“Small Lady!”
“Chibiusa! Where are you? Where have you gone?”
The calls echoed down the hallways of the near-empty palace, along with the rapid footfalls of those searching for the missing child. The Crystal Palace was huge, and there were many places to check. However, as the search continued to draw out with more and more places turning up negatives, the search began to take up more of a frantic pace.
“Did you find her?” Sailor Moon asked after the group met at the top of the Crystal Palace beside the fountain.
“No,” Jupiter replied with a quick shake of her head. “I can’t find her anywhere.”
“Perhaps the enemy has…,” Venus began, but cut off when Knight raised a hand and glared at her.
“Don’t say that.” Everyone present had a worried look on their face after completing the sentence in their heads. Knight sighed and lowered his head, unwilling to look at anyone else. “We don’t know that, yet,” he continued quietly. “I don’t want to give up on her, yet.”
“Anyway, we’d better split up,” Tuxedo Kamen suggested.
“Let’s keep searching,” Venus added. Everyone else nodded their agreement, then split up to continue the search.
Wiseman stared broodingly into his crystal ball for a long time before glancing up at Chibiusa. She was still floating partially upside-down in the air, her vacant expression displaying none of the confusion roiling in her mind.
“Painful memories leave deep scars on your heart,” he said, finally speaking. “Small Lady, remember your evil mother and your cruel father.” His hands waved around his crystal ball as he began to probe into her memories and bring them forward….
Chibiusa cheerfully strolled through the park ahead of her mother and father, holding her small umbrella and laughing happily as the light rain rhythmically tapped against the taut material. She skipped ahead happily, letting her feet strike the ground harder than usual whenever she stepped through any puddles, splashing water all around her. Behind her, her mother and father walked leisurely beneath a shared umbrella.
The young girl halted as a small frog leaped out from the bushes lining their path, drawn out by the rain. “It’s a froggie!” Chibiusa shouted in delight as she took off running after it.
“Small Lady, you’ll fall,” Neo-Queen Serenity warned. However, she was too late as Chibiusa slipped and fell face-first onto the pavement. As soon as she slid to a stop on the rain-slicked pavement, both Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion moved to stand in front of her while she looked up at them in surprise. They hadn’t rushed to her side after she fell? No words of concern? She was starting to cry when her mother knelt down before her.
“You see?” she asked, raising a finger in admonishment. “You didn’t listen to your Mama, did you?”
Chibiusa stopped crying for only a moment before starting again, louder than before.
The queen frowned reprovingly. “Stop crying!” she ordered sternly, shocking the pink-haired girl so much that she stopped crying altogether and merely stared as Neo-Queen Serenity stood up.
“Mama, I hate you!” she declared as soon as she recovered from her shock at hearing her mother speak to her so callously. She then turned to her father, who was still holding the umbrella over her mother and was staring down at her with a cold expression on his face. “Papa, please pick me up.”
King Endymion’s cold expression did not waiver. “Stand up yourself.”
This brought an even bigger shock to the young girl. Her own father didn’t want to pick her up anymore.…
“The parent who does not lend a hand to one’s own child…,” Wiseman stated. “It is proof that they did not love you.”
A spiral of dark power began to rotate around Chibiusa as visions of her mother and father staring down at her with disdain and cold detachment loomed before her.
“It’s your own fault that you fell,” Neo-Queen Serenity proclaimed, frowning.
“Now, get up!” Kind Endymion ordered.
Chibiusa gasped at her parents’ callousness. Her expression turned grim.
“Remember…,” Wiseman goaded. “Remember more hurtful memories….”
Chibiusa stood at the top of the steps leading to the Crystal Palace, disappointed. Today was supposed to be special, but now.…
“Oh, Small Lady?” one of her guardians called out from behind as she approached. There was the sound of several boots clicking against the stone walkway behind her. She recognized Mercury’s voice, so Knight must be with her, obviously. But, it sounded like more than just two pairs of boots.…
“You look sad,” Mercury continued. “Is something wrong?”
