Listening to a gentle lullaby, I think just a little of the past
It's full of mistakes and sorrow, but since
You are here, I won't regret it

Though I'm under the pink moon,
I need an even stronger comfort
Even if I make only mistakes,
Say, "I love you," okay?

Shinpi-teki na unmei motsu noni
Tsuki ni michibikarete doko ni tadoritsuku to mada kangaete iru

Yasashige na lullaby kiite kako wo sukoshi dake omou
Machigai mo hiai mo ippai dakedo anata ga iru kara
Koukai-shinai

Pink-iro no tsuki no shita ni iru kedo
Motto tsuyoi nagusame ga iru no
Tatoe ayamachi dake shitemo
I love you tte itte ne

Moon Senshi: Unmei no Kodomo

Episode Four:

"Denial"

"Usako..." Endymion said softly as he entered Neo Queen Serenity's room, his voice full of concern and worry. "Usako... are you alright?"

Usagi was sitting on her canopied bed, her troubled face turned toward the crystal floor of her bedroom. She sniffled slightly and looked at Endymion.

"You shouldn't call me that, Mamo-chan..." she replied weakly. "That's Chibi--" She broke her sentence off, woefully realizing her habitual desire to call Chibi-Usa by her now discarded name. "...That's...Usako's name now." She corrected herself, her voice wavering slightly as she repressed a sob.

"Chibi-Usa will always be Chibi-Usa," Endymion told her firmly, "And Usako will always be my Queen." He sat down next to her and put a comforting arm around her. He looked at the vanity, its shining mirror shattered into pieces and the Sacred Sword still running ominously through its center. Usagi's tear rimmed face seemed to be cautiously avoiding the sight of it.

"You want to know what happened," Usagi said weakly, sniffling slightly. "That's what you're here for--isn't it, Mamo-chan?"

"That was part of it," Endymion confessed a bit guiltily, "But I also wanted to make sure you were okay. Everyone is pretty shaken up about everything. Seisui, and now this... and I'm sure everyone is starting to draw their own conclusions. Honestly... I really don't want to get Chibi-Usa mixed up in this. She's seen enough problems for one lifetime... maybe it was foolish of us to let her go to public high school. She just isn't a normal teenager. She isn't really a teenager at all..."

"She wants to be a Lady." Usagi replied. "That's what she always wanted. Back when she was young, too...she just wanted to push all of us...me...away." Usagi's voice wavered again. "That was why she didn't tell me about Sailor Titan...about the Rebel Senshi..."

"Usako..." Endymion said softly, pulling her a bit closer. "Usako...what makes you think Chibi-Usa knows anything about Sailor Titan?"

"There were rumors..." Usagi began weakly, "Minako heard them when she was out on the town. About new Sailor Senshi...about Rebel Sailor Senshi that Pinkmoon was fighting. I didn't believe them. I thought Chibi-Usa would tell me something like that...but...well...you saw her, didn't you? That terrorist came at me with shouts of vengeance and injustice...full of horrible lies and accusations...that girl...she seemed so convinced that it all was true...surely, Chaos must have brainwashed that innocent girl..."

Endymion paused for a moment, almost reluctant to tell Usagi the truth. How would she feel, knowing that this senshi...Sailor Titan...was no imposter but truly held the power of a star?

"She left through the door." Endymion said reluctantly. Usagi looked up, her expression confused and still showing signs of distress.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Of course she left through the door. Otherwise she'd still be here, right?"

"No...Usako..." Endymion sighed wearily. "Don't you see? She left through the door. The magical door."

Usagi paused for a moment; the realization took several moments to sink in. When she finally understood, she shook her head in denial; it must be a mistake, she convinced herself.

"She must have gone through a window, right Mamo-chan? You didn't see her leave. It could have been a window."

Endymion shook his head slowly; Usagi looked desperate, hopeful that he could be wrong.

"We saw her leave. We saw the doors open willingly before her. There can be no question of how she escaped."

"She has a sailor crystal..."

Usagi paused; she was completely, utterly, overwhelmed. Unwilling to hold back any longer, she let herself cry freely; Endymion hugged her, patiently waiting for her tears to subside.

"Usako..." Endymion said quietly and Usagi's sobs diminished, "What did this Sailor Titan tell you?"

"Only that she wanted vengeance, and that she came from Titan..." Usagi explained weakly. "The sea of darkness and the soil of blood...that was what she said of her mother star. When she said that...I thought for sure it was Chaos."

"It may still be." Endymion replied. "She may be like Sailor Galaxia, and she stole the sailor crystal of another."

"Yeah... that must be it. I'll purify her, and then this will all be better. Right?" she asked hopefully, turning toward Endymion. He nodded.

"Everything will be fine, Usako." he said, wiping away her tears. "Come on, now...it's getting late. We'll deal with this more in the morning. We'll talk to Chibi-Usa. Maybe she really didn't know about this senshi. Maybe the rumors were wrong."

Usagi nodded in agreement, smiling weakly. "Yeah. I can't believe Chibi-Usa would hide something that important from me."

Usako sat down dejectedly on the sitting room couch. They had scoured every inch of the palace; between the long unused guest chambers and record storage rooms, it had taken them until four o'clock in the morning. For all their work, Usako thought, they hadn't found a trace of Seisui.

"It's no use..." Usako sighed, staring sadly down at the now forsaken mugs of hot chocolate. "She's gone. She must have gone through a window. We'll just have to talk to her after school."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Hiroshi asked, sitting down next to her in exhaustion.

"What do you mean...?" Usako asked, her tone a bit uneasy. "Why not?"

"I don't know..." he sighed. "I really hate to say it, Usako...but Seisui seemed so convinced. I'm not sure we could change her mind. I...well...you saw her. It's not that I want her to live in ignorance of the truth... but the subject just upsets her so much. Do we really want to pressure her about something we know will make her cry?"

