A/N: Hello, Collide readers! Are you still there? I know it's been a super long time since my last update, but I actually spent the last three months completely rewriting, and re-editing 'A Twist in Time' as well as previous Collide chapters. They've all been replaced, so, if so inclined, feel free to take a look!

So this is more than likely, based on what I have planned, the second to last chapter. There may be an epilogue, but that depends on whether or not I decide to proceed with the third Arc in this universe.

HUGE shout out to the most beautifulest Bae-ta, Ninjette Twitch without whom this would have never been written, and this story would have remained unfinished. Forever. I'm always afraid that I've lost all the readers when there are such lengthy gaps in between posting. So, let me know if you are still reading, and if you liked it!

Chapter 13

Finding Endy

The burning rage, riddled with disbelief, boiling in her veins was the only reason that Esmeraude was unable to think straight. If she had, she might not have landed, a flurry of cascading green hair and black fabric slamming into the cracked dirt amidst the rubble of what was left of her droids. It was impossible, inconceivable, entirely out of this realm of possibility, and yet, the abominations of Crystal Tokyo had succeeded, and she'd failed.

Esmeraude wasn't a stranger to toxic emotions. In fact, she'd spent the better part of her life clawing with perfectly-pointed nails, spitting and hissing like a flawlessly groomed panther, fighting her way through the hordes of Nemesis. She'd embraced all of the taut, twisted ropes of wickedness, jealousy, hatred, that coiled like comforting steel bands around the fragmented pieces of her withered soul.

There wasn't a merciful bone in her body, and she would have gladly snapped the slender necks of all of the Guardians. Instead, she'd entrusted Saphir's droids to do it.

Through a hazy, red-rimmed rage and gritted teeth, she roared with pure, unadulterated fury. It undulated in her chest, vibrating with wrath, before tearing itself from smudged, red-painted lips. This was unthinkable, unimaginable, outside of anything that she believed possible. She bellowed as much in the form of crazed, frenzied expletives towards the Crystal Palace that she wanted so badly, it hurt.

Not only had she failed, and her army of trusty droids been decimated, but there hadn't been a single casualty. Not one!

How could she be blamed for stupidly barreling from the safety of her Maleficent bubble, skidding across dust, grime, and mechanical bits in a place that would leave her exposed? She was too angry, shocked; the disbelief and disappointment rippling through her, clouding her judgment.

She'd underestimated them and their cleverness, and the way they'd used the barrier to simultaneously destroy her army, the final weapon she possessed that would get her onto the crystal throne that she coveted more than anything else.

She'd watched them with mounting horror from the safety of the toxin lined skyline. It was over, and she wanted blood. Of course, that was not meant to be, and had she not been so consumed with the bitter taste of rage on her tongue, she might have seen it coming.

Let it be noted that a beam of bright, fluttering hearts hurt just as badly as the purple-tinged maleficent energy that Esmeraude should have come to her senses to use. As it stood, the Senshi of Venus, who was not dead after all, caught her off guard, and she screeched shrilly, clenching her eyes shut as she flew backward. The grainy, lifeless surface of the ground scoured her bare shoulders as she scraped across it.

She didn't have time to react before the orange-clad, blonde-haired bitch stood above her. Her expression was fiercely terrifying as she swept down and forcibly ripped the sleek black crystal earrings from her ears.

Esmeraude hissed, from pain and outrage, as the blonde tossed the earrings aside, recoiling as if they'd burned her. "Am I a pretty little songbird now, Esmeraude?" Her delicate features were scuffed, scraped, and dirty, and her expression was grim and angry as Venus curled her gloved hands into the tangled mess of Esmeraude's hair and yanked her upwards. "Do you want to hear how loud I can sing?"

Esmeraude hissed through gritted teeth, eyes brimming with hatred as she extended her hands to claw out the ugly blue pupils that dared to stare at her as if she were the cockroach that needed to be exterminated. Venus had her wits about her, though, and Esmeraude was weakened without her connection to the dark powers that fueled her. So it was laughably easy for the angry Senshi leader to toss her aside.

Esmeraude fell, teeth vibrating from the jarring impact, as her palms dug into the dirt, and she averted her gaze, trembling with hatred as she listened to the tell-tale crunch of her gaudy orange heels pressing into the gravel as she approached her. Esmeraude was afraid, but only for a moment, as a chilling smile curled onto her lips. If Venus was going to kill her, she'd already be dead.

The laugh that erupted from her lips was manic, tinged with hysteria as she craned her neck upwards to fix a haughty gaze onto the Senshi that towered over her. The blonde was admittedly a terrifying sight to behold. She was every bit the warrior that Esmeraude hated; standing tall, shoulders squared, blonde hair rippling in the breeze. Her beauty, even beneath the dirt, grime, and blood of battle, made the thick, acid-tasting feeling of jealousy rise like bile in Esmeraude's throat.

