A/N: And it is finally finished. Many thanks to those who stuck it out with me. I became severely disenchanted with this story and it took me a long time to get back into it, but I hope you find this final chapter to your liking. I'm amazed that it ended pretty much how I intended from the get go, even with a few unexpected twists and turns along the way. As always I appreciate any and all comments and criticisms you may have.

Disclaimer: I'm only borrowing Sailor Moon

The Peril Within by Sunkissed Sapphire

Chapter 8: Heroes of the Stars

It wasn't long after the outer senshi pulled up in Haruka's yellow convertible that Mamoru also arrived with Usagi, Chibi-usa, Minako, and Makoto. There was a brief, if tense moment where Makoto and Haruka locked eyes, but Makoto ignored it and instead went over to where Ami and Rei were waiting at the bottom of the steps, sweeping the small bluenette into a gentle hug. "Are you okay?" she whispered into her ear.

"I'm fine Mako-chan. Everything is fine." She stood on her tip-toes and kissed her on the cheek. "Let's get him back."

Minako cleared her throat loudly to get everyone's attention. "Alright, I know everyone is anxious to go, but let's go inside for a minute. I want Ami to check out what we found to see if it all makes sense and make a plan of attack." The others all nodded and followed her up the steps, except for a small commotion at the back.

"I'm coming too!"

"No, we know that you are a target; you can't come," Usagi said, exasperated.

"But I want to! Kiriko's my friend. And Hotaru's my friend. I'm coming." Chibi-usa was almost in tears as she looked back and forth between Usagi and Hotaru.

"Chibiusa." Mamoru's calm, even tone seemed to calm her down a bit as he kneeled next to her. "Your friends mean a lot to you. But we must believe in Sailor Moon, that she can bring back Kiriko and Hotaru's ethereal pearl. You can help by staying back with me and protecting Hotaru here."

Chibi-usa sniffled. "You're staying too?" Mamoru smiled and nodded at her and she seemed to consider it for a moment. "Okay," she nodded finally.

Meanwhile, inside the shrine Minako, Artemis, and Luna sat down with Ami and caught her up with what they had found: that Ferios and Kadius were not operating from debris from the comet, but rather from the comet itself.

"They are on the comet? But it must be millions of miles away by now. How are they managing it?" Ami asked, confused.

Artemis shook his head. "No, the comet is still here; it's just out of sight."

Ami's mouth opened in surprise as she thought about it. "The moon! They are hiding behind the moon. Clever. Most of our scans cannot penetrate directly through the moon, so they have been virtually invisible."

"Correct," answered Minako. "But I think it's time to surprise them with a visit. The five of us, along with Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna will teleport to the comet and rescue Kiriko. Meanwhile Mamoru, Luna, and Artemis will stay back with Hotaru and Chibi-usa." The two cats nodded in acknowledgement and everyone stood up to go outside.

Out on the porch they met up with the rest of their group. Off to one side Rei, Makoto, and Haruka were speaking in low tones, the three of them falling silent when they noticed the others come out. To Ami's surprise Haruka immediately approached her and asked to speak with her. Ami nodded and let herself be led around the corner of the building where Haruka stopped and turned to face her.

"I wanted to apologize," she said finally, looking quite uncomfortable as she stared at the ground, her eyes flicking back and forth as though from one thought to another, her mouth twitching.

As she stood watching her struggle to find the words, Ami was struck simultaneously by two thoughts: first, that she had never really been alone with the racer before, let alone have a one-on-one conversation with her, and second that this was quite possibly the first time Tenou Haruka had ever admitted she was wrong about something. She debated for a moment which of these was the stranger, maintaining a level gaze at Haruka.

"I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. Rei explained what you two found out this evening…I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that nothing in this galaxy is ever straightforward, it seems. And I shouldn't have doubted your integrity as a soldier. You've always put Usagi first. I was just a little distraught—"

"I understand," Ami said to her. "She's your daughter, and you were trying to protect her. Thank you for your apology. Now, let's get them back, mm? Hotaru's pearl and my son. Let us fight together for them."

When they made their way back to the front of the porch everyone was transformed and waiting for them. "It is a rare day when Tenou Haruka is the one holding up the group," Neptune said to her partner after she transformed. Uranus gave her a look somewhere between a glare and a scowl that clearly said her lover was kicking her when she was already down. Neptune smiled as she clasped hands with her. "That's okay. You don't usually keep me waiting."

