Empire of the Sun By Sophia Prester Disclaimer: See chapter one. Author's notes: You know where they are. Chapter Five: Lies, Denials, and Other Evasions Monday, July 2 4:25 p.m. The Hikawa shrine was never this noisy. Even Phobos and Deimos added their bit to the chaos as they hassled a clueless pigeon. Deimos stood on the courtyard wall, cawing with such rancor that her body bobbed up and down and her wings shook with each cry. Rei didn't understand Crow, but she knew an insult-fest when she heard one. And, if she wasn't mistaken, the human conversation was quickly heading in the same direction. All of the Senshi were crowded into Rei's bedroom. When it was just her and her four best friends, everyone could fit comfortably around the table to study, eat, or play games. With the full complement of ten, things were more than a bit crowded. Rei herself stood in the doorway, Haruka and Michiru sat on Rei's bed, while Makoto lounged on the floor behind Usagi and ChibiUsa. Besides Rei, the one who kept quiet was Michiru. She was slumped against Haruka's shoulder, apparently asleep. How she could sleep with all the racket, Rei didn't know. What she did know was that this noise had to stop before her own temper snapped. It didn't help that Rei knew she was supposed to be out front in case any visitors came up to buy charms or make an offering. The best she could do was stand in the doorway leading out to the porch, keeping her eyes on the courtyard and trying to pay attention to the conversation in the room. If you could call it a conversation. Haruka and Minako were now both yelling loud enough to wake the dead. It was also loud enough to catch the attention of an elderly couple who had just made it to the top of the long flight of steps to the shrine. They paused, listened to the racket, then turned and made their way back down the steps. That did it. Rei's mouth set into a razor-thin slit and she strode into the room, hovering over Setsuna and Hotaru. "Would everyone just shut up!" she barked. "This is a shrine, not a... a sports arena!" The quiet was so sudden that Deimos's raucous caw, caw, caw, was surreally clear. Usagi blushed and bit her lips together. Ami and Minako both looked startled. Michiru lifted her head, blinked a few times, then settled back into the crook of Haruka's shoulder. "Let's go one at a time, okay?" Rei said, trying not to snap at them. "I can't understand a word anyone's saying with everyone talking at once." In particular, she glared at Minako, who both blushed and scowled, and Haruka, who simply returned the glare. Luna shuffled herself to a more upright position in Usagi's lap. "I agree with Rei-chan," she said primly. "All this yelling is simply not going to get us anywhere, girls." The cat looked across the table at Hotaru. "Hotaru-chan, you say that this monster attacked you this morning? Why didn't you say something earlier?" she chided, echoing the words that had triggered the earlier argument. "Everyone had left for school. Usagi always turns off her cell phone once she gets to class. Nobody was wearing a communicator," Hotaru said in a monotone. She had said as much earlier in the meeting, but no one had paid any attention. "Well, *Rei-san* was wearing *her* communicator," she added. Rei winced. Although Hotaru couldn't have meant it in that way, it almost sounded like she was pointing out some defect in character. Haruka held up one hand, showing off the communicator strapped to her wrist. "Hotaru-chan came to find me and Michiru right away," she said in her foster-daughter's defense. "It's what I would have done, in her position. And the moral of today's story is...?" "Haruka-san is absolutely right," Luna said. "With everything having been so quiet for the past several months, we've gotten lax." "We" meaning "you," Rei mentally translated. Although it was tempting, she was *not* going to be smug about this, mostly because Luna could have been describing her as well. The only reason she'd had her communicator with her in the first place was because of her visions. She'd gotten Hotaru's call in the middle of history class, and ended up getting a ruler across the knuckles for whispering. It was only pure, dumb luck that Sister hadn't seen and confiscated the flashy little communicator. A year ago, she could have handled a call in the middle of class, and her classmates would have only thought that she was softly coughing into her hand, *if* they had noticed anything at all. "Until we figure out exactly what is going on, no one is to allow herself to be out of reach," Luna continued. "Hotaru-chan, please tell us everything you can remember about this thing that attacked you. I know that we originally were to discuss these dreams that all of you have been having,"--she quelled Makoto's interruption with an ears-back frown--"but this seems rather more pressing, in my opinion. And everyone, *please* hold your questions until the end." Hotaru shifted on her knees a bit before starting. The studied apathy she'd shown a few minutes ago had completely disappeared. "I have to pass this construction site on my way to school. As I went past, I thought I heard something... I can't be sure if there was actually a noise, or if it was because this sense of... of ill- will that I felt." "Ill will?" Rei asked. Luna started to shush her, but Usagi rapped the cat lightly on the head. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but could you be a little more clear?" Hotaru drummed her fingers on the table as she thought. "It wasn't anything specific. It was sort of like the feeling you have when you walk into a room and people aren't all that happy to have you there." Rei had heard a little of what Hotaru's life was like before she became Sailor Saturn, but was still surprised at the bitterness in the girl's voice. As Hotaru went on with her story her voice regained its rehearsed quality. "It came up suddenly, as if I'd interrupted something. Anyhow, I walked onto the site. No one was there, but there were big piles of dirt left from where they'd been excavating." She explained how the creature came after her, and how she had to parry its blows until she could get far enough away to gain enough time to launch an attack of her own. "I thought that if I put up a Silence Wall, I might be able to get a better look at the thing, but it walked straight through as if it wasn't even there." She paused to let the full import of that little fact make itself known. If one of Sailor Saturn's attacks had no effect on the monster, what would happen if one of the others met up with this thing? How could they keep them from harming anyone or causing too much damage? How did Hotaru finally manage to defeat the thing? Even though Rei could see for herself that the young Senshi had escaped unscathed, she found the suspense unbearable. So did Usagi. "What happened next, Hotaru-chan? How did you get away?" "I don't know. I'd hit it with the Glaive several times, but that one last blow reduced it to a heap of gravel--and I didn't even hit it all that hard." "Sounds to me like the saddle that broke the horse's back," Minako said. "Did it seem to weaken the other times you hit it?" Makoto sat up, apparently intrigued by the idea of an enemy that could be taken down by repeated brute force. Hotaru shook her head. "The Glaive knocked chunks out of it, but it didn't even seem to notice. In fact, it looked like it had some pieces missing to start with." "It didn't even say 'ouch!' or anything?" Minako asked, incredulous. "Did it even say what it was after?" "No. It didn't even have a mouth--just a big gash that looked more like a mistake than a mouth," Hotaru said, drawing a zig-zag in the air with one finger. "The only thing it seemed to want was to flatten *me*." She thought for a moment. "I don't even know if 'want' is the right word. It was more like I'd set off some sort of burglar alarm or something." "Interesting analogy. We should check out that construction site as soon as possible," Ami said. She typed something into her computer. "It's possible that this thing *was* some sort of security system. If we can, let's try to go there when there are workers there. They may have noticed something strange, or maybe one or two of them got the proverbial 'funny feeling' about something." "It may be too late," Haruka said. "I've driven by that site a couple of times in the past few days, and it's been deserted. It could be that the workers have already been run off." Ami typed in another note. Her eyebrows were drawn together, making a little wrinkle between them. Setsuna also seemed lost in impatient thought, biting her lower lip and jiggling one leg. Rei also thought that something about this dirt creature sounded familiar. If only they knew what it wanted. Most of their enemies didn't hide the fact that they were after energy, or as was more often the case, the Ginzuishou. From the very beginning, it seemed as if their enemies enjoyed the taunting as much as the fighting. Beryl's generals had been among the worst. Come to think of it, Jadeite had used some sort of mud creatures against them that time at the airport. It was possible that the same kind of magic was in use this time? Jadeite had been thoroughly trounced and flattened by an ofuda and a couple of jumbo jets, but it was a lead worth following. "I don't think so," Hotaru said in response to Rei's description of the fight with Jadeite. "From what you said, those things looked and acted completely human before they reverted to mud." "Hold on a moment," Setsuna said. "This thing was human in shape but not in detail, right? Did it happen to have an elaborate mark on it, right here, in the middle of its forehead?" she asked, tapping the middle of her brow. "Uh-huh. I thought I told you that." "You didn't," Ami said, still studying her computer. "Well, that makes it pretty clear that we're dealing with a golem of some kind." "A whuh?" Usagi asked. "You mean like that thing in 'The Hobbit?'" "No," Setsuna said, trying not to laugh. "That would be Gollum. A *golem* is a man made out of dirt or clay. Supposedly they have a mark or something on their foreheads that animates them. We had to read a short story about one in World Lit," she explained upon getting several puzzled and suspicious looks. "They're sort of like a magical robot," Ami explained. "According to Jewish folklore, a magician or holy man can make a golem and use it as a willing, voiceless slave. The only way you can stop one is by changing or erasing the letters on its forehead." Hotaru slapped a fist into the palm of her hand. "Of course! That last time, I think I hit it in the head. I must have destroyed the mark..." "...and the goblin went poof," Minako said. "Makes sense to me." "It's golem, not goblin," Makoto said. "Whatever. At least we know how to stop them, if any more show up." Minako sounded a little too eager to test her theory, in Rei's opinion. "Remember, we don't know who made it, or why," Rei pointed out. "We can't count on this just being a one-time thing." "Do you guys know what used to be there before they were building?" Usagi asked. "Maybe some sorcerer or something used to live there. Maybe when they started digging, the construction people managed to release something nasty. Remember that one leftover daimon? Maybe this is something like that." Ami entered something else into the computer. "I'll see if I can get the computer to dig up something about any past owners or any news stories related to the site. I hope you're right, Usagi, and it turns out that Hotaru took care of any problem there might be." If only she could believe that was true, thought Rei. None of her dreams or visions