"So you're sending us to sleep?" orange eyes said.

"THAT IS CORRECT."

"For how long, and why?" asked blue eyes.

"THEY WILL AWAKEN US."

"Why not begin now? There is much strife now. It is energy for the taking...now that everything must be rebuilt, everyone is uneasy," turquoise eyes questioned nervously.

"WHEN THEY RETURN, THE EARTH WILL CRY WITH THEIR STEPS. THE DARKNESS WILL MOAN WITH THEIR FURY. THE CRYSTAL WILL BURN WITH THEIR ENERGY."

"Hmph. I agree with Oceanus, however spineless he might be. I see no reason not to begin now. If we do, we'll only have more energy once the Moon Senshi awaken," blue eyes said, looking on skeptically.

"DO NOT QUESTION."

"It doesn't matter anyway, Coeus. As long as I can kill, I'm happy," smirked red eyes.

I'm still wondering to where I will struggle on,
being led by the moon

Listening to a gentle lullaby, I think just a little of the past
It's full of mistakes and sorrow, but since
You are here, I won't regret it

Though I'm under the pink moon,
I need an even stronger comfort
Even if I make only mistakes,
Say, "I love you," okay?

Tsuki ni michibikarete doko ni tadoritsuku to mada kangaete iru

Yasashige na lullaby kiite kako wo sukoshi dake omou
Machigai mo hiai mo ippai dakedo anata ga iru kara
Koukai-shinai

Pink-iro no tsuki no shita ni iru kedo
Motto tsuyoi nagusame ga iru no
Tatoe ayamachi dake shitemo
I love you tte itte ne

Moon Senshi: Unmei no Kodomo

Episode Nine:

"The Black Chrysalis"

"Rei...."

Her bedroom door creaked open. A sliver of hallway light shone through the open crack of the doorway; though it was dawn, the skies were still dim from the morning clouds. Five o'clock, her porcelain wall clock read; three hours before Usagi usually got up. Maybe she planned to see Usako off to school. Rei didn't think she'd make her go, though, and she didn't think Usako would want to.

Not after last night.

Seisui was still unconscious, unaware of the trial. Endymion had declared it just moments after Sailor Titan's uniform melted away and the small, limp form of Seisui appeared. At that moment, everyone passed their final judgment; some sympathized, some condemned. Rei had condemned. For Usagi's sake, however, she tried to be merciful. But after what Seisui had done...Hotaru would be all right, thank God. Helios had had to revive her. She wouldn't make the trial, but at least she would recover quickly. A week or two before she was completely all right, Helios had said. Until then, a little weak.

"Rei? Are you awake?"

Rei rolled over and clicked on her bedside light. She sat up, feeling the morning drowsiness send lead through her bones. "What's wrong, Usagi? Is this about Seisui?"

"Well..." Usagi entered, wearing a white cloak and a carrying a purse. She looked ready to go somewhere.

"Where can you be thinking of going at this hour, Usagi? Especially after what happened last night..."

"Seisui's house."

"Seisui's house? Don't worry, Usagi. We'll let her family know. And anyway, it'll be a short and merciful trial. After the trial, Seisui will be harmless. Mamoru is angry right now, but...he knows better than to do anything besides purify Seisui. He's just upset because he was so close to loosing you. I hate Seisui, too, but we know better than to punish the rest of their family by giving her some kind of sentence. It wouldn't be right to take away their daughter by imprisoning her. Besides, maybe after Seisui is purified, the Han'i family can bring itself back together. Maybe now that two of them will understand your kindness, the other two will learn as well."

"I still want to go..." Usagi persisted.

"It's not safe for you to go outside with only me. The rest of us need to be there--and preferably the palace guards, too."

Usagi looked down for a moment in contemplation. Hotaru had said it...

"If Usako has met Seisui's father, then Seisui is probably right. "

Usagi sighed. If only Hotaru hadn't been injured...then she could have asked her, instead. And she had wanted Hotaru to be there for the trial, too...there was only one other person that knew as much about Seisui as Hotaru did.

