Though I hold a mysterious destiny,
I'm still wondering to where I will struggle on, being led by the moon
Listening to a gentle lullaby, I think just a little of the past
It's full of mistakes and sorrow, but since
You are here, I won't regret it

Though I'm under the pink moon,
I need an even stronger comfort
Even if I make only mistakes,
Say, "I love you," okay?

Shinpi-teki na unmei motsu noni
Tsuki ni michibikarete doko ni tadoritsuku to mada kangaete iru

Yasashige na lullaby kiite kako wo sukoshi dake omou
Machigai mo hiai mo ippai dakedo anata ga iru kara
Koukai-shinai

Pink-iro no tsuki no shita ni iru kedo
Motto tsuyoi nagusame ga iru no
Tatoe ayamachi dake shitemo
I love you tte itte ne


Moon Senshi: Unmei no Kodomo

Episode Seven:

"Fallen Paradise"


When Fubuki left the putrid, pristine cleanliness of the hospital, she knew exactly what she needed to do--something that would really piss off her mother. She had already vandalized the church, which was probably the worst thing she could think of; now, she would have to settle for taking a big whiff of pot. She put the blood-caked coat on her back; she almost wore that blood with pride, a sacrifice she had made in her fight against oppression. Looking down the sidewalk at the rancid families and their rancid happiness, it couldn't help but make her feel nauseous. She needed to talk to someone who understood how fuckin' stupid the world was.

"Where the fuck is Jirou, anyway?" she asked, taking another puff. How long had it been since they'd seen each other? Two, three days? The time seemed to have blended together into meaninglessness. Well, fuck. He'd probably have forgiven her about their fight, anyway, especially once he got home. After all, even the nastiest of peers was nothing next to his parents. It was only six o'clock; she had woken up early that morning, and the doctors had let her leave. The wound would take care of itself, more or less, for a week or two; after that, she'd get her stitches out. The unsightly scar, to her, would be a badge of honor. She almost wanted another one.

Jirou would probably be smoking, too. Things had been especially bad at home, and between that and their fight, there was nothing better to do than burn his brains out. She'd probably find him behind the bushes in the park. Fubuki needed to talk to him. Stupid jackass had been right about her mother; the only reason the bitch had left for caring about Fubuki was making sure her smoking, cussing daughter didn't mar her reputation. Her punishment, which Fubuki planned on ignoring, would probably have something to do with keeping her out of public sight. Grounding, most likely. What a laugh. As if that would deter her.

Fubuki walked down the Serenity-fuckin' shiny sidewalk and threw her huffie behind her. The park was in the center of the neighborhood; near the shopping strip, the school, and the upper-class section. Just behind the mall, conveniently hidden from view, was the poor section of the district.

When Fubuki entered the park, she headed for the bush behind the fountain, the place where she and Jirou always hung out. Sure enough, he was there, a curl of smoke flowing gently away from his face. Smoke was the perfume of the miserable.

He looked up at her and carelessly blew the smoke into her face. "What the fuck do you want now?" he asked.

Fubuki didn't say anything. She sat down, heedless of the numerous cigarette butts on the ground, and let out a low sigh.

"Did you go through with your dumbass plan?" he asked scornfully. His face was wrinkled in worry.

"Yeah. The statuary is ruined."

"Mother Serenity," he sighed, throwing down his cigarette and crushing it with his foot. "I can't believe you, Fubuki. I told you breakin' up that church was a bad idea, but dammit, you--"

"I know what I did!" Fubuki snapped. "I have no regrets about that. The stupid bitch deserved it, dammit!"

"But what the hell did you accomplish?" he asked her. "So you broke the church--big fucking deal. What's gonna come out of it for you? For anyone?"

"I'd think you'd be happy about my smashing up that shiny piece of shit--god knows the money that went into that fuckin' statue could've gone to your parents. Maybe that would shut them up for awhile!"

"Leave my parents outta this, bitch!"

"You know they're fighting because of the money!" Fubuki continued. "I've gone over to your house. I've heard the screaming! And the way your brother cowers in the corner like that, it's fucking pathetic!"

"Whatever happened to hating your family? Why is it mine all of a sudden?" His tone became resigned. "Stupid fucking rich bitch...how the hell would you know what it's like living in a shithole."

"I haven't been with you all these years, listening to your problems, to hear that!" she shouted. "You know it's the queen's fault that you're so poor. You should be happy I destroyed that statue!"

"What the hell does it matter, even if I am?" he snapped. "There hasn't been a welfare program in almost a thousand years, and none of the councilors look like they're interested in one. Poverty is shit in the can, Fubuki. When you can't starve, nobody gives a fuck."

"Doesn't it make you a little happy to see something that symbolizes her destroyed?"

"My parents have been 'married' for 20 years, Fubuki. For me, that was 17 years of hell. When your parents fight every night over who's going to pay the bills and the taxes and everything else, you just learn not to give a fuck about anything anymore. There's nothing I can do for my parents, and there's nothing anyone can do about mother fucking Serenity. I've tried to reconcile my parents, and when I was young and stupid, I thought I could be like that poor dumbass Han'i and kill the queen. But if Chaos can't beat her, Serenity knows who can. Don't waste your time making a criminal record for yourself. It's over."

"Not according to that weasel."

"I wouldn't trust anything that came out of the mouth of some shithead weasel," Jirou replied scornfully. "I don't care about the 'Moon Senshi' or whatever. The queen has all that support behind her, and her lollipop-head daughter has just as much--plus her crystal. Don't waste your time."

"That's all I do anyway. Waste time. There's nothing left in me that isn't wasted." Fubuki sighed and let her head hang between her legs. "It's over between us, anyway, isn't it? You certainly don't seem interested. I've had enough of this life. Maybe if I become a Sailor Senshi I can go out with a nuke."

"Don't be a dumbass," Jirou complained, pushing her injured shoulder and sending her headlong into the butt-ridden dirt of the park.

"Shit!" she shouted loudly, grabbing her shoulder. "What the fuck are you doing? Those are my stitches!"

Jirou looked down at his hand. The coat had a strange, crusty residue where he had pushed her, and his palm was faintly dusted red.

"What the fuck is this? Stitches? Fubuki, what the hell happened, anyway?"

"Two other Sailor Senshi found me," she admitted, still cringing from the pain. "One of them was named Sailor Phoebe... the other, the Red Eagle or some kinda shit. They tried to keep me from wrecking the church. Stupid bastard...they knocked me out and left me in there. Then, the priest found me..."

"I'm sure your mom had something to say about that," Jirou interjected. He smirked sardonically and kicked a rock. "Were the two others Moon Senshi?"

"They must've been. Maybe there's more to this than that fuckin' weasel told me; beats me. Anyway, my mother has some genius punishment worked out. Probably grounding me again. Stupid bitch; she knows I'll just disobey her. She only bothers because she wants to feel like she tried to do something about it."

"Serenity! Fubuki, if you're going to do something that fuckin' stupid, you have to be more careful. And now you've ruined your goddamn coat, too."

"I must have untransformed when I passed out," Fubuki half-heartedly mumbled. "The blood from the wound soaked through."

"And you just let it sit here and stain? I thought this coat was 'so important' to you. Remember, a memento of your father?" He shook his head. "I guess it's not as important to you as I thought it was."

"It's not like it's fallen apart. Besides, the coat is black."

Jirou held out his hand.

"Give me the coat."

"The hell! Why the fuck should I? Are you going to rip it up, too? Trying to see just how careless I can treat it?"

"There's a fountain over there. I'm going to wash it out, dumbass."

Fubuki paused for a moment; she handed him the coat. He walked over toward the fountain and Fubuki followed him. He dipped the shoulder of the coat into the water, and the blood began to dilute in the fountain, leaving a cloudy mass of brownish pink. Jirou began scratching at the blood with his fingernails; Fubuki sat down near him on the fountain.

"That girl's in pretty deep shit." Jirou told her as he worked the dark splotches out of her coat.

"What girl?"

"That Han'i girl. They found out she was Sailor Titan; or at least, they think she is. Now, they're looking for proof."

"How the fuck did she end up getting caught? Lying weasel bastard. 'Needle in a haystack' my ass..."

"She snuck into the Crystal Palace and tried to assassinate the Queen."

"Fuck. What the hell was she thinking?"

"What the hell were you thinking?" Jirou snapped, looking toward her. "You were thinking of it just now. The same thing could happen to you."

"Who the hell cares," Fubuki muttered, swirling her fingers in the cloudy water.

