Forum: Tokyo City
Type: Advanced

Plot Summary:
In her first appearance, Sailor Venus introduced herself as the princess. What she did not foresee was her ability to play the role too well and how this decoy plan could end up backfiring in a fatal manner. Even though she intended to be the person the enemies focused on, she did not realize that she would also cause the other senshi to put her safety above everyone else's, including that of the real princess, Usagi. When facing a battle against Kunzite, who was trying to kill the princess, both Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus got attacked. Sailor Jupiter, along with Mars and Mercury, went to save Venus' life, leaving Sailor Moon to fend for herself. She did not succeed. The attack was fatal, and she died.

Now Venus must deal with the consequences of her lie; figuring out how to save the world without the true princess and the Silver Crystal, as well as facing her fellow guardian senshi. Realizing that telling them the truth will only crush everyone's spirit and cause resentment, with immense guilt Venus is forced to carry on the charade, now really stepping into the shoes of someone else that she knows she can never, ever truly fulfill.

Details on any necessary information: Takes place during the Dark Kingdom arc in an alternate universe.

Restrictions: Canon only; Inner senshi, Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask and cats are playable.

Source: N/A

It all happened so quickly.

One minute she was battling Kunzite alone, then the rest of the senshi showed up. They were helping her, protecting her. That was exactly what had happened.

They were protecting her.

She saw the two simultaneous attacks all too clearly. She knew she would never forget it—never forget this chain of events. They would forever be etched in her brain, doomed to be replayed over and over again. In her dreams. In her nightmares. In her soul’s memory. She would be reincarnated again and she would still remember it.

Venus always remembered.

Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury rushed toward her. Disregarded her order to help Sailor Moon, whisked her away and out of danger.

Left Sailor Moon to die.

It was all her fault.

When she finally wounded Kunzite enough to make him retreat, Venus immediately ran toward the place where Sailor Moon had fallen.

She knew in her gut, knew it in her soul even before she checked. But she gasped in horror anyway when she was confronted with the horrifying scene.

The bottom of the Tokyo Tower was stained with blood, and Venus knew she had failed. She screamed out Usagi’s name; the girl she would never know, the princess who would never awaken from her slumber.

Sailor Moon was dead.

The real princess was dead.

And Venus had killed her.

After the Dark Kingdom General had finally been forced to retreat, Jupiter followed after Venus to check on Sailor Moon. She had taken an attack head on to save their princess, and now that fight was over, they had the chance to see if she was alright. It was such a long fall to the ground from the top of the tower, but...Sailor Moon was stronger than that, right? That couldn't possibly have beaten her. 

The sound of Venus screaming changed her mind though. Jupiter ran to see what had happened, and regretted it the moment she laid eyes on the crumpled body of their friend. She felt sick to her stomach at the sight before her. This wasn't right at all. 

"No..." Jupiter could barely speak. This couldn't possibly be the same girl that had had pulled them all together. The one who had sat next to her and drooled over her food when the other students were too scared to be near her. The one who reminded her to believe in love no matter how many times others hurt her. Usagi wasn't allowed to just die like this, it wasn't fair. Tears burned in her eyes, and Jupiter looked away from the tower, as if that made the truth less finite. It was dumb, but maybe if she wasn't staring, Usagi would get up again. She hurriedly wiped the tears away with a gloved hand. They needed to stay strong for the Princess...

Usagi. His mind repeated her name over and over again, willing the girl to rise up. Mamoru was at the bottom of the tower, looking up to where his crush had fallen from, blasted by the enemy Kunzite. The girls ran to her... He had heard Sailor Venus wailing her name, he'd seen Jupiter rushing to her aid - why was it suddenly so quiet there?

Tuxedo Kamen sat at the base of the tower but didn't dare go to where she'd fallen. When he finally did, the image made his stomach lurch violently and he could've sworn he felt his heart miss a few beats. So much blood... Usagi -- no, "Sailor Moon"! She sat in a pool of blood, her eyes closed, Sailor Venus -- again, not "Venus", but "Princess Serenity"! - crying over her.

He went to the girl, picked her up, tried forcing his healing powers into maxing out... But it was no use. He'd only been able to heal minor wounds in the past and this was beyond any normal wound he'd seen. This girl had no pulse, no heartbeat, no air leaving or entering her nose. She was beyond all doubts, dead.

Mercury touched the side of her face, next to her ear. Her cyber glasses blinked before vanishing. Her stomach turned and flipped when she heard the scream. The blue haired girl ran away from the battle scene she had just defended and rushed towards Venus and Jupiter. 

