Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Pretty Soldiers ❯ Act 29 - mugen six : Sanshu no Jingi ( Chapter 29 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

       "….and there still has been no decisive comment from the Metropolitan Police as to the recent and mysterious animal attacks that have occurred outside of the Delta region.
       "Also, several Mugen Gakuen students have been found dead in their homes, suffering violent hemorrhage and ruptures of the heart and brain, leading several scientists to claim that atavism is in fact the cause. The possible closure of the acclaimed academy is pending in light of these problems, with no remarkable answers coming from the head of the school, the secluded Tomoe Souichi."

       The smile was familiar, yet somehow more vibrant and enigmatic; a subtle twist of lips, lightly touched with berry-coloured gloss, that lit up the eyes brilliant and warm. It was the smile of a teenager who had not spent the equivalent of hundreds of lifetimes alone in solitary guardianship, having lived a full eighteen years as an average human being, instead of a secluded, withdrawn and desperately needy young girl. And it said a lot that she was the only one of the three actually smiling to begin with. "Pluto," Sailor Moon whispered as she dropped, feeling only the strong cushion of arms stopping her fall. "Sailor Pluto…"
       "Puu!" A pink streak ran by, catapulting into the arms of the black-clad sailor soldier, who held her awkwardly. "Puu! Oh, Puu, I knew you wouldn't leave me! I knew you'd come back, somehow…I'm so sorry! I'm so so-"
       "….Small Lady?"
       "H-hai?" The pink-haired girl looked up at her oldest friend curiously, hearing more than a hint of wariness and hesitance in her voice. Of course, it hadn't occurred to her at all that perhaps this Pluto was not exactly the Pluto who had sacrificed her life, having lived an entirely different life before becoming a sailor soldier. She simply saw the Puu she had known, if perhaps a bit taller and curved with a woman's softness instead of a child's fat.
       "Gomen nasai." Pluto gently held her back. "But I've only just awakened to the power; and so much is a question to me, instead of an answer. I remember that you are my special friend, my little lady princess, but that life, that entire existence…" She averted her eyes, her smile lost into the vestiges of a frown. "I was reincarnated, much as everyone else. And the memory of Sailor Pluto the child is fleeting. There is only the mission."
       Chibi-Moon's uncomprehending, pouting gaze was heart-rending. Looking away in her own sadness, the older Moon found the face of her rescuer staring past her in a flat frown, storm cloud eyes narrowed. "Uranus," she mumbled, finding her vision tripling.
       The tall sandy-blonde lowered her eyes. "Rest, odango," she said firmly, adjusting her hold. "You were hurt badly, and your soul was taken away."
       A scream; Mercury twisted in agony as the vines released her, allowing her to vent her fear and frustration. She looked mottled and red, her flesh striped from the tight confinement, bruises rising in their newborn red. Mars, scraped raw herself, lifted herself from the concrete to comfort the terrorized blue-haired genius, who began shaking in her arms. Venus moved in the opposite direction to lift Jupiter from the ground, the green-clad soldier hanging limp and seemingly deep asleep, a trickle of blood marking her forehead.
       Mamoru stood listless, blinking as though just waking up, the oozing cut on his head healing with each passing second. Even as Mercury's screaming subsided into frantic whimpering he looked dully confused, ocean blue murky as though still polluted. He stared around slowly at the broken remains of the shop window, watching as the tall red-head staggered out, slivers of glass glistening like spines along her arms. She muttered something to herself and stumbled forward, caught at the last moment by a nimble Neptune.
       Tellu was beaten, but at a higher cost than any previous witch.
       The dusky-skinned brunette cleared her throat, magenta eyes regarding every person with a poignant anger and despair. "This is the result of an insidious evil. An evil from beyond the solar system, slipped through our broken defense like the snakes in the grass." She gestured, palm open, towards the odango-haired blonde, who was attempting to stand with Uranus's help. "You must understand, Sailor Moon. If it can use you as a doll, our shining princess, then what can you do to stop it?"
       "Princess?" This from Neptune, who was also helping another to stand, though the Crystal Guardian seemed steady as long as she didn't attempt to walk. "But then, the image of our queen, Serenity…"
       "Who was her mother," the tall red-head replied before Pluto could. "Reincarnated, like all of you. Though in this time, Princess Serenity is a sailor soldier, hiding in plain sight."
       Sailor Moon was free of the tall sandy-blonde then, who had withdrawn her hands as though she had touched something unclean - or perhaps holy. Crystal blue watched as Uranus and Neptune rejoined Pluto, a unified triumvirate. The Crystal Guardian did the same, limping to stand at the side of her princess, holding Chibi-Moon's hand. A disruption in the air signaled a new transformation; and Tuxedo Kamen appeared to stand as well next to his future bride.
       The four guardian soldiers bridged the gap, standing - or in the case of the unconscious Jupiter, held by Venus - in a row, for a quick defense. Though it would be a pitiful show of strength; Mercury was still pale and trembling, obviously having found out she was a closet claustrophobic, Jupiter was breathing but out like a light and compromising Venus's hands. Only Mars was able, but even she sported injuries that could slow her down. And against two soldiers who had already taken a firm stance against them, it could spell disaster.
       "Princess Serenity, please accept an apology from us," Pluto said, holding her rod at her side, relaxed. "My allies acted in haste. If you would show them your true form, we would all pledge our allegiance anew to your future kingdom."
       "My true form…?" Sailor Moon whispered, taking the hand of her prince instinctively, tightly.
       Her body felt hot, suddenly suffused with power. She closed her eyes as she felt it caress her skin, a fine tremble beginning in her limbs. Her sailor suit drew up and flowed out into the white gown she had worn that long ago day, the diaphanous folds her instinctive costume whenever she recalled the girl who had lived as Princess Serenity. Her hair grew to the dirty concrete, turning the colour of the moon itself, and she could feel the street beneath her bare toes.
       She opened her eyes to see Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune down on their knees in salute, head bowed low in submission. "Remarkable," she heard the Crystal Guardian whisper, and the odango-haired blonde was stunned to see tears in her eyes. Then she remembered that her dearest friend had died before she had gained her power as Serenity, had never seen the true reincarnation of the princess she had seen alive centuries ago. "Princess Serenity. I mean, really you, just like…"
       It was strange to become the princess, like a clever overlap of memory and personality. The last time she had truly become Serenity, high above the spire of the Tokyo Tower, it had been a deluge of lifetimes. She had clearly remembered running in her bare feet down the marble halls of the castle as a child, as well as drawing on Ikuko-mama's best tablecloth with a black marker. Learning how to dance the slow, waltz-like routine that had been popular in the Silver Millennium's royal courts, as well as laughing in Alex's arms as she taught her 20th century swing and the Charleston. As now, both of those happy lifetimes were clear within her mind.
       "Guardian-sama," she said sweetly, holding out her hands to the tall red-head. "Don't be sad. You've been the loyal friend in every lifetime."
       "How could I be sad, m'p'tite ange, when you're alive?" The Crystal Guardian bent down and kissed her crescent mark in respect.
       Smiling, the odango-haired blonde turned back towards the three kneeling soldiers, taking the hands of her prince and their child and squeezing them gently. Then, she said, "Sailor Pluto, your apology is not necessary."
       The dusky-skinned brunette lifted her head, magenta not quite as ageless as they had once been, but still quite knowledgeable. "Princess Serenity. The queen of our loving future, Neo Queen Serenity. To you, I, Sailor Pluto, the soldier of the planet Pluto, pledge my loyalty."
       "Princess Serenity, I carry the power of the planet Uranus. To you, I, Sailor Uranus, pledge my loyalty," the tall sandy-blonde stated, lifting her head to stare with storm cloud eyes. With a gesture, she called forth to her hand a strange and bejeweled sword, using it to salute.
       "Princess Serenity, our future Neo Queen Serenity, I carry the protection of the Planet Neptune. To you, I, Sailor Neptune, pledge my loyalty." Opening her hand, the aqua-haired beauty summoned the Deep Aqua Mirror, holding it with both hands to her chest.
        "We are the triumvirate of the outer solar system."
       Everyone continued to stare, simply stunned, even Serenity, because no matter what personality assumed her clothing, Usagi was the truest in control. And she had no recollection or even hint of knowledge of these three in such a manner. "Then, you've come to us as friends and allies, finally…?"
       "Iie. Forgive us, our princess. We will apologize for our manners, but we simply cannot be your allies in this way." Pluto stood, taking hold of her rod in a lax cross grip for an easy draw. "What I know of our mission is simple; in ancient times, we were the guardian soldiers of the three outermost planets, protecting the Silver Millennium from afar."
       "But you told us, in the future, that you weren't allowed to leave the door unprotected!" Venus interrupted, her brow wrinkling in confusion.
       "Many an enemy chose their path through the door of space-time. That was my domain," Pluto continued smoothly, as though she had not in fact been disturbed. "We were the strongest soldiers, gifted with powers and items to solemnly destroy any trespassers. And then, my fellow soldiers were reincarnated in this time as were you, awakened to their powers by the tripped signal too late; an enemy had infiltrated our system."
       "This was our faulty knowledge," Neptune took over, standing tall at her partner's side. "We were too late to destroy the enemy, and we awoke to find them instead convenient and safe within Mugen Gakuen. So it is our mission to properly deal with them."
       Jupiter mumbled something incoherent in the arms of the long-haired blonde, her head shaking from side to side. She was still unconscious, which was not an entirely good sign, but her power as a sailor soldier also worked at healing her despite her condition; already the cut on her forehead was closing. Mercury finally seemed to come alive at the sound, and, still trembling finely, she moved to investigate her ally.
       Mars asked, "But then, if you know that the Death Busters came from outer space, do you know where from?"
       Neptune touched the glass of her mirror pensively. "We have…ideas. Bidou Yui-san, the witch you knew as Viluy, was a brilliant student and scientist. Do you remember, Mercury, when she accosted you at the Dome? The science convention she was entered in, she had created a replica of an unusual spiral system that no one had ever heard of."
       "The Tau Star System," Uranus answered for her, remembering that particular conversation they'd had after class. "An unrecorded system. Perhaps, that is their home."
       "And from that place, they've come here, to the Delta in particular," Neptune said.
       "Space warps in unusual ways in the Delta. Perhaps, a dimensional warp that brought them across the galaxies, or simply a power they were drawn to." Pluto spoke with authority on the manner; after all, it was a topic she had been studying rapidly over the past few weeks.
       Tuxedo Kamen frowned, taking a partial step forward to call attention to himself. "Do you know the individual enemies? Who are they?"
       "Gomen nasai, Endymion-sama. But we can't tell you that just now." The dusky-skinned brunette shrugged as though it was hardly important.
       "Besides," Uranus cut in, a bit sharply, "now our methods will have to change. We had been so close, infiltrating the school as proper students, learning their ways. Now that we've been discovered thanks to your clumsiness, we'll have to move differently to defeat them."
       Venus winced. Oops.
       The tall red-head made a disparaging noise, pausing in her seemingly endless attempt to pull all of the pieces of glass out of her limbs. Her fingertips were stained red, and she wiped them carelessly on her uniform as she said, "Is that your honest excuse? You really are that gung ho to commit suicide by doing this alone? Even before, there was never such a gathering of soldiers in this system, so much power to accomplish the mission, and you still bitch and gripe?"
       "Guardian-sama, please. Surely there is a way for us to resolve this, as proper allies," Serenity pleaded.
       "Isn't that the mission of a sailor soldier? To defeat evil? All of us, together, are sailor soldiers, and we should work together!" Chibi-Moon released her mother's hand, hopping a few steps forward towards her reincarnated friend, arms open. "Puu, how can you turn away like that!"
       The trio stared down at her in stubborn silence.
       She burst into quiet tears, retracing her steps back to Serenity's side, and clutched at her skirts. To have her only friend, Pluto, reborn in this time, and to act so cold and strange towards her…it was all she could do to not vocalize her grief, and instead let only tears free. Stroking her pink hair, Serenity allowed a hint of her resolve and dismay show as she caught Uranus's eyes, and the tall sandy-blonde looked away first. "I don't understand," she said finally. "Together, we could defeat this enemy. You no longer have to work alone."
       "It doesn't matter," Neptune said with maddening politeness, though there was an undercurrent of ice that meant she was tiring of their questions. "We have the power to finish this alone. It's that simple, princess."
       "Because of those items you carry? Is that your stronger power?" Venus queried, her gaze lingering on the hand mirror in Neptune's grasp, and then the strange sword in Uranus's hand. The blade seemed to be far too short and squat to be of any real use except for perhaps parrying or stabbing, and luminescent as if made out of light. Its handle was ornate silver, with a hand guard shaped rather like a fluted Tiffany lamp, or a crown, with a cross beam shaped like an 'S.' Inset with light blue tones, it looked more like a museum piece than a useful object.
       All of them were struck then by the realization that the three of them together held an object of power, counting Pluto's rod. And Mars very nearly stopped breathing as she recalled that dream during the trip to Ise, of the three gathered on the Moon, holding up their objects that shone so brightly...kami-sama, how could she not see it immediately? "The talismans," she whispered, and every head turned to stare at her. "The talismans. The three talismans that the god of ruin spoke of, initiating the Silence. You hold them!"
       "A sword, and a mirror, and Pluto's rod, are they the talismans? The three that will form the key to summon the god of ruin?" Tuxedo Kamen said, motioning to each in turn. Neither denying it nor agreeing to it, they simply regarded the prince passively. Apparently for them, less was more, and their silence was rather annoying.
       Finally, however, Pluto said, "Hai. The sword of Uranus, the mirror of Neptune, and, " she touched a gentle hand to the globe set within the crown of her rod, "the jewel of Pluto. Together, they would resonate with power, and then, summon forth the god of ruin from eternal slumber. Then, the god would lower the glaive, and bring forth the Silence."
       "That is why we were separate in our mission," Uranus added. "The god of ruin was only to be summoned for the ultimate power, to bring death to a world. Either to defeat the enemy, or to cleanse its remains."
       And they seemed to resonate even then, each item faintly shimmering with power. But obviously, something had to trigger their power, the key that would call forth their ultimate power and waken the god of ruin. Otherwise they couldn't have stood together as they did, but, it was still so strange that they were so responsive now… "Is that why the three talismans are glowing like that?" the tall red-head asked, hugging her arms tightly as though cold.
       "Possibly." Neptune sighed. "But being together, surely they wouldn't trigger the god of ruin's awakening. And we have no little memory of that lifetime, so we don't entirely understand this."
       "Could they be used to summon anything else?" Tuxedo Kamen asked.
       All three of them shook their heads.
       Then, Jupiter made a noise similar to a hacking cough, deep in her throat, and said, "Belgium," snuggling into Venus's arms. At least this time, however, she seemed to be lightly dozing instead of entirely comatose, and Mercury smiled faintly, nodding. She was all right.
       Pluto glanced to each of her comrades, and they nodded in unison as well, silently agreeing; and the aqua-haired beauty said simply, "We'll be going now. Please, don't bother contacting us."
       "Sayonara, odango," the tall sandy-blonde said next, turning away with her partner to walk down the street, Pluto favouring the pink-haired child with a sad glance before she, too, followed them. In a minute, they seemed to vanish as they crossed into the shadows that lined the concrete between each light, an excellent illusion.
       "Uranus, Neptune…Pluto," Serenity remarked quietly, clasping her hands tight. With a flash of light, she changed not back into Sailor Moon, but Tsukino Usagi. After all, wasn't the fight finished for tonight? "Why won't they accept our help?"
       "Maybe they're just stubborn," the Crystal Guardian remarked, looking amazingly pale, her light skin-tone nearly translucent. She closed her eyes, concentrating to exchange her uniform for the dark blue shirt and black jeans she'd been wearing earlier. Then, strangely enough, she looked even worse; she was sweating, obviously tired. "After…after all, they're exa…ctly…the..same…" Her legs neatly folded beneath her as she blinked slowly, and she dropped down onto the street. And it was suddenly, stupidly obvious why; the sleeves of her shirt were darkening nearly black with blood. She had been bleeding slowly over the course of their conversation, and where Jupiter had her magic to slowly heal her wounds, their mentor seemed to have none at all.
       "Sensei!"

