Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Brooch ❯ Chapter 12

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

The Brooch
By Jason C. Ulloa


Chapter 12


Hikawa Jinja Proper, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 8:08 A.M.


Ami burst through the door to the main building of the Hikawa Jinja and ran down the hall. The empty sounds
of the silent jinja were very unsettling, especially considering what Rei had told her only minutes before -
that the barrier had collapsed entirely. The implications of that chilled her terribly as she thundered down
the hall, the echoing sounds of her footsteps her only accompaniment as she raced toward the room where she
knew the priests and miko would be.

As she neared the room where the sacred fire burned, a woman quickly stepped out of the room and jerked back
in an attempt to not accidentally run into her. "Ami-chan!" the woman exclaimed, recognizing her instantly.

Ami came to an abrupt halt and pointed urgently toward the room Tsuda-sensei had just exited.

She shook her head sadly. "Almost every priest or miko inside is either unconscious or is on the verge of
unconsciousness. Almost half of the elderly priests and miko have died from extreme mental shock."

The mute girl raised a hand to her mouth in worry. Almost half. Could Rei's grandfather...?

Ami took a step toward the door, only to have Tsuda-sensei place a restraining hand on her shoulder.
"Ami-chan, I can't let you in there right now," she said apologetically. "We're trying to revive as many of
them as possible as quickly as possible. It's the only hope we have of bringing back the barrier, despite
the fact that most of them will be too weak to sustain the barrier for very long. I can't have you getting
in the way."

She shook her head rapidly and gave Tsuda-sensei a pleading look as she held up a single finger. She only
needed a moment to see if Rei's grandfather was all right. She needed to know. Rei needed to know. Her
grandfather was the only family she had left. If he died, Rei would take it very badly. The last thing she
wanted was to lose one of her best friends to grief and anger.

"Ami-chan, I...," Tsuda began, but relented under Ami's pleading stare. "One minute," she sighed. "However,
if you get in anyone's way, out you go. Do you understand?" Ami nodded vigorously. "All right, then."

The moment the doctor stepped out of the way, Ami quickly darted inside and started visually scanning the
room. There were many people strewn about; some leaning brokenly against the wall, while others lay prone
on the floor or draped across another unconscious person. There were many, many unmoving bodies, however,
here and there a few people stirred, struggling to remain awake despite their waning consciousness. A group
of elderly priests and miko were lying in a far corner, organized in straight lines in a neat contrast to
the others. From the way they were lying on the floor and the stillness of their bodies, she knew that
these had to be the elder priests and miko that had passed on when the barrier fell. From the tortured looks
on a few of their faces, she could tell that the experience had been a painful one. Tearing her eyes away
from the sight, she hurriedly continued on, searching for Rei's grandfather.

"A-Ami... -chan...?"

Ami whirled in the direction of the weak moan and stared, completely aghast. Grandpa Hino was always very
lively and energetic for his age, especially whenever young girls like herself were around. The elderly
man's visage was now more enervated and wizened than she could ever remember seeing in his face. The
sprightly youth that was usually ever-present in his eyes had paled as he winced while trying to push
himself up to his knees. Instantly, Ami was at his side, her hands on his shoulders as she shook her head
and tried to gently get him to lie back down. She waved frantically to one of the physicians, trying to get
his attention.

"Ami-chan...," Grandpa moaned again, painfully. "Tell... tell Rei that... that I'm all right." He forced
himself to smile despite the pain and exhaustion. "It'll take more than that... to kill me...."

"Hino-sama," the physician said as he hurried to his side, "please don't try to force yourself. You need to
rest." He looked over to Ami and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry; we won't let him die.
Leave him to us."

Ami wiped a tear that had been forming at the corner of her eye and nodded as she slowly stood up. Before
she turned to leave she gave Grandpa Hino a warm smile and gently kissed his cheek. 'Please get better,
Grandpa,' she pleaded mentally as she left the room, waving goodbye over her shoulder as she went.

'That's one less worry,' Ami thought as she hurried back to the infirmary. 'But how long will it take to
reestablish the barrier? And what about Ryo-kun? I hope he's all right....'

_________________________________________________________________


Outer Grounds, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 8:08 A.M.


"Fall back!" Mamoru ordered as Konno flung his last grenade. "Try to use whatever cover you can if you think
you've got a clear shot, but don't try to take them on one-on-one yet! There's still too many of 'em!"

"Wait!" Venus shouted suddenly. "Saturn, how long do you think you can hold a Silence Wall?"

"A what?" Yamada exclaimed impatiently.

"Um... about five or six minutes, I think," Saturn figured uncertainly.

"Look, those Youma'll be on us in about ten minutes! Can we just-"

"If you've got a plan, make it quick," he said urgently, cutting Yamada off just as the last grenade
exploded.

"Listen, Saturn and I will stay here and try to get those Mages," she explained quickly. "Saturn has a
defensive move that'll protect us just like a miniature barrier. They'll probably be careless since the
barrier's down."

"That's crazy!" Sanzou said concernedly. "Even if you pick off those Mages-" He cut off as Venus held up a
single finger.

"Trust us," she said with a confident wink.

Mamoru exchanged a quick glance with her and nodded understandingly. "You heard her!" he said as he gestured
with his rifle. "Now let's move! The Youma'll be on us any minute!" With that, the Blades quickly withdrew,
leaving Venus and Saturn by themselves as the Youma crested the destruction caused by the volley of
explosives thrown by the Blades.

"Ready, Saturn?" Venus asked as she unflinchingly watched the Youma horde approach.

"I'll do my best," Saturn stated grimly as she tightened her grip on her Silence Glaive.

"I wouldn't ask for anything less," she replied as she started to draw the rune for her Crescent Beam.
"There! I see one of 'em! Crescent beam!"

The bolt of energy tore through the air over the heads of several sentries and Hunters before it slammed
into the head of one of the Mages before it could erect a shield. The Mage was blown off its feet and hit
the ground hard. Already, one of the other Mages was gathering energy to revive its comrade.

"What's that Mage doing?" Saturn asked, puzzled by the strange glowing of the newly visible Mage Youma.

"I think it's trying to heal that other Mage!" Venus exclaimed and readied another attack.

"Silence Glaive Surprise!" Saturn shouted, firing off her attack first. The shockwave ripped across the
ground as it traveled, taking out a few smaller sentries in its path. The attack slammed into the second
Youma moments before its dark healing energies could settle onto the first Youma. The second Youma
reflexively tried to recall its spent energies in a frantic attempt to heal itself, but the damage was too
great. Another Mage fell beside the first one.

"Look out!" Venus warned as the Youma horde hurdled the last broken and toppled building that laid between
them and the first wave.

"Silence Wall!" Saturn yelled frantically, erecting the dome just seconds before the first arrows, shots,
and other projectiles could reach them. A heartbeat later, the first swords, axes, whips, claws, and other
weapons began to slam against the shield.

"Ungh!" Saturn winced as the horde pressed against the dome, crawling over each other in their eagerness to
kill.

"Saturn!" Venus rushed to the younger Senshi's side. "Are you all right?"

"I don't think I can hold this shield as long as I thought," she said through gritted teeth. "They're too
many of them...."

"Try to hold on a little longer," Venus encouraged as she sought out the last Mage. "There! Crescent beam!"

"I'm losing my hold of the shield!" Saturn gasped.

