Secrets



Chapter 12 - The Trap



	The New Year's cards were delivered shortly after they had all
had breakfast.  Most of them were for Usagi and Mamoru, but a
quick glance showed that Rei had quite a few as well.  Soon
after she had moved in, the two of them had persuaded her to
send letters out to everyone she knew, informing them of her
change of address.  Nevertheless, they stopped off at the shrine
grounds on their way to the Tsukino residence.  Regular mail to
the shrine was being forwarded to the apartment, but sure enough
there was a bundle of New Year's cards sitting in the mailbox. 
As always when Rei came to the grounds, her two crows Phobos and
Deimos flew over and perched on the nearest branch, greeting her
noisily.  As always, she would spare a moment to talk to them. 
Usagi remembered how overjoyed Rei had been to find them alive
and well, the first time she had come here to visit the ruins. 
It had made what could have been an agonizing experience
bearable, and had given Rei a well needed boost.  The two
guardian spirits didn't have much to guard now.  The burned
rubble of the house and the shrine building had been cleared
away, in preparation for the rebuilding that was planned for the
spring.  The police still kept a constant guard over the site. 
It wasn't clear what they were guarding, but Rei had explained
that for various political reasons they were very sensitive
about the Hikawa shrine.  

	The three of them walked back down the long stairway to the
parked car, and continued on their way.  Usagi was suddenly
remembering the last New Years.  It had been the first since she
had moved in with Mamoru, but they had still spent the day at
her parents' house.  That was the year Usagi had hit upon the
idea of inviting Makoto over for the day.  She had wanted to
kick herself for not having thought of it years ago.  Makoto had
no family to share the day with, and as she had told Usagi later
she usually visited her parents' grave, then went by herself to
one or more shrines to offer the traditional prayer for good
luck in the coming year.  But she had been happy to accept the
invitation, had enjoyed spending the day with Usagi's family. 
It had long since become obvious to Usagi's parents that her
four closest friends had become like sisters to her, so they
always treated the girls just like family.  It saddened Usagi
that Makoto was not with them this year.  Ami had said she would
drop by the hospital today and wish her a happy new year.  Usagi
had wanted them all to go, but Ami had convinced her Makoto
should only have one visitor at a time.  Usagi wasn't quite sure
why, but she was willing to trust Ami's judgement.  Well, next
year would be the beginning of the new millennium, even though
Ami said that technically that wasn't until 2001.  They would
all have to plan something special.

	Usagi rang the doorbell, and her mother answered.  "Happy New
Year mom!" Usagi chimed.

	Her mother smiled warmly.  "Happy New Year, kitten.  Come in,
everyone."  She stepped back to let them come in and take off
their shoes and jackets.  Usagi was happy to see that Rei wasn't
bothering with formalities, no longer endlessly thanking Usagi's
family for the invitation each time she came here.  They had
managed to get her out of that habit in the past few weeks.

	Usagi shuffled into slippers.  "Did the cards arrive?"

	"Yes, some time ago," her mother answered.  "We haven't even
unbundled them yet.  A lot of yours are probably still being
sent here, so we waited for you."

	Usagi's expression brightened.  "Does that mean I still get to
sort through them?"

	"Of course, that's still your job."  Ever since she had been
old enough to read  them, Usagi had loved being the one to sort
through the New Years cards, reading out the ones that were to
the whole family.

	"You look really beautiful, Ikuko-mama," Rei said.  Mamoru was
quick to agree.

	Her mother blushed slightly. "Thank you."  She really did look
wonderful.  It was her habit to wear a very colourful formal
kimono on this day.  But she didn't put her hair up, which was
good since as far as everyone was concerned the long, wavy
blue-tinted hair looked best when cascading loosely down her
back.  Usagi and Rei would be changing into slightly less
elaborate ones when they all went out later today to visit a
shrine.  That was about as long as Usagi could stand wearing one
of those things.  On top of the discomfort, they made certain
biological functions essentially impossible.  Usagi had never
had the nerve to ask just how her mother was able to wear one
all day.  It would probably have led to a lecture on enduring
hardships silently.

	Usagi's mother ushered them all in to the living room.  Usagi's
father and her brother Shingo were already there.  Shingo was
reclined on the floor near the TV, it looked like they had been
watching one of the splashy New Years celebrity programs.  "Hi
Dad, Hi Shingo!" Usagi called out, waving.  "Happy New Year!" 
There were greetings all around.  Shingo was dressed casually as
were the other three younger people, but Usagi's father was in
his best suit, also something he traditionally did on this day. 
Usagi spotted the thick bundle of cards sitting on the coffee
table.  "Boy, your pile is still a lot bigger than ours."

	"A lot of those are obligatory cards from my business
associates," her father said.

	Usagi giggled.  "Yeah, I always used to hate those, they were
the boring ones with no pictures or anything."

	"Oh, I expect you'll be getting more of those each year," her
father said.  He glanced at Mamoru.  "Your husband is very
quickly establishing his credentials and becoming more well
known."

	"Well, I don't know about that ..." Mamoru said.

	"Oh it's true!"  Usagi cut in.  "We're always running into
people who have read his articles.  They're always telling him
how good they are."  Even that Smith-san from the Order, she
thought.  That got her to wondering exactly where he was right
now.  She had told him where she would be today, but he had
assured her that he would maintain a discrete distance.  Other
than the times he checked in with them, he had been essentially
invisible, though presumably always nearby.

	"Usagi was telling me you had submitted an article to an
English-language publication," her father said.

	"That's right," Mamoru said.  "A friend of mine helped me with
the translation and I submitted it to Foreign Affairs.  I'm not
too hopeful, but we'll see."

	"Nonsense," Usagi's father said, smiling warmly.  "You're very
highly spoken in our firm as well.  I think your voice deserves
to be heard in the English-speaking world as well."

	"Thank you, Kenji-papa," Mamoru said.  Usagi took his arm and
snuggled up to him, very pleased with herself.  Her father's
attitude to Mamoru had been guarded since she had formally
introduced him to her family, around the time she had started
college.  He had expressed misgivings about their age difference
right up to her wedding.  But since the wedding he had warmed to
her husband considerably.  Her mother had spoken to her
privately once, telling her how proud her father was of the way
Usagi and Mamoru were helping their friend through her time of
grief.  That more than anything had convinced him that Usagi and
her husband really were ready for whatever hardships their
marriage might throw at them.

	"Shingo seems to be following your lead," her father continued.
 "He won another essay contest at school this month."

	"Really?"  Usagi said.  "That's cool!"

	"It was just within my own school," Shingo said.  "No big deal,
really."  Despite his nonchalance, Usagi could sense the pride
he felt.  He had always been a better than average student, but
it seemed that in his high school years something had inspired
him to really excel.  He was doing things like editing the
school paper, the sort of thing he would have avoided like the
plague in middle school.  Their mother was very pleased of
course, but in private she fretted over how he didn't seem to be
taking much interest in girls anymore.  'Count your blessings'
Usagi had countered.

	"I'd like to read your essay sometime, if that's okay," Mamoru
said.

	Shingo couldn't hide how pleased he was.  "Sure.  I've got
spare copies, I can give you one before you leave."

	"Rei," Usagi's mother said.  "I know you have a lot of your own
cards to go through, but would you like to help Usagi sort
through ours first?"

	"Yes, I'd love to," Rei said.  Usagi had been hoping her mother
would suggest that.  Her brilliant plot to turn them all into
Rei's surrogate family was proceeding very nicely.  Usagi
divided the pile of cards in half, and they got to work.  While
the others either chatted or watched TV, they divided up the
cards into piles for the people they were addressed to. 
Whenever one of them came across a card that was addressed to
the whole family, Usagi or Rei would stop to read it aloud to
everyone.

	Usagi came across a particularly striking one.  The picture on
the back was a very simple but elegant brush painting in black
ink, the beautiful pattern suggesting rather than showing cranes
flying over wind-swept grass.  "Wow, this one wasn't printed, it
was hand painted."  She flipped it over.  The New Years greeting
was a poem written in beautiful calligraphy.  The style was
lovely, but very hard to read.  No return address either.  "I
think it's for Shingo.  Rei, can you read that?"  She pointed to
what appeared to be the signature.

	Rei leaned over and looked.  "It's a different character than I
would have thought you were supposed to use, but I'm pretty sure
it's supposed to be read 'Hotaru'."

	"That's mine," Shingo said.  He got up to his knees, reached
over and snatched it out of Usagi's hands.  "Thanks."

	Well, he really seemed to be in a hurry to read that one, Usagi
thought.  And now that she thought about it, he'd gotten a
similar card last year, though without Rei's help Usagi hadn't
been able to read the name.  So that was how you pronounced it.

	Usagi blinked.  *Wait a second.*  

	"Aha!"  She thrust her arm out, pointing at her little brother.
 "I've found Hotaru's secret boyfriend!"

	Shingo glared at her.  He didn't really look angry, just
annoyed.  "A little louder onesama, I think the neighbours might
have missed that."

	"Hotaru?" their mother asked.  Their bewildered parents were
both looking alternately at one of their children and then the
other.

	"It's from Tomoe Hotaru, isn't it?" Usagi asked.

	An ironic smile.  "Only took you two years to figure that out,
onesama?"

	"Hotaru?" their mother repeated.

	"Two years?" Usagi cried.  "You've been her boyfriend for two
years and neither of you even told me?"

	He shrugged.  "You never asked."

	"Hotaru?" their mother repeated.

	"You must remember Hotaru," Usagi said, turning to her suddenly
very attentive parents.  "She would come by to visit Chibi-usa
when she was living with us here."

	"Chibi-usa?"  Her mother put a finger to her chin and cast her
gaze upwards, thinking.  Usagi wondered if she was having
trouble remembering.  When Chibi-usa had left four years ago to
go back to the thirtieth century, Usagi had asked her not to
wipe the memory of her visit from her family's memories. 
Instead, they remembered her as a distant cousin who had come to
live with them in Tokyo for a while.  But since then their
memories had been tampered with by an even more powerful spell
cast by Galaxia's spirit in the form of Chibi-chibi.  Those
memories had been wiped, and Usagi suspected some of the
memories of Chibi-usa had gone with them.

	Usagi decided she might have to jog their memories.  "You know,
the really pretty girl from Infinity Academy?"

	"Oh, her!" her mother said.  She turned to their father.  "You
remember dear, the nice quiet girl who would come over and visit
Usagi's cousin."

