[ ] Act 23 - Rebirth / Never Ending Originally appeared in Nakayoshi, February and March 1994. Translated by Alex Glover. Version 1.0, 7.96. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diamaund brings the two shining crystals together. "No!" shouts Pluto. King Endymion closes his eyes. "It's the end! Everything's over!!" Black Lady runs toward Diamaund, Endymion behind her. The five sailors lie on the ground. Luna and Artemis duck. "Stop!" Pluto holds her staff over her head. "Time! Stop!!" "Pluto." "Yes, Queen Selenity." "The third thing you must not do: You mustn't stop time. You and the garnet rod you carry are endowed with the power to move time. But no matter what happens, you must never stop time. If you ever violate that law..." King Endymion opens his eyes. "Nothing... happened!?" Diamaund, Black Lady, and Endymion stand frozen, amid a dark cloud. Diamaund holds the two crystals an inch apart. "They're standing still!? Pluto!?" He sees light swirling around her rod. "Oh no! She stopped time!?" The others slowly open their eyes and get up. "What happened?" asks Ami. "Look!" says Makoto. "Artemis!" says Luna. The planet Nemesis holds still in the sky. "Everything's stopped moving!" "Nemesis too? Even the air... It's like it's all frozen!" "Time... stopped!?" thinks Usagi. The fog around Endymion dissipates. The blackness fades from his eyes. He looks at the shining moon rod in his hand. "...Usa...ko..." The fog around Black Lady leaves. She falls to the ground. Pluto is knocked to the floor, and loses consciousness. "Pluto!?" Usagi and Minako run to her. "Pluto!? Wake up!" The king runs over. "She shouldn't have done that! She stopped time...!" "Pluto did what!?" Ami says. "She stopped time. She violated the most important law..." "What law!?" Pluto moans. "Pluto!?" "The most important law!? What's that!? And if Pluto broke it, what'll happen!?" "If you ever violate that law... You will give up your life." "She gave up her life...!?" "Time has stopped..." Pluto says. "But it won't last for long... Sailor Moon... Carefully get back the two Mystical Silver Crystals... from Prince Diamaund..." "Pluto!" "Hurry!" she says. Usagi slowly goes to Diamaund, and takes the crystals from his hands. "There's no power in my body..." says Black Lady. "Pluto," says Usagi. "I got the two crystals back. Look." "Good." says Pluto. "Thanks to you, Pluto." "I... wanted to help you... To fight with you... Sailor Moon. The future Neo-Queen Selenity. You're what I longed for. Sailor Moon, please... Save Small Lady!" She coughs hard. "Pluto! Stay with us! Just a little longer! You can get through this!" "King..." she says. "I committed the crime by myself... I must atone for it..." She weakly reaches for her rod. "Diana..." The gray kitten sits by the space-time door. She vanishes, and appears before Pluto. "Diana..." "Pluto!?" "Thank you... Diana... Guard the door for me..." "Pluto!? Hold on!!" "I... carried out my mission with honor... King... Your face is so close... Don't look so sad... Your lavender suit... The beautiful violet of sunset... King..." "Pluto..." "I can't protect Small Lady... I'm sorry..." She holds out the space-time key. "Small Lady..." Her hand falls limp on the floor. "Pluto!!" cries Usagi. "Open your eyes!! Noooo! Pluto!!" "Small Lady..." "I... am Black Lady. I have no allies or friends. I am alone." "This is the space-time key. You can travel through time with it. It's a very important key." In the past... Neo-Queen Selenity lies frozen in crystal. Chibi-Usa runs to Sailor Pluto. "Small Lady!?" Chibi-Usa tosses Luna-P up, and smoke fills the air, blinding Pluto. She grabs the key from the chain around Pluto's waist and runs off. "Small Lady!!" Black Lady looks at the key on the ground. "The key I took from Pluto." "Pluto! I love you! You're my only friend." "Whenever I go to see her," Chibi-Usa thinks, "Mom gets mad at me. But she's so important to me. I wonder if mom loves me..." "Pluto, has Small Lady been bothering you?" asks the queen. "Do you think she should be going there by herself?" "It's all right," says Pluto. "She'll be fine. I'll watch out for her." Tears fill her eyes. "It's overwhelming me... What is this feeling? Why am I crying?" "Black Lady...!?" says Usagi. "My most valuable friend... Pluto... Pluto!!" The black earrings on her ears shatter. A glowing tear falls from her cheek. It grows into a bright crystal. Her body shines with light. Nemesis begins to approach Earth again. The fog vanishes from around Diamaund. "The Mystical Silver Crystals!?" he says. "Where are they!? That light...! That light!!" "Chibi-Usa!" calls Usagi. "That light... Chibi-Usa!?" The queen's eyes slowly open inside the crystal holding her. Chibi-Usa appears in a sailor suit. "Small Lady!!" says King Endymion. "She transformed...!" says Diana. "Chibi-Usa!" says Usagi. "Usagi..." she says. "I..." "The birth of