Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Road to Hell ❯ Chapter Seven ( Chapter 7 )

It's been two weeks since the night we went into hiding and the strain of living in such close quarters with the senshi, both Outer and ex-Inner, is enough for me to actually want to escape back to the Time Gate where I can live in blissful solitude and not have to listen to any more petty bickering about who forgot to put the cap on the toothpaste tube back on, or who ate the last cup of ramen soup. I guess being alone at the Time Gate for a couple of centuries doesn't do much for a person's people skills.

Although I know our new arrangements are hard on all of us, I know this must be the hardest on Usagi. I can't imagine having to work with, much less live with; the very people you can't trust, and have your life depend on the survival of theirs. I knew being a princess wasn't the easiest job in the world, but I had no idea how deep Usagi's duties to the universe ran. Hey, even a Time Guardian doesn't guarantee being privy to all the secrets of the universe. The night we met the Universal Council was the night I finally understood her reluctance to be Sailor Moon. Imagine having to live with the knowledge that you were literally born to save the world. She doesn't know that I can hear her crying at night when she thinks everyone's asleep but I can hear her sniffles from my spot on the floor. She cries about her lost child and childhood, her lost friendships and her lost love. I hear her whispered prayers to God, begging Him to let her heal, and to forgive her for not being able to forgive them. Under cover of darkness, Usagi lets her walls down and lets her feelings known, if only to herself, but come daytime, you would never know that the cold, austere person in front of you was the same scared bunny crying the night before. It breaks my heart to see her hide behind the walls she has erected to protect herself from pain. She used to be the most open person I know.

Oh my Kami, I forgot to tell you about our new identities. Artemis created new ones for us that night Luna and Ami erased our old ones. I swear, never trust a cat under a strict time limit to come up with eleven different names and descriptions. Yeah, we have new looks to go along with our new names thanks to the invention of hair dye and contact lenses.

Mamoru now goes by the name Suzuki Ryu and is 21 years old. His normally black hair has now been styled in a brush cut and dyed brown and his blue eyes are now green. I guess Artemis got a little creative-or a little vindictive, I don't know which-because he put under "Distinguishable marks or features" that Mamoru had a tattoo of a bleeding heart on his left shoulder. I almost died of laughter at the sight of Mamoru at the tattoo parlour, writhing in pain while struggling to keep a mask of cold indifference.

Rei is now Suzuki Sakura. When she heard she had the same last name as Mamoru, her eyes lit up and her smile was wide enough to swallow her face whole. I swear on the Garnet Orb that I saw her hold up her left hand as if to inspect it for a wedding ring. When Artemis told her that she would be his 19-year-old sister, Rei sulked for almost an entire hour. Per Artemis' orders, she dyed her hair dark brown and had it cut to shoulder length. She now sports the same green contacts that Mamoru has. The resemblance between the two of them is uncanny and I think Mamoru is getting annoyed at that. They bicker non-stop about anything and everything, just like brother and sister.

Not surprisingly, Usagi and Serena are now twins by the names of Watanabe Himeko and Watanabe Suki, respectively. I think naming Usagi 'Himeko' was a little bait on Artemis' part but when you're struggling to rename eleven people and creating new lives for them, I don't think you care too much about the quality of the names you chose. They are 20 years old and have layered shoulder length red hair and hazel eyes. Since Mina resembled Usagi before her transformation, Artemis decided to make her their 19-year-old cousin named Watanabe Koneko. What did I tell you about the names? Her hair was cut to her waist and dyed pink and her eyes are now grey.

Hamada Seiko is Makoto's new name. She is 21 with green, chin length hair and blue eyes. Ami is Chen Akira and she is 20 years old with purple hair and red eyes. She looks like a cross between Chibi-Usa and Hotaru. Haruka is now 23, has black hair and black eyes, and goes by the name Hikari Michiko. Michiru is Namura Tomi. She has blue hair and green eyes and is 22 years old.

