Only the sound of brush gliding along paper broke the silence within the living room. Michiru kept her eyes trained on the darker shadows she was currently adding to her painting. This particular one had been waiting for her to continue her work for a long time now. It was a darker piece, one that Michiru used to vent out all of the uncertainty and worries that came with being a senshi.

It had almost been nice that she had been able to leave this painting untouched because of the calm in their lives.

But today...

Michiru frowned, her concentration suddenly broken. Her hand stopped midstroke and she pulled back from the canvas.

The dark feelings wouldn’t leave her alone for any extended period of time. It was difficult to deal with, especially seeing as Haruka was out and not around to help distract herself from her own thoughts. But Michiru knew that Haruka would never be too far away. Setsuna was nearby and Hotaru was in her crib just a few paces away, and that comforted her even further.

Taking in a deep breath and centering herself back, Michiru put her attention onto the chaotic painting in front of her. It was easier to transfer her worries to the canvas in front of her then to let them tear at her from within.

Before her paintbrush could meet with the canvas once more, the sound of her communicator chimed beside her. A sad smile came to her lips as she flipped it open to listen to Haruka's frightened voice. None of them had needed to use the communicators in a long time. It was sad that they would need to start once again.

Haruka's message was disturbing and as the messaged finished, Michiru heard Setsuna enter the living room. Their eyes met as Setsuna said the same thing they were all thinking. They wouldn't all be able to go to Haruka. Hotaru was far too young to be by herself in this dangerous situation. Michiru set aside her palette and paintbrush and stood up from her chair.

"I got the message," Michiru responded. She walked over to Hotaru's crib, looking down at the sleeping girl who was nearly hidden away by the blankets keeping her warm. "I'll go to Haruka. You stay here with Hotaru." Michiru reached out and brushed her fingers across Hotaru's soft cheek. She was so beautiful. They would all fight to protect her.

Michiru pulled her hand away and turned her full attention onto Setsuna. "I know you'll be okay," Michiru told her best friend. "You are even more powerful than Haruka and I. But... be careful, okay?"

Her lips formed a small smile, a silent promise that she would be careful as well. Then she walked past Setsuna and made her way to the entrance. Putting on her shoes and standing with her hand on the door handle, Michiru glanced back once more to look at both Setsuna and Hotaru.

"Take care of yourself. We'll keep in touch."

She opened the door, leaving the mansion as she quickened her pace.

Haruka was waiting.

Fox's Eye was beginning to feel a little encouraged by the lack of participation by willing heroes. The entertainment provided by the wrecking duo of lemures did provide abundant entertainment and the lack of an opposing force appeared to reinforce the idea that they had captured Earth's only protectors. If so, then his Queen could proceed with her grand plan and design. He looked up into the sky to judge how long the lemures had been 'playing.' Not too much longer before he could call this off and compile his first day's report. It'd be best to do this type of experiment once more, but so far the results seemed positive.

After Haruka ended the emergency message, she closed her communicator that was now attached to her wrist and let her hand fall down. The time they needed to use their communicators actively again had come. "You surely chose the time to attack well, didn't you?" her eyes narrowed when she asked the question cynically, her voice lowering down. It was certain that the enemies had chosen to attack the civilians now on purpose, taking advantage of the current state of the senshi, but something was disturbing her about these two monsters. It looked like they did not have a certain goal to achieve by attacking the people other than to enjoy causing chaos and that made Haruka's blood boil more.

She glanced over the corner to see the current situation and for a small relief, the majority of the people had been able to evacuate. But the other side of the coin made her eyes darken and frustrated she slammed the tile wall with her left hand. There were few groups of people who had not been able to sought shelter and the monsters were now chasing after them mercilessly.

Haruka walked few steps back to avoid being seen by the enemies and people while her eyes scanned through the alley, searching for anything that would come handy in close combat. This would be the first time Haruka fought in her civilian form but not the first battle she would fight in using physical attacks or be face to face to the enemy.

After quickly checking the alley for any items that could be useful in a battle, Haruka decided to turn her eyes back to the street instead. The damage was clearly visible wherever the blonde laid her eyes on; vehicles and glass shards from broken windows were spread all over the street and buildings had taken severe hits from the items the monsters were throwing. "Tch! There's not much time left!" she clenched her fists . When Haruka's gaze moved closer to her current location between the two buildings, she noticed that the fire ladder of the building next to her had damaged, a part of it being almost cut off and it could probably be pulled off by human strength. Without hesitation Haruka grabbed the side of the damaged ladder to detach it from the other parts.

