Oh my, this chapter will be tieing up a lot of loose ends. And I mean a lot, XD.
And I would like to thank Mary for giving me a certain line that I've used in the chapter. ^_^
Chapter Twenty-One
Sabrina punched the wall.
"Darn!" she yelled out in frustration. Will was gone. After all the trouble she had went through to get there, Will was gone....
***
Konoha definitely lived up to its name, "Village Hidden in the Leaves".
Surrounded by forest on all sides, yet still encircled with a large wooden barrier, which remained guarded at all times. Though there was an open gate at the front, which also had a high security presence.
Cynthia didn't even stop walking, as she approached the nearest guards. They were wearing what seemed to be old-styled fishing jackets, though they were obviously not used for catching fish. They were also each wearing a headband, all with the same elm leaf symbol imprinted on them.
...Sabrina remembered that symbol! When she first arrived in Mokona's lair, she saw several skeletons, many of which had that exact same headband, with the exact same symbol. So, it meant they were from Konoha, Sabrina assumed.
"Hello, Miss Shirona," one of the guards said, nodding his head to the Sinnoh Champion. Sabrina couldn't help but notice the fact that the man could not manage to look the woman in the eye. As she stepped closer toward the city, Sabrina again noticed the other guardsmen shaking in their boots, or otherwise trying to keep their eyes off in the distance.
They saw Sabrina, and, not having seen her before, hesitated before letting her pass.
"Oh, you can let her through," Cynthia said. "She's my girlfriend."
And once those words were out of her mouth, the Konoha ninja broke. First it was youngest of the group, whose nose suddenly began to erupt with blood. Then another. And another. And another....
And then there was Sabrina, shocked by Cynthia's words. Though she did not suffer the same fate as the ninja, as her thoughts at the moment were slightly more honourable than theirs. But she still could not stop the blood from rushing to her cheeks. What was...what was Cynthia thinking?
"Come on," Cynthia said, taking Sabrina's hand-an act that had caused the remaining members of the security force to reach for their noses in dismay. "We don't have much time, Sabrina. And we have a lot to go over."
And once they were out of ear's range, "Sorry, but they'll be less suspicious of you this way."
Sabrina remained silent, unsure of the proper responce to make. Was this really Cynthia, Champion of the Sinnoh region? She seemed so...so...un-champion-like. But then again, when you live in a place where grown men can have thoughts like...like what she had sensed earlier...anyone could end up going crazy. Later, when things were more calmed down, Sabrina would have to ask Cynthia how long she had been there in Konoha.
***
The police were going wild over the apparent escape of a prisoner, but Sabrina managed to reassure them that he was no longer a threat. Whether they believed her, or if they even cared, well, that was another story.
The news of Sailor Moon's death had now traveled across the planet, along with Will's name. Sabrina almost felt sorry for the poor fool who shared his appearance in that universe-but then again, it was very likely that he was missing the scar that made her Will so noticeable. So she figured he would be safe from scrutiny. But alas, Sabrina did not have time to mourn, and neither did her new found comrades. Will's business in that world was already a thing of the past, and now he was most likely scheming to do it all over again, in a different universe.
Though he thought he had stranded her, keeping her from getting to him again. He was cocky, and he thought that there was nothing left in his way. After all, he had beaten four Sailor Scouts and three others single-handedly, while he was only in possession of one shard of the Toraifosu. And now, as a result of that battle, he now had two....
But of course, he had not accounted for Cynthia...
***
"What is this place?"
"This is the Konoha Medical & Science Bureau," Cynthia said. "This is where I have been doing my research on the Toraifosu."
Yes, apparently Cynthia knew all about the Toraifosu, and about Will was attempting to do. She didn't exactly divulge how she came to be in the know, but Sabrina had her thoughts. Ash Ketchum, the Toraifosu-holder's trainer, had been traveling in Sinnoh for some time to have reached Snowpoint City. He must have crossed paths with the woman now by Sabrina's side. And Cynthia must have noticed something, much like Sabrina had, all those years before.
Focusing her attention on the facility, Sabrina thought that it looked a lot like a hospital, or perhaps some mad scientist's lair. There were people in white lab coats running about, several of which were wearing that leaf-cressed headband that Sabrina had seen before, none of them seeming at all worried about the two women amongst them.
