AN: remember, I said it was going to get darker, and this isn't even as dark as it gets...


Her fingers moved gracefully over the strings, masterfully molding notes into an endless, uncharted melody. She found peace, and no one bothered her as she played. Beryl did not seem to object to the various methods her servants-slaves, really-used to comfort themselves.

If the others believed that she was in fact lost in her music, all the better.

The truth was, that as her fingers played, her mind was free to wander. Her hands knew the chords well enough that her mind could pick at the knots which bound her, and test the plan she was forming. She was safe here. They would leave her in peace, allow her to find what comfort she could, and she would run through the scenarios over and over again in her mind; examining them, and looking for a flaw.


Kunzite was in a meeting with Beryl, and while Mercury felt bad for the burden he was forced to carry, she was also relieved that he had Beryl's attention. Nephrite had been sent to the Americas to collect energy, and Zoisite was distracting Jadeite with a chess game, in an attempt to keep his mind off of Mars.

No one would have thought anything about her going to the dungeons. She frequently tried to offer Mars what strength she had, even if the other woman only stared at her with hate. If nothing else, she provided her former sister an outlet.

Mars was asleep when Mercury reached her cell. Days of observation had revealed that Deimos and Phobos, despite their own discomfort and torments, forced Mars to take care of herself, at the very least. They would caw for hours if Mars tried to go without eating, for instance. Thus, they guaranteed that sedative laced food would put the fiery senshi to sleep.

Mercury looked at the woman from outside of her prison. She had not been allowed to run full scans or to examine her closely, but Mercury did care about her well-being. Satisfied that Mars was well enough under the circumstances, she turned her focus to her self-appointed task.

Not once had Beryl ordered that Mercury not enter the other cell. Not once had she demanded that Phobos or Deimos could not perch on her arms, shoulder, or head. Why would she? After all, when Mercury had orchestrated the capture of Mars, she had proven how deep her oath went, had proven that her loyalties now rested safely in Beryl's tight fist.

The crows fought her at first, cawing as they came at her with talons and beak. She hated to admit that she was thankful for how weak they had become. The damage they managed to do was minimal as she grabbed their tethers and forced them to perch on her arms after binding their beaks with whispered apologies. Falconry gloves would have been hard to explain, so she did her best to ignore the pain as they dug their talons into her flesh. It was the only means of resistance they had left, and she could not fault them for it.

Next came the truly difficult part. Ever so carefully she timed the paths of the youma guards and kept to pathways which were usually abandoned. Her authority was almost as complete as that of the Shitennou, but her plan had a higher chance of success if she could remain unnoticed.

Coming to a corner, she checked before turning, only to hear her name called. "Mercury!"

Cursing under her breath, she turned and nodded. "Nephrite. I trust your mission was successful?"

The man nodded, a smirk and a knowing look in his eyes. "It was." He held out a hand to her. "Allow me to help the same be true for you."

Mercury frowned. He knew, and he was offering to help. She just was not sure if she could trust that offer.

After weighing her options, she tightened her jaw and placed her hand in his.


He left her to climb the steps on her own, and she was almost surprised when the crows eased their grips on her arms.

Mercury had climbed the steps leading to the Hikawa Shrine more times than she could remember, though it all seemed like a different lifetime or a dream. Each step took effort, and she knew she was not worthy of her destination. As she climbed, she allowed herself to imagine that she would find redemption at the top, that Sailor Moon would be waiting, that she would point her scepter at her and offer her freedom and peace. Whether that came in the form of being healed or killed Mercury no longer cared.

But when she reached the top she was greeted only by silence and emptiness. Sighing, she found the tree that she knew to be their favorite. They needed no coaxing to move into its branches, and gingerly she removed the leashes and bindings, only noticing the tears in her eyes when they blurred her vision.

Free and at home, the birds cawed at her, though the tone was different, and she allowed herself to imagine that she knew what they were saying.

"I know." She sighed and looked down at her feet-almost reminiscent of her former civilian self. "But if you're not there. If you're safe, she'll find strength. Even if she assumes you're dead, she'll find that strength."

She made no excuses, offered no reasons. This might be all she could do, but she knew as well as Phobos and Deimos did that it was not enough. "I cannot promise she'll return, but if she does, she'll need you healthy and well. Please."

Mercury turned to leave, to return to the shadows which now claimed her life. As she did so, she saw a figure watching her from the porch of the small house. The old priest stared at her, and she could not read what was in his expression. He seemed to have aged in the time since his granddaughter had been taken, but there was still strength in those shoulders and in his inscrutable eyes. After a moment he nodded, and Mercury thought she'd seen the ghost of a smile.


Her world narrowed to nothing but pain, which blossomed in a gruesome rhythm each time the lash cut into the bare flesh of her back. She'd long ago lost count, and the words of her enraged queen were no longer able to pierce the haze. In the distance, she could hear someone screaming.

Finally the swells subsided, and she hung loosely upon the rack. Slowly, she opened her eyes and sought for something, anything, to distract her. Through the red haze that was her vision, she saw a tall, muscular man with curly auburn hair clench his teeth as the whip now landed on him. Their bonds had been placed so that they were forced to watch one another, and it took her a long moment before she realized why that was, and who he was, and why he was being punished.

She gasped as arms wrapped around her.

"Easy. I know." The gentle voice sounded familiar, and she realized there were two persons seeing to her. The one supporting her, despite how painful it was to be touched, and one who was releasing her wrists from the bonds that had kept her upright through the whipping.

Gently, the smaller of the two helped ease her into the arms of the taller one, finding the least painful position for her. She closed her eyes and whimpered as she felt him walk, not sure she cared where it was that they were taking her.


Mercury opened her eyes, whimpering at the sting and soreness that was her back. The cool damp cloths helped, and slowly she began to realize that she must have passed out at some point.

Gentle hands applied a wet compress to her forehead, and long, nimble fingers ran through her short hair. Another set of hands gently eased a drying cloth from her back and carefully rubbed ointment over the wounds. There was no amount of care which could keep it from being painful; Mercury bit her lip and refused to cry.

"Your back looks like hamburger," said Jadeite, and there was an emotion in it that she could not quite recognize. "Was it worth it?"

Mercury's voice was raw, and despite her best effort came out as a whisper: "Yes."

"Why did you do it? She'll just find another way to torture Mars now." This time Mercury recognized bitterness, but there was still that something else, and she could not pinpoint what it was. She'd never been good with emotions anyway.

Despite the pain, Mercury managed to smile slightly. Her words were not an accusation. The orders given to the rest of them prevented Jadeite from even going near Mars. "Because you couldn't."

Because no matter what else Beryl orchestrated, little could be as bad for Mars as watching Phobos and Deimos suffer. Because she needed to prove to herself that she was more than the Dark Senshi Beryl had made her. Because Mars had been her friend, and she did what she could. Because she'd given her oath to Beryl in order to protect an innocent life.