Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Pretty Soldiers ❯ Act 15 - black • moon • berthier : Sailormercury ( Chapter 15 )

       A UFO had taken the soldier of fire away.
       That was the only thing swirling around in Sailor Moon's mind as she sagged in her prince's arms, staring up into the sky as dust fell into her tearing eyes. Around them was chaos and death, emergency sirens screaming closer, and all she could think of was the utter surreality of what had just happened.
        Demons, she could handle.
       Evil cloud entities, no problem.
       But aliens? That was a bit beyond her grasp of the rational.
       Maybe even irrational, considering the past few months had revealed her own past in being an alien of the un-Earthly type, but fourteen years of scoffing at the existence of flying saucers and little green men was hard to ignore.
       "Usako, we have to get out of here."
       And here was her prince, always thinking ahead. He led her towards the door, gallantly shielding her from the sight of the rapidly decomposing corpses, though the smell was growing harder and harder to ignore. Coupled with the smell of ozone and damp, it was almost unbreathable in the confined room.
       Outside of the doors was an even stranger sight; a huddled, shivering Chibi-Usa, cowering on the hot floor in a ball as her toy rolled back and forth beside her. The scorch mark at the opposite end of the hall had nearly been her instead, and she still didn't feel safe to come out yet. Above her stood Venus, having evacuated the conference room before her princess, Jupiter and Mercury checking the bodies in the hallway. "Chibi-Usa? You were watching us!"
       "She's been here since we started fighting, for certain," Venus said grimly as she shut the doors behind them. "And she won't move…"
       The pink-haired child was muttering something over and over again; as Sailor Moon came closer, Tuxedo Kamen kneeling beside her, they could hear it as "Mama, papa…Puu, I want to go home, I want to go home…"
       Everyone in the hallway had either died or lost consciousness a while ago. Venus vacated the pink-haired child's space to aid Jupiter in moving the charred bodies aside, clearing a path for the emergency crews, as Tuxedo Kamen lightly touched Chibi-Usa's head. "Chibi-Usa, are you all right? Don't be afraid…"
       "But why would she be here? She has to know who we are, or she knows what's going on!" the odango-haired blonde argued, huddling on her knees. So close, it was the only reason she spotted the jewelry, partially hidden by a hank of pink hair.
       Beside the child's head was a set of charms strung on a delicate neck chain, having fallen from her blouse. One was a purple skeleton key in the shape of a heart that looked more decorative than useful. And the other, mostly obscured by the collar of her shirt, looked like a large crystal bauble that had Sailor Moon reaching for it in curiousity.
       Suddenly the child screamed, flailing beneath their hands. Before any of them could react, she catapulted onto her feet, gathering her toy into her arms. "I can't stop it! It's all my fault, and I can't stop it!"
       "Chibi-Usa!" Tuxedo Kamen reached out to hug her close, but she turned violently away. With Jupiter and Venus still occupied in moving bodies, both arms full despite their attention on the ruckus, and Mercury still checking each body personally just in case, it left the exit wide open. She took it and sprinted for the door, clutching at the two charms that had, for a split second, been revealed to Sailor Moon's astonished eyes.
        There was a moment of clumsy ballet as the three soldiers tried to stop the child, two of them still holding the weight of a good hundred pounds each. Venus succeeded in flinging the corpse she held away, knowing the person wouldn't care how they landed - being dead and all - and dove for the doorway. With the sort of good luck only a blonde could have, her heel hit a pool of congealing fat and did a dynamic, inspired bid for the exit.
       Unfortunately, the rest of her body couldn't keep up, and she went airborne in the opposite direction to slam into her green-clad comrade, both soldiers landing in an undignified heap in front of the slower and now halted Mercury, both swearing harsh enough to peel paint.
       "Mamo-chan, the Ginzuishou….!" Grabbing at his sleeve, she scrabbled maniacally at her own brooch, releasing her transformation in the process. Clicking it open she saw her crystal still nestled inside, glittering merrily from the magic. "Mamo-chan, she had it, she had the holy stone around her neck!"
       "I saw it, Usako," he said slowly, watching the doors slam shut. "But how could she have such a thing?"
       "And us unable to stop her," Jupiter remarked sourly from the floor, eyeing what looked to be a charred eyeball next to her head. "Such a little kid, but she runs fast!"
       Mercury frowned down at her feet as she came up beside Usagi and Tuxedo Kamen, leaving the two soldiers to untangle themselves. Kneeling down, she picked up a crumpled piece of white paper from the floor, unrolling it and smoothing it out onto her palm as Venus said bitterly, "Mars was taken so suddenly from us…does the enemy know so much about us that they can attack so quickly?"
       They could hear the sirens almost outside of the doors now, which left very few options for escape. In unison the remaining three soldiers and their tuxedo-clad ally released their transformations, ducking into a nearby janitor's closet to find shelter. Cramming into the small space was a momentary problem, as it was stuffed full of mops, brooms, buckets, and other cleaning supplies, and relatively undamaged by the fighting. Usagi ended up on Mamoru's back, Ami on Makoto's, and Minako kneeling between them as the front doors were kicked open.
       "Does this mean we'll be coming out of the closet?" Makoto whispered quietly.
       "Ecchi, Mako-chan," Minako muttered.
       Reading by the single dim lightbulb above her head, Ami leaned apparently sharp elbows into the tall brunette's back, frowning as she deciphered the half-worn script. Then she held it out towards Usagi. "Usagi-chan, I found this where Chibi-Usa had been. Someone's address and a phone number…"
       The exchange nearly toppled Makoto and Mamoru, but once Usagi held the card in her hand, a triumphant light sparkled in her eye. "It must be! Her ally in this entire mess; we can confront her, and find out the truth!"
       "And what if Chibi-Usa's just an innocent in everything?" Mamoru asked dryly, wincing as the odango-haired blonde dug a sharp elbow of her own into his neck.
       Pocketing the card, she merely smiled serenely as the door slammed open.

      It was nearly midnight before they were released, given multiple shots and checked over nearly a dozen times beforehand. Tired, pupils dilated from the constant pop of flashbulbs, heads dizzy from a million questions, the group stumbled out of the hospital.
       Fewer had survived the ordeal than they had estimated; only they and about ten others, mostly office workers, had been left alive at the end of the night out of the hundred or so on the first floor during the fighting. The elder Hino had been one of them, his burns treated under sedation as he had demanded violently to know if his daughter was all right, and had nearly started a fight with the nurses. Kotono had been relatively untouched, though she too had been sedated out of mere kindness; she had been utterly frantic and out of her mind.
       So soon after the devastation wrought by the Dark Kingdom, it had been turned into a media frenzy. Usagi's father had been there to take pictures, and he had nearly cried in relief once he saw her, though she couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation as to why she'd been there in the first place. Ami's mother, having been put on duty at this newer hospital, had followed them around almost everywhere, demanding constant temperature readings and blood pressure checks. It was disorienting, having doctors speak to them in English - for it was a hospital that aided Americans almost exclusively, being so close to the tourists and military base - and then Dr. Mizuno repeating the same scenario in Japanese.
       And all of them had been dragged back and forth between news crews and paper reporters, asked the same questions over and over again. Minako had begun to make up fantastic tales of miniature purple men with five arms attacking them in starfish-shaped hot-air balloons before being finally reprieved.
        Usagi had begun to cry from the sheer enormity of it all, unable to tell even her father what was really bothering her.
       Now finally free, they huddled together in front of the hospital as reporters began to leave, taking a few more quick photos and live video feeds of their shell shocked expressions. Once the last one had walked off, Ami said faintly, "I feel sick."
       "Hai, hai," Minako groaned, holding her stomach. "I think it was that thermometer…it still tasted of antiseptic and something worse. How can Americans stand it?"
       "What do we do now?" Makoto asked, watching her friends blur as her eyes began to cross from sheer tiredness. "Mars was stolen, a new enemy just beat us silly, and we still have the mystery of Chibi-Usa to deal with…"
       A faint meow had her pausing. Looking around, they spotted Luna and Artemis at the end of the block atop a parked car, obviously waiting for them. And it was plain they had been waiting a long time, as both felines were quite damp from bathing themselves obsessively, having nothing else to do during their long vigil.
       Once within hearing range, Luna sprang to her paws. "Usagi-chan, what happened, and where is Chibi-Usa?"
       "A new enemy took Rei-chan, and what do you mean 'Where is Chibi-Usa?'?" the odango-haired blonde answered back quickly, reaching out to pick the black cat up.
       "She never came home, apparently," Artemis replied.
       The car was silent as Minako sat on the hood, ignoring the shocked and disapproving stares of her companions. "So now the kid's missing too…it makes her situation even worse, disappearing after the first attack of these new enemies. Maybe Usagi-chan is right."
       "Or maybe, she's running from these people. Perhaps that's why she was so frightened," Ami interjected.
       Usagi stroked her fingers through Luna's fur, shaking her head. "But how can she have that pendant? Luna, I saw the Ginzuishou on her necklace, and a key-"
       Mamoru cut in with a sharp, "It might just be a replica, however."
       "-but it looked exactly like it!" Usagi finished. "And why would she have it, if she threatened me for it? Only my family can use it safely, right, Luna?"
       "Hai…"
       "So what could would it do for her? And it still doesn't answer how she knows who I am, and why she followed us!"
       Makoto decided to ignore courtesy and sat on the trunk of the car, looking slightly woozy as Artemis began to tap his claw on the roof. "What does the enemy look like? Do they employ servants, like the Dark Kingdom did?"