"Usagi?" Rei looked up at her, her face worried.

"I'm not going with everyone. If you won't come unless they do, I'll ask someone else to bring me...Ami, or Minako. I'm sure they'll go...and if they won't, I'll go alone."

"Usagi! You know Mamoru would never approve of that! Not after what happened last time..." Rei shuddered. That had been the chance for the Black Moon--the moment in which they led the attack on Crystal Tokyo. After that, the queen had been trapped in a cocoon of crystal...

"That's why I wanted to bring you. If someone is with me, they can protect me. Maybe Mamo wouldn't like it, but...well, this is important. I can't bring everyone. I just can't."

"Usagi, what are you planning on doing at Seisui's house, anyway?"

"I have to find out the truth, just like Hotaru said. I have to know what I've done! If...If I've done something so terrible...I must know. When I go to Seisui's house, I will understand the truth at last. Because right now..." tears welled up in her eyes. "Right now, I don't know anything!"

Rei shook her head. "Nothing I say will stop you, Usagi. I'll go with you. If something goes really wrong...well, we still have our communicators."

"Thank you, Rei."

"Let me get ready. It'll only take me a few minutes, and it'll be hours before anyone knows we're gone."

"Last night, the recently appearing 'Sailor Titan' attacked the Crystal Palace, along with three Rebel Senshi cohorts--Charon, Miranda and Phoebe. While three of the Rebels escaped by teleportation, Sailor Titan was captured. Suspicions were confirmed that Sailor Titan is, indeed, Seisui Han'i--the daughter of former Councilor Andreas Han'i. This is her second attempted assassination against the Queen, the like of which has not occurred since the former councilor was in office. Some officials believe the Rebel Senshi may be agents of Chaos, a creature which spawns all evil, but little information has been gleaned from the Palace."

"We are still trying to organize after the shock of this incident," Endymion announced. He managed to make his voice deceptively even-tempered on national TV. "However, we expect to hold the trial by tomorrow morning. The hearing will not be open to the public due to security concerns. We will inform the public of the results as quickly as possible."

Tokimo's mother had been making breakfast in the kitchen. They were out of pop tarts.

It was five o'clock. Tokimo suspected that her mother knew she hadn't slept last night. Tokimo had come in late, slamming the door behind her and running to her room, crying. She had teleported just outside Seisui's house, along with everyone else. If Seisui had been with her, she would have been home.

Tokimo pulled the covers over her head. She heard a knock on her door.

"Who is it?" Tokimo asked, repressing a sniffle.

"It's your mom, of course," she said through the door. "Who else could it be? Your father's at work, and the ferret certainly can't knock on the door, now can he?"

"Maybe...if he ran into it."

"Now Tokimo..." she chided her, "I'm coming in, whether you want me to or not."

"Okay, fine," Tokimo mumbled unenthusiastically.

Her mother walked in and sat on her purple-covered bed. Tokimo didn't pull back the covers to face her. She sniffled again as tears ran down her face with renewed fury.

"I heard about Seisui on the news," she told her. "I'm sorry. That must have been a terrible shock for you."

"No..." Tokimo mumbled. She pulled back the covers reluctantly and grabbed her purple brooch. She handed it to her mother. The grey morning light made the purple seem dull. "No, I knew."

"Tokimo...why didn't you tell me you were one of the Rebel Senshi?"

"I didn't wanna make you worry," Tokimo told her. "And anyway, there wasn't really any reason to. I had Kouken to help me out. Kouken can talk, you know, like Luna."

"But Tokimo...why would you want to kill the queen?"

Tokimo began crying with renewed furor. "Because...because Seisui's dad was purified, and we figured out that purified meant brainwashed. And now that Seisui's captured, she'll be brainwashed, too! And it's all my fault...it's all because I didn't save her before they captured her! I ran away, Mom! I ran away like a coward! Seisui is going to be brainwashed because I'm a coward!"

