CHIBI USA / SAILOR CHIBI MOON / SMALL LADY

She turned the card over in her hand, the carmine eyes scanning the patterned back and illustrated front. Chibi Moon remained silent as she pondered what Diana had just said. Her friend's suggestion made sense: Luna and Artemis were advisors, just as Diana had become for Chibi Usa. She didn't like the thought of manipulating friends or allies against their wills, but perhaps Luna and Artemis would have wanted to lend their aid. That was what they did so many times before, after all.

"What do you suggest, Diana?" she replied, considering the lavender-gray kitten's comment about analyzing the card. It still wasn't clear to the pink-clad sailor soldier exactly what her companion knew about this new adversary and his ways that she did not. There had been so little time to discuss or review. They'd have to fix that soon, if they ever had an opportunity for debriefing. If they were going to work together, it would be best to know the same information.

Sailor Chibi Moon remained so concentrated that she barely realized the mysterious key was changing form once again, no longer the pen it had been moments ago. It no longer glowed as brightly, and the change was gradual, but she had to adjust her fingers to hold the trinket as it quietly reverted to key form.

DIANA

Diana looked on as Chibiusa fiddled with the Card bearing the images of her parents. She hoped that the Card would help them—guide them—through all of this, though they had done so much already. Her parents were so knowledgeable and she often felt that they were the advisors. Diana felt secondary to them, but it was a reasonable feeling, all things considered—that's what she told herself anyway.

“Let's regroup at the control room, then we can analyze the Card. We can also review more of the data on the Card Master,” the young advisor suggested.

As she began towards the control room, she wondered quietly to herself about the appearance of the Cats Card. It wasn't under the control of the Card Master. She wondered if the Card had somehow been lost by their enemy—or if it was all part of his plan.

CHIBI USA / SAILOR CHIBI MOON / SMALL LADY

She nodded at Diana's suggestion and followed her friend towards the control room. Her eyes couldn't stop looking over the card and wondering exactly what would happen next. Somewhat like her feline companion, the princess had been hoping that this would free Luna and Artemis from the control of their current enemy... but that hadn't been the case. They remained trapped. Chibi Moon couldn't quite shake the nagging feeling that whatever she was supposed to do wasn't finished. Her heart hoped that analysis would give them a way to awaken her friend's parents, but somehow that seemed unlikely.

Whatever puzzle this was that they slowly attempted to solve, there were pieces still missing. They just didn't know how many.

DIANA

A couple of days had passed since Sailor Chibi Moon fought and captured the Cats Card. Since then, Diana had been running analyses on the Card in hopes to better understand it, its power, and the man who created it. She also reviewed the information on the data left by her parents. With all the data gathered, she had a created a relatively comprehensive schematic of the Card and the Card Master. She had also been able to add a “Card Tracker”—an application that would notify them if a Card had appeared within a 100 meter range of their location—to Chibiusa's phone. She hoped that as they gathered Cards, she might be able to build up the range of the app, so that it could pinpoint the location of the Cards anywhere in Tokyo and, if need be (though she really hoped not), Japan.

As she worked, Diana was sure to stay close to Chibiusa. After Chibiusa had awoke in a panic that first time, Diana thought it was best to stay in the young senshi's line of sight at all times. Fortunately for Diana, she had been able to find a portable computer that ha remained undamaged by the original fight that took place in the palace. And so, for the past two days, this was Diana's life: analyze data on the Card and drive, compile the information into a comprehensive information file, work on the Card Tracker, update Chibiusa on any new data found, and try to keep Chibiusa's spirits up.

Hopefully, another Card would present itself soon.

