Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Brooch ❯ Chapter 9

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

The Brooch
By Jason C. Ulloa


Chapter 9


Lower Grounds - Sendai Hill, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 6, 1992. 1:29 P.M.


"You look like shit, you know that?" Yamada mentioned as he came across Mamoru in the middle of helping
a group of field medics carry dead bodies out to an area designated as temporary holding grounds until
proper graves could be dug. There was talk of requesting a huge bonfire be started for those who wanted
their loved ones to be cremated, but getting that much combustible material would prove difficult. "You
been up all morning?"

Mamoru set down the body next to the others and turned to regard Yamada with a tired look. "Yeah. Things
have mostly settled down, though. All the medical personnel are still going through the bodies, trying
to identify everyone who was brought in. The count was about 1,750 an hour ago."

"You need some sleep, Chiba," Yamada said gruffly. "Sanzou and I had a few hours of rest, so we can take
over for you." Without another word, he went over to the group of medics and gestured to get someone's
attention. "Oi! So, what am I supposed to be doing around here?"

Mamoru shook his head as he left and trudged toward his living quarters at The Rose Garden. As he ambled
through the Lower Grounds, he noticed that more people were starting to return to their living quarters.
Most of the surviving defenders had already returned to their living quarters, including almost all of
the non-critically injured defenders. Here and there, people were starting to traverse the Lower
Grounds, either by themselves or in groups, in an attempt to return to normality. However, no matter
whom he passed, whether they were one of the survivors of the battle or one of those who took shelter in
the shrine, the same thing was on everyone's lips.

"Yeah, we would've been dead for sure if it wasn't for that one girl...."

"You shoulda seen how she took out those Youma! Her strength was unreal...."

"My husband was telling me about how this young girl in a strange miko's uniform saved his life. Hmm?
Well, he said she had to be a miko, since she had these strange powers...."

"That young woman was a kami, I swear! No human could wield powers like that...."

"Yeah, I saw her. She said she was a warrior of justice and vengeance, or something...."

"Oh, I heard about her from my son. He fought alongside her, you see? He said her name was Sailor
Moon...."

"I actually fought alongside Sailor Moon...."

"Sailor Moon saved my life...."

"Sailor Moon...."

The existence of their sailor-suited savior was rapidly spreading through the Hikawa Jinja faster than
a plague. Everyone was wondering about who Sailor Moon was. Was she a goddess come from the heavens to
deliver mankind from their tormentors? An avenging angel sent to punish the Dark Kingdom for its
enslavement of humanity? A mysterious miko with incredible spiritual power?

There was a different story depending on whoever was speaking, but the story was fundamentally the same.
The people of the Hikawa Jinja had a glimmer of hope now. A young girl with the power to decimate hordes
of Youma. The pall of gloom from the loss of so many lives seemed to be at odds with the exultation of
learning that they were no longer living on borrowed time. The underlying tension from the constant
threat of annihilation was lessened considerably now.

"Mamoru-san, is it true that our defenders were saved by a young girl named Sailor Moon?" a young woman
asked as he approached Rose Garden. "I just heard about it from Maruo-kun and you know how he likes to
embellish things."

Imamiya Nanao had been the resident nurse for Rose Garden for as long as Mamoru had lived there. In
fact, he believed that she had been stationed there on the exact same day that he arrived. As such,
Nanao preferred to be on a first-name basis with him. It didn't bother him, but he did insist that if
she wanted to do so, she would have to call him by his first name as well. She balked a bit at first, as
he was the head of Shishu at Hikawa Jinja, let alone the entire Japanese branch, but she eventually
capitulated.

"I know, Nanao-san, but this time he wasn't making it up," he replied tiredly as he passed the young
nurse and entered the building. "I'm going to go get some sleep. Can you please wake me up at 6:00 P.M.?"

"Certainly, Mamoru-san," Nanao agreed pleasantly. "And thank you for your efforts today. We all
appreciate everything you and Shishu have done for us, especially considering how undermanned you all
are."

Mamoru paused halfway around the corner to the hallway where his room was located and glanced back at
her. "Thanks, Nanao-san. We all try to do our best."

Once inside his room, Mamoru walked over to his desk and sat down hard into his chair and wearily leaned
back into the seat. Kicking off his boots, he reached across his desk and grabbed a pen while sliding a
sheet of paper toward him. He had the basic ideas in his head, so it would be better to note them down
right now and then get some sleep, rather than sleep, then possibly forget some of the details he had
come up with.

'Appointment of Liaison to Sailor Senshi: Kino, Ryoku - Third Class Blade,' Mamoru neatly wrote at the
top of the page. 'Reason for Appointment: To establish and maintain positive communications with the
group known as "Sailor Senshi," who have been positively identified as allies.

'Duties: MBR will be reassigned from active patrol duty to serve with group, "Sailor Senshi." Point of
contact will be member codenamed 'Sailor Moon.' MBR will temporarily serve as part of group "Sailor
Senshi" and will provide group with any required assistance necessary. MBR will provide Shishu will
regular weekly written status reports detailing aid and instruction given, as well as group's overall
status. MBR will not divulge - intentionally or unintentionally - knowledge of group members'
identities as this knowledge has been classified as Top Secret.'

