UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY by DARK DAY FOR ANIME Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up. You know who they are! They're the ones that run around doing bad things to the original cast. ^_^ Well, most of them, anyway. Part Twenty Stopped Before it Starts Hotaru had managed to reach the summit. Both Aosagi and Usashin had fallen aside when the Youma had struck, and Usako was now a clear target for the Youma if she so much as wished to attack. "What the hell ARE you?" The Youma stared up at Usako, who looked back at her. "What are you?" She replied, simply. "You look like Serenity. You SMELL like Serenity." "Who knows. Perhaps I am." Usako turned away and looked up. "The circle that began with Tsukino Usagi's death is about to end. If you wish to stop it, then go ahead and try." "Circle?" Both Hotaru and the Youma stared at her, questioningly. Hotaru stared up at the tendrils of the city. Usako reached to touch the nearest tendril. The Youma raised her hand, an energy bolt forming. "Touch it and you die." "Why?" Usako looked down at her. "What are you afraid of?" "I am Tsukino Usagi. There is no circle that needs to be closed." She sneered. "Perhaps you're scared that the circle shall close on you!" The Youma snarled. She fired off an energy bolt, stopped only by a deflection from the Silence Glaive. Saturn held out the weapon, pointing the blade at the Youma. The Youma paused for a few moments. Both Usako and Hotaru had been alive in the future.... If she killed them here, now, then that future would not occur.... Usashin lifted her head, to see Aosagi sitting beside her. "The creature that mocks the image of Tsukino Usagi is under the control of various opposing forces. I can feel it within me." "Wh.. what are you intending to do?" "If Usako succeeds in making contact with the City, a great purge shall occur. That beast shall be destroyed." She turned to Usashin. "I guess one of us shall have to distract it so Usako can complete what she has begun." "What do you mean, distract?" Aosagi smiled, then leapt. "Hayaaaaa!" The Youma was shaken from her musings as Aosagi flew at her, dagger held outwards. "Aosagi!" Usashin shouted. Hotaru lowered her Glaive as she watched the ninja Usagi land on the Youma's front. There was a blast of energy. The Youma's right arm was ripped off by Aosagi's blade. Usako turned and touched the City. Aosagi fell to the ground, her chest missing. Usashin scrabbled up beside Hotaru as the Youma screamed, clutching on to the stump of her arm. The arm itself flailed on the ground, like it had some grisly form of life itself. She turned to see Usako, glowing, an energy radiating slowly outwards. "O....ONORE!" The Youma held up her left hand and sent a blast of elemental energy at the trio. Hotaru held up the blade of the Glaive, and split the energy in two. The energy spun around and behind them and formed a shield, mixing in with the strange energies being created as Usako and the City began to fuse. In a fraction of a second, the City disappeared, and all three were enveloped in a flash. The Youma stared up at the wall of energy as it flowed towards her. "Shit." She said simply, and was vapourised as it flew past. Her mind, however, continued to travel. ----o IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST and again UAAFI OS FESD ISSGU IA DWAS HOP JIA HOP JOPRSY and again ISSGU IA DWAS UAAFI OS FESD GIO HUP GIO HIOEAT And as you tread the halls of sanity, you feel so glad to be unable to go beyond.... ----o The door to the Mizuno's fridge swung open, and Chibiusa fell out. She looked at her surroundings dazedly, and slowly got to her feet, only then realising that she was no longer as tall as she had been. She stared at her small hands, her small legs, the closeness of the ground.... She was no longer in the body of the 4P! She shivered and stared around at the silent and dark kitchen. Slowly, she wandered from the kitchen into the front yard, staring at her surroundings without understanding their meaning. She sniffed and could smell something sickly sweet in the air. She turned to the pool and moved towards it. The pool was filled with blood... Slowly congealing. She backed away, shaking her head, and ran into someone. Slowly, she looked up. "A... Ami-chan..." She turned as the blue-haired girl smiled at her. "Hello, Chibiusa." "You're alive! I'm so glad..." Chibiusa fell into Ami's arms and hugged her tightly. Ami looked down at the pink-haired girl, shaking her head sadly. "Looks like the Eternal City has given up on you being its great avatar.... Probably why it chose to put you in the body of the Eternal Sailormoon clone." Ami turned her head slightly. Chibiusa frowned. "What do you mean?" "You've been a very naughty girl, Chibiusa." "Eh?" Chibiusa looked up and backed away when she felt the numb, energyless sensation once more. "Wh.. What's happening?" "Time is reasserting itself, Chibiusa. You're being sent back into Crystal Tokyo." Chibiusa stared at her. "Why?" "When did you discover Usagi wasn't your real mother, Chibiusa?" Ami stared down at her sternly, like a teacher would to a mischievous pupil. Chibiusa shrank from her. "How do you know... About that..?" "I know everything, now. Its amazing, the liberating qualities of death." She took a breath. "This is but a fleeting moment of rebirth. I need to know, so I can deal with this in my next life. When did you discover that Usagi was not your real mother?" Chibiusa swallowed. "She told me herself." For a few moments, Ami just stared at her, then laughed. "Ah yes, I should have seen that. Of course she would. She knew you would go back to try and set things to rights...." Ami raised an eyebrow. "And do you know who your real mother is?" Chibiusa was about to speak, when her body was surrounded by flickering sparks of energy. She faded into nothingness, leaving Ami to sigh at the missed opportunity. She turned and looked towards the approaching sphere of energy. She smiled sadly, shaking her head. "Time to join me, okaasan." She disappeared, just before the energy wall obliterated her house and its surrounds. ----o "It has started." Gaea said simply. "People are dying already." She shook her head. "People like your mother and father, Naru-chan." Usagi stood, pointing the Time Key at her. "And yours, Umino. Out there, somewhere, they are about to die, or are already dead." "I am supposed to feel something?" Gaea sniffed. "I am no longer Osaka Naru. I have seen the truth within the Cauldron." "As have I." Ascentia smiled at Gaea. "Those people who meant so much to us in that life were but pawns in a greater game." Galaxia smiled. "There is no point trying to appeal to their past selves, Serenity." She shook her head. "Regardless, it will do nothing to change the fact that your lack