Deterioration by Vipaka

Dawn

A tapping sound pulled Ami's attention from the chart she was drawing up. Ignoring it, she tried to focus back on the webbed pattern that was emerging, only for the tapping to grow more insistent. Distracted, she looked up annoyed, trying to find the source. A dark shape was at the edge of her kitchen window, rattling it. Her apartment was on the fifth floor, so her curiosity as to what could climb this high up led her to investigate the sound. She couldn't focus on her work with it making a ruckus, anyways.

As she flipped on the kitchen light, she saw a familiar form was perched on the precariously thin sill. "Luna!" Rushing over, she opened the latch and let the cat climb through to the safety of solid footing. Luna looked like a stray, caked in mud and filth. Ami was already suspicious of the feline's prolonged absence, but her appearance here at her apartment rather than Usagi's..."What are you doing here?" She didn't want to believe Luna could be the source of the betrayal Rei had mentioned, but if she were, Ami was not about to be caught off guard.

Luna was watching her with her usual detached poise, despite her feral condition. "It wasn't safe for me to go back. I knew if I came here, even if he followed me it wouldn't matter." Luna pulled back on her haunches as if she were going to jump onto the counter like usual but Ami brought up both her hands to stop her.

"Luna, stop! You're covered in mud, at least stay on the ground until I put something down. I eat in here..." Ami moved to get a washcloth, before setting it down on the counter. "What do you mean it wasn't safe? Who is following you?"

Luna looked on edge at the prospect of a bath, but she relented to Ami's compromise, jumping up onto the towel. She curled up, still watching Ami's face intently. "I wasn't sure who to trust. I knew out of all the girls, you would be too careful to be exposed to it." Ami felt her stomach drop out, her lingering doubts and the diagram she had drafted coming to the forefront of her mind.

"Exposed to what?" Luna looked uneasy and it did nothing to help Ami's unsettled nerves.

"The 'polymorph', that is what you're calling it isn't it? The polymorph's toxin." Ami couldn't help but feel relieved that Luna hadn't confirmed her fears, even if her response did incur a whole host of new worries. The idea that the polymorph material was toxic was something that hadn't even occurred to her, and it wasn't verifiable without chemical analysis. And since that was unsafe with the regenerative properties, it was out of the question. She would have to trust Luna's knowledge. "Artemis was hit with its attack early on, so I tried not to go anywhere where he might show up."

"Like central control," Ami supplied, already trying to piece together the puzzle even though she knew she was still missing parts."You weren't there when I went to research that night of the first encounter."

Luna nodded. "I don't know if Artemis was exposed to it or not." She sounded absolutely distraught, and despite Ami's reservations to trusting the cat, she couldn't help but empathize with her obvious pain. "He still had quite a bit of hide after the blast. Makoto though..." Luna closed her eyes. "She fell into the sludge, and endured a direct hit at the last battle."

"You were at all the battles then?"

"Only those two. I had another mission between them." Before Ami could ask for further details on this other mission, Luna continued. "Its hard to believe Makoto escaped unchanged. However, given what happened with her baby, I hardly think it fair to say one way or another." Luna rested her head on her paws. "I can't tell whether or not Rei or Minako have been exposed either, they've both been dealing with too much trauma in their everyday lives for me to be a fair judge. It wasn't safe to go to any of them."

"What about Usagi-chan or the outer senshi? Usagi's family has taken care of you for years now, and the outer senshi only participated in the last fight and none of them were anywhere near the polymorph."

"The outer senshi were not in Tokyo until a few nights ago, and even then it has never been wise to involve them in inner senshi affairs. If any of you had been subjected to the toxin, it's likely they would have concluded that you be removed from the team, through force if necessary." Luna let out a sigh, "That has always been their way."

"Are they wrong to take that stance? You aren't willing to believe in us either," Ami knew she was being abrasive, but Luna still had many questions to answer before she was going to accept the cat's explanation.

"Yes. The polymorph toxin may be dangerous but their solution would be permanent." her tone was steely, and it hit Ami that Luna was implying something more sinister than she'd first assumed. She swallowed to wet her dry throat before speaking.

"Why did you come to me though, if there is a chance I've been infected?" Luna looked disinterested, but Ami continued, "I did take home a sample of the polymorph to study." Luna shook her head.

"You've endured the least of the disturbing events in the past week, and you have not shown any aberrations in your normal behavior. I think it's fair to say you have not been compromised." Luna raised her head back up. "Among other reasons." Ami didn't like the superior air Luna kept putting on, but she ignored it to get an answer to her biggest fear.

She held her breath. "And Usagi?"

"Usagi..." Luna closed her eyes again, "has changed," she finally admitted. Ami's throat tightened up, but she forced herself to release the air she'd been holding. "I don't know enough about the polymorphs to say exactly how or when, but she isn't herself." Luna's attitude had evaporated with the statement, now she looked helpless. "I was hoping you might know something." Ami clamped down on her concern for Usagi and nodded. So Luna's other reasons for visiting Ami and not the others were because of her research the enemy, she mused. Instead of feeling used, Ami felt a bit of pride beneath her dread.

"Is the toxin treatable?" Ami didn't dare to expect a positive response.

"Not that I know of."

It occurred to Ami as she gathered up her notes that she still didn't have an answer as to what mission had kept Luna preoccupied for the past week. "Luna," Ami put the notes down beside the cat, who immediately began to read over them. "Who is following you?" Luna looked up, and then focused back on the notes.

"Have you been watching the news lately Ami?" Ami had the decency to blush. She'd been too busy with everything else to keep up with worldly interaction, and that included reading the paper or watching the news.

"No. What's happened?"

"I thought not. There has been a serial killer loose in Tokyo for at least two months now, and he is systematically picking off convicted felons at record pace." Ami's eyes widened. "At first, I passed it off as just another string of crime, but..." Luna stopped, choosing her words, "it was too organized. There were too many people being killed too quickly, and all with the same characteristics. It had to be either a group of killers, or one methodical mastermind. I decided to look further into it, to see if it was a new threat to the senshi." Ami was disturbed by the conversation, this sounded like something better left to the police. Her interest in the results of the investigation won out.

"What did you find?" She already regretted the question, no answer Luna could give her would be good enough to placate the images her imagination was supplying.

"I found the murderer." Luna let out a tiny smile at her triumph, before dropping it again. "I followed him, and at first I don't think he noticed my presence at all. But by the third day, he was definitely aware that I had been following him. He has more power than a human should, and I believe he sensed me tailing him. I don't know what he thinks of me, but after that I had to give up my pursuit. It was too risky. If he caught me, I have no doubt he would have killed me like the others." Ami shivered.

"Who is it?" Ami whispered, not wanting to know, but wondering why Luna hadn't already leaked an anonymous tip to the police.

"Its better that you don't know," Luna said, shaking her head. "I don't know the extent of his powers, but he is extremely dangerous. Its almost a guarantee that he will become a concern for the senshi if his powers continue to manifest as they have been. However, the polymorph's toxin is a more pressing problem, especially if Usagi is infected." Ami hated hearing that Usagi might be involved, but she had to agree with Luna's analysis that she had been acting strangely.

"There is something else, and I think this should take priority" Ami said, rifling through the notes to the bottom where she'd begun her web diagram. "Take a look at this."

Luna skimmed the contents of the scans and side notes Ami had assimilated, then pasted together on this one paper. Her eyes widened as she saw the emerging pattern. "We need to call a meeting."

Tapping the all call on her communicator, Ami waited until everyone's faces were visible on the screen. Rei appeared better than she had yesterday, but Makoto looked exhausted. Usagi and Minako looked like they'd just woken up. "Senshi meeting, today. Be there at noon." Collectively, they nodded. Ami turned back to face Luna.

"What should we do in the meantime?" Luna glanced at the clock.

"Try to find a cure, and pray we make it in time."

"For which problem first?"

"Either. Both. We need to find some way to keep this from spreading."

Ami felt trepidation creeping in again. "And if we can't?"

Luna gave her a grave look. "Then we'll need a miracle."

oOoOoOo

The girls sat in their usual circle at the temple, and everyone was here now that it was twenty minutes past noon. Mamoru had omitted attending this meeting to study for the MCATs, with the promise from Ami that he would be told everything later. Artemis was snoring like a fog horn from his position on a seating cushion, and it served to ease some of the tension in the room. Everyone's eyes were on Ami and she felt the pressure of it like being held underwater for too long.

Clearing her throat, she tried to think of the best way to approach the reality she had uncovered. It needed to be addressed before returning to polymorph business and Luna's reappearance, but she didn't want to dive directly into such a huge announcement. "I'm sorry to have missed the last fights," she said, licking her lips, "But I was focused on this discovery. Did any of you ever wonder why the people who were attacked were always close to us, physically or literally?"

"Life's a bitch." Minako's voice was flippant but her eyes held a distant pain. Makoto gave her a sideways glance, but said nothing.

"Hey, she got it right that time," Rei prodded. Minako stuck her tongue out in retaliation.

Ami gave a disapproving nod. "I've been scanning our battles for years, and I can now say definitively that we," she paused for emphasis "are the cause of the misfortune to those around us."

"What?" Rei hissed, shooting a glance at Makoto who had raised a hand to her barren midsection. Rei wasn't sure the others knew yet, but from Minako's guilty shifting eyes, Rei guessed that she at least did. Without her second sight, she wouldn't have known. "What do you mean we're the cause?"

Ami swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Our powers, our energy," she reached over and dipped her smallest finger into her cup of tea, waiting a moment for it to stop dripping before raising her hand. "It may not actively be visible but it surrounds and follows each of us like a protective shell. When we come in contact with someone who does not possess such a barrier," she raised her ring finger to brush against her pinky, watching as the liquid moved to the side of her second finger, "some of it is transferred onto them. Not only does our energy attract attention from our enemies, but the energy itself acts like a poison, eating away at their health. Over a long length of exposure, it can be detrimental."

"How can we possibly stop something like that?" Makoto whispered, with her face ashen as she stared down at the floor. "WE are the enemy!"

"It's not just that," Ami continued, the other girls turned more horrified and disbelieving looks at her.

