"You- you were this close to us," Seiya says. "This whole time..."

They kneel before the woman.

"This whole time, we have been searching for you, my Princess."

"Seiya..." the woman says. "Taiki... Yaten... I've finally met you...! I always heard your singing voices, the voices of your hearts. So many times I thought of going to you. But my body's recovery took longer than I had expected... Chibi-Chibi-chan helped me. She told me of you three. And of Sailor Moon. She has always protected and encouraged me."

"Chibi-Chibi...?" says Seiya. "Who on earth are you...?"

The woman turns to the small girl.

"I felt the power of your full star," she says. "You are another sailor soldier, aren't you, Chibi-Chibi-chan?"

Chibi-Chibi smiles at her.

"Chibi-Chibi Crystal Power!! Make Up!!"

She transforms, appearing in a sailor suit.

"A sailor soldier!?"

Scene Change

Nyanko licks her lips. "You made it," she says. "Traitors!"

"What!?" say the two cats.

"If I am a fake cat, then you are too!"

She thrusts her arm out and light swirls around the two cats.

"Luna! Artemis!!" Usagi calls.

They appear in their human forms.

They jump to the roof of the school.

"You won't get away!" says Nyanko.

She flies after them.

"Nyanko-chan!?" says Usagi. "No, an enemy!? Silver Moon Crystal Power! Make Up!!"

Nyanko holds up her arm as she approaches Luna and Artemis. The metal bracelet around her wrist glows.

"Galactica Puppet!!"

Usagi rushes between them as electricity shoots at Luna and Artemis.

"Sailor Moon!!" they cry.

"I want to be friends with you, Sailor Moon," says Nyanko. "Now, for a little introduction. I am Sailor Tin Nyanko!"

"Then you must be-!" says Luna. "From the planet Mau!? Using the sacred name of a sailor soldier! You are nothing but a flawed imitation of our planet's single hero, Sailor Mau!"

"Selling out the bodies of the peace-loving people of Mau to unknown enemies!" says Artemis. "How could you!?"

"You know nothing!" Nyanko says. "You are the ones who turned traitor and abandoned Mau! The planet Mau is no more! It has been made a planet of death by the Shadow Galactica!"

"...It what!?" the two cats say. "How!? What happened!?"

"Be quiet!" yells Nyanko. "When I win this fight, I'll take off this bracelet and be given a perfect body! Then I'll get a sailor crystal from Galaxia-sama, and have a planet of my own, and become a true sailor soldier!! Yaaah!"

She leaps into the air

. "Luna!! Artemis!!" Usagi says. "Luna and Artemis are from the planet Mau...! The two of them have a mother star just like Phobos and Deimos...! And they left their home to come to this solar system for us...!"

A gray figure materializes between Nyanko and the two cats.

"Stop!" she yells. "You're all comrades from the same planet!"

"Diana!?" say Luna and Artemis.

"Dad! Mom!"

She screams as Nyanko's attack strikes her, and she is transformed back to the form of a cat.

"Diana!?" Usagi calls.

Scene Change

Chibi-Usa gasps.

She runs to her room.

"Diana!?"

She sees her cat's basket empty.

"Diana!? Where are you!?"

Scene Change

The gray cat meows quietly. Luna and Artemis hold her.

"Diana!?" they say. "She can't talk!? Because of that attack!?"

Usagi sticks her arm out.

"Open your eyes!" she says. "Nyanko-chan!!"

"Heh heh!"

Multiple images of Nyanko appear, spinning around.

She brings together the bracelets on her wrists.

A blast shoots past Usagi, striking Luna and Artemis. They change back into cats.

"Luna!! Artemis!!"

Usagi runs to them, screaming as she goes through the blast.

She picks up the three cats, who can only meow.

"Diana!! Luna! Artemis! Hold on!!"

"It's my fault," she thinks. "I always drag everyone along into this destiny!"

"Stupid! Diving into it yourself!"

Nyanko turns to the sound of the new voice.

"Star Serious Laser!!" Seiya calls.

Nyanko is struck in a burst of light, and disappears.

Usagi drops to the ground, holding the cats.