The Senshi stopped in her tracks, her brows drawing together in the face of Esmeraude's laughter. "Look at you," Esmeraude spat, breathless and hysterical. "You're not going to kill me, Senshi. You don't have it in you."

The Senshi's brows raised, startled, and the look emboldened Esmeraude, who twisted around and braced herself on her hands as she casually crossed her ankles and smirked up at her. "You forget that I know you, Venus," she hissed, her heart flipping with glee because she might actually get out of this one. "I've watched you fawn at the silver-haired Bitch's feet for years. It's your one weakness. Your inability to put down the animals that threaten you."

She'd hit a nerve. That was very clear by the way Venus clenched her tapered fingers into fists, pressing them into the torn tatters of her fuku, her eyes darkening with the truth of Esmeraude's words. The laughter that spilled from her lips this time rang out mockingly, shrill, like the sound of a tinkling, high-pitched bell.

Esmeraude sat up, her smile cruel and wide. "You see?" she taunted. "I'm right."

The green-haired member of the Dark Moon Clan was already planning her escape, furtively eyeing her salvation that lay partially broken on the rocks where Venus had tossed it. She was caught off guard when, instead of retreating or attempting to restrain her, the Senshi's rosy lips curved into a brilliant, white-toothed smile.

The blonde tilted her head to the side and nodded. "You're right, Esmeraude," she chimed, the chipper tone of her voice more chilling than her anger. "I won't kill you." The blonde lifted her gaze, fixing it on something over her shoulder. "But he will."

The blood drained from Esmeraude's face, and she sucked in a sharp, tainted breath of air when she felt the weight of his shadow looming over her. She may have held the upper hand over the soft-hearted Senshi of Love, but the General of Darkness outpowered her in every single way.

Esmeraude tensed, the muscles in her body unwillingly coiling so tightly she was rendered immobile. Hot tears scalded the corners of her eyes because suddenly she couldn't breathe. Something pressed so painfully on her lungs it felt like she was suffocating.

She knew this was because of the pieces inside of her that she'd always basked in. The darkness that she'd turned to at every point in her life, her sanctuary, and it had suddenly become a weapon that the General was using against her.

By the time the silver-haired assassin stepped into view, his fingers grazing across her shoulders that were snapped back, held firmly in place by a darkness that she could not see, she was drowning in terror.

He was as she remembered; tall, towering over her, every contour of his body harsh, and unyielding. The ice-blue of his eyes injected a pervasive chill that seeped into her skin and sank into the marrow of her bones. It was at this moment that Esmeraude knew, his promise of pain ringing in her ears, that she was going to die.

For a moment, he broke eye contact with Esmeraude and turned his attention to Venus who forcibly turned his face towards hers, cradling the side of his jaw. Her brows furrowed as her gaze searched his.

Esmeraude swallowed thickly, and it felt like razor blades shredding her throat when the Senshi's voice pierced through the silence. "Kunz," she whispered, her tone tentative. "Don't lose yourself in the darkness."

Esmeraude wanted to laugh that crazed hysterical sound, weep, or claw out both of their eyes. She could do none of those things, paralyzed in place by his powers; forced to watch their disgusting display in her final moments.

The General's gaze held a softer, almost doting edge that Esmeraude had never seen before when he lifted his hand to curl his fingers around hers, turning his head a fraction to brush a kiss across the inside of her wrist.

When he gently pulled away, the look on his face was hard, filled with promise. "Don't worry," he replied, and the sound of his voice sent trills of terror rolling down her spine. "I won't."

Venus nodded, satisfied, and the Senshi spared her one final pity-filled glance before she twisted on her heels, and in all of her endless beauty and youthful fucking perfection, the bitch strode away.

Esmeraude croaked, choking on her own saliva when she turned her burning gaze back to the General, whose smile was cruel, slanted in a chilling way that fucking terrified her. When he stepped towards her, swiftly folding his knees so that his face was level with hers, Esmeraude knew it was over.

She was drowning, frozen in the pools of ice blue eyes when he roughly cupped her chin. "You will, though, Esmeraude," he promised. "Lose yourself in the darkness, that is."

It briefly occurred to Esmeraude that his voice was cold, unforgiving, and lacking the emotion of all the other protectors, and she whimpered, because hadn't she always known that it would end this way? Still, if she could have said something, defended herself, she would have taken the opportunity to destroy them all over again.

Kunzite studied her expression in a cold, calculated manner for a moment more before roughly releasing her chin. "Didn't I promise you that you would wish you hadn't touched a single strand of hair on her head?"