"How much worse can it possibly get?" muttered Rei under her breath. Minako nodded silent agreement.

From her unseen vantage point on Mercury's communicator screen, Luna gave Ami and encouraging nod, urging her to continue as she took a shuddering breath. Luna was staying as far away from the others as she could, and so far no one had noticed her listening in on the meeting. "When someone we've been in contact with recently comes in contact with someone else," she raised her thumb to brush her ring finger where the tea was, "it goes on to further contaminate them. And..." she took another shaky breath, "People who we have been in close quarters with for most our lives," she lowered her hand, her eyes misting, "our energy traces on them don't fade away over time anymore. They become permanent, and anyone who they come into contact with will be infected."

"Our families and friends," Usagi finally spoke, her voice ripe with despair, "we are what's killing them."

Ami shook her head, tears leaking down her cheeks, "No, Usagi, we might as well have already killed them. With the exception of Rei's father, all of our families have already absorbed too much of our energy, and even our friends have begun to show symptoms of energy poisoning. Motoki was next door to my mother in the ICU at Tokyo General."

Makoto had a lost look in her eyes, her body still motionless. She swallowed down her nausea and whispered, "It really was my fault then...and it won't be the last. I'll never be able to have a child." She closed dry eyes, still unmoving. Usagi turned rounded eyes on her, surprised by the admission, but Ami had a look of confirmed knowledge. "None of us can ever have a family."

A pall of silence descended over them.

"Wait a second," said Rei, suddenly angry. "What about Chibi-Usa? We know she exists in the future and that she is Usagi's daughter. How is that possible if being exposed to Usagi's energy will poison and kill her while she's still in the womb?" Ami shifted, wiping her eyes and gathering her composure again.

"Maybe there is a cure or a prevention mechanism for this in the future. It's also possible that the healing properties of the Ginzuishou heal her during Usagi's pregnancy." Usagi's eyes fixed on Ami. "There is a third possibility but..."

Minako cut her off, "But what? If there is another way to keep our loved ones alive, out with it!"

"Our energy levels are highest when we transform, and use our most powerful attacks. If we gave up our powers-" Rei jumped up from the table, knocking her tea over.

"Are you insane? Then what?" she was seething, her rage barely contained. All the pent up aggression from her grandfather's early death and Yuuichirou's unexplained coma was exploding forth and she could do nothing to control her rising temper. Her form shook with the force of her emotions, "We leave Usagi unprotected while Tokyo is blown to bits? How can you even suggest that?"

Ami stared up at her brokenly, "What else can we do? Just because your grandfather is already dead doesn't mea-" a resounding slap echoed off the walls. Ami raised a hand to her stinging cheek.

"Don't you dare." Rei's fists were clenched at her sides, dark hair framing her like a cobra's hood. "Don't even try to compare the death of your own loved ones to the death of Usagi. If she dies, the world dies. We all knew that as senshi we'd be forced to make sacrifices and just because I've already paid mine," Rei snarled, "doesn't give you the right to throw it in my face." Ami raised hurt eyes to watch as Rei stormed from the room, ripping the new paper door off its panel as she slammed it behind her.

Minako stood up, placing a consoling hand on Ami's vacant shoulder and shooting her an apologetic look before rushing after Rei.

"I..." Ami lowered her hand from her cheek, face unreadable, "I didn't deserve that."

"She's in more pain than us," Usagi said, eyes shadowed. "She's already lost a loved one, and now she knows she's going to lose another."

oOoOoOo

Minako approached Rei with caution, making sure to put pressure on the floorboards so they would creak. She wasn't about to sneak up on Rei after her outburst. Rei's shoulders stiffened when the wood whined.

"Leave," said Rei, but her voice was raspy from crying and Minako heard it.

"No." She came up beside Rei, who stood on the back porch of the shrine, leaning against the railing. They stood in silence for a minute, watching the wind move through the trees. The shrine had always had a calming atmosphere, and the wind helped Rei dry her damp cheeks.

"It was unnecessary," Rei confessed, clenching the hand she'd slapped Ami with. "I shouldn't have done it, but she just kept going on about how it's our fault and I kept remembering my grandfather's last words..."

Minako listened, unwilling to pry but ready to break the silence if Rei closed herself off again.

"He told me, 'I want you to know that whatever it is, I forgive you, and I love you very much.' I thought he meant about my hiding being a senshi..." she lowered her head, hair obscuring her face. "But now I know that I do not deserve his forgiveness, for anything. I'm the one who made him sick." she raised her eyes to Phobos and Deimos who were sitting in a nearby tree.

Minako waited a beat before speaking. "Whether he knew or not, he would have forgiven you regardless. He loved you Rei, and I know he would be chiding you for thinking this way about yourself."

Rei let out a short puff of air that might have turned into a laugh if she had let it. "He would." Another minute passed while they watched the sun hover in the sky.

Rei let out a sigh, finally turning to face Minako. "I miss him so much-" Minako enveloped her in a hug, cutting her off.

"I know, I miss him too." She held the stunned girl another few seconds before releasing her. "I even miss him trying to look up my skirts." Rei smiled with a small laugh escaping.

"He was always such a pervert..." Her smile softened, and her posture slouched while she hung her head. "I shouldn't have slapped Ami."

"And I'm sure when you tell her that, she'll forgive you too." Minako smiled. "But you should hurry, before she leaves."

oOoOoOo

"We should wait for them, before we talk about the rest," Ami said. Before she could continue, a thin layer of mist seeped out from beneath the broken door. It thickened and began spilling out from behind the other doors as well.

On instant alert, Ami and Makoto reached for their transformation wands, moving closer to Usagi.

"I'll take those," came a smooth cadence from behind the mist before a familiar figure emerged.

"Pluto!" Usagi breathed a sigh of relief, the other girls relaxing as well. Perplexed, Usagi frowned, "Take what?"

She gave her trademark mysterious smile, opening the hand not holding her staff to reveal its previously unnoticed contents. "I've come to offer a trade," in her hand glittered the original transformation pens of Sailor Mercury and Jupiter.

"With those, we won't be able to do our strongest attacks," Ami mumbled, her expression a mix of guilt and resolve. "Why did I not think of that?"

"You will still be able to perform your strongest attacks, but at a reduced energy output level." Sailor Pluto watched the distrust flicker in Makoto's eyes, knowing she was still wary.

"Won't that make our attacks weaker?" Makoto asked.

"No," she said.

Ami spoke up before Makoto could blurt something rude to Sailor Pluto, who remained unfazed. "Our attacks are based mostly on planetary elemental control, not raw energy expenditure. The only person whose attacks are directly correlated to her power levels is Usagi, and her attacks are largely purification attacks that heal the target." Makoto still looked disgruntled, but she crossed her arms and remained silent. "What about the Sailor Planet attack, or lending powers with Usagi?"

"Those will be consequently reduced," Pluto admitted without shame in her tone. "You will have to rely more on your ability as warriors to compensate for the loss."

Ami nodded while Makoto still looked like she wanted to bark something foul. Usagi noticed it too and she put a restraining arm on Makoto's knee. Reaching forward, Ami dropped her Super transformation rod into Pluto's palm while taking her unadorned wand back from her. Makoto let out a sigh before following suit.

"I still think you should have helped us with Metallia," Makoto said, putting her old wand back into her subspace pocket, "But you probably had your reasons." Pluto gave her another knowing smile. "And now I have an excuse to force these shrimps come to Muay Thai lessons with me."

"What?" said Ami, turning wide eyes onto Makoto. "She never said we had to do that!"

"Yeah well how else are we supposed to improve our technique as warriors?"

"I was planning upon improving my visor so that I can analyze data faster at a battle and come up with attack formation strategies..." Ami confessed, shifting slightly. "Not train in martial arts."

"Psht," Makoto waved her off, noticing Usagi was covering her laughter with her hands. "Hey don't think you're off the hook just because you're the one we're guarding!"

"Hah! I am because I can still match my original power level," Usagi crowed, grinning. "There there, Ami, I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Well Usagi, you may be able to perform at the same skill level for energy but with your entire guard functioning on less, you will also need to improve on your ability as a soldier." Ami laughed at the face Usagi gave her. "Which reminds me, have you already given these wands to the other two...?" Ami trailed off when she noticed Sailor Pluto had vanished back into the mists.

"How does she do that?" Usagi marveled, watching the mist retreat from the room.

oOoOoOo

When Minako and Rei turned to head back inside they found company behind them. "Sailor Pluto!" Minako smiled in greeting. Rei gave a weaker reciprocation, although she didn't register surprise as Minako had.

"I'm here to exchange your wands," Pluto extended their original transformation pens towards them. "The others will explain why it is essential."

Shrugging her shoulders, Minako pulled hers from her subspace pocket dropping it into Pluto's hand while Rei did the same. "What, no ominous words about the future?" Minako teased. They both took the proffered wands from Pluto.

"Not today." Pluto gave Rei a genuine look of empathy, and Rei saw there was something else glittering in her eyes; something akin to forlorn tragedy. "I'm sorry for your loss." Rei nodded.

Raising her staff above her head, the garnet orb began to glow as a stream of light shown down through the roof where a warp had opened up. The light swallowed the senshi before their eyes.

"She has got to teach me how to do that."

As they reentered the foyer room, Rei caught Ami's gaze. Ami was trying to hide her emotions, Rei could tell, but her second sight let her see them as plain as if Ami were a child. Bending over where she sat, Rei kept eye contact with her. "I'm sorry Ami, I shouldn't have done that."

Ami nodded, but she didn't smile. "It's fine."

"It's not fine. I shouldn't have attacked the messenger, I've just been a wreck since grandpa died, and with Yuuichirou being..." Rei trailed off. "I'm sorry Ami."

"Really, it's fine," Ami repeated. Her voice was flat, and Rei didn't buy it for a minute, but Ami continued. "We have other things to discuss. Now that we have a solution to the danger of subjecting others to exposure from powers, we have another problem to address: I came across some information earlier this morning, and I have reason to suspect the material polymorphs are composed of may be toxic to humans."

Makoto's eyes were like saucers. "You mean...?"