       "Weird doll-like things," Minako said, gesturing at her face in a mimic of wiping it off. "No faces, just black marks on their foreheads. They never spoke a word. And their first leader, the one who took Mars, had a hideous sense of fashion."
       "You would notice that, Mina," Artemis huffed.
       Snorting, the tall brunette kicked her heel into the sidewalk. "It's true. Koan is what she called herself, of the Black Moon, and she looked like a purple ballerina. And she used fire, like Mars does; she called her a 'sister spirit.'"
       Ami nodded, lightly tracing a shape against her forehead. "Sou yo, it did look like an upside down black crescent on their heads. Even that man, Rubeus, had it."
       "A black moon?" Luna said in interest, her ears perking forward. "An unusual mark. Usagi-chan and all of you bear the sigils of your planets on your forehead in times of stress, but I've never heard of any 'Black Moon' in this galaxy."
        Mamoru reached down to stroke his hand down Luna's back, shaking his head. "Maybe they aren't from this galaxy, Luna. They did fly off in what looked to be a very high-quality silver UFO. The Dark Kingdom moved by teleportation, not machinery."
       "It limits our ability to follow them, then." Artemis frowned, glancing up at the sky. "Space travel is not the problem, but tracing mechanical objects instead of magical residue is not in a soldier's given abilities. But why would aliens want to take Sailor Mars?"
       Lying back on the hood, Minako folded her hands behind her head. "Maybe because they realize how important she is to us."
       "Or," Luna said, "they know who you are. How exactly did they attack?"
       Ami, being the clearest thinker and obvious choice for remembering events in detail, began describing the hellish scene down to the charred bodies and rancid stench in a monotone voice. The violent deaths had Luna's ears folding back in disgust; even Beryl's forces at their worst had not produced such personal carnage. Usagi's arms tightened at Ami's dead-on descriptions, her body quaking in her prince's arms; Minako, Makoto, and Artemis looked starkly ill.
       "…and then the man, Rubeus, told us he would see us again, and flew up into the ship. He didn't even seem to care that we had defeated Koan at all, like someone else would just take her place. And taking Mars was a calculated move, not at all spontaneous."
       "Why do you say that, Ami-chan?" Minako asked.
       Hugging her slight body, the blue-haired genius stared out past Artemis's left ear. "Because, though Rei-chan was in pain, the fire contained her; there was no reason she shouldn't have been killed from the heat and intensity almost immediately. There was a reason Koan had attacked to contain her, not kill her."
       Obviously, this had not occurred to any of them, and they looked uncertainly at one another. "Maybe they were from the Silver Millennium as well?" Makoto finally ventured to say, toying with a loose strand of her hair.
       Artemis shook his head, beginning to pace in a circle atop the car. "Even so, how could they possess such powers? A pact with another demon?"
        "As if there's a shortage of demons to make deals with," Minako noted flatly.
       Mamoru rubbed his hands along Usagi's arms, making her skin tingle with the sensation. As his mind wandered, he recalled the strange apparition of a crystal city, though now the scene changed to one of broken, jagged spires and black scorch marks; another image that his mind had obviously picked up from the scared child, but had forgotten.
       His hands slid down below the level of his princess's sleeve, touching her bare skin. At the connection flared a sudden heat, much like they had experienced inside of the ruined conference room; Usagi opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Between them passed a flood of images, all from Chibi-Usa's mind, all disorienting and dreamlike, of crystal and bare fields and clean concrete.
       Everything happened so fast that it took the span of seconds. It left Usagi feeling dizzy, though her sudden sag against Mamoru was noticed by no one but the black feline in her arms, the hair on her back standing straight at attention. "Usagi-chan, what's wrong? Is something happening to you?"
       The others, having fallen into a conversation about the likelihood of Dark Kingdom denizens still straggling around, stopped talking immediately to stare at the odango-haired blonde. Minako and Makoto visibly tensed, the blonde looking around for signs of attack; the normal buzz of traffic passed them by, completely ignoring their unusual behavior.
       "I…I saw a city of crystal, like something you dream…." Looking up at her prince for assurance, she saw his slow nod in agreement. "But it was destroyed…"
       "A submerged memory from our past?" Ami frowned, touching the tip of her fingernail to her lower lip.
       Minako coughed softly, to call attention. "There were no crystals of city in the Silver Millennium. The Kingdom on the moon was made partially of it, along with other materials, and a colony of Jupiter was carved entirely of wood and adorned with gemstones, but no entirely crystal cities were ever constructed. It took so much magic and crystals to relay it all to create our kingdoms that to waste so much of that precious resource would have been useless."
       "Hai, I remember…the crystals were used to focus magic. An entire city would have been one massive antennae," Makoto recalled slowly.
       "Then what did I see?" Usagi whispered.
       The dark-haired prince stared at the passing headlights of a motorcycle. Driving it was that same sandy-blonde from a few weeks ago, who caught his eye and indeed nearly caused a wreck as he twisted his head around. Frowning, Mamoru said, "It wasn't your memory, Usako. It was hers. Chibi-Usa's."
       "If it was hers…" Artemis began to say, though he paused as Usagi held the scrap of white card out towards the gathered group.
       "If it was hers," she said slowly and deliberately, crystal blue eyes narrowed in a display of leadership and 'Don't fuck with me' attitude that had them all backing up, "then we'll find out her secrets. Ne?"

      The Delta recovered from Tokyo Bay was a mass of lights during the night. A section that had been reclaimed first, before the major project of the Delta itself, was a residential district crammed full of insanely expensive condominium complexes. Many lights were turned off, their rich residents off to sample the Tokyo nightlife, but a doorman was present at every single building to let them in.
       Inside the Shugoshin building, the shortest tower in the entire section, was an amazing lack of wealth. Though it cost a small fortune to buy one of the condos, the foyer itself was understated and simple, all shiny tile floors and plain wood walls. Nothing that spoke of the elegance and wealth of its tenants, save for some ornate scrollwork on the various doors, and the list of condos for sale near the mailboxes. Makoto uttered a strangled sound as she read some of the prices.
       The condo was on the eight floor, the very top of the building, so they filed into an elevator that would have comfortably taken a grand piano with room to spare, shocked to find themselves reflected into infinity by mirrored walls. Even the door was paneled with mirrors, and as it closed on them, Usagi gulped. "For the record, I was not in agreement with this," Luna muttered.
       "You have no sense of adventure, Luna!" Minako said. "To find out the secret of our enemies, infiltration is a must. Undercover espionage, that's the way to go!"
       Ami raised an eyebrow, looking towards the laughing long-haired blonde. "And what will we do, disguise ourselves as fancy potted plants and sneak in the door?"
        "Not a bad idea, Ami-chan…"
       Thankfully the ride up was fast, if almost completely quiet. And once the doors opened they saw another long hallway of plain wood and brass, with flat nubbly carpet. The condo was the very last door, marked by a pair of large potted trees on both sides and a brass nameplate that had the resident's name written in katakana and English, and the number. "Number 824, this is it." Minako tapped a finger against the brass to emphasis the point.
       "It must take a lot of water and care for these plants," Mamoru said as he touched one of the plants gently. "This sort of tree only grows well in swampy land, and takes almost constant water to survive." Looking up he could see the English ivy that also twined around the door, lightly attached to the wall by small green hooks and potted in a small clay jar behind one of the trees.
       Makoto gasped in appreciation, tracing her finger along the path of the ivy. "Sugoi….just like the entrance to a garden path! Whoever lives here must be very rich to simply allow plants to grow wild like this in the hallway."
       Artemis sniffed at the welcome mat as Ami leaned past Minako to read the nameplate. "'Lee-baa-ou, Aa-le-ku-su.' It sounds French."
       "I recognize it; I took a French Basics class in junior high," Mamoru said as he straightened up. "LeBeau means 'The Handsome' in French."
       "But mama said it was a woman." Usagi pouted angrily, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "Women aren't handsome."
       Luna rolled her eyes as Ami, at the collected nodding, pushed the doorbell. "Usagi-chan, you don't chose what surname you're born with."
       Everyone hushed up then as the bell rang dimly throughout the condo; they could hear it as a soft echo of noise, a long set of ringing notes like the bars to a song. When it ended and no one came, Minako reached across to push it again.
       Still nothing.
       The look they all exchanged was a mix of irritation, exhaustion, and growing stubbornness. Minako jabbed the button yet once more, growling as the third ring came, went, and was followed by still more silence. "How dare this person not be home!"
       "Maybe we should try tomorrow, minna; we all need sleep and food as it is." Mamoru's suggestion was met with a quartet of stares so violent he backed up a step. "Or not."
       "It might be wise to hang around then; I smell Chibi-Usa," Luna murmured softly, nose to the welcome mat. "And she's been here recently, in the last half hour if a minute more."
       Usagi did a strange flailing dance then, punctuated with sharp jabs and stomping that only a dervish or a drunken college student would dare attempt. When she finally gathered the air to breathe, she whined, "See, see!? I told you she had an ally!"
       "Hai, hai."
        Minako stared at the door, finger still hovering by the button. Then she rather assertively grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, pushing it open as if it were her own home when the lock failed to stop her. "Well then, let's go in and find her!"
       Before she could take a step in, however, Mamoru, Makoto, and Artemis nearly tackled her down across the threshold, the sound of impact guaranteed to bring any occupant running. "Have you lost your mind, Mina?!" Artemis screeched, smacking at her with his paws. "You're breaking and entering someone's home! This is not something normal people do out of uniform!"
       "So I'll transform into Venus and storm in, what, it's not as if I haven't done it before!" she argued back, pinned down by two strong pairs of hands.
       "That isn't the point, Minako-chan!" the tall brunette snapped.
