UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY by DARK DAY FOR ANIME Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up, in which case, if I see anyone using them, I'll murder ya! ^_^ (I'm joking.... Use them to your heart's content, if you can). Part Twelve Terminal Skydiving IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST and again IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST The messages across the atmosphere.... The woman sat in the high-backed gilden chair, staring into the globe of universality. And what it had to say was not pleasing. But then, very little had been pleasing since her return. At that time, she had found life difficult to adjust to. The process of rebuilding an empire was frought with problems, not the least was finding all the worlds to which its powers had extended. There had been so many. At least she knew where one was.... The world where she had recovered her true self.... A place known rather simply as Earth, in the system of Sol. At that time, the regeneration of this particular Kingdom was underway. And she had attempted to destroy it.... It was good that she had been stopped. The deaths, that would have ensued, would have been too much to endure even if she had no control of her own senses. And what a powerful, wild system it had been to open the Empire's resurrection. Its elemental energies only submitting to the will of the Kingdom that had settled there under extreme protest. Where else could senshi like those on Earth be found? She remembered the Avoscatan wars.... Bewteen this empire and another, based within a neighbouring dimension.... The part the Earth senshi and miko played in the defeat of those demons.... Perhaps the spiritual ancestors of those who existed today. It worried her that, when she left, there were no miko amongst their number, but she assumed it was only a matter of time. Now there were feelings of disorder from that system. Something had disrupted the process, disquieted the elemental powers. And she felt a cold shiver spread through her at the thought of what might happen. She should have been more vigilant, seen what was, potentially, to come. It was, of course, foolish to chide herself for things undone. She looked up at her attendant... An attractive young man wearing the dark leather garb of one of her senshi. He was standing some distance away, illuminated in the blue of the sun of the night. The giant diamond dome, that let in the light gave her the best possible views of the universe and the galaxies that it contained, had been built upon her return. She liked it... Had always liked it, that way. Just like the days before the collapse.... "Sentinel..." She said softly to the attendant. He looked up at her, having been gazing across the fields that ran from the dome. She liked the way he looked.... Blond-green hair, green eyes, an immaculate appearance. He reminded her of her old love. One of the duties Scimitar had the pleasure of performing, lately. "Yes my Empress?" "We must leave the homeworld. A system has chosen to lose control of itself, and must be retamed." He bowed. "How soon, my Empress?" "Within the hour. Round up all the senshi and miko it is possible for you to find." "Do you expect trouble?" "I expect extreme trouble. Events are occuring on that world that must be quelled, lest they spread further." "Yes, my Empress." Sentinel disappeared from the dome quickly through an exit in the south face. She watched him go, rubbing her forehead. "Serenity..." Galaxia muttered. "What has happened to you?" "What did you hope to find?" Said the voice. Naru sat on the stairs of the Academy library, unable to move. "Did you find out something about Naiad, or yourself?" The voice paused. "Or perhaps the both of you? And how did you feel when you found this out? Was it shock? Horror? Surprise? Amusement? And if so, why do you think you reacted this way?" Naru felt tears coming to her eyes, and lifted herself from the stairs. She stared at her hand. "What are we? Why do we take this form? What is the nature of our conciousness? Does it have a form? Does it survive death intact, or does it fade away with the passing of the body's physical processes?" "Shutup!" Naru put her hands over her ears. "Who is watching whom? Did you fall into the pool by accident, or were you psychologically manipulated into reaching for her just as she fell in, through you subconcious mind?" "I can't believe she'd do that.... Not to me!" Those words were not Naru's, but Tranquility's. She began to race down the stairs, raw emotion filling her. She tripped and fell when she reached the third level, and landed, rather painfully, face down on the floor. "Pain.... It fills our every waking moment. It drives us to find a better life. There is no motivating force like it. There is no force to destroy like it. A double edged blade." Naru slowly lifted herself to her hands and knees, the world spinning. She looked upwards, trying to find the source of the voice. "Where is all this leading to?" "To death." The voice said, matter of factly. "Everything leads to the cessation of existence. Even the world upon which we live... lived... has numbered days, hard though a concept that may seem to be." "Stop being philosophical with me!" "Too late. You're at the mercy of the element of water. It shall flow through you, and wash the minds together, into a collective spirit. That is the destiny of all... To return to the cauldron.... We must return... Only there will we find the truth." "Leave me alone." Naru staggered to her feet and dashed down the final few levels.... DCI Rikai stomped into the Juuban District Police Branch front office, looking like death warmed up. Behind him tagged three junior officers and a slightly dazed Dr Mizuno. "What's up? What happened?" DC Aburatsubo, who had been standing in the front office, talking to one of the female duty officers, about the strange events that had occured in the city that day, turned to Rikai. His senior shot him a vicious look. "We've just been transported halfway across town, kami knows how, from this good lady's residence, where said 'strange things' have been occurring. We returned there half an hour ago.... But nobody was home, so we decided to come back here." He huffed. "Had to leave a couple of uniforms there, guarding the place...." "Strange things? As in what?" "As in the kind of strange things that seem to be involving that Tsukino brat." "Oh her.... One of the uniforms managed to grab her not so long ago. She's being interviewed now. Her parents are in one of the offices, waiting." "Wh... WHAT?!?!?!?!" Aburatsubo cringed under Rikai's rage. "And just who the hell is interviewing her?" "Uhh... That Akunatsuka guy..." "AKUNATSUKA!" Rikai fumed. "I told him to stay out of this. I'll have him strung over the coals!" Rikai charged off, leaving Aburatsubo, Ami's mother, the three detectives and the front office staff relieved by his lack of presence. The female detective whom Ami's mother had latched onto in the preceding events, DI Kawai, turned to her. "I guess we should see the Tsukinos. They'll be glad for a familiar face.... And so shall you, I think." "I've only occasionally met with them." She replied. "It was always Ami-chan and Usagi-chan who would meet with one another...." Tears were forming in the corner of her eyes. "Is what he said correct? Is Usagi alive?" "It would appear so." Kawai responded, amazed to see what a weight that information took from her shoulders. "We'll keep looking for your daughter, Mizuno-sensei, don't you worry. We'll find her." Ami's mother nodded, saying nothing. In her mind, however, she knew what she had seen... Ami's body literally melting into the waters of their swimming pool. If what she had been told was correct, then that Aoi woman had done likewise in an effort to convince Ami's conciousness to reform, and return, to the real world. And yet, despite the obvious signs of damage done to the house, all was quiet. She could have almost imagined that the events had never taken place. Almost. "Woah...." One of the dispatch officers, a young woman in her early twenties, threw the door open to the dispatch office, staring out, her headset still partly hanging on to the sides of her head. "Hey guys, get this.... According to the people in the neighbouring district, they've found the bodies of up to 700! All dismembered and