Sailor Moon - The Order of Black
Chapter Twenty Five: Lessons of the Black
Originally published 06/09/2015
Hotaru stared out at the unfamiliar skyline of Brussels, the cool night air leaving a tingle on her skin. The adrenaline had long faded, leaving her strangely numb as she relived the raid on the Sanctuary over and over again. It began while she healed Haruka, a difficult task in itself; the assassin's blade had sunk deep indeed. Her memory of the attack was chaotic and scattered but she kept returning to one, inescapable truth; a man was dead by her hand.
He appeared as a faint shimmer, one she didn't even recognise as a person at first. When he sank a knife into Haruka's side, though, she acted on instinct and lunged at him. Any lingering suspicion or resentment for her fellow Senshi ceased to exist; all that mattered was saving Haruka's life. Time seemed to slow as she moved, events unfolding at a crawl. She watched as Haruka's blood welled up around the blade, as the tip of the Silence Glaive sliced through the air towards the assassin, as it sank into his chest and pierced his armour like it was nothing…
She jumped, a particularly vitriolic exchange from behind cutting her reverie short. Haruka, she realised, defending herself with her typical fire. Corey and Titus were arguing against the necessity of her actions, while Michiru seemed oddly quiet. She was trying to remain neutral but Hotaru knew she would support Haruka if pressed. The youngest of the Outer Senshi herself didn't know who was right and wrong in this fight, but she did know she couldn't condemn Haruka, at least not completely. After all, she wasn't the only one of us to kill tonight.
The door slid open and Corey stepped out onto the balcony behind her. His large frame made it a tight squeeze, even with Hotaru's own comparatively small size. His irritable sigh left little doubt things were still tense; she was more than happy to be left out of the argument as long as possible…but she did have to say something.
"Don't be too hard on Haruka. She was just protecting me."
Corey rubbed his face wearily. "Yeah, I know. It's just…" He trailed off as he stared out at the city quietly, seemingly lost in thought. "How are you doing?"
"I killed him," she said softly, unable to think of another way to put it. "The man in the mask. He's dead because of me."
He leaned forward on the railing to study the street below. "It was a mess back there, alright…but what happened wasn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for-"
"Who should I blame, then?"
An uncomfortable sigh preceded yet more silence as Corey continued avoiding her gaze. "How about me?"
"What? Why?" It made little sense to Hotaru.
"I told Usagi we should make a statement, show the Order we wouldn't just sit back and tolerate their attacks. I wasn't looking at the big picture, I just wanted payback, like Haruka…and now two people are dead." His head dipped forward slightly as he spoke, a bitter quality to his words. "Maybe that's why I tore into her so hard? I'm just as responsible for those deaths as she is."
She squeezed his forearm gingerly. "You can't blame yourself."
"Oh?" A hint of a smile flashed across his lips as he faced her. "Who should I blame, then?"
Impossibly, Hotaru felt a faint smile of her own coming on as she realised their roles has been reversed, however momentarily. "There is nobody to blame. It was an accident. We tried not to hurt anybody, but once…" Corey's point finally hit home. "Once the fighting started...that became almost impossible."
"Is that right?" He was playing along right until to the end. "Alright, I'll make you a deal. You try to let go of your guilt and I'll do the same."
Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be so easy. "But it hurts." Hotaru clutched at her stomach, the twisting ball of guilt almost tangible beneath her fingers. "I see him whenever I close my eyes, Corey. I can't help wondering what I could have done differently. Why didn't I turn my Glaive around and use the blunt end instead? Why did I thrust when I could have swung? Why didn't…" Her voice cracked and broke, an urge to cry threatening to overwhelm her. "Why couldn't they just let us leave?!"
His hand hovered an inch above her shoulder before finally settling on it. "This won't help. Trust me."
She needed to know it was going to be alright, that she wouldn't see his mask in her dreams for the rest of her life. "How did you deal with it, Corey? When you killed Wrath?"
"That was…different."
