Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Pretty Soldiers ❯ Act 31 - mugen huit : [Mushozoku Chitai] Ichi ( Chapter 31 )

      "For the love of the kami and all their shades…" Neptune had moaned, covering her mouth with a shaking hand. "We've been too late all along…."
      The glass had broken violently at the first blast of what appeared to be black energy, exploding outward from Hotaru's room. It had taken out most of the bottom wall as well, ripping away brick and wood for them to see a familiar head of raven-dark hair bowed over what looked to be a floppy doll laying on the floor. A few seconds' of visual confirmation identified it not as a doll, but an ashen-faced Chibi-Usa, her head tilted as though her neck had been broken, arms and legs akimbo; above her chest was a glittering star, held in her attacker's hands.
      But the most disturbing aspect of the entire tableau was not that Chibi-Usa was in an obvious state of danger, or that her Silver Crystal had been violently stolen; but that the woman who finally looked up at the three stunned soldiers was not who she should have been. "Hajimemashite, sailor soldiers, the carriers of the light of reckoning. You've arrived just in time to witness my rebirth!" she laughed, rising to her feet as she shook out her long mane of hair.
      Though 'long' was perhaps an understatement; the blackness they had taken to be energy breaking the window was in fact her hair, grown to ridiculous Rapunzel proportions. It moved and rippled at their feet like something alive, and most likely was. Hotaru had also grown several centimetres in height, ripening into womanhood; the black dress she'd been wearing was now hardly decent in covering her, the hemline scandalously high on her hips, her shoulders seams torn wide. She was no longer Tomoe Hotaru, but she was not Sailor Saturn, either.
      "Who are you!?" Pluto finally cried, bringing her rod around to bear. "You've treacherously attacked our future princess; for that, you'll be destroyed!"
      Without hesitation, Uranus pulled forth her sword, moving into position on Pluto's right; Neptune, on her left, held up her fist, preparing to call her power, because her mirror was not entirely an offensive weapon. Now with a different face to wear, they were perfectly secure in the possibility of murdering Hotaru. Not even a sailor soldier with the power of ruin would casually attack one of them as she had Chibi-Moon.
      Laughing, the adult Hotaru tossed back her hair again, and they saw clearly the black star scarring her forehead. "I am the figure of your death, sailor soldiers. I need no names for you to carelessly use against me." Her hand lifted, and she dismissed them with a wave, literally slamming them away with a powerful blast of energy. "This is the end of your world, and the beginning of mine! Sayonara, sailor soldiers."
      She vanished back into the building, no doubt escaping into Tomoe's damned labs to safety, the glittering light of the Ginzuishou swallowed by shadow and black magic. As soon as her presence was gone, the trio raced through the jagged hole in the wall to reach Chibi-Usa, looking as though she were already dead. "She's stolen her soul by stealing the future Ginzuishou from her body!" Pluto gasped, touching the child's skin.
      "I remember; the light of hope that our shining Queen held, wasn't it? And this child, Usagi's daughter from the future, she carried the holy stone as well?" The tall sandy-blonde sounded disbelieving; Setsuna had explained to them, despite the gaps in her own memories, everything she could about the Moon family, but it still seemed hard to swallow. Reincarnation she could take, but time travel and the possibility of paradox by having the child in the 21st century was just too much. Even harder was the idea that the shining blonde princess Haruka had dreamt in his arms had a child.
      "Hai; with even one possibility of the Silver Crystal in the hands of the enemy…we can't allow it, we have to go after that woman."
      "But what about the child, Small Lady? Will she be alright?" Neptune queried even as Pluto lifted the pink-haired child into her arms, cuddling her against her breast.
      With every memory that she regained from her previous life as a younger, lonely Pluto, she found herself recalling the princess and the fondness that came with, a deluge of emotion that now threatened to overwhelm her. She shook slightly as she touched Chibi-Usa's still face, her plump cheek growing cold; her small little lady. "Iie. That woman forcibly stole her soul by taking the Ginzuishou from her," she explained slowly, forcing herself to remain calm, to not start screaming and sobbing over the tiny body. "And with such a powerful magic touched by alien hands…her body has gone not only into shock, but complete shutdown."
      "Chibi-Us-a-a!" a familiar voice called over the high wall, repeating again. Without hesitation, Pluto rose to her feet, taking up her rod in a parallel hold against Chibi-Usa's body, and ran towards the voice. Towards the only person who could possibly save her, preserve her remaining life until they retrieved her crystal. "Chibi-Us-a-a-a!"

      She laughed, exalting in the freedom of her new body, heavy and unwieldy as it was, burdened by thick flesh and sloshing organs. Holding the golden brooch in her hand, she fled down the hallways of the Tomoe labs, knowing by instinctive memory which way to go to reach the deceptively simple door. Wrenching it open and nearly off its hinges - hardly her fault, she had no idea yet of her new strength - she went rapidly down the steps towards the light to slam open the next door. "Germatoid! Germatoid! Finally, I've…achieved…"
      The blasted lab was empty! Empty! Where in the name of the multiple hells was that idiot? Her face twisted into a grimacing snarl as she stomped across the room, her thick hair dragging through dust and spilled fluids of all colours, some of it smoking. "Disappeared, on the very moment of our triumph! I should remind him who his better is…when the Master finally arrives, I'll-oh, there he is."
      Completely unaware of how silly she sounded, she disappeared through the open door she'd found. Obviously, he had chosen to speak with the Master, or that useless Magus; she merely had to follow him. And with the brooch in her hand, the power of the Ginzuishou giving her such strength, she would make a grand entrance for them all.
      She could hear their voices as she approached: "I sense the awakened Ninth, Professor. As the Master's rightful partner, she can determine the invader's fate! Not you!"
      "But such possibility…surely, Kaolinite, you can make an exception. Now that the Ninth has awakened, my superhuman experiment has been flawed. But I can make repairs on this new body, and continue on! I can still be that potential god!"
      "You are no potential god, but an initiated being, Germatoid. One is superior to the other in that it exists and it is real," Hotaru-not-Hotaru snapped, standing inside of the entrance. "Though we are all stuck with these uncomfortable human bodies, we are superior. The plan has succeeded; soon, the Master and our new world will arrive. Everything is in place."
      Both of them, she was pleased to see, looked unsettled by her arrival; they immediately knelt humbly, ducking their heads. "Mistress 9, you've truly awakened!" Tomoe said smoothly, regaining that unusual humour without a problem. "With such circumstances, I feared you may not entirely open your eyes. Hotaru's body was so weak despite my experiments."
      "Weak and insufficient, but suitable for the purpose," she replied, smooths the front of her tattered dress. "No matter what, it is inconvenient to be drowning in this thick human flesh, but I will endure for the Master."
      With a wicked smile, she exerted just the smallest bit of effort, molding the skimpy shreds of fabric into a sleeveless blue shirt with a generous plunging neckline, and a white skirt that fell to the floor. The star on her forehead had disappeared after she had fully taken over Hotaru's body, but for a moment it flashed into existence again, marking her flesh; then again, it was if it had never been there.
      "You are truly the Master's second, Mistress 9," Kaolinite remarked, her staff on the floor at her side in a gesture of servitude; nonetheless, she stroked it nervously. "Now that you are here, we can destroy the sailor soldiers. We will have no need to chase them down, but allow them to come to us."
      Mistress 9 tilted her head, her hands hidden in the full folds of her skirts rather chastely; though truthfully, she was simply hiding her treasure from two idiots who couldn't appreciate it. In time, she'd flaunt it, unable to hold back, but for now...why offer pearls to those who desired merely rocks? "Truly, Magus Kaolinite? You finally have a plan that will work?"
      The red-haired witch flushed angrily at the insult, keeping her eyes down as steadily as she could, lest she do something she'd regret. "The sailor soldiers are noble. If one of their allies were captured, they would come running to rescue them without hesitation. The school can be their graveyard, their spirits nourishment for the Master, and the light close to our Taioron Crystal finally in our hands."
      Without waiting for the question, Kaolinite lifted her hand, gesturing towards her scrying pool, and muttering a quick incantation beneath her breath. The water parted; it gave up a body limp in a charmed sleep, barefoot and dusty, long copper hair floating around her face. "This one was an invader, along with a sailor soldier whom escaped the Master; a Sailor Venus. A strange power she has, nothing like the power of the stars, but very strong."
      Tomoe was practically salivating; he'd stood up as Kaolinite had called her prisoner forth, and he was now circling the pool, staring at the tall red-head from every angle possible. No doubt he was imagining how he could augment her, make her his experiment. Mistress 9 simply stared, a very petulant frown on her face. She had a memory of this woman, an echo of the swallowed Tomoe Hotaru's life, and her kindness; the touch of her hand, cool, not quite as cold as her own. And her voice… "LeBeau," she said suddenly, hearing the name just as it had been spoken to her. "LeBeau Alex. That's her name."
      "Truly? Then the name she had given us was false. How tricky of them." Kaolinite lifted her staff, standing properly on her feet. She was glaring at the tall red-head with something now akin to surprise; something about that name…as if it had been shouted. "Shall I awaken her? Perhaps seeing the face of the Master's partner will loosen her tongue; she would tell me nothing."
      "Awaken her. After that, if she says nothing more, you may proceed with your plan."
      Another gesture; her head fallen back, her body still limp several metres above the ground, Alex nonetheless began to open her eyes. She blinked slowly, seeing Mistress 9 in her line of sight, and said, "Who in the hell…?" Attempting to stand up, she realized where she was, and she swore, "Oh fuck, not the bloody Inquisition again," in English.
      Mistress 9 came closer, smiling. "A very strange phrase, LeBeau-san. Or, I forget; you prefer Alex instead." She lifted her free hand, holding her open palm above the American's face, and casually burned away her eyeballs.
      Not literally, but that's what it felt like. Alex's spine contorted as she twisted in the air, this time trying not to scream. So the raven-haired woman did it again, and a third time, delighting in the final howl she managed to get in return. But the delight was short-lived as she felt the sudden pressure slam into her body, throwing her backwards onto her ass far enough to leave a skid mark in the dust. Kaolinite and Tomoe were shouting; when she managed to lever herself back onto her feet - walking and running she'd gotten fairly easy - she saw they too had been thrown.
      And there was fire, real fire, she could feel the heat against her skin, surrounding Alex like a protective cocoon. Mistress 9 felt a second of terror as she saw the flames jump out as though they were alive, licking at the air; in this body, they could easily destroy her. "I can't get down, but I can sure as hell kill you from here if you try that again," the tall red-head said harshly, her eyes locking onto amethyst and holding.
      "Not if I simply destroy you myself!" Kaolinite snarled, holding out her staff as she nearly ran back towards the pool, obviously pissed.
      "Magus Kaolinite, you forget yourself! I haven't finished yet with this human, despite her power. And when you've killed the sailor soldiers, the Master will surely reward you for sparing this one, for he will want her spirit." Mistress 9 was up and standing again, holding forth the golden brooch in her hand. "And perhaps, force is not needed, ne? You have no reason to fight us. I've already won."
      The lid fell open, revealing the soft light of the Silver Crystal inside, tinged with the softest pink of its owner. Its light pushed back the shadows, and filled the room marvelously. "This is the sacred power you've hidden from us, you and the sailor soldiers; the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou. With its power, I've awakened perfectly, taking this body for my own. And soon, our Master will arrive. You can tell us everything, but it wouldn't matter. All that's left is for you to become a corpse."
      Even upside-down, Alex could see the brooch, recognize the shape of it; and the blood drained from her face as she realized, "Chibi-Usa…" She stared up at the rotated face of Mistress 9, the long hair, the amethyst eyes, and added, weakly, "Hotaru….you sick bastards, they're children. Just children."
      She swiveled her head to catch Tomoe in her sight, reaching out her hand as if to grab him, several yards away. "Hotaru is your daughter, and you gave her to the wolves? I should kill you now, just for that, just for her sake."
      "Iie. Tomoe Hotaru was unnecessary. Merely a body." He smiled widely, tilting his head strangely. "When the Master arrives, I'll be rewarded. No longer will my methods be mocked, or my theories. I will have created the superhuman and I will be its god."
      Looking back, she could see Mistress 9 again, clutching the brooch to her chest. The silvery radiance of the Ginzuishou was infusing her body, that much was obvious, and she laughed at the faintly horrified expression Alex had. "Even with such power, you're a weak human. Useful only to lure the sailor soldiers into our trap, and ultimately die." Nodding towards Kaolinite, she walked on by the floating red-head, who began to struggle again as the witch lifted her hand.
      "I'll show you weak, you evil fucking bastards…" she retorted, her flames dwindling and dying as the sleep spell was initiated, and her eyes slowly closed again. Mistress 9 could swear she heard an echoing whisper inside of her head; she turned around to see the tall red-head disappear beneath the water, and smiled. It must have been her imagination.

