The Exiles

By: Starsea

Rating: PG-13 (may change later)


Chapter Two: On the Threshold

The hint half guessed, the gift half understood, is Incarnation.
Here the impossible union
Of spheres of existence is actual,
Here the past and future
Are conquered, and reconciled,
Where action were otherwise movement
Of that which is only moved
And has in it no source of movement—
Driven by dæmonic, chthonic
Powers. And right action is freedom
From past and future also.
For most of us, this is the aim
Never here to be realised;
Who are only undefeated
Because we have gone on trying...

T.S. Eliot, 'Four Quartets III: The Dry Salvages, Stanza V'


Voices echoed down the corridors and stairwells, laughing, shouting, 
asking questions, all in a language that was not his own. He stood 
there, an island in the middle of his luggage, and felt alone and 
foreign.

“And who have we here?”

He looked up, startled, into the eyes of a slim, energetic young 
man. A tag on his polo shirt said ‘Joel: Fresher Guide’.

“Um, Chiba. Mamoru Chiba,” he said, reminding himself to put his 
family name last.

“Chiba? Where’s that from?” Joel asked, looking at his list.

He had the feeling that would be a common question. “Japan.”

“Wow, you’ve come a long way... okay, you’re in Massachusetts House, 
right?”

“Yeah.” Mamoru glanced at his wrist, where he’d jotted down his 
details. “Room 4C?”

“That’s it. Here, let me help you with those.” He took two of the 
duffel bags and marched off. Mamoru walked behind, dragging his 
suitcase and concentrating on what Joel was saying.

“In Mass Hall – that’s what we call it, Hall not House – the first 
three floors are for administration: the President, the Provost, the 
Treasurer and the Vice-President of the University all have their 
offices here,” he explained as they walked into the reception area. 
“The freshmen live on the upper two floors. You’re on the fourth 
floor, the third room along.” He gave Mamoru a grin over his 
shoulder. “Don’t worry, there ARE elevators, and since you’ve got 
all this baggage, I think you’re allowed to use one.”

Mamoru smiled back. Joel nodded at the reception desk. “You get your 
room and house keys from over there.”

“Oh right, I’d be in trouble without those,” Mamoru joked, putting 
his things down and going to the reception area. The receptionist 
took his name and room number and bent down. When she emerged, she 
handed him a small white bulging envelope.

“You understand that if you lose these keys, you will have to pay a 
small fine to replace them, and you are responsible for keeping them 
on your person at all times?” she drawled, giving Mamoru a look that 
made him feel as if he were Usagi’s height.

“Ha – yes, ma’am,” he corrected, taking the envelope, and just about 
stopping himself from bowing. “Thank you.”

A tight smile appeared on her face. “At least you’re polite,” she 
said, already turning back to her computer screen.

Mamoru went back to Joel, a bit dazed by her manner. Joel grinned at 
his expression. “Don’t worry – everyone gets a bit stressed in 
Freshers’ Week, *especially* if they’re anything to do with keys and 
orientation. There’s always someone who loses their keys right away, 
and then they say it’s not fair and they shouldn’t have to pay... or 
they get lost in their hall and spend about half an hour trying to 
find their room again.”

The doors of the lift clicked shut. Mamoru tried not to look shocked 
or nervous. He’d survived Moto Azabu; he’d survived death, for 
crying out loud. He’d faced monsters and psychopaths without so much 
as a blink. But he’d never faced a roommate. The lights slowly 
climbed up the wall, hitting the number 4.

“Here we are!” Joel announced, as they dragged Mamoru’s luggage out 
into the corridor. “Fourth floor! Last stop! Good thing you’re only 
third door down!”

“Is... my roommate already here?” Mamoru panted as they stopped 
before the door.

“It’s possible, but that doesn’t mean he’ll actually be in your 
room. He might have gone visiting.” Joel knocked on the door. Mamoru 
heard a voice call out something. Joel smiled and opened it, then 
turned back to him.

“Need any help unpacking?”

“No thanks, I got it,” Mamoru said with a smile, hoping he looked 
confident.

“Then here’s where I leave you. Good luck!” Joel moved away towards 
the stairs. Mamoru turned his head to watch him go, and then looked 
at the open doorway. Music was pouring out – bluegrass, heavy on the 
harmonica. Mamoru blinked. The harmonica was real, in the room, 
accompanying the recorded music. He walked forward and saw a pair of 
long, jean-covered legs pulled up sharply, almost hiding their 
owner.

“Um... excuse me?”

The playing stopped and his roommate sat up, dark eyes inspecting 
him with lively interest. His arms were toned, the fair skin burned 
to a freckly brown. Freckles were lightly scattered over his nose 
and cheeks. His hair was a rich chestnut brown with red highlights.

Mamoru smiled tentatively. “Hi...”

“Chiba Mamoru?”

Mamoru blinked. The guy spoke his name perfectly, like someone from 
Japan would. But maybe he was just an anime fan. Mamoru nodded, and 
decided to test him with some Japanese.

“Hai. That’s me. And you are...?”

“Ken. Ken West. Pleased to meet you,” Ken said in faultless 
Japanese. He bounced onto his feet, bowed politely, and then looked 
up, winking at him. “At last. Need some help with all that?”

Mamoru felt a smile spread over his face. Sometimes, you look at a 
person and you know that you’re going to like them, and this was one 
of those moments. Mamoru basked in the sheer relief of it and 
grinned at Ken. He probably looked foolish, but Ken didn’t seem to 
care. He took the suitcase and swung into onto the bed. “After we’ve 
done this, I’ll show you around Mass and the rest of the campus, 
how’s that sound?”

Mamoru laughed. “First, show me where we eat.” He carefully unlocked 
the suitcase and pushed it open. “So, why did you choose Harvard?”

“I didn’t; it’s a sort of experiment.” Ken’s mouth twisted up in a 
wry smile as he put the rest of Mamoru’s luggage on his own bed and 
turned his music down.

“Experiment?” Mamoru repeated, pulling open drawers.

“My dad wants to see if he can still make me into the son he’s 
always wanted, and I want to prove to him that’s never going to 
happen. What are you studying here?” Ken said without taking a 
breath.

Socks and boxer shorts first, then shirts and trousers, anything 
else could wait. Mamoru crouched before the open drawer, digesting 
the information Ken had given him before replying.

“I’m majoring in Biology, and I’m also doing Biochemistry. And... a 
bit of Earth Planetry and Sciences.”

“With a name like Chiba, you couldn’t really get away without doing 
that!” Ken remarked. “I’m taking a course or two, myself. But my 
major, according to my father, is Environmental Planning and 
Resources.”

Mamoru packed down his underwear before answering. He couldn’t 
believe that Ken was just telling him all this. Of course, he wasn’t 
the most open person in the book, but still... You didn’t just go 
talking about your family problems to the first stranger you saw. 
“So, what do *you* want to do?” he asked eventually, after he was 
satisfied that the drawer was full.

“I want to be a vet. Where are you from?”

“Tokyo,” Mamoru answered, getting up. He stopped, amazed. Ken had 
already emptied the suitcase and placed it back on the floor, closed 
and ready to be slid under the bed. “You...”

Ken laughed. “Don’t look so surprised, Chiba! May I call you 
‘Mamoru-san’? When you travel back and forth across the Pacific 
twice a year... you get pretty good at the details. Even when you’re 
a person who prefers the bigger picture like yours truly. So, can 
I?”

“Can you what?” Mamoru echoed.

Ken rolled his eyes. “Call you ‘Mamoru-san’. Try and keep up with 
me, I know that’s difficult.”

“Only because I’m jetlagged!” Mamoru retorted. “You could slow down 
a bit.”

“Ooh, a temper, excellent!” Ken grinned. He didn’t seem to take 
offence at anything. Mamoru couldn’t help smiling back.

“Yeah, call me Mamoru,” he said.

“Great, and you call me ‘Ken’. I had enough of ‘West-san’ and ‘West-
kun’ at high school.” He made a face. “And I don’t want to be 
reminded of that place.”

“I’ll do my best not to remind you,” Mamoru promised him, with a bit 
of a smirk.

“Great, ground rules laid out, now let’s get you unpacked and fed.” 
Ken stood up, cracking his knuckles. “Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on 
you with the packing, too, since you’re *so* tired.”

“I’m *so* grateful,” Mamoru retorted, turning back to the next 
drawer with his arms full of clothes.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

***

...I’m part of an experiment...

The words rolled round and round in Mamoru’s head as he sat down on 
his bed. They had taken on a new meaning since his last visit to 
Japan. He put a hand to his necklace and curled his fingers tight 
around the stones.

The door swung open and Ken came in, almost hidden behind a large 
cardboard box. He set it down on the floor and gave his friend a 
grin. “Take a look at that, Mamoru,” he said in English.

Mamoru leaned over and looked. “Books?” he said. “I thought you said 
that you weren’t going to study for the exams?”

“Ah...” Ken winked. “You’re assuming they’re text books for what I’m 
studying *here*. Remember the plan, Chiba!”

“You haven’t really told me *what* the plan is,” Mamoru reminded 
him.

“’Course not,” Ken said airily, “the less you know, the safer you 
are. Don’t want your reputation getting jeopardised just because 
your roomie’s a lazy good-for-nothing who doesn’t appreciate an 
opportunity when he sees one.”

Mamoru sucked in a breath. Those weren’t Ken’s words, he knew that 
by now, but they still made a shiver go down his back. Every time 
Ken said something like that, Mamoru felt cold. The worst thing was, 
he doubted Ken realised what he was saying.

“You wouldn’t jeopardise my reputation,” he said.

“I don’t want to take the chance,” Ken replied, opening a huge 
Japanese encyclopedia of animal viruses with as much interest as if 
it were the latest edition of ‘Rolling Stone’. “You want to be here, 
you shouldn’t let anything get in your way of staying here.”

Mamoru felt his heart contract at the sight of kanji. Funny how the 
simplest things could make you homesick. “Where did you get that 
from?”

“My mother’s relatives in Tokyo sent it over to me.”

“Right.” Mamoru looked down at his feet and took a deep breath, 
switching to Japanese. “Ken-kun.”

Ken looked up. Japanese meant that Mamoru was homesick, nervous or 
philosophical. It was sometimes difficult to tell the difference, 
given how blank Mamoru’s face could be. “Hai?”

“Do the words ‘Crystal Tokyo’ mean anything to you?”

Ken frowned. “No... is this a science fiction thing?”

Mamoru shook his head. “It’s... never mind, if you don’t know, it 
doesn’t matter.”

Ken sat up. “Why would you think I’d know?”

“Just a hunch. How about the words ‘Tuxedo Kamen’ and ‘Sailor 
Moon’?”

Ken laughed. “Well, sure, I know them!”

Mamoru looked up sharply. “You do?”

“Yeah, who doesn’t know about them? Man, that guy has the greatest 
job on the planet; he’s Sailor Moon’s protector, and he gets to hang 
around all those gorgeous girls in those uniforms which re-invent 
the word ‘mini-skirt’ – by the way, how *do* they fight in those 
things? I mean, don’t they get cold? Not that I’m complaining, I’ve 
just always wondered...”

Mamoru blinked. Ken was staring at him with bright, inquisitive 
eyes. He swallowed. “Why are you asking me?”

“Wondered if you had a theory; I mean they fight in heels, too; I 
can’t tell you how many girls have told me that’s totally 
unrealistic – do you think it’s part of their superpowers or 
something?”

“Definitely!” Mamoru said, fighting a smile. He had often wondered 
about that himself, but it wasn’t the right sort of question. He was 
too close. Only reporters and fans could ask and muse over that kind 
of thing.

Which meant that Ken didn’t know a thing. Mamoru felt like banging 
his head against the wall in frustration. He looked up at his 
friend, who was already propped up against his pillow, absorbed in 
his reading, and the frustration vanished suddenly in a wave of 
affection. He could ask Ken anything and get an answer – it might 
not be the answer he wanted, or the answer he needed, but it would 
certainly be interesting.

“What am I going to do when you leave?” he said.

“It’s not the end of the world,” Ken said, turning the page. “I’ve 
only been here for one year, anyway.”

“Do you really have to?” Mamoru said, knowing the answer already, 
but he had to ask the question.

Ken glanced at him over the top of the book. “Come on, Mamoru-san, 
we both know that I don’t fit in here.”

“But we’ll keep in touch, right?” Mamoru asked.

Ken narrowed his eyes. “You’d better.”

“Hai, hai.” Mamoru hid a small smile. “I’ll remember.”

***

/But you didn’t remember, did you? I haven’t heard from you since I 
left.../

Ken ran up the shrine steps at a steady jog, glad that he had kept 
up the habit of an evening run even after he'd left Harvard. It was 
a steady haul, and he was slightly breathless by the time he reached
the top. The ever-present wind pushed gently at his back and he felt
his cheeks glowing. There was only a small queue, and it seemed that
he was first for once. Isamu and Xavier and Takehiko would still be
at their homes, watching for the dawn, waiting to make their wish.
He'd kept forgetting that part - it hadn't been instilled in him
from birth. He'd woken up and remembered the meeting at the shrine,
flung some clothes on, bolted his breakfast, then run out of the
door.