If she could have hissed or spit in his face, she would have. In fact she didn't regret torturing the blonde-haired bitch one iota. If she could do it again, she'd make it more painful, dig her claws into her pretty, perfect skin, rake them over her face to mar that flawless perfection that made her stomach churn with envy.

Esmeraude opened her mouth, prepared to force those exact words out, when the real pain started.

White-hot bursts of burning agony exploded behind her eyelids, and she choked, her insides twisting, compressing, broiling in molten lava. She couldn't even scream as she felt herself being torn inside out.

Her last thought, before it all ended, was that the General had succeeded in the one thing that not a single soul had accomplished before him. He'd elicited the foreign, painful feeling of regret that unfurled with the darkness tearing through her chest.

She did now, in fact, wish that she'd never touched a single strand of hair on the Senshi's head.

oOo

It didn't fully register who Usagi was looking at, and despite Chibi's horrified exclamation, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the Mamo-chan lookalike as she took an involuntary step back, gloved hands pressed to her lips.

It wasn't possible… was it? How could her cherub-cheeked, giggling, bright-eyed baby have transformed into this tall, straight-backed, broad-chested, ebony-haired man that looked like Mamoru… but wasn't? Which was very evident by the way that he held himself; towering, menacing, with an arrogant smirk, and a cruel glint in cobalt blue eyes. How the hell had this happened?

Chibi took a tentative step forward in tandem with the step that Usagi took back. Pink brows raised, eyes wide, and startled. "Endy?" she rasped again. "Is that you?"

Her voice echoed in the hollowed-out darkness of the cavernous crystal hallway that seemed to swallow them up, and Usagi's heart sank, the blood draining from her face with the sick realization that she knew exactly how this had happened. The dark, ominous, inherently evil creature that had preyed on Demande had preyed on her child, as well; the results infinitely terrifying.

Endy arched a black brow, his smirk widening as his eyes darted in between them with amusement that was mocking and so horribly wrong. "Endy?" he asked, chuckling in a low baritone that was so reminiscent of Mamoru, it made her heart hurt. "That kind of sounds familiar. I was toying with something way cooler, though? Like Prince of Darkness. Or Senshi-Crusher of Doom." He paused, as if for dramatic effect, and Usagi could only stare, stunned, utterly perplexed. Endy sighed, disappointed by their lack of reaction, and rolled his eyes. "Okay, yeah. Whatever. We can go with Endy if that's easier for you to scream while you're dying."

Chibi gasped, and his words finally registered, jolting Usagi from her stunned daze. There had to be a way to save him from this. She swallowed thickly, her hands trembling as she leaned forward and pulled her startled pink-haired daughter back.

Endy chuckled again, cocking his head to the side, amused by the movement. "Why are there two Sailor Moons?" he asked. "I was told to kill Sailor Moon, but I didn't know there would be two of you."

Chibi trembled in disbelief beside her, and Usagi squared her shoulders, strengthening her resolve. "Endy," she implored, her voice breaking with emotion. "I know that you're in there somewhere. You have to be. Don't you remember us?"

She pulled away from Chibi, tentatively moving towards Endy, whose eyes narrowed as she approached. She bit her lower lip, heart racing because she had to save him. She needed to pull him out of… whatever this was before whatever Wiseman was planning came to fruition.

She curled gloved fingers around his wrist, hope unfurling in her chest when his eyes widened and he gasped, clutching at his chest. "I do remember you!" he exaggerated. "You're right."

Usagi frowned, even as Chibi released a shuddering, relieved breath because he didn't seem sincere. In fact, she was about to pull away when his expression hardened, his lips slanting into another cold, cruel smirk, as, in the blink of an eye, he leaned over, curled his fingers into the red bow on her chest, and yanked her towards him.

She cried out, surprised, as his face was mere inches from hers. "I remember that I'm supposed to kill you," he snarled. "So, ciao, blonde Sailor Moon."

In the next instant, pain coursed through her body. Usagi was not a stranger to agony; she'd withstood the worst of it. But this was different. It felt like Mamoru's Golden threads of energy, except it was tainted, corrupted and twisted with the dark, purple-webbed power of darkness, and it ripped through her in an instant, rendering her immobile, and compressing everything inside of her.

He probably would have succeeded in killing her. She'd never encountered anything more powerful in her life. And the sound of Chibi's screaming intermingled with painful ringing in her ears. One second she was mere milliseconds from death, and the next, Endy and Chibi were both wavering, flickering in and out, eliciting gasps from both of them and effectively stopping Endy's brutal assault.

Usagi crumpled to her knees, body tingling in the aftermath, gasping for breath, as Endy staggered back, an utterly astonished expression etched into his face. It took mere moments before they'd all recovered, and Chibi scrambled towards her, eyes brimming with tears as she helped Usagi to her feet.

