To Part A

"I think I know when we can attack Sailor Moon," Seisui said, turning toward Tokimo as they walked inside the stuffed animal shop. It had been Tokimo's idea to go after school that day; she was doting over every fuzzy creature that ever set foot, claw or paw into that shop, and making sure to spend a great deal of time cuddling each one.

"I never though snakes could be so cute!" Tokimo squealed, hugging a green plush snake. "I always thought they were gross!" Tokimo turned around and spied a purple bunny with a little carrot in its paws. "And this one goes perfectly with my room! I think he'd be a good replacement for Kouken. don't you agree, Kouken?"

Kouken didn't say anything from his resting spot inside of Tokimo's backpack. Whether he didn't want to arouse suspicion by even whispering or his silence was a form of protest, Seisui couldn't say. It made little difference to her, as Seisui was more concerned with trying to get Tokimo's attention--she had plans to discuss. This was a bit of a challenge; Tokimo was easily distracted and didn't seem interested in holding a serious conversation for more than a few moments. she'd have to use something a bit more innovative than just bluntly introducing the topic.

Seisui walked up to the section of the store where Tokimo was doting over the purple bunny; it was part of a vast display of bunnies, most of them in the same design but several different colors. Seisui looked over the selection for a moment; then she picked up a pink bunny and began looking at it nonchalantly.

"Hm…you like the pink one? He's pretty cute, but I think the purple one is the best."

"Actually," Seisui responded, "I like the black one. I was just looking at this and thinking that it looked like something Usako would like."

"I thought you didn't like her," Tokimo said, confused. "I thought you were joining the Moon Senshi. And anyway, I think her birthday is in June, and it's April now. You've got a long ways to go."

"I wasn't planning on buying her anything," Seisui said with a sigh. "The bunny just reminded me of something she told me earlier today."

"Oh? Whazzat?" Tokimo asked. "Does she have a secret bunny fetish? Ew…."

Seisui blinked and gave Tokimo a strange look. "Uh…no. Actually, it reminded me that she said she was going to the movies today. She invited me, you see."

Tokimo frowned, a hurt look crossing her face. "Well, yeah, I guess...But I thought you were going to hang out with me, and you said earlier you didn't like her, so I don't know why--"

"Oh, no," Seisui interjected, looking apologetic. "It's not because I want to hang out with Usako. Rather, I had a thought during school today."

"Oh," Tokimo began grinning again, "Okay. What is it?"

"I was thinking, maybe I should go to the movie with Usako. Then, when we get to the theater, I would meekly suggest that we should see a tear-jerker. While I'm watching the movie, I'd pretend to be upset by something that happened in the film--presumably, because it reminded me of something that happened to me. I'd run out of the theater, drawing Usako out with me, who would want to see why I was upset. After all, they always talk about how the princess is so sympathetic--judging from what I've seen of her, I'd say it was probably true. When I lure her out, you can attack her, Tokimo. When that happens, I'll run away from the battle--pretending to be afraid--and then join you, transformed, in the offensive later on." Seisui blushed a little. "Well, that was my idea anyway. If you don't like it, that's okay."

"That's a good plan!" Kouken said enthusiastically. "I like it. You're really good at these things."

"Not really," Seisui replied modestly, "My father was a politician, that's all."

"Ah!" Tokimo exclaimed. "Your name is Han'i, right? I thought I recognized it. Your father was that famous council member who got in trouble...I think they said he committed slander. Right?"

Seisui didn't respond well to Tokimo's realization; tears began to well in her eyes. She had made a big mistake by saying her last name--she should have known Tokimo would recognize the name 'Han'i'. Even though they didn't teach students in school about her father's criticism of the queen's incompetence, the incident had occurred recently enough that people still talked about it now and again--it had probably been the most shocking incident in the past 20 years. And to a worldwide society enamored of a life-giving queen, Han'i's slander was seen as unforgivable. Seisui bit her lip as she tried not to think of the repeated harassment she had received because of her father's 'sins'. She could only pray that now that Tokimo knew who Seisui's family was, she wouldn't reject Seisui's friendship.

"Yes," Seisui said. She could feel herself flushing in embarrassment, and she covered her face to try and hide her tears. "That's right."

Tokimo suddenly realized that mentioning Seisui's father was a big mistake. Tokimo looked around and sighed thankfully; no had noticed Seisui crying. She quietly put an arm around Seisui as she lead her out of the stuffed animal shop and brought her to a narrow alleyway between two stores. Seisui continued weeping for a few moments; Tokimo hugged her comfortingly.

"It's okay, Sei," Tokimo said cheerfully, "I don't care if your father didn't like the Queen. From what I've heard about Queen Diana, my respect for the royal family's gone down a lot, anyway. He probably had his reasons for criticizing her. Your father was a councilor, after all; he knew what he was talking about."

"It sounds like your experiences will, if anything, just make you a better Sailor Senshi," Kouken added, "After all, killing Sailor Pinkmoon is your mission."

Seisui nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry," She apologized, "I really, really hate it when this happens. I get set off really easy."

"It doesn't matter if you cry easily," Tokimo said. "You can do lots of other awesome stuff. Like think of really good ideas. In fact, you're so good at thinking of ideas, I might make you my master spy in-training."

"Thanks," Seisui replied quietly, wiping off the last of her tears.