The sun was already rising. He'd better make his wish now. Ken
turned around and faced the sea, watching the light spread over the
water. He closed his eyes.

/My wish is... to meet the future fearlessly. To be ready to fight
whatever evil comes for me. And to protect that important person./

He opened his eyes and smiled.

Then it started.

"Ah!"

He drew in a breath, a hand flying to his chest. He rubbed hard,
trying to ease the pull, but it wouldn't stop. He bit his lip. It
had never been this strong before, except...

A couple appeared over the edge of the hill.

The pull disappeared.

"Ken-kun?!"

Chiba Mamoru stared at him, the sun highlighting his head and
shoulders, edging him with gold.

"Mamoru-kun," he responded with a slight grin. "Nice to see you
again."

"I – I can't believe it!" Mamoru said, his eyes lighting up. "What 
are you doing here?"

"The same as you, I imagine," Ken said teasingly. "The annual prayer
for good luck."

Mamoru laughed, a little embarrassed but taking the remark in good
humour. "Stupid question, huh?"

"Mamo-chan?"

Ken's eyes moved to the young woman beside Mamoru and stopped,
widening. She looked tiny from Ken's height, which meant she must
only be average size, he calculated. She had wide blue eyes that
were fixed firmly on Ken's face, and her hair was pulled up in two
chignons that reminded him of odango, the tails fluttering out 
behind her on the breeze like flaxen banners.

Suddenly it all came together in his mind: the name, the eyes, that 
hair...

/Holy shit./

"Usako, this is-! Um, sorry. Ken-kun, remember-"

"You must be Tsukino Usagi-san," Ken said softly. "Mamoru-kun showed
me your photograph when we met at Harvard." He bowed deeply. "Hajime
mashite." It was only then he realised that his right hand had
clenched and was placed upon his chest. He cursed himself for being
so obvious, but at least he'd resisted the urge to get down on one
knee as well.

/I can’t believe I didn’t recognise her. Who else wears their hair 
like that?/

Usagi’s eyes widened. "H-hai!" she said, bowing quickly to hide the 
recognition in her eyes.

"Usako, this is Ken-kun. Ken West," Mamoru added.

"West?" Usagi repeated, puzzled by the English word.

"Nishi," Ken explained gently, looking down at her. "That's the
Japanese. Nishi's fine."

"Oh, that's alright, Ken-san!" she said, a smile breaking out on her
face. "Mamo-chan mentioned you..."

"Did he? I bet I know more about you than you do about me."

Mamoru flushed slightly. "Ken-kun..."

"Mamo-chan talked about me?" Usagi asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Talked? Well, I suppose you could put it like that," Ken mused, 
watching in amusement as Mamoru's blush deepened. "More like he 
extolled you, he lauded you, he rhapsodised over you... Couldn't 
stop him once he was started on the subject."

Mamoru cleared his throat, and tried to glare at Ken. Ken laughed
and relented. "Of course, he didn't talk about you with just
anybody," he added. "It took a great deal of prodding for him to
tell *me*. Boy, was I stupid..."

Usagi giggled and gave Mamoru a loving glance. "Hope you weren't too
bored."

"I don't hold it against you," Ken assured her.

She smiled at him, the same smile, he would swear it was exactly the 
same smile as before. "Do you want to join us in the queue, Ken-
san?"

"Sure, just let me... make a phone call."

He walked off around the side of the shrine, and was joined by Usagi
a few seconds later.

"I knew it," he whispered, glancing down at her. "I knew you were
the Princess."

Usagi’s eyes widened. "It is you..." she gasped. "Where are the
others?"

"I was just going to call them."

"You know them?!"

"Of course!" He grinned for a moment before turning serious again.
"What did you tell Mamoru-kun?"

"I needed the toilet." She blushed. "I'm not very good at lying to
him."

"You never were," Ken sighed. "I'll make sure to tell them that."

"Do they know...?"

"Who they are? Yes, Usagi-san." His eyes grew very dark and Usagi
shivered. There was pain in those eyes, but now was not the time to
explore it.

"I'm glad you're here," she said quietly, and was rewarded with a
smile.

"I'm glad too. Hurry back to him. I'll phone them and then I'll join
you."

She nodded and ran back the way she'd come. Ken watched her 
disappear and smiled. A mixture of joy and nerves was filling his
stomach. Mamoru hadn't remembered him the first time, and it was
already obvious that he only saw him as 'the friend from Harvard'.
He wondered what would jolt his prince's memory, and sighed:
something painful, no doubt. Well, there was time.

He dug his mobile phone out of his pocket and began to dial
Takehiko's number.

***

Isamu watched as the suburbs of Tokyo flashed before his eyes. His 
sixth sense had suddenly jumped awake – not that it was ever really 
asleep. He could feel Xavier beside him, burning with excitement. 
People were looking at them, of course. It was their hair, it was 
their eyes... Those were the obvious reasons, but it was more than 
that. Ever since they could remember, they had known they were... 
different. They had known there was something they had to do... 
someone they had to find...

"Do you think it's really him?" Xavier asked quietly.

Isamu glanced at him. Xavier was looking down at his feet. His
energy level had dropped, and the sight of his pale face sent Isamu
reeling back into the years of their childhood. He gripped himself.
He wouldn't remember. He refused to remember the past here, on the
threshold of the future.

"Yeah, I believe it's him, Xavier," he said quietly, taking hold of
the thin arm and gently squeezing it. "Don't be afraid."

Xavier looked up. "Thanks, Isamu." His voice was low and slightly
husky. Isamu squeezed the arm again, knowing that tears had not been
far away. Anger and love boiled inside him. After all this time,
Xavier was still afraid somewhere. He couldn't help it. He'd been
afraid for so long, so early in his life. Isamu took a deep breath,
pressing the rage back down. Xavier was here now, and Xavier was
safe, and everything was going to be alright. The future was coming.
He looked at his cousin, and realised that Xavier had been watching
him, watching the emotions play under his face. He waited for the
comment, but Xavier only smiled at him and nodded up at the tannoy.
"It's our stop."

"So it is," Isamu murmured as they slipped out of the sliding doors
and through to the outside.

"Isamu, you're going the wrong way."

"It's a shortcut."

"You and your shortcuts."

"They've proved useful. This one leads straight to Kobayashi if you
don't mind a stink along the way."

"That's why I don't like shortcuts – there's always a catch.
Especially with your shortcuts. Besides..." Xavier's smile fell away
for a moment. "We have to do this right."

Isamu paused, analysing the look on his face. He nodded. "You're 
right. Come on then, the long way round."

It wasn't as if they'd take too long anyway.

Here in the city, the wind surprised them around corners, tugging at
their coats and hair, bestowing frosty kisses on their cheeks and
nose. It was stronger now because it was coming from the sea, which
occasionally jumped into their vision, sparkling with sun.

"It's going to be a nice day," Xavier remarked happily, lifting his
face to catch the pale rays and whatever warmth they had to offer.
He felt his spirits rising effortlessly as they drew nearer. Isamu's
eyes had that glitter in them, the intensity which always appeared
when he had his goal in sight. That glitter had disconcerted 
opponents and melted girls, but Xavier was immune by it by now. He'd 
seen it so often in so many different guises. He had watched his 
cousin wrestle with his anger. He himself had let go of that a long 
time ago – but the sorrow still dogged him, occasionally rising up 
like a ink-blue shadow. Perhaps that was his burden, as anger was 
Isamu's. Perhaps this future would help them release that.

They reached the long hill and ran up the steps, partly to keep fit,
partly because by this time they were overflowing with energy - the
new day, the new year, the sunlight striking their backs, the wind
pushing at them. As they got to the top, Takehiko appeared. He stood
very still, hands in pockets, feet together, watching them come up
to him. Takehiko had always been good at waiting, even better than
Isamu, because he had no anger at his heels. Neither Xavier or Isamu
had ever really been able to define what Takehiko's burden was,
because it hardly ever appeared. They knew that he had one, and that
was about it.

"Isa-kun. Xavier-kun." Takehiko smiled at them, and they were
surprised and pleased. Takehiko didn't usually look miserable, and
he smiled often enough, but rarely did the smile reach his eyes. At
the moment, those eyes were glittering with emotion.

"It's him," Isamu said in wonder, his heart swelling. He felt his
own smile growing on his lips. Takehiko's smile was like a mirror:
you had to reflect it back at him.

Xavier laughed out loud, his breath furling into clouds, before he
suddenly gasped. A hand flew to his chest. "Wow," he whispered,
"it's never been..."

Isamu had put his hand to his chest as well. "It's so strong," he
murmured. "It's pulling, it's really pulling."

Takehiko nodded. "Come on," he said, and they followed him, suddenly
understanding why he had his hands in his pockets. It wasn't really
for the cold – it was so that he didn't keep rubbing at his chest.
Above them, the sky flushed blue, and their footsteps thumped on the
bridge as they crossed over into the sacred world. The sides of the
bridge were laid with pine to welcome the kami and they breathed in
the smell happily. It was the smell of new beginnings, of hope and
expectation.

If they hadn't been able to spot Ken – head and shoulders above the
crowd as usual – they could not have missed the blonde girl who was 
talking to him. Her hair was pale gold in the morning light,
streaming down her back in two flaxen ribbons. Isamu and Xavier
grabbed at each other's arms, pinching just as they used to do when
they were little boys and one of them wanted his cousin to look at
something.

/Mmmm, yes, maybe we should look for the Princess first. Then we'll
definitely be able to find you./

"Brilliant, Ken-kun," Isamu muttered as Ken turned around and waved
at them.

"Guys! Over here!" he called. It was slightly unnecessary for them,
but somebody turned and looked. They couldn't see him until they
were closer, but that was a good thing. When he looked at them, 
Isamu and Xavier clenched their hands into fists. They wanted to 
bow, and not in the normal Japanese way, either. The bow in their 
heads was from the waist with the right hand raised to the heart and 
clenched in a fist. A gesture that had once served as a symbol.

There they were, those dark blue eyes. Unmistakable eyes, how could
they have forgotten them, set beneath fine black brows and thick
black hair, the only piece of colour in the pale noble face.
Slightly thinner than last time. And the eyes were darker, because
he had suffered. He had been lonely, and confused, and he had died.

"Konnichi'wa..."

Ken noticed that Xavier had gone paper white and Isamu's eyes were
burning. Takehiko was calm. He nodded very slightly at Usagi in
recognition, and Ken saw Usagi's eyes widen yet again. He realised
that it was time to say their names. Even after all this time, he
still had to remind himself occasionally about the way to act.

"Guys, I want you to meet Chiba Mamoru-san. Mamoru-kun, these are my 
friends: Minami Xavier-kun, Minami Isamu-kun and Kitano Takehiko-
kun."

They bowed, all three of them, forcing themselves to be normal
Japanese men. Ken noticed that none of them made the same mistake as
he had done, but then he had always been the least reserved. That
was due to his upbringing, like so much of it, although in Canada
people always told him that he was 'way too modest'. He smiled to
himself. /Can't win./

"It's nice to meet you, Chiba-san," Takehiko said, his voice only
slightly strained.

Mamoru only nodded in reply, frowning slightly as he looked at
Takehiko.

"Mamo-chan, it's your turn," Usagi said gently, tugging on his arm.

"Oh! Thanks..." He gave Takehiko one last glance before walking up 
to the bell and beginning the prayer ritual. Usagi whirled to look 
at them, her eyes passing from one face to another, before she 
smiled happily, pressing her hands together.

"You turned up so quickly," she murmured.

"I wouldn't say that," Isamu answered, watching Mamoru as he clapped
his hands together and prayed. "We're actually quite late."

"Better late than never," Usagi retorted, and they couldn't answer
that. She walked up to the bell as Mamoru walked back. His eyes were
on Takehiko's face again, questioning. Takehiko stared back, his
face unreadable.

"So, you met Ken-kun at Harvard?" Isamu asked with a slight smile.
"I'm surprised you said hello to him. He didn't exactly make a good
impression from what he tells us."

"Oh, I met him before he’d started all that,” Mamoru said lightly. 
“Hope you’ve broken him of his bad habits.” 

Xavier punched Ken's arm lightly. "Ken-kun's been too busy working
to get into trouble." He smiled at Mamoru, green eyes friendly. "We
make sure he doesn't wander too far off the beaten track. Me and
Isamu and Hi-kun."

The diminutive surprised Mamoru, who glanced at Takehiko, but the 
taller man didn’t protest or even look at his friend. Instead, he 
stared back at Mamoru, his gaze cool but uncompromising, and totally 
unreadable. Mamoru knew that he was being rude staring at a stranger 
like this, but something said that if he kept looking, he'd find out 
something, something important...

"So are you four all studying in the same place?" he asked, tearing
his gaze away and focusing on the other three, who seemed faintly
amused.

"Yep, KO University."

