Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Brooch ❯ Chapter 17

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

The Brooch
By Jason C. Ulloa


Chapter 17


Infirmary - Women's Restroom near Makoto's Room, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 8, 1992. 8:27 P.M.


Makoto stared at the mirror, one hand reaching up to feel her face as if to confirm for herself what
she was seeing. "Ryo-chan...," she called out weakly as she slowly let her hand drop again.

"I know this's a big shock for you," Ryoku said gently as he took his sister's hand in his and
squeezed it firmly. "You just need some time to come to grips with what has happened." He placed his
free hand on her shoulder and started guiding her back toward the restroom entrance. "I think it'd be
best if you go back to your room and lie down for a little while."

Quietly, Makoto allowed herself to be herded to her room, her steps slow and heavy as if being dragged
by the weight of three years of her life now lost to her forever. Her brother remained silent as well,
contemplating what to say to his newly awakened sibling. She spent the short trek to her room sorting
out what to ask of her brother, such as where she was, what the date was today, who had survived the
evacuation of the Meiji Jinja....

Wait.

"Ryo-chan," she said as Ryoku laid her back down on her bed, "where's Mom and Dad?" Ryoku stiffened at
the question as he stood up again, giving her the answer she dreaded hearing. "Ryo-chan?" she asked
again, her voice wavering as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

Ryoku let his gaze drop to the floor as he looked away. He dreaded having to tell her this, but he
knew it would've come eventually since they had been separated from their parents during the flight
from the Meiji Jinja. He had only learned of their parents' deaths after finding out that Makoto had
fallen into a coma. It had been a very hard blow to his young heart. He could only imagine how she
would take it. Fortunately, he was still alive, so she wouldn't have to endure losing her entire
family, but it was a small consolation in comparison to what she had lost.

"Mako-chan...," he said, pausing only long enough to steel himself for what he had to say next. "Mom,
Dad, Grandfather, Grandmother.... They're all dead. Out of our entire family, we're the only ones who
survived the Fall of the Meiji Jinja."

"M-mom.... Dad...," she sobbed as she curled up in a fetal position and wept.

Hearing his dear sister crying this hard nearly brought him to tears as well. "I'm...." He cleared his
throat to keep it from tightening and tried again. "I'm going to bring one of the Medical personnel
here to take a look at you," he said stoically. He had to remain strong, for her sake. As he started
to leave, Makoto reached out and grasped his hand in both of hers.

"Don't leave," she begged piteously.

"You need to be looked at," he told her firmly. "We need to make sure that there's nothing wrong with
you."

Makoto stubbornly refused to let go. "Don't leave me!" she pleaded desperately. "Please! You're all I
have left!"

"Calm yourself!" Ryoku shouted as he ripped his hand away and knelt beside her bed, embracing her
tightly. "I know how you feel, Mako-chan," he continued in a calmer voice. "When I found out that you
were stuck in a coma and that the rest of my family was dead, I almost went mad with grief and rage.

"But you're not alone, Mako-chan. I'm still here. Even if everyone else is gone, I'll still be here
when you need me." He released her and moved far enough away to look her in the eye. "You understand?"

Makoto nodded silently although her tears still fell.

"Listen, I need to go get someone from Medical to see you. I promise you that I will be back soon. All
right?"

She nodded again.

Ryoku smiled as he stood back up. "If it'll make you feel any better, Ami and Rei are still alive and
are really looking forward to seeing you up and about again." With that, he left the room and took off
running down the hallway.

_________________________________________________________________


Infirmary - Duty Nurse's Station, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 8, 1992. 8:40 P.M.


Sagara Fumika yawned as she stretched her arms behind her head. She had just relieved the previous
nurse forty minutes ago, so yawning so early into her shift wasn't a good sign. Night duty was usually
pretty boring, but falling asleep on watch would really reflect poorly upon her performance as a
nurse. That, and she didn't want to get yelled at again.

Maybe some coffee or something would be a good idea. Something to keep her awake.

She was about to leave to get some coffee when she heard someone running down one of the halls. As she
got up to see who it was and berate them for doing something so unsafe, she jerked back in surprise as
a young man in a Shishu uniform slid to a stop. He looked like he was about to start running again,
but paused as soon as he noticed her.

"You're the Duty Nurse, right?" he inquired urgently.

"Y-yes," she replied, nodding as she recognized the Blade. It was just Ryoku. He seemed a bit excited
for some reason.

"Contact the main Medical building and get them to send whichever doctor they can spare at the
moment," he ordered quickly. "My sister has just woken up from her coma."

"She did?" she asked, getting excited in spite of herself. Kino Makoto was a very well-known case
amongst the Medical personnel. After all, she was the first female Blade in all Shishu's history. "I'm
so happy for you!"

"Thanks, but can you please hurry and get someone to see my sister?" he insisted impatiently.

"Oh! Right. I'll contact someone right away," she said, bowing apologetically.

"Thank you," he said gratefully as he quickly returned her bow and ran off again, heading back to his
sister's room.

Fumika quickly picked up the intercom receiver and pressed the button for the Duty Nurse station at
the main Medical building. "Infirmary to Main. Infirmary to Main. Request one physician to Room 101.
Coma patient has awakened. Repeat. Request one physician to Room 101. Coma patient has awakened." She
released the button and waited.

"Main to Infirmary. Message received. A physician will be dispatched momentarily." There was a pause.
"So, Makoto-san finally woke up, did she?"

She smiled. It sounded like Eiko on the other end. So, she was stuck on duty, too, was she?

"Yeah," she confirmed, speaking more casually now that the formalities were over. Sure, they weren't
supposed to chat on the intercom, but there was nothing to do anyway. Besides, it wasn't like they
were the only nurses that did this. "Kino-sama seemed really excited. I bet he's really happy to have
his sister back."

