To those of you who have been here since I first published this, I salute you. On with the story.

When he first appeared, everyone assumed the Sailor Scouts would take care of him.

The world had been lulled into a false sense of security. When past threats surfaced, the scouts always defeated them. There was damage and destruction and injuries and pain, but the scouts always came out on top. So it was common for people to disregard this one, to just wait for a girl in a sailor costume to show up and save the day. And at first, they did.

I was so young when it all began. Too young to remember it. The only thing I know from the early stage is the very first death: a graphic, ruthless death that was first ruled a simple homicide before it was linked to later attacks and deaths. It was the pivotal point in The Loss, the event that everyone referenced in passing as "the beginning" or "the first". Diamond's rampage became accepted as the new era, with this murder marking the start of it.

I learned years later that this death was of one of the revered Sailor Senshi. Sailor Pluto.

After that, the attacks and the deaths were apparently rather random. Sometimes a single civilian was killed, sometimes an entire family, sometimes no one. The scouts did their best to keep the death toll low, but more and more families were being attacked and killed before the senshi had the chance to show up. Parents kissing their children goodnight began to take on a new meaning. Creaks in old houses became more ominous. Soon, it would be my family's turn.

I was four years old, nearly five. It will forever be my earliest memory.

The night was calm and cloudy. Steady and uninteresting. The clouds were thick and close enough to light up with the red and blue emergency lights that would later swarm the area.

It must've been in the middle of the night, in those few hours of warped reality between late night drinkers and early morning workers. The harsh banging on our door woke me up.

There would be a few bangs and a long pause as they waited for someone to answer. In hindsight, I find it rather odd that they were patient enough to let us answer it instead of just barging in.

I sat up in my bed, listening to the noise below me. Little hands clutched the covers and the stuffed doll that I always had with me, holding her close to my chest. The doll's name was Mika. I lost her somewhere along the way.

Finally, I heard the muffled footsteps of my parents followed by the slow sliding of my door as it opened.

"Mama…" I reached for her as she approached the bed. She picked me up and placed me on the floor, holding my hand as she led me out into the hallway. I very specifically remember her puffy eyes, as though she had already been crying.

"Mama…" I repeated, more urgently. She responded by shushing me.

My papa met us in the hallway, holding my younger sister in his arms. He handed her to mama and bent over to kiss my forehead before continuing to the stairs.

The pounding on the door continued.

Mama slid the door open to my brother's room, the one farthest away from the front door, and ushered me inside. My older brother Korin was already out of bed and looking out his window.

"Get away from the window!" Mama hissed at him, a loud whisper. She grabbed his arm and yanked him away, back towards his bed.

The four of us climbed onto his bed, which seemed much too small now that we were all on it.

"What's going on?" Korin asked quietly.

Mama seemed hesitant to answer. I wrapped myself around her, pressing my ear to her chest so I could hear her heartbeat. I remember how fast it was beating.

"There are some people here who want to talk to us." She finally answered. "Papa went down to sort everything out."

We sat in silence, too scared to even breathe. It was quiet enough that we could almost make out the muffled voices downstairs. I wonder now if any of them were papa or if he was already dead.

When the footsteps on the stairs started, mama knew immediately that it wasn't him. They were too loud and chunky, and there were too many of them. She let out a shuddering breath and held us all tighter. We could hear two doors slide open and shut before the footsteps stopped in front of the door enclosing us.

When the man whipped open the door, none of us made a sound. We all looked up at him, eyes wide in horror, frozen. He stepped towards us and another man appeared in the doorframe behind him.

"The younger one." The second man said.

That's when my mom started screaming, begging them to not take her. The second man had to hold her back while the first pulled my little sister from her.

In the midst of the movement, Korin shoved me roughly off the bed, to the side of the men. We both ran around them and towards the door. After a few moments my mom stopped screaming.

As we reached the stairs I looked over my shoulder. My brother was right behind me, and one of the men was stepping out of his room. I bolted down the stairs too quickly and ended up tripping, rolling the rest of the way to the bottom. I landed next to my papa, lying still on the floor, his neck twisted in a funny direction. Korin wasn't behind me anymore.

