Lunar Expedition

By: Amber Evans Potter

Chapter 11: Zero Hour

Summary: Life on Earth is normal, despite the numerous battles the Senshi have fought. A new discovery on the moon, however, just might shatter that peace. Was the Moon Kingdom meant to be found?

Disclaimer: I don’t own Sailor Moon. All rights reserved to Naoko Takeuchi and everyone else who owns the rights to Sailor Moon – people who do not include me. Oh, how I lament the tragedy!

Author’s Note: Post Galaxia; the girls are in high school, Mamoru is in college. This story takes place before Crystal Tokyo while everyone is still human.

~*~*~

The compression of space all around Gaea felt like the weight of years. Deep in the darkest corner of the Artemis IV Compound, as it had come to be known, was a small pocket of Elysium. Sol had done it – he had never told her he could do that. To carry a little piece of his kingdom with him, like a favorite pocket watch, had been the one strand of sanity left to her. They huddled together in this small garden like fugitives, always weary, always paranoid that this was all some trick to get them out of hiding.

Sol had assured her from the beginning that this was no joke. He’d felt it, the moment Queen Serenity entered the Earth’s atmosphere. Even in their most protected sanctuary within the Elysium palace, he’d gasped and clutched his chest as if a spear had pierced him. He’d called a retinue of soldiers, their most loyal and trusted servants, to escort them above ground. Even after all the tremors of power the Earth had felt, all the dozen times she’d begged him to see the true sun again, he had refused. Until he felt her.

The jealousy came unbidden, despite her best efforts. She detested this strange, passionate hate her husband had for the Queen. She knew intellectually that this pain came from losing Endymion. Such a loss was not one to forget readily.

The blow struck her fiercely, as any mother would feel the loss of her only child, but she could not possibly understand the pain that Sol had to endure. The title of king was pressing on him as well, with the weight of centuries and the power of galaxies. There was no direct heir – no one could come near the Golden Crystal, no one could wield the power that the Earth once radiated. Only the priest could even approach the crystal.

But then one day, the crystal vanished. As did the priest.

Later, much later, the priest returned but without the crystal. Gaea had protected Helios, claiming that it was his youth and inexperience that made him lose such a priceless heirloom. But Sol had been devastated, unable to express his rage and sorrow. He never could. Gaea understood.

She felt the sadness of her son’s loss, she felt the castrating immobility of her husband, and she watched her kingdom decay. Then Queen Serenity appeared as if to seal their tomb forever, an ironic reminder of all they had lost. She could still remember the conversation she’d had with her husband before they returned to the surface.

“Why now?” she whispered, poised and tense on her bed. This was the first time in ten years he had come anywhere near her bedroom, and yet he sat before her now close enough to touch. “Why is she coming here now to torment us?”

“I prayed for this,” Sol admitted. He ran his fingers through hair that had grown too long, bangs brushing his eyelashes. Gaea wanted to touch those bangs, kiss those eyelashes. She didn’t dare move. “I want it to be over.”

“It’ll never be over,” Gaea said, staring at his shoulder. His eyes held too much pain, were too blue. Endymion had looked so much like him… what would Endymion look like now, if he had lived? Would the power of the Silver Crystal still affect him, as it had affected them? Would he still be young and strong, like in her memory of him? Or would he be withered and old, decayed like a normal human? When had she stopped being a normal human?

“Maybe she’s come to invade the Earth at last,” Sol mused, ignoring her pessimism. He half-smirked at her, lounging on her bed as if he always sat like this with her. He used to. “Wouldn’t it be funny? If after all these years, she really had wanted to take over. And just waited.”

“Why would she wait until now, after so many centuries?” Gaea frowned. Sol shrugged with one shoulder, staring up at the ceiling.

“Who knows? Time doesn’t work the same way for them. Maybe this feels like next week to her… maybe in her own mind, this is a fast invasion,” he said. He sounded amused by the idea.

“Let’s hope we’re dead by the time she decides to make war,” Gaea said dryly. It was decided then, with or without Gaea’s approval, to see the surface. It had been a shock to the senses, despite all their preparations.

They had followed the technological, social, political, and mystical progress of the Earth over the past thousand years through various channels, including through agents who returned with fantastical stories.

