Secrets
Chapter 13 - Retribution

    Setsuna had shown them to a private dining room looking out over the city. It was not Japanese style as Rei had expected, but western style, with a massive dark wood dining table polished to a liquid sheen, surrounded by four elegant leather chairs. There was easily room for at least two more chairs, but no doubt Setsuna had specified seating for four. It was about time for their fourth to arrive. Rei glanced at Usagi, who was sitting at the end of the table staring out the window. She hadn't touched the appetizer. Actually none of them had. Rei didn't have much of an appetite. Like just about everybody, she and Usagi and Mamoru had spent much of the day yesterday watching the reports of the pandemic. Usagi had been very quiet, which worried Rei. When Setsuna had called to suggest this meeting with Kaori, she had agreed in toneless monosyllables. And Rei couldn't get much more out of her, other than getting her to agree that Rei should come along as well. Rei wanted to see this woman with her own eyes before she would decide whether Kaori could be trusted.
    Rei had an idea what was making Usagi so unresponsive. Behind all this scrambling and plotting was the silent dread that it was all pointless, that this horror of the Drakon's making would consume them all, leaving a dead world behind. Saori had called them last night, to tell them what the Order had found out, which was precious little. Their various contacts whispered of plans being executed, of hidden order behind the apparent chaos. It seemed that the global triage process was more than just a rumour.
    "I called my mom this morning," Usagi abruptly said to nobody in particular. "She said Hotaru's at her place today."
    "Hotaru?" Setsuna asked.
    Usagi nodded, still staring out the window. "Visiting Shingo."
    "That's nice of her."
    It occurred to Rei that Setsuna probably didn't know. "Setsuna, she and Shingo have been seeing each other for two years now."
    Setsuna did look surprised. "I had no idea." She smiled. "I'd been wondering who this mysterious young man of hers might be."
    "I wonder if she's going to tell him," Usagi said.
    "What do you mean?" Rei asked.
    Usagi finally looked at her. "I mean about being Sailor Saturn. Maybe she wants to tell him the truth, before it's too late."
    "Usagi, don't," Rei said gently. "What's happening is horrible, but it's not the end of the world. We'll make it somehow."
    "I was going to tell them," Usagi continued, ignoring what Rei had said. "That night, and then yesterday, I said to myself I'd finally tell them. But I chickened out, just like I always do."
    "You have plenty of time to make that decision, Usagi. Don't rush yourself."
    "I'm sure Hotaru isn't going to force your hand," Setsuna said. "She would never reveal something like that without asking you first." She turned to Rei. "So how long have you known about those two?"
    "We finally figured it out on New Years," Rei said. "She sent Shingo this beautiful-" She heard the little pop just as Setsuna's eyes darted over in Usagi's direction. Rei whirled around and saw the ESPer girl standing beside Usagi. She touched Usagi's shoulder and they both vanished.
    The two of them were on their feet already, but they could just stand there in stunned silence. Rei shook with fear and rage and panic. It had been the girl who had killed her grandfather. She had Usagi. *They* had Usagi. She looked down on the floor. Her mind had barely registered that the girl had tossed something down before vanishing. Rei went down on her knees and picked up the piece of paper that lay there. She held the note in her shaking hands, her heart racing. She read it.

    The Princess is now ours, and soon the Palace will be ours. If you try to take either from us, it will mean your deaths.
Kaori

    Rei heard Setsuna come around the table to where Rei was still kneeling, reading and rereading the note. She stood over her. "Rei, what-
"
    Rei had her against the wall in two seconds. "YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU SOLD HER OUT TO THEM, DIDN'T YOU? YOU LET THEM HAVE HER JUST SO SHE COULD MAKE YOUR FUCKING PALACE FOR YOU!"
    She threw Setsuna to the ground. They were both panting, Rei from blind rage, Setsuna from complete shock. Rei pointed down at her. "On my mother's grave, I swear if anything happens to Usagi, there will be no words to describe the way I'm going to kill you." She strode to the door and flung it open with a crash. The club employees she passed all shrank back from her. Even the impeccably polite hostess in the lobby thought better than to say anything to her.
    She rode the elevator alone. By the time she left the building, she had tucked her rage away in the place where it could simmer, waiting to be released only when the time was right. She flipped up the face of her communicator. Mercury was the first one she called. "Ami, we've got a problem."

    *****

    Himiko ate a spartan lunch, as she had for nearly a century. In her childhood it had been forced upon her, not from poverty but from her mother's disdain for personal indulgence. As an adult, Himiko had stuck to her austerity by choice. It had kept her healthy long after most of her many children had passed away. She had never regretted steering the family to a more aggressive engagement of the modern world. But she would be the first to admit the negative consequences. Over the years many of the family had been seduced by the modern world's extravagant wealth and its vast array of indulgences. Many began to grumble at the rules and the discipline that had kept the family together and focused since the long before the beginning of recorded history, to the point where the ranks of the black sheep were swelling. From the beginning Himiko had depended on their shared legacy, the Power, to be the thing that would keep them together, the thing they could never share with any outsider. Only the women could pass down the Power, and it seemed to be such that outsider blood could not dilute it. As always, outsider men had brought fresh blood into the family, but only their children would ever be Ancients. Generations in their hundreds had crumbled to dust, but the Power remained as strong as ever.
    And now, finally, it might be coming to an end.
    News of the plague the outsiders had unleashed upon themselves came from people in Sapporo who could do long distance telepathy with their brethren here at the Matriarch's house. The family had always wondered why she was so rigid about keeping the conveniences of the modern age out of her household. It was very simple, really. She wanted to ensure that some core of the family knew how to endure without the outsiders' toys. In case they were not there one day, in case this empire of modern magic collapsed like so many others had. As it might very well soon be doing. Only this time, it might take the Ancients with them. The powers that be were already beginning to claim that their draconian measures had halted the plague's advance, already beginning to declare victory. Of course they had to seal off a fifth of their numbers, condemn them to certain death. Well, it was no different than what Himiko would do, faced with the same choice.
    In light of what was happening, the news Kaori had brought her yesterday seemed almost trivial. Her son had killed seven more people. Hardly worth the risk and effort of bringing them in. Of greater concern was the risk that their actions might bring the Ancients into direct conflict with these Sailor Senshi Kaori had been telling her about. But supposedly they understood that Kaori's son was a rogue, and they actually wanted to work together to hunt them down. She had agreed to let Kaori go listen to what they had to say. If they really could help bring the Palace into being as they claimed, then in light of recent events an alliance was beginning to look more and more appealing.
    When she had indicated she had finished eating, the young man who had been acting as her human telephone came into the room and knelt before her. "Matriarch, I bring grave news from the household of your granddaughter Kaori."
    "Yes?" She had been keeping her eye on the situation in Tokyo. The city had been sealed off for only a day, and everyone was being assured it was as safe as anywhere else in the country, but things were changing now at blinding speed.
    "Your granddaughter did not return from her prayers at the shrine of the First Ancestor last night. She has not been seen since. They have called all the other households, but nobody has seen her."
    "What? Have they searched around the shrine?"
    "Yes, Matriarch. They believe your granddaughter teleported directly from the shrine last night. Several of the people in the house detected it. But nobody knows where she might have gone."
    Kaori would never teleport from a shrine. It would be an affront to the First Ancestor. "Have Aiko meet me in the Crystal cave without delay." She got to her feet.
    "Matriarch, I'll send somebody-"
    "I'm perfectly capable of walking there myself. Off with you."
    "Yes, Matriarch." He bowed and left, leaving the door open for her. She made her way to the back of the house and exited into the garden. Snow covered the branches of the two great trees, but the garden had been carefully cleaned. She walked to the flagstone beside the cliff and teleported into the caves. She walked down the winding tunnel to the cave of the Seed Crystal. There were several of the precognitives here. Many had been in and out since yesterday, trying to glimpse visions that might help them know what the future held, the future of this world now teetering on the brink. They all bowed to Himiko as she entered. She ignored them. None thought to question the reason for her waiting here. The reason came just a few minutes later, one who in Himiko's estimation was worth all of this lot put together. Aiko held onto the arm of the young man Himiko had sent to fetch her. He led the blind girl over to her.
    "How may I help you, Matriarch?" she asked. Her white, sightless eyes focused more or less on Himiko's face. Aiko's aura vision could easily locate and identify people she was familiar with.
    "My granddaughter Kaori has vanished. She teleported directly from her shrine to the First Ancestor and has not been seen since. I need you to tell me what this means."
    Aiko was silent for a couple of minutes. Then she spoke in a clear but toneless voice. "The son steals the secrets held by the mother. He sends another in her place, to betray a friend."
    Himiko thought on that for a moment. "Thank you, Aiko. Boy, take her back to the house and then bid all my senior guardsmen to assemble in the main hall."
    "All of them, Matriarch?"
    "All of them."
    He bowed, and gently led Aiko back to the tunnel. Himiko followed them. They had almost reached the tunnel when the shouts of alarm came from behind. Himiko spun around as fast as her old bones would allow.
    The deaf-mute girl Yui was standing beside the Seed Crystal. She had done the impossible, she had teleported directly into the Crystal cave. She reached out and touched the crystal.
    There were more cries now, of shock and outrage. "Damned renegade!" the young man behind her bellowed. "How dare you!"
    Yui's eyes began to glow, and the crystal seemed to glow more brightly to match them. Her lips spread into a feral grin. With her other hand she waved. **Bye be.** She vanished.
    There was utter silence for a moment. Then Aiko screamed. She could not have seen what happened, but to her aura sense it must have seemed much as it had to those with eyes. It must have seemed like the lights went out. It was still not all that dark, so Himiko's eyes took only a moment to adjust. The Soul Icons did not shine quite as brightly, now they had nothing to resonate with.
    The cries of panic soon began. **Enough!** Himiko sent out, bringing them to an abrupt end. She could not let them know that she felt exactly as they did, felt as if her whole world had started crumbling around her. She turned around. "Boy, get Aiko out of here and assemble my guardsmen as I instructed."
    He led the whimpering girl into the tunnel. Before she followed, Himiko took one more look into the cave. Looked at the hole in the cave floor where the Seed Crystal had sat unmoving since the days of the First Ancestor. The hole was deep. The Crystal was bigger than she had supposed.

