Forgotten Forever by Kihin Ranno

Part Six: Like Rain

Makoto scraped her knees when she hit the ground.

She had been sitting outside eating her lunch, leaning against the very tree where she had first met Usagi months before. She had been thinking about the situation they were in, and how it had only been a few days since they had watched Ail and Ann fly off to unknown parts. That had been a Sunday. It was now halfway through Wednesday, and she had no earthly idea where one of her best friends was. A new enemy had arrived without fanfare, taking them completely by surprise. There had been no time. There had been no warning shots. Rei had been there and then gone.

Makoto had never felt more helpless in her life.

It was around that time that the screaming had started. Makoto had leapt to her feet automatically, searching for whatever danger there was for her to face. It had taken her a moment to notice that people were running back towards the school building and not away from anything. Makoto had quickly followed them and added her own scream to the clamor when she saw Ami break through the fence and start to plummet towards the Earth.

"Ami!"

She had run forward faster than anyone else - faster than she had thought possible. She felt rocks digging into the soles of her shoes, bruising her feet and making her stumble. She managed to keep her balance and keep dashing towards the school until another woman wearing the same mark that Rei's abductor had appeared just behind Ami. When the woman wrapped her arms around Ami's waist and vanished while hanging in midair, Makoto had tripped and gone sprawling to the ground.

Now her knees were bleeding and her wrists hurt, but Makoto didn't so much as flinch. She merely kept staring at the spot where Ami once had been and began to sort it out in her head. She had just been getting used to the idea that Rei would not be there if Makoto chose to stop by the shrine on Sendai Hill. Even though she had seen it happen, there was something surreal about the experience. Something made it difficult for Makoto to completely understand everything that had happened.

Now the same thing had happened with Ami. One minute everything was perfectly normal, and the next Makoto was trembling on the ground with bleeding knees and a raw throat. And Ami was gone.

"Ami..." Makoto whispered, suddenly realizing that she wasn't taking air into her lungs. She reminded herself to breathe and tried to stop shaking.

"Ms. Kino?" a gentle, but obviously frightened voice said from behind her. Makoto did not have to turn around to figure out that it was Haruna Sakurada, a teacher who was rather infamous for her temper. For a moment, Makoto was hard-pressed to believe that this was the woman who had once threatened to push a student out the window. "Ms. Kino, are you all right?"

She turned to look at the older woman, who was crouched down beside her. She was whiter than death, but still calm compared to some of the other students. Makoto was just now realizing it, but the screaming hadn’t stopped yet. Some students were rushing back into the building, others were attempting to get past the makeshift blockade the teachers had set up at the front gate, and still more were frozen in place like Makoto was, staring at the emptiness that chaos had filled just moments before.

"Ms. Kino?" Haruna asked again, lifting her hand as if she was contemplating shaking her.

Makoto wanted to tell her that she was most certainly not fine. At least she had been given the opportunity to save Rei. Ami hadn't even transformed. It been too quick, too public. She had been too alone.

Makoto should have been with her. She should have been able to move faster. She should have been more aware of what was going on around her. She should have been ready for another attack. She should not have let Ami get hurt.

But now she had to deal with fallout.

"I need to call Usagi," Makoto said, her voice pitched low and kept steady with impeccable control. "And our other friend, Minako. You met her I think."

Haruna nodded, but Makoto wasn't sure if she had actually been listening. "Ms. Kino, you didn't answer my question."

Makoto almost told her it didn't matter, but she decided not to be rude. Instead, she pulled herself to her feet, ignoring Haruna when she offered a hand to help her stand. Makoto rubbed her left wrist. "And Dr. Mizuno as well. I think it would be better if I told her."

Haruna began to say something more, but Makoto was already walking away from her. She wouldn't wait for anyone's permission to make those calls. They had to be told, and Makoto was going to be the one to tell them. And when she spoke to them, she was going to be completely steady and not even think about shedding a tear.

-----

"I'm home!" Beruche called out as she reappeared at the base, the now unconscious body of Mizuno Ami dropping to the ground. She arrived just outside of the cell that Rei was being kept in, and Beruche immediately wondered why she had thought that landing there would be the easiest course of action.

Rei had been sleeping fitfully when Beruche arrived, but the sound of her voice woke the captive up at an alarming speed. Her eyes were wide and mouth opened to yell the moment she saw Ami's body on the floor.

"So help me, Sailor Mars, if you start shrieking again, I will set off that collar at such a level that you'll be nothing more than a drooling vegetable," Rubeus threatened as he arrived from another area of the ship, apparently having sensed Beruche's arrival.

Rei stared at him, not only due to the threat but because she had never seen him or Beruche before. She took a deep breath and glanced at each of them in turn. Beruche took note of how much distance the girl kept between her and the barricade that kept her caged. Classical conditioning at its finest she supposed. "Are you going to hurt her?"

Beruche laughed quietly, covering her mouth with her hand. "It’s a little late for that, Sailor Mars."

Any hope of Rei keeping calm quickly went out the window. She darkened fast enough to rival a sudden summer storm. She did not advance to the edge of the cell as one would have thought. Nor in fact did she actually get a chance to say much of anything at all.

Anticipating the inevitable eruption, Rubeus sighed and snapped his fingers in Rei's direction. It set her collar off, and she was forced to her knees, shrieking and clawing at her neck as if it were her only chance for survival.

Beruche covered her ears, wincing. "And how is that an improvement?"

Rubeus shrugged, a smirk spreading across his lips. "I suppose it isn't. But I find it more satisfying." That said, he crouched down next to Ami's body, looking her over as he had done Mars when she had first arrived. He furrowed his brow, noting that she was still in her civilian form. He looked up at Beruche and said, "Are you sure it's her?"

"She admitted as much," Beruche said, sticking her fingers in her ears and talking too loudly so she could be heard over Rei's continued screams. "And she's just as clever as Mercury is in the future. She managed to figure out that we had to be from the future, no doubt because Cooan said something that she shouldn't have, and could you please turn that damn thing off? I kept away from this place to avoid a migraine, and you are making me wish I had just stayed out there among the primitives."

Rubeus chuckled, well aware of Beruche's distaste for their current situation. "You must really hate headaches," he observed before snapping his fingers once more. It disabled the collar for the time being, granting Rei some relief. The instant it was over she fell to the ground, completely prostrate.

Much to Beruche's relief, she did so silently.

Beruche then began to go through Ami's pockets, deciding that she was kind enough to do it herself rather than leave it up to him. In addition to his reputation of being a fearsome killer, there was also a rather nasty rumor involving several female members of Demando's army in the division Rubeus had served in before his promotion. Beruche didn't think about it much, nor did she think about the two women who had swallowed their guns shortly after they had been court-martialed for slandering a superior officer. True or not, Cooan had never been left alone with him.

She frowned slightly, muttering, "Now since she didn't transform, she should have her henshin pen and computer somewhere on her." A few moments later, Beruche located the items in her breast pocket.

When she held them up to the light, both she and Rubeus found themselves in a state of confusion.

"That doesn't look like hers, does it?" Beruche asked, tilting her head in Rei's general direction.

Rubeus shook his head. "No. It doesn't."

Beruche's frown deepened. She wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but she was certain that she didn't like it. "What do you suppose it means?"

"No idea," Rubeus admitted. He looked over at Rei, who was trying very hard not to groan in case either of her captors found that offensive as well. "You. Do you know why this looks different?"

Rei looked over in their direction, though Beruche was certain that she was having trouble focusing on them. She took a deep breath, as if even speaking took a considerable amount of effort after the last ordeal, and said, "If I did know, do you honestly think that I would tell you about it?"

Rubeus glared and said, "Perhaps I can teach you to be more responsive."

Rei laughed, sounding exhausted and a little on edge. "As I recall, being responsive was exactly what made you hurt me the last time."

Rubeus curled his lip unpleasantly and raised his arm to set off the collar again. Beruche practically put herself in between the two of them, waving her arms to attract Rubeus's attention without actually laying hands on him. "Don't do it again. Let her be sullen if she wants. She probably doesn't know anymore than we do."

Rubeus considered the matter for a moment while having an intense staring contest with the still drained Sailor Mars. He finally let his arm drop and turned back to Beruche. Both women were obviously relieved.

"I suppose you're right," he admitted, though he said it in a way that didn't suggest that he had been at all in the wrong. "Anyway, does it matter?"

Beruche considered it for a moment. Then she shrugged and said, "Not to me. My job is done now that we have her. But it might be of some importance to Karaberas and Petz. I'll mention it to them next time I see them."

"See that you do," Rubeus said in a tone meant to reassert his importance. She thought that perhaps he was subtly hinting that Beruche had a tendency to speak to him as if she were his equal as opposed to his subordinate. Beruche thought that he should be grateful she didn't speak to him as if he were her inferior. She had certainly been tempted to do so on numerous occasions.

But again, she valued her life.

Beruche then glanced down at the tiny blue computer she held in her other hand. It was a tool she had seen many times in their battles with Crystal Tokyo, though this was certainly an older model. It looked and felt heavier than she had imagined, and the color was much brighter than it was several centuries into the future. She opened the case, and saw four colored buttons corresponding to the four other Senshi. They were similar to the ones that had been on the pink device they had taken off of Sailor Mars when she had first been brought to them the day before.

"This must be what she uses as a communicator," Beruche surmised. "It's easier to just carry this around as opposed to both."

Rubeus snorted, closing his eyes. "Because that's such a hardship," he said bitterly.

Beruche narrowed her eyes, though she took care not to completely glare at the man. "You know what I mean."

He nodded, though Beruche wasn't fully convinced that he wasn't still taking offense to the comment. Had he been anyone else, she would have called him a fool for reading into her statement that much. Instead, she kept her face blank and voice perfectly civil as she asked, "Are you going to put that same thing on the Little Mouse?"

Rubeus gave her an odd look, realizing a few moments later that she was referring to Mercury. He held out his hand, producing the same collar that was hanging on Mars's pale neck as they spoke. Beruche took it from him without being asked, and Rubeus collected Mercury's tools in turn, sticking them in his pocket to deposit them in a safer place when he had the chance.

Beruche wasted little time in clamping the collar around Mercury's throat. It crackled with energy for a moment, making the girl whimper in her sleep. When it faded, the seam of the collar had disappeared, the material fusing together completely. Now only Rubeus or one of the other Akayashi sisters could remove the binding.

"Put her in with the other one," Rubeus said, pushing himself to his feet.

Beruche looked up at Rubeus, arching an eyebrow. Knowing that she was calling his judgment into question, she took on a more subservient tone. "Are you sure that's wise, Master Rubeus?"

He chuckled and said, "What harm can they do? They don't have access to their powers, and the collars go off any time they do anything I don’t approve of." He reached down and grabbed Ami by the arm, holding her so that she looked disturbingly like a sad little rag doll. He grinned down at Beruche and said, "But if it worries you so much, I'll do it."

Beruche watched as Rubeus waved his hand, opening the door to the cell that had not seemed to exist just seconds before. Rei was just forcing herself to her knees, perhaps contemplating a sudden escape now given this opportunity. Rubeus hardly gave her time to draw another breath. He literally threw Ami at her, giving the girl no choice but the catch the falling form of her friend. She staggered back underneath her weight, landing flat on her back as Rubeus closed the door once more.

Beruche smiled coolly as she straightened, twirling the end of her braid between her fingers as was her habit. "It's nice to know that you treat all of your prisoners with the same amount of humanity, Master Rubeus."

Rubeus stared at her for a moment, puzzled and obviously not comprehending her meaning. Beruche didn't doubt that he would have figured it out eventually, had Rei not interrupted their conversation once more.