What about Hotaru and myself? Well, Hotaru's name has been changed to Akino Taiko. Artemis decided to keep her at the age of twelve and her eye colour as well. Lucky bastard. The only thing that changed appearance-wise was her purple hair was dyed ash brown-not an easy task considering all the work it took to bleach her hair to get it that shade of blond. And last but certainly not least, I am now called Akino Mika and Hotaru's mother. And damn Artemis made me 32 years old! Personally, I don't think I look a day over 25. I had to get my hair bleached too so I could match Hotaru's. I admit that I almost cried when the hairdresser cut my hair to just below my shoulders. Almost, but not quite. I suspect that Artemis made many of us related to each other because he couldn't think of any more last names.

Let's see, what else happened since that night. Oh yeah, when Sato discovered that the phony evidence he had against us was missing, he brought in the families of the Inners, including Usagi's, and had them interrogated for six hours before he released them. I don't know if they know it, but they're being followed everywhere they go and I'm pretty sure the Tsukino's phone is bugged just in case Usagi tried to contact her family.

Speaking of Usagi, Sato released photos of her and Mamoru, as well as the Inner senshi in a press conference. The reporters had a field day, labeling them both as psychopathic masterminds bent on taking over the world. Sato revealed that Usagi had been raped months before and was probably taking her anger out on the world with Mamoru, the ever-faithful boyfriend, at her side. Both were labeled as armed and dangerous and should be approached with the greatest caution. The media speculated that the six-month hiatus of the Inner senshi and Tuxedo Kamen was used to plan their attack on the downtown core.

Protest groups against the senshi formed after 7 more attacks, putting more pressure on the police to capture us. Even the Prime Minister got involved when the "senshi" appeared at a recent outing of his and failed to assassinate him. Marshal Law was declared indefinitely or until the senshi were captured, making us thankful we got disguises when we did. On the streets, people cursed the senshi as they would the devil. Because of the Marshal Law, a curfew was set and no one was allowed to be out of their homes after 8 pm, under penalty of detainment under police custody. All routes out of Japan have been cut off to prevent our escape. All air and boat travel have been suspended with the exception of import and export vehicles, but only after a thorough check of all the cargo. Our stock market has been on a steady decline because international investors were unsure of when the country would be open for free trade again. The military has been given permission to detain anyone they deem suspicious or without identification, for as long as they wanted. Police raids were frequent, and the arrests of innocent people who were under suspicion of harbouring the senshi were even more so. Poor Motoki was under arrest for a while until he was released after passing a lie detector test with flying colours. The news reports now come from the military and have to be pre-approved before making it on air.

The net is slowly tightening around us and I don't know how much longer we can hide from those who hunt us. We've already had to leave the warehouse after we heard the police dogs searching the other side of the shipyards. We quickly set fire to the place, making it look like an electrical fire when it was really Usagi's crystal, and got the hell out of there just in the nick of time. Right now, we're living in a seedy two-bedroom apartment in the bad part of town. It's a tight squeeze, especially at night with Usagi, Serena, Artemis and us Outers in one room, Luna and the Inners in the other, and Mamoru on the lumpy couch in the 'living room.' There's only one washroom, and a very limited amount of hot water so we draw straws to determine the shower order for the day.

We have all been keeping busy in order to find out as much about the enemy as we can. For example, Artemis was 'adopted' by Sato's daughter. He now lives in their home and would come back every night to report to us anything that Sato might have up his sleeve. So far, he has been able to warn us about a police raid in our area, allowing us to escape through the sewers a mere fifteen minutes before they came. We hid in the sewers for three hours before the police were done searching our building. When we were sure they were gone, Serena and Artemis checked the place for bugs or surveillance equipment before giving us the all clear to move back in.

Since Luna and Ami have been given access to Central Control again, they have been there almost every night trying to find the enemy base without success. Every time they think they're close, the signal gets scrambled and they have to start all over again. Serena warned that they can only do a fifteen minute search each day, otherwise the enemy may be able to track them down.

