A/N

FML I am so used to typing some other substitute for the Dark Kingdom that now whenever I actually use the word I keep second guessing whether that's the right name.


The Moon Kingdom was, in its entirety, unnaturally captivating.

It was there in the intricate details someone had engraved in white stone thousands and thousands of years ago' a design that danced across trimmings, pillars, and tall archways. You could find it in the lush foliage of the palace courtyards and the gardens outside its walls; meadows and fields overflowing with flora unlike anything found on earth. The allure of the Sea of Serenity and it's still surface, spanning out in every direction as far as the eye could see and reflecting a mirror image of the galaxy above.

Yes, there was an unusual bewitchment to be found in the Moon Kingdom.

There was also something disquieting about it.

The silence didn't bother me, and I'd grown used to the ever-present Earth as it loomed in the sky. No, what left me unsettle were the shadows, always dancing at the edge of my vision and always gone when I turned to examine them. Sometimes I thought I was seeing double, a very different version of the Moon Palace; one that, in spite of my attempts, I could never quite make out. I was in the middle of inspecting one of the many archways that led into this particular courtyard when Serenity nudged me.

She wore an amused grin and an arched brow. "That entrance isn't going anywhere, you know. Perhaps we can return to the subject at hand and you can continue glaring it into submission once our work is done."

Ignoring the rush of heat spread across my cheeks, I rolled my eyes and sneered. "I wasn't glaring, merely observing."

"My apologies." Serenity gestured to the papers scattered in the grass between us. "Now, if you would be so kind as to observe the outline I drew up?"

With begrudging defeat I shifted my focus to the notes in front of me. The outline was little more than a list of things I needed to learn in order to solidify my alibi during the Silver Millennium; key figures, relationships between kingdoms, the layout of the palace, important historical facts, that sort of thing. In the past few days since joining up with the Order, Serenity and I had begun meeting regularly to work a little more on perfecting my lie. I walked the palace while she rattled off random trivia and occasionally quizzed me.

It was tedious work, yes, but it would eventually come in handy.

"Tomorrow we'll begin the basics of court etiquette and then add that on to the rotation." Serenity paused, eyeing me speculatively, and added, "How is your ice skating?"

I tossed her outline back onto the other papers, a long-suffering sigh slipping from me. "Subpar."

"We'll have to work on that as well then." At my grimace she tsked and shot me a reprimanding look. "You were the one to come up with this impersonator, body double business. I could have told you what a terrible plan that was if you would have stopped to discuss it with me beforehand. You reap what you sow, Usagi; if Sailor Moon is supposed to be able to pass as a princess, then a princess you will have to learn to be, even if only superficially."

The scolding tone Serenity used contrasted greatly with the twinkly gaze she sported and her rather upbeat attitude. I squinted at her.

"What are you staring at?"

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" My voice was accusing.

"Well, I won't deny it's rather pleasant being on the other side of these lessons."

"I'm so pleased to know my struggles have entertained you." I flopped onto my back, letting my legs unfold and stretch out across the grass. Again, at the corner of my vision part of the palace appeared darker, almost distorted, and a cursory glance around showed everything in normal order. After a moment, Serenity plopped down next to me, hands over her stomach and fingers interlaced; I took a moment to commit the mannerism to memory before allowing my thoughts to wander.

I absentmindedly studied her silver hair, the gold crescent moon at her forehead, the pristine white dress with gold accents and found myself pondering over this strange princess whose face I shared. "…What will you do, after you have a body again?"

She blinked in surprise, head turning toward me.

"I… don't know." The admission was quiet. With a furrowed brow, her gaze wandered back to the earth, as it so often did. "I haven't thought that far ahead yet, haven't truly considered it to be perfectly honest. There are other matters that take precedence, not to mention several issues needing to be resolved before any other problems arise. Once all of that is settled, I suppose I'll give it some thought."

I trained my stare onto the galaxy stretched out before us, counting my breaths as her words sank in. She hadn't thought about it. I had though, I thought about her revival every day and I knew Minako did too. But Serenity hadn't, and that unsettled me. "I'm going to do it."

A pause. "I wouldn't be angry if you couldn't."

"But I will." My voice was a tad sharp, and I worked to even it out as I continued, "And when I do, when you have a body and the world is in the palm of your hand, I expect a file of things you want to do; cities and foods and movies and events. It better be the bucket list to end all bucket lists."