of decision on who shall live and who shall die will, perhaps, cost the lives of all." "Don't blame me for blood that is on your own hands, Galaxia." Usagi spun on her, pointing the Time Key. "Why are you doing this? I thought we had become friends. I thought I'd turned you round from this kind of thing." Galaxia's smile faded, but she remained silent. "Well, I have made a decision, and it is THIS!" She slammed the end of the Time Key into the ground, and Mamoru appeared before her. Galaxia, Gaea and Ascentia stared in surprise as he held out the Ginzuishou. Both Gaea and Ascentia screamed at its brilliant light, and fell to the ground, clutching their heads. Galaxia looked from the crystal to her companions. "What are you doing? You're ruining everything by bringing that here!" Galaxia leapt forward for the crystal, but Mamoru sidestepped her, bringing his hand down against the back of her neck. She fell to the ground, dazed. Millenia watched from a distance, smiling to herself. How did you like that one, Galaxia? You certainly weren't expecting me to arrange that, were you? Fool, was the voice she heard in her head. And she frowned. Slowly, Mamoru turned and looked at Usagi. "I heard your call, and came as quickly as I could." He held the Ginzuishou out to her. She smiled at him. "Thankyou, Mamo-chan." She took the crystal. ----o The wall rolled onwards. Doctor Mizuno could see it approaching the hospice. Many of the medics had panicked and run, but it was too late, now. She turned to the patient she had been working with, out under the open sky of the makeshift hospital in the carpark. A six year old girl who had seen both her parents killed by the Resonator. She stared back in fear, and Doctor Mizuno took her hand. They both watched as a Destroyer erupted into flames upon contact with the wall, then obliterated. The wall rolled on towards them. "I'm scared..." The girl croaked softly. Doctor Mizuno turned back to her, smiling. "So am I." The wall rolled through the hospice. The screams of the patients, medics and JSDF soldiers lasted but a few seconds. The wall left nothing behind. ----o Usagi screamed. Mamoru stared at her as she clutched onto the Ginzuishou, pressing it against her chest. Millenia smiled, holding her head back. Who is a fool, Galaxia? If you want to try and manipulate me by playing the villain, then I'm afraid you're going to have to try better. Galaxia stared up at Usagi from the floor. "Endymion... get away from her..." She croaked as Mamoru placed his hands on Usagi's shoulders. ----o The wall leapt the small rise upon which the still form of the 4P Eternal Sailormoon clone lay. It flowed over the top of her, burning her slightly, but otherwise missed her completely. ----o "Usagi? What is wrong? What has happened to you?" Mamoru shook Usagi's shoulders as she went silent. The glow of the Ginzuishou had also faded away. Galaxia grabbed hold of Mamoru's leg. "Endymion, get back from her.... She's... She's not...." ----o The wall levelled the library. Misagi, in the second basement of the building, curled up into a small ball and prayed for dear life. ----o Usagi raised her head, smiling softly at Mamoru. "I'm alright now, Mamo-chan.... I've wanted to see you... for so long." "I, too, have waited many years to see you again." He pulled Usagi close to him. "I've heard of what the others did to you. They must be punished for their crime." Usagi smiled, and buried her head in his chest. "Yes. All involved must be punished." Galaxia shivered and cringed. Millenia stepped up to the silent, unconcious forms of what used to be Gaea and Ascentia, now replaced by the younger, softer forms of Tranquility and Astute. She reached down and brushed her hand against their faces, smiling. "So cute..." She whispered. ----o The wall levelled the Tomoe house. In his basement, where he had kept his vast laboratory, Tomoe Souichi huddled with hundreds of screaming Usagis, two cats and a slightly worse for wear police detective. The wall rolled on. ----o Usagi thrust her right arm through Mamoru's chest, still smiling. Blood flew from his mouth, and he staggered back, clutching the wound, as she flicked blood from her retrieved hand. "U.. Usa... I... Why?" "All must be punished for killing me. Even YOU, Mamo-chan." She laughed as Mamoru sank to his knees. He turned to Galaxia, and she shook her head. "The Ginzuishou.... The Youma used shards of the crystal to form its spirit. Millenia knew that. That's why she got Pluto to make Serenity retrieve it. She knew that, if Serenity touched the crystal, its spirit would meld with the original within Usagi's true body." Mamoru stared at Galaxia as Usagi watched on, grinning. "Why... Why didn't you say this before?" Galaxia smiled sadly as she sat up. "Did you give me an opportunity? She thinks you were the Endymion who caused her death. She doesn't realise the Resonator masqueraded as you." Galaxia turned to Usagi, smiling. "You killed your lover for no reason." Usagi stared at her, her smile fading. "What do you mean, for no reason? HE WAS ONE OF THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR MY DEATH! He was resp..." Galaxia chuckled, shaking her head as she got to her feet. "Endymion was trapped within the Eternal City all the time the Senshi were plotting to kill you. What you saw as Endymion was the Resonator in disguise." Galaxia chuckled. "And the Resonator is already dead. Killed by a pair of senshi your Youma self failed to dispense with. In fact, your Youma self actually failed to kill a single one of the senshi...." She turned back to Mamoru, sadly. "Until now. And you killed him for no reason whatsoever." Usagi's face became helpless. She looked from Galaxia to Mamoru. "I didn't want to... I wanted to be with him. But the desire to hurt him... It was... It was..." She began to quiver, and Mamoru smiled at her. "It's alright, Usagi. I forgive you. If it's you, I can forgive." Usagi took a few steps forward, and managed to catch him as he pitched forward. She held his head in her lap, but knew he was already dead. His body disintergrated into a mist that floated away. She clenched her fists, her face a mask of fury. Oops, thought Millenia, looks like its time to take our leave. ----o The wall now struck the circle of senshi, miko and courtesans that surrounded Tokyo, as their chants reached a crescendo. Their bodies were obliterated instantly, including the Starlights, but their combined magic fused with the energy as it rolled on. At the epicentre, the magic caused a Queen to be reborn.... As Galaxia had planned. ----o Usagi turned to Galaxia. "Why did you do this? Why have the both of you been playing with us like this? Are we nothing more than pawns in your game?" Galaxia said nothing. "I.... I made love to Mamoru... Several times before I was... Do