Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Pretty Soldiers ❯ Act 19 - tenchyuu : 30th Century ( Chapter 19 )

       The day had been beautiful.
       Setting up his store for the day's business - something of a joke, considering that money was a concept discarded ages ago - Jack Eigakusha lifted his head towards the sky to feel the sun. Though the air was still frigid enough for less-tolerant bodies to be wrapped up in coats, he always wandered on the streets in nothing but shirt and pants, hands in pockets for sake of occupying them than warming. The winters in England had been ball-busting cold, nothing compared to what was becoming milder weather as the years passed.
       A transplanted Londoner, he had lived in Tokyo for a decade studying the entire archipelago for the basis of a book. By the end, after he had received the first check in royalties and given a minor award for its excellence, he had decided to make the residence permanent. He had chosen a new name based on its somewhat punnish nature; the kanji for England was also the kanji for a gifted person. And so he settled into his new condo, gaining a teaching job at the nearby junior high, wasting his royalties at the pachinko parlor, and winning himself the reputation of a crazed foreigner. An all right guy, if a bit soft in the head.
       But the strange events in the city itself he had never transcribed, merely watched. The lights, the strange rumbles in the ground. Accounts of lovely girls dressed in the risqué uniforms of students lost on their ways to school, girls who had powers beyond reckoning. He watched, read, anticipating it all coming to an end in a most violent way. That was how such battles happened on TV; the slow build-up, the large crash. A final showdown.
       It had happened, finally.
       And one day, he had woken up to find frost on his walls.
       Bending over him had been a sweet-faced girl, her serious eyes staring into his as she explained, patiently, what had happened. Why he was awake.
       And why, ultimately, the entire world was cold.
       She was a brilliant young lady, he knew now, and had argued passionately to awaken those in the city who could take over as teachers. Apparently, she had known his name, and together they had gone into the freeze-dried remains of one of the public libraries to liberate several volumes on farming. Public workers were thawed out, gardeners, florists. Most had no real clue how to till the soil, or to even nurture the frozen earth to working condition, but he taught them. Himself, and several other teachers. They showed them how to irrigate, plow, watch and wait.
       When food was growing, grass and weeds flourishing along the cleared perimeter of what had once been the epicenter of Tokyo, they began to thaw out the cattle. Pigs. They released them to eat the greenery, to fatten them for the kill; and when the time came, and they had the meat, they began to awake a few more people.
       Now he was content to be a giver, a smiling scholar going gray in the temples, handing out the books from the frost-damaged shelves. He didn't think of it as a library anymore, but as a storeroom, and he, the clerk. Most of the books salvaged from other such bookstores and libraries had been brought here, and he alone was given the responsibility of sharing the wealth. Mercury had been his biggest patron and supporter, often bringing more books as she she found them.
       He straightened the sandwich board outside of the picture window announcing the library as "OPEN," dusting off a bit of condensation from the rough wood. The cloth was carefully folded and put in his pocket to dry later; even such commodities as cotton and wool were still absent from their world, available only in stores that had enough supply that had survived. Thinking of his lack of socks, he reminded himself mentally to go back to the store for another pair, and glanced skyward to estimate the time.
       The sun blinded him, but it didn't matter, because the blast that tore apart the sky was just as bright and scathing to the eyes.

      In the epicenter of that very city, still the epitome of loveliness and grace, the Crystal Palace seemed soulfully dead. The arrival of the 21st century fugitives had made the lack of life all the more acute, their heels clicking down hallways that echoed with the strength of caverns. Though the garden was flourishing, living green outside of the windows and walls, inside it was very, very still.
       But there had been no click of heel on the floor when the lavender-suited vision had appeared behind them, no telltale swish of cape. Merely him standing there, as if he had simply formed out of the air itself. And none of them could even utter a word past Sailor Moon's moan of "Mamo-chan?" because it was quite obviously he.
       Even though the "he" in question stood right beside his stunned princess.
       Chibi-Usa finally broke the stifling silence, by flinging herself through their ranks like a pink torpedo, abandoning all pretense of dignity as she cried, "Papa! Papa!" But there was no reaching of arms on his end, merely a sad smile that stopped her in mid-run, faltering; yet she continued on hopefully, opening her own arms to embrace him around the waist.
       She fell right through him, smacking the marble floor on her elbows.
       The sound was rather loud, and they all winced. Sailor Moon took a step forward, obviously meaning to pick the child up; but the thought of having to reach through the man, of even coming close, was enough to push her back. He himself was looking back and down at the pink-haired child, rump up in the air as she lay on elbows and knees, obviously shocked. "Papa?" she whispered.
       "Small Lady, gomen nasai. I wish I could hold you and keep you safe, but…" He spread his hands against the curtains, the fabric pale in colour through them. "Even projecting myself in such a manner is tiring; it takes all of my concentration to even present a suitable shape." Kneeling - and all of them noticed acutely that his feet and knees were an inch above the floor - he stroked his hand over her head. "You've been brave, Small Lady."
       Tears welled up in her eyes, her lip quivering. She sat up to reach out her own hand, trying in vain again to touch him. When she realized she truly couldn't, she sniffled, bowing her head. "Papa…I came back to help mama. I brought Sailor Moon with me to save her."
       "So I see." He rose to his feet, using the cane he had been holding loose at his side to lever himself up. With a flick of his wrist, he brushed his cape back and over his shoulder, out of his way. Every motion was silent. Behind him, they could see the blurry form of Chibi-Usa standing as well, her eyes red-rimmed, her posture slowly straightening. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I bid you welcome to the 30th Century. Good tidings to all of you, and I wish we weren't to meet under these circumstances.
       "Our world is at danger. An enemy has destroyed our defenses, our city, and much of our population. The sailor soldiers were defeated. I was defeated. Our queen lies sleeping, safe in her crystal coffin but unable to awaken." He stepped further into the room, motioning with his cane with an expansive gesture towards the altar behind them. "My wife. My eternal love."
       "Neo Queen Serenity," the tall red-head murmured, though in such a cavernous room her voice seemed louder, sharper.
       "Hai. Watakushi no aisai, Neo Serenity jo'ou-sama. And I am so blessed to be her lover and confidant, Endymion koku'ou-sama." Now he smiled, finally, though the tics and spasms in his entire form revealed the strain it must have taken. "Your future selves, Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen. Names known only as legend and story for centuries."
       As his expression smoothed back into placidity, the odango-haired blonde seemed to wobble. Her prince, ever gallant, held her in his arms as she shook from the realization, though truthfully, he felt the same way. A sudden weight seemed to have dropped on their heads; the knowledge that they had yet another thousand years of life, more battles and death to look forward to. What did they do on their birthdays? Call themselves trimillennials?
       Chibi-Usa was staring at them as if they were ghosts, the shock open on her face. "Masaka," she mouthed. Her parents. Her parents, alive as teenagers, silly in love, in the 21st century. They had always called one another by the names she knew them as in her memory, their actions and speech and very being so calm and benevolent. So almost completely the opposite of what she had so far witnessed; it was no wonder she had never realized.
       The king, Endymion, seemed amused, though it was more the stance of his body than any smile could ever show. With a step back, he twisted on his heel to reveal Chibi-Usa to them all, pressing his back literally into the curtains and part of the wall. "Small Lady, have you properly introduced yourself, as a lady and a princess should?"
       Mouth flapping shut like a guppy, the pink-haired child seemed momentarily lost. But she was then curtsying like a little lady, neat and proper, as she said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you are in good health, and I wish you peace. I am Usagi Small Lady Serenity, daughter of Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion, heir apparent to the throne of the Silver Millennium. I bid you welcome and good tidings."
       "Uh," was Sailor Moon's brilliant, eloquent response. Behind her, Venus grinned evilly, though she would have argued that it was merely innocent.
       "To think. All this time, she really was Usagi-chan's pink-haired love child."
       "MINAKO-CHAN, THIS IS SERIOUS! How could I have a child!?"
        "Well, it's rather easy: you see, the mommy and daddy get very happy one night-"
       "ECCHI!"
       "You asked."
       Tuxedo Kamen could not possibly be any redder by this point, nor his princess. Both were blushing furiously, a source of immense amusement and ridicule. Chibi-Usa seemed somewhat mystified and horrified herself, unsure, exactly, how she was supposed to take this new revelation. The king simply looked on, impassive as he'd been, though that amusement still shone in his tilt of head, posture. "I…I can't have children!" the odango-haired blonde finally shrieked, images of her plump belly and stretch marks dancing through her head.
       "Not children. Child. The queen can only bear one daughter," Endymion explained, only mildly comforting.
       She merely flailed about, leaving her prince to interpret for her. "One child, then, but…when? And how?"
