Do you guys have any idea how pages are in this story? Currently there are three hundred and thirteen pages. I am fifteen pages into chapter nine, which is the conclusion of this arch of the series, then I am moving on to the Pharaoh 99 arch and I am trying to decide should go with Yuri, (Neptune and Uranus) or het because I am tossing around the idea of Andrew and Neptune. I really don't care who Uranus ends with, I think I am bias because of Consequences, but I keep Uranus together in The Four Kings and This Is Why I Hate Our Friends. I don't know, I am going toss a coin and let the fates decide.

Anyway, ya'll know the drill. Read, review, and enjoy.

Later, kids.

Sean.

I don't own Sailor Moon, I am just a fan.

Eight

I

"Where the hell are the flying cars?"

Once that pointless and inane statement was made, the back of Jiro's head met the open palm of Dave's right hand in a rather loud smack by said High General who hadn't even bothered to glance at his subordinate prior to said head smacking.

Flying cars would have been nice, Dave mused as they all watched the fleet of black airships pass the over the ruined skyline of Tokyo. A low whistled escaped his lips in awe of the floating armada of crystal ships. Okay, flying crystal ships were kind of cool—in a completely totally gay like the Notebook kinda gay but with lasers, but they were not as impressive as a flying car.

Josh at least had the decency to shut up after that little bit of inanity thus sparing himself a slap upside the head, too.

All eyes turned front once more, but Dave took a glance over in Frankie's direction because it just wasn't insanity until Frankie added his two cents to mix. Surprisingly, no really, surprisingly Frankie was rather quiet for the moment. He had been since that morning, after having a private conversation with Mina in the guys' kitchen before they started on their little adventure into the future.

A frown marred Dave's features, he had meant to ask Frankie what had they talked about, but he had become distracted with last minute preparations that included drugging a three-year-old with Benadryl and checking over the wards Jiro and Frankie had laid about the Tsukinos house to protect them incase there was an attack while they were in the future. There hadn't been time to question the Menace while their band of intrepid warriors traversed the Corridors of Time since they had to fight off legions of Pluto's minions who had been fighting the enemy for God knew how long to protect their dimension.

The Plutonians did not care that Usa was there or that well, that she was there. They came and, bravely and quite foolishly, attacked that crazy bitch Mina head on. Mina took point with Hotaru taking the secondary position with and Trista holding the rear.

Dave had to wonder did the Plutonian warriors not know who those three warriors were or did they just think that the three girls would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers, not that it mattered, either way the results were not pretty. The Senshi were freaking psychos in battle.

Mina was wearing SAP gloves (weighted-knuckle gloves) and steel-toed boots and came armed with two expandable batons, when she moved forward, Mina just exploded into action. She was like Mike Tyson, Royce Gracie, and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. rolled into one. Her swings were quick and powerful, and she was fast. Each blow had to be about two thousand pounds of force coming down on bone or unprotected flesh. It was obvious that Mina was out to hurt as many people as she possibly could in the shortest amount of time and the guys were very happy to be on her good side.

Hotaru was no slouch, having taken the support position to Mina's rear and standing before the group, Hotaru was taking down all those who escaped Mina just as hard and fast as her commander. Hotaru had followed Mina's example with the SAP gloves and boots, but she had forgone the batons in favor of a kanabo. That glorified version of nail bat, was deadly in most hands, but in Hotaru's, the kanabo was freaking nightmare. She was like Barry Bonds swinging for fences before turning to shaft and her armored fist and boots.

Holding the rear with nothing but a gun staff was Trista. She moved like Jasmine Simhalan with the flare of Donnie Yen. Trista used the staff as if it was an extension of her body and not just a weapon. It was easy to forget that Senshi were trained physical combat and that they all had all mastered in more than a few martial arts disciplines in their previous lives and practiced today to recapture those quick and deadly accurate movements that separated them from all other warriors of their empire. The Senshi were the Elite of the elite in the art of war, they were the Special Ops, the last line of defense between the enemy and the throne—To look at them now, the Generals knew that this was a long awaited return for them as they proved they were worthy of their titles and positions in the Patheneon of the great warriors and heroes.

The guys had to stand back and watch the three warriors go at like gangbusters, against a well-trained mob that refused to give up a single inch. Yet the Senshi were not dissuaded as they fought for every bloody quarter to move their group forward. The Generals would have gladly fought along side them, but they were bound by an oath sworn on their Prince's life that they would not raise an arm against the Guardians of Chronos except to defend themselves and their Prince, Trista had been adamant about that. Dave and the guys could not attack the guardians they could only defend themselves until one of the Senshi reached them. That had been one nerve-racking experience for all of them and not one of them was disappointed when they finally reached the Gates of the Future.

After a brief respite, Trista led them into thirty-first century and into a war zone.

The awe and fascination had worn off and now Mina taken the over the lead and they were running towards a crystal spire in the distance.