	"Yes," her father said hesitantly.  "Yes, I remember her. 
Though I remember her being somewhat older.  Almost Usagi's age
in fact."

	Her mother frowned.  "Yes, that's right."

	Usagi froze up.  *Oops.*

	"Her health was poor back then," Shingo cut in.  "She had a
serious accident when she was small, and it took her a long time
to recover.  She was pretty thin and had to wear these warm
bodysuits, it made her look taller and older.  She's the same
age as me."

	"Is she well now?" their mother asked.  From her tone she might
as well have gone ahead and asked "Is my little girl well?" 
Usagi blinked, her head spinning.  Thirty seconds and their
mother was already thinking of Hotaru as a potential daughter in
law.  Mothers really could be scary sometimes.  Usagi was just
starting to get her head around this, to realize all the little
signs she had missed.  The way they danced at her wedding, the
casual yet familiar way they greeted each other whenever Hotaru
had been over visiting Usagi.

	Shingo smiled. "Yes Mom, she's just fine."

	"So why have we never seen your young lady here?" their father
asked.

	"Well, we don't exactly go out a lot," Shingo said.  "She goes
to a private academy, so she's even busier than I am.  We've
mostly just been writing letters."

	Yes, those mysterious letters, Usagi thought.  Another thing
she had missed.  A lot of things were making more sense now. 
Shingo and Hotaru.  Wow.

	"Well, whenever she can spare an evening we should have her
over for dinner," their mother said.  "I only remember her
vaguely, I'd love to meet her again."

	"Oh, you'll just love her!" Usagi enthused.  "She's gorgeous
and brilliant and just the nicest girl you could ever meet!"

	"The name Tomoe sounds familiar," their father said.

	Usagi froze again.  In her enthusiasm she had let her guard
down, was letting things slip without thinking.  But she had to
say something.

	"Her father is a well know physicist, Kenji-papa," Rei cut in. 
"He was the dean of Infinity Academy before it burned down.  I
understand he was injured in the accident there, it's possible
he took his early retirement for health reasons."

	"Oh my," Usagi's mother said.  "No wonder she's going to a
private academy, coming from such a distinguished family."  She
was looking very, very eager now.  Eager to meet this great
catch her son had made.  Yes, mothers could definitely be scary.

	"If she was a good friend of Usagi's cousin, perhaps we have a
picture of her in one of our albums," her father suggested.

	Usagi was in firm control now that Rei had given her a quick
respite to collect her thoughts.  Time for damage control.  "I
think I might have some pictures," Usagi said.  "But they'll be
in one of my albums.  Do you want me to go have a look?"

	"Jeez, you don't need to do that right now," Shingo said.

	"If you have any, I'd like to see them," their mother said,
ignoring him completely.

	"Okay, I'll go look," Usagi said, getting up.

	"I'd better go help you," Rei said.  "I don't know how you
manage it, but you keep that room looking like a disaster area
faster than Ikuko-mama can clean it, even though you're not even
here once a week."

	"Oh thanks," Usagi said, feigning resentment.  "I suppose you
think you can find things in my room faster than I can?"

	"Well, I did take an Archeology course in my extra year at
Thomas Aquinas, I think that qualifies me to search through your
closet."  They both showed their tongues, and everyone laughed.

	"You two go ahead," Ikuko said.  "I'll finish sorting out the
cards."

	Usagi led Rei up to her room.  When she had closed the door
behind them, Rei gave Usagi a look that was both stern and
sympathetic.  "You really should be more careful what you say,"
she said in a low voice.

	"I know," Usagi said, also keeping her voice down.  "If you
hadn't covered for me I might have really blown it."

	Rei dismissed her guilt ridden self criticism with a gesture. 
"Never mind that.  You don't have any pictures of Hotaru from
when she was little, do you?"

	Usagi shook her head.  "No, I've at least done that right.  All
the pictures I have are from when she looked at least as old as
when Chibi-usa met her.  Any others I gave to Setsuna."

	"Well, that should be okay, then.  We should still flip through
whatever album you're going to take down, just in case."

	"Right."  The albums were in fact very easy to find, Rei had
probably just been looking for an excuse to come make sure Usagi
didn't mess up again.  Usagi felt no resentment about that, just
gratitude.  They flipped through an early picture album, and
found a few of Hotaru, usually with Chibi-usa.  Many of them
were really nice pictures taken by Mamoru when they had gone on
a cherry blossom viewing picnic.  She looked older than the
thirteen years she was supposed to be at the time, but not so
much so that it was impossible to think of her as being that
age.  And she looked so much better in the later pictures Usagi
had of her, much less thin and pale.  That would distract from
the fact that she really didn't look five years older than in
the old pictures.  "I'll take these two," Usagi said, selecting
two albums, an old and a new one.  "When they see the more
recent pictures, maybe they won't even want to look at the old
ones.  I guess we should go."

	She moved to get up from where she was kneeling on the carpet,
but Rei took a hold of her arm, just firmly enough to get her
attention.  "Usagi, what's wrong?"

	Usagi was about to say that nothing was wrong, but could see
from Rei's expression that wouldn't wash.  She sighed.  "It's
been a part of my life for so long now that I don't even think
about it any more.  I mean, this secrecy, lying about all these
things that I can't really explain to them.  I don't know why,
but suddenly it's been bothering me."

	"I guess it's always been hardest for you," Rei said, squeezing
her arm gently.  "You've got the biggest family, and even though
you're living on your own you're still so close to them.  It's
understandable you would feel bad."

	"Rei, we never told the rest of you, but Mamo-chan and I were
thinking of telling them when we went to announce our wedding
day."

	Rei frowned.  "You mean, tell them everything?"

	"Well, at least who Mamo-chan and I really are.  We talked a
long time, but eventually decided against it.  I mean, back then
we didn't know about this new enemy.  It looked like it might be
years before I needed to be Sailor Moon again, so maybe there
was less point in telling them."

	"And now?" Rei asked gently.

	Usagi shook her head.  "I've just had this feeling for a while
now that things are going to change for all of us.  I mean,
things are already changing.  I don't just mean what's happening
in the world, though that's scary enough.  I mean, there are
more people who know about us now.  It's not just our little
secret any more.  I just can't shake the feeling that there's no
going back now."

	"Usagi, it's up to you, but I think you should wait a while. 
At least until we've settled our current business.  Then you can
step back and really think about it."

	Usagi smiled.  "Don't worry, I would talk to you all before I
decided on anything  like that.  And you're right, I probably
should wait.  To tell you the truth, as much as I've wanted to
tell them the truth, I've been dreading it too.  I guess I'm
still a coward."

	Rei took her hand, looked intently into her eyes.  She took a
slow, deep breath before speaking, a sure sign that was was
coming was a difficult thing for her to say.  "Usagi, when you
think the time is right, don't tell them with any fear of how
they will feel about you.  I told you that grandpa found out who
I am just before he passed away.  When he realized who I was,
when I saw the look on his face ... that will always be the
proudest moment of my life."

	"Rei-chan ..." Usagi was grateful beyond words, but more
immediately she was worried about how Rei was feeling.

	But the bittersweet nostalgic look faded, to be replaced by a
warm smile.  "Come on Usagi, they're probably wondering what's
happened to us."

	When they went back down, everybody took a long break from
reading cards to gush over the pictures of Shingo's girlfriend. 
They all did a fine job of thoroughly embarrassing him.



	*****



	As far as Shoji was concerned, the Animal Kingdom was a
glorified petting zoo, and not much of one at that.  Yes, they
had a few mildly exotic animals here, some monkeys and such. 
But mostly it was just barnyard animals.  And lots and lots of
cats and dogs.  After all, this was also supposed to be some
sort of animal shelter.  From what Hitomi was telling him, the
owner was an eccentric heir to a family fortune who cruised the
back alleys of Tokyo in an old beat-up car, picking up abandoned
kittens and puppies and such.  There were signs everywhere
encouraging the guests to adopt one of the poor, adorable little
creatures.  Since they had arrived here about three hours ago he
had seen more than one family walk out of here, each kid smiling
from ear to ear as they held their brand new furry little
friend.  But after slowly working their way through practically
every pen and every kennel in the place, Yui was starting to
look bored and Hitomi was starting to look tired.

	**How you hanging in there, 'Tomi?** Shoji asked.

	**Still okay,** Hitomi said.  **Though I'll probably have a
massive headache tomorrow.**

	**I'll have to get Shoji to give you one of his patented face
massages,** Yui said.  **It really helped me after that rough
'port I did last week.**

	**I might just take you up on that,** Hitomi said.  She had
gained the attention of the dog whose cage she had been peering
into.  She locked eyes with it, and as usual it froze in place
while her eyes glowed.  After just a couple of seconds the glow
faded and the dog went to examining the other humans standing
outside its cage as if nothing had happened.  They worked their
way down the line of cages.  They looked very much like they
were searching for a pet of their own, which was just what they
had intended.  Once or twice one of the volunteers working here
had approached and politely asked whether they needed any
assistance.  Hitomi had just sent them away with a stare and an
equally polite 'No thank you' that had permanently directed
their attention elsewhere.

	They had gone back outside and were headed to a pen of white
geese when Akechi's voice came in an open sending.  **Hey,
everyone.  No panic, but I think you're being followed.**

	They all made a point of not reacting.  Shoji just walked up to
the pen and leaned on the fence, looking casually at the gaggle
of geese.  **Yeah?**

	**Two men.  Looks like one of them's headed closer.  He's not
in a hurry, probably just wants a closer look.**

	**To confirm who we are,** Shoji said.  **So they do have
pictures, just like we thought.**

	**Should I keep going?** Hitomi asked.

	**Sure,** Shoji said.  **Even if he figures out you're up to
something, at this point that's fine with us.**  Hitomi came up
beside him.  He could feel her putting out the warm, comforting
emanations that would attract the animals to her.  After a few
moments, the milling geese were all congregating around their
end of the pen.  One of them looked at Hitomi.  Then another. 
Then another.  With herding or flocking animals, she could get a
group thing going.  Pretty soon they were all looking at her. 
The kids watching from the other side of the pen seemed very
interested in this curious phenomenon.  So did the man walking
slowly by, who was actually doing a fairly good job of just
giving them the odd inconspicuous glance.  He avoided eye
contact completely.  **Akechi, that him?**

	**Yeah.**

	**Okay, when 'Tomi's done with this batch, we'll call it quits.
 Just follow us out the exit.**

	**Sounds good.**

	The glow in Hitomi's eyes brightened for a moment.  Then it
faded, and the geese started milling about at random again.  The
kids on the other side of the fence looked a little glassy-eyed,
but soon recovered.  Residual effects.  That man had not reacted
at all.  Presumably he hadn't been looking at Hitomi at the
wrong time, so he was clueless about what had just gone down. 
Shoji waited for the man to put some distance between them
before slowly leading the two girls to the exit.  He didn't see
or feel Akechi moving up behind them, nor had he expected to.

