"It wasn't your fault, you know."

Chibiusa looked up to see Helios standing over her, holding out a mug of tea. She took it with a sniff. "So everyone keeps telling me. Yet somehow I don't feel any better."

It was barely past dawn and the house was full. The only person missing was Rei; she had arrived with the others but at Usagi's request had returned to Hikawa to use her spiritual powers in an attempt to track Seiya. It was probably the only chance they'd have.

Helios sat down beside Chibiusa, leaning back against the wall. He didn't attempt to offer any more words of comfort, for which she was grateful. She sipped at the tea, enjoying its warmth and the restorative effect of the sugar. Focusing on those physical needs kept her from thinking about, or looking at, anyone else. At least for a time.

She knew how ghastly her parents looked. After Seiya's disappearance it had taken her nearly an hour to break apart the magical barrier that had encased their bedroom. Even so they hadn't awakened right away, and that wait had been the longest, and loneliest, of her life. She had spilled the story of what happened as quickly as possible before breaking down and sobbing in her father's arms.

Usagi, however, had reacted in an unexpected way. She had briefly given way in the initial shock, but now she appeared as if emotionally encased in ice. She was calm, and in command of the situation. The rational decision to have Rei attempt to track Seiya was proof of that. Chibiusa felt a large measure of awe, and not a small amount of fear, as she watched her mother.

But it was easier to look at Usagi than it was to see Mariko. She sat on the sofa, knees pulled to her chest, huddled within herself. Makoto sat beside her, but may as well have been miles away. Mariko's pinched face and red-rimed eyes were a testament to the tears that had been shed, but they had long since stopped. When she met Chibiusa's eyes it was with a steely determination that was so unlike warm-heated Mariko that it sent a chill down the spine.

Chibiusa shuddered and squeezed her eyes shut against more tears. No matter what anyone said she knew that this – all of it – was her fault. She could think of at least three occasions on the path that had led to this point where if she had acted, or decided, differently she would have been strong enough to save her brother.

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and she was pressed against Helios' warmth. "Stop it," he whispered. "Thinking about all of those what-ifs will get you nowhere. What happens next is what matters." She swallowed hard and turned her face into his shoulder. "I mean it, Usa. The past isn't going to save your brother."

"Can we save him?"

He cupped her chin in one hand and raised her face so their eyes met. "I think that rather depends on you. If you believe we can than we will." He kissed her gently. "But youhave to believe in yourself as strongly as I do."

Chibiusa didn't now if it was from Helios' words, his kiss, or even the sugar in that damned cup of tea, but she suddenly felt a new-found strength in her heart. She clambered awkwardly to her feet, stiff from having sat on the floor for so long. But her hands were clenched at her sides and her face set in determined lines. "Mizuki. Akemi. Rio. Mariko. We've got work to do," she said, an undeniable tone of command in her voice. She looked down to where Helios still sat. "No one's excusing you, priest," she finished, grinning. He stood, pulling his robe straight.

"I wasn't expecting you to."

After quick hugs for her parents and a whispered "Trust me" in her mother's ear Chibiusa joined her friends on the street corner. She saw her own desire to help Seiya reflected in all of their faces. And the same uncertainty.

It was Mizuki who voiced it first. "Okay, dramatic exit notwithstanding, what do you propose to do now?"

"Know thy enemy," Helios put in, earning him surprised glances. "Isn't that the rule?"

Mizuki snorted in derision. "So we just randomly sprint around Tokyo in hopes of learning something about Chaos. Good plan." She grunted in pain when Mariko, who was standing closest, elbowed her in the ribs.

"Random won't get us any answers, obviously," Mariko said, shooting Mizuki a further warning glance. "We need a starting point, and then we can figure out a strategy from there. And no offense, Rio, but we can't afford to wait on your mom. The clock is ticking."

"No offense taken," Rio replied with a grin. "I happen to agree, wholeheartedly. So, Warrior of Intelligence, where do you think we should start?"

"Ummmm." Everyone turned to Akemi, surprised. "I think I might have an idea. Mom told me that the heart snatching victims of both the past and the present were all marked with a star. If the victim survived the star faded, if he died it was permanent."

Chibiusa nodded, remembering what had been in the police report on Aaron Henderson's death. "Always a five pointed star."

"Right," Akemi continued. "So maybe the number five is somehow significant, and might give us a clue as to where, or when, Chaos will appear next."

"But we've already been attacked five times," Mizuki put in. She ticked them off on her fingers. "The shopping district, the underground metro station, the shrine, the park, and now the house." She looked at Akemi. "I'm not discounting your idea. It just seems like there's something we don't know."