had anything about mud-men, golems, or sorcerers, after all. Maybe it was just because she was used to looking for connections and trying to ferret out the meaning behind visions, but the fact that all this happened within a few scant days did nothing for the unease churning in her stomach. She wasn't the only one worried--she could hear the desperate hope in Usagi's voice when she made that last comment. "So for now, we keep an eye out for these golems, remember that our Senshi attacks might not work, and try for a good, clean head-shot," Haruka said. "So what's all this about the dreams that you've all been having?" "You're saying that you haven't? That's odd. Usagi, Rei, and Ami all said that they had strange dreams that might have been about the past," Luna said. "Me too," Minako said. "I didn't," Makoto said. Neither, apparently, had Setsuna or Haruka. "I got attacked by a golem instead," Hotaru said. She shook her head and smiled grimly. "I feel like I got the wrong end of the deal. What about you, Michiru-mama?" "Hmm?" Haruka shrugged, forcing Michiru to sit upright. "I'm sorry. It's been a long day, and I can barely keep my eyes open. No, I haven't had any dreams," Michiru said when the question was repeated. "You sure about that?" Haruka asked. "You've been mumbling in your sleep a lot the past few nights." "Haruka, of course I'm sure!" "I wasn't doubting you, Michiru," Haruka said perhaps a little too quickly. "I just thought that you might not remember something clearly. I mean, maybe you could check the Mirror, see if it reminded you of anything..." It was a good idea, thought Rei. In fact, she'd thought of it a few days earlier, but Michiru hadn't returned her call. She looked at Michiru, considering. It probably wasn't anything. From what little she heard, it sounded like Michiru was finding the music program at Tokyo University tougher going than she'd anticipated. The normally elegant Michiru had come to the meeting looking a little ragged. Without her usual lipstick, she appeared strangely washed-out, plus she had dark circles under her eyes. Her white blouse and green skirt looked nice, but not head-turning nice. "Maybe you should check now," Ami suggested. "I find it odd that of our three psychically inclined members, only Rei would be having these dreams. It doesn't surprise me that Usagi would have dreams about our past, but Minako and I never have that kind of thing happen to us." "I don't know," Michiru said slowly. "If Haruka, Setsuna, Hotaru, and I didn't have any relevant dreams, it could be that this is something that only concerns you Inner Senshi." "There's an idea," Haruka eagerly concurred. That was interesting, Rei thought. Several of her assumptions about the Senshi's resident couple started to re-form themselves. "Sorry. Yours truly was also dreamless," Makoto said. "I mean, I had dreams, but they were about entrance exams." "Those are nightmares," Minako corrected, mimicking Makoto's usual tone of voice. "Whatever," Makoto replied, laughing. She stuck her tongue out at Minako. Rei glared at the two of them. They were taking this far too lightly for her taste. "I don't remember too much about my dreams," said Usagi. "I know that stuff happened in them, but when I tried to remember, I could only remember still pictures, and even those faded after a while. It'll be easier to show you than tell you. Minako-chan?" "Uh... I do remember my dream, but it was kind of weird," she said. "What's even weirder is what happened when me and Usagi-chan took that drawing class yesterday. Now keep in mind that we did not work on these together," she intoned as if introducing a magic act. Usagi met Minako's eyes and nodded. They started putting their pictures out on the table, and Rei could tell that the two of them had rehearsed this. The pictures were laid down in sequence, each picture appearing with its twin. The first picture was of Queen Serenity, something that could have been mere coincidence, since both girls had seen the holographic projection when they visited the moon three years ago this past spring. At first Rei and the others were unimpressed, but as the next identical pair of pictures, then the next, then the next appeared, eyes widened, jaws dropped, and from time to time, there was a little gasp of recognition. "I don't believe it," Setsuna said, softly, wonderingly. "Would you mind spreading these out so I can get a better look?" Minako did as asked, turning the pictures so Setsuna could see them right side up. "I know they're not the best," she said in a rare burst of humility, "but Usagi-chan and I think they seem right, somehow." Luna hopped up on the table to take a better look. She walked among the drawings, occasionally nudging one with her paw. "I'd say that Usagi's drawing skills have definitely improved. That's a remarkable likeness of Queen Serenity." "Hah! You're right," said Rei. She scooted in between Usagi and Ami. "I may have misinterpreted that vision," Rei muttered, mostly to herself. She was so used to her visions being about the future that she had assumed she was seeing NeoQueen Serenity. Did that mean that the other visions were of past events as well? If some were future and others past, how would she tell the difference? Hotaru craned her head so that she could look at the pictures at more of a natural angle. "What is it, Setsuna-mama?" Setsuna had the tips of her fingers at her mouth, and her maroon eyes grew bright with moisture as they scanned the seven sets of pictures. She lowered her hands and moved the pictures around, selecting four of Usagi's and three of Minako's. "I don't believe it," she repeated, in a whisper. The rest of the Senshi looked at each other nervously. Michiru huddled in closer to Haruka. Usagi reached over and wrapped her hand around ChibiUsa's. This did not look good. Setsuna finally looked up, a broad smile on her face. Rare laugh lines crinkled the corners of her eyes. She wiped away a tear. "It's really them!" she exclaimed. Her voice shook, but it was suppressed laughter, not tears. She surveyed the pictures again, still smiling as none of them had ever seen her do before. "It's really who?" asked Makoto. She rolled to her knees so she could peer over Setsuna's shoulder. "I recognize Queen Serenity, but I don't remember any of the others." Setsuna continued to move the pictures around, putting them in some order that made not sense to the others, but that satisfied her. The pattern reminded Rei of something she might do with her tarot cards. Three pictures formed a triangle. Setsuna circled her hand over them to indicate that they were a group. "These three were known as the Eunomia. Certainly you remember *them*." Ami drew in a sharp hiss of breath. "I remember something about them from my dream. Tell us more." "How come *you* remember, Setsuna-san?" asked Minako. "I mean, I remembered some stuff about the Moon Kingdom when Artemis and I were searching for the Moon Pri... er, Usagi. I don't remember any Eunomia, though." She reached across Makoto's line of sight to point at the top picture in the triangle. "This one played a big part in my dream. She rammed this big-ass spear of hers into my head right before I woke up." "That doesn't sound very nice," said ChibiUsa. "It only hurt a little, really." Setsuna looked as if she was lost in thought--not quite worried, thought Rei, but close. Delight and something else flickered back and forth on the oldest Senshi's face. Looking at the pictures, Rei herself felt a sort of dizziness. Excitement. Anticipation. The feeling that something, somehow was about to make sense. It was the feeling she sometimes had when she was reading a mystery novel, and all the clues were at hand and all you needed was one last insight, one last bit of information, and the whole thing would make sense. "It's our past, isn't it," Rei said, fighting to keep the eagerness under control. "For some reason, we're finally starting to remember everything that happened in our past. That's what's going on, isn't that right, Setsuna-san? Do you know why we couldn't remember much of anything before this?" Setsuna shook her head, bringing herself back to the present. "I do have some recollection of what happened back in the Silver Millennium and before," she admitted. She spoke slowly, as if not sure that she should really be saying what she was saying. "After I died in the thirtieth century, NeoQueen Serenity sent me back here to be born as a normal, human girl." Haruka snorted at that. "Normal compared to what I was before," Setsuna said lightly. "Anyhow, what I'm getting at is that I think my memories may have come through a little more intact than yours. Why, I don't know. Perhaps it was because Queen Serenity had more experience with the Ginzuishou than NeoQueen Serenity. I get the idea that Serenity--the first one--didn't want you remembering too much too soon." Usagi shifted her weight from one knee to the other. Something about what Setsuna said bothered her, Rei could tell. "How come you never said anything about it before?" Rei demanded. What was it with these Outer Senshi and passing along information? More than ever she wanted to ask Michiru point-blank why she'd never called her back. "She has a good point, Setsuna. Why didn't you say anything?" asked Haruka. Rei blinked. Makoto started, then looked at Rei as if to ask what all that was about. Haruka could be blunt, but that last question sounded harsh, even for her. They weren't the only ones who noticed. Hotaru glared at her foster father and started to say something, but Setsuna forestalled that by laying her fingers gently on the girl's arm. Michiru just slept through the whole thing. "I never said because it never came up." Setsuna's usual smile, lips closed, corners of the mouth turned up slightly, re- emerged. "Besides, little of what I remember was relevant. Would you feel obligated tell all the rest of us random memories of your time in kindergarten?" "It's not the same thing," grumbled Haruka. "No, it's not. Still, there isn't much that I could have told you. I became Sailor Pluto and was sent to the Gates of Time before any of the rest of you were called. Except for when I was called to summon Sailor Saturn, I never left the Gates. I was around when some of you were sealed..." "Ah!" exclaimed Ami. "That's something else you'll have to explain for us!" "You still haven't told us who this lady with the spear is," said Minako, before Ami had even finished. Then, everyone seemed to explode into speech at once. "Setsuna, I still don't get why you never said anything before." "Didn't you listen to her, Haruka-papa? She *said* that it just never came up, and that's all!" "We'll all have to share everything we know if we're going to figure out what's going on. Maybe we should each just write down what we know..." "And what about these rock things? They sound a hell of a lot more dangerous than any weird dreams. And how come only some of you had these dreams?" "I'm not sure that my visions were only of the past. What if some of this is about things that are about to happen? Michiru-san, are you sure you haven't seen anything in the Mirror? You must have seen something!" "Rei-chan, if she'd *seen* anything, she would have *said* something!" "What I want to know, is why would that woman be going around sticking spears in people's heads? What does it mean?" "Would everyone please be QUIET?!?" Everyone turned to gape at Usagi, who had both hands up in a warding gesture. Her eyes were clenched shut and she was breathing heavily. "We're all friends here, aren't we?" she said, almost pleading with them. She was shaking. "Could we please... could we please just