       "You can't just waltz into people's homes, you're not the police!" Mamoru added.
       Before Minako could formulate another argument, something heavy sprang off the back of her head, smacking her face into the carpet. It hurt a lot, and as she screamed into the weaving, the others stared blankly as Luna landed in the middle of the foyer. Settling onto her haunches, she jerked her head upwards. "Let go of Minako and come inside, minna. This is something that requires rule-breaking."
       "How do you figure that?" the white feline snorted.
       "Because Chibi-Usa is here, or was. And if she still is, how do we know someone trying to gain her trust hasn't taken her advantage of? Her possible status as our enemy does not overlook the fact that she is a young child, alone in a large city that has a growing crime rate. As soldiers of justice, you can't just leave without making sure she's safe!"
       Usagi stepped precariously over Minako's prone form as the tall brunette and dark-haired prince stayed in place, still staring rather dumbfoundedly at Luna. Ami shook her head, taking a step back away from the door. "It's still wrong, Luna. We're not lawbreakers-"
       "Yet you've destroyed countless thousands, if not millions, of yen worth of buildings and other real estate in the chase to stop Beryl. If the police ever caught any of you, do you think your arguments of, "Well, we were saving the world" would save you from a jail sentence?"
       Tight-lipped, Ami stomped into the doorway with a fierce anger none of them had seen on the blue-haired genius before. Refusing to look at any of them she instead stared into the darkened kitchen just off to the right as Mamoru and Makoto hauled the long-haired blonde to her feet, still whining pitifully at being used as a springboard.
       In front of them was a short hallway with three doorways, one being the kitchen Ami stared stoically into, and a very roomy one with a large American stove and dishwasher and fridge, pots and pans and larger utensils hanging on one bare wall. Only the table itself was small, with two barstools and a black tablecloth. Racks were stuffed full of bottles, cupboards took up much of the available wall space, and the cutting board was a large island that separated the kitchen from the living room.
       The other door across from it was a walk-in closet with just a leather trenchcoat, leather biker jacket, and a vinyl raincoat, all black. A leather fedora of the same lack of colour hung neatly on the back of the door.
       Creeping down the hall they found themselves in a living room large enough to fit the first floor of Usagi's house. They walked down the middle of it, slightly elevated; two steps down on both sides led into the room itself, carpeted in rich wine colour and black walls. A TV screen filled one wall, along with bookcases full of tapes, a circle of couches and armchairs set just right for comfortable viewing in front of it. A coffee table long enough to lie on still had the remnants of a snack attack; a bowl of popcorn kernels, a soda can and a partial glass of milk, and a smaller plate with the crumbs of a biscuit or sweet had not been cleared away.
       On the other side was an elaborate and immensely expensive stereo system, with wires running to speakers next to the TV, and wires from the TV itself running into the system. Larger towers were placed throughout the room for complete sound, and CDs filled up a bookcase next to the console itself. And though there were lights on the ceiling and a few lamps here and there, nothing but candles placed on small shelves on the walls lit up these details.
       "It's such a…moody place," Makoto whispered.
       "Like a horror movie, you know? When the innocent people wander into a gloomy house, and the creatures eat them?" Minako giggled, making an ugly face.
       They split up, wandering through the large room to find another door; obviously there had to be a bedroom of some type. Minako and Usagi did their duty and investigated the music racks, pulling out cases at random as Luna, too busy sniffing out Chibi-Usa's scent along with Artemis, was not paying attention and telling them to quit. "Wow, Dir en Gray's 'Gauze'!" Minako burbled.
       "And Penicillin's 'Vibe'!" Usagi added, holding the double disc set gently.
       "And some American band I can't read the name of!"
       "And someone else too!"
       "And 'Labyrinth'…hey, Usagi-chan, look at this, can you believe it? Isn't that just weird?" Minako held out the familiar CD as she read a few more off, missing the slowly growing expression on her friend's face. "The Styx, I think this says, and Chris Zander, I've heard of him, and Big…ii-le-ku-tu-ri-ku…Cat…."
        A swap of paw smacked the case out of Minako's hand as Luna gnashed her teeth. "What are you two doing!? We're looking for a door, not party music!"
        "Mou, we were just looking, Luna!" the long-haired blonde muttered, rubbing her hand.
       "Well stop it! Mamoru-san has found a set of stairs behind the wall over there to a second floor."
       "Yare, yare," Minako sighed, pulling a silent Usagi along with her as she tromped dutifully behind the black feline. And indeed if Luna had never pointed it out to her, she never would have seen the stairs; the wall hid them so cleverly it looked to be solid. But there they were behind it, wrought in intricate black iron.
       At the top stood the other four, waiting as Luna jogged up, Minako still pulling at an unresponsive Usagi. They came up to find a wall just across from them, a hallway running parallel with the stairwell. Four more doors, and a mirror at the very end, and all of them in acts of opening.
       Here the carpet was a darker rust colour, the walls the same wine colour as the carpeting on the first floor. The first door was open enough to show the sparse bedroom inside of it, walls bare and the bed so tightly made and plain it was obviously for guests. Luna crept inside to check it out as the group moved down the hall to peek into the second room.
       A den, and it contained a large corner desk that spanned almost two full walls with a sleek black computer. Another TV, considerably smaller than the one downstairs, and a stereo system, also smaller, took up another wall. Two printers sat on the desk, along with a fax machine, a scanner/copier, and a second hard drive. "Whoever it is, they must be doing some serious stuff to need so much hardware," Mamoru commented softly.
       The next door was the main bedroom, and it was almost opulent compared to the guestroom. A large four-poster was crammed into a corner, hung with black velvet drapes to close off the sleeper from the world. Bookcases filled another wall, and posters of paintings were neatly pinned to the other bare walls. A glass sliding door led out onto a large porch, and a dresser sat next to the main door full of the clothes that couldn't be hung in the walk-in closet. One more door revealed a full connecting bathroom.
       But the last door was locked.
       This was unusual, seeing as it had been opened only minutes ago.
       Minako, being the only one brave (or depending on the popular view of her allies, stupid) enough to try the knob, frowned. "Well that's just weird."
       "This whole place is weird." Makoto rubbed at her arms, pointedly not looking into the hall mirror. "Haven't you noticed? There's no windows at all, except for the porch doors. Everyone's so dark and gloomy and closed in, like a tomb."
       "Maybe some people like their privacy," the owner said dryly behind them.
       All of them froze.
       Minako hastily snatched her hand away from the doorknob.
       "We're going to jail," Ami whimpered matter-of-factly.
       So there they stood, four girls and two guys (one a cat), staring dumbly at the shadowed woman next to the stairs. Her arm reached out to push something, and lights flooded on above their heads, momentarily blinding them all despite the soft wattage. Luna made a rather ugly noise of pain from the guestroom, half out of the door and caught by the surge of illumination.
       Usagi was, in true fashion, the first to respond by fainting to the surprisingly comfortable carpeting.
       But Minako's fainting trick was completely unexpected.

      "Beautiful."
       The image was indeed that.
       Suspended in the air, it was the only source of pure light in the entire room. A lovely woman dressed in a flowing white gown, she knelt in strange pose of the kind one painted, her slender hand raised to her chin. Pearls draped down her torso, heavy around her neck, a lone strand curled around her other outstretched arm to dangle against her bare foot. Roses had been tucked into the folds of her dress, between her fingers, and a lovely golden crown shone on her forehead.
       A figure of innocence, she was untouchable.
       Demand, his eyes feasting on the illusion, was working to overcome that.
       The remote in his hand turned the picture off, returning the room to its semi-twilight state. With a thoughtful expression he set the remote atop a nearby pillar, its top flat and wide for use, and left his surroundings with a gentle rush of magic.
       Though the teleport could not be called gentle itself, as his power never came with an instruction manual; he worked on blind instinct. Air was ripped apart coming and going, and he found himself seemingly floating in a dark expanse of space. There was floor beneath his feet, hard and reassuring, but the sheer enormity of the lack of light made it hard for his senses to accept that he was indeed standing.
       It could not be said for the other person, the sole occupant in the room up until now. Floating on her back, her hair loose and eyes closed, Sailor Mars drifted through the air like mad Ophelia down the stream, heading for her doom. Her eyelids fluttered as her eyeballs twitched, her entire aura trying to fight off the magic that kept her in this state, but it was no use.
       Helpless, her face was soft in an expression Demand had never seen on her. Her entire form was that of a teenager, still rounded and gentle from childhood, but sharpening slowly from impending maturity. Already he saw in her the figure she would have in a few years, and he marveled at how little she changed.
       The last time he had seen the soldier of fire was during a royal speech. Gathered with his allies in the streets, they had listened with growing hatred at the useless talk and assurances of peace and prosperity, long-life and hope. Mars had been on the balcony along with her fellow soldiers, protecting their queen and princess, and watching the crowd for signs of anger. Already had word leaked out of traitors to the kingdom, but Demand had been too smart to be caught; and not a week later had they gone to Nemesis to plot and scheme.
        Mars was indeed a lovely girl, and she would become a beautiful woman, but she was not the focus of his eye. She was not queen material; that honour belonged to the lady who was captured in hologram for him to desire.
       Beside him the air was distorted and disturbed as a cloaked figure appeared, completely ignoring the floor and instead hovering next to the prince. "Wiseman."
       "Demand, this one has value to us; her body is a perfect vessel for the influence of our Jakokusuishou," a raspy voice whispered from the depths of the hood, curiously fluid hands slowly smoothing over the crystal ball between them. "A sailor soldier's powers, used against her allies of light, she could infiltrate and subdue."
