When All The Good Angels Sleep

by Blue Jeans

Life had never been better for the Sailor Senshi team. They had defeated their enemies, are finishing high school and looking forward to a new future. But what awaits them there may be more devistating than anything they have ever imagined. Post SS/AR

3. The Third Sheep Named Venom

A Note to the Readers: All contents in this story is under an artistic
license. Fact and fiction will be clomped together into one huge blob.
In other words, don't bother me about debating whether some
conversations in this fanfic is truly based on fact... as Naoko Takeuchi
has done many times. Truth, after all, is an elusive thing! ^-~. Enjoy!

When All the Good Angels Sleep
******************************
.blue.
blueweber@hotmail.com

"No te engano la primavera "Did spring never deceive you
con besos que no florecieron?" with kisses that didn't blossom?"

--Pablo Neruda
("The Book Of Questions")


"And I looked, and behold a pale horse:
and his name that sat on him was Death."

--Bible: New Testament
(Revelation 6:8)


The Third Sheep Named Venom
---------------------------

"Under the spreading chestnut tree
I sold you and you sold me:
There lie they, and here lie we
Under the spreading chestnut tree."
-- George Orwell
("1984")

"When the truth comes out, there is always a
period of silence, of shock, and mayhap, even
a little bit of despair. Yet, when all of
that disappear and acceptance once again reigns
supremely over the mind, then you shall see that
sometimes, the truth is best left unsaid. Why
do you think that even I am locked away from all
the workings of time? I, its guardian, cannot
even be trusted with its secrets for what my
judgment might impede me to do. Simply because
I am human still, and if I knew that the outcome
may not be what I wish it to be, I would work
and toil to make it as I see fit, as I deem right.
So in the end, my Queen, it is best to keep some
knowledge to yourself, even at the risk of lies
and deceits. After all, wouldn't you agree that a
life is worth more than a little white lie?"

-- Sailor Senshi Pluto
("Letters to the Queen")


The dripping of water woke her, startled her from her dreamless
sleep. The midnight blue surrounded her, reminding her of the eyes of
her lover. "Mamo-chan," she whispered but there was no answer, no
distant call. Puzzled at this, she turned her head and saw nothing but
darkness around her, darkness and herself. All alone in the dark. Her
eyes blinked, crystal blue startled and frightened. Limp, white arms
gathered around her waist and curled around her, as her breath came in
puffs of white. "So cold..." The voice faded. Her voice faded into
nothingness.

Thump.

Alone.

Thump, thump.

So very alone.

* * *

Usagi woke at the beeping of her communicator. At first she
thought if was her alarm clock, but when slamming that didn't work, her
desperately groggy mind formulated that it must be her communicator.
"What?" She asked when she opened the screen, only half-awake. Ami's
face popped up, serious as ever. "Min'na, I'm calling a senshi meeting
at Mamoru-kun's place."

Seeing the others nod on the screen, she agreed reluctantly.
"Ami-chan? I'm tired, can't it be later?" She whined, after all, at
least this time Usagi had a legitimate excuse for only being half-awake.
She had stayed the night at the hospital beside Rei's bed, hoping the
other would wake. Of course, the dark-haired woman continued to sleep
peacefully, something that scared Usagi since she had never known Rei to
be so submissive and far away before, even if her body was in arms
reach.

Minako had taken over for the morning, but now that it was noon,
it would probably be Makoto at the hospital now. Makoto. She was sick
a few days ago, and Usagi was glad that she was no longer bed ridden.
Yet, was it better now that it was Rei who took the place of the one who
was sick? Rei who was hardly ever sick looked so pale and fragile lying
against the white sheets of the hospital room. And that time when they
were all present Rei had said...

Artemis and Luna were already off, and what worried Usagi was that
she hardly saw either of the two cats anymore. They both looked tired
and haggard, yet, the gleam of determination in their eyes told her that
they were working on something. She couldn't stop them, she knew that
much!

Usagi mentally shook her head, as she got dressed from her bed.
The Tuskino household was especially quiet this morning and Usagi
silently thanked the gods above that the incident at the school had left
it closed for another day or two. Just enough time for the weekends to
roll in, and she doubted that they'd be able to finish the
reconstruction of that section of the building by then. Mercury's fog
had frozen a part of the wall and Makoto's blast had skewered more than
just the youma! Usagi yawned, glad that at least now she could get more
sleep and visit Rei-chan on a regular basis.

Of course, now that she thought about it, a lot of people had been
getting the flu lately. Of course Shingo had the sniffles for a while
and now that was gone as well, but whatever happened, it had been
spreading quite rapidly around Tokyo. In fact, she had seen more than a
few people here and there that were getting sick. Perhaps she was
wrong, maybe too many teachers and students were having the flu and not
enough people would be occupying the school. Maybe the flu was
contagious or something...

Usagi shuddered, for she hated to be sick. Well, good thing she
wasn't! Hopefully, Rei-chan would wake up today, too! She climbed down
the stairs and walked toward the kitchen. Strange, shouldn't her mother
be cooking right about now? She glanced over at the cute kitty clock
that hung on the living room wall and frowned. Noon, that's strange,
her mother usually had something on the table by now and would have been
scolding her for waking up so late. She walked into the kitchen,
hearing the whistling of one of the pots turn into a scream for
attention as white puffy steam rose heartily up to the ceiling. "Mama?
Where are you?" She called out. Nobody answered her call. That was
even stranger than not being scolded by now. She had heard earlier that
Shingo and her father were heading out for a round of baseball in the
park, but nothing from her mother except the usual clanging of pots and
pans before she had fallen back to sleep. Then she saw the neat white
shocks encased in pale violet slippers, white ankles poking out the
other side. She let out a gasping scream that was muffled under the
shrill whistling of the boiling water. Running over she found her
mother lying unconscious on the floor, the ladle on a few feet from the
limp hand, obviously having fallen out of her okaa-san's hand when she
became unconscious. "Mama! Mama!"

Sleepy blue eyes opened slightly at her before closing in pain,
"Usagi-chan..." her mother murmured softly to her frantic calls before
losing to the darkness once more.

Frantically Usagi jumped up from the floor and ran to the phone,
quickly dialing the emergency numbers that her parents made her memorize
when she was but a small child. Everything went in a blur, the
emergency ambulance blaring their sirens when they finally arrived sent
a buzz through the neighborhood and her silent house. Somebody had
turned off the stove -- who she would never recall -- the ride to the
hospital holding her mother's hand, while the medic checked her heart
beat and her breathing, was filled with fear and anticipation. The slow
creeping of time before her father and Shingo ran into the hospital
room, her father looking disheveled and sick with worry, Shingo having a
look of disbelief on his face as they saw the pale face of her mother
lying helplessly on the hospital bed. "They said that she just had a
mild run of fever and that she'd be fine." Usagi murmured softly. A
numb feeling crept over her body. It reminded her so much of what Rei
looked like in her own hospital bed only a few floors up. "They said we
can take her home as soon as she gains consciousness."

Her father took over the other side of her mother, his hands
closing shakily over the pale soft hand that Usagi remembered always
there to comfort when they were sick. She looked up and met the
stricken look in her father's eyes and she felt her heart go out for
him. There was so much pain in the room, so much uncertainties and
fears. She fought back the tears and tried to smile at her father,
though it came out weak.

I must be strong, she thought.

"Odango, you think Mama's going to be alright?" Shingo asked, his
voice wavering. He was so young! Usagi almost forgotten how young he
seemed to her till now. This was the first time Mama ever fainted from
an illness and the doctors were too busy to check on her with so many
other sick patients in the hospital. He seemed to want to be so brave
for Papa too, yet, the slight quiver in his voice gave him away.

So young...

Her hand strayed toward her mother's but the coldness startled her
and a darkness washed throughout her body.

The broken tower--

The black, bloodied sky--

The white brilliant light with angels rising--

So much pain... a touch of Death!

Gasping she rose. "I-- I--" she couldn't finish even as the
images evaporated into nothingness. The memories lingered in her mind
and a fear, a dark fear from the waves of crushing loneliness washed
over her and a silence so great--

She turned and ran from the room in fear. There was too much pain
there, too much darkness!

"Was it something I said?" Shingo asked in surprise.

Tuskino Kenji could only shake his head as he sat down wearily by
the bed. "Iie, Shingo. Let Usagi-chan sort out her emotions for now.
She probably just had a very long week," Kenji's eyes though, were
already on the pale face of his wife's.

Shingo nodded reluctantly and sat on the other side of his
mother's hospital bed, holding her free hand and hoping she get better
soon. But still Usagi's wide and frightened eyes haunted Shingo as he
watched his mother sleep, unsure what it was that was making her so
withdrawn to them all.

Was it something in Mama's touch?

Yet the answer eluded him and his worries clouded out whatever
questions that might have lingered in his mind.

* * *

"Usagi-chan's still not here," Minako said glumly as she sat down
in the sofa. Ami paced the floor before them with more agitation than
they'd ever seen of her.

"What could be taking her so long?" Ami asked herself worriedly
as she paced the floor. "Oh, I hope it's not because..." then the blue-
haired girl went into a string of whispered grumbling that none of them
could understand or even catch a few words of.

