| At the sound of the screams, Serena jerked her eyes away from the sight in front of her to watch in horror as the excesses of dark power caused the edges of the building to explode outward. The masses of people below on the street were screaming as chunks of cement and metal fell, crashing to the ground. And there was nothing Sailor Moon could do to save them. On the roof all around lay the bodies of her friends and protectors. Mercury and Pluto lay sprawled where they had fallen under Rini's attack. Nephrite and Jupiter had fallen on top of one another, as if, even unconscious, they still tried to protect one another. Only Rei still stood with her. Rei, who was still willing, after all that had been done to her, to fight for Serena. Rei, who, bleeding and bruised already, was still standing at Serena's side. "It is time." Hissed out a low voice. Serena dragged her attention back to what was happening in front of her, the thing that in the future had once been her daughter. Rini's transformation was complete and Serena could feel the power that swam just beneath the woman's skin, threatening to burst from its fragile prison at any moment. Rini's hair and eye's had been seeped in the darkness, becoming a back so dark that it wasn't just the absence of light, but the very destruction of it. She hovered above the fallen body of her own protector, challenging Sailor Moon with her gaze. Serena wrapped her hand around the Silver Crystal and closed her eyes, concentrating on calling its powers forward to help her fight this battle. She felt the answer to that call, coming instantly, almost as if it had been waiting for her summons. Cool, clean power flooded into her veins, merging and transforming her into its own image much as Rini's crystal had transformed her. A flash of pain caused her to gasp as a pair of pure white wings ripped themselves out of her back. Before the pain had even subsided, some unconscious part of her brain had already used her wings to raise her into the air so that she could face her challenger straight on. Her Sailor Moon uniform and armor reformed into the delicate form of a long and simple white dress and her hair silvered out. If looked at closely, her hair would be seen as neither white nor blonde, but rather clear. It acted as a prism, collecting light and reflecting it back into the world with even greater strength. But there were a thousand other tiny changes below the skin that only she could feel, but were much more important than any outward appearance. The power, as it flowed through her, changed every tiny cell and drop of blood it touched, making her more than she had been. She had become the opposite of her daughter's image. Where Rini had become all hard darkness, Serena's power had made her into a being of soft light. And yet Serena could feel the strength of that softness, a flexibility to bend and reform around anything that might attempt to hurt it. This was a power born of love and hope, where Rini's power came from hate and despair. Serena's eyes snapped open to stare directly into her daughter's, "It is time." At an invisible command, the two warriors shot into the air. * * * * * Darien and the others arrived just as the shield collapsed. "Venus!" Darien yelled, hoping she would understand. Mina nodded once, "Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Venus' golden power shot from her hands, destroying the larger chunks of the building before they could crash into the ground while Darien, Malachite and Zoicite worked on pulling people out of the way. But there were too many people and too much debris to get it all. Darien could hear the cries of pain all around him, mixing with the screams of fear, but in his heart of hearts he hated these people for delaying him even more from reaching Serena's side. He couldn't see what was going on up on the roof but he knew it had to be bad to have these kinds of backlashes. He could feel the huge amount of power concentrated up there and had to force himself to help the people on the street. The crowd's terror took on a new intensity as twin streaks of power, dark and light, shot with unbelievable speed into the air. But when nothing else came hurtling down, people began to calm slightly and continued to move away from the building. Soon, all that was left were those that had been injured too badly to get to safety without help. Suddenly a dust covered man appeared at his side as he was helping a woman with a broken leg get out of the danger zone, "I've got her. You go help Sailor Moon." It took him a moment to recognize the man and when he did, he instantly stiffened, "Mr. Tsukino." "Please." Serena's father begged quietly, his voice gruff from all the dust choking the air around them; "I can't lose her to my own stupidity a second