      Another hospital, in barely a week. The dark-haired shrine girl was beginning to understand the fundamental reason people hated them; they had a terrible sense of décor. No one wanted to be sick and treated like a wallet with a non-functioning body inside of flat-white rooms and uniform design and uncomfortable furniture. Even with the additional space for family members staying to comfort the sick, the entire place seemed more a sanitarium than a place of healing.
      It was now 1 A.M. in the morning; she could afford to be illogically interested in the walls. All they could do collectively was wait and twiddle their thumbs while Chibi-Usa was run through another battery of tests, another series of examinations. The doctors could figure out what was wrong with her - cardiac arrest - but not what had caused it. And they couldn't exactly go up to them and say, "Well, this evil being ripped out her soul, stealing the Ginzuishou and its power, which is enough to destroy or revive an entire planet. Oh, and she's the future princess of the Earth and Moon, come back through time to train as a sailor soldier, which means mommy Queen and daddy King are going to be very pissed about this." Or something close to it.
      Toxic shock, tumors, aorta ruptures; it continually went on around them in a semi-meaningless babble, a coldly mechanical discussion of the means. The only ones making sense of all of it was Ami and Mamoru, both of whom had a pale, sickly look to them every time a doctor opened their mouth. Usagi was sleeping; she'd been so hysterical finally at the first diagnosis that they'd convinced her - read: distracted her madly while the doctor inserted the needle - to take a sedative to calm down. It would have been funny in any other circumstance, that their princess would worry herself right into the hospital bed with Chibi-Usa, but really it wasn't at all.
      When Sailor Moon had cleared the wall of the Tomoe labs and seen Pluto coming towards her with that small limp bundle in her arms, she'd been at first almost eerily calm. Until they'd told her what had happened, at least; then she'd begun to cry. Escaping to the safety of Setsuna's condo and discarding their transformations, Ami had gone at once to call for an ambulance while Mamoru attempted CPR after Chibi-Usa's breathing began to falter. Then, the odango-haired blonde had pulled herself together, holding her daughter's hand and channeling the power of her own Ginzuishou into the small body, keeping it working until the paramedics arrived.
      From what Pluto could explain, there was no way to simply 'heal' her missing soul and Silver Crystal with Usagi's, which she had tried for several desperate minutes as well.
      They explained that they had been at the condo having a small party when Chibi-Usa suddenly fell down, rapidly slipping into a coma. No, she had no prior illness they knew of, no diseases, no logical reason at all that a perfectly healthy eleven-year-old (as they'd put down) girl had just lapsed into such a state. They took her to the Children's Hospital, hooked her up on various machines, and began the round of tests that was still going on. All they'd found out so far was that her heart had finally stopped, and that she had never been vaccinated in her life, not even for the flu.
      Setsuna, carelessly lovely in a tan suede skirt and brick red blouse, paced by Rei again, clearly anxious; it was frankly strange to see her so emotionally unsettled. It just didn't fit with their memories of the younger, distant Pluto they'd seen in the future. Of course, they really hadn't seen her do very much at all except guarding the door and committing suicide, but it was still enough to make the differences very obvious. "Meiou-san, please, sit down, you're achieving nothing by pacing like that," Rei finally said, following the dusky-skinned brunette as she walked her twenty-seventh circle.
      "Hai; you're making us dizzy, Meiou-san," Minako mumbled, slouched across two plastic chairs, her arm flung over her eyes.
      Of course, they could've just been happy to have her there, period; Haruka and Michiru had taken one long, wrathful look at Chibi-Usa's wired body, and promptly disappeared into the visitor's lounge. When Makoto had gone by earlier for a bathroom visit, she'd seen them both nursing cups of what was probably coffee, looking as though they'd been thoroughly beaten. No doubt they were blaming themselves for not killing Hotaru sooner, and preferred solitary depression than silent support. It did work out in a way; when Usagi was finally knocked out cold, they brought her down to the lounge to sleep on one of the couches where the two could keep an eye on her.
      "Gomen nasai. But I'm not used to this…inability to solve the problem. Waiting like this is senseless." She did stop, however, smoothing out her skirt as she sat down properly, legs crossed at the ankles. "We know what's happened to her. That her soul was stolen by that woman. Obviously, we were too late, Tomoe Hotaru was damned by the enemy right under our noses."
      "So it wasn't Sailor Saturn at all? But is that possible?" Makoto queried.
      Setsuna made a strange choking sound, most likely a swallowed laugh of derision. Ever since Pluto had awakened within her, she'd been bouncing back and forth between her reasonably laid-back, sensible self, and the distant, ageless (anti) wisdom of the younger Pluto. Sarcasm was becoming one of her best defenses rather quickly. "Of course it's possible, Kino-san. The enemy has the tools of an alien civilization in their hands, and a mad scientist to make their plans reality. Tomoe-san does not appear to be the bastion of family values. If the Death Busters wanted her to be a vessel for their unholy creatures, he would have implanted the seed himself."
      "Meiou-san, forgive me, but does that mean that Sailor Saturn no longer can exist in her body?" the blue-haired genius asked next, her hesitancy in saying Setsuna's name driving home the fact that, up until the mad panic in the condo, most of them had been ignorant of the others' civilian identities. Minako had finally thrown up her hands and made them all introduce themselves - or introduce someone, in Mamoru's case, as he'd been busy - simply so they didn't blunder around in a hospital calling each other 'Venus' or 'Neptune' in public.
      Not that any amount of familiarity could help their shock when the three outer planet soldiers chose to remain behind to properly clothe themselves before the trip - they were, after all, still in sleepwear or less after transformation - and arrived finally at the hospital. In skirts and elegant pantsuits, the wrong Infinity student was wearing the wrong set of clothes, though Haruka did look amazing in her navy skirt and white poet's shirt. Their failure to save the pink-haired child seemed to coincide with her need to be feminine. It certainly explained a lot, but was a tad hard to swallow. Usagi and Mamoru, particularly, were, judging by their glazed expressions at the time, the most shocked.
      "I don't know, Mizuno-san. Essentially, that creature has taken over her body and warped it, changing it into a shape more pleasing and perhaps, ironically, saving it. But the spirit of her planet residing within, it could still be hiding inside of her, or utterly destroyed." Setsuna watched a nurse rush by, so fresh out of her degree that she was constantly bowing to every single doctor she passed by, and almost walking into the walls. "It may be that if the inevitable happens, and Saturn is awakened, it may not be Tomoe Hotaru, but another body that the spirit had moved to. Or perhaps Saturn will revive Tomoe Hotaru and purge the evil and give her a fresh, healthy body. I can't say. This was not fully anticipated."
      Back into silence they fell, and she was glad for it; the questions had the taint of an interrogation, no matter how gently worded. All she had for them were vague statements, plausible ideas that could have been memories, hypotheses formulated out of gut instinct. She didn't enjoy in the least being a figure that they assumed they could turn to, some lone oracle constantly dispensing wisdom; she was just Meiou Setsuna, who was Sailor Pluto, who had been Sailor Pluto.
      She wondered if that was how the tall red-head felt, being the only one who had a true, clear memory of the Silver Millennium, asked constantly such questions only she could answer. After all, none of the girls had enough of a recollection of that time - a trait she suspected was due to their dominant 21st century personalities not wanting to be taken over by the submissive Silver Millennium personalities. She herself had trouble recalling those facts, but not nearly so much; after all, she'd spent nearly her entire existence in space-time, not exactly at the center of the action.
      Speaking of…
      The dusky-skinned brunette frowned suddenly, as she realized the absence. A very obvious absence in this world of mostly dark heads and short stature, not a single red hair to be seen. Perhaps she had stayed behind, but that was absurd; what possible reason would have kept the American away? "Mizuno-san," she ventured, wondering if perhaps Alex was as leery of hospitals as her mother, "where is Guardian-sama? Surely she would be here in such a crisis, but-"
      Ami blinked at her owlishly for a moment. She'd taken the time to re-read Chibi-Usa's chart, most likely trying to devise a possible prognosis that sounded acceptable to the doctors, or puzzling out a cure. And Setsuna knew all too well how easily such scientific jargon, intelligible to everyone else but students and practitioners, could lure them in and render them useless to the outside world. "You don't remember her name, Meiou-san?" she finally asked back, pushing up the glasses she'd also donned. Obviously, everyone assumed that if you had more than a vaguest recollection of their past lives, you remembered everything. "You weren't introduced to her properly…"
      "I would have never called her by any other name but that of her official title, and as we were separated by time-space, I never had any need."
      "…ano…hai, hai," the blue-haired genius agreed, mildly flustered. Kami-sama, was she embarrassed? Setsuna wondered. Whatever for?  "Her name is Alex. LeBeau, Alex, that is, if you prefer that; but she very highly dislikes honorific and keeps asking us not to use it."
      Nodding, the dusky-skinned brunette tucked the name away for reference - she recalled enough fragmented French to wonder if the surname wasn't completely fake - and waited, perfectly at ease. Her obaa-san had drilled that into her over many long years, such perfect poise meant to be turned at an instance into obeisance. It didn't mean she was actually obedient, just patient in her old age.
      Of course, with wild children like Minako around, one didn't have to wait. The long-haired blonde, still draped like some sort of geisha house adornment across the chairs, said, "Sensei never came home. After we infiltrated Mugen Gakuen, she disappeared; no doubt, it's the enemy's fault. So we're going to break down the windows and rescue her."
      "You mean, break down the doors, Minako," Rei corrected her, a model of patience and perfect poise herself in her lone chair. It meant she'd had a lot of time to contemplate those walls, and had been considering a possible scheme of bamboo-brown paint with green trim to make the space less oppressive.
      "Those too, we'll break 'em all down!" Minako cheered, though it didn't sound quite up to her usual standards of outright enthusiasm, and with reason. She pumped the air once with her free fist, then dropped it with a dull smacking sound onto her lap. "And now, Chibi-Usa…"
      "I…I see," Setsuna murmured, rubbing briskly at her twinging neck. "You attempted to infiltrate the enemies' location, and LeBeau-san was obviously captured. So now, she could possibly be just as dangerous as Hotaru."
      "Na-ani yo?! No way would sensei ever work for the enemy!" the long-haired blonde snapped, sitting up straight as a board so quickly that Ami jumped. She gestured firmly as she said, "Obviously, they'd use her as a trap. If the Death Busters captured her, they would think she was a sailor soldier, or our friend. Surely we would never leave her to their mercy, and we'd come right to them." Waggling her pointer finger. "And how can we not, minna? The enemy has made it clear that we must stop them as quickly as possible, and to do that, we have to strike them directly at home!"
      She seemed entirely oblivious to the fact that Ami, Makoto, and Rei were staring at her in obvious shock. All she did herself was sit there, a finger pointed upward towards the heavens as if daring the gods to come down and contradict her, staring in complete seriousness at the dusky-skinned brunette. Who surprisingly laughed, and not a soft little titter either like they expected; she really seemed to find this funny.
      Mamoru came up just as Setsuna's laughter had died away, his arms full of vending cans. When the doctors had finally barred his entrance into Chibi-Usa's room, he had argued; but, as he couldn't exactly tell them he was in fact her father, he'd finally given up. Blood tests might have been proof enough, but they were hardly exact; and he doubted, as he seemed to be greatly changed in the future, that it would even make a match.
      Besides, explaining how he could possibly have an eleven-year-old child at his age would have been embarrassing to say the least.
      So he was their errand runner for the time being, with his princess drugged and sleeping and his daughter hovering near death. Holding out the top can, he said, "What's so funny? I don't think I ever dreamed I would see the soldier of the time gate laughing."
      Makoto took her can - plum juice - and popped it open. Setsuna accepted her oolong tea, smiling almost mischievously as she did the same. "What I find funny, ouji-sama, is that everyone seems to be entirely shocked whenever our leader proves herself to be an able leader." She took a careful sip of her tea. "I consider myself a decent judge of character, and I can see the same strength in Aino-san that our princess possesses, that desire to protect the innocent and loving at any cost."
      "That ignores the fact, however, that Minako is stubborn, silly, and irrational," the dark-haired shrine girl interjected, accepting her own can of tea. "Hardly the qualities of an able leader. However," she added snappishly, seeing both Ami and Makoto opening their mouths to argue, Minako's hands tightening around her can, "she has made excellent decisions during battle. She's sacrificed herself willing to protect our planet and our princess. And she would never let any of us down in such a situation."
      "We've never truly been surprised, after all this time, when Minako makes such statements. She just gets carried away, sometimes, and we can't help but worry about how society sees such an image," the blue-haired genius remarked, holding a can of western tea, Lipton in stylized katakana bright across the aluminum. As if to underscore her statement, a pair of nurses were staring from inside an empty room, one of them mimicking the blonde's motions in slow confusion.
      The tall brunette laughed, lifting up her can as if to toast. "Hai, hai! Minako can be very outgoing in her delivery, but that's alright."
      Setsuna sighed, palming her face. "Yare, yare, and here I thought I was dispensing amazing wisdom. Now I have nothing left but to stand silently and carry a big stick."
      "….isn't that what you normally do, Meiou-san?"
      "I'm trying to change my image. You know, update for the 21st century."

