The Lights of Change (Part 9)
By: Minako Kou and Makoto Kou
Date started: December 1, 1999
Date finished:
Inspirational music: Way too many to list ^_^


Senshi still in the story at this point 
Returning favorites:
Usagi (Sailor Moon), Mina (Sailor Venus), Seiya (Sailor Star Fighter), Makoto (Sailor Jupiter), Yaten (Sailor Star Healer), Rei (Sailor Mars), Taiki (Sailor Star Maker), Haruka (Sailor Uranus), Michiru (Sailor Neptune), Sestuna (Sailor Pluto)

New favorites (original characters):
Ai (Leader of the Neo Starlights, Sailor Star Lover), Ashita (Sailor Star Mover), Kirei (Sailor Star Shaker), Salla (New Moon Senshi Leader, Neo-Sailor Jupiter/Sailor Shadowhawk), Hinagiku (Neo-Sailor Neptune), Jeremy (Sailor Sun)

All time bad guy created by us:
Kusso (evil to the max!)


Prologue
Kusso just looked to his wife and his in-laws in disgust.  "You fools!  You did it all wrong...she was supposed to be overwhelmed with grief, not blood thirsty!!"
"They can't save you now.  They're not the ones to blame either.  It was you and your idiotic craze for power that lead you here.  I cannot tolerate it any longer and I will never forgive you! I am the pretty sailor suited warrior, Sailor Moon. In the name of the Past Moon, the Future Moon, and the Full Moon!! I will punish you!!!" 
...Suddenly the first blow was thrown.  All of the evil ones standing nearest to Kusso's throne were smashed up against the wall behind them.  Kusso blinked.
Jupiter climbed to her feet and began shouting, "What the hell did you just do?!"
It was Mina who answered. "That's part of the power of being on the good side.  We fight together as one."
"Kusso," Sailor Moon shouted, "do you actually think we'd tell you how we do our fighting... you'll just have to watch and observe!"...
..."Jupiter!  Lightening-strike, ascend!"...
...Kusso finally joined up with his forces, standing slightly behind them. "Alright, let's get this over with already!  All this staring is boring the hell out of me!"


Chapter 1
"Well?!" Kusso shouted at Healer and Jupiter. "What the hell are you waiting for?! Fight!"
Tears streaming from her eyes Healer screamed her new attack at her sisters, 
"Nova Harmony Holocaust!!!"
Star Healer was emblazoned with crackling electric energy that snaked across her sensual body and across the throne room towards the Starlights. Everyone stopped and blinked and looked around quizzically. Nothing had happened, and no one had been harmed.  Sailor Moon started to giggle. Then everyone looked at her.
"That's all the power your forces have Kusso??" More giggles erupted from her.
Kusso began to fume. As if this wasn't humiliating enough, suddenly Sailor Moon was making fun of him! He glared at Healer in askance.
"I... I... dunno why it didn't work..." Healer stumbled through the words. "Believe me! It had plenty of power... I've never felt such power in my life!"
Sailor Star Maker suddenly stepped forward with a wicked smile playing across her lips. Everyone stared at her in awe. They were all still quite dumbstruck by the events.
"Perhaps," she slowly spoke, "I can explain these events. For the same reason that all of us had to come back to Earth together, and all had to take male form or female form when we came back, or all the Neo-Starlights had to come back in time together, the attack did not work. We are attuned to each other, and each other's attacks. This prevents all of us from dying by one of us dying over a mere squabble between us that goes too far." Star Maker smirked beautifully, and Fighter laughed powerfully at Kusso.
In the same instant as Healer had thought herself to be saved, she was once again lost because of Kusso's quick intellect and the charms that bound her to him. As soon she realized that it was as simple as her aiming at the Senshi as opposed to her sisters, her heart sunk; because she knew this was Kusso's will being exerted over her through the power of the bracelet.
Impatiently waiting for resolution and answers, Jupiter stared imploringly at Sailor Moon. Maybe one of her healing attacks can help me and my love, she thought. Maybe it even has the power to make my daughter good, she hoped. But just as suddenly as she thought it, the thought was ripped from her mind and she felt dumb, for just a moment and realized that she'd forgotten something that went against Kusso's best interest. Staring at Kusso wildly, Jupiter gasped. The bracelet's power and control over her must increase with time. Never before had it actually censored her mind. Now she found it very difficult to hold this thought in her mind, but kept realizing it over and over because it was happening repeatedly.
Mina stared in the direction of Sailor Jupiter... hoping to find some sign of her old friend, something that could maybe break the power that charm held over her. As she stared at her good friend, she noticed that Jupiter's anxiety was increasing exponentially by the moment. What could possible be going on in her head to cause her so much discomfort? Realizing this moment of weakness to be an opportunity, Sailor Venus utilized her many years of experience to take the foreground of the battle.
Slowly Minako stepped forward, making sure not to break Jupiter's distraction and raised her arms on high. Please don't hurt her too much, Mina thought. She loved Mako-chan, but this was a battle for the galaxy and everyone's lives depended on it. Mako would understand. A few noticed her raise her arms and begin to whisper words of prayer to herself as brilliant energy began to play about her finger tips, but none did a thing.
"Venus!..." her shout rang above arguing and confusion, and everyone's head's snapped to her direction, but without enough time to block or dodge the oncoming attack. "...Splendid Spirit ...Seizure!!!"
A giant heart shaped barrier enveloped the confused, evil Sailor Jupiter. Within the barrier, Makoto found herself still quite mobile, but one part of her body was beginning to feel weighed down and constricted. The part of her body which was encircled by Kusso's charm became unbearably heavy. She fells to her knees as the entire barrier constricted and shrunk to only be around the charm. She stared at it in wonder as it covered the gold anklet in a golden pink substance and started to disintegrate it into pink bubbles that floated up and away. Makoto stared at her own ankle in fascination and then in horror as she realized that although the anklet was gone, she was not free.
"Humph," Kusso snorted, then he looked at Makoto and then to Mina. "You didn't really think I was that stupid did you? From the second she put that thing on I had control of her mind. It doesn't matter that it's off now, she still belongs to me, just like her daughter."
Mina glared at him. "You never had control over me!"
"A slight technicality. If I had known about your head injury I would have found something else to keep your mind enslaved." He smiled. "Jupiter get up and kill your friends"
Mako weakly rose off the floor. Her mind raced trying to think of something so she wouldn't kill them something that might redirect at Kusso. Her eyes darted from scout to scout, friend to friend, these girls she shared lifetimes with. No she didn't want to kill them but her mind kept telling her she must. "Kill me, kill me now!" Mako screamed, tears running down her eyes. "Please..." Mako started to say the words of her attack, every minute fighting the words from her lips. The words still came with her trying to put every effort to not say them.
"Jupiter..."
Sailor Moon looked at her friend, the one who saved her countless times from herself and from anyone else who tried to ever hurt her, a friend who died so many times to save her. Now I, Sailor Moon, must save my friend by killing her...she thought. With tears leaving trails down her face she started her attack, the one that would kill Jupiter.
"Moon..."
"STOP!" 
The scream halted everyone. A woman at the end of the hall came out. Her heels clicked on the floor. Everyone gasped, including Kusso. "H-how did you...?" Kusso stuttered.
"You were so busy killing everyone else to even care about keeping me locked up anymore." The woman looked at Jupiter. "Oh mother, I'm so sorry, I never meant for this to happen this way...had I known then, I was so foolish." She looked at the ground. "You know I'm not supposed to meet my past self...ever."
Mako started crying. "Oh Salla, I still forgive you. You're my daughter, I'd forgive you anything."
"I never wanted to say it, oh mother, it was my fault that you died. I never wanted you to die. I wanted to grow up knowing you. Instead I grew up missing you."
The Salla on the floor started to regain consciousness. She groaned and looked up...at herself. "What the-?"
 