"That might be true, but...I think once she understands, she won't have to be sad about it anymore. If we can do that, then it'd be better in the long run."

"Yeah..." Hiroshi agreed, his tone resigned. "Yeah, you're right, of course. But I think we should hold off for a few days. Let Seisui recover a bit."

"All right." Usako replied uneasily. "I guess it would be a bit much after all she went through today."

"Besides," Hiroshi added, "We have other things to think about now. Regardless of what your mother thinks, most of the others don't trust Seisui. We have to convince them that she isn't a threat."

"I still can't believe what they did at suppertime..." Usako said in exasperation. "How could they be so thoughtless? They were talking about her like she wasn't even there."

"Yes..." Hiroshi sighed. "But what can we do about it now? It's four o'clock...Let's go to sleep. We'll deal with this tomorrow after school. Maybe Queen Serenity will be more sympathetic. After all...her decision is everyone's decision."

"Yeah..." Usako groaned slightly. "But now we have to walk up all those stairs. I really wish I lived in a smaller house..."

"Here..." Hiroshi offered, noticing the look of exhaustion on Usako's face, "I'll teleport. Okay?"

Usako looked toward Hiroshi somewhat worriedly. "Are you sure it's okay? You're already so tired... if you expend that kind of energy right now, you might pass out."

Hiroshi shrugged.

"Who cares if I do? At least I'll be asleep." He yawned loudly, kneeling down as he began to mumble a prayer to Elysion. Usako couldn't help smiling a little at the ridiculous sight of Helios's holy prayer in his navy blue school uniform. A moment later she was surrounded by light; the familiar sight of her sparkling pink bedroom door greeted her. She turned around, making sure Hiroshi was all right; he was conscious, though barely, and smiled weakly as he struggled to stand up.

"Will you be okay...?" Usako asked. He was panting lightly; as she suspected, expending the energy while he was still so tired had been a lot to handle. He nodded weakly, still smiling, and motioned for her to go into her room.

"Well... all right," she said reluctantly, opening the door to her room and glancing behind her. "I'll see you in the morning, then, Helios." She smiled. "I love you."  Hiroshi nodded enthusiastically and motioned again for her to leave. Usako nodded and walked inside her room, closing the pink door gently behind her. She drowsily put on her pajamas and crawled into bed; the warm sensation that came from Hiroshi's kindness still lingered, and she fell asleep with a quiet smile on her face.

"Lady Serenity..." Endymion called as he knocked on the elaborate pink door, "Lady Serenity... wake up!"

Usako was jolted awake by the sound of her father's voice. She looked over at her alarm clock disinterestedly... 10:00 am.

10:00 am...?!

"Oh no!" she shouted, jolting upright and continuing to look at her clock in disbelief, "I'm two hours late!"

"You're not going to school today," he told her.

"Huh?" she responded in confusion. "No school...?"

"Right. The Senshi are meeting today."

"What? Why? What for?" Usako asked, becoming more perplexed as the conversation continued.

"About Seisui Han'i... and the Rebel Senshi."

The Rebel Senshi? Her mother couldn't have found out..?! Usako tried to subdue her panic; surely, the Asteroids couldn't have told her mother? She knew they had been doubtful of her abilities...but she was still their leader!

But then, Usako thought nervously, they were also her guardians, and they might have thought it was their responsibility to look after her. Furthermore, what did Seisui have to do with anything? Surely they couldn't have thought...?

"Get dressed, Lady Serenity, and come down to meeting room. Everyone is waiting for you."

Usako pulled off her flannel plaid pajamas and fidgeted into her royal dress. Seisui... what could they be thinking? She flung her door wide open; her father was gone, but Helios, dressed in his priest uniform, was waiting patiently waiting outside her door. He looked preoccupied with his own thoughts.

"Helios..." Lady Serenity murmured as he looked up at her. "What's happened...?"

Helios shook his head; he was also unaware of the meaning of this news. The only thing he had to offer Lady Serenity was his hand, which she gratefully accepted. They were the only ones defending Seisui, and the only strength they had was each other.

Come.

"Who's there?" Prodosia asked fearfully, wiping away her tears as she sat in the garden. "Who's calling me?"

Come to the ocean, Prodosia.

"How do you know my name...?" she asked, walking toward the ominous sea of darkness. There was a cliff--a great cliff where the garden ended and one iron chair sat dangerously close to the edge of the fifty-foot drop. The drop above Titan's dark sea. Prodosia felt a strong and ominous power coming from Titan's strange sea; she was fearful, but she was more afraid to disobey.

"Who's there...?" she asked as she peered over the cliff. Her head swam as she looked at the ominous, swirling mass; she felt as though she were going to fall in...

I am your Guardian. Do not be afraid.

"My guardian?" she asked, her voice trembling somewhat. "But my mother is my guardian... and she..."

"Seisui!" Tokimo cried, pulling the dark blue comforter off the guest bed in the room next to Tokimo's. "Seisui, we're gonna be late if you keep tossing and turning and mumbling like that!"

Seisui shivered slightly as cold spring air drifted through an open window. Tokimo stood above her, her hands set impatiently on her fuzzy purple bunny-patterned bathrobe.

"Huh?" she mumbled dazedly, looking around the guest room. Compared to Tokimo's room, the pastel colored guest room was quite sedately adorned.

"The shower's ready and waiting, Seisui!" she continued cheerfully. "Get up!"

"I had another weird dream..." she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and stretching as she got out of bed. Since Seisui had gone straight to Tokimo's house from the castle, she had lent Seisui one of her nightgowns; a nightgown which, Seisui thought bitterly as she felt the tender red impressions from the tight elastic, did not fit her well.

"Really?" the voice of Kouken asked with interest. Seisui turned toward the voice; Kouken sat on one of the comfortable armchairs in the guest bedroom. "What kind of dream...?"

