40: "Right Now"

Naru awoke stiffly, her sheets and covers twisted everywhere, her clothes askew, her hair just as bad. She made a little effort to clean up as she visited the bathroom, but came back to the realization that Usagi was no longer there. The long dash to Umino's apartment had pushed everyone to the limit: the journey and pace were exhausting, they had to care for their comatose friend in the meantime, they had abandoned Ami's mother to a dire fate, and all the while, agents of the gods were hot on their trail. Being so physically and emotionally drained had taken a terrible toll, and it was all they could do to slip inside, lock up, and assign sleeping arrangements (Umino volunteered his bed to Usagi, while Naru shared with her, Hotaru took a couch, and Umino took the floor). Naru tried talking to Usagi despite her chronic weariness, but her friend had still been lost in a daze, so she gave up and hoped for the best come morning.

Well, Usagi wasn't there anymore. She decided to get dressed and explore the rest of the apartment. Hotaru was still asleep on Umino's couch, but their gracious host was awake, making breakfast for all of them. It wasn't much—muffin mix straight from a pouch, with promises of fruit, hot tea, and cinnamon raisin bread—but as Naru couldn't remember the last time she ate, it smelled and looked heavenly.

"Good morning," she attempted. Umino turned his head, smiling, then returned to his work. Funny: he still managed to look like some lunatic scientist hunched over his work.

"Morning. Sleep well?"

"Not particularly, but thank you for letting us use your bed. How'd you sleep?"

"Very well. I have a talent for resting on hard surfaces."

"Sorry we kicked you out of your bed." Umino smiled at her again, adding a wink.

"Now what kind of man would I be if I allowed three beautiful young damsels in distress to sleep in discomfort?"

"Oh, speaking of which, have you seen Usagi?" Umino quit his work and approached her, looking concerned.

"You mean she wasn't in the bed? She's finally walking about?" Both of them shared the same grimly hopeful expression. Naru volunteered to go look for her while Umino finished breakfast, so after a cursory search of his apartment, she headed outside. She doubted Usagi would've made it this far: catatonic or not, soldiers or not. Still, she ventured as far as the street, trying to stay out of sight. As she let out a sigh and started to head back inside, she heard someone distinctly calling out:

"Moon Crystal Power!"

She turned to the source, but found nothing. Like a beacon, the voice called out again:

"Moon Crystal Power!"

This time Naru found her. Usagi was on the roof, her long golden hair unrestrained, flapping heedlessly in the wind. She watched her friend, wondering what she was doing, why she was calling out like that...

"Moon...Crystal...Power! Moon Prism Power! Moon Cosmic Power! Come on, work! Moon...Something Power! Anything Power! Moon Celestial Power! Moon Serenity Power! Moon Ancient Power! Come on! Something's got to work! It's one of these, I know it!"

Realization came. Naru felt her heart sink, and she looked for a way to join her friend. There was a ladder propped up against the wall that Usagi had probably used, so she carefully climbed up, keeping a timid distance from her distraught friend.

She didn't know it yet, but Usagi was crying.

"Almighty Moon, I beseech you! Grant me the power to triumph over evil!"

Every attempt was met with silence. Naru noticed she was wielding the same brooch that allowed her Senshi persona to overtake her—or perhaps it was merely drawn out of her—but regardless of her method or her verbiage, the result was the same. Usagi Tsukino was forever remaining herself. There was certainly a part of her that knew this, and even accepted it, but having known Usagi for most of her life, Naru understood why this was so important. Usagi knew that Sailor Moon was lost to her forever; she simply needed to be certain. And if there was some infinitesimal chance that she wasn't, Usagi would bank on that until her dying breath.

Because if there was anything to learn from her recent revival, it was that she could not deny her other self. She WAS Sailor Moon—but now, for the first time in her life, she wasn't.

Without saying a word, or even making much noise, Naru crept up and wrapped loving arms around her best friend. Usagi became quiet, finding solace in Naru's arms, weeping gently until the time for tears was over. She drew in a cleansing breath and smiled brighter than the rising sun.

