Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon - Infinity Alternate

 'Eye of the Beholder' - Chapter Four

 by AmazonessDuo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 

 

 	Tomoe laughed the laugh of a madman, someone who has started to

 lose grip on reality. The man had lived a harsh, painful life and his

 sanity had begun to slip years ago. The loss of his wife and near

 death of his daughter had thrown him over the brink, from a place

 that he could not recover from in this life. “It appears that they’re

 already on their way down. But it’s a death sentence for them. They

 can’t possibly hope to understand what awaits them here. The time is

 nigh! My entire life has built up to this very moment. All of my work

 will finally pay off, my dreams will finally come true. The

 superhuman hybrid I have designed will be hundreds of times stronger,

 smarter, and faster than any average man. It’s life span will be

 equally lengthened, making normal humans completely obsolete. Not

 that they’d survive the planets rebirth as it is.” He shrugged, as if

 the matter didn’t concern him in slightest. Nor did he notice that he

 was talking to himself. Again. But then, everyone has their own

 little quirks. And it was his way of thinking things through. His

 wife had gently teased him about it in what seemed like a lifetime

 ago. “I just need to finish a little more research on genetic

 manipulation and mechanical adaptations and I will be ready to

 construct a perfect cyborg. The perfect form of life. A hybrid. No

 one ever understood my genius, but soon my children will flourish.

 Just as they were meant to. I’ve been given a second chance since the

 accident. A second chance to prove myself. The first testing wound up

 being on my own daughter’s body when I had to reconstruct what was

 left of her after the fire. That was the birth of my dream, to make a

 perfect being, a superhuman.” He paused for a moment, checking his

 work as he heard the elevator making it’s way down to him. 

 	“Then they came to me, coming from another world. They brought

 their eggs, another species altogether from humans. One that was

 highly adaptable. And God chose me to be the one to assimilate our

 races, to create a superhuman hybrid that took the best of both and

 increased it a thousand fold.” He adjusted his glasses, double

 checked his findings, and continued. “I had made a mistake while

 reconstructing Hotaru. She wouldn’t live after all. But they promised

 me that she would survive if I utilized one of their eggs along with

 her cyborg body. And there the egg slept inside my beautiful daughter

 until the egg finally reached maturity and Mistress 9 became the sole

 occupant of that body.” He tilted his head to the side thoughtfully.

 “I’m surprised Hotaru lasted as long as she did.” Shaking his head,

 he pushed onward. “But I had finally found the chance to use these

 eggs to further my research. I managed to create beautiful, perfect

 beings from my tests, leaving them to fulfill their original

 objectives. The Daimons succeeded quite admirably, even with the

 Sailor Senshi involved. I won’t regret those failures at all, for

 they helped me further my knowledge and to create even better things.

 And when our master’s utilization is complete and he is brought into

 this world, I will surely survive. And then I can create others like

 myself, perfect beings to repopulate the earth. I am the god of a new

 creation, the superhuman.” Again he laughed, a dark, twisted version

 of the gentle, kind laugh that he once had. 

 

 	“Dad..” Hotaru closed her silver eyes sadly. 

 

 	The elevator moved slowly. Too slowly, for Setsuna. She was usually

 much more patient, but she couldn’t help but fear that time was

 running out. When the night was through, this would all be over. But

 who would be victorious? Who would survive? And were they already too

 late to save the princess? Setsuna clutched her Time Staff closer,

 wishing that she could know the outcome of all this already.

 	Michiru offered a small, reassuring smile to the green haired

 woman, but it didn’t seem to be of much help. She sighed and crossed

 her arms. Usagi had finally regained her Super Sailormoon

 transformation, but she wasn’t sure if that would be enough in the

 coming battles. And she still had the feeling that she would get in

 the way. Usagi still wanted to save everyone and that just wasn’t

 possible. But she was tagging on whether or not she liked the idea,

 so there really wasn’t anything she could do about it. She cast a

 withering glance at Haruka as she noticed the two blondes flirting

 again. The flirting abruptly stopped and Michiru had to suppress a

 smile of triumph. 

 	Haruka frowned, leaning against the back wall, her hands behind her

 head. This whole situation was bothering her. They were rushing

 headlong into a situation that could very well mean their deaths.

 And, hey, that was all well and good. They’d done it often enough

 lately. But did they have to be in this damned elevator? She was

 starting to feel claustrophobic. Haruka had always liked wide open

 spaces and the wind against her face. Stuffy little compartments with

 God knows what on the other side wasn’t quite her cup of tea. She

 smiled softly at Michiru and released a breath she didn't know she

 was holding when the aqua haired woman smiled back. She hoped they

 lived through this so she could make it up to the other girl. She

 just couldn’t resist a little more flirting with Usagi before their

 possible deaths. 

 	As the door began to slide open ever so slowly, Setsuna held her

 Time Staff in front of her defensively, leaping out as soon as the

 doors were open wide enough. The other three Senshi followed shortly.

 Haruka was to her right with Michiru on her left. Usagi was standing

 a little behind her. 

 	“It sure took you girls long enough. But welcome to my lab,

 nonetheless,” Professor Souichi Tomoe said from the other side of the

 room. “You don’t know how much I’ve been waiting for this moment. You

 girls have really been a bother lately, killing my pretty Daimons and

 my Witches 5. But this batch of Daimons is feeling hungry, so I

 suppose it’s feeding time.”

 	All around the room, shadows seemed to shift, low snarls coming

 from them. Michiru could barely make out the shapes of the Daimons

 hiding in the shadows. They were ugly, vicious looking creatures. And

 they were all ready to pounce. “Watch out!!” she yelled as the first

 few came bounding towards them. Her elegant form barely dodged large,

 swiping claws. It took her a moment to realize that it was just

 distracting her. The other two had headed for.. Usagi! “Super

 Sailormoon!! Get out of the way!”

 	Usagi stood like a dear caught in headlights. The large brutal

 looking creature moved much faster than she thought possible as it

 eliminated the distance to her. 

 	“Chronos Typhoon!” Setsuna’s attack tore through one of the Daimons

 just as it was about to swipe Usagi in two.

 	The second Daimon had moved around to Usagi’s left and she barely

 backed out of the large swiping distance of it’s claws.

 	“Submarine Reflection!” Michiru called out before her attack came

 crashing into the next Daimon.

 	“Do you really think that’s all I’ve got? I can make an infinite

 amount of my precious Daimons for you to play with! Yes, play with my

 precious!” The professor laughed maniacally. 

 	Usagi took a step forward, holding her hands out. “Stop it!! We

 don’t want to fight you. We know that you’re Hotaru-chan’s papa. We

 just want to know where she is.”

 	“My former daughter, Hotaru? Oh, she’s busy. She can’t come out and

 play with you now. She’s up at the holy sanctuary, devoting all of

 the energy from that mockery of the Taioron Crystal, the Ginzuishou,

 to Master Pharaoh 90,” the professor stated matter-of-factly. 

 	“Pharaoh 90?!?” Setsuna exclaimed. Damn, maybe they really were too

 late. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t try. If only they could get

 there in time..

 	Souichi nodded. “Yes, the master had very nearly arrived. And when

 he does, this world will cease to exist as you know it. I’m sure

 you’d love the results if you could live through it. It’s too bad you

 won’t see it for yourselves, but this place is to be your graveyard.”

 His skin began to ripple as if something was moving under it, pushing

 it out and deforming it. His glasses cracked and shattered,

 splintering as the pieces fell to the floor. His skin ripped apart as

 his body shifted to a monstrous form. “I’m no longer Souichi Tomoe. I

 am Gelmatoid!!” 

 	“He’s a Daimon?!” Haruka exclaimed as the beast stood up to it’s

 full height.

 	“No, not a Daimon. I am infinitely beyond those creatures. I am a

 hybrid superhuman!! The first of my kind. The perfect union of humans

 and life from the outer reaches of the universe. Now, die!!” The

 creature that had once been Souichi Tomoe fired off a powerful blast

 at the Senshi, but they all dodged. 

 	“That.. That thing was Hotaru-chan’s papa! We can’t just kill it!”

 Usagi frets, barely dodging another attack. 

 	“He isn’t human! He’s a Daimon, Super Sailormoon! An Enemy! We have

 to kill him!” Haruka leapt out of the way of another blast of energy,

 making her way towards the large monster. She kept glancing back to

 Usagi. This wasn’t the time for her to be worried about who they

 could fight. She knew that she should have stayed behind. But there

 was no time for that now. Moving closer, she pulled up her sword.

 “Space Sword Blaster!!” The monster ducked the attack and knocked her

 away violently. Pain shot through Sailoruranus as she felt the claws

 slash through some of the flesh on her side, throwing her to the

 floor. 

