[FFML] [SM] Sailor Moon 4200: Chapter 14 (part 2 of 4)

[Angus MacSpon]

<< CONTINUED FROM PART 1 >>

Makoto scowled to herself when she saw the dark-haired girl standing at
the school gates after school, waiting.  She had hoped to avoid this for
a while yet, but there was no backing away from it now.

She had spent the afternoon dwelling on the problem, growing steadily
more and more furious.  How could Suzue *do* this to them!  How could
she betray them all like this?

For betrayal was exactly what it was.  The Senshi were supposed to be a
team; they were almost a family, in a way.  They needed to be able to
work together, to trust one other absolutely.  But Suzue had been
deceiving them all, right from the start.  She was not in this to fight
the enemy, to save the world; she was out to serve her twisted idea of a
goddess.  And who knew what she would do if the two came into conflict?

[Oh, God, Serenity.  I'm so sorry.  How you would have hated this.]

For that matter, who knew what Suzue had *already* done?  That idea had
come to Makoto suddenly in the middle of a long, dull math class, and it
was scarily plausible.  Who might Suzue have told, for example?  Her
fellow Loonies, surely; it was hard to believe that she had not revealed
everything to them.  How they must have enjoyed it!  How they must have
celebrated!  And did Suzue enjoy it, too, being feted by the rest of the
crazies?  Makoto snorted.  Of course she must.

([Is this true?] her father said in the back of her mind.  [You are no
true daughter of mine, but some kind of ... *cuckoo*?])

What else had Suzue told them, though?  Would she have revealed
everything?  Did the crazies know who *Makoto* was?  Or Seki? Were they
out there, even now ... watching?

The situation had plagued Makoto all afternoon.  But even beyond that
was the purely personal betrayal.  She had thought she could trust
Suzue; she had even thought she liked her.  But now she had found that
the girl she thought she knew was a sham: a ragged fanatic, a disease in
the name of religion.  And this was what she and the others had in their
midst? *This* was to be their teammate?  It was beyond belief; far
beyond tolerable.  She could not accept it.  She would not.

Somewhere deep inside, a nagging voice kept suggesting that she was
being wildly unfair.  Suzue was certainly no ragged fanatic; if
anything, she went in the opposite direction, trying a little too hard
for elegance.  She had never given any impression of moral decay.  Oh,
she could be harsh, acerbic, that was true; but she was seldom *wrong*,
just a little lacking in compassion or tact.  And --

And the hell with it.  Makoto was not going to make excuses for her.
Suzue was a liar and a betrayer, poison in their midst, and Makoto was
going to deal with her, and that would be that.

As she approached the gates, Suzue moved to intercept her.  There was
something odd about her appearance; her face was puffy, and she had a
definite black eye.  Makoto hesitated at the sight, then ignored it.
She waited until Suzue was within speaking range and said, sharply,
"Well?"

Suzue flinched.  Then, in a resigned tone, she said, "I guess you've
been ... hearing some things about me."

"Oh, I don't know.  What could I possibly have heard?  Things like, say,
you've been lying to us all along?"

Again, just for an instant, Suzue winced.  "I haven't lied."

"A lie of omission is still a lie."  Makoto gave a hollow laugh.  "My
father taught me that.  Thanks, Dad."

"And is it so important, that I never mentioned what church I go to?"
Suzue shook her head.  "Does that really matter so much?  Makoto-san, I
assure you, I *know* what people think of it -- what you're probably
thinking right now.  So I kept my mouth shut."  She made a wry face,
then grimaced as if in pain.  "Trust me, I have plenty of practise in
that."

"It matters," Makoto said in a cold voice.  "It matters when you trample
all over my friend's memory.  When you ... you piss all over everything
she stood for.  That matters."

Suzue narrowed her eyes at the words, but did not look away.  She
regarded Makoto for an uncomfortable length of time.  Then something in
her seemed to wilt.  "And you'll never hear anything different, will
you?  No matter what I say.  Your mind is made up."

"Goddamn right it is.  You've lied to us, and you've betrayed us all.
You've made your bed; now lie in it."

Suzue started to reply, then winced again and reached up to touch her
swollen cheek.  "And yet," she said softly.  "And yet, I spoke to the
Blessed Lady Serenity on Saturday night, just as you did.  And she did
not reject me, Makoto-san."

"Just shut your dirty mouth, all right?"  Abruptly Makoto was sick of
this.  She felt ... unclean, and more than a little bit disgusted: with
Suzue and with herself.  "Just go away.  I don't want to hear the sound
of your voice again."

"I --"  Suzue wavered.  Then she nodded.  "All right.  I'll go now.  But
you must realise we can't avoid each other.  There'll be times when --"
She lowered her voice.  "When we have to fight together."

"Yeah?  We'll see about that."  Makoto turned away from her and started
to stalk through the gate.  Then something made her pause and she said,
"What happened to your face, anyway?"

"My *face*?"  Suzue stared at her incredulously, and let out something
that could have been a rusty laugh.  "Nothing that hasn't happened a
dozen times before."  She gave Makoto a look that was difficult to read.
"What does it matter to *you*?"  Then, without waiting for a reply, she
pushed roughly past Makoto and started down the street.

Makoto watched her go, blinking in surprise.  Then her darker mood
returned.  [Walk away from *me*, will you?!] she thought furiously.  She
took a step after Suzue -- and paused yet again as a hand touched her
arm.

"Nicely done," someone said.

She whirled about, to see the girl who had warned her about Suzue that
morning, standing there and giving her a friendly smile.  "What --?"

"Very nicely done," the girl repeated, nodding in approval and gesturing
toward Suzue.  "Scrape them off; it's the only way that kind ever
learn."  She smiled once more, and offered a friendly hand.  "I'm
Mariko.  Arita Mariko."

Makoto stared at her.  Then she swatted her hand away, hard.  "Just shut
up, you," she snarled. "Just ... shut up.  This is your fault too."

"Well!  I would have thought --"

But Makoto did not stay to hear what Arita Mariko would have thought.
She flung her satchel over her shoulder and marched away, ignoring the
indignant sniff behind her.  Her thoughts were whirling; a hundred
impulses, all of them crazy, raced through her mind.  After a little
while, she realised what she had to do.

She found a quiet spot where nobody could see her, lifted her Senshi
communicator, and touched the tiny control panel.  A second later, the
screen lit up with Dhiti's face.

"Hi, Dhiti-chan," Makoto said.  "Listen, there's something you need to
know ..."

When she was done with Dhiti, she called Beth.  Then Iku, but Iku did
not answer.  Ochiyo, she did not need to bother with.  Seki, she would
see tonight.  One way or another, they would all find out.  They would
all know the truth.

When she had finished committing her own betrayal, she picked up her
satchel once more and trudged home.  Her belly was churning again; her
thoughts were slow and heavy, and thick with disgust and loathing.  But
the really baffling part was that she could not seem to decide whom she
despised more: Suzue or herself.


                            ****************


Dhiti stared at her communicator.  Makoto's call had been short; her
voice had been terse and clipped, and Makoto herself had clearly been
upset, but Dhiti was at a loss to understand why.  So Suzue was a
Loonie.  That was interesting, but why was it a problem?

On the other hand ... Suzue was a Loonie.  That *was* interesting.
Slowly, Dhiti began to smile.

                                 --**--

Beth walked home from school, still turning over in her mind what Nanako
had said to her at lunchtime.  It was mystifying.  What could be so
important about a puppy?  She was half-minded to call Iku that evening,
just to clear the matter up.

Then she got a comm message from Makoto, and when it was finished she
had something new to think about.  Her thoughts were filled with the
awful memory of a time weeks before: of a policeman, one who had knelt
at her feet, offered her reverence, and tried to kiss her hand.  Over
and over again she saw it, and felt again the sickening fear.  Knowing
that Suzue, whom she had been beginning to think of as a friend, was cut
of the same cloth.

By the time she reached home, she was too befuddled and upset to do more
than grunt to her mother and Bendis.  Any thought of calling Iku was
long gone.


                            ****************


When Suzue got home, her mother looked at her face, sighed, then helped
her clean up without a word.  It was nothing either of them had not
dealt with before.  Itagaki Aiko had taken her own beatings when she was
at school, and since.  They were a simple fact of life.

When Suzue peeled off her blouse and pants, there were more bruises
underneath.  At least Rinako and her cohorts had not drawn blood.  They
were always careful; blood would make the teachers take notice.  Well,
whatever their reasons, she was glad of the restraint.

A long, hot shower helped more.  Then she dressed again, in her good
clothes, and paused a moment in the family shrine to kneel, bow her head
before the altar, and trace a crescent on her forehead.

[Why can't she see?] she asked the painting of Serenity above the altar.
[It's so obvious, so why can't any of them *see*?]

No answer came from the painting.  Instead she remembered the golden
figure in Itsuko's office two nights before, tall, beautiful and
majestic.  Remembered her words: [Rise, faithful one.]  And: [I know
what trials you face.]

She rose.  Feeling a lot better, she went out into the living room.  Her
mother was there, also dressed in her good clothes.  The older woman had
laid out three plates of food on the table: just a light snack, for now.
It was Monday, and they would eat dinner late tonight.

Suzue knelt at the table and picked at her food in a desultory way.  Her
mother waited a discreet interval before asking, "Do you want to talk
about it?"

Suzue sighed.  "It wasn't even my fault," she said.  She told her mother
what had happened, though she referred to Makoto only as 'a friend of a
friend' and, of course, left out the Senshi aspect.  "She was so bitter,
after school," she said.  "Nothing I could say ... it wasn't like I'd
been trying to convert her, or anything.  I never even mentioned the
church to her!  But as soon as she knew about it ... she didn't want
anything to do with me any more."

Aiko nodded.  She reached out and drew Suzue to her, holding her close
and stroking her hair.  "I know," she said sadly.  "They never do, do
they?  Not most of them."

"I just -- I thought she'd be different," Suzue said.  "I thought --
*she* ought to be different."

The stroking did not falter.  "Oh?  Why?"

For a long time, Suzue did not reply.  Then she said, "No reason.  I'm
just being silly."  She clung to her mother for a moment longer, then
sat upright once more.  "I guess I was daydreaming," she said bitterly,
half to herself.

Aiko raised one eyebrow, but did not reply.  Instead she said, "Eat up.
We have to leave soon."

"Yeah.  Right."  Suzue pulled her plate to her once more.  "Where's
Daddy, anyway?  He's late."

"He called earlier; he's been held up at work.  You know they don't make
allowances for --"

Aiko broke off as they heard a sudden knock at the door.  Suzue huffed,
then stood up from the table.  "I'll get it," she said.  "He probably
left his keys at home again.  He always --"

She broke off in surprise as she opened the door.  It was not her father
on the doorstep.  It was another face, less familiar ... and wholly
unexpected.

"Ochiyo-san?" she said, startled.  "What are you doing here?"

"Um.  Hello," said Ochiyo.  This was not the warm, confident girl Suzue
had spoken to after the raid on 'M' Division.  She actually looked
nervous.  "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?  I'm sorry to interrupt.
I guess you're surprised to see me.  Um."  Ochiyo blinked at her for a
moment, then said in a rush, "See, I wanted to ask you something -- and
it's kind of awkward."

Suzue sighed.  "This is about what happened at school today, isn't it?"

"Well, sort of.  It's about what you --"

Shaking her head, Suzue interrupted her.  "I'm sorry, Ochiyo-san."  In a
lower voice, she added, "Ochiyo-sama."  Then, in a normal tone once
more: "We were about to go out -- my family and I -- and it's really not
a good time."

"No!  No, that's what I wanted to ask you!"  Ochiyo took a deep breath,
and went on, "You're going to church tonight, right?  I've been doing
some reading, and the -- the Church of Serenity has services on Mondays,
right?"

"Well ... yes.  Uh, why?"

"Because I want to go with you."

"... What?"

Suzue stared at her, dumbfounded.  This, above all, she had never
imagined; not in her wildest dreams.  The very idea was so ridiculous,
so utterly ludicrous that it could only be some kind of joke --

"I want to go with you," Ochiyo repeated.  "If it's not too much
trouble."

She was not joking, Suzue realised with a sense of utter bewilderment.
She actually meant it.  "Really?" she said, in what seemed to her to be
a frighteningly small voice.

"Yes."  Dropping her voice a little, Ochiyo murmured, "The other night,
I told you that I didn't know, remember?  Well, maybe I should find out.
And --"  She paused, biting her lip, then said, "This is important to
you.  Really important, right?"  She waited for Suzue's nod, and went
on, "So I guess I ought to at least know something about it.  Okay?"

"But --"  Suzue stumbled for words.  "But you don't have to --"

"You don't want me?  Or -- oh.  Is it even allowed?  I didn't think, but
maybe you've got some kind of rule --"

"No!  I mean, yes!  I mean --"  For the first time, Suzue took a closer
look at her, and saw what Ochiyo was wearing.  Sombre, dignified, almost
formal clothes.  Ochiyo was dressed for church.

"You would be very welcome," she finished helplessly.

"Thank you," replied Ochiyo, and smiled.

They hovered awkwardly on the doorstep for a minute longer, before Suzue
remembered herself and invited Ochiyo in.  They went through to the
living room, where Suzue introduced Ochiyo to her mother, and explained
what she was here for.

Aiko looked astonished for a tiny fraction of a second, before covering
it with a welcoming smile.  "Please, sit down," she said, indicating the
table.  "I'll get you a plate."  She hurried out of the room.

Ochiyo's face was bright red.  She knelt at the table obediently, giving
a slightly dubious glance at the plates.  "I'm not actually all that
hungry," she mumbled.

"It's a timing thing," Suzue murmured back.  "Dinner will be late, after
church, so we usually have a snack before."

"Oh.  Okay."  Ochiyo looked as if she were about to add something more,
but at that moment Aiko bustled back in, carrying a fourth plate, which
she laid before Ochiyo.  It contained rather more than the other three
plates, Suzue noticed, and she saw Ochiyo's lips twitch as she realised
it too.