Usagi and Serena have managed to assemble a phone tap out of bits of trash found in a computer store dumpster and have daringly posed as night custodians in order to place it in the mayor's phone when he went home for the night. I swear, sometimes those two are more alike than they let on. They sit there for hours each day, listening to the phone conversations of the mayor. They figured that he was using some kind of code when on the phone because he would never call people by their names and would make cryptic, non-sensical statements that would just leave them baffled and frustrated. From the garbled messages, they've managed to figure out that something big is going down in about two weeks' time involving a lot of VIPs from around the world.

Thanks to his new bad-ass tattoo and image, Mamoru was able to make friends with a gang member in order to hear word on the streets. From his shifty looking acquaintance, Mamoru has been able to find out the location of the secret detention building on the outskirts of town where the police take people to be questioned. I suspect that Mamoru has been enjoying his life as a psuedo gang member, after having to always play on the right side of the law, and when I questioned him about it, he just shrugged non-committaly and smiled.

Michiru and Rei have been hard at work trying to figure out the pattern to the attacks and when they will strike. Each time they hear of an attack taking place, Michiru and Rei would rush to the scene and observe from afar, studying our impostors' moves and methods of attack. The information they have gathered will prove valuable when we finally go up against them.

Haruka has been busy keeping watch over everyone's families, but especially Usagi's. She has kept an eye out for them, making sure that no harm befalls them in the manhunt for us. She jumps from one family to another and gives each person tabs on their loved ones. Haruka has been able to report that Ikuko has been in a slight depression ever since her daughter went missing and when it was revealed that she was in fact, Sailor Moon. Rei's grandfather has been having a difficult time maintaining the temple with just Yuuichiro to help him out. Ami's mother has been suspended from the hospital for a while because some patients are uncomfortable letting the mother of Sailor Mercury treat them. Mina's parents were thankfully out of the country before the attacks took place and have been unable to get back, thanks to the Marshal Law.

As for myself and my 'daughter,' we have been hard at work training the Inners in the use of their planetary powers. We are careful not to overdo it, lest we bring Metallion and the army raining missiles on our heads. The process is time consuming, and time is something we definitely don't have much of. These princesses were supposed to learn how to manipulate their powers over the years, to give them time to develop along with themselves. Instead, Hotaru and I are drilling them at a furious and relentless pace, much to the annoyance of Rei and Makoto, the two hotheads in the group.

"Setsuna-san? Hey Setsuna-san, come back."

"What is it Rei?"

"You've been staring off into space for the longest time. What's up?"

"Oh, just reminiscing about everything."

"Oh."

****Interrogation Room, Building 425B 12pm.****

"So are you telling me, Shingo, that you have no idea where your sister is at the moment?" the man dressed in military fatigues asked the frightened boy.

"No sir, I don't." Shingo shifted uncomfortably in the hard chair where he has been sitting for the past few hours.

"Why do I find that hard to believe. Am I to understand that she never told you about her secret identity?"

"It makes sense if it's called a secret identity, sir," he mumbled, earning him a hard backhanded smack. The ring on the man's finger cut Shingo's face and he put a shaking hand to the wound to stop the flow of blood.

"Do you think this is a game, boy? Your sister and her boyfriend are responsible for the deaths of a lot of people. We need your cooperation to stop them before they do any more damage." The uniformed officer frowned at Shingo before resuming his pacing around the darkened room with a mirror spanning across one wall. Shingo wasn't stupid; he'd seen enough cop shows to know that the mirror was really a window allowing people to observe him from another room.

"Look, I told you already that I didn't know about Usagi being Sailor Moon and frankly, even if I did, I don't believe all the lies you've been telling me about her. Usagi would never do those things to innocent people, even to get revenge for being raped." Looking directly at the window, he stuck his tongue out, and almost wound up biting it off when the officer smacked him upside the head.

"Fine, withhold all the information you want. We'll just get what we want from your parents. Take him back to the room." Two armed guards entered the room and escorted him back to the 10 by 12 foot room where his parents awaited his return.

"Oh Kenji, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know, Ikuko. I'll think of something. Don't worry, I'll find a way to get us out." The prospects of escaping weren't good but he had to think of a way to get himself and his family out. 'I know you didn't have anything to do with this and that you escaped before they could find you, Usagi. Keep safe, my daughter and one day, we'll see each other again.'