"Sorry I was such a bother."

"Oh, Usagi..." Naru kissed her cheek, hugging again. "You dummy. I thought I told you never to say things like that."

"But that was years ago, when I actually was a bother."

"It's still true today. You never are, not with me."

They both smiled, gradually letting each other go.

"But are you okay? You had all of us worried. I got the whole story firsthand from the others, about how you fought that dragon and saved us...and then how you passed out...and didn't wake up... But somehow you snapped out of it when we were under attack by that glowing guy. How'd you do that?"

"I can't explain it," she answered softly. "It was like I heard someone calling my name. But they weren't just calling out for me—I mean, for 'Usagi'. They said 'Sailor Moon', too, and a few other names. I don't remember them now, but it felt like they were all...me."

"I think I understand," she said gently. "But then you scared us even more by going all catatonic. We had to strap you onto a stretcher and wheel you out."

"Yeah, I was wondering where we were. It's not my place, and it's not yours. I saw Hotaru on the couch, but she lives in Kyoto, and I saw Umino as well. Is this his place?"

"Be it ever so humble. It was the closest to the hospital."

"Then I need to thank him. Actually," she added, blushing sheepishly, "I think I should get down from here and let everyone know I'm all right. I'm really sorry to be such a pain..."

"Usagi, please," Naru said, laughing and weeping at the same time. They both climbed down and came into the apartment, arms linked. Umino's jaw hung slack and he dropped the measuring cup he had been using as he saw Usagi wander around.

"Ah...Tsukino! You're really awake! And you're walking around!"

"Thanks in part to you," she winked. Stammering, he picked the cup up, cleaning the spilled flour.

"Ah, uh, oh no, it was nothing—I mean, I was barely involved. It was just luck that I...uh..." Giggling, she approached him, first politely kissing him before wrapping grateful arms around him. Naru smiled warmly, and it was at that moment that Hotaru woke up as well.

After reuniting with everyone and assuring them she was fine—barring some emotional issues regarding the loss of her powers—Usagi asked them to tell her what had happened during her "absence". She was understandably quiet as she absorbed it all, and even though she had gone out earlier for the express purpose of being alone with her thoughts, she asked for privacy once more.

"Maybe you should take a shower," Umino said. "That always helps me clear my head. Besides, it's too dangerous outside, what with all those soldiers." She smiled, nodding, and excused herself. Hotaru and Naru offered to help clean up, suddenly leaving Umino with nothing to do. He decided to turn on the television and see if there was anything on the news, but all transmissions had been cut, even satellite relays from other countries.

"They did a really thorough job," he muttered. "How are we supposed to get anything done like this? What if there's an emergency and we need to call an ambulance, or the fire department? How are we supposed to know what's going on?!" He railed quietly to himself when he realized he was disturbing the women, but they had their own problems to worry about.

"So, ah...your powers are really gone, aren't they? Usagi lost hers..."

Hotaru touched her chest longingly. "It's a very strange phenomenon. On the one hand, I really don't feel different. It's like losing something important, but not being able to remember what it was. Physically, you're fine; it's just a nagging feeling in the front of your mind. But on the other, it truly does feel as though I've been split in half—yet at the same time, a great burden's been lifted. Quite ambivalent." She smiled gently and resumed washing dishes. "But to answer your question plainly, I suppose my powers are truly lost. I know it's odd, but I can't help but feel a little relieved."

"But don't you want to be Sailor Saturn?"

"That would be like me asking if you want to be a woman. You didn't choose; you were just born that way. If you were to wake up tomorrow and discover you had become a man, of course you would be stunned, but you'd adjust—and you might just like the change. But a part of you will always wish you could be the woman again."

"I guess I could never understand. I can sympathize with you and Usagi, but I could never empathize." Naru shook her head, idly washing dishes as Hotaru put the cleaned ones on her side. Umino kept a fairly clean house and so their duties were finished quickly. They sat down on the couch and, with nothing else to do until Usagi came back, tried to figure out their plans for the future.