    *****

    The feeling washed over Mamoru for just a fleeting moment. It was so familiar, the mortal dread at the core of his being telling him that his Princess was in danger, that she needed him. Even after he understood what it meant, why it happened, it had never lost any of its primal urgency. It would send him running to her, guided and driven by a compulsion utterly impossible to deny. But before he could even react visibly, the sensation was just a memory, utterly gone.
    "Sorry, Mako-chan. For a minute there I thought Usagi was calling me. She's off meeting that ESPer friend of Setsuna's. I guess I'm more nervous about it than I was willing to admit. But Rei is with her, I'm sure she'll be fine." He kept on reading to her, but he continued to be distracted. It must have been his imagination, but it had seemed so real. As he had said, it must have just been nerves.
    He was just about getting to the end of the chapter he was intending to finish off today, when he heard the door open. "Just a second, Mako- chan." He marked the book, put it on the little table and looked to see who it was. "Rei." He was on his feet immediately, walking over to her. She looked utterly devastated. "Rei, what's wrong?"
    She took his hand. "Mamoru, they betrayed us. They've got Usagi."
    "What?" He thought his heart had stopped. He wasn't even sure if he had really spoken aloud.
    Through the fog of panic and dread, he half heard Rei continue. The despair in her eyes made the calmness of her voice an utter lie. "Kaori never showed up. She sent that girl who killed my grandfather instead. The girl just touched Usagi and they both vanished. It all happened in a second. I've called the others, we're meeting at our place."
    *All happened in a second.* "Rei, I felt it," he said. "I felt it when it happened, just for a second. But I ignored it. Why don't I still feel it? Why ..." he gasped.
    She gripped his arms roughly. "No! Don't even think it! If she was gone you would feel it, we both would! You know that! They've just taken her somewhere far away! That's all it means! You have to believe that!" She shook him with each sentence. The tears were flowing down her cheeks. She barely was able to choke out the last words. Then somehow they were in each other's arms, and it felt like she wanted to crush him. "Oh God," she whimpered. "I'm so scared."
    The shock was slowly giving way to fear. Those monsters had his Usagi. The same monsters who had slaughtered Rei's loved ones, had casually ripped the souls out of holy places and out of people with equal disdain, had turned gentle animals into bloodthirsty monsters. They had his Usagi. His own tears now fell, tears of fear and loss, but also tears of rage at traitors now twice damned. There was only one thing that kept him from breaking down completely, the knowledge of one thing that could save the one who was more than life to him. After a while, after he had calmed himself enough to find the words, he broke their embrace and just held Rei by the shoulders, looking down into her eyes. "Rei, she'll be okay. She's the Princess, she can take care of herself. Even when she has to fight alone, she's always pulled through."
    "We have to try and find her."
    "We will. Come on, let's go." He went over beside Makoto's bed again, put the book he had been reading back into his briefcase and snapped it shut. He turned to see Rei standing beside him.
    "Can you wait just a second, Mamoru? I ... I'd like to talk to Mako- chan."
    "Sure." He stepped aside to let her come next to their friend lying peacefully on her bed.
    Rei took her hand. "Mako-chan, I don't know how much of that you heard. These ESPers we've been fighting, the Ancients, they've kidnapped Usagi. I'm sure she's okay, though. They want her alive, so that they can make her create the Palace for them. We have to go find her. I wish you could come with us, we've never needed you more. But I promise you, we'll bring her back to you." She released Makoto's hand and turned to face Mamoru again. "Let's go, the others will probably be there soon."
    "Usagi?"
    Mamoru could see from Rei's expression that she had heard it too. A barely audible croak. Her eyes darted about the room, as if she expected to spot some hidden intruder. Then she gasped. "Kami-sama ...."