       Endymion moved forward, and it was like the sea parting before him as everyone stepped out of his way, despite the evidence that he could simply walk right through them. As he neared the altar he held out his hand, and, surprisingly, touched the crystal. Whatever his power to maintain the illusion, it simply was no match for the protective shield around his queen; he pressed his fingers against the facets, digits crumpling against the solidity as if he, too, had substance. Then, he motioned towards another doorway off to the right of the first, striding off with the full expectation for them all to follow.
       Of course they did, though not all at once. Chibi-Usa held her arms open to receive Diana, running after her father as though she would lose him if she didn't follow closely. Venus and the two felines came next, unconsciously forming the protective circle with the Guardian around Sailor Moon, though there was a distinct feeling that it was unnecessary in the palace. As they walked through the door they could see the gigantic monitor that took up the entire wall, partnered with a vast array of controls and buttons. Smaller monitors lined another wall, showing streets and all sides of the palace and the outskirts of the city.
       Pointing at one of the buttons, an image of a woman formed on the monitor, standing in a garden as she laughed. It was Usagi as an adult, with well-formed limbs and an absence of adolescence that had transformed her into a pale-skinned, golden-haired angel. Dressed in a sweater, skirt, and stockings, civilian clothes, she seemed totally at ease. "At adulthood, the citizens of the Silver Millennium slow down in their aging process, seeming to freeze into one form for centuries. I stopped at twenty-four; she stopped at twenty-two. We ascended the Imperial Throne of Japan, and Small Lady was born five years later.
       "Tragedy struck months later, and Serenity banished the criminal responsible to the tenth planet, Nemesis. But his plans carried on, and the planet froze." Another gesture switched the monitor to a widescreen view of the perimeter of the city, looking out over an expanse of ice that had once been the Tokyo Bay. "As you can see, we've been slowly awakening people, creating anew, but now…the enemy came suddenly, and destroyed our peace. Serenity is the only one who can stop them, using the sacred stone, but she sleeps still, and can't help."
       "The Black Moon, is that the enemy?" Luna asked.
       Endymion nodded, moving his hands in an intricate dance over the console. Star charts appeared, showing the positions of the planets, many of them marked with comments of 'reclamation.' The view shot past them all, dodging stars and comets as though they were flying in a ship, only to pass by Pluto and finally stop within the Kuiper belt. Inexplicably, amongst the flying asteroids was a large…space…it looked like a black hole, truthfully, a planet lit from behind and visible only by its jagged corona. "This is Nemesis. Hiding in the Kuiper belt as it is, we were unaware of it until before the first tragedy. Then, we used it for the banishment of the criminal responsible for the freeze, unaware until later that another race once used it as a prison as well."
       Readings began to scroll along the side of the screen. "The planet itself has given off enormous amounts of negative energy ever since we discovered it. No doubt it was the lure for the Black Moon traitors, their warring, violent tendencies unsuitable for our peaceful kingdom. After attacking us, their leader denounced us from the hilltop, calling us blasphemous and claiming he would destroy us all."
       "Any idea why they would be so angry at you?" the tall red-head queried, thoughtfully tilting her head at the screen as Nemesis spun around in widescreen, panoramic view, detailing its atmosphere, vital signs, and calendar. Endymion shrug gracefully, hands spread wide.
       "There had been insurrections by a few, years before the traitors attacked. They claimed our long lives were a sin, in direct disobedience of God. It happened when we offered the awakening citizens new lives in the Silver Millennium, sharing the power of the Ginzuishou with them."
       Venus chewed slowly at her lip, glancing sidelong at her princess. The discussion she and her peers had engaged in at Makoto's apartment so many weeks ago came to mind now, worryingly so. Usagi was neither goddess nor God, merely a girl who had an extraordinary power. Somehow, it didn't surprise her that the odango-haired blonde, out of kindness, had offered to her people long life, and had been reprimanded - in a way - for her deed.
       "King, tell us what happened, please," Artemis said respectfully, leaping up onto a bare panel on the console. "What happened during the attack. We need to know their ability, before we try and rescue Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter."
       The picture changed to show a sky view of Crystal Tokyo, beautiful in the sunlight as it shone and glittered like a jewel, untouched. For miles outside of the perimeter glistened healthy grass, defiantly green and lush despite the ice and snow mixing at its edges. It was human civilization beating back nature, fighting to reclaim the land and thrive again. "Hai," the king murmured as they all stared, each with a million questions they all had the sense to hold back, "and it's a short, terrible story to tell.
       "On the day that it happened, nothing was wrong. Serenity and I were planning a trip to the Chi-Mil-Louis Enclave in what was formerly the United States to discuss trading. The soldiers were busy planning for their own jobs the next day in the city proper - they had been given a day off for rest - and Small Lady was, if I recall, just coming home from playing with some of the city's children."
        None of them missed the small wince the pink-haired child made, almost lost within a corner of the room away from them all. She didn't need to remember any of this, and she had made herself almost comfortable in that small space, mostly forgotten - as usual, she felt.
       "Later, I came here to retrieve one last map when I heard Serenity suddenly rush outside, calling our daughter's name…I thought, perhaps, she had gone back outside, hurt herself playing, and I looked towards the door. There was a bright light. Explosions." His fist clenched, the only giveaway to his emotional tumult as his face remained calm, bland. Chibi-Usa made a tiny noise behind them, burying her face in Diana's fur. "I ran to find Serenity surrounded by the soldiers, who were watching helplessly as she became encased in crystal, a protective measure she had trained herself to do in case of an ultimate attack."
       "Couldn't she become Sailor Moon?" the dark-haired prince asked, slowly massaging his princess's taunt back, though it didn't seem to be helping her panic any less. Certainly the image of her protector and lover turning to face her, despite standing at her back, was not easing her stress level.
       The king made that open handed shrug again, a rather universal gesture. "She gave up the ability to become Sailor Moon. She was Serenity, queen of a kingdom, no longer a soldier. All of her power resided in the holy stone; it is her weapon, her shield, her protection.
       "And she was helpless before the direct attack. So she shielded herself as she knew how, though the attack itself seemed to throw her into the sleep you saw her in. Helpless to waken herself and use the Ginzuishou to eliminate the enemy. And then, as I ran to her side, another blow assaulted us all; the sailor soldiers collapsed; I collapsed. Even though I was conscious enough to take them all inside, the languor soon overtook me and I was paralyzed into sleep as well." His hands ran over his lapels, down his jacket. "I created a telepathic illusion to function around the palace as I slept, and it was then I realized Small Lady was gone.
       "But Pluto told me she had stolen a key, and fled to the past. Unable to follow, and realizing soon what she could have been after, I remained here, waiting. And so you all came, though missing ranks."
       From the corner, Chibi-Usa whispered, "I went to find the strongest sailor soldier."
       Endymion nodded, forcing himself to smile - or more accurately, to lopsidedly smirk - as he manipulated buttons again, showing a picture of the north side of the city. "When we told her bedtime stories, we told her stories of Sailor Moon, and her strongest protector, Tuxedo Kamen. But we had given up those names before she was old enough to even remember us as such, and so, to reinforce us all in the images of our new lives, we never told her. The sailor soldiers are known only by their formal planetary titles to the populace and to everyone; and we are their king and queen. Usagi, Mamoru, Makoto, Minako, Rei, Ami…they no longer exist."
       "That's terrible," Sailor Moon whispered. "We give up everything? Ourselves?"
       "Merely names."
       "But that's who we are!" Venus cried, taking a step forward. "I am Aino Minako as well as Sailor Venus! All of us are sailor soldiers, but we're also ordinary girls as well!"
       "But you're only halfway," the Crystal Guardian murmured, though she seemed disturbed. "It's what we discussed, Venus. You have to give up being an ordinary girl to be a true sailor soldier, or you'll never truly be Sailor Venus."
       The long-haired blonde's face seemed to collapse inward, emotions warring on her face. But as Sailor Moon seemed to completely sag, utterly devastated at this knowledge, Venus slowly collected herself as she watched her princess, nodding her head thoughtfully. "Sou yo. To protect my princess. One day, Aino Minako will be a memory. And I'll have to live each day to the fullest until that final hour, ne?"
       "Minako-chan," the odango-haired blonde moaned. "Don't say that. Don't give up like that."
       "But I have to, Usagi-chan. We were born to these lives."
       "Iie, Minako-chan! We were born ordinary girls!" Pushing free of her prince, Sailor Moon clenched her fists, furious at this turn of events. "You have a future, and it's terrible of you to give it away! Look at what it's cost us already! Ami-chan, Rei-chan, Mako-chan, taken by the Black Moon-"
       Venus reached out, grasping her princess's shoulders. But the rough shake was not what anyone expected, least of all herself. "Look at where we are, Usagi-chan! This is our future! We were born ordinary girls with a purpose, and a destiny, and we can't just give it up! Giving up the battle, and allowing the enemy to win; that's quitting, and I won't quit!"