They knew exactly what a train was when they arrived at the surface, they knew what a cell phone was, they knew what a car, a plane, a computer, and what an espresso machine was. They knew what a democracy was, they knew what a Protestant was, they knew what take-out was, they knew what a balloon was. They knew all of these things in a distant, separate sense of the words and ideas, but to stand in front of a train as it whooshed by at break-neck speed, to hear the hiss of automatic opening doors, and to watch politicians debate on televisions was very different from knowing that these things existed.

Gaea was enchanted. She begged Sol to wait a few days, to allow them some time to rediscover their world. At first he protested, saying that they had no time for leisurely activities.

But then one of the guards had given him a cell phone.

She hadn’t spoken to him for the next three days as he fiddled with it endlessly. It gave her time to take in the sights and enjoy the sun’s blistering heat on her skin.

Elysium had a sun – a warm, cozy heat that radiated from the sky and settled over their kingdom. It was forgiving and obedient, obeying the moods and commands of the king. This sun didn’t care what anyone’s mood was – it was hot, blistering, and unforgivable. She had missed it so much, she cried when she saw her first sunrise in a thousand years.

It had all happened so fast after that: entering the Artemis IV Compound (at the time, it was unnamed and disorganized), found the Queen in hibernation. Then Sol touched the crystal cocoon around her body and she’d woken up, just like that. Just as if she were waiting for that one moment, to bring the three of them back together after a thousand years.

Gaea knew that she was beautiful. In her youth, before she met Sol, she was the most sought-after princess of the Earth. With her long, chestnut-colored hair and her sparkling eyes, she could have chosen any man as her husband. But Sol stole her breath away and married her nearly on the spot. She had been so happy. They had both been so young.

When they woke the Moon Queen, she felt every single wrinkle on her face, every unflattering line of her body. Whereas she had grown older, albeit aged well, the Queen still looked as young as ever. She still looked something like eighteen – timeless and young in the same impossible moment. And while Gaea knew it was hate he felt, she could not help seeing how Sol’s face flushed and passion filled his eyes as they had not in many years. The Moon Queen had given him a purpose again, no matter how full of rage that purpose was. And Gaea was jealous it had not been she to bring back her husband’s fiery spirit.

So here they were, pretending to be civil. She felt the waves of hatred from Sol beside her, but that only made it worse. He didn’t even see Gaea anymore – only the Queen. It made her blood boil.

She felt unease settle into her bones despite the bright, warm sun at her back and the comforting weight of her teacup in both hands. Sol didn’t look at her as he sipped his tea, resolutely ignoring the third member of their little party – Queen Serenity. The conversation had taken a turn for the worse, as political talk often did, and silence had descended.

Despite their earlier, heated conversation about returning their children’s memories and calling them home, Queen Serenity had done nothing to suggest she would use whatever spell she knew. Sol suggested enlisting the help of the other planets, perhaps Mercury with their powerful identification software or Mars with their highly intuitive priests. Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pluto remained strangely silent during the resulting argument as Queen Serenity shot them down, stating that no one would believe their efforts were sincere. Even now, she said, the other planets had refused to make contact with “imposters.” After their verbal sparring, a tense silence had followed.

They had dropped the appropriate title, as it hampered much of their conversation, and fell back on their given names. Gaea was still surprised that the Queen had a nickname – Night. She explained that as all daughters of the Moon were named Serenity, they were given secondary names to differentiate them. Thus, her name was Queen Night Serenity, Night for short, just as her daughter had been Queen Neo Serenity, nicknamed Bunny for her hairstyle. It felt disgustingly intimate to call the Queen “Night,” as it spoke of a closeness they did not share.

Despite sensing their tension, Queen Serenity made certain not to react to their overbearing disgust. She spoke quietly when spoken to and often shared silent conversations with Sailor Pluto, in which they stared at each other. Or rather glared… there was something sinister about the way Sailor Pluto looked at the Queen. Even Sailor Saturn, the creepy little girl who wielded a weapon twice her size, was friendly in comparison.

Gaea felt Saturn’s eyes on her as the guards moved back and forth in front of them. She glanced back at the Senshi wearily, frowning.

“I’m sorry,” Saturn said, surprising her. “It’s just that you remind me of a friend.” Gaea and Sol exchanged a glance.

“I did not know Senshi could have friends,” Sol said, a malicious lilt to his words. Pluto directed a glare in his direction, her fingers tightening around her staff. The staff, in the shape of a large key, was a beautiful relic. Alone, it didn’t look dangerous at all. In her hands, it glowed with a sinister dark light.