      She was running, chasing what seemed to be a trio of ghosts, never gaining nor losing on either of them. "Come on, Usagi-mama, you're too slow!" the smaller ghost laughed, waving her hand.
      "Yeah, tsukimidango, how do you expect to catch us at that rate?" the taller ghost added, though that was arguably, as two shapes occupied the space, one tall, one medium. Both had the same glorious copper hair and pale faces.
      "I can't run so fast….come back to me, I can't reach you like this!" Usagi argued, sinking onto the ground, holding out her arms. It barely registered that she was wearing what looked to be a collage of clothes from her three lives: Sailor Moon's tiara and gloves, the white gown she had worn as she died as Princess Serenity, and her school top and Mary Jane shoes. She must have looked ridiculous, but it didn't bother her at all.
      All three of them stopped, far way, on the edges of what looked to be a dark and dangerous chasm. "Well then, why would we want to be with you if you won't make the effort?" the medium ghost sighed, playing with her blue school skirt.
      "Usagi-mama, you're so lazy and stupid. I could never become a lady with a mother like you," the smaller ghost whined, tugging at her pink pigtails.
      "I suppose we'd better get going then; she isn't going to even bother," the tallest ghost snorted, turning away to step carelessly into the abyss. Usagi screamed, trying to get up and run towards them again, and merely fell forward onto her stomach.
      The smallest ghost skipped right over into the darkness, disappearing like a tiny flame blown out. Only the medium ghost was left behind finally, and she turned towards the odango-haired blonde as she sobbed, still trying to stand. "You failed me, Usagi-chan. I ran to catch you. So when are you going to begin running to catch those who are left?"
      She dropped.
      Alone, and she couldn't run to save them, and she simply writhed on the ground as the fish flew by in shades of bright pink and chartreuse, a few of them with legs. Then the sky parted, and she saw an enormous face, a hand reaching down through the clouds, and Michiru's voice calling her, saying, "Tsukino-san, wake up.
      "Wake up, Tsukino-san, you're having a nightmare." The clouds disappeared like mist on a rainy day, and she found herself staring up at the generic ceiling tiles of the lounge. Interesting. How had she ended up down here, away from Chibi-Usa, who needed her, whom she had to catch and keep safe? Her pale child, cold as the unforgiving Arctic winds, lips slightly parted as though she were merely sleeping, and not on the cusp of death. Running away from life and into the void, away from her.
      "Kaiou Michiru-san." Her voice sounded so weak and tired and rough. Scratchy. She realized her throat was sandpaper dry, and as she licked her lips, readying herself to ask for water, she felt a paper cup touching her mouth. Grateful, she gulped the tepid liquid - it tasted like generic bag tea brewed too long and cooled to room temperature - and she smiled. "Arigatou, I was so suddenly thirsty…"
      "Hai, koneko-chan," the tall sandy-blonde murmured, setting the cup aside. Usagi looked sideways to see Haruka settle back into her seat, smoothing her skirt chastely over her thighs, surprised; she had thought Michiru was holding the tea. But, another twist revealed the aqua-haired beauty sitting behind her, holding her own Dixie cup of tepid tea. "The doctor told us you might be thirsty when you woke up."
      Numbly, the odango-haired blonde nodded, and slid up awkwardly on the couch between them to sit. She felt groggy, cotton candy mouthed still, and her eyelids refused to open any further than half-mast. "What happened? I remember…Minako-chan…saying something. Chibi-Usa was…she was…."
      Both girls glanced over their princess's rumpled head, meeting one another's eyes; then, tentatively, Michiru said, "You were upset, Tsukino-san. The doctor gave you something to relax you and allow you to sleep."
      The flashing pinprick of pain; that was her last real memory before the darkness. That certainly explained everyone's sudden strange attitude, babbling almost incoherently to her as she began to…what had she done?
      Chibi-Usa, in the bed, so small and quiet, she was never so quiet at home, snoring in her sleep if she lay on her back, rolling over and over and creaking the springs. So pale as if she'd not seen the sun in years. So quiet, so quiet, so quiet - and into that silence, screaming. A sound not unlike her own raw voice, because it had been her.
      She turned away from both of them, staring straight ahead; the room was empty of anyone else, sparse with couches and padded chairs and coffee tables. A set of lower cabinets held a coffee maker and a hot water machine, with generic bag tea packets in a plastic box next to it. She made a face at the memory of the taste, suddenly craving the creamy, bitter flavour of Rei's powdered green tea she had made for her once. Ceremonial tea. The whisk, the bright green powder, and the froth. "Usa-gi," she murmured finally. "My name is Usagi. Mama is Tsukino-san, not me…"
      "Gomen nasai, but perhaps, Tsukino-san is better," Michiru's voice soothed, sounding so much older than her years. Though the odango-haired blonde couldn't rightly recall the girl's age, or if she had ever known; so well bred, she could have been eighteen. "You are, after all, our shining princess. Forgive us for ever being harsh. We took liberties we should have never taken in your presence."
      "I'm not Serenity. I'm Tsukino Usagi, a silly girl." Now she looked up, crystal blue still lazy with drug fog, but obviously angry. Her fists clenched at her sides as she whispered, "I'm no one special…just a silly girl. All I want is your friendship, not your devotion, not like everyone else! Dying for me, when I'm not…when I'm…."
      She wasn't going to be able to hold back the tears, and maybe she could even blame it on the drugs. But she felt the water sliding down her cheeks, salty as one disappeared into the crease of her lips, and she began to blubber like a child. What else did she have to lose to save the world? Friends, her prince, and now her daughter? An annoying, nerve-wracking, smug and imperfect child she had not even given birth to yet, and she was dying in that bed.
      Neither one of them touched her, hesitant, most likely, to impose. Haruka was staring at her with something akin to an animal caught in the headlights, unable to look away from Certain Doom; Michiru averted her eyes from them both, setting aside her cup, having reached a decision. Continuing to sob brokenly and loudly, the odango-haired blonde didn't even hear her stand up, straightening one of her cuffs. "I'll go find Chiba-san. Surely his presence will make our princess feel better."
      The tall sandy-blonde blinked. "Are you sure, Michiru?" After all, Haruka was not exactly the warm, comforting type to be left alone with a sobbing teenager. Michiru had a better head for these sorts of matters; Haruka was the brute force, she was the passionate brain. And it didn't help that she was so very close again to the girl in her dreams, and about to be left alone with her now as well.
      Michiru knew exactly what her partner was thinking. But, it was rather safe to say that the dark-haired prince had a dislike for the racer; in his emotional state, they could very easily come to blows over nothing in the hallway. Such an introverted man was always at the edge of explosion, and Haruka was the type to set it off. At least if the aqua-haired beauty found him, he'd be willing to come without any argument, and quicker, knowing who watched over her. "Hai. We'll be back shortly, I presume."
      Usagi snorted mucus and air loudly as Michiru strode briskly out the door, looking around helplessly for a tissue of some sort; without preamble, she was given a rough paper napkin. She blew her nose loud enough to signal the Self-Defense Force, and wadded it up into uselessness as she scrubbed and wiped everything clean. "Gomen ne," she mumbled thickly, getting one last swipe out of the disintegrating paper, "I'm crying like a baby."
      "You have good reason to be, koneko-chan," Haruka replied, holding out another paper napkin. When it wasn't taken, she set it on the nearby table. "After all, your…child…is up in that room. That would be difficult for any mother."
      "Kami-sama…" Usagi laughed suddenly, almost hysterical. "I'm not even her mother yet! I haven't even given birth to her, and I'm watching her d-d-die…." She clenched her fists so hard that the remnants of the napkin oozed out from her right. "And I can't save her, I can't just wish and make it all better. The Ginzuishou could destroy a planet, but not save a little girl!"
      "Koneko-chan…" A pair of strong hands grabbed her by her shoulders, turning her halfway in her seat to face the tall sandy-blonde. From this close, Usagi could see the subtle changes that her clothing gave her, the lightly applied make-up, making Haruka so obviously female that she marveled at how she had never noticed. That she had never put two and two together. But then, she would have never expected another girl to show the interest that Haruka gave to her at the Dome. Nor would she have anticipated the hesitant, feather-light kiss that she received now, tasting slightly of lipstick and tea, and into it breathed, "my princess."
      It grew deeper, a press of open mouth to parted lips, and the lightest intrusion of tongue. And like that, it was over, a void left in its place, and Haruka released her so suddenly she fell back onto the couch. "You taste like the bright sunny day, like hope and happiness," the tall sandy-blonde moaned, pressing her palms against her eyes. "Everything so sweet.  Kami-sama, do you know what twists in my heart? How you beckon in my dreams? A 'silly girl' could never be so intoxicating to me."
      "I don't….Ten'ou-san, I don't understand…."
      "But it wouldn't matter in the least, because you're a shining princess, and I'm merely a soldier. A woman, a weak body in a world made up of strong men! And if I was a man, I could at least have hope!" Haruka snarled, standing up to cup her breasts, squeezing them as though they would disappear if she did it hard enough. "Everything turns to glass when I even dare to hope! And you cry, because you can't deny the will of the gods this one time, when you've spit in their faces before, while I sit here, insignificant…"
      "Ten'ou-san, you're a strong woman! Everyone admires you! And Kaiou-san, she looks at you with love in her eyes!" Usagi was confused at this turn of events, her eyes dry but still puffy and red, so thrown she'd forgotten to continue crying. "I don't understand why you would see me in this way. You have so much, you're famous and popular and smart!"
      Haruka turned away. "I'm a woman playing at being a man, reaching for the unreachable. It isn't good enough to dream. Everything rests upon a sliver. The only time I'm finding truth in my ways is when I feel the magic steal over me, making me truly strong and alive and better than anyone." She clenched her fist, looking back over her shoulder at a stunned princess. "Can you still accept me now, even at that? In love with the moon…"
      "Iie. In love with Neptune," Usagi whispered confidently, though she touched her lips in memory of the kiss. "A strong person, no matter what you say."
      Light flooded their eyes, its perfect timing nearly scripted, but it wasn't either of them who caused it. As one, they turned to look into the middle of the lounge.
      "Who the hell are you?" Haruka demanded.
      Kaolinite smiled, stroking the handle of her staff with her thumb in a slow, lazy circle. "Such language, Ten'ou Haruka, of grade ten, 1127 Ten'nou Condominium Tower. It should be obvious who I am."
      They could see the wavering image of the wall and its furniture through the witch's body, which meant she was at least not there in person and considerably more dangerous. But it also meant that she could find them over a distance, which was still bad. Usagi felt herself pulled back, positioned behind Haruka, as the tall sandy-blonde stared hard at the floating image, trying to discern who it was. Red hair like blood, a black witch's dress worthy of a Halloween costume, that infuriating smirk… "Kuromine Kaoli-san," she deduced.
      "The Magus Kaolinite, if you please. No longer am I that weak body." The witch's face contorted, shaking wildly like TV static, her voice echoing; a minute later, they felt the disturbance, rocking the entire hospital back and forth.
      "An earthquake!" the odango-haired blonde cried, hearing people scream in similar terror out in the hallways. Both girls reacted on years of teaching, ducking underneath the wooden table and praying for the movement to stop. After all, Tokyo was long overdue for the Big One; fear of earthquakes was a part of life in the city, indeed, on the entire island. Not surprisingly, they could hear Kaolinite's laughter over the rumbling noise, though they could not entirely see her from the floor.
      Haruka positioned her body over Usagi's immediately, before the princess could protest; no matter where they were, everyone seemed willing to die to protect her. But it was a strangely comfortable sandwich, listening to the tall sandy-blonde's rapid heartbeat, smelling the faint spice of her cologne - or perfume - and hardly jostled at all. "Ten'ou-san, you smell nice," she warbled softly, unsure of how else to break their tense silence. Still conflicted despite their predicament of how to deal with Haruka's obvious passionate overture.
      "Anything for my princess." Stormy eyes watched a cup fallen on the ground, noting its rolling movements. As soon as it slowed and stopped, the building began to settle back into place as well, and cries and prayers to the gods began to grow loud down the hallways. "It's finally stopped, and we're still alive. Must not have been the Big One quite yet."
      "Oh, the Big One is coming, Ten'ou Haruka. And nothing you do will stop it." Kaolinite's voice was strong again, and as the tall sandy-blonde rolled out from beneath the table, she added, "though I do assume you'll try, and by all means, do. Your nourishing spirits will merely aid us in our plans."
      "We'll stop it. That is the role of a sailor soldier. To defeat the enemy, or die trying." Haruka reached out, pulling Usagi out and onto her feet, careful to stand herself between the two, in case Kaolinite could do anything. "You're merely goading us into premature positions."
      Kaolinite smiled, tracing the black star in her staff. "So very easy, ne? You sailor soldiers are possessed of limited minds, and limited ideas. You'll come, now or later, but you'll come, and we'll take your spirits. Already our Master draws closer, the last piece in place." She coyly tilted her head, looking around Haruka to the smaller blonde head behind her. "Are you the one I have to thank for our victory? Your little girl resembles you highly, and her spirit is remarkable I've been told."
      "Nani? Chibi-Usa's spirit-what have you done with it!" Usagi cried, attempting to run at the image, forcibly held back by the tall sandy-blonde. "Give it back to me!"
      "Iie. When I take the shining light of Sailor Moon, it will match hers. And then, your world will exist no longer." Kaolinite laughed sharply. "You are indeed that strong soldier, I can see the light of your spirit, and that ridiculous hair!"
      Haruka snorted, struggling to hold onto her princess, who was twisting in her grasp like an irate feline. "So how did you find us, then? If you're so damn smart."
      "Silly child, have you no concept of magic? Knowing the true name of your enemy gives you power. You and Kaiou Michiru are in the school's records. Sailor Uranus." Kaolinite flicked away an invisible speck of dust off the top of her staff, pursing her lips into a moue of irritation at the ignorant peasants in front of her. "But I need not transport myself there. You'll come here to me, and willingly."
      Footsteps in the hallway; only Usagi turned to see Michiru, Mamoru, Setsuna, and Makoto standing in the doorway, staring dumbfounded at the image of Kaolinite. Haruka kept her eyes on the enemy, as a good soldier and guardian. "And we will? Surely, Kaolinite, you give us more credit than that. We'll come when we're damn good and ready to destroy you, not on your whim."
      Kaolinite arched a brow at that, looking away from twin storms to survey the assembled in the doorway. Defiantly, Michiru lifted her chin at her stare; Setsuna looked right on back at her, cool as an ice cube; Mamoru still seemed rather startled to see the witch's image; and Makoto was outright furious, poised to throw an attack despite her identity. "Oh, you'll come. If you want your copper-haired friend alive. And how could you resist the idea of defeating us on the cusp of victory?" she mocked them, sneering. "Please. You heroic types are as stereotypical as television."
      "And what if we decide the risk isn't worth it, even for an ally?" That was Michiru, unsurprisingly.
      "Of you, I would believe it. The carriers of the lights of foreboding, I can imagine you to be ruthless and cunning. But of the others?" The red-haired witch gestured to include Makoto, Usagi, and Mamoru. "They are weak and soft. They'll come."
      Usagi didn't even bother to pretend; crystal blue was full of frightened concern, fed again after the attack on her child by the disappearance of her friend. But she was starting to shake again, the fear and emotional turbulence beginning to galvanize into righteous anger even as Kaolinite studied her, watching her beautiful aura pulse and brighten. So lovely and white and powerful, yes, there was that. "We have love in our hearts, which makes us stronger than you, heartless and cruel and angry," she stated proudly, lifting her hand to touch her brooch. "Everyone falters, eventually. But being human, we have a choice to change, and be happy again, and accept our differences!"
      She held out that hand, fingers loose, palm up, as if accepting a gift. Deliberately, she stepped away with Haruka with one sure movement, took another, a third, and lifted her palm to press it against the thickened air of the image. "I feel sorry for everyone who wants to be angry and hate without reason," she said, even as Kaolinite's face began to warp and dissolve, her spell unable to hold under the touch of Usagi's hand. The power of the Ginzuishou was, after all, so similar to the light of the Taioron Crystal, and her will was strong at the end.
      The lounge cleared, as if there had been an unusual heaviness in the air, and they all breathed easy without realizing they'd been working for every breath. They stared at the odango-haired blonde, or rather at her back, as she was still facing the wall; eyes closed, smiling so sweetly, she felt her confidence return as she'd banished Kaolinite's weak magic.
      Lowering her hand, she turned around to face her friends and prince, her expression dimming back into the tired and worried countenance she'd had since waking up. She murmured, "Chibi-Usa?"
      Mamoru shook his head, rubbing at his face as if to wipe away all of his problems, while the dusky-skinned brunette said, "The situation has not changed, hime-sama. She will not be cured in the hospital, and no machines will keep her alive any longer. Her sickness lies in the magical and spiritual, not earthly."
      "Then there's no hope?" Haruka ventured quietly. "We would never get to the stolen crystal in time, not with the Death Busters expecting us."
      "And that is if that woman did not entirely eat her spirit." Her partner seemed to be finally wearing down; she didn't even bother to inject a modicum of hope into her voice for the benefit of their royal audience. "For surely, she was a daimon, and that is what daimon are supposed to do; live on the untalented spirits like sustenance."
      The tall brunette snapped, "There's always the possibility we'll make it! Don't say such dismal things in front of Usagi!" her fists clenching tightly at her sides.
      A small fight could have very well broken out between the three - Makoto looked to be spoiling for any sort of release, and Haruka would have been glad to oblige - when the building began to shake again in an aftershock. It only lasted half a minute, but it was enough to knock them onto their hands and knees. It was also a signal of worse to come; an earthquake occurring after Hotaru-not-Hotaru had stolen Chibi-Usa's holy stone was surely not coincidence. None had been anticipated, though it was hardly an exact science to predict.
      People were running down the hallways again after the building stilled, shouting in alarm. As the group stood up, an elder doctor came to a jogging stop in the doorway, breathing as if he'd gone for a marathon. "You, there! Are you here visiting a patient?" he demanded.
      "Ano…hai," Makoto answered, being closest. "Tsukino Usagi, on the seventh floor."
      "I don't need a name. But it's on the news, official warning; we have to evacuate the hospital. The entire bay region is being told to evacuate," he explained rather brusquely, still catching his breath. "Everyone. That earthquake's epicenter was in the Delta, and they've calculated another about to hit in two hours." He turned to leave, ignoring their stunned faces. "So find your patient, and if she's well enough, take her home. If not, she'll be evacuated to the Children's Hospital across the city with everyone else."
      Setsuna muttered, "Evacuation at this level of people, that's enormous. If only I could reach the professor…the warp must be growing worse, space being disturbed."
      "No doubt, they've finally begun their worst plans," Haruka said, "if even this hospital must be evacuated. We're not even within the unofficial boundaries of the Delta itself, we're kilometres away."
      "We're still close enough to be a concern. And with so many sick children, it would be a precautionary measure to get everyone as far away as possible." Mamoru ran a hand back through his hair, actually mussing it into neatness. "But Chibi-Usa…"
      Everyone fell quiet again, realizing the unspoken. The hospital's machines were doing almost nihil to keep her alive, but even that was better than nothing. If they allowed her to be evacuated, she would be too far away to reach in time; if they took her home, nothing would be keeping her body functioning. And no matter what, they had to go to Mugen Gakuen and stop the Death Busters. They could only wait so long before the second earthquake came, and caused an even greater calamity; the history of the Great Kanto Earthquake was not far from their minds.
      The dusky-skinned brunette glanced over at their prince, magenta eyes assessing him clinically, thoughtfully. She remembered, a vague sort of memory, of her lavender king revealing a great power of his own, something she couldn't rightfully name. But it was a marvelous power, and the idea was beginning to grow in her head, taking shape, because it could work. It really could. "We take Small Lady home," she said suddenly.
      "But, she'll die," Usagi protested faintly, sinking onto the couch.
      "Iie. I think I know how we can save her. But first, we have to get her out of this sterile prison."
      "How, Meiou-san?" the tall brunette asked again, confused, needlessly wasting time. She received no answer as the soldier of Time hustled them all out with flapping hands reminiscent of a clucking grandmother, driving them to the elevator. Obviously, this new and improved Peppy Pluto was something they'd have to get used to.