Endy straightened, his lips pressed into an annoyed line, as his narrowed gaze swept over her. "Well, that's inconvenient," he hissed through gritted teeth. "What the hell was that?"

Usagi swallowed, still slightly unsteady as she lifted her gaze, sapphire eyes meeting his petulant glare. "It's because I'm your mother, Endy," she snapped, her words tangling on her tongue. "Whatever Wiseman did to you, or told you when he turned you into this, is a lie. Please, believe me."

Endy pursed his lips, brow furrowing as his gaze swept over her, his eyes clouded as if he were considering her words. He sighed, annoyed, as he raked his fingers through his hair. "Well, damn," he spat, shaking his head. "You're right. This changes everything."

Usagi's heart skipped a beat, and she exchanged a hopeful look with a terrified Chibi when he exhaled. "This is super inconvenient. I have a billion memories, and I don't recall having a mother." He shrugged, the movement casual, resigned. "So, if I can't kill you, I'm going to need you to join me. I really don't want you to get in my way, and you'd be doing me a solid by being on my side."

Usagi started, tensing with alarm as she pulled a gasping Chibi back. This wasn't going to end well, and her heart twisted with anguish at the thought because it was looking more and more like they were going to have to fight Endy. She glanced sideways at Chibi, who had yet to say very much, making it clear that she was not ready to do that, and Usagi's inability to use the silver crystal rendered her practically useless.

Usagi shook her head, her heart in her throat. "That's not going to happen," she choked, very aware by the tension building in the air that this conversation was dwindling to a close. "Please, Endy."

Despite her last-ditch attempt to plead with what used to be her son, Endy's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing with irritation. "Aw, c'mon, Blonde Sailor Moon. Can you just do this willingly? Please?" he implored with exasperation. "I'm pretty sure that I heard somewhere that the dark side has cookies. If that sways you?"

Usagi shook her head again, panic blossoming in her chest as she curled her fingers around Chibi's wrist, yanking her back, her boots clicking loudly on the stone floor as her gaze frantically scanned her surroundings. They needed to get the hell out of here.

Endy's smirk faded, and his frown deepened as he took note of her movements. "No?" he snapped, his tone menacing now as he stalked towards them. "You know, I'm pretty powerful. More powerful than you are, and I wasn't really asking," he growled, his tone lowering an octave. "But, sure, okay. Let's do this the hard way."

Usagi knew, deep down, that they couldn't stand against Endy. So, she didn't hesitate this time, not willing to wait to see what he meant, as she spun on her heels so quickly, her vision blurred dizzily, and she pulled Chibi into the darkness.

The pink-clad Senshi was startled, and she stumbled, but Usagi knew that they couldn't afford the luxury to wait until she gained her bearings. So, she half-pulled, half-dragged the gasping Senshi down the hall, not daring to glance back, as she veered them right, heart pounding, as they ran through a darkened, narrow doorway.

Usagi was vaguely familiar with the layout of the crystal castle from the fake landscapes that Demande had pulled her though, and her first foray in this dreadful place when Saphir had swept her here to save him. So, she knew that just beyond this particular hallway, it was going to open up into a massive cavernous room that pulsed with maleficent energy; with ceilings so high, the shadows hid them from view with dozens of spindled pillars that coiled down from them.

Her chest was burning from the exertion of running when she yanked an equally frazzled Chibi behind one of the pillars. Her face pale, expression pleading as she pressed her back against the cold, pulsing crystal, and craned her neck towards a whimpering Chibi.

"Chibi," she rasped, trying to keep her voice as low as possible. "You need to get us out of here now."

Chibi blinked, blue-eyes round like saucers, lower lip quivering as she seemed to come to her senses and nodded. "Right," she whispered, locking her knees and clenching her eyes shut.

Precious moments passed, and Usagi swore the loud, thundering sound of her heart beating in her chest was going to give them away when Chibi gasped, and her eyes flew open as she spun around and clutched at Usagi's arm with terror and desperation glistening in her eyes. Usagi's heart sank because she knew before Chibi said a word that she wasn't going to be able to get them out of here.

"I'm sorry, Usagi," she choked, tears spilling down the paled slopes of her cheeks. "I—I don't know what's wrong. I can't do it."

Usagi bit her lip, fear blossoming in her chest when the sound of slow, steady footsteps entered the chamber. "Hey, Sailor Moon times two, I gave you guys a head start!" Endy chuckled, his voice reverberating loudly off the walls, disguising its location. Chibi opened her mouth as if to gasp, and Usagi instinctively clamped her hand over her mouth.

"I think I'm being super nice about this, actually. And I have some time, so we can play this game for a little bit—" There was a loud explosion, a pillar crumbling, undoubtedly because of Endy, and Usagi cringed. The sound of shattered crystal crashing to the floor was practically deafening. "But, I am going to find you, so you'd be making this so much easier on yourself if you just stepped out on your own."