As Cynthia led her through the halls, Sabrina could hear various noises. Some were screams of joy, others screeches of pain. Though the rooms had no windows as far as she could see, and the doors were sealed shut, so sound was all she ever got. What have you been up to, Miss Shirona? Sabrina thought to herself as they neared their destination.
"We're here," Cynthia said, arriving at a door labeled with a series of symbols from a language Sabrina did not know. She opened the door, while Sabrina stood there curious, wondering whether there were screams of joy or screeches of pain in store for her as well.
***
Sabrina went to the hospital with Rei, and, much to her surprise, Yuichiro, the man whom she had attacked earlier at the shrine.
The other Sailor Scouts were still unconscious, and Ami was getting prepped for surgery. Not even Rei was allowed to see them at this point, frustrating her further.
Sabrina looked to her, still in her Sailor Mars form, staring out of hospital room window, looking down at the ever-growing stack of flowers. Sabrina could not relate to what she was going through, as she had never had any friends that she would consider close. Sure, there were her Pokemon, but no one person. She didn't like to admit it, but the person who knew her the most was probably Will. Which, right at that moment, sickened her dearly.
She looked around the rest of the room, looking one-by-one to those people who were also thrust into this little 'adventure,' if one could even call it that: Zoro, the pirate hunter whom she had seen in that wanted poster, pacing back and forth, his mind light-years away from the present; Naruto, the Konoha ninja whom Sabrina had recognized immediately, sitting calmly across the room from her, a meek expression on his face; Rina, the Mermaid Princess of the North Atlantic Ocean, sitting cross-legged on the floor, crying into the clenched fist that held her green pearl necklace; Zuko, a man capable of manipulating fire at his very whim, who now had an arm cast, standing against the wall closest to Sabrina, brushing through a local newspaper with murderous intent; Mamoru, also known as Tuxedo Mask, having not spoken a word 'since,' and looking so pale that Sabrina feared that he was near death, despite the fact that the doctors had said there was nothing wrong with him; and Yuichiro, perhaps the most unexpected member of the group, what with being a normal, human man still in his home universe, coming over to sit next to Sabrina.
"Sabrina, is it?" he asked, as Sabrina turned to him, acknowledging his presence. "Is she going to be all right?" he asked, looking over to Rei. Upon doing so, he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her, until finally forcing himself to look back to the woman before him.
"She hasn't been treated," Sabrina told him. "But I think she'll live." She paused for a moment, knowing very well that that wasn't the answer Yuichiro was looking for. "I've only known him for a short time, you know, but I think she is a strong person. Very strong. Just look at the effect she has on you."
Yuichiro's face shot a deep shade of red, confirming Sabrina's point. "If anyone can get through this..." she began, pausing as she looked once again to Mamoru. "Rei definitely can."
Yuichiro didn't seem to feel any better at her words though. "I hope so," was all he said.
***
It was a small satellite, or so it seemed.
Shaped like an elongated metallic Sharpedo, with two 'wings,' if one could even call them that, as they were so small, it stood at about 0.5 metres, with 1.2 metres at most across.
"It's a capsule," Cynthia said, answering Sabrina's unasked question. "Made with technology that is far superior to that found in this world."
"So..." Sabrina began. "It's come here from another universe, just like us?"
"Yes, it was found at the same site where you and Mr. Itsuki appeared," Cynthia said. "But not just that. Inside the capsule there were several notebooks in a language unrecognizable to me nor any of the people here. In addition to that there were several other objects, many of which we can't find any uses for, and others which are surprisingly familiar."
She motioned towards a table set up at the back of the room. One was a small black box, with four grey sockets in the front, along with the words 'Nintendo 64.' Beside that was an old laptop that had to have been nearly five years old, with the name "Sony" written on it. And beside that, a series of manga, the top one of the bunch having the image of a blonde boy with a pair of white gloves and a red cape, and a man in a suit of armour standing behind him.
'Fullmetal Alchemist' it was called. Obviously a reference to the suit of armour, Sabrina thought. Though still, what was the point in sending a capsule across the universal divide, just to send a few volumes of some manga nobody had ever heard of?
"There are a couple volumes of that manga," Cynthia said, noticing Sabrina eyeing it curiously. "All of them in that same language, unfortunately."