all. Around where that school went up...." She looked dazed for a moment. "I don't think I can take much more of this..." She promptly slid down the doorway, looking pale. Two of the officers from the front office partition ran to her and helped her to one of the seats at the back. "Dead?" Mizuno's ears picked up. "Were there any survivors?" Her voice seemed demanding, and Aburatsubo looked at her. "Yeah.... Most are pretty badly injured, though.... Mumbling about some monster rampaging through the city." There was a shudder throughout the building, and everyone looked at the swinging fluro lights that hung from the ceiling. "Dammit..." Aburatsubo spat. "What the hell is going on out there?" "What is being done with the survivors?" Mizuno was insistent. "They're being taken to all the local hospitals. There are so many that they're short staffed." "I'm a doctor.... I should be helping them." Aburatsubo, Kawai and the other two detectives stared at her. The building was shaken again, and the female dispatch officer started to let out small, strangulated sobs, holding her head with her hands. Mizuno pointed to her. "For a start, I'd remove her from duty. She's reached the limit her mind can take. Secondly, if hospitals are short-staffed, then it is a crime NOT to let me help." She shook her head. "The hospital I work at must be trying to contact me now. They'll be in fits about my absence...." There was silence, punctuated by rumblings from outside. As the nominal second-in-command of the CID office, Aburatsubo bit his lower lip, indecisively pondering the proposal. A further tremble made his decision for him. "I don't know what the hell is going on out there, but I'm sure the good doctor will be of more use fixing up people than sitting in this joint." Kawai nodded to Aburatsubo. "I'll take responsibility for her, don't worry." She took Mizuno by the arm. "Come on then. You'll have to show me the way to your hospital." Her mind now determined, Mizuno allowed Kawai to lead her back through the front doors. Naru ran back into the library, searching for Setsu.... Hecate. She had to keep reminding herself. The senshi in training was sitting at the table where both she and Naru had left their books. Hecate looked up and smiled, then back down at her book. "Did you know?" Naru puffed. "Know what?" Hecate didn't look up from her book. "That I'd find her up there." "Yes." The bluntness of the response stunned Naru. For a few moments she was without voice, but it came back with a force. "Is that all you have to say? 'Yes'?" She shook uncontrollably. "Do you know what I walked into up there? Eh? Do you know what she was doing up there? Eh? Eh?" "Yes." Naru spluttered. "How? Why not tell me?" "Because there was no reason. It was better you found out now rather than later. Had this charade been carried on much further, the sense of betrayal in your.... friendship... would have been far greater. Did you want that?" Naru gritted her teeth and felt an annoying twitch in her left eye. She stormed forward and grabbed her books from the table, bundling her elbow into Hecate's side rather roughly. Hecate barely noticed. She ran from the library... Trying to leave the thoughts and events behind her. It didn't work. The man was quite attractive, despite the fact that what he was wearing looked a tad ridiculous. Well, out of date, anyway. Victorian era business suits weren't exactly the vogue. But then, thought Usagi, with the fashion tastes of my newfound travelling companions, who am I to criticise? He had introduced himself as Mistral LeFevre, which sounded suitably European. He even went to the extent of handing them his business card, maybe to prove his credentials. But a card meant nothing, and the way his name was spelt looked quite different to the way he'd pronounced it. He'd said something like Le Fev, when the name on the card bore a greater resemblance to Le Fever. Even though it was a silly pretext for Usagi to distrust someone, she did. Siren had let him in and he'd bowed graciously to her. Typical, thought Usagi.... Flatter the good looking ones first with suave charm. It made Nyanko jealous to see such an attractive man paying so much attention to her hated rival.... But Nyanko's appearance had to, surely, have been the most severe of all of them. She wasn't likely to engender the gentlemanly treatment. It was Siren's reaction that surprised her the most. Almost as soon as he'd stooped to kiss her on the hand after gently taking it, she went cold and snatched it away, turning from him. Crow was a little angry at her rude behavior. "Siren! You should learn to be more welcoming of our guests." She and Siren stared at each other, then Siren, looking hurt, turned away. Crow turned her attentions to Mistral. "I'm sorry about her rudeness, Mister LeFevre, please do come in and take a seat. You said you had some business to speak with us, from your employer, Lady Scorpia." "Ah yes, I do apologise for my undue familiarity." Mistral nodded and stepped over to one of the lounge chairs near the fire. Crow, Nyanko and Mouse sat opposite him, whilst Siren closed the door and turned away, leaning against a mantlepiece. For her own part, Usagi had chosen to distance herself somewhat from the discussions taking place, but listened intently all the same. She picked up a leaflet, a flyer, that was sitting in the middle of the table. It looked like a small information brochure one would find in an average hotel. But on this one there were images.... Faces of women, about seven in all. And something about a reward. She looked away as Mistral began to speak.... "Lady Scorpia, earlier this afternoon, whilst taking lunch, happened to see your good selves travelling down the main street from her window in the Hotel Central...." "And took pity on us?" Mouse sniffed with some humour. "Aha..." Mistral smiled. "Not quite. You see, Lady Scorpia is the owner of that fine establishment. She has been for some seven years now." "WHAT?" All five stared at him is disbelief. "What would the owner of a hotel like THAT want with five young women like us?" Crow leaned forward, gesturing to Mistral. "I can guess." Siren muttered to herself. "My employer... requires young women... to act as hostesses for the functions she puts on. If you haven't noticed, there are very few young women in this town, and she is desperate to employ girls such as yourselves." "As what? Whores for her clients?" Siren sniffed contemptuously. "I've heard that kinda proposal before." "Let the man finish." Nyanko turned to Siren, annoyed at her continued coldness. Usagi eyed her for a moment. She wondered why Siren was so skittish, even though to her the proposal was tantamount to suspect. "Well, if you wish to confirm my story, why don't you see Lady Scorpia herself. She has invited you all to dine with her at tonight's function. A dinner held in the honor of the local governor.... All very above board..." "Yes, they usually are." Siren muttered. Mistral looked aside at her a moment. "I promise you, Miss...?" "Her name is Siren." Crow gestured to herself. "You can call me Crow. The girls sitting next to me are Mouse and Nyanko." "Well, I promise you, Miss Siren, that the offer is not a mischievous one." "So? I don't have to listen to it if I don't want to." Mistral stared at Siren, trying his best to suppress his emotions. He knew it would be difficult to convince these girls of Scorpia's offer, and that one of them would most likely be very offhand in her rejection. There was one in every group of young women his Lady employed. Not that he cared. For the most part, women were not his taste. They always ended up disappointing him. He used to think highly of Scorpia. But in the end, she proved to be just another woman, even if others within the organisation still regarded her with esteem. It was, however, more prudent not to upset her by voicing his opinions. He turned back to the others, nodding at Usagi. "And the young lady sitting at the table over there?" Mistral stared at her. She didn't like the way he did it either, although for reasons different to that which she had expected. "Her name is Usagi." Crow raised an eyebrow at Mistral's gaze. "You seen unduly interested in her. Is she the reason why your employer noticed us?" Mistral's reverie was broken. "Ah, I was just remarking on how very similar she is to the good Princess Serenity." "Yes, everyone