Usagi coiled her arm around Chibi, pressing her further into the pillar that they were hiding behind as she risked a furtive glance around it. She thought that she caught a glimpse of white, a startling contrast to the vibrating purple walls, as Endy casually strolled along the wall on the other side of the room.

"Look, if you come out now, I promise, it won't hurt—" Another explosion of shattering crystal, and this time Usagi barely contained the cry that nearly spilled from her lips as she covered her ears. "Okay, so, I'm actually lying. It's probably going to hurt, but listen, Blonde Sailor Moon, the upside is that we can come up with a way better name for you!"

There was another explosion, this one closer. They needed to move now, and Usagi took a deep breath and exchanged a look with Chibi to convey as much. The pink-haired Senshi's eyes widened as she vehemently shook her head.

"What about still-blonde-but-now-rolls-with-the-darkness Sailor Moon?" Endy drawled, exploding another column just behind them. "Too much of a mouthful?"

They couldn't wait any longer, and despite Chibi's silent protests otherwise, Usagi grasped her arm, and she yelped, as she yanked her forward.

She was aiming to reach the other side of the room, to find another way to exit, but Endy's delight-filled chuckle was an indication that they'd been spotted, and he didn't hesitate either. Another projected beam of darkness hurtled towards her, momentarily enveloping her in its grasp.

Usagi gasped, stumbling, but it wasn't in agony this time. This time there was a pressure that pulsated through her head, and it felt like every dark thought that she'd ever had barreled to the forefront of the mind, exposed to Endy's empathic link.

She never would have been able to pull herself away from that intrusion into her mind on her own, and she gasped, tears welling in the corners of her eyes as Chibi forcibly yanked her out of it, grunting as their backs slammed against the wall of the opposing pillar. They weren't hidden very well at all, and even if they were, their labored breathing would have given them away. They needed to move, run again, but Usagi groaned, clutching at her head that was suddenly throbbing.

"Whoa," Endy exclaimed. "Well, that was interesting. I mean, given the fact that you're supposed to be purity incarnate, I wasn't really expecting to pull up anything dark, but man—" he whistled as if impressed. "I'm going to need to get some more of this Wicked Lady character. She's pretty awesome."

Usagi sucked in a breath through her teeth. It was like he'd punched her in the stomach, stolen the breath from her lungs at the mention of that name. She was, in so many ways, still so tortured by the things she'd done under Beryl's influence, and her evil alter-ego still haunted her.

Chibi's eyes were wide with sympathy when their gazes met, and the pink-haired Senshi's expression hardened. She nodded with renewed determination. "I have to fight him, Usagi."

Usagi blinked, startled, and she shook her head, "What? No, Chibi—"

She didn't finish her sentence as Chibi twirled out of her reach, stepping out from behind the pillar, completely exposed. "Endy, I don't want to fight you, but I will."

Endy stepped forward, snorting with amusement, "Sorry to say, Pink Sailor Moon, but this isn't going to be much of a fight."

Usagi gasped, horror and disbelief unfurling like poison in the pit of her stomach as she watched, as if in slow motion, as the corner of Endy's lips curved up into an arrogant, satisfied smirk and he lifted his hand, calling forth from whatever powers he possessed and a blazing, toxin-filled ball of darkness formed in the palm of his hand.

Usagi knew, without a doubt, that Endy was going to aim to kill. It ripped at her heart, broke something inside of her because it didn't matter that she hadn't actually given birth to them, that they were from the future, and truly belonged to a more regal, more powerful version of herself. They were still her children. And it was weird, and strange, and she'd spent so much time fighting it. But there was no way she was going to let this happen.

Tears welled in her eyes, and a sob lodged in her throat because she was terrified with what she needed to do. She'd faced death on multiple occasions, but that scared her less than transforming into her worst nightmare again.

Still, Usagi would sacrifice anything for Chibi and Endy, and that is precisely what she intended when she flew from behind the pillar, and forcibly pushed Chibi away.

Chibi stumbled back, wide-eyed and confused as her gaze met Usagi's. "Go now, Chibi," Usagi rasped, broken-hearted, terrified. "Find Mamoru."

Chibi cried out in dismay, leaning forward to grasp Usagi's arm in an attempt to pull her from Endy's beam. It didn't have the same effect on her though, and Usagi heard the sizzle of skin as it sliced over her hand.

She yelped, pulling back with tears of horror glistening in her eyes. "Usagi," she cried, lips trembling. "I can't leave you here."

Usagi groaned, swaying on her feet. She knew that she was fighting a losing battle, and they couldn't fix this on their own. "Yes, you can," she hissed through gritted teeth, her expression anguished but resolute when it met Chibi's. "Trust me this time, Chibi. I love you."

