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Foramen walked alongside the Queen, Sue, and Astraea. He wasn't so fond of the silver cat as to greet her, but his irritation with her seemed to melt away in the presence of Queen Serenity.

A depressingly small group followed them. Foramen had at first been amazed that so many had survived, but as they moved as a group, he had to compare it to the numbers of Barren Pines mere weeks ago. So many gone. Foramen didn't care for them as individuals, but as a fighting force, they were at a severe disadvantage.

No one recognised him as Foramen, a fact for which Kirin was grateful. Even if it meant he missed out on hugs, like Yahya and Sue, or kisses, like the Gemi-tards Andeon and Mackenzie. It wasn't like he was close to these people. Hell, he possibly felt the closest to Sue right now, and Sue was a cat and had no clue who Foramen was under the magical girl outfit. And, walking near Queen Serenity, that was all fine with Foramen. The Zodiacs may have felt something was missing from this woman, but Foramen was perfectly content. He thought that if the Queen could remain in Chronos' body, he would be almost... happy? Huh, imagine that. Happy.

It was not to be, and somehow Foramen knew the Queen would never do that to the Zodiacs or to her niece. But for now he would be as helpful as he could. Approaching the barrier, he could see the senshi on the other side. Turning to the Queen, he asked, "Do you need her on this side? I think I can bring her to us."

He'd been able to rift past the barrier before, so hopefully this darker version wouldn't be any different. There would be no passing out this time, either (hopefully). Moving just one person or object seemed less taxing than trying to move two - or rather, one and a half, since cat-form Astraea couldn't really count as a full-sized person.

Foramen paled as Serenity revealed the full risks to him if he tried this. There was a flash of fear, 'ohgodno don'twanttodienotyet, but he forced himself past it. It wasn't as though the fear of death was new, after the recent events at Barren Pines.

"It is needed. And you have asked it of me," he said, voice gruff in an attempt to force away the emotions that Serenity so effortlessly brought out in him. "That is enough for me to do this."

He gave a nod to Hero. It wouldn't be a bad thing to have the Zodiacs owe him a favour, and when no longer in the presence of Serenity, he would muse on that nebulous favour for longer. As it was, he trusted that Hero Barrett always kept her word. He might not trust the girl herself, but he knew he could trust that much.

He gave a start as Serenity slipped her hand into his. Briefly, he tightened his grip on it, before forcing himself to relax. It wouldn't do to injure the Queen.

His gaze met Astraea's and he read her hidden message. It provoked a wry smile. When wasn't Foramen looking out for himself first? Oh right, when around Queen Serenity. Still, that didn't mean he was about to throw his life away. (For one, he thought it would make Astraea happy, or at least confirm that Foramen was another dropkick, stupidass senshi like half the rest around here.)

Closing his eyes, he murmured to himself, "You have to do what you can to get what you need." Gold eyes snapped open and the hand not entwined with Serenity's rose in Scorpio's direction.

"Vanishing Rift, Slice!"

His hand slashed the motion of the rift to begin the attack. And so his magic began to fight against the barrier and against Foramen's command.

Both Serenity and Foramen had their eyes closed now. Something was happening to the barrier -- a human-sized crackle as the group watched, a shimmering of the huge black barrier. The girl on the other side was kicking. She was pounding now, in desperation. Sweat broke out on Foramen's forehead. Serenity closed her fingers over his, and then suddenly --

It opened only for a moment. That was long enough for Angela Byrne to slip through, the barrier closing behind her immediately. Leaving Foramen sweating and pale and exhausted just from that, utterly exhausted, bone-deep exhausted. But even as Serenity reached out to the bemused-looking, dark-haired girl, a kind of light shone in Angela's eyes: the first signs of the deja-vu of remembrance. Of realisation. It'd been amnesia that had saved her: without it, she might have tried to assault Charonite alone in her grief and in her rage. Probably the last gift from Eon and Chronos. Be well. Be safe.

Angela was Scorpio, sailor senshi of mysteries. And the last one to be found of the Zodiac Guard.