There was another pause. "Oh! Hold on a minute! I just saw Ami-chan pass by down the hall. I'm gonna
go tell her."

"Mizuno-san?" Fumika repeated.

"Yeah," Eiko confirmed. "I'll be back in a moment, Fumi."

_________________________________________________________________


Main Medical Building, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 8, 1992. 8:48 P.M.


Ami sighed to herself as she finished checking on the last patient for the night. It was getting
closer to the time when she would be joining the others for tonight's training session. On one hand,
she was looking forward to it. She had just received her transformation wand, so she was now one step
closer to becoming a Sailor Senshi, as well.

On the other hand....

She had tried to keep herself busy all day; helping out at the Hikawa Jinja, assisting the doctors in
the Main building, even talking with her mother. Well, her mother talked; she merely wrote her replies
on her notepad.

Her mother looked completely exhausted. She seemed to be on the verge of collapsing at times, even
though she acted like nothing was wrong when there were other people around. She tried hard to be a
pillar of strength in this dangerous crisis; something that her daughter was incredibly proud of, and
worried about at the same time. Proud, because it showed how strong of a woman Mizuno Atsuko was that
a situation this grave didn't break her. And worried, because she knew that her mother couldn't keep
this up for much longer. Still, it wasn't like there was someone that could just jump in at a moment's
notice. Although the most dangerous part of the emergency was past, they still had a ways to go before
they could relax even a little bit.

But thinking about all this was just her way of not thinking about something else. She didn't want to
let herself dwell on a situation that wouldn't change. He had made that abundantly clear. And rather
than sit in a corner and mope uselessly, she decided to reapply herself to her nurse-in-training
duties.

However, her other duties as a Sailor Senshi were going to be another matter. He would be there; of
course. So would Rei and Minako. Their training sessions were going to be slightly awkward for the
next few days, but there was no way around it.

"Ami-chan!"

The mute girl stopped and turned in the direction of the shout, blinking curiously as she tilted her
head inquisitively. It was Kirisaki Eiko, one of the nurses she usually had on-the-job training with.

"Ami-chan, I have some great news!" Eiko said excitedly as she clasped her hands together.

'What is it, Eiko-senpai?' she wrote quickly.

"I just heard from Fumi that Makoto-san has just woken up!"

Ami almost dropped her notepad in surprise. Quickly, she scribbled out a few words and shoved the pad
into Eiko's hands before taking off running.

Eiko started to ask why Ami had taken off like she did, but held off as she read the note Ami had
thrust into her hands. "Please inform my mother about what has happened as soon as possible." She
looked up from the notepad and stared in the direction that Ami took off in. "I guess she really
wanted to see for herself," she reasoned as she headed back to her post. She could always see Makoto
later. Besides, Fumika was waiting for her to get back on the intercom. The poor girl was probably
bored out of her mind already.

_________________________________________________________________


Hikawa Jinja Proper, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 8, 1992. 8:57 P.M.


As Ami burst into the jinja, she quickly came to a stumbling halt, having sprinted all the way from
the Main Medical building. Hopefully, Rei and Minako hadn't left for the training grounds yet.

The mute girl walked swiftly through the jinja's hallways, making her way to Grandpa's room. Knowing
Rei, she'd certainly be there. And knowing Minako, she'd more than likely be there, too, offering
what comfort she could to her friend.

Upon reaching the door to Grandpa's room, she lightly knocked upon the door. "Come in," Minako's voice
called out in response.

"What're you doing over here?" she asked curiously as soon as Ami entered the room. "I thought you
were supposed to be at the Main Building tonight."

The mute girl glanced around and frowned in puzzlement when she found that Rei wasn't in the room.

"Looking for Rei-chan?" Minako asked in response to the questioning look from the blue-haired girl.

Ami nodded.

"She went to her room to meditate for a while," she explained. "Watching over her Grandpa while he's
in this state is really getting to her," she added, shaking her head sadly. "When she looks at him,
it's hard to tell if she's going to cry or getting ready to kill someone."

Ami felt some of her earlier excitement fade at hearing her dear friend's emotional turmoil. For her
to all but lock herself in her room and flee into a meditative state.... She was taking this really
bad.

She was about to take out her pad and tell Minako about what happened with Makoto and go see Rei, but
she realized that in her fit of excitement at finding out another of her dearest friends was returning
to the world of consciousness, she had shoved her pad into Eiko's hands and took off. She felt like
kicking herself for doing something so impulsive without realizing it.

"Something wrong, Ami-chan?" Minako asked, tilting her head inquisitively. Ami held her left hand out,
palm up, and made a writing motion on her palm with her other hand. "Hmm?" Minako said as she tried
to figure out what she meant. "Writing?" She blinked as she noticed Ami didn't have her notepad with
her. "Oh! Wait, let me see if Grandpa has something to write with around here...," she said as she
started looking around the room. "Aha! Here we go." She picked up a thin calligraphy brush and
inkwell, and handed them to Ami, along with a few pieces of paper. "I'm sure Grandpa won't mind if you
use them," she said reassuringly as Ami gave her a flat look. "Or, I can just find someone and borrow
their pen or pencil," she amended as she put the brush and inkwell back and turned to leave. "Keep an
eye on Grandpa for me until I get back, all right?" With that, she left the room and slid the door
closed behind her.

While Minako went off on her search, Ami knelt down next to Grandpa and looked over him. He still
looked pretty bad, but not as bad as when he first collapsed. She could remember the twisted look of
agony on his face as he fought to remain conscious long enough to give her his message to Rei. She
smiled sadly as she reached over and took Grandpa's hand in hers and squeezed gently. The whole time
he was fighting the pain and the urge to black out, he thought of his beloved granddaughter and wanted
her to know he would be all right in the end.

