Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Brooch ❯ Chapter 2

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

The Brooch
By Jason C. Ulloa


Chapter 2


Infirmary - Usagi's Room, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
July 26, 1992. 5:14 A.M.

"Why?" Usagi asked, her voice a dull whisper quickly stifled in the crushing silence.

Mamoru turned toward Usagi. "Why what?"

"Why didn't you save the rest of my family?" she breathed, her hands slowly tightening
around her blankets, clutching into fists. "Why?"

Mamoru turned away from her and bowed his head, sighing deeply. This wasn't the first time
he was asked that question. He was asked that question more times than he could even bother
to count. It had been like that for a lot of the members of Shishu. The survivors would
always ask why their loved ones couldn't be saved. Why didn't they save that person,
instead of them? Why couldn't they save just one more person? Why couldn't they save their
parents? Why couldn't they save their children? Why couldn't they save their husbands or
wives? Why did they have to die, while they continued to live?

Even though he had managed to save countless lives from the murdering hands of the Dark
Kingdom, he still felt like a failure every time someone asked him that question.

"I know that you won't be satisfied with just an apology, but I will apologize all the
same," he said as he turned back and performed what Sanzou had termed the 'routine
penitence request'. He slowly went down on both knees and bowed at the waist, clenching
both hands into fists and putting them both on the floor before him. His head was bowed
over his fists and facing the floor. "Please, forgive me for failing in my duty to protect
the lives of your family."

Sanzou called it the 'routine penitence request' since they were always apologizing for
failing to save every refugee they came across due to their declining manpower and the
enemy's increasing strength, and because the others were slowly growing numb to the anguish
of the survivors. They still felt bad, but due to the escalating sense of futility that was
slowly infecting them, as well as all who lived at the Hikawa Jinja, they couldn't bring
themselves to feel as much contrition as they once had. In fact, out of all Shishu, only
himself, Sanzou, and Ryoku were unaffected by the devastating feeling of futility.

Usagi moved her head just enough and stared at the young man bowing before her. "You still
haven't answered my question," she said dully.

"We couldn't reach your family in time," he continued without moving from his position. "If
we had known you were there sooner, we might've been able to save your family. However, the
number of Youma sentries have been increasing as of late and even if we did know you were
there, there is no guarantee that we could have saved everyone."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her expression less upset and more confused.

"Our numbers have declined sharply in the last three years since we lost the Meiji Jinja,"
he told her. "You can count our entire roster on both hands and still have fingers left
over."

She gasped as she continued to stare. Things were that bad already? It couldn't be....

"Chiba-san?"

"Yes?" he asked, unmoving.

"Would you please stand up?" she requested, her voice cold from shock. "Please don't bow to
me like that."

He glanced up at her, then nodded understandingly before returning to his feet. "If you
don't mind, may I ask you for your name?"

Usagi blinked as she realized that she knew his name but he didn't know hers. "My name is
Tsukino Usagi."

"I spoke with Mizuno-hakase, our lead doctor, before coming to the infirmary to check up on
you," he told her as he turned toward the window again. "I asked her to have one of her
people look you over to make sure that you're not hurt."

"Thank you," she said, bowing her head.

"Tsukino-san," Mamoru said after a moment of uncomfortable silence had passed, "if you need
someone to talk to, there are a lot of people here who have been through what you have.
They would be more than happy to talk with you or just listen if that's what you want." He
turned and walked over to the side of the bed and placed one of his hands over hers. "Take
as much time as you need."

"Could I...?" she began, but trailed off.

"Hmm?" he said, smiling encouragingly. "What is it?"

"N-nothing...," she said, staring down at her hands.

"All right," he said as he turned toward the door. "Well, I should be going. I've been up
for most of the night on patrol and I need to get some sleep. Someone will be here soon to
check up on you. If you need anything, there's a call button on the nightstand to your
left. Just push it and one of the hospital personnel will arrive shortly to help you with
whatever you may need."

Usagi glanced to her left and saw the indicated call button. "Thank you," she said with a
small nod.

Mamoru gave her a small consoling smile. "If it makes you feel any better, we did manage to
kill every single Youma we found out there. I know it won't bring your family back, but at
least you know that we managed to partially avenge their deaths." He waited for a moment to
see if she would respond, but she just stared down at her hands again. With a quiet sigh,
he left the room and headed for his own room. He was very tired and he needed to get some
rest.

_________________________________________________________________


Hikawa Jinja Proper, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
July 26, 1992. 8:36 A.M.


A few hours after the sun had risen over the eastern horizon, Mizuno Atsuko yawned tiredly
as she made her way over to the infirmary accompanied by a young girl. As Atsuko ceased her
third yawn in a row, the young girl gave her a concerned look.

"I know," Atsuko said in response to the girl's worried gaze. "But even if I try, I can't
sleep. Just give the coffee some time. I'm sure it'll kick in at any moment. Okay?"

The girl's worried look softened a little bit, but some of her concern still remained.

"If it'll make you feel better, I'll try to get some sleep after I check up on Ryoku," she
told her, then smiled slyly. "I'll even let you change his bandages, if you want," she
added insinuatingly.

The girl looked away while holding her closed right hand over her mouth and blushing
slightly. After she recovered, she gave Atsuko a cross look.

"Now, now," she said while trying not to laugh. "No need to get so upset." Her expression
turned a little more serious as she stared straight ahead at the infirmary building. "I'm
glad that you've found a boy that you like, Ami, but if you don't do anything about it, you
might lose him to either Rei-chan or Minako-chan."

Ami stared down at the ground, her expression troubled.

Atsuko sighed. "It's going to be hard for you until you get your voice back, Ami," she told
her. "You can speak, or rather, you have the physical ability to speak, but until you can
get over whatever's keeping you from speaking, you'll always be at a disadvantage."

As the pair reached the infirmary, Atsuko opened the door and entered with her daughter
trailing silently behind her. Without a word, Atsuko went into the room where Makoto slept
and began to check on the comatose girl. Behind her, Ami had brought out a notepad and a
pen.