"Seisui doesn't have time for that nonsense!" Tokimo objected, turning toward the ferret. "She has to get ready for school. Don't worry, my mom washed your school clothes; they're right in the bathroom. So go take your shower and eat, okay?"

"Yeah.... Sure," Seisui replied distractedly as she plodded toward the shower.

"Tokimo!" Kouken snapped in frustration, "Why did you do that?! Dreams are important, you know! They're about Diana and your past!"

"What happened to Seisui is her own business," Tokimo replied defensively, "unless she wants to talk about it. No changing what happened back then now, anyway. Now shut up and be good or I won't give you any cucumbers... not for a week!" She threatened. Kouken opened this mouth to respond; but, as strong as his pride was, it was not stronger than the lure of cucumbers. He settled for a mean scowl, which Tokimo promptly returned in full force.

Tokimo waited for what seemed like forever for Seisui to get out of the shower. When she finally got out, she began stuttering and apologizing for the time she took far more than Tokimo thought any human was capable of. Tokimo managed to put her at ease again by about three minutes worth of "It's okay, I really don't care" and they walked into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat before they left.

When they walked into the sunny, periwinkle-blue kitchen, the inviting smell of pancakes surrounded them.

"Good morning, Tokimo," Tokimo's mother said cheerfully, rolling down the sleeves of her light blue outfit, which, Seisui noticed in amusement, also matched the kitchen. "Since your friend looked so upset last night, I thought I'd put a bright spin on the morning and make you all pancakes!" Tokimo grinned in excitement, running up to her mother and hugging her happily. Tokimo's inane behavior was evidently genetic, Seisui noticed.

"Thanks, Mom!" she giggled as she released her hug. Before her mother could say "you're welcome," Tokimo dashed for the pancakes. She promptly took about four or five of them and motioned to Seisui with her fork for her to join her.

"Thank you very much," Seisui said politely, bowing in front of Tokimo's mother.

"It's nothing, it's nothing," she laughed as she pulled Seisui upwards. "None of that formality around here, though. Out on the ocean we don't bother with all that silliness."

"The ocean...?" Seisui asked in puzzlement. Tokimo and her mother had spoken with an odd rhythm in their voices, but Seisui had always assumed that it was just their voices. Maybe it was actually a dialect.

"Yeah," she replied. "We come from Shiawaumi. You know, out on the Pacific."

"Oh... a floating city," Seisui replied. With the space constraints that came with long life--and thus, a large population--scientists and technicians had created floating cities where people could live anywhere in the water, including vast distances away from land. There had also been talk of re-inhabiting the Moon, though nothing had been done about it since discussion of the possibility began 20 years ago.

"That's right. But it was sooo boring there. It's much more exciting in Crystal Tokyo!" Tokimo replied happily. Seisui sat down next to Tokimo and politely took a single pancake, cutting it delicately with her knife.

"Jeez, Seisui," Tokimo protested, "You're a growing girl!" With this, Tokimo unceremoniously flopped two more pancakes on Seisui's plate.

"But Tokimo, I don't think I'll--"

"No buts, Seisui! You're eating every last piece!"

"Shouldn't we save some for--" Seisui began to object.

"Animal chow is enough for that hairy rodent!" Tokimo cut her off. "He's in the other room eating his own breakfast. Now you eat yours!"

"Now, Tokimo," her mother scolded her, "You're not Seisui's mother."

"I'm only looking out for her best interest," Tokimo replied as she motioned her fork dramatically in the air and chomped on another piece of pancake, "Someone's got to, you know!"

"Yes... Yes, I suppose that is true." Her mother replied disquietly.

Tokimo's mother's comment made Seisui a little uneasy; but Tokimo's random and inane chatter always served as a wonderful distraction, and by the time they had finished Seisui felt extremely full and completely better.

"Now come on," Tokimo told Seisui as they put the dishes in the sink, "Let's grab our stuff and go to school."

"Maybe I should leave later than you," Seisui replied anxiously as they walked toward Tokimo's room to pick up their ferret and their bags, "so that Usako doesn't think anything is weird."

"Naaah," Tokimo responded, "It'll be fine. She probably won't even come to school after all the commotion last night."

"Y-yeah," Seisui responded a little uneasily, "I guess you're right."

"Don't worry about it!" Tokimo assured Seisui as she whapped her on the back, "Everything'll be fine. We'll get Usako and her nasty mom before you know it."

Seisui tried to nod as cheerfully as possible as she grabbed her school bag. Kouken, whose head was sticking out of Tokimo's purple backpack, looked imploring toward Seisui.

"Please," he pleaded, "Please take me! I'm sick of being carried by Tokimo!"

"Absolutely not!" Tokimo informed him harshly. "If Seisui takes the backpack, Usako might recognize it and ask her where she got it. Besides, who knows what kind of trouble you'd get into if I wasn't around!"

"Me get into trouble? Miss 'I'm going to blurt out that Yamiko's a senshi in front of the whole school?' I don't think I'm the one we have to worry about."

Tokimo grinned mischievously as she picked up the purple backpack by the handle on the top.

"I'm just around to make sure you don't steal cucumbers from the school cafeteria." She replied tauntingly.

"What?! I would--"

Any further complaints on the part of Kouken were destroyed by Tokimo harshly stuffing Kouken inside of her purple backpack, which quickly changed his articulately worded complaints into various muffled shouts.

"Now be quiet, Kouken," Tokimo told him as a grin crossed her face, "Or they'll hear you at school. Don't want to go blurting things out, right...?

Kouken's response was a loud hiss and the sound of scratching on the sides of the backpack.

"And don't ruin my backpack!" she added. "Or you know what'll happen..."

"Tokimo, maybe we should get going. If we stick around much longer, we'll be late," Seisui interrupted hastily.

Tokimo sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I hope Erik isn't too boring today during English... he's always soooo grumpy, too!" she whined.