       Tears were falling down the odango-haired blonde's cheeks as she stared into her friend's eyes. She hated Chibi-Usa for showing her this hellish future, for unwillingly scripting her life for her. But, in a way, it was also a comfort. Even though she would become someone else, it didn't have to be so different; and she would have her Mamo-chan, and her friends. That was all that she ever wanted in the world. Slowly, she smiled, rubbing away her tears with the back of her gloved hand. "I'm such a crybaby."
       "And don't ever change that, Usako," her prince said, and she could feel her smile on her back.
       Endymion was staring at them in the literal form of a ghost, his entire figure nearly completely transparent. Whatever he felt at seeing his queen, her younger self more accurately, crying brokenheartedly, was apparently strong enough to lapse his concentration. He turned away, staring at the monitor as it swept through the clouded streets of the city, doing a morbid census of dead bodies. Luna and Artemis were engrossed in watching the changing screens, whiskers twitching in horror and disgust. "Do you have an outer system defense, Endymion-sama?" the tall red-head asked, respectfully.
       "The perimeter of the Sol system has been unguarded for ages," he answered, tapping his finger. "We saw no reason to defend it. Everything has been so peaceful…"
       "That's a bloody stupid reason," she snapped, frowning at him in displeasure. "No wonder they had the drop on you, you've gotten complacent! There's absolutely no reason a defense system shouldn't be in place to catch these problems while they're still minor."
       The ghostly king forced that twitchy smile as he faced the Crystal Guardian, holding his cane like a royal scepter - which it obviously was - aloft in his hand. "I miss such directness. Perhaps that's why we've become 'complacent,' because no one has been around to tell us otherwise."
       Lapis froze ever so slightly as she stared at him, digesting his comment. Her eyes lowered then, almost demur, before she nodded thoughtfully. "I see."
       Both of them seemed to exist within the bubble of their own conversation; no one else noticed their actions, nor said a word. Endymion turned away and gestured widely then, to include them all, as he said, "Ah, but I've been a thoughtless host. Travelling through time and seeing such horrors, and surely on empty stomachs! No doubt you're all starving."
       A loud stomach rumble answered his question, though it was hardly unexpected from that particular soldier. She blushed crimson as the king gestured to another doorway. "Your meal awaits. Follow me."

      On Nemesis, the rumbling stomachs were louder, but they had all learned to ignore them by now. This time, however, a particularly sharp hunger pang accompanied Esmeraud's temper tantrum as she stormed through her living quarters, wreaking havoc on her furniture. She didn't really care much for the roughly-hewn junk, painted an emerald green to appease her but looking just the same as everyone else's, and so she took pleasure in breaking and snapping it all to firewood.
       Parading about in bra and panties, both delicately lacey and lovingly cared for, she smashed her last chair with a satisfying crack, heaving it onto the pile. She had just woken up, still smarting from her defeat of what was yesterday for her, though what was still, by happenstance of planetary time, the same day for them. And so she had taken it out on objects guaranteed not to hit back, though a jagged spear of lumber from her table had ripped a gash in her calf, panting, screaming, and raging. No doubt she had woken Rubeus, unfortunate enough to share a wall with her. Many a night his blasted moaning and grunting had waked her up, and how often had she begged Demand to exchange rooms with his brother? At least another male could deal with the disgusting ritual.
       Satisfied with her work, she reached back to twist her sleep-tangled locks into a loose bun, pulling on a green silk kimono and tying the cord tight. Momentarily lulled by the sensation, she lay back on her bed, imagining her prince; her lover. Her future lover, perhaps, but lover all the same. He had the same disdain for magic creations as she did that touched his flesh; none of his clothes were anything less than real. Even his sheets and pillows and curtains - though useless on a planet that saw no sunlight - had been hand made. She herself allowed her uniform in pleasant company to be of poor-quality illusion, though the lace beneath it, and the silk she wore in privacy, was entirely real. It was all she had managed to save during their flight and vigil.
       And when she finally brought that bitch queen to her knees, she would force her head back to meet her eyes. She would see the terror in her, before she cut her throat, severing that pretty face from the rest of her body. Demand would finally realize that she, Esmeraud, was his true love, his only queen. Not that white-blonde whore, parading her breasts and perfect body before all and everyone, but her. Maybe she would even take the gaudy tiara for her own; she had a secret passion for the heavy golden headdress she had seen, with its giant ruby. All she had to do was change the stone.
       Grabbing her towel from its peg next to her bed, she retrieved a bottle of jasmine shampoo she had bribed Rubeus to find for her in the 21st century, though it was woefully low. She shook it thoughtfully, thinking of the two rations of fruit she would have to give up to the man to have another bottle, and ripped open a portal to the showers.
       Because she had not been the only female, once upon a time, they had sectioned the bathroom into two sections for privacy. Only a few weeks ago she could have walked in on Koan and Beruche, discussing the former's crush on Rubeus as they cleaned one another's backs. She had felt a surprising kindred with the sisters, though she would have never had admitted it under pain of death - her, associating with girls who were little more than their servants? - and had enjoyed their talking, though they had never invited her to join them. Saphir's assertion that they could have been in league with Wiseman did, however, make sense, based on the whispered comments and snatches of conversation she had caught before they had realized she was there. It made her strangely sad.
       Hooking up her towel and robe, carefully, she undid her hair, letting it fall in its usual rippling mass as she turned the water on, sitting down with the sponge and soap to slowly lather herself. As she scrubbed, she made sure to carefully clean out her leg wound, which had clotted barely minutes ago, and which re-opened beneath the water to turn the liquid pink. Grimacing at the stinging pain as she slathered more soap on to shave, she caught herself wondering if the queen had this problem as well. Surely the leader of a kingdom didn't do such stupid things as destroying her bedroom and gashing herself, and Esmeraud cursed herself.
       She shaved off all of her needless hair, save for a small strip to outline her most precious lips - because one day, her prince would kiss her there, and she had to be neat - and rinsed off again. Eyeing the shampoo bottle again, she proceeded to dump the rest of it over her head, squeezing to get the last drops out, and began lathering it up like a mad woman. The entire room was soon thick with the scent of jasmine, and she resembled a sort of leaning sculpture of soap bubbles as her long hair was lathered up. Green turned to a milky, opalescent white, and she scrubbed furiously to rid it of the taint of the city. Finally satisfied, she ducked down to rinse it off, a procedure that never failed to put a crick in her back. "Greetings, Esmeraud."
       The noise as she hit her head on the bucket, dropping it from shocked fingers, echoed. She shrieked, wiping at her eyes frantically to see Rubeus, ready to rip his ears off and spit in the holes for daring to walk in on her. But when she finally managed to squint, eyes stinging and burning, she didn't see the smirking, arrogant red-head. "W-Wiseman? What the hell are you doing in here? This is a woman's bath!"
       It was hard to be indignant and furious while naked and soapy, but she managed. He was laughing, that deep lung-cough that meant he was amused but sounded as though he were dying. "Woman, I am beyond such trivial things. Your vain nudity is nothing to me."
       Now she didn't know whether to be pissed over being walked in on, or that he was insulting her in saying it didn't interest him. She quivered in anger, desperately thinking of something to say, when his hand lifted to stop her. "Enough. I came to make my services known. Your heart feels much anger for the wicked, godless queen."
       "We all have anger for that whore bitch," she spat at him.
       His hood bowed in acquiescence. "This is true. But for you, it is a consuming passion. You feel displeasure at our prince's unhealthy…obsession…with her, because only you are worthy to be his queen."
       Her anger and indignity was swept away in the space of a second as she became chilled to the bone. Though she had never once considered that her open flirtations with the white-haired prince were so obvious, the fact that Wiseman had read her right shook her. Had he been invading her mind with his crystal sphere? "I…I am..displeased, with his choice," she finally said faintly, pressing a hand to her breast, over her thudding heart. "But I would never assume…!"
       "Your infatuation for Prince Demand is well known," he replied dryly. "And it would serve us all well if you were to indeed become his queen, to keep his heart and his intentions focused on our cause. And no other woman could tame him, I wager."
       Flattery never got a soul anywhere with Esmeraud, usually. But for Wiseman, usually the stoic with his predictions of doom, she melted beneath his honeyed words. Though naked and shivering cold, she preened and posed, allowing herself a moment to dream of such a position. Hoping to capture the prince's heart was one thing; having Wiseman tell her it was possible was entirely another. "Mochiron," she purred, slicking a hand along the flat surface of her belly. "Demand-sama is a prince of such exquisite tastes, that surely that witch could never satisfy. But so long as she lives, he will be enthralled by her obvious, flaunted charms."