you mean I was casting my affections.. my body... on that... that monster?" Tears flowed from her eyes. Her right hand began to quiver. "And... you... did... nothing... to... stop... it!" She gritted her teeth and raised her hands. Neither of them noticed Naiad was gone, with Naru and Umino with her. ----o Ikuko stood up and stared from the side of the ship, disbelievingly. The vast dome of energy continued to expand outwards, towards the ship. Ikuko felt Shingo pressing against her, and she looked down at him. "Mama... Where is Usagi-oneechan?" "I'm not sure, Shin-chan." She smiled at him. "I hope she's safe." Shingo had tears in his eyes. A hand came down softly on his head and they both looked up at Kenji. He smiled at them both, then reached down to pick up Shingo. Holding Shingo, he put an arm around his wife's shoulders. Yuuichirou stared down at the body of Rei's Grandfather. It had been altogether too much for him... the stress. He thought the old man was just leaning against him, tiredly, and had been talking to him for some minutes. Until he realised the old man had become, literally, a dead weight. He placed his shirt over the top of the old man's face, pausing to reflect.... "Rei-chan...." He whispered to himself, trying to stop himself from displaying any emotion. Now was not the time. He looked back at the Tsukinos. There were many people standing along the railing of the deck, staring out at the approaching hell. Water at its base seethed and frothed, and ships vanished into nothing as it rolled over them. Hundreds of lives vanished with them. Their screams were so loud they could be heard even at this distance. Yuuichirou shivered. Even Rikai was standing, leaning against the railing. He looked tired, and ready for what was about to hit them. Yuuichirou became angry. Why were they all meekly accepting their deaths to this... whatever it was? On instinct, he pushed past Rikai and leapt over the railing. Seeing what he was doing, others started to follow. Kenji stared at his wife. "The water! Get into the water!" He lifted both Ikuko and Shingo over the railing, before they could say anything, and pushed them overboard. He then leapt himself. Hundreds of people started jumping over the sides of the ships, and sinking as far down as they could from the surface. Rikai noticed what the people were doing, but didn't care. Without his wife and children, his life meant nothing to him. Even as people were still leaping overboard from the flotilla, the wall struck, vapourising everything in its path, Rikai included. Those too near the surface of the water were boiled to death. Only those who had swum deep were fortunate enough to be given the natural spa treatment. ----o Hotaru opened her eyes to come face to face with the barrel of a gun. "Get out." Said the soldier. He was dressed in some black uniform, much like the ninjas who had attacked herself, Usashin and Kaorusagi back in the valley. Gently, she shook Setsuna and Umi. The two girls stirred and looked up at her. "Hotaru-oneechan?" Setsuna muttered. Hotaru hushed her and motioned them to move along, trying not to let them go as they clambered from the rear of the truck. Even before she had fully emerged from the doorway, she felt something hard and heavy slam into the back of her head. She collapsed to the ground, hitting face-first, holding her head in agony, letting out small cries of pain. "Hotaru-oneechan!" She heard Setsuna and Umi exclaim. The two girls were bundled aside by the small collection of heavily armed soldiers. Hotaru looked up from the ground, to see the four sisters and the three Usagi clones, on the side of the road, tied up, indignantly protesting at their situation, only silencing at gunpoint. She turned aside, and her eyes opened wide. The Head Priest... The man who SHOULD have died back in the valley, stood, holding the girls' shoulders, amidst the group of soldiers, smiling at her. "Surprised, Saturn? You should be." He smiled. She had to use every ounce of her self-control to not dump a DRR there and then. ----o Naru and Umino were shaken awake, looking up into the face of Naiad. "Morning, Tranqs." Naiad smiled at Naru. "Have a nice sleep?" "Naiad-sama?" Naru blinked. "What happened?" "I had to remove us from the scene of the crime, so to speak. Things were getting a little hot between your friend, Usagi, and Galaxia. "No..." Naru got up on her knees. "What happened to us just then? I felt really strange, like I wasn't in control of myself, anymore" Naiad smiled and shrugged. "Galaxia and I gave you both access to your old memories. But it seems even we higher beings are susceptible to a little manipulation by crystals." Naiad paused. "But anyway, I rather prefer you both like this. You're both more.... appealing." Both Naru and Umino shied away from Naiad's rather all too loving gaze. ----o There was very little left of the revival room. The darkened, scorched walls continued to smoulder with the sudden release of energy. Usagi stood in the centre of the room, her breath nothing more than a rasp. She clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and regained her composure. Slowly, she plodded over to where Galaxia lay. Somehow, the woman had managed to put up a shield in time to block the blast. Well, most of it, anyway. There was very little left of Galaxia's lower half, the trunk of her body torn off just under her navel. Such was the heat that had escaped Usagi's fingers, even this massive wound had been cauterised shut... Still, the woman had the gall to stare up at her, smiling. "You poor, poor pitiful thing." Usagi shook her head. "Why did you think you could take me on?" "Because, Metallia, there is nothing you can do that can hurt me." Usagi's face screwed up. "Metallia?" Galaxia chuckled. The poor girl just didn't understand. "It's what I said. Now you have taken the Ginzuishou into yourself, you have all the mixed spirits the Youma had within her. Slowly melding together. Eventually, you shall become the perfect Grey Queen, controlling both the light and dark energies of your system. Finally bringing to heel what failed to be controlled from the start." "Why, Galaxia? Why did you allow Millenia to go ahead with this? You could both have left well enough alone...." "Because it was not destiny's will. And whatever I do, Millenia must do the opposite." Galaxia smiled and coughed, blood running from her mouth as she did so. "All that psychological torture you put everyone through, to make this go ahead.... Was that really necessary. To have me killed...." "You turned me, remember? When I was in the control of Chaos, you rid me of its presence by appealing to my better nature. At that moment, Millenia swapped sides." Galaxia coughed, then continued. "She was quite willing to play the hero, saving lives from