Makoto shifted worriedly in her own seat, not wishing to leave Rei
by herself for too long. "Maybe we should have the meeting another
time." The brunette suggested. It was strange to have a meeting at
Mamoru's apartment. Usually, it was more like one big party at Rei-
chan's temple. But things hadn't been going on as usual since the youma
attack. Makoto paused, feeling something strange stirring deep within
her. Blinking in surprise, she squashed down the uneasy feeling and
tried to concentrate on Ami stalking back and forth across Mamoru's
living room.

Mamoru on the other hand was looking worriedly out the window,
once in awhile glancing at the door as if waiting for Usagi to burst
through out-of-breath and apologizing for being late again. The phone
rang, making them all practically jump out of their skins. "I'll get
it." Mamoru said, excusing himself as he reached for the sleek black
phone. "Moshi, moshi, Chiba Mamoru speaking."

"Mamo-chan," the voice on the other line quivered slightly.

"Usako?" He gasped in surprise. "Where are you?" He asked
immediately. Something was unsettling in the way she spoke his name, in
the way she greeted him.

"There was a broken tower--" she whispered and somehow her voice
seemed very distant.

"Usako? Usako, were are you?" The others stared at him in
startled surprise, a feeling of anxiety rose and tightened the tension
in the room.

A silent pause grinded onto their nerves before Usagi finally
responded, "Mama's sick," she whispered, "the hospital," she finally
said. "I'm at the hospital." Her voice returning, more firm than
before. "Mamo-chan," the way she spoke his name was so wastful.

"Hai, Usako?" He whispered and the others seemed to breath at
last as he relaxed his shoulders.

Another pause, another silence, as if Usagi was debating with
herself on something she wished to say to him. "Never mind." The
decision was made and the phone rang dead in his ears.

He suddenly felt desperately eager to leave the apartment as soon
as he could as the mystery danced out of his grasp and the way Usagi
spoke worried him greatly. He stood there for a moment staring at the
phone, uncertain of his next move. Should he tell the others?

"I'll be right there, Usako." He said to no one in particular and
when he finally hung up the phone, he was already turning towards the
door. Usagi had never hung up before he did and she never did so
without a goodbye or at the very least a small whisper of 'I love you'
before he set down the phone himself. Somehow, since the last time he
saw her, she seemed to have aged, her voice sounded so different than
before.

"Was that Usagi-chan?" Minako finally exploded with curiosity.
Determined to get this meeting moving into somewhat of a steadier pace
than the stalemate that had been keeping the silence for the past hour.
"I know it was her because you were practically shouting her name! What
was going on? Is something the matter?"

"Hai," Mamoru answered, though he wasn't quite sure what question
he was answering to or even if it was one of the questions that Minako
asked him. Already he was down the hallway and picking up his jacket on
the way out the door.

All three girls hurried after him, "So what did she say?" Makoto
asked angrily for the lack of a better response from the dark-haired
prince.

"Is she coming or not?" Ami demanded.

"Usagi's at the hospital." That stopped all three girls dead in
their tracks. They glanced at each other in shock and a little bit of
shame for assuming that Usagi was being irresponsible once more. Then
the worry set in full force.

"She's at the hospital?" All three exclaimed, "Is she alright?
Did something happen?"

"Her okaa-san's ill," Mamoru answer honestly as he reached for his
shoes.

They all sighed in relief but it was Minako who offered the first
words of apology. "Gomen ne, we didn't realize." Minako said but by
that time Mamoru had already put on his shoes.

"We'll come with you!" Makoto volunteered right away as all of
them hurried to put on their own shoes. Soon, the four of them were
zooming down the highway at a breakneck speed. Usually, Ami would have
commented on something like this, but the blue-haired girl stayed silent
on the passenger side, staring out the window as if lost in her own
little world. Minako and Makoto, on the other hand, discussed in hushed
voices, though soon silence fell within the car again. It wasn't too
much of a surprise seeing that they all had much to think about at the
moment. The agonizingly silent ride came to a sudden halt as all of
them jumped from the car and raced for the hospital.

"Tuskino, we're looking for the Tuskino family that were just
admitted in here about an hour or so ago." Minako gasped as she was the
first at the desk. Mamoru was not far behind, and Makoto followed with
Ami running through the sliding doors of the hospital all at once.

"Relations of the family?" The clerk at the desk droned on, his
reddish-blond hair gleamed dully under the flourscent lights of the
hospital.

Mamoru frosted his eyes as he yanked the man off his chair until
the other was only inches from his face, so fast that nobody even
realized what he was doing until he spoke. "I'm Doctor Chiba Mamoru and
I demand that you tell me where Tuskino Ikuko is placed at this moment."

Shaky hands typed at the keys and finally the room number came up.
The clerk croaked it out and before he could even finish his apology to
Mamoru and the group, the four were had already gone racing down the
hallway.

"Usagi-chan!" They called as soon as they got off of the
elevator, looking frantically for her in all directions.

"She's not here!" Makoto cried out in distress when they found
the floor lacking the blond-haired princess.

"Rei-chan! She must have gone to Rei-chan!" Minako suddenly
piped up as Makoto was already pushing the button for the elevator to
take them to Rei's floor.

In a few moments they were rushing into Rei's room. The sight
that greeted them when they arrived shocked all of them into a stand
still. They stood there gaping as Usagi wept softly beside Rei, her
head in her hands. A young man opposite the odangle-blonde spoke softly
to her while holding Rei's free hand. But that wasn't what had stopped
them at the door, for it was Rei herself who was sitting beside Usagi,
gently stroking her hair in silent comfort.

"Rei-chan!" Minako gasped in astonishment.

Mamoru walked hurriedly to the tearful Usagi and laid a gentle
hand on her shoulder as the others followed him silently, crowding
around Rei's bed. "Daijoubu-yo?" Mamoru asked her softly.

Usagi lifted her head and looked to Rei and then to Mamoru with a
weak smile, "Daijoubu."

"Rei-chan?" Minako asked, uncertain to how to take this turn of
events. Ami was already checking on the dark-haired girl with her
computer while glancing with equal worry at their princess. "How-- When
did you wake up?"

"Just a while ago," Rei replied with a smile and teasingly glanced
over at Usagi. "Couldn't sleep with her bawling over me, I'd drown if I
didn't sit up!" Usagi grinned, her smile more natural now that all of
them were there. Makoto looked slightly dazed for a moment, probably
from the shock, Minako reasoned.

The brunette hadn't been feeling well all day but was able to hide
it from the others till now. The tension at Mamoru's apartment, the
distress at Usagi's sudden appearance at the hospital, and the
excitement that Rei had finally awoken from her coma had worn her out.
And as Makoto walked beside Minako, looking into Rei's strange onyx
eyes, she felt herself slip ever so slightly inside. The darkness
gripped her inside and she felt as if her whole form was tipping over.
She opened her mouth to cry out in alarm but nothing escaped. Those
beautiful emerald eyes that Makoto had always been so proud of having
suddenly began to burn with unusual brightness and Makoto faded into the
shadows of her soul.

"Daijoubu-yo Mako-chan?" Ami asked worriedly as she glanced over.

Usagi seemed to have stiffened as Rei narrowed her eyes at the
sudden darkness that seemed to have fallen over the room. Ami's
question turned them all to Makoto who's smile seemed suddenly so alien
to them all. "Daijoubu," the brunette replied with a dark smirk on her
lips.

The tall brunette didn't even glance over to Ami as she walked
over to Rei who suddenly seemed to widen her eyes in alarm as the
presence of shadows increased with each step. "Mako-chan--?" One hand
snaked out as she pinned Rei to the bed with her one hand wrapped around
the dark-haired girl's throat, cutting off the other before more words
could be spoken.

Usagi screamed, her chair toppling as she stumbled back into
Mamoru's steady arms. Her blue eyes widening like the others in the
room. The clip that held Makoto's ponytail together snapped, spilling
her auburn tresses down and around her shoulders. Ami gasped in shock
at Makoto's violent behavior while Minako tried desperately to wrestle
Makoto away from Rei, only to be knocked away with a force that sent her
crashing into the wall beside the bed. By then Rei was gasping and
trying desperately to remove Makoto's tightening grip from around her
throat. Usagi shifted away from Mamoru, snapping out of her daze as she
watched in horror as Minako was flung like a doll into the wall. The
odango-blonde raced toward Makoto, before her pale hands gripped onto
the brunette's arm, begging Makoto to let go. "Onegai," Usagi cried,
"let go! Let go!"

Rei tried to wrestle the brunette's hands from her throat but the
world grew hazzy around the edges and she knew with desperation that her
strengths would soon fail her. Mamoru was only moments behind Usagi,
trying with all his strength to drag the strongest inner senshi away
from the dark-haired girl, but to no avail! Then, the man they had seen
sitting quietly beside Rei for all this time, stilled perhaps in
concentration or shock, rise swiftly forward. His hands moved with
unnatural speed as he touched the startled forehead of Makoto, grasping
as he chanted out the words that sent her withering in his grasp as if
being burned as she screetched out. In a moment the brunette was
unconscious and slumped within the stranger's grasp.