       There was a veritable deluge of people abandoning their homes for the inland.
      Cars choked the right side of the road, slowed down to a crawl as everyone disregarded traffic lights and indeed common sense and tried to cram in as tightly as possible to leave. People on foot were pulling wheeled suitcases and loaded down with overstuffed backpacks; obviously, they didn't expect to be gone long, or had taken only their most precious items, knowing their homes could be gone within the day. Despite the beeping horns and bumper-to-bumper traffic, it was an extremely orderly evacuation, one most of them had most likely planned in the back of their minds for years.
      And many of them spared a puzzled look for the blue Ferrari that sped down the left lane, going in the wrong direction. Haruka had taken one look at the traffic jam and ripped out into the opposite, arguing that they'd get there faster, and wasn't Chibi-Usa's life hanging in the balance? Neither future monarch had argued with her on that point.
      Mamoru cradled the pink-haired child on his lap in the cramped back seat, trying to concentrate as he lay his hand directly over her heart. Next to him, Setsuna was saying, "And I'm not sure what else we can do, ouji-sama. Just concentrate. Imagine your spirit and your energy filling her up, making her heart beat. You have this power in an older body, you must have it now!"
      "I'm trying, Meiou-san," he muttered, closing his eyes tightly. This was his dying child, his responsibility; he needed desperately to make her body function again, if only at the most primary levels. Anything to keep her going. "Come on, Chiba," he added through a clench of teeth, "you can do this. For Chibi-Usa, you have to!"
      In the front seat, their princess and twice-proven saviour was watching the passing of traffic, her face pale and her eyes rimmed raw red. But she didn't cry, had not shed a tear since she'd disrupted Kaolinite's spell and sent the witch packing. There was no more time to sit and bawl. Seeing so many people driven from their homes and lives by the cruel arrogance of the Death Busters, she was finding the strength and determination to leave her child, her prince, and defeat the enemy. Every single scared and resigned face was imprinted in her memory; so many. So very many.
      Everyone else was going directly to the school, being of no use otherwise, transforming on the hospital roof to make the several kilometre run. The cats, having been left at Alex's condo, were staying there despite the dangers - Luna had turned on the computer and found a program remarkably like their old one below the Crown, allowing them to communicate with the girls. They could also see the tall tower of Infinity from the bedroom balconies. Diana was inconsolable; she was apparently curled up on Alex's bed, refusing to talk to either of her parents. Another hurt by the policies of the Death Busters.
      "We're here."
      Mamoru's building was cold, only half full; Juuban was not close enough to the bay for evacuation, but many citizens were leaving anyway. They had passed Minako's parents, who lived near Shibakouen and closer to the bay, standing out on the sidewalk in front of their house with suitcases and bags, calling out frantically for their daughter. It would have been funny in any other case; the long-haired blonde often complained that her mother had given birth to her merely to have a punching bag around the house. Now, that same critical woman was crying so hard she could hardly say Minako's name clearly, frantic that she was dead or missing.
      Usagi's grip on the door handle had gone white-knuckled by the time they stopped.
      Parked on the wrong side of the road, the traffic still too thick to even attempt crossing over, they climbed out and ran for it, shaken by a second aftershock just as they made it into the building. And this one not only knocked them off their feet, it kept them flat for at least a minute, unable to get up for the movement of the ground. The situation was worsening, no doubt about it.
      Now even more cautious, they took the stairs instead of the elevator, Haruka in the lead, shoving people out of the way who were intent on leaving. A quarter of the building seemed to be in the process of using the stairs to escape, carrying their bags and valuables; one woman was carrying a lamp styled like a Ming dynasty vase, and another a two-foot long potted bonsai on his back. Several began fighting on the floor just below Mamoru's, yelling that someone had broken their son's toy car on purpose. Haruka took extreme pleasure in pushing them aside, telling them she'd break their hands to match the car if they didn't move.
      "This is madness," she remarked as they finally emerged onto the correct floor, which was amazingly quiet. "Arguing over silly things instead of leaving for safety."
      "Where can they go? Nowhere will be safe, if the Death Busters succeed," Setsuna said in return, closing the door behind them.
      And then, Mamoru's home, dark and cool, small objects fallen and strewn on the floors. Haruka, having done her part, busied herself with picking up these items and placing them back on their shelves or tables, while the other three disappeared into the bedroom. Here, Mamoru practically collapsed onto his bed, sweating with the exertion of maintaining his tenuous link with Chibi-Usa. Both of them glowed faintly golden as he gave her part of his energy, and though she was still pale, she was no longer so dangerously white. But she still didn't breathe or even move under her own will. "Mamo-chan…Chibi-Usa…" Usagi pressed her fist against her lips, trying to swallow her rising tears.
      "Daijoubu, Usa," the dark-haired prince sighed, looking up at her. "It was hard to establish, but I'll be fine now, slowly. As long as Chibi-Usa's body is alive, I'm succeeding."
      "But, Mamo-chan, you're trying so hard…!"
      Setsuna reached over and touched her hand to Mamoru's forehead, testing its heat; then, she curled her fingers around his free wrist, marking his pulse. He smiled a moment, marveling that he, the hopeful doctor, was having his pulse taken, instead of the other way around. "He's already relaxing. The initial stress of making the link tired him, but his pulse is steady, and his temperature is nearly fine. Soon it should be as easy for him as breathing." She smiled brightly, patting the back of his hand before releasing it.
      The odango-haired blonde opened her mouth, most likely to protest; then, after a momentary reflection, shut it. She crouched, smoothing her skirt beneath her properly, and kissed her pink-haired child on the forehead. Her skin felt cold beneath her lips, utterly still. Hovering there for a minute, she recalled so many images of Chibi-Usa's laughing, smiling, brilliantly alive face. The innocent child, alone in the icy world. "I'll save your bright, happy spirit, Chibi-Usa," Usagi whispered.
      Leaning up, she then gave her prince a kiss, though it was a lingering touch of mouths this time, sharing one another's breath. Love, and all of its ups and downs. Oceanic blue stared into crystal blue, realizing what he'd known out in that freezing Arctic world, holding her body as he now held Chibi-Usa's; love was not choice so much as chance. And in this life, he had managed to find it, and he never, ever, wanted to let it go. It didn't matter anymore that their love was destined, it was still truly miraculous love. "Aishiteru, Usa," he said.
      "Aishiteru, Mamo-chan," she returned, smiling at him so innocently.
      The dusky-skinned brunette touched her shoulder, barely a tap, and she stood up. Exiting the bedroom, they found Haruka standing in front of the door like a guard, incongruous as it looked in her skirt and blouse. Arms folded, she turned around at the click of the latch, stormy grey seemingly shuttered behind her lashes. "Is Chiba-san going to be alright?"
      "He'll be fine. As it's his daughter he's linking to. But we can't delay any longer; we must meet the others at the school," Setsuna said, turned to look expectantly at their princess.
      "Then we have to leave now, and save Chibi-Usa's spirit! Before the earthquakes hit again." Usagi touched her brooch unconsciously, moving past them both to hit the lights. "Everyone is waiting for us."
      Getting back down to the car was far easier than the trip up; now they moved with the flow of traffic, which had dwindled down to nearly nothing. Outside, the Juuban district was loud with the sound of engines; apparently more people had decided to cut their losses and flee. But no one was desperate enough yet to use the left lanes and break several traffic laws at once, which meant the blue Ferrari had plenty of room to drive correctly back towards the Delta. Not even the few cops they passed - who could use the left lanes lawfully in this emergency - seemed inclined to stop them. If they wanted to essentially commit suicide by going back, they were welcome to it.
      "This can be over quickly. All we have to do is reach the woman, whoever Tomoe Hotaru has become, and kill her first. Then, once we remove Tomoe-san and that witch, Kaolinite, all we have left is their secret lair, no doubt where they hide their -"
      "Kill Hotaru? What do you mean, kill Hotaru?" Usagi interrupted.
      " - where they hide their evidence, and Tomoe labs. Both of those can be destroyed easily with our powers," Haruka continued, as if she'd never spoken, her eyes on the road. "We should also destroy the school building just in case; the rubble will sufficiently cover up everything."
      Usagi repeated, "What do you mean, kill Hotaru? She's innocent! If I can reach her, I'm sure I can persuade her to change her mind and help us defeat the Death Busters. Surely…"
      "Hime-sama, Hotaru is gone!" Setsuna met her eyes in the rearview mirror, magenta narrowed angrily. "All that is left is that woman, and it was that woman who stole Small Lady's spirit so cruelly! To kill her would release the body forever, and save Small Lady. Can you continue on your path of righteousness if it sacrifices your child?"
      "She's right, koneko-chan, we've got no other options!" the tall sandy-blonde agreed, taking the turn at a squeal again. "Her body was so wasted by Tomoe-san's experiments, and her soul harboring the god of ruin; if we kill that woman, we've done a favour. We have to stop them, or else we'll be watching the world die instead. It won't matter if we've stopped Saturn from coming, the Death Busters can put themselves in her place and condemn our planet!"
      The dusky-skinned brunette turned to look out of the window, releasing Usagi from her gaze. "And what of the Crystal Guardian, trapped by the enemy? Would you let her die as well, just to attempt the salvation of one body against millions? She would be telling you the same as we are; she knows what must be done. Don't mistake compassion for condemnation." She reached forward to touch Usagi's shoulder, squeezing. "We aren't murderers, hime-sama. But we have to do this. You have to understand."
      Usagi lowered her head. "I know, I know what has to be done. But I don't want to kill! I don't want to take life! Even so, I've done it, you've reminded me of that, Meiou-san; I've killed to stop the Dark Kingdom, I've killed to save the future from the Black Moon. But everyone is so kind to me, so compassionate, that I've forgotten what terrible actions I've taken."
      "Hime-sama, I don't mean to be cruel," Setsuna began, but she was stopped by the turn of Usagi's head, her wavering, gentle smile as she met her eyes again.
      "Iie, Meiou-san…Sailor Pluto! You're not cruel. You're a true sailor soldier, and you accept the responsibility of keeping us all safe. By reminding me of what I've done….perhaps, every future queen needs that. To make them a kind and gentle ruler, knowing the difference between right and wrong, and of sacrifice." Usagi sniffed softly, wiping her hand crudely across her nose. "And I have to accept responsibility too, for my planet."
      The car shook sharply; the odango-haired blonde slid back into her seat quickly, turning to see what appeared to be everything gone wrong. If she hadn't seen the familiar shape of the Infinity building in the distance, and the Shugoshin building nearby, she would have thought they'd taken a wrong turn.
      Many of the buildings had warped as though they'd been made out of plastic, left out under the sun for too long; twisted like a Dali painting, they bent over towards the ground, or spiraled up towards the sky. All manner of weeds and plants had sprung up, thick and twisted around light poles and mailboxes and even buildings. The air was thick and hard to breathe, fetid with the redolence of rotting greenery and brimstone. And as Haruka carefully drove over the cracking concrete, they heard the sound of more stone snapping, holes appearing in the road behind them.
      "Kami-sama," Usagi moaned, pressing her fingers against the window. "Luna, Artemis, Diana….minna.…!"
      "LeBeau-san's condominium building seems perfectly fine," Haruka soothed her, glancing towards the solitary lights on the eighth floor. "Outrageously fine, considering the damage everywhere else."
      She pulled the car into the Ten'nou condominium underground garage, turning off the engine. They were the only ones there; every single space was empty, with only the tire marks and pools of dripping fluids to mark that they'd even been used. Not surprising, considering that the building itself had looked, close up, to be in bad shape; windows broken, cracks running up the sides. The Kaiou and Meiou complexes undoubtedly had suffered the same sort of damage, and Usagi realized suddenly that the three outer planet soldiers, even if they defeated the enemy, were effectively homeless. Herself and the others lived far enough away from the bay area to still have homes to return to after this was all done.
      They got out, leaving the car behind as they walked out of the garage, finding themselves in a wilderness of cracked concrete and madly growing plants. "Well, I know the developers are most likely crying right around now," Setsuna remarked calmly as they stomped their way through irate plant life. "All of this excellent real estate destroyed."
      "Well, that's what they get for buying from a mad scientist," Haruka snorted.
      At the edge, where the concrete roundabout in front of the school connected with the sidewalks circling the condominiums, a huge slab had broken up, lifting the path up nearly a metre. The tall sandy-blonde hopped down, landing neatly despite her choice of shoes, and reached up to grab Usagi by her waist before she could protest. Swinging her down carefully onto her feet, she said, "Can't have our princess twisting her ankle before the big battle, ne?"
      "A-arigatou, Ten'ou-san, but that wasn't necessary."
      "Obviously not, as you'll notice Ten'ou-san not helping her elders down," Setsuna added with a put-upon expression, hopping down herself. The tall sandy-blonde gazed at them both with a wry smile, turning to walk away.
      "Are you that old now, obaa-sama, that you need help?" she retorted mildly.
      Laughing, their amusement tapered off as they approached five familiar figures waiting for them in front of the Infinity building, spots of colour against what had become another Dali nightmare; it shimmered like a mirage, wrapped in vines and weeds. Neptune, watching them expectantly; Venus, at her side, rocking on her heels; Mercury, staring at the building through her goggles; Mars, eyes closed, head tilted up, as she felt the energy around her; and Jupiter, pacing in a tight circle, anxious. All of them turned to face their princess as she approached.
      She stared at them, already in uniform, and up at the building behind them. Foreboding and dark, she felt a stab of fear in her heart; she didn't want to go in there. But she had to. Chibi-Usa's life hung in the balance; Alex was somewhere inside, waiting for them. The entire city, if not the planet, was poised to be destroyed. "Minna," she sighed, touching her brooch, clasping it so hard the ornamental metal pierced her hand. "Let's go. We have so many people to save! Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!"
      Behind her, she heard, "Uranus Planet Power, Make Up!"
      "Pluto Planet Power, Make Up!"
      Kami-sama, the rush of power from the two of them, it was enough to make her gasp, so close was she. Her eyes closed as her own transformation wrapped her up, bound her snugly, infused her blood and body with energy. She landed, feeling the cracked stone beneath her heels, and turned to see Pluto toss her head slightly, freeing the tumble of her green-black hair, and then Uranus stretching, reaching up as if to touch the sky. Back around, and everyone waiting for them to step forward into their ranks, a strong front united; Sailor Moon took the first step.

