Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Brooch ❯ Chapter 14

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

The Brooch
By Jason C. Ulloa


Chapter 14


Near Aoyama Reien, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 10:49 A.M.


Ryoku sighed as he stood up and dusted off the trousers of his uniform. "I guess there's nothing for
it but to tell them." Another sigh. "They're not going to like it. I just know it." He turned to gaze
out toward the Hikawa Jinja, easily visible from his current vantage point. "But it's better that I
tell them the truth now, than string them along any further." With a silent nod to himself, he started
for the stairway.

A resounding roar echoed seemingly everywhere at once, causing him to jerk back, then run to the edge
of the building and scan the area.

He knew that sound.

There. At the old cemetery, a small band of sentries were closing in on two young girls. Another quick
scan of the surrounding area showed that there were no other Youma around. He could take the sentries
himself, but there could always be reinforcements that he might have missed. That skirmish when he
first met Sailor Moon was proof enough of that.

He quickly unslung his rifle and brought out his flare gun as he ran down the stairs to the ground
floor. Once he burst out of the building, he raised the flare gun, aimed, and fired it over the Aoyama
Reien. Hopefully, that would catch the attention of the Youma and keep them from advancing any further
toward those girls. A part of his mind wondered how two girls - obviously escaped slaves - managed to
make it this far by themselves and if there were other slaves around needing to be rescued. He quickly
shoved the thought to the back of his mind for now. Worrying about saving someone else never helped
the person you were saving now.

_________________________________________________________________


Aoyama Reien, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 10:50 A.M.


Haruka hurriedly searched the area, looking for something to use as a weapon.

"Haruka, I can see them coming!" Michiru warned urgently.

"Shit!" she hissed and pounded a fist against part of the iron palisade that surrounded the mausoleum
in frustration. "I can't find...." She trailed off as a piece of the palisade broke off and dropped to
the ground on the opposite side of the iron fence. The piece that broke off was thin and slightly
rusted, compared to anything else around. "Never mind," she said as she went to go retrieve the metal
pole. It even had a point at the end! "I found something."

"Same here," Michiru added after having seen what Haruka had done, quickly duplicating the feat.

Haruka nodded. "Stay close," she cautioned. "It'll be harder for them to take us on if we work
together."

Before Michiru could reply, a small explosion sounded in the distance. "What?" she said, looking
around for whatever could have caused the sound. Overhead, a flare exploded, bathing the area in a
bright red light for a few moments.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked hopefully.

Some of the sentries started looking around for the source of the noise as others suddenly rushed
forward, not wanting anything to keep them from killing the two humans standing before them.

"Look out!" Haruka shouted as she stepped in front of Michiru and parried the sentry's attack with
her pole. She then countered by swinging at the sentry's head. The sentry blocked the counterattack,
but couldn't avoid getting stabbed in the stomach by Michiru's pole. The sentry tried to step back,
but Haruka quickly followed up with a sharp kick to the head, knocking the sentry off its feet.

"Hah!" Haruka snarled as she stabbed the sentry in the head. "Eat that, you son of a bitch!"

"Haruka, look out!" Michiru screamed frantically.

"Huh?" she said as she turned to see another sentry rushing up to her, its sword aimed directly for
her heart. There wasn't enough time to parry the attack, or even dive out of the way.

A loud bang rang out as the attacking sentry was knocked off its feet. Haruka stared at the sentry as
it fell to the ground. From what she could see, the bullet had struck the sentry in the arm. Acting
quickly, she dove forward and jammed the sharp end of her pole into the sentry's neck, killing it.

"Die, you fucking bastard," she growled viciously as she twisted the pole in the sentry's neck before
yanking it out.

"Are you all right, Haruka?" Michiru asked as she rushed to Haruka's side.

"I'm fine," she breathed as she brought her pole up in a guard position. "We've still got to make it
through this alive. I'll be damned if I let those bastards kill me after all they put me through!"

"Hey!" someone shouted from a short distance away. Haruka and Michiru both looked up to see someone
wearing a Shishu uniform running toward them. "Are you two all right?"

"Yes, we're all right!" Michiru shouted as she waved at the new arrival.

The Blade quickly dispatched the last sentry that stood between them and rushed to the girls' aid. "Do
you know how many are left?" he asked as he moved between them and the remaining sentries.

"There are three left," Michiru told him. "Haruka managed to kill two of them before you showed up."

"All right," the Blade said with a nod. "Start heading for the jinja. I'll cover your escape."

"Escape?" Haruka said, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't you hear her? There's only three left. We can wipe
these fuckers out easily with your help."

"Forget about them," the Blade replied firmly. "Right now, my main concern is getting you two to the
jinja. Not killing Youma."

"Listen, you...," Haruka began as she moved around to face the Blade. She trailed off in shock as she
finally saw the face of their deliverer. The Blade was younger than she was! "What the...! You're just
a kid!"

"I fail to see what this has to do with our current situation," he growled. "Now, are you going to go
to the jinja or what? Do you have some kind of death wish or something? Besides, you can't be any more
than one or two years older than me, anyway."

"Haruka, please don't argue with our rescuer," Michiru said, trying to calm her down.

"Look, we don't know how many Youma are out there," the Blade said patiently. "We don't even know if
there are reinforcements coming or not. If we stay too long, we might end up facing Hunters, or even
Mages. Do you really want to face those?"

Before Haruka could answer, the remaining sentries rushed the group. The Blade quickly darted forward
and took on two of the sentries, leaving the last one for Haruka and Michiru. Haruka swung her pole
wide, causing the sentry to leap back out of the way of her attack. Michiru then flung her pole like
a javelin, the pole catching the sentry in the chest before it could land. As the sentry staggered
from the blow, Haruka lunged forward and shoved the pointed end of her pole up through the sentry's
neck and out through the back of its head.