"Star Fighter!" she says. "Star Healer! Star Maker! ... Chibi-Chibi!?"

Taiki takes the three cats from her.

"They're still breathing. Let's go to our house."

Usagi walks into the spacious room of the downtown condominium, carrying Luna, Artemis, and Diana. She sees the woman in red standing inside. "You're..."

"I am Kakyuu," says the woman. She kneels before Usagi. "I am the first order imperial Princess Kakyuu of the Red Cercis Kingdom of the planet Kinmoku."

['Kakyuu' means 'Fireball'.]

[The planet name is a pun: 'kinmokusei' here is written to mean 'the planet Kinmoku', but the word normally means 'fragrant olive'.]

"I apologize for the rudeness of these ones," the woman says. "They are the three guardian soldiers of our Kinmoku star system. Greetings, Sailor Moon-- no, next queen of the Silver Millennium, Neo-Queen Selenity."

"How do you know me...?" Usagi says.

"The desire of the strong, beautiful guardian soldiers of the solar systems is to be sailor soldiers scattered across the galaxy. You took the Prince's hand, and you showed the shining of this planet's next king and queen. In that moment, the power of this planet's light, filled with the power of life, crossed time and space and spread throughout the entire galaxy. That was a message from this solar system stronger, brighter, and warmer than ever before. I have wanted to meet you for so very long."

She takes the three cats from Usagi and places them on a blanket.

"Good, they're still breathing..." she says. "They need treatment. The starseeds of these ones have power and brilliance just like the sailor crystals. I'm glad they're safe..."

"Princess," says Seiya. "The enemy escaped before we could deliver the final blow. It seemed she was not being ruled in her heart."

"Sailor Moon," says the woman. "I request that you please save this galaxy. The galaxy is becoming a horrible thing now. Sailor Galaxia has begun attacking all the planets with sailor soldiers in the galaxy. The sailor crystals of the sailor soldiers are being stolen, people and cities are being assaulted, planets are being ruined one after another. Galaxia is forcing the young with ambition and power to work under her. She has built a horrific empire, called the Shadow Galactica. The enemies that have been attacking you are not really true sailor soldiers. They are innocent ones, only ruled and used by Galaxia's bracelets. They have been crushed by the power of Galaxia's bracelets, and are without life..."

"The sailor soldiers of the galaxy," says Usagi. "Their home planets were attacked, and their lives taken by Galaxia...!?"

"Sailor Galaxia," says the woman. "She is the soldier of destruction! The planets attacked by Galaxia are turned to planets of death. Things with and without life alike are destroyed. And he was too... Right in front of me..."

Her eyes start to water.

"But no matter how many planets are attacked, only when Galaxia reaches this solar system will the real test occur. Galaxia's final target is surely you."

"Why... me...?" says Usagi.

"It is because you have the most powerful of all the sailor crystals in the galaxy. You are the soldier with the Silver Moon Crystal."

"The existence of you and your Mystical Silver Crystal have upset history!" Safir said as he wrapped his hands around Usagi's neck.

Usagi gasps. "The whole time..." she thinks. "Everything, it was my fault... Everyone was drawn in for the power I carry. Battles occurred."

"Where is Galaxia?" she asks. "The crystals of my most precious ones, too... have been stolen. I have to get their crystals back... I have to go to Galaxia...!"

"I will show you the way," the woman says.

"Princess!?" the Three Lights say.

"The one who can save this galaxy is only you, Sailor Moon. Galaxia's location is at the center of the galaxy."

"The center of the galaxy...!"

The sun sets on the downtown condominium.

Seiya plays the piano as Taiki and Yaten look on.

"In the galaxy..." says Taiki, "there are many star systems like this one. But this solar system is a special place. There are no other star systems which have completed their growth with such balance. Many planets have died midway through their growth."

"Growth?" says Usagi.

