Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Brooch ❯ Chapter 20

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

The Brooch
By Jason C. Ulloa


Chapter 20


Hikawa Jinja Proper, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 9, 1992. 12:57 P.M.


Minako hurried through the jinja with Ryoku and Hotaru following close behind her. Her mind was focused
on bringing Hotaru to Grandpa in hopes that the young girl's healing abilities could save him. She liked
Grandpa; he was a bit of a flirt at times, but she knew that it was more of a playful, friendly sort,
rather than that of a perverted old man. Still, he was very wise and knowledgeable in the ways of his
religion and that of the Hikawa Jinja. After all, thanks to him and Ryoku's father, the jinja was reborn
as the sanctuary against the Dark Kingdom that it was now.

There was no denying that Grandpa was strong, despite how old he was. Under his leadership, the barrier
had strengthened and expanded to a size that almost rivaled that of the Meiji Jinja's at its strongest.
But, like the Meiji Jinja, his great spiritual strength eventually fell under the constant and unending
pressure from the Dark Kingdom.

She didn't like thinking like this, but knowing the dangers of fighting the Dark Kingdom, she couldn't
help but wonder how long it would be until she eventually fell to the Dark Kingdom. There was no denying
that her powers were strong and that Sailor Moon's were even stronger still. However, they were, almost
literally, fighting against the entire world. To her, ridding Japan of the Dark Kingdom would be a great
accomplishment, but one beyond her capabilities, or even that of Shishu's. Perhaps they could do it once
the rest of the Sailor Senshi were revived, but saving the whole world from the Dark Kingdom?

Thinking back to the last battle, even though they had managed to eliminate many Youma, they were only
able to accomplish that with support from the Shishu Blades. Otherwise, they could've been overrun
several times over. She briefly wondered if Serenity realized that. It seemed at times as if she were
planning on taking on the entire Dark Kingdom with just the Sailor Senshi once they were all found and
retrained in using their powers. She didn't think their chances would be very good if they tried that.
Perhaps she should speak with Serenity about it the next time she had the opportunity.

It didn't take long for her to reach Grandpa's room. Fortunately, more than half of the nurses and
doctors were still on their lunch breaks, so it was easy for her to bring Hotaru and Ryoku through
quickly without any unnecessary questions. So far, the only person that had seen them was one of the
nurses-in-training, but one stern look from Ryoku kept her from asking any questions.

Minako knocked softly on the door and waited. The door slid open, revealing the nurse that had relieved
her almost an hour ago. "You're back already, Aino-san? I thought you wouldn't be back for another
half-hour or so."

"I wasn't really hungry," she replied with a slight shake of her head, then gestured toward Hotaru and
Ryoku. "They're here to see Hino-sama and Rei-chan."

The nurse nodded. "I guess I'll take my break early, then," she said as she exited the room. "I hope you
can do something for her," she added as she passed by Ryoku. "It's sad to see someone in that much pain,
even if she's doing her best to hide it."

"We'll do what we can," he replied without taking his gaze from Rei, who hadn't noticed that the door was
open. The nurse nodded once and continued on her way.

"Rei-chan," Minako said as she sat down beside her friend, "I'm back."

The raven-haired girl muttered what sounded like an acknowledgment without lifting her gaze from her
grandfather.

Minako sighed wearily as she glanced up at the others. Hotaru sat down across the bed from her, while
Ryoku simply closed the door and stood out of the way.

"Rei-chan, I've brought Ryoku-sama and Hotaru-chan with me," she tried again as she reached over and took
Rei's hands in hers, forcing the distraught girl to look at her. "We're here to help you, Rei-chan. We're
here to help Grandpa get better."

Rei glared at Minako for a moment before the words started to penetrate. "H-Hotaru-chan?" she said as she
turned a desperately hopeful look toward the young girl.

"I'll do my best, Rei-chan!" Hotaru nodded, steely determination in her eyes. She brought out her
transformation wand, stood up, and raised it over her head. "Saturn star power, make-up!" Within
moments, the young girl transformed into Sailor Saturn.

Rei stared, her gaze transfixed as Saturn knelt beside Grandpa and laid her hands on his head. A soft
glow enveloped her hands and Grandpa's head as her healing powers manifested.

Saturn's eyes closed as she focused all of her will into her ability. Rei needed Grandpa; she was falling
apart without him. She didn't want Rei to end up like she did just before Ryoku found her - all alone in
the world without anyone to call family. She didn't want anyone to end up like that. It was too sad.

No. She would not let it happen.

The glow surrounding her hands intensified for a few moments before fading, then flickering away into
nothing. Saturn released Grandpa and slumped over, exhausted. Ryoku rushed forward, catching the young
Senshi before she could hit her head against the floor, and gently laid her down on the floor. Minako
quickly got up to check on Saturn as Rei anxiously watched her grandfather, waiting for a miracle to show
itself.

A quiet moan escaped Grandpa's lips as he shifted slightly and went still again.

"Grandpa?" Rei called out in a soft, yet almost desperate voice as she started to reach out to him.
Before her hand reached him, she whirled around to stare at Minako. "Why didn't he wake up?" she demanded
as the blonde nurse-in-training finished looking over Saturn, tears threatening to form in her eyes.
"Hotaru-chan healed him, right? He should be better, right?"

"Calm down, Rei," Ryoku said as he took her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him.

"Dammit, Ryo-kun," she shouted as she flung his hands off her shoulders and glared at him, "how in the
hell do you expect me to be calm-" Her harangue cut off abruptly as Ryoku slapped her across the face.

"Be quiet," he said, his face as expressionless as his tone. "There are people resting here."

"This is no time to be funny!" Rei hissed as she lightly rubbed her cheek.

"No one's laughing," he replied as he turned to Minako and gave her a pointed look.

Minako looked up from checking on Grandpa, nodded, and stood up. "There should be someone available to
check on Grandpa," she said as she turned to leave. "I'll be right back." With that, she slid open the
door and stepped out, sliding the door closed behind her.

As soon as the door closed, Ryoku knelt down beside Saturn and gently shook her. "Hotaru-chan, wake up,
please. You have to change back before someone shows up."

"She's out cold, Ryo-kun," Rei said as she walked over to the far side of the room and started dragging a
futon over. "Put her in this. I had it set up last night so that I could stay with him in case he woke
up in the middle of the night. There's a privacy screen folded up in the closet. Get that for me, would
you?"

Ryoku nodded, relieved that she had managed to get her emotions back under control. It didn't take long
for him to set up the screen and carry Saturn over once Rei finished straightening out the futon.

"Thanks for trying, Hotaru-chan," Rei said softly as she gently kissed the young girl on the forehead.
"I'm sure you did all you could."

"Even if she wasn't able to heal him completely, he should at least be much better off than before," he
pointed out as Rei stepped out from behind the screen and went to sit down beside Grandpa again. "He
might even wake up today."

"I know, Ryo-kun," she replied without looking back at him. "Still, I couldn't help hoping that it would
be enough." She paused, taking a long, deep, steadying breath as she turned to look at him. "Is this what
it was like for you when Mako-chan was in her coma?" she asked, her eyes searching his for an answer.

The young Blade frowned slightly and turned to regard Grandpa as he considered the question. "It's not an
easy question to answer, Rei. There were times that, yes, I can easily see myself in your place. However,
our situations aren't exactly the same. Grandpa more than likely won't be asleep for over three years.
I'm sure he'll wake up long before then."