---

      Had a week honestly passed since that wonderful afternoon? Hotaru felt strangely lightheaded at the realization that she had been incarcerated - her word; her father called it 'under observation' - for nearly half of that. Bedridden, brought all sorts of simple but filling meals by Kaoli and her assistant, a girl Hotaru had met only once before, Cyprine, and kept otherwise closeted off from the world. At times she would be escorted to the laboratory in her flimsy nightgown, easily taken off to allow her father to prod and poke her as he pleased.
       The main reason for this sudden interest in her was her father's experimentation with brand-new hardware from America, even smaller wire and receptor modules that could replace her older prosthetics. Or so he had claimed, citing her sudden seizure and collapse during the middle of home economics, which had made a spectacular mess of rice flour and water on the floor she could imagine.
       And she liked the class; she never expected to be eligible for marriage in her condition, but enjoyed cooking, and had long ago reasoned it was merely common sense to learn. So the fact she had ruined the hour for herself and everyone else that day was rather a low point.
       Not that having to endure anesthesia via needles the size of small swords that hurt just as badly as expected for perhaps half a day's worth of surgery was a high. She was covered in gauze bandages and stitching and she felt like one giant bruise. But, she had to admit, her limbs moved easier with the smaller wiring, and she felt sensations so much greater through her fingertips.
       She reached to her bedside table without looking, picking up the familiar weight of the amulet to simply hold in her hand. Her father's gift to her had been missing for several days, and she had been terrified she had lost it until Kaoli had suddenly shown it to her. The red-haired woman had seemed smug at Hotaru's insistence that she hand it over, holding it up like some piece of bait above her head. "Soon, you'll be well, and able to take this from me, ne?" Kaoli had laughed.
       What had she replied in turn? She couldn't…remember…something about the…the Master…. Pharaoh 90. Laughing in a voice that was too cruel to be her own. Kaoli's face twisting, red in humiliation. And then that pain again in her head, that sensation of something pushing out as if trapped inside of her skin and bones. But she had taken the amulet Kaoli had dropped into her lap, and the pain subsided, calmed. What was the power the amulet had to cure her symptoms?
       Holding it now, she felt calmer, though she had no pain to wish away with its magic. Merely the hope of a restful sleep, which, curled into her cotton sheets and thick blankets, she soon slid into. Though it was most likely the residual drugs in her system that made it so easy, a cocktail of potent chemicals that were so effective at knocking her out so she felt no pain.
       Sleeping…yes, that's what she was doing, in this useless human body. She could feel the magic that was strengthening her dormant soul, the power of the Taioron Crystal that Kaolinite had endowed the amulet with, that the professor had given her in increasingly higher dosages. Stronger, she continued to feed upon this girl's soul, swallowing her dimming light to make way for her arrival.
       But there was a resistance at the core that held her back from her goal, and in fact drained her even as she continued to feed. She needed a strong magic to overcome this annoying resistance, something potent. The girl's soul needed to be destroyed and humiliated, simply because she was a human annoyance.
       And she knew just what to do.

---

      The screaming had begun perhaps fifteen minutes after they'd gotten Alex settled into the hospital, when she'd regained consciousness despite her blood loss. She'd managed to wake up just as they were readying the needle for an injection, and went rather mad.
       A couple of student doctors who had foolishly intervened, thinking they were big enough to hold her down for sedation, were lucky to escape with a broken arm and a busted nose. They had actually tackled her down onto the floor finally, loading her with enough sedative to knock out a man twice her body mass. And even that wasn't enough; she woke up an hour later, completely dumbfounding the nurse, and went on another rampage. They'd finally just hooked her up on an I.V. to keep her constantly sedated, stitched her arms up, and hit another snag; her blood type was too unique for a transfusion. Even type o negative didn't match.
       With Alex unable to make decisions for herself, and with no family to contact, Makoto was surprised to find that everything fell onto her. And it was a simple matter of legality; Alex had gone to social services and had herself named Makoto's legal guardian. It was really nothing more than assuming responsibility for the tall brunette's health and well being, but it was amazing all the same. But it also meant that she was technically also the only person who could make a decision for the hospitalized American, even if she was only fourteen.
       And she finally just told them to release her, even though she was dangerously anemic with no way for them to give her a blood transfusion to make up for the loss. But she was also slowly making up the difference as they fed her proteins and liquids intravenously, and Makoto promised to make sure she remained resting at home. There was nothing else they could really do otherwise, so they just gave in.
        Mamoru had to drive the car, with Usagi and Chibi-Usa squashed into the front seat, Makoto in the back with Alex laid out across the seat with her head in the tall brunette's lap. Though it was a reasonably roomy car, it was a two-door coupe, and getting the tall red-head into the back without hitting her head or knees had been ridiculous. She was also pumped full of enough drugs that she thankfully did not wake up until she was in her own bed.
       In the meantime, Ami had been using her computer to research the school's staff for potential hidden enemies. After all, it was beyond doubt now that the school hid the witches within their ranks, though they were still missing the vital proof that would link Tomoe and his daughter to them. She had found Haruka and Michiru's files as well, though most of it was relatively junk information; physical attributes, their intended subjects for study and college plans. Also, their addresses, not entirely surprising; they lived in the expensive condominiums that loomed over the school.
       Luna also made a surprising discovery of her own; the computer contained everything that had been destroyed from beneath the game center, including the protected files they had saved to disk but could not unlock. So much information, much of transcribed from what looked to be the original language used on the Moon into English, though the information on all of them and their battles on Earth were in Japanese. Obviously, she knew they would probably get to the system sooner or later, and had very craftily prepared for it.
        "How's it going, Ami?" Makoto asked finally, on the seventh day. It was taking almost twenty-four hours for Alex's system to overcome the drug cocktail, and she had skipped two days of school now to wait for her to wake up. Ami, on the other hand, had only just arrived after classes, and looked only slightly more awake. She had been kept out of class for a day over her protests, resting at home to recover from her own attack and trauma; her mother had thankfully not seen her, being kept overnight at the hospital.
       "I've been trying to form a system of translation to read the old Moon language," Ami said in greeting, slipping off her shoes. The tall red-head had just given up after watching them all wander around in socks, and bought them each a pair of Hello Kitty slippers to wear. At least she could then get a laugh out of watching them wander around in nauseating sugar pink, and though only Usagi and Chibi-Usa and Minako as well liked them, the girls wore them out of habit.
       "I don't understand why we can't just wait for Alex to wake up. After all, she obviously must know the language well enough to translate it for us." Makoto then looked out into the hall curiously, adding, "And where's Luna? I thought she was coming with."
       Ami stood up, fuzzy slippers on, and picked up her case. "She went with Diana and Chibi-Usa to visit Hotaru-san." She studiously looked away when the tall brunette stared in disbelief. "She believes Hotaru-san isn't an enemy, and wanted to see her."
       "But how safe is that, really?" Makoto argued, then just sighed, waving her hands. "Nevermind…after all, we've met the girl, ne? And if Luna is going with, she isn't alone. I just can't believe she won't listen to us."
       The blue-haired genius frowned faintly, seeming to reflect a moment before turning back to her friend. "Wouldn't any of us be desperate to keep such a friend, if we've never truly had such a trusting person in our lives?"
       Makoto flushed slightly, averting her eyes as well. She hadn't thought of it in such a way. Or rather, she had, but compared to her own experience of making friends such as these, her fellow sailor soldiers, she had never had a real reason to doubt them. Chibi-Usa had been, if possible, even more alone then any of them, through her birth and the very situation of the world. The children had shunned her out of cruelty because she was their future queen; and so few people were even awake she could hardly look to a new group of children for friendship. Her parents and the sailor soldiers were obviously so busy trying to rule a kingdom that they were unable to spend much time keeping her company.
       Now she had a young girl who seemed to be just as cloistered and alone, who gave her the friendship she desired, and they were telling her to stay away because of their paranoia. She had, through circumstance and accident, condemned her one previous friend to death, and any sane person would be encouraging her friendship now, instead of killing it. If this was how their lives would proceed until they died, there wasn't much optimism in the outlook.
       "Hai, hai," she finally agreed, stepping back and towards her favourite domain; the kitchen. Already the wonderful scent of garlic and basil was redolent in the air, and she caught Ami sniffing curiously. "Do you like it?"
       "It smells interesting, Mako-chan. Is it a special dish?" Curious, the blue-haired genius followed her into the room, watching as Makoto lifted the lid from a large skillet, a cloud of scented steam rising. Cauliflower, broccoli, and sliced carrots were cooking to tenderness in what looked to be golden chicken broth and liberal doses of basil. Just out of sight on the back burner was a gently bubbling pot.
       Picking up a metal spoon, the tall brunette stirred the skillet, adding more - more! - basil from a neatly labeled jar on the side counter. "In a way. Alex showed how to make this a week ago. It's very simple and very delicious. You simmer minced garlic and chicken broth with cauliflower and carrots and broccoli, and basil." She set the lid back on, and, replacing the spoon with a fork, reached back to stir the pot. "Also, you cook some Italian pasta. Then when the pasta is ready, you drain it, and mix it with the vegetables. You sprinkle it with shredded Parmesan at the table, and that's the real secret, she says; shredded Parmesan, not powdered, grated cheese."
       Ami tilted her head, breathing deep. "It does smell good. I've never had any real foreign dishes, before; mama was always too busy for us to go out or to cook, and I prefer sandwiches when I study."
       "It's very good," Makoto assured her, smiling. "And Alex loves garlic in her food, and likes to dump spoonfuls in it when I'm not watching her." She lifted the lid again, spooning out a piece of carrot and broth, offering it for Ami to try. Somewhat awkwardly, the blue-haired genius fed from the spoon, catching a spilt drop with her fingers; she chewed, her face registering her surprise.
       "It's not at all hot!" she exclaimed, accepting a napkin to wipe her lips. "But garlic…"
       "It's not meant to be hot. It's plain minced garlic for flavour, not heat."
       Setting the lid back down, she turned the heat on low; the pasta wouldn't be ready for at least five more minutes, and the vegetables were done. Turning towards her friend to speak, the tall brunette froze at the sound of music coming from the living room; she had not touched the system in almost a week. Ami looked puzzled, both of them moving in unison out of the kitchen towards the source.
       Alex was weaving near the system controls, partial drug stupor, partial rhythm. One of the first things Makoto had noticed upon moving in was that the tall red-head was enamored with music, either on disc or singing it herself. No matter what, she usually had the system on and something playing, a wide range of melody and taste in the background of their daily routine. Not that Makoto could ever understand most of it; only a small portion of the extensive collection was in Japanese. This song was no different.
       Either ignoring both of them, or aware and not caring, she spun around, managing to do a reasonably credible dance within the confines of her small space. "I'm…too sexy for my shirt…too sexy for my shirt, so sex-y, ye-et…and I'm…too sexy for Milan…too sexy for Milan, New York, and Japan…"
       Ami's mouth dropped open as the tall red-head vamped around the couch, slinking around in a pair of white cotton bikini briefs and a white dress shirt. Even though she was obviously still groggy from the painkillers, she still sang in a clear alto, even if the English was entirely above their limited grasp. "And I'm too sexy for your party, too sexy for your party, no way I'm disco dan-cing…" she crooned, deftly swinging her arms and missing several candles half-melted atop a shelf.
       "I'm a model, you know what I mean? And I do my little turn on the catwa-lk," she did the 'little turn,' throwing them both a coy look over her shoulder, "ye-ah, on the catwalk, on the catwalk…I do my little turn on the catwalk…" More prancing around, this time around the poor armchair sitting there so innocently. "I'm too sexy for my car, too sexy for my car, too sexy by fa-ar…"
       The tall brunette was by this point utterly dissolved into laughter, sitting flat on the carpet. Ami still seemed more shocked then amused, though the twitching of her shoulders gave away her growing hilarity. Neither of them expected Alex to swoop around them both, grooving down the front hallway to the closet and flicking her hat up onto her head, striking a pose. "I'm too sexy for my hat, too sexy for my hat, what'cha think about that?" She strode right back towards them, hands on swinging hips. "…I'm a model, you know what I mean? And I do my little turn, on the catwalk…yeah, on the catwalk, on the catwalk, yeah, I shake my little tush, on the catwalk…"
       Of course, she shook it, though it was more the seductive wriggle than the exuberant shake intended. Makoto wasn't the only one laughing by this point as Alex just kept going, doing an interesting tap dance on the coffee table, which surprisingly bore her weight. She undid the one button on her shirt and held it open, revealing a lace bra, and pranced some more. "…too sexy for my….too sexy for my….."
       She stopped prancing and ran her fingers through her hair, tangled and slightly dull from lack of showering, and pulled it back as she posed. "I'm a model, you know what I mean? And I do my little turn, on the catwalk…yeah, on the catwalk, yeah, on the catwalk, I shake my little tush, on the catwalk…" Off the table and onto the armchair, off the armchair and around the couch. "I'm too sexy for my cat, too sexy for my cat…poor pussy, poor pussycat…" Grabbing up Ami by the hands, she swung her around into a dip, holding her tight and assured.
       "I'm too sexy for my love, too sexy for my love, love's going to leave me…" Ami somewhat gamely managed to move with her, though she looked terrified; when had she ever danced in her life? Alex spun her out, pulling her back in, flicking her fingers against the blue-haired genius's cheek as if in finale. "And I'm too sexy for this song." And she let her go and promptly collapsed onto the couch.
        Makoto took a solid minute to finally catch a breath before starting to applaud. Ami, slightly dazed by the impromptu danced, applauded finally as well. And neither of them even understood what the song had been about. "Merci, merci…. ah, you flatter me," Alex sighed, sitting up and wiping at her brow. "I've been waiting to do that for days. I absolutely hate drugged sleep." She pointed a stern finger towards the tall brunette. "If I ever get hurt badly again, don't you even think of putting me in a hospital. I don't give a shit if I'm bleeding by the eyeballs or trailing my small intestine like breadcrumbs."
       Ami frowned. "Alex-san, you were severely cut by that glass, you needed stitches. As it is, they couldn't even give you a transfusion, and you still have mild anemia. Where else could you receive medical help?"
       "No hospitals," Alex repeated ominously, standing up. "I'll just have to duck faster next time. I don't need any damn hospitals in my extended forecast. I'll jump out the window if I have to." Then, after a second, she sat back down. "Fuck."
       "Why don't you like hospitals?" Makoto asked quietly, glancing at the blue-haired genius; she seemed upset. But then she supposed, for a student of medicine with dreams of becoming a doctor, having someone deny themselves treatment was akin to asking for more suffering and quite stupid. "After all, we were worried about you."
       "I know that." The tall red-head dropped her head into her hands, shaking back and forth. When she spoke again, her words were muffled. "I just…I can't stand hospitals. I hate doctors poking at me, prodding me…needles…." Looking up again, she glanced at the mute Ami. "I don't care if you or Mamoru practice on me. But no hospitals. I can't do that again; I haven't even walked within a block of a hospital since I was seven years old."
       "And you've managed until now to walk through life uninjured?" Ami asked, and both of them could hear a strange tone of sarcasm in her voice.
       Alex snorted, sinking further into the cushions. "Didn't say that. But I lived at an exclusive school after I turned fourteen and until I hit twenty, with a doctor on campus and a full medical lab. And even him I had to work up into trusting near me with anything remotely pointy." She sniffed, remarking, "Smells like garlic."
       Garlic…? "Garlic! Kami-sama, I forgot…!" the tall brunette squealed, making a mad dash into the kitchen to take the pasta off the heat. "Dinner is done!"
       "Ah, the wonders of a home-cooked meal," Alex drawled, rolling off the couch in a rather lackadaisical fashion. Now she definitely felt the affects of the blood loss after her little dance number. "So much better than liquid slop."
        The blue-haired genius looked ready to argue, then just sighed. Without asking she stepped forward to support Alex, both of them walking awkwardly towards the kitchen.