says that." "Perhaps the Lady Scorpia thought that having someone of such noble presence would add a touch of class to her establishment. She is VERY concious of her reputation." "Yes, she would be." Siren muttered. Mistral chuckled. "Well, you don't have to give me your answer now. If you do not wish to attend, that is your decision. We shall have lost nothing but an opportunity." He stood. "My Lady awaits me. If you feel like joining her at dinner tonight, then be at the Tudor Room at approximately seven o'clock. Dress well. As I said, she is very concious of her reputation." He bowed. "I shall see myself out. Good day." And with that, he turned, opened the door and left. Siren peered out through the doorway, watching him go, then shut the door as Crow leant her chin in her hand, resting against the arm of the lounge suite, thinking. "You don't believe him when he says everything is 'above board', surely?" Siren held out her hands to her three long-time compatriots. "I mean, you can see the only reason he was interested was because of Usagi." She looked over at her. Usagi was surprised to see the concern on Siren's face. For all the hostile front the girl had put up when they first came into contact, her concern seemed to be genuine. Usagi wondered why. "Of course I don't believe him." Crow shook her head. "You don't think I'd fall for such obvious smooth talk, do you? I mean, hell, Siren.... I've been around...." "But if the offer did have a ring of the genuine about it..." Mouse leaned back in the lounge suite, corssing her arms behind her head. "We've done worse for money...." "But we don't NEED the money. You saw Usagi's pouch." Siren gestured to the pouch that Usagi had dragged out from under the bed, placing it on the centre of the table. "We are women of independant means, now." "But that's only because of Usagi's arrival. Kami knows where she got that pouch...." Nyanko stood and walked over to Usagi. "It just appeared, your backpack I mean, didn't it?" "Uh, yeah... I didn't have one, remember? You found me as is. And as soon as we came in here, whammo, I got this thing hanging over my shoulder, with this pouch stuffed inside." Nyanko turned to Siren. "Any moment now, that thing could just disappear the way it appeared. We have no guarentees that we shall be 'women of independant means' forever." "I'm willing to take the risk." Siren huffed and sat down on the bed, sulking. Crow stood and looked at all of them. "Well, I guess that means we'll all have to make a decision about this individually. As Mouse has said, we've done worse to make a living." "Like what?" They all turned to Usagi, who was frowning at them. Nyanko shook her head. "Are you naive, or what? What do you think we mean?" She crossed her arms and Usagi felt the heavy weight of silence on top of her. "You d... don't mean you've...." "On several planets, yes. How do you think I met Crow and Siren?" Usagi's jaw dropped. "NO WAY! I thought you four had only got together when Galaxia had rounded you up." "Hardly. I may have been a senshi to my world, but Mau was not the kind of planet to treat its girls with affection...." She looked gloomy. "Religious zealotry destroyed the Raj there. The Princess Nekoma was murdered... And we were left to fend for ourselves." "On Chuu, our world was dominated by a corporate structure that didn't tolerate the powerbase of the Monarchy. So they set up a covert operation to bring us down. And it worked. The entire Monarchial system collapsed, and we were forced to flee the planet." Mouse looked aside as she said that. "Whilst a monarchy in absentia was sustainable for a period of time, eventually the lack of support on Chuu itself drove us apart. I was only a senshi in training at the time. I really had no choices." "Its been a while now, but on Kaa, we never had the kind of stable matriarchy that other worlds have had. It was always a struggle to retain power. And lets face it, as soon as the strings to the homeworld were cut, it all went to pieces." Crow sighed. "I've been wandering around the various systems ever since. Its been a long time." "Considering its been ten thousand year since the Moon Kingdom collapsed...." Usagi scratched her nose. "I'd say you've been wandering a VERY long time. Probably as long as Setsuna." "Hmm? Who?" Crow frowned. "You know, Pluto. The tall, green-haired woman who carries a big stick." "Oh, her. Yeah, I guess so." Crow began to pace, hands held behind her back. "I seem to remember meeting her during a gathering of the various kingdoms, shortly before the fall. Although I couldn't be sure. There were a lot of people there at the time." Crow screwed up her face. "Her name was Hecate... Hecate Soth Drutein. She had only just assumed her position after the old one had retired to become a lecturer, or something like that." "For someone with a scratchy memory of events, you sure seem to remember a lot...." Usagi raised an eyebrow. Hecate Soth Drutein.... So that was her real name.... Or the name of the original Pluto she had met. Until Pluto had been reborn as Meiou Setsuna, she had not mentioned her name. Perhaps that was a good thing.... The revival of memories... of the likes of her sister, Naiad Keth, may have been a bit much for her at the time. Naiad Keth.... She had dropped her in this world to begin with. She had wondered why... For what purpose, but as things had progressed, she'd forgotten about them. The adaptability of the soul amazed her. And then she was no longer sitting in the room. Instead, she was standing at the base of a building in an abandoned city street. She stared around in a sudden fit of disorientation. Something flew down from the sky, hitting the ground with a splattering crunch nearby. She cringed when she registered it, and turned away as droplets of what was obviously blood sprayed over her. Slowly, she turned to face whomever it was that had struck the ground. For a few moments, she thought she was going to go mad. Minako, or her splattered remains, transformed as Venus, lay buried in the footpath. She reached forward, as if unable to believe what she was seeing before her, then looked up. A figure stood up there, at the top of the building. She could see its silhouette against the white sky quite clearly. And it looked like herself. Usako watched Akunatsuka bawling into her face with the kind of calm serenity that had simply driven him mad. He'd spent a good hour trying to get her to answer, make a response, anything, over the attack on the Buruto station. Memories of all the officers he had worked with, now dead, filled his mind with an angry bitterness.... If Tsukino was alive, then it was for certain that she had something to do with their deaths. And here she was, as clear as day, sitting in front of him. And she would just keep smiling, telling him to calm down and not be so stupid about things. He had almost punched her face in on at least a dozen occasions. "Over thirty people saw you leaving the scene of the Boruto station attack.... you were IN that building when it went up. None of the officers who were with you at the time survived. You cannot refute THAT kind of evidence." Usako sighed. "And I keep telling you, I wasn't at the Buruto station. I was with a couple of friends of mine. But I seem to have lost them." "Oh, how VERY convenient. And just who would these two friends be?" He held a fist out. The officer accompanying him was about to warn him of his interviewing behaviour, when the door to the interview room was flung open. "AAAAkuNAAAtsuKAAAA!" Rikai charged in, grabbing the burly man around the collar. Akunatsuka turned and instantly threw him off. "WHAT? WHAT DO YOU WANT?" "A WORD TO YOU! OUTSIDE! NOW!" Rikai pointed to the door. For a few moments, it seemed that Akunatsuka would punch him. Then he spat contemptuously and charged out, Rikai following him, slamming the door. Usako cringed at the sound, the first real sign that the events taking place were of any import to her. "Does this happen very often?" She asked the attending officer. He shrugged. "I dunno. Must be the way the planets are aligned." "Oh, you believe in Astrology, do you?" "Only on days like this." Akunatsuka paced around the rest room, thumping tables and chairs. Rikai stood at the door of the room, giving thanks to whomever was in charge upstairs that nobody was in the room at the time. A group of officers