****9:30 am the same day****

Haruka burst through the door of their apartment looking as if she had just run from one end of Japan to the other. "Where's Usagi-chan?"

"Here I am, Haruka-chan. What did you learn of my family, today?" Usagi asked while adjusting some knobs on the transistor radio she was using to listen in on the mayor's phone calls.

"I'm really sorry to say this, but your family has been taken again for more questioning by some men in uniform. I heard one of them say that they're going to be kept in some kind of holding area until they talked. They didn't reveal anything else so I don't know where they were taken." Usagi frowned at Haruka's report. Then, without saying a word, she got up angrily and slammed the door to her room. They heard the clicking of her lock and her muffled sobs within. Haruka moved as if to break down the door, but Michiru stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Let her cry. She's been under so much pressure lately I'm sure it'll be good for her. She'll come out when she's ready."

Haruka looked at Michiru for a long while, studying her now unfamiliar face, and nodded. "Good, I always did have you wrapped around my little finger."

Mamoru looked mournfully at the door separating him from Usagi. 'How did it get to be this way? Usako and I had the perfect life. We were going to get married, raise a family and start Crystal Tokyo. Ever since I decided to play the overprotective Romeo, all our plans have been shot to hell. It's all my fault.' Feeling the need for air, he clambered out on the fire escape, where he remained, thankfully undisturbed by the others who understood his need for time alone, pretty much the whole day.

Five hours later, Usagi emerged, her red, puffy eyes a silent testament to the amount of crying she did in the privacy of her room. Everyone, including Mamoru who climbed back into the apartment 45 minutes ago, looked at her carefully, hesitant to ask about her state. Finally Hotaru asked, "Usagi-chan, are you okay now? Do you feel better?"

'No, I don't feel okay', her mind screamed. 'I will never be okay again for as long as I live.' Knowing that wasn't what Hotaru and the others wanted to hear, Usagi plastered on a slight smile, a smile that Mamoru noticed, didn't reach her eyes. "Yes, Hotaru-chan. I feel better. Thank you for your concern."

'Who's she trying to kid? I know her, and despite the fact we haven't been the closest of friends in the past few months, I know she's hiding her pain. Oh Usagi-chan, just let it out.' Makoto thought.

Picking up the remote control, Usagi plopped down on the couch and turned on the T.V. Flipping through the channels and finding nothing that interested her, Usagi finally decided upon the news channel.

"According to a spokesperson from the Imperial Palace, plans to host a gala celebrating the emperor's birthday will go on as scheduled in two weeks. Among the dignitaries planning to attend are the President and First Lady of the United States, the Prime Ministers of Canada and England, as well as Princes Charles and William. Preparations are going around the clock in order to ensure the safety and well-being of all invited." The anchorwoman paused before going to commercial. Usagi used that opportunity to run to the kitchen and ladle out the remaining ramen noodles on the stove. The commercials ended just as Usagi resumed her position on the couch and turned up the volume.

"This just in. About twenty minutes ago, Tsukino Kenji was shot and killed while trying to escape with his wife and son from a detention centre where they were being kept for failure to cooperate in a police investigation. Kenji-san and his family were being led to a van awaiting to transport them to another facility, when he managed to overpower one of his guards and shoot him through the heart. Before the family could get any further, however, the remaining guard managed to shoot Kenji-san in the back and neck. Tsukino Ikuko and Tsukino Shingo were recaptured without further incident. Now to sports..."

All activity in the small apartment stopped when they heard the news announcing the death of Usagi's father. Then without warning, Usagi hurled her bowl of noodles at the wall, barely missing Mina's head. "Not today! Please Kami, not today! Why the fuck does my life have to be so hard? Why today of all days did you have to do this to me? WHY ME, DAMMIT?" Usagi burst into a torrent of tears, screaming hysterically. The others looked at each other, silently pushing Mamoru to comfort her.

"Usagi? We're really sorry to hear about your father. .."