"Pulse, no change. Breathing, steady." Ami quickly started to write down whatever her
mother said. Most of it was exactly the same as before. She frowned sadly. It looked like
she was still going to be asleep for a while.

"All right, Ami. Let's go check on that new arrival."

Ami blinked. A new arrival?

"Yes, a girl about your age was brought in last night," she told her. "Chiba-san said that
she had taken a hit from a negative energy sphere, but she remained mostly unhurt." She
nodded at Ami's wide-eyed expression. "Yes, that's what I thought, too. Not many people can
take a hit like that and come away unhurt."

Closing the door to Makoto's room, Atsuko then headed to the room next to it. The patient's
information hadn't been put up yet, since there wasn't any information to put up. After she
did her examination and asked her a few questions, then she would know whether or not there
was any need to do so.

Atsuko knocked firmly on the door. "May we come in?"

"Yes," came the quiet reply on the other side.

"Please excuse us, then," she said as she opened the door and entered the room with Ami.
"Good morning," she said with a polite bow. "My name is Mizuno Atsuko."

"Good morning, Mizuno-sensei," Usagi said as she bowed from her position seated on her bed.
"Chiba-san told me that you were going to have someone check on me. He didn't say that you
were going to check on me yourself."

"I was free, so I decided to do it myself," she replied, then smiled gently. "You know,
it's been a while since someone called me 'Mizuno-sensei.' Most people here address me as
'Mizuno-hakase.'"

She blinked curiously. "Why is that, Mizuno-hakase?"

"It's because I managed to earn my doctorate in Medicine at Harvard University in
America... before the Dark Kingdom destroyed it and the remains of the country it resided
in," she explained as her expression started to take on a melancholic quality. "Oh, I'm
sorry," she said as she quickly recovered and smiled again. "I didn't mean to go on like
that."

"It's all right," Usagi said as she shifted her gaze over toward the silent, blue-haired
girl standing next to the doctor. "Hi. My name's Tsukino Usagi. What's yours?"

"She's my daughter, Ami," Atsuko told her as Ami smiled faintly at Usagi and bowed.

"Um... why didn't she say so herself?" she asked, confused.

"That's because she's mute," Atsuko explained as Ami's small smile faded a bit.

"Mute? What's that?" she asked, tilting her head inquisitively.

"She can't speak."

"Oh," Usagi said as she gave Ami a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Ami smiled understandingly as she walked up to her while writing something on her notepad.
When she reached Usagi, she turned the pad around and showed it to Usagi. The words 'Want
to be friends?' were neatly written on the pad.

Usagi smiled. "Sure!"

"Ami, we really should get started with the examination," Atsuko said, interrupting the two
girls. Ami turned back to her mother and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Ami-chan, are you a nurse?" Usagi asked, curious.

She shook her head and wrote down the words 'in-training' on her notepad where she could
see it.

"Not yet, huh?" Usagi asked, idly admiring how neat the mute girl's handwriting was.

She shook her head and let her shoulders droop a bit.

"Long way to go, huh?"

The mute girl nodded.

"Well, I hope you become a great nurse one day, Ami-chan," Usagi said encouragingly.

Ami shook her head and smiled at her mother, who was getting ready to begin the examination.

Usagi frowned in bewilderment for a moment. "You don't want to be a nurse? But why are
you...?" She cut off as she realized what her new friend meant. "Oh, you want to become a
doctor like your mother, right?"

She nodded and smiled.

"Well, then I hope you become a great doctor one day, Ami-chan," Usagi amended.

"Would you remove your clothes, please, Tsukino-san?"

"Eh?"

_________________________________________________________________


The Garden, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
July 26, 1992. 8:50 A.M.


Aino Minako sat back on her heels as she wiped the droplets of sweat that were beginning to
form on her forehead. It wasn't that hot yet, but already she was feeling quite tired. Of
course, gardening was a hard chore.

She let out a small sigh as she resumed her task alongside the other people working the
Garden. During the past few years, there had been an increase in the number of people
wanting to either follow one of the main three religions or join the Medical Corps, vice
joining Shishu. It was mostly because of the horrible leadership that the Hikawa Jinja had
been forced to endure before their current leader, Chiba Mamoru, assumed command.

Back then, Shishu soldiers were dying almost everyday. In fact, one year ago, it was said
that to join Shishu was like signing your own death certificate. Shishu was losing more
soldiers than they were gaining. As the leadership began to show more signs of competence,
their staggering losses began to slowly abate, however by then the damage had already
become irreparable. Confidence in Shishu had been shattered; no one wanted to join for fear
of losing their lives for nothing.

A death in vain was the worst kind of death for a Shishu Blade.

Since more people were following the path of religion, the boundary surrounding the Hikawa
Jinja had expanded since it was first restored. As a result, much of the rubble that had
accumulated outside the main shrine grounds at the base of Sendai Hill had been cleared and
crude farming grounds had been developed to provide for the increase in population in
addition to the living areas that already existed there.

The top of Sendai Hill, where the original Hikawa Jinja existed, was where the shrine and
the medical facilities stood. The shrine had expanded since then to accommodate increased
personnel - mostly Shinto, but there were some Christian and Buddhist followers, as well
as some followers of less practiced religions - and additional structures had been built
accordingly. The medical facilities were also expanded when the shrine grounds were
reoccupied. However, as the number of Shishu Blades continued to decrease, the number of
medical staff also decreased due to a decrease in need and many of the displaced staff
members found themselves regulated to other support duties, like farming or construction.

When Minako's family was rescued, she had sworn that she would do all she could to repay
that one Shishu Blade that had saved her life and helped to bring her family out of that
hellish nightmare that had been their life for as long as she could remember. With that in
mind, she chose to join the Medical Corps and become a nurse. She owed that Blade her life
and she wanted to repay that by hopefully being able to help save his life if that day
should ever come. She prayed that that would never be the case, but she wanted to be ready
for it.

