To Part A

When Yamiko walked into English, she knew that something was seriously wrong.

There was a feeling of subdued excitement throughout the room. English class was usually fairly quiet; people skimmed over their reading as a refresher for the test, or occasionally asked each other questions. Erik vonDarkmoor was not an easy English teacher, and he expected fluency of speech as well as precise grammar. But no one was doing homework; and from what little Yamiko could hear of the people around her, it didn't appear that they were asking questions, either. Girls whispered to each other; boys murmured things and snickered. And in the corner of the classroom, futilely trying not to be noticed, was Seisui. Tokimo had a pathetic demeanor of her own; like a bulldog who knew they were about to be put down, but was determined to fight to the death. Most of the students weren't even afraid to openly glare at Seisui, and even those who were occasionally glanced toward her.

Yamiko looked around the room; the only seats that weren't occupied were the eight situated directly around Seisui; except, of course, for the desk Tokimo was seated at. Yamiko groaned as she realized she was going to have to sit within one person of Tokimo, and within direct earshot; the most she could do to offset the problem was sit on the other side of Seisui.

Yamiko sat down next to Seisui's hunched over form; the only consolation in this situation was that she might be able to figure out what was going on.

"Dammit all," Tokimo hissed. "It doesn't take anytime for the news to travel around, does it?"

"It's because it's me," Seisui responded quietly. "It's big news anyway, and the fact that they know me makes it even worse. Everyone's just waiting for the truth to come out."

"Don't worry," Tokimo encouraged her. "I'll figure something out. People think there's only one Moon Senshi. But there's two of us, right? So I can throw them off. I can call myself Sailor Titan and de-transform. Then they'll think I'm you, and they'll ignore you and go after me instead."

This surprised Yamiko. Tokimo, of all people, did not seem like the self-sacrificing type. As noble as she made herself out to be, Tokimo seemed to be looking out for number one. But then, she and Seisui did cling onto each other steadfastly; even after all that they had been through. Yamiko couldn't help wondering what would have happened if they had been pitted up against some third enemy, instead of the Queen. Could Tokimo and her have been friends? As much as she hated to admit it, Tokimo did have one or two good qualities.

"No..." Seisui objected. "That wouldn't work. The Queen already knows what Sailor Titan looks like; and even if she didn't....then everyone would just go after you instead of me."

"Eh," Tokimo replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "I could handle it. I'd just beat 'em all up. "

"Five guys at once?"

Tokimo nodded.

"It's no good if they beat you up. It'll be even worse that way, since they'll have concrete proof that you're a Moon Senshi. We want to keep them in the dark as long as possible," Seisui explained. This was definitely a plan that Seisui did not want Tokimo to try; which meant she'd have to come up with a lot of good reasons. Tokimo, despite whatever advice she was given, had a tendency to take things into her own hands.

Seisui's train of thought was abruptly interrupted as the shining metal door of the classroom was swung impatiently forward. The tall, menacing form of Erik vonDarkmoor walked into the bustling classroom; the dark, condescending look he gave the class quickly encouraged them to sit down, face forward, and pretend that the grave news about Seisui had never entered their minds.

"Good morning," he greeted them stiffly.

The class looked nervously at each other and back toward Erik; no one even had the courage to return the greeting.

"I am aware that some rather upsetting news has reached all of you, and that it relates to this classroom," he vaguely explained. "However, I expect it to have no bearing on the way you treat each other, or, for that matter, anyone. And if I hear any unkind word, even an utterance--about anyone--you will have the joy of carrying three pails of water. Two will be placed in your hands, and the third on your head. You will do this for an hour; if any water spills or falls, it will be refilled, and you will have to carry it for the rest of the day. Also, you will stand in the center of the lunch yard, so everyone can have the joy of seeing you and mocking you there."

The students looked at each other nervously; they weren't sure whether to treat this as an empty threat or not--it didn't really even sound possible--but none of them really cared to find out.

"With that in mind," he continued, "we will begin English class."

Seisui cowered in her seat; really, all Erik had done was drawn more attention to her. What disconcerted her even more was the dark gaze he fixed on her as he began class; it was if he were looking straight through her, into her heart and the hatred that resided there.

"Sorry we're late!" Usako gasped as she and Hiroshi entered the room, slamming the door open and gasping for breath. They bowed deeply.

"That's all right," Erik replied. "Please take a seat."

Usako and Hiroshi sat in the two other seats surrounding Seisui; Usako in the back and Hiroshi next to her. Usako stared suspiciously at both Yamiko and Tokimo; the fact that they were seated adjacent to her was extremely suspicious. It could mean that they had been aggravating whatever problems Seisui already had to deal with. Especially with what Yamiko had told her less than a half hour ago.

"What happened after you left, Seisui?" Usako asked nervously. "We were really worried about you. Someone told us that a girl helped you."

"Uh…yeah," Seisui responded. "Tokimo helped me out."

"Tokimo?" Usako responded in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah." Seisui tersely responded. "She doesn't hate me that much, you know, and she hates seeing anyone get beat up."

"Oh...okay." Usako responded, somewhat perplexed.

Seisui could not have been more unhappy at Usako's arrival. She had thought that she would have, at least, an escape from Usako for the day; it was bad enough already. But Usako's unrelenting desire to solve the problems of her "warped" mind was as unrelenting as Tokimo in a fistfight. Seisui prayed that the school day would go by as quickly as possible; a prayer that she knew was completely in vain.

"Come on, Seisui," Usako encouraged as she grabbed Seisui's wrist and lead her toward the far corner of the lunch yard. "We can share lunches."

"I'm not hungry," Seisui replied. "I'd tell you to share it with your friends, but they apparently aren't here."

"Yeah," Usako replied, ignoring Seisui's somewhat hostile tone. "They said they had to discuss some things with my father. Though I suspect they may just have been looking for an excuse not to come to school with me."