 	“Uranus!!” Usagi screams as she watches the taller blonde roll

 along the floor, a slight trail of blood behind her. Pain shot

 through the younger girl at seeing her hurt like that. She lifted her

 Heart Moon Rod, concentrating on the beast as Neptune and Pluto

 continued to hold its attention. It was moving slower now, the Space

 Sword wedged deep in it’s chest. 

 “Rainbow Moon Heartache!!” Energy flew from Supersailormoon to the

 superhuman, tearing it apart as it gave an unearthly howl.	

 	Hotaru watched the battle, invisible to the participants without

 her body. “Papa.. My gentle papa from before mama’s death.. The papa

 that came to save me in the fire.. He died that day. That wasn’t my

 papa anymore. Goodbye, papa. I’ll see you soon.” Hotaru closed her

 eyes. She couldn’t die just yet. ChibiUsa still needed saving or

 they’d both die. But she knew she didn’t have much time left. And she

 didn’t even have a body to use for what she needed to do.

 	“Who’s that?” Usagi asked suddenly, staring directly at Hotaru. “It

 felt like someone was right there..” She shook her head, trying to

 focus on the spot, but nothing appeared.

 	Haruka had finally gotten to her feet with Michiru’s help, but it

 hurt to breath, like her entire chest was on fire. Nothing serious,

 but the pain shot through her with every breath. 

 	Setsuna looked up from Haruka and Michiru as the ground began to

 shake. “Something’s coming! Garnet Ball!” An orb of light surrounded

 the four Senshi as the ceiling began to cave in.

 	“What’s going on?” Usagi yelled above the cacophony of noise.

 “They’re up there! The rest of the Senshi are up there!” Squinting

 through the dust and debris still hanging in the air, she tried to

 get a better view of her Sailor Senshi. Before she could get a good

 look, her entire body felt like it had taken a sudden hit. Ribbons

 played across her sailor suit as the energy that had filled her

 started to dissipate. Looking down in shock, she realized that she

 had changed back to normal Sailormoon. “What happened? Why am I not

 Super Sailormoon anymore? Something must have happened to the others.

 Our souls aren’t connected anymore.” Usagi got back to her feet,

 straining again to see the Sailor Team. She had become Super

 Sailormoon through the combined powers of the Sailor Senshi. If she

 had changed back, what did that mean about them? Were they... No,

 that couldn’t be.

 	“Damn it.” Haruka watched Usagi for a moment before turning back to

 Michiru. Her sense of loss was evident. She had finally put her faith

 in Sailormoon and now it looked like she wouldn’t be of any help.

 This whole situation was getting worse and worse. It would probably

 be up to them after all. It only took a look from Michiru to realize

 what had to be done. If Super Sailormoon couldn't provide victory,

 they would have to do things their way. Which meant killing Hotaru.

 Or whatever it was she was calling herself now. The planet was the

 important thing. They had to save what they could. A sigh escaped the

 blonde’s lips, but she nodded to the violinist. She would do whatever

 was necessary, even if the cost had to be paid in blood.

 	“Small Lady... Please hold on. I’m coming,” Setsuna whispered,

 unheard by the others. Her eyes caught on something other than the

 Sailor Senshi. Long, dark hair, a silhouette in the sky. That was

 her. She was the one that had nearly killed her little friend. And if

 she didn’t act quickly, she wouldn’t be able to retrieve the

 princess’s soul. Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated her energy,

 the orb they were all in lifting through the hole in the roof. As the

 Guardian of Time, she was in a unique position to understand what it

 was they were dealing with and the future that would not be if they

 were to fail. And the gentle princess that would be lost if they

 didn’t hurry. 

 	Darkness swirled in the sky above, a black tempest that grew

 harsher as they rose higher into the air. It was quickly devouring

 the skyline of Tokyo, a dark cloak ready to drop over the city below.

 It cast the entire area in shadows, grasping out in surreal patterns

 along everything. It increased the sense of urgency, as if showing a

 picture of what was to come. A dark dream that was ever ready to

 lunge out and consume the planet itself. 

 	The main building in the center of the Delta Area lay in wait in

 front of the four. Ominous silence fell upon attentive ears, the only

 sounds that of their own boots upon the concrete as they drew nearer.

 A glass room stood at the entrance, it’s slightly reflective surfaces

 showing the dark skies above. Inside, they could see a figure

 shrouded by a dark haze. As she moved, the haze slid over her,

 finally showing itself as long, raven hair.

 	“Hotaru-chan?” Usagi asked after a moment of silence. The woman

 turned around, long hair flowing behind her like a cape. She looked

 directly at the champion of love and justice, her dark eyes glinting

 in the dim light. She grinned slowly, joyously. As if all was right

 with the world. Or that it soon would be. The thought chilled Usagi.

 She didn’t seem to see the Sailor Senshi as any possible threat to

 the completion of years and years of work. It was only a matter of

 time for her... Usagi shook her head. “No, that’s a daimon. She’s

 using Hotaru-chan.” Holding up her rod, she begin heading for the

 dark haired woman. 

 	Michiru felt her heart clench up as she followed right behind

 Usagi. Now it was the moment of truth. They had come all this way,

 through long and twisted paths that had led them throughout their

 lives to this single moment. The road hadn’t been entirely

 unpleasant. After all, she had met Haruka, a partner and lover

 throughout all of this madness. But now they had reached the point of

 no return, if they had ever had a choice in the matter in the first

 place. Here they would see what would become of them and of the

 planet and it’s people. They would see if they really could turn back

 the tide. She walked determinedly towards the woman in the glass

 room. Even her mirror wouldn’t tell her the outcome of all this, but

 she would give her all. She had made her decision long ago. 

 	Before the four could reach the room, the ground in front of them

 lurched violently, nearly throwing them off their feet. The building

 began to rip apart in front of them, exposing the center of the Delta

 Area. The glass room shattered into thousands of tiny glass shards,

 the woman standing in it’s center calm amidst the destruction. Into

 the air she floated, followed by the reflecting pool that had been in

 the room with her, her link back to Pharaoh 90. Four balls of light

 followed close behind, the bodies of the Sailor Senshi barely visible

 through the light. 

 	“No! Come back!! That’s them! She has the others! Mercury! Jupiter!

 Mars! Venus!” Usagi cried out, trying to follow her fallen soldiers.

 Her head sank seeing them all lying so still in the balls of light.

 She had almost reached the lowest of them when she was thrown back by

 the energy surrounding it. It felt like a giant had knocked her back

 down to the floor the same way someone would swat away a fly. She got

 uneasily to her feet, watching the floating forms of the Sailor

 Senshi and Mistress 9 up ahead of her. “No... I can’t get near!

 Please, wake up! Everyone!!”

 	But Haruka wasn’t paying attention to the prone Sailor Team. Her

 vision was instead on the aquamarine haired girl who had suddenly

 gone pale. And then she knew why. The sea was wild, an untamed beast

 howling in anguish. And the wind was following suit. She could hear

 it all around her in the harsh winds blowing past. “Are we too late?

 It feels like the planet’s coming apart at the seams.”

 	Mistress 9 landed slowly, her eyes opening up as if she had just

 awakened from a deep sleep. The grin returned to her face as she

 looked at the Sailor Senshi facing her. “No, you’re wrong. The planet

 is ready to be born. It has spent long enough as this lonely egg out

 in space. Now that the energy has been gathered, Master Pharaoh 90

 can bring about the utilization. He will assimilate the planet. This

 planet will be born anew soon enough. Thank you for keeping it safe

 this long. But you are no longer needed.” She frowned slightly. She

 could no longer feel the scared little soul that had been flitting

 about the Ginzuishou. The Crystal’s power was probably just

 interfering. She shrugged it off and prepared to face whatever these

 gnats had to say regarding the fate of what had used to be their

 planet. 

 	“Assimilate the planet?” Usagi asked worriedly. 

 	Mistress 9 sighed. Why were they acting like school children?

 Didn’t they understand that greatness was about to fall upon this

 world? No longer would it be the scared, sick little child out all

 alone by itself that it was. It would become something much greater,

 the resurrection of a once great world. “When all is said and done,

 this world will be one with Master Pharaoh 90. It will become the

 second Tau star and spread it’s light throughout the cosmos. This

 planet will become our new mother world, and our proud legacy will

 never be forgotten!” She was really getting into this. How long had

 it been since she had really been able to bask in what they were

 doing? Too long. So she had that to thank the school girls for. It

 gave her a chance to look at it all again. A wave of anxiety swept

 through her. It was almost done. After all these years... ‘Master,

 we’ll be together again soon,’ the dark haired woman thought to

 herself.

 	Michiru ignored the last of what the harbinger of the chaos that

 was surrounding them had to say, turning instead to her mirror and

 then out to sea.