"So, Ochiyo-san," said Aiko brightly, joining them at the table and
smiling.  "You're one of Suzue's school friends?  Welcome to our home.
But I wonder what made you decide to come with us tonight?  Not that
we're not delighted to have you, of course.  But it's ..."

"Kind of unusual?" suggested Ochiyo.  Aiko flushed, and Ochiyo went on
quickly, "Sorry -- I didn't mean to be rude.  But I, um --"

"We all know what most people think of us," said Suzue, her voice flat.

"-- I guess so.  Aizawa-san, I'm not exactly one of Suzue-san's friends.
I know her a bit from a couple of classes, that's all.  But we ran into
each other over the weekend, and got talking, and it made me start
thinking about things.  And, well, there was another girl who started at
Hibari today, and --"  Ochiyo glanced at Suzue's black eye, then away.
"I suppose you already know what happened.  It was all over the school
by lunchtime.  Not the first time, either."

"We have all been through it," said Aiko softly.

"And I started to think: I've heard all the same things everyone else
has, I've avoided you like the rest of them, but when I talked to you on
Saturday, you seemed, well, okay.  And what *do* I know, really?"
Ochiyo looked squarely up at Aiko and said, "So I came to find out.
Aizawa-san, I'll be honest; I may never come back.  This may be the only
time I go anywhere near the -- uh, the Church of Serenity.  But at least
from now on I'll know what I'm talking about."

"Bravo," said a deep new voice.  They all looked around, to see a tall,
dark-haired man standing at the living room door.  Suzue had not even
heard her father come in.

"Daddy!" she said happily, jumping up and running to him.

He gave her a boisterous bear-hug.  "Hello, little Suzu-tan," he said
with a laugh.  Suzue growled at the childhood nickname and tried to
punch him in the ribs, but he only laughed again.  He caught her chin in
one big, strong hand and lifted it up to study her face.  "You've been
through the wars," he murmured.

Suzue nodded, broke free, and buried her face in his chest again.  Then
she released him, stepped away, and nodded toward Ochiyo.  "Daddy, this
is Aizawa Ochiyo-san," she said, "and she's here to come with us
tonight."

"I heard," he said and bowed to Ochiyo, who made a slightly awkward bow
back.  "Aizawa-san, I am Itagaki Kazuo.  You are most welcome to join us
tonight.  I wish more people had your courage.  And your integrity."

"Actually, Aizawa-san," Ochiyo replied, a thoughtful look on her face,
"I'm starting to be very glad I came."

"So?"  His lips twitched.  Then he glanced over at the wall clock.
"Well, now.  It's getting late.  Let's eat; and then we must be going."

They made short work of the snack.  Then, while Kazuo hurried off to
change his clothes, Suzue rather self-consciously invited Ochiyo through
to her room.

They sat on the bed, and an awkward silence fell.  Suzue watched Ochiyo
as the girl looked around with obvious interest, and tried to imagine
what she must be thinking.  This was the daughter of the Blessed Lady,
the daughter of Suzue's goddess -- and she was right here before her,
close enough to touch --

"Wow," said Ochiyo.  "You're really interested in aeroplanes, aren't
you?"

Jarred from her reverie, Suzue looked around.  Ochiyo was gazing at her
shelf of flight manuals, notebooks and certificates.  "Oh -- yes.  I'm
learning to fly, actually."

"Really?"  Ochiyo's eyes lit up.  "That is so cool!  I've never been in
an aeroplane, never.  Take me up, sometime?  Pleeeeeease?"

"Uh, well, maybe after I've got my license."  Suzue's eyes strayed to
her log book, and unconsciously, she smiled.  "You'll be the second one
I take up -- okay?"

"Second?" said Ochiyo, pouting.  "Oh, come on!  I don't wanna waaaait.
You can take me first, can't you?"  Then, suddenly, her eyes narrowed.
She dropped her voice and fixed Suzue with a penetrating gaze.  "Whoever
the other one is, *they* can wait," she hissed.  "After all, remember
who I am, Suzue-san."

"But I --"  Suzue broke off, startled and then appalled.  Ochiyo could
command her, and she had no choice but to obey.  But Suzue had promised
Minoru that he would be the first.  Surely Ochiyo would not --

She paused.  And said, "You're teasing me, aren't you?"

Ochiyo winked at her.  "Betcher ass, Suzu-tan."

Suzue groaned, and slowly felt herself relax.  "You and Dhiti-san," she
said with a sigh.  "Honestly."

"But if I'd pushed it, you'd probably have given in, wouldn't you?"
Ochiyo nodded thoughtfully.  "We'll have to work on that, Suzue-chan."

"I have no idea what you're talking about --"

But at that moment, Suzue's mother tapped at the door, and it was time
to go.

The Queen Heart Chapel of the Church of Serenity was only ten minutes'
walk away, and normally Suzue and her family would have gone on foot;
but tonight, as a courtesy to Ochiyo, they were driving.  As Aiko, Suzue
and Ochiyo trooped outside, Kazuo, now wearing a dark, formal suit, was
unlocking the garage.  There was a bright smear of fresh paint on the
door, Suzue saw -- "LOONIES OUT" -- and she winced.

Ochiyo's eyes widened as she saw the graffiti too.  "What --" she began.

"We're not just a target at school," Suzue said in a low voice.  "Ignore
it, Ochiyo-san.  It's nothing to do with you."

"But -- o-okay."

Kazuo drove the car out of the garage, then carefully closed the door
and locked it once more.  Then, at last, they drove off.

It was only a little past seven; the sun was still above the horizon,
and the sky was deepening into a rich, deep blue.  Above it and a little
to the south, a thin sliver of silver light was visible: the moon, just
past new.

The streets were quiet and Kazuo drove with firm assurance, his hand
confident on the steering bar.  After a minute, Ochiyo said, "Can I ask
a question?"

"Surely," said Kazuo.

"Well, I said I'd been doing some reading, and I think I understood most
of it.  But I didn't quite get, why Monday?  I mean, it must be pretty
inconvenient.  Why have your services on Monday nights?"

"Ah."  Kazuo chuckled.  "Yes.  That's an easy question -- and yet,
surprisingly complex.  The answer, Aizawa-san, is that Monday is the day
of the Moon."

Ochiyo started to speak, but he cut her off.  "No -- let me finish.  Of
course it's a trivial answer.  Monday, 'getsuyoubi', is 'moon day.'
That's easy.  But did you know that Monday is also 'moon day' in
English?  And also French, and Spanish, and Italian, and German, and
Dutch, and Afrikaans, and more.  Even in Hindi, 'somvaar' -- and
Tibetan, and Welsh, and a lot of others.  Some of those languages are
related, of course, but not all.  It's quite a coincidence, don't you
think?"

Ochiyo did not answer for a second.  "Really?  Wow."

He chuckled again.  "Really.  So the answer to your question,
Aizawa-san, is that we do not believe it is a coincidence.  We believe
that Monday is truly the day of the Moon, and so that is the day when we
do reverence to the Moon's Lady."  He fell silent, but then added, "Some
scholars believe that the names may be a distant memory, reaching back
to the days of the Silver Millennium itself.  It's a sobering idea."

"I suppose it is," said Ochiyo, and fell silent, her expression
thoughtful.  And a few seconds later, the car pulled to a halt in the
parking lot of a broad, solid building with cream-painted walls.

There was more graffiti here, a lot of it, but somebody had been working
hard to clean it off.  All the same, Suzue found her lips tightening as
she went past, and she hoped that Ochiyo would not see.  She had never,
never expected any of this, that the new Sailor Moon might come here,
but it was going so well, and she did not want anything to spoil it ...

                                 --**--

Ochiyo noticed the graffiti as she walked toward the entrance, and hid a
frown.  She had not really considered before today just how negative the
church's image was.  Oh, everyone called them the Loonies and knew they
were mad -- and Ochiyo was as guilty of that as anyone -- but Suzue's
beating today, and the scrawls she had seen painted on the Itagaki
garage door, and imperfectly erased here, spoke of a depth of animosity
that had never occurred to her.

Why, though?  She had never really thought about that before, either.
Sure, the Loonies believed that Queen Serenity was a goddess, and okay,
that was a bit crazy; but all of this was ... out of proportion.  She
had to be missing something, but she could not see what.

She put that train of thought on hold as they reached the door.  However
it had looked outside, inside the Queen Heart Chapel was clean and
dignified.  They paused in the foyer to remove their shoes, and then
moved on into the main hall.  Ochiyo stopped in the entryway, staring
around her.

To either side of her, the walls arced around in a gentle curve, forming
half of a long ellipse.  Soft, slow music was playing.  The body of the
hall was dimly lit, but ahead of her, at the narrow end of the ellipse,
brighter lights shone down on what was unmistakably an altar.

The altar itself was rather plain: a truncated pyramid shape, covered
with a simple white cloth.  A wide, shallow dish rested on top of it,
made of some black material and filled with liquid.  Half a dozen other
silver vessels surrounded it.  As Ochiyo watched, a middle-aged man
walked up to the altar, knelt, dipped a finger into the liquid, and
seemed to touch his forehead.  Then he sat back on his heels, his eyes
raised to the figures above.

Almost reluctantly, Ochiyo allowed her own eyes to focus on the arcing
tableau that filled the wall over the altar.  It was a diorama, a group
of figures in high relief; it showed nine women, five on the right and
four on the left, their eyes all fixed on a tenth woman in the centre,
directly over the altar.

She recognised them, of course.  In the centre, Queen Serenity, the
goddess of these people, smiling gently down at the altar below; and
about her, her Senshi.  Mizuno Ami; Aino Minako; Chiba Usagi, the
queen's own daughter; Hino Rei; Kino Makoto; Tomoe Hotaru; Ten'ou
Haruka; and Kaiou Michiru.  The last woman's head was bowed; her
features could not be made out.  The semi-mythical Sailor Pluto: her
true identity never known, even her very existence often debated.

"No King Endymion?" Ochiyo murmured, half to herself.

Suzue must have heard her.  "Above you," she answered in a low voice.

Ochiyo stepped forward and turned to look up.  Sure enough, the rear
wall held another figure, in the same style of the others: tall,
bare-headed, a gentle smile on his face, he gazed eternally out across
the hall at his wife.  And was it Ochiyo's imagination, or, as she
followed his eyes, was the statue of Serenity not looking down at the
altar at all, but fondly back at her husband?  Perhaps it was only a
trick of the light; it was hard to tell.  But suddenly she found herself
smiling as well.

She looked up at the statue of Endymion again.  He *did* look like the
young man who had kissed her on Saturday night.  Damn it.

Suzue tugged on her arm gently.  "Come over here," she said.  "Let me
show you something."

Ochiyo followed her to the right, over to the long curved side of the  
hall.
For the first time she noticed the series of alcoves spaced around the
wall.  They paused at the first of them and looked in, and she saw a
small, darkened space, just big enough to hold two or three people.  At
the rear was a shelf that held a little cluster of burning candles, and
above this was a painting.  The image was mostly dark, but in the
centre, in brilliant colour and illuminated by a beam of light, was a
woman.  Ochiyo recognised her without surprise: Mizuno Ami.  She wore a
long, flowing robe; her eyes looked directly out at the viewer, her head
was tilted slightly to one side, and she was smiling faintly.  Ochiyo
glanced down again and saw that all the candles were blue.

She stared back at the painting for an instant; then, unprompted, she
whirled and moved down the hall, stepping around people, to the third
alcove.  The candles here were silver, and the picture was --

The woman from her dream.  Oh, not exactly; this was a painting, not a
photograph.  But close enough that there could be no doubt: Princess
"Small Lady" Usagi; her own elder sister.  Ochiyo could not restrain a
shiver.

She moved on to the fourth alcove and looked in, and a painting of Seki
looked back at her: a Seki with different hair, but still unmistakably
the woman she knew from the Olympus.

The fifth alcove, and she saw Makoto.

She stayed there for a minute, staring in at the painting of Lady Kino,
and the green candles beneath it.  After a little, she realised that
Suzue had caught up to her.  She looked up and said, "It's them, isn't
it?  It's really them."

Suzue nodded.  "It's hard to get used to."

"Yes."  Ochiyo glanced around the hall.  "Are they all like this?"

"Pretty much.  Except for Lady Pluto; unfortunately nobody knows what
Lady Meiou looked like.  There are no known photographs of her; a lot of
nonbelievers think she never existed at all.  Her painting, and the
statue over the altar, are based on a woman some of our historians think
might have been an alias of hers.  A teacher named Sakurada Haruna."

The name meant nothing to Ochiyo.  "Okay," she said.  Again, her eyes
flicked about the chamber, unsettled, and she realised that she was
chewing her lip.  An old habit, one that she had never broken.  "This
isn't what I expected," she confessed.  "I thought it would be -- well,
I'm not sure.  But this -- it really feels like a church."

"And why should it not?" asked a voice.  She looked around to see a man
standing nearby: slender, fortyish, with hair just starting to turn
grey, he wore a full-length cream robe, its hood thrown back, that had a
small gold crescent embroidered on the breast.  He gave her a smile that
made his face come alive, and repeated, "Why shouldn't it?  After all, a
church is exactly what it is."

Suzue gave him a deep bow, and after an instant's surprise Ochiyo
followed suit.  "Sensei, this is my friend, Aizawa Ochiyo," Suzue said.
"Ochiyo-san, this is Otani Takeru, our auxiliary Intercessor."

"Priest, that is," said Otani cheerfully.  "Aizawa-san, I gather you're
not a member of our assembly?  Then you're doubly welcome.  I wish more
people your age had as open a mind as you obviously do."

"Um, thank you."

"Not at all.  Yes, Aizawa-san, of course this is a church.  Did you
expect something more outlandish?"  He smiled again -- it made him look
almost boyish -- and winked at her.  "There's enough of that out there
in the world today, don't you think?  What we are, here, is a body of
ordinary people who come together to recognise and celebrate some
extraordinary truths.  And that's not outlandish at all, is it?"