"All the same," Naru began, "we can't leave things the way they are. I hate to say this, but powers or no, you're the only ones that can help us."

"How can the Senshi help us if they're not the Senshi, Naru?" Umino groaned. Flustered, she pursed her lips and clenched her hands over her skirt. For a very long time, she said nothing.

"There's some part of me that refuses to believe it. And there's a part of Usagi that hasn't accepted any of this, either. I saw how stricken she was, but I know her. As often as she wanted to run away from her duties, or deny who she was, they always had a way of catching up to her and turning her around. It's the same way here. I don't care what that guy did to her, or you, or any of the others. The Senshi can't just stop being the Senshi, the same way I can't stop being who I am."

"And yet that begs the question," Hotaru said, and they were right back to where they started. Umino drew in a deep breath.

"We should at least see if the other Senshi are all right. Dr. Mizuno wanted us to take care of her daughter. Mizuno's always been the smart one; maybe she'll have a plan."

Naru smiled warmly at him. "Don't sell yourself short, Gurio. Being number three in the whole school for four years in a row is pretty impressive." He blushed and rubbed his face.

"I might be a little in over my head on this one..."

"I would like to know what happened to my guardians," Hotaru said. "If we're going to devise a plan to get out of this, their input would be invaluable. Of course...they would probably scold me for disobeying them..." She turned ruby-faced and hung her head. Naru touched her back and smiled.

"Then it's settled: we need to find the other Senshi. Of course, without telephones or internet, that's going to be difficult."

"Um, sorry." The bathroom door opened slowly, and Usagi peeked out. There was a towel around her hair but the rest was covered by one of Umino's bathrobes. "I, uh, sort of overheard that last part. Oh...and I hope you don't mind me borrowing this, Umino."

The young man's face turned very red. He glanced away awkwardly, lest he make more of a dunce of himself. "M...mind? Um...n-no, of...of c-course not..."

"Thanks," she smiled. "It's just until I get a change of clothes. My old ones are still at the hospital. Could I add a suggestion?"

"Of course, Usagi. Sit down, we're all friends here."

"Thanks." She smelled of soap, steam, and cheap shampoo, and seemed calmer and more focused, if only just. "I've been dwelling on what you all have told me, and what's been going on while I was out. You said that there's citywide martial law in effect, perhaps nationally, and everyone's monitored very carefully, right? Umino, you told me about that car crash—about how the damage was immediately repaired, and the victims were healed? And Naru, you told me about that mugging, and how the mugger was caught only a few seconds later?"

"Yeah. What are you getting at?"

"Hear me out," she said gingerly. "This might sound like the craziest idea I've had, in a lifetime filled with nothing but crazy ideas, but...well, since every time something gets destroyed, or someone gets hurt, it's fixed all at once...and since every time something bad happens, the person doing it is caught and punished...is it really right for us to change that?"

The three faces staring at her warped in astonishment. They were so stunned that they couldn't speak, even if Usagi hadn't told them to let her continue.

"I know, it flies in the face of all those inalienable rights we have as human beings. I know we're all under a lot of scrutiny, and we're hardly allowed to have any freedom... We're all just prisoners, basically—or servants, I suppose, since that's what they call us—but you have to admit, when it comes to the greater social ills that plague us, they did a better job than anybody ever has. Even better than the Senshi. They certainly have the power to protect the city and its citizens, and to fight off evil wherever it appears—all that good stuff. And I know it sounds...oh, what's that strange word? It's one Ami would know and it fits what I'm saying—that the ends justify the means. Macintosh? McIntyre? Mac-a-fiddle?"

"Machiavellian?" Umino offered.

