Sailor Moon is copyright 1992 by Naoko Takeuchi. North American Rights for Sailor Moon are owned by D.I.C. Rating: PG-13 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Life ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Part II - Unravelings Chapter VII - Comprehensive Clarity Usagi woke up uneasily, wanting to stay in bed instead of meeting Noriko. But knowing she would eventually have to get up, she threw off her covers and began to get ready. She looked at the time and realized she had slept in; she had tossed and turned all night thinking about the next day. She headed downstairs. "Shingo?" "What?" came the muffled reply. "Where are you?" "Here." "Where?" "Over here." "Where's here?" she asked impatiently. "_Here_," he replied, as if emphasizing the word would provide more of an explanation of his whereabouts. Finally, Usagi found him, hiding behind a cereal box at the kitchen table, eating from a bowl. "Where's mom?" "She went shopping." "What time's she gonna be home?" "Before 12." "Well, tell her I went to the park, 'kay?" Shingo nodded his head. "I'll probably be home by dinnertime." Again Shingo nodded. "Ja." Seeing it was 9:31, she hurried slightly, knowing that Noriko would probably be there early. She arrived at the park entrance and slowed her pace. She still didn't know how much she was going to tell him. She had decided the night before just to wing it. She didn't know if she was going to have to lie. She didn't want to, but could she really tell him the truth, the whole truth? She saw him sitting on a bench and went to stand behind him. "Have you been waiting long?" she asked not looking at him. "Since around 9," he responded, not turning around. "You ready?" Usagi sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be. Where do you wanna do this?" "Here," he shrugged indifferently. He didn't care. He just wanted the story. Usagi looked around. "No, that's not a good idea. It's dangerous. Is Zared home?" "Nope. I don't know where he went." "Let's go to your pad then." He stood up and they started walking. Their attempted small talk helped them avoid the matter at hand. They walked, oblivious to the piercing blue eyes that momentarily followed them. 'Him again! But who is he?' Mamoru's eyes burned slightly at the sight, but he turned away. He had his own business to attend to. Once Usagi and Noriko were settled, Usagi asked, "So, what do you want to know?" "Everything." She gave him a look. "Okay, okay; start when you were what? 14? and go from there." Usagi took a deep breath. She began where she had rescued Luna and how Luna had named her Sailor Moon. She continued with the entrances of Sailors Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and finally, Venus. She explained that she was trying to protect the earth from dark forces that threatened to take over. (She had laughed then, saying, "That sounds like something out of a movie.") She briefly summarized the enemies she had faced (Noriko recognized Beryl's name) and said that in addition to desiring world domination, the villains craved the ginzuishou - which she simply said, "Is the crystal that gives me the ability to transform." Although Noriko knew why, he asked, "Why do they want the ginzuishou?" "It has a lot of power, to put it bluntly." He remembered that Beryl was the enemy in the Silver Millennium and that she had wanted the ginzuishou. He remembered the Sailor Senshi, himself, and the other generals. He remembered being captured. He remembered Prince Endymion and his beloved princess. But he still didn't understand how Usagi fit into the whole picture. He didn't remember her. "Why do _you_ have it?" Usagi rubbed her temple wearily. "Oh God, Noriko! That's a whole other story." "You said you'd tell me everything," he reminded her. "I know, but . . ." Usagi sighed. "Do you have any other questions?" she asked, hoping to avoid that story. "How does Tuxedo Kamen fit into all this? You didn't mention him at all. Do you know him? And you never told me the 'differences' with the senshi. It seems that you guys were a team at one point, but something happened. What?" Usagi groaned. She had just dug herself into an even deeper hole. She had purposely left Tuxedo Kamen out of the story, feeling it was in her best interests to do so. She didn't want to explain that part. She didn't think she could. To have to relive all of that again . . . "Look, Noriko we've been talking for over 2 hours." "You said you'd tell me everything," he repeated. "I know, but . . ." Her voice wavered. "But what?" he asked, impatience lacing his voice. "The reason I have the ginzuishou, the reason the senshi and I are not speaking, and Tuxedo Kamen are all intertwined." "Mm-hmm." "And that story is as long as the one I just told you, probably even longer." "Mm-hmm. And?" he asked expectantly. "And it's not exactly the easiest thing for me to talk about!" Noriko gave in. "Okay, I'm sorry, Usagi. It's