` If That's What It Takes `

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Minako had stumbled out of the Door behind Amethyst, Artemis trailing after her. She had quickly discovered that the Nemesian method of time travel wasn't quite as pleasant as the route through Pluto's own Door. Sure, there had been pressure there... but this way was like having your molecules rearranged by a very sloppy and inconsiderate two-year-old artist.

Amethyst took her arm to steady her; well, that was what Minako assumed at first. However, she soon discovered that Amethyst was actually doing it to steady herself. Minako grew somewhat apprehensive when she saw the expression on Amethyst's face; she appeared decidedly nauseous. After a second, though, she saw that Amethyst had recovered sufficiently enough to let Minako go... without letting her lunch go with it.

Minako swallowed as she looked around in interest. They stood in what appeared to be a study of some sort; at one end was the Door they had entered by, the rest of the room being filled with computers of all shapes and sizes. Amethyst did not allow Minako to stare too much; she pointed at Artemis and said, "Take your cat and come with me. And don't transform; I think you should try to remain at least a little inconspicuous..."

"Where are we?" asked Minako curiously as she followed the tiny violet-haired woman out of the room and into a dark hallway with high ceilings.

"In Demando-sama's citadel, in Omerna city," Amethyst replied after a pause. "We're in the White Tower... and we shouldn't be, actually. I'm going to have to take you to the Blue Tower... now, I can't have you running around in some twentieth century school uniform-"

"What, like you, you mean?" Minako asked, slightly craftily.

Amethyst looked down at her Mugen Gakuen uniform and sighed. "Oh, nuts. Forgot about that..." Without much of a second thought, she called upon powers she used only occasionally, transforming the uniform into grand yet demure robes of state. They were mostly purple -- the exact shade of her hair -- but they had a good deal of black in them as well. Minako boggled at her for a second; Amethyst didn't appear to care. She merely grabbed Minako's hand and pulled her through the empty hallways. "I think I'll pull a teleport," she said finally. "It's not always a good idea to do such a thing unannounced in Demando-sama's quarters of the citadel, but-"

Minako's world exploded in violet around her as Amethyst pulled the teleport; Artemis also looked slightly dumbstruck as they materialised in what appeared to be the personal antechambers of their host.

"Excuse the mess, won' you? I just got these quarters -- Serpentine-sama insisted after we finally announced our engagement -- and I haven't finished tidying up the mess from the move... actually, I don't think I'm ever going to. Once I marry Serpentine-sama, I'll just move in with him..."

"Why didn't you just move in with him in the first place?" asked Minako curiously, looking about the brightly-lit chambers. They weren't terribly disorganised, but they were far from being tidy.

Amethyst laughed, truthfully very amused. "He's from Judecca -- never a more straight-laced bunch of puritans... we have to keep up a 'decent moral appearance,' for the sake of his inbred ethics. Nope, we can't live together until we'e married under Nemesian law..." Her voice trailed off as she moved through her chambers. "Now, I can't materialise clothes for you -- I've never been good at creation magic -- but I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll give you one of my robes, and change the colour, so you look like my apprentice or something..."

Minako and Artemis followed the tiny woman into what was obviously her bedroom, only to have Amethyst thrust a mess of purple and black material into her arms. "Here, change into this... it should fit, I'm only a little shorter than you... and then I'll use a weaving to change the colour of it. Artemis and I will step outside so you can change... won't we, Artemis?"

Artemis stopped staring at Minako and coughed. "Ah... yeah."

"Good!" said Amethyst decisively, still talking a mile a minute. "We're not going to go and see Rudra for a little bit yet -- he obviously wants to think this over -- so I may as well give you a bit of a tour while I do some work. I don't really want to leave you on your own, so..."

"Why don't we just go and see Rudra-sama now?" asked Minako suddenly, as Amethyst and Artemis made to leave the room. "What's with the wait?"

Amethyst paused, then turned back around. She was smiling wryly. "Welcome to politics... it's a slow-moving Hell, Minako-sama. You see, Rudra-sama's bureaucracy is 'think before you act.' He'd prefer to associate himself with all the facts and the like before speaking with you, so there you go..."

With a sigh, she wandered back out of the room, Artemis joining her a second later. Minako changed into the robes after only a moment's hesitation; she left her uniform on the nearest chair and surveyed herself critically in the mirror. She had no idea how much the Nemesians knew about Sailor Venus, but she supposed making it obvious wouldn't do her much good. She undid her hair and then braided it somewhat sloppily. Satisfied enough, she returned back outside.