"Why?" Seisui asked, though she could guess the answer well enough.

"Because they agree with the rest of the Senshi," Usako said, sighing disappointedly as she pulled out her lunch. It was simpler this time; just two sandwiches and a large serving of salad. It was more than enough for Seisui, and certainly more than Usako ever ate; but still, it did imply something. Sailor Jupiter obviously had other things on her mind than making Usako an extravagant lunch.

"Who could blame them," Seisui replied, trying to keep up her act of innocence. "The evidence seems clear enough."

"Evidence isn't everything," Hiroshi responded, "Even when the culprit seems obvious, sometimes the motivation is enough to warrant a second look at a crime."

"I don't even have that on my side!" Seisui protested. "I'm the daughter of Han'i. What other proof do they need? What other proof did they bother to find?"

"They didn't need to find any other proof. An easy and final ending to the problems with Councilor Han'i seemed incentive enough to blame you." Seisui turned around; a calm and delicate voice had unexpectedly made it's way into the conversation. A short woman, dressed as a teacher, had responded to her; and from her dark hair and unobtrusive manner, Seisui could guess well enough that it was Hotaru Tomoe.

"Hotaru!" Usako exclaimed, a hint of excitement in her voice. "Why are you here?"

"Endymion sent me," she responded, her voice ever so slightly strained.

"I wish I could say I were shocked," Helios replied bitterly.

"I wanted to let you know I'm here," Hotaru explained, "Even though His Majesty probably didn't plan on my telling you."

"You were saying before...?" Seisui abruptly interrupted. "What is the reasoning of the Sailor Senshi?"

"It is often said among the citizens of Crystal Tokyo that the queen can be admired for her purity," Hotaru began, "along with her sweetness and her devotion to the happiness of everyone. Indeed, the queen gives mild punishments even to severe criminals."

That was true you considered purification a 'mild punishment,' Seisui thought bitterly.

"However, it could also be said that she is hypersensitive," Hotaru continued.

"You can say that, for sure," Usako interjected in annoyance. "I knew her when she was younger."

"Your father, Seisui, was more than just a critic to the queen," she explained. "He hated her above all others. To the public, he gave a visage of understanding, of looking out for the needs of the people. But among councilors, he constantly questioned her decisions, her rulership, even her very existence. He was completely against the idea of a single ruler for billions of people. And he believed that the queen wasted too much time worrying about and interfering with policies that concerned her image."

"Infterfering with her image?" Seisui responded, containing her inner resentment. "Could you mean, perhaps, those laws against freedom of speech?"

"There are no such laws written in the constitution," Hotaru replied. "Though the queen usually does rule on principle, not by law. But still, she does not censor anyone's opinions, public or private."

"What if what they say offends the queen?" Seisui challenged.

"This is not purely a matter of offense," Hotaru replied, "What Han'i said went far beyond that; he accused her of dodging her responsibilities in favor of frivolous social time, and he insulted her in a demoralizing way. The things he said affected the queen's ability to rule and function. Far more seriously, there were times when he conspired to overthrow her."

"How did you find out?" Seisui asked.

"The other councilors were loyal to the queen. Though they may have been critical of the queen at times, they were trying to help the queen; not oust her. They informed the rest of us."

"Still, why did you have to pu--" Seisui paused. She had to remind herself that normal people didn't look on purification as a punishment; that even, they considered it a good thing. "--to punish him?"

"Because he was too dangerous to continue as a member of the council. It wasn't long after his rebellious nature in the forum that he began spreading malicious ideas to the general public; by the time we had discovered his ideas, he had made it well known to the world that he thought the queen was selfish, gluttonous, and neglectful of her responsibilities; that she was too stupid to run any government, let alone the world. These were the kind of slanderous things he believed about her."

"Do you really believe that what he said was slander?" Seisui asked.

"Well, I would argue so. I suppose the line between opinion and slander can be rather thin--but in any case, it caused her to emotionally break down. What he said to her subjects affected her enough that she was not able to rule for a multitude of weeks. After that..." Hotaru paused.

Seisui waited patiently for her to continue; this, she was sure, was the part where he was punished. But why did she bother to pause? By their standards the punishment was mild.

"What?" Usako asked. "What happened after that?"

"There were....other incidents concerning Councilor Han'i during that time. Eventually, he was tried. The queen's subjects had not been swayed by his beliefs; quite the opposite, there was open outrage against him. Many people clamored for banishment. There was a brief time when we debated that."

"Banishment?!" Usako repeated in shocked. "The last time a criminal was banished--"

"We will not speak of that here," Hotaru interjected. "There is no need of it. That was part of our motivation to overturn such a decision, despite the fact that Nemesis is now completely harmless. That, and such a punishment would have been unnecessarily cruel. Instead, we chose demotion. It was a fairly suitable punishment; it stopped the crime and it didn't needlessly hurt the criminal. The queen was merciful, even though she was very distressed by the words and deeds of Councilor Han'i."

"What about purification?" Seisui asked, a slightly bitter note in her voice.

"What about it?" Hotaru queried, somewhat perplexed.

"You didn't mention that," Seisui explained. "You didn't mention his other punishment."

"That wasn't a punishment..." Hotaru replied. "At least there isn't anything wrong with it that I am able to see."

"No..." Seisui responded. "There isn't." After all, she hadn't seen it, had she? To her, there wasn't anything wrong with it.

"What do you have against it?" Hotaru asked.

"What do you mean?" Seisui asked, feigning ignorance. Acting rebellious and questioning probably wasn't a good way to convince the Sailor Senshi that she wasn't Sailor Titan; she had let her feelings act on their own, and now she would have to work around her mistaken behavior.

"You must have a reason for believing that purification is wrong, if you think it is a punishment."

"No... I just thought that because it was done after the trial, when he was demoted. So I just assumed that it was a punishment."