"I hope that hurt, you bastard," Haruka spat, leaving the pole stuck in the Youma. "All right, kid,
we're ready when you're ready!"

"Don't call me 'kid,'" the Blade said as he cut down the remaining sentry. "My name is Kino Ryoku,
Third Class Blade."

Her jaw dropped. "Third class? At your age? You've gotta be what, fifteen?"

Ryoku gave her a cold look. "We can talk about this later. Right now, we need to get to the jinja."
Haruka and Michiru nodded their agreement. "Let's go."

_________________________________________________________________


Near Outer Border, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 10:53 A.M.


Mamoru was speaking with the last of the watchguards about his post assignment when an explosion
accompanied by a bright red light snared his attention. "Already?" he exclaimed, turning back toward
the watchguard he was speaking with. "I need you to help pass the word along the border," he said and
pointed toward the northwest. "You go that way. As soon as you pass the word, head in the direction
of the flare. Be sure to tell the next person in line that he must pass the word, then head toward
the flare, and so on. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" the guard confirmed.

He grimaced slightly, but refrained from correcting him. "All right, then. Please hurry." With that,
he ran to the southeast, toward the next guard in line. Once the message was passed and the guard
understood what was required of him, he then headed in the direction that the flare was last seen in.

'Who could be out there at a time like this?' he wondered to himself as he darted around wreckage and
hurtled over debris in his haste. 'If it's who I think it is, I'm going to kill him. I swear, I'll
kill that idiot. We have enough problems on our hands without going out to borrow more trouble.'

His irritation quickly vanished as a piercing shriek of fear reached his ears. 'A woman? Are there
escaped slaves out here?'

Mamoru changed direction and sprinted toward the sound of the woman's screams while making sure his
sword was clear in its sheath. As he reached an old street intersection, he slowed to a stop and
unslung his rifle. It was somewhere around this area where he heard the woman screaming.

As he loaded his rifle, a group of three women and one man burst out onto the street. The group was
being chased by a handful of sentries and a trio of Hunter Youma.

Mamoru quickly took aim and fired, his first shot taking down a sentry right between the eyes. His
second shot took down another sentry in the same manner. His third shot caught one of the three Hunter
Youma in its eye, causing it to stumble, taking another Hunter and a couple of sentries with it.

By now, the Youma were drawing close enough so that rifles would no longer be as effective. Mamoru
quickly reslung his rifle across his shoulders and drew his sword. Once his sword was drawn, he
charged forward, pushing past the group of fleeing humans.

"The jinja is just ahead!" he shouted to the fleeing slaves over his shoulder. "I'll fend them off!
Just keep running!"

Just as Mamoru was about to clash with the first Youma, a couple of rifle shots fired in the distance.
Two of the sentries in front of him collapsed; one from a bullet to the head, another from a bullet
to the neck. Using the attack as a distraction, Mamoru darted forward and cut off the hands of the
Claw Hunter with a single swipe of his blade. A second swipe removed the Hunter's head.

The two Hunters and sentries that had previously crashed to the ground had recovered and had resumed
chasing after their prey. A quick scan of the area revealed that there were no more slaves in the
area. Mamoru turned and started running after the slaves, making sure to keep himself between them and
the pursuing Youma. In the distance, he spotted two of the watchguards carrying rifles like the one he
had. Now that he was retreating from the battle, the watchguards quickly took aim and proceeded to
snipe away at the advancing Youma.

"Hey!" Mamoru quickly called out to the group of slaves before he could lose sight of them. "Are there
any more of you out there?"

The male slave slowed to a stop and turned back to reply. "There were eleven of us when we escaped,"
he shouted back. "We split up as we left. I don't know if the others are still alive or not."

"Thank you," he replied. "Please hurry on ahead. You're almost there."

The man nodded and rushed after the three female slaves, who had stopped long enough for him to catch
to them.

"So, four down and six remaining...," he said as he glanced in the direction of the old cemetery,
Aoyama Reien. "He's probably all right, but I'd better check on him anyway," he said and gestured for
the watchguards to cover him. The guards nodded their acknowledgement and followed him as he made his
way toward Aoyama Reien.

It wasn't long before the sounds of rifle fire started up again. Only this time, the source wasn't the
guards that were covering him. It was coming from farther ahead. Mamoru quickened his pace as he
unslung his rifle again.

He passed through an alley and came out into another street where several watchguards were frantically
fleeing from a group of Hunter Youma. Farther ahead were bodies of sentries, but luckily, no human
bodies. A group of two men and three women ran past, flanked by a couple of watchguards, who were
trying to run and shoot behind them at the same time. As a result, they were shooting everything but
the pursuing Hunters.

Mamoru aimed his rifle and fired quickly. His shot took down the lead Hunter with a bullet in the
right eye, causing it to fall, much like what happened last time. However, instead of the lead Hunter
causing the others to fall as well, the Hunters merely leaped over their fallen comrade and continued
to give chase. His second shot also took down another Hunter, but like before, the Hunters merely
leaped over the body and continued.

At this point, the others had started catching on to what Mamoru was doing. However, most of the
watchguards' aim wasn't as good as Mamoru's, so most had mixed results ranging from shooting an arm, a
leg, the forehead, the mouth, the chest, or just missing altogether. Still, this did produce the
desired effect of slowing the Hunters down long enough to let the slaves get away.

"Fall back!" Mamoru ordered as he reslung his rifle and ran back toward the Hikawa Jinja, followed by
the rest of the watchguards. Since most of the Hunters were wounded enough to greatly impair their
movement, it was easy to get away.

"Chiba!" Sanzou called out as we waved for Mamoru to come to him.

"What is it, Sanzou?" he inquired as he came to a stop.