“Funny you should say that,” the little girl said with a mysterious smile. “If you knew to which friend I referred-,”

“Hotaru,” Pluto said sharply. The girl snapped her mouth shut and lowered her gaze to the floor.

“Sorry,” she muttered. It didn’t sound sincere, despite her submissive expression.

“It is a nice name,” Queen Serenity spoke up, smiling kindly at the girl. “Which country does it hail from? I don’t believe I’ve heard its likeness…”

“Japan,” Sol said. “I believe. Isn’t that where you were born?”

“In this incarnation, yes,” Saturn who was Hotaru said. “Although… I’m not sure what incarnation I’m in anymore. I’ve died and was reborn Hotaru so many times now… it confuses me.”

“Saturn,” Pluto said sharply, using her Senshi name this time. The girl immediately straightened her spine, a closed off stoicism replacing her mysterious smile.

“Yes,” Saturn said, and the warmth was gone. It was a complete transformation from the girl she had been moments before. Gaea felt a headache coming on from their strange dual nature. They had been around the Senshi for such a long time at this point, the tension surrounding their presence had dissipated. Whereas before they were the mysterious, dangerous Outer Senshi of legend – legends even among the Senshi she knew – now, they were That Annoying Tall Woman and the Creepy Little Girl.

“Remember your mission,” Pluto said, scolding her.

“I never forget,” Saturn said, a disturbing smile on her face. It wasn’t a happy smile, nor a particularly kind one.

“What is your mission, now?” Queen Serenity asked. She glanced at Gaea and they shared a strange moment. Gaea didn’t understand the look but she glanced back at Saturn, getting the sense that the answer would terrify her.

“Protect the Prince and Princess,” Saturn said softly. Pluto grunted her assent and the two walked away, as if given some cue. Gaea slowly relaxed from her tense position, finally setting down her teacup to keep her hands from shaking.

“Why?” Sol muttered. He looked at Queen Serenity, staring into her tortured eyes. “Night… is there some other prince I don’t know about? Why would they protect my son, too? Why not just the Princess?”

“I don’t know,” Queen Serenity said. “The Senshi were never meant to protect Endymion. That was the duty of your Shitennou… but I can’t sense their presence on Earth. I don’t understand at all what happened while I slept… the universe has turned on its head and all I can do is drink tea with you…” she smiled bitterly. Sol glanced again at Gaea and shifted, leaning towards Queen Serenity.

“You swore,” he said slowly, “to do something… I’m not sure what. But you swore you would show the people of Earth why they should help us find Endymion and Serenity. What does that mean? And when are you going to do it?”

Queen Serenity hesitated before she looked down at her lap, playing with her fingers. Gaea sensed her reluctance and sat closer, putting the pressure on her from another angle. She liked watching the Moon Queen squirm.

“What I would do… is difficult,” she said at last. “Something like a spell… though more powerful. More liberating. I will unlock the memories of Earth.”

“Memories?” Sol echoed.

“That is the problem we currently face,” Queen Serenity said. “Somewhere on Earth, our children are new beings. They have no memories of the Silver Millennium, their duties, their suffering, their happiness… they don’t remember us, each other, or anything else of that time. Their memories have been locked away in a place they cannot be reached.” She took a deep breath. “My spell would grant them their memories.”

“Then what is the problem?” Sol demanded, arching an eyebrow. “Why haven’t you done it yet?”

“It’s… complicated,” Queen Serenity hedged. “First of all… I need a direct connection to the Earth, directly to the Golden Crystal.” Sol and Gaea jerked as if stung.

“There’s no way we’re allowing you anywhere near the crystal!” Gaea said. When Sol didn’t jump to her side, Gaea continued. “It is this planet’s heart – we would no sooner hand over our crystal than demand the Silver Crystal from you.” It felt enough like the truth that the insult bit harder. Sol stared at Gaea, taking in the pride of her tone and her harder breathing. He shrugged.

“It is easily done,” he murmured. “Although, you won’t be able to use the crystal directly.”

“Sol!” Gaea said, outraged. Her face darkened as she grabbed his arm. “Don’t tell her.”

“Tell me what?” Queen Serenity said, blinking.

“The crystal vanished… several years ago. There was an attack of some kind; we don’t know what happened. But the Earth righted itself… and we assume it is safe. Our priest will tell us nothing, only that it is safe,” Sol said.

“You don’t know where the Golden Crystal is?” Queen Serenity demanded incredulously.