    *****

    Rei had called her at the worst possible time. The word had just come in, a nerve gas attack initiated by some doomsday cult, hundreds of casualties. They had started to arrive minutes later, and the hellish work had begun. Ami had to keep reminding herself that she was not a doctor yet, no matter how competent she was there were some things she was not allowed to do, had no business doing. She was only here because they desperately needed an extra pair of hands. But as the day wore on, and everyone was getting swamped, the rules and the pecking order mattered less and less. By the time things were starting to get back under control, about the only thing she was not doing was putting signatures on death certificates. Not all the ones that were brought in had made it. On this smaller scale just as on the global scale, triage was just a fact of life.
    Feeling utterly drained, she fought her weariness and changed quickly. On the way there she called Rei again. "I got out as quickly as I could. I'm on my way."
    "It's okay," Rei said. "We just got here ourselves."
    "Did something happen?"
    "We can talk about it when you get here."
    There had hardly been any time for it all to sink in. Usagi was in the hands of those killers. She only got the barest outline of what happened from Rei. But she just couldn't believe that Setsuna would actually sell Usagi out to the Ancients. There had to be some mistake, something they were missing.
    Rei answered the door at the apartment. She looked like she had been crying. She greeted Ami and they embraced. Ami closed the door behind her and turned to face Rei again. Her expression was odd, like there was something she wanted to say but didn't know quite how. "Rei, has something happened? Have you heard anything about Usagi?"
    "No. But we might know where she is."
    "What?"
    "Ami ... why don't you come in, we need to talk for a bit before we go." Her manner was still odd, not urgent or angry as Ami would have expected. Rather than trying to figure this out, Ami just slipped out of her shoes and followed Rei into the living room, peeling off her jacket as she went. Minako and Hotaru were sitting there. Ami looked around. "Isn't Mamoru here?"
    "He's in the kitchen," Minako said. "Mamoru!" she called out. "Ami's here."
    So they had been waiting for her to arrive before they started planning. She felt bad about having made the decision to stay at the hospital. She had thought there would be little they could do right away, how had they found out where Usagi might be?
    Mamoru came into the room, his hand held lightly on the shoulder of his other guest, who walked in with him. Ami's mouth dropped open, and she stopped breathing.
    Makoto smiled. "Hi Ami-chan."
    "Mako-chan...?" Makoto nodded, as if trying to assure Ami that she was real. She walked towards Ami. Then Ami's vision swam as tears welled up in her eyes. "Mako-chan!" She practically leaped at Makoto, who caught the shorter woman easily in her strong arms, stepping back just enough to soften the impact. Ami buried her face in Makoto's breast and gave full vent to her feelings of joy and relief, and to the long denied grief that she could finally let go of. She cried just like a little girl, loudly and uncontrollably. In light of this miracle, she could finally admit to herself that she had given up all hope long ago. To her it was just like having a friend come back from the dead. She pulled back and looked up, blinking her tears away, desperate to see her friend's face again.
    Makoto smiled in understanding. She must have seen the hints of doubt in Ami's eyes. "I'm okay, Ami-chan." She cradled Ami's face in her hands, kissed her forehead. "Honestly, I'm okay." She was slightly hoarse, as if still getting the hang of using her long silenced voice. But Ami could see her friend in the twinkling eyes, the knowing smile. She really was back.
    Ami pulled her close and crushed Makoto to her breast again. "Onesama," she whimpered. Makoto held her close, stroked her hair. They stood like that for some time, Ami's sobbing much more restrained now. When she was done she stepped back again, but they still held each other. Ami looked to left and right to see all their friends standing around them. Mamoru had an arm around Rei, and Minako was hugging the shorter Hotaru tightly from behind. In all their eyes Ami could see the same expression, the shared joy of seeing their own tearful reunions with Makoto repeated before their eyes. Ami turned her attention back to Makoto. "But how? What happened?"
    "Rei told me that Usagi needs our help," Makoto said, as if that explained everything.
    "You ... heard her?"
    "I think I heard all of you. I may even remember bits of what you were saying to me." She grinned. "Except what you were reading. I remember thinking how nice your voice is, but I had no idea what you were saying. It was so comfortable just lying there, I felt like nothing could ever hurt me again if I just stayed there and did nothing. I probably would have just faded away, if all of you hadn't come to me every day."
    Ami shook her head. "I'm so sorry, I had given up on you."
    "But you still came," Makoto said. "Just like everyone else."
    "It was Usagi who gave us hope," Ami said. "She never doubted that you'd come back to us."
    Makoto's expression sobered. "That's why I came back. I have to go help her now."
    Ami frowned. "Mako-chan, you just came out of a coma. You should still be in a hospital."
    She just smiled. "That's what all the doctors said. I said I'd give them two hours to try and find anything wrong with me. They couldn't."
    "That's not quite true," Mamoru said. "She's still pretty weak."
    "Which means she's more or less down to human level instead of an Amazon goddess," Minako said.
    "And she's barely been able to keep down what little solid food she could eat," Rei added. "We've been feeding her a mouthful at a time."
    "That's fine," Makoto said. "I'm meaner when I'm hungry, as those bastards are going to find out."
    That reminded Ami of Rei's earlier statement. "Rei, you said you might know where Usagi's been taken."
    "Yes, and we can thank Minako for that."
    Minako flashed a dangerous smile. "Two days ago I followed Setsuna to where she meets that ESPer woman. Then I followed Kaori back to her home. That's got to be where she's keeping Usagi."
    "But how do you know it was her?" Ami asked.
    "That girl dropped off a note before she disappeared with Usagi," Rei said. "It was from Kaori." She recited the note from memory.
    Ami thought about that for a moment. "It sounds like she wants the Palace for herself. She must have betrayed Setsuna as well."
    Rei's expression darkened. "She did look surprised." That seemed to be as close as she was willing to come to admitting any doubt about Setsuna's guilt.
    "It doesn't matter," Minako said, stepping away from Hotaru. "We're all ready and we have our target. Let's get going."
    "Shouldn't we tell the others?" Ami asked. They hadn't had much contact with the refugees or the Order these past couple of days. The latter was not shadowing them at the moment, having lost key agents and having their hands full with other matters.
    "Protecting the Princess is our job," Minako said. "Besides, Takada is friends with one of them, he may still think we should go bargain with them or something. We don't have time for that."
    "We can only rely on each other," Rei said. "That's what all this has taught me."
    Ami had warning bells going off in her head. Somehow this just didn't feel right. She desperately wanted to call Ryou, tell him everything, get his feelings on the matter. But Minako was right, they didn't have time. There was no telling what the Ancients might be doing to Usagi. "Okay, let's go."