       "And therein lives the problem, Esmeraud." His fingers spun like a spider's legs in its web, forming and shaping between his palms what looked to be a mirror, plain, sturdy ebony, with an aged brass bell hanging from its apex. The surface was tarnished, smoky with streaks. "But to capture a queen, one requires a pawn. The sacrifice, to lure them in for the taking."
       In the mirror she could just barely see herself, her hair beginning to frizz and knot without moisture. "A pawn…the rabbit. I can take the rabbit and use her as bait."
       The cowled head dipped, though he was frankly surprised she had caught on so quickly. "Indeed. Instead of facing the soldier of legend, Sailor Moon, and her allies, by whom all of you have been so easily vanquished, one merely catches the rabbit. They would never let the child come to harm."
       His hands tipped, cupped as though offering water. The mirror floated away to her waiting fingers, the bell tinkling throughout the flight. "I have imbued this mirror with the power to sense the rabbit's energy. Now, she is within the Crystal Palace, safe, protected from my own power. But once she leaves the safety of the palace, the bell will ring, and the mirror will show her position. It will work only in the same century."
       "And then, I will simply spring a trap." Esmeraud stroked a fingernail down the mirror's glass, noting the black mark left on her skin. So absorbed was she, that when she finally lifted her head to properly thank Wiseman, she never realized he had left without a sound.

      Apparently, even the 30th century had to bow before the marvels of microwave.
       When Endymion had led them into the kitchen, it had been mildly disappointing to find it had the same appliances as the 21st century; restaurant-size stove and range, large fridge, a cutting board island and a mass of oak cabinets and hanging cutlery, pots, and pans. It had been even worse when he had merely motioned to the fridge, directing his powers into hauling out a crockpot of leftovers, slopping a sizeable portion onto a plate, and nuking it. Granted, it smelled good after being heated up, but retained the consistency of lumped pudding, despite mixing. He slapped portions onto plates edged in silver and most likely costing a small fortune, doling out jade chopsticks still embossed with the Imperial Family crest.
       Tuxedo Kamen had been poking at it for fifteen minutes now, still not sure that it wasn't going to leap off the plate, steal a butterknife, and threaten him. Next to him, his princess was simply shoveling it into her mouth, stabbing at errant chunks that had him wincing with every impact of jade to china. Venus was more or less doing the same, having realized she was starving to death. The tall red-head had eyed it strangely, prodded it once, shrugged in resignation, and calmly began to eat. Chibi-Usa ate sparingly, obviously trying to remain lady-like in her father's presence. And lucky for the felines, in the dark-haired prince's opinion, they got to share a bowl of cream.
       "Mmaaah, this is yummy!" the odango-haired blonde managed to enunciate around her mouthful, swallowing a chunk big enough to choke a water buffalo. "What is it?"
       "It was Jupiter's farewell dish, the night before we were to leave. She was very proud that she had found her main ingredient after weeks of searching."
       Not liking the sound of that, Tuxedo Kamen paused in picking up a buttery chunk to finally try. "Main ingredient?"
       "Well, she recalled most vividly that a delicacy on Jupiter had been slugs, of the type they had imported ages before to live in their gardens."
       Venus' mouth dropped open, half-full.
       "I'm not as hungry as I thought," Tuxedo Kamen muttered, discreetly pushing the plate away.
       Sailor Moon paused, chopsticks midway to her mouth. Noticing that Chibi-Usa was still eating - she had eaten this dish fresh, and had enjoyed it, though she too had nearly made herself sick upon hearing what was in it - she shrugged, continuing to stab and capture chunks. No sense in wasting it. Her prince stared at her as if she'd gone mad.
       The Crystal Guardian looked at him rather evilly, and said, "What's the matter, Chiba? Weak stomach?"
       "I prefer not to eat something that slimes."
       Endymion folded his arms, leaning against his cane. "Get used to it, prince. One eats a lot of escargot during state dinners."
       Looking somewhat distraught, Venus poked at her half-finished plate, debating on whether or not to finish it. When she set her chopsticks down, her princess liberated the plate from her, not breaking stride as she began attacking the leftover bits. Only she, the tall red-head, and Chibi-Usa, finished their meals, though the odango-haired blonde put away three plates altogether after she swiped Tuxedo Kamen's as well.
       The ghostly king clapped his hands, prompting the scraped dishes to float up, chopsticks crossing themselves neatly atop each one, and proceed to bob in a merry train towards the stainless steel sink. His form almost disappeared, as it had when he had hauled the food around, strengthening only when the last chopstick was safely in the bottom. "Now that your appetites have been sated, feel free to roam the palace. Surely you're all curious, though I suggest you avoid the upper floors." He stared past them all at a spot unknown, adding, "I doubt you wish to see yourselves in a possibly eternal sleep."
       How true. The comment sent a shiver down their spines at the thought of themselves, older, wiser, more powerful, helpless in a sleep they couldn't arise from. Though at the same time, the lure to just take a look, to see themselves as adults, was strong. Endymion gestured towards the felines as the soldiers contemplated this dilemma. "Diana, please take your parents to the control room. Surely Luna, Artemis, you two wish to formulate some sort of plan to rescue the other soldiers."
       Though they all looked at the trio of felines, the comment was hardly a surprise. If they had all survived into the future, surely Luna and Artemis had as well; and who else could give birth to a talking kitten of grey fur? Still, it was worth it to see the blush on their whiskered cheeks, Luna hiding impulsively behind a paw as Diana giggled, her tiny bell ringing with her bouncing movements. "Hai, Endymion-sama!"
       They padded through the door - Diana more accurately bounded - leaving everyone else to their individual thoughts. Chibi-Usa vacated her seat with a bow to her father's image, walking carefully out of the kitchen with full intent to fix Luna-P. Venus was soon to follow those bouncing pink pigtails out the door, though she changed her path to wander down the main hallway. They all heard her squeal of glee at the sight of herself fixed in gemstone mosaic on the wall.
       Endymion vanished, presumably to conserve his strength, as the odango-haired blonde decisively pulled her prince to his feet. "We live in a palace in the future, Mamo-chan! Isn't this lovely? It's like a dream…"
       "You could be living in a castle on the Moon now, tsukimidango," the tall red-head interrupted mildly, tapping a fingernail on the countertop.
       "Ano…" Seemingly at a loss, the sailor-suited soldier chewed at her lip. "But it's not the same now. This is like a fantasy. Like every girl dreams of, becoming a lovely princess, and having her prince, and living happily ever after in a castle. It's still safe…"
       The dark-haired prince softly stroked a gloved hand along one of her ponytails, tangling strands between his fingers. She sighed, pressing his palm against her cheek, nuzzling like a kitten. It was a tender moment, and silence filled the void as was due; the princess and her prince fit together like a pair of puzzle pieces, loathe as always to part. When they did, it was by some inner notion, as they separated in unison to instead simply hold hands. So lost in each other, they had forgotten the third occupant of the room, leaving her alone as they exited the kitchen.
       No surprise there.
       She stood from the barstool, flexing her knees one by one with a wince - apparently, the Japanese proclivity for shortness lived well into the 30th century - deciding to follow Venus' path. Down the other hallway she could see the two lovebirds just before they turned the corner, still vapid and in gloriously, icky love. She made a face that could have been disgust, whimsy, or jealousy, wandering down the large cavernous hallway and noting the gemstone mosaics that dogged a person each step of the way. Apparently, the artist was nothing if not a student of the old Italian masters, because the tall red-head personally didn't recall Mercury looking so Botticelli chubby.
       Each soldier was posed against a backdrop of their element, though their soldiers' uniforms had been traded for robes and filmy dresses. Mercury was serene with a pen in one hand and a lyre cradled against her chest with the other, poised as if writing on the curled parchment in her lap as she was cushioned above the water on a bed of bubbles. Her reading glasses were conspicuously absent.
       Mars was benevolent in her miko robes, hands pressed together in prayer around an arrow, the head of which touched her lips. At her sides stood birds of fire, their beaks pressed adoringly to her hair. Around her feet was curled a serpent of smoke, its eyes tiny flames. Next to her, Jupiter's fury seemed all the more powerful, the tall brunette rearing back with a lightning bolt in her hand. Clad in the robes and laurel leaves of the Roman god, she looked as though she had stepped fully formed from an ancient painting - and most likely had, thanks to the artist's plagiarism.
       Venus had become a well-stacked goddess. Barely dressed, she stared at the viewer coyly, fingers curled as if beckoning or ready to grasp. Behind her back but hardly visible was a dagger created from the shining light of her beam, and once you spotted the blade, you recognized the gleam of the wily soldier in her eye. Not a tramp's lust, but the knowledge of using it to her advantage; even in the gaudiest of silks, she was still Sailor Venus, the powerful leader.