"It'll do," Amethyst said after a pause. Without warning, she invoked a spell over Minako, changing the colour of the gown from black and violet to orange and white. She then frowned, before shrugging. "Okay, so maybe making it orange is asking for trouble, but-"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door; as Minako and Artemis looked about in surprise. Amethyst thought for a second, then closed her eyes and used some of her magical ability. Amethyst seemed to frown for a second as she tried to identify the aura through her wards. She then sighed, obviously dropping these same wards. "Come in..."

A tall slender woman more or less bounced into the room, giving Amethyst an enthusiastic hug hello. Amethyst returned it weakly; the violet-haired woman was dwarfed by this new arrival. "Marci-oneesan... nice to see you..."

Minako and Artemis continued to stare; the woman turned from Amethyst to give them a speculative look. "Well, Ame-chan, who's this?"

"Uh... this is Mica re'Calomel, a new apprentice of mine..." Amethyst's voice trailed off for a second before she then pointed at the woman. "Uh, Mica-chan, this is my half-sister, Marcasite re'Dioptase."

"Pleased to meet you!" replied Marcasite cheerfully, extending a hand to Minako. As Minako shook the extended hand slowly, she took in the woman's appearance. She looked nothing at all like Amethyst; she was tall and willowy, her skin had a healthy sheen, unlike most other Nemesians Minako had met. Her hair was short and cut in a loose, wavy style about a narrow face, the dominant feature of which was a pair of large light-green eyes. Her hair was remarkable, however; it was a mixture of both pale green and blonde, a combination of which Minako was not aware existed. The front half was pulled back in twisted sections that were held in place by delicate and colourful butterfly clips; she wore a rather short skirt and a sheer white blouse that frankly didn't leave a lot to one's imagination. She was very pretty, and the more Minako looked at her, the harder it was to see how she was related to Amethyst.

"You're awfully quiet, huh?" asked Marcasite, before saying something else that Minako didn't understand. Amethyst looked from one to the other, then sighed.

"Marci-oneesan, Mica prefers it if you speak Japanese, not Nemesian."

Marcasite looked somewhat put-out, then she shrugged. "Ah, whatever. She's as neurotic as you are, isn't she, Ame-chan?"

Amethyst winced. "Not really... what are you doing here?"

"You mean you're not delighted to see me?" Marcasite pouted for a second, then brightened. "We-ell... I'm ahead of all of my work in Ezreel, so I decided to jump over here... I mean, I've barely met your fiancŽ..."

"How can you have nothing to do?" asked Amethyst incredulously, while Minako's blue eyes took flight about the room. Marcasite was an unusual person -- from what she could see, Marcasite was not your average Nemesian -- but Minako was forever restless. "There must be a million and one legal matters to settle now that the war is over... I mean-"

"I don't do those kind of settlements, Ame-chan." She suddenly frowned, looking a little concerned. "Which reminds me... how is Demando-sama?"

Amethyst frowned herself, casting Minako a brief glance. The blonde girl, however, seemed far more intrigued by the books on Amethyst's desk. She turned back to her half-sister and replied: "I wouldn't really know. I've never had a lot to do with him... but I do understand that he's in a difficult position. After all, his brother has passed away, the task of getting his people to retreat from Earth is nigh on impossible, and Rudra-sama is fuming about the lack of Tower Avatars..."

"Rudra fumes about anything that he didn't plan," Marcasite said blithely, waving her hand in dismissal. That irritated Amethyst; Marcasite had next to no respect for anybody in authority. Amethyst knew that Marcasite was surprisingly flippant with the Prime Minister, and she suspected that she would be much the same way with Demando. She had never met the Prince, but Marcasite was well known for feeling at home in the presence of the coldest and most hostile personalities.

"I haven't seen Demando-sama for some time, at any rate," Amethyst said in a tone that indicted she didn't want to talk about it. Marcasite got the hint, but ignored it, as she tended to do.

"You know, I think it's really strange, the way Demando's been behaving... okay, so his brother kicked the bucket. So what? Saffir was a sweet kid -- at least, I assume he was; he sure didn't get out much -- but Nemesis is going to Hell. Damn, at the rate we're going, we might as well let a suicidal lemming be prince. At least their depression isn't quite as bad as Demando's."