What her hands were holding a moment later was a rather long stake of metal that could be used as a substitute for a sword and she tightened her grip of it to get it to the correct posture, one similar to a sword's. In all honesty it was crazy to enter a battle when your only weapon was a metal stick but Haruka would do everything she could to stop the enemy and she had witnessed that sometimes even crazy ideas worked out in the end.

She firmly trusted that one of the two other Outer senshi would arrive on time so going in advance would be the best solution as the top priority at the moment was to stop the monsters. "Do you think we would be defeated so easily? No matter if we do not have our senshi powers, we won't let you have your way nor cause any more damage!" Haruka thought when walking back to the street. Quickly her steps changed into a run and she headed to the direction of the monster who was closer to her.

Unfortunately for the lemures, there was not much left to provide amusement. Most of the people had fled for safety and many of the largest objects had already been damaged. A couple of people were scattered about the area. Because they were the only active source of entertainment, the lemures teamed together to chase the frightened group around. Further away, Fox's Eye stood up. It was time to call them back and go home for the day. One more test in a few days would be all he needed to prove his case.

But, one of the humans was not ready for the chaos to end. Fox's Eye tilted his head as he saw a human with a metal rod charge his closest lemure, the one who controlled knives. Well, maybe this could prove amusing. Fox's Eye crouched down and leaned forward to get a better look.

The lemure threw back its head and cackled loudly as its prey quivered before him. The prey dove for a new hiding spot and the lemure turned to follow. However, its path was blocked by a human with a large, metal rod! Oh, and here it thought all of the fight had been beaten out of the humans. "Do you like to play?" It breathed loudly, tilting its head unnaturally to the side. "I love to play!" It cackled, a knife clenched between its teeth. With a flick of its wrist, the lemure threw three knives at Haruka in order to test the boundaries of its new playtoy.

Hotaru was tucked into her crib, her face visible only enough by the blankets covering her so she could breathe. While she was sleeping she could feel someone gently brushing their fingers against her cheek. Recently, things had been stressful for Hotaru. Being covered by the blankets and having her adopted parents with her made her feel more secure.


The little girl was trying to dream of cheerful thoughts. Suddenly she felt more alone, like some of her adoptive parents had left her. She started to feel distressed but couldn't talk and describe how she was feeling verbally. Suddenly she felt the need to be comforted and started to cry in her crib.

Setsuna smiled back at her friend and nodded. She was always careful. Watching her leave the house, she got a small sense of dread at the thought of never seeing them again.

Shaking the thought free she turned her attention to the little one in the crib that had begun to cry. Hotaru was growing rapidly but she was still just a child, and could sense when something was wrong with her surrogate parents. Picking her up she laid her against her chest and patted her back, all while rocking her body and cooing words of comfort into her ear.

As Hotaru's crying died and she began to calm down Setsuna took the opportunity to move back into the library and continue her studying.

She only hoped that this time she would be able to find something useful.

Running was never something Michiru enjoyed, though she was quick and agile, capable of keeping pace with the fastest of athletes. But that was out of necessity, rather than enjoyment. Running led to sweat on her skin and soreness in her muscles, and she would much rather have nothing to do with any of it unless she had to.

And this was one of those times where she had to.

Michiru pushed herself as hard as she could. Haruka needed her, and that was a call that Michiru could never resist.

Images of Haruka flashed through her thoughts, bloodied and beaten and forced to remain in her civilian form. Haruka was not defenseless even when untransformed, but the magic and raw power that they as senshi were able to tap into whilst transformed was without equal.

How long would Haruka be able to last by herself without her powers to aid her?

Michiru pushed that thought away, and focused all of her energy and thoughts into reaching Haruka as fast as possible.

Reaching to the correct area was easier than she thought. Frightened men and women ran the opposite way, some trying to push her with them. Michiru pulled herself away and soon the wave of people dispersed and fled, leaving the street eerily empty.

Though it was the encompassing silence that bothered her most.

But she knew she was in the right place. She could sense some evil presence, and she could sense Haruka. Luckily those senses did not rely so much on her inherent senshi powers.

Michiru made her way further down the street. The scene opened up to her like a storybook. Haruka on one end, two monsters on the other, whilst bodies littered the street, still and unmoving. Haruka had found herself some sort of metal tube throughout this, and held it as she would her Sword. She looked unharmed and angry.

Michiru couldn't help the relieved smile that came to her lips. If Haruka was well enough to be angry, then all was okay. For now.