As time passed and the numbers of Shishu dwindled down to the despairingly few that they
had now, she had seen many of her friends and colleagues slowly phased out of the Medical
Corps. When it came time for her to be phased out as well, she had begged and pleaded for
them to let her remain. They had told her that they needed people for support duties and
that because she was only a nurse-in-training, she wasn't needed there. When it seemed that
her entreaties were falling on deaf ears and that she would have no choice but to go to the
fields, her friend, Ami, and her mother showed up with an idea that would let her remain in
the Medical Corps: She could work in the Garden and retain her nurse-in-training status.

Needless to say, she was more than relieved.

The Garden was a small field located behind the medical facilities on Sendai Hill where
numerous medical herbs were grown and cultivated. The Garden was an addition to the medical
facilities, first suggested nine years ago by Atsuko when she first arrived at the Hikawa
Jinja and took over as the lead doctor. Atsuko had once told her that she got the idea from
her daughter and just brought the idea into practice. And when Ami told her - via her
'voice', the notepad she always carried with her - that she got the idea from a book on
herbs that someone had given her, she became doubly joyful.

He had saved her life again.

After she packed down the dirt over the seedling she had just finished planting, she laid
down her trowel and sat back on her heels again and arched her back as she pushed back both
of her arms in a stretch. It was good that she managed to remain in the Medical Corps, but
the work was so HARD! Not as hard as the work she had to do in the Dark Kingdom slave cell,
mind you, but this was hard work!

"Hey, Midou-san! I'm done over here!" she called out as she stood up.

A dark-skinned man turned his head in her direction and tipped up his coolie hat so that he
could see her. "You finished with the other rows as well?"

"Yep! All done!" she reported, flashing him a wink and a smile.

"Fine. Water 'em, then you're done for today," he said and turned his attention back to the
plants that he was examining.

"All right!" Minako cheered as she turned and headed for the tool shed. "I love short days!"

"Just don't get used to 'em," Midou said without moving his head. "Tomorrow we're
gathering, so get ready for a long day."

"Damn," Minako muttered sullenly, but recovered quickly as she remembered that she was
having a short day today. She knew that it was in compensation for tomorrow's long day, but
she didn't mind. After all, she could go visit him when she was done.

Her watering chore done, she waved both Midou and her other colleagues good day and went
off to see if she could go find Ryoku.

"Good morning, Minako-chan!" Rei called out as Minako was passing through the main shrine
grounds.

"Good morning, Rei-chan!" Minako greeted back as she stopped to greet her friend. "How's it
going?"

Rei sighed glumly as she paused in her usual sweeping chore and laid her broom against the
shrine wall. "They're going to have me do border duty tonight," she lamented. "Starting at
midnight, too. I hate doing border duty so late at night! It always throws my sleeping
schedule out of whack for the next few days, so I get all sleepy and irritable."

"How is that different from how you normally are?" Minako asked.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked heatedly.

"Oh, nothing," the blonde girl said dismissively. "Nothing at all."

Rei gave her a hard glare for a moment, then dropped it. "I see your hair's finally long
enough for you to tie back," she pointed out.

Minako reached up and touched the red ribbon in her short, shoulder length hair. "Yeah,"
she said as her hand slowly trailed down her short blonde hair and stopped just an inch
before reaching her shoulder. "It's been a long time since I've worn this ribbon, too. I
haven't worn it since I was rescued from the Dark Kingdom."

"When Ryo-kun cut it off," Rei pointed out.

"It wasn't his fault; you know that," she retorted.

The miko smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I know. He did it to save your life." She paused for a
moment. "Let me guess. You're looking for Ryo-kun so you can show him that you can finally
wear your hair ribbon again. Am I wrong?" she finished, raising a questioning eyebrow.

Minako smiled slyly. "Maybe...," she said insinuatingly.

Not only were both Rei and Ami her friends, but they were also her rivals as well. From
what she could learn from the two girls, as well as from Atsuko and Ryoku himself, Rei and
Ami had been friends with Ryoku for years - since they were six years old - so she had a
slight disadvantage against her. However, she wasn't the only one with a disadvantage.

Since Ami was mute, the only way she could speak was with her expressions, body language,
and her notepad. However, since she was a shy girl, that made it very hard for her to
express what she felt whenever she was around him.

Rei, on the other hand, had her Grandfather trying to set up an arranged marriage between
herself and Chiba Mamoru. Not that he was a bad catch, in her opinion, and she would be
more than happy if those two did end up married, but Rei's heart seemed set on Ryoku.

The three had a sort of unspoken agreement that neither girl would try to side with another
to try to double-team the third. Even though they were all after the same boy, they didn't
want that rivalry to get in the way of their friendship.

"Well, if that's the case, then I hope you don't mind if I help you look for him," Rei said
as she smirked right back at her.

"Don't you have to finish sweeping the shrine grounds?" Minako asked, gesturing toward the
broom that Rei had set aside.

She shook her head, her smirk widening. "Just finished," she replied and started for the
Lower Grounds, where the support personnel and Shishu soldiers lived and worked. "So, let's
go."

Minako mentally sighed as she followed Rei off the shrine grounds. "Yeah. Let's go."

_________________________________________________________________


Hikawa Jinja Proper, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
July 26, 1992. 9:08 A.M.


The examination went very well. With the exception of a few large bruises and several small
superficial cuts on her arms and legs, Usagi was pronounced healthy and could leave the
infirmary tomorrow. There were a few empty spaces down at the Lower Grounds. One could be
prepared for her by tomorrow, which was why she was to remain for the rest of today.

"What do you think, Ami?" Atsuko asked as they left the infirmary and headed toward the
long stone staircase that separated Sendai Hill and the Lower Grounds. "Any suggestions as
to who could be Tsukino-san's sponsor until she gets accustomed to her new life?"

Ami frowned slightly and hung her head slightly in thought. After a few moments, she gave a
small shrug and shook her head.

"So, should we just pick at random, then?" she asked, a hint of humor in her voice.

The blue-haired girl gave her mother a flat look, then glanced back toward the infirmary.

"Oh? You think she should choose for herself?" Atsuko asked, looking back toward the
infirmary as well. She turned back to her daughter and saw that she was nodding her head.
"Yes, I think that would be for the best. She needs something to get her mind off her
family for a while. Letting her get settled in would do just that.