"I've received a report from Kino as I passed him on my way here," he reported. "Kino says that
according to the two slaves he rescued, there are eleven slaves total out here."

"I've already rescued four," Mamoru told him. "Counting these five that we've just secured, we've got
all of them. Pass the order to return to the jinja. We're done here."

"Roger," Sanzou acknowledged as he darted off.

"Attention, everyone!" he called out loudly. "We've secured all of the runaway slaves. Mission
complete; return to the jinja!" A cheer rose up as his declaration, causing him to grin. It had been
a while since they had last completed a successful slave rescue. In fact, prior to today, Usagi had
been the last slave they had managed to rescue.

Mamoru slowed his stride as he thought of Usagi. That young girl held tremendous power as Sailor Moon.
It was that power that allowed her to survive where others had died. Come to think of it, when he had
discovered her alive - and mostly unhurt, to his surprise - he should have realized it then.

That girl was special.

That girl was their savior.

It was too bad that Usagi didn't know about becoming Sailor Moon and that he had to rely on her other
self, Serenity, to help fight the Dark Kingdom.

He frowned in distaste for a moment. He didn't like the way that sounded. It almost sounded as if he
was interested in Usagi just because of Serenity. But still, there was something about Serenity that
felt very familiar. He couldn't help but feel drawn toward that part of her.

But still, it wasn't fair to Usagi if he wanted to spend time with Serenity, even if it was to figure
out for himself why it was that she felt so familiar to him. It wasn't as if he didn't like Usagi. He
just felt the need to protect and watch over her. Granted, as the commander of the Hikawa Jinja branch
of Shishu, he felt the need to protect everyone who lived here, but with Usagi it was different. Even
before he learned about Sailor Moon and Serenity, he felt a strong need to protect her more than any
other person he had ever known. Although he now knew that she was both Serenity and Sailor Moon, that
didn't change the fact that he still wanted to protect her.

Still, regardless of whether she was Usagi or Serenity, he wanted to get to know her better. Both of
them. Come to think of it, Serenity had probably by now reverted back from being Sailor Moon. He could
go see how she was doing as soon as he was done debriefing the watchguards. Sanzou and Kino could deal
with the rescued slaves.

_________________________________________________________________


Hikawa Jinja Proper, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 11:18 A.M.


Sailor Venus exited the jinja, carrying Sailor Saturn in her arms, while Atsuko accompanied her to the
entrance. "You two have been a great help," she told her softly, so as not to wake the sleeping
Saturn. "Many of our priests and miko's lives have been saved, thanks to your efforts."

"There's no need to thank me," Venus said, shaking her head. "She's the one who did most of the
saving. I didn't do much-"

"Don't say that," Atsuko interrupted as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "You took over when my
physicians needed rest. That, in itself, was a great help to us. Don't sell yourself short. Sometimes,
even the smallest efforts can produce the greatest effect."

"Thanks, Mizuno-hakase," she said, bowing her head slightly. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to take
her home."

"Take care," she said and waved as Venus jogged down the stone steps and disappeared from her view.

Venus ducked behind buildings, watching for passersby as she slowly made her way to the Orphan's
Quarters. Once she made it there, she ducked behind the building and willed herself to change back to
Minako.

"Hotaru-chan," she whispered as she gently shook Saturn. "Hotaru-chan, wake up. You need to change
back before someone sees you!"

"She can change back in here."

"Oh, thanks," she replied without thinking and froze. She recognized that voice. "Um.... Eh, heh,
heh.... This isn't what it looks like...."

"I know exactly what it looks like, Minako-san," Setsuna said from her office window. "Or rather,
Sailor Venus."

Minako stiffened. "You know?"

"We need to talk," she said calmly as she moved away from her window. "Come in through here and bring
Hotaru-chan with you."

Minako swallowed nervously as she stood up, scooped Saturn back into her arms, and jumped into
Setsuna's office through the window. "So, um, what did you want to talk with me about?" she dithered
hesitantly.

"Close the window, please," Setsuna directed as she sat down at her desk. "Then, have a seat here.
I'll take Hotaru-chan to my room. She won't be disturbed there."

She nodded in compliance as she handed over Saturn to her. As Setsuna left her office, Minako closed
the window behind her and went to sit down in the seat Setsuna had indicated for her.

A few minutes later, Setsuna returned to her office and sat down in her chair without saying a word.
"You wanted to speak with me, Meiou-sensei?" Minako asked nervously, her hands folded penitently in
her lap.

Setsuna turned and poured some hot water into a teacup, then dropped a teabag in. "You know what this
is about, right?" she asked without turning to look at her.

"Um.... It's about Hotaru-chan, right?" Minako said hesitently. "About her being Sailor Saturn?"

"Not just about that, though that is part of this," she said as she turned toward her. "I heard from
Ryoku-san that you, Hotaru-chan and Usagi-san were all involved in the fighting earlier this morning."

Minako nodded silently.

"I already asked Ryoku-san and Usagi-san this, but I want to hear what you have to say about it," she
told her as she removed the wet teabag from her cup and tossed it in her wastebasket. "When were you
going to tell me that Hotaru-chan was going to be risking her life fighting Youma? Were you planning
on keeping this a secret from me?"

"But Meiou-sensei, we're not supposed to tell anyone about our Senshi identities!" Minako explained,
gesturing helplessly. "It's the only way to make sure that the Dark Kingdom doesn't find out about who
we really are! Once they learn our identities, what's to stop them using our loved ones as hostages
against us, or something like that?"

"I know, Minako-san," Setsuna said, gesturing for her to calm down. "I understand about that. That's
not what I'm upset about. What I was upset about is the fact that you all thought that me knowing
about Hotaru-chan - who is like a daughter to me - being a Sailor Senshi would be too dangerous. That
is what I resented more than anything else."