Sabrina stopped, and looked to Cynthia. Had she been joking? No, she was serious. Upon realizing that, Sabrina could help but laugh. Her time in the Canadian League had finally payed off, or so it seemed.
"Miss Shirona, can you not speak English?" she asked, a chuckle in her voice.
And by the rosy complexion now covering the Sinnoh Champion's face, Sabrina knew that her guess was correct.
***
Sabrina looked up to find the pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro, standing over her. He had yet to change, as his white shirt was almost black, having been soaking in the mud for some time, and his pants and boots, which had already been black, were blacker. The green haramaki around his waist was torn, but otherwise wearable. He kept his swords positioned against the far wall, perhaps as a sign of trust towards the psychic trainer. Or possibly just because he was more exhausted than he would ever admit.
"Sabrina," he said. His eyes were dark, but sincere. Sabrina couldn't help but notice the determination in his voice. In fact, at the moment she was noticing a few more things about him, like his large, muscular arms, the way that he held himself, and...No... she thought to herself. What would Cynthia be thinking if she saw me like this?
"Perhaps in another world," she said softly and inaudibly, before looking the man in the eyes. "Yes?"
"I don't know much about you, but it seems to me like you know this Will character, right?" After seeing Sabrina nod, he continued. "It is my priority is to return to my crew, but until that happens, I am yours to command." He finished his speech off with a slight bow of the head.
Sabrina was speechless for a moment, surprised by his words. "When I...disappeared, for lack of a better word...Will had taken me to several other universes, much like this one," she told him. "In one, we arrived in a place called Jaya Island."
That got Zoro's attention, as she knew it would. "While there, I saw a poster alongside a building. A wanted poster. With your picture on it."
Zoro laughed. "Yeah, I guess that wouldn't be a surprise. Our crew is rather famous around those parts, or so it seems."
"So you are a pirate," Sabrina said. It wasn't a question.
"I will always be a pirate, miss," Zoro said as a smile spread across his face. "It's my nature."
His nature, Sabrina thought, once again immersing herself in past memories....
***
Sabrina didn't know too much about the world she was in, but she could now guess that it was one in which the English language had not developed as much as it had in others, including her own. That is, if it even existed there to begin with.
And she couldn't really blame Cynthia for not knowing it, either. With the exception of the rather recent separation of the Republic of Canada from the Oligan Empire, only residents of said empire spoke the language. And Cynthia had lived all her live in the little northern Japanese island of Sinnoh, worlds away from the closest Oligan outpost.
"Well," Cynthia said, trying to get her complexion back to normal. "I guess I've found another reason why I'm thrilled to have you here with me, Miss Natsume." She was nearly giggling with excitement as she said her name, much to Sabrina's surprise.
"The manuscripts are here," she said, going to a drawer Sabrina hadn't noticed before. She pulled out a series of thick booklets, handing the top one to the Saffron Gym Leader. "Care to take a look at them, Swee-I mean, Sabrina." And once again, there was that blood-red colouring on her cheeks, Sabrina noticed.
Upon realizing that Sabrina noticed her reaction, Cynthia quickly turned away, but not before turning slightly redder. Sabrina shrugged it off, instead focusing on the manuscript. It was dogeared, looking as though it has been written over fifty years ago. The papers were browned, though the writing was still legible:
August 31st, 1939
The air is cold, the grass, wet. The sky is filled with storm clouds, ready to erupt with rainwater at any minute. But what's nagging me the most is not the coldness of the air that I breathe; what worries me are the whispers traveling through it. Whispers of pain. Of sorrow.
Of hate.
This world, my brother's and my own inherited home, is not what it used to be. We are on the verge of war.
It went on like that for awhile, describing the events that were going on, in both personal and larger-scale degrees. Sabrina recognized most of the regions that were mentioned, though some were slightly different from those she knew of in the Pokemon world. Germany, France, and Italy seemed to be independent nations in the author's world, and that 'United Kingdom' had to refer to England, or possibly Ireland. There was no mention of the Oligan Empire, causing Sabrina to believe that it did not exist in that world.
But what caught her attention more was the fact that even the author seemed to be naming these places as though they were alien to him as well. "A place called Japan," Sabrina read aloud, proving her theory to herself. Which could only mean one thing....