"All right, Ami," she continued as they reached the bottom of the staircase. "We're going
to go check up on Ryoku now, and afterwards I want you to go see if Asahina-san has
anything for you to do." Ami bowed her head in acknowledgement as they headed for the
residential section of the Lower Grounds.

The Lower Grounds was divided into two sections: the residential section and the farming
grounds. The farming grounds were mostly growing fields, but there were a few areas where
livestock were raised. However, despite having livestock, meat was still a rare delicacy
because of the limited space and number of animals that could be raised. Many animals
hadn't survived the long trek from the old farming grounds outside the city of Tokyo.

Planting and harvesting wasn't easy, either, since the farming grounds were once places
where streets and buildings once stood. However, the areas that had been destroyed prior to
the restoration of the Hikawa Jinja had been cleared and the earth that laid underneath the
cold cement and asphalt were once again exposed. Making the soil arable had been a long,
arduous process, but necessary nonetheless.

The residential areas were divided into two areas: the normal living areas and the Shishu
barracks. The proportion of normal living areas to Shishu barracks had been the normal 5 to
1 ratio, but as time went on and Shishu personnel kept getting killed, the ratio had grown
incredulously. It was now estimated to be somewhere along the lines of approximately 400 to
1.

Needless to say, those numbers were very depressing.

As a result, the Shishu barracks had been converted into normal living areas so that the
very few remaining Blades wouldn't have to live in almost empty living quarters.

The old Shishu barracks where Ryoku lived was nicknamed 'The Orphans' Quarters' because
almost all of the occupants of the living quarters had become orphans at the hands of the
Dark Kingdom. Atsuko had the impression that all of the occupants of the Orphans' Quarters
seemed to see Ryoku as a patron of sorts, as he was the only Blade who was closest to their
age and who also knew exactly what they were going through.

"Ami-chan! Mizuno-hakase! Good morning!" a young girl called out as she exited the building
and went to meet them. She gave Ami a hug, then bowed politely to Atsuko. "Did you come
here to check up on Ryo-niichan?"

Atsuko smiled. Tomoe Hotaru wasn't the only one that called him that, but in a way, she was
the only one who truly had a right to refer to him as an elder brother. "Good morning,
Hotaru-chan. Yes, we did come to check on Ryoku. Is he awake?"

"I don't know," she told her. "Setsuna-mama told all of us not to disturb Ryo-niichan
since he had been up almost all night yesterday. She would know if he was awake."

Meiou Setsuna was the eldest occupant as well as the nurse assigned to the Orphans'
Quarters, and as such, she tended to act as the parental figure for most of the orphans
living there. However, she had only heard Hotaru refer to Setsuna as 'Setsuna-mama' rather
than 'Setsuna-sensei' as everyone else did.

"Do you know where Setsuna-san is?" she asked.

"She's in her room, reading as usual," Hotaru told her. "Do you want me to get her?"

"No, I'll go to see her," she replied as she motioned Hotaru to precede her. "Would you
take me to her?"

"Sure!" Hotaru agreed eagerly and went back inside with Atsuko and Ami following.

The Orphans' Quarters was a standard Shishu barracks. The main entrance was very spartan
and not very decorated, but it only served as a transit area. There was really no need for
decoration. The lounge area was over to the right and took up a quarter of the first floor
with the entrance taking up another quarter. Another quarter was reserved for the kitchen
and dining area, and the final quarter took up the laundering and cleaning storage areas.
Living spaces took up the entire floor on the second through fourth floors. There were only
two living spaces on the first floor, usually reserved for the officer in charge of the
barracks and for the nurse assigned to the barracks. Those were Ryoku's and Setsuna's rooms.

Hotaru led Atsuko and Ami down the hall, past Ryoku's room and over to Setsuna's room, then
knocked on the door. "Setsuna-mama? Are you in there, Setsuna-mama?"

"Yes, what is it, Hotaru-chan?" Setsuna's voice answered on the other side of the door.

"Mizuno-hakase and Ami-chan are here to check on Ryo-niichan, Setsuna-mama," she announced.

"Just a moment," she replied. Moments later, the door to her room opened. "Good morning,
Mizuno-hakase, Ami-chan. Please, come in."

"What about me?" Hotaru asked.

Setsuna smiled. "You, too, Hotaru-chan."

Atsuko sat down on the couch at one end of the room along with her daughter. Setsuna sat
back down at her table where a closed book was lying next to a half-full teacup. Hotaru
took the other chair at the table opposite of Setsuna. "How is your research coming along?"
she asked after noticing the title of the book that Setsuna had been reading. "Any
progress?"

Setsuna glanced down at her book, 'Amnesia - Causes and Treatment', and sighed, shaking her
head. "Not yet. But not for want of trying. I just wish I had some sort of clue besides
that." She pointed at the two broken pieces of a strangely shaped metallic staff that
rested in the corner of her room. "But not knowing what those are isn't going to help me
get my memory back."

"I'm sorry, Setsuna-san," Atsuko said apologetically. "I didn't mean to bring up anything
upsetting."

She sighed again and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about it. It's
not that important right now. At any rate, you're not here to talk about me.

"I had checked on Ryoku-san as soon as I got up this morning, since he went on that rescue
patrol mission last night," she reported. "The bandage on his arm didn't need changing, but
I think the one around his midsection may need changing. He seemed to be resting
comfortably the last time I checked on him."

Atsuko nodded. The arm injury was fresh, but the one around his midsection was from two
days prior. The exertion from last night tore that injury partially open, but not as badly
as it had been before. The arm injury was worse in comparison.

"I want to have Ami change his bandages," she told Setsuna. "I want to see how well she
does."

"Practice, is it?" Setsuna asked as she raised her teacup to her lips and took a sip. "I'm
sure that if it's Ami-chan, Ryoku-san won't mind being woken up." She smiled behind her
teacup as she watched Ami blush.

"Your face is turning red, Ami-chan," Hotaru pointed out. Ami grimaced and gave Setsuna an
annoyed look. Setsuna merely pretended not to notice.