My little legs moved with a mind of their own, the rest of me numb and shaking. The first place I could think to go was the cabinet under the sink, with just enough room between the bottles and the pipes for me to fit. My go to hide-and-seek spot. I tucked myself against the cabinet wall, knees pressed to my chest, and tried to stop sobbing.

They were looking for me. I knew they were. I could hear their footsteps around the house, and finally in the kitchen. The door of the cabinet swung open in the blink of an eye.

The man looked at me sternly, pale eyes contrasting sharply with his jet black hair. My heart was beating wildly out of my chest but my breathing slowed to a rhythmic in and out.

In and out.

In and out.

I slowly, delicately, pressed one finger to my pursed lips, never breaking eye contact. His face relaxed and it almost looked like clouds had formed over his eyes. He mimicked my shushing motion, bringing his finger to his lips before standing slowly and closing the cabinet door.

He stood outside the cabinet for several moments before I heard his footsteps walk away.

"I can't find her." One voice said. "She must've bolted out the front door."

"She wasn't the target. Forget about her." The other one answered.

I didn't dare move, long after the footsteps faded away and a car started and drove off. I sat for hours, knees still at my chest, arms wrapped tightly around them. It seemed like an eternity before there were any other sounds in the house; sirens, followed by people.

I remember the police finding me. I remember them trying to talk to me and not me giving them any answers. I remember watching them carry four long bags out of my house.

Everything after that is lost to the youthfulness of my memory.

It would be years before I really even thought about my family again; when I broke into the city records for an older identity to steal. I happened upon my family's case, gathering dust amongst many other similar tragedies, and read about everything that happened. It seemed poetic in a way, but also easier to forge a few changes and adopt my brother's identity instead of a foreign one. Simply add an "a" to the end of it, switch our birth years, and suddenly I could pass off as several years older.

Korina.

"Are you doing well?"

The scout jumped slightly, pulled from her reverie, and turned to face Princess Kakyuu as she approached.

"Yes," Korina answered. "I was just… lost in a memory."

Kakyuu sat in the chaise across from Korina and met her gaze. The long silence weighed heavy on Korina, and she shifted uncomfortably under the Princess's stare. Korina finally pulled her eyes away and back to the large window next to them.

"You seem anxious." Kakyuu said at last.

Korina bit back her first kind of question was that? "I'm ready to move on from here. I'm ready to do what we need to finish this," Another long pause. Korina continued to fill the silence, "I don't understand what preparations could be taking so long."

"We have to make sure that Fighter's duties are reassigned while she is gone, and find the documents from their time on Earth. Identification, the key to their apartment, bank information. Things like that."

"Sure, but…" Korina trailed off. Things like that would only take a couple hours to do? They could have left yesterday and be leaps farther in their mission by now. Every minute could be bringing Diamond closer to finding them here. Movement was important.

The princess smiled softly at her, as if understanding her thoughts. "Helios needed more time to heal, and we want to make sure Serenity is strong enough for a jump in time."

Oh, of course. Heat pricked at Korina's cheeks, embarrassed for not thinking of that. Of them.

Another silence. Though Korina wouldn't admit it, this other princess intimidated her. Kakyuu's regality and poise illuminated such wisdom and peace in the woman, something Korina hoped one day she could have. Though right now, she couldn't think of anything to say to her. The silence didn't seem to bother the princess as much as it did her, so she settled for staring out the window again.

Korina's thoughts drifted to the day before, to her own Princess's awakening on the foreign planet. She was worried that such a drastic change in environment would scare Serenity into a panic attack, but her reaction was far better than that. Serenity almost seemed excited at seeing these people "again", as Korina understood it to be an "again". The Princess's instant faith in Kakyuu and the Starlights helped Korina's trust in them as well. Korina thanked her stars that those memories weren't tampered with.

One thing Korina did notice, however, was Serenity's tendency to focus on the one Starlight: Sailor Star Fighter. Her smiles were softer to Fighter. Her responses had a friendlier tone to them, instead of the royal properness to everyone else. When Kakyuu suggested that the two of them spend the day together, Korina's refusal was stopped at her tongue only by Serenity's excited agreement with the idea.

"Serenity seems close with Sailor Star Fighter?" Korina asked suddenly.

