Daughters of Shadow and Light

         An Alternate Universe Story
              by Lunatic Knight

     A few notes to begin with.  This fic uses characters from
two series, Sailor Moon and Variable Geo.  However, it is set in an
alternate universe setting, so things will be in some ways very
different from canon for both series.  Also, the fic will at times
contain material both dark and lime.  If any of this is not your bag,
then consider yourself warned.  Other than that, hope you enjoy the
fruits of my muse's nagging.

     More author's notes at the end of part two.


Part One: The Caprices of Fate


     She wasn't coming.
     Dappled autumn sunlight floated over Usagi like patterned
lace, holding a warmth that tried to soothe, to cheer.
     Tried and failed.
     She wasn't coming.
     Usagi scanned the stream of girls passing through the gates,
all wearing the familiar uniform of their school.  There was a hint
of deja vu in the moment; after all, she'd been standing in this very
spot when she'd first seen Rei.  She recalled wistfully how
captivated she'd been by that first sight of the other girl.  The
crowd had seemed to part for her, and she wore her uniform as if it
were hers alone, and not one of many.  A vision of beauty and
grace, she'd cloaked herself in a casual aloofness that, to Usagi's
eyes, barely disguised the smoldering of her passionate heart.
     As she'd paused to flick a stray lock of raven hair out of her
face with what would become a heartbreakingly familiar gesture,
seemingly unaware of the lingering gazes that followed her from
all around, Usagi remembered thinking that she'd love to become
friends with that girl.
     And, much to her surprise, she'd done just that.  They'd
been classmates, then study partners, and somehow a friendship
had grown up between the two girls, polar opposites though they
were.
     Usagi had come to cherish that friendship.
     And now it was all gone.
     No, she told herself firmly, trying to ignore the cold
emptiness in her belly.  No, it can't be.  If I can just talk to her, we
can work things out.  I know we can.
     But that wasn't going to happen.
     She wasn't coming.
     Usagi hadn't really believed that she would, even while she held
onto that last tenuous scrap of hope.  But she'd shown up here
anyway, at the place where they met most mornings.  It would have
been better to try to talk here, in familiar surroundings, or at least
easier.  But of course, nothing about this was going to be easy;
she'd known that, even as she'd tried to force optimism.  If
necessary, she'd go to Rei, but she couldn't help thinking that
having to go to Rei would be an admission of some failure on her
part.  This way they could have met on equal terms and on neutral
ground.
     The flow of girls through the main gate was staring to peter
out, and Usagi leaned back against the rough trunk of the grand old
oak tree, barely repressing a doleful sigh.  No sign of Rei.  She'd
have to wait until after school, then, and go to Rei's apartment.  No
way around it.  Unless she skipped ...
     "Usagi."  The familiar voice made her start guiltily, and for
a moment she was certain that her thoughts of cutting classes had
summoned a phantom from her conscience.  But no; when she
turned, she saw that the voice was real.
     "Haruka-san!"  Haruka stood behind her, arms crossed,
regarding her coolly.  Michiru was there too, her long skirt
fluttering languorously in the gentle autumn breeze.
     "Waiting for someone?" Haruka asked, her voice casual.
Usagi shook her head, although she disliked lying to Haruka.  This
was something she absolutely could not discuss with the older
girls.  Not yet, at least.  Not until she'd had a chance to talk to Rei.
Once they talked, everything would be all right.  She knew that, in
her heart.  She BELIEVED it.
     She had to.
     "Just enjoying the weather," she said with a self-conscious
little laugh.  "Soon it'll start getting colder."  Haruka just nodded.
     "Come on," she said.  "Let's take a walk."  Usagi
straightened up from where she was leaning against the tree and
clasped the handle of her satchel tightly as she complied.
     "Why are you guys here?" she asked, a tight lump suddenly
forming in the pit of her stomach.  "Did something happen?"
     "She wants to know if something happened," Michiru said
softly, glancing at Haruka out of the corner of her eye.  Usagi felt a
surge of irritation at the effortless way the two seemed to
communicate, with gestures and body language as much as words.
It was almost spooky sometimes.
     Then she saw where their walk was taking them, and felt
some of the nervous tension drain away.  She followed the
glamorous pair to a stone archway set in a wall, following their
gazes across the carefully manicured grass to the roped-off area
around one corner of the main gymnasium.  There were torn-up