"And you?" She inquired curtly. "What will you do, upon completion of this task?"

My chest tightened.

I had no immediate plans past reviving Serenity; once that was done and over with, what did I have left? Nothing. I would be aimless save for one more goal to be completed, and setting that venture aside… what then? With the rest of my life laid out before me, what did I intend to do with it? I didn't know, it was too much time and the very thought of having such a wealth of empty years on my hands was frightening. Plotting, fighting for my life, outmaneuvering others, watching my back, I knew how to do all of those things, how to live that way, but would come after?

When the scores had been settled, my enemies dealt with and Serenity had her freedom, when that brutal and unforgivingly pragmatic part of me was no longer needed, what would I do with myself? I didn't know how to be normal. I had come into this world paranoid and fearful, but that too had also changed. I no longer felt hunted, no longer flinched at shadows or repeated looked over my shoulder. I was still wary though, still a little afraid.

I didn't know.

"The Order of Elysion wants to change the world." I mused. "…Is that something you'd do if given the choice?"

Serenity took a long, shuttering breath. "They want me to lead them, don't they?"

Neither of us had addressed the notion before now.

"Not if it isn't what you want." My fingers threaded through the grass above my head as I tried to put thoughts into words. "If you wanted to be normal and go to school instead, or get a job, or start up your own little business, or even go wild and run away with the circus, it wouldn't be a problem. Whatever you want to do with the rest of your life is entirely up to you."

"…Entirely up to me, huh?" There was a wistful note to her tone, and something far heavier that caused me to glance her way. I realized then that perhaps Serenity's life had never truly been her own, that this chance for freedom would be far different from what she had known. A Crown Princess wouldn't have had the pleasure of choosing what her future would look like; her world would have been lessons and rules and expectations, a path to the throne paved from the moment she took her first breath.

I wondered… if the throne was no longer a duty forced upon her, but instead a choice…

Would she choose to rule?

Serenity blew air through her cheeks and popped up into a sitting position. "Well, we should probably get started with today's lessons." I groaned as she ambled to her feet and then pulled me up with her. "Oh, don't be so dramatic Usagi; it's just a bit of walking and court gossip. We haven't even touched the more difficult subjects yet. I mean, there's ballroom dancing, dinner etiquette… truly, this is the easy bit."

That was painful to hear. "Lovely. Now, what part of your ridiculously oversized palace shall I be lurking about today?"

"The kitchens, servant's passages, and perhaps the servants chambers if we have time."

Yes, I was definitely being punished.


Joining the revolution had turned out to be something of a dull affair.

"Just… look at it. Dig deep and see." These were, admittedly, not the best words of encouragement, but after nearly an hour of watching Rei stare down the lit candle in front of her in a failed attempt to spark a vision, I figured mediocre encouragement was better than no encouragement. I was proved wrong, however, when said words fell short as Rei abandoned her course of action to instead shoot me a loathsome look.

"I'm trying." She snapped. "This isn't working though, the flame is too small, and I've never done this outside of the shrine before. There are rules, alright? I don't get to decide when or what the fire shows me. It's a sacred ritual and that means holy ground with a proper flame and prayers to nourish the vision. All I have to work with is a dusty old warehouse and- and the most pitiful wisp of fire!"

The two of us glanced back at the candle –one us sporting a rather nasty glare, and the other a considering look- and, I had to admit, it was indeed rather unassuming to behold, especially after taking into account the kind of flames Rei usually worked with.

But still. "You were the one mooning over the damn thing and its supposed properties not two days before. I paid for that candle; it wasn't cheap. Use. It."

The priestess slumped back in her chair. "Let's come back to it later; I seriously need a break."

With a huff I dropped the subject, resigned to leave it be so long as she actually made some use of the investment. Our funding, like most things, had to pass through Ami and terrible duo that was Minako and Kunzite, before being approved, and every month we had to hand over a list of purchases. Ami wouldn't turn her nose up at any books, and Minako saw the benefit in most of the crap our division stocked up on; however, if either of them had caught wind of this obscenely expensive candle, Rei would have been skinned alive for having spent so much on a single(questionable) item. I took care to blow out the tiny flame before falling into my own chair.

The clock on the wall read 2:30 A.M.

"You've got school in like, five hours Rei."

