Dreams and slumber clung to life as the city and its encompassing outer areas remained hidden and at a lazy peace after the passing storm. Its effects lingered as a deep fog settled over the area, blotting out the clouds to come. For a moment, everything lay in repose in a state of quiet bliss. No one wanted to come out of their warm beds to face the harsh day and troubled times lying ahead of them, but those few who were already accustomed to change and danger. Even the birds had yet to herald the new day.
The moisture in the air glistened on his exposed skin, but he paid little attention to such trivial things. His eyes scanned his surroundings; senses peaked and alert to act at the slightest change. That was all he would need to thwart his foe. He expected something to come from either his sides or at his back, and braced himself, positioning his feet for such an eventuality. The emerald Senshi told him to meet her here for this early morning challenge, and he knew she must be out there somewhere already, watching him with amused eyes.
In front of him however, through the mist, something began to spark. He watched the two spheres -- flashes of emerald parallel to one another, grow ever vibrant. Without warning, these were propelled forward, crackling and hissing against the water surrounding them. They were easily avoided though, as he had ample time to prepare. He watched them disappear into the mist behind him, vaguely hearing the splintering of wood in the distance.
Turning, he found his foe within line of sight, a gloved hand placed casually upon her hip while the other rested on top an ebony hilt. He could see her jeweled tiara sparkling in the filtered light of morning, and he eyes glowing with excitement. He smirked and rose to his full height, imitating her light and easy stance.
"I was a fool to think that you would sneak up on me. A warrior of Jupiter is more honorable than that."
"Are you sure you want to do this here?" She motioned to the woods and its life force all around her, the nature that was her element.
"I want you at your best."
"Right," Makoto nodded and with her finger, popped her katana from its sheath. Together they released their weapons, both blades reflecting off the light trapped within the luminous fog.
She dug her green boots deeper into the soft ground, feeling something ancient coursing through her. With each day and with every memory that returned, she could feel her power growing stronger, and knew her next evolution as a warrior would soon be complete, in both mind and body. For now, she would fight with everything she already had.
They came at one another, lightning and thunder colliding in a brilliant, solitary storm. They darted through the fog and dashed behind trees and bushes, quick and nimble in the scattered light. The idle sounds of the forest replaced by the cold clanging of powerful metal as the two ancient warriors danced around each other. As the sun grew higher in the sky, his confidence along with his advantage did as well. He grinned wryly as he expertly parried her advance, pushing Jupiter back.
"Of all the battles you Senshi had I keep hearing about, I thought you would have been more of a challenge." He toyed with her, arrogantly stepping away from her thrusts. She stumbled and brought her angry eyes to his face.
"You could only dream of the things I have seen," Jupiter whispered gruffly.
"Princess, you know nothing." His taunts were as endless as his deadly blows. He pushed Jupiter continually back. She faulted again, this time falling to the wet ground and losing hold of her sword. Jupiter cursed loudly as he proudly stalked towards her, a smug smile on his face.
"That was always your weakness," he said. "Letting your anger blind you...."
"Do you know what your weakness is, Jadeite?" Jupiter retorted as his figure condensed out of the mist -- blue eyes intent on his prey beneath him.
"What?"
She threw him a wicked grin, catching him off guard. "Your knowledge lies only with the past. Eternal Power, Make up!"
He shielded his eyes against the barrage of green lightning. When the smoke cleared, she was upon him, raining down on him like fall's harshest day. He only managed to parry twice before his sword flew out of his hand, ending with a large crack into the trunk of a tree.
He crashed to the ground, mud and debris sticking to his fine uniform. Jadeite moaned, trying to pull himself free of its entrapment. Calm footsteps grabbed his attention, and he begrudgingly looked up into the face of his victorious opponent.
Every sign of their duel was no longer apparent on her new, spotless uniform. He could feel the power she now radiated as a low hum, reverberating through the ground beneath him as the sensation traveled through his beleaguered body in crackling waves.
The sign of Jupiter shone brightly on her forehead and a smile dangled upon her lips. She made no sly remark, only held out her hand. Jadeite sighed before letting his pride fall away enough to allow her to help him to his feet.
"So, what is this?" Jadeite asked, trying to change the subject.
"Sailor Jupiter's final form."
"All of you are like this?"
"Yes, complete with new powers that I haven't exactly tried out yet. I didn't think it was wise to use them on you. Don't want you to get hurt so early in your new life, right?"