Her mother shook her head, surprised at Tokimo's opinion of purification. How could something so extreme be true? But Tokimo, she knew, wouldn't make up something so important. And anyway, it was too late to question her now. Things had already gotten this far, and Tokimo had obviously decided who she thought was right. "Tokimo!" her mother scolded her, after a thoughtful pause. "You know that isn't true. There wasn't anything you could have done, except gotten...gotten purified along with her. And that would make Seisui even sadder."

Tokimo stuffed her face in a pillow. "It least it wouldn't have made me sadder. Seisui...Seisui..."

"It's not over yet, sweetheart. You've been fighting with her all this time, right?"

Tokimo nodded.

"Then you have to keep fighting. I'm sure you can get Seisui out of this mess. I know you can."

"Promise?" Tokimo asked.

"Promise," her mother replied. "Now get up. I think you guys are crazy for trying this--but it's never been a Joshi policy, you know, not to do something just because it's crazy. Besides, I can tell I'm not going to change your mind." She tousled Tokimo's hair. "I won't even make you go to school today, but you have to eat breakfast, and you have to get some sleep before you go. The last thing I need you to do is go on some crazy mission half-asleep."

"Okay, Mom," Tokimo said with a smile. With that, her mother got up off of her mattress and left for the kitchen.

"Hey, Tokimo..." Kouken's mumbled, walking into the room.

"I thought you were living with Seisui's family!" Tokimo said in annoyance. "Go back and live there. When you were living at Seisui's house, you didn't tell me I was crazy."

He paused. "I'm sorry about what happened. Maybe if I was there when Seisui tried to kill the queen..."

"Well, you weren't there, now were you?" Tokimo said indignantly. "So it doesn't matter--"

"I'm going to be this time. I didn't want to take chances, but now that things have gone so far...I suppose I have an obligation to help you. Besides...if Seisui is purified, that's one less person to help us."

"Yeah. And even if you found someone else, they'd just turn on us, remember?"

Kouken looked annoyed. "Go eat your breakfast, Tokimo. It's almost ready."

"Really? Great!" Tokimo jumped out of bed. "After breakfast, I'll call everyone. We can all figure out a plan. The trial's not 'til tomorrow--we've got a whole day to rescue Seisui! Mmm...smells like pancakes!" she exclaimed, running out the door.

Kouken shook his head as she left. "Only you, Tokimo, could eat pancakes on the apocalypse."

"Yaaaamiiiiikoooo!"

Yamiko pulled a pillow over her head as the bellowing voice of her sister sounded through the hallway. "Shut up!" she replied irritably. "I'm trying to sleep."

Yamiko could hear footsteps as Sayoko walked down the hallway. Her voice, now closer, could be heard just outside the door of Yamiko's room. "Riiight," she responded. "I'm trying to esca--I mean sleep, huh?"

"It's none of your business. You're my sister, not my mother. And besides--you should have gone back to college a while ago. If you keep skipping classes, your grades will drop."

"You're my sister, not my mother. Don't lecture me about my grades--besides, there's so much money left over from the inheritance, I don't really need to go to college anyway. And it's my business because you're my sister. The fact that you're sleeping in on a school day doesn't mean that you're just being lazy. It means something is wrong. So you'd better get up before I lock away your pills and have to allocate them to you."

"You already are, remember, Sayoko?"

Sayoko paused, remembering. "Oh yeah. I guess I am. Well, regardless, I'm coming in there. And you're going to tell me two things; why you came home so late last night, and why you're sleeping in today."

"Question one: because I felt like it. Question two: because I came home so late last night."

Sayoko sighed and opened the door, undaunted by what was a logical--if uninformative--explanation. She sat backwards on Yamiko's desk chair, straddling the legs of the tall, wooden seat with her legs and leaving the panties underneath her miniskirt clearly visible. A couple yards away, Yamiko lay under her black comforter, still holding the pillow over her head. The thick, burgundy curtains to her room were closed, blocking out the quickly rising sun.

Sayoko sighed. "Yamiko, cut the crap. I'm not so stupid that I can't tell when something's wrong. Now what's really got you upset?"

"Seisui got captured. They found out she was Sailor Titan. She's in prison right now, and soon..."

"Just like her father?"