"Ahem," Minako cleared her throat to dispel the awkward silence that followed Neptune's comment. "Is everyone ready?"

They were all standing in a circle, hands clasped, and everyone nodded at Venus except Sailor Moon who was looking at those who were staying behind. "Hotaru, Chibi-usa, Mamo-chan, take care of each other. Luna, Artemis, keep an eye on them." She turned back to the group and nodded.

They each closed their eyes and focused their energy on their destination, their auras glowing around their bodies as they started to defy gravity. They hovered just inches above the ground as their hair and uniforms billowed in a non-existent breeze. Suddenly as a group they took off, hurtling through space at such a speed that all that could be seen was a small sparkling trace of their auras back on the ground in front of the shrine.

…

Mercury thought she had felt her feet slam into the ground. She thought, for an instant, that they had all made it there together, that she could see her circle of friends, her comrades, and the bright light of their energy just starting to dim as they made their destination. But in that same instant it all disappeared.

Instead she opened her eyes and found herself in a room, alone. As Mercury looked around she was immediately reminded of works by M.C. Escher. Staircases crisscrossed through the room in several directions and on different planes. There were multiple doorways in the walls and (ceiling?) that looked like they opened to the outside, but she didn't have a clue how she could reach them. The staircase in front of her seemed to climb up to a blank wall that, if gravity functioned differently, may have served as the landing for another staircase that shot out horizontally from there.

Mercury touched her hand to her ear, activating her visor as she pulled out her computer and began scanning the room for physical or gravitational anomalies. She was surprised when nothing abnormal showed, especially because she could see potted plants and other adornments resting on the walls as they would a bench or pedestal. If they truly existed within the same set of physical rules that were enacting on her, they should have fallen to the floor on her level, unless of course they were glued in place.

Testing that theory, Mercury grabbed a statuette off a pedestal next to her and heaved it at a plant apparently suspended from an upside down staircase above her. She surprised herself by actually hitting her target, which rather than falling onto her, instead fell up the staircase. She watched as the vase shattered on one of the steps, spraying dirt all over the stairs exactly as though gravity was pulling upwards, or as though she were suspended from the ceiling and looking down.

She scanned the room again, but again, her computer told her that nothing was out of the ordinary. The only gravitational force was the one acting upon her. Slightly concerned, Mercury put the device away and began climbing the stairs cautiously. She knew she should trust her computer, but her own observations contradicted everything the device told her. She reached the second to last stair and studied the wall in front of her, the wall that was, in reality, just another floor…so it seemed. She took a deep breath and took the final step, expecting the world to suddenly shift.

But it didn't. She looked at the wall again. She pressed her hands against it, kicked it, pleaded with it, but it was still just a wall. A real wave of panic began rising within her. She looked around the room again analyzing each of the staircases, trying to find a way in which she could escape the room. It was hopeless; there was no way for her to reach the exits. She was trapped in a room where all the analyzing and strategizing wouldn't help at all: the physical laws governing the place simply made no sense.

She resorted to her computer, scanning the room over and over again, her fingers flying over the keyboard in a frenzied rush as the helplessness and futility of her situation settled over her.

…

At that moment Sailor Jupiter was also finding herself very trapped. But rather than a large room like Mercury's, Jupiter was in a very small, contained room, with no doors or windows. There was light, but it was very faint and seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. Thinking she'd just blast her way through the wall, she sent a charge of lightning across the space where it collided with the wall, cracking it.

She smiled at her progress and fired another one in the exact same spot, where it widened the crack into a hole, sending debris flying back at her. She dusted herself off and looked at the wall, expecting to see a nice, neat hole she could climb out of. She growled out of irritation. There was a hole, but it did not lead anywhere. It merely disappeared into solid blackness. She shot another ball of lightning, and another, and another. Each of them widened the hole, but simply into nothingness.

Exasperated she pounded her fists into the wall behind her, feeling the rattle and hearing the echo. It seemed just like a normal wall. She changed directions, sending chains of lightning at this wall instead, but it had the same effect. Ignoring the drain she was feeling on her energy, she continued, aiming in different places, in the corners, at the floor. She tried to ignore the fear stealing over her mind as it began to dawn on her that nothing within her ability was going to free her from this room.

…

When Sailor Moon opened her eyes she was not in a room, or even on the comet, from what she could tell. She seemed to be in a lovely meadow with lots of flowers and a small pond. Near the pond she thought she could make out two small children. She walked over to them, greeting them.