There was silence between the two for a while. Setsuna quietly sipped at her tea while Minako stared
at the floor broodingly. "Meiou-sensei?"

"Yes?"

"When you spoke with Usagi-chan and Ryoku-sama about Hotaru-chan, did you talk to them like you're
talking with me now?" she asked without looking up from the floor.

Setsuna sipped at her tea again before gently setting her cup down. "No, Minako-san. Compared to them,
you got off easy," she said with a small smile. "Besides, I'm not mad at you, or them."

"You're not?" she asked quizzically.

She shook her head. "No, I'm not. Even though I didn't like it, keeping your identity a secret from
people who aren't Sailor Senshi, or people who are directly involved - like Ryoku-san - is probably
for the best." She gave a small deprecatory laugh. "Not that it really matters any more."

Minako blinked at her words. "What do you mean, Meiou-sensei?"

Instead of replying, Setsuna reached into a pocket and pulled something out, then set it on the desk
in front of her.

Minako stared at the object in disbelief. It was a transformation wand identical to her own, except
the wand's color was dark green, unlike her wand's orange color.

She reached out with one hand and pointed at the wand, speechless for a moment. Setsuna merely sat
back in her chair and sipped her tea with an enigmatic smirk on her face.

"Y-you?" Minako exclaimed after finally finding her voice. "You're a Senshi, too?"

"Sailor Pluto, at your service," she replied, not losing her enigmatic smirk.

"Pluto?" she repeated, still staring at her. "If you're a Senshi, too, then why did you get so upset
with me earlier?"

"Call it 'maternal instinct,'" she replied with a shrug. "I didn't like anyone knowing anything about
Hotaru-chan that I didn't know."

"But, you know now."

"True," she agreed. "Still, until you found out that I knew, you weren't going to tell me, were you?"
Minako bowed her head, staring silently at the floor again. "From your silence, I'll take it that you
weren't going to. And that, Minako-san, is why I was upset."

Setsuna sipped her tea again and set the empty cup down. "But all of this doesn't matter anymore.
After thinking it over, I realize that even if I don't like it, we need Hotaru-chan to fight, just
like we need you, me and Usagi-san to fight. Without all of us, humanity has no choice but to slowly
dwindle away to extinction or slavery at the hands of the Dark Kingdom. Since this is the case, I'm
going to make sure that no matter what, she lives to see a future without the Dark Kingdom, even if I
have to give my life for it. I want at least that much for her."

"We all do, Meiou-sensei," Minako agreed. "That's why I'm fighting. I want to see that future. I want
to share that future with everyone."

She nodded and rose from her desk. "I'm sure we all feel the same way. That's why I now feel like I
can trust all of you with Hotaru-chan's life." She walked past Minako and opened the office door. "I
have to go do my rounds. Would you mind checking on Hotaru-chan for me while I'm out?"

"Sure," she said as she stood up as well. "I'll keep her company until she wakes up."

Setsuna nodded again and left. Minako left a moment later, closing the door behind her.

_________________________________________________________________


Main Medical Building - Examination Room, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 1:03 P.M.


Haruka grumbled under her breath as she sat in the waiting room. Out of all the eleven slaves that
were rescued, she and Michiru were the first to make it to the Hikawa Jinja. So, why were they the
last ones to be examined?

She glanced around the waiting room, looking over the other occupants. The three men were talking
together, along with the redhead and brunette she didn't know. The two blondes were speaking together
with Sanae. Hiromi was sitting next to her, not speaking to anyone. They all saw the doctor before
she had. She had gone after Hiromi.

The examination didn't take very long. It was a short physical exam to see if there were any injuries
or illnesses that needed further examination or medication. The scars on her back were cause for the
doctor's concern. She was surprised that there hadn't been any infection given the environment that
Haruka was subjected to. When Haruka explained that her fellow field workers had taken care of her
wounds afterward, the doctor nodded understandingly. She seemed to think that they helped her because
they were in a similar situation and sympathized with her. Haruka let her believe what she wanted.
The others only helped her because an infection would only hinder her effectiveness at working in the
fields, leaving them to have to shoulder some of her burden until she recovered.

Or rather, if she recovered. Disease from infections wasn't uncommon. Death from those diseases,
similarly so. After all, it wasn't like their Youma masters cared enough to supply them with
medicine. Whatever they had was what they made themselves. Sometimes, it wasn't enough. Still, it was
better than having nothing.

The sound of a door opening caught Haruka's attention. Michiru stepped out of the room just as Haruka
glanced her way. There was a quiet morose air about her as she walked over to her and wordlessly sat
down next to her.

"Michiru?" she asked, growing worried. "What's wrong, Michiru?"

Michiru raised her head just enough to look at her from out of the corner of her eyes before lowering
her head again, her expression dropping even more.

"Michiru? What happened?" she asked again, putting a hand on Michiru's shoulder and shaking her
gently. "What did the doctor tell you?"

"Shinohara Daisuke?" a man called out, flanked by three other men and a younger boy whom she
recognized. All five were wearing the same Shishu uniform.

"That's me," Daisuke said as he stood up.

The man glanced over at him and nodded. He glanced down at a piece of paper he was holding in his
hand. "Iwata Hiro?"

"I'm here," Hiro said, standing up as well.

The man nodded again. "You two will go with Todoki." One of the younger Blades stepped forward.
"He'll help you see about getting situated here."

"If you both would come with me, please?" Todoki said as he turned to leave, pausing only long enough
for the two men to catch up with him.

The first Blade looked down at the paper again after they left. "Higurashi Minami?"

One of the two blondes stood up. "Yes?"

"Matsuda Rin?"

The redhead stood. "That's me."

"You two will go with Takei." Another one of the younger Blades stood forward.

"If you ladies would come with me, please?" Takei said as he turned to leave as well, waiting long
enough for the two girls to catch up with him.

