Regency

By: InitialA

Disclaimer: I don't own or profit from Sailor Moon!

Several days passed. Their families came and went, tending to their homes and bringing back information in the form of gossip. Serenity was unsettled by reports from the Ainos and her own family that people were still starving and that the government was stuck in a bureaucratic discussion about how to handle it. Her own regular discussions with government staff proved fruitful: engineers all over were working fast to establish some sort of contact with the outside world. Radio contact with Taiwan had been made almost a week after the world had awakened. The Southern hemisphere, as it was summer, was working to a full harvest of what wild food still grew. Shipping on a mass international scale was going to be impossible without sacrificing some of their own people, and it would take days before any cargo landed. It would be longer still before it was transported far inland.

She felt guiltier still when Jupiter would bring vegetables from her home for everyone to eat; apparently, the Silver Crystal had sent her garden into a sort of accelerated growing season, and threw out new vegetables every other day.

No new monsters appeared, and Serenity wondered if it was because she kept herself cloistered in the compound. She discussed it with Mercury, who was making regular trips to their control center as well as assisting her mother in the field for medical problems, and Mercury agreed that it was likely the reaction to the Silver Crystal that set off their new foes. "You would think, since I gave you your new powers, they would react to you," Serenity commented before her friend left again.

"You blessed me with these powers, Your Highness," Mercury said, and her lips twitched into a smile when the princess stuck her tongue out. "It's not as if you gave me a piece of the Crystal itself… Hmm…" She drifted off, her blue eyes alight with an idea.

"What? What'd you think of?"

"Oh, it's… it's just a thought. Don't mind me," Mercury smiled again and left. Luna shrugged her shoulders when Serenity looked at her, and followed. Her feline advisers had remained in their human forms for now. Luna was working with Mercury while Artemis stayed behind to relay information as it came in, or—more accurately, as Venus was quick to point out—take naps when he had a free moment. It sure was something to see Artemis, whose human form was quite long and lanky, curl up in a ball at a moment's notice.

Twelve days after they had awakened, Serenity could stand it no more. She gathered herself, her husband, and her tier and marched out to the plaza. "Usako, you're sure about this?" Tuxedo Kamen asked.

"As sure as anything."

"You know you're probably playing into their hands, right?"

"Doing their work for them? It's crossed my mind. The people will respond accordingly," Serenity responded firmly. Tuxedo Kamen had rarely seen that look in his wife's eyes. The number could be counted on one hand. Each time had resulted in the death of an aspect of Chaos.

He braced himself, and breathed out slowly. He summoned the scepter given to him by Helios. The top glowed with the power of the Golden Crystal. Serenity took his free hand. "Everything will be fine, Mamo-chan."

With the power of the Golden Crystal to stabilize and ground, literally, the ferocious growing power of the Silver Crystal, they worked for more than an hour. At some point, Venus, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Jupiter came outside to make sure the growing crowd stayed at a respectable distance. When at last the light died down, Serenity was caught by Venus as she swayed on her feet. Jupiter steadied Tuxedo Kamen, but she was clearly surprised. "Y-Your suit."

Serenity looked. Her husband's formal wear had changed to a dusky twilight. "Endymion."

"Your Majesties…" Pluto murmured, inclining her head slightly.

The others followed her lead; Jupiter's eyes were wide with realization. Serenity was too tired to glare at Pluto properly. "I'll get you for that later…"

Pluto smiled, cat-like. "As my Queen wishes."

"What did you two do?" Uranus asked.

Endymion stood on his own as Jupiter stepped back. "We brought the harvest to the Northern Hemisphere, in a manner of speaking."

"Your garden is growing out of control still," Serenity said to Jupiter. "I got the idea from that."

"How long will it last?" Neptune asked.

"Hopefully it will last long enough that everyone will get fed now. Meat will still be scarce, until people can domesticate animals again. If there are any domesticated herds left," Endymion said. "Some may have been killed off by unchecked hunters."

"But no one else will starve. That's a relief," Jupiter said.

Serenity nodded. "I just hope we weren't too late for too many people…"

"Sailor Moon!"