"Besides, if you look sad when you run up to the movie theater at the last minute, it will just look that much more convincing," Kouken added. "It will look a fight broke out between you and Tokimo."

Seisui glanced at her communicator; it was about 20 minutes before the time Usako had told Seisui to meet her in front of the theater.

"We better get going," Seisui told Tokimo; she inhaled in a sort of stuttering gasp, a product of her recent outburst. "You can wait outside the theater until I go in. Once I go in, keep an eye out for me in the lobby. Okay?"

"Okay," Tokimo replied, nodding her head.

Tokimo's shoes clicked cheerfully on the ground-crystal sidewalk as they made their way toward the movie theater; Seisui, she decided, was undeniably cool. This new plan was bound to work. As they approached the movie theater, Tokimo smirked as she saw Usako and her gang walking inside. They were right on time.

"Wait until they get inside," Tokimo told Seisui, who, she thought thankfully, still had the distinct marks of having cried; a red face and eyes, and the tendency to give a stuttering gasp every few minutes. "Once they look like they're discussing what they're going to see, run in like I've just done something awful. That'll make me look real bad."

"Are you sure that's okay with you, Tokimo?" Seisui asked hesitantly, holding her black leather school bag in front of her knees and looking nervously downwards. "I don't want them to harass you because I'm accusing you falsely."

"That's okay," Tokimo said, patting Seisui reassuringly on the shoulder. "Hopefully, Sailor Pinkmoon will be dead by tonight. Without their leader, those other punks won't have the courage to stand up to me anyway."

"What if the plan doesn't work?" Seisui asked nervously, sweat starting to accumulate on the handle of her bag.

"Of course it will work!" Tokimo said complacently, clapping Seisui on the shoulder. "Tokimo never fails!"

"Sure you don't," Kouken replied skeptically. "Anyway, I was thinking..."

"Wow, really?" Tokimo asked, astonishment evident on her face. Kouken gave her a dirty look and stuck out his tongue.

"I was thinking that if this plan does fall through, and we can't kill Sailor Pinkmoon, then Seisui can keep going with this fallacy. Then she can use other opportunities to catch Sailor Pinkmoon off guard. As an added bonus, since Seisui will be able to lure Pinkmoon to unobtrusive or hard-to-find places, we can probably keep the Crimson Eagle from interfering, too."

"The Crimson Eagle?" Seisui asked.

Tokimo nodded vigorously.

"He's this grumpy old man who kept me from killing Sailor Moon," Tokimo explained. "He thinks that killing Sailor Pinkmoon isn't necessary, even though he doesn't give a reason why. He's sooooo annoying!" she exclaimed fervently, holding up two fists and slamming the ground with her foot. "Spewing all this stuff about how if I wanted to kill Sailor Pinkmoon, I'd have to go through him first. That stuffs only cool when it's on the right side. And he's not on the right side!"

"I see. I'll be careful of him; people like that can be dangerous. Anyone who believes too fervently in their own point of view is usually unwilling to listen to reason," Seisui said, looking nervously around the crowd.

"Well, you'd better get going," Kouken said, looking toward the theater, "they're pretty well settled in the lobby and it looks like they're starting to discuss what movie they're going to see."

"Right," Seisui said with a nod. She waved as she ran off to the movie theater and tried to put herself in an unhappy frame of mind. That was easy enough.

All she had to do was think of her father.

"I want to see something romantic," Haruko insisted, twirling her finger through her curly fuchsia bangs. "We always see comedies."

"But, but," Fuyuko protested, "But I wanna see something funny! And anyway, romance movies are always so cheesy."

"Oh, I don't feel like comedy either," Akiko protested, "Let's go with something a little more--"

Something slammed headlong into Akiko's back; she almost fell backwards with the force of impact. Regaining her balance, she turned around and saw Seisui, who was panting and looked more than a little upset.

"I'm sorry," Seisui gasped, trying to regain her breath, "I didn't mean to bump into you."

"That's okay," Akiko replied irritably, brushing off her short black skirt, "I should have seen you coming."

"I hope it's okay if I come in at the last minute," Seisui blushed furiously, realizing that what she was doing was very rude. "But I needed something to distract me for awhile, and I knew you guys had invited me, so--"

"It's no big deal," Hiroshi assured her, smiling supportively. His innocent face was enough to make even Seisui feel a little guilty. "We're happy to have you. But I can't help noticing... what happened to you?"

Seisui looked nervously at the crowd and Usako's friends. Hiroshi seemed to suddenly realize something and then shook his head apologetically.

"We'll talk about this later," he said reassuringly. "I suppose now is not the time."

"We were discussing what movie we wanted to see," Usako explained to Seisui, "We can't decide, although most people want something dramatic. We usually watch comedies."

"I like the Disney movies," Fuyuko said guiltily. Natsuko rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you choose," Hiroshi suggested, turning toward Seisui.

"Oh...I couldn't," Seisui said modestly. "I've already barged in on you...I mean...maybe it would be better if I just left. I don't want to get in your way."

Usako looked at Hiroshi, her expression concerned. Modesty was one thing, but to be this submissive...what had Seisui been through before they had met her? She hoped Hiroshi wasn't right, but she did have a sinking feeling that it might have something to do with that aggressive girl that she saw earlier that day. If so, it was her responsibility to be a friend to this poor girl. Someone had to.

"No, please," Usako said earnestly, "we can't decide, anyway. It's just as well if you choose."