Minako looked at the once again passed out Salla, and then at the new person who'd entered the room. A confused look crossed her face for a moment, then she noticed the subtle differences. Then she noticed a major difference.
Seiya began to take account of these differences in his head. This other person was older looking and whiter of hair. Wrinkles lined her eyes and her lips, and her breasts sagged a bit more. And she was in a wheelchair.
Taiki watched as she wheeled herself over to the now unconscious Salla. Slowly the wheels of her resourceful mind turned. All this battle had made her turn it off at a sub-conscious level. As if in slow motion she watched as Salla reached down to touch her own self.
"No!!!! Don't touch her!"
Everyone's heads snapped toward Sailor Star Maker. The older Salla glared at her and demanded an explanation.
"If you touch her," Taiki spoke calmly, "it could mean the very end of our existence as we know it! You two are not meant to be here in the same place and time, and the connection of your identical cellular make-up could cause a paradoxical juxtaposition that would not only destroy you two, but probably our entire plane of existence."
She looked around the room and saw that all the people who needed the information understood it quite well, but there were still several confused faces.
Sighing, she put it simply. "Big boom, no more life."

Chapter 2
Mako weakly walked over to both Sallas. She put one hand on the one lying on the floor and the other hand on the one in the wheelchair. Her hair fell down around her face. "You were young, ambitious, had no real knowledge that you did what you did." She said to the one unconscious on the floor. "And you. You knew too late what happened."
"And now Makoto, you WILL kill your treacherous daughter." Kusso turned, a faint smile on his face, like one of knowing how to kill every bird in the room with one stone.
Mako whirled around to face him. "No I can't! I won't! I'm stronger than you think. I can't kill my baby." 
"Fine, have it your way. Healer. Kill your wife. Then your daughter" 
A shocked look spread on the face of everyone present. 
Healer's eyes went dark from the control. "Yes master." And she moved toward Jupiter.
"NO!" Usako yelled. "I can heal him, I can make him stop!" Mina put a restraining arm on her. "Lemme go! I have to save my friends!" Usako was crying.
"It's their fight right now, and Usako you know that their control won't be broken by one of your healing commands..." Mina looked sad as she said the words. "The only thing we could do for her is kill him, but then she'd kill us. Rage, grief, and Mako would not mix well for us. All we can do is watch."
So they watched. In horrid fascination they watched Healer come over to Mako.
"Stop Yaten, Stop! I know we have fights, but I can't be this bad can I? Please Yaten please!!"
"Cry all you want, Mom, but Daddy is still going to kill you." Kusso looked pleased.

Salla was horrified, her husband was killing her mother. No, not again. She thought. I'll kill him first. I can't watch this. I WILL NOT let my mother die. Not again, not while I'm alive!  But I have no powers, he stole them all. She looked down. But she does. 
Mako was up against a wall, Healer was still advancing. Tears falling down her face. Still screaming for Yaten to stop.
"Get up Salla, get up." She couldn't touch her, but she could wake her up. "Get up lazy ass!"
"Who's so lazy?" she groaned "I'm not the one of me in the wheelchair." (That didn't make sense...) She struggled to get up. She looked around at the horrified expressions on everyone's faces. "What's going on?" 
"Our husband is controlling our father, he's making him kill our mother." Salla said to Salla.
Her eyes grew wide. "WHAT!" She ran at Kusso. "Stoppit! Stoppit! Don't do this!" 
"And just what will you do? You've caused me nothing but trouble all the time we were together. You have no power. You're too weak." He held her arms so she wouldn't pound on him.
Tears fell from her eyes. "But what strength I have left I'll use against you. Do you know what I really wanted from you? Do you Kusso?"
"Power, it's what everyone wants."
"It's not what I wanted! I wanted my mother. You were my means of traveling back to see her. At first I was just using you for that! But I, I..."
"You what?" He sneered.
"I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU!" Salla screamed. 
He looked confused. The spell on Healer broke in his confusion. He looked at his old wife in the wheelchair, then back to his young bride. They both nodded. It was true after all. But he couldn't believe that Salla would really, truly love him. He thought she never loved him. He thought she couldn't love. They never even slept in the same room. They kissed twice. Both times on the day of the wedding. Kusso fell to his knees, into Salla's arms.  "You do? You really love me?"
"Yes, I do." She was crying.
"And I," he said "I have always loved you." 

Across the room Healer fell into Mako's arms. Mako was crying as she held Healer. Healer smiled up at her. "We do have wonderful children, even if one is evil." Healer said.
"No, she's not evil, just misguided." Mako smiled. "I wonder when they'll have children. I can't wait to see grandbabies!" Sweatdrops appeared for anyone who heard that, two on Healer, and a stupid look on old Salla's face.

Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus smiled and hugged each other and looked at everyone remaining in the room. When Star Fighter's eyes met Sailor Venus they both teared up. Fighter walked over to Mina and Usagi and sighed.
"The cost was great," she said.
Sailor Moon nodded and tears came into her eyes as well. Too many friends and loved ones lost, she thought. Why does this always have to happen to me. My life is a permanent roller coaster. 
Most everyone was crying over the lost ones, when those tied up in the center of the room were released. Minako walked over to hug Makoto, and the two clung to each other happily. Then they were surrounded by their four daughters, and suddenly they couldn't be happier. The Starlights also walked over, but it took a full minute for anyone else to notice the worried look on Maker's face.
"What is it, Uncle Taiki?" Ashita asked perplexed.
"What happened to Kusso and Elder Salla?"
Everyone looked around while Minako tried to call a dolt and accuse her of not even paying attention to what happened.
"They realized their love for each other! That's what happened! Love always wins in the end!" Mina held her fingers out in a V for victory symbol.       ^_^  (V)
But it was Healer who spoke up to contradict her. "No... I'm sorry to say that unfortunately, that is not what occurred."
Now it was everyone else's turns to look confused. Makoto looked into Healer's eyes and began to cry again.
"No... no, it can't be... you saw what happened... how can they ignore that?!"
Mina looked at Mako worriedly and then at Healer again. "Mako, what's wrong??"
Fighter reached forward and put her hand on her wife's shoulder. Slowly, but forcibly she pulled her back away from them. Mina almost yelled at Fighter for it, but then out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of light.
"Makoto!!"