"I guess so," she nodded as she gazed down at Grandpa again, taking in his sleeping countenance. She
didn't want to imagine having to endure this for over three years. She had no idea how he had managed it
with Makoto.

"I won't lie to you and tell you that I had it worse than you in all aspects," he continued solemnly.
"There is still the fact that even after Grandpa wakes up, he won't be the same. Not after what he has
gone through."

Rei's hands clenched into fists in her lap. "I didn't need you to remind me about that!" she hissed
fiercely, refusing to even look up at him.

"I know," he agreed. "But, I didn't want you to think that I was trying to make your situation seem any
less than it actually is."

The raven-haired miko scowled, but didn't argue the point. Instead, she continued to focus her attention
on Grandpa, waiting for him to show any kind of sign of waking up.

A few minutes later, the door slid open, admitting Minako along with someone else. "Sorry for taking so
long," Minako said as she quickly stepped aside and sat down beside Ryoku. "Anyway, could you please take
a look at Hino-sama, Okuda-sensei?"

Okuda, a kind-faced, elderly doctor, smiled as he stepped further into the room, closing the door behind
him. "So, you said that you noticed a change in his complexion after he moved slightly?" he inquired as
he knelt down beside Rei, set down the bag he was carrying, and began looking the elderly priest over.

"Yes, Okuda-sensei," Minako confirmed. "His face looked less pale and more relaxed. The way he shifted
seemed similar to the way some people shift in their sleep, so I was hoping that-"

"That Hino-sama would be close to waking?" Okuda concluded as he opened one of Grandpa's eyes for a
moment, then closed it again. He opened his bag and removed a stethoscope, placing the earpieces in his
ears before turning back to Grandpa. "Lower the blanket and raise his shirt, please." He waited until
Minako had done so before placing the listening end on Grandpa's chest and listening for a few moments.

"From what I've seen so far," he said while removing the stethoscope and putting it away, "it seems as
though he's sleeping much lighter than before. He seems to have improved greatly since he was last
examined. In my estimate, he may wake sometime tonight or by tomorrow morning at the latest."

"That's wonderful!" Minako exclaimed as Rei relaxed visibly. "Isn't that great, Rei-chan?"

"Yes," Rei nodded, her eyes threatening to tear up again, this time in relief.

"I must say, this is quite astonishing," Okuda said, mostly to himself, as he closed his bag and began to
stand up. "Here we have yet another miraculous rapid recovery, just like we had when that nice young girl
appeared a couple days ago and used some kind of healing power of hers." Minako, Rei, and Ryoku all
stiffened slightly at the elderly doctor's astute observation. Fortunately, the doctor was staring down
at Grandpa and didn't notice.

"Did any of you see a young girl wearing some sort of purple and white uniform, possibly carrying a
spear or some sort of polearm?" he asked as he turned toward the others.

"If you are referring to Sailor Saturn, then yes, we all saw her here a little while ago," Ryoku answered
with a slight nod.

"Ah, I see," the doctor said, nodding thoughtfully. "So, Sailor Saturn is her name, is it? Do you think
she might be around still, Kino-sama?"

"Since I saw her a short time ago, I suppose she might still be somewhere within the temple walls," he
replied.

Okuda considered for a moment, his eyes briefly resting on the privacy screen at the far end of the room.
"Well, I must return to my duties," he said as he turned to leave. "If any of you happen to see Sailor
Saturn, could you please ask her if she wouldn't mind giving us a hand again? She was a great help to us.
And especially to me. My youngest daughter would've died had it not been for her timely intervention. I
owe her more than words describe."

He paused for a moment and smiled self-depreciatingly. "Ah, but I'm just rambling on like an old man now,
aren't I? Aino-san, I'll leave Hino-sama's care in your hands."

"Yes, Okuda-sensei," Minako nodded. The doctor nodded back and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

The three exchanged looks after the doctor left. "Do you think he knew she was there?" Rei asked.

"Who knows?" Ryoku shrugged. "Either way, Hotaru-chan can't help anyone until she wakes up. Anyway," he
added, standing up, "I need to head back to the Orphan's Quarters to check on Mako-chan. Besides, there's
something I promised to speak with her about."

"Should I come, too, Ryoku-sama?" Minako asked. "I was there when it happened, after all."

"When what happened?" Rei asked, turning from watching Grandpa.

"Mako-chan accidentally overheard a conversation between Minako, Hotaru-chan, and myself," he explained.
"She knows Hotaru-chan is Sailor Saturn and possibly suspects Minako of being a Sailor Senshi as well, or
at least involved with them, like I am."

"She promised to keep what she knows a secret," Minako added. "But we did promise we'd explain later."

Rei frowned slightly. "Do you think we should let the others know?"

"I'll tell them myself," Ryoku said. "She's my sister and I feel responsible for allowing us to be
overheard." He turned to Minako. "I think you should stay here with Rei and watch over Grandpa. I can
talk with Mako-chan myself. Besides, there's something else I need to talk to her about."

Minako frowned, but nodded her agreement. "I understand," she said as Rei turned back to continue her
vigil over her grandfather. "I'll let you know when Grandpa wakes up."

"Thanks, Minako." He knelt down beside Rei and gave her a firm, comforting hug. "Don't worry, Rei. No
matter what happens, Grandpa will still be Grandpa. He's a very strong man; he'll make it though. I know
he will."

Rei nodded, although she made no move to return the hug, or even look in his direction. "Thanks, Ryo-kun."

Without a word, he released her, then started for the door. Before opening it, he glanced back at Grandpa
once more, then left, softly closing the door behind him.

Minako glanced toward the door after Ryoku left, then back at Rei, who hadn't moved since Ryoku left.
Silently, she stood up, moved to sit beside Rei and quietly hugged her in a similar manner. Just as
before, Rei made no move to return the hug or look in her direction. However, she did raise her right
hand and let it rest on top of Minako's left hand.

Neither one said a word as they watched Grandpa and waited.


_________________________________________________________________


Farming Grounds - Lower Grounds, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 9, 1992. 1:08 P.M.


Titus sighed to herself as she paused in her work to make a show of stretching her arms. She hated this
part of her assignment, working in the fields as a human, helping to grow the food they needed to live.
More than once, she considered razing all the fields, but that would give her away way too easily. This
assignment was too important to risk blowing her cover like that, even if it would greatly help Jadeite's
cause.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Minami pulling up some weeds that had sprouted since yesterday.
That annoying little twit had come by during her break a half-hour ago and spouted off some tripe about
some girl she knew that snuck off to have sex with her boyfriend in his old living quarters last night.
Just what she wanted to hear about; humans fornicating. Bleh. If she had her choice of which humans she
could kill if allowed, she'd definitely be the first.

She was in the middle of a pleasant fantasy where she was slowly ripping out Minami's limbs, one by one,
when she felt a small flare of power come to life. Or rather, it was a large flare of power some distance
away. It was too far for her to be able to tell whose it was, but she knew for certain that it was the
magical signature of a Senshi. From the direction of the power flare, she estimated that the Senshi was
somewhere on Sendai Hill.

"Are you all right?"

"Huh?" Titus asked, blinking as she broke her focus on the power flare and turned in the voice's
direction. "Himiko-san?"

"You looked like something spooked you for a moment there," Himiko said as she tilted her head curiously,
then glanced around. "I don't see anything, though...."

"Don't worry about it, Himiko-san," she said quickly. "It was just my eyes playing tricks on me. That's
all."