Tokimo gathered together the rest of her school binders for the day, which were unceremoniously scattered across the bedroom floor. She dumped them inside her larger purple school bag and flung both the large and small purple bag over her shoulder. Kouken's muffled lecturing could be heard from inside the smaller of the two bags.

"Perhaps you should be quiet, Kouken," Seisui suggested reluctantly, "Since we're going to school now."

"Hmph." Kouken replied indignantly. Thankfully, Seisui thought, he seemed more eager to listen to her advice than Tokimo's.

After Tokimo had finished gathering her luggage, Seisui picked up her small, black leather briefcase and followed Tokimo as she walked out the door and onto the street towards school. Seisui tried to remain as optimistic as possible about the school day ahead, but she just couldn't banish her feelings of unease about the possible consequences of the night before.

"Yesterday evening, events of a most serious nature occurred." Endymion began, looking gravely toward the now-assembled Sailor Senshi. "The nearly impenetrable palace of Crystal Tokyo was invaded by a mysterious Senshi who called herself 'Sailor Titan.' She proceeded to attempt the murder of the Queen using the Sacred Sword entrusted to the Sailor Guardians; after her attempt was thwarted by the Queen's protectors, she made her escape using a strange attack and ran straight through the front door."

A look of disquiet and uneasiness crossed the faces of the Sailor Senshi at these words; many of them fidgeted in the elaborate, marble chairs of the grand meeting room or clutched their hands nervously as they rested their arms on the elegant coordinating table.

"Before I continue, it is of great importance to all of us that the truth is known, Lady Serenity." Endymion said gravely.

Lady Serenity looked down at the pristine table, a look of fear crossing her face. Helios looked at Endymion with an accusatory expression; the way Lady Serenity's feelings had been disregarded and the way she was being publicly interrogated was unforgivable.

"Y-yes?" Lady Serenity stammered, continuing to look downwards.

"Do you know Sailor Titan? Have you heard of her or seen her before I mentioned her today?"

Lady Serenity paused nervously; she did not want her mother to interfere with her own battles. Her desire to be independent told her that anything was better than risking that; but her own sense of morality forbade her from lying, especially to someone who trusted her so deeply as her mother. Helios looked at her supportively; he knew the decision that she faced, and Lady Serenity knew that he was willing to lie with her if that was what she wanted. Lady Serenity looked toward her mother; She looked so completely and utterly betrayed. Seeing her mother's face, Lady Serenity did not have the heart to lie.

"...Yes. I know of her. She works with another Senshi named Sailor Charon, who has attempted to kill me twice. There are two more that are included among the Moon Senshi's number: a...Tuxedo Mask of sorts, named Crimson Eagle, and another Senshi named Sailor Phoebe, who has chosen to work alongside him. They are against the cause of Titan and Charon; however, they are not fighting with me, either. They are trying to stop the fighting between us."

"Why?!" Queen Serenity shouted, standing up and resting her hands upon the marble table. "Why didn't you tell me, Chibi-Usa?"

Lady Serenity looked down guiltily, trying to ignore the tears that had begun to spill at the edges of her mother's eyes. How could she explain? She knew the truth would crush Usagi's heart.

"Your Majesty..." Helios stood up and faced Queen Serenity; he put a hand on Lady Serenity's shoulder, who was shaken at her mother's outburst. "You are no longer Sailor Moon. The responsibilities of that title now rest on your daughter; she merely wished fulfill those responsibilities. 'Chibi-Usa' spent 900 years as a young girl... but even she must someday grow up. As the Queen, you must learn to understand this. You cannot expect to baby her highness through the whole of her life. Someday, she will take your mantle as the queen and rule this earth. And when she does, she will not be able to rely on your help."

Usagi paused for a moment; she sat down and began to cry. Helios knew that she would. But Usagi was simply too attached to the little princess of Crystal Tokyo. She had been given 900 years to say goodbye to that little girl; 900 years and more. But even now that Chibi-Usa was clearly a little bunny no longer, she was obstinately trying to cling onto that past.

"How could you?" Makoto snapped, turning toward Helios. "How could you say something so goddamn thoughtless?"

"I was merely informing her of the truth." Helios stated. "Furthermore, the way that the Queen clings onto 'Chibi-Usa' has taken its toll on Lady Serenity as well. Her dream is to be a proud adult, ruling competently in the throne of her mother! How long will you deny her the chance to fulfill that dream?" Helios's tone suddenly became defensive and angry; something rare for someone so composed.

"I can't believe this!" Haruka shouted. "You're supposed to be the guardian and protector of the Queen! When did it become your job to tell her how to raise her own daughter?"

Helios paused; his sense of duty began to overwhelm his defense. Haruka was right; it was not his place. And yet, to Helios, Lady Serenity was already a mature and beautiful adult; or at least, well on the way to becoming one. And Neo Queen Serenity, for all her love, was completely unwilling to realize that.

"This is not the time for an argument between family members," Endymion announced, seizing the momentary silence to regain control of the meeting. "We will deal with these problems later." Queen Serenity sniffled slightly, slowly gaining control of her emotions; Endymion put his hand in hers, secretly wishing that he could have been more of a comfort to her.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Helios hesitantly replied.

"More importantly..." Endymion began, "Lady Serenity...what happened to Seisui after dinner yesterday?"

"What does Seisui have to do with any of this?" Lady Serenity responded defensively. "Why do you care where she went after supper?"

"The appearance of both the Han'i child and Sailor Titan seems too much to be coincidence," Michiru explained, "As we discussed before your arrival. We thought that perhaps--"

"You thought what?" Lady Serenity retorted. "You thought that Seisui would try to kill my mother?!"

"It makes sense, Usako, even you must realize that!" Haruko objected. "Seisui has the motivation to kill the queen. After all, her father's career was destroyed because of Neo Queen Serenity!"