just that I'd like to know the whole story." He placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her. Only then did she realize that she had been shaking. "It's just so hard for me," she whispered. She closed her eyes. "After all this time, you think I'd be able to get over it, but I can't . . ." Noriko rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "Usa, I di-" He was cut off by shouts and yells. Automatically, Usagi said, "There's an attack." "How do you-" "After several years, you _know_, Riko," she interrupted. Sighing slightly but moving quickly, Usagi was gone and Sailor Moon stood in the middle of the apartment. "Gotta jet. We'll talk later." With that, she was out the window and jumping rooftops. Noriko only watched in amazement, waiting for her to slip, but she didn't. She bounded as agilely as a cat would've. And as quickly too, for soon, she was out of sight. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Sailor Moon landed to the side of the fight and quickly scanned the area. Jupiter and Tuxedo Kamen were attacking it from one side. While Venus and Mars attacked it from the other. What 'it' was, she wasn't sure. It seemed to be a rather large man, with multiple eyes. He held a shepherd's staff in one hand. Mercury stood aside, frantically typing into her computer. Further off, Sailor Moon saw silhouettes in the shadows of the trees. 'Oh, goodie, _they're_ here.' She turned her attention to the youma at hand. "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" "Jupiter Oak Evolution!" "Mars Flame Sniper!" The 3 attacks hit him consecutively, and he stumbled each time. But he stood again unsteadily, only singed. He pointed his staff towards Venus and Mars, and dark energy emanated from it, knocking them back and off their feet. "Mercury!" Sailor Moon called. "What do we do?" "We have to disable its eyes, at least half of them and sever its head." Sailor Moon and Venus cringed at the idea of chopping off someone's head, but continued to fight. Jupiter tried to catch and keep the herdsman's attention while Tuxedo Kamen threw his steel tipped roses into its eyes and Sailor Moon used her tiara. "Mercury, isn't there another way to do this?" Tuxedo Kamen asked. The group was literally dancing around, trying to fight and not get hit at the same time. Mercury shook her head and yelled, "No!" before calling, "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" and hitting the youma from behind. Venus tried to hold it still with her Venus Love Me Chain, as Mars threw an anti-evil sign and missed the writhing body. Ninja stars as well as arrows started to fly, injuring more eyes. The youma broke free of Venus's hold and spun the staff in front of its body. It gained speed, and soon the group could actually hear the whirring sound it made, as well as feel the gust of wind that it gave off. The youma stopped and slammed the bottom end into the ground and cried out at the same time. The ground shook and the blast of dark energy knocked everyone down. When they recovered, the head had been decapitated and was beginning to disintegrate, and the gray Knight's sword was covered in a grayish-greenish substance, that was assumed to be the youma's blood. The gray Knight, the blue Knight, and the green Knight stood up, brushed themselves off as if nothing were out of the ordinary, and began to walk away. "Where's your friend?" Sailor Moon called, her mocking bitterness clear. As the other two walked on, the blue one turned around and said, "Deep within, you know the answer to that." "Nani?" She was not sure exactly what she had been expecting, but that was not the anticipated answer. "Yes, little one, deep within, you already know." Sailor Moon stared, confused. 'I know? Know what? Huh?' She turned around, tired and weary. She was getting really sick of these guys. She looked at the pile of ashes. 'And these youmas.' Tuxedo Kamen leapt into the trees and started away without a word, determined to follow the men and discover their identities or at least find out where they were going. "Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mercury called out. "Sailor Moon!" Sailor Moon kept walking and didn't turn around. She didn't want to talk to anyone, least of all 'them'. "Sailor Moon!" Still walking. "Usagi!" "What do you want?" Sailor Moon said icily and exasperatedly, whipping around quickly. "I . . ." Mercury was so startled by the cold tone and cool gaze that she forgot what she was going to say. So, Mars stepped in. "Don't you think we should talk?" "About what?" Sailor Moon snapped, de- transforming, her guard immediately going up. "About this. Senshi business. These aren't just random youmas anymore, Usagi. This is getting serious." "So, what's there to talk about? It's serious, period." "We should talk about ways we can contact each other so we can get there sooner, for one thing." Usagi's eyes flashed in anger. "I was about 7 blocks away. I