka-san also volunteered to stay in Boston a little longer until we know what is going on. Usagi told the Three Light and Minako-chan to continue their tour. Usagi doesn't want Minako-chan's big chance to be ruined."
"…" Mamoru was speechless. He knew Usako could easily teleport back and forth between the two places but she chose to stay in Boston. He knew that was a difficult decision for her but she was being Usako, thinking of Minako before herself. "How long will you be staying? Where will you be staying?"
"I think we are going to continue to stay in the same hotel for a little while. As far as how long… I guess it depends on how long it will take." Rei knew it would be difficult to identify any length of time. It depended on how quickly they would determine the identity of the new senshi and that senshi's role.
"I see… let me know what I can do to assist all of you any way." Mamoru slowed his steps to stare at the sky.
Rei followed his gaze and gasped. Three stars were falling to Earth a short distance ahead of them near the theater where the attack occurred the previous night. They were faint, making it easier to cover this arrival. The two broke into a jog. They couldn't waste any time investigating.
Mamoru and Rei turned a corner to see Sailor Cosmos, Sailor Uranus, and Sailor Neptune.
"Usagi, where have you been all this time?" Rei asked when she was close enough to her without having to shout.
"Eh? Rei-chan? Mamo-chan…?" Sailor Cosmos was surprised by their sudden appearance. She then remembered she was supposed to meet with Rei hours ago to be at the same spot to look for clues. "We just came back from Mercury. We tried to do some research but… I was the only one that could read some of the books and it was hard to find anything." Usagi tear dropped.
"You were able to read the books?" Mamoru was surprised by Usagi's ability to be able to read a dead language. A language she only recently learned when her past memories were restored.
"Sorta…. I guess I still have to do more learning to do…. It was a little fuzzy reading them." Sailor Cosmos explained to Mamoru.
"The library would be a wonderful resource… if only we knew how to read the materials. There were books in several languages. I'm assuming they are written in the languages for each planet." Sailor Neptune conveyed some of her frustration on not being able to read the books. She would love to spend hours reading the books to learn about her home world but the language was lost to her. She hoped she could one day re-learn all that she lost.
Sailor Uranus observed the position of the setting sun. It was getting late. Michiru had a few things she still needed to wrap up before she was free from her duties related to her concert tour.
Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune said their goodbyes leaving Sailor Cosmos with Rei and Mamoru.
The three stood in silence for a moment. Sailor Cosmos de-transformed to Usagi.
Mamoru spoke first, "Where did this second attack occur?" He wanted to call her Usako but it didn't seem right at the moment.
"It was somewhere between here and the hotel… I'm not really sure… I'm sure Seiya would remember…" Her voice trailed off as soon as she spoke his name. She knew that it was a name that still brought pain to Mamoru.
"I think I remember how to get to the hotel from here." Rei offered, coming to the aid of Usagi. "You can tell us if anything looks familiar."
The group made small talk for the next fifteen minutes as they slowly walked in the direction of the hotel.
Usagi stopped to stare at a building. "I think it was somewhere around here…"
Mamoru and Rei stopped to search their surroundings. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.
They heard a noise in the distance. "Wait here, I'm going to check it out. I'll be back in a minute. Usagi, I'll contact you if I have a problem." Rei quickly left, leaving Usagi and Mamoru alone together for the first time in months. She didn't even think of how her absence would make things more awkward between the two of them.
Usagi felt her heart race. He still had that effect over her. She had to say something to make the situation easier. "How is school?" Usagi finally asked.
"The first semester was a huge transition," Mamoru responded, turning attention to the short blonde next to him. "School is very different here compared to Japan." He wasn't sure what else to say since this was discussed during dinner a few nights ago.
"…is it hard for you to be here by yourself? I mean I know I would struggle a lot if I was in a foreign country by myself. But… I don't speak English really well… I'm sure you can speak it fluently…" Usagi continues to ramble. She wasn't sure what she was trying to say or ask him.
He smiled at her praise. "Yes it was an adjustment but I'm sure you will be fine after a while. When you are learning a language it is a lot different when you surround yourself in that language. You will pick it up faster."
"Ah." Usagi smiled brightly. "You are one of the smartest people I know!"