    *****

    "I think we should just go there," Haruka said. "Find out what the hell is going on."
    Setsuna shook her head. "If Kaori really isn't at her home, nobody else there will know me. They would have no reason to tell us anything."
    "Are you still convinced she's not involved?" Michiru asked.
    "Yes." Setsuna pointed at the note lying on the coffee table. "That note is not from her. It's nothing but a very crude setup."
    "Then where is she?" Haruka asked.
    Setsuna sighed. "I wish I knew." She had been calling Kaori constantly, both at her cellular number and at her home. She had been leaving messages at the latter place. But there had been no response. She was considering calling Takada from the Order, have him talk to Kaori's sister. Maybe she would know something.
    Of course there was no point calling any of the Inner Senshi. By now Rei would have them convinced she was behind the kidnapping. They would probably just as soon kill her as talk to her. And she had little doubt that Hotaru was with them.
    "She must have had a reason for missing your meeting," Haruka said.
    Setsuna had waited there nearly an hour. Kaori never showed up. "Something's happened to her. It's probably her son's doing. In his mind the Palace may be the ultimate sanctuary. He may think it can save him from this plague."
    "He may have the right idea," Michiru said. "That could be the meaning of my vision. The palace surrounded by darkness. The only refuge of life in a dead world."
    "So I suppose he intends to ask the Princess would you pretty, pretty please make me a nice crystal palace." Setsuna could easily see through Haruka's sarcasm, could hear her trying to convince herself that Usagi would come to no harm.
    "Maybe Haruka's right and we should go to Kaori's house," Michiru said. "If she's missing they may be worried about her too. If we tell them what we know, maybe they'll help us try and find both her and the Princess."
    "It would sure beat sitting around here waiting," Haruka said.
    "They're very secretive," Setsuna said. "Especially now they might not even let three strangers past the front gate. But maybe it's our only option."
    Setsuna set the phone to forward any calls to her cellular. She gave Haruka the keys to her Cressida and told her where to take them. She could have traced Kaori's number to her address a long time ago, and most likely Kaori could have done the same. But it was only recently that they openly exchanged addresses. Setsuna had hoped to meet her friend's family under better circumstances.
    Minutes after leaving the house, her cellular rang. She flipped it open almost before the first ring was done. "Setsuna here."
    "It's me."
    "Kaori, where are you?"
    She spoke quickly but calmly. "I just got home. I was attacked last night. I think it was my son. I woke up in a nearby hotel an hour ago. His friends may have probed me for information."
    "They did," Setsuna said. "Yui came to the club in your place. She took Usagi."
    "Oh my God," Kaori said. "I should have seen this coming, I let my guard down."
    "It doesn't matter now," Setsuna said. She felt bad about being so brusque, but they didn't have time. "Listen to me. I'm on my way there right now, I wanted to enlist your family's help in finding you and the Princess. Your son has made it look like you and I are behind the kidnapping. The only way we will be able to convince the Sailor Senshi otherwise is if we can find the Princess and bring her to safety. You have to talk to the Matriarch, or to anyone who will listen. Tell them that what your son is doing is endangering them all. If you can't stop them and bring them in then the Ancients may be facing a war with the Senshi, the Order, the police, the extraterrestrials and whatever other allies they can gather. If it comes to that then there won't be anything that you or I can do about it."
    There was just silence for a few moments. Setsuna's words must have had their intended shock value. "I understand. I'll await your arrival, then I'll address the household. Then I'll go see the Matriarch."
    "I'll see her myself if that's what she wants. You can have my transformation pen as a token of good faith, whatever it takes to make her listen." Haruka turned around and glared at her for just a moment. She obviously did not like what she was hearing.
    "Setsuna, if your gentle Princess comes to harm I'll never forgive myself."
    "We need to move as quickly as possible," Setsuna said, trying to ignore he friend's obvious distress. "Can you contact other households, maybe get their sensitives out looking for the renegades right away?" There was silence. "Kaori, can you hear me? Are you still there?"
    "Something's happening," Kaori said hesitantly. "I sense fear. Something's wrong."
    Setsuna was wondering what to make of this. Then there was a sound coming over the phone, like an explosion. "Kaori, what's going on?" There was the sound of a sharp impact. Like the phone receiver hitting the floor. Kaori wasn't there anymore. Setsuna thought she heard some other sounds. A muffled staccato. There was static, then the line went dead.
    Michiru turned around to look back at her. "Setsuna, did you lose the connection?" Her tone implied she suspected it was something more serious.
    "Haruka, get us there as fast as you can," Setsuna said.
    She didn't even ask why. The engine roared, and Setsuna was pushed back into the plush upholstery as Haruka brought them up to double the legal speed limit. "Do you have any idea what's happened?" Michiru asked.
    "Not really," Setsuna said. That wasn't true. She did have a good idea what was happening. But she prayed she was wrong.
    Even approaching the gate at breakneck speed, it was obviously twisted and askew. It had been blown open, but not enough to pass a car. "Crash the gate," Setsuna said.
    "Right." Haruka would know about the enhancements to the car, including the solid steel bumpers. She slowed down just enough to be able to turn into the drive without losing control. Which for a driver of her calibre meant she hardly slowed down at all. Setsuna braced herself, wishing she had thought to transform into Pluto first. The impact was not quite enough to drive her face into the front seat. The gate flew open and Haruka tromped down on the accelerator, sending them speeding up the twisting, tree-lined drive.
    "I see smoke up ahead," Michiru said.
    "We're too late," Setsuna said. "Haruka, slow down. We don't want to appear as a threat. They'll be panicked enough as it is."
    "Panicked by what?" Haruka asked.
    "We'll see soon enough."
    They came out of the woods and onto the vast open space that surrounded the sprawling house. Setsuna leaned forward to get a better look through the windshield. It looked like the aftermath of a terrorist bombing. An entire wing of the house was just smouldering ruins. There were people lying all over, others who appeared to be helping some of them and others just standing or wandering in a daze.
    Two men came running down the gravel road towards them. They looked anachronistic, with traditional workman's half-kimonos and sandals. "Stop here," Setsuna said. When Haruka had complied, Setsuna opened the door and stood up behind it.
    The men came to a stop a few meters away. "What business have you here?" one of them asked. His accent suggested one of the northern provinces.
    "My name is Setsuna. I am a friend of Kaori's. I was just speaking to her on the telephone, but we were cut off, it sounded like there was trouble. I can see that there was. Can you tell me if Kaori is well?"
    "She is unhurt."
    "Do you want us to fetch help for your wounded?" Setsuna asked.
    "No, that won't be necessary."
    "Then may I please see Kaori?"
    The man hesitated. "She told us to admit you when you arrived." He obviously did not like the idea. "You'll have to follow me."
    "Thank you." She closed the door. She turned to Haruka, who had opened her window. She was looking a bit shell-shocked. It must be dawning on her what had happened here. "Let's go."
    "No," the man said. "The others wait here."
    Setsuna nodded. "Very well."
    Haruka snapped out of her shock in an instant. She fixed Setsuna with a cold stare. "You sure?" she said, barely audible.
    "I'll be fine." Setsuna walked towards the men, and the one who had been speaking turned to lead her down the lane. The other stood on the driveway as if he could bar the automobile's way with his own body. The first man led her through the thick of the carnage. There were not as many dead as she had originally supposed. And the injuries were different than she would have expected. The wing of the house in front of her had clearly fallen under Senshi attacks. But the people being comforted, tended and watched over by their brethren mostly seemed to have fallen from physical attacks. They nursed hurt or broken limbs, or what were probably broken ribs. It made sense actually. Setsuna could imagine Mercury advising the other Senshi, applying her cold, mechanical logic to the tactical situation. *Move in close and engage them hand to hand. Pit our strength against their weakness.* Some of the Ancients had powers to rival their own, but in a close fight none of them could hope to match the speed and strength of a Sailor Senshi. The dead ones were probably the ones who had the most dangerous powers and had the chance to display them. Most of those had grieving family around them. Setsuna's eyes were drawn to one man in particular, his sightless eyes staring up into the grey sky, his expression showing nothing so much as astonishment. Setsuna shivered. He had been gutted with a large blade. The Silence Glaive, no doubt. She could imagine the sight he had taken to his grave, a delicate young wisp of a girl who moved almost too fast for the eye to see, wielding a pole-arm as if it were a rapier.
    The man led Setsuna into a wing of the house that had been untouched. Even here, injured and bewildered Ancients huddled together. The ones that noticed her passage reacted to her in a variety of ways. Indifference or fear or puzzlement or suspicion. None questioned the man who led her. She had noticed a few other men similarly dressed, they more than anyone appeared to be taking charge of things. The man led her up a set of stairs and down a hallway to a door. He stopped in front of it and turned to face her. "You will approach no closer to her than I do. She may trust you but I do not."
    Perhaps he knew that she was a Sailor Senshi. His feelings were understandable. "I understand."
    He opened the door and she followed him in. It was a casual family room. Kaori was sitting on a couch. She looked dazed. An old man had an arm around her shoulders, and was holding her hand. The man leading Setsuna moved in front of them, but kept some distance. True to her word, Setsuna simply stood beside him. It took a few moments for Kaori to notice them. "Setsuna ...?"
    "Kaori, are you hurt?"
