Eternal Sailor Moon glared at the Starlights - no! Animates! - before her. Determination shined out of her blue eyes as never before. "Fighter, Healer, Maker," she stated firmly, a sharp edge in her voice, "get out of my way."
"You know we can't do that, Sailor Moon," Star Healer answered, regret in her voice.
"Galaxia does not want to see you yet," continued Maker.
"How can you protect her?" Sailor Moon shrieked, clutching the sword she held as if it were a lifeline. "She murdered your princess! She killed Kakyuu-Hime!"
A stricken look passed over the faces of all three Animates at once. "We know," Healer finally answered. "It's hard not to, when we can see her Star Seed over Galaxia's throne."
"Did you tell your new friend where you were?"
Sailor Moon whirled to find herself face-to-face with Fighter. She gulped at the dark-haired Senshi's proximity and almost took a step back. "I-iie," she stuttered. "Trunks doesn't know."
Healer laughed shortly. "I saw the way they were around each other at the shrine temple. He'll come for her."
She glanced over her shoulder at the silver-haired woman. "Hontoo ni?" was all she could squeeze out around the sudden lump in her throat.
A gentle grip seized her arm, and she turned her attention back to Fighter. "I believe our friend from another time will be joining us soon enough." She smirked. "He'd be a fool not to."
"Why are you doing this, Seiya?" She sounded tired, just tired.
The smirk turned to a sad smile. "Because I promised to take care of you, odango."
She yanked her arm back and leveled her sword between them. "You call what you've done to me 'taking care' of me, Fighter?" she spit out.
"I -"
Usagi's eyes narrowed, and she swung the huge sword with surprising skill. "You raped and tortured me, Seiya!" Another swing, and Sailor Star Fighter was forced to jump into the air backward to avoid it. Sailor Moon's wings spread out, and she followed the other Sailor Soldier.
* * *
So those wings weren't just for decoration as he'd been beginning to think, Trunks noted to himself. Tracking down her ki in this nearly empty city had been simple enough, as had been spotting her and the Animates in the deserted street before Galaxy T.V.
Surprisingly enough, she was handling the sword without a bit of difficulty, almost like a pro and had used it a thousand times before. He squinted, watching the blonde woman's movements. She was fighting simply on her emotions, and it showed in her style, but the sword seemed to be reacting to those emotions. Impossible. . . There wasn't a weapon out there that could fix its wielder's mistakes.
A tremendous power surged out of nowhere, almost as strong as Cell, and a yellow light descended from the sky. Usagi flew back, away from it, and he quickly flew out to join her. "Galaxia?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.
"Hai, Trunks," she answered.
She probably didn't even realize that she was drawing closer to him as the figure in gold appeared below them. The Animates knelt before the figure, relunctantly it seemed, and she laughed scornfully as she surveyed the three kneeling figures and the two in the air. That laugh only made Trunks madder than he already was, but Usagi ducked a little further behind him. For all her anger, she was still a little afraid, which was probably wise.
"Is this what you're here for, Sailor Moon?" Galaxia asked out of the blue, looking directly at the woman with him and ignoring the rest of them. She held up one hand, palm facing up, and nine crystals appeared there, of various colors, including one that was a brilliant shade of gold.
"Their Star Seeds," Usagi whispered, moving out from behind him.
"If you want them, all you have to do is -"
Without warning, surprising everyone assembled, including Galaxia, the Star Seeds floating above her palm began to shine even more brightly just before they shot away from Galaxia and into the brooch on Usagi's chest. The blonde woman screamed.
A white light devoured her.
Trunks's glare settled on the gold-clad woman below him.
2 August 2000
Arigatoo, Duet-chan, for the supurb idea. Hehe, more fun this way comes. Things are just beginning to get curiouser and curiouser.
And arigatoo to Chibi712, for putting up with my insanity while I was writing this.