Taking a step towards Haruka, Michiru's relief was shortlived, as she listened to one of the monsters speak. It was an ugly and creepy thing, as if made from the darkest of nightmares, and its voice grated as it spoke.

Then the monster flung knives straight at Haruka, and Michiru's heart stopped. She knew Haruka was agile and quick on her feet, but it didn't stop her from reacting.

"Haruka!" She moved forward, starting to run, to try and do something. Anything. Intercept the knives, take the hit herself? It didn't matter, she had to get to Haruka. But she was still so far away, and she knew that those knives would reach Haruka far before she did.

ooc:

Another human threw itself toward the fray, although it seemed too far away to do much good. The lemure cackled in joy at the prospect of yet another playtoy. "Welcome, welcome!" It boldly proclaimed, throwing its head back and spreading its arms out wide. The other human, Haruka, still had the knife lemure's primary attention, especially because the knives were about to make impact.

Dropping the knife clenched between its teeth, it caught the knife and then threw it toward Michiru as a warning. Its bold proclamations did not go unnoticed. The other lemure, the controller of water, halted its merriment to observe the proceedings. This gave the last few victims in the area the chance to flee and seek safety in the arms of the approaching police forces.

Yelling loudly in protest, the water lemure dashed forward to join in on the fun. Since the knife lemure already had its attention occupied by Haruka, the water lemure decided to target Michiru. The distance between them may have been great, but the water lemure's speed closed the distance quickly. Lifting its arms in the air, water formed across its finger tips in anticipation of a strike.

With playtime well underway, the two lemures exchange a few looks. Lest things become complicated, the two mutually decided to divide the playthings and playtime. The knife lemure would continue to play with Haruka while the water lemure eagerly looked forward to conquering Michiru. All the other humans had fled, so these two humans were all that was left. Besides, the boss fox man hadn't called them off. They were having so much fun that they might have not even listened to him if he had.

The block was closer to a demolition site than an actual block in looks when Haruka fastened her pace, her fingers tightening the grip around the metal rod, ready to be used when the situation called for it. The two Lemures were chasing the last couple people who were still in the area, and Haruka had to draw the attention of the Lemures so the people could escape. That should probably not require much though, since the creatures seemed to be more interested in people who put up a fight, rather than in the civilians who were completely clueless of what was happening and tried to search for shelter in fear.

One of the creatures was currently focused on a group of people who were desparately searching for a new place to hide, and Haruka ran in front of the creature, trying to block its path so the humans could escape without new injuries. She let her gaze turn to left to make sure the group had managed to excape, but drew her attention fully on the enemy a second later. Now that she had time to take in its looks, Haruka was quite sure the monster wore the circus-like clothing only to disguise itself since it reminded her more of something that had escaped a long, distorted nightmare. Based on the creature's earlier attacks, it controlled knives, unlike the other creature which Haruka had seen to use water to damage the buildings, and it was now talking to her in an amused tone.

"Tch! So you really see this place as your playground?" Haruka clenched her teenth and her eyes narrowed, burning with anger as she adjusted the position of the rod in her swordhand, now ready to strike at any time. Instead of attempting a physical attack, the monster cackled and threw three knives at Haruka, and she was left with no choice other than to try to dodge since unlike her sword, the rod was way too thin to be used to stop the knives with it. But the Lemures had been much faster than Haruka had presumed, and although she tried to jump out of the way on time, she was not quick enough to avoid the fast attack without getting hit.

Haruka heard a familiar voice cry out her name just before her senses were struck by pain when her right arm got cut by one of the knives the Lemures had thrown at her. "Michiru!"

She manged to land well despite the momentary distraction the knife had caused, right knee now touching the ground as she kept her eyes on the monster to read its next movements. Her left hand had automatically moved to press the wound on her right upper arm, fingers lingering about where the sleeve had been intact just a minute ago. Haruka was not sensitive to pain since she had gotten quite used to it after awakening as a senshi, but the wound was deep enough to cause a thick river of blood to run down her arm, staining the white sleeve of her blouse in deep red.

"Don't let your guard drop down!" she used all her voice to carry the message to Michiru. It was not something Haruka would normally say when they were on a relatively small battlefield, if she even had let a warning like that leave her thoughts outside of a bigger battle. Michiru was not someone who would not focus when facing an enemy, and Haruka fully knew this and trusted her. But this was not about trust or experience. The creatures were nothing of the sort they had seen before and a proof of this was the scar Haruka's arm would have a week after the battle, if they won.