Usagi's words of praise cause Mamoru to genuinely smile. He thought about everything he missed out on since he came to America to attend school. "I'm sorry I missed your graduation. It would have been very difficult for me to leave in the middle of the semester."
"I understand, Mamo-chan," Usagi smiled softly at him. "With the time change and the long flight, it would have caused a burden to your studies and I don't want you to struggle because of me." Her voice was downcast.
Mamoru closed the distance between them. Reacting out of instinct he places his hands on her shoulders. "Usako, I don't want you to ever think you are a burden to me."
Usagi stared into his eyes for a moment without saying anything. She was speechless. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. "I.. Mamo-chan…" She didn't know what to say. She stumbles trying to form a coherent response. She forces herself to look away and down. A part of her knew it didn't feel right anymore.
Mamoru removed his hands and took a step back. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable around her. "Usako, answer me this one question." His voice expressed to her the seriousness of his statement. "Are you happy?"
"I am happy, Mamo-chan." She paused before she continued. "It is an adjustment to not be in school anymore. I guess I underestimated how big of a part school played in my life. I guess I have to figure out what I am going to do with all of this extra time I have when I go back to Japan. I know some of my time will be spent at the Silver Millennium restoring the palace. It is starting to look how I remembered."
"I wish there was a way I could have even a fraction of my memories. I don't even remember what the Golden Kingdom looked like. I had to rely on someone else to tell me the name of my former home." Mamoru struggled to express the depth of his frustration. In both of his lifetimes his memories were taken away from him. It was as if a piece of him would always be missing.
"I'm sure there is a way to restore your memories, like how mine were restored. We just don't know how. There has to be a way. Maybe Setsuna-san could help us." Usagi frowned after she spoke the senshi's name. "But I don't know when she is going to return to Earth. There is a lot I wish to talk to her about."
"She hasn't returned?" Mamoru asked in disbelief. He remembered her leaving with the Moon Senshi to rebuild the palace on Pluto but he assumed she would have returned to Earth by now.
"No." Usagi confirmed. "And I feel like she should be able to help us or at least lead us in the right direction to figure out the identity of this new senshi."
"What is your plan after you leave here?" Mamoru tried to determine how much she changed during the past months. In the past she would have always answered to be his bride or Queen.
"I'm thinking of exploring the rest of the galaxy…" Usagi slowly responded. "Something changed…. ever since I learned I could fly among the stars, the energy, the rush… it's hard to describe. I want to learn more about the galaxy before I return to the Silver Millennium and begin… my reign."
Mamoru was shocked by her answer. The woman before him was not the Usako he knew.
Usagi didn't notice the change in Mamoru's facial expression and continued. "There were so many things I was not allowed to do at the Silver Millennium and I want to fulfill those dreams." Usagi paused. She couldn't believe she just blurted all of that out to Mamoru. She hadn't even spoken to Seiya about some of these yet. But it was Mamoru, the person she used to confide everything to the past… in two different lifetimes. Before Usagi could say anything more, they were joined by several familiar creatures.
Several creatures appeared in front of them. The creatures were different this time; they appear to be made of rock instead of dirt.
Instinct told him to take a few steps in front of Usagi to protect her. That part of him will never change; he will always protect her no matter what happens. "Are these the same creatures that you have seen before?"
"They are similar…." Usagi reached for her crystal pendant, anticipating turning into Sailor Cosmos in the next few moments to defeat the creatures before them. She was about to utter her transform phrase when a large blast hit the creatures. The beings vanished within a few seconds.
When the light dimmed, a familiar senshi in olive green stood there. "Are you alright?" She asked them. Her expression hardened when she realized Usagi was there again. She didn't understand. All of the attacks within the past 24 hours seemed to be focused on Usagi. Were those creatures drawn to her for some reason? She stared at Usagi, "Who are you? These creatures seem to be drawn to you for some reason."
Usagi was silent and moved closer to Mamoru. She didn't know what to say. She clenched her fist tighter over her pendant. It took so much self-control to not transform and demand the other senshi reveal her identity.
"Don't," Mamoru whispered softly. He placed a hand on her lower back to try to help reduce her tension. It was a trick he learned years ago when she was frustrated or stressed.
