AN: Thanks so much for reviewing—I appreciate it a lot:)! Enjoy the next part:

Chapter X-In Which the Title Is Explained

"Ami-chan…up again this late?" Just back from the hospital, the girl's mother was somewhat irritated to find Ami awake. "I thought we'd talked about using the day for schoolwork…"

"Yes, mama."

With a sigh, Amiclosed the book she had been reading. Her mother casually glanced at the cover.

"Great Victories Across History…? Interesting choice of read…"

"Yeah…did you know how many innocents were sacrificed for these victories? Or how many times the opposing sides fought simply because their cultures were too different?"

Her mothergave her a strange look.

"Why are you reading this, Ami-chan?"

The girl did not reply; instead, she sighed again, almost inaudibly.

"How do you know who strikes first in a battle…?"

"Most of the times…it doesn't matter." The mother's voice was soothing and deep, as she idly caressed her child's hair. "When the two parties don't know each other well enough…there's always misunderstandings. None throws the first punch…but both receive it. And before they know it, they're engaged in a vicious circle they can't escape."

Ami thought of the creatures they had been confronting in the past days. Who had attacked first?

People had reported strange, seemingly invulnerable assailants before the first battle in the park. Ami had seen the police reports, all the same. Black, shadow-like creatures that marched relentlessly, causing property damage and frightening the people. Yet no one had actually been hurt.

So…had the Senshi scored the first hit when Neptune had charged the intruder in the park? They had all attacked, and eventually defeated it. Had that provoked the others of its kind?

Yet…the first creature had been attacking Setsuna-san. And it had hurt Sailor Uranus with the electric discharge. The others had acted similarly: they adapted, and swiftly returned all the attacks employed against them. The local authorities were overwhelmed.

So…who had thrown the first punch? They would never know. They were already caught in the battle, that carried itself on with or without their consent.

"Why does it have to be that way…?"

"I don't know…that must be the way of the world. Maybe it will change one day…"

Ami thought of the future Crystal Tokyo, and prayed her mother's hope would prove true.

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Late that night, when most of the lights in the neighborhood had gone out, Usagi tossed sleepless in her bed. A vague unease, an errant thought at the back of her mind nagged her. She turned the memory of their recent battles on all sides in her mind, looking for something…some miracle sign that they were not in the wrong.

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Down in her study room, Setsuna regarded the glowing computer screen with increasing fascination. The recent discoveries had put her on the right trail. What she read now could have been the answer to her most pressing question.

But the answer appeared less a salvation, than a veiled sentence.

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The morning sun had risen on the sky, when Haruka left the house the next day. She looked left and right, before pushing Hotaru's baby-wheels out the front gate of their small garden. For a second, she winced, half-expecting to hear a camera click; she could almost smell the ink on the freshly printed headlines of that evening's tabloids. The unwanted attention from the press had been one of the reasons she and Michiru had wanted to leave Tokyo…but at Setsuna's urging, they had returned.

Thankfully, their home was in an area private enough so that no prying reporter's eye could disturb them. She walked Hotaru at a slow, relaxed pace, enjoying the fresh warmth of the early sun. From time to time, she adjusted the covering of the baby-cart to protect the little one from too much sunlight. Lost in her own thoughts, she barely realized how far she had come in the morning walk. Just as she was about to return, she spotted a familiar figure in an empty bus station, sitting alone on the edge of the iron railing.

The sight was unusual, and slightly unsettling.

"Hey, kitten. Got lost again?"

Usagi raised her blue eyes, and the other saw sadness and doubt reflected in them.

"What's wrong?" she inquired in concern.

"Nothing", the blonde whispered, but her entire slouched countenance was evidence to the contrary.

Haruka leaned on the other side of the railing, and slightly tickled Hotaru's belly, making the baby give a small cry of joy.

"I'm here if you want to talk about it."

For a few minutes, Usagi kept silence. Then, she suddenly spoke in a far-away voice.

"The first time Luna told me I was Sailor Moon…I fought a monster that impersonated Naru's mother to steal energy from people. And when our memories returned because the cardians attacked people again… Or when the first daimon appeared and we foiled its plan…"

Haruka simply listened to the other's unfinished sentences, not sure of what they meant.

"Why did I never wonder then if those creatures actually deserved to be destroyed?" Distress was evident in the girl's voice. "Was it because I was selfish or short-sighted or…heartless?"

The young woman began to grasp the nature of Usagi's plight.

"I can't fight them…" the smaller girl confessed.

Haruka frowned down at her, and replied in an almost admonishing tone:

"You'd rather see them harm the people around us, then? You've seen how nothing affects these creatures…what if they get angry, or panic, and start running amok in Tokyo? Are you ready to take that chance?"

Anxiety weighed down on Usagi's shoulders, and caused her voice to tremble.

"I always urged an enemy to stop before attacking, although deep inside I always knew they wouldn't heed my instructions."

"I suppose being kindhearted doesn't always pay." Haruka commented. "Inviting the enemy to surrender wastes time and energy, and would sooner get you killed."

"But I always felt at peace just for offering the option…but what difference did it make? In the end, I knew how things would turn out, the monster would end up as moondust…and I was happy about it."

"That's because you always fought for what you knew was right, kitten."

"So why" the girl murmured, "can't I fight now? Why do I feel more a villain than a hero?"

Haruka gave a small sigh.

"Because this is a war neither side wants…yet neither can avoid. Us and them, we are reluctant enemies thrust into this battle by events independent of our will."

"But that's not fair!" the blonde cried softly. "Enemies are the ones who want to hurt you! They work on evil schemes and order monsters to attack people!"

"It may not be fair, but it's reality. I wish you didn't have to see it, kitten…but you shouldn't keep seeing everything in black and white. The world is all in shades of grey…"

Usagi turned tearful eyes towards her friend.

"What should I do…?"

Haruka looked down at her, and silently lamented the loss of her naïveté.

"Maybe I should tell you to listen to your heart" she finally replied, in a dispassionate tone. "But the ways of the heart often get you lost in the real world. You need to do what is necessary, kitten. We all need to." After a short pause, she spoke the next words with a sententious finality: "Maybe we didn't start this battle…but we're going to end it."

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AN: What did Setsuna find out? What will Sailor Moon do—is Haruka right, does being kindhearted really not pay?

On a different note, this story is entirely finished and I will be posting chapters as I re-edit them. Also, I will probably revisit previous chapters,(in case you do find something you didn't recall reading about before:)…that's the reason), but there will be no major changes.

And one final thing: please review! Thanks,

Myosotis:)