She was relieved to see that her future daughter listened to her, nodding, her expression pained, and she spun around to run as Endy's beam harder, molding around her body, prodding with a persistent strength she could no longer resist . She closed her eyes, tears sliding listlessly down her cheeks, as she crumpled to her knees under the weighted pressure of his empathic, mind-twisting powers.

She sobbed, crumbling when she heard a familiar, terrifying voice whisper in her head.

"What is your name?" She didn't get a chance to answer. "I know your name." It slithered over her like ice and needles. "It's Wicked Lady." Then the memories that belonged to Usagi faded, once again, and a cruel, slanted smirk curled onto her lips when she opened her eyes.

oOo

Teleporting with maleficent energy was much different than if he were to have used the power of the Golden Kingdom, or the purity of the powers wielded by the Senshi. As such, the moment that the nauseating pull in his abdomen ceased, and they appeared on Nemesis's surface, Mamoru felt disgusting. The cloying taste lingered on his tongue, the ice-cold remnants still rippling on the surface of his skin when he stumbled into a crystal chamber, staggering against Demande as they landed.

Annoyingly, it took him more time than the white-haired prince to recover from the disorienting feeling, and when he'd straightened, the self-proclaimed Prince was smirking at him. "I'm not really sure where all of these visions of you as some kind of powerful being came from," Demande drawled, casually crossing his arms. "I think, perhaps, Serenity's view of you is sorely skewed. A little more time in her head, and I probably could have burst that bubble."

The growl that rumbled in Mamoru's chest was instinctual and completely involuntary. He really, really wanted to be the bigger person here, for Usagi's sake, but he hated the bastard, and the reminder that this smug, smirking monster had somehow infiltrated Usagi's dreams on a nightly basis made the simmering rage surface. It was practically unmanageable.

What he wanted to do was punch him in the face. Hard. Instead, he gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and forcibly ignored him as he spun on his heels to study their surroundings.

This place was morose, dreadful, and pulsing with purple-tinged darkness that vibrated in the crystal walls. It reminded him of Beryl, Metalia, and the Dark Kingdom, and he fought the urge to shudder at the memory. It was only when he took a step forward, inspecting the hollowed out chamber with cold stone floors, that he realized with horror that he couldn't feel anything.

He inhaled sharply, focusing on pulling some kind of energy from his surroundings, but there was nothing. Not only were his empathic abilities non-existent here, but he was going into this completely blind; unable to feel the comforting bond that he shared with Usagi.

"Well, King?" Demande sneered from behind him, his voice resonating loudly against the walls. "This is my castle, but I don't know where she is. Make yourself useful and find her."

It grated on his nerves, tore at his pride, and he wanted to roar with rage. Instead, he swallowed, shoulders tensed as he turned to face the smug-faced bastard. "I can't," he admitted, choking the words out with difficulty. "I don't have access to the power on this planet. It's dead inside. Just like you, Demande."

Demande's obsidian eyes widened a fraction with his confession, and Mamoru never wanted to hit someone so badly when the white-haired bastard shook his head and let out a bark of mocking laughter. "What are you even doing here, then?" he scoffed. "Does it kill you to know that I'm better suited to protect her here than you are?"

The anger, disgust, and, admittedly, jealousy rose like acid in his throat, unfurling in his chest in a way that he'd never felt before. Mamoru had never doubted his connection with Usagi. Not once. He still didn't, but he'd never felt so helpless before; faced with the undeniable fact that, despite his best efforts, he'd failed to protect her from this monster. And now, Usagi loved him.

Mamoru's expression darkened when he took a step towards the Prince who didn't even flinch at his approach. "That's enough, Demande."

Demande's smirk only widened, his gaze taunting as it met his. "Or what?" he baited. "I think you're just angry that I probably know her better than you do. We did spend an eternity getting to know each other quite… intimately."

Demande's words elicited all of the memories of Usagi after a 'nightmare.' The exhaustion, the confusion, the time that she'd nearly fallen unconscious in the street. The way she'd fallen prey to Demande's influence night after night and Mamoru had no idea. He'd been oblivious to the way she was being emotionally violated.

Something inside of Mamoru snapped, and the growl that tore from his throat was feral with rage when he attacked Demande. Sweeping forward with reflexes that belonged solely to Tuxedo Kamen, vision blurred with fury, as he slammed the Prince against the wall.

Demande inhaled sharply, startled as Mamoru pressed his forearm against his neck, forcefully pushing against him as his other fist collided into the cold, hard crystal wall beside his head.

His breath was strangled, tortured as it fanned across Demande's face. "You bastard," he rasped, so furious that the muscles in his neck and arms quivered with rage. "What did you do to her?"