"Seisui doesn't blame mother for her father's demotion!" Not for her father's demotion, Lady Serenity thought. But for other things...Seisui said she blamed herself, but Lady Serenity had a feeling that told her otherwise.

"Why else would Sailor Titan hold such a grudge against the Queen?" Rei asked her. "She said she wanted vengeance. That was what Usagi told us. She could have meant her father!"

"That isn't what the Moon Senshi want." Helios objected. The assembled members all turned toward Helios, waiting for an explanation. "The reason why Sailor Titan and Charon are fighting against Lady Serenity is because of something that happened in the distant past."

"Do you know of these Senshi, Helios? You are the oldest among us..." Ami asked, looking hopefully toward him. But Helios shook his head, meriting a look of disappointment.

"Luna and Artemis, advisors of the royal family, did not know their origin either," Hotaru responded, "It seems these Senshi outlive all of us."

"Maybe Sailor Pluto will know something," Minako suggested, "She's as old as time itself."

"Perhaps." Helios interrupted. "But I do know this much; Sailor Phoebe told us that a woman named Queen Diana destroyed their kingdoms long ago; this woman, apparently, was your grandmother, Neo Queen Serenity."

Queen Serenity looked upwards; her face was still bright red from crying, but this strange and unwanted news was shocking. "My... grandmother?"

"Queen Diana..." Artemis paused for a moment, recalling the name in his mind. "Indeed...Queen Diana was the mother of Queen Serenity, your mother from the Moon Kingdom. Not very much is known about her, though it is said that she wiped a great evil from this Solar System and united a divided people under the banner of the Moon."

"A great evil..." Haruka said reflectively. "It must be the Moon Senshi."

"Perhaps it was not so tragic that their kingdom was destroyed," Michiru suggested.

"Let us not conclude that the battle was purely black and white," Hotaru replied. "It may have been that Diana felt it a necessary evil, or even that she herself had been blinded by power or greed. Such things have happened before amongst the members of the Moon Kingdom. Queen Beryl suffered corruption at the hands of Chaos."

"But surely the very queen of the Moon could not be corrupted!" Artemis protested.

"You know that is untrue as well as I," Hotaru disagreed. "I fell victim to the power of Chaos. And even if one could make the argument of the Queen's greater power and purity... that serves no excuse when one thinks of Black Lady."

There was an uneasy pause as the Sailor Senshi exchanged glances and recalled the horrid memory of Black Lady, the evil incarnation of Lady Serenity that resulted from Chibi-Usa's desire to be a proud and admired adult. Hotaru's words had left a nasty aftertaste in their mouths.

"Even if Queen Diana were truly evil," Ami continued uneasily, "that doesn't explain why the Moon Senshi want to kill Lady Serenity. The sins of her ancestor are not her sins as well."

"Perhaps the Moon Senshi are merely petty, as the legends suggest," Haruka suggested rather scathingly.

"That isn't what Helios told us." Haruko objected. "According to Sailor Phoebe, if Lady Serenity has a child, the memories of Diana will take over and the Moon Senshi will be destroyed for the second time in their history."

There was another uneasy pause; the shocking statement was slow to sink in amongst the Senshi, and Neo Queen Serenity looked visibly upset.

"Is that true?" the Queen demanded, trepidation evident in her expression. "You're sure they weren't making that up?"

"We can't be sure," Helios confessed, "But it would explain both Sailor Titan and Charon's fervor for their cause, and well as the Crimson Eagle's desire to find an alternate solution. Regardless of whether this is actually true, the Moon Senshi seem quite thoroughly convinced that it is."

"But that's not what Sailor Titan said!" Neo Queen Serenity protested. "She said..." Queen Serenity paused for a moment, her voice wavering slightly. "She said she was going to kill me because I ruled selfishly."

"Whatever motives the Moon Senshi have, it does not rule out the possibility of Seisui's involvement," Michiru told them. "Such a complaint is obviously unrelated to this Queen Diana, whoever she may be. It would sound far more appropriate coming from the mouth of Han'i."

"Leave Seisui out of this!" Lady Serenity objected. "This isn't about Seisui!"

"This is exactly what this is about," Endymion retorted, his voice harsh and demanding. "We cannot ignore the possibly that Sailor Titan is Seisui Han'i!"

"But I know that Seisui wouldn't do anything like that!" Lady Serenity shouted, standing up and clenching a fist in her fury.

"Maybe that's just what Seisui wants you to think!" Rei exclaimed in response. Lady Serenity appeared visibly shaken at this; she replaced her hand on the table, but did not sit back down. Helios placed his hand on top of Lady Serenity's; it was quivering slightly, and Helios could see that she was on the verge of tears.

"Tell me, Lady Serenity..." Endymion sighed as looked toward his daughter, "Did you see Seisui leave the palace?"

"She left through a window!" Lady Serenity hastily replied, blurting out the first alibi she could think of.

"She left through a window?" Endymion asked, somewhat perplexed. "Why didn't you let her through the door?"

Lady Serenity paused fearfully for a moment, aware that rather than providing an excuse for Seisui's whereabouts, she had only raised even more suspicion.

"I..." she stuttered.

"Well?" Endymion asked.

"She...she ran off." Lady Serenity told him, realizing that defeat was inevitable. She clutched her free hand, its slender fingernails digging into the soft skin of her palm. "I didn't have the chance."

"This is ill news indeed," Michiru announced. "Seisui is now more suspicious than ever."

Lady Serenity bowed her head, cursing herself for her mistakes as tears began to well in her eyes. Helios looked up at her; he could say nothing to comfort her now.

"We should tell the press," Rei said. "If the public is aware, they'll be cautious of Seisui and attempt to confirm our suspicions."

"You can't be serious!" Helios shouted. "If you tell the press, the public will crucify Seisui! Hasn't she suffered enough already?"

"The more eyes and ears we have, the faster we discover the truth!" Haruka said ardently.