"That's the one. And it's certainly the last thing I'd normally say... But when you think about it, the people that have taken over the city have made it safer, cleaner, and more prosperous than before. Do we really have the right to change all that? Should we change it?" She stopped herself, a crestfallen smile on her face, hair cascading over her eyes. Usagi always relied on her heart to make decisions for her, and be they right or wrong, she stood by them. For once, though, the right thing to do was unclear.

Hotaru was silent. She couldn't argue against Usagi's logic.

Naru stared at her oldest friend, trying to discern what she was going through, and how to help.

Umino frowned heavily. Then, he stood up, balling his fist.

"Hey, Usagi!" he shouted, pointing at her. "What would Sailor Moon do in this situation?"

"Wh...what?"

"I asked you what would Sailor Moon do! Tell me! If you're really her, you'd already know the answer! If there's some shred of her still inside of you..."

"But I told you, I lost my powers. Even if I wanted to do something, there's no way that-"

"But would Sailor Moon find a way? ...Well? Would she? Would she be stuck at this moral crossroads while all of Japan cried out? Would she allow the bad guys to win? Would she stand by as the people she loved suffered?"

Umino's lips quivered from his outburst, but he stood his ground, glaring at Usagi, his finger nearly digging into her face. She let what he said sink in before smiling softly.

"Sailor Moon would fight. She would find a way."

"And are you Sailor Moon or not?"

She looked into his eyes, overflowing with love. There were no further doubts.

"Of course I am. And in the name of the moon, whether in body or spirit, I shall right wrongs and triumph over evil."

Umino smiled warmly. "Then I think we should head to your place next and find some clothes. Can't save the world wearing a bathrobe."

…...

Michiru was a little surprised when the stranger revealed himself, and all-out impressed as he explained how he had found them, how he knew who they were—and most importantly, how he could get them into the underground resistance.

"So there's one of those now?" she said. Haruka crossed her arms, nodding.

"Isn't there always? But why did you come pick us up first, Urawa? Why not go after your old flame?"

"My intuition told me that Ami was well taken care of. Besides, I was a lot closer to you two. Don't worry, we'll get to everyone later. Right now I need to take you to our hideout and introduce you to our leader. I think you've met him before."

"Gracious, this thing has inflated right under our noses," Michiru said. "I have a concern, though. If you're taking us there, does that mean everyone in your resistance knows who the Senshi are?"

"Most of them do. There are a few other cells I'm aware of, but this one comprises of people the Senshi have interacted with on a close basis. Believe me, you can trust them all."

"Not like we have much choice," Haruka added. "So could you tell us where everyone else is? I'm worried about Setsu and Hotaru, and Michiru was kind enough to lose Minako."

"Oh, are you thanking me for saving your life, dear? Because that certainly didn't sound like a thank-you."

"Thank you, Michiru," she deadpanned. Urawa chucked.

"As I said, Ami's safe, and Rei's with her. They're underground—I mean literally underground, in the sewers. It's one of the few places Anu's people don't go."

"Anu?"

"The supreme deity, leader of all the gods. Those star soldiers marching the streets are all his."

"I guess being born with precognitive abilities has its merits," Haruka muttered.

"As for Miss Meioh and Miss Tomoe, one is keeping herself concealed in Rei's apartment, while the other is with Usagi, I think. I have some news regarding that part, but I'd rather tell it in front of the entire group."

"Did Usagi finally come out of her coma?" Michiru pressed.

"It's not that; it's something different. Equally important, I should think." They would just have to wait, for Ryo took his time carefully weaving through the streets, apparently knowing which paths would lead him out of danger. He stopped at a shop called Ayakashi Sisters Cosmetics, which was completely boarded up, except for a side door, which was locked. He unlocked the door, led them inside, and locked it again. The store was empty, dark, and a little creepy, but Urawa led them through safely, coming to a room marked "Receiving and Shipping, Employees Only". He ignored the warehouse and took them down a short staircase to what seemed like a dead-end. His hand pressed on one of the blocks, revealing a false wall and another staircase leading much further down. There was no light whatsoever, so the trio had to make their way by touch.