Venus quickly turned away from waiting to see if the attack struck the Mage and quickly started searching
for a way out. There were Youma surrounding them by the hundreds. If the Silence Wall fell, Sailor Senshi or
not, they would certainly die. Fear spurred her frenzied search as she looked everywhere for a possible way
out.

"I... can't... hold it... anymore...!" Saturn grunted as the Silence Wall began to flicker out of
existence.

"Shit!" Venus exclaimed as she grabbed the faltering Senshi as she began to collapse and, without thinking,
leapt straight into the air as high as she could just before the first of the Youma could lunge forward and
grab them.

'Oh, shit,' Venus mentally cursed in near-hysterical fear as her aerial ascent began to slow. 'Oh, shit. Oh,
shit. Oh-shit-oh-shit-oh-shit-oh-shit-oh-shit-oh-shit-oh-shit-"

Her frightened mantra cut off as her eyes fell upon a building where the steel framework was bent and
exposed after the top half of the building snapped off from what might have been a powerful blast of either
negative energy or man-made explosives, possibly from a battle years in the past. Either way, her eyes
quickly fastened onto a single steel girder that had been somewhat bent into an upside-down hook. Once
again, her body seemed to move on its own as the hand that wasn't holding Saturn began to draw a rune.

"Venus love-me chain!" she shouted as she flung her attack toward the steel girder. The end of the chain
wrapped around it in a manner similar to the whips that the Whip Hunters used, even though she knew her
chain was made of energy, rather than solid matter. Still, the chain held just as tightly as a solid whip
might have and as the chain went taut, she felt herself swinging toward the building over the heads of the
awaiting Youma horde.

"Yaaaaa!" Venus screamed, half in utter relief at not being dead and half in jubilant excitement at having
cheated certain death. The scream continued until she crash landed on the ruined floor of what had been an
office building decades in the past. Dried and decayed carpet fibers fell apart as she slid to a halt,
twisting enough before landing so that Saturn wasn't underneath her.

"Minako-chan, are we dead yet?" Saturn asked weakly amidst the furious and frustrated growls and bellows of
the Youma horde outside.

"Not yet, Hotaru-chan," Venus replied as she breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath. "How are you
feeling?"

"Not too good," she replied. "I don't think I have much fighting strength left."

"You did well out there, Hotaru-chan," Venus said encouragingly. "Very well for our first battle. I'm very
proud of you." She quickly stood up and brushed herself off. "Can you stand?"

"Yes," she said as she slowly pushed herself to her feet. "I think I'll be all right with some rest."

"I don't think they'll let us rest anytime soon," Venus muttered as she brushed herself off and stepped
toward the hole they had fallen through. "We'd better try to join up with the Blades soon. "I don't know if
that last shot took out the Mage or not. We'd better be careful; especially if that Mage heals the first
two Mages." She turned to Saturn. "Ready to go?"

"I think I can manage a little," she said uneasily as she leaned against her Silence Glaive.

"All right, but let me know if you can't keep up, okay?" she replied and leaped across the chasm of waiting
Youma over to the next building across, followed a moment later by Saturn. The pair quickly made their way
across the rooftops, heading in the direction the Blades had retreated.

_________________________________________________________________


Outer Grounds, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 8:13 A.M.


Sailor Moon hurtled across the desolate landscape faster than humanly possible, but it still felt like she
was dragging her feet. If she could will herself to go faster, she would already be easily breaking the
speed of sound thrice over, but willpower could only do so much.

There had been explosions up ahead. It was just like last time; the Youma had advanced on the Blades and
the Blades responded by unloading whatever munitions they could before the horde closed the gap between
them. She didn't have much time left before blades would be drawn.

As she drew closer, she could just make out the violet glow of what had to be an energy shield. The Mages'
energy shields were all dark green, bordering on black, so this had to have come from one of her Senshi.
Were they in trouble? Where were the Blades? Did they retreat already?

Her apprehension doubled as she watched the violet dome begin to flicker, then collapse. Her heart almost
stopped when the dome vanished, but seeing Venus leap into the air with Saturn in her arms gave her a small
measure of relief, seeing that the Youma hadn't killed them yet.

While her Senshi ascended heavenward, she tore off the tiara from her head without slowing her stride. "Moon
tiara action!" she shouted as her tiara glowed and formed into a discus before she flung it from her hand
toward the closest cluster of Youma. A quarter of the gathered Youma turned toward the new arrival after
a dozen sentries and Hunters collapsed, having had a glowing discus punch through their bodies like a
cannonball through wet rice paper. As hoped, some of the Youma broke away from pursuing the two other
Senshi, however, it wasn't enough. There were still too many waiting for them on the ground below.

As the tiara made its return arc, she watched as Venus snapped her Love-me Chain toward the nearest ruined
building. It almost seemed like a desperate maneuver until she noticed that the chain had wrapped around a
steel girder that protruded from the building, much like a whip. A moment later, Venus had swung inside the
building, taking herself and Saturn out of harm's way.

"Hey!" Sailor Moon shouted, briefly relieved that her friends had managed to escape death. "Over here!" she
added as she quickly ducked down an alleyway, hoping to draw enough attention to persuade the Youma to start
following her. Hopefully, that would give those two enough time to rally themselves and rejoin the fight.

The alley was, fortunately enough, not a dead end. As she darted though to the other side, droves of Youma
gave chase amidst the growling and roaring of those that remained behind, searching for Venus and Saturn.
The Youma were much closer than she had originally thought; she wouldn't be able to summon her wand or
scepter without getting overrun in the process. She needed to find the Blades. They could provide her the
cover she needed.

Overhead, she spotted both Venus and Saturn retreating by rooftop. With a quick, powerful leap, she jumped
up to the rooftops, as well. "Venus! Saturn!"

"Sailor Moon!" the two Senshi exclaimed in surprise as they changed direction to meet up with their leader.

"I thought you weren't going to be fighting with us," Venus said as soon as they caught up with her. "What
made you change your mind?"

"It's a long story," Sailor Moon replied with a slight grimace. "Let's just say that Usagi was kind enough
to let me borrow her body for a while."

Both Senshi blinked for a moment. "So, you're Serenity now?" Venus asked.

"For now," she replied simply. "At any rate, we need to catch up with the Blades. Do you know where they
went?"

"I believe they retreated to the northeast, but I kinda lost track of them when we split up," Venus
explained. "I don't think they're too far ahead."

"Over there!" Saturn said, pointing down below. "I think I see Mamoru-san over there."

Both Sailor Moon and Venus glanced over to where Saturn pointed. "Ah, I know what's going on," Sailor Moon
said with a knowing grin. "Looks like we've drawn the Youma into another Shishu ambush." True to her word,
the moment the three Sailor Senshi passed the spot where they had spotted Mamoru, the Blades began to open
fire on the pursuing Youma.

"Everyone, let's help them out," she suggested as she began to concentrate her energy on summoning her
scepter.

"Right!" Venus said as she started drawing an attack rune.

"I'll do my best!" Saturn added as she did the same.

"Venus love-me chain!"

"Silence glaive surprise!"

The two attacks surged forth, striking down Youma right and left. Another volley of magical attacks was
thrown at the advancing horde, but this time, they were stopped short as they struck against a glowing wall
of dark green energy.

