Hey minna-san! I'm dreadfully sorry that this is so late but college is so
time-consuming! Far more so than high school. Anyway, this is the next
chapter of my story and it's cometmoon's birthday present. That's right,
it's especially dedicated to cometmoon.
*Duo pops up* Sam doesn't own us of the Sailor chicks. And we certainly don't own her!
*Quatre nods* Enjoy the show!
* * * * *
Sailor Moon primly sat on the window ledge, reading the classifieds as Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian recorded a live broadcast to the people of Earth. Her message was to not panic bot to remain calm in the face of adversity, that violence was not the answer as she called for a meeting with the leaders of the White Moon Empire. Since arriving in this time, Sailor Moon had learned that being a solo superhero took up a great deal of time and energy. More than once she had wished that her other Sailor Senshi were with her or just her guardian and partner Luna, to help her figure out what to do and how to do it. Being alone was complicated, difficult, and certainly stressful. She had learned that every waking moment must be used to her best advantage, which in this case meant reading the classified as she listened to Relena's speech.
The Preventers' footage of the fights for L1 and L3 had been released to the public, hours after it was first viewed in the newsroom of Relena's palace, following Lady Une's advice that it was best to be honest with the public instead of keeping silent and igniting a firestorm of anger and suspicion by allowing the public to listen to wild rumors and frantic accusations. Thus the Prime Minister of the Earth Sphere Alliance was called upon to give an impromptu speech before the footage, advocating rational thought and careful consideration, and Relena Darlian was now giving her speech, after the tapes were shown. Sailor Moon wasn't sitting on the window ledge to listen to Relena's speech however.
Relena Darlian was now giving her speech after the tapes were shown. Sailor Moon wasn't sitting on the window ledge to listen to Relena's speech, however. There really wasn't a single thing Relena could say to change her mind about violence. Sometimes it was necessary. Queen Selenity had been a pacifist and Sailor Moon knew painfully well not only the fate of her kingdom but also the circumstances of her conversion from pacifism. Unlike Queen Selenity or Relena Darlian she was willing to fight, kill, and even die for her beliefs.
The Moon, Mars and Venus certainly all had factions on them and she was willing to bet that the other planets did as well. Mars' faction had attacked Zechs and Noin for no reason. Venus' faction had attacked L3 for no apparent reason as had the Moon's faction had attacked L1. The attacks reminded her of things that had happened towards the end of the Silver Millennium. Nasty things. Things that she didn't wish to deal with again.
Her eyes alighted on another possible property and she pulled a red pen out of her subspace pocket to circle it. About the same time Relena finished her speech, Sailor Moon finished the classifieds. As Relena said her final words and the cameras shifted to Lady Une, Sailor Moon stuffed her pen and the classifieds into her subspace pocket. This was the speaker she had been waiting for. She concentrated, wishing to teleport in at the best moment.
"Good afternoon members of the Earthspere Alliance and members of the White Moon Empire. I am speaking to you in light of the recent attacks on the colonies of L1 and L3 and wish to speak to you about the attacks, our options, and -"
"Me" Sailor Moon's voice interrupted as her form appeared next to Lady Une. She smiled tightly down at the Lady who nodded back, a slight, only very slight, smile curving her lips.
" - and Sailor Moon" Lady Une confirmed. "Let me start off by saying that no one on the colonies was hurt during the attacks thanks to the valiant efforts by the Gundam pilots, our Preventers in the field, and unexpected support from the White Moon Empire. The support of the White Moon armies has led us to believe that renegades initiated the attacks on our colonies. We wish for these renegades to be brought to justice as swiftly as possible so that there is no more unnecessary loss of life. Twenty-six Preventers lost their lives in protection of L3 and twenty-three lost their lives in defense of L1 and we are unsure at this time of how many White Moon Soldiers lost their lives in defense of our colonies. Lives that need not have been lost.
"Our options are few. We can work together to eradicate these renegades or we can go to war over them. War is exactly what these renegades want for it benefits no one and brings only destruction and death. Allowing this danger to bring us together and help us learn to work together is the better option. This solar system belongs to all of us, we all live here. We are all galactic neighbors and, in order to have a happy neighborhood of the future, the neighbors of the present must be good neighbors and the best of friends."
"Let's work together" Sailor Moon added impulsively "to build a bright future. I don't want my people to make war upon the Earth any more than I want the people of the Earth to go to war with us. And war on each other isn't necessary in these circumstances. War upon the people who made the attacks may be necessary but a full out war on each other is not. Although I sincerely hope neither is necessary. Please, my people of the White Moon Empire, show understand and tolerance. I do not wish for the events that ripped my mother's kingdom apart to rip us apart. I ask the leaders in my absence to be cool, levelheaded and logical. And I beg those who seem to believe a war with Earth and the Colonies are necessary to reconsider. I do not believe such an action is necessary. I have lived with these people for well over a thousand years and they are basically good. I love them. For my sake, be kind to them.
"Please be patient with me. I will rejoin you as soon as possible but there are a few loose ends like the youma that I need to wrap up here on Earth and in the Colonies before I can rejoin you. As soon as I can, I will send representatives of myself to you to be my voice amongst you and help in building our neighborhood of tomorrow." She smiled brilliantly at the camera. "Do not be afraid that I am going to send someone who neither knows about nor cares for our ways of life. My representatives will come from amongst the Sailor Senshi. But until then, wait for me as you have for so long. I will return to you." She smiled at the camera winningly as Lady Une gave the oblique sign to face and cut.
As soon as the camera was shut off, Sailor Moon let out a deep sigh and slumped slightly. "That wasn't so bad" she announced to no one in particular.
"No" Lady Une agreed. "It wasn't. Thank you for coming."
Sailor Moon looked up at her. "I said I'd be here, didn't I?" She smiled at the room in general. "Thank you all for having me but I must excuse myself. I'm needed elsewhere."
"WAIT!" Relena shouted as Sailor Moon began to glow silver before being surrounded by her customary column of power. Sailor Moon paused, the column of silver shining around her.
"Yes?"
"Stay with us!" Relena asked. "We can be much more effective if we work together!"
Sailor Moon shook her head almost sadly. "I can't. I'm sorry."
She then disappeared in a flash of light.
* * * * *
Usagi flopped across her bed.
'What a day!' she thought, tearing up slightly 'I wonder if the other Sailor Senshi would agree with everything I've done. Mina, I have to find you in this time. I can't wait for you to come from the past and save me any longer. But where do I start looking? You could be anywhere on Earth or the Colonies! Why haven't your future selves helped me? I don't understand! I feel like I'm in school again!' She rolled onto her side. 'In light of life's recent events, I deserve a nap.'
She awoke several hours later to someone gently shaking her shoulder.
"Miss. Usagi! Miss. Usagi!"
"Tired, Hilde."
"I'm not Miss. Hilde, Miss, Usagi. It's Mariemeia Khushrenada."
Usagi popped an eye open, looking at the girl with a half-awake expression.
"Uhh?"
"She left. Remember? Just before I arrived."
Usagi's mind fuzzily grasped at that.
'Where di - Oh yeah! Hilde-chan left to live in the barracks during basic training.'
"Gomen Mariemeia-chan."
Usagi sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Did you need something?"
"You slept through dinner. Paegan asked me to run up here and wake you up before the kitchen staff sent up your meal."
"Oh! Thanks!" Usagi glanced out the window. "I can't believe I slept through dinner!"
Mairemeia laughed. "Miss. Noin tried to wake you up but she said that there was no way you were going to wake up for dinner."
There was a knock at the door. Mairemeia opened it to Raoul's smiling face and concerned eyes. "Good evening, Usagi."
She smiled at him. "Thank you for bringing my dinner."
He began to set her meal up on her bedside table. "The server told us that you missed lunch but we thought that you would come down to the kitchens and beg food from us. But then you missed dinner . . . We were getting worried about you down in the kitchens. So I was elected to bring you your dinner tonight."