Rei was now dragging painful gulps of oxygen into her lungs that
had been starved of air, moving Makoto's fingers from around her throat
slowly. Coughing slightly after the tight chokehold that Makoto had on
her, Rei tried to rise weakly from her bed to assist them in moving the
brunette fromt he bed. "Minako-chan," she whispered through her aching
throat. A sound that was barely audible escaped Rei's lips, but Usagi
heard it and she was already kneeling over the blonde. Mamoru swept
Makoto cautiously away as he lifted the her into his arms and out of the
room, whispering something into Usagi's ear before he left. The dark-
haired man watched the halls carefully to see if anyone would come check
on them, but there was no sign that anyone even heard.

At least they had closed the door and, by some chance, a group of
people had came in during the exact time that the struggle took place,
all of them in critical condition. No one heard the screaming inside
Rei's room, though Mamoru was unsure if that was an omen of good or
evil.

"What just happened?" Ami demanded once Mamoru was out of the
room. Her blue-eyes was wide with surprise, but already she was tending
to Minako. After finally snapping out of her stupor, she had quickly
raced over to the two blondes, ordering Usagi to stop trying to move
Minako for more harm than good would be done if odangle-haired girl
moved the other in the wrong way.

"There was a disease festering in Mako-chan's soul, I just cut off
its access to her mind, but its still there." The stranger sighed
heavily. "It was a strong spirit," he answered Rei's worried glance.

"I know," she answered, "I felt it." He helped her sit up again
and held Rei protectively in his arms. The dark-haired girl turned to
Ami weakly as the blue-haired girl looked puzzled between the two. "She
was possessed Ami-chan." Rei explained after a cough escaped her lips.

Ami flicked her eyes to the solemn Rei who looked as if she just
got hit by a train. "Will Minako be alright?" Usagi asked, snapping
Ami from questioning the others further.

"Hai, Usagi, but we need to get her some bandages. I fear that
Minako nearly cracked her ribs." Ami frowned at this. It seems that
dark force that both the stranger and Rei sensed had been able to tap
into some of Sailor Jupiter's strength, even when Makoto was in civilian
form. That can lead to many conclusions, Ami thought as Usagi scouraged
around the room and the bathroom, finally coming up with some bandages.
The stranger helped them settle Minako carefully into the empty bed
beside Rei's, nodding at the questioning look Ami sent him, he stepped
out of the room.

Quickly, Ami turned and bound Minako wherever her computer told
her that the bones had been weakened from the struggle between the blond
and Makoto. Silently, Usagi watched Ami's back as she worked, grasping,
sometimes painfully, onto Rei's hand. The dark-haired girl remained
silent, pensively looking toward Minako as the other remained in a world
Rei could not reach her in. Usagi would catch the dark-haired girl
looking sad at times at the blonde, as if she knew something that none
of them knew. Finally the silence was broken when Ami clipped the last
bandage and attached it securily into place.

"Done," Ami nodded satsified before turning to the two women who
were still watching her. "Don't worry, nothing that can't be fixed in a
few days by sleep," Ami assured them as she looked back at her patient.
"She'll be pretty bruised up, but none of her bones are acutally broken
and nothing else seemed to be wrong."

Usagi nodded before standing, "I think we can get her to Mamoru's
car now, ne?"

"Mamoru's car?" Ami asked surprised.

By then, the odangle-blonde had already opened the door and told
the stranger what must be done. He nodded and walked in, glancing over
at Rei worriedly before taking the blonde up and heading out the door.
"Is that what he told you before he left?" Rei asked.

"Hai," Usagi nodded as Ami sat down uncertain as to what must now
be done.

"There is much to do," Ami said at last.

"Much," Rei agreed as Usagi sat down on the other side.

"Ne!" Usagi sighed with a bright smile, trying to cheer the
others up for just a little while. Worry plagued her own heart, but for
just a moment, she wanted to forget. "It's just the three of us left."
Usagi smiled at the puzzled looks her friends sent her. "Reminds me of
old times, doesn't it?"

Ami nodded and Rei returned the grin, "Of old times." The dark-
haired girl sighed.

A comfortable silence settled between the three before they each
fell back into a slumber. That was how Hiketsu found them when he
returned from Mamoru's car, ready to transport the last of them homeward
before anyone suspect that something had happened there. Yet, for a few
moments, he let them sleep safely in their dreams, holding hands as if
the dark days could still be held at bay for just a little bit longer.

* * *

Kuragari Fuma turned the knob of the door and heard the chiming
bell go off over his head to announce his presence. Well, so much for
surprising the owners or slipping in quietly! He walked into the store
expecting to be greeted by some fat storekeeper who would smile at him
cheerfully, happy to receive a costumer. Instead, he found an empty
shop room, filled with exotic antiques and makeup. A strange
combination, but it wasn't without taste.

He stepped in cautiously, glancing left and right as if expecting
someone to show up at any moment to surprise him with a salesclerk smile
and a product to wave under his nose. Instead, only silence greeted
him. For a moment, he had thought that he could almost see a dusty
breath of air dance across the floor, but then shook his head at the
silly notion. "Hello?" He called out to the empty store. Feeling even
sillier now than ever. What am I doing just standing here in the
doorway? He stepped forth and walked to the counter, expecting to at
least see some living thing moving.

Nothing.

His sensors were going overboard but he still couldn't pin down
what it was that was disturbing him. He looked around the store
expectantly, before heading for the back of the store. Passing through
the bead curtain, an empty hallway was revealed to him. "Hello? Anyone
here?" Still no answer. He walked down the dark hall, sniffing the
air. Strange, a smell as if no one had been here for a while, but then
how was it possible for the place to be so neat? He opened the first
door to his left. A bathroom, its lights flickering on as he entered.
Nothing. The counter was scattered with makeup and brushes, a toilet
and some extra towels. No shower and only one basin. The cabinet under
the basin was filled with even more makeup. He looked up at the mirror,
only seeing the reflection of the wall, none of which contained him in
the picture. Good, at least some things were still normal! Then his
eyes rested on a picture in the corner of the glass, a group picture
with nine females. Four older women and five younger ones smiled back
at him. All different by the looks of them, yet all smiling and some
were even waving at the camera. A few bold ones were blowing kisses.
Definitely a strange mixture of people! How these types of people got
together in the first place was beyond Fuma.

He discovered four rooms after that, each different in taste and
design, pictures scattered here and there in some of the rooms, others
were incredibly neat. Nothing seemed out of place. Except that one of
the rooms had a broken mirror. Another's bed was unusually messy,
sheets twisted off of the bed to spill onto one side. A chair was
tossed over in one room and another room had makeup on the floor as if
it had been swept off of the clean table next to a shattered window.
Shattered window?

Fuma moved in closer to the broken panes and then his eyes zoomed
to one sharp edge, holding a bit of blood. His mind took the snap shot
of the people in the bathroom that he saw and searched onto the web for
the DNA match for each of them. Carefully he reached forth and put his
finger to the bloodied glass and closed his eyes trying to match the
blood with one of the women in the picture. Finally a face came, it was
the woman with dark-green hair held in a tight bun that showed up in his
scan, she had a cocky smile in the picture and was the tallest there.
His eyes narrowed. Four rooms. That must mean four of the women in the
picture were the ones running this store. Something was out of place
here though. Thinking about it closely, the seemingly ordinary mess
could be actual signs of a struggle. But it wasn't much of a struggle
by the looks of it. This one at least put up a fight. Unless, of
course, this was the last victim. He systematically began to categorize
the room from most disturbed to least, trying to figure out the patterns
of attack.

Something shifted in the room, his sensors went berserk as he
tensed and dove to one side. Black talons, sharp and thick, struck from
the roof to the ground. He groaned. If he were human, he'd be dead by
now! He rolled away and searched the ceiling, trying to locate the
signature and aura of the attack. In less than a moment he was racing
out the doorway of the tattered room, the dark lava-like shadows slashed
and smashed down towards him, trying to cut him to pieces. His left
palm opened as he dove for the window display. His fist closing over
the white ball that appeared in the center of his palm just as his body
passed through the glass, rippling slightly from contact.

The building exploded from within. The monster that resided there
screamed as its body was pulverized by special traps Fuma had set before
he entered the place. The small explosions illuminated the shop -- host
body of the darkness -- while keeping the demon within stuck to the
crumbling building it had used as its home and life source for the last
few days. He rolled up from the ground, not a scratch on him, even with
the glass debris at his feet. His grey-violet eyes were revealed as he
took off his sunglasses at the display of fireworks before him. The
shadow monster tried one last desperate act to escape as an irritated
smile shifted onto Fuma's face. "I don't think so bastard. I've got a
debt to return to you!" Cables shot from the ground, demolishing
concrete as it laced around the struggling demon and smashed it down
into the heart of the flames. The fire roared and exploded one last
time, his clothes rippling at the sudden heat wave that swept the
neighborhood. Hey, you got to keep the image that you're still more
than just a visual spectacle somehow! He ran his hands through his
blond hair with a smirk. Picking up the bag that had been spat out by
the building, he walked away from the scene. Wherever those sisters
were, they were no longer in the building, and he was more than glad to
get back at the monster, similar to the one that had nearly destroyed
him years ago.