       The prince gave no more attention to the robed creature than one would a servant, something utterly laughable considering that it had been the Wiseman himself who had come to them, showing them the way to Nemesis and the black crystal. He had given them the means to fight their war, and yet, he showed no ill towards the arrogant man who treated him as an inferior being.
       Weak light streamed in suddenly from behind them as a door opened. Saphir, deriding the use of magic for such simple things as moving from room to room, tended to walk everywhere and to use doors for their purpose. It annoyed Demand to no end and it showed as he stared at his younger brother, who walked in purposefully after closing the door behind him. "Saphir, if this is not important in some manner, I will gladly remove your feet."
        "All the better to force me to waste magic, I suppose," Saphir replied calmly. He extended what looked to be a small sheet of plastic the size of notebook paper, pressing his thumb into the corner. A small hologram appeared in the air above it, showing an immense monolith of jagged dark crystal, a blinding stream of white light shooting forth from it into the sky. "The reactor is working, nii-san, and we've created the perfect soldier droid. Just the smallest bit of energy from the black crystal was enough."
       "Excellent." Demand took the plastic sheet without asking, watching as some equations and ratios scrolled up through the air. "They'll be useful on the next mission; the soldiers, even in their younger forms, are powerful."
       Saphir held out his hand with a frown, obviously wanting the sheet back; when he didn't receive it, he dropped the hand back at his side. "And what is the purpose of going about this so violently, nii-san? Capturing Sailor Mars only heightens their aggression against us, and we lost Koan."
       "Her plan of subterfuge didn't work," Demand replied carelessly, flicking the hologram off and tossing it back to his brother, who almost didn't catch it. "Obviously, she was weak and unprepared."
       "But was it necessary?"
       The sudden motion of Demand's hand was almost too fast to see, but it was felt; Saphir rocked back a few steps, an angry red mark colouring his cheek from the slap. He bit the inside of his cheek and tasted blood, a rather bitter tang. "Stop questioning me, Saphir, even if you are my only brother. I'll still destroy you and get what I want."
       Laughter; at the door stood Rubeus, haloed by the faint light. He seemed to take a vicious pleasure in watching his prince's cruelty at work, even more when it was against his own brother. For whatever reason, his dislike of Saphir was obvious. "Yare yare, Saphir, needlessly questioning our prince again? All of us swore loyalty to his grand plan, even you, blood of his blood."
       Saphir merely licked at the inside of his cheek and said nothing.
       "And now, my prince, we have the first piece," Rubeus added as he gestured grandly towards the floating soldier as she passed him by. "We're well on the way to recovering a second. It's called a 'gambit' in chess, sacrificing your own pieces for the main prize."
       "Indeed, it will be the only piece we will sacrifice!" another voice crooned from behind Rubeus, and he stepped aside to reveal another of the sisters. Braided white blonde hair was pulled back from a pretty face, clear of any adornment save for her black sigil and a similar braid across her forehead. Clothed in an outfit that consisted mainly of an ice-blue swimsuit and solid choker, her forearms wrapped in strips of the same coloured cloth, she didn't look half as ridiculous as her sister. But the ice-blue high heeled boots, flared at the top and over the knee, made her ultimately resemble a sort of colour blind dominatrix without the whip. "My sister's death will be avenged, and another piece captured."
       "And you can do this for us, Berthier?" Demand was adept at making his questions more like demands than actual choice.
       She laughed prettily, tossing her head. "The soldier of water is clumsy in her era, and untrained. Easy prey for the third of the four sisters, and a simple piece to capture!"

       The first thing that came to mind when she awoke was, "Gee, my head hurts."
       Then, "Gee, I'm hungry."
       After that was a lull in which she finally opened her eyes to find herself staring at a corpse who asked, "Are you alright, tsukimidango?"
       The resulting scream jolted everyone out of their seat and onto their feet as Usagi flailed madly, tossing herself off of the couch and onto the nice soft carpet. But even fully awake the vision refused to go away, and now, the corpse was leaning towards her with a worried expression on its solid face. "Usagi?"
       Someone else grabbed her from beyond and she screamed again, putting all of her vocal weight behind it before she realized it was Mamoru. "Sshh, it's alright, Usako, shhhh…."
       "But I see…don't you…Mamo-chan, don't you see her?!"
       "Usako, you're not dreaming," he said gently.
       "I am," she half-sobbed, "I'm dreaming because Moriya-chan is dead, Mamo-chan, you never knew but she died and it was all my fault…"
       Around her on the plush couches sat her fellow soldiers, looking at her in intense worry. None of them seemed the slightest bit concerned at the fact that the walking dead was in the room with them, and apparently, now holding out a cup of water for Mamoru to take. Most likely poisoned, but he tipped it towards Usagi's lips before she could warn him, urging her to take a sip. Obviously, he was out of his mind.
       The corpse settled down onto the couch Usagi had vacated, neither melting nor rotting on the soft upholstery, and sighed. "I had a feeling this would happen. Maybe I should make myself scarce for a few minutes while Usagi-chan puts herself together."
       "She'll be fine, LeBeau-san," Makoto assured her, though now the odango-haired blonde finally noticed the unease with which everyone else viewed the woman. She wasn't the only one seeing the living dead, then, nor was she the only one who looked so sick; Minako was completely white, huddling in an armchair as if she were freezing.
       Once she was gone, Usagi exhaled a sharp breath she hadn't realized she had held in, and spat out the water, knocking the cup out of her prince's hand. Getting up with a bounce, she hopped back and forth as she stared at her allies. "Well? Let's get out of here! Something's wrong with this place! Obviously the enemy attacked us…"
       "Iie, Usagi-chan," Luna finally murmured. "No one attacked us. There's no enemy here. Mamoru-san, will you help her onto the couch?"
       "Na-ani? Are you all under the enemy's influence?" Usagi jumped back from Mamoru's hands, poised on the step into the hallway. "I see dead people! That's an enemy's plan of attack for sure, making us see hallucinations!"
       Ami said, "You mean you saw Moriya-chan."
       Usagi nodded her head vigorously, clutching her brooch. "You saw it, Ami-chan! That proves it! We have to transform and destroy the evil here-"
       "Usagi-chan, it wasn't a hallucination!" Minako finally said, harshly, despite the sound of phlegm and strain in her voice. "Don't you think we would have attacked by now, if it was? Come back and sit down, please."
       They were all mad. Eyeing them all suspiciously, she began to creep backwards into the hallway. She was positive she could cleanse them of the enemy's power, but it would take Sailor Moon to do it; and as she stumbled backwards, she began to whisper the words. "Moon Crystal-"
       "Usagi-chan, do you remember the snow globe?"
       The words died a painful death on her tongue as she felt the presence of her hallucination right behind her. Turning around slowly, she saw a glint of light out of the corner of her eye, and as she fully faced the woman, she found herself staring at the snow globe she herself had left at Moriya's crypt. Small bits of dirt still coloured the white plastic base, a tiny irrational fact her mind noted because it was indeed rational; if her brain had created it as a figment of her imagination, she never would have added the proof of it being left at a gravesite. It was real.
       It just didn't make it any easier to accept.
       The hands that held it were slender and womanly, a healthy pink instead of a dead, rotting green as benefited a corpse weeks dead. Through the curve of glass Usagi could see her face and the woman's superimposed, the ghostly specter of a friend who should have lived to become this adult. They were Moriya's intelligent, lapis blue eyes, and her thick copper hair, even the tiny little mole next to her left earlobe.
       But was a body Moriya did not have the last time the odango-haired blonde had held her, still short enough to not have to duck beneath doorways and slim-hipped and small-chested. This body was obviously woman, though her face had that shape and contour that suggested near androgyny in her men's white shirt and loose black jeans. "You said you would give this to me someday, as a birthday present. Remember?"
       "…..I promised Moriya-chan….on her birthday…."
       "Even though you knew I never knew my birthday, and we always picked a new day each year."
        Usagi made a strangled, piteous noise. She remembered all too well how Moriya had casually mentioned to her, in their first weeks of friendship, that she didn't recall her birth date, and no records on her existed except for a picture found in her father's wallet that had her name written on the back. In a fit of inspiration, Usagi had chosen that day to celebrate it; and the next year, she chose another day at random. And so on, until it became a ritual that both girls looked forward to, despite the looming reminders of why they chose to do so.
       No one except Naru, Sakakku-san, and Usagi's family knew of it, and even if Mamoru had known….
       She took the offered globe slowly, staring inside at the castle, then, at the woman. "I left this…"
       "…at Chouno Moriyakumi's grave. Yes."
       "But then how….Moriya-chan is dead…."
       Touching Usagi's face, the woman smiled sadly. "Moriya did die, Usagi-chan. But she's inside of me now."
       "Masaka…" Trembling hands lifted the globe up as if to hurl it to the ground, dash it into hundreds of pieces, but halted in mid-air. She could hear the slosh of the water and it reminded her, strangely, of another secret they had shared, when one of their classmates had died overnight in a car accident.
       "Moriya-chan, do you think dying hurts?"
       "Of course it hurts! But I'll never find out. Dying just won't be for me! You'll see, Usagi-chan; I'll prove it to you someday."
       "You can't just decide not to die, Moriya-chan!"
       "Watch me! I've got too much to do to let a little thing like that slow me down."
       It had been funny then. Now, looking up at someone whom she had held, cold and rigid in the beginning of rigor mortis, she was as empty of humour as she had ever felt in her life. "I guess you did prove it to me; you really didn't die."
       Shaking her head, the woman smiled strangely. "Iie. Despite the bravado, Chouno Moriyakumi is well and dead. But what made her that person, everything that went into her, was what I once was. What I am now. Before Moriya, there was me."