"So would you," she groused, "If you'd stop being a brat and go back with us. Ami got the boys into Mamoru's school, and it'd be even easier with you; all you'd have to do is show up with a note."

"Like hell."

I'd eat glass before going back to middle school. It was such a complete waste of time. College… that was something I wouldn't mind getting back to one day, but I wasn't going to sit through a repetition of my childhood to get there. "You know, I could've held down the fort by myself. Aren't you going to be tired?"

Rei shrugged. "I'm used to it. We were doing this sort of thing before winter break settled in anyway. With thirteen of us switching out shifts, it isn't as though I'm constantly doing all-nighters."

That was fair. "I could've done this shift-thing myself though."

"As if." That was also fair. I didn't really know how to use the mega computer yet, despite having grown up with far more advanced technology. If something went wrong –and it would, given my history- Ami would have Rei's head for leaving an untrained Usagi at the wheel while she got some sleep. With a hum of defeat my attention wandered to our surroundings, looking for something to occupy myself with before boredom set in.

Idleness truly did not suit me.

Of course, there wasn't anything new about the haphazardly space.

The same six desks making an L-shape along the corner wall, the same four bookcases that made a pitiful screen between us and the rest of the warehouse –giving the very false illusion of privacy-, and the same… well, wasteland that was our pseudo office. Of those six desks that took up this cozy corner of the warehouse, only one belonged to me, and it was easily distinguishable from the others in that it was the only clean one.

Rei, for some ungodly reason, had three desks and they were all in various states of disarray; she insisted it was "Organized chaos" and that "A newbie like you wouldn't understand" and to "Give it a few weeks". Jadeite, for his part, had claimed the furthest desk as his own early on -I suspected the cluttered state the general's work area was at least a quarter of Rei's mess spilling over- and whenever Mamoru came to lend a hand he was appointed one of Rei's disaster areas and set to work.

Though in all fairness Parapsychology was not the neatest of studies.

Everything, and I did mean everything, we read about had to be tested ourselves, nothing could be trusted without us first having authenticated it. Why? Because, unfortunately, there was no exact method to telling fact from myth and as a trio with firsthand experience concerning the paranormal phenomena of this world (visions, the force, reincarnation, astral projection) we couldn't fully rely on the word of what likely amounted to a handful of ordinary scholars and a few fanatics.

So part of the job description was collecting and experimenting.

Drawers full of herbs and "remedies", various crystals, alchemic materials, the occasional occult trinket, and what looked to be electronic devices, all of which may or may not stay true to their intended uses. This wasn't even to mention the countless books, articles, scrolls – and by god I still couldn't read any of it without a resulting headache-, and other published works. Every drawer, of all six desks, was filled to the brim with god only knew what (the bottom left drawer of my desk rattled at times. not one of us was brave enough to open it and investigate) and, as much as it pained me to say it, that wasn't even the whole of our work.

Researching meant writing down theories, all mechanisms of the experiment, and then its results. Minako wanted weekly reports and Ami insisted on daily logs. Sometimes we would have entire books with a handful of pages that were accurate even when the rest was rubbish. Those pages would be marked, and then transcribed into a notebook to then later be made into a book (whenever we would get the funding for that endeavor).

Useless books went in the useless book pile, and once a week Ami apparently swept by to snatch them up and… well, I didn't know where she stored them because I hadn't seen them in her office, but she did something with them. Other texts that looked like they might have potential later on went onto the last bookcase to be looked over at a later date; those were the books that we just didn't have the time or resources or sanity to work on. They went on the last bookcase because taking books off our individual ones was Not Okay, and potentials were supposed to be up for grabs.

So, yes, there was quite a bit of work involving the details of our division's work.

But that didn't mean Rei had to be such a hog.

My desk remained free of any and all Mt. Rei eruption not by luck, insistence, or verbal reasoning, but by the power of vindication and a brand new shredding machine. Every time something landed on my desk, I made a grand show of giving it a proper funeral before sticking it into the shredder. Sometimes Mamoru would join me to say a few words about the dearly deceased and every now and then we'd leave the remains on one of Rei's desks for her to find later on.

I was in the midst of admiring the shredder once more when a shiver made its way up my back, curtesy of the spiteful glare my companion was no doubt leveling at me. For obvious reasons, Rei didn't appreciate the shredder, especially when she caught me looking at it 'like a schoolgirl in love'.