"Planets all grow from starseeds," says Yaten. "Not just planets. Different sizes, different shapes, different names, but... All things with life grow from starseeds. This planet and its people have starseeds. Same with our planet. And of course, we, the sailor soldiers, grow from starseeds. Sailor crystals are created as special starseeds, and spread out to the chosen planets. They grow together with those planets, finally becoming guardian soldiers and defending the planets. The first who attacked you, Iron Mouse, her planet Chuu was defended by Sailor Chuu. Aluminum Siren's planet Mermaid, by Sailor Mermaid. The planet Coronis by Sailor Coronis. The planet Mau by Sailor Mau."

"And in this solar system..." Usagi says. "Mercury by Sailor Mercury, Venus by Sailor Venus, Mars by Sailor Mars, Jupiter by Sailor Jupiter. And Earth, by me and Mamo-chan..."

Seiya holds her as she starts to cry.

Yaten and Taiki leave the room with Chibi-Chibi.

"I'm all right," Usagi says. "I won't cry anymore. The battle with Galaxia is approaching."

"You..." thinks Seiya. "Even now, you're burdened with such heavy wings."

"Princess Kakyuu, also," he says. "Her beloved was lost to Galaxia... Sailor Moon, whatever battle awaits you in the galaxy, we have power at your side." He kisses her hand. "We will protect you."

"Thank you," says Usagi. "If for some reason, I wasn't a sailor soldier... I wouldn't have friends helping me. I might not even have met them."

"All that is a sailor soldier is inside the sailor crystals," said Yaten. "The crystals of unknown power, the sailor crystals, won't disappear!"

"If for some reason the Silver Moon Crystal didn't exist, would I not have even been born...?"

She looks at Seiya.

"I wish our bodies could last forever, too..." she says

He slowly leans down and kisses her softly on the lips.

"I hope that we are born again," he says.

He gets up and walks to the door.

"It's late. I'll take you home."

"That's okay," says Usagi, holding Chibi-Chibi. "We can manage. ...Thank you."

Seiya watches the two leave.

"We are of different stations in the universe," he thinks to himself. "It might be unrequited love, Seiya."

Scene Change

"Yay! Swings!"

Chibi-Chibi runs into the park.

"Chibi-Chibi," says Usagi, carrying the three cats. "If we don't get home, mom will be worried."

"Just a little!" says Chibi-Chibi as she jumps onto the swing.

"Hmph..." says Usagi. "You're a wonderful kid, you Chibi-Chibi. You don't tell me anything at all. But strangely, you're dear and lovable, and you put me at ease. Even though you don't say anything, you seem to understand... I was startled that you're a sailor soldier, too. ...Just where are you from? Who are you?"

Chibi-Chibi looks up at her.

"I'm me."

Usagi stares at her. "I'm me..." she thinks to herself.

She grimaces.

"Hey now! You dodged the question again! Answer me for real, Chibi-Chibi!"

A sailor crystal drops to the ground.

Usagi looks up and sees a woman with long hair blowing in the wind, cast in shadow by the moonlight.

"...Who's that?"

Usagi picks up the crystal and hands it to the woman.

"Thank you," the woman says. "You always have so many friends. I wonder if that special sailor crystal draws them to you."

She spreads her arms out and is surrounded in light. A storm of wind blows at Usagi.

"Who is that!?" she thinks. "Such power!"

A bolt of lightning strikes the park from the sky. Energy swirls around the woman.

Rain begins to pour down.

"A storm!?" Usagi thinks. "Such strong power! This is like no enemy before!! Who is that!?"

"Sailor Galaxia," said Princess Kakyuu. "She is the soldier of destruction!"

"It can't be...!" thinks Usagi.

The woman smiles as her power spreads out through the city.

"It can't be!!"

ACT 47

Usagi grips Chibi-Chibi in her arms as the storm blasts around them.

"The city!" she thinks. "It's being blown away!"

Buildings rip apart, pieces flying into the air.

"It's too late! I can't last through it by myself! Such power! This is nothing like the enemies before! Uranus! Neptune!! Pluto!!"

"They went to their castles themselves to investigate the invaders and the outskirts of the galaxy," said Luna. "I think they'll contact us soon."

"Uranus! Neptune! Pluto! Answer me! An enemy has appeared! Please, give me strength!"

She sees a vision of the three outer soldiers' bodies being torn to shreds.

The woman before her chuckles.