"No..." Mercury gasped, her hands covering her mouth. A small water droplet fell from her eyes, but she was too stunned to blink. She was studying medicine, but even someone without medical practice could tell that there was no saving Usagi. 

However, Mercury just had to check. She had to make sure there wasn't some small chance. She bent down next to Usagi's body and felt for a pulse, anything to show her mind that her friend wasn't really dead. She had seen death before in her studies, but she had never encountered losing someone she knew before.

Artemis was running through the city trying to get to Tokyo Tower. He just witness Usagi's death on the computer back at the command center. He wasn't sure if Luna was following him or not. He didn't bother to look back. 

'This wasn't suppose to happen!' he thought to himself. 'We planned everything out carefully!'

He made it to the tower and saw the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask surrounding Sailor Moon's body. Artemis stood there trying to catch his breath. He could see the pain on everyone's faces and he felt a chill down his spine. Minako just screamed Usagi's name. Artemis pounded the ground with his paw in anger. He wished he ignored Boss's orders to make Minako the decoy princess. This was all his fault! Now his partner had to endure this pain!

Mars didn't even notice. 

For the longest time, she had no idea her best friend had just fallen to her death.

Her eyes stayed glued on Sailor Venus the entire battle, watching her, making sure she was safe. It was Mars's duty, after all. She could not let anything happen to the princess. 

Mars was relieved that Kunzite had retreated. She felt successful, both because they had forced the enemy to fall back and because they had kept Venus safe. She turned towards the senshi of love, ready to exchange smiles and nods of approval, but found that Sailor Venus was gone. She had ran to the edge of the tower, and was now screaming and peering over. Confused, Mars stood back and watched as the others all rushed to the bottom of the tower, all with looks of agony on their faces. 

What had she missed?

Hesitantly, Mars walked to the edge of the roof, high heels clicking against asphalt. She could no longer hear her friends' cries, or the blowing wind moving past her face. She only heard the sound of her footsteps and the beating of her heart.

She already knew. She knew in her heart that something was missing. Forever. 

Mars peered over the edge of the tower and saw Sailor Moon's crooked body below, lifeless and colored red. Seeing the one person who had ever come to see Mars as an actual human being now laying dead on the ground hit something deep within the senshi of fire, and she drew back. Her head was spinning and her body felt cold. 

Did Usagi really die?

As Sailor Mars followed the senshi to the bottom of the tower, she felt like a robot. Her limbs moved on their own, and her mind was blocking out any and all emotions. She couldn't let the other senshi see her cry. She had to be strong.

For the princess.


Mars stood back, her eyes not leaving Sailor Moon's sleeping expression. Yes, that was it. She was sleeping. Not truly dead, but...dreaming for eternity. 

Feeling the need to comfort her friends, Mars reached over and put a hand on Venus's shoulder. She wasn't sure if she was doing it to comfort Venus, or to just have someone to hold onto.

Venus did not need to check for a pulse. She already knew in her soul that the princess was dead. And what was the point anymore? What was the point in everything?

She remembered feeling this way when Princess Serenity first died during the Silver Millennium. How it felt like all hope was lost, how any chance they had at victory had fallen away along with her. Venus was terrified. Would that happen to this world, too? Would it end in destruction once again? Were they destined to repeat the same fate over and over again?

But this time it was different. This time, the enemy wasn’t even going after the princess. They should have killed Venus, damn it! That was the entire point of the plan. How could it still end up this way?

It was her fault.

Venus reached a trembling hand toward Sailor Moon’s body, but it started dissolving into bits of light even before she could touch it.

“No, no… Usagi…” she fought to catch it, but she might as well be trying to catch air. Trying futilely to grasp the glimmering light, Venus lay sprawled on the ground, watching as the twinkles floated to the sky and eventually blinked out of existence.

There was not even any remaining trace of Usagi Tsukino anymore. The ground was now clean as if nothing had ever been there at all. Venus buried her face in her hands, unable to quell the grief and guilt that filled her to the brim.

Mars’ hand on her shoulder surprised her, but it reminded her that they were all depending on her. With a jolt of cold, she realized that nobody else knew what had just truly happened. They didn’t know they’d just lost the princess they were all supposed to protect.

They didn’t know they’d already lost.

With a deep breath, Venus stood up again, and it was only then that she noticed Artemis there. Had he run all the way here after he’d seen what happened? Desperately, she tried to communicate with him through her eyes—what am I supposed to do now, Artemis?

She looked at the others, all looking to her for guidance in the same way, and knew.