       "Bothersome pest! That shining energy will be mine, if I have to reach beneath her ribs and yank out her beating heart myself!" Kaolinite frothed, raging for the fifth time since Usagi had disrupted her spell. No one was around to hear her, anymore; after the first screaming session, Mistress 9 had begun laughing and disappeared into the cavern with the Taioron Crystal and their Master. Two seconds later, Tomoe had left, headed for the lab, giggly as a schoolgirl with the prospect of unconscious soldiers to experiment on. It didn't matter, she loathed them equally.
      She resisted the urge to roast the American, still trapped in a state of suspension and floating again above her scrying pool, but that wouldn't do her any good. It was, however, a strong urge after realizing that she knew where she'd seen the girl before; trapped inside the hallways of the Dome, facing Viluy. With the makeup she was wearing, and her hair pulled back from her face, she looked slightly different, like a fraternal twin instead of identical, enough to have Kaolinite sure she was hallucinating at first.
      Going through the trouble of wiping off the makeup and undoing her hair and even changing her clothing to match what she remembered, Kaolinite was then positive it was the same person. No wonder she had been in the building under an assumed name, trying to snoop around. Whatever tie she had to the sailor soldiers was sure to bring them stampeding to their front door, right into their trap. That is, once she decided on the trap in particular.
      The second aftershock freed some smaller stones from the ceiling, falling noisily onto the ground, clunking Kaolinite right on the skull, and splashing into the pool. She howled, biting back several curses; the spell to open the doorway for their Master was powerful indeed, and the planet was just too damn fragile. Once again she was glad she was going to be above ground when the doorway was completely opened; the cavern was most likely going to be destroyed. It wouldn't be able to handle the seismic side-affects.
      "I need a brilliant spell," she sighed angrily, pacing around in a circle. "A miraculous spell, that will destroy those arrogant soldiers. But what can I do?" Tapping her lips with the sigil of her staff, she mused on the idea as she circled around and around, dreaming up faintly ridiculous, disturbingly violent scenarios, with lots and lots of gushing blood. Gushing blood meant death to humans, so she added even more.
      As she spun around for the seventh circle, her eyes fell on her chest of dolls. They'd been gathered up after that last summoning, and placed back into the box, and set back on the table. But the last aftershock had knocked that table over, spilling the now-broken trunk onto the floor, the dolls thankfully whole but now strewn everywhere. "My tools! Chikusho…thrown about in the muck like garbage!" she raged again, running over and punt kicking the useless box off into a corner. She set the table upright, picking up the dolls and carelessly wiping them clean, setting them in an orderly row. "What if they'd broken? How would I summon those fool spirits?"
      She stared at the dolls thoughtfully, brows drawn. Ah, now there was a real idea brewing in her brain, a wonderfully simple, effective plan. After all, it was those three carriers of the lights of reckoning that she needed to be careful in dispatching, Sailor Moon that she had to steal away the light so close to the Taioron Crystal. The other four were weak and useless, and could be rid of easily, leaving the rest scared if not defenseless.
      "Ara ara, Magus Kaolinite, you are a wicked genius!" she crooned. "Six witches; the two strongest will add their fading power to mine to create the trap, and the four pitiful witches will destroy those four soldiers, one by one." She picked up the Janus-faced doll, smiling at it. "But how shall I create the spell? A binding curse, perhaps?"
      A binding curse would be the most effective, sending a specific witch after a specific soldier. But she needed names for that, even if it was their titles as a soldier, and she knew of only Moon, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Venus. She mused over this problem as she held the Janus-faced doll, tracing its two unique sigils.
      She wandered back to her pool, summoning an image of the four soldiers with an impatient wave of her staff. A tall brunette with a ponytail, clad in green and pink; a slightly shorter, long black-haired girl in red and purple; Venus, with long blonde hair in her golden orange and yellow; and a petite blue-haired girl in sapphire and ice blue. Again, she tapped her staff against her lips, thinking. She would bind Venus to Mimete, matching colours and what she sensed was a silly personality. But of the others…
      Eudial and the red and purple soldier would be perfect. But what was her name? What planet could she possibly be, with those colours; and with fire at her command, she vaguely recalled that from Ise. Then she snorted, rolling her eyes. "Of course; Mars. Sailor Mars."
      The other two were a bit harder, as she didn't recall seeing either of them do their attacking spells, nor had she ever really watched them in battle. But the sapphire and ice blue soldier seemed matched to Viluy, which marked her as an intelligent mind. And the green and pink soldier echoed with Tellu, both of them in love with plants and greenery. "Mercury, perhaps?" she queried the image, smiling as she felt an answering ripple of magic. "And then, Jupiter of the oak and trees and all manner of green things.
      "Excellent."

       Now four of those dolls rested in strategic places of power within the front hall of the school. Their mismatching eyes glowed as the spirits of the sailor soldiers came near; and ghostly images rose like smoke, uncurling and giggling.
      Though the soldiers didn't know it. They had assembled into a rough circle formation around Sailor Moon, with the three outer planet soldiers at the front, talismans out and ready, and the four guardian soldiers at her back. The three were their offense, powerful enough to punch through whatever came their way, while the four had styled themselves defense. And Moon was, as always, protected between them, the heart moon rod loosely clutched in her hand. As one, they moved through the front door, and into the building.
      Almost immediately, those doors disappeared, leaving a smooth wall behind. They were trapped, but they had expected that, and they continued onward. "We have to make it to the basement," Venus said, not bothering to lower her voice. "That's where the hidden door is."
      "So there is in fact a secret level beneath the school?" Neptune queried.
      "Hai; the blueprints and building records confirm it, though only someone willing to figure the mass of earth removed against the mass of the entire building and all its levels would find this," Mercury answered without a hint of ego, entirely modest on her extraordinary find. She had put on her goggles, and was even now watching the walls around them; even though the electricity was out, and everything was dark, nothing else seemed amiss.
      They reached the large fountain, several of them looking up into the higher floors. Without the comforting ripple of the water, everything seemed loud and obvious and frightening; even their footsteps sounded obnoxious. "The energy distorting the Delta doesn't seem to be within the building at all," Mercury finally reported, staring up into the inky blackness. "It's very possible that because this is the very epicenter, there exists an 'eye,' much like a hurricane's calm center. No distortion at all."
      "That doesn't mean it won't happen before long," Uranus said grimly.
      As if to prove her right, the giggling began audibly for them to hear.
      Everyone turned as one to eye the tall sandy-blonde, who shrugged; wasn't her fault that she'd pegged it right. They stepped out, fanning around Sailor Moon, watching the shadows carefully. "They know where we're headed," Jupiter remarked.
      "Well, Kaolinite did say she knew you were all soft-hearted," Uranus agreed a bit angrily, bringing her sword up to face level. "You'd head right for LeBeau-san."
      "And we won't apologize for it!" Venus snapped back. "Sensei is a strong fighter as well, and she'd want to be at our side, defending this planet."
      The giggling was growing louder, echoing around them in the large foyer. Several pinpoints of red appeared within the shadows, twinkling like miniature stars; without hesitation, Pluto brought her rod around to aim at the closest, snapping, "Dead Scream!"
      Her attack had barely left when the pairs of eyes vanished on the spot. But the power did leave a spectacular hole in the wall, through which they could see the surrounding foliage. And no sooner had it done so, several tendrils of black shadow came whipping out, and Neptune and Uranus threw themselves closer to their princess to protect her. Expecting the worse, they poised to defend themselves, talismans raised.
      But they didn't even attempt to attack her. Instead, shockingly, the four guardian soldiers found themselves entangled, wrapped tightly. Arms, legs tightly bound, mouths scarred by black gags to keep them from calling their powers. "Venus! Jupiter!" Pluto gasped as the two frantically twisted.
      "Mars, Mercury!" Moon cried, trying to push past her two protectors to reach them.
      The shadows dragged them away before they could even plead for help, unable to reach out or struggle for freedom; their bodies were swallowed by the darkness entirely, and they were gone. "Minna! Iyaa! Let them go, let them go!" the odango-haired blonde screamed, breaking away from Uranus and Neptune to run forward, though there was nowhere to truly go. The shadows breathed around them, thickening, but hiding their prizes well; the four could have been anywhere in the building by now. "So suddenly, we're separated…"
      "And this means more time wasted; Venus knew the exact location of the hidden door." Pluto sounded annoyed, though even Moon could hear the undercurrent of concern lacing her voice. If the enemy had gone out of their way to capture the four first, that meant they had a specific plan in mind. "What can we do?"
      Neptune lifted her mirror, staring into its silvered surface. "We can't waste time looking for them; this entire building is a maze in the dark. And my vision of their location is completely distorted." She stared a moment longer, than added, "Nor can I find LeBeau-san. All of them are cloaked by the witch's magic."
      Sailor Moon gripped her rod tighter, looking up into the multiple floors of the school, lost to darkness and shadow above their heads. All except for a twinkling white light so far above, perhaps a room hastily exited. "There's a light on, up there," she remarked, pointing upward. "So far overhead; could someone be left behind in the school?"
      Everyone looked up again. "Perhaps the enemy," Pluto said, narrowing her eyes in an impossible attempt to see. "So high in the building, wouldn't that be the principal's offices and administrative rooms?"
      "Hai," both Uranus and Neptune answered.
      "Most definitely a trap then, ne?" Moon sounded, of all things, severe and the beginnings of angry. The Black Moon had kidnapped her friends; now the Death Busters had snatched them as well. An excellent way to get her blood up, not that attacking her child and kidnapping her oldest friend didn't qualify; but this meant war. This was deliberate. "Would that Magus Kaolinite woman be up there?" she queried, swiveling her head to look around at the tall sandy-blonde and aqua-haired beauty.
      If she didn't know better, she'd swear they were looking at her with something akin to respect, if not awe; and a wry smile, in Neptune's case. "Most likely. Tomoe-san has his laboratories, and I have no doubt that he would be hiding there, plotting his own mad schemes," Uranus replied thoughtfully, envisioning the man doing a mad Dr. Frankenstein dance around his various vials and Bunsen burners.
      "And Magus Kaolinite is the one hiding everyone from your mirror?"
      "Hai, no doubt. After all, we've dispatched the Witches 5, ne?"
      The odango-haired blonde nodded once. Then, she began to look around with a curiously intent expression, affecting a sort of crouching creep around the boundaries of the foyer. Unsure of her intent, the three just watched her in various degrees of confusion, wondering what in the name of the kami she was doing. They gained an answer when she finally lifted her rod with a mutter, producing the most extraordinary flare of power at its crown, just enough to light the four metres around her, showing them the foot of the stairs. "That's…that's very amazing, Sailor Moon," the dusky-skinned brunette finally said.
      She smiled, though they could only see the barest curve of her face in profile, at an angle away from them. "I wasn't sure it would work; producing just a little bit of power like this isn't so easy." Holding it up like a torch, the explorer in the jungle about to enter the mouth of the cave, she said, "If we stop Magus Kaolinite first, she won't be able to use any more magic to prevent us from finding their secret room. And because of the darkness, we'll use the stairs; if that terrible woman can cast a spell, she could drop the elevator with us in it."
      "A clever plan, hime-sama; as well, the witch can tell us where the woman is hiding with Small Lady's holy stone," Pluto agreed, holding her rod in a cross grip as she jogged quickly to match Sailor Moon's rapid strides.
      The other two followed, neither arguing nor agreeing, but the general feeling was that they were in favour; how could they not be? Their princess was actually taking a strong charge. And with the four guardian soldiers taken by the shadows, this was the best plan they had. Neptune continued to stare into her mirror as she kept in pace with Uranus easily, watching for even a sign of their allies; but there was nothing but blank glass mocking her.
      Taking the stairs in a 56-floor tower was by no means a rapid means of transportation. Though the stairwells continued all the way to the top, the steady incline was not easy on the feet nor the knees; and by the tenth floor, they were feeling the ache already. But they continued doggedly, slowing down to even out their pace and ease the pain in their muscles. "If Venus were here, she could pull us all up on that golden chain of hers, ne?" Uranus sighed, glancing once over the edge to see the darkness beneath them as they climbed.
      "Ah, but the wind is light and free, and needs no such help," Neptune countered mildly, lifting her eyes finally from her mirror to gaze sidelong at her lover. The tall sandy-blonde had no comment for that one; and in the shadows, none of them could see her flush. Sometimes, the aqua-haired beauty inferred more than she let on, which made for an intuitive, caring lover, but also something of a paranoid partner.
      More stairs; through the open doors they could see empty classrooms and vine-choked windows, though many of the rooms were properly shut off from view. One of the science classrooms looked particularly ominous, with the shapes of vials and the requisite human skeleton facsimile hanging as though a dead man at the gallows. No doubt about it, the place was spooky as hell without the benefit of lights and the rush of students. It was as if the very essence of the Death Busters and their Witches 5 had permeated the walls, like unseen ghosts earthbound.
      Twenty floors, and the higher educational grades began to show, mostly from the lack of candy wrapper refuse and American-style lockers for the students' personal objects. But some of them were hanging open, a few half off their hinges as if yanked open in violence, their contents gone or hastily removed with some to spare. A paper trail led from one right across from the double doors off down the hallway where they couldn't see; a faint breeze rustled them, sending them skittering across the floor. "That's odd," Uranus muttered, watching them twist and roll end over end. "The entire building is state of the art, sealed up tight. Where would that wind come from?"
      There was another gust of wind, blowing the papers back in the opposite direction, and a cool breeze tousled their hair. Above them, there was the sound of feet, and the appearance of several students looking over the railing, mouths spread wide in painful jester's grins. "They've bewitched the students!?" Moon gasped, looking down as another group appeared on the stairs beneath them, still dressed in their burgundy and green plaid, barely old enough to be in junior high.
      In front of them, a cadre of older students appeared, taller and disheveled, their clothes ripped and hanging in tatters, faces streaked with sap and blood. One of them, a black-haired boy, opened his mouth obscenely wide to show a shark's grin of razor sharp teeth, completely inhuman; and Neptune whispered, "Kami-sama; they're daimon. They're fully daimon. But they've retained their human bodies!"
      "Just like we suspected of Tomoe-san, and that black-haired woman, ne?" Uranus jeered, bringing her sword up in a parry. The odango-haired blonde looked around at her, shock evident on her face.
      "You can't attack them! They're students!" she protested, putting out a hand to grab at the other girl's wrist.
      That seemed to be the signal; as one, the three levels of students rushed forward, down, and up, mouths open in those terrible snarls, eyes swirling and glowing like twin stars. Uranus twisted her wrist free with one decisive jerk and met the opposition at a run, swinging her elbow around into the closest jaw. Neptune turned to meet the group coming from below, calling her power in a rush of water and energy to sweep them down the stairs. Pluto faced the upper crowd, using her rod to parry and jab as they attempted to overwhelm her with numbers.
      Sailor Moon looked frantically around, eyes wide as she watched her allies beat back the students almost viciously; though only Neptune had used her powers, they seemed not to care that they were inflicting serious injury. One boy fell back with his arm hanging at a bad angle; two girls, twins, met the business end of the lavender rod and dropped with bloody noses and swelling faces. "You don't have to do this!" she pleaded, holding up the heart moon rod, "I can heal them, I can save them from this terrible fate!"
      "They're fully daimon, Sailor Moon! How can you heal them? It would most likely kill them just as easily as we can do," Neptune countered, gracefully kicking a struggling student in the chin, sending him flying down the flight of stairs. "Leave this messy business to us."
      Uranus spun, catching a bespectacled girl in the chest; there was a sharp crack as a rib or several broke. "They'd kill us if we allowed it. And we can't afford to waste any more time!"
      The odango-haired blonde screamed as a boy half her size dropped from three floors up, landing on the step in front of her, and leapt onto her like a monkey, grabbing her throat. She fell back hard onto the steps, pushing against his shoulders to dislodge him, but he was so small that he simply twisted around her hands. His own fingers clenched tighter around her neck, and she choked, hearing Neptune's cry of warning; but all she saw was the boy's face as he lowered his head, opening his mouth. She could feel that peculiar sensation again, the same as when Tellu's mutant plants had begun to siphon away her soul, feeding on it like sunlight. Her fingers relaxed, allowing the heart moon rod to slip away, its light going out.
      "Iie…"
      A group of girls took advantage of Neptune's shift in attention, grabbing her by the hair and arms, yanking her back into their midst. Uranus and Pluto were frantically trying to beat away the students who had grabbed hold of them as well, unable to use their powers in such close proximity; the garnet rod was flung away, the space sword sunk deep into the wall. "Sailor Moon!" Uranus screamed, sounding in her desperation so very female and helpless.
      "….iie…"
      Chibi-Usa was cold, her eyes closed.
      In the future, her body was unresponsive, beautiful as a statue.
      Lying in the snow, dead, sacrificing themselves for her, were her four new friends.
      "Not again! Not ever again will it happen!"
      The Ginzuishou appeared as it had in the future, though she had thought it a dream; that vision of the lotus, each petal shining, cut like the finest diamond. The power of the Moon, of her will, rolled forth like the sea, up, down, around; it was a blaze of illumination. Her eyes opened to see the boy vanish in a disintegration of ash, her throat constricting one last time then relaxing to breathe again.
      Around her, the students were becoming ash and then nothing, blown away by her holy stone, their bodies completely useless. Nothing left but the daimon wearing their skin.
      Uranus dropped to a knee, staring with awe as her visionary princess stood, her hands protectively cupped around the crystal lotus like a figure in a painting. Neptune coughed, pressing a gloved hand against her bleeding cheek as she gazed at the very same sight, a goddess come down the earth. Only Pluto seemed untouched by the mystical, knowing she'd seen this before but not truly remembering it; she dropped to a knee as well, but to gracefully bow in the presence of their sovereign.
      Slowly the light retracted, dimming, leaving the building a little colder from its disappearance. She opened her hands, holding them palms up as if to show she wasn't hiding a thing up her sleeves; the holy stone vanished, presumably back into her golden brooch, and she looked up into the stairwell. "You were right, Neptune," she sighed ever so softly. "But surely, to ease their suffering gently was the correct way."
      The aqua-haired beauty nodded as though she'd been given a wise bit of advice. She pulled her hand away from her cheek, lifting her mirror in an almost ridiculously normal sweep to check on her injury. "Gomen nasai, Sailor Moon. For so long, we've had to accept that the quickest way is not always the kindest. To defeat the enemy, one must sometimes emulate the enemy."
      Rather dazed, Uranus lowered her head, looking around at the scattering of ashes at her feet. So beautiful her little koneko-chan had become, exactly as she'd dreamed. What would it be like to make love to such a person, possessing that power and combination of innocence? It was almost enough to make her beg for even an hour's time, an allowance to win her heart and body away from her stoic prince. In love with the moon…kami-sama, she had to be mad to wish for the impossible.
      And then that goddess turned and looked at her and stared, as if she could see those crazy thoughts in her soldier's head. The temptation of such a divine personage so close to touch, to worship; was this what they meant in the old tales of being moonstruck? For the love of the kami, if she had to go through this every time Sailor Moon used her holy stone, she was going to go entirely mad. But she smiled finally anyway, one of her slightly arrogant, entirely calm grins, acting as if nothing was amiss, and stood up to pull her sword out of the wall.
      Pluto had recovered her rod as well, calling it to her hand. And so they continued to climb as if nothing had gone wrong, their steps kicking up little eddies of ash as they went.