"This is... a hallucination!" Usagi thinks. "Those three must be safe!"

She raises her chalice into the air.

"We'll get everyone's crystals back! We'll get them back to their original forms! Right away, we will become one and defend this planet!"

The woman floats toward her.

"Is that so...?" she says. "Really, if your allies really all gather again, will your friends' bodies return to normal?"

The chalice glows.

"But... Whenever we always become one... We'll continue the fight through the future..."

The chalice turns to nothing before her.

"The holy chalice...!"

"Is the future you know, really the future?"

The woman presses a finger to Usagi's forehead.

"Will the future you know, really come?"

She presses lightly, and Usagi tumbles backward, pulling Chibi-Chibi and the three helpless cats with her.

"What's wrong? Is this the end? With this, this planet will be no more."

As Usagi falls, Chibi-Chibi glares at the woman.

The chalice reappears, shining brightly.

As the Three Lights run toward the park, the buildings of the city come back together.

The woman gasps.

She vanishes in the wind.

The sky calms. The city is dark.

"Sailor Moon!!" Seiya calls. "Chibi-Chibi!!"

Chibi-Chibi holds the three cats, sitting in front of the unconscious Usagi.

"It's all right," she says. "The enemy attacked, then disappeared!"

"The city is back to normal...!" says Yaten.

Taiki holds Usagi. "Without transforming, she has such re-creation power!"

"She held her own fighting against Galaxia," says Seiya. "So this is the power of the Silver Moon Crystal."

Scene Change Galaxia sips a drink in a crowded bar.

"Do you know the place where stars are born?" she says. "Strong stars, weak stars, their light, their power, all of it is born from there."

"Where is that!?" says the man, holding a bottle and glass. "So if I took that place, I could run stars freely! And if I can rule stars, space will belong to me!"

Galaxia puts her drink down.

"Trash," she says, "will be as trash until its death."

She stands up and leaves.

"Wherever I go," she thinks, "only trash. Only stars of trash. This wasn't my planet either. All the power I have, I am the one who has been chosen by god. I want greater power. It must be somewhere. The bright star that will give me more power, suitable for me."

A cloaked figure in black sits on the ground, a glowing ball before him.

"The place where stars are born?" he says. "Yes, I know it, certainly. The home of the galaxy. The place where stars gush out as if from a fountain. Zero Star of Sagittarius. That is the center of the galaxy."

"The center of the galaxy," thinks Galaxia.

She floats in space, staring at the stars.

"Come, come, my pretty little children. Where is the true star you desire? Tell your mother. Tell me, Chaos, and it will all be yours."

Galaxia's eyes open, and she finds herself lying in bed.

"A dream...!"

She gets up.

"A dream let loose from long ago, of the wandering in search of home."

She approaches the steps in front of the large crystal held in the air.

"Before long, Sailor Moon will come here. I can call upon Chaos for her to come here. So you can know the truth, come quickly, Sailor Moon. Such a tiny planet, it's not suitable as the stage for our battle, not even for you. Come quickly, to where I stand, so you and I can release our true power!"

Anima Mates kneels before her.

"Galaxia-sama, my Tin Nyanko has..."

"I apologize, Galaxia-sama!!" says Nyanko. "One more! Just give me one more chance! This time I'll do it!"

"You shamelessly come back here after disgracing yourself?" says Galaxia. "Trash cannot be made into a star!"

"Galaxia-sama!"

The bracelets on Nyanko's wrists unclasp, and fall to the ground.

Nyanko cries out as her body disintegrates.

Scene Change

Usagi floats through empty space.

"Where am I...?"

She hears a noise.

"The sound of water?"

She approaches a giant light.

"This is..."

"The Galaxy Cauldron, of Zero Star of Sagittarius."

Galaxia pulls down at Usagi's ankle from below.

"It is your grave."

Usagi's eyes open.

"Usagi!!" says Chibi-Chibi.

She sees the Three Lights and Princess Kakyuu looking down at her.

"A dream!?" she thinks. "I thought I was being pulled, into that dark consciousness. The Galaxy Cauldron, what on earth...!?"

She feels a hand holding hers.