She could not tell them. She could never tell them the truth if they were going to have any hope at all of defeating the Dark Kingdom. Maybe there wasn’t any hope left, but they sure as hell were going to try.

It was the only thing left to do.

Venus scooped up Artemis onto her arms, needing his warmth and comfort, the only creature around who knew the truth beside her. The only one who could share her burden.

“Today we lost a very brave and honorable soldier. But we mustn’t let her sacrifice end up in vain.” Her voice trembled, but she soldiered on. “Let’s go back to the command center. We need to figure out what to do… Her family will need to be informed.”

She looked at Tuxedo Mask and felt her heart crushed all over again. Endymion never had a chance to reunite with Serenity after all. “You may come, too, if you wish,” she told him.

Tuxedo Kamen watched helplessly as the object of his affections turned to dust and floated away in the wind. She'd been so young, and so carefree... and so strong. He was sure she could protect the entire world, if only she'd tried to. And she did die fighting, but... Was this really the end of it? Just like that, a flick of the finger, and she was gone? He remembered the first time they met and how much energy she had. Afterwards they started to get to know each other, little by little. They'd danced at the masquerade and Mamoru had snuck in a kiss... But now it was over.

He was surrounded by her friends - strangers to him, people who had doubted his intentions, who had tried to keep Usagi away from him. They said he could be dangerous... If only he'd stayed closer. If only he'd trusted his usefulness. Then maybe... just maybe, he could've saved her. Caught her at the last moment, before she hit the cold hard ground. Or perhaps found her just one moment before she slipped away forever - found her and given her his strength and his healing and saved her at the last second. In all honesty, he would've happily given up his own life force to save Sailor Moon. 

But no. He'd had too much trust in her strength and not enough trust in his own.

And now this woman... "Serenity", as she called herself. He ought to feel some connection to her, right? Even just a little bit of attraction or empathy. He had seen her in his dreams every single night, she had whispered to him, asking him to save her, to find the Silver Crystal. But now... here she was and Mamoru was not inclined to save her, nor find anything for her. In fact, he felt dislike towards her. Especially now, when it was her life that Usagi had died trying to protect. Now, when she had been so close to him as his Sailor Moon had disappeared forever... Now, when she had snapped out of the moment way too quick, and had immediately thought "business".

"Let’s go back to the command center. We need to figure out what to do… Her family will need to be informed. You may come, too, if you wish", she'd said. 

Was that truly the attitude of someone who'd lost someone dear? Mamoru felt ashamed to've spent so many sleepless night searching for her Crystal. 

Tuxedo Kamen said nothing in response to her invitation. Did he want to come? Was he truly welcome among them or was the invitation just made out of pity? What would be his purpose there, anyway? He didn't really want to spend this evening with these strangers - he just wanted to go home and grieve properly. But then again... If Usagi died fighting, he couldn't just abandon the fight for good. She'd been defending this woman, and the world along with her. Mamoru might've felt anger towards her right now, but if Usagi thought Serenity's life was worth putting her own on the line, then... He ought to continue that legacy - at least until he decided otherwise.

Mamoru nodded to the orange-clad young woman. He'd come with them. He'd try to help.

Artemis locked eyes with Minako. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she had no idea how to move forward. He bit his lips and looked down at the ground. He had no idea what they should do next. The right thing to do would be to tell everyone the truth, but that would be a terrible idea. Artemis then suddenly felt Minako scooping him up into her arms. He gently licked her cheek to comfort her. He then fought back tears as Minako spoke to the others. 

'She's being so brave,' he thought to himself. 'I have to be strong for her.' He then took a deep breath to calm himself down. He couldn't let himself cry. He glanced at the others and saw their heart broken expressions on their faces. He then noticed Luna standing in the spot where Usagi once laid. He felt his heart breaking more. Luna not only lost her princess, but her partner. He would have to comfort her as well.

Back at the control center, Mars remained quiet as she stood beside Sailor Venus, not having truly left her princess's side since Usagi...disappeared. Without really saying so out loud, Mars was communicating to Venus that she was there for her, and she would always be there for her.

Without Usagi, who did she have to be there for anymore?

Mercury and Jupiter were great friends, sure, but Mars still wasn't used to them. They weren't...as understanding as Usagi had been. The bond between Mars and the other two senshi had not yet been set in stone.

Even so, Mars wasn't sure if she was trying to be there for Venus, or if she just needed someone to hold onto. Someone to reassure her that everything was going to be okay.

That person had always been Usagi.