       "I don't understand," Usagi whispered.
       "You can't, my princess." Reaching out, the woman touched a fingertip to the rounded curve of the globe. "But I can tell you that Moriya was proud of you, in those last seconds. When she knew you were Sailor Moon. And that should be enough."

       "Now, shall we?" the redhead asked, gesturing.
       Usagi let her lead them back into the living room, where everyone stared at them expectantly. Clutching the globe, refusing to meet any of their eyes, the odango-haired blonde curled into the corner of the couch, where Mamoru moved to stand next to her. Minako took the spot next to her, giving her a ghostly, reassuring smile.
        Now she was noting the move of the coffee table, leaving the center of the room effectively empty, and it was here that the woman finally stood, folding her arms as she sighed. Eyeing the assemblage, she gave the distinct air of one who gave orders and expected them to be carried out; each soldier supressed the urge to squirm. "Well. As I was waiting until our princess over there woke up, none of you - save for Minako and Artemis - remember who I am. What I do. And I can tell already seeing me is a shock."
       "But Moriya-chan, how did you-" Ami began to ask, before she was cut off with a swipe of the woman's hand.
       "Not Moriya. Alex. You'll have to remember this; Chouno Moriyakumi is dead, ash in her family's crypt, created for the specific purpose of protecting the princess. None of it was real, merely construct.
       "I know it sounds harsh," she added as they all began to show signs of shock and disgust, "but it was a necessary deception. The protection of Serenity was essential to stop Metallia in whatever age she awoke; and though there was one false step, we knew the evil was freeing herself in the latter half of the 20th century."
       A remote control was picked up and aimed at the TV. Though it was impossible, the picture they saw once she turned it on was of the Moon Kingdom, whole and unbroken and somehow slightly different. "This was the Moon Kingdom as I first saw it, fifty years before the birth of the royal heir, Princess Serenity. I was saved from death, after doing something quite stupid in my twenty-first year, and taken into the past by the decree of her highness, Queen Serenity, to fulfill destiny.
       "Not that I had asked, mind you, I didn't have a choice. Something about my family and unavoidable options, and a whole lot of other stupid excuses, but that's not the point right now."
       Shrugging, she handed the remote to Minako. "Because of their long life span, the queen has a long pregnancy; when I arrived, she had just become pregnant, and her husband, the king, had been killed. None of you soldiers were alive yet, though you would be alive and already brought to the Moon to witness her birth as children. It was always that way, to impress upon the soldiers their royal highness's face and power early on, to bind them tight by love and affection.
       "I was brought into the past to become a guardian, not just of the princess, but of the entire kingdom. Of the crystal tied to it. Though I was officially called the "Crystal Guardian," I also trained the army, the select knights who would become personal troops and bodyguards, and of course, all of you. That was my duty."
       "So you were responsible for the defense of the Moon?" Ami queried.
       Alex nodded, beginning a tight, circular pace around the middle of the room. "Yes. And as you can all remember, they were still horribly outclassed, though it wasn't for lack of training, but simple drive. No matter how well I trained them all, they simply couldn't match a larger army driven to near-inhuman capacity by a lust for power. And even after all I taught them, and warned them, they were still incredibly loathe to kill anyone; it was up to the four sailor soldiers to land the first mortal blows, once we were forced to send you out as shocktroops. We ordered you from your princess's side, and it was a stupid, stupid error."
       "Hai," Minako said dully. "You told us to push back the earthen army, while you went to find the queen and the princess, who had vanished; instead of us finding Serenity, and protecting her, she ran into Endymion's arms, and they ran into Beryl."
       "Correct. But then, it should have worked, had the earthen army not been so determined and manic. Neither I or Serenity realized until it was too late what controlled them, and then, she had seen her daughter die….and she chose to sacrifice herself for the good of the kingdom."
       Makoto jumped to her feet, crying, "How can you say that? She killed our worlds, our people! In being selfish she condemned millions to death by holding our spirits…."
       "If your only daughter had just died, and you knew no real suffering, no real pain, how would you react?" Alex shot back, narrowing her eyes. "Serenity was in agony, Jupiter; she did what she felt had been right, and anything she's said to convince herself of her righteousness is out of suffering. She's become a memory in a computer, nothing real, and all she has left is her dreams, and for you to judge her is far more evil than anything Metallia did to her!"
       The tall brunette flinched, turning her head away. Considerably cowed, she huddled back into her seat, even as Alex added, "But I know what she did was wrong, immensely wrong. And she knows as well, but admitting it would have been just as horrible for her. She was supposed to be a goddess of peace and goodwill, and she killed thousands without a second thought.
       "And that was how she always saw herself; as a goddess presiding over Earth, not a queen. The Earth, once everything began anew, remembered the Silver Millennium through legends, because many of them believed in her as a deity too."
       "Is that why we were called Jupiter, and Mercury, and Mars, and Venus, even a millennium ago?" the blue-haired genius asked curiously, hands clasped in her lap.
       "Yes; only the Romans were egotistical enough to use the true names in their mythology, though the Greeks, knowing inherently that Serenity was good, called her their moon goddess and intertwined her story with her daughter's. The Romans were into more violent forms of worship, and so they hid her name, though ironically using the name of a court diplomat who happens to be sitting in this very room. They did, however, skew a lot of details, being of a liberal mind.
       "Venus, for instance, was a planet of intense heat, surrounded by its floating colonies. The 'love goddess' aspect was actually a very mild version of the kingdom's love for debauchery and violent games. Their princess was quite the flirt and sexual deviant, though she was still tamer than her kingdom's population, and her fighting prowess is what elevated her to the status of leader of the princess's royal guard. The Greeks named her Aphrodite, though they created a whole new god to take over the debauchery and violence in the masculine form of Dionysus."
       Minako turned a furious shade of red as every pair of eyes in the room settled on her. "A-ano…I don't…."
       "Minako-chan, is there something you're not telling us?" Makoto snickered.
       "Some of her conquests were quite amazing, I must say," Alex said blithely. "Though she was quite intent on finding a true love, she still found time to dally in several lesser prince's bedchambers, and even a few servant's quarters."
       Now a colour somewhere between tomato and fire, Minako hid her face behind her arms, muttering, as Artemis and Makoto began snickering. Ami, too good natured to laugh, and actually finding it a bit horrid, simple stared; Mamoru, too much the gentleman, continued to gently stroke Usagi's hair, trying to comfort her. She was still somewhat rigid in her seat, though she was slowly relaxing at his touch.
       Pointing a finger at the next victim, Alex said, "Mercury was also a hot planet, with one giant floating colony orbiting it. The epicenter of the Silver Millennium's sciences, they also produced magicians and doctors who taught many of Earth's 'primitive' people how to heal. But they were also cold and almost unpassionate to a fault, caring more for their discoveries than people. The Greeks remembered the gift of medicine, their need for speed, and their inquisitive nature in Hermes. The Romans at first were bold enough to use the true name of 'Mercury,' but for a god of trade and merchants. After a while they finally owned up and gave their god the same attributes as Hermes. Both cultures ignored, or forgot, the lack of passion that separated the kingdom from everyone else."
       Ami's expression altered visibly to one of sudden fear. "I…I remember that way. Nothing mattered except discovery, though I felt more sadness and pity than my kingdom, because I was away for so long."
       "Yes…because you soldiers were taken at a young age, the characteristics were there, and in the most part, you followed instinct. But the effect was less, as in Venus's case where she was driven more by a want for love than simple sex, and where you, Mercury, had compassion for people, though you often hid it beneath your cold veneer to not seem weak.
       "Jupiter, on the other hand, was a passionate, caring planet, their floating colonies floating paradises of heat and humidity, flora and fauna. Though they were all easily driven to anger, most of the time they were gentle, caring only for their plants. Their princess was an avid gardener on the Moon, though she was also more easily prone to wild, stormy behavior than her kingdom's people. But they also considered themselves peacekeepers, and in both Greek and Roman mythology this was construed as a king complex, though the truth was far less selfish.
       "And Mars….well." She cleared her throat and stared neutrally at the carpet, obviously aware of the absence. "They were warlords and furious harpies, and it was a trait the Greeks and Romans both had correct at the end. If there was a galactic battle to be fought, eons ago, it was the Martians who led it, arrogant and prideful. Though they didn't look for fights, they would fight if they had to, and they trained themselves constantly to be superior in skill to the rest of the planetary kingdoms."
       "Always standoffish and brutes to a fault, all right," Makoto muttered.
       Alex nodded in agreement, gesturing with her hand. "The princess was, unfortunately, an immense disappointment to them when she was not chosen as a leader for Serenity's guard; she was also more interested in her music and singing than practicing her fighting skills. Completely ignored by both cultures, the poor girl. No one cared about some silly chit who sang songs instead of shedding blood."
       "Rei-chan," Usagi whispered softly.
       Just like that, the floor was given to the odango-haired blonde. Twisting uncomfortably under the sudden weight, crystal blue eyes glimmered in the light as she lifted them to her gathered allies. "Mars was so gentle and kind, and now, Rei-chan is gone, taken by the enemy…."
       "By the 'Black Moon,'" Makoto said flatly. "Mocking our princess, and our past, and we were unable to save our ally."
       The redhead nodded, frowning at the now blank TV, as if she could see something within its off black depth. "I sensed something a few days ago. After the horror of the Dark Kingdom, I hoped I could remain hidden, watching you all enjoy your lives, but life isn't fair. If you hadn't come to me, I would have found you all to prepare you."
        "What you do best, ne?" Minako murmured, though it was devoid of humour.