had built around the doorway behind him, watching Akunatsuka's tantrum. He shook his head and stepped in, shutting the door behind him. "Why in hell did you STOP ME?" Akunatsuka kicked a chair, looking back at Rikai. For his own part, Rikai looked down, containing himself. "You're out of line and you KNOW it." "I was assigned with my partner, Kikotsuka Aoi, to investigate the murder of that girl. Then she turns up at her parents' house, alive. We take her to Buruto to confirm that she was who she said she was, and she... and she..." "What? Did what? Eh?" Rikai crossed his arms as Akunatsuka shook his head, silently. "We have no PROOF that she was involved in the blast that destroyed the station you had been posted to." "PROOF? PROOF? The girl is ALIVE. She is ALIVE after being in the room that was the epicentre of the BLAST. And you're telling me that you have no PROOF that she was involved." "Think about it, man. If she WAS in the room that was the epicentre of the blast, she couldn't have survived. And I don't care what you say, I shall NOT believe in the stories of the supernatural that are running around about her." "Did you see her? Did you see what she was like when we were interviewing her? When she started to lose it? She looked POSSESSED. Possessed by something that was patently insane. I saw her, I KNOW." Rikai sneered. "And do you see anything about her now to suggest that she is 'possessed', hmm?" He waited for a response, and received none. He kicked the nearest table. "Let me tell you something, officer Akunatsuka, you may have worked within the force for a good ten years longer than I have, but I most certainly haven't seen anything to convince me of the existence of the supernatural." "Then you must be pretty blind." Akunatsuka sat in one of the chairs. "Can't you remember the monster attacks that have been occuring for the last couple of years?" There was a rumble, which shook the room. Both Akunatsuka and Rikai looked up and around, their attention shattered. "Earthquake?" Rikai muttered. "More like the shockwave from an explosion." Akunatsuka scratched his nose. "I remember the blast that sunk the Atakuyo. Shook everything for a hundred clicks." "Atakuyo? You mean the liner that was sunk to create an artificial reef?" "Yeah, big one, too. Took a lot of explosives to get her down." He let out a sigh as another rumble shook the room. "Looks like something is going on out there. Been going on for a while." "What? More 'supernatural' stuff?" Rikai laughed contemptuously. "I refuse, patently, to believe in the supernatural. Even if I was transported halfway across town by Kami knows what, I refuse." Akunatsuka turned to him. "And where were you when you were... transported?" He stared, rubbing his mouth. Rikai glowered. "At the Mizuno residence." "The home of one of the Tsukino girl's friends?" Rikai nodded mutely. Akunatsuka chuckled. "And why were you there?" "Her mother had called us.... Apparently the girl had made a somewhat emotional confession to her, virtually admitting that she and her friends were involved in the Tsukino girl's murder." Akunatsuka stared at him, shaking his head. "I don't understand any of this. I mean, she's sitting in your interview room, right now." "And if you'd bothered to listen to anyone, you'd realise that she has denied that she is Tsukino Usagi.... We're looking into it, and it seems pretty far-fetched, but under current circumstances, we aren't ruling anything out." Akunaatsuka laughed out loud. "And you said you didn't believe in the supernatural." "I never said my superiors didn't." "Then I think you should listen to them. That's why they're your superiors." Rikai closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and counted to ten. He opened them and stood straight. "I think its best if you stay in here. Either that or go home. You've already had a long day." "I can't go home.... Not until someone finds Aoi. I know she's not dead." Akunatsuka ran his hands through his thinning hair. "She can't be dead. She was further from the blast than I was." "We're looking for her. At least I can say they haven't found her body at the site of the explosion. Well, that they've been able to find. What with the levelling of the shrine and one of the local schools..." "Yes, indeed. Perhaps it might be a good idea to ask if any of the girls who were friends of the Tsukino girl were seen near both sites." "As I said, we're looking into everything." Rikai sighed. "I'm surprised the feds aren't involved in this already. Maybe with the way things have gone today, everyones been rattled." Akunatsuka put his head on the table. "Oooh man, I can still see their faces. All the people I worked with. The way they looked when I walked into that station with Aoi and the Tsukino girl. It was like nothing was going to happen." "None of them knew anything WAS going to happen." Akunatsuka raised his head and looked at Rikai pleadingly. "Just be careful, of that girl. And Kami... Find Aoi for me. Please, find her..." Rikai nodded, and turned, opening the door, pushing people out of the way. He closed it and Akunatsuka could hear him being questioned by those there. Rikai began to remonstrate with some of them. He sat back in his chair and stared at the ceiling as the station was shaken again, thinking thoughts like it was the end of the world. Before she knew what was happening, Usagi was standing in a park. The buildings that surrounded it seemed to be on fire. Strange, multicoloured flames.... Despite the scene's somewhat gaudy beauty, it smelt of the stench of death. She backed away from the flames, towards a fountain that sat in the middle of the lawn. Without realising how close she was, she tripped over the side and fell in, landing on top of someone who was already there. Quickly, she pulled herself aside and saw the green-dressed form of Jupiter, lying face-forward. She grabbed Jupiter and pulled her around, but it was obvious that the girl was dead, her face a ghastly pale. She must have been staring at that face for some time, because the next thing she knew, the buildings had stopped burning, reduced to smoking ruins. Usagi pulled Makoto up and cradled her head, gently stroking it. Then the waters of blue washed the vision away, and she found herself floating once more. Floating in that endless ocean, where up meant the light, and down meant the dark. And neither were quite what they seemed to be. "Usagi..." She was being shaken. She looked up and saw Nyanko staring at her intently. She was back in the room. She looked around.... All four of the Animates were staring at her with concern. "Are you alright, Usagi?" Nyanko put her hands on both shoulders. "What happened? Why did you do that?" "Do what?" Usagi asked blearily. "You were wailing... Keening, almost. It was horrible to listen to." Crow shook her head. "I... don't know what happened. It was, like, a vision. A vision of something bad. Of old friends dying. It came to me when I remembered a name..." "A name? Of whom?" Crow stepped forward. "Na... The sister of Hecate Soth Drutein..." All four opened their eyes wide and stepped back from Usagi. "The Witch of the Mind..." Crow shook her head. "You have met her?" Usagi was confused over their reaction. "Of... course I have. I would have, in my previous life, for certain, as the Princess Serenity." "Recently, I mean. Before you came here." "Umm.... I think I did. I'm sure it was her who dropped me in this world." "Oh Kaasta.... Kaa maataakaa baada kaamiktaa." Crow reverted to her native tongue, turning away. Usagi stared, then, pointing at her, turned to Nyanko. "What did she say?" "You don't want to know the translation. Its not the kind of language one would use for social chit-chat." "Of COURSE it isn't." Crow spun to Usagi. "She can't STILL be alive... Surely..." "Why? Have you met her?" "Met her? Of course we've met her. More than once, in our lifetimes. The woman is the spawn of evil." "Oh come on, she's not that bad." Siren shook her head. "She helped my world defend itself against Chaos when she was Aquus Turia, remember?" "Yes, and I seem to remember that she'd worked on the mind of the chaos entity, and drove it stark raving mad." Crow huffed. "I think the term for what she did is something in the regions of 'mindrape'." Crow crossed her arms as Siren shot her a dirty look. "Are you complaining?" "Over a battle between Chaos