"Since we have both seen the birth of this age, I will give you a choice, Chaos," Citrine said with a certain slownes, her golden orange eyes flashed in the light. "Leave the shattered body of Sailor Galaxia or die at my hands."

Chaos shuddered. So long had he been trapped in Galaxia's body that if he left her he would die. "I will die either way."

So much the better, thought Citrine. "Then enter the body of my comrade, General Jedite."

Jedite jumped angrily. "I will not be used like this!" He whispered angrily to the girl. "Citrine, this is insane!"

"Quiet!" Citrine hissed. "You will have power beyond belief, if you would only stop protesting."

"I will not be used like this either," Chaos said, glowering at being pressured by a mere girl. "They say you have incredible powers, Citrine. But are they any match for mine?"

"Eternity Block!" Citrine shouted, predicting the attack.

Chaos unleashed a violent attack, but it passed harmlessly through both Citrine and Jedite. "I have no time for games," Citrine said. "Eternity Death Strike!"

Chaos had no time to block the attack. The power of Citrine's attacks struck Galaxia full force. Her body disintegrated, leaving Chaos feebly fuming in the wake. A strong wind disintegrated what was left of Chaos to the four winds.

"Well done," a voice behind them said.

Citrine and Jedite whirled to the source of the voice. It was five masked figures standing in the dorway. "I couldn't have done better myself," the man in the crow mask, and obviously the leader, said.

"Who are you?" Jedite asked.

"I've been expecting you," Citrine said at the same time as Jedite.

"We are the Virago."

The sky was gray, the pavement gray, the buildings gray. Everything was gray. And not in the two hours that Reenie's group had wandered did the color ever change. The Dark Future was not truly dark, but gray.

Setsuna lagged behind them, her mood matching the atmosphere. Why couldn't she go into the past and fix it? What power prevented her from doing this? Where was it coming from? Why couldn't she save the Senshi?

Not that going into the past was in itself such a good idea. At normal times, she would condone such an action. But this time stream, the Dark Future, had been so corrupted. In all the possibilities she had seen for the future, this was not one of them. What power had changed the future to bring it to this gray state?

The road ended in a crater, the buildings surrounding it had all toppled. "I wonder what caused this?" Mary mused. She climbed down into the crater.

Reenie stood there on the edge of the crater. Her mother, her father, her brother, her love. They were all dead. What had happened?

"What went wrong!?" Reenie turned and shouted at Setsuna.

"I don't know," Setsuna whispered.

"You don't know!" Rachel exploded. "I thought you were the Senshi of time! Can't you figure out what happened in the past?"

Setsuna said nothing. Lissa smirked. "So the Senshi of time made a mistake. Tell me, why did you save us and not the Senshi?"

Carol laughed and threw a stone at Setsuna. Setsuna caught it easily. She laughed. "The unfallible has made a mistake."

"Stop it," Katherine said, menacingly. "Stop acting like such children."

"Because you want to go home to Mommy?" Lissa mocked.

"I'm not the one acting like a spoiled brat," Katherine replied.

"I'm not the one acting like a snob," Carol laughed snidely.

Katherine sighed and mumbled, "I'll show them a snob." And she was true to her word, not saying another thing to them.

A strong power echoed across the crater. It's force pulled on Setsuna's awareness, her connection with time seemed to bend with this force. This was the power that had stopped her from traveling into the past. But where had it come from?

The five masked people stared at the two Generals. "I am called Crow," said the leader. His mask almost perfectly matched that of a crow.

The only woman, one in a fox mask, said, "I am known as Fox."

"I am Wolf," said the third.

"Bear," said the largest.

"My name is Weasel," said the thinnest.

"We carry death in our wake," said Wolf. Each wore a mask of their namesake.

"Welcome," Citrine greeted them.

"The Sailor Senshi have crossed over into the time," Crow said, slightly smug.

"We feel their presence in the Dark Future," Fox gripped the sword which hung at her waist.

"Your plan was not perfect in the destruction of the Senshi," Bear menacingly whirled his mace.

"No plans ever are," Citrine said. Then she continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But I'm sure with your power you can destroy them."

Weasel laughed, a high pitched whine in his nose. "I'm sure."

Wolf said nothing, as if taking everything in. Then he said, "We have a friend."

"A friend who can destroy the Senshi!" Crow announced picking up where Wolf left off. "We control Puppets."

"We should call Carid," Fox said.

"Carid?" asked Jedite.

"He killed Sailor Starfighter, the first one, during the start of the Sailor Wars," Bear laughed. "Surely he can take care of these Senshi."

Citrine sighed. She had hardly expected to be joining forces with the Virago. But both of them seemed to have the same goal, the destruction of the Senshi. As long as they didn't get other ideas in their heads. "Very well," she said. "Use Carid to destroy the Senshi, if you can."

They came into view of a castle rising straight from the sea. Setsuna felt the power coming from there. She looked at the group she had brought from the Golden Millenium. They had power, but they didn't know how to tap it. "I will leave you now."

"So you're going to abandon us," Lissa growled. "We're nothing more than stones around your neck."

