Usagi met with her friends to discuss the punishment she 
had decided upon.  Almost two days of councils had been 
held for just this purpose, and she had listened politely 
as her advisors urged her to kill the boy.  The young, 
scared looking boy who seemed to be a bit slow, and 
remembered nothing of the other evening.  The confused and 
harmless look on his face dispelled any desire she had to 
put him to death.

"He'll be exiled.  We'll sneak him out of the city and 
provide him with a month's supply of rations.  He should be 
able to make to another city easily."  She looked into the 
grim faces of those around her.  

Setsuna looked nonplussed, apparently ready for the 
decision.  She had advocated killing the boy, making the 
statement in front of the other advisors had wrung the 
young Queen's heart.  She could appreciate the political 
reasons she had argued later, but it wasn't an option she 
could endorse.  People shouldn't kill other people, it was 
not a justifiable action.

Ami nodded quietly, she had diagnosed the boy and taken 
care of the girl.  If she could argue for sparing his life, 
Usagi believed everyone else could understand.  Life was 
precious she had said, and the boy showed no signs of being 
a repeat offender.  He could be counseled and made a 
productive member of society again.  Usagi knew enough that 
he would never get a fair chance in Tokyo now.  Maybe in a 
year or ten the citizens would relent, but not in the near 
future.  If he remained in the city, he would be a dead man.

Makoto looked disturbed.  Usagi had heard precious little 
from her friend, almost like she was completely 
uncomfortable with the subject matter.  Usagi didn't blame 
her.  The thought of what happened to that girl still 
caused a queasy feeling in her stomach and threatened to 
make her weep.

Mamoru frowned sadly.  He had agreed with Setsuna, although 
he had voiced his concerns privately.  Usagi knew he was 
trying to understand, and for the most part he did.  
Unfortunately his protective nature seemed to override his 
understanding.  She would rather not be the Queen, 
preferring even death to becoming someone who could kill.   
In fairness, she had never said that to him, not sure how 
he would react.  But that was the truth, if ruling meant 
killing, she couldn't rule, would never want to.

"If that is your decision," Setsuna rose form her seat as 
she spoke.

"Yes," Usagi replied resolutely, standing as if at 
attention.

The others followed the pair's lead all still looking 
directly at Usagi.  Makoto was the next to speak.  "I'll 
get the printers to draw up the proclamations."
"I'll find provisions and come up with a plan for sneaking 
the boy out of the city," Ami added quietly.  She turned 
and walked towards the door, already searching for things 
on her computer.

"Thanks, Makoto!  Ami!"  Usagi chirped, hoping to show her 
gratitude.

Setsuna gave respectful nod of her head, before walking out 
after the two young women.

Mamoru placed his arm around her shoulder, snuggled her 
closer and placed a kiss upon her head.

"I know-" she was cut off by the finger he placed on her 
lips.

"You did the right thing, never let anyone say you didn't," 
he whispered into her ear.

She turned and jumped into his arms.  He chuckled lightly 
as he fought for his balance before lifting her up in a 
fierce hug.

"The people will hate it.  Ikari will hate me," she 
declared into his chest.  The stress of the last couple 
days bled form her body as Mamoru cooed soft nothings into 
her ears, and she fell asleep at her feet.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Enemies of the Crystal State
Chapter 6 
By KPJAM

Creators of   
Scryed - Yousuke Kuroda(scenario), Yasunari Toda(manga)
Trigun - Yasuhiro Naitoh
Sailor Moon - Naoko Takeuchi 
Ranma1/2 - Rumiko Takahashi


Thanks go to Zorknot for pointing out many silly mistakes.
prior parts can be found at http://kpjam.anifics.com/
comments and critisicms are welcome

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Masakado Taira strode to his last appointment of the night.  
The Queen had finally ruled on Shizumaru's punishment.  It 
was about what he had expected, not the spark he had hoped, 
but enough kindling to achieve his results.

The others had been informed, and they were preparing for 
tomorrow.  It would start at the proclamation, and then 
continue as certain industries were closed for the day.  