my tyranny. But as soon as you turned me, she became the villain. She decided it was time to settle something that had been plaguing her for thousands of years, and to destroy the rebirth of your Kingdom in the process." Galaxia smiled. "But by doing something of equal horror... killing all those senshi and miko that I had revived.... She turned once more and has set up a situation in which you can all be reborn." Usagi shook her head contemptuously. "You are both freaks. You play with others as if they were your toys. It is good you die here." Galaxia smiled. "Don't... be too sure of that." There was a flash of light, and the remains of her body faded into dust. Usagi watched the dust dissipate into nothingness. "Galaxia-sama!" Usagi turned, to see Sentinel standing in the doorway. "What... have you done to her?" "What does it look like I've done?" Usagi shook her head, looking around the walls of the revival room. "I have had her reduced to her constituent particles. Ah, now only if it had been that easy the last time...." "If it had been that easy the last time, your place as Princess Serenity would have been tainted with her blood for all time." Next to Sentinel, Aoi stepped up, holding onto three glowing spheres. One red, one green and one blue. Her expression was no longer that of a meek and confused young woman. "I think you might be in for a surprise." ----o Usako stood outside the front of the fortress, watching the sun set on the horizon. Professor Tomoe emerged from the darkness of the building behind her. "Its a beautiful sunset, is it not?" He said to her, softly. She nodded. "Where is Hotaru, now?" He said suddenly. She paused and thought his question over. "Following destiny." Usako closed her eyes, and saw Hotaru, being lined up against the truck alongside the Ayakashi sisters and the three Usagi clones. "We can't allow them to die." Usashin's voice echoed in her mind. She smiled. No, we can't. Things are too important for that. ----o "Well..." The Head Priest ran his hand along Petz's chin. "I haven't seen you four in a while. Did you miss me?" "Don't touch me, you bastard!" Petz spat at him. He wiped the spittle from his face, and backhanded her. Cooan and Beruche made to help her, but Maisagi stopped them. The Head Priest looked from one to the next. "All such pretty young ladies. Tis a pity I have to have you all killed. But then, I suppose that is the villain kind of thing to do." He chuckled. "With those girls so young, I can manipulate them into using their powers for... our cause. But girls your age.... Well, there really is only one way to manipulate you. And I'm not interested in that kind of thing. Although some of my men here might be." He turned to the soldiers, who chuckled. "Maybe.... I dunno.... Maybe I could have a use for you. But then, I don't suppose working in the whorehouse, back at the shrine, would appeal to you." He sniffed, shrugging. "How did you survive?" Hotaru glowered at him. He turned to her, smiling. "Ah, but an air of fortune came into my life...." "Which is about to end, Mistral LeFevre." The soldiers spun at the new voice. Those at the outer edge of the group were struck by beams of electrical energy, culminating in an explosion that killed a half dozen of them. The Head Priest levelled his gaze as seven figures appeared from the haze of the blast, walking slowly and deliberately. Seven women. "From the flickering flames that float in the sky, I am the dark bird of nightmares. Sailor Lead Crow." Crow, dressed in a black and white pinstripe suit and hat, put a hand on her head and pointed at them. "From the oceans that hide a million secrets, I am the shark that hunts for the flesh of the weak. Sailor Aluminium Siren." Siren, dressed in a long dress with overcoat and woollen hat posed, licking her lips. "From the hunt of the world of night, I am the lioness who rules the land by day. Sailor Tin Nyanko." Nyanko, wearing red and black dinner suit and wise-brimmed hat, rolled her fingers at the soldiers, her smiled showing them a pair of feline-like fangs. "From the darkest corners of your life, I am the one who skitters through your mind to destroy your dreams. Sailor Iron Mouse." Mouse was in a light suit, with similarly-coloured hat. She tipped the brim over her eyes, smiling. The four animates stood, arrogantly staring at the guns the soldiers held as if they were nothing. Around the outside, two more of the figures approached. Although Hotaru couldn't be sure, the first appeared more than familiar. Her brown hair had been cut short, and she was well in her twenties... But..." "From the grand energies of the King of planets, I dominate over all who stand before me. Sailor Jupiter!" Dressed in an unusual variant of her original fuku, Makoto sneered at the Head Priest, whose eyes were, by now, boggling with dislbelief. It wasn't about to get any better. "From a tiny world that flits through the darkness, I confuse and confound in the name of freedom. Sailor Ceres." CereCere swung around Mouse in her elegant-looking, pink floral kimono-like fuku. And in between Crow and Siren, a scarlet-haired woman, in the formal robes of a Miko, pulled back her hood. "And, Mistral LeFevre, I am the Priestess of Pleasure, with a mind for the truth. I am the Sailor Miko Scorpius." She reached her hand forward, pointing at the Head Priest. "And if you don't release those girls and give yourself up to the new order, in the name of the Kingdom, we shall punish you.... RUBEUS!" He stared at Arachne. "How... How did you know who I was?" He shuddered. "It was simple. Nobody but someone with powers could have escaped that pocket dimension created by Galaxia. And besides, we have been travelling the systems for quite some time now. The more I thought about it, the more you seemed to have the air of the Black Moon Family about you." She chuckled. "I think I knew, instinctively, before then. But.... Oh well, maybe I was just drawn to another poor, thugged-on bastard. Pity you've remained a bastard." "RUBEUS!?!" Petz gritted her teeth. "What is the meaning of this, you bastard! How dare you do this to us?!?" "Ouchie...." CereCere put her fingers in her ears. "She's got a loud voice when she wants to..." "There is no point arguing with him." Hotaru said, darkly. She looked over at Jupiter, who smiled at her. "Hi there, Saturn. Its nice to see you're still alive." She turned to Rubeus. "You have nothing to worry about, now. I'm here." She rolled her fingers, obviously keen to dispense with Rubeus and his men. Whatever had happened to her over the course of the last few years, her ego had not been tempered. Rubeus gripped Setsuna and Umi. "I'm warning you, you try anything and I'll kill these girls." "You tried that one on me before, Rubeus." Hotaru sneered. "Didn't work that time. You ended up