      Great glittering spans of metal and working parts, all tiny as science has discovered to make them, working infinitely faster, better, than their predecessors. Machines dispensing all of the information available at her fingertips in an instant. Paper printouts like works of art with their tiny printed words, reams and reams spitting out of the printers. "So much wonderful information," Mercury sighed, "so much I could accomplish! Ara, the newest discoveries out of the Geneva Institute, and the latest updates from America!"
      "Isn't it lovely, Sailor Mercury? Everything converted into bytes and kilobytes. So much data to be found and digested." The girl swiveled around in her chair, legs folded beneath her burgundy skirt. Her ice-blue hair swung with the movement, brushing her shoulders, matching her narrowed eyes. "For a genius in this day and age, studying can be endless. One could wish to be a computer and contain all the information in the world, it's the only way to know everything."
      Who was this girl speaking to her so calmly? Was she a fellow student, a genius like her, unable to leave the computer lab for its frankly addicting pull? And her voice sounded familiar, though she had not said 'Mercury,' but another name, a different name beginning with the very same letter… "But I'm happy with studying, learning what I desire. To become a doctor as I wish, I have to study on my own. Otherwise it's useless."
      "But aren't you always so busy? Much too busy to study properly. The girl genius, unable to fill her brain with everything it needs, because she's working so hard to fight. Ne? Don't you get tired of fighting and protecting that truly unimportant girl?"
      Something cold crept up her bare legs, not entirely uncomfortable. Unbidden, several equations came to the front of her mind, reforming themselves to show her their variables and answers, mutating into entirely new numbers. So much knowledge in her brain, but not enough, clearly. But she could always study more, if she had the time…all she needed was time… "Hai, so tired of fighting. So much time wasted when I could be studying, cramming in more hard facts. I never asked for this vulgar life."
      The girl smiled, reaching aside to type on a nearby keyboard, fingers racing adeptly. "Ara ara, Sailor Mercury, is this true? Surely I can fix that, as I am the model science student. Do you know that the human body produces so very much electricity?" she asked intently, as Mercury vaguely noted the cold travelling further up her body. "Enough to power a computer, ne? You would be a complex data machine, one with the technological marvels. Isn't that better than wasting time as a sailor soldier?"
      "Sou yo, fighting is so terrible a waste of my time. Being a doctor is truly miraculous, saving each life personally, instead of the clinical preservation of millions you don't know…I desire that life. More information! More knowledge!" She raised her hands, only mildly interested to see them partially disappearing beneath the metal wires that shunted into her skin.
      "The modern age is amazing in that you've discovered more in the past hundred years than the long-gone five hundred. Think of it; artificial intelligence is gaining on living organisms daily. Soon, all of it will be metal and machine, no longer soft and stupid. Information will be universal, and everything will be equally available to all. You can be the first step, Sailor Mercury; give up your flesh and blood to the machine. It's only a matter of time anyway, and isn't sterile immortality better than eventual death?" Flipping back her icy hair, the girl smiled as Mercury's eyes went strangely glassy and dim, her brain teeming with so much new knowledge she didn't care anymore…. or more accurately remember…wasn't she looking for someone?
      Couldn't be very important at all.

      Mars didn't understand what she was doing in this room, sitting at the desk as if this were entirely normal. For one, there was no bland-faced nun staring back at her as if she could read her soul and every single sin imprinted, dictating their lesson for the day. Only an eagerly smiling girl with medium-length hair the colour of blood, tied into two sets of loose ponytails on either side of her head. Her eyes were the same shade of crimson, wide with anticipation, and she played with the sleeve of her burgundy Infinity uniform. "Konnichi wa, Sailor Mars. Today begins the lesson. And you're far behind in your studies."
      She should know this girl; the recognition was vague, almost nonexistent, but she felt that she should have this girl's name. Secondary to her confusion was the fact she was even here to begin with, and she queried, "Ne, what am I doing here? I'm not supposed to be here. I have an important person to protect. Don't I?"
      "Yare yare," the girl sighed, folding her arms. "The lesson has begun, and you've spoken out of order. In Etiquette, you've failed shamefully." She gestured lazily with her hand - between her fingers appeared a familiar looking staff topped with an Infinity symbol and black star - and Mars screamed soundlessly as her body burned. An illusion, the red-clad soldier realized; her skin was unmarked, her uniform whole. But she felt the pain as surely as if she'd been dropped into a raging bonfire unawares. "You've fallen behind in your skills. Surely this isn't what you desire to do in life, ne? To fight useless battles instead of learning propriety and grace."
      "Hai; I desired nothing but solitude in my faith, to run the temple once ojii-san passes on," Mars murmured, as if trying to convince herself that her answer was correct. "To be a proper maiden of the temple, tending my soul through worship of the spirits."
      "And yet, you brutally destroy. You create chaos in the spirit world by fighting enemies who have no honour to formally relinquish to you; like hoodlums, you beat down the opposition with no skill, no grace!" The girl smiled, turning in a swirl of skirt to write on the blackboard with her staff, words burning themselves onto the surface; Today's Lesson: Etiquette. "No longer will you have to suffer needlessly. I know what your soul desires."
      The dark-haired shrine girl felt herself straightening as if pulled by wire, perfect posture ramrod straight. Yes; this was the class she'd dreamed of, surely, and she would not act surly as a child. But there was still that itching suspicion she knew this girl, even as she came closer, wielding her staff between both hands like a riding crop. "Your spiritual faith desires the grace of a true believer, a perfect maiden giving herself wholeheartedly to the gods. Your temper desires to learn the true way of bushido, of the samurai class. And luckily I, Arimura Yuuko, teach etiquette and military arts; and you'll never have to leave here. No longer will that undisciplined girl, Sailor Moon, misdirect your wishes."
      "Hai…"
      No!
      "Etiquette and military arts…"
      Trickery, deception, I can sense it, I have to fight this illusion!
      "Arimura-sensei can teach me…."
      Grinning, her eyes were twin stars even as the vibrant purple of Mars's began to fade. "Sou yo. Don't worry, Sailor Mars. This will be the last lesson you'll ever need."
      Sailor Moon…

      "Minna! Sailor Moon! Sailor Uranus! Where is everyone?!" Jupiter's voice rose in irritation as she ran down the corridor, heading for what seemed to be a gentle light source. She didn't even know where in the building she was; every single map posted around the hall corners had been turned into a writhing Bosch nightmare. And no one was answering her calls, even though she was positive she'd run the entire length of the floor.
      Of course, the enemy could have had her running in circles.
      If the light she ran for wasn't anything of consequence, she was going to blast a hole in the wall and escape for the outside. At least then she'd have an idea of where she was. She even called power to her hand in preparation as she finally emerged into the light.
      What she wasn't expecting, however, was the lovely smell of plants.
      "N-nani?" she moaned, releasing the power and dropping her hand at her side as she stared around. A greenhouse, she'd run right into the school's greenhouse, and it was enormous and absolutely wonderful. The kind of glass wonderland she longed for if she ever had the money, safely protecting so many beautiful flowers from the seasons outside. She could feel the moisture in the air against her skin, keeping everything damp. But it was almost a little too much, she could see the puddles on the floor, and if she used her basic attack, she could accidentally either short out the lights or electrocute herself.
      But she was in a greenhouse; what harm could befall her?
      Wouldn't hurt just to look around.
      The roses were enormous and fantastically fragrant, all pinks and peaches, the colours that had retained or enhanced their scents over the commonly used red. She gathered up the blooms carefully in her arms, breathing them all in deep, luxuriating in the feel of their petals against her cheek. Little tea roses, their blooms smaller and flatter, she stooped to smell them as well, practically giggling in her enjoyment. This was a paradise! "Oh, if only this were a reality for me, this beautiful garden…I could drink tea and grow content and find a lover to share it with. So many roses, and they smell so beautiful!"
      "Would you like to stay here awhile? Our roses are especially unique," a voice said behind her, and the tall brunette stood and spun to face a green-haired Infinity student. "We breed our own roses, enhancing their many attributes. Isn't it calming?"
      Green-hair, like that of a leaf, she'd seen that before. A laughing, taunting face; but this girl was staring at her with a quirking smile, neat and proper in her burgundy top and green plaid skirt. "Hai, hai! I love roses. If I could live in such a garden, I would be happy. My dreams are always full of scent and colour."
      The student gestured to take in all of the garden, and the blossoms and leaves seemed to swell, lifting and arching towards her. "But why not? You can stay here if you like. Your body and gentle spirit seem bruised, as if you've been poorly handled. Just like a flower, the merest selfish touch can hurt it; and you've never been handled softly, have you? Always pushing aside your needs for that of someone else."
      "But I love to be considerate and kind! Just like the roses, I want to bring happiness to everyone and make everyone smile." She breathed in deep, feeling her body relax; there was no need to hurry and leave this wonderful world. "Happiness and smiling faces…"
      "You can be considerate certainly! Just stay awhile, just a little while, and relax. There's no need to fight, truly, not when you've found this rose garden. Doesn't it make you feel better? These roses can take away all of your worries," the green-haired student purred, watching Jupiter sink slowly down onto the path. Oak green had dulled to a rotting mold colour, and her kneeling position soon began to teeter into a recline.
      "All of my worries…sou yo…nothing terrible can happen when I have such beautiful roses around me, smelling so sweet. I never ever want to leave!"
      Ever?
      "Never."

      "This is your big moment, Sailor Venus! Come on, you'll be famous! Singing with the idol Hanyu Mimi, that's your step to stardom!"
      Was it?
      The long-haired blonde ran onto stage, wielding her microphone, laughing. Why had she been so hesitant? This was indeed her dream, to become a beautiful and famous idol, and there was no better idol than Hanyu Mimi to catapult her into that place. Mimi, with her short blonde hair and burgundy and green plaid uniform, already in the middle of the stage with her microphone, singing beautifully. Unlike many famous idols, she could actually carry a tune.
      But wasn't her dream unimportant to her function as a sailor soldier? She slowed down in confusion, knowing that was more important somehow, being a girl in a silly costume and fighting evil. Even now she wore the orange sailor suit, and she played with the skirt, knowing there was something she had to do. Someone else wearing this suit, in red and blue, crying her name in anguish…
      "Come on, Sailor Venus! You're my special guest star! Don't keep your fans waiting!" Mimi crooned into her microphone, throwing up her arm in a pose that worked a roar of approval from the crowd. The long-haired blonde looked out at them, unable to see a single face for the bright, illuminating lights shining on them both. Maybe there was no one at all. "Sailor Venus, this is your big moment! Everything you've dreamed!"
      "Ha-a-a-a-ai!" Venus sang, hitting the note perfectly. She had practiced for months now hardcore on her voice, honing it to a perfect edge, though the time she had for auditions was dwindling steadily. It took a lot of time and effort to save the world, and unbidden, a tiny flare of irritation swelled in her heart. Everyone was so selfish, demanding more and more of her time…why, she could be famous, Aino Minako, the beautiful idol, instead of Sailor Venus, the unimportant soldier. "I've always dreamed of this! Who wants to fight? I want to sing and dance!"
      Mimi laughed. "Isn't such a thing absurd? Fighting and getting dirty and ruining your voice, why, no one would desire that! Come on! Your friends aren't truly friends, asking you to sacrifice so much for their selfish desires!"
      But that wasn't selfishness, that was their duty. Wasn't that why Ace had given her his curse, freeing her from any obligation save that of her supreme duty as a soldier? Her destiny was to fight, not to sing and dance.
      And she didn't want that destiny, she did want to sing and dance and fall in love! "Forget Ace!" she said into the faceless crowd, pumping her fist up into the air. "Go forth, Venus! I'll sing my way to the top! That's all I've ever dreamed of doing!" she laughed, hearing everyone - no one? - scream her name. Venus, Venus, Venus. She would have gone forward to receive their praise, but she seemed to have wrapped the microphone cord - there hadn't been one a minute ago - around her legs.
      The smiling blonde idol.