He stopped in front of the Ikari's house.  His boss had 
left the palace before the Queen had decided.  In fact, 
Masakado assumed the Queen had purposefully waited until he 
was gone to tell anyone except her closest advisor's her 
decision.  He had been lucky to run across Makoto on her 
way to the printers.

Masakado knocked lightly and heard the shuffling of feet.  
The door opened to reveal his boss Ikari.  The man was 
stout, and his short brown hair looked disheveled.  Ikari's 
tie still hung loosely around his neck, and the buttons on 
his white dress shirt were undone around the neck.  No 
emotion played across his face when the two men made eye 
contact, just a short nod and the widening of the door.

The home was rather large, one of the old consulates from 
before the war.  He forgot which country's emissary had 
made their residence here, but dismissed the thought as he 
was shown into Gendo's study.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Gendo's wife, Clara, 
asked.

He nodded in return and watched the westerner walk out of 
the room.  She seemed to be holding up decently, which 
annoyed Masakado.  Clara had always been an annoyance, a 
smear on his once respected boss, and therefore there prior 
company.  How Gendo had been able to parade a western wife 
around and still advance in the company was a mystery to 
him.

Masakado took the proffered seat, a small couch where mats 
should have been, in front of a rectangular table with a 
matching couch on the other side.  Taking a seat on the 
other small couch Gendo spoke for the first time.

"What brings you?"

"The Queen has decided."

When his boss made no movement, the self-appointed 
messenger continued, "He's to be exiled.  The day after 
tomorrow, he'll be shown to the border in secret and given 
a month's worth of provisions."  

Dishes crashed, and both men whipped there heads towards 
Clara.  She was standing in the hallway, a tray at her feet, 
looking stricken.

Masakado watched as she ran from the room, fully expecting 
Gendo to get up and go after her.  He covered his surprise 
when Gendo turned to him and spoke.
 
"She can barely look me in the eye, yet she can show 
kindness to that monster.  That creature that destroyed my 
little girl!  And now this. Does my suffering mean nothing 
to the bitch?!" He bellowed, his voice rising as he spoke.

"Queen! Feh!  She should still be in diapers.  I can't see 
why anyone ever followed her!"

Masakado stood and walked slowly over to the broken tea set.  
Picking up a chipped cup, he looked it over critically.  It 
only had a small crack in it, and could probably be mended 
if handled correctly.  His next words were chosen carefully, 
though he doubted the need of such precise expressions or 
theatrics.  "She agonized over the decision for days."
 
"Feh."

"I imagine the ordeal took a lot out of her.  She wanted 
only what's right for most people."

"Bastard!  Get out of my house, now!"

Masakado looked up curiously, ignoring the extended hand 
pointing towards the exit.  "I assume that a little push 
will make her see how inadequate she is for the job, if she 
can't even punish someone adequately."  He dropped the cup, 
watching it shatter on the ground.  

His boss flinched slightly in time with the crash.  

"I think tomorrow will be a much better day."  He crossed 
the room, walking up to Gendo, pulling out a small case, he 
handed it to the startled man.  "I think you should visit 
the young man tomorrow.  You'll know when."

He turned without waiting for a response or for Gendo to 
open the case.  "I'll see myself out, you should see to 
your lovely wife and child."


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Usagi read the most recent resource deployment report, 
hoping to put her mind on other things.  Of all the 
decisions she had to make since being named the Queen, 
determining the sentence for that boy had been the most 
heart wrenching.  

Her mind kept wandering to the thoughts of what he had done.  
Certain phrases from the medical report on her condition 
continued to make her sick, as she envisioned all too 
clearly what that girl had gone through.

She focused again on the upcoming shortage of cement, 
bricks, gravel, and apparently everything they needed to 
continue rebuilding her city.

Usagi put that report down and moved to the financial 
ledgers.  The country had a decent amount of cash and 
valuable jewels on hand, unfortunately it was virtually 
worthless unless they could establish trade with some other 
parts of the island, and maybe even China or the mainland.  
You couldn't eat diamonds, and since no one had any 
disposable income, they were worth less than the raw 
materials they had on hand.  That needed to change, and the 
proceedings with Knives had been going slowly, this 
disturbance had all but put those designs on hold.

"How are you feeling, Usagi?" 