 	“Neptune?” Haruka asked, noticing the nearly panicked look in her

 partner’s eyes. Of course she never panicked, but right at that

 instant it sure looked close enough. 

 	“The sea, it’s subsiding all at once. It could be the signs of a

 tsunami. The sea itself is being thrown into a frenzy from all of

 this,” Michiru explained, still gazing towards the ocean.

 	Haruka felt it, too. The sky was growing darker, the winds fiercer.

 The smell of rain was in the air. She could feel the uncertainty in

 the wind. “Is it a storm? Or is something else coming?”

 	“The planet’s facing a catastrophe. It’s being ripped apart by this

 power. We need to protect it.” Haruka saw Michiru nod in agreement.

 She clutched the Space Sword closer but paused for a moment. Where

 was Setsuna?

 	Mistress 9 laughed as she watched the Sailor Senshi in front of

 her. It was like watching small animals. Poor, confused animals that

 had absolutely no idea what was going on. “Why did you girls come

 here? To die? Why can’t you accept the Fate of this planet? It’s

 meant for greater things than this. We’ll see to that. Whether or not

 you had come here tonight, it changes nothing. This was destined long

 ago.”

 	“I like to think I know a thing or two about destiny. And this...”

 Setsuna’s voice, a mere whisper, reached Mistress 9’s ears. She was

 very close. Right behind her. “This is not destiny. Dead Scream.” A

 bolt of purple energy shot out of Pluto’s Time Staff, tearing into

 the body that had once belonged to Tomoe Hotaru. Setsuna watched with

 a measure of grim satisfaction. She knew that Usagi had come here to

 save everyone, but that was now an impossibility. They were on the

 verge of losing their planet. The Time Guardian wasn’t about to make

 anymore mistakes that might cost the life of her future friend or the

 planet. Letting Hotaru live was no longer an option. “How dare you

 come here and expect us to lie down and let you succeed? How dare you

 take what’s dear to us and think that we won’t fight with every part

 of our being to get it back?”

 	Usagi gasped in mute horror as Mistress 9 fell forward, slumping to

 her knees. Blood was dripping down her sides from her injuries. Her

 dark eyes were wide in shock. She was trembling, obviously in pain.

 “Pluto!!” Weren’t they going to save Hotaru? Wasn’t that the plan?

 Had the Senshi from the Outer planets been listening to her at all?

 “No!!”

 	“You... bitch.. You think I don’t know what it’s like to lose

 everything?! To see everyone dying right before your eyes? Why do you

 think I’m here!? Stop being so self-righteous. You’d be doing the

 exact same thing in my position.” Mistress 9 forced herself to her

 feet, still shaking as pain wracked her small frame. Tears fell down

 her pale cheeks as anger and sadness mixed together through her. She

 had come too far to let some pathetic soldiers stand in her way.

 	“That may be true. But you would be trying just as hard to stop

 me,” Setsuna said, her voice still quiet yet forceful. She barely saw

 the hair whip out and wrap painfully around her neck, yanking her off

 her feet. Her heart sank as she felt the hair start crushing around

 her throat. No, this wasn’t fair. She was supposed to save the

 princess. She couldn’t have failed. 

 	“You foolish woman. Now that the utilization has begun, I don’t

 need this worthless body. Attacking me was pointless. After I discard

 it, you won’t be able to touch me. And don’t worry about what’s

 precious to you. I’ve already been taking very good care of it.”

 Mistress 9 closed her eyes, ready to cast off the body she was in.

 Nothing. Her eyes shot open. “I can’t get out! Something’s holding me

 here!!” Fear shot through her as she felt the slick blood under her

 fingertips. Her hair wrenched more painfully at Pluto’s neck. She

 most certainly wasn’t going to die in this stupid body alone. 

 	“I won’t let you escape!” a voice rang out through Mistress 9’s

 head. 

 	“Who are you?! Get out of my head!” Mistress 9 screamed, struggling

 to get free of the body that was quickly becoming her tomb. 

 	“This is still my body, not yours. You won’t get out of it! I’ll

 never let you be free!” Hotaru soul flashed defiantly inside the

 pained Mistress 9. 

 	“I thought you were dead after I took over. Your soul should have

 passed on by now. Your weak, pathetic soul isn’t necessary to any of

 this. I have the Ginzuishou now. There’s no more reason for you at

 all. I’ll cast off this worthless body and tear it apart. Now let me

 go!!” Mistress 9 growled angrily at the young girl inside of her.

 Everything was falling apart. Her beautiful dream was fading because

 of these frustrated girls. The anger boiled within her. They weren’t

 the only ones who would try their all. 

 	“You can tear my body to pieces! You can ruin it, break it apart if

 you wish. It doesn’t mean anything in the end. But I won’t let you

 get ChibiUsa-chan’s soul or her shining crystal!	Whatever happens,

 I’ll protect them! I’ll gladly give my body away for that. I don’t

 care what you do to me.” Hotaru’s voice was sad but determined. She

 had mixed feelings about losing her body. It had always been so

 horrible, a corpse kept alive by machinery. It had been her prison

 for so many years. But now she had already lost it. No, that was all

 right. It was better now. It had died years ago. There was no reason

 to keep it. What really saddened her was that it also meant she was

 going to die. She had somehow managed to hold on for the moment, but

 she knew she couldn’t for much longer. She was a soul without a body.

 It was only a matter of time. And even that held some relief in it.

 The pain would soon be over. But she didn’t want to leave ChibiUsa.

 She didn’t want to go away yet. She finally had a reason to live. But

 that wasn’t really her choice anymore. She closed what passed for

 eyes in her spirit form. If she had to die, she wouldn’t let ChibiUsa

 go with her just yet. It didn’t matter if she herself died, but she

 couldn’t let that happen to her sweet princess. So she would protect

 the pink haired girl.

 	“Impudent humans! Why do you insist in making yourselves such a

 nuisance? No one can stop this! You’re already too late!!” Mistress 9

 forced herself forward, Setsuna’s struggles growing weaker and weaker

 by the second. 

 	“Moon Spiral Heart Attack!” Usagi yelled, trying to focus her

 powers on the injured woman making her way towards her. She felt

 awful doing it, but she didn’t know what else to do. Maybe the others

 had been right about not being able to save Hotaru. But nothing

 happened. The Ginzuishou was growing brigher, having blocked Usagi’s

 attack. Raising a hand, Mistress 9 sent Usagi sprawling back, her

 body skidding across the ground.

 	“I won’t be stopped now! Too much is riding on this for me to give

 up! I already have the full power of the Ginzuishou! Ruined body or

 not, you can’t take that from me.” Mistress 9’s eyes darkened as she

 watched the Sailors of Wind and Sea ready to attack. Damn them. Why

 were they all struggling so much? Couldn’t they make this easy on

 themselves? She would see to her Master’s revival. She had promised

 the tiny spirit that had been protecting the Ginzuishou that she

 would show her the wonders that the new world had to offer. And she

 would not be made a liar. “Their souls. I need more power. The Sailor

 Senshi’s souls should be abundant with it.” The floating bodies

 dropped lifelessly into the reflecting pool as tiny orbs of light

 left their bodies, hurrying towards Mistress 9.

 	“No!! Mars! Mercury! Jupiter! Venus! No!!! Give them back!” Usagi

 screamed, struggling to her feet.

 	Setsuna kicked weakly, still trying to get free. By now she was

 fairly sure that it was pointless. The hair was just growing tighter

 around her throat and she was growing weaker. Her vision was starting

 to fade and there was a pounding in her ears. Visions of her last

 death kept coming to mind, slipping away after using her final

 attack, Dark Dome Close, to help save the future. But this time, she

 had failed miserably. She would die, as would the princess. If only

 she hadn’t been so careless... She could only hope that her sacrifice

 hadn’t been in vain. 

 “Space Sword Blaster!” Uranus slashed forward, the energy blade

 shooting through the air. It missed Mistress 9’s barrier, instead

 cutting through the thick raven hair that clung to Setsuna’s throat.

 The older Senshi dropped to the ground, Neptune catching her and

 dragging her away from the injured Mistress 9. 

 	In the vast emptiness, Hotaru spotted the light of the Sailor Team.

 She was already holding a single glowing orb close to her heart.

 Reaching out, she grabbed the other four as they rushed deeper into

 Mistress 9. Clutching all five orbs of light, she tried desperately

 to hold on to them. “I have them, ChibiUsa-chan,” she whispered to

 the original ball of light she had been carrying. 

 	“Let go!!” Mistress 9 yelled in rage, trying to utilize the power

 of the souls inside of her to accomplish her mission. 