"You're lying, aren't you?" Hotaru asked her, her voice patient.

"What do you mean?" Usako interjected, somewhat disappointed in Hotaru's mistrust.

"The way you asked me did not lend itself to such an apathetic standpoint. You obviously have more personal feelings about it."

"You're putting words in my mouth," Seisui replied somewhat timidly.

"You're right," Hotaru confessed. "But I can't just ignore the way you asked me that. To be honest, I'm curious as to how you came about such an opinion."

"Even if I had such an opinion," Seisui replied, "telling you would only encourage what rumors about me already exist."

"I was never of the perception that you were necessarily evil, whether you were Sailor Titan or not," Hotaru explained. "I was once just as angry, bitter and twisted as you. Dark forces can clutch onto the heart of anyone. And dark experiences can lead anyone to darker outcomes."

"What makes you think that what I believe is wrong?" Seisui asked.

"I know the motivation of those in the royal household," Hotaru continued. "While your opinions are not unfounded, I know the reasoning that led to some of those unhappy conclusions."

"What, you mean demotion?" Seisui replied, anger beginning to creep into her voice. "That unhappy conclusion? Is that what you think I'm unhappy about...?"

"I don't know," Hotaru replied calmly. "They're your feelings. Only you can explain them."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Seisui hastily replied, fighting with her emotions.

"I think you do, Seisui; and I would like you to answer my question. If I know, then I can help you. If I don't, you may meet the same fate as your father. Don't worry--I won't crucify you for your opinions."

"You're lying!" Seisui exclaimed.

"I'm not lying. I know your situation too well to blame you because of it."

"I don't care if you blame me or not," Seisui replied, her voice edgy. "You've already crucified me. I am now the most disgusting person to everyone on this planet. Henceforth, the sight of me inspires hatred, loathing, even violence. Before my life was a small drop in the endless sea of human suffering; I was ridiculed, but many other people were as well, and even for lesser reasons. But now I am as hated as much as the queen is loved; I am the very embodiment of everything that everyone despises."

"Seisui..." Usako murmured, tears forming in her eyes.

"Are those feelings enough for you?" Seisui sobbed. "Well? Are you happy, now that you know how I feel? Would you like to come to school like me tomorrow morning? Would you like to get beaten and stared at like a criminal?"

Hotaru said nothing.

"Well? Well?"

"Those were not the feelings I wished to know," Hotaru said, her voice quiet and sad. "Though they are certainly not hard to sympathize with."

"You think I'm Sailor Titan, don't you?" Seisui continued to cry. By now, she had begun to attract stares; people were curious about the interaction that was taking place.

"I do," Hotaru responded guiltily, wishing she could reply with words of comfort instead of those that were likely to inspire even more loathing and pain. "But I don't hold that against you. I believe you may be deceived, especially about the benevolence of your father."

"Why don't you take Seisui to the nurse's office?" Hiroshi suggested. "It's not good if she's crying with everyone gawking at her like this."

"I'm going too," Usako replied. "We should all go with her."

"No," Hotaru interjected, "I think she needs some time alone to regain her composure. You can talk to her later."

Usako looked uneasily at Hotaru; she was reluctant to leave Seisui in the care of someone that the girl had already taken an immediate dislike to. Hotaru, however, was her own best friend; she was also very wise, perhaps the wisest of anyone Usako had known, except for Setsuna. And so she nodded her unwilling approval as Hotaru pulled a reluctant Seisui upward and headed quietly toward the nurse's office, casting a silent but menacing glare on the crowd that was watching them.

"I'm sorry, Seisui," Hotaru apologized. "I didn't mean to upset you like that."

Seisui repressed a stuttering gasp as she walked blindly down the hallway. After her outburst, the order of things had gotten fuzzy; she was trying not to remember.

"I won't ask you any more questions right now," Hotaru continued. "I won't tell anyone, either, if you tell me something you don't want anyone else to hear."

"Liar," Seisui murmured. "You're lying."

"Seisui, I--" Hotaru began.

"What are you doing?" a masculine voice interrupted her. Hotaru looked up. A towering, Anglo-saxon figure stood well over a foot above her; he looked down on her menacingly. Hotaru, in spite of herself, couldn't help feeling a little intimidated.

"Erik..." Seisui trailed off in her tears, surprised to see him.

"I'm taking Seisui Han'i to the nurse's office," Hotaru explained quietly, "she needs some time to regain her composure."

"The composure that you made her lose...?" he asked somewhat accusingly. "Or at least, that's the way it looked back in the lunch yard."

"That was a misunderstanding, I assure you," Hotaru replied.

Erik stared down at Hotaru for a moment, debating how he should react. before he had time to make a decision, the sound of running footsteps could be heard clicking on the smooth tile floor.

"Seisui!" Tokimo's voice shouted as she lunged toward Hotaru. "Seisui!"

Hotaru had only just turned toward the sound of her shrill voice when Tokimo lunged forward, diving her fist toward her face. Hotaru narrowly missed the punch by pulling her face aside.

"Tokimo!" Erik reprimanded. "Is punching someone in the face the only way you can deal with your problems?"

"She made Seisui cry!" Tokimo responded in outrage.

"It was a misunderstanding." Hotaru repeated. "I wasn't antagonizing her."

"Oh yeah?" Tokimo asked accusingly, "Why don't we ask Seisui if you were antagonizing her?"

"Seisui is in no condition to answer anyone's questions," Erik interjected. "However, I will escort her to the nurses office. You are probably not the person she would like to be crying in front of."

"I'll take her," Tokimo demanded.

"You can come along, Tokimo. Now....if you don't mind, Miss, I believe lunch is still in progress. It would probably be best if you returned to the schoolyard," Erik instructed Hotaru.

Hotaru paused. Both Erik and Tokimo appeared to be very stubborn and uncompromising people; she had no desire to get in the way of their wishes. Hotaru gently let go of Seisui's hand and bowed lightly as she turned back down the hallway.