"Hi," she said, waving. "I guess I didn't end up where I wanted. Where am I?"

"Nowhere," said the little boy rather nastily.

"I can't be nowhere," Sailor Moon replied, slightly taken aback at the boy's rudeness. "I mean, I'm here in this beautiful meadow. I'm just wondering where this meadow is. Have you seen anyone else? I'm looking for my friends."

This time the little girl spoke up. "You don't have any friends. There isn't such a thing as a friend."

"Sure there is." This was one truth Sailor Moon was sure of. "Friends are the people you care about, the ones you share your hopes and dreams with. They support you. Without friends, the world would be a very dark and lonely place."

"Yeah, well the world is dark and lonely." The boy gestured around and Sailor Moon watched as the life drained out of the meadow. The flowers withered and died and the water drained into nothing, leaving a dark stain in the earth. The light grew dim around them. "Hopes and dreams aren't real anyway."

Sailor Moon was frightened at the sudden change over the place, but she focused on the two kids, shaking her head fervently. "They can be real if you believe in them."

"Huh uh. No. You can't touch them, you can't hold them. They aren't real. " The little girl stood up and moved next to the boy, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That doesn't matter if you believe," Sailor Moon insisted. "Hopes and dreams, love and friendship… they are powerful because you can't see or hold them. No one can take them away from you. It is the strength of our feelings and faith that determines their brightness. They are powerful because they can bring light to the darkness."

As she said this the meadow returned to life, the pond becoming once again full of water that reflected the blue skies above, and the flowers becoming strong and colorful again. The effect continued and the whole meadow hummed with a magical energy that caused everything to vibrate in Sailor Moon's eyes. The colors all swirled together until nothing was distinguishable, even the children, and then it all dissipated, and Sailor Moon found herself standing in a circle with the rest of the senshi.

As Sailor Moon surveyed her friends she could tell all was not well with them. They had all been subject to some kind of illusion and she could see the vestiges of it in their faces: confusion, panic, and defeat.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked cautiously. The others slowly regained their composure and nodded.

"Some kind of illusion, then," Uranus muttered quietly, as though she were still trying to convince herself.

Next to her Mercury closed her computer and turned off her visor. "It just didn't make any sense. It completely defied logic. "

"I don't understand," Mars looked around the circle. "How did we break the illusion?"

"I don't know. One moment I was trapped inside a room, the next I was standing here." Jupiter looked equally bewildered.

Sailor Moon cleared her throat hesitantly. "I think it may have been me." She recounted her illusion to the others.

"That's interesting," Mercury stated when she finished. "Our illusions were somehow defined by the rules by which we define our lives, twisting them so they no longer made sense. But where the rest of us began panicking in the face of our worlds turned upside down, you managed to keep faith in your beliefs."

"What does it mean?" Sailor Moon asked for all of them.

"I don't know. But I think it is safe to assume that if we fail, everyone on Earth will be subject to similar illusions. And I don't think it will stop there."

"What does that mean?"

Mercury returned Jupiter's gaze. "Well, it would only be a matter of time before the illusion of panic and chaos gave way to real panic."

"We can't let that happen. It has to end here." Venus' expression was resolute. "Mercury, can you find their base? I think it is safe to say it is around here somewhere."

Mercury took in their surroundings for the first time since arriving before turning her visor back on. They were standing in a desolate field of craters with tall barren formations silhouetted by the brilliant expanse of the moon. Moments later she led the rest of them as they wound their way through the landscape. It wasn't long before she found what they were looking for: a gaping tunnel delving down into the bowels of the comet.

"Good work Mercury," Venus said with a reassuring nod. "Let's go."

The tunnel felt cavernous though it was only wide enough for them to walk two abreast as they descended down never-ending stairs carved into the rock. A dim light emanated from horizontal lines of crystals on either side of them. It seemed to Mercury they were miles under the surface by the time the passage way leveled out. All was silent and still, which left her unnerved. She thought they would have encountered some resistance by now. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when she heard a cry and muffled shout from behind her. She turned around to see everyone staring at a section of wall.

"What happened?"

"They just disappeared into the wall, like it reached out and swallowed them." The blood drained from her face as Mercury realized that Sailor Moon, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune were missing from the group. She quickly scanned the section of wall but found nothing that suggested it was anything other than solid rock.