Yamiko nodded.

"We tried to give her one last opening to kill the queen. It was all Tokimo's idea. What the hell was I thinking? I knew better from the beginning. I knew her idea was stupid. I did it anyway. Why? Why did I agree to do it? Storm the palace...make a distraction....what insanity."

"You did it because you saw what happened to Seisui's dad, and you knew what it felt like."

Seisui, admittedly, was the only person Yamiko had ever met that knew what it was like to lose a parent. The anger she felt toward the unknown terrorist who bombed the train. The day she had heard the news of her parent's death, she wanted to find the one who killed them. Wanted to find them, and make them pay...It was that pain that had made her join the Moon Senshi--seeing that pain in Seisui that made her believe in their cause once and for all.

"Besides..." Sayoko continued, "when was the last time someone was interested in enlisting your help?"

"They weren't even interested. Tokimo hated me until a couple days ago, and you can tell she still doesn't trust me. Seisui is nice, but she treats everyone that way. And Fubuki doesn't count."

"Tokimo couldn't have hated you too much if she saved your life--even though you were willing to end it. And you certainly can't say Seisui treats everyone nicely--not when she just made another attempt to off the queen. As for Fubuki, I can't say, but...from what you told me about the Church of Serenity thing, she sounds like a rough kid. The fact that she didn't kill you the next time she saw you is impressive on its own."

"It was still a stupid plan. I shouldn't have gotten involved."

"It was a stupid plan, but I don't think getting involved is what you regret. You got out of it scot-free, after all--if you hadn't, you wouldn't be here talking to me. No. The reason why you're slobbing around in bed is because you know what will happen to Seisui, and you can't bear the thought of losing her when you've just found someone who knows what it's like to be alone."

Yamiko frowned, ignoring the guilt welling up into her throat. "Well, there's not much I can do about it now, is there? Seisui's already gone. She's probably going to be brainwashed in a couple of days...so I might as well try to forget about the whole thing."

"That's the cowardly Yami again. You could at least contact Tokimo."

"I thought you were against the idea of me becoming a Senshi!"

"Well, it's too late now. You've become personally involved. You can't just back out and lay the responsibility on someone else--or no one at all. Tokimo can teleport, right? That's what I heard on the news."

"Yeah. That's how we escaped..."

"Maybe she can teleport and save Seisui."

"She's only teleported twice, and both times were in dire circumstances."

"Well, isn't this a 'dire circumstance?'"

"Well...I guess so, but..."

"Then give her a call! You've got nothing to lose."

"But what good can I do even if Tokimo teleports?"

"You might be able to lend her your power. Did the Sailor Senshi do that in the past, with Sailor Moon?"

"...Maybe...." It seemed like a viable possibility. But what good would teleporting do, anyway? It'd be just like last night, except this time, they'd all get captured. "I still think it's crazy," Yamiko replied.

"Well, if you don't call Tokimo, I will--because I can tell when you want to help. Even if you're afraid, you'll be less miserable. If you stay here like this, thinking about Seisui, you won't be able to live with yourself."

With that, Sayoko got up and headed toward the kitchen. Before long, Yamiko could hear Sayoko's muffled voice talking on the phone.

Smash.

Fubuki wanted that sound in every corner of her own fucking existence. In every corner of that fuckin' bitch's fucking life. Just so she'd know how much she'd fucked up.

Smash. Smash. The bottles kept crashing against the sidewalk. She threw them downward as she walked through the poor section of town, collecting them in the yards of the slovenly masses, throwing them in plain sight of anyone who dared to walk or drive or even glance down this way.

Smash. Her father died protecting that whore. Smash. Seisui's father, brainless because of that whore. Smash. Seisui, gone, because of that whore. That fuckin' Mother Serenity. A swear that only existed among shit-poor families and drug dealers. That fuckin' Mother Serenity.

"It's your own goddamn fault, you stupid twerp!" she shouted, throwing another bottle to the ground. "You shouldn't have done it, you moron! You've got too much courage for your own goddamn good! Just because your dad got brainwashed, huh? You think that gives you a right to be a fucking moron!