"Chibi-Chibi... You saved me, didn't you. I always felt it, the strength of your hand pulling mine. Thank you, Chibi-Chibi. Amazing, that I can have such faith in you. Could it be because you're a sailor soldier? Because you're an ally? Maybe you're an angel sent to me from everyone in the future. That's right... When I wake up, there are always friends watching over me."

"In every time," Usagi thinks, "my friends devote their lives to protecting me. But still, even though I'm grateful that I'm the soldier with the Silver Moon Crystal..."

"Sailor Moon..." says Yaten.

"Put together, it's all up to me. And so now, I want to devote my life to restoring all my friends. Seiya-kun, Yaten-kun, Taiki-kun... We aren't the only ones worthy of sailor crystals. These bodies, too, are us. We are ourselves, body and all. They give us support, we live together. We look at them, call to them, embrace them. Our power is amplified by these bodies. Being with everyone, using strong power, that is a sailor soldier."

"Will your friends' bodies really return to normal?" Galaxia said. "Will the future you know, really come?"

"It will come," Usagi thinks. "I believe! They aren't all dead! Our future will surely come! I'll use all the power I can, and I will rescue everyone! I'll bring back peace! I'll put everything back to normal! Surely! Sailor Galaxia, what are you!? Why have you started this fight!? I must go, right away, to the place where Sailor Galaxia stands!"

Scene Change

Ikuko gasps.

"Good morning, mom," says Usagi.

"Usagi!? What's wrong? You're up so early!"

"Say, mom, is it all right if we keep some cats besides Luna?"

"Well now!" Ikuko says. "You got up early to ask me that? What can I do. I guess we can talk about it. Are they friends of Luna-chan?"

"Her husband and child," says Usagi, holding the three cats.

"The damage to their forehead crescent moons is greater than I thought," said Princess Kakyuu.

"The injuries to their crescent moons aren't healing at all," thinks Usagi. "Because of that, they can't talk at all. If they're at home, I can leave without worrying about them."

She shows her mom.

"The gray one is Diana, Luna's child. The white kitty is Artemis, Luna's husband. Something happened, it'll just be for a little while..."

"Okay," Ikuko says.

"Great, mom."

Usagi gives the three cats to her.

"Give them lots of food."

She runs out the door with a smile.

"Goodbye!"

Kenji sees Ikuko staring after her.

"Honey?"

"Strange," she says. "I don't think Usagi will be coming home..."

Scene Change

"So, now those three are at the respective castles of their home planets?"

"Hey, Hotaru-chan too!" says Chibi-Chibi. "She went after them."

"Oh, Chibi-Coro," says Yaten. "You're talking normally."

"It's not Chibi-Coro," she says. "I'm Chibi-Chibi!"

"Have you gone to their castles often?" asks Taiki.

"No..." says Usagi. "I've never been to their planets. Since everyone has always protected me and this planet here. I'm protected by them, so I should have just been protecting this planet. They must have reached the outer solar system by now. We haven't gotten any contact from them. I think something happened. I want to find them soon."

"If you want to go to the planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, leave it to me," says Princess Kakyuu.

Wings arch out from her back.

"Your hand," says Seiya.

"That's all right!" says Usagi. "I don't want to be a burden, I'll manage."

"It's okay," says Seiya. "You're a princess. You should be protected."

They leap into the air.

"Let's go, to their castles!"

The six of them arrive at Miranda Castle.

"Uranus!" Usagi calls. "Uranus!?"

She sees the viewscreen on the wall, filled with static.

"Uranus!? Guardian Uranus!? Nobody's here!?"

She sees a pile of dust spread on the floor.

"Uranus!?"

She goes to the viewscreen.

"Neptune!? Pluto!? Saturn!? Where are they!?"

"Let's go to planet Neptune!" says Kakyuu.

They reach Tritan Castle.

"Neptune!!" Usagi calls. "Guardian Neptune!?"

She sees the static viewscreen, and dust on the floor.

"Crashed comm system, nobody here. It's just like Uranus's castle. Oh no... They can't all be...!"

They go to Charon Castle.

"Pluto!! Guardian Pluto! Saturn!?"