Mars hadn't spoken since that moment on the tower. She felt like if she even dared to open her mouth, she would burst into tears. And she was not about to let Venus think she couldn't handle this. They were in a war. People were going to die.

But why Usagi?

As Mars stood in the silent control room, she was suddenly filled with so much anger and hatred towards the Dark Kingdom. She wanted to make them burn and scream for mercy - make them feel the pain Usagi felt when she knew she was going to die. And then her anger was directed towards Tuxedo Mask. Why didn't he save her? He had done it so many times before - what made this time different? 

The princess. 

Mars mentally cursed herself. Why was she battling over who was more important? Obviously Venus was their top priority - their very reason for existing was to protect her. 

Mars stared at the main control room screen, her eyes glazing as she wondered...

If given the chance, would she have saved Usagi over Minako?

The control center was too silent, Jupiter thought. It wasn't right. She thought everything would get easier once they had their princess, but it didn't. On the way over, what had happened at the tower finally sank in, and it had taken all her strength to not give up right there. Sailor Moon was dead, and she was not coming back.

 It was going to hurt not seeing her at school, or at the arcade, or the parlor. And just what were they going to say to her parents? How could they look them in the eyes and tell them their child is gone? Considering how she felt when she was told about the accident that killed her parents, they'd be devastated. 

Why couldn't they save her? Why did they have to choose at all?  Unable to hold her emotions back any longer, Jupiter's fist slammed into the wall she had been leaning on, making a small dent. She looked down at the ground, refusing to let Venus see the tears that were starting to come down. They still had a job to do. Usagi will not have sacrificed herself for nothing. They'd tear the Dark Kingdom apart!

It was obvious that Tuxedo Mask was probably the only one of the group, beside Venus herself, who would have thought Sailor Moon to be more important than her. In that way, they were both on the same side, but it just made her feel guiltier. Venus was responsible for taking Sailor Moon away from him. His true love. Serenity and Endymion would never be together again in this life and that was because of her. Because she’d dared to try to fill Serenity’s shoes and pretended to be her. She should have at least told the rest of the senshi the truth.

Venus sat in the command center, unmoving, unable to do anything. She felt so paralyzed. Helpless. She knew in her heart that they had already lost, but somehow now she had to pick up the pieces. Had to pretend that they could still win. She knew they had to try. If they were going to go down, they would have to go down fighting. They couldn’t just give up, especially not after Usagi died. It was the least they could do after her sacrifice.

“I know… you all know her better than me,” she began, her voice filling the quiet room, breaking the somber atmosphere. “I’ve only known her for a few days and I wish…” Tears threatened to fall as she thought about the fact that she’d watched over the princess for so long, only to never get the chance to get to know her in this life. “I wish I could have known her better. Be her friend too.”

Venus forced herself to stay strong, even though her voice trembled.

“But we can’t let her sacrifice be in vain. We have to keep fighting. Keep protecting this world. For Usagi’s sake… we have to eradicate the Dark Kingdom.”

She looked at the screens, some of which still displayed Usagi’s data and information. She could not imagine what Luna must be feeling right now. Usagi was her partner after all. She was her responsibility. Was Luna blaming herself for the loss?

If only she knew who was truly responsible.

“I think I will give her family a visit, as Sailor V perhaps, since it’s better known, to let them know that their daughter was a hero. That she was one of us, and that she has died fighting for justice.” She recognized the risk in telling the truth, but since Usagi was gone, it did not matter how many people knew who she was. In fact, she almost wanted as many people as possible to know who Usagi Tsukino really was. “I think they deserve the truth, and it’s the least we can do for her legacy.”

She looked up at the others. “What do you all think?”

Mercury was the first to speak up regarding Sailor Venus's idea regarding their friend's family. Her stomach tightened due to the panic her body felt over the loss. She opened her mouth hoping she wouldn't be sick. 

"That shouldn't be a problem, as long as they promise to not mention the secret." Ami then had another idea and looked around, hoping someone would be able to back her up.

"Or...we can erase all evidence of her from her close friends and family, besides our inner circle." The thought of erasing such a bubbly fun hearten person from the minds of many upsetted her, but it was another option she had thought of.  Would it be better for Usagi's family to know that her daughter was a hero and live with heart ache, or to forget her all together?

Minako wanted to personally tell Usagi's family what happened? It made sense to her, though it would be painful for everyone. It was just the honorable thing to do. Usagi wouldn't want them to be left in the dark on her disappearance, and then they could mourn her properly as a hero. Jupiter had never thought she'd become the sacrificial type though. But just like their princess said, they would just have to win this fight and make it all worthwhile, or at least not have her death be in vain.

