A/N: THIS is probably one of the fastest chapters I have ever typed for Courage-less. After starting in on the original chapter eighteen, my brain said, "Wow! That looks great! Now, move that to chapter nineteen and start again using THIS as your chapter inspiration~!" That was only a week and a half ago. Anyways, I wanted to get this one cranked out, because it's a throwback to the mindfucking from the Dark Jupiter arc. IF you are also reading Betrayed Destiny, know that many of your questions will be answered in the next five chapters/ Not all, but many.

Warning: This chapter contains language, mental trauma, possible triggers, mild sexual content, and lots of mindfucking. If you read Betrayed Destiny too, then possible spoilers.

With love,
Korrupted.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Sailor Moon. At all. I DO own Dark Jupiter *possessively clutches to my chest* MINE!

The youma slung spores at the senshi, the women scurrying out of the way as quickly as possible, the creature that seemed to be a feline of moss and crystal yowling at them viciously. Jupiter tossed lightning at it, striking the crystal portion mightily as their breath showed in the cool autumn air before flipping over another attack. Her emerald gaze flicked between both Sailor Moon and Mars, trying to ensure the safety of both women as the beast roared in anger at them again, charging at Venus. "Damn!" The blonde cursed as she was forced to abandon her attack in favor of not being hit by the lumbering monster.

They had long since realized to avoid the spores; they ate away at anything they stuck to like acid. Thankfully, they proved to be like tufts of fuzz more than regular attacks since they lazily wafted instead of swiftly hurtled towards them. Sailor Uranus hissed painfully as one grazed her arm, a painful looking mark spreading in the wake of it's touch. "Sailor Moon, we have to stop this damn thing now!" Mars shouted before firing a Flame Sniper off at the creature, burning some of the moss away.

"Okay." The clumsy princess stated, her scepter appearing in her grasp. "Moon HeeeEEEEKKKKK!"

The pig tailed girl raced out of the way of another charge, Sailor Mercury looking through her visor at the youma to try to formulate a plan. "If we all attack at once, it should put it off focus. And perhaps a joined attack would stun it enough for Sailor Moon to finish it off!"

Jupiter set her jaw. It seemed like a good plan. Great, even. Now the only problem was actually putting it into action. The earth below her trembled as the youma charged at Neptune and Venus, Sailor Jupiter losing her temper at the damn thing constantly halting their attacks. "Supreme Thunder!" She cried, sending another terrible blast at it, halting it from bearing down on the princess who had tripped on possibly her own boots; it certainly wouldn't have been the first time.

A bright beam of energy shot out at her quite suddenly, catching her completely off guard, Jupiter standing dumbly as the attack rushed closer at an alarming speed. This was not how she had planned on being killed; not by a surprise attack from a youma. "MAKO, MOVE!" She heard Mars screech.

Move? Why did such a simple command seem so damn impossible? She could hear someone screaming vaguely, but she couldn't register who, her gaze locked onto the beam of light that was so close, she wondered if she reached out if she could touch it. However, a shadow filled her sight, strong arms wrapping around her as Jupiter felt her body yanked backwards and away from certain death, a soft whisper of, "I've got you, Kitten." Breathed into her ear.

The warrior of courage flicked her gaze up to see the butch woman holding her as she tried to outrun the attack, but in the end, it proved to all be in vain. The beam smashed into them with all the concussive force of a freight train, and the earth below them gave way as they blacked out, the final sounds reaching their ears being the screams of the other senshi mixed with battle cries of rage.

The first thought that Sailor Jupiter had was that everything hurt, which meant that either she wasn't dead, or the afterlife just sucked that much. The next was that she had to open her eyes and find Uranus, hazily trying to obey her own thoughts as she sat up, hissing in pain. "Kitten! Mako, Mako, it's okay." A worried voice tried to soothe.

Verdant hues opened to be greeted with the sight of Haruka in grimy jeans and a dirt streaked dress shirt, her binder missing as the curve of her breasts were visible under the material. Even in the very dim light, Makoto could see the cuts that were opened along the older woman's skin, watching them heal dizzily. Why was she dizzy? Her left hand was holding her right shoulder, the dull ache informing her that it was dislocated. "Arm..." She mumbled, her mind trying to understand where they were and thus unable to form proper statements.

The soldier of the sky looked at it with sympathetic eyes, her lips set into a thin line at what she had to do. Makoto chewed the inside of her cheek as Haruka braced her against her chest, gently holding the injured shoulder with both hands. "On three. One... Two... Three."

With a sharp cry of pain, the brunette felt the arm shoved back into it's proper place, leaning against Haruka as she panted, the dirty cavern spinning around them. She gingerly sat up, wincing as she slowly moved her arm again, her friend backing away to look around. "Haruka-chan, where are we?"

"I don't know, Kitten." The older woman looked around as well, scanning their surroundings warily. "I don't know."

Makoto stood, her left leg refusing to support her weight as she dropped again, grunting in pain moments before the blonde lifted her into her arms gently. "Haruka-chan, I can walk." She timidly stated, trying to pull up bravado.