Venus took the lead. "They'll be fine. They're together. We need to find Ferios and stop him." Slowly, they all turned and followed her onward.

It wasn't long before the tunnel opened into a cavern so large that the luminescent crystals surrounding the perimeter alone could not have penetrated the darkness of the center. But the senshi could see well enough, thanks to an unnatural storm cloud that churned above them near the ceiling. Like the storm two months before that preceded Ferios' arrival, the clouds were dark, emanating a violet hue while lightning forked its way across. The air was thick with the metallic taste of rain and the overburdened clouds sagged heavily above them, threatening to flood the room with water.

Across the room, a pale, thin young man could be seen, his striking orange eyes glancing warily at the storm clouds churning above him before focusing on the intruders. "You think you can stop us, but it's not going to happen."

Sailor Venus stepped forward in the absence of Sailor Moon and addressed him. "Kiriko, you don't have to fight for him. You have a home, and you have people who care about you. Come back to us."

"Your pleading is useless. My father and I are creating a world so much more than anything you could offer Kiriko. Besides, that boy is no more." He sent an attack toward her, scattering the senshi who quickly realized they would be doing this the hard way.

Though they outnumbered him four to one, the senshi struggled from the beginning to gain the upper hand in the battle. Mercury, for one, could not bring herself to strike her own son and instead used her attacks to intercept those from Kadius. As for the rest of the senshi, none of them had forgotten Kiriko's singed and smoking body after their last fight and they feared accidently combining their attacks.

Still, as the battle raged on it became obvious that Kadius was slipping. After jumping nimbly out of the way of one of Kadius' wild attacks, Mars yelled to the others, "Just keep pressing on! We'll wear him out." She sent a flaming arrow toward him that exploded at his feet, causing him to stumble back.

On the other side of the room Mercury grew heartened with the plan. Perhaps they wouldn't have to strike him at all. If they could push him to the point of exhaustion, perhaps that would be enough for Sailor Moon to bring him back. Then Mercury's face fell as she remembered that Sailor Moon wasn't even with them.

Another body colliding with hers brought Mercury back to the present battle. She picked herself up off the ground and noticed Pluto doing the same a few meters away. Pluto must have seen the look of confusion on her face and replied, "Watch out for the lightning."

Mercury looked around and realized that the storm clouds that had before hovered above them had now settled lower into the room, forcing them to fight doubled over out of the thick swirling clouds that would obscure their vision. The lightning still forked through the clouds, and while it was slow enough to be easily avoided (if you were paying attention), it did not dissipate and instead created a tangled web of black energy that hampered their movement.

Mercury nodded a thank you to Pluto and ducked her head out of the fog, scanning for Kadius. She found him fifteen meters away being pushed back by relentless, alternating attacks from Venus and Mars. Eventually he found an opening in their attacks and used it to launch himself into the clouds, disappearing from view.

The senshi could all be seen ducking down, searching for him in the closing gap between the clouds and the ground. Mercury thought she saw a flash of pink out of the corner of her eye but did not see anything when she looked again. Then the unmistakable voice of Tuxedo Kamen reached her ears over the low rumbling. "Chibi-usa!"

Mercury stopped looking for Kadius and instead searched for the miniature princess, not stopping to wonder why she was there. She caught sight of her on her hands and knees, making her way to the far end of the cavern toward a heavy metal door. Mercury's throat tightened when she saw Kadius only meters away from Chibi-usa, staring at her with a sinister grin spreading across his face.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Without a second thought Mercury froze Kadius in place before he had a chance to act.

Chibi-usa turned around, unaware of the danger she had been in until she saw Kadius behind her growling in frustration as he struggled to break his arms free of their icy imprisonment. But the ice held. Meanwhile Tuxedo Kamen climbed through the web of lightning in an agonizingly slow attempt to reach Chibi-usa. "Chibi-usa, come back here where it is safe. We don't know how long that ice will hold."

Chibi-usa ignored him and instead moved closer to Kadius, who watched her with a wary eye. "I know you wouldn't hurt me Kiriko." He stopped struggling at the sound of her voice. "And I know you wouldn't let Kadius hurt me. All those times we were playing alone, you could have attacked me. But you didn't. Just like you wouldn't attack Takeo. You have a good heart Kiriko."

"I have no heart!" Kadius screamed wildly. "That boy is gone." Again he tore his eyes to the clouds churning above and around him.