OOC:

CHIBI USA / SAILOR CHIBI MOON / SMALL LADY

Chibi Usa furrowed her brow as she concentrated. She sat quietly in the Control Room, focusing on her the Pink Moon Crystal within her brooch. This was just one more element of practice as a sailor soldier-in-training. With how little had happened in the past few days, it was one of the few things keeping her from completely succumbing to cabin fever. The pink-haired young woman felt no better having captured the Cats card. Her friends and family were still missing, most probably in danger, and there was still so little she could do about it. She stayed in the palace with Diana, not daring to head out to school and leave the place unattended. Already so much had happened that way, thanks to her terrible mistake of overconfidence. She couldn't do that again.

What she could do was try to keep up her training. She remembered what the other sailor soldiers had taught her. In a way, it almost made her feel like some part of them was still here with her. The crystal she controlled glowed softly with her attention, growing warmer within the brooch. With a small sigh, she released her concentration. The ruby eyes glanced over towards Diana, working as hard as ever, then took a downcast position observing the polished floor. Despite all that her mother had been capable of, there was little hope of using the Pink Moon Crystal right now to restore poor Luna and Artemis. Chibi Usa didn't have the strength or skill to support it—although she wished very deeply that she did.

This gloomy atmosphere dominated the place, swathed over every rafter, like unwanted decorations. It felt oppressive. As Chibi Usa looked over at her friend, she knew that Diana felt it, too. Her close friend and companion would never have complained. There was little either of them could do to change this, besides somehow defeating the Card Master, but Chibi Usa still wondered if something could lift their spirits.

"Hey, Diana," she offered slowly. "You know the convenience store right around the corner? Would you like to go together to get soft serve? Or snacks?"

It was close by. They wouldn't be gone more than five or ten minutes. They could keep monitoring the palace for any activity.

But maybe they could also feel less like prisoners.

DIANA

If Diana really thought about it, she would hate their situation. She would feel awful for Chibiusa, too. More so than she already did. Chibiusa didn't have it easy. She was the Princess of Crystal Tokyo, heir to the Silver Crystal, and the next Sailor Moon. Diana couldn't even imagine what that must be like. Trying to become the best advisor like her parents was hard enough already. What must it have been like to fill the shoes of Chibiusa's predecessor, Neo Queen Serenity?

Diana didn't think it fair to Chibiusa to have to live as she did. Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion should have known as much, too. Chibiusa had no sense of normalcy here. She couldn't be an average kid like her parents were – not here. Diana actually missed the twentieth century for Chibiusa's sake. Chibiusa, despite her heritage, was a normal girl then, even though she was a senshi-in-training too. But she wasn't stuck in the Crystal Palace… waiting.

Chibiusa's voice brought Diana out her rambling thoughts. The cat-girl’s glazed eyes came back to life and she looked up from the computer screen to her friend.

“That sounds like a great idea!” Diana beamed. “Maybe we can test the Card Tracker app while we're out,” she suggested albeit uncertainly. Looking for the Cards would certainly beat waiting around for them to show up.

CHIBI USA / SAILOR CHIBI MOON / SMALL LADY

She eagerly agreed to Diana's follow-up, the pink pigtails bouncing as Chibi Usa nodded. This made it feel less like sneaking off to play around during such a dangerous time. If they were testing out the new app that Diana had been working on, they were still doing their jobs. She wasn't shirking duties as Sailor Chibi Moon or Princess Small Lady Serenity if she stayed focused. They wouldn't be going very far, of course, so perhaps this wasn't really an ideal range... but they couldn't afford to leave the palace. Chibi Usa knew that Diana understood this even without the two having to talk about it. This was their home and the heart of their world. They had to protect it.

"Okay! Let's go!" she replied, hopping up from where she had been sitting.

The sunlight outside seemed blindingly bright and clear after days inside the palace. Obviously she could see outside—there were windows, of course—but it was different being on the city streets like this. Chibi Usa raised a hand to shade her eyes as she stepped forward from the subway station entrance. It was one of the many hidden access areas that linked the Crystal Palace to the rest of Crystal Tokyo. The crystalline structure loomed over them at a close distance, scattering prismatic reflections across the street.