I slid a smug glance her way and arched a brow.

Instead of rising to the challenge as she so often did –and wasn't that a breath of fresh air, interacting with someone willing to play petty and push just as many buttons- Rei let out a puff of air and slumped forward onto her disorganized desk. Which, you know, never a good sign. "Hey, I was wondering…" She kept her gaze trained on the desk. "About that note, have you made any progress with it?"

I considered said note, now hidden at Rei's place with my pointless books; the paper was wrinkled from my dip in the pond, but oddly enough the ink hadn't smudged at all. Not the printed words or the gold script. "I'm still working on it."

Meaning I had no clue.

I figured if it was just someone messing with me, they'd get bored with my lack of response and reveal themselves eventually. The Sappho quote… well, it was vaguely familiar, the poet one I thought I might have run across in Latin class. That had been a ways back though, and I hadn't been the most attentive of students either so whether it had any real significance was anyone's guess. In the more likely scenario that the sender had unpleasant plans at work… well, they would also reveal themselves sooner or later.

Either way I was a bit busy with another project at the moment.

"Do you think whoever sent it could be… an ally?"

That startled me out of my musings. I blinked, focusing back in on Rei's inquisitive features. My brow furrowed as I replayed her words carefully, wondering briefly if I'd misheard; but no, she was really asking me that. I smothered a snort. "A troublemaker perhaps, or even an adversary; an ally, however, the sender is surely not."

Her stare turned flinty. She didn't like my answer. "How do you know for sure?"

And this time I did laugh. "Because, in case you haven't noticed, I am not someone prone to making more allies than enemies; nor am I the kind of person that inspires the help of others. I'm more likely to get a mortal enemy than I am to receive a- a helpful stalker or whatever you seem to think this person is."

"I don't agree." Of course she didn't. Rei pressed her lips together and, after a deep sigh, added, "There's something I have to tell you, but the others… I haven't told them yet, and I'm not sure I should, so don't say anything."

"…Well, alright." I replied cautiously, feeling that this was somehow going to come back to bite me in the ass, and yet unable to tear myself from the promise of unknown intel.

Damn my thirst for information.

"Do you remember when we met up back in the Dark Kingdom, and the two of us fell into that hole?" Ah, yes, the hole she'd blown into the ground and had then proceeded to tackle me into. Rei's gaze narrowed, as though sensing my train of thought and daring me to open that can of worms. I merely nodded, and she continued. "You recognized the sword at my side and had asked where I'd gotten it –in a rather ominous fashion, I should add. I told you-"

"That it appeared before you, I know." In a great hour of need just like the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Alone that comparison sounded completely ridiculous, but after meeting an alien and a time traveler, a magic sword hardly felt all that outlandish. I mean, after all the bullshit I'd endured who was I to scoff at a little more magic?

Rei's glare was sharp enough to cut. "Yes, it appeared before me, but as usual you're missing the point."

"Correction. Seeing things differently does not mean I'm missing the point; it just means I disagree."

"Usagi, shut up and let me get to my point."

"Oh, right."

She turned her chair to face me fully and sighed yet again. I was half-tempted to throw in another quip but the thought died as Rei's expression fell into something truly grim and the easy air fouled between us. I felt myself straightening in my own chair as Rei raked a hand through her dark hair almost violently. She didn't start though, didn't meet me gaze, and after a few moments of visibly seeing the frustration build in her, I quietly prompted, "The Sword of the Silver Crystal appeared before you..."

"Yes." She let out a wretched laugh. "A sacred relic of the Moon Kingdom appeared before me exactly when I needed it most. Let me repeat that for you. A sacred relic of the Moon Kingdom, that should've been in the Moon Kingdom, appeared before me. What's more, it didn't happen the first time I transformed into Sailor Mars, or during any of my battles against our greatest enemy; no, only once I was in the Dark Kingdom did it appear, exactly when I needed it most."

"You don't know, Usagi, so I'll tell you," Rei smiled, and there was nothing kind about it. "The others were to be the distraction while Jadeite and I slipped in and rescued you. The problem was, we were in the heart of the Dark Kingdom, there were youma crawling everywhere and I was in dire need of a way to fight them off without draining too much energy, so I could find you and still have the strength to get us both out afterward.

