Pluto looked up at Galaxia, she could taste blood in her mouth from the attack. Her ears were ringing and she could hardly see straight. They wouldn't be able to kill her. They had known going in that they wouldn't be able to beat her, not really. They had known going in that their mission was suicide, but they had hoped between the four of them they might be able to take her down with them. Or at least weaken her enough that someone else could finish the job. But Galaxia was completely unphased. They had failed to protect their planet. They were going to die for nothing. Pluto looked over at Saturn. Her daughter. So much smaller than the other fighters, so much younger. She was going to die for nothing. Pluto had failed as a parent as well as a guardian.

"There is still another way..." Galaxia's voice was cruel and taunting.

Pluto saw Uranus push herself up. "I'm glad to hear it." She replied almost goading. Uranus wouldn't go gently into that good night. Even if she didn't have the physical strength to fight anymore she would still try to fit in a snide comment wherever she could.

"It's simple," said Galaxia. "Work for me."

Saturn gasped. Offended by the very offer.

"What did you say?" Pluto asked in disbelief.

"Surrender your Star Seeds and swear faith to me! If you wear these bracelets into which I've sealed my energy, you can live without your Star Seeds!"

"That's the source of Galaxia's energy!" Neptune said looking at the bracelets.

"Now choose! Surrender or die!"

Pluto glared. Of course she knew the other members of Shadow Galactica were once guardians just like they were. So she supposed she couldn't be surprised Galaxia made the offer, she would need more minions by now. But to think any of them would turn on everything they believed in like that.

"I will choose death before I work for you, you devil!" Pluto yelled.

"Right!" Saturn added hotly. She was facing her fate so bravely for one so young. "Who would work..."

But Uranus interrupted. "Sounds interesting."

Pluto swung her head around, hardly believing her ears. "Uranus!?"

"If I wear those bracelets, I can live, right?"

Galaxia nodded.

"Working under Galaxia and becoming wild doesn't seem so bad." She turned to Neptune. "If I can be with you, I won't hesitate to sell my soul to the devil."

Neptune's body language changed, but Pluto couldn't explain how. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It also wasn't right. She knew Uranus, she had known Uranus since their past lives. She knew that Uranus would do almost anything for Neptune. She would kill or die to keep Neptune safe. But she would never forsake her mission. She would never betray her planet. Not for anyone, not even for her soulmate.

"You're right." Neptune replied.

"Are you serious? Uranus! Neptune!" These weren't her friends. These weren't the people she had fought beside, lived beside, been family with.

"Did you forget our mission?" cried Saturn desperately as Uranus and Neptune stood up. "To protect this planet and our Princess?"

"Shut up!" Uranus snapped.

Saturn physically drew back. Confusion and horror on her face.

"Here, take it!" Uranus said, holding her arms out.

"A wise choice!"

"Uranus." Pluto heard Neptune say softly, "We'll be together even in death..."

"Yes." replied Uranus. "I find you in hell."

"URANUS! NEPTUNE!" Pluto forced herself to her feet and reached for her friends, knowing she was powerless to stop what they were about to do.

Lights shot from Galaxia's wrists like bullets and hit Uranus and Neptune square in the chest. Both screamed in pain as their bodies went rigid. Their Star Seeds emerged from their chests. Pluto watched helplessly in horror as her friends fell to their knees, their Star Seeds floating to Galaxia. "What wonderful shine!" said Galaxia. "Receive my energy."

Lights blinded Pluto forcing her to look away.

"Stand up, Sailor Uranus! Sailor Neptune! Your first job is to take the Star Seeds from those two!"

They stood and turned to face Pluto and Saturn. Both of their eyes were hard and dark. Pluto stepped back, poising to defend herself and Saturn. "Why do we have to fight against each other? Did you throw away your pride as Sailor Guardians?"

Galaxia's voice replied, ringing with amusement. "With those bracelets, Uranus and Neptune are under my control! Now get them! Show me your allegiance!"

"Why are you doing this?" asked Pluto, trying to make sense of what was happening.

She couldn't be sure, but for a second she thought she saw something change in her friends' eyes. "You know why." Neptune said.

"This is how we fight." finished Uranus.

Was that a coded message? Pluto wondered. This is how we fight. Pluto knew that neither Uranus nor Neptune was above using trickery or facades to accomplish their goal. Were they trying to tell her that they had a plan? Before Pluto could reflect, Neptune lunged at her. Pluto just barely dodged in time. This is a ploy. She wasn't sure how she knew, but as soon as the thought formed in her head she was sure she was right. They wouldn't be able to kill Galaxia with their power. They had to do whatever they could to get stronger. They were playing for time and strength. They were planning to kill Galaxia with her own energy. Pluto was certain she was right.

This is how we fight.

It is. This is exactly their style. And it could work. It might be the only thing that could work. But that also meant Uranus and Neptune had to prove their loyalty. If they wanted to get close enough to Galaxia to stand a chance at using her own power against her they would have to prove themselves to her. They would have to kill Pluto and Saturn. And Pluto would have to let them. She would put on a show, try to sell it, but even if she was strong enough to defend herself in the state she was in, she would have to die for her friends to stand a chance. Saturn would have to die for them to have a chance.

"Pluto!" Saturn gasped, looking up at her with fearful understanding.

"Yes, I sense it, too." Pluto confirmed. "They're serious. Then we won't hold back!"