"What did you do to her?" Rei demanded loudly, her violet eyes sparkling with rage.

Beruche shrugged at both Rei and Rubeus. "She kept dodging. I had to take her down somehow."

Rei obviously wanted to point out that she still didn't see the point in the attacks at all, but she knew better than to bring it up. She brought up her right hand from where it had been cradling Ami’s head. Even in the poor lighting, Beruche could see that it was wet with blood. "She's wounded. She needs care."

Beruche raised an eyebrow at the damage she had done, but then she remembered when Ami had gone crashing through the fence. It was entirely possible that she had hurt her head on the metal, which could have resulted in either a simple cut or a serious head injury. She frowned, remembering what Rubeus had said about keeping their captives alive until they were given further instructions. So she nodded her head sharply and turned to go, saying, "I'll bandage her for you."

"Why?" Rei demanded, finding no reason to trust any of them.

Beruche looked over her shoulder and said, "It's what I do. I clean up the wounded when they're foolish enough to let themselves get hurt. And besides, I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of dragging her back here if I wanted her dead."

Rei was scowling at her. The expression was powerful enough to hold Beruche behind for a moment. "You're the one who hurt her to begin with. How can I trust you to help her after you did that?"

Beruche shrugged. "I suppose you can't," she said quite honestly. "Though if it makes you feel any better, I'd really rather let her die."

Rei's cheeks colored and she opened her mouth to respond, probably loudly, but Beruche did not remain to hear it. She teleported to the medical area of the ship, where all of the bandages and supplies were kept for such an emergency. She was only slightly surprised to see both Cooan and Karaberas there, the latter changing the former's bandages. Even Beruche, who was used to seeing rather nasty injuries,
looked away suddenly at the sight of one of Cooan's arms.

"You couldn't have ducked?" Beruche asked, not caring that she was being callous at that particular moment.

Cooan sniffled from behind her, though she tried to cover it up by coughing. "Shut up, Beruche."

"Honestly, Cooan, if you want to cry just go ahead and do it," Karaberas scolded. "I might not be sympathetic, but I have less patience for you whimpering than I do for you bawling." The older girl sighed and then must have looked at Beruche's back for the sound of her voice suddenly became louder. "Taking a break from following the suspect, Beruche?"

Beruche smiled, more than a little smug at having caught Sailor Mercury and coming out of it completely unharmed. It was enough to make her turn back around, though she took care not to look below her sisters' chins. "Actually, I'm not taking a break from anything. I'm quite finished."

Cooan's jaw dropped in shock and indignation. "You mean you've captured her? Already?"

Beruche nodded in assent. "Perhaps if you hadn't come back to the base and followed Mars more closely, you would have found her earlier as well."

Cooan's cheeks colored in anger and embarrassment, briefly reminding Beruche of Sailor Mars's reactions to her several minutes earlier. "But you don't even have a mark on you!"

"That's because Beruche's better than you, idiot," Karaberas said cruelly, but always with a smile on her face. Of course, this did nothing to take the edge off her words. That was the point.

"I simply didn't give her the chance to transform," Beruche said, feigning humility when she couldn't have been any prouder of herself.

Karaberas found that bit of information interesting, which was saying something since it was very difficult to make Karaberas be interested in anything other than irritating her older sister. "Oh, really? But you're certain it's her?"

"Very," Beruche said, entirely disinterested in elaborating upon the story. In order to make this perfectly clear, she began to rifle through the medical supplies, gathering up the necessary bandages and ointments for Ami's injury.

Karaberas laughed, her voice loud and shrill enough to briefly exacerbate Beruche's fading headache. "Well, that is wonderful, Beruche. I am very happy that you managed that so quickly."

"Why?" Cooan asked suspiciously, echoing Beruche's thoughts.

"Because Petz is going to be furious," Karaberas confided, absolutely ecstatic at the thought.

"Of course," Beruche said lightly. "Why else would you be so happy?"

"Why is Petz going to be angry?" Cooan asked.

"You mean aside from the obvious reason of her life being a miserable, empty replica of an actual existence?" Karaberas said scathingly.

Cooan snorted at that, though she tried to hide it.

"She is going to be livid because she has been growing ridiculously impatient that she hasn't been sent out to find Sailor Jupiter," Karaberas explained, tying off the end of Cooan's bandage. "She's been stomping around the ship, muttering about it to herself. It's hilarious!"

Beruche tapped her finger on her chin. "Is that why she came and saw me earlier? She was yelling at me for spending too much time following and not enough time taking."

"Probably," Karaberas said. "I don't know if she thinks we can only go one at a time or if she was just venting at you because you're the only one who would put up with it." She reached over to the table next to Cooan and gathered up the dirty, slightly bloody bandages with some degree of distaste. She held them out in front of her and said, "I'm going to go dispose of these disgusting things. Ciao." With that goodbye, she vanished from their sight, leaving Beruche and Cooan alone.

Beruche was just gathering up the last of the materials she was going to need when Cooan stopped her movements with her voice. "Beruche?" she said.

Beruche turned, wondering at the curious, tentative tone Cooan was using. It wasn't one heard often from any of them. "What is it? Did Karaberas make your bindings too tight?"

"No," Cooan said, moving both of her arms to demonstrate her point. "I was just wondering something."

"If you've been using that ointment correctly, you won't scar," Beruche said, sighing and finding that her younger sister was being very tiresome. "If that's all, I have to--"

"That's not what I was going to ask," Cooan insisted, looking insulted.

Beruche raised an eyebrow. "Really. I'm shocked. Would you mind actually asking the question before the turn of the century, Cooan?"

Cooan swallowed, glaring and clearly wanting to get into an argument with Beruche about how their conversation was going. Miraculously, Cooan managed to control her temper in order to ask, "If you had to choose between saving one of us and saving some citizens of Nemesis that you didn't know, what would you do?"

Beruche blinked at her sister several times. "What?"

"I said--"

"No, I heard you. I was just wondering if you were also kicked in the head in addition to those burns," Beruche said, grabbing a few cotton balls as she readied to leave.

Cooan narrowed her eyes more, her fingers twitching at her sides. "Just answer the question, Beruche."

Beruche sighed, shutting her eyes as if she were all too put upon. "Honestly, I don't know why you feel the need to ask me such nonsense. That's the simplest question I have ever been asked."

"Oh?" Cooan said, apparently thinking that the so-called moral dilemma was a difficult one.

Beruche nodded. "I would take care of myself. The rest of you can just save your own lives."

Cooan was surprised by her answer, and she was probably going to try and get into an argument with Beruche about that so that she could vent her frustrations. Unfortunately for her, Beruche was in no mood to deal with anyone else's temper that day. She vanished before her sister could say a single word to her, planning on taking a very long soak in the tub once she was finished correcting her own non-errors.

-----

Makoto had gotten in touch with both Usagi and Minako, and it had been decided by one of them - though they would never be able to remember exactly who made the decision - that they would meet at Makoto's apartment as soon as all of them were able. Makoto was allowed to leave without much comment from any of the teachers or administration. Granted, they didn't often make much fuss over her due to her height and reputation, but she sensed that their silence could be attributed to sympathy as opposed to fear in this particular instance.

She wasn't at all surprised to find Usagi sitting outside of her door when she got to her apartment some twenty minutes later. She was clutching Luna to her chest, her eyes red and her face white. She was still wearing her school uniform from the day before, her bangs hanging in her face as if they wanted a good washing. Makoto had made no comment as she reached her apartment door. She merely bent down and gathered the smaller girl into her arms, neither knowing nor caring if she cried into the embrace. Makoto waited several minutes before helping Usagi to her feet and leading her inside the apartment. Then they sat on the couch in complete silence and waited for the last members of their group to arrive.

It was another fifteen minutes before they heard the knock at the door. Makoto was not eager to get up and leave Usagi even for a moment, so she called out to the person she knew was on the other side of the door. "Door's open!"

There was a slight hesitation before the apartment door opened. Artemis came in first, his head and whiskers dragging near the ground. Minako followed soon after, her jaw clenched painfully and her eyes focused on the floor. She shut the door behind her, but she didn't move further into the living room. Instead, she remained leaning against the wood while Usagi and Makoto remained stationary on the couch.

Makoto couldn't help but note how clearly the boundaries had been drawn.

The five of them stayed silent for a few moments more. Surprisingly, when the quiet was shattered, Usagi was the one to do it. Makoto and Minako both jumped a bit at the sound of her voice, as if they hadn't heard it in decades.

"Was it the same people?" she asked, her voice sounding hoarse. "The same ones who took Rei?"

Makoto nodded somberly. "She had the same mark on her forehead."

"What could they possibly want?" Artemis asked, briefly extending his claws.

Luna looked over at him and nearly sounded chiding in her response. "I'd say that's fairly obvious. They want the girls."

"But why?" Artemis pressed, elaborating on his point. "What could they possibly gain from kidnapping them?"

"Could they use our power for something?" Makoto asked, interjecting before anyone could continue on that road. She knew (and she was sure that Minako and Luna knew as well) that Artemis was asking why they hadn't just been killed. For whatever reason,
they were worth more dead than alive, and they needed to figure out why as soon as possible.

Maybe Usagi knew that too, but Makoto didn't think that she needed to hear it said aloud.

Luna shook her head sadly. "I honestly have no idea."

"The woman who took Mars said something about revenge," Minako said quietly.

Artemis nodded. "That's why Ami thought that they were connected with the Silver Millennium."

"But they aren't," Luna reiterated, her ears twitching in anticipation of anyone else theorizing about it.

"Could they just need Mercury and Mars for something?" Minako asked, her hand still gripping the doorknob. "I can't think of what, but..." she trailed off, finding that her theory was ineffectual given what it was missing.

"That woman also said that they would be back for Usagi," Makoto reminded them, once again tightening her grip on the girl next to her. She was no longer sure if it was to comfort Usagi or reassure herself that she was still there.

Minako nodded, remembering. "I thought it was an idle threat. They always say that."

"They didn't come after me," Usagi said quietly. "They went after Ami." As soon as she was finished with that sentence, she began to pull her lower lip into her mouth, a sure sign that she was trying not to cry.

Makoto's face fell in a rush of empathy. "Oh, Usagi," she whispered, uncertain of what else there was to say.

"I should have been there," Usagi said quietly, resting her forehead on her knuckles. "I knew that I should have just gotten out of bed, but I just... didn't."

"There's nothing you would have been able to do," Makoto soothed, rubbing Usagi's back and giving her shoulders an extra squeeze. "You and Minako could have both been there, and she still would have been taken."

"Why?" Minako asked, not quite making eye contact.

Makoto sighed, shutting her eyes tiredly. "I wasn't with Ami when it happened. She was by herself on the roof, and... She didn't even have time to transform. I don't think there was anything we would have been able to do."

Minako blinked, straightening a bit. "Why weren't you with her?"

Makoto opened her mouth to answer the question honestly, finding that there was no reason to mask the truth or take offense. It was a fair inquiry, one that Luna and Artemis clearly had as well, and she thought nothing of it. Unfortunately, Usagi had read more into Minako's fidgeting and tone that Makoto thought was fair, so she did not have the chance to speak.

"It isn't her fault," Usagi told Minako, her voice cracking.

Minako blanched a bit. Makoto saw her knuckles start to go pale as her hold on the doorknob increased. "I didn't say it was."

"You blame her for what happened, don't you?" Usagi accused, the volume of her voice rising.

Now Minako started to get angry. "I never accused anyone of anything!"

Usagi didn't seem to find this a sufficient answer. "But that's what you think, isn't it? That it was Makoto's fault."