---

      Two hours later, Ami said, "But how incredible is it that you can remember this language? It hasn't been properly written in centuries. No one can read these strange symbols but you."
       "It's not so incredible, actually. They approximate the Japanese language, or, a bit more accurately, the ancient spoken word. It's just the written text that doesn't match." Alex leaned over the blue-haired genius as she sat in the computer chair, hooking thumbs into the back pockets of her jeans. "I've noticed a predisposition towards irony and circumstance in regards to the fallen kingdom and the Earth's history that makes me wonder."
       Ami was silent for a minute, obviously staring hard at the angular, harsh writing, and trying to understand it. "And so, it truly is ancient Japanese? We could speak it? Like in my dreams…"
       "All dreams have the same language, don't you know that? But yes, if you know ancient Japanese, you could speak it." Alex straightened up, reading what Ami could not silently. "I suspect the language flourished here because the islands of Japan were the homeland of the strongest royal family of Earth. And this was where every visiting diplomat was left stranded after the Silver Millennium fell."
       The blue-haired genius had a curious frown on her face, most likely roughly digesting what she had just been told. "Is that why we were all born here?"
       "You mean, in Japan?" Nodding head. "I don't know. It was just coincidence that placed you here, this last time. All of you had been reborn several times before this, not all at the same time. But when there was more than one of you alive, you were always born within a hundred mi-kilometres of each other." Reaching across, the tall red-head pressed the enter key, and the screen changed to a basic Japanese menu.
       It had two simple sections: Translated and Original. Marked with the numerical sum of entries, the translated section was far smaller than the original, which boasted an excess in the four digits. But wasn't that to be expected? The wealth of a kingdom was contained therein. Ami's fingers were unconsciously twitching on the desk, eager to unlock everything.
       Alex moved behind her to pull over another chair, slumping into it. She was still weak-kneed and slightly lightheaded, and the fact she was even helping Ami now was something of a miracle. But she had insisted, after Makoto had let slip that they had been trying to translate the old language. "Computer, original submenu." The screen changed; the immense lines of unreadable text rolled on and on down. "Now, where is it…"
       "Where is what?" Ami asked.
       "I remembered while in the hospital that there had been some information about a triad. Something about the powerful spell…I've been wondering if it means the outer system soldiers and their talismans," Alex muttered, eyes roving up and down. "Computer, scroll. Slow."
       Helpless in her inability to read, the blue-haired genius simply watched the strange text roll on by, straining to catch even something that looked familiar. What little bit she had managed to translate on her own was of no use here; a few letters, perhaps. It was simply too alien and unusual. "I don't understand. I thought you were as ignorant as the rest of us as to the matter of their talismans."
       A finger reached past again, touching the screen and following the lines down. "I am. But this is the entirety of the Moon's computer files, the bulk of which only the queen could even access by her own command. And even though she unlocked everything, the most I've done with any of it is transport it down here to Earth, hide it, and only recently have I even really taken a gander at any of it. There's a wealth of information here that I was never aware of."
       She tapped her nail thoughtfully on a certain topic, and she said, "Computer, open entry. Translation program, split screen."
       The page opened up into a column of alien text, and what looked to be a word processor. Motioning Ami over, the tall red-head scooted her chair into position and pulled the keyboard into her lap. Taking a minute to read, she began to furiously type, and the blue-haired genius watched as the entry took shape in proper Japanese. "….the three talismans of the Silence. Created to contain the god of ruin. The sacred mirror of the Neptunian oracle, the sword of the king of Uranus, and the fateful orb of the soldier of Pluto. Called together when there is need of the god of ruin, so the glaive may be brought down."
       "Not what we didn't already know…hm. References, 'Deep-Aqua Mirror,' 'Space Sword,' 'Garnet Orb,' 'Sacred Chalice,' 'Saturn.'" Finished typing, the tall red-head then frowned, mouthing the words silently as she re-read them. "Saturn…?"
       "But wasn't…didn't you say that Saturn…?" Ami started, then, remembering how silly she sounded considering their conversation of mere minutes ago, closed her mouth. But Alex was nodding her head as though the question had indeed been finished, palming her face in a gesture of tired resignation. "And then, the 'Sacred Chalice,' what is that?"
       "Fuck if I know," Alex muttered beneath her breath, then said, a little louder, "computer, open entry, 'Sacred Chalice,' split screen translation program."
       This time, the entry was even longer. Eyes crossing, the tall red-head simply began typing, and Ami looked away to see Makoto standing in the doorway. And then not just her, but Usagi, Minako, Rei, and Mamoru, Artemis draped over the long-haired blonde's shoulder in lazy fashion. "Minna!"
       "We thought sensei would be awake by now, so we brought over some sweets!" Minako announced, lifting up a surprisingly untouched lemon pie.
       "Mama's specialty! She made it just for you, Alex-chan!" Usagi chimed. Both of them pouted as Makoto freed them of their burden, as they were not entirely bastions of strong will; no doubt they'd sneak a piece if they were left alone with it. But the odango-haired blonde's eyes caught something else, and she looked away towards the computer screen. "Sugo-oi; what's that pretty cup?"
       As the entry scrolled itself down, a picture of the chalice had appeared. Alex continued typing rapidly, barely even pausing to wave back at the assembled group, as everyone stared at the shiny golden chalice. No doubt it was even more beautiful in real life, with its pearl handles in the shape of wings, the lid pearly as well, and intersected by a thick stripe of gold. At its top was a golden crown and crescent moon, matching the crown that capped its bottom, though a thick pearl stem was the true lowest half. Pieces of rough gold studded the bottom of the lid, looking sharp and dangerous, though the metal was truthfully soft.
       "It's lovely," Rei remarked, "what is it?"
       "Computer, vocalize translated entry." Alex sat back, flexing her fingers after that marathon session of typing.
       "A cup possessing the power of the talismans, the Sacred Chalice was used in ceremony by the queen of the Moon to symbolize the dominion over the last of the planets. When needed, it could draw upon the power of the three talismans for the queen to drink and restore what was lost. It is the opposing force of the god of ruin, opened for the restoration of the ruined land."
       The three talismans were pictured as well, elegant drawings depicting the sword, mirror, and jewel. "The talismans were in fact created for this purpose, and given to the three soldiers of the outer system reaches, to ensure the god of ruin remained safely asleep within Saturn, and that no malicious being would awaken the god for evil. Because of this, Neptune and Uranus swore their soldiers would carry the talisman and never dare to come close. Pluto, given the talisman by mysterious forces, pledged solitude within space-time."
       Usagi shivered, hugging her arms. A Sacred Chalice, used by the queen of the Moon; in this time, that was effectively her. Would she have to call it forth and drink of its power to prevent the ruin that their dreams had foretold? "What was that about Saturn?" the dark-haired prince queried, brows knitting. "Isn't Saturn a destroyed planet?"
       "We already had that discussion," Alex replied, sighing. "Computer, open entry, 'Saturn,' split-screen translation program. I really have to program something to just automatically do all this shit for me."
       Again, the familiar columns, and Alex began typing again. Everyone wandered further into the room as she worked, pulling over a chair or sitting on the floor, unable to be of any real help until she was finished. Mamoru folded his arms around Usagi, who had taken it upon herself to snuggle up against his chest, and he looked down at her thoughtfully. What would it kill inside of him to find her dead, as on that day in the Arctic? He was beginning to realize that it didn't matter at all to his heart that their love could have been pre-programmed, an unavoidable consequence; it simply existed.
       She held his hand, lacing her small fingers within his own, and smiled against his heartbeat. It was so familiar, steady and strong, just like the man himself. Not so strange and careless as the tall sandy-blonde appeared to be, a man who transformed into a woman, who bore no loyalty towards his lover. And yet, he had a charm that captured even her gaze, as well as a fire in those storm cloud eyes that made her blush even now, thinking of it. Ten'ou Haruka had looked at her as though she were a priceless piece of art, touching her cheek in such a bold gesture…perhaps, had destiny not intervened, she could have lost herself, the gentle maiden taming the wild wind.
       "Computer, vocalize translated entry," Alex said, cutting through Usagi's train of thought. She looked up to see the familiar shape of the ringed planet on the screen as everything scrolled, as well as a wicked-looking blade; the glaive of their dreams.
       "The planet Saturn is desolate, a clever puzzle box hiding the secret of the outer defense system. Long ago destroyed as a kingdom, it remains in effect a tomb. It was so thoroughly decimated by invaders that the life support field dissolved, the planet became turbulent and lost stability, becoming a gaseous, hideous place. Here, the spirit of the god of ruin hides, formless as the clouds, until called into usefulness by the three talismans. A last defense against any who would overcome the soldiers of the Silver Millennium and bring disaster."
       "'A last defense,'" the dark-haired shrine girl repeated softly, remembering again that dream of the Moon and its desolation. Of course; the queen had sacrificed her life, the princess had died, and the crystal had been protected only by the spirit of the tired red-haired teenager sitting in front of her. The drop of the glaive had effectively destroyed anything of use to an enemy on the Moon, in case any came calling. And with the fall of the Moon, so went the other planets like domino, cutting off any survivors and leaving them to die, their worlds' technology and weaponry useless. Just like the burning of the fields in the wake of evacuation in early Earth war, the salting of the ground, so it would be useless to the victor.
       Artemis leapt from his partner's shoulder and onto the desk, putting himself more effectively within eye-view of everyone. "Then your dreams of the god of ruin, and the Silence…it means something indefatigable will be the true enemy. The Death Busters could be nothing but a first wave, to wear you down. And then-"
       "-and then, when we'd tire and fail," Mamoru continued flatly, "the three talismans would produce the key and summon the god of ruin to lay waste. So that the enemy would win the battle, but not the war. And the planet would be sacrificed."
       Rubbing at her eyes, Ami removed her glasses and deftly folded them within her hand. "And Neptune mentioned another mission, another solitary battle they would engage in. Could they be bringing the god of ruin to life?" She waved her glasses in a strange, flippant gesture, then tapped them against her chin. "Their talismans glowed with a subtle power…"
       Minako drummed her fingers against the frame of the open door, looking unusually pensive. "But why? If their mission is to defeat the invading enemy, why would they awaken the god of ruin and destroy our blue planet? All of that work, only to see it end. Perhaps they've decided to accomplish the opposite, and prevent the god from waking up?"
       "Then why was Pluto awakened in this time?" the tall brunette interrupted, still holding the pie as though she'd entirely forgotten it. Most likely she had. "If the three were not meant to ever come together, and Pluto was pledged to stay within space-time to guard the door, why is she here?"
       Interesting question indeed, and one none of them had obviously mulled over. Considering that they had all seen Pluto die in the 30th century, her body cremated, and her soul given plenty of time to find a new host, it was something of a miracle that she had been reincarnated in the 20th century. How Neo Queen Serenity had managed to capture her soul and send it back exactly, so that the dusky-skinned girl they had come to know would be born properly in this time, was confusing. Why she chosen to do such a thing was even more strange. Obviously, she would have to know by that era that Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus formed the triad that could call forth the god of ruin.
       And it had to have been Neo Queen Serenity who had sent her soul back, because Pluto had died within time in the 30th century. The sailor soldiers did not continue to reincarnate within the same bodies, so she had never died outside of her tenure that they knew of. Yet, here she was, with the vague memories of that broken utopia, a future they had not even reached. "I hate temporal mechanics," Alex finally groused, massaging her forehead. "I really do. I don't think I made that clear enough on my resume the last time around."
       "And just how many events concerning temporal mechanics can a person find themselves witnessing in this world?" Rei asked flatly. "Outside of us, of course."
       "Ha!" Alex snorted. "Do you want my list in shorthand, or numerical order with full paragraph notes?" She rested her elbow on the desk, head in her hand. From the look of her drawn face, she was pushing herself too much for her recent injuries, and was either going to faint on them again, or have the sense to go to bed herself. "Shit. Well, I guess all we can do is finally, and I mean finally, infiltrate that damn building. I don't care if those three think they're the Second Coming of Christ, Buddha, or Mohammed we need to find out exactly what the Death Busters are doing, and stop them."
       The group nodded in mutual assent. "And perhaps, stop the god of ruin from awakening," the long-haired blonde added.
       "Prevent the Silence from destroying this vibrant world," Usagi finished firmly, gripping her prince's hand tightly. "Sou yo; I won't let it happen. Surely, we can defeat these enemies, with the help of our fellow soldiers."