Chapter 3
When everyone awoke, the room was devoid of Makoto, Healer, and the girls.  There were scorch marks all around where the group had once stood. Everyone who remained was scatter around the room as of being thrown back from the blast.
Mina, being the first to awake, cried out, "Oh no! Are they dead?!"
Fighter awoke next and look around as well, then quickly rushed over to comfort Minako. Minako sobbed and cried into her chest for a good long time and muttered and howled incomprehensible words. Finally a few others began to wake. They also came over and cried with Mina and Seiya on the floor of Kusso's vast throne room. Haruka cussed a stream of words till everyone had stopped crying and looked up at her funny.  After about twenty seconds she looked down and noticed everyone staring at her and blushed.
"Haruka is right about one thing," Michiru spoke up, "Kusso tricked us.. and he will pay."

Mina and Seiya walked the hallways of the Future Moon Palace on Earth and looked in everyone recess they found for some sign as to where Kusso and the crippled Salla could have gone.
"Seiya, if the girls are dead, how come I can still feel their life-force within my body?"
"You mean their still there?" Seiya looked at her round belly.
"Well, I don't just look pregnant. I can still feel they're weight, so I know they're not gone. And occasionally one of them will move, so I know nothing is wrong. Trust me... I'd know if anything had happened to these babies." Mina ran her hand over her slight bulge.
"Well, in a way it makes sense," Seiya vocalized. "I mean... if Mako is dead, then her daughters from the future would have died as a result, and so would ours... but the ones in your womb are still untouched, they just may not grow up to be the... be the..." and she choked up.
Mina wrapped her arms around Star Fighter. "I know, I know darling... it's hard to think of them that way, since we've grown so close to them in such a short time.  But there's still the chance that they'll grow up to be fine wonderful girls, just not the ones we knew only a few short days ago."
"But every time I look into their beautiful faces, and brilliant eyes, I'll be reminded of this day..."
Mina nodded and hugged Fighter even tighter. After a few moments she slowly pulled away and checked the next room. Fighter watched as Mina's eyes widened and she fell to the floor hitting her butt hard on the ground in seeming slow motion. She ran over as fast as she could and tried to help Mina to her feet, but all Mina did was stammer and point.
"Look!"
Seiya first helped Mina raise to her feet, then cautiously lifted her eyes to gaze into the room.
"Oh my god..."

The rest of the surviving Senshi wandered the palace in groups, searching in much the same manner as Mina and Seiya. The group of Usagi, Setsuna, and Rei were searching another part of the castle, located behind the throne room. Here and there signs of a battle that had taken place here long ago were noticeable. Slight cracks in the walls, plaster missing in the ceiling and broken windows showed the tell-tale details they'd failed to miss when they first arrived. Usagi grew very distraught at the idea of this happening in her future, and brought back memories of what had happened in the past, of her previous life as the Moon Princess. 
"Setsuna-san, what will happen to Minako's babies??" She looked up at Setsuna helplessly.
"I don't know, Selenity-sama. Who can say right now... Sailor Cosmos would have known the answers."
"I can't face the notion of them having to go through anything close to what I once went through. And yet I know that they've withstood so much more than I can probably comprehend at this point..."
Setsuna looked down at her and smiled. "If they've survived this long and come out as wonderfully as they have, I'm sure that it's because they had a wonderfully beautiful and venerable queen as a role model."
Sailor Moon looked back up at Sailor Pluto with tears in her eyes and smiled back. Rei just watched and smiled and kept her mouth shut. She was sure that anything she had to say would've either ruined the moment or been taken wrong. She didn't think Usagi was all that bad when it came to being a leader. Usagi always pulled through in a pinch, and did it with a wonderful flourish at that.

The last group was Taiki, Hinagiku, and Jeremy. Maker and Neo-Neptune were silently consoling each other during their search, yet they came up empty handed, so they headed over towards Mina and Seiya.

"What does it mean Seiya?!" Mina began to look frantic. 
Fighter just held Mina's head to her chest and tried to get her not to look, but she couldn't break her own eyes away from the sight in the room. 
Right then Sailor Star Maker came running from around the corner of the hallway, closely followed by Hina and Jeremy.
"Fighter! What is it? I heard Venus's shout."
"Come and see for yourself, Maker..." Seiya said in a very sad tone.
When the three got to the door they all stopped dead in their tracks and gasped.
"Dear Cosmos!" Hina whispered.


Chapter 4
Usagi and Pluto called the other Senshi on Mina's communicator. They believed they were on the track to Kusso and Salla. But all they got out of Mina was a blank stare and Fighter's shouts to get to them immediately. Well, assuming that it had to be more important that Kusso or Salla, or else it wouldn't be a big deal, they began to run.
"Maybe they've found the girls and Mako-chan alive!" Sailor Moon puffed as she fell behind.
Pluto just cast a worried glance back at Sailor Moon and kept running. For some reason she didn't think that they would find the girls and Makoto sitting pretty and perfectly all right when they arrived at the location of others.
After a few minutes, Usagi, Setsuna, and Rei all showed up in the hallway with Mina, Seiya, Taiki, Hina, and Jeremy.
Usagi stopped to lean up against the wall and pant heavily. Rei walked over to Mina and hugged her and asked her fretfully, how she was doing. Mina just teared up and pointed into the room. Rei turned around and looked in and gasped much like everyone else. Pluto, with a sad expression on her face, just  walked forward, and into the room.
Curiosity overcoming her, Usagi walked over to the doorway and looked in. Suddenly, everything began to spin, and she felt herself falling towards the ground. The last thing she heard was Mina crying out "I've got ya!"

