RESSURRECTION
Chapter 8: "Who Shall Lead"
By Bill K.
Endymion entered the senshi central headquarters after a hard afternoon's work. He had been out all day, using his knowledge as a doctor and his power as the Prince of Earth to help treat the disease that inevitably sprang up on the heels of disaster and to locate, extricate and bury the mounting toll of dead. It was distasteful work, but it had to be done and he knew Serenity was far too delicate and easily upset to attempt it. That was their partnership: She reached for the stars and he sweated the details. If that was how it was to be from now on, he was willing so long as she continued to grace him with her smile.
It was his first time inside the building after Serenity had reshaped the rubble into living quarters for everyone. What he saw amused him. Makoto was already decorating the drab gray-white walls with whatever she could scrounge or salvage. She spotted Endymion looking at her and blushed.
"Well," she alibied, "I had to stay busy."
"Everyone does what they can," Endymion replied. Just then Akiko ran in with an arm full of cloth.
"How's this, Mom?" the girl asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.
"That's nice," smiled Makoto. "Where'd you find it?"
"It was in the back. There's a whole bunch of cloth in the back." She turned to Endymion. "Hi, Uncle Mamo-chan."
"Honey, you call him 'Endymion' now," corrected Makoto.
"Why?"
"Because that's his name now."
"Why'd you change your name, Uncle Mamo-chan?"
Endymion smiled. "It's who I am now. It's like before, I was Tuxedo Mask. Now I'm Endymion. But if you still want to call me Uncle Mamo-chan, that's fine."
"OK," shrugged Akiko. "Where's Auntie Usagi?"
"Why?" smirked Makoto. "You looking for another candy handout?"
"No!" Akiko replied dramatically. "I want to see her do some more magic."
"She just rebuilt the entire building! What more do you want?"
"Well, I saw this guy once. He had two rings that were connected, and then they weren't connected anymore! I want to see if she can do THAT!"
"Honey, don't be a bother to your aunt. And I told you, her name is Serenity now."
"She said I could call her that!" Akiko replied indignantly. Makoto rolled her eyes.
Wondering where she was himself, Endymion closed his eyes and probed out with his mind. Her silvery trail at once appeared and he walked off to follow it. He found her in one of the back rooms of the structure. She had fashioned a drawing table, perhaps out of nothing more than wishing hard, and was bent over it. Since becoming Endymion, the young man found his knowledge and perception seemed to increase exponentially from before. But this still surprised him.
"Serenity," he asked, "what are you doing?"
She looked up at him and her eyes lit up. "I'm so glad you're back. I'm working on the next issue of 'Fire Princess Rika'."
Endymion continued to look confused.
"It's to cheer everyone up," Serenity continued. "Everyone's so depressed and shell-shocked, and it's not surprising why with everything that's happened. And I want to do something to cheer everyone up, to get their minds off of their troubles for a little while." Serenity looked away, slightly guilty. "And, well, I - - did it for me, too. You know how drawing lets me relax. It's been such a roller coaster ever since the Frost Giants showed up. I needed a little bit of normal back in my life. And if I can make other people happy in the bargain, so much the better."
Endymion crossed over to his wife and kissed the top of her head.
"Draw away," he said, his hand on her shoulder. "I'll make sure no one disturbs you."
Just then Akiko popped in the room.
"Liar," grinned Serenity.
"Auntie Usagi," she said. "There's somebody here to see you."
"Oh?" Serenity said, rising from her drawing table. "Who is it?"
Akiko shrugged. "I think she said she was from the government." The little girl noticed the page on the drawing table. "Oh, Fire Princess Rika!" She scampered over. "You're drawing another Rika story?" Serenity smiled and nodded. "Can I watch?"
"Sure, Akiko-chan," Serenity replied. "But only when your Mom doesn't need you."
"OK," scowled Akiko.
"Oh, don't frown," Serenity chuckled. She made a fist and turned it palm down, then turned it over and opened her hand, revealing a piece of candy. Akiko's face lit up and she snatched it. Serenity patted Akiko's head and accompanied Endymion to the other room.
"Dietwoman Togashi!" Serenity marveled, her face lighting up at the sight of the visitor.
"Oh, come on now! I've told you to call me Momoko!" fussed the young woman, her violet eyes flashing with mock annoyance. "You don't have to be so formal, Usagi!"