"It gets easier once you know what you're doing. Oh, hold on a minute." He stopped at the third step from the bottom, knocked three times on the stone wall, jumped to the surface, knocked twelve times, took two steps forward, one back, made another jump, knocked five times, and quietly counted to nine. A light came on, shining over a biometric plate. Instead of putting his hand or his eye there, he spoke:

"'Fighting evil by moonlight, winning love by daylight, never running from a real fight.'"

"Lord, don't remind me," Haruka grumbled. Ryo hissed at her.

"Ssh, you'll mess up the voice recognition software." He waited a few more seconds, then the door opened. A laser sight hovered between his eyes.

"Get out of here right now. You're in the wrong place."

"That's correct. I'm leaving now." He didn't move.

"Take one more step and you're dead."

"I'll only be stepping backwards."

"I'm going to count to three."

"In nine seconds, I'll be gone." A sigh was let out.

"I really hate this secret spy stuff. Did you find any?"

"Just two for now. I had to start somewhere, so I went for the easiest."

"Good thinking!" Haruka and Michiru were then thrust into a cheery, well-lit room, and were shaking hands with a vaguely familiar man nearing the end of his middle age.

"I apologize for all the cloak-and-dagger theatrics, but given the recent circumstances, I think you understand. Ryo here says he found two of my daughter's friends, but since I can't place your names, and I'm sure you've forgotten me, I'd say introductions are in order. I'm Kenji Tsukino, editor-in-chief of the Tokyo Traveler."

"Usagi's father," Haruka said, shaking his hand. "I'm Haruka Tenoh. This is my partner, Michiru Kaioh."

"I'm guessing that strange behavior Urawa exhibited was for security purposes?"

"That's right. The Ayakashi sisters conceived a lot of it, since it is their building, and the rest of the resistance have been adding little touches here and there. If one of those soldiers outside were to take just one wrong step, they'd be cut down."

"How very grim," Michiru cringed. "But what's to prevent a more forgetful person from missing a step? It seems a little complicated."

"Well, Ryo never forgets, so he's usually our man on the outside, and the Ayakashi sisters can each do it in their sleep. Whenever we need to leave, we always make sure to go out with one or the other."

"I still think it's not entirely foolproof," Haruka said, glancing around at the room and all the people gathered there, "but I will admit I feel a bit safer. So who are the rest of these people?"

"And could we meet our beneficent hostesses? I'm afraid they have us at a disadvantage."

"Of course, of course, how impolite of me. Well, you've met Ryo, of course, and our humble leader." He smiled sheepishly and added, "That would be me."

"Was there an election?" Michiru smirked. Kenji chuckled feebly.

"No, no, I earned it thanks to my position at the Traveler. Right now we're one of the few methods of communication the gods haven't stopped, so I've suddenly become very important. My wife is here too, somewhere, and I think Shingo's here as well."

"The whole Tsukino family, eh?" Haruka said. Kenji stopped in his tracks, sighing, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Almost all of them."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"It's all right. Ryo says she was taken out of the hospital and put in a safer place, though he can't tell where that is yet. I'll be content with that until I can see her again. But in the meantime, introductions are in order!" Kenji took Haruka and Michiru around the room, the perfect arbiter between Senshi and those willing to fight under their banner. They weren't surprised at all to see Reika Nishimura there; she pressed them for news about Setsuna and Makoto.

"Urawa hasn't told you?"

"Nothing recent, and nothing at all about poor Makoto. It's strange, but he says she's blocked off, and Motoki with her. Also someone named Minako, but I don't know who that is."

"I guess that compounds that mystery," Michiru said. "It sounds like they're all in the same place."

"Perhaps. At least Setsu is safe, and then there are you two, of course." Kenji the introduced them to Kotono Sarashina, whom they were familiar with, then the Ayakashi sisters: Petz, Calaveras, Berthier, and Koan. They were keeping themselves very busy, either by monitoring the outside world, absent fellow resistance members, enhancing security, or planning for future strikes. Although they had little time to socialize, they explained that ever since their cosmetics store had been shut down, they had far too much free time, and wanted to exact revenge. Plotting an uprising in the very building condemned by the new order was far too good to pass up.