The sudden sound startled her.  Looking up she saw found 
Mamoru standing in the doorway.

"Meeting over?" she asked quietly as she looked back at her 
reports.

"Yes, we're proposing to up the number of full-time 
security personnel and weekend militia.  We've also 
sketched out plans for a jail."

"Are preparations for tomorrow ready?"

"Yes.  It should be behind us soon?"

She wised he was right, but didn't believe him.  "What if 
this happens again?"

"We'll handle it."

"What if that kid-"

"Stop.  We'll handle it when it comes up,"  His soft words 
were nice to hear, but sometimes people needed more than 
empty words.  Hadn't he told her that on more than one 
occasion.

"Did I do the right thing?"  

Mamoru walked over towards her, pressing his lips softly to 
her head and replied, "Only time will tell.  You did what 
had to be done, and that's make a decision."

"You don't like my decision."  She stood and walked towards 
the window.  "Could you have killed him?  If I gave you a 
knife, could you slit his throat?"   She involuntarily 
swallowed on that thought.  It was the deciding factor, she 
couldn't ask someone else to do what she believed in her 
name.  If she could have held the knife, maybe she would 
have gone along with the others.

"Usagi, don't-"

"Don't what.  Live what we ask of our subjects?  You know 
how I feel.  What else could I do?  You and the others all 
want something out of me that isn't there.  You want me to 
be something I'm not!"

"I. no." he said softly, his hands resting upon her 
shoulders.  "You're right.  You're doing the right thing," 
he cooed softly.

Movement in the distance caught her eyes, and she swung the 
window open.  Her jaw slowly fell as she watched what 
looked like most of her subjects gathering in a not too 
distant plaza, the sounds of their ruckus reaching her.

She felt Mamoru lean over her shoulder.  "My god," he 
whispered.  "I need to go get the guard.  I'll call the 
senshi."

She didn't take her eyes from the scene, but distinctly 
heard her husband's footfalls as he ran from the room.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


The small ante-chamber to the Queen's bedroom served as the 
impromptu meeting place for the Usagi and her inner-court.  
She sat on a soft sofa, next to Mamoru as they waited 
patiently for the last of the Senshi to come in.

Usagi had heard the reports of the protesters reaching the 
gates.  They hadn't tried to breach the gates yet, but she 
wondered when that might happen.

"Should we call back the others?"  Ami asked, not waiting 
for the eldest Senshi to start the meeting.

"We can't even get in touch with Rei," Makoto said, 
exasperation in her voice.

Usagi frowned.  Rei's disappearance had been weighing 
heavily on her for days now.  The case and her deliberating 
about a punishment had served a distraction for her pain, a 
wholly unpleasant one at that.

"Haruka and Michiru should only be called for an absolute 
emergency."  She looked at the floor as she spoke, mulling 
her options over in her head.  Haruka and Michiru might not 
even be able to respond till too late.  And although they 
offered force, she wanted to avoid using force on her own 
people.  She got queasy just thinking about it.

"Minako and Hotaru," Ami said, speaking the names of the 
last two that were unaccounted for.

"Aren't responding and their communicators aren't 
registering on my tracking device, the same with Michiru 
and Haruka."  All eyes turned to the door as Setsuna walked 
calmly into the room.

"You tried calling them?"  Usagi stood and looked at the 
woman sternly. 

Ami called forth her computer, her attention diverted to it 
as the others watched Setsuna walk in.

"Is there a problem with that?" she asked calmly.

"I thought we'd decide together?"

"I didn't think we needed to debate about informing them 
that the citizens are rioting and we might need them?" 

"Er.. no I guess.  I was just surprised."

She nodded before continuing onto to the pillowed chair in 
the corner and sitting down.  "The front gates have been 
barricaded.  The people outside seem content to shout, but 
they might try to breach the walls at some time.  We have 
to figure out a way to disperse them before that happens."

"I'll talk to them," Usagi offered.

"They're rioting because of _your_ decision.  I really 
don't think you're the one to talk to them," Ami responded.

"Then you go kill him!"

The room fell silent, as they all stared at their Queen.  
The shock on their faces calmed the young Queen a bit, and 
she continued what she planned on doing.