Another smile from Princess Kakyuu. "They have a strong bond. One could even say it was a romantic bond, at one time," There was the slightest of twinkles in her eye, an underlying story that she wasn't telling. "I think it will help you when you leave for Earth. But… it may also cause tension with the scouts of the past."

Korina's jaw dropped. Romantic? Romantic interest from her princess? Kakyuu's statement brought more questions than it did answers.

"They… but… What happened?"

"It wasn't meant to be." Sadness tinged the edges of the Princess's smile. "Serenity had always been destined for another. The Earth Prince, who was to help her realize a vision that she and the scouts were very loyal to." She paused a moment, "They also loved each other very much. But I know Fighter has always entertained thoughts of what could have happened, had it been different."

Korina remembered Helios mentioning an Earth Prince, long ago. Or perhaps he has mentioned him several times? There was a story of Helios's home, and it was somehow connected to the Earth Prince. She couldn't remember exactly. They always tried to avoid talking about their homes… nostalgia didn't help with their mission.

"Is that why it would cause tension?" The scout finally asked.

"Yes."

Silence fell on them again. Korina tried to imagine what a prince of earth would look like, and what kind of 'vision' they would have worked towards. She wondered where in that vision events took a turn. She wondered if she would have even existed otherwise.

Again, Princess Kakyuu's voice pulled her from her thoughts. But this time, her voice was sharper, concerned. "Is that Serenity?"

Korina's eyes darted out the window, to the path ten feet below them, where she could see Serenity running towards the palace. On her heels, Seiya raced after her. Both of their movements were too panicked, and even from the second story Korina could make out the look of horror on Serenity's face.

"How do we get to the door below us?" Korina asked, though she had already started a dash towards the closest set of stairs she knew.

Kakyuu followed her, simple directions filling the halls around them.

'Not yet…' Korina begged her stars, 'I'm not ready… please don't be now. I'm not ready…'

The pair turned a corner and Korina's eyes landed on Serenity, shaking, leaning against the wall, bordering on hysterics, flinching away from Seiya's attempts to console her.

"What happened?" Kakyuu's voice rang into the hall.

Seiya looked to both of the approaching women and began shaking her head. "I… she… She realized her scouts weren't here. I didn't know what to say, so I told her the truth."

"What?" Korina snarled at her, giving Seiya a look of 'why would you do that?!'

Serenity noticed Korina's presence and turned to her. "You… Seiya said… Seiya said…" Her voice shook violently. She tried to take in a gulp of air and compose herself. "What's going on?"

"Princess…" Her mind raced, grasping at ways to explain the situation to her princess. "You've been stuck in a dream for so long. So much has happened."

Tears welled in Serenity's eyes, but they refused to fall. "I don't know you. I don't know you and I don't know why I'm here! I want to go home!"

Korina's heart dropped. This was what she had been dreading, what she had been putting off. Serenity had never really met her. She was the last surviving scout to a princess who didn't even know who she was.

"You're here because it's safe here! It's not safe at home!"

"Where are my scouts!" Serenity's voice rose to a wail, and her breathing turned frantic. She didn't seem to hear Korina at all. "I want Mars! I want Uranus! I want Jupiter!" She pressed her hands against her eyes, brushing away the tears that threatened to fall, and dropped down to her knees. "Why aren't they here!"

The three of them looked on as Serenity held her head in her hands, no one able to come up with words to reach her.

A burning sensation in her pocket drew Korina's attention. Of course. She pulled out her broach and held it to her chest, a warm light swirling around her to reveal her sailor fuku. With an outstretched hand, a spiraled lantern appeared with a deep ruby orb floating in the middle of it.

Serenity immediately looked up to the lantern. As the moments stretched on, her breathing steadied and her expression softened. Sailor Charon slowly lowered her hand closer to Serenity, offering her the lantern, and the Princess reached up for it.

For what seemed like an eternity, Serenity sat mesmerized by the swirling hues of red within the orb. A tear escaped one eye, and then another, and soon they flowed down both cheeks.

"Pluto…" She whispered, her voice thick with sorrow. "This was Pluto's." Her slender arms wrapped around the lantern and she pulled it close to her as she started to sob.