"Oh. Well... if you say so," the blonde girl shrugged and turned back to what she was doing. At the same
time, Titus felt the unknown Senshi's power flicker and fade to nothing. That probably meant that she had
just fallen unconscious.

Titus grimaced to herself. It would be difficult to slip away with the number of people around. If she
were to slip away now, it would draw too much attention to herself. Besides, with the Senshi unconscious,
she couldn't track her anymore. Sendai Hill wasn't a big area, but it wasn't small, either. If she were
to try and find the unconscious Senshi, the others might spot her first.

It was too much to risk for just one Senshi. There would be other opportunities. With that thought in
mind, she bent back to her task of plowing yet another row of dirt for planting seeds.

That, and fantasizing about Minami being raked over by a Claw Hunter. It was enough to bring a tiny smile
to her face.


_________________________________________________________________


Orphan's Quarters, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 9, 1992. 1:39 P.M.


Makoto sighed as she laid on her brother's bed, waiting. The walk to the dining area wasn't so bad, but
walking back after lunch had winded her slightly. She had intended to try a light workout to strengthen
her leg muscles after lunch, but it seemed like they were already worked pretty hard as it was. Now that
she had an idea of where her strength lay in terms of what she was used to, she could start mentally
drafting out plans to rehabilitate herself. Of course, Ryoku would have some say in it as well, but for
now, a rough draft would be fine. They could make changes as they went.

For the past half-hour, she had been lying on Ryoku's bed, looking at everything in his room. It was
similar and yet, completely different from what she remembered her brother's room looking like back at
the Meiji Jinja. She could see familiar items from his old room - the picture of their family on his
desk, as well as his journal - but, for the most part, there was little else in his room. It was stark,
barren. His old room had paintings, a couple of miniature wooden carvings that their father had made for
them, some books, even a guitar that their grandfather had given him for his fifth birthday, along with
the bokuto that their father had given him.

As she reflected on those changes, her mind invariably drifted to the changes she observed in her own
brother. He was less playful now and his seriousness had escalated dramatically. She could understand
somewhat, as being a Blade involved risking your life almost on a daily basis. However, her brother had
always retained a sort of good-natured, playful streak. That had diminished drastically since their
family's massacre. Still, there were hints that his old personality was still there, so she had some
hope.

Ryoku wasn't the only one she had seen changes in. There were subtle changes in Rei and Ami, too, from
what she could tell from when she spoke with them last night. Rei seemed calmer and less argumentative,
and Ami seemed less timid and more assertive. All these things continued to remind her of the time she
had lost. She still felt like she was ten, rather than thirteen (with four months until she turned
fourteen). Oh, it was easy to tell if she looked into a mirror, like the one on the other side of the
room. Her height and her breasts were enough to tell her she had just leaped past the onset of puberty.
Getting used to the weight on her chest would be a little strange, but something that she could cope with.

She turned her head a little bit to the right to see Artemis lying on the pillow next to her, taking a
small nap. He seemed very content lying there curled up in a furry little ball. Not for the first time,
she wondered what had happened to him that caused him to be bandaged up like that. It must've been very
bad, whatever the reason.

A light knock on the door interrupted her musings. "Come in," she called out as she shifted onto her left
side.

"How are you feeling, Mako-chan?" Ryoku asked as he opened the door and came in, closing the door quietly
behind him.

"Kinda tired," she replied with a sigh. "I didn't even go that far, Ryo-chan! Just to the dining area and
back! I shouldn't be this tired!"

"I know," he said as he sat down on the couch. "Anyway, I have good news. Mamoru just granted me
permission to oversee your training as a Recruit Blade."

Makoto brightened instantly. "Seriously?" she asked, pushing herself up and forward eagerly.

He nodded. "Actually, you're not the only Recruit Blade that I'll be training," he added.

The brunette blinked at the news. "I'm not?" she said, slightly disappointed. "How many Recruit Blades
will you be training?"

"Including you, two," he said, raising two fingers. "Furthermore, the other Recruit I'm training is a
girl, like you, only older. Seventeen, I'm guessing."

Makoto looked away as she settled back onto the bed. "I'm going to have to work hard so I don't hold her
back," she said quietly. "Ryo-chan, I want you to promise me that you will work me hard, so that doesn't
happen."

"Mako-chan, I-"

"Don't start with that, Ryo-chan," Makoto quickly cut in. "You know me; I won't harm myself, but I won't
let anyone say that Kino Makoto isn't strong enough or dedicated enough to be a Blade. Just like you, I
have a family legacy to live up to." She gave Ryoku a hard stare. "Promise me, Ryo-chan. On your honor. I
won't accept anything less."

Ryoku leaned back against the couch and sighed as he stared up toward the ceiling. "Setsuna-san is going
to be pissed at me," murmured to himself before looking back at Makoto again. "All right. On my honor, I
promise that I won't hold anything back while training you, as long as you don't hurt yourself. However,"
he added as he pointed a stern finger at her, "you will remember this: You are a Sixth Class Blade, and I
am a Third Class. You WILL obey my orders, Makoto. If I think you're overdoing it, we WILL stop. Do you
understand me?"

Makoto nodded. "I understand, Ryoku."

"Good," he nodded as he dropped his hand. "We'll start tomorrow morning, after I go get Haruka-san. She's
the other recruit that I'll be training, by the way."

She nodded again, but didn't say anything.

"All right," he said as he stood up. "I need to speak with Setsuna-san and let her know that I've been
put in charge of training you. We'll have to make a schedule for her to examine you daily to ensure that
you haven't overexerted yourself while training. After that, I need to stop by Shishu headquarters and
get some gear for you. The usual standard issue stuff." He turned and headed for the door.

"Wait, Ryo-chan."

He paused in reaching for the doorknob and turned back around. "What is it, Mako-chan?"

"You know the Sailor Senshi, don't you?" Ryoku stiffening slightly was enough to confirm her guess. Out
of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Artemis had stiffened as well and had a surprised look on his
face. Though, why he was surprised, she wasn't certain. Maybe he was reacting to Ryoku or something. "I
know both you and Minako-san know that Hotaru-chan is Sailor Saturn, and from the way you two were acting
earlier, I get the feeling that possibly Minako-san's one, too. Either that, or she's like you, someone
who's involved with the Sailor Senshi. Ryo-chan, I promised that I'd keep it a secret, but since I know
this much, can't you tell me the rest, too? If I know, then when I get my strength back, I can help,
too!" She paused as she looked away, letting her head droop. "I don't like secrets between us, Ryo-chan."

Ryoku remained silent for a while as he considered. He didn't like secrets between them as much as she
didn't, but there were reasons for it. He didn't want her risking her life any more than necessary. If
she were to get involved with the Senshi like he was, then she'd probably become a target by association,
like he was liable to become once the Dark Kingdom learned of his association.

As the young Blade considered, Artemis made his own study of Makoto as he thought. From what he had
observed from watching her as he lounged on Ryoku's pillow, he thought the girl was pretty strong in both
body and spirit. From his understanding, she had been in a coma for over three years; however, here she
was, regaining her strength at an impressive rate. Not only that, but she was determined to go even
farther, despite everyone telling her not to.

Artemis froze as a thought suddenly clicked into place. Back in the Silver Millennium, Jovan had a
sister, Jura. Jura was the princess of Jupiter and a Sailor Senshi as well - Sailor Jupiter. Jovan had
reincarnated as Ryoku. Ryoku had a sister. So, maybe....

The white cat slowly got to his feet and turned to Ryoku. "Tell her."