Seisui looked a bit reluctant; Usako could see that making a choice made her uncomfortable. In Seisui's mind, she hypothesized, this was an opportunity to say the wrong thing and make Usako dislike her from the start. Usako smiled encouragingly, hoping to assuage her fears.

"Come on, Seisui," Hiroshi urged her, "If you don't choose, we'll be late for the movie. We don't care what you pick."

Seisui bit her nails nervously, looking from poster to poster. Now was her chance; she had to make sure and choose a movie that would fit the criteria for their plan. She looked carefully through her choices. There was a comedy about a man running a female dorm...a romance about two guys that fall for one girl...lastly, there was a fantasy about a princess who struggles with the responsibilities of ruling in the place of her father after he dies. The last film was perfect, Seisui thought. The plot would get her upset about what happened to her father anyway, and she could use that to make her performance more believable. Seisui looked shyly toward Usako. "I was thinking... The Lone Deity," Seisui said, being careful not to make eye contact.

"That's the film I wanted to see!" Natsuko said happily. "All right! You have good taste, Seisui."

"Not really," Seisui responded.

"Okay," Hiroshi told the group decisively, "It looks like that will be the movie we see. From now on, though, I think we should rotate who gets to choose. That way we won't get into anymore of these silly fights."

They entered the huge movie theater in one big clump; Seisui was toward the center, with Usako and Hiroshi. They were talking to her and pretending to have an interest in learning more about the history of the Senshi--a topic which, of course, they already knew everything there was to know about. Seisui played along and smiled weakly as she told them a few little known facts that she had picked up in history class. She almost laughed at the irony; little did they realize that they would soon know all about a bloody, forgotten chapter in the history of the Sailor Senshi.

The movie was actually pretty good, Seisui thought to herself. The characterization was well done, so she was able to get quite interested in what was happening. The climax of the movie that critics had been raving about was when the Princess, after holding contempt for the lower class, falls in love with a servant who works in the palace. When she cruelly orders him around like a slave, the servant tells her that she is a shame to her father's name. It was after the servant's harsh and accusatory speech that Seisui stood up and starting walking through the row she was seated in.

"What's wrong?" Usako whispered. Seisui was holding her head down low, so that her hair covered her face. This may have made her look more upset, but it obscured her view; she almost tripped over Usako while she was walking down the row of seats. Usako, seeming to realize that Seisui was upset, tried to reach out her hand and grab Seisui's wrist, but Seisui sped up the aisle before she had the opportunity. She smiled. Thudding lightly behind her were the footsteps of two people; Usako and Hiroshi, no doubt. Her mission was proceeding smoothly.

When they got out to the lobby, Usako and Hiroshi could see Seisui sitting on a bench; although she wasn't facing the theater, Usako could see that she had her hands to her face and was quivering slightly. Usako walked in front of her and put a hand on her head. Seisui shook her head and pushed Usako's hand away; then she covered her face once more.

"Go away," Seisui said, her voice distorted with tears and muffled by her hands, "I'll be fine."

"Tell me what's wrong, Seisui," Usako said kindly. "You shouldn't have to suffer like this alone."

"I'm not suffering," Seisui said unconvincingly, "I'm just... I'm just having a bad day."

Hiroshi put his hand on her shoulder. "Seisui...we're friends now," he said gently. "You need to tell us what's on your mind."

Seisui looked up, her face covered in tears. It was a good thing the movie had been well-written; the scene actually had been pretty depressing, and she was able to cry convincingly. She wiped her tears off with her hands; she could see a Sailor Senshi she presumed was Tokimo, quietly approaching Usako, Kouken right behind her. If Seisui could keep their full attention, Tokimo could come right up behind Usako.

"It's just--it reminded me of my father," Seisui explained, looking down at the ground, "And how I disappointed him. That's all."

"How did you disappoint him?" Usako asked kindly. Seisui's father...he must have recently died, and Seisui, Usako surmised, must have blamed herself for it.

"I should have told him that the queen wasn't deserving of that kind of criticism. Then, nothing would have changed. We'd still be the same family, and he'd have kept his job..."

Usako looked at Hiroshi, whose reply was a look of astonishment. Criticism….She couldn't mean…?

"Seisui... do you mind if I ask you something?" Hiroshi inquired, his voice sympathetic.

"What is it? I don't really feel like answering questions..." She replied. She looked upwards between her bangs and noticed that Tokimo was progressing ever closer, though she was moving agonizingly slow. Now she was only a yard or two away.

"You said your last name was Han'i, right?"

Seisui looked upwards at them, her face full of fear. She looked reluctant to respond.

"That's why Tokimo mistreats you, isn't it, Seisui? Because of who your father is. She's just using you because she knows how vulnerable someone like you must be," Usako said.

"It's not even so much that," Seisui said unhappily. Half a yard... "I know Tokimo hates me, but it doesn't bother me so much. At least she doesn't openly call me names or harass me. It's more so that I know what happened to my father happened because I just sat back in fear while he did the wrong thing." Seisui looked down shamefully, her hair obscuring her face once more.

"But Seisui, there's nothing wrong with--"

Her sentence was cut short; at that moment, Sailor Charon rushed onto Usako's back, pinning her. Usako cringed as if expecting a blow from behind; Hiroshi turned and stared at Sailor Charon, his face contorted in anger. He started to approach Usako, but Sailor Charon sat up on Usako's back and held out her naginata, swinging it like a bat whacking Hiroshi aside with the flat of her blade. He fell down on his stomach--Usako, sweating and terrified, looked toward him and held out a hand; before Hiroshi had the chance to respond, however, Sailor Charon quickly grabbed it and held it down.