He flexed his free hand instinctively. "One point to the good
guys," he said cheerfully as he slung the dark bag over his shoulder and
strolled away from the burning building.

* * *

Fujimia Doko walked into the office building that was the meeting
place of his party. His dark eyes flashing as he passed through the
metal detector. A pleasant smile lingering on his lips as he passed the
security guards that he took upon himself to get to know better. They
waved, as he walked by and he waved back, taking care to smile a little
more brightly at the fat captain. All of them were a bunch of idiots.
They scan you for weapons that you don't need to kill a man with and
they'll never suspect it's you until it's all too late. These dumb
bastards were so predictable!

He strolled up to the elevator and pushed the upward button,
thinking over plans to reveal the secret that the government had been
planning not to tell the public about the rising fear of the epidemic in
Europe, Americas, and Africa. Asia was reporting similar findings, but
idiotic Japanese people won't understand that it's almost too late to
close the borders without being infected with the disease! But maybe
Doko was wrong. He clung to the idea that he might still have time to
save his country, no matter how stupid the people who resided there
could be.

What did they expect? A group of mini-skirted girls to declare
that they can, not only fight imaginary monsters, but a virus as well?
What a laugh, these fools! He was the one who would reveal the truth!
He would be the one to save them all from the clutches of death, and by
the gods above, he would make his country proud! The elevator binged
open and he stepped into the gold-brown cage that would take him to the
top floor where the arrogant and fat head of the department sat,
wallowing in his own useless powers. Doko was disgusted at the thought
that such a man could even wield this much power! They belong to the
pigpens and the slaughterhouses! He thought angrily as he pushed down
on the button before him that was labeled '11'. The orange light lit
behind the button as the elevator picked itself up for the climb upward.
He leaned against the wall impatiently, waiting for the elevator to
arrive at its destined floor as he tapped his foot angrily. The
elevator paused, stopping suddenly with its lights flashing.
"Shimatta!" He swore under his breaths as he leaned over to push the
'11' button a few more times. "Damn it, work!" He cried as he banged
on the panel, unwittingly ignoring the sudden darkness that fell within
his compartment as he started to raise his fist to smash down on the
panel once more.

He didn't even see the black shadowy goop that flowed all around
him, slowly forming the outline of a faceless demon. One claw stretched
from the wall of the elevator behind him, stretching the being from the
two-dimensional form to a realistic and fearsome monster that reached
for the frustrated Fujimia Doko who still remained clueless to its
presence. "Damn machine!"

"Yes..." the shadow demon whispered in delight at finding a new
host. Its menacing amusement seemed to drip from its hissing voice.

Doko froze, knowing that moments ago he was the only one in the
elevator. He started to turn to face the faceless monster that loomed
over him. A squeal of horror rose in his throat and turned to a muffled
scream as the monster plunged itself into his body, taking him over
completely. The darkness had found another host in the bustling world
of Tokyo and the mission to release the darkness had only just begun.

No one heard the scream that Fujimia Doko gave out on the last day
of being human. No one knew what had happened. All they knew was that
when the elevator binged to a stop on the 11th floor of the prominent
building near the Diet Building itself, a polished man stepped out. His
hair slicked back, dark eyes searching out the place he wished to go to
and a cold smile that could freeze the heart of any that saw it. That
was all they saw, all they reported before the world slipped a little
more into madness. They of course didn't hear the scream in the office
as the head of the National Party was killed. They never even knew he
had gone missing.

After that day, Fujimia Doko was no more. From then on, he was
the head of the National Party, and all who wondered otherwise exactly
how he got to that position either forgot or were forgotten. Slowly the
party eliminated more party opposition through stranger and stranger
circumstances. No one even questioned how some of the things had
happened, those who did get too close just disappeared from the scene,
never to be heard from again.

Just like the real Fujimia Doko.

They were after all, just lost little lambs brought to the altar
of sacrifice and death to the oncoming Dark God that would rule over the
dying world.

The darkness came upon the Earth in silence.

To the one man who would set the already broken world to ruins...

* * *

Blip. Blip. Blip.

Wires twisted together, rubbing and twisting, connecting to places
most know not the existence of. Dancing to the rhythm of the mechanic
world unseen. One man sat in the corner. A thin metallic shine covered
his skin and glowed under the flickering fluorescent lights. Thousands
of slim needles quivered at the convulsion of muscles as he delved into
the unseen world behind the binary code, not only understanding the
language the machine spoke it but being able to command and think as the
machine.

The wires were connected to the needles, once in a while an arc of
electricity swept through the air, harming nothing but shocking one
muscle of his body into motion. This was how Core kept his body from
degenerating when he was off exploring, that and the almost invisible
tube that connected an IV to his blood stream, his only supply of food
and liquid. Of course, Core's body was made for this, not many knew
that there were actual metallic substances in his blood and his body.
Provoke the guy enough, and you'll see someone flying. Everything was
thought controlled, everything was linked to the CORE, and everything
was him as he roamed the cyber world.

Alyssa Smith, who are you?

He searched from place to place, hoping to find her yet never had
he encountered her name. Strange. He couldn't even find a profile that
was similar to what people claimed she had said or done. That wasn't
the only thing bothering him. Never had he found his resources so
limited until now, at a time of crisis. He didn't have time for this!
He delved into the cameras and computers of Japan, having not seen much
of what had been happening in that country.

His attention snapped. What the hell was that? The video camera
showed a man screaming into thin air before convulsing. Then that same
man just got up and waited patiently for the doors to open. Core zoomed
and accessed the government data.

A picture of the man came up, no longer blurry. A name: Fujimia
Doko, with the rest of his basic information. A government agent is he?
Not much of a big shot, either. What had happened in that elevator
though unsettled Core, and he was determined to get to the bottom of
that! A thought came to him. He had been busily trying to keep down
the news of the plague in all the other major countries, but Japan's
been so quiet! That unsettled him even more as he searched, trying to
find the one death certificate that he didn't really want to see.

Ami Mizuno. Nothing. Startled, and checking to make sure that
her death should've already arrived if her reaction to the disease were
like the rest of the world's population, he checked again. Still
nothing. His suspicion started to get more and more of his attention.
He should've realized that Japan would be the hot spot for weirdness!
What did he expect from a country whose heroines were believed to wear
mini-skirts and tight leotards? One with too much active imagination
and hormones, that's for sure! Yet, the idea that Japan may have been
the place he should've been searching to find the cure was what drove
him to track down the whereabouts of the only other contact that he had
left in Tokyo. Except for Mizuno Ami of course, but he had known for a
very long time that she was not wholly honest with him and didn't really
trust him, not since he had first approached her on the net.

'Fuma, I need you to check in on something I just found somewhat
disturbing.'

'Well, well, well! If it isn't mister big shot, himself! Glad to
make an acquaintance with you, too!'

'Your sarcasm is flattering, but I haven't the time for it this.
This time I don't want to fill your little void of loneliness with happy
smilies, like you always do on those nets to piss off some freak on the
web!'

'Ah, and your perception is as sharp as ever, I see! Well, I'm
glad to know I'm becoming more and more like you by the minute.'

'You have a sense of humor that is shattering.'

'Flattery does not become you.'

Core was slightly startled by the power levels that he found in
his wayward companion. 'What exactly have you been up to?'

'What? This is how you greet all your little helpers on the
ground is it?'

'Damn it! Can't you give a straight answer for once?'

'Now, let's not get hasty my friend! After all, I can't
particularly say when this happy feeling begun. Could be because of
that little shop I blew up about six hours ago.'

'WHAT?!'

'Wow! A cybernetic rage! Never witnessed one of those before!'

'Don't push it or you're going to see what happens to all those
lost little files that get in my way on a bad day.'

'You burn them?'

'Do I look like I have a torch to burn them with? Oh, why am I
entertaining these little gibes of yours?'

'I don't know, maybe it's because you love me.'

'Your personality on the net is truly bashful.'

'I hope you mean I'm shy.'

'With a club I just might.'

'Now, I'm glad to see you've loosened up! Even if your humor is
still a little on the stale side...'

'Just be glad I don't have a real club with me right now!'

'Aw, no need to get nasty on me!'

'God, you're annoying!'

'You realize CORE, that using God on the net as your identity
doesn't make you the all powerful one.'

'Don't tell me you actually got a religion.'

'Nope, just making sure you're not getting uptight on me.'

'Look, Fuma, I need you to find a girl!'

'I hope it's not your ex.'

'FUMA!'

'Okay, okay! So, what's her name?'

'Mizuno Ami.'

'I hope she's cute.'

'This is not a flirting contest nor is she your type.'

'Ouch, I thought you'd stave off the topic about me being a
hologram. That was just low!'

'Not as bad as you actually hitting on her!'

'Well, physically that's impossible for me to do... Hey, what do
you know? The little cyber-geek finally found a crush. So you do have
a heart after all!'

'Shut up you machine freak!'

'I thought we were in this together buddy! I'll put in a good
word or two for you and bam! She's yours! I know, I know, no need to
thank me yet.'