Their progress came to an immediate halt when a bomb when off twenty meters in front of them. There was a terrible oppression that suddenly clouded the Senshi the senses, it felt as if they were moving in a fog. In the center of the protective circle, Andrew complained a buzzing in his ears and sudden headache. Darien complained of the same, as did the Generals. The Senshi did not.

For them the world had become startling clear. The barriers they had erected for themselves that divided the dimensions and the heavens fell from their eyes and minds. This was bad because it was a part of their glamour. It allowed them to be in a sense terran.

Never in the guys' life had they seen the blood drain someone's face as fast as it left the girls and had the situation been different the sight would have been hilarious. Unfortunately this wasn't a different situation and this was anything but funny. Sadly this reveal the magnitude of the damage that had been done to Terra and rather plainly how royally fucked up this entire mess was.

The Senshi were all but blind.

They had no magic to defend or attack.

No magic meant that the magic used to stabilize the Senshi's glamour meant they had precious little time until the weight of gravity crushed Usagi. The weight of Trista's and Hotaru's bodies would increase, thus making them too heavy to move and they would die from lack of blood circulation and/or asphyxiation along with Mina, who be killed from the lack of sulfur in the air.

Time was now a precious commodity and it was running out.

Dave took charge of the immediately. He rushed forward, grabbing Mina around the waist, tossing her over his left shoulder like a sack of potatoes before setting off at a dead run before she could even mount a protest.

Josh had grabbed Hotaru and Frankie had Trista. Usagi was perched on Darien's back while Jiro had the double duty of carrying a sleeping (still drugged on Benadryl) Serena and pulling Drew along.

The pace was faster than their initial race through the war torn city, but fear was great motivators and everyone silently thanked Frankie for being a Parkour fanatic and forcing them all to join him in frenetic exercise and for making them stick with it. They raced up walls, leapt over wreckage, fell from high perches as they avoided all the mini-battles going throughout the city. Dave had just reached the outlying shadows of what looked like a field of silver crystals when Mina took her first gasping, choked breath. It sounded more like am agonized wheeze. Behind him Frankie and Josh grunted as the weight on their backs suddenly increased.

"Usa, hold on," Darien cried out frantically. "We're almost there. Just hold on."

Where were they almost near? That crystal spire was a like a beacon in the darkness, but Dave did not know why the Senshi had decided it was where they should go of all places. Besides it was too late for them to change their minds, especially now as a platoon of soldiers in—was that dark blue?—high-tech body armor approached them.

Dave recognized the royal crest of Terra on the breastplate of the soldiers and his own insignia on the right shoulder on the soldier in the lead. Without another thought, Dave hurriedly removed Mina from his shoulder and steadied her on her feet. Mina's glamour had worn off revealing her truth face.

"Help them," he gasped. He was out of breath and bleeding from a gash on his right side. "The Senshi are dying."

After that, everything was a blur to the General. The Terran soldiers did not stop to ask questions or try to detain the group of time travelers.

They were rushed through a magical barrier, the masked commander shouted for medics even as he rushed forward, now carrying Mina in his arms. A team of medics met them at main doors of the white marble palace. Dave barely spared the place a glance before his attention was diverted to the soldiers who had surrounded Darien and Usa. There was a brief hesitancy, before Usa was quickly yet gently removed from Darien's back before being teleported inside the palace.

They were taken to the triage center, where Andrew rolled up his sleeves and asked where he could help. There was only a moment of surprise when people began to recognize the King's personal physician, yet quickly pushed aside because the understaffed and overworked team of doctors, nurses, and volunteers were grateful for the additional capable hands.

The situation of the ground was bad. Dave and his men were led away from their Lord by the masked warrior who was yet to identify himself. The Senshi were not in triage, there would be no help for them there anyway. Dave and the others were taken further inside the palace, to the heart of Asian defense operation. And Dave met his met himself, one thousand years in the future.

That annoying static in her ears had finally stopped. Slowly, Usa opened her eyes and the world came into focus. Rather the sharpness that had made the terran world alien to her senses had been dulled and she was seeing the everything through a magical filter. She closed her eyes again as she turned her face down to the pillow she had been resting against.

They had survived. Some how Darien and the others had gotten them to the Lunar Embassy and they were in Crystal Tokyo.

The second thing she noticed was that the air was no longer pressing down on her.

Slowly, Usa pushed herself up on her forearms. Her long braid fell over her shoulder as she took in her current surroundings. The fact that slight weight was not crushing her throat confirmed that she was alive and safe from the menace of Terra's gravity.

She was in a bedroom, hers by the look of it. The room was how she remembered her mother's suite on Silver Millennium. The ivory silk wallpaper, the elegant, plush furnishing, the vast array of books and artwork that seemed to be tossed about suggested that she never stayed in this room; more that it was an overflowing closet with a daybed.

Carefully, Usagi swung her legs over the side of bed; her feet touched a plush, deep pile rug that she sank into once she was standing. A pair of simple white slippers lay in a small pile near an overstuffed chair. With shoes on her feet and the world off her back, Usa opened the door and stepped out in the corridor. Waiting was a young man leaning against the opposite wall.