His eyes glanced over her. Working as her alter-ego Sailor Moon took a lot out of Usagi and, as the kitchen staff often saw her after a late night or no sleep at all, they often saw her at her worst. Kind, trusting souls that they were, the kitchen staff had accepted Usagi's excuses of illness and deemed her "frail of health", deciding that they obviously needed to take care of her. Their concern for the sunny blond became so infectious that the entire of Relena's palace staff believed that it was their personal responsibility to care for the "frail young woman." Meals were brought to her when she missed them, doors were held for her, delegates that were rude to her got cold meals or food mysteriously spilled on them.
"You shouldn't worry so about me. I'm fine. Really."
He brushed her words off. "Its no trouble. I need to get back to the kitchen but someone will be up for your tray later. Rest up Usagi!"
Raoul waved and was out the door before she could open her mouth to thank him again.
Usagi smiled wryly at Mariemeia. "Would you keep me company while I eat? Eating alone is no fun."
Mairemeia nodded and sat down at the foot of Usagi's bed. While Usagi ate Mariemeia told Usagi anything and everything about her life. When the server came to take away her tray, Mariemeia stood.
"I should be going too. You need your rest. I'll see you tomorrow."
Usagi nodded and waved. "Night Mariemeia!"
After everyone had left, she got out a pen and paper and doodled as she thought. At the top of the paper she wrote the word 'Where?' and circled it. She fell asleep before she decided anything.
* * * * *
All around her a giant space battle was taking place. Bursts of brilliant light signaled the end of lives and the destruction of soulless mobile dolls. An explosion nearby illuminated one of the small, private scrimmages that made up the larger space battle. Trowa's Gundam, Heavyarms, fought hand-to-hand against three of the renegade soldier from the White Moon Empire. Dred welled up in her heart.
She had hated Heavyarms the moment she had first set eyes on it, almost four years ago as it stood, alone and silently menacing, under the lights of the big top. She had hated its coldly gleaming surfaces and its mindless eyes as it had obediently aided Trowa in his bid for self destruction. Now she watched helplessly as it ruthlessly fought the enemies set before it. As she watched, another renegade stealthily sneaked behind the embattled Gundam and, in a split second before she could scream a warning, pulled its weapon on Trowa's Gundam, blasting Heavyarms into oblivion. Time crawled by as she watched Heavyarms buckle from the impact, cracks of light snaking all throughout its armor. She heard the crackling of electricity, smelled the burning of flesh, and heard Trowa begin to scream.
"TROWA!" she shrieked in horror.
Suddenly Heavyarms exploded, abruptly cutting off Trowa's screams of agony, leaving a terrible silence in its wake.
"TROWA!"
Her grief numbed her mind. She never noticed that another voice screamed for her brother with her. Or that she floated, unprotected, in outer space as she watched her brother's demise.
Sandrock, recognizable from the pictures that Quatre kept all over his mansion, barreled by her, its' surfaces gleaming in the fiery light of Trowa destruction. Calmly the soldier turned to face Quatre and leveled its weapon in the enraged Arabian. As it had during the final moments of Trowa's life, time slowed for Catherine. Quatre followed her brother into oblivion, screaming in anguish until his final moment ended.
Her own screams and a violent encounter with the floor woke her. She sat up, shaking and crying, and drew her knees up to her chest, violent sobs wrenching themselves from her throat. In the ambient light, her eyes sought for a figure to be in the bed on the other side of the trailer but the bed was empty. As it had been for weeks. Her hand fumbled up to her bedside stand and, finding the only picture frame on the piece of furniture, pulled it down to hold against her chest. It was the only picture she had of Trowa or Quatre.
It was of the three of them, taken the last time the circus had played on L4. Quatre had come to the performance as he always did when they were on L4 and they had gone for a night on the town afterwards per usual. Trowa wasn't really interested in the town so much as the people he was with and both Quatre and she knew it although none of them had ever formally said it out loud. The restaurant that Quatre had insisted they go to on him was both beautiful and expensive. The photographer that the restaurant had hired to mingle and take photographs of the customers had offered to take their picture. On a whim, Catherine had begged her escorts for a photo. Quatre had readily agreed but Trowa had refused at first. It had taken the combined efforts of herself and Quatre to get him to take the photo and then he hadn't even smiled.
But it was all she had of either of them. In the poor ambient light she traced their faces: Quatre's gently smiling and obviously happy and Trowa as sad and serious as always. Her tears spattered on the glass as she whispered, "Come back to me."
* * * * *
Usagi woke up early the next morning and went to her defense lessons. Wufei was still protesting her involvement in the morning practices by refusing to acknowledge her presence both in the gym and out of it which by no means distressed Usagi. No contact with Wufei meant he had nothing to be suspicious about.
"Are you sure you want to?" Sally Po asked, seeing Usagi, "I had heard that you were ill yesterday."
"I'm fine. I was just tired."
Sally pressed her lips together. "Only if you'll see me in my office for a full check up after breakfast."
Usagi groaned. "Do I have to?" she whined.
"Yes." Sally's hard eyes drove the single syllable home. No check up, no lessons.
Usagi sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay," she grumbled. "At least you care enough to be difficult."
Sally grinned her triumph before ordering Usagi to start stretching.
* * * * *
Relena looked nervously at Usagi as she bounced into the room, Mariemeia in tow. In the background, the speeches made yesterday were being aired on the radios and televisions again and again, and would be for another two hours, making it exactly twenty-four after their original creation. But it wasn't galactic politics that concerned Relena at the moment. Rather, it was the reaction of a certain blond would have to Relena's latest decision concerning her future. She waited for the perfect moment. She had learned fairly early on in her dealings with Usagi that coming between Usagi and food was a dangerous idea and she wondered briefly if even Hiiro Yuy would accept such a mission, knowing his chances for survival. Probably. The thought of a terrible death had never frightened him the way it did most people. It was when Usagi was leaning back in her chair, finally full and sated, that Relena struck.
"Usagi," she said firmly, "I think that, in spite of the current events, we can't allow ourselves to be distracted from living our daily lives."
Usagi looked up at her with mild interest. "That's a very good philosophy, Relena."
"I'm glad you think so, Usagi, because I've enrolled you in the Peacecraft Academy. They come back from summer break and start next Tuesday."
Usagi's eyes popped. "NANI?!" she screeched. She stabbed her index finger at Wufei, who was openly smirking. "Does he have to go to the Peacecraft Academy?"
Wufei spoke up before Relena could form a tactful reply. "Of course not, stupid Onna. I'm a soldier and soldiers don't attend the Peacecraft Academy. I am also a scholar. I finished all my required schooling a long time ago. There is no need for my further education by outside institutions."
Usagi glared venomously at Wufei. "You're probably right. You don't need to attend the Peacecraft Academy. You need to attend Manners School!" She turned her attention back to Relena and whined, "Is this necessary? Have I been that bad a houseguest?"
"Of course not" Relena hurriedly assured the other girl. "But you need to continue your education, Usagi. That way you can take a hand in shaping the future."
Usagi collapsed facedown on the table and muttered something indistinguishable in Japanese. She rolled her head to the side, her eyes slanting up to look at Relena. "Do you go to school?"
"Dorothy and I go to school as events permit us. We both have private tutors who teach us our lessons at our own pace. But we are enrolled in school and we both go to the Peacecraft Academy to take tests."
Usagi rolled her head facedown against the tabletop. Wufei's smirk broadened. Sally elbowed him in the ribs. Hard.
Mariemeia put her childish hand on Usagi's arm. "Miss Usagi, I'll be enrolled in the Peacecraft Academy with you."
Usagi groaned inarticulately. Somehow that did not console her.
"Usagi, even the Preventers in basic training have to go to school" Lady Une said calmly as she sipped her tea, "schooling is necessary."
Usagi sighed and muttered something to the tablecloth before slowly righting herself.
"Fine" she said unhappily. "I'll go and I'll do my best."
Relena smiled thankfully at Usagi. "That's the most anyone can ever ask."
* * * * *
Usagi had little time to waste as she boarded the bus for an afternoon of apartment hunting.