Mamoru set his pen down and quickly looked over the memo. He nodded to himself in satisfaction; it would
do for a rough draft. He would have to get Ryoku's feedback before finalizing it, anyway. For now, he
would get some sleep.

It had been a long day.

_________________________________________________________________


Infirmary - Hikawa Jinja Proper, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 6, 1992. 4:01 P.M.


Despite the fact that she hadn't had any sleep since before midnight last night, Ami couldn't fall
asleep. There was too much on her mind.

First, there was what had happened last night. She had been well and truly scared when she learned that
the barrier had been breached. That barrier was almost as strong as what had been in place at the Meiji
Jinja and that shrine had been standing since the start of the war and had even withstood attacks from
Jadeite himself. However, unlike when the barrier fell at the Meiji Jinja, there wasn't a multitude of
Shishu Blades ready to do battle with Jadeite and his Youma. For the first time since before she came
to the Hikawa Jinja, she felt afraid that she was going to die. Even though the battle was over, she
still felt uneasy. They were weakened severely, even if Jadeite had no way of truly knowing that. If
another attack were to come right now....

Then, there was learning about her friend, Usagi, having a dual personality, one of which was the very
person that saved them from certain death. She could hardly see Usagi as the type of person who could
battle Youma, let alone destroy countless hordes of them. However, she didn't know much about Serenity,
Usagi's alter ego. She certainly could decimate an army of Youma. Despite this, she had a feeling that
Serenity was a good-hearted person. After all, Usagi was her reincarnation, wasn't she?

Then, there was the revelation of her status as a reincarnated Sailor Senshi, Sailor Mercury. It seemed
that she, too, was a princess of this Moon Kingdom from which Serenity hailed. The princess concept
wasn't a bad notion, but the idea of her being a Sailor Senshi like Sailor Moon both frightened and
concerned her. She wasn't the warrior type. She was a nurse-in-training, studying to become a doctor. It
was in her nature to heal, not to harm. However, she could not deny the proof that she had witnessed
when she saw Hotaru transform and heal Ryoku. There was a power there that she both could not comprehend
and instinctively knew at the same time. Now that she had felt the power in person, she knew that
somewhere within her, that same power lay dormant, waiting for her to call it forth.

Therein lay the problem. She could not call it, since she could not speak. Sometimes it seemed as if all
her problems could be traced to that one deficiency. She couldn't transform into Sailor Mercury because
she could not speak. She was often misunderstood because she could not speak. She was often overlooked
and unnoticed because she could not speak. She couldn't even tell Ryoku....

Ami sighed as she leaned back in the usual chair she sat in while visiting Makoto. There were times when
she wondered how Makoto felt being in that coma. If she woke up right then, would she feel as if she had
woken up from a nice, long nap? Did she dream while sleeping in that coma?

She sighed again as she shook her head. Maybe she was getting a little too introspective. It wasn't as
if she had much choice; she really couldn't talk with anyone like normal people did. Not unless that
person was willing to sit down and read for a while.

'I guess I'm the only one I can really "talk" to, huh, Mako-chan?' Ami thought as she reached out and
took one of her hands in hers. 'Not unless you can hear me mentally talk to you like this. Of course,
you've never answered me every time I have, so I guess not.

'Everyone's fine now, Mako-chan,' she added as she gently brushed a wayward lock of hair from Makoto's
eyes. 'We've more or less recovered from the shock of the battle and now we're just cleaning up. We've
counted 1,823 people dead; everyone else is accounted for. Ryoku-san is recovering nicely; he gave
Rei-chan one of his kidneys so that she could live, in case you haven't heard. Rei-chan's awake as well,
thanks to Hotaru-chan's healing powers.

'You know, maybe I should ask Hotaru-chan if she could try healing you. Perhaps you could finally wake
up from your coma. I'm sure Ryoku-san would love to have you back. Rei-chan and myself, as well. We all
miss you.

'I need to get going now,' Ami mentally said as she stood up. 'I've got to go check on Rei-chan and
Ryoku-san in a little bit to see how they are doing. Mother says that if Ryoku-san has healed as much
as Mamoru-san said, then he could be released tonight. Well, later, Mako-chan. Wake up soon.'

She paused for a moment before leaving as something caught her eye. She glanced over at Makoto once
again, giving the ponytailed brunette a quick scrutiny. She blinked in surprise as she realized that
Makoto's usual pale color looked a little less pale today. A sign that Makoto was getting close to
waking. That was certainly some good news.

With a slight spring in her step, she made her way to Ryoku's room. He would certainly be happy to hear
the news.

_________________________________________________________________


Orphan's Quarters, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 6, 1992. 4:45 P.M.


Naru sighed as she herded some of the younger boys away from the kitchen area. Since Setsuna was still
assisting the rest of the Medical staff with the large influx of the critically injured, she and a small
handful of volunteers were temporarily put in charge of Orphan's Quarters while she was gone and Ryoku
was recovering. The work wasn't too bad, but having to deal with so many little kids was certainly
draining. How Setsuna could cope with it all was beyond her.

"Listen, Yumi-san, Konoka-san and Minami-san're all busy making dinner, so you can't disturb them,
okay?" she said gently as she took them into the common area. Noticing one of the other volunteers
taking care of an equally small group of children, she started to herd her own group toward them. "Oi,
Risa-chan!"