"It's that damn Mage again!" Venus growled as drew her Crescent Beam rune again. Once again, the beam of
energy struck against the Mage's energy shield with no visible effect. Bullets from the Blades' rifles
occasionally ricocheted off the shield, sometimes hitting a decrepit building, sometimes another Youma.
"Dammit! Why won't that stupid thing die?"

"Leave him to me," Sailor Moon said as her scepter faded into existence in her hands. "Just warn the Blades
that I'm about to jump into their line of fire."

"Huh?" Venus said as Sailor Moon started gathering power into the scepter. "Uh, um.... Hey, guys!" she
shouted to the Blades down below. "Hold your fire! Sailor Moon says that she's going to be coming down
there in a minute!"

"What?" Yamada exclaimed from his spot behind an old rusted auto from the late '50s, overturned and
completely wrecked. "What does she think she's doing now?"

"Blades, hold your fire!" Mamoru ordered.

No sooner did Mamoru give the order, than Sailor Moon leaped off of the roof and landed in the middle of the
street below, her scepter held at the ready. "Tell your master that he'll soon be joining you... in Hell!"
she snarled as she raised her scepter overhead. "I'm the Sailor Warrior fighting for justice and vengeance,
Sailor Moon! On behalf of my dead kingdom, I'll destroy you!" A rush of light energy surged into the
miniature crown on the top of the scepter. "Moon princess halation!" she shouted as she waved the scepter in
front of her, ending with it pointing at the advancing horde. A stream of light emanated from the scepter in
a tight concentrated beam as it slammed through the wave of Youma with a force equivalent to that of heavy
artillery fired at point blank range. A large swath of Youma burned away in the pure light of the attack
before it struck the Mage's energy shield. The shield held for a few moments before it, too, burned away,
along with the third Mage.

_________________________________________________________________


There! There it was!

The Youma Mage grabbed one of its Scout Youma by the head and forced it to stare in the direction that the
blast of Lunar magic had originated from. With a few muttered words, the Scout was ordered to get a visual
of the individual responsible for releasing such powerful magic and relay the image back. The Mage released
the Scout and, with a chitter, it rapidly scurried off. Within seconds, the Scout would return with the
information needed.

A moment later, the Scout zipped back and crouched on its hind legs before the waiting Mage. With a grunt
and a wave of a hand, the Mage drew the image from the Scout's mind and conjured the image into the air
before it.

A still image of Sailor Moon with scepter in hand flickered before the astonished Mage. This was the dire
threat to his master? This... girl? This... HUMAN girl? Still, this mere slip of a girl commanded powerful
Lunar magic, so she was certainly more of a credible threat than her outward appearances would convey.

With another wave of the hand, the image dispersed. The Mage muttered some instructions to the Scout, but
paused for a moment before dispatching it. There were two other magical signatures out there that were
similar to the signature given by the girl's Lunar magic, however, there was a distinct difference between
the three. Jadeite would want to know about them as well.

A few more muttered words, along with samples of the two unknown magical signatures, and the Scout rocketed
off back toward the Imperial Palace. The mission was accomplished. All that was left was to recall what
sentries and Hunters remained and retreat back to base. It was a pity that they couldn't finish off the
humans while the barrier was down, but Jadeite's orders were absolute.

_________________________________________________________________


Sailor Moon breathed hard as Venus and Saturn quickly leaped down beside her, ready to protect their leader
as she recovered her energy for another shot. Behind them, the Blades held their rifles at the ready,
watching for any sign of a second wave. Oddly enough, most of the Youma were uncharacteristically holding
back, as if waiting for something.

A bolt of black lightning, darker than a starless night sky, crackled in the air in the far distance.

"What?" Venus exclaimed. "Don't tell me they've got a FOURTH Mage out there! The last three were bad
enough! I don't wanna deal with ANOTHER one!"

"Wait a minute," Mamoru said as he slowly stepped out from his protective cover.

"Are those Youma doing what I think they're doing?" Aida added as he poked his head out as well.

"They're... retreating?" Takei said, confounded as he and his fellow Blades watched the remaining sentries
and Hunters pull back and start a full retreat.

"Bah!" Yamada spat. "Good riddance!"

"In all my years as a Blade, I've never seen anything like this," Sanzou murmured, utterly confused. "Youma
NEVER retreat. Especially with the barrier down like this." He frowned concernedly. "Something's up."

"I think you're right," Mamoru agreed darkly. "Jadeite's planning something. I'm sure of it." He then turned
to the three Sailor Senshi standing before him. "Once again, we are in your debt, ladies."

"Aw, don't mention it," Venus said amicably. "We're just glad we could help."

"Yeah, we're really grateful," Todoki said as he and the rest of the Blades came out from behind their
cover. "Aren't we, Yamada?"

"Don't get cheeky, Recruit," Yamada replied gruffly. "Anyway, yeah, I guess you three came in handy, after
all. Thanks."

"Wow," Konno said as he slapped Yamada on the shoulder jovially. "Yamada actually being nice. I guess
today's just one impossibility after another, isn't it?"

"Stuff it up your ass, Konno," he grunted as he shrugged off his hand.

"Anyway," Todoki continued, "do you mind if I ask you a question, Sailor Moon?"

"Hmm?" Sailor Moon blinked. "Uh, sure. What is it?"

"Chiba says that there are at least two other Sailor... Senshi?" he glanced over at Mamoru, who nodded.
"Anyway, I'm just curious as to how many Sailor Senshi make up your team."

"Well, we have three right now; myself, Sailor Venus," she gestured toward Venus, who gave a quick wink and
a smile, "and Sailor Saturn," she finished as she gestured over to Saturn, who was staring down at the
ground and blushing slightly at the attention. "As for the two that aren't here - Sailor Mercury and Sailor
Mars - we hope to be able to bring them up to speed soon so that they would be able to help us in the
future. We're still looking for the rest of our team - Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, and
Sailor Pluto. I have a feeling they're somewhere nearby; I just haven't found them yet."

Oda counted on his fingers quickly. "So, there are nine of you altogether?"

"Yes," Sailor Moon nodded, but stopped as a thought crossed her mind. 'But why does that number feel wrong?
I've accounted for everyone, but... it still feels wrong somehow.'

"Hey!" a distant voice called out.

"You're late, Kino!" Yamada chided as the young Blade ran up to the group. "What took you so damn long?
We've already taken care of it already."

"What?" Ryoku exclaimed as he looked to Mamoru, who merely shrugged apologetically. "Hmph. Well, don't I
feel like an idiot, then?"

"You shouldn't feel too bad, Kino," Konno said as he jerked a thumb toward the border. "If the Youma hadn't
retreated, you would've been right on time for the end of the battle."

"The Youma did... what?" Ryoku inquired in disbelief.

"Yeah, I wouldn't've believed it myself if I hadn't seen it," he agreed, shaking his head.

"I don't like what this could possibly mean...," the youngest Blade murmured broodingly.

"What do you mean, Ryoku-san?" Sailor Moon asked curiously.

"Jadeite's got Youma coming out the ears," he explained as he gazed at everyone present. "Even if we wiped
out just as many as we had in the last battle, he's still got more and I'm sure he could make more Youma as
well. So, there's no point in conserving Youma that he could easily replace. Besides, if he let all those
Youma fight until they were destroyed, they would certainly take a good number of humans down with them."

"What are you getting at, Kino?" Sanzou asked, his tone sounding slightly troubled.