"Jadeite was our guide, he couldn't risk seriously injury or drain least he become unable to lead us out. Do you get it now? In the exact same flash of golden light that your note appeared, I was given the means to make it through the Dark Kingdom, find you, and complete the rescue mission. That sword? It probably saved our lives. Whoever sent you that note had a hand in keeping us alive long enough to destroy the Dark Kingdom once and for all."

I stared, stunned as the possibility presented itself.

But that wasn't right, that couldn't be right because it wasn't supposed to happen in the first place, there wasn't anyone to send anything. Not only that, but for what Rei was suggesting to be true, for the sword to have been sent not to Minako, who was the leader of the Sailor Scouts, but instead to her –to Rei who'd been charged with finding me, Rei who had needed to conserve her power- at that moment and no earlier, for that to have worked… Someone would've needed to be watching, and for quite some time.

Oh, how stupid of me.

From the very moment I laid eyes on that sword I'd known something was off, I had known it and then once all was said and done I'd dismissed the damn thing, dismissed it like I had all else that had felt off regarding that day. It had just been easier to let it go, make the easy assumption so that I could lock the memory away and focus on recovering from the sheer hell that day had been. But now that I knew, now that the idea was out there it had the potential to change everything. "We tell no one."

"What? B-'"

"No one." My tone was savage. Sitting was killing me. I shoved out of my chair and began pacing our corner on the warehouse. "This is… shit. No, okay; we keep this between us, minimize the damage, assess the situation."

Yes, that could work. Knowing was the first step, knowing gave us an advantage especially if no one knew that we knew. Know, plan, act.

"Hang on, pause." Rei stood as well, grabbing my upper arm and yanking me to a halt as I passed her. "I realize you have some weird complex thought process, but I'm just not following so spit it out."

"A third party Rei!" I waved for emphasis. "We're dealing with a third party, and it isn't some little helper elf trying to lend us a hand! The Holy Sword should be in the Moon Kingdom, on the freaking moon. Whoever gave it to you had access, and not only that but they were watching, waiting for the right moment."

"Someone had the ability to step in and they chose not to then." Her lips pursed. "Not a friend, I get it. So then… with all the secrecy, there must be something at stake here. Usagi, the Order has to hear about this if it's a threat; we have to be on the lookout, and there's a very real possibility that the Princess could be in danger."

I froze.

Serenity couldn't be brought back to this, back to a world with an unknown enemy lurking around. There would always be enemies, sure, but this was someone that might very well have been watching us from the beginning, a threat the order had never faced before. This needed to be dealt with. I would not bring her back to a world where someone might be lying in wait for her return.

"…Unacceptable." I fixed Rei with a dark look. "We tell no one."

"But-"

"We. Tell. No one." My tone was deadly. "We don't know who we're dealing with here, or how close this person is to us at this point in time. We're going to analyze the situation, the risk, and then we are going to clear the Order, one by one. If everyone ends up being innocent, great, but even then we're going to keep our mouths shut."

"Fine." Her features were grim, lips curled. "I don't like it, and I know it isn't any of our people, but if you want to start with the Order we'll do it your way. However, I don't like keeping this from them; they have a right to know once they've been proven innocent."

"No." My answer was harsh and immediate and, at her snarling expression I forced myself to calm down and explain. "I get it, okay? They're your trusted comrades and unwavering loyalty makes this seem like the wrong decision, but you need to set those feelings aside. Innocent or not, you just don't trust a group of people with a secret of this degree. That's how you lose said secret. If we tell the order, they start getting a little paranoid, a little jumpy, and to anyone watching that's a clear sign they might have been caught out. It's sloppy, Rei, and I don't do sloppy."

I expected her to argue her point some more, but she didn't, and that was even more worrying. Rei's eyes simmered, and not with any sort or resignation or defeat; rather, she seemed to be steeling herself. With a vague sense of unease I realized she was holding her temper, saving that rage for our target. Poor bastard.

"I've seen you get things done," Rei began, voice low and heated, "So I'm willing to follow your lead here. Don't keep everything to yourself though, Tsukino; you aren't a one man show anymore, and secrets hurt the team, got it?"

Well, she wasn't wrong. "Got it."

"Great. So… we just do this ourselves?"

"No, that isn't going to work either." At her impatient stare I gave a long suffering sigh. "Obviously two people isn't going to be enough; even when I was working on my own I played other people up to my advantage. So, we clear the Order one by one and we bring in whoever will be of real value. Everyone else, despite their good intentions, would only be dead weight and in the way."