Mamoru started. "And what are you studying?" he asked faintly.

"Oh, I'm up!" Ken said, and left them as Usagi walked back.

"I'm studying Ancient Civilisations and Music," Isamu carried
on. "Xavier's studying Music and IT."

"Technophile," Xavier said, shrugging as if helpless and smiling at
Mamoru, who smiled back and nodded.

"What are you studying, Chiba-san?" Takehiko asked politely.

"Medicine – I want to be a surgeon," Mamoru explained.

Isamu pretended to groan. "Oh no, not another genius; it's bad 
enough to have Xavier studying all those theorems, and Ken-kun doing 
Veterinary Medicine-"

"So he succeeded in changing his degree?" Mamoru asked, smiling.

Isamu glanced at him. "Oh, you know about his dad?”

Mamoru nodded. Usagi looked from one man to the other. Xavier 
noticed her bewilderment and stepped in.

"Ken-kun’s always wanted to be a vet," he told her. "And animals
*love* him. He's like a magnet."

Usagi smiled. “Wow, I should introduce him to my cat...” Her voice 
suddenly trailed off. Mamoru glanced at her curiously and opened his 
mouth to ask her what was wrong.

"Your turn, Xavier-kun," Ken said cheerfully. Xavier nodded and
walked off.

"So what were you doing at Harvard if you want to be a vet, Ken-
san?” Usagi asked, eyes wide. 

"Oh... it was my dad’s idea.” Ken shrugged. “He thought that going 
to a Japanese high school would have prepared me for 'real work'."

"But you told me you hated high school," Mamoru said quietly.

"Yeah, well, he didn't know that, did he? He never bothered to ask
me how I felt about it, he just looked at the report cards and the
exam results. Still..." Ken’s smile becoming genuinely cheerful once 
more. "Veterinary Studies is okay with him. It requires a lot of 
work and I'll earn a lot of money at the end."

Usagi blinked. “I... I can’t really imagine you at Harvard,” she 
confessed.

Ken grinned. "Don't try – I didn't really go to classes."
"You didn’t? But then, the exams...”

“Failed ’em.”

“Deliberately?" Usagi asked, eyes huge.

"Absolutely," Ken told her, looking very proud of this fact.

Usagi stared back at him, shocked. Since she had been told from
childhood that exams must, by all means, BE PASSED, the mere idea
that someone might *deliberately* fail one was rather difficult to
swallow, let alone the fact that someone had actually dared to do
so and was *proud* of this. Mamoru did not seem surprised, and 
neither did Ken’s other friends. Usagi tried to get her head around 
what Ken had just said.

"But... but couldn't you have just passed the exam and talked to 
them about it?" she asked.

Ken shook his head as Xavier returned and Isamu took his place.
"They would have told me that it was only the first year, and
I'd got such a good result on the exam, I should give the whole
thing another try..." He made a face.

"What Ken-kun is trying to say is that failing the exam was the only
way to make people listen – he'd already tried every other method,
and nobody was listening," Takehiko explained gently.

Mamoru noted the softening of his tone and eyes as he looked at
Usagi, and something inside him bristled.

Ken nodded in agreement with Takehiko's words. "Hi-kun helped, they
*still* wouldn't listen." He sighed. "Desperate times call for
desperate measures." He smiled down at Usagi. "Don't worry, Usagi-
san. I work hard now. I love what I'm doing, even though it's ten
times more exhausting than Harvard. And don't think about following
my example, unless you have to make a statement and people were deaf
to your other attempts," he added with a laugh.

"I won't," Usagi promised, thinking that she would never dare to 
deliberately fail an exam while her mother was still able to see the 
results.

"And what are you doing, Kitano-san?" Mamoru challenged Takehiko.

Takehiko looked at him for a moment, apparently surprised by the
sudden question. "Law," he said mildly, then paused and added with a
slight smile, "along with Political Sciences."

Xavier and Ken grinned. "I had some help failing the exam," Ken
added. Mamoru stared at Takehiko again. Takehiko looked back at him, 
the smile still hovering on his lips.

"Fortunately, Hi-kun does a bit of photography in his spare time," 
Ken added, breaking the silence, "or he'd be too boring for words."

"You think I'm too boring for words anyway, Ken-kun," Takehiko
retorted lightly. "And anyway, they're necessary for what I have to
do..." His voice trailed off and suddenly he looked much older.

"Sumimasen, Hi-kun. I was forgetting..." Ken said quietly.

Isamu came back. When he saw the look on Takehiko's face, he quietly
touched his arm as Takehiko went by, the last of them to pray. Ken
kicked at the ground.

"Me and my big mouth," he muttered.

"It's okay," Xavier told him, his eyes fixed on Takehiko's back.
"They're never far from his thoughts anyway."

Usagi cleared her throat. "Mamo-chan and I are going to meet my
friends soon, in town," she announced. "Would you like to come with
us?"

They blinked at her, the three of them, surprised at her easiness
and pleased, but then they glanced at Takehiko. Isamu shook his head
gently.

"Not today, Usagi-san," he said with a tinge of regret. "But I'm
sure that we'll bump into each other again."

"Of course," Ken added quickly. "Now I know Mamoru-kun's back, I'm
not letting him disappear again!" He scrawled his mobile number on a
piece of paper and had Mamoru write his phone number and address
down. "That's better. Now we can keep in touch."

Takehiko came back, the darkness gone from his eyes. He nodded at
Usagi and Mamoru with a slight smile. "Tsukino-san. Chiba-san. I
look forward to seeing you again." His eyes met Usagi's for a
moment, then he turned and the four of them walked down the stairs.

Mamoru put an arm around Usagi's shoulders and squeezed. When she
looked up, his eyes were dark.

"Mamo-chan?" she asked. "What is it?"

"Those men..." he murmured. Usagi felt her heart begin to beat 
faster.

"They're nice," she said happily. "Xavier-san and Isamu-san... what
close brothers."

"Hmmm..."

"Why were you glaring at Takehiko-san?"

"Was I glaring?"

"Like he was an enemy." The blue eyes held him, very serious and
clear. "He's not an enemy, Mamo-chan."

He stared down at her and then sighed. There were still some things
that Usagi didn't understand, and for that he was grateful. He
kissed her on the top of her head and they walked down together.

"If you say so, Usako. If you say so."

***

/My wish is... to meet the future fearlessly. To be ready to fight
whatever evil comes for me. And to protect that important person.../

He watched them talking, smiling, and wished that he could join in.
But all he could feel was a cold fear in his stomach, and all he
could seem to do was nod. The fear had risen inside him as he looked
into those navy eyes, and it was still growing.

"You weren't very nice to him."

He blinked, looking up from his coffee. Isamu had his arms folded,
his blue eyes incisive.

"Yeah, Hi-kun, why the formality?" Ken complained. "We've all been
eager to meet him, you most of all, I think, and it's like you've
got cold feet. You believe it's him, right?"

They were all looking at him now, suddenly anxious, and he felt
responsible, a fresh guilt on top of the old shame that was always
somewhere inside him, like blood that had stained too deeply. He
knew that he should smile, but his mouth just felt even heavier and
turned down further.

"Oh yes, it's definitely him," he said softly, sipping at the hot
liquid. It burned his lips, but the pain was almost a relief.

"So? Why the long face?" Ken prodded again.

Takehiko put the cup down. Ken was always trying to make sure that
the rest of them didn't get too depressed or too serious, and he
appreciated the effort, because it was certainly necessary.

"It will take something big to make him remember."

"There's no rush," Xavier protested. "We can take it slowly. There's
nothing we need to prepare for... is there?" His eyes suddenly 
narrowed.

Takehiko picked up his cup again. Xavier could read his body 
language better than most, and he didn't want the younger man 
guessing too much. This was a burden that he had to bear alone for 
the moment. He couldn't share it with them.

He couldn’t share it with anyone.

"There's no rush," he whispered, staring into his coffee once more. 
"And I'm sure that the Princess will help us as much as she can."

"Better start calling her Usagi then - she hates formality. Always
did," Ken added, downing his own drink and putting his feet up on 
the table.

Takehiko pushed them off and nodded. "I'll try."
"We'll all try," Isamu promised him, his gaze softening slightly.
Obviously his suspicions had been allayed for the moment.

Takehiko leaned back against the seat, looking up at the high 
ceiling of the flat. Beams of sunshine streamed in from the 
skylights, lighting up the big living area and catching the glass of 
the windows in the surrounding buildings. All this light and energy, 
and he felt totally suffocated inside. He had to fight this, this 
feeling. If not, how would he manage to fight anything bigger?

/Our wish is... to meet the future fearlessly. To be ready to fight
whatever evil comes for us. And to protect that important person. 
But will that wish be granted?/

His thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of Ken's mobile.

"Unidentified caller... Moshi moshi? Usagi-san!"

They all sat up as Ken's face took on a look of intense 
concentration. He grabbed pen and paper from Xavier and proceeded to
scribble something down. "Sure! Meet you there. Ja!" He flipped the
phone shut and then grinned at them. "Got a rendezvous already,
guys. Usagi-san wants us to meet someone. Two people actually."

"Senshi?" Takehiko demanded, feeling the fear retreat slightly.

Ken's face fell. "Didn't ask."

Xavier rolled his eyes and Isamu punched him on the arm.

"Typical."

"We can assume they're senshi, she wouldn't just expose us to two
strangers, and they must be important if she wants us to meet them
now," Takehiko said. "When did she want us to meet with her, Ken-
kun?"

Ken consulted his notes. "In about half an hour... Azubu Park." His
phone buzzed again. "Oh. Parents." He walked into the kitchen to 
take this call.

Takehiko got up, then swept his coat off the chair and onto his body
in one smooth movement.

"You can really tell you used to wear a cloak," Isamu observed with
a nostalgic smile.

"We all used to wear cloaks, but Hi-kun's the only one who can do
that," Xavier pointed out.

"What do you think of him?" Isamu demanded, getting up and slipping
on his own coat. "He's more confident…"

"Definitely," Xavier agreed, "and calmer. He won't lose his temper
as often as Endymion-sama did."

"Well, he's not under as much stress as Endymion-sama," Isamu
pointed out.

"Yes, but still, Endymion-sama had a filthy temper..."

Takehiko put his hands in his pockets as they began to argue, 
feeling different, searching for the cause. What was it? The fear 
was receding, going back into the dark parts of his mind, but that 
wasn't the reason...

"What do you think, Hi-kun?"

"A good man," Takehiko answered, a smile suddenly appearing on his
lips as he looked at them. "Lots of potential. When he remembers us,
he'll be very happy. He needs friends."

"Sorry about that, guys," Ken said as he came back into the room.

"Nothing to be sorry about," Xavier told him. "Your parents wanted
to wish you Happy New Year."

"More like Dad wanted to make sure that I wasn't dead drunk in a
ditch," Ken retorted with a small bitter smile.

"He cares about you, Ken-kun," Takehiko reminded him. "Otherwise he 
wouldn't be worried."

Ken stared at him, his eyes black for a moment, and Takehiko
glimpsed the bitterness inside them. It would take a while before he 
forgave his father for pulling the stunt with Harvard.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I s'pose you're right. Dad did ask how my
studies were going."

"We were discussing our first impressions of Mamoru-san," Xavier
said quickly, always the peacemaker. "You never did tell us much
about him..."

"Well, you can't really judge a person on what you see in a foreign
country," Ken demurred, wrapping a scarf around his neck.

"That's where you're wrong," Isamu contradicted. "My first
impression of you when we met was perfectly right: you were scared,
but you weren't about to let anyone get the better of you, you 
werefriendly and a bit clumsy and you were very independent." He 
grinned at Ken. "I'd say that seeing a person in a foreign country, 
that is, under pressure, is when you see who they really are!"

Ken laughed. "Alright, Sam, you win!"

"Don't call me 'Sam'!" Isamu scowled, pretending to be offended. "I
am not a Samuel!"

"My first impression of Mamoru-kun was... well, he was shy, but that
he hid it by being proud. Reminded me of Hi-kun, actually."

"Hi-kun's not that proud!" Xavier objected.

"He might seem so to an outsider," Ken replied. "You've known him
too long to remember how it might seem to other people. So yes –
shy, proud, intelligent... but kind."

"If you're quite finished?" Takehiko demanded, slipping on his 
shoes. "There are people waiting for us, and there will be traffic, 
even on New Year's Day."

"Nag," Isamu said cheerfully as they followed his lead.

"If I didn't nag you, nothing would get done."

Isamu smirked. "You just keep believing that, Hi-kun, if it makes 
you happy."

"Just because you don't need motivation, *Sam*!" Ken teased,
shoving against Isamu's shoulder.

"I told you not to call me that!"

Ken and Isamu proceeded to have their customary shove/wrestle match
whilst Xavier and Takehiko strolled ahead. Xavier didn't have enough
bulk to wrestle, and Takehiko only joined in if he was in a playful 
mood. Today, he was feeling thoughtful, and still trying to discover 
what was different inside him.