"Yamaguchi Shuichi?"

"Yeah?" Shuichi said as he stood up.

"Ogata Junko?"

"Here," the brunette stated, standing as well.

"You two will go with Andou."

"That's me," Andou said, waving. "Come with me, please." He waited until the two were a short distance
away before turning to leave.

"Nanase Himiko?"

The second blonde quickly stood. "Y-yes?"

"Kagurazaki Sanae?"

Sanae slowly stood up. "I guess it's my turn, huh?"

"Amano Hiromi?"

Hiromi stood up as well. "You called?"

"You three will come with me," he said as he handed the paper to the young boy. "Kino, you'll take the
last two."

Ryoku raised an eyebrow. "Is this because I'm the one that rescued them, Sanzou?" he inquired.

"I'm just letting you take responsibility for the slaves you rescued, is all," Sanzou replied
offhandedly. "Would you rather trade responsibilities with me? I don't mind processing two slaves
instead of three...."

"Never mind," he sighed to himself as he glanced down at the paper. "Ten'ou Haruka, Kaiou Michiru, you
two come with me."

"Don't do us any favors," Haruka grumbled as she took Michiru's hand and stood up, pulling her to her
feet. "So, what're we supposed to be doing, anyway?"

"Just like the others said," he replied as he turned to leave. "Getting you two situated. Now, come
with me."

"Fine," she grumbled as she turned to Michiru. "I want to talk to you about what the doctor said
later. All right?"

Michiru nodded, but said nothing.

_________________________________________________________________


Outside Medical, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 1:10 P.M.


Ami looked over the list of living quarter openings again, making sure that she knew which places were
open and which ones weren't. Since this task had been thrown upon her at the last minute, she didn't
have much time to prepare everything. However, she was very familiar with the routine, so she needed
very little time to prepare. She suspected that was the very reason why she was given this assignment,
but she wasn't one to complain.

Besides, reacclimating slaves was a very important job. Some people forget how to live normal lives
if they've spent too a long time as a slave.

The entrance to the main Medical building opened and Ryoku exited, followed by two girls one or two
years older than him. The taller girl had short, sandy blonde hair and seemed a little annoyed for
some reason. Occasionally, she would look at him and her frown would deepen slightly for a moment
before she would look away. From time to time, she would send a worried glance to her companion, a
aquamarine-haired girl who had a seriously troubled look on her face. That girl seemed to be withdrawn
into herself for some reason, as if she was deeply brooding over something.

As her gaze rested on Ryoku, her heart paused for a moment. He had noticed her presence and was
heading straight for her. His eyes - which were usually what she used in order to determine what kind
of mood he was in - were completely expressionless.

"Ami, I take it you have the current listings of living quarter availability?" he inquired with little
emotion in his voice.

She nodded as she opened the folder again and presented him with the requested listing. As he took the
folder, she looked into his eyes questioningly.

"Nothing's wrong, Ami," he said, shaking his head. "It's just been a long day, is all."

Ami frowned and tilted her head slightly.

"Yes, Ami, that's all," he said as he closed his eyes and sighed. He grimaced as Ami bowed her head
slightly. "I'm not upset at you, if that's what you're thinking. I've just had to do a lot of deep
thinking, then a slave rescue on top of that. I'm spent. You understand?"

She looked up and nodded slightly, but she didn't smile.

"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt, but why isn't your girlfriend saying anything?" Haruka asked as she
walked up next to Ryoku and glanced over at Ami.

"She's mute," he said as he looked down at the living quarters listing.

"She's what?" she said, surprised.

"Mute," he repeated offhandedly as he looked over the list. "Can't speak. Been that way for years," he
added quickly, forestalling any further questions. "Okay, there's a few places I can recommend for
you, but you'd probably want to look over the list yourselves," he said as he presented the listing to
Haruka. "I assume you two want to stay in the same living quarters, correct?"

"If possible," Haruka agreed as she glanced from Ami to the listing. "Hey, Michiru. Come look at this."

"The first place I'd recommend is Silver Mist," Ryoku told them. "It's close to Stores, so you won't
have to go too far to get what you need. I know someone there that can show you around the place
later, if you choose to go there. There's also Rising Dawn, which is closer to the Working Grounds, if
you prefer a short walk to work. Another place I can recommend is Southern Cross. Also close to the
Working Grounds."

Haruka glanced over at Ryoku before looking down at the listing again. "What do you think, Michiru?"
she asked as she brought the folder into her line of sight.

If she noticed the folder in front of her, she gave no indication of it.

"What happened to her?" he asked, growing concerned.

Haruka threw a quick glare at him, but dropped it, seeing that he was honestly concerned about
Michiru. "I don't know," she sighed, shaking her head. "You saw her; she was fine a while ago. But,
after she went to see the doctor, she went silent and hasn't said anything since. She won't even tell
me what the doctor told her."

Ami and Ryoku exchanged glances. "When she was a slave, what was her job?" he asked. "Field worker?
Builder? Palace repair?"

"That's none of your concern!" Haruka snapped heatedly. Ami jerked back from the vehemence in her
voice, but Ryoku merely gave her a sympathetic look. "What?" she snapped again as she rounded on him.
"What's that look for? Are you feeling sorry for me?"

"Only because I think I know why Michiru-san is acting the way she is," he replied calmly.

Haruka dropped the folder and grabbed him by the collar, giving him an intent look. "Tell me," she all
but demanded. "Why? Why is she acting like this?"

Ryoku slapped Haruka's hands away and straightened the collar of his uniform. "Calm yourself,
Haruka-san. You've had a long day and you have more important things you need to take care of."

