A/N: I'm not really pleased with this chapter. That's part of the reason my update is so late… Anyways, I decided to just get it over with and post this part since it's rather essential to the plot. (Translation: Not much humor or fluff, darn it.) Hopefully now that this is out of the way, we can get to some good stuff.

Again, myriad apologies, darlings. Ooh, and anyone who's a fan of Wish-chan and doesn't know, she's got a NEW CHAPTEEEEEEEEEEEER!

Disclaimer:

Sailor Moon does make me swoon,

but I'd be a swine if I called it mine.

Subject to Change

Chapter Twenty-Six: Thought You Knew Me?

"Thank goodness!" The girl's face, so close to her, stretched in a smile. "I'm Minako. Minako Aino. Pleased to meet you!"

Principal Waishatsu, who stood beside Minako, made a sound of disapproval. "Come along, on your feet, Miss Tsukino. I have pressing matters to tend to after I finish showing Miss Aino around, and you're late – again."

Serena let out a wail. "Noooo – not detention AGAIN!"

"You know, Miss Tsukino," said Principal Waishatsu suddenly. "How about this? I'll write you a pass to class if you finish showing Miss Aino around campus."

"Done!" Serena agreed eagerly, grabbing her principal's hand and pumping it eagerly. "Shall we spit on it?"

"Ah…" Principal Waishatsu wore an expressions of distaste.

"Just kidding!" Serena chirped, letting go of him and latching onto Mina's arm instead. "Come on, Aino-san!"

The two blondes zoomed off. Serena did not bring them to a halt until they were two hallways away from Principal Waishatsu. Then she grinned, not even panting.

"Wow! That was close!"

Minako felt some chagrin at her own panting. Granted, she had been technically dead for some hundreds of years, but she was still a Senshi. She should still be in better shape than a mere Terran…

"Thanks for showing up when you did! I would have been toast without you – my name's Serena, by the way. Serena Tsukino!"

"Really? Serena? What a beautiful name!"

Minako spoke the words cordially and with a smile, but she was examining the Terran before her in the same way she did a threat: warily. So this was the being who called herself Sailor Moon and had allied herself with the as-yet-unknown quantity that was Tuxedo Mask. According to what Malachite had told her, this girl had called herself the Senshi's leader in this time until the battle with the youma Psychotica.

Not only did Minako's blood boil at the very thought of some alien calling herself the leader of her Senshi; she was also deeply disturbed by other facets of the entire situation.

The first was Sailor Moon herself. No Sailor Moon had ever existed in all the history of the Silver Millennium or in the histories of the kingdoms preceding it. For as long as there had been a Moon Kingdom, there had never been a Sailor Moon. It was an idea that had been suggested several times by several different factions of several different Parliaments. A Senshi of the Moon would supposedly not only magnify the power of the Crystal, but it would also provide an extra guard for the princess – a guard who, furthermore, would not hold obligations on other planets that would require her to leave the princess' side.

However, it was pointed out that a Senshi of the moon would have to be indoctrinated in the using of the Silver Crystal, as that was the only significant magick of Lunarians. And the very idea of that was pure heresy! Only Selene's line had ever been and would ever be allowed to guide and use the sacred crystal's power. The Goddess herself had decreed that it would be so, and defiance of her will would undoubtedly lead to ghastly consequences.

Furthermore, argued opponents of the creation of a Lunarian Senshi, only those of Selene's line were pure enough to channel the crystal's power. If one without Selene's blood in her veins was allowed to taste the crystal's power, they would begin to crave its power for their own, and might kill the royal line in order to obtain it.

What if this was what Sailor Moon was after?

Needless to say, the existence of a self-proclaimed Moon Senshi unsettled Minako greatly.

Because Sailor Moon had killed several youma on her own, Minako was forced to dismiss the possibility that she was just a Terran playing dress-up. No Terran had that power save their damned prince or the Shittenou, and the girl standing before her was definitely not any of them.

So was she a minion of Beryl's that Minako was not aware of?