time." Darien saw his own fear of what was going on on the roof reflected in the older man's eyes before he took the woman from Darien and began walking her away. Glancing around he saw that most of the people were out of immediate danger. Mina was looking a little tired from using so much of her power all at once but she had managed to stop anyone from getting crushed. Malachite and Zoicite were trying to push people even farther back. Out of the corner of his eye Darien saw several cops advancing on him. "Venus! Mal! Zoi!" He called out. The other three looked at him, taking in the cops that were trying to surround them. They followed Darien as he jumped into the air. Landing on a lower balcony for a moment before jumping to another balcony, he saw the police shouting angrily up after them. A moment later, the four of them were over the remaining edge of the roof and looking in horror at the destruction there. The entire area was filled with scorch marks. Huge furrows in the cement led to the fallen bodies of Mercury and Pluto. In the middle of a huge scorch mark, and surrounded by rubble lay Lita and Nephrite in a crumpled heap. The only one still standing was Rei. At her feet, Jadeite knelt, gasping for air. Rei was staring into the sky with a concentration that was almost scary. There was another body, this one of a strange man, lay on the ground. "Where's Sailor Moon?" Darien asked Rei, with a sinking feeling of dread. Rei turned her gaze away from the sky for a moment to look at him and he knew. He knew that he had been too late and the fight had been taken to some place he couldn't go. A sound like thunder and flashes of bright light caused both Rei and his attention to snap back to the sky. Hoping desperately to see something of what was going on above the clouds. * * * * * Rini had created a whip of power, which curl around her, constantly moving around like a snake until it cracked out, attacking Serena at the slightest hint of hesitation. Serena's own power was molded into the shape of a shield, which she was trying to use to deflect the power that lashed out at her. But she already had countless numbers of small cuts where the whip's tip had been able to sneak around the edges of her shield and kiss skin. She knew that she had to be careful how she used her strength. The power of the silver crystal was immense but not unlimited and her own skill in handling was nothing compared to what her mother's had once been. And the crystal that Rini was using was something that she had never seen before but she could sense that the power it had was as great as, maybe even greater, than hers. Lunging forward, Serena tried to get too close for Rini's whip to be useful. Rini managed to duck under her lunge, taking a shot at Serena's momentarily unprotected middle. Serena gasped in pain as she felt the whip bite into her flesh. As it pulled away, bright red drops of blood blossomed from the wound and fell like rain. But her white dress resisted the stains of her blood, remaining pure white as Serena regained her poise and turned to face her daughter again. * * * * * Darien watched several red drops fall to the ground and felt his heart stop beating. He knew what that was. He had been a warrior too long not to recognize blood and his gut told his whose blood it was. Somewhere in the air, far out of his reach, his love was bleeding, wounded, and all he could do was watch as her blood rained down upon him. Around him he knew that Zoicite was trying to bring Ami around while Mina and Malachite were checking on Lita, Nephrite and Pluto. A soft groan off to the side could be heard but his attention was firmly fixed on the sky. It wasn't until he heard Rei's startled gasp that he dragged his attention back to earth. Following Rei's gaze he saw the stranger, Rini's companion, struggling to sit up. Darien drew his sword and stalked towards the other man. The man was tall and this with startling white hair. In the center of his forehead was a red jewel. But the most startling thing was that, as he watched, a golden horn began growing from his head. It was elegantly beautiful and fit the man in a way that made it seem like without it, he was less than what he should be. As Darien grabbed him, hauling the still shaky man to his feet, Rei yelled out, "Darien, wait!" Darien turned to look at her, his sword still poised at the stranger's heart. "He might know how to help." Rei said, coming to stand next to him. "Who is he?" Darien asked. The man looked up at the sound of Darien's voice, recognition dawning in his eyes. With startling speed and strength, the man pulled away from Darien's grip and dropped to his knees, bowing his head so the golden horn on his head nearly touched the toe of Darien's boots. "My King." He said in a deep voice. Darien