"What I'm getting at is that I think this attack wasn't a follow up to the previous invasion attempt," he
concluded.

"So, you think they were here for something in particular?" Mamoru asked.

He nodded grimly. "When did they retreat?"

"I think it was right after I blew away a good number of them with my scepter," Sailor Moon supplied.

"Who called the retreat?"

"What difference does that make?" Yamada asked irritably. "They retreated. Isn't that enough?"

Ryoku ignored him and looked to Sailor Moon. "A Mage that we previously didn't know was there cast a bolt
of negative energy into the air, signaling the retreat," she replied.

"This sounds very bad...," Ryoku murmured again.

"What is it, Ryoku-sama?" Venus asked, growing anxious at his behavior.

"'If you wish to defeat your enemy, first you must know your enemy,'" he quoted soberly.

"Jadeite's trying to learn about Sailor Moon?" Sanzou surmised.

"His invasion force was wiped out," Mamoru stated. "Of course, Jadeite would want to find out why." He
glanced in the direction of the Imperial Palace. "Since they retreated, they probably got what they wanted."

"Well, even if Jadeite learns of Sailor Moon's existence, that doesn't necessary mean it's a bad thing,
right?" Saturn figured. "Maybe once he finds out that someone as powerful as Sailor Moon is protecting this
place, perhaps he won't waste Youma trying to destroy it."

Ryoku turned to regard the young Sailor Senshi. "One can only hope, Saturn," he sighed solemnly. "One can
only hope."

"Kino, what was the situation like when you left?" Mamoru inquired. "How are the priests and miko faring?"

The young Blade grimaced. "Not too good," he reported. "Most of them have been rendered unconscious from the
backlash of the barrier's collapse. A lot of the elderly priests and miko have died from the shock. Before
I departed, Mizuno-hakase was coordinating a revival effort with the physicians stationed at the jinja."

There was a lot of murmuring amongst the Recruit Blades. Konno looked pale, while Yamada merely grimaced and
Sanzou looked distressed.

Mamoru closed his eyes as he sighed wearily. "ETR for the barrier?"

"Not good," he replied closing his eyes as he dropped his head dismally. "Mizuno-hakase is estimating
between 1-2 days before the barrier can even be erected again, and it would only be around 25% strength at
the most. Possibly a week to a week and a half before the barrier would envelope the Lower Grounds, but it
would take at least three weeks - maybe a month - before the barrier can be close to 100% restored." He
paused long enough to raise his head and open his eyes for emphasis. "And this would only be if we rushed
it."

"We may have to," Mamoru said grimly. "We don't have the strength to take on battles like this repeatedly
without getting some rest. Even with the aid of the Sailor Senshi, we need the barrier to slow them down
long enough for us to respond effectively, before the can reach the Lower Grounds. We can't have everyone
take shelter in the jinja for a prolonged period of time; we'd run out of provisions too fast."

"Jadeite wouldn't need to press his advantage," Sanzou grumbled. "Just the very threat of another invasion
would be enough to hold us until he's ready to finish us off, personally. Just like at the Meiji Jinja."

"Somehow...," Ryoku said as he glanced in the direction of the Imperial Palace. "Somehow, I think Jadeite
won't try to press his luck."

"What do you mean?" Oda asked, confused. "He's got us where he wants us! We're sitting ducks without our
barrier!"

"True, and normally, you'd be right," he agreed. "However, the situation has changed. We now have allies
that can destroy whole groups of Youma easily. From what we've seen of Jadeite's tactics, he's not the type
to waste Youma needlessly.

"I'd wager he'd try to develop stronger Youma to handle the Sailor Senshi," he concluded. "That's when he'll
attack. Until then, we might be able to enjoy a short, gravely-needed respite."

"I still think it'd be a good idea to post guards near the Lower/Outer Grounds border to watch for any
possible invasion, just to be safe," Sanzou suggested.

"Agreed," Mamoru nodded and turned to Ryoku. "Your defender units are nearby, I assume?"

"I gave them a standby order when I noticed that the sounds of fighting had ceased," he explained. "They're
about 250 meters back, waiting for my return."

"Gather a hundred and fifty volunteers from your ranks and have them report to me," Mamoru ordered. "Send a
few more men back to the Armory and have them retrieve fifty flare guns."

"Roger," Ryoku said and jogged off to carry out the order.

"Only fifty flare guns?" Venus asked.

"Ryoku's hundred and fifty volunteers are going to make up three shifts of watchguards," Mamoru explained.
"That's why I need only fifty; the guards can pass down the gun from shift to shift."

"Oh," she nodded understandingly.

"Sanzou, I want you, Todoki, and Aida to remain here to assist with the watchguard assignments," he ordered.
"The rest of you can return to the jinja and rest up. Remember to be alert in case an emergency arises.
Konno, please relay my orders to Kino and tell him that he may dismiss his troops except for his hundred and
fifty volunteers."

"Oh, I could do that for you," Venus quickly interjected.

Both Mamoru and Konno blinked in confusion for a moment. "Uh, that's fine with me," Konno replied
uncertainly. "Chiba?"

Mamoru merely shrugged. "I don't see why not. Never mind, Konno." With that, he faced the rest of his men.
"Blades, dismissed."

As most of the Blades started back, Venus turned to Sailor Moon and Saturn. "Sailor Moon, could you take
Saturn back to the jinja for me?" she requested.

"You don't want us to wait for you?" Sailor Moon asked.

She shook her head as she smiled softly. "That's all right. Besides, I need to speak with Ryoku-sama
privately for a moment."

Sailor Moon regarded Venus for a moment, then faintly smirked. "I understand. Take your time. We'll be
waiting for you when you return."

"Thank you," she said as she turned and headed off in the same direction that Ryoku had left.

Sailor Moon quietly chuckled to herself when Venus was out of sight. "The more things change... I guess,"
she said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Did you say something, Sailor Moon?" Saturn asked as she gave her a curious look.

"Don't mind me, Saturn," she replied with a smile. "Just reminiscing."

"Oh."

"Well, shall we go?" she suggested. "Our friends are waiting for us."

_________________________________________________________________


Slave Quarters - Former Imperial Palace, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 8:15 A.M.


Michiru's eyes slowly came back into focus as she laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling above her. Beside
her, Haruka was fast asleep, snoring lightly despite her vehement claims that she did not snore when she
slept.

From what she could recall of the previous night before Jadeite's usual compulsion robbed her of her senses,
Haruka had come to bed very late, having been forced to work the fields for most of the day. The poor woman
was exhausted.

Pushing off the blankets, she discovered that Haruka hadn't even the energy to do more than lay her down
and cover her with a blanket. Not that she could've done anything to help her, as she was still under
compulsion. During compulsion, her body was not hers to control; even something as simple as putting on a
robe was beyond her unless Jadeite ordered her to put one on.

Quietly, as most of the other slaves were also asleep - Haruka wasn't the only one working the fields last
night - she opened the wooden chest at the foot of her bed and pulled out some undergarments and a robe and
put them on. Once dressed, Michiru quietly slipped out of the Slave Quarters.

Normally, staying in bed, waiting for someone to wake up so that they would have someone to talk to would've
been what other slaves would've done. However, due to her status as Jadeite's favored companion, most of her
fellow slaves would have nothing to do with her. Haruka was her only companion, a stalwart and loyal friend
whom, without her company and support, she would likely have gone completely mad with grief. As such, until
she had slept and recovered from her exhaustion, she would have to find some way of alleviating her boredom.