	**They'll probably follow us out.** Akechi said.

	**That's fine, we'll just duck into that alley like we
planned.**

	They did exactly that.  Without a word, Akechi materialized
behind them.  Shoji stepped behind Yui and put his hands on her
shoulders.  Akechi and Hitomi each took one of her hands.  In a
flash they were in their living room.  Yui kept hold of her
white-haired friend's hand.  **You okay, 'Tomi?**

	**Yeah.  I think I'll go soak in the tub for a bit.**  There
was a sheen of sweat on her face that Shoji had noticed
developing as the day progressed.  She really had been pushing
herself.

	**So you figure you can switch them on and then back off
again?** Shoji asked her.

	**Yes, at least most of them.  You figure we should go
tonight?**

	**Nah, they'll probably be watching that place for weeks. 
Tomorrow should be fine.**

	**Senpai, why does she need to turn them off again?** Yui asked.

	Shoji chuckled.  **Well, assuming the Sailor Senshi take the
bait, we want at least one of them left alive.  That's the whole
point, right?**

	**Oh yeah, right.**  She grinned.  **If that Mars bitch is
there, can I take her?**

	**Whatever you want, Yui-chan.**



	*****



	Ami sighed contentedly, a sound that became a gentle moan as
Ryou's fingers dug deeper into the muscles of her shoulders. 
"Mmm.  That feels wonderful."

	"Hard day at work, ma'am?" Ryou asked.  It was a running joke,
talking to her like a customer at a health spa while he did this
for her.

	"Mmm Hmmm.  Had to help move an anesthetized patient off his
bed for surgery.  He must have weighed a hundred and twenty
kilos at least."  She spoke in a slow, soft voice, Ryou's
attentions almost coaxing her into a dreamlike state.

	"Must have been pretty fat.  Was the surgeon able to find what
he was looking for?"

	"Not funny," Ami said, her tone implying that it didn't matter.
 "That's a serious problem during surgery on overweight people. 
One of the reasons I tell you to watch your weight."

	"Oh, I don't have a problem there, since all I have to eat is
my own cooking."

	"Your cooking is fine," Ami said, her mind only half on the
conversation.  She was lying on her stomach, the side of her
head lying on a pillow, her arms stretched out over her.  She
was on their futon, that being about the only appropriate place
in her little apartment for a massage.  She was covered by
nothing but a light summer blanket over her hips, the space
heater nearby keeping it warm enough that she wouldn't get a
chill.  Her injured muscles had fully recovered, so these
massages were no longer necessary for any therapeutic purpose. 
But Ryou had continued doing this whenever they had the chance,
which was fine by her.  Besides, more often than not this led to
her returning the favour, which would get them both in the mood
for something more intimate, a trick she had learned well from
her previous lover.  Ryou had originally moved in to play
nursemaid for her, but it had become a more or less permanent
arrangement, he using his old place mostly for storage.  Neither
of them minded the cramped quarters, but they had already
started looking for a slightly bigger place that would be more
or less convenient for both of them.

	The sound of her communicator chiming brought Ami fully awake
in an instant.  Without being prompted Ryou moved off his
position astride her back, letting her slide over and grab the
wrist communicator from off her pile of neatly folded clothes
sitting on the tatami mats nearby.  She flipped up the cover, an
act that would signal the sender that she was ready to receive. 
The white dot in the centre of the dial was flashing, meaning
the signal was from Usagi's communicator.  Mars and Saturn's
tiny sigils on the dial were already glowing.  Venus' sigil
started glowing almost immediately.  That had no doubt been what
Usagi had been waiting for before speaking.  "Everyone, the
Ancients have been spotted walking towards the Animal Kingdom," 
Came Usagi's anxious, tinny voice.  "They'll be there in less
than ten minutes."

	"On my way," Ami said.  She winked at Ryou.  "We'll have to
continue this later, duty calls."  She got to her feet, dressed
in naught but her panties.  Dress first?  No, just be sure to
remember her state of undress before she transformed back. 
Minako had forgotten that once, probably would have walked out
of that alley in her birthday suit if the others had not
commented that she must have been in the shower when the call
came.  Ami willed her transformation pen straight into her hand.
 She had found that with practice she didn't need to reach
behind her.  She lifted it over her head, and the flash of
shimmering clear blue light came, sending the rush of power up
and down her body.  In an instant she had transformed into
Sailor Mercury.

	Ryou stood beside her now.  They joined hands.  "Wish me good
hunting," Mercury said.

	"Good hunting," he said absently.  His wistful smile broadened.
 "It's been a while, I'd almost forgotten what you looked like."
 There was a hint of something else in his eye.  So, he really
liked her in this outfit.  On impulse, she leaned forward and
kissed him.  Her body responded with alarming speed, almost
overwhelming her.  She broke it off quickly.  It looked like
they were both surprised by her reaction.  She smiled
sheepishly, her breathing a little heavier now.  "Sorry, my
senses are heightened when I'm Mercury."

	"Really?"  It sounded like he found that fact very interesting.

	She pointed at him.  "Don't even think about it.  I'd end up
either drowning or freezing us."  As Minako had found out once,
she neglected to add.

	"We can talk about it when you get back."  His expression
sobered.  "Ami, I have a feeling what you're doing tonight won't
be easy.  Be careful."

	She knew better than to press him for details.  His
precognition only worked so far.  "I will."  She jumped lightly
to the little window and opened it.  She leapt straight out and
onto the opposite roof.  Since yesterday they had half expected
to be called to the Animal Kingdom, so she had the route will
mapped out.  It was in their immediate neighbourhood, so there
was no point going to the shrine to teleport, the Senshi would
simply converge directly on the Animal Kingdom.  Hotaru was
staying at Makoto's nearby apartment, after Ami had identified
herself to the landlord as Makoto's medical proxy and had
introduced Hotaru as a friend of hers.  They had decided on that
yesterday, after two of Saori's plainclothesmen had positively
identified three of the people captured on Umino's security
camera.  They had not attacked anyone, but had appeared to be
searching the grounds.  Presumably for their next target.  The
police had promptly lost them, probably because they teleported.
 The small part of Ami's mind that was not devoted to
manoeuvring over the rooftops and walls reviewed the plan.  Now
that the enemy had been spotted in the same place again, they
were presumably going after their target.  By now the police had
evacuated the few people who normally spent the night on the
grounds.  In their place, Takada-san would be waiting for the
Ancients.  Supposedly he had a very nasty surprise for them.

	When she was within a couple of blocks, she went down to street
level and opened her communicator.  "This is Mercury.  I'm
nearby."

	"They've gone over the front gate," Usagi said.  She was
keeping her voice down.  "We're all at the back gate."

	"On my way."  She ran down the narrow streets, making her way
around to the back of the grounds before approaching.  It was a
narrow alleyway that ran along the brick wall that marked the
back of the property.  Sailor Moon, Mars, Venus and Saturn were
already there.  So were the refugees.  They had dropped their
glamours, so they were not in their human form.  They had warned
Takada that they dropped their glamours when going into combat
to conserve energy.  So everyone involved in this operation were
briefed that they would be working in collaboration with Sailor
Senshi, and also with extraterrestrials.  Ami could only guess
how Saori had explained that one.  But apparently she had, for
she was standing there with two of her fellow officers.  At
least she presumed they were her officers, for they were without
the shades worn by Smith and the three Suits who waited with him
nearby.  She had to wonder how those four could see, the
alleyway was dark enough as it was.  The gate in the wall was
open, but there was a building right in front of it, blocking
their view of the grounds.  Presumably this was a service
entrance.

	Nobody spoke.  They all were looking towards Saori, who
appeared to be waiting to hear something on her headset. 
Waiting for word that the trap had been set.  Ami glanced at the
various people congregated here.  Naturally, everyone was tense
and anxious.  If the police agents or the agents from the Order
felt unnerved by the presence of Senshi or E.T's, they were just
working with it.

	There was a flash of red light from the grounds and a *whump*
like a great fire suddenly being ignited.  Saori put up her
hand.  *Wait for it.*  After three of Ami's quick heartbeats,
Saori nodded.  "Now!"  They poured through the gate, by previous
agreement following Sailor Moon's lead.  She led them around the
left side of the building and into the open ground beyond. 
*Just follow the red light,* Takada had said.  When they had all
cleared the building and fanned out, Ami could see what he
meant.  The great flaming red pentagram blazing three meters
over the ground lit up the whole area with a ruddy glow.

	The four Ancients were directly underneath it.  Great sparks
like lightning snaked up and down between the shimmering
spherical barrier they had around themselves and the glowing
pentagram that bore down on them, making sounds like downed high
tension cables.  Ami got the impression that barrier was the
only thing keeping the Pentagram from falling down on them and
consuming them.  Takada had said there was some chance it would
do just that even before they had a chance to put up any kind of
barrier.  Since they were still there, it meant that Takada's
spell was performing its secondary function: preventing them
from moving or teleporting out of it.  That meant they were
moving straight into plan B.

	The Senshi, Thetan and K'theelm formed a rough arc centred on
the trapped Ancients.  On their right, Smith and his three
companions were levelling big revolvers at the ESPers.  That
surprised Ami.  They had all seen the disastrous outcome when
two of Saori's agents had confronted the Ancients.  One of them
would have died, had it not been for Saturn's speedy
intervention.  She had to presume they only meant to use the
guns if the PK barrier went down.  Saori and her two agents were
holding back, but to the left of the Senshi four uniformed
officers were running over to take up position.  Ami spared a
closer look at the bulky weapons they had put to their
shoulders.  Saori had mentioned them.  Tasers, apparently
powered up ones that might even disrupt the PK barrier as a last
resort.  Ami shifted her gaze back to the enemy.  Their eyes
were all glowing, she could even see the ones behind the shaded
glasses of the white haired girl.  It was hard to read their
expressions at this distance and under the crackling light show,
about all she could tell was that they were all crouched down,
ready for action.  Takada said that his spell would make any
attacks of theirs backfire on them.  Either they knew that or it
was taking all their power just to keep up their shield.