"You do have a heart. You have Kiriko's heart, and it is winning. He will always win in the end because his friendship and hope give him the strength to fight against you. Come back to us Kiriko. You have friends on Earth. You have a home. What world can be better than that?"

An explosion in front of her blew apart the ice that encased Kadius, a bright light that cut through the clouds, filling every crack and crevice in the cavernous room. When the light subsided they could all see a body kneeling on the ground through a thick haze that had replaced the clouds. Tuxedo Kamen had finally reached Chibi-usa and was now pulling her away, the spider web of lightning having disappeared in the explosion. Meanwhile the other senshi grouped together and tried to penetrate the haze to see what was happening.

Kadius' voice echoed through the fog. "You won't win! You don't deserve this body."

A small voice broke through, responding to him. "I didn't mean to hurt those people. I didn't want to." Kiriko's consciousness seemed to have fought its way to the surface.

But Kadius regained control. "But you did hurt them. It was all your fault."

"No! I tried to stop him. I tried…I don't want to hurt anyone else. I WON'T LET YOU!" Kiriko collapsed completely onto the ground, unmoving.

Mercury's heart wrenched at the sound of Kiriko's voice. He was battling for control, but she wasn't sure he was winning. If only Sailor Moon was with them with the Silver Crystal. She could end it right here and now. Not for the first time she found herself pleading with the guardian of her power for some way to solve the situation. Mercury, show me the way to bring him back. Give me the strength, give me the power. We cannot wait for Sailor Moon and the Silver Crystal. She squeezed her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall in the face of their failure.

She didn't need the audible gasp from the senshi to know something was happening. She could feel it within herself, a warm light that filled her from the inside out, bursting from the symbol of Mercury that usually lay dormant on her forehead. A separate consciousness seemed to take up residence in her mind, almost as though someone was sharing her body.

She opened her eyes and knew instantly the changes that had come over her. She was taller, thinner; her hands long and her eyes wide. She was dressed in an elegant, pale blue gown with sleeves that hung to her elbows and a silver circlet adorned her head. She was no longer Ami, but Princess of Mercury, radiating confidence, dignity, and an awesome power more than anything Ami had ever known herself to possess. She could feel it in her veins to the tips of her fingers, to the tips of her toes, and beyond, as though she was drawing energy from the cosmos directly.

With a sweep of her hand the mist filling the room dissipated and she could see plainly the small boy collapsed on the ground as she strode toward him. It seemed his physical form had taken that of her son, although he had not quite defeated Kadius' presence within him. She knelt beside him, her heart wrenching at the contorted expression on his face caught somewhere between pain and concentration. She brushed his hair out of his face, smoothing the lines in his forehead with her thumb.

"Mercadian, my son. The evil that has held your mind will never master your heart, and that is where the true spirit resides. You've been so brave, and so strong. It is time to come back to us Mercadian." The use of his true name caused him to stir and his eyes fluttered open.

"Mother." His face broke into a wide smile and tears streamed from his eyes. "Mother, I knew you would come for me."

Ami could feel her transformation into her past self quickly wane as her son regained strength. "There is much to explain Mercadian."

The pair got to their feet and headed for the rest of the group who were waiting with bated breath in the center of the room. When they saw Kiriko was up and walking, their relief was evident.

"Kiriko."

"Kiriko-kun."

"It's so good to—"

The air around them was rent with a strangled maniacal laughter. "Fine. Fine. So you've unblocked his memories. The boy was useless from the start." They turned to find Ferios standing behind them, looking strangely triumphant given his loss. "Nevermind him. He wasn't fit to be my son. I have what I want now anyway. I think I'll just sit back and enjoy the show."

He jumped high into the air and disappeared, leaving behind a curled mass of white and pink just behind where he had stood.

"Chibi-moon!"

"Oh no." Ami, whose form had reverted back to Sailor Mercury followed Venus and the others as they ran toward her. Chibi-usa had lost her transformation but was coming to when they reached her.

Kiriko squeezed past the others to kneel next to her, recognizing his friend. "Chibi-usa. I'm sorry. You were right. I wouldn't let Kadius take your pearl, but I couldn't protect you either."

Chibi-usa shook her head. "It wasn't your fault Kiriko. I'll be okay."

Mercury pulled Kiriko aside at this point. "What all do you remember Mercadian?"

"A lot. Everything is kind of jumbled. I remember my past as Mercadian. And I remember bits and pieces from when Kadius took over me. But I also remember another life, where I am known as Kiriko. But then, all of you also called me Kiriko…" He looked around at the senshi and understood suddenly. He looked back at Mercury. "You are Ami."