The slaves that took care of the maintenance of the palace were out and about, leaving the hallway
uncharacteristically empty despite the fact that it wasn't early morning anymore. A couple of the shattered
windows near the main entrance had been removed, signifying that they had been around earlier. It was a
surprise that the windows were gone, seeing that Jadeite didn't care about repairing the palace in the
slightest. He seemed to prefer the sense of decay and disrepair that pervaded these gloomy environs. It
wasn't that surprising, however, they were additionally surprised that he hadn't prevented them from trying
to repair their living situation, either. They simply figured that he didn't care either way and left it at
that.

The sound of someone speaking caught her attention as she neared the main entrance. Her footsteps stopped
once she realized it was Jadeite's voice. Not wanting to see her master so soon after having been used by
him, she turned around and started going the other way.

"How long ago did the barrier collapse?"

Michiru froze stiff. Barrier collapse? Quickly, she tried to recall how many Shishu outposts remained after
the one near Lake Okutama was captured. There hadn't been many, as Lake Okutama had been as fiercely
defended as the Hikawa Jinja had been when the Meiji Jinja fell. Perhaps not as well, since there was no
Shishu headquarters annex like there was at Hikawa Jinja, but the spirit was there. The reason being that
they didn't want Jadeite to find Ogouchi Dam, which held Japan's only working hydroelectric power plant.
Once that was destroyed, their technological level would be thrown back to before the discovery of
electricity. Maybe even worse, as they had grown quite dependent on what technology they did have, and
losing that would cripple them irreversibly. That was the reason why most of them, herself and Haruka
included, had surrendered themselves as slaves once the barrier had been destroyed. Anything to draw
attention away from Ogouchi Dam. They were quite fortunate that their ploy had succeeded, but if Hikawa
Jinja had lost its barrier....

"What took you so long, then?" Jadeite snapped again, breaking Michiru from her rumination. Unconsciously,
Michiru drew closer, straining to hear whatever it was Jadeite was listening to. "I don't care what you
saw!" he snapped again amidst what sounded like frenzied chittering. "You should've reported immediately to
me! You wasted valuable time that I could've used to- Forget it!" he spat. "It you hadn't given me such good
news, you would've been so much dust by now. Remember that for next time."

By this time, Michiru had crept close enough to the entrance to peek out from behind the open doors to see
Jadeite conversing with one of those ferret-like Scout Youma. Jadeite had raised a hand, summoning a black
portal into existence in the air in front of him. He was just about to step through it when another Scout
Youma shot across the palace grounds and skidded to a stop before Jadeite, chittering wildly.

"What now?" he demanded as he lowered his foot, which had been lifted in mid-step. More wild chitterings
followed, causing Jadeite's eyes to narrow to slits as he frowned. "Show me," he demanded imperiously,
causing the Scout to cease its chittering and sit up on its hind legs. Jadeite then waved a hand toward the
Youma, calling into existence an image of a young blonde girl with her hair in twin odango and ponytails,
wearing what appeared to be some sort of sailor-suit and skirt, holding what looked like some kind of
scepter in one hand.

Michiru had to cover her mouth with both hands in order to stifle a gasp. Although it was slight, the figure
in that projection struck a chord of familiarity. There was a sense of power that seemed to emanate from
that girl, even though it was just a projection. For some reason, just looking at her gave her a small
feeling of hope....

"So, this is her?" he said in a low growl. "This is the one that uses Lunar magic?" More chittering. This
time, Jadeite's frown darkened, turning into a deep scowl. "Show them to me."

This time, Jadeite seemed to stare at something in the air that she couldn't see. As he stared, his scowl
grew harder and darker. "The Sailor Senshi...," she barely heard him sneer under his breath. "I thought we
got rid of them along with Serenity." He flicked a hand, banishing whatever he summoned. "The second one I
don't recognize, but the first one was certainly Venus." He briefly glanced down at the two Scouts awaiting
his orders. "Return to your handlers at once." The two Scouts chittered an affirmative and were gone.

Jadeite stared out toward where Michiru assumed was the direction of the Hikawa Jinja and folded his arms.
"It's impossible," he muttered, less incensed but more circumspect. "The Moon Kingdom was destroyed. We
destroyed it ourselves millennia ago. We killed the Sailor Senshi. Queen Beryl killed Princess Serenity.
Queen Serenity died from using the Ginzuishou. There should've been no survivors." He glanced up
thoughtfully toward the sky. "So, why are they here? How?"

Michiru silently crept away from the door and quietly made her way back to the Slave Quarters. From the
sound of that exchange, Jadeite was having bigger problems taking the Hikawa Jinja than he expected. The
others would be glad to hear it, even if it did come from 'Jadeite's pet'.

_________________________________________________________________


Near Lower/Outer Grounds Border, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 8:29 A.M.


Ryoku was just finishing up gathering the last of the volunteers when Sailor Venus caught up with him.
"Ryoku-sama, I've got a message for you from Mamoru-san," she called out as she approached.

"What is it?"

"He says that you can go back to the jinja and rest, and that we need to be alert in case an emergency comes
up," she relayed. "The same goes for those guys as well," she added, jerking her thumb toward his men.

Ryoku nodded. "Understood," he acknowledged and turned back toward his men. "All right. Those of you who
have volunteered, report to Chiba Mamoru. Those of you I've selected to retrieve the flare guns from the
Armory, make sure you don't take more than you can carry. If all of you cannot carry fifty guns in one trip,
grab someone and have them carry some with you. If they have a problem with it, or if they give you any
trouble, direct them to me. The rest of you, go back to the jinja and rest. However, be prepared to take up
arms again, should Jadeite try to take advantage of our situation. Dismissed."

"Ryoku-sama, do you mind if we head back together?" Venus asked as the group dispersed. "There's something I
want to talk with you about."

He glanced back at her for a moment. "All right," he replied as he started walking.

Venus grinned as she jogged to catch up with him. "You know, I wish you could've seen us in action out
there, Ryoku-sama," she told him.

"You fought well?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Saturn and I each took out a Mage along with several sentries and
Hunters," she added cheerily. Ryoku nodded quietly as he stared ahead of him, not really looking at her. She
noticed this and blinked, her smile fading a bit. "Is... is something wrong, Ryoku-sama?" she asked,
concerned.

"No," he replied quietly. "It's just that... you sounded excited, like you enjoyed yourself out there." He
stopped and turned to face her. "I'm just surprised, is all," he said, scratching his head uncertainly. "It
was your first battle against Youma. I half expected you to have been scared-"

"I WAS scared!" Venus exclaimed as she suddenly grabbed onto him and broke into tears. "I was TERRIFIED!"
she wailed desperately as Ryoku gently embraced her and began to stroke her head soothingly. "The Youma had
surrounded us and Saturn couldn't hold her Silence Wall as long as she thought she could since they kept
trying to overpower it. When it collapsed, my mind froze in fear. I couldn't think of anything! We almost
DIED back there!"

"But you're not dead," he told her. "This is the very nature of battle... and of war. There will be a
countless number of times when you will face almost certain death, but by some miracle, you survive. You
can't let yourself dwell on the fact that you almost died, Minako. That path leads to madness. I've seen it
happen. When your mind is clouded by thoughts of death, you lose track of the fact that you're alive. Once
that happens, you will die, whether physically, emotionally or mentally. And with the way things are, they
all lead to the same thing.