areas scattered around the lawn, and glittering shards of broken
glass had been neatly swept into harmless looking piles.  Workmen
were clearing away the debris where a section of the gymnasium
wall had collapsed, watched over by grim-looking proctors wearing
swords and school colours.
     "I guess I made a bit of a mess, huh?" she said ruefully,
scratching at the back of her head.
     "You took care of the creature, and nobody got hurt,"
Haruka replied.  "That's what matters.  The damage can be
repaired."  Pride swelled up in her at Haruka's praise, and she
grinned in spite of herself.
     "Have they figured out how it got past the school's
defensive wards yet?" Michiru asked.  Usagi shrugged.
     "It's been less than twenty-four hours," she said.  "I don't
think anyone's got any answers yet."  Michiru nodded as if she'd
expected to hear just that, and kept staring out at the work around
the damaged building.
     Usagi frowned.  Unease was beginning to return, stronger
than before.  Something was wrong here.  There was none of the
usual banter in Haruka's manner, and the mischievous sparkle was
missing from Michiru's eyes.  They could just be concerned about
how close to home this attack had struck, but ...
     "Let's go this way," Haruka said abruptly, turning towards
the outer wall.  Usagi frowned.
     "I have to go," she objected.  "I'll be late for class."
     "You can skip today," Haruka said.  Usagi gaped at her.
     "You're LETTING me skip classes?" she asked, half
incredulous.  "Wow, what's the occasion?"  Haruka didn't answer,
and as Michiru shepherded her along silently, Usagi's sense of
unease increased.
     This did not bode well.
     She followed Haruka through the dense trees and bushes
that had been allowed to flourish on this part of the campus.  Soon
they were out of sight of the main buildings, and Usagi knew
where the path they were on lead to.  Sure enough, she presently
caught sight of the outer wall, where one of the small but ornate
metal gates that lead off campus was located.  The gate was ajar,
and she could see one of Haruka's cars parked on the street beyond.
The yellow one, actually.
     A faint smile tugged at her lips.  Haruka seemed to take
offense at the fact that Usagi refused to learn what her cars were
called, but Usagi couldn't care less whether it was a Porsche or an
Alfa Romeo or whatever.  Usagi supposed they were all very posh
and expensive, but then Haruka could afford them.
     "Hey, that gate's supposed to be locked," Usagi pointed
out, stopping in her tracks.  "And after yesterday, I could get in
trouble if someone catches me leaving like this.  All the teachers
are probably in an uproar, you know?"
     "We're your legal guardians," Haruka replied.  "There
won't be any problems."  Usagi couldn't really argue with that, but
she still felt uneasy.  Then she spotted a small black form sitting by
the gate, and raced ahead anxiously.
     "Luna," she said, her brow creased.  "Why are you here?
What ...?"  She broke off, staring down at the small black cat, a
horrible certainty spreading its icy roots through her.  Luna
wouldn't meet her gaze, and Usagi's satchel slipped from suddenly
numb fingers, hitting the ground with a soft thud.  Something
rattled as it toppled over.
     That's the key chain, she thought distantly, the one Rei-
chan gave me before ...
     Before ...
     "You told them."  Her voice came out as a whisper, breathy
and strengthless, but Luna still flinched.
     "You should have told us yourself," Haruka said from
behind her, her voice taut with anger.
     "Luna was worried about you, Usagi," Michiru added.
"And with good reason."
     "I'm sorry, Usagi," Luna mumbled, still not looking up, her
voice heavy with misery.  "I didn't want to, but ... but I couldn't
stand it if something happened to you.  I'd never forgive myself.
Never."  Usagi just stared, stunned by Luna's betrayal.
     How? she asked, but no words came out.  How could you?
After I came to you for advice, after I made you promise not to
tell?
     There was a rustle of cloth and Usagi looked up as a tall
figure appeared at the gate.  Long, emerald green hair swirled in a
sudden gust of wind, and Usagi raised her eyes to see Setsuna
standing there.
     "Anything?" Haruka asked.  Setsuna shook her head,
glancing briefly at Usagi, her gaze unreadable.
     "No sign of trouble," she said softly.  Haruka nodded and
took the stunned Usagi by the elbow.
     "Come on," she said, pulling the unresisting girl through
the gate as Michiru retrieved the satchel from where it had fallen.
Usagi blinked, trying to regain her composure.
     "Where ... where are we going?" she demanded.
     "Home," Haruka replied shortly.  "We need to decide what
we're going to do about this."
     That was the last thing anyone said for quite some time.