       "Venus….I'm not going to apologize again. What I did wasn't fun, nor a joy; I did not take pleasure in tricking you all. And it was a fluke that you even recalled my true form before I revealed myself. You were supposed to be the first soldier awake, to trick Metallia into believing you as the princess, but you were supposed to believe yourself to be the princess as well. To remember yourself truly as Venus was an accident."
       That had them all pausing, though Minako looked particularly disturbed. "So I was to be ignorant, like my princess?"
       "Would you rather she had immediately known who she was, going off gung ho into battle with her crystal - the very object the Dark Kingdom was after! - held high? As Princess Serenity, she was not a soldier, and for her to be awakened simultaneously as both soldier and royalty, she would have been confused and unsure. Giving her time to adjust as Sailor Moon was a safety measure, smoke and mirrors; you simply cannot expect a fish, suddenly dropped into the middle of a desert, to grow proper lungs and walking legs!"
       The sharp comment produced a very sudden silence. Only Mamoru looked mildly satisfied at the answer, though disturbing it was; with gentle sureness, he stroked the blonde head of his princess. "And so we all knew, deeply, to protect her, even as the obvious answer stood in front of us. I told you, Usako," he said with a soft chuckle. "To become Tuxedo Kamen was all because of you."
       "And now, the secret is out, and we've all been pawns," Ami said sharply. "We know the truth of the princess, and of our past. The problem is now about a new enemy, as Rei-san said. Are you going to finally become involved in our struggle, LeBeau-san, or stand idly by?" The tone of her voice had a shocking core of strength to it, and even the redhead looked mildly surprised by it - though she merely raised an eyebrow.
       "You can be as strong in this lifetime as you were once before, Mercury. I can't remake the past; all I can do is apologize for the emotional whims of a once-great queen, distraught over her child's murder." Where Ami's voice had been angry, strengthened by the emotion, Alex's voice had a tinge of sorrow and weariness during the repetition. "All I can do is offer support for this secondary life you've all discovered, which may turn out to be hollow. Already I can see the rebirth was flawed. Capturing the essence of a sailor soldier as Serenity did, suspending it in spirit form; it took pieces of the people you were a millennium ago."
       Makoto was, surprisingly, the one to say, "And so we're not truly ourselves, but also who we were. Ne, LeBeau-san?" Laughing without humour, eyes the rich colour of oak leaves moved to catch a glance from each of her allies in turn. "I'm Kino Makoto, but I am also the last soldier of Jupiter, who remembers the electrical storms of her planet and the beautiful gardens suspended in orbit in their greenhouses. But it's not just memory, it's like…it's like two people are inside of me now. They're the same, but not."
       "Hai." Minako looked almost drained, revelations exhausting her now as they had during that climactic trip to the Moon. "Aino Minako is childish and bubbly, wanting nothing but to eat and play games. But Venus was a soldier made of sterner things, strong and powerful and the ultimate leader."
       "And brilliant Ami over there is already experiencing the stern anger of Mercury," Alex finalized, staring down the blue-haired genius. "Irrational bouts of temper that were unknown to her until she became Sailor Mercury, am I right?" When Ami pointedly stayed silent - ironically answering the question without having to say a word - the redhead added slyly, "At least you have only two personalities warring within you. Our little tsukimidango has three to deal with, and Mamoru you could technically argue has four: Endymion, Tuxedo Kamen, Chiba Mamoru, and Chiba Mamoru post amnesia."
       Point driven home, the redhead seemed to relinquish the floor, by simply falling silent. Expectant eyes began to roam curiously, not even the felines willing to take charge yet; and it was Ami again who spoke up. "We have no reason to trust you."
       "Not particularly."
       The long-haired blonde opened her mouth, ready to defend the tall American, but she was muted by a gesturing finger. "But you're our best chance to save Rei-san and defeat these new enemies. And for that, we have to do our best."
       Laughing, Alex said, "Iie, Mercury. I'm merely the one to help you unlock the potential. You're all going to be doing most of the work; after all, what's the point of being planetary avatars with all power and no aim?"

       An hour later, the front door to the Mizuno condo clicked open, and the blue-haired genius all but dragged herself across the threshold, ears attuned to the usual silence of the connected rooms.
       Or what should have been silence, as she heard the noise of the fridge door opening. For once, both mother and daughter were home and awake at the same time, though the half-coherent state Ami was in could hardly be classified as the same dimension of conscious. She wanted a shower, then to do something wholly against her nature - crawl into bed and sleep past her alarm, the entire school day, and possibly one more.
       Her mother appeared in the foyer, dressed smartly for work despite the fact she had most likely just come home from there mere hours earlier, and would be covering up the nice dress suit with her white coat or operation blues. "Ami! Where have you been, you left the hospital three hours ago! I was so worried you had passed out somewhere along the way…"
       Not worried enough, obviously, or she would have been out looking. But, Ami amended silently, her mother did try her best, and did care; she just had unusual ways of showing it sometimes. "Daijoubu, mama, I was at a friend's house. We thought it best to rest a few hours before attempting the long rides home."
       "Well…yes, that is a smart plan," her mother agreed. "But you could have called…! But I'm relieved to see you're alright!" Smiling that beautiful smile of hers, she kissed her daughter on the forehead even as she gathered up her heels. "Then, if all is well, I'm back to work. There's a letter for you from your father on the table."
       "Have a good day."
        Completely missing the flatness of her daughter's tone, or ignoring it, Dr. Mizuno exited the condo with her heels still in her hand. Ami sighed. In and out as always, without much else other than a vague statement of worry. Most of the time it seemed as if they were simply roommates sharing an apartment, and not family.
       Time for that later. Passing into the kitchen, she fumbled with the handle of the fridge, finally succeeding in pouring a glass of orange juice and gulping it down. It didn't do a damn thing for her weary body, nor the growing headache between her eyes, but she needed the vitamins, and that scientific, medical part of her mentality had not yet shut down. Glass still in hand, her head swiveled limply around towards the table to see the letter her mother had mentioned, not entirely unexpected.
       It took her a good minute and a half to realize it wasn't the usual postcard, nor flat transport envelope containing a new sketch. Merely a normal white envelope of the standard size, with a stamp, and her name formally written across the front in concise English script. Her father's handwriting, of course.
       She uttered something monosyllabic that, had she been awake, she would have been horrified to have in her vocabulary - if you could identify it as a genuine word. The glass was set in the sink finally, rinsed out, before she lifted the envelope to peer at the swimming, dancing letters. So light, it couldn't be a very meaningful letter at all, and her curiousity overran her poignant need for sleep and she ripped it rather rudely open.
       Inside was an invitation to an art gallery.
       Apparently, her father was having a show for his recent watercolours in a rare excursion into Tokyo proper, and her presence was formally invited to the expensive event, and would she please come, for him? He had even included a tiny sketch of her profile on the back, despite the elegant gold fleur-de-lis pattern he ruined with the graphite lines.
       Her brain couldn't absorb it right now. She managed to put the invite neatly back into the envelope, carrying it with her as she schlepped through the living room, down the hall, and into her bedroom. Almost painfully bright from the rising sun, her first move was to pull the shades, and the drapes, to turn it into a wonderfully dim twilight. It was the first time she had ever pulled them closed at the beginning of a new day, instead of opening them wide.
       "Kami-sama, please let me sleep for a thousand years," she moaned as she sat on the edge of her bed. Never in her life had she stayed up so often and so late as she had in these recent months fighting their ancient enemy. Always had she at least crawled beneath the covers by two o'clock, early to rise no matter what. Now, with her internal clock violently disrupted, she felt unbelievably horrible, the antithesis of the intelligent, prompt Mizuno Ami who was never tardy nor missed any days.
       The removal of her clothes took a considerable amount of effort. By the time she had fully collapsed beneath her covers, ten minutes had been spent merely trying to pull her shirt over her head. Dog-tired and exhausted, she finally allowed her eyelids to drop shut in utter relief.
       Her body finally gave up and released her into the unconscious, a jarring shift that wasn't quite sleep. Nothing could have made her happier, and she relaxed into sloth with an ease she hadn't known she possessed.
       Just as quickly did she feel the sudden pressure in her head, coinciding with a reverberating cry that shook her skull. In REM, she saw a tunnel with the essential light at the end, a tiny flickering flame; knowing instinctively that she had to merely follow it to find the source of the cry, she ran towards it on empty air. Looking down, she was not surprised to see total darkness beneath her feet, in the spirit of many a dreamer's lonely experience.
       Within the light as it grew larger, she could see what looked to be a Rorschach blot, all skinny tendrils and dumpy sections that made no logical sense until one looked just so…and it was only when the unusual figure called, plaintive, "Ami?" that her eyes crossed and the light engulfed her and she replied, hollowly, "Mars?"
       The soldier of fire stared back at her, her uniform torn and soiled with soot from battle. hair tangled and slightly oily from lack of bathing, her legs lightly pebbled by hair stubble, she looked like a homeless vagabond instead of a proud sailor soldier. Ami flinched unconsciously in vague disgust from the rather strong body odor filling the space between them. "Mars…is this dream a result of my guilt?"
       "This isn't a dream, Ami," the dark-haired shrine girl responded. "As sailor soldiers, all of us are linked; I can see you! Wherever I am…"
       "You mean, like telepathy?" Ami sounded scornful, though she knew the priestess of the Hikawa Jinja was renowned for her psychic abilities. Obviously, this mind-link was just part and parcel of it. "Then, can you tell me where you were taken? To locate the enemy base so soon, we can stop them before it begins-"
       "I don't know where I am." Flat. The red-clad soldier turned away, swiveling in the air like a puppet on strings, confused. "The fire…I was engulfed in pain, and there was laughter. I felt a sudden abnormality, nature cruelly damaged, as if we traveled…somewhere else…."