It was the only explanation Minako could come up with. And it meant that until proven otherwise, Sailor Moon was an enemy. And if she was an enemy, then her ally, the equally mysterious and also unheard-of-in-the-Moon-Kingdom's-history Tuxedo Mask was also an enemy.

Yet according to the battle-by-battle account that Malachite had given her, Sailors Mars and Mercury had fought alongside both Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. And not just once but for several months!

Minako found it impossible to believe that hyper-sensitive Mars or sharp, brainy Mercury would work so willingly with someone they thought to be enemies. And they must have truly believed that Moon and Mask were not enemies, for Mars was not only the most suspicious person Minako had ever met; she also had the wisdom of the spirit plane to augment her naturally keen intuition.

So Mercury and Mars must have known something that Malachite and Beryl did not. Minako trusted her Senshi; she knew that they did not do anything without reason. Everything they had done so far must have only been for the good of their princess. And until she could find them and until they could tell her why exactly they had worked for so long with Moon and Mask, she would not worry.

The galaxy might have changed, her Kingdom might have crumbled, and Malachite may have betrayed his Prince, but the princess's Senshi were forever.

To Serena's disappointment, her and Minako's tour lasted only half an hour. Though part of her disappointment stemmed from the fact that this meant she still had to go to English class, the rest of it was because she was genuinely loath to leave Minako's company.

Lively and alert, Minako peppered Serena with questions about everything from school to her favorite color. Serena cheerfully answered all of them, returning Minako's interest with many questions of her own – "do you like stuffed animals? What about vegetables? What was your old school like? Your father taught you? That's cool! But you didn't get to talk to many hot guys then, huh? Do you like manga? You've never read any? No way! Just wait, I'll bring you one tomorrow, you'll love it, I promise!"

Serena noticed that Minako's voice had rather strange inflections, like an accent. She also noticed that she didn't use slang or contractions frequently, and when she did, they sounded forced. But that only made her more eager to learn where Minako had come from for her voice to sound so courteous and princess-y.

"What language are you taking?" she asked her. "English? Your accent sounds like I always thought an English one would. What grade are you in anyways, Minako-chan?" She bounced up on her heels to peek at the paper in Minako's hands. "3C! You're with Toki and Darien and Numa! Lucky!"

"You are familiar with them, I take it?"

"Yup! They're awesome! Just wait till you meet Numa, he'll crack you up! And Toki – " Serena paused, her cheery expression faltering for a split second before being tacked firmly back into place. "Toki's not here today, but he's really nice, too. He's one of the best cooks ever. So! Let's find your next class!"

Serena led Minako across the courtyard towards the math hallway. "Thanks again fro saving me today. I would have been so dead if you hadn't shown up, and I don't think I could have stood another day in detention. After all, it's Friday!"

"It was no trouble at all," replied Minako, inclining her head graciously. "Thank you for leading me around your academy. It was…a quite enlightening walk."

"You're welcome…" Serena smiled and scuffed her foot shyly against the floor. "Hey, Minako…do you want to eat lunch with me and my friends today? I really think you'd like my friend Lita – "

"Actually, I have to find someone during lunch," replied Mina. She smiled down at Serena. "One of my mother's friend's daughters. She asked me to track her down today. Thank you for the offer, though."

"Oh. Well, it's always open!" Serena said sincerely. "Who are you looking for? Maybe I could help you find them!"

"Thank you again, but no," said Mina. Her eyes were slightly unfocused, and a huge grin stretched across her face. "I know exactly where she eats lunch."

Minako sighed and shifted uncomfortably on her throne, then sighed again. The boredom of court life was overwhelming. This was why she hated coming home from the Moon every summer. Whereas days on the moon with the other girls were spent studying challenging lessons that were nonetheless made hilarious by Mercury's quirky comments and the princess' nonsensical mnemonic devices for remembering battles and wars, days on Venus were spent alone on the throne with only the courtiers to keep her company. And they were all too busy trying to a.) catch her attention so that she would choose them as consort or b.) watching her every move like hawks so that they could imitate her gestures and ways of dressing.

"Your Majesty?"

Minako sighed again.

"Your Majesty? Princess Venus!"