Minako trembled a bit and leaned forward without actually taking a whole step towards Usagi. "I don't think anyone did anyone wrong! I just think that Ami got kidnapped and now we have to get her back! That's all I care about. I don't want to assign blame or get angry at anyone. I just want Ami and Rei back with us."

"Then why did you ask where she was?" Usagi demanded.

"It was just a question!" Minako insisted.

"You don't just say things, Minako," Usagi said, and everyone there knew that she was no longer completely talking about what had transpired in the apartment. "You always have a reason, and I'm not sure they're always good ones."

Minako pushed her lips together so that they looked almost white under her fading lip gloss. Makoto saw the blonde's gaze drop to the floor while her eyelashes fluttered frantically, obviously upset. Then Minako turned around, stepping back into her shoes and picking up her school bag. "If all we're going to do is argue, I don't see much of a reason in staying."

Artemis and Luna, who had been staying out of the spat in the hope that it would resolve itself, now found that they had to step in. Both of them bounded over to Minako, getting under her feet and keeping her from pulling open the door or moving very much at all.

"Minako, hold on a minute," Artemis said gently, deciding that now was probably not the best time to raise his voice to his charge.

Minako opened her mouth to protest, but for once it seemed she was willing to listen to him. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to attempt to calm down. After a moment, she nodded, but she neither moved nor let go of the doorknob.

Luna shook her head and said, "Listen, I know that... there are some issues between you girls, and I'm not going to insist that everyone make up right away. Forcing you to resolve your problems before you're ready would do more harm than good."

"That being said," Artemis continued, taking care to make sure that Minako was paying particular attention. "You are going to have to work together and figure out a way to do so without getting into any fights. I think it's become fairly obvious that we haven't seen the last of these... Black Moon people."

Makoto almost asked how he knew what they were called, but then she realized that he was just calling them that for the sake of naming them something. If they had a name, they might seem more real to the girls and that might alleviate some of their denial.

"They're picking us off one at a time," Luna added, stressing each syllable so that she was certain that she was understood. "If you're going to save yourselves and get Ami and Rei back, you're going to have to stay together as much as possible. We can't afford to be at each other's throats right now."

"You already have enemies," Artemis concluded. "Don't make enemies of each other as well."

Makoto could tell that Minako was considering this for a moment and that she began to come around to that idea by allowing her shoulders to sag. She looked at the pair on the couch, silently asking them if they would agree to such a thing. Makoto turned to Usagi, deciding that it was best to follow her lead given what had happened.

Usagi did not say or do anything.

Minako waited for what felt like a small equivalent of eternity. While it was probably only a few minutes, the lack of response went on for long enough to make Usagi's answer clear. Minako nodded sharply and pulled the door open, sending the two cats scattering away in order to avoid being hit.

"Fine," she said, sounding as if she was having a hard time speaking. "Whatever. You two do as you please."

Artemis moved forward, this time raising his voice if only to be heard. "Minako, don't."

"Forget it," she snapped, shaking her head. "I took care of myself in London... I can do it again."

That said, Minako crossed the threshold, slamming the door behind her.

-----

The news about Mizuno Ami's abduction broke almost as quickly as Rei's did. Only this time, Mamoru had not been watching television when he heard of the news. Motoki had gotten wind of it first and called his friend in the hospital. Without quite knowing why, Mamoru had asked Motoki to come over as soon as he was able. Motoki waited until after he was finished with his afternoon classes, but he showed up as soon as he possibly could.

Motoki appeared at his doorway, presenting himself in a way that might have been funny if he had put any real effort into it. "Here as requested, your majesty."

Mamoru decided not to even bother to pretend that Motoki's entrance had been amusing. "Sorry if I--"

"Do not go there," Motoki insisted, almost glaring at Mamoru. He stepped into the room, shrugging off his coat and setting down his book bag on the floor. "If you want to see me, then just say you want to see me. So don't worry about it."

The corner of Mamoru's mouth eased up as if to smile, but it wasn't as convincing as he would have liked. He dragged a hand through his already unkempt hair and heaved a frustrated sigh. "I still can't believe it. Both of them. Both of them are gone."

Motoki nodded gravely, pulling a chair up to Mamoru's bedside. "I was staring at the display window of an electronics store for ten minutes before I called you. That's how I heard about it."

"It's ridiculous," Mamoru proclaimed, laughing mirthlessly at the absurdity of the situation. "Kidnappings are rare around here to begin with. But two supernatural kidnappings taking place just days apart involving very close friends?" He shook his head, throwing up a hand. "Ridiculous!"

"I can't imagine how the other girls are taking this," Motoki muttered softly, his brow furrowed in worry. "Usagi must be worried sick. They all must be."

Mamoru frowned, thinking back to how Usagi had behaved with him just hours before the incident with Rei had occurred. She had already seemed upset about something, though he still didn't know what. He wasn't normally a sympathetic person, but he couldn't help but feel that it wasn't fair that so much was getting thrown at her at once.

"They're stronger than they look," Mamoru said, wondering what exactly was making him say that. "They can handle it."

Motoki looked at Mamoru for a moment, his confusion evident on his face, but he said nothing about it. He merely shut his eyes and said, "Even so. I hope they're all right."

"They will be," Mamoru whispered.

Motoki opened his eyes, not having heard. "What was that?"

Mamoru looked at him for a moment, his eyes wide as if surprised that Motoki had asked. He shook his head and said, "Forget it. Just mumbling."

Motoki raised an eyebrow. "I thought your head injuries were minimal," he joked lamely.

"Misdiagnosis I guess," Mamoru said with a shrug.

Motoki chuckled, but Mamoru was still certain that he wasn't the only one who was deeply troubled by what was going on. The pair's conversation trailed off for a few minutes, but eventually Motoki seemed to decide that he needed to say his piece.

"I'm worried."

Mamoru looked up, blinking a few times. "About what?"

Motoki glanced away and scratched the back of his head, a sure sign that he was embarrassed about something. "That this has something to do with... what happened to you."

"Oh," Mamoru answered, his heart skipping a beat. He hadn't considered that possibility before, but now that Motoki brought it up, it seemed terribly obvious. What if someone (or something) had decided to exact revenge on those who had been involved in the destruction of the tree? Or what if the six of them had seen something they weren't meant to see? What if it was necessary that they be removed? What if he was in danger again?

"Shit," Mamoru muttered, letting his head fall back onto his pillow.

Motoki winced, regretting his words. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, I'm glad you did," Mamoru admitted, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "And may I just add, for the record, shit."

"Well, don't panic," Motoki said hastily. "That probably isn't even it."

"I sure as hell hope not," Mamoru said, trying very hard not to sound like he was panicking since Motoki had told him not to. "I am in no mood and no condition to deal with any more monsters or whatever else is out there right now. Or ever for that matter."

Motoki smiled ruefully. "I don't think you can resign your position from the pool of potential victims."

Mamoru looked up at his friend, scowling. "Do I look like I'm in the mood for jokes?"

"When are you ever?" Motoki answered, unable to help himself. He was clearly terrified by his own thoughts, and fear always made him desperate for levity. It was why he made fun of horror movies. When he saw that Mamoru was getting even more upset, he quickly backed off, holding up both of his hands. "Stopping. I promise." He took a breath and continued, "But really, I think I'm just worrying about nothing because... well, I do it so often."

Mamoru snorted, finding that this was quite the understatement.

Motoki ignored him. "I was talking about it with Saori, and she said that I was being an idiot. She made the point that if this did have something to do with what happened to you, they probably would have kidnapped you first."

Mamoru glanced down at his current state. He was still hooked up to several machines, and while he was starting to be able to see the actual color of his flesh again, the majority of his body was still black from bruises and white from bandages. He raised both of his eyebrows and said, "Here, you have a point."

Motoki smiled sheepishly. "I probably should have led off with that, right?"

"Well, thanks to you, I think I'm going to die three years earlier than I was supposed to," Mamoru grumbled. "But you know. It happens."

"Sorry," Motoki added, a little unnecessarily.

Mamoru nodded, thinking that perhaps he ought to reassure Motoki and tell him that the matter was closed and all but forgotten, but his mind had moved on to other things: the mention of his vulnerability and the ease with which he could have been taken had that been the enemy's intent (and how silly it was to call them "the enemy" as if they were his personal adversary). It conjured up the still fresh memory of his late night visitor. He had chosen not to think about it up until that moment, finding that there were far too many other things that were upsetting him to process it. But now he was beginning to and, finding that he had a confidante in Motoki, he decided to do it aloud.

"Could I tell you something?" Mamoru asked, hoping that Motoki didn't think it was idiotic of him to ask that.

Motoki might have blinked but only instinctually. "Of course."

Lines creased Mamoru's head as he concentrated on the events of the previous night. Not that it was particularly difficult to think about, but there were times when he was certain that it had been nothing more than a dream. But her voice was too vivid, her anger too palpable, and she had left the window open.

"Someone was in here last night," Mamoru began with uncertainty, and he decided that this was what it felt like to try and answer a teacher's question when you hadn't cracked the book yet.

Motoki raised an eyebrow, not comprehending. "Oh?"

"Someone who wasn't supposed to be here," Mamoru clarified, glancing up at Motoki's face to see his reaction.

Predictably, the worry that had been assuaged came flooding back with enough strength to force Motoki to his feet. Even though he was of average height, he towered over Mamoru for the moment, his face like chalk dust. "Someone-- who-- Crap, Mamoru, why didn't you call me? Are you all right? Did they try to--"

Anticipating the rest of the question, Mamoru decided it was best to answer him before he actually managed to finish his sentence. "No. She didn't touch me."

Motoki's lips twitched. He probably would have made a joke if the subject hadn't been so serious. Mamoru almost wished that he would anyway. For whatever reason, the unspoken comment meant that reality was starting to set back in. Motoki retook his seat. "Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"

Mamoru nodded with certainty in spite of his earlier doubts. "Very."

Motoki sighed, closing his eyes as if he was much put upon, though Mamoru never got the idea that he shouldn't stop speaking. Motoki inhaled again and said, "What happened?"

The story was a short one when properly told, but Mamoru found himself expounding on how the visitation had made him feel. He described in a kind of clumsy, poetic detail about how afraid he had been even though the person had made no outward threat. How idiotic he was certain he had been doing nothing but asking her questions and receiving no clear answers. He even touched about his confusion and frustration at her implication that he had forgotten something - something important - and how he couldn't even begin to think of what that could have been.

The only things he didn't tell Motoki was the last thing she had said and how similar this meeting had been to another, feeling that these were on a level of privacy that should not be breeched.

When he was finished, Motoki seemed quite sure that were he a doctor, he would now call in for a psych consult. But in addition to that, he seemed predominately sad. It took Mamoru a moment to figure out why that was.

"Mamoru, I think I know what this is actually about," Motoki said softly. "And I'm going to ask you again... Are you all right?"

It was then that Mamoru understood. He recognized the careful, pitying tone and the downward slop of his eyes. It was the same reaction he had received from the doctor who told him that his parents were dead and all the other people who knew that detail of his life from that moment forward. Motoki thought that the dream was some strange manifestation of his guilt over the amnesia he had received from the car accident. They had spoken about it before. Motoki no doubt assumed that his stay in the hospital had conjured it up, and he found that just as worrying as some stranger coming into Mamoru's room.

Mamoru swallowed, a small twinge of sorrow rising up. "You're right," he croaked. "It was probably a dream."

Motoki nodded, letting a moment pass between them. Then he reached forward and laid a hand on Mamoru's shoulder, squeezing. It made Mamoru tense, but Motoki didn't move or flinch. He knew that his brooding friend was not used to being touched.