When you see me you'll probably just see a fifteen year old boy, without a care in the world. But I am not a child, and I haven't been for quite some time. Ever since that night....
But that is a world away. I'm not sure how, or why, that my brother and I found ourselves to be in this world. But what I do know that it is our home now. This world's problems are our problems now. We can't let ourselves think that we are onlookers to this mess. We are a part of this mess, and we always will be.
There is no turning back. We are here, and here we shall remain.
It was signed Edward Elric.
Sabrina turned the page.
***
Sabrina walked to the window, standing at Rei's side. She looked out the window, where a series of reporters remained stationed just beyond the myriad of flowers and other well-wishes for the Sailor Scouts.
"Rei, why don't you sit down, get something to eat?" Sabrina asked. No answer.
"You girls have a lot of fans," she said, trying once more. "Even the-."
"I saw her," Rei said abruptly.
"Saw who?" Sabrina asked, puzzled.
"When Usagi...when Usagi..." Once the words were out of her mouth the tears began again. But at this moment she didn't care. She turned to look Sabrina in the eyes. "I saw her rise from herself-her spirit, I suppose, being released from her body. I've never seen it happen before, but I swear to you, I saw it."
Sabrina remained silent for a moment. But then she said. "Some psychics have been known to witness these things," she said, remembering something her father had told her, long, long ago. "Usually those with strong bonds to the person, like yourself."
"That is not all I saw," Rei then said. She then described a man. Long black robe, spiked red ponytail, wearing a dark grey-black visor.
Sabrina remembered that man. She had only seen him for a few seconds, but it had been enough. That description had been right-on.
"What does it all mean?" the Sailor Scout asked, hoping that Sabrina had the answers, yet knowing that she did not.
Sabrina shook her head, not having the right answer for the girl. "Time will tell," was all she said.
Then, "I'm going with you."
Sabrina turned, surprised by her sudden change of subject.
"Not for revenge, I've already decided that," she said, looking out of the window. But upward this time, towards the clear blue sky. "I am a Sailor Warrior, and I will remain as such. Will, and that Azula of his, are enemies of this world now. They have tampered with our peaceful existence here, and if they aren't stopped, they'll return, correct?"
Sabrina had no answer, just an assumption. But that was enough.
"So, with your permission, Sabrina, I would like to remain by your side," Rei said. "I have the best chance of meeting up with him again if I stick with you. And I shall protect this world, with my life if need be."
By this time Sabrina knew that there would be no words that she could say to change her mind.
"And by that time," she added, turning back to face Sabrina. "I'll be stronger. Much stronger."
***
"Greetings, Miss Shirona."
"Hello, Lady Tsunade."
Cynthia and Sabrina were now meeting with Tsunade, the Hokage, or leader of Konoha. She seemed awfully young to be able to wield such power, but Sabrina didn't question it. After all, it wasn't her place to question the traditions of another country, let alone another world. She was of average build-that is, except for her chest, which was slightly more noticeable than usual. She had long, blonde hair and a pair of golden brown eyes. She had on a green cape-like garment, over top of a grey and black robe. There was a navy blue haramaki around her waist, and a similarly coloured pair of pants, ending with a pair of two-inch high heels.
"Is this her?" Tsunade asked, her facial expression being the only part of her which gave away her position.
"Pardon?" Cynthia asked. She hadn't mentioned the Psychic Gym Leader to the Hokage prior.
"I just had a chat with one of the guards from the city's north entrance. He had to be relieved from duty for the remainder of the week, due to some blood loss."
"Oh, my..." Cynthia said, attempting to keep a straight face. "I hope he'll be all right."
"Oh, he'll be fine," Tsunade said, grin on her face. "Yamato's gotten out of worse. But of course, he did happen to mention to me that you had brought your 'friend' to the city with you this time."
"Yes," Cynthia said, somehow managing to keep her cool. That is, behind that bright-red face of hers. "This is Sabrina."
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Sabrina said, bowing her head to the Hokage.
"Now," Tsunade, once again looking serious. "What have you found out about the object?"
***
Zuko was the next to come to Sabrina. He was back in his country's uniform, an auburn cloak with yellow trimming around his wait and arms, with a black jumpsuit visible underneath. Sabrina could see the scar across the left part of his face, but she wouldn't dare ask him about it. It more than likely had some bad memories to go along with it.