Ochiyo hesitated.  "Uh --"

Otani chuckled.  "I know; I've put you on the spot, and it's unfair of
me.  Aizawa-san, please: stay with us for this evening, and hear what we
have to say.  We think it's important, and we hope you'll agree.  You'll
see that we have a few rituals of our own, but if they make you feel
uncomfortable, well, just don't join in.  We won't mind.  Afterwards, if
you have any questions, feel free to come and ask me anything, and I'll
try to explain.  Fair enough?"

Ochiyo thought about it, and then grinned back.  "Fair enough," she
answered.  "Thank you, Otani-san.  Or should that be, Otani-sensei?"

He laughed out loud.  "Let's save that for afterward, if you don't mind.
Right now, it's nearly time to start, so if you'll forgive me, I have to
go -- and you and Itagaki-san need to find a spot for the service."

With that, he was gone, leaving Ochiyo looking after him and thinking
that she just might find him after the service, simply because she'd
enjoyed talking to him.  Which, come to think of it, was probably a
valuable attribute for a preacher.  Or, what did they call it?
Intercessor.

Again, she felt a tug on her arm.  "Ochiyo-san," Suzue said.  "He's
right; we should get ready.  They're about to begin."

"Oh.  Okay.  Where do we --?"

Ochiyo looked around, searching for Suzue's parents.  They were not easy
to spot amid the rest of the people in the hall.  The body of the
chamber was not filled with pews, as she might have expected before
tonight; instead, thin cushions, zabuton, were scattered about the
polished wooden floor.  As groups of people came in, they simply pulled
together as many as they needed, and knelt down on their heels.  It
meant that the open area of the hall was a variegated sea of heads,
more of them than she would have imagined, and individual faces were
hard to pick out.

"It doesn't matter," Suzue replied.  "We can stay here, if you like.  My
parents won't mind, and I can tell you what's happening."  She bent down
and grabbed a pair of zabuton, dropping them again into an open spot at
the side of the hall.  "I hope you're comfortable in seiza," she added
as she knelt on one, "but you can just sit on it if you'd rather ..."

"It's okay."  Ochiyo knelt gingerly on the other cushion, finding that
it was better-padded than it looked.  She glanced around, and noticed
uncomfortably that a number of the people nearby were looking at her.
At an unfamiliar face, she realised.  Turning her eyes firmly back to
Suzue, she said, "So, what happens now?"

Suzue gave her a faint smile and said, "Now ... you find out."

                                 --**--

The service lasted a little over an hour.  Parts of it reminded her of
what little she knew of Christian liturgy; others, of Japanese, Chinese
and even Indian ritual.  Some of it was almost incomprehensible; some
was ... actually rather moving.

Often during the proceedings, the entire assembly would lift a hand to
their heads and make a little gesture there.  After a while, Ochiyo
realised that they were drawing a crescent-moon sign on their foreheads.
She nearly laughed out loud, but then the humour faded; they were all so
*serious* about it.  Instead she considered for a little, and then
joined in.  It seemed harmless enough; and after all, who had a better
right?

After the final prayers had been chanted and the assembly began to rise
to leave, she stood in silence for a time, still trying to take
everything in.  Suzue hovered at her side, obviously anxious, until
finally Ochiyo asked, as politely as she could, if she could be alone
for a minute.  Reluctantly, Suzue left to find her parents.  Behind her,
Ochiyo stood for a moment longer, looking around the hall without really
seeing anything, and then went to look for Otani Takeru.

She found him near the altar, speaking quietly with a middle-aged man
and woman.  When he saw her approach, he raised his eyebrows and made
quiet excuses, then walked over to join her.

He looked at her face and said, "I think you have questions after all.
Yes?"

"Yes," Ochiyo agreed.  "Sensei --" suddenly the word came naturally --
"why does everyone hate you?"

"Ah."  Carefully, he said, "You mean, why do most people dislike the
Church of Serenity so much."

"Yes.  I mean, I saw all the graffiti outside -- and you must have
noticed Suzue-san's black eye -- and, well, just everything!"

"I know what you mean.  It's not an easy question to answer."  Otani
rubbed his chin for a moment, his face sober.  "All right.  There are
many reasons why we aren't popular.  The simplest, of course, is that
most people simply don't believe the things that we do; but that's only
the surface.  A much bigger reason is that a lot of them are afraid that
we're right."

Ochiyo stared at him.  "Eh?"

He gave a dry chuckle.  "Yes, it's not obvious, is it?  But think about
it; everybody *knows* what Queen Serenity did, and how powerful she was.
At least subconsciously, they cannot help but see that she was *more*
than they are.  For all that she strove, all her life, to be at their
level, to he human, in the end she was something bigger and greater than
they can ever be.  And that's an uncomfortable thought!  Nobody likes to
think that they're inferior.  But then they see us, this bunch of people
who openly acknowledge what they're trying to hide from themselves, and
that makes them even more uncomfortable.  So they resent us for it.

"But, Aizawa-san, the biggest reason that people dislike us -- I would
not go so far as to say hate -- the biggest reason, I say, is that they
are actively encouraged to do so."

"Encouraged!"

"Yes, indeed; subtly, but almost universally.  Aizawa-san, we live in a
nation governed by a body called the Serenity Council.  By law, they
rule 'in the name of the queen, and until her return.'  Every year when
they first convene, there's a ceremony in the Council Chambers -- you've
probably seen it; it's always broadcast -- where the councillors swear
allegiance to her.  In effect, they claim to be a caretaker government,
until the real one returns."  He paused, his face darkening.  "And,
Aizawa-san -- *they do not like us*."

"Oh."  Ochiyo thought about that.  "*Oh.*"

"Yes again.  It's hard to see why; they surely cannot consider us a
threat.  Perhaps it's that the worship of the Blessed Lady makes one see
those who claim to act for Her in a different light.  Regardless ...
there's never anything official, but the bias is there, and has been for
as long as I've been alive.  It shows in a hundred ways.  Government
broadcasting never misses an opportunity to poke fun at us, for example;
we've seen stories planted in magazines and newspapers, accusing us of
every crime and perversion under the sun.  We get a fresh tax audit from
our friends at 'F' Division every six months, and woe betide us if a
single digit is out of place!  Or, if someone breaks the windows of this
church -- it's happened before, many times -- it will do no good to
complain to the police; they will take down all the details and promise
to help, but somehow nothing will happen.  I myself have been arrested,
several times, on the flimsiest, trumped-up charges.  So have many in
the church -- including your friend Suzue and her family.  'Congregating
in a public place,' they called it once -- the 'public place' being this
church!  They can't hold us for long, of course; but it's a pretty
dreadful experience anyway."

He gave a wry shrug.  "And so on, in a thousand other ways.  All of it
filters down, Aizawa-san; people notice.  It amounts to a systematic
campaign to crush us, to make us look mad ... and to make us targets for
abuse.  And it's very effective!  Take your friend Suzue.  If someone
decides to beat her up at school, which is what looks like happened
today, she knows that none of her teachers will help her.  Some of them
might want to -- but they know that doing so would make them look like a
Loonie sympathiser, and open them up to the same abuse.  It's evil ...
and it works."

Ochiyo did not answer for some time.  On one level, his claims were
appalling: the idea that people could act that way, in this day and age.
And yet -- knowing that the Serenity Council was in the control of the
Enemy, it actually made a kind of sense.

More distantly, she found herself thinking that now she knew why Suzue
had been so ready to attack the Council on Saturday night.

Aloud, she said, "So, what do you do?"

Otani smiled.  "We carry on, of course.  We are hardly the first people
to suffer for our faith, and I doubt that we will be the last.  And
sometimes, when a person with an open mind comes and asks us questions,
without being afraid of the answers -- yes, sometimes I think that it's
worthwhile."  He looked over her shoulder, raised an eyebrow, and said,
"And ... I think there are some people waiting for you."

Ochiyo turned, and saw Suzue and her parents standing a little distance
away.  With a shock, she realised that the hall was virtually empty.  A
glance at her watch showed that she had been talking to the Intercessor
for nearly a quarter of an hour.

Turning back to Otani, she said, "I'm sorry!  I never thought -- but I
ought to go --"

He waved her away with a chuckle.  "I should hardly have kept you so
long, pouring out a tale of our woes.  You have a sympathetic face,
Aizawa-san."  He paused briefly, and then added in a more sober tone,
"Do you mind if I bless you?  Then go with the blessings of the holy
Lady Serenity.  May she watch over you and uplift you, and may you find
the answers you seek."

Ochiyo bit her lip.  "Thank you," she said, and bowed.  "Good night,
Otani-sensei."

He bowed in return.  "If you ever wish to speak again, I'd be happy to
oblige.  Good night, Aizawa-san."

He turned and walked unhurriedly to the rear of the hall, leaving
through a small side door.  Ochiyo watched him for a second, then shook
her head and hastened to join the Itagaki family.

Itagaki Kazuo shook his head at her apologies with a deep laugh.  "Why
should you be sorry for wanting to know more?  But come; unless there's
anything else you want to see here, it's time to go."

The drive back to Suzue's house took only a few minutes, but this time
it was conducted in silence.  Ochiyo had a lot to think about.  For one
thing, she had to work out what to say to Suzue when they arrived.

                                 --**--

Otani Takeru shed his formal robe and drew on a light yukata, then went
through to the office of Kagawa Chiaki, the primary Intercessor of the
Queen Heart Chapel.

She looked up as he came in, and nodded.  "Takeru-kun," she said.  "I
saw you talking to the new girl.  Who was she?"

"A school friend of Itagaki Suzue.  And remarkably unprejudiced, I'd
say."

Kagawa nodded.  "You do get that sometimes.  Not as often as we used to,
unfortunately."  She paused, and added, "What did you think of her?"

"Reasonably intelligent, inquisitive ... one of the good ones, all told,
but I'm honestly not sure if she'll come back."  Otani paused, and then
added, "It was interesting.  She didn't ask the usual questions -- about
the new Senshi, and so forth.  She asked the hard questions instead."

"Oh?"  Kagawa raised her eyebrows, and smiled.  "She might be worth
watching.  If we see her again."

                                 --**--

The two girls paused outside the front door of Suzue's house.  They were
alone; Kazuo and Aiko had gone inside.  It was dark, but the porch light
cast a pale blue glow across the driveway.  "Would you like to stay for
dinner?" Suzue asked.

"I'd better not," said Ochiyo.  "My mother said she'd keep things hot
for me until I got back.  But thank you."

"It's okay.  I'll see you at school tomorrow, I suppose."

"Yes.  Suzue-san -- thank you for letting me come tonight.  It was,
well, it was different from what I'd expected.  It was actually quite
beautiful, in a lot of ways."  She bit her lip.  "But -- oh, I don't
know how to say this --"

"You won't be going back," said Suzue flatly.

Ochiyo froze.  Then she let her shoulders slump.  "No.  I don't think
so.  Suzue-san, it *was* beautiful -- but it's not for me."  She shook
her head.  "I'm sorry.  It seems rude, and I know you're sincere ... but
I don't believe she was a goddess.  I just don't.  I'm sorry," she
repeated.

"All right."  Suzue's face might have been made of wood.

"How can I?  She was my *mother*, Suzue-san.  If she was a goddess, what
does that make me?  I'm just a girl, just an ordinary human being."

"Not so ordinary."  For a second more, Suzue's face remained cold and
expressionless.  Then she shook her head and sighed; the stiffness
seemed to flow out of her, and she gave a faint smile.  "It's all right,
Ochiyo-san.  Really."

"Can we still be friends?" asked Ochiyo cautiously.

"Of course we --"  Suzue broke off.  "You're teasing me again."

Ochiyo winked at her.  "I have to go.  I'll see you tomorrow ...
Suzue-chan."

Suzue nodded back.  Then, as Ochiyo turned to go, she said,
"Ochiyo-san?"

"Yes?"

"Just so you know," Suzue said, "-- I think you're wrong.  You *are*
special ... and she *was* a goddess, whether you believe it or not."

After a heartbeat, Ochiyo smiled.  She said, "Good."


                            ****************


It was nearly midnight, and stiflingly hot.  Heavy curtains covered the
bedroom's one small window, leaving the room airless and shrouded in
near-absolute dark.

The darkness did not matter.  There was nothing much for Iku to see,
anyway.  One small, battered chest of drawers; a schoolbag tucked neatly
away in a corner; a futon that was elderly, threadbare and nearly flat.
Strange how such a battered old thing could feel so lumpy in the middle
of the night.

Iku lay on her side and stared at the invisible wall.  Her breathing was
slow and regular, but she was wide awake.  Tired, yes, so tired that she
could have screamed, but sleep would not come.

She had been hard at work all day.  Mother had finally let her out of
the basement at dawn, and even then she had been exhausted.  Cold,
soiled and miserable, lying on a filthy, bare concrete floor, she had
barely slept at all the night before.  Nor was she given a chance once
her punishment was over.  First, she had to clean up the mess in the
basement.  That was only fair.  She had made the mess, after all.

It took her most of the day.  Her head was reeling and her body faint
from hunger, thirst and lack of sleep, but she finished in the end.
Every spot of filth was gone, every centimetre of the floor scrubbed and
disinfected.  The concrete would not take a polish, but it was not for
lack of trying.

Only then was she allowed to shower properly.  The water was lukewarm --
she had used most of the hot in cleaning -- but that was all right.  It
made it easier to drink.

Masahiko was waiting in the bathroom when she stepped out of the shower.
He handed her a towel, mock-politely, smirking all the while as his eyes
roamed her body.  She tried to snatch the towel away quickly, but he
managed to get a hand on one breast and twist her nipple painfully
before she broke free and ran to her room.

She dressed as slowly as she dared before coming out.  It was late
evening by then, and naturally Mother and Masahiko had eaten dinner
already.  She was allowed some cold rice and equally cold miso soup.  It
was unpleasant, but she did not care; she wolfed it down.  That earned
her a further strapping for poor table manners.