"Your miscarriage may have been a direct result of your refusal to remove yourself from battle during your pregnancy," Ami deadpanned. Makoto looked like she'd just been sucker-punched.

"Whether it was because of your powers as Sailor Jupiter, or your slip into the black fluid that first night, it is probable that if you had agreed to stop fighting, the baby might still alive." Ami put her hand out to cover Makoto's, but the brunette pulled her hand away before she could make contact.

Makoto wrapped her arms around herself, moaning softly. "Noo..." Minako put an arm around her, and Makoto made no move to shy away. Ami lowered her head to hide the flash of hurt on her face.

"This toxin...were we all poisoned?" Rei was eager to use this opportunity as an excuse to write off her vision. It had been an ever present torment to her since she'd first seen those cruel violet eyes.

"I cannot say. It is likely that anyone who was in contact with the 'invisibility cells' of the polymorph's epithelial tissue, or the liquid inside of it, has been infected."

"What should I do?" Makoto looked worried as she pushed Minako away. "Am I going to make rest of you sick?"

"I don't have any details on the toxin, and it's too dangerous for me to try and get them from the sample of the polymorph I have. For now, I want to keep scan records on everyone, to make sure nothing drastic happens." Everyone nodded.

"What about the outers?" Usagi asked. It didn't escape Rei's attention that Usagi did not ask about Mamoru.

"I'll do everything I can to reach them," Ami promised. "But right now the best thing we can do is try to keep ourselves out of proximity to the polymorphs. As best we can. Were there any changes to the polymorphs at the last battles?"

"How did you know?" Minako looked stunned by the question.

"The first polymorph was only a meter or so in height but the second was massive, so I thought maybe the last two polymorphs were equally huge."

Minako shook her head, "They weren't bigger, but they were faster. The third one was like a starfish-thing, and the last one was human-looking."

"That's not good." Ami pulled out her compact, rapidly inputting data. Luna was scrunching up her face in annoyance at having to endure the loud clacking right next to the microphone of the communicator.

"I'll need more information to get a full grasp of things, but it looks like the polymorphs may be evolving at an accelerated rate."

"Evolving how?" Rei asked, wary of the answer.

"Changing to match their opponent's ability," Ami said, "Or even surpass them."

"You're right, that isn't good." Artemis agreed, only having just awoken. "Do we have a countermeasure?"

Ami looked crestfallen. "No. We still don't even have a motive for their attacks, or an origin point."

"This is hopeless," Makoto kept her face lowered. "We don't even know what we're fighting or where it came from, but its getting stronger. And on top of that, we're radioactive to everyone around us!"

"Well not radioactive exactly-" Ami began.

"I'm sick of waiting." Usagi stood up. "We've been waiting for the attacks to happen, I think its about time we took the fight to them."

"We don't even know where they're coming from, Odango," Rei pointed out.

"We know we're the reason people close to us are being hospitalized. We could start there. Heal the ones we've hurt, at the very least…"

"Brilliant plan," Rei drawled, "You go and heal everyone with the Ginzuishou, possibly die doing it, and then we'll come to collect the corpse of our strongest warrior after you're done. Its genius, we can skip right to the part where we all die fighting without you."

Usagi glared at Rei, "We have to do something! Its our fault they're like this in the first place…I could heal them without dying too, I know it!"

"Are you deaf or just really stupid? I said that plan isn't an option." Rei stood up to argue face to face with Usagi.

"And your word is law, is it?" For an instant Rei could swear Usagi's eyes flashed red in her anger.

"My word is that we're not sending you out to DIE just because you feel bad that our powers have hurt people. Don't you get it, you're the one we're suppose to protect!"

"I get it, alright! You'd rather wait 'til everyone we love dies than let me risk healing them. Well surprise, it isn't up to you!"

"Usagi, I don't think it's a good id-" Rei cut Ami off midsentence.

"You're right, I would let Tokyo burn if it kept you from throwing your life away like this. Without you, this entire world is doomed. But you know if you're so determined to kill yourself, then who am I to stop you! I may even have a knife around here you can use!"

Usagi's eyes watered at the barb but she stood her ground. "I'm through with sitting and waiting for the next attack, do what you want but don't bother including me! I'm going to put an end to this!" With that she turned and sped out of the temple.

"Fine by me!" Rei screamed after her.

"Rei-chan…" Ami whispered.

"What!" Rei snapped, eyes burning with unshed tears. "Don't tell me you agree with that idiot."

"I don't agree with her, but I don't agree with you either. You didn't need to tell her so harshly…"

"Yes, I did." Rei sat back down, folding her hands in her lap. "Better she hear it now than do something she'll regret later."

"You need to apologize." Minako ordered.

"Oh no, not you too!" Rei held up an exasperated hand to cover her eyes. "She's so dense sometimes… she needs someone willing to beat the truth into her head."

"But driving her away won't help anyone." Ami's quiet voice rang louder than all of Rei's screaming had.

A long minute of silence passed over the girls.

Finally Minako spoke up. "I have a bad feeling about all of this."

Makoto nodded. "Me too. Someone should go after her."

Rei fumed in silence as all the eyes in the room focused on her. She stayed in resolute silence until the pressure of their stares got to her. "Ugh! Fine, I'll go fetch her." Standing up, she turned to leave.

The beeping of Ami's compact stopped her. "What now?"

Ami's eyes were as wide as saucers as she skimmed the readings. "We're already too late." She looked up at the others. "She's doing it."

oOoOoOo

She reached the hospital before the other girls. She knew it wouldn't be long until Ami arrived to visit her mother, or Rei came to check on Yuuichirou, or any of them caught up to her after her impromtu exit. The hospital would be closed to visitors in a few hours, and it was already late in the afternoon. She only had precious minutes before Mamoru would feel what she was doing and rush here as well. And she knew that once anyone else got here, they would do everything they could to try and stop her.

Stepping into the main lobby on the ground floor, Usagi asked the receptionist if there were a restroom nearby. After being directed to it, she closed and locked the door. There would only be one chance for her to try this, and given the stakes she needed to get it right the first time. If she failed...well, she didn't want to think about it, but since this was her fault to begin with, she would gladly give her life to fix it, even partway. With the original transformation wands in the hands of all the other girls, she knew that this tragedy would not repeat itself. Her family was the only one who might remain in danger, and if this worked, they would be safe too. Reaching inside herself, Usagi summoned the Ginzuishou.

She could already feel Mamoru reacting through the soul bond, panicked and desperate. She shut him out, concentrating on her goal. With her mind, she spread her aura out to encompass the entire hospital. The Ginzuishou shone like a small star on her chest, its light expanding as she reached for more and more power to cover the building. She could feel the power straining; her link to the crystal wasn't strong enough for her to put out anymore power without risking death. Even before she activated it, she doubted the likelihood of her own survival. She commanded the crystal to use its healing properties. At first it resisted her like a petulant child, pulsing in time to her heart but refusing to heed to her, but she plead with it; begged it until it responded to her request.

Its light careened outwards like a supernova, wrapping around the building, and everyone in it.

Hospital staff, patients and visitors alike all froze as it touched them, responding like animals to a sound in the distance.

Usagi was no exception, and the Ginzuishou's power washed over her like a wave, pleasant to the touch and soothing to the aching she was experiencing from pressing the limits of her own life's energy. The outer radius of her power alerted her to Mamoru's presence. He was inside the building now, rushing towards her location. Her momentary distraction from the healing affects of the crystal was lost with that knowledge, and she immediately went back to focusing on her task.

She could feel the souls of everyone in the building, like constellations within this sea of stars. Some were shining brighter than others, but she worked on replenishing all of them equally. It would take more energy to single out and focus on the few she needed to heal than to extend the same courtesy to everyone in the hospital, anyways. She could hear a banging noise on the edge of her awareness, somewhere back in the body of Usagi. But right now she was a goddess wielding this mystical power like a force of nature, and despite the pain it was wracking her body with, she needed to finish this.

Two floors up, Dr. Mizuno felt her body stop shivering. She felt, oddly at peace with this unnatural warmth that was seeping through her. Looking to the side, she saw the man in the bed next to her was no longer a mass of blood and burnt skin, but a young blonde. They stared at each other in confused rapture, oblivious to everything but the vitality now within them.

Yuuichirou opened his eyes from the coma, and found himself disoriented by his relocation to a hospital bed. Looking down, he saw that his hands were no longer singed and raw, but smooth and bronze, as they were two months ago. A few yards away, three members of the Tsukino family were sleeping peacefully after a night of restless tossing.

In the bathroom stall, Usagi had her eyes wide open, jaw slack and limbs trembling from the sensory overload. Her outfit was ancient, a white garment from a millennia long past, with pearls strung around her skin like tattoos.

Mamoru threw his weight into the door of the stall. Everyone around him was still too dazed from the crystal's energy to notice the dark-haired man attempting to rip through the metal door of the lady's room. He slammed into it again with a vengeance. With a loud bang the door surrendered, crashing to the floor and knocking the woman behind it down underneath it.

Ripped from her higher plane, Usagi tumbled back into her body end over end. When she landed, she could feel the acid under her skin just as clearly as the door on top of her. It burned her from the inside out, and she whimpered in pain, unaware of the arms pulling her out from underneath the door, holding her up. The crystal still held itself in front of her, still twinkling with its former radiant light.

Outside, people were befuddled, still standing in a daze. The few that had gathered their wits were too awed by the miraculous recovery around them, or in some cases, in themselves, to pay attention to the couple.

Mamoru was crying, Usagi could hear him now. He was calling her name in a mantra, rocking her back and forth and telling her she was a beautiful idiot. Usagi felt too light-headed and tired to speak, but she opened up large blue eyes to see him one last time. Her final thought before she faded into night was how she was definitely going to forgive him if she came out of this alive.

The crystal spasmed as it attempted to re-enter her body, before finally stilling in its spirals above her chest.

The light of the Ginzuishou, which had been glowing like a myriad of fireflies went out like a dying light bulb. Unlike previous times when Usagi had used the Ginzuishou, where the light faded to nothing and left a crystalline flower, shadows fell over the crystal, driving away the last glimmer of light. They refracted off its surface, but did not enter the crystal that now looked more like glass rather than the jewel it was.