"I can use the Ginzuishou?"

"Can you?"  Setsuna asked, a look of concern on her face.

"I dunno.  But, If I could take the radiation out of the 
air, why can't I take the rage out of the people?"

"Usagi, you haven't been able to use the Ginzuishou for 
more than a second since then.  You know it," Makoto 
countered.

"It will work, I have to try!  It's always come through 
when I needed it most.  It's always given me the power to 
defeat the bad guys.  It has to now.  It just has to!"  She 
realized her pleading tone wasn't one to instill confidence 
in anyone but herself, but she needed them to believe in 
her.  This situation wasn't anything different than the 
others.  They had one all the other fights they had.  They 
had beat Beryl, Galaxia, the Dark Moon Family, and all the 
others that had attempted to destroy their future.

"I'm going!"  she said, regaining some of her dignity.

"We'll be at the entrance, backing up the guards," Makoto 
announced.  

"You'll do great, Usagi.  You always do," Ami said, a 
tentative smile on her face, something that lifted Usagi's 
spirits.

"You will.  I know it," Makoto strode up and gave Usagi a 
brief hug, before turning and walking out the door.

 
Usagi watched them walk out of the room before turning to 
Mamoru and Setsuna.  They both wore reassuring smiles, 
which gave her confidence, something she needed in 
abundance.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


She placed her hand over the crystal covering, feeling the 
warm glow of recognition as the case popped open.  The 
Ginzuishou was sitting on its small golden pillow.  
Haltingly, she reached forward and lifted it up, clutching 
it to her breast as she took a deep breath.  It had been 
months since she tried to use it, and like all the times 
before, it failed to heed her call.  She needed it now, 
needed it to help protect her people from themselves.

"Are you sure you want to try this?" Setsuna's low voice 
sounded from behind her.

"Yes!"  She rounded on her friend and advisor, and strode 
past her, down the corridor to the balcony that overlooked 
the entrance.  She hardly noticed when Mamoru walked onto 
the balcony besides her.

She took a deep breath, and looked over balcony past the 
gates.  A few butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she 
witnessed the calico quilt of people covering the area in 
front of the gates.  She blanched and resisted the urge to 
cover her ears and protect them from the atonal cacophony 
the citizens' voices caused.  The normally fresh air was 
tinted with a hickory smell, offset slightly by the bitter 
smell of burning eggs.  She worried for a moment and turned 
to examine the horizon, a few wafts of smoke could be seen 
in the distance, and her heart sank.

"The Queen!"  

The indistinct shout was heard she could see the massed 
people all turning to stare at her.  She inhaled an 
excessive amount of oxygen, causing her to gag.

"You okay," Mamoru asked as he took her arm.

"I'm fine."  She straightened herself, took a deep calming 
breath, and raised her right hand, while holding the 
Ginzuishou in her left.

"People!  People, hear me!" Usagi shouted into the 
obscuring chorus of descent.   She waited a few moments 
before shouting again.

Finally, after multiple attempts, it appeared the populace 
gathered in attendance began to acquiesce to her wish to 
speak.  She smiled and looked over the angry and concerned 
faces of her constituents.

"Good people of Tokyo, I am saddened that you are 
displeased with my decision.  I can only rule with the hope 
that people will be good and do good.  I can only believe 
that the love people share for each other will prevail.  As 
horrible as the crime was, murder is worse.  That it's 
enacted in society's will does not make it better.  Justice 
is not served by those believing themselves as just, 
committing a crime in the name of justice.  Murder is a 
crime.

"I know you believe that justice isn't being served now, 
but it is.  If you could only see in your hearts, the way 
of true justice is to protect those who are weaker than you, 
those who are in trouble, not foul murder.  The Palace can 
do a lot to see that people are safe, but we can't do 
everything.  The palace. no, I need you help in ensuring 
everyone is safe and this city continues to grow and --"

"Death!  Death to the rapist!" was called from the mob.  
The chant began to grow louder as more and more voices 
joined the chorus.

"People, Please!" Usagi tried to quiet them, tried to make 
them see reason.

She raised her other hand to her breast, clinging tightly 
to the Ginzuishou and calling forth its power.  She felt 
the familiar warming sensation as tears started forming in 
the corner of her eyes.   Lifting it up, Usagi shouted, 
"You must be good!"

