Chapter 3
	The police line watched the conflict within the building with
trepidation. It had been silent for several minutes know, no explosions
or flashes of magical light. A few officers were hoping the whole thing
was over. The majority doubted they were that lucky and continued to
prevent the curios from intruding. 
	Abruptly a series of small projectiles acted from the building. When
each hit, thick multicolored smoke began to pour from it, the
culmination of all of which laid a thick, noxious screen across the
road.
	One officer, stranded right in the middle of the haze, bumped into
someone crossing the street, apparently just from the building. Before
he could open his mouth, a hand moved and permanently silenced him. 
	The figure walked out of the smoke at the other end and straight into
the crowd. He slowly made his way out, casually throwing anyone who got
in his way out. Then her was gone.
	The agent walked the streets, moving in the direction of the room it
had rented. It needed to store the possessions carried in the duffel bag
it carried.
	Mission Objective 1: Terminate Target 1: Complete
	Mission Objective 2: Terminate Target 2: Complete
	Mission Objective 3: Terminate Target 3: Complete
	Mission Objective 4: Terminate Target 4: Complete
	Mission Objective 5: Terminate Target 5: Complete
	Mission Phase 1 Success/Fail Ratio: 98%
	Phase 1 Assessment: Success

	In the main hall of the ruling family of Nemesis, there was much to be
done.
	The Kareoke machine was always popular and the bar line was ten deep.
Of course, with completely free open bar and a selection of beverages
and other substances not impinged with any pesky laws, the twenty seven
bartenders were hard pressed to make the line only ten deep.
	Diamond was on stage personally. He had a horrible singing voice, no
stage presence, and could barely be heard over the bustle of the crowd.
He received no less than three standing ovations per performance. The
power of death does that for your reviews.
	Currently singing an old American tune, no one quite remembered the
name but the words "Celebrate good time, hang on!" did seem to be in
abundance, he led the festivities. After all, the Senshi were dead. The
Black Moon was gonna party like it's 1999. 
	Sodium, Diamond's Heir Apparent, was holding court. He, quite
intoxicated on three shots of some stuff called "Vodka," was listening
to his vast array of toadies tell him how wonderful he was. He couldn't
get enough of it. Due to his new position of power, the current
political philosophy was compliment him a few times right after telling
Diamond how well he sang. Then go drink five or six stiff ones to make
that sit better.
	In one corner, three not-so-happy party attendees were discussing
matters of grave importance. Crack or Heroin? They eventually choose
Crack and became quite happy party goers. This has absolutely nothing to
do with anything though so never mind. 
	In a different corner of the room, three other not-so-happy party goers
were discussing matters of much graver importance. The other group would
probably disagree but they're crack heads. They're opinion would come
out barely recognizable if at all anyway. 
	Onyx and Iridium were plotting. Onyx and Iridium had been plotting for
three straight days now, ever since that moron's plan had succeeded.
They had recently been joined by Pearl, a noble of limited magical power
but great political savvy. Their aims were simple. The undoing of what
had just been done. 
	"Listen, Sodium is actually beginning to tighten his grasp of Diamond's
ear. If we don't do something soon, it will be to late." Onyx opened the
discussion and first meeting of the "We Hate Sodium" Club.
	"What are you proposing?" Pearl asked.
	"Who can we go to that wants to aid the Senshi, can undo what already
happened, and really hates the Dark Moon?" Iridium asked.
	"Dear Lord! You don't mean to-" Pearl stared at him in shock.
	"Yes, as a matter of fact we do. She'll help us because she has to."
Onyx cut Pearl off. 
	"But how will you do it?" Pearl wondered.
	"I have a way of meeting her and assurity she won't kill me on sight. I
just need someone with more magic than me to teleport me there." Onyx
smirked slightly.
	"How?"
	"You don't want to know," Iridium replied.
	"But-"
	"Trust us. You DON'T want to know!" Came the dual response. 
	"Fine. I'll do it. When?" Pearl asked.
	"Two hours from now while everyone else is either passed out or too
mellow to care." Iridium replied.
	They quickly began to discuss matters of detail and import. Elsewhere
the party began to really get into the swing of things. Diamond began
talking to the pink dolphins that had appeared out of the floor, Sodium
was confessing his insecurities to his belly button, and Topaz was
mellowed to the point of insensibility, along with the rest of the bash. 
	That party was just getting started.