"Tell me, damn you!" she yelled, her patience at an end. "Stop yanking me around and just tell me
straight! Don't go saying you know and then say nothing! If you-"

Ryoku cut her off by slapping her across the face. "You've had an extremely harrowing morning. If you
want me to tell you what I suspect, then calm yourself." He paused as he glanced over at Michiru.
"However, I think it would be better if you wait until Michiru-san is ready to tell you. Don't you
agree?" He picked up the folder and put it into her hands. "Here. Decide on your living quarters. Once
you have that, you can start figuring other things out. One thing at a time. Oh, by the way," he added
as he was turning away to give her time to think. "The next time you lose it, I'll punch you in the
stomach."

As he walked up to Ami, she gave him a curious look. "Oh, I'm only giving her a hard time because of
what she put me through this morning," he explained. "She wanted to go fight Youma instead of escaping
to the jinja, especially after I told them to escape. If it wasn't for the fact that she could handle
herself in a fight, I would've been in trouble with all the Youma that were out there."

He trailed off as he noticed the look she was giving him. "Oh, cut that out," he retorted. "I'm not
THAT bad. Besides, I already learned my lesson, remember?" She tilted her head again and raised an
eyebrow. "I am NOT cocky. Besides, I'm a Third class Blade with years of battle experience. She's not.
She could've gotten me killed along with herself and her friend."

He paused again as she glanced over at Michiru, then looked at him inquisitively. "Michiru-san?" he
said as he glanced over toward them. They were too far to overhear him. "Yes, I've got an idea of
what's wrong with her," he told her. "I've seen it before. The reaction, the brooding, everything."
He took a deep breath and sighed deeply. "She's hollow, Ami."

A slight gasp left her lips as a hand unconsciously went to her mouth. Hollow. It was a state no woman
would ever wish upon another, not even her worst enemy.

"Something like this, you just have to let her come to terms with on her own," he said sadly.

Ami gave him a look. "Not yet," he replied. "I figure I'll let them figure out where they're going to
stay, let them get situated, then ask Michiru-san if my suspicions are correct. No sense in letting
this bad news take over their minds. Michiru-san looks like she's barely functioning as it is."

"Hey, we've decided," Haruka called out.

"So, where have you decided on?"

"Silver Mist," she said as she approached the pair, handing over the folder.

He nodded and accepted the folder. "Let's go, then. Hopefully, Minako will be there when we arrive.
She can show you around the place better than I can."

_________________________________________________________________


Silver Mist, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 1:22 P.M.


Minako sighed as she laid on her bed, facing the ceiling. She had only intended to have a short
practice session today. Instead, she was thrown into her first battle. It was much sooner than she had
ever expected, but she was incredibly relieved that she managed to survive it. It was, by far, the
single most terrifying thing she had ever experienced in her life.

'I wonder it's the same fear that Ryoku-sama feels whenever he goes to fight Youma?' she pondered as
she turned over to her side, facing her door.

After she had checked on Hotaru - who had fortunately changed back after Setsuna took her to her
room - she checked in with Midou. On the way to The Garden, she quickly concocted an elaborate excuse
to use in order to explain why she was late. However, the excuse became moot when Midou told her that
all the nurses-in-training were excused for the day due to the emergency.

"So, what am I supposed to do now?" she sighed. "Usagi-chan's busy and so is Ryoku-sama. Rei-chan
doesn't want to see anyone and Ami-chan's probably busy helping at the jinja."

She slowly sat up and pushed herself off her bed. 'There's no sense in continuing to sit around, doing
nothing,' she thought as she started to leave. 'I'll go see if they need some more help at the jinja.'

Just as she reached for the doorknob, there was a knock at the door, causing her to jerk back in
surprise. "Y-yes?" she said as she opened her door, revealing one of the living quarters staff.

"Aino-san, Kino-sama is here to see you," the young man informed her.

Minako brightened immediately. "He is?"

He nodded. "He's waiting in the common area with Mizuno-san and two others."

She blinked. Ami was there, too? "Thanks. I'll go see him, then." She closed the door behind her as
she made her way to the stairwell and descended to the first floor. Since she lived on the third
floor, it didn't take too long.

Ryoku stood up from his seat as soon as Minako entered the common area. "How're you doing, Minako?" he
asked. Ami, Haruka and Michiru were sitting on a couch a short distance away.

"I'm fine, Ryoku-sama," she said, glancing awkwardly down at the ground. She glanced over at Ami, then
back at him. "Have you given what I've told you some thought?" she asked quietly enough not to be
overheard while giving him a shy, hopeful look.

"I have," he told her, "but now's not a good time to talk about it. Besides, this is something Ami and
Rei should be present for, as well.

"Anyway, I'm here because I have two rescued slaves in need of some rooms." He glanced aside to where
Haruka and Michiru were sitting. "Preferably rooms adjacent to each other. You know who's in charge of
that here?"

"Shikishima-san knows which rooms are open," she replied. "I can get him, if you want."

"Could you take us to him, instead?" he asked. "I still want to ask your help on a few things, if you
don't mind."

Minako shook her head. "I don't mind helping you, Ryoku-sama. You should know that by now."

"Yeah, I know," he said with a small grin. "Thanks."

She nodded and smiled back before going to find Shikishima with the others following behind her.
Finding him was easy since he was usually in the living quarters admin office working on something.

"Shikishima-san?" she called out as she stopped in front of the admin office. "You in there,
Shikishima-san?"

Shikishima Hayao was a big man, twice the size of an average man. He used to be a Shishu Blade until
a Claw Hunter with poisoned claws struck him in his right leg. Unfortunately, he received medical
attention too late to save his leg and ended up getting his leg amputated. After losing his leg, he
had it replaced with a metallic peg leg, then left Shishu and took charge of the Silver Mist living
quarters. His gruff demeanor tended to frighten the younger children, but for the most part, he got
along with most everyone who lived there.