Their intended destination was situated just around the corner, exactly as Chibi Usa had mentioned. It was not uncommon for the various inhabitants and employees of the Crystal Palace to stop in. Today, however, Chibi Usa used just enough disguise magic for the pair to remain incognito. She wanted a break from all the awful things that had happened, not an opportunity to be mobbed by understandably concerned civilians.

"Notice anything, Diana?" she asked softly as they walked towards the convenience store in question. Her phone was nearby, of course, with the new app running as requested.

DIANA

Diana couldn't remember the last time she had been outside. The Crystal Palace had everything she needed within its walls and she had become content with it. But bring outside now, Diana wondered how she had found comfort in the palace's crystalline halls. Outside seemed much better. The sky, the trees, the birds—the sights and sounds were definitely the breath of fresh air Diana needed.

As they walked towards the convenience store, Diana pulled out Chibiusa's phone—something she had commandeered during her programming of the Card Tracker app. It had been able to pick up the Cats Card, so Diana hoped that it would be able to track all the Cards. It would make it so much easier for them if it could.

“Nothing at the moment,” the lavender-haired girl answered the princess. A tinge of disappointment in her voice. Maybe the Card Tracker was only able to track the Cats Card signature energy...

As they neared their destination, Diana gasped, stopped, and stared at the phone. “Sm-Small Lady!” the cat-girl cried, pointing to the screen of the phone. “According to the tracker app, there's a Card near the convenience store!”

Just as the young advisor spoke, a large swirl of water rose above the treeline in the direction of the store.

“Mercury!” the cat said in awe. “Small Lady, use the Key!” Her eyes grew wide as she saw the typhoon swirling is its way towards them. Could Mercury sense the Key? Or maybe the Cats Card?

CHIBI USA / SAILOR CHIBI MOON / SMALL LADY

She whipped around at Diana's call for alarm, happy thoughts of ice cream and a moment to relax wiped from her mind like a chalkboard doused in water. Chibi Usa's eyes widened and her muscles tensed as she looked up to see the funnel of water above the treeline, so large and moving so quickly that it seemed impossible for it to be real. Her fingers curled around the charm-like Key of Restoration almost before Diana spoke of it. She reached for it instinctively, the same way she had once held her transformation brooch.

The words were on the tip of her tongue, and she issued them the moment Diana's last word was spoken.

"O Key that conceals the brilliance of moonlight, reveal your true powers before me!"

The magic circle expanded beneath her feet as a soft pink glow wrapped her body. She felt the warmth of it surging through her, sending a charge of energy right through her heart, where her Sailor Crystal began to pulse in response. The key that floated in front of her, now free of the ribbon she had threaded the charm on, changed shape so smoothly that she barely noticed the transition from trinket to staff. The rest of the world around her seemed to be suspended somehow, exactly as it had always seemed during her transformation into a sailor soldier. Chibi Usa's hand reached for the wand without conscious thought.

"I, Small Lady, command you under the contract. Glow!"

As her fingers made contact, that blinding surge of light washed over her, transforming her into Sailor Chibi Moon. Her heels touched the pavement and she swung the staff to the side, taking a defensive stance as she faced the typhoon before her. Mercury. There was something about the thought that this was some form of the intelligent powerhouse Mizuno Ami that sent a chill down Chibi Moon's spine. Sailor Mercury was the smartest of her mother's court and possessed analytical know-how and knowledge far greater than Chibi Moon or her Sailor Quartetto. Her card was unlikely to deserve less of a reputation.

What should she do? Could she fight against this thing and actually hope to win? Could she use her abilities as a sailor soldier against Sailor Mercury, one of her many mentors?

Her indecision cost her the opportunity for a first strike. Sailor Chibi Moon heard the attack before she caught the movement from the blast of frigid water. The pink-haired girl leaped to the side, trying to tackle Diana in an attempt to push her friend out of danger. The narrowly-missed jet of water froze everything it touched, turning the sidewalk into a slick and dangerous zone and covering the front of the building it splashed against with a thick glacial layer.