"Are you okay?" Xavier asked in a low voice as the doorman bowed
them out of the building.

Takehiko sighed. "Seeing him... brought back so many memories. Bad 
and good."

Xavier glanced at him for a moment, his eyes sympathetic, before
looking at his feet again. "Must be hard remembering more than 
therest of us," he remarked.

Hard wasn't exactly the word. "Yes," Takehiko agreed simply. "But
don't worry about me, I can cope."

"I know that – we all know that. None of us doubt your stamina, Hi-
kun, but we all made the decision to reincarnate, we came back
together, we're a group. So if you have a problem, it involves all
of us. Don't think that you're alone in this. You're not."

Takehiko sighed again, this time silently, and glanced down at
Xavier, who was not only the youngest of the group, but also the
smallest. Of course, that wasn't difficult, given that he and Ken
were over six foot, but Takehiko knew that Xavier had a slight
complex about it.

"I know I'm not alone, Xavier-kun," he assured him. "But thanks for
reminding me. I know that I tend to forget."

"I think we all do occasionally," Xavier replied with a quick smile,
and glanced over his shoulder at Ken and Isamu. Ken was bigger and
had more muscle, but Isamu had more stamina, so they were evenly
matched.

/No,/ Takehiko thought. /Not you. You never forget us. You hate to
be alone. Ken, Isamu, me – sometimes we break off on our own, but
you wouldn't do that unless it was necessary. You can be self-
sufficient, but you prefer to work with others. That's a good thing– 
it's a glue./ He glanced over his shoulder as well, and saw that 
the match was still going.

"Guys, I realise it must be frustrating that a WWF agent has never 
spotted you,” he said, amused as always, “but we're getting near the 
park now."

Isamu and Ken let go of each other. They were both panting slightly, 
cheeks a healthy red from their exertions, and looked happy – 
wrestling was a good way of expending their surplus energy.

"We'll continue this later," Isamu growled at Ken, eyes narrowed in
playful threat.

"I look forward to it, shortie!" Ken retorted, looking down his
nose, because Isamu was 'only' up to his chin.

"Say that again."

"Sure! Shortie shortie shortie-"

"I object, I am the shortie in the group, so you can't call him
that," Xavier exclaimed, turning around and walking backwards.

"Damn, he's right," Ken muttered. "Foiled again!"

Isamu laughed. "It's good to have friends in low places."

"Poor, really poor, Isa-kun," Takehiko sighed, shaking his head.
"What?!"

"Hey, there she is!" Ken exclaimed.

The unmistakable blonde head could be seen on the bandstand, unused
in the winter. It moved as Usagi ran to the top of the steps and
waved. They all waved back and quickened their pace.

Usagi turned around and smiled. "They're coming!"

"Well, we didn't think that you'd go and wave at the park for the
sake of it, Usagi-chan," Setsuna pointed out gently.

Hotaru was clutching the edge of the bench, excited and nervous at
the same time. "Are they nice?" she asked for the fifth time,
looking cute in her black coat with silver snowflakes on the
pockets.

"Yes, very nice," Usagi reassured her. "I'm sure they'll like you.
And I'm sure you'll like them. They're very sweet."

"Sweet?" Setsuna repeated, raising an eyebrow. Somehow she found it
difficult to think of these men as 'sweet', and it wasn't because
they had been the Four Princes of the Dark Kingdom... but then, this
was Usagi. Usagi saw things differently from other people.

"I'd better go greet them," Usagi murmured, almost changing before
their eyes. Her spine straightened and she walked smartly down the
steps. Hotaru glanced anxiously at her adoptive mother, and Setsuna
smiled down at her reassuringly.

"Patience, Hotaru-chan," she soothed. "I'm sure everything will turn
out fine."

Hotaru nodded, biting at her lip and looking straight ahead again.
At times like this, she really was just a normal child, hoping 
thatthese new people would like her, and the sight of her warmed
Setsuna's heart. She gently smoothed the thick dark hair and waited.
She was very good at waiting: patience was a necessary quality for
the Guardian of Time – and for being a mother, she added with a
slight smile. Good thing that Chronos's blood gave her spades of it.

Their first impression was of four tall men with windblown hair,
stepping into the shade of the pavilion. They both stood up.

"These are dear friends of mine," Usagi began, causing Hotaru and
Setsuna to straighten with pride. "They are the senshi of Saturn and
Pluto: may I present Tomoe Hotaru and Meioh Setsuna."

Both of them bowed politely, and the men bowed back as one, as if
they'd rehearsed it.

"Setsuna-san, Hotaru-chan, this is Minami Xavier-san, Minami
Isamu-san, Kitano Takehiko-san and... Ken West-san," Usagi ended,
making a valiant effort as she spoke the English word. Ken gave her
an encouraging wink.

"We're very pleased to meet you," Setsuna announced quietly, looking
over each of them. They each looked back at her with clear eyes.

"It's an honour to meet you, Meioh-san," said Takehiko respectfully.

"I hope we haven't caused you too much trouble."

"So far, you have clean slates," Setsuna replied, causing a smile to
ripple over their faces.

"Are you American?" Hotaru asked Ken abruptly.

"Canadian."

Hotaru's eyes widened. "You've lived in Canada?"

"Yep, for most of my childhood."

Now the eyes lit up. "What's it like?"

"Well, the part where I lived was big and open, with beautiful
countryside, and a big river, and I used to ride my horse through
the forest every morning."

"You have a horse?!"

"Hotaru-chan," Setsuna admonished gently. Hotaru blushed, realising
that she was being a little rude.

"Gomen nasai," she apologised.

"It's alright," Ken assured her.

"As you've already guessed, Setsuna-san is the Senshi of Time,"
Usagi explained. "So we had to have her permission to send you back
in time. The same thing happened to her, so if you have any…
confusions about that, or questions, you're welcome to ask her.
Hotaru-chan is the Senshi of Ruin – this is actually her second
incarnation in this lifetime. The first time..."

"I was taken over by an evil spirit," Hotaru interrupted, lifting
her head. Her voice had deepened slightly and her eyes now held an
ancient wisdom. "It was planted in me because my father believed
that it would keep me alive. And it did, but at a price – eventually
the spirit possessed me and I was forced to awaken as a senshi
before my time. I had to destroy that which I most loved," she added
softly, still holding their gaze. "Fortunately, Usagi-san was able
to resurrect both the city and me, but I still remember what it's
like to live with evil, to have it inhabit your body... I 
understand." She paused and took a deep breath. When she spoke 
again, her voice had returned to normal. "So I… I'd like to be your 
friend. I can understand... how you might feel."

They all stared at her, stunned and serious. Then Takehiko knelt
down, a smile breaking out on his lips like a bird flying free.

"Arigatou," he said. "It's very comforting to know that somebody
understands that kind of experience. It's wonderful to know that we
all have such a good friend." He held out his hand, and Hotaru
walked slowly forward to take it. "I look forward to knowing you,
Hotaru-chan. And you, Meioh-san," Takehiko added, looking up at
Setsuna, who nodded at him, a faint smile on her lips.

Hotaru looked at their hands together, noticing that the skin of his 
wrist was as pale as hers. "You can't sunbathe," she observed.

"No," he agreed.

"Me neither," she assured him as he stood up again. "I go all pink
and itchy."

The others knelt down and shook her hand as well. When Ken did so,
she whispered, "Will you tell me about your horse sometime?"

He grinned and whispered back, "I'll show you photographs of him,
how's that?"

She nodded happily.

"So where are the other senshi?" Isamu demanded.

Usagi and Setsuna exchanged glances.

"We should all sit down," Usagi suggested, and they did so, Hotaru
ensconced between Takehiko and Ken.

"We believe that it's best for them not to know about you at
present," Setsuna began, her eyes fixed firmly on their faces. "They
might not be very welcoming, and the last thing you need is people
harassing you about a past over which you have no control. When you
feel secure enough in your position as Mamoru-san's guardians... 
it's up to you to tell them."

"So you think they'd harass us if they found out?" Takehiko repeated
slowly.

"Uranus and Neptune might make life very difficult for you, yes," 
said Setsuna delicately.

"And your guardians?" Takehiko asked Usagi.

She looked at her hands, obviously considering her response. 
“They're a little more unpredictable. I'm pretty sure that Ami-chan 
and Minako-chan would listen to you, however unwillingly. As for 
Rei-chan and Mako-chan..."

"That's a whole different ball game," Isamu muttered under his
breath.

Usagi glanced at him, shocked, but Isamu quietly shook his head,
glancing at Xavier and Ken before remarking, "Personally, I won't be 
at all surprised if they’re hostile towards us. In a way, we deserve 
it."

Usagi opened her mouth.

"You shouldn't have that kind of attitude!"

The fierce voice made them all jump. Hotaru was glaring at Isamu,
her grey eyes sparking with anger.

"How are you going to look after Mamoru-san if you go around
thinking that you should be punished for what you've done?" she
demanded forcefully, gloved hands curling into fists. "It wasn't you
who did that. Even if they're hostile – even if it's understandable
– you shouldn't just take that lying down! How are you going to
defend Mamoru-san if you can't even defend yourselves?!"

She stopped, suddenly aware that everyone was staring at her and
flushed, leaning back into her alcove. "Well, that's what I think.”

"I couldn't agree with you more, Hotaru-chan," Usagi declared. "You 
took the words right out of my mouth." 

Takehiko nodded. He'd suddenly realised what felt different: his 
heart was at peace. There was no constant tug, but a warm settled 
feeling. He smiled at the younger girl. “I can see that we're going 
to need you around for inspirational speeches.”

Hotaru was comforted and smiled back at him. "Just send me a text
every time you need a boost," she replied, intending to make
everyone laugh, and succeeding.

"Fine," said Isamu softly, after the laughter had died away. "I 
promise you, Hotaru-chan, that when the rest of the senshi 
inevitably find out the awful truth, we will not allow them to walk 
over us."

"How are we going to keep in contact if there's this problem with
the other senshi?" Takehiko asked, bringing them back to business.

"Phone," Setsuna said simply. "I don't think there's much danger
physically *meeting* them, you just have to be careful not to arouse
suspicion. Nothing... unusual."

"Define unusual," Isamu said instantly, raising an eyebrow, and
Setsuna actually laughed slightly.

"Unusual in our terms, let's see..." She thought for a moment.

"No outward signs of magic," Usagi told them.

"Definitely not," Setsuna agreed.

"Don't behave like aliens," Hotaru suggested.

"I don't think they need to worry about that, Hotaru-chan, they're
from Earth," Setsuna told her.

"Yes, but we haven't exactly 'lived' on it for a while," Isamu
pointed out. "And Xavier tends to drift off..."

"Oh, they're used to that," Hotaru told him confidently. "Usagi-san
and Minako-san do it all the time."

Usagi blushed, while Setsuna coughed to hide a chuckle and the
shitennou smiled at Hotaru.

"So, no magic, no alien behaviour, what else?" Ken asked.

"Don't get too close to Usagi-chan. They tend to be very... 
protective of her."

All four of them nodded, a little puzzled by this statement but
accepting it.

"Don't be too aggressive," Usagi said suddenly. "Don't try too hard.
Just be natural. Just be yourselves." She smiled at them. "I'm sure
that you'll fit in easily enough doing that."

"You're sweet, Usagi-san," Isamu murmured suddenly, looking over her
shoulder. "Really sweet."

Xavier glanced at him, saw the glitter in his eyes and asked softly,
"How is Mamoru-san?"

Usagi once again wondered what she could say. "He’s fine... he's
intrigued by you..."

"Is he suspicious?" Takehiko asked suddenly, surprising everyone
except for Setsuna – it took a lot to surprise her.

Usagi nodded. "He’s suspicious of you, but not the others. He likes
them."

Xavier pinched Isamu's arm. Isamu blinked, the pain necessary to
push down the tears which had risen in his eyes, and glanced at
his cousin in thanks. Then he leaned back, breathing in the fresh
air. It was somehow a relief that Mamoru liked them – well, three of 
them. Takehiko was staring at the floor.

"What's Hi-kun done to make him suspicious?" Ken demanded.

Usagi shrugged helplessly. "I don't know…"

"It's alright," Takehiko said calmly, surprising them all (except
Setsuna) once again. He had his hands loosely clasped in front of
him, and seemed to be examining them. His voice was level and
reassuring, with no sign of distress whatsoever. "I can handle that. 
I was... expecting it."

"You were?!" said Ken and Xavier.

"Nice of you to warn us in advance," said Isamu dryly.

Takehiko looked at them and smiled very slightly, then leaned back
and stretched, looking almost relaxed. "If I'd told you, none of you
would have believed me," he pointed out.

"That's not the point," Isamu retorted sharply. "You can't just go
around keeping us wilfully ignorant of the facts, that's dangerous!"

Takehiko raised an eyebrow. "We're talking about me hiding a
feeling that our Prince might suspect me, Isa-kun, not a deadly
secret or something that could influence the fate of the world."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about. It's the principle of
the thing." Isamu's eyes narrowed. "You're always doing this, and it 
always backfires."