They turned. A few people were rushing forward. "Sailor Senshi! Is it true?"

"They say you have made food! People are coming out of their homes, saying their gardens are alive and thriving!"

"Sailor Moon you have saved us all!"

Serenity smiled. "It was nothing. I couldn't stand to see everyone suffering any longer."

"How can we repay you?"

"Go and eat," she said, and a few laughed. "Build your strength so we can rebuild our world."

"Sailor Moon!" Two children rushed forward, arms outstretched.

Serenity knelt to intercept the hug. Their arms met. The children didn't even have a chance to scream before their bodies were shredded to bits as two monsters erupted from them—this time a rabbit and a snake. Uranus shouted at the civilians to back away as she grabbed Serenity around the waist and pulled her back as the snake lunged. The snake's fangs hit the concrete, which melted with a soft hiss. "Kami-sama…" Serenity whispered.

"No time for prayers now," Uranus cautioned, and summoned her sword.

"SPACE SWORD! BLASTER!"

The beam of light ricocheted off of the snake's writhing skin. People screamed as they dodged its lashing tail. The rabbit hopped forward towards a group huddled together; the ground shook violently with each step. Uranus swore colorfully. "You got any strength left to give us the edge up?"

Serenity locked eyes with Endymion. He moved and knelt behind her, holding her shoulders. His hands glowed with a soft golden light. She felt stronger with his assistance. "Yes! Uranus, everyone, grab my hands!"

She reached out. Neptune went on the offensive, distracting the rabbit-monster from making the civilians its afternoon snack. The others went to circle Serenity. Her guardians took hold, and she breathed deeply. She found her inner source of power, and exhaled, pushing it through her arms and through to her friends. The blinding light of the Silver Crystal flashed momentarily, and left her four soldiers brimming with new energy. Uranus smirked. "One hell of a pick-me-up you've got there. Thanks, kitten."

Serenity smiled encouragingly. Pluto took a defensive stance and positioned herself in front of Serenity and Endymion, her Time Key held in front of her. She nodded to her comrade. Uranus faced the snake again. "All right. Let's try that again." She brandished her sword, and held it aloft. "LUNA BOTHYNUS! TEMPESTAS!"

A shower of golden stars seemed to erupt from her sword, and embedded themselves within the snake's side. It screeched horribly, and Serenity cried out, covering her ears. Jupiter stepped forward. Her tiara bore a lightning rod once more. "My turn! FULL MOON THUNDER!"

The sky turned green-black. Dozens of lightning bolts shot from the cloud base and fried the snake. Jupiter gaped. "No time for that!" Neptune snapped her back to attention; she jerked her arms back, controlling the tides that kept the rabbit at bay.

"Hang on, Neptune!" Venus called. She struck a pose and winked. "I'm finally back to full power!"

"Stop with the theatrics!" Endymion shouted.

Venus pulled an eyelid, sticking her tongue out. "No fun!"

She brandished her old, ruby-and-gold chain belt. Whirling it like a lasso, she let it fly, shouting, "YIN MOON ELICITATION!"

The whip struck the rabbit. It too shrieked in defeat, and Venus gasped. White lightning raced up the length of the chain and shot through her. "VENUS!" Jupiter rushed towards her but Pluto stopped her with a shout of her own. "Look!"

Venus was laughing as the lightning danced over her skin. The rabbit vanished, and the tides evaporated with it. Venus fell to the ground, still laughing. Jupiter ran to help her up. "Venus, snap out of it."

"The power… it's so… tingly! It's… it's great, just… look!" Venus giggled, pushing Jupiter's nose with a finger: some small bits of lightning traveled up her finger and vanished into Jupiter's skin.

The tall brunette yelped, grabbing her nose with both hands and dropping Venus in the process; the blonde was too busy giggling to notice. "Ow! What did you do—hey," she blinked, and stood straighter.

"What did she do?" Serenity asked.

"It's like… I was a little worn from that attack, but I'm completely refreshed now," Jupiter said, looking down at the writhing, giggling senshi.

"She did say 'elicitation'," Neptune mused. "She's taken all of the enemy's energy. And now she's overwhelmed."