"They must have some hidden motive behind attacking people" Haruka thought when standing up and lifting her right hand that hadn't let go of the metal weapon. The other monster had its attention on Michiru, but if they could fight back-to-back after getting more familiar with the Lemures' strategies, perhaps they could get the upper hand. Deciding to get closer to her partner while facing the knife-throwing monster, Haruka took few steps toward her opponent, reading its moves, before she sped up to a sprint, the goal clear in her mind.

ooc:

Her warning to Haruka did not seem to help matters, and the knives still managed to strike true and leave a gash in Haruka's arm. Even at this distance, Michiru could see the blood darkening the white blouse. She only had eyes for Haruka, and the singular thought was to get to her, to help her. The thought of the two monsters didn't even cross her mind. She had to get to Haruka. They would be stronger and safer together.

"Don't let your guard drop down!"

Haruka's voice cut through the near-panicked void that attempted to keep Michiru in her single-mindedness. She saw one of the monsters making its way for her. Her senshi instincts kicked in, and Michiru jumped back in time to avoid getting hit by its attack.

Haruka was right, of course. There was no time to act like this. She wasn't even certain why she had reacted so strongly. It was just a cut. Haruka had been more gravely injured in the past, and Michiru had been able to keep a clear head about it. But then, these were not normal circumstances.

However, normal circumstances or not, they had to do something about these monsters. It seemed rather ironic that it was the seemingly water-based monster that she faced.

Michiru scanned her surroundings for something she could use as a weapon, but there wasn't much time to devote to the search. But even in her civilian form and weaponless, her natural agility and speed were on her side, and she would use that to her advantage. She slowly made her way closer to Haruka, all whilst dodging the monster's attacks until she could think of a different, more aggressive, plan of action.

Even though most of her attention was on moving and dodging and ducking and overall avoiding getting hurt in any way, Michiru couldn't stop herself from keeping a careful eye on Haruka. Once they were side by side again, they would both be better for it.

The "Boss Fox Man" watched the battle unfold with intrigue and interest as two humans confronted his lemures. Although these humans did not appear to have special abilities, perhaps it was too early to tell. Reaching for an electronic device, he began to alternate between recording and taking notes about his observations. Interesting, both humans moved as if they were fairly versed in fighting techniques and tactics. Also, there seemed to be some sense of familiarity or at least concern for the other human's well-being.

The knife lemure cheered and pumped a fist in the air as Haruka was struck by a knife. "Who are you! Who are you!" It called in a taunting voice. It was not clear whether the lemure was asking a question or if it did not consider Haruka to be a challenge. With a cackle, it launched itself backwards and increased the distance between it and Haruka. While still in the air, the knife lemure launched another volley of knives at Haruka.

The water lemure coiled its water like a rope and lashed it toward Michiru's legs with the intent of causing her to fall. "Not yet, pretty thing! I want to play with you, first." It purred, motioning with a finger for Michiru to move closer. "Your hair is like the color of water! With an appreciative look, the water lemure caused the tendrils of water to crawl upwards toward Michiru's hair. "I'd like it for my own!" It yelled, the tendrils of water turning to ice. The ice gleamed in the sunlight and appeared to be quite sharp, perhaps sharp enough to cut hair.

A growl deepened in Fox's Eyes throat as he saw the human civilians throttle his lemure minions with their combined strength and wit. He bit down a curse and tried to evaluate the situation with a clear mind. Opening his notepad to a new page, he jotted down some notes about the situation. He had utilized lower-rated lemures, because he had not anticipated any persons of significant fighting ability. Also, he never anticipated that his lemures would defeat a sailor senshi if one or two happened to show up. All in all, the plan had gone as anticipated.

With a sigh, he closed the notepad and prepared to leave. Although his lemures had been defeated, no sailor senshi had been drawn out by their escapades. Fox's Eye would report to his mistress and explain that he did not believe any sailor senshi were left and he anticipated any of Earth's remaining defenders to be low in strength and skill. He and his comrades would modify their plans accordingly to allow for elements of resistance. Such allowances were expected, but his experiment had at the very least confirmed their suspicions.

The scene playing out inside of the glowing ball flickered before going dark. Soon, there was only the normal purple sphere resting in her hands.

EriEri frowned. Fox's Eye had been defeated. It was a surprising thought. Despite her outward reservations about using him for anything remotely important, he was a capable being, and their lemures were no easy target to fight against.

Who would have thought normal humans could be so difficult?