Seisui, Hotaru knew, had not been in the right. But at the same time, the girl had been unfairly antagonized. If Hotaru found out Seisui's true intentions, and her motivation for trying to kill the queen, it would not be unfeasible to help her before the others intervened; to correct Seisui's behavior before it escalated too far once more.

"What are we doing?" Fuyuko asked as they walked down the tall, majestic hallway of the palace.

"Yeah," Akiko complained, "You turned off our alarms and you told the king we were sick. And you still haven't told us why."

"I needed to tell the King that you were sick so that we'd all be around during the day when the palace was empty. If I had told him that while you were awake, you wouldn't have known to play along." Haruko explained. "Of course, I didn't think you'd all sleep in until 11:00. By then, the King and Queen had come back for lunch."

"So?" Natsuko asked, perplexed. "Why does the fact that they came back for lunch matter?"

"I couldn't tell you what we were doing while they were around; then they might have heard us."

"Okay," Akiko replied snappishly, continuing to follow Haruko down the hall. "So now that the King and Queen are gone, would you mind telling us where the hell we're going?"

Haruko paused a moment, glancing around quickly to see if there were any servants around. Most of the time they didn't bother to listen to the intricate or confusing affairs of the Sailor Senshi, anyway, but she didn't want to take the chance of them overhearing .

"We're going to the Control Room," Haruko informed them.

"The Control Room?" Fuyuko repeated in surprise. "But we aren't allowed in there. Only the adults are allowed in there."

"We were around back in the 20th century, weren't we?" Haruko told her as they approached the large, intricately adorned double doors.

"Well, yeah..." Fuyuko responded.

"That was over a thousand years ago, wasn't it?" Haruko continued.

"Well...yeah..." Fuyuko repeated.

"Then we're adults, right?"

"You know that's not what she meant!" Natsuko interjected, standing between Haruko and the towering doors. "The fact is, we're subordinates. Only the King, Queen and Planetary Senshi are allowed past these doors. As far as our experience as Senshi goes, we're still incredibly green. We've never really fought an enemy before!" she added in indignation.

"Yes, we have," Haruko disagreed, gently moving Natsuko aside as she swung the door open a tiny crack, "We've fought the Moon Senshi."

At this, the Sailor Quartet exchanged nervous glances with each other.

"I don't really think that's the same," Natsuko replied uneasily. "The Moon Senshi aren't like normal enemies."

"You're right," Haruko said. "They're a lot worse. Even though they're our enemies, they aren't possessed or corrupted by Chaos. They've genuinely convinced themselves of the righteousness of their twisted motives--some grudge against the royal family for a crime that some dead Queen, not our Queen Serenity, committed. And," she continued, peeking inside the control room to confirm that no one lay within, "Seisui Han'i is one of them. Not only that, but she's managed to dupe the princess into believing that she's her friend...and that she's not a Moon Senshi. No, these enemies aren't the same. They're much, much more dangerous."

"Great. Fine. Whatever," Akiko said with a sigh. "But why are we going in here?"

"To find out about Councilor Han'i," Haruko replied, swinging the doors open and motioning them to go inside.

The Asteroids hesitated; no one wanted to be caught in the Control Room.

"If you're afraid," Haruko announced, "it's better to go in and hide in here than to be caught walking inside."

The Sailor Quartet quickly ushered themselves through the door as the huge, formidable screen of the Control Room's computer loomed far above them, its height stretching from the ceiling to the floor.

"Why are we trying to find out about Councilor Han'i?" Akiko asked, her patience wearing thin. "I don't see what he has to do with the Moon Senshi--not directly, anyway. Isn't that all in the past now?"

"If Seisui is Sailor Titan--and it looks like she is--then revenge is probably her primary motivation, and not for what happened to the Moon Senshi thousands of years ago by some other Queen. That was, after all, what Sailor Titan herself said." Haruko explained. "No--if it's Seisui, she'll be getting revenge for her father."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with what we're doing now?" Fuyuko asked.

"I'm getting there!" Haruko said in annoyance. "So Seisui wants revenge, right? For what? Because her father was demoted," Haruko explained. "At first, I didn't think much of it. But it's been bugging me. Think of the way everyone's been reacting to this. Sure, we know that Han'i criticized the queen, and we know that the Queen is sensitive. I can understand why, under the circumstances, he was demoted." Haruko paused. "But the way everyone has been reacting...the extreme way that they first disliked Seisui... and the way Seisui was willing to, of all things, get killed for revenge! Don't you think it's a little suspicious?"

"I don't know...is it?" Fuyuko asked in confusion.

"That couldn't be all there is to it," Haruko continued animatedly. "There has to be something else."

"And so you're going to find out?" Akiko asked skeptically. "Why? So you can pride yourself in the knowledge that you know whatever horrible secret you think that the royal family is hiding about Councilor Han'i?"

"No," Haruko snapped. "Because if we know what kind of danger could have been involved with Councilor Han'i--if we know what kind of motives and ideas he really held--then we may have the power to convince Usako what kind of danger she's really in."

"I will admit," Natsuko replied, "That there's danger in Usako's close friendship."

"Right," Haruko agreed. "And we're going to find out just how dangerous it really is."

"Excuse me, ma'am," Erik apologized as he opened the door to the nurse's office. The clean, white room was devoid of all life, save the small, unobtrusive figure of the nurse.

"Oh my..." she said, immediately noticing Seisui's condition. "Would she like somewhere to sit down alone...?"

"Not alone!" Tokimo interjected in annoyance. "With me! I'll stay with her."

"Well...if she doesn't mind. Do you mind, dear?"

Seisui shook her head weakly.

"Very well then. I'll show you to a room where you can calm down in privacy."

"I'll take her," Erik announced. "In the corner, right?"