Minako straightened with a start. She was so used to it being her princess that was referred to by that title, not herself… "Yes?"

"The next supplicant is here. May I show her in?"

Minako smiled politely. "Of course."

Another citizen of the kingdom here to ask for help in resolving some conflict. Splendid. This was why she wished that Venus had courts to settles disputes like most of the other planets did. Only the planets Venus and Mars did not have judicial courts. On Mars, it was practical not to have them (their Elders could traverse the spiritual plane to detect lies and follow the correct path of action), but on Venus, it was a mere matter of tradition. Venusians preferred to muck down their monarch in their daily doings. That was why Minako usually ended up performing at least four marriage ceremonies a day.

The doors at the end of the throne room opened. A figure in a long, bulky robe and a veil, uncommon on Venus, where females liked to flaunt their features, entered. She made her way down the crimson carpet with a brisk, clipping pace that Minako knew quite well.

"Mercury!" she cried, jumping up from her throne. She spared a glance for all the courtiers. "Go! Flirt outside or something! Leave us!"

With murmurs, some disgruntled and other pleased, the ocean of young people drained from the room, and the robed figure pulled down her veil. Sailor Mercury's pale, pointed features were revealed beneath, curved in that pixie-ish grin she so often wore.

"Guess what I have invented!" she announced proudly, climbing out of the robe as well. Beneath it, she wore her Senshi fuku. (She was still officially on duty, unlike Minako, as Mercury's season of celebration – winter – was not for a couple more rotations.) "Prepare to be shocked and amazed!"

"Would you like a drum roll?" teased Minako. "How'd you get here? You're supposed to be on the moon!"

"And here we find that Venus' infamous reputation for hospitality is undeserved," commented Sailor Mercury to the air. "Don't you love me anymore, V-babe?"

"Of course I love you!" Venus declared passionately, throwing her arms around her friend. "I'm the Goddess Of love – I have no choice."

"Hmph." Sailor Mercury sniffed, still pretending to be miffed. "Well, since I'm the Senshi of Mercury, then I have no choice but to give you the cold shoulder."

The throne room rang with laughter.

"Hey, guys." Asanuma plopped down beside Serena and Darien under the oak tree. "Where's Lita?"

"She said she had to work on some homework," explained Serena. "So she's going to the library."

"Oh." Asanuma shrugged and dug into his lunch.

Serena's eyes flicked towards Darien. He looked back with a frown. His thoughts ran along the same lines as hers, she could see. Was Lita perhaps avoiding them because of what had happened yesterday?

"Wow." Asanuma's voice brought their eyes shifting back to him. He was staring down at his mashed potatoes. "Lunch is really…quiet without Toki."

"It's true," said Darien, looking a little bit lost himself. He picked at the label on his bottle of Mountain Dew. Serena wondered if he was thinking that even his soda didn't taste the same. She also wondered if he'd noticed that he had accidentally bought a Diet Mountain Dew instead of a regular one.

Serena sighed also, though. What a depressing lunch this was! And it had been such a nice morning, too…

"Who knew our lives were so Toki-centric?" Asanuma idly poured some of his milk into his mashed potatoes.

"He'd probably be quite pleased if he was here to see how much his absence affected us," agreed Darien with a wry lift of his lips.

"Nuh-uh," said Serena suddenly. "He'd feel really bad that we're so down in the dumps because of him."

"True," conceded Darien.

"We have to cheer up!" Serena jumped to her feet and pounded her fist in her palm. "For Toki!"

Darien smiled encouragingly at Serena, picking at the label of his Mountain Dew.

Asanuma swirled his mashed potatoes some more. "…"

Serena turned a dismayed expression to Darien.

"How about this?" said the dark-haired junior. "We'll go see Toki after school and see if we can persuade his mother to let him out of the house to grab some supper with us."

"Where?" asked Asanuma sourly. "The arcade's trashed."

"Actually, it's not. When I spoke with Mrs. Furuhata on the phone, she said that it should be up and running again by next week. But anyways, it's not like the arcade's the only place that sells food."