'School, Sailor Senshi, Secret Identity . . . This feels familiar. AND I CAN'T DO IT ALL ALONE! MINNA, WHERE ARE YOU?'
It was a long, boring afternoon for Usagi. For one reason or another, she simply didn't like the apartments she was viewing. They were all nice enough but they lacked whatever it was that made her feel at home in a place. Dispirited she looked down at the last address on the list and shrugged. It couldn't hurt to look. Tiredly and without much hope she boarded the correct bus to get to the address and promptly stopped paying attention to her environment until some part of her brain registered the fact that the bus driver was calling for her stop. Stumbling to her feet, she lurched off of the bus, nearly falling on her face in the process. Catching herself in the nick of time as she got off of the bus, she raised her eyes. Before her stood the Hikawa Shrine, looking as it had before she'd been yanked out of her own time. With tears in her eyes she threw herself at the impossible staircase, racing up to the temple. Everything was as it had been before she had left, nothing had changed. Some things looked a little more worn or delicate but it was all the same. She constantly wiped at her eyes as she explored her shrine - her shrine because she was going to buy it. Kicking off her shoes she slipped into the Fire Room and caught her breath. Things had changed in here.
The walls were all painted. On the far wall was a painting that silhouetted her eight Sailor Senshi standing in a circle before a full moon, each in a glowing column of her own power. In the center of the circle stood a few figures that lacked the detail given to the Sailor Senshi, due to the overwhelming auras given off by the Sailor Senshi. She could not identify them as male or female much less give an identity to any of the figures.
'It looks almost like a Sailor Teleport,' she mused as she mused as she strolled closer to the Sacred Fire to get a better look. Through the heat haze she spotted words,
'To seek the one that Time nor Death can part us from' followed by the name of the artist, Kaioh Michiru. Usagi gasped and fell back a step.
"Michiru-san . . ."
She turned to the next wall. On it was a giant rainbow hued crystal that encompassed shadowy, sketchy figures. The background was misty so that she couldn't tell where the crystal was. Underneath was the caption, 'Sleeping until the Time to awaken' followed by the artist's, Michiru's, name.
'Like Neo-Queen Selenity . . .'
She looked at the wall around the doorway she had come in through. A rainbow was whirling around as if in a windstorm, its colors frothing and bleeding into one another. At the center of it was a crystal that held a small child with bubble gum pink hair done up in two Odango. Her crystal sealed a doorway that looked suspiciously like the Gates of Time. There were only the words 'The Key' for this image and Michiru's signature as the artist.
'Chibiusa-chan?'
The final wall had a beautiful depiction of the solar system. Each plant glowed with its Senshi's color while the warm, silvery rays of the moon washed over everything. There was a phrase in the corner of this masterpiece, aside from Michiru's name, 'Symphony of the Solar System.'
'Minna, what does all this mean?'
* * * * *
As soon as Usagi got back to the palace, she headed into the Newsroom and demanded, "Have they responded yet?"
The Preventers in the room generously overlooked her intrusion and gestured to the big screen, making room for her on the couch. Nine men and women sat in a semi circle, Galaxia rounding their number off to ten as she sat by the leader's side.
'These are the people who have been guiding the White Moon people in our absence.'
The man with the pink hair started by inclining his head deeply.
"Greetings Sailor Moon. I am Selardi, temporary leader in your absence of both the Moon and the Council that rules the White Moon Empire. We shall endeavor to do as you have asked of us and look forward to your Senshi's arrivals among us. We cannot speak for the renegades but we, the law- abiding citizens of the White Moon Empire, shall honor your wishes. We shall also attempt to ensure that the renegades obey you by seeking them out and forcing them to abide by your word, if they themselves do not give up their terrorism by your own request." Selardi smiled slightly. "We await you, our Princess."
"Please" a thin, dark haired man interjected "keep in touch with us, Your Highness. And hurry back to us."
They all bowed deeply, then the transmission cut off to be replayed again.
'Now I really have to find the other Sailor Senshi . . .'
* * * * *
Usagi fell into a sort of routine over the next few weeks of going to school, going to the Temple after school, and finally going to Relena's palace at night. Of course, this routine was subject to revision as youma attacked and her ability to function after a battle. Wufei now had a prickly coating of hair on his head, which made him look odd to say the least and was back to scrutinizing her every move. At some point, the labs had sent results back saying that someone had put hair remover in his hair gel. This confirmation that his hair loss had been the result of a nefarious plot against himself only served to make Wufei even more irritable, more snappish, and more suspicious of Usagi.
One morning, after a particularly vicious battle that left her barely able to teleport home, bathe, and bind her wounds, Usagi was awaken by an ear- piercing shriek. Rolling out of bed, she fell into a defensive crouch without even thinking about it. Heavy footsteps pounded by her room, down the hallway, towards the noise. She glanced at her bedside clock: 6:03.
'Too early,' she decided. 'Whatever it is, isn't a youma so whatever it is can wait.'
With that she rolled back into bed and went back to sleep. Minutes later, her door burst open and it the wall behind it with a resounding WHAM. Usagi sat up in bed and peered blearily at the human-figure standing in the doorway. Taller than her and well muscled, light gleamed off of his bald head.
"ONNA" he roared "FIRST MY HAIR AND NOW MY HAIR AND EYEBROWS!! DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS?!"
Usagi's tired mind whirled. 'Wufei? Wh - oh. He finally used the shampoo.'
"Uh . . ." she responded eloquently.
"I THOUGHT SO!!! WHO POISONED MY GEL AND SHAMPOO?! CONFESS THE NAME OF THE MAN SO THAT HE MAY MEET MY JUSTICE!!"
Usagi's temper flared. "WHO SAYS I KNOW ANYTHING?!"
"YOU KNOW EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THIS PALACE! NOW TELL ME WHAT KIND OF MAN WOULD PUT HAIR REMOVER IN MY GEL AND SHAMPOO!!"
"I DON'T KNOW!! AS FAR AS I KNOW, NO MAN HAS SET FOOT IN YOUR ROOMS!"
He came closer, stepping out of the bright light of the hallway that silhouetted him in her doorway. "DID YOU DO IT?!"
"WUFEI! I HAVEN'T SET FOOT IN YOUR ROOM SINCE YOU LOST YOUR HAIR THE FIRST TIME!!"
"SO YOU SAY!! BUT I'LL BE WATCHING YOU!"
"FINE!"
"FINE!"
Wufei stormed out of her room, slamming the door, and Usagi went back to sleep. She didn't manage to stumble out of bed for morning practice and, when Mariemeia had gently shaken her shoulder to wake her up for school, she had been able to manage only one word, "No," and roll over again. Relena had come in at some time and tried to wake her up and force her to go to school. Usagi hadn't even opened her eyes this time as she told Relena what she had told Mariemeia, "No." Relena, however, was undeterred. She shook Usagi harder, even going so far as to pull her into an upright position.
"Wake up Usagi! You need to go to school."
Usagi, despite the pain her wounds were giving her due to the violent attention, managed to wrench free and glare up at the Sanq Princess. "No. I don't." Then she fell back into the bed and closed her eyes.
A combination of pain and fatigue made her voice harder, fiercer than usual. Relena, however, did not take the warning.
"Usagi, I'm very lenient with you. I let you go where you want when you want, I let you practice fighting with my brother and the others in the morning, and I'm willing to give you anything you want. But you must go to school! And as long as you live in this house, you will."
Usagi's eyes snapped open, hard and fierce - a warrior's eyes. "Then I will be moved out in two days. I will pay you in full for your kindness to me when I needed it most."
Relena took a step back, catching her breath. "Usagi! You don't mean that. Where will you go? What will you do?"
"I do mean it. I'll move to the Hikawa Temple and do what I do here: sleep, go to school, and live." She closed her eyes. "But, if you will allow me to stay here, that will be in two days. For now though, I need to sleep . . ." With that Usagi drifted off into sleep. Relena stood, staring at the sleeping figure, trembling. Then, with a muffled sob she ran from the room.