	Pluto clutched her head again and but back the scream. The Time Stream
was radiating wrongness and to one as in tune with it as she was, it
caused unspeakable pain. She finally closed the door behind her and
collapsed on her bed. Here, in the Citadel, she lay in her specially
built bedroom, protected from the waves of building paradox. The Time
Stream would always rebuild itself, it would always work a paradox out,
but in that would be much latter.
	Pluto reached out gingerly and flipped a switch on her desk. Elsewhere,
a great portal swung shut and the singly most magically warded door in
existence closed. Pluto breathed a sigh of relief. 
	She had gone off for four days, saving some new time traveler from
their own stupidity. Why was it that every super genius who invented
time travel was a moron? Or did they all just have some burning desire
to go back, meet their own parents, and start causing mayhem?
	She had returned and found Onyx waiting. He had used called in an old
debt and she had spoken with him. What she found horrified her.
	The agent had no magical signature. She couldn't find it. And now they
were dead. They were all dead. It had waited until Neptune and Uranus
had emerged before hunting them down. Alone and new to their powers,
they had fallen. Saturn had appeared and used the Death Reborn
Revolution. Both had died. Now Crystal Tokyo was also fading into not
and the Time Stream was boiling, trying to correct itself. This might be
the big one though. It was looking more and more like the only way to
prevent paradox would be complete annihilation of this part of reality.
	Pluto, after much thinking, realized what she had known all along was
inevitable. She had to get him. It galled her and she hated the thought
of it, but he was the only real hope they had. Marshalling her energy,
she sent out a call. Then, exhausted, she fell asleep.
	
	The party, now in its third day, was still going. Not much was actually
going on though, most people were insensible and oblivious. It was
approaching the end of its opening.