	Takada also walked up to take his position in line, right
beside Sailor Moon.  "I'm going to explain the situation to
you," he called out to the Ancients.  He threw three objects out
towards them, they landed on the ground under the pentagram but
just outside the PK barrier.  Three metal rings, each about
fifteen centimetres across.  "You have two choices.  First
choice, you levitate those rings inside your barrier, I know
you're capable.  They're power suppressors.  You put them on and
I activate them.  When your barrier collapses, my spell will
descend and bind you.  It won't be pleasant but you'll live to
tell about it.  Second choice, we stand here and wait until my
spell starts to run out of steam.  When it does, I give the
signal for everybody here to hit your barrier with everything
they've got, on a count of three.  I have no idea what would be
left of you after that and I don't really care.  I'd suggest you
make up your minds quickly."

	The white haired girl drew herself up to full height, as if
taking in a deep breath.  She shouted, her voice having a
resonating quality as if it were being amplified somehow or as
if it were accompanied by an echoing voice in Ami's head.

	"Action!"

	Everybody tensed up.  Something was wrong.  After a moment, Ami
realized what it was.  The sounds of the animals in the pens
around them were growing louder.  Ami had already been vaguely
aware of their making a ruckus, no doubt alarmed by what looked
like a fire in their midst.  Now it sounded like they were being
driven mad.

	A fence to their left shattered, making everybody look.  A
stampede of howling monsters came bearing down on them.

	Within seconds, all the pens, cages, and buildings around them
were being reduced to splinters, shattered by the screaming
monstrosities that were breaking out of them.  Some ran on all
fours, others flew, a few even ran on hind legs.  They seemed to
be growing and spouting more tusks, claws and fangs even as they
converged on the humans.  They all had glowing red eyes full of
raw animal hatred.  Their cries and roars were deafening.

	Ami spotted one of Smith's men take a bead on one of the
charging monsters.  Good God, conventional weapons were all but
useless against creatures like this, didn't they even know that
much?  The gun went off, with not as much flash or noise as Ami
would have expected.  The humpbacked doglike monster barely
seemed to notice the impact on its wide chest, but a split
second later bluewhite lightning whipped out of the impact
point, turning in on the creature and enveloping it.  The thing
screamed piteously and fell to the ground, convulsing horribly. 
So they were using very unconventional ordinance.

	Everyone fired at once, bullets and Senshi attacks and taser
wires going out in all directions.  Ami took two precious
seconds to scan in all directions, looking for an opening. 
There was none, they were surrounded.  Without an escape route,
putting up a screen of fog would be worse than useless.  Instead
she shot at the most immediate threat, calling up her Aqua
Rhapsody and sending shimmering blue streams of supercooled gas
at a flock of great screeching birds that were bearing down on
them.  Most of them plummeted to the ground, their frozen bodies
shattering just in front of her.  The ones at the edge of the
area effect also fluttered to the ground.  The ones that moved
flopped about, crying in agony.  The red glow was gone from
their eyes, and they were shrinking before Ami's eyes, changing.
 The live ones were changing into what looked like geese.

	There was a pause after the first volley, like Ami everyone was
probably hoping the wholesale slaughter would discourage the
others, send them running.  But their attack seemed to just
enrage the creatures all the more, they were only delayed as
long as it took to leap around and over their fallen brethren. 
Ami sent another Aqua Rhapsody splashing over a group of
misshapen sabre-toothed cats running straight for her at
alarming speed.  Their bodies also fell and shattered.  Some who
had half succeeded in leaping away were rolling on the ground
mewling, their heaving breaths sending out clouds of steams as
their half frozen lungs laboured.  Scanning for new threats, she
noticed that the creatures were giving the glowing pentagram a
wide berth.  Ironically, Takada's spell was protecting the
Ancients.  She had noticed a sound like colossal hooves becoming
louder, and could feel it like an earthquake now.  A massive
unicorn three meters at the shoulder came galloping around the
pentagram, crying with a sound like metal being shredded,
foaming at the mouth, tearing up the ground with its great
hooves.  At sight of the beleaguered humans it lowered its head
and charged.  Ami sent a tightly focused Aqua Rhapsody straight
into it.  The colossus tumbled and fell, rolling on the ground. 
It's frost-whitened body twisted and gyrated, kicking up great
streams of dirt with its wild thrashing.  The smaller animals
behind it gave it a wide berth, it would take them a few moments
to move around the colossus going through its noisy death
throes.  Ami made use of the momentary respite to look back and
check on her companions.  She looked at Sailor Moon just in time
to see the rod in her hand grow to its full three meter length. 
The Teal.  She meant to unleash the Silver Moon Crystal Power,
release the animals from their berserker rage.  But she didn't
notice the thing like a black dire-wolf leaping at her from
behind.  Ami screamed, already knowing it was too late.

	A glaive went streaking through the air, its long blade sinking
into the creature's side.

	Its forelegs stumbled and its massive head slammed into Sailor
Moon's back.  She went down and the dire-wolf fell on top of
her.  Ami ran as fast as she could.  An even faster white and
violet streak shot out in front of her.  Saturn grabbed the
bobbing shaft of her Silence Glaive, twisted it and cut across
the soft underbelly, gutting the animal.  Half a second later
Ami drove a flying kick into the flailing creature's neck,
crushing its windpipe.  She leaped over its head, grabbed the
scruff of its neck and with a cry of effort pulled the still
quivering carcass off Sailor Moon's still form.  Ami knelt next
to her Princess, probing gently with her hands.  She willed her
visor into existence, and the translucent field wrapped around
her eyes.  In two heartbeats she had her diagnosis.  Nothing
broken, no major bleeding, no internal injuries.  Brain waves
showing wakefulness, just dazed from the impact.  Ami wanted
just to stand over her and protect her.  But it was the rest of
them who needed Sailor Moon's protection, needed her power.  Ami
grabbed her and pulled her roughly into a sitting position. 
"Usagi!" she shouted.  "Usagi, you've got to try it again!"

	Usagi's eyes were starting to focus again.  "Okay ... will ...
in a minute."

	Ami was about to yell that they didn't have a minute when she
heard Saturn shout a warning.  What could easily have been the
dire-wolf's mate was charging them.  Two disembowelled things
like great wildcats lay at Saturn's feet, indicating what had
been keeping her busy in the past few seconds.  The second
dire-wolf leapt.  Saturn drove the butt of her glaive into the
ground and angled the blade up.  The blade and half the shaft
disappeared down the creature's throat, stopping it dead. 
Remarkably, Saturn stood her ground.  One of her hands was
practically in its mouth.  She wrenched what little of the shaft
she still had to play with out of the furrow it had cut in the
earth, and with a savage cry yanked her weapon out of the
thing's great gaping maw, twisting and cutting as she pulled. 
It dropped with a horrible gurgling sound, vomiting a great
stream of dark blood.  Saturn turned to them, her wild, violet
eyes locking on Sailor Moon.  "I'll guard your back, Princess. 
Please help us."  She faced away from them again, her
bloodstained glaive held at the ready.  Usagi picked up her
teal, which without her will directed to it had reverted to its
short length.  Ami helped her to her feet, all the while trying
to scan for threats.  Her eyes caught moments of horror.  Venus
delivering a spin kick to a razor-fanged dog, snapping its neck.
 Mars leaping to avoid two creatures who had jumped right
through the sheet of flame she had thrown at them, both of them
now burning brightly from head to tail and not seeming to care. 
Saori rapid-firing her gun into the open maw of an injured
wildcat trying to limp to one of Saori's fallen comrades. 
Thetan closing a great wolf in a bearhug, crushing its ribcage. 
K'Theelm flying one of the policemen out of the grounds, great
screeching birds clawing at his shimmering force shield.  Three
misshapen wolves fighting over the shredded carcass of another
policeman.  Her companions were all caught up in their own
battles, unable to see that they were all being separated, being
lost in a sea of monsters alive and dead.

	Sailor Moon was preparing to unleash her power again, the Teal
growing in her hands.  Two knuckle-walking baboons came loping
at her and Ami, now the most obvious targets in the area.  From
another direction a pack of something like hyenas came running. 
They would be here before Sailor Moon was ready, and Ami
couldn't get them both.  She ran straight out between the two
groups of monsters, screaming as she went.  It was the worst
tactical position but the one most likely to divert their
attention from Sailor Moon.  It worked all too well.  The
baboons leaped into the air with a speed that belied their bulk,
the hyenas angled in on her.  She just kept running.  The
analytical part of her mind told her she was checkmated, dead no
matter what she did.

	Three globes of light came streaking down like meteors.  Gold,
blue and silver hit the baboons, the hyenas and a charging
sabretooth she hadn't noticed, all within a second.  They
disintegrated, and Ami was assaulted by the shockwaves of the
explosions all around her.  Coming under artillery fire must be
something like this, she thought.

	Uranus, Neptune and Pluto landed all around her, seeming to
come out of nowhere.  Without a word they each faced a different
direction and called out their attacks.  Earth Shaking, Deep
Submerge and Dead Scream went shooting out as three more globes
of energy streaking along the ground, cutting great swaths
through the swarming monsters.  Scores of them screamed and
died.  Uranus and Neptune immediately ran towards Venus and Mars
respectively.  Ami saw Uranus run straight at a great horned
bull that Venus was trying to dance around.  She launched
another Earth Shaking at point blank range, literally blowing it
in half.

	Pluto came up beside Ami.  "The Princess will free these
creatures from their madness," she said, her eyes scanning their
surroundings, taking in the scene of horror with implacable
calm.  Ami turned to look back at Sailor Moon.  True to her
word, Saturn had guarded her back.  She stood atop a pile of
felled monsters, her glaive held high.  Ami shuddered.  This was
how Rei must have seen Saturn in her dream years ago, seen her
in her guise as the Senshi of Destruction.

	The pentagram and the Ancients were gone.  Takada's spell must
have reached its limit, letting its four captives make good
their escape.

	Sailor Moon's long Teal glowed, and a penumbra of silvery light
shimmered around her.  She threw back her head and called out
the words of healing.  "Silver Moon Crystal Power!"  Light
exploded around her.  She disappeared behind a dazzling sphere
of silvery light that raced out at them, swallowing everything
in its path.  Ami flinched as it came at her, but she hardly
felt it, except maybe as a warm tingling that washed over her
body.  Inside the swelling sphere of power it was light as day. 
It flowed around and through everything in its path.  The
monsters touched by it all glowed a brilliant silver, then
suddenly they weren't monsters anymore.  They were just cats and
dogs and other animals, blinking and looking around as if
wondering what had been going on.