got here as fast as I could." "Wait, Usagi. I didn't mean -" "How the hell was I supposed to know that we would be having more attacks? Do I _look_ like I can predict the future? If I could, do you honestly think I would have helped Luna 3 years ago?" Usagi exploded. The senshi were stunned into silence. None of them had ever dreamed she would be this bitter. "Usagi," Sailor Venus started out cautiously, aware of the dangerous ground she treaded. "We're just saying we need you. You're attack is stronger than the rest of ours." "So, what do you expect me to do?" Usagi asked, annoyed. "Maybe . . . maybe, you could stay closer to home for a while," Mercury said softly. "No," was the curt reply. Mars' temper ran out and she asked violently, "WHY NOT?" "I have things to do on the other side of town," Usagi replied evenly. "Like what?" Mars was tired of this game. So was Usagi. "It's really none of your business." "It _is_ my business when it concerns the-" "NO!" Usagi screamed. "NO! It stopped being your business a long time ago! It stopped being your business the minute you stopped caring about me!" Mars recoiled physically, stung by the remark. "I have a life," Usagi said slowly and softly, gritting her teeth. "I have a life that you don't know about. I have a life in which you take _no_ part whatsoever." And with that, Usagi turned sharply, leaving the shocked senshi to gather around Mars' shaking shoulders. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ He leapt from tree to tree as effortlessly as a panther would have. And he did make quite the panther. He caught up to the other 3 in no time and watched them closely. He didn't know where they were going. They seemed to be walking aimlessly. "Please, Prince, it worries us when you do such things." He started at the title and cursed at himself, knowing that the rustle in the leaves confirmed his presence. "Sire, come down from there before you hurt yourself," commanded another voice, more authoritative than the previous. "Please, your Highness, do not make us come up there," the last requested. "Your mother would have us thrown into the dungeon if she knew we allowed you to perform such acts." Tuxedo Kamen swung himself down and landed lightly on his feet. He faced the threesome warily. "Why do you insist upon referring to me with such titles?" The blue Knight smirked, amused. The gray Knight spoke. "We know who you are, Prince Endymion." "Well, stop," Tuxedo Kamen warned. His uneasiness quickly became demanding. "Who are you? What do you want? How do you know who I am?" "That will reveal itself shortly," the green Knight assured. "The time is coming soon. Please be patient." The gray Knight spoke again. "Know that we are on your side." The three bowed their heads. "Until we meet again, sire." And they disappeared before Tuxedo Kamen's eyes. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ She ran. She ran faster, as fast as her legs would carry her. She bumped into somebody and cried a hurried apology. She wasn't even sure she knew where she was going. 'Story of my life!' 'Who are they? Who are they to tell me what to do? I do my part! What more do they want? Do they want to pretend that nothing happened? I can't do that! I can't! How can I? How can I just say, 'Hey guys, you pretty much destroyed me less than a year ago and you deserted me when I needed you the most, but let's put this all behind us, 'kay?' What the hell is that? I can't forget. It's _not_ that easy!' Her legs had carried her to Noriko's apartment building. Not knowing where else to turn, she fled up the stairs, not wanting to wait for the elevator. She pounded on the door and he opened it, startled. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ As soon as Usagi had left, Noriko had made himself comfortable on the couch and turned the TV on to the news. However, his thoughts were far from the current events. He thought of all that Usagi had told him and reviewed what he knew. Eventually, he became restless. He felt the need to do something, but he didn't know what. Something inside him was demanding to be let out, calling him to do something. 'But what?' He turned off all the lights and drew the shades. Turning the TV off, he sat on the floor and closed his eyes. He decided meditating would be the best medicine. He wished it were nighttime. Even before he had remembered Nephrite, looking at the stars had always comforted him and cleared his mind. Slowly, his mind and body began to relax and the commands within him withered, but did not disappear. Just when he felt he was reaching the solution to his edginess, somebody banged on his door, disturbing his peace-full demeanor. It was like having a wonderful dream, getting to the best part or the most interesting, and waking up to the enemy - that damned alarm clock. He opened the door and taking one look at her face, guided her inside without a word. She wasn't crying, but her eyes looked a little watery and it was obvious by her expression and the way she carried herself - he could just sense she was upset. Noriko tried to make her sit, but she wouldn't. She was too wound up. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked calmly. Usagi shook her head furiously. "It's just that-" "Argh! Who do they think they are? Telling me what to do, like that! You know, I'm supposed to be the leader, but that doesn't matter! I mean, yeah, I know, I messed up before; I admit that. But things are different! _I'm_ different," she stressed. "They don't have any right to treat me like that! I'm doing what I have to do, right? Why isn't that enough? Why is it that everything I do, there's fault within it?" she demanded. "It's not fair! _They_ aren't being fair! They try to act as if this is all my fault! It's _not_! Maybe, maybe I'm partly responsible. I admit to that, but so are _they_. This is their fault, too! I never asked to do this, you know? But who cares about what _I_ want, about what I think, about what happened to me? Nobody! I mean I'm _only_ the princess," she continued sarcastically. "It's always, 'Do this' or 'Do that'! It's always reprimands and commands! God, it's just not fair!" She sat down exhausted by her tirade, curling up into a little ball. "It's just not fair . . ." she whimpered. Her anger and frustration was just too much. Tears tried to seep out of her eyes, but she refused to let them escape. Noriko had sat quietly through her outburst, looking on sympathetically. But one word registered in his mind. 'Princess?' "Princess?" Usagi looked up tiredly. "Huh?" "You're . . . the princess?" "Oh, crap." She realized her slip of the tongue. "I didn't get that far, huh?" She sighed, reluctant to play the role of storyteller once again. Noriko stared at her. 'Princess?' He squinted his eyes and observed her. He looked closely at her face. The light azure eyes. The light blonde hair. He remembered looking through her wallet one day and finding an old picture of her. 'The royal hairstyle!' Realization flashed through his mind 'Of course! That would explain why she has the ginzuishou! It's _her_!' "Serenity," he whispered. Usagi's head snapped up once again. "What did you call me?" she asked unbelieving. "Serenity," he breathed excitedly. "How did you-" Usagi stood up and backed into the wall, eyes wide. "Who are you?" she asked fearfully. He strode up to her in 2 quick strides. She stared nervously as he approached and her body tensed, ready to attack. When he was 3 feet away, he dropped onto one knee and bowed his head. "Who are you?" she asked again, confused and frightened. As he knelt on the floor, a red aura emitted from his body. Slowly, his clothes changed. Soon, he wore his old uniform from the Silver Millennium. Dark gray pants and shirt, lined with red. His hair flowed loosely about his shoulders. His feet bore black, shiny boots. Usagi's eyes grew wide once again, horrified. "General Nephrite." "Hai, princess, it is I. I-" Usagi bolted for the door. Before she could, Nephrite's arm shot out and caught a hold of hers, as gently as he could. She turned around and acted on instinct, slapping him as hard as she could without a second thought. He released her, startled. "Crisis Make-Up!" "Stay the hell away from me!" Sailor Moon advised tensely, as she backed away from him in the direction of the door. "Princess, please-" "Stop calling me princess!" she cried, unnerved. 'He's supposed to be dead! Oh, God, I've been friends with a Dark Kingdom general! He knows who I am!" Steadily backing away, but lost in her thoughts of confusion, Nephrite took the opportunity to grab the arms of the unsettled girl. She screamed and started to yell her attack. "Serenity, PLEASE!!!" Nephrite implored urgently, covering her mouth with a hand. She began to think the attack and tried to bite him, but stopped as her frantic eyes found his determined ones. In the blink of an eye, the two found themselves in the night air. Dark sky above, littered with bright stars. "You frightened me, Princess Serenity," a voice said. The two looked over at the voice. It was Nephrite, in the exact same uniform, except he seemed more mature and older. His voice was deeper and his tone of voice regarded the princess with respect; he bowed deeply. "Please, Nephrite. Nobody's here. Stop calling me princess. You know how I feel about titles. And stop bowing," Serenity commanded. And it _was_ Serenity, decked out in her thin, silk princess gown of gold and white. She wore white sandals, a pearl necklace and matching bracelet as well as pearl ornaments in her hair. Immediately, Nephrite stood up. Serenity wrinkled her nose at him. "You know I hate that even more." "It's-" "Yes, yes I know." She straightened her back and said, with her nose in the air and an exaggerated authoritative voice, "It is a sign of respect for my heritage and I must learn to accept it and become accustomed