"Have you no thought for the girl's feelings? Whatever her sins, real or imagined, she is human!" Helios cried.

"We cannot take chances," Endymion explained. "This is a situation of an unusually grave nature. These Senshi are apparently real Senshi, yet we have no record of their existence besides a vague mention. Seisui Han'i appears, and with her, the Rebel Senshi. Furthermore, you have hidden their existence from us. Helios, it is not your place to criticize. In one day, the entire royal household has been wrenched into pieces!" He glared at Helios. "The decision has been made. We will inform the press immediately, in the hopes of bringing a swift end to this conflict. Lady Serenity..."

Lady Serenity looked up reluctantly, her face streaked with tears.

"Go to your room. I am amazed that you were able to cause this much trouble in such a short time. Your actions have shown a lack of judgment--I'm disappointed in you."

Lady Serenity looked impetuously toward her father, but she knew that the battle was lost. She looked hopelessly toward Helios for a word of encouragement; Helios wanted to tell her that things would be fine, but even he was at a loss for a solution. Seeing that Helios had nothing to offer her, Lady Serenity looked dejectedly down at the crystal floor and walked reluctantly toward the huge double staircase. Helios looked at Endymion; the obstinate look on his face told Helios that no argument he suggested would be welcome, and so he followed Lady Serenity, hoping that he could at least be of some comfort to her. Once they had left, Endymion looked back toward the Senshi.

"I will put forth the idea to all of you that Lady Serenity is pulled from Goban High School indefinitely. I do not think sending her to public school was a wise idea."

"No," Queen Serenity interjected, her voice wavering slightly.

"No?" Endymion repeated in confusion. "I thought you were uneasy about it as well, Usako."

"I was, but..." Queen Serenity paused for a moment, looking down at the table. "What Helios said earlier... well... maybe we were only giving Chibi-Usa excuses not to tell us."

"What do you mean...?" Endymion asked.

"Her majesty may be suggesting that Chibi-Usa refused to tell us the truth because she knew that doing so would convince you to pull her out of school." Hotaru explained. "Chibi-Usa has always wanted to go to school with ordinary people her age, just like when she traveled to the past...by being so reluctant to let her do so, you have only encouraged her deceptive behavior. If Chibi-Usa did not feel her freedom and independence were at risk, I do not believe she would have hidden the Rebel Senshi from you."

Endymion looked at Queen Serenity, half-heartedly wishing that she would disagree. But Serenity nodded. And Endymion knew that once she had made a decision such as this, there was little anyone could do to change her mind. The Sailor Senshi, apparently, felt the same way; even those who Endymion knew would have liked to disagree with the queen were uneasily accepting her decision. He sighed in defeat and turned toward Hotaru.

"The decision has obviously been made," he announced, "but I don't think Chibi-Usa should continue to go without any guidance or supervision. Hotaru, I would like you to employ yourself as a teacher at Goban High School and keep an eye on her."

Hotaru looked upwards with an slightly insulted expression.

"You are suggesting that I spy on my best friend...?" she asked somewhat bitterly.

"I don't feel comfortable leaving her there alone. I think this would be the best and most peaceful way to solve the problem."

"I cannot betray Chibi-Usa's trust by performing such a deceptive task. I refuse," she responded.

"If you do not go, I will merely send someone else. I was simply suggesting you because you're Chibi-Usa's friend, and I think you would look out for her best interest."

"Please go, Hotaru," Queen Serenity implored, "I fear for Chibi-Usa's safety as well. You don't have to interfere...not unless things become too much for her."

Hotaru looked uneasily at the queen; As much as she cared for Chibi-Usa, the word of the queen was final.

"Very well," she reluctantly agreed, "I shall do as you request."

Yamiko had spent the entirety of last evening doing nothing but trying to forget. As much as her anti-depressants helped, they couldn't banish the eerie quiet and loneliness of the house or keep her from worrying about what lay ahead. Even worse, she hadn't been able to get more than a few hours of sleep that night.

"You are only postponing the inevitable."

Black, slippery mud slid grotesquely against her feet as the still, dark lake lapped at her heels.

"Do not try to run away."

She had to escape the glaive, the ominous ice-white blade of death that approached ever nearer. As she backed away, the water covered her ankles, then her knees... She could feel herself falling over. The blunt end of the staff was pressing against her forehead as she tried futilely to push herself upwards. She could hear the sound of violently splashing water everywhere. But no matter how she moved her body, the pole arm held her face beneath the lake. She was trapped...

"Hey, look." Yamiko could hear Tokimo behind her; her loud, obnoxious voice had jolted her awake from the images appearing rapidly in her head. Yamiko suddenly realized that she had been leaning against the wall that lined the street, and a loud brushing noise could be heard as her sleeve ran against the rough, sparkling concrete wall. She shook her head as she snapped out of the daydream, ruing that those horrible visions could come to her both awake and asleep. She looked at the sleeve that had brushed along the wall and scowled as she noticed the fabric had been scuffed up, giving it a somewhat fuzzy texture.

"What is it?" Seisui asked. Thankfully, what Tokimo surmised about the Princess being absent appeared to be true, and they had seen no sign of Usako or her guardians that morning. Seisui looked up as Tokimo pointed half-interestedly in front of her; the sight of Yamiko leaning on the concrete wall could visibly be seen.

"What's she doing?" Tokimo asked as Yamiko got off the concrete wall and kept walking normally. "Sleepwalking?"

"I haven't the slightest clue," Seisui admitted. "Maybe... something from yesterday... maybe she's upset." Seisui replied with difficulty, remembering her outburst. It was completely uncalled for, whatever Yamiko had done, Seisui thought guiltily. Whatever hatred Yamiko had for their cause, Seisui decided that Yamiko had not approached Usako in order to humiliate her. And if she was correct in assuming that, Yamiko and Tokimo would be the first people she had ever come to know who didn't have open and tactless contempt for her.

