Send comments, questions, death threats to lbouyer@geocities.com.

	Distribute and archive freely, as long as it remains unchanged, 
and you don't try to make any money from it.  In other words, you can 
put this on any web page you like, with the full knowledge that it 
will probably drive visitors away in droves.  If you somehow can 
figure out how to make money from this crap, though, tell me, and at 
least give me a cut.  Sailor Moon isn't mine, and neither are her 
friends (or enemies, for that matter).

	Things you need to know:

	Time: we begin at episode #46.  For those cursed with only the 
dubs, that translates to the Day of Destiny episode.  You could have 
figured that out, though, and it quickly ceases to matter.

	This story bears no relation to anything else I've written 
(other than that it has to do with the SM TV series.  And that it's 
an in-depth look at a character we're all familiar with.  And that 
it's pretty...well, it's not bad.  That's not a guarantee that it's 
good, because it isn't).  There are no sequels, no fancy drawn out 
multi-part plots, no surprise cross-fanfic cameos.  This story stands 
alone.

	I use the original names throughout.  There are a number of 
pages out there that detail the name changes from the original to the 
dub, so I'm not going to waste time here telling you about them.

	I've hinted at the plot enough in the past few months.  One 
thing more I'll tell you: the devil is in the details.

	I'm not wearing any underpants.

	People you have to blame for this story: Turtyl, Victor Naqvi, 
Jon Carp, Mark Latus, Ken Arromdee, Deryk Cooke, Emily Thurston, 
Gustav Mahler, Herbert von Karajan, Naoko Takeuchi, the cast and crew 
of #moonscribe, the inventor of the spork, myself.  All of these 
people, whether intentionally or unintentionally (and in most cases 
without even realizing it) helped in the writing of this story.  
Thanks a lot, guys (and ladies).
	

===============================================
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Character Sketches 
Written by LeVar Bouyer 
#2:  Sailor Moon
Innocence in A Minor
===============================================



Prologue: Arpeggio.  Allegro moderato.  Forte.



	The world was ending all around Princess Serenity, and she 
didn't care.

	What she cared about was that her friends had been killed, as 
had Tuxedo Kamen.  As if that weren't enough to ruin one's day, Queen 
Beryl merged with Metallia, and was now threatening to take over 
Tokyo, and eventually the world.  Everything else seemed to be, at 
this stage at least, completely and totally irrelevant.

	What mattered was that she was the only one who could do 
anything about it.

	But even now, she wasn't truly and absolutely alone.  Around 
her, she could feel the presence of her comrades.  Sailors Mercury, 
Mars, Jupiter, and Venus: they all gathered around her, giving her 
the strength she needed to defeat Metallia.

	At the cost, however, of her own life.  It was a price she was 
fully prepared to pay.

	Even as the energy wave from the battle's climax swept over the 
Earth, even as change swept the universe, one thing remained 
constant.  A wish, not that of Princess Serenity, or even Sailor 
Moon.  It was the simple wish of a fourteen-year-old blonde Japanese 
girl named Tsukino Usagi.

	"I want a normal life...I want to be a normal girl."

	In indescribable ways, the ginzuishou complied with the wish, 
and things were set into motion.  Memories were erased, and replaced, 
wounds were healed.  But one little thing had been overlooked.

	Normal girls don't have crystals of near-infinite power.





Chapter 1: First march.  Allegro energico.  Forte.



	Fourteen year old Tsukino Usagi awoke at an unprecedented time.

	Three hours early.

	Then again, it was probably due to the large flash of light 
outside her window.

	"Nani?!" she exclaimed, bolting out of bed.  The actual word 
was a bit less coherent, due to the early hour, and the corresponding 
lack of clear-minded thinking.  "Luna!"

	"Meow."

	"I've got to check this out!"  Throwing on some clothes, Usagi 
raced out of the door, leaving Luna to dig herself out from beneath 
an avalanche of blankets and pillows.  The black feline was left with 
no alternative but to follow her.

	As she raced along the alleys, Luna reflected upon how much 
happier Usagi's life had been since Beryl's defeat.  Thankfully, the 
young girl didn't remember anything about being Sailor Moon, or 
anything about her friends.

	Unintentionally taking a page from her protégé, she turned a 
corner and rammed full on into another cat.  This particular one had 
white fur, though, with a crescent moon to match the other's.

	"Ow!  Watch where you're going, would ya?"

	"Gomen, Artemis!"  They picked themselves up and regarded each 
other unsteadily.  "Did you see the flash too?"

	"Hai.  You're checking it out?"

	"Of course, silly.  Let's go!"

	As they continued on, Luna carried on with her thoughts.  She 
hadn't kept very close tabs on the others.  As far as she and Artemis 
could tell, Minako, Makoto, Rei, and Ami were in the same boat as 
Usagi, with no memories of their former lives.  Perhaps it was for 
the best, though.  Usagi had finally gotten her final wish: to be a 
normal girl.

	With all the changes that that implied.

***

	It had once been the parking lot for a shopping center.  Now, 
it was a smoking crater.  A large crowd had gathered, circling the 
hole under the clear night sky, and speculating over what had caused 
it.

	Usagi left Luna and Artemis to their own devices, and wandered 
in and around the mass of people, listening to snippets of different 
theories.  Some said it was a gas main that had blown.  Others held 
that it was some type of missile.  The most common theory, however, 
was that an asteroid (or maybe even a spaceship, went the stranger 
rumors) had crashed into Juuban.

	She felt herself drawn to a small group of girls standing near 
the edge of the crater.  One of them was a blue-haired girl about her 
age.  In fact, she thought, didn't she go to her school?  They'd run 
into each other on the street earlier that day, hadn't they?

	"Konbawa, Ami-chan," said Usagi, cheerful despite the hour.

	Ami looked at her watch.  "Closer to ohaiyo gozaimasu, Usagi-
chan.  It woke you up as well?"

	"Hai."  She looked up.

	Off in the distance were a black-haired girl, along with a 
blonde one.  Usagi squinted; they seemed slightly familiar.  She was, 
in fact, paying so little attention to where she was going that she 
was almost on top of the girl before she noticed.

	"Umph!"

	"Gomen, gomen!" exclaimed Usagi.  She looked up and saw that 
she had run into a rather tall girl with auburn hair, pulled back in 
a ponytail.  The face tugged at something.

	"Strange...it's as if I know them from somewhere...."

***

	The next day (or night, rather), found Usagi hurrying to the 
home of her friend, Naru.  They had been talking on the phone when 
suddenly the conversation had been cut off.  Usagi had immediately 
gotten a bad feeling about things, and decided to investigate.  Now 
she was racing through the curiously deserted streets, determined to 
see what was wrong.  She felt herself rather fortunate; her cat 
wasn't anywhere around, and so wouldn't be following her.  It 
wouldn't do to subject the feline to any danger, after all.

	After briefing Naru's mother on the situation, they went to her 
room together.  Usagi opened the door to find her friend down on the 
floor, apparently unconscious.  In the corner was an 
impossible...something.

	"A monster!"  Naru's mother fainted, leaving Usagi.  As it 
began to move towards her, she stared, not in fear or terror, but in 
frustration and anger.  Something tugged at the back of her memory, 
something she was supposed to do, something she was supposed to 
do...but there were the cats, two of them, one white and the 
other...Luna?

	"Usagi!  Get out while you can!  It's too dangerous!"

	"Nani?"  Contrary to everything she had ever learned about 
cats, this one had just talked.  Usagi's mind settled this rather 
quickly.

	Cat's can't talk.  Therefore, this was a dream, and she then 
could beat this character.  She advanced on the thing, intent on 
giving it a good punch, when she suddenly felt weaker.

	Her energy's being drained, thought Luna in horror.  There 
seemed nothing that she could do until Artemis took action, baring 
his claws to the monster.

	As Artemis prepared to draw the cardian away from Usagi, Luna 
considered whether or not to restore Usagi's memory.  As it turned 
out, she wouldn't have to.

	Later on, none of them could really figure out how it was done.  
Whether it was some subconscious urge, a long-range mental assault, 
even, as some have claimed, an early attempt by the Black Moon family 
to gain control of the future, they didn't know.  For whatever 
reason, at that point, even as Luna was preparing to delve into 
Usagi's mind and give her back the memories she had lost, Usagi's 
mind decided that she could do that quite well herself.

	So she remembered, and did something about it.

	"MOON CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE-UP!"

	Luna and the cardian blinked and stared as the transformation 
took place.  Before them, Usagi became Sailor Moon.

	Had Usagi known of this all along?   If not, how had she 
remembered on her own?  How much else did she know?  Could she defeat 
this creature?

	These and other questions were running through Luna's little 
furry head, but now was not the time to find answers to them.  Sailor 
Moon had completed her transformation, and was now in a prime speech-
making mood.

	"I am the pretty sailor suited warrior Sailor Moon!  In place 
of the moon, I will punish you!"

	Distracted from the previously tempting form of Artemis on the 
windowsill, the cardian prepared to unleash another attack upon the 
senshi.  It might have been ready to say something, but whatever it 
was would rapidly become moot.

	Angrily, Sailor Moon pulled out the Cutie Moon Rod.

	"Cutie Moon Rod?" whispered Artemis.  What the heck was that?  
Yet he knew what it was...another artifact from the Moon Kingdom, 
perhaps?

	Brandishing it, she sneered at the cardian.  "And let me say, 
baka, that it will be a pleasure taking you out!"

	"Nani?!?"  Luna's exclamation came out more as a shocked 
squeal.  "Sailor Moon, quit the histrionics and use your tiara!"

	Silly cat, she thought.  Tiaras are for wimps.  "Moon Princess 
Halation!!!"

	As quickly as that, it was all over.

***

	"Pretty cool, ne?"

	Sailor Moon, Artemis, and Luna were at Usagi's home.  They had 
beaten a hasty retreat from Naru's room before she awoke.

	"I suppose so," replied Luna hesitantly.  "But there's a few 
things I don't understand.  That Moon Princess Halation was far more 
powerful than your tiara-"

	"I know," said Moon, smiling slyly.

	"Well, yes," said Luna, coughing to cover her great surprise, 
"but how did you know to use it, or that it was even there?  How did 
you know to become Sailor Moon?"

	"I don't know," said the sailor-suited girl, hefting the Rod 
with something akin to affection, and beaming yet another smile.

	"But I think that I'll be doing it more often."






Chapter 2: Continuation of march.  Allegro energico.  Crescendo.



	A few days later, Luna and Artemis were discussing what to do 
about the other senshi.  Actually, arguing might be a better term.

	"Look, I've seen Minako, and she's the happiest I've seen her 
since we left England.  Usagi can do just fine by herself, so there's 
no reason to bring the others into this!"

	"'Fine by herself?'  Artemis, have you lost your mind?  We're 
talking about Usagi here!  Remember?  The klutz who barely manages to 
survive battles with her shoelaces?"

	Artemis hung his head.  "Yes, I know, but it's just so hard to 
take their happiness away like this.  And besides, I'm not entirely 
sure Usagi can't handle it herself.  Did you see how she dusted that 
youma that night?"

	"Cardian," replied Luna absently.  Seeing Artemis's surprised 
look, she explained.  "Well, it certainly wasn't a youma.  We need a 
new name, and seeing what was left of it, cardian seems as good a 
name as any."

	Artemis was about to reply to this when Usagi came flying into 
the room.  Not literally, of course, but it was a fairly good 
approximation.

	"You guys are worried about reviving the others as well?"

	"Hai," said the cats slowly.  How long had she been waiting 
outside the door?

	"Do you have anything to add, Usagi?" asked Luna, not really 
expecting anything of value.