"Yeah!" Serena nodded eagerly, as much in an attempt to force herself to cheer up as to cheer up Asanuma. "We can…have a picnic! At the park!"

Darien groaned and looked at her. "What is with you and the park?" he demanded. "Why can't you choose someplace with air conditioning?"

"Hey," said Asanuma suddenly. Looking at the bored, glazed expression on his face, Darien was 90 certain that he had not heard a word they had just said. "I just remembered. Miss Lanai told me to tell you guys she wanted to talk to you today."

"Miss Lanai?" exclaimed Darien and Serena in unison. Another groan escaped Darien's throat. "Not her…"

"Come on," said Serena, grabbing her things with one hand and Darien's arm in the other. "The sooner we go, the sooner it's over with. Are you coming, Numa?"

Asanuma mutely shook his head.

Lita shifted once more in the uncomfortable wooden chair. Her inner Jiminy Cricket told her that this discomfort must be a sign that she should be in the courtyard talking to Serena, not hiding away in the library like the Mizuno wimp was.

But Lita squished the nagging Jiminy Cricket with her handy-dandy mental flyswatter. The only reason, she told herself, that she was so uncomfortable was because she was too damned tall for the chair.

And that was all.

Beneath these lies that Lita told herself, Lita knew that she really needed to talk to Serena. But…she couldn't. Much as she hated to admit it to herself, she was hurt. Serena hadn't trusted her enough to tell her – granted, Lita could see the sense in this. Why would you reveal such a tremendous secret to someone you'd known only a week? She herself would never have done it either, had she been in Serena's place.

But it still hurt. It stung like seawater in a cut.

And how could she even face Serena now? She now knew Serena's secret, but Serena didn't know that she knew. Lita didn't want to reveal to Serena that she knew, but she also did not trust herself not to blurt it out.

And she had the niggling certainty that Shields would somehow be able to tell that she knew Serena's secret. He was psychic, that one.

Despite herself, Lita found that she wished Motoki was there with her. He would be able to untangle the knot somehow.

Even as Lita thought this, she felt disgusted with herself. A week with a boyfriend and suddenly she could not get through a single day without him? Pathetic.

"Excuse me?"

The voice suddenly interrupted Lita's self-revulsion. She looked up, pushing some hair out of her eyes, and stiffened. Serena had found her…

No, wait. The blonde girl standing in front of her was not Serena.

She was blonde, yeah, but WAY taller than Serena. (In fact, she almost reached Lita's own five foot ten, which made Lita feel more kindly disposed towards her despite her toothpick-like build.) Plus, she wore her hair down, not in Serena's infamous buns.

"Yeah?" Lita grimaced at the sound of her own voice. It emerged from her throat rough and scratchy as sandpaper, as though she was a trucker who had just downed a beer.

"I don't…happen to look at all familiar to you, do I?" asked the blonde.

Lita's brows furrowed. "Well, since you brought it up," she said, leaning her chair back on two legs, "Yeah, you do."

For some inexplicable reason, a grin unfurled on the girl's flawless face. She stuck out a hand.

"Aino," she said. "Minako Aino. I'm a new student."

Amusedly, but with some wariness, Lita clasped the Serena-look-alike' hand in her own. "Lita Ki – "

The words were knocked from her tongue. Aino's hand had suddenly tightened around hers like an iron grip, practically cutting off her circulation.

" – no," finished Lita, a devilish grin appearing on her own face. She squeezed Aino's hand painfully hard, and felt the other's fingers tightening in response.

The two stared each other down for a moment, gritting their teeth and waiting to see who would back down first.

Neither did, and Aino threw a glance over her shoulder. Lita followed her eyes and saw the librarian, her back to them as she made copies.

In the time that Lita was thus distracted, the blonde swung tightly around the arm that was attached to Lita. Lita went flying over the girl's head, but just before she hit the ground, she hooked a foot around Aino's skinny ankle and sent her crashing heavily down on her back.

They lay there on the dusty carpet for a moment, panting. Then Minako pushed herself up on an elbow to grin at Lita.

Lita smirked back. "Surprise."