Fighter walked into the room and over to Pluto, who was standing next to the body. Slowly, cautiously, she reached out and touched the giant sword through the chest of Neo-Queen Selenity. It was so cold it almost burnt her hand, forcing her to jerk it back in reaction.
Wrenching her eyes away from the sight, Fighter looked around the rest of the room. Enclosed in ice-like glass cases around the room were all of the Senshi, save Makoto, who had died many years before the beginning of Crystal Tokyo. Even the Outer Senshi lay here in the room. In the very center, was Neo-Queen Selenity, more than three feet off the ground, stuck to a pillar by the bastard sword through her solar plexus, and seemingly untouched by death. The glass coffins that encased the Senshi, sworn to protect their Princess at all costs, were arranged in a circular pattern about the pillar, feet pointing inward. All seemed as they had in life.
"Would all the Senshi have willing done this, had Selenity died through their failure?"
Pluto pondered this, then answered slowly, "No, I do not believe so. It's possible that they may have done this out of grief... but not likely. At the very least, they all would have fought Kusso to the death, in order to avenge her. No, I don't think so. I think this is Kusso's monument. His shrine to his power."
"Why do they seem so... so... they look like they died not moments before!" Said Mina upon entering the room.
"I honestly do not know," Pluto sighed, "it could be part of the magical properties of our own existence as Senshi."
Mina walked over to her own tomb. She ran her hand on the glass over her face and shuddered. The next body she hovered over was that of Sailor Neptune. Fighter watched as a tear splashed on the case, just above her left breast. Then Mina proceeded to Sailor Star Fighter's body. Looking down on it, she felt a great heaviness in her soul, and it shook her to her core. She broke down and pounded on the case in sadness and fear, howling out in grief and pain.
After a full twenty minutes Mina straightened herself, and got up off the ground. Looked at everyone standing in the doorway watching. Pluto was holding Usagi. And then she looked at Fighter, who was standing next to her.
Fighter shuddered when she saw the cold and raged look in Minako's eyes. Minako raised herself up to her full height, and looked even taller than Taiki in everyone's minds. Slowly and in very calculated movements she walked over to the body of Neo-Queen Selenity and touched the sword. Her first reaction was to pull her hand back like Fighter had, but then she threw herself into grabbing the sword with both hands, and ripped it out of the stone and the queen's body with all her force. Usagi's eyes fluttered open to see this site. Amazingly, the body did not fall to the ground, but continued to hover there in the air against the pillar. Then gradually Neo-Queen Selenity's body began to disintegrate into little, sparkly, golden bubbles. No one turned their eyes from the sight when they heard Usagi whimper from behind.
When most of her body was gone, everyone could see something brilliant shining out at them, from about the area where the sword had been. It was Selenity's Star Seed! Everyone's eyes widened and stared more firmly at the column. When all that remained of Neo-Queen Selenity was the resplendent crystal, people finally began to look at each other.
"What should we do?" Rei spoke first.
"I don-" Pluto tried to answer, but was cut off by a bright flash from the Star Seed. Everyone's head's snapped back to the crystal just in time to see it become insubstantial and fly off through the wall.
"Well where'd it go?!" Usagi hollered.
Mina looked at everyone with a clueless look on her face, but only for a moment. The hard, hostile look came back to her face and she strode from the room sword in hand.

Chapter 5
After about a minute of everyone running to keep up with Mina's stride, Pluto stopped everyone and said that she might have a way to get everyone to Kusso faster. They only had to know where he was. And so far they only knew which way he'd taken.
Seiya started to speak when they heard a muffled sound from nearby room. She turned around and ran forward to that room and through the door open. Inside was Salla and the Neo-Starlights. Fighter ran over and untied and removed his daughters gags. They all stood up and stretched out and started talking at once about "hurrying up to catch them". 
Salla began to shout as well as she could through the gags and at first everyone was gonna walk away, but it was Mina who walked over and removed her gag.
"Untie me!"
"Tell me just why I should do that?" Mina spoke in a very harsh tone.
"Because! I'm just as much a victim of Kusso as you are!"
"Ha! Ya right! You're the reason we're in this whole mess right now! All of it!!"
Salla looked down and her eyes filled with salty tears. "I know. But he played me, he knew how all of this would go. In fact, I'll bet that my other self was even in on it. That over time I'd become a hateful and embittered woman, and fell into his truly evil ways. That in the future, I remembered how I'd felt about him now, and that she... I told him that was the way to manipulate me. Damn her!" Then she burst into tears.
Something in Mina's hardened heart cracked and she used the sword in her hands to cut Salla's bonds, much to everyone's vocalized displeasure.
Salla stood up and looked at everyone with an apologetic look and spoke quietly.
"I can tell you where they're going."
"What?" Sailor Moon said.
"You don't have to trust me," Salla intoned, "but if it'll help get that bastard back for what he's done to everyone, I'll tell you where they've gone."
"Hurry girl! Speak!" Pluto nearly slapped Salla in her impatience.
Salla cowered for a moment. "They've gone down the chambers behind the throne room, to a room in the basement. It's where Kusso's time portal is located. He's taken my mother and father with him as hostages, and they plan to go back into the past, to strike at the Sailor Senshi in the Silver Millenium."
Usagi's face went white. "What do you mean?"
"When I was little I was told many stories of the Silver Millenium, and the wonderful grace and majesty of Queen Selenity and her daughter, the Moon Princess... Later, when I first got involved with Kusso, he told me something that none of us had ever known."
"Hurry up! We're losing precious time!" Pluto yelled.
"Don't worry.. they still have sometime to wait before the gate's charged enough to take them that far back."
"How much time?" Pluto asked in a slightly calmer tone.
Salla looked for a clock on the wall and hung her head. "Ten minutes. You may not make it there in time."
Pluto almost slapped her again, but Rei stepped forward and put a hand on Salla's shoulder. "What did he tell you? And please hurry!"
"He said that it was he, not Beryl, who awakened Queen Metallia. And then he gave the power to Beryl, and manipulated her into attacking the Moon Kingdom. He was the one who put all those ideas in her head..."
Everyone shook their heads. Then Fighter spoke up:
"So what you're saying is that now he intends to go back and do the job over himself and makes sure it gets done right. Dammit!"
"Alright everyone. Let's go!" Pluto shouted.
"You heard her, we'll never make it now!" Sailor Moon whined.
"Everyone... hold hands." Pluto said with a sad tone.
"Are we gonna use the Sailor Teleport? There's not enough of us!" Rei pronounced.
"No, just listen to me already!" Setsuna said, sounding very annoyed.
Everyone gathered in a circle and held hands. A few bowed their heads and closed their eyes, but all eyes were open and transfixed upon Setsuna as she began a slow humming chant. Everyone felt themselves being bound together by unseen threads of time and fate, and were lulled into a calmed state of mind until Sailor Pluto held up the Time Key and shouted "Time Stop!"
At first no one was sure if it'll actually occurred, because they were all removed from it so there was nothing to gage this against, until Fighter looked up at the clock and saw that the hands had ceased movement.
"Go now, find them. I've given you ten minutes to get there. If you arrive there before time resumes, you must not touch any person who has been stopped with time. If you do, it could ruin our entire existence! Now hurry, go. You must stop Kusso."
Everyone's eyes filled with tears as they looked at Setsuna, and she began to fade away from life. Kirei ran forward and cried out to her "Auntie Set." But Setsuna just brushed her aside and told her to remember what was truly important, then was gone.