stop all of this yelling? Please?" Rei laid a hand on Usagi's quivering shoulder. "You're absolutely right. This isn't an interrogation." The last phrase was directed at Ami, Haruka, and Minako. She then turned back to Usagi. "Listen, I'm sorry I lost my temper, and I'm sorry I yelled. Michiru-san, please don't think I was accusing you of holding anything back from us." Not yet, anyway. She took a deep breath, then continued. "I can see Setsuna-san's point, and I believe that if something happened to us that touched on what she remembered, she would tell us, correct?" Setsuna nodded, slowly. Rei took the lead and handed it over in one sentence. "Usagi, what do you think we should do next?" "I want Setsuna-san to tell us about the pictures, then I want to hear about everyone else's dreams," she said, her voice still very soft and quiet. Even so, it carried the force of an order. "If I may," stammered a blushing Ami, "I think it might be better if we shared the dreams first. Otherwise, we might get what we remember mixed up with what Setsuna-san tells us. Would...would that be all right with everyone?" It was. Usagi made a point of thanking Ami for speaking her mind. Rei went first, proving Ami right when she said that after seeing the pictures, she wasn't certain if the woman in one vision was Queen Serenity or NeoQueen Serenity. She then recounted the other images she'd seen--the sandstone walls and a voice calling out a name, the man in black, the woman in the petal storm, the sense of something undulating and moving through the darkness. "I'm sorry I can't tell you any more, but I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to be doing any fire readings right now. The last time I tried, I nearly passed out and fell in the fire. That, and the visions seemed much sharper and more immediate than anything I would normally see. Grandfather said that deliberately opening my mind like that was dangerous." "And he's absolutely correct," said Luna. "My goodness, if someone or something is trying to send you a message, you don't want to go leaving your mind unlocked. Who knows *what* might get in there when you weren't watching?" Michiru started to say something, then shook her head and warded off questions with an upraised palm. Whatever had just occurred to her, she would bring it up later. "One I can get a quiet hour or two, I might try a card reading. Anyhow, the second set of visions was especially unsettling," Rei said. "I had a repeat of that vision of the man in black. He was lost in the woods, and I think he was dying." Usagi tensed. I should have known she'd assume it was Mamoru, Rei thought. She'd have to look further into that vision later on. Those two had been through more than enough already. "I'm pretty sure it was something from the past," Rei hurriedly continued, hoping it wasn't a lie, "and I couldn't tell who it was, other than it wasn't exactly the same the second time around. It was..." she thought for a moment. "It was kind of like watching a play that I'd seen before, but with different actors and a different set. I don't know if that makes any sense." Most of the others looked puzzled, but Setsuna, Michiru, and Hotaru nodded. "Anyhow," Rei continued, "I also had another glimpse of that woman, the one who was in the middle of a whirlwind of what looked like sakura petals." She shuddered. "I don't know why that one bothered me so much, but it did. I could tell she was in a lot of pain, but..." She shook her head violently. "Was there anything else, Rei?" Usagi asked, gently. Rei hesitated. She wanted to forget the warm sense of satisfaction that had welled up when she had that vision. She also wanted forget what had happened in the next part of the vision. Her fingers clutched at the fabric of her hibakama. The next part was something she'd only dreamed the night before and hoped never to dream of again. "The next thing that happened was that I thought I felt someone's..." Her eyes closed and she bit her lips shut. Eventually, she was able to go on. "I thought I felt someone's hands around my throat." She remembered the cold laughter, the merciless blue eyes, and she knew that this was not a vision, but memory. "I think... I think I felt myself die." Everyone was silent for a little while after that. Usagi looked ill. Rei let out a long breath. She shouldn't have said anything. Minako was blinking back tears. "I guess I'm next," she said gruffly. "Anyhow, my dream started out normal enough. I was late for class, but it was a class I never knew I was supposed to be in and there was this big, important test I didn't know about..." Minako launched into a round-about tale of her dream, complete with every embarrassing detail, up to and including flashing the entire class by wearing a too-short top. Only then did she mention that Umino was in the class. This, of course, led to two minutes of shrieking laughter and red faces. Leave it up to Minako to have a dream that could confuse details about their past with math anxiety and public nudity. Even Michiru and Setsuna were laughing by the time she was done. The odd, three-faced being she'd seen sounded more like something out of a low-budget horror flick than anything truly frightening. The laughter eventually died down, taking with it the last traces of the tension that had been clouding the room. "Thank you, Minako-chan," gasped Ami, wiping a tear from her eye. "Not exactly a scientific account, but nicely done." She then launched into a long, very detailed account of her first dream. Rei was impressed. Only Ami would take the time to notice things like geologic and atmospheric details and consider their implications. For Rei, at least, this confirmed that what they were seeing was something real, if far in the past. "Setsuna-san, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing that the sealing would be when we were chosen to be Senshi," Ami said. "My second dream might have been about that." She described being in a huge room with limestone walls and with tiny windows high up near the ceiling, and how a five-year-old version of herself stood with her two half-sisters as three impressively tall people came towards them. "They were maybe seven feet tall, each," she said, "and I think their robes were made out of some sort of metal. One looked like he--it was hard to tell if they were men or women--was wearing gold. Another was wearing copper, I think, and had a huge book. The last one was in bronze, and had a spear--it sounds like your three- faced woman, Minako-chan, but split into three people." She went on to tell how the three seemed to glow with a searing golden light, and the uproar when they called out Egeria's name. "I gather that it was something of a social disaster," she continued, "like the wicked fairy showing up to Sleeping Beauty's birthday party. Everyone was crying. The person with the spear touched its point to my forehead." She reflexively rubbed at the spot where the sigil of Mercury appeared when she transformed. "That's when I woke up." None of the others were too surprised when Ami handed out neatly typed transcripts of her two dreams. She had brought enough for everyone, even handing Usagi and Minako extra copies for Mamoru and Artemis. "What I'm really curious about are some of the things that Lares and Nerissa talked about with Ikarus. It sounds to me like the Ginzuishou was used in part to make the other planets habitable." "It sounds to me like Ikarus was quite the cutie," Minako quipped. Ami looked like she wanted to sink through the floor. Setsuna quickly scanned the transcript. "Some of these things sound familiar. I'll have to get back to you on the rest, however." She looked around at the puzzled expressions on the others' faces. "I said that I remembered a lot, not everything. Ami-chan, why don't I type up what I can recall and bring that to our next meeting." "Sure. But e-mail me a copy as soon as you have something, would you please? So, Setsuna. Who are these people?" "Goodness, you're quick to get to the point, aren't you?" Setsuna teased. "Let's see. Of course you all recognize Queen Serenity." "I didn't," ChibiUsa said. "That looks more like Mama to me." Hotaru picked up the picture of Queen Serenity and studied it. "It's scary, but you really do look like your mom. Your other mom, I mean," she said. "I'm not sure who to introduce next," Setsuna said. It looked like she was enjoying the whole thing, almost as if she was going through an old family album with them. "How about this one," she said, pointing at the dragon. The creature was black with green highlights, and its eyes were cherry-red. Rei could almost remember it, not specifically, but enough to know that the eyes would have glowed, and that the wings that were plain white in the drawing were in truth made of nothing but light. "This was one of the Horae," Setsuna said, tracing the curve of the creature's spine with one finger. "They were advisors, guardians, and soothsayers, and there used to be many of them. Qetzal, Xenocleia, Pachu'a and Chu'mana, Ophidia, Apep..." She swallowed, and took a moment before going on, the silence only broken by the incessant cawing from outside and the barely audible click of Ami's keyboard. "I don't mean to get soppy on you, but just telling you about them makes me remember what it was like to... to see them soaring through the air. They weren't all dark like this, you know. It was such a beautiful time, back then." "What happened, Puu?" ChibiUsa asked. Setsuna didn't say anything for a while. "By the time the Moon Kingdom fell, most of them had died off. This one, the Dark One, Delphine, was the last of them. She was advisor to Queen Serenity in much the way that Luna and Artemis are advisors to us now. A few years after Princess Serenity was born..." "You were good friends, weren't you," Usagi said gently. It wasn't really a question. "Yes. We were close." Setsuna looked up at the array of sad and worried expressions and laughed softly. "It was a long time ago, even for me. Don't worry about it. I thought I'd tell you about Delphine first, since... well, since I knew she'd be the hardest." Now, Setsuna had a mischievous glint in her eye. "The rest are much more fun." She pointed out the blue-haired woman who wore her hair in an off-center ponytail. "This is Lamia, the Lady of the Oceans. In fact, the royal house of Neptune traces its bloodline back to her." Rei looked over at Michiru, who hardly reacted. In fact, she seemed to be falling asleep again. Once this was over, she would have to have a word with Setsuna. She would be less likely to be defensive than the other two members of that household. "How could she be Neptune's ancestor?" Makoto asked. "She looks so *young*." "She was hundreds of thousands of years old when the Silver Millennium was founded," Setsuna said. "Another one of her descendants married into the House of Mercury." "Lady Nerissa," Ami said. "How about that, Michiru-san? We're cousins!" Michiru said nothing. Haruka rolled her eyes and pointed at the now slumbering Michiru. "Bad day," she mouthed. Setsuna was now grinning. "Take a look at this one. You'll never guess who *she* is." The next picture was what Minako and Usagi insisted was a forest sprite. This woman had green eyes that were poorly represented by the violent shade of kelly green Minako had chosen. Her complexion was nearly as dark as Setsuna's, and her long, wavy hair was a deep magenta at the hairline that shaded to the palest pink by the time it reached the woman's knees. The only problem was that the figure in their pictures was too imposing for the word 'sprite' to be anything other than ridiculous. Yes, she had pink hair