They had held their own.

By some miracle granted by God, they had managed to somehow stabilize, repelling the attacking forces and getting the kingdom slowly rebuilt. Many of the Generals were to be thanked for the effort, though a large bulk of it went to the combined efforts of General Yukio and the Queen Lady Earth.

The Queen Lady Earth had been amongst the people of the Moon long enough to know their battle strategies, while Yukio had fought them enough to know how to push them back. There was now a break in the fighting, a brief window to rest and recover.

Lady Earth was in her room, her grievous wounds slowly healing themselves. She had brought stability to the newly renamed Dark Kingdom, had cast out the corrupting influences of Queen Metallia, and felt she deserved a brief rest. None questioned it, though Yukio was known to make his disgust for her known when she wasn't there.

Hirokazu was tending to her rose bushes once more, humming to himself to stay entertained. It was confusing to Lady Earth as to how Yukio was a respected General, whilst his younger brother was little more than a maltreated servant. She had no problems with the younger of the two and had named him her personal attendant. He seemed to enjoy tending her plants, so she allowed him to do that more than anything.

At the moment, she was sitting down, wishing for a cool breeze of fresh air, though it would not come. She was sore and had taken to, as Ukito put it, 'hacking up a lung' every quarter hour.

Hirokazu was worried about her, but he never told his brother about it. If Yukio were to know, he would use the knowledge to usurp power, and would risk getting hurt, and Yukio was all the boy had. Plucking leaves from another plant, he went over to the queen, handing them to her.

"Here. Breathe them."

Unsure, she took the sticky leaves into her hand, crushing them between her fingers and studying them for a few moments, before she held them to her nose and inhaled deeply. In a matter of moments, it felt like she had gone numb, the pain vanished.

"What is this?"

"You weren't feeling good."

Lady Earth nodded, as though he had just shared a profound wisdom with her.

"How old are you, Hirokazu?"

There was a noticeable pause, before he simply responded with 'three'. She didn't seem to believe him.

"You've been here three years? I asked-"

"I'm three. Me and Yukio got caught in an attack right before you came along," he told her, going back to what he'd been doing. "Queen Metallia made us older, 'cause she didn't want kids running around. I'm three, and my brother is five."

Earth was stunned at the revelation. Her most hated rival really WAS a child, and the knowledge made her ache inside at how she had thought of him. She had no hatred of children at all.

"I-I am s-sorry. Had I know, I-I would have not acted towards him in such a way." She forced herself to stand for the little boy, coughing hard from the effort. He went to help her back to her seat, but she just dropped to her knees before him, pulling him into a hug. Hirokazu could feel her ragged breathing as she was trying to hold herself upright in such an uncomfortable position.

"We should go and correct this at once."


She had. The Lady Earth had taken Hirokazu at once, into the place where Metallia had been, and through her efforts, she was able to teach the boy to release. She watched him for long moments while nothing happened, before she felt a breeze begin to pick up.

It grew and grew, moving outwards with gathering force and the boy lifted up from the ground. The Dark Energy that came from him had a smell like poison, it was so sweet it made the queen sick and she covered her nose with her hand, smelling the remains of the leaves on them.

"It will be okay, Hirokazu!" she called out. "You're doing wonderful!"

The queen continued to stand there and watch, holding her free hand out against the energy, watching it rush through her, adding to her. She felt herself be boosted by the power and smiled. She would not let this child contain such poison within himself, if any should be harmed because of it, let it be her.

Finally, there was an explosion, the force of which threw her back into the ground. Terrified of a surprise attack, she hurried to her feet, drawing her sword. But there were no Sailor Senshi there. Rather, there was a small child standing uncertainly in the middle of the platform, looking around. As Lady Earth stood, hissing in pain from her injuries, the child fell back to his rear and began to cry.


Yukio had been beyond enraged when he learned what had happened to his brother. The anger at which he had allowed to explode out had frightened even the Lady Earth. She had hidden herself, with the child, in her room for three days, allowing only Ukito to enter as he pleased.

"My, my, you've made quite the enemy, m'lady," he said as he walked in with a meal for her and for the little boy who now clung to her. "If you are ever able to leave your chambers again, I daresay none will look you in the eye, at this rate."

He sat the tray down with a grin. Of all, only he spoke freely to her, he respected her, but they were 'friends'. It was something the queen now valued.

"I did what was right by the child; I'll make neither excuses nor apologies." She began to eat, watching Hirokazu mimic her.

"Be that as it may, you're going to need to retake your kingdom once more. A bolstering speech may not be what's needed this time, I'm afraid."