Then Iku did the dishes.  And cleaned the kitchen.

Only then did Mother tell her, with a sour look of disgust, that as a
special favour (which Iku did not deserve), she had sent Masahiko to
her school to pick up her homework.  So Iku spent another hour and a
half under Mother's watchful eye, giddy, faint, sore and slightly
nauseous from eating bad food too fast, trying to make sense of geometry
problems which she found difficult at the best of times.

Iku did not complain.  Why would she?  She had been bad; she had brought
it upon herself.

And now she was in bed at last, and unbearably hot; but she did not dare
open the curtains, or remove her pyjamas, because sometimes Mother
checked.  And she was still feeling a little sick, and her ankle still
throbbed, and her hands and knees were raw from scrubbing, and oh, she
was *so* tired ... and if she could just sleep, then maybe everything
would be all right in the morning.  If only she could sleep.

In vain, she reached for her favourite daydream and tried to bury
herself in it: the fantasy that someday, someone would come and tell her
that there had been a terrible error; that she was someone else's
daughter, not Mother's, and her real mother would take her away, and
tell Iku that she *wasn't* worthless, she *wasn't* a mistake, she was
someone precious ...

But the dream would not come.  To her horror, she could not seem to
picture her phantom mother, that face she knew so well from her
imagination: the amalgam of every beautiful, kind and caring face that
Iku had ever seen.  Instead, she saw a golden woman with stern eyes who
looked at her and said, [As long as you think that, you'll be trapped in
your cage.]

[What cage?] Iku wanted to protest; but the golden woman only said, [If
you want help, all you have to do is ask.]

Ask?  It seemed so simple ... but that was one thing Iku could never do.
Because she knew the truth: that she *was* the mistake, the unworthy
one, and if there was one thing she did not deserve, it was to bother
others with her own selfish pleas for attention.  Mother said so, and so
Iku knew it was true.

Instead she lay in the darkness, and stared at the invisible wall, and
breathed in and out ... and waited.  And there were only a few hours to
go before she had to get up and start a new day, all over again ...


                            ****************


The following day, after sitting in on yet another endless round of
negotiations between eleven groups of growers and pickers who all wanted
a better deal from each other, Toyotomi Sese took an unscheduled break.
Instead of returning directly to her offices in the Council Chambers,
she walked three blocks to a little mid-city park.  It was a hot, dry
afternoon, though there was heavy rain expected the next day.  She
bought a cold drink from a cart vendor, found a shady spot, and sat down
on a park bench to stretch out her legs and sip her drink.

Three minutes later, a small, rat-faced man with a sour expression sat
down at the other end of the bench.  Sese glanced around the park.  It
was the middle of the afternoon, and nobody else was about.  She said,
"You're late."

"*You're* late," said Trio.  "I've been here more than a quarter of an
hour."

She smiled.  "Then you were early.  Politicians are always exactly on
time."  He obviously didn't get the joke, because he started to argue.
She cut him off sharply.  "Never mind.  What do you have for me?"

Trio grimaced.  "Nothing."

"Excuse me?"  Sese's eyes narrowed.  "After all the time you've had, the
access I've given you ... and the money you've received, you've come up
with *nothing*?  I thought you were supposed to be competent."

"Give me a break," he snarled.  "You're asking a lot, lady, and the
areas you want me to break into are damn well secured.  I'm getting
there, but it takes time, okay?"  He reached down into a little satchel
and pulled out a sheaf of grubby papers.  "Here; see for yourself.  So
far, everything I've checked is above the board."

She took the papers with a moue of disgust, glanced at the top sheet ...
and then blinked, and read it more carefully.  How in hell had he
managed to get *this*?  Maybe the man really was competent.  She started
to leaf through the pages, her eyes widening occasionally.  None of this
was what she was looking for -- but some of it, confidential reports
from other divisions, would be useful in her regular job anyway.

"If you knew the amount of crap I've had to wade through," Trio
continued in a sour voice.  "And everything in legal jargon!  Why can't
you people write plain Japanese?  The only remotely odd thing I've found
so far is a weird purchase order, and I've no idea what *that* means."

Sese looked up.  "Purchase order?"

"Yeah, it's in there somewhere.  It didn't make any sense, but I can't
find anything that relates to it.  Maybe somebody's going on an
expensive holiday, and charging it to the government."  He smirked,
revealing bad teeth.

"A purchase order for what?" she asked patiently.

"Oh --"  He took back the sheaf of papers, flicked through them rapidly,
then pulled one out and passed it back to her.  "Here."

She scanned the page, and her face creased into a puzzled frown.
"Arctic exploration gear?  Thermal clothing?  Ordered from Alaskay ...
and delivered to the Council Chambers supply depot.  You're right, that
doesn't make any sense at all."

He shrugged.

"All right," she said.  "Keep working.  Let me know immediately if you
find anything significant.  Otherwise, I'll see you again in a week,
yes?"  He nodded and started to rise, but Sese was not finished.  "And
... find out what office ordered that thermal gear.  And who collected
it from the supply depot."

Trio gave her a dubious look.  "You think it's important?"

"I have no idea," Sese replied, and smiled.  "Let's find out."


                            ****************


Iku was back at school, Beth saw, and looking very wan and washed-out.
Maybe she'd had the flu.  She hovered in the background, as usual, doing
and saying as little as possible.  Really, what was wrong with the girl?

In the back of her mind, she had a vague idea that there was something
that she'd been meaning to talk to Iku about, but she squelched the
thought.  Right now, she had other priorities.

She waited impatiently for a moment when Nanako and Eitoku were not
around -- probably off making out, somewhere private -- and then pulled
Iku aside.  Iku started to stammer out something about being sorry, but
Beth cut her off.

"Did you get a comm call from Makoto-san yesterday?" she demanded.

                                 --**--

Iku listened to Beth in utter incomprehension.  No, she had not gotten a
comm call yesterday; she had not been in a position to receive calls.
Not that she could ever say that ... but Beth never even gave her the
chance.  As soon as Iku shook her head, Beth started ranting.

As she listened helplessly, Iku's confusion grew.  Apparently Suzue was
one of the Loonies; she believed that Queen Serenity was a goddess.  For
some reason, this bothered Beth.

Iku was aware of the Church of Serenity, of course; she was not deaf,
and she spent much of her life listening to other people.  She knew the
Loonies were not popular.  Iku knew what that was like.

For herself, she had no particular opinion.  Let them believe what they
wanted.  After Saturday night, Iku could almost think they were right.
Except that the Serenity who Iku had met was no golden paragon.  In the
end, she had been like all the rest.

Iku might have said as much to Beth, but she never got the chance.  She
had hardly finished her tirade when Nanako appeared in the background,
and immediately Beth left off and started to pretend that nothing had
happened.  Iku could have told her that Nanako was not fooled for a
moment, but she did not try.  What would have been the point?

Senshi or not, Beth too was like all the others.  Iku was still alone.


                            ****************


After school, Makoto stood on a street corner not far from Hibari.  She
could not help fidgeting as she waited.  What she and the others were
about to do ... she had to admit that it was necessary.  But it could go
wrong, in so many ways.  The way it had done with her, for example.

And yet, the consequences of doing nothing were ... well, not worse,
exactly.  More tragic, perhaps.

She had only been waiting a couple of minutes when Ochiyo arrived.
Makoto gave her a cautious nod.  She had not forgotten that Ochiyo must
have known about Suzue all along; but now, having cooled down from her
explosion yesterday, she was not sure what to do about it.  In the end,
she took the coward's path and remained silent.

After a little, Ochiyo said, "Keenan Liam.  I think I remember him from
the Olympus.  He usually comes in with another boy -- Something Mark, is
that right?"

Makoto paused at the mention of Mark, but then nodded.  "Wright Mark.
They're both Clavers; Liam-kun is from Eireland, Mark-kun from Alaskay.
But I think Mark-kun was actually staying with Liam-kun's family for a
while, in Eireland."

"That's right; I remember now.  It was on their application forms, when
they joined up."  Ochiyo giggled suddenly.  "Mostly I remember his
accent."

Forgetting her caution for a moment, Makoto grinned back.  "It's kind of
unbelievable, isn't it?  Remember, that's your father you're talking
about."

"What, you think I ought to start talking like that too?"

They laughed ... and the ice was broken, at least for now.  They chatted
idly as they waited, and Makoto almost managed to forget why they were
here.  Then, just as Ochiyo was saying, "You know, we really ought to
talk about --", Makoto looked up and saw Seki coming toward them.

That brought a fresh scowl to her face.  She and Seki had had quite an
argument the night before, over Suzue and what Makoto had done.  Nothing
like as bad as that time in Amsterdam; but bad enough, all the same.
She still did not understand Seki's attitude; Makoto would have expected
the woman to have been breathing fire, but instead she almost seemed to
be defending Suzue.  When Makoto said as much, Seki got even angrier --
but at Makoto, not the cultist.  It was incomprehensible.  They had
ended the evening communicating in monosyllables, and this morning had
not been much better.

Seki glanced at her as she arrived, and her eyes narrowed slightly; but
otherwise her face remained perfectly composed.  "Good afternoon," she
said, addressing them both.  "I take it there's no sign of Artemis yet?"

"No," replied Makoto, relieved.  From the corner of her eye she saw
Ochiyo shaking her head and mouthing the word "Artemis," and she
remembered that the two had not yet met.  She said, "Actually, when I
called, he sounded kind of odd.  I think he and Dhiti might have been
figh--"  She broke off suddenly.  "Oh, *no*."

She stared, aghast, as she saw Artemis approaching from the opposite
direction.  It was not the sight of the cat that bothered her, though.
It was the fact that, against all instructions, Dhiti was with him.

And so was Okamura Kin.

"Dhiti, what have you *done*?" she hissed as the three of them drew up.

Before Dhiti or Artemis could say a word, Kin stepped forward and stuck
out a hand, western-style, to shake Makoto's own.  Her face was
perfectly straight, but there was a devilish glint in her eyes.
"Hello," she said.  "My name's Okamura Kin -- and I believe you're
Hiyama Makoto?  It's so nice to meet you.  Dhiti-chan's told me so much
about you, it seems like I know you already."

Then, without waiting for an answer, she had moved on and was shaking
Ochiyo's hand in turn.

Makoto rounded on Dhiti.  In a low voice, she hissed, "Are you out of
your *mind*?"

Dhiti did not flinch.  "She has an interest in this," she said calmly.
"You know it's true, Hayashi.  And she can be trusted; you know that,
too."

"She doesn't need to know who Ochiyo and Itsu-- and Seki are!" Makoto
hissed back.  "And what the hell are you doing here, anyway?"

"I haven't *told* her who they are, and I'm not going to," Dhiti
answered reasonably.  "And if you think you can leave me out of --"

She broke off suddenly, and the two of them clearly heard Ochiyo say to
Kin, "-- Aizawa Ochiyo; it's nice to meet you.  And I'm Sailor Moon, of
course."

There was a short silence.  Then Dhiti said, "Okay, I wasn't expecting
that."

"Ochiyo-san, what are you *doing*?!" Makoto blurted out.  "She didn't
need to know that!"

Kin gave her a hurt look that barely concealed a grin.  Ochiyo, for her
part, merely raised her eyebrows.  "But doesn't she already know who you
two are?" she said in a reasonable tone.  "Why shouldn't she know about
me, too?"

"Because -- uh --"

"I can't be trusted," Kin said cheerfully.  "Everybody knows it.  I'm a
compulsive blurter-out of secrets.  *And* I talk in my sleep."

Makoto groaned; but Ochiyo only laughed.  Kin grinned back, and then
turned to Seki.  "Good morning," she said meaningfully.  After a second,
when Seki did not reply, she added, "And you are ...?"

Seki raised one eyebrow.  "No," she said.  "I don't think so."

Ochiyo snickered, and Kin followed suit.  The two of them exchanged
glances, and then smiles.

Makoto looked down at Artemis and said, sotto voce, "Why on Earth did
you let Dhiti bring her?"

"Did you ever manage to talk Dhiti out of anything, once she'd made up
her mind?" he grumbled back.  "Anyway, I -- wasn't exactly there.  I
only met her a couple of minutes ago myself, and there wasn't much I
could do about it by then."

"Oh?"  Makoto cocked an eye at him.  "You and Dhiti having problems?"

"We ... argued, a couple of days ago.  Haven't had a chance to talk
about it yet."

"Yeah, well, don't wait too long.  Trust me, I --"

Behind them, Seki clapped her hands sharply.  "All right, everyone," she
said, glancing around to check that everyone was paying attention.
"Let's not just stand around all day calling attention to ourselves,
hmm?  Remember, we did come here for a reason."

Ochiyo, who had been chatting quietly with Kin, nodded.  "Yes.  Good."
She gestured up at the nearby building and said, "So let's go up to his
apartment and tell Kin-san's boyfriend -- and my would-be suitor -- that
he's actually my father."

                                 --**--

Liam lived on the third floor of the apartment building.  As they
trooped up the stairs, Dhiti noted the grimy, peeling paint-work and
made a face.  Apparently Liam couldn't afford anything better.  At least
the air smelt fresh, with no hint of ... other things.

A minute later they stood outside a door halfway along a corridor lined
with similar doors.  Dhiti glanced at Makoto, who checked a paper in her
hand and nodded, and then knocked sharply.

There was silence for a few seconds, except for the distant sound of
a viddy.  Then they heard footsteps.  The door was flung open and Liam
stood there.  He wore nothing but a pair of white shorts and a string
undershirt, and his expression was annoyed.  "I told you already," he
said angrily, "I don't want --"

He stopped suddenly.  "Dhiti-san?" he said.  "What --?"  Then his gaze
flicked to Dhiti's side, and his eyes widened.  "Kin-san?  What are you
doing here?  I thought you ...  And -- and -- who are all these people?
And a *cat*?"

Dhiti offered him a toothy grin.  "You think we can come in?" she asked.
She couldn't help adding, "Nice shorts, by the way."