Minako rose lithely to her feet and offered Lita a hand. Lita, to her own surprise, took it. Minako hauled her to her feet.

"Now that we have completed our introductions," began the blonde, who Lita was beginning to think was just a wee bit off her rocker, "I need to ask a favor of you."

"Does it involve broken bones?" Lita found herself saying jokingly. Inwardly, she groaned. The same thing was happening with this chick as had happened with Serena. A couple of words exchanged and poof! Lita felt as though she had known her for life.

There must be something in the water, she thought to herself, shaking her head ruefully. Or maybe spending so much time with Serena and Toki has turned me soft.

Mina's smile widened. "Hopefully." She paused. "Do you know where I might locate Ami Mizuno?" She pronounced the word slowly, carefully.

Lita's mirth dimmed. "Sure." She jabbed a hand over her shoulder. "Nonfiction section. Why?"

"She and I are old friends. Very old friends. I've not laid eyes on her in years, and I thought I might surprise her. You will cooperate, won't you?"

"Ah. Okay." Lita nodded. Mina didn't seem like someone who would beat up a defenseless nerd…but you couldn't just assume things. Not the way things were today. Just look at Serena! She didn't seem like she could hurt a fly, much less a youma, but she did it on a regular basis.

"Bye, Lita Ki-no!" Minako bounced off.

Lita swiveled in her chair to watch the blonde go. Did Mina know what Ami did in her spare time? Probably not, if it had been such a long time since she last saw her.

She fingered the tabletop. Minako sure had reminded her of Serena…

Minako could barely contain her excitement as she approached the blue-haired maiden sitting at the table. Mercury's head was bent, shoulders hunched, over a pile of thick books. Researching ways to protect their princess, no doubt.

Events were unfolding more wonderfully than she could ever have expected. She had not expected to be reunited with Jupiter, but she had entered the library and voila! There she was, as lean and watchful as ever. Minako had felt some wariness at first: Malachite had told her that Sailor Jupiter had only recently shown herself, and it was still unknown whether she was with Mars and Mercury or the Moon imposter and the masked man.

But when her eyes locked with Jupiter's sparkling green ones, all of that had melted away, leaving behind only the love and affection she had always felt for her Senshi-sister. Pain and sadness had surfaced when Jupiter appeared not to recognize her, but she shoved the emotion away.

Their miniature spar had revealed that Jupiter's reflexes were as lightning-fast as ever (appropriate, considering her element), and here Mercury was poring over books in order to carry out the mission. If Mars was doing as well as her two sisters, then Beryl would be moondust within a week!

Minako slid into the chair across from Mercury's. She frowned, for now she saw that Mercury's blue head was far too close to her book to be reading it. She was – she was sleeping!

Minako frowned thunderously – one of her Senshi, sleeping when there was a job to be done! – then forced herself to calm down. Mercury was probably quit worn out from all the fighting she had been doing… this was still not a valid excuse, though, pointed out Minako's mind. According to Malachite, Mercury had only thus far faced youma one at a time. In the old days, Mercury had been able to easily vanquish dozens of youma with a single attack.

Well, she could solve this conundrum by waking Mercury up.

So Minako did just that, poking Mercury hard in the side. She frowned when her soldier did not wake, and poked her once more. This time, Mercury shifted, but still resisted waking. She made a small sound of protest. Minako slammed one of the girl's books shut.

The sharp sound brought Mercury's head flying up. She let out a pitiful whimper. Minako's disgust was so great that it spilled out to be manifested on her face. First Mercury was sleeping while the princess was in danger, and now she was sniveling like a child!

The blue-haired maiden finally noticed Minako. Minako watched as her hand subtly pulled one of the heavy tomes towards her, hugging it to her chest like a shield.

"C-c-can…can I help you?" Mercury stuttered. Her voice was tiny and pleading. Its very weakness aroused a wolf-like bloodlust in Minako, a born warrior. Such feebleness should not be allowed to exist.

But…again, she forced herself to calm. It could very well be that Mercury was feigning. Such a weak façade would certainly prevent anyone from believing that she was a Senshi. Malachite had said that neither Mars nor Mercury knew that Beryl already knew their civilian identities.