EriEri sighed, and placed the ball down on the table beside her. Still, despite the strange resistance from the humans, it did seem as though there were no more senshi to worry about, and that had been the main reason for all of this. It was almost a relief, in a way, to know that all of the senshi on this planet had been properly dealt with.

Nehelenia would be pleased to hear it. A smile came to EriEri's lips then. The simple thought of Nehelenia usually had that effect on her.

A moment later, EriEri stood up, and walked out of her room. She hoped she could catch up with Fox's Eye before he would be able to tell Nehelenia the news. She wanted to be included in the praise as well, after all.

The car’s trunk door slammed shut a little too sharply, the voice echoing in the air. Haruka stood in silence, lost in her thoughts. She spun around after a moment and leaned on the door she usually treated with utmost care, fixing her gaze up to the sky. She gritted her teeth in irritation.

After a careful research and nights spent with no sleep, they had finally tracked down their enemy, and it seemed their base was closer than expected. How could she have been so blind, so out of touch to not notice this enemy had silently built their nest right under her nose? Who knows how long they had been there, hiding, before Haruka and the others sensed that weird rush of energy. Thinking this over had only given her headaches and no answers.

But most of all, she was worried about Usagi’s group. There had been no sign of them, nothing, even though they should have been back from their vacation three days ago. Something wasn’t adding up, which was the prime reason they had decided to make their move now, as fast as possible.

This enemy was clearly different from the Death Busters, but they still didn’t know about their origin. Deciding to rely on the same tactics they had used once with their former enemy seemed to be the best option available, although it carried a risk of them getting caught if they stepped in too deep. They would be much closer to the enemy’s assumed base once in the Juuban District. But taking necessary risks was something they had got accustomed to long ago.

It was no use to mull over what had happened already, and Haruka knew it. She had to focus on the task at hand instead. Sighing she stood up and made her way up the pathway back to their house.

The front door creaked open with a silent screech. Haruka chastised herself for neglecting their house for the past week. She would need to oil the hinges when they got back, whenever that was. Her expression softened when she thought about their new family, about their life in this house. The four of them hadn’t been living together for long, but she was grateful for the time they had been given.

Their house was unusually quiet, a small shuffling noise the only sound she heard on the first floor. It lead Haruka to the living room, and she peeked in from the doorframe.

“I finished packing our stuff. Are you ready for departure?”

Hotaru had been worrying for her parents all week. Her growth had increased rapidly as the threat became more prominent, and now she was at the physical and mental state of age ten. After hearing about the attack Haruka and Michiru had endured without their powers, she couldn't help but worry it would happen again. She was only ten, so there was not much she could do to help. But what if they got hurt? What if she lost them, too?

She paced through their living room, her head pounding as she tried to come up with a solution. Who was she kidding? She was only a kid - nothing she could do would ever be able to help. She had been able to sense the unrest in her family, and her dreams had been so vivid and horrifying that she was feeling restless herself. It didn't help that the dreams were coming during the day, too. 

All she wanted to do was help.

Hotaru suddenly fell to her knees, clutching her head in her hands. She felt consumed by an aching pain all through her head, and suddenly images began to flood her mind. She moaned, rocking back and forth as scenes of destruction, pink hair, laughter, a red dress, a crescent moon, a ringed planet, and so much more raced through her brain. What were these images? Were they...memories? 

Yes, that was it! These were memories of her life before being reincarnated. Sailor Moon had saved her, and that was when Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna adopted her. Her father had died, and she had beaten Mistress 9 and saved Chibiusa. She was Sailor Saturn, the soldier of destruction and rebirth.

She could do something.

Haruka certainly hadn’t expected to find Hotaru on her knees when she peeked into the living room. Panic surged within her as she saw her in pain, making her emerge into the room and beside the girl in few fast strides.

“Hotaru! What’s wrong?” Haruka tried to keep her voice calm not to feed the panic, but it still rose few octaves higher than normal. She reached out to put her hands on Hotaru’s shoulders, to offer at least some kind of support in the middle of the shock.

Haruka realized what Hotaru’s state could mean. The signs had been there for a while already, which was precisely one of the things that had kept her awake at night for the past week. Anyone could notice Hotaru was growing fast, both mentally and physically. Abnormally so. The notion of what that likely meant worried Haruka more than she was ready to admit, even to herself.

If the girl she, Michiru, and Setsuna had grown fond of awakened as Sailor Saturn, there was a possibility her powers would go out of control. And if that became reality, they had to stop her… with any means necessary.