Kenji next had them meet his son and wife; Kinsei Aino, Minako's mother; Shinozaki, one of Makoto's close friends; Haruna Sakurada, Usagi's former teacher; Yumiko and Kuri, who had been friends with Usagi in middle school; and many other people whom the Senshi had influenced over the years. He assured the duo that each of these people would take the Senshi's secret identities with them to the grave, but they couldn't help but feel anxious.

"I never realized so many people knew who we were," Haruka said.

"Indeed. There's got to be around fifteen or twenty people in here."

"It's one of the smallest resistances that we know of," Ryo said. "Mr. Tsukino and I thought it might help out if one of the cells comprised of people who were more familiar with you all."

"Thank goodness I don't see any of our exes in here!" Haruka exclaimed. Michiru gave her lover's arm a little cling, indicating she was perhaps not giving this situation the tact it deserved.

"Mr. Tsukino, we're both very impressed by this gathering—and a little flattered, I must say—but I think...oh, I really don't know how to say this. Haruka and I don't have our powers anymore; we couldn't become the Senshi even if we wanted. I'm afraid we won't be of much use."

"What do you mean? How could you lose your powers?" Haruka frowned.

"The short version is that one of the people in charge fought us and took our powers away. He then appeared to crush them in his hand and move on. We don't know where he might be now, but it's a safe bet we're not the only ones like this."

"So...Kinsei's daughter? And mine? And the rest of Usagi's friends?"

The two shared a grave expression. "Like we said, we don't know for sure. But if he came after us, he probably came after everyone else. Minako's out, that much we know." The realization fell over him like a heavy curtain, and he gazed at the floor, his spirits sinking.

"But all of this can't be for nothing," he whispered. Michiru looked to her lover again, then summoned up her optimism and touched his shoulder.

"It's too early to assume the worst. Urawa said he was looking for the other Senshi, so I say we take care of that first. Who knows, we might conceive something with all nine of us."

"Wasn't there another one, too? Usagi's boyfriend—that young man in a tuxedo?"

"Mamoru? We haven't heard from him in ages," Haruka muttered, scratching her hair. "He might actually be in one of these resistance groups you mentioned. I'm not very fond of men hiding while the women shoulder all the burden, but in this case, it might've been the smart thing to do. Does Urawa know anything?"

"To be honest, I completely forgot about him until just now," he admitted. "Sometimes Usagi and Ikuko talk about him over the phone, but that's it. I can ask Ryo, but he never guarantees results."

"At least let him try. The more resources we have, the better off we'll be. In the meantime, where should we start first?" Bertier Ayakashi had been tasked with keeping tabs on the Senshi's activities, but seeing as how she began soon after mass communication went down, she had her work cut out for her. Luckily, Ryo was able to fill in a lot of gaps, and now, she could actually cross two names off her list. Kenji explained their situation to her and she jumped at the chance to help.

"So at last we meet! Though I do wish it were under better conditions, I suppose we never would've had a reason to get together otherwise. Anyway, here's a diagram of what I know so far." The names "Haruka" and "Michiru" were now stamped over a a brightly colored word, circled proudly: "BASE!" Seven arrows were pointing out from it, each leading to a Senshi's name. While Makoto and Minako both had accompanying question marks, everyone else had a descriptive blurb under her name. For example: "Ami + Rei/Sewers", "Setsuna/Hino Apt", "Hotaru + Usagi/Mobile".

"Our priority is finding out where Mina and Mako are, and to help them if necessary. But to do that, we'll need to marshal our forces, maybe even find weapons."

"While the city's under martial law?" Michiru snorted. "Even the police aren't armed."

"Oh, there are ways," she sang, eyes sparkling. "But in order to do that, we need to find the rest of the Senshi. Setsuna should be the easiest, but Ryo thinks we should go after Rei and Ami first."