"Don't even say that, dammit," Jirou said bitingly, ringing out her coat. The stain, for the most part, was gone; the dark color of the coat managed to hide it. He handed her the coat; she took and looked down at. She was too proud to admit feeling guilty for constantly fighting with Jirou. He said a lot of dumbass things, but he was all she had. Why did things have to be so harsh between them...?

There was a long moment of silence between them; a truant officer walked by and didn't give them a second glance. They didn't bother anymore. Delinquents like Fubuki and Jirou were the dirt that got lodged between the sidewalk cracks; collecting in the unclean corners of the city, the blemishes on a well-swept street.

"I didn't know Han'i had that much nerve," Fubuki said, somewhat subdued. "I thought she was just some lamer looking down her nose at the queen, without the guts to do anything."

"You're going to help them, aren't you?" Jirou said with a sigh. "The fact that you were beating the shit out of each other before doesn't matter."

"I don't care what kinda shit-heads the others might be," Fubuki replied. "If they can help me get rid of that whore, I don't give a damn."


The train squealed to a halt. Her parents were boarding. Her father was always away on business, she thought with a pout. Always working, always up in his office, and never with her. She didn't see much more of her mother; every day after junior high it was cram school, cram school, cram school. She didn't have time to hear her talk anymore, except when she was nagging.

"You need to study to get into Girls' Benkyou High," her mother had told her. "You and your sister will have to take over the business, you know."

Yamiko didn't want to go to Girls Benkyou. She didn't want to go anywhere. Everyday, it was just some kind of meaningless routine. Get up, go to school, come home and eat with her sister and a mother that did nothing but think about the future. She couldn't even talk to her sister much anymore; she was already seventeen, and her life was devoted to studying so she could go to college in Osaka. Everyone was completely focused on the future. The future, the future, the future...pretty soon, her future would be gone. Who cared, anyway? She forgot where her parents were going. Who cared? Another business trip. Another trip for the future...

"In other news, last week a speed train heading for Sapporo was bombed by an unknown terrorist. The only clue left on the scene was a wooden, life-sized marionette..."

Then, the future stopped.


Seisui could feel a lump overwhelming her throat as tears ran down her cheeks, forming a small stream to the dirt below. She clawed the dirt with hands; a feeling of despair overwhelmed her. She couldn't think, couldn't feel; her whole being felt numb. Her father looked down on her as she let out great, choking sobs.

"Seisui, banish your anger from you."

"Go away," Seisui whimpered, laying her face into the dirt, "Go away."

"Seisui, you--"

"Go...away!" She screamed. Councilor Han'i shook his head and walked back inside, leaving Seisui alone.

Usako knew who she was. Everything was over. Seisui pondered just lying in the dirt forever, waiting to die. The cherry blossom petals would fall on her corpse, burying her in their flurry of disgusting pinkness.

"Where am I going?" she sobbed to herself, clenching the sweaty dagger in her hand. "Where have I been?"


Sailor Pinkmoon was gasping for breath when she reached the street. Although the distance was short, the journey had taken everything out of her; the effort to hold back her tears was much harder than any physical endeavor. Hiroshi stood up from a nearby bench as she approached him; his expression was bewildered as Usako stood in front of him, gasps wracking her chest as he hugged her.

"My God," he murmured. "What happened, Usa?"

Usako shook her head as she detransformed. Hiroshi was afraid to press her; he broke off the embrace and put his arm around her as they walked down the street. Usako cried all the way. By the time they had reached the end of the block, her sobs subsided to silent tears. The street corner had a small green; there was a tiny fountain in the center of a group of benches. Hiroshi sat down the bench and gently pulled her down by her hands to sit next to him.

"What happened?" he finally asked her.

Usako paused for a moment. She wiped away her tears; but the mere thought of what had happened, much less talking about it, brought forth more sobs. Hiroshi pulled out a tissue and wiped her eyes for her. He was willing to wait as long as she needed.

"Seisui..." Usako mumbled. "It's all true...everything...about Sailor Titan...Seisui...she tried...she tried..." Another round of sobs broke her off and she hid her face in her hands.

"What did she try?" Hiroshi asked, hugging her gently and rubbing her back.

"To kill me..." Usako managed to blurt out as her chest quivered and she let out another whimper.

Hiroshi didn't know what to say. Usako had said it herself; everything that Endymion and the Senshi had suspected was true. Usako, all along, had believed that Seisui loved her as a friend. Even believed that Seisui thought Usako was the only one who understood her. She had been fighting for Seisui's innocence; now, that meant nothing. Hiroshi cursed himself; he had thought he was sending her to Seisui's house to reconcile them, and he was really sending Usako to what could have been her death.

Hiroshi waited for her to stop crying. Eventually she did, her sobs subsiding into an occasional stutter. Even then, a silence hung over them as they sat on the bench.

"I suppose...I suppose she has been through a lot," Hiroshi finally said. Strangely, he had no feelings of anger for what she had tried; only concern for Usako, who had been through it. Usako would be hurt by what Seisui had done, but he knew she would not be angry, and that she would rather seek an answer to Seisui's behavior than resort to condemning words.

Usako nodded. "I...I can't blame her. What happened to her father was horrible. Even though it was my mother, and not me, I used to believe that purification was right, that Seisui just didn't understand. I tried to convince her of that. And even though I might have been changing my mind, by the time Seisui knew my feelings, I'm sure she wasn't willing to trust me. By then, she had already equated me with my mother."

She shook her head. "I always used to idolize my mother. When I was little, all I could think of was becoming more like her. I look back on that, and I realize that my mother was never that perfect. Of course, she's good--and she can be strong, at least when she's fighting Chaos--but I can also see how hopelessly fragile she is, and how little she understands her own subjects. Crystal Tokyo is no wonderland, Hiroshi. Things are just the same as they always were. People are just pretending that they're happier because they think they're supposed to be...and if they truly realize that they aren't, then they know they'll suffer for that knowledge. People have convinced themselves that pretending is enough. But people can't cope with their problems by denying them; they need to be solved."

"Then...despite her betrayal, there may be something good that will come of Seisui," Hiroshi replied. "Because in realizing that, you're already a greater person than your mother."

Usako looked at Hiroshi; even though he loved her, his duty as a priest was to the king and queen. She would have expected him to agree that the Queen had faults, but what Hiroshi had said could almost be seen as degrading to the Queen.

"Hiroshi...do you really think I'm a better person than my mother?"

"I do. You couldn't have forgotten that at I first thought you were the maiden I was looking for?"

"No...I haven't." Usako frowned. "But it was my mother, and not me; she was the maiden you were looking for."

"It couldn't have been just a mistake, Lady Serenity. You were the maiden I noticed, not your mother--even if you weren't the holder of the silver crystal, you had the purest heart."

He smiled. "And furthermore, now you are the holder. So now you have matured; both in your soul, and in that you are now the holder of the crystal. Your very own pink crystal, as well; not just a handing down of that which was once your mother's. You have inherited your mother's power, but you have also found something which is your own; and that makes you far more precious to me."

Usako smiled back. She took his hand and turned away; at the top of a fountain was a statue of her mother. Someday, she would be the ruler over this city; but it would be a city that regarded its problems without shame, instead of hiding them behind a shining street. She had Seisui to thank for this revelation; although, she thought sadly, it was coming at a terrible cost.

"I wonder..." she said sadly. "if Seisui and I will ever be friends again."

"You're going to rectify your mother's mistakes," Hiroshi responded. "It's because of Seisui that we now know what needs to be changed. And once she understands that, I think that you will be reconciled."

"I'm afraid to confront her..." Usako replied. Tears were threatening to return; the memories were flooding back to her head, frightening and unreal. "I'm afraid of what she might do."

"I will be with you."

"Then, no matter what it takes," Usako vowed, hugging Hiroshi, "I will do my best make things right again."


"Her condition is stable," the doctor told Tokimo, looking toward his mind-numbingly complicated panel of screens, buttons and measurements. "She should be waking up any moment now."

"Do you know if Sayoko is coming?" Tokimo asked, looking toward him.

"I don't know, yet," the doctor informed her. "I sent my secretary to call her and tell her yesterday evening. But I suspect so. She'll probably be here in a few hours, if she found out quickly enough."

"Good. It's very important that Sayoko comes, so don't mess up!" Tokimo admonished him, waving her finger toward him.