They spent the rest of the visit in silence, holding that pose with ease. Their thoughts, however, were not blessed as much, and they could not help but think of missing girls, lost memories, and ominous strangers.

-----

It had been several hours since the disastrous meeting between the Senshi, and Luna still had not settled down. She was annoyed with all of the girls for not realizing how important it was for all of them to stick together. It seemed terribly obvious to her. Both Ami and Rei had been alone when they were taken. The solution to preventing another kidnapping was not learning how to run faster when danger announced itself - it was to never be apart if they could help it.

But Usagi would have none if it. And since Makoto was holding her tongue for reasons Luna could not even begin to fathom, Minako was left out in the cold. That left all three of them vulnerable in addition to leaving both felines quite vexed.

Artemis had agreed to try and convince Minako to keep herself aligned with Usagi and Makoto in spite of their differences, but he hadn't had high hopes. When he had finally heard what happened, he hadn't been at all pleased with Usagi's handling of the situation. Truth be told, neither was Luna. But she was in no hurry to tell the truth about that.

Luna had already come to the conclusion that Makoto would do just about anything Usagi said to, which placed the girl in a position she must have loathed. Luna would have liked to convince her to try and get Usagi to see reason, but the cat had decided that it might be more beneficial if she face Usagi on the issue by herself. If Makoto had stood with her on the issue, Usagi might take it as a personal attack, which would naturally be counter-productive. Luna was just going to have to hope that she could make Usagi see reason on her own. She had done it before.

"I don't want to talk about it." That was Usagi's response to even hinting about the incident along with pulling the covers up over her head.

Clearly, it was going to be even harder than Luna anticipated.

"Usagi," Luna began, hopping up onto Usagi's bed, fully prepared to do whatever it took to get the girl to see reason. "I realize that you don't want to talk about it. Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that I am going to discuss this with you whether you like it or not." She paused, hoping that Usagi would respond. When she remained silent, Luna didn't fret. She had plenty of strategies. "You can't treat Minako as poorly as you did and expect me not to say anything."

It worked better than Luna could have hoped. Usagi threw the covers off her head and sat up, her fingers bunching up her comforter. "She was accusing Makoto--"

"She was not," Luna interrupted, twitching her whiskers. "I was about to ask the same question, and I'm sure Artemis would say the same."

Usagi didn't seem to think that that meant very much. "Artemis would say or do anything for Minako's sake."

Luna's hair bristled at the implication. "Usagi, that's what I'm talking about. You can't talk like that just because you're not having the easiest time."

"Don't act like it isn't true!" Usagi snapped. "He'd do anything for her sake."

"Well, of course he would, Usagi. He's been with her since the beginning for heaven's sake. And don't pass judgment on him for doing the same thing that I would do for you."

That seemed to sober Usagi, though she was by no means content because of it. All it really did was draw the conversation away from Artemis and back to Minako - the only person Usagi was really angry with. "I just don't think it was her place to insinuate that it was Makoto's fault."

Luna was tempted to repeat that she was certain that wasn't Minako's intention, but she realized now that it was senseless to try to convince Usagi of that. So she took a deep breath and switched tactics once again. "Somehow, I don't that your feelings towards Minako have anything to do with Makoto."

Usagi was clearly surprised, but she attempted to cover it up. She wasn't very good at it. "I don't know what you're--"

"Minako finally told Artemis what happened, Usagi," Luna interrupted calmly. "And Artemis told me."

Luna decided to let that information process through Usagi's mind for the moment. She watched as it registered with Usagi and as the girl allowed the full extent of her feelings to come to the surface. It didn't take very long. Her face flushed a light shade of pink, though it was definitely not out of embarrassment, and she slapped her mattress. "She didn't have the right to say that about Mamoru and me!"

Luna had been certain of that the entire time, but that didn't change the fact that she winced once she heard it spoken aloud. She did not approve of Usagi taking that attitude. She couldn't believe that Usagi was being so flippant about her relationship with Minako over a man, Endymion reincarnate or not. If she had hands, she was certain she would shake her. But she was limited, so she could only hope to do it verbally.

"Usagi, I still find it hard to believe that you of all people would do that," Luna said harshly. "After everything Minako has done for you, after everything she's sacrificed--"

"And what about what I sacrificed?" Usagi demanded. "I gave up my life too. I've given up friends, I've given up time, I've given up my life, and all I ask for in return is a little happiness. But I can't have that, and she doesn't seem to care."

"She does care, Usagi," Luna countered. "She wants you to be happy. The problem seems to be that her idea of your happiness is different from your own."

Usagi nodded sharply. "And what gives her the right to decide that?"

"She has no right," Luna conceded. "But she can certainly have an opinion."

A vein on Usagi's forehead became more pronounced. "But she can't think that! She can't think that after everything we've gone through together, that Mamoru and I aren't--"

"Usagi, she was never even going to tell you," Luna reminded her. "She was telling Makoto about it. You happened to overhear."

"That doesn't mean that it doesn't affect me," Usagi insisted.

"No, but it does mean that you shouldn't think of it like Minako is somehow trying to sabotage you."

Usagi shook her head, biting her lip. "I just don't understand it. Minako of all people should be supportive of me. I don't understand why she can't see that we love each other and that we're meant to be together."

"What does her opinion matter?" Luna asked. "If that is true and it all works out for the best, it doesn't matter what anyone thought."

"But she shouldn't think that!" Usagi maintained.

Luna was becoming more and more convinced that the conversation was going in circles, and that left her with little choice except to get right to the point. Luna sighed and said, "Look, if you and the other girls want to continue your feud, fine. I don't care if you do nothing but argue with one another. But I don't want you to isolate yourselves."

Usagi shook her head before Luna had even come to her point. "I want nothing to do with her. I don't even want to be around her, I can't--"

"Get over it, Usagi!" Luna snapped, practically shouting. "You can't do this!"

"Yes, I can!" Usagi countered, looking every bit like the entitled princess she had once been.

"And what would you do if Minako were kidnapped?" Luna asked, completely fed up with her now. "If you and Makoto abandon her, she's vulnerable, and you might lose her!"

Luna expected this to be the turning point in the conversation. She expected Usagi to realize how ridiculous she had been all along. She and Minako might not make up immediately, but at least they would be near each other and able to be of help should anything go wrong. And it was a step in the right direction towards being reunited, and if they could take that first step, Luna could rest easy that everything would be all right.

But that was not what happened.

Usagi waited a moment, her features becoming grave. She didn't seem to go through any major thought process before she voiced her decision. In fact, Luna was nearly certain that she had not thought about it at all. It would make what she said easier for her to handle.

"I wouldn't care."

Luna had stared, disbelieving, as it seemed her entire world came shattering down. Then, before anything more could be said, Luna jumped out of the window and into the night. She didn't hear Usagi call after her, so she could only assume that she had done no such thing.

Luna jogged away from the Tsukino household. She was on her way to Minako's before she was aware of it to tell him what Usagi had said. Minako, of course, would not have to hear about it.

The truly sad thing about the situation was that Usagi refused to acknowledge the reason why she was being so cruel towards Minako. It wasn't that she didn't think Minako had any right to her opinion. No, it was far from that.

It was just that she was terrified that Minako was right.

-----

Petz, in a word, was pissed.

"This is ridiculous," she snapped at her superior, her gloved fists curled in a physical expression of how very hard she was trying to contain herself. Up to this point, Petz was certain that she had shown admirable restraint. Naturally, Rubeus probably did not agree. "You found Sailor Mercury much faster than this."

Rubeus rubbed his temple as if he had a headache. She found it patronizing, which of course only made her that much more annoyed. "Petz, I've told you. She was an easy catch. There are not that many girls in Tokyo with enough intelligence to have actually been Sailor Mercury. In fact, Mizuno Ami has only one female intellectual equivalent, and she was ruled out seeing as..." he trailed off, trying to find the best way to explain it. Finally he smirked, chuckling to himself. "Let's just say she has questionable morals."

Petz folded her arms across her chest, positioning herself so that she would not be tempted to kick him and find herself executed for treason. "And Sailor Jupiter has no distinguishing characteristics?"

"Aside from being freakishly tall?" Rubeus drawled. "No."

"That should be enough," Petz snapped.

Any amusement Rubeus had given himself vanished in an instant. Lines formed around his cruel mouth, and his eyes took on a quality entirely too close to fire for any sane man's liking. "It isn't," he said with finality, hoping that would be the end of it.

Of course, Petz was never someone who could pick up on such subtleties when she was in a temper. In her mind, Rubeus looked no different than when they had started this conversation, and she had been given no indication that she should leave. If she had seen that, she would have left, but she was quite literally blinded by rage. She would not be silent until she was good and ready.

She leaned forward, her gaze challenging his own but never actually rivaling it, and said, "I want my prey."

Rubeus was about to respond in a manner that might not necessarily have been verbal. Unfortunately, he caught sight of the same thing Petz saw – a flash of light off to their right. She turned, already infuriated with the interruption of one of her sisters or another member of the Black Moon Clan. But she felt like spitting bullets when she saw it was Karaberas.

"Reporting as promised, Master Rubeus," Karaberas said, her eyes lighting up in malicious glee when she saw her older sister glaring at her.

Petz heard Rubeus sigh, though she was too preoccupied to note how weary he sounded or the way his face drooped. She didn’t know it, but that was always how he looked when he was alone in the same room as Karaberas and Petz. She had never seen it. She was always far too busy glaring at her sister. "Can I assume from your perkiness that you have located Sailor Venus?"

For a moment, Petz's heart stopped. Surely she could not have heard that right. She must have been going deaf or going mad or going dead, but there was no way in holy hell that Rubeus had actually said that and there was no way that it was true.

"Afraid not," Karaberas said, practically giggling. "Another lead gone cold it seems."

Petz's jaw cracked. She briefly wondered if Karaberas’s head would make a similar noise should she decide to rip it off. "Another lead?"

"Yes," Karaberas said in a lilting tone that was a bit too loud. "Master Rubeus has had me following... Oh, let me see. I think it's four girls now to see if they are Sailor Venus."

"Four!" Petz shouted, the pitch of her voice climbing an octave. The idea that Karaberas had been out hunting while Petz had been sitting about doing absolutely nothing but rage was past the point of upsetting. She whirled on Rubeus, quite certain that her eyes must have been like green fire springing from her sockets. Naturally, Rubeus didn’t even blink at her, though she liked to tell herself that he merely didn’t show his discomfort. "Is this true?"

Rubeus just shrugged at her. "Gymnasts."

Petz did not bother to respond to him. She was quite through in being angry with him, and she was more than happy to move on to her usual target. She turned and scowled at Karaberas. Her younger sister sauntered up to Petz and said, "Why do you seem so surprised, Petz? Hasn't Rubeus had you following around brunettes with anger issues all day?" She waited a moment before gasping, pretending to clutch at pearls she would never have. "He hasn't! Oh, you don't mean to say that he doesn't have any leads, do you?"

Petz didn’t know how to answer that. She knew that by remaining silent, she would give her answer away as clearly as she would have if she shouted it. Unfortunately, she couldn’t very well lie with Rubeus standing several feet away from them. He would either correct her now or later, but there was certainly no disguising the truth from Karaberas. Besides, she had known the answer before she’d ever arrived. There was simply nothing that Petz could do.

"Oh, isn’t that just awful," Karaberas said, her voice dripping with exaggerated sympathy. She reached forward and dared to pat Petz on the shoulder. She moved away quickly before Petz could exact any physical punishment. "Well, have fun doing nothing then, darling." Karaberas grinned, her teeth flashing as she moved. "Love to stay and chat, but there's just so much that I have to do. Bye now."