The sudden movement surprised Usagi and she let go of her pendant. She tried to dismiss the butterflies in her stomach and moved a step forward, away from Mamoru. The distraction led to Usagi temporarily letting go of her necklace.
A rush of scraping sounds approached them. Usagi and Mamoru turned around to see several creatures made of dirt bolting in their direction.
The senshi ran forward towards them, leaped over them and landed a few feet in front them. "Gaia," Energy swirled in her right hand into a small green ball. "Maelstrom!" She hurled the ball of energy at the creatures like a baseball and it exploded into a large swirling storm of energy consuming the dirt creatures until they disappeared into nothingness. She turned to face Usagi, "They keep coming back for you." She glared at Usagi. There were so many questions she wanted to ask her. What drew these creatures to her?
Several more creatures seemed to rise up from the ground. Once their bodies formed they began to move toward the three of them. The closest creature growled, "Ginzuishou."
The senshi shook her head at them. "Good luck finding it! It disappeared eons ago!" She dismissed the idea the crystal was anywhere but at the ruins at the Silver Millennium. She tried to find the crystal there in the past and was unsuccessful. She thought if she found the crystal she could make things right and restore her former home.
"Burning Mandala!"
The creatures were engulfed in flames. The senshi gasped slightly by the sudden attack.
When the flames died down, Sailor Mars stood on the other side of the remains of the creatures.
The mysterious senshi narrowed her eyes at the sight of Sailor Mars. Her eyes immediately went to the forehead of the flamed senshi to confirm her identity. The mark was unmistakable. It was a sign she would not forget. She glared at her in anger. "How are you still alive? You died when the Silver Millennium was attacked!"
Sailor Mars was taken aback by the other senshi's sudden outburst. "Who are you and how do you know of the Silver Millennium?"
The other senshi did not answer Sailor Mars, her eyes fell to the brooch on Sailor Mars' fuku. "…. I don't understand if you have the mark of the Royal Court. That court died and so did its Queen and her family!" Tears threatened to burst forth. She lost everything that day and seeing that mark was like a spit in the face. "But if you are alive, are the others alive?"
Sailor Mars didn't know what to say. She still had no way to determine if the other senshi was a friend or a foe. The other senshi suddenly seemed desperate for answers but still did not identify herself. Knowledge was power. "You still haven't told us who you are. How do I know I can even trust you?"
Sailor Mars' words cut threw the other senshi like a hot knife. She felt like her first sign of hope she had in years was being ripped away from her. It was her turn to clench her fists. She had to be patient. She showed them part of her hand. "As I've said before, I am the protector of this planet." She regained her composure. "My name is not important."
The mysterious senshi left. When she was out of their sight she de-transformed. She didn't understand how Usagi and Mamoru seemed to tie in everything. She couldn't confront them directly; it would give away her identity. She needed to learn more. She knew they had to be related in some manner but she didn't know how. As soon as the other senshi learned her identity, they would react differently. The Silver Millennium no doubt had resentments against her kingdom as much as she had resentments against the Silver Millennium.
She pushed a few strands of black hair to the side. Nothing added up. Why did Mamoru want to protect Usagi when she is with someone else? There had to be more of a history that she was unaware of. She wanted to pry and learn the whole story but suddenly asking would not be her place. Her sudden questions would also raise suspicions. All she could do was try to keep tabs on them since they seemed to draw out the creatures. Why did Usagi have that hairstyle? She shakes her head at the impossibility. She glanced down at her watch and realized it was getting late. She could always try to follow Mamoru tomorrow; after all they did go to the same university. She kicked a few pebbles on the ground. She debated about making one more stop before she returned to her dorm room.
Sailor Mars, Mamoru, and Usagi watched the other senshi leave. No one dared to follow her. They were too lost in their own thoughts. Each time they saw her and spoke with her, they had more questions than answers.
"How does she know what happened at the Silver Millennium?" Sailor Mars asked, perplexed by someone they never met could know so much about their history.
Mamoru shrugged his shoulders. He didn't have any of the answers they were looking for. He turned to the woman next to him. "Usako?"