A curtain fell over Usagi's body, still encased within Mamoru's arms. Her skin was slippery, and her clothes were melting off as though they had been made with butter. Feeling the heat radiating up through his arms, Mamoru released her, watching in confusion as she transformed.

Her body rippled, hair buried beneath fragments of her destroyed dress. When it steadied again, Usagi had physically changed. She stood up, unharmed, and turned to look at Mamoru who still sat crouched on the floor of the tiny stall.

She looked like a fallen angel. Her figure was curvaceous and short, her hair made of unbound glistening gold and her skin pale. Her outfit was simple and yet ancient, a semi-transparent dress that curled in on her form. It went down to her ankles, where her feet rested bare. The crystal still floated at her chest, loyal but unresponsive, with its light gone. All her ornaments had slid off with her gown, and now rested in piles and puddles by her sides.

It was her eyes that betrayed her.

They were hollow, devoid of warmth. Crimson irises guarded flickering shadows of pupils, which moved with unnatural life in the depth of her deadened gaze. Insanity lurked beneath those eyes, guarded only by thick black lashes. Closer inspection revealed her skin to glow with ethereal power, along with the presence of sharpened tips to her canines, poisoning her otherwise beautiful smile. If anything, it was a demon lurking in the guise of an angel. It was hard to distinguish where the demon began and the façade ended.

Usagi's perfect lips parted and she spoke in a voice too sultry to be her own. "Writhe for me."

Mamoru's world shattered with the pain. His body was convulsing, in his mind he was screaming but the pain was so intense no sound escaped. A demented smile came to this new Usagi's face, as she funneled hot agony out through her hands. The steam bursts pelted him again and again. Smoke was rising from where his flesh was being burnt off to the bone.

The possessed Usagi stepped outside, gave a bored glance at the many humans gawking at her and moved for the exit, leaving Mamoru behind in critical condition.

What the demon didn't know was that Mamoru's connection to the golden crystal was already healing him. And that this place it had been released into was a hospital.

Even lying crippled on the floor, Mamoru managed to groan out a word.

"Usako..."

His weak gasp went unheard.

She was already long gone.

oOoOoOo

The original Usagi awoke to find herself in a dark void, trapped within the confines of her own mind. For a moment she pondered if this was the afterlife, before venturing forward. She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill as she walked, looking back and forth in the hope that she might see something pas the blackness. When she smacked into something, she stopped to rub her head and feel the wall in front of her.

Pressing against the nonexistent walls, she found that with effort she could see through her usurper's eyes. It faded in and out like a fever dream, but the glimpses she saw were violent. She wanted to cry out in horror as she watched herself ruthlessly torture Mamoru. There was no sound in this place though, and so she couldn't hear the delighted giggles her other self was releasing. If this was indeed the next world, she was in hell.

She pounded on the barrier, only for something cold and wriggling to wrap itself in a noose around her. Frozen in terror, she tried to fight off the new foe, only for it to coil tighter, until she couldn't move. The pictures in front of her were still playing, but as the restraint pulled her hand away she was cast back into the empty black space. She opened her mouth in a scream, but nothing came out.

And the more she struggled, the more pressure the worming substance pressed down on her.

Wild blue eyes flitted around the abyss, no longer seeing even glimmers of the reality outside it. The cold seeped through her like ice in her veins, passing through her skin and bones until she was trembling from it. Numbness was starting to sink into her limbs, but Usagi rebelled against it, throwing all her strength into another desperate attempt to free herself from her invisible captor.

As her muscle strained, the crawling sensation seemed to stop. She realized too late it was only because she could no longer feel sensation with her skin.

With another thought, she summoned the Ginzuishou. It did not appear.

Again she called for it, but the Ginzuishou was nowhere to be found.

Terrified, defeated, and alone, Usagi felt her mind beginning to suffer from the searing cold as well, her thoughts sluggish and thick. She was so tired, spent from harnessing the power of the Ginzuishou and trying to physically force off this unmovable binding. Closing her eyes, she gave in to the temptation to rest.

oOoOoOo

Usagi found the highest perch she could, and with some effort, brought herself to the top of it. "Such a dirty little place," she cooed, palming a blast of boiling energy before thrusting down onto the buildings below. A pit of destruction opened up where the attack hit, the side of an industrial building resisting with a pained groan before topping sideways into the residential district beside it. Her loose waves of hair billowed out in front of her as she tossed another careless attack down. "Home sweet home." She threw more balls of condensed steam, this time ripping holes into the rail work of Japan's bullet train. The monorail suspended on it lurched forward as the structure collapsed beneath it, crashing into the buildings below.

Reaching out, she wrapped her hands around the steel lattice of the tower, giving it a good shake. "What a nice present," she hummed to herself, swinging her body onto the opposite side of the metal and hooking her feet onto the cross-section of the triangle below it. With a forceful shove, she dislodged the red beam, before yanking it toward herself. As she gripped the loose metal, it bent back under her weight, lurching as another support further down tore itself free. She released another blast into the architecture, burning a hole through the foundation.

With a laugh, Usagi released her hold on the bar, dangling from the tower by her knees, like a child on monkey bars. Tokyo Tower was protesting her swaying with loud moans, the poles of metal falling further down as another support loosened. Strands of blonde drew her eyes downward, towards the wrecked city hundreds of feet below. Smirking, she dislodged one knee from the tower beam, then the other.

Usagi plummeted down.

She spun as she dropped down at frightening speeds, the world pirouetting and zooming up to meet her. She laughed, firing off another steaming burst at the ground to slow her momentum precious seconds before she slammed into the cement. A crater formed from the impact, as if a meteor had fallen instead of a body.

Sucking in a lungful of dust, Usagi picked herself up from the center, brushing herself off and flexing her limbs. "Not bad…" She ground her foot in the cracked concrete, wriggling her toes as she stepped over of the raised circumference she'd created.

"What a rush! I should have done this a long time ago!" Reaching her arms heavenward, Usagi twirled in place, coming to a sudden stop, her gaze narrowed on a distant figure.

Prince Endymion was the first unlucky enough to reach her.

"Usako…" he drew his sword, as a precaution more than a threat.

She frowned at him, croaking out "Mamo…chan…" She took a faltering step towards him, reaching a hand out to his face. Endymion reached up to cup her cheek in response. In that moment, she took advantage of his proximity made a grab for his sword. Before he could register the deception, she had firmly wrapped her hands around the blade, her skin ripping open where it met the edge of the sword.

He yanked the weapon away from her, careful not to rend her fingers. Usagi spun around again, ignoring him as she lost herself in crazed laughter again. She was freely bleeding from both palms, but it was too dark to be blood.

Prince Endymion staggered forward, and the red-eyed woman stopped long enough to see he was no longer alone. Colored warriors were running in to aid him from behind.

"Immune to my charms?" It would have been teasing if Usagi hadn't followed the statement by picking up a rebar, and holding it like one would a spear. "I think you'll enjoy this next trick," before he could think to dodge, Usagi lunged forward, stabbing him through the shoulder. He coughed up blood, falling to his knees. She gave a wicked smile, ripping the weapon from his gaping wound and giving it a twirl. Mamoru let out a throaty yell of pain.

"Usako," he rasped, falling forward face down.

Fetching his sword from its sheath, Usagi raised it to her lips, sliding her tongue across it. She smiled, her eyes glittering with reflected light from the blade. "Tastes just like chicken." Jamming the sword into his side, she left it lodged while she took a step back, licking the spatters of blood off her fingers. "I'll have more fun with you later...if you're still alive." She turned to face the newcomers, a band of familiar girls in pleated skirts of different shades.

Venus did a double take at the figure before her. "Usagi-chan?"

Her expression was purely vicious as she began circling them like a predator. The blue one had rushed forward to check on the man she'd impaled, and was bent over him with a small device. "I don't think we've been introduced," Usagi drawled. "I," she rose on talon-like nail to point at herself, "am me." She let out another giggle. "And you," her eyes narrowed to slits as she hissed "are the bitches who killed my father."

"Your father?" Jupiter threw a confused look to the others. "Who was your father?"

"She is a child of Chaos," the images from her vision were beginning to click together in Mar's mind as she spoke. "You were the one I saw, the betrayer."

"WRONG!" Usagi screamed, hurling a sloppy attack at Mars. "You are the traitors! I am the one who leads you to that dark stream, but I can't force a fool to drink. You blame me for your own inability."

"What are you?" Mars breathed, standing up from her lunge to dodge the attack.

Artemis spoke up from the sidelines, his tone grave "That is Corruption. And she's taken Usagi-chan."

"Give the cat a prize," Usagi taunted, already forming another ball of steam in her hands.

"Is it a parasite then?" Jupiter asked, cracking her knuckles.

"Closer to a possession," Mercury said, scanning the woman even as it mangled her computer's readings.

Jupiter was still tense, lips pressed together. "So how do we snap Usagi out of it?"

"Usagi-chan," Venus pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears at this demented version of her best friend. "Please..."

"Please what?" She wound a strand of blonde hair around her fingers, still watching them like a hawk. "More please?" Before Mars could register the danger with her precognition Usagi was already lunging towards Venus, nails extended while throwing the steam burst at Jupiter.

"How do we do this without endangering the Ginzuishou!" Jupiter shouted as he dodged the attack. Venus wasn't so lucky, and swung a roundhouse at Usagi's head in retaliation for the deep red scratches across her stomach.

"And without hurting Usagi!" Venus added, ducking another attack from Usagi and taking hold of her arm to propel the smaller girl over her shoulder using her forward momentum against her.

"Try a ward, Mars! Everyone else, stick with physical or weak magical attacks! We don't know what might harm the crystal, or Usagi!" Luna had jumped down to stand beside Artemis, both of whom were situated beneath the wrecked tower.

"Ren Pyo..." Rei pulled forth a ward, beginning the incantation to imbue it with holy energy as the others fought.

"Peachy keen," muttered Jupiter as she charged headlong towards the fallen comrade.