"Naru-chan, you sure you're up to taking care of all those kids?" Risa asked as Naru and her group
approached. "You were recently injured, after all."

"Oh, this?" she said, her hand reaching up to feel the bandage wrapped around her forehead. "Ah, it's
nothing," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "It happened a few days ago, so I've had time to
recover. I'm fine now, really."

"I see," she replied, slightly impressed. "I guess you recover quickly, then."

Naru nodded, lightly thumping her chest. "Yep, I'm really healthy, you know!" she said with a laugh.

Her cheerful laughter slowly died off as she watched Usagi enter the room from the direction of the
kitchen area. Both her countenance and demeanor were thick with a brooding depression. Naru figured that
either the battle had reminded her of what happened with her parents - a common theme for those who
lived in the Orphan's Quarters - or one of her friends had died in the battle.

The former was something that varied from person to person. As for herself, her father was already dead
when she was born - her mother told her that he was a highly skilled member of Shishu who had died
saving the lives of several of his fellow Blades - and her mother had died during the Fall of the Meiji
Jinja. She had several years to come to terms with being left to fend for herself, so the reminder of
the battle that took her mother's life didn't affect her as it once did. However, Usagi hadn't had the
time to heal as she had; her family's death was still fresh in her mind.

"Usagi-chan, are you all right?" Naru asked as she walked up to her friend and put a hand on her
shoulder comfortingly. "Do you want to talk?"

"No, that's all right," Usagi said listlessly. "I don't think you'd understand, anyway."

Naru blinked at that. "What makes you think that I wouldn't understand?" she asked, confused. "I lost
my family from a Youma raid, so I think I might be able to understand just a little."

This time, it was Usagi's turn to blink as her expression turned from morose to confused. A few moments
later, understanding dawned on her and her countenance resumed its brooding state. "That's not was I
talking about, Naru-chan, but thanks anyway. I guess I just need some time to think about things a
little bit."

"Oh...," Naru said, slightly perplexed at her friend's response. "Well, come see me if you need to talk.
After all, we're friends, right?"

Usagi smiled slightly. It was a sad smile, but at least it was a smile. "Yeah. Thanks, Naru-chan."

"Anytime."

Naru was about to turn back to the children she was watching when another thought hit her. "Say,
Usagi-chan, have you heard about that girl who helped save the Hikawa Jinja?" She paused for a moment.
"Hey, Risa-chan, you remember what that girl's name was? It was something kinda English-sounding, I
think."

Risa nodded. "Yeah, I remember. I think her name was Sailor Moon."

Since Naru was turned toward Risa at the time, she didn't notice Usagi stiffen at the mention of the
name. "Yeah, that's it!" she agreed, nodding as she turned back to Usagi. "So, what have you heard about
our savior? I heard that she's some kinda really powerful miko."

"Shiouji-san said that he saw Sailor Moon fight," Risa added as she separated two boys who were
beginning to fight. "He said that she had to be stronger than an average human. I think she's either an
avenging angel or some kind of kami sent to save us from the Dark Kingdom."

"Well, either way, I'm really glad she's here," Naru said. "I've been afraid that one day the Dark
Kingdom would try something like they did today and we wouldn't be able to keep them back anymore. I
don't want to be killed by a Youma. Some of them like to torture their victims before they kill them.
Like the one that killed my mother...."

"Naru-chan...," Usagi said as she snapped out of her funk enough to console her friend. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's all right," Naru said as she recovered. "Still, I wish I could meet Sailor Moon and thank her.
If it wasn't for her, then we all would be dead right now."

"Yeah," Risa agreed. "I wonder who she is, anyway? I don't remember seeing anyone like her around here,
anyway. What do you think, Usagi-chan?"

"Umm...," Usagi dithered. "I don't have a clue. Maybe she's just an ordinary girl who had magical powers
in her previous life and they carried over after she reincarnated?"

Both Risa and Naru gave her a puzzled look, then broke out laughing. "That's a good one, Usagi-chan!"
Naru laughed.

Usagi blinked, then sighed inwardly. "Yeah... a good one...."

"Wouldn't that be amazing, though?" Risa remarked thoughtfully. "Imagine having powers like that just
because you had them in a past life. You'd have to be pretty lucky to be born with something like that."

"I know!" Naru agreed. "I would love to go out there and kill a few Youma. I know my parents would rest
easier knowing that I've personally avenged their deaths."

"Mine, too," Risa agreed. "I'm sure your parents would rest easier if you could avenge their deaths,
Usagi-chan."

"Do you really think so?" Usagi asked softly before she turned and left, leaving the two girls to watch
her leave with equally confused looks on their faces.

"Was it something I said?" Risa asked, bewildered.

_________________________________________________________________


Usagi went into her room and looked around, frowning angrily. "Luna! Are you in here? You have some
explaining to do! Luna!"

No answer.

She huffed angrily as she strode over to her bed and sat down. With a low grumble, she let herself plop
down on the bed, swinging her legs up and resting her head on her pillow. It was obvious that the cat
was gone. She was probably getting ready to being training Minako and Hotaru on being Sailor Senshi. No
doubt Artemis would be with her, so there was no point in storming down to Ryoku's room and demanding
answers from the injured white cat.