An incandescent white light flared in the noontime sun and 
Usagi felt joy and determination as she thought about 
healing the people of their grief and anger.  The nimbus 
enlarged and she could feel the power, the power of her 
love expanding outward, until it stopped.

Her heart seized up as if someone had grabbed it, and she 
stumbled, Mamoru's strong hands catching her before she hit 
the ground.

The sounds from the people grew louder, although Usagi paid 
them no heed until something splattered against the wall by 
her head.  She turned to the point of impact and saw a 
crushed tomato fall from the wall.  Red juice and seeds 
sprayed from it, and she felt something hit her shoulder.  
She didn't stop to see what it was as Mamoru ushered her 
off the balcony, past a frowning Setsuna.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Knives sat in his room lotus style upon his bed.  Swirling 
lights that had surrounded him dissipated revealing a man 
covered in a light sheen of sweat.  His face, which had 
been a grimace softened into a cruel smile as he stood and 
walked towards the door.

"Not this time," he whispered to himself as he exited the 
room and strode towards the small chamber in which the 
Ginzuishou was kept.  It had only taken him a day to find 
its location, but he was sure with the happenings outside, 
his way to it would be clear.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Makoto stood next to Ami, just inside the gates, which had 
been barricaded with steel rods and wooden planks.  The 
thunderous noise of the crowd made it hard for her to think 
and even harder for her to communicate with Ami or the 
guards that were stationed there.

She listened to Usagi speech and hearing the hope and 
pleading in her friend's voice shamed her.  Makoto had once 
had anther friend, Yume.  She had been raped before the war, 
before she met the other senshi, and it was the end of 
their friendship.

Makoto still didn't know what she had done wrong.  Her 
parents had told she hadn't done anything wrong, but yet 
something bothered her, told her that it was her fault.  
Yume had talked to her about everything before the attack, 
but after it, she had just closed up.  Her parents had 
moved her away shortly after, and then Makoto's parents had 
died.  Makoto still wanted to kill the person that had 
attacked her friend, and she wanted this boy, Shizumaru, 
dead as well.

Mamoru led the Queen form the balcony, deflating Makoto's 
hopes that the civil unrest would end soon.  She had seen 
the Queen's magic die and it took a little bit of her heart 
with it.  A resounding crash drew her attention back to the 
crowd which apparently had started to attempt to break 
through the gates.

Ami leaned in close to her and shouted, "I have an idea!  
Come cover me."

Makoto only understood enough to jump after her friend when 
she jumped onto the wall.  There was more than enough space 
for the two senshi to stand easily atop the concrete 
encasement.  She looked down into the rage-filled eyes of 
their subjects.  Makoto felt a flash of sympathy and 
wondered for a moment would it be so bad to hand the kid 
over to them.  He deserved it, didn't he? 

Makoto dodged as a stone wised passed her head, she turned 
towards Ami and yelled, "Hurry up!"

Ami nodded, and then moved her hands, sending forth a 
freezing spray shot that coated the gate and surrounding 
wall.  Makoto watched as those people, who were closest to 
the wall and trying to push their way in recoiled from the 
frozen surface.  Those behind them, who didn't see the 
problem continued to push forward causing pile-ups of 
people.

She heard Ami yell something and then jump down to the 
inner-courtyard.  Makoto wasted no time in jumping after 
her.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Setsuna walked into the basement wing of the palace.  If 
anyone had stopped and asked her what she was doing, she 
might have changed her mind and not ventured here at all.  
It made no sense to her, but she felt she had to look upon 
the face that was at the center of this controversy once 
more.  She couldn't help agreeing with Usagi's decisions in 
her heart, but her head told her that the greater good 
would be served by the death of this one boy.   She had no 
doubts that Usagi was the best thing for Tokyo, and its 
recovery, but at times the young woman made things 
intensely difficult.

Turning the corner, she stopped as she saw the door to 
corridor standing ajar.  A trail of blood dribbled out from 
the other passage way, pooling at the edge of the wall.  
Before she knew it she was past the door, looking down at 
the two guards.  Kneeling, she took the pulse of each in 
turn.  She swore softly under her breath when she found 
none.