Both Ryoku's and Makoto's heads whipped toward Artemis. "Y-You can talk?" Makoto exclaimed, flabbergasted.

Ryoku gave him a curious look. "Are you sure, Artemis?"

"Yes," he nodded as he padded toward the end of the bed and prepared to hop down. "In fact, you might as
well tell her everything from the beginning." He leaped to the floor, wincing slightly as he landed, but
only for a moment. "I have to confer with Luna, but if my theory is correct, then she will need to know
what's going on."

"What theory?" he asked, while Makoto stared in astonishment at the talking cat.

"Don't worry about it," he replied. "If I'm right, then you'll know soon enough. Could you open the door
for me?"

"All right," Ryoku complied as he opened the door enough to let the cat out.

"Thanks," he said as he slipped out. "I won't take long."

"Ryo-chan," Makoto said as her brother closed the door, "why can your cat talk? What's going on?"

"Looks like talking to Setsuna-san will have to wait," he sighed as he sat back down again. "Get
comfortable, Mako-chan. This might take a while to explain."


_________________________________________________________________


Shishu Headquarters, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 9, 1992. 2:01 P.M.


"So, what do you think so far?" Usagi asked as she sat down in a chair in one of the unused offices. She
loved sitting in the chairs in these offices. They were so comfortable!

After they were dusted and cleaned, of course.

"What do I think?" Michiru asked uncertainly as she stepped into the office and looked around. There were
several paintings hanging up on the wall, mostly depicting battles and such. She could easily recognize
sentry Youma as well as the Hunters and Mages. Her mouth curved downward in distaste; however, she did
admire the artist's style. The brushstrokes were hardly visible at all. The artist's signature marking
was a name she did not recognize, which was surprising. Although she only knew of artists from around the
Midoriyama Jinja area, artists were still very rare the world over. For her, a confirmed art lover, to
have not heard of this artist was surprising to say the least. However, some jinjas had their own local
art talents that preferred to avoid notoriety. This person was probably one of them.

"Michiru-san?"

"Hm?" the aquamarine-haired girl blinked as her gaze turned from the painting she was studying. "I'm
sorry; this painting caught my attention. You were asking me about what I think?"

Usagi nodded.

"What do I think about what?" she asked, confused.

"About working here," Usagi explained, gesturing for her to sit down as well. "You've met the other
Blades and I've shown you around the entire headquarters building. What do you think so far? I'm curious."

"This building is huge for only being two stories," Michiru remarked as she sat down in a chair similar
to the one Usagi was sitting in. It was sitting across from the desk Usagi was sitting behind, reminding
her of when she was in the same situation earlier. However, it was Mamoru sitting behind the desk, rather
than Usagi. This led to an amusing thought of Usagi as the head of Shishu, complete with serious demeanor.

"Hey!" Usagi said as she pointed excitedly at her. "You're smiling!"

"Eh?" Michiru said, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. "I was?"

The blonde girl nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! You were!" she said as her hand returned to her side. "I
was so concerned earlier because you were so depressed for some reason. I couldn't help but feel sorry
for you." Her expression turned sad, but she quickly recovered. "But you're feeling better now, right?"

The older girl's expression fell slightly. "It's... not that simple, Usagi-san."

"Not that simple?" she inquired, her concern growing. "Do you want to talk about it? If there's anything
I can do to help-"

"There's really nothing you can do, Usagi-san," Michiru interjected quickly. "There's nothing... anyone
can do."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her countenance shifting from concern to confusion. "I might not be strong
or brave like Mamoru-san and the other Blades, but that doesn't mean that I can't do anything at all. I
may be younger than you, but I can still listen." Usagi looked at her with a slightly hurt expression on
her face. "I can do that, at the very least."

Michiru felt a little guilty at seeing Usagi like that. She didn't mean to make it sound like she didn't
want her help. It was just that she was beyond help. There was nothing to be done about her situation.
Nothing at all. However, Usagi was right. Even if she couldn't do anything about her condition, at the
very least she was someone who was willing to listen to her and help her through her depression.

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "I didn't mean to say that. It's just that my life has been changed
forever and I'm still trying to come to terms with it."

"I know what you mean," Usagi replied quietly. "I've gone through something like that, too."

The older girl looked at Usagi with a sidelong glance. "Not that I disagree with you, Usagi-san. It's
just that, somehow, I don't think it's quite the same as what I'm going through."

Usagi was silent for a while. "I watched my entire family die before my eyes just a little over two weeks
ago," she finally said, her voice just barely loud enough for Michiru to hear.

Michiru was stunned silent. Her entire family? And just two weeks ago? It was hard to believe, especially
considering how cheery the girl had been around her. She looked back at the blonde girl, who was now
staring despondently down toward the desk in front of her with a slightly haunted look in her eyes. Now
she felt like an ass. Obviously, she didn't have a monopoly on pain and misery.

"I'm sorry, Usagi-san," she apologized again, but Usagi merely shook her head and smiled. It wasn't as
bright as it was a while ago, though.

"Don't be," she told her. "It wasn't your fault. I just wanted you to know that I do understand what it's
like to have your life changed forever and having no power to do anything about it."

The aquamarine-haired girl nodded, then glanced down at the floor. "You really want to know, Usagi-san?"
she asked, her voice quivering very slightly near the end.

"I want us to be friends, Michiru-san," she said seriously. "I want to know what's bothering you so that
I can help you, even if it's just by talking, like we're doing now."

Michiru nodded again and took a slow, calming breath to settle herself. "Usagi-san, I'm hollow."

Usagi blinked as she stared at her, then blinked again. "Hollow?" she asked, tilting her head
inquisitively.

"You don't know what that means?" she asked back. Usagi answered by shaking her head. "I see.... Well,
being 'hollow' means that, while I was one of Jadeite's slaves, he removed my entire reproductive
system." She gave Usagi an intense stare, her eyes starting to water up. "Do you know what that means? It
means that I'll never be able to have any children for the rest of my life!" With that, she broke into
quiet sobbing, her tears slowly dropping on top of her clenched hands resting in her lap.

This time, it was Usagi's turn to be stunned silent. Never being able to have any children? She couldn't
even imagine it! But, there was something in what she said that unnerved her. She had been one of
Jadeite's slaves, too.

"Michiru-san, does that happen to all of Jadeite's slaves?" she asked, worry coloring her voice.

It took her a moment to get her sobbing under control. "No," she said with a quick shake of her head.
"Just his personal ones. The ones he takes to his bed," she added with a bitter twist to her frown.

Usagi couldn't help but gasp. "You mean...? You and he...?"

"It's not like I did it voluntarily!" she snapped angrily. "I was under mind control whenever that
happened! I never chose to be a sex slave!" She cut off when she noticed Usagi flinching away from her.
"I didn't mean to snap at you, Usagi-san. Forgive me."

"I'm sorry, too," she apologized penitently. "I didn't mean anything by what I said. I was just surprised
that he did that with humans."

"What? You thought he had sex with his Youma or something?" she asked with a laugh.

Usagi couldn't help but laugh as well. "Actually, I did. Like he had some sort of special female Youma he
made for it, or something."

"Actually, I think he does have one," Michiru said, recalling that Youma that had set her and several
others free just to later hunt them down. "A female Youma, that is."

"He does?"

"Her name's Titus," she told her. "Jadeite's second-in-command. She was the one who freed eleven of us,
just so she could later hunt us down for sport. It's just fortunate that we were rescued before she could
get any of us."