He was a young, a little bit older than her with long black hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a uniform similar to what she remembered the Royal Terran Guard had worn during Queen Gaia's reign

"Queen Serenity," He greeted politely.

It sounded more like a question, that why Usagi nodded her head. "I am she." She replies formally.

"Welcome to Crystal Tokyo, your Majesty." He said somberly.

Her guide did not lead Usa to her friends, though he did inform her of their whereabouts within the palace. Andrew was assisting in the makeshift medical wing and her Senshi were recovering away from the general populace. Usagi's guide, whose name was Kasim, Commander of the Mesopotamia Province, did not take Usa to her friends but to the command center of all of Terra.

Usagi did not miss how the soldiers stared openly at her before bowing as she passed. It did not surprise Kasim when the once dispirited warriors straightened their spines and stood fearless as they proudly announced "The Queen approaches" raced along their path. The small girl at his side had started at the first few booming calls, but smiled as the eager, desperate faces of the citizens begin to appear in the balconies and beside the soldiers.

The sight of the Queen of the Silver Alliance even as a child had the effect of a blazing sun throughout the palace. Her very presence only after a few minutes was burning away the gloom, the fear, and the hopelessness that had settled over palace and the people hiding there and they rejoiced.

Their Queen was here.

Darien knew that he would never be a doctor. He attended the lectures, did the necessary course work, and all else required a medical student, but he knew deep down that he would never be on this side of operating table once he finished last internship. Looking about at the men and women at the conference table, Darien knew that his place would be at lead, the head of nation, the chief commander, the King of Terra.

He could hear his people cheering his girlfriend with the wild abandon that those who knew her could only feel. Yet his presence had been concealed from the moment he entered the palace grounds. He was a target to the enemy and his people were not going to allow the enemy an easy victory by picking him off before he was crowned thus he was spirited away almost as soon as he stepped foot in the palace to this secret room where only the King and his closest advisors sat in conference

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Darien was looking at the man he would become some day and it was seriously freaking him out. King Endymion did not tower over men, he was not bluff or blusterous. He looked just like Darien except that he was older, wore his glasses, and apparently did not believe in the gym. Seriously, the guy could pass for a stick figure for all the muscle he had.

It was quiet, calm intelligent air the man gave off that commanded the respect of the people seated at the table and those of his subjects. He was a good man, Darien admitted proudly, he was a good man and a good king…He was everything Darien wanted to be as a man…and this very good king was dying.

The Black Moon intelligence was inaccurate in announcing King Endymion's death. He was taking the brunt of the Black Moon's attack, sparring Terra the worst by absorbing the planet's shock as the black crystals filled the earth. He didn't elaborate beyond that time was short for such explanations. He wanted to focus of Black Moon's next attack.

Common wisdom would have them attack Atlantis. It was last Terran stronghold and as far all were concerned it was place were Kunzite held the Golden Crystal. If they wanted to end the war, it would be logical to attack there. But the Black Moon wasn't logical. With victory nearly in grasp, the enemy shifted their focus and begins to lay siege on Endymion's gift to his wife, the crystal palace, Crystal Tokyo. The people on the Nihon Islands fled to the mainland, yet those who had not been able to flee ran to the Queen's palace.

Crystal Tokyo, like the Golden Palace, was re-enforced with the magic of the Golden Crystal. The crystal's magic was infused in every slab of quartz and marble that made the palace. It was a stronghold but it was not main residence of the Royal Family and the King and his Generals doubt the few refugees huddled here would be viewed as much of prize for anyone to waste the effort to lay siege on the islands. It was a waste of resources and it had allowed for the Terran army to regroup and put a strong defense around Atlantis and begin a counter attack. All the continents were ready and mobilized, their traditional weapons had been adapted and fused with energy from both the Golden Crystal and Elysium. And with the enemy focused on Crystal Tokyo, King Endymion knew that victory would be theirs.

Still he wondered why the enemy had taken their eyes off of his Capitol and royal seat. He looked at the boy he had once been as he could help. Darien was engrossed with the three dimensional holographic map that showed the entire planet surface in real time. Currently the map showed the Nihon Islands. The enemy fleets were moving back away from Edo and were concentrated on just beyond the Juuban District.

"What the hell are they waiting for?" Darien muttered to himself, so he was naturally surprised when the King answered.

"They want to penetrate the palace defenses." Endymion replied.

"I get that," Darien frowned thoughtfully, "But for what purpose? What's here that they would risk loosing this entire war to have?" He met the King's gaze then, "The enemy believes that your body is at Atlantis and your heir is in Elysium. Coming here is just a waste of time and stupid."

A rueful smile danced across the King's lips, "If we knew the answer to that, my dear boy, then this war would over."

Mina looked about the elegant room she had been led too and was forced to fight down the growl that tried to slip past her lips each time the damned door open and it wasn't Darien or Usagi on the other side.

When she came to, Mina found herself in what could have only been described as her room.