“Do you know where the Silver Crystal is?” Sol shot back, arching a challenging eyebrow. Queen Serenity hesitated, biting her bottom lip. “Anyway, there’s no helping it. Helios won’t budge on the matter.”

“Helios?” Queen Serenity echoed.

“He is the Head Priest of Elysium,” Gaea explained grudgingly. She wouldn’t look at her husband anymore, now that he had betrayed their secret. “He has been training for some years for the position. He is young, and quite strong…” she paused, “and… he is directly linked to the Golden Crystal.”

“So you could use him,” Sol said firmly. The conversation stopped for a tense moment – Sol stared at Queen Serenity, Queen Serenity frowned at Gaea, and Gaea stared at the space between them. Finally, Queen Serenity exhaled sharply.

“But that isn’t the only reason I have hesitated,” she said.

“What is it now?” Sol exploded, his face turning redder with frustration.

“Think for a minute,” Queen Serenity said fervently. “Just think. They have entirely normal, entirely human lives. Endymion and Serenity… my Serenity… there is absolutely nothing standing between them anymore. If they, by some miracle, found each other again… if they fell in love again… I would be ripping that happiness from them!”

They stared at her as she panted with rage, angry tears sliding down her face. It was the first sign of real emotion they had ever seen in her. It was a strangely human gesture.

“That isn’t all,” she whispered. “The Golden Crystal is the only way to link with every person on the planet, to find them. I would be opening a powerful connection between the people of Earth and myself. They would all watch my memories of the Moon Kingdom. They would see what once was. They would remember things of their own – things that they do not wish to recall.”

“Like what? What could they remember that they can’t do on their own?” Gaea whispered.

“Abuse…” she said. “Torture… things that people force themselves to forget. I would not be able to control it, not if I wanted our children to remember. And they would be as they were before, separated by their duties.” She turned pleading eyes to Gaea, the tears still pooling in her eyes. “You’ve seen how Endymion looked at her… you saw how much he loved her. Would you be able to look him in the eye and tell him it was all for the best, to lose her again?”

“We have no choice,” Gaea said, shaking as she struggled to maintain control over herself.

The dizzying scent of roses, a sharp wind. A tear-stained face she loved more than anything else. Yelling. Words that pierced her heart and made her blind with grief.

“Why, Mama? Why can’t you just be happy for me?”

“This isn’t what we want either,” Sol said. “But it is not just for us… Earth needs him. He is our only heir. What are we to do, should he die? There is no one else… the world would simply end.”

Gaea held her breath, daring to watch with hope weighing her heart.

Queen Serenity bowed her head, staring at her hands as if they held the answers to her million questions. Sol leaned back, his eyes hardened and his fists clenched on his thighs.

“I can’t do it,” Queen Serenity whispered. She finally looked up, her gaze catching Gaea’s eyes, without trembling. “I can’t take away my daughter’s happiness like that. I just… can’t betray her like that.”

“Even if it means the death of our kingdoms?” Sol whispered. “The Earth… and the Moon. You would allow their crystals to be silenced?”

“If it means their happiness, yes,” she said. She sat up straighter and despite the tears, her face smoothed over like a serene lake. She was at peace with this decision.

“Then you have doomed us all,” Sol said. He seemed a little stunned.

“Bless you… Night,” Gaea whispered. The two women understood each other now, even if Sol did not. They smiled bitterly at each other – enemies, but friends too.

Sol recoiled as if stabbed, his eyes widening. He started breathing hard, his fingers fisting against the table as he looked between them. Gaea tried to impart some of her gratitude to her husband, watching him panic. She had been a princess of Earth, one of many women vying for a place beside the future king. She loved Earth with all of her heart… but she loved Endymion with her soul. She would pick him over anything else, always. Sol, on the other hand… he was a direct descendent of his bloodline, a wielder of the Golden Crystal. He was directly linked to the heart of the Earth. He was the heart of the Earth. The betrayal that felt too easy for Gaea was tearing him up inside.

“This is insanity,” Sol said, glaring between his wife and Queen Serenity. He quickly stood, jerking his sword out of its sheath and pointing it at the Moon Queen. “You have poisoned my wife with your insanity.”

“What are you doing?” Gaea whispered, staring up at him. Her fingers reached for him instinctively, desperate to soothe away that tearing within him.

“You’ve lost your mind,” he said, his voice rising in pitch and volume. Guards, idling by the doors, came running. Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pluto hurried too, their eyes wide. “Don’t you understand what you’re doing? How many people you’ll kill?”