Chapter 6
Everyone ran as fast as they could, and about half way there Sailor Moon made a crack about getting into shape, but no one laughed. Salla showed them directly to the room without hesitation, but everyone drew up short when the arrived at the door. The way in was completely blocked by guards. Completely.
Star Fighter swore. "We can't stand here and wait for our time to run up just to get these abominations out of the way!"
Mina reached her skinny arm in the two inch space between the two middle guards. Slowly and cautiously she opened the door behind them.
Fighter laughed. "That's so simple I can't believe it worked!"
Then everyone proceeded to jump through the open air between the guards heads and the top of the ten foot doors.
Inside the room stood Kusso, shouting at someone behind a control panel, Elder Salla, sitting and waiting in her wheel chair in front of the frozen time portal device, Healer, standing in a corner holding back the pregnant Makoto, who was struggling against her captor and had halfway broken away, by leaving a now apparent bruise on Healer's left cheek.
Mina confidently strode forward towards the portal and Salla and raised the bastard sword high above her head.
"Wait!" Shouted Sailor Moon. "You heard Pluto! You can't hurt her yet! Besides, why does there have to be anymore bloodshed?!"
"Don't worry, Usako... " Mina said while looking grimly back over her shoulder, "I won't hurt her, yet..."
Mina hefted herself up and visibly put all the power she had into her next blow. The sword came harshly down and ripped and gouged apart the middle of the time rift device, causing an explosion that through everyone back a few feet and ripped them out of abnormal time.
"What the-!" Kusso shouted. When he was able to pull himself out of some rubble and turn around, he saw Mina standing there, holding his own sword in her hands. She was standing still as if untouched, in front of the time portal, and had a mystic looking purple glow about her body and the sword.
"Kusso!" Sailor Venus spoke in a voice that almost wasn't her own. "You've been found guilty of crimes against love, harmony and time. Do you or your wife have any final words?"
Salla looked up at her and snarled, "You bit-"
"The right to address has been waived!" And Mina ran her through the chest with the sword, then put her foot up on the wheelchair to gain leverage to pull it back out. Salla rolled back across the room into Kusso and fell over in her chair. Blood trickled out of her mouth and poured from the wound in her chest.
Sailor Shadowhawk, Jupiter and Star Shaker cried out. Salla felt a part or her soul rip from her and die with the dying Elder Salla. And the death of her daughter gave Jupiter the strength to pull away from Healer and run forward to the wheelchair that was almost empty now.
"I really do love you.. Mother..."