 	Hotaru cried out as the mental assault on her grew worse. Mistress

 9 was trying to drag the souls away. But she had to hold on. If they

 slipped through her fingers... “I want to protect ChibiUsa-chan and

 her shining crystal and the four soldiers... But I don’t even have my

 body. My soul’s all that’s left. I’m already dead. So how can I save

 them? My dad is gone, my body dead long ago... I have nothing left.

 I’m all alone. So why do I still have enough power to hold onto them

 like this? How can I hold her off? I’ve always been so weak... But

 somehow I can still fight her, even without my body. And inside me, I

 feel someone else. Not like when she was taking over my body. It’s

 another me. A stronger me. She’s telling me to keep these lives, to

 save everyone. But I don’t know how. I can’t save everyone. But I can

 take these five souls and ChibiUsa’s crystal and escape from this

 terrible prison. I don’t need my body anymore.” Hotaru clutched the

 orbs tighter. “Let’s go, ChibiUsa-chan.”

 	A glowing ball of violet light tore out of Mistress 9, pulling away

 from her. Mistress 9 fell back to her knees. “Damn! The souls have

 been taken away.” A slight grin crossed her lips. “But now I’m free.”

 The fear that she had come so far for nothing slowly began to

 dissipate. She had been right in the first place. These pathetic

 soldiers were beneath her notice.

 	“That light...” Usagi watched as it flew past. Four lights

 splintered from it, flowing to the bodies of the Sailor Team. Slowly,

 one by one, their eyes opened again. “Minna-san!!” The blonde magical

 girl ran to their side. Her eyes fainly caught a glimpse of Hotaru

 standing beside her, smiling softly. Before she could say anything,

 the younger girl had disappeared in a ball of light. “Hotaru-chan?”

 

 	Mamoru yawned as he opened his eyes. Getting up, he went over and

 felt ChibiUsa’s forehead. “I must have dozed off.” He sighed as he

 looked down at his future daughter, lying so still. “ChibiUsa-

 chan...” There had to be more he could do. It was so painful to watch

 her as she lay dying. His eyes finally caught on Diana. She was

 sitting at the edge of the bed, ready to pounce. She was hissing at

 something. He followed her gaze and saw a dark haired girl sitting in

 his window. She looked like a ghost, not quite there. Her eyes never

 left ChibiUsa’s prone body. “Who are you?”

 	Two lights shot into the room past the girl’s head, one going into

 ChibiUsa’s body and the other forming the Ginzuishou. ChibiUsa’s

 crimson eyes opened slowly, her body starting to move again. Where

 had she just been? She felt so disoriented. Hadn’t she been with

 Hotaru? Oh good. The Ginzuishou was right there. She’d been afraid

 that she had lost it. She was in her body again. So that meant...

 	“ChibiUsa-chan!!” 

 	“Mamo-chan!” ChibiUsa sat up. Her body felt like she had just

 awoken from a nap. Her gaze went past her future father to the spirit

 sitting in the window. She scrambled over, hurrying to the spirit’s

 side.

 	Hotaru smiled gently, her silver eyes looking deep into the big

 crimson ones of the princess. “Good.” Her ethereal fingers played

 through ChibiUsa’s cotton candy hair. It was a huge relief to her to

 know that the younger girl was finally safe. She felt a burden lifted

 now that she saw her up and about. It had worked after all.

 	“Hotaru-chan...” ChibiUsa whispered softly. She wasn’t really

 there. At least, her body wasn’t. But she could almost feel her

 fingers brushing through her hair. Hotaru’s reassuring presence had

 comforted her throughout the whole ordeal she’d just gone through.

 That feeling was still there with the girl in the window.

 	“I was able to save you, ChibiUsa-chan. I’m happy. It’s good. We’re

 both girls, but it’s strange. It must have been fate that we met.”

 Hotaru had spent most of her life alone, crying in the shadows. Pain

 and loneliness had been constant companions. But that had all changed

 because of this genki little girl. She wasn’t alone anymore. She

 wasn’t in pain anymore. Her entire life, she had been pushed away

 from everyone. So she hid from them all, wanting the cold solace of

 the shadows. ChibiUsa was the only one to ever reach out for her, to

 pull her from her hiding place and actually embrace all that she was. 

 	“I thought that, too,” ChibiUsa said quietly, still looking up into

 Hotaru’s eyes. “Hotaru-chan...” The two girls held hands as best they

 could with one of them not quite being there. Hotaru leaned down and

 kissed the princess. ChibiUsa’s eyes closed after seeing the dark

 haired girl’s face right next to hers. Even if she wasn’t fully

 there, ChibiUsa thought she felt a feathery kiss before Hotaru pulled

 away. Her eyes fluttered open at the realization that it was a

 goodbye kiss. Her heart began to pound in her chest, too many things

 she wanted to say fighting to be said, but her throat felt too

 painful to say anything.

 	Hotaru cried out in pain, the last links with her body being

 destroyed as it was torn apart by Mistress 9’s escape from it. It was

 gone. There was no going back. But it was all right. ChibiUsa was

 safe. And she would never be alone again. 

 	“Hotaru-chan?!”	

 	Hotaru smiled weakly, her fingers hovering over ChibiUsa’s cheek.

 “It’s good we met. I’m glad we became friends, ChibiUsa-chan. Thank

 you.” She paused a moment, silvery eyes sparkling sadly. “Goodbye.”

 ‘I promise I’ll always watch over you, ChibiUsa-chan,’ she thought as

 she faded away.

 	“Hotaru-chan!!” ChibiUsa cried out, grasping for the spirit that

 had been there moments before. Tears began spilling down her cheeks

 as she hugged herself. She barely felt Mamoru pulling her away from

 the window, holding onto her. “No... Don’t go, Hotaru-chan..” She

 shook her head, tears falling to the floor. “It’s not fair! Why

 should she have such a sad fate? Where’s her happy ending? How come I

 got to come back but not her? There are people who must live that

 fate?” She wiped at her eyes with balled up fists. She felt so empty,

 so alone. It felt like a piece of herself had been ripped away. When

 she closed her eyes, she could see Hotaru as if she was still there

 with her. Hotaru had protected her, just as she had promised, but

 ChibiUsa hadn’t thought that meant she’d leave when she was through. 

 	Mamoru pulled ChibiUsa at arms’ length, looking down at the young

 Sailor Senshi. “ChibiUsa-chan, can you fight with me? To help

 Sailormoon? She needs you now.”

 	ChibiUsa looked up, sniffling. She nodded quickly, determination

 overcoming the sadness in her eyes. “I can fight. I won’t cry

 anymore. I’m a Sailor Senshi, too. I can help the others. With the

 life Hotaru-chan returned to me, I’ll fight with everything I have! I

 won’t let it be wasted. Moon Prism Power! Make Up!” The pink haired

 girl appeared in her Sailor fuku, clutching her moon rod in one hand.

 With the other, she wiped her eyes again. She had to do this. For

 Hotaru. Now that she was back, she had to put a stop to all this.

 “Thank you, Mamo-chan! You protected my body while Hotaru-chan was

 protecting my soul. We might not be as strong as Sailormoon or the

 others, but let’s go fight together!” ChibiUsa turned and ran out of

 the room, Mamoru close behind.

 	‘I feel like I’d just given my wife a daughter,’ Mamoru thought to

 himself while changing into Tuxedo Kamen. ‘She’s so full of energy

 now. It’s like Hotaru-chan’s power did more than bring her back, she

 revitalized her as well. But then, it was a strange visit, so

 ChibiUsa-chan obviously has a lot of emotion involved in all this.

 Hang on, Usa. We’re coming!’

 	Diana sighed in relief as she watched the two hurry off. It seemed

 that Death had been merciful on this trip. When Diana had spotted

 her, she had been sure that Death, the dark haired girl that she was,

 had been there to end ChibiUsa. Instead she had brought her back.

 Diana whispered a silent thank you as she finally let herself fall

 asleep after all the hours of watching her mistress.

 

 	The monstrous form of Mistress Nine screamed out as it rose high

 above the Sailor Senshi. She was no longer under the constraints of

 Hotaru’s body, what was left of it lying torn and shattered

 underneath her. Now was the time she had waited so long for, the time

 of their resurrection. And she could not allow these bothersome and

 blind soldiers hinder her progress. The three Outer Senshi had gone

 to the three main points of the Delta Area and had set up a barrier

 with their remaining power, barely holding back her master. But she

 knew it couldn’t last long. Gathering her strength, she lunged forward.

 	“What the hell is that thing?” Makoto asked in shock at what had

 looked to be a human woman moments before she had left the bonds of

 the body she had been inhabiting. “It sounds like it’s in pain.”

 Glancing to Ami, she saw the blue haired senshi nod in agreement.

 Makoto smiled briefly as she braced herself for the monster. She had

 found her reason to fight. And in a way, that was much more important

 than the fight itself. 

