Sailor Moon DMR: Dead Moon's Reign
Chapter 20: A few Answers

Elation's brow grew warm and she felt sick but even so something somewhere had awakened. Something in her knew this person and that this group was a familiar setting for her. She closes her eyes and breathes out. Ignoring the massive headache that had erupted in her head she opens her eyes once more unaware of the eye-color change.

She was resisting the changes to herself and ignoring the looks she was getting for the other three. They hadn't known it would look like that. Having only seen her in her senshi form, this new one that was trying to emerge was something strangely familiar and unfamiliar. Like Elation, their brows grew hot, yet that was all that occurred to them.

Swallowing thickly, Elation looks at her. "How.. How do you know that? How do I know you? I..I don't understand anything!"

"Calm down." Sarita said and nods to Geihana to get Elation a seat. "You know how I know that-actually all the answers to your questions lie within the memories of the Queen."

She shook her head and backed away until she fell into the chair that Geihana set out for her. "But..I.."

"Let us start at the beginning shall we?" Sarita turns and walks back to the window, "To fill in the gaps you have in your mind. I'm sure you girls don't remember it all do you?"

Tora shook her head but Hebi gave only a narrowing of the eyes while Hane said nothing. Sarita took that as a confirmation as she stares out the window at the landscape for a moment before turning back to them.

"A long time ago, before the rule of the White Moon before Queen Serenity was ever a queen in anything but her imagination, there were two kingdoms. Belisama and Belenus. They were the most prominent of kingdoms on that planet that were passed on to Queen Eos and to her brother King Hyperion." She turns slightly, "Not to bore you with the specifics here, ladies, but as you may remember The Dreamcatchers served under the royal family of the Belenus Kingdom. We like our brethren in the Belisama kingdom fought against the Curse and searched for ways to end it every time it reared it's ugly head. But one year, we were badly beaten and barely defeated the demons that came with it. It was then that Queen Nehellenia decided to search for the answer. Even with the loss of her husband and daughter, she did not give up. And we promised to hold everything until she returned with help."

Tora's head bowed a bit as she closes her eyes, "I..I remember." She says looking up, "I remember I went to see her off. I pleaded with her not to go alone! Serenity…she wasn't reasonable even than."

"Not to mention the deteriorating health." Hebi mutters looking away almost as if she was ashamed but her stony look tried to hide it. "The losses were too great. The Demons too numerous. There was no away to save our world with just that mythical crystal even if she could find it."

That brought Elation's head up and she stares at them. Yet it wasn't her. No, it was the Queen who had taken control for the moment as her emotions began to override Elation's.

"You mean it was for nothing?" Nehellenia asks, "That all that time was for nothing?"

"No. It wasn't." Hane answered though she could tell the difference in the shift of personality. The posture and how she spoke, she was sure it was their queen of old. "However, that window of time that it could've been used to help us closed while you were away trying to convince Serenity. Simply put, she was staying much too far away for you to return with any sort of help. With what people we did have we sent out until we were overcome and died as the result."

"Don't cry." Sarita said as she noticed the tears that gathered in Elation's eyes, "Don't waste the water on what could've been. We have a new life and with it we can repay Serenity's line with in kind."

Elation slouches against the back of the chair as the queen sank away from her leaving her more exhausted then she was willing to admit. It was probably only her willpower that kept her awake this long.

"Are.. are you behind the youmas?" She asks wearily and strained. It was so much to absorb, yet she tried to anyway. "and..the Paranormal club. Was that you too?"

"No, we're investigating where the youmas are coming from." Sarita said with a vaguely annoyed look on her face, "We've turned up nothing yet. As for that…Only the Ito Twins and that Yuki girl are on my payroll. They're merely there to keep an eye on you."

It was too much. Way too much. Elation pulls herself up and turns to walk away, though her steps were a bit sluggish and she leans against the door frame. She wouldn't cry. Not yet.. not-
She fell forward, barely registering Hane and Tora's sudden cry of her name as her world became black.