Half an hour later, Zechs found Relena in her office, her head on her arms, crying. Gently he placed a hand on Relena's shoulder.
"Relena?"
Relena started and looked up, her face red and her eyes red and puffy from her tears.
"Z-Zechs!" she wiped futilely at her eyes, trying to clear her face of the tears that refused to stop coming. "I-I didn't hear you knock."
"You certainly didn't." he agreed as he knelt next to her. "What's wrong Relena?"
Relena's tears slipped from her eyes faster. Angrily she rubbed her eyes.
"Usagi's angry with me. She says she's going to leave us in two days."
Zechs caught her hands and gently pulled them away from her face so that he could catch her tear-clouded eyes with his own, intense, ocean blue eyes.
"Usagi isn't angry with you Relena. She never gets angry with anyone. And she won't leave us."
"But she is! And she will!" Relena choked on a sob. "She said so to me!"
Zechs gently pulled Relena out of her chair. He sat on the floor, his little sister in his lap, and held her so that he could see her face.
"She said so?" Zechs asked, frowning slightly. "She said she hated you?"
"No! But her eyes! Her eyes were so hard and fierce! Like yours when you fight! Or Hiiro's! They weren't her eyes!"
Zechs found that profoundly disturbing for some reason. Usagi should never have eyes like his. "I'm sure her eyes weren't like mine. And even if she glared at you, it doesn't mean she's angry with you. Or that she hates you."
Slowly Relena told Zechs what had passed between her and Usagi earlier. Zechs was thoughtful for a moment. "Relena, she was probably very tired. You know that Usagi isn't very healthy. Sometimes she just needs to sleep. It was probably like that today. You might have hurt her by trying to wake her up and she lashed out. I'm sure if you talk to her after she's feeling better, she'll take it all back."
Relena nodded, her tears slowing and stopping while Zechs spoke.
"You're probably right. I should have been more thoughtful. I'll talk to her after she's feeling better." She looked up at her brother but her eyes were still worried. "I don't want her to leave," she added in small voice.
"I'm sure she won't leave us in anger" Zechs told her reassuringly.
Relena nodded. "You're right." She stood up and dusted herself off. "I'd better go to my meeting now. I'll be late."
Zechs nodded and stood. "Wash your face before you go." With that he kissed her forehead and left.
* * * * *
Hilde had plenty of time to consider the mystery that was Tsukino Usagi during basic training. Unlike the rest of the raw recruits, she had been a soldier before. And a good one. She knew what was expected of her and the best, most efficient way to carry it out. She hadn't forgotten what had been so painful to learn the first time around.
Perhaps it was living with Duo, but Hilde had never let herself get too far out of shape. She and Duo had frequently gone running and to the gym while living together and she hadn't stopped after moving in with Relena. For so long, Duo's life had depended on his physical fitness that when he finally had his much cherished peace, he couldn't seem to get out of the mindset that he must always be in the top physical condition that his body would allow. He wasn't Hiiro Yuy but he was fanatical enough that Hilde was in near perfect condition. Better than when she was a soldier. And she was grateful to him for that.
As comrades miserably dragged themselves through the exhausting drills that Noin and Zechs demanded of them, Hilde found time to think. The exercises were at most extremely difficult for her but never impossible and she always found snatches of time to think. As she ran her miles, voracious attacked her meals, or lay drifting between wakefulness and sleep, Hilde thought of Usagi.
There were several inescapable facts. One, Usagi had shown up shortly after the aliens. Two, Sailor Moon had shown up shortly after Usagi. Three, Usagi was always sick after Sailor Moon had a battle. Four, Usagi didn't want Wufei to think too much about her. Hilde had a sneaking suspicion over who was responsible for Wufei's hair loss and his subsequent distraction. All of these little things, coincidental as they were, led Hilde to one, final conclusion: Usagi Tsukino was Sailor Moon.
'Of course, I'll have to make her admit to it before she'll let me help her.' Hilde chuckled drowsily as she drifted off to sleep. 'It's going to be fun, trying to get her to do that . . .'
* * * * *
"Wu-man! You're bald again!"
Wufei favored Duo Maxwell with a scathing look. It would have made an average, sane mortal snap their jaws together and keep them that way. But this was Duo Maxwell, pilot of the Gundam Deathscythe, the self-proclaimed Shinigami, and the bringer of chaos and vast irritation to Wufei's life. Of course he ignored Wufei's look as he continued on, seemingly oblivious to the other man's growing ire.
"Not only that but . . .Wu-man, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you lost your eyebrows too!"
"Maxwell," he grated out "shut up."
Duo's violet eyes sparkled wickedly as he regarded his fellow Gundam Pilot over the five-way vid-phone call but Quatre, ever the peacemaker, spoke then, seeking to restore the peace that seldom if ever existed around Duo.
"She came forward. Finally. Perhaps there will be no need for a war." Silently he added, and no need for the Gundams. It was silent but there, unspoken, between them all. Hiiro impatiently brushed his unruly hair from his eyes.
"There will be a war, Quatre, if the Moon Kingdom's rebels don't submit to her. Which they won't. She's too soft to fight them."
"And the monsters" Duo put in. "Somehow they're connected to all of this. If there is a war, they'll be part of it."
Wufei snorted but before he could voice his opinion, Trowa spoke up.
"I agree."
Duo nodded excitedly, his braid bouncing. "They showed up about the same time as these White Moon people and before Sailor Moon made her first appearance. They might've . . .drawn her out."
Wufei could only stare . . .such logic from such a source.
"We should wait and hold our positions" Quatre sadly agreed. "And wait and watch. It may turn out that we are needed after all."
* * * * *
Usagi quickly regained her liveliness under the careful care of the kitchen and serving staff. They made sure she had meals and had no complaints or problems. During this recuperation time, Relena steered clear of her houseguest, afraid of angering her further and truly driving her away. On the first night that Usagi had dinner with the rest of the house, Relena welcomed her back to health very warmly. Usagi smiled at her and greeted Relena even more enthusiastically than she had anyone before her, her eyes slightly sad - but only for a moment. Dinner was more pleasant than it had been since Usagi had fallen ill and afterwards, Relena was more relaxed than she had been since that morning in Usagi's room. She was humming as she reviewed palace expense reports, when there was a knock on the door. She looked up, surprised at the late night call, but called out, "Come in."
The door swung halfway open and Usagi popped her head in. "Am I interrupting?"
Relena hastily shook her head and put her pen down. "Not at all! Come right in!"
Usagi slowly strolled into the room, looking oddly nervous as she carefully closed the door behind her.
"Relena-san . . . about the other day . . .I-"
"It was my fault Usagi. I shouldn't have been so unkind to you while you were sick."
Usagi visibly pulled herself together. Her face was set and determined but her eyes were oddly soft and apologetic. "No Relena, it was mine as well. I said some of what I meant to save and tell you at a better time and I said it in the cruelest possible way. I'm so sorry."
Fear clutched at Relena's heart. "Some of what you meant to say to me?"
"Usagi met Relena's eyes squarely. "I've been meaning to pay you back for all your kindness and to . . .to move out."
Relena inhaled sharply. "Usagi! Please-"
Usagi held up her hand and the flow of words from Relena's mouth cut off abruptly.
"Relena, I never meant to say it like that. Never. I love you and I love your friends and household. You have helped me - given me - more than you could possibly imagine. But I can't mooch off of you forever, Relena. We both know that."
Relena bowed her head, fighting her tears for a moment, her hands clutching her skirts tightly. Then she raised her head, poised and calm, and nodded her acceptance.
"But, where did you get the money, Usagi?"
Usagi scuffed her foot, averting her eyes for a moment before meeting Relena's eyes with her own. "When they found me I had manga on me. Expensive, old manga. The hospital released the possessions that they found me with to me and I - I sold some of them."
"Usagi . . ." Relena breathed.
Usagi laughed, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it Relena. Here." She quickly made her way around Relena's desk and pressed a large wad of bills into Relena's hand. "All that I owe you and a little more. For irritation." She laughed. Then, abruptly, she pulled Relena from her chair and hugged her tightly, fiercely. "I hope that we can remain friends Relena-chan."