She sighed to herself as she released Grandpa's hand. Even though he was sure he would be all right,
there was no guarantee that he would eventually be his old self again. If the amount of brain damage
that the doctors suspected he had sustained was accurate, then Grandpa would probably end up losing
most of his ability to speak and walk. In fact, it was more than likely that he would end up on
permanent bed rest until he died.

It was bad enough that Rei had to find out that Grandpa had suffered brain damage. If she were to
learn about this, even if it was just speculation....

The door slid open again, allowing Minako back into the room along with one of the nurses that had
been transferred to the jinja due to the emergency, just like Minako had been.

"Aino-san told me you were here," the nurse said as she glanced down at Ami. "I was curious as to
why you would leave the Main Building all of a sudden and come here. You're still on shift, aren't
you, Mizuno-san?"

Minako quickly handed her the nurse's pen so she could write her response. 'Yes, I'm still on shift,
Ikagi-senpai,' she wrote quickly. 'I only came here to let Minako-chan and Rei-chan know that
Mako-chan has finally woken up.'

Ikagi gave Ami a flat look. "So what's so important about someone waking up?" she asked. "What, was
she in a coma or something?"

Minako's head whirled to regard the nurse for a moment before spinning back to Ami again. "Mako-chan
woke up?" she asked, grasping Ami's shoulders and staring intently at her friend. "Are you serious?"
Ami smiled and nodded vigorously. "Does Ryoku-sama know?" She nodded again.

"Kino-sama?" Ikagi said, blinking at the name. "Are you saying that 'Mako-chan' is Kino Makoto? She's
woken up from her coma?"

"Ami-chan!" Minako said as she grabbed Ami's hand. "We've got to go tell Rei-chan the great news!" She
then turned to Ikagi and bowed deeply with her hands held together in a pleading fashion. "Could you
please do me a favor and look after Hino-sama for me? At least until my relief comes in about an
hour?" Next to her, Ami also bowed deeply, her hands held in the same pleading manner.

Ikagi grimaced at the spectacle the two nurses-in-training were making of themselves. Even if they
were the only ones in the room, the display still made Ikagi uncomfortable. "All right! All right,
already!" She said as she waved the two girls on their way. "You don't have to bow to me, dammit. Go
see your friend, already. I'll wait here for your relief." She walked past the two girls and knelt
down beside Grandpa without looking back at them. "Go. Just... go."

"Thank you, Ikagi-senpai!" Minako said as she dragged Ami out of the room with her. The mute girl
quickly bowed gratefully and slid the door closed before Minako could drag her off.

"Hmph," she snorted to herself as she settled in to wait. "She didn't even give me back my pen."

_________________________________________________________________


Rei's Room - Hikawa Jinja Proper, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 8, 1992. 9:15 P.M.


Rei sat quietly on the floor in the middle of her room, eyes closed as she tried her best to clear her
mind of all thought. It was usually an easy task; she was always required to clear her mind of all
thought whenever she was about to assume her duties in maintaining the barrier. She could usually
empty her mind in an instant; it was as natural to her as breathing, after all. However, due to the
culmination of everything she had gone through the past couple of days - almost dying; kissing Ryoku;
feeling the barrier collapse; finding out Ryoku loved her, but wouldn't act on that love; and worst of
all, seeing her Grandpa so close to death - she was so close to having an emotional breakdown, it took
all she had to keep herself calm. The last thing she wanted was to let anyone know how close she was
to losing herself.

She could feel the transformation wand in the pocket of her hakama, resting against her leg. She could
sense the power quietly emanating from it after having used it to transform. Now that she knew what
the power felt like, she felt eager to use it again.

But not for practice. She wanted to use it to kill Youma. The only thing that kept her from storming
out of the jinja and the now-relative safety of the Inner Grounds was what Ryoku had said to her
before she received her wand.

"The power of the Sailor Senshi is for protection, not revenge, is it?" she muttered to herself as she
opened her eyes and rested her hand on the small bulge in her hakama. "Grandpa.... Is it wrong for me
to want to avenge you?"

The door to her room suddenly slid open, causing her to jerk back, startled, as Minako burst in.
"Rei-chan!" the blonde nurse-in-training gushed excitedly as Ami poked her head into the room as well.
"You'll never guess what's finally happened!"

"What?" Rei snapped irritably. "You finally found someone who can teach you how to knock before
entering someone's room?"

"Better than that!" she replied eagerly.

Rei sighed as her sarcastic barb was completely ignored. "Fine, fine. Spit it out, already," she
grumbled, waving her hand in an impatient gesture for her to continue.

Minako nodded and grinned so wide, it looked like it might hurt a bit. "Ami-chan just told me that
Mako-chan just woke up!"

"What?" Rei gasped as she looked to Ami for confirmation. "Is she serious?"

Ami nodded and smiled excitedly.

"We're going to go see her," Minako told her. "Wanna come?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Rei said, smiling as she practically leaped to her feet. "Let's go!"

_________________________________________________________________


Infirmary - Makoto's Room, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 8, 1992. 9:31 P.M.


"So, how is she, Fumizuki-sensei?" Ryoku asked as she stood up and started writing some notes on her
clipboard.

"All her vitals are fine," she replied as she finished writing and set the clipboard in its place in
the small bin at Makoto's bed. "She's just weak from her muscles atrophying. Right now her strength is
that of a small child, so she'll need a lot of rest if she's going to regain the strength that she's
lost."

She turned her attention to Makoto and smiled gently. "Don't worry, Kino-sama. I'm sure that your
brother will be more than happy to help in your rehabilitation. You'll be back to full strength in no
time."

Makoto nodded. "Thanks," she said gratefully. She then blinked as something clicked in her mind.
"Wait. Did you just call me 'Kino-sama?'"