She did not take time to examine the place, as she wanted to get a handle on the situation. She quickly pulled on her armored boots and grabbed up her gloves. She had no expectation on seeing herself moving about the palace for indications stated that she was incapacitated or dead.

When she opened the door, Mina had been met by dark haired young man with blue eyes who led her to this antechamber where Trista and Hotaru were waiting with cups of tea and sandwiches.

Tired and hungry, the Senshi were grateful for the repast though they were far from content. They had been brought to this chamber, each after she had awoken in a strange room that was obviously their own. They each met the same stoic young man who brought them to the chamber and left them there without a word about each other or their Queen and neither of them liked it.

After what could have been an hour since Mina's arrival the still silence was broken by a ruckus cheering that seemed to fill the palace halls. The Senshi were on their feet immediately and halfway to the opulent double doors when they opened to allow Dave and the others to enter.

"Girls," Jiro cried out in relief when he saw three women on their feet.

"What's going on," Mina snapped at them, "Where have you been? What in the hell is going on here?"

Dave bristled at her tone. After all that he and his men had done to ensure their survival and that they made to Crystal Tokyo, this was how Mina thanked them.

With anger burning his eyes, Dave stepped forward with his mouth ready to tell the ungrateful little bitch off only to snap his jaw shut when a side panel moved in the rear of the room and in stepped Darien. The Senshi had moved into defensive positions but immediately relaxed when they saw who it was.

Before any of them could blink, Mina was in her brother's arms. Tears of worry and relief poured down the girl's face as she rained kisses over her missing brother's face while she scolded him for making her worry.

Darien just held her tightly. He had never been more scared in his life than when he saw the girls lose their glamour. Panic and fear had fueled him as he race across Tokyo to reach the palace. Dave had won his life long gratitude for saving his sister.

"Min, you can let him go now," Trista said gently, "Besides we have quests"

Mina looked past Darien's shoulder and felt her heart stop. A mournful cry rose from lips before she tore herself from her brother's arms to rush over to the ailing King of Terra. Mina stopped just before she reached him, her hazel eyes took in his figure from head to toe, seeing the ravages that sickness had left on his body.

A soft, sad smile made its way onto King Endymion's pale lips as he look at his beautiful sister's ageless face

"Hello, Mina," he whispered.

An odd keening sound escaped the Venusian warrior as she reached out to touch her brother's face. She sobbed softly as she tenderly embraced him.

"Oh, my darling," she gasped. "I will make them suffer for your pain, Darien. Their rivers and oceans will run red with their blood and their cities will burn and the people will know fear as daily pray for I will not allow your sacrifice be in vain, little brother." She promised brokenly.

"I will be fine," he tried to assure her but they knew that he was lying. The three Senshi could see death all around him. It was just his will and the power of the Golden Crystal that kept his ravaged body going. He reached up, taking one of her hands into his before turning to greet the others in the room. "My young friends, though these are not auspicious time for my kingdom or this star system, I welcome you to the Golden Century on the behalf of the people of Terra and her Supreme Imperial Majesty, Queen Serenity of the Silver Empire."

Hotaru and Trista inclined their heads formally, while the generals genuflected before their king.

Mina hugged the King's arm carefully as he moved to a small settee near an unlit white marble fireplace. Darien choose chair opposite of them while the others made themselves comfortable in various places in the room. The time for small talk was over, with three Senshi and the Queen, the tide of this war was truly in their favor.

II

Instead of taking Usagi to her friends, Kasim led Usa deeper into the palace proper.

Had she felt threaten Usa would have not hesitated to defend herself. No, what she felt was odd sense of magic that was becoming stronger the closer they moved towards it. She recognized it as the same healing magic that surrounded her when she awoke earlier. It was similar to her own magic, but it was older and frightfully power even in it's dormant state.

"It's right through here, Majesty," Kasim told her.

Usa looked up at the large ornamental wood doors with a sense of foreboding. Once she entered the chamber, Usa knew her life would forever be altered.

Kasim looked back at her, his gaze steady, "Majesty."

Was she ready to face her destiny? The doors opened, Usagi took a deep breath before she stepped inside.

She could do this. She had nothing to fear.

In the brilliant room was an altar made of Imperial Silver Crystal. Power was beating down on her even though it drew her near. All the power of the universe rested here, in a tomb of silver crystal the body of one woman.

"She is my mother," Kasim said softly.

Usagi looked at him sharply but the boy was looking down at the sleeping woman in the crystal. "You are Serena?"

He touched the crystal delicately his gaze never left his mother's face. "She was my older sister. She died when we were children. There had been accident in one of the gardens and she had drowned…" He still did not turn to face the girl as he continued to speak. "I apologize for my deception for pretending to be Serenity, yet, I will not apologize for brining you here." He turned to Usa then and fell to his knees before her. "Please, Sailor Moon, I beg of you as the Crown Prince of Terra and your heir, I humble myself before you and beg for you to please save my mother. Please, only you have the power to awaken her from this terrible sleep and save my kingdom and her people. Please, Sailor Moon, please save my mother."

"…and now you believe that banished criminal is the source of this current malcontent?" David asked the King.