"What a mess." She raked a hand through her dark locks. "Where do we even start?"

The next moment was a rare occasion, where our thoughts appeared to follow the same line of reasoning to the very same conclusion. After all, when faced with an unknown threat and a room full of suspects, you wanted to clear the person with the highest potential to be devastating on either side of the board. Someone that would ultimately amount to either a lethal ally, or a deadly opponent; and really, when you looked at the Order and their individual skills it was obvious who needed to be cleared first.

We would begin with Ami.


"So where are we going?" Rini inquired as I towed her down the street. "And why can't I tell anyone?"

"We," I began playfully, giving her a conspiring grin, "are going on a top secret mission to an undisclosed location, and you can't tell because it's top secret. Of course, it's official Guardian of the Moon business, so I'll understand if you don't think you can handle it…"

"I can!" She puffed up. "Really, I can handle it!"

"Yeah, I thought so too."

Rini preened, and I snorted as we made our way towards the east end of the Azabu-Juuban district. Urgency nipped at my heels, prompting me to pick up the pace and I forced myself to remain at a casual walk, one my teeny companion could match. There wasn't any actual need to rush; what I was feeling was, for lack of a better term, that Cookie Jar Instinct.

A compulsion to flee the scene of the crime, if you will.

Today had been Rini's first day back at school –it'd been everyone's, actually- and as an adult I knew that pulling a kid out early on the first day back, for nonemergency reasons, was not an acceptable course of action. It was only an hour and a half early, but I knew that when Makoto or Mamoru went to pick her up after school only to find she wasn't there… Yeah, they were going to be angry.

Hence my intense desire to haul ass across town before they figured it out.

It was kind of funny how utterly spoiled Rini was by all members of the Order. She spent her nights floating between homes, though most often either Makoto or Mamoru's apartment. Supposedly Naru had pulled some strings for the Generals, and each of them had procured small apartments not too far from their beloved Prince; this apparently led to dinners and, once in a blue moon, slumber parties upon Rini's insistence.

There was always someone making the kid's lunches, walking her to and from school, someone available to help with her homework, etcetera, etcetera. If there was a more pampered seven year old on this planet then I wanted to meet that brat and do a comparison. For a Crown Princess of Earth, Rini struck me as oddly… well, starved for attention. She was bratty in a way only someone treated like royalty could be, and yet for reasons I didn't understand she seemed to revel when anyone gave her their undivided attention.

I tugged lightly at the hand in mine. "Hey, I'm curious… who did you spend most of your time with in Crystal Tokyo?"

Being reigning monarch, I doubted Serenity had a plethora of time to shower Rini with attention. Mamoru was king, sure, but did that mean he was equally busy? And if so, who was in charge of looking after Rini day to day?

Rini tilted her head up at me, a curious gleam in her gaze. "Nia, nee-chan, used to eat and play with me and teach me things, but she went away a few years ago."

And Rini had felt alone ever since?

That was… hm.

Rini squeezed my hand. "How much further?"

"Not far. Five minutes."

By now we had left the business and shopping quarter behind, having found our way into one of the area's nicer neighborhoods. It fell somewhere around upper middle class, the houses larger than what I was used to in the Tsukino's neighborhood but not big enough to be considered wealthy by any means. Another few minutes of walking brought us to our destination –a two story house perched on the corner of the block.

The front gate was open, and as we stopped in front of it, Rini realized the house was our destination and she immediately turned a scrutinizing eye to it. Brick wall lined the property just like many of the other houses on this block. Past the small, iron wrought gate a concrete path led right up to the front door. The house itself was pretty, white siding with grey accents; grey slated roof, grey shutters, grey door. The neutral colors meant it wasn't all that eye catching but I thought it had potential; the yard was small by my American standards, sure, but there was definitely enough room for a garden and a bright splatter of flowers under the windows and around the house would give it that personal touch.

I led the two of us through the gate and up to the house, spotting a familiar car in the driveway as we went.

"Just follow my lead, okay?" I waited for Rini to nod her agreement before plastering on a friendly smile and knocking twice.

After a moment the door opened to reveal an older, balding man. He paused, eyeing Rini at my side and then doing a quick scan behind us before settling on me. Though his gaze was not kind, he at least had the decency to present a somewhat amiable expression as he said, "Ah, Tsukino-san. I was under the impression that you would be coming with your father this time. I'm afraid I can do no further business with your family if he isn't present."