Even as a realist, Haruka refused to believe it was the only option they would have. After all, they had witnessed the impossible become possible before. She believed in Hotaru, believed that she could control her powers and preserve her own will. She was much stronger than she seemed to those who didn’t know her, she had proven that in the past. But it still hurt Haruka to see her like this. She was so young, and deserved a life without the worries and dangers of a senshi more than anyone.

Haruka sat there, unsure what to do. She wanted to help Hotaru, knew the experience of awakening as a senshi wasn’t a pleasant one, but could only sit beside her and wait, giving her space. When the situation seemed to have calmed down, she took in a long breath. Still every bit as worried as she had been when she spotted Hotaru in the room, Haruka broke the silence.

“Are you all right? What happened?” her voice was briefly above a whisper, she didn’t want to risk startling her.

The last bottle of paint snapped close with a sound of finality. Michiru set it on the table with the rest of her cherished supplies, though it was purely a motion of habit. It felt strange to put away her art supplies like this, to store them away for safe keeping in an extended period of unuse, rather than having them out in the open, their colors brightening up the room like a scattered rainbow.

She would only be taking a sketch book with her. Anything else would simply take up space, and they needed to travel light.

It would be strange to not have a paintbrush within easy grasp, but she had spent the last few hours before packing painting, and she hoped that would ease the separation.

The last painting she had completed drew her attention, and it brought with it a tight knot of worry. Michiru reached out and gently traced her fingers along the pale cheek of the painted figure. Where was their princess? She should have returned by now, and yet there had been no sign. With everything else that had gone on, Michiru could only think that perhaps the worst had happened. But no, she had faith in the other senshi to take care of Usagi. They must have simply been caught up in some delays.

Allowing herself a small sigh, Michiru turned away from the canvas, and walked out of the room. For now, all she could do was to take care of her own family. After they were settled, perhaps then she could worry about the other senshi.

As she walked towards the front door, Michiru heard soft sounds in the silent house. Even without truly hearing, she knew that it was Haruka. Soon, the blonde came into view, but the sight of her sitting near a hunched over Hotaru was not what she had expected.

Michiru was instantly next to them, one hand on Hotaru. "Hotaru?" She glanced to Haruka then, looking for answers to questions that she did not need to voice.

Setsuna sat in the dining room of the outers' mansion, stirring her glass of lemonade absentmindedly. Her mind was plagued with thoughts of the current enemy attack, and how on Earth they were going to protect the city without their powers. There was nothing more frustrating than being powerless, Setsuna thought. Of course they had their physical fighting prowess, but she had a strong feeling that wouldn't be enough to win this battle. And poor Hotaru...she was being forced out of her childhood much to soon, and that in itself was too heartbreaking to bear. 

With a sigh, Setsuna sipped the rest of her lemonade and went back inside, shocked to find Haruka and Michiru kneeling next to a hunched-over Hotaru. She froze, almost dropping her glass on the floor. It was only a matter of time - Setsuna should have known that.

"She's awakened, hasn't she?"

The voices of her parents pulled Hotaru out of her fog. The pounding in her head began to fade, and she suddenly felt back to normal. The real normal.

"I remember," she said quietly, looking up at Haruka. "I remember everything. And I'm sorry for...any trouble I may have caused." She switched her gaze to Setsuna, smiling slightly. "I'm okay, you guys," she said, pulling herself to her feet. It was weird, being the same person but in a younger body. She would have to make it a point to thank Sailor Moon sometime in the future.

"Don't worry about my powers. I can do this. We can do this. Together."

Hotaru suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion. She had been asleep for so long...had they only taken her in so that they could watch over her and prepare to strike if she did awaken? The thought was too dark for even Hotaru's mind, so she shoved it away and threw her arms around Haruka's waist. Their love was real - she could feel it in the way all three of her parents looked at her with concern. 'Thank you...for everything," she said, pulling away and glancing over at Michiru. Despite whether they did it out of love, duty, or both, Hotaru was grateful to them.

"I have something for all of you. I don't really know where they came from, but...I know that they're yours, so..." Hotaru stopped talking and held out her hands, watching them glow with a faint light. Seconds later, her palms were filled with three crystals, each a different color.

"They're yours. They will give you your powers back, and make them even stronger than before. With them, we have a better chance at defeating the enemy. Take them - it's my gift to you all after all you've done."