a new soldier," says Mamoru. "She inherited the power of Sailor Moon." "Mamo-chan!" "The awakening of a new soldier!" The king walks up to Chibi-Usa. "Dad!" she says. She turns around. "Pluto! Look! I transformed! "Look at me!" she says. "Pluto! Pluto..." She falls to her knees, with tears in her eyes. "I finally transformed... But I'm not happy at all! Wake up! Pluto!" "Chibi-Usa...!!" says Usagi. Usagi hits her hand on the ground. She stands up and faces the planet looming overhead. "You manipulate people's pure spirit! You toy with them! You drag in people who want to live without fighting! I won't let you do this!" She lifts the Mystical Silver Crystal above her. "Moon Crystal Power! Make Up!!" She transforms. "I am Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I'll punish you! Nemesis!!" She blasts power at the planet. "So you've gotten rid of the evil spirit," it says. "Such wondrous power. And now you're coming to fight me." "Sailor Moon..." thinks Chibi-Usa. "She has a strong heart..." "Nobody else is going to die!" Usagi shouts. "Nemesis! I won't let you do what you want with this planet!" "Now that I have this suit," thinks Chibi-Usa, "am I going to fight the enemies too!?" "That's too bad," says Nemesis. "You are small. Now I have you in my grasp." The ground starts to waver around them. "It's the distorted space of the Evil Black Crystal!!" "I will smash you into pieces," Nemesis says. "Heh heh heh..." "If the Wiseman wasn't able to do it..." says Diamaund. "I'll do it!" He charges toward Usagi. "Usako!" calls Mamoru. He takes out the moon rod. "Mamo-chan!!" Usagi says. She grabs on to the rod with him, and they hold it out toward Diamaund. It glows brightly, and Diamaund's body is torn apart in a flash of light. "Young Prince Diamaund," Nemesis says. "So childish. I have been waiting for ages and ages to bring out my power. He had a plan to create a magnificent history, but he and his siblings were fools." Usagi and the others fall into darkness, the surroundings twisting around them. "Space is distorting!" Usagi says. "We're being sucked into the darkness." She sees the palace of the Black Moon, on the forehead of a huge, fiery head. "Is that... the Wiseman's true form!?" "My name is Death Phantom," he says. "I attacked the blue planet, Earth, and was sent off to the dark, cold planet of darkness. A solitary king." "Death Phantom!!" says King Endymion. "But now the planet Nemesis has become a part of me. It is full of the massive power of the Evil Black Crystal. I have the strongest power! And with it, I can do anything!" "He's been in Nemesis for hundreds of years. Is it his hatred moving the planet!?" "An evil without form," thinks Usagi. "I won't let it happen to Earth... I'll stop it!" She holds out the moon rod. "I'll stop it!" Light shines through the air from the rod. A huge swirl appears in a sky, then disappears. The sky is clear. "Nemesis..." says King Endymion. "It's gone..." "Sailor Moon!?" calls Chibi-Usa. They look around. "Where's Sailor Moon!?" "Oh no..." says the king. "She was being sucked toward Nemesis. Did they... disappear together...?" "Oh no!" says Chibi-Usa. "Sailor Moon!" "Sailor Moon disappeared..." thinks Mamoru. "No! Usako! Usako!!" He looks at his hands. "They're hot... I feel power rising... Usako!?" He vanishes. "Tuxedo Kamen!?" calls Ami. "He's gone!" She turns to the shining palace. "The palace!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The queen sits up. The crystal around her fades away. She gets up and walks through the hall, past the four sailor soldiers, to the body of the king. She leans over and kisses him. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The spirit of King Endymion disappears. "King!?" "Dad!?" says Chibi-Usa. They see two figures in the distance. "Someone's coming from the palace!" says Rei. "It's... Neo-Queen Selenity!" "Mom!" calls Chibi-Usa. She runs to the queen's arms and hugs her. "Mom!" King Endymion smiles. "King!" says Diana. "You're solid again!" "Small Lady!" says the queen. "You've awakened! And your awakening brought me to life. Princess, you had a great power hidden within you, even greater than the Evil Black Crystal." "Mom... I'm sorry... It's all because of me. I wanted to be like you, and have power. So... From your room... I took the Mystical Silver Crystal... I didn't know this would happen. I'm so bad... I couldn't protect mom, or the planet. And Pluto... died..." "It's not your fault," says the queen. "Don't say anything more about it. You've been having a hard time. You've handled it well, like an adult. My body has healed. I'm okay. Now you can use your power. If we use our strength together, we can protect this planet, Small Lady." "I.. didn't think you needed me..." "You're my only daughter, Small Lady. You're so important to me." She turns to the others. "Sailor Venus. Mars, Mercury, Jupiter. After