"Shut up," snapped Amethyst, standing up. "Nemesis may be in a state of chaos, but that's to be expected! It's not Demando-sama's fault that he's a little upset-"

"Yes, but even though his brother is dead, he still has an entire world to think of," remarked Marcasite craftily. Her amused smile seemed to indicate just how seriously she was taking this whole matter.

Amethyst sighed impatiently. "Marcasite, I have things to do... Mica-chan and I have an appointment shortly, and we need to talk first. In private."

Marcasite reclined in her chair, crossing her coltish legs as she smiled languidly. "Oh, go ahead; I won't interfere."

Amethyst rolled her eyes; Minako turned to look at her at that moment, noting the way Amethyst seemed slightly annoyed by Marcasite... it was almost as if Amethyst didn't actually like the woman. However, Amethyst moved over to Minako and took her hand, yanking her from the room. "Come with me, Mica-kun, we have things to attend to. Bring that cat of yours with you, too."

Artemis opened his mouth to complain about that, and earned himself a glare from Amethyst for his troubles. Truthfully, Amethyst glaring wasn't all that frightening, but he could see her point. He somehow doubted if this woman would be able to keep her mouth shut about another talking Mooncat for very long. Three seconds would be terribly optimistic. As it was, Marcasite just raised an amiable hand in a farewell gesture and took a book from Amethyst's desk. The door swung shut behind the archivist and her two companions, shielding Marcasite's look of surprise. "Ame-chan no hen-"

As Amethyst yanked her down the hallway, Minako barely had time to glance around and take in her surroundings. The purple-haired woman may have been tiny, but her hands were surprisingly strong. Their heels clinked relentlessly against the floor until Amethyst suddenly stopped dead.

Minako looked around to see what was going on and felt her jaw drop. She was staring upwards into the wide and very purple eyes of a very tall and broad individual... and a startlingly handsome one at that.

He blinked once or twice, appearing somewhat disinterested. He was incredibly tall -- at least six foot six, probably more -- and was as broad as he was tall. He bore the calm demeanour of a soldier, a kind of presence that made Minako squirm inside. He was a more accurate definition of a soldier than they were, in their short skirts and high heels...

Dressed almost completely in black, he looked even more imposing, his long hair pulled back into a braid that reached almost to his slender hips. It was covered by an indigo sleeve, a colour which almost matched that of his remarkable hair. When he spoke, he spoke slowly and precisely in a language that Minako did not recognise, though the sound was regal and very stately.

Amethyst swallowed, before replying in Japanese. "Serpentine-sama... this is Mica-kun. She's from the university at Breccia, and she's accompanying me for a few days."

Serpentine cocked an eyebrow as he looked over Minako; he didn't seem terribly impressed. "I wasn't aware that you had students under your care, Amethyst."

"I don't, not usually," Amethyst replied quickly. "Rudra-sama asked me to do it, however, and I didn't really have a lot of choice."

"I wasn't aware that cats were allowed in here," Serpentine remarked, nodding at Artemis. "I thought Demando-sama had said that they weren't to be in here because of his brother's allergy."

"Well, Serpentine-sama, in case you hadn't noticed, Saffir-sama isn't here to sneeze all over everybody," Amethyst replied, slightly testily. Minako's ears perked up at the mention of a brother... named Saffir.. with an allergy to cat fur...? "And please, don't apologise... I'm not in the mood to talk about him."

The purple-haired man frowned. "I don't understand-"

"We have some things to do, Serpentine-sama," she interrupted, most impolitely. That was quite an event; Amethyst being rude happened about as often as Rudra admitting he had made a major cock-up. "Rudra-sama wishes to see us... I'll speak to you later, okay? I'll show you how comfortable my new chairs are, if you'll behave yourself for five minutes."

Minako did not understand the colour that suddenly stained the soldier's cheeks. "Amethyst!"

She winked at him as she took Minako's hand and pulled her down the hallway. "Ja ne, Serpentine-sama!"

Minako allowed the smaller woman to pull her further away from the man before she finally asked: "That was your fiancŽ, ne?"

"That's Serpentine re'Carnelian, all right," Amethyst said, not hiding her dreamy school-girl smile. She then blinked a couple of times and grinned broadly at Minako. "What do you think of him?"

"Honestly? He kind of scared me."