Momoko Togashi had come a long way since the days she scampered around with Chibi-Usa as pre-teens. The woman was thirty-two now, a former practicing attorney and was just beginning her second term as a representative to the Diet when the Frost Giants struck. She was also a compelling beauty, with a long, graceful body and long, elegant black hair flowing down and framing her placidly beautiful face. Momoko possessed the tranquil femininity that Japanese males had celebrated in art and fantasy since the dawn of their civilization. Many also noticed that Momoko moved through life like a stream, quiet and graceful. It was only when someone crossed her that they discovered the delicate flower had tiger's claws. Juggling a two-year-old son, a marriage to a successful stock trader and a promising career in the Diet had given Momoko some small fame. Her looks didn't hurt, but there was more to her than looks. Japan was just beginning to notice before the disaster came. Her old friends had watched from afar with silent approval.
"Um, it is still OK to call you Usagi, right?" Momoko asked, fearful of having offended. If you looked hard enough, bits and pieced of the young hellion that had befriended Chibi-Usa could still be seen.
"Actually, I'd prefer it," Serenity grinned, gathering the woman in her arms and hugging her. "Nobody else will let me get away with it, though. I'm so glad you made it through the attack all right." Serenity darkened. "Everything is all right, isn't it? Is your family . . .?"
"Yes, Nozumo and little Masashi are fine, thank the gods," Momoko smiled. Then her smile dimmed. "But everything's not all right." Momoko paused like she was keeping the secret of the ages and debating whether to divulge it. Sensing trouble, Ami and Rei moved in closer. That only served to make Momoko more uncomfortable.
"What is it, Momoko?" Serenity asked, touching the woman on the arm. Momoko seemed to calm some with her touch. "Please don't be afraid to tell me. After everything I've been through, there's not much you could say that could upset me."
"It's not that simple, Usagi," Momoko replied. "I got into government to clean it up - - to make it responsive to the people again. It's been a tough fight. Sometimes I wonder if I can actually do anything - - and that was before all this happened. But I know I can't affect anything if I'm on the outside."
"This could affect your career in the Diet?" Endymion asked. Momoko nodded. "How?"
"If I tell you - - warn you about what's going on - - it could be perceived as a betrayal of trust by some powerful people."
Instantly everyone sensed Rei's tension shoot up. Looking at her, they could see she'd been studying Momoko the entire time.
"Such as the Secretary General of the Diet?" Rei asked. Momoko didn't respond because she didn't have to. Rei's mouth curled into a snarl. "What's my father done now?"
"Rei, please," whispered Serenity.
"Don't 'Rei, please' me!" snapped Rei. "None of you people know him like I do!"
Serenity reached out a hand to touch Rei's shoulders. At the last moment, Rei flinched back and glared at Serenity.
"What are you trying to do to me!" the priestess fumed.
"I'm trying to calm you down," Serenity explained patiently. "Your feelings about your father always affect your judgment. And Momoko's in a very delicate, very trying situation. We don't need you going off about your father. We need to focus on helping her."
Rei stared into Serenity's eyes. She'd felt the subtle mental energy that Serenity had radiated - - calming, soothing energy that for a moment caressed Rei's thoughts and tried to seduce them into a placid state. At the time, she thought Serenity had done it on purpose. Now she wondered if the woman even realized she'd done it. And even if she had, there had been no malicious intent behind it - - not with Usagi. Rei's shoulders relaxed some.
"All right," Rei replied, giving a silent warning to Serenity not to do that again, a warning she wasn't sure Serenity picked up on. "I'm sorry I interrupted."
"It's all right," Momoko said. "And you're right, it is Secretary General Hino."
"What does he plan?" Ami ventured cautiously.
Momoko searched her feelings, wrestling with the consequences of telling what she knew. After a long time, she looked up at Serenity. Serenity waited patiently, her expression communicating that no matter what Momoko decided it wouldn't affect their relationship. That convinced her.
"The Secretary General," Momoko began, "has been meeting with surviving key members of the Diet and the Defense Ministry. They're working to reassemble the police force and civil defense forces under his command. Their stated purpose is to reestablish order in Tokyo and coordinate rescue and rebuilding efforts."
"Yes, he was saying much the same thing to us when he was here earlier," Ami said.