#####

     By the time they reached the sprawling complex of wings
and turrets that they called home, the reality of the situation had
finally begun to sink in.  Luna had ridden in the front seat on
Michiru's lap the entire time, and Usagi found she couldn't bear to
even look at her friend and adviser.
     How could she have told them?  How?
     As Haruka triggered the huge, wrought-iron gates and
pulled up the sweeping drive, though, another thought began to
intrude on Usagi's shock.
     How do I keep this from getting worse?
     So, by the time the they entered the main house and
assembled grimly in the sumptuous living room, Usagi had started
to marshal her thoughts.  She had a feeling the next few minutes
would be trying indeed.
     She wasn't wrong.
     Luna's body sparkled and shimmered like liquid fire,
shifting in place as motes of white light danced in the air around
her.  When they finally dissipated, a girl stood where the small
black cat had been only moments before.  She was wearing a
simple yellow dress, and wavy black hair fell down past her waist.
The crescent moon symbol on her forehead, however, remained the
same.
     "Usagi ..." she began hesitantly.  Usagi turned her back on
Luna, choosing instead to face Haruka.  If she spoke to Luna now,
she might say something she'd regret later.  She could be as blunt
as she wished with Haruka, though.  The tall blonde almost seemed
to expect it.
     "I want to handle this myself," she said, trying to sound
regal and confident as she stared up into Haruka's eyes.
     "You must be joking," Haruka replied flatly.  Usagi
reminded herself that she had to remain calm.  If she got shrill or
started to cry, that would only reinforce the older senshi's belief
that she was still a child.
     "I'm not joking," she said, still holding the older girl's gaze
defiantly.  "It's past time this situation was dealt with, don't you
think?"
     "I certainly do," Haruka replied with a thin smile.  "So why
don't you tell us where we can find Hino Rei?"  For a moment,
Usagi could only stare.  She knew, intellectually, the lengths to
which her senshi would go to protect her, but what Haruka had just
said ...
     No.  She couldn't have meant it that way.
     "I said I want to handle it," Usagi repeated, hoping the tiny
quaver in her voice was not audible to any besides her.
     "Usagi, it's far too dangerous now," Michiru broke in.
"She saw you transform.  She knows who you are."
     "We saw each other transform," Usagi protested weakly,
immediately chiding herself.  As if THAT could make any
difference.
     "You may have thought she was your friend ..." Haruka
began.
     "Rei-chan IS my friend!" Usagi blurted, fists clenched at
her sides.  She felt her face growing hot and knew she was losing
her composure, but she couldn't help herself.
     "All that has changed now, princess," Setsuna murmured
from where she lounged on a low-slung leather sofa.  "A cruel
coincidence threw you two together, both ignorant of the truth, and
I'm certain that the time you two spent as friends was pleasant, but
it will mean nothing to her now."
     "How can you say that?" Usagi cried.  "You don't understand
..."  Haruka grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her back
abruptly, holding Usagi tightly as she stared down into her eyes
with an intensity that was frightening.
     "No, princess," she said, her voice tight against the anger
that showed in the narrowing of her eyes.  "You are the one
who doesn't seem to understand.  Or would you like me to show
you that recording fragment again?"  Usagi could only stare back
helplessly, her mouth dry.  She wasn't afraid of Haruka; the older
girl had practically raised her together with Michiru after her
parents had died, and she had demonstrated the lengths to which
she would go to protect her princess many times.
     No, Usagi wasn't afraid of Haruka.  But she was very afraid
of what Haruka might do to Rei.