       Pluto was a shrouded figure, standing sentry atop an hourglass. Her face was a blur behind the veil of mourning, her eyes twin pinpricks of garnet through the cloth. Standing in the eternal void of time-space, she was the only colour in a joyless domain.
       A poem took up one entire panel, describing the fallen heroes of the kingdom, somewhat like the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; no personal names mentioned, just a vague bunch of references - 'the sea is joyless,' ''no longer does heaven's wind blow' - and no hard details.
       But she didn't see herself anywhere.
       That was a disturbing thing. Though she was not the true leader of any of the sailor soldiers - that honor belonged solely to Sailor Venus - she had found herself somewhat expertly placed into the de facto role of both mentor and commander to a small gaggle of girls who seemed rather obstinate towards her rank. They were both the same and completely different than the five girls she had watched grow up and die a lifetime ago; and she was facing not children easily intimidated and absorbent, but teenagers hell-bent on doing their own thing.
       The fact that she was a part of their lives now, again, should have, her ego agreed, warranted a similar picture. Yet it wasn't to be.
       She came to the end of the hall, and another open door that revealed the dining room, its tables long enough to seat fifty. China was set, silverware perfect, as if a party was expected. The dance floor was gleaming and perfect, and she could see Tuxedo Kamen leading Sailor Moon through the waltz, the clumsy princess eerily flawless, both of them laughing despite the somber situation. She smiled fleetingly, recalling the dance lessons he had taken during junior high, to learn a gentleman's manners. Proper attitude for a prince.
       Neither of them heard her walk on past, following the right curve of the hallway past closed entrances to the dining and dance hall, the servant's door, half-open, to the kitchen. Closing it with a quiet click, she had to wonder what kind of parties were thrown, considering the state of the human race; were there so many conclaves of humanity left to create a planetary society? Did they even care about things like etiquette while trying to survive? And while she was on the subject, where did they find enough precious stones to decorate the hallway behind her?
       At the end, a set of stairs wide enough for an elephant to cavort up. Noiseless as she walked up, she could hear Venus' heels clicking, faintly echoing, though when she came to the second floor the long-haired blonde was gone to the third. It had most likely been a fast trip, as the entire floor seemed to be dedicated to visitors' rooms, each one immaculate and large. All of the doors she tried were unlocked; she had no problem with inspecting each one from top to bottom.
       A princess-cut crystal the size of a small child's fist sat on the bedside table in the last room, chiseled with the "Royal Seal of the Collective of Incan Peruvia." When she pressed the seal, a hologram of a young girl appeared, speaking in what sounded like a bastardization of Spanish, Portuguese, and ancient Incan, simultaneously translated into smooth Japanese which scrolled beneath her face.
       The girl identified herself as the Prime Speaker of the collective, and was asking Neo Queen Serenity formally for aid. The rainforest salvation project was not working as well as they had hoped, and the freeze had destroyed more wildlife than had preserved it. After it had finished, the tall red-head set the heavy thing down, careful to leave it in its place. She disliked disturbing things; it was force of habit to leave every intact. But she did wonder why it had been left behind; surely such an important message would have been given directly to Serenity, or taken back with the messenger; and if the Black Moon had attacked before they could leave, why weren't they inside of the castle?
       Now internally disturbed, she left the room, hearing Venus' heels again, this time descending back to the first floor in a hurry. Frowning, she looked up to the third floor through the stairwell. Seeing nothing amiss, though her hand relocated to her hip, resting above her sheath for an easy draw, she started up. It was silly to feel paranoid in the palace - no doubt the Black Moon would have invaded and set up shop if it was not shielded - but, she recalled painfully, more paranoia might have saved an entire kingdom a lifetime ago.
       The third floor seemed even more still and lifeless than the two preceding it. Servants' quarters, smaller rooms than the second floor, but still well sized. Most of them were empty, but the rest - perhaps a quarter - still held their occupants, sleeping where they had fallen. A touch of their pulse proved they were alive, but barely, comatose and functioning only on a fraction of what they needed. Had Endymion put them to sleep? Or had Serenity's state automatically put them all into protective limbo like some ridiculous 'Sleeping Beauty' story?
       She withdrew, respectfully closing the door behind her, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she held. It certainly answered the question of where the workers of the palace were. But there were two doors she hadn't opened yet, though the one opened directly into a stairwell. The other was a small, featureless door that looked like a janitor's closet; but it was locked. Unusual, considering that very other entrance had been wide open and accessible by all.
       Wandering up the first stairwell, she found what looked like a storage room for the castle, full of chairs and tables that belonged in the ballroom, along with surplus sheets, pillows, and comforters for the beds a floor below. Wading through it, she walked the entire length of the floor before she happened to look down, seeing other footprints in the dust. A thin layer obscured everything this far back, and the prints were not of plain shoes, as one would think the servants - however well treated - would wear. The majority of them were high heels; one print was of a dress shoe, large; one of a smaller size, also dress shoes. She crouched to see them, following the path with her eyes to see them end at what appeared to be a normal wall.
       Of course, once she came close enough she could see the hairline crack that outlined the door. She had to smile at the ruse as she surveyed the door, made out of the same opaque crystal as the wall, and almost impossible to spot. But if one stood in the path of the shoes, staring right at it, you could find it, like an optical illusion suddenly revealing itself.
       No doubt the door a floor below was exactly what she had assumed it to be - a janitor's crammed closet - locked to entice any would-be enemy into thinking it was a cleverly concealed entrance to an upper floor. They would bust it down or pick the lock - an archaic, 21st century standard pin and bolt, from what she'd seen - and find it to be nothing more than a dirty storage space. And coming up here, they would've taken one look and assumed it worthless. The castle was a multi-spire complex, and could easily hide the queen's chambers in one of the others.
       She ran her hand over the crystal, fingers slightly bent; within a minute, she had them hooked into a small handle cut into a facet, pulling the entire thing open rather easily. It had been cut purposefully about two inches high from the floor, so that when it opened, it left no telltale mark on the floor. She had to step over and in to find another stairwell, this one with surprisingly translucent walls. It allowed in the light, but was still thick enough to contort any view of someone walking up into a trick of the eyes. And it was a long damn walk up, at least the equivalent of two or three floors.
       At the top, the door was a plain wooden, featureless thing, a 21st century block anyone could buy at the store, graced with the simplest pin handle lock. She stared at it for a long minute, unable to believe what she was seeing; though who knew? Perhaps the world no longer had criminal masterminds, or even simple thieves, able to pick such a basic lock.
       Unfortunately, she was neither of these types, and she had the knob twisting easily to her hand within a few seconds, not counting the time taken to pull out her tools. The fact that the floor was off-limits for a plausible reason didn't bother her so very much; after all, everyone was asleep. And it was an affront to her nature to find such doors closed to her, just begging to be opened and thoroughly investigated.
       She opened the door to find herself standing in an immense hallway that put the bottom floors to shame, decorated with a fountain in its middle, and hanging plants. The wall at the far end and part of the ceiling was translucent, and she was beginning to realize that was what passed for windows in the entire building; they would have allowed the rising and noon sun to stream in. But the fog and clouds obscuring the sun was already killing the vibrant green plants, which had most likely been grown carefully from seed and were fragile to begin with. Only five doors opened into this hallway, and she could guess why. Though she wondered at Endymion's warning to them all - surely he hadn't expected Venus or Moon to be able to get past that simple lock, or even to find the door - though maybe it hadn't been for them at all. His comment to her earlier, in the control room, had her pausing to stare into the flowing water, wondering if perhaps it had been a warning solely for her.
       Of course, she shouldn't have been looking in the first place.
       Knowing her future was not information she needed, nor truly wanted. She had seen the paranoia and fear that came from knowing of your future deeds, and she wanted no truck with it; and knowing the future had never, to her knowledge, actually changed anything for the better. Her father could attest to that.
       And being curious had saved her life on more than one occasion.
       But at the sight of the five doors, knowing what obviously lay behind them, she felt herself truly thinking. Was it better for her to look in, seeing the seemingly lifeless bodies of her allies and their accomplishments? She had an innate sense that even if she checked every room, she wouldn't be in any of them; four would be dedicated to the sailor soldiers of the future, the fifth would be either Chibi-Usa's room or a very roomy cat palace. There was no reason to believe that the king and queen would bunk down here with their guardians, it would be silly to do so; the sailor soldiers would be the last defense against anyone making it through the door. Putting a floor in between them was not only roomier, but common sense.
       She saw again the hidden door, next to the wooden door she had entered though. Again, it took that precise angle to see it. "They seem to be fond of mind-fucking any intruders," she noted, sitting on the edge of the fountain. Looking up at the statue from which the water streamed, she realized it was Queen Serenity - the first that the tall red-head had ever known - dressed in her simple gown, hands cupped as if holding the very world, and instead pouring water. At her feet knelt Princess Serenity, catching the flow, letting it splash out over her hands like a child.