'Fuma, this is not some dating game nor would I ever be able to
imagine you as a matchmaker!'

'What? Don't I have a sick mind?'

'You have way too sick of a mind.'

'Well, now I 'am' flattered!'

'Go to hell!'

'Been there, and man, that place is hot. If I still had flesh,
I'd be feeling it about now. But my sensors did tell me that it's
boiling, and the demon I smashed down into it with my cables must have
felt that way too!'

'Was it just me, or was that an attempt at bragging without
seeming like you were?'

'It's just you.'

'Well then, I'll leave you to go off on your mission now!'

'What? Don't you want to stay and chat?'

'Now who's being the desperate sucker?'

'Hey, don't look at me, I'm the one going off to find the chicks.'

'Females, you hormone induced machine!'

'If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to sound like
a pubescent boy. Probably around the age of twelve or thirteen.'

Clicked off.

'CORE? Aw man! You didn't have to take it personally!'

'Now you're trying to sound like the brainless surfer-dudes on
those California beaches.'

'Hey, does that mean I get a tan to go with that?'

'In your dreams.'

'Sorry, don't have those anymore.'

'I give up!'

'What?'

Click off.

'You're not playing that trick on me again! Core? CORE? Fine,
fine, I'm going, I'm going. So this is a goodbye then?'

'LEAVE!'

Log off.

* * *

The hot steamy drink wavered in front of her as she blew at the
dark liquid. Strange that today all of them had seemed so
uncomfortable. Michiru herself was especially worried since she found
out that Rei had gotten herself into the hospital. Of course, she also
understood the dark jealousy that sometimes flashed in Minako's eyes.
That girl was so passionately melodramatic that she couldn't ever take
anything on a normal scale. Michiru smiled softly at the idea. Yes,
Rei did need someone that put her feelings to levels beyond normality,
especially since the dark-haired shrine maiden seemed to have a
specialty in suppressing her own.

Shaking her head slightly at the silly notion she glanced out the
window at the darkening leaves. Yes, winter was fast approaching and
knowing Usagi, the world would seem to be ending around now seeing that
she would have to wait a whole year before summer vacation started.
When did that silly odango head embed herself so deeply in their lives?
Her heart skipped painfully in her chest. Yes, like Minako, she
understood the darkness of jealousy very well, but at least Minako could
write off her excuses and indulge herself. Michiru on the other hand
could only sit helplessly and watch her lover, the only one who could
ever capture her heart so completely, love another with a similar
passion. Not just anyone either, no, Haruka never liked this to be so
simple. The wind-devil had to choose the one person that Michiru could
never bring herself to hate or even dislike! Yes, Minako was
undoubtedly very lucky.

Of course, she shared a dark pain with Rei. They both knew what
it was like to have jealousy like this. Something that ate away at your
soul for you know you can never escape it. Hopelessness has a
bittersweet taste to it when it's mixed with love. It wasn't so long
ago, now that Michiru thought about it, that she and the dark-haired
girl sat down and talked. They had much in common, especially when it
came to the burdens of sensing darkness, hatred, and evil. It was hard
living your life like that. Michiru tried best to block that part of
her senses away with art, music, and beauty. Rei had none of that,
having lived most of her life with the agony of a gift she had never
wanted, the miko forced herself to learn to find it and destroy it.
Yet, once, a long time ago when she had first met Rei, the dark-haired
miko had played the piano when she had thought no one was listening.
But Michiru heard and she had listened with a sense of amazement to
realize that there was still much she did not know about the inner
senshi, who had at first all seemed very simple. 'Help the weak', that
was Rei's motto when she wasn't expressing her feelings through the
bone-white keys of the piano. Even if the weak were ungrateful and
feared Rei's powers she would help them. It was the one predictable
thing about the inners, their lack of ruthlessness.

Michiru sighed. Feeling saddened by what her sister in arms must
have suffered in her own life. Yes, Minako would never understand that
the special bond between Rei and Michiru was pain. Hidden pain. Rei
gained hers through rejection and longings. Michiru found her own in
envy and helplessness. So many ways to compare the dark side that they
would sometimes meet at coffee shops and tell stories! Michiru told Rei
the one story that she never told anyone, not even Haruka. She told Rei
the first time she felt jealous of another woman. Of course, she didn't
say exactly whom it was that she was jealous of but she had a feeling
Rei knew, or at the very least understood. The girl had a gift, not
like Usagi's infinite compassion, but she had a different gift. Usagi
understood pain by physically experiencing it through touch, but Rei
understood it through experience. The dark-haired miko had been
reluctant at first, but feeling that she needed to tell someone her
hidden pain, she at last caved in to Michiru's insistence -- something
that the aqua-haired woman had found useful on many occasions -- and
told Michiru her own tale of a bitter brush with love.

What was his name again? Kagemi Kaidou was it? A fitting name
really. Shadow sword, and Kaidou had something to do with politics, a
cutting business the man was in. Yes, a very fitting name. Rei
recalled the Rain Tree song, the same song that Michiru had overheard
her play, the same song that Michiru sometimes caught the dark-haired
girl humming to herself sometimes. It was their song after all. A
truly melancholic song that suited Rei, the quiet sadness that was
hidden under all her work and duties bloomed in this music like a cherry
blossom before the fall of winter. Michiru smiled, it was a relief to
finally find someone who understood, but Michiru was lucky. At least,
unlike Rei, she didn't see her beloved promised to marry another.
Though once or twice, in the shadows, without Haruka's knowledge, she
too had seen them kiss. That passionate kiss that once she had thought
was reserved only for her. Even if it was a tease, or perhaps Usagi and
even Haruka had written it off as a joke, Michiru knew that deep in
Haruka's heart there was confusion. So, Michiru did nothing, wishing
desperately that she could untangle the mess that they had gotten in,
but it was futile. She could only wait and see if Haruka would emerge
from it to leave her or to choose to stay with her. But Michiru knew
that, unlike many out there in the world, her Haruka would never truly
be able to give her whole heart to Michiru. So, Minako was lucky after
all, and without even knowing it.

Michiru calmly sipped her tea as she glanced out the window. How
fitting, it started to drizzle outside. She was reminded of the song,
Rain Tree. Poor Rei, she must think of him every time it rains outside.
It must break her heart! Kaidou was a fool, of course, to let someone
like Rei slip through his fingers! But who was Michiru to judge? For,
was she a fool to love Haruka? Someone who would never be able to love
her fully in return? Someone who would always ask herself, did I make
the right choice to stay with Michiru? She felt the tears burn the back
of her eyes, but she did not let them fall, it would be useless to cry
now.

"Why are you so distant Michiru? Must you return to your own
world without me?" Haruka asked softly, a small teasing smile on those
wicked lips. Drowning in her sad thoughts, Michiru had forgotten that
Haruka was sitting beside her, studying her. But she was glad that at
least Setsuna wasn't there to give her the warning stare, telling her
not to make a spectacle of herself by speaking the truth. Of course,
Setsuna never spoke of this out loud, but Michiru knew the message and
she felt bitterly inclined to speaking her mind whenever she thought
about it. She couldn't fault Setsuna for that though, for Setsuna was
Setsuna. As much as the older women loved them, she still didn't trust
them, not even Hotaru, not since she started to grow so quickly once
more. Yet, that was Setsuna. You can't ask someone that old to break a
habit just as old as herself with ease!

Startled at the question, she looked over at Haruka, her beautiful
wind-lover. Those white-blond strands of wavy blond hair, always a
little tousled. The blue of her eyes, like the clearest blue skies,
sometimes would cloud over with grey as if in a storm. And that smile,
though reserved, had a hint of wild mischievousness that concealed the
sadness its owner felt so well. Michiru remembered those smiles, that
smile that was a part of Haruka's heart. Her hands had itched to sketch
the blonde that day, and she did, without Haruka's consent of course.
But Haruka didn't know Michiru existed then, sometimes she wondered how
much Haruka knew about her now. Haruka might always be a mystery to
her, and that was what Michiru loved and hated about her tall blonde
companion. "What do you mean Haruka?" She raised one brow in
amusement.

The smile turned into an amused smirk. How many times had they
played this game? Michiru asked herself silently, a little sad that
this was how things always started and ended with them. Both could
never show themselves completely to the other. She knew what she
feared. She feared losing Haruka more than losing her soul, but what
did Haruka fear? Honestly, she didn't know for sure. Sometimes,
perhaps, because of simple vanity or desperation, she believed that
Haruka feared losing her. Yet, perhaps Haruka feared losing Usagi much
more than she would ever fear losing Michiru. Michiru couldn't fault
her for that, because she feared losing Usagi too, but perhaps, not as
much as Haruka did, never that much. No, Haruka was the center of her
world, not Usagi, only in duty was Usagi the center. As treasonous as
she knew the thought to be, she couldn't escape it. It was the truth,
and Michiru had made it a tradition to never lie to herself. "What were
you dreaming about Michiru? You seemed so lost for a moment in time."

Trust Haruka to be the poet when she felt like it. "Lost you say?
I think we're all lost." She of course was referring to the
confrontation between Minako and them, but that didn't stop it from
having another meaning that her heart wouldn't let her get away with.
Who was she kidding anyway? She was the only one lost in this game of
love and war. Yet, her enigmatic reply seemed to have irked her blonde
companion.