"Concentrate on the fact that you're alive. Relish it. Sometimes, that's the only thing you can do to keep
yourself sane." he pulled back slightly in order to look into her eyes. "So, don't cry, Minako.

"Besides," he added with a small smile, "it doesn't suit you. I like seeing your cheerful smile."

Venus' tears slowly subsided as she stared into Ryoku's eyes. "I...."

"Hmm?" he said, tilting his head inquisitively.

She withdrew her eyes, glancing down at the ground away from her. "I've been meaning to tell you this for a
long time...," she began, her voice close to a whisper. "I just could never work up the courage to say it.
But now...." she drew a deep breath and let it out, seeming to mentally come to a decision. "Considering the
danger I now have to face, I feel as if I don't do this now, there's a possibility I might not get another
chance."

"Minako, don't talk like that," he said firmly, growing concerned. "You're not going to-"

"Just let me finish," she said, gently cutting him off. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath,
then reached up, gently pulled his head down and kissed him. "I love you, Ryoku-sama," she said as soon as
her lips parted from his. "I've loved you for a long time now, ever since you came to see me after you saved
my life."

She reached up to her shoulder-length hair and took a small handful into her hand, playing with the ends as
if she had never seen them before. "After I had my hair trimmed so that it would be even all around, you
came to see me to apologize for cutting my hair off." She closed her eyes as if to better visualize the
memory. "You seemed so sincere that I couldn't help feeling sorry that you felt so bad about it, even after
I told you not to worry about it." She opened her eyes again and smiled beatifically. "But it was when you
said that you were glad that the loss of my long hair didn't make me any less beautiful that made me fall in
love with you. I was afraid that without my hair, I would look more like a boy than a beautiful young woman,
but with those words, you dispelled all my fears. You made me feel wanted." She gently kissed him again.
"That's why I love you."

Ryoku sighed as he looked at her. "This is happening sooner than I'd hoped," he said, mostly to himself.

Venus blinked in confusion. "What is?"

He gave her a flat stare. "You, Rei and Ami."

She quickly pulled away from him. "You KNEW?" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.

"I was starting to suspect something for a while, but I never thought it would go this far," he told her as
he turned away.

She frowned slightly. "Did any of the others say anything?"

"It's not my place to say," he replied flatly.

She went quiet for a moment. "What about you, Ryoku-sama? Do you... love me?"

Ryoku was silent for a moment, as well. "Can you give me some time before I answer that question?"

Venus looked heartbroken. "You don't-?"

"It's not that I don't love you," he interrupted quickly. "It's just that...." He trailed off, struggling to
make himself understood. "I just want to make sure of my own feelings first. I've spent so much time
worrying about Youma attacks and Shishu's decline and the safety of Hikawa Jinja that I didn't want to get
distracted with my personal problems." He sighed again, shaking his head sadly. "Now, it looks like I don't
have that luxury anymore."

He turned to face Venus, his expression resolute. "Please, Minako. Give me some time to sort out my feelings
so that I can give you a fair reply."

Venus wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. "Of course, Ryoku-sama. I trust you."

He nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Minako. I promise that I won't take too long." He then rubbed the back of
his head and grinned sheepishly. "Well, now that that's out of the way, I think we should head back. We
don't want to take too long or else they might worry, right?"

She nodded, her good humor restored. "Let's go."

_________________________________________________________________


War Room - Former Imperial Palace, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 8:33 A.M.


Jadeite sat at in his throne, studying the map of his region while thinking to himself. His war room was
enveloped in near darkness, with only a few ever-burning dark candles providing just enough light to see by
without disrupting the darkness. The brooding atmosphere helped his thinking processes, especially when he
was in a foul mood.

So far, he only had three magical energy signatures. One confirmed Sailor Senshi (Venus), one confirmed yet
unidentified Sailor Senshi, and one Lunar magic user. The two Sailor Senshi were disconcerting enough, but
the Lunar magic user was what really worried him. As the only people that had the ability to use Lunar magic
was the Serenity line, when both the Queen and the Princess Serenity were killed, the ability to use Lunar
magic should've died out as well.

However, here was such a user. That could only mean one of two things:

One, an unknown survivor of the Serenity line had survived, and this Lunar magic user was a direct
descendant of the Serenity line. Considering the fact that this possibility could only mean that Serenity
had had a bastard child that she had managed to keep secret from the entire kingdom, this did not seem
likely in the slightest. Serenity was too prim and proper to do such a vulgar thing.

Two, this Lunar magic user was a reincarnation of one of the Serenities, either the Queen or the Princess.
This seemed more likely because this was within the capabilities of Lunar magic when empowered by the
Ginzuishou. In fact, since it was Queen Serenity that wielded the Ginzuishou at the end of the First Great
War, he would be willing to wager that this Lunar magic user was, in fact, the reincarnation of Princess
Serenity. The Queen seemed like the type to place her child's welfare over her own.

Jadeite smiled darkly. It seemed as though the Princess had inherited her mother's battle.

His smile faded as he recalled the situation with the Sailor Senshi. There were two Senshi energy
signatures, however, that Lunar energy signature that he had examined from that image showed Sailor Senshi
energy readings as well, oddly enough. So, he possibly had three Sailor Senshi on his hands, one of which
was unidentified. Obviously, the Sailor Senshi must've been reincarnated. This led further weight to the
theory that the Lunar magic user was Princess Serenity reincarnated, however, there was another concern. How
many of these reincarnated Sailor Senshi existed? Only three participated in that battle, but that didn't
necessarily mean that that was the extent of their forces. After all, the humans had showed a surprising
amount of strategic brilliance as of late, rivaling his own in some cases. He wouldn't put it past them to
try to hide their numbers.

Then there was the fact that the barrier was down for right now. They'd be on a high alert until they could
get it back up. Attacking now would only be a waste. As he had learned before, fighting humans when they are
cornered was a dangerous proposition that he would prefer to avoid whenever possible. Still, not taking
advantage of their crippled situation would be a mistake.

He glanced over the map again. Hmm. It was relatively quiet over in China since the Qinghai rebellion was
quelled. Maybe she wouldn't mind handling a little spy work for him?

"Titus," he summoned as he leaned back in his throne.

Instantly, a black-haired, female Youma appeared out of a column of water that had burst up from out of
nowhere. "You called, Jadeite-sama?" she said, sounding quite pleased to see him.

He regarded Titus for a moment, considering her. She was one of the most competent of his Youma, as well as
the most intelligent. She had served under him ever since the beginning of the Second Great War and had
served quite effectively. Squashing the Qinghai revolt was more than enough proof of that. As such, she
seemed the most capable one to take care of this task.

"I have an assignment for you, Titus," he said as he leaned to one side, resting his head on his hand while
considering her. "You should be able to handle this easily."

"I await your orders, Jadeite-sama," she stated fawningly and bowed.

"The barrier surrounding the Hikawa Jinja has collapsed," he told her.

Titus clapped her hands eagerly. "How wonderful, Jadeite-sama! Now we can finally wipe out those annoying
humans and take control of all Japan!"