"It seems praiseworthy enough," Serenity added.
"That would probably engender a period of martial law in the country," Endymion judged. "Are you concerned he won't relinquish it once the state of emergency is over?"
"No," Momoko shook her head. "The thought did cross my mind, but I know the Secretary General and for all of his faults, he is a believer in the institution of democracy. That's not what has me concerned."
"Then what?" asked Ami.
Momoko dropped her head. "I found out he also plans to put a garrison here - - to make sure none of you 'interfere' with government efforts."
"I don't want to interfere," Serenity gasped. "I'm just trying to help people."
"He knows that," Rei told her. "That's not the problem, Serenity. You're getting too popular. He feels threatened. He doesn't want to lose the power he's taken so long to achieve. I read that in him when he was here earlier. He may believe in the institution of democracy, but he also believes that he's the best steward for that institution and he'll go to just about any length to protect that position. I know him well enough to know that."
"So he's going to sit on us while he takes over the relief efforts," Endymion told Serenity. "He's making sure he gets identified as the savior of Japan and not you. That way he retains the power the people granted him."
"I don't care about any of that!" wailed Serenity. "I just want to help people! I don't want to rule anybody! Let him be Secretary General! I don't care!"
"A lot of the people seem to," Momoko told her. "Have you looked outside lately?"
Turning first to Endymion and then to Ami and Rei in confusion, Serenity finally ventured for the door. She knew dozens of people had gathered there since they'd been thawed, though she couldn't understand why. Had something happened that she wasn't aware of?
Her skirt flowing in a way that made it seem she was gliding, Serenity crossed to the door and opened it. She ventured out onto the porch and looked out. Her hand went to her throat. Thousands of people were gathered around the nondescript little domicile, waiting. It was like the crowds at one of Minako's concerts. A ripple of surprise and wonder passed through the crowd when they caught sight of her.
Then a noise swelled from the gathered. It was applause, cheers, gratitude and praises. It was a cacophony of appreciation that rose like a wave and engulfed Serenity while she stood helpless before them, unable to muster any sort of response. She just stood there, surrounded by their adoration, wondering why they had singled her out. She felt Endymion next to her and turned to him.
"Why are they cheering me?" she asked. "I didn't do that much."
"You saved their lives. They're grateful," Endymion told her, amused by her confusion.
"I didn't do anything anyone else wouldn't do if they could!"
"Once a goof, always a goof," sighed Rei. "Not everyone would have done what you did. But you did and they love you for it. Now say 'thank you', dimwit!"
Serenity turned back to the crowd.
"Thank you," she told them, her high voice barely carrying over the crowd. It hushed, the gathered hanging on her every word. "You really didn't need to do this. I only did what anyone would have done. I do appreciate it, though. But there's so much more that needs to be done - - so many more people who need help. And there are still those of us who didn't make it who need a proper service and a decent burial. Please don't waste anymore of your valuable time praising me. Please go and help someone else as I helped you. You'll make me so happy - - and you'll make yourselves even happier."
If Serenity had intended that to disperse the crowd, it had the opposite effect. A cheer rose from the crowd, along with applause. Someone screamed out "Sailor Moon for Emperor" and the cry began to repeat and combine until it became a chant. Serenity grimaced, embarrassed and uncomfortable in the spotlight.
But someone else watching was even more uncomfortable with the display than Serenity was.
"ATTENTION!" bellowed a voice over a police bullhorn. "THIS IS TOKYO CIVIL DEFENSE! UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE ARTICLES OF MARTIAL LAW YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO DISPERSE! THIS AREA MUST REMAIN CLEAR FOR EMERGENCY AND CIVIL DEFENSE RELIEF VEHICLES! ALL CITIZENS ARE INSTRUCTED TO DISPERSE AND RETURN TO YOUR HOMES OR BUSINESSES!"
Instantly boos and jeers swelled up from the crowd. Angry gestures and accusations greeted the line of police and civil defense guards dressed in black jumpsuits and riot helmets and carrying clear teflon shields. The mob began to chant "Let Her Be".
"YOU ARE ORDERED TO DISPERSE!" the commander said through the bullhorn. He stood atop a Humvee that was still in working order and he seemed in no mood to tolerate disobedience. "THIS AREA MUST BE CLEARED AT ONCE! WE WILL NOT WARN YOU AGAIN!"