"I'm sure everything will be fine, miss." The doctor's gravity was surprising, given Tokimo's unusual behavior; in fact, since he wheeled Yamiko into the hospital room, Tokimo had done nothing but threaten him. Shouts of 'I'll kick your ass if she doesn't pull through!' were hollered every fifteen minutes or so. The doctor turned back toward her, flipping through some papers on a clipboard. "I'll leave her to you. I've found that the presence of strangers is usually unwelcome in cases like these."

Tokimo watched as the doctor left the room; she sighed as a stray petal fell off one of the daisies Tokimo had bought for the "ailing" Yamiko. Whatever possessed people to kill themselves was beyond her; she had never understood how someone could be sad enough that they were willing to throw something as valuable as their life away. Maybe it made some measure of sense with Yamiko, however, given her complete inability to enjoy life or the company of others. Maybe she had just gotten sick of being involved with the Moon Senshi, and couldn't think of another way out. There were some people, Tokimo decided, that just weren't meant for the job.

Yamiko's eyes began to open; Tokimo watched as tears formed in her eyes, making them bleary and glassy. Yamiko raised a weary hand to wipe it away; then she turned toward Tokimo, who was sitting in a chair beside her.

"Why am I alive?" she asked. "And why are you here?"

"I found you lying on the street when I was leaving Seisui's house."

Yamiko cursed herself. She should have known better than to take them somewhere public, but her neurotic delirium had kept her from thinking in anything resembling a logical state.

"How long have I been out?" she asked, as though it were a matter of course.

"Only overnight," Tokimo replied. She got up and looked down at Yamiko, who was looking back at her. Her infuriated expression barely seemed to touch Yamiko's unconscious; maybe the little escapist was trying to pretend she was still going to die.

"What?" Yamiko finally asked.

"What?" Tokimo angrily replied. "What the hell were you thinking, anyway? Are you really that pathetic? Seisui put up with things ten times as bad, and she never thought about suicide. I know your parents died, but--"

"How did you know my parents died?" Yamiko asked, waking up from her trance and pulling herself painfully upward.

"I tried to call your parents when you came in. Then I found out you didn't have any; only Sayoko."

"It wasn't because of my parents. Not this time, anyway," Yamiko replied. "Sometimes I still think about them...and their death was very strange, but...that's not what it was."

"Well, then, what was it?" Tokimo demanded.

"A lot of things."

"Like what!" she insisted.

"Like it's none of your business!" Yamiko snapped, turning toward her. "Since when do I have to tell you my motivations? Stay out of my life. Stay out of my problems. I'm not your friend, and I'm not interested in being a Sailor Senshi."

"If you're not interested, then why are you helping the Crimson Eagle?"

"I'm not helping anyone!" She turned away from Tokimo again, pulling up her knees and resting her forehead. "I...I betrayed the Crimson Eagle. I tried to kill Sailor Saturn when I met her. I remembered my past..."

"Then, are you switching sides again?" Tokimo asked. She wasn't sure if she wanted Yamiko joining them; especially not since she might 'change her mind' again and end up causing more trouble in the long run.

"I'm not doing anything!" she sobbed, hugging her knees and looking out the window. "Why do you think I tried to kill myself? I'm so confused. I'm so sick of this. I don't understand what's going on anymore. You and Seisui are so lucky; you just have everything all figured out for yourselves. Whether it's right or not, you aren't given the burden..." Yamiko trailed off.

"The burden of what?" Tokimo pressed her.

"Of self-doubt. Of questioning if you've done right; of knowing you don't really know anything."

"What a load of crap," Tokimo replied. "You say that you know nothing; really, you're saying 'I'm too wishy-washy to take a side.' That's not knowing nothing, that's being too lame to take a real stand.You know, doing the right thing and sticking to it isn't always easy. Of course, I'm sure you would understand that, since you don't seem to be able to do it."

"I was just trying to do what made the most sense at the time!"

"Were you really? Or were you just trying to do what was easiest?"

"I wasn't!" Yamiko protested. "After I attacked Sailor Saturn, Usako told me about Seisui. I wanted to find out the truth for myself, so I went looking for her father. And...I found him."

"So you finally know why Seisui hates Sailor Moon."

"I wish you...she...I wish you had told me! I never knew about Purification. How could I have? You never said anything. I sought revenge on Sailor Saturn because I lost my parents in my previous life...I didn't know that Seisui's father had suffered a fate so similar, and maybe even worse..."

"Death would have been a better punishment!" Tokimo said vehemently. "Then, at least, his memory wouldn't have been dirtied!"

"I...you may be right. I felt so sorry for myself. But all this time, what Seisui had to endure was just as bad. I can't live with myself anymore. I'm sick of not knowing who's right, not knowing anything at all. Queen Serenity ruled prosperously for so long. People seem to adore her. I couldn't believe that Seisui's hatred was justified. I was certain I was in the right."

"Well, you weren't."

Yamiko glanced up at Tokimo, her expression racked with pain. "...I'm sorry."

There was a long pause. Yamiko didn't expect Tokimo to accept her apology; Tokimo was stubborn, and she was sure Tokimo had a host of other reasons not to like her.

"It's all right," Tokimo replied. "I suppose you responded like any normal person would have. Thankfully, I'm not normal. But the one you really owe an apology to is Seisui. She's the one who's suffering the most from all of this."

Yamiko nodded. "Maybe I'll try to talk to her."

Tokimo paused. "Well...I better go check on Seisui. You can talk to her tomorrow, okay?"

Yamiko frowned. If she was going to have to do something as difficult as talking to Seisui, it would be best done quickly. "Do you mind if I come with you?"

"Well, I think that--"

"Yamiko!"

The hospital door banged against the wall with a resounding thud. A short woman stood framed in the doorway; her hair was cut in the style of women who spend a little too much time downtown, and her clothes, a red tube top and a black skirt about the same size, seemed to reaffirm Tokimo's suspicion.

"S-Sayoko?" Yamiko said a bit nervously. She turned toward Tokimo with an accusing glare. "You told Sayoko about this?"

Tokimo, sensing this was her cue to leave, waved animatedly and ran briskly out of the room to avoid further trouble.

"Yami! What the hell were you thinking? I thought you were better. Did you forget to take your medicine?" Sayoko asked, her tone incensed.

"I could hardly have forgotten; I took so many that they had to pump my stomach."

Sayoko paused. Her initial anger, Yamiko noticed, had been abated by the afterthought of concern.

"Yamiko...why? I know mom and dad are gone, but..."

"It's not mom and dad," Yamiko interjected. "A lot's happened since you left for Osaka. I didn't mean to bring you back; I wish you hadn't come."

"Gee, thanks," Sayoko replied irreverently, pulling a chair up next to her bed. "Well, I'm here now, so you better tell me."

"It's a long story."

"Well, you better get started, then, because I'm not leaving until it's done."

Yamiko sighed. "Why do I even bother?"

"Stop beating around the bush, Yami."

"Okay, fine," she snapped. "You've heard the news, right? About Sailor Titan?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So, she's not the only Moon Senshi. I am, too."

Sayoko paused. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head, too?"

"No! I didn't. Here, I have my locket," she replied sharply, pulling out the black and silver brooch. "I'm Sailor Phoebe. And Tokimo, the girl that just left, is Sailor Charon."

Sayoko opened the brooch and slowly examined it. It definitely looked genuine, but her face became more and more skeptical as Yamiko proceeded to explain her story of the discovery of the quest against Queen Diana, her alliance with the Crimson Eagle and the idea of Purification.

"I have to say," Sayoko replied, handing the locket back to her, "I have trouble believing the Queen would do something like that. She's insanely forgiving, and while she might try to change Han'i's mind, I don't think she would force her opinions on someone."

"It's definitely true. I saw Councilor Han'i myself..." Yamiko shuddered. "What happened to mom and dad is nothing compared to that."

"I don't know, Yamiko," Sayoko said with a sigh. "I really think you should stay out of this. I'm sure Tokimo and Seisui's intentions are noble, but their motives seem warped. And anyway, if you're going to choose an occupation, being a Sailor Senshi is just about the worst. You say Purification is horrible, but if you and your friends are caught, then I'm sure that's what's in store for you... And honestly..." Sayoko looked downward and pulled out her pocket mirror, pretending to be interested in her make-up.

"Yeah?" Yamiko asked.

"Well, I'd rather not have a daikon radish for a sister."


"I need your guidance."

Sailor Pluto turned around. She was surprised by the suddenness of Hotaru's entrance, and the strangeness of her request. After the Black Moon had been defeated, the entrance of someone through the gates of time usually meant a Saturday visit. Hotaru, evidently, had other things on her mind.