	"Aw, we don't really need them.  Everything's under control."

	Confidence?  From Usagi?  "Are you certain, Usagi?  This is a 
very serious matter!"

	"And I'm a very serious person," replied Usagi gravely.  She 
lay down on her bed, feet against the headboard.  "I can handle 
anything these new guys can come up with."  She produced a tennis 
ball from beneath her bed and began throwing it against the wall.  
She began lightly, but continued with increasing force, catching it 
perfectly each time.

	"Even so," said Luna, watching Usagi's game of catch warily; 
she had no wish to get bonked in the head with the ball. "Even so, I 
think that to be on the safe side, we should at least attempt to give 
them their memories back.  Things could go from bad to worse in a 
hurry, you know."

	Usagi made a particularly hard delivery.  The smack of the ball 
as she caught it resounded loudly throughout the room.  "If you say 
so, but I've got the ginzuishou.  I don't think it's going to be 
necessary."

***

	In a so-called screening room, Eil overrode Ami's objections.  
She really wanted to leave the auditions for the movie, but Eil had 
other plans, which hinged upon her staying there.  Conceding defeat, 
she sat back down.

	Producing a card and a flute, he began to play his haunting 
melody.  The card began its transformation into a full blown cardian: 
a minotaur, incidentally.  This earned him some impromptu applause 
from his captive audience.

	"Great special effects," shouted Minako.  Rei and Makoto added 
their approval.  Ami wasn't too pleased, however.

	 The cardian leapt down from the stage.  After some close 
inspection, Ami reached a decision.

	"Uh, guys, I don't exactly think this is a fake."

	"Nani?"

	Ami displayed her famous calm.  "It's real."

	Then she and the rest threw their calm away and ran away 
screaming.

***

	Sailor Moon raced through the hallways.  She still huffed a 
little, but then again her jogging regimen had just started.  Seeing 
the minotaur, and the girls who were desperately running away from 
it, she narrowed her eyes.  Well, there was really no helping it now; 
their memories would have to be brought back.  But now there were 
more important problems.

	For an instant, she considered using her Moon Healing 
Escalation.  But that was quickly squashed down; she no longer had 
the proper equipment, and in any case this was clearly a monster.  It 
deserved no mercy.  Only justice.

	"Hold it right there!" she shouted at the cardian.  "I am the 
pretty sailor-suited warrior Sailor Moon!  In place of the moon, I 
will eliminate you!"

***

	Luna finally made it into the room.  Moon's speed was rather 
surprising.  Hopefully it was out of a desire to help her friends, 
and not just to get things over with.  She had come in at the tail 
end of Moon's speech, and she was surprised, actually.  First the 
fact that her protégé hadn't run away yet, and second, the 
replacement of 'punish' with 'eliminate.'  True, she was prone to 
throw improvisations into her battle cry at the last moment, but-

	"Moon Princess HALATION!!!"  The cardian howled in pain, and 
then seemed to evaporate away, leaving a card implanted in the 
ground.

	"Yatta!"  Sailor Moon did a brief twirl in celebration, and 
then turned to the girls, who had finally stopped their retreat and 
now looked upon her with a combination of admiration and faint 
remembrance.  Rei, in particular, seemed to be just on the verge of 
remembering everything.

	Sailor Moon crouched down next to her furry companion.  "Luna, 
I think we should clue them in now."

	"Right," replied Luna.  "I'll do it right-"

	"No."  She stood up taller, back erect, shoulders straight, 
head up high.  "I'll tell them myself."

	"But...but we can't be sure that that will work!"  Luna 
spluttered.

	"No we can't," came the reply, "but I'm the leader, and the 
Moon Princess, and it's my job."

	"Ever heard of delegating authority?"  But Moon had already 
gone over to Ami, Makoto, Minako, and Rei.

***

	"You're Sailor Moon."  Rei wasn't asking it as a question.

	"Hai."

	"Yes, and I'm getting strange feelings from you.  Like I know 
you...odango-atama?"

	Moon colored at that.  "Now that's a fine way to address the 
head of the team!"

	"Nani?"

	"Never mind," she replied with a laugh.  "All of you, you're 
thinking that there's something you should be remembering, ne?"

	She was answered by various murmurs of assent.  "I thought so.  
you see, you're all Sailor Senshi like me."  She saw Ami and Minako's 
eyes light up, and she inwardly sighed in relief.  They knew: deep 
down, they knew their jobs.  She pointed at them each in turn.  
"Sailor Venus, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter.  All of 
you helped me beat Queen Beryl, but after that we all had our 
memories erased."

	"So those weren't nightmares I was having," whispered Makoto.

	"Hai...those visions I had sitting in front of the fire, those 
were real, those really happened?"  Rei seemed overwhelmed, and 
justifiably so.  Had they really fought...and died...and come back to 
life?

	"Exactly."  Sailor Moon smiled another sly smile.  "Now, we've 
got a whole other batch of bad guys out there, and I'm going to need 
your help beating them.  You can do it, right?"

	"I guess so," began Ami, "but we don't have 
our...our...those...dammit, what are they?"

	"Henshin sticks."  Another smile.  "Don't worry, it'll take 
awhile for you to remember all the details.  Just remember who's in 
charge.  I'm the leader of the Sailor Senshi, and you take orders 
from me."

	"Orders?  I didn't sign up for the military," protested Makoto.

	"Oh, that's okay, Mako-chan.  It's not like that.  You just 
have to defer to me.  We're senshi, not scouts or something.  But I'm 
pretty easygoing, remember?  And as for henshin sticks, I think Luna 
can help out with that, ne?"

	"Hai," said Luna.  She had padded over about halfway through 
the conversation, and had been more or less waiting her cue.  A few 
minutes later, they had been given new sticks, and had used them.

	"So," said Sailor Mars at length, "I guess we're back together 
then, ne?"

	"So desu."  But beneath Mercury's cool demeanor was a glee that 
would have surprised her friends.  She was thrilled to be a part of 
the senshi again, even if it meant that her nights of staying up till 
midnight studying would be replaced with nights of staying up till 
midnight fighting the various and sundry forces of evil.

	"And this time," said Sailor Moon with another smile, "no-one 
dies without permission!  It was bad enough the first time.  This 
time, we stay together, even for a thousand years!"

	"For a thousand years," echoed Jupiter.  Venus followed, as did 
Mars and Mercury, each putting their hands on top of the others'.  
"For the protection of love, justice, the city, and the Princess."

	For a thousand years.




Chapter 3: Hammer blow #1.  Andante.  Fortissimo.



	In class the next day, Usagi was restless.  The last few days 
had been rather exciting, with cardian attacks up the proverbial 
wazoo, and school was so boring in comparison to the excitement of 
battle.  She would much rather be fighting evil, or better yet, 
entertaining fantasies of Tuxedo Kamen or Tsukikage no Knight.

	She perked up at yet another urging.  There it was again, that 
prickly feeling.

	"Usagi-chan?  Are you paying attention?"

	"Hai, Haruna-sensei."

	"Good.  Then you won't mind telling me the answer to this 
question?"

	"Not at all!"  Aw jeez, why wasn't I paying attention?  She 
looked at the chalkboard, but it was no help.  Well, she'd never 
quite applied the crystal to this degree, but a little concentration 
should...there!

	"Usagi-chan?  Are you all right?"

	Her brow was damp with the effort, but Usagi shook it off.  
"I'm fine, Haruna-sensei.  The answer is no, because animal cells 
don't have chloroplasts."

	"Exactly right!"  The rest of the class looked at the blonde 
approvingly.  "You haven't been wrong all week, Usagi-chan!  I'm 
quite pleased with your progress."  The look on Haruna's face 
mirrored her surprise.

	"Oh, it's nothing, really," Usagi replied in usual Japanese 
fashion, downplaying the praise.  Haruna turned back to the lesson, 
and Usagi slumped back with relief.

	I *should* have gotten it right, she thought.  I plucked the 
answer right out of your head.  In the past couple of weeks since 
getting her memory back, she had been more or less playing around 
with the ginzuishou's capabilities, testing its boundaries.  So far 
she hadn't found any beyond her own physical limitations.  That 
little mind-reading trick she'd pulled would probably leave her 
lethargic for the rest of the day, but it should go away with 
practice.

	Then again, it wouldn't bother her so much if it wasn't for the 
other project she'd been working on.  She looked over to that new 
student.  Natsumi Ginga (or, using the Japanese name order of family 
first, Ginga Natsumi).  Was she the source of the disturbances she 
was feeling?

	Time for a meeting.

***

	"Right, so where is everybody?"

	"Usagi, calm down.  It's only 3:00, and you called the meeting 
for 3:30."

	"So?"  She turned around to face Luna and Rei.  "I'm here 
early!  Why can't they?  You two are!"

	"Usagi," protested the cat, "you dragged me here!  And Rei just 
happens to live here."

	The blonde gave a noncommittal monosyllable to that, and 
resumed pacing impatiently.  Luna turned to Rei with concern.

	"Have you noticed anything strange from her lately?"

	Rei smiled grimly.  "You mean other than excellent grades, 
exceptional punctuality, fearlessness in battle, and showing more 
authority than I ever thought she could?"

	"This is nothing to joke about, Rei."

	"Oh, I know."  Rei looked over to Usagi, who was now just 
standing at the top of the temple steps, looking out into the 
distance.  "But I think she'll get over it.  She's just readjusting 
to being Sailor Moon.  She'll back to normal in no time."

	"I just hope you're right."  Luna was about to add something to 
that when Usagi let out a shout, which was shortly followed by Ami, 
Makoto, Minako, and Artemis coming up the steps.

	"Took you guys long enough!"

	"Well Usagi," said Ami, "some of us have things to do after 
school."

	"And would these things be sailor business?  Never mind, I 
forgive you!"  This last was upon seeing that Makoto had brought some 
more treats.  "Oishii!"  She promptly dug in with venerable Usagi 
gusto.

	"See what I mean?" said Rei pointedly.  "Just like old times.  
And speaking of old times...odango-atama!  Wanna save some of that 
for us, or were you planning on guzzling it all yourself?"

	Usagi looked up from her meal and choked down both a morsel and 
a first response.  "Ptttb!" was what came out.

	"For crying out loud," muttered Artemis.  He followed Minako 
and Ami to where Rei and Luna were sitting.  Makoto was still holding 
the tray, and clearly looking for an out.  Usagi unconsciously 
grabbed the tray as well, and a grateful Makoto made her getaway.

	After a time, Usagi managed to finish, and turned to see the 
others snacking on bento.  "Where'd that come from?"

	"Oh, Mako-chan brought a second tray," said Minako around a 
mouthful.  "She figured something like this would happen."

	"Oh."  She wiped some crumbs from her mouth in a decidedly 
unladylike fashion and went to sit with the rest of them.  "So, I 
guess you're wondering why I called this meeting."

	"'Wonder' is one word I'd use," said Rei.  "'Astonishment' 
would be another.  'Surprised the shi-'"

	"We get the idea, Rei," said Luna, hastily cutting her off.  
Really, had that Catholic school taught her nothing?  "Usagi, please 
tell us why we're here."

	Usagi nodded emphatically.  "Hai.  Okay, now after I got my 
memory back, I started playing around with the ginzuishou.  Not like 
that, Rei!  I wasn't like playing catch with it or anything!  I was 
just trying to figure out what it could do."  Rei simply humphed at 
that.

	"And it can do a lot.  I've done quite a bit without getting 
close to the energy levels I had to sustain during the penultimate 
battle with Queen Beryl."

	"Energy levels?"

	"Sustain?"

	"Penultimate?"