The butch didn't buy it. "No, you can't. And really, you aren't that heavy."

"Oh, not that heavy, eh?"

The guardian of the sky pouted, glad the darkness hid her slight blush. "Oh, shut up. I can drop you, you know." She threatened.

"...You wouldn't."

A smirk flashed across her lips as she looked around more, noting the dull glow was coming from the dirty stone around them itself. Upon closer inspection, she could see that they were standing amid rubble of some sort, a place long since destroyed and abandoned. But something about this place made her stomach turn, midnight eyes narrowed nervously in case of an attack. Just where were they? Clearly not dead since she hurt from the fall, and her younger charge was injured.

Makoto could feel the right side of her face aching from possibly landing on that shortly after her shoulder, idly musing that her face and breasts must have absorbed much of the impact. She knew her body would heal in an hour or two, but right now she was something that the brawler of the Inner Senshi loathed; she was vulnerable. And this place seemed to stir up the feeling of dread inside of her, something about it that her very core told her was best left forgotten. Haruka's arms tightened around her marginally, and the busty fighter found herself sinking deeper into the hold, a question plaguing her mind. "When did we change back?"

A gentle shrug shifted her as the blonde walked through the destroyed area. "No idea, Mako-chan. But... What does this place look like to you?"

Green eyes long since adjusted to the poor lighting started picking through every detail, seeing the faded gold designs on the floor around them. They seemed to be standing on a dais, two crumbled chairs on either end, seats that were barely intact enough to be recognized to their left and facing them, a pair of doors on the wall they huddled around. What at one time might have been elaborate balconies that lined the wall and supported these seats were reduced to a state of utter disrepair, the eerily glowing stone of the walls blackened in several places, as if a great lightning storm had struck in the once grand room. "I... I think possibly a throne room of some sort."

Both of them felt uneasy, Haruka feeling a hand gripping her shirt slightly, her heart beating harder in her chest. Her binder had been damaged in the landing, leaving the typically flat chested woman no choice but to abandon the item in favor of less useless weight on her, but it also meant that her breasts were pressed directly into the form she carried. Part of her was certain that the brunette could feel her hammering heart, but she didn't have time to think on it. Right now, she had to find a way to get them out of this place and regroup with the others.

"It is my great pleasure to end the ceremony. Please, proceed to the great hall for the feast."

The phantom voice echoed softly, a bare whisper that they almost didn't hear coming from their right. Two sets of eyes flickered around as the blonde quickly hurried off the raised dais, turning to look at the obliterated thrones. A hazy figure dressed in white flickered in front of it, the form soft and washed out as if being seen through gauze as Haruka stared in terrified awe. Just as quickly as it had come, it flickered back out as if it had never been there to begin with. "Did you see that?!" She quickly pressed, her midnight eyes wide.

"See what? What's wrong? Haruka-chan?"

Reluctant blue eyes met confused green as her mouth hung open, unable to believe Makoto had missed it. "There was something in front of that chair. I saw it!"

The brunette stared at where her companion said she had seen something, but was met only with the faintly glowing stone and rubble. "Well, there's nothing there now. We should get moving. This place makes me feel uneasy."

The blonde nodded, backing away and moving down off of the dais to make her way towards the door. With her back turned to the platform, neither saw the glowing forms standing around the two thrones that flickered into life. They missed the hazily colorful dresses as the group of smaller figures stood, turning towards each other to seemingly talk, but the taller ones simply watched the two exiting woman in silence before vanishing once again.

Haruka blinked as they stepped out into some sort of mirrored corridor, lights blinding them from all directions. The entire area was vastly different than the room they had just left, and the feeling that something was amiss had only grown now that they were here. The woman in her arms watched the walls warily, as if checking for hidden foes that could be lurking before carefully standing. Makoto walked to one of the reflective surfaces, carefully inspecting her own image. She was dirty, closed scrapes only marked by the dried blood where they had been, a busted lip, and a receding bruise on her right cheekbone. "Hey, Haru-chan? Do-" She turned to look at the older guardian, her words catching in her throat painfully.

The reflection of the butch blonde on the surface was a bit older looking, her light blue dress shirt and black jeans were replaced with white armor edged in gold and blue, a midnight blue cloak about her shoulders, and her scimitar strapped to a belt on her waist. Her midnight blues were full of a strange sort of reverence, but also awe. Makoto didn't know she was panting, just that the sight made her a bit dizzy. There was a pull towards the image, as if some long ago bond lay just beyond her memory and escaped her grasp that would tell her exactly what it was. She could only stare at the armored woman in awe, trying to understand her own racing heart and the deep feeling that she had forgotten something very, very important. Something that she should have never forgotten.