Chibi Moon kicked herself upright, but the swirl of water was moving again. It wasn't necessarily approaching, but she couldn't quite predict the course it was attempting to follow. Would it strike again? How soon? She tightened her grip on the Pink Restoring Wand, her white gloves bunched between her fingers.

"Are you alright? Do you read anything else, Diana?" she called, panicked, trying to keep her eyes on the thing.

DIANA

Mercury's movements had been so quick that Diana would have likely been taken up in the torrent had it not been for Chibi Moon. An involuntary squeak escaped the cat-girl's mouth as the sailor senshi tackled her; the two girls fell hard on the ground. Chibi Moon rebounded the fastest, kicking herself upright. Diana took a minute or two to recover, having landed hard on her rear and knocking her head against the pavement. She would definitely have a bruise there tomorrow. But the advisor didn't complain. A bruise or two was definitely better than being frozen by Mercury's frigid water attack.

Chibi Moon brought Diana out of her head, away from her bumps and bruises. Diana brought up the scanner on Chibiusa's phone. Holding it up, she allowed the camera to scan the Card that entrapped Mercury.

“The Card readings are similar to the Cats Card. I think they're the same Category of Card, but Mercury is definitely an Elemental Type,” Diana replied, her voice surprisingly calm despite her nerves.

Category. What Category? Diana thought for a moment before the answer came to her. Mama and Papa, and Mercury were known for their brains—their cleverness—their cunning.

“A cunning type,” Diana almost whispered.

“Small Lady, summon the Cats! I think they can help you fight against Mercury!”

If Diana had guessed right, it would be brains against craftiness. The way the Cats had worked together, moving in perfect unison… Maybe they could outmaneuver Mercury and help Chibi Moon trap her.

CHIBI USA / SAILOR CHIBI MOON / SMALL LADY

Chibi Moon didn't have time to appreciate that Diana was uninjured. Doubts flickered through her mind when her friend spoke. Could she really use the cards? What could they even do? Would she be putting herself in a situation to fight more than one former friend and ally at the same time? She wavered for a moment, on the brink of being overwhelmed with indecision and lack of confidence.

A glint of light flashed across the crimson eyes. Her fingers adjusted her grip on the staff, then swung it up in a graceful arc over her head. The other hand slipped into a pocket on her skirt—how was that there?—and flicked the Cats Card forward. The thing spun dramatically, blown around her body in a gust of air that stopped it just at the precise location for the small golden crown atop the large heart-shaped pink gemstone to touch it.

"Cats, Guide Me! Glow!" her voice cried out.

The figures that emerged from the card, ghost-like, lacked the malevolence she had sensed from their previous encounter. The smudges of shadow and light that represented their eyes, pale for Luna and dark for Artemis, looked softer now—gentler. They lacked none of their previous speed, however, as they shot forth towards the swirling mass of water in the near distance. Chibi Moon dodged another freezing blast, and then another. It took intense concentration, calling on her training as a sailor solider, but she never let her eyes leave the actual vortex. Sailor Chibi Moon knew that it was trying to distract her.

The figures of the cats danced around the thing. It occasionally reeled to strike at them, but was always too slow. They slipped about it, almost seeming to move without a pattern. Chibi Moon knew Luna and Artemis too well to take that at face value. Somehow, what they were doing had to be part of a plan. The Mercury entity seemed to share her concerns. It was no longer attacking Chibi Moon or Diana, focusing energy on following the motions of the cat wisps, attempting prediction.

For just a second, the dark shadow—Luna—turned towards Chibi Moon and winked a single bright eye.

Winking?

Why would she wink?

They were in the middle of battle!

Her frustration evaporated half a second later. Vortex. Water. Whirlpool. Eye!

"Diana! I have to get closer!" she called, although she tried to keep her voice somewhat quieted. This was not the time to attract more attention. "What's the best route to the nearest building?"