"Dammit...Seisui...! How come we're so fuckin' similar, huh? You're supposed to be the goddamn smart one. How come you're pulling fuckin' shit like me? You stupid moron! You probably fucked up in her room. If I had been there, I would've gotten the goddamn job done! The whole town would be wearing black for that broad's funeral!" She threw another bottle to the sidewalk, reveling in the shattered glass strewn about the sidewalk.

"We honor the name of Samueru Jujutsu, who nobly sacrificed his life for the kingdom and people of Queen Serenity. We will always remember him as a hero against violent crime...even though the criminals fought against him with weapons of death, he dutifully held the precepts of the Queen, and spared the lives of the criminals..."

"Spared their lives? Shit, he didn't have a choice. That fuckin' bitch would never have given anyone a goddamn gun..." Fubuki threw another bottle as tears welled up her eyes. "You spared lives all right, you bitch! You leave people defenseless, and if they try to rise up against you, you fuckin' turn their fuckin' brains to fuckin' mush!"

"I wish you would quit that horrible job! You know how dangerous it is."

"Are you kidding? I don't think I could stand any other work. This job is how I keep my sanity. There's nothing else left that's exciting in this godforsaken world."

"There are people out there who still have guns, you know! Guns, and knives!"

"One whack over the head is as good as a knife. Besides, once I get promoted, they'll give me a tranq gun, which is as good as a real gun anyway."

"Son of a bitch..."

"I knew it! It's all because he loved violence. He loved to kill and hurt! Serenity would never approve of his cruel sport! We're going to put everything about your father behind us, Fubuki! We're going to make a new start...a new start!"

"I hate you, you bitch!" Fubuki threw three more bottles to the ground. Her mother, Serenity, herself--goddamnit, it didn't matter. "You bitch! You bitch! You bitch! Everything is your fault! Everything is--"

Fubuki froze. Another bottle was poised in her hand as a shrill beeping sounded from her trench coat pocket. Fubuki relaxed her arm and let the bottle fall. Without the force, it merely fell to the ground with a hollow clatter.

She reached into her pocket; it was her communicator, untouched since the day she had gotten it. She looked angrily at the screen. "What the hell do you want?" she hissed.

"It's me," Tokimo told her. Her usual bouncy, irreverent manner was replaced with an entirely serious demeanor. "I talked to Yamiko. We're going to try and rescue Seisui. Maybe if we all pool our powers together..."

"It's her own goddamned fault, you know."

Tokimo glared. Fubuki could tell she wanted to kill her and probably would the next time they met.

"If we fail and Seisui's brainwashed, you're the first person--"

"Oh, fuck off. Serenity. I'll save your goddamned friend--I was going to all along. Anything to get back at that bitch. It was her own goddamned fault, though."

"Fine," Tokimo said coldly. "If you're coming, just come. We're meeting in the park."

"I'll see you there, then, and end this fucking shit."

Usako looked blankly into her bedroom mirror. Seisui was downstairs in a small but comfortable cell, sleeping away the energy loss. She hadn't talked to Hiroshi since he'd trapped Seisui. It hadn't mattered in the end, anyway, but...

"I thought we agreed..."

"We do. And I promise I will protect Seisui. But for your safety, we must end this."

But why? He hadn't protected Seisui. She was captured now, and who knew what fate awaited her. Her mother said that she wouldn't purify Sailor Titan--not unless she was sure she was possessed--but who could be sure of that, anyway? Besides, everyone might decide that Purification, of all punishments, was the most merciful. After all, Seisui would be 'happy' this way.

Usako shuddered as she numbly brushed her hair. For her safety? Who cared about her safety? She had herself, Helios, the whole Sailor Quartet to protect her. Now that Seisui had been captured, there was no one to protect her. Everyone knew who she was and what she'd been doing.

And after knowing that, there was no reason to forgive her.

There was a knock on the door. "Usa...Usa, are you there?"

Hiroshi.

"What do you want?" she asked, holding back tears.