"He's on his way from work, Yamada-san." My reply was easy, accompanied by a shrug. "We were told to meet him here right after school. It's a bit could out though and I don't think my sister should be out too long in this sort of weather. Do you mind us waiting inside?"

Yamada glanced down at Rini's rosy cheeks and pink nose, and then frowned, stepping back to allow us entry. "Your father will not be long, I hope?"

I shuffled my 'sister' in and gave him a winning smile. "There's a bit of traffic."

Yamada frowned some more, shutting the door behind us.

Rini and I slipped out of our shoes in the entry hall and into the slippers provided, the two of us peering around the interior. Though I had seen pictures and floor plans through email, being in the house itself was interesting. Past the entry, the tile ended and hardwood flooring began. The hall itself wasn't much longer than the one at the Tsukino Residence, though the layout was entirely different. The first archway on the left opened into a living room rather than a kitchen, and directly across the hall was an open doorway and then a closed door that looked more like a closet then the half bathroom I knew it to be.

We started with the open door, poking our heads into the empty room briefly –checking for water stains and possible damage- before making our way to the living room space. I admired the white walls, wood flooring, and pretty bay window as Rini dragged me along in her curiosity to see the rest of the place. Another archway opened up into the kitchen, which was thankfully tiled. Boring brown cabinets and missing fridge aside, it was decently sized. No dishwasher, sure, but there was lots of cabinet space and like the outside of the house it had potential.

Rini wrinkled her nose at the slight stain from where the fridge had been and I laughed. "Come on, lets look at the rest of the place."

And we did.

At the end of the hall we found the dining room, and next to that another living room of sorts though this one was smaller (a den? A plant room?). Then it was back into the hall and up the stairs to the second floor. There were four bedrooms of varying sizes, a master (with its own bathroom), and then three smaller bedrooms and a shared bathroom. White walls, wood floors, and big windows. By the time Rini and I had seen everything Yamada had lost whatever good will he'd had; we were ordered into the kitchen.

"I have other clients to see to, Tsukino-san." He informed me through slightly clenched teeth. "It's been fifteen minutes. If he doesn't arrive in the next five I'll be leaving and his bid on the house will be forfeited."

I blinked. "Where are the papers?"

"…Papers?" Yamada lip curled, though he seemed taken aback.

"The papers? The deed and contract my father will need to sign? The Home Inspection papers?"

I might have sounded a little condescending, but it did the job. Yamada flushed and muttered something about them being in his car, though I didn't catch the full of it as he shot me a warning look that said touch anything and you will die, before scuttling away to retrieve them. As soon as he was out of sight I bent down to match eye level with Rini. "Okay, pop quiz; what do you think of that man?"

"He's rude." She stated it immediately, expression twisted in distaste. "Commoners have more manners at home."

"Er, right." Crown Princess indeed. "Anyway, do you think Yamada-san will sign over the house to us as things are?"

Rini's brows furrowed and, after a moment, she shook her head.

No, Yamada wasn't going to sell us this house; that much had been clear from the get-go. Oh, over the phone he had been amiable enough, hadn't had a problem when 'Tsukino-san' said he'd had half the down payment now and could get him the rest in a month; the problem had come when we'd met face to face. No person in their right mind was going to sell a house to a minor, and that was fair enough.

Without a certain disguise pen to fool the man into believing I was an adult, I had merely resorted to a few tricks (Fake emails, paid college dude pretending to be father dearest) to get my way. I was just a teen helping her busy father pick the perfect home for the family. It had all been fine, until a few days ago when I had gone to meet with Yamada at his office in place of 'father'.

And then Yamada had raised the price, had doubled it.

Apparently, he thought he could take advantage of a young girl to get more money out of a deal than appropriate. Now, I'd always intended to use… unsavory means to procure this house; I had come prepared for this eventuality because, as I'd said before, nobody was going to sell to a teenager. The only difference was that now, I didn't feel nearly so guilty about what I was about to do. The guy was trash anyway; I was getting this house, and I would certainly pay (in monthly increments, as I wasn't made of money), but only for what it was worth.