Haruka knew she was panting, her hand resting on the mirrored wall for balance. Her own reflection was normal, a proper reflection as any normal mirror would produce. And yet, Makoto's was so very different and yet the same. Her hair was an auburn color -reddish in place of the pure chocolate brown- but still in her ponytail. Her overall appearance was older, her t-shirt and torn dark wash jeans replaced by a soft mint green dress that had no sleeves, a soft looking leather down the sides, and a gossamer emerald green fabric that lay partially exposed by the slit in the dress. However, the two golden cuffs around her biceps drew her attention most, something about them sparking a vague dream she had been having, but unable to really recall any of it. The expression in those emerald green eyes were full of longing, and almost a sort of spark of recognition. Something was very important about what that image represented, and she knew she HAD to remember it. This fact was imperative.

The guardian of thunder stared on for a while longer before looking at the equally bewildered blonde directly, seeing the dirty shirt and filthy jeans that belonged on her instead of the armor. Just what in the hell was going on here? What was Haruka seeing? Her gaze turned back to her own reflection to see a proper double of herself, her expression confused, but there was something off. The green eyes that looked back at her held their own sentience, and her stomach dropped violently as it touched the glass, tears running from her cheeks before it spoke to her. "Remember."

Makoto stumbled backwards as quickly as she could from the wall, her eyes wide and her breathing quickened. Vaguely, she could hear Haruka saying something to her, but it was lost amid the images that flickered through her mind.

-A young girl with chocolate brown hair was beaming at her in the middle of a forest, her lips stained reddish purple with the juice of berries they had been picking-

-She fell to the dusty, packed dirt training floor in exhaustion, a man in white scolding her to get up-

-It was cold, so cold. Snow everywhere and she was more than certain hypothermia was setting in. Her auburn bangs were brittle with ice, her skin a highly unsettling shade of pale blue as she glanced up hazily. Two figures were there, one with a black braid and one with sandy blonde hair trapped in crystalline chains. Her frostbitten fingers reached out for the bound woman, desperately wishing in vain that she could somehow save her. She looked so familiar, just like...-

"Haruka..." Makoto breathed, trembling all over as the visions faded.

The woman in question was currently grasping her shoulders with a terrified expression on her face, but the guardian of thunder was so confused. What was she supposed to remember? What were those visions? Her emerald hues turned back to the wall, seeing nothing but their own reflections there, the sentience gone from the image's gaze. This place was disorienting, possibly even maddening. Her eyes once more looked at her reflection, this time searching for Dark Makoto; if there was any deranged entity that could actually help her make sense of all this, it was her. She could feel Haruka's hand cupping her cheeks, relaxing at the comfort the gesture provided, feeling better with the contact. "This place is messing with my head, Haru-chan. Let's keep going." She gently urged, almost sad when the contact from the butch woman ended.

Together, they stood, seeing another door in the distance as they all but fled the mirrored corridor. They didn't see their reflections standing where they had once been, Makoto's reaching out for Haruka's with an expression filled with heartbroken devotion before they both faded away once more.

"Now where the hell are we?!" The warrior of the sky all but roared, frustrated beyond all reason at their new surroundings.

They stood in a corridor of the same faintly glowing crystal of the throne room, rotten wood doors spaced expertly amid the rubble, rust toned splatters that reminded them eerily of old blood staining the charred surface of the stone. This place, like the one they had started in, seemed to make them ill with dread, telling them that it was best left forgotten regardless of them wanting to know just what it was. A soft fluttering sound distracted Makoto, her emerald eyes spotting what seemed to be a lightning bug taking off from near her ear, batting it away lightly. Had it been on her since before, or was it from here? She had no idea, but she heard another one on her left side, turning to see it flutter away from it's perch on her shoulder. She began to dust herself off; these damn things seemed to think she was some kind of tall taxi, when she felt one on her left arm, crawling. She looked down just in time for it to crawl out of what seemed to be a small cut and- 'Oh, Kami-sama...' She mentally breathed. They were inside her.

She felt them. She felt them crawling up her legs, down her arms, along her cheeks, trying to locate openings in her flesh to escape their prison from. Makoto began frantically clawing at her skin on her left arm, desperately trying to release them as her breathing quickened, a whimpering whine of terror and horror escaping her throat. She wasn't scared of bugs, but they were inside of her skin! That's not where they should be! "Out, out, out! Get them out!" She pleaded with no one as her nails tore at her tan skin, blood caking under her nails. She was digging at her left forearm, frantically trying to get all of the tiny invaders that faintly glowed under the surface from time to time out of her body.

"Mako-chan?! What the fuck are you doing?!" Haruka all but bellowed in panic, trying to grab hold of her terrified companion's wrists.

Tears ran freely from green eyes, their gaze locked on her bleeding wound. Some of the bugs were fleeing from the opening, but it was healing shut again, and there were still so many trapped inside of her. "Have to get them out, have to get them out!" She panted to Haruka, feeling dizzy as strong hands gripped her arms to halt her frantic actions.

"Kitten! Mako, BREATHE!"

Breathe? That was entirely secondary to getting the bugs out from her body. She fought against the grip, yanking free once more. "GET THEM OUT OF ME!" She screeched, staggering from poor oxygen as she returned to her single-minded task of tearing open her arm. She had to get them out, she had to...