"I apologize if I sound rude," he began. "But I couldn't help overhear your conversation with that girl earlier."
"And?" Sabrina asked.
"And...Did she say 'Azula?'"
"Yes she did," Sabrina responded. "That's the name of the woman who broke Will out of prison. Why? Have you heard of her before?"
"Yes," Zuko said, looking to the ground. "She's...my sister."
He told Sabrina about what had been happening recently in his world. About how Azula had been deluded by her father's horrendous ideals, and how she had nearly single-handedly gotten control of the world. About how it ultimately led her to insanity.
"I don't know how she did it, but I can guess at why," he said. "But she's on the loose again, and more determined than ever. And if she's joined forces with that man you call Will, there will be...trouble. Lots of trouble for us."
"Us?" Sabrina repeated his word.
"You plan to chase Will wherever he goes, don't you?" Zuko said. "I can't start to understand what it is you people can do, traveling between universes the way you do."
"I don't even understand myself," Sabrina interjected.
"But when you find Will, my sister is bound to be around," he continued. "And I shall stop at nothing to hunt her down. So, Sabrina, you have my word: until I find Azula, and put a stop to her once and for all, I will follow you, and you only. You have my word as Fire Lord, I will follow you."
***
"...someone named Edward Elric, who claims to be something called an 'alchemist.' There are several equations in these manuscripts, which we believe we can use to-."
"Lady Tsunade, Shikamaru has arrived!" Sabrina turned to see the ninja who had interrupted her, who seemed much like those who were guarding the entrance earlier.
"What!? Already!?" Tsunade definitely seemed startled by the news. "Okay, send him in. I apologize, Miss Shirona, Miss Natsume, but I cannot let this wait. Could you please wait in the other room there? This will only take a few minutes, trust me."
"Of course," Cynthia said, bowing her head, as she led Sabrina into the 'next room.'
"Um, wait, that's the-" Tsunade began. But it was too late.
Sabrina looked around, to find that she was in a small, dark, enclosed room.
"Oh dear, this isn't the waiting room," Cynthia said, sweatdropping.
"Cynthia, are you in here?" Sabrina asked. "I can't see you."
"I'm right next to you," Cynthia said back. "I can feel your...I can feel you standing behind me."
"What?" Sabrina asked, looking downward in the dark. "Ack!" she yelled out, attempting to back away. But instead, she just ended up tripping over a mop, and falling right towards the Sinnoh Champion.
"Whoa! Don't worry, I've got you," Cynthia said, grasping Sabrina in her arms. Though Sabrina had already gotten too close for comfort, having got a whiff of those golden locks in her face, and she was pretty sure that her nose had brushed across Cynthia's.
Or rather, she hoped it was her nose.
And then, the door opened.
"Hello, there. You can come out of the closet now, dears." It was the Hokage, Lady Tsunade.
Then a worried expression spread across her face. "Miss Natsume, are you all right?" she asked. "Your nose...it's bleeding!"
***
Sabrina sat down on the floor, next to Rina. She was sitting cross-legged, crying into her clenched fist. Inside that fist she held her necklace, the one containing the pearl that allowed her to transform into her Green Pearl Voice form.
"It was useless," she said, tears running down her face. "Useless..."
Sabrina placed her hand on the mermaid's shoulder, hoping to comfort her somehow.
"The power of the pearls has been enough to protect the mermaids for centuries. We sometimes needed to combine their power, and as difficult as that was, it always worked. But now I've realized something: this time things are different. The pearls are not enough to save us anymore...."
"Maybe not," Sabrina admitted. "Or at least, they alone cannot save us. I heard about what you did back at the beach, Rina. If not for you Zoro may have been defeated then and there. You may not be able to fight Will head-on the way the rest of us have, but I believe that your supporting us has been just as hindering to his plans as anything else, if not more so."
"In fact..." she began, debating whether she would say what she was about to say. "I may just envy you, Rina. You do not have to fight to be worth something."
"Thanks," Rina said, taking the psychic's words to heart, though still questioning their merit. "But still, I will learn. I will become better at what I do. I will not disappoint you, Sabrina."
Sabrina left it at that. She knew that that wasn't all on the mermaid's mind, though she wasn't about to question her on it. In time she'd learn the truth, but at the moment Rina had to deal with her past on her own.