Liam did not seem to hear her.  He was still staring, and now his eyes
were even wider.  "Miyo-san?" he whispered.  "Is that you?"

Makoto sighed.  "Can we come in, or can't we?" she said grumpily.  "I
don't want to stand in this corridor all afternoon."

He dithered for a moment longer, then stepped to one side.  His face was
pale.  He shook his head repeatedly as they entered; but as Ochiyo
stepped past him, his breath caught, and he lifted a hand to stop her.

"Who are you?" he asked, almost pleading.  "I -- I know you from
somewhere.  Where have I seen --"  Then he broke off, suddenly confused.
"Wait, you're ... you're the reception girl from the gymnasium, aren't
you?  Why did I think --?"  He rubbed his brow and muttered, "I must be
going mad."

Ochiyo touched his arm.  "Let's sit down," she said with a sympathetic
smile, "and we'll explain everything."

Liam closed his eyes and opened them again, brushing a stray hair away
from his face.  "You're ... not another dream, are you?" he said, almost
in wonder.  "I thought -- yes, okay."  He closed the door behind her and
waited while she removed her shoes, then led her back into the living
room.

He was resilient, Dhiti thought; he was already bouncing back.
Surprised and confused, but in control of himself once more.

[Just wait 'til he hears what comes next,] she thought smugly.

The sound of the viddy playing was much louder in the living room, but
there was no sign of the viddy itself.  Liam gestured helplessly toward
the two chairs, then excused himself and ran into the next room, closing
the door behind him.  A second later, they heard the viddy click off.

Dhiti glanced around.  The living room was not large, and felt rather
full with them all there.  It was, to her eye, a cosy mixture of neat
and sloppy.  Belongings were stacked around most of the walls in unruly
piles, or on a single overloaded set of shelves.  Everything was,
however, scrupulously clean.  There were only two chairs, both of them
old and battered but comfortable-looking.  Seki took one of these; and
as Dhiti was still looking, Kin helped herself to the other one with a
smirk.  Dhiti chuckled and found a clear spot to sit on the floor, and
after a moment the rest of them followed suit.

Liam returned a second later, this time wearing a shirt and pants.  His
expression was odd; for a moment, there was something almost shifty
about it.  He glanced around the room, pausing for a moment each as his
eyes passed over Kin, Makoto and Ochiyo.  Then he leaned back against
the wall, feigning a nonchalant pose that did nothing to disguise his
tension, and said, "So.  What would all this be about, now?"

Seki lifted her head and gazed at him for a few seconds.  Her lips
quirked in a faint smile.  "Keenan-san," she said softly, "would you
please tell us about your weekend?"

He gave her an incredulous look.  "My *weekend*?" he repeated.  "What,
are you crazy?  Who are you?"

"My name is Hiyama Seki," she said.  "We've met ... though you may not
remember it.  Please, Keenan-san.  Tell us."

Liam shook his head, and then shrugged.  "Okay!  Whatever!  If it makes
you happy.  It was nothing special, all right?  I mean, there was school
on Saturday morning, and I bummed around all afternoon.  Went to a
movie.  Had a quiet day yesterday; did some laundry, watched the viddy.
Finished my homework.  And that's all.  I trust it meets your
satisfaction, ma'am?" he finished in a sarcastic tone.

Seki only nodded, as if satisfied.  "And on Saturday night," she said,
"... did you dream?"

It was fascinating to watch, Dhiti thought.  At first his expression
showed only polite incomprehension.  Then, slowly, the colour drained
from his face, and he sagged back against the wall.  He stared at Seki
in something like awe ... or horror.

"Yes, I dreamed," he said slowly.  "But it was the craziest thing.
Crazy mad!  I dreamed that I was ... fighting giants, to save a magic
princess.  Kids' stuff, see?  Only, the princess was fighting, too --
and somehow I knew that was right.  And ..."  His voice sank until it
was almost a whisper, and his eyes grew haunted.  "And there was a
goddess who told us what we had to do, and when I saw her I thought my
heart would burst ..."

He trailed off, suddenly embarrassed, and rubbed his forehead.  "Okay,
it was pretty stupid," he said defensively, scowling around at them all.
But then, almost inaudible once more, Dhiti heard him add: "But it was
so *real* ..."

Lifting his head defiantly, he stared at Seki.  "Well, and is that what
you wanted?" he demanded.

Seki did not answer at once.  Her eyes, Dhiti suddenly realised, were on
Artemis.  During Liam's recitation, he had wandered across the room to
sniff delicately at the boy's leg.  Now, he looked back at Seki and gave
a single nod.

"Yes," Seki said, meeting Liam's eyes once more, "I'm afraid it is."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.  "And what's that supposed to mean,
now?"

She stood and approached him.  Despite their age difference, he was
still a good deal taller than her.  "It means that we are not who you
think we are, Keenan-san," she said.  "And neither are you."

He raised his eyebrows; but before he could speak, she went on.  "My
name is Hiyama Seki, I told you; and this," she gestured toward Makoto,
"is my daughter, Hiyama Makoto."  Again he started to speak, but she
drove on over his protest.  "But just a few days ago, her name was
Hayashi Miyo, and I was Pappadopoulos Itsuko ... and long, long before
that, we had other names yet.  Hers was Kino Makoto, Keenan-san, and
mine was Hino Rei."

Liam made an incoherent sound.

"And yours," Seki said, very deliberately, "was Chiba Mamoru."

He stared at her.  His mouth opened, and then closed again without a
sound.  He swallowed hard, once.

"You're mad," he breathed.

"No," Seki said.

"No," echoed Makoto.

And Artemis repeated, "No."

Perhaps Liam was becoming desensitised to shock.  He jumped and stared,
but not as much as he might have.  He looked down at the cat and shook
his head -- but after a moment, a curious, faraway expression came into
his eyes and he said, almost as a question, "Artemis ...?"

Seki pursed her lips.  "You're already half-remembering, aren't you?  We
should have come sooner, but I thought it was best for you to live a
normal life for as long as you could.  Now ... I think I was wrong.  I'm
sorry."

Liam said, "This is all crazy."

She shook her head.  "You are surrounded by Sailor Senshi, Keenan-san.
Makoto, or Miyo, is Sailor Jupiter.  Dhiti-san is Sailor Mercury.  I was
once Sailor Mars.  And Ochiyo-san is Sailor Moon."  She paused, then
added, "And it is time for you to join us."

"Join --?" Liam began.  Then he paused, and licked his lips nervously.
"Uh -- what are you saying?"

Seki made to answer him, but Ochiyo stood and touched her arm.  "We've
come to awaken your past memories, Liam-kun," the girl said.  "Don't
worry; it won't hurt."  She hesitated, and glanced at Makoto.  "Er, will
it?"

Makoto snorted.  "It didn't hurt *me*," she said.  "Just be careful this
time, okay, Artemis?  We don't need him messed up the way I was."

"Now, wait just a minute," said Liam, his eyes widening.

"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" the cat said in a
peevish tone.  "Look, I know what I did wrong before.  I think."

"You could just stick your finger in a power socket now and get it over
with," suggested Dhiti to Liam.

Seki rolled her eyes.  "Now, please, Artemis," she said.

"But--" Liam said; but he got no further.  He stiffened as a thin,
almost blinding beam of light leaped from the crescent moon on Artemis'
forehead, striking him squarely between the eyes.  It rocked him back,
as if by a physical impact.  His body seemed to hang against the wall,
limbs splayed out, for a second.  He let out a groan of horror.

"REMEMBER," the cat ordered.

Then the beam winked out, and Liam fell in a boneless heap to the floor.
With a cry of dismay, Kin leaped from her chair and rushed to his side;
and Dhiti, watching, realised with astonished delight that whatever she
said, the girl really did still care for him.

Moments later, Liam began to stir once more, and Kin was joined by all
the others.  Dhiti peered down at the boy as his eyes opened.  He did
not look any different.  He simply stared up at them blankly for some
time.

Then his face crumpled.  In a thin, high voice, he said, "No ...!"  And
then he wrapped his arms around his head as his whole body began to
shake with his silent sobbing.

                                 --**--

It was like emerging from a tunnel into blazing sunlight.  At first
there was nothing but darkness and confusion.  Then, in a flash, the
pitiless light burst in upon him, and he could do nothing but close his
eyes against the pain.

Gone.  She was gone.  How did he know it; how could he?  But he did.  He
remembered, with crystal clarity, the moment two nights before when he
had seen the glowing, golden figure appear before Sailor Moon and
himself, advising them on the battle to come.  He had not understood it
then, the burst of heart-rending grief he had felt at the sight of her;
but now he knew.  With that curious insight that had always been his
gift, he saw it: that the two of them who should have been together for
always, were now parted by the final gulf.  An image of her might yet
remain; but only an image.  She had gone on, leaving him to live again
... without her.  And, now as then, he thought his heart would burst.

Lost, all of it.  Centuries of time and a whole, brilliant world.  And
her: most precious; lover, beloved wife, companion of a thousand years;
mother of his daughter; heart of his heart and soul of his soul.  Lost,
lost, lost.

A little later, when he was in control of himself once more, he opened
his eyes and let them help him into a seat.  Surrounded by girls again!
It seemed to be his destiny.  But this time, the most important one was
missing.

He looked around at them all through reddened eyes: the faces of old
friends, Rei and Makoto, familiar even behind their disguises, and the
others.  He looked at Rei; in a voice that was slightly hoarse, he said,
"You are cruel."

She flinched, just barely.  Her voice flat, she said, "When I have to
be."

"You should have let me be."

Artemis said, "I wanted to."

As he reached down, almost unconsciously, to rub the cat's head, Rei --
no, wait, she had said *Seki*; he would have to ask about that -- nodded
and said, "So did I.  But, Endymion, we had little choice.  You were
already involving yourself.  You were appearing as Tuxedo Kamen again,
coming to protect Sailor Moon."

"My dreams," he said softly.  "I have been having such strange dreams.
I was a cat burglar, once, and a secret agent.  Perhaps --"  Suddenly
his eyes sharpened, and he looked around the girls once more.  "Wait.
You said, protect Sailor Moon.  Who is --?"  Then he remembered.  "You.
The girl from the gymnasium?  I'm sorry, I don't remember your name ..."

"Aizawa Ochiyo," the girl said.  There was something hauntingly familiar
about her.  It was all mixed up, all blurred together; his dreams, the
face behind the reception desk at the gymnasium -- and, somehow, his
memories of Usagi and Serenity.  But why?

"Who are you?" he whispered, half-unconsciously.  He stood and went over
to stand before her, searching her face.  The years fell away as he
moved; it was King Endymion who acted now.  He reached down a hand to  
cup
her chin, tilting her head up gently so that he could look in her eyes.

"Um," she said.  There was a strength in her, he could see, a
decisiveness, but for an instant it had deserted her and she looked very
vulnerable.  Then it returned; her eyes flashed, and she lifted her own
hand to strike his away.  "Look, buster, I don't care if you are my --"

"I know you," he murmured.  "Now, where do I know you from?"  He could
almost see it; it was right on the tip of his tongue.  Not Usagi; not
Serenity, the way she had been in his dreams.  Not Small Lady, either.
Then who?  And then he had it, and his eyes widened.  "Hikari ..."

"No!"  Ochiyo rose and stepped back, a little too hastily, leaving a
deliberate gap between them.  "That's what *she* said, too, but get it
straight, buster.  I don't care who you might have been in another
lifetime.  I already have two parents, and I'm not looking for more.
Clear?"

He raised his eyebrows.  "As crystal," he said, careful to keep the
amusement from his voice.  He could hear the determination in her words,
see it in her face and the set of her body; but none of it mattered.
Hikari, by all that was wonderful!  Against all probabilities, his
second daughter, alive and well, standing before him.  The fates were
merciful --

And then, in a flash, it deserted him.  The spirit of the dead king
receded; his poise left him, and he was only Keenan Liam once more,
facing a girl his age whom he barely knew from a gymnasium.  Oh, the
memories were still there, to be sure; Endymion was still within him.
But now his modern life took the fore, and suddenly he hardly knew what
to say.

A moment later, and he remembered what he had done to her the last time
he saw her.  He felt his cheeks burn, and knew that he was in trouble.

Someone else solved his problem for him.  "Besides," said Dhiti with a
familiar smirk, "I think you've got someone else to worry about right
now."

"Eh?"  Privately, Liam sometimes thought that Dhiti had been born to try
the souls of humankind.  He hadn't been on the receiving end of her
attention very often, thank goodness, but he'd seen how effortlessly she
could drive Mark and Miyo up the wall.  "What are you talking ab--"

Then he saw, again, the golden girl standing at her side, and finally
realised just how *much* trouble he was in.

"Kin-san," he said faintly.

"Uh-huh."  She stepped forward, gazing up at him with an appraising eye.
"So," she said in a lazy drawl, "what have we got?  Transfer student
with bad hair, check.  That's not so bad.  Crazy Eirish Claver transfer
student ... hell, I'm broad-minded.  I can cope.  Crazy Eirish transfer
student who picks romantic moments to whisper in my ear about *other
girls* -- now, that's starting to push the boundaries, you know?"  With
a wry smile, she shook her head.  "But crazy transfer student who
actually turns out to be a legendary king reborn ..."  She buffed her
fingernails on her shirt and examined them thoughtfully.  "Well, I just
don't know.  A girl's got to have some standards, don't you think?"

Liam looked back at her with a mixture of apprehension and regret.  The
sheer impossibility of this situation -- of any question that they could
ever be together again -- was so overwhelming that it was hard to see
anything else.  Once he had had perfection, and he wanted nothing more.
He had been the consort of Queen Serenity, husband and father of her
daughter; there was no question that their love was destined, and the
idea of replacing that magical harmony of souls with this girl was
unthinkable.  He and Serenity had been together for centuries, and their
love and passion had only grown; and even now, even muted by death and
rebirth and the memory of a lifetime since, the pain and the
recollection of what he had lost threatened to send him to his knees,
sobbing in grief, all over again.