"Has something happened?" Sailor Pluto asked.

"Many things. But I need to speak with you, alone--before the others do."

Sailor Pluto looked on in confusion. "The rest of the royal family, you mean? But why?"

"It's complicated. But suffice to say, the royal family has been busy lately; a new threat has appeared, and--"

"If Chaos had attacked, I should have been able to sense its presence."

"This isn't Chaos. There is a strange new group of Sailor Senshi, called the Moon Senshi. Do you know anything about them? They say they are trying to prevent a former queen of the moon, Diana, from being reborn in Chibi-Usa's daughter. Is there any truth to that story?"

"Moon Senshi..." Sailor Pluto paused, thinking to herself. "I know very little about them. They came before my time."

"Before your time? I thought you had no time; your life began at the beginning of time itself."

"My power over time extends that far, but not my life," she explained. "There was another Sailor Pluto, during the time of a ruler named Diana. Diana was Queen Serenity's mother."

"Do you know anything about her, or the time in which she lived? About the war of the Moon Senshi?"

"Very little. Only that shortly after a war, the former Sailor Pluto was killed, and I, her daughter, was sent to replace her. The Senshi of the moons were said to be a proud and warlike people; but these were only rumors, spoken by mortals when I was small, and they soon disappeared. I always believed the war to be a legend."

Hotaru couldn't help being a little disappointed. Sailor Pluto knew no more than Luna and Artemis had, and traveling through time to find out more was forbidden. Her only consolation was that the other Senshi would learn nothing more than she did, and that would buy her time while the others were still looking for evidence that Seisui was Sailor Titan. In the meantime, she would have to find some way of gleaning more information on her own.

"But Hotaru..." Sailor Pluto said, interrupting her thoughts. "Why all this secrecy? What is it that you need to know before the rest of the royal family? Is there some reason they can't be trusted?"

"I'm trying to save a lost lamb," Hotaru responded, "before it becomes a sacrifice."

"Who is it? Surely you don't think the royal family would hurt an innocent person?"

Hotaru said nothing.

"Why wasn't I consulted about the Moon Senshi sooner, Hotaru? Just what is going on?"

"Everyone has been very busy," Hotaru replied. "I'm sure they'll want your advice soon."

"This isn't just about the Moon Senshi, is it? Hotaru, what do you mean to try that wouldn't have the King and Queen's approval? Who is this lost lamb--is it one of these Moon Senshi?"

"Thank you for your guidance, Setsuna. I'm afraid I have matters to attend to now..."

"Hotaru, you are the leader of the Outer Senshi! Surely you don't mean to keep me--us--in the dark about this?"

"This has nothing to do with my being your leader. This is a matter of personal importance."

"Has something happened to Small Lady?"

"Chibi-Usa is fine," Hotaru said absently.

"That couldn't have been sincere," Sailor Pluto said, her voice taking on a firm, almost angry tone. "Small Lady is the only person you treasure above anyone else. But you know Small Lady is important to me, too. Even if you don't tell the others, I need to know what has happened to her."

"The others already know anyway..." Hotaru sighed. "That was how I came to know, after all."

Sailor Pluto looked gravely down at Hotaru; Hotaru sighed. She knew that Sailor Pluto was at least as close as she was to Chibi-Usa. After all, it was Sailor Pluto who had let Chibi-Usa escape to the future; it was Pluto that Chibi-Usa had affectionately called "Puu."

"Chibi-Usa has befriended Seisui Han'i," Hotaru explained. "And Seisui Han'i is highly suspected to be Sailor Titan. And Sailor Titan...Well...she recently attempted to assassinate the queen."

"My God..." Sailor Pluto mumbled. "Why wasn't I told?"

"As I said, everyone has been very busy and very worried about Chibi-Usa. She had been fighting the three Moon Senshi for some time before she said anything to us; and the information was more or less forced out of her. The only person she confides in anymore is Helios. And I'm not sure what Seisui has been telling her, but...well, I've learned of some very disturbing ideas she's picked up."

"Do these ideas have anything to do with Councilor Han'i?" Sailor Pluto asked. "Does she know...?"

"I don't think so," Hotaru interrupted her, sparing her the effort of explaining. "Though, as I said, I'm not certain exactly what Seisui has been telling her. But as a point of fact, these ideas seem unrelated to anything Councilor Han'i once said; the ideas have primarily to do with Purification."

"What about it?"

"Seisui seems to have convinced Chibi-Usa that it's wrong. I don't know why, but...well, I'm trying to find out more, both about the Moon Senshi, and, if possible, Seisui."

"But what are you trying to hide, Hotaru? Why are you sneaking around like this?"

"I've been sent to Goban to keep an eye on Chibi-Usa. The possibility that I will find proof that Seisui is Sailor Titan is extremely high, and if I do, when the royal family finds out..."

"She will be purified, of course," Sailor Pluto replied. "And as long as Small Lady believes that purification is wrong..."

"Chibi-Usa has suffered. The loneliness of having such busy parents was hard on her; the humiliation of being trapped as a child almost signaled her downfall. These wrongs were not intended, but no matter how she hides it, I know that Chibi-Usa feels resentment toward her parents. If it came to pass that Seisui was purified, however, I do not think Chibi-Usa would ever entirely forgive them. Certainly not if purification is, in fact, harmful."

"Then, before Seisui is purified by the King and Queen, you need to convince Small Lady that Seisui is really her enemy."

"I'm not so sure I want to; as I said, I'm trying to save a lost lamb. I want to reconcile Seisui's anger. I'm not sure why she hates purification, but if I can convince her to forgive the queen, then her and Chibi-Usa's friendship may be able to thrive. If I don't, and Chibi-Usa finds out about Seisui's true identity before I'm able to change Titan's mind..."

"Don't you think that's a bit much to hope for?" Sailor Pluto replied sadly. "If she knows about her father, and believes that he was right..."

"Chibi-Usa and Usagi were able to look past the evil in my heart. It would be unfair to treat Seisui differently."

"But Hotaru, you were possessed by Chaos; if anything, you were a victim, not a perpetrator. Seisui's flawed character is the source of this crime."

"My character was flawed as well; weak enough to let myself become possessed by Chaos."

"Everyone is weak sometimes, Hotaru, and Chaos is a powerful foe. You couldn't have been expected to resist it, especially not when you were so young--"

"Seisui is young, and Seisui is weak. The evil in our own hearts is the very same evil that Chaos is made of."

Sailor Pluto looked at Hotaru. If Seisui's opinions followed those of her father, the chance of her being reconciled with the Queen was seemed small. Councilor Han'i had not cared what happened to him. His life meant the destruction of that which he despised, and he was happy to sacrifice it; Seisui, she feared, may very well have grown up the same way. Hotaru, she felt, was being too optimistic--assuming that Hotaru's own transformation from sinister to good could be repeated with Seisui. Sailor Pluto, however, was loath to share her skepticism; perhaps there was some hope for Seisui that Hotaru, having met her, was able to cherish.

"Very well, then," she said at last. "Good luck to you, and give Small Lady my regards."

Hotaru inclined her head and left through the great prison door of time.


Seisui didn't know how she had managed to get herself in bed; maybe it was the desire for her mother not to ask questions. More likely, it was to avoid her father. If she locked her door, he couldn't come in. She put the comforter over her face. In her bed, no one could see her or remember her. She tried not to think about what had happened.

"Seisui..." Ana called from behind the door. "You have a...umm...visitor."

"Tell them to go away," Seisui said hoarsely.

"It's Kouken, you know."

"Tell him to go away."

"Don't you think you ought to unlock the door?"

"No."

"Seisui, what's gotten into you? You've never been like this before. Sure, depressed, but...you've always be so resilient. You never stick around in bed like this."

Seisui didn't say anything. There was a long pause; eventually, Seisui heard her door make a "clunk" sound as her sister forced open the lock.

The door opened only a crack; Kouken stepped through. Ana evidently didn't want to become involved, at least not yet, since the door closed after his entry.

"Go away," Seisui mumbled from under the disheveled sheets.

"What happened to you?" he asked, jumping on her bed.

"I thought you lived with Tokimo."

"Not anymore. We got in a fight..." he mumbled. "So I'm living here now."

"Whatever."

"Something really awful must have happened," Kouken continued, a hint of concern leaking into his nonchalant tone. "How did you end up loitering around in bed like this?"

Seisui didn't reply.

"Seisui! I'm your guardian. It's my business to know. Does this have something to do with Usako?"