    She just shook her head. She wasn't being strictly truthful. Setsuna could see bruises on her face. But her physical pain was nothing to what Setsuna was seeing in her eyes. Through the haze of shock she seemed to finally glean the fact that her friend had come to see her. "I'm sorry ... Setsuna, this is my father." The man regarded her with a grim expression, but one that held more sadness than anger. Kaori had talked a bit about her father in recent weeks. She had painted a picture of a quiet, gentle man who cared for little but gardening, poetry and bird watching.
    "Can you tell me what happened?" Setsuna asked.
    Kaori shook her head. "I ... I don't think I can."
    "I saw it," her father said. They looked at each other briefly, an exchange that may or may not have been telepathic. Kaori just bowed her head, letting her father take the burden from her. He looked back to Setsuna. "I was in the garden when they arrived. Like a children's story come to life, five of the Sailor Senshi and one man all dressed in black."
    "Five?" Setsuna asked. "Was one taller than the rest?"
    "Yes. There was one in green, half a head taller than any other save the man."
    *Jupiter.* "What did they do?"
    "They arrayed themselves in front of the house, like a besieging army come to challenge the castle walls. People came out of the house and the gardens, myself included. The one with light hair like a foreigner, she addressed us with a voice full of anger. She accused us of things we had no knowledge of, demanding the return of somebody we did not know. Some of the young men gathered in front of them, demanding that they leave. The girl who spoke shouted that she would show us that they 'meant business.' She pointed over our heads, and a bolt of light jumped right out of her finger towards the house. It destroyed a chimney. One of the young men must have thought it a precursor to an attack. Somebody ... I'm not sure how to explain."
    "I understand about the powers of the Ancients," Setsuna said.
    He did not react to that news other than to continue. "Somebody attacked them with a plasma bolt. But it bounced off a shield they had set up in front of them. They reacted immediately. It was like the elements themselves were assailing us. Fire and water and lightning and sunlight all rained down on us at once. Most of the people in front of them had time to put up shields, but even they fell before the attack."
    He paused. He was no longer able to meet her gaze. "Then they were among us. They were everywhere and nowhere. I was knocked to the ground with little more than a touch from one of them. They headed straight for the house, all leaping in through windows, shattering them. I could hear them attacking the ones within. All I could think was, thank the First Ancestor I did not hear the scream of children. They had already been taken to safety. Those of us who resisted them were put down with crippling blows too fast to see. Those who resisted most strongly were killed. The part of the house they swept through caught fire. They might have levelled it all, had my daughter's call not come. She sent out a signal for us to throw ourselves to the ground in surrender. The Sailor Senshi stopped their attack when they saw this. In fact, the one in blue even saw fit to douse the fires they had set. They were rough with those they helped from the ruins, but no longer provoked they did not go out of their way to harm anyone. They gathered in front of the house again, calling my daughter by name, demanding she show herself. When she presented herself, the one in red spoke for the first time, demanding the return of one she called the Princess. Kaori tried to explain that no such person was here, that she knew nothing of the matter. This simply enraged the woman further. She screamed that it was all lies. She shook Kaori, hit her, threatened to kill her. I am sure that she would have done it. But the man approached them. He had eyes that were utterly cold, wore a formal outfit from another century, bore himself with the pride of one with old memories. I thought him surely one of the vampyre, and these women the furies he held under his thrall. But rather than goading her on, he spoke gently, showing the enraged woman that Kaori must be telling the truth. They all seemed to come to this realization. They said little, but the news affected them deeply. They may have felt some regret for what they had done. But I believe what bore most heavily on them was that the one they were seeking was not here, their thoughts were for her.
    "It was at this point that men from other households began arriving. Somebody must have gone to seek their aid. Seeing this, the one with light hair called for the others to leave with her. They left as they had arrived, bounding across the field far too quickly for any to even think of pursuit. With them gone, all thought turned to helping those who had been hurt. I brought my daughter here. That was but minutes before you arrived."
    Setsuna nodded. "They realized too late that your grandson is the real culprit."
    "I have no grandson," the man said with an icy voice.
    Kaori finally looked up. "Setsuna, it wasn't their fault. They were set up, just like we were."
    "By now they are looking for Shoji and his friends, looking for our Princess," Setsuna said. "That is what we should be doing."
    "How do you know what they would be doing?" The man next to Setsuna asked. She looked at him, her expression grave. Suddenly his eyes went wide. He practically leapt away from her, putting himself between her and the others. "You're one of them! You're one of those demons! By hell, I ought to kill you where you stand!"
    He suddenly jerked, as if having been struck. He turned to face Kaori, who was looking at him with a pained but stern expression. "How could you have let her in here?" The man asked her. "After what they've done!"
    "Enough," Kaori said. "Move aside." After a moment, the man did as he had been ordered. "Setsuna, I'm sorry but I think you should leave."
    Setsuna looked down at her. "Kaori, is there no hope?"
    She shook her head. "We've failed."
    Setsuna tried to think of some way to turn this tragedy around. But Kaori was right, they had come to the end of the road. There was no way to salvage this.
    Kaori addressed the man, whose eyes never strayed from Setsuna for more than a moment. "See to it that she is taken safely from the grounds." She met Setsuna's eyes again. Setsuna could read her old friend's face like a book. She knew what Setsuna knew. There was no avoiding a war between their people. The two of them might never see each other again. Setsuna had little idea what she could say.
    **Yui has taken the Seed Crystal.** Setsuna blinked. She hadn't known Kaori could do that without their touching. "Goodbye, Setsuna."
    "Goodbye, Kaori."
    **Take care, my friend.**
    The man seemed reluctant to turn his back on Setsuna. She solved the problem by preceding him from the room. There were more men in peasant clothes and less chaos now. They all eyed her suspiciously, but none challenged them. They made it back to the car unmolested. The man's counterpart had not moved from his place in front of the car. "We're leaving," Setsuna said to Haruka as she passed by. Haruka started the engine without any further prompting. Setsuna got into the back seat again, and Haruka turned the car around. Setsuna could see her eyes in the rearview mirror, she seemed to be spending most of her time watching the mirror warily, even when they were making their way back down the wooded lane. While they drove, Setsuna gave them a shorter version of the account Kaori's father had given her.
    "I didn't think they had it in them to do such a thing," Michiru was moved to say.
    "They're frightened and desperate," Setsuna said. "They're much closer to the Princess than we are. I think that's true of Hotaru as well now. They're lost without her, and they will stop at nothing to get her back. And they've learned the lessons we've taught them, learned them all too well. They'll show no quarter to anybody who they even think might keep them from getting her back."
    "But they must realize now that you had no more to do with her kidnapping than your friend did," Haruka said.
    "I'm not sure that matters," Setsuna said. "I've sowed the seeds of mistrust, and now we are all reaping the results."
    "Surely they'll accept our help," Michiru said. "It's a matter of the Princess' life. Nothing could be more important to any of us."
    "They acted alone today," Setsuna said. "I doubt they've even told the refugees or the Order about what they planned. They no longer fully trust anybody but each other. That must be why they went to such effort to track down my meeting with Kaori."
    Michiru frowned. "What?"
    "That must be how they found Kaori's house. I even have an idea when it happened. There was a person near us at our last meeting who might have been one of the Order, or maybe even one of the Inner Senshi using the disguise pen. They've been betrayed once too often. They're closing ranks."
    "Setsuna, how much about us did you tell Kaori?" Haruka asked.
    "I know what you're thinking. She knows enough to be able to locate us, but she will die before she reveals that information. Despite what has happened, I'm quite certain their Matriarch will concentrate her efforts on locating Kaori's son, rather than trying to retaliate against the Senshi. She must realize it is his actions that are driving events. And I can only imagine how they regard the theft of the Seed Crystal. Next to that, a few deaths are probably inconsequential."
    "If they find the Princess first, what do you think they would do?" Michiru asked.
    "I wish I knew. I'm sure Kaori will do everything she can to ensure her people that the Princess is no threat to them. But she may or may not be able to do that."
    "They may decide they want the Princess for the same reason as the ones they're trying to hunt down," Haruka said.
    Setsuna sighed. "That's a definite possibility."
    Little more was said on the way home. It seemed there was little they could do. Setsuna considered calling the refugees or the Order. But it was probably best they learned of these events from the Inner Senshi, with whom they were much closer. Assuming that had not already happened.
    Not long after they got home the telephone rang. It was Setsuna who answered it.
    "Hello Setsuna. It's Daniel."
    It was the last person she expected to hear from. "So, you tracked me down."
    "It wasn't easy. But I've been living under false identities since the birth of writing paved the way for government bureaucracy."
    "Actually, I've been thinking of calling you. A lot has happened since we last spoke."
    "I know. Our old friend Artemis has been telling me all about it."
    Setsuna was only mildly surprised. "So you've found them too."
    "I ran into Artemis quite by accident and told him how to contact me. It wasn't until today that he decided to actually speak with me. He told me the other Sailor Senshi just launched an attack on the Ancients."
    "I know. I tried to stop it, but I was too late."
    "I promised Artemis I'd do what I can to help. Can I come over?"
    Setsuna sighed. "I'd like nothing more than to see you again. But I've messed things up about as badly as I possibly could. I'm not sure either of us can do anything at this point."
    "We'll talk about it."