And with that she was gone.

Petz remained looking at the place where she had stood for a moment. It took her several seconds to realize that it had not been a terrible nightmare, and another few moments to clue into the fact that Karaberas had left. Petz was not the sort of person to suffer in silence, and that meant that someone was going to hear about her fury whether they liked it or not, and she was in no mood to go seek Beruche or Cooan out.

So if Rubeus wanted a migraine, Petz was going to give him the worst one any man had ever had to endure.

-----

It had been a long night for Makoto, and she was certain that it was going to be a long day as well. That was how it always seemed in the past when she had been subjected to an unfortunate case of insomnia. Still, she could remember feeling this awful only once before in her short life.

The aftermath of loss, Makoto decided, was the worst thing a person could experience. She had been too young to realize it when she lost her parents, but Makoto now knew that recovering from their death had been far worse than finding out about it in the first place.

Makoto sighed, not bothering to hide the depths behind the gesture for once. She had nothing to hide from passers by. Surely they all knew by now what she had witnessed, and they wouldn't so much as blink.

That was the one and only bright side in the situation, and she was sickened to think of it that way.

"Good morning," a familiar voice said quietly from off to her right.

Makoto blinked several times before turning to look at the blonde wearing a different uniform than the other girls who went to her school. She straightened, out of a kind of defensive surprise, remembering the confrontation the day before. Her voice was quiet when she answered. "Minako."

Only then did the other girl look up, her light eyes darker than Makoto remembered seeing them before. They were also rimmed with red, giving Makoto no room for interpretation as to how her night had been spent. "Did you sleep?"

Makoto swallowed, her eyes failing to make constant contact with her friend's. "No."

Minako nodded. "Good," she said.

"Good?" Makoto repeated, surprised. Her eyes narrowed, her temper starting to lash out even though she knew it would have been better to keep herself in check. "What do you mean--"

"Forgive me," Minako interrupted smoothly. "I'm bitter."

Makoto suspected she knew what this was about, but that did nothing to change her reaction. "Why?"

Minako inhaled, her shoulders rising up so that they were on level with her chin. She shut her eyes, emphasizing just how swollen they were, and said, "Why didn't you stand up for me yesterday?"

Makoto clenched her jaw, her suspicions confirmed. This would have been the perfect time to meet Minako's eyes and not waver, but she still couldn't bring herself to do it. "Are we really going to discuss this now?"

"When else?" Minako asked. "I know it might not be appropriate. I know Usagi's more fragile than ever and that Rei and Ami are gone." Her voice broke on the last syllable, and she had to take a moment to regain her composure. "But I have to ask you now because if I don't, I'll never work up the nerve again. Why didn't you stand up for me?"

Makoto started to chew on the inside of her lip. "Because I thought you were wrong."

"Wrong about what?" Minako asked. "About Usagi and Mamoru? Is that why you let her say all of those things?"

"Yes," Makoto said, struggling to keep her voice hardened.

Minako shook her head. "That isn't like you. Even if you thought I was being an idiot, you still wouldn't have let one friend attack another. It was out of character, and you know it. So tell me why you did it."

Makoto took a deep breath, willing herself not to get angry. It would do no good to have a public argument with Minako, especially not when there were certain subjects that could not be discussed in mixed company. "Usagi needs someone by her side right now," Makoto explained as calmly as she could. "She might have Luna, but a cat can't give you a hug when you need it. So I have to stay on her good side. If she pushes me away, she'd be all alone. There's no telling what she might do then."

Minako nodded sharply, as if conceding that point, but Makoto knew better than to think the subject was dropped. Minako took a step forward, closing the small gap between them so that they were nearly nose to nose. It gave them an unbendable privacy even as they were surrounded by other students on their way to school who seemed too busy discussing them to give them a second glance.

"You just don't want to damage her," Minako accused, as if this were a bad thing.

Makoto shifted her weight in an attempt to remind Minako of her superior height. The other girl either failed to notice or failed to let it affect her. "So what?"

"You can't treat her like glass," Minako said, exasperated. "That's why she ran away from us in the first place. That's why Serenity left the palace and met Endymion. That's why we all died."

"And you would hate it if she found reason to go Mamoru, wouldn't you?" Makoto said. "Just because you think he doesn't love her."

Minako's cheeks flushed. "Why do you assume I'm wrong?"

"Why don't you?" Makoto countered. "Nothing is absolute."

"That may be so, but that doesn't mean that I ignore my instincts altogether," Minako insisted. "I am afraid for her."

"So am I," Makoto reminded her. "That's why I'm so careful in the first place."

Minako stopped suddenly, and her veneer so full of righteous indignation slipped away like rain off of a windshield. It was enough to make Makoto take a step back, nearly backing into an upperclassman. She stared at Minako, amazed at how the blonde could continue to shock her, and listened as she said, "And people can't be careful around me?"

Makoto closed her eyes, unwilling to watch another friend break. "Minako, don't."

"I'm not saying that I'm jealous," Minako continued. "And I'm not saying that Usagi doesn't deserve the attention. She does, and if she would let me give it to her, I would... But why do you have to treat one friend better than another? Why can't we both be comforted?"

Makoto thought about her friend's words for a moment, trying to figure out how to best respond to that. It came to her far more quickly than she thought it would, forming in her mind and her mouth as if it were a rote speech she had been practicing for decades. It was then and only then that Makoto was able to meet Minako's eyes without fear or uncertainty.

"Because no one is comforting me either."

Minako blinked and covered her mouth with her hand, finally realizing her error. She was able to see the pain in Makoto's eyes so clearly that it made hers multiply as well. She was full of apologies and sympathy in response, reaching forward to lay an arm on Makoto's shoulder.

But Usagi arrived in a daze, completely unaware of anyone's presence unless they made physical contact with her. So Makoto went to give Usagi a shoulder rather than take one for herself. She led the smaller girl into the schoolyard, only looking over her shoulder just before she walked in the door. She caught nothing but a flash of gold as Minako sped away from the scene, but Makoto did not have to guess at how she must have been feeling.

Abandoned.

And Makoto had been the one to do it.

"Are you coming?" Usagi asked softly, sounding very much like a lost lamb separated from the flock.

"Yes," Makoto said without hesitation.

-----

"That bitch," Rei muttered under her breath, leaving no room for argument.

Rei wasn't normally a person who threw about such terms lightly, but in this case, she didn't see the situation as being light at all. In fact, she saw it as being very grave indeed.

Ami winced, and while Rei would have liked to think it was out of some sense of propriety about her language, she knew that it was wishful thinking.

"I can't believe she did this to you," Rei said, smoothing Ami's hair away from her forehead. "She didn't even give you a chance to transform. She--"

"I had a chance," Ami murmured, her eyelashes fanned against her frighteningly pale cheek. "I didn't take it. I was--"

Rei shook her head, interrupting, "She attacked you out in the open. Of course you weren't going to transform."

Ami smiled wryly, saying, "That might have been the point, Rei."

Rei glared and fidgeted, embarrassed that Ami wasn't feeling indignant right along with her. "It doesn't make it right. She knew who you were, and she probably knew that you wouldn't recover as quickly if you were hit when you weren't transformed. It's... It's dishonorable. And wrong." Rei paused, trying to find the right word to properly express it. She decided that it was best to stick with simple terms. "And she's still a bitch."

Ami sighed, making the deep creases in her forehead become even more pronounced. "Whatever you say, Rei."

Rei looked down at her friend, noting all of the physical signs of pain and burning it into her memory. She wanted to have a picture of Ami's state in her mind. That way, once she had managed to fight her way out of the cell and rend the collar from her neck, she would be able to continue fighting her captors no matter how tired she became. The memory of how much Ami's whole body ached and how bravely she had faced the ordeal in order to try and spare Rei would be enough to keep her going. It was more than enough.

"How much does it hurt?" Rei asked gently, though anyone would have been able to note the rough edge in her voice.

Ami pondered the question for a moment. "I can manage," she said, her chest rising and falling a bit faster than Rei thought was normal.

Rei closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I should be able to do more."

"You're doing all you can," Ami soothed, and Rei was furious that Ami was sweet enough to comfort her when she was the one in pain.

"I can't do much," Rei said irritably. "I'm... helpless."

"We're captured," Ami reminded her. "That's how we're meant to be."

Rei sighed, wrapping her arms around her legs as she drew her knees up to her chest. "I though we were supposed to be coming up with a brilliant plan of escape that would leave our enemies baffled for as long as they lived."

Ami shrugged as best as she could while she was lying on the floor. "Perhaps that's on tomorrow's agenda."

Rei chuckled sadly, laying her cheek on her kneecaps. The pair fell into silence for a moment, though it wouldn't last very long as Rei always grew nervous when Ami was quiet for too long. She kept her eye on her wounded companion, looking for any other injuries that had been overlooked.

What she saw was a blue ring around her wrist.

"What's this?" Rei asked, moving forward to get a better look at it. She had assumed it was a bruise at first, but then she saw that it wasn't an injury at all. It was a wristwatch with a very familiar symbol on it.

For the first time in several hours, Ami opened her eyes to see what Rei was talking about. She blinked three times in succession and sat up with some difficulty. She stared at the watch in shock, shaking her head. "I can't believe they left it... I can't believe I didn't know they left it."

"You do have a nasty head wound," Rei pointed out, glancing up at the bandages that wound Ami's brow. "What is that?"

"A communicator," Ami said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Rei's eyes went impossibly wide. "What?"

"Luna and Artemis made new ones," Ami explained. "They finished them right after you..." she trailed off as if Rei's abduction were some social disease that should not be discussed in public.

Rei took Ami's arm in her excitement, examining the communicator. "I never would have known it was anything but a watch unless you told me. But why did they leave it?"

Ami thought about it for a second before answering. "It must have been because you didn't have one," she surmised. "They were only looking for things similar to what you had been found with. They took my henshin stick and my computer, which looked a bit like the old communicators. They must have assumed that it served a dual purpose."

Rei was beginning to get excited. "Do you think that maybe we could reach the others?"

Ami looked up at her, her cheeks beginning to turn pink with life. "It's possible. We don't know where we are, but there's a chance we might be able to reach them."

"Could they find us?" Rei asked, knowing that the best shot of doing that would have been to use Ami's computer, which of course was no longer available to their friends.

"I don't know," Ami confessed. "But it's possible that Artemis or Luna might be able to come up with something."

Rei reached forward and undid the clasp with shaking hands, her heart threatening to leap out of her chest. She finally managed it and held the blue plastic in her hand as if it were the most sacred artifact any man had ever died for. "Whatever the case, it's our only hope."

-----

After venting her frustrations about Karaberas to Rubeus for as long as he allowed and then dreaming about kicking Karaberas in all kinds of ways and places, Petz felt no better. This left her with no other choice than to track down one of her other sisters and make them feel as miserable as she did. Lucky for her, she found both of them at the same time. It almost made her feel better.

"Can you believe the nerve of that woman?" Petz asked them, pounding her fist against Karaberas's looking glass, hoping it would break. It didn't, and it was hard to resist the temptation to try again.

Beruche sighed like a mother quite sick of listening to her four-year-old ramble about the unfairness of being denied a puppy. "Petz, that's just her way. You know that she wouldn't bother you as much if you didn't get so riled."

Petz shook her head, knowing that Beruche would never understand her predicament. "She does it specifically to undermine me."

Cooan rolled her eyes, reminding Petz once again of her youth. "Maybe if you didn't think of it like that, she'd leave you alone."