Suddenly, something slammed into her like a truck, Makoto finding herself on the floor with Haruka grappling her, the taller woman wrapping her arms tightly around her charge's body to pin her arms to her side. Makoto fought against the hold, she cried, she screamed, she begged for the older guardian to release her. Weeping loudly, she pleaded that she only wanted to get the damn things out from her body. "Mako, listen to me! There is nothing there!" A soft but firm voice commanded. "There are no bugs. There's nothing. There's nothing."

"B-b-but I-"

"Shhhh... This place is getting to you. I know, it's scary, but it wasn't real. It's okay."

Makoto took in broken, shuddering breaths, realizing that she didn't feel them under her flesh anymore. They weren't there, just like Haruka said, and the brunette started sobbing in relief that they were gone, limp in the grasp of the other woman. It hadn't been real, and aside from her painfully throbbing and bleeding arm, she could pretend it had all been a bad dream.

Haruka slowly eased her hold, sitting up with her arms around the sobbing young woman in her arms, cradling her tenderly. This place was affecting them both, but it seemed to be taking a higher toll on Makoto than her. What was it about where they were that was so mentally debilitating that it was making them see things? Feel things? Gently, she rocked the crying warrior in her hold, the blood soaking her shirt, a tiny part of the back of her mind telling her that Michiru would be scolding her for getting blood on her clothes. She leaned back slightly, placing her index finger under Makoto's chin to tilt her face upwards to meet her kind gaze. "Hey, let's keep going alright?"

She helped the still crying female to her feet, watching as the green eyed guardian tore the bottom of her shirt into a long strip of cloth, the butch woman taking it from her and winding it over the clawed up skin and gently tying it off. Midnight hues looked into green, and without thinking, she leaned forward and kissed her forehead lightly, brushing chocolate brown hair behind the trembling girl's ear. "It's okay, Mako-chan. It will be alright." She whispered into the tan skin under her lips, wrapping her arms around the slightly shorter warrior to hold her close. She had no right to promise such a thing, but she felt it was her duty to try and calm the shaken woman.

When she opened her eyes, everything before her was different. Makoto's hair was auburn, her clothes that green dress that she constantly dreamed her to wear, those gold cuffs circling both of her arms. Even her own clothing was changed; her dress shirt was replaced with a blue and gold tunic, white armor edged with blue and gold on her bound chest, blue trousers on her legs, and brown leather boots on her feet. Her scimitar was strapped to her hip, and the younger warrior looked up at her worriedly. "But, Haruka... If they find out... If the Court finds out about this-"

Haruka swooped in to hush the girl with a kiss, the blonde feeling as if she wasn't in control of her own body. After a moment, she pulled back again, smiling down sweetly at what could only be her lover. "Then we have to be careful. Don't worry. We'll be safe. We'll be careful. You be careful too, okay Tiger?" The words tumbled out of her mouth.

"Haruka-chan...? Haruka-chan?"

The voice jolted her out of the vision, looking down to see a bleary eyed Makoto looking up at her in concern. Blinking a few times, she smoothed the mussed wavy brown hair with a gentle hand, tilting her head a bit. "What's wrong, Kitten?"

The tall guardian of courage frowned slightly. "You called me 'Tiger' just now. Only Dark Mako ever called me that."

Quickly, Haruka realized their very close proximity, backing up a few steps and turning slightly to hide her blush. "I was... Elsewhere. Do you think she's behind this?"

The younger scrapper shook her head, holding up her injured arm. "No. She never would have done this to me. As horrible as it sounds, she would have likely done it to you. But she... Mako was always very protective of me. As twisted as she was, she tried to keep me safe. This isn't like her."

The taller woman huffed irritably; the only thing she could think of is that some enemy had found them and was doing all sorts of strange experiments on them, but that didn't make any sense either. But standing there and thinking about it only left them as sitting ducks, and Haruka refused to put her younger crush at risk. Not after what Ichiri or whatever he called himself had done to her, never again. Part of her was still furious that Rei refused to let her kill him, but she had been right; there had been enough killing already, and the lightning senshi wouldn't have wanted his blood on her hands. "We should go. We need to find a way out of here." She finally stated, both of them walking through the first doorway they saw...

Only to be blinded by lights reflecting off of a mirrored corridor once again. "What...? No, no. We left this hall!" Haruka seethed, both turning around to exit the way they had come only to find the doorway gone. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF KAMI-SAMA IS GOING ON HERE?!"

Makoto was equally as frustrated at their lack of orientation, but she was too damn tired to care at this point. She sat against the glassy wall and leaned her head back, ignoring the pain in her arm. Green eyes closed, she was asleep faster than she could have ever imagined.

-Makoto beamed at Serenity over the plate of roasted razor boar she had just prepared. The blonde princess wasted no time digging into the meal, even Minako and her current flavor of the day boy-toy taking a few slices with wide grins. She loved cooking, and the fact that her friends enjoyed her food as well made her even happier. Moments like this quelled the tiny longing of her mother and sister to be with her, though it had lessened greatly with time.