       The multi-storied palace seemed like a ridiculous maze next to the rather simple two-storied castle on the Moon. She remembered how open it had been, like a museum where anyone could come and go, how the queen's idea of protection from the world and her enemies was to have the Crystal Guardian's room in between her own and her daughter's. The princess was, in turn, boxed in on her other side by the room shared by her four guardian soldiers. It seemed quaint compared to this nightmare of hidden doors and lengthy stairs.
       But then, she had to admit, the queen had been born in a civilization that had considered itself peaceful, despite the conflicts raging around them. Having someone violent invade her room was about as likely in her mind as waking up one day and finding herself a peasant woman on Earth. Here, the queen had been born into a human civilization full of angry people, as likely to attempt assassination as worship her image. Both times, the idyllic kingdom had been desecrated, though mother and daughter alike had expected - but hoped not for - it to happen.
       It made her a bit morose to think of it, but it was an outlook on life she herself lived and breathed, that only the strong survived. She fully expected the worst to happen, but she also expected to be able to overcome it; the weak and unprepared fell, and that was life. By no means could the Moon Kingdom have been called unprepared, maybe unaware. But she had survived it alone, as she seemed to do in everything, and again she was trying to pass that instinct on to her allies. Maybe this time she had succeeded.
       She stood, hearing the blood rushing through her system in the dead silence of the hall, her footfalls deliberately non-existant as always as she walked towards the door. This time there was no handle to pull it open, no openings at all to grab. It took her physically pressing her hand against every inch of the door to realize it was a hidden button that opened it via a spring mechanism, and the door swung inward; a crafty system. Even if an invader managed to get to this very floor, past presumably loyal servants, they would have to deal with the four Guardian soldiers before they could even hope of reaching the last door. And if they were defeated, their entrance to the royal chamber was an exercise in futility - though it was possible to find one's way - but the possibility of anyone surviving against the Ginzuishou was miniscule. Much less an angry, sword-wielding king who could most likely kill the invader while they were feeling pleased with themselves, their guard down as they ascended the stairs.
       As she did finally now.
       If the last floor had been immense, this floor was an exercise in tasteful opulence. The ceilings rose at least twenty feet over her head, hung with colourful silks and banners that looked like originals from the Moon Kingdom. Tapestries of the same ilk hung on the walls, usually across from translucent walls to create that same illusion technique used in the stairwell. Plush couches, armchairs, and woven rugs were placed at intervals to create a cozy living room. A partial wall separated one large room from another; what looked to be a school room and a play room in its spare time was set up with two desks and a chalkboard, books neat in a handmade shelf behind the teacher's desk. Two sets of handwriting decorated the board, lessons for math, ancient Japanese literature.
       At a second glance, she recognized the toys to be small weights, and judo mats set up in the corner. No doubt the four guardian soldiers were teaching the princess themselves, much as they had a lifetime ago, though where Mars had once taught music, she seemed to be now imparting great Japanese literary works. Interesting.
       In the living room, an open door led into a spiral stairwell, leading up into a small hallway with only two doors. One doorway had a childishly drawn picture of a bunny on it, along with a ridiculously uneven Luna P head. There was no reason for her to peep into the child's room - after all, the poor girl was quite awake - so she chose the door directly across and slipped inside to find herself in a pink, white, and lavender nightmare.
       Fixtures from the Imperial Palace hung and sat everywhere. They were the only adornments not conforming to the colour code, and they seemed insanely bright and out of place. The bed was shrouded in silks, king sized and immense, seemingly swallowing its one occupant in his lavender suit. He seemed lonely without his queen at his side, for the room seemed to be alive only if she were in it; her life gave the room its final touch. She could imagine the odango-haired blonde as an adult, frantically running about still, late for a dinner celebrating one of their trade agreements, or perhaps just to celebrate in general, and tripping over her feet.
       And then blonde became silver, and she saw Serenity, her queen, as she offered her hand for the ceremonial kiss, her laughter in her smile…
       She clenched her hands tight enough to feel her nails cutting her palm, forcing those memories away.
       Her palms were lifted so she could examine the half moons now indenting her skin, one or two welling blood. She licked the blood away, flexing her hands as she observed a lone pedestal near the bed, its glass case shattered. Obviously it had held something important; and just as obviously it had been stolen. But that was ridiculous. Who could have stolen a valuable from the queen's own chambers? It would have been worthless if it had happened during or after the attack - which was impossible - and it certainly couldn't have been too long ago, for the case to be in such a state. The odango-haired blonde was at least competent enough to have the dangerous shards picked up, and the rest of the case removed. She wouldn't have left such a mess, no matter how scatterbrained she could be.
       She didn't like where her train of thought was going, but it was gaining speed despite it. Even from where she stood, she could see the path of the glass, figuring it had been smashed not at the top, but from below, as though something had been thrown at it. Thrown by someone too short to reach the case properly to open it. And there, indeed, upon closer inspection, was a small tri-legged stand within the case, curved to hold something small and round, like a marble, or a glass ball, or
       "The crystal!" she deduced aloud, stunned. Of course; it made perfect sense. If it had been removed from its usual place, indeed touched by untrained, alien hands, the effect could have been devastating on the queen. Even, perhaps, the protection of the city itself; without the power of the Ginzuishou to repel the invaders, they could have waltzed right in. The queen would have been helpless if attacked, and had been forced to drastic measures to protect herself. And Chibi-Usa had fled to the past, carrying that very sacred stone around her neck.
       No wonder she had thought that the Ginzuishou of the past would have been more powerful; the child herself obviously couldn't wield it, and it had failed utterly since she had touched it. But even that in itself was unusual, as she knew the princess of the royal line would have been able to direct its power while in swaddling clothes. Was the invasion of Endymion's Earth blood enough to have completely destroyed Chibi-Usa's birthright to the crystal?
       Thoughtful, she turned around to find herself staring at a tapestry of a door.
       Wondering, she swept the heavy hanging aside to blink, perplexed, at the obvious wooden door with no obvious doorknob. It was a heavy wooden rectangle, complete with recently oiled hinges by the smell, but nothing to open it with. A rather curious dilemma, she mused, as she poked experimentally at the usual knob position. The other hidden doors had all been directly cut out of the crystal, not so obvious out of wood, and heavy, decorated wood, no less. Where the one wood door downstairs had been of plain yellow, unstained or unvarnished, this one had been stained a dark redwood colour.
       Very curious.
       After several minutes of linguistic cursing, kicking, poking, scratching, and digging in the cracks with her fingernails, she gestured impatiently at it, letting the tapestry cover it back up again. "Christ! And it's probably an actual storage room, for all of the effort wasted." Oh well; it was probably just a sign that she needed to respect their privacy and go back downstairs. She hadn't found anything so far, and for all of her searching she was maybe frozen in a glacier like some Magrathean signature. Frowning, she looked back at the tapestry for any last hint of a clue, turning her lips into a smirk at the sight of the foppish bird sitting atop the woven door. "A peacock guarding a door, with flaming tail feathers. That's terrible. It's not even the right colour, they're not orange and red. Can't any idiot tell the difference between a phoenix and a -"
       Something clicked on the other side of the weaving. She shut her mouth with an audible snap of teeth, pulling the tapestry aside to see the door gently swinging open into another stairwell. "Huh. Password. I knew that."
       Snorting at herself, she regarded the well-worn steps critically, looking up the well to see another bypass of floors that went up high into the very apex of the palace. Attic space, most likely, which may have accounted for the high traffic - the steps were dull with dirt from the bottom of shoes - but not for a password-protected door. Walking up, she noted the entire lack of translucent wall as in the other stairwell, though the ceiling was translucent to completely hide anyone walking up.
       Finally, after several minutes of walking in silence, she found herself with no more stairs to climb and merely an open doorway. Dim light streamed into the small, roughly triangular room through another translucent crystal roof, highlighting the sole object in the room; a statue of sharp, opaque blue crystal that shone warmly. It stood in the middle of the room, making use of the peak of the palace, as the room itself was not very big at all with its sharp, sloping ceilings.
       A few worn books sat at the base, dog-eared, as if someone had come up here to read to the lone occupant, along with a feather duster to thoughtfully clean the crystal. She picked up one of the books, staring at the title dully - it was one of her favourites, translated into Japanese that she had decided was a less-than-faithful rendition - and looked up at the elevated figure, unsure of how to react.
       The statue was crouched into a position of protection, arms crossed at face level to ward off a blow. Like a heartbeat, the light that suffused the figure pulsed and waned, and it was the only sign that whoever was inside was still alive, if comatose. She felt the weight of time press down on her in this room as she stared across the centuries at her own still face, into eyes that did not blink nor water, or even recognize her existence.