Petz turned to look at the younger girl, watching with satisfaction as she guarded her arms, perhaps waiting for Petz to teleport next to her and twist her wounds. She wouldn't have. Not for that.

Unless it had been Karaberas.

The thought of her auburn-haired sister made Petz kick the frame this time. Once again nothing happened, and she stalked off to begin pacing. Perhaps that would ease her temper. "The nerve of her. Rubbing it in my face that she's been chasing down leads all day while I've been pacing."

Beruche looked as if she were going to sigh again, but she thought better of it when Petz gave her a hard look. "Unfortunately, Karaberas does have a point. Sailor Venus was simply able to... distinguish herself more than Sailor Jupiter ever did."

Cooan laughed aloud, amused by Beruche's delicate phrasing. "Why not just come out with it? She was a show-off, and she didn't know when to keep her mouth shut."

Beruche ignored her. "Yes, Sailor Jupiter was the strongest and exceptionally tall, but other than that, Master Rubeus doesn't have much to go on."

"It should be more than enough," Petz snarled, her lip curling. She turned to Cooan and said, "How did Rubeus track down Sailor Mars so quickly?"

Cooan blinked, thinking. "Well, he didn't. It took them quite awhile to locate her."

Beruche shook her head. "As I understand it, what took time was figuring out how to go about finding her in the first place. Once that was done, I'd imagine Mars was the easiest to locate."

"Why?" Petz asked testily. "Because Rubeus thought she was pretty?"

The comment hurt Cooan, and Petz was glad of it. Beruche did not approve of the insult for whatever reason, pursing her lips and glaring at her older sister. She moved closer to Cooan as she tried to hide the fact that her lower lip was trembling. "Because she's a mystic. There aren't many girls in this time that were known for any talent for clairvoyance, let alone many girls who were actually telling the truth."

Petz scoffed. "Smoke and mirrors and fortune-telling they can find. But a girl with strength enough to best a man is impossible to locate."

"People don't just go around throwing people for the fun of it," Cooan snapped, still smarting.

"She would," Petz countered, scowling at both of her sisters in turn.

Neither of them said anything in response for they knew it was true.

Fed up with talking at them and not feeling any better about her predicament, Petz turned on her heel, stalking away from the scene. She glanced over her shoulder before either one of them could ask where she was going, but she could tell by their looks that they hadn't even considered it. She clenched her fist and said, "I'm going to check on the prisoners."

Beruche sniffed. "That's one thing I'll be glad to miss."

Petz arched an eyebrow, unsure of her meaning.

"You and Sailor Mars screaming at each other," Beruche elaborated, glancing over at Cooan to see a smile spread over her reddening face. "Try not to knock the ship out of orbit, would you?"

Petz merely extended her middle finger and left.

-----

"It's no use," Rei said miserably. "We must be out of range."

Ami had no idea how long they had been trying to get her communicator to work. She normally had a fair idea of how much time was passing when working on projects of any kind, but considering how dizzy she was, she no longer trusted her internal clock. All she knew was that it felt like it was taking far too long, and her heart was pounding faster and faster with each passing moment. She and Rei were continually looking up to see if anyone was coming, not that it would do them any good. Their captors had a tendency to teleport directly to them. If they were going to be caught, they would have no warning.

Ami tugged at the collar around her neck, swallowing.

"We can't give up now," Ami insisted. "We have to get word to them."

"And what will we tell them?" Rei asked, her eyes narrowed. "That we don't know where we are, we don't know what they want, but we are pretty sure that they wouldn't mind killing us if they got the chance?"

Ami shook her head, trying her best to keep her gaze and her voice as close to steel as possible. The more sure she sounded, the better the chance that it would have an effect on Rei. "We can tell them they're from the future. And we can tell them that we're alive. We can give them hope." She paused, watching as the information sunk in for Rei. She swallowed again, becoming more and more aware of how thirtsy and how tired she was. "It's something."

Though Rei didn't say it, she clearly agreed. She squared her shoulders and set her jaw as if she were preparing to go to her death. Ami wondered if that's what she had done before she walked off to meet the final DD Girls and her mortality.

"Try Makoto," Rei suggested helpfully. "We haven't tried her in a while."

The two of them had been attempting to reach all three of the girls collectively or separately for some time now. They had been failing on all fronts, which was why Ami couldn't blame Rei for her negativity. Ami took a deep breath and pressed the green button for what felt like the tenth time.

She waited for the screen to flicker and the button to light up, and when that happened, she waited for them to go dark again. It would signify that they call had not gone through and that they had failed, again. As much as she had told Rei to hope, it was what she expected.

The screen flickered in and out for several seconds.

It did not go out.

"Oh, God," Rei whispered, leaning forward in earnest. Ami felt like her heart was about to leap out of her mouth to get some relief and looked up through the bars of their cell to see if anyone was coming.

She looked back down at the screen and watched as it continued to flicker.

"Please," Ami ordered softly, willing the small contraption to work as much as she could. "Please work, please work, please, please work."

A moment later the screen filled with static and they heard what might have been a voice.

Against her better judgment, Ami leapt to her feet. Rei was beside her in seconds, wrapping her arms around Ami's shoulders in anticipation of her fall. She also gripped Ami's wrist tighter than a shackle and had to struggle to keep from shouting. "Makoto?" Rei asked desperately. "Makoto, please say you can hear us."

There was some garbled speech, prompting Rei to reach out and smack the communicator. Ami almost snapped at her, but she was surprised to find that it worked. "--mi? Rei? Is that you?"

"Yes," Ami said, trembling from head to foot. "It's us. Can you understand us?"

Makoto either didn't hear the question or she ignored it entirely. "Are you guys all right? Where are you? How did you--"

"We're fine," Rei answered, eyeing Ami's bandages guiltily and looking relieved that Makoto couldn't see them any better than they could see her (which was to say, not at all). "We don't know where we are."

"What?" Makoto said loudly, meaning that she couldn't hear over the static.

Rei smacked the communicator again, her nostrils flaring. Ami answered when she thought that there was a chance she could be heard. "We have no idea where we are."

There was a slight pause, as if Makoto were processing the information or trying to figure out what had been said. Finally, she answered, "We have to do something."

Ami would have smiled ruefully and thought of how typical that reaction was from Makoto had she not been seriously regretting her haste in standing. "We'll be all right," Ami insisted, not bothering to tell Makoto her idea about Luna and Artemis being able to figure out something. They would figure it out on their own, and besides, there wasn't time.

Sensing the need to be quick, Rei said, "Listen, Makoto. We have to tell you about the enemy."

"What?" Makoto responded immediately, and Ami was relieved that she could tell that it was a question asked in earnestness not confusion.

"They're from the future," Rei said gravely.

They heard Makoto swear and say something like she hadn't caught that.

"They're from the future!" Ami and Rei shouted in unison, forgetting themselves.

Silence came from the other side of the communicator for what felt like forever. Ami was about to start crying in frustration when Makoto spoke again and she knew that they had been heard.

"Shit."

Rei opened her mouth to speak, but another voice entirely filled Ami's ears. It was not a voice she was happy to hear.

"What the hell are you two doing? What is that!"

Ami and Rei looked up in terror to see one of their captors standing just a few feet away from them. She looked as if she had been in a bad mood from the moment she had been born and life had not seen fit to do anything but add on to it as a punishment to all who knew her. She reached through the bars, which had no effect on her and grabbed hold of the communicator. Stupidly, at least in Ami's opinion, Rei held on to the watch like it was her own child. Unfortunately, Petz was stronger than both of them put together and pulled them forward with a hard yank. They crashed against the bars, Ami taking the brunt of the punishment given their position, and cried out in agony when the collars set off.

They yelled and writhed as Petz examined the watch and stared at it when it began to speak to her in an unmechanized voice. "Ami? Rei? What's going on? What's happening?"

Ami might have been in a haze of shock and pain, but she was lucid enough to be facing Petz for the next few moments. She would not know later whether or not that had been a good idea for it haunted her for the rest of her life.

Petz stared at the watch first in puzzlement, and then her face began to change. Ami recognized it as an epiphany, but it wasn't any sort of realization she would have ever cared to see. Her lips twisted into a smile that made Ami shiver, white teeth gleaming from between her lips so dark they were nearly black. Her eyes first widened, and then narrowed, and Ami could have sworn that the effect was like storm clouds had gathered in her irises and released bolts of lightning in their fury. Her posture changed and she seemed all the more deadly, though Ami would have readily admitted that she thought Petz was the most frightening and most dangerous of the four Sisters.

"Jupiter," she hissed, making tears spring to Ami's eyes. She looked down at them like cockroaches overturned on varnished wood floors and said, "That was clever, sneaking a communication device past us like that."

"It wasn't clever," Rei hissed, her pride unaffected by the punishment she had been dealt. Ami longed to tell her to be quiet, but she was too weak and too frightened. "It was just stupid of you not to notice."

Petz snorted and snapped her fingers, setting off Rei's collar again. To her credit, Rei did not scream.

"I'll be back to deal with you brats later," Petz informed them coldly. "I'm going to figure out where Jupiter is, and then I'm going to take her." She laughed as their faces fell in dismay (or at least Ami's fell. Knowing Rei, she had merely glared and contemplated spitting at the woman's feet). "Don't look so glum. Look at it this way. You'll have a new friend to share in your pain."

"Leave her alone," Ami said softly, unaware she was speaking until she had gotten the whole sentence out. "Please, don't hurt her."

Petz just stared for a minute and then left without another word.

Ami waited until she was certain that Petz was gone before she started crying. She may not have been as demonstrative as Rei, but she had her own amount of pride, and she was not about to give Petz that much satisfaction. She shed tears that seemed to come straight from her heart, weeping painfully and fighting to catch her breath. She shuddered and moaned in pain, and she only cried harder when Rei finally managed to drag herself beside Ami. The other girl wound her arms around Ami's shaking body as tightly as she could (which was not that tight considering what she had just gone through, but her grip was strong enough to surprise Ami). Ami clutched Rei's hands and let out an extra sob when she felt a hot tear land on her shoulder.

They lay there for some time, mourning their freedom and their wisdom, both of which seemed to have been taken from them.

-----

"I heard from them," Makoto said breathlessly.

Makoto had received the call just after school let out while staring up at the wrecked roof that was still sealed off until the police were done with it. She had seen a detective up there, pacing the length of the rooftop and scratching his head, no doubt thinking that it was useless for him to investigate a hopeless case even when Mizuno Ami's mother and Hino Rei's father were important members of society.

She had been about to punch a tree when her computer beeped and Ami and Rei's voices came over the line, surprising Makoto enough to think that they may as well have been ghosts.

As soon as she had lost the connection amidst screams of pain and a strange woman's voice, Makoto had seen little else to do except run away from the school and call Usagi (who had left school early when her silence had disturbed Haruna-sensei too much) and Minako. They had answered immediately, obviously terrified that Makoto was in the middle of being attacked.

Makoto had spoken before they had a chance to. "I heard from them."

"Oh, my God," Usagi breathed, her hand flying to her mouth.

"Where are they?" Minako asked instantly. Makoto could tell that she was already reaching into her pocket to pull out her henshin pen and go get them back. She was certain because she had done the same thing.

"They don't know," Makoto said, her voice tight and showing her frustration. She was panting at the rate she was running, and she did pause to consider that it was rather silly to be running when she had nowhere to be running to. Still, she didn't slow down, even when her ribs, which had not yet been given a chance to heal, began to ache. "I didn't get to talk to them for very long."

"Are they all right?" Usagi asked worriedly, her eyes wide and clearly brimming with tears. "Please tell me that they're all right."