"Yes. I am the reincarnation of your mother from the Silver Millennium. Thousands of years have passed since then. When we first found you I did not know you were my son, but then my memories from the past started returning. Like you, I also have memories from three different lives: that of the Silver Millennium when I was a princess, the present where I am Ami, and my form as Sailor Mercury."

Kiriko nodded. "I understand." They turned their attention back to the other senshi. Chibi-usa was standing, clutched onto Tuxedo Kamen for support.

"Small Lady, why are you here? How did you get here?" Pluto asked the questions everyone else had forgotten.

"I was trying to save Hotaru! Where is she? Did you see her?"

The senshi exchanged looks of confusion and concern. "We never saw Hotaru. She was supposed to have stayed at the shrine with you. Why would she have come?"

"She was abducted! Mamo-chan told me he had cookies in the car and I went out to get some, but when I came back Hotaru was gone. Instead there was a dark tunnel that opened in the middle of the room and I knew she had been taken through it, so I followed her."

The senshi looked at Tuxedo Kamen. "Chibi-usa ran into the portal before I could stop her, so I followed. Did you get separated from the others? We should look for them at once, and Hotaru."

A tremor suddenly shook the ground violently beneath them. A great rumbling noise that seemed to emanate from the heart of the comet itself filled their ears. Mercury found herself stumbling sideways into Pluto. Chibi-usa, who was still unsteady on her feet, collapsed entirely. Even the other senshi had a hard time keeping their ground as the earth quaked around them.

And the trembling did not stop. Venus yelled above the noise. "What's happening?"

None of them had an answer, save for Kiriko, who had to shout to make himself heard. "Chibi-usa's was the last. Ferios has started it. He's releasing the cauldron."

At that moment the door they stood in front of was thrown open, revealing Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Sailor Moon, and Hotaru.

"Great, we're all here. We have to get out, before the place crumbles apart!" Mars threw a glance back toward the way they had come. It would only be moments before the room began caving in.

"No, we have to stop it. We can't let him release that power toward Earth," Mercury pleaded.

"Stop what?"

Venus answered the questioning look on Uranus' face. "The Cauldron of Unknown. Kiriko says Ferios is summoning it now."

Mercury turned to Kiriko once again. "How can we stop it Mercadian, do you know?"

The boy shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think you can."

"Let's figure it out on top. We'll get buried alive down here if we don't move it." Mars turned on her heel and headed for the tunnel leading out. Already large pieces of rock were falling from the ceiling and she kept her eyes up as she picked up speed and ran to the other side. The others followed, dodging the falling rock. They didn't slow down when they reached the tunnel but continued until they were back on the surface of the comet. It was quieter up there, and calmer.

"So what's going on, Kiriko, do you know?" Kiriko paled in front of the eleven sets of eyes staring at him expectantly. He closed his eyes and scrunched his forehead in concentration.

"The comet is the Cauldron. Ferios needed ethereal pearls to start it. When he got them all, the energy would mix with the comet and would create a wave of darkness. The darkness would cover the Earth and make people crazy. Cha—Chaotic, he said. He likes chaos." He opened his eyes again and looked at them fearfully.

Jupiter kneeled down in front of him, taking his hands in hers. "It's okay Kiriko. Thank you. That all really helps. But do you know how to stop it?"

"I—I don't know. It has already started. The comet is already turning into the Cauldron." No sooner had the words left his mouth that the ground beneath them began to tremble once more, breaking apart with a great rumbling roar.

Mercury pulled Kiriko into her, placing one hand protectively over his chest while the other fiddled with her earrings, changing the display on her visor. "Mercadian is right. The core of the comet seems to be reacting with the power of the Ethereal Pearls, creating a dense pocket of dark energy in the center. That pocket is causing the comet to implode and as the energy combines with more material from the comet it will grow and become denser. Once it reaches a point of maximum density the core will explode outward like a supernova toward Earth. It is a chain reaction that has already begun. Our attacks are useless against it."

"How long do we have?" asked Venus.

"I can't be sure. Minutes perhaps." Even as she said it a gaping hole opened in front of their feet, revealing a swirling blend of molten rock and dark energy far below them in the very center of the comet. They jumped back as the ground crumbled away beneath their feet, falling down into the rising mass that grew darker and denser by the moment.