and Rei exchanged looks over his head before Darien repeated his question, "Who are you?" "Helios, my lord. I am...was...a protector of dreams, guardian of the golden crystal and a priest of illusion." Helios said, never once raising his head. "King?" Malachite asked as he and the others that came with Darien surrounded Helios. "King Endymion. Consort to Queen Serenity. Rulers of Earth." Helios said, looking up, straight into Darien's eyes as he said this. "I have failed you, my King." Helios looked down at his hands as if disgusted by them before continuing, "I was unable to protect your daughter as you bade me and was captured by your enemies. I..." The man's voice hitched slightly and Darien could almost see the pain surround the man on his knees before him, "I cut off my horn...to protect the Golden crystal." A single tear rolled down Helios' face and Darien knew instinctively that whatever the Golden crystal was and whoever this man was, he had been forced to do something horrible. "Your horn is regrown." Darien said, wondering if this was Sailor Moon's work. Helios gasped, his hands flying up to his head and feeling the horn there. His expression was one of pure wonder, "How?" Rei stepped forward slightly, "Sailor Moon healed you." Helios looked at her in awe, "I...I remember. We were fighting and...Rini!" Helios looked frantically around and Darien wondered what this man's relationship was with his future daughter. "Tell me what happened." Darien demanded. Helios closed his eyes for a second and Darien could see him forcing his muscles to relax before opening his eyes, his voice now calm, "Rini created a dark crystal. Fueled with the energy of hundred of thousand of people, she is planning on using it to kill off Sailor Moon. Where the Wiseman took away my memories, he just warped Rini's, making her believe that her mother and father, you and the Queen, were evil and cruel. Together we were going to stop the future from being what it is." "How can we stop her?" Rei asked. "You...you have to attack the dark crystal. Shatter it somehow." Helios said, thinking hard. "She absorbed it." Rei said quietly. "What?" Helios and Darien asked together. "Rini. When you fell, she absorbed the crystal into herself and challenged Sailor Moon. And Sailor Moon did something similar with the Silver Crystal." Rei said. "How are we supposed to shatter the crystal when it is in Rini?" Lita asked what they were all thinking. "We can't. If it is really inside of her, shattering it will kill her." Helios stated. Darien felt some part of him grow cold, but he knew that if it really came down to it, he had already made his choice. Helios must have seen something on his face, some sign for he shouted, "No! You can't kill her! She is your daughter." "And she is trying to kill Serena." Darien said. At his back, he could feel the presence of his generals. "I will not let you kill her." Helios said, standing tall in front of Darien. "And I will not let Serena die." Darien replied. The two stared at each other, neither moving. The tension in the air thickened with unsaid threats and actions. "Enough." Rei said, stepping between the two. "You two will either find a way to save both or leave now so that the rest of us can save the meatball heads." Helios looked shocked by the harsh demand, his mouth falling open. Darien watched with mingled amusement and chagrin. Rei was right. They accomplished nothing fighting each other. A soft cough drew Darien's attention to Ami, who was leaning heavily on Zoicite, "I think I might know a way." * * * * * Serena was panting hard now. She was more tired than she could ever remember being. She had finally managed to get inside of Rini's guard. She had brought her shield smashing down on the woman's arm hard, causing her to cry out and drop the whip, which dissolved in the air. Now, as they circled each other warily, Rini's right arm hung limply at her side. Serena wasn't sure if it was broken or if she had just hit the nerves enough to numb them. Either way though, she now had an advantage and needed to use it. Serena swooped forward again, pressing her attack. Rini neatly dodged several punches but she was too slow on her right side and Serena was able to get in a couple good hits. But she didn't go unscathed herself. A sound kick to her knees, which would have sent her to the ground if she'd been standing, still managed to throw off her balance. The two of them fell apart, taking a moment to assess their new wounds as well as the other's injuries. Serena winced as she felt the bruise from Rini's kick growing. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to stand on that leg after this fight was over. If she still had a reason to stand after this fight. Rini seemed to be recovering quickly. Serena could feel her gathering the dark power inside of her for another attack and struggled to find the energy to respond. As Rini lashed out with a blast of pure darkness, Serena managed to send out an answering blast of power. The two attacks met, smashing into one another with staggering force. Serena kept pouring power into her attack, struggling to push against Rini's own attack. But she could feel herself weakening. And slowly, Rini began to win. The darkness began to eat away at her light, coming closer and closer to her. * * * * * "Pluto said that we all needed to be here. That means that all of our strength will be needed to win." Ami said. Lita looked at her from where she stood shakily, "I don't have much left after the first fight." "I know. I don't either. But it's more than Sailor Moon has right now." Ami said, looking around. "So what do you want us to do?" Rei asked. "I think that I can direct our strength into the Silver crystal. If what Rei said is right and the crystal is now in Sailor Moon, she should then have direct access to that strength. Hopefully she will know what to do with it." Ami said, exhaustion showing plainly on her features. "Let's do this." Mina said. Ami arranged them. Pluto, whose Key could handle all the power they were going to gather, would act as a beacon. In a circle around Pluto were the Scouts, hands linked. And in another, larger circle around the scouts stood Darien and his Generals. Helios watched as the arranged themselves with worried eyes. The scouts closed their eyes and their power rose from them and began flowing into Pluto's Key. Green lightning crackled from Lita, and an answering power twined with hers, coming from Nephrite. Rei's red flames dances upward with Jadeite's strength. Beautiful blue waves entwined easily with Zoicite's energy and next to that, pure golden light, shot through with the silver of Malachite's own power also joined what was being collected in Pluto's hands. And tying it all together, binding the different powers to act in accord was that back thread of Darien's power, strong and commanding. With a shout from Pluto, the power of the Scouts and their lovers shot into the air, seeking out its intended target. * * * * * Serena watched as the dark power crept closer to where she continued to throw her own strength desperately against it. But Rini and the dark crystal's strength were too much for her to take on. And as she felt her control slipping, she could see that Rini was becoming confident in the result of this fight. Suddenly a second blast of pure power slammed into her. Serena gasped in surprise, eyes widened in momentary fear as she felt her tenuous control on the battle between herself and her future daughter disappear. The dark power surged forward, completely unrestrained by any hand. Serena had a brief moment to brace herself before all that power slammed into her. But instead of pain, something else happened. As Rini's power hit her, the other power wrapped itself around Serena, taking the hit instead. And Serena felt something in that power, a sense of recognition and struggled to place it. It bent easily to her commands and changed her even more than the Silver crystal already had. And that is when she sensed it. The tiny flaw in Rini's power. The small grain of purity buried in all the darkness. Serena's power reacted to her desire before she had even put it into conscious thought. It began to push a small thread of pure power through the stream of darkness, creating a core of light in Rini's continued attack against her. Slowly that thread moved towards her daughter. Finally, with a burst of speed and strength, Serena's power slammed itself into Rini. It continued to burrow through her flesh and bone until it found its target, the black crystal embedded into Rini's very heart. Spilling into the crystal, Serena's power searched for that grain of imperfection. Finally it found what it sought and began to exploit it. Rini screamed in pain and anger, her own attack faltering and fading. What started off as a minute speck of light was fed and the darkness surrounding it was slowly changed. Horribly slow, a few other specks of the crystal began to be washed clean. And then more appeared and more, forming veins of light in the once pure black crystal. And with each part that was purified, the next became easier and faster. Serena watched at the power that Rini had been using was turned against her. Pulling out her Scepter, she focused the last of her power and strength through the changed crystal still lodged in Rini's heart. "Moon Healing Activation!" The power exploded around them, engulfing them both in a ball of light and Serena had time for one last prayer before she lost consciousness. 