"Only one thing?" Mariko asked with a laugh. "Still, as of right now it's our best chance, so here's what we're going to do. Usa, you and Helios get to the district land and property office. Find out everything you can about all five locations; previous owners, zoning restrictions, sales, deed transfers, even tax information. Go back at least fifty years. Akemi, you and Rio go to all of them and see if Rio can get any kind of read on what's there; leftover spiritual traces or backwash. You -" she pointed at Mizuki "- are coming with me." She stopped speaking suddenly and turned a sheepish face to Chibiusa. "If that's okay with you, boss."

Chibiusa just grinned before grabbing Helios' hand and setting off at a run to the nearest bust stop.

Usagi felt horribly out of sorts after all the girls left. Her friends had stayed a little longer, but Ami was needed at the hospital and Minako had a meeting with her agent and a record producer. Before she left, though, Minako had made a point of of hugging her friend and apologizing for their earlier argument. She also added some extra encouragement.

"It'll work out, you'll see," she had whispered. "With all of us on the case how could it not?"

But that's the problem, Usagi thought. We aren't all on the case. Ami and Minako had other concerns that had to be dealt with first. So did Mamoru. And she wasn't certain if the girls could be relied on; they were lifelong friends but the bonds of Guardians needed more time to be forged. Could they work together in any meaningful way without that connection?

"They'll be fine, you know." Usagi looked up to see Makoto placing a plate in front of her that contained all her favorite things for breakfast. "Eat," Makoto said with a smile. "Then we'll figure out what comes next."

Usagi almost instantly felt better even without a bite of food. It was the normalcy of the situation; Makoto in the kitchen and a delicious meal. She started to eat, and was surprised to discover how hungry she was. In no time at all the entire plate was empty and Makoto was pouring them both coffee before slipping into the chair beside her friend. "Now, spill. All of it. I feel like I've missed a few things in the last twenty-four hours."

So Usagi did. Every fear, every worry, every concern. Even a few triumphs. By the time she was finished the coffee pot was empty and the sun high in the sky. At the end Makoto stretched and rose from her chair. "Same old, Usagi," she said, smiling. "Worrying about all the things you have no control over instead of tackling those that you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Usagi asked, surprised.

"Just what I said. You're so focused on the things that you can't affect, and you're ignoring what's right in front of your face. For example, why did you send Rei off on her own instead of going with her? You know any fire reading she might do will be pretty much useless in this situation."

Tears sprang to Usagi's eyes. "What else could I do?" she all but shouted. "This is my son! And any clue, however small or useless, is better than nothing!"

Makoto grabbed her hands. "Believe me, I understand that. Do you think I'm unaware of how this is effecting everyone? My daughter. . ." She swallowed hard and continued in a more controlled voice. "But if we're all together don't you think Rei would stand a better chance of sensing something? Our combined strength may be what she needs right now!"

"But Minako and Ami -"

"Would have stayed and helped if Rei hadn't left!" Makoto exclaimed, slamming her hands on top of the table and making Usagi jump. "Your worries for your children have made you forget that we are always – ALWAYS – stronger together than apart. And, unless we're very lucky, that'll infect our daughters as well. And now is definitely not the time for that to happen."

"Makoto."

The soft voice was enough to startle both Makoto and Usagi. Rei stood in the archway between the living room and the kitchen, still garbed in the robes of a priestess. He eyes were shadowed and sunken, as if she hadn't slept in days. She smiled gently when she met Usagi's eyes. "Don't worry about the girls," she said. "They're fine. Better than we are, apparently." She glanced at Makoto. "Not that I disagree with anything you said, but maybe you could have phrased it a little better?"

Usagi shook her head. "No, it's all right. She said what needed to be said, and in exactly the right way. We're at a crisis point, and beating around the bush won't do anybody any good." She took a deep breath. "Did you learn anything?" she asked Rei.

"Nothing new," Rei replied. "Just confirmation of things we already know."

"But Seiya. . ."

"He's alive, I know that much. But -"

"That'll only last as long as Chaos thinks he's useful," Usagi finished the thought with a shudder.

"So the solution is simple, right?" Minako's voice. She and Ami were at the door of the kitchen. "All we have to do is catch up with Chaos before that happens."

"Easier said than done, Mina," Ami said. "But I have a few ideas."

"So do the girls," Rei commented. "And they've got a head start on us, so we should let them go. It's their fight now."

It was a long day for the five senior Guardians. Inaction did not come very naturally to any of them, but they had agreed that it was time for the next generation to step forward. They'd be ready and waiting with assistance and support, but the girls would lead.

It was a decision that Luna and Artemis agreed with when they had come to the house in the early afternoon. Luna's attitude, in particular, had done a complete turnaround. She reminded them all that the connection between the Moon and Earth Kingdoms that had survived millenia to bring Usagi and Mamoru together was now embodied in their children. If anyone could find and help Seiya it was Chibiusa. As the pair of them left Usagi made a point of speaking to Artemis.

"I don't know what you said to convince her," she had said, with a nod to where Luna waited. "But thank you."

Artemis had laughed. "She's stubborn, Usagi. Not stupid."