Usagi didn't speak and played with the pendant around her neck. Her memories from the Silver Millennium were restored, yet she did not know this person because she never heard of her. Her gut told her she knew of them. She was feeling overwhelmed. She needed answers. She was tired of being in the dark. "Cosmos Crystal Power, Make Up!" Rainbow colors and feathers quickly engulfed her body and she became the Guardian.
"Usagi… what are you planning to do?" Sailor Mars could feel herself start to panic. Usagi has been irritated the past few days regarding this new senshi. A part of her always worried about the warnings the group had received in the past if she ever lost control of her powers.
Sailor Cosmos slowly walked forward, away from Sailor Mars and Mamoru. She wanted to make sure she was safe distance from them before she spoke. They had to be too far away from her to stop her. Once she was satisfied with the distance, she turned around to face them. Her face conveyed there was no negotiating with her. "I'm going to Pluto. And I'm not returning until I have some answers." Her staff flashed brightly once, and she was gone in the blink of an eye. She didn't wait to hear a response from Sailor Mars or Mamoru.
Sailor Mars and Mamoru stared at each other in disbelief. This wasn't like her. But they both knew there was no way they could have stopped or followed her. By the time they reach Pluto, she could already have returned to Earth.
Sailor Mars let out a loud sigh and reverted back to Rei. It was getting late. Soon the area would be filled with fans for the Three Lights final concert. This was their first concert she and Usagi would miss and ironically it was their last chance to see them perform in Boston before they moved on to South America while they stayed behind. Rei looked at Mamoru with a loss of words. She didn't know what to say to him.
Mamoru felt more withdrawn from the group than ever before. If he was around, he would have seen these changes in Usako right away. Is this the new person she has become? More impulsive? Running head first into things without her friends and teammates? "She has changed a lot. Something else seems off. I can't figure it out. I know you've said that she has changed a bit… but I just have a bad feeling about this. I can't describe it. This sense of dread won't go away."
Rei nodded her head. People were starting to arrive for the concert. "Did you want to see Minako-chan perform?" Rei knew it was slim chance he would want to attend but she felt like she should make the offer.
Mamoru smiled slightly. "I think it is better if I pass… maybe you too. If you show up and Usako is not there, they might worry."
"Yeah… they could probably be even more confused if we were there and Usagi was not…" Rei began to see what Mamoru was getting at. She wanted to see Minako perform but seeing her there and not Usagi would create a huge distraction for them when they were already anticipating both girls would be absent from the concert to investigate. "I guess I should go back to the hotel and wait for Usagi…"
Within minutes, Sailor Cosmos stood on the planet of Pluto. She spent a few moments taking in the sight before her. It was her first time to ever set foot on this planet. Smiling lightly to herself, she was able to travel to two different planets today, something that would have been impossible when she lived in the Silver Millennium.
Noise to her right, focused her to turn her head. She was slightly surprised by how quickly the Moon Senshi found her.
It was clear Sailor Callisto, Sailor Phobos, Sailor Titian, and Sailor Ganymede initially thought she was an invader. Their stances relaxed when they realized it was Sailor Cosmos.
"I'm surprised at the sudden visit. Is everything alright?" Sailor Callisto asked, worried the Earth was under attack.
"There have been a few attacks recently, but it is nothing we cannot handle," Sailor Cosmos quickly reassured them. She briefly explained the rock and dirt creatures. She carefully explained to them the new senshi that appeared.
"Another senshi….?" Sailor Titian murmured. "But… I thought we were the last ones… the last defenders of this galaxy. Many were upset that none others would be given powers. You don't think some of the other kingdoms could have created their own senshi?"
"Nothing surprises me anymore," Sailor Phobos looked at Sailor Callisto for confirmation before she continued to speak. Sailor Callisto nodded her head. "We never met any senshi like that before… but again we weren't at the palace as often. I know they kept you in the dark about many things."
"They?" Sailor Cosmos questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"The Queen, your mother and her advisors. They all are long gone, except for Sailor Pluto. She might be the only one that would know," Sailor Callisto explained with a frown. "But we haven't seen Sailor Pluto or Sailor Charon in a little while."