Fumizuki nodded. "I did. It's only proper, isn't it?"

This only served to further confuse her. "Proper?"

"That's the proper honorific for Blades, is it not?"

She frowned. "Ryo-chan's the Blade. Not me. Girls can't become Blades."

The doctor was about to reply to that when Ryoku held up his hand, forestalling her. "Mako-chan," he
said as he sat down beside her and smiled fondly, "you are a Blade. The C.O. has already made it
official." He hugged her tightly. "You are the first female Blade in all Shishu history. You finally
made it. I'm so proud of you, Mako-chan."

Makoto stared out at nothing while her mind processed what her brother had just told her. The one
thing she had dared hope for, even knowing that there was no way it could ever happen.... It was like
a bright ray of sunshine amidst the dark gloom of everything she had experienced since waking up. It
was enough to make her smile faintly.

"Thanks, Ryo-chan," she murmured quietly as she hugged her brother in return. "I promise I'll do my
best to live up to your expectations."

"You two have a lot of catching up to do, so I'll be on my way," Fumizuki said as she turned to leave.

"By the way, Fumizuki-sensei, if you see Ami when you return to the Main building, could you please
let her know that Mako-chan's awake now?" Ryoku asked as she opened the door.

The doctor paused as she noticed Ami, Rei and Minako all standing behind the door. Ami had her hand
raised, ready to knock on the door. "I believe you can tell her yourself," she replied as she stepped
out of the way.

"Mako-chan!" Rei exclaimed exuberantly as she darted past the departing doctor and embraced her dear
friend. Ryoku got up from the bed and stood a short distance away, giving them some room. "I've really
missed you! It's so good to have you back!"

Makoto looked confused for a moment before recognizing her. "R-Rei-chan?" she said tentatively as she
pulled away just enough to look at her. "Is that you?"

The raven-haired girl blinked in confusion. "Of course, it's me!" she replied with a smile. "Who did
you think I was?"

The ponytailed girl laughed hesitantly. "Well, you do look different than from what I remember," she
admitted.

"It has been three years since she's seen you, Rei," Ryoku told her. "Please keep that in mind."

Rei gave him a sparing look, then turned back to Makoto. "Anyway, Ami-chan's here to see you, too,"
she said as she waved her over.

Makoto watched as Ami stepped over to them and looked at Rei with a smile. "Ami-chan?"

Ami turned back to Makoto and nodded her head vigorously, her smile widening broadly.

"She's probably waiting for you to move so she can hug her, too," Minako mentioned from the doorway.
"We don't want to crowd her. She's just recovering from a three-year coma, after all." She then waved
cheerily from the doorway. "Hi, Mako-chan! My name's Aino Minako! Ryoku-sama's told me all about you!"

"Oh!" Rei said as she released Makoto and stood back up. "I'm sorry! It's just that.... Well...."

Ami reached out, touching Rei's arm, and shook her head gently as she continued to smile. She then sat
down next to Makoto and embraced her tightly.

"You still can't speak, huh?" Makoto asked as she hugged Ami back. "I guess even if some things
change, some things will still remain the same."

Ryoku opened the nightstand drawer and took out the pad and pencil sitting inside. "Mako-chan, I have
some important business to take care of tonight," he told her as he handed the pad and pencil to Ami.
"I'll be back later, but in the meantime, I'm sure these two won't mind keeping you company. Is that
all right with you, Ami, Rei?" He glanced over to the doorway. "Minako?"

"Ryo-chan?" Makoto asked, worry creeping into her voice.

"But, what about-?" Rei began to protest.

"Right now, Mako-chan needs you," he said insistently. "I have duties that I cannot ignore, even for
the sake of my own beloved sister. For now, please get Mako-chan caught up on what happened during the
three years that she's been asleep."

"Actually, I just remembered that I've got something that needs to be taken care of, too," Minako
added, laughing sheepishly. "Besides, I'm sure Mako-chan would prefer spending time with her friends
than a stranger like me. Anyway, I'll be sure to come back later. You take care, Mako-chan!" she said
and waved again before leaving.

"Ryo-chan, who was she?" Makoto asked a few moments after Minako left, her tone curious.

"A very good friend of mine," he replied with a hint of concern in his voice. "Anyway, I'll be back
later on tonight. We can talk more then."

Makoto nodded. "I understand," she said while trying not to let her disappointment show. "I'll be
waiting for you to come back." Ryoku nodded in return, then left. As her gaze left the doorway, Ami
handed her her pad.

'So, what do you want to talk about? Where should we start?' was written in her familiar neat
handwriting.

"I guess we should begin at the beginning and work our way from there," Makoto supposed as she plopped
down on her bed. Even sitting up straight was tiring. She really needed to get herself back in shape.
Her current condition was totally unacceptable! How was she supposed to function as a Blade if she
couldn't even stand up by herself?

"Ryo-chan told me... that our family's gone now...." She stopped, fighting back the tears that
threatened to surface once again.

"Mako-chan....," Rei said sympathetically as she and Ami each held one of Makoto's hands.

Makoto's eyes squeezed shut for a moment as she nodded, accepting the silent support from her friends.
"I need to know... out of all of our friends and loved ones, who's still alive?" Her hands tightened
into fists, lightly gripping Rei's and Ami's hands. "What's happened between the Dark Kingdom and
Shishu since I've been asleep?"

Rei looked down at her hand and felt terrible for her friend. Her own troubles with her ailing
grandfather paled in comparison to what Makoto must be feeling, finding out that her family was dead
minutes after learning that she had just lost three years of her life to a coma.

And yet, she wanted to know more. She wanted to know who else was gone. Even though the weak grip on
her hand showed how physically frail she was right now, her loss did not diminish her heart in the
slightest. Even now, she was still one of the strongest people she knew; something that Rei had always
deeply respected about her.