Demande didn't even flinch, and even though Mamoru was probably choking him, slowly constricting his airway, the prince still had the goddamn audacity to fucking smirk. "I didn't do as much as I would have if we'd had more time," he taunted, sputtering as Mamoru pressed harder against the column of his throat. "She-she should belong to me."

The Prince had barely managed to cough out those words, and they stunned Mamoru into loosening his grip a fraction. His breath caught in his throat, his mind swimming dizzily as his gaze swept over the hardened, rigid contours of Demande's face. He didn't need to have access to his powers to know that Demande was broken. Just a twisted soul who'd latched onto the brightest thing in this universe with an unhealthy obsession that elicited a wisp of pity inside of him.

Mamoru shook his head, cobalt-blue clashing with obsidian. "She doesn't belong to anyone, Demande," he spat. "She's the fucking sun, moon, and the stars. If anything, you belong to her."

It was the first thing that Mamoru said that managed to crack through the insufferably mocking veneer that he'd been sporting since they'd arrived here. His expression darkened, and he scowled, baring his teeth. "Don't you think I know that?" he snarled. "I fought her, but she stole everything from me with her eyes, and her morals, and her damn lessons that made me question everything."

Demande fought against his hold, and Mamoru let him go, taking a step back as Demande angrily stood, straightening his collar. The white-haired Prince's expression was wounded, haunted even, laced with anger when he lifted his gaze to meet his again.

"I hate that I love her. I hate that she's managed to light up everything in my life, and trust me, King," he sneered, his unnaturally pale face tinged red with rage. "If I could have found the opportunity to cage her? I would have without hesitation."

Mamoru said nothing while Demande composed himself, that cold, smug mask falling back into place as he averted his gaze. His momentary lapse in control had granted Mamoru a glimpse of the twisted cords and meshing that made up Demande's core. Unlike Usagi, he didn't have any desire to determine what had made him this way. All he knew was that he was no longer angry. He was filled with pity for the misguided, tortured man that would never understand the gift of Usagi's love.

Demande lifted his gaze again, smirking, opening his mouth to say something that probably would have been snide and condescending, but he was promptly interrupted when a flash of pink, panting and wheezing, stumbled into the chamber.

Mamoru's eyes widened as Chibi staggered over the threshold, skidding to a stop when her terrified, strained gaze met his. "Oh, God!" she cried, and his heart skipped a beat at the fear laced into her words. "Mamoru! You're here!"

Her eyes darted to Demande, whose lips curled into a taunting smile, and they narrowed for only a moment before Chibi shook her head, as if to clear it, and vaulted into his arms.

Mamoru grunted from the impact, and he was quick to steady her as the pink-haired Senshi began to cry and babble incoherently. This alarmed Mamoru more than anything because the last time he'd seen Chibi, she'd been brimming with anger and confidence. His heart stopped, breath caught in his throat with the realization that there was only one reason for Chibi's behavior.

He was a bit rougher than he intended when, alarmed, he grasped Chibi's arms, sweeping forward with panic in his eyes. "Chibi," he choked. "Where's Usagi?"

Chibi's lower lip trembled, tears pouring from red-rimmed eyes as she shook her head. "I'm— I've been— been— trying to tell you," she croaked, her voice thick and raspy with emotion. "Wiseman turned Endy into— into a man, and then Endy— he— he—"

It was Demande who growled with irritation, interrupting Chibi's stunted speech. "Spit it out, Rabbit," he hissed. "Where's Serenity?"

Mamoru scowled at him before turning back to his teary-eyed, devastated future daughter. To Chibi's credit, she did stop crying long enough to cast him a withering glare before she sniffled, took a deep breath, and bravely met Mamoru's gaze again. "She's not Usagi, anymore, Mamoru," she whispered, horrified. "Endy turned her into Wicked Lady."

Mamoru froze, the blood draining from his face, stunned by Chibi's words. Wicked Lady was a nightmare, and she'd been eradicated. It wasn't possible. There was no way that…

His heart sank when a familiar, sickeningly sweet giggle echoed loudly around them. It bounced off the crystal walls, amplified, and tearing at his heart. No. It wasn't possible.

The woman that stepped over the threshold looked like his Usagi, though she was in her civilian clothing. When his eyes met hers, he knew that he wasn't looking at the bright, ray of sunshine that was his Moon Princess. Wicked Lady had indeed returned from the bowels of hell where she'd been discarded.

"Serenity?"

Demande was confused, brow furrowed, as his gaze swept over her. Usagi's lips slanted into a cold, conniving smile as she slid her gaze on to the white-haired Prince. "No," she giggled, and it tore at Mamoru's heart as Chibi gasped in horror beside him. "My name is Wicked Lady."