As Serenity watched in horror, the crowd chanted louder and more angrily. It began to pulse with energy, threatening to surge forward at any time. Men and women snarled at the police, openly challenging them for their temerity. Others in the crowd were being buffeted about or swept into the budding conflict as the mass began to surge closer to the police line.
And then, as always seems to happen, a rock flew from the crowd. It struck the shield of one of the officers. Instantly the police were ordered forward. The line advanced on the angry crowd and it acted as a match touched to the fuse of the mass.
"Stop, everyone!" Endymion yelled to the crowd. "This isn't the way!" But the slap of boot on pavement and the angry denouncement of an angry mob drowned out his words.
"They're going to get massacred," gasped Rei. Instantly she transformed to Sailor Mars. "Mars!" she shouted, her hand snapping to her side. "Flame . . .!" A hand, Serenity's hand, folded over her forearm and stopped her from forming her flaming bow. Mars glared at Serenity. "What are you doing?"
"This isn't the way," Serenity told her.
"Those people were cheering you just a few minutes ago!" Mars fumed. "Are you just going to stand by and let them get slaughtered?"
Serenity looked at Mars with an expression of disappointment, perhaps at Mars' lack of faith. Then she closed her eyes and a calm overtook her.
"PLEASE STOP!"
Everyone heard it in their minds, from Ami, Endymion and Mars to the police and the crowd, to everyone around Tokyo and beyond the city limits. It was a sharp, insistent voice, but a non-threatening one. As one everybody from police to protester to senshi looked to her. Out of the corner of her eye, Ami spotted Princess Kakyuu and Sailor Star Fighter watching on the periphery. The others all saw Serenity, upset and embarrassed, trying to summon the courage to say more.
"Please don't fight," she begged. "Not over this. The police are right. I appreciate all of your love and praise, I do. But everyone needs to go home now. You have lives to rebuild. And there are friends and neighbors who still need help, help that only you can give them. Yes, and even perfect strangers, for in helping them you may discover a friend you never knew before. That's what's important now."
"Lead us!" pleaded a voice from the crowd, a voice that gathered several dozen ascents.
"You don't need me to lead you. You already have a government, a government you put in place, a government that's trying to help at this moment. You don't need me to lead and I don't really want to lead. I just want to help people and I want you to help people, even if it's only one other person. Now please, go live your lives. Please don't waste time and energy with fighting. We can't afford it now, none of us. We have to stick together. Please?"
Star Fighter stared, stunned, as the crowd's anger drained away. She turned to Kakyuu, but the woman only nodded passively. Hypnotized by Serenity's blue eyes and her plaintive voice and by the aura she seemed to blanket the crowd with, the group began to disperse. The tense situation evaporated. Though there was some obvious disappointment in the crowd, they slowly made their way back to familiar territory to begin reclaiming what had been their lives. Only a few stragglers remained.
Bereft of a situation to manage and of the will to force a confrontation, many of the police and civil defense troops began loading back into their personnel carriers. True to Momoko's warning, though, a small detachment of police set up a command post in obvious view of the senshi quarters. Mars bristled, but said nothing. She looked around and noticed Momoko had disappeared during the confrontation. Perhaps, Mars reasoned, she didn't want to be spotted by the security forces.
"Well you certainly diffused that situation," Ami commented.
"Why does it always have to come to this?" Serenity moped. "Doesn't anyone see the situation we're all in? Don't they see we can only resolve it by working together and helping each other?"
"Who can say?" Kakyuu answered. She, with Star Fighter flanking her, had glided up to Serenity unfazed by what had just occurred. "Individual perceptions are as many and varied as there are individuals. Perhaps they do realize deep in their hearts, Usagi. Perhaps they lack only a path to follow and a person to show them how to make it so."
"I don't want to lead," Serenity reiterated. "I just want to draw my manga and make my husband happy." She felt Endymion's hands on her shoulders and was buoyed. Then she noticed Star Fighter grimace in pain.
Kakyuu glided up to Serenity and took the woman's hands in hers.
"You said before you wished only to help people," Kakyuu said. Serenity, eyes wide and confused, nodded. "Perhaps that is the best way to help them."
Serenity looked down, clearly burdened by the thought.