“I don’t care who dies, if Endymion is only happy,” Gaea whispered. It was too low for anyone, even Queen Serenity beside her, to hear. Sol got the point though as he stared at her.

“You would doom my planet, witch,” he hissed. He crouched into a fighting stance with legs spread apart and arms stiff. She had seen him train in that position before, seen him cut down enemies like that. She had fallen in love with him with that focused look on his face. And although she knew that she should run from him, she couldn’t make her body move. What was he doing? They had not been on friendly terms for a long time… but would he…? Would he really…?

“Huh…” a voice overhead said. “This is kind of interesting.” When they looked up at the sky – who could have snuck into this protected space undetected? – the Senshi immediately rushed forward.

A young boy sat in the air cross-legged with his chin resting on his hands. He wore the guise of a clown with a white painted face, a single blue tear mark under one eye, and brightly colored balloon pants and white shirt with sleeves that covered his whole hands. “What are you all ignoring him for? He was totally about to cut her head off!” He addressed Gaea with, “I don’t know what you did because it is seriously hard to get the king all mad and stuff, but it must have been bad. Are you his mistress or something?”

“Youma!” Pluto yelled sharply, which got the guards into even more of a panic. The child youma tilted his head curiously as the assembled people turned their full attention on him.

“You’ll have to do better than that,” the boy said with a giggle. “Lots of people are coming – I just found the exit first. Hey, what Senshi are you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.”

“Get them out of here,” Pluto said to Saturn without taking her eyes off the enemy. Saturn nodded and, keeping her scythe held in the direction of the youma, edged towards the Earth monarchs. She grabbed Gaea firmly around her upper arm and edged towards the only door.

“Don’t move,” a voice said from the door. When they whirled in the direction of the voice, a strange man reclined against the shadow of a tree. As he moved into the light, they saw that his skin was blue, his eyes a disturbing red color, and he held a sword in one hand. His clothing was complex with many tubes and metal strips across his arms and legs. When he spoke, his fangs glinted “Jukai, why’d you have to warn them? They didn’t even know we were here.”

“I just wanted to know what Senshi they were,” Jukai, the clown youma, said with a pout. “We’ve met a lot of them but never these two. You don’t think they’ve got crystals, do you?”

The guards split into two formations and shielded Gaea and Sol on all sides. Pluto lingered beside Queen Serenity while Saturn’s grip on Gaea’s arm tightened until it was painful. Gaea barely breathed, staring from one terrifying youma to the other. How had they gotten in?

“Heeeeey, Chixota, you don’t think that’s really the king’s mistress, do you?” Jukai asked in that same whiney voice.

“Why not?” he said, his eyes narrowed on Saturn. With a growing sense of dread, Saturn realized that by singling out Gaea she had made her a bigger target. She should never have touched the queen. She released the queen and grabbed her scythe with both hands, mentally trying to make Gaea invisible. “Marriages aren’t perfect, and they’ve been married for a thousand years, haven’t they? Makes sense they’d get sick of each other at some point.”

“But its such a nice love story,” Jukai said, untangling his limbs as he floated upside down above Sol and Queen Serenity. “I thought for sure it would work out. And don’t they have a daughter? Don’t you think she’d be upset with them for being all unfaithful to each other?”

“These things are not for us to question,” Chixota said. He lashed out with his sword, sending a ball of energy at Gaea. Saturn reacted without thinking, slamming herself against that energy to ricochet off the wall. The loud, clear vibrating of the scythe’s blade filled the air as she stood poised, ready for another attack. The youma, Chixota, smirked at her. Fangs glinted at the corner of his mouth.

“Oh, the others are coming,” Jukai said excitedly. “This is going to be fun!”

The ground shook and the sky overhead turned pitch black. Gaea wrapped her arms around her body and hunched inward, pulled back into a memory of another attack. The sky was so dark; lightening danced across the clouds. Oh god, it was happening again.

The sky opened, jagged and twisted, light exploding from overhead. A body fell through the sky and landed between Gaea and Sol, a sword glittering in its hand. And then another dropped. And another.

Monsters descended upon them.

~*~*~

Swinging her school bag in time with her feet, Usagi stared listlessly into the sky. It was supposed to be sunny all day but a light shower sprinkled her hair and arms with just enough moisture to be noticeable but not enough to get past her clothing. It was a soothing rain, one that allowed Usagi to disappear into her thoughts.