Jadeite frowned. "Right...."
"Well, good match." She stuck out her hand as she de-transformed, and Jadeite stared at it for a moment. Slowly, he accepted the gesture, but didn't keep the connection between them for very long.
"Yes, I suppose. Just know that surprise won't work with me next time."
Makoto chuckled. "I know. Would you like to spar again?”
“Do you think you’ll need the practice soon?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Someone from our past, Death Phantom, attacks us so suddenly and not when they were supposed to. By getting our memories back we’re preparing for this ultimate destiny. Millions of people around the globe are afraid of a few hundred with strange, alien marks on their foreheads, and I got a feeling if we can’t get a hold of the situation something horrible is going to happen. Oh, and you’re here, which is never a good sign. So yes, I would like to feel somewhat prepared, and since I can’t think of anything to do to help, this is my only way of coping.”
They stood there in silence as Makoto stood so still and rigid with her hands firmly at her sides Jadeite began to think she was another rooted tree in the forest. Graciously, he cleared his throat. “A simple yes would have been enough.”
For a moment he thought she’s strike him, but her eyes cleared and she laughed shortly. “You’re right. I’m being as dramatic as Minako. Everything will be all right in the end, right?”
It didn’t seem like the question was poised to him, but nonetheless he had no plans to answer it. He had no idea what the answer was.
“We should get back,” she continued, dropping her transformation in a flurry of leaves.
++++
Silently, they walked the blocks of Tokyo, where the atmosphere on the streets remained covered in a haze of uncertainty and confusion. The initial shock of the "Lunar Invasion" was beginning to wear off, but something more malicious took its place. It was the proverbial calm before the storm, the quiet rumble before the cataclysmic explosion.
Long ago, they had sensed something like this once before, and the result was nothing short of an apocalypse.
"I have a bad feeling about all this," Luna sighed.
"Me too," Artemis agreed as he carefully side stepped broken pieces of glass. The window above had been obliterated and the store inside was nothing more than a vault of empty shelves. "Our current plan isn't working; they’re never going to just give us what we want, fearing everyone’s reaction. We’ve seen it before. I feel this city will tear itself apart soon enough if we can’t gain some ground. We need to think of something else."
"Something more affirmative....I don’t want this to happen again."
"Yes. Let's go find Minako. She should be at home, sleeping I'm sure."
Luna nodded. "Good idea."
+++
Usagi nervously paced the confines of the bathroom, her eyes darting from the tiled floor to the small clock beside the mirror. The ticks were echoing annoyingly through her head, and every second seemed further and further apart, compounding her misery. Her hands twisted around one another as she paced, but her mind was even more twisted with worry. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.
She stopped suddenly, as the clock finally reached its final minute. For a few seconds, her feet were cemented to the floor. Her answer was right in front of her, but now that the moment was here fear was taking hold of her mind. It was a monumental moment if she was correct, and she didn’t know if she was prepared to face it. Gradually, she took baby steps towards the bathroom counter.
'This can't be happening.' She had reached a point where she could see everything clearly, and there was no mistaking now. 'It's not time.'
A loud, surprised scream echoed through the floor of their apartment building at the news.
+++
"Care for a ride?" Mamoru turned, finding Setsuna's car with its driver concealed in shadow.
"Thank you," he said as he climbed in.
"Late shift on a weekend...?"
"Yes, it's what I get for skipping work."
"You do have a car, don't you Mamoru-san?"
"And a motorcycle," Mamoru added.
"Why are you always walking to work then?"
"Oh, the hospital isn't very far. I also like to get some exercise besides the kind I get whisking Sailor Moon away from danger," Mamoru said with a knowing grin.
Setsuna replied with a feeble smile. "I see."
With small talk out of the way, silence became their companion for most of the journey. Mamoru watched her out of the corner of his eye. Her smile quickly disappeared, replaced by a melancholy but rather neutral expression. She was idly tapping her finger on the steering wheel like she had done at lunch a few days ago, and he knew something must be agitating her.
"Setsuna-"
"Do you remember me from the Silver Millennium?" Setsuna interjected; her voice a bit unsteady to begin.
"A little....You were the first person I met on the moon. You were my liaison to the queen. I remember meeting you and Queen Serenity for the first time very clearly now."
"What did you think of me?"
"I'm not sure. You smiled much more back then I think." The car came to an abrupt stop outside his apartment complex, but Mamoru only looked expectantly at her. "What's wrong?"