Sailor Charon, Seiya, and Kakyuu stood around Serenity as her grief-filled cries cut the silence. She understood now. This was proof that the scouts were gone. And it was heartbreaking watching her realize it. Charon steeled herself against the emotions, forcing the sadness to the back of her throat so she could focus on the task ahead.

'Pluto said I was the scout of illusions and manipulation… On a smaller scale, maybe I can soften the blow.' Though she bit back against the thought of "manipulating" her princess, it was the only way to lessen the extent of their grief. 'We don't have time to sideline her for days with grief, and she'll see them all soon anyway.' Charon focused on the connection she felt with the silver crystal, and felt pulses emitting from it akin to a heartbeat. With a few steadying breaths, she felt her own power match the pulses as though they were on the same wavelength, and pushed a sense of calm and resolve through it. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Serenity's cries started to subside, and Sailor Charon knelt in front of her princess.

"Princess," She started, "I am so, so sorry. I'm sorry that you had to find out like this. I'm sorry that they can't be here right now. I'm sorry that I'm all that's left. But we're going to fix this. We're going to go back in time and make sure none of this ever happens."

As Charon spoke, Serenity started listening. She looked up at the lone scout, waiting for her to continue.

"A lot of what you remember is just a dream, Serenity. And a lot has happened while you've been in that dream. Your scouts fought for you, and tried to protect you." Charon leaned forward and rested a gloved hand on Serenity's knee. To her relief, she didn't shake her away. "They weren't able to do so then, but that doesn't mean the fight is over."

Charon gestured to the lantern still in Serenity's arms. "As Sailor Charon, Sailor Pluto's reincarnate, I can take us back in time. We can go back and find your scouts and prevent all of this." She tripped over her next statement – 'We'll defeat Diamond!'. Maybe it was too soon to shock her with that as well.

By this point, Seiya had knelt down next to Serenity and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Serenity reached up and squeezed her hand, looking for the comfort. With one more deep, shuddering breath, she released the Garnet Orb and let it dissolve into the air.

"How long have they been gone?"

Charon exhaled. "It's been… a long time, Princess. Years."

Serenity's shoulders dropped further. "What happened to them? Who killed them?"

Her scout's eyes widened at the question. Holding her tongue only saved Serenity a few moments of shock. 'Let her get over it all at once.'

Blue eyes looked up at Charon, asking for an answer. Asking for a truthful one.

"Diamond killed them, Princess." Charon responded at last, her voice barely loud enough to hear.

Serenity didn't react, which almost scared Sailor Charon more. The numbness was terrifying. She worried that she was pushing too much calm to her. "So, everything I know is a dream." It wasn't a question.

"Not everything," Seiya interjected, "You remember me, and Kakyuu and Healer and Maker. We aren't a dream."

Serenity seemed to ponder this for a moment before offering a small, curt smile. "You're coming back too, right?"

"Of course I am."

The moon princess nodded, but didn't say anything else in response to it. "I think I need to rest."

Charon and Seiya wordlessly helped her to her feet, and held an arm on either side as they made their way to Serenity's room. Kakyuu walked ahead of them, holding doors open when needed, and shooing away prying eyes when warranted. Charon kept a nervous eye on Serenity's blank expression and half-lidded eyes fixed on the floor.

Finally, they helped Serenity settle into her bed. They hovered over her, though they struggled with anything to say or do for her.

"I'd like to rest alone, please." The crack at the end of her voice gave away the beginning of her tears, and the three onlookers backed out and closed the door behind them.

Seiya leaned her forehead against the door. "We should have gone to Earth. We should have visited, and stopped this, and helped…"

"There was no way to know," Kakyuu soothed her. "We may have met the same fate as the other scouts, and wouldn't be here now to help."

"But we may have also prevented it."

No one argued. Through the door, they could make out Serenity's muffled sobs. Seiya slumped down to the floor, sitting against the doorframe. "I'm staying here."

Charon let go of her transformation, so that Korina stood before them. "Thank you," She said as a sickening knot settled in her stomach. "I'm going to find Helios. We have to leave soon." Her own voice rang strangely in her ears as she turned on her heels and darted off without waiting for a response.