Uranus rolled her eyes. "Oh great. Now we'll have to put up with this every time she attacks now."

Serenity crawled over to Venus, and took her hand. She winced as the electric energy shot through her, but then she, too, felt better than she had for a while. "Mamo-chan, you too," she said, and he obeyed.

Venus sat up once Endymion had taken his share of her extra energy. "Whoa. That was intense. Sorry about that. But man, what a kick!"

Serenity sighed with relief. She looked back at Uranus, smiling slightly. "Well, that might be the case, but it could come in handy later."

The tall blonde smiled in a resigned way. "That's what I was afraid of, dumpling." Neptune patted her shoulder sympathetically.

Everyone watched Mercury; Mercury watched her computer screen, chin resting on one hand. Jupiter gently rubbed Mercury's creased brow; the water warrior looked up in surprise. "You'll get wrinkles."

Neptune chittered. Mercury blushed. The computer beeped, and she snatched it up in relief. "Ah, finally."

Venom from the snake monster's attack had remained on site even after the creature's defeat, and Mercury was happy to have some real data to play with now. "Now, Serenity, I can monitor the reactions of the cells. I need you to hold the computer," she said, handing it to her.

Serenity took it, and Mercury's eyes widened in delight. "Excellent! It's just as I thought, look!"

The others looked at each other; Uranus and Venus shrugged. They watched the screen. "I don't understand…" Jupiter said.

Endymion gave an 'ah' of realization. "The cells are multiplying at an insanely accelerated pace. Watch just one, and it becomes sixteen in almost a second."

Mercury nodded. "Exactly! Now, Serenity let me have the computer back… Here, see the pace of it now. When it's just me, or no one at all, it's a normal cell division rate."

"So the monsters react to Serenity alone?" Mars asked.

"Or do they react to the Silver Crystal?" Saturn asked.

"As Serenity has now become one with the Crystal's power and can use it at will with ease, I suspect it's one and the same. The energy emitted from her causes a reaction in whoever has become infected with whatever it is we're facing," Mercury explained. "We discussed this before, in private." At some indignant looks, she shook her head. "Don't look at me like that. We didn't want to set off too many alarms."

Venus scratched at her arm. "It did seem weird that there weren't random monster attacks…"

Serenity stared at the ground, pensive. "How do we fix this? Leave it alone? Do I sequester myself away and hope that's it?"

"Not everyone has been infected, we've seen that. It's a matter of finding those who are and eradicating it," Neptune said. "And maybe finding out why they're here," she added after a moment's thought.

Endymion held his wife around her shoulders comfortingly. "It's a worldwide epidemic, I would think. How do we accomplish that?"

To no one's surprise, Mercury smiled. "I thought about that—in fact, Serenity, I mentioned it before. You said it was strange that no monsters were reacting to just me when I had been blessed by the Silver Crystal. That gave me an idea. It's possible that we may be able to take pieces of the Silver Crystal and travel to other countries to make sure their infected aren't breaking out without the trigger. And when they do react to the Crystal, we can take care of it."

"Taking pieces of the Crystal, though?" Saturn asked. "Is that even possible?"

Serenity shrugged. "If I control how much is given, I don't think it would be a problem."

"If there is a problem, I can see about devising a method of imbuing the power of the Crystal into an object we can carry," Mercury said.

"I'm sensing a 'but'," Uranus said.

Mercury nodded. "It means splitting up."

There were no verbal responses to that; some uncomfortable looks were traded, arms were crossed. Pluto cleared her throat. "If I may… splitting up may not be entirely wise. If it's possible, we should at least go in groups of two. Our new powers seem to be split evenly on offensive and defensive abilities, and some of us may be at a disadvantage."

"You didn't even fight earlier," Mars snapped.

Pluto held the priest's gaze steadily; Mars looked away first, red-faced. "While I was not needed in the battle, I can sense what my new powers are capable of. They are more suited to defensive tactics. Personally, I do not wish to be sent on what appears to me as a suicide mission."