"Calm yourself, Titus," he chided coolly. "We don't need to rush things. Besides, the situation at the
Hikawa Jinja has changed. The humans have acquired some powerful allies that must be taken into
consideration."

"Powerful allies?" she inquired, confused.

"The Sailor Senshi have revived."

"WHAT?" she exclaimed, eyes widen open in shock. "HOW?"

"I believe we can thank Queen Serenity and her Ginzuishou for that, even if I don't have any proof to back
up my suspicions." He sat up straight and leaned forward. "Listen well, Titus, as this task I'm giving you
is of the utmost importance."

"Yes, Jadeite-sama!" she nodded, watching her master intently.

"Since the barrier is down, we will have no problems entering the Hikawa Jinja," he explained seriously. "I
want you to disguise yourself as a human and infiltrate the jinja. Find out as much as you can about the
Sailor Senshi; their numbers, their identities, strengths, weaknesses, anything. Most importantly, do not
let yourself be discovered. If the humans find out that I have a spy in their midst, they might try to
capture you and interrogate you."

"The humans? Capture me?" she retorted in disbelief. "Hah! They're too weak to even scratch me."

"The Sailor Senshi aren't," he pointed out, his face showing slight disapproval.

Titus' expression fell. "Yes, Jadeite-sama."

"Just watch yourself and don't mess up," Jadeite said as he leaned back in his throne. "You're too valuable
to me to let yourself get careless.

She nodded eagerly and grinned. "You can count on me, Jadeite-sama!" she said as she departed in another
column of water.

Jadeite let a small pleased smirk pass over his lips. Titus had grown eager to please him ever since he had
started to take human companions to his bed, as she had formerly been his primary source for sating those
needs. However, with that eagerness to please came a dramatic improvement in her usefulness, bringing him
such successes as the quelling of the Qinghai revolt and her part in containing that massive rebellion in
the Middle East.

If she managed to pull this off for him, perhaps he should consider rewarding her by allowing her to resume
her bedside duties again. While she didn't feel quite the same as when bedding a human woman, she certainly
wasn't unsatisfying.

Maybe it was time to take a tour of his holdings again. He could make sure the humans under his rule weren't
planning another revolt while he was busy in Japan. He could trust Titus to take care of things. Maybe he
could go see how she had been handling things in China while he was busy here.

With his mind made up, he left word with one of his Mage Youma, specifying that Titus would be in charge
while he was gone, and opened a dark portal that would take him to Titus' base in China.

_________________________________________________________________


Hikawa Jinja Proper, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 9:03 A.M.


When Ryoku and Venus climbed to the top of the stone steps that led to the Hikawa Jinja Proper, they were
met by Atsuko, who was waiting there for them. As soon as she spotted them, she quickly strode toward the
pair.

"Your friends just came by," she said as she regarded Venus. "The younger one said she was going to try to
help heal the priests and miko."

"Sailor Saturn has special healing abilities," Venus explained. "She'll be able to heal some of them, but
she's not used to her powers yet, and she's not very strong. She might run out of strength quickly."

"Any help is better than none," Atsuko told them, then regarded Ryoku for a moment. "Ryoku-san, tell me.
Was the cause of your miraculously accelerated healing, as well as Rei-chan's, due to Sailor Saturn's
healing powers?"

Ryoku glanced over at Venus, who nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before. Some of the information on
the Sailor Senshi needs to be kept strictly confidential, like Saturn's healing powers. If word of her
healing powers got out, then people would be trying to go to her to have their wounds healed, even if they
were as simple as a small cut from a pair of shears. Eventually, those people would try to learn Saturn's
true identity so they won't have to wait until she transforms in order to be healed. Furthermore, once her
identity becomes public knowledge, what's to keep Jadeite from trying to capture someone and torturing that
information out of his captive?" He paused for a moment to give Atsuko a pointed look. "Do you see why I
didn't tell you right away?"

"I suppose so," she allowed. "However, I would at least think you could trust me. I'm a doctor, first and
foremost. Confidentiality is part of my job."

"I understand, Mizuno-san," he said apologetically. "At any rate, both Sailor Moon and Saturn are available
to assist you with trying to revive the priests and miko. Venus and I will try to help out where we can."

"That would be very much appreciated," she told them, then looked toward Medical. "Now, if you'll excuse me,
I need to speak with someone about what to do with the priests and miko who died from the shock of the
barrier collapsing."

"Some of them died?" he inquired. "What of Hino-sama?"

"Ami passed by me on her way out of the Hikawa Jinja Proper a while ago," she told him. "She told me that
Hino-sama is alive, but in very bad shape."

"Grandp- Err, Hino-sama has been hurt badly?" Venus repeated out of grave concern.

Atsuko gave the Senshi a curious look, but dropped it a moment later. "Yes. I've received word from Tsuda
Hiroko-sensei, the head physician at the Hikawa Jinja Proper, that Hino-sama's skin color looks a little
pale and that he's very weak. However, we're trying our best to help him recover quickly."

Ryoku glanced toward the infirmary. "Does Rei know?"

"Ami-chan went to check on him for Rei-chan," she told him. "She should've told her by now."

"I'm going to go see how she's doing," he said as he started off toward Medical.

Both Atsuko and Venus watched him go. "I'm going to see if Sailor Moon and Saturn need my help," Venus said
as she headed toward the jinja.

"Do you have healing powers, too?" Atsuko asked.

Venus shook her head. "No, but I do have some medical training. I just want to do something to help."

Atsuko nodded understandingly. "You're doing more than enough by helping Shishu protect us against the Dark
Kingdom," she told her. "But, I appreciate it anyway. Thank you."

"No problem," she replied, winking over her shoulder. "That's what I'm here for."

_________________________________________________________________


Outside Infirmary, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 9:05 A.M.


Ami sighed to herself as she stopped in front of the door leading outside. Rei hadn't taken the news of her
grandfather very well. She had grown very quiet for a short time, then asked to be left alone for awhile.
So, she had left her alone and went to check on Makoto again.

While she had checked on Makoto, she had considered the possibility of getting Hotaru to try using her
healing abilities on Makoto. At the worst, nothing would happen, but hopefully her powers could accelerate
Makoto's recovery, possibly allowing her to wake up within minutes. Maybe even immediately. She would have
to make it a point to ask her.

However, this wasn't what had brought this sudden bout of despondency. Rei's words early were still haunting
her, despite the fact that there were more important things that she should be thinking about.

She had told him that she loved him. He knew that they were competing for his affections; he might even know
that they all loved him. Now that all of this was coming out into the open, she couldn't help but wonder
where she stood with him. Did he love Rei? Or Minako? Or was there even a slight possibility that he might
love... her?

As she was standing at the door, deep in thought, the door opened. "Ami?" Ryoku said, surprised to find her
standing at the door. Ami jumped slightly, also surprised to see Ryoku there. "Sorry," he said, rubbing the
back of his head. "I didn't mean to startle you like that."

Ami smiled at him and shook her head. She then gave him an inquisitive look as she nodded toward where the
battle had taken place earlier.

"Oh. I... uh... kinda got there a little too late," he told her sheepishly. "The other Blades and the Senshi
had already taken care of it by the time I got there with the defender units. Go figure, huh?" he added with
a shrug. "So, you told Rei about her grandfather?" She nodded. "How did she take it?" She shook her head.
"How bad?" She raised both of her hands up to chest level with her palms out toward him, then moved them
forward and stopped in a pushing away manner. "She doesn't want to see anyone, hmm?" She nodded. "I see....
I guess I'll leave her alone for now."