ripping them open and making me madder. And I'm getting pretty angry right now." Hotaru reached forward, and the Glaive appeared. Ceres cooed. "Ooh, gotta love that weapon. Wish I had one." Rubeus looked back at Saturn. "Is that so? Well... What if I said I was willing to die with the girls, eh?" "Then I shall torment you beyond the grave. No matter what you do or say, as soon as they appeared, you were on the losing side." Hotaru pointed at the new arrivals and smiled. "How did you scrag the Usagis' powers, anyway? They should have been able to deal with you." Rubeus smiled, then leapt high into the air, dragging the two girls with him, kicking and screaming. "Hotaru-oneechaaaaan!" She heard Setsuna crying out. She gritted her teeth. "JUPITER!" Saturn cried out, and leapt into the air after him. Jupiter followed. Rubeus's men stared around, not knowing what to do. One, deciding it was worth a try, opened fire on Crow. He was burnt to death in seconds. What followed was pandemonium as soldiers opened fire in every direction, various sisters and Usagi's ducked for cover, and various Sailors went on with their business, ridding the universe of some of the living flotsam. Until those soldiers that were left decided to surrender. Then they just had fun slapping them around. ----o Usagi glowered at Aoi, who wandered the storage chamber, or what was left of it now it had been emptied of its contents. Some of the caskets had started to glow. Sentinel watched, from a distance. "Do you see this? The beginning of a new age. Their star seeds are returning." "You're not Kikotsuka Aoi. Who are you?" "Oh, I'm Kikotsuka Aoi, alright. But not the same Kikotsuka Aoi who lived on Earth.... No... I have a different destiny now." She let the spheres go, and giggled as they flew around her. "Destiny.... It is my destiny to destroy what remains of the Empire.... the last vestiges of the colonial past." She looked around the chamber. "All of this.... Pitiful opulence. It spent slaves centuries to complete.... Now I must destroy it all... And you with it." Aoi giggled and allowed the spheres to land in her hands. "Such a sad destiny... But then, you are now a Grey Queen. I wonder, however, if you remember what Galaxia said, about your body being maintained. You see.... Now The Four have stopped feeding you power, what is keeping your body alive?" Usagi frowned. "My body?" "Indeed... Your body rejected your spirit, like an autonomic defence response. They had to use their powers to keep you alive. I wonder why you haven't died yet...? Any ideas, Sentinel?" "None, my Lady." Sentinel smiled. "Could be the Ginzuishou.... That cursed crystal." "Indeed, my Lady." "Lady?" Usagi looked from Sentinel to Aoi. "Indeed. I am now the Guard Captain of the New Kingdom of Sol. The fact that these spheres, containing the spirits of the Asteroid Senshi, came to me is proof of that." "Then I am your Queen, and you shall obey me." "Not yet, you aren't." Aoi smiled. "Time to get on with it, Galaxia." Usagi felt something rip into her back, and she arched. Pain radiated through every pore of her being as the Ginzuishou within her was gripped. She turned aside and stared at the figure that had done this to her. She saw a small face... A small, round face, with red hair done up in semi-odango tails. The little face smiled at her. "Chibichibi." The little girl said. Usagi cried out. ----o Rubeus bounded hundreds of feet at a time, his two captives whimpering as he did so. "Shutup, you BITCHES!" He shouted at them. They cowered at his fury. He looked back over his shoulder. Saturn was a long way behind him now, and he had heard the sound of gunfire and explosions coming from where he had left the truck. He might even get away with this pair. If he was lucky. Luck had not always been on his side when it came to the Sailorsenshi.... He didn't know how right he was to worry. He was elbowed across the side of his head. He didn't see who it was that hit him so hard. Before he knew what was happening, the girls were out of his grasp. All he saw was the green and pink fuku of Jupiter, whizzing past as he landed on the ground, staggering backwards. He saw Jupiter, standing arrogantly in the middle of the open field, her hands around the shoulders of the girls as they clung to her. "Game, set and match, Ruby-san." "Don't play me for a fool, little girl!" "Oops! What did you say? Little GIRL? If you haven't noticed, I'm not a GIRL anymore. And neither is my friend." She lifted her hand from Umi and snapped her fingers. "Do it, Saturn." Rubeus felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand, and was somewhat unsurprised, but no less alarmed, when Saturn thrust the blade of the Glaive through his back, its tips appearing from his chest. He turned his head slowly, angrily, facing her. "Onore...." His gaze was met with dark, empty eyes, like there were no eyes in her sockets at all. When she spoke, it was a sound from the depths of hell itself. "Darkness Axiom..." The Glaive began to vibrate, giving out waves of sonic energy. Rubeus felt pain running throughout his body. And then he exploded in a shower of flesh and blood, all of which missed Saturn and Jupiter, on a whim of the senshi of darkness. She arranged the sonic pattern of his evisceration because she didn't feel like tainting her body with a singe cell of his being. Jupiter gave her senshi counterpart a distasteful expression. "You've grown a mean streak since I last saw you, you know that?" She chuckled darkly. Saturn nodded. "Yeah, Hotaru-oneechan is way cool." Setsuna smiled. Both Saturn and Jupiter sweatdropped. Saturn slowly stepped up to them, her eyes reverting to their normal shade. "Setsuna-chan, we have a lot to talk about...." ----o Yuuichirou rose to the surface of the water. Despite the fact that the water was rather hot, as was the air he so desperately needed to breathe, he was, at the very least, alive. That it hurt so much was proof of that. He looked around, trying to spot someone, anyone, who had survived.... whatever it was that blown through. "Mamaaaa! Papaaa!" He turned to his right. About a hundred feet away, Shingo was floating on the surface, bobbing on the waves. "Shingoooo!" He cried out, waving to the boy. Shingo, seeing him, began dog-paddling his way over. "Kumada-saaaan!" Yuuichirou met Shingo halfway. "Shingo.... Where are your parents? Where are they?" "I don't know. I lost sight of them. Mama was holding me when we hit the water, and we started to go down... And then... Everything went bright and hot, and I looked up, and I lost her. I can't find her anywhere. Or Papa." Shingo looked to be at the point of tears. "Don't worry... We'll find them. If we made it, I'm sure they did, too." Yuuichirou wished he was as confident as he sounded. Shingo nodded. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, from where Tokyo had once stood. Shingo gripped Yuuichirou as the pair of them watched something rise over the city's remains. Like a huge figure with wings. "Its.... Its an angel...." Shingo said, breathlessly. The two of them watched as the vast figure rose into the clouds, then disappeared. They just floated there, silently, for several moments, when Shingo turned to Yuuichirou. "Was.. Was all that... An angel being born?" Yuuichirou didn't know how to answer that. ----o "GALAXIAAAA!" Usagi felt the Ginzuishou ripped from her body. The girl pushed her weakened form forward, and waited until she turned before crushing the crystal within her hand. Its light faded for the last time. Usagi watched as the remains of the Ginzuishou fell on the floor. Already, she could feel her limbs becoming cold. "Wh... Why?" She shook her head. "Chibichibi..." Oh blast, Galaxia thought. The little girl closed her eyes and reformed, growing into the larger figure of Galaxia. She reopened them and smiled at Usagi. "Sorry about that. Even though the body is cute, it does have its disadvantages when it comes to communication." She turned to Sentinel and Aoi, who stepped alongside her. "I'm sorry I had to put you through all this, Serenity, but I needed to know if you were ready to become Queen of the New Kingdom. But you don't quite seem to fit the mould just yet." Usagi shook her head. "None of this needed to happen. "No, it didn't." "So why did it?" "Because I wanted everyone to see what I was capable of." All turned as Naiad strode humbly into the chamber from the revival room, followed by Naru and Umino. "You wanted them to see what evil you were capable of." Galaxia sneered. "And what evil you could achieve to counter it. The destruction of the lives of all those senshi...." "To match your wanton decimation of the lives on that world. Even now, what shall become known as The Cataclysm is spreading across the planet." "Rebirth shall occur, the constructive forces of Serenity shall bring about a new order." Naiad looked down at Usagi. "I'm sorry." Usagi shook her head, disbelievingly. "You discuss... all their deaths... as if it were the weather..." "To us, it may as well be..." Naiad's smile faded. "But the cost can be high..." She lifted a shattered portion of the Time Key from her robes. "Pluto...." Usagi looked down, and noticed her hands were beginning to evaporate. She looked up at Galaxia. "What is going to happen to me, now?" "The circle will close." "What do you mean?" "Why don't you find out for yourself, when it happens...." Usagi stared at them, then closed her eyes as her body turned to dust, blowing away as if by some divine wind. Eventually, there was nothing left at all. ----o The 4P Usagi clone opened her eyes, for the first time in what was a large portion of her short life with her own soul running things. She let out a few short exclamations of pain as she felt the burns on her face, arms and chest. No worse than sunburn, but it still hurt, all the same. "You look in bad shape, there, friend." The 4P turned to see a dark-haired Usagi clone, in tattered clothing, with a tattered manner, standing on the burnt grass on top of the rise. She sniffed with distaste. "You gotta hate smoke, dontcha? It gets right on my quince." Misagi romped down the hillock and reached down to the 4P, pulling her to her feet. "I suppose we better find some other people, or we're gonna be the last people on Earth." "Ano..." The 4P looked at her. "Who are you? Where are we?" "Earth to Chibiusa whatsyaname?" Misagi waved her hand in front of the 4P's eyes. The 4P watched her with curiosity. "You're really out of it, aren't you? Unless...." She thought for a few moments. "What's your name?" "I... don't have a name." "Hmm... So Chibiusa is outta there, eh? Oh well. How about Serena? That sound like a good name to you?" "Ano... Why Serena?" "Sounds like a good name to me." The 4P thought about it for a few moments, then nodded. "My name is Serena, then." She smiled, rather hard to do with a burnt face. ----o Petz and Karaberas stared at what was left of their truck, sadly. "I wonder if they're still offering work as a barmaid down in Shin Kobe." Karaberas muttered, earning an elbow from her older sister. They both turned as they watched their younger counterparts performing sadistic games on the surviving soldiers. They wondered where Beruche had learnt to tie people up in that manner.... But then, they always did worry a little about Beruche. Maisagi and Unagi began to inspect the truck's payload with Petz as Saturn and Jupiter returned with the two girls. Arachne, who was sitting quietly on a rock beside the road, looked up as they approached. "Heh, return of the heroes." Jupiter smiled, patting Umi on the head. The girl looked up at her. "Hoi, not so hard." "Whoops, sorry about that, kid." She smiled at Arachne. "Any of them left for me to kill?" "I'm afraid not, Jupiter-san." Arachne said quietly. "Perhaps you'd like to help the young ladies who own this truck with transporting their wares onto our ship?" Jupiter sniffed, giving Arachne a lopsided smile, turning to where Ceres and the Animates had sparked up a conversation with the normally shy Sae. Her smiled faded, and her expression became distant. "I suppose.... I must be good for something." Jupiter wandered away, as if forgetting the existence of Saturn and the two girls. Umi and Setsuna watched her go, worriedly. Saturn turned to Arachne, raising an eyebrow questioningly. "I'm sorry about her behaviour. She's been like that... for a long time, now." Arachne sighed. "She might improve, now she knows you're alive.... She has been depressed because she thought she was the only one left...." Saturn nodded mutely, placing her hands protectively around the shoulders of Setsuna and Umi. Arachne watched her and smiled. "It would appear... You have found yourself a goal in life." Saturn blinked, looking down at the girls, then back up at Arachne. "I guess... You could say... I've had to take the place of others... who are no longer with us." Arachne nodded. "But there shall always be those who are willing to use their powers for their own purposes.... Like Mistral... Rubeus." "How was he reborn, anyway? And how was he going to use their powers?" Saturn shook her head. "He was going to control them the same way he controlled the powers of the Usagis." Arachne held out a small box-like device from her Miko robes. "With this." "What is it?" "It's a Rubicon.... A gadget that, apparently, if used correctly, can suppress our access to the elemental powers to which we were born." "Could there be any more devices like that out there?" Arachne shrugged, replacing the device in her robes. "The best we can do is study it, and find out what its capabilities are." Saturn