DIANA

Diana watched in awe as she watched Sailor Chibi Moon summon the Cats card. Chibi Moon, despite her own feelings of inadequacy, was forming into a superior scout, one that the Queen and King could only be proud of. Even in this terrible situation, the young scout was rising to the occasion, facing former allies as enemies. How hard must it be to do this without the support of the Quartet: that was all Diana could think.

The swift movements of her parents’ shadows made the young cat’s breath catch. Their ability to work in unison together always amazed her, especially considering how different they were. But the young advisor didn’t have long to admire them, for she, too, saw her mother’s shadow wink. Her own mind began working, trying to fit the piece into the right place of the puzzle. A thought struck her mind and she was just about to say something when Chibi Moon spoke up first. Apparently, they were on the same page.

Diana’s fingers flew across Chibi Usa’s phone, accessing the DIANA app, adding data regarding the Mercury card’s movements and calibrations, cross-comparing them to Sailor Mercury’s file, trying to map the fastest albeit safest route to the nearest building.

Diana bit her lip as the phone informed her of the nearest building. “The – the convenience store… It’s the closest building. We’ll have to get around her somehow,” the cat-girl faltered, her eyebrows tightly knit, the gears in her brain working as she spoke.

“Mama. Papa,” she gasped in a whisper. “Small Lady, we need Mama and Papa to provide a diversion so we can get through!”

CHIBI USA / SAILOR CHIBI MOON / SMALL LADY

Dodging the flares of freezing water, she knew that this version of Sailor Mercury was trying to exhaust her. She could feel her muscles start to tire a bit more with every jump, roll, or quick side-step. It tried to attack the brilliant forms of the Cats, as well, but they were always a few seconds quicker. Somehow, that was going to have to be what Chibi Moon used to her advantage—their speed and agility. Diana was right when she suggested that these entities, formerly Luna and Artemis, create a diversion. She wouldn't be able to reach the eye without their aid.

She didn't close her eyes, but she tried to focus on the task at hand while still performing the necessary maneuvers to keep the swirling vortex from wreaking havoc on the city. It seemed almost unbelievable that there were no civilians entangled in this current predicament, and she needed it to stay that way. She couldn't close her eyes—they must remain focused on the Mercury force, but she could concentrate, just for a moment.

The roof of the building. She needed to reach the roof of the convenience store if she wanted to have any chance of entering the eye of the whirlpool. If she approached from three other buildings on the same block, she'd be able to jump there. Mizuno Ami was the smartest person Chibi Usa knew—arguably the smartest person in Crystal Tokyo. She had helped Mama's team fight against Chaos so many times, because she understood strategy. If Chibi Moon didn't act quickly, Mercury would figure out exactly what she was trying to do, and the soldier of water would stop her!

So she didn't move towards her actual destination. She took a deep breath and hoped that she'd be strong enough to keep moving.

"Cats, use your agility!" she commanded, hoping they could hear her from here. There wasn't time to try anything else.

As Sailor Chibi Moon ran back towards the subway station entrance, she watched as the dark and light orbs of Luna and Artemis began to synchronize a dance around the Mercury entity, almost trapping it in place. It still reached towards her, trying to send tendrils of frigid water, but most of these were blocked or cut off by the swift actions of the duo. She adjusted her grip on the wand as she pulled its attention back. In her peripheral vision she could still see the convenience store. She tried to remember what Sailor Mercury had taught her in training, all those physics notes about force and angles. If Juno was here, Chibi Moon would have been able to thumb her nose at the green-haired girl for insisting "none of that boring stuff would ever matter".

She took a deep breath. It's now, or never! And ran towards it.

Although it certainly would have been described as "aggressive", the vortex seemed almost to pause in reaction to this turn of events. As she tried to run faster, glad she had been raised with a pretty devoted physical education from Sailors Jupiter and Uranus, Chibi Moon kept her eyes focused on the Mercury force. The blurred lights of Luna and Artemis picked up their pace as well, bouncing and ricocheting all around the column of freezing water. She was getting closer, so much closer, and then she pushed off the ground with as much kick as she could muster, sailing into the air!