She gave him a smile which slowly faded as she recalled what she was thinking about just a while ago. She
then gave him an entreating look as she turned back into the infirmary. She walked toward one of the rooms
and looked back at him over her shoulder.

"I take it you want to speak with me?" he supposed as he followed Ami toward one of the empty infirmary
rooms. Ami nodded as she opened the door to the room and went inside. Ryoku followed inside and closed the
door behind him as she opened the shutters, letting the morning sun in. "Is something wrong, Ami?"

Ami stood at the window with her back facing him for a few moments, staring out at the medical personnel
rushing back and forth across the jinja grounds, rushing medical supplies to not only the Hikawa Jinja
Proper, but to all the other buildings where the practitioners of other religions maintained their parts of
the barrier. From what she had learned, there were other fatalities there as well. They were mostly the
elder members of their clergies, but there were a few younger members who lost their lives as well.

"Ami?" Ryoku called out, trying to gain her attention.

The mute girl blinked as her mind was called back to what was happening now. Ryoku was here with her, alone.
She needed to speak with him. She needed to know....

She took a quick breath as she collected herself and turned around with a small, yet sad, smile on her face.
With a gesture, she suggested that he sit down on the bed. Once he did so, she walked over to the nightstand
and took out the pad and pencil inside and started writing as she sat down next to him.

'This is a little difficult for me to talk about, so please bear with me for a moment,' her pad said as she
placed it in his lap.

Ryoku read the words on the pad, then read them again as a slight, almost imperceptible frown touched his
lips before vanishing as if it was never there. If it wasn't for the fact that she had been watching him so
intently, she would've never had noticed it.

'Does he already suspect what I want to talk with him about?' she wondered anxiously. 'Does he already know
how I feel?'

After what felt like an eternity to her, he silently handed her back her pad. As she looked up at him
questioningly, he returned her gaze and nodded encouragingly. Ami nodded back and looked back down at her
pad, straining for the right words to express what she wanted to convey.

"Take your time, Ami," he said as he gently placed a hand over one of hers. "I'm not needed anywhere at the
moment, so take as much time as you need."

She looked over at him and smiled gratefully as she started to write. Her writing was slow and deliberate,
with a few short pauses between a few words. As she wrote, Ryoku watched her, silent and patient. After a
while, she handed him her pad again and sat with her hands held folded in her lap.

Ryoku looked down at the pad while watching her through his peripheral vision. She seemed nervous about
something. Considering what had happened with Minako earlier, and with Rei last night, he had a sinking
feeling about what Ami wanted to talk with him about.

'Rei-chan told me about what happened last night between you two.'

He mentally grimaced. This did not bode well.

'She also told me that you said something to her that she didn't understand when you told her about how you
didn't want to hurt any of us by choosing one of us over the other. Something about 'digging yourself in
too deep.' I just want to know what you meant when you said that to her.'

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he thought about how to respond to this question of hers. He
glanced over to her and considered her for a moment. She was watching him with anxiety and concern written
all over her face.

"This is not easy to put into words," he said after a while. "Not only that, some of what I have to say
should wait until all four of us are alone where we can't be disturbed. However, what I can tell you right
now is this.

"The three of you mean a lot to me," he told her seriously. "And before Sailor Moon came and we all started
learning about our past lives, I've always thought that I would be the one to protect you. Now that we know
that you, Rei and Minako are all reincarnations of the Sailor Senshi, the three of you are all eventually
going to start to put yourselves in danger as well. It's not just me fighting to protect the three of you;
now it's all four of us, fighting to protect each other." He paused as he stared intently at Ami. "What's
changed is now I'm not the only one who might die fighting the Dark Kingdom; any one of us could die. And
this is something that has me more scared than facing my own death.

"I'm not afraid to die, as long as I'm protecting any of you. I'm afraid of having to watch one of you die
and knowing that I had failed to protect her." He dropped his gaze and stared at the floor in front of him.
"And the worst part is that if one of my friends had died, like Mamoru or Sanzou, I would mourn them, but I
would carry on the fight in their memory. If one of you three had died...." He shook his head as if trying
to banish the thought from his head. "I don't even want to think about that."

Ami took the pad from Ryoku's lap and started writing again. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that
she had a strangely thoughtful look on her face, as if she was considering something very important.
Finally, she handed the pad back to him.

'Ryoku-san, I know you want us to stay as friends. As far as I'm concerned, we've been friends for half of
our lives and nothing will change that. However, I want to know if what you are feeling for me right now is
more than just friendship. I want to know if what I feel for you is the same as what you feel for me. I
don't want for you to die or for me to die without knowing if there might be something more between us than
just friendship; without you knowing that I love you.'

Ryoku handed the pad back to Ami and stood up. As he made his way toward the door, she caught him by the
arm and stared pleadingly into his eyes as he looked back at her.

"I'm sorry, Ami," he said, his voice near a whisper. "I can't answer your question right now."

Her eyes started to water as she tugged at his arm again, her expression still begging for an answer.

"You know you're not the only one who's asked me how I feel toward you," he replied. "Rei already told you
that she confessed her love. Minako did the same not too long ago." He sighed wearily. "I've got a lot of
soul-searching to do before I can give you three the answer you deserve. I need to know for certain. I don't
want to feel any regrets about the choice I make. You can understand that, right?"

Ami nodded sadly as she released her hold on his arm.

Ryoku gave her a weak smile as he bent down to give her a warm hug. "I need to go check on the situation at
the Hikawa Jinja Proper before I head back to the Orphan's Quarters to let everyone there know what's going
on. After that...." He trailed off as he stood back up. "Well, I did promise Rei that we would talk later
today concerning last night. I guess the three of you might want to get each other caught up with what's
going on, hmm?" With that, he turned to leave, quietly closing the door behind him.

'Man, how did I let myself get into this mess?' he asked himself as he leaned against the door he had just
closed. As he looked up, he noticed that the room he had left was across the hall from Makoto's room. 'I
really wish you were here, Mako-chan,' he thought ruefully. 'I could really use someone to talk to right
about now.'

With that, he silently walked off toward the Hikawa Jinja, totally consumed by his thoughts and worries.


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


Author's Note: I've been told that I've been giving away way too much information in my notes. It's odd,
because I really don't give that much away in these notes. I actually use them mostly for letting you all
know where I stand with the story and as a reminder of where the hell I was headed with this story. I'd hate
to forget what I was going to do with the next chapter of this story just because I didn't write my vague
little hints into the Author's Note section. Besides, I usually make my little hints so vague that you can
only get an idea of what I'm going to do in future chapters. So don't worry about reading spoilers in my
Author's Notes, 'cause you won't find any. All you'll get is stuff that you could've figured out on your own
with a little bit of speculation. Anyway, now that Jadeite has ordered a spy to infiltrate the Hikawa Jinja,
will Jadeite be able to discover Sailor Moon's identity? Or even the other Senshi's identities? And what
about the situation between Ryoku, Rei, Ami and Minako? Will this love square be able to resolve itself?
The race to restore the barrier continues next chapter as the denizens of the Hikawa Jinja try to recover
from this latest ordeal. But now that Usagi is aware of Serenity, how will this affect her in the future?
Next chapter: The struggle for restoration.


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.