     "Well?" Haruka gritted, shaking the smaller girl lightly.
"Shall we see it again?  Luna, cue up the sphere projector ..."
     "No!" Usagi blurted, breaking away from Haruka abruptly.
     "Why not?" Haruka persisted.  "Is that what it will take for
you to admit the truth?  Do you have to see your own body?  Do
you have to see the bloodstains on your dress?"
     "Stop it ..."
     "Or will you continue to deny the truth until you see your
life's blood on HER hands, the hands of a senshi pledged to protect
you?  The recording shows it quite clearly, remember?  It is her
sword in your chest.  It is Mars, splattered with your blood,
standing over the body.  There isn't any question ..."
     "STOP IT!"  The tears were coming now, burning her eyes,
and she didn't want them to fall.  This was important, she needed
Haruka and Michiru and Setsuna to take her seriously now, and
they wouldn't, not if she cried like a baby.
     But she couldn't help it.  After all, Haruka was right.
     She'd seen it for herself.
     She squeezed her eyelids shut, trying to stem the flow,
hunched in on herself, feeling her clenched fists tremble helplessly.
Then strong hands fell on her shoulders, much more gentle this
time, and she looked up, startled.  Haruka's expression wasn't tight
and hard any longer.  There was compassion there, and that almost
made it worse.
     "That was so long ago," Usagi whispered.  "In the Silver
Millennium.  Things are different now."  Haruka smiled, but her
eyes remained shadowed with sorrow for her young princess.
     "No, koneko-chan," she murmured, reaching up to wipe
Usagi's tears away with her thumb as they spilled over, first from
one cheek, then the other.  "It would be a mistake to believe that.
Your mother ... Queen Serenity, I mean ... she made that mistake
too, once long ago.  She wanted to unite White Moon and Shadow
Moon.  She thought she could heal the rifts of centuries of war and
mistrust and create a peace that would hold against the coming of
the dark.  But she was betrayed.  We all were."
     "You can't be sure," Usagi pressed, her voice tremulous.  "I
mean, none of us remembers what exactly happened at the very
end.  It might not ... might not ..."
     "Your faith does you credit, Usagi-chan," Michiru sighed.  "But
there are facts that cannot be disputed.  Many of the survivors of
the High Court of Shadow Moon joined with Beryl's forces.  They
attacked that morning without warning, and what records Luna has
managed to recover definitely show that some treachery left the
palace defences down at the crucial time."
     "And there is the matter of the fragment of recording from
the throne room," Setsuna added.  "Whatever happened, we have
seen that the queen's decision to appoint the daughters of the four
Great Houses of Shadow Moon as the princess's senshi was a
grave error.  Mars may have done the deed, but the others did not
intervene."
     "Whatever spell, whatever power the queen unleashed in
those final moments was something none of us had ever
witnessed," Haruka sighed.  "But, while it allowed you, and us, to
be reborn here, it also brought them.  And so, the ancient feud
between us continues."
     "It doesn't have to!" Usagi insisted, trying to ignore the hot
lump of misery in her throat.  "That's all ancient history,
Haruka-san!  Why should we keep on with the same mistakes, the
same hatreds?  We can stop it here, now!"
     "You're forgetting the prophecies," Setsuna broke in.  "The
Courts of White and Shadow shall rise again, but only one queen
shall rule."
     "And Shadow has always been jealous of their sister
moon's power.  They mean to be the ones who control the destiny
of this world," Michiru added.  "Power, Usagi.  Great power.
Some people will do anything for that kind of power.  Even kill."
     "She was your senshi back then, princess," Haruka said as
Usagi opened her mouth to object.  "She may have even pretended