She tossed the wand for just a moment, both hands gripping the tension wire sometimes used to string advertisements across the park, and swung herself over, grabbing the wand as she let go. Her heels skidded against the rooftop of building one, and she ran and jumped towards the next, and then another, and finally she could see that she was almost there! Sailor Chibi Moon pounded her feet against the building's flat roof as she rushed towards the side of the vortex, which didn't seem to have tracked her too clearly, thanks to the continued interference from the feline pair.

The pink-haired soldier approached the edge of the building's roof and took yet another leap into the still, silent eye within the swirl of blue. This time both hands closed around the handle of the wand and she swung it over her head, calling those words from before.

"Return to your true nature! Mercury Card!"

DIANA

Just as Chibi Moon launched herself from the convenience store’s roof, the Mercury Card realized what the young cardcaptor was doing, but all too late. The cats had kept the card’s eyes entirely drawn on them, leaving it unable to even glance at the pink-haired girl until now. The shadow of a figure could be seen inside the typhoon, the faintest look a smile spread across the watery figure’s face as Chibi Moon cried out and struck the air in front of it with her staff.

It was almost as if the words “well played” hummed in the air as the former senshi transformed into a card of a watery figure resembling the former Senshi of Water and Knowledge, its head turned slightly down, eyes closed, and arms crossed over its chest (think Mercury Bubble Spray attack).

Diana stood gaping at the princess as she had defeated and captured yet another Senshi Card. Suddenly, the cat-girl was cheering, running towards the cardcaptor. “You were amazing. Small Lady!” the advisor said breathlessly as she came up to the pink senshi, her eyes fulls of wonder and admiration.

The shadowy cats that were Luna and Artemis came up and stood on either side of Diana. They, too, seemed pleased with Chibi Moon’s efforts, even though they could not say as much. Instead, they returned to their card form, hovering in front of Chibi Moon, waiting to be taken back into the young senshi’s care.

CHIBI USA / SAILOR CHIBI MOON / SMALL LADY

She felt stunned, standing there holding the Mercury Card. Her heart still pounded in her chest, racing after the intense dance she had shared with the watery elemental force. The face of Sailor Mercury on the card looked so peaceful, the downcast eyes almost as if she were simply resting. And yet... Chibi Moon wished so very much that it were the blue-haired woman herself who stood alongside her, instead of this form the intelligent sailor soldier remained trapped in. If only she had the power to change them back.

The wand was changing shape once more, forming the small pen she had held the other day, and she carefully signed her name at the bottom of this new card before reaching out a hand to the other, waiting patiently beside her. As the pen changed shape again, reverting back to its form as a key, she could feel her own transformation fading. It was Chibi Usa that Diana addressed, now holding not one, but two cards.

She looked at their designs, marveling that the intricacies. If it weren't for the fact that these were her beloved friends and family, she might have admired the artwork and detail.

"I'm not amazing," she corrected Diana, shaking her head as she emerged from the stupor following the intensity of the battle. "Let's get that ice cream."

DIANA

Diana couldn’t understand Chibi Usa’s thoughts. In Diana’s eyes, Chibi Usa had done a stellar job in directing the Cats card and outwitting the Mercury card. Mercury – the cleverest of all the senshi! No one could beat her at anything that required wits. Diana had never seen anyone compare to the blue senshi, but Chibi Usa had done it. Chibi Usa had managed to outwit the number one strategist of Crystal Tokyo! Surely the young princess could see that? But she didn’t and Diana’s eyes fell downcast for a moment.

When Chibi Usa mentioned the ice cream, Diana nodded vigorously, smiling brightly. “Yes, let’s!” the cat-girl chirped happily. Hopefully, the ice cream would be just what they needed to relax and it would give Diana time to think. She was the advisor, after all. She needed to plot and plan—like her parents did. She needed to study the other senshi—their strengths and their weaknesses—in order to better aid the young senshi in her task.