"Still pining over his first love?" Haruka smirked. Bertier turned red and pouted.

"I'll have you know that Ryo's reasons are purely logical! He wants Rei with us so we'll have another psychic in the mix, and Ami is...just smart, okay? Ryo doesn't have any feelings for her at all!"

"She sounds very certain," Michiru said to her partner. "And she keeps addressing him so informally."

"Seems like there's something going on behind closed doors."

"No there is not!" she shrieked. Raising her voice drew the ire of her sisters, who immediately snapped at her.

"Quiet! Or do you want those soldiers outside to hear us?"

"Sorry!" Bertier blushed and threw herself into her work; meanwhile, Ryo came by, asking if everything was all right. As if her flustered reactions weren't enough of a giveaway, the two of them behaved in a very friendly way around each other. Bertier's feelings certainly weren't singular, and they were anything but unrequited. Haruka and Michiru decided to smile and let the matter lie.

"We could split up," Michiru suggested. "Ruka and I could each find someone and bring her back. Dear, if you're willing to search around on top, I'll go in the sewers."

"Only if you promise to bathe thoroughly when you come out. You'd better take Urawa with you, too; those powers of his will come in handy in that labyrinth. I'll be fine on my own."

"What about Usagi?" Haruna spoke up. "Shouldn't someone look for her?"

"If she was taken out of the hospital, there's no telling where she might be. Even if we found her, considering how long she was out, would she be of any use?"

"I'm working on that," Ryo said. "In the meantime, I think we're on the right track, but it's going to be dangerous for you, Miss Tenoh. Are you sure you wouldn't want someone with you? Petz and Calaveras can handle themselves in a fight."

"It's true," the latter said. "We've already killed four of those soldiers between us."

"Don't count me out," Koan muttered. "I killed one just the other day."

"Koan, even Mr. Tsukino killed one. Your accomplishments aren't much to brag about. Umm, no offense, sir."

"That's okay, Petz," he sighed. "It was an accident anyway. One is plenty for me." He then smiled over at his wife, who beamed back proudly.

"Sorry, but I'd rather go solo. It'd be easier to sneak around the city."

"Well, then," Koan sighed, switching on a video feed, "if you've all decided, I'll perform a sweep of the perimeter. Take some time to prepare; I'll give the all-clear when it's safe." Everyone was ready inside of seven minutes; before heading out, Ryo gave Haruka several colored capsules and a pistol to fire them with.

"Just in case."

"What are they?"

"It's a special adhesive the Ayakashi sisters made. It sticks wonderfully to that armor the soldiers wear and slows them to a crawl. It takes days to refine the mixture, though, so use them sparingly."

"Thanks, I will. Take care of Michiru for me."

"You got it. Okay, Koan, we're heading out. If we don't come back in eight hours..."

"I know, Contingency Plan Beta." Ryo stopped by Berthier's station, hugging her close, kissing her ear. He came back to Michiru with a steely look in his eyes.

"Okay, I'm ready. Wait for me at the door we came out of." Haruka and Michiru said little as they worked their way back to the warehouse. They were still coming to terms with what they had experienced, and what was surely to come—not to mention weighed down by what their roles as former Senshi were. Ryo came back far too soon for the lovers; their hands touched just once before they were pulled apart. Haruka watched Michiru disappear behind a corner, then turned around and faced her new fate.

"Here goes nothing," she said.

Author's notes:

For those of you wondering, Ryo Urawa is the Japanese equivalent of "Greg", Ami's psychic boyfriend who only appeared in two episodes. Considering his very brief appearance, he will obviously play a much bigger role in my story. If you don't remember, the Ayakashi sisters appeared often in the Dark Moon Kingdom arc of Sailor Moon R, as Rubeus' henchmen. ...Henchwomen. ...Minions. I just thought it would be really cool if the resistance comprised of minor Sailor Moon characters.