Makoto licked her lips and swallowed, remembering exactly how the screams had sounded and the amount of venom that had been in the woman's voice. She decided that it was best to ignore the question. Usagi didn't pick up on the side-step, but Minako did. She went paler than Makoto thought possible.

"I only heard one thing," Makoto said, embellishing the truth slightly but without shame. "They know about the enemy."

That gave both Minako and Usagi hope, and Makoto was glad to see it. "Who are they?" they asked in unison.

"They're from the future," Makoto repeated, shuddering a bit at the thought.

Minako illustrated just how literally the phrase "jaw drop" could be taken while Usagi just stared at the screen in complete bewilderment. Neither one of them spoke for a moment, giving Makoto time to continue. "They didn't say how far. But it can't be more than a few decades if--"

"Actually," a vaguely familiar voice called from overhead, "It's more like a little over a millennium. But I've never been one to fuss over details."

Makoto came to a grinding halt, glaring the second before she looked up. In a stroke of irony she didn't have time to appreciate, she noticed absolutely nothing about the woman save for her familiar voice and the black moon tattooed on her forehead.

The older woman returned her scowl with equal vigor and said, "I am so happy it's you."

"Likewise," Makoto snarled though she had absolutely no idea why.

"Makoto?" Usagi asked, nearly shouting. "What's happening?"

"Where are you?" Minako asked, finding that it was the more pressing question. They all knew what was happening.

Makoto told them brusquely and then shut the communicator without another word. She continued staring up at the other woman, who was standing casually on top of a telephone pole, barely able to contain her rage.

She laughed down at her, though Makoto could tell that she was not taking this lately. Makoto had seen youma look at her as if their greatest pleasure would be to tear her limb from limb. The Shitennou and the Aliens had given her some pretty hard stares in their time, but it was the looks the youma gave her that could make her afraid. They were simple creatures, and they did not veil their feelings at all like their leaders had. There was something pure about their hatred and their lust for blood that was unsettling. It reminded her of how inhuman they were and how they had no idea how to hesitate or to show mercy.

This woman had that exact same look, and Makoto did her best to ignore the fact that it scared her.

"My name is Petz," the woman said, feigning cordiality.

"I don't care," Makoto answered, finding there was no need to introduce herself. Petz was obviously well aware of who Makoto was even if she didn't know her name.

Petz shrugged. "Very well then."

Without warning, Petz flew off the top of the telephone pole, arms outrsteched. Makoto cried out as her fingers closed around her shoulders, and heard the sound of other people on the street screaming and fleeing the scene. In tyipcal fashion, the citizens of Tokyo had not noticed anything out of the ordinary until the proverbial explosion and then they fled rather than help an innocent bystander.

For a split-second, Makoto very much wanted to punch humanity in the face.

She didn't have the luxury of time to contemplate the nature of man's inhumanity to man as she flew backwards under Petz's power. She knew the area well enough to know that the alley they had gone into had a dead end comprised entirely of bricks. She had to think fast if she was going to keep her head from being smashed against it.

Makoto looked around in time to see the ladder from a fire escape off to her left. Desperately, she reached out and grabbed it, hissing as her wrists were strained in an attempt to stop her momentum. It was successful, and Makoto was able to use that same momentum to swing herself around, Petz still clutching at her and not entirely sure of what was happening yet. The soles of her flats were thin and her ankles sang out in pain when her feet came into contact with the side of the building, but she was going to have to ignore it. Then, pulling her right hand free of the ladder, Makoto drew back her arm and punched Petz harder than she had ever punched anyone in her life.

Petz shrieked as Makoto's fist came into harsh contact with her nose. She fell to the ground and stumbled back, swearing and spitting long enough to let Makoto collect herself. She landed as gracefully as her ankles would allow and transformed silently and without much fanfare, never once blinking as she stared down Petz. Moments later, it was Sailor Jupiter meeting Petz's furious gaze, tiny sparks crackling off her tiara and the edges of her uniform.

"You are going to pay for that," Petz warned, holding her bleeding nose.

"No," Jupiter hissed, stalking forward bravely. "You're the one that's going to pay for hurting my friends."

Petz yelled and jerked her nose, the sickening crackle of her bones snapping into place making Jupiter want to cringe. Still, it stopped the bleeding and freed Petz up from that distraction, making Jupiter file the trick away for future use if ever it was necessary.

Jupiter didn't give Petz much time to settle herself after fixing her break, coming around with her left arm for another punch. Petz caught it as easily as if Jupiter had called her in advance to let her know it was coming. Her fingers closed around Jupiter's fist and twisted hard enough to force her to her knees. Before Jupiter could even think about recovering, Petz spun around, swinging her left leg like a wrecking ball on the end of a chain. She connected with Jupiter's chin perfectly,
sending the Senshi sprawling out onto the open sidewalk.

Jupiter was not surprised to see that even the usual spectators were absent from the proceedings. With the daughters of two prominent members of Tokyo society gone, everyone had the good sense to be afraid.

She leapt to her feet as Petz marched out of the alleyway. She was smarting in several places now, and Petz no longer seemed to be affected by the blow her nose had taken. Jupiter might have thought that this put her at a disadvantage, but she didn't give it much thought. All she could think about was how good it would feel to hit her again.

"Cooan and Beruche had mentioned that the lot of you were stupidly loyal to one another," Petz remarked, making Jupiter's blood boil. She'd never had much patience for enemies who liked to carry on conversations during a fight. She could tell that Petz was doing it just to make her angry, and that meant that she was probably of the same opinion.

"It's not stupid," Jupiter snapped. "And if I wanted to talk, I wouldn't have transformed."

Petz raised an eyebrow, but she couldn't do it perfectly so her other eyebrow lifted a bit as well. "So you're not going to beg me for mercy or ask me to let your friends go or some other nonsense."

"No," Jupiter said plainly. "I'd much rather kick your ass, thanks."

Petz smiled, as if approving, and then leapt forward with a yell, drawing her fist back.

Jupiter crouched down and leapt upwards, clearing Petz's height with room to spare. However, she had forgotten that her enemies could teleport as easily as they could blink. She was annoyed at how surprised she was when Petz vanished and reappeared at her side, backhanding her.

The blow made Jupiter twist in the air, reeling from the blow, but not so much that she didn't land on her feet. She looked up at Petz, who was now floating in mid-air so easily that Jupiter briefly thought that she had made glass appear beneath her feet. Hoping that levitating would mean that she couldn't teleport as quickly, Jupiter crossed her arms in an 'X' in front of her, knowing that an antenna was rising up from the gold of her tiara. Lightning crackled around her form as she curled up and then pushed all of her limbs out, shouting, "SUPREME THUNDER!"

Petz wasn't surprised by the move, but she also didn't move as quickly as she would have liked. A bolt clipped her knee, making Petz wince. It was something, but it wasn't nearly enough to satisfy Jupiter.

"Is that the way you want to play it, little girl?" Petz asked, making Jupiter's face flush. "So be it then." Before Jupiter knew what was happening, Petz had thrown what seemed like her own attack, but tripled and tainted by the darkness. Too shocked by the warped display of her own element, Jupiter didn't move. She took the whole of the blast head on.

But she managed to stay on her feet.

"Impressive," Petz remarked as she regarded Jupiter's reaction. The green-suited warrior was panting heavily and felt as if she had walked through fire and come out the other side just injured enough so that she was denied numbness. She opened her eyes slowly, looking at Petz between her arms that she had used to guard her face. Jupiter was quite certain now that she hated her, although she had probably felt that from the moment she had arrived and was only just now acknowledging it.

"Don't I do this in the future?" Jupiter snarled, doing her best to keep her back straight.

Petz was clearly irritated by the question, but Petz's version of being vexed looked a lot more like most people's definition of being in a rage. "Yes, but I assumed you would be weaker."

It was the word weak that did it. Even if Petz was acknowledging that Jupiter was stronger than she would have thought, the mere assumption that Jupiter was weak was enough to make her blood boil. It meant that Petz thought her future self was weak, and that meant that she still didn't think much of Jupiter now. She clenched her fists and felt something come over, terrifying but familiar. She recognized it easily enough.

It was exactly how she had felt before she called on the dragon.

"I am NOT weak," Jupiter ground out through clenched teeth, her voice low and threatening. "I have never been weak. And no matter how many times you hurt me or one of my friends, I am never going to be weak. I will always be stronger than you, and don't you ever forget it!"

Petz laughed, infuriated by her insolence but amused nonetheless. "Only the weak speak about how strong they are!"

And just as when she had called on the dragon, Jupiter was moving before she knew why she was moving and foreign words came to mind. But when she spoke them, it was like she had said the phrase a thousand and one times before, and she knew that she would say it even more than that in the future.

"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"

This time, Petz became alarmed. She was frozen in her spot, making Jupiter certain that she had been completely unaware that Jupiter was capable of the attack. She had time only to scream before the disc of fire and light connected with her midsection, sending her careening across the street.

Jupiter looked at her opponent's crumpled body, proud to see that it was prone for at least the moment. With her enemy either dead or unconscious, Jupiter noticed that she couldn't stand anymore unless she wanted to faint. She dropped to one knee, clutching her injured ribs and inspecting her new wounds, wishing fiercely that Ami was there to look after her and that Rei was there to tell Usagi to stop crying once she saw Jupiter's injuries.

Jupiter wanted nothing more than to lay down in the street and take an impossibly long nap, but she knew that it was foolish to think that. She had to stay alert in case Petz got up before Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus could get there, for they would surely be arriving soon and the three of them put together should be able to get rid of Petz. But not before finding out where their friends were being kept of course.

Jupiter felt her spirits begin to lift. They were going to find out where Ami and Rei had been taken. They were going to be reunited, storming the castle (or whatever other structure the enemy had holed themselves up in), vanquishing the enemy, and saving the day. Then together they would make Mamoru remember everything that had happened if they had to torture him so that he and Usagi could get back together. And finally, everyone with the possible exception of Minako would be happy.

She nearly cracked a smile when she started suffocating.

Jupiter never heard anyone come up behind her just like she never heard the crack of the whip that was now wrapped tightly around her neck, and she would be furious with herself when she could think of anything other than the fact that she couldn't breathe. But she did hear someone giggle from behind her, and she was alert enough to realize that it wasn't Petz.

"Well, isn't it good fortune that I happened to be passing by?" someone taunted lightly, though Jupiter suspected that her captor was less concerned about mocking her than Petz, who was just beginning to stir. "If I hadn't, I might have lost a sister, and we all might have lost one of our quarry. Wouldn't that have been a shame?"

"She's MINE, Karaberas," Petz snarled, though Jupiter wasn't certain if she had heard the name correctly.

Karaberas scoffed, jerking Jupiter backwards. She pulled the struggling Senshi to her feet, and Jupiter was far too busy trying to breathe than to think of kicking the woman who held her hostage. "If you cared so much about her, maybe you shouldn't have let her get the better of you."

"I had her!" Petz screeched, dragging herself to her feet and sending spittle flying everywhere. "You can have Venus as soon as you figure out who she is."

Karaberas laughed again and said, "I'd much rather have two Senshi and deprive you of your glory, sister dear."

"Why!" Petz screamed, bringing up her hand as if she were trying to attack but was too weak to do so immediately.

Jupiter felt Karaberas shrug. "It's how I show my love."

Then, just as Jupiter's vision was beginning to dissolve into spots and patches of black, the ground beneath her feet disappeared and she was quite certain that she was no longer in Juuban district.

-----

Petz's attack nearly took out the building when she was able to launch it.