"I'm alright with telling them," Jupiter said, before Mercury spoke up. Erase Usagi? No, they couldn't! No matter how painful it was, just knowing Usagi existed and everyone else had forgotten about her would be so much worse.

"It wouldn't be right to make them forget," she countered. "Not without asking them first, at least."

Artemis sat on the control panel as he listened in on the conversation. Occasionally he glanced back at the computer to make sure the city was safe. He prayed that Kunzite didn't see Usagi's death. Right now would be a prefect moment to strike. The girls were debating to tell Usagi's family. Artemis wasn't sure how to feel about this. They had a right to know, but wouldn't that put them in danger? He stood up and cleared his throat. He wanted to make sure the girls made the right choice.

"You have something you need to consider," he spoke up. "It might be possible that Kunzite saw Usagi's death. Or someone else from the Dark Kingdom could have witness it. If you do tell Usagi's family you may put them into danger. I could be talking nonsense, but I don't want to see them get caught up all in this." He sat back down hoping his input got the ball rolling.

Sadly, Ami agreed with Artemis one hundred percent. The more common folk new, the more danger and risk it caused for not only the Senshi, but the people as well of had obtained the knowledge. The other forces that were against them could use it to their best abilities. However, she had spoken her thoughts already and didn't want to cause an argument. This was supposed to be time for grieving, yet Ami and the others needed to remember what their mission was.

"We need to decide." Ami spoke up again, trying to push the decision. "But again, I agree with Artemis."

Ami looked around at her fellow friends. They had been through a lot, and she could understand why they were having difficulty making a choice.

"We wouldn't be erasing Usagi, we would still remember. Perhaps once this is all done and over with we could restore the memories of those we erased, if we went with that route."

Mars's eyes widened at Mercury's suggestion. Immediately, she spoke up:

"We are not erasing Usagi. She doesn't deserve that." The tone in Mars's voice was dark and dangerous, but she didn't even mean for it to come out that way. She felt apologetic, but she was too emotional to care. Erasing Usagi, no matter how long, would be like saying she was worthless.

Usagi was nothing near worthless.

But there was something about the night's events that Mars couldn't get out of her head. Something that, out of everything that had happened today, was extremely out of the ordinary.

"What if...she's already been erased? You saw how she died today. Her body, it just...disappeared. That's not normal. Bodies don't just fade the way hers did. So what if she just...faded from existence?"

Mars's voice cracked towards the end of her sentence, and she silently wished no one noticed. She couldn't let them see her weakness, her pain. She wouldn't. She had learned how to deal with loss long ago, so why was this so hard for her?

Why did she feel like she had lost herself with Usagi?

Venus was surprised by Mercury’s suggestion. Erase Usagi? Make her even more insignificant than she already was when in truth she was the most important of them all? Her heart couldn’t bear it. That seemed like an extreme measure, and a cruel one at that. Perhaps it would be easier for her family to not remember than deal with the loss, but… no. Usagi deserved to be remembered. It was bad enough that no one would ever know she was the princess. Venus couldn’t have this on her conscience, too.

When Artemis spoke, Venus looked at him pleadingly. “But she’s dead. What else would they want from her? Her family has nothing to do with this. There’s no reason they would go after civilians related to her.”

Mars chimed in with her determined voice, and Venus couldn’t be more grateful to have her on her side. She felt a kinship with the senshi of passion, and knew instinctively that she could always depend on Mars to understand her side. Even when she didn’t know the full truth.

As she wondered about whether or not Usagi was already erased from existence, Venus shivered. She realized that she couldn’t even give a body to the Tsukinos to bury. Couldn’t give them peace or closure when their daughter just vanished into thin air.

“I guess the only way to know for sure is to check. I think Luna should go home and find out the situation in the Tsukino residence. If they are wondering where Usagi is, then we know they remember. We can decide from there what to do.”

Luna, who had been really quiet through the conversation, seemingly still in shock, nodded wordlessly. Venus’ heart went out to her. She had just lost her first charge. Venus couldn’t imagine how that must have felt.

“Alright… I think we all need to go home and rest. But first… now that the danger of our duty has become obvious… I have to ask you all a question.” Venus looked at Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter in turn. She knew she could no longer lose anyone else now that they’d lost the princess. But she also didn’t want to cause another girl’s death much too soon. With the battle probably already lost anyway, she felt like she ought to offer everyone a chance to live, if that was what they wanted. Because they all might very well be marching to their deaths now. It might be the only possibility left. Venus knew she would go down fighting no matter what, but that was her.