A burst of light appears, and she sees Galaxia confronting Setsuna and Hotaru.

Galaxia thrusts her arm out, and Setsuna and Hotaru's bodies are ripped apart.

"Pluto!? Saturn!?" Usagi cries. "Nooooo!"

Seiya grabs her.

"Sailor Moon!! This is a replay system! It's a playback from the visual recorder!"

"Galaxia was here too...!"

Usagi drops to her knees.

"Galaxia, she... Uranus and Neptune... Pluto and Saturn... If she's after my crystal, why is she doing this to my allies...! I won't let her! Take me, Princess Kakyuu! To Zero Star of Sagittarius!"

"Sailor Moon!?" says Kakyuu. "You know of Zero Star of Sagittarius!?"

"Galaxia told me. I'm going now! Galaxia! I'm going to you!"

A voice from somewhere else speaks . . .

"Come quickly, Sailor Moon, to the place where I am. I'll knock down more and more, I'll take more and more. Then with your one last remaining piece, I will show you the truth!"

ACT 48

That huge light is coming toward us."

"The war is beginning. I'm scared, Lethe."

"It's all right, Mnemosyne. I'll protect you."

"For our peaceful and happy future, we won't take one step away from here."

Switch to Usagi and others . . .

Usagi floats in space with Princess Kakyuu, Chibi-Chibi, and the three Starlights.

"That giant cluster of stars is the center of the galaxy," Kakyuu says. "Alpha Star of Sagittarius. And deeper, in the center of Alpha Star, is Zero Star of Sagittarius. The place where stars are born."

"The place where stars are born?"

"All the starseeds of the galaxy are born from that Zero Star of Sagittarius."

"The place where starseeds are born..." thinks Usagi. "All of the stars scattered across the galaxy, and Earth, and we... were born from there?"

"When you say the Shadow Galactica is there," says Seiya, "do you mean Galaxia will rule the destiny of the galaxy's stars?"

"Perhaps," says Kakyuu. "Now, we will fly at once to Zero Star. But there is no guarantee whether or not we will be able to land safely."

"We're prepared, Princess," says Yaten. "For the unknown realm, and the heart of the enemy land."

A flash of light blinds them.

As they look around, they see fog and darkness.

"Where are we...?" Usagi says.

A gigantic doorway looms before them, slowly creaking open.

"The gate to Zero Star!?"

They pass through the door, and find themselves in a desert.

Kakyuu and Chibi-Chibi start coughing.

"My throat is so parched..." says Kakyuu.

Usagi gasps.

A figure cloaked in a dark robe stands beside a withered tree, on a small boat in the sand, holding an oar.

"I am Lethe," the figure says. "I am the ferryman of this desert river. Please come aboard, foreigners."

The six of them board the small boat, and float out through the sand.

The sands liquefy around them.

"The desert is turning to water!?"

The boat starts to sink.

Usagi falls deep through the water, gasping for air.

"Princess!!" she calls as she drowns. "Chibi-Chibi, Starlights!!"

Usagi sits on a swing underwater, wearing her school uniform, her eyes cloudy.

"This is..."

She sees a woman faintly outlined before her. The woman wears a dark green dress, and her hair is tied back into four ponytails.

"I'm... All of a sudden, I'm here...?"

"Are those your cats?" the woman asks.

She looks down at Luna, Artemis, and Diana.

"My... cats...?"

The woman picks them up.

"If you raise and care for cats, they'll be lonely when you die. It's much better to be alone. Don't you think?"

"Be alone...?" Usagi says. "No... It's lonesome by yourself... That's why I felt I should make lots of friends..."

"If you're lonesome. What kind of friends?"

"What kind?" Usagi thinks. "My friends... My friends... I can't really... remember..."

The woman points to the heart-shaped ring on Usagi's finger.

"A lover? Do you have one?"

"Have a lover?" Usagi thinks. "I wonder if I did... Who is this ring from...? Who... am I...? I don't remember... anything..."

"Your memories as a person have no value," the woman says. "Even that body is only a vessel. The thing that has value to us is..."

A metal bracelet adorns her wrist. She raises her arm.