and a filmy green gown, but this was no flittering flower fairy. This woman would never flitter--her steps would shake the earth itself. The tanned arms and legs may have been graceful, but they were as solid as oak. "This is Rosamund," Setsuna said. "The Lady of the Green, and Queen of Earth." The others looked confused, and Setsuna's grin widened. "Don't tell me you never wondered about Endymion's family." Ami's gasp of surprise was drowned out by the hollow thud of three heads colliding. "Watch it, Usagi!" ChibiUsa whined. "Watch it yourself, brat," her future mother snarled. Minako rubbed her head. "Owww..." It took over a minute for everyone, Luna included, to stop laughing. "Well... ha... at least we know where the pink hair comes from, ChibiUsa-chan" Hotaru said. "I don't get it," Ami said. Her gaze flickered between ChibiUsa and the pictures of Lady Rosamund. "Mamoru is the reincarnation of Endymion. He shouldn't have any of Rosamund's genes, should he?" "Don't sweat it, Ami," Minako said. "Usagi looks like Serenity, right? Just crayon it up to magic and forget about it, okay?" "Yes, but still..." "It could also explain why Mamoru inherited his ability with roses along with the Golden Crystal," Setsuna said. "Rosamund's connection to the living Earth was powerful indeed." She thought about something for a moment, then added, "In fact, I'm not sure that Rosamund is really how you'd say her name. It sounds right, but I'm not sure it *is* right." As Ami kept typing in her notes Setsuna started to add something else, then moved on to the next picture. This one looked like Helios, except that the eyes were dark red and the hair golden blond. He also had a heavier jaw and was broader through the shoulder. More a macho type than a bishonen, Rei decided, but the resemblance was striking. He was also in the group that Setsuna had labeled the Eunomia. "The Eunomia were... judges... I guess you could say," Setsuna said. "As Ami guessed, they were the ones who selected the original Senshi. If anyone refused to accept the law and will of the Moon or Earth, the Eunomia stepped in. This one, Hyperion, was--and girls, please sit back because I don't want anyone to get a concussion--was also Queen Serenity's husband." It was a good thing she had warned them. As it was, the gasp of surprise nearly sucked all of the air out of the room. "I don't remember what happened to him," Setsuna said, once the confusion subsided, "but because of his rank and position, he could not stay overly long in either kingdom or in any of the colonies. The Eunomia were associated with the Sun, you see, and as judges, they were expected to be impartial. In fact, I don't think the fact that he was Princess Serenity's father was widely known." Usagi was silent. She picked up the picture of the blond man and studied it carefully. "Hyperion was the one who decided the truth of the matter. He knew if an injustice was done, and he was the one who decided who was to blame, if there was blame to be assigned." She moved on to the next picture. This was of the woman in the coppery-red robe, and she carried a book. Her hair was as long as Rosamund's but straight. Usagi had colored her hair orange, but Rei could almost picture the light auburn that it had really been. "This was Astraea." "Isn't that the Greek goddess of justice?" asked Ami. Setsuna blinked. "Is it? I never knew that. How odd. In any event, Astraea was the one who decided what was to be done to resolve a matter. She would decide if someone should be banished, or if some sort of reparation was needed, or, well you get the idea." "Who's the last one?" Usagi asked. She reluctantly put down the picture of her one-time father. "This is Ananke," Setsuna said, pointing to the woman with the short blonde hair and, as Minako had put it, the honking big spear. "The oldest. She was the one who, well, who imposed judgment." "The executioner," Hotaru said. She seemed transfixed by the last of the Eunomia. "Sometimes," Setsuna said. "So, what happened to them?" Rei asked. "Now that you've told us about them, they're starting to look familiar, but I still can't remember anything about them. Where were they when we fought Beryl and Metallia." Setsuna shook her head. "I don't know. I had become Sailor Pluto by that time. I remember Usagi--I mean Serenity being born, then after that, it was nothing but the Gates of Time until I was called forth to help summon Saturn. I'm sorry." Rei and the others continued to bombard Setsuna with questions. From time to time she would remember some detail, but almost everything they wanted to know about seemed to have happened after she went to stand watch over the Gates of Time. With the return of the noise and confusion, no one noticed when Usagi's cell-phone rang and she slipped out into the shrine's courtyard. # # # What a relief to be out of that noise! Why did everything have to get so confusing again? Usagi shook her head and answered the phone. This had better be Mamo-chan. He should have been at the shrine by now. "Mamo-chan? Is that you? Where are you?" "I got held up," he said. "Artemis and I will be over there in about fifteen minutes or so. There's something I need to talk to you all about." "Is everything all right?" she asked. "You sound kind of stressed." Mamo-chan *never* talked so quickly. "Usa-ko, why don't you meet for me at the bottom of the shrine steps in fifteen minutes. There *is* something going on, but I'm not ready to... I don't want to share it with the others just yet. Do you think you can get away for a few seconds?" She nodded, but when she got no response, asked, "It's nothing serious, is it?" She fought to keep the worry out of her voice. What on earth had happened to him? Why was he so reluctant to say anything? "It's... confusing. That's all. Don't worry, Usa-ko. I'll be there shortly. Until then, just remember that I love you. Will you be all right until I get there?" She would, but would he? "Yes." "I'll see you in a little while." There was a pause. "I love you, Usa-ko, and I'll always be here for you so don't worry. *Please* don't worry, okay? Bye." "Bye," she said, but he had already hung up. It was only a little later, as she walked down the long flight of stone steps leading down from the shrine, that she realized that she had forgotten to tell him that she loved him, too. 4:40 p.m. Taiyouko watched with amusement as Jason continued to pick short white hairs off his jacket sleeve. They were walking back from Chiba's apartment. Taiyouko was about to ask Jason his opinion about the strange young man, but Jason beat her to it. "Answer me this, Seidou-san," he said. "How does a med student who clearly doesn't vacuum or dust more than once every couple of weeks and who owns a white cat that sheds like a son-of-a-bitch manage to have dark furniture and dark carpeting without a sign of cat hair anywhere on the upholstery? There weren't any claw-marks, either. There's no way he's owned that thing for more than a day or two." "Good observation. I wonder why he lied about the cat." An idea came to mind and was just as quickly dismissed. Most people would lie the other way--claim that they were only pet-sitting so they didn't have to pay a cleaning deposit to the landlord. It seemed such an odd thing to lie about. Even so, the cat wasn't important. What bothered Taiyouko were the questions she had that she could not voice, questions about the alien, yet familiar fury that had pushed her into a breakdown fourteen years ago. When she entered Chiba's apartment, she felt the old lurker shift once more. She could almost imagine it pricking up its ears and flexing its muscles. Its presence felt natural in her mind, the way that the weight of a gun had always felt natural in her hand. She did not find this at all amusing. Plus, now that this... thing... was awake, it decided that it did not particularly trust Detective Wright. Taiyouko barely noticed as the lurker's distrust merged with and became indistinguishable from her own. "I'll tell you what else I noticed," continued the object of the lurker's attention. "When I went to use the john, I didn't see any sign of a cat box, and I didn't smell one, either. I don't care how good a housekeeper you are, if you have an indoor cat, you're going to smell it, especially when it's as humid as it is today." Taiyouko 'humphed' and continued walking down the sidewalk. "I *get* it, Wonder Boy. He lied about the cat. Did you notice anything else? Anything that might be, oh, I don't know... *important*? You were looking at those pictures of his for a while. You weren't exactly subtle about it, either." He had the good grace to hunker down a little and grin sheepishly. "Sorry." "It looked to me like you recognized one of them." He shook his head. "Nope. I just thought it was kind of odd that he'd have pictures of so many girls out on display like that." Bullshit. He just about jumped out of his skin when he saw those pictures. It was a shame, really. Jason was a nice enough guy, and he didn't get too bent out of shape by her little jokes. To be honest, she didn't mind having a nice piece of eye-candy hanging around, either. Unfortunately, had a pretty strong suspicion that the boy was hiding something big, just the way she knew that Chiba was hiding something big. It wasn't instinct--she'd been a cop long enough to know all of the little 'tells' that indicated that someone was either lying or not owning up to the entire truth. The problem was distinguishing the important lies from the trivial lies. Taiyouko would rather follow a lead based on evidence than one based on intuition, but she had this prickle in the back of her mind telling her that ignoring this matter could be disastrous. She decided to push Jason on the photographs, just a little, to see if anything bent or broke. "Now remember," she said, "that Chiba doesn't have any surviving family--that he knows of or will admit to, anyway. Chances are those women *are* what passes for family with him." "No pictures of any guys, though." It sounded to her like Jason was still trying to make sense of what he'd seen. He almost sounded worried. "Do you keep a nicely framed picture of your partner--what's his name--Meldrick?