"Usako...why are you doing this? If there's a problem, we need to talk about it. Locking yourself up in there is just going to make both of us miserable."

"Why? Why didn't you let Seisui go?"

"Because she would have tried to hurt someone--probably you! She did hurt someone. You know that, Usako. And you know I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"She didn't really hurt anyone--not maliciously. There was someone in the way, and she had to get them out of the way. After she broke the crystal, all she was focused on was escaping."

"That wasn't Seisui, Usako, that was...that creature."

"Well, it was the creature who attacked Sailor Venus, so Seisui didn't hurt anyone at all."

"I'm sorry, Usako, but I couldn't risk your safety."

"What about Seisui's safety, huh?" Usako snapped. "You didn't have any problem risking her life! Even if I had gotten killed, you could have revived me, or even, mother probably could have used my crystal and revived me. But if Seisui is purified...that's it! It's the end. And at this rate, that's what'll happen."

"...I'm coming in," Hiroshi shook his head. Crying wouldn't help...he had to be strong, somehow. He opened the door. Even though Usako wasn't facing him, he could see her tear-smeared face in the mirror. He frowned. She was much more beautiful when she smiled. He sighed. "I'm sure they'll listen to you when they're deciding Seisui's punishment. If you tell them about purification, why shouldn't they believe you? You've seen it, Usako. You know what it is. If nothing else, we can try and get them to investigate before they purify Seisui."

"Even if they do find out the truth, what good will it do? They have to punish her somehow. What would they do instead? House arrest wouldn't work. I doubt we could keep her there against her will, unless one of the Senshi guarded her house at all times, and the royal family won't want to risk taking the Sailor Senshi's time away from protecting the Earth to guard a single girl. That leaves only three options...I don't think my mother would ever agree to kill someone, no matter what they had done," Usako said with a shiver. Some of the others might even consider it...at least, after what Seisui had done, they might think that it was all that was safe. Especially considering the fact that Charon could teleport and Seisui herself was a Sailor Senshi. "The other two options are cruel enough...imprisonment means a lifetime of confinement, and the other option..."

"I don't think they would banish her, Usako. That was only done once, and to ill effect. Banishment was only for the most severe of criminals--the Death Phantom. And even if Seisui was imprisoned, I'm sure they would give her chance of parole."

"Do you really think they wouldn't banish her, Hiroshi?"

"I'm sure of it."

Usako turned toward the window. "Well, I'm not. Seisui is the most severe of criminals. I'm sure everyone thinks that, if given the chance, she would destroy this entire palace. Knowing father, and what happened in the past, he might think even worse of Seisui. No...banishment will be a likely punishment. I wouldn't even be surprised if some of the Senshi argued for banishment and purification. Normally, everyone is very forgiving, but...I've heard that many of the Senshi didn't trust the Starlights, who turned out to be valuable allies. If they didn't trust them, they'll condemn Seisui--a known criminal--in a heartbeat."

"Where would they banish her to? The only place to banish someone is the Moon Kingdom, and your mother is thinking of re-colonizing it. Besides that, there may be the palaces of the Senshi, but I'm sure it'll only be a matter of time before people consider moving there, too. And after what happened with the Death Phantom, no one would be crazy enough--"

"I purified Nemesis with my own two hands. It's clean, banished of its evil. There's no reason not to banish Seisui there."

"But that place is...!" Hiroshi paused. "The palaces may be empty, but someone could live there. Nemesis is a wasteland."

"Why should they care, after all that Seisui has done?"

"Usako! What's gotten into you? This is your family and friends you're talking about! They love you. I know that they're angry about what's happened, but if it was important, they'd listen! Everyone is always worried about you, and there's no way they would just--"

"What are you talking about, Helios? Get a clue. Seisui tried to murder my mother! They didn't have a little fight that got out of hand. Seisui didn't just get on a podium and tell the world that she thought my mom was a bitch. She tried to kill her! And if we had been one moment late, she would ha--"

"Well, it's a good thing that I intervened, then, isn't it? Because if I hadn't, she would have succeeded. And then your mother would be dead! Of course, maybe I should say this--that if Seisui had succeeded, something a lot worse than banishment would happen to her. After all, that's what's important to you, isn't it? Not how dangerous she is. Not what happens to your family...everything is fine to you, everyone can get hurt, as long as Seisui is okay! Everyone can get hurt...even me."