    *****

    Minako wanted to die.
    She had never felt such shame and regret in all her life. Years ago, she had once felt something like this. It was after she had allowed herself to be seduced by Ingolffson, after she had realized just what the Drakon had been compelling her to do. And now her lack of judgement had cost innocent lives once again.
    They had gone their separate ways soon after moving a safe distance from Kaori's house. Mamoru and Hotaru took Makoto to go and brief her more fully on what had been happening while she was in a coma. There were people who had to be told about what happened. Rei went to inform Takada, Ami to inform Jeneth. Minako did not envy either of them their tasks, but as far as she was concerned she had the worst of it. She had to go home and tell Luna and Artemis of her folly. She had to tell them how she had gone off half-cocked and led the Sailor Senshi to murdering innocents. They had been shocked, but not angry at her as she had expected them to be. Minako had told the others she would call Setsuna, but confessed to the two cats that she could not bring herself to face the woman she had called traitor. Artemis had solved the problem by suggesting he contact Setsuna's mysterious friend Daniel. They had listened in on the conversation over Minako's speaker phone. Daniel agreed to see Setsuna, he seemed to think he could help in some way. They weren't exactly sure how, but they were content to let him pass the news on to Setsuna and the others.
    When Minako showed up at Mamoru's apartment with the two cats in tow, all the others were already there. Hotaru was applying her healing touch to Makoto's wrist again. Jupiter hadn't even told them about her broken wrist until after they were safely from Kaori's house, much to Hotaru's distress. She had mended the broken bones on the spot, but said she was still working on the surrounding tissue, getting the swelling down. That had been the worst of their injuries, but none of them had gone unscathed. Despite their following Mercury's advice on close combat, some of the Ancients had managed to get a few shots off. Individually, some of them gave as good as they got. If most of them had not panicked and run, if their defense had been at all coordinated, the outcome could have been very different.
    The others confirmed they had performed their tasks and come here as agreed. Rei said Takada had seemed more disappointed than angry. And of course as far as the refugees were concerned it had all just been a tragic mistake, the Avatars could do no wrong. Minako told them about Daniel. Nobody commented on the fact that she and Artemis had not told anybody about him before. Of course she had been wary of telling even Hotaru about him, that was just symptomatic. Just another thread in the web of deceit.
    They had just been sitting watching CNN. Victory against the pandemic was being tentatively declared. Those responsible for unleashing the plague had designed it to run its course quickly. Nobody could even guess at the death toll yet, though it was certainly in the hundreds of millions. In many places the quarantine of the infected region was being assured by what they were politely referring to as "chemical interdiction." Entire borders would be unapproachable for days because of the volume of deadly poisons that had been dumped there, in fear that any infected people would slip through.
    Minako wondered when somebody would start talking about it. Eventually she just couldn't stand it. "My God, what have I done?"
    "It was a mistake," Makoto said. Following Ami's advice she was repeatedly squeezing a tennis ball with her sore hand. Her voice still had a bit of a rough edge to it, as if she had a sore throat. "That bastard set up his own mother to take the fall for what he did."
    "And I fell for it," Minako said.
    "We all did," Rei said. "I believed what I wanted to believe, just as they intended."
    "They played on our love for Usagi," Makoto said. "They knew we'd lash out at anyone we thought was harming her."
    "It's no excuse," Minako said sharply. "Usagi would never have just gone in there shooting the way I did. I didn't even give them a chance to explain themselves." And I killed one of them with my own hands, she thought. The girl who had tossed Jupiter against a wall with an invisible force blast had looked barely sixteen. She hadn't even seen Venus until after her sternum had been driven into her heart. Maybe she hadn't seen anything at all. Her face was about the only thing Minako had been seeing since then.
    "We were all tricked the same way," Ami said, putting a hand lightly on her leg. "We had to act on what information we had. And we did give them a chance to explain, it just went badly, that's all."
    Minako looked into her eyes. No Ami, you're not fooling me, she thought. I saw the doubt in your eyes. If it had been you leading us, you would have checked your facts first. And we both know it, that's why you feel sympathy but no shame. Minako did not say any of these things, she didn't need to.
    "We need to get her back," Rei said. Minako was struck by the simple declaration, one without urgency or desperation. Minako saw that Rei was avoiding looking at her. Then she understood.
    "But where do we even look?" Makoto asked.
    "That's not what Rei means," Minako said. "Without Usagi, we've lost our way already. Without her to guide us, we're just loose cannons. We're just killers." She realized that without even thinking she had been examining her open hands, as if expecting to see blood dripping from them. With an effort she looked across at Rei instead. The expression on her face confirmed Minako had been right about her meaning.
    Ami squeezed her leg gently. "Mina-P." Minako looked into her stern face. "I want you to answer a question honestly. If Usagi could have saved all those millions of people who died in the plague by giving her life in exchange, would you want her to do that? Would you let her do that?"
    The answer came to her immediately. Minako was shocked at the answer she found in herself. She looked away. "No," she whispered, shaking her bowed head almost imperceptibly.
    Ami came closer, put an arm around her. "Minako, I feel the same way. I have no idea what I would do in a situation like that. I'd like to think that I would do the right thing. But I already know how I would feel. I would want to protect her, no matter what the cost, even if she didn't want it. That's nothing to be ashamed about. As long as we think about what we're doing, we have nothing to feel guilty about."
    "But I didn't think," Minako said bitterly.
    Ami took her hand. "Minako, we made a bad mistake. We're going to make more. We're in a war, and innocent people are probably going to get hurt no matter what we do. Usagi told us a very long time ago, if we know we tried to find the best way, that should be enough. Maybe we could have done a better job, but we did try to get her back without hurting anybody, we really did. We're not gods, we can't expect to always just go out and make everything better."
    Ami still held her tightly. Minako just leaned a little closer until their heads were touching. "I just hope she's okay," Minako said very softly.
    "If they were hurting her, I would know it," Mamoru said. "No matter how far they had taken her, I'm sure I would know it." Nobody spoke. Minako looked around at her friends, and came to the conclusion they were all thinking the same thing. They might have to just wait until the rogue Ancients tried to harm or kill Usagi, then Mamoru's instinct would lead them to her. But would it be on time?
    "She'll know that we're looking for her," Hotaru said. "She'll find some way to lead us to her. When we know where she is, maybe we can teleport right there."
    "We probably can," Ami said. "We've done it without Usagi before."
    The doorbell rang. "That'll be dinner," Mamoru said, getting up. "It's past dinner time and most of us haven't even had lunch, so I ordered something in."
    Eating dinner was surprisingly comforting, even with Usagi's disappearance hanging over their heads and the news reports of the unimaginable catastrophe coming in over the television. Ami fussed over just what and how much Makoto should eat. It actually made Minako smile, seeing her practically hand feeding the taller woman. As Jupiter she had more than held her own, but it was obvious she was still not at her full strength. Her presence was about all that kept Minako from falling into utter despair. Minako was beginning to realize just how much she had been missing Makoto, missing both her warmth and her strength.
    They were just about finished cleaning up after supper when the doorbell rang again. Mamoru went to answer it, and came back into the kitchen just a few moments later. "Minako, there's a man at the door claiming to be Daniel Churchland. He asked for you by name."
    Minako frowned. "Setsuna must have told him my name."
    "And told him where we'd probably be," Rei said. She did not look happy. The tension in the room suddenly went up.
    Artemis leaped up onto the kitchen counter. "He must have gotten back into Setsuna's favour, if she's telling him all that," he said. "When I met him, he was snooping around her house just like I was."
    "Did he say what he wanted?" Minako asked Mamoru.
    "Only that he had some news from Setsuna."
    "You figure we should hear him out?" Makoto asked.
    "Since he's here, we might as well," Minako said. "He already knows about us, and now he knows at least Mamoru's identity and mine, I guess there's not much point hiding the rest."
    "He had an odd look on his face," Mamoru said. "Almost like he recognized me."
    "He claimed to have met me before," Artemis added.
    "Maybe he met us all ..." Rei said. She had a faraway look in her eyes. Minako knew how she felt. They already knew somebody from the Moon Kingdom, but somehow they all thought of Setsuna as being ever unchanging. For somebody other than the Guardian of Time to really be that old, it was just unimaginable.
    "At any rate, I'd better go let him in," Mamoru said.
    "Maybe I'd better go, since he asked for me," Minako said. She walked over to the hallway. The man standing patiently in the entranceway was a tall caucasian with wavy brown hair down to his shoulders. He bowed as she approached.
    "Good evening."
    "Good evening. I'm Minako." She wasn't sure what, but something in his look or his manner was reminding her so much of Setsuna. He had the expression Mamoru had described, of recognition. "I suppose Setsuna told you who I really am."
    There was just a hint of a smile. "Even if she had not, I could hardly mistake you. Your new parents' blood has left its mark, but even if my memories are faded I still see the same Sailor Venus I knew so long ago. Setsuna told me nothing but your name, but in fact I had already heard of you. I see you're still fond of singing."