Still, she needed to know. Everyone was talking about Sailor Moon saving everyone's lives last night.
As far as she knew, she was Sailor Moon and she had been fast asleep last night. The fact that she
didn't even know that there had been an invasion in the first place confirmed the fact that it hadn't
been her that fought the Youma.

As far as she knew, that left two explanations. One, someone had fought the Youma while calling herself
Sailor Moon; or two, it HAD been her fighting the Youma somehow. It was that second explanation that
made her so upset. She had stated emphatically that she was NOT going to fight Youma. If they were
making her fight as Sailor Moon somehow....

No, there had to be a better explanation. For some reason, despite the fact that the black cat irked her
to no end, she felt like she could trust her to keep her word when she gave it. So, if she wasn't being
forced to fight as Sailor Moon, then who fought off the Youma invasion last night?

Usagi glanced over to the table with the accursed brooch sitting almost mockingly on it. She snorted as
she tossed her head and rolled over with her back to it.

After a while, she sighed and rolled off the bed. "This is stupid," she said acrimoniously as she
stalked toward the table and glared at the brooch. "This is only an object. A thing. It can't make me do
anything I don't want to." She leaned forward and swiped the offending object off the table and clenched
it in her hand challengingly.

"I don't care what you are," she snarled as the familiar sensations of anger mixed with fear. "You won't
beat me. I swear you won't."

With one swift movement, she deftly pinned the brooch to the front of her blouse and left it there. Now
that the brooch was no longer in her hand, the sensation of anger slowly dissipated. She felt a little
drained from fighting her anger, but it was scarcely noticeable.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that offer, after all, Luna," Usagi said, her lips curved slightly downward
in a hint of a scowl.

_________________________________________________________________


Near Lower/Outer Grounds Border, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 6, 1992. 7:01 P.M.


"This is fine," Luna said as she hopped down from Hotaru's shoulder onto a large piece of rubble about
waist-height. "I think we'll be able to practice here without anyone noticing."

"Here, let me take Artemis, Minako," Ryoku said as he took the white cat from her arms.

"Thanks, Ryoku-sama," Minako said as turned from him to Luna. "All right, so what should we do?"

"How about transforming first?" Artemis said dryly.

"I knew that!" she said, shaking a fist as she rounded on the white cat.

Hotaru giggled at the pair. "Shall we get started, Minako-chan?"

"Right, right...," Minako said, rolling her eyes slightly as she and Hotaru brought out their
transformation wands.

"Saturn star power...."

"Venus star power...."

"...make-up!"

A flash of two different colored lights lit up the area for a moment before dissipating, leaving two
Sailor Senshi in place of the two girls.

"Sailor Venus and Sailor Saturn, at your service!" Sailor Venus declared as she stood in a dramatic
pose.

"Yes, yes. Very nice," Ryoku remarked dryly as he clapped apathetically. "Now, let's get started, shall
we?"

"Right," Luna agreed as she padded forward. "Now, you may have noticed that your physical strength has
increased quite a bit while you're transformed. However, now that you've awakened as Sailor Senshi, your
normal physical abilities have increased slightly, as well."

"Yes," Sailor Saturn agreed, nodding. "I felt stronger when I woke up after transforming and using my
healing power on Ryo-niichan and Rei-chan."

"At any rate," Artemis continued, picking up the conversation, "we should start practicing the basics.
Sailor Venus, let's start with you. I believe your basic attack is the Crescent Beam."

"Crescent Beam?" Sailor Venus repeated questioningly.

"Right," Ryoku nodded. "Basically, it's a stream of concentrated light and radiation focused through
your body and arms into your fingers, from where the attack is then fired."

Luna glanced at the young Blade, impressed. "You seem to know much about how the attack works,
Ryoku-san."

"Well, I only know the mechanics of the Senshi's attacks," he explained. "You know, the corporeal aspect
of how they work. I don't know anything about the other part, though."

"Corporeal aspect? The other part?" Venus inquired.

"There are two sides to the Senshi's power structure," Artemis explained. "The corporeal aspect and the
ethereal aspect. The corporeal aspect refers to the physical manifestation of a Sailor Senshi's power;
in other words, what we see. The ethereal aspect refers to the flows of power that we cannot see with
our own eyes.

"In other words, magic."

"Magic?" Saturn repeated, totally confused.

"Basically, every attack in the Sailor Senshi's arsenal is composed of these two aspects, corporeal and
ethereal," Luna expanded. "Even your transformations are composed of these two aspects."

"They are?"

"Yes," the black cat continued. "Once you raise your transformation wand overhead and call out your
transformation phrase, a set of magical commands are invoked. One sets up a disguise field around your
body, making it difficult for enemies to recognize you unless they have witnessed you transform. Another
one opens a link between yourself and your guardian planet. Another one draws mana from your guardian
planet once your link has been established and infuses it into you, which causes bright light to form
around you. Another command takes some of this mana and transmutes it into the Senshi uniform you now
wear."

"A final command remains in place, regulating the amount of mana that flows into you from your guardian
planet," Ryoku added solemnly. "Without that final command in place, you could either lose your
transformation... or you could die, your body disintegrating completely beneath the massive influx of
power."