Mamoru knew, deep down, that there was nothing he could do to change this. He'd been here before, but he couldn't handle the thought of losing her like this all over again. "Usagi, no," he rasped, and, without thinking, staggered towards her, devastated. "This can't be happening again."

Usagi's expression shattered his heart as she casually took a step back, quirking a condescending eyebrow as she regarded him coolly. "Ah, look, Endy. My very own savior has come to save the day."

He choked, anguished by the sarcasm and derision laced into her voice. As if the devastating realization that Usagi had somehow been corrupted wasn't enough, his knees buckled, horrified when Endy stepped into the room. He didn't know how the hell sweet, smiling baby Endy had turned into an adult who was practically his twin, but it terrified him.

They were all stunned as Endy exchanged an amused glance with Usagi, arching a brow, as he lifted his hand, and snapped his fingers.

Mamoru was powerful. He'd always been powerful, especially in this lifetime with Usagi, but he'd never felt so helpless when every muscle in his body suddenly seized, and he was rendered completely immobile, incapable of moving. He couldn't speak, or turn, he was frozen in place. It was clear by the synchronized strangled gasps around him that Chibi and Demande were in a similar position when Endy casually stepped into his line of sight.

The ebony-haired man who'd once been his son tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowing as he studied Mamoru with curiosity. "This is uncanny. Look, Wicked Lady!" he exclaimed with a chuckle, gesturing widely. "We could be twins. Well, except that you're wearing a tuxedo. Dude, do you know how ridiculous that looks?"

Even if Mamoru wanted to respond, he couldn't, and he was forced to grit his teeth, horrified, when Usagi rolled her eyes, gracing Mamoru with a dismissive glance before she turned, spinning around in that graceful, predatory way, and stepped towards a frozen Demande.

"Endy," she began, her tone so unlike Usagi it broke his heart. "Release, Demande. He is the Prince of Nemesis, after all."

Chibi whimpered, the sound strangled, and the bile rose in Mamoru's throat when Endy shrugged, snapping his fingers again, to release the white-haired Prince who grunted. The Prince's expression was guarded, though Mamoru was sure he detected a shrewd, confused look glinting in his eyes as his gaze fixed onto Usagi, who circled around him with a calculated smile curled onto her lips.

"Oh, Demande," she purred, lightly running the tips of her fingers along his shoulder. "How far you've strayed from Wiseman's wonderful gifts. He is merciful, you know. He'll welcome you back."

Endy rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically. "While I'm all about the cat and mouse game you've got going on over there, Wicked Lady, we need to get the Silver Crystal from Pink Sailor Moon since yours is completely useless."

Chibi gasped, and Mamoru's muscles shuddered under the strain of his attempts to move them. Of course Wiseman wanted the Crystal. It was always about the goddamn crystal. His eyes slid onto Usagi, heart aching when she scowled. "Yes, Endy," she snapped haughtily, condescendingly snapping her wrist. "We'll get to it. First, I'm trying to recruit our beloved Prince."

Endy lifted his hands in surrender, sighing, and took a step back as Usagi turned back to Demande, who had, up until this point, remained utterly silent. "So, Demande?" she drawled, curling slender arms around his neck, smiling that sultry, Wicked Lady smile. "What do you say? You wanted a Dark Queen. Now you can have her."

Mamoru was gutted, heart in his throat, tears pricking the corners of his eyes because it didn't matter that he knew that this was not Usagi. Whatever the hell they'd done to her wasn't her fault. It still hurt like hell and rage ripped through him at the injustice of it all. It wasn't fair that this kept happening to her. She didn't deserve this.

Usagi's lips hovered just above Demande's, and Mamoru's heart hammered with fury. Hadn't the Prince just lamented about how he'd do anything to cage his Princess? Demande's eyes flicked to his for a moment, and Mamoru was startled because the smug, satisfied look that he'd expected was absent. In its place was disgust and revulsion.

Usagi must have missed it because she hummed with triumph when Demande lifted his hand and wove his fingers through her hair at the back of her head. "You're not half the Queen that she is," he hissed. "You disgust me."

Before Usagi could react to the rejection, Demande yanked her head back with a roughness that made her cry out in pain and enraged Mamoru. With unwarranted force, Demande pushed her into Endy. The ebony-haired man was caught off guard, and he grunted as Usagi barreled into him, and they fell to the floor into a shrieking mass of blonde hair and black fabric.

The move released whatever hold that Endy had on them, and Mamoru only had time to exhale a pained breath when Demande swept forward and roughly grasped his arm and Chibi's wrist. He didn't get a chance to protest before the air was sucked from his lungs, and the cloying, maleficent energy raked across his skin, and he was pulled away from Usagi and Endy. Demande had drawn them into the void of teleportation.

oOo