"At any rate, let's go check up on him," Atsuko said as she stood up. Setsuna set down her
teacup and stood up as well.

"I want to come, too," Hotaru said as she also stood up.

Setsuna regarded the young girl for a moment. "Only if you stay quiet and don't get in the
way," she told her.

Hotaru nodded. "I promise."

Setsuna turned to Atsuko. "You don't mind, right, Mizuno-hakase?"

Atsuko glanced over toward Hotaru, who was giving her a pleading look. "It's all right,"
she concurred. Hotaru smiled in relief.

The group left Setsuna's room and walked over to Ryoku's room next door. Setsuna knocked
softly on the door. "Are you awake, Ryoku-san?"

"Yeah," he replied tiredly.

"May we come in?" she asked.

"One moment," he said as the sounds of changing clothes could be heard on the other side of
the door. "Wait. 'We'? Who else is there?" he asked curiously.

"Mizuno-hakase, Ami-chan, and Hotaru-chan," she told him.

A few moments later, the door opened showing Ryoku in a simple white undershirt and gray
sweats. "Please come in."

Atsuko walked into the room followed by Setsuna, Ami, and Hotaru. A part of her was amused
to see Ami staring around the room. She doubted that she had ever been in his room before.
Hotaru seemed quite comfortable in his room, for obvious reasons.

Ryoku's room was big, but very spartan. The only decorations that she could see were a few
pictures of his family before the Fall of the Meiji Jinja. His sword and rifle were hung up
on the wall opposite of his bed. On one side of his room, a desk sat opposite from the
entrance. Next to the doorway, there was a couch similar to the one in Setsuna's room.
The only other decoration in his room was a large mirror that stood beside his desk. More
than likely the mirror had been there when Ryoku moved in. She didn't think he was vain
enough to have brought that himself.

"I take it you're here to determine the status of my injuries?" he assumed as he sat down
on his bed. Both Hotaru and Setsuna had sat down on the couch while Atsuko and Ami remained
standing.

Atsuko nodded. "Are you feeling any better since last night?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied simply. "And how about you, Mizuno-hakase?"

She blinked. "Me?" she inquired.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked. "I did tell you that Saeki died yesterday, after all."
When Atsuko fell silent, he turned his gaze over to Ami. One look at her expression told
him all he needed to know. "I see." He sighed heavily. "Maybe I should have broken it to
you more gently...."

"No," Atsuko said as he trailed off. "It was better that you told me the way you did."

"I'm sorry, Mizuno-san-"

"No. Don't apologize, Ryo-kun. It wasn't your fault." She turned to her daughter and
indicated that she get started. "I'm going to have Ami perform the check-up today. Do you
mind, Ryo-kun?"

"If this is for Ami's training, then I don't mind," he said as he removed his shirt and
turned to face Ami. "All right. I'm ready."

Ami fought to keep herself from blushing as she examined the bandages on his arm and around
his midsection. She glanced over at Setsuna and indicated that she needed a roll of
bandages for his midsection. Setsuna had Hotaru go fetch the needed bandages and give them
to her when she returned. Once she had the new bandages, she carefully removed the old
bandages around his midsection. Ryoku held up his arms as she did so in order to keep his
arms out of her way. Once the bandages were off, she had Ryoku move so that she could
better examine the injury. She nodded as she saw that it was healing nicely, then had him
raise his arms again. She carefully wrapped the new bandage around his midsection exactly
as the old one had been put on. Once she had finished, she looked to her mother and Setsuna
to see what they thought of her ministrations.

Setsuna nodded. "Well done," she concluded. "Mizuno-hakase?"

Atsuko gave the bandage an appraising look. "How does it feel? Can you move freely?"

Ryoku carefully twisted his body back and forth, then bent forward and back a couple of
times. "It's not too tight and I don't feel too constricted."

She nodded to herself. "It should be fine, then," she stated, then turned to Ami, Hotaru,
and Setsuna. "I'm done here, so we should be going now."

"All right," he said as he accompanied everyone to the door. "Setsuna-san, I'm going to try
and get some more rest."

"I understand," she nodded as she herded Hotaru outside. "Come on, Hotaru-chan. Ryoku-san's
going back to sleep, so I don't want you bothering him."

"I never bother Ryo-niichan, Setsuna-mama," Hotaru complained as they turned down the
hallway and out of sight.

"Mizuno-san?" Ryoku said before Atsuko and Ami left as well.

"Yes?" Atsuko said as she stopped at the doorway.

"If you need someone to talk to... you know, about Saeki...."

"I know, Ryoku," Atsuko replied with a sad smile. "And thank you." With that, she turned
and left, leaving Ami as the only other occupant in the room.

"You did a wonderful job with my bandages," he told her with a smile. "Thank you."

Ami smiled and nodded her gratitude.

"Did you see Mako-chan today?" he asked. She nodded. "And how was she?" Her expression
faded slightly. "No change, I see. Well, it's not like I'm not surprised. She's been like
that for three years." He gave a long, tired, heavy sigh. "And she could be like that for
the next two years for all we know. I miss her, Ami. She's all I have left and it's like
she's not even here."

She sat down beside him and gave him a comforting hug as she laid her head on his shoulder.
The look she gave him as she gazed up at him seemed to say volumes, telling him that
everything would be all right and that he shouldn't give up hope.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said as he stared up at the ceiling. "No sense in worrying
over something I have no control over, right?"

She released him and stood up, then bent down so that her face was just a few centimeters
away from his, and gave him a warm smile. She then turned and walked out of the room,
stopping only to wave before leaving.

Once out of the Orphans' Quarters, her face broke into a huge blush that didn't fade until
she reached the top of the staircase leading up to the top of Sendai Hill. She was just
glad that neither Rei nor Minako was there to see it. They would never let her live it down!

_________________________________________________________________


Infirmary - Usagi's Room, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
July 27, 1992. 8:07 A.M.

Usagi woke up feeling slightly empty inside. Today was the day she had to start her new
life.

All alone.