       And how long the statue had been here was another painful thought.
       Chibi-Usa had not recognized her. Endymion had not mentioned her. He had, in fact, commented on her lack of existence, proven true by the hall of mosaics, in which she was prominently not there. The conclusion she was coming to was not comforting, and it was really driving home the fact that she shouldn't have come looking to begin with. Her constant paranoid curious was biting her on the ass this time.
       She sat down at the foot of it, raking an impatient hand back through her hair. "Fuck," she said softly.

       Several floors below, Chibi-Usa sat in the garden of the palace, expertly closing the latch on Luna-P. She cried in relief as the toy's eyes lit up, and it began beeping as it ran a diagnostic on her, and then, itself. When everything was proven normal, it floated up to hover in its usual spot next to her, comical as ever. "Ara, Luna-P, I'm so glad you're alright!" she sighed, reaching out to hug the bulbous thing. "Everything's going wrong, and I don't know what to do anymore!"
       Beeping cautiously, the toy settled down next to her on the bench, a normal procedure when the pink-haired child needed to vent. It made her feel as though the toy were a real person listening to her, though truly, she knew better; but sometimes, imagination did wonders. "I brought Sailor Moon home with me, to save mama; I made it, Luna-P, all by myself! But, mama…" She paused, thinking of the ditzy, odango-haired blonde she had met. The small details she had noticed that, when she truly thought hard, reconciled with her mother's own actions. Her feeling of safety in the presence of Usagi and Mamoru that she steadfastly would not admit to herself until just before the trip…what she had attributed to them being Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen.
       "Mama is Sailor Moon," she breathed finally, frowning at her shoes. "Mama never told me she was Sailor Moon….but it wasn't to hurt me, papa said." But deception hurt, unintentional or not; and she knew that was the pain she was feeling. She could have been trusted with this secret, but they didn't trust her…
       She stared through the open gates, out at the wasteland that was the city. Even here she could smell the rotting corpses, many of them - if not all - people she had known, if only by name and not by association. Her mother had wanted it that way, to be more of a person to them all instead of some untouchable monarch. But soon, she had said, the city would grow large, and she couldn't possibly know everyone. Not much chance of anything growing now after this disaster.
       Luna-P beeped in distress as the pink-haired child walked towards the entrance of the palace, floating quickly to interpose itself between her and the outside world. "Ne, Luna-P, what's wrong?" The ball bobbed frantically in the air, beeping more, its eyes flashing. She stared at it, a slowly growing frown on her face. "Of course I can go into the city. Papa can monitor me from the palace, and I have you, Luna-P. I just want to look."
       Even though the city was a den of horrors, and she had seen only a bit of it, there was a tiny, fiendish bit of curiousity still alive in her; most humans always want a second look, no matter how terrible the first. She pushed by the frantic toy and wandered free of the palace, feeling the tiny buzz in her brain that meant she had left the safety of the shield. Luna-P nearly slammed into her back, so fast did it follow her, its miniature receptors relaying SOS back to the palace.
       By curious contrast, they mimicked the noise of the bell as it shook merrily atop the mirror in Esmeraud's hands. She smiled wickedly.
       Smell assaulted the pink-haired child as she walked on, oblivious to the danger, covering her mouth and nose as her eyes watered. She'd forgotten how cold it had become, without the temperature regulators functioning to drive away the freezing winds of the ice and snow. But it was not quite cold enough to preserve the bodies, to prevent the rot, and so she shook and shivered and smelled the stench of death as she walked.
       At one point she slipped, falling to her knees next to one of the storekeepers, a nice Englishman she remembered had given her a wonderful book on unicorns. He had fallen in the street next to his sign, his face and clothing torn away by the force of the blast, his cornflower blue eyes fixed up on a point in the sky she could not see. Now, after so much, she screamed, scrambling back on her hands.
       The children she had found had been cruel to her, nasty in their taunts. After all, she wasn't just a child to them; she was their future queen. A princess who had no power, even though her parents always said that someday she would be like them, able to call on her inner strength. But she also knew what they talked about between themselves at night, late in bed; that she was, not in their words but close enough, a freak; and that they didn't know what to do. And all she had wanted was to be a lady like her mother.
       But the Englishman had been kind to her. He had gone to one knee and taken her hand and kissed it, and called her 'Your Highness,' and smiled at her. Her father had called him a true gentleman, and she had treasured the book. He had been kind, and he was dead.
       She was crying, huddled on the ground as Luna-P hovered anxiously over her, wondering in the depths of its circuitry where the hell the king was, when something big and green smashed into it. Jumbled imagery of the city gone topsy-turvy registered before the toy slammed into a wall, making an unpleasant noise. Everything shut down as Chibi-Usa screamed, and screamed again.
       Her screams abruptly cut short. Esmeraud expertly choked her into unconsciousness, pressing her forearm across the child's windpipe. It took the right amount of pressure and time to produce the right result; contrary to the movies and TV, choking a struggling person was not so clean and easy. Her foremost concern had been killing the rabbit, because she had no doubt that a dead princess would have been of no use to her for barter.
       The remaining screams echoed faintly down the street, though the pounding of feet eclipsed it. Venus, having tired of her tour and wandering into the control room to plot and scheme with the felines, had been the first to see the frantic signal on the screen. Luna-P's transmission abruptly cut off just as the signal had intensified, a familiar green-haired woman visible despite the static. It sent the long-haired blonde racing out of the palace, trusting Artemis and Luna to call for Sailor Moon and her prince. Calling power to her hand before she even cleared the gates, she vaulted up into the air within sight of the woman, shouting, "Crescent Beam!"
       Esmeraud laughed, slapping the beam away with a flick of her wrist. Venus cried out as it slammed into her stomach, sending her flying back into a wall of the palace hard enough to crack the marble. The green-haired woman preened, nearly glowing with ego and power; she had never felt better, in fact, though why was a mystery. Perhaps it was her proximity to the rabbit, with her powerful blood; she never thought to suspect the mirror which was tucked into her belt, its surface tarnished completely black.
       Sailor Moon skidded to a stop as Esmeraud experimentally blasted Venus with a bolt of black, crackling energy. As the soldier cried out, Sailor Moon screamed, "You! Release Chibi-Usa, you evil woman! We've already beaten you once, how dare you try again!"
       "It's simple! Esmeraud shall always find herself victorious, even after the struggle!" Holding aloft the limp pink-haired child, she pressed her fingernail into her cheek, drawing it taunt against her skin to leave a red, angry mark. "The rabbit was an easy catch, Sailor Moon; pitiful, for her ancestry is reputed to be strong."
       "Let her go, you green-haired witch!" Venus coughed from the ground, finally getting up onto her knees. It wasn't a very good show of might, but she did her best to stand up without wobbling.
       It was apparently the wrong thing to say, because it threw Esmeraud into a frothing rage. Stamping her foot, she shouted, "WHAT! You little, impudent, blonde-haired, pitiful nothing! How dare you insult me, the future queen of the Black Moon! I'll kill you for that slight!"
       In her arms, Chibi-Usa had gained minimal consciousness, and was twisting feebly, kicking her legs in an attempt to get away. Esmeraud merely held her aloft by the throat, smiling cruelly at Sailor Moon's pained gasp. She held her rod at her side, useless; and she was forced back, as Esmeraud began to walk forward, holding the pink-haired child like a shield in front of her. "Now, you'll take me to the royal whore, that godless wench you call Serenity. And you'll watch me remove her head, and perhaps the child's as well. Maybe I'll kill you all then, after I kill the royal family; I'm not sure yet."
       "Why are you doing this?" Sailor Moon asked softly, stunned by the woman's hatred, so obvious and thick. Behind her she could hear Venus quietly swearing, as useless as anyone as Esmeraud advanced.
       Esmeraud looked at the odango-haired blonde curiously, obviously surprised by the question. "Why? Because this kingdom is a crime against God. Because the queen has so ensnared Demand-sama that she must die, flaunting her charms as she does like any wanton whore."
       They were coming up to the gates of the palace now, and Endymion's figure was visible through the entrance. "Ah, the godless king as well! How perfect this trap has worked!" Esmeraud laughed, coyly hiding her lower face with her trademark fan. "My Demand-sama will be so pleased with me! Now," she purred, gesturing with the fan, "drop your weapon, little girl."
       Sailor Moon stared at her as if she had just asked for her to take down the sun from the sky. Venus said instantly, "Iie, Sailor Moon!"
       Behind her, at her right side, she could feel her prince gathering his own power. Though it could have been a perfect attack - dropping down to throw away her weapon, he could have released his power over her head, destroying Esmeraud or at least critically wounding her - but Chibi-Usa hung there, a literal wall between them. Without looking, she opened her hand to drop the rod to the street, wincing at the noise.