And yet.  He could not help but flinch when Kin mentioned what he had
whispered in her ear that night.  He had blocked it out at the time, but
now it was embarrassingly clear in his memory.  And so, too, was the
feeling of her body in his arms, and her lips on his.

She must have seen his indecision.  Abandoning the casual pose, she
said, "Maybe we need to talk about this.  Uh, some other time."

"Kin-san," he said, "you have to realise that there's no way we --"

She held up a finger to his lips, and gave him a curiously knowing look.
"No," she said.  "Later."

He stared at her, his lips still buzzing from the contact, and tried to
think of something to say.  She gave him a quick nod, then glanced
around the room at all the others and nodded again.  "It was ...
interesting, meeting you all," she said succinctly.  "We must do this
again sometime."  Then, walking casually to the door, she let herself
out.  Her footsteps faded away down the corridor.

Liam watched the door close behind her back with an unexpected feeling
of loss.  Almost, he wanted to go after her; but that was crazy.  He was
not in love with her; he loved his wife.  His *wife*.

His dead wife.

He rubbed his forehead wearily.  "Oh, boy," he said.

Her lips quirking, Seki said, "I can recommend a good counselling
service."

He gave her a pained look.  "You've gotten very sarcastic over the
years, did you know?"

She grinned back, and belatedly he remembered that he had dated her,
too, once upon a time.  Not for long, true, and things never went too
far between them; but still, he was fairly sure that he had been her
first kiss.  Looking at her now, he could see that she was remembering
it as well.  That was ... embarrassing.

"This is all getting too complicated," he murmured, shaking his head.
"Rei-san, Makoto-san ... Ochiyo-san."  He looked over at her, and saw
that his daughter was hiding a grin.  Maybe that wasn't going to be so
bad after all.  "And -- Dhiti-san, why are you here again?"

Dhiti positively preened.  "What, don't you know the big, bad Sailor
Mercury when you see her?"

Liam glared at her.  "No *way* are you Mizuno Ami."

"Aha!  I'm the new, improved ver--"

Seki cut in before Dhiti could finish.  "Ami-chan is dead, Liam-san,"
she said, her voice flat.  "Most of them are.  Serenity tried to send
you all forward again, but --"  In a few words, she explained the
situation.  After she was done, a silence fell.

"So," he said at last.

Makoto nodded.  "So."

He felt a burst of sorrow for the fallen: Ami and Minako; Haruka;
Michiru; and the gentle Hotaru gone before them.  But that tragedy was
soon overshadowed by his own, more personal loss.  Small Lady, and
Serenity.  She had sent him on to live again, but had been unable to
follow.  He was truly alone, then.  He closed his eyes, and once more
the grey bitterness threatened to overwhelm him -- until he felt a hand
touch his arm.

"Come here for a moment," Ochiyo said.

Obediently, still feeling numb, he followed her to the window.  "Well?"
he demanded.

"Look out," she said quietly.

He did so.  Outside, the sun baked down on the rooftops of Third Tokyo.
The sky was a clear, aching blue, with only a distant bank of cloud on
the horizon.  Far off in the distance, an aeroplane crawled southward.
Below, traffic rumbled softly by, and the streets were filled with
people.

It took him a minute to get the message.  Too long; once, he would have
been the one delivering it himself.  Now, slowly, he nodded.  "The sun
is shining," he said.

"Yes," Ochiyo replied.  "It's not all darkness, Liam-san.  There's still
light, and hope.  Every day."

He nodded again; but, looking down at her, he saw another message in her
face: one she had probably not intended.  Small Lady might be dead;
Serenity might be gone ... but he had a second daughter, one who faced a
dreadful enemy.

More than ever, she needed help.  She needed protection.  Whether she
knew it or not, she needed Tuxedo Kamen.

Liam smiled at her, and said gravely, "Point taken."

"Hey, Endy-kun," Dhiti carolled out from behind them.  "Did you notice
that your accent's disappeared?"

                                 --**--

Things became a little chaotic, after that, as they often did when Dhiti
was around.  Before it went too far, Seki stepped in.  She could see in
his eyes how close Liam was to overloading.  As Mamoru, he'd always been
the brooding, solitary type, and she did not think that had changed.

"We ought to go," she said.  "I think you could use some time to adjust,
right?"

Liam gave her a quick, grateful look.  "Well, I do have some homework to
finish," he said with a half-smile.

She chuckled.  "Well, then.  Makoto was talking about a Senshi meeting
tomorrow evening, to discuss plans, and I think it's a good idea."  She
could not help shooting a dark look at Makoto as she spoke.  There were
other things they needed to discuss as well.  But then she pulled her
attention back to the here and now.  "If you want to come, you'd be
welcome."

He hesitated for some time before saying, "Sure.  You'll have to tell me
where."

"Of course."  She gave him directions to her house.  "Eight o'clock
tomorrow, if that's okay."

"I'll be there."  He smiled, but she thought that it was not without
effort.  "In the meantime, if you don't mind ..."

They all rose to go.  Seki held back to let the girls leave first, but
paused at the door.  Once the others were out of sight, she said quietly
to Liam, "I have a message for you."

He did not flinch.  He only said, just as quietly, "From ... her?"

"Yes.  She asked me to tell you that she loved you.  And that you will
be together again, in the end.  She'll wait."  He nodded, but Seki was
not finished.  "In the meantime ... she said that you should move on."

Liam was silent for a long time.  His face might have been carved from
stone.  At last he said, "She must know how impossible that is."

Seki gave him a wry smile.  "I didn't like it any better when she said
it to me."  She paused, and then said, "Don't be afraid to live again,
that was what she told me.  I think she meant it for you, too.  You
don't have to spend your life alone.  The two of you will not be apart
forever."

He did not answer, and at last she turned to leave.  She heard the door
click shut behind her.

                                 --**--

Liam stood in the centre of the living room, his mind in turmoil.  He
listened to Rei's footsteps fade away.  When he was sure she was gone,
he said aloud, "All right."

The bedroom door opened and Mark came out.  He stared at Liam as if
looking at a stranger.

Liam found himself starting to grin.  "So," he said.

"That ... that wasn't real, right?  This is some kind of put-up job."

"Nope.  Sorry."

"And you really didn't know?  And ... and Miyo-san.  Oh, God.  She's
*Sailor Jupiter*?"

"Shouldn't have listened in," said Liam unsympathetically.

"Oh, come on!  What was I supposed to do?  You were the one who told me
to just keep quiet!  If she knew I was there, she'd just leave, you
said, but at least this way, maybe I'd have a chance to find something
out."

"Yes."  Liam gave a rueful chuckle.  "Well, that part certainly worked."

"Oh, God," Mark repeated.  "They really didn't know I live here too?"
Liam shook his head.  "And you're ... holy shit.  You ... didn't know
anything about it?"

"Not a clue."  Liam hesitated.  "Well -- maybe a clue.  I'd been having
the strangest dreams, lately ..."

"I'm sitting here with King Endymion, and you're complaining about weird
*dreams*?  Damn!"  Mark fell silent, shaking his head.  After a little
he asked, "Are ... we still friends?"

"Depends," said Liam.  "You wanna be a royal retainer?"

"Up your ass!"

Liam laughed out loud.  "I don't think it's going to be a problem.  If
they were willing to tell Kin-chan, I don't see how they can object to
you."

"Uh," said Mark.  "You're going to tell them I know?"

"You'd rather I didn't?"  Liam paused.  "To be honest, I don't think
it'll make any difference with Miyo-san.  You have to understand: even
apart from what happened with her family ... she had a rough time with
boyfriends, back in Crystal Tokyo.  Got married a bunch of times, and
none of them lasted; none of them could cope with who she was.  In the
end -- I won't say she gave up, because she never did; but she ..."

As he spoke, his words had been coming slower and slower.  Now he broke
off, frowning, and then suddenly threw up his hands and laughed.  "Hell,
who am I kidding?  What do I know?  Maybe you're exactly what she needs.
Go for it, man.  If you'd rather, I won't say a word."

"Okay.  Yeah.  Thanks."  Mark collapsed back into the other chair,
looked up at Liam, and said, "Damn it!  You *do* look like the old
pictures.  And so does she.  Why didn't I ever notice before?"

Liam chuckled.  "They do it with mirrors."

"Up yours.  You're going to be hell to live with now, aren't you?"  Mark
scowled at him.  Then his expression changed.  "Hey -- so you used to be
married to Queen Serenity."

The levity vanished from Liam's voice.  "Drop it, Mark."

"And now you've got Kin-san chasing you."

"I mean it, man.  Drop it, now."

"Okay, okay.  Only --"

Liam groaned.  "*What*?"

Mark gave him a rather suggestive smirk.  "Any pointers?"

Liam threw a cushion at him.


                            ****************


Wednesday morning found Chairman Fukuda sitting at his desk, working
patiently.  Outside, it was raining heavily: fallout from a typhoon
passing to the east.  The main storm had missed Japan this time, though
there would be others.  August and September, just around the corner,
were the peak months.  For now, typhoon number three was giving them a
brisk wind and a downpour, but nothing more.

The chairman finished reading a report from 'F' Division and paused,
thinking over the ramifications.  The financial markets had dropped when
the Senshi had first appeared, amid general uncertainty over whether the
girls were about to depose the government.  Thankfully, things seemed to
have stabilised once more now, and the yen had regained some of its
value.  The message from the Senshi, disavowing any political intentions
and signed with an imprint of Sailor Mars' henshin wand, had helped.  So
had a carefully worded notice from the Council, pointing out that only
Sailor Moon herself had a technical right to the throne.

The chairman wondered what would happen when it became publicly known
that Moon had finally appeared.  Fresh chaos, probably.  'F' and 'D'
Divisions would have their hands full.  And now that the Senshi knew
that the Council was their enemy, might Moon make the attempt after all?

He gave a dry chuckle.  [Interesting times.]  Then he moved on to the
next report.

This one was from 'S' Division, with a covering note from Number Three:
a summary of the debriefing of Captain Hiiro's team after the events of
Saturday night.  The chairman read it, and frowned.  The report was ...
wrong, in almost every detail.  It said that the team had arrived to
find a battle between Senshi and vitrimorphs in progress (though it did
not use that word, of course), and had opted to back away.  Their
commander, Colonel Shiro, concurred with the decision.

But that was not what had happened.  Number Twelve had seen the entire
affair through the eyes of the vitrimorphs.  Hiiro's team had already
been there when the vitrimorphs arrived, and they had *helped* the
Senshi.  So what was going on here?

The obvious answer was that Hiiro had turned, or been turned.  He had
thrown in with the girls.  It would even explain why they had attacked
'M' Division later that night.

The chairman huffed, and typed a brief note to Number Three.  (He could
not easily hold a pen to write.)  Three would know how to handle it; he
had had plenty of experience with Sankaku moles.  There'd be nothing
overt, of course.  They would simply keep a close watch on the team, and
be ... careful ... when they used them in future.  It was always useful
to know who your double agents were.

Shaking his head, he turned to the next report, Hiiro and his team
already forgotten.  A notice from 'P' Division: Egami Shosuke was dead.
Well, he knew all about *that*.  Skipping the details with a grimace, he
tapped in an acknowledgement and moved on once more.

Next.  A memo from the technical recovery team at 'M' Division.  They
had restored the frozen computer systems at last.  Ah, that was more
like it!

Again, he skipped over the technical details, looking for the important
information.  The first attempt to restore from backup had inexplicably
erased the backup itself -- hmm.  He chuckled at that; it was a worthy
touch on M's part.  The most recent usable full backup was more than a
week old.  And an analysis of Egami Shosuke's most recent project
records showed --

He cursed.  The records were very incomplete.  From the look of it, most
of the theory had never been written down; it had been in Egami's head.

The chairman sat for a few minutes, thinking.  What he was about to do
next would put him forever beyond the pale, if anybody found out about
it.  The Master and the Senshi; both sides would want his head.  But --

Tightening his lips, he typed quickly.  Orders: a crash-priority
redevelopment of the project, maximum urgency, maximum security; results
*not* to be reported to himself, but to his second.  The chairman did
not dare learn when, or if, this project showed results.  Not when his
own mind was not sacred.

He hesitated one last time, his finger poised over the 'send' key; and
then, with a faint smile, he pressed it.  So; for good or for ill, it
was done.  It was a heady business, this, throwing his life to the
winds.

Then he waited.  For what, he was not sure: perhaps for the Master's
presence and cold, bitter cruelty to fill his mind, or for Twelve to
appear, with that savage, merciless smile, full of teeth.

But nothing happened.  The low, droning rumble of the air conditioning
and the faint bubbling of the water heating for his teapot were the only
sound in the office.  After a while he began to dare think that, at
least for now, he had gotten away with it.

But not forever.  There would be a reckoning eventually, he knew.  He
thought again of Number Twelve, and shuddered.  Maybe she would make it
quick.

And again, his imagination provided too many details.  What if she
didn't make it quick?  What if she did to him what he had done to her?
A second-stage initiation, a permanent, irrevocable tying to the Master.
To have your whole will, your whole *mind*, forever slaved to such
monstrousness.  What must that be like for her?

Hell was what he thought it would be like; and, just for a moment, he
felt sympathy for Araki Mamiko, the woman within Number Twelve.  Was she
still alive, buried somewhere in there?  Was she screaming silently,
endlessly, locked inside her own mind?  Never sleeping; never *eating*;
just the cold, eternal presence of the Master, clouding everything else
out of her, forever?

He had done that to her, after she panicked and tried to kill the Senshi
against orders.  Not the Master; it had been *his* decision.  He had not
known exactly what it would do to her, but he had known that it would be
bad.  If he had not done it, the Master would have forced him to punish
her, but perhaps it would have been some other way.

[Maybe I'm evil after all.  Maybe I really am evil.]  An old, bitter
thought.

