THE CONSPIRACY WORE MY FACE
Chapter 2: "Evil In The Shadows"
A Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
"Future ruler of Japan?" Rei gasped in shock. "What do you mean?"
But the unseen man who owned the disembodied voice merely turned around and began to climb the wooden steps.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" Rei bellowed impotently. "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO HER?"
The priest's answer was the root cellar door closing. Furiously Rei struggled to slip out of the handcuffs that bound her arms behind the wooden post. But suddenly she stopped.
For she heard the hissing laughter of her captor's partner - - the one who wasn't quite human.
At the breakfast table in the Royal Chambers, three humans and a cat sat down to their morning meal. One of the humans, Queen Serenity by name, sat with her chin resting on one hand while the other groped at a bowl with a fork, occasionally hitting something. Her eyes were closed and golden strands of hair fell across her forehead. With a bite of food on the fork, she blindly brought it to her mouth. But the food fell into her lap before it reached her mouth, so her lips closed around an empty fork.
"Hmm," Serenity mumbled. "Thought I had something that time."
Setsuko, also sitting at the table, cackled with amusement. Endymion, a veteran witness to this but still amused by it, stifled a laugh.
"Your Majesty," sighed Luna, looking up from her bowl of fish, "the child has better table manners than you and she's only four."
"Gonna be five on Friday, Luna-Chan," Setsuko corrected the feline.
"Yes indeed," Luna smiled. "And then you'll be even more mentally superior to your mother." Setsuko cackled again.
"Endymion," Serenity half-mumbled, half-sighed. "I hear a nasty buzzing sound. Do something about it." Her voice trailed off as she began to doze. The Queen only woke up when her chin began to slide off of the hand holding it up.
"Wake up, Dear," Endymion gently prodded. "We have to get started soon. Remember, we're taking Setsuko-Chan to look over that kindergarten that Ami recommended."
"Mmph," grunted the Queen.
"What's 'kiddergarden'?" Setsuko inquired.
"Kindergarten, dear," Luna gently corrected her.
"Kindergarten is a place where you'll meet other children your age," Endymion explained. "And you'll learn to sing songs, play games, draw pictures, learn numbers and kanji."
"That'll be good," Setsuko replied enthusiastically. "Usagi-Mama still can't make a good kanji. We can learn together."
Luna turned to hide her snicker. However, Endymion realized something.
"Setsuko-Chan," he began. "Your mother and I won't be attending kindergarten with you. We have to run Japan. You'll be going to kindergarten by yourself."
"By myself?" Setsuko repeated. As the child's anxiety level shot up, Serenity suddenly became awake and aware. She leaned over and stroked the girl's head.
"It'll be all right," Serenity cooed. "You'll have a lot of fun, and you'll learn a lot of things."
"But I want to live here!" the child wailed.
"You'll still live here," Serenity assured her, hugging the girl. "You'll always live here, for as long as you want!"
"Yes, child, your parents aren't sending you away," Luna added. "It's just that their jobs are to run the nation, and your job is to go to school and learn."
"And you'll go to school and meet new people," Serenity continued. "And you'll make new friends and learn all sorts of new things! And at the end of the day, you'll come back home to me and to Endymion and you'll tell us all about everything you did! Because I'm going to want to know EVERYTHING!"
"I can come back?" Setsuko ventured timidly.
"Of course!" Serenity cried and hugged her again. "If I didn't think you were coming back, I wouldn't let you go!" She pulled back and looked at Setsuko. "So lets get ready so we can look this kindergarten over. And if you don't like it, we'll find one you do like. OK?"
Setsuko nodded, but Endymion could see she still had reservations.
Later that morning, with the King and Queen gone with Setsuko to look over the prospective kindergarten, Luna walked down the palace corridor with Artemis. She was relating the morning's events to him.
"And Ami went as well, both in her capacity as guardian for the King and Queen and as an advisor on the suitability of the school's curriculum," Luna told him. "I, of course, offered to go, but His Majesty thought I would, um, be of more service here."
"School doesn't allow pets, does it?" smirked Artemis.
"Archaic rule," scowled the black cat. "Still, I'm confident between His Majesty and Ami, the school's academic merits will get a good going over."
"Luna, it's kindergarten. I don't think they're going to be teaching advanced calculus."
"Social skills," Luna argued. "Interacting in a positive manner with others; personal grooming and hygiene; organization of time and its productive use; and above all, discipline and respect for authority. The good schools teach this. The bad ones don't."
"You would have made a good school teacher," Artemis commented dryly.
"I like to think I would have," Luna replied, missing his tone. "I managed, given that Her Majesty was hardly the best pupil. She's a prime example of a lax kindergarten."
"I don't think she went to kindergarten."
"And the deficiency rears its head constantly," Luna muttered.