Seisui jerked her head upwards, her mouth wide-open in dismay. Why hadn't Charon killed her yet? Her naginata was still in her hand, ready and able to impale Usako at any moment. Seisui turned and glanced in the direction Sailor Charon had come from; then she began to move backwards, shaking in fear. There was as man there, tall and dark and menacing; a black mask covered his face. He was holding an iron ring in his hand; as Seisui turned back to Charon, she could see another ring fixed in the floor, red around one edge. There was a small cut on Charon's arm; the ring, Seisui assumed, had cut Charon when the strange man threw it.

"You will not hurt her," he demanded calmly. "I will not allow you to kill a Sailor Senshi."

The Crimson Eagle; it had to be. Seisui ran out of the lobby and headed for the white marble bathroom; someone was going to have to back up Tokimo. When she reached the restroom, Seisui shoved the pine door marked "ladies" aside. She glanced around the facility quickly.

"Is anyone in here?" she shouted. If someone saw her transform, it would be a very, very bad thing--thankfully, there was no one inside. Whatever happened, no one must find out that a member of the Han'i household was a Sailor Senshi.

"Titan prism power, make up!" she cried as a strange, black fluid wrapped around her and her Senshi uniform appeared. After she had transformed, she shoved the bathroom door back open; it hit the wall with a huge clang.

When she stepped into the lobby, everyone, even the Crimson Eagle, turned and stared. Her collar was a vivid, violent red; her bow was the same deep, sad blue as her eyes. She did not give an impression of strength, but the unhappiness she radiated was intimidating.

"The soldier of retribution has arrived," Sailor Titan said quietly. "Sailor Pinkmoon, I will spill your blood for the sake of my moon and the rest of this solar system."

Sailor Charon turned and looked back toward the Crimson Eagle, whose sword was still pointing straight at her. Dammit all, that old man wasn't going to let her kill Sailor Pinkmoon--if Charon tried to kill her now, the Crimson Eagle could kill Sailor Charon just as quickly. There was no point in continuing to pin the pink-haired girl. Sailor Charon made her naginata vanish; she got up slowly and backed away from Usako. Hiroshi looked toward Usako and began to get up.

"What are you doing?" Sailor Titan asked, looking toward Charon in surprise. "She was as good as dead! Why did you move away?"

"The Crimson Eagle would have killed her if she attacked Usako, Titan," Kouken said gravely, looking Sailor Titan straight in the eye. "The fight wasn't going anywhere. There was nothing she could do."

"So?" Sailor Titan asked. Kouken and Sailor Charon looked toward her in surprise.

"Are you suggesting that I loose my most valuable fighter so that Sailor Pinkmoon can be killed? There will be plenty of other chances for you and Sailor Charon." Kouken told Sailor Titan, looking at her with a condemning expression. "Why are you so anxious?"

"We don't know Tokimo would have been killed! Besides, if he's not willing to kill Sailor Pinkmoon to save the solar system, I hardly think he's serious about killing Charon!" Sailor Titan replied. Then she pointed at Usako accusingly and began to move menacingly toward her. "She tore apart my father! I don't want to wait any longer to watch her die, just because of some knight...!"

Usako backed away a little as Sailor Titan approached her; Hiroshi ran in front of Pinkmoon. He was ready to fight, if it came to that.

"Transform," he told Usako quietly.

"But--"

"Just do it!" He urged her as Sailor Titan approached them.

"Pink crystal moon power, make up!" Usako cried as she transformed into Sailor Pinkmoon in a flurry of pink. Then she held her glass bell high above her head.

"Twinkle yell!" she shouted. Hiroshi's clothes distorted and changed into those of Helios, Priest of Elysion; then he knelt down and looked calmly toward Sailor Titan.

"If my companion is not able to kill you," Sailor Titan said, her voice ice-cold, "then I will."

"Sailor Charon," Kouken shouted, running toward Charon and standing at her feet. He leaned toward her and spoke in a whisper. "You had better call Yamiko. Things are getting out of hand, and I'm worried about what Sailor Titan might try. I want to kill Sailor Pinkmoon, but not at the expense of Seisui hurting herself."

Sailor Charon nodded and opened her communicator.

"You truly are an angry and horrible child," The Crimson Eagle said, moving in front of Sailor Titan. "I will not allow that anger to run freely. You must cease this useless fighting."

"And what if I don't?" Titan cried self-righteously.

"Then I will have to stop you." He said, cringing slightly. "I will do whatever is necessary."

"Have you forgotten what her great-grandmother did to your people? To you? Will you just sit back and let her return?" she asked, gesticulating spiritedly.

"No, I have not forgotten. But if we were to kill Sailor Pinkmoon in retribution, we would be no better than Diana herself."

"Nothing is worse than Diana," Sailor Titan replied. "Nothing is worse than the tyranny of the Moon Kingdom's blood. Of that I'm certain--and if you do not move, I'll go through you."

"This is getting bad," Kouken said to Sailor Charon, who was frantically calling Yamiko.

Several agonizing moments passed by as the Crimson Eagle and Sailor Titan glared menacingly at each other. Charon cringed as she hoped desperately for Yamiko to pick up on the communicator; Eventually, they heard a voice.