	"Yeah, well my vocabulary has gone up too.  Sometimes I slip 
and use big words.  But anyway, there's a lot I can do without 
dying," and this said without a bit of emphasis on 'dying,' "and one 
of them is to detect evil."

	"What?"

	"You're kidding!"

	"I'd like to scan it, if you don't mind?"

	"Hey!  Checking for evil's my job, Usagi-chan!"  Rei started 
yelling.  "And what makes you so sure that you can check for evil?"

	"Because I found it."

	This shut them up.  "You mean," said Artemis after a pause, 
"that you can detect impure auras?"

	"Hai."  A large smile had found itself plastered on Usagi's 
face.  It wasn't entirely benevolent.  "I wanted to know who was 
behind all these cardians, and also if Mamo-chan was possessed by 
them.  The answer is those two exchange students, and no.  So, let's 
pay them a visit, shall we?"

	"But don't you think we should talk to them or-"

	"Let's go!"

***

	"But we can explain!"  Ail was quite frantic.  He'd just been 
relaxing at home with Ann when those Senshi came barreling though the 
door, lead by that ponytailed menace.  She'd immediately pulled out 
her Rod, and from his perspective, it seemed like she'd had to have 
been restrained by her comrades.  Now she was going on about how she 
knew what they were up to.

	"There's no need for explanations, bugger!  You're here to suck 
our energy, and we're not standing for it!"

	Ail sidled closer to Ann and whispered to her.  "Err, you think 
we should explain the Makaiju to them?"

	For once, Ann seemed genuinely frightened.  "Yes.  Before she 
destroys us *and* it."

	On the other side of the room, Sailor Mars was still 
desperately trying to talk Moon out of it. She was having about as 
much success at it as she'd had on the trip over here.  That is to 
say, none.

	"Sailor Moon," protested Mars yet again, "I'm telling you, Ail 
and Ann aren't completely evil!  We have to let them tell their side 
of things!"

	"Hai!" exclaimed Ail, scrabbling for any chance he might have 
to survive.

	"Are you siding with them, Mars?" asked Sailor Moon icily.  
There was a threat in her voice that Mars didn't care to hear.

	"NO!  I'm just saying that the sense I'm getting from them 
isn't of complete evil.  They may have good intentions!"

	"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."  She leveled 
the Moon Rod at the two extraterrestrials, who decided that they 
would have to fight.

	"Sailor Moon, believe me," gasped Ail, "there's a good reason!"

	"Is there?"  She lowered the Rod.

	"Yes!"  Ail began to gain confidence; the look in Moon's eyes 
was softening.

	"Oh, then I'm sure that you'll have ample opportunity to give 
it."

	Ail managed a chuckle, much as the condemned man chuckles after 
the governor calls.  That was close, he thought to himself.

	Sailor Moon had reached a decision.  Somewhere deep inside, a 
part of her howled in terror at what was about to happen, but she 
pressed on.  "Yes, you'll have plenty of time to explain yourselves 
in the afterlife."

	"Nani?"  Ann's heart had risen so far: was it to come crashing 
down?

	"Ai to seigi, seeraa fuku bishoujo senshi Sailor Moon!  Tsuki 
ni kawatte, korosu yo!"

	And then there was no battle cry, no words of power, just the 
sound of two beings being blasted out of the universe.

	Forever.

	At about that moment, Mamoru came into the room, having heard 
about strange occurrences.  He looked at the scene and his mouth 
dropped in shock.

	"Sailor Moon.  What have you done?"



Chapter 4: Second march.  Allegro energico.  Forte.



	It was the next day.  Five girls, one man, and two cats had 
gathered at Hikawa shrine.  At the forefront of their discussion was 
Usagi's drastic action of the previous day.

	"Usagi-chan, it's okay, really.  They weren't even human!"

	Usagi shrugged off Mamoru's attempts to comfort her.  She 
continued to be rolled up in a ball, hugging her knees.  She was 
crying: not bawling or whining or any other the other lacrimatory 
activities her friends knew her for.  This was pure and simple 
weeping, and it was both silent and deafening.

	After bursting into the apartment, Mamoru had found himself in 
a real pickle.  Somehow, the look on Sailor Moon's face had let loose 
the floodgate of memories that kept him from realizing his past life.  
Tsukikage no Knight was no more, but what good did it do when his 
beloved had just killed their enemies in what amounted to cold 
blood...no.

	Mamoru shook his head.  Usagi had done what any of them should 
have done in the circumstances.  It hadn't been a murder, simply the 
fulfillment of justice.  After all, who knew what the duo might have 
been able to do if they hadn't been stopped?  But...what was it Rei 
had just said?

	"I mean, how do we know that you won't do something like this 
again?"

	"Rei!" said Minako sharply, "how can you say something like 
that?  Can't you see that she's going through enough without you 
piling more on top of her?"

	"Actually," said Ami slowly, "I think Rei's right."  Everyone 
but Usagi whipped around at that.  Ami carried on quickly, in a hurry 
to get it out before she lost her resolve.  "I mean, Usagi said that 
it was the ginzuishou that tipped her off to Ail and Ann's true 
nature.  But she's still inexperienced with it.  I'm not sure that 
she couldn't have made a mistake, and...well, I don't think she 
should rely on it alone."

	"You mean that we should put all our trust in your computer?" 
asked Makoto belligerently.

	"No, Makoto," said Ami patiently, "just that if something like 
this happens again, and Usagi can...sniff it out, then great.  But 
she should at least let the rest of us know about it!"

	"She's right," said Usagi.  Her head rose, and they could all 
see how red and puffy her eyes were.  "She's absolutely right.  We're 
a team, and we should behave like one.  I'm no monarch, and no 
dictator either, no matter what my lineage is."

	Luna gave Artemis a smug look.  See how much more mature my 
protégé is that yours? it said.

	Artemis returned with a look of his own.  We'll see when we're 
in battle, it said.  The girls noticed none of this.

	"Good," said Rei.  "So, it's resolved, right?  We're a team, 
and we make decisions as one?"

	"Hai!"

	They all shook hands on it.  Well, figuratively, but one could 
get the idea.  With that problem out of the way, it was on to more 
important matters.

	Such as a trip to the ice cream parlor.

***

	"Isn't it a wonderful day?" asked Mamoru, sunlight in his eyes.

	"Hai," said Usagi dreamily.  It had been a week since the whole 
unpleasantness with those annoying aliens, and the events of those 
seven whirlwind days had been almost forgotten.  She and Mamoru were 
out on the lake.  Just them and the rowboat.  Usagi hoped it would 
never end.  Just her and her beloved.

	Of course, things were not destined to stay that way, and the 
first sign of this was the pink-haired child who fell out of the sky.

***

	"Don't act stupid.  I know you have the ginzuishou."

	Usagi resumed her silly smile, while the wheels turned in her 
head.  Who was this little brat, and how did she know about *her* 
ginzuishou?  And she dared to *ask* for it, her birthright?

	"I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about."

	"Fine, then."  The little girl's face turned grim, and Mamoru 
edged a bit closer to Usagi in protection: what was she going to do?  
"Time to die, Tsukino Usagi."  She pulled the trigger on her toy gun.

	"USAKO!!"  Usagi crumpled to the ground.  Mamoru immediately 
bent down to her side, searching for the injury that she had to have 
taken.  Her forehead was intact and unmarred though, and there was no 
blood on her chest.

	Shakily, Usagi reached a hand up to the odango of hair on the 
left side of her head.  It had a rather neat and tidy hole in it, 
with bits of dry black dust along the edges.  "Sh-she *shot* me!"

	"Well, it doesn't look like anything serious...."

	"It's my *hair*!"  She clutched at her locket protectively for 
a moment, then let it drop back in her pocket.  "I'm telling you, 
kid, you're--huh?"

	Where the child had stood, there was now nothing but empty 
space.

***

	On the radio, a public service announcement blared.  In Usagi's 
room, a girl blared.

	"Lunaaaaa!  She's ruining my life!"  Usagi angrily snapped up 
her bunny comforter and, at a loss at what else to do with it, threw 
it back on the bed.  Luna, who had previously been the occupant of 
the comforter, was not amused.

	"From you, all right?  I learned it by watching you!" screamed 
the radio.

	"Calm down, Usagi," advised the black cat.  Usagi was now 
rather furiously stomping about her room, which was still in a 
shambles.  "I'm sure that-"

	"-that that little...little...SPORE...is going to meet a very 
painful end!  Can't you see?  First she brainwashed my family, next 
it'll be the world!"  She picked up a slipper and hurled it into her 
closet.

	"Like mother, like daughter.  Think about it, won't you?  Thank 
you."  The radio switched to the latest J-pop hit.

	"I knew letting her watch that American Twilight Zone show was 
a bad idea."

	"WHAT WAS THAT?!?" demanded the blonde, death riding in her 
eyes.

	"Nothing!  Usagi, you really should settle yourself!  Unless, 
of course, you *want* the rest of your family to know you have a 
talking cat!"

	"Well, I should-"  She was cut short by the knocking at the 
door.  "Who is it?"

	No answer.  Usagi crept to the door, and Luna breathed another 
sigh of relief.  It was nice to see her dependably mercurial Usagi 
back; she'd bounced back rather nicely from the whole Eil/Ann 
disaster.  Meanwhile, Usagi opened the door, to see...

	"Aggh!"  Usagi reeled backwards from the punch that her faux 
cousin had just thrown.  The younger girl promptly marched into the 
room as if inspecting it before closing the mortgage.  Clutching her 
nose, Usagi let go with a number of curses that surprised the black 
cat, who now lay on the floor.  Whoever this mysterious girl was, she 
was apparently quite a pugilist.

	"Now, Usagi," said Chibi-usa snidely, "will you hand over the 
ginzuishou now, or will additional force be necessary?"

	Usagi, for her part, had managed to stumble to the nightstand 
and grab a Kleenex.  Wiping at her bloody nose, she just glared at 
the pink-haired girl.  "Now look, baka, I don't know who you are, or 
where you come from, or who the hell thought they were teaching you 
discipline, but you're going to learn some right quick, or-"  She was 
again cut short, this time by the beeping of her communicator.

	"Usagi!" whispered Luna urgently.

	"I heard the damn thing, you silly cat!"  Luna reeled as if 
physically slapped by Usagi's words.  "Now get a move on," she nearly 
screamed at Chibi-usa, "I don't have time to deal with you!"  She 
encouraged the brat out the door.  Actually, it was closer to shoving 
Chibi-usa out the door, with the smaller child kicking and screaming 
all the way.

	That completed, she fished around in her pocket and pulled out 
her yellow communicator.  "Yeah, what's up?"

	"We don't know," said Sailor Venus urgently from the other end 
of the line.  "We were just walking along and then this woman just 
came out of nowhere and...just get to Furikan Street, and hurry!"  
The transmission was punctuated with a crash.

	"Hai!"  She punched the off button and made another check to 
make sure that the door was closed and locked.  It was, despite the 
racket Chibi-usa made as she pounded on the door.  "Ready, Luna?"

	"Of course," said Luna wearily; she was still getting used to 
Usagi's enthusiasm for senshi activities.  If she'd known that Usagi 
was going to get a backbone, she would have made sure that she was 
physically fit.

	"Good!  Let's go!"  She opened the window and leapt out, 
landing in the conveniently placed shrubbery.

	"MOON CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE-UP!!!"

***

	Cooan chuckled to herself.  She'd expected the Sailor Senshi to 
be some sort of invincible fighting machine.  Right now, it was only 
too easy to blast all hell out of them.  Her mission seemed rather 
simple now; once the senshi were out of the way, it would be child's 
play to get the rabbit.  Then, they could all return to the future 
and set about liberating Crystal Tokyo.