All Serenity did was cradle her hand momentarily, between her own, and then passed her off to Sue. "One last one, Zue," the queen said, gently, and then she turned back to the gathered mass. "This is the last push. Aries, if you could get them organised."

Aries could get them organised. She first turned to Scorpio, clapping her on the shoulder -- "It's good to see you," she said, brusquely, and turned back to organisation. "Zodiac! I want you in order of the Wheel! Génoise, Kavanaugh, Miss Thorne! Scorpio, Petrova, Arma, Grayson, Froust, O'Connell, Boskovic and Coral! Everyone else get yourself holding hands, Araya, organise the rest -- Grant, Montgomery, Weaver, Roadinger! Foramen, take a rest! I do not want any bitching at this juncture, gentlemen and women!"

There was a lot going on. Serenity had her hand on Scorpio's shoulder too as Sue sweated. Hero was busy placing the reeking garbage bag with strange gentleness in the middle of the forming circle. "Are you all right?" the queen asked, soft. "Are you ready? I'm afraid you have to be ready, right now."

Angela probably hadn't expected the crowd forming, either, into two rings of happy-hand-holding -- she was nudged inbetween an amazingly familiar girl with brown curly hair and glasses, and an amazingly familiar hair with pale blonde hair and cool blue eyes. A pen got shoved into her hand by a boy who looked on the wrong side of exhaustion: like somebody who had stayed up for forty-eight hours and could really use a Jolt Cola.

The Zodiac Guard were assembling themselves. Hero Barrett joined hands with Topher and Pierrette, fixing the ring apart from the smelly plastic sack. (Jude would have been seriously annoyed at this point in time.) So had the other survivors. Serenity's voice rose above the rabble, the murmuring, the getting ready --

"Today we pray."

Astraea reached out for Sue's hands, going down on her knees. She looked annoyed. Her ears were pricked. But she slid her hands inside his, and they looked at each other: two people who did not exactly like each other, but were recognising one another as the same species.

"Today we all pray."

And over every survivor -- every zombie -- even those not there, Lucas who'd left, the others who were still haunting the place, down to Piper and Frankie del Rockham -- stopped still. To hear the voice. "Today I ask you for your strength. I am asking for all of your strength, and I have no right to ask. You've sworn no allegiance to me as your queen, people of Earth. You're brave. You are strong. Earth can be proud that it has you as its children. I wish I could assure you all that you will be its future. But not all of you are going to walk away.

"I need your strength."

It was strange seeing Serenade with blue eyes.

"I'll ask for it not once, but twice."

Her voice reached every corner of the cursed campus --

"Opal Crystal of the Zodiac Guard! For the sake of your Princess, lift this curse!"

And it took your heart, and it sucked a little bit out of it. Every heart. The human ones faltered, skipped a beat, continued on bravely. It was a sudden, murmurous shot of pain, but then there was something building brightly at the body of Chronos' chest, sparkling with irridescent colours as it peeled open and painstakingly formed itself into the shape of a flower with many bell-blossom petals --

And the light hit Chronos: reformed.

Not Sailor, but Princess.



And not Serenity, but Serenade. There was one last whisper in her ear --

Your first love is not your last.

Be happy.

Princess Chronos was blinking. Elke made a pull, but Hero said harshly: "Do not break rank, soldier!"

(And at this point, Sue had conked out entirely. Astraea reached forward, took his pulse, and announced with no particular joy: "He's alive." Long, extended pause. "Enough.")

Angela wasn't exactly sure what she had been expecting at that point in time. Not really anyhow, seeing as how nothing today seemed to have been going 'according' to plan. To think she had been planning to spend a lovely day out on a park bench with some yummy sugary treats and a good book - none of this looked anythings like her ideal plan for the day.

She was going along with the flow though, and allowed herself to be guide-nudge into the circle of happy hand holding. There was something horribly... hauntingly familiar about the girls she had been positioned between but she had little time to ponder the notion because the green haired girl's voice suddenly filled the silence and her attention was drawn instantly towards her again. The girl had some sort of magnetism to her, Angela was sure of it.