"What do you want?" Yamiko said peevishly, a towel covering her hair. "If you're trying to get me to kill Sailor Pinkmoon--"

"That's not all it is, this time," Kouken interjected, talking in a lowered voice. "Seisui--rather, Sailor Titan--is practically in a frenzy. The Crimson Eagle is protecting Sailor Pinkmoon--she's going to kill herself trying to go through him! She can't kill him alone, let alone Pinkmoon. And she won't listen to us. We need you to come in and help us stop her."

"What if I say no?"

"Then you'll regret it when Diana has you in her power," Kouken said angrily, "And when Sailor Titan is bloody and in pieces because you weren't here to help her."

Yamiko hesitated and looked off to the side, her expression showing hints of guilt.

"Help her yourself, instead of wasting time talking to me," Yamiko replied defensively.

"I already told you she wouldn't listen. You have to get over here," Kouken demanded. "Get over here, Yamiko, or you'll regret it!"

Yamiko's face changed from one of passive defense to open disdain. She scowled.  "I'm not taking orders from you!" Yamiko shouted. "I'm sure as hell not going over there now! Not unless--"

"Not unless what?" Kouken asked furiously.

Yamiko hung up. Sailor Charon looked at Kouken and shook her head.

"You're both way too stubborn, you know that?" Sailor Charon told him.

"Be quiet for now. Concentrate on helping Sailor Titan."

"You will not touch Sailor Pinkmoon," the Crimson Eagle insisted, pointing his katana toward Sailor Titan. "Surely you can't desire some innocent girl's death so strongly? What has she ever done to you?"

"More than you realize," Sailor Titan replied, her face twisting in anger as a tear fell down her cheek.

"This is a good opportunity," Kouken said, turning toward Sailor Charon. "You should attack Pinkmoon now, while she's distracted by those two arguing. At least Sailor Titan's irrational behavior has served some purpose." Sailor Charon nodded and turned toward Sailor Pinkmoon and Helios; she held out her naginata.

"Space-time blast!" She cried as a small, translucent ball hurled itself toward Pinkmoon and Helios. Soon, it expanded into a dome of crackling energy and engulfed them. Pinkmoon knelt down and held onto Helios; she could feel the familiar nauseous sensation welling up within her, and she was on the verge of throwing up. Sailor Titan smiled as she saw that Sailor Charon had given her an opportunity; before The Crimson Eagle could react, her arms were pointing diagonally on either side of her and a volley of strange, black water began to fall from them. She held out her hands toward Pinkmoon, and the stream was soon heading straight toward the weakened couple.

"Black stream death!" she cried as a countless number of strange, faceless heads with the ravenous teeth of an animal materialized from the streaming liquid and launched themselves at Pinkmoon. The strange mouths tore at her monstrously, ripping pieces out of hers and Helios's skin. Sailor Titan looked on regretfully, but her face showed no real guilt.

"How dare you attack a defenseless girl!" the Crimson Eagle cried, scowling at Sailor Titan. "Do you have any honor?"

"She's hardly what I would call defenseless," Sailor Titan retorted coldly. "After all, she is the only one here with a crystal. Or did you forget what she did to us in the past? By defending her, you support the resurrection of Diana and the destruction of us all."

"She was completely disabled by Sailor Charon's attack," The Crimson Eagle replied, ignoring the latter part of Sailor Titan's response. "If you touch her again, I'll have to--"

"Have to what?" Sailor Charon replied. "Have to kill Titan? You said that killing Senshi is wrong. If you're gonna protect Pinkmoon because it's not right to kill senshi, you can't take preference to one side and defend Sailor Pinkmoon over Sailor Titan!"

The Crimson Eagle paused; his sword hand trembled slightly. Sailor Titan smirked and walked toward Sailor Pinkmoon, ready to attack again. Sailor Charon's attack had begun to wear off; the dome was disintegrating.

"Don't worry, Pinkmoon," Helios said soothingly, brushing his hand across her forehead, "These wounds aren't too serious. I can heal them."

Helios knelt down and began to pray, though he himself was still bleeding in several spots. Sailor Pinkmoon stood up with a little difficultly and hesitated; She didn't want him to expend his energy just to help her. Helios's well-being was far more important than hers. After all, she was just a replacement Sailor Moon; Helios was the only priest Elysion had.

Sailor Titan wasn't going to let Helios get very far, though--he had only just begun to heal Sailor Pinkmoon when Sailor Titan walked toward her, her red boots clicking lightly on the marble floor.

"Maybe this is really all your mother's fault, or your great-grandmother's," Sailor Titan said blandly, "But you will carry on their legacy."

Sailor Titan held her hands diagonally at her sides once more as she prepared to attack. As the foul, viscous black water began to stream down her small, slender arms, the Crimson Eagle launched forward, his black and crimson cape flowing behind him and revealing his menacing iron armor. The reverse edge of his blade was facing toward her, ready to knock her down.

Sailor Titan turned and attempted to redirect her attack at the last minute. But was too late. The Crimson Eagle was going to hit her….

"SHADOW DRAGON!" A voice cried as a huge, black dragon flew toward Sailor Titan and The Crimson Eagle. The attack rammed itself into Sailor Titan, throwing her against a nearby wall and cutting her on the stomach and arms. The Crimson Eagle had tried, unsuccessfully, to duck at the last minute; the dragon hit his shoulders and he slid across the smooth marble floor as his back rammed into a nearby pine-board wall. Sailor Charon looked enviously at the Crimson Eagle's armor, which had protected him from being badly cut.