--at home on your dresser?" Jason shuddered. Point taken, then. "Anyhow, I got a look--a *discreet* look--and I think I know one of them. She lives in my building. I'll see if I can't run into her on the stairs or in the laundry room and start up a little chit- chat." "Well, isn't that convenient," he snapped. "Sarcasm will get you nowhere. Minus two points to Detective Wright." She'd have to think of an excuse to get him to stop by her place and see if he was eager or reluctant to go with the idea. They turned down a side street that was home to several cute cafés and tea shops. If Taiyouko couldn't have a cigarette, she was damn well going to have something chocolate. "If a coincidence comes in handy, you'd be crazy not to take advantage of it. Living in the same building as one of those girls is nothing," she continued, "I met this detective-constable at a seminar in London a couple of years ago, and she had the craziest story I ever heard. The way Barbara tells it..." For a minute there, she thought that someone had sneaked up and run 400 volts through Detective Wright. "London? As in Scotland Yard's London? You know someone at Scotland Yard?" he demanded. His electrification was not shock or fear, but rather something else. Hope. Wild, desperate hope. "Of course it was London. Is there a Scotland Yard somewhere else that I'm supposed to know about? They sponsored the seminar," she said, keeping her voice calm and matter-of-fact. "Harada-san sends me to these things to keep me out of his hair, I think." "Listen, Seidou-san. I don't know if you could do this for me, but it would be a huge favor. There's an old friend I've lost track of, who I haven't been able to locate through the internet or anything..." Taiyouko noticed that they were only a few doors down from her favorite tea shop. She and Ku-chan had been there several times, and they both agreed that the place had the best brownies in Tokyo. She ought to see if Ku-chan was free for breakfast or lunch sometime this week. "I can't promise it'll do any good," she told Jason, "but I'll see if Barbara can look up this friend of yours. Write down the name and anything else you can give me that might help Barbara with her search. I'm assuming this person is British?" At the very least, this would be a nice excuse for getting back in touch with Barbara. It would also mean that she'd have a chance to peek at whatever Barbara could dig up before handing it over to Jason. Taiyouko checked her watch. Damn. Almost five. They should head back to the station to see if Keisuke had found anything new. First, however, she was going to stop by the café and get one of their fabulous double-fudge caramel... A woman's scream ripped through the air. Both detectives whirled to see a man running pell-mell towards the subway entrance, arms pumping wildly, a woman's purse in his hand. Taiyouko ran towards the man, hoping to head him off. She yelled back to Jason, ordering him to run towards the subway, when something truly strange happened. The purse-snatcher tripped on empty air. Taiyouko had never seen anything like it. One second the man was sprinting, the next he was flying through the air as if an invisible bar had swept his legs out from under him. He hit the pavement hard, with an audible clack of teeth that made several onlookers wince in sympathy. The purse flew from his hand with improbable force, spinning along the ground to stop neat as you please at Taiyouko's feet. A subway cop ran up from underground to see what the commotion was about. Taiyouko turned back to see if Jason had seen the same thing she had. Instead of looking shocked, surprised, or as if he had seen anything out of the ordinary, Jason was walking along calmly, surveying the scene with an aggravatingly smug look on his face. It was only there for a second, disappearing as soon as he noticed Taiyouko looking at him. "Lucky for us he tripped, huh?" said Jason. "If you ask me, he got pretty much what he'd deserved." And then some, from the look of it. The criminal was barely managing to sit up. He looked dazed and was cradling his head in his hands. His chin was scraped and bleeding, and the front of his shirt was stained with grit and blood. The woman whose purse he'd stolen had caught up with him and was giving him one hell of a lecture. Arrest would probably look like escape by comparison. Ah, well. The subway cop could handle it. It would give him something to tell the wife and kiddies when he got home. "Yeah. Lucky. Hey, Wright. I'm getting kind of hungry. Mind if we stop in here for a bite to eat?" Fortunately, Jason seemed amenable to the idea of brownies and coffee, even if it meant having to go into a place with ruffled pink curtains and chintz tablecloths. Once they got back to the station, she told Jason, she would e-mail Barbara Havers about his missing friend. What she didn't tell him was that she would also be contacting another old friend in New York City. Although she didn't like to trust 'instinct', she couldn't tune out this voice telling her to watch her step, to watch her back, and most of all to watch Jason Wright very, very closely. # # # Taiyouko Seidou was not the only person who'd noticed the odd way in which the would-be purse snatcher had fallen into the hands of the law. On a rooftop high above, Sailor Sun stared at her crystal. Crystal, however, was not the right word for its appearance. Ever since the strange man and woman had come out of the apartment building, the crystal had been an opaque, pale green with thick veins of dull, metallic brown. She had waited for hours and hours at the apartment building for the white kitty to come out. But when these two walked out her crystal turned these strange colors. They were ugly colors, she thought. Colors like that meant trouble. Maybe these two were enemies. She followed them until the man did something nasty to some other man who had been running down the street. He reached out with his mind and hit the other man in the legs. She couldn't see it, of course, but Mother had taught her well. She could feel the energy rushing out of him like a snake. Oh, yes. These two were trouble. Sailor Sun knew what to do about trouble. Sailor Sun leapt from rooftop to rooftop, deciding not to follow the two strange people any more. She had to go tell Mother about them right away. Mother always knew what to do. 4:45 p.m. "Hi there! This is Saori's machine. She's busy right now, so please leave your name and number and she'll get back to you as soon as she's finished rounding up the bad guys!" A snippet of the "Cowboy Bebop" opening theme played for about five seconds, followed by the beep. Mamoru shook his head. He never understood the appeal of cute answering machine messages. "Saori-san, this is Mamoru Chiba. Give me a call when you can. That detective you told me about just left here a few minutes ago, and..." he paused, wondering how much he should say, "uh, never mind. I'll tell you more about it when I talk to you. Say hello to Kobayashi for me." He put the phone back down. He needed to call Usagi, but he had to stop shaking, first. Calling Saori was a stupid idea, come to think about it. He wished there was some way to call back and tell the answering machine to erase his message. Artemis trotted over to the couch and put his front paws on Mamoru's knee. "Are you going to be all right? That was something of a surprise, to put it mildly." Mamoru stood up, carelessly knocking Artemis out of the way. "I'm fine. I'll be fine." Artemis followed as Mamoru went to the kitchen. "Yeah, right. You just find out that someone killed your parents, and you're 'fine.'" "They *think* someone *might have* killed my parents, Artemis." He opened the refrigerator. "My parents died over fourteen years ago. How can they find out anything now? What could they do if they did find out anything?" He held out a plastic-wrapped bowl. "Tuna?" "Don't change the subject, but if you're not going to eat that..." Mamoru took the tuna and a container of pineapple yogurt, and man and cat went back out into the living room. "Anyway," Artemis continued in between bites of tuna, "Were those two weird or what? When that guy was scratching me, I felt like he was checking me over for evidence." He cleaned out the bowl in just a few gulps, licking it down to catch any remaining tuna juice. "Maybe it's just Luna's paranoia rubbing off on me, but I don't think this is coincidence. First, the Senshi call some sort of emergency meeting, then you have Detective Torquemada and friend paying you an unexpected visit." "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition..." Mamoru deadpanned. He poked his spoon around in the yogurt, noticing how the pineapple formed little clots in the smooth whiteness. Guess he really wasn't hungry after all. "Hey, I didn't know you were into Python!" exclaimed Artemis. "Mina's dad has the whole collection on DVD, and... and we are not talking about that right now!" "'Oh Lord, we beseech thee, tell us 'oo croaked Leicester!'" Mamoru quoted from yet another favorite skit. He wasn't in the mood for humor right now, but if it got Artemis off the subject... "Oh yeah. The 'Dead Bishop' sketch. A real gas, but *spectacularly* inappropriate under the circumstances, okay? We're talking about your parents' death! Aren't you even a little curious? Don't you want to know who might have done this? Or why?" Artemis stalked away, then jumped up on the coffee table so he could look Mamoru in they eye. "Listen, those two didn't stop by because somebody's parrot is pining for the fjords. I know it's a lot to swallow, but you've got to tell the others something, especially given what they're meeting about." Mamoru looked at his watch and winced. Oh, well. He'd told Ami that he'd be running late. "Why are they meeting, anyway? I had to get off the phone before Ami could tell me anything." Artemis flicked one ear back and lashed his tail in disgust. "Apparently Mina and some of the other girls had some strange visions or something," he said as if repeating the weather forecast. "It's hard to tell, because I'm getting this news third hand after being garbled who knows how much by Mina and your fiancée. If they got it right, it sounds like Ami thinks it's something about their past lives in the Silver Millennium." "So?" "So, don't you think it's odd that something from *your* past should resurface right now?" "Sure, but I still don't see what it has to do with anything. This is about my own, personal past, not my life as Endymion. They're two totally different things. How could they possibly be related?" "It's not just a river in Egypt, pal!" Mamoru got up and stalked over to the window. The sun was just reaching that late-afternoon point where its light was heavy and golden, making the city look as if it had been frozen in one idyllic moment, like the picture of some utopia on the cover of a science- fiction novel. Glass and steel shimmered silver-gold, and plain concrete looked like the finest marble, all in that one magical moment. What would it be like, he wondered, when those skyscrapers were replaced by spires of magic crystal? What would they look like in the afternoon light? For that matter, what did his parents look like? When was the last time he thought about that--*really* thought about that? Shoulders slumped in defeat, Mamoru turned his back on the cityscape and flopped down on the couch. "Look, it just doesn't seem...real, you know? I've had all of maybe fifteen minutes to try to deal with the fact that my mom and dad may have been..." They were killed in an accident. He was six, and there was an accident. Before six, there was nothing. He woke up and he was six. Mamoru shook his head as he tried toto clear his thoughts. Once upon a time, he remembered, or thought he remembered, snips and pieces of his childhood from before the accident. As he grew older, however, he began to suspect that these were not really memories, but bits of filler his brain had constructed out of old TV shows, movies, or things he had read in books. The times he'd tried, all he could remember of his parents were backlit impressions of impossibly tall people whose prominent features were legs encased in trousers or a skirt. Faces loomed high above his six year old body, like huge black clouds against the sun. Voices were nothing more than unintelligible rumbles. If that was all the memory he had, how was he supposed to remember anything else about the accident? How was he supposed to feel any affection or attachment to obscure shapes and indistinct grumblings? These figures didn't even have names. He didn't even know if it was Mom, Mama, Mommy... Detective Seidou hadn't volunteered to show him any photographs. They always took photographs at a crime scene, didn't they? She could have at least brought along a photograph. He should probably be more upset, he decided. That's what should happen in a situation like this, right? Was he in shock? Yes, that was it, he thought. That might be why he didn't feel much of anything besides a little dizzy. Probably just as well he was sitting down again. He would have to watch himself--his sleep