"No, it wasn't!" Hotaru felt the first hot, guilty tear slide down her cheek. "It was worse! You knew him but you still got over it. Right? He doesn't haunt you anymore?" It was a raw, painful plea; she needed to know it was all going to be alright. "I just-" She froze as Corey pulled her into a tight hug, an extremely rare gesture on his part but exactly what she needed at that moment.
"I'm still not over it…and I'm not sure I'd want to be, either." A brief pause only served to punctuate his confession further. "I don't think taking a life is something you ever come to terms with, not fully, and I don't think it should be. The day I can just kill someone without hurting afterwards is…well, I don't want to get to that point. Ever."
"Me neither." Hotaru buried her face in his chest, shivering at the thought. She knew immediately that she would never let herself become that cold. That was the realm of monsters like Mistress 9, Pharaoh 90 and Galaxia. Even Haruka and Michiru were too close to that line for her liking. I don't know if they'll ever pull back from it completely, she admitted sadly. Maybe they've been there for so long that they can't come back anymore?
She sensed Corey pulling back before she felt it and allowed him to end their hug. It wasn't much of a surprise; it was a little out of character for him to hug anyone not called Usagi or Minako…and he didn't even hug the former all that often. It just wasn't his way. "Thank you for trying to make me feel better. And for not talking down to me like I'm a little kid."
He laughed quietly, returning to his earlier position against the railing. "That's one mistake I won't make again. Not after the talking to Chibiusa gave me last time."
"She was pretty mad," Hotaru agreed, glancing down at the street again. "I miss her. And Setsuna."
"Well, you've still got Michiru and Haruka, and I'm only a quick blink away."
"I know." She glanced over her shoulder, back into the hotel room. Michiru seemed to be doing her best to keep Titus and Haruka civil, though the cat's tail had puffed up to twice its normal size. "I think I'd like to come back to Tokyo…but they still need me. Michiru and Haruka would never admit it but they're in a lot of pain too, Corey. They're haunted by what happened with Rei and the Revenant Knight…and maybe even what they did to Setsuna and me." Another faint smile blossomed on her face as she made her choice. "I belong here. With them. My fellow Senshi of the Outer Solar System."
"You're a better person than I am," Corey said, with a wry smile. "Just a few hours with Haruka and I already want to throw myself off this balcony."
"No, you don't," she countered, giggling in spite of the situation. "You don't hate her as much as you like everyone to think you do."
He uttered a heavy sigh and shook his head. "Oh, fine, but if you tell her that I'll deny it to my grave. Got it?"
"Your secret's safe with me." A faint tapping on the glass drew her attention again and she turned to see Titus glaring at Corey. "I think he wants to leave."
"It seems that way," Corey agreed, as he straightened up. "I'd better get him out of here before he claws her with more than just words." He paused briefly in front of the door, turning back to raise an eyebrow. "No more blaming yourself, right?"
Hotaru nodded emphatically. "We had a deal."
"Good." He reached for the door, but looked over his shoulder one more time. "If you ever need to talk, my communicator's always on, okay?" The door opened and Titus' snarky voice immediately launched into a tirade.
"By Selene, what took you so long? If I have to spend another second in this woman's company I won't be held responsible for my actions!" The cat leapt onto Corey's shoulders with a final glare at Haruka.
"So long, you two," Corey said, with a mock salute. "It's been a pleasure, as always." He vanished in his typical flash of light, leaving them alone.
Michiru caught Hotaru's eye with a quizzical look, but she just shook her head and smiled reassuringly. Perhaps she was still troubled, but in that moment she didn't feel quite so bad after all.
Rinjirou found himself sweeping the shrine's courtyard, back into something of a routine. It would have been impossible to comprehend when he first arrived in Tokyo but here he was all the same. He awoke that morning knowing Rei had an early class and launched back into his chore schedule like nothing had happened. It was a fallacy, of course; a lot had happened since the last time he'd held this broom. A run-in with Megumi, of all people – now one of the Order's Hunters – and then a confrontation with two of her comrades. He hadn't discussed what happened afterwards with Rei, not openly, but he was happy to say that they'd reconciled for the most part and he was back at the shrine.