It crossed his mind, not for the first time, that he could follow
Hiiro's example and throw in with the girls.  [Who knows?  They might
even be able to protect me,] he thought with mordant humour.  The idea
was almost tempting, in a puerile sort of way; but it stuck in his craw.
To cast his destiny with a bunch of super-powered, short-skirted
teenagers in archaic costumes?  It was worse than ridiculous; it was
undignified.

For a moment, he thought back to a time years ago, before he had first
been elevated to the Serenity Council.  Back when he had been nothing
more than a hard-working bureaucrat who had never heard of the Master
and never dreamed of what lay below the surface of the world.

[Give me those days again!  A world with no Master *or* Senshi.  A
simple world, where we can make our own destiny ...]

It was a dream; but at least he still *could* dream.  And if they could
get Egami's weapon working again, then maybe, just maybe, it could
really come true.

In the meantime, there was work to be done.  Deception, lies and
politics, and a country to run.  For a little while longer -- until, one
way or another, his time ran out.


                            ****************


On the surface, Wednesday passed like any other school day.  There was a
suppressed air of excitement, of course, at the approaching holidays.
Beneath the surface, though, there were some ominous undercurrents.
Ochiyo watched them with interest, but she did nothing to interfere.
Not yet.

The most obvious current had to do with Suzue.  Ochiyo only shared a
couple of classes with her, but the change in attitude had become clear
since Monday.  Oh, nobody said anything; but still, the other students
were subtly avoiding her.  Even Keiko, who was supposed to be her
friend; and Suzue's expression made it clear that she was aware of it.

All of it thanks to Kubota and Arita and their mob ... and Makoto.  The
other students had known about Suzue before, but Suzue had never
actually *done* anything, so it was easy to ignore or forget.  Now her
religion was staring them in the face, and they reacted the way they
always did.

The way they had been taught to react.  Ochiyo was starting to see that
now, since Otani-sensei had pointed it out.

Having Makoto in the same Home Ec class did not help at all.  The other
students might keep their snubs low-key, but there was nothing subtle
about Makoto.  She was the second dark undercurrent.  That automatic
scowl whenever she looked in Suzue's direction was hard to miss.  It was
a kind of blindness, in its way.

Ochiyo considered the situation.  She had wanted to avoid stepping in
between the two of them: not that she was afraid of being stamped with
the Loonie brand herself, but simply because she'd hoped that they could
patch things up on their own.  But it seemed that they weren't even
trying.  Failing that, she had planned to take the matter up at the
Senshi meeting tonight.  But seeing them now ...

In a moment, she made up her mind.  "Excuse me," she said to Jong Soo,
her class partner.  Then she walked calmly across the room to where
Suzue stood all alone.

Suzue raised her eyebrows as she approached.  "Careful," she said in a
low voice.  "You don't want to get caught in this too."

Ochiyo smiled.  "It's okay," she replied.  "Just take it easy, hmm?
Remember, they aren't all out to get you."

"Oh?"  Suzue's lips tightened.  "Sure looks that way sometimes."

"No," Ochiyo said firmly.  "Actually, they're afraid that *you're* out
to get *them*."

Suzue blinked, and then frowned as she thought about it.  After a little
she said, "Thank you, Ochiyo-san.  That helps."

"Sure.  See you later, okay?"

Ochiyo winked at her, then turned to walk back to her own table.  Jong
Soo was watching her, and she could feel the gazes of the rest of the
class following her as well.  She gave them all a big smile.  She might
regret it later; but for now, their stares felt like an accolade.

                                 --**--

After school, she hurried to the Olympus.  She was rostered on duty for
three hours today, during one of the busiest periods; and after that she
had another appointment.  It promised to be another long evening.

She changed hastily into her work uniform, then signed in and took over
the reception desk from Norie.  After that she was kept busy for the
next hour or so, taking phone calls, answering questions and giving
advice.  Word had started to get around that something had happened to
the owner, and nearly half the calls she took were anxious queries or
outright gossip.

Half an hour into her shift, she looked up and saw a face she vaguely
recognised.  After a second she placed him: Wright Mark.  Normally, he
came in with Keenan Liam, but today he was alone.

Not that that meant anything.  She gave him a warm smile of welcome,
expecting him to wave back and head through to get changed as usual.
Instead he hesitated, giving her a rather peculiar look in return.
Finally, just as she was about to ask him if anything was wrong, he gave
her a rather strained grin, and then moved on at almost a run.  Ochiyo
stared after him, baffled, for a moment.  Then the desk comm rang, and
she shook her head and got back to work.

By half past six, things had quietened down considerably.  Marisa showed
up early, which was a help, and Ochiyo took the chance to sneak back to
the changing rooms and change out of her uniform.  As she came out, she
almost ran headfirst into someone else coming in.  To her dismay, she
saw that it was Yukimi.

"Sorry," she said hastily.

Yukimi looked down at her with a gimlet eye.  "Well, Miss Part-Timer,"
she said in an acid tone.  She glanced up at the clock.  "Booking out
early?"

Ochiyo hid a grimace of annoyance.  The trainer was not exactly the bane
of her life, but she might well be the bane of the Olympus staff.  Tall,
well-padded and elegant, she was also waspish and arrogant.  Mito was
the only one who could really stand her, and even he tried to do it from
a distance.

"No, I was just --" Ochiyo began.

Yukimi rolled on without paying the slightest attention.  "You might as
well.  Why not?  Who cares if you're defrauding your employer?  It's not
as if anyone's going to dock your pay.  It's not as if you've got any
pay to dock."

"I --"  Ochiyo broke off.  She had been about to protest that the front
desk was covered, and she had every intention of staying until her shift
ended.  Instead she said, "What?"

"Oh, hadn't you heard?"  Yukimi gave her a withering smile.  "Nobody
got paid last night.  All that money, mysteriously missing."  She
sniffed.  "I suppose now we know what happened to our exalted absentee
leader.  Run off to the Virgin Nation, perhaps.  That would suit *her*,
I'm sure."

Ochiyo could only stare at her, shocked not just at the news but at the
open malice in the woman's voice.  "No," she protested.  "It's not like
that!"

"Oh?"  Yukimi laughed at her.  "Go ahead and hide from the truth, then,
Miss Part-Timer.  Personally, I've got bills to pay.  I'll give her a
week to show her crooked face again.  After that, I'm gone!"

Ochiyo stared at her for a moment longer.  Then, her lips tightening,
she pushed past the woman and out the door.  She heard Yukimi's mocking
laughter following her.

[Good riddance if she does go,] she thought furiously.  But the anger
did not last.  Dismayed, she realised that Yukimi was right.  Nobody was
going to stay for long if they were not being paid.

Without Itsuko, the Olympus was doomed.

                                 --**--

Half an hour later, still wrestling with the problem, Ochiyo left the
building and caught a bus over to the Hissomori district.  Her
destination was only a few hundred metres from the bus stop, but she had
to check a map twice.  At last she came to a halt in a narrow,
tree-lined lane, outside an old-fashioned brick house.

She stood for a moment, eyeing it dubiously, and checked her map once
more.  When she looked up again, she saw a large black bird perched on
the roof, looking down at her out of one unfathomable eye.  She gave it
a curious look in return, then opened the gate and went through.  As she
stepped over the threshold, the bird gave a harsh cry and took to the
air, flying out of sight behind the house.  Ochiyo paused, watching it
for a second, and then closed the gate behind her, walked to the door
and gave a sharp knock.

The door opened almost instantly and Makoto stood there, a smile on her
face.  "Hi," she said.  "Come in.  The others are already here."

Ochiyo smiled back; but inside, her alarm bells were ringing.  There was
something wrong about Makoto's smile, something false.  The girl's body
was too tense, and her eyes kept meeting Ochiyo's and then flicking away
almost guiltily.  She was nervous.  Why?

Thinking about it for a moment, Ochiyo decided that she had a pretty
good idea of what was coming.  Her own worries about the Olympus
disappeared, replaced by new concerns.  She suppressed a grimace.  This
was probably going to be messy.

"You don't have to do it, you know," she said impulsively.  "You can let
it go.  There's still time."

Makoto stiffened.  After a pause that was just a little too long, she
said, "What do you mean, Ochiyo-san?"

Ochiyo paused herself, and let out a breath.  "Nothing," she said,
looking away.  "Sorry.  My mistake."

Makoto stared at her for a moment longer, her eyes no longer precisely
friendly, and then stepped aside to let Ochiyo in.  Ochiyo left her
schoolbag with her shoes in a corner of the entryway, and then followed
Makoto to the living room.  She paused at the door.  Yes, nearly
everyone was there: Seki, Beth, Iku and Dhiti; and in their midst,
looking quite uncomfortable, Liam.  Most of them were sitting on the
floor, but Dhiti was lounging on, of all things, a bean-bag chair.  She
was happily chattering away at full speed to Beth and Iku, her eyes
alight with mischief.  Beth answered back when she could get a word in
edgewise, but Iku simply listened, a strange, almost wondering look on
her face.

Liam and Seki were talking quietly as well, though Liam kept shooting
half-humorous, half-resigned glances over at the girls.  Ochiyo wondered
if he felt as out-of-place as he looked, and concealed a grin.  Somehow,
his obvious discomfort made up for the stolen kiss of Saturday night.

As she stepped inside, most of them looked up at her, and the room fell
quiet.  For a giddy moment, Ochiyo wondered if she was expected to make
a speech.  Then Seki rose and said, "Princess, welcome."  She was
smiling, thankfully; a real smile.  "Let me introduce you to Artemis and
Bendis."

Ah.  Ochiyo had already met Artemis, the day before, but had not really
gotten a chance to talk to him; and Bendis was still only a name to her.
She had almost missed the two on entering, but there they were: Artemis,
pure white with a gold crescent on his forehead, and Bendis, very
young-looking, a tabby cat with a white circle on hers.  [Full moon,]
Ochiyo thought, and the idea pleased her for some reason.  She had an
aunt who bred cats, and thought absently that Artemis looked rather like
an Egyptian Mau: a rare breed of cat.  Bendis was similar, though
obviously a mix.

The two stepped delicately forward as Seki introduced them and dipped
their heads, to Ochiyo's discomfiture.  She started to bow in return,
but then Bendis looked up at her, fixed her with a piercing eye, and
said, "So *you're* the princess?  Huh.  I thought you'd be taller."

"Bendis!"  Artemis swiped at her head with his paw, but she dodged
nimbly.

Ochiyo, for her part, merely raised her eyebrows and said in a grave
tone, "Really?  Funny, I get that from Moon Cats a lot."

Bendis stared at her -- and then laughed.  Ochiyo joined in.  Artemis
retreated, grumbling; but Ochiyo noticed that the look he directed at
Bendis was more affectionate than angry.  One of those males who tried
to hide how much he cared, she guessed, amused.

She looked around for a place to sit, but before she had found a spot,
Makoto cleared her throat to attract everyone's attention.  "Maybe we
should get started," she said.

Ochiyo glanced around the room, and -- as she had half expected --
noticed who was missing.  [Uh-*huh*,] she thought.  So that was how it
was going to be, was it?

She was not the only one to spot the omission.  "Wait up, Hayashi," said
Dhiti cheerfully.  "Suzue-san isn't here yet."

Makoto's lips tightened.  "No," she said.  "Suzue-san isn't going to be
coming tonight."

"Is that so?" murmured Ochiyo.  Makoto must have heard her; she threw
her a sharp look.

"And why not?" asked Liam innocently.  "Sick, is she?"

"No," Makoto said grimly.  "I didn't invite her ... because she's the
one we're here to talk about."

That brought a pause to the proceedings.  Then Dhiti said, in a voice
filled with dismay, "Oh, Hayashi, *no*."

Makoto glared at her.  "Yes, of course," she said.  "Be serious for
once, Dhiti-chan.  She's betrayed us all.  She's a ... a snake in the
grass, and we have to deal with her somehow!"

Liam cleared his throat again.  "Pardon my ignorance," he said.  "What,
exactly, are we talking about?"

In a few bitter words, Makoto told him about Suzue.  His eyes widened as
he listened, and he let out a low whistle.  Then, as she finished, his
eyes narrowed once more.  "I see," he said, and Ochiyo noticed that once
more, his accent had faded away.  "You've called us to sit in judgement.
Without her even being here to defend herself.  We're your Star Chamber,
is that it?"

"Defend herself?" said Makoto incredulously.  "She admitted it to my
face!  What kind of defence do you think she needs?"

"None," said Beth in a low voice.  Her face was pale and drawn, as if at
some unpleasant memory.  She shivered suddenly.  "Why are we even
talking about this?  If she's one of -- of those ..."

"Is it really all that bad?" piped up Bendis from by her side.  "I mean,
okay, it's kind of weird, but --"

Beth rounded on her.  "Yes!" she said furiously.  "It's that bad.  You
-- you weren't there, Bendis-chan.  But I remember that night.  What
that man did ..."  She shivered again, and Ochiyo wondered what had
happened to her, and when.

"I was right over your head, and I saw the whole thing," Bendis mumbled,
her voice barely audible.  "And I know it freaked you out, but --"

"Beth is right," put in Artemis, paying no attention to her.  "It's bad.
If nothing else, it's bad enough that she tried to hide it from us.  But
still ..."  He looked up at Makoto.  "I'm a little disturbed that she's
not even here.  Liam has a point --"

"You're *siding* with her?" Makoto burst out, outraged.

"No.  I'm saying that if she's ... well, to be put on trial, she should
be here to defend herself.  If she can."

"So, suddenly she's to be *tried*?" said Ochiyo softly.  "For her
beliefs?  By *us*?"

Makoto gave her a sour, disgusted look.  "And who are you to complain?
You've known about her all along, and you never did a thing.  That makes
you nearly as bad as she is!"

"Ah?  I've had such a long time to do anything, of course.  Let's see,
half a week?"  Ochiyo smiled at her, lips slightly parted to show her
teeth.  "Never mind.  I'm sure you'll let me know if you decide to put
me on trial for it."

Makoto snorted.  "Don't be so --"

"Anyway," Ochiyo interrupted, "I did do something, as a matter of fact.
I talked to Suzue-san about it.  I wonder if you ever thought to try
that?"