The three senshi watched this. Usagi's eyes were wide and a little
worried, but she'd learned about conflict between friends. You had
to let them sort it out themselves – even though Isamu and Takehiko
were charging the air with too many emotions. Hotaru was leaning
against Ken's arm, enjoying the argument in the way that you enjoy a
ride on a rollercoaster: excitement and fear mixed together so
finely that you can't tell which is which. Setsuna had folded her
arms. She was always intrigued by how a relationship could change
and shift over time, the different dynamics that slowly grew and
died.

The first time she'd seen these two in the Time Stream, Isamu had
been far more hot-headed and Takehiko very quick to step on any
challenge to his authority; the second time, within the shifting
shadows of the Dark Kingdom, Takehiko had been much more distant and
Isamu's temper had been maturing, his insecurities slowly fading –
too slowly, since his death had been swift. Now it seemed that
Takehiko had lost some of his superiority complex and Isamu finally 
had his temper under control. They were certainly better friends 
than at any other time she'd seen them. That was a change – a change 
that boded well.

Takehiko stared into the flaring blue of Isamu's eyes, as pure and
deadly as arsenic. He could feel the familiarity of the situation – 
memories flitted in and out of his mind.

"I know that, Isa-kun," he said. "I do try to learn from my 
mistakes. If I suspect something which might be important, I will
tell you. We have to keep enough secrets from others without keeping
them from each other too."

Isamu stayed tense for a moment, unconsciously pushing him. Takehiko
had the annoying (enviable) ability to wipe his face and eyes
completely clear of thought and feeling, to become as calm and
impassive as a cliff. No matter how many times the sea flung waves
against it, the cliff remained the same, and Isamu often felt like
that, hurling himself against Takehiko's will. He'd gained a little
here, but he'd only won the battle, not the war, he was very aware
of that.

"Well," he replied, "that's a start." And he relaxed, aware
of Ken and Xavier staring at him in reproach. They trusted Takehiko
implicitly, and always saw his demands as a sign that he had no
faith in their leader.

"One last question," Takehiko continued, as if there had been no
break, "and then we won't take up anymore of your time." He shifted
a little to accommodate Hotaru as she settled back between him and
Ken before asking, "How are the senshi?"

Usagi stared at him. "They're... they're fine," she stuttered. "I
mean, they're not sick, they're... normal. Why… d'you ask?"

"In case we need to be aware of anything when we meet," Takehiko
explained gently. "In case there are any subjects that we shouldn't
mention at the moment."

Usagi mused for a moment, swinging her leg slightly. "Nope, can't
think of anything. Avoid mentioning Rei's father, and that's about
it. Oh – and don't worry about the cats giving you weird looks,
they-"

"USAGI!"

Usagi cringed. "Ah..."

"You didn't tell Luna you were coming?" Setsuna asked, frowning.

"I didn't think Luna would exactly approve," Usagi replied.
"You may have a point there," Setsuna conceded as they watched a
small, plump feline form come streaking across the park towards
them.

A few family groups were wandering around now, and Luna's passage
drew numerous comments and murmurings of "kawaii". However, Luna was
on a mission, and not even the famous feline vanity could stop her.
She bounded up the steps, slightly out of breath. She hadn't had to
give Usagi a scolding for quite a while now, and she was feeling
almost nostalgic. The nostalgia disappeared abruptly as she saw the
four men sitting opposite her princess.

Luna froze, and then puffed up to twice her size. "Hotaru-chan," she
said, hissing, "get away from those men."

Hotaru glanced up at Ken and Takehiko. "Why? I'm warm." And to make
her point, she snuggled deeper, her cheeks rosy, looking content.

"Luna..." Usagi began. "Please listen..."

"No *you* listen!" Luna spat, turning towards her. "You sneak off
without a word – without a single word! You've been acting strange
since you got back from the shrine – and now I understand why." She
shot the shitennou a venomous glance and made that deep, unnerving
growl which all cats make when their territory is threatened. “Now, 
either you move, or I *make* you move.”

Isamu rolled his eyes. “Oh, we’re so scared.”

Luna snarled – and leapt. Straight onto Xavier’s legs, where she dug 
her claws in. 

“I won’t let you hurt them – not again – not after last time – take 
*that*-!”

Xavier just about swallowed a yell of pain and tried to move 
backwards out of the reach of Luna’s paws, which were scrabbling at 
his eyes.

“Nice one, Isa-kun,” Ken snapped, moving forward and grabbing Luna 
just as he’d been taught. She turned and spat at him, ears flat back 
against her head, but Ken didn’t even flinch. He lifted her off 
Xavier’s legs and held her out at arm’s length. “Luna-san, if you’d 
just listen-”

“Listen?! To you?! Don’t make me laugh! Usagi, get out your 
communicator, transform, *do something*!”

"Luna," said Setsuna.

Luna blinked at the calm voice and turned her head slowly. "Se – 
Setsuna-san," she gasped.

The look on her face was quite comical, and Ken had to bite his lip
very hard not to laugh. He had already assessed Luna – a little
chubby but not too bad, good shine to the fur, claws well trimmed,
eyes bright with no film or veins showing... She obviously had a 
close bond with Usagi, he thought, glancing with approval at the 
worried blonde, but then he had identified Usagi as an animal lover 
at first sight.

"Luna, this isn't what it seems," Setsuna explained calmly. "The
shitennou are not evil anymore. They have been reincarnated just as
I was, and we are having a little debriefing. I'm sorry that Usagi-
chan didn't tell you anything, but I can assure you that neither she 
nor I nor Hotaru-chan are under any kind of enchantment, hypnosis or 
drug."

Luna deflated, quite literally, and glanced at Xavier. "My
apologies," she mumbled, "I couldn't help thinking... I'm sure you 
can understand..."

Xavier gave her a rather strained smile and continued to prod his 
legs.

"Silly Luna!" scolded Usagi, sweeping her cat into her arms and
scratching her under the chin. "Don't you think I've at least
learned a few things about strategy by now?"

Luna purred, forgetting her embarrassment. Who cared if she'd
humiliated herself in public when Usagi was scratching her in that
special spot she could never quite reach with her paw?

"Anyway, guys, this is Luna, my cat," Usagi announced rather
unnecessarily. "She's a worrywart and a bit fat, but I love her 
anyway."

Luna sighed. "Thank you, Usagi."

"You're welcome. This is Minami Xavier, Minami Isamu, Ken West and 
Kitano Takehiko."

"Pleased to meet you, Luna-san," they chorused, bowing their heads.
Flattered, Luna flicked her tail at them and told Usagi to put her
down on Xavier's lap so she could inspect each of them properly. She
took her time with Xavier, whiskers quivering, looking at his face
for a long time before she moved onto Isamu. His assessment was far
quicker and there was some slight purring. Everyone watched her,
absorbed in her actions, until recalled to business by Hotaru.

"Does this mean the meeting's over?" she asked as Luna reached Ken.

"Nearly. Are you going to tell Artemis about this, Luna?" Usagi
demanded.

"Hmmm? Why?" Luna was being thoroughly stroked by Ken, which made
total concentration difficult.

"If you know, then shouldn't Artemis know too? That's fair,"
Setsuna commented.

"But they're the ones who should tell him," Hotaru objected. "You
said it was their secret, Setsuna-mama."

"If one of us meets him, we'll do that," Isamu assured her, watching
with amusement as Luna curled up on Ken's lap, totally forgetting to
inspect Takehiko. She pushed her head into Ken's hand, purring
loudly.

Ken smiled down at her and then looked up at Usagi. "She's in great
health from what I can see, although obviously she differs slightly
from ordinary cats... You take good care of her."

Usagi blushed. "It's my mother who usually feeds her," she
confessed.

"A cat needs more than food, warmth and injections," Ken
contradicted. "Any pet needs love, and Luna-san's very well-loved. 
But then, I should expect that from you, ne?" He glanced over at 
Hotaru for confirmation and she nodded with a smile, stroking the 
curve of Luna's back.

"Stop embarrassing the poor girl, Ken-kun," Takehiko warned as he
stood up, brushing down his coat. "She does it without thinking."

"We should be going," Setsuna announced, also standing up. "Come on,
Hotaru-chan, they'll be waiting for us."

Hotaru nodded, looking slightly wistful as she stood up. "It was
nice meeting you," she murmured, bowing to all of them. "I hope we
meet again soon."

Setsuna handed a card to each of them. "My mobile and home number
are on there," she explained, pointing out which was which. "If you
have any troubles... any questions, ambiguities... I will be happy 
to help, believe me."

Ken carefully picked Luna up in his arms and they all bowed.

"We look forward to meeting you both again," Takehiko announced. "If
there's anything we can ever do to help either of you, don't
hesitate to call us."

Setsuna smiled a little, bowed and then they walked away. Hotaru
cast occasional glances over her shoulder and risked a quick wave.
They all waved back – well, Luna flicked her tail and continued
purring into Ken's chest.

"Don't you want to inspect Hi-kun?" Ken asked her with a smile.

"Not really, I'm about to go to sleep. But I suppose I must – duty
calls," Luna added mournfully.

Usagi giggled at her tone. "They say pets are like their owners – or
is it owners are like their pets? Minako-chan mixes me up..."

"Owners *look* like their pets; pets are like their owners," Xavier
clarified. "Although you and Luna don't look much alike apart from
the eyes…"

Luna was putting her paws on Takehiko's chest and inspecting him.
His scent filled her, just as the others had – all of them had that
familiar clean edge of power, mixed with Earthling warmth like
Mamoru, masculine musk, and then their individual strength. Xavier
had smelled innovative and yet fragile, like smoke; Isamu's scent
had been much stronger, the surety and freshness of water tumbling
over a cataract; Ken's had been reminiscent of catnip, light and yet
vibrant with a hint of pine; and this... this was pure yet tinged 
with a darkness, melancholy. Strong, but... She lifted her blue gaze 
to Takehiko's face and saw it in his eyes. The fear, the sorrow, and
more than that, feelings which still lay sleeping inside him.

"Do I pass the test?" he asked.

"That's up to you," Luna replied. "Whether you let yourself pass."

Takehiko nodded and gave her back to Usagi, where she curled around
the slender white neck.

"I'll see you before school starts again?" Usagi asked anxiously. "I
mean – you need – Mamo-chan, he..."

"Usagi-san, you bumped into him often enough, right?" Ken asked.

"Hai..."

"Then I've no doubt we'll do the same.” He smiled at her, and Usagi 
smiled back.

“Okay.”

All four men bowed to her, then turned and left.

"Au revoir, Princess," Xavier called over his shoulder. "See you
later!"

Usagi watched them go across the grass, deep in discussion. "What do
you think, Luna?" she whispered.

Luna was quiet for a moment before pronouncing her judgement. "Be
kind to them, Usagi-chan," she said. "They have a hard road ahead of
them."

***

The wind ripples in waves over the wheat, an ocean of gold that runs
to the horizon and meets the creamy sky. He feels it gently brush
against his skin, an invisible kiss before it leaves. The wind is
always moving.

Is this a dream?

Or a memory?

"Right action is freedom," a voice murmurs to his left and he turns
to see someone sitting on a riverbank. The water glistens in the
sunlight. He walks over and sits down. The water is warm against his
ankles.

"Right action is freedom from past and future also."

"No," he says. "You have to remember the past in order not to repeat
its mistakes. You think there's freedom in amnesia?"

"That's not what I said."

"You stated that right action is only possible when you’re free of
the past."

"Amnesia is not freedom, why do you automatically associate the two?
Do you truly believe ignorance is bliss?"

Where has he heard this voice before? The face is blurred and
shadowy, but he knows the voice. It's irritatingly familiar.

"No – ignorance only harms people in the end," he whispers, pressing
a hand to his chest, remembering the slice of a crystal sword.

"You must know the past, yes, but you must not let that knowledge 
weigh you down and make you feel inferior. Knowledge of the future
is even more precious, but also inevitably imprecise."

"No! Sometimes... you can experience it."

"Your experience is brief and is coloured by your perceptions. Could
a person of a hundred years ago really comprehend our society just
from a few moments?"

"Our society...?"

"Could someone who was alive at the beginning of the firstmillennium 
really understand life today, at the beginning of the
second?"

"He - he wouldn't believe it was the same planet, the same land, but
if things were explained to him before he came-"

"Would that really make any difference?"

"No... not really. He'd only understand the history, not the actual
place."

"Exactly. Right action is freedom from past and future also. For
most of us, this is the aim never here to be realised; who are only
undefeated because we have gone on trying..." A sigh mingles with
the murmurs of the leaves above them. "Humans have never been very
good at living in the present. They are always thinking back on the
past, looking forward to the future... It takes so much time for 
them to learn that time is... unimportant."

"But they keep trying. They believe."

"They need to believe." Another sigh rustles around them. "They need
to believe that they can be free from what they did in the past.
They need to believe that they can shape their future. They need to
believe that they can be totally free. The aim never to be
realised..."

"Why are you so afraid?"