“You know now death is a very real possibility if you continue down this path as a soldier. You’re all young girls with hopes and dreams, and I don’t want to force you into this bleak destiny any more than I already have. Mercury, Mars, Jupiter. Are you all still willing to fight? Because if not, you can choose to leave.”

Usagi never had the choice, and she felt like giving her friends that chance was the least she could do to make up for it.

Artemis probably wouldn’t approve, but Venus needed her conscience as clear as possible.

Mars's question did make Jupiter think for a moment. Could it be possible for Usagi's death to erase herself? But wouldn't they forget as well? And she still clearly remembered everything, so maybe it wasn't really true. She was glad that they would check though.

And as for the Princess's next words...did she really want to give them the choice to permanently go home? Yes, she had dreams of a future for herself before she became Sailor Jupiter, and her hopes of running a bakery shop or plant nursery had yet to fade. But...this senshi destiny was a little more important than that at the moment. There may not be a world left to live in if they didn't beat the Dark Kingdom here. So in a way, weren't they already fighting for their dreams?

"I'm staying here with you, Princess," Jupiter said with a new conviction. "If we don't fight now, we can't have our dreams, can we? I can't stand the thought of living like a normal person, knowing that there was evil I could be fighting."

Mars's expression remained hard at Venus's offer. Let them go? What kind of ridiculous offer was that? Did she really expect them to walk away, when their world was in danger? This was their home, this was the place where they all grew up. 

And Usagi loved it. She loved it so much that she gave her life for it. There was no way Mars was going to walk away from that. If Usagi was watching her, Mars wanted to make her happy - always. 

"I'm staying with you, Princess," Mars said, the smallest of smiles forming on her lips. She could see the pain and the guilt in Venus's eyes, and she did her best to provide comfort. Comfort was not really Mars's department.

"Yeah, we may be young girls with hopes and dreams and whatever, but so was Usagi. Usagi gave her life so that we could have those dreams. We can't leave the job unfinished."

Ami listened to Sailor Venus's words and the others. She didn't want to argue or give her opinion any longer. In reality, no one knew what the best way to handle the passing of their friend was. They were all exhausted, and time would surely tell them the best path to take. 

A cold shiver ran down Ami's spine when Venus mentioned that death was a real possibility. She knew this, they all knew this, but none of them physically thought it would ever happen. "We knew that death was a possibility from the start, and I will still continue to fight for what is right in this galaxy of ours." Ami said expressionless to the others. "And as far as Usagi, time will tell the best path we should take from here regarding our enemies." She forced a sad smile at her comrades...no friends. Ami closed her eyes and pictured Usagi's bubbily smile. "She wouldn't want us sad, now would she?" She smiled, this time not forcefully.

When all three of her remaining comrades declared that they were staying, Venus was torn between gratitude and even greater guilt. Tears threatened to blur her vision as she thought about what they were actually doing. They were effectively signing their death warrants by not walking away when they could’ve. She blinked the tears away, steeling herself. They were right about one thing. This was their duty. Who else could protect the world? And Usagi had given up her life to do it. The least they could do was try to finish the job or die trying.

But it still bothered her that they didn’t know the full truth. She’d be leading them to their deaths, and they would not know until the end. Maybe not even then. It was unfair.

And every time they called her Princess, it was like another stab in her gut.

Venus took a deep breath and managed a smile. “Thank you, everyone. I really appreciate you standing by me. Now, I suggest we all go home and get some rest.”

---

Minako didn’t sleep at all that night. Every time she even attempted to close her eyes, Usagi’s bloody figure appeared behind her eyelids, and nightmares haunted her. At one point, she saw herself facing Serenity, who pointed a finger accusingly at her. “You killed me,” she was saying with both anguish and fury. “How could you do this to me, Venus?!”

She had woken up with a jolt and decided going to bed was a bad idea.

So she’d spent the night at the command center, trying to locate the Dark Kingdom’s base. Early morning, Luna came back from the Tsukino house and reported that the Tsukinos seemed to have completely forgotten that they had a daughter. Minako’s heart had been crushed. She didn’t know how it had happened; perhaps some magic that got automatically triggered to protect the secret? Was it the Silver Crystal’s doing? Or Queen Serenity’s when she set up their future?

Truthfully, there was a lot that Minako still didn’t know. All she knew was that things weren’t supposed to happen like this. Usagi wasn’t supposed to die.