The nurse paused. "Alright, then," she said hesitantly. "If you think that's best."

Erik nodded and walked quietly toward a small, unobtrusive door near the corner of the office as Seisui and Tokimo followed behind him.

"Here you are," he said calmly, opening the door. "You can tell me what happened later, Seisui." He turned toward Tokimo a bit warningly. "Don't go prying, okay, Tokimo?"

Tokimo nodded. "I'm Seisui's friend. I already know what's bothering her!" Tokimo announced. Erik was hit by the strangeness of this remark; Seisui had spent little time with Tokimo since she had been at high school. Usually, she was with Usako. Usako had even been there when the incident occurred, but it appeared that she had done little to stop what was evidently harassment from that teacher. But now was not the time to be pondering these things. What had gone on between Seisui and the teacher was a question that would have to wait for later.

"You can go away now," Tokimo said, peeved that he hadn't left yet. He inclined his head slightly as he left the room.

Seisui sat down on the small bed in the nurse's office. Tokimo waited; Seisui must have flat out bawled for a minute or two before she could speak articulately enough for Tokimo to understand her. Trying to press Seisui for anything when she was this upset was useless; Seisui would just have to cry off some of her frustration.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled once her tears had subsided. Tokimo grabbed a tissue box and casually handed it to Seisui. Seisui blew her nose five or six times. That was a lot of snot, Tokimo thought, both impressed and disgusted.

"Don't be sorry," Tokimo replied. "It doesn't matter if you're sad, and I don't care if you cry. You have every right."

"It must have been embarrassing for you."

"Nah. I'm always embarrassing myself. I don't care what other people think. If I did, I wouldn't act like such a goofball all the time."

Seisui looked up in surprise. "You act that way on purpose...?"

"Kind of," Tokimo confessed. "I really am a goofball, though." She grinned. "And that's the best way to be!"

"Doesn't it bother you that it chases people away?"

"Of course not! It's great! I can weed out the annoying ones this way. If anyone can't figure out just how cool Tokimo is, they don't deserve to hang around me! Like Yamiko. I mean, just look at her. What a miserable, whiny, annoying person. She could never appreciate my mastah skillz."

Seisui smiled, wiping away another round of tears.

"So what happened, Seisui?" Tokimo asked. "What did the teacher do to you...?" Tokimo looked warily back and forth. "Is she one of those...perverted teachers?"

Seisui shook her head. "No. Actually..." she paused, "she's Sailor Saturn."

"Sailor Saturn?!" Tokimo repeated in surprise. "Why's she here?"

"She was sent to watch Usako."

"To watch Usako..." Tokimo trailed off.

"Do you know why?" Kouken asked, sticking his head out of Tokimo's backpack.

"Shut up, Kouken." Tokimo interjected, shoving his head back into the backpack. "You're not supposed to talk, remember?"

"But we're alon--"

"Tututututut!" Tokimo cut him off, shoving her hand over the top of the backpack. "You're not supposed to talk. Ever. Remember, ferrets don't talk. So you better not talk, or I'll have to call the vet."

"Let him talk this time," Seisui suggested meekly. "He might have some valuable information."

Tokimo paused. "I'm sorry, Seisui. I thought you said something really crazy just now. I must have misheard you. Would you mind repeating yourself?"

Seisui raised an eyebrow. "Uh..."

"Oh, fine," Tokimo sighed in defeat, lifting her hand off the backpack. "What do you want?"

"As I was saying," Kouken huffily continued, "do you know why Saturn was sent to look after Usako?"

"No," Seisui replied. "She didn't say why. But I imagine it has something to do with me and my visit to the castle."

"It's probably because they think you're Sailor Titan, and you're Usako's 'friend'," Tokimo replied. "They're trying to catch you transforming. Or maybe they're trying to end it once and for all the next time you show up."

"That reminds me," Kouken said thoughtfully, "we need to come up with another plan. The faster we can finish this, the better."

"How about we run out into the schoolyard and kick Usako's ass?" Tokimo suggested.

"No!" Kouken snappishly replied, looking toward Tokimo in frustration. "A plan that isn't stupid. One that you didn't come up with."

"Today might be a good day..." Seisui suggested quietly, "since the Asteroids aren't around."

"That's true..." Kouken agreed, his voice trailing off thoughtfully. "But Sailor Saturn is here. And she's probably as powerful as all of them combined."

"We won't have to worry about her if I can get Usako alone," Seisui replied, "Which will be a lot easier now. If I can catch Usako at the end of lunch, I can narrow it down to at least Usako and Hiroshi, and maybe Usako alone."

"How will you do that?" Tokimo asked. "The two of them stick together like paper and glue."

"Usako would probably understand if I wanted to talk to her alone," Seisui explained. "She'd probably respect my confidentiality."

"That isn't a bad idea..." Kouken mused. "Although, you'll miss class..."

"It's a great idea!" Tokimo interrupted. "Best ever!"

Kouken glared at Tokimo disapprovingly, but her happiness didn't relent under his frivolous scolding, and her response was a "V" sign and a broad grin.

"Follow me up to the door to the lunch yard," Seisui began, "And be watching me, just like at the movie theater. Once me and Usako are alone, you can ambush her. I'll run off and join you shortly after."

"Okay!" Tokimo responded cheerfully. "This time, we'll definitely, definitely get her!"

"Yeah," Seisui responded. In truth, she was a little nervous about the fight; she was afraid of failing again. But she had had enough. She didn't want to spend another day in Usako's company, and she didn't want to live as a slave to the whims of the Crystal Palace. That thought was enough to overwhelm her fear of losing.

It was a lucky thing for Seisui that Usako seemed lost in her thoughts; while everyone else was beginning to head back to class, she was still sitting dazedly in the corner of the lunch yard. Hiroshi was sitting next to her; Hotaru was exchanging a few rushed words with them and looking frequently back toward the door. She knew full well that whatever her other duties might be, she now had to convincingly fake being a teacher. Missing a class wouldn't be the best way to play her part.