---

       The next morning, Makoto was tossing and turning still, having grown rather off her schedule due to two days off, and only mildly used to her raised bed. Opening an eye slowly, she blearily read the large foreboding numbers off her alarm clock; not even properly five yet. Rolling back onto her left side, she stared through the slit in the curtains at the dull morning outside, the sky still dark. Having to go to school seemed like a useless chore, but Alex had mentioned it being a condition of her status as a legal ward under her care; apparently, if Makoto neglected school, they would decide her environment was unsuitable and take her away.
       A waste of time, in her opinion. What good was school going to do her fighting vicious monsters and preparing for a future in active planetary defense? She knew the others, for the most part, continued on because it was expected of them to do well, and to achieve success afterward in the job of their choice. But what did they have to look forward to? None of them but Ami and Mamoru had even mentioned wanting to be anything in particular once they'd graduated high school. Well, Rei, she amended after a minute, but she had made it clear she expected to stay at the shrine and take over once her grandfather died. She didn't even need to continue her schooling for that.
       Usagi was always in the clouds with thoughts of marriage, and maybe she'd be the only one to really achieve her goal; after all, being a queen married to her king and ruling a kingdom was only a step removed from a household wife. Minako wanted to be an idol desperately, and she was already quite talented, much more than the idols Makoto had heard. Most of them had even hit their popular stride while in high school, which meant Minako could very easily snatch such a coveted job without even receiving her papers. And herself…
       She sighed, staring up at the ceiling. What did she want to do? Cooking was her passion, she could try to open a restaurant or work at one. She had entertained the whimsical idea of opening a bridal shop, selling the flowing white dresses and flowers and towering cakes she had seen so often as a child at her parent's church. It had been her only happy memory of those visits, with the bride so beautiful, the church turned out in lovely scents and colours. Surely she could do any of it without finishing school.
        And what had the king said? Serenity had stopped aging at twenty-two and ascended the throne, which meant they would have scarcely four years after graduation to fulfill whatever dreams and aspirations they had. And they would, of course, all leave behind those lives to take their places at her side; out of loyalty, respect, and duty. None of them would ever allow their shining princess to come to harm if they could help it.
       Another look at the clock confirmed the time, and she rolled over again. Time was conspiring against her; perhaps Pluto was just annoyed at them enough to make them constantly relieve a particularly useless hour of the day. The thought made her giggle sleepily, as she imagined the dusky-skinned soldier creeping into their rooms on her tip-toes, tapping their clocks in a manner reminiscent of that blonde Disney fairy, and tip-toeing out. Yawning wide, she felt ready to drift back off to sleep again when she heard a clatter downstairs. Immediately her eyes snapped open, and she tumbled out of the sheets.
       Creeping from her room, she confirmed that Alex's door was closed, but that didn't mean she was still sleeping. Usually, having the tall red-head wander around during the night was normal, but Ami had sternly warned her against neglecting sleep, and ordered her - and how everyone had laughed on the surprised look on Alex's face - not to even attempt waking up before a full eight hours. Which meant Makoto was faced with the daunting task of going downstairs and trying to get her roommate back to into bed and sleeping.
       Still clad in her nightgown - most women's pajamas didn't quite fit or looked terrible, and she felt embarrassed even venturing into the men's section for sleepwear that fit - she jogged lightly down the stairs, ready for some sort of argument, and stopped dead. "Minako, you can be so clumsy out of uniform I can't believe you're the same person!" a male's voice, Artemis, she realized, berated from the kitchen.
       "As long as she only dents the cheap stuff, I don't care," Alex replied, opening a cupboard. From the rattling, the tall brunette surmised that Minako had been helping with breakfast - now she could smell it - and dropped a pan or skillet. But that was frankly ridiculous, the girl hardly ever stirred out of bed before seven thirty, considering her constant lateness at school. What the hell was she doing in Alex's kitchen at five in the morning?
       "Makoto, you may as well come and eat." Not entirely surprised, Makoto looked up to see Artemis standing on the carpet staring at her. "If Minako doesn't eat it all, that is."
       "I'm not hungry, Artemis," Makoto said, beginning to glower at him. "What are you two doing here?"
       He gave her what she figured was supposed to be a look of innocence. "Well, I believe Minako is eating breakfast. I am merely standing around, the faithful feline companion that I am, listening to her grow fatter with each passing minute."
       "ART-e-MIS."
       The tall red-head stepped around the corner, wiping her hands on a small towel. Makoto paused, staring wide-eyed; this was only the second time she had ever seen her in a dress. Or more accurately a skirt and a matching suit jacket, both in a dark blue that matched her eyes. The hemline reached mid-calf, but was slit nearly all the way up her left hip, allowing a leg and black high heels to show. Under the jacket was a soft-looking white dress shirt, buttoned all the way up, and a dark blue tie made of a shimmery fabric. She had also tied back her hair into a tight French braid at the back of her head, and wore a pair of silver-framed glasses.
       She smiled wryly at the tall brunette, balling up the towel in her hands. "You're awake. We were hoping to escape before you got up for school." Despite her condition, she seemed in better health than the previous night, no longer remarkable pale or tired, but Makoto wasn't convinced.
       "Alex-chan, you can't do this today! Ami said you need to sleep and rest, you're still recovering from your injuries!" she argued, coming forward.
       "Of course I do," the tall red-head agreed calmly, "but the Death Busters aren't going to put their plans on hold just because I got hurt. We have to investigate the school, and we've all agreed already that Minako and I are the only ones experienced enough to do it." She handed Makoto the small towel, reaching down to button the second middle of the jacket. "Go back to sleep, Makoto. You have school later."
       "And what if something happens! What then!" Makoto pressed, throwing the towel onto a nearby shelf. "Does anyone else know what you're doing?"
       Artemis said from between their feet, "Luna, of course. She's just as upset, but she's monitoring Usagi's communicator. We didn't tell anyone else."
       "No doubt Ami's going to have kittens," Alex muttered, turning away and wandering back into the kitchen. The white feline stared after her, perplexed at her sarcastic statement, then watched Makoto follow her. He closed his eyes quickly; her nightgown, while large enough for her to sleep comfortably in, was also wide enough to see up clearly.
       At the small table, Minako was cleaning the last of her breakfast, spearing a fried tomato and a sausage. She looked up as Makoto appeared, waving her hand as she chewed, lips shiny with grease. Wiping her mouth, she said cheerily, "O-ha-yo-o!" and hopped from her seat to spin, showing off her own costume for approval. Obviously, she had no concerns about doing this undercover mission, if her excitement was any indicator.
       She was wearing a school uniform, of course, but it was one Makoto had never seen before; a grey skirt slightly longer than Rei's, a white short-sleeved dress shirt, and a small red tie, with calf-height slouching socks and black flats. Her hair had been pulled back into two long braids and coloured a dishwater blonde that seemed altogether dingy with Minako's usual personality. "What do you think? Sensei and I decided on making a costume instead of using my compact to change my appearance."
       "You look like someone else, Minako-chan," the tall brunette finally said, hesitant to squash her friend's excitement. "Very different."
       Artemis sniffed, having leapt onto the cutting board. "She had the wonderful idea of dying her hair last night, and dragged me across half of the ward trying to find the perfect colour. She wanted to make it bright red!"
       "It was a smart idea anyway, Artemis; we're trying to look inconspicuous and different." Alex rescued the empty plate from the table, sliding it into the sink. "Though bright red would have been rather detrimental, yes. Are you ready, Minako?"
       "Hai!" The pigtailed blonde pumped her fist, winking at Makoto. "Daijoubu, Mako-chan; we'll undercover their evil plans and be back for dinner!"
       Sighing, Makoto accompanied them to the door, feeling completely uneasy. She had been distrustful of their original plans to infiltrate the school even before circumstance had prevented them several times from going through with it, especially knowing that only two of them were going. During school hours, no less, with the building full of possible hostages or, as they had experienced, brainwashed students able to attack them.
       They disappeared into the elevator, Artemis in Minako's arms like a proper pet, a briefcase in Alex's hand, waving at Makoto before the doors closed. During descent, Alex took off the glasses, wiping them clean on her jacket, remarking, "Once again I find myself glad that I don't need these things constantly."
       "Those are just clear glass, aren't they?" Artemis asked.
       "It's not as if they'll be asking to check my prescription." She slid them back on as the elevator smoothly came to a stop, and they exited, heading for the entrance to the parking lot. This early in the morning, their steps echoed eerily off the concrete, with no one else awake to hear them. No one was crazy enough to crawl out of bed this time of day except garbage men and police officers.
       Since Alex lived barely a few blocks from the school, they had chosen to walk; her Saturn was foreign enough to be remembered and possibly recognized, and the Ford was not classy enough, in her opinion, for their pretend lifestyle. And it really would have been useless to turn on the engine, wait for it to warm up, and drive such a short distance. "Ano," Minako mumbled suddenly, about a block down, "do you really think Hotaru is one of the enemies?"
       Artemis twitched an ear, looking up thoughtfully at his partner. "Are you worried about what we'll have to do if she is?"
       "No…I mean, Chibi-Usa…she's her friend. She would be so upset if we had to…kill Hotaru," she explained, stopping for the light at the intersection. Alex gave it a cold stare as it continued to obstinately remain flashing, denying them the freedom to cross. Not a single car passed by.
       "What do you think, Artemis?" the tall red-head finally queried, tapping her foot. "Did Luna or Diana tell you what happened during their visit?"
       The white feline sighed, trying to arrange himself comfortably. "They only stayed for perhaps five minutes, they said. Hotaru invited them in, apologized to Chibi-Usa for her abrupt departure last time, petted Luna, and then collapsed in pain. Some woman named 'Kaoli-kun' came running to help, and kicked them out. And Luna said Hotaru looked pale, bandages on her hands."
       Finally the light changed, just as a car came driving up. They crossed quickly, making it onto the opposite side as the light turned again, and the car - a Saab that had seen better days about fifteen years ago - zoomed away, narrowly clipping the curb. "I don't know what I think, myself," Alex said, continuing the thread. "The girl seems nice, if completely withdrawn, and probably has a terrible time of it after the accident. But there's something strange about her - like a complete hole I can't even sense. The soldiers produce natural mental static, and normal people are usually loud and clear, but Hotaru…it's like trying to read a void."
       She rubbed her left thumb, fore, and middle fingers thoughtfully. "And she's so cold. I wonder just how much of her is even natural, now."
       The school came looming into view, protected on its three sides by the three condominium towers. Craning their heads, they looked up; after Ami's searching, they now knew that Haruka and Michiru lived in these buildings, so close to the epicenter of the evil. And there was no mistaking it now, with the faint queasy sensations in their stomachs and mild light-headedness of space warping around them. "How can anyone stand this daily?" Artemis groaned, hanging his head. He was surely turning green, and he felt only slightly relieved when his paws touched the ground.
       " A masochist." The tall red-head reached into the breast pocket of her jacket, removing her communicator fob, and bent to clip it around the collar hidden in the white cat's fur. He felt silly with such a heavy watch hanging from his neck, even though they had discussed it as the easiest way for him to carry it; it was too smooth for his paws, and using his teeth would look suspicious. No cat would be holding a watch in its mouth. Better someone think his owner had a deranged sense of feline fashion. "Don't even bother coming in after us if we run into problems, cat; hit the button and wait for the others."
       "Don't worry, Artemis," Minako soothed him. "We'll be perfectly fine!"
       "It's your convincing act I'm worried about, Mina," he retorted blandly, padding out of arm's reach and towards a forlorn patch of shrubbery, hiding in the path down its middle.
       Alex shook her head, steering the pigtailed-blonde towards a twenty-four hour coffee shop across the street, where there would no doubt be some Infinity students studying and waiting for the school to open. Minako turned from her frown into a remarkably aloof and haughty grimace, gliding into the shop with a grace she very rarely had outside of Venus; every male head turned, and Alex murmured, "Into the lion's den we go."