Both Senshi swallowed upon hearing that. "I've never heard of anyone dying from a broken link before,
ever," Luna said, frowning distastefully. "The links that maintain Senshi transformations are the most
stable magic there is, created by the Ginzuishou itself! It would take a tremendous power, greater than
what we had to face during the first war with the Dark Kingdom, to cause that to happen! At worst, a
Senshi would fall unconscious after losing her transformation, not die from it."

"I've seen it happen," Artemis said quietly as he glanced over at Ryoku. The young Blade quietly shook
his head, his lips curved downward in a barely perceptible, pensive frown.

"What happened?" Venus inquired, concern easily present on her face.

"I don't remember everything," he said slowly, "but I do remember the screaming and the look of
agonizing pain as the body was completely burned away, leaving nothing behind but a bit of metal slag
from a sword that was sitting nearby."

There was a long, unnerving silence for a while. "It was... an isolated incident," Ryoku said, breaking
the silence. "I don't think it's at all likely that that will ever happen to either of you."

"Are you sure, Ryoku-sama?" Venus asked hesitantly.

"I'd become a Sailor Senshi myself and fight with you, if I could," he replied soberly.

"Well, then I suppose it's all right, then," she said as she smiled cheerily. "Right, Hotaru-chan?"

"Right!" Saturn nodded, smiling as well.

"Still, I'm curious as to how you know so much about the Sailor Senshi's powers," Luna said curiously.
"I remember Jovan being a general during the Silver Millennium."

"I was, Luna," Ryoku explained. "However, once I had heard that the Sailor Senshi were to be revived, I
immediately started researching their power structure, figuring out ways to incorporate their powers
into strategies that would help us beat back the Dark Kingdom. I only had time to look into the
corporeal aspect, since that was something I could work with.

"I'm just glad Queen Serenity let me have access to that section of the Royal Library," he mentioned to
Venus and Saturn. "Otherwise, I would've had to improvise as we went. Mars really hated when I did that."

Venus giggled. "Remember how mad she got when you changed strategies on us at the Battle of Deimos?" she
said, nudging him in the side with her elbow.

"That was the eighth time I had done that in three days," he recalled. "After we finally won that
battle, she set fire to my tent."

"I did offer to let you stay in my tent," she added.

"After which, she set my ass on fire," he reminded her dryly. "I couldn't sit down for two days."

"I didn't mean to make things worse, you know," she pouted.

He sighed and shook his head. "I know. Let's just get back to the matter at hand."

"Right," Luna said, nodding. "The Crescent Beam. As Ryoku-san said, it's a stream of concentrated light
and radiation focused through your body and fired from your fingers. However, in order to use that
power, you have to mentally call upon that power through the link with your guardian planet, then draw
the rune in the air with your hands that will allow you to release the energy into your attack."

"Rune?" Venus queried.

"It's like a symbol of sorts," she explained. "Each attack uses its own rune. The rune has to be drawn
perfectly or else the attack could go awry and hit something or someone that you were not intending to
hit."

"Okay, so what's this rune I have to draw?" she asked.

Luna, Artemis and Ryoku all exchanged glances. "We don't know."

Venus smacked herself on the forehead in frustration.

"Ryoku-san only knows the corporeal aspect of Senshi attacks, meaning he only knows what they are and
what they do," Artemis said. "Luna and I should know about the runes you would need, but our memories
are riddled with holes from our deep sleep."

"So, I'm just going to have to guess?"

"Use your instinct," Luna advised. "As a Sailor Senshi, you can draw from the experiences from those who
became Sailor Venus before you and use them as a guide. Trust in yourself and the power of Sailor Venus."

"Hmm... well, I might as well try," Venus said with a whimsical shrug. "After all, 'nothing ventured
will get you nowhere.'"

Ryoku sighed. "That's 'nothing ventured, nothing gained,' Minako," he replied flatly.

"Eh, heh, heh.... I guess you're right," she replied, rubbing the back of her head in chagrin as she
turned away from everyone. "All right, I'm gonna try it!"

Sailor Venus closed her eyes as she reached out with her mind. There was something there that she
couldn't readily explain; the closest she could come to explaining it was some kind of light that she
couldn't see, only feel. She reached out toward that light and drew upon its power, allowing it to fill
her. She could feel her body begin to move, almost on its own. As she opened her eyes, a faint, ghostly
glow appeared in her field of vision along where her hands were moving. Her hands traced along those
lines as if guided by some otherworldly force as the power that filled her began to flow toward her
arms.

'I think... I understand it now,' she thought as a soft yellow glow formed at the end of one of her
hands. 'The rune.... This is the rune for the Crescent Beam. Thank you for showing it to me.' The faint,
ghostly glow faded away as the attack neared completion.

"That's it!" Luna shouted encouragingly. "The Crescent Beam!"

"Quick! Shout 'Crescent Beam' in order to execute the attack!" Artemis ordered.

"Crescent Beam!" Venus shouted, firing a yellow beam of light into the distance.

"Great job, Minako!" Ryoku said, nodding approvingly.

"I did it!" she said, jumping up and down happily. "Did you see that, Hotaru-chan?"

"That was great, Minako-chan!" Saturn applauded.

"Hey! Who threw that!" someone's voice cut through amidst the din of cheering. "You almost knocked my
head off!"

"Usagi?" Luna exclaimed as she watched the blonde girl storm up to the group. "I thought you weren't
going to show up."