 Usagi held up her wand, trying to concentrate on the demonic figure

 heading towards her. Her mind was in so many places at once. She had

 failed Hotaru. The Outers methods had disgusted her, but she had

 proven inept at doing any better with her own way of doing things.

 She had failed in saving the dark haired girl and quite possibly had

 lost ChibiUsa in the process. Working up the strength to continue

 onward was almost impossible. “Pink Sugar Heart Attack!!” came a

 sweet voice from behind her. Energy shot out past her, forcing

 Mistress Nine back before she could get any closer to Sailormoon.

 “Chibimoon?” Blue eyes lanced around for the source of the voice and

 finally latched onto the pink haired Sailor Senshi. Her eyes sparkled

 as hope returned to her heart. “But... How?”

 	Swallowing the lump in her throat, ChibiUsa forced back the tears

 that were still just under the surface. Strong. She had to be strong.

 There would be time to cry later. Her returned life was a gift from

 Hotaru. She couldn’t let it go to waste. Hotaru’s sacrifice wouldn’t

 be in vain. “Hotaru-chan rescued me. She protected me in the

 darkness. She gave her life for me.”

 “Gave her life?” Usagi repeated. Then it was true. Hotaru was gone.

 She hadn’t been able to save her after all. Maybe the Outers had been

 right the entire time. But she had saved ChibiUsa. They were wrong

 about killing her. “Arigato, Hotaru-chan,” she whispered. 

 	“What are you waiting for?” Tuxedo Kamen yelled over to Sailormoon,

 still standing beside Chibimoon. “Hurry! You have to henshin into

 Supersailormoon!”

 	“Tuxedo Kamen-sama!”

 	“If you don’t act quickly, the entire planet will die! Those three

 are expending an enormous amount of power sustaining their barrier.

 You have to hurry and defeat it, Sailormoon!” Tuxedo Kamen watched

 the blonde girl intently. His faith was always with her. And

 sometimes all he could offer was his belief in her. He hoped it would

 be enough. Pulling out a rose, he tossed it to Sailormoon. “For all

 it’s beauty, a rose is still painful to those who misuse it.

 Sailormoon, show them that the same is true of the earth and it’s

 pretty sailor suited protectors.”

 	Usagi nodded, holding the rose close to her heart. “For our

 beautiful planet. I have to save everyone.” Determination coursed

 through her as her hands reached up in the air. “Holy Grail! Please

 appear before me! I need your help! Gather the sacred power of the

 Holy soldiers to protect this planet!” The shining chalice appeared

 above her, shimmering with light. The Inner Senshi held hands,

 concentrating their power to the one they believed to be the Messiah. 

 	“Sailormoon... You really are everyone’s mother. Someday I’ll be

 like you. I’ll be strong. I’ll protect everyone, too. Because

 everyone needs a protector. There’s still hope for our world filled

 with lonely hearts. If even for a moment our hearts can touch

 another, we aren’t truly alone after all,” ChibiUsa said, watching

 Usagi intently. Her heart burned fiercely as the thoughts raced

 through her mind. She had learned so much in her short time back in

 the past. There was so much pain that she had never known existed.

 Her own loneliness in the future even made more sense now that she

 had met Hotaru. But it had also taught her that there was hope. That

 even in the darkness, even when surrounded by loneliness, there was a

 heart shining out there, waiting. And she couldn’t let this world end

 all of those hopes and dreams. A gasp escaped her lips as a golden

 crescent moon began shining on her own head seconds after one lit up

 on Usagi’s. The air shimmered in front of her as a chalice took

 shape. “The Holy Grail? Two Holy Grails?!” 

 	“Crisis Make Up!!” Usagi and ChibiUsa shouted in unison. The two

 Sailor Senshi carried with them the love and courage of the present

 as well as the hopes and dreams of the future. Ribbons of light

 surrounded the two of them as their Sailor Fukus shifted into their

 super forms. 

 	“Supersailorchibimoon,” Mamoru whispered as he watched the two.

 Something had happened to ChibiUsa in those moments after she had

 awoken. She was stronger now, truly a Sailor Senshi as opposed to the

 Senshi in training she had been. A memory of Usagi stabbing him

 before stabbing herself with his sword back in the fight against the

 Dark Kingdom while he was brainwashed ran through his mind. ChibiUsa

 truly was her daughter. The pain of losing a loved one brought out

 the strength in their hearts and the will to fight.

 	Usagi and ChibiUsa looked at each other for a long moment before

 crossing their moon rods together. They both knew that they had to

 end this now. This pain couldn’t be allowed to continue any longer.

 “Let’s go, Supersailorchibimoon! We have to join our power together!”

 Usagi yelled out as they flew towards the monstrous form of Mistress

 Nine. 

 Mistress Nine watched the two as they sped towards her. The power

 was incredible. And that soul of the pink haired one was the same

 that had been protecting the Ginzuishou when she had possessed it.

 Why did they insist on stopping the beautiful Fate that lie in wait

 for their world?

 	“Rainbow Double Moon Heartache!!” The two Senshi of the Moon yelled

 in unison. Energy lashed out from their entwined moon rods at

 Mistress Nine. ChibiUsa felt a twinge of regret as she poured herself

 into the attack. She knew that they had to protect the future, her

 future, but she could still remember Mistress Nine’s soothing words

 while she had been protecting the Ginzuishou. But she had to stop

 her. For Hotaru’s sacrifice. For her mother. For all of the lonely

 hearts that had yet to meet the one who would release them from their

 cold prison. ‘Thank you, Hotaru-chan... You saved me in more ways

 than you know.’

 	On their three separate buildings, energy surrounding them as they

 continued to hold up their barrier despite the onslaught of power

 against it, Setsuna, Michiru, and Haruka held up their Talismans. The

 monster that had been Mistress Nine grew larger as Chibimoon and

 Sailormoon continued to attack it. “No! It’s being exposed to the

 light of both the Ginzuishou of the present and of the future and

 it’s still growing! It’s not working!” Setsuna yelled in frustration.

 Her heart had been relieved to see the ‘young’ princess again, but

 she didn’t want to see her get hurt against the Enemy. Nothing seemed

 to be working. What would it take to stop them?

 	“More power! We need to hit it with enough to shatter it!” Minako

 called out. There had to be something they could do. She refused to

 sit back and watch as her world was torn asunder around her. Her

 entire being would go into this. ‘I guess this might be the last time

 Sailor V is in action, Natsuna-san. I hope you’re watching. This will

 be my finest performance,’ she promised mentally to a certain police

 chief. “We’ll do it, too! We have to stop that thing’s growth! We’ll

 defend this planet till our dying breaths! Venus Wink Chain Sword!!”

 	“We’ve come so far. We’ve fought through so much. Our world’s dream

 isn’t ready to end. Mars Snake Fire!!” Rei shouted as she

 concentrated her energy.

 	“Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!!”

 	“Mercury Aqua Mirage!!” 

 	The two attacks came at the same time, almost a counterpoint to the

 other. The fight was far from over for them. Even if they lost, they

 would know that they had fought to the end for their own special

 reasons. The girls symbolizing Jupiter and Mercury couldn’t see each

 other through the haze of battle, but knowing the other was their

 bolstered them to throw everything into their attacks. This couldn’t

 be the end. It was just the beginning for them.

 	“Tukishido La Smoking Bamba!!” Mamoru yelled out, his heart and

 mind focussed on the two girls that were fighting for the life of the

 planet. They were both incredibly important to him. He would do his

 best to help.

 	Mistress Nine bathed in the power that was being focussed on her.

 Silly humans. They had no idea what they were doing. This power was

 only helping her to grow stronger. But what better way for them to

 continue their struggle than to actually help bring about the new

 world that awaited them? “Mmmm... This energy, it’s the power of the

 carriers of the planets’ protection! Such wonderful, glorious power!

 Give me all of your power! Open up the gateway for me!”

 	Minako gasped in shock. “It’s not affected? No...” Her spirits

 dropped as the realization hit her. ‘I’m sorry, Natsuna-san. I tried.

 I really did. It looks like this really is Sailor V’s last adventure.’

 	“She’s absorbing our power! It’s only making her stronger!” Ami

 yelled out, her eyes wide. Why hadn’t she seen it before? The Death

 Busters had been trying to gather power to bring about the

 assimilation the entire time. Now Mistress Nine was using the very

 power they were attempting to use against her. 

 	“You will all be assimilated along with the planet. You will be

 reborn along with it. Don’t you understand? You have no reason to

 blow me apart. You should welcome my Master with open arms,” Mistress

 Nine explained. Things seemed to be going very well indeed. Soon

 enough it would all be... “What?! I can’t move! The barrier...!!”