---

       Water dripped onto Kaolinite's head, and she sat motionless with fury as it slid down her skull, through her eyelashes, around her cheekbone, and settled into the corner of her lips. She tasted metal and grit, and she finally lifted her hand and flicked the offensive liquid away, allowing it to drop into the cloudy mirror of her scrying pool. It sent ripples, the image distorting and stretching, until she cursed and wiped it clean with an impatient jerk of her staff.
       "My image, cloudy still," she snarled, doing another cleansing sweep. "And at this time! I can see the pinpoints of light, the power of the stars, the soldiers' bright souls; but not who they are!" This was a growing sore point, one she had tried everything to overcome. The Master had told her again that he was impatient, his power weakening without the strength of their crystal and the nourishing souls of the sailor soldiers. In particular, the light of that one, Sailor Moon.
       And there was the troubling premonition of the three, of whom Kaolinite could summon no knowledge, but who were growing in power. Their power was neutral, utterly without concern for whoever used it, and Kaolinite knew such grey magic could be devastating to their plans. And such power it was! Why, if she could capture those three soldiers, it could give the Master the strength he needed, if she could only find them.
       Of course, she doubted any of them would be found, at least not by the remaining witches. Useless brats, all of them so far; even Tomoe could have done better in her opinion, and he was a preoccupied scientist. If their daimon had finally utilized properly, she would have sent them to work, servant creatures as they were. Rather as if humans had tried to entice a dire wolf into doing their dirty work, the creatures still answered to their base instincts, and could easily rip out their owner's throat. But it was that nature that made them so effective.
       Sweeping aside, she relinquished her faulty attempts at scrying and strode towards a beaten, warped wooden chest. Heavily bound by rusted metal, it looked as though it were in fact entirely useless for any sort of storage - the wood was soft from excessive moisture, and the huge lock was crusty - but she threw it open carelessly. And inside was just as terrible, with obvious decay sliming its walls, but it still served its purpose and held a cluster of waxen dolls. Crudely shaped, they had no real features save for the black star and infinity symbol upon their brows, and a second sigil unique to each one.
       Arranging all but one, a curious doll that had two faces back to back reminiscent of Janus, she narrowed her eyes as she stroked the handle of her staff. With four witches defeated and only one left, Kaolinite was left with very little time and very little information. All of the girls had died before telling her anything, and Eudial's battle was the only one she had truly managed to witness. Mimete's idiotic catfight had been totally unexpected, and while Viluy had given her an opportunity to see her harvest at the Dome, Kaolinite had found her vision blocked entirely during the ice-haired witch's fight behind the curtain. She had seen Kaiou Michiru run, disappearing to safety, and a sailor soldier unknown to her and a tall red-haired woman defending themselves. The sailor soldier had pulled forth a hand mirror and blocked one of Viluy's spells, and the ensuing blast of light had destroyed the vision.
       But Tellu, the smarmy green-haired witch, had been so sure of herself that last day; and she too had died before she had even bothered to tell Kaolinite her secrets. "Careless, stupid witches, all of you," the red-haired Magus snapped beneath her breath, "forcing me into a tricky magic just to achieve an end." Lifting her staff, she cut her fingers lengthwise across the sigil, chanting the words of a complex spell that took the better part of five minutes; fingers crossing and slashing, she was nearly hyperventilating with the effort to not miss a single word. After all, it was complex for a reason, and fucking up could have been disastrous to her health.
       Finally she finished the last cross and cut and exhaled sharply, trying to force her breathing back to normal as she held her staff aloft. Bright clusters of light had flung themselves out from the sigil, arcing like strings through the air to connect with the waxen dolls; each one jerked, shaking with epilepsy. Their unique sigils flared with colours, and vague shapes began to form behind each one, of girls holding each doll in their lap. And above them unfurled shapes horrible to look at, with bulbous multiple eyes and a hunched, chunky form, each with a sigil on their chests matching one of the girls'.
       Smiling oddly, as though she'd forgotten how, Eudial asked, "Magus Kaolinite, why have you called us? Surely you know we're merely echoes of a memory by now."
       "Yare yare!" Mimete sighed, playing with her doll and making it dance. "And I was so-o very pleased to be left in quiet! All of you are so very boring, after all."
       Kaolinite sneered, slapping the chest shut. "You still have some usefulness to me, Eudial, though it seems more than when you lived and breathed. Defeated by baby soldiers! The name of the Witches 5 lost to idiocy!" She took a deep breath, tucking herself back into her dress again, and snarled, "When you were given the true utilization, you swore to me that your power would never falter, and never bring shame upon the Master. And yet I look now upon four witches - four! - that failed terribly! Tell me, have you anything to justify your once-bright lives? A shred of intelligence?"
       Mimete tapped a finger against her lower lip, obviously thinking. Eudial rolled her eyes up and away, eyeing the cavernous walls as though they were fascinating and new. Viluy sat poised, head lifted, as though she were too good for her surroundings. Only Tellu, sitting at the end, seemed to be honestly thinking, which could take some time; as the red-haired witch had said, they were only echoes of the memories of the true witches. And their utilized souls, rising terrible above them, were even more lost, degraded by forced living within their human bodies, unable to be whole without the presence of the Master.
       "We-ell," the blonde-haired witch finally drawled, "one of the sailor soldiers is called Uranus. The tall one, with the cheeky blue uniform. And that silly hair, I mean, so short and boy-ish!"
       "Oh! Oh!" Tellu crowed, clapping her hands. "Uranus! And with her, Neptune, and also, Pluto, holding that curious staff, not at all like ours."
       Kaolinite nodded her head slowly, remembering the image of the three soldiers standing over Tellu's beaten body, lifting their hands aloft to call forth incredible power. Uranus, in royal blue, sandy blonde hair short and familiar; Pluto, then, in black, with that black hair the colour of an aged emerald; and of course, Neptune, in aqua green with wavy hair to match. "Was that your secret, Tellu? That you had seen these three soldiers?" she muttered to herself, looking down at the remaining doll. Most likely, then, she had summoned them for nothing. Her own vision had told her all of this.
       Viluy coughed into her hand, delicately calling attention to herself. "I remember that Kaiou Michiru called a spell and became a sailor soldier."
       "Nani?" Kaolinite stared piercingly at the ice-haired witch. "Explain this."
       "I remember, on the stage. Kaiou Michiru had stood rudely, lifting her hand high, and spoke words to call forth magic. She became a sailor soldier. She became Sailor Neptune."
       Kaiou Michiru, the soldier of Neptune. One of the three lights of foreboding.
        Kaolinite whirled about, wild-eyed, as she realized just what had struck her as familiar about the soldier of Uranus, that sandy blonde hair and arrogance; and Kaiou Michiru was inseparable from the figure of her obvious partner, the race legend Ten'ou Haruka. Both of them students at Infinity who had disappeared from classes a week ago, the very day after Tellu's defeat.
       It was as though victory had become a palpable taste upon her tongue, and she began to laugh frantically, stomping her feet in an erratic dance. The four witches watched her rather placidly, being dead and all, they couldn't exactly get very enthused about it. "Useful at the very end, how very ironic!" she crowed, swinging her staff to knock the waxen dolls to the floor and break the spell. "Ah, but you were never needed anyway except for the larger idea!"
       So why not rid herself of the very last, and unburden her shoulders? No one should have the right to be as happy as her, she decided with a malicious glee, as she mounted the steps for topside.