Tokimo looked toward their attacker; it was a Sailor Senshi. With ghost-like skin and inky hair, She stood eerily in front of the night sky that shone through the glass doors to the theater. The Senshi looked vacantly at the scene before her. Her sailor uniform had a deep black collar and skirt; contrasting strongly with this black uniform was the glinting silver of her bows and earrings. Her ice blue eyes glanced toward Sailor Titan with the smallest hint of frustration.

Yamiko, Tokimo thought--she had transformed into Sailor Phoebe. Tokimo looked at Kouken, who was seething with rage.

"What are you doing?" he screamed. "You could have killed Sailor Titan!"

"She was trying to kill Sailor Pinkmoon," Sailor Phoebe replied defensively.

The Crimson Eagle stood up slowly, cringing slightly from the pain of Sailor Phoebe's attack.

"You didn't have to attack me," He said, groaning in pain. "If you were really aiming to protect Sailor Pinkmoon, then we're on the same side."

Sailor Phoebe blushed in embarrassment "I didn't do it on purpose," she mumbled.

Sailor Charon shook her head, trying to focus despite the distractions; this was no time to pay attention to Phoebe. She rushed to Sailor Titan's side, her expression worried.

"Sailor Titan!" Sailor Charon shook Sailor Titan's bony shoulders forcefully, hoping for a reaction. "Sailor Titan!" she cried again, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Erggghh…" Sailor Titan grunted, grabbing Sailor Charon's wrist and pulling her hand away, "I'm fine. Sailor Charon, right? I just feel like crap." She frowned and looked toward Sailor Pinkmoon; her wounds had been healed and Helios was standing at her side once more, though he was leaning on Pinkmoon and panting lightly. "Dammit all…we almost had her."

"It's all Sailor Phoebe's fault," Sailor Charon said angrily, glaring at Phoebe. "She attacked you. She's a traitor!"

Sailor Titan and Charon looked toward Sailor Phoebe, their expressions disgusted and vicious. She backed away uncomfortably; the Crimson Eagle walked toward her and put a hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

"We're doing the right thing," he told her firmly. "Killing another Senshi is wrong."

Sailor Phoebe nodded weakly.

"I need to know," Sailor Pinkmoon began, turning toward Sailor Titan and Charon, "why are you attacking me? What have I done to deserve being murdered?"

"You and your mother have committed horrible crimes, and you run the government poorly. People are not allowed to criticize the queen and are forbidden the right to autonomy," Sailor Titan explained. "Not only that, but the soul of your dead great-grandmother, Queen Diana, will return in your daughter. Queen Diana made the planets turn traitor against the moons to destroy our rule; then, our power stripped bare, she murdered all of us alongside our families. Anyone in the royal families or their administration who did manage to survive on the moons were thoughtlessly burned away with the Silver Crystal. If her soul returns, it will be the death of us all."

"Maybe you're right about Diana, I can't see anything that the current queen has done to harm anyone! You say she has committed these crimes, but Endymion has forbid criticism of the queen for valid and compelling reasons," Pinkmoon explained. "My mother takes everything far too personally! If people were just allowed to say whatever they felt like about her--especially if it was insulting or critical--her guilt over disappointing their expectations would burden her so much that she wouldn't be able to concentrate on ruling anymore. She was already weakened enough from the people's mistrust when she first took the crown, and that was the opening for the Death Phantom!"

"A ruler who can't take insults? That's pretty unreasonable," Charon said. "Everyone is gonna have faults, and when you're in charge, everyone notices them. If you can't take the abuse of mean people, you shouldn't be in a job where you're exposed to them all the time."

"So basically, you're outraged because the queen has forbidden people's right to be mean and abusive? That hardly sounds like a just and worthy cause. It's not right to ask anyone, let alone the queen, to be okay with the cruelty--verbal or otherwise--of others," Helios replied.

"Your so-called 'verbal cruelty' is an important check on the queen's power!" Sailor Titan replied angrily, clenching a blood-stained fist. "People's criticism, mean or otherwise, provides important feedback to rulers and lets them know what they're doing wrong. Without someone to tell you you're making mistakes, those mistakes can and will turn into catastrophes! That was what lead to the Death Phantom! The allowance of the Queen to rule incompetently."

"You sound like Councilor Han'i," Helios replied, annoyed. "Talking as if you would make a better queen than Serenity! What do you know about running the world? Maybe you should leave it to someone who has the experience."

"On Earth, kings and queens from royal families were often inbred lunatics who couldn't count--let alone rule--and they often led their countries for many years," Sailor Titan retorted, her brows furrowed in anger. "Just because your name has the word king or queen in front of it and you have so-called 'experience' does not mean you're competent. Indeed, the queen shows every sign of being an incompetent ruler--she's monolingual and doesn't even have a college education!"

"Yeah," Charon agreed. "'Experienced' can mean you're experienced at sucking at it!"

"What are we going to do?" Sailor Phoebe asked the Crimson Eagle. "They can't keep arguing like that forever. Eventually, Titan will get sick of answering Sailor Pinkmoon's questions and attack. Then a fight will break out again."