"Of course I did!" Makoto spat in return.  "And she didn't make the
slightest effort to deny it.  She admitted it to my face!"

"No," Ochiyo said heavily, "I said I *talked* to her.  There's a world
of difference between --"

"*Enough!*"  There was a sudden, loud bang.  They looked around,
startled, to see that Seki had slammed a book down on the table.  The
woman glared around the room.  "Enough," she repeated, her words cold
and angry.  "This is going nowhere."

Makoto gave her a mutinous look.  "Then what do you --"

"Enough, I said!  Another minute and you'll be fighting each other --
and we both know where that leads, don't we?"  Makoto stared at her,
shocked and furious, but then subsided.  Seki went on, her voice harsh
and angry.  "Liam and Artemis were right, a minute ago.  You want to put
Suzue-san on trial, without even having the grace to let her face her
accusers?  'Star Chamber' indeed!  Well, I think not."

She lifted her left hand and Ochiyo saw, with mild surprise, that she
wore a Senshi communicator.  "Now, please," Seki said into the tiny
device on her wrist.

The rear door of the room opened, and Suzue came in.  She looked around
the room and said quietly, "Good evening, everyone."  Her face was
serene and composed, despite the black eye.  Then, unhurried, she knelt
down on the floor, hands on her thighs ... and waited.

The thunderbolt did not take long to fall.

                                 --**--

Makoto had felt a growing sense of disbelief and outrage as the argument
proceeded.  It wasn't meant to be this way.  They were all supposed to
leap to her side and support her!  They were supposed to *understand*.
Why didn't they realise that this needed to be done?  Why couldn't they
*see*?

Makoto had no big issues with religion.  Even apart from the Buddhism
and Shinto predominant in Japan, in her long life she had known Muslims,
Christians, Hindus (a nod to Dhiti, there), Sikhs, Jews, Mormons, and
probably others.  Even a few really weird ones; she'd worked with a pair
of Wiccans for a while in Canada, not long before the Fall, and she had
thought they were genuinely crazy; but she had no problem with them.
They were welcome to believe whatever they wanted.

But the Loonies were different.  When she thought of the Serenity she
had known -- and, further back, of the Usagi of her youth; and even,
long before that, of the delicate, naive princess she had served in the
days of the Silver Millennium -- what Makoto remembered was the best,
closest friend she had ever had, in all her lives.  A true soul friend,
take her for all in all; at turns raucous and compassionate, childish
yet wise, helpless and yet strong.  Such a *human* friend.  And the idea
of a bunch of supercilious, upstart newcomers bowing down to this woman
-- *praying* to her, for heaven's sake, singing *hymns* to her -- it
turned her stomach, it honestly did; it made her feel physically ill.
Their blindness and their smug, self-satisfied arrogance and their
basic, fundamental *wrongness* infuriated her beyond measure.  She
could hardly even bear to think about how they called the other Senshi
saints.  Gentle Ami, fiery Rei, madcap Minako, and Makoto herself, all
of them as human as could be, and they wanted to light candles and ask
their blessings?  That was even more revolting, if anything.  No, it was
wrong, it was evil, and she would never, *could* never accept it.

And yet here one of them sat, presuming to be a Senshi.  Sitting here
among them, smug as you please, as if she had the right!  The living
embodiment of wilful ignorance and delusion; the emblem of everything
that was wrong with the modern world.

Still, at some level, deep inside, Makoto knew she was not being quite
rational about this.  She had known Suzue for a while now; she knew that
the sombre, serious girl was not an enemy.  All she was really guilty of
was hiding who and what she really was.  Makoto remembered, suddenly,
what Ochiyo had said to her at the door: [You can let it go.  There's
still time.]

But then, rearing up once more from the back of her memory, she heard
her father saying at her, on the worst day of her life: [A lie of
omission is still a lie.]  And then, crazily, his voice rose to a wild
shriek: [No true daughter of mine!  A cuckoo!  A cuckoo in the nest!]

And the old, familiar rage washed over her.

                                 --**--

Beth had been feeling confused and upset since Makoto's call on Monday.
The news had shaken her, badly.  Suzue was ... well, not a friend,
exactly, but someone she had been coming to trust; a girl who had fought
at her side, protected her in battle.  Someone to be relied on.  Even a
partner.

Then, on Monday, everything went topsy-turvy.  Her dreams that night,
and ever since, had been the same: a darkened street; a police Opal
marked nearby; a group of would-be burglars, bound inside her Love-Me
Chain; a policewoman stalking away from her, radiating anger and
resentment ... and the other thing.  The man who knelt at her feet and
gazed up at her, with worship in his eyes and words of adoration on his
lips.  The squirming horror she felt as he tried to kiss her hand.  And
the wind in her face and the dry panic in her mouth as she ran, and ran,
and ran.

She had gotten over it eventually.  Of course she had.  Except that now
it seemed that perhaps she hadn't, because the sight of Suzue kneeling
there placidly -- kneeling! -- filled her with the same breathless
horror she had felt that night.  Only this time, she didn't want to run
away.  She wanted to hide.  She wanted to open her eyes and see that
everything was all right again.  She wanted Suzue to be gone.

Bendis was wrong.  Was it really all that bad?  Yes.  It was.

Thank goodness that Makoto was here.  Beth was no hero, not like Sailor
Venus, but Makoto, at least, seemed to know what was what -- even if the
others didn't.  She would do the right thing.

It did not take Makoto long to exceed her expectations.

                                 --**--

"Get out," Makoto said.  Her voice was low and hard.  "You don't belong
here.  Get out of this house."

Suzue looked up at her slowly.  She had been dreading this moment; but
now that it was here, somehow, she felt only a calm determination.  "I
am a Senshi," she said, "and I was invited."

"I don't care about that!" Makoto snapped.  "You don't belong here, and
you never will.  Just get out, and spread your poison somewhere else."

Suzue started to answer, but Makoto turned and rounded upon Ochiyo.
"What were you thinking?" she demanded.  "Everyone knows what they're
like!  Why did you invite her?  How can you think she could ever be one
of us?!"

"I didn't invite her," said Ochiyo.  Her face, Suzue thought, held a
hint of something like sadness.

"What?  You --"

"I invited her," said Seki.

Suzue had known it was coming.  All the same, it was a little disturbing
to see the shock and dismay on Makoto's face.  A look of betrayal.

"You?" Makoto whispered.

"Me," said Seki.  She stood, moving up to speak to Makoto face-to-face.
"Suzue-san is right, Mako-chan.  She is a Senshi.  Like it or not, she
belongs here."

"How can you think that?" Makoto asked, almost pleading.  "How can you
just stand there and accept this?  You, of all people!  You know how --
how deluded she is.  You ought to be furious!  You should be *helping*
me!  How can you take this so calmly?"

Seki paused.  Then, reluctantly, she said, "Because I have known about
Suzue-san and her beliefs for a long time now."

"... What?"

"Since the day of our first real meeting," Seki admitted.  "You
remember; she fainted when I told everyone who I was."

Suzue looked away, flushing.  She had not wanted to remember that
moment.

"After the meeting, when most of the girls had left, she came to me and
admitted everything.  Bowed down and offered me reverence, cool as you
please."  Seki's lips twitched.  "I was ... a little unhappy."

"Unhappy," said Makoto.  Her face was thunderous and as she spoke, her
voice rose to a roar.  "Unhappy?!  You have got to be fucking kidding
me.  You've known about her all this time, and *you never said a
word?!*"

A silence fell.  Most of the room were on their feet, now; only Suzue
herself was still on the floor.  Liam had moved up behind Makoto, his
face grim, as if ready to restrain her.  All eyes were on the two women.
Suzue watched silently, hardly daring to breathe.

"That's right," Seki answered, stony-faced.  "I never said a word,
because I thought somebody might go off the deep end.  I thought it
would be Artemis, though; I never expected you, Mako-chan."

"Damn you, I --"

"And *anyway*," Seki overrode her, "in the meantime, Suzue and I have
discussed the subject.  Several times.  If it matters, I think she's
wrong."  She grimaced.  "And she thinks I'm wrong.  But we can be polite
about it, at least."

She paused, and her face softened.  "Serenity and I talked about it as
well, the other night."  She glanced down at Suzue, then back to Makoto.
"What she said ... well, I suppose she had a point.  And she did not
reject Suzue-san."

Suzue's eyes widened.  Seki and the Blessed Lady had talked about her?
She felt a sudden, burning desire to jump up and press Seki for details.
A single look at the woman's face, though, told her that none would be
forthcoming.  With difficulty, she remained where she was.

"Seki," Makoto groaned.  "Rei-chan.  You can't just *accept* this.  You
can't!  It's wrong, don't you see?  It's ... it's sick."

"I do accept it," Seki said quietly.  "Mako-chan, it's not such a big
thing.  It really isn't.  Nobody's asking you to agree with her.  But
is it so much to ask, for you to be able to work with her?"

That, Suzue decided, was her cue, if anything was.  She rose to her feet
and approached Makoto cautiously.  After a heartbeat's deliberation, she
held out a hand.  "Makoto-san," she said, "please, can't we agree to --"

She never even saw Makoto move.  She simply found herself lying on the
floor, on her back.  Makoto stood over her, fists clenched.  There was a
fierce heat in her face, right over the un-blackened eye.

[Well,] she thought muzzily, [at least I'll match.]  Then the pain hit,
and she let out an involuntary gasp.

Makoto stared down at her.  Her face was a mask of cold stone, almost
terrifying in its intensity.  "I will never accept you," she said.
"Never."

Suzue stared back, and something inside her hardened.  "Join the club,"
she snarled.

Makoto did not reply.  She turned and pushed her way through the others,
opened the door to the entryway and went through without a word.  The
door clicked quietly shut behind her.

                                 --**--

"Um," said Dhiti.  "Maybe I ought to go after her."

Seki let out a sigh.  "No.  Leave her be.  I don't think she'd be in the
mood for your brand of soothing right now."

"Ha!  I'll have you know, I can --"  Dhiti paused.  "Or, well, maybe
you're right."

Liam cleared his throat, drawing their attention.  "In the meantime," he
said, "we still need to decide what to do about Suzue-san."

As he spoke, he bent down and helped Suzue to her feet.  She stood for a
moment, touching her eye and wincing.  "Just why," she asked, "does
everybody think they need to *do something* about me?"  A hint of
bitterness entered her voice.  "Why can't you all just let me *be*?"

Liam gave her a long, measured look.  "I think ... you polarise us," he
said in a reflective tone.  "One way or another, what you represent
can't be ignored.  I'm sorry, Suzue-san, but that's the truth."  He
paused and then added, shaking his head, "Artemis was right, too.  You
want to be one of the Senshi, but you hide who you truly are.  That's
wrong, Suzue-san.  How can you expect them to trust you, if you can't
trust them?"

She let out a rusty laugh, one that was utterly without humour.  "The
Blessed Lady said exactly the same thing."  She saw the sudden
recognition in his eyes; and at the same moment, she felt a sudden
tingle up her spine as she realised, as if for the first time, who she
was talking to.  Who it was that had just helped her up.  *Endymion.*
Chiba Mamoru.  Consort to the Lady Herself.

Her breath caught, and for one instant, automatically, she started to
lower her head in reverence.  But then a face swam up in her memory, a
tousle-haired blonde woman with cool, clear eyes, and she heard the
voice again: [Kiddo, you're a Senshi!  You have been chosen.  That
*makes* you worthy.]

No, she decided, and felt her body stiffen with resolve.  No more
bowing.  Not here, not to these people.

"You're wrong, Keenan-san," she said, and knew as she spoke that she
was, finally, taking the right tone.  "I don't *want* to be a Senshi.  I
*am* a Senshi.  And if Makoto-san can't accept that ... then that is her
problem.  Not mine."

"Hmm."  He looked at her for a moment longer, his eyebrows slightly
raised.  Then he smiled faintly.  "Well, then."

She nodded back, puzzled but relieved, and then looked around the room.
Liam, Seki, Ochiyo, Dhiti, Beth, Iku ... and the cats, Artemis and
Bendis.  And they were all looking at her.  Of course.

She took a deep breath, then stepped forward and formally bowed to them
all.  "Everybody," she said.  "I am a member of the Church of Serenity.
And I am very sorry for hiding it from you."

Nobody said anything for a little, and after a while she realised that
it was because nobody could think of anything to say.  What *do* you
say to an announcement like that?

Then Dhiti cleared her throat, and she realised with a sinking feeling
that if anybody could think of something, it would just have to be her.

"So," Dhiti said musingly, "you really do believe that Queen Serenity
was a goddess?"

"Yes," answered Suzue, keeping her voice calm and patient and resisting
the urge to be sarcastic.  "I really do."

"And after that big Senshi meeting, the other week ... you really bowed
down to Itsuko-san?  That really happened?"

"Er ... yes."

"Oh, God," said Dhiti, and her face took on a faraway, wistful look.
"Oh, God, I wish I'd seen that."

"Dhiti," said Seki, pained.

"Sorry, Saint Hino," said Dhiti, unrepentant.  Seki started to turn a
thunderous look on her, and she added, with a devilish glint in her eye,
"Sorry, Most Holy Lady of the Flame and the Spirit."

A new outbreak of mayhem began to take shape in the room, and Suzue
obligingly stepped out of the way as it happened.  As she did so, a new
thought occurred to her, and she gave Dhiti a long, measuring look.
That had been Hino Rei's full, correct Church title.  But why would
Dhiti, of all people, have known it?

Unless Dhiti had been doing some reading up on the Church, once Suzue's
secret was out.

That ... was an interesting thought.  However, it did not prevent Suzue
from standing aside and watching, with a deep and abiding sense of
satisfaction, as the Wrath of God descended upon Sharma Dhiti.

<< CONTINUED IN PART 3 >>

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Angus MacSpon                                  Email: macspon at ihug.co.nz
ICQ: 65719513                          http://shell.ihug.co.nz/~macspon/