Continued in Chapter 9
Chapter 8: "Who Shall Lead"
By Bill K.
Endymion entered the senshi central headquarters after a hard afternoon's work. He had been out all day, using his knowledge as a doctor and his power as the Prince of Earth to help treat the disease that inevitably sprang up on the heels of disaster and to locate, extricate and bury the mounting toll of dead. It was distasteful work, but it had to be done and he knew Serenity was far too delicate and easily upset to attempt it. That was their partnership: She reached for the stars and he sweated the details. If that was how it was to be from now on, he was willing so long as she continued to grace him with her smile.
It was his first time inside the building after Serenity had reshaped the rubble into living quarters for everyone. What he saw amused him. Makoto was already decorating the drab gray-white walls with whatever she could scrounge or salvage. She spotted Endymion looking at her and blushed.
"Well," she alibied, "I had to stay busy."
"Everyone does what they can," Endymion replied. Just then Akiko ran in with an arm full of cloth.
"How's this, Mom?" the girl asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.
"That's nice," smiled Makoto. "Where'd you find it?"
"It was in the back. There's a whole bunch of cloth in the back." She turned to Endymion. "Hi, Uncle Mamo-chan."
"Honey, you call him 'Endymion' now," corrected Makoto.
"Why?"
"Because that's his name now."
"Why'd you change your name, Uncle Mamo-chan?"
Endymion smiled. "It's who I am now. It's like before, I was Tuxedo Mask. Now I'm Endymion. But if you still want to call me Uncle Mamo-chan, that's fine."
"OK," shrugged Akiko. "Where's Auntie Usagi?"
"Why?" smirked Makoto. "You looking for another candy handout?"
"No!" Akiko replied dramatically. "I want to see her do some more magic."
"She just rebuilt the entire building! What more do you want?"
"Well, I saw this guy once. He had two rings that were connected, and then they weren't connected anymore! I want to see if she can do THAT!"
"Honey, don't be a bother to your aunt. And I told you, her name is Serenity now."
"She said I could call her that!" Akiko replied indignantly. Makoto rolled her eyes.
Wondering where she was himself, Endymion closed his eyes and probed out with his mind. Her silvery trail at once appeared and he walked off to follow it. He found her in one of the back rooms of the structure. She had fashioned a drawing table, perhaps out of nothing more than wishing hard, and was bent over it. Since becoming Endymion, the young man found his knowledge and perception seemed to increase exponentially from before. But this still surprised him.
"Serenity," he asked, "what are you doing?"
She looked up at him and her eyes lit up. "I'm so glad you're back. I'm working on the next issue of 'Fire Princess Rika'."
Endymion continued to look confused.
"It's to cheer everyone up," Serenity continued. "Everyone's so depressed and shell-shocked, and it's not surprising why with everything that's happened. And I want to do something to cheer everyone up, to get their minds off of their troubles for a little while." Serenity looked away, slightly guilty. "And, well, I - - did it for me, too. You know how drawing lets me relax. It's been such a roller coaster ever since the Frost Giants showed up. I needed a little bit of normal back in my life. And if I can make other people happy in the bargain, so much the better."
Endymion crossed over to his wife and kissed the top of her head.
"Draw away," he said, his hand on her shoulder. "I'll make sure no one disturbs you."
Just then Akiko popped in the room.
"Liar," grinned Serenity.
"Auntie Usagi," she said. "There's somebody here to see you."
"Oh?" Serenity said, rising from her drawing table. "Who is it?"
Akiko shrugged. "I think she said she was from the government." The little girl noticed the page on the drawing table. "Oh, Fire Princess Rika!" She scampered over. "You're drawing another Rika story?" Serenity smiled and nodded. "Can I watch?"
"Sure, Akiko-chan," Serenity replied. "But only when your Mom doesn't need you."
"OK," scowled Akiko.
"Oh, don't frown," Serenity chuckled. She made a fist and turned it palm down, then turned it over and opened her hand, revealing a piece of candy. Akiko's face lit up and she snatched it. Serenity patted Akiko's head and accompanied Endymion to the other room.
"Dietwoman Togashi!" Serenity marveled, her face lighting up at the sight of the visitor.
"Oh, come on now! I've told you to call me Momoko!" fussed the young woman, her violet eyes flashing with mock annoyance. "You don't have to be so formal, Usagi!"