Yes. Yes. Pretending to be a defenseless milksop in order to avert attention was certainly the sort of thing Mercury would do.

"Oh, yes!" Minako flashed Mercury a bright smile. Despite her bright expression, she felt a stab of pain within her. Like Jupiter, Mercury was apparently pretending not to recognize her. But…all the better. Mercury's strategic mind probably considered it too dangerous to reveal her connection to Minako. "I just enrolled here today – my name's Minako Aino."

"N-nice to meet you," said Ami in a slightly less trembly voice. "Umm…what are you doing in the library at lunch?"

"Oh, it's far too hot to be outside, don't you think?" replied Minako airily. "I much prefer it in here where it's cool. Is that why you're in here? You look like someone who wouldn't like being all sweaty."

"Oh, no, I hate the heat," Mercury agreed eagerly. A bit of color entered her cheeks; she straightened unconsciously. "I don't know how they stand it outside. It's even rather warm in here."

Minako, who could feel goosebumps all along her legs and arms, smiled and nodded. She had known that the subject of temperature would be a good icebreaker for conversation. Mercury was the Senshi of Ice, after all…

"Why do you think Miss Lanai wants to see us?" Serena wondered aloud as she jogged to keep up with Darien's long strides.

"I don't know, but it better be good," groused Darien. "I was going to use the last ten minutes of class to cram for my history quiz."

Serena snorted. "As if you even need to study, Mr. Genius."

"I do when I haven't even read the chapter!" snapped Darien. Two spots of red burned angrily in his cheeks, then he paled. "Serena, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell– "

"No, it's okay!" Serena interrupted, also pale. "I shouldn't have made light of your worries like that, it was really selfish of me – "

Silence swallowed them.

Apparently, thought a nasty voice in the back of Darien's mind, You do need more than five hours of sleep. Moron.

They reached Miss Lanai's door. It was closed, and Serena hung back. Darien opened the door wordlessly. Serena cast up a timid, almost frightened glance at him – he opened his mouth to say something, anything – but then her eyes flinched away and she darted inside the room.

"Matin!" cried Miss Lanai's voice joyfully. She sprang away from the canvas that she had been examining and caught Serena's hands. "Vous etes ici! Chouette, chouette! And 'ot Boy!"

She looked at Darien, who had entered and stood just inside the doorway.

"Come in, come closer," she urged. "Laissez vos sacs…I 'ave a new painting to show you."

Darien reluctantly let his backpack slide to the floor, then began to pick his way through the maze of easels and canvases towards Miss Lanai and Serena.

No easel was without a painting, and Darien felt as though he were doing a peculiar dance as he wove his way between them. Some still glistened with wet paint, and Darien smothered a curse word when he bumped into one of the canvases. His pristine navy blazer sleeve came away with a smear of red on it.

Darien glanced up at the culprit canvas, scowling. This expression slowly melted from his face to be replaced by fascination.

The painting was rather abstract. A pale white hand, its fingers impossibly long and slender, gripped a stemmed glass goblet. The goblet held a crimson liquid, and its rim was broken and jagged. The hand was lifting the dangerous goblet towards a pair of cherry red lips.

"Whose is this?" Darien heard himself demand. He lifted his eyes to Miss Lanai and spun the easel around so that she could see it. "Who painted this?"

Miss Lanai examined the painting, then Darien himself. "No one you would know," she said finally.

"Try me," said Darien.

Miss Lanai's smile brightened. The expression, strangely cold and ghastly beneath the penciled-on mustache, sent the hair on Darien's neck standing on end. "Does it scare you, 'ot Boy?"

Darien stared at her. Miss Lanai continued to smile at him.

Serena finally interrupted, unease evident as she spoke in a small voice: "What did you want to show us, Miss Lanai?"

"Ah, bien. Merci, Matin."

Miss Lanai turned her back on Darien but crooked a finger for him to come closer. She pushed her beret up on her head and fussed prissily with the sheet that was draped over the canvas in front of her. When Darien arrived to stand behind her, she whipped the drape off.