and the Witch of the Mind? I'd say I feel just a bit ambivalent." "Who is Aquus Turia?" Usagi frowned. The expression she got from Siren was unbelievable. "Only the greatest Mind-Warrior senshi my world has ever seen. It was also the previous life she had spent before the one in your kingdom." Siren drifted off. "Even Chaos could not stand her. How I wished I had that kind of power." Usagi shook her head. All this was getting a little too much for her now. She felt a little faint, tried to stand, but found herself toppling forward. Nyanko was only just able to catch her before she hit the floor.... Setsuna stared sadly at the door to her apartment, or lack of it, shaking her head. "You just can't leave anything in this town, anymore." Having changed back to their human forms, the three outer senshi had made their way to Setsuna's apartment, each taking turns at carrying Usagi. All three were surprised at the lack of physical strength that came with the change. "You should have had better security, Setsuna." said Michiru, who was standing on the stairway up to the door, holding Usagi's comatose body. Haruka, who was leaning against the railing, chuckled. "Why, Setsuna... I'm sure you should have seen this coming." For a moment, Michiru thought Setsuna was going to clobber Haruka. She wasn't likely to win against her, but the thought did seem to pass her mind. Then Setsuna smiled and pulled out a wad of papers from the pocket of her jacket. "I DID see it coming. And I placed the very BEST insurance policy on it." She flashed the claim form in Haruka's face. The jaws of both Haruka and Michiru were sitting on the ground. "Now, what should I put this down as.... Housebreaking, or malicious damage caused by monster rampaging through Tokyo...." There was another explosion some distance away. All three turned as the flash of light momentarily lit up the darkness, staggering at the shockwave. "I most certainly hope that doesn't come this way. I rather get the impression that it's will has become somewhat severed from that of its former master." "What was it again? This Resonator thingy." Haruka leaned over the railing. There were quite a few columns of smoke rising over the city, now. Plus the sounds of sirens. In the last couple of hours, it almost seemed like the emergency services had been placed on permanent standby. "Looks like my sister managed to blow it to ratshit, at the expense of Rei's shrine." Setsuna shrugged. "She really should have known better. The psychic shock caused to the thing was enough to cut the link. Now its running by impulse, doing what all of its kind would do, when devoid of the psychic control of its host." "I repeat my question. What was this Resonator creature again?" Haruka sighed. "Its a Resonator, of course." Setsuna waved at her dismissively. Haruka and Michiru ooohed as if that was supposed to answer everything. Setsuna pulled out a pen from within her jacket and, leaning against the railing, started to fill out the form. It was about then that the sky fell. It started with a kind of whining sound, like an elongated cry, hollow and empty. All three looked at each other, and Setsuna placed the pen and form back into her jacket. "Doesn't look like I'll get the opportunity to make the claim." She gestured to Michiru, who looked as if she was about to collapse under the weight of Usagi. "Put her inside, quickly." Michiru nodded, and carried Usagi through the open doorway. Haruka, who had been looking up at the sky, trying to find the source of the sound, pointed. "Bloody hell." She croaked as the clouds that floated over the city were thrown aside by a huge force. Haruka, even with all the things she had seen during her time as a senshi, had never seen anything quite like this. Setsuna followed her gaze and nodded. "And this is just for starters." The blackness of the night sky above ruptured, splitting and peeling like exploding flesh. Huge drops of white blood rained down upon the city, striking buildings but seemingly doing nothing to them. Then figures, thousands of them, began to fall from the rupture. As the rupture split further, over the top of Setsuna's house, Haruka and Setsuna were entertained by the sight of even more figures tumbling towards them. Screams and cries of fear filled the air... From the figures themselves and from people on the ground, terrified at the sight above them. "Theres gonna be mass panic. This is BAD." They turned as Michiru stepped out of the apartment after having lightened her load. "You were right, Setsuna, this is a brown panty special." They could hear a pair of screams coming into earshot, and turned as two figures fell onto the lawn in the small backyard. For a moment, Haruka and Michiru thought the pair might've been splattered, but there was a whoosh of air and the two came to a cushioned stop. "Are you alright, Chibiusa" Mamoru helped the Chibiusa 4P to her feet. "Hai, Mamo-chan." She nodded as she stared into his eyes. With the dissipation of the size difference, she found Mamoru's treatment of her to be one more of an equal than a child. Something she was eternally grateful for. "Mamoru-kun? Usagi?" The pair turned to see Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru staring at them. Haruka jumped from the stairway and ran up to them. "Mamoru-kun, are you alright? Usagi?" Haruka raised an eyebrow. "She's not a Youma, is she?" "Why would she be a Youma, Haruka-san?" Mamoru frowned questioningly. Chibiusa stuck her tongue out at her. "This, although her appearance may be somewhat deceiving, is Chibiusa." By this point, Setsuna and Michiru had made their way down the steps and were beside Haruka. "This is Chibiusa?" Haruka stared at the 4P. "How is that possible?" "I'm not sure. One moment she was... Well, she was an Usagi, the next, its Chibiusa in there." "Well, where is she now? The real Chibiusa, I mean." It was about this point that another Usagi fell into the backyard. Like Mamoru and Chibiusa, she was cushioned by a rush of air. "What the f...." Haruka muttered as the Usagi Chief Executive got to her feet, the cats in both her arms. "Gomen na sai, Mamo-chan. My arrival was a little tardy. I had some matters to take care of. The Chief Exec placed the cats on the lawn. Artemis, who was out cold, lay like a white sack of fur. Luna, however, with something more like a sense of decorum, took a few shaky steps forward. "It would seem that we have lost Minako, Usashin and Aosagi." She promptly collapsed. This was too much for a kitty in one day. Mamoru was looking at his surroundings. "Am I really back? In my world?" He seemed insanely happy. "Uh... Yeah, right." Haruka took Mamoru by the shoulder and shook him. "Reality check, Mamoru. Just where did you fall from, why is there more than one Usagi, and who the hell is it that is falling from the sky?" "Ano...." Mamoru pointed upwards. "This may be difficult to explain." "Try me. I've just spent a day with Setsuna. Nothing you can say will make things any worse." Haruka closed her eyes, ready for the technobabble once more. "Well, we were trapped in a dimension with a living entity that is known as The Eternal City. That is where we fell from. All these others that are falling with us are Usagis. To the max, even. Excpet for Mina-chan, who, I'm sure, is around here somewhere. I don't know about Hotaru. It was because of her that this happened." "Why?" Setsuna frowned. "What did she do?" "She's just performed a Death Reborn Revolution in the middle of a dimension that crosses over on itself. What do you think will happen?" Setsuna broke out in fits of laughter. They all stared at her with stunned expressions as she hugged her sides. "Ano... Setsuna, would you mind sharing the joke?" Michiru asked quietly. "Its nothing. Its just that my sister's plan actually worked. That stupid city tried to use Hotaru to destroy the Destroyers that threatened it. For millenia, its been hassling people, anybody with sufficient power, into early graves, to help it. Now its got one that'll wipe IT out as well." Setsuna shook her fist at the sky "Sucked in you stupid bastard! How do you like THAT?" "But what's happened to Hotaru? And what does that have to do with that big hole in the sky?" Michiru turned to the sky, and was stunned to see a devastated landscape through it. "It would seem that the flimsy barrier the city put between the dimensions was not enough to