There's just one problem with that, he thought sullenly. I have to leave.
His encounter with Megumi and the other Hunters had made that all too clear. It was far too dangerous for Hino-sama and Rei. He was the Order's primary target at this point; as long as he was around they'd be in danger by proxy. Rei was a Sailor Senshi, too – something else they hadn't talked about yet – so he knew she could protect the old man if the Order did return to finish him. Rinjirou had to leave, though, and find a new place to life. Somewhere he could start a life of his own, free of the Order. It all sounded so easy…
"Hello?"
Rinjirou looked up from the stone tiles at his feet, embarrassingly startled. It was Rei's annoying blonde friend and, from the look on her face, that wasn't her first attempt at getting his attention. What's her name? Oh, right. Minako. "Rei's not here."
"What? Oh, that's fine." She waved him off as she stepped closer, the same maddeningly cheerful smile as last time on her face. "I'm actually here to see you."
"Lucky me," he muttered. "What do you want?"
Minako looked him up and down with obvious disdain; it seemed she wasn't a big fan of his, either. "I'm here to give you some advice."
"Great."
"Shut up." She coughed into her hand rather politely and began. "The whole 'wounded soldier' look may have worked for you at first but now you need some new clothes. You're never going to get Rei to admit she likes you looking like…" She gestured helplessly at his outfit. "…this."
He groaned irritably. "Not this again. Look, you nut-"
"You can lie to me all you like but it won't change the fact that you two are into each other." Minako let that sink in as she glared at him. "Rei's a stylish young woman of refined taste. Trust me when I say she's not going to wait around for you forever." She looked him over a second time and shook her head. "Not looking like that."
"Well, that's unfortunate," Rinjirou snapped, "because I don't have a job and…" He slumped a little as it all hit him at once. "I don't know the first thing about getting one."
Minako's right eyebrow arched just slightly as she waited expectantly.
"Damn it." He'd lost a little of his fire now; his plan to leave the shrine had just hit its first roadblock. He needed a job if he was going to live somewhere else. There was rent to consider. Food. Clothes. "What the hell am I supposed to do? How does someone even get a job? The Order was my whole life and now that-" He caught Minako staring at him and realised – belatedly – that he was speaking aloud. The sudden embarrassment put him on the defensive immediately. "What?!"
She sighed wearily and reached into her handbag, thrusting a fistful of crumpled notes towards him. "Here."
There must be at least twenty thousand yen there, he thought, surprised."What the hell is that?"
"It's money," she said, with a look of confusion. "You use it to procure goods and services?"
"I know what money is," he retorted, wondering briefly why she sounded like a school teacher.
She snapped right back at him. "Well, I'm sorry, but you just said you don't know how people get jobs, so I'm a little iffy on what you do and don't know!" The blonde rolled her eyes and shook her fist. "Just take it, okay? Buy yourself some new clothes…and hair products. It looks like you haven't washed it properly in a week."
Rinjirou blinked slowly, her prediction disturbingly accurate. "I haven't."
Minako's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Oh, I noticed, and I'd wager Rei has too."
That was somehow unsettling. Rinjirou had accepted that he felt something for Rei…but held little hope that she felt the same way. Now, though, with Minako's continued insistence that she did, a mild panic was beginning to spark in his heart. Is my hair really going to mess up my chances? What else am I doing wrong? It's been so long since I went on a date, or even asked a girl out…I've got no idea what I'm doing!
"Hey!" Minako's terse call dragged him back to reality as she shook the money in her hand again. "How long are you gonna make me stand here like this? Take it already!"
"Why?" Rinjirou asked, confused by her sudden kindness. I've been nothing but rude to her, yet here she is doing something like this. "Why do you even care?"
"I don't. Personally, I think you're a rude, arrogant jerk with a serious interpersonal skills deficiency."
He blinked again as he deciphered her unexpectedly wordy insult. Is this really the same Minako I met the other day?!