"Yes..." she murmured, her voice wavering.

"Well," he said, walking on top of her back, "what happened?" he repeated, this time more forcefully.

Seisui was saved from answering him by the unceremonious slam of her bedroom door into the adjacent wall. Kouken turned around; it was Tokimo, the person whom he least wanted to see.

"What're are you doing here!" Tokimo demanded, looking at Kouken. "Trying to sabotage me and Seisui's friendship, I'll bet...! I'll strangle you, you stupid little--"

"Calm down, Tokimo!" Kouken snapped, turning toward her. "I had to live somewhere. I can't starve to death!"

"Why not?"

Kouken sighed and turned around, back toward the front of the bed.

"What happened here, huh?" Tokimo asked, looking suspiciously toward Kouken. "How did you get Seisui so upset?"

"I just got here," Kouken snapped. "I didn't come in yesterday because I thought Seisui would still be working things out with her family."

"If it wasn't you, then what was it?"

"Why don't you ask Seisui?"

"Before I say anything to Seisui, you have to leave," Tokimo demanded.

"What?" he protested. "Why?"

"Sometimes people need to be alone with their friends," she said. Kouken opened his mouth, but didn't say anything. Tokimo, he thought in annoyance, had a point. He turned around and left the room, tawny tail dragging behind him.

"That got rid of him," Tokimo pronounced victoriously. "Show him for treating me like that..."

Tokimo turned toward the lump underneath the quilted covers. She walked over to the side of the bed and began nudging Seisui.

"C'mon, get out from under there!" she demanded as Seisui's body moved limply back and forth. "What are you, A quitter? A coward? Yamiko?"

"Go away."

"I'm your friend, Seisui Han'i. If you want me to go away, you're going to have to force me out. And you can't. So don't bother trying."

"I don't care."

Tokimo sighed. This was obviously going to take something a little bit more extreme. Tokimo returned to the foot of the bed, grabbed the blue comforters firmly on each end, and started pulling. Seisui put up a strong resistance, but she didn't have a chance of keeping the covers on when Tokimo was putting all of her weight into pulling them off. The blankets snapped back suddenly; Tokimo caught herself before falling over.

Seisui was still curled up, her school uniform streaked with dirt, her face red and puffy. Her face had been turned toward the ceiling; no longer hidden safely under the covers, it lingered in view for a moment before she buried it in her arms.

Tokimo returned to the side of the bed; she sat down and rested her elbows on the flannel-covered mattress. She looked at Seisui.

"C'mon, Seisui," she said encouragingly, tousling Seisui's hair. "Cheer up. If you tell me what's wrong, I might be able to help you."

"It's too late. You should just stay away from me while you can...if you don't, I might get you in trouble..."

"Nobody can get Tokimo in trouble! She always triumphs!"

"Not this time...now, it's all over..."

"It's never all over. I'll still be your friend, no matter what!"

Seisui looked up at Tokimo; tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Even if I'm purified?"

"Don't be dumb, Seisui. Why would you be purified? Nobody knows who you are. Even if they did, we'd just beat 'em down!"

"There's no way we could defeat them alone," Seisui sniffled. "It's no use. We're doomed."

"I'll never give up."

"That won't matter if you've had your will forced out of you...become like my father, and it's all my fault..."

"We came into this together! I was even a senshi before you, remember?"

"But I encouraged you to fight," Seisui said.

"That's because you were right."

"It doesn't matter whether I'm right or not. It's all over."

"Why is it all over, Seisui? We still have a chance!"

"No!" she shouted, turning her head back into the pillow. "Usako knows. She knows now! I tried to transform in front of her. I couldn't...I... "

Seisui started crying full force; Tokimo gently lifted her off of the bed and hugged her. "Don't be dumb, Seisui," she admonished her. "Even if everyone knows, we'll fight them, and win! We have the same power as Sailor Moon, remember? The power to make miracles happen. And anyway, you were Usako's friend, right?"

"That's..." Seisui was interrupted by a bout of sobs; she hated being reminded of Usako, because that made her think about what had happened. About her father, about trying to transform...about her failures...

"'That's' isn't much of an answer. Spit out the rest of the sentence."

"That's what she thought," Seisui managed, wiping her tears off on Tokimo's shirt.

"Well, as stupid and obnoxious as Usako is, do you really think she would tattle on her friend?"

"She might...if she thought she was doing what's best. I was the one that tried to kill her m-mother...she might do it...if she thought I had to be purified--to protect the royal family..."

"But Usako has the crystal now, doesn't she?"

"I guess so..." Seisui half-heartedly replied.

"Then if it was just a matter of purifying you, she could do it herself. If she handed you in, not only would you get purified, but there'd be a big public mess and a lot of humiliation. And if Usako thinks of you as a friend, I'd think she'd want to spare you the disgrace of letting the whole world know about your identity."

"But how could Usako think of me as a friend now that she knows I'm Sailor Titan?"

"This is Usako we're talking about. The same one that befriended Hotaru when she was an evil, psychotic Chaos-possessed freak. The same one that became an evil Chaos-freak herself! I would even think that she could be a little bit more understanding. Especially with the 'We're the nicest people in the world' look the royal family tries to show off."

Seisui opened her nightstand drawer and pulled out the dagger her father had given her; when she had returned, she had absentmindedly placed it there, perhaps hoping that if it were stuffed away its memory would not haunt her. Was Tokimo right? It seemed odd that even Usako might still have faith in her after this; even Hotaru, though evil, had been evil through the influence of Chaos. Seisui had acted of her own volition.

"What's the dagger for?" Tokimo asked, pulling it out of Seisui's hands and inspecting it. "It's pretty cool. I like the snake."

"My father left it to me. It's the only gift I've gotten from him since I was six years old."

Tokimo looked at the dagger in awe. "Did your father give this to you so that you could kill the queen?"

"I'm not sure," Seisui said uncertainly. "I only just found out that he once tried to, himself."

"Whoa! Really? But your dad wasn't even a Sailor Senshi. He must have been crazy to--"

Seisui looked up at Tokimo sharply; Tokimo could already see the tear droplets swimming threateningly in her eyes.

"Well, he may have been crazy, but he had the right idea." Tokimo handed the dagger back to Seisui gently; Seisui took it and looked at it with a face of despondent nostalgia.

"We both failed..."

"Sailor Senshi can get through the doors, right?" Tokimo asked.

"What doors?" Seisui asked.

"The doors of the Crystal Palace, of course."

"Yeah...but why--"

"We're going to get rid of the Queen, once and for all," Tokimo explained animatedly, clenching a fist in determination. "We'll attack the queen again--but this time, we'll all help you!"

"Are you crazy, Tokimo? The last time I tried, I was almost purified..."

"We won't fail! I'll be helping you this time, and so will Yamiko."

"Yamiko?" Seisui asked in confusion.

"Yeah," Tokimo replied. "Yamiko met your father. She's on our side now!"

"Yamiko met my father...?"

"Uh-huh. Yesterday. And once she saw how bad Purification was, she decided you were right. In fact, she felt so bad about what she did, she tried to kill herself. I saved her, though."

"I can't believe anyone else is on my side..."

"It's not unbelievable at all!" Tokimo replied stubbornly. "I think everyone would agree with you if they knew what you had been through. What happened to your father is unforgivable!"

"Maybe, but...even with the three of us, there's no way we could win. There are nine Sailor Senshi, and that's not including Sailor Pinkmoon and the Asteroids. Our cause has no hope."

"Don't be silly, Seisui! Sailor Moon beat up all those impossibly hard Chaos-babies, right?"

"I guess so..."

"And Sailor Moon's a Moon Senshi, right?"

"Well... kind of..."

"And we're Moon Senshi too, right?"

"Yes..."

"Then we're as powerful as Sailor Moon. Which means we can beat up the lot of them, no problem!"

"But Sailor Moon has the Silver Crystal," Seisui argued.

"No, she doesn't! Remember, Usako has the crystal now. Serenity can't even transform! See, it's all part of my master plan. Me and Yamiko and Kouken will keep them busy and distracted, while you head up to the Queen's room and kick-ass--Seisui-style!"

"Seisui-style?" Seisui replied skeptically. She had tried so many times to eliminate Queen Serenity and her daughter... "I know you're trying to give me hope, Tokimo...but this is just stupid. We're walking into a death trap. It's about time I paid attention to my father's words...This hell is for no mortal to oppose. Even if I am a Sailor Senshi, and not mortal, I'm still no match for the royal family."