"Please, Rei-chan…" Usagi looked at her best friend, eyes wet. "Help me…don't hurt me, please." Mars lowered her ward, looking instead to see if she could read Usagi with her second sight.

In that moment of hesitation, Usagi blew a hole in Mars' shoulder with another orb of boiling power. Mars flinched but endured the pain without screaming.

Usagi devolved into another fit of laughter.

Meanwhile Mercury had her compact out, but it was difficult to determine the extent of Endymion's injury while she was focused on not turning her back to the threat before her; the threat that was her best friend. Compounding this, it was a challenge trying to make sense of the wild readings she was getting from her scanners every time they picked up Usagi's energy. It was like an antimagnetic field, or a computer virus, and every few seconds her screen would scramble and then reorder itself. Frustrated, she set it down on the ground, tearing off the bow of her uniform and wadding it up. Putting pressure down on the gaping wound on his shoulder, Mamoru groaned in pain, shifting to try and get away from her. "None of that," she said, pushing him back with her elbow. "Just be still, you'll lose too much blood." Even without her computer, Ami could tell that Mamoru's golden crystal was already healing his body by the glowing shell that was stuck a few centimeters above his skin. "Stay awake," she ordered, keeping one hand firmly on the bow's fabric while she ripped off her collar with her free hand. With some effort, she managed to loop it over his head and under his opposite arm, effectively holding the bow in place while she moved to work on the injury on his side.

Sailor Mars was brandishing a ward, and Jupiter was already moving around to try and get a hit in on her blind side. Venus managed to call out "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" It was a strong attack, but she knew Usagi would dodge it even with their close proximity. The uppercut kick she received from Jupiter was a surprise, and she staggered forward from the blow. And as she did, Mars hurled the ward at her, where it stuck to her forehead.

Momentarily stunned, Usagi stood still like a statue. Sailor Venus pressed their advantage and called for her chain, wrapping it around the imposter.

Usagi was snarling then, straining and wriggling to try and loosen the binding. Venus tightened her grip, using her full strength to keep a hold of the demon.

"Why isn't the ward working?" She asked, feeling her wrists beginning to ache.

"It's not a simple demon possession," shouted Luna, who was safely watching from her perch on a nearby telephone pole. "Usagi's been poisoned over the past week, she's weaker than ever. We'll have to weaken the demon, before attempting to free Usagi; otherwise we won't stand a chance at bringing her back." Usagi was begging for release now, pleading with them in the demon's version of Usagi's voice. Jupiter seemed hesitant to perform anymore physical attacks on her best friend, but Mars was not about to fall for the same ruse twice.

She had to be sure though, so she looked to Mercury, who was still guarding the prone form of Mamoru. "Is this the only way to stop it?" Mercury was still struggling to get her computer readouts to stay in place on her screen, but she nodded.

With that, Mars summoned up the power of fire from within her, "Mars...Flame," She pulled up the arrow that had materialized in front of her, aiming at Usagi's shoulder a few inches above the darkened crystal that still lingered by her chest. Usagi was desperate to be released, and Mars could tell by the grimace on Venus' face that she wouldn't be able to hold her for much longer. Eyes locked on her wide-eyed target, Mars prayed to all the deities she held sacred that she wouldn't miss.

"SNIPER!" She loosed the arrow, which barreled forward, wreathed in flame. Seconds ticked by like hours.

The projectile collided with Usagi's upper arm, and she let out a bestial roar of rage. With a mighty lurch, she ripped free of the chain, which sent Venus spiraling into a building. A thick black substance, what Mercury would later declare to be the same as the polymorphs, was oozing from the wound in place of blood. Mars felt like she was going to be sick at the aura coming off her friend, it was more evil than Mistress Nine had ever been.

"That one," Usagi gritted as she tore the shaft of the arrow out of her shoulder with a grunt. "will cost you," she finished, dark promise in her words.

"Flank her!" Venus shouted, picking herself back up from the side of a tourist shop she'd been thrown through.

"Looks like now isn't the best time for speeches." All heads turned to the new arrivals.

"You're right, love. Seems like we have a mess to clean up." Sailor Neptune struck her usual pose, pulling forth her aqua mirror as she did.

"That's what you said last night," Uranus quipped, sword in hand. Pluto and Saturn stood resolute behind them, both holding their talismans at the ready.

Venus and Mars were already surrounding Usagi, with Jupiter in front of her and the crumpled form of Mamoru and Mercury still a few yards to the side.

"You think outnumbering her will be enough?" taunted Usagi. "You're all just dirty little girls. Waiting for someone-."

Jupiter charged her, lightning crackling from her tiara as she unleashed her fists and weakest magic simultaneously. "Oh shut up and fight already!" Usagi laughed as she took the hit, body arching from the voltage and pain. Usagi grabbed Jupiter's arm as she tried to punch her, snapping it in the wrong direction with a sickening crack. Jupiter's let out a hoarse scream as the arm fell limp to her side.

Saturn went to the side to help Mercury, immediately calling up a barrier to protect them from the foray of the battle. His transformation had faded sometime during the battle.

"Some of us like it dirty," Uranus lunged forward to distract Usagi from hurting Jupiter further. Jupiter went to the side with Saturn and Mercury as Uranus and Neptune covered for her.

Meanwhile Pluto hung back, observing everything from a safe distance.

Venus held up three fingers in the air, ticking them off slowly as Uranus battled Usagi. She seemed to be having better luck than Jupiter, as the length of the scabbard was keeping Usagi at a far enough proximity to be unable to throw any counter attacks but close enough not to have time to waste on throwing around scalding balls of energy.

As Venus put her last finger down, Mars and Neptune took her signal and powered up their own attacks as Venus summoned her chain again.

"Fire Soul!"

"Submarine Reflection!"

This time Usagi screamed as the fire and light burned her on both fronts. Meanwhile Venus' chains wound themselves tight around her midsection, pinning her arms.

Saturn looked up to see that Pluto had moved herself closer to the battle, but seemed to be staring at something higher up than the others. Even as she turned to get a better look, Pluto began to spring forward towards the possessed Usagi. Time always ran at a strange pace around its guardian, but now more than ever Saturn could see the entire thing happen in slow motion. It all happened in less than five seconds.

A piece of the tower had been hit with the leftover from Sailor Mars and Neptune's attacks, and it had knocked out one of the few remaining support beams from beneath the tower. The whole structure gave an eerie moan as it began to collapse forward.

Venus looked upward in time to see the falling metal. Like a stunned animal she stared up at the impending death for precious seconds before reacting.

Usagi was still prone inside Venus' chain, with Mars, Jupiter and Uranus beside her. She was too focused on struggling to see the falling tower, even as the other senshi used their adrenaline to jump away. The top third of the tower was careening down at an alarming rate, and Usagi was still trapped, unable to escape.

Releasing her hold on the chain, Venus sprinted away before somersaulting to relative safety.

The last glimpse Saturn had was of Pluto lunging forward towards Usagi.

The tower gave one final lurch before it crashed into the cement. The world exploded in dust.

When time resumed, rubble was everywhere from the fragments of the destroyed tower and the buildings it had impacted around it. Mars, Neptune and Uranus were picking through the rubble to find Pluto and Usagi. The silence wall had prevented Mamoru, Mercury and Saturn from taking any damage, although testament to the collapse lay around them in a sphere of debris.

"Pluto!" Neptune lifted a rock pinning a suspiciously tanned leg. Uranus went to help her and together they dragged Pluto's body out of the rubble. Beneath her, Usagi was coughing, but seemed unharmed. Saturn knew that it wouldn't be long before she was recovered enough to go on the offensive again.

"What was she thinking!" Uranus seethed, as Neptune checked Pluto's vital signs.

"She's breathing, but unconscious. Get her over to Mercury." Uranus nodded, scooping up the prone form of Sailor Pluto and dashing her towards their small circle of shelter.

oOoOoOo

It felt wrong.

She had accepted the inevitability of death, the unpredictability of life and the hardships that came with the combination. She recognized her relative insignificance and inherent personal flaws. And her understanding left her with the disposition of an optimistic fatalist, never taking anything for granted.

She wasn't pompous enough to think that this paranoid state of readiness for disaster would save her, or anyone else for that matter.

She wasn't about to ignore her intuition, however.

And right now it was screaming that this was wrong.

Just as suddenly as the feeling had come, everything clicked into place. She knew what needed to be done.

She realized why she had been reborn. Saturn knew, in that instant, what she had to do.

She didn't hesitate.

With as much speed as her small frame could muster, she charged forward, glaive extended. Her movements were fluid, her aim precise. Mars was screaming denials behind her, and it sounded as if the others were already moving to stop her. She had the advantage of a head start, and they would not reach her before she reached her target.

When she got within twenty feet of Usagi, she leapt into the air, flipping the glaive so the blunt end was forward. She slammed the end of the weapon into Usagi's injured shoulder, forcing the woman to fall backwards under her weight and momentum. Not wasting a second, Hotaru shifted the glaive horizontal, hands poised on either end. With inhuman strength, she tore the staff in half. For a second all she registered was pain, as the bond between herself and her talisman broke with it. Shoving the pain aside, she hurled the sharp half of the talisman towards the advancing senshi, all of them intent on stopping her from what they assumed she was about to do. She heard someone cry out in pain, the pointed edge had probably collided with them, but she had only precious milliseconds to act before Usagi recovered herself. She didn't have time to look back at them. Straddling the blonde, Saturn pinned Usagi down before she could react.

Slamming her hands down on Usagi's chest where the Ginzuishou still rested, she channeled all her remaining energy through them.

It burned like white agony to physically touch the crystal, even in its weakened state, but there was no time and no other choice. The evil inside Usagi was cursing profanity and all manner of hexes out Usagi's mouth, still bound beneath the younger girl's weight.

The Ginzuishou was reacting violently to this bombardment of evil within its host and power being forced into it from outside. It was spasming beneath her hands. For a moment she worried it would crack, or even break.

Glowing violet energy spread out from her fingers as she tried to coax the crystal, but it was not as receptive to her power as it had been when Saturn had given her powers to Usagi prior. Perhaps because the power she poured out of herself and into Usagi was not her senshi's power, but her own life energy, through her talents as a healer.