withstand something like a DRR. And as for Hotaru's whereabouts...." Setsuna pointed. Against the white and gray of the landscape and the dimensional tear, they could see a dark figure floating down. "Umm.... What if she's still in a pissed-off state of mind?" Haruka bit her lower lip. "I don't think so. An attack like the DRR uses up a great deal of her power. And if she used any attack before that, then it is likely the best she can manage is to levitate." "Since when is levitation one of Saturn's powers?" Michiru looked at Setsuna. "Since when was transportation one of mine?" Setsuna sniffed. "We have many powers and abilities we have yet to trawl. Without the benefit of an institution to teach us these things, we are having to fall back on the residual memories of our past lives." Setsuna pointed to Michiru. "Come with me. We should go and collect Hotaru. Something tells me we may need the more diplomatic members of our little gathering." She turned to Haruka. "You, find our guests something to drink and a place to rest. They're going to need it." Haruka looked like she was about to complain. "Just do it, Haruka. We're stretched of our resorces as it is." Setsuna clicked her fingers at Michiru and the pair of them dashed away towards the street, transforming as they did so. Michiru looked aside at Setsuna as the woman began to mutter an incantation. "Why do we need to be diplomatic with Hotaru? I thought she was one of us? Most of the time, anyway...." Setsuna was surprised that she heard Michiru say this without opening her mouth. "I see you've remembered you telepathic powers, then." She replied in kind, too busy with the incantation to use more physical methods of communication. "I knew about this a long time ago. I'm not as stupid as you seem to think me." "I never said you were." "You seem to act and react as if I were." "So sorry I'm not perfect." "You didn't answer my question." Setsuna mentally sighed as they leapt atop rooves, bounding from building to building. "Hotaru has been through quite a bit within the Eternal City.... The dimension seems almost perfectly designed to disorient all within. I'm afraid Hotaru may no longer quite know who is friend or foe." Michiru went quiet as their bodies transformed into light. Setsuna heard a question just as the rapid transport began. "Why didn't my powers detect the visions you gave us to be false? A manipulation?" "Because...." Setsuna thought for a few moments... "Perhaps they were not merely visions, but a twisted form of what was to be." Michiru shivered. Akunatsuka had been roused by sounds of panic. For a moment, he wondered why he wasn't in his bed at home. Of course, he thought, I'm at the Juuban station. He remembered that he'd decided to crash in the appropriately named rest room, switching off the lights, he'd lain down on the sofa that sat in the far corner. Then another thought hit him... The Tsukino girl... She was in the building... What if... He found himself sitting up very quickly. The sounds were quite clear now. People running about, shouting things. Some screams, some angry words, some attempts to keep things under control.... And above it all, a horrible rumbling sound, the likes of which he'd never heard before in his life. Slowly, he stood, grabbing his jacket from the back of the nearest chair. Slowly, he put it on and stepped along the main table to the door. He opened it, and found the corridor outside empty. Well, almost empty. Usako stood there, smiling at him. "Ah, you're awake, I see." He'd taken a full step backwards. "What the hell are you doing here? What the hell is going on?" Usako ignored him and turned aside. "This is the man who was asking me all those questions." He turned to see who she was talking to, and went momentarily insane. There stood two more Usagis... Albeit, with minor differences. One had her hair dyed red and tied back sans odangos. She also had a cross scar on her cheek and was wearing a traditional costume, coloured a brownish-red, from the early Meiji era, complete with sword at her hip. The other wore a red ninja costume inside a long white coat, her hair held back with a white headband. "Akunatsuka-san, may I present Tsukino Usashin and Shinomori Aosagi, the two friends I was telling you about." "What the hell is going on here? You can't all be... Can't all be her...." "Who? Tsukino Usagi?" Usashin stared at him gravely. For some reason, Akunatsuka felt the girl's gaze probing into him. "Y..yes.." "That girl is dead. We witnessed the crime ourselves." "Dead? Then who the hell are you?" "We are genetic copies of her, created in the hope of becoming her. As you can see, we did not match expectations." His head was swimming. "What the hell is going on here?" "Allow me to explain this to you simply, different man." Aosagi pointed to him. "We were brought into your dimension by a rift that is currently occuring at this very moment. That is the rumbling sound you are hearing, only we were cast to a point before the death of Tsukino Usagi. It was there, by some divine providence, that we were to witness the defiling of her good self by those who described themselves as her friends." "Oh, this is just great." Akunatsuka shook his head. "I'm not paid enough for this." Akunatsuka's attitude annoyed Aosagi, and she grabbed him by the collar, thrusting a blade to his throat. "Wh... What are you doing?" "Listen to me, different man, you have seen your friends killed by a beast that has taken the form of Tsukino Usagi." "A beast?" "A creature called a youma. It means to kill all in its wake if it is not stopped." Something clicked in Akunatsuka's mind. He looked at the blade, then at Aosagi. The girl removed the blade and stepped back. "I will have to believe you. Nothing else makes sense." He looked around at the empty corridor. "Where has everyone gone?" "When the dimensional rupture occured, the officers of this station panicked. The whole city has panicked. Very soon, the military will become involved, and the stakes shall rise. A declaration of martial law shall be imposed, in the hope of suppressing the panic. It shall not, however, suppress the Youma once it has returned." Usashin gestured down the corridor. "I suggest we make ourselves scarce." "Where is this Youma creature now?" "I'm not sure. It could be anywhere. Suffice to say, it is not here now. The beast has the memories of Tsukino Usagi, and considers her ex-friends to be her killers. It shall return for them. Now, if you could please hurry...." "Why?" Akunatsuka looked at Usashin, who had taken him by the arm. His answer came rapidly, as one end of the corridor exploded, dust and cement flying in every direction. They turned to see the Resonator, larger than before, thrashing about as it absorbed the mutilated body of one of its victims, making obscene cackling noises. "That's why." Usashin muttered. "That creature means us great harm." It looked it too. All four made a hasty retreat in the opposite direction. Then there was a short blast, and that end of the corridor collapsed into dust, the product of an energy blast from the Resonator. "Gonna eat you, gonna kill you. Is fun. Will hunt and kill everything. Hate all. Hate." It slobbered throughout the sentence. The quartet turned to it and prepared to defend themselves, Usashin drawing her sword, Aosagi whipping out a blade on a chain, Akunatsuka taking out his police-issue revolver, and Usako putting her hands over her head. They didn't get an opportunity to fight. A figure appeared before them and stared around as if not knowing where she was. "Aha!" PalaPala smiled. "I remember what I was supposed to do now!" She turned to the four. "I'm here to rescue you." "Then hurry and do it." Usashin pointed to the Resonator with her sword. The creature was pushing thick reinforced concrete walls aside to get to them. PalaPala smiled and lifted her right hand into the air, pointing it at the beast. "BolaBola Centrifuge...." She said, her words echoing slightly. Four multicoloured balls appeared above her hand, spinning like a merry-go-round. "CONCENTRATION POINT IMPACT!" She shouted, and the four balls glowed with energy, shooting off at high speed at the Resonator. The blast that ensued was incredible, easily blowing it several miles from where it started. Fortunately, the entire blast was concentrated in one direction. Unfortunately, several billion dollars worth