For the moment, she just remained sitting on the bed, waiting for someone to come and show
her where she needed to go. After all, she had no idea what she should do. All her life,
she had depended on her parents for guidance, but without them, she was lost.

A light knock on the door shook her out of her confused and anxious state. "Come in."

The door opened and Ami walked in, closing the door behind her. She gave Usagi a pleasant
smile and waved a greeting.

"Hi, Ami-chan," Usagi said, straining to sound slightly cheerful for her new friend.

Ami's smile drooped a little as she strode over and sat down on the bed next to her. She
took out her notepad and began to write. 'Want to talk about it?'

Usagi looked at her friend, who was giving her an encouraging and slightly hopeful look. "I
just wish I knew what I'm supposed to do now," she said as she stared down at the floor.
"Mama and Papa were always telling Shingo and me about how we would escape to the Hikawa
Jinja one day. But now that I'm here, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Mama and Papa
would know, but not me."

She stopped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Ami writing quickly with
her other hand. As depressed as she was, she couldn't help but be amazed at how quickly she
could write and still maintain very clean handwriting. Ami passed her the notepad when she
finished.

'I know a little bit about how you feel. I lost my father the same way you lost yours.
However, there are a lot of people here that have been through exactly what you are going
through right now. That is why I'm here; I'm to help you find a sponsor.'

"A sponsor?" Usagi asked, blinking as she handed Ami her notepad back. Within moments, she
had written her reply and handed the notepad back to her again.

'A sponsor is someone who will help you grow accustomed to life here at Hikawa Jinja. He or
she will show you where you will live, where to get food, and anything else you need or
need to know. Usually, people tend to choose sponsors after they find out in which living
quarters they will be staying.'

"That's right," Usagi said as she looked up from the notepad. "That guy, Sanzou, came by
yesterday and told me that someone would be coming today to help me find a place to stay. I
guess that's you."

Ami smiled and nodded as she held up the clipboard that she had been carrying underneath
her arm. She turned the clipboard toward Usagi and tapped down at an area that displayed
several names.

"I take it I have a choice as to where I want to live?" she asked.

Ami took back her pad and flipped to a clean page, then started to write. 'These are the
living quarters that have available spaces right now. They are listed by building number
and common name.'

"Common name? You mean, like a nickname?"

She nodded and continued writing. 'I also have a map that shows where each building is in
relation to everything else here at the Hikawa Jinja, including the current location of the
boundary.'

"So, I have to choose one of these, then?" Usagi mumbled as she scanned through the various
available spaces. "Hm? The Orphans' Quarters?" She couldn't help but notice Ami's reaction
to the name. "Something wrong?" she asked. "Is it a bad choice?"

Ami shook her head and wrote some more. 'No, it's not a bad choice. I was just surprised
that there was an opening there.'

"Why?" she asked, curious.

'It's called "The Orphans' Quarters" because almost everyone who lives there is an orphan.
However, that's not the only thing they have in common. Almost every orphan who lives there
owes his or her life to the Shishu Blade that lives there with them: Kino Ryoku.'

"Kino-san?" Usagi said, surprised. "He lives there?" Ami stared at her with her expression
a mixture of curiosity and a hint of wariness, which made Usagi feel a little uneasy.
"Um.... He just talked with me last night when I first woke up here. That's where I know
him from." Ami's expression relaxed, much to her relief. "Anyway, can I see the map,
Ami-chan?"

Usagi glanced over the map that she handed her and looked for the Orphans' Quarters. Ami
helped by pointing the building out. The Orphan's Quarters rested close to the base of
Sendai Hill where the stone staircase led up to the Hikawa Jinja. Compared to the other
buildings, it was moderately large. Glancing at the other buildings listed and comparing
locations, she felt that the Orphans' Quarters was the one closest to the Hikawa Jinja,
which meant that it was better protected should the boundary ever become smaller for any
reason.

Besides, there was something about the fact that Ryoku lived there that made her curious.

"Ami-chan, you said that Kino-san lives there, right? Does that mean he's an orphan, too?"
she asked.

Ami just nodded and started to write. 'His father was commander of the Hikawa Jinja before
the Meiji Jinja fell.'

Usagi nodded to herself. So, he was an orphan just like her.... "Ami-chan, can you take me
to the Orphans' Quarters?" she requested.

The mute girl stood up, gathered everything, and headed for the door, gesturing for her to
follow. As the two girls left the infirmary, Usagi happened to spot Mamoru walking quickly
past the shrine grounds. "Chiba-san?" she called out as she recognized the Shishu leader.

"Ah! There you are, Mamoru-san!" an elderly priest exclaimed as he exited the main shrine
building and headed toward him.

"Oh, Hino-sama," Mamoru said politely as his eyes quickly scanned for a way out. Once his
eyes caught Usagi's, he quickly started toward the two girls. "I'm afraid you caught me at
a bad time. I was just about to assist Ami-san with getting our new arrival settled in.
Would you mind if I came back later?"

The elderly priest sighed. "You work too much, Mamoru-san," he chided the younger man. "It
seems like every time I see you, you're rushing off to take care of this or that. You've got
to learn to relax more. How will you be able to make my dear Rei happy, if you're always
too busy?"

"I'm truly sorry, Hino-sama," Mamoru said, bowing respectfully. "Would you please give my
regards to Rei-san?" As soon as he agreed, Mamoru quickly turned to Ami and Usagi. "Sorry
to keep you waiting. Well, shall we get going, then?" Without another word, he started for
the stone staircase with the two girls following close behind.

"Um...," Usagi began as they descended.

"I'm sorry about barging in like that, but it's a long story," he told them. He gave Ami a
dry look as she tried and failed to stop herself from laughing. "Ask her about it, if you
want to know." Ami finally stopped laughing and gave Mamoru an apologetic look, which he
replied with a nod and a shrug. "At any rate, if you want, I can make good on what I said
back there about helping you get settled in," he told Usagi.

"Are you sure it's not just an excuse?" she asked, giving him a wry look. "You don't have
to go though all this trouble just to make me feel better after using me as an excuse to
get away."