Just then the two cats spotted Minako approaching. To the experienced eye of Artemis, Minako was practically floating. This meant one of two things: A career success or she'd just met a hot guy.
"Fuzzy! Just the cat I wanted to see!" Minako beamed. "Guess what!"
"Your recording company called and canceled your contract, saying it was all a big mistake?" Artemis quipped.
"No!" Minako scowled, then grew serious. "Why? Have you heard something?"
"Joking," Artemis sighed.
"Yeah, well leave the humor to the professionals," Minako huffed.
"I've told him that for years," Luna sighed.
"OK, OK. Hot date or did you sign the movie deal?" Artemis sighed.
"Movie deal!" Minako crowed and did a little dance.
"Indeed," Luna commented. "What does this film entail? I thoroughly enjoyed "The Handmaiden". You were quite good in it."
Minako just smiled, though her smile threatened to burst her face.
"So, spill!" huffed Artemis.
"They're going to make a 'budget is no object, high-profile, crammed with special effects summer blockbuster action film'," and Minako paused for effect, "of Sailor Moon and the Senshi! Live action! No animation this time! And no cheap TV budgets!"
"The King and Queen agreed to this?" Luna remarked skeptically. "Why wasn't I informed?"
"The deal was put together by our marketing firm," Minako explained. "I got Serenity and Endymion to agree to it 'to get the economy rolling' and all that stuff."
"So, think you can pull off Sailor Venus?" Artemis needled. "Sounds like a bit of a stretch for you."
"Dunno," smirked Minako. "They signed me to play Sailor Moon. They figured with my name recognition and with how close I am to Serenity, I'd be a can't miss draw." She took on a haughty air. "Not to mention my killer acting ability."
"Yeah, I've seen your movies," Artemis quipped. "You've certainly brought more than one to an untimely demise." For that, he got a rude shove with Minako's foot.
"Well I would hope you'll keep in mind the dignity of Her Majesty's station and reputation when you do this," Luna sniffed.
"Oh yeah," Minako nodded with mock gravity. "When we do the scene where she trips over her own hair trails, I'll do it in the most dignified manner possible." Something caught Minako's eye down the hall. "Rei! Hey, Rei, guess what!"
The cats turned as Minako bounded down the hall. The tail of a light blue robe disappeared behind a wall into the junction corridor. Seconds later Minako reached the junction, but stopped and stared in surprise and confusion. Moments after that the cats joined her.
"Where'd Rei go?" Artemis asked, for the junction corridor was empty.
"Beats me," Minako mumbled.
"Are you sure it was Rei you saw?"
"When have I ever been wrong?" Minako asked. Artemis rolled his eyes. "That's weird. Rei didn't move that fast when The Three Lights concert tickets went on sale that one time. She must have really had something to do."
"Or something to escape from," Luna thought, but diplomatically didn't say out loud.
Exiting the Diet for the scheduled lunch break, Dietman Takahashi headed for his office. He was intent on picking up an item he'd need for the lunch meeting he had scheduled with the CEO of Sashimi Agricultural Industries. Takahashi's friends in the corporate world were still largely against the reforms instituted by the new monarchy. Takahashi, who shared their feelings, was meeting with them one by one to encourage them to "keep the faith", sound them out on possible ways to counter the measures, and see if he could keep those campaign contributions flowing.
What he didn't want was to be button-holed by the rising star of the opposition.
"Dietwoman Momohara," Takahashi said, concealing his distaste for the interruption. Dietwoman Momoko Momohara was everything he wasn't: young, idealistic, a Queen Serenity loyalist and an unabashed reformer dedicated to breaking up the old boy's network that had served him over the years.
"I'll only take a few minutes, Dietman," Momoko cautioned. "I just want to know if there was something I could say or do to convince you to support the prison reform measure before the Diet."
"I doubt it," Takahashi answered. "While I'll concede that the monarchy's heart is probably in the right place in this instance, weakening the Japanese penal system in some misguided gesture of charity . . ."
"Have you ever been to Fuchu Prison?" Momoko interrupted. "It's treatment of prisoners often crosses the line of brutality."
"Stern measures for stern cases, Momohara-San," Takahashi replied. "They're a danger to society. If being firm is the best way to control them, so be it."
"Firm and brutal are two different things."
"And if brutal makes the place feared, perhaps that fear will dissuade some from committing crimes against innocent people."
"That's a very hard stance," Momoko scowled. "I would have hoped the new political climate would have softened such things. I'd hoped it would be enough to persuade you to support the measure."
"Does it matter?" Takahashi frowned and Momoko saw the real person peek out from behind the politician's mask. "Even if the measure were defeated, Queen Serenity could just enact it with a wave of her hand."
"So this is personal rather than philosophical?"
"My opposition to the measure is as stated," Takahashi replied. "No, I don't happen to like our current method of government. I've also stated openly that such concentration of power in a single entity is dangerous."