Sailor Moon broke away from the group and moved back toward the edge with the Silver Crystal in hand.

"Sailor Moon, don't! There isn't a way to stop it. If you try…you'll die."

"What other choice is there?"

The others stood silently and all nodded one by one. They drew hope from the powerful light already streaming from the crystal she held above her head. Then Ferios appeared in the air in front of her.

She spoke to him through the light. "You can stop this, Ferios. Just think about what you are doing, think about all the lives you are going to destroy."

"There is no stopping it now, and even if there was, I wouldn't. I swore I would have my revenge on Sailor Mercury when she humiliated me on her planet before. I have waited on this comet for millennia, hoping with every pass, every seven years, that she would have reawakened so I could return the favor."

"We will not allow you to take Earth, or any part of this galaxy, Ferios, but I am offering you the chance to leave now peacefully."

"You can't stop me!" he yelled, enraged. "Earth is mine. The galaxy is mine!"

Jupiter and Mars moved first to shield Sailor Moon but they were too slow. Ferios shot a stream of black energy straight toward the Silver Crystal. The light emanating from the crystal tightened into a beam, intercepting his attack and slowly pushing the energy backward. Surprised, Ferios strengthened his attack, straining with the effort of holding the crystal's light at bay. Bit by bit dark gave way to light until it exploded in his outstretched hands, the force throwing him backwards into the vortex where he disappeared into the roiling mixture.

Sailor Moon did not waver and continued pouring herself into the crystal even as the comet fell apart beneath their feet, the ground itself being consumed into energy. Mercury stared at the disappearing ground, clutching Kiriko against her, knowing full well what she needed to do. She knelt down and spoke in her son's ear. "Give her your power Mercadian." Then she squeezed her eyes closed and willed all of her energy into the Silver Crystal.

The cataclysm roared around her but she was only partly aware of the physical world. She was concentrating all her energy and focus into that tiny little sphere that was their last hope. The light steadily grew, radiating all around them. She could feel it piercing her eyelids, maybe even through her body as they all fought to overcome the unstoppable power approaching them.

Mercury didn't know how much more she had to give. She felt her power waning. The warm light that enveloped her was shrinking away. And then she thought she felt the whisper of a wind wash over, or perhaps a million tiny butterflies, the tips of their wings scarcely brushing her skin as they fluttered by.

And then she was falling, falling…

…

"I still don't get how we managed it," Usagi insisted, stretching out on the park bench. It was one week after their narrow escape from the comet. In fact, none of them actually remembered how they made it home. The first thing they were aware of after they returned was two anxious cats watching over them, telling them they'd been unconscious for hours.

Rei shrugged. "Who cares? You stopped it. Let's just be thankful."

"But I didn't stop it. It blew right past us. I turned around and watched it as it headed straight for the earth."

"Maybe we didn't need to stop it.," Ami said quietly, gazing out toward the lake and the pier. Everyone looked at her and she turned to face them. "Sailor Moon just changed it into something better."

"But you were the one saying it was going to cause absolute chaos," Rei pointed out.

"And it would have, under the direction of Ferios. Indescribable, unstoppable panic. Remember the illusions we all faced when we first landed? Usagi was the only one who could throw it off, and it was because she didn't fear the unknown. For Usagi, and I suppose for a lot of people, the 'unknown' is what allows us to dream about the future. Not knowing exactly what is going to happen gives us the ability to have hope."

"And hope is stronger than certainty," Venus added wisely.

"Yes. The unknown is as much a source of hope and inspiration as it is of fear and panic, and so when Usagi infused the Cauldron with the light of the Silver Crystal, it changed to a positive energy."

"You know, now that you mention it, it seems that people have been generally happier lately. Maybe you are right."

Ami gave a small brief smile and focused once again on the pier until a trio of approaching voices pulled at her attention. She glanced down the path and saw Makoto walking toward them with Kiriko and Chibi-usa.

Thankfully there had been no lasting effect on Chibi-usa after her pearl was taken on the comet. She and Hotaru could both transform again. Minako had confirmed their suspicions when she came back from work one day after working with Takeo: everyone's pearls must have returned to their bodies when the comet released its power.

"—learned more kanji today in school. I bet I know more than Usagi now."

"I bet you do. How about you Kiriko, did you learn anything fun today?"