       Esmeraud seemed surprised as well. Certainly she hadn't expected the annoying brat to actually do it; here she had prepared herself for a full-on assault, hostage or not. "Yare yare, is the strongest, legendary sailor soldier actually a coward?"
       "I dropped my weapon," Sailor Moon said softly, "as you told me to. Please; don't hurt Chibi-Usa-chan now."
       "Chibi-Usa? Is that what you call her? What a stupid, silly name," Esmeraud stated critically, advancing further still. In her hand was a sphere of black, an imperfect ball of energy, which she lifted with a slowly growing smile. "Just as you are stupid. Sayonara, Sailor Moon."
       Glitter sparkled from the sky; or at least, that was what it seemed. Red lines appeared in the vulnerable flesh of Esmeraud's face, her arms and legs, neat rips in her dress. Each sliver of crystal was impeccable in its aim; not a one touched Chibi-Usa. The green-haired woman gaped, her hand aloft for a stunned moment with its energy forgotten; her face was wounded.
       (The gravity of that statement has to be amended.)
       Her. Face. Was. WOUNDED.
       She screamed, utterly frozen by the stinging pain and the insult to her ego. "Who…who…who did this? Who dared do this to me!? WHO?!"
       A shadow fell across her face, and they all looked up to the palace wall, where the Crystal Guardian stood above their heads, seemingly unconcerned. Running hell-bent down several flights of stairs had been an excellent workout. "Bonjou'. Remember me?"
       Her hand came up, holding another five shards of crystal as one would a spread of cards. As Esmeraud stared, disbelieving her eyes at the sight of the mythical guardian, her hand spun, fingers dancing to catch each shard between each digit. With uncanny accuracy they were flung, spinning like drills to slash down across her eyes, her biceps, her thigh. Her blinking saved her eyeballs from the delicate, precise wounds, but she hurt too terribly to open her eyes. The biggest insult of all, however, was that she was so arrogant in her methods of fighting that she disdained physical assault, preferring energy attacks - and just as Chibi-Usa's throwing Luna-P at her hours earlier had so shocked her, so did the projectiles. It just wasn't done.
       With both muscles cut deep enough to seriously wound, her arms went slack. Chibi-Usa dropped like a sack of potatoes, too groggy to land properly; Venus dove forward, catching the pink-haired child as she began to roll, carrying them both out of the line of fire. Sailor Moon ducked as Venus cried an affirmative, Tuxedo Kamen lunged towards Esmeraud, shouting, "Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!"
       At her waist, the mirror shattered. It took the brunt of the attack, and Esmeraud, blind as a bat, was thrown across the street, smashing through a spider-webbed window with a resounding smash. Sailor Moon used her momentum to spring forward, running towards the gaping hole, glass crunching beneath her boots. Her rod was in the air and aimed as the green-haired woman struggled up, blinking rapidly to see only an intense light as the odango-haired blonde, putting every bit of anger at her family being hurt behind it, screamed, "Moon Princess Halation!"
       She became dust, and Sailor Moon wobbled, falling onto her knees. Rolling back onto her hands, she could see Venus, carefully holding Chibi-Usa as Tuxedo Kamen, unsure of whom to go to, finally chose his princess. "Usako, are you alright?" he asked cautiously, glancing back at the sound of the Crystal Guardian dropping from the wall.
       "Hai, hai," she sighed, staring at her rod thoughtfully. She crawled to her feet, wondering how many more lives such a gaudy weapon would take. "Why does peace take so much violence? I'm tired of my friends, my family, being hurt in such a manner," she remarked dolefully, looking around at the destroyed city.
       Venus shifted the pink-haired child in her arms with a grunt, muttering something about a futuristic weight-loss center. "Because we're sailor soldiers," she remarked finally, though the question had been reflective more than serious. At the sound of metal scraping stone, however, the long-haired blonde struggled to turn about, while keeping Chibi-Usa protected by her body. It wasn't an easy task, and she frowned at the result.
       Luna-P was rolling along the street slowly, pushed by inertia and the wind. Sailor Moon left her prince's side and ran to pick it up, frowning at its lack of noise. "Yare yare, she broke you too," she sighed, shaking the toy without thinking. It made no sign of recognition, and she shook it once more before thinking, belatedly, that it might have been a stupid move. She tucked it beneath her arm, smiling at the sight of her daughter being carried to safety within the gates in the arms of a muttering Venus. A day before, she had wished the child banished to whatever place she had come from; now, she was frantic to make sure not so much as a bee stung her precious skin.
       So lost in her thoughts, she was unaware of the disturbance collecting above her head. Tuxedo Kamen, now standing patiently at the palace gates and the only other soul in such a position, saw it before the shadow lengthened before her. "Sailor Moon, above you!" he yelled, his limbs tensing for his forward spring. But as he went airborne, Demand gestured almost lazily to slam him back down with a bolt of energy.
       "The legendary soldier, Sailor Moon," Demand sighed above her as she stared, shocked, at her prince's smoking chest. "You killed my associate, Esmeraud. That's an unforgivable act of war."
       She stared up at him, furious. Chibi-Usa's capture had created a fear in her she had never known before, helpless as she had been to save her, a fear that had turned to flashing anger at her chance. But Tuxedo Kamen was wounded, injured for seemingly no reason; and that pissed her off mightily and instantly. "An unforgivable act of war! You of the Black Moon attacked us, capturing my friends! Your methods are evil and cruel, and I will vanquish you for that!" Dropping the silent toy, she reclaimed her rod, holding it instinctively in a parry position in front of her.
       The sounds of another battle and Sailor Moon's shout had Venus and the Crystal Guardian, inside of the palace with Chibi-Usa, looking at one another for a surprised second. (Hadn't they just defeated the damn enemy?) Motioning for Venus to stay put, the tall red-head ran back for the outer gates, cursing under her breath as she leapt for the top of the wall again, landing quietly as she saw the attacker. She had a feeling the element of surprise was already gone as she saw his eyes shift.
       Demand frowned as he saw her movement, brushing his cape behind a shoulder. Before she could react with her projectiles, he flung his hand out, creating a black tornado of wind that blasted her off her feet, throwing her head over heels down the street and through another window, this one partially broken. "Guardian-sama!" Sailor Moon screamed, stunned. Up until that point, the tall red-head had casually batted away anything thrown at her, but now, the odango-haired blonde was realizing that even she could be seriously hurt.
       "The Crystal Guardian?" Demand remarked thoughtfully, gaining another angered stare. "Interesting. I expected better."
       Little sparkles of light came whipping out of the abandoned building as he spoke. But this time it was the broken shards of the window, thicker pieces of clear glass that ripped his flesh open in several places. Though he twisted at the last moment, many hit their mark, and they were far less neat than the crystal cuts. "I see I spoke too soon!" he growled between his teeth.
       "Where did you take my friends!" Sailor Moon yelled from below, taking an aggressive step forward. "Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, where are they? Bring them back!"
       He glanced down at her, his eyes suddenly intent on her face. So seriously did he stare at her that her aggression leaked away, and she in fact backed up. "N-nani?"
       "You….impossible. But your eyes are the very same…" he murmured, rotating his head to see the lone soldier crawling out of the building. Now, there was a corona of fire around her fist, power gathering strength. Like Demand, she too bore the jagged injuries of broken glass, though she bled far worse. "And such passionate protection…only the queen deserves such loyalty. Is it possible that the queen I so desire is in fact the legendary soldier, Sailor Moon?"
       The odango-haired blonde flinched at his words, feeling exposed beneath the intensity of his stare. But as she looked back up at him, she could see the emptiness in his eyes; they caught her gaze, trapping her as the emblem on his forehead shifted, slitted into an oval from which the light shone. She felt it tug at her body, and she was halfway into the air before her fogged brain registered that she was moving. "Sailor Moon! Sailor Moon!" Falling limp within his power, she felt the weight of her only solid weapon dropping uselessly from her hand.
       "Don't look into his eyes, Serenity!" Endymion screamed impulsively from the palace gates, pounding his fists against the shield that simultaneously protected and confined him. Demand's smile was both pleased and triumphant, wilting the strong king nearly into oblivion; he had, unintentionally, given the white-haired prince the proof he needed.
       Venus, freed of her burden, leapt off the wall of the palace gates, releasing her crescent beam almost point blank at Demand. The Crystal Guardian flung a twisting fireball, going for her sword as she too leapt.
       Both of them were blasted down the sidewalk, as Wiseman interposed himself suddenly between them and his prince, a shifting, amoebic hand sending them on their way. They hit, skidding painfully for several more yards, as Demand, Sailor Moon, and the robed sage disappeared, holes ripped open to accept them and spirit them away to safety; to Nemesis, Endymion knew, even as he slumped to his knees in defeat. "Iie…Serenity…"