"Taking a break, are we?"

Both girls turned toward the entrance of the office where Sanzou was leaning against the door frame,
watching them.

"Oh, uh...," Usagi dithered as she quickly stood up from her chair. Michiru quickly, but calmly, stood up
as well.

"No, no," he said, waving for them to sit back down. "I'm not here to give you a hard time for taking a
break. Nothing wrong with it, after all."

"Oh," Usagi said, laughing sheepishly as she sat back down. Michiru merely smiled in amusement as she sat
down as well.

"Still, the way you reacted makes me wonder...," he continued, raising an eyebrow at her. "You weren't
doing something you weren't supposed to, were you?"

"No, no, no!" Usagi said, shaking her head rapidly. "We were just taking a break! Honest!"

"Oh, quit teasing her, Sanzou," Konno said as he appeared beside him. "Can't you tell she's taking
everything you say seriously?"

"Eh?" Usagi blinked as she paused in mid-shake.

Sanzou snorted. "You're no fun, you know that?" he remarked, glancing askance at him. Konno just shrugged
as if to say 'what can I say?' "Anyway, I was looking for you two in order to give you these," he said,
tossing Michiru a ring of keys. "This is the only other set of master keys we have, so you two had better
be careful with them. Especially as our key duplicating machine is busted."

"Busted?" Michiru asked, curious. Haruka was good with machines; maybe this would interest her.

"It's been broken for a while now," Konno remarked. "Some of its internal mechanisms have come loose
while others grind together, making sparks. It's not safe to operate anymore, so we have it tagged out."

"Tagged out?"

"It's logged as inoperable and there's a red tag on it, marking it as dangerous to operate," he
explained. "Until we can get someone from Maintenance, or even from Armory, to look at it, we can't use
it."

"Unfortunately, both Maintenance and Armory are backlogged with High Priority jobs and can't spare anyone
to look at a key duplicating machine," Sanzou complained. "So, for the time being, these two keyrings are
all we have. Take care of them."

"We will," both girls replied.

"Good," Sanzou nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Konno. "Let's go. The meeting's gonna start in a
few minutes."

"Meeting?" Usagi inquired.

"Don't worry about it," Sanzou advised as Konno walked past the door and out of view of the office. "It's
just a Shishu strategy meeting. Nothing that concerns either of you."

"Oh," she said, feeling chastised.

Sanzou grinned. "What, you want to attend? Sorry, but this meeting's for Blades only. Besides, you'd
probably be bored to tears." His grin dropped. "Anyway, I must be going now. Good luck on your new job,
Kaiou-san, and I thank you both for your hard work." With that, he turned and headed down the hall.

"At any rate, perhaps we should get back to work as well?" Michiru suggested as she stood up and pocketed
her new keyring. Usagi merely nodded as she stood, but her mind kept wandering toward what that Shishu
meeting could be about.

Somehow, she had a terrible feeling that this was a sign that Sailor Moon would be needed again in the
near future. She prayed that that wasn't the case.


_________________________________________________________________


Conference Room #1 - Shishu Headquarters, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 9, 1992. 2:16 P.M.


Mamoru resisted the urge to drum his fingers as he waited in his seat at the head of the long,
rectangular conference table that sat in the middle of the room. A quick look around the room revealed
that not everyone had arrived yet. The Recruit Blades and Sanzou were the first ones to arrive, but that
was only because they were out at the Training Grounds when he called the meeting. Sanzou then went to
call the others and returned with Konno. Both were seated near the head, Sanzou at his right side and
Konno to his left. The Recruits all took seats near the foot of the table on both sides, leaving the
chair at the foot of the table opposite of him empty. A couple of chairs separated the Recruits and the
other Blades, one for Yamada and one for Kino. Yamada was sent to go fetch Kino as he was probably at his
living quarters, looking after his recovering sister. Everyone was here and seated except for those two.

"Sorry about being late, Chiba," Ryoku said as he burst into the conference room with Yamada trailing
behind him.

"I TOLD you, you're NOT late!" Yamada growled, slightly winded. "You didn't have to run all the way here!
It's only 2:18, dammit! You had AT LEAST ten more minutes!"

"If that's true, then you didn't have to run with me," he replied as he sat down in the empty chair on
the left and nodded a greeting to the Recruits.

"Hmph. I'll be damned if I let you make it look like I'm strolling in late like I'm some self-important
hotshot," he groused as he took his seat on the other side.

"Enough, both of you," Mamoru interrupted firmly. "Now that everyone's here, I have some information that
needs to be put out.

"First of all, based on the reports I've received from Medical, the schedule for the raising of the
barrier is set at 1900 tonight, on schedule. However, due to the varying extent of injury to key
religious personnel, the strength of the barrier will be greatly reduced. Estimates from the Hikawa Jinja
proper have set the barrier's range to encompass Sendai Hill only."

A murmur arose amongst the Recruit Blades. Oda raised his hand. "Chiba, sir?"

"What is it, Oda?" Mamoru replied. "And don't call me 'sir.' I'm not an officer."

"About the barrier," he began as he lowered his hand. "How long will it take for the barrier to expand
around the Lower Grounds?"

"Further estimates from both Medical and the Hikawa Jinja set the barrier's expansion to include the
entire Lower Grounds in ten days at the soonest," Mamoru reported. "However, this is based on sending
partially healed personnel back to duty, rather than waiting for them to fully recover. As it is, even
though the barrier will encompass Sendai Hill, its strength will be roughly 60% of normal capacity."

This caused another murmur among the Recruits. "If you have any further questions," Sanzou interrupted
before anyone could say anything, " then please hold them until the end."

"Thank you, Sanzou," Mamoru nodded as he briefly glanced down at his notes. "Second, we have a possible
intruder lurking somewhere."

"An intruder?" Konno repeated incredulously.

"Yes," he confirmed grimly. "During a training exercise, a single Youma was discovered conducting an
espionage mission. This Youma, upon discovery, engaged a small group of forces consisting of myself,
Kino, and four allies designated 'Sailor Senshi,' then quickly retreated. There were no casualties or any
debilitating injuries. The Youma, prior to engagement, identified herself as a class of Youma designated
'Elite' and claimed to be Jadeite's second-in-command. Name designate: Titus. Power level estimates to
be approximately five or six times as powerful as a Mage."

"Holy shit...," Yamada breathed, eyes wide open in astonishment.

"Furthermore, reports from our border watch indicate that no Youma have been sighted entering or leaving
the Outer Grounds. This leads me to believe that either this Youma has an ability to avoid detection when
passing through the Outer Grounds...," Mamoru paused for a moment and leaned forward, "...or, she is in
hiding somewhere in the Outer or Lower Grounds."

"Or, even the Inner," Kino added, partially to himself.

"Yes," he allowed. "Extra caution is advised until the barrier has been restored to the point where it
surrounds the Lower Grounds. Description of the Elite Youma, Titus, is as follows: chalk white skin; dark
blue, almost black, hair; and glowing red eyes. Titus does not appear to have a mouth, but her jaw moves
when she speaks. Last seen in Section 331. If you happen to locate this Youma, do NOT engage alone. I
repeat, do NOT engage alone. Sound alarm and wait for backup, preferably from allies designated 'Sailor
Senshi.'

"Third, an update on our allies designated 'Sailor Senshi,'" he continued. "As you are probably already
aware, we have gained powerful allies in our fight against the Dark Kingdom. We have already met Sailor
Moon, who is the leader of the Sailor Senshi, as well as the Sailor Senshi known as Sailor Venus and
Sailor Saturn.