"We aren't walking into a death trap!" Tokimo shouted. Tokimo's voice sounded unusually angry; Seisui jumped a little. While she had no reservations about insulting other people, she had always been cheerful and kind to Seisui. "It isn't stupid. If we work together, we could create a new future. A future where you wouldn't get beaten up, and a future where people could be free to think on their own. But if you just sit under the blankets and give up--give up like a loser, just like everyone else around here--then nothing will happen! I'm disappointed in you, Seisui. I thought you had more guts than this. I thought you had more determination than this! It isn't stupid..."

Seisui was silent. She almost opened her mouth a few times, thought about saying something. But the look on Tokimo face said that she'd been hurt, and Seisui felt so bad she was afraid to say anything.

"I'm sorry," she finally said, her voice weak and uncertain. "I thought I could do something, even though my father couldn't...and then I couldn't transform, and the dagger didn't work..."

"You father gave you that dagger, didn't he?"

Seisui nodded. She was still holding the dagger in one hand; the handle was sweaty. She suddenly realized she had been gripping it tightly, and the muscles in her palm felt strained. She put the dagger back on her cedar bureau and clenched her soil-streaked palms nervously together.

"I don't believe your father wanted you to give up. Even if he told you that, this dagger proves that he believed in you. Some part of him always wanted you to fight. We can do this, Seisui! If me and Yamiko distract the planetary Senshi, then maybe you can sneak off and attack Serenity. See, we could do it in the middle of the night. We'd all go in by the front door, really quiet-like, and then we'd split up. You could go upstairs and hide; then me and Yamiko would make a lot of noise downstairs. All the Senshi would go rushing to see what it was, and while they were doing that, you could sneak into the Queen's bedroom. After all, they wouldn't want the defenseless Queen to get involved in the dangerous fight, right? So you could kill the Queen while we were fighting. Then all that would be left is Usako! And we can take care of her anytime."

"But you two will be fighting the Sailor Senshi all alone...and if you're caught, you'll be purified."

"Nah, that won't be a problem," Tokimo said nonchalantly, patting Seisui on the shoulder. "If worse comes to worse, I can always teleport away again! They'll never get us."

"Are you sure?" Seisui said nervously. If Tokimo were purified, too...

"Definitely. No one will bring us down!"

"Okay," Seisui finally agreed, nodding her head. "We'll do it. But you have to be careful, Tokimo!"

"Yeah!" Tokimo shouted enthusiastically, whapping Seisui on the shoulder. "That's more like the Seisui I know!"

"Shouldn't we tell Kouken?" Seisui suggested, looking toward the door.

"Why does he need to know? All he does is hand out the goods."

"Well...he did give us our powers and everything..."

"Who cares?" Tokimo defiantly replied, folding her arms in protest. "He may have given us our powers, but he's a stupid jerk. I've decided that animals should definitely not talk. At least not furry hot dogs, anyway."

"What did you have a fight about?"

"Kouken thinks I'm stupid," she responded matter-of-factly. "He thinks I'm not good enough to be your friend."

"Kouken is very negative..." Seisui sighed, leaning on pillow propped against her iron-worked bed. "I guess you give a lot of people the wrong impression. I like you, though, Tokimo. You're real...you don't try to become something that you aren't, like everyone else does."

"That's because I'm just naturally awesome," Tokimo said with a grin.

"In any case, no matter how insensitive Kouken may be, I think it would be a bad idea not to tell him. Who knows? He might even be able to help us."

"Kouken? Be helpful? You're giving him too much credit. He just sits around and tells you to think up plans."

"He knows more about the Rainbow Millennium than we do," Seisui argued. "And he might know something else about our powers. Like why you were able to teleport."

"Or how you summoned that freakish man."

"We are alike..."

The strange, dark face appeared briefly in Seisui's mind, a ghostly wisp that disconcerted her.

"Seisui?" Tokimo said somewhat tentatively, putting a hand on the top of her head. Seisui's hair was full of grit and sand, with a few pieces of vermiculite here and there. Seisui looked upwards at Tokimo and shook her head vigorously, prompting Tokimo to remove her now dusty hand.

"Sorry...I just zoned out. But you're right. We could figure out that, too."

"I guess I should get the stupid hot-dog back..." Tokimo said begrudgingly, walking to Seisui's door and turning the doorknob. Kouken immediately poked his head through; the rest of long, slender body slid behind him through the small crack in the door. Tokimo considered shutting the door midway through his entrance but thought better of it. There was a small possibility he'd have more gadgets.

"You were eavesdropping," Tokimo said accusingly, noting his speedy entrance.

"I was not!" he said defensively. Tokimo picked him up by his tail and threw him on Seisui's bed, causing several squeals of protest.

"Tokimo!" he hissed, scowling up at her from the bed.

"Here's the plan, hot-dog," Tokimo began. "Me and Yamiko and Seisui are going to attack the Crystal Palace tomorrow. Me and Yamiko are going to distract the nine Senshi while Seisui goes in to kill Queen Serenity. Got it?"

"Sounds like a Tokimo plan. Illogical, reckless, and quickly thought up. Besides, the Queen isn't important, not to my cause, and not to Seisui's. If we kill her, there's still an heir to the throne and a holder of the crystal; which means that Diana will be reincarnated, and Serenity's regime will continue."

"I want revenge on the woman who destroyed my father," Seisui replied. "And anyway, if we kill the Queen, Usako will be more vulnerable. The royal house will be in shambles--"

"Chaos will abound!" Tokimo interrupted enthusiastically.

Kouken paused. The plan was reckless, but what Seisui said was partially true. If they could kill the Queen, there would be a small period of time when the royal family would be in total confusion--and Queen Serenity was, it was true, far more defenseless than her daughter. If they waited too long, however, the security of the palace would only be heightened, and far from being easier to kill Sailor Pinkmoon, it would become impossibly hard. It would be unlikely that the King would even let her out of the palace.

"I'm not sure I like this plan," he finally responded.

"It doesn't matter whether you like it or not!" Tokimo snapped. "We're doing it. Right, Seisui?"

Seisui paused nervously; far from disliking Tokimo's plan, she was worried about hearing Kouken's censure. She nodded anyway, however, because if they didn't attack the queen, it was unlikely she would remain unpurified; and if she was purified, she would never have another chance to redeem her father's name.

"Seisui!" Kouken reprimanded her. "I know the Queen purified your father, but--"

"This is my last chance!" Seisui protested. "If I don't kill the Queen now, I may never be able to."

"Killing Usako makes infinitely more sense! If you kill her, there's no crystal holder. If you kill her, it won't even be possible for people to be purified! Isn't that what you really want?"

"The Queen is mortal. I can kill her, and if I do, my father will finally be avenged. But Usako...it's too late. She knows who I am. She'll have her guard up, Helios will have his guard up, and before long, Usako will tell the royal family-- by then, they'll more ready than ever for an attack. Maybe if I strike now, I'll be able to do something, at least."

Kouken looked at Seisui; she held an expression of determined dignity, but her dirt-streaked complexion and puffy red eyes told the true tale of her feelings. Seisui was desperate and afraid; right now, she would listen to anything that gave her something to believe in, even a plan as desperate as this. Kouken didn't even want to tell her not to try it. He wasn't sure if this was because he didn't want to hurt her feelings, or because he was afraid of just how desperate Seisui had become.

"If you're going to do it, you're going to do it. It doesn't look like I'm going to be able stop you. But if you have to try this, you have to be careful. Tokimo, you and Yamiko need to be ready to run away at any moment. And Seisui...you can't stick around trying to kill the queen. You need to enter and leave quickly, and if you aren't able to do it fast, don't try it at all."

Seisui nodded. She had no intention of following his instructions; at this point, she was ready to kill Queen Serenity if it meant her own life.

"No problem. Me and Yamiko will be able to escape faster than you can say 'Kick your a--'"

"Yes, Tokimo, we know," Kouken replied.


By the time Hiroshi and Usako reached the palace, it was already dark. They had walked most of the way in silence; Usako hadn't felt like talking, and Hiroshi didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. There was an unspoken promise between them that the truth about Seisui would not be told. Although they both knew that Usako would never agree to purify Seisui if she were found out, it was inevitable that some other severe punishment would be put in its place. Punishing the Moon Senshi would help nothing, change nothing. The only hope for Seisui--perhaps even the Moon Senshi--was reconciliation with Usako.

As they walked toward the Crystal Palace, the ornate doors magically appeared in front of them. Usako frowned as she thought of the mildew-covered, trash-laden houses of the poor. The thought of living in the decadent palace almost made her feel uncomfortable now.