Seisui watched all of this carefully and analytically, trying to find the best place to spring unexpected upon her target. Hotaru waved to Usako and headed toward the door. There was at least a good yard or two between them; the minute Hotaru went in the door, she would come out.

"Seisui..." Hotaru said in a tone of mild surprise as she walked through the door, "do you feel well already?"

"Yes," Seisui responded, trying to hide the nervous tinge in her voice. "I just came to pick up my lunch. I forgot it when I left."

"Oh, I see." She paused. "Try to look up, won't you, Seisui?" she encouraged her gently.

"I will." Seisui dully promised. Hotaru gave her a small smile as she continued down the hallway in troubled thought.

Seisui walked out the door and into the lunch yard. Now, there was nothing between her and Usako; nothing except for a couple feet of dirt and grass. Hiroshi was beside her, but there was nothing he could do to keep her from transforming and sending a volley of sharp, dark teeth straight through Usako's heart.

But that wasn't the plan. And Hiroshi might find some way to stop her.

"Usako," Seisui said sadly, translating her disappointment and nerves into anxiety, "Usako, can I talk to you...?"

Usako paused. She would be late for class; but Seisui was more important than class, more so now than ever.

"Yeah," Usako replied. "You can always talk to me and Hiroshi."

"Can I talk to you alone?" Seisui asked pleadingly.

Usako looked at Hiroshi; he smiled encouragingly.

"I have to go to class, anyway," he told her. "No reason for both of us to be late."

He waved and walked away; Usako knew he was wishing her luck. She was glad that she would be able to help Seisui, however; she was even more glad that she had come back to her after Hotaru had taken her away to cry alone. Crying was never meant to be done alone, Usako thought sadly. Crying was something you did because you were alone, and continuing to be alone would only provoke more tears.

"What is it that you want to talk to me about, Seisui?" she asked sympathetically.

There was a long silence.

"I don't know," Seisui answered unhappily. "I don't know."

"You don't know...? What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't know!" Seisui replied angrily. "I don't know anything. I don't understand. Why? Why is this happening to me?" she asked, more to the yard itself than to Usako. "When did I become cursed? When was this curse put upon me?"

"The curse began long before you were born," the voice of Sailor Charon announced angrily. "It began with the godforsaken moon above us."

The metal door in front of Charon swung forwards as she walked toward them, out from the hall and into the lunch yard. As Charon continued stepping forward, her naginata was pointed toward Usako, and she was poised to fight.

"And that is how it will end, too," she finished angrily. Seisui backed off to the side as Sailor Charon approached them, trying to look nervous and afraid. Seisui paused a moment, pretending to be stunned by the sight. Then she ran off, back into the school so that she could transform and end this once and for all. Finally, finally, she thought, she could end this.

Seisui shoved the school doors aside and she headed down the nearest hallway she could find. There was no one there; not a soul had seen her enter, and everyone was in class. It would be easy; no one would know what Seisui Han'i was doing or where she had gone.

"Titan prism power, make up!" she said as quietly as possible. Dark tendrils of a thick, black liquid wrapped around her as her senshi fuku formed.

At that moment, Yamiko Hoshino felt like she was being watched.

It was a dull, droning period; algebra was seldom known as a subject that riveted its students, and her monotonous teacher did nothing to remedy its natural tendencies.

But something was nagging at the back of her mind; and, in spite of herself, she couldn't help looking anxiously behind her and back toward the classroom door.

Yamiko barely managed to stifle a gasp. There was very little visible through the slit of window in the classroom door; but a distinctly sinister slice of The Crimson Eagle's iron mask could be discerned. Yamiko paled and turned around. If she pretended he wasn't there, she wouldn't have to go. She could just stay here in algebra class. She wouldn't have to fight.

Yamiko could feel sweat dripping down her forehead. The feeling of being watched continued to hound at her; what kind of trouble would she get in if she didn't go? Was The Crimson Eagle bold enough to step into the classroom? And then there was the issue of her conscience. Seisui's demented face... the image of her, grinning eerily above Usako's mutilated corpse. Yamiko wanted to believe that Seisui wasn't that far out of her mind, but she knew that she was. She had seen that gleam in her eyes, the gleam that let some part of Yamiko know that she had the heart of a monster.

Yamiko hunched over. She knew he was there. She knew he wasn't going to leave. He was trying to make her do this. She didn't want to get involved. Was that bad? Why should she get involved?

Could she let Seisui and Tokimo kill the Princess, when she knew she might have stopped them?

Yamiko raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Hoshino?" her teacher asked lazily.

"May I go to the restroom?" she nearly squeaked, nervous from the insanity of what she was about to do and embarrassed for asking such an immature question. No one asked to go to the bathroom during class; not unless they really had to go.

"I suppose," the teacher replied disapprovingly.

Yamiko walked rather unwillingly toward the classroom door and into the hallway; The Crimson Eagle backed away from the door as she opened it. She looked down sullenly, the sight of his thick leather boots meeting her eyes.

"I suppose you want me to fight again," Yamiko said with a sigh.

"Unless you want Sailor Pinkmoon to die."

"No..." she replied blandly. "I'm not like Seisui and Tokimo. I don't want someone innocent to die, no matter how little I wish to become involved with all of this."

The Crimson Eagle turned around; Yamiko, once she had looked up and down the hallway to make sure no one was around, raised her hand above her head, resigned.

"Phoebe prism power, make up!" she exclaimed, darkness quietly enveloping her as she transformed.

"Let's go," The Crimson Eagle told her as she finished.

"Go where?" Sailor Phoebe asked.

"The yard. I have an ill feeling."

"I've had enough of you!" Sailor Charon shouted, her naginata pointed toward Usako.