Haruka chuckled at her statement, though Michiru couldn't quite
pin down what she was chuckling about. There was also a spark of
contained irritation, strangely mixed with acceptance that shone in
those defiant blue eyes. "Blunt and to the point as always!" Why did
that woman have to be so contradictory? Michiru thought in
exasperation.

Yet, the comment made Michiru grimace inwardly. No, Haruka, if I
were truly blunt, you might have left me by now. And then where would I
be without you? Could there exist a Michiru without a Haruka? Then she
silently scolded herself at such a childish thought, a question that
only Usagi would ask. Of course, Usagi wouldn't think about Haruka, she
would only worry about her Mamoru. Michiru often wondered exactly how
much Usagi knew about the tangled web that wrapped around the three of
them. Then, of course, she scolded herself again for using so many
clichés in one thought process.

I'm so selfish. I only care about what may happen between Haruka
and me. If I lost her, I'd kill myself. Probably blow caution to the
wind and tell everyone who stood in my way to go to hell! Then again,
she could be wrong. Maybe she did love Usagi just as much, or at least
she loved the Earth, its beauty, and its life. Maybe she would stay and
fight. She rolled that thought around in her mind and then tried to
imagine doing it without Haruka by her side. It would be strange, maybe
even impossible. Yet, there is hope isn't there? That if Michiru could
think of this thought, than she might be able to at least go a few steps
more if Haruka died or abandoned her, or maybe not.

The daydreams of breaking free from the almost obsessive love she
had for Haruka went crashing down around her. What was she thinking of?
How could she possibly think about living without Haruka by her side?

So that was how it went, Michiru's thoughts going in circles,
trying to rationalize her tangled feelings for her princess and her
lover. While Haruka watched her silently, unable to decipher what was
going on in Michiru's head and feeling strangely depressed that Michiru
would shut her out like this. With her silence as the lock, the door
and the wall to Michiru's heart, a heart that sometimes Haruka even
found hard to reach, the blonde felt herself being pained by the barrier
slowly coming up between them. Now wouldn't Setsuna get a laugh out of
that? Haruka, knew though, that when Michiru locked herself away like
this, all she could do was watch and wait, hoping the other would open
up to her later on and confess the thoughts that troubled her aqua-
haired lover.

Staring at her cup glumly, she wondered if anyone could be as
impossible or as impossibly beautiful as Michiru was. She couldn't even
stay mad at Michiru for doing this constantly. One look at those aqua
eyes and she'd be putty in Michiru's hands. If someone told her that a
beautiful woman would be able to sweep her off her feet and make her do
all the foolish things that those sick little puppies with hearts in
their eyes would do, she'd call their bluff and them punch them for such
an insult! But, with Michiru she'd sometimes be as blind as a bat.
Melting away in those slender hands that had crafted paintings and music
alike with a talent that was frightening in its degree. And could she
help herself? She'd get ragingly jealous whenever she saw Michiru
kissing a fan on the cheek and holding their flowers, but she wouldn't
tell, especially since getting jealous at those little boys was almost
insulting to Haruka's reputation! Of course, it was Michiru's way of
getting back at her for being such an outrageous flirt. And perhaps,
for Usagi as well...

Haruka sighed softly at the thought. Of course, she didn't get to
continue for Michiru's aqua eyes immediately found hers. Now, Haruka
realized that if she ever wanted the attention of her dreamy lover, she
better sigh and sigh softly. For, though Michiru might be lost in her
own world of the crashing waves of thoughts, she still listened to
Haruka's every breath and sensed her ever-changing mood. How? Haruka
wasn't exactly sure, because she could never really pay attention to
everything at once, which usually meant she didn't pay much attention to
anything when Michiru was around. Michiru had once even commented that
she was like a raging bull, simplistic in thought and drive, single
mindedly crashing through whatever barrier might be in her way. 'You
wouldn't notice what's around you except what's before you. You go
through whatever barriers in your way and ignore the rest that's off the
path.' That's why she needed Michiru, since the other had a way about
her that made her in tune to all that was going on around the aqua-
haired beauty. Always knows what I'm up to does she? Then a moment of
panic set in as she wondered if Michiru ever caught her kissing Usagi.
No, no, of course not. Michiru doesn't follow you around like the sick
little puppy you are! Haruka sighed silently this time in relief, but
Michiru's eyes were still locked onto her. "Daijoubu?" Such a simple
word can bring so many not so simple answers!

Yet, Haruka, not wanting to complicate things more answered in the
simplest way. "Hai." Of course, this answer could lead to many more
questions, but sensing her reluctance, Michiru didn't push. Sometimes,
Haruka just loved Michiru for allowing her to have her space! Most
girls would cling and the few guys she had spent time with when she
raced were controlling bastards. So, who was she to complain about
Michiru keeping her own distance? Haruka had her own walls up sometimes
and clammed up just as much. She was just glad that silence between
them wasn't always uncomfortable, like it was now...

The door of the cafe chimed and Setsuna walked into the place.
The bell chimed again as Hotaru followed closely behind. Never had
Haruka been so glad to see them! "Komban wa!" She said cheerfully as
she gestured to the chairs before her, trying hard to ignore the pensive
look that Michiru was giving to the back of her head.

"Komban wa," Setsuna answered with less enthusiasm in her voice.

Haruka almost grimaced at how obvious her relief was. Not that
she didn't enjoy Michiru's company, hell, she'd die without her aqua-
haired companion -- which she can be sure of from real life experiences
-- but sometimes Setsuna and Hotaru would save her from saying something
really stupid. Like, 'Yeah, Usa-chan's cute.' or 'I'd die for that
odango head.' Things like that which Haruka means, but not in the way
that Michiru might mistake it for. Once in awhile, that piercing gaze
would turn to her and Haruka could feel herself ready to spill her guts
out on anything that Michiru asked. That was why it was one lucky save
from Setsuna's part to show up at exactly the right time. What a bad
pun that was! Setsuna would have her head on a platter if she ever said
one of 'those' out loud! Come to think of it, Haruka had always thought
that Setsuna had a talent for walking in at the right time. Of course,
she refrained from saying that out loud as well. She was getting really
bad with puns.

"Hey Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama!" Hotaru greeted them happily as
she planted a kiss on Haruka's cheek and then waved at Michiru as the
other was out of reach for the moment.

"Komban wa Hotaru-chan." Michiru answered, her gaze shifting to
their young adoptive daughter with a warmth that came from whatever
maternal instinct Michiru just had a talent for having, just like every
other wondrous talent that Michiru had! Haruka felt ashamed that she
was glad for the distraction that Hotaru created, but at least she
wasn't going to pretend that she wasn't just a little bit relieved to no
longer have the threat of spilling out all of her little secrets to
Michiru at the worst time possible. In the middle of a crisis, "Hey
hime-chan, do you want some ice-cream?"

Hotaru cheered joyfully. Sometimes that girl reminded Haruka too
much of their little golden princess, but it shouldn't have been a
surprise as both are Messiahs of the world, just a little bit on the
opposite side. So it didn't surprise Haruka much that Hotaru ordered
vanilla instead of chocolate, Usagi's favorite. Of course, who was
Haruka to say what Usagi liked best? That girl could eat anything with
an enthusiasm that should frighten an average human being. To say the
least, odango's stomach seemed almost bottomless! Pity Mamoru who has
to buy all the food for that stomach! Haruka chuckled softly at the
thought as they headed for the counter. "What are you laughing about
Haruka-papa?" Hotaru asked innocently.

Sometimes, Haruka forgets how observant that girl is! Especially
now she was reaching the age of adolescence. An age that Haruka wasn't
particularly looking forward too, especially since she now had to glare
at a lot of teenage boys to get some points across. "Just a thought
hime-chan, nothing more."

Obviously unsatisfied, Hotaru opened her mouth to protest and
demand a proper answer. That never came because in a moment an
explosion roared to life a block down. Haruka swore as she felt the
aura of darkness and not just that, the powers of the senshi burned in
her blood, calling her to battle. "Hotaru, stay here. You know the
drill." Haruka warned her young daughter as she raced for the door,
apparently Michiru and Setsuna got to it before her and she ended up
being last in line when she finally reached the building. Hotaru looked
after them, violet eyes narrowing slightly in displeasure before she
slowly started to follow after the hurried blonde.

* * *

Being a racer, Haruka didn't appreciate the lack of punctuality on
her part. 'Starting to be like Usagi!' The thought almost sent her
chuckling again, but didn't quite achieve it this time. The effect was
interrupted as she had now reached the zone where people were panicking
and screaming their heads off while running around like headless
chickens not really getting away from the danger but sure enough,
getting in her way! Ducking into an alley she quickly transformed into
Sailor Uranus, which was a plus for her, now that she can leap over tall
building and headless chickens' heads. What can she say? You have to
add humor to the job or you'll never survive. Granted, it was a little
on the sick side to compare would-be victims to headless chickens, but
hey, she was a sick person with an even sicker mind. No way was she
changing her humor to be politically correct and actually call the
panicking crowd, well, a panicking crowd! What's the fun in that?
Anyway, they should be grateful, she's putting her life and the lives of
those she loves on the line for these aimlessly stupid "would-be
victims" after all!