patterns, his appetite, changes in mood... "So, what are you going to do now?" Artemis asked softly. Mamoru ran a hand down his face, as if trying to wipe away the dizziness and the events of the past hour and a half. "I need to call Usa-ko and tell her what's going on," he said. Of course, he could always *not* tell her about Detective Seidou's visit. The last thing she needed was one more thing to worry about. On the other hand, she was bound to find out about it sooner or later. Artemis would be sure to tell Minako, and Minako would never be able to keep a secret like that for very long. Knowing that he had lied to her would hurt Usa-ko far more than any short-lived anxiety. Plus, he would have bet his future medical career that they hadn't seen the last of those two detectives. He looked at the card that Detective Seidou had left. "You're right about one thing, Artemis. There's definitely something strange about those two. I'm certain I've seen the American before, but I don't know when," he chuckled bitterly, "or in what life. Also, when they got here, something pretty powerful come in with them." He thought about how best to describe it. "I definitely felt some sort of energy, but held in reserve, like water held back by a dam." "Did it seem familiar in any way? And please tell me that it didn't seem foreboding or ominous or anything like that. Just for once, it would be nice to have something enormously powerful turn out only to be dropping by for a cup of tea and a friendly chat." Mamoru appreciated the attempt to make him laugh, but it just didn't work. "It didn't seem good or bad. It was just...there. I couldn't sense it clearly enough to know whether it was familiar or not. What we need is for Rei or Hotaru or Michiru to 'accidentally' bump into one of them." There was also the sensation he'd had when she touched the scar on his hand, but that may have just been the unexpected intimacy of the contact. He reminded himself that this intense, shabby little woman supposedly sat by his hospital bed, waiting for him to regain consciousness. The way his mother would have, if she had been alive, he thought. Except that his mother wouldn't have been waiting to interrogate him when he woke up. "So you're going to tell the others?" asked Artemis. Mamoru picked up Seidou's card and tucked it into his wallet. "I'll at least tell them that there's a detective snooping around. If anything, they need to know so that they can be extra-careful about guarding their identities." Artemis flicked his whiskers forward in approval. Mamoru picked up the phone again and started dialing. "Given what I felt, I also want Rei to do a reading on this business card. For all we know, those two aren't who or what they said they are. Did the American happen to drop anything, or leave anything behind?" Artemis jumped up on the chair that Detective Wright had used and sniffed around, jammed his paws under the cushions, then hopped back down and crawled around and under the chair. "Nothing, but you really need to vacuum in here." Mamoru gave the cat a dirty look as he waited for Usagi to answer her cell phone. "Mamo-chan? Is that you? Where are you?" she demanded. "I got held up," he said. This was not the sort of thing he wanted to explain on the phone. "Artemis and I will be over there in about fifteen minutes or so. There's something I need to talk to you all about." "Is everything all right?" she asked. "You sound kind of stressed." Damn! He thought fast. "Usa-ko, why don't you meet for me at the bottom of the shrine steps in fifteen minutes. There *is* something going on, but I'm not ready to... I don't want to share it with the others just yet. Do you think you can get away for a few seconds?" There was a moment's silence. Usagi kept forgetting that he couldn't hear a nod through the phone. "It's nothing serious, is it?" she quavered. If only he knew. "It's... confusing. That's all. Don't worry, Usa-ko. I'll be there shortly. Until then, just remember that I love you. Will you be all right until I get there?" Again, silence. Then, a very faint "yes." He signed off with another "I love you" and a strict order for her not to worry, then put the phone down and let out a deep breath. He'd told Artemis that this investigation had nothing to do with his past life. Why then, when he had looked into the eyes of that American detective, had he been certain that he knew this man? As he tried to sort out what might have caused him to react so strongly to the man's presence, another thought began to form in his mind. It started taking scraps of suspicion from here and bits of fact from there and came dangerously close to cobbling together a conclusion. There is a reason why someone might want to kill your parents in that way, went this thought, A very, very good reason. The pieces of the puzzle dangled within his reach, just waiting for him to put them together and see what they spelled. Mamoru pushed the thought roughly aside and grabbed his keys. "Come on, Artemis. Let's not keep them waiting any longer than we have to." By the time the two of them reached the shrine, the impressions of power and familiarity he'd felt swirled together with all of those other dangerous thoughts and faded back into his subconscious, where they could no longer tempt him to think the unthinkable. 7:30 p.m. Usagi and Mamoru walked slowly back towards the Tsukino house. After the meeting, Ami and Minako headed over towards Makoto's apartment for a study session. The Outer Senshi, except for Hotaru, went straight home. ChibiUsa invited Hotaru over for dinner. It had hardly taken any persuading to get the two girls to run off ahead with Luna as chaperone. "ChibiUsa's probably telling Hotaru all about what a witch I am," Usagi said. "She really loves you, you know that Usa-ko." Usagi playfully punched him in the ribs. "You don't think I'm being serious, do you? I'm really glad she's here right now. It's good to see her having fun. It's amazing how much she's changed since she first landed on our heads all those years ago." "She has grown up, hasn't she?" asked Mamoru. Usagi caught the wistful note in his voice. He shouldn't be upset. After all, he'd have another chance to see his daughter grow up. An image popped into her head and she giggled. "She really has grown. Can you imagine how much it would hurt if she fell out of the sky and landed on us again?" "Do you think they bought it?" he said, suddenly. "I hate to lie to everyone, but you know what would happen if I told them what Detective Seidou was really doing." Usagi nodded. Everyone would want to 'help.' Although he hadn't said so in so many words, Usagi knew that her Mamo-chan had been deeply shaken by Seidou's visit. "Maybe we can tell them more about it later, once you've had some time to think." She slid her arm through the crook of Mamoru's elbow and pulled herself up close to him. "If you think about it, we didn't really lie to them. We just didn't tell them everything, that's all." Earlier in the evening, when she met them at the shrine steps, Artemis and Mamoru told them about what had happened. The three of them decided not to say too much right now, but both Usagi and Artemis agreed that they had to warn the Senshi to be on their guard, especially when it came to protecting their identities. That meant that not saying anything was out of the question, even though it was clear that Mamoru would rather keep things quiet. Finally, Artemis said that they should say that the detectives had wanted to talk to Mamoru about whoever it was that was paying his rent and other expenses, and also about how the young Mamoru had gotten 'lost in the system.' Usagi noticed that Artemis did most of the talking. She also noticed that the cat seemed irritated about something. It was truly strange. Why would anyone want to keep Mamoru's identity a secret from him? Also, why would anyone go down to an accident scene to hide the victims' identities, but not try to help them? The others were curious, of course, but the explanation sounded reasonable enough. Besides, they were all eager to tell Mamoru about the golem, and also about the pink-haired woman who was apparently his mother. Now that the meeting was over and her sweetie was walking her home, Usagi decided that they could stop talking about the detectives and whatever it was they wanted. "So," she said, "what did you think about Lady Rosamund? Did you remember anything when you saw the picture?" She hoped he did. She was happy with the way her drawing had turned out. Maybe she could get it framed and give it to him for his birthday. He shook his head. "I wish I could say that she looks familiar, but I can't. I guess I don't get to remember my parents from either life." Usagi's heart sank. It wasn't fair. She had both parents. Then, she'd even been able to speak with Queen Serenity, after a fashion, and it looked like she was now starting to recall the face of the man who had been her father. She ran her fingers through one of her ponytails, looking at the gold that had somehow been passed down to her. "I wish there was some way I could help you remember, Mamo- chan." What had his father been like? His fair skin, blue eyes, raven-black hair, none of these had been present in the picture of Rosamund. Maybe he resembled his father the way she resembled Queen Serenity. Maybe he resembled his parents from this life. "Who knows, maybe you'll start to dream like the rest of us." Artemis trotted out from behind a privet hedge. "You two had enough alone time, or should I disappear again? Minako and the others are more interested in the golems than in your difficulties, so you should be safe." For a moment, the disapproving tone made Artemis sound more like Luna. "So, Usagi-chan. Do you really think that this business about Mamoru's parents cropping up at the same time as these wacky dreams is a coincidence, or do you think that Mamoru-kun's just being stubborn as a mule?" "Artemis!" "He might be right, Mamo-chan," Usagi said, while at the same time resisting the urge to kick Artemis back into the hedge. "I don't know. As I keep trying to tell a certain *someone*, this investigation is about my own past, not Endymion's. If they were connected, then why didn't I have dreams like the rest of you?" "That's what's got me confused," Usagi said. "I mean, why did only some of us have dreams, and not the others." "Haruka, Hotaru, and Setsuna said they didn't dream about the past. Anyone else?" asked Artemis. "Makoto and Michiru," Usagi said. "At first, I thought that maybe this was just us getting our old memories back, the way we got some back when we fought Beryl and Neherenia, like maybe we were supposed to remember everything now." "But why? Why now?" Mamoru asked. "Except for the golem, nothing's going on right now." "Well, we are getting ready to go to college," Usagi mused, forming her thoughts as she spoke. "Maybe we were meant to remember everything when we grew up, to... I don't know... to get us ready for Crystal Tokyo and everything." "So why were Makoto and I left out? And what about the Outer Senshi?" Usagi shrugged. She didn't like to think about why Haruka and the others were left out. It always bothered her that ChibiUsa never mentioned Crystal Tokyo's Neptune and Uranus. If Uranus had been around when the Black Moon clan had attacked Earth, she and Neptune would have kicked ass and taken names, wouldn't they? Usagi tried not to think about when they first had met Haruka and Michiru. ChibiUsa had recognized Setsuna in an instant, but the other two were completely new to her. Also, Hotaru and ChibiUsa were closer than close, but ChibiUsa was acting as if she hadn't seen Hotaru for years and years. Was it because there *was* no Hotaru in Crystal Tokyo? Usagi wondered if it would be better or worse if she knew what would happen to Saturn and the others in years to come. "Do you want to come in? Mom wouldn't mind an extra for dinner, you know that." In fact, when Mom wasn't encouraging her to bring Mamoru over for a meal, she was pressing bags of leftovers into Usagi's hand with order to make sure that Mamoru was eating properly. "She really likes you, you know." Mamoru laughed softly. "She'd better. I'd love to stay, but I have to be at the hospital by seven-thirty. Besides, I've still got all of those leftovers from Mako-chan. Don't think I don't know what the two of them are up to. Not that I mind, of course." They had reached the Tsukino's the front gate. Artemis discreetly turned the other way as Mamoru gave Usagi a long kiss goodnight. Usagi watched as Mamoru walked off. Just before he disappeared around the corner, he stopped and waved. She waved back, then went into the house. She could hear Hotaru and ChibiUsa giggling as they played one of her video games. It was a wonderful sound, one that warmed her heart yet made her feel sad at the same time. Two happy little girls, best of friends, but one seemed as if she might have no future, the other could have her entire past and future erased if they weren't careful. Usagi stood in the foyer for a minute, listening to the precious, fragile laughter, and storing it up in her heart. 