"All right," Rei nodded somberly as she looked over to Ami. The mute girl looked at her with a serious
expression and nodded. "You'd better brace yourself. A lot of this is going to be bad."

_________________________________________________________________


Outside Silver Mist, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 8, 1992. 9:43 P.M.


Minako leaned against the wall of her living quarters, staring up into the moonlit sky as she waited.
"I can't believe I wimped out...." She let her head droop and sighed. "She must think I'm strange or
something, just popping in on her like that and leaving just as quickly."

She glanced up at the moon for a moment before pushing herself off the wall. "At any rate, this is no
way for the second-in-command of the Sailor Senshi to act. I've got no time to be moping around." As
she started toward the Lower/Outer Grounds border, she saw Ryoku heading in the same direction. She
hesitated for a moment, moving around the building so that he wouldn't be able to see her, and just
watched as he strode past the living quarters.

"Minako-san!" Mamoru called out as he started walking toward her. "There you are. Have you seen Ryoku?
He's supposed to...." He trailed off as he noticed that she was vigorously shaking her head and making
hushing gestures. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes, is something wrong?"

"Ah!" Minako jerked back as she heard Ryoku speak just over her shoulder. "R-Ryoku-sama...."

Ryoku turned from Minako to regard Mamoru. "I was just about to go look for you, Mamoru. I have some
good news. Mako-chan finally woke up just over an hour ago."

Mamoru brightened. "Really?" he said, slapping the younger Blade on the back jovially. "I'm happy for
you, Ryoku!" His smile faded a bit. "But, why are you out here instead of with your sister? You should
be with her right now, helping her adjust-"

"I still have my duties to perform," he replied flatly. "I promised Mako-chan that I'd return once I
was finished, but until then, I still have a job to do."

The older Blade frowned slightly, but nodded understandingly. "All right, Ryoku. I understand. Still,
I would've thought that you might've made a small exception in this one case."

"I was tempted to," he admitted. "However, Ami and Rei are with her right now. I've asked them to help
get her caught up while I help train our allies. We can't waste any time while the barrier's down, you
know."

Mamoru sighed wearily. "I know all too well," he agreed grimly. "Everybody's on edge while the
barrier's down. Some of the defenders we've put on guard duty have been getting skittish. I've had a
couple of reports of accidental self-injuries due to shooting themselves in the leg or foot, and a few
cases of guards accidentally shooting their relief, thinking that they were Youma sneaking up on
them." He shook his head. "I'm starting to wonder if putting untrained personnel on guard duty was a
good idea."

"It sounded like you didn't have much choice," Minako offered consolingly. "You did what you had to,
right?"

"Yes, I suppose so," he relented. "Still, I can't help but wonder if there was something else I
could've done rather than put non-Shishu personnel at risk. I know that I have no right to say that
after that last battle...." He trailed off, shaking his head again. "No matter. There's no use in
dwelling on that. Ryoku, where exactly are these training grounds that you've been using?"

"I've been using a relatively unused area in the northeastern part of Section 331," Ryoku told him.

"The large clearing, I assume."

"Yes," he confirmed with a nod. "The others should be there or on their way by now."

"Then, let's go," Mamoru said, but hesitated before leaving. "Are you sure you don't want to skip out
on training, just this once? I'll cover for you, if you want."

Ryoku shook his head. "I'm grateful for the offer," he said tiredly. "Really, I am. Normally, I'd
take you up on that offer. However, right now I've got too much on my mind to be of any use in
anything but training."

He gave him a worried look, but let the matter drop as he turned to leave with Ryoku and Minako
following not too far behind.

"Minako," Ryoku asked as the two fell back enough not to be overheard. Mamoru seemed to notice this
and maintained a short, respectful distance ahead. "Why didn't you want to stay behind with Mako-chan?
I would've thought you would want to get to know her."

The blonde nurse-in-training hesitated for a moment before answering. "I just figured that she'd
rather spend time with the friends she knows," she replied.

"You mentioned that," he said, unconvinced. "I was wondering if there was something else behind why
you left."

"I didn't want to get in the way-"

"Of what?" he cut in quickly. "Did you think Ami and Rei would monopolize her like that? Or that
Mako-chan would ignore you in favor of them? My sister isn't like that, I promise you."

"No, it's not that," she shook her head. "Look, Ryoku-sama, can we not talk about this? There's really
no need to be worrying about something that doesn't even matter."

Ryoku frowned as he turned away, staring straight ahead. "When there's a problem between my sister and
someone I love, it does matter," he said in a quiet, brooding tone without looking at her.

The rest of the trip to Section 331 was made in silence.

_________________________________________________________________


Usagi's Room - Orphan's Quarters, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 8, 1992. 10:10 P.M.


Usagi sighed as she finally plopped down on her bed. She had no idea what possessed her to volunteer
to help Naru with tending the younger children. Maybe it was the desperate look that she had given her
as she, Setsuna-sensei, and the other caregivers tried to make due with seven of them out sick. It
wasn't as if they had the same illness, or had all taken sick at once - the seven had all gradually
succumbed to their illnesses over the course of a few days, so it wasn't as if there was a cause for
great concern; at least, on that end - but, as the seven of them fell sick, a volunteer had to step in
for each caregiver until that person could recover.

It had been hectic. Some of the toddlers needed changing, which Usagi had VERY reluctantly done,
although with heavy prodding from Risa, who seemed quite used to it. The young children were easier to
manage; however, they had this tendency to not want to listen to what you told them to do. It would've
been easier with Setsuna-sensei there, but she left over half an hour before they put the children to
bed, stating that she had important business that had to be personally attended to, leaving Minami-san
in charge of the Orphan's Quarters until her return.