"Oh, he's just in a serious mood... he's not usually like that. It's just that times are a little bit weird... what with the end of the war, Saffir-sama's death and the retreat across Earth..." She shook her head, biting her lip as something sad flickered in her eyes. "I think Serpentine-sama is going to have to go down there himself to deal with some of them... I really hope he doesn't need to, we've got enough problems here in Omerna..."

Minako's ears perked up again. "Amethyst, who's Saffir?"

She blinked in surprise; a sorrowful look crossed her face a second later. "Oh... Saffir-sama..." She literally had to blink back hot tears as she thought about him for a second. "He was Demando-sama's younger brother... and Lord Savant..." Her voice trailed off again as her breath caught in her throat; she swiped angrily at her eyes and then the anger left her. She looked at Minako with a watery smile, brushing at her eyes with her sleeve. "Gomen nasai, it's just..."

Minako could see that the subject clearly distressed Amethyst, but there was an idea in her head that wouldn't quit. "How much younger was he?"

Amethyst was cradling her head with her fingers to her temples. "Oh... about seven years... though he always seemed a lot older than that, somehow..."

By now Amethyst was actually weeping; Artemis shot Minako a warning look, but he did not move to stop her. He knew what she was thinking, and he was just as curious as she was. Minako swallowed a lump in her throat, wondering if she would regret this later. "Amethyst, how did he die?"

The small woman buried her face in her hands for a second, still crying silently. "I don't know," came the muffled reply; she raised her head and drew out a dark handkerchief, dabbing at her face. "Oh, I'm sorry, Minako-chan, I don't know why I'm acting like this..."

She stared at her for a moment, before asking softly; "He was a friend of yours?"

"Yes," she said softly, looking blindly down at her handkerchief. "I didn't know him very well, but we were friends..."

"You were in love with him, weren't you?"

Amethyst looked up in shock, an instant "No!" dying on her lips as she met the compassionate blue eyes of the ai no senshi. She smiled painfully, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her reddened eyes. "I suppose I was, in a way... if you had ever met him, you would understand why, Minako-chan. He was such a reserved person, so silent and so quietly academic, and you know that still waters run deep... and I just knew he would never love me in return. The impossible is a strange attraction, Minako-chan... and it wasn't just because he loved Petz, it was because he loved his brother even more than he loved her... I can't describe it, Minako-chan, but there was something just so gentle about him, almost saint-like..."

"I think I know what you mean, Amethyst-san," Minako said quietly, her suspicions quietening down. "I'm sorry for bringing it up... but, one last thing... what did he look like?"

Amethyst blew her nose delicately. "Oh, I don't know how to describe him... he was tall, thin, with dark blue hair and eyes and pale skin that made him look almost perpetually ill..."

"You don't have to say anymore," Minako said reassuringly, patting Amethyst's arm in a comforting gesture. "I'm really very sorry for bringing it up... it was just that I wondered what Demando's brother would be like..."

Amethyst nodded, but Minako could see that the small woman was still upset. The three of them walked in complete silence until Amethyst suddenly cursed very politely.

"What is it?" Minako asked as Artemis leapt up into her arms, both of them giving Amethyst curious looks with their matching blue eyes.

"We can't go through the damn plaza, the protesters will still be there," Amethyst said in annoyance. "Dammit, I wish Serpentine could just go in there and throw them all out, but laws are laws... Rudra-sama says that we can't harm rioters unless they specifically endanger the lives of innocents. At the moment, they're not actually rioting, it's more a 'peaceful' protest... but I don't want to compromise the safety of either of you two by going through the plaza."

"What are they protesting about?" asked Artemis curiously.

"Oh, you name it, they'll have a problem with it," said Amethyst dejectedly. "It's mostly about the withdrawal, but they've got problems with almost everything Demando-sama has ever done right now. It's because Demando-sama's playing the recluse and won't speak to them except through his counsel." She sighed again, and appeared to think. "If we're going to go through the plaza to get to the Tower of Law, we're going to have to get Serpentine to find someone to accompany us..."

With that, the violet-haired woman thought for a moment; the form of the large soldier came into being a second later, startling the Hell out of the cat and senshi. Serpentine gave Amethyst an affectionate look, his eyes surprisingly warm. "You want me to do something for you, Amethyst?"

"Can you take me through the plaza?" Amethyst asked quickly. "We need to speak with Rudra-sama..."