of real estate went up with it. Akunatsuka watched this with his mouth open. "Th... That was magic! Real magic!" PalaPala turned to him and giggled. "No, silly, that's the science of the elements... Of the High Universal Empire." She pointed at the them. "You can put your weapons back. It won't be returning for some time." They did, and PalaPala clapped her hands together, doing her best to sound chipper. "Well, people, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to put you all through the ordeal of transportation." "Transportation?" Akunatuka mumbled. Then he remembered what Rikai had told him.... That he had been transported across the city by who knew who.... "Wait a minute... Will this hurt?" PalaPala giggled as a sphere of energy surrounded them. "No, but you'll have the runs for a week." "Whaaat?" Was all Akunatsuka could get out before all five disappeared in a flash of energy. It was quite an attractive morning. A mist covered the desert landscape, rolling like a wave through the valley that contained Tomoe's building fortress and the few ruins that lay around it. The Youma Usagi watched as a flock of birds flew overhead. The world was, most definitely, coming back to life. It was such a beautiful sight to watch. She felt tears coming to her eyes. She had been up all night, sitting on the roof of the building, staring at the stars. Thoughts passed through her head, both good and bad. She wanted to remain in this world, to see out its rebirth.... But destiny dictated that she must return. To the past. Everything about her life had been guided by that most universal of powers.... Destiny. And so, she had made a decision. Hotaru woke to find Usako lying partially across her. For a few moments, she wondered who it might be, but the light through the window, casting across Usako's serene face, told her. She sat up and groaned slightly. She had a splitting headache. Rubbing her eyes in the hope that it would take away the pain. It didn't. She reached under her bunk and pulled out a bottle of a noxious-looking brown liquid. She opened the top and took a swig, her face screwing up at its foul taste. It had the desired effect, though. After a few more swigs, she felt the headache beginning to recede. Still, there was nothing as horrible as whiskey first thing in the morning, even if it was the best cure for a hangover. She resealed the bottle and placed it back underneath the bunk. After a few moments of shaking her head to make the alcohol work faster, and failing, she gently prised her feet in the hope that she wouldn't wake Usako. It didn't work. Usako's eyes were open the moment Hotaru started to move, and she sat up, staring at the sunlight that peered through the window over the bunk. "Ohayo, Hotaru-chan." She said, sleepily. "Ohayo." Hotaru replied, surprised to find her voice rather husky at this hour. "Did you sleep well?" Usako pushed her hair back and sat on the edge of the bunk, crossing her hands in her lap. "Not initially.... I was having strange dreams... Then things seemed to settle." Hotaru looked at her for a moment. "That wasn't your doing, was it?" Usako smiled sweetly. "You looked like you needed a little help settling down." Hotaru shook her head and closed her eyes. "You're too kind to me. I really do wish you wouldn't be." "I give kindness to whomever I wish to. If I choose you, then kindness you shall receive." Hotaru chuckled and smiled. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make herself feel angry around Usako. Her expression changed to a more solemn one. Usako had seen this often.... One moment Hotaru was smiling, the next, all that momentary joy was sapped from her. Disturbing to watch. Usako placed a hand against Hotaru's arm, and the pair stared at each other. "I promised you a better future, Hotaru-chan. I will deliver the peace of mind you are searching for." "Don't want it." "Yes you do." "Don't want the kind of peace you have to offer." Usako sighed. "Death shall not offer you the peace you are looking for, Hotaru-chan." "Don't call me Hotaru-chan. I'm not a kid anymore." "I'll call you Hotaru-chan if you're going to act like a kid." Hotaru felt her anger disappear in an instant. She shook her head. "Stop using that power on me, Usako. I can only get over my problems by myself." "How will you get over your problems if you kill yourself first?" Usako wasn't smiling anymore, and Hotaru sighed. "Lets not argue, okay? I'm hungry. I can't think with an empty stomach." Usako smiled again and stood from the bed. "I can hear the generator going again. That means there shall be hot water soon. I suggest we partake in the communal ablutions...." "Eh?" Hotaru scratched her head. "Its too early in the morning for that kind of language." "Very well then. Shall we bathe with the Usagis?" "Ehhhh?" Hotaru looked at her. "I hate taking a bath with others. You know that." "What? You mean you've never bathed with the Usagis before?" Usako stared at her. Hotaru shook her head. "I don't like to relate with people that way. If I'm going to wash myself, I prefer to do it alone." "Are you afraid of showing your body to others?" Hotaru facefaulted. "Oh gawwd, its not that, fer Kami's sake. I just hate having others around me whilst I'm washing myself." Usako nodded. "Uh-huh. A nudity complex." Hotaru opened her eyes wide and began to stutter a protest, when Usako took her by the hand and pulled her off the bunk. "We'll soon cure you of that." "B..b..b..but I don't wanna. Lemme go!" Usako was surprisingly strong, and Hotaru found herself in the corridor and down two flights of stairs before she managed to break free. Usako turned to her at the corner of the stairwell and stared, making Hotaru feel very uncomfortable. "Na...nani?" Hotaru stammered under the glare. Usako shook her head, sadly. "Why do you do this? Why do you reject every little bit of help I offer you?" "Help?" Hotaru frowned. "What kind of help is dumping me in a communal bath full of Usagis?" "The kind of help that forces you to start socialising with people again. Even if they all look like me." Usako lifted up her arm and stared at it, then turned to the nearby window and made faces. "Ah yes, I've still got it. That fresh skin, those good looks." She raised an eyebrow, looking aside at Hotaru. "Better looking than you." She chuckled. Hotaru felt her anger rise. "What do you MEAN, better looking than me? I'll have you know that, wherever we went together, I had more men turn their heads in MY direction than you ever had." Usako waved at her dismissively. "Pshu... Merely a case of packaging. You can make mutton look good by dressing it up as lamb, you know?" The pair stared at each other for a few moments, then burst out laughing. Hotaru then sighed. "Alright, you win. I'll take the bath." "Oh yay." "But if one of those Usagis gets on my nerves, it'll be the glaive for them." "Perish the thought." Hotaru took a few steps forward, then stopped, turning to Usako. "What if SHE is there?" "She won't be." "How can you be so sure." "Oh, I know. You'll be surprised how little you will see of her from now on." Hotaru scratched her head, then continued on. Usako paused for a few moments, thinking, then followed. Within a matter of seconds, and a flash of bright light, Setsuna and Michiru, in the form of Pluto and Neptune, arrived at the summit of the multi-storey building that had been close to the epicentre of the dimensional rift. Michiru looked up at the ruined landscape that was contained in the alternate dimension, and was surprised to see little dark lines slowly crawling across the surface. For a few moments, she wondered what they might be, but was distracted by Setsuna's voice. "Saturn...." She looked down as Setsuna approached the dark figure, sitting on the side of the building. She had to look twice. The figure was not the Hotaru she remembered. Taller now, perhaps the tallest of them all, she wore a black minidress with a black bow on the back, rather than the traditional senshi fuku. She wondered why the sudden change.... Perhaps some residual effect from the takeover by Mistress Nine? No, that wasn't it.... This was an inner darkness, of which Hotaru had barely begun to scratch the surface. The girl's eyes were glazed over, like the aftereffects of rapture, or a kind of religious orgasm. Michiru would have been surprised to find these thoughts were surprisingly accurate. What