"This isn’t good," Eris said as she and her three followers watched, unseen by all the others.

"I thought we weren’t supposed to take sides," Yao asked.

"They’re breaking up into factions against each other," Eris said. "They don’t know what they’re going to be up against soon."

"Sailormoon, as she is now, will destroy the galaxy!" Gaia exclaimed. "That flower she wears on her chest has last for over two weeks! It is nothing other than the Kisenian Flower."

"You lie!" Shizuki shot back. "You want nothing more than to take my crystal and usurp my position. Which of you are on my side?"

Everyone in the room tried to look to someone else for an answer.

"I side with Rhea," Liu spoke up.

"What side is that?" Shizuki asked.

"My on side," Rhea said. "I side with neither of you."

"Sounds like the coward side," Shizuki said.

"I side with Sailormoon," Hitomi said.

"Then we side with Gaia," Samhain said.

Beltaine nodded. "We know Hitomi. And you’re gonna pay."

Minako’s efforts weren’t what she had hoped for. She tripped and fell on every rock or root or ride in the dirt or debris left from the monster.

She cursed having inherited her mother’s pathetic athletic skills.

"No!" she yelled, tripped over a large chunk of what had once been a statue.

"Looks like I found another traitor," someone said.

"Hitomi?" she asked, looking up, holding something so small it was practically invisible in her hand.

"That’s the second time someone’s done that," Mars said. She grabbed Mianko by the throat, ignoring Minako’s protests. Mars’s eyes grew wide and she tossed Mianko to the side and jumped away as a blast shot at her, barely missing.

"I saw her first," someone said. Hitomi noticed she looked a lot like Aiko. There was some strange symbol on her forehead and it wasn’t a symbol of Venus. It probably wasn’t good.

"I don’t do tag team," Mars said. "And I don’t share."

"Hitomi!" Venus yelled out. She began pawing at the ground instead of getting up.

"We don’t either!" Yao shouted as she and Shun appeared just behind Mianko. Minako didn’t seem to react. She just kept pawing at the dirt. "Pain!" Yao shouted. "Panic!" Shun shouted.

Hitomi jumped to the side as Yao’s arrow came after her.

Clio raised her hand and blasted both it and Yao and Shun. "Clio Righteousness!" she yelled.

"Phobos Battle Divination!" Yao yelled.

"Deimos Battle Divination!" Shun yelled.

Whatever exactly they did was blocked by Clio’s blast. And overpowered, as was evident as the dust cleared.

Minako’s fuku was gone and she lay curled in a ball with her hands over her head. She unwrapped herself and slowly tried to scuttle away from Clio, who just walked towards her.

"Minako, what are you doing?" Mars asked. This wasn’t right. Hitomi relished destruction. She reveled in pounding things, especially an opponent that had fought back. And yet, Minako had been stripped of her magic. Something made her want to interfere with the fight more than win it for once. Minako wasn’t even fighting back. Why?

"My contacts fell out," Mianko said, bumping into a tree as she tried to back away. "I was trying to put one back into place when you—"

"Silence!" Clio yelled.

Hitomi turned to look at her cousins, who had jumped out of the way of the blast, but just stood there, hovering a foot above the ground.

"We’re not here to help," Yao said.

"We’re no on anyone’s side until we choose to be," Shun said.

No on had ever suspected Hitomi as having a sense of justice. Hitomi had never suspected herself of having one. Whether whatever she felt right now was it or not, she didn’t give a damn. "You’re all a bunch of cowards!" She swung her fist back and punched at them. Deimos dodged, but Phobos wasn’t as quick.

Phobos was knocked backwards and against a large tree with a heavy thud. In the dark, no one could see the stain.

"No!" Deimos screamed, noticing Phobos wasn’t getting up. "Panic!" she yelled, sending an arrow at Mars.

"Mars Fire Jevelin! Aegis Immure!" Mars yelled, striking Clio in the back and conjuring a shield of fire. The arrow bounced off and he shield disappeared.

Mars put her hand out, threatening to throw a flaming spear and Deimos.

Deimos didn’t move, but glared at her cousin and Mars glared back before walking over to Mianko.

Clio had her hand raised over Minako. Golden fire rained down on Minako from Clio’s hand and Mianko just sat there, screaming.

"Minako!" Mars yelled. "Minako, fight back!"

"No!" Minako yelled, shaking as she sat trapped. She didn’t even try to flee.

Clio paused in her attack. Minako didn’t move. "The power of Mars never did amount to anything. Even I managed more. Clio Righteousness!"

"Piss off!" Mars yelled. She didn’t dodge the blast. It was only a warning shot. Hitomi never cared for those. "That’s your daughter!"