	He walked the halls of her Citadel. It wasn't as big as the word
Citadel implied, being only made for one person. But it was hers and he
had come to meet her. 
	He found her in what passed for her dining room. Wearing her civilian
clothes she had a light meal laid out and was waiting patiently. He
looked around the room before sitting, carefully noting the absence of
any traps he could see. 
	"Good evening." Meiou Setsuna began to eat, not waiting for him to
indulge in pleasantries.
	"What do you want?" He didn't touch his food.
	"You know what's happened. Diamond's plan succeeded." She continued to
eat, ignoring the demand and imperious tone of voice.
	"Of course. I am an official, bonified, Nemesis resident after all." He
managed to keep most of the sarcasm out of his voice. His control was
never perfect around her but he had grown better.
	"You must go back and undo it." She stopped eating and looked up.
	"Are you on Crack?" 
	The only answer he received was a raised eyebrow. 
	"You must be. I'm an official member of Nemesis now, remember? I was
even privileged enough to be exiled by special ceremony." His voice was
a slight bit louder now. "I had the Honor being humiliated before the
entire world when I was Exiled! You aided yourself!" He was almost
screaming now. "And you expect me to come back, throw everything away,
and risk my life!?" He was screaming.
	"You're loosing control." Setsuna was a perceptive one.
	"NO SHIT!" He wasn't that bad himself.
	"Please calm down, Hiro."
	"Do. Not. Call. Me. That." While he had returned his voice to normal
level, he had an intensity in his words that made it seem like they were
much louder.
	"Very well, Cyanide."
	There were several moments of silence. Then Cyanide spoke. "You haven't
answered the question. Why should I?" He had assumed this was why she
had summoned him and had put some thought into it.
	"You may be mad at her, but she's still your-"
	"No she's not!" Cyanide was back to screaming. 
	There was no reply.
	"That ended when she brought charges against me herself. I'm dead to
her, remember? There is nothing but hate between us."
	"She brought them against you because she had too." Setsuna remained
calm in the face of Cyanide.
	After a moment, during which he was visibly regaining control, he rose.
He walked quickly around the table and stood to the right of his host,
looking down at her. She watched him for a second before placing her
chopsticks on the table and standing herself. 
	They looked at each other for several minutes. Cyanide was taller but
Setsuna had a regality in her bearing which placed them as equal. Their
faces were no more than a few inches apart. The tension built slowly
until at last Cyanide spoke.
	"Let us get back to the point. Why should I go back?"
	Setsuna considered bringing up morality, the fact that Neo Queen
Serenity had brought peace and harmony, and rewards. She discarded them
almost immediately.
	"These reasons. One: in spite of everything that happened, she still
loves you. She loved you so much she cried herself to sleep every night
for three years following your exile."
	Cyanide reeled slightly, shock becoming rampant on his face.
	"Two: You're the only one who can."
	Regaining his mental balance, he straitened himself. He looked down at
her, face calm but guarded.
	"Three: If you do and succeed, I will have you're banishment revoked.
You can return if you want, or begone and never seen again. I'll help
you in whatever you choose."
	"Is that all? For these you want me to go back and risk my life? I have
one already, one means nothing to me, and the third, well, she's dead.
She won't even feel pain now."
	Setsuna placed her hands on either side of his head and brought his
face down so they were at eye level. "I hoped but did not expect that to
work. I can marshal only one other reason."
	"Oh? It's my duty?" Cyanide did not bother keeping the sneer from his
face.
	"I asked you too." And Meiou Setsuna kissed him.
	For the first few seconds, Cyanide was so shocked he could barely
respond. Then he reacted.
	Sweeping his arms forward around her he leaned into the kiss. He kissed
back with a barely contained need, almost unable to hold himself
upright. He melted in her arms, almost scared, he wanted this so badly.
	Setsuna, Senshi of Pluto, had many gifts, a few of which carried over
from her Senshi form to her natural. One was the ability to hold her
breath for almost a week. 
Cyanide, a mere mortal, had mastered the skill of breathing through his
nose. As a result, they didn't move from that position for quite some
time.

	The party was still going on. It looked like it was going to be a
record setter.

	He woke and rolled out of bed in one smooth motion. The lights were off
in the room but he knew where his equipment was. He dressed quickly,
unencumbered by the dark. As he slid the only weapon he owned, a thin
bladed knife, into his boot he brought his previous night's ponderings
back up.
	Cyanide sat down and held his head. 'Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn.' It
was still there. The when he had been exiled, all those years ago, he
had been so young, so innocent. Most people had thought it was just
another case of teenage puppy love. It hadn't been and it had remained
with him for his entire stay on the Black Moon. He had tried to hate her
too, he had tried so hard, but he couldn't. It just wouldn't come. And
now she used it against him.
	He would have cried, but his tears were long gone. The Black moon did
that to people. It had hardened him until he had only that one weakness
left, something no one could find. And now she used it on him. He swore.
She was another damn malicious manipulative bitch.
	He rose, intentions firm in his mind, and he walked out to find her.

	She sat facing the doorway. On the other side of those huge, deeply
warded doors, was the Time Gate. She was as far from them as she could,
even through the magic meant to contain, the pain licked lightly at her
mind. She waited.
	He walked in shortly. His bearing and expression gave her the
information she needed to know.

	They broke the kiss and each leaned back. Setsuna kept her arms around
his shoulders and Cyanide continued to hold her waist.
	"Please. I beg you." She spoke softly, desperately.
	He was unable to speak for quite some time. His face, normally so
guarded, showed the play of confusion, desire, disgust, and fear. He
never had been able to restrain himself around her. 
	"So, it all comes back to that eh?" When he finally did speak, his
voice was bitter and caustic. "Fine then, I'll sere you in the morning."
And before she could open her mouth, he had released her and was gone.