	All her plans were about to go to hell, though.

	"Hold it right there!"

	"Who's that?" Cooan looked around frantically, but there was 
no-one to be seen.

	"I'm your worst nightmare!"

	From out of the shadows stepped a blonde girl with twin 
ponytails in a hairstyle Cooan had learned to hate.

	"I am the-"

	"Yes, yes, I've heard it all before."  Cooan slowly, subtly, 
but undoubtedly moved back a bit.  "But I'm afraid the results will 
be a bit different this time, Sailor Moon."

	"Different?"

	At this point, Luna came running up, terribly out of breath.  
She looked about and assessed the situation.  All four senshi down; 
only Sailor Moon and their unknown foe remained.  Luna nervously 
wished for Tuxedo Kamen to arrive.  Hell, she'd settle for Artemis, 
at this point.

	"Yes, a bit different from the future!"  Cooan readied a blast 
for the blonde, who immediately assumed a defensive posture.  Cooan 
nodded to herself and backed up a bit more.  She couldn't really say 
that she was expecting anything less.  They'd known what they were up 
against as soon as they'd realized exactly when they'd reentered the 
time stream.

	Sailor Moon knew none of this, of course, and simply prepared 
herself for the worst.  She did know, however, that *she* would be 
the one dishing out the worst.

	"You've made a mistake, sister.  I don't know who you are, and 
I don't care, but you're going to the showers, NOW!  Moon Princess 
Halation!"

	Cooan had been expecting this, and yet the rapidity with which 
it came caught her completely by surprise.  She dove to her left, and 
the powerful pink beam of energy merely clipped her in the shoulder.  
Even so, she was sent flying ten meters into the distance.

	Thus, the appearance at that point of Kamen was a definite 
anticlimax.  Seeing that she was outnumbered and outgunned, Cooan 
made her retreat, leaving Moon and Kamen alone with the cat and the 
other sailors.

	"Well, I, uh...see you've got things under control here," said 
Kamen uncomfortably.

	"Hai," said Sailor Moon.  Her fuku shimmered into a mass of red 
ribbons, which were just as quickly replaced by her school uniform.  
Taking the hint, Tuxedo Kamen detransformed as well, reappearing in a 
gray and blue sweatsuit.

	"A sweatsuit?"

	"Well, you caught me at a bad time.  I was at the gym and-"

	"Oh, okay."  She crouched down beside the nearest sailor, Mars.  
"Now could you help me wake them up?"




Chapter 5: Hammer blow #2.  Allegro moderato.  Fortissimo.  
Decrescendo.


	Mamoru Chiba tossed and turned on his bed.  He was having the 
dream again, the dream that had haunted him for the past few weeks.

	It was terrible, he thought.  His days were taken up by his job 
and school, and what precious sleep that wasn't interrupted by his 
battles with droids was being interrupted by this damned dream.

	In it, he was haunted by a ghostly image of Usagi, but she 
seemed different.  She wore a crown, and a royal gown, not much 
different from her Princess Serenity appearance.  But the eyes...the 
eyes were harder, somehow, seemingly more distant.  At the same time, 
though, they seemed more welcoming, more loving.

	"Remember," said the Usagi who wasn't quite Usagi, "remember 
what you swore.  You swore to protect the Princess."

	Every time, he shouted out the same thing.  "Isn't that what 
I'm doing now?"

	"Protect the Princess, and the Queen."  At that point, the 
dream ended, only to start again.  Weeks of it were beginning to wear 
on him, and he didn't know if he could take much more of it.  There 
had to be an end to it somehow.

***

	"Usagi-chan!  Time for dinner!"

	"Coming, mother!"  Usagi put the ginzuishou back into her 
locket and got up from the bed.  It was evening, and she'd already 
finished her homework.  She had been spending her time doing what she 
did more and more often; namely, toying with the crystal.

	Luna lay at the foot of the bed, and watched as Usagi rose from 
the bed and went downstairs.  She was becoming increasingly worried 
at Usagi's behavior.  Lately, she'd been doing two things at home: 
homework, and obsessing over the ginzuishou.  Admittedly, that was 
somewhat of a good thing; considering the lengths to which both their 
new foes and Chibi-usa were going to get it, it was nice to see her 
taking her responsibilities more seriously.  But *this* seriously?  
It had been a week since she'd been to the mall, four days since 
she'd even spoken to Mamoru with anything more than a simple 
greeting.  About the only thing you could get her out of the house 
for was school.  She'd even insisted on moving the sailor meetings to 
her home.

	No, Luna wasn't pleased at all with the changes Usagi was going 
through.  The question was, was there something she should do about 
it?  After all, it had only been a few weeks since she'd...well, 
*executed* Eil and Ann.  Could this be a step towards recovery, or 
her sliding deeper into a pit of something, something that Luna 
didn't want to know about?

***

	Usagi paid heed to none of Luna's ponderings; she was famished.  
She bounced down the stairs and sat at the western-style table.  Her 
family was rather progressive; in addition to the fully elevated 
table (as opposed to the low, floor-hugging table that Rei had), she 
had a Western style bed, as opposed to a futon.  They were very much 
a Japanese family of the 90's.

	She greeted her parents (and, grudgingly, her brother), and sat 
down.  "Mother, what's for dinner?"

	"Squid on a stick."

	"Shingo!" chastised Ikuko.  "As I recall, she wasn't asking 
you.  Now mind your manners!"  She instantly calmed down.  "To answer 
your question, Usagi," she said, setting plates and silverware at the 
table, "we're having lamb chops."

	"Lamb chops?"  The tears began to well up in her eyes.  How 
could she bear to eat what had once been a sweet, adorable little 
lamb like that?  It was...was..., "inhumane!  How could you do such a 
thing?"

	"Er..." Ikuko looked at Usagi strangely.  "Are you sure you're 
feeling all right?"  The phenomenon of Usagi refusing food was 
unheard of at the Tsukino household, and Ikuko half thought someone 
had traded her daughter for another.

	"Oh, I'm fine, (sob) but you didn't have to kill the poor 
thing!"

	"Now, now, Usagi," said Kenji, "your mother didn't do 
the...slaughtering...herself.  She bought it at the store.  Now let's 
not have this silliness, okay, and just eat your dinner."

	"If it's all the same to you," said Usagi, sniffling, "I'd 
rather do without tonight."  With that, she went upstairs, leaving 
the table's occupants silent for a moment.

	"Should I go after her?"

	"No, Ikuko.  Let her have some time to herself.  Come to think 
of it, she's been having it rough lately.  Always doing her homework, 
and yet never seeming to have enough energy in the mornings.  You'd 
think...nah."

	They dug in.

***

	"Usagi!  Why aren't you eating?"

	"Not hungry."  Usagi flopped down on the bed and pulled out the 
ginzuishou.

	"You know, Usagi, the ginzuishou is not a toy."  Luna got up 
and padded over to the window, where she could see some rather 
ominous clouds gathering, blocking the full moon.

	"I'm well aware of that," said Usagi tartly, looking at the 
light as it refracted through the crystal.  It made tiny rainbows on 
her cheeks as she spoke.  "I'm just testing a theory."

	"Theory?"  Luna leapt up on the bed and eyed Usagi carefully.  
"Theory of what?"

	Silly cat, Usagi thought idly.  Always the last to know.  
"Theory of where Chibi-usa comes from."

	"Why, from-"

	"Yes, that's what she *said*," said Usagi patiently, "but I 
know she's lying, and I want to know why.  And I won't know why until 
I know the truth.  And the crystal," she continued, holding the 
object in question above her head and closing her eyes, "is going to 
help me with that."

	Luna knew better than to argue with her at that point.  Once 
Usagi had set in her mind that she was going to use the ginzuishou, 
that was that.

	She simply settled down and watched Usagi's strange actions 
with the crystal, hoping that she wouldn't get hurt.

***

	Usagi concentrated.  This is, on the outset, a rather harmless 
looking phrase, but it doesn't accurately convey the degree of 
thought that she was undertaking.  It was a little bit like the 
concentration she'd used in defeating Metallia, but without the 
urgency that had marked her attempt then.  Now, she was far more 
calm.

	That's probably why I haven't died yet, she thought.  She'd 
heard it all before: how her mother, Queen Serenity, had died, using 
the last of her strength to defeat Beryl, and sent her only child 
into the future, where she might have a better life.  She knew that 
she herself had died during that final assault on Beryl's stronghold 
at the North Pole, again using the last of her strength.  The lesson 
here, she thought, is that if I use the crystal to the utmost, I will 
die.

	But, she continued to herself, suppose, just for a moment, that 
the urgency isn't there.  After all, look at what I'm capable of when 
things aren't that urgent.  In the last few months, we haven't gotten 
into any fixes that we couldn't handle.  I'm getting to school on 
time (with the ginzuishou as a quasi-alarm clock), getting good 
grades (with the ginzuishou as a master answer book), and fighting 
those droids with greater efficiency than even I ever thought 
possible (with the ginzuishou as the ultimate weapon).

	Therefore, she thought, the effectiveness of the crystal must 
be directly tied into my mental state.  And if that's true, then all 
I have to do is keep my head clear and serene, and the ginzuishou 
will take care of the rest.  After all, it's defeated some of the 
most powerful entities in the world.  Surely it can answer a simple 
question.

	She let the invisible tendrils of power from the crystal reach 
out into the surrounding area.  From Luna's perspective, it looked as 
if Usagi had fallen asleep, and so the cat nodded off as well, with a 
mental note to tell Usagi to plan her sleeping time better in the 
morning.

	From Usagi's perspective, however, things were quite different.  
In her mind's eye, she could look in on Chibi-usa, who was now 
downstairs watching television.  She gazed into the small girl, 
noting that she was the source of great power.  A great lineage, 
thought Usagi to herself.

	But there was something more...she looked into the girl's mind, 
trying to cull any information about her parents.  She could see, as 
if in a fog, two figures in front of a...a truly *magnificent* 
palace.  It seemed to be made entirely from crystal, and bore a 
fleeting resemblance to the palace on the Moon.

	The figures drew more of her attention, however.  They both 
were on the edge of memory.  Now, who had twin ponytails...herself?  
Could it possibly be? she whispered to herself.

	It could.  And in a flash, she knew what she had to do.

***

	"Wiseman, we have a problem."

	"Do we?" asked he.

	"We do," said the other.  Rubeus wrung his hands a bit, and 
wiped at the sweat running off his brow.  He knew that they were all 
in very big trouble, and that they probably had just one shot at 
completing their mission.

	"Wiseman, it would seem that the Queen has awakened."

	"What?!?" roared the Wiseman.  Rubeus blinked; he hadn't 
thought it possible for Wiseman to roar.  Dimand, on the other hand, 
now *he* was one for roaring.  But what was Wiseman saying?

	"You idiot, have you been listening to anything I've been 
saying?"

	"Well...."

	"I see.  I have to repeat myself.  Fine.  I was saying that we 
must not hesitate now.  We must strike down both the Queen and the 
Rabbit before she grows to her full power."

	"Yes, of course."

	"Good.  I'm sending the royal family back."

	"Nani?!?"

	"Along with myself."

	"Kuso!"  Rubeus was about as shocked as he got.  "*All* of 
you?"

	The Wiseman's smile was grim and mirthless, and seemed to be 
getting grimmer all the time.  "Did I not say that we must not 
hesitate?  We have no choice, Rubeus.  We must gamble everything on 
one last throw of the dice.  If we fail...I do not have to spell out 
the consequences of failure, do I?"