"But…" Her tone softened somewhat. "Rei cares about you - for some reason – and I care about her…so here we are."
With that, Rinjirou began to understand exactly why Rei was friends with her. She may be a little nuts, but she's obviously a very caring friend. It's not as unlikely as I first thought. He reached out and took the money from her somewhat reluctantly. "This is a loan, understand? I'll pay back you eventually…as soon as I get a job."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," she said cheerfully. "I mean…no, wait, I got that right."
That led him to an uncomfortable silence as he slipped the money into his shirt. Another unfamiliar and unwelcome sensation was gnawing away at him now; guilt. "Look, I, uh…I'm sorry I was so rough on you the other day. I thought you were a shallow, vapid idiot but...you're not so bad. I guess."
She shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Just go get some clothes, wash your hair…and tell Rei how you feel already! You two aren't fooling anyone but yourselves!"
"Fine. I'll tell her." It really didn't do any harm to admit it when he thought about. Rei cut me off before I could tell her yesterday. Almost like she knew what I was going to say. She even let me off the hook when she…when she started that argument! He was beginning to see the signs himself!
It was Minako's turn to look surprised. "You…you actually admitted it?" Her eyes sparkled with sudden life as she twirled around on the spot and thrust her fingers towards him in a victory sign. "Yes! It took a while but I, the beautiful Goddess of Love, have worked my magic once again!"
"I take it all back," he muttered wearily. "You really are a shallow, vapid idiot…with delusions of grandeur to boot!" He yelped in unexpected pain as she kicked him in the shin. Hard!
"Maybe so, but it's better than being an arrogant jerk! Now go make yourself all pretty for Rei!" She planted her hands on her hips and skewered him with a withering glare. "I mean now!"
Despite her relatively small size, there was an off-putting fire in her eyes that he didn't like at all, just shy of scary. "I don't even know where-"
"Head down the hill, make a right at the bottom, and follow the road for about two kilometres. There's a few nice stores in that district that have good looking clothes at reasonable prices." She developed a sudden dreamy smile. "My boyfriend shops there."
That seemed ludicrous. "You have a boyfri-" He yelped again as she kicked him a second time. "Ow! Stop doing that!"
"I'll stop kicking you when you stop acting like a jerk!" Contrary to her words, she stormed off in a huff, only to turn around halfway through the courtyard. "Oh, by the way? If you break Rei's heart, I'll be back to break yours." Minako flashed him a smile that was far too sweet as she waved. "Buh-bye!"
Rinjirou watched her go, mulling over her warning. A petite, five foot blonde girl had just threatened to hurt him...and the craziest part was he believed her! He tossed the broom aside and headed for his room to change, trying very hard to convince himself it wasn't because of Minako…and failing miserably.
Megumi slipped quietly into the Hall of the Vigilus, intent on finding her father. She had no guarantee of finding him, given the late hour – early morning, in fact – but she had far too many questions in need of answers; she had to try. A pair of voices drifted towards her from the central dais, marking the presence of someone, at least. She recognised one as her father and the other as Elder Haim, head of the Council. But what's he doing here?
"The damage to the facility itself was light, but targeted."
"And the creatures?"
"Destroyed." Her father's voice was solemn. "They also uploaded a virus to our database, deleting any reference to them and the project. I have secure backups of course, isolated from the mainframe, but it is an inconvenience nonetheless."
Megumi flinched at a loud bang. A fist hitting a table or other flat surface, perhaps? There was only one group the Elder would be this concerned about. The Sailor Senshi have attacked us?
"Why now?" he wondered aloud. "Why are the Senshi so aggressive now? We've remained passive, not attacking them directly, but they've repeatedly involved themselves in our affairs." He grew quiet. "Is it Payne? Is he responsible for this shift in their focus?"
"My agents have no insight into their motivations."
Megumi frowned at his lie. What about my attack on Sailor Moon? Is this all happening because of me?
"And our casualties?" Haim sounded tired, or at least she thought so.