	"No." He leaned back against the wall, just a hint of scorn on his
otherwise neutral face.
	"Very well. I understand. I did not tell you this last night but there
is another option."
	"Then I suggest you take it."
	"I can go myself you know. The growing paradox will make it
uncomfortable for me but I can do it."
	"More power to you." If she was trying to make him change his mind, she
was failing in a big way.
	Meiou Setsuna rose and Pluto stood ready. She adjusted to the feel of
her magic, preparing herself for the shock. After she felt she was as
braced as she could get, she ordered the two great doors open.
	She hissed in shock and braced herself, surprised even still by the
pain. Then, gauging she was ready, she began to walk forward.
	The pain increased slowly as she made her way forward. It felt like her
entire body was burning, white agony laced every nerve. She continued,
walking, then staggering, then crawling. She couldn't remember falling. 
	Her field of vision slowly began to cloud over with a white haze. All
she could see was the Time Gate before her as she slowly made her way
towards it. She kept going, dragging herself across the tiles. She
realized absently that she was coughing up blood, it didn't matter. She
was halfway there. 
	The pain got worse, barely able to hold onto consciousness, she crawled
on. She couldn't think anymore. All she knew was she needed to get to
the Gate and pain. Pain beyond imagining, pain without respite. She
couldn't see past the pain, all she knew was the Time Gate was just
ahead. She crawled another foot, and then the pain stopped as oblivion
grabbed her.

	These people didn't throw celebrations part way. It was still going,
having the second of eight scheduled bands beginning to play. On the
floor of the first of the seven rooms, all kinds of sin, obscenity, and
acts of perversion were taking place. Think a really good Rave.

	She woke up. The white sheets around her testified something had
happened. The room was darkened and the only light came from a crack
under the doorway. This look around left her exhausted though and she
closed her eyes. 
	She opened them, either a day or an instant later, and felt a presence
in the room. 
	"I tried to help you when you started bleeding from under your
fingernails. I learned the wrong way touching you was a bad idea. I
belatedly shut tried to shut the doors before the gate but that wasn't
possible. So I braced myself and picked you up and ran. I made it
because I hadn't dealt with as long as you did. You were bleeding out of
your pores by this point. The doors before the Gate are shut now."
	"Then you'll do it?" She asked.
	"Fine. You win."
	"Thank you." He tried to say something but she felt the blackness
overcome her and didn't hear him. 
	She woke up again. Before she could sit up a glass was placed in her
hands. 
	"Drink. It'll make you feel better."
	She drank. It tasted terrible. After a second she did feel better
though.
	"Lemme ask you a question, Meiou Setsuna."
	"What?"
	"Was that another fake? Did you do that just to make me go?"
	"Not entirely. If you didn't go, I would have. It probably would not
have hurt so much on the other side. I admit, I was hoping I wouldn't
have to, though."
	"Ah. So nothing that happened here really meant a damn to you. You'd do
pretty much anything to get my agreement."
	"Yes."
	"Why?"
	She tried to just smile mysteriously at him but stopped when she saw
the look on his face. "You are the best chance I have."
	"Why?"
	"You're permanent. Have you been to Earth recently? Everything the
Senshi did ended. Everything related to them never happened. You're
different though. For some reason, you're permanent. Changes to the Time
Line don't affect you. Besides, the same things which got you exiled are
now our best chance."
	"I see. I'll leave two days after your healthy enough to begin teaching
me what I need to know."
	
	The party finally ended. It had been a week long and another was
planned for the day after tomorrow. People needed time to take care of
certain necessary functions though.
	


Special thanks to  Hitoshi Doi (doi@usagi.org)
His site at http://www.tcp.com/doi/smoon/
gave me the info I needed to avoid screwing up the timeline too much. 

Miashara

As always, C&C is appreciated.