A Sailor Moon Fanfiction: The Pledge of the Sun.

Chapter 157

On another day, the other guardians met up at Juuban Park while Usagi stayed with Mamoru at his apartment.

When they did, Harusuke, Chibiusa, and Makoto recounted the events from the other day to the others.

"So, to save Earth from the Dead Moon, we need this Golden Crystal?" asked Minako.

"That's right," nodded Makoto. "And it's not just the Earth. Elysion, Helios, and Mamoru, too."

"I just can't believe what's happening to them," murmured Ami. "To think that all of them ended up cursed by this Queen Nehelenia."

"Well, for the time being, Usagi's taking care of Mamoru," said Rei. "So the six of us need to do whatever we can to help her so she can fight and protect everyone."

"As things stand right now, we'll have to be even more careful than before," said Harusuke. "The Amazon Trio may be gone now, but there's a chance some new lackeys will show up and take their place. Normally, I'd say that we'll figure out how to deal with them, but truth be told, I kinda wish we had a bit more help."

"I know," sighed Makoto. "I'm even beginning to wish that Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna were still with us."

"Yeah. Hotaru, too," agreed Chibiusa.

"Yeah. But knowing those girls, if they found out about our situation, they would probably tell us to figure it out ourselves," said Rei. "Then again, they did say we would meet them again someday. I just wish they were here now."

"You know, that reminds me of something," said Ami. "Back when I saw that little mini version of me when I was in trouble, it made me wonder if that was them cheering us on."

"Well, I don't know about that," smiled Harusuke. "But it is something to think about."

Then he noticed Minako, who had been silent throughout their whole conversation.

"Hey, Minako. You doing OK?" he asked. "You've been strangely quiet."

Minako looked up. "O-Oh! Don't mind me. I was just thinking, is all," she replied.

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Later in the evening, Minako walked back home.

Despite what she said to Harusuke earlier, she was, in truth, feeling a bit insecure, which came from mostly being the only one who hadn't powered up yet. And if she didn't, the red-bowed blonde thought she would likely become a liability to the team.

As soon as she came home, she decided to vent her worries to Artemis inside her room. Naturally, the white cat was quick to reassure her.

"There's no need to worry, Minako. I'm sure you'll grow stronger before you know it," the white feline said. "Everyone else did, and so will you. After all, you're the Sailor Guardians' leader. Your body is likely undergoing a build-up of power inside of you waiting to emerge as we speak."

"Yeah. I guess you're right. There's no sense in worrying," Minako spoke doubtfully. She then got up from her bed. "I'm going to go take a bath."

While she went to do so, Artemis couldn't help but feel concerned.

"I know I told her not to worry, but I'm a bit worried that she'll keep thinking about this until she tries to do something to prove she's worthy of it. And more than likely, it'll be like the pure heart incident all over again. If only there was some way to help her."

The white cat then started thinking of how to help his partner as he stared at the night sky through the window.

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