---

       Two hours later and lots of caffeine, the pigtailed-blonde led the way up the concrete walkway, chin held high, walking with perfect posture and gliding steps. If any of the other girls had seen her in this manner, so seemingly a product of high breeding and perfect for Infinity, they would have been unable to believe it. Ditzy, loud Minako, giving even Rei a run for her money, several boys turning their heads sharply to watch them pass. Of course, the tall red-head kept their eyes determined to follow, her own walk just as proper and straight, but with a deft movement of the hips that only a lady could pull off.
       "Very good, Kogeihei," she said coolly, an observation most took to mean that 'Kogeihei' was acting like a proper lady. They couldn't see the twinkle in the pigtailed-blonde's eyes, but saw her lift her chin just a fraction higher in pride; she knew what Alex meant. The tall red-head knew Minako was strong as a solitary soldier, and was proving herself to be capable of learning how to excel; only a year ago, as Sailor V, she had not done so well undercover.
       Two boys at the door squabbled briefly for the pleasure of holding it open, then, coming to an agreement, held both double panels. Just inside of the doors was the school's foyer, where the genkan would normally be, decorated with expensive hardwoods and potted plants and a fountain. Minako visibly hesitated, looking around with the barest movement of her head, trying to discern whether or not they exchanged shoes; but when a student passed by, still wearing their leather dress loafers, she relaxed. Obviously the school took much of its design and working habits from a foreign institution.
       The ceiling ranged high overhead several meters in, showing several balconies off the first few floors where students could look down onto the fountain and new visitors. An opaque glass elevator rose up slowly as they watched yards away, full of vague moving shapes. Everything looked more tasteful and decadent than a proper Japanese institution should have been; more like an office building.
       Off to the side was a door labeled 'Front Office' in bold English and Japanese. It was a normal door, with a handle, not the sliding type that Juuban and Shibakouen had most frequently. Alex knocked sharply with her knuckles on the wood, waiting; a terse female voice bid them to enter, and they stepped inside.
       Inside was a well-furnished office, not unlike a college professor's space; it held a thick oak desk, a leather office chair that looked like the ergonomic kind that cost a fortune, and filing cabinets by the handful. One small window let in some sparse light, and a few assorted bookshelves of various sizes held books, potted plants, and in one case, a small microwave, espresso machine, and tiny freezer. But the girl sitting at the desk - one hesitated to say 'woman' - didn't seem to fit with the room at all.
       She was slender and small, very nearly Usagi's exact proportions at a guess, with auburn hair tied up into a thick braid on the left side of her head. A white lab coat hung over her shoulders like a movie star, though they could easily see the low-cut, blue and white striped cocktail dress she wore beneath it. "Hajimemashite," she purred, and both of them were struck at how she eyed them up and down, rather like a cat surveying the canary. "And you are? For people do not so carelessly enter our school, you see."
       "For that, you may give perhaps to charm," Alex answered icily, reaching into her breast pocket and withdrawing some papers. Ami had hacked into a school in Kyoto to give Minako a history there, and they had made up the proper papers and identity last night. The tall red-head wasn't sure she could connive the principal or whoever met them that Minako was someone else without the hard product. "But we are indeed here on business. I called several weeks ago," which was true, the first time they'd decided to attempt investigation, "and was assured of my daughter's application. Senjin Kogeihei, a worthy student for your school."
       Handing over the papers, the girl took them and glanced them over carelessly, though she could remember easily the call. There were not so many after all, with the renegade daimon running amok - damn Tomoe's inventive, doddering science! - and the sailor soldiers disrupting their plans. "I see," she said finally, setting the papers down. "And why do you still chose us, Senjin-san? After all, have you not heard the rumours? Why, we could be closed soon due to tragedy, so many students ill. Not even the most worthy of individuals seem safe."
       "Merely weakness. My daughter is to have the best education I can buy." 'Senjin-san' gestured sharply with a hand to encompass the building. "Mugen Gakuen is reputed to be the best. If it is lacking, then I will merely take my money and daughter's strong spirit elsewhere."
       There it was; the sudden decisive gleam in the girl's eye. She stood, circling around the desk, a hand trailing its wooden top lazily. "Then, Senjin-san, perhaps a meeting with our esteemed principal is in order? Or, should I censor myself, his assistant; our dear principal is in fact concerned for his daughter's health and has taken a leave of absence."
       "Is she well?" Minako asked.
       The girl glanced slowly away, towards the window and the fresh air and sunshine. She then smiled, her amusement barely reaching her eyes. "You could say she is finding her situation weakening. Not many are chosen for such a position of authority and found…lacking."
       Opening the door, she motioned for them to follow her out into the foyer, and they could see now how short her skirt in truth was; the coat gave her a semblance of modesty with its length. Her spike heels were loud and echoing on the floor as she walked with the jerky impatience of a runway model, hands at her sides, towards the elegantly designed elevator. Every single student in her path hastily stepped away, and many gave the two following her some measure of sympathy; obviously, the girl was not well loved.
       At the elevator, the girl spun to face them, a finger poised to hit the button, as Minako asked quickly, "May I be allowed a tour of the school? After all, surely your assistant principal has much on her hands, and my mother is the decisive force. She will be the one gaining my acceptance into this school, not I." She held her chin high as though daring the girl to contradict her, which she could very easily do.
       But that ill-disguised gleam again told her that the girl was most likely glad to get rid of her, unused as she surely was to such introductions. If the assistant had taken the principal's job until his return, then that had most likely been her office that this girl had found herself saddled with, including all of its boring jobs. She looked to be a person who disliked such close personal work, and the less she had to deal with, the better. And if the Dome were any indication there was no shortage of students willing - or forced - to do the enemy's bidding and make sure 'Kogeihei' didn't find any trouble.
       "Go ahead," the girl finally said shortly, waving Minako off and jabbing the button sharply. "Any student will be pleased to show you around. Simply follow the signs."
       Bowing low, Minako stepped back as the doors opened. Alex met her eye and nodded barely in response, stepping into the elevator beside the auburn-haired girl. Holding her gaze, Minako stood there like a sentinel as the doors slowly closed; then, at the surest thump, she finally turned away to look for a familiar sign. Feeling entirely too obvious she turned again, walking quickly to intercept a young student who looked several years her junior, and bowed hastily. "Gomen nasai, but may I ask your directions for the bathroom?"
       "A-ano," he stammered, obviously taken aback. She hazarded a glance up from beneath her lashes, and was startled to see a rather chunky, square face, squashed nose, and not altogether handsome body. A student accepted on his intelligence, no doubt, but not his looks, he was most likely unused to any pretty girl bothering to talk to him. And his strange attitude…perhaps the Death Busters had not yet taken over his mind. "It's that way, down that hall, and to the left," he finally managed to spit out, pointing for her benefit.
       "Arigatou gozaimasu." Feeling sorry for him, she smiled warmly before bowing again in thanks, and his brilliant spotted blush was rather interesting to see. He practically tripped over himself returning the bow as she walked away, spotting the sign marking the correct door. Glancing up as she pushed open the door, she could see the unobtrusive cameras mounted on the walls, though by luck they were now pointed away from her.
       Inside the girl's bathroom was silence, entirely empty of anyone else but her. Quickly she pulled from inside of her shirt a small red sign that read 'Out Of Order' and hung it on the outside of the door. A relief; she finally could scratch that annoying spot between her ribs, and she did so vigorously.
       Waiting another few minutes to listen at the door, making sure the few girls who came were convinced of the sign and went to find another bathroom, she relaxed. Out of a pocket she pulled three small travel bottles of shampoo, setting them on the cleanest sink. Working quickly she undid her braids, unraveling her hair to its ridiculous length, and shook it all loose and free. All of it a dirty dishwater colour that she had to clean out for the plan to work.
       After all, her compact was merely surface illusion at its best; with her hair dyed this silly colour, whatever she decided to transform into would retain the dishwater colour, instead of her natural golden blonde. She needed a quick scrub or two to get rid of the dye, and she turned on both taps, cupping her hands to catch a good amount and sluiced it back over her head. A good hunk of hair she simply ran beneath the water, but the rest was all work; she simply had too much to properly wet in such a small sink.
       The shampoo went in bottles; she emptied a full one onto her head, worked all of her hair into a lather briskly, and rinsed as well as she could. It was a good thing the dye had been so damn cheap; it only took a second bottle and half of the third to fully clean the nasty dishwater colour out, and down the drain. Now she was half-soaked, standing in a puddle of off-coloured water, but she was again golden blonde. After she was done searching the basement, she was simply going to escape and met Artemis; there was no reason to re-dye her hair and meet back up with Alex and that horrible girl.
       Squeezing out her hair - though it wasn't necessary, the compact would actually take care of that part - she stood back and withdrew the crescent from her other pocket. Lifting it high, she commanded, "Moon Power! Mugen Gakuen high school student, transform!" The magic tickled, lifting her skirts as it swapped colours, lengthened fabric, spun her hair around. When she opened her eyes again, she had been clothed in the burgundy and green plaid of an Infinity student, her blonde hair wavy and tied back with a simple ribbon. "Ara, Aino Minako, the model student," she giggled, spinning in place, "here she is, elegant in her uniform of burgundy. All the boys begging for her autograph!"
       She took the sign down, discarding it in the trash, and walked down the hallway as if she belonged there.

---

       The principal's office took up a quarter of the top floor, an opulent affair of the same dark woods and leather furnishings as the office downstairs, simply more expansive. A window spanning from floor to ceiling showed the back courtyard of the school and the looming tower of the Ten'nou condo building. Sitting at the desk, however, was a flaming red-haired woman who looked much more at ease in the chair than the girl leading Alex. "Cyprine, it's about time you've arrived," she said briskly without looking up, intent on something atop the desk. "Finally I have a solution-"
       "Kaoli-san," Cyprine interrupted quickly, and the red-haired woman looked up, visibly irritated at the interruption. Then, seeing Alex, she closed her mouth, lips pursing. "I have here Senjin-san, who called us to accept her daughter as a student."
       Kaoli turned her gaze from the auburn-haired girl towards Alex, and it was all she could do not to automatically flinch. Her mental shields were screaming under the assault of the woman's malice and loathing, her thoughts loud but garbled; there was no doubt now that Infinity held within its walls evil. And Kaoli was part of it. "I….see. Well, Senjin-san, pardon my rudeness, but I must speak with Cyprine. We'll just be a minute."
       Alex bowed automatically in forgiveness, and the two stepped back outside the office, barely managing not to slam the door. "What a relief," she muttered, massaging her temples, steadying herself for a second assault. Concentrating, she released a telepathic probe into the hallway, flinching at Kaoli's tumultuous thoughts as she tried to listen: "Ten'ou Haruka and Kaiou Michiru have been missing for a week, Cyprine. I need you to bring them back. Obviously, the initiation has not been working on them, and we cannot have anyone escape."
       "But Magus Kaolinite, several students have gone away. Surely these two in particular are not important." Cyprine sounded irritated at what she felt was a mission for lesser beings. She was a witch, not slave labor. Whatever else she thought was also lost in a sea of garble, though it was more of a repetition effect than simple unusual noise. As though her thoughts were echoing.
       "Iie, Cyprine. I have consulted the memory of your failed associates, and they have told me that Kaiou Michiru and Ten'ou Haruka are in fact sailor soldiers. They also carry with them the lights of foreboding, two of the three that could defeat the Master's plans. We must have them openly destroyed before they can call forth the reckoning. Go, witch! I want no failure this time!"
       "Uranus, Neptune!" Alex stepped back, reigning in her thoughts, and looked towards the immense window. Haruka and Michiru had been found out; and with their addresses on file, Cyprine could easily attack them both unaware. And what could she do to warn them in time? If she tried to contact them, if she even managed it through the static and noise, they would probably think themselves imagining her voice. Then again, if they had come to Infinity with the intent of destroying it, they probably had some sort of contingency plan…she hoped.
       Kaoli stepped back inside to find the tall red-head investigating a painting hung on the left wall, an abstract mess of colour that resembled some world gone mad. "A painting done by one of our graduate students," she said crisply, striding towards her desk and behind to pull the blinds on the immense window. In the glass of the painting Alex could see her reflection doing this; her eyes narrowed as she realized what Kaoli was no doubt hiding; the possible destruction of a floor of the condominium tower.
       "So, your daughter wants to become an Infinity student. I find myself doubting that even the proudest spirit could still desire application; the news has been vicious and cruel." Kaoli settled into her chair as the tall red-head turned, eyeing her behind the glasses. "But tell me, Senjin-san, is your will so strong to want this school?"
       Through the blinds, Alex could see the sunny day disappearing, no doubt obscured by clouds; and it had been predicted to be a perfect, cloudless day. She looked from the blinds to Kaoli, saying faintly, "My daughter deserves the best. But tell me, Kaoli-san, are you in fact able to accept her application? Cyprine-san mentioned the sickness of the principal's daughter, and that he had taken a leave of absence. Do you have the power to say yes in his place?"
       "Of course I do. Tomoe-san has left me with these powers. Is that so difficult to understand?" Kaoli's nostrils flared as she mulled something over in her mind; Alex closed her eyes momentarily, steeling herself against another blast of malicious intent. She felt the headache growing vicious behind her sockets, and she hoped desperately that Minako had found something worse after all this playacting.
       Kaoli eyed her sharply. "You seem ill, Senjin-san. Perhaps a drink of water, a seat there?" she asked, motioning to a set of chairs off to the side of the desk. Without an affirmative she was standing again herself, walking over to a small bar where a tiny fridge no doubt held some cold water. The tall red-head sank into one of the chairs, though she wasn't about to drink a damn thing the woman gave her; that was madness. And the rather meandering way Kaoli took her time pouring a glass confirmed her suspicious.
       She did take the glass however, if only to have something to hold onto. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Kaoli-san. I do have a slight headache. It happens when the weather changes so suddenly," she explained, searching the woman's face; ah, there it was, the slightest tightening around the eyes. Cyprine's work. A witch who could control the weather to a degree. "I do apologize for interrupting your day. I merely want my daughter to know what I was not allowed as a child; to have proper schooling unlike so many." She hardly had to contain the bitterness in her voice.
       Now the darkness was so acute that Kaoli had to turn on the lights within the office, painfully bright to the point of blindness. Alex hissed before she could help it, covering her eyes as they contracted in agony. The water, undrunk, fell from her hands and splashed over the carpet, leaving discolored spots in its wake. "Senjin-san, I apologize profusely for my rashness! Are you hurt, should I call the nurse?"
       "No, no!" Alex waved her hands to stop her, opening an eye slowly to see that the lights had indeed been turned down. "My eyes, they're just…quite sensitive to bright light."
       Kaoli was staring at her again. "Indeed." She lifted a hand, gesturing quickly; too late, the tall red-head realized the danger, her mind screaming with agony, as she was caught and thrown across the room. Her head hit the wall and everything went black. "Interesting that they would send you, with no power," Kaoli muttered, reaching back to yank open the blinds. Outside was cloudy darkness, and a peculiar snowfall, far out of season; across the way, the Ten'nou complex was missing several windows on the eleventh floor.