shook her head. "How did you guys find us, anyway?" "Galaxia..." "Galaxia? What about her?" "She knew what was going to happen here, on this day, and she planned for us to arrive at this moment." Arachne shrugged. "The girls you hold in your hands are more important than you can understand. They can't be raised... out here... In the wilderness. They need a place they can call home. And they need the protection... of their future Queen." Saturn looked aside. Arachne nodded. "There is such a place. But are you willing to return to it?" The little girl inside her wanted to run away. Anything but face her father once more.... She looked down at Setsuna, then at Umi... They needed protection and guidance, both for very different and specific reasons. "Oh well." Arachne turned away. "The decision is up to you." ----o In the midst of a pile of rubble, a large metal door implanted in a heavy concrete base swung open. From the hole within emerged the face of Professor Tomoe, and about a half dozen Usagis. "Is everything alright?" Ushayla blinked, staring up at the sky. It took her a few moments to realise something. "Hey, the world up there... It's gone!" The Professor and the other Usagis stared up into a clear blue, cloudless sky.... If one excused the wast amount of smoke rising upwards. "Uuuuhhhh.... I wonder if everyone is alright. Artemis jumped out of the hole, blinking at the devastated surroundings. Luna followed him out as an increasingly large number of Usagis began to inspect the new world to which they had found themselves. Professor Tomoe climbed out of the hole and sat down, next to the cats. Luna stared up at him. "Thinking of Hotaru?" She whispered. Artemis caught the question, and followed her gaze. The Professor rubbed his eyes. "No time to think of her. Things look like they're in a pretty bad state. Could be survivors. Gotta do something... Gotta do..." He stood up and began to wander around. "Man, that's one seriously spaced out guy." They turned to Akunatsuka, who had chosen this point to emerge from the basement. He blinked as he took in his surroundings. "Whaddayaknow. They were right. It was the end of the world." The two cats sighed and wandered away from him. Akunatsuka clambered from the hole and stared at the burnt wreckage that had been the house Professor Tomoe had bundled them all through to get to the basement. Already, the Usagis were pulling items out of the basement, on the Professor's orders, setting up tents and marquees in the hardened soil, away from the rubble of the house... Creating a base camp for a potential survivors' centre. He sat down on one of the stones, tired and feeling sorry for himself. Oh well, at least it meant an end to the alimony payments to his ex.... If she was dead. Knowing how spiteful she was, she'd probably contrived to live. Well, that would certainly be par for the course as far as his luck was concerned. "Kaji...." Said the voice, whispered softly. He turned and saw someone he never thought he'd ever see again. Aoi stood, a short distance away, dressed in a simple dress and shawl. He shook his head. "Of all the people in the world..." He began to chuckle. "You never were the sentimental sort, were you?" Aoi smiled at him, stepping forward. "Nope." They both laughed, tiredly, then Aoi pulled out three glowing spheres from her shawl. Akunatsuka looked at them as she gazed into their depths, moving her lips as if talking to them. "What are they?" She looked up at him. "A very special, limited edition collectors' set. I'm just waiting for the fourth so they can be reunited." She smiled at him, then looked away, into the haze. ----o The gateway to the transport dock was a somewhat muted affair, considering the size of the Keep. Galaxia nodded to the hooded figure which stood there... One of the Originals who guarded the Keep. Naru caught a glimpse of grey skin, then watched as the figure shuffled away. Memories of what she had seen herself as, back within the waters of the swimming pool, made her shudder. She felt an arm take hers, and turned to see Umino smiling at her. She smiled back, softly, as they made their way through the gate and onto the platform, followed by Sentinel and Naiad. Galaxia stopped at the doorway to the transport, looking back at them all, especially Naiad. The blue-haired woman smiled at her. "I guess it doesn't need to be said that it might be more difficult returning you to your homeworld than it was returning that Aoi woman. There is... nothing left for you to return to. No reason for you to go back...." Naru and Umino nodded, sadly. "I can offer you both new lives. New existences.... It is... as good a gift I can give to you." "Now that we have found them again, Galaxia?" Naiad looked at her. Galaxia shrugged. "What was past is past." Naiad shook her head. "Then... I shall take my leave of you all.... And return to the darkness." "Why?" Naru turned to Naiad. "Naiad-sama...." "Because there is someone out there who will have to be guided through her next life. An idiot who deosn't know how to leave well enough alone." "Then I shall follow you, Naiad-sama." Naru grabbed her by the arm, and beckoned to Umino. Naiad stared at them, sadly, as they held onto her arms. "You're willing to follow a fool into further madness?" "After what I've been through, and what I know... about us... I guess you can say I've always been a glutton for punishment." Naru smiled at Naiad, who nodded to her, then Umino. She turned to Galaxia. "Very well. Until the next time, my sister." Galaxia looked sullen, then turned away as the three faded into nothingness. Sentinel stepped alongside his mistress. "Are you alright, my Lady?" "It's fine, Sentinel... I've always been alone." She stepped into the transport. ----o Hotaru opened her eyes, wondering where she was. It didn't seem to be anywhere, but it was quiet, and dark, and that was all she required after the stress of experiencing... Whatever it was she had experienced. "Get up, Hotaru-chan. Its time to leave." Hotaru raised her head, and stared into Usako's eyes. "Where are we?" She looked around. It seemed to be dark... Misty... Usako smiled. "The crossroads. Here we must decide what path we are to take. And it shall not be easy." Slowly, Usako helped Hotaru to her feet. She looked at herself, realising she was, once more, a 14 year old girl. Short, thin and weak. But somewhere within, she felt an inner strength, building steadily. "I feel good." Hotaru smiled. The lightness of her soft voice, compared to the heavier tones of what she had been, surprised her as much as her sudden degrowth. "The event... the fusion of both myself and myself... I mean Usako and the City... brings with it a kind of rebirth." Usako smiled. "Now I am whole again, Hotaru-chan." "But as whom?" Hotaru looked at her, noticing that