"We shall be," Relena choked out. "We always shall be."
*Duo pops up* Sam doesn't own us of the Sailor chicks. And we certainly don't own her!
*Quatre nods* Enjoy the show!
* * * * *
Sailor Moon primly sat on the window ledge, reading the classifieds as Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian recorded a live broadcast to the people of Earth. Her message was to not panic bot to remain calm in the face of adversity, that violence was not the answer as she called for a meeting with the leaders of the White Moon Empire. Since arriving in this time, Sailor Moon had learned that being a solo superhero took up a great deal of time and energy. More than once she had wished that her other Sailor Senshi were with her or just her guardian and partner Luna, to help her figure out what to do and how to do it. Being alone was complicated, difficult, and certainly stressful. She had learned that every waking moment must be used to her best advantage, which in this case meant reading the classified as she listened to Relena's speech.
The Preventers' footage of the fights for L1 and L3 had been released to the public, hours after it was first viewed in the newsroom of Relena's palace, following Lady Une's advice that it was best to be honest with the public instead of keeping silent and igniting a firestorm of anger and suspicion by allowing the public to listen to wild rumors and frantic accusations. Thus the Prime Minister of the Earth Sphere Alliance was called upon to give an impromptu speech before the footage, advocating rational thought and careful consideration, and Relena Darlian was now giving her speech, after the tapes were shown. Sailor Moon wasn't sitting on the window ledge to listen to Relena's speech however.
Relena Darlian was now giving her speech after the tapes were shown. Sailor Moon wasn't sitting on the window ledge to listen to Relena's speech, however. There really wasn't a single thing Relena could say to change her mind about violence. Sometimes it was necessary. Queen Selenity had been a pacifist and Sailor Moon knew painfully well not only the fate of her kingdom but also the circumstances of her conversion from pacifism. Unlike Queen Selenity or Relena Darlian she was willing to fight, kill, and even die for her beliefs.
The Moon, Mars and Venus certainly all had factions on them and she was willing to bet that the other planets did as well. Mars' faction had attacked Zechs and Noin for no reason. Venus' faction had attacked L3 for no apparent reason as had the Moon's faction had attacked L1. The attacks reminded her of things that had happened towards the end of the Silver Millennium. Nasty things. Things that she didn't wish to deal with again.
Her eyes alighted on another possible property and she pulled a red pen out of her subspace pocket to circle it. About the same time Relena finished her speech, Sailor Moon finished the classifieds. As Relena said her final words and the cameras shifted to Lady Une, Sailor Moon stuffed her pen and the classifieds into her subspace pocket. This was the speaker she had been waiting for. She concentrated, wishing to teleport in at the best moment.
"Good afternoon members of the Earthspere Alliance and members of the White Moon Empire. I am speaking to you in light of the recent attacks on the colonies of L1 and L3 and wish to speak to you about the attacks, our options, and -"
"Me" Sailor Moon's voice interrupted as her form appeared next to Lady Une. She smiled tightly down at the Lady who nodded back, a slight, only very slight, smile curving her lips.
" - and Sailor Moon" Lady Une confirmed. "Let me start off by saying that no one on the colonies was hurt during the attacks thanks to the valiant efforts by the Gundam pilots, our Preventers in the field, and unexpected support from the White Moon Empire. The support of the White Moon armies has led us to believe that renegades initiated the attacks on our colonies. We wish for these renegades to be brought to justice as swiftly as possible so that there is no more unnecessary loss of life. Twenty-six Preventers lost their lives in protection of L3 and twenty-three lost their lives in defense of L1 and we are unsure at this time of how many White Moon Soldiers lost their lives in defense of our colonies. Lives that need not have been lost.
"Our options are few. We can work together to eradicate these renegades or we can go to war over them. War is exactly what these renegades want for it benefits no one and brings only destruction and death. Allowing this danger to bring us together and help us learn to work together is the better option. This solar system belongs to all of us, we all live here. We are all galactic neighbors and, in order to have a happy neighborhood of the future, the neighbors of the present must be good neighbors and the best of friends."
"Let's work together" Sailor Moon added impulsively "to build a bright future. I don't want my people to make war upon the Earth any more than I want the people of the Earth to go to war with us. And war on each other isn't necessary in these circumstances. War upon the people who made the attacks may be necessary but a full out war on each other is not. Although I sincerely hope neither is necessary. Please, my people of the White Moon Empire, show understand and tolerance. I do not wish for the events that ripped my mother's kingdom apart to rip us apart. I ask the leaders in my absence to be cool, levelheaded and logical. And I beg those who seem to believe a war with Earth and the Colonies are necessary to reconsider. I do not believe such an action is necessary. I have lived with these people for well over a thousand years and they are basically good. I love them. For my sake, be kind to them.
"Please be patient with me. I will rejoin you as soon as possible but there are a few loose ends like the youma that I need to wrap up here on Earth and in the Colonies before I can rejoin you. As soon as I can, I will send representatives of myself to you to be my voice amongst you and help in building our neighborhood of tomorrow." She smiled brilliantly at the camera. "Do not be afraid that I am going to send someone who neither knows about nor cares for our ways of life. My representatives will come from amongst the Sailor Senshi. But until then, wait for me as you have for so long. I will return to you." She smiled at the camera winningly as Lady Une gave the oblique sign to face and cut.
As soon as the camera was shut off, Sailor Moon let out a deep sigh and slumped slightly. "That wasn't so bad" she announced to no one in particular.
"No" Lady Une agreed. "It wasn't. Thank you for coming."
Sailor Moon looked up at her. "I said I'd be here, didn't I?" She smiled at the room in general. "Thank you all for having me but I must excuse myself. I'm needed elsewhere."
"WAIT!" Relena shouted as Sailor Moon began to glow silver before being surrounded by her customary column of power. Sailor Moon paused, the column of silver shining around her.
"Yes?"
"Stay with us!" Relena asked. "We can be much more effective if we work together!"
Sailor Moon shook her head almost sadly. "I can't. I'm sorry."
She then disappeared in a flash of light.
* * * * *
Usagi flopped across her bed.
'What a day!' she thought, tearing up slightly 'I wonder if the other Sailor Senshi would agree with everything I've done. Mina, I have to find you in this time. I can't wait for you to come from the past and save me any longer. But where do I start looking? You could be anywhere on Earth or the Colonies! Why haven't your future selves helped me? I don't understand! I feel like I'm in school again!' She rolled onto her side. 'In light of life's recent events, I deserve a nap.'
She awoke several hours later to someone gently shaking her shoulder.
"Miss. Usagi! Miss. Usagi!"
"Tired, Hilde."
"I'm not Miss. Hilde, Miss, Usagi. It's Mariemeia Khushrenada."
Usagi popped an eye open, looking at the girl with a half-awake expression.
"Uhh?"
"She left. Remember? Just before I arrived."
Usagi's mind fuzzily grasped at that.
'Where di - Oh yeah! Hilde-chan left to live in the barracks during basic training.'
"Gomen Mariemeia-chan."
Usagi sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Did you need something?"
"You slept through dinner. Paegan asked me to run up here and wake you up before the kitchen staff sent up your meal."
"Oh! Thanks!" Usagi glanced out the window. "I can't believe I slept through dinner!"
Mairemeia laughed. "Miss. Noin tried to wake you up but she said that there was no way you were going to wake up for dinner."
There was a knock at the door. Mairemeia opened it to Raoul's smiling face and concerned eyes. "Good evening, Usagi."
She smiled at him. "Thank you for bringing my dinner."
He began to set her meal up on her bedside table. "The server told us that you missed lunch but we thought that you would come down to the kitchens and beg food from us. But then you missed dinner . . . We were getting worried about you down in the kitchens. So I was elected to bring you your dinner tonight."