to it, for I will be queen one day, and it is custom to greet a queen or king in such a manner." "Actually," Nephrite said casually, "I was just going to say it's habit." "Oh." Serenity fell quiet and looked at his twinkling eyes. "Oh, you!" she exclaimed, swatting his arm and laughing lightly. He grinned back and bid her to have a seat with him. "What are you doing out here?" she asked. "Just watching the stars." "Have they said anything important?" "No. I haven't asked them anything. I haven't felt the need." "Oh." She fell silent. "Look, Serenity," Nephrite said, wishing to break the silence. "There's Perseus," he said pointing. Serenity stood up and looked around. "Where?" she whispered cautiously, unsure of whether Perseus was an ally or enemy. Nephrite laughed at her. "In the sky, princess." "Huh?" "You mean, 'Excuse me,'" Nephrite corrected. Serenity put her hands on her hips. Again, Nephrite laughed. "It's a constellation, princess." "Oh. Where is it again?" The voices faded as Sailor Moon and the other Nephrite returned to the apartment. Usagi presented herself once again. "General Nephrite?" She was amazed and stunned; she remembered now. Endymion's generals. They were her friends. They were friends with the senshi as well, _very_ good friends if memory served her correctly. "Hai, hime." "Wow," she uttered. Then, she grinned widely and so did he. He held his arms out and she took a step towards him, intending to give him the biggest hug, but she held back. "Get out of that uniform already," she kidded awkwardly. "It's weird." "Weird?" Nephrite echoed, before turning back into Noriko. "Gee, thanks a lot Usagi, really." "No, I mean because-" She stopped flustered, not knowing how to explain this one. Noriko saw her face. "Because what Usagi- chan?" "Noriko," she said carefully. "Do you remember the last night on the Moon Kingdom?" Noriko shook his head. "The last thing I remember is being captured. It's kind of a blur after that." He hesitated. "Actually, I . . . I remember something during a battle. I had a dream about it last night. And I'm praying to God it isn't true." Usagi was quiet for a moment. She slowly recalled part of the last night that Luna had not told her. She gazed off into space, putting two and two together. "I understand now," she eventually murmured to herself. "Mind explaining it to me?" he kidded, half serious. Usagi inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. She nodded her head. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Endymion rushes into the banquet hall, trying to evade the pursuing guards. He calls out, "Serenity!" She turns around in joyous surprise. "Endymion! You're here!" The guards grab his arms and bow, forcing Endymion to bow as well, before pulling him away. "We apologize your Highness, it won't happen again." "Release him." The guards hesitate. "Your Highness?" "Release him," Serenity says, more firmly. Slowly, the guards let him go. "It is fine, gentlemen," another feminine voice insists. "Please, go back to your posts." "Yes, my Queen," they respond. "Prince Endymion, how good to see you, again!" Queen Selenity exclaims. He bows. "It is good to see you as well, Queen Selenity. However, I do wish it were not on such unpleasant circumstances," he says sadly. "I understand and I grieve your losses as well." "Thank you," he chokes. "Please, Endymion, I know this is not an easy time for you. But stay for tonight. It may be good for you," she advises. Endymion nods his head affirmatively, and Queen Selenity walks away. The princess places her hand on Endymion's cheek and makes him face her. "What happened, love?" He embraces her tightly. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "Even now, I remember the pain he was feeling. He didn't have to say a word. It was so deep and raw, I wanted to cry for him. And I did." ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Serenity leads Endymion outside towards the brook, where she knows they will be alone. He envelops her again and buries his face in the crook of her neck. Reaching under his arms, she strokes his back until she feels a wetness against her skin. Softly she says, "I'm sorry about your family, Endymion." "I know but . . ." He hugs her tighter. "It's not just that," he mumbles. She draws back and wipes his tears away with her small hands. She cups his face and kisses him gently. "Tell me." "My generals," he says brokenly. Immediately, Serenity is alert. "What about them?" "They've turned! They fight with Beryl now! And they tried to get me to go with them. I have to fight my own generals . . . my friends," he trails off. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "I didn't know what to say," Usagi said. "I mean, what could I have said? It hurt to see him in so much pain, but I knew nothing could free him from it. So, I just cried with him . . . for him, for myself . . . for my senshi." Noriko looked down in shame. "But it wasn't _you_, Noriko. You didn't fight him," she said shaking her head. Noriko frowned at her. "Nani?" ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ It is the night of a ball, held to keep people's minds off of the impending war. It is not working. Many are talking softly amongst each other, unable to enjoy themselves. Too worried and frightened. The music floats melodiously in the air. There are few happy couples. Among them are the Lunarian Princess Serenity and the Terran Prince Endymion. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "We danced as long as we could together. We never said a word. We didn't need to. There was a beautiful sadness to it. We knew it would be the end." ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ The attack is finally launched. People are screaming and yelling, fighting and dying, crying and wailing. The stench of blood and death is thick in the air. It is a sickening feeling. The senshi tell the princess to stay with the prince. They have to go out onto the battlefield. She begs them not to go. To stay in the castle. But alas, they cannot. They must lead the troops. They walk briskly away, wanting to avenge the generals. They have not been told that the generals turned; they have been told that the generals have been murdered, which did not seem to be a complete lie. Eventually, Beryl hunts them down. After ranting and raving at Serenity, she gives Endymion his choices. "Death . . . or my king," she smiles evilly. Endyion places himself between Beryl and Serenity. He grits his teeth. "Death," he hisses. A fight ensues. As Endymion falls, Serenity is able to hit Beryl with something. She herself does not even know what it is. She grabs anything and throws it. Protecting Endymion is the only thing on her mind. Beryl turns towards her, her eyes radiating hate. She laughs and raises her hands, chanting. Her arms shoot forward and a ball of dark energy is headed the princess's way, when Endymion tackles her, taking the hit for her. They both slam into a wall. Serenity's body wrenches fiercely. She knows it is more than Endymion's pain. It is her senshi. They are injured as well. Beryl snarls at Endymion. She picks up his Sword, which has clattered to the ground, and as he struggles to his feet, she pierces his middle. Serenity screams. She puts her arms around his limp body and turns him to his back is to her chest. She holds him against her, rocking back and forth, begging him to wake up. Beryl turns toward her. Serenity realizes she is next to the window. She looks outside and sees her senshi opposite their evil loves. Mercury's throat is slit. Zoisite stands over her triumphantly. Mars's front is slashed through, covered in blood. Jadeite nurses a third-degree burn on his left leg, side, and arm. Serenity watches as Jupiter takes Nephrite with her to the grave and as Venus falls, eliminating Kunzite in the process. Serenity dodges another hit from Beryl, trying to drag Endymion with her. She embraces him again, pleading with him not to go. His eyes roll back into his head, until she only sees their whites. Her hands are moist with the deep cherry red blood. She looks at them sickened. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "I didn't care anymore," Usagi said, tears in her eyes. "I wanted to die. I couldn't live. My friends, my love, my kingdom destroyed. Nothing was important anymore. Except peace . . . Eternal peace." ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Serenity cries, tears rolling down her face. She quickly presses her warm lips to Endymion's increasingly cold cheek and impales her own middle on his sword. 'Wait for me, love,' is her dying thought. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "From what Luna told us, my mother couldn't stand all that had happened. You know Mother, always believed things could be better, different. She used the power of the ginzuishou - killing herself - and sent us to the future." Noriko whistled. "That is some story, imouto." Usagi smiled wanly. "Tell me about it." "Usagi," he said hesitatingly. "You said I _didn't_ fight Endymion, which also means that I didn't kill Jupiter. But how is that? I mean," he looked down again. "It's not something I'm proud of, but I even had a dream about it. Weren't you the one who said dreams mean something?" Usagi smiled and held his hand. "Noriko, dreams do mean something. It was a memory." "Exactly! It's a memory. I did it!" he pointed out. "No!" Usagi insisted shaking her head. "It was a memory of what you saw." He sighed. "Usagi, you aren't making any sense." "Okay. Just today I remembered my senshi were killed by the generals, right after our flashback. And while you say you were captured, Endymion thought you had turned on your own accord. Like I said, he was really distraught over that. And _you_ remember the last night, but you wished that what happened wasn't true, right?" "Well, yes, but-" "Listen," she said earnestly. "My mother, Queen Selenity, wouldn't have sent you to the future if you were evil, right? And you remember that we senshi fought Beryl a couple years ago? Well, we killed the evil General Nephrite. So, you can't be him, 'cause you'd be dead." "But-" "Shut-up." Noriko looked at her in surprise, but she was too excited to put up with interruptions. "And if it wasn't you a couple years ago, then it wasn't you a millennium ago. _You_," she said pointing, "the real you, was sent to the future with us, while the evil one stayed with Beryl. So, you _didn't_ kill Jupiter!" "I still don't understand how I would get sent to the future if Queen Selenity thought I was evil and if I was with Beryl." ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "Who's a queen?" "Who's Beryl?" "Hey! Quiet down!" ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "Maybe she said to send me and all my loved ones to the future. Maybe the ginzuishou knew that the real you, your soul, was still pure. I don't think we'll ever answer that one." ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "Him? Pure? I don't think- OOF!" "Keep it down." "Don't have to get all violent on me. I mean- OW! Okay, okay, already." "Ginzu-what?" "I don't know. Stop talking and I'll tell you!" ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Noriko slowly went over it in his mind. He began nodding his head and smiling. IT MADE SENSE!! "It's pretty powerful. I'm sure it would be able to do that." He grinned at Usagi and hugged her. "You're right! You're absolutely right." She hugged him back and laughed. "Wait." "What? Wait? No, no 'wait'." Usagi shook her head. 'Everything makes sense! Don't mess it up!' "What about my dreams? Why did I see all that?" "Well, since there was an evil you and a good you - gosh that sounds weird. But anyways, since there was two of you, that means she probably cloned you, right?" "So, while the evil generals were out fighting, we were held captive and were able to watch everything somehow?" ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "Cloning?" "Evil generals? Held captive? _What_ are they talking about?" "SHHHH!" ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Usagi shrugged. "Something like that. Maybe she wanted you to suffer some more." "You know, that makes sense. Because when we wouldn't go with her willingly, she knocked us out. I don't remember what happened when we woke up, all I remember is watching the battle." ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "Who got knocked out?" "What battle?" "QUIET!" ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "See? You remember watching the battle, not participating in it." Usagi watched relief wash over Noriko's face. 'I didn't kill Jupiter! And I didn't betray my prince!' He thought of something else. 'My prince. Jupiter.' "Usagi." 'Uh-oh. I don't like the way he said that.' "You've still got some explaining to do." "You mean why I'm fighting with the senshi and Tuxedo Kamen?" ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "Why would _she_ be fighting with them?" "Stop talking!" ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Noriko nodded his head. "That's something that's really hard for me to talk about." "C'mon, it can't be that bad," he pressed softly. She looked away from him, shame covering her face. 'What if he thinks it _is_ all my fault? What if he blames me? What if he takes their side? I can't lose another friend. To be that alone again . . .' "You'll hate me," she whispered. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "What did she say?" "She said to shut-up!" ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "Look, Usa, I _know_ you. Hell, I've known you for years, literally!" ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "Is this a joke?" "That's not possible, right?" "Would you guys please keep it down?!" ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ This elicited a giggle from her. "I could never hate you." Usagi shook her head sadly. "You don't know me anymore." "Maybe I don't. But what I do know is that you have a good heart. Princess Serenity-" ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "Princess what?" "Who's that?" "Stop talking!" ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ "-Tsukino Usagi, and Sailor Moon all share the same heart; and that's all I need-" "SAILOR MOON?!?!?!?!?" "_You're_ Sailor Moon?!?!" "I don't care who, I don't care what, but _somebody_ had better start explaining _something_. NOW!" ~ ~ ~ End ~ ~ ~ Author's Notes: Good ending, right? I thought it was kinda cute. Anyways, my chapters are _not_ going to be this long. I just couldn't find a good spot to cut it, so I just let it go on, and on, and on, and- well, you get the point. But my following chapters _are_ shorter than this. I'll make 'em about the same length as chapter 6. Hit me back! Ja! HoNeY hnymustd@hotmail.com 07/27/00