to be your friend.  But in the end, she killed you.  And they all
shared in that ultimate betrayal.  Do you really expect friendship to
save you now?"  Usagi stared at the floor, feeling the warm weight
of Haruka's hands still pressing against her shoulders.  How could
she argue with them?  How could she make them understand?
     "What are you going to do?" she asked, feeling defeated.
Haruka's hands tightened slightly, a comforting pressure through
her uniform.
     "Those other girls we met, Rei-san's friends.  Are they the
other senshi?"
     "I don't know," Usagi replied numbly, and strictly
speaking, that was the truth.  She didn't know for a fact that Ami,
Minako, and Makoto were the other three senshi.  But the more she
thought of it, the more certain she was that they were.  And she'd
been friends with all of them, and never known.  All the time
they'd been together, laughing and talking and growing closer,
she'd never suspected the truth.
     "Where can we find her?" Michiru asked softly.  Usagi shook
her head.
     "You don't know?" Haruka asked, disbelief obvious in her
voice.
     "What are you going to do?" Usagi repeated dully.  Haruka
reached down and slipped her fingers under Usagi's chin, tilting
her head back gently until their eyes met again.
     "Our duty is to protect you," she said, her voice soft but
certain.  "And we'll do whatever it takes to make sure you are
safe."
     "You're going to kill them."  Usagi's voice was flat,
lifeless.  Haruka didn't look away.
     "It's best if you don't know about such things," she said
gently.  "Leave the dirty work to us."
     "No!  You can't!" Usagi wailed.  "I won't let you!  I ... I
FORBID you!"  Haruka's gaze hardened at that.
     "I do not need you to tell me my duty, little princess," she
said firmly.  "Sometimes, harsh measures are necessary."
     "Didn't you use this?" Michiru added, reaching out to brush
her fingertips against the brooch pinned to Usagi's uniform.
"Didn't you destroy Metallia and her puppet. Beryl?"
     "That was different!" Usagi blurted.  "They would have
destroyed this city, destroyed everything!"
     "So it's all right to use deadly force to protect what you
care about?" the elegant girl asked, cocking her head and sending a
ripple through her sea-green hair.
     "Yes ... I ... I mean ... you're confusing things!" Usagi protested.
     "No, princess," Haruka said.  "You're the only one who is
confused.  We know what we have to do.  Are you going to help
us?"  Usagi met Haruka's gaze again, and saw that it was no use.
Haruka wasn't going to be swayed by her arguments.  None of
them were.
     "No," she said at last.  "I can't.  No matter what you say, I
know they're my friends.  I won't let them be hurt."
     "Very well," Haruka replied, as if she'd expected no less.
"But until this is resolved, you'll be staying right here."
     "But ... school ..."
     "We'll inform the academy that you'll be out for a few
days," Michiru said firmly.  "It's unlikely that Rei-san will return
there now, but you'd be too exposed if she did decid to attack you
there."
     "Why don't you go to your rooms and think about things
for a while, Usagi-chan?" Setsuna said.  "I know this has been a
shock for us all, and I think maybe we all need to collect our
thoughts right now."  Usagi nodded and turned to go.  She saw
Luna reach out a hand tentatively, but Usagi couldn't bring herself
to acknowledge the gesture.  She walked right on by, headed
towards her rooms.
     They were wrong.  They were.  But Usagi knew that they'd
never believe her, not if they thought she was in danger.
     She had to do something, before someone got hurt.  Or
worse.  Before some irrevocable action was taken that made fixing
things impossible.  She was the princess of the Court of White
Moon, after all, and it was time to show some leadership.
     As she walked through the house, she was already planning her
route to Rei's place.