Fox's Eye oversaw a large-scale operation comfortably from a chair while his minions surreptitiously overtook the city. It was all too easy, because there was no opposition. Well, there was no opposition that truly mattered. A few people had rose to defend the city, but he and EriEri had quickly smacked them down. Actually, to tell the truth, he was a little bored and did not at all feel challenged.

He needed to feel like the wild animal he used to be! Being a high-ranking commander felt confining, although the occasional mayhem was exhilarating and Fox's Eye did love the attention Nehellenia gave him when he did a good job. And, he thought with an excited wiggle, he had done a lot of good jobs lately.

But... His face fell slightly and he humphed in disappointment.

Wait! Fox's Eye sat erect and sniffed the air with anticipation and curiosity. Something had just changed, but what?

Setsuna felt her heart melt at Hotaru's words and actions. The girl was such an innocent, pure-hearted soul and it hurt to see her grow up without a chance to truly be normal. But at the same time, it was nice to have Hotaru back. She knew that Small Lady would definitely be ecstatic, and that thought alone made Setsuna smile.

What Setsuna had not expected was the presentation of three crystals from Hotaru's hand. Stepping forward, Setsuna gazed at each of them in turn. Their colors made it clear that one was for Michiru, one was for Haruka, and one was for herself. Gingerly, Setsuna picked up the crystal that she knew was for her and held it in her palm. It was beautiful, glittering with the same familiar garnet shade of her Talisman. Setsuna immediately knew of the power this object contained, and knew that she was more than ready to take it on. She glanced from Haruka to Michiru, waiting for their cue to transform so they could end this threat once and for all.

Haruka heard Michiru’s voice behind her, and in the next instant she was beside Hotaru. Their eyes met, voicing questions they didn’t need to address with words. She kept her gaze locked to hers for a moment, knowing she didn’t need to hide her worries from her. She never had to.

A moment later Setsuna joined them, giving a voice to their shared concern. But no answer was needed, for they already knew it. The seconds felt dragging as all they could do was watch Hotaru and wait.

“I remember.” Those quiet words made Haruka frown. How would Hotaru feel, living with them now that she remembered their former attitude toward Saturn and what they had attempted to do? Could she still trust them? And how would she feel about her role as a senshi? The young girl’s next words made Haruka shake her head gently in protest. In the end, it was thanks to both Sailor Moon and Saturn that Earth had avoided destruction. Without them, Pharaoh 90 would have consumed their planet.

Hearing Hotaru’s next words, strong and sure, warmed Haruka’s heart. Suddenly Hotaru’s arms were around her waist, taking her by surprise. For a moment she was bewildered by her action - it was so different from what she had expected. But the initial surprise was soon replaced by relief, sinking her shoulders down. She circled her own arms around the girl and hugged her gently.

What Hotaru then presented to them came as a definite surprise. In her hands were three heart shaped crystals, each a color that was a striking match to that of their signature element colors. After taking a glance at all three crystals, Haruka extended her hands and gently took the heart she felt a connection to. As it glowed dark blue on her palm, Haruka could feel the power it held. She glanced at the others, waiting until they had picked theirs and were ready. Then she nodded curtly and shouted her transformation phrase.

Power rushed through her when she transformed, and with it came realization. They had a new mission now, one the four of them would take on together – as a team. Whatever it was that was threatening Earth, they would defeat it.

The transformation was over in a moment, leaving a feeling of change linger deep within her. There was a different power storming inside her now, one that was united with the others. She took a step forward and looked at her family.

“Let’s go.”

At Haruka's cue, Setsuna followed suit and transformed. The familiar rush of time's limitless power caused a small smile to forge on her lips. She knew this was a stronger form than any she had ever taken, and paired with the other senshi, it would be enough to save the world.

Standing tall in her senshi fuku, Sailor Pluto turned to the now-transformed Hotaru and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Thank you," she said quietly. Judging by the understanding look in the young girl's eyes, Pluto knew that Sailor Saturn understood what all she was thinking her for.

"There isn't much time," she said to Uranus. "If they did attack Usagi and the others, then I have no doubt they will come for us if they find out we exist. Better to take them by surprise than let them know we're here ahead of time."

Haruka joined Setsuna’s expression of gratitude with a gentle smile of her own. With this, they were finally able to fight again. She hated thinking about how much worse the situation had got while they had had to stay hidden, but now it would be over.

Setsuna seemed to share her thoughts about how they should proceed from here, and she had no objection to her suggestion.

“I agree. A surprise attack guarantees us the advantage; we’ll strike now and end this before things escalate any further. Once we get to Juuban District, we need to locate the enemy’s base as soon as possible.”