 	“We won’t let you outside the Delta!” Michiru called out, her eyes

 focussed on the floating Daimon. After all she had been through, it

 came down to this. All of the sacrifices, all of the hard work. All

 of the blood and tears. Now was the time when she would see the

 results of all she had strived for. She didn’t even regret getting

 Haruka involved in all this anymore. She could ask for no better

 partner. If she was to die, then so be it. But she wasn’t about to go

 alone and let these invaders take away all that she had fought so

 hard for.

 	“This will be your graveyard!” Haruka added, brilliant gold light

 outlining her as she continued to pour her energy into the barrier.

 The blonde tomboy had come a long way in the short time she had been

 a Sailor Senshi. It had eaten her up for so long, knowing the dark

 path she had to travel. But with such a traveling companion, even the

 darkest roads of hell had seemed cheerful enough. ‘I’ll always follow

 you, Michi. No matter where you lead.’

 	The sky above began to fade and swirl, black gathering through the

 shadows. Pinpricks of stars shone through to the Senshi below. 

 	Ami recognized the layout of the stars immediately from her run in

 with Viluy Yuri of the Witches 5. “The Tau Star System!! The gateway

 is opening!”

 	Mistress Nine watched the stars with a mix of nostalgia and hope.

 “The long forgotten distant mother stars, the Tau Star System! After

 all of this time, this planet will finally be our second home! Our

 society will be revived! For all of those wandering souls, their

 homecoming is nigh.”

 	“I can’t allow you to do that! I won’t let you have this planet!”

 Usagi clutched her moon rod tighter, unsure of how to stop the

 catastrophe that was approaching, but unwilling to give up.

 	“I can’t...” ChibiUsa whispered, her crimson eyes fluttering as she

 tried to concentrate. She felt weak, tired. Unconsciousness was

 beginning to pray on her mind, defeating every attempt she made to

 fight it off. Her power was waning quickly, the strain too much for

 her. As her Super Sailor Fuku disappeared, she plummeted from the sky.

 	“ChibiUsa!!!” Mamoru barely managed to catch the pink haired

 soldier. She was already passed out. 

 	“Master Pharaoh 90! I will be your partner! I will do all I can for

 this planet, the master, and the utilization!” Mistress Nine shouted,

 the light of her home world spurring her forward. Her heart beat for

 her master. She would not fail him. And they would be together for

 all eternity. Darkness burst out of her forehead as she fell from the

 sky, crashing down amongst the rubble below. “Wha..? What happened to

 me... my body.. I can’t... No, not now...”

 	Setsuna wobbled precariously, dropping her staff as she collapsed

 to her knees. Michiru and Haruka quickly followed suit, clattering to

 the floor themselves, their Talismans dropping from their fingers.

 The light from the barrier above flickered and shattered into a

 million slivers of light, quickly fading away. . 

 	“Their force field.. It’s gone!” Usagi watched in horror as the

 only thing keeping back the gateway disappeared. “Uranus! Neptune!

 Pluto!”

 	“No... I can’t put out anymore power... I don’t have anything

 left..” Setsuna said as she gasped for breath. Her eyes closed, pain

 tearing at her. She had given up her previous life as a college

 student to protect the world as Sailorpluto and she had failed. She

 had thought that she could make a difference. “I’m sorry, Small Lady.”

 	“Damnit!” Haruka beat her fist into the concrete under her. “We’ve

 come too far to lose now... This can’t be the end...”

 	The shining light of stars from a far away system loomed over the

 Sailor Senshi, sparkling above them hauntingly. “The earth, it’s

 dying... Will this be the new home to the Enemies?! No!! I won’t let

 you take away our home! You’re uninvited visitors! Get out!! Rainbow

 Moon Heartache!!” Usagi focussed her power again, fighting till the

 end. Her four Sailor Senshi attacked along with her, throwing

 themselves fully behind her. All of their power swirled into the vast

 darkness that was building. 

 	“Our power... Drawn into the darkness... It’s all gone..” Minako

 stated weakly before she and the other three collapsed. 

 	“Everyone...” Usagi looked over the battlefield. The three Outer

 Senshi could barely move, her own Inner Senshi too weak to go on.

 Mamoru held onto Chibimoon’s limp body. She looked pale from Usagi’s

 viewpoint. Everyone was falling. They had given their all and it

 still wasn’t enough. When would they wake up from this nightmare?

 “They all pushed themselves past their limits. They have no power

 left to fight anymore. No... That’s not true. There’s still some

 left. Everyone’s power is still inside me as Supersailormoon. It was

 all of them together that gave me this strength. So I will fight on

 for them. I’ll show their power to the fullest extent. I can fight

 with their dreams in my heart. Sleep well, my friends. I’ll carry

 your dreams with me until you wake up. Only me. Alone. No, with your

 dreams in my heart, I will never fight alone! With the Ginzuishou and

 the Holy Grail, I’ll keep fighting! Holy Grail, please lend me more

 strength. Fill me with the final power of the nine Sailor Senshi!”

 	Mamoru watched Sailormoon up above as she gathered up all the power

 she could. He held onto ChibiUsa’s unconscious form as the wind

 whipped past him. "Usako, what are you planning on?!”

 	Usagi smiled in reply, clutching the Holy Grail in front of her.

 Pure white light was lashing around her, illuminating her in the dark

 sky. Dropping from the sky, she headed for the ruins below.

 	“Usako!!” Mamoru watched in horror as he finally understood what

 she was doing. The nine Sailor Senshi watched on helplessly. 

 	Falling through the air, Usagi smiled softly. “There’s only one

 chance left. I’m going to show it the true power we have to offer.

 I’m going to open the full power of the Ginzuishou and the Holy Grail

 inside that thing!”

 	“Usako!!!!” Mamoru screamed as he watched her plummet towards the

 gathering darkness. This couldn’t be happening. After all that they

 had fought through, she couldn’t sacrifice herself for this. She was

 the world’s only hope, but his world would still be lost if she was

 gone.  

 ChibiUsa gasped in Mamoru’s grip as she watched, finally regaining

 consciousness only to see Sailormoon’s last ditch effort. Why did

 their have to be so many sacrifices? Why did so many have to pay for

 things with their lives? Hotaru had paid for ChibiUsa’s life with her

 own and now Usagi was going to give herself for the planet. Why was

 the price always so high? With a grim thought, ChibiUsa realized that

 she would be sacrificed as well. If Usagi died, she would never be

 born. But it was all right. If she had to die for the sake of the

 planet and all the lonely souls on it, then she would gladly be down

 there with Usagi. Some things were worth sacrificing for. ‘I guess

 I’ll see you soon, Hotaru-chan.’ A small smile crossed her lips. 

 Darkness enveloped Usagi as she plunged deeper into the blackness.

 The light flowing around her exploded in a tremendously bright shower. 

 Up above with the three Senshi of the Outer system, the Deep Aqua

 Mirror, Garnet Orb, and Space Sword began to flash, reacting to

 something. “The Talismans?!” Michiru said in shock. The three objects

 lifted into the air, glowing brighter. 

 A hole tore open through Mistress Nine down in the darkness. A

 sphere of light lifted into the air. Inside lay a beautiful Sailor

 Senshi lying on her back. The storm seemed to stop in the immediate

 vincinity around her. The entire area was covered in silence for a

 breathless moment. 

 “That’s...”

 “Oh my God...”

 The Sailor Senshi stood up in the air, her eyes slowly opening as

 she took in the scene around her. The Saturn symbol flashed on her

 forehead. There was a serene calm about her, as if she knew exactly

 what she was here to do and it was no more of a chore than washing

 the clothes. She held a long staff in her left hand, the end curving

 into a wicked looking blade. “I am the messenger from the depths of

 death. I come from far off to set right what has been led terribly

 astray. I am carrier of the protection of the planet of ruin, Saturn.

 The Senshi of Silence. Sailorsaturn.”

 “She’s awakened...” Michiru said in horror. 

 “Sailor Saturn!” Haruka shook her head. If only they had killed

 Hotaru before! No, wait... Hotaru was already dead. Saturn had still

 come even then. Was there no way to stop this even worse monster than

 the Enemy they were fighting? 

 	“Then... This is the end, isn’t it?” Setsuna asked after a moment.

 Of course, this meant it was all over. They had failed.

 	Rei looked up at the figure. “Does that mean.. Is Sailormoon... Is

 she dead?!”

 	Saturn turned to look at them, her silver eyes cold. Her pale skin

 and curved weapon made her look dangerously similar to images of

 Death itself. "I was called by the pulled trigger long ago. It

 doesn't seem that it's been that long yet. I seem like an invited

 guest. I slowly met accidents one after another, and disturbing

 occurrences were brought about. Suddenly history seemed to have gone

 a bit wrong." 

 	“Hotaru-chan?!” ChibiUsa asked, pulling away from Mamoru. “Hotaru-

 chan!! No... Sailorsaturn... Please, tell me what’s going on!!”