A movement to her left caught her attention, a tan, slender hand peeking out from around a corner to beckon her over. Against her better judgement, the young Jovian princess heeded the gesture, walking over to see her doppelganger; auburn hair, green eyes, tan skin, golden cuffs on her biceps. "Mako, you have to wake up. Come on, you can do it." The other her urged.

Blinking, the confused warrior of the storms shook her head as if to clear it. Now that the other her had said something, she realized that things were wrong; why did she have golden bangles on her arms? Where were her jeans and shirt? "That's it, Tiger. Wake up, you have to keep her safe."

Her? Who was her? It dawned on her; Haruka. "I'm dreaming." She mumbled blankly.

"Exactly. Now, wake up! He's coming!"

"Who?"

Before she could answer, the image jolted and her face contorted, an expression of crazed anger on her features. "GET YOUR ASS UP AND PROTECT HER!" The other her bellowed, black lightning edged in electric green sparking around her. "Don't you FUCKING let her die again!"-

With a sudden gasp, Makoto sat bolt upright, startling Haruka awake as well. Panting, her green eyes darted about, looking at the mirrored walls in momentary confusion before relaxing somewhat. They were still in that damn corridor, her arm throbbing still. "How long have we been in here?" She questioned groggily.

"An hour or two. Now, away in general? At least seven hours." Were the hollow words.

Makoto winced at how long they had been away, partially wondering how their respective girlfriends were holding up. Rei was probably frantic with worry, Michiru possibly only fractionally better. Judging by how her arm throbbed, it wasn't healing anymore, which wasn't a good sign at all. The only place it seemed she was able to heal was outside of the mirrored area, but the hallucinations also hit out there and even her healing could have been a trick. Still... "We should keep moving, Haruka-chan." She informed her companion, getting to her feet and glancing at their reflections.

This time, she could see them both in the strange clothing, grabbing one of her friend's hands for support. "Do you see that?" She breathed.

"Yes..." Was the hushed reply.

As they stared, the images turned towards each other and smiled happily, Makoto's reflection snuggling up to the armored Haruka with a contented expression before they faded into normal reflections once more. For several moments, neither of them moved, but the brunette needed to get moving. She tugged her taller friend along until a door appeared, pushing it open to be greeted by shriveled trees and lifeless brambles. However, this place seemed all too familiar to the both of them. "The rose garden..." The warrior of courage stated in awe, unsure of how she knew.

"I... I asked the queen to put it in... You never knew that it was me..." Was the whispered confession from her side.

"Haruka-chan... Where are we...?"

The question was far more complex than it seemed, both of the brawlers staring at the withered garden slack-jawed. What was this place? What were these memories? None if it made any sense to either of them, and the feeling of sorrowful dread was incredibly heavy here. Haruka felt her younger comrade release her hand, the butch glancing around as the temperature rapidly fell, the ground turning white with snow. She backed away with wide eyes, frantically searching for the young woman that she secretly adored. A figure lay slumped amid the soft snow in the distance, the powder shifting under sneakers as the leader of the Outer duo briskly walked closer, halting quite suddenly to scream in horror.

Makoto lay in the snow, her skin deathly pale, her lips far too blue, ice in her auburn hair and clothing. Her eyes were closed, but her brow was furrowed in death, her slim fingers black with frostbite. The woman dropped to her knees and kept screeching, her hands over her mouth as the frigid wind whipped around her. How had this happened? This couldn't be! It couldn't! And yet she could feel the snow melting under her legs, soaking the knees of her jeans to chill her.

Makoto couldn't see Haruka anymore, but the garden was back in bloom. Roses in reds, pinks, oranges, whites, blues, and every color imaginable bloomed on vibrant green bushes, the trees full. Some bore fruit, others flowers, but it was a breathtaking sight regardless. She lazily walked through the warm, sunny garden, looking about as she heard what sounded like a grunt of pain and a sack of potatoes and metal hitting the ground. Quietly, quickly, she stalked through the lush foliage until she saw a pair of white armored boots on the grass, curiosity and dread egging her on to see more. She minced closer, halting the moment she could see all of it.

Haruka lay on the grass, blood flowing from arrows embedded deep into her body, draining out from inside of her armor. Her midnight orbs stared at the sky lifelessly, crimson splattered across her face. The warrior of thunder screamed in horror, backing away from the body before running towards it. Maybe, there was something she could do to save her regardless. Frantically, she lifted the limp upper body to cradle close, sobbing and screeching wordlessly. It was as if someone had ripped out her heart. A part of her mind was trying to push away the growing suspicion that she and Haruka were meant to be more than just friends, that she had forgotten something between them that was important, but her heart was already proving it to be true. "HARUKA!"

The blonde snapped out of her trance to discover herself crying and on her knees on blackened grass, seeing Makoto screaming and rocking back and forth only a few yards away sobbing and whimpering incoherently. Struggling to choke back her own tears, she scrambled over to her distraught companion, placing trembling hands on her shoulder and gently shaking her. "M-mako? Please, K-k-kitten, snap out of it...!" She pleaded, still trying to rid herself of her own vision. It had been so damn real, if not for Makoto screaming out for her, she would have been trapped there and not known it to be a hallucination.