Endymion nodded, "All we've gather seems to support that general theory."

It was now midmorning and they were in the King's strategy's room in a video conference with all the commanders on the field and elsewhere in Terra. The Senshi and the Generals were brought up to speed on the current situation as well as given background information on the enemy.

"You must understand Lord David," a female general with long red hair and blue eyes who had introduced as Lt. Commander Vesta added, "It was not their Majesties' decision to allow the Death Phantom to live, his life was spared due to interference of the Orion Galaxy. He is the son of the King—"

"He had diplomatic immunity then?" Mina growled.

"Yes, Majesty." Vesta nodded.

"Why not return him to Orion then. He was proven himself danger to Silver Millennium and the Queen, why did you keep him here?"

"Orion refused to accept him." She told them. "He had tried to murder his own brother, the current heir as well as his brother's children to gain Orion's throne."

"Thus his father refused to kill his murderous bastard so he just banished him to our universe without warning and he expects our Queen to set him loose on another Star System." Trista was incensed, "How dare those cowards put our Lady at such a risk."

"Why didn't the Queen just ignore Orion and return the fiend home?" Hotaru asked.

"Orion went to the Intergalactic Court to force Silver Millennium to keep the creature. Instead of drawing out the legal battle, the Queen condemned Prince Soros aka the Death Phantom to life imprisonment in solitary confinement in the deepest, darkest pits on Nemesis."

"It was meant as a death sentence," a slightly older version of Josh told them. "By all rights he should have died there. He was stripped bare and left chained to a wall in the deepest gorge on Nemesis with no food or water and no one to give him any aid."

"Nemesis was a prison colony until two hundred years ago," the woman picked informed them. "The most dangerous criminals in the Empire were sent there with nothing but the clothes on their backs and two weeks worth of rations. Those that survived managed to create a type of society there and it is the descendants of those prisoners we are now fighting. Nemesis, or rather the Dark Moon, had tried to enter Alliance but they refused to recognize the authority of the line of Serenity. They also reject the current heir, whom they declared tainted due to his Majesty being the father."

"Though their ancestors came from different planets, the people of Nemesis claim to be terran." Endymion told his young guests. "Why they chose Terra, I doubt that we will ever know. Originally, terran made up less than one percent of the population sentenced to Nemesis."

"Why so few?" Mina asked.

"Terra is the only planet in the Alliance that practices corporal punishment." Lord Nephrite, the older one, answered for his king. "Our King does not take kindly to those that threaten his family."

"The people of the Dark Moon claimed a terran heritage though Terra refused to acknowledge them for political and proprietary reasons. Nemesis is one of two moons of Pluto and large number of the prisoners sent there had been Plutonian. Pluto still claims Nemesis and has not recognized its independence or the de facto government."

"How were they able to launch a massive offensive against the universe without anyone noticing?" Josh asked.

"They had a sympathizer in the Queen's court." Lord Zoisite said. "We found out too late and by then the war for Terra had begun."

"What of the Queen?" Mina asked him.

"She was the first causality."

The sound of the air raid sirens had those few survivors still within the city along with the soldiers moving to find shelter to wait out the Dark Moon's air strike. Images of flying crystal ships slowly moving into Edo's airspace was intimidating for those who had survived thus far but it was in no way deterred them.

The shields around the city were raised as all ground artillery was mobilized and prepared to defend the city. Naval destroyers off the coast of Nihon made up a barricade around the island were ready and with jets already scrabbling to take to the air. Three squadrons of aerial gunships were coming in from the mainland, their ETA was six minutes before the Dark Moon reached Crystal Tokyo.

Mina assured him that was all the time she needed. Standing up, the three Senshi joined hands in a rough semi-circle and infused it with their power before they teleported from the palace. They appeared briefly on screen, hovering in the sky above Crystal Tokyo before jetting away into the coming dawn in four streaks of lights disappeared into the distance just as the doors of the Situation Room was thrown open with guards shouting that Queen was gone.

Darien surged to his feet, ready to go after his girlfriend only to be stopped by the Dave. They would go, but Darien would stay in the palace.

Emerald was aghast.

Since beginning her campaign against Terra, she faced strong opposition from Lord Kunzite and his fellows and in some instances the battles had been too close to call or ending with a stalemate that forced to her retreat before attempting to attack anew. That had been the established form of battle, two civilized strategic leading a very traditional war.

It was safe to say that Emerald had never faced a Senshi before that moment. And prior to this first view of them in battle, everything she had known about them was an utter lie.

The people of the Dark Moon had viewed the Senshi's roles as largely ceremonial with and somewhat religious in nature. For they were the avatars of the Gods, not Gods themselves who sat upon the thrones of the nine planets casting aperients against those they thought beneath their dainty heels.

All that she had known as truth was Emerald believed right up to the moment Queen Freyja of Venus brought down three of Emerald's gun ships in under two minutes with nothing more than a sword and her own body.