'Please, let this have worked.' * * * * * On the roof, Darien and the other scouts and generals lay where they had collapsed after sending all they had the Sailor Moon. Standing guard over their prone bodies, watching the sky, stood Helios. He winced at the sound of Rini's pain filled screams filling the air. But it was infinitely worse when those screams died suddenly as the sky exploded. * * * * * Serena groaned softly, opening her eyes. Around her the world seemed to have disappeared, dissolving into a white nothingness. Unconsciously she wrapped her white wings around herself as she curled into a ball, floating in this place with no up or down. She knew that she should be worried and scared, not knowing where she was or how she would get back, but somehow she just couldn't bring herself to care. Emotions like fear seemed so far away, like some vaguely understood concept that had no real connection to her. Instead she felt lethargic, wanting nothing more than to just close her eyes and fall back into the oblivion of sleep. She was so tired. Didn't she deserve the rest? But something was calling her, refusing to let her just sleep. And some part of her was insisting that she had to pay attention to that call. It was important. Sighing, Serena raised her head and looked around, searching for the source of that call. As if sensing her attention, it became louder, more insistent. She still couldn't make out any words but she knew instinctively that it was directed at her. Then she saw it. There was something else in here with her. Someone else. "Mother!" And from deep in her brain, the fuzzy thought emerged that she wasn't a mother. She was pretty sure that she would have remembered something like giving birth. Right? "Mother!" But someone was out there, calling for her, calling her Mother. Maybe she was wrong and they weren't looking for her? But she knew they were. That thought made her frown. How did she know? Struggling, she tried to remember how she had gotten to this place but her thoughts were sluggish, refusing to focus. "Mother!" Serena felt a flash of irritation. She needed to think and that was hard when Rini kept yelling at her. Wait...Rini? Rini was...her daughter. But she didn't have a daughter. Yet. Suddenly her memory cleared, the memories rushing back. Looking around she wondered briefly if she was dead but shook the thought off as she turned towards where here daughter was calling for her. Spreading the huge white wings that were still with her, she shot forward, following the voice that was calling her. "Mother!" In front of her she saw a young woman. She was younger than the Rini that Sailor Moon had fought but older than the young girl that Pluto had described to her. She looked more like a girl in her mid-teens with long pink hair in a style similar to Serena's. "Rini." Serena called softly as she approached. The girl spun towards her and lunged at her, clinging to Serena's waist as huge sobs wracked her small frame. "I'm sorry, Mama. I'm sorry." Rini kept saying while crying. "Shh. Hush, it's okay. You're okay." Serena said quietly, petting her daughter's hair, trying to comfort her. Slowly the sobs began to lessen as Rini gasped for air. Rini pulled away from Serena's embrace and took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, "I'm sorry, Mother." Serena felt an odd tinge of regret at the formal tone that Rini took. It said something about what the future looked like. It brought up memories of her own childhood on the Moon, when there had been a clear distinction between talking to her mother and talking to the Queen of the Moon. "Rini..." Serena tried to find the words the say what needed to be said to her daughter, this woman she didn't know at all. "This was not your fault." "But..." Rini began to protest. Serena cut her off, "It wasn't your fault. It was the fault of those who were supposed to be protecting you. I should never have allowed you to get into the kind of situation where you could be caught by my enemies. And it is the fault of the Wiseman who changed your memories, corrupting them. It is not, absolutely not, your fault." Rini looked at her sadly, "You couldn't protect me Mother." "What? Why?" Serena asked, wondering what Pluto had left out of her story of the future. "You were hurt. And now no one can wake you up. So your inner court protected you while Pluto was trying to watch me. But I...I snuck into your room and touched the Silver Crystal. I didn't mean for it to disappear! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have run away but I was afraid they would be mad at me." Rini said, looking pathetic, "That is why this is my fault." Serena looked at her curiously, ignoring the future for the moment in favor of the present and its oddities, "Rini, how old are you?" Rini seemed surprised, "Nine." Serena looked at the girl, "That's what I thought. Do you know why you didn't change all the way back to the age you are supposed to be?" "What?" Rini looked down at herself as if noticing for the first time that she no longer has the body of a little girl of nine, "I...I don't know. But..." "But?" Serena prompted softly when Rini trailed off. "I'm glad. I don't feel like a little girl anymore. I don't know if I could go back to being one." Rini said quietly. Serena nodded to herself. She understood that feeling, remembering her own youth as Sailor Moon. She wasn't really surprised that the Silver Crystal would do such a thing. It had acted independently before and would most likely do so again. Which brought her to another part of Rini's story that puzzled her. The Silver Crystal. It shouldn't have just disappeared like that. Serena knew that there was something important that she was overlooking and yet she could quite seem to put her finger on it. Frowning, she looked off into the void surrounding them, trying to recall the recent battle. She had been losing and then something had given her extra strength. And she had used it to... Serena looked back at Rini. Was it possible? Rini looked askance at her. "I think...Let me try something." Serena said hesitantly. Closing her eyes she reached for the Silver Crystal that was still embedded in her own heart. She found its warm power easily. Using it carefully, she searched for the dark crystal that had been in Rini, and felt a pulse of recognition from the Silver Crystal in her own heart. Opening her eyes, she smiled, "Rini, the Silver Crystal didn't disappear. It went inside you." "What?" Rini asked, confused. "Look." Serena said, calling the two crystals out. Slowly the crystals emerged from their hosts, shining like twin stars. Rini gasped, reaching out towards the crystal that had come out of her but stopping herself before she touched it. "I don't know why, but the Silver Crystal went into you. You didn't make it disappear." Serena said. "But...I made the dark crystal. How could it be the Silver Crystal?" Rini asked, mystified. Serena paused a moment before answering, "I think that you did make the dark crystal, but when you let it enter your body, it also merged with the Silver Crystal which was already inside of you. There was already a tiny flaw in your dark crystal. Using this flaw, I was able to connect with you and purify your dark crystal." Rini stood speechless, staring at the twin crystals. A single tear fell down her face as she reached out to grab a hold of it. "I have to return this to my Mother." She said fiercely. Serena nodded, "Then we need to leave this place." Rini looked around, "I don't know how." "I think I do." Serena said. * * * * * Helios watched the others worriedly. They were still alive, he had checked, but none of them had moved. Below, he could see the police beginning to cautiously approach the building again. Moving quickly he moved several of the larger chunks of debris in front of the only door leading down from the roof. It wouldn't hold indefinitely but it would give him some time to decide what to do. Crossing over to where Darien lay he tried to wake him up. With a deep breath he touched the tip of his newly regrown horn to Darien's forehead. After a moment Darien groaned and opened his eyes. After a failed attempt to stand, Darien managed to prop himself up to look around as Helios continued to wake the others. Soon all were awake. Most were leaning against someone while a few, like Rei, were still determinedly trying to stand. Helios was suitably impressed when the scout managed to stand, despite as wobbly she was. Darien seemed to be recovering quickly and turned towards him, questions that Helios didn't want to answer in the man's eyes. Before those questions could be asked though, a small ball of light appeared, growing larger and larger till the others had to shield their eyes. Two figures could be vaguely seen inside. As the light faded, it left behind Sailor Moon and Rini, facing each other with hands clasped. The pair opened their eyes to smile at one another before collapsing. * * * * * It took some effort, but they managed to get off of the roof without encountering the police. They made it back to Rei's temple. There, most of them just found an unoccupied corner to collapse in once Serena and Rini had been put to bed. Neither had awakened during the trip back but Darien was pretty sure that it was just pure exhaustion. He had no idea what had happened but it appeared like everything had worked out for the best. Laying down beside Serena, he pulled her tight against his chest and buried his face into her hair, proving to himself through touch that she was really here, with him, and okay. Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep. * * * * * |