"What did she say to you?" Tokimo asked Seisui protectively. "I saw you crying. What did Yamiko do to make you cry?"

Yamiko frowned and ignored the slight itching to interject in the conversation which, from where she was standing, she could clearly hear.

"She didn't do anything, really..." Seisui replied reluctantly, "She just hit a soft spot."

Yamiko was impressed that someone as sneaky as Seisui had actually told Tokimo the truth of the matter and was even, in an indirect kind of way, defending her.

"Hit a soft spot...? Do you mean, your father..? How did she know?" Tokimo asked.

"Usako told her. Not directly... Yamiko approached her and obviously figured out something was up. But regardless of what she was going to say, Usako accused her of using me before she had hardly said a word. But now that she knows about it..."

"What?!" Tokimo replied in urgency. "Yamiko knows? About you and Usako?"

Seisui nodded reluctantly.

"I suppose it was a bit much to hide it from her... after all, I'm walking around with her in plain sight."

"Well, Yamiko's so dense I would almost expect her not to notice," Tokimo replied matter-of-factly.

Yamiko scowled. It was always the stupidest people who thought they knew exactly what they were talking about. That was the first thing that Yamiko hated about Tokimo.

"Yamiko isn't exactly dense," Seisui replied, "but she is very stubborn. I also don't think she likes to interfere. So maybe she won't say anything. She might be afraid of what might happen to her if she does..."

"Hey, that's a good idea!" Tokimo replied enthusiastically. "Maybe we could threaten her."

Seisui cringed. She was getting herself in deeper and deeper. First it was deceit, now it was threats...

Yamiko was beginning to wonder how Seisui and Tokimo could have possibly thought themselves in the right. Some people believed that 'the ends justify the means;' apparently Seisui and Tokimo thought that even the slimiest and most deceptive methods were appropriate for achieving their ends.

"I..." Seisui paused for a second, unsure of how to respond. Seisui didn't want to threaten Yamiko, but it was imperative that Usako didn't find out that Seisui was deceiving her. Seisui cursed herself; why did she have to think of this plan? She didn't care that she was deceiving Usako. Usako and her family had done far worse harm to her than that; Seisui had been deceived many, many times herself because of the injuries they had inflicted on her and her father. What was painful was being so close to someone you hated, knowing everything so loathsome about her and being unable to say a word, to utter anything against her. Even worse was that Seisui, for the first time in her life, had found someone who sympathized with her; someone, even, who thought she was right. Tokimo was the only support she had, but she almost never had that support available to her.

Tokimo looked at Seisui with a quizzical expression, noticing the pained look on her face.

"What is it, Seisui? Are you sure Yamiko didn't say anything else to you?" she asked worriedly.

"No, Yamiko didn't say anything." Seisui replied quietly. "I'm just... well... I'm tired." she explained, muttering the response half-heartedly.

"Did your nightmares keep you awake...?" Tokimo asked.

"No... not that kind of tired, I guess." Seisui sighed. "I just... I hate Usako. I hate being around her. I hate pretending to be her friend."

Tokimo paused; her expression was becoming uneasier. She had been happy when she initially heard about Seisui's idea; but the plan was supposed to be over in the space of a few hours, not days. And the strain of maintaining Seisui's brilliant scheme was beginning to show itself; Seisui would smile whenever she was near Tokimo, but the minute any Senshi business came up, all the cheering up Tokimo had done was gone without a trace.

"It'll be over soon," Tokimo said, vainly trying to encourage Seisui, "We'll kill Sailor Pinkmoon before the week is out. It hasn't been that long that you've had to pretend, has it? You can hold out for a few more days."

"Yeah..." Seisui replied vaguely. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be complaining. I know that being a Senshi is hard work. It's not my place to complain..."

"Jeeeez!" Tokimo whined, whacking Seisui firmly on the back for what Seisui supposed must have been the third or fourth time in the past couple of days. "Where's all that 'we're gonna beat up the bad guy' spunk? Huh huh?"

So that was what it came to, Yamiko thought bitterly to herself. Today was Tuesday; Tokimo wanted to have Sailor Pinkmoon out of commission by Friday afternoon. It was just as lucky that Japanese schools hadn't been in session on Saturdays for at least 500 years. There were a few situations, however rare, where Yamiko's morality overpowered her desire to avoid conflict of any kind; even she couldn't stand to sit back while Seisui backed the kind, if exceedingly naive, Crown Princess into a corner and murdered her while no one was looking. Yamiko would have to warn her--but finding a situation where she could talk to her alone would be difficult, and Usako's false belief that Yamiko had been using Seisui would just make it that much harder.

"Hey, look," Tokimo observed. "It's Fubuki and her boyfriend."

Sure enough, Fubuki and Jirou had entered the block on which Goban high school lay only a few feet ahead of Yamiko. Fubuki was nonchalantly running her fingers along the concrete wall.

"Hiho!" Tokimo shouted as she approached the school block, waving her hand animatedly. "What's up?"

Fubuki looked a little impatiently toward Tokimo as she stopped by the wall next to the sidewalk across the street. She glanced at Jirou and told him something--Tokimo and Seisui were too far away to hear it.

"Who is that?" Seisui asked in perplexity. "Do you know her? She doesn't look like... well, she doesn't look like what I would have imagined as one of your friends."

"Huh? Oh, no. That's Fubuki. And she's not my friend; not yet, anyway. I don't have any other friends, besides you. Don't you think I would have introduced you if I had?"

Seisui raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"You don't have any other friends? Not even on Shiawaumi?"

"Huh? Oh. Well... I had two or three, I think. Almost everyone I meet is so stingy and annoying. Most people I don't even wanna be friends with. Like Yamiko, for instance." Tokimo scowled.