Chibiusa turned around. All five of her guardians were there. “Well…,” she began quietly, “today… is my birthday.”
“Your birthday?” Mercury asked, her expression of surprise mirrored by the others.
“So it is,” Venus said thoughtfully.
She turned around to face her guardians with tears in her eyes. “But, Mama and Papa have gone somewhere far away on business.
Mars bent down and smiled apologetically. “It can’t be helped. Those two work hard to govern our kingdom.”
“They probably won’t be back today, I’m afraid,” Jupiter added.
Her parents… wouldn’t be back for her birthday? She began to sniffle, then cry outright. The five guardians exchanged worried glances as she cried.
“Should we hold a birthday party, th–“
“Mars!” Knight cut her off promptly as he placed a single finger on her lips, silencing her. Chibiusa’s crying cut off as she heard Mars mention a birthday party, and she started to listen to what her guardians had to say next. Were they actually going to throw her a party, even though her parents weren’t going to be there for her birthday?
Mars turned to look at Knight, blinking in surprise at being cut off in mid-sentence.
“We can’t,” he stated solemnly as he removed his finger from her lips.
“Sorry,” she relented. “You’re right.”
Chibiusa began to glance from one guardian to the other, her hopes crumbling quickly. Not them, too?
Knight gave each guardian a meaningful look and nodded his head away from Chibiusa.
“Well, bye!” Venus said as she and the others turned to leave.
“See you later, Small Lady!” Mercury added.
“Happy birthday, kiddo!” Knight added just as they all left her sight.
Chibiusa stared after them, devastated.
“Everyone…. Everyone….
“Everyone pretended they hadn’t known anything. No one celebrated my birthday,” Chibiusa stated, her countenance growing harder.
“Yes,” Wiseman said smugly, “you do remember that. No one loves you!”
That statement struck hard at her wounded heart. “I….”
An image of her guardians smirking at her.
“…no one….”
An image of her father turning her back on her.
“…loves me….”
An image of her mother scowling hatefully at her.
“…at all.”
“Hate this world,” Wiseman told her.
They all hated her. No one loved her at all. So, they didn’t love her? Then, why should she love them? They turned their back on her? She would turn her back on them! They would hate her?
She scowled fiercely.
Then, she would hate them!
“Destroy the world you hate and shut it into the darkness.”
Yes. She would destroy them. She would destroy those that hated her!
“When you hold hate in your heart and receive the powers of the Black Crystal, the world would be destroyed!”
Yes. She would destroy the world.
Wiseman ceased waving his hands over his crystal ball and moved them to the sides of the ball. A bright light flashed from the crystal as the dark spiral warped, then collapsed onto Chibiusa, enveloping her in their black tendrils until they settled onto her like a second skin. Energy crackled all over her body as she began to change. Her fingers grew longer as her hands grew larger. Her feet and legs grew bigger and longer. Her body stretched and filled out in both her waist and chest areas. Her hair rapidly grew longer, growing out to her new height.
The darkness faded away from her skin, leaving only the black inverted crescent moon that symbolized the clan of the Black Moon upon her forehead. Her eyes opened and she smirked wickedly. Dark power emanated from her body, ruffling the black dress and dark pink shawl-like garments she now wore.
Behind Prince Diamond’s throne, a plume of dark power suddenly burst forth from the Black Crystal resting in the chamber beneath him. His relaxed pose never wavered, as such emanations were becoming more and more common as of late.
“It is done,” Wiseman stated as he suddenly appeared before him with the newly transformed Chibiusa at his side.
“Wiseman?” he asked, sitting up straight in surprise.
“Our Black Crystal’s servant, the Rabbit, has become the Queen of Darkness and has gained unsurpassable powers,” Wiseman declared.
Prince Diamond leaned forward in disbelief as he stared at the woman. “What?!? You’re the Rabbit?” He gasped and lurched backward as his eyes caught the symbol on her forehead. “The sign of our clan!”