	In a matter of seconds it was over.  The ruins of the Animal
Kingdom were dark again, lit only by the moon and the stars and
a few small fires.  The cacophony of howling was gone, to be
replaced by nothing but the sound of Ami's own laboured
breathing, the blood rushing through her head.  The stench of
blood and scorched flesh was overpowering.

	There were voices now.  More police and more Suits.  Some of
the former held assault rifles with flashlights attached. 
Somewhere in Ami's tangled memory of events was a recollection
of having heard automatic weapons fire.  Saori's backup trying
to fight their way towards their trapped companions.  Right now
it was the flashlights on their weapons they were using, as they
searched among the slaughtered creatures for their wounded. 
Which was what Ami should have been doing.  "Pluto, I should go
see if anybody needs my help."

	"I understand.  I'll stay with the Princess, she shouldn't be
alone."

	She was right.  Ami had seen the look in Usagi's eyes, the pain
of her empathy for the innocent creatures driven to madness by
the Ancients' horrible powers.  She would be devastated by what
had happened, what she had seen.  Ami forced herself to focus on
the task at hand.  Her visor was still in place, she used it to
scan her surroundings.  Almost immediately she spotted life
signs, something alive underneath one of the huge, misshapen
corpses.  She ran over there.  It was a Suit, half visible under
the furry bulk that pinned him.  Ami put her arms under the
massive corpse and rolled it off the man.

	Smith grinned up at her.  "Thanks.  Damn, that thing was heavy."

	"Are you hurt?" Ami asked.  Her scans were already showing him
to be in fairly good shape.  Then she saw his arm, and the great
gash dribbling more blood into the already soaked earth around
it.

	"Damn thing got a good swipe at me before it dropped."

	"I'll take care of it," Ami said.  She tore off the already
shredded sleeve of his suit jacket and shirt, both exposing the
wound and providing her with material for a tourniquet.  First
priority was to at least slow the bleeding until he could get
better treatment.  She went to work quickly but methodically.

	"What exactly was that anyway?" Smith asked.

	"You mean the light?  Sailor Moon did that.  It's ... a sort of
exorcism."

	"I thought that was Mars' specialty."

	"Well, Sailor Moon's power is more like a purification."

	Smith grunted as Ami tightened the tourniquet.  "Sure purified
the hell out of this place."

	"Let's get you up a bit."  Ami helped him into a sitting
position, leaning back on the dead creature for lack of anything
better, laying his arm across it.  The bleeding was just a very
slow trickle now.  She looked around.  The police were helping
other wounded, it looked like some of them had first aid kits. 
They were all busy, but they should be working their way over
here soon.  A few flakes of snow were beginning to fall.  She
turned back to Smith.  "You've lost a lot of blood.  Not enough
to go into shock I don't think, but I'll stay with you until
other help arrives."

	"Thanks.  Your people all okay?"

	"Yes."  She had seen all the Senshi alive and well in the few
seconds that Sailor Moon's power had lit up the area.

	"Really went to hell in a handbasket, didn't it?"

	Ami had no idea what to say.  She focused on something
concrete.  "What sort of bullets do those guns of yours use?"

	"That's classified."  He suddenly started laughing, but it soon
turned into a cough and a wince.  "Oh, that hurt.  Sorry,
automatic reaction.  Fact is, I have no idea how they work, we
just get these little charms from our Tibet branch.  I'm not
sure if head office even tells them why we want them exactly
zero point four four inches in diameter.  We just fit them into
shell casings."

	Ami looked at the .44 Magnum revolver lying on the ground
nearby.  "Magic and technology," she said softly.

	"Ever heard of Clarke's Law?" Smith asked.

	Ami looked at him in surprise.  After a moment, they were both
smiling.  "Yes, I have."

	"Take my word for it, he's right.  It's all just different ways
of getting the job done."  His attention was diverted by
something behind Ami.  She turned to see Takada walking over. 
He was cleaning off the blade of his long katana with a cloth. 
The Masamune that Rei had talked about.  He opened up his
overcoat and carefully lowered the blade into a black scabbard
that hung under the coat.  He crouched down next to Smith and
Ami.  "I'm happy to see you two alive and well."

	"You done a head count?" Smith asked.

	Takada nodded.  "Suzuki and Watanabe are dead."

	"I'm sorry.  We got separated."

	Takada shook his head.  "My fault, we walked right into this
one.  Should have known better."

	"And Saori's people?"

	"Four dead.  Another one ... probably won't make it."

	That got Ami's attention.  "What sort of treatment is he
getting?"

	"Saturn and Jeneth are with him."

	"I should probably go see if I can help."  She didn't have
their healing powers, but her sensors might come in handy.

	"Go ahead," Takada said.  "Everyone else has been accounted for
and treated.  They're over there."

	Ami walked in the direction Takada had pointed.  She noticed
Pluto walking towards her.  For a moment Ami was angry,
wondering why Pluto wasn't with the Princess like she said.  She
spotted Sailor Moon, and suddenly she understood.  Tuxedo Mask
was holding her, speaking softly to her.  Yes, of course he
would be here, he would have sensed her mortal danger.  But not
even he had been able to slip in unannounced, not through the
hellish stampede the Ancients had instigated.  By the time he
had fought his way anywhere near her it would have been all over.

	Pluto and Mercury both stopped and regarded one another.  "Why
did you come?" Ami asked.

	"We heard Usagi's broadcast signal," Pluto said.  "We guessed
you had set a trap for the Ancients."

	Ami wondered whether Usagi's forgetting to exclude them from
the signal had been accidental or deliberate.  She suspected
even Usagi couldn't be sure.  At any rate, there was another
matter Ami felt compelled to address.  She fixed her gaze firmly
on Pluto as she spoke.  "Thank you for saving my life."

	"You're welcome."

	"I need to go see if I can help Saturn."

	"Of course."

	Ami continued on her way, walking quickly.  Pluto followed at a
respectful difference.  Ami hated what she was feeling, the
contempt, the coldness.  It felt dirty, unwholesome.  Regardless
of what had happened, it felt utterly wrong.  She put that in
the back of her mind as she began to assess the scene she
approached.  Saturn and Jeneth knelt over their patient, a young
policeman sprawled on the ground.  Ami's heart sank.  There was
far too much blood.  The wounds exposed by the tears in the
uniform had been healed just sufficiently to staunch the
bleeding.  Saturn's touch was now directed to the man's heart. 
The blue aura around her hands was barely visible, her power was
being directed deep inside the man now.  The same could be said
for Jeneth, her black-nailed hands cradling the man's head,
little dim blue auras at her fingertips suggesting at the power
she was projecting.  They had attracted a small audience with
their life and death struggle.  Uranus and Venus stood to one
side.  Two of the officers with assault rifles stood on the
other, providing some extra light with their flashlights.  One
of them had claw marks across the front of his uniform, exposing
the flak jacket underneath.  They were both spattered in blood. 
It looked like Usagi's purification had come just on time to
save them.

	But not on time to save their companion.  Ami retracted her
visor, it had already told her that the man was beyond hope.

	Jeneth withdrew her hands and leaned back.  "I'm sorry, we were
too late," she said softly.

	Saturn shook her head stiffly, still intent on her task.  Ami
could now see more clearly the signs of the effort she was
straining under.  She was sweating, shaking slightly, her whole
body tense.  "No.  His heart is still beating."

	"There's almost nothing for it to pump," Jeneth said.  "If you
withdraw your power, it will stop."

	"But I can feel it," Saturn insisted.  "I can feel it beating."

	Jeneth regarded her for just a moment.  Then she got up and
walked over to the man's other side.  She crouched down and very
gently laid her hands on Saturn's arms.  "Saturn.  Saturn, it's
over."

	"No."

	"Saturn!"  The young girl started, surprised at the sharp tone
and at having her arms tightly clamped.  Her concentration
broken, the glow around her hands faded.  "You have to let him
go."  Jeneth stood up, drawing Saturn with her.  She stepped
over the body between them, all the while keeping a firm grip on
Saturn's arms and a firm lock on her eyes.  "You have to let
this one go."  Saturn was still shaking, her breaths coming
ragged, almost as sobs.  It looked like she was trying very hard
not to cry.  Her eyes darted furtively back down to the man she
had just seen die, but settled back on Jeneth's alien face.  Her
expression was harder to read without her glamour, but Ami could
still see the signs of her compassion.  In just the couple of
times the two healers had met, they had taken to each other
almost immediately.  Jeneth wasn't just advising a younger
healer, she was consoling a friend.

	After a few moments, Saturn calmed down a bit.  She swallowed
and nodded.  "Okay.  Okay."  Ami could hardly believe this was
the same death-dealer she had just seen reduce a stampede of
screaming monsters to a pile of carcasses.  Now she was just
Hotaru again.  She lowered her hands, and Jeneth let them go. 
She turned to face the two armed men who still stood watching
the little tableau with stoic expressions.  "I ... I'm sorry. 
He's dead."

	The one whose uniform was shredded just nodded.  "Thank you." 
Whether for telling him or for trying to save his companion's
life was not clear.  They both seemed determined to maintain an
air of grim authority, but Ami could see how spooked they were. 
Like they had suddenly found themselves on another planet. 
"You've all helped us a great deal," he continued.  He suddenly
glared at Uranus.  "Though *some* of you could stand to work on
your fire control."

	Uranus returned his stare coldly, her arms crossed.  "I missed
you by a full meter, just as I intended.  It was the two
oversized pit bulls coming behind you that I was aiming at." 
The man didn't seem inclined to respond.  He turned and walked
away, his companion following close behind.  They headed to
where Ami could see Saori speaking with another of the armed
officers, no doubt to tell her she had lost a fifth man.

	Ami noticed that Venus looked particularly distressed.  She
walked over to her, which got her attention.  "Venus, are you
okay?"

	"It was just like the first time I fought them, when they made
those birds attack me.  I should have seen it, I should have
seen why they lured us here."

	Ami shook her head.  "Nobody could have guessed they could do
this on such a scale."

	"Could they do this to people as well?" Uranus asked.  Ami
caught the tone of the question.  She was looking for possible
threats, wondering if they could trust the people around them.

	"Maybe," Ami said.  "I suspect they had to do something to
these animals ahead of time, that's why they were here so long
yesterday."

	"Poor things," Venus said.  "I know we didn't have any choice
but-"

	"Don't you touch me!"