Working as a temporary caregiver had been an eye-opening experience. Before then, she hadn't really
understood what went on in the Orphan's Quarters while she was at work. With the exception of most of
the kitchen crew and Setsuna-sensei, everyone who lived in this building was younger than 18 years
old, and most of them were between the ages of 5 to 12 years old. She had never even thought about
who was taking care of them, blindingly assuming that Setsuna-sensei was the one taking care of
everyone. Of course, one woman couldn't take care of a couple hundred children. Heck, even thirty
people were barely enough to look after that many children.

And they all volunteered for that job, too.

It was enough to give Usagi a newfound respect for Naru, Risa, and the other caregivers. Being the
cleaning woman at Shishu headquarters - even being the only cleaning person for that whole building -
was easy in comparison to that job. She knew she couldn't handle that job full-time. She was just
surprised that she hadn't messed up during that entire ordeal.

'Come to think of it,' Usagi pondered as she rolled over and stretched out on her bed, enjoying the
coolness of the pillow and blanket, as well as her pajamas, having only put them on minutes ago, 'I
haven't screwed anything up all day today, either. That's certainly a nice change.' Smiling, she sat
up, rolled off her bed, and strode toward the opposite side of the room where the switch for the light
rested. Halfway there, she paused as her gaze rested on the brooch resting on her desk where she had
left it that morning.

"Maybe I should just leave you there from now on," she ruminated as she turned to regard the golden
bauble. "I had a great day today; better than I had ever since I first got you. Is it too much of a
stretch to think you had something to do with it?" She stared at the brooch as if expecting it to
answer her and stepped closer to it. Silently, she reached out and picked it up, holding it out in
front of her. The usual emotions of anger and fear welled up inside of her again, as they always did.
However, another emotion seemed to swirl around insider her as well, mingling with the other two. It
felt almost like... confusion?

'Hmph. I must be confused," she thought to herself as she put the brooch back. 'Why did I even pick
that damn thing up? I never wanted it in the first place, so why do I keep touching the stupid thing?
It's not like it's going to be different from the last time I touched it.' Frowning, she finished
crossing the room to turn the light off and went back to her bed.

The last thought she had before falling asleep was wondering what happened to her good mood. She was
becoming angry and irritable more often than usual, which was very unlike her usual cheerful
personality. She was never like this in the slave fields....

_________________________________________________________________


Section 331 - Near Lower/Outer Grounds Border, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 8, 1992. 10:11 P.M.


Setsuna sighed impatiently as she sat on a decent-sized piece of rubble, waiting. Hotaru was sitting
on a smaller piece of rubble, fiddling with the transformation wand in her hands.

"Next time, we're definitely going to have to agree on a set time for this," Setsuna muttered as she
shifted her weight uncomfortably. Next time, she would definitely have to bring a cushion.

And maybe a thermos of tea.

Hotaru looked up to regard her sympathetically. "Maybe we should've gone to get the others first?"

"Perhaps," she allowed. "I thought they would be here by now."

Setsuna let out another sigh as she shifted her weight again. She was about to get up and look for a
more comfortable seat - or rather, a less uncomfortable one - when she spotted some people
approaching. "Looks like they've finally arrived, Hotaru-chan."

Hotaru hopped to her feet and glanced around. "Ah! Ryo-niichan! Minako-chan!" she called out and
waved to each of them. "And Mamoru-sama?" she added, surprised as her gaze stopped at the elder Blade.

"Mamoru-san?" Setsuna repeated, perplexed as she stood up. "He's here, too?"

"Good evening, Hotaru-chan, Setsuna-san," Ryoku called as he, Minako, and Mamoru reached the clearing.
Both Mamoru and Minako offered greetings as well. "Ami and Rei won't be joining us tonight."

"Why not?" she asked. Beside her, Hotaru looked slightly disappointed.

"Makoto woke up almost two hours ago," he explained. "Ami and Rei are with her now, helping her get
adjusted to the fact that it's 1992 instead of 1989."

"She's finally awake?" Hotaru asked, grinning excitedly. "You must really be happy, Ryo-niichan!"

Ryoku smiled kindly. "I am," he agreed, nodding once.

"But, why are you here, Ryoku-san?" Setsuna asked with concern. "If your sister has finally awakened,
I would think that you'd be there at her side, rather than here with us. You've been waiting for this
moment for years."

"True enough," he allowed. "But you should also know that I take my duties as a Shishu Blade very
seriously. Those duties come before my personal feelings."

Setsuna frowned. "I hope you don't mind when I say this, but I sometimes think you take your duties
as a Blade way too seriously," she remarked. "You really shouldn't neglect your own personal feelings
so much. It will only lead to despair in the end."

Ryoku sighed, feeling the weight of a silent gaze resting on his back. "I think it's a little too late
to be concerned with that," he replied regretfully.

Noticing the expression on Ryoku's face, and the lesser one on Minako's, she decided to quickly
change the subject. "So, why is Mamoru-san here?" she asked, turning toward the Shishu commander. "I
thought we were supposed to be keeping certain things secret."

"Because Ryoku is reporting to me," Mamoru explained. "By appointment, he is acting as the official
Shishu liaison between us Blades and you Sailor Senshi. As such, I felt that I should come in person
on behalf of all Shishu worldwide and officially recognize you as our allies against the Dark
Kingdom." He paused and smiled amiably. "Besides, I already know some of your Senshi identities. Since
I know this much, I might as well know the rest."

The dark-haired nurse shrugged. "I suppose so."

"You already know that Usagi is Sailor Moon, Minako is Sailor Venus, Ami is Sailor Mercury, Rei is
Sailor Mars, and Hotaru is Sailor Saturn," Ryoku explained. "I'd like you to meet our newly awakened
Senshi: Meiou Setsuna-sensei, Sailor Pluto."