Emerald eyes slowly grew focused, locking onto the other woman's face before she threw herself into the older guardian's arms. Haruka clung to the shuddering, sob-wracked frame tightly, kissing the soft chestnut locks affectionately. "It wasn't r-real, Mako-chan... It wasn't real..." She whispered, but she wasn't sure if it was for herself or her charge anymore.

After what seemed like almost an hour, they finally stopped shaking and crying, but were too exhausted to move. With Haruka wrapped protectively around the brunette, they both fell asleep.

-Haruka grinned at Makoto as she lay naked below the sheets, Michiru still sleeping and snuggled into the younger warrior's arms, the golden cuffs gleaming softly in the light. It was times like this, the one that were the most damning should anyone barge in, that were often the happiest. She leaned down to press her lips to the lightning welder's, smirking at the wild sex hair that was made even more untamed by the waves and curls in those auburn locks. "Can't you just stay a bit longer?" The busty female questioned quietly.

The butch shook her head. "No. And you can't either. You know the Court would be... Unhappy with this."

The green eyes Jovian scowled. "Right, 'unhappy'. Ruka, they would have you both killed. Damn these barbaric cuffs. Damn that archaic Vow. Damn this whole cruel tradition!" She seethed, glowering in fury at the metal around her biceps.

The swords woman traced the moon symbol that was on the golden cuffs in raised relief softly. "Well, I can't say I like the rules of the Vow, but the tradition of the Order of the Senshi is what brought us together in the first place. Otherwise, we would all still be on our home planets, and possibly in charge of ruling them." She grinned playfully. "And I have to admit, two very beautiful women who are naked in my bed always beats ruling a planet."

Makoto blushed, a shy smile on her lips. "Ruka?"

"Hmm?" The warrior of the sky leaned back to glance down at her lover better.

"Wake up. There's trouble."-

Her eyes snapped open, her heart hammering in her chest, arms still holding the smaller woman tightly to her chest. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she sat up, the eerie sensation of being watched causing her senses to be on high alert. A high pitched whistling sound was the only warning she had as the arrow whizzed by her cheek, embedding itself into a tree some distance away. Without any hesitation, she scooped up the now waking warrior and started running for her life. "Haruka-chan...? What's goin' on...?" Makoto groggily inquired.

Before she voiced a reply, another arrow flew a scant inch above her shoulder, swearing and taking cover behind a tree. She should transform, they both should, setting Makoto down. As if they were both on the same wave-length, they reached for their transformation pens, taking in a breath to be ready to change when they both discovered the items missing. How could they both be gone?! Another arrow hit the tree, the duo fleeing again towards the safety of the castle. "Shit!" Haruka swore as another projectile clipped her cheek, blood welling in a line there as they saw a wooden door ahead. Whether it took them to that corridor or was an honest to goodness room, they didn't care.

They shoved it open, shutting it just as another arrow came at them and held it shut. Panting loudly, they turned towards each other, Makoto's concerned face dimly illuminated by the light that radiated from the crystal stones. They had never been so happy to see a dusty, dirty ruin of a room before, and soft chuckles of relief escaped their it was probably a trick of the light, the tall butch would have sworn she was blushing, a tan hand reaching out to lightly touch the no longer bleeding line along her cheek. The contact seemed to send a jolt down the thunder warrior's arm, her skin prickling with goosebumps. Nervous emerald eyes glanced down at her lips, them back up again, slowly -uncertainly- leaning closer. Against her better judgement, Haruka felt her own face slowly shift closer. "Ruka-chan, we shouldn't..." The brunette breathlessly pleaded, half-heartedly objecting as they moved closer.

Timidly, Makoto pressed her lips to Haruka's as the butch stood stock still. There was no way that this was real, the blonde guardian assured herself, feeling long arms cautiously wrap around her shoulders. There was absolutely no possible way- which meant that this was another hallucination. If this was just a hallucination, then she might as well go along with it; after all, it was probably the closest she would ever get to kissing the real Makoto. With that thought in mind, her hands found themselves at her companion's hips, kissing the soft, rosy buds that were the lightning warrior's lips with a deep, longing passion. Her body pressed the smaller woman against the door, hoisting her up to allow those long legs to wrap around her waist, gripping Makoto's strong thighs to help keep her there. She could feel the large bust arching against her own unbound breasts through their shirts, one hand sliding along the exposed mid-rift to feel the slightly visible abs that lay just under that soft skin, tracing along part of the burn scar there as well. Haruka moved her lips to suckle at the crook of her neck, enjoying the languid moans the action elicited breathed near her ear. This was one hell of a hallucination, and it made her heady with desire.

She felt slender digits knot themselves into her short hair, dotting the tan surface below her lips with light hickies as Makoto arched her hips aimlessly. Suddenly, they were kissing again, the desperate passion behind it climbing higher as the blonde slid her roaming hand higher, groaning happily as she caressed the soft, large breast over the bra. "H-haruka...~! W-wait, we can't..."