His eyes glanced over her. Working as her alter-ego Sailor Moon took a lot out of Usagi and, as the kitchen staff often saw her after a late night or no sleep at all, they often saw her at her worst. Kind, trusting souls that they were, the kitchen staff had accepted Usagi's excuses of illness and deemed her "frail of health", deciding that they obviously needed to take care of her. Their concern for the sunny blond became so infectious that the entire of Relena's palace staff believed that it was their personal responsibility to care for the "frail young woman." Meals were brought to her when she missed them, doors were held for her, delegates that were rude to her got cold meals or food mysteriously spilled on them.
"You shouldn't worry so about me. I'm fine. Really."
He brushed her words off. "Its no trouble. I need to get back to the kitchen but someone will be up for your tray later. Rest up Usagi!"
Raoul waved and was out the door before she could open her mouth to thank him again.
Usagi smiled wryly at Mariemeia. "Would you keep me company while I eat? Eating alone is no fun."
Mairemeia nodded and sat down at the foot of Usagi's bed. While Usagi ate Mariemeia told Usagi anything and everything about her life. When the server came to take away her tray, Mariemeia stood.
"I should be going too. You need your rest. I'll see you tomorrow."
Usagi nodded and waved. "Night Mariemeia!"
After everyone had left, she got out a pen and paper and doodled as she thought. At the top of the paper she wrote the word 'Where?' and circled it. She fell asleep before she decided anything.
* * * * *
All around her a giant space battle was taking place. Bursts of brilliant light signaled the end of lives and the destruction of soulless mobile dolls. An explosion nearby illuminated one of the small, private scrimmages that made up the larger space battle. Trowa's Gundam, Heavyarms, fought hand-to-hand against three of the renegade soldier from the White Moon Empire. Dred welled up in her heart.
She had hated Heavyarms the moment she had first set eyes on it, almost four years ago as it stood, alone and silently menacing, under the lights of the big top. She had hated its coldly gleaming surfaces and its mindless eyes as it had obediently aided Trowa in his bid for self destruction. Now she watched helplessly as it ruthlessly fought the enemies set before it. As she watched, another renegade stealthily sneaked behind the embattled Gundam and, in a split second before she could scream a warning, pulled its weapon on Trowa's Gundam, blasting Heavyarms into oblivion. Time crawled by as she watched Heavyarms buckle from the impact, cracks of light snaking all throughout its armor. She heard the crackling of electricity, smelled the burning of flesh, and heard Trowa begin to scream.
"TROWA!" she shrieked in horror.
Suddenly Heavyarms exploded, abruptly cutting off Trowa's screams of agony, leaving a terrible silence in its wake.
"TROWA!"
Her grief numbed her mind. She never noticed that another voice screamed for her brother with her. Or that she floated, unprotected, in outer space as she watched her brother's demise.
Sandrock, recognizable from the pictures that Quatre kept all over his mansion, barreled by her, its' surfaces gleaming in the fiery light of Trowa destruction. Calmly the soldier turned to face Quatre and leveled its weapon in the enraged Arabian. As it had during the final moments of Trowa's life, time slowed for Catherine. Quatre followed her brother into oblivion, screaming in anguish until his final moment ended.
Her own screams and a violent encounter with the floor woke her. She sat up, shaking and crying, and drew her knees up to her chest, violent sobs wrenching themselves from her throat. In the ambient light, her eyes sought for a figure to be in the bed on the other side of the trailer but the bed was empty. As it had been for weeks. Her hand fumbled up to her bedside stand and, finding the only picture frame on the piece of furniture, pulled it down to hold against her chest. It was the only picture she had of Trowa or Quatre.
It was of the three of them, taken the last time the circus had played on L4. Quatre had come to the performance as he always did when they were on L4 and they had gone for a night on the town afterwards per usual. Trowa wasn't really interested in the town so much as the people he was with and both Quatre and she knew it although none of them had ever formally said it out loud. The restaurant that Quatre had insisted they go to on him was both beautiful and expensive. The photographer that the restaurant had hired to mingle and take photographs of the customers had offered to take their picture. On a whim, Catherine had begged her escorts for a photo. Quatre had readily agreed but Trowa had refused at first. It had taken the combined efforts of herself and Quatre to get him to take the photo and then he hadn't even smiled.
But it was all she had of either of them. In the poor ambient light she traced their faces: Quatre's gently smiling and obviously happy and Trowa as sad and serious as always. Her tears spattered on the glass as she whispered, "Come back to me."
* * * * *
Usagi woke up early the next morning and went to her defense lessons. Wufei was still protesting her involvement in the morning practices by refusing to acknowledge her presence both in the gym and out of it which by no means distressed Usagi. No contact with Wufei meant he had nothing to be suspicious about.
"Are you sure you want to?" Sally Po asked, seeing Usagi, "I had heard that you were ill yesterday."
"I'm fine. I was just tired."
Sally pressed her lips together. "Only if you'll see me in my office for a full check up after breakfast."
Usagi groaned. "Do I have to?" she whined.
"Yes." Sally's hard eyes drove the single syllable home. No check up, no lessons.
Usagi sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay," she grumbled. "At least you care enough to be difficult."
Sally grinned her triumph before ordering Usagi to start stretching.
* * * * *
Relena looked nervously at Usagi as she bounced into the room, Mariemeia in tow. In the background, the speeches made yesterday were being aired on the radios and televisions again and again, and would be for another two hours, making it exactly twenty-four after their original creation. But it wasn't galactic politics that concerned Relena at the moment. Rather, it was the reaction of a certain blond would have to Relena's latest decision concerning her future. She waited for the perfect moment. She had learned fairly early on in her dealings with Usagi that coming between Usagi and food was a dangerous idea and she wondered briefly if even Hiiro Yuy would accept such a mission, knowing his chances for survival. Probably. The thought of a terrible death had never frightened him the way it did most people. It was when Usagi was leaning back in her chair, finally full and sated, that Relena struck.
"Usagi," she said firmly, "I think that, in spite of the current events, we can't allow ourselves to be distracted from living our daily lives."
Usagi looked up at her with mild interest. "That's a very good philosophy, Relena."
"I'm glad you think so, Usagi, because I've enrolled you in the Peacecraft Academy. They come back from summer break and start next Tuesday."
Usagi's eyes popped. "NANI?!" she screeched. She stabbed her index finger at Wufei, who was openly smirking. "Does he have to go to the Peacecraft Academy?"
Wufei spoke up before Relena could form a tactful reply. "Of course not, stupid Onna. I'm a soldier and soldiers don't attend the Peacecraft Academy. I am also a scholar. I finished all my required schooling a long time ago. There is no need for my further education by outside institutions."
Usagi glared venomously at Wufei. "You're probably right. You don't need to attend the Peacecraft Academy. You need to attend Manners School!" She turned her attention back to Relena and whined, "Is this necessary? Have I been that bad a houseguest?"
"Of course not" Relena hurriedly assured the other girl. "But you need to continue your education, Usagi. That way you can take a hand in shaping the future."
Usagi collapsed facedown on the table and muttered something indistinguishable in Japanese. She rolled her head to the side, her eyes slanting up to look at Relena. "Do you go to school?"
"Dorothy and I go to school as events permit us. We both have private tutors who teach us our lessons at our own pace. But we are enrolled in school and we both go to the Peacecraft Academy to take tests."
Usagi rolled her head facedown against the tabletop. Wufei's smirk broadened. Sally elbowed him in the ribs. Hard.
Mariemeia put her childish hand on Usagi's arm. "Miss Usagi, I'll be enrolled in the Peacecraft Academy with you."
Usagi groaned inarticulately. Somehow that did not console her.
"Usagi, even the Preventers in basic training have to go to school" Lady Une said calmly as she sipped her tea, "schooling is necessary."
Usagi sighed and muttered something to the tablecloth before slowly righting herself.
"Fine" she said unhappily. "I'll go and I'll do my best."
Relena smiled thankfully at Usagi. "That's the most anyone can ever ask."
* * * * *
Usagi had little time to waste as she boarded the bus for an afternoon of apartment hunting.
'School, Sailor Senshi, Secret Identity . . . This feels familiar. AND I CAN'T DO IT ALL ALONE! MINNA, WHERE ARE YOU?'