	They all turned to where Saturn's shout had come from, just a
couple of meters away.  Pluto had just taken a step back, still
holding up the hand Saturn had just slapped away, but no longer
reaching out.  "Look at what they've done!" Saturn said,
gesturing wildly around her.  "Look at it!  Those people are
monsters!  How could you have helped them?  How could you
possibly have made friends with them?"  She shook with rage. 
Jeneth still stood behind her, but was not inclined to intervene
on a matter between Avatars.

	Pluto's calm did not waver.  "The people who did this are no
friends to anybody, not any more.  They have been renounced by
their own family.  The one who leads them has been renounced by
his own mother, my friend."

	"You told us that already," Saturn said, glaring up at the
taller Senshi.  "What difference does that make?"

	"The difference is now I don't just suspect it, I know it to be
true," Pluto said.  "Kaori has told me everything."

	"So your friend finally told you her name?" Saturn asked
bitterly.

	"I've always know it.  But a few days ago we decided to fully
confide in each other."

	"What the hell does that mean?" Venus asked, coming up beside
Ami.  "My God, you haven't told them our identities have you?"

	"No," Pluto said, her gaze shifting to Venus.  "Only mine,
which she already knew."

	"Oh fine."  Venus turned to look at Uranus.  "A piece of
friendly advice for you and Neptune.  Usagi thinks these ESPers
are looking to take the soul of one of us, which is the best
theory I've heard.  Pluto seems to have developed a death wish,
I'd suggest you move out of her house before they come calling."
 Unspoken was the assumption that Pluto's soul being taken was
of no concern to her.

	"Kaori will tell nothing to her son," Pluto said sternly.  "I
told you, she has renounced him utterly.  In fact, she wants to
help us hunt him down."

	"Fine," Venus said.  "Did she tell you where he's hiding out?"

	"She doesn't know."

	"Then maybe you should tell her thanks but no thanks.  We'll
just send her his head if she wants something to bury."

	"How does she think she can help us?" Ami asked.  She could
tell that Venus was speaking just out of anger, not really
thinking about what she was saying.  She discretely reached out
and took Venus' hand.

	"Many of the Ancients have the ability to detect the presence
of their own at some distance.  When their Matriarch hears that
the rogues have taken more lives, it is likely she will order a
manhunt.  They may have more success than we would."  It looked
like she wanted to say more, but instead she turned her
attention to the two people who had just approached.

	Takada bowed.  "My apologies for the interruption.  I am
Takada, director of the Japan office of the Hidden branch of the
Order.  This is my colleague, agent Saori Nagashima, whom I
believe is known to all of you."  So she really is part of the
order now, Ami thought.  "I believe I have the pleasure of
addressing Sailor Pluto and Sailor Uranus," he continued,
looking in turn at each of the Senshi he had correctly
identified.

	"That's correct," Pluto said.  Her tone and expression implied
she was wondering why she should be talking to him at all.

	"Takada-san and Saori-san have been helping us track down the
rogue Ancients," Ami explained to Pluto.  "They are part of the
same order Mars worked under as a child."

	"I see," Pluto said.  She turned to Takada.  "I believe you are
acquainted with a woman among the Ancients named Megumi."

	"And her son Akira, yes," Takada said.  "Regretfully, I have
not seen either in some time."

	Ami suspected Pluto was probing him, confirming he was who he
claimed.  "Perhaps we can change that," Pluto said.  "I've
spoken with Megumi's sister Kaori.  She and I would like to
arrange for us to hunt down the rogues together."

	"So I heard you mention," Takada said.  "I'd very much like to
talk about that."

	"Yes, I think we should," Pluto said.

	"You'll have to pardon me," Saori suddenly said.  She turned
and walked over to intercept a man who was walking towards the
group.  Ami recognized him as one of the officers who had been
waiting in the alley behind the grounds.  One of the survivors. 
Either Saori really wanted to talk with him or she didn't want
him to hear what the others were talking about.  Ami also
noticed Mars and Neptune approaching from a different direction.
 She suspected they had been helping with the wounded.

	"This is probably not the best place," Takada said.  "I've
called for the cleanup crew, they will start arriving in a few
minutes."

	"Cleanup crew?" Uranus asked.

	"An emergency response unit," Takada said.  "We've worked quite
closely with them in the past.  Not too many people know about
this unit, it was created by the city government soon after the
Starlight Tower incident.  They specialize in discrete cleanup
and disposal at incident sites requiring such attention.  My
colleague Saori will stay and coordinate their operations with
the police, but I think the rest of us should leave here as soon
as possible."

	"You're talking about doing a coverup," Venus said.

	"Put plainly, yes."

	"I agree, we should go," Mars said.  "I want to get the
Princess out of here right away."  There was an edge of urgency
in her tone, but the sadness Ami saw convinced her it wasn't
necessarily Usagi's physical safety she was concerned about.

	"I'll inform Thetan and K'Theelm," Jeneth said.  "If you'll
pardon me."

	"My thanks," Takada said to her.  "More than one of the men
here owe their lives to you."  She nodded and left them.

	Now that there was no longer an immediate emergency and they
were about to go, something else occurred to Ami.  "I've been
hearing some animal cries," Ami said.

	"Some were hurt before the Princess could purify them," Neptune
said.  "I've put down a few that were beyond help."  Ami frowned
at Neptune's cool tone.  She hoped that she would never get to a
point where she could even pretend not to be upset over taking a
life.  But she knew that wasn't fair.  She knew Neptune well
enough to realize how this would bother her, she was just very
good at hiding it.

	"Our cleanup crew will be able to bring in resources to take
care of the rest," Takada said.  "Heaven knows the poor
creatures have suffered enough already."  He turned to Ami. 
"Mercury, I wonder if I can ask you to tell Pluto how I can be
contacted."

	"Of course," Ami said.

	"I'll contact you as soon as I have any news of the Ancients,"
Pluto assured him.

	"Thank you.  Then, if you'll all excuse me."  He turned and
left.

	Ami's attention was caught by Saturn walking closer.  She had
been quiet since her run in with Pluto.  Ami could see that she
had calmed down.  But she looked no less upset.  "Setsuna?"

	Pluto looked a bit surprised at Saturn's gentle tone.  "Yes?"

	"I'm sorry about what I said.  What happened here wasn't your
fault, I know that."

	Pluto smiled.  "It's very nice of you to try and tell me that. 
But we both know otherwise.  All this blood is on my hands."

	"No, it's not."

	They all turned to where Usagi's voice had come from, behind
Sailor Pluto.  Sailor Moon closed the short distance between
them, Tuxedo Mask walking beside her with his arm and cape held
around her shoulders.  Where the eyes behind his mask were cold
as steel, Sailor Moon regarded Pluto with compassion.  "I know
you could never be friends with anybody who could do ... this." 
She waved at the scene of devastation around them.  "You and
your friend were betrayed, it's not your fault."

	"We allowed ourselves to be betrayed," Pluto said.  "I can't
expect forgiveness for the suffering I've caused."  She looked
at Mars while she said that part.  "All I can do now is what I
should have done in the first place."  Without warning she sank
down to one knee and bowed.  "I am yours to command, my Queen. 
Though I have no right to ask, will you accept me back into your
service?"  Ami saw that Uranus and Neptune had done the same. 
All three of them knelt in identical positions of solemn
respect, awaiting the judgement of their Queen.

	"Pluto ..." Sailor Moon stepped closer to the kneeling Senshi,
Tuxedo Mask stepping aside and letting her go.  She bent and
reached out her hand.  Hesitantly, Pluto took it and allowed
herself to be drawn back up.  Sailor Moon embraced her, closing
her eyes and resting her head against the taller woman's
shoulder.  "You didn't even need to ask."  She stepped back just
enough to be able to look up into the astonished Senshi's eyes
and smile.  Uranus and Neptune were still kneeling, but now they
were looking up at their queen with wonder and what Ami would
describe as desperation.  Without another word, Sailor Moon gave
them the thing they so desperately needed.  She walked over to
Uranus, drew her up and embraced her, then did likewise for
Neptune.  Their faces showed their joy and gratitude more openly
than Pluto's had.  Uranus seemed on the verge of tears.  Nobody
spoke, nobody wanted to interrupt this act of absolution.  Ami
suddenly felt ashamed of having treated Pluto so coldly, ashamed
of ever having thought that Pluto's love for their Princess was
any less than her own.  Theirs had been an error in judgement,
that could always be forgiven.

	Sailor Moon looked around the assembled Senshi and frowned. 
"Where are Jeneth and the others?"

	"They're probably gone by now," Venus said.  "They weren't
hurt," she said to answer her unspoken question.  "Takada-san
told us we should probably be leaving as well, he has people
coming in to clean up here."

	"Pluto told me somebody had been hurt."

	Nobody spoke for a moment.  Ami realized nobody had told her
yet.  And it was dark, she probably just hadn't noticed the body
lying on the ground a short distance away.  Ami released Venus'
hand, stepped closer to Sailor Moon.  "Usagi, I spoke with
Takada-san.  Agents Suzuki and Watanabe were killed."

	Usagi gasped.  "Oh no ..."  Ami recalled she had only met the
two agents once at the Order's stately office, where they had
been introduced as two of the men who would be shadowing the
Senshi.  Like Takada and Smith, she suspected they were working
under assumed names.  She found herself wondering if they had
families, and if so whether they would ever know the true story
about how the two men had died.

	"Saori lost five of the men she brought with her," Ami
continued.

	Sailor Moon looked shocked beyond words.  Tuxedo Mask
approached and put an arm around her shoulders again.  "Usako,
we should do as Takada asked and leave," he said very softly. 
"There's nothing more we can do here."

	After a moment, she nodded.  "Okay.  I'd like to see Saori
first, make sure she's okay."

	"She's just over there," Mars said, pointing to where Saori
appeared to be talking with Takada and the officer who she had
moved over to speak with some minutes earlier.  The snow was
coming down more heavily now, it was a bit hard to see.  Sailor
Moon started walking in that direction, but hesitated.  Either
she was unsure whether to interrupt what they were doing, or was
unsure what to say to Saori.  But Saori glanced over towards
them as if she had been keeping an eye on the Senshi, and she
noticed Sailor Moon looking at her.  She said something to her
two companions and walked briskly towards Sailor Moon and the
others.  As she approached, Ami could see the anxiety in her
expression.  Not grief over her fallen comrades, something else
had shaken her.

	Sailor Moon stepped up to her and took her hand.  "Saori, I'm
so sorry."