"Until our lives burn out." Saturn added fiercely. She was so very brave, but she didn't have the energy left to fight. Neither of them did. Pluto wanted to hold Saturn more than anything, to comfort her in these final moments but she didn't even have the strength for that.

Uranus, Neptune, please, don't fail. Use our deaths to get close enough to kill her. Pluto prayed. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate.

Energy hit Pluto in the chest like a blunt force. It felt as though her heart was being ripped out of her chest. She fell to her knees. Already she could feel the energy draining from her body. She looked over to Saturn who was shaking. She is my daughter...Thought Pluto. I brought her back into this. She had a second chance and I dragged her back in. I promised I would take care of her. I failed her.

"SATURN! PLUTO!" Pluto's vision was starting to fade by the time Sailor Moon ran to her. She was crying.

"It's okay, princess." Pluto told her, trying to cling to consciousness just a little longer. She wanted to say more, but she couldn't hold on...

...darkness...pain...cold...

She was aware but unaware. Her consciousness fractured but not gone. There was nothing. No light. No dark. No up. No down. Nothing. But pain. Pain that was incomprehensible. With no physical body there should be no sensation. But there was. Death should have brought peace. But this wasn't death. It wasn't life. It was purgatory.

This was the fate of a Sailor Guardian who's connection to their planet had been ripped out of them. Their bodies destroyed. No rest, no peace, just endless wandering through an unforgiving void.

Time meant nothing. Seconds, hours, years, centuries. They all felt the same. Unbroken, unending. That was, until suddenly there was a jolt. A blip of white, a blurred dream where Pluto saw her princess once more. Then more darkness, more pain...but this time it was different. There was sensation.

Setsuna could feel her body ache. She was laying on a hard flat surface. The pain wasn't meaningless and all consuming. It was in her head, her neck, her chest. She had a body. Slowly she opened her eyes. Dusty light filtered in. She was in the ruins of GalaxyTV. Broken support beams and large chunks of ceiling had fallen down around her. She pushed herself up. She saw a small body among the debris.

"Hotaru!" She cried. She pulled the child into her arms, her skin was pale and cold. "Hotaru! Wake up!"

Hotaru's face scrunched slightly as a small moan escaped her lips. Slowly her eyes opened. "Setsuna-mama..." She said groggily. "I felt a warm light..."

Setsuna smiled. "Yes. I did too." Hotaru smiled back. She still looked disoriented, but her eyes were becoming more focused by the second, as if she too was reconstructing the last few hours before their deaths in her mind.. The girl's face turned into a mix of emotions. Fear started to creep into her features. Setsuna could guess what was coming back to her. "Come on. Lets get home, we both need rest."

Setsuna stood and helped Hotaru up as well. They picked their way through the rubble into the partially destroyed street. They saw two other figure coming towards them. Setsuna stopped, she heard a sharp intake of breath behind her and felt as Hotaru grabbed the fabric on the back of her pants and pressed herself close.

Haruka and Michiru had spotted them as well. There was a moment where nobody moved. Setsuna stared at Haruka and Michiru, neither of them would meet her eye, Hotaru clung to Setsuna. Her bravery was spent. The little girl had seen too much betrayal in her life. Experienced too much pain at the hands of those who claimed they loved her.

Setsuna shifted her body to hide Hotaru from Haruka and Michiru's view. Flashes of pain crossed both of the women's faces, but they both gave tiny nods. They were ready to accept Setsuna's decision to expel them from the family if that's what she chose to do. That's what they expected her to do.

Haruka was the first one to move. She knelt on one knee, her head down. A position of repentance, she looked at the ground her whole body reflecting the shame of what she did. Michiru did the same.

"There is nothing we can possibly say to defend ourselves." Haruka said. "I know we don't have the right to ask for your forgiveness. But please, just know that we only did what we did because we thought it was the only way to defeat Galaxia. And it was the hardest..." Haruka closed her eyes, her voice was tight. "It was the hardest thing we've ever had to do."

"We know that doesn't excuse what we did." Michiru added. "But we just want you to know why."

Setsuna, of course, had understood their signal. But she was worried about Hotaru. She may be a full Sailor Guardian, but she was still emotionally a child. She had already gone through so much, dealt with so much betrayal. Setsuna looked down at her. She looked back, her eyes searching Setsuna's.

What was she searching for? Reassurance? Permission? What are you thinking, Little Hime? What do you want? The decision is yours.

Then suddenly, Hotaru let go of Setsuna, ran full force towards the disgraced guardians, and threw herself into Haruka's arms so hard Haruka almost fell backwards. She reached out and grabbed Michiru's sleeve, pulling her into the embrace as well. She sobbed into Haruka's shoulder. Setsuna joined them, putting one hand on Michiru's shoulder and the other on Haruka's.

Both of them looked confused. "We don't deserve your forgiveness." Haruka told her.

"Oh, I don't forgive you." Setsuna informed them. "Not yet at least. It will take a long time before I forgive you. But I understand why you did it."

"Setsuna-mama, Michiru-mama, Haruka-papa...can we go home?"

Home. Setsuna liked the sound of that. Together the four of them turned their back on the remains of this battle and went home.

Author's Note: Hello from quarentine! It's been a long time since I've been on , or since I've had the chance to sit down and write anything. But, since the world has essentially ground to a halt because of Covid 19, I've suddenly found myself with an amount of free time on my hands that I haven't had since high school. So, I've decided to sink some of the free time into writing.

I hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy.

Lots of love, Ravenclawgirl29