She was trembling with rage. She was madder than she had ever thought possible, and considering how well-acquainted she was with her own temper, it surprised her. She felt torn between crying, screaming, and killing, uncertain than any one of them on their own or combined would make her feel better.

Karaberas had done some horrible things to her before. She had pushed her out from under an awning protecting them from Nemesis's acid rain, burning and permanently disfiguring her hands. She had taken just about every man Petz had ever dared to fancy, though the one she had actually loved had left her of his own accord. She had tried her damnedest to best Petz in every sparring match they had ever had, usually cheating to get her way, and being praised for her innovation. She stole from her, she ruined her things, she defiled her reputation. She had done everything she could possibly do to make Petz's life miserable, a punishment for a crime Petz was unaware of having committed.

But this was the worst thing Karaberas had ever done.

She heard the sound of feet coming up from behind her and girls shouting her opponent's name, but she didn't care. She didn't even look at them to tell them what had happened. She merely vanished from their presence, the sound of an anguished scream and a curse catching her ear just before she left.

She reappeared moments later where she knew Karaberas would be - just outside the cell door. Rubeus was already there, and Mars was already spitting bullets. Mercury was sitting on the floor, looking as though she wanted to reach out and grab Jupiter's hand to comfort her. Even Petz couldn't blame her for that. Karaberas had thrown her to the floor and was standing on her spine to keep her from moving. Petz sincerely doubted she would have twitched even without the added pressure.

Petz flushed scarlet as she realized that Karaberas was in the middle of recounting the experience to Rubeus, humiliating her as away to rub salt in her gaping wounds.

"And seeing Petz's complete incompetence in the situation, I had no choice but to intervene," Karaberas surmised, acting like a sympathetic girl trying to help her sister in her hour of need. Petz wanted to choke her. "What else could I have done? I couldn't just let this little freak go."

Petz was about to speak when Jupiter did a lot more than twitch. In a move so quick that Petz almost missed it, the wounded soldier reached around and grabbed the ankle that was not holding her in place. She twisted and before Karaberas knew what was happening, threw her off and crashing into the bars of her friends' cell.

For a second, Petz almost liked her.

But grudges ran deep, and she was always going to be her enemy. So Petz wasted no time rushing forward to take Jupiter on, going so far as to pushing Karaberas to the floor to get to her in time. Sailor Jupiter was on her feet by the time Petz reached her. She wound her arms around the girl's waist and hissed, "Stop it or he'll kill you."

Orders or not, Petz recognized the look in Rubeus's eye. And while Petz did not care for the lives of any of the Senshi and would have been more than happy to kill them, she did not want to have to go on trial for disobeying Prince Demando's orders.

Jupiter, of course, did not hesitate in her reaction and Petz knew she would have done the same if she had known the whole story. She bent over, nearly flipping Petz over her shoulders. When that didn't work, she pushed off the ground and propelled herself over backwards, kicking Rubeus in the face for good measure. He swore and stumbled backwards, and Petz had no doubt that Jupiter was going to regret that act for many days to come.

Petz had to let go of Jupiter unless she wanted her back broken. Jupiter wrenched away and swung her leg around at Karaberas, who had been moving to lasso the rogue Senshi with her whip again. Her heel dug into Karaberas's neck, sending blood spurting into the air. Karaberas shrieked and pulled away before any more damage could be done, tears hanging off those eyelashes she had always bragged about for being longer than anyone else's.

Beruche and Cooan had sensed the commotion from wherever they had been on the ship, and judging by how Beruche arrived a few seconds before Cooan, they had not been together. Upon seeing the commotion, Cooan stepped out of the way, knowing that she was of little use given the fact that her hands were about a week away from actually being useful. She looked furious about it.

Luckily, Beruche was not so subdued.

Jupiter charged at Beruche like a bull just let loose from the pen, but Beruche barely changed her expression. She stood absolutely still as Jupiter neared her, waiting until it was too late for the other girl to stop. Then she bent over, letting Jupiter run into her. Then Beruche stood up quickly, flipping her onto her back.

It knocked the wind out of her, but there was no doubt among any of them that she would not stay down long. Yearning to be useful, Cooan stepped forward and planted her foot on Jupiter's windpipe. Jupiter was clearly thinking about pulling the same move on Cooan that she had done to Karaberas and Petz started to tell her to attack and knock her out. But before either Petz or Jupiter could blink, Cooan had bent down and jerked Jupiter's head sharply so that she was looking directly at her caged friends.

"Do you see those collars they're wearing?" Cooan asked, sounding eeriely like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Jupiter didn't so much as nod, but it was clear that she could see them just fine.

Cooan held up her hand, her fingers poised to snap. "One snap of mine or any of my associates' fingers, and those collars put your friends in a kind of pain you can only imagine but will no doubt experience shortly. Mercury is wounded badly, and I'm not quite sure how much more of it she can take."

That more than anything else caused a reaction in Jupiter that could be read plainly on her face. She looked as if she had just been punched in the gut and told that her parents were dead at the same time. Petz wondered if she was going to cry and hoped that she would.

"I don't think you want that to happen," Cooan said in a low voice, glancing up to see everyone, including Petz, raise their hands in an imitation of Cooan's gesture. Cooan started a bit and quickly looked down at Jupiter again. Petz knew exactly who she had been looking at, and she knew better than to turn around to see it for herself.

Jupiter shook her head and whispered, "No. Don't hurt them."

"Then stop struggling," Beruche voiced, patting her hair as if she had done something to knock it out of place. "Stand down."

Sailor Jupiter tensed up one more time, as if she resented being told what she had already decided to do and wanted to disobey just to spite them. But then she relaxed and closed her eyes, almost like a chastised child. The other three sisters waited a moment before striding over to the defeated Senshi, but it wasn't very long.

While Beruche and Karaberas hauled Jupiter to her feet, keeping the girl's arms wrenched behind her back, Petz plucked the communicator off of Jupiter's wrist. In what was probably an attempt to regain Rubeus's favor after being labeled an incompetent, Petz waved it around for a moment and said, "Sailor Mercury had a communicator similar to this one." She produced it just to make her point. "I caught her and Sailor Mars using it to place a call to Jupiter in an attempt to get help. For whatever reason, Sailor Mars did not have a similar tool when we captured her, so we missed it when Mercury brought it on board."

She would have liked to look up at Rubeus to see if his opinion of her had changed or if he had any pride gleaming in his eyes. But though she tried, Petz could not move her gaze from just to the left of Rubeus to look at him head on. Even she, called fearless from the time of her birth, was scared to look at him.

Deciding not to wait for Rubeus to respond, she continued speaking. "I managed to trace the call and locate where it had been received and I was able track her from there. I believe we could do the same thing with Sailor Venus's and Sailor Moon's communicators and find them much--"

"Leave them alone!" Jupiter called out, though out of habit, they turned to Mars to tell her to be quiet. They recovered from that quickly and turned around to face Jupiter, who was positively seething. "Leave them out of this! You have the three of us. Isn't that enough?"

"No," Rubeus answered, and his voice made all of the women who knew him shudder. It was colder than death, but they all knew that it wouldn't take much prodding to get him to bellow like all of hell was bottled up inside of him. "It isn't enough." He began to reach forward to take the communicator's from Petz.

It was unbelievable to think of how desperate Jupiter must have been to protect her two friends to do what she did next. Rightfully guessing that Karaberas was the weaker (or at least stupider) of the pair that held her, she stomped down on the woman's boot hard. Karaberas shrieked in pain and jumped enough so that she freed the arm she held. She recovered quickly, but not quickly enough to stop Jupiter from sending a single bolt of lightning at hers and Mercury's communicators, destroying them instantly and mauling Petz's hands besides.

Petz did not cry out, however. Karaberas's cruel joke had numbed her hands long ago.

Rubeus stared down at their ruined chance for an easy resolution in absolute shock for exactly three seconds. It gave Petz and Cooan enough time to clear a path for him and for Karaberas to take Jupiter's arm again. Then he stalked forward, his face dark enough to make fear rush to Jupiter's eyes, though she did her best to conceal it. Without so much as drawing his arm back far enough to let her know what was coming, Rubeus punched her right in the face, knocking her out completely and sending her straight to the ground.

Mercury whimpered, but other than that, not a sound was made by the other two captives. Petz did not turn around to see that Mercury had clamped a hand around Mars's open mouth.

He stood there absolutely still, simply breathing for a moment. It was quick, his chest rising and falling at a rate that dying men did not always reach. Rubeus twitched on occasion or flexed as fingers as if itching to strike the fallen girl again, but other than that, he was like a statue. Petz was certain that he would spring to life at any moment and murder whoever was closest to him. After all, she had seen him do it before.

Beruche had possessed the good sense to move away from Rubeus the moment Jupiter was laid out. Karaberas, however, had never had any sense save to make Petz suffer, so she was frozen in her spot almost has thoroughly as Rubeus. When it finally occured to her to back away, Rubeus spotted the movement in an instant. He reached forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her to him and shouting over her scream.

"That is why you do not bring back prisoners conscious, Karaberas!" he bellowed, his hair surrounding his face like Hades's fire. "Because they can fight back! Because any one of us, including you, could have been killed for such an amateur's mistake!" She started to nod in agreement when he shook her again, knocking her hair out of its coif and twisting her bustier so that she looked damaged. "If I actually let you go out after Venus after this, you better make damn sure that she's unconscious when you have her! Do you understand me!"

Too frightened to speak, Karaberas merely nodded, tears now pouring down her cheeks.

Rubeus stared at Karaberas for a few more moments before pushing her away, her back making a painful thunk against the wall. Then without so much as another word, he bent down and grabbed Jupiter by her wrist. He paused long enough to clamp another collar around her neck and to collect her henshin stick when it appeared. That done, he literally dragged the girl over to the cell and threw her in as if she were a sack of garbage. She skidded on the floor, stopping only when she hit Mars's legs. Then her friends began to tend to her, knowing better than to ask for provisions of any kind until after Rubeus had done.

Though even after he left, they did not speak.

And no one else did for that matter. Cooan and Beruche were certain that Karaberas and Petz were going to have a shouting match unlike any they had had before, and neither was anxious to stick around to hear it. They left quickly, leaving the feuding sisters alone with their beaten enemies.

Petz thought about tearing Karaberas apart and spitting on the pieces as she had thought about doing since she had taken Jupiter in her stead. But when she considerd it, she realized she was no longer angry. She still hated Karaberas and she always would, but Rubeus had taken her revenge for her, chastising her where Karaberas had assumed she would be praised.

So, instead of getting into a fight either physical or verbal, Petz merely walked up to her sister. She took note of her ruined hair and messed clothes and smirked. When Karaberas looked up at her, eyes full of tears and fury, daring Petz to start something with her, Petz only kept grinning. Then, just when she saw that Karaberas was beginning to look uncertain, she said the worst thing she could think of.

"You'll never be anything more than a stupid whore," she told Karaberas in the most matter-of-fact tone she could conjure up. "Stop trying."

Then she turned and left Karaberas to weep or scream or kill herself from shame. For the moment, Petz didn't care which she choose.

She merely hoped for the latter.






AUTHOR'S NOTE

I would just like to note that a small cameo, and I use that term loosely, was made by a future villain in this chapter. Can you guess who?

Also, you might recall the acid rain on Nemesis fic as being used in several fics, including "View from a Crowd," written by Meredith Bronwen Mallory. She is an author that I have read and do admire, but I would like to state for the record that I thought of Nemesis as having a harsh climate separately and before I read any fics containing that premise. But Meredith thought of it too and got to use it first.

Coming Soon - Part Seven: Ever Dimming

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