9:15 p.m. "Michiru-love, do you think we're doing a decent job raising Hotaru?" Michiru mumbled a sleepy yes, and leaned her head into the crook of Haruka's shoulder. Haruka shrugged that shoulder, forcing Michiru to sit back up. "I mean it! Do you think that Hotaru's okay living with us?" Why, oh why did Haruka always want to bring up serious matters when it was time to go to bed? "Now that you mention it, perhaps we should turn her out on the street and let the Gypsies take care of her." "Michiru! Be serious!" "Why should I?" she murmured. "Just because you had a little tiff with Hotaru doesn't mean that you're a bad parent." Haruka shifted again, unintentionally forcing Michiru to lean against the back of the couch rather than against her lover. "So she told you about that, did she?" Michiru giggled. "I wish I could have been there to see the two of you arguing up in that tree. It's not the end of the world, love." "Well, it was almost the end of Hotaru. I think that the fight she had with that what-d'you-call-it..." "Golem." "Right. I get the feeling that the fight was much, much closer than she's letting on. She still seems a little shaky. I don't know why she won't say anything, though. Maybe she wants us to think that she can take care of herself." "Haruka?" "Yes?" Michiru slid one arm behind Haruka's back and hugged her close. "You *are* a good parent. Hotaru's so much better off with us than she was with that so-called father of hers." "Yeah..." This wasn't going anywhere positive. Michiru pulled her arm free, stood up and gave Haruka a quick, soft kiss on the side of her mouth. "Hey! Where are you going?" "Bed. I'm exhausted." Haruka grabbed onto Michiru's wrist. Not tightly, but enough that Michiru didn't see how she could pull free without appearing to reject her. "It's not even nine-thirty! Are you all right? You've been kind of out of it the last couple of days. You're not coming down with anything, are you?" Next thing she knew, Haruka would be checking her forehead for a temperature. "No, I just had a long day, that's all." Haruka looked up at her sternly. "Don't 'that's all' me. I can tell something's wrong, love. It's your mother again, isn't it?" "Oh, Haruka! My mother's a nuisance, but I'm a big girl, and I can live my own life." "I'm not sure she sees it that way. Can't you just tell her that it's your decision what you do with your musical career?" "I could, but she wouldn't listen. Eventually, she'll figure it out on her own." Michiru lifted her arm, bringing Haruka's hand up with it. She kissed the underside of Haruka's wrist, flicking the soft skin gently with her tongue. Startled, Haruka let go of Michiru's wrist. "I'm fine, my sweet, worried Haruka. It's just that I have a lot going on right now and I'm tired. One good night's sleep, and I shall be as right as the proverbial rain." She giggled. "I hate to think how Minako would mangle that expression." "Do...do you want me to come upstairs with you?" Haruka asked. The huskiness in Haruka's voice was impossible to miss. "You go ahead and watch your program," Michiru said gently, brushing her fingers across Haruka's bangs so lightly that the hair hardly moved. "I'm just going to take a quick shower and go straight to bed. I'll probably be dead asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow." She headed up the stairs. "Good night, love." "'Night." The television turned to the unmistakable roars and crashes of World Rally. Michiru stopped halfway up the stairs. "You know," she said coyly, "I might be so tired that I'll have trouble falling asleep." She heard a snort of laughter from downstairs. "I'll give you half an hour. How does that sound?" "You'll just have to take your chances," said Michiru. "I'll see you in thirty minutes, or I'll see you in the morning." She really shouldn't tease Haruka like that, but she adored seeing her love become all flustered and gruff and ardent. What would have happened, she wondered, if they had met in the Silver Millennium? Soon, though, the wondering got lost in the motion of the distant tides. These days, it was as if she was constantly aware of the ocean. It mesmerized and tranquilized and it moved through her veins. Michiru headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. She used to like to soak in the furo for a good long time, but the deep tub now seemed so inconsequential compared to the pull of the ocean depths. She knew she should tell the others about what was going on, but she wasn't ready to share something this personal, not even with Haruka. Someday, maybe, once she was sure her lover would understand. Normally, she might worry about this, but her mind was already casting itself out upon the waters. She slid between the sheets, sank into sleep and into the depths, and by the time Haruka came up to bed, Michiru was thousands of miles away. 10:45 p.m. Taiyouko fought back another yawn. She should give up on working on the angel for the night. Stitching with white thread on cream-colored fabric in iffy light could only lead to migraines and having to pick out hours of work the next day. She carefully put everything back, putting the floss back into its bag, carefully removing the canvas from the frame and refolding it so that she didn't keep using the same crease lines. There was no avoiding it now. She was alone in her apartment with this thing in her head. It was awake, prodding at her, wanting to move her along, goad her, use her. It was pushing button after button, wanting her to get angry, wanting her to go after someone. There were words for people who thought they could sense other beings living inside their minds. 'Nutball' was only one of many that came to mind. This thing that she'd sensed ever since this case was reopened certainly didn't feel like a delusion. It felt real, and it felt urgent. She discovered a newfound sympathy for those poor bastards who ended up wearing tinfoil hats, warning all and sundry about the coming apocalypse, and developing a distressingly casual attitude towards personal hygiene. She might sense something living in her head, Taiyouko acknowledged, but she was not stupid, and she certainly wasn't scared. And she was reasonably certain that she was not crazy. She already knew that this thing could not break through her concentration. She could feel it when she was working on the fine- weave linen, counting thread by thread as she stitched. She had felt its impatience grow as she worked pale silk over slightly less pale fabric. You need me, she had thought during one break as she closed her aching eyes and rolled her head to get rid of the stiff neck. You can't force me to do anything, can you, she thought. You only pushed me into a breakdown before because I was stupid enough to *let* you. The thing's impatience was now tinged with exasperation. It seemed to claim no responsibility for anyone's breakdown. Taiyouko chuckled and the thing reflected her own amusement. Now, she had finished working for the night and it was time to confront the lurker. Taiyouko believed in being up front with people, even if she didn't believe they existed. First things first. "So, who are you, then?" I am you, the thing said. "Bullshit!" We are one and the same. "Heh. Right. Listen, you. I need more than some touchy-feely 'I am he as you are me and we are all together' crap before I'll buy into that one." She could have sworn that the thing quoted "I am the walrus, goo goo ga joob" right back at her, but it was probably her own so- called sense of humor. "And you, whoever you are, you know what they say about people who talk to the voices in their heads, right?" There was a definite feeling of disgust, as if the thing wanted to know if she was expecting it to produce a picture I.D. "That might do it," she said, "but no go. Now, you have ten seconds to get straight with me, otherwise we'll see what happens when I go to a doctor and start talking about these delusions and the funny voices in my head." Silence. "So you think you can stand up to a dose of Thorazine? See, the problem here is that I don't put all that much credence in spirits and visitations. If you can't convince me that you're real and that you've got good reason to be all wound up about Wright and Chiba, I'm going to medicate you out of existence. Are we straight on that?" She wasn't sure if she imagined it or not, but it almost sounded like the thing let out a sigh. Why, the thing seemed to say, can't you just trust me. Trust us? I am you after all. We want the same thing. "A Mild Seven? I've got a serious nicotine craving right now, how about you?" The lurker indicated that it would not be averse to a cigarette or seventeen. Then, it started to apologize for something. "Hey, all I want is to know what's going on, that's all. Something's going on, and I want to know what it has to do with Chiba and... oh." She lurched to her feet. The apartment was shaking and spinning as if they were caught in an earthquake. But it wasn't an earthquake. It was her. What the hell was this thing doing to her? Watch, it said. I don't remember much, but at least I can show you this. Taiyouko fell to her knees, cursing with pain as one knee came down hard on her sewing box. The apartment faded from view as billow after billow of smoke rolled past. She could see flashes of something in the distance. Whatever it was arced like lightning, but it was the wrong color and she knew that it was somehow alive. With the visions came smell. The sort of smells she associated with murder scenes. The sort of smells she might find at an arson case. In her vision, she was at the top of a marble staircase leading down towards what might have been a lake. The stairs were covered with bodies sprawled in unnatural positions, congealing blood slowly running down the once-white steps. Taiyouko started to cough, then started to gasp for air. Her lungs were filling with air, but her brain didn't know that. It told her that she was choking to death. She clawed at her throat, trying to dislodge whatever it was that kept her from getting any air. Anger and fear coursed through her body, jolting her like bolt after bolt of lightning. Vengeance, she thought. Whoever you are, you want vengeance. No, said the thing. Not vengeance. Justice. Justice? Taiyouko's throat finally relaxed and the room swam back into view. The only thing she could smell was the normal stale curry smell of her apartment. She felt the thing nod. I am still trying to understand what happened, it said. I do know that I shouldn't be here now. I used to have a reason for being here, separate from you yet with you, but that job is over, now. I do not know why I am still here, except that justice has not yet been done. "God-damned cryptic bastard! What the hell are you talking about! Stop acting like a fortune cookie!" I can't give you the answers you want, because I still do not know them myself. I shouldn't have shown you that. You're upset. "And why shouldn't I be? You'd better tell me what that little gore-fest was all about, and don't you *dare* tell me that you don't know!" Maybe you should just go to sleep. Sleep, and forget all of this. All I know for sure, and all that you should remember, is that Jason Wright and Mamoru Chiba are not who they seem. "Huh. Well, screw you, 'me.' You're about as much use as a Magic Eight-ball! And if you think I'm going to forget about this..." Taiyouko grabbed onto the arm of her chair and pulled herself to her feet. It was about time she got some sleep, she thought. Bath first, though. It would help her relax. Somehow, she'd managed to get herself all wound up and angry about something. About what, she didn't know. She shrugged and headed to the bathroom. It was probably just the nicotine withdrawal. 