	"No, Wiseman."  He balled his fists, yet in contradiction to 
this apparently defiant act, tears ran from his eyes and down his 
cheeks.  "I know all too well."  He straightened.  I know far too 
well, he thought.  My homeland and family scoured, myself tortured 
for daring to speak my mind, my wife....

	"The preparations shall be made, Wiseman."

	"Very good," came the reply.  "Ganbatte."

	"Ganbatte."  He closed the connection.  "Cooan!  Beruche!  
Karaberas!  Petz!  Come here!

	"We've got to get ready to die."

***

	When they found out, it came as quite a surprise.

	"Nani?  How could she possibly be your daughter?" demanded 
Makoto.  Minako stood beside her with a look that spelled out rather 
clearly that Usagi had some explaining to do.  If this was a joke, 
then someone was going to pay a high price for dragging them all out 
here at this time of night.

	Ami, for her part, was taking it rather in stride, and had 
immediately pulled out her computer to see for herself.  It was Rei 
that Usagi worried about.  She hadn't said a word since Usagi had 
told them.

	Mamoru leaned against a column of Hikawa Shrine, looking fairly 
shocked, but at the same time appearing to be rather calm.  One had 
to wonder as to how much earlier he'd found out, because he was 
taking it almost preternaturally well.

	Chibi-usa wasn't there; she, like most sensible children in 
Tokyo, was asleep in bed, worried about neither the conversation nor 
the gathering storm.  Even now, a few raindrops were beginning to 
fall.  They were ignored; there was a more important storm to worry 
about, and it was called Tsukino Usagi.

	Luna and Artemis had more than a few questions for Usagi, chief 
among them the one Makoto had just voiced.  Just in case any of them 
were suffering from hearing loss, though, the cats repeated the 
question, in unison.

	"How could she possibly be your daughter?"

	From her perch on top of one of the low, gray stone walls, 
Usagi chuckled softly, as if at a cosmic joke only she could truly 
appreciate.  "Well, it's not too hard when you put your mind to it."

	"And when was the last time you put *your* mind to anything, 
Usagi-chan?" asked Rei tauntingly.

	"This evening," replied Usagi coldly.  Really, it was a shame, 
such lack of respect for their leader and princess.  One day she'd 
have to wipe that haughty grin from Rei's face, but for now there 
were more important matters to attend to.  "This evening, I used the 
ginzuishou-"

	"Usagi-chan!  Didn't we agree that you-"

	"-shouldn't rely solely on the crystal?"  Usagi gave another 
infuriating grin.  "Hai, we did agree to that.  But isn't that what 
you're doing right now?"

	"Nani?"

	Really, thought Usagi, for such a bright girl, she can be 
terribly dull at times.  "Your computer, silly.  Even now, you're 
checking the DNA patterns to see if there's sufficient correlation 
between Chibi-usa, Mamo-chan, and myself, to determine whether you 
can get a positive identification on the parentage of Chibi-usa.  
Right?"

	Very few things shocked Ami Mizuno.  When they did shock her, 
she managed to keep it inside.  She would never do something like let 
her jaw drop.

	Her jaw dropped.  "That...that's exactly what I'm doing."

	Makoto stared, then came up to Usagi and felt her forehead.  
"Are you feeling all right?"

	"Perhaps she's been attacked by those Ayakashi sisters?"

	"Iie," said Luna, "I've been with her all day.  Other than 
staying at home a lot-"

	"-as usual-"

	"-I haven't noticed anything wrong," she concluded, 
deliberately omitting Usagi's obsession with the ginzuishou.  The 
rain began to increase in intensity, and those out in the open headed 
for the safety of the porch, and its roof.

	"Hai," said Usagi again.  "Well, I just used the ginzuishou, 
and now I know that Chibi-usa is the daughter of myself and Mamo-
chan."

	Rei spoke.  "What, we're just supposed to believe that you 
looked into your crystal ball and came up with maternity *and* 
paternity?"

	"Yes," said Usagi, insulted.  Was she calling her a *liar*?

	"Oh."

	There was a pause.  Then everyone but Usagi and Mamoru spoke at 
once.

	"SHE'S YOUR DAUGHTER?!?!?"

	Things were not improved by the colossal explosion that 
followed a second later.

***

	The explosion was centered about three kilometers from the 
Shrine, and was easily visible from there.  Usagi snapped her head 
around to see the fireball, and just as quickly turned back to her 
friends.  "There's no time to explain any more."

	"Nani?  You and Mamoru?"

	"I said there's no time!"  She leapt down from the wall and 
glared at them, as the rain fell even more heavily.  "Mina, henshin 
yo!"

	The others waffled for a split second, and looked to the cats 
for guidance.  There was no help there; they were just as baffled as 
the girls.  Mamoru, for his part, had already transformed to Tuxedo 
Kamen.  They looked back to Usagi.

	She was now Sailor Moon.  No lengthy transformation or phrase, 
just a schoolgirl one moment and a heroine the next.  There was their 
answer.

	Sailor Moon simply looked at them all in turn, fully in the 
face.  They saw in her eyes a mixture of determination, anger, 
excitement...but not a trace of fear.  Inwardly, Minako managed a 
smile.  At least the girl had learned what it meant to be a leader.

	"VENUS STAR POWER, MAKE UP!"

	Three similar phrases later, the five Sailor Senshi stood ready 
to face whoever was behind the explosion.

	"Let's go!"  Sailor Moon raced off before anything else could 
be said, leaving the others to helplessly follow behind.  Kamen was 
running at her side in an instant, and the girls weren't far behind.  
Luna and Artemis, however, were quite slower.

	"You have an explanation for this?" panted Artemis.

	"Not really," replied Luna.  "I hope she doesn't do anything 
rash, though."

	"Bit late for that."

***

	Two kilometers away, another senshi could only stand and watch.  
Her job had once been to guard the gates of time.  But her Queen had 
decided that she hadn't done a good enough job of it.

	She had protested, saying that she was the only one who could 
do the job properly.  Furthermore, she stated that the Queen was not 
a good Queen, and could use some replacing herself.  She had even 
gathered the courage to say that no, she would not stand for her 
replacement.  She was the guardian of time, and no-one could take 
that away from her, no matter how much power they wielded.

	Her Queen had agreed, and in doing so set for her the worst 
possible torment.  She was doomed to simply watch events unfold.  She 
could not interfere, but could only observe as time was bent out of 
shape.

	It flew in the face of all she held dear; it contradicted 
everything that she'd dedicated her life towards for untold 
millennia.

	The worst part was that Sailor Pluto was truly sorry.

***

	Three kilometers away, a large crowd was waiting for the main 
show.  It had been decided to draw the firing line across an old 
highway that was in the process of being torn up and replaced with a 
driving range and pro shop.

	The front line of the Black Moon's defense was formed from the 
Ayakashi sisters and Rubeus.  They had gotten used to the fact that 
they were, at best, cannon fodder.  They knew that Sailor Moon was 
upset, and from past experience, they also knew that she was near 
invincible when mad.  They were mainly there just to slow down the 
senshi, and perhaps get a few licks in, softening them up before they 
ran into the main guard.

	The main guard, for its part, was made up of Esmeroodo, Dimand, 
Safiiru, and the Wiseman.  The hope, as far as they were concerned, 
was that they could try and at least hurt Sailor Moon.  At best, 
perhaps cripple her.  Then, once that was accomplished, it would be 
an all-or-nothing battle between her and whoever was left.

	Wiseman knew it was a pretty bad plan; he'd drawn it up, after 
all.  But it was the only plan they had.  Anything else virtually 
guaranteed the preservation of matters in the future, and that could 
not be allowed to happen, barring the miraculous intervention of 
Sailor Pluto.  But everyone knew what had happened to her.

	At the front line, Rubeus picked out Sailor Moon and company 
amidst the smoke from the explosion and subsequent fire.  They were 
advancing steadily, and hadn't begun to slacken.  Neither had the 
rain; it was now steadily coming down, and streamed down their faces.

	"They're about 300 meters away," shouted Rubeus, as he said a 
quick prayer to an anonymous deity.

	That prayer was promptly rendered moot as Sailor Moon raised 
the Moon Rod and aimed it at the sisters' position.

	"Run!" cried Beruche.

	It was too late.  A pink blast of energy caught all four 
sisters full in the chests, and knocked Rubeus unconscious.  At 
Dimand's side, Safiiru winced.

	"It's over, isn't it?"  His brother could only nod dumbly.

***

	"Sailor Moon!"

	"Sailor Moon!" echoed Venus to Jupiter's shout, "we *agreed* 
about this!  We take action as a team!"

	"Well, you're here, aren't you?" snarled Moon.  The other 
senshi could only reel back in alarm.  Clearly, this was not the 
easygoing Sailor Moon they had once known.

	"Usako."  The voice made Sailor Moon turn away from the Black 
Moon family, as the Ayakashi scrambled towards the rear guard.  She 
faced her true love in the eyes as he took off his mask.  "Usako, why 
are you doing this?"

	For a moment, Sailor Moon's resolve wavered.  
"Because...because...."  She let the Rod droop.  "Because...."  She 
rallied.  "Because these *bastards* were going after my CHILD!"

	"What?"

	She ignored the question.  She now had all the reason she 
needed, and in her fit of anger, she didn't give a damn about what 
the others thought.  First justice, then reason.  She cried out to 
the pouring rain.

	"Ai to seigi, bishoujo seeraa fuku senshi Sailor Moon!  Tsuki 
ni kawatte, shine yo!"

	"Nooo!"

	And then every single member of the Black Moon family, known to 
some as the leaders of the Revolution, was completely and utterly 
blasted out of existence forever.

	The fires went out.




Chapter 6: Song of hope.  Allegro moderato.  Piano.  Mezzopiano.


	There was silence for a long time, punctuated by the far off 
cry of emergency sirens; somewhere, far off, a woman was giving 
birth.  Two people had heart attacks.  A boy had fallen on a slippery 
brick porch.  His parents decided to err on the side of caution and 
call for paramedics.  In unison, a more light-hearted person might 
have noted the similarity of the sirens to a group of oboes, playing 
a mournful melody.

	Before a mound of dirt and ashes, a fourteen year old girl 
named Sailor Moon stood aghast at what she had done.  Soaking wet, 
she could only stare.  The adrenaline rush had suddenly and 
completely run out of her, and she felt like she would collapse.

	Things had been going so well.  With the ginzuishou, she had 
felt that she could handle anything.  Her newfound confidence had 
gotten her good grades, the respect of her peers, and virtually 
uninterrupted success in battle since the first run-in with a 
cardian.

	It had also gotten her a black mark on her conscience.

	Slowly, Tuxedo Kamen walked forward to stand beside his 
beloved.  She didn't turn around.  He put an arm around her shoulder, 
and suddenly she collapsed into sobs, further drenching his cold, 
rain-soaked cloak with hot salty teardrops.

***

	From afar, the cats and the senshi watched.

	"Should we...?" began Venus, then stopped.

	"Er..." Jupiter trailed off as well.  Truth be told, they were 
all rather uncomfortable with the situation.  After all, it wasn't 
every day that they saw their friend blast living, breathing, *human* 
beings into dust.  For just that moment, they didn't know whether to 
console the girl, or denounce her as a monster.

	Then Moon's tears came, and that indecision was washed away 
with a group hug.

***

	Hours later, they were still at the shrine.  The rain had 
slackened somewhat; it was now a light shower.  None of them had the 
spirit to go to school, so Luna and Artemis had been sent to do a 
massive hypnotism job on their loved ones.  This had the added 
benefit of getting them out of the way for some heavy-duty healing.

	They had spent most of the time reassuring Usagi.  She was 
devastated by what had happened, and Rei secretly suspected that she 
might consider suicide.  She sat closest to Usagi, with Mamoru on the 
blonde's other flank.