"Helios...I..." Usako began to cry again. "I...I want this to end! Why is Seisui doing this to me? Why is everyone doing this to me? Why?" Usako bent over, covering her eyes. "In the end, how am I any better than my mother, who made so many mistakes? I can't help Seisui. I can't change the Crystal Tokyo that's gone so horribly wrong. In the end, I'm just a stupid...little...rabbit."

"Usako...." He didn't even know what to say. He didn't want her to give up on Seisui. He didn't want her to think so lowly of her family. Why had the Moon Senshi been reincarnated? They had been happier sleeping. They were happier not remembering their former lives, so full of revenge and bitterness...

A cruel thought, but merciful. He hugged Usako. He had nothing to tell her.

Usagi looked on in horror at the sight that unfolded before her.

Rei had driven all the way to Seisui's neighborhood, despite her better judgment, despite her desire not to. And seeing Seisui's neighborhood, Usagi was tempted to turn around before she had even gotten to the Han'i residence.

The contrast was sickening. She was clad in nice, clean clothes, riding in a nice, clean car. Everyone noticed. Children dressed in grubby clothes with grubby hands and grubby faces stood on the sidewalk, gawking at the wealth. Parents returning home with one or two bags of groceries glowered, their faces telling their opinion. "Wealth isn't welcome here. You aren't welcome here."

Usagi bent over, covering her mouth. She could feel herself trembling; she fought her tears. If she couldn't even make it to the Han'i house without breaking down...

"Usagi? Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes...I'll be fine," she replied hesitantly, removing her hand from her mouth. "It's just... I didn't...I never thought..."

"I can't say I was expecting it either," Rei replied, her voice disappointed. "I always thought everyone had it good. That's what all the Councilors told us...that's what all the numbers told us. And even though the numbers did show some poverty, I always assumed people just had an apartment instead of a house, or a smaller TV. I didn't think..."

"Even when we were teenagers..." Usagi stuttered. "People didn't live like this...this was like the horror stories we heard about foreign countries...Japan wasn't like this...I...how could I let this happen? I never knew my mistakes went this deep...I never..."

"There was no way we could have known, Usagi! It's not your fault. No one told us about this, and we almost never leave the castle. It's not safe for you to leave, and we have to stay inside to make sure you're protected. This is just...just something we'll have to clean up, now that we know about it."

Usagi didn't say anything. She wasn't convinced, and from the sound of it, neither was Rei. She had let something horrible happen. The Crystal Tokyo they all believed existed--the paradise of humanity--had spiraled downward toward hell.

Rei opened Usagi's door after parking by Seisui's run-down house. Usagi sat in her seat for a couple of seconds, contemplating if she really wanted to get out. Maybe she should just give Seisui a pardon right now. Just like Seisui said, Usagi deserved to die.

"Come on, Usagi. You wanted to learn the truth."

Usagi reluctantly left the safety of the car. Nearby, she could hear the terrible sounds of fighting.

"What are you doing?" a woman screamed from a nearby house. "Why are you wasting money on food?"

"I was hungry! Everyone in this family is. It doesn't matter if we don't need food; it still hurts, you know!" Her opponent was a man.

"You can tough it out. My family toughed it out when they were raising me! And we had a real house. We even had a real yard! And we'd go to the movies on Saturday--"

"I'd rather have a dinner with my children than a movie on Saturday!"

"Who holds the purse strings in this household? Maybe if you made a decent wage, we'd have money left over for food. But with your miserable job--"

Usagi shook her head and tried not to listen. How could she let this happen? Looking down at the ground, she followed half-blindly to Seisui's front door; focused on the horrible sound of screaming, she didn't even notice Rei ring the door bell or a woman open the door.

"What are you doing here?"

Usagi looked up, her dazed silence broken. A woman looked at her; her hair was mousy and wavy, her look desperate. Her face contorted as tears streamed down her face.