She looked from him to the child and then back. She sat her tray aside and pushed herself to stand, groaning as she did so. Hirokazu continued to eat his meal and Ukito waited where he was for the child to finish. The queen walked to the window, wishing for a breeze of air to whip through.

"Is there news?"

Ukito looked up from the child who was making a mess of things and scratched his head, thinking. "Ah, about that. A rumor runs wild through the masses, the Queen Serenity mounts an invasion."

"This hardly constitutes news, Ukito." She looked at him with mild annoyance in her eye. "I asked for news. Rumors are half-truths, and even this is known to me. Of course she will mount an invasion; she's barely given us any rest."

"The Queen of Light herself plans to lead this invasion into our 'Black Halls of Hell'," he continued as her tirade wound down. When the child finished his meal, Ukito took the trays up. "Shall I send for a maid to clean milady's bedchamber?"

"What did you say?" The queen demanded, turning to him as fast as she could. The room spun from the effort, but she managed to stay on her feet.

"I only asked if you'd like a maid in here to clean the mess and change out your sheets. Mayhap empty the chamber pot?" He grinned like a fool, knowing well what she asked. "Ah, the attack. Yes, I suppose that makes more sense."

"You will answer your queen!" she roared, beginning to cough. It wiped the smile off his face as he ran over to help her into bed with the worried child. "She plans to set foot on our soil. No, I won't allow it. Keep those monsters on their frozen rock, this blue marble belongs to the humans!"


The Lady Earth could not get out of bed, but it didn't stop her from planning the defenses of her kingdom. Every General was marched into the bedchamber and given orders, even Yukio. Though, he had to be threatened to be dragged in like some runaway child. Some Generals were given commands to secure the population and prepare evacuation, some were given commands to have all food moved to a secure location to keep it from being destroyed by the invaders, others ordered to tighten security in and around the castle.

"You, however," she coughed, pointing to Yukio with a chipped, blue nail "will keep this room secure, until I can move once more."

He grit his teeth and felt his blood begin to boil. "So, I am to babysit the 'queen' while she sleeps the battle away?" he demanded.

"You are to keep the queen safe until she can fight."

"I would rather be on the front lines. After all, there should be a competent warrior leading this battle."

It was an insult. One veiled so thinly, that in itself was even greater an insult.

"I have a competent general on the front lines, why do you think you aren't there?"

That infuriated him and he turned to leave, slamming the door shut behind him. Hirokazu watched carefully from his place under the sheets. The queen only laid herself down onto the pillow that was covered in silk to return to healing sleep.

"Why is he mad?" the child wondered. "How come brother doesn't like you?"

She opened her yellow eyes and looked to him. "What do you mean? I'm sure he likes me just fine. Boys his age are so strange."

"He acted angry. You told him he wouldn't get hurt, right?" When she nodded, he continued. "I don't want brother to get hurt."

"He won't. As much as I'd rather keep him away from me, I'll do what you ask and keep him here."

Hirokazu smiled at that and lay back down with her. Upon the thought crossing her mind that she was keeping Yukio safe by keeping him out of battle made her realize she was certain of their defeat.

She could barely move to her own chamber pot without Ukito's aid. If the warriors could see her fighting, it would bolster them and give hope. If she could just have Yukio's loyalty, it would win the entire kingdom. Their rivalry was the best thing to happen to her campaign, if she could secure his loyalty, none would have quarrel with her.

Hirokazu was fast asleep, but the queen went to stand. The pain was blinding, but she had to try. She wouldn't be weak.

"I don't know what you hope to prove by killing yourself," came Ukito's voice as he stepped into the room. He often joked about being psychic to the queen's needs and this was one of the times she felt he was right. "Should I empty the pot out for you?"

"I would have hoped you'd done it earlier." She glared at him through the pain, limping to the window, where she had view of what would be the battlefield.

"Ah, so I did. I forgot. You have forgotten, too. You have forgotten that your ass needs to stay in bed. My queen is quite weak; I could easily kick the shit out of you for getting up."

"If you were anyone else, I'd kill you where you stand."

"My elderly mother can move quicker than you, and is far more terrifying with a cane. I have little to fear."

She reached for him, wanting his neck in her grasp. He only stepped back lightly and was out of her reach by doing so.

"Now will you lie down, or must I hold you down for the night?"

The battle was over before it had begun, and she was climbing back into her bed with no more fuss, other than a command to remove the heavy quilt.

"It makes my sleep uncomfortable. It becomes too hot."

Ukito nodded and threw the quilt aside and allowed it to pile up in the corner of the room. A maid would have it folded when she woke again. "That may be fever talking. I'll have someone check later."

She promptly fell asleep and he stood in the door for a long time before smiling.

"Sleep well, sister dear."

He left her to her dreams and walked out.