Skip. Skip. Over. Jump. Watch the shoes. Ah, a clear space to
land. Sailor Neptune saw her coming and gave her an amused glance when
she found Uranus lightly pouncing on some of the people in the panic-
stricken crowd, whoever happened to be in her way, of course! Another
explosion went off behind the aqua-haired senshi, but she didn't even
blink an eyelash at the force of it. "Ready?" She asked when Uranus
finally reached her.

"Hai," Uranus saluted with a cocky grin and a wicked wink before
they headed off toward the building. "Where's Pluto?" Uranus asked as
they begun to see the battle scene before them a little better.

"She went ahead, it wouldn't be the same if we showed up in battle
without each other. Anyway, she's waiting for us but wanted to be there
if things got out of hand before we could reach her." Neptune
explained, not even winded by the run through the emptier mall. Of
course, there were also headless chickens who stopped moving at the
first sight of terror.

"So, we're not starting with speeches today, huh?" Uranus asked
flashing another wicked grin.

"Afraid not love." Neptune winked back as they finally reached
the battle scene. How typical? The idiot youma chose the food court!
"But, I'm sure we can squeeze it in somewhere along the line. As soon
as we save them."

She grinned at the comment before she saw something in the
shadows. "Glad to see you made it!" Uranus waved as she saw Sailor
Senshi Pluto standing but a few feet from them, watching the events
unfold.

"Glad to be of service!" Pluto replied evenly and with a slight
smile of her own.

Ah, battles... How she had missed them!

"I see our cue!" Neptune interrupted wisely as they saw Super
Sailor Moon fall down flat on her butt with a squeal before Tuxedo-Kamen
swept her out of danger, while the Inners looked as if they had taken a
beating. The cats were huddled near one overthrown table as they
watched battle worriedly. Seeing the numbers that the others were now
facing, it was no surprise this time why they were having a few
technical difficulties here and there. Not that the enemies were hard
to kill, just that they were swarming the place! More and more showed
up out of the shadows even as the senshi battled!

Perfect timing as always! How she loved seeing that relieved look
on their faces when they came to the rescue, especially the slight shine
in Sailor Moon's eyes. Or was she just being delusional? Probably the
latter, "World Shaking!" The powerful energy ball killed at least a
dozen youma warriors that were ready to pounce on the unsuspecting
Inners.

Oh yeah, she loved the taste of battle! The silky pink petals
drifted as Uranus shouted out for their attention the usual way,
directing the attention away from the weakened position of their
princess and her guards, giving them a little time to recover their
breaths. "I am the soldier of the sky, and I carry the protection of
the planet of the wind," Uranus posed, her space sword hefted on her
shoulder. "Guardian of the Sky, I am Sailor Uranus."

"I am the soldier of the deep waters, and I carry the protection
of the planet of the sea, Neptune," Neptune posed beside her, with the
grace of a dancer while holding her aqua mirror. Who'd have thought
that she could pack one hell of a punch and enough power to destroy
anything that dares to stand in her way? "Guardian of the Sea, I am
Sailor Neptune."

"I, Keeper of the Gates of Time, carry the protection of the
planet of time, Pluto. I shall not allow you to disrupt what shall be
in the distant future!" Pluto twirled her staff gracefully as she did
so. "Guardian of Time, I am Sailor Senshi Pluto."

"We are the Outer Senshi!" They declared.

Somebody muttered "show-offs", could it have been Venus? Uranus
couldn't be sure so she said nothing, except maybe hurtle another power
blast at the nearest youma near Super Sailor Moon and Tuxedo-Kamen. A
dark shadow suddenly appeared next to Jupiter and she opened her mouth
to cry out a warning. "Jupiter!"

Neptune was already in action, "Deep Submerge!" The shadow was
whisked away and so did a few dozen that were behind it. Of course, the
explosion of power rocked Jupiter from her feet and sent her crashing
down to the floor. Well, better that than being slashed by youma claws
any day, Uranus thought sympathetically before turning her attention to
her own battles.

"Dead Scream!" Clean cut as it was, that blow can kill more than
a dozen if you aim right and Setsuna is a whiz at using her staff by
now. Granted there are a few cobwebs in her store of knowledge and
wisdom, but when it comes to the Time Staff, you really don't want to be
the one on the receiving end of the blow!

Of course, the Inners weren't lazy now that the Outers were here.
In fact, they seemed to work even harder! Mars had already destroyed
more than enough with her burning mandela attack, not that she didn't
favor her bow and arrow, but that wasn't that effective with mass
destruction, and who's dumb enough to use such a powerful attack when
you can save your energy and kill off your enemies with the simple ones?
Jupiter had already gotten to her feet, apparently a girl that has the
heart that Uranus could relate to any day, the tall brunette was already
punching holes through youma with an anger that should be terrifying if
the youma were actually bright enough to know what that word meant. It
was almost artful, the little piles of ashes that Jupiter was leaving in
her wake.

Mercury had her whole strategy on computer of course, and was
crushing her opponents with a glee that was almost insane, well, perhaps
that was just Uranus's way of seeing the blue-haired senshi's precise
hits. Sailor Moon and her Tux-boy were swirling and twirling that
diskette and those roses away -- sometimes the Tux-boy got creative and
threw a few bolts of power too! Where did that boy find all those
flowers was beyond Uranus, though, but man, those two made a damn good
team! Not as good as she and Neptune, of course, since Neptune never
had a klutz attack during a battle nor did she run from the enemy and
cower in Uranus' arms, but with Sailor Moon's limited coordination and
Tux-boy's limited powers, they were doing pretty swell.

What startled Uranus, during her many duets in battle with her
wonderful partner Neptune -- slaughtering the youma en masse (the damn
bastards just don't know when to stay dead!) -- was that it was Venus
who seemed to have a thing to prove in battle with them. It really
shouldn't have been much of a surprise, as it was with Venus they had
the face off in the hospital and the girl 'was' leader, though Uranus
was reluctant to admit the latter. But the anger in those blue eyes and
the sudden swiftness of movement were startling to see. The girl was
everywhere and didn't seem to tire in the least. From that expression
though, Uranus knew, that this was senshi with something to establish.
That unsettled her greatly, for it was that expression that would get
the blonde in the kind of trouble that was way over her head to deal
with!

At least Pluto knew her limits and wasn't rushing to the middle of
the battle! "What is that baka up to?" She growled when she saw
exactly where Venus was headed.

The center of darkness was where the youma gathered and merged
into a dark giant. Fists big enough to crush one of them without much
effort, and eyes that burned with eerie redness, shining brightly out of
its darkened sockets as it rose and fell with each clumsy movement. But
behind those movements was a force that could break every bone in their
bodies if it caught them and had it not been so slow or so stupid they'd
all be bloody pulp by now!

"Where she doesn't belong, not alone anyway." Neptune answered
promptly as they headed in the similar direction. "They're goading
her!" The aqua-haired senshi suddenly realized abruptly, a mixture of
surprise and fear shining in her eyes.

Seemingly, Mars realized the same thing as the dark-haired senshi
immediately began to run toward her golden friend. "This isn't good!"
Uranus glowered.

"We're too far away!" Uranus immediately understood her lover's
desperation. They would never reach those two in time and already the
youma were beginning to mass against a desperate Mars. She looked over
and saw the glint in Neptune's eyes. She knew what the other was
thinking and nodded in agreement.

"Deep Submerge!" The force of her attack destroyed more than a
dozen youma and made a very cleared way for Mars, but only temporarily.
The girl, of course, was not stupid enough to miss the chance and raced
to be next to Venus. Now the score was beginning to look even between
the clumsy giant and the agile but petite Venus and Mars.

Uranus no longer bothered to say her attacks. Instead, she just
unsheathed her sword and started arcs of energy attacks at the oncoming
army of youma. "They seem almost endless!"

Of course Mercury disagreed, "No, not endless! Attack the middle
where Mars and Venus are min'na! The powers are gathered there!
They're strongest and weakest there!"

Pluto immediately eliminated those closest to her and aimed an
attack just above the heads of Venus and Mars. No wonder those bastards
where so intent on luring Venus to the center! They can defeat her
there! Perhaps Uranus was wrong about Mars being all the backup Venus
needed. Especially since it was Mars who just got out of the hospital!

"Supreme Thunder!" The lightening arced across the ways and
struck the center dead on. It was the same time Pluto had released her
energy ball and Neptune was already sending her powers there. Venus and
Mars had combined their attacks and shot off at close range and Sailor
Moon and Tux-boy had their share in the taking. Mercury aimed and
unleashed the ice.

The demon squealed. Yes, it squealed! So expected of something
with such weak minions. What a way to go, especially for a last word in
the end of a pathetic and horrid life. Yeah, same old same old... The
monster expanded and rose. Its face twisted in menacing laughter,
horrifying to witness. Its clumsy hands turned into claws of sharp
black talons and its glowing eyes seemed to crystallize.