"Power only!"

A blast strikes the three cats, splattering their bodies onto the floor.

Scene Change

Dark skies cloud over the Crystal Palace.

Chibi-Usa doubles over in pain.

"My chest hurts...!" she says. "What is it!? What happened!? This pain...!?"

She sees her cat's body torn apart.

"Diana!?"

She runs out of her room.

"Mom! Mom, dad!"

Neo-Queen Selenity looks at her with concern.

"Small Lady...!"

"I haven't seen Diana for days," Chibi-Usa says. "She's not here anywhere. Where is Diana?"

She hears a coughing sound, and rushes to the two other cats.

"Luna!? Artemis!? Their bodies...!! Oh no... Oh no, is Diana... That vision I had before, could it be true!? Is she already gone...!?"

"Small Lady," says the Queen. "Diana had a duty to investigate a disturbance in space-time, and traveled to the past."

Diana kneels in human form.

"Please," she says. "I request that I may once more go to the past! Isn't the source of the disturbance crossing time the attack of the enemies Sailor Moon and the others are fighting!? I wish to assist by going to Sailor Moon, defeating the enemies, and returning peace as it was!"

"Something has happened to Diana's body," Chibi-Usa says. "I know. I feel it. What on earth is happening!? Tell me, mom!!"

The Queen looks at her sadly, and shows her into a room, where six bodies lie frozen.

Lights glow above their chests.

She looks at her mother's four guardians.

"Everyone!?" Chibi-Usa says. "All their crystals are shining!?"

She turns to the King and the guardian of time.

"Dad!? Pluto!! All their crystals shining so brightly... All their bodies fading away...! It can't be... The disturbance in the past... In the past, everyone's lives are-!?"

She clutches her hand to her chest.

"Mom, I'm going to the past!"

"Small Lady!" the Queen says. "What are you saying!? It's dangerous!"

"Mom, I'm saying that I will help Sailor Moon fight, so that you can protect the 30th century. I have a mission. They're shouting that I must go, everyone is calling me. Right, this pain in my chest is the pain of everyone across time and space! Pink Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!!"

As she appears in her sailor suit, her four guardian soldiers materialize behind her.

"You...!" she says.

"Sailor Ceres!"

"Sailor Pallas!"

"Sailor Juno!"

"Sailor Vesta!"

"We are the Sailor Quartet!"

"I'm leaving, mom," Chibi-Usa says. "Please guard the 30th century."

"Go, cross time and space," the Queen says, handing her the key. "To beyond the galaxy."

"Beyond the galaxy!?"

"Go, and find for yourself, what is happening beyond the galaxy!"

Scene Changes Back

Usagi feels the ashes that remain of the three cats.

"Why can you kill them... so easily?" she asks. "We were born to live."

"Those with life," the woman says, "are born to die."

She raises her oar to the air.

"Galactica Myosotis Alpestris!"

Usagi scream in pain, and collapses on the ground.

Another woman in a light purple dress, with four ponytails, peers down from above the surface, and cringes.

"Why...!?" Usagi says. "Are you trying to kill me...?"

"Because you came here to lose everything."

"To lose my name, my life, everything..." Usagi thinks. "No, that's wrong. I don't want to lose everything. I had so many precious friends. My name, my life were for those friends. Those allies. Right, I'm not here to lose everything. I came here to bring back my allies..."

"At the bottom of this river of oblivion," the woman says, "nobody can defeat me."

She grins evilly as she raises her metal bracelet.

"Farewell, Sailor Moon."

The woman in the purple dress pushes her away.

"Stop, Lethe!"

"Mnemosyne!"

"Sailor Moon has been hurt enough! Leave the final judgement to Galaxia-sama."

"Sailor Moon...?" Usagi thinks.

The heart-shaped ring on her finger glows.

"Sailor Moon... That name..."

The golden crescent moon shines on her forehead.

"Right! I am Sailor Moon!! I came here to restore everything!!"

She transforms back into her sailor suit, and swims through the water.

She sees Chibi-Chibi, Kakyuu, and the Starlights lying unconscious.

"Everyone!?"

Chibi-Chibi's eyes pop open.