    "Yes ..." Minako answered, surprised at the statement.
    "I didn't think that would have changed."
    Minako really wanted to ask more about that, but now was not the time. "You'd better come in, everybody's waiting. I'll take your coat."
    "Thank you." She led him into the living room. Everyone was sitting except Mamoru, who stood waiting to greet his new guest.
    "I'm Chiba Mamoru," he said.
    "Endymion," Daniel said. "I wasn't sure, I had only met you a few times. Relations with the Golden Kingdom were already strained when I served Queen Serenity." He chuckled at the blank looks he got. "Forgive me, but seeing you is stirring up some very old memories, and I tend to ramble at such times."
    "Well, you should know everybody here," Minako said. "In a manner of speaking," she quickly added. It had not been a challenge, she had just said it without really thinking how odd it would sound.
    "I believe so." He looked first at Ami. "Mercury."
    "Yes," Ami said. "I'm Mizuno Ami."
    "I remember you as a gentle scholar, your wisdom was without equal. This new age of wonders must suit you well."
    "I ... suppose it does," Ami said hesitantly. Minako could guess how she felt. It was very odd, talking to somebody who knew you before you had been reincarnated.
    He looked at Makoto. "Sailor Jupiter."
    "Yes. I'm Kino Makoto."
    "When I was searching for the Sailor Senshi, I had thought to find Jupiter among the ranks of the world's athletes or adventurers. You were always the one to push yourself beyond even your own great endurance."
    Makoto smiled. "I guess I chose a different path. I own a restaurant."
    He raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? It must be truly exceptional, you were never one to be satisfied with halfway measures."
    "Yeah, I tend to be pretty stubborn."
    He looked next at Rei. "Mars."
    "Right. I'm Hino Rei."
    Daniel frowned. "Then it was your grandfather who died at Hikawa shrine."
    "Yes."
    "I'm very sorry. I imagine the others who died must also have been known to you."
    The pain showed only for a moment. "They were ... friends of mine, yes."
    He turned to Hotaru. "Forgive me, but I must suppose that you are Sailor Saturn."
    "Yes. I'm Tomoe Hotaru."
    "I never had the pleasure of meeting you," Daniel said. "In fact neither had anybody in the Moon Kingdom, you were something of a legend. Your awakening was always thought to be a harbinger of great change, of endings and beginnings."
    "I serve the Princess," she said simply. "That's the only destiny I care about now. I will shatter worlds in her defense if I must."
    For the first time Minako saw Daniel's implacable calm waver just slightly. He had been reintroducing himself to people he had not seen in millennia as if it were the most normal thing in the world. But what Hotaru had said seemed to have disturbed him. She could hardly blame him, he probably knew as well as they did what the Senshi of Destruction was capable of doing. He turned his attention to the two cats sitting on the coffee table. "Luna, Artemis, cold sleep seems to have treated you well, you both look the same as ever. Artemis, we only spoke briefly, but I could tell you've changed little. When we first met you had me fooled, I thought you really didn't remember me."
    "Well, I'm not sure that I did," Artemis said. "Our memories of that time are very incomplete. We were barely able to recognized the Sailor Senshi when they awakened. But the more you talk, the more I think I should know you."
    "I agree," Luna said. "In fact, I remember you being a friend of Pluto's, though I certainly can't recall your name."
    He smiled sadly. "I was called Cyrus back then, and she was called Ferine. She discarded that name when she became Pluto. That was when we went our separate ways."
    "You said that you had news from her," Mamoru said. He indicated the chair at the end of the coffee table. "Won't you sit down?"
    "Thank you." He walked over and sat down as invited. Minako and Mamoru also took their seats on opposite couches. Then Daniel continued. "Setsuna arrived at Kaori's house with Haruka and Michiru shortly after you had left. She was able to talk to Kaori and find out what had happened."
    "So they already knew," Minako said. She was troubled by a picture that suddenly came into her head, a picture of Setsuna showing up at her friend's house only to see the charnel house her sisters had made of it.
    "Yes," Daniel said. "Both she and Kaori understand that you were victims of a terrible deception. I believe Kaori told you how her son found out where the Princess would be."
    "Yes, she did," Rei said. "Though we still can't be sure how much of it to believe."
    "Setsuna believes it to be true," Daniel said. "It's very unlikely that Kaori would be able to lie to her even if she wanted to."
    "From the sounds of it they were lying to each other for years," Rei said.
    "They told each other half truths for many years," Daniel said. "That's quite different. Be that as it may, I believe Setsuna is right. At least she sincerely believes that only the rogue Ancients are responsible for the kidnapping."
    "She's lied before," Rei pointed out.
    "She cannot lie to me," Daniel said.
    "And why not?" Rei challenged. "She wouldn't even tell you where she lives, you said you had to find that out for yourself."
    "I'm not saying she trusts me with the full truth, I'm simply saying that I would be able to tell if she were lying. Just as I can tell if anybody is lying. It's a gift I developed in the Moon Kingdom and have perfected over the centuries."
    "Interesting," Rei said. "How does that work? If my grandfather had your gift, would he have known who I am? Or would he still have died without knowing?"
    "He did find out, before he died," Daniel said.
    Rei glared at him. "Only at the very end. I was very ashamed of having kept it a secret."
    "No, you were very proud that he finally knew."
    "I was going to tell him. I was planning to tell him at the same time I told him that Yuichirou and I would be getting married."
    "Yes, you were."
    "And my Father as well."
    "No, you would never tell him."
    "Why not?"
    "I don't know."
    "Is it because I think he drove my mother to her grave?"
    Daniel regarded her with a neutral expression. "Shall I answer that?"
    "Go ahead."
    "Rei," Mamoru interrupted. He put a hand on her shoulder. "I think you've made your point."
    She looked at him, then back to Daniel. "I apologize. That was uncalled for."
    Daniel smiled. "If you wanted to test me, we could just get a deck of cards and play poker for a while. I used to make a great deal of money that way."
    "I can imagine," Minako said. "You'd really clean up. So how are you making your money these days?"
    "I spend much of my time working as a private tutor," Daniel said. "Though that's mostly for personal reasons. I have little need to work for a living these days. I invested my ill gotten gains a long time ago, and compound interest is a truly marvellous thing."
    "Did Setsuna tell you anything else?" Mamoru asked. He looked like he wanted to get the conversation back on track.
    "Just two things. The first is something Kaori told her. The rogues have stolen the Seed Crystal. Judging by what Kaori has told her these past few weeks, they would consider that a crime far worse than murder. They will be hunting down the rogues just as mercilessly as you will."
    "That confirms why they wanted Usagi," Ami said. "They must think she can make the Crystal Palace for them."
    "That makes sense," Daniel said. "In a perverse way, I suppose we can regard that as good news. It means they would be unlikely to harm her."
    "You mentioned two things," Minako said.
    "Yes." His hard, all-business expression softened. "And this last point I would know to be the truth, even without my gift. She said to tell you that she loves you all very much, and that she would gladly give her life today if that would undo all the grief that her capital errors have brought upon you. She knows that she dare not ask, but the thing she wishes for above all else save the safety of the Princess is your forgiveness."
    It was Rei who broke the silence first. "I've already condemned her once when I shouldn't have. More people have died because of that. Usagi has always been able to forgive even her most bitter enemies. I'm willing to follow her example."
    "Me too," Minako said. "Her mistakes were no worse than mine. People in glass houses shouldn't throw bricks."
    "If she wants to help Usagi, that's good enough for me," Makoto said.
    "She never needed my forgiveness," Hotaru said. There was a sort of distant, wistful note in her manner. Minako had the feeling she wasn't thinking only of recent events.
    The smile that Mamoru exchanged with Rei said better than any words that they were in agreement.
    "If it's okay with everyone, I'd like to call her," Ami said. She suddenly looked awkward. "Uh ... Takada said he'd like to meet with us tomorrow and talk about how we'll try and find the rogues. I think Setsuna and the others should be there too. I mean-"
    "You don't need to explain," Makoto interrupted. She was smiling warmly. "You should talk to her, she'd really love to hear from you."
    Ami smiled. "Okay. Mamoru, could I use your phone?"
    "You can use the one in the bedroom if you like," he suggested.
    "We'll let you arrange things," Minako said, smiling encouragingly. The parting with the Outer Senshi had been hardest on Ami, she really liked Setsuna. This would be something of a personal reunion for them, they deserved some privacy.
    "Perhaps I'll be going," Daniel said to Mamoru.
    "Churchland-san?" They all turned to Hotaru. She had been very quiet up until now. "Do you remember much about Princess Serenity?" she asked.
    "Yes, I remember her very well," Daniel said. "She brightened up the court like a beam of silvery moonlight. I cherished every moment spent in her presence, as did everybody."
    "Could you tell us about her?" She asked.
    "I'd be happy to do that sometime," Daniel said, somehow making his meaning clear.
    "Daniel," Mamoru said. "You don't need to worry. Not thinking about her isn't an option for any of us, any more than not breathing is. I'd love to hear about her life in the Moon Kingdom. We all would."
    "That's right," Rei said. "If she was half the character then that she is now, I'll bet you've got some very interesting stories to tell."
    "Well, I might have one or two."
    After Ami came back from making her phone call, they found out that he had more than one or two stories. It would have gone on all night had it not been such an exhausting day for everybody.