 Chibimoon ran forward towards the apparition, tears spilling down her

 cheeks. Saturn stood like a statue, her silver eyes watching her

 intently. “Hotaru-chan...” ChibiUsa sniffled as she reached the

 silent soldier. “It’s you, isn’t it? It is you, Hotaru-chan.. It has

 to be...” She lunged forward grabbing onto the dark haired Sailor

 Senshi. Clutching on tightly, she let loose a sob, shaking against

 the taller girl.

 	“Small Lady!! Get away from her! Now!!” Setsuna screamed to the

 future princess. Her heart lurched as she watched the two Senshi. The

 princess was going to die and there was nothing she could do about

 it. ChibiUsa hardly seemed to hear her and she had no power left to

 get to her in time, let alone to fend off the final soldier. 

 	ChibiUsa was wracked with sobs as she held onto Sailorsaturn.

 Saturn shifted slightly in her grasp. The future princess felt arms

 encircling her, holding her close. A gloved hand gently brushed past

 her cheek before running through her hair. She looked up at the

 taller girl, sniffling. Gloved fingers wiped her tears away. Saturn

 was looking down at her gently, following the contours of the smaller

 Senshi’s face. “Hotaru-chan...”

 	Saturn shook her head slowly, still holding on to the pink haired

 princess. “Through an accident here in the Infinity Zone, the one I

 was supposed to sleep eternally inside, Hotaru, began to live life as

 a cyborg. In that girl’s body, I was never supposed to awaken. It was

 a shock to my soul and an enormous strain living inside of her after

 that. Then another came to live inside that body. Mistress Nine.

 Professor Tomoe’s twisted mind had summoned those from a far off

 world and had given them the body of the girl I was inhabiting. But

 there was nothing I could do. I was immersed in darkness, only able

 to watch sleepily as time marched forward. But now, I have been

 called forth. We were all drawn here. The passage of the other world

 opened here. This land was chosen for this final battle. All of the

 power has gathered here. Everything began to descend to ruin,

 foretelling my awakening. It was all set up by fate.” One arm

 continued to hold ChibiUsa close while her right hand rested on the

 princess’s cheek. ChibiUsa just looked into her eyes, unsure of what

 to say, her arms around Saturn’s shoulders. “All of it. Even my

 meeting you, ChibiUsa-chan.” The cold look faded for a second, a

 smile similar to the one Hotaru had given her before she had

 disappeared on her face. “Thank you, ChibiUsa-chan. I’ll be waiting

 for you when my job is finished. Don’t be afraid of death. I’ll be

 waiting to lead you through when it greets you.” Leaning down, she

 kissed the pink haired girl softly. ChibiUsa stood on her tiptoes,

 holding on tighter as she returned the kiss. It was bittersweet, a

 final kiss before the end. Saturn pulled away slowly, her fingers

 trailing on ChibiUsa’s cheek for a few lingering seconds as her cold

 exterior returned. Clutching the Silence Glaive, she turned away from

 her princess. ChibiUsa slumped to her knees behind her. Leaping

 forward, the Senshi of Death and Rebirth stabbed into the blackness

 with her Silence Glaive. 

 	“I can’t move!? No!!! My power... It’s all being soaked up!”

 Mistress Nine screamed as she tried to struggle against Saturn. It

 was useless. All of the power she had gathered was being torn from

 her. Her dreams shattered as she felt the icy cold hand of death

 waiting just behind the dark haired girl.

 	“Now that I’ve awakened, I must bring down the Silence Glaive,”

 Saturn explained, gripping it tighter.

 	“The Silence Glaive.. That’s the scythe of the Goddess of Death.”

 Michiru had drawn it before in a dark painting she had done. A

 beautiful goddess dressed only in what amounted to a white sheet. And

 wielding that same deadly weapon. Haruka had wondered why she would

 draw such a beautiful girl with such a dangerous looking weapon

 surrounded by bodies in a macabre painting, but this seemed to be the

 same celestial embodiment of Death. 

 	“Id she brings down the Silence Glaive, then everything will end!

 Sailorsaturn, don’t do this!” Setsuna yelled out. She was shocked at

 the display with the princess, but the reprieve of not killing

 ChibiUsa then would only mean that she would die with the rest of

 them in moments.

 	“Damnit!! Why would Fate bring about all of this? It can’t be! This

 can’t be the Fate of our world! Sailorsaturn, stop!!” Haruka clutched

 onto Michiru. 

 	ChibiUsa’s crimson eyes followed Saturn as she stayed on her knees,

 the rubble biting into her skin. “Hotaru-chan.. Does this mean

 there’s no future for us? Is this the end?” She didn’t have the

 strength to get up. She was so thrilled to see Hotaru again, but she

 hadn’t expected her to turn out to be Death. Her mind was still

 swirling in confusion. All she could do was watch.

 	“Death Reborn Revolution!!” Saturn yelled out, still calm amidst

 the destruction around her. Ribbons surrounded her as she lifted up

 the Silence Glaive above her head. She briefly wondered if she should

 have hurried along ChibiUsa’s death so that she wouldn’t have to

 witness the destruction to come, but decided that it was too late to

 worry about such things. The pink haired girl would be dead soon

 enough, along with everything else. And she would be there to escort

 her once it was all over.

 	“No!! All of my power.. It’s being pulled away from me!! I’m losing

 all that I’ve gained.. Master, I’m so sorry! It was all for you! This

 negative aura is soaking up everything I had! No, it can’t be!! She

 can’t have awakened! Is this the true Silent Messiah?! She will guide

 everything to ruin!” Mistress Nine’s struggles became weaker and

 weaker as Saturn’s power grew. Her thoughts began slipping from the

 mission she had tried so hard to accomplish, focussing instead on her

 reason behind it all, her master, the one she loved.

 	The gathering darkness became entangled in ribbons. The ribbons

 seemed to sap away the darkness, drawing it away as it forced it all

 up into the sky and towards the Tau Star System that could be seen up

 above. “You, who has already lost your world, already know the pain

 of losing everything. Soon this planet will join your own, for it’s

 death is soon. But you, abominable creature, will die first. Invader!

 Return to the dead! Then death will befall this world as well!” Power

 surrounded her as more ribbons began flowing from her. Darkness and

 energy began to build up around her, ripping through the rubble

 underneath her.

 	“It’s over! We can’t stop it anymore! We’ve finally reached the

 end,” Mamoru shook his head, defeat starting to seep through his

 weary body. 

 	Haruka staggered to her feet, wincing in pain as she got closer to

 the ledge of the building for a better look. “She’s going to bring

 down the Silence Glaive! She’s going to kill this world along with

 that Daimon!!” 

 	As the Silence Glaive began it’s slow descent towards the ground,

 the ribbons and darkness and energy lashed out. The city began

 tearing itself apart, buildings shattering and collapsing, the ground

 ripping open. Mamoru covered the still confused ChibiUsa as debris

 fell past them. Buildings were ripped to pieces in seconds. 

 	“Everyone.. Everything, it’s all disappearing,” ChibiUsa whispered

 softly, the world falling apart around her. The wind picked up,

 shrieking fiercely. Waves crashed nearby as the earth shook. For a

 moment, ChibiUsa regretted coming back to the past to train. This was

 too much for her. But she had to. She didn’t regret all that they’d

 done up till now. She didn’t regret meeting Hotaru. But did it have

 to end now?

 	Mamoru dropped to his knees beside his future daughter, his cane

 dropping next to him. “Usa... Usako!! Only you kept me alive all this

 time! And I couldn’t even protect you!” His eyes followed a trace of

 red. The wind brought one of the red petals closer. The rose he’d

 given Usagi.. The beautiful rose was crushed. “Usako...” Tears

 dropped to the rubble underneath them.

 	Watching Mamoru clutch onto the flower petal, ChibiUsa looked back

 towards the receding darkness that Usagi had plunged into.

 “Sailormoon... Mama.. You can’t be gone.” 

 	“Damn,” Haruka mutters, tossing a chunk of concrete across the

 ruined battlefield. “Isn’t there anything we can do?! Are we

 completely helpless? Everything will be destroyed if this isn’t

 stopped. I... I just wanted to protect that girl! That was all! I

 didn’t care for any of this!” Michiru took her hand as they watched

 the destruction.

 	“Haruka-san!” a voice called out. “Haruka-san!”

 	“Sailorsaturn..!” ChibiUsa said as she got up, stumbling towards

 the Senshi of Silence. She had to get to her. There had to be

 something she could do. She knew Hotaru the best. Hotaru trusted her.