Not to be out done was Persephone of Saturn and Neti-Edra of Pluto proved to be just as deadly as their commander, as all three tore through the Emerald's fleet with a single-minded determination that was frightening in it's brutality.

For the first time since this war began, Emerald knew fear. This was a foe that she could not fight, a merciless nightmare that would not be stopped nor show compassion. She could see them standing together on the wreckage of her the ship that was yet to fall into the sea. Three women warriors, blood-soaked, and savage.

Her order to retreat was too late for Senshi had slammed down a temporal barrier that closed off their entry wormhole and kept them locked into place like a slaughter pen and the Senshi decimated them. Five minutes, there was nothing of Dark Moon's Grande Armada remained except for her flagship. Emerald stood alone contemplating her next course of action. Her one hand hovered over the self-destruct button, the other held her side arm. On screen she watched the monsters as they fed on the carrion that was left in the wake of their destruction. Emerald waited until the last pod cleared the blast zone, she having given her crew the order to escape when she realized the terrible situation they had found themselves in. If they hit the water her crew would picked up by the Terran Navy. Lord Kunzite was merciful man and Emerald knew he would not kill her crew out of spite.

She closed her eyes then, she did not want her last images of this life to be of demons. She though of her friends and how far they had dared to come.

Diamond, Sapphire, Rubius, and she…

A tear slipped down her cheek as she pressed the button but her hand was captured before she could move. Her eyes snapped open to see one of the demons standing before her. Emerald quickly raised her side arm only to have the pistol slapped away and her face slammed down on the console with blood and teeth exploding from her face.

Mina brought her face down close to the woman's ear and sneered, "Did you honestly think you were going to escape us that easily?"

III

"That was it? That was your big plan?" Darien continued to rave as he stormed about the control room.

"Dare, please," Mina said wearily, "will you just listen?"

The angry youth whirled on his sister, he looked ready to put his fist in her face. "To what, Min?" he gritted out. "What the hell do you have to say about you fucking up?"

Mina's eyes narrowed dangerously, "This was her plan."

~. .~

She had not felt this exhausted since last summer when she had foolishly challenged Ami to race in the ocean. Her body felt worn out and her head was heavy. At the same time it felt as if something was pressing down on her senses. There was no real force behind it, just whatever it felt thick and gummy, it was not a very pleasant feeling.

Despite her weariness, Usa forced herself to sit up and take in her surroundings only to stop when she felt cool air brush across bare back and shoulders.

She looked down quickly and saw that her pink hoodie, yoga pants, and her white trainers were gone. The damn bastards had even removed her tee shirt and her bra. Her clothes had been replaced by some retarded looking gown with a polyester sheen that was just screaming cheap and she wasn't talking about the cost of the tacky thing either.

Seriously, did her captors not know how old she was? She hated to think someone had gotten their jollies while she was out cold.

Forcing down her revulsion, Usa slowly rose from the day bed she had occupied to face the creep that had been watching her all this time. The Queen of Silver Millennium looked upon the Dark Moon Family.

From his dais, Prince Diamond watched the woman he swore he would possess as she slowly moved across his throne room on her delicate little feet. She was at present no more than a child, yet even so young she still stirred a terrible longing within him that no other woman had been able to quench.

He watched as she carefully scanned the members of his court. He noted with amusement that she did not appear to afraid of her circumstances. His thin lips quirked slightly at her arrogance. She was too spoilt, her faith in her Senshi and her King had made her overly confident and reckless. He would take great pleasure in showing her her proper place.

Finally those large gray eyes settle on him and Diamond smirked.

"Welcome to the Dark Moon Kingdom, Highness." He called down to her.

Only years of discipline kept Usa from spiting in his face. That condescending bastard, she snarled viciously, she was going to rip his damned balls off and stuff them down his smirking lips.

Raising herself up to her full height, Usa stared down at the cretin. "I wish to speak to your leader." She demanded.

The pretender of the throne seemed to think that she was idiot. He sat back and gesture at himself. "I am the lord of this castle and this domain." Then he smirked, "And soon I will the ruler of this vast star system."

Usa's eyes narrowed just a fraction as she watched the inverted black seemed to wrinkle then fold in on itself to look at a third eye. From behind her, Usa heard the members of the "court" make frightening noises as they shuffled back the towards the wall in cowering in fear. She kept her eyes on the pretender, she felt no change in his aura that would qualify this rapid change his minion's demeanor. Confused, but unafraid, Usagi took a step forward and the terrible silence fell over the Dark Moon court.

Diamond had stopped smiling.

~. .~

Darien started as his sister as if he had not understood her. The words kept running through his head but they failed to make sense.

Mina watched him worriedly.

"She chose to do this?" Josh cried aghast. "Why would Usa do such a thing?"

Mina looked at Darien before turning to face his men. "This is the best option that we had to rescue the others and strike a critical blow to the enemy, we not going to waste the opportunity—"

"Opportunity? What opportunity?" Darien demanded. "Usa was captured by—"

"Do you think I don't know that?" Mina snapped back. "I volunteered." She gestured back at other Senshi, "We all volunteered but she refused us all. The Queen understood that we need to hit the enemy and hit them hard. It is the only reason why she there and we are not!"