    *****

    Shoji had been getting worried for a while. After teleporting the Seed Crystal, Yui had collapsed. When he finally got her to wake up, she had been barely coherent enough to tell him about the excruciating pain in her head. He had carried her to their bed, and for hours had been alternately applying damp cloths to her forehead and giving her face and neck massages.
    Now, finally she was starting to respond. The tension was going out of her, and she would answer with more than a barely detectable sending when he asked her how she was feeling. He even got her to sit up and take something to drink. When her eyes started to focus on things again and she no longer had a vacant look on her face, he finally gave her a kiss.
**Well done, Yui-chan. You did it.**
    She smiled. **It was just like you said it would be. I touched the crystal and there was this rush of power. I felt like the first time I took a temple's life force, only way better. I felt like I could 'port it to the moon.**
    **Yui, I've warned you about thinking things like that.**
    **I got it here, didn't I?**
    **Yeah, you sure did.** Yesterday he had finally confessed to her his dark secret: as a child, he had once sneaked into the crystal room and had done the unthinkable. He had touched the Seed Crystal. They had always been told that anyone who did that would go up in flame. He had felt a burning fire, but one that nurtured him rather than consumed him. He felt certain that Yui would feel the same thing, that it would give her the strength to teleport the massive artifact all the way here. He had been right. But being a channel for that kind of power had almost been too much for her. He had really been scared, it had been all he could do not to go into hysterics. But now everything was fine, all the pieces were in place.
    **I don't remember anything before you brought me here,** Yui said.
**Did I get it to the right place?**
    **More or less. You want to go see?**
    **Sure.**
    They walked into the attached garage and Yui's eyes went wide. **Wow, it almost goes up to the ceiling!**
    **Yeah, it's a good thing there's a steepled roof.** The spires of the crystal were thrusting up between the roof trusses, the tallest spires almost reaching the roof. Nobody had thought the crystal below the ground was that big. It might have been a near thing, often when there were obstructions like that it would throw a teleport way off. It practically filled the big double garage, though there was more than enough room to walk around it.
    Yui walked up to it. **This is cool. We're probably the first ones to see the whole thing.**
    **Well, the first ones in a very long time, that's for sure.**
    **Where are Akechi and 'Tomi?**
    **They're with our sleeping beauty.**
    **You want to do her now, Senpai?**
    **Do you feel up to it?**
    **Sure. Now that my headache's gone, I feel pumped again. Besides, my part's easy.**
    **Okay, let's go.**
    They went up to Hitomi's room. She and Akechi were sitting together on the floor, leaning against the foot of her bed and watching her little television. CNN, naturally. Things were looking a little better on the plague front today, which was kind of an odd thing to say with half a billion outsiders lying dead and stinking in the streets. It could still get out of control again and who's to say there wasn't somebody with another one of those bugs ready to go. Well, that was what this little operation was all about.
    **Hey Yui-chan,** Hitomi said, standing up. **How you feeling?**
    **Good. I saw the crystal, it's way cool!**
    **You did a good job parking it between the rafters. I don't know what we'd have done if it had ended up in the front yard.**
    **Or the neighbour's yard,** Akechi said. **That would have been pretty tough to explain.**
    **How's our princess?** Shoji asked.
    **I scanned her just a few minutes ago,** Akechi said. **Still out like a light.**
    Shoji looked over at the woman lying peacefully on the bed. Akechi had stunned her about one second after Yui teleported her over here, she probably had no idea what hit her. So this was the legendary Sailor Moon. It occurred to him that he didn't even know her real name, she must have one. She didn't strike him as much. It was hard to believe this was the one who had turned all of Hitomi's berserker animals with one shot. She looked so serene, he couldn't imagine her hurting a fly. But Lord, what a dish.
    He gasped as Yui grabbed his crotch. **You're thinking naughty thoughts again, Senpai.**
    He batted her head playfully. **Yui, not in front of the kids.** They all laughed. **Anyway, all my naughty thoughts are about you.**
    **That's better.**
    **Akechi's been ogling her too,** Hitomi said. **Can't blame either of you, she almost makes me want to change my lifestyle.**
    **Seen better,** Akechi said. **Hair's too dark, for one thing.**
    **It's blonde!** Hitomi said. **About the only one with lighter hair is me.**
    **Yeah, I know.**
    They smiled at each other. So, he was giving her indirect compliments now. Oh well, slow progress was better than no progress. **Yui wants to do her now,** Shoji said. **Hitomi, you remember all the stuff we talked about?**
    **Sure. Ready when you are.**
    Yui walked over to the side of the bed. She raised her hands over the comatose woman. After a moment, a kaleidoscope of light motes floated up from her body and gathered between Yui's hands. They all just stared in silence. **Wow,** Yui eventually said.
    It was the most gorgeous thing Shoji had ever seen. No life force from a holy site could even compare to it. Rather than dancing about at random, the motes of light swirled about in fractal patterns that formed and dissolved and reformed. Shoji felt as if he wasn't looking at an object, but rather a gateway, a hole leading into some realm of pure energy that just went on forever and ever. He blinked, shook his head. **Whoa. I think we've got the real thing here.** Yui brought it around so that he and Hitomi could get a better look. He could feel its presence, it was almost as intense as the crystal itself. He raised his hands to it as if basking in the warm glow of a bonfire. **Man, I don't think a soul can get more ancient than that.**
    **You going to try reading it?** Akechi asked.
    **Give me a second,** Shoji said. He leaned closer. It was hard, the psychic equivalent of trying to interpret a double exposure negative.
**It's like there's two sets of memories. One of them is really weird. Like she's on the moon or something. She's been in big battles with some sort of monsters. Real Wrath of God stuff.**
    **She knows about the crystal palace,** Hitomi said. **She's seen it.**
    **Seen it?** Akechi asked. **You mean in a vision or something?**
    **I'd almost swear she's seen it right before her eyes,** Hitomi said.
    **Yeah,** Shoji said. **That's it alright. But this is all really hard to sort out. Almost like a really bad schizophrenic Yui and I did once. She's Sailor Moon and this girl and a Princess and a Queen, except somehow she understands it all, they're all really her.** He backed away.
**Whoa, this is giving me a headache.**
    Hitomi backed away as well. **I think she's the one.**
    **She's definitely the one,** Yui said. **Her soul looks exactly like the Seed Crystal told me it would look.**
    **You figure she'll respond to your touch?** Shoji asked Hitomi.
    **Yeah. She's still an animal, after all, she's got no defense. It'll be even easier than doing those black sheep.**
    **Okay, do your stuff.**
    Hitomi stepped up to the dazzling life force that Yui held up to her, and bent down over it. She spoke aloud, but Shoji could also hear her voice resonating in his head, coming off the naked life force like an echo. "Listen very closely. My name is Hitomi. I'm your friend. There are some very important things I need to tell you ..."

End Chapter 13