The question seems to electrify the air. The man sits up straight.
The wind catches at his hair, pulling strands away from his face.

“I am not afraid...”

"Is your past keeping you trapped?" Mamoru follows.

"I don't know..."

"You'll never be free until you find out."

"I keep trying to find out..."

"Then you'll never be defeated – you will get free."

"I am nearly free now. Nearly."

"What's stopping you?"

The man looks up into the sky. "I have a wish, you know."

"It's important to have a wish." He touches the arm clothed in white
cotton. He knows this man. His heart is beating fast in excitement.
"Will you tell me?"

The man glances at him. His eyes glitter. "My wish is to meet the
future fearlessly. To be ready to fight whatever evil comes for me.
And to protect that important person..."

The words hang between them. Mamoru swallows on a tight throat. His
eyes are burning, and he doesn't know why.

"It's a good wish," he says softly. "I think you'll reach your aim
this time. As long as you find that important person and protect
them, no matter what."

"Like you?"

"What-?"

The man faces him directly. His eyes are like diamonds, cool and
brilliant. A smile lingers on his lips.

"I will protect that important person," he whispers, "with my life.
You can count on that. Endymion."

Mamoru chokes. "KUNZITE-!"

He lunges forward with an arm outstretched, but he touches nothing.
Everything around him is black and then he sees their faces staring
back at him, sullen and defiant all at once.

He struggles in sudden terror.

/No. I won't think of this!/

"They're watching us..."

/No.../

"The Moon won't let us breathe! They're spying on us!"

/No!/

"Who's been telling you this? That demon? Is that where you've been
hearing these lies?"

/I WON'T THINK OF THIS!/

He tears himself away from their faces, from the pain of the memory
and cries out, falling into the darkness.

"Where are you?! Where are you?!"

His voice echoes in the emptiness. He flings out a hand, terrified,
seeking a grip, seeking anything – A hand catches him, and pulls him
up. He tries to move. He can't. His limbs are paralysed, and he is
blind.

"Kunzite...?" he whispers. He knows that was the leader of his men,
the voice, the eyes – and the way he suddenly disappeared.

"I wish that we could tell him ourselves."

We? Tell him? Me? What?

"You know that's impossible. Even here... he must work it out for
himself."

Elios?

"But he's so slow at doing that! Who knows how long it will take!
And something might come up... some dark force..."

"A dark force? Have you seen something, sensed something?"

"No, I haven't seen or felt anything. I'm just worried. And what if
he doesn't believe us? All we have are the stones."

The stones... A pain in his chest as he remembers the cold voice.

...The stones are what remains of their bodies. However, in order 
for the spirits to be set free, the bodies must be destroyed...

He gasps. He can't let it happen again. He can't lose them a third
time. That's too much. He won't let it happen.

"NO!"

He flings out a hand, breaking the shield. They leap up, the five of
them: Elios, Xavier, Isamu, Ken and Takehiko, sitting together in
conference. Without him. He stares at them blankly. Xavier and Ken
look slightly guilty and surprised. Isamu seems impressed. Elios's
and Takehiko's faces are carefully blank.

"Why?" he asks. "Why are you doing this?”

Nobody answers.

“Where are the stones? What have you done with my friends?!"

"What have *we* done?" Isamu repeats slowly.

"You have the stones – where are their spirits? What have you done
with them?! They were supposed to be here! They were supposed to be
with me!" Horrified, he feels tears in his eyes and fights them
back.

Elios steps forward. "Your Highness, let me explain..."

"I don't want explanations!" he snaps. "I want the truth! Why are
you talking to them?! And about me?!"

Elios's eyes darken and he looks sad. "Because they have a right to
know about you."

"Right? Right?! I don’t know them, they don’t know me. They don’t
know anything, and if they've got the stones of my guardians, they
should give them back to me! I want them back!"

"Why? They're empty," Takehiko says softly. "Having the stones back
will not bring your friends back, Mamoru-san."

Mamoru freezes and looks at him. This is the truth – and he hates
it. "Get out," he whispers.

"Mamoru-san," Xavier begins, looking worried. "It's not what you
think..."

"We're not your enemies," Isamu adds quickly.

"Please, work it out," Ken implores. "You're smart enough!"

"Work out what? It’s perfectly obvious: somehow you've met Elios
behind my back-"

"AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!" Takehiko's voice is like a gunshot in
the tense silence. "THINK! How can we know him? Who knew besides
you? You're smarter than this." His voice lowers to a tense whisper,
vibrating with some unknown emotion. "Why are you letting yourself
get blinded by suspicion now, when you were the only one who
resisted it last time?!"

He starts back. This is too much. "How did you know?" he croaks.
"How do you know about that? How do you know all this?!"

Takehiko's eyes darken and he turns away, shaking his head.
"Hopeless. Let's go."

Mamoru feels his hands curl into fists. "Just tell me what you did
with Kunzite!"

"What makes you think I did anything?"

"He was here. He was here and now he's gone! Where is he?!" Mamoru
yells. He feels his throat closing up again and coughs, furious to
be showing any sign of weakness in front of this man.

Takehiko's shoulders sag and he glances at Mamoru with deep sadness.
"You know the answer. It's inside your head – just like all the
previous ones."

"Previous ones?!" He looks at the others. "You – all of you!"

"Prince."

He turns to Elios, who looks sad and sympathetic. "Please do not
believe me a traitor. I could no sooner betray you than... than 
betray myself," he finishes with a little smile. "If I speak to 
these men, I have a reason. And I hope you will realise that soon. I 
hope you will remember. Please try."

"Remember what?!"

"Sleep now. Getting upset will not help you." Elios turns away.

"Elios! WAIT!"

He moves forwards and falls, down, down, down -

"MAMO-CHAN!"

He gasped, eyes flying open

"Mamo-chan, were you having a nightmare?" Usagi murmured anxiously,
sitting on the edge of the bed and taking his hand.

Mamoru grasped her hand tightly, letting the details of the real
world return to him. "It wasn't a nightmare... I saw him."

"Him?"

"Kunzite..."

Usagi's eyes widened. "What did he say?" she whispered.

"I can't remember... It's so mixed up." Mamoru rubbed at his 
forehead and then he suddenly froze. "Masaka..."

Usagi looked at him, biting her lip. "Mamo-chan?"

"Usako, you know the English books that I have in the living room?"

Usagi nodded, a little puzzled and wondering if Mamoru was alright.
It wasn't normal to think of English after having a dream like that.

"Could you get me the thick orange paperback? You can't miss it."

"The poetry?" Usagi asked, brightening. Most of the books on
Mamoru's shelves were to do with biology, human biology, science…
She didn't ever look at them. This one had caught her attention –
firstly because of the colour and secondly because she recognised 
some of the words. A quick glance through the pages had been
disappointing – the words were arranged in strange structures and
whilst she could usually get the gist of what was going on in most
English texts, this left her at a total loss.

"How do you know it's poetry?" Mamoru asked, looking at her,
intrigued.

"Ano... I looked up the guy on the Internet after I saw you had a
book on him..." Usagi blushed. "I'll go and get the book. You stay
there, and don't move!" She hurried off.

Mamoru watched her go, slightly amused but also pleased that Usagi
had been trying to broaden her horizons. He wouldn't have
recommended her to start an exploration of English poetry with T.S.
Eliot, however. Eliot was, to put it mildly, rather complicated. She
came back with the book and he found the dog-eared page.

"This is it..." He read in silence for a moment, then translated it
for Usagi. She blinked at him.

"All that was in your dream?"

"No, just the part about right action being freedom from the past
and future. About most of us being undefeated because we have gone
on trying."

Usagi sat down next to him, arms around her knees, trying to
understand. "But why would you be talking about that?" she asked.

"He was trying to tell me something..." Mamoru read over the stanza
again. "The lines before that part – Eliot's talking about
incarnation. He says it's the union of opposing forces, the point at
which time becomes meaningless – see, 'past and future are conquered
and reconciled'... 'driven by dæmonic, chthonic powers'..."

"What's 'chthonic'?" Usagi asked, feeling stupid.

"It's an adjective relating to the underworld. It comes from the 
Greek god Chronos..."

Usagi gasped. "Pluto!"

"Yes, Chronos was later equated with Pluto in Roman mythology."

"No – I mean, yes – but when Pluto opens the Time Gate, she says
'Father Chronos'..." Usagi peered at the words. "So incarnation is
driven by the demonic powers of the Underworld?"

Mamoru nodded. "Not demons like youma – it means power beyond our
understanding. Everything has a time and place." He smiled a little.

"What happened next?" Usagi asked, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Mamoru squinted, trying to remember. It was already falling away in
his head, only a few words and phrases remaining. "I... I asked him
why he was afraid, about his past. He said that he kept trying, that
he was almost free. He told me that he had a wish... to face the
future fearlessly... to face whatever evil came for him..." Mamoru
suddenly frowned. "Why did he say that?"

"You have to be prepared," Usagi suggested softly. "Especially if
you've encountered evil before. We both know that. What else?"

"He said that he wished to protect an important person... and the
person was me." He looked at her, his eyes suddenly dark and
intense. "It was Kunzite who was speaking about it to me. I know it
was him, Usako. Trust Kunzite to talk about such things. I remember
– he was always the one who got stuck with teaching me the really
difficult concepts. He was the only one who had the patience."

"How do you know?"

"I... I felt him. I recognised that feeling." His hand found hers 
and the fingers interlaced, his grip tight and slightly sweaty. "But 
he was gone, and then I was remembering them… when she took them 
away from me." His voice became hoarse and she pressed closer, 
stroking his back. The betrayal was still painful – in fact the pain 
was deeper now because it had happened twice. "I didn't want to 
remember that," Mamoru whispered. "That wasn't them... I turned 
away... it was dark... and then... somebody pulled me up. There were 
people talking... Ken-kun... and the others..."

Usagi blinked. "You saw them in your dream?"

"They were talking about me – about telling me something – it's so
foggy now... I thought they'd taken Kunzite away." He caught Usagi's
look of disbelief and shook his head. "I know, isn't it stupid? But
you know how you can feel something so strongly that you just act on
it? That was how I felt. I confronted them – Elios was there... I
accused them of plotting behind my back…" Mamoru put a hand over his
eyes for a moment. "I said so many stupid things..."

"It was only a dream," Usagi whispered softly. "I'm sure that they
understood."

"Elios did – I'm not sure about the others. I don't even know if
they were actually there or if I just put them there because I met
them today. But they were talking with Elios and if he's there,
that means that it has some connection to waking life... Anyway, I 
had a fight with Takehiko-san."

"A fight?!"

"Well, I shouted at him… He begged me to think. To work it out. So
did Elios." He looked at her again, his face a mask of confusion.
"Work what out? What am I supposed to think about?"

"Maybe this poem," Usagi suggested. "There has to be some connection
between it and what they were saying."

Mamoru read the stanza over again. "They have some connection with
my guardians," he said finally. "My instincts were right in that
respect. They know where they are – maybe they're afraid to tell me
because it might hurt me. But I can't just go up to them and ask."

"Why not?"

"They'll think I'm crazy."

Usagi smiled and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. "I don't
think so. They liked you, I could tell. Even Takehiko-san."

Mamoru leaned his head against hers, still holding her hand,
thinking over it. "If I see them again – one of them – I'll try and
broach the subject of reincarnation, see how they react to that." He
touched his necklace with the other hand. "I don't know, Usako. It's
been so long since we were together. Maybe that's what Kunzite meant
– maybe I don't know how to recognise them anymore."

Usagi put an arm around his shoulders and hugged him. "Mamo-chan,
don't be pessimistic. I didn't recognise the girls either, and
everything still turned out alright."

Mamoru smiled. "Hai." He glanced down at the book again. /Who are 
only undefeated because we have gone on trying.../ "I'll think I'll 
take this with me tomorrow. I might run into one of them, although I 
doubt it. I never did before."

"Yes, but it's amazing that we managed to bump into each other,
considering how many people live in Tokyo," Usagi pointed out.

"Not really – we were bound to meet up sooner or later. Like
magnets," Mamoru joked, gazing down at her lovingly. "Not even Tokyo
could keep us apart."

"Nope," Usagi agreed. "So they'll find you. Don't worry. You're hard 
to miss," she added, glancing up at him with a smile.

Mamoru nodded in agreement and kissed her softly. She was so soft
and alive against him. He felt the warmth in his chest grow and
expand, calling out to her, responding. She broke away, gasping
slightly, blushing but smiling.

...Do you truly believe ignorance is bliss?...

He smiled, watching her compose herself. His ignorance had been a
cold, confusing hell. She was the angel who had led him out of 
thathell. He would defend her to the end.

...I will protect that important person with my life. You can count 
on that. Endymion...

/I don't want you to die for me, Kunzite. I want you to live. Live
beside me. I want all of you to live beside me. Is that so much to
ask for?/

***

"There you are!"

He turned around, half-recognising the voice. One glance at the face
brought it all back. Isamu stood there, hands in pockets.

"Ohayo. Lovely day, isn't it?"