"Something, something has happened," her deep voice cracked in the darkness, and Mamoru became concerned, even though he had to admit, something was always happening.
"What's happened?" She finally came out of the shadows, and Mamoru gasped. Her forlorn eyes glistened with tears and some had slipped gracefully down her bronze cheeks. “Setsuna…?” Before he could react, he felt her lips on his. It was the softest of embraces, a simple chaste kiss, over just as quickly as it had begun.
"I'm sorry," she smiled sadly. "I just-The next time we meet; I will be your enemy."
"Setsuna, what-"
"The princess needs you." Her voice had returned to its usual timbre of deep control, as if the past few seconds had never taken place.
"But-"
"You must go," she urged, all traces of tears gone from her eyes. Wordlessly and confused, Mamoru climbed out of the car and barely had time to shut the door before she was off, the break lights disappearing around the corner.
+++
Mamoru impatiently pressed the button for his floor for the tenth time. He had been in the elevator for only a couple of seconds, but the weight of Setsuna's words made it seem far longer. The contact had been a flash, though for some reason, Setsuna's lips burned on his. Some far off emotion tingled upon them as well, but he pushed his thoughts aside as the doors finally opened.
"Usako?" he called into the quiet apartment. It concerned him, this awkward silence. Usually, the television blared unwatched, or there was the familiar sound of something being thrust into the microwave to be stuffed into his wife's mouth.
After Usagi had moved in, the spinning world in which she lived had taken some getting used to. Now, the silence had re-asserted itself and descended upon the apartment. Mamoru felt uneasy and could feel an unwelcome sensation rising within.
"Usako?" he called again and quickly searched the apartment. Upon opening the doors leading onto the balcony where he found her -- her back turned to him. "Usako, is everything all right?"
"Mamo-chan, something's happened," she whispered, repeating Setsuna's words. He wanted to comfort her instantly, but something about the way she stood scared him into stillness.
"What is it?" Slowly he watched her move her hand and noticed the small white object held in her quivering grasp. He had seen it so many times before, but the two little pink lines seemed alien to him now.
"Usako-"
"I'm pregnant, Mamo-chan."
"But-"
"I haven't been feeling well for a couple of weeks. I just thought, I don't know, I was eating too much junk food or something. But in case you're even wondering what I'm doing up this early is because I threw up, and when's the last time I did that? So I got a test kit and-" She stopped as a shudder jerked her shoulders.
Mamoru kept staring at the test kit, its results not quite registering with him. He had pictured this day so many times. He would walk into their apartment and Usagi would rush into his arms and tell him the good news. They would celebrate their daughter's arrival, and dream of their life as a family together and those things soon to be experienced.
"But your birthdays were only a few days ago. How could Chibi-Usa possibly-" He stopped as she turned around, her face streaked with grief and the answer to his question.
"Mamo-chan, something’s wrong!" she cried and fell into his arms. He held her close, refusing to let his own tears of frustration fall. He let his other thoughts distract him, and looked to sunlit horizon, only to find Setsuna’s magenta eyes in the clouds.
Mamoru balled his fists until his knuckles turned white.
‘The next time we meet, I will be your enemy.’
+++
"Rei, Rei are you there?" Quickly the priestess picked up her communicator as Ami's voice rang throughout the fire room.
"Yeah…what is it?"
"Minako just contacted me. Luna and Artemis want to have a special meeting at the shrine. I've called everyone else but Usagi and Mamoru, so we should all be there within ten minutes."
"What's this about?"
"I'm not sure."
"Okay, I guess I'll see you in a few minutes."
Gently, she placed the communicator down. She once more focused her attention upon the fire before her as the flames settled. But this time it was tamed and bending to her will. She marveled at the power she could now wield, and could only dream of what was to come once she had finally mastered both her past and the present.
"What was that about?"
Rei sighed at the distraction coming from the doorway. "What was what about?" she responded testily, keeping her eyes closed. She did not need to see him anymore; she could recognize his spirit and voice anywhere now, but that did not mean she wanted to see him at the moment.
"Ami's communication..."
"If you knew it was Ami then you obviously heard what she said. Why do you need me to tell you?"
"You're right. I really only wanted an excuse to bother you."
At that, Rei turned and faced him. Nephrite leaned against the threshold with his arms crossed, that same smart look upon his face he almost always wore. She rolled her eyes and gave up her reading, knowing it was futile.
"What do you want, Nephrite?"