She was the only one left with this ability now that Mamoru was on the edge of death. There was a good chance this wouldn't even work. She had no bond with the crystal, and she could already tell it was rejecting her presence. But this was the only chance they had, and so she put her whole heart into it.

Damn the consequences.

The Ginzuishou was glowing again, fainter than its usual shine, but stronger than it had been. Its prismatic radiance was returning.

It was difficult to concentrate now that her talisman was shattered, but she reached for the power it was leaking as well. Breaking her most powerful artifact was traumatic, but there was no other way to release its power without using her final attack. Drawing upon that kind of power was too dangerous, even for her, and especially when there was so much at stake.

Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa would probably never forgive her. She wondered if Setsuna would cry.

She could smell her hands burning, her arms beginning to seize up from proximity to the Ginzuishou's energy. Desperate, she bit down the intense pain and focused on the crystal.

It was twinkling now, more blinding with each breath Saturn drew. And each breath was coming in more ragged, more shallow, and more slowly. The light was dimmer, but she knew it was due to her own vision fading, not the Ginzuishou's power. Her transformation fell away like shards of broken glass, leaving Hotaru exposed in her civilian form.

Feeling the last of her strength ebbing out, Hotaru fell face forward on top of the still prone Usagi. The world was very dark, but she knew she had done everything she could. With her last thought, she prayed it would be enough.

The earth stopped spinning for Haruka and Michiru.

Horror-struck, Sailor Uranus felt rage and loss so great she could not blink. Her aura was flaring dangerously and Sailor Mars sent a wary glance towards her before turning back to watch Usagi. The crystal was still rotating in slow circles above her chest, its light partially hidden underneath Hotaru's small frame.

"HOOTAARUU!" Sailor Neptune screamed, breaking out of her trance and rushing forward to where Sailor Saturn had flopped over on top of Usagi. Her grief was fathomless, mother's love overcoming her survival instincts. As she dashed towards them, she could see something black was coming out of Usagi's mouth as she hacked and wheezed, still trapped beneath Hotaru. Disgusted by the sight of the parasite, Neptune reached out to gather her daughter's body in her arms. The liquid was pooling around Hotaru's corpse, slick like oil.

That was when Hotaru began to glow.

Before she could react, Sailor Neptune was flung back several yards before she collided with a building, leaving a large indent in the metal. Startled out of her shock, Sailor Uranus ran to aid her partner.

Something was spiraling around Hotaru's body, dark and sinister.

Rising up on unseen currents, the teenaged girl's body hung in the air. Her fuku reappeared, violet cloth now stained black. Her eyes swept over the others, an unseeing ebony. Unlike Usagi's possession, she did not speak.

The silence glaive hovered before her, fully intact. Its metal was no longer silver, but charcoal in hue, the sheen of its tip an ominous gray. Sailor Saturn took the blade, and raised it above her head.

All noise stopped.

The air was devoid of bird's chattering or even the rustle of leaves or insects. The oppressive silence reigned while the senshi watched the scene unfold, unsure of how to proceed.

A steady wind was building. Slow at first, it quickened as though its tempo were set to a pace always one stage ahead of it. Sailor Uranus turned her head as if someone had called her name, listening while helping Sailor Neptune to stand despite her grievous injuries. Neptune's teal skirt was almost completely brown, dyed with her own blood. She would not be able to contribute to this fight anymore.

The wind was picking up speed and force, and it battered at anything in its path, including the soldiers who still remained standing. Mercury could barely keep her footing, and Mars was bracing herself against it in vain. Mars' sixth sense was buzzing beneath her skin, ready to burst in forewarning. Both senshi looked like they might fall over with the slightest push. Sailor Jupiter and Venus were faring better, Venus had her chain secured around a lamppost and Jupiter's innate strength was helping her stay grounded. Usagi, however, was still untransformed, and without the excess energy, she was clinging to a piece of the fallen tower to avoid being picked up by the wind and flung away with the debris.

Sailor Saturn was beyond them, in a universe of her own making. She levitated a few feet off the ground as dark clouds spiraled above her. They rumbled with warning, and Jupiter felt her hair's standing up at the unnatural flashes of lightning. The wind was a tornado around her, tendrils of Saturn's hair and clothing were being whipping around with it. Her eyes were still shut, her expression one of a lifeless doll.

Over the growing roar of nature's anger, Usagi could hear her lethal whisper.

"Death..." she intoned, glaive poised to the epicenter of the storm.

Usagi's eyes widened in realized horror. She was too weak to use the Ginzuishou to stop her, and the others were too far away to reach Sailor Saturn in time to stop her.

From her expression, the others gathered what she had already guessed. Jupiter took a firm few steps forward against the onslaught, Mars went tumbling end over end for her effort. Using the chain like a harness, Venus was pulling herself forward, but not fast enough.

Sailor Uranus caught Neptune's eyes, and an understanding passed between them in that moment. Neptune lowered her face, and Sailor Uranus turned to face the harbinger that was their adopted daughter. A thousand thoughts were scattered to the wind as indecision consumed her in that moment, before it was shoved down beneath the unforgiving warrior.

Sailor Saturn opened her eyes, irises black like her weapon, which was now held diagonally in front of herself. The talisman dwarfed her, twice her size in height. "Reborn..." Her voice was drowned out in the cacophony around her, as the tip of the glaive caught the shadows from above. It seemed to absorb all light around it. Uranus was already running towards her, unhindered by the buffeting of the cyclonal winds. They were hers to manipulate, her element of control.

Sailor Jupiter was still making her way forward at a snail's pace, with Venus now halfway up the length of her chain.

"REVO-"

Giving one final lunge, Sailor Uranus leapt towards Saturn, pulling forth her own talisman. The blade was stark white against the smoke and shadow. Steel eyes met cruel violet as Uranus' upward lunge bore down under gravity's force. Before Saturn could finish her attack, Uranus plunged the scabbard into her midsection.

Black blood seeped from the wound, blanketing the sword's hilt. Sailor Saturn did not register the blow, or the pain, but the same black fluid was creeping out of the corner of her mouth as she choked out on her dying breath "lut..."

Uranus didn't give her a chance to finish. Her eyes were cold as she sliced her foster daughter's upper body in half, the holy glow rending through bone and flesh alike. The power that had been gathering in the area blew away with the dissipating clouds in an outward burst of wind.

Sailor Saturn's corpse fell in a bloodied heap to the ground, Sailor Uranus standing atop her, still clutching the dripping sword.

Usagi was staggering to her feet now, her voice submerged in fatigue as she called out her transformation. Someone was whispering denials, and Uranus recognized the voice as belonging to Neptune. Venus was already rushing forward to try and stop Usagi from exhausting what little power remained in her.

"Moon, Healing," she paused to cough, bent over halfway. Venus was there then, holding her wrist in a firm grip.

"You can't," she pleaded, eyes on her friends. "You don't have enough power right now." Jupiter had moved forward too, but she was hindered by the injury to her arm.

Eternal Sailor Moon looked at her, then back to Saturns's body. Her mind was already set. "Escalation," she whispered.

Everyone in the area held their breath.

But no light came from her scepter. Frustrated by her inadequacy, Usagi tried again with more vigor, "Moon Healing Escalation!" Still nothing happened. Uranus had seen this happen the last time Moon had been determined to save Saturn, and she wasn't going to wait around for her princess to finally succeed at martyring herself.

Stepping out of the carnage, she clamped a bloodied glove over Moon's mouth. The blood was drying now, lightening from insidious black to foreboding red. "Don't," Uranus threatened. Grey eyes like steel bore into her. Venus was attempting to pry the wand from her grip, but it was difficult since one of her wrists was fractured. Usagi was trying to talk around the hand, and Uranus pressed down harder, ignorant to the level of force she was applying.

Mercury moved forward to stop her. "She's too weak!" She said, pulling Uranus away. Venus had already procured the scepter, and she tossed it to Mars who still stood a few yards away. Like a puppet with no strings, Sailor Moon's transformation fell with her form as Uranus released her. She beat the ground with her fist, wailing her despair to the skies.

oOoOoOo

It was nearing dawn when she looked out across the rooftop at the city of Tokyo. Or at least, what remained of the city of Tokyo.

The predawn light cast an eerie blue hue over the wreckage, shattered pieces of concrete strewn farther than her eyesight could reach. The once-towering multiplexes lay at her feet, shards of glass and overturned telephone poles surrounding them like a coffin. Her eyes searched for light, but she knew there would be none left in this wasteland, only more fires than there were people to extinguish them. Instead she turned to watch the horizon, waiting on the sun.

The bustling district was nothing more than a broken shell of itself, torn asunder and then abandoned in chaos. Listening from her rooftop perch, she could hear the sounds of sirens from three different directions, above the screams of the survivors turned scavengers below. The few buildings that withstood the devastation were now being raided. There were more dead than alive, and the dismal mass of survivors wailed their pain to the skies. Whether it was pain from injury or loss was anyone's guess.

It was almost time now; the sun was brushing the horizon. Standing, she turned towards the ruins of Tokyo tower behind her, moving with labored grace as she jumped from one chunk of debris to another. Coming to a stop at the base of the deformed tower, she nodded to the others who had already arrived, or never left.

Sailor Jupiter was in worse shape than Mars, who stood beside her. Both of their uniforms were torn beyond repair, drenched in their own, or their sister-in-combat's blood. Jupiter's left arm hung limply at her side; even Mercury hadn't been sure whether or not she would ever regain the use of it. Mars wasn't much better off, with a gaping wound on her shoulder and a deep gash on her thigh, she would definitely scar. Thick colored bandages, made from the senshi's skirts, held Jupiter's arm in a makeshift sling and kept Mars from bleeding to death. Mercury was still scanning the ruined concreted and metal, ensuring that the enemy was truly gone. Out of everyone, Mercury was the least injured.

A few yards away, Saturn's body lay on a slab of twisted metal from the fallen tower, with Pluto standing over it weeping. From here Hotaru looked like a broken doll, a mangled heap of limbs. She looked away, unable to bear the sight again. Who had raised her body off the ground up onto the metal was clear by the red brand running up the side of Pluto's white bodysuit.