"Why don't we just teleport?" Minako piped up suddenly, earning herself a speculative look from Serpentine and a sigh from Amethyst.

"Because, Mica-chan, Rudra-sama's Tower of Law is warded against intrusion by such a means." She turned back to her soldier fiancŽ, still chewing on her now slightly-ragged lip. "What's the situation out there, anyway?"

Serpentine's brow was furrowed in thought. "Not great, I'm sorry to say. They're getting restless... and I don't think it would be one of your best ideas, to go out there now."

Amethyst frowned again, her eyes deeply troubled. "I think our only hope is that it will calm down in the next hour or so... we're going to be early, but Rudra-sama shouldn't care too much." A sudden question struck the archivist; she looked to her future husband with curiosity evident in her voice. "Where is Demando-sama, anyway?"

"As far as I'm aware, he's in his throne room or thereabouts," Serpentine replied, looking slightly bewildered. "What has that got to do with anything?"

"I was wondering if Rudra-sama might be speaking to him," Amethyst said, thinking. "Rudra-sama implied that he wanted to talk with someone before he spoke with us again... or maybe Demando-sama can get his attention for us, so we can get him to come over here..." With that, the small archivist took Minako's hand again and nodded at her fiancŽ. "White Tower?"

Serpentine moved over and took her hand. "You'd better let me pull the teleport; you may not have the best clearance to run around the White Tower, like I have." With that, the four of them appeared in the antechambers, beyond which lay Demando's throne room. There were several guards; most of them looked disinterested for a moment, before standing up straight. "Lord Marshal Serpentine-sama!"

"Is Demando-sama in?" Serpentine asked, brushing aside the beginnings of the ritualised greeting between commander and underling.

The first guard shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Serpentine-sama. As far as we are aware, Prince Demando-sama is in his chambers."

Serpentine was on the verge of nodding and deciding to leave when Amethyst spoke up. "Has Demando-sama had any guests recently?"

"Yes," replied the taller of the pair, the mostly silent one. "Rudra-sama asked to see him earlier, when the Prince was in his throne room. Demando-sama declined to speak with him, he told him something rather curious, if I remember."

"And what was that?"

"'You mock my tears, Rudra-sama -- it is like a journey to the past, when you mocked the last death that struck my family,'" quoted the first, looking a little baffled. "His excellency, the Prime Minister of Nemesis, then left, and Demando-sama retired to his own chambers."

The soldier nodded and thanked the guards on Amethyst's behalf before turning back to his companions. "Come with me," he said quietly, leading them through another teleport that left them in an area of the White Tower Amethyst had never been in.

The two guards gave Serpentine a slightly suspicious look; they were not as revered of him as the last pair.

"Can we help you, Serpentine-sama?" one asked finally, his tone cold and not giving him an inch to work with.

"Yes -- we would like to speak with Demando-sama about a most urgent matter," the purple-haired man said easily, though there was an underlying tone of faint anger in his voice.

"The Prince is not available right now. He is not seeing anyone."

"What do you mean, Demando-sama's not seeing anyone?" asked Serpentine in irritation. The guards looked at one another, then back at the Lord Marshall.

"That's what we mean, excellency," the first one remarked, and Minako winced when it seemed that Serpentine was on the verge of hitting the first individual. "We can't go against his orders even if you ask us too. He stated it very explicitly -- he wants no visitors."

Serpentine stared at the guards for a moment, then looked at Minako, then back at the two men. "Not even an emissary from Rudra-sama?"

"Not even Rudra himself," one said clearly.

"I see," muttered Serpentine, before teleporting the group right back to the Blue Tower.

"So now what do we do?" asked Minako, looking a little put-out.

Amethyst frowned. "Something strange is going on here," she said quite clearly. "There is no conceivable reason why Demando-sama would refuse to see Rudra-sama, even if he is still grieving over his brother, despite Rudra-sama's warnings to the contrary..."

"No-one denies that cat anything," Serpentine said, frowning. "And they especially don't talk to him the way Demando-sama is supposed to have done."

The dark look on Amethyst's face suddenly brightened. "That's it! Serpentine-sama, you're a genius!" She stood up on tip-toes to plant a kiss firmly on his lips, invoking another blush on his pale cheeks.

"I am?"

"Yes! The guards said that Demando-sama told Rudra of tears and the past, right? And then told him to leave?"