A playful grin danced upon his lips, and Rei felt herself squirm beneath her robes.
'What was that for?' she asked herself. They stood there in silence for a while, as Nephrite watched as thoughts dashed across the priestess' face. He had seen, for a moment, the ancient princess of Mars when she had stepped out from the fire. He remembered everything about her, but he knew this woman before him was not exactly whom he remembered. Something was different between the two, and he wished to find out what it was.
"Do you remember me much at all from the Silver Millennium?" he asked.
"I..." Rei trailed off. He stepped closer and she stared at him with cautious eyes. She moved away, the fire warming her back, but his eyes burned her face. She could feel his mind slowly invading hers, a strange sensation, and instantly pushed against it. "What are you doing?"
"Do you?"
"No, not really," she answered. "I've only remembered a little of my power as priestess of Mars, a few of my childhood memories, and my training as a Senshi."
"So, you do not remember us?"
“Yes, of course I remember the Shitennou.”
“No…us,” he said with more meaning, raising a coy eyebrow at her.
"Us...? You mean—you and…I?" Rei exclaimed. "You're joking, right?"
His eyes danced with the same light she had seen only a few nights ago, and she could feel his powers push against her. She refused him again, but he only moved closer towards her in response.
"Nephrite-"
"Trust me, like you once did," he whispered, close enough so she could feel his breath on her skin. The teasing look left his eyes and she felt like could see miles into them, and discovered no trickery or evil intent. He wanted to show her something, something she knew she should remember.
"I..." She closed her eyes and let her defenses down, and he swept into her mind softly. When she dared to open her eyes again she was somewhere far away from the shrine and found a white walled room before her. It was empty, but she could feel something burning against her back. She turned and found a blazing fire behind her. It was different from the fire she so regularly sat before. It flashed with an assortment of colors: bright greens, blues and silver running through it. Slowly, her mind wrapped itself around the inferno as old as the stars.
"The Great Fire of Mars," she whispered.
"Yes." Quickly, she turned at the sound of Nephrite's voice, and found the room changed. It was a long hall with strong black and silver pillars and red carpet. Tapestries of ancient places and people covered the walls, and the ceiling was the universe itself. She could see the vast stars beyond the walls and two moons suspended in the blackness. Her moons; her guardians.
Suddenly, something bright caught the inside edges of Phobos and Deimos and she watched as a fiery projectile came between them, heading straight for her. She flinched as it collided somewhere off to her left and a moment later a huge shockwave accompanied it. She shielded herself from the inertia until all sound disappeared.
She opened her eyes and once again found herself in a different room. The pillars had changed to something softer, and the room shone with spotless silver hued stone. She turned and found the fire once more, but it was different, smaller and more subdued as if it were tired. She recognized this place well enough, even if the large blue and green planet suspended in the large window did not give it away. It was her princess’ home.
"I remember this. The dark energy attacked Mars and we had to come here. The Great Fire was never the same."
"Neither were you," she heard him whisper.
She found him standing before her this time, dressed in his royal garments of green and grey. She looked down at herself for the first time, finding her robes had changed as well. She was her ancient self once more; dressed in ornate red and black robes with golden trim. The fabric was billowy and huge of her delicate frame, but she was born to wear it. She reached up, feeling the heavy and sacred headdress of a high priestess of Mars atop her tresses, and could see out of the corners of her eyes the gems like teardrops hanging from the fan shaped assemble.
He was approaching her slowly, almost reverently, and she felt this moment was familiar somehow-like this was more than an illusion, but a memory as well. She couldn’t look away from his emerald eyes, and with every footstep he took to reach her, her heart skipped a beat in return.
"Things aren't as simple anymore," she replied without realizing it. It was as if she was reading a skit, and this was merely a play. He stepped closer, rising to the platform she occupied. She didn't move this time as he slowly approached, only watching his eyes sparkle in the torchlight. She was captivated by this experience, and didn’t care to think if this was his doing, or her own emotions.
"No, they never are." She could feel him more strongly then. Images of the past -- his past -- raced across her mind. For a moment she saw him as a young boy, lost in the wilderness and struggling through the dark. In a flash, she saw the last night of the Silver Millennium, saw him stare down at his blood spotted hands in wonder. She could hear voices and shouts incoherent to her, but she could sense the sadness and longing, guilt and fear in them.
"What's going on?" she finally whispered.
"We're reliving a scene, from long ago. Do you wish to know how it ends?"