Once their initial plan was settled, Haruka walked out first, heading straight to her car. After opening the doors for others, she went to the driver’s seat’s door. But before she could place her hand on the metal handle, something caught her attention; something that hadn’t been there an hour ago. The handle looked pristine from afar, but upon closer inspection Haruka noticed there was something on it.

A spider web.

Haruka narrowed her eyes. There weren’t supposed to be spiders around at this time of the year. Something wasn't right... Could this somehow be related to the enemy? She took a quick glance inside the car before pushing her thoughts aside. They didn’t have time to waste for small things like this.

She opened the door and started the engine the moment she sat down, a slam of her door following a moment later. What remained on her glove of the spider web was swept to the closest handkerchief she laid her eyes on before she gripped the steering wheel.

A moment later a blue Ferrari was on its way to Juuban district.  

ooc:

After a short drive, the group arrived in the Juuban district and piled out of Haruka's car, which was parked in a secluded alley. Their destination, the giant circus tent, was visible from their current position, which meant they weren't too far from the enemy.

Staff in hand, Sailor Pluto lead the way, leaping onto the rooftop of the nearest building. With her fellow outer senshi by her side, Pluto began to run and leap across the rooftops, making her way to the tent. "We should be careful, and try to stay hidden for as long as possible. The longer we can go without the enemy spotting us, the better. Keep your eye out for signs of the other senshi, and don't let your guard down. Who knows what kind of tricks these circus freaks have up their sleeve," Pluto advised. The last thing she wanted to happen was for one of her fellow senshi to get caught. She didn't know what she would do if that happened.

Seeing how much the city had changed made anger boil inside her. Crumbles of damaged buildings filled the streets, covered by spider webs that seemed to spread everywhere. The streets were empty of people save for a handful who walked aimlessly, seeming to pay no attention to their surroundings. Instead, they all seemed to focus on their hand mirrors only. If it weren't for the cold breeze of wind, the silence would've been palpable. And in the middle of it all, a giant circus tent floated above ground.

Uranus followed Pluto’s lead, keeping an eye out for attacks when they advanced to the tent. Surprisingly, the group made it there quickly with no obstacles. It had been smooth sailing thus far.

There was a gnawing feeling in Haruka’s mind that their enemy had been waiting for them. Everything felt so quiet - too quiet. There were no Lemures in sight, and even in front of the tent, only silence surrounded them.

Suddenly the tent opened, revealing nothing but darkness.

"Looks like they knew we were coming all along” she gritted her teeth. Walking straight in was a risky decision, but what other options did they have? Their enemy had been one step ahead of them from the start. It was wiser to continue as they had planned.

“Keep as close to each other as possible. If you sense any kind of change once we’re inside, give us a warning.” she advised and took a step forward. Whatever was waiting for them in the darkness, they needed to stay together.

Neptune felt cold when she stepped out of the car and observed the state of the city. What had happened in the short time while they were not paying attention? And how could they have let it escalate this far? The silence was eerie, as if despite the people still walking around, the world was already dead. And seeing the empty look on everyone’s eyes, they might as well have been.

She followed the others toward the circus tent, moving quickly but stealthily. It felt good to have her powers once more, to feel it rushing in her veins stronger than ever before.

They got there easily—too easily, in fact—and she paused in front of the looming circus tent. Its entrance flap opened as if on cue, like a circus welcoming its audience. She couldn’t see anything beyond.

She didn’t like walking into an obvious trap, but they didn’t exactly have any other choice now. Her hand twitched, feeling the need to hold Uranus’, but instead she brought out her Deep Aqua Mirror to see if it might reveal the truth the enemy was trying to conceal as she stepped into the abyss.

Saturn felt her chest constricting as they ran through their broken city - her tattered home. Despite the hardships she had faced in this place, it broke her heart to see such a beautiful city treated with such disregard. She was ready to make the enemy pay for the destruction they had caused. Not only that, but if something truly did happen to Usagi and the others, Saturn was not planning on showing mercy. No one touched her friends.

Despite the lack of enemy appearances, Hotaru wasn't extremely worried. They were the four most powerful solar planetary senshi - if anything, the enemy was underestimating them. She felt confident standing with her family. If Usagi had taught her anything, it was that their bond as friends and family was stronger than any enemy that came their way. She held her glaive tightly in her hand, taking a small step closer to Uranus. She was ready. 

"They're the ones who should be scared," Saturn said. "Not us."