As they entered the ice cream shop, the doorbell jingling to announce their presence, they found it empty. No patron came from out of the doors behind the counter or poked their head up from behind the counter. Diana looked around in surprise, but then suddenly realized that the Mercury card’s sudden appearance probably had scared everyone off. But still, the shop didn’t feel empty. Diana’s ear twitched as she heard a sound coming from behind the “employees only” door.

“Did you hear that?” she quipped, the noise coming again.

CHIBI USA / SAILOR CHIBI MOON / SMALL LADY

Having no one present in the ice cream parlor didn't strike Chibi Usa as strange, either, given the circumstances. Battles in inhabited areas, although thankfully more limited now than they had been in Crystal Tokyo during the terrible attacks from the Black Moon Clan, tended to inspire organized evacuation in the citizens. They knew and trusted the sailor soldiers to defend them—Chibi Usa wondered grimly if they still would feel that way, knowing that she had failed and the palace had been compromised—but they thankfully tried not to wind up in too many personally perilous situations. "If you sense a fight, get out of sight!" was one of the mottos she knew they used on television to teach schoolchildren.

Diana's follow-up comment, however, did not bode well. Although she had the Mercury Card now in her possession, there were many other cards still out there somewhere in Crystal Tokyo. Why should they wait to give the Princess survivor time to rest? Maybe if they all started attacking they'd overpower her, and she'd fail in her duties as a sailor soldier when she collapsed due to exhaustion. She tried not to focus too much on the negative, but it was hard not to.

She wasn't transformed, but she knew she could call upon the key, hanging around her throat once more, the moment she needed to. Chibi Usa turned towards Diana, the ruby eyes almost garnet with focus and intent. Her body was poised and ready, tensed in case of an ambush.

"Should we investigate?" She asked the question, but she knew that it was her intent. Diana couldn't think they would just leave if something suspicious was happening; that would be reckless and sloppy.

However, if someone was going to open the door, it probably ought to be Chibi Usa—the member of their current, tiny party who was most capable of reacting with magic if they were attacked. She waited to see if Diana would step behind her, so she could shield the other girl if she needed to, before she'd try to open the door. Hopefully it wasn't locked.

Although mayyyyybe this mysterious key would help with that, too.

DIANA

The young advisor only nodded in reply to the senshi’s question. There was nothing else they could do except investigate. She could only hope that it wasn’t another enemy lurking in wait for them. Who could it be, if it were? Jupiter. Jupiter was the only one that made the most sense. Jupiter and Mercury, despite their different personalities, got on extraordinarily well. And what better to compliment water but with lightning, which could carry a current through the liquid?

Diana let out a steadying breath, her bright eyes looking sharply at her comrade. She tried to bury down the feeling of being more of a burden than a help. If this was another enemy, Diana wouldn’t be able to do much except cheer the young warrior on and offer counsel the best she could. If she were able to fight – oh, what she’d give to be able to fight!

But she couldn’t dwell on that now. If she started thinking about how useless she was, she wouldn’t be at her best—and Chibiusa needed her at her best.

“Ready?” the cat-girl asked, her hand coming against the door, her hand splayed, bracing to push.

CHIBI USA / SAILOR CHIBI MOON / SMALL LADY

At least she wouldn't be doing this alone. Having Diana by her side was a huge comfort—the kitten had been one of her closest companions for so many years, and now that everyone else was gone... having someone else there for her made this, in a way, less terrifying than it had been so many years ago to travel back to the 20th century. Chibi Usa didn't quite share her mother's terror of being isolated, but that was a familiar feeling she'd rather avoid, if possible. Having Diana with her gave her strength and focus—the other girl's presence reminded the princess exactly what she was fighting for.

She set her mouth in a firm line, ruby eyes focused on the door.

"Okay, ready," she confirmed.

If they had to fight again, she'd fight!