      Kaolinite rested her feet on the desk, arms folded behind her head, as she watched four of the ghostly figures of the Witches 5 laugh in miniature. The waxen dolls she'd made of them had gained a head each, save for Cyprine/Ptilol's doll; Eudial and Mars, Mimete and Venus, Viluy and Mercury, and Tellu and Jupiter. And just like before, the only real stamp of personality was in the astrological sigils upon their brows. Drawing those unique sigils on the desk in wax is what gave her the anchor now to see these images, the dolls still scattered on the first floor.
      Each soldier had their own ghostly figure as well, though they stood smaller than the witches, smiling stupidly in their euphoria. She could only imagine what her little brats had conjured up for each of the girls, as she'd done really nothing more than bind them together, and let them run wild. Whatever it took to get the four out of her way, that was all she had commanded. If it meant they would eventually die, wasting away for lack of food or water, so much the better.
      She noted a shimmer above Cyprine/Ptilol, and she eyed it with interest; both witches rose up, see-through shimmer, and smiled in unison. The two of them she had not bound to any particular soldier, but to the stairwell doors that opened onto the floor beneath her. As she had noted, the soldiers were terribly predictable; once she took away their four, they would, in befuddlement, decide to rescue them or find Kaolinite and force her to release them. Uranus and Neptune knew she was acting principal with Tomoe's lack of concern about the school, and where else could she so simply be?
      The appearance of the two small ghosts meant that she had been right, and the remaining soldiers were coming for her. How in the name of the kami and all their shades her witches had not been able to impressively predict the soldiers' movements and destroy them easily was beyond her. Then she remembered how arrogant they had been, just exactly like the teenagers they'd once chosen to discard in their quest for power. Ah, well. You win some, you lose some.
      An unusual shadow appeared across the desk, candle flames flickering, and Kaolinite scowled. "Is there a reason for disturbing me? I have an important mission to accomplish."
      "Truly, Magus? You seem to be very relaxed for such an important mission." Mistress 9 idled her way out from behind the red-haired witch, trailing the ridiculous length of her hair across the floor, and eyed the effigies. "Sending the impressionable ghosts of your witches after the four soldiers, I see. And what about that girl who bears the brilliant light, Sailor Moon?"
      "She'll be arriving shortly. The soldiers are stupid believers in sacrifice and love. She'll come running to save her friends, and I'll have her shining spirit. All of them will be in my hands, as a redeeming gift to the Master." Kaolinite watched Cyprine/Ptilol, the duo still smiling ghoulishly, though relaxed in their stances.
      "So then, where are the four in their trances?"
      "Wherever my witches had taken them. There are plenty of locked rooms and windowless closets to entice their bodies into, their minds lost to my spell."
      Mistress 9 smiled, playing with the golden brooch she'd fastened to the strings of pearls draped across her breast. Kaolinite scowled further, noting its presence, and what the woman was obviously trying to convey. "Magus Kaolinite, I hope you succeed, if only for your own sake. The Master will tolerate no more failure! Already, the plan is in motion, the spell has been cast, and you have used up you usefulness in all other ways."
      "Is that a threat?" Kaolinite hissed, half-rising out of her chair.
      "Iie. Merely a warning. Suffice to say, you're not worth the effort of a threat." So saying, the woman turned, walking away into a shadow and vanishing into the air, the tips of her hair becoming mere shadows themselves, and remained striping the carpet.
      Once she was well and gone, Kaolinite let out a curse, stomping up and around the desk, eyes narrowed to slits. "So the bitch thinks me worthless now, that she's awakened in that pitiful girl's body? Arrogance! Who brought together the Witches 5 to do our bidding? Who has run this school to lure the best souls for the harvest? Not her! Not the Master's sleeping second!" she raged, clenching her fists. "Not the one I've had to nurture and baby, awaiting her arrival!"
      She paused, noticing Cyprine's bent and waiting position, staff held out. Ptilol was still placid, though gone tense, obviously anticipating the battle. "So, they've finally come this close. Witches, do not fail me this very last time!"

      Growling stomachs echoed up and down the stairwell; again, they looked at her. "Gomen nasai," she apologized for the fifth time, "but I didn't have time to eat today."
      "You could have had a snack from the vending machine," Pluto chided.
      "I offered several times to get you some," Uranus sighed.
      Their princess looked around curiously as they climbed, arms crossed over her stomach as if it hurt. "You're making me feel hungry now too, Neptune! That reminds me, I haven't eaten for a few hours either."
      Despite themselves, the other three had to chuckle. It was their only source of amusement since leaving the scene of the cleansing, so many floors behind them. The soreness of their muscles from the steady incline had become that tingling ache of hours spent on their feet. It was almost enough to send them running for the nearest elevator and see if it worked, but the thought of a possible bewitchment kept them doggedly climbing. And they had not taken any serious breaks either; what time could they waste?
      The walk had also been eerily calm since that last attack; though the three outer planet soldiers still held their talismans, they were loose at their sides, no longer poised for battle. Sailor Moon still held her rod like a torch to light their way with one hand, pulling herself up each flight of steps almost comically by the railing with the other. No amount of endurance was enough to overcome her lacking exercise regimen as Tsukino Usagi, and she was stoically ignoring the stitch in her side.
      Every so often, Neptune glanced into her mirror and, seeing it empty, let it drop. For so long, it had given her nothing, not even a hint of warning or clue; merely silvered glass, mocking her. So as she lifted it this time, as they passed the fifty-third floor, she expected the very same.
      This time, it showed her a laughing face, familiar to memory, and she said, "A trap, but somehow, it's impossible…it's the witch, Cyprine!"
      "Cyprine!?" the other three echoed, halting entirely in the stairwell to stare at her.
      "Hai, in preparation for us to arrive; but we witnessed her death! How can magic call back her spirit from the winds? Surely Sailor Moon's power is stronger than that."
      Pluto shook her head, looking up towards the last two floors. "With such powerful magic, there's no doubt that the Magus Kaolinite has that ability. If they were truly her servants, she could have bound a piece of them to her, to call them back in any form." And yet she smiled, though it was not entirely humorous. "But we're ready this time, ne?"
      Everyone nodded, once.
      They took the last floors at a run, forgetting their aches and pains, weapons held at the ready. Cyprine laughed at them from the fifty-fifth floor, greeting them, "Konban wa, sailor soldiers! Once again, we've been given the opportunity to destroy you, to please our Master!" They could see her raise her staff. "Magus Kaolinite, share your power with us, so that we may strike down these enemies; Ribbon-" The staff swung down, aiming for the stairs. "-Buster!"
      "Submarine Reflection!" Neptune countered, holding forth her mirror as a blast of light shot straight into the heart of Cyprine's attack.
      The resulting explosion threw them back down the stairs, blowing the double doors off their hinges. But the attack had done its job, revealing the truth behind the surface illusion; Cyprine was an insubstantial ghost, no more alive than a recording. She flickered, as clear as a dusty pane of glass, frowning with the memory of annoyance at their quick deduction. "No more alive than a ghost," Neptune said, tossed atop the pile of bodies.
      "Can we get rid of her quickly, then?" the tall sandy-blonde queried, somewhere down below.
      "Sailor Moon can lay her to rest, again, as before. But we'll have to avoid that dangerous power, that ugly magic Magus Kaolinite has given her."
      "Get up, sailor soldiers! Are you so quickly beaten again?" the witch taunted, dead enough to not recognize the possible futility of her own situation. She was no more dangerous to them than a heat mirage, until Kaolinite funneled power through her again. Then she'd be a deadly annoyance.
      Uranus raised her hand, calling power; "World Shaking!"
      Cyprine giggled as the golden ball of energy flew straight through her, barely disturbing her figure with no more than a ripple, and careened through a closed classroom. The sound of exploding wood and glass was very loud. "So she's also insubstantial," Pluto mused. "A true earthbound ghost."
      "Merely memories, sailor soldiers, but that's enough. The Magus has given us the task of finally taking your shining spirits, without failure!" another voice laughed above them; Ptilol, standing on the fifty-sixth floor.
      "They repeat themselves a lot," Sailor Moon murmured thoughtfully, able to puzzle them out now that there wasn't a lot of screaming and fighting going on. "Do they know what the other thinks?"
      Obviously, she hadn't spoken quietly enough, as Ptilol said, "We're mirror twins, bright star. Of course we know…"
      "…what the other is saying," Cyprine finished, lifting her staff.
      "Chronos Typhoon!"
      "Deep Submerge!"
      Both attacks flew before either witch could summon Kaolinite's power, though they had begun to invoke her; they faintly glowed red, and it was plain to see the shock in their eyes as the power sent them bodily flying. Ptilol disappeared back into the fifty-sixth floor, along with half a chunk of the stair railing; Cyprine went airborne and through the ruined classroom behind her. Frankly, both soldiers were surprised.
      "…how in the name of the kami and all their shades…?" Neptune began.
      "They were solid when before they were insubstantial! Did the appearance of both of them cause that?" Pluto queried, taking a few steps closer.
      Sailor Moon tried again to get around the taller soldier, failed, and settled back almost angrily. Why wouldn't they allow her to fight beside them? Though the four guardian soldiers protected her, she at least had the opportunity to use her power. But she had to admit; she was given a lot of time to view as a spectator, and make her own critical guesses about their current enemies. In a mildly irritated huff, she said, "They were glowing as they were hit."
      When she received three curious but not entirely understanding stares, she frowned. "They were glowing red, didn't you see? Perhaps that's why you could attack them."
      "Glowing red…?" the aqua-haired beauty murmured, touching a finger to her lips. "When they were summoning Kaolinite's power, they glowed red, ne?"
      "So we'll have to wait for them to call for more power again, and then attack," Uranus deduced rapidly, flexing her hand and wrist in preparation. "Sailor Moon, you and Pluto can take on Cyprine; we'll handle Ptilol."
      "Hai!"
      The tall sandy-blonde made a step of her laced fingers, and boosted her partner up to grab the remnants of the stair railing above. She then leapt to catch Neptune's hand, and climbed up herself. They vanished onto the fifty-sixth floor together. Pluto gripped her rod tighter, looking back at her princess; "Hime-sama, are you ready?"
      "I have to be. For everyone's sake, let's go!"
      Ascending the last steps, they came into the fifty-fifth floor slowly, weapons raised; it took only one glance to see that Cyprine was long gone from the classroom. Or rather, what was left of it; most of the outer wall was gone, and they could see a storm-cloud sky, dismal over Tokyo's bay. Papers fluttered in the emptiness like flocks of birds. They were also left with a bit of a dilemma: left or right?
      Down either way were closed doors, giving away nothing, though not very many; so high up, the amount of students using these hallways was almost an insult to the spacious floor plan. Above their heads they could hear the rumble of power, the windows rattling around them. "Should we split up, Pluto?" the odango-haired blonde queried, looking down the right hallway.
      Pluto hesitated visibly. If it were any of the other soldiers, she would have agreed, and gone left without discussing the point. But this was not an ordinary soldier standing beside her, but their shining princess in the guise of one, powerful, but hardly useless. And yet, it was her lonesome that had defeated Metallia, who had destroyed Death Phantom with the aid of her own child. She was not merely a soldier or a princess, but something akin to their saviour; even, to take it further, knowing what would come, a messiah.
      But they would waste time if they didn't split up, and Cyprine was hardly the danger she had been alive. All it would take were some well-timed hits, and she would be dust again. What else could she say but, "Sou yo; you go that way, I'll walk left. If anything dangerous happens, call for me." And she stood and watched her princess walk away, rod held high to light her way, opening the first door. What could happen to her alone that couldn't be just as bad at Pluto's side?
      Halfway down the expansive hallway, Pluto opened a door, and found out.
      A multitude of hands grabbed her, insistently yanking her inside with the strength of far more; she was released once she was entirely inside, the door slammed shut. She stumbled, reeled, and pirouetted like a drunken ballerina before regaining her composure, half-crouched on the floor beside the teacher's desk. What she expected to find, as she held her rod out, gasping slightly for air, were more student daimon, or Cyprine, laughing at her.
      But not the multi-school mix she was staring back at.
      Girls and boys in their various colours and uniforms sat in the rows of seats, hands clasped atop the wooden half-desk. Young and nearly her age, their eyes were dull, pupils retracted to pinpoints, staring straight ahead as though they were waiting for the teacher to arrive. Even the students who had assaulted her were sitting down, neat and straight in their uniforms.
      She recognized two by their colours as Juuban Junior High, one - no, four - from T.A. Girl's School, one from Shibakouen, and even one from her old high school. Also two she recognized wearing Makoto's unusual tan uniform, though theirs were the proper summer sleeves. But what in the name of the kami were they doing there? The bay region was being evacuated, and judging by the addresses given to the doctor for Chibi-Usa, three of those schools were over two and a half kilometres away. They should have been long gone.
      And why would they even be at Infinity to begin with?
      If Neptune had been with her, she could have hazarded a guess; Bidou Yui's science convention, perhaps. No doubt other Infinity students had gone, perhaps even unwittingly carrying the tools to infect other innocents. Or perhaps they had been hopeful inductees to the school, forcibly infected during their tours, and sent home completely unaware.
      Slowly she stood, still holding her rod in a position of defense, watching the entire room with one sweep of her eyes. Nothing. She didn't even think they were breathing. "Who are you? Are you daimon?" May as well try the polite approach.
      One boy, who wore the uniform of Juuban, said, "We are as our Master wishes."
      Another in purple skirt and kerchief, asked, "Are you the life-force/bright spirit/rotting body called 'Sailor Soldier'?"
      "I am Sailor Pluto." She frowned, fingers twitching slightly around her rod, like an irate trigger finger. "But are you daimon? Do you carry daimon inside of you, the monster?"
      The group as a whole rustled, their heads turning to regard each other carefully, then, in a smooth and eerie motion, looking back ahead to her. "We are as our Master wishes," they echoed.
      As one they stood, of varying heights and sizes.
      She prayed silently that her princess had not run into a similar group of children, and whispered, "Dead Scream."