       Wherever she was, there was apparently no decent hygiene. "Offworld, Mars? It could be possible that our enemies are alien; we saw the UFO."
       The mirrored disgust was plain on Mars' face as she shoved back her hair, grimacing at the film on each strand. "It could be. The pain of the distortion drove me into this world of utter blackness, and I sense something in the physical world keeping me so. I can't force myself to wake; an aura of intense evil power is binding me…." Intense purple eyes focused on Ami again, narrowing. "They know us, Ami. My intuition tells me; my premonition foretold the man."
       "The one who called himself Rubeus? Mars, is that all your premonition told you?" the blue-haired genius demanded, pushing herself forward through the air to try and touch her ally. The wall she encountered repelled her back, like a swimmer through water. "Nani…!?"
       Mars smiled sadly. "Something separates me from the natural world, Ami. Like time, or space….the spiritual cannot overcome it. All we have is this weak link. But it's enough for me to plead with you, Sailor Mercury; protect our princess, in my stead. She'll always be a target, for her love and her power."
        "Mars…you managed to contact me, out of all of us, without knowing where you are…isn't there something you can tell me, a clue?"
       The dark-haired shrine girl stared at her rather curiously. "Ami…I didn't contact you. Suddenly out of the darkness, I felt your presence awaken me…."
       "N…nani….?"
       There was a thunderous boom across the landscape. The blue-haired genius flung up her arms as the wind came between them, battering them both. The unsteady link broken, concentration shattered, she was flung finally feet over head, awakened by the impact of her shoulders against the floor of her bedroom, her legs tangled as surely as any bondage in her sheets. Gasping, feeling even worse than before, she let herself dangle off the side of her bed. "Mars…."

       She drifted off again in this painful position, and she did not dream.

       Checking her lipstick in a compact shaped in the form of a chrysanthemum - both lipstick and compact breezily taken from a designer cosmetics rack not ten minutes ago - she had to laugh. The 21st century was so simplistic and stupid! Barely a prize to be won for their goals, and yet, she had chosen this task.
       Lipstick correctly applied, Berthier pursed her lips coyly as she snapped the compact shut. Though she was not a vain enough woman to wear makeup almost neurotically, she chose to look her best; and by the leering looks of a passing businessman, she had succeeded. Steely, ice blue gaze sufficient enough to kill his lecherous thoughts, she assumed a hip-swiveling stride across the sidewalk.
       Her rather skimpy miniskirt and sleeveless strap top was at complete odds with the interior of the high-class, muted tones of the Myouhou Bijutsu Hakubutsukan, set as it was within the Ginza district. The paintings that hung on the walls were subtle, uninspiring nature pieces, most going for prices that would make a lesser man than a millionaire weep.
       Berthier thought they were stupid.
       "Trash, trash, trash….all green trees and dull birds…" Quite aware of the perplexed stares she was receiving, she walked briskly past the front displays, heading for the door marked "PRIVATE" in the back. Faint music could be heard the closer you came, though by the look on the usher's face, it was doubtful he appreciated it. He looked even more annoyed as Berthier came up to him, obviously intending to enter the room. "Excuse me, young man, but I would like to join the party," she purred.
       He smirked at her, not bothering to touch the door knob. "Gomen nasai. You have to have an invitation to the exclusive art show to enter; it begins in a few hours. Mizuno-san is an expensive painter and not seen by just anyone. I can't allow anyone in until then."
       "Not even his agent? Maa, but he must not have told you!" she replied, showing her teeth in a brilliant smile.
       "I've seen his agent before, a nice young lady-"
       "I'm new, of course!" Her laugh was not completely grating, but it was enough to cause several patrons close by to wince. Smoothing down the hips of her skirt, she stepped right up to him to brush her lips against his. "Now, allow me entrance, so I may talk with my associate!"
       His arms went slack as he began to form his third denial, his eyes locking with hers. Just for a second did the subtle flash of black appear on his forehead, in what looked to be a crescent reversed; and with a jerky motion of his arm, he opened the door. "Enjoy your experience," he dully intoned.
       "Arigatou gozaimasu," she purred, drawing her hand across his cheek as she passed him by. Smiling like a viper entering the nest, she savoured the sound of his screams, a noise only she was privy to as he was locked within his mind, unable to command his body. That would teach him to curb his arrogance with someone obviously superior.
       The few people in the enclosed gallery stared up at her, surprised, having not heard her enter with the music on. Still in the process of finishing the show, a few paintings were leaned against the wall to be finally hung, and a long table laden with food for snacking still had covers and lids and in some cases plastic still covering the delicacies. "A-ano…? Excuse us, young woman, you're not allowed in here yet!" one of the men said finally, reaching out to turn the music off by the small panel in the wall.
        He screamed shrilly as a sudden focused deluge of water hit the wall panel, electrocuting him. Smoke rose from his body as the other men gaped, not a one moving to help him as he fell to the ground.
       Berthier laughed, pulling her hand back. "How rude! The 21st century is a backward, pitiful world indeed!" She calmly selected a cracker from one of the opened packages, motioning with her fingers like a magician to reveal the contents of the covered dishes. The men watched her in dumb animal silence as she dipped the cracker into a paste of smoked salmon, nibbling carefully, as she looked each male over in turn. No Mizuno.
       Then her eye caught one of the paintings yet to be hung, and she flung the food aside to walk quickly over to it, lifting it from the floor. One of the men uttered a strangled yelp as she strode on his hand, holding the painting gently as she hungrily stared at it. "Such a beautiful expanse of water, lovely and blue…."
       "You can't touch that! Put that down, it's worth millions!" the oldest, most likely the director, yelled. Gathering up his courage he dove at the food table, grabbing a carving knife to wield. She watched him with a decided lack of interest as he jabbed it clumsily at her, unsure of how to fend her off; she had, after all, managed to shoot water from her hand. Not a scary power, true, but she looked quite creative.
       He released his bladder as he watched the painting rise from her arms to hover carefully above her hand, rotating slowly like a leaf in the wind. It wouldn't do to get blood on such a beautiful work of art; and so putting it out of harm's way, she then casually drew all of the water out of their bodies, watching them explode with a decided lack of interest. The tiniest iota did appear when she lifted a pointed boot toe out of the growing pool of minced viscera and blood, but it quickly abated.
       Removing the earring from her left ear, she held it out to allow its slow rotation. The black lightning that began to arc and crackle from it was silent, but potent; and within several were bulges that resembled fat ticks on a blade of grass. Each one began to grow, the droids she had carried with her assuming full form just as the last bit of disgusting offal was cleaned up. "Yare yare, to make such a mess…! It just won't do to leave it." Casually jabbing the jewelry back into her earlobe, she said, "Droids, assume their bodies. Program: Mimic."
       The process was frightening as they both shed and gained weight, each one shaping into the form of a murdered man down to birthmarks and pimples. The mimic program was much more complicated, if only because it required the droids - created things - to completely impersonate the person they assumed, down to eating habits and voice inflections. This time it would be easier, having absorbed the fluids and memories of each of the dead.
       "Program: Mimic; initiated. Commands to be downloaded; standby mode." They said it in unison in uninspired, perfectly measured voices that, while not quite human, would pass in any country without a second look. It was a voice meant to be ignored and completely forgotten.
       "Capture the pawn: Mizuno. Checkmate: Mercury." Computer programmers sometimes used the language of games to control their machines, whether to make it difficult for others to assume command, or out of mere love for the terminology. Their use of chess was born more out of Saphir's surprising dislike for the plodding game than any possible parallels to their war.
       She checked the archaic clock on the wall, noting that the painter was due in half an hour. Her smile was triumphant; how she would enjoy seeing the soldier of water's face when they took her out of the game. And it would be so amazingly simple!
       The story of the sailor soldiers was legend. How they had been born in the city of Tokyo, inspired to bravery to defeat their oldest nemesis. They had been ordinary citizens, once upon a time, with their ordinary dreams and plans for the future, and their true names were often the cause for a poor baby girl to be named "Makoto."
       It was a simple task for them to simply research the ordinary identities of the sailor soldiers in this time; Koan had triumphantly noted to her sister, merely hours before her death, that they even had such places to gather this trivial information! Like a spider weaving its web, all they had to do was wait. And as Berthier disliked hospitals with their astringent scent and needy, grabby people, she had chosen the second name on the list.
       Setting her purse on the food table, she clapped her hands. "Droids, you know what to do! This room must be perfect for Mizuno-san when he arrives; those paintings must be hung, the food uncovered! Initiate your program!"
       "Initiated," they droned a second time. The sudden human animation to limbs that had been, a second earlier, that of a robot's quirky, jerking motions, was discomforting. They began to chat with one another like old chums, moving to finish the work their base personalities had left undone. One grabbed the painting still hanging in the air and, per her instructions, hung it in the focal point of the room, displacing a panorama of Horyuji in Nara.
        Smiling brightly, she was only momentarily startled by the opening of the door. Her droids still working, one of them nonetheless waved a hand and called out, "Mizuno-san!" in a cheery voice, prompting Berthier to execute a quick turn to see the early arrival.
       Ami's father was a handsome man in round glasses, still wearing his fisherman's hat. hair of a silvery sheen was neatly clipped, though still unruly, and it curled at the nape of his neck. He seemed slightly disoriented, as if he was not quite comfortable here; most likely he wasn't, preferring his natural world to the cold walls of the city. Beneath his arm was a large sketchpad, charcoal tucked into the ring. "Konnichi wa, minna-san…it's good to see you all again. But you're not familiar, miss….mrs…?"