Before she could answer, his lips passionately embraced hers, and all thought vanished from her mind. She was caught up in the moment as he brought her closer to him, his arms strong around her back. She let her eyes close as she tried to remember the memory, but was too distracted by the present to really think much at all. She felt the fire leap around them and enter her veins, burning her with something she couldn't yet name, but wanted to know.
'Rei...!'
The fire swarmed, caressing their skin with electric touches that shot through her body, trying to free something locked deep within.
'Rei we're here!'
Abruptly everything stopped, and Rei gasped as she found herself back within the quiet shrine -- her head dizzy and her body still on fire. She looked up to find him seemingly unfazed by what just occurred -- simply that sly grin upon his face once again.
"I see," he said, the question to his answer revealed.
"You see? See what?" Without another word, he walked from the room and disappeared. "Nephrite...!"
She raced after him, but collided into a woman with massive amounts of blonde hair.
"Minako...!"
"Rei, what are you doing? We've been calling you-Hey, what have you been doing? Your cheeks are all red. Did you fall asleep in front of the fire?"
"Where did he go?"
"Who…?"
"Nephrite...!"
"Nephrite...? I didn't see him. Why?" Rei stared passed her and Minako watched as the raven-haired Senshi balled her fists and growled angrily before turning the other way, practically stomping down the hall. Minako followed quickly. "Rei…wait!"
+++
"So, what's going on, Luna?" Ami asked once everyone, minus Usagi and Mamoru, had arrived and settled down.
"I would rather wait until Usagi and Mamoru-san were here. It involves them, too of course," the feline answered.
"Where are they?" questioned Ami.
"Distracted again?" Michiru winked at Ami, who giggled nervously.
"You remember last time they were late." Makoto glanced at the Shitennou. "We got a lovely surprising little shock."
"Dashingly handsome are the two adjectives I would use, personally," Jadeite spoke up.
"Naturally," Makoto drawled as she rolled her eyes.
"I wonder where they could be." Artemis mused aloud.
An instant later, they received the answer as Mamoru stormed into the shrine with Usagi not far behind. They had seen Mamoru impassioned before, but the look in his blue eyes was startlingly hostile and demanding.
"Where is she?" Mamoru asked harshly.
"Who are you talking about, Mamoru-san?" After posing her question, Minako immediately found a weeping Usagi in her arms, and the others stared in surprise.
"What's going on?" Haruka asked.
"Where is Setsuna?" Mamoru practically yelled.
"She's not here," Ami answered calmly.
"Where is she?"
"She's probably at the Time Gate where she always is," Michiru said.
"Usagi, what's wrong?" Rei asked as she reached out a comforting hand to Usagi's back.
"What is going on, Endymion?" Kunzite added.
Mamoru looked at them all for a moment, his initial anger giving way to brokenhearted frustration. His eyes slowly moved towards Usagi, and all his barriers quickly disintegrated at the sight of her crying once again. He gave up his angry defense, and fell against the nearby wooden support beam. Usagi whispered inaudibly into Minako's shirt.
"What is it Usagi?" Minako questioned; concern in her voice. With a sniff, Usagi lifted her head and glanced around the room.
"I'm-I'm pregnant!"
At her declaration, a slue of different emotions took hold upon those within the room. At first, some were delighted, until the realization of what truly meant quickly dawned on them. The Shitennou stared at the group in confusion, unsure as to what was occurring.
"But," Hotaru spoke up bravely. "But Chibi-Usa has the same birthday as you, Usagi-san."
"She does, she did," Usagi cried. "I don't know what happened! What if, what if she doesn't exist anymore? I couldn't deal with it!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Koneko-chan. We all remember her, how could you really forget her, so she has to exist," Haruka said.
"Theoretically Chibi-Usa exists in the past for us. There's no telling what our future might hold now that the timeline was broken by the Black Moon Clan," Ami put in.
"Ami, shut up!" Makoto hissed and the blue haired girl blushed extravagantly.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Usagi-san!" Ami apologized. "I didn't mean to blurt that out -- I'm so sorry."
"Its okay, Ami," Usagi sighed. "It's what everyone is thinking I'm sure. It's the only reasonable explanation."
"No Usagi. We might know something about our future, but we don't know it all. There's a huge gap between the time when Crystal Tokyo was founded and the present. Who knows what's going to happen? Believe its Chibi-Usa. I believe it is," Makoto urged.