"It feels unfair, somehow," Hiroshi quietly mumbled. Usako inclined her head.

The doors opened before them and they walked into the vestibule.

"It's almost seven," Hiroshi observed, glancing at the huge, golden clock hanging on the wall. "Everyone must be having dinner."

"I'm not really hungry," Usako said indifferently. "We can get something later from the kitchen, okay?"

"Okay."

"I guess we should do our homework," she said with a sigh. "We should avoid acting in a way that might seem suspicious."

"Are you going to tell Hotaru?"

"I don't know..."

"She'd want to know. You know she won't tell anyone, Usako. And she's your best friend..."

"I know. I mean, she's trying to help...but I'm not sure I want her to. This is really a conflict between me and Seisui."

Hiroshi looked hesitantly toward her. "I know this is between you and Seisui...but...well...I'd like to help you too, Usako. I mean, I won't come between you two...I'd like to support you, though, and maybe help you find a way to help Seisui."

Usako smiled. "Of course, Hiroshi. We're more than just friends, right?"

He blushed. "Well...yeah..."

"Then we should share our problems with each other. No secrets." Usako kissed him on the cheek and Hiroshi gave her an affectionate hug in return.

"Don't talk to Seisui without me, okay, Usa?" he said worriedly. "As long as she has her locket, she's too dangerous for you to be with alone."

"Say, Hiroshi..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Seisui would really do it?" She looked up the grandiose staircase. "Do you think she'd really try to kill me?"

Hiroshi rubbed her back comfortingly as Usako laid her head on his shoulder.

"I don't know. Seisui...probably not. She might come close, but I don't think she really would. She's too scared, too alone...but Sailor Titan...It's almost like she becomes a different person."

"They're both the same person, Helios. Seisui inherited her way of thinking from her father. As Sailor Titan or Seisui, why should she hesitate?" a voice rejoined.

"Who's there?" Hiroshi shouted, stepping away from Usako. "Who's been listening?"

Haruko stepped from behind the stairwell; Her blazing, fuchsia hair drew their attention as she came into view. The other three girls followed. It was an easy enough place to eavesdrop. The stairwell was wide, so they could clump together in the very back. It didn't help that the stairs were set back from the wall; no one was apt to look in on either side.

"You're going tell Mama, aren't you?" Usako asked them angrily. "You're supposed to be my Senshi, and yet you were eavesdropping on me to find out the truth about Seisui."

"We were," Akiko admitted. "But we weren't planning on telling the Queen. We mean to help you, Lady, not turn you in. We had some important information we were going to tell you. It may not be so useful, now."

"We were gonna tell you right away," Fuyuko explained. "But it looked like you and Hiroshi were talking about something juicy, so we decided to listen in."

Natsuko stepped on Fuyuko's foot, eliciting a cringe from their sprightly, loud-mouthed member. Hiroshi looked very disapprovingly toward them, but said nothing.

"If it's about Sailor Titan being Seisui, it's obviously irrelevant now, so there's no point in telling me," Usako said impatiently.

"You still feel sympathy for Seisui, don't you?" Haruko asked.

"Yes. Seisui has been through a lot."

"Because her father was demoted, correct?" she prompted.

Usako paused; she looked toward Hiroshi, uncertain as to if she should let them know the truth. Hiroshi nodded. Her own Sailor Team should be trusted with something this important.

"No," Usako responded.

"If it wasn't because of that, what was it?" Natsuko asked skeptically, raising a green eyebrow.

"Seisui's father was purified," Usako explained. "I know that doesn't sound like a punishment, but...it really does terrible things to people. Removing someone's negative emotions destroys their motivation; not only that, but because they feel contempt for no one, they don't feel true, discriminating love for anyone, either. Seisui's father was purified, so that he would love everyone and feel kindness; but in doing so, the special fondness he felt for Seisui and her family is gone. It's hard to explain, but...because Han'i loves everyone equally, his love for Seisui no longer means anything."

"You mean that Councilor Han'i no longer loves Seisui?" Akiko asked skeptically. "Isn't that the opposite of what purification does?"

"No, you misunderstand me. I mean that he loves Seisui as much as anyone else, as much as a person on the street, as much as the Queen who purified him. Because his love for Seisui is not special, it doesn't mean anything to her--to anyone."

Haruko paused. Purification, by these words, did seem immoral. It was hard to say how accurate Usako perception of it was, however; Seisui might employ any kind of trickery for her own gain, including several well-rehearsed lies to gain Usako's sympathy. Regardless, even a punishment as harsh as the one Usako had described might be understandable, under the circumstances. Since Usako did not know the reasoning behind the punishment, however, it was natural for her to believe it unfair.

"Whether what you say about Purification is true or not remains to be seen. It is entirely possible that Seisui could be deceiving you, possibly with her father's cooperation. Besides, Seisui's circumstances are not what you think they are. As punishment for being slanderous, it is understandable that you would think purification--as you have come to view it--or even demotion might be too harsh. After all, it is part of the Councilor's job to scrutinize the queen; as out of line as his criticism was, it was a harsh punishment. But the reason why Councilor Han'i was punished has nothing to do with his criticism," Haruko explained.

"Then what was it?" Usako asked defensively.

"Usako...Councilor Han'i did a lot more than criticize your mother," Haruko replied. "He tried to kill her."

"That couldn't be true," Hiroshi said. "How couldn't we know about something that important? And even if it were kept from us for some reason, how on earth would you have found out?"

"The only reason we even know is because we searched through the records in the control room--without permission," Natsuko said.

"But why would Papa keep something like that a secret?"

"He says it's because he didn't want you to lose your confidence in your abilities. Your mother, as I understand it, was in the hospital for upwards of a month with severe wounds. Councilor Han'i snuck into her room and stabbed her with a dagger; he barely missed her heart. Your father told us that if you knew your mother was almost killed by a mortal man that you would lose confidence in your own powers as a Sailor Senshi, because yours is the same power as hers."

"Really, I think it's because he didn't want to make your mother and himself look vulnerable," Fuyuko cut in.

"Does Seisui know this?" Usako asked, hopeful that she, like Usako, may have been under the mistaken impression that her father's punishment had been a gross injustice.

"It's hard to say," Haruko sighed. "But judging from how close Sailor Titan's attack mirrored Han'i's, it would make sense if she did."

"And the dagger..." Usako mumbled in disappointment, remembering the blade Seisui had pulled from her pocket.

"But if it's true that Councilor Han'i's punishment fit his crime, Haruko," Hiroshi said guardedly, "Why would Seisui still seek the Queen's death so vehemently?"

"Because Seisui is petty," Akiko said bluntly. "Why does she need more motive than that? Her father was destroyed; to her, that's the only thing that matters. I'm sure it means nothing to her that his crime was equally malignant, or that, under the circumstances, the queen may have had no other choice but to punish him."

"Seisui isn't petty!" Usako shouted, stepping angrily toward Akiko. "It's easy for you to say her crime wasn't justified. You're not the one that's had to live with a father who's nothing but an empty ghost!"

"It's just as easy for you to say that her crimes were justified! You didn't lose anything from Councilor Han'i's attempt. By the time you returned to Crystal Tokyo, your mother was fine. But if Queen Serenity had died that day, you wouldn't sympathize with Seisui so easily. You'd be ready to banish her for trying to repeat her father's crimes!"

"You must think your mother is invulnerable if you don't see the danger involved with letting Seisui roam free!" Haruko added. "And Usako, if you continue to associate with her, you'll be killed yourself! You criticize our lack of obedience, but if you keep putting yourself at risk this way, it's our job as your guardians to interfere and save your life!"

"That's right, isn't it?" Usako said in resignation. "A guardian's job is not to respect my leadership. It's to look after me like I'm a child. Very well, then. Seisui will be found out, and punished, and my mother's well-intentioned, horribly flawed empire will continue!"

"Why do you still take Seisui's side, even after you know the truth about her, and about her father? How can you see Seisui as the victim when your own mother was nearly killed? Do you think that Serenity is invincible to any harm, some sort of untouchable paragon?" Fuyuko asked.