"Two. One of the facility's Paladins and a member of the Eye. Initial reports suggest two of the Senshi were injured - one seriously - but the Guardian Knight proved resilient to most of our forces' attacks."
"He was there too?" The Elder sighed heavily. "All our recent operations in Tokyo have targeted Payne almost exclusively. Why would they turn their focus on us now?"
Megumi knew the answer. They're retaliating after my attack on them. Guilt began gnawing away at her stomach. Two of her fellow Paladins were dead and it was very likely her fault. In my thirst for vengeance I've set the Senshi upon the Order…and according to Elder Haim, it isn't ready!
"What about the two agents you lost?" he asked, his voice growing quiet. "Did they report anything out of the ordinary?"
"The Senshi have intervened on behalf of Payne twice; he's clearly in league with them. There's no way of knowing how many secrets he's already divulged."
Is that why they sent people to kill him? Megumi could scarcely believe it. Rin claimed he wasn't with the Senshi, but now I'm not so sure. A hint of jealousy flared up in her heart as she remembered the fight. He got between us, the Red Senshi and I. He saved her. Deflected my strike. There are no other logical reasons; it must be true.
Yes… It was like a whisper in the back of her mind. He betrayed you. He chose her. Rinjirou is a traitor to the cause and he must be punished...
She found such thoughts unsettling. You're nothing but negative impulses created by the Chaos Sliver I carry. Begone. Her control appeared to be intact, for it didn't answer. For now.
"I tried to steer us through this with minimal conflict," Haim said, his voice wavering. "I tried to show a measure of restraint, for the good of the Order…but this? This forces my hand. We must retaliate, or be seen as backing down. Think of what that would do to our morale!" His aggression grew as he spoke, a commanding strength coming through with his words. This was why he was Elder. "If the Senshi want a war, then a war is what they'll get!"
"Of course, Elder. If I might offer a suggestion, however?"
"By all means, old friend. I'm always grateful for your council, you know that."
"Before we commit to full-scale war, perhaps we might study our opposition further? We know what is coming, but we don't know the why or the how of it." Her father paused briefly, an odd, almost sinister hesitation. "I suggest an expedition…to somewhere very far away."
Megumi found his tone a touch disturbing; it was far colder than she'd ever heard before.
"Where?" The Elder was clearly confused. "How far?"
Her father sounded like he was smiling beneath his mask; she couldn't explain why. "About a thousand years or so."
The older man's surprise was immediate. "There?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "And just how are you planning on-"
"Trust me, Elder. The Eye has many secrets, as you know it must. Even from you." This was her father as she remembered him; confident and strong. "I can get there. That's all that matters."
"And what do you intend to do once you get there?" There was a clear note of suspicion in Haim's voice.
"Merely expand our intelligence. I'll attempt to uncover how the Moon Princess convinces the world her rule is just. When she founds her kingdom anew. Dates, places, times…as much information as possible. Then I shall return and we can plan our war accordingly."
The older man was silent, no doubt mulling it over. For her part, Megumi was left to wonder just where there actually was. Both men spoke as if it were some great journey, but her father had given a unit of time instead of distance. What are you planning, father? Where exactly are you going?
At long last, Haim gave his answer. "Very well. Do what you will. I'll expect a thorough report upon your return."
"Of course, Elder. As always, I live to serve the Black."
Megumi shrank back into the shadows as Haim strode past. He looked as tired as he sounded, lacking his usual fire and resolve. What was going on here? She'd come seeking answers but, so far, had only found more questions.
"You can come out now."
She blanched as her father called to her, caught off-guard. He knew I was here all along?
"You have questions, no doubt."
Megumi set aside her odd, childish response to his stern voice and stepped into the light, striding across the chamber purposefully. He wore the same mask as always, something that puzzled her. She had only ever seen him without it once since his return to her life; the night he approached her. It was odd for an additional reason, too. He wasn't scarred or otherwise injured beneath it…so why wear it even in private places such as this?