This painting was just as disturbing as the first. Even more so, in fact.

The background was the same dusky darkness of the painting that Miss Lanai had first used Serena and Darien as models for. One of its subjects was also the same – the white gowned figure with Serena's pixie-like stature and her long, odangoed hair. Though her face was in shadow, its features indistinguishable, her hair and body were clearly visible.

As was the sword blade protruding from her abdomen.

The rest of her body curved in around it, her hands gripping the blade as though trying to keep it from entering her flesh any further. Red was blossoming on the snowy folds of the gown.

The only other person in the painting was hidden in shadows, its identity indiscernible. It stood directly behind the Serena look-alike, and its hands gripped the sword's hilt.

Rage erupted within Darien, mixing like blood with the nausea pooling in his stomach. Not for the shadow in the painting that had stabbed the gowned girl, but for its painter. Especially when she spoke cheerfully as though nothing was wrong.

"Alors, what do you think?" She wrapped her arms loosely around Serena's neck from behind, in the companionable kind of hug Serena often gave Lita. "Magnifique, non?"

Blood pounded in Darien's ears like gongs as he watched them. Serena's eyes were wide and glassy. Her hand was fisted at her mouth; she was biting down on her knuckles as though to smother a scream. And Lanai was standing there with her arms around her as though she were her friend!

Again and again, the same thought stabbed into his brain.

How dare she? How dare she?

A wolf-like snarl escaped his throat. Serena started at the sound, her eyes clearing a little. Her form stiffened against Miss Lanai. The woman relinquished her hold on Serena, letting her arms fall to her sides.

Darien stepped forward and seized Serena's hand, pushed her behind him and towards the door. She made no resistance until he tried to let go so that he could face Miss Lanai again. Then he fingers scrabbled to catch hold of his again, a small, strangled sound emerging from her lips.

He turned, eyes burning with anger. The anger was directed at Miss Lanai, not her, but Serena was too flustered to realize that. "Serena. Leave."

He held her gaze until her eyes flinched away. Then, smiling grimly as he heard the door open, then shut, behind him, he turned back to Miss Lanai.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" The volume of his voice would have hurt his own ears if he had been able to hear over the pounding blood. "Who the HELL do you think you are?"

"Mon Dieu, 'ot Boy." Miss Lanai adjusted her hat and turned away from him, unscrewing a small container of paint. "Calmez-vous. C'est juste une peinture."

"You think that just because it's a painting you can kill people in it?" His voice shook as he struggled to leash his rage. "I don't think the administrators would approve of that philosophy."

"Especially not if you're teaching it to your students.' He jerked his head disgustedly at the painting of the cracked champagne glass. "I'll be apprising the principal of this."

Miss Lanai blinked at him owlishly for a moment from behind her glasses, meeting his steely gaze head-on.

Then she smiled. "Of course, Monsieur Shields. Now, would you like to hear ze rest of ze story about ze moon princess?"

Darien eyed her in revulsion and disbelief. Without deigning to answer, he turned his back on her and exited the room.

Miss Lanai watched the door creak shut behind him. A paintbrush materialized in her fingers. She released it. Instead of falling to the floor, it hung in midair.

She sat down, leaned back in her chair. Made a little twirling movement with her finger. The paintbrush zoomed over to the canvas and began to fill in the shadowy features of the figure behind Princess Serenity.

When the fuku and tiara were finished and gleaming wetly, the paintbrush fell to the floor. It splattered paint on the tile.

A humorless smile graced Lanai's lips as she gazed at the painting.

"You can reject the past, Endymion…but you can't change it."

Yet.

Translations:

Vous etes ici! you're here!

Chouette terrific, wonderful

Laissez vos sacs leave your bags

Alors So then

Magnifique, non? Magnificent, huh?

Mon Dieu My God

Calmez-vous Calm down

C'est juste une peinture It's just a painting.

A/N: Characters were done very deliberately in this chapter. Next time, the return of Toki, more Senshi action, and more angst. Probably lots of angst. We're getting to the point in the story where everything is building up and creating a lot of pressure.