"Although at this point it's merely a formality, I've drafted a formal declaration allying Shishu with
the Sailor Senshi. As our only comms with the new Shishu headquarters at the Vatican is at the Meiji
Jinja, the report to HQ will have to wait. At this time, Kino will be acting as our liaison between
Shishu and the Sailor Senshi and will be responsible for assisting in their combat training in addition
to his regular duties, which leads to my fourth item.

"Fourth and final, we now have two new Blades that will be joining our ranks in the near future," Mamoru
announced. "The first Blade is Sixth Class Blade Kino Makoto, who has just recently recovered from her
coma."

"Your sister's finally awake, Kino?" Konno asked, grinning broadly. "That's great news!" Konno's
sentiments were echoed by the other Blades, even Yamada, surprisingly enough.

"Don't look at me like that," Yamada said gruffly. "Just because I give you a hard time, that doesn't
mean that I'm an unfeeling bastard. I may not agree with making her a Blade, but I am glad that she's not
in a coma anymore."

"Thanks," the young Blade nodded gratefully.

"This brings me to our second Blade and newest Recruit, Ten'ou Haruka," Mamoru continued. "Both Ten'ou
and Kino Makoto will be assigned to Kino for training. Kino, your regular duties will now consist of
training these two Blades, in addition to your liaison duties."

"I understand, Chiba," Kino acknowledged.

"Hold it," Yamada said, holding up a hand. "Kino being capable of training Recruits aside, this Ten'ou-"

"Before you ask, Yamada," Mamoru cut in flatly. "Yes, she's a female. I won't hear anything about it,
Yamada," he pressed on before Yamada could register a complaint. "I've already sworn her in and Kino's
vouched for her fighting ability. We're too undermanned to deny anyone who wants to fight for their
fellow man's, or woman's, freedom. I already know how you feel about women serving as Blades, so if you
want to complain, then tell it to someone who cares and let me worry about how best to protect the people
of Hikawa Jinja. Understood?"

"Understood," he replied grudgingly.

"As for Kino being capable of training Recruits, he is a Third Class Blade. As you know, Recruit training
is generally conducted by Thirds, but since all of our Thirds had died last month, we had to leave it to
Sanzou until Kino was raised to Third." He paused long enough to stare Yamada in the eyes. "If you have
any further questions as to Kino's ability to train Recruit Blades, let me remind you of this: one of his
trainees is his own sister. If he fails to train her properly, she'll die."

"I understand," he replied. "I have no qualms, then."

"Anyone else have anything?" Mamoru asked of the room.

Aida raised his hand. "How much of this information can be released to the public?"

"I'd prefer it if all of this be kept confidential," Mamoru told him. "The last thing we need is a panic.
That and a panicked frenzy would certainly tip off the enemy, wherever she's hiding."

Todoki raised his hand. "You mentioned the Sailor Senshi earlier. What do we know about them right now?"

"Let me answer that, Chiba," Kino said as he stood up. Mamoru nodded and gestured for him to continue.
"At the present, I have the following information pertaining to the operational condition of the Sailor
Senshi: Sailor Moon, leader, currently active; Sailor Venus, second-in-command, currently active; Sailor
Saturn, currently active; Sailor Pluto, currently active; Sailor Mars, currently active. Sailor Mercury
has been identified; however, she is currently inactive due to a debilitating injury. Once she recovers,
she will become active. Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Uranus, and Sailor Neptune have yet to be identified and
are subsequently inactive until further notice."

"What do you mean by 'identified?'" Andou asked curiously.

"All of the Sailor Senshi have dual identities," he explained. "Obviously, they have their Sailor Senshi
identities that they fight the Dark Kingdom under. However, they all have non-Senshi civilian identities
as well and live among us here at the Hikawa Jinja."

"Seriously?" Todoki said, taken aback. "What are their civilian identities? I take it that you know them,
being their liaison and all."

"That information, I cannot divulge," Kino replied with a shake of his head. "It is highly classified.
Right now, only myself and Chiba have the need-to-know clearance for that information."

"What about their powers?" Takei asked, raising his hand. "What kind of powers do they have?"

"Their powers vary depending on the person. Going any further than that would take too long and is
unnecessary right now."

"At this point, does anyone have any non-Sailor Senshi-related questions?" Mamoru interrupted before any
of the Recruits could ask another question.

"I have a concern, Chiba," Sanzou mentioned as Kino sat back down. "Let's say that our Elite Youma makes
an appearance. How can we quickly get in touch with the Sailor Senshi? Will we be required to go through
Kino?"

"That's an excellent question, Sanzou," he said as he turned to Kino. "For the moment, that will have to
be the case until we can come up with something more efficient. Kino, I'll need you to discuss this issue
with the Sailor Senshi and see what you can come up with. If they require something from us, let me know
and I can see about making it happen."

"Understood," the young Blade nodded in acknowledgement.

"Anything else?" Mamoru inquired. "All right, then," he said after receiving no replies. "Make sure you
all remember that everything discussed here is kept from the public. Kino, you can inform your sister and
Ten'ou, but make sure that they understand that this information is strictly confidential."

"Understood," he nodded again.

"Good. Dismissed."


_________________________________________________________________


Orphan's Quarters, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 9, 1992. 2:21 P.M.


Makoto sighed as she laid on the bed, waiting. The timing couldn't have been worse. Just when she thought
she was about to learn something, some girl named Naru had to interrupt, saying that one of their fellow
Blades - there was a nice ring to that; 'fellow' Blades - needed Ryoku to attend a strategy meeting that
just came up not too long ago. Of course, he had to excuse himself to attend; however, he did promise to
let her know what happened.

She was about to get up and try some leg strengthening exercises when there was a light knock on the
door. "Come in," she called out and sat up. It was a little difficult, but she managed without too much
difficulty.

The door opened, allowing Setsuna inside. Luna was riding on her shoulder, while Artemis was cradled in
one of her arms. Both cats were watching Makoto intently, although the girl in question didn't seem to
notice.

"How are you feeling, Makoto-san?" Setsuna asked as Luna hopped to the floor while she set Artemis down
on the couch. "You don't feel too exhausted going to and from the dining area, do you?" she inquired as
she walked toward the bed look her over.

"No, I feel all right," she replied with a shake of her head. "A little tired, but other than that, I'm
fine."

"No strained muscles or anything?"

"No, everything's fine."

Setsuna nodded. "That's good to hear. Just please remember not to overdo it. Recovering from a Claw
Hunter poison-induced coma takes time." The dark-haired nurse gave her a hard stare. "I understand that
you're in a rush to take your place among the ranks of Shishu, but I will not have you harming yourself
in the process. Do we have an understanding?"

Makoto tried not to grimace. "Yes, Setsuna-sensei. I've already promised Ryo-chan that I wouldn't overdo
my training and I intend to keep that promise."

The nurse nodded again. "Good." Her expression softened as she gave her a soft smile. "I don't mean to be
hard on you, Makoto-san, but I worry about those under my care. Especially those who tend to get into
trouble more often than not, like your brother, for example."

Makoto tried not to laugh, but just barely managed to suppress it. "I wouldn't worry, Setsuna-sensei.
After all, I've got at least three times more sense than he does."

This time, Setsuna laughed softly. "I'm glad to hear that."

Luna slowly padded closer to Makoto, tilting her head as she studied her. "Artemis, I think you might be
onto something," she finally declared as she turned back to the white cat.

