Usagi

"Don't scream."

Setsuna's voice startled me to my core. She was the last person I expected to be here.

In the pitch black, we moved forward. I wanted to use my hands to rove the darkness, to stop myself from tumbling into someone or something, but it was all I could do to let Setsuna press into one wrist and balance myself with the other. People kept slamming into me from each side, jostling me back and forth and Setsuna continued to pull.

We hurried along and another cacophony of screams rolled through the room, followed by what sounded like jaws snapping and the ripping of cloth. Metal crashed onto the floor and glass smashed from behind me. More screaming. More ripping. And then a torrent of animal-like howls pierced the air. They sent a blood-curdling shiver down my spine.

Finally we made it through the throngs of people running. Each direction there were footsteps pounding against the slate, and tiny red dots—no, red eyes—pocked the darkness. As they swooped across the room, the sound of bodies hitting the floor and stifled cries echoed. It was everything I could do to keep my face pointed toward the direction Setsuna seemed to be leading us, but with the chaos surrounding me, I was tempted to try and laser in my vision. I didn't expect to see anything, and I really didn't, except for the rapid movement of the red lights that gave me pause.

We turned and I felt Setsuna speed up. The growling and hissing started to dissipate, as did the frantic flow of feet and screams. In the distance there was the glow from outside, but devoid of any of the fairy lights, it was still hard to see. Moonlight poured into the end of the hallway and as we reached closer to it.

In the moonlight, I could see how determined Setsuna's face was, how serious and how calmly distraught she looked. We picked up our feet and bolted toward the garden.

She did not let up. In fact, the light pressed her pace onward. We rushed through the gardens, twisting and turning down each path as if we were attempting to dodge someone, or possibly throw them off our trail. My lungs were on fire and my feet ached under the pressure of my high heeled shoes.

FInally, when we got to the door, Setsuna flung it open and we rushed to the ledge. Were we going to jump?

"Setsuna!" I yelled. "If we go over-"

"I know!" She hissed. "Be quiet!"

On the platform, she took a sharp left and dragged me along with her. A few yards down there was what looked like a portico made of hedges. She darted inside, whipping me in with her, and she shoved me behind her to block me from the exit.

I went to speak, but she turned and gave me an icy glare, extending her finger over her lips to silence me. She opened her arms to straddle both sides of the portico and pressed my backward even further into the small opening.

I held my breath. Setsuna was always so calm and collected. Everything about her now was wild, as if the control she always had on everything she did was slipping away. Now that we had come to rest, I finally got a good look at her. She was wearing a stunning burnt orange silk gown, her hair was short and slicked back. Had she been at the party this entire time?

As I caught my bearings, the reality of what had just occurred hit me. Someone—something—had come and attacked that party. Those screams were the sounds of those in pain and I could picture a gorey scene of bodies and debris against the pristine ballroom floor. My mind was swimming. Setsuna had been so quick to act. How did she know something like that was going to happen?

Clicking came from outside the portico. It was like metal hitting stone, and the more it repeated, the more I could hear the dragging sound come after. More clicking, a tap on the slate of the floor, and it grew closer and closer to us. Then, a low, animal-like growl pierced the air.

Click. Click. Click.

Setsuna pressed her back to me even harder, drawing herself into the shadows. The portico itself was only about five feet deep. Whatever was stalking us outside would not have to look hard to find us. Dread balled in my stomach. I fought myself to keep my eyes open. Setsuna was so close to me I could feel her shaking and that made me even more anxious. It took a lot to rattle her. Her arms locked and the small of back arched toward me. She was preparing to jump out and attack if need be, but based on the way she was standing, I could tell she was terrified.

Then, I saw it. It crept past the opening of the portico slowly with its pearly white teeth exposed underneath its dark gums. It was black and swirling of shadows, its face twisted like a wolf but its body a man. It had long, sharp taloned hands and jagged hooved feet that scraped the stone as it walked. I had seen a beast like this before—in the woods outside of Mamoru's apartment.

It craned its head slowly and just for a moment its eyes glazed over us. They were bright red and against the darkness shined like rubies. Its head cocked, examining the portico, and I held my breath. From its snout it let out a gruff snort and then craned its head to look forward, slowly pacing away from us.

After a few moments, Setsuna finally let her hands down and exhaled. She turned her head to me.

"We have to get out of here," she whispered.

"What was that thing?" I asked.

"A hellhound," she said flatly. "Or, at least, Pitre's version of a hellhound."