Usagi and Mamoru were not back yet, they were probably sharing a private moment. They were both still very weak from the amount of energy and loss they'd both endured in the fight. Mamoru had been in terrible shape when he'd gone after Usagi when she fled.

Limping forward, she slumped against a nearby bench. Her own wounds weren't quite so significant. The massive headache was painful though. She had suffered a serious blow to the head when she'd landed, and was sporting a sprained ankle and broken wrist from holding onto her chain while the corrupted Usagi broke free from it. Or maybe it was from when the corrupted Saturn had built up a small maelstrom, and she had used her chain as an anchor to keep herself from being thrust away. Injured and exhausted, she wondered if she could even go home. With things with her parents they way they had been this past week, it was unlikely she would be welcomed back.

Jupiter and Mars wandered towards her, while Mercury continued assessing the damage.

"We've been talking," Jupiter began.

"We know your living situation isn't the best right now," Mars continued. "We wanted to let you know you're welcome to stay with either of us anytime." Venus felt her heart swell up in her chest. "Assuming we still have homes somewhere outside of all this -"

Venus grabbed the taller girls, hugging them close as the tears she'd been holding back for hours spilled forth. "I love you guys!" she wailed, clinging to both of them with all her might.

oOoOoOo

They stood side by side, silhouetted against the bloodied dawn on their porch. With the privacy of this location, Michiru had completely broken down. Haruka wasn't much better, but she held the woman with all the strength she could muster.

Michiru was no longer suppressing her cries, her loss so great she thought might lose herself in it. Haruka was going through similar pain, only hanging onto her sanity because of her contact with the woman beside her. As they mourned their loss, the crescent moon sunk lower in the sky.

They stayed like that a while, with Haruka lost in guilt and Michiru lost in grief.

Behind them, Mayu was stirring from a night of slumber. With a chipper bark, it bounded out to join them, oblivious to their grieving. Haruka looked down at the mutt; it was still wearing the bow Hotaru had tied onto one of its ears yesterday. It cocked its head at the tall woman as she bent down, planting a hand on top of the animal's head. She could feel more warmth spilling forth.

"We were supposed to protect her," she muttered, her voice low.

Michiru was clinging to the railing, and she seemed to be supporting her ability to stand with it. She couldn't speak past the sobs that had overcome her, but Haruka thought she heard a few gasped words amidst the howls. It was probably immensely painful to cry, especially if Michiru's ribs were not just bruised, but broken from her earlier injury.

"Who knows," Haruka said, barely above a whisper, scratching the dog's back. "Maybe she'll be reborn again."

Michiru shot her a surprised look; face still drenched with her tears. Haruka was surprised Michiru could hear her over the sound of her own bawling. "Wouldn't that be nice? To be able to raise her in a safer world," Haruka continued, wistful with sorrow in her eyes. She looked down at her hands, eyes dimming. Even now she could feel the sword in her grip still, sliding through her daughter; freeing her from the monster's control, but erasing her life as well. She clenched the hand into a fist. "I'm so sorry firefly."

Michiru was quieter now, after hours of verbalizing her pain. She wrapped her arms around her lover before letting go to look back out over the rail. "We'll be here, when she does come back." Haruka nodded, scooping up the puppy and holding it to her chest. It fidgeted in her grip before settling down. She stood beside her partner, watching the darkness recede.

Bitter tears were still welling up for both of them.

"Sometimes I wonder," Michiru said, her eyes on the stars above, "if the ferryman asks too high a price."

Haruka ran her hands through the fur of the small creature, which was content to let her pet it. The motions had a calming affect on them both. "It's worth it." Michiru didn't turn to look at her, but Haruka could feel her attention shift. "If we can prevent this from happening to someone else, anyone else, it's worth it." Haruka said, eyes fierce. Michiru gave a rueful smile, still searching the sky with her eyes.

"You sound like Usagi. You're getting soft." Haruka didn't have the heart to point out that Michiru had been equally as hurt as she had. She'd let her stay brave.

The clacking of heels alerted them to Setsuna's arrival. She stood behind them for a minute, her own pain masked under her near-immaculate composure.

"You both must hate me," she said, both hands clasped before her. "I hate me right now. But it was necessary. It was necessary. " she repeated, closing her eyes. "If Hotaru lived through this battle, Usagi would have remained possessed by Corruption and Crystal Tokyo would never come to be."

"It wasn't your fault, Setsuna," Michiru gave the older woman a consoling pat.

"Yes, it was. I brought her here knowing she might die. "

"You already know when we all will die, Hota…. "Michiru choked a bit, swallowing bile. "Hotaru's death wasn't your intention."

"In a way it wasn't. But in a way it was. Although she is one of Serenity's senshi, Sailor Saturn is only ever born to bring destruction down on the world. Were she to live through this era into the dawn of Crystal Tokyo, she would be exiled as she was in the Silver Millennium, for fear of her powers.

"Once she reaches maturity, Hotaru is bound by her calling to unleash that devastation, if not before. She can only hold back that power for so long; otherwise her mortal body will be ruined in the effort of restraining it. Do not forget the horrors she suffered during her time with Tomoe, all in a desperate effort to preserve her ailing health. She was growing at a normal rate, and the strain was too much for the vessel. With Galaxia, she was murdered before she was able to end everything-but given time, I guarantee she would have.

"I spoke to her of this, before the battle-"

"You WHAT?" Haruka stood, grabbing Setsuna by her upper arms. "You had no right! She was our daughter, not yours!"

"'Ruka!" Michiru made a move to pull her lover away, but Setsuna continued, ignoring the livid face before her.

"You can shelter her from the harshness of this world, but you cannot deny her from her fate. Hotaru knew she would die, if not in this fight, than in another." Haruka's face was red with anger, but Michiru pried her fingers off of the darker woman, pulling Haruka into her own arms. "Hotaru accepted this."

"What else could she do when it's her 'fate'!" Haruka had both fists balled, and was shaking with emotion. "She was not born to die!" she yelled, jaw twitching in rage.

"She was born to save. A world, a life, or a future, Sailor Saturn is the senshi of rebirth, and she grants life with her death. That… is her fate."

Michiru looked like she might sink into grief again as Haruka fell in a trembling heap to the ground. "Hotaru..." she whimpered.

"So please, if it will ease your suffering in the least, allow me to shoulder the responsibility for bringing her to her fate. " Setsuna took Michiru's hands into her own. "I understand fate better than anyone. " Michiru gave a limp nod.

And in a mysterious way, the pain did throb duller after Setsuna left.

oOoOoOo

Usagi stood at the edge of the ocean, trying to calm her frayed nerves. The consistent inward and outward pull of the tide was soothing, but even as she waded out in to the water until it was up to her knees, she couldn't wash away the images in her head. She wrapped her arms around herself, chilled by the salty breeze and the dirty feeling that hadn't left even after the possession ended. It was still night, and the water was black with white flecks from the moonlight. She couldn't see where the horizon stopped and the sea began in the blackness, it seemed never-ending.

And it seemed familiar.

She wanted to burn the memories, the feelings of being imprisoned within herself and lost in that sea of darkness.

The low hum of the water distracted her from the noise of someone approaching from behind her. Mamoru stood a few yards away, watching her back but not ready to approach her yet.

She closed her eyes. Her legs were going partway numb from the icy temperature of the water. Her hair, still unbound, was floating atop the water like golden oil. She would have to go back soon. The current pulled at her, trying to bring her in, or to take her away.

Turning around, she froze when she saw Mamoru in front of her. She squared her shoulders, wetting her suddenly dry lips. His shirt was split down the front, with a blood stain from the first stabbing. Guilt told her to turn back to the ocean and let it carry her away. But tonight she knew she had to be strong, so she took a breath, and a step forward.

He did not move.

She took another few steps, now only ankle-deep in the ocean. Her body might have been shivering, she was too engaged in the difficulty of avoiding eye contact to notice, and too spent to care.

"I'm sorry."

She looked at him, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to argue if she looked into his eyes. His head was bowed, eyes downcast. He looked like he'd escaped from a war, with stains of suffering running along most of his clothing. She swallowed hard, knowing that she'd been the one to inflict those injuries.

"I'm sorry too."

They could have stood for an eternity like that, feet buried in sand and hearts washed with regret.

But Mamoru took a step forward. That was all the encouragement Usagi needed.

Rushing forward, she fell against his chest as he enfolded her in his arms, chin resting on the shell of her ear. She was crying, but he soothed her, stroking her hair. They stood like that, lost in the comfort of one another until her cries had ceased. Only then did he release her, reaching up to dry her cheeks with the pad of his thumb. She looked up at him, eyes still shiny with unshed tears and her lips parted.

He kissed her forehead, cupping her cheek. She slid her arms around him, moving to rest her head against his chest, listening to his heart.

Blue light was filling the sky, the only indicator to them that time had passed.

"Never again," he ordered, tipping her chin up so she had to face him.

She wasn't sure if he was talking about his actions or hers. "Never again," she agreed.

They shared a kiss, before hesitantly releasing one another. He took her hand in his before she could move away.

"Let's go back together," he said, hooking his elbow with hers.

She smiled for the first time that night, but shook her head at his suggestion.

"There is something I need to do first." She let him follow her lead as she headed back towards the hospital. Comprehension of their destination dawned on Mamoru as they walked.

"Did you finish healing them?"

Usagi nodded, "I think so. I want to be sure though..." Mamoru understood and gave her hand a squeeze of silent support.

"If not, I will try finish it up." She gave him another smile for the offer.

"Finish healing yourself first," she snuck a sideways glance at the wound he still had on his shoulder. "How long do you think it'll be til it heals?"

"Not long now. I had to prioritize healing the more dangerous wounds first, and with Ami's help wrapping up the torso puncture, I should be back to normal in a few days."

The hospital was just opening up as they entered, a team of maintenance workers already hard at work repairing the broken stall door. Mamoru kept his eyes averted and his jacket pulled close over his obvious injuries.