"This house… it's very important, for us, for the future." I forced a smile. "But I can't get it by myself, so I need your help. What do you say, Rini? Are you up to making history and adding to the legacy of Sailor Moon?"

It was wrong. I was manipulating a child into committing a super shady act, one that was likely(definitely) illegal. I knew all of this, and I was doing it anyway.

For Serenity.

So that when she returned to the world, she had a home to come back to. It wasn't anything grand, not compared to what Serenity was used to, but it would do for now. It was a house for an average girl, and until she decided she wanted more that was what Serenity would get the chance to be. The place was a work in progress, to be sure; it still needed furniture, kitchenware, food and whatnot but… but it was a step forward. The rest could come in time.

Rini observed me. "You want me to trick him like I did with your parents."

Smart girl. "Yes. It's your choice though. I wouldn't be angry if you said no."

"…I can do that." She replied. There was something in her gaze as she glanced around the house, something I didn't quite understand. At the front of the house a door opened and shut. Rini looked at me and nodded to herself. "Yeah, I'll do it."

I wanted to make a comment, or pose a question, but there wasn't time. Yamada strolled back into the kitchen, a leather portfolio in hand and I stood. Then, to my faint horror, Rini, without even batting an eye, turned her creepy ball into an umbrella right in front of Yamada. His shock lasted about three seconds. Just as the umbrella began to spin hypnotically, entrancing the business man and subjugating him to Rini's oddly well-thought-out will, a thought occurred to me.

I hadn't gotten the chance to specify precisely what I wanted Yamada to think.


A/N

Shorter chapter than we're used to, but a chapter nonetheless. I wanted to include a Rei P.O.V. but it just wasn't working yet. Anyway, since I've got the time I wanted to answer a question, address another commonly asked question, and give some news.

YanaSky asked me an interesting question regarding Usagi, and it boils down to something along the lines of How come Usagi, with her constant (unhealthy) state of fear and paranoia, hasn't ever considered committing suicide to escape the horrors of her situation? It's a good question really, and I'm glad to answer it.

Normally, yes, I would imagine a perpetual state of fear/paranoia would be enough to drive someone to such an act. The thing is though, Usagi is in this situation because she died. She correlates the trauma she's experiencing here with death, since that's what got her into this mess to begin with. You'll see from time to time a sort of wavering where she'll think back to that comforting nothingness, but ultimately it's not even remotely an option. People… they don't ever really want to die. What they want is a better life than whatever shit they're forced to live through. They want out of that bad situation, the waking nightmare and sometimes, for some people, death looks like an escape.

But what if death was what brought you into that bad situation? What then?

It wouldn't look like much of an out then, now would it? Especially, especially when dying the first time had been against your will. It's something you'll see in a lot of my stories, because it's a concept I really enjoy. Living is hard. Sometimes you hit rock bottom and dying looks like a way out of your suffering. The thing about humans is that we're resilient and really damn stubborn. Living might be hard but if there's something or someone out there trying to kill you? Trying to make that choice for you?

Well, you're gonna live a full life just to spite them.

I also get a lot of questions about what other Sailor Moon fics I know of, ones that have SIs or OCs or even just feature a strong Usagi. To be honest, I haven't really seen any SIs or OCs and at this point I'm starting to doubt their existence; I haven't checked in the past year or so though, and these days I hardly have the time. That there doesn't seem to be more than three or four SI fics is so unbelievably wasteful considering the sheer potential this universe has. I know a good many of you have the talent to write up a Sailor Moon fanfic, so why aren't you doing it? You guys know what you want to read.

Go. Write. It.

I'm thinking of doing a side-fic to RotM once it ends. Maybe from Minako's perspective; meeting Artemis, receiving Usagi's alarming letter and everything leading up to the reveal of Sailor Moon. Or maybe something from the second Silver Millennium, past where RotM will end. Either way it wouldn't be from Usagi's perspective.

In other news, I started a poll for those of you that read my other fics!

It's basically a sort of "What Fic Would You Like To Read Next?" since I couldn't keep track of all the answers via reviews on E&R and PMs. The poll can be found on my page (though I don't think it works on phones) so vote if you feel up to it.

With that said,

Thoughts? Questions?

Please Review!

P.S. Still don't have my Adderall, still suffering infinitely but what's new, right?

P.P.S. I know I'm forgetting something here.

P.P.P.S. If any of you figure out what I'm forgetting, do tell. (please and thank you)