The sarcasm was obvious. The dark clouds overhead threatened rain,
maybe sleet. Mamoru glanced up and smiled slightly. "Wonderful.
Perfect picnic weather."

Isamu gave him an answering smile. "What are you up to?"

"I'm meeting Usako."

"Here?"

"No, the Crown Fruit Parlour. You know it?"

"Yeah, but I've never been in."

"Come with me and I'll introduce you to Motoki-kun. His dad owns the 
place."

Isamu walked forward, exactly Mamoru's height, the picture of self-
confidence. "Are you sure this is okay? I don't want to interrupt 
anything private."

"Oh don't worry, it's not private. Usako's usually late anyway, so
it will be nice to have company."

Isamu raised an eyebrow. "You're tolerant. I couldn't stand my
fiancée being late. One of the things that annoys me. I don't mind
it in my friends so much."

"She doesn't mean it as an insult. She works on her own time."
Mamoru suddenly blinked. "My fiancée?"

"The ring was rather hard to miss." Isamu tapped his nose. "I notice
the little things."

Mamoru felt rather flustered, yet also pleased that Isamu had
noticed. He couldn't deny that he liked other men to know that Usagi
was his girl. "It's more of a promise ring," he said defensively.

"Uh-huh. Well, if you don't mind, I'll just keep thinking of it as
an engagement ring." Isamu looked satisfied for some reason.

"No. I don't mind," Mamoru admitted. "Is it that obvious?"

"Not to other people perhaps, but I told you, I notice details. And
I'd act the same way," Isamu added with a small grin. "You're a
lucky man, Chiba Mamoru."

"I know it," Mamoru said as they crossed the road and entered the 
Crown Fruit Parlour. It was quite crowded due to the cold weather, 
but Mamoru's practiced eyes soon spotted a table.

"So why are you in town?" he asked the other man, as they made their 
way over.

"Checking out the sales – Xavier's doing his coursework," he added.
"Always leaves it until the last minute no matter how much I nag
him. It's not that he can't do it, he just doesn't have any
motivation."

Mamoru smiled in understanding and they both sat down. "Buy 
anything?"

Isamu held up a rather large HMV bag. "Playstation," he said. "And
some PC games too."

"You must have had to fight," Mamoru observed as Motoki hurried over
their table.

Isamu grinned slightly. "You're talking to a veteran of the January
sales here – people know me by now. They got out of my way."

"Hey Mamoru-kun!" Motoki panted, sliding to a halt. "Sorry about the
wait, it's been hectic in here."

"Served by the owner’s son himself, I'm not worthy," Isamu murmured.

"Motoki-kun, this is Minami Isamu-san. New friend," Mamoru
added.

Motoki looked intrigued. "Welcome to my… bustling establishment, and
tell me, how did you manage to become his friend?"

"No idea, we only just met."

Mamoru flushed slightly. Motoki chuckled. "Don't look so 
embarrassed, Mamoru-kun. You aren't the easiest person to know. I
suppose Usagi-chan will be coming in?"

"Mmm, but who knows when she'll get here? Hot chocolate please."

"Hot chocolate? Usagi-chan's rubbing off on you."

"Shut up," Mamoru replied with a smile.

"And for the new customer?"

Isamu looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Any tea?"

"Lots." Motoki produced a little card. Isamu took it, his 
eyes running down the list. "Lemon, please – with just a bit of 
honey if you have it."

"Hot chocolate and lemon with honey. Coming up." Motoki whirled
away, weaving between tables. Isamu watched him go.

"Nice guy. What's that?" He was looking at the orange book that 
Mamoru had taken out. Mamoru showed him the cover and Isamu 
whistled. "English poetry? Wow, you're good."

Mamoru had to smile. "It's not that difficult. I had a dream with
some lines in it last night..."

"What kind of dream?"

"A confusing one... lots of information, but I don't remember all of
it... I know that it was important."

"I hate that – forgetting things. Like when you know someone in the
dream, but you don't know them in real life. You know so much in
dreams, and it all disappears when you wake up." Isamu sighed.
"Really annoying."

"Does it happen often to you?" Mamoru asked, his chest tight as he
leaned forward.

"We're not talking about me, we're talking about you. You had
English poetry in your dream?"

Mamoru nodded and opened the book. "These lines here." He pushed the
book across and Isamu read them. Mamoru could see that he understood
because he was concentrating. Finally, he looked up, his face blank
but his eyes very bright.

"You have very strange dreams, Mamoru-san." He shrugged and looked
back down. "Maybe you were communicating with the spirit world?
That's the only explanation I can give, the only reason that
incarnation would come up. And that necklace you're wearing would
help."

"This?" Mamoru reached up. His necklace was hanging outside his
clothes, and the lights were bright upon the stones.

"Excuse me..." Isamu leaned across and gently touched one. The hairs
on Mamoru's skin stood up – energy shot through him – deep and
familiar – Isamu sat back down.

"As I thought," he said quietly. "Jade."

Mamoru stared at him. "Jade?"

"Two of those stones are jade – didn't you know?" Isamu looked at
him, his eyes still bright, uncompromising. He reached down the neck
of his jumper and pulled out a pendant. "I should know."

His pendant was a creamy green. Mamoru recognised it. "Imperial
jade," he whispered.

Isamu glanced down. "It's a family heirloom." He slid the pendant
back inside and became brisk. "You're very lucky to have a stonelike 
that. You must know it's rare. Most people don't know this but
jade is actually made up of two minerals – jadeite and nephrite.
Jadeite is the rarer form, and the stronger one. It's sometimes
called Imperial jade, yes. In ancient times, they made weapons from
it." He smiled slightly. "Nephrite is more common, darker, and more
likely to crack under pressure. Both are recognised as jade
however."

"How do you know all this?" Mamoru demanded.

"I have an aunt who’s interested in holistic therapy. She told me 
and Xavier all about them. It's also in my degree – many ancient
cultures believed in the healing power of crystals."

"Healing powers?"

"That's what I meant about your necklace. It would make your link to
the spirit world even stronger. Jade is sometimes called 'the dream
stone' because it's supposed to help people remember their dreamsand 
assist in solving them, and the fact you have both varieties
will improve your chances." He looked up and smiled as Motoki set
the tea down in front of him. "Arigatou."

Mamoru blinked as Motoki set down his hot chocolate. He'd almost
forgotten the busy arcade, he'd been so intent on Isamu's words.

"So what else can you tell me about jade?" he asked.

"Oh – brings long life, prosperity, good luck, the usual blessings.
It helps you open up to what other people need, and also helps you
realise your potential in life – your destiny, if you will." Isamu
sipped his tea. "Think I'll come here again. Not many people know
how to make good lemon tea. As far as healing goes, it helps with
the heart mainly, also the hips, the spleen and the kidneys. That's
why nephrite is called nephrite – because it was thought that it was
particularly effective in healing the nephrons in the kidneys. An
early detoxificator," Isamu added with a grin. "Health fixations
never really change, believe me." He set the cup down. "I think the
jade may have enabled you to make contact with a spirit and that
spirit gave you guidance."

"Makes sense," Mamoru murmured. "I recognised him, but he's... 
dead."

"Are you sure about that?"

Mamoru looked up sharply. "What are you saying, Isamu-san?"

"I'm sure that you can work it out," Isamu replied quietly, watching
him over the rim of the teacup.

"Mamoru-san?"

Mamoru blinked, unwilling to tear his gaze away, and looked up.
"Rei-san..."

"Usagi-chan isn't here yet?"

"No, not yet."

Rei sighed. "Typical. I thought she was getting better – but it's
always two steps forward, one step back with her."

Isamu was staring into his tea. A hundred thoughts were flying
through his mind. His mouth had gone very dry. He recognised that
voice. He knew that if he looked up, he wouldn't be able to stop
staring. His heart was pounding strangely in his chest.

/Becalmbecalmbecalmbecalmbecalm/

"Rei-san, this is Minami Isamu-san. A friend. Isamu-san, this is
Hino Rei-san, a friend of Usako’s."

Isamu looked up and lost himself in calm purple eyes. He dimly heard
himself say hello.

/Please don't let her recognise me. Let me keep looking at her.../

This was ridiculous! He had to control himself, he couldn't let her
get under his skin like this. He would go insane...

"I'm pleased to meet you,” he said, perfectly cool and polite.

Rei stared back at the young man, his pale eyes strangely cool and
sharp. He seemed to be observing her. That was fine. At least he
wasn't gawping like a lot of boys did. There was something familiar
about him, but she couldn't work out just what. This place was
always full of psychic static and she could never be sure of her
impressions. Perhaps she could get Mamoru to invite him to the
shrine so that she could observe him in a better environment.

"It's nice to meet you too," she answered.

Isamu slid along the bench, making room for her, and she sat down
with a nod of thanks. He sipped his tea and gazed out of the 
window.The window was suddenly spattered with a few droplets.

"Looks like you got here just in time," Isamu murmured, nodding
outside.

Rei grimaced. "I hope Usagi-chan has an umbrella. Her hair's so
long, it will take ages to dry."

Isamu looked at her again. She was lovely. And unreachable, he 
reminded himself. "I suppose you would know," he murmured. He'd 
immediately noticed that she had long hair,but since she'd drawn it 
into a plait, he hadn't been able to see the full length.

"Usagi's hair is much thicker than mine," Rei answered. "You
wouldn't think so to look at it, but it's really a mane. It takes
about two hours for it to dry properly."

Isamu raised an eyebrow and looked at Mamoru. "I knew there was a
reason why I decided to keep my hair short," he observed.

Mamoru laughed slightly. "But Xavier-san has long hair," he replied.

"Yes – it’s still strange to see him with such a hairstyle. I keep 
expecting to see him appear one day with it all cut off because he's 
fed up of looking after it. Of course, he's had it that way for two 
years," Isamu added. "Maybe he's thinking of keeping it permanently 
like that."

Rei made a face. "I can't stand it when I see tourists wandering
about with unwashed... braids. Don't they realise how that looks?" 
She stopped. "Are we actually sitting here discussing hair?"

"Why not? It's as good a topic as any, and you brought it up," Isamu
pointed out, draining his cup and signalling for another.

"What is that?" She leaned over and he caught a whiff of incense and
smoke.

/Steady, steady./

"Lemon tea," Mamoru answered for him, watching them both carefully.

"They sell teas here?” Rei asked, glancing around. “Furu-san doesn't 
advertise them very well. What varieties?"

"Why don't you ask him?" Isamu said, staring into her eyes. "He's 
coming over right now."

Rei paused and stared back. There *was* something familiar. The
intensity of the stare, the bones beneath the skin giving his face
clear, defined lines. The chin was square, marring the prettiness 
of the skin and colouring. That pleased her. He would stand up for 
his beliefs.

/Do I know you?/

"Afternoon, Rei-san," Motoki said cheerily, "what would you like?"

"I'll have a tea, please," Rei answered, turning to look at him. 
Isamu breathed a silent sigh of relief at his release. He would have 
to work on his guard. Those eyes – he'd never seen that colour 
before. They reminded him of rain washed violets, and yet there was 
steel behind them. She was definitely no wilting flower – but then 
he knew that already, didn't he? He rubbed at his wrist, a childhood 
habit. A nervous habit. He could almost feel the flames flickering 
over his skin...

/My wish is to meet the future fearlessly. To be ready to fight
whatever evil comes for me. And to protect my prince./

He glanced up and saw that Mamoru was watching him. He smiled at his
prince, a smile of friendship. A smile of love, though Mamoru didn't
know it. The stones on the necklace glittered, the jadeite and
nephrite winking together, a pair of good luck charms. Prosperity,
peace – such precious gifts. Isamu was glad that they were there,
his stone and Ken's – they were already helping Mamoru towards the
truth. Yet he couldn't help willing his prince on.

/I'm here, Endymion-sama. Recognise me. I know you felt that energy
jolt when I touched the jadeite. I know you recognised my power.
Link the dots, Mamoru-san, it's not that hard./

A thump against the window made them all jump. It was Ken, cupping
his hands around his eyes to see through the steamy window. He waved
at them and soon appeared through the doors, shaking himself
slightly.

"I thought it was you!" he said joyfully, bounding over. "Wow,
Tokyo's a small town, Mamoru-kun – oh, sorry." He smiled
apologetically at Rei, not recognising her at all. Isamu sighed in
relief and then noticed Rei was gazing at his friend with narrowed
eyes. A shiver crept up his spine.

"Ken-kun, this is Hino Rei-san, one of Usako’s friends. Rei-san, 
this is Ken West. We met at Harvard."

Ken bowed, a little breathless, trying to collect his thoughts.
"Hajime mashite," he murmured, catching Isamu's eye as he
straightened again. His friend was slightly pale. Ken raised an
eyebrow in a silent question, but Isamu sipped his tea and looked
out of the window.

/Not here./

"It's nice to meet you too, West-san," Rei said coolly. "You haven't
seen Usagi?"

"'Fraid not, sorry." Ken almost reached into his pocket for his
phone, then remembered that Mamoru didn't know he had Usagi's
number. Damn.