Mamoru nodded. "So, according to the information that Serenity gave me, we're missing Sailor Jupiter,
Sailor Uranus, and Sailor Neptune. She also mentioned to me that she feels that they are close by;
either here at the jinja, or at least, on their way here."

"That's good to know," Ryoku remarked with a small nod of understanding. He then turned to address the
others. "Anyway, the main reason we're here is to get Setsuna-san accustomed to her Sailor Senshi
powers. While she's doing that, the rest of you will practice using your basic power sets.
Hotaru-chan, I will be working with you on honing your skill with the Silence Glaive."

"There's only three of us here, Ryoku-san," Setsuna pointed out.

"I'm aware of that...," he replied flatly. "And you can shut your mouth!" he snapped at Mamoru, who
was snickering to himself behind him.

"Sorry, sorry," he replied, waving a hand dismissively. "Please, continue."

"At any rate," he continued with a sigh, "Minako, please give the command."

Minako stared, not expecting the sudden request. "Command?" she repeated, confused. Ryoku raised an
eyebrow. "Oh! Right! Heh, heh... sorry." She turned to the others while raising her transformation
wand over her head. "Everyone, transform! Venus star power, make-up!"

Hotaru and Setsuna brought out their transformation wands and followed Minako's lead.

"Saturn star power, make-up!"

"Pluto star power, make-up!"

Mamoru stared, entranced at the girls' transformation. He could almost feel the power emanating from
their bodies as the magical power coursed through them, taking form as the Senshi fuku they now wore.
A long, simple, yet imposing polearm appeared in Saturn's small hands; the weapon was easily a meter
and a half longer than she was tall.

"It still feels like I'm missing something important," Pluto muttered quietly to herself as she stared
down into her empty hands.

"Did you say something, Pluto?" Ryoku inquired, glancing in her direction.

"No, not really," she replied, shaking her head. "So, what is this 'Dead Scream' that you mentioned
before?"

"I can help you with that," Venus interjected, raising a hand. "Ryoku-sama, you go ahead and help
Saturn. I can take care of Pluto." Ryoku nodded and headed toward the youngest Senshi.

"Say, Ryoku, would you mind if I helped as well?" Mamoru asked. "I don't think I can really stand just
sitting around watching while you're all training so hard."

"Actually, that would be a big help," he said gratefully. "It's hard for me to coach and spar at the
same time."

Venus and Pluto watched as Saturn and the two Blades headed over to one side of the clearing to
practice. "Don't worry, Meiou-sensei," Venus said with a confident grin. "I'm sure Hotaru-chan will do
fine as a Senshi. After all, she not only did very well in her first battle, she's got us to protect
her."

"I know," Pluto sighed. "It's still hard, even knowing all that. That's just how mothers are. You'll
understand when you have children of your own," she added, smirking as she watched Venus turn an
interesting shade of red.

"A-A-Anyway," Venus stammered as she fought to regain her composure. "L-Let's get on with learning
how to use your power. Your basic attack is called Dead Scream." She paused in thought. "You know, I'm
not as knowledgeable about the mechanics of our power as Ryoku-sama is, so I guess I'll leave that
part to him.

"At any rate, the first thing that you have to do in order to use your attack is to mentally call upon
your guardian planet's power, then draw the rune for your attack in the air."

"Rune?" Pluto queried, confused at the unfamiliar term. "What's that?"

Venus smiled. "I had the exact same question when I first learned about my powers," she told her.
"The way it was explained to me was that a rune is a symbol that has to be drawn perfectly or else the
attack could do something you don't want it to."

Pluto looked at her dubiously. "That really wasn't much of an explanation," she remarked. "But I guess
what you're trying to say is that a rune controls your attack. Am I right?"

The blonde Senshi nodded. "Yeah, that's right! Now, once you've done that, the last thing you have to
do is shout the name of your attack to fire it."

"I understand," Pluto nodded. "So, tell me what this rune is that I have to draw."

"I don't know it."

"You... what?" she gave her a flat look. "How do you expect me to use my power if I don't know the
most important part?"

"I had the same problem," Venus admitted. "What you have to do is let your instinct guide you. Close
your eyes for a moment."

"All right," Pluto said as she closed her eyes.

"Now, reach out with your mind. Try to feel for your Senshi powers. When I found mine, it was kinda
like...." She paused for a moment to search for the right words. "It was kinda like light, but I
couldn't see it. I could only feel it."

There was a short silence as Pluto searched. A short distance away, Venus could see Saturn with her
Silence Glaive facing off against Mamoru with his sword in a practice match. Ryoku was watching
intently, stopping the match every now and then to give Hotaru advice. The young Senshi seemed to hang
on to his every word, nodding every time she understood his instruction.

"I think I have it," Pluto stated, bringing her attention back to the elder Senshi.

"All right," she nodded. "Now, reach out toward that light and draw power from it. Let it fill you."

Pluto nodded as she did so. Slowly, her hands seemed to move on their own as they rose into the air.
Her hands moved in parallel, as if she were holding something with them, like the staff that she kept
in her office if it had been whole. "Dead scream," she whispered as a sphere of grayish-lavender
energy suddenly formed a few centimeters away from where Venus assumed the tip of Pluto's staff would
be. She then shifted her weight, as if moving her non-existent staff into position, then released her
attack, which shot off into one of the larger pieces of rubble surrounding the area.

"You did it!" Venus cheered, applauding as Pluto opened her eyes.

"I suppose so," she frowned thoughtfully. "It just felt like that was much weaker than it was supposed
to be." She then turned to Venus and smiled faintly. "Thanks. Your advice was a great help."

Venus smiled back and held up a hand with two fingers in a 'V'-sign. "No problem," she replied
confidently. "That's what I'm here for, after all. Now, let's continue to practice using your power
until it becomes second nature. After all, if you have to fight, you won't have time to concentrate on
remembering this process."