After asking for directions and proving their relation to the Tsukinos, they were directed to a room on the third floor.

Opening the door, Usagi saw that her brother was still sleeping but both her parents were already awake.

"Usagi!" her father greeted, cheered by the sight of her. He sat up in the bed, and Shingo was roused at the loud noise, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "Chiba," Kenji's smile dropped as he eyed Mamoru like he might a feral animal.

"Hey," Usagi said, moving forward to sit on the edge of the bed between her mother and Shingo. Mamoru sat down in a side chair, not wanting to intrude on this family moment or wander too close to Kenji. "How are you guys feeling?" They were no longer hooked up to any equipment, and Usagi took this as a positive sign.

"GREAT," Shingo exclaimed with laziness coating his words, pumping a fist in the air. They could all see he was still half asleep. "Can I go home now?"

"He's just anxious to get back to his gaming," her mother explained, shaking her head. Usagi laughed, ruffling his hair. "I feel much better after a full night's rest though, don't you, dear?" Kenji shook his head in agreement.

"When you get home you can game all you want, but first you need to get healthy," Ikuko shook her head at Usagi's declaration.

"Don't promise things you can't deliver, dear. I'm in charge of this house, and I say you both game too much already." Shingo sulked, and Usagi blushed.

"I thought I was in charge of this house?" Kenji questioned, puffing out his chest and frowning.

"Yes, of course you are, dear." Ikuko shared a conspirator's smile with Usagi that Kenji couldn't see from the other end of the room. Usagi held in a laugh.

"When will you all be coming home, anyways?" Usagi ventured, eyes flicking over to Mamoru to see if he was going to heal them any more than she already had. He remained stationary in the chair, fully focused on concealing his own injuries.

"As soon as the doctor comes back...if he comes back," Kenji gave an annoyed scowl to the clock, and then settled it back on Mamoru. Ever suspicious, Kenji turned to Usagi, "What are you doing with him so early in the morning?"

Usagi bit her lip, trying to think of a believable lie. All she could think of was the battle she missed, and waking to find Hotaru's still body above her..."We were just-"

"I took her out to breakfast," Mamoru said, smooth and confident. Kenji looked at him as he was a snake rearing to strike, but seemed to accept the story. Ikuko glanced between them shaking her head, but didn't say anything.

Just then, the door opened as a nurse entered. Seeing that it was crowded in the small room, she stayed by edge of the bed Kenji was in. "You're awake! That's great. The doctor has gotten the results from your blood work," she announced, picking up the charts by the end of the bed and scribbling something onto it. "Be sure to come back within 24 hours if you start to feel ill again, but you're free to leave." Shingo visibly sighed with relief, and Ikuko was already gathering her belongings from the side table.

"Wonderful. We'll be going then," Kenji stood up, and helped Ikuko finish tidying up as the nurse left. Usagi grabbed Shingo some clean clothes out of their overnight bag, offering it to him and turning around to shoot Mamoru a meaningful look. Catching the hint, he stood, bowed to her parents and excused himself. Usagi trailed after him, waving and closing the door behind them.

"It's been a long night," Usagi admitted, rubbing her wrists. Mamoru draped an arm across her shoulder, guiding her into the elevator.

"It's morning now, Usako." He pressed the button for the first floor. "I'm sure things will look brighter once we've slept."

Usagi didn't believe it, but she nodded. "Maybe we'll-" A yawn punctuated what she had been saying. "Man I'm beat. Maybe we should head back, for now." Mamoru steered her towards the exit to the hospital, ignoring the questioning looks several of the staff were sending towards her. If they recognized her, they didn't say anything.

Usagi perked up, "I hope Luna is there. Ami said she came back yesterday." Mamoru smiled. They fell back into their usual rhythm as they walked back to the destroyed tower, putting the past behind them. Neither one said anything, but they were both relieved that there was no lingering dissent between them.

oOoOoOo

They met under the fragmented remnants of the Tokyo Tower. Secret heroes of all elements and colors, still divided, but stronger than they had been a day, or a week, before.

Usagi saw Luna and ran to greet the cat, who was bounding towards her as well. Luna ended the dash with a flying leap, landing in Usagi's arms when she bubbled over with emotion.

"Foolish girl! Can't leave you for a minute! Just like when you were 14..." Her words were muffled by Usagi's sweater, but she was half crying as she spoke, trying to remain strong.

"Shh...Luna it's okay. I'm okay. It wasn't your fault." Luna seemed to take solace in the words, balling up against her charge.

Mamoru approached at a sedentary pace behind Usagi, smiling. Turning to the other girls, he motioned Ami forward.

"I saw your mom leaving the Tokyo General," he said, putting a consoling hand on Ami's shoulder. Ami looked startled but she didn't say anything, or provide him with an explanation. He already had a good enough guess. "You should go home to be with her." Ami nodded, embracing the taller man.

"Thank you," she breathed, as Mamoru tried to ward off the awkwardness of her tight hug.

"Don't mention it."

Rei looked antsy; more antsy than usual, which was saying a lot. "Can we get this over with?"

Usagi nodded. "Ami, would you like to do the honors?"

Stepping forward, Ami cleared her throat. She'd never enjoyed public speaking, but it was even more difficult given the circumstances they'd all been through.

Pulling forth the jar from her subspace pocket, Ami showed it to the others. "Corruption has been temporarily extinguished." She showed the empty contents to everyone present. "Whether this means that we defeated it, or if it retreated I don't know." She pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes before putting the jar back into her trans-dimensional space. "Tokyo is hurting right now from the damage it inflicted during the battle. Any support anyone wants to give I'm sure would be much appreciated by the local authorities. There is a lot of pain and death because of the bullet train's collapse and the fallout from the tower." She glanced back at the ruined landmark. "There have been a lot of casualties...Setsuna has taken Hotaru, I mean…Hotaru's…" she trailed off, swallowing. "She said there will be a service later this week. I'll keep everyone informed. In the meantime, I think it's a good idea for everyone who is able to help restore the city to do so as best we can; mourning can wait for the funeral. Everyone should get checked out for their health first though, I know none of us are in peak condition right now. Sleep would be a good idea too."

The girls nodded, too worn out to argue. It had been a long night, but dawn had finally arrived.

"Does this mean we can skip classes on doctor's orders?" Minako ventured. Usagi's eyes lit up at the notion.

"Nice try, blondie," Rei said.

oOoOoOo

The girls sat on the porch of the Hikawa Jinja, watching the sakura petals fall. It was the start of summer, and they knew there wouldn't be much more time together before they all went their separate ways.

With Ami starting her internship, Makoto applying to culinary school, and Minako taking two quarters off before university to travel, they would soon be separated.

Even given the recent hardships, none of them wanted to see the others go.

It was quiet between them, much was being said, but all of it was unspoken.

Finally, Minako broke the silence. "I feel like we're all growed up."

"Grown," Ami corrected on instinct.

"Yeah," Rei said, wistful as she leaned back against the wall. She felt like the past week had been a bad dream, and now that they were all awake again, they were going to be separated. She wanted very badly to cry.

Usagi noticed the sparkle in her eye and gave the newly-recognized priestess a tight hug. "I'll still be here Rei-chan!" She wailed, clinging to the girl.

With the tranquil mood broken, Rei tried to untangle herself. "Get off me, Odango!" But it was a half-hearted struggle.

"It sure will be lonely off in the U.S. alone," Minako commented.

"I thought you were going back to Europe?" Ami asked.

"I might," she admitted.

"How are you paying for all this?" Makoto wondered aloud.

Minako smiled. "Michiru is sponsoring me." There were several impressed sounds through the group. "She says I'm a natural talent, and that every artist needs to experience the world or something like that."

"She'll take it back when she sees her credit card statement," teased Rei.

Makoto laughed. "Minako will be fine; she's got Artemis with her. How's he doing by the way?"

"Full recovery," Minako reported. "Still milking it though," she added.

"Sounds like him," Usagi agreed, playing with the petals on the ground.

"Yeah, it'll be at least another week before he'll admit he's fine." Everyone smiled. "And Luna?"

"She tried to claw my face off to avoid a bath when she got back. Such a little scaredy-cat..."

Rei had a bittersweet smile. Everything was back to normal, or as normal as it could be without Grandpa and Hotaru.

The wind seemed to hear her thoughts, and rustled the branches to shake loose more petals. She watched them pirouette on the breeze, turning to look towards the torrii where they landed.

It was a bright day, and she couldn't see very well around the porch railing with the sun in her eyes. But standing underneath it, she could make out the shadows of two figures, a short-haired female and an older man. She felt peace stir in her heart. When she squinted to try and focus, they had already faded like a mirage.

She knew who the shadows belonged to, on that dividing line the torrii created between the spiritual realm and reality. "Goodbye," she whispered, feeling for the first time happy memories rise from the statement.

"What was that Rei?" Usagi asked, having heard her mumble something.

"Just talking to the Kami," she said, and Usagi smiled back.

AN: It took 3 times as long as planned to get this chapter done since all 70+ pages of it were destroyed when my old computer's hard drive crapped out. I had to rewrite a large portion of it since I'd only sent my beta-reader a starter copy. In that same vein, some scenes were omitted the second time through, and also please excuse any spelling or grammar errors since this copy I decided to skip the beta-reading stage. The unaddressed problem of the murders in Tokyo is a setup for a sequel if I ever get around to writing it.

That said, this is the first longfic I've ever finished. I'm pretty proud of it, I think I did all right overall. I promise whatever I write next will have a better villain, but I find canon doesn't leave much space for good new villains since, you know, Chaos is defeated. I also promise whatever comes next will have better humor, this fic was really me biting off a little bit more than I could chew in terms of plot.

Sorry for killing off Hotaru. If it hadn't been her, it would have been someone else, and she reasonably would have had to die for Crystal Tokyo's dawning anyways(which will happen if I ever write a sequel to this, there was one a trilogy planned…). I might write a brief epilogue if enough people review, including her funeral.

Big thank you to everyone who has helped along the way, beta-readers, editors, friends and reviewers. You are all amazing. Its been a great ride. Special thanks to MGray for beta reading and editing every chapter.

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