It was a long, boring afternoon for Usagi. For one reason or another, she simply didn't like the apartments she was viewing. They were all nice enough but they lacked whatever it was that made her feel at home in a place. Dispirited she looked down at the last address on the list and shrugged. It couldn't hurt to look. Tiredly and without much hope she boarded the correct bus to get to the address and promptly stopped paying attention to her environment until some part of her brain registered the fact that the bus driver was calling for her stop. Stumbling to her feet, she lurched off of the bus, nearly falling on her face in the process. Catching herself in the nick of time as she got off of the bus, she raised her eyes. Before her stood the Hikawa Shrine, looking as it had before she'd been yanked out of her own time. With tears in her eyes she threw herself at the impossible staircase, racing up to the temple. Everything was as it had been before she had left, nothing had changed. Some things looked a little more worn or delicate but it was all the same. She constantly wiped at her eyes as she explored her shrine - her shrine because she was going to buy it. Kicking off her shoes she slipped into the Fire Room and caught her breath. Things had changed in here.
The walls were all painted. On the far wall was a painting that silhouetted her eight Sailor Senshi standing in a circle before a full moon, each in a glowing column of her own power. In the center of the circle stood a few figures that lacked the detail given to the Sailor Senshi, due to the overwhelming auras given off by the Sailor Senshi. She could not identify them as male or female much less give an identity to any of the figures.
'It looks almost like a Sailor Teleport,' she mused as she mused as she strolled closer to the Sacred Fire to get a better look. Through the heat haze she spotted words,
'To seek the one that Time nor Death can part us from' followed by the name of the artist, Kaioh Michiru. Usagi gasped and fell back a step.
"Michiru-san . . ."
She turned to the next wall. On it was a giant rainbow hued crystal that encompassed shadowy, sketchy figures. The background was misty so that she couldn't tell where the crystal was. Underneath was the caption, 'Sleeping until the Time to awaken' followed by the artist's, Michiru's, name.
'Like Neo-Queen Selenity . . .'
She looked at the wall around the doorway she had come in through. A rainbow was whirling around as if in a windstorm, its colors frothing and bleeding into one another. At the center of it was a crystal that held a small child with bubble gum pink hair done up in two Odango. Her crystal sealed a doorway that looked suspiciously like the Gates of Time. There were only the words 'The Key' for this image and Michiru's signature as the artist.
'Chibiusa-chan?'
The final wall had a beautiful depiction of the solar system. Each plant glowed with its Senshi's color while the warm, silvery rays of the moon washed over everything. There was a phrase in the corner of this masterpiece, aside from Michiru's name, 'Symphony of the Solar System.'
'Minna, what does all this mean?'
* * * * *
As soon as Usagi got back to the palace, she headed into the Newsroom and demanded, "Have they responded yet?"
The Preventers in the room generously overlooked her intrusion and gestured to the big screen, making room for her on the couch. Nine men and women sat in a semi circle, Galaxia rounding their number off to ten as she sat by the leader's side.
'These are the people who have been guiding the White Moon people in our absence.'
The man with the pink hair started by inclining his head deeply.
"Greetings Sailor Moon. I am Selardi, temporary leader in your absence of both the Moon and the Council that rules the White Moon Empire. We shall endeavor to do as you have asked of us and look forward to your Senshi's arrivals among us. We cannot speak for the renegades but we, the law- abiding citizens of the White Moon Empire, shall honor your wishes. We shall also attempt to ensure that the renegades obey you by seeking them out and forcing them to abide by your word, if they themselves do not give up their terrorism by your own request." Selardi smiled slightly. "We await you, our Princess."
"Please" a thin, dark haired man interjected "keep in touch with us, Your Highness. And hurry back to us."
They all bowed deeply, then the transmission cut off to be replayed again.
'Now I really have to find the other Sailor Senshi . . .'
* * * * *
Usagi fell into a sort of routine over the next few weeks of going to school, going to the Temple after school, and finally going to Relena's palace at night. Of course, this routine was subject to revision as youma attacked and her ability to function after a battle. Wufei now had a prickly coating of hair on his head, which made him look odd to say the least and was back to scrutinizing her every move. At some point, the labs had sent results back saying that someone had put hair remover in his hair gel. This confirmation that his hair loss had been the result of a nefarious plot against himself only served to make Wufei even more irritable, more snappish, and more suspicious of Usagi.
One morning, after a particularly vicious battle that left her barely able to teleport home, bathe, and bind her wounds, Usagi was awaken by an ear- piercing shriek. Rolling out of bed, she fell into a defensive crouch without even thinking about it. Heavy footsteps pounded by her room, down the hallway, towards the noise. She glanced at her bedside clock: 6:03.
'Too early,' she decided. 'Whatever it is, isn't a youma so whatever it is can wait.'
With that she rolled back into bed and went back to sleep. Minutes later, her door burst open and it the wall behind it with a resounding WHAM. Usagi sat up in bed and peered blearily at the human-figure standing in the doorway. Taller than her and well muscled, light gleamed off of his bald head.
"ONNA" he roared "FIRST MY HAIR AND NOW MY HAIR AND EYEBROWS!! DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS?!"
Usagi's tired mind whirled. 'Wufei? Wh - oh. He finally used the shampoo.'
"Uh . . ." she responded eloquently.
"I THOUGHT SO!!! WHO POISONED MY GEL AND SHAMPOO?! CONFESS THE NAME OF THE MAN SO THAT HE MAY MEET MY JUSTICE!!"
Usagi's temper flared. "WHO SAYS I KNOW ANYTHING?!"
"YOU KNOW EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THIS PALACE! NOW TELL ME WHAT KIND OF MAN WOULD PUT HAIR REMOVER IN MY GEL AND SHAMPOO!!"
"I DON'T KNOW!! AS FAR AS I KNOW, NO MAN HAS SET FOOT IN YOUR ROOMS!"
He came closer, stepping out of the bright light of the hallway that silhouetted him in her doorway. "DID YOU DO IT?!"
"WUFEI! I HAVEN'T SET FOOT IN YOUR ROOM SINCE YOU LOST YOUR HAIR THE FIRST TIME!!"
"SO YOU SAY!! BUT I'LL BE WATCHING YOU!"
"FINE!"
"FINE!"
Wufei stormed out of her room, slamming the door, and Usagi went back to sleep. She didn't manage to stumble out of bed for morning practice and, when Mariemeia had gently shaken her shoulder to wake her up for school, she had been able to manage only one word, "No," and roll over again. Relena had come in at some time and tried to wake her up and force her to go to school. Usagi hadn't even opened her eyes this time as she told Relena what she had told Mariemeia, "No." Relena, however, was undeterred. She shook Usagi harder, even going so far as to pull her into an upright position.
"Wake up Usagi! You need to go to school."
Usagi, despite the pain her wounds were giving her due to the violent attention, managed to wrench free and glare up at the Sanq Princess. "No. I don't." Then she fell back into the bed and closed her eyes.
A combination of pain and fatigue made her voice harder, fiercer than usual. Relena, however, did not take the warning.
"Usagi, I'm very lenient with you. I let you go where you want when you want, I let you practice fighting with my brother and the others in the morning, and I'm willing to give you anything you want. But you must go to school! And as long as you live in this house, you will."
Usagi's eyes snapped open, hard and fierce - a warrior's eyes. "Then I will be moved out in two days. I will pay you in full for your kindness to me when I needed it most."
Relena took a step back, catching her breath. "Usagi! You don't mean that. Where will you go? What will you do?"
"I do mean it. I'll move to the Hikawa Temple and do what I do here: sleep, go to school, and live." She closed her eyes. "But, if you will allow me to stay here, that will be in two days. For now though, I need to sleep . . ." With that Usagi drifted off into sleep. Relena stood, staring at the sleeping figure, trembling. Then, with a muffled sob she ran from the room.
Half an hour later, Zechs found Relena in her office, her head on her arms, crying. Gently he placed a hand on Relena's shoulder.
"Relena?"