Pluto nodded, then regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. "I must admit that I'm surprised,
Minako-san," she said with a small smile. "You're more reliable as a Sailor Senshi than I'd thought
you'd be."

"What?" She gave her an offended look. "Meiou-sensei! That's mean!"

"That's not what I meant," Pluto replied, shaking her head. "It's just that you've always struck me as
a flighty sort of person. The only things you only seemed to be serious about your nursing job and
Ryoku-san, and even then you tended to play around some of the time. It's just good to know that you
can be serious about other things, as well. Especially something as serious as this."

Venus gave her a considering look. "Can I tell you a secret, Meiou-sensei?"

Pluto blinked, caught off guard at the sudden request. "Secret?"

She glanced over at where Ryoku was demonstrating some moves with the Silence Glaive to Saturn, while
Mamoru watched. "I probably wouldn't even be a Sailor Senshi if it wasn't for the fact that Ryoku-sama
is depending on my help.

"Fighting Youma is so frightening," she continued as she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered
slightly. "And what's worse is that Hotaru-chan and I almost died in our first battle. If I hadn't
acted as quickly as I did, we probably wouldn't be alive right now." She closed her eyes and shook her
head quickly, as if trying to shake off the horrible memory. "I don't want to go through something
like that ever again!"

"Minako-san...."

"But, Ryoku-sama is counting on me," she continued as she opened her eyes and watched him once again.
"Back in the Silver Millennium, I was his partner during the war with the Dark Kingdom, as well as the
leader of the Sailor Senshi. We worked together, backing each other up in order to defend our home
from being overrun. Now that we've been reborn and have taken up our old Silver Millennium roles, he's
counting on me to help him defend our home once again. I have to be strong; I can't let my fear keep
me down."

Pluto gave her an understanding look. "Minako-san, there's nothing to keep secret. If there's anything
that Ryoku-san knows, is that the Dark Kingdom is a force to be feared. He knows this because he faces
that fear everyday. I know that he won't think less of you if you were afraid. You said it yourself,
Minako-san; you two back each other up. And the rest of us will back you up as well. We're all in this
together, Minako-san... no, Sailor Venus.

"I may not have my memory back yet, but I do know that right now, all of us are working toward the
same goal. As long as we work together, the Dark Kingdom won't be quite as frightening as if we were
fighting alone." She gave Venus the same motherly smile she usually gave Hotaru whenever she felt
frightened for some reason. "Understand?"

Venus nodded and sighed. "But that only solves one of my problems," she murmured to herself.

"What was that?"

"Don't worry about it," she shook her head and smiled. "It's just something I have to worry about
later. Pay me no mind."

Pluto frowned, but let the matter go. "So, shall we practice using our attacks for now?"

"Right," Venus agreed and started gathering energy for an attack.

'That's right,' she thought as she drew the rune for her Crescent Beam. 'I can always try again later.
I have to be strong, for Ryoku-sama's sake, as well as my own.'

_________________________________________________________________


Titus' Room - Southern Cross, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 8, 1992. 10:36 P.M.


A strange feeling prodded Titus out of her sleep. She grunted as she rolled out of bed, feeling very
tired. Ever since coming to the Hikawa Jinja, she had been force to assume a human disguise nonstop,
which was a constant drain on her energy. It was fortunate that she had a vast reserve stored, but it
wasn't enough to keep her going for very long. Sleep was the best way to lessen the huge demand on her
energy reserve, as she could shut down her other functions while leaving her disguise field running.
Besides, it helped her appear more human if she actually required sleep, rather than staying up all
night.

Still, if she didn't have that miniscule flow of energy that connected her to the Palace, she would
easily run out of energy within a day or two.

Now that her mental facilities were up and running, she extended her senses toward that strange
feeling that roused her from her sleep. It felt magical, which meant either Youma, Jadeite, or the
Senshi. Youma was obviously impossible, as a feeling this powerful would require enough Youma to rouse
the entire jinja to battle. There was no way possible to hide that many Youma. Jadeite was out of the
question, unless he returned from his tour early. He had given no such indication to her, so she was
forced to rule out that possibility.

So, that left the Sailor Senshi.

Leaving the normal way would be tricky. She didn't want to be seen for obvious reasons. Besides,
Minami's room was right down the hall from hers, and she was a very light sleeper. So, that left
leaving by the window.

One glance out the window showed that there was nobody outside at this time of night. That was very
fortunate, but she had to move quickly, lest someone come without any warning. Quickly, she rushed to
her door and locked it so no one could come in to discover her gone, and made a flying leap out of her
window. As she fell, she glanced over her shoulder. All the windows were dark; no one was awake.

Once she landed on her feet, she ran toward the direction that she felt the magical energy come from.
If she hurried, she could possibly locate the Senshi and just maybe discover the identity of one of
them. If she could do that, Jadeite would be so proud of her. Maybe he'd even take her to bed right
then and there.

If anyone happened to look out of their window at that point, they would catch a glimpse of a young
woman running inhumanly fast with a dark, yet eager grin on her face that almost matched the slightly
crazed look in her eyes.


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


Author's Note: First of all, I've revised all my previous chapters, fixing all spelling and
grammatical errors. Even though most of the content is the same, there are a few subtle changes here
and there. I must say, having a beta-reader is a great thing. ^_^ Anyway, the author apologizes for
the long delay in getting this chapter out to you. I've been really busy as of late, so I've had
little time for writing anything. So, now that Makoto's awake, how long will it take for her to regain
her strength and join her brother as a 6th class Blade? And why is Minako hesitating now that Makoto
is awake? What will happen to Usagi now that she realizes that her personality is slowly changing?
What about Titus? Will she manage to discover the identity of the Sailor Senshi? The answer to these
questions and more 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.