---

       Minako was desperate. Not only had she found any sort of doorway that led to the suspicious hidden floor, she was going to be in deep trouble if anyone found her in the basement. Not even Infinity students came down here, not according to the sign - Keep Out, Faculty Only. She opened yet another door and found a closet with cleaning supplies; screaming with frustration, she kicked it shut.
       Of course, it shouldn't have been easy to find anyway, not if it was a hidden basement floor. The Death Busters didn't need anyone walking in on their evil plans or sacrifices, or whatever the hell they did down there. She just wished they would've been thoughtful enough to have something marking the entrance for her to find. Another door opened dropped a mountain of dirty uniforms onto her head, smelling terrible. "Ee-yaagh!" she shrieked, flailing her arms madly to get them off. "What are these smelly things doing here! This is…is…"
       She stared blankly at the trapdoor set into the floor of the closet, just far enough back that no one would see it mistakenly beneath the pile of clothes. "Of course," she said finally, peeling off one last shirt and holding it away at arm's length, "they're magic. They could just say some words and move the whole pile and go in and out. Baka Mina."
       Borrowing a mop from the other closet, she prodded and shoved the remaining clothes out of the way, clearing the space so she find a handle to lift the door. Of course, there was none, and her cursing filled the air for several minutes. Then she went to find a crowbar, and, as there was of course none, she settled on a battered metal dustpan. Shoving it down into the crack, wriggling madly to make it fit, she tried to lever the door open and bent the dustpan completely in half.
       It was a miracle that no one heard the racket she was making and came to investigate.
       Finally, after breaking the mop handle and trying to use that as a lever, a pane of glass, and out of desperation the dustpan again, she stomped around madly and yelled, "Venus Planet Power, Make Up!" and, assured of her strength, went through the entire process again. Of course, not only did none of them work, but she busted the glass into dozens of pieces, the mop handle into splinters, and the dustpan into two halves of cheap aluminum.
       "Fine; Minako goes the course! I don't need to be subtle anymore." She pointed, aiming for the smear of dust and dirt she'd left in her attempts to open the trapdoor. "Crescent Beam!"
       Working carefully, she used her power like a laser, cutting open a handle to fit her hand into. Chuckling at her cleverness, she hoisted the door and let it drop onto the floor. Though she was quickly frowning at the wet moldy smell, she slipped in and dropped barely a couple of meters before landing on rough, rocky ground. Just enough space for a tall man to walk upright and climb up into the school.
       Lifting her hand, she called enough power to light her way, her fist glowing as a torch. She crept carefully over the rocks, her heels conspiring to trip her every other step, her free hand steady against a slick wall. From the looks of it, the place had been cleared out and strengthened to hold back the surging bay long before the reclamation even began; no doubt if Ami had come with her, she could date the stone. But it didn't go very far before it split into a doorway and another tunnel, which was obviously new and freshly dug, going towards what could only be the Tomoe lab. She went through the doorway.
       Smothering a gasp, she found herself standing in what was once the resting place of the unaccounted dirt in Ami's calculations, an immense underground chamber only partially natural. She could literally mark on the walls where they had come in recently and barricaded the walls, using fresh dirt and stones.
       She turned to see the door where she'd entered was decorated along with the wall in the style of a tumbled down Grecian temple, complete with columns to the rough ceiling. Along the wall opposite was the same thing, only with a large pool in front of the door, decorated with some stone statue she couldn't even possibly describe if she tried. It honestly looked stolen from some fancy office building; she finally made out ten fish arcing out from its sides. Ugly as sin and probably useless decoration.
       Running across the cavern, she vaulted up over a low step and through the second door, landing in a defensive position to attack if necessary; but nothing happened. Not even a single arrow or thrown stone. Obviously, the Death Busters had never suspected a possible break-in. She exhaled, standing straight. "What a waste of my talents! I can't believe-"
       [Magus.]
       "Nani?" The long-haired blonde crouched back down, staring around quickly for her attacker, but there was no one there but her. Her, and another ridiculous statue rising towards the ceiling, some piece of abstract art that was glowing-glowing! "Show yourself immediately! The soldier of Venus commands your surrender!"
       [You are not the Magus. I see your shining spirit! You are the spirit of a star, powerful and alive. You trespass!]
       The statue was glowing brighter, and she threw up an arm to block the light, still holding her other hand steady to fire. "I am Sailor Venus, a guardian soldier of this planet! You, an enemy, I demand to know your name, or I'll destroy your stupid statue into pieces!"
       [Sailor…Venus. The bright, shining spirit of a star. I desire that spirit. And yet, you've come to the place of power alone, without my witches or the Magus. It means failure again!] The statue shook, and the room shook as well, though Venus locked her knees and stayed standing. [Do you wish to know my name, Sailor Venus? The name of the force that will soon overtake your planet? I am Master Pharaoh 90!]
       "Master Pharaoh 90…? Why would you overtake our planet?" she demanded.
       [I would overtake your planet and make it our new home. It will become the Tau star, the center of the Tau Galaxy. The Omega Area calls to me. It will be our haven.]
       Venus stepped back, the light now so bright she was blind no matter which way she looked. "The Omega Area? You mean…the Delta region? Here, in Tokyo? Iie! You can't destroy our planet for your selfish means, the sailor soldiers won't allow it!"
       [Soon your spirits will be my food, and you will have no choice. This is merely the end of a long journey. When the last awakens, the magic will be powerful and we will have our new home. We will destroy the three lights of reckoning before they can summon the power to stop me. You, now, will nourish me.] Barely giving the long-haired blonde time to digest those words, a thunderous wave of power knocked her flat, making her scream.
       Even though thousands of light years away, the entity was able to reach through and clutch at her soul, and it felt as though someone was trying to rip her entire skeleton out of her skin. Screaming again, she kicked and fought, nearly lifted from the floor by Pharaoh 90's power. This was agony even death had not caused her, and in desperation, she summoned her strength, holding her hands out towards the statue, and cried, "Venus Power!"
       She felt her power explode outwards, a golden light that felt good and warm and safe, and it collided with Pharaoh 90's malicious power. Caught off-guard by such energy, he dropped her; and Venus, feeling herself change without intent back into Minako, weak and defenseless, ran like hell. Lightheaded, she almost pitched over several times as she crossed the cavern, flinging herself through the second door and around into the tunnel. Surely she could escape easier from Tomoe's lab building than trying to explain herself out of the school in her condition; looking down, she saw herself wearing the grey skirt and white shirt she'd put on this morning. She didn't even have the disguise of an Infinity student anymore.
       Frankly, she felt elated to be alive. The last time she'd given up so much power she had ended up dead in the snow.
       Running harder, she put on one last burst of speed as she saw a shaft of light. The tunnel was sloping gently upward by now, and her knees and thighs were getting very upset with her for running on an incline like an idiot. Panting the last few yards - and she was in excellent shape, this should have been easy - she finally stopped at what she had thought was light and was in fact a white door. Holding her breath, she set an ear against it to hear what sounded like gentle bubbling, but nothing else.
       Slowly turning the knob, she opened the door and sidling inside what looked to be part of the laboratory; tables held a multitude of test tubes and Bunsen burners, their liquid contents burbling merrily, several with unidentifiable writhing lumps. As she walked further, she saw large racks full of empty tubes and beakers and books with long lengthy titles and difficult kanji. It was a cold, unfriendly room indeed, though after her near miss in the cavern, it was wonderful to her eyes.
       "Hajimemashite. And who might you be?" a bemused voice said behind her, and she turned, knees weak, to see Tomoe Souichi standing there. In his hands was a test tube full of the liquid she'd seen in the rest, with a squirming lump that looked like a living fetus twisting inside. "Not one of the students, surely, the uniform's all wrong. And exiting from that particular door…" He looked from her tired, dirty face, to the partially open doorway. "You've spoken to the Master, surely. But you aren't one of us. A gift, maybe, from the Master, to continue my studies, knowing that my subject will soon achieve utilization?"
       She didn't even bother answering him, twisting around to run down the length of the tables, though she saw no second doorway, no exit out. His laughter followed her as she fled, her side beginning to ache, her breath coming hard. Fighting off Pharaoh 90 had cost her dearly, apparently more than just temporarily losing - she hoped - her transformation. She felt terribly tired as though she had not slept in weeks, and her muscles hurt. And she came to a dead end with no exit in sight.
       Frantic, she ran her hands over the wall, trying to find a hidden door, a button to push, anything; she could hear Tomoe's calm steps coming closer. This was turning out to be a much more difficult task than she'd anticipated. "Kami-sama, help me," she whispered, staring at the obstinately exit-less wall. Turning around, she found herself nearly face to face with Tomoe, who was still holding that damned tube. "Tomoe-san…"
       "You know my name. Interesting! Not many do, at least, not many young ladies like yourself not enrolled in my school. The world rejected me years ago, and has yet to remember me." He spoke casually, as if she were just some stranger he'd met on the street; her hands fisted tightly in anxiety. "But there's reason for that. It was simply not prepared for my true discovery, or my efficient methods."
       Twilight stared past his shoulder, trying to avoid the unnerving gaze of his crystal eye, and she saw an immense glass chamber in the corner where he'd been standing. Inside writhed something smoky and vaporous, with menacing, glowing eyes. She flinched, looking away, and saw, hidden behind more tubes and racks, the second door practically steps away from the first.
       "Yes, I think you'll do fine," he was saying, and she shouted in surprise as he grabbed her arm with a cold hand, clenching tightly. "Strong and young, you'll survive. After Hotaru did so well, a fine subject such as yourself shall work miracles."
       "Hotaru…what have you done to her?" she whispered before she could help it, frozen in his grip.
       He smiled most pleasantly at her, and she felt like screaming again. "I've saved her life. You'll see. Everyone will see. I was correct in my theories if only I am left to bear witness. But she'll become perfect, the utilization will be complete, and I'll be continuing without her."
       That didn't sound good at all.
       She groped behind her back for anything at all she could use to free herself, straining to pull her arm away. When he insistently pulled her back, she gave up and stomped down hard on his foot, clenching a fist and clocking him across the chin, jerking her arm free as he reeled. Off she went, sweeping her arm across the tables and throwing tubes and steaming liquid at him as he attempted to follow her. He howled as everything broke and spilled, and she dove over the last table to grab the handle, open the door, and fling herself out.
       A stairway led up, and she half-ran, half-climbed up them to open what she hoped was the last door, falling out onto a nice carpet recently vacuumed. She crawled out, kicked the door shut, and looked around at one of the hallways inside of the Tomoe house; clean, neat, and utterly without personality or even character. And here she was, Aino Minako undercover, dirty and tired and completely without a rational explanation as to why she was there.
       And she felt the power of Venus still weak inside her body, too weak to transform; she prayed to the kami that she made it to the front door before Hotaru saw her. Crawling up, she stumbled to the left, then right, then another right through a kitchen, and she all but collapsed outside onto the front step as she opened the door. "Saved," she crowed, giving herself the victory sign. "Not even Rei could have done better."
       "Mina! Mina, what in the name of the kami are you doing there!" She saw a flash of white out of the corner of her eye; Artemis. He was standing atop the brick fence surrounding the labs, his tail lashing frantically. "Coming out of the Tomoe labs like that! Someone could see you!"
       "I know that, Artemis, but I had a situation! I'm happy to be alive." She attempted to leap up onto the wall, failed, and fell with a painful yelp onto her back. Instead she went out through the gate, wincing as he leapt down onto her shoulder. "Tomoe is one of the enemies, Artemis, and they have this entire room under the school and this weird statue called itself Master Pharaoh 90 and tried to eat my soul-"
       "NA-ni?! Why didn't you call for help!"
       "…oh. Ano…I forgot. I was trying to survive, you know!" she quickly added as his tail smacked her in the back of the head.
       They walked around to sit on a bus bench in front of the school, where Minako gratefully slouched. She felt like one giant bruise. Artemis eyed her with more worry than he cared to admit, saying, "Alex hasn't come down yet. Did she say how long she planned to be?"
       The long-haired blonde shook her head, squinting down the street, though the sky was beginning to cloud over. "Iie. Just long enough to-uh oh."
       "To uh oh? What does that…" His ears lifted, and he turned his head to see six familiar shapes heading their way. "Uh oh."