"Why would she do such a thing?" This time it was Drew, who had finally rejoined the group, asked. "She's just one girl against an entire freaking planet?"

The Senshi were silent but they all understood: Usagi was the strongest.

~. .~

He could hear Sapphire screaming as he tried to pull him away. Rubius, the last of his generals was an incinerated pile of smoking ash, his body was degenerated when he threw himself before his Prince when the Queen of Silver Millennium began her assault.

Diamond did not understand how it had gone wrong. Nothing made sense as he watched the same girl in the blue and white battle dress move towards him like a wraith, power rolling off her in waves as she wrought chaos down on his world.

Why had his third eye failed him? He had used it to capture her and bring her Nemesis. She should have been cowering before him, begging for mercy then offering herself up in sublimation, proving that he, Diamond, was the most powerful entity in the star system.

Rubius had been first to fall, he had seen what Diamond had ignored, the Silver Crystal was glowing and floating above the girl's clenched fist. There had been one moment of confusion after the girl had done what everyone in the court had thought impossible: She ignored Prince Diamond's third eye and moved. She came running towards him shouting out a battle cry as she leapt in the air towards him with the deadly glowing crystal in her right fist. Diamond was shocked by this to react when the started to raise her right hand. Then Rubius was there, pushing his Prince out of the line of fire taking on the full brunt of her mystical assault. The Queen landed on the pile of smoldering ash in deep crouch, the layers of white silk, long silver hair, and magical residue floating falling around her body. Yet before it all could settle, the little Queen was moving again, this time she had sword in her hands. She came at Diamond, running as her warrior's dress flowed over her body her body, burning away the gown he had dressed her in.

Diamond was more than terrified now. How was what she was doing even possible? She should have been helpless on Nemesis, her crystal should have been neutralized and no more dangerous than any other shining bauble

Yet here she was, doing what Diamond had been told was impossible. And she was trying to take his bloody head.

His castle was falling down around him, his Royal Guard was trampling each other in a desperate attempt to escape collapsing castle and the nightmare that was the Queen of Silver Millennium.

The castle split and fragmented on its foundation, causing the support pillars to buckle bringing the entire structure down on their heads. Prince Diamond could only stare helplessly as his world fell down around him while the Queen, his most longed for obsession, opened a portal that she and the her newly rescued Senshi escaped just in Castle Nemesis exploded in, killing all those unfortunate to have been stuck in the remains of the wreckage and five kilometer radius surrounding the castle.

Diamond watched from the protection of the Wiseman's cave, where he and his brother had been pulled just before his castle and the city surrounding it went up in ball of flames. The ground shook, the air reverberated as continuous sonic booms that disrupted all air travel and media traveling over the airwaves before Nemesis went dark.

Rioting happened soon after, the people, his people, needed him and for a moment his mind was clear of the Wiseman's illusions and in that moment of clarity Diamond was struck by desolation and loss—the horror of the reality done while he…while he…whi-le…he…

"No, back into your dreams, little Princeling," the mocking voice of the Death Phantom crooned in his ears, drawing Diamond back into his web of obsessions and lies.

The Death Phantom crackled as the young Queen raced back to Terra, fleeing from him and the nightmare he wrought. But soon she would not a place to run, and then the Silver Crystal and this universe would be his.

The palace was a blur of action. Sailor Moon appeared in the courtyard with her captured Senshi. Andrew pushed his way through to crowd with his Josh and others on his heels. Mina was suddenly there. She called out Trista's name, the gates between the dimensions opened and the original party suddenly found themselves thrust in the Twenty-first century.

Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, and the Generals burst into the Juuban Metropolitan Hospital in the wee hours of dawn carrying the four missing girls calling for doctors. The confused hospital staff could barely understand what was happening never mind asking questions. It wasn't until Dr. Marie Mizuno strolled into ER as she was leaving that anyone started to move.

She saw her daughter's friends standing middle of the Emergency Room in full battle costume. She frowned in confusion wondering why they were there then she saw the dark blue hair of her daughter, resting against Frankie's armored chest.

Dr. Mizuno rushed forward, her handbag and cashmere coat falling from her hands as she blindly pulled out her stethoscope while snapping out orders to the nurses. The shock of seeing the heroes quickly wore off and everyone was now a blur of motion. The generals quickly carried each girl to a room and were promptly pushed out as the teams of doctors and nurses went to work.

Usagi wanted to stay with her friends. Ami, Lita, and Alex had been awake and alert while on Nemesis, it was during the temporal displacement that their bodies finally surrendered to the strain of exhaustion that had been under for the last two weeks.

But it was Rei whose condition that was the most worrying her friends. Rei had been on Nemesis far longer than and exposed to the pollution of the Black Crystal. She was incredibly pale and malnourished. Rei most likely had refused to eat whatever was presented to her out of fear of the drugs or poison.