"What are you doing here!" she screamed. She held up a flat hand; it wavered a moment. At the last moment, her hand coiled and fell to her side.

"What are you thinking?" Rei said angrily. "This is her royal highness, Queen Serenity!"

The woman continued to sob. "My daughter...my husband...they're gone! What other punishment could you inflict on me? What, will you take Ana as well?"

"You must be..." Usagi murmured.

"My Seisui..."

"Please!" Usagi begged. "Please...let me see your husband. I need to find out about purification...I need to know!"

"Purification?" Rei repeated questioningly.

"Please!" Usagi looked toward the woman.

"I don't want to see your face anywhere near my house! You people of the White Moon--all you bring is disaster!"

The White Moon. A term for the members of the Royal Court, it was used only with the utmost of spite. It was a term that Rei had never heard before, except when uttered by the servants of Chaos.

"Please..." Usagi pleaded, tears streaming down her eyes. "Let me see your husband."

"It's not like anyone in this family could ever stop you. You do what you please, say what you please--the whole world bows down to you. I do, as well, because I still have one last loved one to save. I only pray that she will not repeat the mistake of daring to dream in this godforsaken world!"

Seisui's mother slammed the door in their faces. Usagi didn't dare ask her anything. Seeing this, she only feared the worst.

"I am sorry for my wife's conduct. If Seisui is purified, that is truly a blessing for this family--not a curse."

Usagi turned toward the voice; it was Han'i. He was dressed simply and neatly; his face was vacant and happy.

"Why is that?" Usagi asked weakly, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"This family harbors an ill-will I do not understand. They do not see your kindness."

"I don't see how you can see any kindness in me...not when you live surrounded by...this."

"But I do see kindness. Living in Crystal Tokyo, all I see is paradise all around me, because everything in this world was dreamed by your great heart."

"If this horror was dreamed by me, I'm not a great person! Everything here is terrible, like a nightmare. What paradise is left?"

"Your modesty is great, Queen Serenity. You give your great heart no credit."

"Have you been listening to what I've been saying? Can't you see how poor and miserable these people are?"

"They are only miserable because they allow themselves to be. All people who accept your kindness find eternal happiness."

"Usagi...there's something...odd...about him," Rei remarked warily. "This is nothing...absolutely nothing like the Han'i of our court."

"The people here are poor. That's why they're unhappy! Because I let them be poor, because they have no hope, they are miserable! I would like them to find kindness in their hearts, I would like them to be eternally happy--but how can they be satisfied when their lives are like this?"

"I have told you before the truth of the situation, my Queen. If you look into your heart--your heart filled with kindness, honesty and love--you, too, will find the truth."

"Usagi...what's going on? What has happened to Councilor Han'i?" Rei asked.

"Look into my heart...." Usagi paused. What Hotaru had said about Purification was true. It wasn't that there was no wisdom to what he said, but there was naiveté, there was something changed in him that no matter how much Usagi wished otherwise...she knew it was wrong. This was happiness, but it was also denial. She could only imagine, with horror, when Seisui had seen her father like this after his trial. The father she loved wasn't just a new man. He wasn't a man at all! He was Usagi's own kind of abomination. He was possessed--not by Chaos, but by her own terrible power! Instead of the thirst for power, the endless agony, hatred, and sorrow of Chaos...this was her own terrible mark. An endless patience, an unyielding love for everyone, a loss of ambition or hunger or any human desire. Chibi-Usa was right. Hotaru was right. This terrible, awesome power...the power of the Silver Crystal...

She fell to her knees. She tore at the ground. She felt dizzy. Tears fell without her realizing their presence. She had visited Crystal Tokyo as a girl, seen its beauty, looked at herself in admiration. That fond memory was shattered. The fond memory of herself as young and full of hope meant nothing. This is what she had really been looking forward to, all of those years. This is what she had really been dreaming of when she saw Crystal Tokyo. Her supposedly bright future was a lie. This was Crystal Tokyo.

Her hell.

To Part B