"Those were Pitre's monsters?"

How could they be his monsters? Even in the darkness I saw the similarities between this beast and the one that attacked us back on Earth, but that would mean that Pitre sent that one too. It couldn't possibly make sense. I was on a mission to help him. What good would attacking me do if I had the very thing he coveted? My mind wandered back to the ball. He had mentioned they were his people and he told me they had all been cursed. That was why he needed me, to free them. The echo of their screams shattered into my soul. They were dead now, most certainly. Why would he kill the people he had so desperately tried to save?

"Dimande betrayed you, Usagi," Setsuna said sharply. "Pitre is an incredibly evil man who has been plotting to destroy you long before he met Dimande in the River."

My stomach dropped. It wasn't true. I couldn't—no—I wouldn't believe it. At first I was unsure of Dimande's intentions, but he showed me this soft, gentler side of him. He showed me he was capable of love and redemption. Didn't he?

"You're lying," I replied, shaking my head. "Why would you say that?"

"Since you went missing, I've been traveling across the dimensions to try and find you, and as it so happens, I discovered that Pitre has been asking about you for many years. He wants revenge on you, for what, I'm not sure, but make no mistake he is hellbent on crushing you."

I shook my head. "That doesn't make sense."

Setsuna tensed up and looked away.

"I'm not lying," she said sternly. "Dimande's brainwashing doesn't change the fact that-"

"Brainwashing?" I interjected. "Excuse me?"

"Don't think I didn't see you," she snapped. "Because I did."

Icy cold ran through me as the blood drained from my face. She didn't need to elaborate, I knew what she was talking about. I silently prayed that the others weren't here to witness it themselves. Just a little while ago I had decided to stay with Dimande and start a new life with him and the Black Moon Clan, so why did I feel such shame now?

I shook my head again, waving my hands in the air in protest, but I could see the indignation in Setsuna's face.

"I'm not naive enough to think that true love always lasts forever, Usagi," Setsuna continued. "I'm not upset that you've moved on from Mamoru, but Dimande? How could you be so foolish as to fall into that trap?"

"I…" No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't not conjure the right thing to say. There was no way Dimande betrayed me, not after what we shared, not after what he offered. There had to be some sort of mistake. My heart twisted and turned. I wanted to run to him and make sure he was okay, I wanted to comfort him and ask him how all of this had happened. I wanted to tell him... that I loved him.

"Dimande and Pitre have known each other for weeks. I was trying to come here to stop you but I was too late. This place was much harder to find than I first thought."

Tears brimmed in my eyes. There had to be some other explanation. There just had to be.

"We need to get out of here." Setsuna grabbed my shoulders. "It's too dangerous here."

"I've already defeated one of these monsters," I said without thinking. "I'm sure I can do it again."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you've already fought one?"

I swallowed hard. When I was helping Dimande, I did not think how big of a betrayal it might become to my fellow sailor scouts. I had been selfish in my pursuits because I felt like I had earned it. All of the time I had spent isolated and alone had hurt so deeply, and being cast aside emboldened me to act. For the first time in my life I wanted to be free of the shackles perfection brings. Letting my hair down and allowing myself to be wholly flawed felt right.

But as reality crashed around me, I realized there was so much I had to answer for, much more than I had ever imagined. If Setsuna was true to her word, I had aided in the pursuit of evil much more than I had realized. The screams. The gnashing. The...

"Yes," I cringed. "When I went back to Earth, to get my crystal…"

"That was you?" Her voice was heavy and indignant. "You came back to Earth and you didn't alert anyone? You came back and stole the crystal?"

"Yes," I tried to explain. "But I didn't mean to—"

"Don't." She raised her hand to stop me. Her brow furrowed and her eyes burned with disappointment. Seeing her look at me this way made me want to sob and I could barely push back the sob caught in my throat. "We can talk about this later. Right now, we need to get out of here."

Before I had a chance to press the issue, Setsuna poked her head outside the portico and looked around.

"Looks like the coast is clear," she said. "When I tell you to jump, I need you to trust me."

She reached into the top of her dress and pulled out the Space-Time key and then she grabbed my hand. Rushing out from the portico, she took three giant leaps. I dangled behind her, scuffling my feet along the floor. Her feet left the platform—and mine shortly after—and I braced myself to be sucked into the River below. Instead a brilliant light clipped the dark sky and we were wrapped in warmth.

We were on our way back home.