It was just far..too much.

"Excuse me?" Mamoru stares at his girlfriend for a long time trying to see if he had, indeed, heard right. "You want me to what?"

"I don't like it either." She scowls and then ends up pouting in her seat stirring her drink. "But, the girls and I have come to the decision that you'd be the best option since it's obvious any of us approaching her would only be a..well.. an issue."

It was on his shift break and he was sitting with her at the Fruit Parlor in a booth having, well, lunch together. He was still trying to digest the plan she was offering him. Still he sighs softly before nodding, "Alright, I'll do it. But if this backfires, don't say I didn't tell you so."

She smiles at him, "Why don't you tell me about your day so far?" She asks with rapt attention as he began to tell her one of the weird emergencies he had that morning.

"Saul wait." Yuu said to him, "You don't know for sure if she's in any of those places."

"Maybe not," The black man replied looking for his keys, "but I'm not going to wait."

"Calm your self, sir." Barako sighs softly as she came into the kitchen, "I've just gotten off the phone with one of her friends from school. Apparently she's staying at Yuki's house for the time being."

"Good." Saul breathes out feeling relieved that she was somewhere safe, "I'll go fetch her right now."

Yuu shook his head, placing a hand on the man's shoulder, "Don't, Saul." He said, "For once, I agree with Clara in that maybe she needs to be around her friends as well. Perhaps more so to feel normal."

"But.." His frustrations were easy to see as he wanted so much to bring her back. Somewhere were he could watch her. "It's not safe out there."

"Nothing's ever been certain in life." Yuu says softly rubbing his back lightly, "But you can't keep them both cooped up either. Come on, I'm sure Barako has made something that'll calm your nerves."

She came around feeling dizzy at first but was surprised at how dark it was. So, she thought to herself, is this it? Is this how I imagined my life?

It wasn't and she felt bitter about it as she turns over in the bed that she had been placed in. The second thought that came to her was the vague notion that she had no concept of what time it was. The shades were pulled shut, tightly against the world outside. The door to the room was the only place where she could see a light glowing between the cracks of the door and floor.

She stayed there for a few more moments before she crept out of bed and towards the door. She swallows a bit, before trying the knob, though she noticed she wasn't in her uniform. It made her frown and she reaches back and felt that her hair was loose and not in the low ponytail she had opted to wear that day.

Taking her hand off the knob she inspected herself and found everything she was wearing was fresh and clean. She sniffed her hair as the inexplicable fear came to her and it smelled of a different shampoo.

Had someone..washed her? The implications of that were mind boggling to this virgin's mind. She felt more conscious of herself than before. More…embarrassed really. She could only console herself with the thought that they were all girls and had the same parts. Breathing out as she assured herself a bit that it probably was a good thing, she turns the knob on the door and opens it just a little to the barely lit room.

Peering out, she could see the women congregated around a window with a single lamp lit. They were talking in hushed tones and Elation strains to hear them.
Just what were they saying?

" I can't do this." Tora was saying, " It isn't even reasonable any more." She looks up at them from where she was sitting on the lounge chair. "We did what you wanted, Sarita, but beyond this- what reason is there?" She finally stood looking as upset as she thought the others maybe. "We have new lives now and Elation- she's a good kid too and it's not bad being her friend and all- but why do you expect us to lay our lives and everything we are for her and some thing we don't know about?"

"She has a point." Hebi breathes out slowly, smoke drifting out of her mouth. "Even if we're able to do this and all, there's still a chance it's all for nothing."

Hane glances from them to the taut almost strained look on Sarita's face before she interrupts them. "But, we can't leave those people to die just because we do not wish for this." She says quietly, "The point of the matter is, regardless of whether Elation can be our 'queen' or not there are innocent people that we have to help."