"What's going on? Who is this Chibi-Usa?" Jadeite asked.
"I'll tell you all later," Rei replied. "Now is not a good time."
"Only one person knows for sure," Mamoru spoke up.
"Who...?" Makoto asked.
"Setsuna -- she told me something was wrong. She knew. She knew!"
"There's no way to reach her at the Time Gate. She always seems to come whenever she's needed, though," Michiru offered.
"I don't think she'll be coming this time," Mamoru added darkly.
"I can reach her." Usagi stood up, a determined look on her face. "I have to. I'll use my crystal to-"
"Usagi wait!" Luna intervened. "I don't think you should use the Silver Crystal in this state. It's a wonder nothing happened when you defeated the Death Phantom. Your mother was unable to use it when she was carrying you long ago. It's dangerous."
Defeated, Usagi plopped back down to the floor, and tears began to collect in her eyes once more. She remembered the crystal’s warning-- remembered how hard it was to reach for the power unlike the times before. Luna was right; she couldn’t risk trying to do something as difficult as reaching Setsuna’s dimension without a key. A disturbed silence fell over them as they glanced at their somber leader.
Things were not how they pictured them anymore. They were left with a broken promise of a brilliant future, splintering into pieces within their minds. What lay ahead of them now, they wondered. Outside, the afternoon grew darker with gray storm clouds yet again-- an unwanted herald for worse things to come.
+++
Umino anxiously paced the length of his studio apartment like he was man condemned. Night had fallen long ago, but he could not find rest. Ever since that day he could barely sleep, eat or think clearly from what he had seen in the passed week. He went to work like a ghost-- unaware or unable to see what was going around him, and sat at his desk solemnly while the world buzzed around him. At the end of his day, he parked his car outside the cold and tall metal gates and gazed into the make shift compound they made for the ‘aliens’ outside of the city. Police kept close watch, and no inhabitants were allowed near this outer perimeter, but he came nonetheless in hopes he would see her for the slightest second. Hundreds of other people were there, calling out to their friends and loved ones, and leaving tokens from their former life like they were already lost to them. He never left anything, save for a small part of his sanity and fears.
It was quiet now in the city. The people he passed in the streets were fearful and angry, hurt and confused-- and silent. No one shouted in the market anyone, no children ran down the streets chasing one another. Even they seemed to sense the darkened atmosphere. Everyone was afraid to speak, afraid they might be taken away next. He felt like everyone was waiting for something to happen, waiting for that one person to shout out and tell them how to act or what to believe. In a way, so was he.
The Sailor Senshi had offered them a solution, but no one seemed to be listening to their message. It seemed so long ago now that Sailor Venus had stood before them. And now that he knew who they were…
Everything made sense now. How Usagi’s new friends seem to appear as the Senshi did, and how they always seemed to disappear when something was attacking the city or their school. How they had bruises they tried to hide, and why Usagi grew apart from her best friend, her crush at the arcade, and the strange kid with glasses. He had felt a little resentment for Usagi’s actions, but now he understood.
He tried to picture Usagi as Sailor Moon, but the goofy memories of his old friend wouldn’t let him. She saved everyone from darkness, she had so much responsibility, she was a soldier…how could that possibly be Usagi? But he had seen Sailor Venus on the ground with Usagi, and knew exactly at that moment what had been hidden from him for so long.
He knew he should go and see them, tell them what he knew, but fear and sadness were keeping him at bay. What if they couldn’t let him live with the secret he knew? He didn’t think Usagi capable of such a thing, but the other girls he couldn’t be too sure of from the beginning. But he knew he could no longer wait to find a way to free Naru, or for the government to accept the Senshi’s offer. He had needed time to think of something, but now he felt like that time was running out. Naru had whispered Usagi’s name, although he still didn’t quite understand why, but he realized his golden haired friend was the only way to save her now. Maybe somehow Naru had known that.
He grabbed his coat, for the night was strangely cool outside, and walked to the door. Usagi would surely be able to save their friend, somehow. She was the only hope left. He just hoped it wasn’t too late.
+++
Everyone gets sick of the usual pairings of the Shitennou and Senshi all the time, right? Just a little crazy switcheroo. Another note: I am not completely married to that Shitennou and Senshi drawing either, so don’t expect to find them all hooking up in this. I'm only touching on them for nostalgic reasons and because well, they are fun. Kunzite and Minako are the exception because they at least have some canon possibility. And I love them. ^^;