Uranus realized than that their victory had been too easy and this
new turn of events had taken them all off guard. There it was again! A
spark. That was when Mars fell over and Venus nearly followed with a
shocked expression on her face, however, the determined adrenaline that
had kept her up earlier kept her standing now. The energy arc that
struck down Mars and weakened Venus considerable went unnoticed by all.
Uranus wasn't paying attention to that right now, nor was Neptune
because her mirror was out and the aqua senshi was already coming up
with a plan that they could trust.

"What's going on?" Sailor Moon demanded as the demon reared its
ugly head in the direction of her voice.

"It's time for beheading." Uranus nodded as she stood next to
Neptune.

Mercury was frantically typing away at her computer, unsure what
was going wrong! "Submarine Reflection!" The Mirror sparkled and sent
out the powers of light, as Neptune got tired of waiting.

The calculation was off by a mere two inches! Uranus aimed
without waiting for command and hit the spot, but then time suddenly
seemed to stop as a spasm of pain rocketed through her body. She heard
a scream next to her. Could it be Neptune? But she wasn't sure if the
scream was from fear or from pain. When I wake up, I'm going to kick
the bastard who did this to me! She vowed as she slowly lost
consciousness. The last thing she heard was a gasp of dismay from the
direction of the Princess.

"Jupiter!"

Then the power came, "Dead Scream!"

And there was only silence...

Lucky for Uranus, Neptune took the brunt of the attack. She
missed the monstrous form of the youma disintegrating into ashes because
of her space sword blast. She also missed the terrified scream that
Sailor Moon gave as a powerful blow from Pluto slammed Jupiter down to
the other side of the cafeteria area. Uranus would've been glad to do
the deed if she had been awake, though the state of her shock at the
betrayal might have prevented her from doing more than a few flesh
wounds. Of course, Pluto had no qualms about harming those who endanger
the future. All the Time Guardian cared about was loyalty or betrayal,
at least, that's what Uranus had always assumed.

Jupiter stood, much to the surprised dismay of others, and without
Mars being up to give off an anti-evil scroll, Sailor Moon did the only
thing she could. She aimed her tiara and trapped Jupiter in its binding
grip. Jupiter struggled, that deadly light returning to her eyes as the
tall brunette seemed unaffected by the burning pain of the power of the
tiara that banded her. Unfortunately for them all, Hiketsu was missing
from the scene so couldn't exactly restore Jupiter to an unconscious
state without harming her. Of course, their luck hadn't run out yet,
since Venus was still standing. And Venus did the only thing she could,
she 'borrowed' Mars' anti-evil scroll for the second time since she met
the dark-haired priestess. The power sent Jupiter flying once more down
the halls of the mall, coming to a stop only after she slammed into the
tiles of a great arch and the steel structure beneath the tiles dented
deeply by the force, shivered. The demon rose from the now unconscious
body of Jupiter, trying desperately to get back to its host that the
scroll now protected.

Pluto didn't even blink an eye as she slammed another dead scream
into the dark shadows just as Mercury let loose her own powers of
destruction, it's almost frightening how those two think so alike!
Combined with Mercury's Shining Aqua Rhapsody, the deadly attack of
Pluto, the powers struck its target with a force that would've made the
toughest Senshi cringe, if she was the bad guy of course. No, Uranus
wouldn't have liked to miss out on the fun, but she did.

Yet, because of this chain of unfortunate events, it just happened
that that was the time when Uranus did wake up, since it was Neptune who
-- being Neptune -- blocked most of the attack willingly for Uranus. "I
knew you Inners couldn't be trusted!" Uranus muttered just loud enough
for all of them to hear her silent fury when she reoriented herself and
realized exactly what had happened. Her perception of things was slowly
clearing and her anger, cold and clear, sparked as she realized who was
the betrayer. The sight of the still unconscious Neptune, with her left
side burned from the earlier attack, only fueled Uranus's rage as she
staggered next to her lover.

"What are you saying?" Tuxedo-Kamen gasped at last, the first to
snap from the shock of the accusations laid before them.

"You could've warned us that Jupiter was possessed!" Uranus
answered heatedly. "It would've saved us all time and energy if she was
not here to fight. You have endangered everyone's lives by putting her
here!" Uranus swept her arms around to show the demage, as if to make a
point that was already obvious. "Especially the princess's!" They
gasped at this.

"We could not have stopped her from entering battle because she is
one of us!" Venus struggled to lift herself up from the ground where
she had fallen beside Mars.

"She is not one of us," Uranus yelled. "She is a demon! She has
tried to attack all of us in secret!"

Venus raged at this, "She is not a demon!" Her voice echoed.

"She was a traitor and you kept it secret! What did you expect,
that she would suddenly turn to the light and not tried to slit our
throats?" Uranus felt her strength return with each word spoken and
knew the truth that was within them. "What of the princess's safety?"
Uranus raged but her question silenced them all. "Have you not even
considered that she is a danger to our princess?" She asked
incredulously at their guilty expressions.

"Gomen ne, but there wasn't time when you arrived." Luna sighed
as the dark cat leapt onto a table still standing, trying to console the
situation. It took much of her courage to break the silence that fell
over them all.

"It was not something we foresaw as a problem." Artemis added
weakly beside his partner. The research for a cure to the madness of
the planet, to the shadow falling over Tokyo was taking a toll on the
advisors, it was taking a toll on them all. It made them careless, but
none of them were willing to admit it, yet.

"Then you have failed your duty as a guardian to watch those you
guard." Uranus knelt shakily and gathered the motionless body of
Neptune into her arms. Luna was rigid from those words as Artemis
shrunk back into the shadows in dismay, green eyes dark with emotions as
he turned away and looked to the shadows. "You have the blood shed here
in your own hands," she condemned them all. She would not meet the wide
eyed stare of Super Sailor Moon, or the glare of Sailor Venus, not even
the surprise in Mercury's eyes as she tried to stiffle her gasp. "Any
innocent could've died, they could've triumphed over us! All because of
your stupid sense of loyalty. You have here, by luck, triumphed once.
Don't expect it to happen again without payment for such carelessness!
I just hope you guys grow up sometime soon to see that the world isn't
all light and joy."

The shame seemed to set a deeper hush over the others as the
tension mounted, "We must go," Pluto broke in at last.

"So, this is the end?" Sailor Moon asked shakily as her hand
grasped her broach. "Haruka-san, onegai! Forgive us! We meant no
harm!"

"You, hime-chan, never mean anyone any harm." Uranus said as she
stumbled on shaky legs with Neptune in her arms before taking surer
steps away. "But that in itself is dangerous, and that in itself has
never changed anything!" The tears spelt from those crystal eyes at
these words that were spoken the softest but hurt her the most.

"Sumimasen," the odangle princess whispered. "...sumimasen..."

Pluto sighed as she looked at the back of her companion and once
again turned them to the silent group before her, "One day, Serenity,"
the dark-haired guardian said as she leaned against her staff. "You
will understand that innocence can sometimes hurt more people than evil
has ever tried to do. It is a most ignorant sword that sheds the most
blood in the name of good." Then, Pluto looked to the hidden shadows
and walked over to the little girl standing there, eyes cold as ice.
"Come, Hotaru-chan, you should not have witnessed this today."

The darkness left those eyes as Hotaru looked up to the senshi
before her, "Iie," she said. "This is the last time I will ever see
them like this again." Pluto looked puzzedly down at the girl but
already the raven-haired child turned and the woman followed in silent
contemplation.

"Sumimasen!" Super Sailor Moon struggled out of Tuxedo-Kamen's
embrace and raced after them. "Gomen ne! I'm sorry! Sumimasen...
forgive me, sumimasen..." she trailed off as she fell behind and landed
on her knees, pounding the floor beneath her in her helplessness.
Already the Outers has disappeared, as if ghosts of a distant past, but
the memories of their words lingered in her mind.

'The betrayer is here.' Sailor Moon grimaced at another memory
that suddenly surfaced. Tuxedo-Kamen reached her and then, silently
wrapped his cloak about her, tightening his arms around her as her
laboured breathing turned into a sob. She could not drive the words
away!

"Daijoubu-yo?" He asked but she did not hear him as she struggled
within with her own dark thoughts. Was this what Rei had meant by the
betrayer? The question went round and round in her mind.

The odango-blonde leader shuddered at the doubts, finally
succeeding in pushing them away for but a moment. She'd think about it
later, she reasoned, when she no longer felt the pain of loss. The
knowledge that the Outers had broken the alliance and had left her
willingly again, occupied her heart like a shadow over the day that
turned too suddenly into night.

Yet, doubt lay beneath the pain and loss, waiting. It was waiting
for the day it will resurface again. The day when the questions will
not be laid to rest until it was answered. The day of truth that was
approaching slowly towards them all.


Somewhere in the heart of Tokyo, a shadow stirred...



.blue.
blueweber@hotmail.com


A tribute to...
A. L. a Campo (my editor)
His Lordship Chaos,
Ken Wolfe, &
Angus MacSpon.

And everyone who had helped & encouraged
me during my trials and my errors ^-^;;

Thank you for every dream and every
inspiration...

Thank you for everything.


.blue.
blueweber@hotmail.com