Momoko Togashi had come a long way since the days she scampered around with Chibi-Usa as pre-teens. The woman was thirty-two now, a former practicing attorney and was just beginning her second term as a representative to the Diet when the Frost Giants struck. She was also a compelling beauty, with a long, graceful body and long, elegant black hair flowing down and framing her placidly beautiful face. Momoko possessed the tranquil femininity that Japanese males had celebrated in art and fantasy since the dawn of their civilization. Many also noticed that Momoko moved through life like a stream, quiet and graceful. It was only when someone crossed her that they discovered the delicate flower had tiger's claws. Juggling a two-year-old son, a marriage to a successful stock trader and a promising career in the Diet had given Momoko some small fame. Her looks didn't hurt, but there was more to her than looks. Japan was just beginning to notice before the disaster came. Her old friends had watched from afar with silent approval.
"Um, it is still OK to call you Usagi, right?" Momoko asked, fearful of having offended. If you looked hard enough, bits and pieced of the young hellion that had befriended Chibi-Usa could still be seen.
"Actually, I'd prefer it," Serenity grinned, gathering the woman in her arms and hugging her. "Nobody else will let me get away with it, though. I'm so glad you made it through the attack all right." Serenity darkened. "Everything is all right, isn't it? Is your family . . .?"
"Yes, Nozumo and little Masashi are fine, thank the gods," Momoko smiled. Then her smile dimmed. "But everything's not all right." Momoko paused like she was keeping the secret of the ages and debating whether to divulge it. Sensing trouble, Ami and Rei moved in closer. That only served to make Momoko more uncomfortable.
"What is it, Momoko?" Serenity asked, touching the woman on the arm. Momoko seemed to calm some with her touch. "Please don't be afraid to tell me. After everything I've been through, there's not much you could say that could upset me."
"It's not that simple, Usagi," Momoko replied. "I got into government to clean it up - - to make it responsive to the people again. It's been a tough fight. Sometimes I wonder if I can actually do anything - - and that was before all this happened. But I know I can't affect anything if I'm on the outside."
"This could affect your career in the Diet?" Endymion asked. Momoko nodded. "How?"
"If I tell you - - warn you about what's going on - - it could be perceived as a betrayal of trust by some powerful people."
Instantly everyone sensed Rei's tension shoot up. Looking at her, they could see she'd been studying Momoko the entire time.
"Such as the Secretary General of the Diet?" Rei asked. Momoko didn't respond because she didn't have to. Rei's mouth curled into a snarl. "What's my father done now?"
"Rei, please," whispered Serenity.
"Don't 'Rei, please' me!" snapped Rei. "None of you people know him like I do!"
Serenity reached out a hand to touch Rei's shoulders. At the last moment, Rei flinched back and glared at Serenity.
"What are you trying to do to me!" the priestess fumed.
"I'm trying to calm you down," Serenity explained patiently. "Your feelings about your father always affect your judgment. And Momoko's in a very delicate, very trying situation. We don't need you going off about your father. We need to focus on helping her."
Rei stared into Serenity's eyes. She'd felt the subtle mental energy that Serenity had radiated - - calming, soothing energy that for a moment caressed Rei's thoughts and tried to seduce them into a placid state. At the time, she thought Serenity had done it on purpose. Now she wondered if the woman even realized she'd done it. And even if she had, there had been no malicious intent behind it - - not with Usagi. Rei's shoulders relaxed some.
"All right," Rei replied, giving a silent warning to Serenity not to do that again, a warning she wasn't sure Serenity picked up on. "I'm sorry I interrupted."
"It's all right," Momoko said. "And you're right, it is Secretary General Hino."
"What does he plan?" Ami ventured cautiously.
Momoko searched her feelings, wrestling with the consequences of telling what she knew. After a long time, she looked up at Serenity. Serenity waited patiently, her expression communicating that no matter what Momoko decided it wouldn't affect their relationship. That convinced her.
"The Secretary General," Momoko began, "has been meeting with surviving key members of the Diet and the Defense Ministry. They're working to reassemble the police force and civil defense forces under his command. Their stated purpose is to reestablish order in Tokyo and coordinate rescue and rebuilding efforts."
"Yes, he was saying much the same thing to us when he was here earlier," Ami said.
