Hi!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!!!! Everyone who e-mailed me. That means a lot to me. I am always happy to hear your thoughts, comments and suggestions. Now, on with the story.......... Different Part 3 by Anni Usagi awoke from already usual feeling of pain. But today everything was much worser than usual. She had no strength even to stop crying. Tears were running from her eyes and she wasn't able to fight it. She tried not to think about what had happened yesterday. But pain in her body was mercilessly reminding her. ## Flashback ## She had never felt herself as weak as that day. Himur told her few times that he could drain her energy easily in few seconds and get the crystal, but he relished the idea of torturing her and slowly making her give up. She lost the track of time and she couldn't say exactly how long she was staying at this prison. But it seemed like eternity. She would gave everything to get back to her life as Sailor Moon and to hear Rei's grumbling about 'Usagi being late again'. Sometimes her previous life was much more like a dream. A beautiful dream. "No.. I mustn't think about it," Usagi thought with fear. Himur could read her mind so easily and the consequences would be terrible. One day (or was it night?) he whipped her and made her count the blows only for 'thinking' about getting away from him. Suddenly the gray shadow appeared in front of her. "Himur, oh.. not again" everything inside of her became still. "What is it he up to today?" "So.. Little princess, ready for next lesson?" said Himur watching the girl on the stone floor. She even didn't try to move away. There was no escape. The pain was too much to bear. Her vision was fogged and dim while she sagged bonelessly in her chains. "Today I'll certainly die," she thought to herself, when she felt her body jerked under familiar power. "No.. not the crystal" She tried to clear her vision. With horror she watched as precious royal stone detached from her chest. It was now floating in the air in front of her. Himur's harsh and cruel laughter was telling her that it was not a nightmare. It was the cruel reality, the reality she was trying to avoid. He grabbed the crystal and made few steps aside. "Now I can show you something you've never seen before". A strange round sphere appeared from nowhere. Inside of it there was something glowing. "Now watch it carefully!" Himur took the crystal and slowly pushed it inside of the glowing sphere. "Don't do it" Usagi cried as she tried to free herself. But she was chained so there was nothing she could do. Her eyes widen as she watched the crystal, the hope of Moon Kingdom, turning into little pieces and then disappear forever. She wished she could die that very moment. She of all the people was the protector of the gem and now... she failed it. For the first time she really wished to die. It would be blessing now. Himur seemed to enjoy the horrified look in Usagi's eyes. But he knew better than to watch her. "Now.. when you are no longer under Crystal's protection, we can have some real fun. Shall we, my dear princess? I was waiting for that moment too long" cruel light gleamed in his eyes. ## End of flashback ## She had no idea that he would do something like that to her. She was too young and naive to expect him to humiliate her in such terrible way. The pain in her back after whipping was nothing comparable to the pain down there, between her legs. Her body was still trembling with shame. At first she tried to be brave and not to give up. She gritted her teeth and strained not to cry or scream. But that was not that easy. 'When someone read your thoughts and preventing everything you do to escape...' she grinned sadly. 'I am really a weakling.' Usagi closed her eyes. "Maybe I can get some sleep after all," she thought. She was almost sleeping when she heard someone approaching to her. The person was walking very carefully as trying not to wake her up. A moan escaped from her lips. "Not again... I can't take it any more" Usagi thought in despair. She stiffed getting ready for more pain, but it never came. On the contrary she felt as someone was carefully stoking her head. She slowly opened her eyes to see a woman with strange dark green hair. She was looking at her with tears in her eyes. She was wearing the dress very much like senshi's. The woman knelt behind her. Usagi made an effort to get up, but she was too weak even for that, so she remained on the floor. "My poor queen, what have they done to you..." the strange woman whispered, tears in her voice "I am so sorry, I can't even help you. Oh, your majesty, forgive me..." "Who.. are you?" Usagi managed to ask. Her voice was weak. "Water..." Her mouth was dry. She couldn't even reach the dish of water few meters away from her. "I am Sailor Pluto. The Guardian of Time." Pluto reached for the dish and brought the water to Usagi?s lips. "I couldn't come to you earlier, I was in the future helping with the fight. But as soon as found where he keeps you, I was here. It was difficult to get through his shield. I am sorry I couldn't be here earlier" Suddenly she saw that Usagi was trembling. "Please, don?t look at me, I..." She couldn?t continue, too embarrassed to say anything. Moreover, she was afraid to speak to this mysterious green-haired woman. "Your majesty, please don't worry. There is no one in this floating castle right now, only you and me. He will be back in few hours, so you can talk freely, no one will find out." Pluto tried to smile, though the view of Usagi was bringing more tears to her eyes. How could anyone do something that horrible to this girl? She continued to explain, trying to assure her that there was nothing to be afraid of: "I am just an astral projection. But I can materialize myself, though it is not very easy. No one can see me except for you." She paused. "I don't understand. Why.. are you here? And why do you keep calling me a queen" Usagi tried to convince herself that there was nothing to be afraid of. 'There can?t be worse than it is now anyway' she thought sadly to herself. Pluto started to talk again: "You are the queen of future Tokyo. It is your future. But right now the most important thing is to get you back to the earth. I?ll try to think something out. Maybe the senshi..." Usagi didn?t let her continue. She gathered all her strength left and managed to get up from the floor. She winced as the wounds on her back reminded her of theirs presence. "No! Don?t say anything to the senshi. Please, they don?t have to know it. Besides, there is no way out of here. They need to protect earth with or without me. I can?t risk their lives only because I was so stupid and not careful." Pluto tried to argue, but Usagi didn?t let her speak. "Don?t, please. Without Ginzuishou, there is no way out, I know it. Besides I am useless now: I am not Sailor Moon anymore." Her eyes were full of tears. She looked down in despair. "Please, promise me, you won?t tell them." "But my queen.." Pluto didn?t know what to do. It was almost as letting her die alone! "If I am your queen, than take it as an order" Added Usagi quietly. To refuse the help Pluto was suggesting was not that easy as it looked like from outside. Everything inside her was trembling but... she knew that there is no one who could help her. The guilt for loosing the crystal and the shame that she lived through made her so useless. 'There is no need to save me' She tried to fight the tears forming in her eyes. Pluto watched silently how Usagi was fighting the tears. Finally she sighed: "I?ll do as you wish, your majesty". When Sailor Pluto left, Usagi broke with tears. 'I don?t think I can go through this. I am not as strong as you all think.. but.... but... there is no other way.' She wished Pluto to get back and to ask for help, but she knew miracles didn?t happen. 'Maybe she won?t come back anymore. Maybe it's even better this way'. Finally the exhaustion pulled Usagi down into a deep sleep. End of part 3. April 14, 2000