"If you look at it that way," Setsuna sighed. "Our paths lead in different ways." She addressed Reenie. "Sailor Moon?"

Reenie turned, suddenly saddened. With her mother gone, she was Sailor Moon. "Yes?"

"You lead the Senshi," Pluto said.

"But the Senshi are dead!" she protested. A tear of grief dripped down her face. "Or have you forgotten?"

Pluto turned to face the castle, "The Senshi are still alive." She touched Reenie's forehead and a moon symbol began to glow. "And you have the power to lead them."

Pluto turned abruptly and walked away from them. As if by magic powers, the mists pulled in around Pluto, obscuring her. A sweaty wind pulled the mists away from where she had stood, but she was not there.

"Wait!" Reenie yelled. "Come back!"

With a thud, a giant stone man appeared in the crater. Mary screamed. "Carid!" yelled the monster.

It reached it's massive stone hand out to Mary's head. She backed away. "Get away from me!"

Above the crater, Reenie reached for her transformation brooch. It wasn't there! How could she have lost it? "I can't transform!"

The stone man yelled, "Carid!" It swatted at Mary, knocking her to the ground. With a roar, it grabbed Mary's head in it's hands and began to crush it. The symbol for Mercury glowed on her forehead.

"The Senshi are still alive!" Reenie shouted, echoing Setsuna's words. Words sprang from an unknown source into her head. "Moon Stone Power!"

The moon symbol flared to life on her forehead and she transformed.

Soft pink light surrounded her, tearing away Reenie and leaving behind Sailor Moon. She was dressed in a Sailor fuku with a pink, double layer skirt and a second band around her waist. The clasp holding her bow was shaped into a star.

"For messing with my friends, I shall never forgive you. I am Sailor Moon and in the name of the moon, I will punish you," Sailor Moon said, appearing on top of the crater. She leaped down.

She held her hand up to the sky and the Moon Star Staff appeared. "Moon Ethereal Star Collide!"

Moonlight gathered on her Staff. The concentrated enrgy glowed until she released. Strong power flew from Sailor Moon straight into Carid.

Other than a slight shock, the monster did not seem much affected by it. It dropped Mary and turned toward Sailor Moon. "Carid!" it yelled and charged Sailor Moon.

"Help!" Sailor Moon yelped and ran away.

A deep source of power welled up in Mary. "Mercury Stone Power!" she shouted and transformed.

Water sprang from the ground and surrounded her. It sank deep into skin, pulling the Mercury power from it's source. She emerged Sailor Mercury, also with the double layer,blue skirt.

"Mercury Ice Snap!" Spears of ice rained from the sky, shattering on the ground. The ice pieces froze the ground and also the monster. It straightened up and shook off the ice.

Sailor Moon burst into tears. "I don't like you! It's bad enough everyone I care about is dead, now I have to fight monsters."

"Carid!" the monster shouted and pounded the ground with it's fists. The ground shook and the two Senshi toppled.

Nikki stood on the edge of the crater. "We've got to do something." She hopped down in the crater. Gathering up her courage, she shouted, "Face me, monster!"

"Carid!" it yelled and punded the ground again. Nikki fell on her bum.

"Mercury Ice Snap!" Mercury attacked again. The monster turned on her.

It grabbed her head again. Nikki jumped on the monsters back and began hitting his head. "Leave her alone!"

The monster reached up and grabbed Nikki. The Jupiter symbol began to glow fiercely on her forehead. She kicked at the monster. "Put me down!"

"Juno Lantern Pierce!" From a top the ruins of a nearby building came the attack. Two shadowed Senshi stood there.

The monster howled again as this attack hit it. It tumbled and hit the ground.

"Invited by a dead age, I am the warm Senshi of light, Sailor Juno!" said the first Senshi.

"Also invited by a dead age, I am the distant Senshi of shadows, Sailor Nemesis!" said the other Senshi.

"Now attack, Sailor Moon!" ordered Juno.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Sailor Moon shouted at them.

The monster struggled to it's feet. "Carid!" it shouted again.

"Jupiter Stone Power!" Nikki transformed, from the common into the Sailor. Natural strength, like that of the trees, surrounded her and became part of her.

"Jupiter Willow Gale!" Jupiter pointed at the ground, gaining power. Trees sprung up at her command, their leaves blowing off by hurrican force winds towards Carid.

"Moon Ethereal Star Collide!" Sailor Moon pointed the Moon Star Staff at the monster. The two attacks combined, gaining power and speed as they went. The monster disintegrated as the powerful beam struck.

"It's about time," Nemesis said in frustration.

"I didn't see you help much," Sailor Moon yelled.

"Good job, Senshi," said a dark voice sarcastically.

Five strange figures stood on the street, each with a mask. The one in a crow mask spoke again. "But that was just a test."

They disappeared.

"Who are they?" Sailor Mercury asked.

Sailor Moon looked at both the building on which the new Senshi had once stood and at the spot from the strangers had vanished. "I don't know."

Together the three Senshi climbed to the top of the crater. Lissa and Carol were both gone. "Where did they go?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Alone into this new age," Naomi replied.
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