"She isn’t worthy of the power! I’m taking it back!"

"That’s not even a fair fight! It’s nowhere near a fair fight!"

"And you care?" Clio retorted.

"Hitomi…" Minako muttered. "Help me, please."

"Bring it bitch!" Mars said to Clio.

Clio shrugged. "You’re not my problem."

"I’ll make myself your problem!" Mars yelled. "Don’t you dare hurt her!"

Clio ignored her and readied for a final blast.

"Fuck you!" Mars rushed at Clio and punched her in the stomach. Clio didn’t react, but Mars didn’t care. She punched her in the face as well, knocking her to the ground.

"Minako!" Mars grabbed Minako. Mianko tried looking at her, but failed. "Minako fight back! That’s not your mother anymore!"

"I know," Minako said.

"Then why don’t you fight back?"

"I can’t." Mianko said, failing to hold back her tears. "I’m useless! My attacks are useless! I’m sorry, I thought I’d be a good soldier, but I’m nothing in a fight."

"You’re great in a fight," Mars said. "You think for people like me."

Minako stopped crying and smiled.

"Clio—"

"I said shut up!" Mars shouted Bring her fist up into Clio’s jaw. Clio didn’t care. "Uh, Minako, I could use those brains of yours about now."

"Hold her off for a moment," Minako said.

"But you’re batshit blind!" Mars said, firing a spear at Clio, who was on her feet and backing up out of range of Mar’s punches..

"Wandering Star Venus Arcana!" Minako shouted. Her fuku reappeared, as did a pair of glassed. "Danae’s Truth!"

"Ares Fire Javelin!"

"No!" Clio yelled, finding herself held in place by a golden glow. "No, I’m stronger!"

The spear hit and she was engulfed in flames.

Clio screamed.

"Cerberus’s Fangs!"

"Thanatos’s Dream!"

Clio shrieked as the flames turned indigo and she was surrounded by red lightning so thick, she could not be seen through them. The lightning dissipated and the flames soon died down, leaving a crystal sliver.

"Mine!" Sailormoon shouted, jumping out from the shadows, snatching the crystal piece up.

Mars helped Venus stand up as Eris appeared.

"You wish to fight me, Sailormoon?" Eris asked. She turned around to look at the tree Phobos had been thrown against. Deimos just sat on the ground despondently. Phobos hadn’t moved.

A freezing shiver shot down Mars’s spine.

"Yao!" she yelled, rushing to the tree.

"Panic!" Deimos yelled. Mars didn’t heed Deimos’s attack until the arrow struck her in the arm.

"What are you doing?" The words came not from Mars, who pulled the arrow out and held her wounded arm, but from Eris. "You were meant to get the Kinwa! The battle for the power of Venus is over!"

"You said I get to choose for myself!" Deimos yelled. "I making it! Panic! Panic! Panic" She threw arrows nonstop at Mars, who ran off, barely missed by two and grazed in the ankle by one. "She’s dead. She’s dead because of you! I hate you!"

"Cerberus’s Fangs!" Pluto yelled, hitting Deimos as she started to advance upon Mars. The forced knocked her off her feet.

"You’ll pay!" Deimos yelled.

Eris shrugged. She raised her hand and Venus shrieked. Everyone turned to her, ignoring as Sailormoon wandered over to Deimos and Phobos.

The Kinwa on Venus’s hand began to glow, slowly sliding off her finger. "Stop!" Venus shouted. She tried to grab it with her other hand, but the pull was too strong. It flew off her finger and through the air, where Eris caught it deftly. "Give that back."

"I will." Eris said. "You’re powers are still yours."

"Aha!" Sailormoon shouted, grabbing a large glittering jewel out of the air above Phobos as it materialized in the air.

"No!" Eris shouted.

"Let’s see what you’ve got to offer," Sailormoon said, raising her arm towards Deimos.

Deimos just sat there, eyes wide with fear and shock. Death never came. Instead a jewel like the one from Phobos appeared in the air.

Sailormoon took it and put the two pieces together.

Eris seethed with anger, fists clenched tight and eyes narrowed. "The iridescent jewel!"

"You want ‘em?" Sailormoon teased, putting the two pieces together. "Come get ‘em!"

Sailormoon disappeared, no smoke, no sparks, no twinkling or glittering stars. Just like that and she was gone.

"Hey!" Pluto shouted.

Minako forgot her duty, which side she was on, and the fight entirely as she watched Mars. She’d never seen Hitomi so broken.

Mars knelt by Phobos, gently touching her cheek. Hitomi hadn’t cried since she was two, but now she found tears rushing down her face. She didn’t try to stop them.