I became Neo-Queen Selenity, I almost completely lost my ability to fight as a soldier. The mad criminal, Death Phantom, was strong-willed and courageous. I couldn't defeat him. I promised Pluto her eternal sleep in the Crystal Palace would be peaceful. The Nemesis you fought uses the Evil Black Crystal for power." "Sailor Moon was dragged into that power," says the king. "It's highly possible that she was carried off to the planet. Into space...?" "So Tuxedo Kamen must have been drawn there too," says the queen. "Small Lady. Now that you can change, we need you. You're the only one who can go there and find Sailor Moon. Rescue her and Tuxedo Kamen, then put a stop to the Death Phantom's hatred driving Nemesis. This time, we'll fully contain it. Then help Sailor Moon. Can you fight to contain Nemesis? I'll bestow you with my power." She holds up a long staff, which shortens. She gives it to Chibi-Usa. "Mom's rod..." she thinks. She grasps the space-time key. "Pluto! Lend me your strength! Take me to Sailor Moon!" She vanishes. "Queen!" says Minako. "We'll go too!" "Let's just wait here," says the queen. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It's dark... Very... So dreary. Nothingness. Where am I...?" "Usako...!" "Mamo-chan!?" "I guess we were drawn here," he says. They see a glowing black planet, far away. "That's... It can't be..." They fly closer and closer through space. The face of the Death Phantom appears on the planet. "Heh heh... The mother planet Nemesis will be your grave. Everything is sucked in, and turned into negative energy. It will take and amplify the positive energy of the Mystical Silver Crystal. Things are perfect now that I have both of them. I can rule the entire universe. Earth. The solar system. Nobody can stop me! Ahahaha!" Usagi looks at Mamoru. "Since we have the Mystical Silver Crystal," she says, "can we fight the spirit of evil? Even with it, we can't change history. Can we do it?" "I believe we can," says Mamoru. "Many lives and souls have been saved by it. Don't abandon your path. You can do it if you believe. I was powerless, but you called out to me. I've given you all the power of my life. I live to make you strong, Usako. So you can fight. Do it." "Yes... The first time I used the power of the Mystical Silver Crystal, it was with your help, Mamo-chan. With you, I can be myself. Bring out our power. Become one." They kiss. "I feel a warm light in my arms," she says. The light moves out, and Chibi-Usa appears in it. "Sailor Moon! Tuxedo Kamen!" she says. "Neo-Queen Selenity is back." "Chibi-Usa...!" She holds her moon rod. "I've come to fight with you!" "Heh heh heh..." says Death Phantom. "Ahahaha!" "Chibi-Usa!" says Usagi. "Believe in your power! Focus it all at the planet. All the power of the Mystical Silver Crystal at Nemesis!" Usagi and Chibi-Usa hold their moon rods out at Death Phantom and Nemesis. "Moon Princess Halation!" The power shoots at the planet, and energy blasts out of it. The moon rods and the brooch on Usagi's chest shatter. Nemesis explodes into nothingness. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A point of light appears in the sky, then vanishes. Neo-Queen Selenity looks up. Her staff appears in her hand. People in the city begin to awaken. "Crystal Tokyo..." says Minako. "It's been restored... Queen, you did it!" "No," she says. "Sailor Moon borrowed the power of Tuxedo Kamen and Small Lady, and destroyed Nemesis." The others smile. "Sailor Moon!" "Usagi-chan!" "I will bestow to you new planet power," the queen says. "Sailor Mars, the soldier of war. Sailor Mercury, the soldier of wisdom. Sailor Jupiter, the soldier of protection. Sailor Venus, the soldier of love. From now on, to be able to fight alongside Sailor Moon. Soon, time will again begin to flow as normal. If you want to be safe, you should return to the space-time door. You should go." "Neo-Queen Selenity!" says Minako. "What about Sailor Moon..." "I must return to the Crystal Palace." "Queen!" "I cannot meet with my past self." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Sailor Moon," says the queen. "I will bestow you with new power from here. Sailor Moon, the soldier of mystery. To protect the Mystical Silver Crystal, I give you a new compact, and cosmic power. So you can again fight with a strong heart... Sailor Moon..." "A familiar voice... near my ears... Who is it...?" Usagi opens her eyes, and sees Chibi-Usa and Mamoru looking at her. "Sailor Moon!" says Chibi-Usa. She looks down at herself. "A new brooch?" A heart-shaped compact is attached to the bow of her suit. "Nemesis..." she says. "Crystal Tokyo..." "Nemesis is gone!" says Minako. "Earth of the future is back to the way it was before." "The queen..." "She's safe," Minako says. "Everyone's back in the palace. Since time is going back to normal, we should be returning too." "Well, let's go!" says