Chapter 7
 Mako sighed. She looked at Mina and she knew she was right. My daughter really was evil. She thought. Her hatred for Kusso grew. It was his fault she died. His fault she was evil. After all, Mako would never accuse one of her own children of truly being evil without some outside influence.  
Yaten looked at Mako, she looked upset. She's upset. He thought. No she's PISSED. 
Mako stood with a look on her face that would have killed ten thousand men if they'd seen it. Everyone shuddered. Mina was suddenly quite afraid that Mako hated her.
Kusso shuddered. I still have control over her though. Maybe I can really direct this rage at the Senshi now.  "Mako I still have your mind. Kill them Mako. Kill all of them. They killed your daughter." He spoke to her through her mind. 
Mako trembled. Not with the control Kusso thought it was, but with rage. She smiled and walked over by Kusso.  "JUPITER..."
The senshi braced themselves. She was going to attack. What was in her hand?
She held the transformation pendant Kusso had given her. Mako figured even if it was an "evil" pendant, she could still henshin, and if she were strong enough it would be used for good, just from the power of her heart. "GALAXY POWER, MAKE UP!!" She henshined. Everyone watched spellbound as she did it. 
Kusso yelled at her. "It's Dark Moon Galaxy Power! It'll never work!" 
She stood there looking like the rest of the senshi, her fuku back to white. "But it did work. And you can't control me. AND YOU WILL NEVER CONTROL ME AGAIN!!" 
Kusso started to back up. He was trembling. He was never really afraid like this. He'd  heard that when Mako got mad you didn't want to mess with her. She was a great asset to whomever she was fighting for and right now that person WAS NOT him. "You can't use an attack I gave you on me, Mako. And anything else you have is too weak, it will not hurt me." His voice still wavered on the last part, although he tried to sound confident.
Her head was down. Her arms were crossed. She quivered. Her head snapped up to execute the command. "JUPITER! FINAL! REVOLUTION!!!!" It was an attack born out of rage, fury, hatred, and sadness. And it hurt. It blasted Kusso through three walls, three walls thick. The senshi had to shield their eyes from the brightness of the attack. Mako collapsed. It took most of her energy to do that. The other senshi ran to her side. Yaten walked to his beloved's side. His mind slowly being released, but not completely. 
Maker nudged Usagi. "Usagi, now is your chance to heal Yaten, unbind him from Kusso's charms. Kusso must still be alive, but his power is weak. He can't control Yaten, if he's healing himself. Yaten needs your help." They looked at Yaten, still made up as the evil Healer. She looked tortured, like she was trying to get some small remnant out of her mind.
"Now Sailor Moon!" Yelled Sailor Star Lover.
"Right! MOON! SOUL PERCEPTION!"
Sailor Moon's Star Seed exposed itself upon her breast and cast out blinding light. Then Healer's Star Seed was also exposed and it flashed in response. Healer hit her knees and cried out, a deep essence shaking cry of love. Slowly she fell over on all fours. Everyone stared as she shook and a few tears struck the floor. Gradually she lifted her eyes to meet Sailor Jupiter's and smiled. Makoto ran over and wrapped Healer up in her arms and cried with her.
Mina looked at Fighter and her daughters. "So what happens now?"
Her daughters just smiled at her. Then a dark look crossed Ai's face and before Mina even knew what was happening, she had raised her arms up across her to block something coming at her so fast Mina only saw a blur. Ai flew backwards and through the partially flaming wall behind the time device. Mina ran over to see what had happened, only to glimpse Kusso over her daughter with his hands around her throat.
Chapter 8
"Venus Love Me Chain!" Sailor Venus wrapped the chain around Kusso's torso and yanked him off of Sailor Star Lover. In his surprise, Kusso released his grip about Ai's neck and thusly was yanked well over five feet backwards through the air, and he landed directly in the middle of the wreckage of his own time traveling device. Kusso's voice erupted in a cacophony of screams as the magical fire consuming the machine lit fire to his soul. Quickly he forced himself to roll out of the flames, closer towards Sailor Venus, the only way that the Chain would allow him to go.
The second that the flames died away from his robes, leaving them unscathed, Healer and Jupiter were instantly on him, punching and kicking, and bashing him back down to the ground. But very shortly into their slam fest, Kusso howled with all his rage and might and stood up, throwing his balled fists into Healer and Jupiter's stomachs; he sent them flying in opposite directions.
"How dare you! How dare all of you! I am the rightful ruler of this castle, of the Silver Millenium, and of Crystal Tokyo!" Kusso's eyes glared and glowed at Usagi with all his anger and rage boiling beneath their crystal surface. "I am the King of the Earth! All shall bow before me! I shall have my revenge on the famed Queen Selenity of the Moon Kingdom..." His eyes darkened and he growled at the ground, at his past memories. "Nightly she would tempt me, calling to me from her crystal palace on the distant moon... the perfect world, ha! But no, I was not to be with her, she wouldn't allow me to come to her! She'd mock me, laughing at me with that look of pity in her eyes."
"No!!! That's not true! My mother was a beautiful, graceful, and caring woman! She would never have been as ugly  or cruel as you describe!" Sailor Moon rushed forward and pummeled the front of Kusso's armor fruitlessly. Kusso's rage caught in his throat, he glanced down at Usagi and saw a glimmer of her mother reflected in her crying eyes. Slowly he reaches down his arms and embraced her.
"Ah, what you say is true, young one... it was her Majesty, Queen Metallia who sent me these dreams every night. She was tempting me, then turning me away, to churn my anger towards the ancient Moon Kingdom. But I did not know this at the time... once I actually tried to go to the Moon, and attempted to court your mother, but the guards turned me away, and said that the Earthlings could not associate with the people of the Moon. They threatened to take my life if I did not leave immediately. As I left, I saw your mother, in the window of her room, looking out and watching me... and you were suckling at her breast, just an infant then. But there was still a look of pity in her eyes.
"The dreams still haunted me for years to come, I watched from the distance as you played with your childhood friends, the Celestial Princesses. I watched as you blossomed into a beautiful young woman, and your friends took honorable vows to protect your life, and swearing their allegiance to your mother. And then... I watched while in my own back yard..." He paused to take a ragged breath. Usagi glanced up at him wonderingly, she couldn't understand why he told her this, and she understood even less why it was she felt comfortable in his arms. Not like the gentle yet possessively protective arms of a lover, but rather like the comfortable and protective shell of a father. 
"I watched while you, my dear, came to make your secret meetings, in my own backyard, with a young prince. I watched the love growing between you and my son, Prince Endymion. And I knew it could only end in tragedy. But to my astonishment, despite the laws, your mother allowed my son inside the Moon Palace. Suddenly, I was consumed by jealousy and hatred for my own son. I looked to the way things were on Mars and found my answer. Phobos and Demos, the satellites of Mars, served their queen and future princess unerringly, why then should the Earth serve the Moon and not the other way around! I decided, to conquer the Moon Kingdom and take it for my own. Metallia gave me the plans in my dreams... to take a poor peasant girl, make her my queen, and awaken the power of Metallia. My son's own bodyguards, the Crystal Generals rose to my side, and became my warlords.
"But my own son fought for the Moon Kingdom, fought against me! Threw his life away for you! In my grief, I could do nothing for him. And then you died too... And it was that wretched Moon Queen who saved your lives! She sent you away from me... and sent my forces away too. She then imprisoned me with her last breath. I did not awaken until the light of Crystal Tokyo broke my bonds. The loving and forgiving nature of the world roused me from my fretful sleep. And awoke to find my anger and rage intact!" Kusso's fist clenched. "Jealousy consumed my heart and made my blood run black and cold once more. I would return to the world and claim what was rightfully mine! That which had been stolen by the bitches of the Moon Kingdom!" Forcefully, she shoved Sailor Moon away from him and she landed on her rear with a painful thump.
"And now," Kusso yelled in anger, "you will all pay for what was done to me. Pay in blood and pain, and tears for your loved ones! Already I have taken the life of my own son, and you will all loose your children as I have lost mine, and I will see you weeping over their graves before I am finished with you!"
Minako and the others stared at him in horrid fascination. Someone crept forward to help Sailor Moon up, and get away from Kusso's reach. Glancing back to see who it was, Mina saw her daughters checking to see if the young princess was alright. Ai gazed quickly over at her mother with a grim expression that told her that all was not well. Walking over to her mother Ai, wore a look of determination.
"Mother, I know what I must to. What we all must do. Even if as he says, we'll all die, before he's even done anything to you and father and the others, we'll still fight and sacrifice our lives trying to take him out. We'll at least do him damage... then... I have faith that you and father, along with the princess can ... can... " her eyes lowered and a tear fell.
Minako embraced her daughter swiftly and kissed her tears away. "I'm so proud of you, my darlings!"
Ai looked up at her mother and smiled. "Now go, you and father, and everyone need to hide where my light cannot touch you!" Ai was at first answered only with a quizzical look from Minako, but quickly she gathered everyone and ran back a few rooms, through the holes created by Makoto's attack. Sailor Sun and Neo-Neptune stayed behind to fight with the Neo-Starlights and Salla. Kusso was busy retrieving his bastard sword from the ground where Sailor Venus had left it, and therefore didn't notice the absence of half the still living senshi until it was too late.
"What's going on here?" he grumbled.
Ai stood and faced him defiantly. "Our sister in arms, Salla is no longer under you control. Together we, the future Senshi of the Full Moon shall defeat you and send you back to your eternal rest!"
"Oh really?" Kusso sneered, then looked to Salla. "I thought you loved me," he mocked. "Bah! I'll see you all crying for your mothers, crying for peace, and begging my mercy before the hour is through! You are worthless! Nothings! Taste my wrath!" With that, Kusso leapt forward, sword in hand, only to have a flaming daisy pierce the armor cover his shoulder of his sword arm. Glancing at Sailor Sun with eyes wide in madness, he howled in pain, then switched his sword to his other hand. Springing forward, Jeremy met Kusso's might with his own golden sword, and attempted to slash and hack through the frenzy and fury that caused Kusso to practically foam at the mouth in seething anger.
Although fighting bravely and valiantly, Jeremy was all too quickly cut down, much to the grief of Neo-Sailor Neptune, who immediately launched into her attacks. Kusso quickly and efficiently deflected these those, and her attacks sprung back on her, killing her as well. All four girls cried, but they used their grief to strengthen them, as their also fallen leader, Sailor Cosmos had taught them well.
Salla, Sailor Shadowhawk, leader of the New Moon Senshi and successor to the Jupiter throne, stepped forward and challenged the man she loved.
"You would kill me?" Kusso asked with a smirk.
"I may have loved... no, I do still love you Kusso, my darling. But I will never forgive you for all that you have done to my family. My entire family, the New Moon Senshi, my mother and father, my aunts and uncles... my princess! Yes, I love you with all of my heart, Kusso, but I hate you will all of my soul!! Yes I will fight you, and I may not kill you, but before I even take my last breath, my sister and my cousins will rain horror down upon you like you've never known before! And though we all die in the same instant, I'll take you to hell with me!"
"Brave words for such a scared little child," Salla started as Kusso said this. "Ah, I see my words had some truth to them... you my dear, for your insolence, will die the most painful death of all!" Kusso withdrew his sword from Jeremy, and prepared for a gut strike to Salla, when suddenly a blinding light came from the back of the room.
"No! Ai, not your forbidden attack!!" Cried out the still injured Kirei.
Ai's voice, though barely a whisper, could be heard in the minds of all, even those who were shielded from this painful light. "I am sorry, my sister, my dear cousins. This may give us the chance we need...
"STAR! Beautiful Kaleidoscope Daze!" The light became so brilliant and painful that all it touched passed out and fell to the ground, even she who drew on the powerful attack. Slowly, once all had fallen the light died away, and all who had seen it were strewn about the room unconscious.
A few rooms back where Usagi, Mina, Seiya, Makoto, Yaten, Rei, Taiki, Haruka, and Michiru were all hiding, the light that shown through the enormous hole in the wall, shown so brightly it was as though they were outside in the daylight. Hearing her daughters thoughts, Minako had to be restrained by Makoto, Seiya and Haruka, to be kept from running out where the light would have hurt her too. Eventually though the light died away, and everyone could see normally again. But no one moved, for they were all shocked by the eerie silence coming from the room the others were passed out in. Eventually, Sailor Starhealer got up and walked out from their hiding place, followed by Sailor Jupiter as she walked into the room in which their daughters lay unconscious on the floor. Soon everyone was in there.