---

       It had been a long, nervous week.
       After leaving the soldiers behind, Uranus and Neptune had followed Pluto to the safety of the university, collapsing into the office Meiou Setsuna had left barely an hour ago. The plant that had tried to siphon her spirit was limp on the floor, turning brown as it died. "The enemy has become obvious," Pluto remarked. "Their actions have awakened me, and now, our mission has an added focus."
       "So it is true. We do have to destroy her, as I thought," Neptune sighed, meeting her partner's eyes. "I had hoped, perhaps, we could avoid such bloodshed."
       "We have no choice. With my talisman, the three have come together, and yours have been resonating, have they not?" They nodded. "Then it will happen. The god of ruin will awaken if we do not stop it. Killing the body will ensure that the god will not wake up."
       Going home, they had all found the humour to laugh at the fact they each lived in one of the towers, so close this entire time. Haruka and Michiru had not spent a night alone since, preferring the comfort of each other's arms, watching through the window as the school continued on as though it were not a breeding ground for such evil. They were waiting for the day one of the witches would show up, attempting to kill them; that day had not yet come.
       The tall sandy-blonde was dreaming of their princess every night, but never told her lover; it had become something of an ache, this obsession with that golden beauty. But now Haruka knew that it was impossible, except worship from afar, made in silence. Perhaps that had been the outcome all along. After all, a princess could easily command protection and death in her name with such devotion.
       After a few days had passed, Michiru and Setsuna had essentially moved in with Haruka, having decided it would be safer. If the Death Busters tried to attack, they would have an advantage in three; even though that attack seemed less and less of a concern. No daimon had spotted since Tellu's death, no students had been injured, and the inquiry into the school had been dropped when nothing unorthodox had been discovered. But they stayed together all the same, even though Haruka's answering machine kept collecting messages, all from the same number: "Haruka-san, please, don't turn away from us! We're all sailor soldiers, each of us, we want to protect this planet-"
       Delete.
       Waking up, Michiru was no longer expecting any sneak attacks. A week had passed; she felt a bit more relaxed as she stretched, almost modest in a pair of lacy panties and a white tank top, smiling down at her sleeping lover. Haruka's face was shoved into the pillow, an arm hanging off the side, her bare back covered by the thin sheet. Straightening the sheet, the aqua-haired beauty slipped out into the living room, quiet as possible as she walked around Setsuna on the couch. She had a craving for mocha coffee and a fruit salad.
       The drapes had been pulled across the glass porch doors, but even still she could see the sudden shift in light as the sun went dim. Curious; the weather had reported clear sunny skies, not a cloud at all. She walked over to open the drapes and look outside properly, her hand freezing as she looked into the face of a smiling Cyprine. Even through the glass she could hear her say, "Kaiou Michiru. You've been very bad."
       "Haruka! Setsuna!" The aqua-haired beauty leapt back from the doors as Cyprine gestured, either ignorant of the proper way to open them, or impatient; glass shattered, flying everywhere.
       Almost immediately, a golden orb streaked through the room towards the witch, blasting the rest of the glass outward into the sky. Cyprine, holding up her staff, was untouched; with a gesture, she sent the furniture flying. "Weak! You three, carriers of the light of foreboding, with such insignificant power? Feel the strength of my magic, the most powerful of the Witches 5! Ribbon Buster!"
       Michiru and Setsuna, about to transform, screamed in agony. Uranus lifted her sword, running the length of the living room to cut through Cyprine's magic, freeing them from their pain. They called their transformations, the pain disappearing as Pluto and Neptune stood straight and tall in their places. "The assistant of Kuromine Kaoli, the witch Cyprine," Neptune remarked. "So you are the last, you say? Then that means our mission to defeat you is nearly done."
       "By calling the light of reckoning? Pitiful soldiers, you'll never live long enough." The auburn-haired witch gestured, calling forth a blizzard inside of the apartment, though it rapidly grew too big and expanded into the sky. Hail like marbles assaulted them, beating their skin, and as they tried to cover their heads, they found themselves flexing their fists, staring at each other like a dog sizing up the opposition. "You'll be beaten by your own anger."
       "Isn't that true, you'd do anything for our princess, including discard me uselessly?" Neptune asked Uranus, an unhealthy light in her eyes.
       "Only after you've thrown me aside, the unnatural, for your handsome prince!" Uranus snapped back, fists clenching.
       "And why would either of you be unhappy, having each other while I have no one?" Pluto interrupted, gripping her rod tightly.
       The welts and bruises rose on their bare skin as the hail continued to pelt them, and, within a minute, they raised the bruises themselves with fists. Cyprine laughed shrilly as the three soldiers fought each other madly, drawing blood; unused to such magic directed at them, they were entirely helpless. "This is so easy! How could the others have failed so miserably, I don't understand it." She looked outside, watching her hail fall onto an unsuspecting city, well imagining the fighting that was most likely beginning to now erupt. Her magic had always given the best results, mostly because she long ago realized that humans were just too easy to corrupt. Their souls hid so much anger and deceit it was child's play. "The Master will have to reward me with the position of Magus for this…nani?"
       A glittering gold chain wrapped around the balcony rail.
       She followed it down with her eyes, only to see what looked like a blonde bullet shooting up towards her, snapped upward on the magical links. They disappeared abruptly, and the soldier looked a bit surprised; but she had gone high enough to grab onto a balcony two floors down, pointing up at the witch and yelling something lost in the wind but clear enough by the spark of yellow. Cyprine barely jerked her head back in time as a beam shot straight up.
       Down below, Venus was cursing her luck, though she was frankly surprised she had even made it this far. Sailor Moon had lent her strength to allow her to transform, and, being the leader, she had gone first to try and surprise the witch. It looked as though it had worked, though the hail that beat at her was annoying; no doubt the three mystery soldiers had done something to piss her off. She had a strong urge to smack them for being so solitary as she leapt up, managing to just grab hold of the second balcony.
       Everyone else had taken the elevator. She wished she'd done the same.
       One more floor, and she was swinging up and over, landing on Haruka's balcony behind Cyprine. "Konnichi wa!" she chirped, moving quickly to kick the witch's staff out of her hand. It didn't work quite as well as she planned, however, as the witch backhanded her clear across the room. "Fine, be that way, I've taken all the rudeness I can stand today! Crescent Bea-HEY!"
       She desperately rolled backwards as Uranus put her fist into the floor where she'd been a second earlier. "Uranus, what are you doing!?"
       "You think you can just parade in here and steal our mission? You think we're stupid and can't handle it!" the tall sandy-blonde yelled, easily shifting her focus from Neptune to Venus. "I can kill you easily, you weak soldier!"
       "I've been a soldier longer than you, how dare you challenge me!" Venus retorted, leaping up. "You want to fight me, I'll kill you faster!"
       Cyprine was laughing, but none of them noticed as Venus and Uranus let loose with their attacks, blasting pictures off the walls and knocking the furniture over again as the power collided. The door flew off its hinges and into the hallway, narrowly missing Sailor Moon as she ran to open it. "Kami-sama…Venus, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto! What are you doing? Stop!"
       The soldiers flooded into the room, wincing as the hail hit them, only vaguely wondering why the same hail that was falling outside was in the room as well; all the girls cared about was stopping the fight. "Venus, stop this! Are you trying to kill them?" Jupiter begged, grabbing her friend's hands.
       "Yes! And you would too! They're a disgrace, utterly!" Venus shook her off, letting loose with her Crescent Beam.
       "I think she's right," Mercury agreed slowly, eyeing Neptune with utter loathing. "They think they're so much better than us with their special items. I say we take them."
        "Mercury, Venus, what? What are you saying?" Chibi-Moon asked, shocked, huddled beneath Tuxedo Kamen's cape.
       "Why, they're merely speaking the truth in their souls, sailor soldiers!" Cyprine laughed, her staff in her hand as she gestured. "That was always the easiest, powerful magic, magnifying the darkness in your human souls. It's the true feelings you obviously have for each other! So go ahead, kill each other, take out your aggressions!"
       Sailor Moon raised her heart moon rod at the witch, only then taking her eyes away to see her friends indeed fighting tooth and nail with the three, no longer even using powers but their hands. "Minna…! You can't feel such hatred, not when we're allies!"
        Neptune jerked her head imperiously, catching Mercury's hand and twisting her arm painfully, smiling as she cried out. "Allies? We work alone! And anyone so weak as you deserves death as a punishment for interfering!"
       Cyprine smiled as the odango-haired blonde cried out as well for her friend's pain, turning decisively towards the witch. "You caused this! Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" she yelled, feeling her power flow through her body, blasting out at the auburn-haired witch. It should have obliterated her.
       Instead, as the light dimmed, and Sailor Moon could see properly again, there was a second witch standing there. "Na-ni…?" she heard Chibi-Moon whisper.
       The second witch was the mirror image of Cyprine, though her hair was blue, braided on the right side of her head. They wore identical black dresses and ribbons around their legs, holding their staffs on the opposite sides of their bodies. "Silly girl," Cyprine laughed.
       "How can you beat us with that pitiful spell?" the other continued. "We are one, split into two, the most powerful witch. I am Ptilol."
       "And I am Cyprine. You can't defeat us, sailor soldiers. Give up your shining souls and the light so similar to our crystal." The hail had thankfully ceased, but the grouped soldiers were so bruised and tired that it didn't matter; only Moon, Chibi-Moon, and Tuxedo Kamen were left standing. "I feel it in your soul, Sailor Moon. Give it to us!"
       "Iie! Tricksters, attacking us like that! I would never hand over anyone's soul!" the odango-haired blonde countered, holding her heart moon rod out defensively. At her side, Chibi-Moon was frantic, desperate for a weapon. Did she even deserve one?
       Cyprine and Ptilol were laughing, echoing through the room, as Sailor Moon tried her attack again, watching it spiral out uselessly. Chibi-Moon clenched her hands, unable to do anything, seeing her friends, Puu, lying there helplessly. She was just a soldier in training, but still, couldn't she…couldn't she…
       She felt her hands close on something solid.
       Shocked, she looked down at small rod clenched in her fist. It had a pink handle and a white tip, a pink crown and wing ornament connecting it to a yellow edged pink heart. A pink star topped it off. But where had she gotten it from?
       Of course, from the secret place Sailor Moon hid her own weapon, it had to be! Only she had not known how to call it forth until now, when she needed it the most. She closed her eyes, finding the words within her mind, and ran out from behind her mother, surprising everyone, and yelled, "Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"
       The two witches yelled as the attack hit them, barely powerful enough to stop them, but surely irritating. Chibi-Moon felt her elation drop; even her power was insignificant. "You little brat!" Cyprine said.
       "Now we'll take your souls violently!" Ptilol continued.
       "After all, we've reduced the city to mindless anger," Cyprine laughed.
       "You don't need to protect it any longer," Ptilol finished.
       "Iie!"
       Sailor Moon shook her head, staring at her heart moon rod as her hand trembled. "Surely I can save it, we can all save it….if we became friends again, we can beat them and save our city," she said steadily, touching her weapon against her lips. "It can be done, there are lesser miracles."
       "You can give them strength," Tuxedo Kamen whispered into her ear, setting his hand over her own, holding her fingers tight against the heart moon rod. "The shining princess, you always give them strength and perseverance."
       "You gave me the strength to find my power," Chibi-Moon chirped, touching her parent's joined hands. "Both of you, mama and papa. You can defeat them, Sailor Moon!"
       "But I have to save everyone, always. Against the darkness that approaches…is my strength good enough?"
       A golden light appeared between their hands as the three talismans lifted high into the air, resonating. The music was beautiful and astounding, matching the song of the power that Sailor Moon alone held as her prince and daughter stepped back, glowing brighter. It took shape; it became solid; and as the soldiers held their breath, trusting in their princess, her forehead exploded with the light of the crescent moon.