Chibi-Usa. "I'll take you to the past, in place of Pluto." "Oh..." says Usagi. "I see... Two of one person can't exist in the same time and space. So I can't meet the queen... I wanted to meet her, but... there's no reason for it. To meet my future self, and talk to her. It could change history. I want to meet her." "Sailor Moon?" - "Just for a little bit..." thinks the queen. "Even though... it could change history..." - Usagi sees the queen running out of the palace. She goes to her. "Sailor Moon!" "Neo-Queen Selenity!" They look at each other. "Thank you..." says the queen. "For everything." "No, thank you, Queen," says Usagi. "Oh, there's so much I want to say." The queen stands with King Endymion, and the four sailor soldiers of the future. "Someday, we'll run into each other. The future. Someday, we can meet. Farewell." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Farewell..." Usagi opens her eyes. She lies in her bed at home. "Oh... I'm back... Everything... Was it just a dream? The future... The queen... And Chibi-Usa..." Chibi-Usa runs into the room. "Wake up, Usagi! It's morning!" Usagi smiles. - Usagi runs through the street after Chibi-Usa. "Hey!" she says. "What's that in your backpack? Are you taking that to school? They might not let you." "I'm going back to the future." "Oh... Right..." says Usagi. "I think I left something at home. Sorry, Chibi-Usa. You go on ahead. Bye-bye!" "Usagi!?" - Chibi-Usa looks in Usagi's room. "Usagi?" Usagi lies on the bed. "I was selfish... Sorry, Usagi. Don't be mad. I really want to stay here. But, weren't you always annoyed when I was around?" Usagi sits up, tears in her eyes. "That's not the reason!" she shouts. "You're always selfish! You don't care about my feelings!" "Don't cry, Usagi." "I'm not crying because of you." She hugs Chibi-Usa. "Usagi..." "Chibi Usa, without you... I'm so lonely... Don't go, Chibi-Usa... We're so close. I want you to stay..." She steps back, and wipes her eyes. "I shouldn't cry. You have to go, Chibi-Usa." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Usagi enters Ichinohashi Park. "This is where Mamo-chan and I were kissing, when Chibi-Usa fell from the sky..." Mamoru and Chibi-Usa stand with her. "Leaving, Chibi-Usa?" says Mamoru. "You forgot something." He holds out the Tuxedo Kamen doll. She takes it. Tears streak down her cheeks. He sits down, and pats her on the head. "Don't cry." "Mamo-chan," says Chibi-Usa. "You're my prince." Luna-P beeps. A beam of light appears from the sky. "Guess I have to go. Mom and Dad are calling. Here, Usagi." She reaches into her backpack and pulls out a long rod, with a heart on the end. "It's from my mom. A heart moon rod for the new Usagi." "Chibi-Usa..." "Usagi, Mamo-chan, even though you call me Chibi-Usa, I still love you. Living in the Tsukino house, being with everyone, was really really fun. Now I have to go." "Chibi-Usa!" "Bye-bye! Mamo-chan! Usagi! Usagi, I really love you." She runs to the beam of light. "Chibi-Usa!" The light fills the air, and then, is gone. "From always being here... She ran off... Chibi-Usa..." Usagi starts to cry. Mamoru puts his arm around her. "Someday, we'll see her again. She's our daughter." "Someday..." Usagi thinks. "Surely... I'll see you again, Chibi-Usa..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kotono runs into Rei's arms. Asanuma runs to Makoto. Ami and Minako wave and go over to Motoki. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Usagi and Mamoru sit on a bench in the park. "It was all like a really long dream," says Usagi. "Like riding a roller coaster. A dream." "It wasn't a dream," says Mamoru. "It all happened in an instant." Usagi looks at the heart moon rod. "Soon the time will come when I'll have to use this rod. I shouldn't feel sad. Lots of things will happen between now and the future." She looks up at Mamoru. "But, through it all, I'll be with him." They kiss deeply. A small flash of light appears in the sky. The Luna-P ball drops from it, and hits Mamoru on the head. Chibi-Usa falls from the sky after it, landing on top of Usagi. They both collapse on the ground. Chibi-Usa looks up and laughs. "I'm back!" "What!?" "Here!" She holds out an envelope. "It's a letter from my mom and dad!" They open it. The letter (written mostly without kanji) reads: Greetings. Would you care to help us in training Small Lady? It would make me happy. Please look after our daughter. Thank you. From Selenity. "You get to take care of me again!" says Chibi-Usa, smiling. "Really is from the future Usako..." mumbles Mamoru. Usagi steams as she looks over the letter. "Chibi-Usa!!" ...To be continued! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original manga copyright © 1994 Takeuchi Naoko. English translation copyright © 1996 Alex Glover. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sailor Moon Translations | Sailor Moon Volume 7