The sound of her own name brought a cold realization crashing down upon the guardian of the wind; this wasn't a hallucination, and she was currently pressing her body against a taken woman, in an unknown environment, with her hand up her shirt. Quickly they both came to their senses, panting as they untangled their bodies from each other, their faces flushed from a mix of nerves and lust, their backs to one another. "Haruka-chan... I am s-so, so sorry. I have no idea what came over me."

The blonde ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm her excited body. This had been something she had dreamed of for years, so why did it have to happen here? "No, I thought it was another hallucination... I should have fought against it." Was the quiet rebuke. 'Oh Kami-sama, what was real anymore?'

"Why do I feel like we should be more than we are...? Why now? Why do I feel as if I just remembered something I had long forgotten between us?"

Quickly, the soldier of freedom turned to face the younger female, seeing the unsure posture that told her Makoto was now battling the same feelings that she had been holding back for years. Slowly, she walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her protectively. "Because maybe, in another life, we were more. Maybe you forgot because you had to."

They remained like that for several minutes, until the door all but exploded inwards, throwing splintered debris everywhere. A gigantic creature screeched in fury as it tore at the destroyed entrance, trying to reach them with it's clawed hands. Haruka moved to place herself in front of Makoto, standing as a sheild to block the other woman from view. The brunette looked around, spying a door several yards away and making a run for it. Halfway there, she felt one of large hands hit her and knock her into crystal wall, and into darkness.

-Makoto felt so disoriented, the darkness pervading her senses as she looked around. Had she been killed? Why did she have to always be alone in the end? Her parents, her senpai, her friends, in the end, she always was alone.

"But you're not alone." A warm voice told her, looking up to see Haruka in that strange armor again, smiling down at her with her friends all standing behind her. "You have the senshi." The group faded until only Haruka, Michiru, Ami, and Rei remained. "You have us." Then only the butch remained. "You have me."

The words sent a warmth through her mind, Makoto standing. "What do I do now?"

A grin spread across the blonde's lips. "Now, you fight." A second figure appeared, the her with auburn hair and gold cuffs, clad in the leather and green fabric dress. "Fight and win." Both she and Haruka told her firmly.

Makoto looked at her reflection as it stood across from her, the image of Haruka vanishing. "Who are you?"

The image laughed, the sound full of mild insanity as black lightning burned the dress into a black fuku, golden bracers on her forearms, fingerless gloves, a two tiered skirt, and a lightning bolt on her black choker. "Don't be afraid." Dark Jupiter assured her as she tried to smile kindly when the brunette backed up swiftly.

"You!"

"Tiger, I'm here to help you. Wake up, now." Her expression was worried, "She's in trouble."

"But how do I help?! I can't transform without my pen! And what is this place?" If the insane version of herself was going to play the 'helpful' card, then she better answer some damn questions.

"This is a parallel built from repressed memories you have from your past lives. The attack sent you both here, and it's trying to drive you insane." A stuttering laugh echoed around her slightly. "But too bad you're already a bit crazy, so you have an advantage. Me."

"Rei-chan got rid of you!"

Green eyes rolled dramatically. "When you accepted my protection, you took on some insanity. And if you know Rei purified me, then why do you look for me in mirrors still?" She cackled. "Aha! Caught you! Silly Mako."-

She groaned awake, hearing a scuffle going on somewhere nearby, hazily opening her eyes to see her friend using bits of the demolished door to fight against the huge creature. Her head hurt, her body hurt, her arm throbbed, but she couldn't leave Haruka to fight it all alone. "You can't transform without me." Makoto heard the twisted version of herself whisper.

"Why not?" Was the growled reply.

"I can't tell you. Just trust me, please!"

It was Makoto's turn to laugh, spitting out a bit of blood that was in her mouth. "You? Trust you? Kami-sama, you're crazier than I thought." She scooped up a crystal brick and hurled it at the creature that had vivid green eyes, white fur with a black streak down it's spine, and crystal claws, a cry of fury filling the room from the beast.

With a deft flick of it's wrist, it sent her sprawling again before returning it's focus to the guardian of the sky; it seemed to have a personal vendetta against the blonde woman. It's mighty claws grabbed the older scrapper tightly, and started to squeeze, Haruka struggling to break free. "HARUKA-CHAN!" Makoto screeched, scrambling to her feet.

Dark Jupiter stood before her, her expression crazed but desperate, her posture pleading. "Mako, please! PLEASE let me save her this time!" She begged, a few tears running from emerald orbs.

The image split, and next to the insane senshi stood the same auburn haired woman dressed in that green dress, golden cuffs on her biceps. "PLEASE!" They both cried out to her, one with a face of deranged desperation, the other terrified desperation.

Makoto turned her gaze to Haruka, gritting her teeth as she noticed the woman in pain. She didn't have a choice. "Then help me save her, damn you!" She finally agreed, locking eyes with the dark entity.