Sailor Cosmos' shoulders slumped. She traveled all this way to speak with Setsuna-san and she wasn't even here. "She's not here? Last I saw her, she told me she was returning to Pluto shortly. Do you know when she will be back? If she isn't here, is she on Earth somewhere?"
All of the Moon Senshi shook their heads they didn't know.
"I guess it cannot be helped." Disappointment was plastered across Sailor Cosmos' face. It was unrealistic for her to expect the Moon Senshi to always know Sailor Pluto's whereabouts. She could check the time streams, but she felt it wasn't necessary. "I'm sure it is important whatever she is doing."
"We should return with you to help protect the Earth," Sailor Callisto insisted. She wanted to do everything she could to help her Queen. "We could even try to figure out who this new senshi is you speak of."
Sailor Cosmos shook her head no. "I appreciate your offer to return to Earth, but you should remain here for right now. What if more creatures began to pop up in other locations? If it becomes too unmanageable I will ask all of you to return to Earth." An idea struck her. "On Mercury, there is a vast library. I struggled with being able to read the books. The others on Earth can not read the language. Perhaps some of the senshi could examine the books for any clues of this other senshi?"
"I will put Sailor Oberon in charge and send a few senshi with her. She has the most knowledge of the library and its contents," Sailor Callisto suggested, it was the best she could offer. She wanted to do more but it was clear to Sailor Cosmos wanted to be able to handle this on her own.
"Thank you," Sailor Cosmos smiled at them genuinely. "I appreciate all of your assistance. Please let Sailor Pluto know I would like to speak with her. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune are also curious as to when she will return to Earth."
"We will let her know as soon as we see her next." Sailor Phobos looked at the other senshi for confirmation.
"I guess I am just confused how this new senshi could know so much about our past, the Silver Millennium and its destruction yet we know nothing about her. There has to be some kind of explanation."
"Could this senshi be related to the Black Moon?" Sailor Titan tried to piece things together.
"No." Sailor Cosmos disagreed. "This feels different. Something about her… I can't describe it but I feel she is somehow related to the nine planets." She knew she would not learn anything else here. It was time for her to leave and return to Earth. She was sure Rei and Mamoru were concerned by her abrupt departure. At that moment, she felt like she had to leave. She needed answers. She was leaving Pluto without any answers. Perhaps the assistance of the Moon Senshi examining the contents at the library would point her in the right direction.
Sailor Cosmos thanked the Moon Senshi for their assistance protecting the galaxy from a distance. The Moon Senshi agreed to give her an update as soon as they learned anything that would be of use. They would also speak with Sailor Pluto the next time they see her. Sailor Cosmos' staff brightly flashed again and she was gone.
She realized when she was leaving Pluto; she was not ready to return to Earth yet. She instinctively returned to her former home. The last time she was here was right before the group left on tour. She knew she should always come here, undisturbed. Barely taking a few steps on the palace grounds immediately began to reduce some of the tension she felt. She slowly walked through the palace grounds as she has done so many other times in the past.
Sailor Cosmos took a sharp intake of breath when she saw her sitting on the fountain, her back facing Sailor Cosmos. The fuku was unmistakable, it was olive green. Why was she here? What did she want? Could this finally be the chance Sailor Cosmos had to get some answers out of her. "What are you doing here?"
The sound of the other woman's voice caused the senshi to jump to her feet and turn around. It was clear she assumed she would be alone here and was startled by Sailor Cosmos' presence. She gasped at the sight of Sailor Cosmos. The senshi stared at her appearance. At first glance, she looked like Queen Serenity with long pale hair. But the Queen could never be a senshi. Whoever this person was in front could pass as her look alike from afar. The senshi continued to stare at her and did not respond.
This angered Sailor Cosmos. "You do not belong here."
"Neither do you. This is not your kingdom either."
Sailor Cosmos clutched her staff tightly in her fingertips. Anything she said to counter the senshi would reveal she was the incarnated Princess from the Silver Millennium. Instead of responding, it was now her turn to remain silent and control her anger at the other senshi's remarks and her unwanted presence in the palace.
The senshi avoided the obvious question of who the strange senshi in the white fuku was before her and instead focused on the other thing that confused her. "Someone restored the palace. It was in ruins years ago but something told me to come back here after recent events. Imagine my surprise to see all of the buildings restored. I was here once when I was a little girl. It is better than what I remember and the pictures I have seen." Her voice has a hint of sadness.