	"But...but how could I just lose control like that?" asked 
Usagi for the nth time.  "These past few weeks...kami-sama, I've been 
rude, I've been so single-minded, I've gotten caught up in the 
responsibilities of being the Neo-Queen..."

	There's that phrase again, thought Rei.  Something else to 
figure out later.  But for now..."Usagi, what's important right now 
is that you get a hold of yourself.  What you've done, well...it's 
done, and you can't spend the rest of your life worrying over it."

	"She's right," agreed Ami.  "You've got to move on, and-"

	"How do I move on from murder?" asked Usagi bitterly.

	"It was self defense," said Makoto automatically.  They'd been 
down this road before.  How to justify what they did to their 
enemies...long ago, they'd had to tell themselves that it was for the 
good of the people.  Otherwise, they'd have a lot of trouble sleeping 
at nights.  Sometimes they did anyway.  It had been harder since 
Usagi had vanquished Eil and Ann.

	"Hai," said Rei.  "Look at what they'd done already!  They'd 
been terrorizing the city, and more to the point, Chibi-usa, for 
weeks, and they didn't really give us a choice, you know?  Surrender 
or die."

	"Us or them, Usagi," said Ami.  It was a terrible truth, and 
maybe not a total truth at all, but they had to get her back to the 
land of the living, and right now a little white lie wouldn't hurt.  
"You made the only choice a right-thinking person could."

	"Anyway," said Makoto in a somewhat belligerent tone, "what's 
with you and this Neo-Queen stuff, anyway?"

	"Oh."  She wiped away some tears, with the assistance of 
Mamoru, who had been notably silent during this conversation.  
"That's...that's pretty easy.  I looked at Chibi-usa...well, Ami-chan 
would probably say 'scan,' but in any case, I...I looked into her 
mind.

	"She has memories of it all.  She remembers her parents as Neo-
Queen Serenity of Crystal Tokyo, and the Queen's husband, Endymion.  
And they look just like Mamo-chan and I.

	"And that's not all.  Apparently, she was sent from the future 
by my future self, I suppose for her own good."  She gestured off to 
the distance, where the smoke still rose from the smoldering remains 
of the Black Moon's last stand.  "*Those* fellows were disgruntled 
with the way things were going in the future, and they 
started...well, they revolted."

	She looked around at her friends.  It was hard to pick out 
emotions there.  If she had to pick one word to describe them, it 
would be 'surprised.'  Justifiably so.  She was dropping one 
bombshell after another on them, and she certainly didn't expect them 
to adjust to it all at once.

	She wasn't entirely certain that *she* had adjusted to it.

	"So, in the future, they went after Chibi-usa, and I sent her 
back to myself here in the twentieth, not knowing that they would 
follow."

	"But...but wouldn't...didn't...won't you know in the future 
that these characters came back to the past?"  Ami had broken a 
slight sweat with the effort of getting that out; thinking about a 
time paradox is a feat whose difficulty is only exceeded by 
articulating a time paradox.

	"That's the part I'm unsure of," admitted Usagi.  Ami sighed in 
relief; a confused Usagi was better than a hysterical Usagi.  "That, 
and someone else she's close to.  She only calls her Puu, and 
apparently she is...or was...sort of guardian.  That's all I know."

	She looked up to Mamoru.  "If you don't mind," she said, "I 
need some sleep."  She ignored the looks of surprise on her friends' 
faces.  She had to act strong; she was the future Queen, after all.

	"Of course," said Rei carefully.  "But Usagi-chan...please, 
*please*, consult with us before you do anything like this again."

	"But..."

	"Usako."  The tone in Mamoru's voice made her turn around 
sharply.  "Usako, if our love means anything, then please do as she 
asks."

	There was no saying no to her future husband.  "If that's what 
you wish, Endymion."

	"It is."

	After that, there wasn't much else to say.

***

	Five days later, on a Tuesday, Usagi and Mamoru were taking a 
walk in the park, along with Chibi-usa.  Time had brought a number of 
changes to their relationships.  Usagi and Mamoru were far more 
closer, almost to the point of inseparability.  Usagi and Chibi-usa 
got along unbelievably well.  Usagi's change in demeanor had been 
mirrored in her daughter; both worried less about the ginzuishou and 
more about enjoying life to the fullest.

	In fact, if one added a few years to Usagi's age, one would 
think that they were one happy family.  In a sense, they already 
were, and Usagi was already looking older.  She'd had a growth spurt, 
and now was even taller than Ami.

	As the walked, Usagi pointed out various interesting people and 
places.  One other couple caught her attention in particular.

	"Mamo-chan?  Is it just me, or is that guy awfully public with 
his affections?"

	Mamoru looked in the direction that Usagi's index finger 
pointed.  He looked for a bit, then coughed to himself.  How to 
explain this?  "Um, Usako?"

	"Hai?"

	"That guy...um...he's not *quite* what you think."

	"Nani?"

	"Look at the chest."

	"Hm?  What's so interesting about his ch...oh.  I see."  Usagi 
blushed furiously, and snuck another peek at the sandy-haired figure.  
"He's a she.  But wouldn't that make...oh dear."  Somehow, Usagi's 
face managed to get even more red.  She now looked at the woman with 
the sea-green hair with utter fascination.

	"No need to stare," said Mamoru jokingly.

	"Hai," chimed in Chibi-usa, who had been listening to the 
conversation with interest.  "They're just Sailors...ooops!"

	"Nani?  Sailors?"

	"Sorry," said Chibi-usa, as her face turned red as well.  "I'm 
not allowed to tell you."

	"Tell me what?"

	"I can't tell!  I promised you!"

	"Promised you what?"

	"I can't tell!"

	This is going nowhere fast, thought Usagi.  She decided to try 
extortion.  She certainly didn't like it; she'd given her word to 
Mamoru, after all.  No more using the ginzuishou for personal 
reasons, or for unilateral actions without the consent of the others.  
That was the agreement.  But it couldn't hurt this *one* time, could 
it?

	"Usako..."

	"Gomen, Mamo-chan."  Damn!  He'd caught her!  She'd been so 
close, too!  But he knew the look she got in her eyes when she was 
about to use the crystal.  She'd have to do something about 
that...but that thought was quickly swept away by the cheerfulness of 
the day.   

	"Forget it.  Let's go!"  With no particular reason or purpose 
in mind, she ran off, doing something that normal girls get to do.

	Play in the wind.

***

	"Would you like to introduce me to your friend, Chibi-usa-
chan?"

	"Of course!"  Mother and daughter were all smiles, even if they 
couldn't let on to their true relationship.  "Usagi-chan, this is 
Tomoe Hotaru.  I met her the other day."

	"Konnichi wa," said the girl, bowing.  It troubled Usagi to see 
her like that; so pale and sickly, and yet it seemed to her that she 
held some kind of inner strength.

	But that kind of soul-searching was in the past, she told 
herself.  She focused on the here and now, on the formalities of 
meeting her 'cousin's' newest friend.

	"How do you do?" asked Usagi.

	"I'm well," replied the black-haired girl.  She certainly 
didn't look like it.  "Chibi-usa's told me quite a bit about you."

	"I hope it wasn't all bad," said Usagi, laughing.

	"Oh no," said Hotaru, totally serious, "it was quite 
flattering.  She really looks up to you."  She's hiding something, 
thought Usagi.

	"That's good."  Usagi smiled.  If her friends had seen that 
smile, they would have either raced in to remind Usagi of her promise 
or cowered in fear of what came next.

	But they weren't, and so they couldn't see as Usagi's hope for 
a normal life crashed against the cliff of fate.





























































Chapter 7: Presto.  Song of fate.  Allegro energico.  Mezzoforte.  
Crescendo.


	"Nooo!"  Sailor Venus looked on helplessly as the heart crystal 
was extracted from yet another innocent.  Now they'd been irrevocably 
forced into fighting.

	It seemed to Sailor Moon that all they'd done since reawakening 
was fight.  First the aliens, then the Black Moon and their attempted 
temporal coup d'etat, and now these people, who were hell-bent on 
grabbing heart crystals left and right.  More infuriating to Sailor 
Moon, though, was that there were apparently two other senshi running 
around, and she *wasn't* in charge of them!  It was a good thing, she 
thought, that she'd sent Chibi-usa back to the future a few days ago.

	"I don't have time for this," muttered Moon.  She put a 
restraining hand on Mercury's arm before she could level her attack.  
"I've got this one."

	Sailor Moon closed her eyes, and a crescent moon appeared 
briefly, superimposed on her tiara.  Sailor Mars was the only one who 
saw it, though, and for the longest time afterwards, she dismissed it 
as a trick of the light.

	Then she ceased to worry about things like that.  Sailor Moon 
opened her eyes, and a ball of pink light raced out from her now-
outstretched arms.  It enveloped the rising heart crystal, and the 
crystal promptly fell back down into the victim.

	Moon smiled, a happy carefree smile.  "That should do it."

***

	From afar, Sailors Uranus and Neptune looked on in shock.  They 
hadn't even had a chance to check the crystal before Sailor Moon had 
so blatantly interfered...it was truly infuriating.

	"You know," said Neptune, "we're really going to have to do 
something about this."

	"You feel it too?" asked Uranus.

	"Hai.  Let's go."

	They stepped out from the bushes cautiously, yet with a trace 
of pride that one could never really scrub from them.  It was in no 
way bad, simply a trademark, like Ami's fascination and love for 
books, or, lately, Usagi's mercurial temper.

***

	Mars was the first to notice the newcomers; they were the same 
two who had been at other daimon attacks.  She immediately imposed 
herself between them and Sailor Moon, who was still in a fixed, 
almost post-orgasmic stare at her handiwork.  Venus and Mercury 
noticed as well, and also assumed defensive stances.

	"Who are you?" demanded Mars.  "If you're sailors, then why 
aren't you with us?"

	The two newcomers stopped, about four meters away.  "Perhaps 
the question should be why *you* aren't with *us?*

	Neptune had said it rather playfully, and it took a couple 
seconds for four of the senshi to realize this.  Sailor Moon found 
nothing humorous about it, though.

	"So," said Uranus, "we have a bit of a problem.  You see, we're 
on a mission to find the-"  She was cut short rather abruptly.

	The event that cut her short was a pink blast of energy from 
Sailor Moon that drove into the ground mere centimeters from Uranus's 
boot.  The duo wasted no time in shifting into an offensive posture.

	"Why *I'm* not with *you*?" snarled Sailor Moon.  "Why you...do 
you know who I am?"

	"Of course," said Neptune coolly.  "You're Sailor Moon, the 
girl who's been causing quite a bit of trouble for evil lately."

	"Damn straight."

	"However, we must caution you here."

	"Hai," continued Uranus, "I'm afraid that our mission is too 
important to entrust to children like you."

	"Nani?"  Mars was fairly furious for just a moment, and then 
realized how Moon must be feeling.  She immediately dropped back 
close to Sailor Moon, trying not make sure that she wouldn't do 
anything rash.

	"So," said Neptune, "if you'll leave us to do our work, we'll 
leave you to do yours, ne?"

	"Iie," growled Sailor Moon, a definite frown on her face.  They 
would pay for that.  "Look, whoever you are-"

	"Ah, we didn't introduce ourselves?  How rude.  I am the 
magnificent-"

	"-Sailor Uranus, and you're Sailor Neptune.  I'd figured out 
that much."  Ignoring the looks of surprise on the outers' faces, she 
continued.  "Whoever you are, I'd counsel you to remember that *I* am 
the Moon Princess, *I* am the future queen of Crystal Tokyo, and, 
most importantly, *I* have the goddamn ginzuishou!"