Yamiko overheard this part of the conversation with interest; she had not suspected Tokimo, of all people, to have very few friends. Upon hearing the truth, however, Yamiko was surprised she hadn't expected it; after all, Tokimo was the most annoying person that Yamiko could have imagined.

"Oh..." Seisui replied, her voice becoming more subdued. "But how do you know Fubuki?"

"She's a Moon Senshi," Tokimo informed her, "I found her yesterday, hanging out with that weird spiky haired guy. She's too much like those other grumpy dumps," Tokimo explained in annoyance, "But at least she hates Queen Serenity, like any smart person." Tokimo emphasized, inclining her head toward Yamiko. Yamiko just tried to pretend she hadn't heard.

"Oh," Seisui said.

"Anyway, she seems real seedy." Tokimo replied matter-of-factly. "But I don't think any flowers are gonna sprout out of her, that's for sure."

"Uh... right," Seisui replied.

Fubuki and Jirou stood up from their resting place against the concrete wall as Tokimo and Seisui walked toward them; Fubuki gave a somewhat suspicious sideways glance to Yamiko, and Yamiko could feel herself shrinking underneath the anger behind Fubuki's gaze. Yamiko was just as glad that Fubuki waited behind as Yamiko walked past.

"You're slow," Fubuki observed as Seisui and Tokimo stepped onto the sidewalk on the other side of the street.

"We don't have to be in a hurry," Tokimo replied huffily. "Especially not to get to school."

"Whatever." Fubuki snapped in response. "Anyway, who's the girl? Is that the one you were talking about?" Fubuki asked, inclining her head slightly toward Seisui. Seisui shrunk back slightly; the harsh look in Fubuki's eyes was not exactly an invitation to get to know her better.

"Yeah, this is Seisui," Tokimo explained, patting Seisui on the head.

"Isn't she supposed to be tricking the pink freak?" Fubuki asked suspiciously. "Won't it be a giveaway if she's hanging around you?"

"Usako's absent," Seisui explained timidly. Fubuki's hostile attitude made cowering in a corner suddenly seem like an inviting prospect.

"Hmph. Well, it works well enough. Seisui, huh?" Fubuki looked over Seisui for a moment, which only prompted Seisui to cower even more. Then Fubuki looked back toward Jirou, who had been observing the conversation with interest.

"Decided to change your mind about all of this Senshi crap?" Jirou asked in an unconvinced tone.

"We'll see," Fubuki tersely replied. "Do you people really have any kind of plan?"

"Nope." Tokimo replied. "But we're hoping Sailor Pinkmoon will be out of commission before the week is out."

"Sailor Pinkmoon..." Jirou repeated scathingly. "What a loser name."

"I think it comes from her crystal," Seisui explained quietly, "Which changed forms when she inherited it from her mother."

"I don't care where the fuck the name comes from," Jirou snapped at her in annoyance, "I just think it's lame."

Seisui bowed down her head in shame, regretting her attempt to be informative.

"Hey!" Tokimo responded in anger.

Jirou, who had been walking in front of her, turned around and faced Tokimo as a half-amused expression crossed his face. "Yeah?"

Tokimo's rather terse comeback was a kick in the groin.

"Tokimo!" Kouken's backpack-muffled voice exclaimed. "What are you doing?!" Tokimo's sudden movement had jostled him violently inside of the small, stuffy space of the bag.

"You mean," Fubuki began angrily, "what the fuck are you doing."

Fubuki moved forward and held up a warning fist as Jirou stood up again, almost as embarrassed as he was in pain. He was gonna rip up that little bitch for taking a cheap-shot like that...

Tokimo responded by taking a karate stance, thanking the leader of her dojo back at Shiawaumi for teaching her how to kick ass, Tokimo-style.

"Tokimo," Seisui interrupted, "please don't fight. If only because it'll make me late..."

"Who cares about school!" Tokimo responded. "Did you hear what that skeezy punk said to you?"

"Your little cram school whore was just trying to be a smart-ass," Fubuki hissed. "She deserved it."

Tokimo lifted up her fist to throw another punch. Seisui dove at Tokimo's arm, trying to avoid further conflicts among the Moon Senshi, and ended up getting flown into Fubuki along with Tokimo's fist. Seisui and Fubuki fell down and slid back a couple of feet against the crystalline pavement, Fubuki's skirt making a loud scuffing noise as it slid against the rough, crystalline pavement of the sidewalk.

Fubuki immediately threw Seisui off of her and onto the other half of the pavement; then she got up herself and looked down at Seisui as if she were restraining the desire to kill her.

"You little bitch!" she hissed.

With Seisui on the ground and Kouken well restrained, there was nothing to hold Tokimo back. She was just deciding that a kick square in the guts would be the best way to throw Fubuki back on the ground when Jirou punched her violently against the head. This sent her flying into Fubuki, who barely managed to resist falling over again as she pushed Tokimo forward and back toward Jirou. He was just about to deliver another punch, this time to the stomach, when Seisui embraced his mid-section and held him close to her, trying desperately to restrain him.

"Please don't hurt Tokimo!" She implored him, realizing that however talented Tokimo might be, there was no way she was going to win in a match of what appeared to be two rather seasoned street fighters against a single high school freshman.

"What the hell are you trying to pull?" Jirou hissed, pulling Seisui's arms off his stomach and throwing her into the wall. Tokimo took the opportunity to resume her fighting stance. Seisui leaped toward Tokimo and grabbed her hand.

"Come on, Tokimo," she pleaded, "Come on, let's go to class. There's only five minutes until the bell rings."

Tokimo was about to shake Seisui away; after all, kicking someone's ass when they insulted the only cool person that went to Goban High was a lot more important than Erik's first period English class. But Tokimo finally decided that continuing the fight would probably only make Seisui even more upset. Tokimo scowled at Fubuki and Jirou as she made a personal promise to kick their ass later; then she ran, Seisui in tow, toward Goban High School.

To Part B