That was hours ago and the girls had still not returned. Mamoru arrived home with Motoki in tow, and a silent meal was eaten. Afterwards Makoto took her husband aside and after a whispered conversation and one last, lingering glance of concern Motoki left.

"I don't want him in any danger," Makoto explained. "And Mariko wouldn't be able to handle the additional distraction, on top of her fears for Seiya."

As soon as she finished speaking the front food opened, hard and fast. It banged against the wall with a sound that echoed through the house. "Mom! Dad!" Chibiusa called out. She charged into the living room at top speed, skidding to a stop when she saw everyone else that was present. "Good, you're all here." She went into the kitchen and cleared the table off with a sweep of her arm, shattering a vase and sending the flowers it had contained flying in all directions.

"Chibiusa!" Mamoru exclaimed.

"Never mind, Dad. We don't have time for any of that." She turned and faced their parents. "We've got it," she said, triumphant.

"Got what, exactly?" Minako asked, looking at each of the younger girls in turn. "Where have all of you been all day?"

"Where haven't we been?" Mariko asked as she pushed past everyone else and entered the kitchen. She was carrying a rolled bundle under her arm, which she spread out on the table. "As for what we have -" She swiped a hand across her forehead, leaving a streak of dirt. "We have the answer."

Everyone gathered around the table and looked down at a detailed map of their district of the city. It was laminated so that it could be written on and wiped clean. Mamoru touched a finger to the map and then looked up at his daughter, confused. "Explain."

Chibiusa gestured to Akemi, who took up the story of their conversation of that morning. "When I remembered the existence of the five pointed star on the victims of heart snatchings we thought that the number five might be important," she concluded. "So all we had to do was eliminate which of the first five attacks was the unimportant, or accidental, one and then Mariko took care of the rest."

"Wait, what do you mean which attack was unimportant?" Rei asked. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Give it a minute and it will," Mariko said, pulling a blue marker out of one of her pockets. "Usa and Helios tracked down all kinds of information about the locations we've been attacked at." She made an X on the map. "First was the shopping district, which was also the first time the Silver Crystal responded to Seiya. Next -" another X "- the underground station. Then Hikawa Shrine, the park, and this house." Another three X's joined the first two.

Mizuki came forward then, with a red marker in one hand and a damp paper towel in the other. "Hikawa was pretty obvious; there's been a shrine on that site for nearly two hundred years." She circled that X. "The station was built on the site of an old monastery that was abandoned in the early twentieth century, after the Russo-Japanese War." Circle. "The park and the house are on land that was one of the largest cemeteries on the outskirts of the city, before urban sprawl caught up." She circled those two X's. "Which leaves us with the shopping district."

"What's significant about it?" Minako asked.

"Nothing," Mizuki replied with a grin, wiping that X off of the map. "Even before the modernization of the district after the Second World War that area was a commercial warehouse and trade center. There's never been any kind of spiritual or religious site there."

"The unimportant attack," Makoto whispered.

"Exactly," Chibiusa added. "And we think that the Silver Crystal reacted to Seiya that day because of that lack of a spiritual aura. Like it felt free to give him what he needed."

Helios took up the thread from there. "And once that initial connection was made it only grew stronger, until it broke through not only Seiya's reluctance but the spiritual barrier here in the house."

"And transformed him," Chibiusa concluded. "But now that both the Crystal and Seiya are free Chaos has exactly what he needs."

Ami, who hadn't spoken a word during that entire recital, now leaned forward, hands on the table and eyes moving rapidly over the map, tracing its lines and the sites marked with X's. There was silence in the room, as if everyone was holding their breath. It was finally broken by Mariko. "You see it, don't you?"

Ami nodded and held out a hand. Akemi handed her a ruler and Mizuki passed over the red marker. Using the edge of the ruler and the marker Ami drew lines connecting all of the marked sites. The distinct shape of a five pointed star began to appear before their eyes. They watched as Ami hesitated before drawing the last two lines and stepping back. She shuddered and dropped the marker.

Mariko circled the spot where the final two lines intersected. "That is where Chaos is hiding, and where we'll find Seiya."

Usagi gave the map a quick glance before turning her attention to Ami, who was extremely pale and looked like she might vomit at any moment. "Ami? What's wrong?"

Ami merely shook her head and pointed at the map, grabbing hold of Makoto's arm as the taller woman rushed to support her. "What's at that spot?" Makoto asked, craning her head to get a better look at the map.

Rei leaned in to get a closer look, and they all saw her face blanch. "Sankakusu," she whispered.

Usagi felt as if her heart had stopped and for a moment she was afraid she might faint. She clenched a fist, and the pain of her nails digging into her palm steadied her. Rio, who was standing beside her, took hold of her arm as she swayed. "What is it?" Rio asked. "What's at Sankakusu?"

"Not what is there, but what was there," Mamoru answered, so pale that his eyes almost looked black. "Mugen Academy. And Tomoe's laboratory."