Then there was pain.

It was pain like she had never felt before, gripping at her heart, curling long tendrils around her very core and yet... it did not feel menacing or sickening in the least. It felt like it was meant to be; it felt warm. She was having trouble not releasing the hands she clung to oh-so desperately in an attempt to grip her chest. The dull throbbing of her head was also not helping, but soon enough the pain she felt lessened into some sort of afterglow and her attention focused back on the green haired girl.

Except now... she had changed; she was different and it filled her with a sense of purpose and joy she had apparently forgotten long ago. Confusion was still present in her mind and she wasn't entirely sure what was going on due to it, but it felt right. That was all she needed for the time being.

She had no idea how to react to being told to hold hands. Well, okay, yes she did: Hold hands and listen to whatever the Queen had to say. Fussing over Sue and all the people who had been Walking Dead last time she'd seen them could wait for whatever--someone was standing outside the barrier? Scorpio. She knew Scorpio, didn't she?

The Queen was talking, Elke listened and then: pain. Very painful pain, but she'd endured worse now; she whimpered a little but gave no further comment. And then the Princess was back, and she started forward, loosening her grip on her fellow Zodiacs' hands--

"Do not break rank, soldier!"

--Elke stopped, but everything in her said: Princess! Princess, princess-- Why was she standing there? Her princess was right there, right there, in front of her, but if she had to stay here--holding hands with Grayson and Libra gingerly--then she would. She would stand there and--end it, as the Princess asked.

"Yes, Princess," said Elke. She took a stronger grip on Grayson and Libra's hands and a deep breath. She'd do whatever the Princess asked.

For the reanimated Jude Lawson, who hadn't the slightest idea in the world what had been happening after his most disgraceful defeat, this was not a time of reunited joy and magic. The first thing he did was simply stand there, trying to organize the downpour of memories pounding against his head. Overwhelming? Just a little.

The first to form a clear picture was that face. Red hair. Green eyes. That b*****d smirk and those teeth. Jude would have lashed out in an impulsive rage, but his arms were bound by the one invading his personal space. He stared at her like she was some complete stranger who had run up to him on the streets of Destiny City.

Then, she said it.

Sagittarius.

The fact of the matter was, neither Jude nor Sagittarius had ever looked afraid before the other zodiac. Not in this life, not in the last one. Annoyed? Most definietly. Worried? That, too. But scared? Not once. Not ever. But he did now; he looked terrified. Eyes wide, quivering, there was nothing about him that didn't scream: Hi, I'm Jude Lawson, and if you give me a gun I will shoot myself in the face with it.

"Why?" he whispered brokenly, shaking his head in a manner that could only be taken as what it was: shame. What they would have to guess was if he spoke to the winds or to Chronos, but he doubted she had heard him, anyway. If she had, no answer could sedate him regardless. His question was not about why this was happening, why he was here, why they were doing this. What he wanted to know why was she had to bring him back. He'd finally been free again, and they ripped him out of Heaven to bring him back to Hell. He remembered nothing of it, but was positive he must of been there.

Where else would he go?

There was no way God was going to let him back in after cheating him out of a soul so many times.

There was no word to describe just how lost he felt. Too much, too fast. That is, until he'd found his anchor. Once his eyes followed those of the Princess, saw Aries, things seemed to snap back into place at a dizzying, relentless speed. Having known nothing of barking order about ranks and lines--would have he cared?--Jude finally moved.

To Hero.

As fast as he'd run on their race that day, compared to that, his speed now was like lightning across the sky. He grabbed her face and kissed her shamelessly, and before she could hit him (if only her hands were free), or yell, or do anything else, he had shifted instead to hug her like she would die if he let go.

"Hero, thank God," was all he said.

He needed more time to deal with this than he was being given, but he understood now the time to "Man Up" had arrived. No matter Aries reaction his boldness, he then stepped in line, held hands with whomever was on either side and wondered why they were shaking so bad.

But the truth was, it was him who was trembling.