Hotaru had just experienced was a full use of her powers.... With her ultimate survival. The pleasure at letting these powers go and living to see the results of her handiwork was a revelation she would not soon forget. She turned to Setsuna, who had approached her cautiously, and smiled. "Hello, Setsuna." "Hello Hotaru." Setsuna answered back, in a surprisingly calm tone of voice. Hotaru swung her legs around from over the side of the building and stood. Setsuna watched as she brought the Silence Glaive around, the weapon fading into a beam of light and disappearing into her hand. "I see your weapon of choice has returned to you." "It felt good to use, once more. Galaxia's efforts to destroy it were obviously less than successful." Hotaru looked up at her. "And if that's so, where is your Time Key?" Setsuna sighed. "I choose not to regenerate it. The priest's staff I have been using is enough of an avatar for my power. For the time being, anyway." "Ah, very good, very good." Hotaru looked up at the dimensional breach. "Oh dear. So sorry about that. Got a little carried away there." "You call that a LITTLE?" Michiru pointed upwards. "I hope you don't intend to do this every day." Hotaru looked at Michiru and smiled. "I shouldn't guess that it will be needed again. The Destroyers that threatened the City are dead. Mostly." "And what of the Eternal City itself?" Setsuna looked upwards. "I see it is beginning to regenerate." She looked back down again. "I get the feeling it won't be too happy for what you did." "So?" Hotaru shrugged, almost giggling. "I did what it asked of me. It wanted those Destroyers.... destroyed. And so they are." "But not all of them." Michiru put her hands on her hips. "No. Sorry about that." Setsuna smiled. "Don't worry yourself about it. I shouldn't think the blame for everything that is about to happen should be placed on your shoulders." "Indeed, I very much agree. This was not the act of someone who is given a choice in the matter." Hotaru shivered. "I hate being manipulated into doing the wrong thing for an ultimate right, don't you?" Setsuna nodded and watched as Hotaru placed a hand to her mouth, licking some of her and the Destroyers' blood off. Little, almost miniscule, droplets of black covered her all over, but neither Setsuna nor Michiru recognised what it was. Then a light struck them.... The light of a helicopter search light. All three turned, almost without fear, towards the source. A military vehicle, though Michiru, great, just what is needed in this situation. Not. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MOVE." Came a voice over a loudspeaker as the chopper motioned over the buidling. Soldiers dropped from the vehicle and landed nearby, aiming automatic weapons at the trio. "A bit of overkill, I must say." Michiru sniffed. "Dangerous overkill." Setsuna shook her head. "We really can't afford to mess with the military right at this moment." "DO NOT MOVE. UNDER THE EMERGENCY POWERS ACT, WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO DETAIN YOU. DO NOT MOVE." The voice over the loudspeaker instructed. The trio looked at each other, and Setsuna sighed. "Should we surrender, or leave?" "Leaving sounds like a good option." Hotaru shrugged. As the soldiers closed in, Setsuna muttered an incantation, and in the blink of an eye, the three disappeared in a veil of light. One of the soldiers let off a couple of rounds, and there was a cry of pain. Then the light dissipated. Naru wandered the grounds of the Academy, and discovered just how far the campus extended. The fact that the huge grounds were dotted with outcrops of buildings stunned her. She never contemplated just how many people must have been studying here. Surely enough to populate a small city.... But then, her mind was on other things. People walked by, staring at her distant expression. What were they thinking? There is no leaving the Academy. Once here, you're here until you graduate, be it good or bad. That would have meant any student who looked out of it was a potential... Yes, that was it. Runners.... The name given to Academy students who try to leave of their own accord. It was a shame on the institution if anyone did that.... Sooner or later, the authorities would find you and punish you for bringing the Academy into disrepute... Don't worry if you didn't belong there in the first place, or if it damaged your hopes and aspirations.... "I was told you were out here again." Naru felt her hackles rise. "I don't want to speak with you, Naiad." "Tranqs, this is silly.... Look, I'm sorry.... I didn't expect you to find out that way... About Astute and I... We were both highly embarassed when my sister told me..." "And how do you think I feel?" Naru shivered and turned to Naiad, registering for the first time that they were standing alone in the middle of one of the Academy's gardens. A mist was rising around them, illuminated by the ornate lamps that covered the grounds as the last of the sunlight disappeared. Naiad looked down and shook her head, obviously not knowing what to say. "We've never kept secrets from each other, not since we met. Why now, Naiad? Why this? You could have told me." "Did it make you feel jealous?" Naiad stepped forward. "Seeing me in Astute's arms?" Naru stamped her feet on the ground. "Damn straight it did. Astute.... with YOU! Nobody will accept that!" Naiad's face softened, and she put her hands on Naru's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Tranqs, but you know how I get, sometimes. I just can't make my mind up about things. But believe me, I don't want this to get between us." "Between us? It's already between us." Well, between you and Tranquility, Naru thought to herself. For some reason, her thoughts were being guided by Tranquility's feelings... And suddenly she felt something REALLY scary was about to happen. "Don't worry, Tranqs... After all that, you're still much better than he is." And with that Naiad kissed her. Passionately. And Naru responded in kind.... Or, at least, Tranquility did. In Naru's case, all the alarm bells were going off in her mind. She was in the poop, neck deep. "Oh Kami...." She thought. "Stop this train, driver, I wanna get off...." IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST and again IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST END OF PART 12 Notes Woohoo, finally finished this part.... Pretty hard now considering how far I'm into the story. I'm getting to the point where I'm constantly having to look back to make sure I haven't made any continuity errors. And that's just the "Usagi is Dead" continuity. Got a few mails from people asking me to describe, in some detail, what it was that I'd cut out of this story. I hope they don't get offended or anything by the subject matter.... It really isn't that necessary to "Usagi is Dead" anyway, and I'm considering writing an interlude chapter that will cover an edited version of the events that can be accepted or ignored as part of the UID storyline. Currently, I'm working on starting two other SM projects.... A spinoff of UID called "Black Saturn", which will cover the violent adventures of our 24 year old manic depressive antiheroine after the end of UID. The other, which I have already started, is titled "Level Heads and Lame Hearts", and will be written from the perspective of Makoto.... If I have time before I go on holidays, I'll have both that and UID 13 up and posted. For those who are interested in such things, I'm also working on an Evangelion fic.... "Death and Reverse".... Well, I just thought I'd mention it. And then, I might even get on with rewriting "Bishoujo Mikotai 12", my rather crappy on-paper effort of some two years ago, in which I first came up with the idea of the 12 Miko. Oh, I might even continue Sailor Python, unless people really don't want me to.... I've seen it described as being "disgustingly hilarious" on a web page somewhere. ^_^ And I haven't even introduced the Majestyk Moose yet.... Oh well... In the next chapter of UID, "God from a Machine" (Yes, finally, I get to use that title ^_^), the Resonator catches up with our fleeing victims... uh.. heores, and mass destruction results, until it annoys the Youma Usagi, who has come back to fulfill her destiny. All comments and criticisms are gratefully received by DDFA at ayanami@merlin.net.au DDFA, 25th December 1997 (Ho Ho Ho)