"Why today? Haven't I lost enough today?" Usagi continued to cry, oblivious of Mamoru's attempts at reaching out. Finally, he gathered her up in his arms where she continued to cry. "What are you talking about, Usagi? What have you lost today?"

Usagi, as if realizing for the first time whose arms she sought comfort in, stopped her sobbing and pushed him away roughly. Looking at him in the eye, she asked, "Do you know what was supposed to happen today?" Seeing his blank expression, Usagi continued. "This was the day the doctor said I would have the baby."

Mamoru and the girls felt as if they were punched in the stomach. "It's all your fault, you BASTARDS! Because of you, I'm stuck in this hellhole instead of being at the hospital delivering my baby! Now, my child is dead and my father is dead. I HATE ALL OF YOU!

"Wasn't saving your ungrateful ass from Beryl's brainwashing enough? Didn't I die enough times to make sure you fuckers survived? Beryl, Metallia, An, Ail, the Dark Moon Family and the Dark Moon Circus, and not to mention Gallaxia-aren't they enough reasons for you to trust in my abilities? But noooooooo, as soon as I fall on the ground you're all over me like vultures, waiting for me to fail. As soon as I mess up, all the shit I went through goes out the window and all you see is a klutz and a crybaby."

Pausing to hurl the remote control at Mamoru, who managed to catch it awkwardly, she continued, "DAMN YOU, MAMORU! You were supposed to be in MY corner, not helping those bitches plan the demise of our child. How could you do that to me? I never doubted you, not even after all the shit you put me through. When you were brainwashed by Beryl, did I listen to the senshi who were convinced that you turned on us voluntarily? No. I killed myself after I killed you because I couldn't imagine life without you.

"When you conveniently forgot about us after I defeated Metallia, did I turn my back on you? No, I endured your ridicule and your horrible treatment of me because you couldn't even find it in your heart to listen to me begging you to remember our past.

"How about when you dumped me for those dreams? You treated me no better than the youma we fought. As it turned out, it was your future self sending you those dreams! You stupid son of a bitch! Even in the future you have to fuck up my life!

"How about when Gallaxia killed you, huh? Oh sure you couldn't help being killed but how was I supposed to know you were dead? All I knew was my boyfriend was in another continent and not writing back to me. Everyone told me to forget about you because you already forgot about me, but I wouldn't listen to them. I believed in our love, even when Seiya made it clear to me that he would be more than willing to step in your shoes. I told him to get lost because I knew you loved me. Going behind my back to remove my powers doesn't show YOUR LOVE FOR ME! Isn't it ironic how all of you caused me so much pain but you were the ones who found cause to strip me of my powers? And isn't it ironic how after even all this, I still love you, Mamoru. And I hate myself for that." Usagi gasped at what she just said, for it was the first time she admitted it to herself. Wanting to get out before they saw her cry, Usagi rushed out the door.

Mamoru was stunned at Usagi's revelation. He was about to follow her when he felt Serena stop him. "Let me go after her, Mamoru-san. I don't think she knows what to feel and she doesn't need you forcing her to tell you. I'll talk to her. After all, I sort of know how she feels, seeing as how I lost all my friends and Darien, too." When Mamoru nodded numbly, Serena raced out the door determined to comfort her double, sister, and friend.

By the time Usagi had reached the lobby, she had calmed down enough to decide to head for the run-down playground across the street. Sitting down on a dilapidated bench, she watched the children playing on the swings and going down the slide, seemingly oblivious to all the turmoil going on around them. 'Look at them. They're so innocent. I used to be like that nine months ago. I could be holding my child in my arms by now, instead I'm running like a fugitive. I can't even do anything to help my mother and brother.'

"Excuse me, could I sit here?" Usagi snapped back to attention and noticed a young woman gesturing at the spot beside her. Usagi nodded and the woman sat down with her baby happily. Usagi looked at the bundle in her arms wistfully. The girl, not much older than herself, saw Usagi sneaking looks at her baby. "Do you want to hold her? Her name is Yuriko and my name is Chiyo," she said as she placed the baby in Usagi's waiting arms. Usagi cuddled Yuriko in her arms and for a moment, pretended she was hers. "You know, you're really good with children, you'd make a great mother someday."