"I don't know how you could think that of Queen Serenity," Momoko argued. "There isn't a kinder, gentler person on the face of the planet. I would trust her with our welfare more than I would anyone else in existence, including myself."
"That's fine," Takahashi began. Then he looked Momoko right in the eye. "But the longer you experience power, the more you'll come to realize that it affects people - - possibly even your saintly Queen Serenity. And even if she doesn't succumb to the temptation of being able to do anything she wants, there's always the possibility that someone will overthrow her and her band of senshi. And they might not be as benevolent when they seize that absolute power. And, thanks to people like you, we'll have no means of expelling them except through a long, destructive civil war. Study your history, Dietwoman Momohara. The Meiji Restoration would be a dance in the park compared to a modern civil war."
With nothing more to be said, Takahashi headed for his office. Momoko let him. Though he raised valid points, she knew in her heart that he was wrong about this.
He had to be.
Blindly Rei felt along the dirt floor with her hands. The priest had concluded that a mystic barrier had been put around her to keep her from transforming into Sailor Mars. If it was constructed like she thought it was constructed, components had been poured onto the dirt surrounding her in a mystic circle. Sunder the circle and the spell would be broken.
She just had to find the circle.
And she had to do it without raising an alarm. Rei hadn't heard her captor's partner or underling or whatever it was depart, so she had to assume it was still there. The way her skin crawled added to that feeling. And of course that brought up repressed memories of her other captors, the Frost People, the dousing and the beatings. For a moment she felt her hands begin to tremble.
"Afraid of something?" came the voice. What was it about that voice? It wasn't human, but what was it?"
Rei kept silent. Better not to egg her on. Acting up got a beating.
"You won't reach it," the voice told her and Rei realized it had guessed what she planned. "Master planned too well."
"And who is your master?" Rei asked, all the while forcing her trembling hands to continue to grope the ground.
"Wouldn't you like to know," the voice taunted her.
"What has he promised you?" the priest continued to probe. "What do you get out of this?"
"You're quite beautiful," the voice said, changing the subject, "for a human. And I know human beauty quite well."
What did that mean?
"Why do you do it?" the voice asked her. "Be a priest? You could have any man you chose. Live a life of wealth and ease - - not one of the hardship and denial of a priest."
"Obligation," Rei admitted. "That might not be a concept you understand."
"The concept is understood," the voice replied. "The reason is accepted. Pity, though. All your years of struggle and deprivation will soon be at an end."
Fighting to keep calm, Rei continued to search for the circle with her cuffed hands.
"So what are you preparing for tonight?" asked Amari Nagano. Nagano was one of the cooks who serviced the palace cafeteria. He was talking with Yukio Tsubame, who had been chief assistant chef at the now-departed Butterfly Palace under Sanjuro and Makoto Ikegami. Makoto had personally recruited Yukio to cook all of the meals for the Royal Family.
"Duck l'Orange," Yukio replied proudly. The woman, barely five feet tall, middle-aged and stout, had a whole duck waiting in a roasting pan and was carefully slicing an orange. "I haven't tried this recipe in years." She glanced at her fellow cook. "But the Queen does encourage me to experiment. And Ikegami-San liked me to experiment as well."
"And the Queen will eat anything you put before her," chuckled Nagano.
"Except carrots," they both said in unison. Each one laughed.
"It's too bad, too," Yukio sighed. "Duck l'Orange just isn't the same without a carrot."
Yukio walked over and opened a cabinet, plucking out a bottle of port. Nagano glanced at her.
"Are you making something different for the child?" he asked. "We can't be serving dishes to children with alcohol in them."
"No, I'm making a special portion for her," Yukio told him. "It just won't have port in the sauce." The woman smiled. "She's four. I doubt she'll know the difference."
"Five in three days," Nagano quipped.
"So she's told me," Yukio chuckled.
Turning back to her duck, Yukio found a strange woman standing by her work table.
"Here now," she spoke up. "Who are you?"
"Oh!" the woman gasped and bowed penitently. She was around twenty, slim with short brown hair and strikingly beautiful. "I just wanted to see what you were doing. I've never seen a dish like this before."
"Well it's not done yet. Please don't disturb it," Yukio fussed. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm Nansi," the girl said. "I just started here as part of the cafeteria staff."
"Well I'm sure you've got work to do," Yukio cautioned. "My advice is to get about it. It wouldn't do for you to be caught loitering around back here by Luna, especially on your first day."
"Yes, Ma'am! Thank you, Ma'am!" the girl bowed again and hurried off.
"Kids," Yukio smiled. "You have to keep after them all the time. Well, NOW maybe I can finish my sauce." And Yukio began stirring the mixture, unaware of a new ingredient that was in it.
Continued in Chapter 3