The woman gave a short laugh. “I am Black Lady,” she stated.
“Prince Diamond, you should go to the world of the past,” Wiseman said as Diamond continued to stare at Black Lady. “If you release dark power there with Black Lady’s help, you shall conquer the Earth.” He then vanished, along with Black Lady, leaving the prince to stare at the spot they once stood.
A slow grin spread across his face as he clenched a fist eagerly. “At last, the time has come to take our revenge upon the Earth.”
“Brother.” He turned his gaze toward Saffire, who had just appeared at a distance to his left. “You should be more careful around Wiseman.
“Emerald died because he thought that she was no longer useful,” he told him. “I cannot help but think this.”
“Oh?” he asked as he leaned forward; then turned away. “Nonsense.
“We were forced to live on this wretched planet because of those on Earth. No one’s life compares to getting our revenge.”
“But, brother, there are things that make me believe that Wiseman cannot be trusted,” Saffire insisted as he approached his brother.
“Fool,” Prince Diamond scoffed. “Wiseman has given us so much useful information, as well as the power of the Black Crystal. Who else can we trust if we cannot trust him?
“Look, Saffire,” he said as he turned his gaze toward the projector in the center of the chamber. An image of a tall, glowing obelisk surrounded by the five Sailor Scouts of the future appeared over the projector. “The five soldiers still stand against us. We cannot end the battle unless we prevent Crystal Tokyo from ever being built.”
He stood up and turned toward his brother with a confident grin. “Now that the Rabbit has become Black Lady, servant of the Black Crystal, our chance has come. Such an opportunity cannot be wasted. I will go to the past and open a Dark Gate with Black Lady’s help.” He raised a hand and brushed a wayward lock of hair from Saffire’s face. “Saffire, protect the crystal until the Gate is opened. Be ready to pour the Black Crystal’s power through the Dark Gate then.”
Saffire’s worried expression changed to one of confidence in his brother. “Brother….”
“Understand?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Eh?!? Chibiusa traveled back through time?” Sailor Moon repeated, surprised at the news.
“It seems that Diamond has followed her into the past,” Pluto’s projected image informed the group.
“Diamond?” Jupiter asked.
“Into the past?” Sailor Moon added.
“He must be after kiddo again,” Knight concluded. “That was one of the main reasons they came to our time in the first place, wasn’t it?”
Pluto nodded. “But, something is not right with Small Lady.”
“What?” Sailor Moon exclaimed worriedly.
“What do you mean?” Knight inquired.
“Small Lady isn’t herself,” Pluto told them. “Please return to the past immediately.” She extended her right hand forward, causing a mist to rise behind them. As the group turned to look behind them, the door to the Time Gate appeared and opened its doors.
Tuxedo Kamen turned back toward Pluto. “Sailor Pluto, I want to know. What happened before we became King and Queen, and built Crystal Tokyo? What happened to the Earth?”
Sailor Pluto bowed her head regretfully. “You have seen a glimpse of your future. However, it is not good to know your future. The important thing is to work toward a bright future with hope, and live your present to its fullest.”
Sailor Knight tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at Pluto while half-smiling. “Because the future is not truly written until the present is past, right, Pluto?”
“I suppose you could say that, Sailor Knight,” she replied with a faint, yet amused smile. “Ironically enough,” she added cryptically to herself, yet not quietly enough so as to not be overheard.
Sailor Moon glanced from Knight to Pluto, then back to Knight again. “At any rate, let’s go!” she stated, not really understanding what Pluto had meant by that last remark. The group all turned toward the Time Gate and passed through. As soon as the last person passed through, the doors to the Time Gate closed and vanished, along with Pluto’s image.
A full moon hovered peacefully over the quiet Shiba Park. The grounds were empty, as usual, save for the occasional bird perched here and there in one tree or another. It was dark, yet lamplight dotted the grounds along the main walkways for the rare late night jogger, or a couple wanting a late night stroll through the park. It didn’t happen very often, but it was known to happen from time to time.