"It seems praiseworthy enough," Serenity added.
"That would probably engender a period of martial law in the country," Endymion judged. "Are you concerned he won't relinquish it once the state of emergency is over?"
"No," Momoko shook her head. "The thought did cross my mind, but I know the Secretary General and for all of his faults, he is a believer in the institution of democracy. That's not what has me concerned."
"Then what?" asked Ami.
Momoko dropped her head. "I found out he also plans to put a garrison here - - to make sure none of you 'interfere' with government efforts."
"I don't want to interfere," Serenity gasped. "I'm just trying to help people."
"He knows that," Rei told her. "That's not the problem, Serenity. You're getting too popular. He feels threatened. He doesn't want to lose the power he's taken so long to achieve. I read that in him when he was here earlier. He may believe in the institution of democracy, but he also believes that he's the best steward for that institution and he'll go to just about any length to protect that position. I know him well enough to know that."
"So he's going to sit on us while he takes over the relief efforts," Endymion told Serenity. "He's making sure he gets identified as the savior of Japan and not you. That way he retains the power the people granted him."
"I don't care about any of that!" wailed Serenity. "I just want to help people! I don't want to rule anybody! Let him be Secretary General! I don't care!"
"A lot of the people seem to," Momoko told her. "Have you looked outside lately?"
Turning first to Endymion and then to Ami and Rei in confusion, Serenity finally ventured for the door. She knew dozens of people had gathered there since they'd been thawed, though she couldn't understand why. Had something happened that she wasn't aware of?
Her skirt flowing in a way that made it seem she was gliding, Serenity crossed to the door and opened it. She ventured out onto the porch and looked out. Her hand went to her throat. Thousands of people were gathered around the nondescript little domicile, waiting. It was like the crowds at one of Minako's concerts. A ripple of surprise and wonder passed through the crowd when they caught sight of her.
Then a noise swelled from the gathered. It was applause, cheers, gratitude and praises. It was a cacophony of appreciation that rose like a wave and engulfed Serenity while she stood helpless before them, unable to muster any sort of response. She just stood there, surrounded by their adoration, wondering why they had singled her out. She felt Endymion next to her and turned to him.
"Why are they cheering me?" she asked. "I didn't do that much."
"You saved their lives. They're grateful," Endymion told her, amused by her confusion.
"I didn't do anything anyone else wouldn't do if they could!"
"Once a goof, always a goof," sighed Rei. "Not everyone would have done what you did. But you did and they love you for it. Now say 'thank you', dimwit!"
Serenity turned back to the crowd.
"Thank you," she told them, her high voice barely carrying over the crowd. It hushed, the gathered hanging on her every word. "You really didn't need to do this. I only did what anyone would have done. I do appreciate it, though. But there's so much more that needs to be done - - so many more people who need help. And there are still those of us who didn't make it who need a proper service and a decent burial. Please don't waste anymore of your valuable time praising me. Please go and help someone else as I helped you. You'll make me so happy - - and you'll make yourselves even happier."
If Serenity had intended that to disperse the crowd, it had the opposite effect. A cheer rose from the crowd, along with applause. Someone screamed out "Sailor Moon for Emperor" and the cry began to repeat and combine until it became a chant. Serenity grimaced, embarrassed and uncomfortable in the spotlight.
But someone else watching was even more uncomfortable with the display than Serenity was.
"ATTENTION!" bellowed a voice over a police bullhorn. "THIS IS TOKYO CIVIL DEFENSE! UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE ARTICLES OF MARTIAL LAW YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO DISPERSE! THIS AREA MUST REMAIN CLEAR FOR EMERGENCY AND CIVIL DEFENSE RELIEF VEHICLES! ALL CITIZENS ARE INSTRUCTED TO DISPERSE AND RETURN TO YOUR HOMES OR BUSINESSES!"
Instantly boos and jeers swelled up from the crowd. Angry gestures and accusations greeted the line of police and civil defense guards dressed in black jumpsuits and riot helmets and carrying clear teflon shields. The mob began to chant "Let Her Be".
"YOU ARE ORDERED TO DISPERSE!" the commander said through the bullhorn. He stood atop a Humvee that was still in working order and he seemed in no mood to tolerate disobedience. "THIS AREA MUST BE CLEARED AT ONCE! WE WILL NOT WARN YOU AGAIN!"