Usako's form was fading. "Where is Usashin?" "She has already left, to find her path. Now we must follow ours." Usako faded even further, and Hotaru reached out to her. "Wait... Where are you going?" "Our paths divide here, Hotaru. But one day, we shall be together. And then... And then things will be very different." Hotaru tried to grab hold of Usako's arm, but her hand passed through. Usako disappeared, giving Hotaru one last smile. The girl stood alone for several moments, then turned to her right, where she saw a tunnel. Resolving herself, she stepped toward whatever future it may bring her. ----o Usagi heard voices. She turned to see her senshi, beckoning to her in the darkness. They were all there... Well, most of them, anyway. They had stepped away from the card table, now bored with their game. It was time for them to move on. She looked at them all. Rei. Ami. Minako. Haruka and Michiru. Setsuna. The three Asteroid girls. Mamoru. Slowly, one by one, they vanished, their voices fading into ghostly echoes. She turned, and saw a portal, leading out onto an empty plain. She stepped through it.... ----o As the morning sun rose over the fortress, Professor Tomoe raised his head to the light that came streaming through the laboratory window. He blinked a couple of times, rubbing his eyes. He had fallen asleep whilst running through a couple of his experiments. "Professor..." He turned to the soft voice. He could see Usako, standing in the doorway, illuminated by the bright morning light. "Yes, Usako?" "It's Hotaru. I can see her, coming back." "What?" He got to his feet. "Where? Where is she?" In the background, he could hear the sound of approaching engines. He stood and peered out through the window. In the distance, he could see an object that looked like a flying clothes iron. His eyes boggled as he turned and ran for the door, past Usako, who amiled, knowingly. Tomoe raced outside, where several Usagis were already standing in wait. The craft, whatever it was, had reached the compound outside the fortress and had pulled up, turning into a landing position. Hot thermal blasts from its engines washed past the watching party and small pads emerged from its base. It planted itself softly on the ground, and Tomoe could get a grip on its scale. The craft was half the size of the fortress, itself. A veritable floating house. Its shape was tapered to the front, and it was mostly white. From the side, a hatch opened with a mechanical clunk, steps being pushed out and latched onto the side. "Now be careful as you go down the steps. They didn't make them tough enough for this model, and certainly not for the number of people who have to use them." Said Crow to those still inside the hatchway as she emerged. She turned to the welcoming party and waved to them as Usako and a couple of the remaining Usagis emerged from the fortress. "Hi. Special delivery for one Professor Tomoe Souichi." She smiled as she descended the stairs. He wandered out to her. "Who are you?" "I'm the captain of this shipwreck. Ain't she a beauty?" Crow chuckled as the three Usagi clones descended the stairs. "Unagi?" Came a voice from one of the Usagis who were standing beside Usako. "You're alive?" Ushayla stepped forward. Unagi looked at her and puffed up her already ample chest. Crow, Maisagi, Sae and anyone else in the know inserted plugs into their ears. "Of course I'm alive. Did you think the great Unagi could be killed so easily, did you?" And with that, she began to laugh. Even Usako had to admit to feeling a bit frightened at the exclamation of mirth that emereged from the sorceress. Once the Usagis had begun to mix and chat with their own kind, Ceres and Jupiter emerged, pulling out their earplugs. The Professor had only barely dealt with Ceres before the Cataclysm, and therefore only JUST recognised her, but he easily spotted Jupiter. He stopped her as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Jupiter... You..." She looked at him, blankly. For a moment, he felt like she was going to kill him. "Ah, Professor..." She said without much emotion in her voice. "How very nice to see you." "Baka!" Ceres grabbed Jupiter by the arm. Jupiter looked like she had been slapped by the shorter girl, and smiled painfully at her. "Alright alright... I know...." The Professor watched as Ceres dragged Jupiter away. There was a familiarity between them... A very close familiarity. Crow smiled as he looked aside at her. "They used to hate each other, when we found them both. Don't know why. Something to do with a fight they had a few years ago." Usako chuckled, and looked aside. Standing alone, she could see two figures. Two Usagis.... Usashin and Kaorusagi, smiling at her. Usashin waved and Usako nodded. They both vanished as she turned back as the vessel's most important passengers emerged. Usako stepped up alongside the Professor and nudged him. "Professor...." He turned to her. "What?" She pointed to the top of the stairs. He looked at his daughter for a moment, the young girls holding on to her arms. And she looked back. An eternity passed between them. ----o Usagi floated above the place where she had been murdered. The yard outside her school. There was still blood on the ground, drying for all eternity. This wasn't the place. It was all a figment of her overactive imagination. She wished the vision away, and the bare landscape returned. She felt filled with energies.... From somewhere, she didn't know. But the energies were creative. They wanted to build a new world. She had to expend those energies, somehow.... Slowly, she closed her eyes and held out her hands to the sky. her body began to melt into the soil... Over a period of centuries, from that spot, formations of stone began to appear. Like buildings, taking shape. Like the buildings of Tokyo as Usagi once remembered it. And the city went on forever.... An Eternal City. IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST and again USAGI IS DEAD USAGI IS DEAD HIP HIP HIP HOORAY THE END "It's all in the mind, you know...." "Wallace Greenslade" The Goon Show circa 1950 - 1960 Notes That is that. UID is mostly over, but hey, there is a lot to torment you with, yet, so UID II is on its way. ^_^ Anyone wishing to flame me for the way this story ended, please do so with a semblance of intelligence. That includes you, Mr Rabies and Mr LaPrat. (Evil chuckle Mark III - with safety catch on). Otherwise, thanks to all those who have tolerated this little stream of my conciousness up to the end. ^_^ I appreciate all comments, as long as they are helpful. And I try to respond to all queries from those who wish to have portions of this story explained. ^_^ It is called being a nice person. Something some should learn. DDFA - In a somewhat brighter mood now ayanami@merlin.net.au 10th Mar 1998