"How's the weather up there?" Isamu asked. He was smiling now, and
the colour was back in his cheeks.

"Just as crappy as it is down where you are," Ken replied lightly.
"Budge up, Mamoru-kun. Don't worry, I'll move when Usagi-san
arrives." He made a face. "I hope she's okay."

"I think I'll try calling her on her mobile. Of course, that depends
if she's remembered to bring it with her, and if she's remembered to
switch it on," Rei added with a sigh, disappearing into the toilets.

Isamu was rubbing at his wrist. It was a gesture he often used when
remembering his past life. Ken kicked him gently under the table.
Isamu blinked at him, then suddenly caught sight of his hands and
put them under the table. Mamoru hadn't missed a thing.

/Great,/ Isamu thought dryly. /He can't actually recognise us, but
he'll keep watching us anyway./

"Eliot?" Ken grabbed the book and flicked through it, his eyes avid.
Isamu shot Mamoru a conspiratorial glance. Surprised, Mamoru smiled
back, creating a short but precious moment of intimacy. "The Four
Quartets – I remember this..." Ken carefully ignored Mamoru. "'The
hint half guessed'. It's all about life of course – a series of
clues that we don't fully understand, but follow anyway because what
else is there to do?"

"Try and actually work out all of the clues?" Isamu suggested.

"But the very fact we're human means we can't," Ken argued. "The
very moment we understand these things – the moment of incarnation –
is when we forget them." He could feel Mamoru watching him carefully
and glanced up with a rueful smile. "It's a nice idea though – to
think that you could be totally free from the influence of the past,
and fear of the future. Living completely in the moment, like a
kid."

"You do that anyway, Ken-kun," Isamu pointed out. "You and Xavier
manage it."

"Usako does too," Mamoru murmured, taking the book back. "She hardly
ever worries about the past or the future. I wish I could be like
that."

"But that's partly why you love her right?" Ken asked with a smile.
"Because she helps you to live like that."

Mamoru looked up, startled. They were both smiling at him in
understanding. His heart pounded, a painful emotion burning in his
chest. He hadn't felt this for a long time. What was it? There was a
name, a simple name.

Brotherhood.

The door slammed open.

"Mamo-chan, gomen nasai!" Usagi stood there, damp but whole. She ran
over to Mamoru. Ken swiftly moved out of the way and Mamoru pulled
his rabbit into his arms.

"Daijobu, Usako?"

"Hai, hai. Ohayo Isamu-san, Ken-san." Usagi beamed at them, feeling
slightly smug. They nodded at her, also smiling. This felt familiar
and right. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Mamoru-san invited me, and Ken-kun saw us sitting here with
Rei-san and decided to invite himself. Don't know what he's doing in
town."

"Thought I might find something interesting wandering around," Ken
retorted with a small grin.

"Usagi-chan! Where have you been?" Rei stalked across the arcade,
glaring at her friend. "I've been trying to phone you!"

"Gomen, Rei-chan. My phone's charging at home. I used up all the
battery talking to Naru-chan last night."

Rei rolled her eyes, her anger cooling slightly now that she saw
Usagi was safe. "Typical. Why can't you think ahead?"

"Because I have you and Ami-chan to do that for me," Usagi replied
smartly. "If I started thinking ahead, what would you two do?"

"Breathe a sigh of relief?"

"Come on, Ken-kun, we need to go," Isamu suggested, getting up.

Ken blinked. "We do?"

"Yeah, if you don't want to spend hours on public transport. I don't
care how efficient the metro is, these crowds could slow down light
particles."

Rei saw an opportunity. "Where do you live, Minami-san?" she
asked.

Isamu's hands clenched at the question, but he told her calmly
enough. She nodded. "My family shrine is in that direction. We can
stop there and you can use the telephone to reassure your parents
that you and Ken-san are on your way."

"Rei-chan, you're being so accommodating today!" Usagi exclaimed.
"Did you make a New Year's resolution to be friendlier to men?"

Rei winced and gave her a look. Isamu looked away, feeling for her. 
Ken and Mamoru began to cough hard so that they didn't laugh. Ken 
reached for his coat.

"It's very kind of you, Rei-san," he said honestly. "Tokyo crowds
still scare me slightly."

A smile hovered on Rei's lips. "I'm not surprised. They're
intimidating if you haven't grown up with them. Which island were
you born on?"

"The one across the ocean called North America," Ken answered,
wrapping his scarf around his neck.

Rei flushed slightly. "I suppose that explains your height."

"Not really – both my mother and father are average height.
Apparently my grandpappy was the tall one, but since he died before
I was born, I can't really say. He does seem pretty tall in the
photographs."

Such a flood of information made Rei blink and glance at Mamoru. He
shrugged with a slight smile, arm firmly around Usagi's shoulders.
Ken looked up at the sudden silence.

"Damn, I said something wrong again, didn't I?" He frowned.

"No, no, I just don't think Rei was prepared for so much... personal
detail," Isamu assured him, trying not to laugh.

"Oh yeah, have to remember that. Don't give everything away at the
first meeting." He smiled apologetically at Rei. "Sorry, I'm a
blabbermouth."

Isamu lost the battle and burst out laughing. "Let's go."

Ken glanced at him. "What's so funny?"

"Never mind."

"I hate it when you say that."

"Blabbermouth..."

"I don't know the Japanese for that!"

"It's just... the sound of it..." Isamu put a gloved hand over his
mouth. "I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at the English
language, okay?"

"Well, that's okay then."

Mamoru couldn't suppress his grin. Usagi glanced up and felt a warm
glow inside her.

"They're funny," she remarked in a low voice.

"Ken-san should meet Minako-chan," Rei remarked. "They'd find a lot
to talk about."

"Who's Minako-chan?" Isamu asked, pulling on Ken's arm. "Slow down,
rocket man. I don't know the way to her shrine and neither do you."

"I know, but I was hoping my innate sense of direction would lead us
there anyway."

"You and your innate sense of direction..."

"Hey, it led me to the right classroom on the first day, you can't
deny it!"

"That was luck, not a sense of direction."

"Right classroom?" Mamoru repeated.

"Ken-kun, Hi-kun, Xavier and I all went to the same high school,"
Isamu explained. "Ken-kun was new of course, since he'd spent his
childhood in Canada. He turned up on the first day of school without
his map, and still found the right classroom."

"Innate sense of direction," Ken added happily.

"Wish I had that," Usagi said wistfully.

"Don't worry, Usagi-san, I don't, and I've managed perfectly well."

"Well, I wish I had whatever you have, Isamu-san."

"I haven't got anything, I was taught to read a map at five, that's
all."

"Five?!" Mamoru repeated. "That's... young."

"Not really." Isamu laughed softly. "I was pestering my father 
about all the symbols in his atlas. He had to teach me, otherwise he
wouldn't have been able to sleep."

"Whenever we had orientation exercises in high school, the team
captains used to get into fights over whose team would have Isa-
kun," Ken commented with a slight grin. "It was really funny. They
always ended up screaming at each other."

"Load of fuss over nothing," Isamu muttered. "Which team can reach
the flag first, I mean, how petty can you get?"

"I hate those exercises," Rei said unexpectedly. "All you do is
tramp from point to point, and there's always one person who won't
stop complaining."

"But Rei-chan, I didn't think that Catholic schools did that kind of
thing," Usagi observed.

"Just because it's a Catholic school, doesn't mean we can escape the
curriculum, Usagi-chan," Rei admonished. "Although you would think
that to look at what some of the girls wear. High-heeled shoes and
short-sleeved tops... and then they complain when they get scratched
by branches or twist their ankles!"

Ken snorted. "I usually end up carrying the ones with twisted ankles
on my back – and even then they're complaining because I jolt them."

"So who's Minako-chan?" Isamu repeated.

"Minako-chan's one of our friends," Usagi answered. "Then there's 
Ami-chan and Mako-chan. They'll all be at the shrine. You can meet 
them there, right, Rei-chan?"

“Yes, of course, friends of Mamoru-san’s are always welcome at
Hikawa,” Rei agreed, watching them carefully.

“Great idea-!”

“Oh no, we couldn’t-”

Ken and Isamu looked at each other. Ken looked surprised. /What?/ he
mouthed. Isamu shook his head. He felt himself start to sweat. He
didn't want to face Mars on her territory just yet, but he realised
that it would be horribly rude to refuse. A refusal would also 
arouse Rei's suspicions even further. He couldn't afford that.

"Usako, they need to get home," Mamoru reminded her, and Isamu
glanced at him. How did he know?

Could he possibly...?

/It doesn’t matter,/ he told himself. /You have to do this, if only
to make sure that Rei doesn’t corner Ken-kun. At least *you* can
fight back./

"Yes, but being introduced to your friends won't take that much
time, I hope," he said resolutely, managing to hold Rei's gaze."We'd 
be honoured to meet them, right Ken?"

“Yeah, absolutely! It's always good to meet new people," Ken agreed,
wondering why Isamu seemed so reluctant to accept the invitation.
Surely it was common sense to at least phone Isa-kun’s parents to
tell them that they’d be late for dinner.

Rei smiled slightly, her mind racing. She hadn't missed the pause
before Isamu accepted the invitation. This was going better than
she'd hoped. Usagi was even helping her, unconsciously of course,
but better than nothing.

"Let's go, then!" Usagi exclaimed, tugging on Mamoru's arm. Isamu
smiled slightly at her enthusiasm, feeling Rei's eyes on him and
Ken. They were curious, probing all the time. He knew that she'd
seen his lack of enthusiasm. He had to do something to keep her
attention on him. He looked straight at her.

/I won't let you hurt Ken-kun. You can test me all you like, but I'm
getting *him* out of there as quickly as possible./

Rei stared at Isamu. A blue flame was burning in his eyes. He was
daring her to say something, ready to fight her. She was intrigued.

Why was he so defensive? What was he hiding? This was getting more
interesting by the minute. She wondered what the other girls would
make of these men. She wondered who 'Hi-kun' and 'Xavier' were. This
wasn't over by any means. She raised her eyebrow slightly at Isamu
and then turned away to answer Usagi's question.

Isamu shuddered inside as Rei turned away. /The hint half guessed,
the gift half understood.../ It was Rei that had half guessed, Rei 
who half understood what was going on, not his Prince. He cursed
Mamoru's inability to see what was right in front of his nose,
cursed Rei's intuition, and cursed Ken’s naivety. 

Ken glanced at Isamu and raised both eyebrows at the expression on 
his face. “What’s up with you?” he whispered.

"Don't worry."

Mamoru's quiet voice made them both jump and look at him. He was
looking over the heads of the girls, his eyes warm.

"The girls are nice. They won't bite. You don't have to stay for
long."

/Prince.../

They smiled back at him. A warm emotion flowed between the three
men, a reassurance, a recognition.

/You do know us! Realise it!/

Brotherhood.

Mamoru looked down to answer a question. Isamu sighed. He obviously
couldn’t expect much help from Mamoru, not for a while anyway. He
filled Ken in on what he'd said to Mamoru about jade while thinking
rapidly. Hotaru was right. He had to face these demons if he was to
be of any help to their Prince. Now was as good a time as any. His
wrist itched again.

/Let the trial begin./

DISCLAIMER: All characters and situations belong to Naoko Takeuchi
and Kodansha Comics. This story is based on information given in the
MANGA. This story is beta read by the wonderful Dejana Talis, much 
of its coherency is due to her.

AUTHOR’S NOTES: For those of you wondering why Ken can read a 
Japanese encyclopedia, he is half-Japanese (from his mother’s side). 
Besides being a short form of ‘Kenneth’, ‘Kendall’ etc. Ken is also 
a Japanese name, meaning ‘strong’. Isamu means ‘brave’. Yes, Isamu 
and Xavier are cousins, you did read right, but since they haven’t 
told Usagi this, and there is a certain physical resemblance between 
them, she assumes they’re brothers.

*Kihin* – hope you like this chapter as much as the previous one.

*Asrai* – I hadn’t read any stories addressing the situation either, 
so I felt it was time somebody wrote one. I wanted to show the Usagi 
from the manga: she is far more mature and understanding by the end, 
and this is a couple of years on from that; I felt that this would 
affect her relationship with Mamoru and make it more equal. 
Hopefully this chapter sheds a little more light on how they tried 
to find him.

*Leiliana* – wow, I’m so flattered by your comments! As I said 
above, I’d never read a story dealing with this situation before 
(although there are some at “We Loved, Forever”). I hope you stay 
with this story.

WEBSITES FOR SHITENNOU LOVERS:

“Peppermint Storm” – THE site if you want to know anything about the 
shitennou in the manga: http://shitennou.path-of-thorns.net/

“We Loved, Forever” – senshi/shitennou fanfiction, along with a 
special page dedicated to stories that are solely about Mamoru and 
the shitennou: http://tomc.org.uk/psychicdreams/

“Shitennou.com” – shitennou stories and a forum to discuss things as 
well! (http://www.shitennou.com)