Hebi grumbles something that was on the line about 'I don't care'. This made both Tora and Hane look at her hard for a moment until the talk green haired woman sighs. "Look, I'm sympathetic to the cause, but I have my own life to live."

"Oh?" Sarita looks at her with narrowed eyes, "Just what was so fulfilling in your life? Your profession as a professor in the venom section of poison? Your failing career as a singer? You being-"

"Enough!" She snaps breathing out. "You have made your point quite adequately." Hebi takes a long drag from the cigarette before blowing it out slowly. "I'll play babysitter for your pet."

"I..I don't need one." Elation's voice carries over as they notice her. "I don't need a babysitter or anyone looking after me." She sounded much stronger now. "I haven't needed one since I was ten."

Sarita eyed her with some unnameable emotion before she said, "You don't know what you're asking, Elation." She looks at the others then at her, "We're trained in this, you're not. Not to mention-"

"Stop being a hypocrite!" The teen's patience was clearly wearing thin. "You want me to be a leader and to be… savage enough to kill people without guilt, yet you are sheltering me!" She folds her arms looking defiant. " Which is it? Do you want me to be the tower princess or the girl with armor?"

"You don't understand…" Sarita began. "It's not that simple."

"You make it sound so." Elation stares at her and then sighs softly, "Look, to be honest I am agreeing with Hebi and Tora on this. This..this past life these half-remembered things don't have anything to do with our lives of now. However.. I can't walk away from what I've seen and done. If I have to, I will. But I'll be clear in the respect that I –hate- killing anyone. I don't want to sink to their level."

"You're not." Hane spoke up, "But we have to do these things to ensure people will be safe."

Elation sighs softly before walking closer, "Until then..we have to work together and to find out who's been turning these people. As well as..to get to know each other." She glances at them though she was still mad with them-especially Hane- she couldn't quite let herself stay that way. "I don't expect life stories to come out all the sudden but..think about it. It would help us."

Mentally Sarita thought the girl was indeed doing exactly as she thought she should. She was truly becoming a leader, however she was still long ways away from actually becoming one. Still, the older woman looks away from her and out at the cityscape. "It's getting late. We should all go home and rest-except you Elation."

"What?" Elation looks at her frowning as Hebi and Tora got up. "Why?"

"Well, your family thinks you're staying over at a friend's house. It would look odd if you went back."

"Oh." That was another issue Elation really wanted to get to but as Hane escorted the girls out, Elation allowed herself to be drawn towards the tank that had fascinated her in the beginning. She watched the fish swim about with the sharks and ponders what stopped the sharks from eating the fish.

"How long?" She finally asks before glancing at Sarita who was watching her. "How long have you known?"

Sarita stiffens a bit before she went over and stood next to Elation. "Years." She answered. "I've known about this for a long time. I've worked towards this point when I discovered it."

"Years?" She glances at her, "How did you know it was real? How did you know if we would look like those that have passed?"

"It wasn't easy. They thought I was mad." Sarita answers quietly not going into detail. "Mostly it was an accident in how I found you all. Well, after I found out about Hane, she too was having those dreams. It took us a while to figure out that with our connections we could sort out and find those that were similar. To be honest, we used a survey."

"Survey?" Elation frowns, "those are hardly reliable you know."

"True but they were worth a shot. We found a few that had similar connections. Of those few we had pictures taken of them and from that I..felt a recognition."

Elation stares at her for a long time before asking, "Why? Why did you do all this? What was the reason for it?"

"Because it was what I had to live for." Sarita answers before turning away, "You better get some rest. There's school in the morning."

"I'm..I'm not going." Elation told her watching her leave, "I can't face the Club. I don't know who to trust or what's real because you are paying them!"

Sarita glances over her shoulder, "Well, it should make for good practice for you wouldn't it?"

Elation's mouth opens to retort but the woman was already ascending the spiral staircase and presumable heading to bed leaving the girl alone with the glowing tank of fish.