Usagi felt a stab of pain and handed Yuriko back to her mother. "I can't have any children," she said softly. Chiyo looked at Usagi sympathetically, before she rose up off the bench. "I'm really sorry to hear that. Don't worry, everything will work out for you. I have to go now, my husband should be home soon. Ja ne."

Usagi watched mother and daughter walk back into their apartment building and sighed. She stared at the sky for what seemed like years before she felt a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she whirled around and found Serena gazing at her in concern. "Hey there, I saw what happened with Chiyo and her daughter. Are you ok?"

When Usagi didn't respond, Serena sat down beside her. "Did I ever tell you that I lost a child too?" Prompted by Usagi's stunned look, Serena continued, "When I told Darien I was pregnant, he was so happy he went around with a smile on his face for a whole week. I knew we would have problems though, considering our line of work. Being a senshi in this world is different from being a senshi in mine. In my world, a senshi is basically the property of the government while in your world, the senshi are super heroes. Our every action is controlled by the government we serve. When our commanding officer found out that I was pregnant, he insisted I go in for a physical exam. I wanted Darien with me, but he was called away on a mission at the last minute. The doctor gave me an injection he said would protect my baby from side effects from the crystal.

"The next day when I woke up, I was horrified to see blood all over my legs and the bed. I woke up Darien and he rushed me to the hospital. By the time I got to the hospital, I knew our baby was dead and that it was the chemical in the needle the doctor gave me was the one that caused it. We tried to confront our commander, but he flatly denied it. An inquest was performed but the results were inconclusive. Nothing was done about our situation and our baby's death was never avenged. Two weeks before Metallion attacked our world, Darien and I were planning to leave the organization but we never had the chance. War broke out between Japan and England, and we had to go into active duty."

Usagi didn't know what to say. Here was a woman who suffered as much as she had and she never said a thing. "Oh Serena, I feel so foolish for not realizing that the world doesn't revolve around me. I should have known you were suffering too. Please forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive, Usagi-chan. You didn't do anything wrong. What was done to me by my commanding officer and what was done to you by your senshi and Mamoru was terrible and we were not responsible. They betrayed our trust but we still had responsibilities that took precedence over our feelings. So we'll just cry on each other's shoulders, ok?" Usagi nodded and embraced Serena, both women mourning their many losses at the hands of the worlds they fought to protect.

****at the same time back at the apartment****

After Usagi's outburst, the Inners and Mamoru went their separate ways-well as separate as one could get in that tiny shoebox apartment. Makoto just couldn't get Usagi's words out of her head. Ever since Usagi had been raped and she stopped speaking to them, Makoto had been having nightmares every time she slept. 'It's true. We were like vultures, waiting for her to screw up so that we could have something against her. We never took into account all the good she did for this world, or for us. Before Usagi came along, I was nothing better than a street thug. She changed all that and gave me a purpose. I'd give anything to take back that night.'

Luna sat on the fire escape and thought about the change that had come over her former charge. 'Oh Usagi-chan. I should have paid more attention to you. How could I not have known you were pregnant when we slept in the same room? I failed you princess, and I'm so sorry.'

Rei was crying in the bathtub. She knew her role that night played a huge part in influencing the vote against Usagi. 'I let my jealousy of Usagi ruin my friendship with her. I thought she had everything, the looks, the man, and the power. Little did I know what being the leader actually entailed. I thought she was just a whiny, irresponsible brat who knew nothing about what it takes to be a good leader. As it turns out, it was I who knew nothing.'

Mina sought refuge in their room when she found out that the washroom was occupied. "I'm really sorry Usagi-chan. I should have stuck up for you, especially after all you have done for me. You were the first one to accept me into the team, and you always believed in me after that. Why couldn't I believe in you too?'