#####

     Haruka sighed as Usagi stalked out of the room, back stiff.
Michiru turned to Luna, trying to comfort her as she stared,
stricken, at the retreating back of her charge.
     "You did the right thing, Luna," Michiru said soothingly.
     "She'll appreciate what you did for her later," Haruka
added.  Luna, though, would not be placated.
     "No," the girl said hollowly.  "I don't think she will.  I
betrayed her trust ..."
     "You protected her," Haruka said firmly.  "I only wish
you'd told us last night when she revealed it to you."
     "Never mind that now," Michiru said with a dark glare at her
partner.  "The important thing is, we're aware of the situation and
can act.  We can take steps to protect the princess."
     "Will it really be that easy for you to kill them?" Luna
asked bitterly.  Haruka shook her head.
     "Not easy," she replied.  "We came close once, with Jupiter, but
she managed to escape."  Luna just gaped, eyes impossibly wide in
her suddenly pale face.
     "You already ... you ... does Usagi know?"  Haruka could
tell that Luna regretted the question as soon as it escaped her lips,
because the answer was so painfully obvious.
     "Of course not," Michiru told the shocked girl.  "And she
doesn't have to know, either.  This is senshi business."
     "Did you really think we never anticipated this day?"
Setsuna inquired gravely, peering up from where she lounged with
deceptive grace.  "We, all of us, knew from the beginning that the
greatest threat to Usagi would eventually be the Shadow Queen
and her court."
     "The opportunity arose, and we took it," Haruka added.
"We've tried tracking the others on occasion, but the Undercity is
their territory, and they have all the advantages there.  One on one,
though, none of them is a match for us.  Don't worry, next time
we'll finish the job."
     "That wasn't what I was worried about," Luna said, her voice
quavering as she stared down at her tightly twined fingers.  "Have
you three considered what sort of effect this will have on Usagi?
These girls aren't abstractions any more, vague threats.  She knows
them, cares about them!  How is she supposed to deal with people
she cares about trying to hurt and kill each other?  It'll tear her
apart!"
     "At least she'll be alive," Haruka said softly.  "She's been
hurt before, she'll survive."
     "You object to our course of action, Luna?" Michiru asked.
"Now that they know who she is, she can't remain hidden in the
shadows any more.  If we leave them out there, the normal part of
her life will be over.  We'll have to keep her locked up, under
guard, every minute of every day, and even that wouldn't be
enough to protect her.  You know how she'd react to that, don't
you?"  Luna didn't look up, just nodding miserably.
     "I just wish there was some other way," she mumbled.
     "If there was, we'd take it," Haruka told her.  "Don't think
for a moment we take this lightly, Luna.  But they were given a
sacred trust back then, and they betrayed it.  I don't mean to give
them that opportunity again."  Silence fell in the room then, heavy
with dreadful certainty.  Whatever they did would cause pain for
Usagi, and create a rift between princess and senshi that might
never be healed.  But the alternative was unthinkable.
     Haruka was no stranger to hard choices, and she'd never
shied away from making them before.  She wasn't going to start
now.
     "How long do you suppose it will be before our headstrong
princess sneaks out to confront young Rei-san?" Setsuna asked
finally.
     "Oh, I think she'll give it a little while, just until she sees
that nobody is coming to check on her," Haruka sighed.  "Then
she'll slip out the back and over the wall, in her usual spot."  Luna
looked startled and just a tad guilty, and Michiru smiled in
response.
     "Of course we know about that, Luna," she chided.  "But
we also know when to let a girl have some secrets.  It's good for
her to push her limits sometimes."
     "You're going to follow her to Rei-chan," Luna said, her
voice heavy with sudden comprehension.  Haruka walked up to
Luna and squeezed her shoulder gently.
     "I promise you," she murmured, "that Usagi won't see it
happen."
     That, after all, was the only mercy she could offer.

#####






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