In a secluded corner of Shiba Park, the Sailor Scouts and company all returned to their home time with a brief flash of light. As soon as they appeared, they all glanced at their surroundings as if they hadn’t seen them for such a long time.
It had certainly felt like it to them.
“This is…,” Sailor Moon whispered as she held Chibiusa’s Luna Sphere to her chest with both arms crossing over the kitty ball.
“We’re back in Juuban,” Luna determined.
“Hopefully, this is the same day we left,” Knight added. “Arriving too late would cause problems for some of us.”
Sailor Moon nodded. “That’s true,” she agreed as she glanced up to the sky and smiled. “The full moon is beautiful!”
Everyone turned to look up at the moon. It was clearly visible in the clear sky.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out with a content sigh. “The air is fresh! Peace is a wonderful thing.”
Knight took a deep breath himself and gave out a contented sigh of his own. She was right; the air was cleaner than in the future. The future smelled… stagnant, almost musty. Almost like a tomb.
Many people had died then. Perhaps he wasn’t that far off.
“We have to protect this world.”
Sailor Mars’ words snapped him out his introspective state. “My thoughts exactly,” he agreed. Sailor Moon nodded as well.
“We need to find out what Diamond is planning to do here in the present,” Mercury told them.
“And we’ve got to find Chibiusa,” Sailor Moon said, hugging the Luna Sphere to her tightly. She stared back up at the moon with a fretful expression on her face.
Please be safe, Chibiusa.…
At that moment, Black Lady was standing atop one of the taller buildings in the downtown area, watching Prince Diamond and waiting. Across the street and atop another building, the prince grinned eagerly.
“Now is the time for the revenge that I have been dreaming of for all these years,” he murmured smugly to himself and chuckled softly.
He reached up and removed his right earring – which was exactly the same as Emerald’s had been – and held it straight out before him. An arc of dark power flowed out from the earring and struck the ground in the middle of the street. As the power continued to surge forth, a small crystal growth burst out from underneath the asphalt, cracking the street around it. It continued to grow until it was a small spike of Black Crystal, roughly the height of a short man.
Black Lady thrust her arms toward the growing crystal and lent it her powers. Instantly, the Black Crystal growth began to grow at an exponential rate. Within moments, the spike of Black Crystal had grown up to fifty times its original size.
And it was still growing.
A swirling column of dark power, as well as a small black cloud forming along the slowly arriving blanket of light gray clouds, broke the Scouts out of their reverie.
“Dark energy!” Artemis confirmed. “Is the enemy planning to build a new Dark Gate?”
“That’s not going to happen!” Sailor Moon declared as everyone started sprinting toward the source of the dark energy. However, before they could reach the edge of the park, a whirlwind of black energy appeared suddenly before them.
“What?!?” Sailor Moon exclaimed as everyone came to a sudden stop.
The black whirlwind finally faded away, revealing a pink-haired woman wearing a long black dress and collar. She was holding her arms out to the sides as if to physically bar their passing through the entrance to the park. “I will not let you go one step beyond this point,” she declared simply.
“Who are you?” Sailor Moon shouted.
“I was given a new life by Wiseman,” she replied. “The Queen of Darkness, Black Lady.”
“Black Lady?” all present repeated, confounded.
At Sailor Moon’s feet, the little light at the end of the Luna Sphere’s antennae began to blink. Luna and Artemis glanced toward the Luna Sphere, their expressions showing some alarm at the bizarre behavior of Chibiusa’s favorite toy/companion.
“Through the powers of the Black Crystal, I shall change this planet into a dark world,” Black Lady continued, grinning haughtily.
Everyone’s attention suddenly turned from Black Lady to the Luna Sphere, which had suddenly begun to rise into the air toward Black Lady. It stopped in front of the surprised woman, who stared blankly at it until a look of recognition lit her face.