Sailor Cosmos did not ever recall meeting her. But if the other senshi was a little girl when she came to the kingdom, she was too young to have been a senshi at the time. This senshi appeared to be in awe of the palace. But in the past she was upset over its destruction. Something did not add up.
The senshi now turned her attention to Sailor Cosmos. She stared at her fuku carefully. "Your fuku is unique… I see many similarities to other senshi of this galaxy… but you are not from around here." Her eyes landed on the symbol on Sailor Cosmos' forehead. Her eyes focused on the symbol and her lips slightly parted in surprise. "I never thought I would meet you." She walked a few steps closer, she needed to see the symbol a little closer to make sure she was not mistaken. "An eight pointed star… the mark of Cosmos…"
She slowly walked a few steps closer to Sailor Cosmos. Her awe transformed into anger. "Why weren't you here when this kingdom was under attack, no this star system! You could have stopped Beryl before she destroyed everything!" She didn't give Sailor Cosmos a chance to respond back. She accused her, "You are supposed to keep the peace! You could have stopped Beryl! You were the only one strong enough!"
Sailor Cosmos didn't know how to respond. If her powers awakened during the time of the Silver Millennium, she could have saved her kingdom, Earth, everyone. They never would have had to suffer. She couldn't stand there confused any more. "How do you know about the Silver Millennium?"
The senshi narrowed her eyes. "My powers awaken because of Beryl. I was the first senshi to fight her. But I wasn't strong enough. I saw my entire kingdom, my home destroyed because of Beryl!"
"… I thought Beryl only attacked the Earth..?" Sailor Cosmos questioned the other senshi. She watched her carefully for a reaction. Anything. She needed to learn the identity of the senshi before her. How did the senshi fit in with the Silver Millennium?
"You would think that, wouldn't you? Not everything revolved around the Silver Millennium! What kind of protector are you if couldn't save us!" The senshi shouted back at Sailor Cosmos. She was in dangerous territory. She was too close to giving away clues to her identity and her past. She already said too much.
"I did not learn about Beryl's attack on Earth until it was too late! There was nothing I could have done. For Earth, for the Silver Millennium!" Tears threatened to fall from Sailor Cosmos's eyes. She would have done everything she could to save her home. But she couldn't tell the other senshi that. The Princess of the Moon was supposed to be dead, her bloodline gone. "I did not have these abilities at that time. The Queen did everything she could to protect everyone."
The senshi scuffed at Sailor Cosmos' words. "She let them die!" She stopped shouting as another thought occurred to her. "You sound as if you were actually there when the Silver Millennium fell. Were you there with Sailor Mars?"
Sailor Cosmos bit her lip. She didn't know how to answer her question. She wasn't the type to lie but she couldn't admit that she was there and she died during that battle. "You make it sound like you were alive during the fall of the Golden Kingdom and the Silver Millennium."
The senshi smirked but did not speak right away. It was a stalemate. She turned her focus to something else that bothered her. "How is Sailor Mars still alive? Does that mean others are still alive?"
Sailor Cosmos shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't tell this senshi she was reborn with everyone else on Earth. Not until she knew the other senshi's intentions. She refused to answer her questions. "You never explained how you know about the Silver Millennium."
The other senshi took a step back. They were going back and forth trying to get information but ended up with nothing. She would not learn anything else today. Sailor Cosmos refused to give her any more information just as she refused to reveal anything. She turned to leave.
"Wait…." Sailor Cosmos called out behind her. "You know my name but I still don't know your name. What do I call you?"
The senshi turned around to smile out of the corner of her lips, "All you need to know, I am the protector of Earth." She turned around once more and left the palace.
Sailor Cosmos stood frozen in the same place. Why did this senshi refuse to say her name? She sighed loudly and sat on the fountain ledge. She planned on spending some more time at the kingdom. She needed to collect her thoughts before she returned to Earth.
Who is this new senshi? Find out next! Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars: Chaos Theory Act 44: Reunion
Special thanks to Kikis87 for all of her help editing!