"Yeah?" the broad man replied as he turned from his desk and stood up.

"We've just got some new tenants, Shikishima-san," she replied as she gestured toward Haruka and
Michiru.

He glanced over to the two girls, then walked over to a metal cabinet that was fastened to the wall.
His metallic leg made heavy thumps as he limped over to the cabinet. "Any specific requirements?"

"Do you have two adjacent rooms available?" Ryoku inquired.

Shikishima raised an eyebrow inquisitively, but said nothing as he opened the metal cabinet. "Hmm....
Do you care about what floor you're on?" he asked without removing his head from the metal cabinet.

"It doesn't matter," Haruka replied.

He grunted an acknowledgement and reached inside. After rummaging around in the cabinet for a moment
he brought out a pair of keys. "Here," he said, handing the keys to Minako. "Rooms 508 and 509. You
mind showing them to their rooms, Aino-san?"

"Sure."

"Need anything else?" he asked, glancing between her and Ryoku.

"No, that's all," Ryoku replied. "Thanks, Shikishima."

The gruff man nodded. "Glad to see you're still alive, kid," he said as he turned to limp back to his
chair. "Congratulations on making Third."

"Thanks," he nodded back as he turned to leave. "You take care of yourself." Shikishima grunted a
reply as Ryoku herded the others out of the office.

"I think Shikishima-san was glad to see you," Minako observed as they headed for the stairwell. "He's
usually not so talkative."

"Yeah, I guess...."

Ami tapped him on the shoulder, getting his attention. "Yes?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder.
She nodded her head back toward the admin office. "Shikishima-san?" he said, raising an eyebrow
questioningly for a moment. "Oh. I knew him from when I first joined Shishu. He was a First class
Blade on his way to making High Blade before he had to get his leg amputated due to Claw Hunter
poisoning." He half-smiled wistfully. "That man is the best swordsman and sharpshooter I know. I
learned a lot from him when I first started training as a Recruit Blade." He sighed tiredly. "I wish
he was still able to fight. He would be a tremendous help right about now."

"So, why doesn't he?" Haruka inquired. "If he's such a good fighter, why did he leave Shishu?"

"His leg," he replied as started for the stairs again. "You all saw how he walks. Haruka-san, you
surely remember fighting those Youma earlier today." She nodded grimly. "Can you imagine doing that
with a leg that doesn't bend?" He paused as they reached the fifth floor of the living quarters.
"Shikishima left Shishu of his own will. He knew that he would become a liability on the battlefield."

Minako stepped forward, holding the keys out in front of her. "This way." She led them down the hall
and turned a corner, stopping in front of a door numbered 508. The door across the hall was numbered
509.

She turned to Haruka and held out both keys. "Take your pick."

Haruka took both keys and handed one to Michiru. "Which one do I have?" she asked as she turned back
to Minako.

She glanced at the key. "Room 508."

Haruka nodded and tried the key in the door marked 508. The door opened easily. "Hey, Michiru. Why
don't you try yours? See what it looks like."

"All the rooms are the same," Ryoku told her. "Most living quarters are built using the exact same
floor plan. It saves time if the construction people are familiar with the layout of the building
they're constructing."

She gave him a flat look. "You don't say," she said as she handed Michiru her key. Michiru quietly
took her key, opened her door and stepped inside. Haruka watched as she walked over to the bed and sat
down, staring at the floor.

Ryoku sighed as he turned to Minako and Ami. "Listen, would you two mind waiting for me in the common
area? I need to speak with them alone for a moment."

Ami and Minako exchanged worried glances before turning back and nodding their agreement. "Take all
the time you need, Ryoku-sama," Minako said as they left.

After the two left, Ryoku turned to Haruka and nodded toward Michiru. "We need to talk."

Haruka gave him a serious look. "If you know what's wrong with Michiru, then I'm more than willing to
listen."

"Then, come with me," he said as he stepped into Michiru's room. Haruka followed, closing the door
behind her.

_________________________________________________________________


Orphan's Quarters, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 7, 1992. 1:22 P.M.


Usagi stretched as she sat up in her bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Mmm... what time is it?"
she muttered to herself as she glanced around the room. It was surprisingly bright for so early in the
morning. As she got out of bed, she paused as she noticed that she was already dressed.

"Huh?" she said as she looked herself over. "When did I change out of my pajamas? I know I was wearing
them when I went to bed...." She trailed off as she noticed the sun's position through her open
window. "W-what's the sun doing up there?!?" Just as she was about to start panicking about missing
work, the events from that morning slowly began to resurface in her mind.

'That's right.... I woke up just as the Dark Kingdom started attacking us again. I remember Ryoku-san
and that Sailor Saturn girl telling me that they needed Sailor Moon to help fight. I wanted to help; I
really did. But, I....'

Her recollection trailed off as she looked down at the brooch pinned to her blouse. It sat there,
looking as if it not only had every right to be there, but it belonged there as well. Even worse, it
was starting to feel natural, like she had always worn that brooch there.

Usagi's hand slowly reached up to remove the brooch from her blouse, but the closer it came, the more
hesitant she became to actually touch it.

'What would happen if I touch it now?' she thought, slowly letting her hand drop to her side. 'What
would I feel now? Anger? Fear? Despair?' She shook her head in frustration. 'Why am I even wearing
this thing? It almost looks like I like this stupid thing.'

She went into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, staring into her own reflection. 'Hello?'
she called out mentally, unsure of whom she was calling out to. 'Are you there? Can you hear me?' She
stared into her reflection's eyes as if trying to see into herself and waited for a response.

Nothing happened.

'Hey!' she mentally shouted as she glared into the mirror. 'I know you're in there! Who are you? Why
did you choose me? Answer me, damn you!'

Nothing happened.