"I wasn't planning to," Usagi replied sharply. "However, there is something that I needed to talk to
you - all of you," she added, taking everyone in her gaze, "-about.

"I've been hearing about this young girl with incredible power that helped fight back the Youma invasion
last night," she started, glaring at Luna and Artemis in particular. "I heard her name was Sailor Moon.
Tell me, who was that?"

Luna and Artemis exchanged looks for a moment before Luna noticed that Usagi was starting to finger a
certain brooch that was pinned onto her blouse. "That brooch...."

"Don't change the subject, Luna!" Usagi retorted. "Tell me, who fought last night?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ryoku said quietly and calmly. "You did."

"What?!?" Usagi exclaimed, rounding on him in disbelief. "I know I didn't fight last night! I didn't
even know there WAS a Youma invasion until someone TOLD me about it!"

"I know," he replied calmly. "However, you are Sailor Moon, aren't you?" He nodded toward the brooch
that she had been fingering since the beginning of her harangue. "That brooch proves it."

"Still, I know I didn't wake up and transform in the middle of the night!" she shot back.

"Really?" he replied, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't you once tell me that you've experienced times when
you've blacked out, only to discover that you've either done something, or were in the middle of doing
something you didn't know about?"

Usagi paused in her tirade to think about that. There had been times when she had done things that she
didn't even know about. But to actually transform and fight Youma? There's no way. She made a promise
to her father, to her family, that she would live. She couldn't throw her life away like that.

But apparently, last night she did. And last night, she saved hundreds upon thousands of lives in doing
so. She didn't know if she had broken her promise to her father by doing so or not. She had fought as
Sailor Moon, yet it wasn't really her, was it? It was a roundabout way of thinking, to be sure, but for
some reason, it seemed to work for her. If it wasn't her fighting, then she wasn't breaking her promise.

"Ryoku-san, Minako-chan, Hotaru-chan," Usagi finally said in a quiet monotone.

"Yes, Usagi-chan?" Venus answered for the group.

"If... if Sailor Moon does show up again...," she said, hesitantly, "...then... then would you please
thank her for me?" She paused as she fingered her brooch again. "I know I'm not strong, but this is all
I can do to help you." With that, she turned and started to leave.

"Usagi!" Ryoku called out, stopping her. "I think... she already knows. And if it'll make you feel any
better, I think she knows about your feelings and respects them. Don't worry, Usagi. We'll make sure
that nothing happens to her." Beside him, both Venus and Saturn nodded emphatically.

"Thank you," she said softly. "Luna, Artemis, I suppose this's the best I can do for you right now. I'm
sorry that I can't do any more."

"We understand," Artemis replied with a respectful nod. "We won't ask for any more than that."

"Yes," Luna agreed. "And thank you, Usagi, for giving us at least this much. We appreciate it."

Usagi nodded and smiled faintly. "I've got to get back. Setsuna-sensei just got back and I promised I'd
help her restock some of the medical supplies she took for last night. Bye!" she said and started
running off without a backwards glance.

"Usagi-chan...," Venus said sadly as she watched her friend disappear out of view.

"Minako, now that you've figured out your Crescent Beam attack, could you please practice using it for a
few minutes while we get Hotaru up to speed?" Ryoku requested. "Afterwards, we'll go over your Venus
Love-Me Chain attack."

"Love-Me Chain?" she repeated, blinking as Ryoku and the two cats started explaining to Saturn about her
attack, Silence Glaive Surprise. "What kind of attack name is that?"

_________________________________________________________________


Orphan's Quarters, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 6, 1992. 7:47 P.M.


Ami dashed toward the building as fast as she could, hoping that they hadn't begun without her yet. She
didn't mean to nod off like she did, but after she had told Ryoku about his sister beginning to revive,
the weariness she felt only minutely began to catch up with her. She had nodded off while watching over
Rei as she slept, after making sure that the injured miko was resting comfortably.

As she reached the building, she saw Setsuna walking toward the building carrying a large box filled
with medical supplies like gauze, syringes, bandages and other similar items. She jogged past the nurse
and turned to wave at her, gesturing in a way to ask if she needed any help carrying the box.

"Oh, hello to you, too, Ami-chan," Setsuna greeted the young nurse-in-training as she started walking
past her. She paused as Ami jogged in front of her again, this time pointing at the box in her hands.
"Oh, the box? This is the rest of the medical supplies I commandeered for last night's emergency," she
explained.

"What? Are you asking if I need help?" she asked. Ami nodded wearily, glad that her message finally got
across. "I'm sorry if I didn't realize what you were trying to say, Ami-chan, but I'm a little tired and
my mind's preoccupied with other things. I don't really need help carrying the box, but if you want to
help me put these things away, I'd appreciate the help. The more people doing the job, the faster it'll
get done."

Ami nodded her assent, figuring that she'd either find everyone there waiting for her, or she'd find out
if they had already left. If they had already left, then she was already too late and she might as
well help Setsuna with her task.

"Ami-chan, I didn't expect to find you here right now," she heard Usagi's voice call out to her as she
neared the building. The mute girl turned to see Usagi waving at her as she approached. "Setsuna-sensei,
I'm ready to help you with the medical supplies."

"Good. This is the last of the supplies," Setsuna told her. "Ami-chan is here to help as well. She knows
where most of the medical supplies are supposed to go, so just ask her if you need to know where
something goes."