Chapter 9
"A.. are they dead?" Sailor Moon barely spoke.
Neptune bent down to touch the neck of one of the girls. "No, they've just been thrown into unconsciousness by the pain caused to them from Ai's forbidden attack."
Uranus looked around. "Jeremy and Hina are dead though. But their wounds do not appear to have been caused by the attack."
Slowly, as though in a daze, Minako walked over and picked up the sword out of Kusso's grasp. Grabbing the hilt in both hands she raised her arms, with it's sharp tip pointed downward, prepared to stab Kusso in the back while he lay asleep at her feet. Suddenly Fighter noticed what she was doing. As though everything thing were going on in slow motion she tried to run across the room to stop Minako. At first her brain told her not to, and that this was the way he deserved to die after all he'd done to them, but then she noticed something else was wrong. Kusso's breath was quickening. Fighter hadn't even gotten halfway across the room when she started to scream out to Minako to get back, when instantly Kusso's hand snaked out to and grasped Minako's ankle and yanked her footing out from under her. 
Minako fell back on her back painfully, and swore she felt something crack, and was pretty sure it wasn't the solid ground. In her surprise, Minako had also let go of the sword and it flew straight up into the air, then came down hilt first, and cracked two of her right ribs, then barely missed slicing of her arm by two inches, and clattered to the ground. 
Wincing in pain, Minako couldn't see, but she could hear Fighter running across the room, while Kusso hastily scrambled to his feet beside her and made a grab for his sword.  But at the same time Kusso's fingers were grasping the hilt, Fighter made it to Minako's side, and she slammed her booted foot down on the hilt of the sword, crushing Kusso's fingers beneath it all. Kusso winced and looked up at Fighter, seething with hatred. 
"Y'know," Fighter spoke, looking down on Kusso with just as much hatred, "when I first came to this planet, I didn't believe that these people had the skill, power, or even heart to be able to bring down even the lowliest of Galaxia's minions. But I was wrong. It was I and my sisters who had no heart. It was evil like yours that had stolen it from us. And it was purity and love that the senshi showed me to be the conqueror of all. Now get up and fight us, all of us, and show us just how paltry human jealousy can be!" Removing her boot from Kusso's hand, Fighter kicked away the sword as Kusso rubbed his hand in pain. 
Grudgingly Kusso stood, still rubbing his hand. Filled to the brim with a rage he could not contain any longer, Kusso decided to draw upon his last resort. Pressing a button near the bottom of his breastplate, a large scepter appeared in his hand. Taller than he, the scepter gleamed platinum all the way to the top, where a gnarled old human hand was fashioned at the top of the scepter. Though the hand was empty, it would not be for long, because from somewhere beneath his cloak and armor, Kusso produced the Silver Imperium Crystal, otherwise known as Neo-Queen Selenity's star seed! As though he were putting on a show, Kusso displayed the brilliantly shining crystal for all to see, then place it in the top of his scepter in triumph.
Everyone was first taken by their surprised gasps, then overcome with horror and fascination. But now everyone stared at Kusso in anger and hatred. Minako still lay on the ground in pain, and for a moment fear that Kusso would step forward and crush her head, but he just walked past as though she were less significant than a bug beneath his boot.
"Ah, you all recognize my little bauble, do you?" Kusso as one gone mad. "Sorry to say, Princess, that you can no longer use your powers involving your little crystal... and with such close proximity to this one in this time frame.. you should be able to feel yourself weaken considerable starting right about, oh say...." Kusso paused for a moment and took a few steps closer to Sailor Moon, then thrust the end of the scepter into her face. "Now!"
Sailor Moon tried to take a step back, but fell over some rubble, and landed on her rear end. Looking up at Kusso more afraid she thought she'd ever felt in her life, Sailor Moon remembered the time she'd come to the future of Crystal Tokyo, oh so long ago, when she discovered she was Chibi Usa's mother. The child that was already in her womb, and whom she already loved so dearly. She was afraid that she might whither and disappear as though she were nothing, and take that sweet young girl with her. And then she thought of how Mamoru was already gone, and their first son with him, and at that moment, her heart broke. She broke. Usagi burst into tears and could no longer go on, she just hoped that she'd be with her loved ones when she departed this world and went on to the next. Despite all these things she could not take her eyes away from the sight of the shining, wicked, gnarled hand that clasped the very soul of her future self.
Kusso leaned down over Usagi menacingly, and shoved the scepter directly between her eyes, mocking her, and causing her to cower on the ground in fear. Nobody around the room would move though for fear that if the crystal came in contact with Usagi that it would erase her completely from their lives, and maybe take their entire existence with it.
"Usako..."
Usagi stopped crying and blinked and looked around for Mamo-chan.
"Young Selenity..."
This time it was Cosmos.
"Mama!" The voices of all Usagi's children cried.
Suddenly something in Usagi snapped! Her head dropped back to the ground and away from shining crystal atop the scepter, while at the same time her foot flew upward and nailed Kusso right in the crotch. Of course, it was armored as was the rest of his body, much to Usagi's foot's discomfort, but Kusso was so shocked that he actually tossed the platinum scepter aside and reached out to grab Sailor Moon by the throat and drag her to her feet. Almost instantly, Usagi began to turn blue as that large hand grasped her small throat.
The two sets of nearly dead twins ran forward and all grabbed onto Kusso from behind, to try to get him to let go of Usagi, their Princess. Finally, Kusso, reached around and grabbed the one he knew to be the weakest, with his free hand. Kill her and they're all gone, his brain told him. Grabbing Kirei by the face, her lifted her off the ground, all the power of his berserker-like rage, urging him on. Then he looked down at Salla.
"Goodbye my love..." he said with an insane look in his eyes. Then as though she were a ragdoll, he snapped Kirei's neck with a jerk of his wrist then through her to the nearest wall, shattering her spine, killing her completely, if the broken neck hadn't. Salla looked around at everything, and felt her vision dim, from tears and from oncoming death... No this is wrong! Her brain screamed at her. These people should not all be dying!! Dearest Cosmos, we need you more now than ever! Help us!!! But as the blackness took her, it seemed her prayer went unheard.
Everyone in the room screamed as they watched the Neo-Starlights and Salla all disappear unto death. Minako and Makoto cried and clutched at their swollen wombs, as even the unborn children therein could feel their older counterparts dying, and cried for them as well. Makoto flew into a fury and ran at Kusso trying to claw his face off, while Minako rolled over onto her side, trying to get up. White light fired from temple to temple on her head, and across the back of her eyelids as she tried to squeeze them shut against the pain. Then she felt something cool and metallic underneath her hand.
Fighter and Healer were already mid-attack when Jupiter leapt out of the way, so as not to be hit by them.
"Galactica Star Laser!"
"Galactica Star Inferno!"
Kusso was slammed into the wall to his right side from the blast of their combined attacks. The wall crumbled around him and buried him beneath it's rubble. Soon the room began to shake and all knew that it would fall in on them soon, with two out of it's four walls now missing.
"Sailor Moon!" Minako cried out. "Take this!!" She  tossed the scepter to her and stood up, clutching at her right side.
Sailor Moon caught the scepter out of reflex, and then as the horror of what could possibly happen dawned on her, she almost threw it to the ground. But then, just as she tried to let go, she saw two pair of hands holding her hand and the staff therein. She looked up to see the ghostly forms of Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Cosmos looking down at her with smiles.
Tuxedo Mask nodded to her and said, "I believe in you, Usako."
Sailor Cosmos caressed her cheek and spoke, "You can do this, Sailor Moon!"
Then they were gone. Glancing around to look at those left of her loved ones, she could tell that they had not seen what she had seen. But each and every single one of them had the same look of faith and confidence as had the two apparitions.
"My family... my loved ones... " Usagi cried. I don't know if I can do this, she thought. But the same thing that had always made her stand up and keep going each and every time she'd felt like there was nothing left to do, did so again. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she turned to see Kusso getting up out of the pile of rubble.
"No darkness will come to my life again! I won't let it! You've all tried to hurt me and the ones I love! It's time it stopped. It's time for a true light to shine on the world!!!" Usagi raised the scepter high above her head, and the star seed began to glow as though it were a true star.
"SILVER CRYSTAL BLISS!!!"