"I know you want to be rid of Diana, but--"

"This isn't about Diana anymore!" Sailor Charon interrupted, her voice filled with fury. "This is about you, and what you've done to the people I care about!"

"What have I done?" Usako asked fearfully. "Who have I hurt? I've tried to be nice to everyone. I haven't been cruel to anyone...not that I know of."

"No matter how noble your intentions might be, you've hurt someone beyond repair. You pretend to care, but you don't. You just want to impress your ideals on someone you think is flawed. You trampled on their beliefs, and you mindlessly follow the words of your mother. You're so blinded by your own ideas of right and wrong that you and your mother let it destroy the heart and soul of someone else."

Charon paused. A train of dark clouds was moving along the sky; a spring rain was going to fall. "That's why... that's why I'm going to kill you."

"I don't want to hurt you," Usako said quietly. "I don't even know right from wrong anymore. The things that I was taught to believe are slowly being chipped away. What you say isn't true. I am loyal to what I have been taught; because I do not believe it to be wrong, merely flawed."

"The one who is flawed is you!" Sailor Titan shouted as the doors of the school building crashed open and she ran onto the grass, now damp with a lightly falling rain.

Usako put her head down. "Pink crystal moon power, make up!" she shouted as a flurry of pink swirled around her and she transformed into Sailor Pinkmoon.

"I'm not flawed. Not any more than anyone else."

"I'm not going to listen to you!" Sailor Titan cried, raindrops collecting in her ocher bangs. "Never again! I'll never listen to you again!"

She ran forward, her arms slightly extended at her sides as a volley of oozing, black liquid began to stream down them.

"Black stream death!" She cried, reaching her arms forward as the liquid formed strange mouths with vicious teeth and flew toward Sailor Pinkmoon, ripping apart her sleeves and the edges of her collar, biting mercilessly into the skin beneath.

The sound of the schoolyard door could be heard opening again; Sailor Charon swerved around to meet a figure standing silently in the doorway, holding a great polearm that equaled her own.

"Sailor Saturn," she said aloud, frowning at her turn of bad luck.

"Please!" Sailor Pinkmoon exclaimed. "Allow me to take care of them on my own."

"You're too badly outnumbered," Sailor Saturn replied calmly. "You'd have no chance. Don't worry. I won't interfere between you and Seisui."

"She isn't Seisui!" Sailor Pinkmoon objected.

Sailor Saturn said nothing, but turned toward Sailor Charon expectantly.

"I'll take care of Saturn, Sailor Titan," Sailor Charon shouted, turning toward her comrade, "Do what you came here to do."

Sailor Titan nodded as Charon held out her own glimmering blade and grinned a deadly challenge. Sailor Saturn ran toward her, her glaive extended; their huge, graceful weapons clashed against each other and rang into the dank yard. Sailor Saturn slowly began to turn as they fought; she was working her way toward Sailor Titan and Pinkmoon, trying to put herself next to Pinkmoon without interfering in Titan and Pinkmoon's fight. Sailor Charon paid no attention to her, however; her mind was too occupied with parrying Saturn's blade.

"Do you really have the heart to kill me?" Sailor Pinkmoon asked. "Titan, what is the purpose of this fight?"

"Black stream death!" Sailor Titan shouted in response, another round of creatures slowly tearing at Usako.

"It's no good," Sailor Saturn murmured, "she can't keep this up."

"Please," Sailor Pinkmoon implored. "I promise we can find a way around Diana."

"Black stream death!" Sailor Titan repeated, wounding Sailor Pinkmoon once more. Now Sailor Pinkmoon was on the ground, bleeding badly. She began to cry; she was caught up in the futility of her task, and crippled by her inability to sink to Sailor Titan's level, to solve the problem by eliminating its source.

It was then that the doors swung open for the last time during the confrontation.

For a moment, they all paused; even Sailor Titan turned to see two dark figures in the doorway, one menacing and angry, the other merely lonely and forlorn. Sailor Saturn ran in front of Sailor Pinkmoon, taking advantage of the distraction to put herself between Titan and Pinkmoon.

Sailor Phoebe paused for a moment; her eyes immediately met those of Sailor Saturn. Something about the calm, deadly composure of the woman filled her with both fear and loathing; Saturn's face reminded her of some past horror.

A light, silence. A soldier in purple. A glaive...water... everywhere.... She had to escape the glaive, the ominous ice-white blade of death--

"I don't know how much we can do here," the Crimson Eagle told Phoebe. "But above all else, we must protect them."

"Y-yes," Sailor Phoebe replied absentmindedly, her eyes still filled with Sailor Saturn's ice-cold gaze. "Right."

Sailor Titan turned back toward Sailor Pinkmoon, not caring who else was there; she barely even noticed Sailor Saturn. Her eyes were only on Small Lady Serenity.

"Black stream death!" she screamed. The vicious mouths again reached toward Sailor Pinkmoon. Their number and speed had decreased, though Sailor Titan, in her fury, did not notice or care.

"Silence wall!" Sailor Saturn exclaimed, a translucent purple dome forming around her and Sailor Pinkmoon. The attack continued hurtling toward it, unheeding; but when the jaws reached the surface, they flew into a thousand directions, unable to penetrate the powerful shield around the two senshi.

Sailor Titan paused.

"Black stream death!"

This time, the mouths hovered in front of the dome for a brief second, ramming into it and tearing futilely at the shield with their teeth.

"Don't waste your energy," Sailor Saturn told her, "You can't hope to penetrate this shield. If you continue to attack, you'll only waste your power. We won't punish you, Seisui, because of what you've done before. There's no need for this bloodshed."

Sailor Titan paused; Sailor Pinkmoon looked forlorn. Pinkmoon, no matter how strong the evidence, could not allow herself to believe that her gentle friend was this furious, vengeful girl.

"Black stream death!" she screamed. Again, her attack was useless; it didn't penetrate the shield. The vicious creatures did not even touch the dome before disappearing again.