'I don't understand,' she thought as she exited her bathroom and sighed. 'I know I got through to her
before. Why won't she answer me now?'

A light knock on the door broke her from her brooding. "Usagi-chan? Are you in there?"

"Naru-chan?" She quickly walked to her door and opened it. "What is it, Naru-chan?"

"There's someone here to see you," Naru told her as she grabbed Usagi's hand and started dragging her
out of her room.

"Wha? Hey!" she exclaimed as she struggled to regain her balance. "What's the big deal? Who is it? Can
I at least close my door first?"

"Oh! Sorry," Naru said sheepishly as she let Usagi close her door. "Anyway, we've got to hurry! The
head of Shishu wants to speak with you!"

"Huh? Mamoru-san's here?" she blinked in surprise. A moment later, panic set in. "He's here?!? Oh, no!
I haven't been doing my job at all, so maybe he's gonna fire me!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Usagi-chan," Naru countered. "It's been crazy here these past two days. No one's
gonna blame you for not being able to do your job; least of all Chiba-sama. After all, Shishu's been
the busiest out of all of us, so of course you might not be able to get to your job cleaning their
headquarters. Not with them rushing in and out of the building all the time. So, don't worry about it."

Usagi gave her an uncertain look. "Are you sure?"

"Trust me," she replied confidently. "And if I'm wrong, I'll find you a new job myself. All right?"

"All right," Usagi agreed with a smile.

"Good. Now, hurry it up!" she urged as she started tugging on Usagi's arm again. "You don't want to
keep Chiba-sama waiting, do you?"

"I'm hurrying! I'm hurrying!" she said as she struggled to keep up. "Just stop pulling on my arm
already!"

When they finally got to the common area, Mamoru stood up and walked over to meet them. "That was
fast," he remarked, glancing between Naru and Usagi.

"I got her here as fast as I could, Chiba-sama," she said, grinning proudly.

"Thanks, Naru-san," he said gratefully. "Even though, you didn't really have to rush. I wasn't in any
hurry."

"But, you've been so busy...."

"Yes, but I've got time right now," he replied, then turned to Usagi and smiled. "I just came by to
see how you were doing, Usagi-san. You don't mind, do you?"

Usagi blushed slightly. "N-no, I don't mind."

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I've got little ones to look after," Naru said as she bowed slightly to
Mamoru and waved to Usagi, giving her an encouraging wink where he couldn't see. "I'll see you two,
later."

Mamoru nodded in response. "It was good seeing you again, Naru-san."

Usagi waved back. "See you later, Naru-chan!"

Naru waved and ducked down the hall, out of sight.

"Let's go for a walk, Usagi-san," Mamoru said as he turned and started to leave.

"A walk?" she repeated, curious about his suggestion which seemed to come out of nowhere.

"A walk," he confirmed, pausing long enough to look at her over her shoulder. "You don't want to?"

"Y-yes, of course, I do!" she stammered as she rushed to catch up with him.

"Good," he said as he continued on his way with Usagi following close behind him. "It's easier to talk
if you know no one else is going to be listening."

"Oh?" she said as Mamoru held open the door for her. Once she was through, he followed behind her,
letting the door close on its own.

"So, how are things going at the Orphan's Quarters?" he asked as he came up beside her. "Any problems?"

"No, none at all," she told him, shaking her head. "Ryoku-san, Setsuna-sensei, Naru-chan....
Everyone here's been so helpful." She gave him a curious glance. "I didn't know you knew Naru-chan."

Mamoru rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah... well... she, um, used to have... a, um, crush
on me," he finished, rushing the end of his sentence.

"Oh, really...?" she asked, drawling her words and smiling with great interest. "What happened?"

"There's not much to tell," he said offhandedly. "When Ryoku first took over the Orphan's Quarters, I
used to visit him every now and then. He was talking with Naru-san when I met her. It was a few days
after that when Ryoku told me that she had developed a huge crush on me." He grimaced slightly. "He
took great joy in teasing me about it, now that I think about it."

Usagi giggled. "Ryoku-san doesn't seem like the kind of person who would tease someone," she remarked.
"He seems so serious."

"You don't know him like I do," he replied with a slow grin. "He's only serious because a lot of
responsibility has been forced on him at such a young age. He still likes to have fun with his friends
from time to time. It's just that most of his friends are Shishu Blades, like myself. Hell, I've known
the guy ever since he started training with Kinoma-sensei, his trainer in swordsmanship. He's almost
like my younger brother.

"Anyway, eventually Naru-san grew out of her crush," he continued. "She told me that I was a little
too old for her." He chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Go figure."

"Don't feel too bad, Mamoru-san," she said with a smile. "At least you two are still friends."

Mamoru nodded as he glanced aside at Usagi. She was smiling happily as she walked next to him. He was
reluctant to ask what she knew about her other self, especially seeing that he was currently enjoying
Usagi's company. As curious as he was about any possible connection between himself and Serenity, he
didn't want to ruin what was beginning to develop right now.

"That's true," he said, smiling. For now, he would enjoy things as it was. Besides, aside from being
the vessel for Serenity's soul, Usagi was interesting enough as she was. "By the way, how're you doing
with your job cleaning up our headquarters?"

"Uhh...," Usagi dithered as she rubbed the back of her head in chagrin. "Eheheheh...."

For a little while, at least, he could forget that there was a war going on.

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


Author's Note: Another chapter finally completed! Even better, all of our Sailor Senshi have finally
come together at the Hikawa Jinja! Not only that, but now Mamoru's beginning to find himself being
drawn toward both Serenity AND Usagi. So, now what's going to happen? What's going on with Michiru?
What does being 'hollow' mean? And what about when Hotaru finally wakes up and finds out that Setsuna
knows that she's Sailor Saturn? Wait and see what happens in the next chapter of The Brooch!


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.