       "Kimorino Suiren," she cooed, holding out her hand in the old method of kissing its back. When he stared uncomprehendingly, she bit back her smile and bowed instead. "A critic for the Japanese-American newspaper in Los Angeles."
       "Oh, that's wonderful! I hope you enjoy my artwork; I feel it invigorates and personifies the natural spirit of Japan. In the classical sense, we must all worship the beauty of nature, because it surrounds us with peace." So saying, he put his sketchbook down carefully as possible into a growing puddle of condensation beneath an ice-and-shrimp filled glass bowl. "And this is a very important show for me, as my daughter is coming to this event."
       "Honto? That's lovely, Mizuno-san; and what is her name, so I may greet her?"

       "….Mizuno Ami. Are you related to our painter?"
       The blue-haired genius paused in mid-step, causing Usagi to walk right into her. Momentarily off-balance, she ended up tumbling into the private gallery with a quiet shriek, to the shocked and unamused stares of most of the patrons. Satisfied with wine and expensive food tidbits, their haughty demeanor outshone the casual dresses of herself and her friends, and she turned brilliant red with embarrassment. "A-ano…."
       "Of course she's the daughter of the painter!" Minako cut in as Makoto and Usagi pulled Ami back to her feet. "The genius of Japan to punch!"
       "You mean 'to boot'," the tall brunette muttered as she steadied Ami.
       Mumbling both an apology and gracious thanks, the blue-haired genius led her friends into the gallery itself, all of them in their plain colours and inexpensive fabrics standing out like brilliant birds of paradise amidst the understated, expensive silk trappings of the regular patrons. Ami's father was no different in his suit, though by his stance, he was just as uncomfortable to be in it as they were to be lacking. He shook hands and bowed to his admirers, talking animatedly only when it was about his paintings.
       But he looked pleased at the sight of his daughter, and he brushed a couple off with a surety he had not possessed a minute ago, exclaiming, "Ami! Musume-chan, you came!"
       "Otou-chan, of course I did!" she replied, shedding her usual reserve to hug him tightly. Behind her, her friends looked on happily, silent until she released him to introduce them. "Otou-chan, these are my friends. Kino Makoto, Tsukino Usagi, Aino Minako…." she recited slowly, gesturing to each one, pleased to see her father's smile and gracious bow.
       "I'm so glad you've made friends, Ami. For a long time I despaired of you finding true friendship." He hugged her again, laughing spontaneously. "I did one painting especially for you; of the ocean at Kamakura. Would you like to see it?"
       Her friends disappeared into the crowd without needing to be asked, a fact she was grateful for. Nodding her agreement, her father led her towards the painting, which was, to his slight annoyance, not where he had told them to put it. It took a minute of searching for him to locate it, though the irritation was worth the soft gasp of surprise his daughter emitted.
       And it was a rather spectacular painting. The sea at dawn, capturing the intense blue of the water and a lone figure on the beach watching the sun rise; corona around the sun, rainbows from the spray. It was in unison a simple yet intricate painting. "Otou-chan, it's….beautiful!"
       "Isn't it, though? I didn't tell Mizuno-san yet, but I would love to own such a beautiful water scene."
       Both looked around to find Berthier standing behind them, having come up so silently. She ignored them both to reach out towards the painting, tracing her fingers on air to highlight certain aspects. "The water is significant to human nature," she said softly, "gentle yet capable of the most intense fury. Ne, Ami-san?"
        "H-hai," Ami stammered, momentarily startled by the icy nature of Berthier's eyes. She could feel her pulse begin to rise, like the rolling ocean, made even more turbulent by the growing smile of the woman. There was a wrongness that the blue-haired genius became aware of only now, so close to Berthier; she could hear the water rushing along the pipes around them, gathering to their very spot. Drawn to two similar spirits.
       Her father jerked, his mouth contorting in a scream as his body was assaulted and taken over. The sudden screams in the room drowned out her allies' cries as droids began to appear, overturning the table to create utter chaos. Ami, rooted to the spot, had her back to the trampling feet of a mass of escaping higher class, many of them not making it before the droids were on their backs, choking and beating them.
       All she saw was her father, unable to control himself, grabbing her by the wrists in an iron grip. Berthier laughed behind her, a shrill sound that was eclipsed by the noise of hundreds of water pipes exploding to fill the room with ice-cold liquid. "Yare yare, my soldier of water, are you as weak in this time as in mine?" the woman whispered against her ear, almost lovingly. "Don't worry; your easy capture is only natural for the weakest sailor soldier."
       "Ami-chan!" Battered by water, Usagi held tight to the arm of her fellow blonde, all of them soaked to the skin. "Does the enemy know who we are?"
       "Impossible! There's no way they could know us!" Makoto said, avoiding the flailing arm of a businessman. "But she has Ami-chan; can we destroy her without hurting Ami-chan?"
       Minako, her arm wound around Usagi in turn, held up her transformation pen. "We don't have a choice! We can't allow Ami-chan to be captured as Mars was!"
       A pounding deluge silenced all three as it slammed them against the walls, pinning them as surely as any chains. Screaming, they writhed under the icy water, only to be silenced as well by the liquid beating down their throats. Satisfied they were defeated, Berthier lowered her arm, though the water continued to assault them. "Noisy soldiers; their time will come."
       "Minna!" Ami moaned, twisting her head around to stare at what she could see of them, then back to her father. She had a very big dilemma to solve, and it had to be soon. It was all she could do in the meantime to not wince as he tightened his grip on her wrists. "Otou-chan…"
       Helpless, she felt a growing undercurrent of anger as Berthier called out, "Droids, Program: Destroy. I want the gallery empty before we capture the last piece!"
       People shrieked with growing urgency, unable to escape as the front exit was blocked by the thrown sculpture of an elderly artist from Osaka. The grinning clown was splashed with blood as the droids messily disposed of the unlucky patrons, and each scream was punctuated by the beat of her pulse as she felt the anger intensify, becoming rage unknown to her. Her father was crying silently, despite his lack of bodily control; Berthier, laughing, halted in mid-cackle to stare suddenly at the blue-haired genius.
       And there was no longer chaos, but Mercury.
       All three girls dropped hard to the ground as the water flowed back, uniting with the flood to gather up Ami in its hold, her father and Berthier thrown away to crash into the walls. Mizuno was thankfully rendered unconscious, but Berthier stared in shock and horror as she realized she had lost control over her element. Like a goddess, Ami had called the water; and as the cocoon peeled back like a flower's petals to reveal not the blue-haired genius but the rigid form of Sailor Mercury.
       She didn't even look as she felt the released magic of three simultaneous transformations. All she did was stare down Berthier, who was frantically waving her arms, attempting to call back the water. "Iie."
       Moon, Jupiter, and Venus barely had time to duck before Berthier flew over their heads, thrown by a blast of water through the door. "U-uso!" Moon squeaked. "Mercury, how did you do that?"
       "I don't know," she answered truthfully, even as she came up behind them. "I think I always had this potential…."
       "As the soldier of water!" Jupiter laughed, reaching back to gather lightning into her hand. "Minna, out of the water, hayaku!"
       The three exchanged looks, all but flying onto the nearest dry surface. Moon ended up climbing onto an empty pedestal, Venus crawled up the body of another sculpture, and Mercury flung herself onto a glass case. Jupiter began to run, pounding the remaining water level as she brought her arm around, shouting, "Supreme Thunder!" even as she leapt. She slipped across a glass case, nearly falling back into the water as the lightning connected with two of the droids, shooting down into the water to electrocute the rest of them.
vBerthier, draped soaking wet atop the bloodied clown sculpture, was lucky, but pissed off as she watched her droids fall down, smoking and charred, into the water. "Masaka…is this the reason my lovely sister was so beaten? By soldiers weak in their time?! I won't have it!"
       "You don't have a choice!" Venus yelled, pointing her finger in preparation for her chain.
       A piece of what looked to be black glass was thrown at her in response. Or, more specifically, it was thrown at Mercury, who felt the tiny object hit her torso. It paused her; and that was her mistake as the water she had so controlled now attacked solely her, capturing her in a spinning tornado. "Mercury!" the odango-haired blonde screamed.
       "The same sort of trap…iie, not again!" Venus spun around, firing off her Crescent Beam to catch a still-weak Berthier in the chest. "Sailor Moon, your new attack, use it quickly!"
       "Hai!" The rod appeared in her hand as Mercury screamed, choking on the water that trapped her. "Moon Princess Halation!" she cried, gripping the handle with both hands.
       The cold-eyed woman barely had time to throw up her arms and scream before she was ripped asunder, the explosion blinding everyone. But as the last time, Mercury was not released from her agony, which had become even more intense. She had begun to flail like a swimmer within the tornado, twisting helplessly as her allies watched.
        "Maybe if I used my chain, I could pull her free…!" Venus offered, calling the very golden links to her hand. But she was stopped by Jupiter's arm.
       "If you do that, the tornado might pull you in too, Venus!"
       "But what do we do then? Mercury will be captured-"
       "And there's nothing you can do about it again, sailor soldiers." The voice coincided with the sudden bright light, familiar now. Boots splashing in the water, Rubeus stood between the three soldiers and their ally, blocking them as Mercury was lifted up into the light. "All is fair, soldiers; for the destruction of Koan and Berthier, Mars and Mercury!"
       "Give them back to us!" Sailor Moon screamed, and she would have attacked the red-haired man had her two allies not held her back. "Mars, Mercury….!"
       The UFO was silent in its escape across the sky, leaving only a crying princess and her two helpless guardians to stare after it, unable to follow.