"Chibi-Chibi!"

Usagi grabs her and swims with her up to the surface of the river.

"She got her memory back in my river of oblivion!" says Lethe. "Damn you!"

"Lethe!" Mnemosyne says. "Please, stop this!"

Mnemosyne creates a sphere of light around Usagi, Chibi-Chibi, Kakyuu, and the Starlights, carrying them out of the river onto dry ground.

"Chibi-Chibi, are you all right!?" Usagi says.

Chibi-Chibi shakes water from her head.

"Betraying me, Mnemosyne?" Lethe says.

"I only-!" says Lethe. "I just don't want a sailor soldier the same as me to be hurt by you."

Kakyuu wakes up, and looks around dazedly.

"Princess!?" Usagi says.

"Princess Kakyuu!?"

Mnemosyne scoops some water up with her hand, putting it to Kakyuu's mouth.

"Have some water from my river of memory."

"Mnemosyne!" says Lethe.

Kakyuu coughs.

"Sailor Moon," she says. "This place...!"

"Princess!" says Usagi.

They turn to the two women.

"I didn't come here for a meeting with death," Usagi says. "I came to get back my allies' sailor crystals! Where are they!?"

"The sailor crystals are not here," says Lethe. "These are the vast outer moats, doubly guarding the Galaxia Palace of the Shadow Galactica Empire. The Desert Rivers. I am the guardian of the river of oblivion, Sailor Lethe of the planet Lethe."

"I am the guardian of the river of memory, Sailor Mnemosyne of the planet Mnemosyne."

"We won't let you leave from here, Sailor Moon," Lethe says. "Not as you lived."

"Lethe!"

"If you don't want to see it, close your eyes, Mnemosyne!"

"Have you forgotten!? The oath by which we decided to follow Galaxia, to achieve our own peace and happiness!? Our planets were small, and poor. It was always chaotic, with never-ending fights. Galaxia appeared, and death and silence came to our planets. We had no choice but to follow her. But if there is a lasting victory to the war, and Galaxia unites the galaxy, we will have our new future, surely!"

The two women hug.

"This time we'll have peace and happiness, Mnemosyne."

"There is no peace and happiness with the soldier of destruction!" Kakyuu says. "Don't you know that!? However many people she finds, she kills! Even in the future, with that woman there will only be destruction and slaughter!"

"But, Sailor Moon," says Lethe. "Is there a peaceful and happy future with you? A future where there is no war? Sailor Moon, the power you carry calls for war! As long as you exist, the wars will not end. From where we stand, the enemy is you! Whoever wins, the future will surely be the same. I will end this war now. I just want to have peace and happiness, together with Mnemosyne. That's all."

"If that will truly end the war," Usagi says, "kill me."

The others gasp.

"I, too, came here to end the war."

"That's right," she thinks to herself. "I came now to end this war. I have always fought to end wars. That is the mission of a sailor soldier. That is the wish of a sailor soldier. All our wishes are always the same. No matter what future awaits us."

"Please, go, Sailor Moon."

"Sailor Mnemosyne!"

"Even if we don't repair things," says Lethe, "if you die, if you don't die, the war will not end."

"Sailor Lethe...!"

The two Anima Mates appear on pillars of sand.

"Useless fools," they say.

They raise their scepters to the air.

Blasts cut Lethe and Mnemosyne through their bodies.

"Lethe!! Mnemosyne!!" Usagi calls.

The two take each others' hands as their metal bracelets unclasp.

"Lethe..."

"Mnemosyne..."

Their bodies disintegrate into ash.

"Lethe!! Mnemosyne!!" Usagi calls.

Anima Mates points her scepter at Usagi.

Chibi-Chibi jumps in front of Usagi, holding up her own scepter with a heart at the top, shielding them from the attack.

Energy swirls around the three unconscious Starlights.

Kakyuu runs toward them.

"Healer!! Maker!! Fighter!!"

The Anima Mates laugh as the three sailor crystals emerge from the Starlights' bodies.

They rise into the air, taking the crystals, and disappear.

"Damnit!!" Usagi says. "Their three sailor crystals!?"

End of Volume 17