As did Sabrina.
***
"Miss Shirona, I've just received word of the mission," Tsunade said. Her words definitely got Cynthia's attention, and as a result, Sabrina's.
"Hinata was found unconscious in a cave, not fifty kilometres from the place of impact. The state of her injuries are currently unknown, but she is still alive. As for the rest of the team, most of them have returned here safely."
"Mostly?" Cynthia repeated the word the Hokage had used.
"Yes," she responded. "Naruto is still missing."
"Naruto?" Sabrina said the name aloud. "That orange-clad kid with the spiky blonde hair?"
This time it was Sabrina's turn to have all eyes locked in her direction. "You've met?" Cynthia asked. "I thought you just arrived here this-."
"I saw him, though we've yet to meet," Sabrina said, certainty in her voice. "But I didn't see him here. In this world, I mean."
There was a long pause after that.
"Are you telling me that Naruto was sent to another dimension?" Tsunade demanded of the psychic.
***
Sabrina glanced across the room, at the boy she had described to the Hokage.
"Naruto," she said his name aloud.
He looked, as if to wonder how she knew his name.
She looked at the headband that he was wearing. It seemed so out of place there in the hospital room, though just a few hours earlier it was her who was out of place, being the only one without one. Well, besides Cynthia that is.
"You're from Konoha, aren't you?" she asked. Before the ninja could ask where she had gotten her information, she continued her tale, telling him about what had happened after Will had disappeared with her. About meeting with Tsunade, and Cynthia.
"What about Hinata?" he asked. "Did they find her?!"
Sabrina recalled what the Hokage had told her. "Yes, I remember that name. Last I heard she was unconscious, but still alive."
"Thank god," Naruto said, resting his head against the wall. "I...I...I thought I had lost her."
"And there's one more thing," Sabrina said, pulling out a piece of paper from a pocket in her jacket. She handed it to him.
Naruto took it, looking it over. His eyes turned pure white, as a frown appeared on his face. And then he began to laugh. "Oh yeah," he said, letting the paper fall to the floor. "I wasn't sure if I believed you at first, but yeah, that definitely came from Granny Tsunade."
Sabrina looked at the paper, now lying on the floor, to see what had been so convincing:
Your like any normal stupid no-brained male! Just because a woman has boobs, you think she has no brains! Learn to respect your fellow ninjas, or you will never be a Hokage.
"So, where are we off to next?" he asked Sabrina. "I guess you're the boss, haha."
***
"Oh Sabrina, you're so cute!"
"Whaa...?" Sabrina began, a red hue beginning to appear on her face. It wasn't really something one would expect to see coming from an Elite Four member, let alone the Champion herself. Especially if said Champion had just dodged a shuriken that had come flying at her at such a speed.
There she was, standing atop of a tree branch, which had to have been nearly six to seven metres above the ground. She was adorning a pair of black capris, which, despite the fact that she had been bustling through the treetops for the better part of an hour, seemed like they had just come out of the dry-cleaners, and a sleeveless black top, which fit her perfectly. Her full-length golden hair was currently falling to her sides, having been swept upwards from her jump into the tree. And the smile on her face was something out of a fairy tale, reminding Sabrina of the time when she first met her Haunter.
"That was very good," Cynthia said. "But I know you can do better than that." She looked to the jagged weapon lodged into the tree trunk by her side, looking down at Sabrina. She was down on the forest floor, not one hundred metres from where she and Will had first entered that world. She was wearing a pair of jeans, and a violet top with a black leather jacket over top of it. "You're just using the power that comes with your throw. But you are a psychic, Sabrina; your prowess does not come from physical attacking."
Sabrina thought about that for a moment. She was breathing heavily, wondering how Cynthia had gotten to her treetop position so quickly.
Yes, she was a psychic, and thus she relied on special attacks. But then, why are we out here playing with sharp throwing objects? Unless...
"Okay," Sabrina said. "Let's try this again."
"Yes," Cynthia said, leaping to the ground in a single graceful leap. "Let's. But first, how about you wipe that blood off of your nose?"
***
Sabrina looked around the little room. What she saw were five people, each from a different world, all willing to follow her.
"So, what is it exactly that we have to do?" Zoro asked, looking to the psychic.
"Umm..." Sabrina said.