She quickly ran to the door, the door the prisoner was 
found behind and threw open the wooden door.  He was 
slumped against the wall, a little bit of blood trickled 
down his forehead, almost comically winding its way in 
between his eyes, around the nose, and over the slightly 
parted lips.  Another small hole could be seen in his 
throat.  The wall was splattered with red and off-white 
chunks of congealed brain.

She resisted the urge to turn away immediately.  Anger rose 
in her, not from the fate of this one boy, but from the 
implications of his assignation and the two dead guards.  
She turned and gasped, as slumped in the corner was Gendo 
Ikari, two large holes in his chest.

Moving closer to the man, she noticed his chest move 
slightly.  She rushed over to him, checking the pulse in 
his neck, and finding nothing.  His eyes opened faintly and 
she flinched back.  His lips moved, and a weak cough came 
from him.  Flacks of blood shot forth, and then a small 
trail formed at his mouth. 

"What happened?"  

"Justice," he wheezed out before his head flopped down 
again.

Setsuna stood and turned towards the door.   Her hands were 
placed around her neck, massaging it, while she took deep 
deliberate breaths.  It only took another moment for her to 
start running towards the Queens chambers; the emergency 
button on the communicators was hit as soon as she past the 
guards.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Knives slammed his fist against the Ginzuishou's encasement.  
He had been trying to open it for ten minutes.  The case 
and lock itself were impervious to any amount of force he 
could apply, and he didn't dare use anymore.  The force of 
such an attack would alert the guards, and not guarantee 
success.

The magic binding it closed was even stronger.  Worse, the 
use of that much spiritual force would drain even him for 
more than enough time for his capture.  He doubted they 
could keep him subdued, but he couldn't survive a frontal 
attack against the combined senshi.  The ties that bound 
the protective spells could be attacked, but that wasn't 
his specialty, and it could take him days, or weeks to 
figure out where the string to undue the magic lay.

Howling internally in mute frustration, he turned away, and 
headed towards the Queens chamber.  All this planning and 
he had to abort.  Kasumi would have to be informed of the 
changes, but that could wait till tonight, now he had to 
make sure one more person died.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Usagi paced around her room, distressed at her failure.  
Mamoru was here, trying to give her comfort, but failing.  
She needed a solution, one that wouldn't make things worse 
in the near future  -- as physically disbursing the crowd 
would --, or was morally reprehensible  -- like killing the 
boy would be.  "I have to go speak to them.  Make them stop.  
They're hurting people!   Maybe I'll-"  

"Maybe you'll what?  Usagi.  Dear.  They want to hurt 
someone because they think it will make them feel better.  
They think it change what's happened, but it won't.  You're 
their catalyst, appearing will only make things worse, 
again.  I know you want to help, but please.  Just stay put.   
Stay safe," he whispered the last words, looking at her 
with sadness and pity reflected in his eyes.

The look stung Usagi, as she lowered her eyes, nodded, and 
said, "Go."

She turned and went to sit on the couch, helpless.  The 
door closed behind her and she went to her window and 
stared out into the evening.

Smoke billowed in the distance.  If she squinted, she could 
see the flames crackling just above some building.  "I hope 
no one got hurt," she whispered to herself.

Rising to her feet, she decided she would have to act.  It 
didn't matter that she was basically helpless, people 
needed her.  She would do what was required to calm and 
protect them.

She took two lengthy strides to the door.  It opened slowly 
of its own accord, revealing Masakado standing there with a 
gun in his hand, pointed directly at her.
 
"Hello, my Queen."  He strode forward slowly, Usagi 
backpedaling in unconscious response.

"Masakado, what..."  Her head was spinning, trying to 
understand what was going on.

He glanced down at his gun, then looked at her and smirked.  
"I realize this may come as a shock to you, but you are 
proving to be ineffectual as a ruler.  The people as you 
can hear are crying out for something better."

"You.  The Senshi will never stand for it! Mamoru will 
never stand for it!"

"Keh.  The ones in the palace will be dead by morning if 
they're not already dead.  Time to join them."  He smiled 
cruelly.