Mercury opened her mouth to protest the term, but Endymion spoke first. "Please, everyone, this is not the time for internal arguments. If Serenity decides that this is the best course of action, then it is. If she does not, we'll think of something else."

Nine pairs of eyes stared at her. Serenity clasped her hands in front of her, and bowed her head. "It's very risky… and I don't want anyone to get hurt… but… but I'm worried that there's more out there that we can't see if we're stuck here. And the need of the people is more important than me wanting to keep everyone safe. If I separate everyone into pairs, it will make me feel better."

Though no one looked thrilled at this prospect, they nodded. "What must be done, will be done," Pluto said.

Mercury and Pluto worked for several days to come up with a device that would hold the Crystal's energy, but remain portable and inconspicuous. Venus eventually asked how they would move around the globe—"I mean, we can start off with the Sailor Teleport, but after leaving others behind it's going to drain a lot more energy than we can afford to lose. And we've really never tried it without Sailor Moon. That could be a huge difference in how far we can go."

With that in mind, the pair worked to create something that would also serve as a localized teleportation device. Meanwhile, Serenity was under fire again from the government for her involvement in providing food for the Earth's population. After sitting in many meetings with his wife and the increasingly unhappy Dietman Hino and his entourage, Endymion surrendered to her superior knowledge in these affairs and went to work with Mercury and Pluto instead. After a week, they decided that, as the power was already contained in a crystal, four crystal pieces would be the best bet; the energy shift would be less likely to break out from a form it was already comfortably residing in. Endymion used the Golden Crystal to grow four pieces of amethyst quartz, with stibnite bases for added protection.

Each Senshi blessed the crystals with their power; Mercury tested the first crystal herself, and found that as long as she focused her will on her destination, the crystal would teleport her there. Best of all, her readings indicated that the power had not diminished within and could be reused for teleportation with no trouble. "Well of course," Luna said when Mercury reported these findings. She sounded almost indignant, but amused. "How else do you think the Silver Crystal—or the Golden Crystal, for that matter—retains it's power? It's in the way crystals are formed. All of the facets inside, it reflects and bounces off of each other constantly. It grows to enormous power levels. It refreshes itself constantly."

With that in mind, Mercury approached Serenity cautiously. She advised her of what Luna had said: "We don't need five Silver Crystals. I fear that's what it could become if you don't place some kind of limit on your power when you bless these."

Serenity added just a touch of power to each of the four crystals, with whispered words of instruction to contain itself to just that. "I just hope that's going to be enough… I don't know if I can limit the control of anything more than that."

Mercury smiled. "I don't think it's going to be a problem, Your Majesty. It's not the amount of power that triggers them, I believe. It's just that it does. I can run some tests if you'd like, to be sure."

Serenity waved her off. "No, I trust you. We've delayed long enough. I'm worried. If nothing else, you guys can check to be sure Endymion and I were able to feed everyone. And don't think you're going to get away with that 'Your Majesty'ing, either."

Later that day, they all gathered in the courtyard. Serenity had divided them into pairs: Venus and Saturn would take Europe and western Asia, Jupiter and Uranus would head to the Americas, Mars and Pluto would take Africa and Australia, and Mercury and Neptune would remain close by in eastern Asia and the Pacific Ring islands. Serenity hugged each of them individually. "Everyone… please keep each other safe. And come home quickly," she said, stepping back.

"We'll check in often," Jupiter assured her.

Serenity nodded. Her eyes shone with unshed tears. "Try not to enrage any more politicians, odango atama," Mars said.

"I'll do my best," she assured her; no one had mentioned that the politician she was most angering was Mars' own father.

"Ja ne," Uranus saluted. She and Jupiter touched their crystal, and vanished in a swirl of color. The others followed suit. Serenity stared up at the sky, Endymion's arm around her. "Be safe…"

((According to metaphysical beliefs, amethyst and stibnite are the two most powerful types of quartz when one wants protection from negative energy, and provide a powerful combination when used in conjunction to each other. Amethyst also scores high on the Moh's hardness scale, so it would be suitable to hold the powerful energy of the Silver Crystal—which at my best guess, from extensive crystal study, looks to be based on a variant of quartz))