"It's because I know she isn't a paragon that I'm taking Seisui's side! My mother means well...I know that, but...how can I ignore the vacant look in Seisui's father's eyes? The rotting houses of the poor? I know it's wrong for Seisui to want to kill the queen, but maybe I want to believe that it's okay to be wrong about some things. I want to believe that we don't have to be perfect people." Usako shook her head, frustrated, and looked toward Fuyuko. "Everything associated with the palace is covered in this thick blanket of righteousness. Seisui showed me that there is wrong--even amongst the Royal Family--and it's because of the wrong Seisui saw that her own bitterness was cultivated. If Seisui's father had lived in a world where the Queen wasn't thought of as some kind of untouchable paragon, a place where questioning her was normal and not rebellious and evil, maybe things would have turned out differently."

"Are you saying the Queen is responsible for her own brush with death?" Fuyuko queried.

Usako didn't reply; she looked down at the shining marble floor dejectedly. She wanted to believe in Seisui, but her loyalty to her mother still tugged at the back of her mind. Now that she knew the truth, what Seisui had done was not only wrong, but unjustified. Despite that, the ramshackle homes haunted her, and so did Seisui's father. There was no way that Seisui, as a young child, could have understood anything but the absence of a beloved father. And there was no way she could associate anything but hatred with the perpetrator of that crime. Usako loved her mother, but the longer her rule continued in the same way, the more Seisuis and Councilor Han'is there would be. If Usako handed Seisui over to her family--to be purified, maybe even banished--it would be too much of a punishment. What she had put up with already was enough to compensate for her crimes.

"Maybe," Usako finally replied. Her mind was full of maybes. "I know Mama isn't intentionally trying to hurt anyone, but her desire to make everything perfect may be too much to ask. Some people see things about the way we live that need to be improved--no matter how much we try to make things perfect. To ask those people to keep to themselves, to hold back the desire to create change...that's wrong. Please...don't expose Seisui. Even if she tries to kill me...even if she tried to kill my mother...she taught me so much. Even though Seisui hated me and tried to kill me, she taught me to love myself, because she made me realize my mother was not perfect. That that meant didn't have to be perfect."

The Sailor Quartet looked skeptically at each other.

"Seisui is a huge danger to you," Haruko told her. "And you're always running off to talk to her alone. If you want us to even consider keeping your secret, you had better stick to us more often from now on."

"But if you're there, Seisui won't--"

"We can hide in the shadows. Besides, shouldn't you be keeping Diana with you? Whatever happened to her?"

"I didn't want her to get involved...Diana is so innocent and trusting. I was afraid she would tell her mother, and end up exposing Seisui..."

"Well, if you kept her with you, it would be a lot easier to keep an eye on you," Natsuko complained.

"Usako needs some space, you know," Hiroshi snappishly interjected. "She doesn't always want someone to keep an eye on her."

"We understand that," Haruko responded. "But in this case, it just isn't practical. Even her mother didn't defeat Queen Beryl alone."

"Seisui isn't Queen Beryl..." Usako murmured, looking at the floor.

The Amazons looked at each other hesitantly; there was probably nothing they could say to console her.

"Just tell us the next time you're involved with Seisui," Natsuko told her. "Let us do our jobs, at least. If you don't, we'll have to tell the Queen--for your own safety."

"Yes..." Usako dolefully replied. "I understand."

"Tokimo! Seisui!" Yamiko shouted, running after them as they walked toward Goban high school. Tokimo was assuming her usual, plucky walk, while Seisui walked along with an unassuming gait. They both turned around as she called them; Tokimo put her hands on her hips and waited expectantly for her to catch up.

"Wake up a little late today?" Tokimo said accusingly as Yamiko struggled to catch her breath.

"I was sick yesterday," Yamiko snapped. "Aren't I entitled to a little extra sleep?"

"No! Today is important. We don't have time to worry about your health."

"Why? Is something going on?"

"We're going to kill the Queen today," Seisui calmly replied. "The three of us."

"What?" Yamiko shouted, looking at Tokimo in disbelief. "How are we going to manage that?"

"We're going to attack in the middle of the night. We'll meet at the front of the palace. Me and you will distract the planetary Senshi while Seisui does the deed. Then, while the castle is in turmoil after her death, we can get Usako, too! It's perfect."

"We're going to be distracting the Planetary Senshi...?" said Yamiko skeptically, remembering her dangerous brush with Sailor Saturn. "We can't even take on one Planetary Senshi, let alone nine..."

"We don't have to stick around." Tokimo replied, "We can just hit and run. They'll be chasing us long enough to give Seisui a chance."

"Did you run this by Kouken?"

"Kouken is at my house," Seisui explained. "He won't get involved."

"What will happen if we get caught, though?"

"I can teleport!" Tokimo assured her. "I did it once before, so I can do it again. We'll zap outta there if we get in trouble."

Yamiko looked toward the ground. She should have trusted her better instincts and stayed out of this.

"Everyone is equally wonderful."

No...after that, even Yamiko couldn't keep quiet. "You're sure?" she asked. Despite her determination, fear saturated her heart.

Tokimo nodded confidently. "I'm sure! Everything will be fine."

Yamiko look reluctantly toward Seisui. Seisui's face was sullen and ashen; her eyes seemed a little glazed. She walked beside Tokimo as if in a dream, trying to remember where she was going. How many times had Yamiko walked down an endless pavement with the same vacancy in her eyes?

"You know...Seisui..."

"Yes?" she responded, staring down at the pavement.

"I'm sorry I fought against you all those times. If I had known about your father, things would have been different."

"There wasn't any way for you to know what had happened to my father. There wasn't any way for anyone to know, except for me."

"I wish you had told me," Yamiko replied. "I lost family members too. I would have understood."

"Under the circumstances, it was unsafe to tell anyone who I was, and you had already left before we had a chance to come to trust each other. Besides, I don't know if you would have believed me. You had no reason to believe that the Queen could have done anything wrong."

Yamiko looked away. She probably wouldn't have taken Seisui's word for it; but then, if she had seen her father sooner, she would have understood.

"Well, it doesn't matter now, anyway," Tokimo reminded them. "All that's left is to end this. And when we do, we can all go out and get ice cream and snacks, and we can buy everyone a stuffed animal--each one can be the same color as their fuku! And we can have a sleepover! No boys! Kouken won't be invited, either."

Yamiko sighed. An end was what she needed; what she dreamed of. A end to the ceaseless pain--the pain, at least, of being a Moon Senshi.


"Midnight, in front of the palace, huh?" Fubuki said, amused. They were whispering in front of her, oblivious to her presence behind them. It was just as well that she was hearing this, and not someone else; these girls, evidently, had no knack for secrecy.

"Shit, you're really going through with this?" Jirou asked in annoyance, shoving his hands roughly in his pockets.

"Of course. Once I've decided something, I never change my mind. If I kill the Queen, I can do all sorts of things. I'll destroy that fucking church permanently. I'll let everyone know what a whore all the lamers in the world adore. I'll piss off my mom. Hell, I might even end up pushing through a welfare program."

"It's not likely."

"More than before. Anyway, I can't lose anything."

"Except for your life," Jirou caustically reminded her.

"My life?" Fubuki mused. "Who cares? If I ended my life, I'd never have to listen to her again."

EPISODE SEVEN: FIN


Softly mumbling, "Don't cry," to myself,
I cry under the distant moon rising on the horizon

Even if I wish on that Moon, my wish won't be realized, will it?

I'm not at fault, right? It's everyone else's fault, right?
If you think so too, if you'll believe in me,
I'll be so happy, because I want only that happiness, because I absolutely hate this destiny

Lulululu...

Naicha dame yo to jibun ni sotto tsubuyaite
Chiheisen ni noboru tooi tsuki no shita ni naiteru no

Sono o-tsuki-sama ni negattemo nozomi ga kanaenai ne

Watashi ga waruku nai deshou ne hoka no hito no sei na no ne
Anata mo sou omoeba watashi ni shinjite kureba
Totemo ureshiku naru sono shiawase dake hoshii kara kono unmei zettai iya kara

Lulululu...


NEXT EPISODE

Usako: Now aware of the true path, I must convince my mother before it's too late. But will she listen when the voices of judgement ring in her ears?

Seisui: Now is the time for my moment of glory. Blood will spill through the halls, and freedom will ring in my ears. The black guardian will come forth, and victory will be mine.

Yamiko: Facing the inevitable becomes the most difficult part of the journey. I cannot be resigned to the possible repercussions of my own decisions. But without making those decisions, what remains of the life I have saved?

Tokimo: I am Seisui's only friend. I will never, ever leave her behind! But it's too late, now...

Hotaru: Next time, on MOON SENSHI: UNMEI NO KODOMO--

"Apocalypse"

Seisui: Evil returns to those who create it.