"All right," Usagi agreed as she followed Setsuna inside.

"Ami-chan, I thought you'd be with the others right now, from what you were all talking about this
morning," she said quietly as she moved closer to Ami.

The mute girl hung her head in response and mimed sleeping, then waking up suddenly and running.

"So, you slept in and ran over here?" she supposed. Ami nodded. "Ah. Well, they've already started. I
just had a talk with them a little while ago," she added as she absently fingered her brooch.

Ami hung her head again, this time despairingly.

"Don't worry about it," she consoled the mute girl. "I'm sure they'll understand. I'll just tell them
that you were with me or something. It'll be all right!" she added, waving her hand in a dismissive
gesture.

"Oh? What will be all right?" Setsuna asked curiously, glancing at the pair over her shoulder as she set
down her box and opened the door to her office, then picked the box back up and went inside.

Both Usagi and Ami jumped at the question. "Ah! Oh, nothing, really," Usagi said, laughing nervously.
Ami glanced exasperatedly at the blonde girl for a moment, then shook her head.

"Is that so?" Setsuna replied, raising an eyebrow amusedly. "Well, maybe I'll ask Ryoku-san or
Hotaru-chan when they get back." She smirked at seeing the two girls stiffen slightly. "Now, don't get
me wrong. I don't have any intention of keeping you from doing whatever it is you're doing. Hotaru-chan
is like a daughter to me and I know I can trust Ryoku-san to look out for her. I would just prefer to
know what is going on with the children trusted into my care. This includes you, too, Usagi-san," she
added, smiling at the blonde-haired girl as she put down her box and started sorting out the items
inside.

"I think I understand, Setsuna-sensei," Usagi said as she picked up some gauze and bandages and started
to carry them out of the room. "And thank you."

"Of course, Usagi-san," the dark-haired nurse replied as she watched the blonde-haired girl leave before
resuming her task.

"Ami-san," she said, stopping the mute girl before she could leave as well. She responded by giving her
an inquisitive look. "Here," she said, handing her a pad and pencil from a nearby table. "It'll be
easier to talk with you if you could respond with words."

'Thank you, Setsuna-sensei,' Ami replied, writing quickly.

"Ami-san, do you think there's something different about Usagi-san lately?" she asked, giving her a
questioning look. "I know she hasn't been here very long, but from what I do know of her, she seems to
be acting somewhat subdued lately. I know we've just went through a major crisis with the invasion, but
from what I've been told, Usagi didn't even know about it until this morning.

"No one from Orphan's Quarter's except for Ryoku and myself were really involved with the invasion, so I
didn't expect her to be taking it as hard as she seems to be," Setsuna continued concernedly. "Unless
the invasion has triggered some kind of flashback or something, she seems to be preoccupied with
something else. I just want to know if you have any idea what that could be, and if you were at liberty
to tell me, if you knew."

The pencil in Ami's hand was still for a while before finally moving. 'There is something that is
bothering her, but I don't think Usagi-chan would want me to tell you,' she wrote slowly. 'I don't think
it's anything anyone can help her with, either. I think it's something that she'll eventually have to
work out on her own.'

"But you wish you could help her."

'Yes. She was crying this morning and the only thing I could do was give her a shoulder to cry on.'

"Sometimes, that's all a person needs, Ami-san," Setsuna said sagely. "But right now, what I need is for
you to take these items to the storage room."

Ami smiled and nodded as she picked up the items and left. Setsuna watched her leave, then sighed
tiredly to herself as she leaned against the wall.

"'Something she needs to work out on her own,' huh?" she said, leaning her head against the wall and
staring up at the ceiling. "That almost sounds like what I told her when I first came here. But I still
haven't found any answers to my problem yet. I wonder if Mizuno-hakase ever wonders if I've come any
closer to the answer."

She glanced at the broken staff lying in the corner, as she had done many times before. The two pieces
of what she assumed to be her staff, when put together at the break, resembled a large, metallic key
with the handle at one end and the teeth at the other end, like an old-style lock.

"Why?" she murmured quietly to herself. "Why is it that I believe that everything will become clear once
I figure out what this thing is supposed to be?"

"Setsuna-sensei?" Usagi's voice called out from the hallway.

Setsuna spun around, surprised to find the blonde-haired girl watching her from the doorway. "Usagi-san?"

"What were you talking about?" she asked, her gaze falling upon the broken metallic staff lying in the
corner of the room. "What is that?" she asked, pointing at the staff.

"I don't really know," she admitted with a shrug. "All I know is that when I was brought here, broken,
bleeding, and moments away from death five years ago, I was clutching this broken staff in my hands as
if my life depended on if remaining in my possession.

"Mizuno-hakase led a team of doctors to help keep me from crossing into the afterlife," she continued
pensively. "They managed to save my life, but when I finally woke up, I found that the only thing I
could remember was that my name was Meiou Setsuna. I had no recollection of my past, no knowledge of
living family, not even knowledge of my own life up until my rescue. All I had was the clothes I was
given and the broken staff you see lying in the corner."

"I'm sorry...," Usagi began, but cut off after Setsuna began shaking her head.