"So?"

"The courtyard! He was asking Rudra-sama to meet him in the courtyard!"

Serpentine looked a little nonplussed by this pronouncement; Artemis and Minako weren't doing much better. Amethyst, however, was looking agitated. "For some reason, Demando-sama doesn't want people to know that he and Rudra-sama are having this conversation..."

"How do you figure that?"

"I just know!" she almost shouted. "I remember Saffir telling me about the courtyard once... he told me Demando-sama liked it there; it was like his own private sanctuary or something. Saffir said he would occasionally speak to his counsellors there when he didn't want everyone to be aware of it... and it's obvious that he would not ignore Rudra-sama now."

"But why are you so certain-"

"Because of what he said, Serpentine! Just come with me, and you'll see!"

With that, the archivist, the Sailor Senshi, the Lord Marshall and the mooncat took off in the direction that Amethyst indicated. They ended up clattering most noisily through the Blue Tower to the Adamant Tower, through which they descended to the ground, to a well-shielded and rarely frequented courtyard.

Minako stared at the paved ground for a moment in shock. It was like a gigantic chess board, complete with stone statues to represent certain playing figures. "What is this...?"

"The outer courtyard," Amethyst said quietly, peering around with her sharp green eyes. These eyes finally rested upon the far wall, upon a wrought iron gate set into this. "That must be the entrance to the actual garden."

Serpentine swore. "You're not honestly saying we're going to try and get into Demando-sama's garden, are you? For crying out loud, Amethyst, we could get in a lot of trouble just for being in this part of the courtyard!"

"Hush up, would you?" she hissed. "Just keep quiet and follow me..."

With that, the small woman led the group to the gate. As they crossed the board, two voices, both familiar, became evermore clearer and louder... they were obviously having an argument.

"I did not make Nemesis up from nothing over these hundreds of years just so you could tear it all down again in a matter of months, Demando!"

"YOU made Nemesis up from the ground?!"

"I was the one to rearrange this place after the chaos of the Silver Millennium! The only reason that there was anything for the renegades of Crystal Tokyo to come to was because I took responsibility for this planet when nobody else gave a damn! I refuse to sit here and let Nemesis crumble just because you don't give a damn anymore."

It was then silent; Minako looked up at Amethyst and Serpentine and whispered her question. "That's Dimando and Rudra, isn't it?"

Amethyst leaned against the wall, her ear close to the heavy garden gate. "Yes... and I have the feeling that it would be a really bad idea to interrupt them right now..."

"I think we should, though," Minako hissed back at the violet-haired woman.

"Mina's renowned for her bad ideas," Artemis remarked, earning himself a glare from Minako, a blank stare from Amethyst and a slightly amused look from Serpentine.

"I don't think you have any right to speak to me like that," Demando said finally, his voice low and heavy.

Rudra's reply was immediate and sneering. "Oh, is that right? Once again you attempt to undermine my authority! Your problem, Demando, is simple. You indulge in your own world altogether too much, and you leave your people alone... your brother is dead, yes, but you're still alive. Your brother is just the prince from yesterday -- what about the people from tomorrow?"

Minako blinked. "Is Demando really depressed because his brother...?"

"Demando-sama has fallen into depression, yes," Serpentine said quietly, his eyes troubled as he looked towards the source of the two voices. "I don't that it's any of your con-"

"So, what do you propose I do?" The tone was ugly, demanding. "I know that you think I should abdicate, Rudra, but that won't be enough, now will it? No, you want so much more than that... you want me to do the honourable thing, don't you?!"

Minako's eyes widened. "He's not meaning..."

Rudra's tone was flat, disinterested. "I did say it."

The blonde began to shake her head, distress entering her eyes. "But that's... that's just stupid!"

"Nemesis has fallen into chaos," Serpentine said spiritlessly. "To remedy that, there is going to have to be something of a revolution..."

Her jaw dropped. "You're supporting that cat?"

Artemis looked insulted. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

Amethyst poked Minako frantically, too polite to actually gag the girl with her hand; besides, Minako was just that little bit bigger than the retiring archivist. "Hush up, you three! You'll attract their attention!"

"I don't care!" declared Minako in a shrilling voice. Before either of them could stop her, Minako pushed the garden gate open and stumbled into the inner recesses of the dim, overgrown garden.