	"Thank you," Saori said.  She accepted Usagi's sympathy with
grace, but there was obviously something on her mind, something
that could actually supersede the grief over her fallen
comrades.  "I've just had some disturbing news.  When we called
for backup to help secure the area for the cleanup crew, we
found out there is none available.  All available units have
been called out to seal the airports and to seal off the cities
with international airports, including Tokyo."

	"What?"  More than one of them had involuntarily exclaimed all
at once.

	"A pandemic has broken out in the Indian subcontinent. 
Thousands have died in just a few hours.  It's almost certainly
one of the biological weapons various factions there have been
threatening to use.  But it's gotten out of control.  It may
have even spread beyond the subcontinent."

	"My God ..." Ami breathed.  Just this morning she had heard a
news item about people falling sick in the Punjab, but it had
been little more than a footnote in the day's events.  And now
in just half a day it had come to this.  Her heart beat faster
in response to the cold facts that the analytical part of her
mind was calmly feeding her.  Even if the virus acted that
quickly, if it was so widespread then it could easily have
worked its way here by now.  It might already be too late.

	"There are two things I can tell you that aren't generally
known," Saori continued.  "The first is that we are as certain
as we can be that the pandemic has not reached here."

	"How can you be sure?" Ami asked.  "Without full knowledge of
the virus or how it was spread, you can't possibly know."

	"That's the other thing," Saori said.  "The director told me
the Order and other agencies do have full knowledge of the
virus.  It is something that was developed in secret by the
former Rising Wind.  Somebody there must have gotten their hands
on it."

	Ami's stomach lurched at mention of Rising Wind.  The company
under whose guise Gwendolyn Ingolffson had plotted to put the
world under her domination.  The Drakon from an alternate
reality that the Sailor Senshi had defeated years ago.  Lafarge,
the man who had come to their aid from that same alternate
reality, had warned them of the pandemic she had put in place as
her final option.  Her doomsday weapon.  He thought he had
destroyed all traces of it.  If he was wrong, then ... "Saori,
do you know if anybody has been studying this virus properly?"

	"Apparently we have," Saori said.  "But there's still no cure
or vaccine.  All we can do is isolate it and let it run its
course."

	Run its course.  Even if it was restricted to the Indian
subcontinent, that was a billion people.  More.  Ami felt sick. 
She barely noticed Venus coming up beside her, barely registered
the fact that they were holding hands again.

	"We're not going to be advertising these facts," Saori said. 
"For obvious reasons we don't want everybody on the continent
knowing that the Japan islands are a close, safe haven.  But you
can at least try and assure your families that they are safe. 
You should all go as soon as you can."  Just in case we're
wrong, Ami could almost hear her saying.  Just in case all our
days are numbered.

	"Thank you," Sailor Moon said quietly.  She looked to be in
shock.

	"I have to go now," Saori said.  She reached out and squeezed
Sailor Moon's arm.  "It'll be okay."  She turned and left.

	Mars came up to Sailor Moon's other side and took her hand. 
"Come on, let's go see your mom and dad.  They'll feel a lot
better if you're there."

	"Okay," Sailor Moon said.  Her eyes were vacant, like she was
barely aware of what was going on.  Ami thought about something
Rei had told her long ago, about how Usagi seemed to have an
infinite capacity for empathy, for feeling the suffering of
others.

	Ami shuddered, wondering what it could be like to die a billion
deaths.

	"Take care, everyone," Tuxedo Mask said.  He and Mars led
Sailor Moon away towards the back entrance to the grounds.

	"Mercury."

	Ami turned to see Pluto standing nearby.  "I'm going to tell
Kaori about what's happened here," she said.  "Beyond the
immediate need of hunting down the rogues, I think we all need
to talk seriously about how we're going to protect our people."

	"You're talking about the palace," Venus said just an instant
after Ami also realized what Pluto was talking about.  "I don't
believe it.  You still think you can save the world with that
damned thing, don't you?"

	"Venus," Ami said sharply.  She continued more gently. 
"Minako, she's right.  We have to plan for the worst.  And the
palace may be more than just a bolthole for us.  You felt its
power just like I did, even when it was under siege.  With that
power behind her, Usagi may be able to do things we can barely
imagine."

	"I don't buy it," Venus said.  "She can already perform
miracles, what more do you expect this palace to do for us?"

	"The Seed Crystal is an artifact from the time of the Silver
Millennium," Pluto said.  "It may contain within it knowledge as
well as power."

	"So power is knowledge," Venus misquoted.  "Why don't we just
rifle through Gwen's old files while we're at it, find out what
else we can unleash on the world."

	"Venus, we should at least talk about it," Ami said.  She
couldn't understand why her friend was so upset.  It was like
she knew something the others didn't.  "But now isn't the time. 
We're all tired, we should go home."

	"Especially you, Venus," Uranus said.  "You were almost
dropping from exhaustion, when the Princess saved us."

	Venus' expression softened.  "I guess you're right.  Thanks for
your help.  Though you didn't need to be so messy about it." 
Ami remembered the vision of a monster being hit by the World
Shaking, splitting apart in a shower of blood and uncoiling
intestines.

	"I thought you weren't shooting at it because it had a shield."

	"I wasn't shooting because I'd probably have passed out if I
did."

	"I'm sorry if what I did disturbed you," Uranus said.  There
was no irony in her manner.

	Venus smiled sadly.  "After seeing what was left of the ones
Saturn put down, I don't think anything would disturb me."  She
suddenly seemed to become aware of Saturn's presence, who had
been standing quietly slightly apart from them.  "Um ..."

	"It was to protect the Princess," the young girl said simply. 
"I would do anything to protect her."

	"We all would," Neptune said, coming behind her and putting a
hand lightly on her shoulder.  Saturn turned and smiled at her.

	"Saturn," Pluto said.  She stepped closer.  "We are all walking
the same path now, the path that you had the courage to choose
when I did not.  I would ..."  For the first time Ami could
remember, she seemed to be at a loss for words.  After a moment
she just sighed.  "Hotaru, we've missed you.  Won't you come
home?"

	Saturn smiled shyly.  "I'd like that."

	Ami saw it was time to leave them.  She squeezed Venus' hand
and turned to her.  "We should be going."

	"Right.  Luna and Artemis will be getting worried, I should go
let them know what's happened."

	"Take care, you two," Neptune said, waving.

	"Neptune," Ami said.  "It's been a long time since we've gone
for a swim."

	Her look of surprised slowly turned into a warm smile.  "Yes,
I've gotten out of practice.  It's just no fun without you."

	"You're right, it's just not the same.  I've only been doing
laps because of doctor's orders."

	"Are you back up to speed?"

	"Why don't you come find out?  Tomorrow at the usual time?"

	"I'll look forward to it."

	As they were walking away arm in arm, Ami caught Venus giving
her a look.  "What?"

	Venus leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.  "Ami, you're a
treasure."

	Ami remembered to wait until she was home before transforming. 
She and Ryou picked up where they had left off, she telling him
about what happened while he worked the tension out of her tired
muscles.  He had been watching news of the pandemic on TV, but
she asked him to turn it off.  He correctly judged her mood. 
When she was relaxed, he just wrapped her in his arms and let
her fall asleep.



	*****



	No wonder cops don't have a sense of humour, Minako thought. 
If I had to do this for a living, I think I'd be crabby too.

	She looked at her reflection in the window of the building she
was staking out, a glass skyscraper that towered over her.  She
made a face.  The disguise pen was making her look like a
bookish student.  Ugly glasses and everything.  She doodled on
the sketchpad she held angled in front of her.

	Artemis peeked out of the bag hung on her shoulder.  "I hope
nobody gets a good look at that, they'd figure out you're no
architecture student."

	"Hey, I'm getting warmed up, that's all.  Just you wait, I'm
going to do a rendering of that building over there that will
blow your socks off."

	"I don't wear socks.  And that building's ugly."

	"Then I'll just have to bring out its inner beauty."

	"Well its inner beauty will have to stay hidden for now, I see
our target approaching.  Three o'clock."

	"Got it."  She folded the sketchbook closed and casually moved
away from the target area.  She didn't think Setsuna had any way
of seeing through her disguise pen's illusion, but there was no
point in taking chances.  There was no need to follow her at
this point.  If she was in this part of town, Minako knew
exactly where she would be going.  Her favourite club, on the
upper floors of this very skyscraper.

	Five minutes later, Minako entered the building.  She looked
rather different now.  Her jeans and warm jacket had been
replaced by a very dark business suit with knee-length skirt and
black heels.  The tote bag had transformed into a black case,
something like what a doctor might carry.  The final touch was
the shaded glasses.  The Interpol badge she flashed looked very
convincing.  The way Artemis had described it, everyone around
her saw what she wanted them to see.  However it worked, it was
good enough to get her through.

	They were alone on the elevator as it took them up.  "This
isn't going to work," came Artemis' muffled voice.

	Minako hit the bag.  "Shut up," she hissed.  Not likely they
had microphones in the elevators, but you never know.

	The hostess at the restaurant was also suitably impressed with
her badge.  "How can I help you?" she asked.

	"You have a Meiou Setsuna dining here, is that not correct?"

	"Yes, she just arrived."

	"I have been assigned to watch her, for her own safety.  She is
aware of the situation, but it is a matter of some delicacy. 
She does not wish to upset her dining companion."

	"I'm sorry, this is very irregular ..."

	*Yeah, no kidding.*  "Miss, this country is under emergency
conditions."  She leaned closer.  "I would like to be able to
report that I have received your full cooperation."

	"Uh ..."

	"A table where I can see them clearly, but far enough to be
discrete."

	After a moment, the hostess looked at her registry.  "Right
this way."

	Takada is right, Minako thought.  People in this country really
will cooperate with anyone who flashes a badge.  She was shown
to her table.  Minako pocketed the shades as she walked.  Their
job was done.  True to her word, the hostess had given her a
table where she could watch from a discrete distance.  She just
looked once to confirm her target's location.  Within seconds a
waiter came and she ordered whatever sounded cheapest.  Probably
will cost more than her monthly food budget, she thought. 
Goodbye faithful credit card, it was nice knowing you.

	She heard a soft pop as Artemis forced open the bag sitting on
the floor next to her.  "This is the stupidest thing I ever
heard of," he whispered.

	"Shut up," Minako whispered back.  "It worked, didn't it?"

	"She's probably already called the *real* police," he said.

	"No she hasn't.  I intimidated her completely.  Now shut up and
get back in there."