	"Sailor Moon!"  This time, thought Sailor Venus, she's gone too 
far.  "Sailor Moon, we'd better get a move on, and have this chat 
some other time, okay?"  She made a move as if to bodily drag Moon 
from the scene.

	"As a matter of fact, Sailor Venus, it's not okay."  Sailor 
Moon never even turned to face the orange and white clad senshi.  
"They've got to recognize who's boss around here."

	"Sailor Moon."  The humor was all out of Neptune's voice: she 
meant business.  "We do not doubt your claims to royalty.  In fact, 
we may know more about them than you imagined.  But we work alone.  
Good-bye."

	The two walked away, leaving Moon fuming for a moment.  Then, 
she cheered up.  "Hey!"

	Quite a few meters away, the pair turned around.

	"Yeah, you!  Just thought you'd like to know!  There's another 
daimon coming at 4:15 at the subway station!"

	Uranus glanced at Neptune.  It was obvious that she hadn't 
foreseen anything like that coming.  "Thanks for the misinformation," 
called Uranus, "but we'll be going elsewhere then!"

	"Sailor Moon!" whispered Mars urgently, "just what in the hell 
do you think you're doing?"

	She overlooked the profanity.  "Just giving them fair warning."

	Mars looked at their leader with outright suspicion.  She'd 
have to consult the sacred flames tonight.  There was definitely 
something quite wrong with Usagi, and they had to get to the bottom 
of it before she could do something that would get them all killed.

	The duo turned a corner and vanished.

***

	"Usagi!  Dinner's ready!"

	"Coming, mother!"  Usagi sprang out of bed and went downstairs, 
where the evening meal was already on the table.  She could use the 
meal; the 4:15 daimon had been rather tough.  She'd have liked to 
have seen the look on the newcomers' faces when they realized that 
she was right all along.

	"Usagi, did you hear?  Shingo made the youth baseball team!"

	"He did?" exclaimed Usagi in disbelief.  He'd been trying out 
for the past few weeks, but her preoccupation with sailor business 
had prevented her from following her brother's athletic progress.  
"That's great!"

	Kenji smiled at Ikuko.  It seemed that at least as far as Usagi 
was concerned, the sibling rivalry between the two was over.  Shingo 
might harbor a grudge, but Usagi was finally putting it behind her.

	"What do we have tonight?" asked Shingo, placing his napkin in 
his lap properly.

	"Lamb chops again," said Ikuko slowly, watching for Usagi's 
reaction.  She'd decided to give it another try; lamb chops were her 
family's specialty, and it would be a shame if the long line of lamb 
chop makers was to end with Ikuko.

	"Lamb chops?  Sugoi!"  To the surprise of the rest of her 
family, the blond girl gave a ravenous smile.

	"But Usagi," said Kenji, "I thought you didn't like them?"

	"Oh, I've changed my mind, Tsukino-san.  Nothing like some nice 
lamb."

	Kenji tried to hide his surprise.  From the day she could 
speak, he had always been 'papa' to her.  Always.  Now, it was 
suddenly the terribly formal 'Tsukino-san?'

	From her seat, Usagi continued to think though several things 
at once; another thing the ginzuishou was helping her with.  It made 
sense to her; after all, Kenji wasn't her real father.  Her *real* 
father had lived on the moon a thousand years ago, along with her 
*real* mother.  The two she'd lived the past fifteen years with were 
simply conveniences, needed to take care of her until she could come 
into her own.

	Another thing she was thinking about was the problem of those 
two new sailors.  She could tell that they were real trouble.  For 
one, they didn't seem to fully realize that as long as she had the 
ginzuishou, *she* was the boss, not Mars or Venus or anyone else.  
Until they promised to obey her, she'd feel uneasy.

	She briefly considered ordering the senshi to keep a guard 
around her, but decided against it.  It was too much to ask of them, 
at least now.  Later, perhaps...but the lamb chops were calling to 
her.

***

	Sailors Uranus and Neptune stood under a tree in the park.  
There was a light drizzle falling, and while they wouldn't 
necessarily be harmed by it, it was still a nuisance.  They didn't 
want to be waiting out here, but their curiosity was piqued.

	The reason they were waiting was walking towards them at a 
fairly good clip.  It was fairly short, with blond hair done in two 
fairly outrageous ponytails.  It wore an abbreviated sailor suit.  
She was the one called Sailor Moon.

	"Right," said Uranus shortly, "now why have you called us out 
here?  And more importantly, how did you know about the attack this 
afternoon at 4:15?"

	Don't let yourself get cowed, thought Moon to herself.  You 
have power that outmatches theirs, and you hold the advantage, no 
matter what it looks like.  Remember that.  She raised her head and 
looked Neptune straight in the eyes.

	Neptune looked right back, while Uranus merely looked on.  she 
was confident that Sailor Neptune would be able to handle things 
quite well by herself.

***

	The staring contest wore on.  Sailor Moon looked into Neptune's 
eyes, and saw...a fierce dedication to duty.  She had a job to do, 
and nothing was going to stand in the way, even the death of her 
partner...who, Moon saw, was more than just a partner, more than a 
close friend, more, she dared say, than even lovers.  There was a 
bond there that she had only seen surpassed by the bond between 
herself and Endymion.  She couldn't really bring herself to say 
Mamoru anymore.  It wasn't proper.  She'd have to tell the others to 
call her Your Majesty, or Serenity for short.

	She saw heart crystals.  Dozens of them, being taken from 
dozens of people.  She saw something called the silence.  Curious, 
that; she'd have to do something about that.  She saw a senshi with 
black, almost green hair.  She realized at once that it was this 
person that her daughter had called Puu.  Sailor Pluto.  Another new 
one to worry about?  No worry; she'd be quickly neutralized.

	She saw a new sailor, a sailor of silence, a sailor of death.  
Sailor Saturn.  She couldn't allow this sailor to impede her 
progress.  She would have to be dealt with.

	Neptune blinked.

***

	The staring contest wore on.  Sailor Neptune looked into Moon's 
eyes, and saw...it was indescribable.  It was ironic, thought 
Neptune, that she, the musician and artist, should be at a loss to 
describe what she saw in Sailor Moon's soul.  What should have been 
the whitest, purest soul in the universe had been sullied.  No, 
sullied wasn't a good enough term.  It had been run into the ground, 
rubbed in, soiled, spat upon, made a travesty of what it once was.

	The truly frightening thing about this, realized Sailor 
Neptune, was that Sailor Moon *knew* all this.  She'd known, and was 
going along with it, because it was her choice.  For whatever reason, 
Moon had made the conscious decision to do all these things, to kill 
her enemies.  It was true that it was a cold, hard war they fought, 
but the princess shouldn't have to lower herself to this.

	Why was Sailor Moon doing all this?  What could possibly make 
her turn so far away from the true path?  It wasn't a force from 
without...or was it?  It had to be.  No-one so good and innocent 
could willingly turn to evil.  It couldn't be enough to just say that 
power corrupted, and that absolute power corrupted absolutely.  The 
ginzuishou, by sheer dint of its capabilities, couldn't make her 
evil.

	But was it evil?

	Neptune blinked.

***

	"You see, don't you?" asked Moon.

	Sailor Neptune staggered back, being supported by Sailor 
Uranus, who merely glared at Sailor Moon.  "What did you do to her?"

	"Nothing.  Nothing at all.  she just wanted a peek inside, and 
she got it."  Sailor Moon giggled, a horrible sound, and wiped some 
of the drizzle from her brow.  "I think she understands now."

	Neptune righted herself, and stood by Uranus's side.  "I 
understand...I understand...that is...Sailor Uranus, I believe we 
should help her, for the time being at least."

	"Nani?"

	Neptune bent closer and whispered to her.  "I'm not too sure 
about her, Haruka.  I'd like to keep a close eye on her."

	"Honto ni?"

	"She's not what we were told us she was.  I'm worried about 
this."

	"As you wish."  Uranus pulled away from Sailor Neptune, and 
raised her voice.  "Very well, Sailor Moon.  We will assist you, but 
be sure that our goal is supreme."

	"Of course," said Sailor Moon, bowing.  But it wasn't the 
traditional Japanese bow.  If Uranus or Neptune had any experience 
dealing with monarchies, they would have recognized it.  It was the 
nod of a sovereign granting a boon.

	"Hai, I and my other senshi will help you find the talismans.  
We will meet at my home tomorrow at four.  Don't be late."  And then 
her serious expression was swept away by another smile.  "Ja ne!"  
Then, Sailor Moon dashed off into the drizzle.

	Uranus and Neptune stood there for a moment, then voiced their 
questions in unison.

	"How did she know about the talismans?

***

	In another part of Juuban, Hino Rei wasn't damp at all.  She 
sat in front of the sacred fire of Hikawa Shrine, trying to divine 
some reason for Usagi's temperament lately.

	She meditated for several hours, or several seconds.  Once the 
proper level of mental concentration was reached, things like time 
and where one was tended not to matter.

	Mentally, she gazed into the flames, searching for answers.  
She saw Usagi and Naru, late one night.  It seemed as if Naru was 
being attacked by a cardian, which dated the time at which this could 
have happened.  It had been back when they were reawakening from 
their second reincarnation.  Usagi was seeing something that Rei 
couldn't, and then....

	Rei flew back from the fire as if it had exploded.  As far as 
she was concerned, it had.  Crashing against the wall, she shook her 
head to compose herself.  She'd just seen the most frightening thing 
imaginable.  She realized that if she was correct, there was no point 
in warning the others, for there was nothing that could be done about 
it.

	She'd once had a very pretty dress.  It had been white, with 
red frills and trim.  She'd loved it dearly, and liked going out 
everywhere with it.  It was actually a small formal dress, but she'd 
been seven years old, and hadn't known the difference.

	One day, she'd been in the park, walking around the grounds, 
when she tripped over a tree root and fell.  Predictably, her 
pristine dress had been terribly soiled.  It now had grass and dirt 
stains on it.  She'd never forgotten what her grandfather had said 
when she came home crying about it.

***

	"Rei, my dear, cherished magomusume, sometimes in life things 
get corrupted.  When that happens, there's nothing you can do.  you 
have to get rid of the old, or adjust to the new."

	"But I can't get rid of the dress!  It's the last thing my 
mother gave me!"

	"Well, then you'll have to live with the corruption.  It's sad, 
it may be hard, but it's the only way."

	"I see, ojiisan.  Arigato."

***

	Rei wiped the tears away.  Her best friend had just sealed the 
fate of the world, and there wasn't a damned thing she could do about 
it.  The die had been truly cast, and humanity would have to deal 
with it.




Chapter 8: Final march.  Allegro energico.  Forte.  Tom-tom.  
Fortissimo.  Arpeggio.


	Ikuko was the first to see the note.

	"To the Tsukino family: Kenji, Ikuko, and Shingo.

	"I regret that I must say good-bye now.  You've been a great 
family, but I must move on.  I'll remember you always.  Now, my 
duties as Neo-Queen call me away.  I'll explain the rest tomorrow.  I 
would like to think you for helping me along these past few years.  
Your kindness will not be forgotten.  I give you my best wishes.

	"Sincerely yours, Neo-Queen Serenity, also Sailor Moon, 
formerly Tsukino Usagi."

	Ikuko read the note once more, then called for Kenji.  Then she 
cried as the world came to an end.

***

	Sailor Mercury vomited.  This wasn't due to any particular 
gastrointestinal disorder, but because of what she'd just seen.  The 
previous executions from Sailor Moon had been rather clean, at the 
least.  But what she'd done to Professor Tomoe had been just 
plain...but she didn't want to dwell on that.