Mamoru smiled at her. "It's not just an excuse. And I am sorry for doing that. I really do
want to help you get settled in. You don't mind, do you?"

Usagi stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't mind. And thank you. And
you, too, Ami-chan."

Ami glanced over at Usagi and nodded, smiling.

"So, has Ami-san showed you all of the available spaces?" he asked.

"Yes, and I've already chosen one," she told him. "The Orphans' Quarters."

"There's an opening?" he asked, surprised. "I'm surprised someone hasn't asked to move yet.
I'm even more surprised that Aino-san hasn't tried to convince her parents to let her live
there on her own yet." That made Ami laugh again. "Well, I guess you lucked out, then.
Ryoku's a good guy. If you ever need any help, just ask him. I'm sure he'd be happy to
help."

"I'll remember that," she replied as she stared at the building ahead of her. Since Ami was
leading them straight to it, that one must be the Orphans' Quarters. As the group
approached the building, Usagi noticed a young woman exit the building. She stopped once
she spotted them.

"Ami-chan, Mamoru-san, it's good to see you both again," she greeted them as she turned her
gaze toward Usagi.

"This is Tsukino Usagi-san," Mamoru said, introducing her. "Tsukino-san, this is Meiou
Setsuna-sensei, the nurse assigned to the Orphans' Quarters."

"Pleasure to meet you," Setsuna said as she gave a small bow. "I take it that she will be
staying here, then?" she asked as she glanced at Ami, who nodded confirmation. "Does she
have a sponsor yet?" Ami shook her head. "I see. I'd volunteer myself, but I've got my
hands full with many of the younger orphans." She gave Ami and Mamoru a conspiratorial
smile. "Sometimes I wonder if they sent me here to be a babysitter, rather than a nurse."

Usagi found herself laughing despite herself. When she stopped laughing, she glanced past
Setsuna, inside the building. "Is Kino-san there?" she asked. "I'd like to talk with him,
if that's all right."

"He should be," Mamoru stated. "He just came back from a short patrol a couple of hours
ago."

Setsuna nodded. "Yes, he's in his room." She turned to Mamoru. "You should know the way."
Mamoru nodded. "All right, then. Ryoku-san should know where the empty room is. I have some
things to take care of so I'll leave it to you." With that, she turned and left.

Once inside, Mamoru started to lead them down the hallway in the direction of Ryoku's room.
When they reached Ryoku's door, he knocked loudly. "Ryoku! You've got visitors!"

"Hold on," Ryoku called out from the other side. Seconds later, the door opened and Ryoku
poked his head outside. "Oh, hi Mamoru." His gaze found Ami. "And Ami, too?" Then, his gaze
met Usagi. "Tsukino-san?" He glanced from one to the other quickly, then frowned
thoughtfully as he stepped out of his room. "I take it she's here for the room that just
opened up?"

"Are you the person in charge of this place, Kino-san?" Usagi asked.

Ryoku sighed as he rubbed the back of his head in chagrin. "I guess you could say that," he
replied with a wry grin, "although I think that Setsuna-san could do a better job than me.
How she manages to keep all those children in line, I'll never know."

"You speak as though you're not the same age as they are," Mamoru remarked drolly.

"Is that wrong?" he asked, blinking. Ami silently giggled as she watched the older male try
not to roll his eyes. "At any rate, please follow me and we'll get Tsukino-san situated."
With that, he closed the door behind him and gestured for everyone to follow him.

Ryoku lead everyone through the building, giving them an abbreviated tour of the
facilities. Mamoru watched Usagi during the tour, as he had been in the Orphan's Quarters
often enough. He had spent part of his life living there before he moved to the quarters
reserved for the commanding officer of the Hikawa Jinja Shishu command.

Usagi spent most of the tour alternating between staring at her new surroundings and paying
attention to Ryoku as he described the various functions of whatever room they visited.
This place was a far cry from her old living quarters in the Dark Kingdom's slave cell. Of
course, that was a given, but still, this place was extravagant in comparison. Luxurious,
even.

"That's it for the ground floor," Ryoku finished as he led the group to the stairs at one
corner of the building. "Tsukino-san, you're in luck. The open room is on the second floor,
so you don't have to climb that many steps." He turned and started up the stairs. Everyone
quickly followed suit.

"Ami-chan," Usagi said as they climbed the flight of stairs, "I've been meaning to ask: How
does someone choose a sponsor, anyway?"

"Do you mind if I tell her?" Mamoru asked as Ami brought out her notepad again. She nodded
and put away her notepad. "Choosing a sponsor is important because that person will
basically be teaching you how to live here at the Hikawa Jinja. It's best to choose someone
that's very knowledgeable of how things work here, people who have lived here for a while.

"To answer your question, all you have to do is ask the person if they would like to be
your sponsor. If they agree, it's done. That person's your sponsor. If not, then just go
ask someone else. Sponsorship is an informal process and not required, but it's very
important nonetheless. If you don't want to choose a sponsor, you won't be forced to, but
it is not a good idea for someone new to this area to blindly go about trying to fit in
while making mistakes right and left."

"I see," Usagi said, nodding as she took that information in. "Have you ever been a
sponsor, Chiba-san?"

Mamoru gave a small laugh as the group left the stairwell and walked out onto the second
floor. "Not for a long time, Tsukino-san," he replied. "Shishu Blades usually don't have a
lot of time on their hands. Isn't that right, Ryoku?"

"Oh, shut up," Ryoku groused. "Just because I'm injured doesn't mean you have to restrict
the number of times I can go out on patrol."

"He's just upset that I had him put on light duty until both of his injuries have healed,"
he mentioned aside to the two girls in a voice meant to be overheard. "Of course, he's the
kind of person who'd whine and moan about not being able to perform his duties, so I let
him have only one short patrol each day. Of course, if he purposely gets into a fight with
any Youma, then I'm taking that away from him."

"All right! All right! You don't have to rub that in!" Ryoku growled between clenched teeth
as he turned the corner.