"The minute a fight breaks out, I'll be between them." The Crimson Eagle looked down toward Sailor Phoebe. His cold brown eyes were the only part of his face she could see; his iron mask hid his expression beneath a layer of black. "Are you with me?"

Sailor Phoebe nodded.

"There has to be another way to solve all of this," Sailor Pinkmoon interjected. "Arguing about it here certainly isn't going to change anything."

"You're right," Sailor Titan said coldly, raising her arms slightly.

"Hold on," Sailor Charon said, laying the handle of her naginata across Sailor Titan's arms. "It's no good. There's four of them and only two of us--now that Sailor Phoebe's a traitor, we're gonna have to attack some other time."

Sailor Titan stood there; she clenched her fists tightly as tears of frustration flowed freely down her face. "Fine," she replied bluntly. "Fine. Let's go."

Sailor Charon, Kouken and Sailor Titan turned around; Charon lead the way outside of the building. The other senshi watched them silently.

"Are you joining us?" Sailor Pinkmoon asked, breaking the silence as she turned toward Sailor Phoebe and The Crimson Eagle. "After all, you seem to be against this battle…we could probably convince the rest of the Moon Senshi to stop fighting us more easily if our numbers were greater. Especially since you're apparently fellow Moon Senshi."

"It may not prudent for us to join you," the Crimson Eagle explained, "Even if our goals are the same. Just because I believe that Sailor Titan's actions are too hasty does not mean that I believe you are just people--Sailor Titan, after all, seemed to have more reason to hate you than just the crimes of you great-grandmother."

"Who is my great-grandmother?" Sailor Pinkmoon asked. "You keep mentioning her. What was so awful about her?"

"Her name was Queen Diana. We hate her because she destroyed our kingdoms and our families, and she killed us, as well. If you have a daughter, Diana's memories will be reborn inside of her, and history will be repeated." Sailor Phoebe explained.

"Do you hate her, too?" Sailor Pinkmoon asked, looking toward the expressionless mask of the Crimson Eagle.

"I'm not sure," he replied coldly. "I don't think I have any right." He turned toward Sailor Phoebe. "I hope you will join me again the next time we meet. I fear it will be very soon."

The Crimson Eagle turned around and began walking out the door, his feet clanging loudly on the marble floor. His armor scraped against itself as he walked.

"Wait a second, I thought--"

He turned around and looked at Phoebe; even without seeing his face, she knew he did not want her to follow. She watched sadly as he left; he disappeared as soon as he walked outside.

"I thought allies were supposed to work together," She mumbled to herself, making her way toward the door. "Not just run off the second the fit's over." Now Sailor Phoebe was more sure than ever that she didn't like being a senshi--they were all insane.

Sailor Pinkmoon turned toward Sailor Phoebe. "If you don't mind--"

"I have to go now," Sailor Phoebe interjected, turning around. "I have to finish my homework."

Sailor Pinkmoon watched as Sailor Phoebe also went out the door, leaving Sailor Pinkmoon standing there in bafflement.

"I think maybe we're in over our head," Helios told her, "And that's saying a lot, for someone with three thousand years of history behind him."

"I still don't want to talk to Mama," Pinkmoon insisted. "She'd just try to bring in the planetary senshi and have them take care of it. Maybe we should think about what Sailor Titan said. On one hand, she may be an extremist...but on the other, maybe it's just that she's the only one who's been brave enough to say anything."

"I don't think so," Helios disagreed. "I think we'd hear more about it if that were true."

"But we do hear about it sometimes, from the foreign governments. A lot of people don't like being ruled by a foreign country...let alone by the Moon. Maybe my mother shouldn't spread her control so far."

"Don't worry about it. It's not like we hear about armed revolts or anything like that. The only real opposition we've ever had are Sailor Titan and councilor Han'i."

"Helios...you don't think that...?"

"No," Helios stated firmly, "No, that's not how Seisui acts at all. I thought of it too; but it just doesn't fit. Their personalities are completely opposite."

"Yeah...I guess so."

"Speaking of which... why don't you go find her? I'll go get the other Senshi and bring them up to speed."

"Okay."

Usako untransformed and began looking for Seisui. She looked in the bathrooms and the closets; she even peeped in a couple of the theaters, but decided that going through and looking at every seat in every theater in the complex wasn't an efficient way to spend time. In the end, she decided that Seisui had probably gotten scared and run home through the emergency exit.

Usako made her way back to the lobby to meet up with her friends. When she got there, they all went home together. She had to spend an hour convincing the four girls not to tell the Queen.

She'd handle this alone if it was the last thing she did.

"Here you go," Tokimo told Seisui as she walked up to Seisui's front door, "You're home. Craaazy night, huh?"

"Yeah," Seisui replied dully. "Crazy."

"You know, you're really weird, Seisui. You're all outgoing when you transform, but you're as quiet as...well, quiet as something that's reeeal quiet when you're just...umm...not-senshi. Yeah. Anyway, you did a really good job, and that was real clever, hitting her right after I did the space-time blast. Next time we'll cream her, and this'll all be done with!"

"You said that last time, Tokimo," Kouken sighed.

"Well, last time we were just getting warmed up. That, and it was just me because Yamiko's a traitor."

"Right. So it was warm-up this time, too?" Kouken retorted.

"Yes," Tokimo replied matter-of-factly.

"Anyway... I better get going," Seisui said timidly. "I still have to do my homework."