"Yes. But I spent most of the day working on something else." He had reached the bench where Ami and the others were grouped and set down his backpack. After a minute or so of digging through it he pulled out a drawing to show them. It was a picture of himself standing with the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen under a starry sky. On the back of it in neat writing he had written "For the people who care about me most. Don't forget me. –Kiriko."

"Oh Kiriko, we'd never forget you," Usagi fussed.

Makoto pulled Ami away from the others toward the end of the pier. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?

"It's the only way. He needs a stable life, and I can't offer him that right now. And besides, he is used to a world so different from this one. He'll be happier in Crystal Tokyo, and I'll be there waiting for him when he gets there."

"Yes, but you won't be able to see him for maybe a thousand years or more."

"Oh Mako-chan, don't make this harder than it already is." Ami buried her head into Makoto's shoulder for a moment, trying not to break down in tears. After she regained her composure she straightened up again, looking back at the group. "I have to do what is best for him. And it isn't like I won't ever see him again…It will just be a very long time. Perhaps by that time I will have all my memories and I can be the mother he remembers."

"I think he'll be happy just to be with you again. And hey, who knows? There's no saying he won't come back and visit occasionally."

"You are right. Who knows?" Ami forced a smile and let Makoto pull her into a comforting hug. She looked up and watched her friends finish saying goodbye to her son.

"You behave now, Kiriko-kun. Don't let Chibi-usa drag you into her antics," Usagi warned, wagging her finger at him with a wink. "I'm a much stricter person in the future."

"Oh, don't listen to her. We'll make sure she doesn't keep you from having fun." Minako pulled him into a brief hug, smiling at Rei.

"Take care of yourself Kiriko. We'll all miss you."

"I'll miss you too Rei-chan." He looked at each of them in turn before glancing toward Makoto and Ami. Rei gave him an encouraging push and he walked slowly toward them.

Makoto knelt down first. "I'm going to miss you kiddo. You're a good kid."

He frowned. "I'll miss you too Mako-chan."

"Nah. You won't even notice the difference. We'll all be there."

He stared at the ground and shook his head. "But it will be different."

"You're right," she said, lifting his chin up. "But that doesn't have to be a bad thing." With that she pulled him into a tremendous hug. "I'm glad you were able to stay with me and keep me company the last couple of months. Maybe when you get to Crystal Tokyo you and I can keep up our karate lessons."

"I would like that."

"Me too." Makoto looked up at Ami and stood, squeezing Kiriko's shoulder before walking over to the rest of the group where they were saying goodbye to Chibi-usa.

After Makoto walked off Ami knelt down and held onto her son's hands, looking into his deep gray eyes. "Mercadian."

"Mother." He stared back into her eyes, not blinking.

"You are so strong. And I am so proud of you."

He gave a small smile then tilted his head up into the sky. "Will we ever get to go home?"

"No son. Everything was destroyed at the end of the Silver Millennium. But I promise you will like your new home. You'll be with Chibi-usa and all of us will be waiting for you when you get there."

"You'll be waiting for me?"

"I sure will. We'll be together, and we can be a family."

"But what about you? You have to wait a long time to see me again."

"You are right. I have to wait a very long time. And I will miss you every day from now until then." She wrapped her arms and held him for a long time. Knowing she was only putting off the inevitable, she released him, realizing her composure was slipping again. "Hurry up now Mercadian. My future self has waited hundreds and hundreds of years to see you again. You don't want to make your mother wait any longer, do you?"

He shook his head and blinked the tears out of his eyes. "No."

Chibi-usa came up and took his hand, smiling at Ami.

"You two take care of each other. It was good seeing you again Chibi-usa." Ami retreated a few steps back, rejoining the group. Minako slipped Kiriko's drawing into her hand with a reassuring smile.

"Bye Chibi-usa! Bye Kiriko"

"Bye everyone!" Chibi-usa and Kiriko raised their hands and waved, as did the senshi in a final salute as Chibi-usa raised the Time Key in the air. She called to Chronos and an instant later the pair was gone, leaving nothing but the faintest trace of blue and pink in the air where they had been standing only moments before.

Ami wiped her eyes and looked again at the drawing Kiriko had given them. He had drawn himself in the middle, holding hands with both Mercury and Jupiter. Even Luna and Artemis were in the picture, situated in front of his feet. She flipped it over and read the caption again, this time noticing another note at the bottom of the page.

"The stars show the heroes of old tales, but mine aren't so far away. Even after I leave I'll still be in the same place and I'll watch the same stars as you."