Having nowhere else to go, Ami too, went into their room and sat down beside the window, facing away from Mina. 'The senshi always told me I thought with my head more than my heart, and I guess they were right. I let my head see nothing but Usagi's faults and completely forgot about her good qualities. I don't deserve her protection now, yet she's giving it to me, no matter how reluctantly. She always puts our safety first. Now I know it's size of one's heart that makes a great leader, and not the size of one's I.Q.'

Not having a room of his own, Mamoru had no choice but to remain in the living room to think. His thoughts were whirling and he didn't know what to do. 'Usagi still loves me but after all I've ever done to her, things will never be the same again. I have to find a way to express just how sorry I really am.'

The Outers had decided to retreat into their room. Haruka needed to be restrained from ripping into Mamoru and the others but Michiru thought they needed to have a talk about Usagi's well-being. Being the dutiful and arguably, whipped beyond belief, girlfriend that she was, Haruka let herself be led into the bedroom they all shared.

"I don't know about all of you, but I sometimes feel sorry for Mamoru-san. When you think about it, his intentions were for the best. He wanted to ensure that she would always be safe. He didn't want her to fight anymore, especially since her heart never seemed to be in it. And now we know why. It's too bad the information came a little too late," Hotaru said. Haruka turned to Hotaru, eyes wild with fury.

"Don't tell me you actually want Usagi-chan to forgive him?"

"Well....it's just that both of them are suffering so much...."

"Ruka-chan, sweetheart, what I think Hotaru-chan is trying to say is that Usagi-chan and Mamoru-san can find comfort in each other since they have both lost a child. It's not healthy for Usagi-chan to keep her feelings bottled up like that." Haruka grudgingly agreed with Michiru's words. "Setsuna-chan, do you know what's going to happen in the next few weeks?"

"I'm sorry Michiru-chan, I don't. I've stopped knowing what the future has in store for us the moment Usagi-chan's powers were taken away. The Crystal Tokyo we know of has ceased to exist and I have not been able to make contact with Queen Serenity. I always said that the future wasn't set in stone, but I have never known the extent to which it could be altered. Despite having lived for thousands of years, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that something of this magnitude could occur."

In the meantime, Usagi and Serena had returned from the park and saw Mamoru sitting forlornly on the couch. Sensing they needed to talk, Serena tiptoed unnoticed to her room and joined the Outers in their debate on whether Usagi should forgive and forget.

"Usagi, can I please have a talk with you?" Waiting until she sat down on the opposite side of the couch from him, Mamoru took a deep breath in preparation for what he had to say. "Usako, I don't think I could ever find the words to express just how deeply sorry I am for what I did to you. I just wanted you to be safe and before you can comment on the irony of my intentions, please know that if I could take that night back, I would."

"Mamoru, I still love you but you have to know that it's over between us. It's been over since the moment you went to Rei's temple that night and took part in their plot to get overthrow me as leader. I think the fact you didn't trust me even after all I did for you is what is preventing me from forgiving you. I am angry at you and the Inners for arbitrarily deciding on whether or not I had a right to my powers. You didn't even give me a chance to explain my actions. You just assumed I was irresponsible and immature. That's what hurts me the most, Mamoru. Throughout our entire relationship you regarded me as nothing more than a responsibility and a child. My opinion didn't matter to you; all you were concerned with was sheltering me from the big, bad world." Usagi had to stop because the tears in her eyes threatened to overflow. "I am willing to work with you and the Inners to help defeat Metallion, but as for after....I don't know, Mamoru. I don't know if there is anything left to save or if I even have the heart to do it. So much has happened...."

"Usako, I will take whatever I can get from you. If it's only a truce between us while we're stuck here, I'll take it. I will work for a thousand years to rebuild what we once had. Please believe me." Usagi looked into Mamoru's eyes, and knew they held the truth. Unfortunately, Usagi knew it was too little, too late.

"Hey minna. Guess what." Artemis bounded into the apartment from the fire escape, shocking both occupants in the living room and breaking the conciliatory atmosphere within. "I found out Metallion's plan and it's happening in two weeks. The night of the ball at the Imperial Palace."