Both humans stared at Luna, although for different reasons. "Y-You can talk, too?" Makoto exclaimed, her
shocked gaze alternating between the two cats.

"What are you talking about, Luna?" Setsuna asked curiously.

"Artemis reminded me that Jovan had a sister during the Silver Millennium," Luna explained without taking
her gaze from Makoto. "And since Jovan had reincarnated as Ryoku-san, I wanted to see if his sister was
Jovan's sister reincarnated as well." She turned from Makoto and gave Artemis a pleased grin. "I think
you've finally done something useful for once, Artemis."

"Hey!" Artemis retorted, frowning.

"Excuse me!" Makoto said, waving a hand. "Can someone please explain what's going on here? Who's Jovan?
What's the Silver Millennium?"

"Ryoku-san didn't explain it to you?" Artemis asked, surprised. Setsuna gave him a surprised look of her
own but said nothing.

"He got dragged into a Shishu strategy meeting a few moments after you left," she grumbled. "Look, can
someone please explain what's going on?"

"Artemis, are you implying that you think that Makoto-san might be like us?" the nurse asked.

"It seems very likely," he affirmed.

"I think so, too," Luna agreed, then turned to Makoto. "Listen, a lot of what we are going to tell you is
going to be hard to believe, but this is all true."

"Wait a moment," Setsuna interrupted as she brought out her transformation wand. "I believe that a
demonstration might speed the explanations along some." With that, she raised the wand over her head.
"Pluto star power, make-up!" A brilliant light filled the room for a moment, then faded away, leaving
Sailor Pluto in its place.

Makoto's eyes widened as she stared at Sailor Pluto. "You mean...," she said as she pointed at her. "You
mean, you're a Sailor Senshi, too?"

Pluto blinked. "Too?"

"She knows about Hotaru-chan," Artemis told her.

"I didn't mean to overhear," she added. "It's just fortunate that I'm the only one who found out."

"Anyway," Luna quickly put in before Pluto could say anything, "please allow us to explain. Several
millennia ago, there was a great kingdom known as the Moon Kingdom that was destroyed by the very Dark
Kingdom that we're fighting against now. At the end of the war, before the Dark Kingdom could finish us,
our Queen, Serenity, managed to use a great artifact known as the Ginzuishou to seal away the Dark
Kingdom. However, this act required the use of her entire life force, sacrificing her life in order to
save our kingdom. Unfortunately, the Moon Kingdom was too far gone to save, so instead she used her
remaining power to send everyone's souls into the future to be reincarnated. Her hope was that we would
end up in a peaceful time; however, this was obviously not to be the case.

"Fortunately, our Queen provided us a means in which to fight back should the Dark Kingdom break their
seal," the black cat continued. "The Sailor Senshi were our final line of defense against the Dark
Kingdom during the Silver Millennium, and our strongest warriors. It is the job of Artemis and myself to
find and awaken the Sailor Senshi so that we can fight against the Dark Kingdom once again and save
humanity from eventual enslavement... or worse."

"So," Makoto surmised as she glanced over at Sailor Pluto, "you think that I might be one of your Sailor
Senshi?"

"As we said before, Jovan had a sister during the Silver Millennium," Artemis stated. "Jovan was one of
the Moon Kingdom's great generals, as well as the Prince of Jupiter. You know him today as your brother."

"Ryo-chan was a general in his past life?" she said, blinking. "You know, I could see that happening."

"As for Jovan's sister, Jura," Artemis continued, "she was both the Princess of Jupiter and Sailor
Jupiter. It is our hope that you are Jura reincarnated."

"This would be easier if Princess Serenity were here to confirm it," Luna said regretfully. "Her memories
of her Senshi are better than ours, which are, I'm sorry to say, full of holes from our deep sleep.
However, since she isn't here, we'll just have to press on and hope we're right." With that, Luna leaped
into the air, turning a flip at the apex of her jump. In the area where she flipped, a green
transformation wand appeared and clattered to the floor.

Sailor Pluto knelt down to the floor and picked up the wand. "Here," she said as she handed it to Makoto.
"Just raise it over your head and shout, 'Jupiter star power, make-up!'"

Makoto took the wand and gave the Senshi a pained look. "Do I have to say that? It sounds so silly."

Pluto resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I know," she replied understandingly. "I'm not too fond of
saying it, myself."

"Quit complaining!" Luna retorted. "It's not like we have a choice in what phrase will make it work!"

"Well, I guess I should give it a try, then," she said as she looked over the wand in her hand. "Do you
think that I should be standing for this?" she asked.

"I don't really think it makes a difference," Artemis supposed.

The ponytailed girl stared down at the wand for a few moments more before glancing to Sailor Pluto.
"Would you mind helping me stand up?"

Without a word, Pluto went to Makoto's side and helped her slide off the bed. Once she was sure that she
could remain on her feet without any assistance, she backed away and nodded, signaling for her to
continue.

"All right," she said as she raised her transformation wand overhead. "Jupiter star power, make-up!" A
similar light filled the room and subsequently faded away, leaving Sailor Jupiter in its place.

"I WAS right!" Artemis crowed triumphantly. "She IS Sailor Jupiter!"

"Oh, wow!" Jupiter said as she stared down at herself. "I almost feel like my old self again. I don't
feel tired or weak at all."

"It's not surprising," Luna said as Pluto reverted back to Setsuna. "In your Sailor Senshi form, your
physical strength increases immensely."

Setsuna looked Jupiter over as the nascent Senshi started stretching some of her muscles. "Makoto-san,
please be mindful of your condition. I don't know how overstraining yourself as a Sailor Senshi will
translate once you revert back to your normal self."

"Maybe I should just stay like this for the time being," she answered back, smiling eagerly as she
executed a few punches and kicks at empty air. "I mean, I feel normal right now. If I work on building my
strength in this form, I'll certainly regain my former strength faster than if I try to do it as my
normal, weaker self."

"I wouldn't suggest that," Setsuna said shaking her head.

"Why not?" Jupiter protested. "It makes sense, doesn't it?"

"I won't deny that your suggestion makes sense," the nurse allowed. "However, right now there's a
problem."

The ponytailed Senshi frowned. "A problem?"

"With the barrier down as it is, it's easy for a powerful Youma to sneak in and observe us as we train,"
Setsuna explained. "Ryoku-san's called a halt to our training until the barrier comes back up.
Personally, I'd rather wait until the barrier becomes stable enough to encompass the training grounds
we've decided on, but considering the events of these past few days, we might not have that luxury."

"I see...," Jupiter said disappointedly. "Well, in that case, I'd better not stay like this for too long.
Right now, it's too tempting to just stay like this until I get better. So, how do you change back?"

"It was explained to me as imagining yourself as normal and willing yourself to change back," she replied.

The nascent Senshi nodded and closed her eyes as she concentrated, reverting back to Makoto. The
ponytailed girl stumbled a bit as her legs started to give way, but she managed to keep herself up by
grabbing onto the bedpost next to her. Instantly, Setsuna was at her side, helping her back onto the bed.

"That was amazing, Setsuna-sensei!" Makoto gushed as she lay down on the bed.

"What was amazing?" Ryoku asked after opening the door. "Did I miss something?" he asked, closing the
door behind him.

"Ryo-chan!" Makoto said excitedly. "I'm a Sailor Senshi!"

The young Blade stood staring at his sister for a few moments, then smacked himself in the head. "I can't
believe I never thought of that! I should've realized that Makoto could've been Jura's reincarnation!"