"She doesn't know," Naruto said. "Isn't that right, Sabrina? If you knew, we'd be long gone by now."
But before she could answer the man, their question was answered, as a brilliant orb of bright light suddenly appeared before them, almost as if it had simply materialized there from nothing.
But Sabrina knew better. What had happened was that it had come from another world. And as the light diminished, she soon realized that she was correct.
"Mokona!"
It was a small white creature with what seemed like Buneary ears, only longer and floppier. It was also slightly chubbier, and with a red jewel planted in the middle of its forehead. It was the kind of creature some people would consider "cute."
Sabrina had a different word in mind.
"Is everyone ready to go to the next world?" Mokona asked. The puff-ball wasn't too interested in small-talk just then, it seemed.
Zuko nodded his head. "I'm ready."
Naruto got up out of his seat, and stood next to the Firebender. "I'm ready."
Rina was up as well, her tears long since dried up. "I'm ready."
Zoro, after taking his three swords in his hand, stepped over to join the group. "I'm ready."
Sabrina shut her eyes, accepting the fact that she would soon be getting closer to Will again. "I'm ready."
But there was still one other member of the group. And she was yet to join the others.
"Please," Rei said, looking to the others. "Can I have just one more moment here, please?"
***
Mamoru had left the room earlier, and Rei didn't know where he had ventured off to. But he wasn't the one she was looking for.
"Yuichiro!"
She finally found him, out on the rooftop. He was leaning against the side of the building, looking out into the sky. It was still early in the evening, but the first stars could be seen up above the city.
He stopped, hearing her voice. He turned to face her, solemn look on his face. "Hello, Rei."
She couldn't help but be glad to she him, and even moreso, to be standing there as Sailor Mars, and still have him address her by her real name. Rei.
"We are...we are...I will be leaving soon," she said, looking down to the ground. For the first time that she could remember, she could not manage to look him in the eyes.
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"For how long?"
"I don't know."
"Will I..." he stopped, pulling back a tear. "Will I ever see you again?"
"I...I don't know."
Yuichiro took her hand in his, and pulled her close. For once, he was not feeling awkward being close to her. It may have been because he was so caught up in the moment, knowing that there was a very big chance that this would be his last chance to see her, to hold her, to....
It was his chance to come up with some line, anything that would put her mind at ease. But that wasn't him. He wasn't a poet, nor an author of any kind. All he knew were his feelings, so they would have to do.
"I love you," he said.
Rei heard his words, taking them in. And no, she was not surprised at all. Yuichiro had always been there to comfort her when she needed it. She had been mean to him, oh so mean, throughout their time at the shrine together, but despite all of that, there he was, still at her side.
And she had to admit, she wouldn't want it any other way. "I love you, too," she said. "Yuichiro."
Before they even knew it themselves, he was kissing her and she was kissing her, and to either of them, at that one moment, nothing else in the world mattered. Just the love that they had for each other, those two seemingly insignificant specs sitting there on a hospital rooftop in downtown Tokyo. At that moment, it didn't seem that the fate of the world rested in their hands, no. At that moment, they were just a young couple, like any other one would see at the movies, or taking a stroll together at the local park.
Just for a moment.
Rei stepped back, looking to Yuichiro one more time. "I have to go now," she said.
And then, as quickly as it had started, it was over. Yuichiro went back to the roof's edge, looking up at all the new stars filling up the ever darkening sky.
"I will see you again," he whispered into the wind. "Sailor Mars."
***
"Okay, I'm back!" Rei called out, entering the room.
"You took long enough!" Naruto whined, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, well, I'm ready now," she told him, as she looked to Mokona.
"Okay, all are ready now, Puu!" it yelled out in a way-too cheerful tone. "Everybody, hold hands!"
"What?" Zoro asked. "I'm not exactly one to-."
"So we appear in the same place," Sabrina said. "Otherwise we'll end up all over creation, just like this time."
"Huh? Oh, fine then."
And with that simple exchange of words, they were gone. The world that the Sailor Scouts called home was already a distant memory, as thoughts of what new experiences they'd be finding in the next world filled the travelers' minds.
All except for one.
"Goodbye, Sailor Moon," Sabrina said. "May you find eternal peace."
Once her eyes were opened again, she would be in a different world. A different reality.
One that would definitely not be falling to Will.