 Even if Saturn was a bit different, she had to try. Mamoru grabbed

 her arm, pulling her back. “Mamo-chan, I have to!” she argued, trying

 to pull from his grasp. Up ahead, a bright light began shining near

 Saturn. It lifted up into the air, clearing the troubled sky around

 it. A figure emerged from the light, butterflies fluttering

 everywhere around her, mixing with the fireflies that had begun to

 take flight shortly after Saturn’s arrival. “Sailormoon?

 Supersailormoon?!”

 	Usagi’s eyes opened as the crescent moon on her forehead lit up.

 She blinked curiously as she looked around at the battlefield. The

 other senshi were all staring up at her.

 	“Usako!!” Mamoru called out. 

 	Mistress Nine saw the slight distraction as her last chance. These

 Sailor Senshi had nearly ruined all of their plans. She had to stop

 them now. “I’ll take you with me! Back to the Tau Star System! The

 gravity will pull you through to the darkness of our graveyard! Our

 dead home, the Tau Star System!” There was still hope. If she could

 pull them through, Master Pharaoh 90 could stop them. Then this world

 might still be reborn as their new home.

 	Saturn looked up, her glaive nearly touching the floor. Her silver

 eyes watched with little concern at Mistress Nine’s attempt at

 salvaging the situation. A slight smile crossed her thin lips as she

 looked up. “It’s beautiful, the suffering at the moment of

 destruction. If you’re so eager, then let’s hurry! Right away! The

 guide to death, Sailorsaturn, will lead to the world of the dead!”

 	“Saturn!? No!! We’ll all be drawn out into space together! We’ll

 all die!” Usagi clenched her fists, looking to Saturn concernedly.

 “You can’t let this happen! Everyone will die!”

 	Saturn shrugged off Usagi’s outburst. It hardly seemed to matter

 now. Her full power was very nearly ready to be unleashed. “I don’t

 feel despair. Along with death, there is always hope and rebirth.”

 Her silver eyes caught ChibiUsa’s crimson eyes. She held her gaze for

 a few seconds, as if speaking directly to her. “If you remember that,

 then death is nothing to fear.”

 	“Sailorsaturn?” Usagi asked, confused.

 	“Sailormoon, because you have opened the power of the Holy Grail

 and the Ginzuishou, you still have a chance to save this planet.

 Perhaps now is not the time that has been fated for me to bring

 everything to ruin. Soon, this land will be the new Tokyo that you

 will bring about. For now, I must stop the outsiders from getting a

 grip in this world.” Saturn’s cold gaze fell upon Setsuna.

 “Sailorpluto! Close the gateway to the other world for eternity!”

 Pushing off the ground, Saturn drifted into the darkness, following

 Mistress Nine towards the Tau System. That was where she was needed

 now, to finally put the long dead system to sleep. 

 	Setsuna paused, pulling up her staff. She could see the pain in the

 princess’s eyes as they followed the dark haired senshi’s ascent. She

 was so tired of all of this fighting and pain. “Saturn!!”

 	“Hurry!!” Saturn yelled back, her energy building as she closed the

 distance. She could feel Pharaoh 90 on the other side. He would be

 dead soon enough when she released the power building within her. Her

 Silence Glaive would drop today after all.

 	Pluto nodded, closing her eyes as she began chanting. Her Garnet

 Orb began to glow. “Great guardian deity of time and space! My

 father, Chronos! Give me power! Close the door of the broken law!

 Dark Dome Close!” 

 ChibiUsa watched up overhead as the space-time door began sucking in

 energy, sealing off the gateway. Sailorsaturn smiled down at her one

 last time before fading into it. The door slammed shut behind her.

 “Hotaru-chan..” ChibiUsa whispered, wiping at her eyes. Hotaru had

 sacrificed herself again, this time saving the entire planet and

 ChibiUsa’s future. But she couldn’t appreciate the victory knowing

 the price that had to be paid. Just when she had seen her again, she

 had been torn from her. How could love hurt so much? It wasn’t

 supposed to be this way.

 “Small Lady, Hotaru-chan wouldn’t want to see you crying. After all

 she gave up, she would want you to be happy with the new future she

 has ensured you,” Pluto explained, helping ChibiUsa to her feet. She

 smiled gently, brushing some of the dirt from ChibiUsa’s face. 

 	Nodding weakly, ChibiUsa slumped against the tall Guardian of Time.

 “Hai, you’re right, Puu. I know. I just miss her already. My heart

 feels like it’s shattered.”

 	Setsuna sweatdropped. So the princess had already fallen in love as

 she’d thought. “She’s still watching you, Small Lady.”

 	“Along with death.. Hope and rebirth begin,” Usagi whispered,

 repeating Saturn’s words. Her Sailor Fuku dissolved into her white

 princess gown, flowing regally around her. Raising her moon rod,

 light began to flash through the city. The destruction began to

 vanish as the dead began to get up, returned from their slumber

 before they could continue on their path to the afterlife. 

 	“Neo Queen Serenity,” Setsuna said quietly as she saw Usagi

 standing atop a pillar, holding up her rod.

 	A baby’s cry broke the silence, coming from somewhere nearby. “A

 baby?” ChibiUsa asked in surprise. What would a baby be doing there

 after the battle? How had it gotten there?

 	Michiru ran to the sound, quickly spotting the tiny baby. It was a

 little girl with ivory skin and short, dark hair. The Saturn symbol

 was glowing on her forehead. “Hotaru-chan?” 

 	“She was reincarnated?” Haruka asked as she reached Michiru’s side.

 The blonde looked at the baby girl, shocked to see the girl that had

 nearly destroyed the world and had ultimately saved it.  

 	“She must be all alone,” Michiru said sadly, holding the baby

 close. “Let’s raise her ourselves.” A smile played out across her

 lips as she looked over at Haruka. The serious look of Sailor Neptune

 was gone, replaced by an earnest joy in her heart at being alive and

 having the chance to raise the lonely girl.

 	“The three of us as parents?” Haruka asked skeptically. 

 	“It’s the least we can do after trying to kill her,” Setsuna added,

 taking Hotaru’s small hand with her finger. 

 	“What? You don’t think you’d make a good mommy, Haruka?” Michiru

 asked teasingly.

 	“Uranus! Neptune! Pluto!” Usagi ran up to the three, catching her

 breath. “That baby...?”

 	The three women turned to look at the blonde girl. “We’ll be going

 now. We’ve been given a new mission to complete now,” Haruka explained.

 	“You’re going?” ChibiUsa asked sadly, looking from the three of

 them to the baby in Michiru’s arms. “Where?”

 	Setsuna shrugged. “You never know, Small Lady. Perhaps we’ll be far

 off. Or maybe we’ll be closer to you than you’ll know. But we’re

 allies, Sailorchibimoon. We’ll surely meet again. You can count on

 it.” The darkly tanned woman smiled softly to the young Sailor Senshi.

 	Michiru nodded in agreement. “Hai. We’re allies. So we’ll meet

 again soon. Small princess, we love you. We will return to you again

 soon.” She held out her mirror to ChibiUsa. The princess took it

 slowly. “A sign of our promise. Keep looking into this mirror. Until

 we meet again, grow up to be a stronger, more beautiful soldier and

 princess. ”

 	“Neptune!” ChibiUsa held the mirror close for a moment. “I promise!

 I will!” She paused for a moment, looking down. “Ummm.. Can I see

 Hotaru-chan before you go? Please?” Michiru smiled and held the baby

 carefully out to Chibimoon. ChibiUsa held onto her shifting slightly.

 “I’m really gonna miss you, Hotaru-chan. Thank you so much for

 everything. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. Thanks for coming

 back to me. I promise I’ll wait for you, not matter how long it

 takes.” She blushed slightly as she kissed the baby’s forehead. “I

 love you, Hotaru-chan.” Her heart skipped a beat as she gave baby

 Hotaru back to Michiru. Again Hotaru was leaving her. But this time,

 there was hope. Hotaru would still be out there. And she would grow

 up all over again. This time she prayed that Hotaru would be much

 happier. And she would be waiting for the dark haired girl. That was

 her promise. When they met again... “I love you,” she whispered

 again. “Here, please give her this.” ChibiUsa held out the Luna-P to

 Setsuna. “I want her to have it. Maybe when she’s older...” the

 princess trailed off. 

 	Setsuna took the gift and nodded. “Take care of yourself for us,

 Small Lady!” With that, the three women turned and left with the

 baby, disappearing swiftly.

 	“Uranus! Neptune! Pluto!” Usagi called after the three, but they

 were already gone. “Uranus! Neptune! Pluto!”

 	ChibiUsa hugged the mirror close to her heart, watching where they

 had last been. A small smile crossed her lips. “We will surely meet

 again someday. Haruka-san. Michiru-san. Puu. And Hotaru-chan. I’ll be

 waiting for you. Grow up to be a happy girl. We’ll see each other

 again. I promise.”