	She wiped away the flecks from her mouth and ran to catch up 
with the others.  Sailor Moon was changing minute by minute now.  It 
had started a few days ago, at their first meeting with the outer 
senshi, Uranus and Neptune.  There, she'd shown up with transparent 
little, well, the best term for them were shoulder pads, and 
additions to her odango as well.

	Amazingly, their leader had simply introduced them, and then 
rushed headlong into explaining her plan for how to get rid of their 
current opponent.  Taking no time to answer questions, Sailor Moon 
had outlined how they would use their planet attack, augmented by the 
ginzuishou, to blast someone called Mistress 9, and someone else 
called Pharaoh 90, out of reality.

	This had made pretty much no sense at all, as no-one had a clue 
what she was talking about.  Presumably, it was something else she'd 
figured out with the assistance of the ginzuishou.  As if that 
weren't enough, Sailor Moon had also remarked, almost as a footnote, 
that Tomoe Hotaru would have to be captured and brainwashed to become 
Sailor Saturn.

	Moon hadn't used the word 'brainwash,' of course.  To be 
precise, she'd said that she would 'use the ginzuishou to show her 
the true path.'  But Mercury could easily read between the lines, and 
the looks Uranus, Neptune, and particularly Mars had given Moon told 
her that she wasn't the only one.

	They'd grabbed Hotaru back at Tomoe's place, in a truly 
frightening display of force that none of the inners wanted to see 
again.  The only way to describe it was to say that Sailor Moon had 
gone totally berserk.  There hadn't been much of a house left after 
the ginzuishou and Sailor Moon were done with it.

	The senshi's protestations had been to no avail.  Moon had even 
been physically restrained by Sailor Uranus.  The results of 
that...but that was another thing she didn't want to remember.  
Suffice it to say that Uranus was now wholly on Moon's side, though 
it was clearly by coercion.

	The rapidity of events was mind-boggling.  She always thought 
fast, but in the play of life, she felt that her role in this act was 
going too fast.

***

	She caught up to Sailor Venus. Venus spared the blue-haired 
senshi a glance, and managed a grim smile.

	"Thought you were going to quit on us," said the blonde-haired 
one.

	"Iie."  Mercury wiped a tear from her eye.  "We've seen what 
happens when you go against Sailor Moon, haven't we?"

	"Gods," was all Venus could say.  "There's no dealing with her.  
She's mad, completely mad."

	"We've got to do something, Venus," said Sailor Mercury, 
knowing that she was preaching to the choir, but having to get it out 
nonetheless.  "If we don't, then how many more people are going to 
die just because she has a *hunch*?"

	"None, not if I have anything to say about it."  She spared a 
glance to look up at the full moon.  "We're gong to talk some sense 
into her, starting tonight."

	"And if she doesn't listen?" said Mercury in a tone that told 
one that she considered that a certainty rather than a possibility.

	"Then we take the crystal from her."

	Mercury gasped, and it wasn't just because she was out of 
breath. "But-"

	"Listen, Mercury."  They turned a corner, and could now see 
their destination, a long, low gray building.  "It's our only hope.  
All of us can beat her if we work together."

	"And if we fail?"

	"Then it won't make much difference." Venus spared a tear.  
Mercury, we've got a madwoman up there with the most powerful item on 
the planet.  I'd rather die trying to take it from her than live 
under it."

	"But we promised!  We swore to protect the Princess!"

	"Don't I know it," growled Sailor Venus.  Can I do this?

***

	They came to a school, the Infinity Academy.  In Japanese, 
Mugen Gakuen.  This, thought Sailor Moon, is where it ends.  I'm 
tired of aliens constantly coming after my planet.

	"Sailor Moon!"

	She looked at the sky, sized up about where the portal would 
open, pulled out the ginzuishou, and shot a pink blast of energy.  
Then, all was silent.

***

	"It's over?"

	"Hai," said Sailor Moon with a smile.  She turned the smile on 
Sailor Saturn, who only stared ahead mutely.

	"You...you MONSTER!"  Uranus rushed Moon, and just as quickly 
was repelled at a distance of four meters, landing a good twenty-five 
meters away.  Moon flapped her newly formed wings idly.

	"Really, Uranus, you shouldn't have done that.  You should 
realize by now that-"

	"Usako."

	"I'm no longer Usako," said the woman who was once Sailor Moon, 
who a couple hours ago had been Super Sailor Moon, who now stood 
before them as Eternal Sailor Moon, growing in strength by the 
second.

	"You are to me."

	"I'm Eternal," said the girl (woman?) with a small laugh, not 
even turning to look at the man.

	Some distance away, the senshi could only look on.  Their 
strongest member, Uranus, had been turned back with seemingly little 
effort.  How much has Usagi been hiding about the ginzuishou?

	Two cats raced towards the group, and stopped short when they 
saw Tuxedo Kamen and a female who was turning into royalty before 
their eyes.

	"Usagi!" cried Luna.

	"No!"  Mars grabbed the black cat before she could dart 
forward.  "We've done all we can, Luna."

	"But...it's all happened so fast!"  Luna was now crying openly.  
Her protégé, now a killer?

	"Only Mamoru can turn her around now."

***

	"Usako," and now he wasn't Kamen anymore.  Prince Endymion 
stood before her, in full armor.  "Usako, please.  Don't do this."

	She turned away from him.  He looked at her wings in part 
shock, and part adoration.  She looked so beautiful.  But the things 
that had been done in order to achieve it....  "Usako, please.  If 
you want to create Crystal Tokyo, it doesn't have to be this way."

	She turned, and Neo-Queen Serenity looked him full in the face.

	Then all turned white.

***

	He's right, you know.  You don't have to do all this.

	But how can I just turn around and say I'm sorry?  Why should I 
say I'm sorry?  I have the ginzuishou?  What good is power, after 
all, if you're not going to use it?

	Very simple.  You use it wisely.  You could have waited before 
going after those aliens.  You could have asked for an explanation 
from the Black Moon.  And there was no excuse for what you did to 
Tomoe.  And his daughter...kami-sama, you've indoctrinated her into 
becoming nothing more than a bodyguard.

	I let her keep her mind.

	A fat lot good that does her.  You think that's somehow better, 
more noble?  You think it's better to live in the prison of your 
mind, knowing that the decisions you make aren't your own?  Having to 
look out at the devastation you incur?

	If she didn't want it, she wouldn't have allowed me.

	You have the ginzuishou.  What she wanted wouldn't have meant a 
damned thing.

	But...

	Look, you have the crystal.  Look into the future.  See what 
you're insuring for the world if you continue down this path?

	But the crystal will-

	The crystal has brought nothing but trouble.  Face it, you're 
trying to mature too early.  If you'd waited until the proper time, 
then the other future would come true.  But it won't.  Look at that.  
Do you really want this to happen?  Think hard, because you've got 
one fucking chance.

	They won't forgive me.

	You'd be surprised.  Hope springs eternal.

	Eternal.

	That's right.  You still have a chance.

	Eternal.

	Yes.

	I'll do it.

***

	"Usagi-chan!  Usagi-chan!"

	She groggily woke up, blinking furiously.  She looked up to see 
a tight ring of faces around her.

	"My friends."

	"Hai."

	"Look, Usagi!"  Sailor Mars pointed up to a growing speck in 
the sky.  "She calls herself Nephrenia.  We've got to stop her!"

	"Usagi," said Jupiter.  "Can we do this together?  Can you not 
be a dictator?"

	Looking to her side, Usagi saw Mercury and Kamen together.  
Mercury had a worried look in her eyes; undoubtedly worried about the 
ginzuishou.

	Silly girl.  There was nothing left to worry about.  She felt 
fine; never better, in fact.

	She stood, noticing as an aside that she was still in her gown 
as Neo-Queen.  Strange; it felt so natural.

	"Fine."

	She raised the ginzuishou in the air.  "From now on, we're a 
team."

	She smiled.



Epilogue: Hammer blow #3 (deleted).  String recapitulation.  Coda 
doloroso.  Fin.


	It was a beautiful day in Tokyo.

	Things had calmed down considerably from that unpleasantness 
with the weird woman who had called herself Galaxia.  Her reign of 
terror had lasted only a few days, and had been quickly quenched by 
the Sailor Senshi, who had settled their differences long ago.

	News reports of their activities were conspicuous in praise for 
the senshi, and how well they'd carried themselves during the crisis.  
They showed the lavish praise bestowed upon the heroes of Tokyo, and 
the happiness they had brought.  Finally, the senshi could be seen in 
the public eye, to be respected and admired by millions.

	Under the protection of the Sailors, Tokyo knew a peace and 
prosperity that it had not seen since before one Commodore Perry set 
foot on the shores of Japan back in the 1800s.  Crime wasn't nearly 
nonexistent: it *was* nonexistent.  All had plenty to eat, plenty to 
drink, and lots of leisure time.  It was, in most people's 
estimations, a true utopia.

	It was true that there had been losses in Sailor Galaxia's 
assault.  Several hundred citizens had been killed.  But they were 
mostly malcontents and troublemakers anyway.  Tokyo, and Japan as a 
whole, was clearly the better for having gotten rid of them.

	Despite this, the situation with Galaxia's invasion had been 
handled rather easily.  She and her ally, Princess Fireball, had been 
taken care of, as well as the other evil sailors.  Lead Crow, Iron 
Mouse, Tin Nyanko, Aluminum Siren, Star Maker, Star Healer, and Star 
Fighter had all been eliminated after failing to surrender to the 
forces of good.

	Shame how some people never learned.

	It was definitely a fine day, and so the head of state had 
decided to allow a question and answer session outside, amid the 
cherry blossoms of Tokyo's most popular grove of trees.

	About 75 press credentials were given out, but none to 
foreigners; Japanese foreign relations hadn't been going very well, 
especially when the head of state continually threatened to invade 
various other countries.  Seeing what had become of China and Eastern 
Russia, the nations of the world were rather inclined to take these 
threats seriously, especially those on the Pacific Rim.

	The head of state made her way to the microphone.  There was no 
silly Plexiglas barrier around her; the head of state's security 
personnel were notorious.  They were fiercely loyal, and would die 
for the head of state.

	The head of state knew this; she'd trained them all that way.  
All of them, with that personal touch.  She came to the microphone 
and spoke.

	"Good afternoon.  You may begin your questions after this 
announcement.

	"It has come to my attention that despite the consistent 
results shown by our nation's Sailor Senshi, lead by Sailor Moon, 
there are several world leaders out there who still do not recognize 
my authority over the world.

	"This will, of course end.  The nations of the world have one 
hour, starting now, to relinquish control to me.  Otherwise, the 
Sailor Senshi will take drastic action."

	All eight senshi walked onto the stage, with grim expressions.  
Some had tears in their eyes.  One especially, a woman with black 
hair.  In the right light, one could even call it green.  She'd seen 
it all coming, and she couldn't do anything about it, and never would 
do anything about it.  They lined up on the stage, and presented 
their now-blank expressions to the cameras.

	"Do not doubt the might of Japan and the Sailor Senshi."  Neo-
Queen Serenity, also known as Sailor Moon, once known as Tsukino 
Usagi, smiled a slow, predatory smile.

	"Or you will die."


The end.



======================================

Well.  I certainly hope you weren't planning anything fun today.

This fanfic was based on the fourth movement of Mahler's 6th Symphony 
in A Minor.  Go listen to it.

The white space between chapters 6 and 7 was intentional, and not the 
fault of any computers involved in getting this fanfic to you.

Again, you can yell at me at lbouyer@geocities.com.

And that's all I have to say about that, except that I've written an 
unhappy ending for the first time, and I like it.


LeVar Bouyer
14 July 1997