"I don't regret coming here or becoming a nurse," she told her. "In fact, I love it here at Orphan's
Quarters. The people here are almost like a family to me; especially Hotaru-chan. The only thing I do
regret is that I have not been able to find a way to beat this case of amnesia and bring my memories
back. Then I'd at least know who I was and how I got here."

Usagi glanced back at the metallic key-shaped staff again. There was something about the staff that
seemed to draw her attention, almost like there was something familiar about it. She didn't know
anything about it, of course. She would know if she had seen something that ornate before in her entire
life. Still, that didn't keep the sense of familiarity from haunting her. Absently, she reached up and
began to finger the brooch still pinned onto her blouse.

"Usagi-san...," Setsuna said, noticing the brooch for the first time. "That brooch.... Where did you get
it from? It looks... familiar to me."

"Hmm?" Usagi said as she forcefully tore her gaze away from the key-shaped staff. "Did you say
something, Setsuna-sensei?"

"That brooch of yours...," she began again, pointing at the object in question. "Where did you get it
from?"

"This?" she asked, looking down at the brooch. "It's... kind of a long story, really."

"May I see it?" Setsuna asked. "It's just that it looks very familiar to me, so I want to take a closer
look at it, if you don't mind."

"Um... sure," Usagi agreed hesitantly. "I suppose it'd be all right." She carefully removed the brooch
from her blouse and handed it over to Setsuna.

"Hmm...," the dark-haired nurse mused as she gave the brooch a close scrutiny. There had been a strange
sensation once the brooch touched her hand, but she ignored it for the time being as she looked over the
brooch. It was gold-colored with five different colored stones - red, blue, yellow, green, and
silver - inset at the tips of a five-pointed star that was engraved around the edge of the top half of
the brooch equidistantly.

"I've seen this brooch somewhere before," she said, frowning contemplatively. "I'm almost sure of it."
As she continued to stare at the brooch in her hands, the strange sensation she had shelved away in the
back of her mind slowly started to work its way into her consciousness like a memory she was trying to
recall. It was a feeling of despair; of despair, futility and hopelessness, but the most prominent
feeling was loneliness. A feeling of being forever alone, left behind by everyone else as she stayed
behind for some reason she could not remember.

"Setsuna-sensei?" Usagi said worriedly. "Are you all right, Setsuna-sensei? You're shaking."

"I'm all right, Usagi-san," she replied as she set the brooch down on her desk as carefully as she
could, despite the fact that her arms were now quivering for some reason. "My arms.... Why...? Why am
I... shaking like this? What's wrong with me?"

Even though the brooch had left her hands, the sensation she had felt from holding it remained with her.
In fact, they were slowly beginning to grow in magnitude as each feeling continued to augment the
others. Loneliness and despair giving way to futility and hopelessness. Futility and hopelessness
leading to loneliness and despair. The cycle of emotions building in her mind, started by the catalyst
of Usagi's brooch.

"I think I need to lie down a moment," Setsuna said as she stumbled to the doorway as Ami returned from
her task. "I'm going to my room...."

"Ami-chan, help me!" Usagi cried as she tried to catch Setsuna as she stumbled again, this time, almost
falling to the floor. Usagi wrapped Setsuna's left arm over her shoulders as Ami did the same with her
right arm, both girls supporting the older nurse as they took her to her room. Thankfully, her room was
right next door to her office.

"I don't know what happened!" Usagi replied to the questioning look on Ami's face after laying Setsuna
down on her bed. "One minute, she was fine, and the next minute, she started shaking! I wish I knew what
was going on!"

Ami glanced down at Setsuna, who was still shivering. She turned to Usagi and pantomimed pouring a
liquid into a cup, then pointed back to the room they came from. Usagi nodded and quickly rushed back
into Setsuna's office. On the desk, she noticed a hot water dispenser, as well as a box full of tea bags
of different flavors. Not knowing Setsuna's preference, she grabbed the first one she could get a hold
of and stuck it into a clean tea cup, then poured hot water into it.

As the tea bag steeped in the hot water, she noticed her brooch sitting almost innocently on the other
side of the desk where Setsuna had set it down. A sneaking suspicion crossed her mind as she glared at
the offending piece of jewelry. Did the brooch cause Setsuna's breakdown? Every time she held it in her
hands, she felt sensations of anger seep out from it. What did Setsuna feel when she held it?

"Is this the price of salvation?" she growled at it as she snatched off the table and sneered at it in
her hands. "What gives you the right to inflict pain and misery on those who need you?" With a scowl,
she pinned the brooch back onto her blouse before grabbing the tea and heading back to Setsuna's room.

'If this is the price for salvation, is it even worth it?'


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


Author's Note: The story seems to be taking a dark turn, doesn't it? Well, as they say, it is always
darkest before the dawn. Or was it, it is always darkest before it turns pitch black? The way things are
going, it could go either way right now. On a lighter note, yes, Makoto is finally getting closer to
waking up from her coma! Isn't it great? I know a lot of you have been clamoring for Makoto to wake up
and join the rest of the cast in smashing Youma heads, but it'll be a little while longer before Sailor
Jupiter finally comes into play. Be patient and you will not be disappointed. Next chapter will have
more on Setsuna's past and Rei's recovery, as well as the new Sailor Senshi's first battle. Maybe. We'll
see when the next chapter comes out. Look forward to it!


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.