Makoto blinked. This wasn't exactly the reaction she was expecting.

"Don't get me wrong, Mako-chan," he recovered, quickly going to his sister's side. "It's good that you've
awakened as Sailor Jupiter, but I'm just upset with myself for not realizing that you might have been a
Sailor Senshi sooner." He paused for a moment. "It makes things that much easier, as well, since I don't
have to worry about you being in any more danger than absolutely necessary."

She felt a little upset at that last remark, but decided to let it go for now. "So, how'd you know that
I'm Sailor Jupiter?" she asked, still slightly surprised that he already knew.

"Simple," he replied. "Reincarnated Prince of Jupiter," he said, pointing his thumb at himself. "Sister
of reincarnated Prince," he continued, pointing a finger at her. "Therefore, possible reincarnated
Princess of Jupiter, making you Sailor Jupiter."

Makoto blinked again. "Oh."

Ryoku frowned. "You seem confused. How much was explained to you?"

"We told her most of the basics," Artemis said.

"We weren't completely certain that she was Jura's reincarnation," Luna added. "We wanted to wait until
we confirmed it before springing the rest on her."

"I see," Ryoku said as he sat down beside his sister.

"Since you've returned, Ryoku-san, I'll be returning to my duties," Setsuna interrupted. "Makoto-san is
doing well and shows no signs of overexertion, thankfully. Just please make sure that you take special
care during training tomorrow."

"Understood," he replied. "And thank you, Setsuna-san." Setsuna replied with a small bow and left.

"I guess all that's left now is to fill in all the remaining spaces," he remarked as he turned to Makoto.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Well, for example, you need to know who your fellow Sailor Senshi are, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I already know about Setsuna-san being Sailor Pluto and Hotaru-chan being Sailor
Saturn."

"We have four other Senshi and you already know most of them."

"I do?" she blinked, tilting her head inquisitively. "Who?"

"Ami, Rei, and Minako."

"What?" Makoto exclaimed, jerking back in shock. "They're all Sailor Senshi as well?"

"Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Venus, respectively," he confirmed. "Sailor Venus is our second-
in-command, as well."

Makoto shook her head, trying to take the information in. "Wow. It's so hard to imagine."

"Kind of like imagining yourself as a Sailor Senshi?" he teased.

She retaliated by shoving him off the bed, or at least, attempting to. "Shut up," she retorted as she
laid down on the bed crosswise and stared up at the ceiling. Ryoku shortly joined her. "So, who's the
last one?"

"I don't know if you've met her yet, but she lives here," he told her. "Her name is Tsukino Usagi and
she's Sailor Moon, the Senshi's leader." He paused for a moment. "However, there's something you need to
know about her."

"What's that?" she asked as she turned her head to look at Ryoku.

"It's a long story, but the short of it is that Usagi has a split personality known as Serenity. Or
rather, we call it a 'split personality,' but the truth of it is that her secondary personality is
actually the soul of her past life as Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, pulled from the past and
stuck in her body. It is actually Serenity who acts as Sailor Moon and the leader of the Sailor Senshi.
Usagi is aware of both Serenity and the fact that Serenity uses Usagi's body to fight as Sailor Moon, but
she, herself, cannot transform into Sailor Moon."

He stopped noticing the look of complete incomprehension on his sister's face. "That confusing, huh?"

"You lost me at 'split personality,' Ryo-chan," she replied.

Ryoku sighed wearily. "Maybe I should skip it for now and just bring you up to speed on the goings-on at
Shishu. We can try this again afterwards. From the beginning, so you won't get too confused," he quickly
added.

Makoto smiled. "Sounds like a plan."


_________________________________________________________________


Farming Grounds - Lower Grounds, Hikawa Jinja, Tokyo, Japan.
August 9, 1992. 2:30 P.M.


Titus looked up from her work and frowned. Another power flare! And it was in the Lower Grounds, too! It
wasn't too far away, but at this distance, she still couldn't identify the magical signature. Himiko was
still nearby and this time Sanae was also working with them. Minami was thankfully elsewhere.

'Still too many people around,' she mentally grimaced to herself as she swung her hoe down into the
ground, digging up the moist soil underneath. 'And we don't get another break for at least a half-hour.
Still, it's just one Senshi-' Her thought cut off midway as another power flare sprung to life in the
same spot.

'Another one!' she frowned for a moment as the new magical signature felt a little off. 'That's strange.
This one feels... weak. Weaker than I'd expect for a Senshi.' Her frown deepened. 'She must be a new one.
They found another Senshi. She might barely be stronger than a Mage, but she's still a Senshi, and
therefore, a threat to Jadeite-sama.'

Just as she was about to leave anyway and to hell with the consequences, one of the magical signatures
disappeared. It didn't flicker out like the earlier one, but it abruptly vanished, as if she just dropped
her transformation. Considering that the weak magical signature was the only one left, Titus snorted and
turned back to what she was doing. No sense in wasting her time with a single, weak signature. She could
squash that one with a simple sneeze.

No, she'd bide her time. Sooner or later, those Senshi would slip up. She almost had them last night;
she'd get another opportunity soon enough.


_________________________________________________________________


Outside Sydney city limits, Sydney, Australia.
August 9, 1992. 3:36 P.M. (Tokyo local time)


Zoisite waited in eager anticipation as the various Youma organized themselves into various groups. He
had at least three thousand Youma gathered, all readying themselves to begin the assault on the capital
of Jadeite's domain.

By now, his flying messenger Youma should be nearly a quarter of the way to Kunzite's capital. Thinking
back, he should've just opened a portal and sent the Youma through, or perhaps have gone himself.
However, that was all in the past. He may have missed opportunities in his eagerness, but compared to
what he was about to accomplish in the next few hours, it was all negligible.

A centaur-like Hybrid Youma marched up to him and saluted. He gave him a distasteful look. "Report."

"Organization is complete, Zoisite-sama," the Hybrid reported. "We are ready to begin on your orders."

Zoisite grinned while suppressing the urge to drywash his hands. No sense in letting some insignificant
Youma see him acting like a fool. "Very well. Instruct those who are able to create portals to open them
three hundred kilometers west-southwest of their target, near the city of Osaka."

"Understood," the Hybrid acknowledged as it strode away to do Zoisite's bidding.

Minutes later, the General watched in satisfaction as multiple portals opened up all over the landscape.
He estimated that Jadeite would see his army coming in three hours or so. With the energy that he infused
into them, a march of three hundred kilometers would be nothing; the equivalent of him walking back to
his 'palace.'

Zoisite's grin widened maliciously. It had finally started. All he had to do was sit back and wait.


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


Author's Note: At last, I present to you the long-awaited next chapter of The Brooch! I apologize for the
long delay in getting this out, but my previous laptop was stolen in the mail a few months ago and I only
recently got a replacement. It's fortunate that I removed the hard drive before sending the laptop in for
repairs. Otherwise, I would've lost all the work I had already done and this chapter wouldn't have come
out the same. Anyway, Makoto has finally awakened as Sailor Jupiter; however, her powers are severly
weakened due to her physical state. How will she be able to manage fighting as a Sailor Senshi in her
current state? As for Titus, she is still waiting for her next opportunity to discover the identities of
the Sailor Senshi. With the barrier's restoration fast approaching, will she be able to discover the
Senshi's identities beforehand? And what will happen once Zoisite's invasion force reaches the Hikawa
Jinja? The answer to some of 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.