She twice now had allowed this darkness to take control, and as Dark Jupiter stepped into her body, she wondered if this lack of self-control was never ending. This time, the transition was gentle, soothing even, and a soft sigh escaped her as a strange sensation of comfort washed over her. This place; it suddenly felt as if she belonged here. Dark Makoto opened her eyes, almost stunned that she had some sanity from the other Makoto grounding her mind, black lightning edged in bright electric green dancing to life around her, joined by white. "Dark Jupiter Power!" She could sense Makoto watching her, and this time, she would do things right. She wouldn't lose Haruka a second time. "MAKE UP!"

Black lightning struck at her, her fuku turning black with gold lightning bolt on the hips, her tattered pink bows sparking into life, her black boots with gold bolts burning into existence. Finally, Dark Jupiter stood with her double bladed naginata in hand, twirling it deftly before rushing at the monster. "RRRRRRAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" She roared, slicing through it's huge wrist, freeing the sore woman.

She planted herself between her friend and her foe, her cold eyes calculating, black and pure white lightning crackling along her frame. "Stay away from her. You did enough damage in your lifetime." She hissed to the creature.

It glared at her, growling lowly before lunging. "Dark Thunder!" The attack lanced at the beast, knocking it backwards into the wall. "YOU'RE GONNA DIE ALL OVER AGAIN, YOU BASTARD!" She shrieked, amping up her attack.

Haruka's vision was hazy, looking up at the guardian of thunder as she took several steps closer to the monster, her face etched in rage. Never had she seen such power used in her defense before, withered roots breaking free of the ground to wrap the furred creature tightly. The screeches from it were inhuman and horrible, but the brunette senshi was unrelenting, furiously striking it over and over again. The air crackled with power, and finally the monster shuddered and slumped to the crystal floor unmoving. "Kitten..." Haruka breathed, watching the black clad guardian pant heavily, swaying slightly.

"Thanks, Mako." The Dark warrior whispered into the privacy of the true guardian's mind. "You're gonna be a bit weak after I leave you."

"H-how wea-weak is 'a bit weak'...?"

"You're gonna pass out now. That's how weak." And with that, she left.

'Son of a-!'

"Burning Mandala!"

"Neptune Deep Submerge!"

"Venus, look out!"

The first thought that entered Haruka's mind was that this had to be the longest battle the senshi had ever fought, sitting up and touching her throbbing head gingerly. When her midnight hues opened, she noticed that she was still in her senshi form, completely baffled that it was daylight still. They had been gone for hours! At least a day, in fact! And yet, barely three minutes appeared to have gone by since the attack had struck her, the other senshi blasting at the youma with extreme prejudice. "Mako-chan!" She gasped, looking around to see the now stirring warrior of Jupiter a yard to her left.

"H-haru...ka...?" The brunette sat up, blinking groggily as they took in their surroundings.

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

Midnight blue and emerald hues watched as the pig-tailed blonde destroyed the youma at last completely at a loss for words. What the hell had happened? Had they dreamed up everything? Judging by what was around them, the answer was a resounding 'yes'. They could pretend everything from that strange place never happened, because it never actually did; it had been all in their heads. Footsteps rushed over as they stood, their fellow guardians all showing their happiness at the two scrappers being alright. "Mako, you idiot! Next time, dodge the attack!" Sailor Mars scolded before throwing her arms around her lover's shoulders, kissing her passionately.

Neptune's display of affection was far quieter, placing a gentle kiss on her girlfriend's cheek before giving her a questioning look. When she gained a slight shake of her head, the aqua haired woman simply laced their fingers together and bid everyone her farewells, tugging the blonde back to their house to talk and other far more fun adult activities. After Mars decided to let her powerful girlfriend breathe again, both guardians powered down, but Makoto simply stared in horror at her left arm; there was a long strip of cotton from her shirt wrapped firmly around her forearm, blood still somewhat staining it. "Mako-chan! What happened?!" Usagi exclaimed, Rei and Ami both sitting her down so that the doctor in training could assess the damage.

"I... I don't know..." She breathed, biting the inside of her cheek as the bluenette unwound the makeshift bandage, taking in the scrapped up skin.

"Your arm appears to have been clawed up by the youma. Perhaps Haruka-chan tended to it while you were knocked out? Our forms have flickered in battle before, and it would explain your torn shirt." Ami rationalized, the brunette nodding numbly. "It's healing well, so we shouldn't worry about it."

She didn't dare tell them different, mainly because that would require explaining something she honestly had no idea how to explain. Her mind clung to the memory of that heated kiss, a faint blush on her cheeks that thankfully coincided with Rei stroking her face tenderly; just why on earth had she done that? Judging by the fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach, those feelings for Haruka had been real, but she had to push them away.

She was dating Rei, not Haruka. She was loyal, she was faithful. Standing again, she kissed the top of Rei's head affectionately, knowing that her feelings for the tall butch would never be the simple ones of friendship again. And yet, Makoto knew that it was alright to have these desires for her, that it wasn't horrible to think of it.

But they would never be more than desires in her mind, and the memory of a kiss. She was loyal, she was faithful, and she was Rei's.