A flash of red spurted from his shoulder as Usagi heard the 
gun fire simultaneously with a searing pain in her chest.  
She flinched from the pain, then looked down, a small trail 
of blood was leaking from her chest, connecting with some 
of the small crimson splotches.  Her legs felt numb and her 
knees buckled as she collapsed forward.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Setsuna ran faster, her heart was in her throat.   It had 
been at least a minute and she hadn't received any 
acknowledgement from any of the senshi.  The palace walls 
were a blur as she climbed traversed stairs, hallways, and 
wished this place was smaller. 

Finally when she entered the corridor outside the Queen's 
residence she missed a step as her heart skipped a beat.   
A pair of legs protruded from the Queen's doorway, the far 
doorway was coated in a spray of blood, and she could see 
half of an extremely large puddle in the hallway.  

"Usagi!" she screamed.  All that blood couldn't be from one 
person.  Her legs moved again and the next thing she 
realized was that she was standing in the doorway, looking 
at Knives kneeling over her Queen.  The magical attack was 
in her hands without conscious though.

"She needs help, now!"  Knives yelled at her, without 
turning.

"Get away from her!"    The order was more a shouted growl 
than anything.

Knives raised his hands and stood.  "I think I've stopped 
most of the bleeding.  I'll get some guards."

Setsuna nodded, moving circling around the room, giving 
Knives space to walk to the door.  

"I tried," he growled as he ran from the room, yelling, 
"Guards!"


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Makoto stood just inside the wall.  The awful chants of the 
populace, which had only gotten worse as the sun crossed 
the sky, threatened to destroy her eardrums.

The thumping sound of human flesh throwing itself against 
the gate had resumed a few minutes ago.  Makoto turned to 
Ami, ready to suggest that she re-freeze the gate, when 
Knives strode out of the palace.  The cocky grin was gone 
from his face as he placed a hand on Ami's shoulder and 
shouted into her ear.  Makoto, who stood less than two feet 
away couldn't here anything, although her gut clenched when 
Ami's face went ashen.  The senshi of Mercury looked at her 
communicator and her eyes bugged out, before turning and 
running inside.  Checking her own device, Makoto felt feint, 
the emergency call had been activated for fifteen minutes 
and she hadn't noticed.

She turned and took a step to run when Knives caught her 
shoulder.  "I need you help!"  His shout sounded over the 
din and stopped her more surely than his hand.  She nodded 
in response.

He took a deep breath and jumped to the wall.   She 
followed without a word, fear causing her limbs to shake 
and head to spin.

"People of Tokyo!" he yelled.  

Makoto noticed he glowed slightly as he yelled, and the 
sound was heard over the roar of the deadly crowd.

"People of Tokyo!  I am Knives, Ruler of Kyoto!"  

The crowd quieted, whether out of respect or awe, Makoto 
couldn't tell.

"I came here hearing of the wonderful people of Tokyo, 
their kindness, their courage, their ability.  And this is 
what I find.  Well, congratulate yourselves.  The boy is 
dead and Your Queen is DYING!   Now get out of here.  Make 
way so that maybe she can be SAVED!"

Makoto stumbled, but was caught by Knives strong arm.  Just 
then, the palace door burst open.

"Make way for the Queen!" Knives yelled, the light sheen of 
color that had surrounded him blazed.  The people flinched 
and Knives yelled, "Go Home!"

Makoto looked at the procession coming out of the palace.  
She could see the long strands of blond hair falling over 
the gurney, and Setsuna, Mamoru, and Ami all surrounding it.

"Get out of the way," she yelled, tears welling in her eyes 
as she yelled at the people on both sides of the gates.  A 
ball of lightning formed in her hands was sent at the gate.  
The structure exploded, sending the splinters everywhere, 
and chasing away the citizens that were on the outside.

She watched as Usagi was protected from the debris by her 
loved ones.

"Humans are pathetic." 

She clearly heard Knives' words as she jumped down to join 
the effort save her Queen and friend.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

fin

Author's notes:  let me know what you think.
noirchloe@nyc.rr.com
http://kpjam.anifics.com/
Chapters 7 and 8 are being edited, so expect them in the near future



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