Kamen knew how Usa had felt but they could not stay, it would raise too many suspicions and if the wrong people started connecting the dots, life as they knew would be over too soon, so they left before the police could arrive or before members of the hospital staff could ask questions.

Marie snapped a quick order off at one of the nurses to fetch her things near the elevator, listed on her phone in her contacts list were name of the parents of her daughter's friends.

Within the hour the Tsukinos and Rei's family were crowded into the waiting room on the hospital's private floor. All four girls had moved to individual rooms and were still with doctors and nurses while their families waited anxiously for them.

Usagi huddled on a loveseat with her mother, both clinging to each other despite with wide, desperate eyes. In another corner of the room sat Rei's grandfather and her stepmother. Her father stood next to a window nursing a cup of coffee as he stared aimlessly at the nighttime view of downtown Juuban. He was still trying to come to terms with his daughter being an alien entity and the Princess of the Mars no less. His attention drifted back towards the young man pacing anxiously near the entrance.

Hino-sama still did not understand who the man was or why was he had come, but a minor scuffle with security, Hino-sama's father allowed the man to stay. The youth parked himself at the entrance, peering anxiously down the hallway every few seconds. He seemed unaware of how his behavior affected the others. Once he was allowed to stay, he just seemed to forget that the all existed.

Hino-sama was now at the end of his patience. He could not take his frustrations out on the Tsukino girl even though he felt that deserved some, in not all of the blame for his daughter haven been taken. Nor could he lay the blame on his father. His father had taken care of Rei since she was toddler much to his shame. His father had been both father and mother to his daughter while he lived his life. Even after he had remarried, knew he should have brought Rei back to his home. He other children, a new family, it just never seemed right to bring Rei into a house filled with strangers…It was his shame that was turned into rage for all these strangers that had come into his daughter's life and taken his place.

His hands closed in tightly around the paper cup and he turned to face the room, his eyes locked on the fretting youth who still did not notice them.

"You there," Hino-sama snarled, "Boy, just who are you? Why are you here?"

The tension in the room was now overbearing, Usa could feel the agitated emotions swirling about Rei's father but it was nothing compared to the palpable fear and rage that cloaked the King of Mars.

Usa shuddered to think of how Lugh would have reacted had Rei's grandfather not allowed him to stay. Usa had whispered to her parents the identity of the stranger. Usa had to stop her mother from speaking to him, when she wanted to offer her condolences and good wishes. When it came to his sister, Lugh was not one of the most rational individuals.

When he failed to get a response, Hino-sama stormed over to the apparent boy and grabbed his right shoulder to force him to face him only quickly jerk his hand back with a painful yelp.

Usa started to rise, ready to intercede, but stopped at the sound of Rei's grandfather's voice.

"Hiro, you offend your daughter's honour by attempting to antagonize the one person who would willing sacrifice the world for her."

"Who is he then?" Hiro demanded as whirled on his father. "Another alien from her past life? Is this her lover or her husband?"

"No, I am neither." Lugh nearly spat at the mortal he hated. "I am her only family and she is mine. I am Ares, King of Mars and brother of Princess Brighid."

Hiro and his wife stared in shock at the handsome youth who they could now see bore a striking resemblance to Rei. He had the same dark red hair, violet eyes, and delicate features wrapped in porcelain.

Before anyone could speak Marie appeared at the entrance and told them they could see the girls.

Usa moved through each of the rooms to visit with and reconnect with her Senshi, moving first Lita, Ami, and Alex before going to see Rei, who had her family. When she arrived outside her friend's door she could here the angry voices of Rei's father and Lugh.

Usa glanced into the room with a weary sigh. Lugh was seated on Rei's bed, their fingers were intertwined and Usa's friend seemed to be sleeping peacefully despite the verbal war that was going on around her.

Lugh was not going to move and the look in his dark eyes promised pain for the arrogant statesman if he did not get the hell away from his sister and just left them alone.

Rei's stepmother felt that they had done their duty and more than ready to leave. Her husband was being stubborn. Eventually she got her husband to see he way and together, with Rei's grandfather, the pair left leaving Lugh alone with his sister.

Then there was silence. Lugh was just seated on the bed, staring blankly at the far wall. He was still tense as a cat on fence but he was trying to relax. His long nightmare was finally over. Brighid was with him and she was safe. She was here and he would make sure that they were never apart again.

Lugh took a deep breath as he rubbed his free hand over his face. He looked down at their conjoined hands for a long moment before he kicked off his trainers and stretched out behind the sleeping girl.

Tenderly, he shifted Rei around until her body faced his. Lugh was careful as he tucked the delicate girl under his chin, using his slightly larger body to hide her from the world.

"Meus Brighid," he whispered sleepily as his hold tightened on the girl in his arms as if he was afraid she would be torn from him again.

Usa was still upset with the idiot for going behind her back with Darien or for implying that motivation behind her actions was lust among other things, but she would never mad about him wanting to be with his sister.

Quietly as she could, Usa closed the door on the Martian twins, giving them this moment of peace. This maybe the last time any of them would have it.