Amethyst swore quite creatively and, ignoring the shocked looks Artemis and Serpentine graced her with, took off after Minako. Like the senshi before her, the robes bannered out behind her and caught on her shoes. Amethyst stumbled on, however, her hair falling into her eyes. "Minako-chan!"

The senshi turned, looking away from the Prince perched on the edge of a fountain and the cat seated primly at his right. "Amethyst..."

The problem here was simple -- Amethyst forgot to apply the brakes. The small woman crashed into the blonde schoolgirl, and both of them proceeded to topple into the deep stone fountain.

Amethyst surfaced first, coughing and spluttering. Minako followed suit, but as she was using Amethyst as a support, both of them ended up swimming with the fishes for several more seconds. Finally Minako managed to obtain a standing position, a heavily breathing Amethyst leaning on her left. "Demando!"

The prince regarded them both with cold violet eyes. "What are you doing in there?"

Minako glanced around for a second, then pointed at Amethyst. "The whole fountain thing was her idea!"

The prince rolled his eyes; Rudra looked vaguely amused. "I would appreciate it if you both got out of there; that is a consecrated memorial."

Minako spat out a mouthful of the fountain. "I think you need to change the water more often; this tastes disgusting!"

"It's salt water, you little fool," Demando remarked sharply. "It is a fountain of the tears that were wept for Adamant the Martyr. Now get out of there!"

The blonde senshi undid her hair, wincing slightly as she pulled some strands of hair out with it. Amethyst had to physically yank Minako out of the fountain; the senshi seemed loathe to leave it somehow. Demando's expression was one of anger; Rudra still looked lazily amused. Minako shuddered as she felt the coldness of the Mooncat's eyes on her skin. He scared her, somehow. "Demando, what are you doing?"

The Prince's expression changed to one of confusion. "What?"

"Your brother is alive, isn't he? Why are you mourning over him?" she demanded, eyes wide and oh-so-blue in their child-like innocence.

Rudra cocked an eyebrow, looking not a bit shocked by Minako's blurted revelation. Amethyst's hand leapt to her mouth in shock; Serpentine blinked and looked generally surprised.

Demando, however, just looked angry. "How dare you come in here and speak of my brother like that! Have you no respect for the dead?!"

"He's alive and you know it!" Minako shot back. "So, you don't need to do this! Why can't you go back to your duties and heal this world?! You know that you can!"

"My brother is as good as dead!" Demando shouted in reply, his face paler than the silver moonlight. "It is not a matter of his being physically alive or dead -- to me, he is dead! He won't speak to me, he won't see me... to me, he is long dead!"

"Yes -- and from what I've seen, you want him back!" The girl moved closer to the prince, eyes blazing. "Isn't that true? You want him back!"

"What does that matter?! He doesn't care for me any longer!"

"Then reconcile with him! Reconcile with him and then things can go back to the way they used to be!"

Demando's expression was cold, bitter. "That will never happen, Minako. He can't stand the sight of me... and neither can I. Rudra has a point -- I have failed not only him, not only them, but myself as well. Perhaps I am better off dead."

With that, the Prince turned on his heel and vanished.

Minako's jaw dropped as she observed him walk away into obscurity. "Did he just say what I thought he said?!"

Rudra's eyes blinked just once. "Yes," he said flatly. "It seems that the White Prince, the only messiah of Nemesis, has outlived his usefulness. It's nice to know that he can see this for himself."

Artemis's face was stunned. "What... you're just going to let him...?"

The other Mooncat would have shrugged, if he were human. "Yes. It is what should happen; it is the only way we can proceed into a new age."

Minako's jaw was still hanging open in a gesture that would have been comical save if not for the gravity of the situation; Artemis just looked angry. "You call yourself a Mooncat?!"

Rudra sighed. "I do."

"And you condone war against Serenity, against the heir of the woman who once ruled the court you belonged to... what kind of Mooncat are you?! You are here to serve Serenity, not this Nemesis! But you agree to war against her, and then you won't even stand by your Prince!"

He would have yawned if he could. "I do, Artemis-san." He blinked his ice cold eyes twice before adding: "You must realise, we are two very different personalities, Artemis -- you serve your Princess. I serve my people." With that, the Siamese Mooncat disappeared.

Minako turned to Amethyst and Serpentine, obviously distraught. "What do I do?! Demando will go through with it, won't he?!"