“Oh, Luna Sphere! You still remember me,” she said happily as she reached out and hugged the kitty ball to herself. The Luna Sphere beeped a couple of times, then the yellow crescent moon on its surface converted into an inverted black crescent moon matching the one on its mistress’ forehead.
“You’re my only friend,” the dark woman lamented.
Sailor Moon gasped as something clicked in her mind. The way Black Lady was hugging the Luna Sphere…. It was the same way Chibiusa hugged the kitty ball. And that ball was Chibiusa’s only friend until she met her and the others….
“It can’t be…,” Sailor Moon gasped. “You’re….”
“Kiddo?” Knight said through a suddenly tight throat.
“Are you Chibiusa-chan?” Mars asked.
Black Lady laughed arrogantly. “I was called that once.”
“It can’t be!” Tuxedo Kamen shouted.
“No way,” Sailor Moon yelled frantically. “No way! I can’t believe Chibiusa could change like this!”
“If you can’t believe it, then maybe my Luna Sphere will help you understand!” she yelled as she threw the Luna Sphere toward the ground. The ball bounced against the ground and transformed into an umbrella within its usual puff of smoke. Black Lady snatched the spinning umbrella from the air and opened it, while pointing the top of the umbrella at the group gathered below her. The top of the umbrella began to spin rapidly before a strong discharge of dark power leapt out in a corkscrew toward the Scouts. The blast struck the ground, blasting the entire group backward and to the ground.
“What incredible power!” Jupiter groaned as she pushed herself up to her knees.
“Chibiusa-chan, what was happened to you?” Venus called out.
“Kiddo…,” Knight said as he forced himself to sit up, “why?”
A haughty smirk quickly replaced Black Lady’s angry scowl. “I will not forgive you!”
“Something’s wrong,” Mars noticed as she stared at Black Lady. “Those eyes….” Comprehension quickly hit her. “Those eyes! She’s been brainwashed!”
“Brainwashed?” Sailor Moon repeated, confused.
“Some force is controlling her mind and heart!” Mercury explained.
Sailor Moon’s expression fell. So she knew Chibiusa really didn’t mean what she was doing, but she was still doing it all the same. How could they stop her without fighting her?
“What should we do?” she moaned worriedly.
The umbrella’s twirling picked up speed as another blast was unleashed. This blast struck Sailor Moon at full force, knocking her back a good fifty meters.
“Don’t do this!” Sailor Moon pleaded. “Why are you attacking us?”
Black Lady’s glare hardened. “I hate the people who were cruel to me,” she stated coldly. “I hate all the life on this world.”
Sailor Moon stared in utter disbelief. “Cruel to you? Who?”
“Everyone was!”
“That’s not true!” she countered as she stood up. “Chibiusa. Your Mama and your Papa, everyone around you, they all loved you!”
Black Lady’s umbrella closed up. “Don’t tell me such lies!” she yelled as she lunged forward, her umbrella spinning again like a drill. Sailor Moon quickly leapt away as the tip of Black Lady’s umbrella drilled into the concrete path she was standing on. However, Black Lady was quick enough to lunge again, causing Sailor Moon to leap away again hurriedly.
“Sailor Moon!” Luna chided. “Don’t just run away!”
“I can’t fight Chibiusa!” Sailor Moon retorted.
Black Lady used this opportunity to rise into the air again and snap open her umbrella again. This time, as she pointed her open umbrella at Sailor Moon, her umbrella tip began shooting out a barrage of spikes, one after another. Sailor Moon desperately tried to dodge all of them, and managed to succeed, but in doing so, she managed to trip herself up and crash to the floor.
Once again, Black Lady tried to press her advantage by firing upon Sailor Moon while she was down. Sailor Moon was quick enough to roll under the attack, but unfortunately, she did manage to get pinned down on all sides by an outline of spikes.