Usagi couldn't help but smile at listening to Ryoku and Mamoru go back and forth like that.
It almost sounded like an older brother teasing his younger sibling. She glanced over to
Ami with a look that asked if those two were like that often. Ami seemed to interpret the
look correctly and nodded with an amused smile.

"Here we are," Ryoku stated as he came to a stop in front of a room numbered 215. "Hold on
a minute," he said as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a small ring of keys. "Here,"
he said as he singled out a key and unlocked the door. "Please go on in," he said as he
gestured for Usagi to enter the room.

The room wasn't very decorated, but it wasn't dull, either. There was a wide window facing
west, which was good considering that she hated being woken up by the rising sun. There was
a bed, which surprised her, since she was expecting to find a rolled futon for bedding.
Ryoku explained that this was one of the main reasons why the Orphans' Quarters were always
all filled up. Well, she certainly wasn't complaining. She didn't even get a futon back in
that slave cell.

The room was painted a nice white shade that didn't make the room look like it should
belong in an infirmary, but made the room look very clean nonetheless. The wooden floors
looked like they were cleaned and polished the night before. There was also a desk and
chair in addition to the dresser and mirror she expected to find. The door at the far
corner of the room she suspected led to the bathroom.

"What do you think?" Ryoku asked with a kind smile.

"It's wonderful," she said, staring at the room with a measure of awe. "Thank you."

"All right, you two, let's clear out and let Tsukino-san get acquainted with her new room,"
he told Mamoru and Ami as he started to herd the two out of the room.

"Kino-san?" she called out apprehensively as she turned around.

"It'll be all right," he replied reassuringly. "If you need anything, you know where my
room is at, and Setsuna-san stays next door to me. I'll be here for the rest of today." He
smiled again. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. You just need to get adjusted, that's
all. It's best if you try to do that on your own. Okay?"

Usagi swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. "All right."

Ryoku nodded and closed the door behind him, leaving Usagi alone in her room.

_________________________________________________________________


Orphan's Quarters, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
July 27, 1992. 9:35 A.M.


Some time later, Ryoku heard a soft knock at his door. "Yes?" he called out, stretching as
he pushed his chair away from his desk and stood up, placing his pen back in its holder.
"Who is it?"

"Kino-san?"

"Tsukino-san?" he said as made his way to the door and opened it. "What can I do for you?"

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked as she stared down at the ground. "Are you busy?"

"No, come on in," he said as he gestured for her to come in. "Please, have a seat."

Usagi walked in and sat down on Ryoku's bed as he sat back down in his desk chair. "This is
just something that I've been wondering since I first met you," she told him. "How did you
manage to make 3rd class Blade so young? Usually, it takes at the very least two years to
become a 3rd class Blade. Even if you joined at 14, you're one year too young to be a 3rd
class, at the least! How did you do it?"

Ryoku frowned. "I take it that you know a little bit of the promotion process and
prerequisites, so I won't go over that. However, if you think that I didn't earn these
stripes, I assure you that I did."

"But, how?"

"Simple. Do you know who my father was?"

She thought for a moment, then recalled what Ami had told her. "Your father was the
commander of Hikawa Jinja," she answered.

He nodded. "And do you know who my grandfather was?"

This time, she shook her head.

"My grandfather was Kino Tenmei, the founder of all Shishu," he told her. "It was their
decision that I was ready to join Shishu at the early age of 12, two years younger than the
youngest person to ever join Shishu prior. I have been a Shishu Blade for over three years."

"Twelve years old?" she exclaimed. "So, that's why you were so upset when I commented on
your age...."

Ryoku shook his head and gave her a lopsided smile. "Don't fret about it, Tsukino-san. No
offense taken."

"Usagi," she said with a friendly grin. "Call me Usagi, Kino-san."

He blinked in surprise for a moment, then grinned. "Only if you call me Ryoku, Usagi."

"Okay, Ryoku-san," she agreed with a nod of her head. "Say, Ryoku-san...."

"Yes?" he prompted as she trailed off.

"Chiba-san said that you're not going to be really busy until your injuries heal, right?"

"Did you have to bring that up?" he groaned, grimacing.

Usagi laughed. "I was wondering, Ryoku-san, if you'd like to be my sponsor for a while?
After all, you probably won't have that much to do until then."

"Me?" he said, surprised. "Why me?"

"Well, you were the first person I met when I came here," she told him. "And it's because
there're a few things we have in common, like our being orphans and our being the same age.
But mostly because we're friends. Right, Ryoku-san?"

"Friends, huh?" he said as he leaned back in his chair. "Well, I guess I have no choice,
then. After all, I'm the type of person who would do almost anything for a friend."

"Thank you, Ryoku-san!" Usagi cheered as she stood up and hopped up and down happily.

"No need to go overboard...," Ryoku muttered, but smiled nonetheless. "Anyway, as your new
sponsor, I'll be taking you around the Lower Grounds tomorrow to get you familiarized with
the important sites and facilities. You should get some sleep. We're going to have a long
day tomorrow."

"All right," she said as she turned to leave. Before she went, she turned back around and,
on an impulse, hugged him. "Thank you again, Ryoku-san," she said and left, leaving Ryoku
staring after her in surprise.

"Why do I have the feeling that she's going to be a handful?" he sighed as he slumped back
into his chair. "Oh, well," he said with a small grin as he turned back to his journal,
still lying open on his desk, reached for his pen and began to write. "At least, she's not
boring."


=================================================================


Author's Note: And another chapter is complete. In case you're wondering why I'm taking so
long to get to when Usagi finally becomes Sailor Moon, it's because I'm try to make this
alternate reality as detailed as I can. I worked on the history of this world in the
Prologue and Chapter 1, and the characters in this chapter. The next chapter is going to be
about how Sailor Moon comes to be, so if you've been waiting for that, then there you go.
Next chapter. The twist I give to the birth of Sailor Moon should prove... interesting.

Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs
to Naoko Takeuchi and a bunch of big companies. No copyright infringement is intended.

Questions? Comments? Anything?
Email: jasonulloa (at) hotmail (dot) com

Copyright© 2004, 2007 Jason C. Ulloa
All Rights Reserved.