Serpentine nodded slowly. "And there's nothing we can do-"

"Yes there is!" shouted Minako suddenly. "If Saffir forgives him, maybe Demando will-"

"So he is alive?" asked Amethyst shakily. "Saffir is alive?"

"YES!" shouted Minako. "And we're going to get him to come here right now and fix this!"

Serpentine gave her a dazed look. "What do you care... and how do you know...?"

"I am Sailor Venus, soldier of love and beauty, and I can't let this go on!" Minako replied frantically. "Artemis, how can we-"

"Through here, Venus-chan," came a low voice, a familiar voice. "Quickly, now..."

Her eyes widened as she took in the startling and unexpected new arrival. "Sailor Pluto!"

The solitary soldier nodded, her eyes troubled. This nervousness was echoed in the tight grip of her hands about the time staff. "Quickly... I cannot interfere more than this. If you don't hurry, you will be too late... I cannot bend the timelines anymore than they already are..."

"Arigatoo," the drenched senshi breathed, before grabbing Amethyst's hand. She shot a look back to Artemis and Serpentine, and called "You two DO something useful... find him, distract him, make him wait..."

And then they entered the warp and were gone.

a a a

Saffir stared impassively at the drenched Senshi. "You fell in the fountain of tears?"

Minako looked at him in shock. "That's not the point of the story!" she almost shouted. "What is your problem, anyway-"

"It's kind of a sacred fountain, Minako-chan," Petz said quietly, giving Saffir a sideways look. "But really, Saffir, she has a point... Demando has gone a little crazy..."

"A LOT crazy," corrected Minako loudly, her blue eyes very wide. She frankly couldn't understand what was wrong with the Nemesian population she had observed... they seemed so... cold.

Amethyst swallowed painfully. "She's right, Saffir-sama... Demando has gotten it into his head that he is worthless, and a burden to his people... there is only one option open to someone in this situation."

Saffir went very pale, but his eyes were cold. "Demando is not that selfless, Amethyst," he said frigidly. "He loves himself far too much to even consider such a thing!"

"Be that as it may, things have changed," Amethyst said quietly, using her dark green eyes to peer reproachfully at the former prince. Saffir could not even bring himself to look directly at her.

It was Minako who threw herself down beside Saffir, putting her hands over his. Her long, drenched hair was dripping all over his nice clean shirt, but Saffir did not appear to care. He was biting his lip and his hands were shaking, his eyes clenched tightly shut. "Saffir," she said finally, her voice low and calm, a sweet and understanding sound: "Your brother needs you."

"He has never needed me," Saffir said quietly, though his voice was shaking. "No, and he doesn't need me now. Go away, Minako, leave me alone; I don't want to hear this now."

Aghast, Minako and Amethyst stared at the prince who had buried his face in his hands. Petz stood behind the couch, her eyes sad. "You can't make him do anything," she said finally, her own voice hoarse and broken. "Demando has obviously hurt him quite badly, and we can't... we can't expect him to forgive him that easily..."

Without a further word, Saffir stood up and practically ran from the room, towards the balcony. The three women watched him go, one moving almost immediately to go to his side. However, Amethyst held Minako back, allowing Petz to get up and go to him.

She found him sobbing on the balcony, his thin form trembling with pain and horror as he wept. She did not know what to do, so she did the best thing that she could. She wrapped her arms about him and held the former prince tightly to herself, trying to will his pain away.

She was quietly aware of the figures who joined them; it was Minako who spoke up first. "Saffir-sama..."

"No," he said softly, his voice broken. "I won't... I can't..."

"Then there is nothing more we can do," said Amethyst softly. She looked back to Minako, and sighed. "I am going back, to see if I can't do anything..."

Saffir trembled in the arms of Petz, staring blindly across the Tokyo nightline with eyes that stung with tears. "Bye-bye Nemesis..." he whispered softly, tears still coursing down his cheeks. "Petz... I don't want this to happen, but I can't... I can't... I can't forget what he said to me..."

"I love him... but I can't forgive him, and I can't help until I do, and by then it will be too late... it's too late..."

"But you can forgive-"

"I can only forgive him when Hell freezes over, Petz."

The silence that fell across those on the balcony was only ever interrupted by the tears of the helpless former prince. They were all too late... the fires of Hell still burnt merrily hot as they waited for one more to join their ranks.

To the Epilogue

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