Chapter 10
A brilliant white light, a hundred times more powerful than Ai's forbidden attack, and a thousand times as sweet spread out to cover everything in the entire world, crossing all space and time barriers, and filling everyone's heart with so much joy it was as though they would burst.
Everyone was forced to shield their eyes against the shining light. Despite the joy that had filled their hearts in the glow of this light, sadness entered too, when they heard Kusso's blood-curdling cry. Each fell to their knees in worship of their princess, and fear of her power at the same time. Kusso's death-cry rang in their ears for a full five minutes after the light faded away, forcing them to keep their eyes clenched shut in their horror.
Sailor Moon was the only one left standing in the room. Although as Sailor Mars slowly opened her eyes, she saw Sailor Moon's eyes roll up into the back of her head and her knees give way. Diving forward to make sure she didn't land to hard, Rei caught Usagi and eased her to the ground. 
Everyone soon regained themselves and after surreptitious looks around, ran over to Usagi to see how she was doing. Sailor Star Maker went over to check the spot where Kusso had been hidden beneath the rubble. Nothing was left beneath the wreckage other than Kusso's armor. Kusso was dead.
"Usagi... Usagi!" Sailor Mars and Venus both cried. They couldn't figure out why she wouldn't wake up.
Fighter kneeled down beside Mina. "She's just worn out... it required almost all she had to get rid of Kusso."
Everyone nodded, and those that could, helped to carry her to a bedroom in the palace. Discussion of how to get home, and how long Usagi would be asleep began.
"Well, there's no way to tell how long she'll be asleep, it could be days," Maker stated simply.
Minako sighed. "So then, how do we get home? I ruined Kusso's time travelling device, you guys ruined the plane, and sailor Cosmos and Sailor Pluto are both gone. How do we access the gates of time travel?"
Fighter nodded. "And if we tried to wander about in that stuff outside the palace, we could get lost forever."
Everyone sat to consider. There were only nine of them left now. Usagi, Rei, Mina, Mako, Seiya, Yaten, Taiki, Haruka and Michiru. They had all lost loved ones, and in the case of some, their children. But hope still lay in the three in the room who were pregnant. They would be able to pick up and continue their lives from here. Then a thought suddenly occurred to Michiru.
"What about King Endymion?! We've seen the future, we know he'll be there!" Michiru exclaimed.
This line of questioning perplexed everyone. Soon they all began to think of differences they'd seen, being here in the future. It was assumed that Kusso had killed everyone, after seeing the room containing the bodies of all the senshi and Neo-Queen Selenity stabbed, three feet off the ground. But they'd not seen the bodies of King Endymion, or the young Princess.
Suddenly everyone heard Makoto gasp, and turned to see what she was looking at. There before them stood the ghostly apparitions of both Sailor Cosmos and Sailor Pluto. Everyone's jaws dropped, except for Usagi's, which just slowly parted to let out a silent snore.
"S... Sailor Cosmos! And Pluto! Wha.. wha? How do we get home!" Makoto cried.
Sailor Cosmos smiled, but did not speak. Instead, she walked forward and placed a transparent hand on Usagi's forehead. Pluto looked around at everyone, and it was she who spoke in answer to all their thoughts.
"Yes, this is not the future you know. This is what would have happened had Kusso been successful in taking over your future. But that's all changed now. When you go back, everything will be quite different from what it is now."
"And I'm sure you're all wondering how exactly you will get back." Now it was Cosmos who spoke. "I've given Sailor Moon the knowledge and the power. When she awakes, trust in her." And then they were gone. After everyone recovered from the silence that followed their not being able to ask questions, more silence ensued as the all stared, dumb-founded, at each other.
Yaten was the first to speak. "Nothing left to do, but to wait."


Chapter 11
"Hey! She's waking up!" Rei called over her communicator. Minako and Makoto were currently searching for some edible food... somehow most of the food had spoiled since they'd last been in the kitchen. But now they didn't care. They grabbed what little they had and raced back to the room where Usagi had been sleeping.
They were greeted at the door by Haruka who helped them with the food, and their husbands who hugged and kissed them.
"How's she doing, Rei?" Mako asked.
"She's doing better. She said we'll be leaving in an hour..."
"Seems what Cosmos said was true," Mina said.
Rei nodded. They all passed the food around and ate, while waiting for Usagi to wake up again, and lead them home.

"Oh, Usagi! I'm so glad you're better! Here eat this!" Mako fussed.
Usagi smiled and sat up. Grudgingly she took the food from Mako's hand, before she could shove it in her mouth, took a bite and then set it aside.
"Is everyone ready?" Usagi asked quietly.
"As ready as we can be.. considering. We're all ready to get out of this wretched place." Yaten answered for them. As if in response to his words, the whole palace began to shake. Dust rained down around their heads.
"Yes, it is time to go." Usagi said with a sigh.

Everyone stood close together in the void just outside the enormous castle. The ground shook beneath their feet, as if warning them to get away while they still could. Usagi spoke.
"You all must hold hands, and Rei, you must hold my free hand. Never let go for any reason! And once we leave, do not look back. It'll only serve to confuse you and you may go mad. Not everything will be as it seems out here. And once we get back, things will be very different, although I'm not yet sure how."
"What about..." Mina started but was unable to finish her question.
"What about the dead?" Seiya asked for her. "Should we just leave them here?"
"Their bodies are already gone. Sailor Cosmos and Pluto saw to it." Was all Usagi would say. Quickly she grabbed Rei's handed, completing the human chain, and lifted off from the ground. The scepter began to glow an ominous light as they began to make their way through time. No one doubted the power of the shining crystal at it's top.
Everyone blinked as the stared at Usagi, thinking for a moment that time was already playing tricks on them. Usagi was dressed as Neo-Queen Selenity! Taiki stared in awe at her beauty, thinking that it rivaled that of his own Princess Kakyuu. But everyone's similar thoughts were interrupted by a large crashing sound, and the sound of breaking glass.
"Don't look back!" Usagi called as several heads began to turn. They followed their Queen, shining scepter in hand, through the void of time. All of their thoughts turned to the loved ones lost, and how different things would be without them at home.


[End of Part 9]

Epilogue to Come Soon!