“I hate you!” Black Lady screamed as she lunged forward, intending to finish her off. Sailor Moon squeezed her eyes shut and averted her head, anguished by the fact that out of all the youma and the like she had ever faced since becoming Sailor Moon, it took her future daughter to kill her.
A rose flashing through the air halted Black Lady moments before she could reach her target. It knocked the umbrella out of her grasp before imbedding itself into the ground beyond them. The umbrella changed back into the Luna Sphere in midair, then bounced back into Black Lady’s hands. Everyone turned to stare at Tuxedo Mask, who had perched himself atop one of the nearby lampposts.
“Even a beautiful flower will die if it’s poisoned by evil energy,” he announced. “Chibiusa, you are possessed by a force of dark energy. Don’t be deceived. Wake up!”
“Is everyone going to try to hurt me?” Black Lady growled as she flung her Luna Sphere at Tuxedo Kamen. He merely dodged by leaning to the left and letting the kitty ball pass.
“Sailor Moon, use the Silver Crystal to remove the dark energy that has possessed Chibiusa!” he called to Sailor Moon.
Sailor Moon sat up from within her trap of spikes and nodded. “I understand,” she said and stood up. “You’ve been poisoned by dark energy, Small Lady,” she told Black Lady as she reached for her brooch. “Please, refresh!
“Moon crystal power!”
As Sailor Moon held up her brooch, the Silver Crystal shone with its bright violet energy. Black Lady rapidly threw up her arms in order to shield herself from the purifying light. She groaned in pain as Sailor Moon continued to hold the brooch overhead.
“Chibiusa, you’ve been deceived. Remember your childhood,” she urged. “Your Mama and Papa were kind, loving parents.”
The Silver Crystal’s light grew in intensity as memories began to flood back into her mind.
“Mama! Papa! Where are you?” Chibiusa shouted as she ran though the halls of the Crystal Palace, crying. “You’re all mean! I can’t believe you left me all alone!”
She came to a stop as she noticed that one of the doors that were usually always kept closed was slightly ajar. Did someone forget to close it? She could see some faint light flickering inside, so she decided to go see.
As soon as the doors opened, the sounds of several noisemaking poppers bursting all at once reached her ears. She stood there, frozen in shock as the lights slowly returned to life and she could see everyone standing before her. Her five guardians. Papa. Mama. They were all standing around a table with a cake on it. A birthday cake with five candles.
Chibiusa smiled as far as her mouth could stretch.
“Small Lady,” her mother said, smiling.
“Happy Birthday,” her father finished, also smiling.
“Mama.… Papa.…”
“Small Lady.…”
“Kiddo.…”
“…Happy Birthday!” all five guardians chorused cheerfully.
“Everyone!”
“We’re sorry that we had to celebrate your birthday a day late,” her father told her.
“They came back as quickly as they could when their work was completed,” Mercury said.
“Tonight’s birthday party was supposed to be a surprise,” Mars added.
“But, it was a secret,” Jupiter added.
“Sorry for not saying anything,” Venus added.
“But, we wanted to make sure everything was all ready for you,” Knight finished. “Are you mad at us, kiddo?”
Chibiusa shook her head, her eyes tearing in joy. “No, it’s all right,” she replied. “Thank you, Mama, Papa, everyone!”
As elucidation run through Black Lady’s mind, her earrings and black moon symbol began to fade away. “Everyone… cares about me…,” she murmured in wonder as her body began to return to her original form.
“Chibiusa is…!” Sailor Moon shouted.
“She’s returning to the old Chibiusa-chan!” Mars exclaimed.
“We can clear up the misunderstanding,” Mercury said.
“She’s breaking free of the spell!” Jupiter said hopefully.
“Thank goodness!” Venus breathed.
“It’s almost over,” Knight added, sighing in relief.
“Chibiusa!” Sailor Moon called out happily.