Her all-nighter, at least, proved useful. After meticulously plugging in all the data she had about all the Dark Kingdom attacks so far, she’d managed to locate what was likely the source of all the dark energy.

It was at D-Point.

She’d alerted Ami, Rei, and Makoto, telling them that she’d found the enemy base, but that it could wait until that night if they still wanted to go to school or go through their day like normal. The implication was obvious; it might very well be their last day.

At Minako's dismissal, Jupiter left the command center with the others and went home. She didn't remember much of what happened on the way back to her apartment, being mostly on autopilot from all of the earlier adrenaline wearing off. Both physically and mentally exhausted from the day's events, Makoto collapsed into bed. She didn't dream much during the night, but when she did, it was just flashes of events over the past few weeks. Most of them involved Usagi in some way.

She woke up early the next morning to the communicator going off on her nightstand, and blearily grabbed it to answer. Minako had found what was most likely the Dark Kingdom's base, a place called D-Point. Their princess had definitely been busy over the short amount of time they had been apart. Despite wanting to finish this fight as soon as possible, Makoto still found that she wanted to go to school today, so she told Minako that she would meet back up at the base that night.

As she got into her old school uniform and started cooking breakfast and lunch, Mako wondered what she'd do on possibly her last day of a normal life. Well, if she might not come back tomorrow, she was going to give these next few hours her all. And if that meant talking to that one guy in her math class she hadn't had the guts to approach, she was going to do it. Having made up her mind, Makoto packed a second serving of lunch in her bento box. Usagi would have begged her to go confess to him anyway if she knew about it...

Hours later, as the sun set, Makoto walked into the Crown Arcade, looking a little more confident than usual. She had walked right up to the boy she had a crush on during lunch, and offered him food. And he hadn't outright rejected her either! Maybe if she was still alive after all of this, she could actually get a date with him! Still smiling as she thought of the day's events, she waited for the others to show up.

Mars was glad to be able to go home and leave the room full of tension and stress. But as she walked home that evening, she couldn't help but worry about Venus. Even though she had put on a brave facade, Mars could see straight through it. She could just feel the guilty energy radiating off of her princess. She felt so helpless, because Mars was not a personable girl and she didn't know how to comfort Venus. And so she just didn't say anything more.

Now back in her civilian form, Rei didn't even bother to go to her room when she arrived home. She went straight to the room where the Great Fire waited, feeling its beckoning call. She would not be getting any sleep tonight.

As she settled into her robes and placed herself in front of the fire, Rei suddenly felt the emotions she had been hiding come rushing to the surface. With her back straight and her hands folded in front of her, Rei stared into the fire as the tears came rushing down her face. The flames enlarged, burning brighter and more intensely. Bending forwards, her arms stretched in front of her as her forehead pressed against the wooden floor. 

"Why her?" she whispered, fists clenched. Shooting upwards, Rei began to scream at the fire. "Why her and not me?! Why would you take the most beautiful person this world has ever seen and kill her?! How could you do that? How could you take the one girl who ever saw me as someone more than a freak with psychic powers? Why?!"

Her voice rang with anger and heartbreak, all being swallowed by the growing flames. The temperature in the room was escalating, but only her drying tears were affected. Sitting there, Rei closed her eyes and allowed the flames to reach out to her, enveloping her in their warmth and providing the comfort she knew would be there. This was where she released her anger and her inner turmoil. This was where her weakness would not be harnessed and turned against her. It was comforting, but painful all the same. 

~

The next morning, Rei was so deep into her meditation that she almost didn't hear her grandfather entering the room. She had been sitting in the same position for hours on end, all through the night and into the morning. Her mind had been restored to a blank page, one that was void of emotion and weakness. Usagi's death had been placed in its own file, buried deep within a cabinet in Rei's mind. 

"Rei, for goodness sakes, turn off this annoying device! How's an old man supposed to get his beauty sleep?!" 

Rei's eyes snapped open and she turned, squinting at the light coming into the room from outside. Accepting the communicator, Rei waited for her grandfather to leave before answering the call.

Listening to what Minako had to say, Rei couldn't help but roll her eyes. How could she possibly attend school when she could get her revenge on those who caused Usagi's death? How could she go about her day when there were butts to burn? No, she couldn't wait around any longer. Even if this might end up being her last day on Earth, she didn't want to live it hating everything around her even more than she already did. 

As Rei prepared to leave, she heard her grandfather mumbling in the kitchen. Feeling a pang of guilt, Rei knew she had to say good-bye to him. He had raised her all these years - he deserved that much. 