As Serenity watched in horror, the crowd chanted louder and more angrily. It began to pulse with energy, threatening to surge forward at any time. Men and women snarled at the police, openly challenging them for their temerity. Others in the crowd were being buffeted about or swept into the budding conflict as the mass began to surge closer to the police line.
And then, as always seems to happen, a rock flew from the crowd. It struck the shield of one of the officers. Instantly the police were ordered forward. The line advanced on the angry crowd and it acted as a match touched to the fuse of the mass.
"Stop, everyone!" Endymion yelled to the crowd. "This isn't the way!" But the slap of boot on pavement and the angry denouncement of an angry mob drowned out his words.
"They're going to get massacred," gasped Rei. Instantly she transformed to Sailor Mars. "Mars!" she shouted, her hand snapping to her side. "Flame . . .!" A hand, Serenity's hand, folded over her forearm and stopped her from forming her flaming bow. Mars glared at Serenity. "What are you doing?"
"This isn't the way," Serenity told her.
"Those people were cheering you just a few minutes ago!" Mars fumed. "Are you just going to stand by and let them get slaughtered?"
Serenity looked at Mars with an expression of disappointment, perhaps at Mars' lack of faith. Then she closed her eyes and a calm overtook her.
"PLEASE STOP!"
Everyone heard it in their minds, from Ami, Endymion and Mars to the police and the crowd, to everyone around Tokyo and beyond the city limits. It was a sharp, insistent voice, but a non-threatening one. As one everybody from police to protester to senshi looked to her. Out of the corner of her eye, Ami spotted Princess Kakyuu and Sailor Star Fighter watching on the periphery. The others all saw Serenity, upset and embarrassed, trying to summon the courage to say more.
"Please don't fight," she begged. "Not over this. The police are right. I appreciate all of your love and praise, I do. But everyone needs to go home now. You have lives to rebuild. And there are friends and neighbors who still need help, help that only you can give them. Yes, and even perfect strangers, for in helping them you may discover a friend you never knew before. That's what's important now."
"Lead us!" pleaded a voice from the crowd, a voice that gathered several dozen ascents.
"You don't need me to lead you. You already have a government, a government you put in place, a government that's trying to help at this moment. You don't need me to lead and I don't really want to lead. I just want to help people and I want you to help people, even if it's only one other person. Now please, go live your lives. Please don't waste time and energy with fighting. We can't afford it now, none of us. We have to stick together. Please?"
Star Fighter stared, stunned, as the crowd's anger drained away. She turned to Kakyuu, but the woman only nodded passively. Hypnotized by Serenity's blue eyes and her plaintive voice and by the aura she seemed to blanket the crowd with, the group began to disperse. The tense situation evaporated. Though there was some obvious disappointment in the crowd, they slowly made their way back to familiar territory to begin reclaiming what had been their lives. Only a few stragglers remained.
Bereft of a situation to manage and of the will to force a confrontation, many of the police and civil defense troops began loading back into their personnel carriers. True to Momoko's warning, though, a small detachment of police set up a command post in obvious view of the senshi quarters. Mars bristled, but said nothing. She looked around and noticed Momoko had disappeared during the confrontation. Perhaps, Mars reasoned, she didn't want to be spotted by the security forces.
"Well you certainly diffused that situation," Ami commented.
"Why does it always have to come to this?" Serenity moped. "Doesn't anyone see the situation we're all in? Don't they see we can only resolve it by working together and helping each other?"
"Who can say?" Kakyuu answered. She, with Star Fighter flanking her, had glided up to Serenity unfazed by what had just occurred. "Individual perceptions are as many and varied as there are individuals. Perhaps they do realize deep in their hearts, Usagi. Perhaps they lack only a path to follow and a person to show them how to make it so."
"I don't want to lead," Serenity reiterated. "I just want to draw my manga and make my husband happy." She felt Endymion's hands on her shoulders and was buoyed. Then she noticed Star Fighter grimace in pain.
Kakyuu glided up to Serenity and took the woman's hands in hers.
"You said before you wished only to help people," Kakyuu said. Serenity, eyes wide and confused, nodded. "Perhaps that is the best way to help them."
Serenity looked down, clearly burdened by the thought.
Continued in Chapter 9