Just as the final vestiges of the dark power imbued in her were cleared away, causing the Luna Sphere’s black moon symbol to change back to its old yellow crescent moon, Wiseman appeared behind the kitty ball, his hands waving over his crystal ball.
“Black Lady, don’t let them fool you,” he warned, snapping her out of the Silver Crystal’s healing magic. “Remember your mean mother and your cold-hearted father!”
Sailor Moon whirled to stare in shock at Wiseman. That was her he was talking about! She was not mean! And her Mamo-chan was not cold-hearted!
“You are a small rabbit starved for love,” Wiseman continued. “A melancholic soul who only wishes for others to celebrate your birthday with you.”
“Chibiusa-chan, don’t listen to him!” Mars warned.
“That hallucination you just saw was rooted in that strong wish,” Wiseman finished confidently.
Black Lady’s expression became hurt. “A hallucination? That wonderful memory was a mere hallucination?”
“Chibiusa, don’t let him deceive you!” Sailor Moon pleaded. “What you saw was no dream. It was real! It happened!”
The pink-haired woman stared down at her hands, confused and torn. “I don’t know the truth anymore…,” she bemoaned.
Wiseman saw this as his chance to win her back. “You are not loved by anyone. Let your hatred grow.” His eyes glowed from within his cowl as he called forth tendrils of dark power to come and surround her. One by one, her happy memories were erased and warped into bitter ones. Those who she remembered as loving, were now remembered as being hateful.
“You are not loved by anyone,” Wiseman insisted. “No one. No one!”
“It’s true,” Black Lady lamented. “No one gave me a birthday party. After all, no one loves me.”
The tendrils of dark power disappeared and Black Lady’s powers returned to her. Once the dark power faded away, she flew up to where Wiseman was waiting with her Luna Sphere.
“Chibiusa!” Sailor Moon called out, still hoping to reach her.
“Chibiusa-chan!” Mars also called out.
“Kiddo!” Knight called out as well, even if he knew it was a likely futile effort at this point. Wiseman wouldn’t let go so easy.
“I have been given a new life by Wiseman,” Black Lady stated. “I am Black Lady. I am not Chibiusa.”
“No!” Mercury retorted. “You’re Chibiusa-chan!”
“You’re Chibiusa-chan!” Jupiter and Venus agreed.
“And you’re Crystal Tokyo’s…,” Artemis began.
“…Small Lady!” Luna added.
“Don’t be controlled by the dark energy!” Tuxedo Kamen shouted.
Black Lady let her gaze slide over all of them as she gave them an arrogant smirk and laugh. “Any moment now, the Black Crystal from Nemesis will pour its energy into this planet and the Earth will crumble.”
As Black Lady spoke, Prince Diamond continued to watch as the Black Crystal growth continued to increase in size. It was currently over half the height of the building Black Lady had stood upon when she first imbued the growth with her power. Soon, there would be more than enough power to open a Dark Gate.
Prince Diamond continued to watch as he stood upon a streetlamp, and smiled.
“You will die with this world, and it will be good!” Black Lady declared and laughed as she gathered her dark power around her in order to teleport away.
“Chibiusa!” Sailor Moon called out as Tuxedo Kamen reached out toward the swirling mass of dark power, as if he could pull Chibiusa to safety out from within it.
Within moments, she was gone and all was quiet.
Sailor Moon clenched her fists at her sides and her head down as she quivered. In anger, fear, nervousness, apprehension, she did not know. Nor did she care. Right then, there was only one thing she cared about.
“Chibiusa….”
She opened her eyes and stared out at the now rising sun with worried eyes.
“What can we do to bring her back?”
Tuxedo Kamen moved to stand beside her as they both stared at the sun as it began to peek over the horizon. Behind them, the other Sailor Scouts and the two cats stood and stared as well. They were not watching the sun, for they had something more important to think about. They knew they would see Black Lady again soon. Time could only tell when that would be, but what would they do then?
One way or another, they would find out soon enough.
To Chapter 85: The Death Phantom