10:57 p.m. Setsuna sat up in bed, brushing out her hair. As usual, her television filled the background with faint noise. Although she cherished her privacy, absolute silence reminded her too much of the Gates of Time. Noise meant that things were happening, that time was passing. Noise meant that she no longer had to be alone. Funny how that meeting at the shrine had turned out. Hearing the girls' stories and seeing Minako's and Usagi's pictures had sent memory after memory fluttering though her mind as in a shower of confetti. Basilius. Bast-Sekhmet and Macha niMorrigan, gone to their own worlds long before the Senshi were born. Helios, Kuwanya'uma, and all those who had gone to the shelter of Elysion. And then there was her father. Her sisters. None of these memories had been lost to her, not really. If she had taken the time to think about it, she would have remembered. It was almost like going through an old photo album for the first time in years, each photograph at once strange and familiar, and unearthing a trove of other memories that had been shelved long ago. The memories were not surprising. What was surprising was the delight she felt as each memory led to the next. Names, faces, feelings, smells, colors, all of the strange little details that worked together to create a sort of happy homesickness. Given how the Silver Millennium ended--not that she could remember, not exactly, not yet--it surprised her that she was not feeling something more like grief, or even remorse. Guarding the Gates of Time must have given her the, well, the *time* to grieve. In this life, she now had only a distant memory of how her former self lay huddled against the giant doors, shivering with sobs and self-loathing and guilt. During the time she sat there, insensate with misery, the survivors of mankind worked at rediscovering language, and at clinging to life in a post-Glaive world of glaciers, giant carnivores, and continuous tectonic upheaval. By the time that Sailor Pluto returned to something like sanity, a band of nomads had dug a small fire-pit and set up a lean- to in a place that would one day be a city named Hallstadt, better known to anthropologists as the oldest continuous human settlement. If time heals all wounds, Setsuna mused, then Sailor Pluto should have been the healthiest being in all of creation. But Setsuna was not entirely sure that she was the same person as the Sailor Pluto who had been the solitary guardian of the Gates. Sailor Pluto had lived for hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of years. Her own twenty-four years as Setsuna Meiou--not even a full quarter of a century as time was now reckoned--seemed far more momentous in comparison. Of course, she also had the advantage of knowing the story's ending. She knew that the deaths of the Senshi, of Serenity, of the Eunomia, and all the others was not the senseless waste of the Charge of the Light Brigade. Rather, it was more like the passing of Arthur into Avalon, a time of temporary sadness that would end with the heroes riding forth at the hour of greatest need. She felt like she had stumbled across a favorite and forgotten book from her childhood, and finding to her surprise and delight that the book was just as wonderful as before, and that as she read of the characters and their adventures, she was once again pulled along by the narrative, gasping in surprise at revelations and holding her breath at the cliffhangers, all the while saying over and over to herself, "Yes, I remember this. How could I ever have forgotten anything so wondrous as this?" For now, she would dwell in these pleasant memories, forgetting the darker parts of the Silver Millennium and its foundation. The wars with Chaos. Metallia. The sundering of Rhea. Stories that she was not yet ready to share with the others. Then, there was the matter of Thorn and Cerelia. Mamoru was probably shaken enough to learn about Lady Rosamund. Setsuna suspected that this might not be the best time to explain the rest of his convoluted family tree, and how different things could have been. Setsuna wasn't even sure she understood it herself. Of course, in time, she would have to explain these things, and she hoped that the others would understand why she had held back. When you had to tell a young child the story of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, you showed pictures of ruined buildings, and explained about the bright, bright light. You might even tell them a lot of people became very sick. You did not show them the silhouette of a young child burned into a brick wall. You did not tell them about birth defects and cancer. You did not show them film clips of people dying of radiation poisoning, writhing in agony as their skin sloughed away. The more pressing issue, as Setsuna saw it, was what was going on with the golems. Golems weren't much of a problem in and of themselves. All one had to do was destroy their mark, and they would fall to pieces. They could, however cause a lot of damage. They could be ordered to kill. What worried her more than the golems was the question of who had sent them. There was more to their making than simply putting together a Gumby doll and carving the right symbol on its forehead. She wondered if Michiru would be up to trying to track whoever it was that had sent these things. Setsuna put down her brush and leaned back on her pillows. Poor Michiru. She had been so tired and withdrawn lately. All she had been able to gather from Haruka was that Michiru was currently having it out with her mother. Setsuna had never met Kaiou-san, but... She focused on the television. The entertainment reporter was going on brightly about yet another Senshi Spotting. How on earth did they get classified as *entertainment*, wondered Setsuna. Then again, she thought, they lived in idol-crazy Japan. What else could you expect? Even Usagi had caved in and bought a Sailor Moon cell- phone cover. The reporter went on and on, speculating about this, that and the other thing, much of it crude, all of it false. Enough already, thought Setsuna. Show the footage. She was curious to know who had been out in uniform recently. Except for Hotaru, no one had mentioned having to transform for any reason within the past two months. Maybe they needed something to spice up the news and had dug back into file footage. That was probably it, thought Setsuna. She picked up the remote and was about to turn the television off, when the announcer said something completely unexpected. She jacked up the volume. "...leaves us to wonder just who this new Sailor Senshi is." "You have *got* to be kidding me!" she muttered. There *were* no more Sailor Senshi! Even the children of Rhea were accounted for! She willed the smarmy reporter to stop gushing and start rolling film. "As you know, we Senshi Spotters have often speculated as to why no one has ever seen Sailor Earth, or Sailor Sun." Setsuna *tsk'd* and shook her head. There was no Sailor Earth, or Sailor Sun, for that matter. Serenity didn't have the authority to appoint those. The Earth and Sun already had Endymion and Helios, respectively. Besides, Thorn would never have suffered the existence of anyone claiming the title of Sailor Earth, and as for a Sailor Sun... well, she could practically hear Ananke laughing her fool head off at that idea. "Well, take a look at this, fellow Spotters, and tell me what you think of this beautiful young lady." He started the video. (Senshi Spotters paid handsomely for amateur video of the Senshi. Minako had made some good money before Makoto threatened to ram the camcorder down her throat.) It was so brief that she almost missed it. A flash of a girl in a yellow skirt with a shimmering pale yellow bow leaping across the space between two buildings. A red braid trailed behind her like a pennant. "No way..." Those colors. Yellow-gold. White-gold. Red-gold. They played the video again. "Ladies and gentlemen, with that red hair, and the yellow and gold fuku, this can only be Sailor Sun." The sacred colors of the Eunomia. The colors of gold. Setsuna wrapped her arms around herself, and shook her head slowly, trying to logic this tape out of existence. "They couldn't have... They *wouldn't* have... Oh, please, no. No. Wasn't the damned Glaive *enough?* Rewind. Girl in yellow skirt leaps, disappears. "We don't have any other confirmation of this yet, so be sure to keep your eyes open and your cameras at the ready!" Rewind. Play. Setsuna covered her mouth with her hand, willing herself not to scream, willing herself not to be sick. This was not happening. This could not be happening. The Eunomia would never have anointed a Sailor Sun. This couldn't happen, not now, not with Usagi so close to becoming NeoQueen Serenity. It couldn't! The Eunomia had *stepped down*, dammit! The rules had changed! Stepped down? Right. Tell that to the people of Rhea. Oops, that's right, you can't! Why? Because they're all *dead*, that's why! But even the person on the television wasn't sure it was Sailor Sun, right? It wasn't as if the strange girl had given her name. Would Setsuna even have thought of the Eunomia if it hadn't been for the meeting today? It could be a fake. It was probably just some sort of publicity stunt. Somebody probably got clever with CGI and trick photography. Or maybe it was just a Senshi from another system, like the Starlights of Kinmoku. Or like Galaxia. Oh, please, let it be a fake. Please. "That's all for this month's installment of Senshi Spotters. If you have original video of one of the Senshi in action be sure to send us a copy here at the station! Thank you and good night!" # # # In Chapter Six, Ami picks up a new admirer and a new hobby, Minako and Makoto spend a wild night out on the town, Jason and Keisuke take time to look at the scenery, and we find out what Motoki is up to when he's not working at the arcade! By the way, sorry about the huge steaming chunks of exposition in this chapter. Notes: If you want to see a picture of Lamia, Astraea, Ananke, and Rosamund, check out Sailor Moon SuperS vol. 4. They're the ones who brought gifts for the infant Serenity.