Remember your anger, she told herself. Remember Rinjirou and Tokyo. "I'll start with the most pressing issue. You knew Rinjirou was alive, didn't you?"
"Of course," he agreed readily. "There's little I don't know about the Order of Black."
"Why didn't you tell me?!" she demanded, momentarily forgetting her place as a familiar anger started burning in her heart. "Why did you let me believe the Senshi had killed him?"
The blank stare of his mask met her gaze unflinchingly. "Would you have believed me if I'd told you the truth?"
Megumi wanted to say yes…but she knew it wasn't honest. I would have rejected it as a mistake or even an outright lie. I had to see it with my own eyes, see him defend one of them. Defend her. "So you lied?"
"I lied." There was no hint of remorse in his voice, no shame or guilt.
"But you let me go to Tokyo, knowing full well what I intended to do once I got there! And now, I might have condemned the Order to direct conflict before its ready! Why would you let me do that?!"
"Because it was useful." His cold admission sent a chill down her spine; this was a far cry from the man who'd raised her. "I knew your heart would demand vengeance, and you provoked the Senshi as I knew you would. Now, they in turn have provoked us...also as expected."
Her reply was barely a whisper. "What?" None of what he was saying made any sense.
"Haim is a weak-minded fool. He claims the Order isn't ready for war, but if he had his way we would never be ready. He's afraid, but thanks to you we are on the brink of no return. All we need now is one, final push. Something to send the Senshi over the edge into a full-blown assault. They will retaliate once more…and the conflict will be unavoidable. At last we will pay more than lip-service to our vows; we will cleanse the Earth of their Lunarian filth utterly and finally complete the divine task entrusted to us one thousand years ago."
A dull pain ached in Megumi's chest. She had her father back...but it was quickly becoming apparent that he wasn't the same man she remembered. Not anymore.
"I will not stand idly by as the future comes to us, Megumi. I will not do nothing as a new Moon Kingdom is founded before our very eyes."
"You used me…"
"No," he said calmly. "I opened your eyes. Showed you the truth. You can never truly trust anyone, daughter. Not even those you care for most. In the end, they will hurt you. They will betray you...just like Rinjirou." His gloved hand brushed her cheek softly and, just like that, it was as if she was a girl again, being comforted by her father. "I knew from the second I came to you that day that you loved him…and he tore out your heart, didn't he? He sided with the Senshi against us, Megumi; against you. That makes him the enemy and he must be destroyed."
"Yes…" She nodded faintly, her heart not entirely in it despite her acknowledgement.
"The Senshi are the single greatest threat this world has ever known and they must be destroyed."
Megumi drew a shallow breath, his display both inspiring and terrifying all at once. "Where are you going?"
"A place nobody else has ever gone. A place we are trying to prevent ever being founded."
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she realised exactly where he intended to go. But how?!
"A place foreseen by the Progenitor himself, described in our Vows in his words alone." His mask was unreadable, but his eyes blazed defiantly beneath it. "A great city of crystal."
AN: I don't have quite so much to say about this chapter. Nothing major in terms of main plot movement except for a little foreshadowing at the end. It was more about the fallout from last chapter and setting up the pieces for the next phase. The Rinjirou/Minako scene was the first thing I wrote but it was largely fluff and - again - setting up a later scene; without the Megumi element this would have been a fluff chapter entirely.
Speaking of Megumi, she continues to be a fun character for me to write. She's dedicated to the Order, but rightly concerned after learning Thorn isn't the same father she remembers. A fair bit of foreshadowing in that scene, too, and I'm happy to announce that we're quite close to reintroducing Pluto AND Chibiusa to the story. I know some of you have been waiting for them and I hope that update will help you remain patient just a little longer.
Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, followed and/or favourited last chapter. It means a lot to have your continued readership and support as we head towards the middle act of Order of Black. I'm a big fan of constructive criticism and if you don't keep me informed on what's working and what's not, then I don't necessarily know myself. Keep it coming, guys and gals, it's very much appreciated. Back with more soon!
Lisseas