Sailor Titan fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Her heart was numb; her mind was focused, but she was powerless to do anything. She paused for a moment, panting heavily. The attacks were draining her energy. She doubted she could execute it even once more.

"Black....Stream...Death!" she said, her voice rising in a tortured scream.

At first, there was silence, and Sailor Titan could feel the sting of failure piercing her heart.

But slowly, surely, dark liquid spiraled up from her hands. The myriad mouths formed once more; they began a slow dive toward Pinkmoon. Then they began to twist, contort, spiral into something strange and terrifying. Pinkmoon felt fear take hold of her as the torso of a man formed; black as coal and wielding a halberd, a look of utter contempt on his face.

That was what was terrifying to Pinkmoon; this was not an it. This was a him. The look on his face was not the look of a servant, of a creature with no soul that merely performs one task and then is gone; it was the look of a living, breathing creature that thinks, feels and loves. And this creature had come from Sailor Titan's hands, and was made from the same substance as meaningless, vicious mouths she'd seen over and over again. What kind of Sailor Senshi brought forth a creature of feeling and thought from her own hands?

Sailor Titan fell backwards; the man leapt back inside her hands again, and her eyes became vacant and senseless.

"Titan!" Sailor Charon screamed, running toward Sailor Titan and clutching her protectively. The Silence Wall disappeared, and Sailor Pinkmoon ran toward Sailor Titan as well, kneeling down next to Charon.

"Is she okay?" Pinkmoon asked in concern.

"Get away!" Sailor Charon hissed, hugging Titan defensively. "Get away from her!"

Tokimo could feel the black water oozing along her gently as Sailor Titan's power vanished away and returned her into the small, vulnerable form of Seisui.

"Don't look at her!" she snapped, turning her back toward Sailor Pinkmoon. "Don't look at her!"

"If we look at her now, this will be settled once and for all." Sailor Saturn told Pinkmoon. "Chibi-Usa....you have to know the truth."

Sailor Saturn walked slowly toward Sailor Charon; Charon began shivering. They mustn't see her, she thought. If they see her, what little hope we have is lost. She clutched Seisui, buried her head in her chest. Cover the face, she thought. If they can't see her face, there still might be some doubt.

"If you move aside, we can heal her," Sailor Saturn told Sailor Charon, putting a hand gently on her shoulder. "Please let go of her."

"No!" She screamed. "No!!"

"Move aside," Sailor Saturn commanded. "Please move aside."

"Don't look at her!"

Sailor Saturn pulled Sailor Charon's shoulder, gently trying to pry her away from Seisui's limp form.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I promise I won't tell the other Senshi that Seisui is Sailor Titan."

"No!!" Charon sobbed. "Go away! Go Away!"

Sailor Saturn widened her eyes in surprise; Sailor Charon's form was slowly becoming a blur of dark purple; the space around her was distorting and disappearing.

"I'm sick of her getting hurt," Sailor Charon murmured. "I'm sick of watching her suffer because of you."

The purple space gathered together; only the outline of Charon and Seisui remained. Then, all at once, they vanished, leaving nothing but cold rain and the awed faces of the four remaining soldiers.

"Who was that..?" Sailor Saturn asked in awe. "Who was she..?"

"That was Sailor Charon," Sailor Pinkmon replied.

Charon. That was the moon of Pluto, Sailor Saturn remembered. Pluto was the soldier of time space; but even she didn't teleport at will, at least, not so easily as that. Sailor Charon seemed to be the ultimate in anomalies; after all, she apparently had no access to the gate of space and time, and Saturn hadn't even seen her use her magic to attack. But the ability to teleport like that--that was something not to be treated lightly. And Sailor Titan's desperate attack... if that man had reached her silence dome, she doubted that she could have repelled him.

"Shadow Dragon!"

Sailor Saturn turned in surprise; a huge dragon of cloudy darkness was hurtling toward her. She felt herself sliding backward on the slick, damp grass, gasping for breath.

"I never realized it," Sailor Phoebe said angrily, her voice calling across the yard, "Not until now. It was you."

She paused for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly, her eyebrows wrinkled in anguish.

"You killed me."

~EPISODE FIVE: FIN~

Naicha dame yo to jibun ni sotto tsubuyaite
Chiheisen ni noboru tooi tsuki no shita ni naiteru no

Sono o-tsuki-sama ni negattemo nozomi ga kanaenai ne

Watashi ga waruku nai deshou ne hoka no hito no sei na no ne
Anata mo sou omoeba watashi ni shinjite kureba
Totemo ureshiku naru sono shiawase dake hoshii kara kono unmei zettai iya kara
Lulululu..........

Softly mumbling, “Don’t cry,” to myself,
I cry under the distant moon rising on the horizon

Even if I wish on that Moon, my wish won’t be realized, will it?

I’m not at fault, right? It’s everyone else’s fault, right?
If you think so too, if you’ll believe in me,
I’ll be so happy, because I want only that happiness, because I absolutely hate this destiny

Lulululu..........

NEXT EPISODE

Yamiko: Old memories resurface, and anguish returns. The long-lost memories of the past haunt me in my battle, but my fears of the present overcome me. Fear is the master of humanity, and danger brings forth perilous information.

Seisui: The legacy of my father comes to greet me; my mother, in failure, delivers all to my eyes. And when an unexpected visitor calls, my inner anguish can no longer be held back. Behold, my ghost of a father and the memories he left behind.

Yamiko: The truth behind Seisui's father finally comes to my eyes. Enlightened to her suffering, my conscience is in conflict. Who is right? All sense of morality is lost in a conflict between two sides, both of which can never truly be justified nor proven to be wrong.

Next time, on MOON SENSHI: UNMEI NO KODOMO--

"The Honorable Betrayal"

Seisui: Evil returns to those who create it.