Entering the kitchen, Rei approached the man she had come to know as more than just a grandfather. "Grandpa, I'm...heading out now," she said. The old man turned, smiling at his pride and joy. 

"Be safe, and don't be flirting with any boys, you understand me?" Grandpa said teasingly. 

Tears threatened to fill Rei's eyes, but she pushed them back and shook her head. Even though she was pretending to be agitated, she secretly wished she could sit and hear her grandfather's ridiculous speeches all day long. 

"Yeah, whatever you say, old man," Rei responded. She was about to turn and leave when something stopped her. Pausing for just a moment, Rei bent down and enveloped Grandpa in one last, warm hug. "I love you," she whispered. Her voice was so quiet that his ears probably were too old to pick it up, but it was the thought that counted.

Rei left, not hearing the 'I love you too' that was whispered back.

Artemis stayed with Minako all night at the game center. He didn't say a word to his partner. He was waiting. They had an important conversation to discuss, but Minako didn't talk to him as well. She was busy trying to locate the enemy.  He ended up falling asleep and woke up to the computer making a loud noise. Artemis jumped to his feet and saw that his partner discovered they enemy's base. He stood there as she made contact with her teammates. After she altered them, Artemis let out a big sigh. He then gave Luna a look and she left them alone. 

"Mina," he spoke softly. "You and I have something important to talk about." He paused for a moment trying to find a best way to start this conversation. "Boss gave you the orders to be a decoy for the princess. I should have foresaw this happening.. It made since for them to protect you. So please do not blame yourself! Now that we lost our princess you own them the truth! During this battle they will try protect you instead of themselves! The four of you need to stand together as the princess's guardians. You cannot let her die in vain." He then bit his lips. He hoped he didn't come off too harsh.

So absolute was the quiet in the command center that Minako was actually startled by Artemis’ voice when he finally spoke. They hadn’t really talked all night as she worked, and now she dreaded what he was about to say.

His words struck fear into her core. Owe them the truth? Yes, without question, that was true. But Artemis was not thinking about the implications that could bring for the battle. “Yes, maybe we’ll all be able to concentrate better if they’re not all concerned with protecting me. But don’t you think it’ll destroy their morale to tell them we’ve already lost our princess? We’re marching into battle against the enemy in their headquarters. This is it, Artemis. We either save the world or we die trying. And let’s face it, without the Silver Crystal, the outcome might as well have been decided. And you want them to know that?”

She shook her head. “We can’t take away their only hope. If they walk into battle thinking they’ve already lost, then what chance do we have at winning at all?” Every moment she had to keep up the lie hurt and tore her from the inside. But Minako was willing to shoulder that burden if that was what it took to save the world. She’d already sacrificed so much. She was willing to be the bad guy until the end as long as it gave them their best chance.

"Mina!!" Artemis nearly shouted. "Not all hope is lost! The four of you are guardians of the Solar System. Queen Serenity hand picked all of you! How could just give up like that just because we lost the princess?" He jumped off the computer's dashboard. He then glanced back at her and shot her a small glare. "What will you do if their memories return during the battle? Will they remain by your side or will they flee?"

Artemis then walked out the command center. He had enough. He left the arcade and breath in the fresh air. He felt terrible, but it had to be said. If a leader isn't honest why should their soldiers stay by their side? Artemis hope Minako would tell them the truth. It might cost them their lives.

Rei was about to enter the arcade when she saw Artemis coming outside. "Hey, Artemis...is everything okay?" she asked, noticing the cat's angry expression. "Where's Minako?"

Glancing inside the arcade, Rei didn't see Minako, so guessed she was either not here or down in the command center. Rei suddenly began to worry about the welfare of her princess. She couldn't imagine how she must be feeling. If Rei was in her place, she would blame herself for Usagi's death. So Minako was probably doing the exact same thing. 

Usagi. Did her family and friends still have their memories of her? Or had they been erased, like Rei had suggested? "Is there any news about Usagi...?"

Artemis froze when, Rei approached him. He just stared at her as she talked to him. He was lost in his own thoughts. Artemis was tempted to tell the girl the truth. Especially since she asked if there were any news on Usagi. As much as he wanted to tell her the truth. Artemis couldn't bring himself to it. Maybe his partner was right. It was probably best to wait until after the battle.

"Luna reported to Minako and I this morning," he replied in sorrow. "She informed us that her family has no knowledge of her existence. We're unsure why. Maybe has something to do with her body fading away. Minako is in the command center by the way." He then dashed off to go find Luna. Artemis didn't want to watch Rei's reaction. Seeing the girls' pain was too much for him.