      Sometimes, she didn't think she was given enough credit. Sure, she was a silly schoolgirl much of the time, carefree and careless, perhaps even a tad thoughtless. But she had also seen too much in too short of a time, events that no average teenager should ever see and come out of still smiling and laughing. Babbling and drooling and brains a scrambled mess, perhaps, but not coherent, and definitely not still alive.
      But she'd seen it. She'd felt that inescapable hand of death close around her heart and squeeze, seen her friends scattered in the snow. An entire city rotting like the open grave, the eventual future. And she was usually the one left to stand all but alone and make everything right again.
      She was thinking on this as she sat in the third classroom she'd entered, perched naughtily on the edge of the teacher's desk, legs idly kicking. Also she was thinking about how nice Mugen Gakuen was in respect to her own school, much roomier and cleaner and newer. The desk she sat on was a solid wood block, instead of her own classroom's somewhat shabby teacher's desk, scuffed from the years and splintering. Sakurada-sensei, still teaching her English class in ninth grade, was often peeling off pieces during study time; otherwise she stabbed herself.
      It really was too bad that the school was just a front for the enemies, and would probably either be demolished in the fight to come, or vacated entirely and bulldozed for another building. She doubted it could continue either way, not with the local news attacking it almost daily now over 'mysterious illnesses' and disappearing teachers. And Tomoe-san seemed to be a living target, with several dropping hints that he was unfit to even walk the streets.
      If little Hotaru came out of this alive - and though she was adamant they had to try and save her, she feared personally that she would be damaged irreparably - she would have to ask her about her father. How terrible it had to be, living with that sort of slander.
      Head bowed pensively as she mused, she felt, rather than saw, the entrance of the witch. Not even a dim shadow marked her position, even with the light of the heart moon rod still in Sailor Moon's hand, and the dimmer, murky rays managing to pierce the vine-choked windows. Just a presence in the air, and the odango-haired blonde lifted her eyes, peering at the coyly smiling witch. "Ara ara, Sailor Moon, have they left you all alone?"
      "Iie; we trusted in each other's strong spirits, and came to find the enemy. To save my friends, I'll have to defeat you again." She slid from the desk, holding her rod higher, prepared to attack.
      Cyprine's laugh was positively explosive in the quiet, and the soldier flinched. "Is that so? They've left you alone for the wolves, and I can see that magnificent spirit, waiting for me to rip it from your body! This is the hunt, and you're my prey."
      They were standing a good fifteen metres away from each other, from door to desk. Plenty of space to move around and attack, though the room was going to suffer for it. The witch smiled, invoking Kaolinite with barely a whisper - all Sailor Moon had as a clue was her split-second red aura - and sent the back row of desks flying towards the front.
      "Shimatta," the odango-haired blonde moaned, rolling backwards over the desk in a summersault she couldn't have attempted in gym class if she tried, dropping awkwardly behind it, and taking the chair down with her. She ducked instinctively as the desks smashed over her head, destroying the blackboard, and raining wood, metal, and board onto her back. More than a few landed hard enough to bruise. "This is not going to be so easy…. Usagi, full throttle! I have to do this, for everyone!"
      She twisted up, catching sight of Cyprine near the window, and held firm; as the witch's lips moved, she cried, "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" and ducked again. Scuttling quickly around the desk, she was rewarded by Cyprine's anguished howl, and she flung herself forward behind the first row. Almost a close second later, the solid wooden desk she'd been admiring was blown into expensive giant toothpicks.
      "Where are you? Come out, little soldier, submit to your destiny! Come out!" Cyprine sounded pissed off to find no body lying in the wreckage. "Give up your shining spirit to me, that brilliant light my Master desires…n-n-nani?!"
      Sailor Moon couldn't see what had shocked the witch so badly; she was still flat on the floor, crawling towards the closet at the back wall. And crawling even faster once she heard the familiar sound of magic again, and the first row of desks went boom. "I have to make it, I have to make it," she chanted beneath her breath, her side still aching from the climb, her knees voicing displeasure as she slammed them into the hard floor in her haste.
      "I'll make you die slowly for your fellow soldiers' impudence, I'll make you feel pain before I rip out your spirit! Ptilol, my mirror twin, gone, gone again into that empty space…" the witch moaned, though she took the time to blast the second row. "Ptilol!"
      "So they've defeated her?" The odango-haired blonde rose up at the back wall, lifting her voice for Cyprine to hear. "It didn't have to be that way. You could have given up that evil for your own happiness! None of us wanted to be enemies. This was all a mistake."
      "Urusa-ai! I gave up that pitiful existence for true happiness! This is what I craved, and you took it out of our hands!" Cyprine glowed, a vengeful ghost, as she screamed, "You, with your shining spirit, and lovely attitude, you could never understand that kind of desire! Ribbon BUSTER!"
      The closet door was open as she'd left it, which made it easy to pull out her weapon.
      Cyprine's expression was no doubt priceless, but Sailor Moon couldn't see it, not with the large mirror she was holding out.
      A floor up, there was the smell of burning wax.

      Pluto ran down the corridor, shouting her name. "Sailor Moon! Onegai, Sailor Moon! Answer me!" Desperate, she was terrified that she would find their princess already dead, unable to fight the initiated students she had run into herself, or, even worse, Cyprine. Why had she been so stupid to leave her alone?
      The hall was so damn dark she collided with another body before she'd even seen them, and they went down hard to the floor in a tangle of limbs. Still on edge and in survival mode, to be kind about her paranoia, the dusky-skinned brunette was on her feet almost instantly. "Daimon! Your Master has yet another life on their hands; Dead Sc-"
      "Pluto?"
      "Nani…?"
      A light flared, and the wan, porcelain face of her princess was smiling at her, still sprawled back on the floor. She had bits of wood in her long blonde hair, a few splinters sticking out of her uniform like a shedding porcupine's quills, and a rising bruise on her forehead. But she looked to be otherwise alive, healthy, and most importantly, not daimon. "Ne, Pluto, is everything alright?"
      Maybe not; Pluto seemed to have a ridiculous grin on her face. But then, it was ridiculous mostly because it just didn't seem right for the soldier of time to be wearing. "Perfect. Did you find the witch?" she queried, helping the odango-haired blonde to her feet.
      "Hai. Don't worry, Pluto, she's been properly put to rest. And I think her twin was stopped as well."
      "How do you know that?"
      "She told me so."

      "Pluto! Sailor Moon!" Neptune cried, both she and her partner looking relieved to see them as they stepped through the doors. The aqua-haired beauty was sporting a serious scrape across her thigh and a cut on her stomach; the tall sandy-blonde was holding her ribs as though they hurt her terribly, but she was otherwise visibly unharmed. Half of the hallway was demolished though, pockmarked with burn holes.
      Sailor Moon ran forward to hug them both tightly, as if to reassure herself that they were still alive. Uranus held her a bit longer, gripping her shoulder so hard it hurt. They separated as Pluto asked, "How did you finally defeat Ptilol?"
      Neptune held up her mirror with a flourish. "I reflected her attack."
      "That's how I stopped Cyprine too!" Sailor Moon said, looking pleased with herself. "I found a mirror in a closet, and tricked her into attacking me."
      She seemed oblivious to the sudden questioning stare both soldiers gave Pluto, trying to appropriately convey, "Were you out of your damn mind, letting her fight Cyprine alone!?" through a quirk of eyebrows and a moue of lips.
      Pluto's return shrug attempted to approximate, "She's the princess, I'd like to see you try and stop her," and rather excellently did so, in her opinion.
      "Ne, where do we find Magus Kaolinite now?" the odango-haired blonde queried, breaking the stare-off.
      "At that last door on the right," Uranus directed, pointing down the hallway. A faint red glow trickled from beneath the closed door, giving a rather good clue.
      Together they ran, their footsteps sounding enormous in the otherwise empty corridor, their various weapons already alit with power. As if to confirm their suspicions that the Magus knew they were coming, the door slammed open on its own just as they reached it; they didn't even have to slow down as they entered the spacious office.
      But they stopped at the sight of Kaolinite, clad in her black witch's dress. She stood behind the desk, illuminated by the half-melted candles sitting atop it. Even from the doorway, the ghostly figures of the Witches 5 - or now, 4 - were visible, rising from the waxen sigils on the desk, laughing and cavorting above the smaller images of the four guardian soldiers. "Minna! Mercury, Mars, Jupiter Venus!" the odango-haired blonde cried.
      "Witch, release them!" Pluto demanded, aiming the garnet rod carefully.
      Kaolinite merely laughed, picking up one of the candles. "Now why would I do that? I have no hope left but to take your shining spirits and present them to my Master. Or I'll suffer death that no one can save me from, with no proper magic." Slowly, she dripped the melted wax onto the desk. "Didn't I warn you, Ten'ou Haruka no Sailor Uranus? You soldiers are possessed of limited minds, and limited ideas. I knew you'd come to me, that you'd defeat this bloodthirsty trap."
      It was hardly surprising that the door behind them melted into a solid wall, or that the windows did the same as she spiraled the melted wax. None of them spared much of a glance for either mode of exit disappearing, because to take their eyes off their enemy would be possibly fatal. And to say they were loaded to the bear was no understatement; all of them were aiming their weapons at the red-haired witch. "So we've come, as you've predicted. But your predictions can only carry you so far," Neptune chided softly. "Human beings are not the predictable animal when trapped. To survive, we'll change our strategies."
      "You'll be as predictable as I've envisioned," Kaolinite countered, pinching out the flame of the candle. "Human beings are indeed the predictable animal, as I realized once I took this body, this flawed, weak flesh. In the face of death, you'll freeze."
      "Space Sword Blaster!"
      Only the odango-haired blonde jerked, startled, as Uranus leapt forward, the words barely leaving the Magus Kaolinite's mouth as she invoked her power. The blade of her sword glowed bright as the sun, lengthening as she swung around, slicing up at the witch's outstretched hand. And though she missed, Kaolinite flinching back in the nick of time, she left a visible scratch across her face, a long line of crimson reaching from chin to brow.
      Hissing, the witch slapped a hand to the cut, turning away; the tall sandy-blonde smirked. Pulling back, she wiped an invisible smear of blood from the blade, remarking, "Yare yare, Kuromine-san, is your vision clouded already from our brilliance?"
      "I wouldn't taunt her so quickly, Uranus," Pluto chided under her breath, narrowed magenta watching the red-head's shaking shoulders; she was making a strange keening noise, perhaps of pain. But her face was still resolutely turned away, hands hidden in its shadow.
      Sailor Moon lifted the heart moon rod higher, visible conflict in her face. After all, Kuromine Kaoli was a human being, so far as she knew, a crafty, villainous witch, but as human as the rest of them. She couldn't just strike her down, especially behind her back. Only the enemy would be so cowardly. "Magus Kaolinite, onegai; release my friends! Release them, and turn away from your path of darkness! It's not too late to forgive…surely, your hatred can't be so great as to destroy this living world."
      Neptune stared at her with a strangely musing expression, as if forgiveness had not occurred to her. And it had not; as far as she was concerned, the Death Busters had to be stopped, because they were a threat, not only to her, but also the world. How much love and passion could a person hold in their heart to be so openly forgiving to them? "You truly are a princess, Sailor Moon," she sighed quietly.
      Kaolinite twitched, no longer making any noise save that of her rising breath. The candle flame began to shake violently, as if a stiff breeze had tickled them, though the soldiers felt nothing; one by one, they began to go out. "My hatred?" she rasped, breathing so quickly that it distorted her words into a crazed giggle. "My hatred is not great at all, merely indicative of my suffering! Accidents occur and no one can stop them, but they can be fixed, ah, yes, they can be fixed!"
      There was an unearthly glow still present for them to see by, even as the last flame went out, and they realized, slowly, terribly, that it was the very air. Everything distorted around them, space colliding, it coloured the air and made them see negative. But they could see, and what they saw, as the witch turned to face them, was a ghastly thing. With nimble fingers, she pulled at the skin of her face, peeling it open at the now-bubbling gash the space sword had left behind. "Is my true face so terrible, sailor soldiers? Long ago, I was considered beautiful by the standards of my race. But that world is gone! Gone, gone, gone, to a mistake!"
      All of them watched, unable, by gruesome curiousity and paranoia, to look away, as she peeled away her skin like a well-fitted suit. What merged was both familiar and not; it was daimon, but not daimon. Eyes like nebulae swirled and pulsated, and its body was almost smoky, like a living black cloud, not hunched down and stunted. Two long arms, and two long legs instead of several small appendages, ripped and tore asunder the rest of Kuromine Kaoli, and dropped it like a rag on the floor.
      The odango-haired blonde repressed a shudder as she realized that it didn't remind her entirely of a daimon; it was a flash of memory of Metallia's cloud, with those familiar eyes-not-eyes.
      "You seek to divert me, and stall our great plan. But you'll fail. Soon, that mistake will be rectified, and this will become our new star, our loving home, and you'll be dead. It ends now with a fatal blow!" the Kaoli-daimon shrieked, springing forward.
      Pluto and Uranus tensed, prepared to meet her head on and strike in turn, weapons held tight. But before they could move, as the former witch was still airborne, they were beaten to the punch by a blast of white light, and a shout of, "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"
      Dust.
      They shielded their faces from the cloud of remnants, though there was barely enough to fill a plastic baggie. Blinking, they turned to see Sailor Moon still holding the heart moon rod out, her arms ramrod straight but beginning to shake terribly, her face pale and her expression entirely fearsome. "May the kami and their shades forgive you, as you cross into death," she said softly. "Kuromine Kaoli-san."
      Atop the desk, the witches flickered, and went out.

      There was no end to this prison, but not entirely a beginning, either, for the mind had no true restrictions, and was yet bordered by viewpoint. And it was not an entirely rational viewpoint, as she'd realized early on, which made the sensible insensible and kindness into evil and common sense into utter incoherence.
      She was so small and insignificant now, crushed to the back, like a fan standing in the wings, watching the play and unable to join it. The echo of another's thoughts shook this new world, and she was horrified to know what was going on against her will. It was no wonder that it had wanted out so badly, with such grand designs. And she had merely been in the way, an unwanted tenant in the house she owned.
      Turning around in the landscape of her mind, and seeing her face smiling back at her. The hands around her throat, squeezing out her life like toothpaste out of the tube. But she had finally fought back, scratching and kicking, and had succeeded in throwing the other away, regaining a precious minute of control over her body. More fighting. They had gone at it like animals, with a respective need to survive, meaning one of them had to die or at least give up. Her body swapped between two personalities, growing and shrinking.
      It had been as Chibi-Moon had crawled through the window that the other had at last gained the advantage, nails digging into her skin, choking off her life. There had been darkness and then darkness; it had been a relief, almost, after so many years of suffering. She didn't know that her body had been used obscenely, that her only friend had been raped of her precious spirit at her own hands. Beyond all that, and free.
      And then she'd woken up.
      Someone had been bending over her, in her own mind, a calm, lovely person with the patience of the eternal, holding her hand. Saying, "Not yet, Tomoe Hotaru."
      She'd heard that voice before.
      Heard it every day of her life.
      And then the other had nodded, and in her free hand, Hotaru had seen a wicked, curved blade. "We are you, and you know my name, Tomoe Hotaru. Say it."
      "Saturn. Sailor Saturn…."
      "The secret you held in your heart, that was to be forever silent. But now we've come to the unapproachable divide. Soon we'll be together again. Soon everything will end."
      The blade lowered, coming close to her forehead. Its tip touched her skin, or what approximated her skin in this world, and she felt the cool texture of the metal like a kiss. She looked up, unafraid, as the blade rose above her head, cutting through those restrictions, opening wide a bright, perfect hole.
      Again, the other held out her hand, and she took it, squeezing briefly.
      Together, they left their villainous body, hand in hand.
      Hotaru asked, "Ne, do you know the secret of the ending? Have you always known this would happen?"
      And Saturn stared at her, violet eyes calm. "It's not a secret at all. It's simply the path taken to get there that involves the surprise."