"Oh, right. You take school seriously, don't you? Well, I'll be seeing you, then. Don't let the homework-bugs bite."

"Homework bugs?" Kouken asked dubiously.

"Right. Bye bye, now." Tokimo said, walking away as she waved her hand violently.

"Bye bye." Seisui said quietly as she left.

Seisui turned around and looked at her house. She hated her house. It was small and kind of grungy; after her father had lost his job as royal councilor, the queen had employed him in a 'harmless' occupation. That is, a custodian. But, she thought as she opened the door, that wasn't what made her feel so bitter.

Seisui walked inside and saw her mother working at the small, plastic dining room table. She was typing a paper on the computer that the company had lent to her; she was a secretary. She looked up from her work for a moment when Seisui entered the house.

"Welcome home," she said, her voice strained. "Why are you so late? Did you make some friends in school?"

"No, Mom," she said gravely, "I found out something very surprising today."

She took out the locket and showed it to her mother, who pulled her mousy blond hair back from her face to look at the intricately crafted red and blue locket.

"What is this? It looks a bit like that woman's locket, from when she first transformed," she said, a distasteful expression flitting across her face. "Why would you have something like this?" She handed the locket back to Seisui.

Seisui put the locket carefully away into the light blue pocket of her uniform and looked at her mother. "Mom...the truth is, I'm a sailor senshi--Sailor Titan. There's a group of senshi called the Moon Senshi; there's one for every moon in Sol. In the past, Sailor Moon murdered us, but we've returned in the 31st century to seek vengeance."

Seisui's mother raised her eyebrows. Seisui knew that her mother didn't believe her; she hadn't expected her to. Fortunately, there was an easy way to remedy that.

"Titan prism power, make up!" Seisui cried, transforming into Sailor Titan in a sweep of black water.

Her mother gaped in awe. "I'm dreaming," She told herself. "I fell asleep at my desk."

"No, Mom," Sailor Titan told her, "You're not dreaming. It's me. Slap yourself, if you don't believe me."

Her mother did just that; she slapped herself lightly against the cheek, still gaping in awe as she realized she was, indeed, awake.

"I'm going to tell Dad," Sailor Titan said, "I'm going to tell him. If anything will make him remember...remember how he used to be...this will."

"You know nothing will change him, Seisui," she said. "You need to realize that. Just give up. Just learn from your father's horrible mistakes, and don't repeat them!"

"No, Mom," she replied fervently, "I'm not going to let our family live in disgrace a moment longer. I'll kill Sailor Pinkmoon--it's part of my destiny--and I'll bring honor back to our family."

"You're crazy."

"Maybe. I don't care anymore. I'm going to try and bring Dad back. Is he home?"

"He's in the backyard," She replied in resignation. "But I'm telling you, it's no use. There's nothing you can do to bring him back. It's far too late for that now."

"I don't care," Sailor Titan said. "I have to try." She walked out their back door, intent on her purpose. She could see her father in their backyard: a small plot overflowing with plants. Plants were the only frivolous thing they spent their money on; Seisui's sister and mother both adored them. Her father was in the garden, staring blankly forward and sitting absentmindedly in a white rocking chair.

"Dad," Sailor Titan said, coming up behind him. Her father was 120, though he still looked no older than 30; in the 31st century, nobody aged or died.

Her father stood up and faced her, smiling blankly. "Why, hello," he said cheerfully, "Who are you? I don't recognize your colors, and I used to be quite familiar with the senshi, you know."

"It's Seisui, dad. I'm a senshi. I'm Sailor Titan."

"My!" he said in dull surprise. "My own daughter, a senshi. Have you finally realized how kind the queen really is, now that you're one of her guardians?"

Titan bit her lip to hold back the tears rapidly forming in her eyes. She would never, ever forgive Serenity for what she did to him.

"Why are you upset, Seisui?" he asked her gently.

"I'm going to kill Sailor Moon," Seisui said angrily, "for what she did to you. I'll never forgive her for what she did to you!"

"Seisui, calm down, please," he implored her. "Serenity did me a favor by purifying me."

"She killed you. She killed you! You're not my father." Her father began to walk toward her, his arms outstretched to embrace her. Sailor Titan began to back away in disgust. "Go away," she said quietly as tears streamed down her scarlet cheeks, "go away. I don't want to touch you. She took away everything that made you my father."

Sailor Titan turned around and ran to her room. Her plan didn't work. Sailor Titan didn't bring back her father.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Dad," She said quietly. "But I'll make sure to get revenge for you."

Her father held out his hand as though imploring Sailor Titan to stay. But she didn't listen.

She was going to kill that brat.

~EPISODE TWO: FIN~

NEXT EPISODE

Seisui: With a tongue of fire and a heart of ice, a new senshi appears. Will her personal hatreds fuel her will to join our fight or extinguish it?

Tokimo: Kindness and purity are ideals to aim for. But what happens when we're forced to embrace them?

Yamiko: Wrongfully accused and continually harassed, I am haunted by the memories of past even as I am barraged with the painful experiences of the present.

Seisui: Serenity's sparkling exterior is slowly reveals it's inner darkness, and Yamiko fights with no knowledge of who she is really fighting with. Usako, meanwhile, is beginning to become lost without the guidance of her mother and with no knowledge of the past we came from....

Next time on MOON SENSHI: UNMEI NO KODOMO--

"The Purification"

Evil returns to those who create it.