	A few minutes later, the hostess led a woman to Setsuna's
booth.  Minako allowed herself just a little smile.  *Kaori, I
presume.*

	The lunch went on for over an hour.  When it looked like Kaori
was about to leave, Minako flagged down a waiter, gave him her
credit card and told him she was in a hurry.  She got it back in
less than thirty seconds, just in time to follow Kaori out. 
They shared an elevator down to the parkade.  Minako had no idea
whether these people could read minds.  She ran through a few of
her tunes in her head as they rode the elevator.  Minako walked
over to her motorcycle.  She was only licensed to ride a
low-power bike, hopefully this woman didn't have a Porsche or
anything.  After a quick look around she morphed back to her
student guise.  She put her bag into one of the bike's
saddlebags.  Artemis popped his head up.  "You still got her?"

	"Yeah, I saw her go into a car.  She'll be heading by here any
moment."  She picked up the helmet and put it on.

	"So she did get here by car. Does that mean she can't teleport?"

	"Maybe.  It sounds like they've all got different powers.  Ami
was talking to Setsuna about it this morning, she told me a bit
about it.  Some of them can only teleport from places where it's
easier for some reason."  She saw Kaori's car approaching.  She
strode the motorcycle and fired up the engine.  They exited the
building right after Kaori.  Parking cost a fortune, she barely
had enough.  Traffic was fairly congested, even though the ban
on movement out of the city had been lifted this morning.  That
was a mixed blessing.  It made following rather tricky, but it
did mean she didn't need to push the little bike beyond its
limit.  That is, until they got out onto the highway.  She
doggedly stuck with her prey, going much faster than the bike
was really intended to go.  Somehow, it held together.  Kaori
led her along country roads up into the hills.  When she pulled
her car in to the gate of a walled property Minako just kept
driving by, making note of the location.

	Minako grinned.  *Now I know where you live.  If you screw us
around, you'll be damned sorry.*

	They were almost out of gas by the time they pulled into the
little station.  After fuelling up, Minako decided to let her
poor bike cool down for a bit.  She bought a warm drink at a
vending machine and went to sit on a safety barrier by the road
near the station, where she could look out over the city below,
barely visible through the haze.  She opened up her jacket a
bit.  It was a little warmer today, last night's snow had mostly
melted already.

	Artemis poked his head out of the bag she had brought with her.
 "That was the bike ride from hell.  I thought we were goners."

	"Well, we got what we came for.  We got our insurance."

	"I'm going to feel damned silly if this Kaori person invites
all the Senshi to her house for dinner tomorrow."

	Minako took a gulp of coffee and milk from her can.  "Well if
she's prepared to do that then why are she and Setsuna still
playing spies?  We would never have found them if Hotaru hadn't
told us about this club Setsuna likes."  Minako had figured that
must be the place she would have her meetings with her Ancient
contact, and that they would be meeting the day after the
disastrous battle with the alleged rogues.  She had been right
on both counts.

	"I don't know.  I'd like to think Pluto and her friend are
coming clean."

	"I'd like to think so too."  She didn't need to add that the
jury was still out on that one.  Otherwise they wouldn't be
here.  Now that she could relax from the hunt, her mind drifted
to another matter.  "I really wonder where this Cyrus character
fits in, though.  You still think he's for real?"

	"He definitely knows stuff that only one of us could have told
him.  Stuff that none of us would just go tell any Tom, Dick or
Harry."

	"Well, he's definitely in the Shibuya listing, like he said. 
I'm tempted to give him a call.  But I think I'll give Setsuna
the benefit of the doubt before I go looking for the skeletons
in her basement.  Give her friends a chance to show us an act of
good faith, show us they're really on our side."

	"How long?"

	"Couple of days."  She finished off her coffee.  "Come on,
let's hit the road."



	*****



	Shoji and Yui were sitting up in bed, watching the little
television.  It was almost never used, normally the only
television they watched was rented movies on the big television
in the living room, and even then only movies that were
subtitled for Yui's benefit.  He'd always bristled at the fact
that Japan had never developed a closed captioning system like
the Americans had.  Even CNN International was only captioned in
English, which didn't do Yui much good.  So normally they never
watched the news.

	But it wasn't every day you could sit down and watch a billion
people die.

	**Senpai, how are they getting these pictures?** Yui asked.

	**From reporters trapped in India or Pakistan when all the
borders were closed.  They send the pictures out by satellite.**
 They were grainy, unsteady pictures taken at high magnification
from high-flying helicopters.  In the worst hit areas the
hospitals had long since been swamped.  The streets were lined
with bodies.

	**Are they all going to die?**

	**Probably.  They think some areas might have been isolated on
time.  But there's so many people moving around over there, it's
probably hopeless.**

	The pictures were interrupted by a press conference.  The
little guy in the suit reading from his paper looked like he'd
just gotten all his grey hairs in the past twenty-four hours. 
Maybe he had.  Shoji's jaw dropped open.  "By the First
Ancestor..."

	Yui looked up at him.  **Senpai, what's wrong?**  She must have
felt him speak, through the vibration in his chest.

	**You remember I told you about that city in China that the
plague spread to?**

	**Yeah?**

	**They just dropped nukes on it an hour ago.**

	She just looked at him.  **Does that mean the plague won't
spread here?**

	**Maybe.**

	**Is there going to be a big war?**

	**Maybe.**

	They continued watching, and Shoji kept up a running
commentary.  There were rumours of outbreaks all over the place,
but it was becoming harder and harder to sort fact from fiction.
 More and more countries were closing their borders or imposing
news blackouts or both.  There were rumours of a secret meeting
of world leaders where they were performing triage on the
world's nations, deciding which areas could be saved and
planning to forcibly isolate the rest.  There were rumours that
the whole thing had been planned as a colossal act of genocide. 
As the day wore on there were more rumours and less facts.

	Eventually, Shoji and seen enough.  **Yui, we need to talk to
my mother.**

	She frowned.  **Why?**

	**She knows one of the Senshi, I'm sure of it.  Knows where to
find her.  That's the only way she could have known about those
aliens and known about Hikawa shrine.**

	**You still think finding one will help us?**

	**Yeah, they're the key to getting the palace, I'm sure of it. 
And we're going to need the palace, maybe real soon.  At least
one of them has powers like we've never seen before.**  After
they had teleported away from the Animal Kingdom, Hitomi had
watched the rest of the battle through the eyes of one of her
possessed doves.  Right up to the point where that big ball of
light swept over the place and broke the animals' berserker
state.  **We're running out of time and running out of options.**

	**But if we go there, your mother will take us to the
Matriarch.**  She didn't need to say why that wasn't an option
for them.

	**Not if we go at the right time.**

	**What do you mean?**

	**Come on, let's go see Akechi and Hitomi and I'll tell you all
about it.**

	They were in the living room, watching the same program Shoji
and Yui had been.  Hitomi looked scared of what she was
watching.  They were holding hands, something Shoji had never
seen them do before.  They looked a little awkward and
self-conscious.  **What's up, Shoji?** Akechi asked.

	Shoji told them his plan.  It didn't take much convincing.

	Just a little before sunset, they all put on their jackets and
gathered in the big living room again.  They took their usual
positions around Yui.  **Beam us down,** Shoji said.  It was a
running joke that had worn thin a long time ago, but Shoji
thought the time was right to resurrect it.

	A moment later they were standing in a tiny clearing in woods
full of thick underbrush.  The rock they had teleported onto was
covered with dirt and dry leaves.  There was no way to tell it
was there if you didn't know.  Years ago he and Yui had taken a
flagstone intended for one of the gardens, taken it and buried
it here.  That was back when she could only 'port between two of
the specially picked and treated stones.  It was one of their
secret places.  She had teleported them in and out of here so
many times she could do it in her sleep now.

	Shoji pointed.  **That way.**

	**I remember,** Yui said.  She applied her power and the
underbrush parted before them.  Even with that to help it was
not easy going.  They had to twist and turn a lot, avoiding the
thickest bushes.  But before the sun could set, they had worked
their way to where they could just glimpse a bigger clearing
ahead.  Shoji turned, and exchanged a nod with Akechi.  He moved
aside and Akechi made his way through the rest of the underbrush
to the clearing beyond.  Then he vanished.

	The three of them crouched down and waited.  Just at sunset,
Shoji could just glimpse another figure moving into the
clearing.  In the darkness and through the brush it was
impossible to see well, but Shoji knew who it would be.

	Shoji didn't even see it happen.  Akechi's sending was barely
detectible, so worried was he about being overheard.  **It's
done.**  The three of them made their way through the bush and
emerged into the clearing.

	Shoji's mother lay peacefully in front of the shrine to the
First Ancestor, the one she prayed alone at every day right at
sunset.  She lay right where Akechi had dropped her.  Shoji
smiled.  "Sorry Mom.  This won't hurt a bit."  Yui hadn't heard
him of course, but she didn't need to.  Without prompting she
moved over and extracted Kaori's life force.  She held it out
for Shoji and Hitomi to examine.  They both looked for a good
long time.  "You done?" Shoji asked Hitomi.

	"Yeah."

	Shoji nodded, and Yui carefully restored Kaori's life energy to
her.  With the little kaleidoscope of lights gone, the clearing
was lit only by the fading twilight..

	**Well?** Shoji asked.

	**She's going to be meeting with Sailor Moon tomorrow at noon. 
Some really posh place in Roppongi.  She's been there before, I
have a clear picture of the building and the room they're going
to be in.  She hasn't told anyone, not even the Matriarch.**

	**Matches with what I got.  Akechi, can you make sure she's out
until tomorrow afternoon?**

	**Yeah, that should be no problem.**

	**We can't leave her here,** Yui said.  **She'll freeze.**

	**I had no intention of doing that,** Shoji said.  **Can you
'port us directly to that onsen we like around here?**

	**I can do it, but it'll be harder from here, the shrine has a
disruption field around it.  The sensitives in the house will
probably detect us leaving.**

	**Now that we're done here, it doesn't matter,** Shoji said.

	**Why the hot springs?** Hitomi asked.

	**We're going to book a room for a couple of nights, put up a
Do Not Disturb sign and let Mom sleep it off there.  By the time
she wakes up, we'll have gotten what we want.**

	Yui looked worried.  **Senpai, they won't like what we've done.
 Even if we've got the Senshi, they won't let us near the Seed
Crystal.**

	Shoji grinned.  **I've got an idea, but we'll talk about it
later.**





End Chapter 12