Relena started and looked up, her face red and her eyes red and puffy from her tears.
"Z-Zechs!" she wiped futilely at her eyes, trying to clear her face of the tears that refused to stop coming. "I-I didn't hear you knock."
"You certainly didn't." he agreed as he knelt next to her. "What's wrong Relena?"
Relena's tears slipped from her eyes faster. Angrily she rubbed her eyes.
"Usagi's angry with me. She says she's going to leave us in two days."
Zechs caught her hands and gently pulled them away from her face so that he could catch her tear-clouded eyes with his own, intense, ocean blue eyes.
"Usagi isn't angry with you Relena. She never gets angry with anyone. And she won't leave us."
"But she is! And she will!" Relena choked on a sob. "She said so to me!"
Zechs gently pulled Relena out of her chair. He sat on the floor, his little sister in his lap, and held her so that he could see her face.
"She said so?" Zechs asked, frowning slightly. "She said she hated you?"
"No! But her eyes! Her eyes were so hard and fierce! Like yours when you fight! Or Hiiro's! They weren't her eyes!"
Zechs found that profoundly disturbing for some reason. Usagi should never have eyes like his. "I'm sure her eyes weren't like mine. And even if she glared at you, it doesn't mean she's angry with you. Or that she hates you."
Slowly Relena told Zechs what had passed between her and Usagi earlier. Zechs was thoughtful for a moment. "Relena, she was probably very tired. You know that Usagi isn't very healthy. Sometimes she just needs to sleep. It was probably like that today. You might have hurt her by trying to wake her up and she lashed out. I'm sure if you talk to her after she's feeling better, she'll take it all back."
Relena nodded, her tears slowing and stopping while Zechs spoke.
"You're probably right. I should have been more thoughtful. I'll talk to her after she's feeling better." She looked up at her brother but her eyes were still worried. "I don't want her to leave," she added in small voice.
"I'm sure she won't leave us in anger" Zechs told her reassuringly.
Relena nodded. "You're right." She stood up and dusted herself off. "I'd better go to my meeting now. I'll be late."
Zechs nodded and stood. "Wash your face before you go." With that he kissed her forehead and left.
* * * * *
Hilde had plenty of time to consider the mystery that was Tsukino Usagi during basic training. Unlike the rest of the raw recruits, she had been a soldier before. And a good one. She knew what was expected of her and the best, most efficient way to carry it out. She hadn't forgotten what had been so painful to learn the first time around.
Perhaps it was living with Duo, but Hilde had never let herself get too far out of shape. She and Duo had frequently gone running and to the gym while living together and she hadn't stopped after moving in with Relena. For so long, Duo's life had depended on his physical fitness that when he finally had his much cherished peace, he couldn't seem to get out of the mindset that he must always be in the top physical condition that his body would allow. He wasn't Hiiro Yuy but he was fanatical enough that Hilde was in near perfect condition. Better than when she was a soldier. And she was grateful to him for that.
As comrades miserably dragged themselves through the exhausting drills that Noin and Zechs demanded of them, Hilde found time to think. The exercises were at most extremely difficult for her but never impossible and she always found snatches of time to think. As she ran her miles, voracious attacked her meals, or lay drifting between wakefulness and sleep, Hilde thought of Usagi.
There were several inescapable facts. One, Usagi had shown up shortly after the aliens. Two, Sailor Moon had shown up shortly after Usagi. Three, Usagi was always sick after Sailor Moon had a battle. Four, Usagi didn't want Wufei to think too much about her. Hilde had a sneaking suspicion over who was responsible for Wufei's hair loss and his subsequent distraction. All of these little things, coincidental as they were, led Hilde to one, final conclusion: Usagi Tsukino was Sailor Moon.
'Of course, I'll have to make her admit to it before she'll let me help her.' Hilde chuckled drowsily as she drifted off to sleep. 'It's going to be fun, trying to get her to do that . . .'
* * * * *
"Wu-man! You're bald again!"
Wufei favored Duo Maxwell with a scathing look. It would have made an average, sane mortal snap their jaws together and keep them that way. But this was Duo Maxwell, pilot of the Gundam Deathscythe, the self-proclaimed Shinigami, and the bringer of chaos and vast irritation to Wufei's life. Of course he ignored Wufei's look as he continued on, seemingly oblivious to the other man's growing ire.
"Not only that but . . .Wu-man, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you lost your eyebrows too!"
"Maxwell," he grated out "shut up."
Duo's violet eyes sparkled wickedly as he regarded his fellow Gundam Pilot over the five-way vid-phone call but Quatre, ever the peacemaker, spoke then, seeking to restore the peace that seldom if ever existed around Duo.
"She came forward. Finally. Perhaps there will be no need for a war." Silently he added, and no need for the Gundams. It was silent but there, unspoken, between them all. Hiiro impatiently brushed his unruly hair from his eyes.
"There will be a war, Quatre, if the Moon Kingdom's rebels don't submit to her. Which they won't. She's too soft to fight them."
"And the monsters" Duo put in. "Somehow they're connected to all of this. If there is a war, they'll be part of it."
Wufei snorted but before he could voice his opinion, Trowa spoke up.
"I agree."
Duo nodded excitedly, his braid bouncing. "They showed up about the same time as these White Moon people and before Sailor Moon made her first appearance. They might've . . .drawn her out."
Wufei could only stare . . .such logic from such a source.
"We should wait and hold our positions" Quatre sadly agreed. "And wait and watch. It may turn out that we are needed after all."
* * * * *
Usagi quickly regained her liveliness under the careful care of the kitchen and serving staff. They made sure she had meals and had no complaints or problems. During this recuperation time, Relena steered clear of her houseguest, afraid of angering her further and truly driving her away. On the first night that Usagi had dinner with the rest of the house, Relena welcomed her back to health very warmly. Usagi smiled at her and greeted Relena even more enthusiastically than she had anyone before her, her eyes slightly sad - but only for a moment. Dinner was more pleasant than it had been since Usagi had fallen ill and afterwards, Relena was more relaxed than she had been since that morning in Usagi's room. She was humming as she reviewed palace expense reports, when there was a knock on the door. She looked up, surprised at the late night call, but called out, "Come in."
The door swung halfway open and Usagi popped her head in. "Am I interrupting?"
Relena hastily shook her head and put her pen down. "Not at all! Come right in!"
Usagi slowly strolled into the room, looking oddly nervous as she carefully closed the door behind her.
"Relena-san . . . about the other day . . .I-"
"It was my fault Usagi. I shouldn't have been so unkind to you while you were sick."
Usagi visibly pulled herself together. Her face was set and determined but her eyes were oddly soft and apologetic. "No Relena, it was mine as well. I said some of what I meant to save and tell you at a better time and I said it in the cruelest possible way. I'm so sorry."
Fear clutched at Relena's heart. "Some of what you meant to say to me?"
"Usagi met Relena's eyes squarely. "I've been meaning to pay you back for all your kindness and to . . .to move out."
Relena inhaled sharply. "Usagi! Please-"
Usagi held up her hand and the flow of words from Relena's mouth cut off abruptly.
"Relena, I never meant to say it like that. Never. I love you and I love your friends and household. You have helped me - given me - more than you could possibly imagine. But I can't mooch off of you forever, Relena. We both know that."
Relena bowed her head, fighting her tears for a moment, her hands clutching her skirts tightly. Then she raised her head, poised and calm, and nodded her acceptance.
"But, where did you get the money, Usagi?"
Usagi scuffed her foot, averting her eyes for a moment before meeting Relena's eyes with her own. "When they found me I had manga on me. Expensive, old manga. The hospital released the possessions that they found me with to me and I - I sold some of them."
"Usagi . . ." Relena breathed.
Usagi laughed, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it Relena. Here." She quickly made her way around Relena's desk and pressed a large wad of bills into Relena's hand. "All that I owe you and a little more. For irritation." She laughed. Then, abruptly, she pulled Relena from her chair and hugged her tightly, fiercely. "I hope that we can remain friends Relena-chan."
"We shall be," Relena choked out. "We always shall be."