She was off to the arcade with its promise of home economics cookies from Makoto’s club and shameless gossip over who was crushing on whom. It was enough to make her pick up the pace. For some reason, though, she wanted to linger in the rain. Something felt strange, some quality in the air that made her pause. It felt a little like lightening in the air, like when Sailor Jupiter hurled a thunderbolt at an enemy. But she had heard no thunder, seen no lightening – only the sky gently spraying her with water and mist.

It was a little hard to see anything, despite how light the rain was. The soft whoosh of cars was the only indication that she walked beside a busy avenue and even the windows of the stores she passed were covered in a thick coat of mist. She paused in front of the glass long enough to draw a small heart with her finger, smile, and continue walking.

As she passed her little doodle in the window, the door of the store opened behind her. Two familiar voices picked up and Usagi turned to greet them.

“-so mean, I can’t believe you didn’t tell anyone how hot Umino was under all that geeky exterior!” Keiko’s high-pitched giggle filled the air. Usagi froze and hung back, no longer eager to greet them. The girls stood in front of the door, working on their umbrellas as they spoke.

“It’s not a big deal,” Naru muttered. Her uniform was slightly crumpled around the hem, a sure sign that she’d been tugging at it during class. That could only mean she was anxious about something. Could it be Umino? Was Naru’s recent anxiety about Umino? Usagi pressed herself against the wall, listening intently.

“Yeah, it is!” Keiko gushed. “I mean, we all thought you were crazy for dating him. He is – was such a geek! But now… I mean, everyone totally understands.” Naru didn’t look at their classmate as she wrenched her umbrella open and walked boldly out into the rain. Keiko followed, still chattering. “And to think he was like that all along and no one ever noticed. You’re so lucky you snatched him up already; I heard that Yuuki has had her eye on him ever since the first day he revealed himself! Oh, I’m so jealous!”

“You can have him,” Naru said in an icy voice.

“N-Naru?” Keiko laughed nervously, “you don’t have to joke about that.”

“I’m not joking. You or Yuuki, it doesn’t matter. He isn’t my problem anymore,” Naru said, walking on ahead.

“W-What?” Keiko said, frozen halfway between the entrance of the shop and the open rain, darting her gaze from her umbrella to Naru, and then quickly to her shoes. The rain had picked up somewhat during their conversation.

“I said you can have him. Umino and I broke up. There’s nothing standing between you now,” Naru said, her voice colder and darker the more she stood there.

“But…” Keiko said uncertainly. “Naru, Umino is your boyfriend. You’ve been dating since middle school. And everyone knows how much he’s in love with you. It’s kind of… disgusting… how much he’s in love with you.” Her voice trailed off at the cold scowl on Naru’s face. She stared down at her umbrella, her shoulders shaking. “But he’s so handsome now… I don’t understand why you’d break up with him, Naru…”

“Don’t try to rationalize things you don’t understand,” Naru said, her voice betraying her anger. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. You don’t know me at all, not at all. You have no idea what I’m going through or why I do what I do.”

Keiko didn’t respond; she barely breathed as she stood there taking Naru’s wrath.

“You think you’re so smart, telling me how great it is that my boyfriend’s so good-looking? You think it’s okay now, that I was dating Umino before only because he was secretly handsome? Well, what if he looked even uglier without his glasses? What if he was the ugliest person in the world – then what? Is it not okay for him to be my boyfriend anymore? Are you saying that you, in all your wisdom, would advise me not to date him because he isn’t good enough?”

“N-No,” she mumbled weakly.

“Oh… because I could have sworn that’s what you were saying. That’s what everyone has been saying. All of this talk about how its suddenly okay that I dated Umino all of these years because he’s handsome underneath his geeky exterior. I made a wise choice, keeping him hidden away from everyone, because I kept the competition out. Yes, that’s what you’re all saying. That if I hadn’t done that, some other girl would have just snatched him away from me. That I’m the one that was lucky to be dating him. That I’m not any good except that I’m dating someone so much more beautiful than me!”

Naru threw down her umbrella so sharply, Keiko jumped and dared to lift her eyes. She immediately lowered them again, biting her lip to keep from crying. Naru’s face contorted to one of disgust and intense rage, dropping the coldness she had worn like a coat until there was nothing but vibrating tension left in her body.

“So don’t pretend you have any idea what you’re talking about! If I’ve broken up with Umino, I have a good reason for it!” Naru shouted. People were staring now, hesitating on the sidewalk so that they wouldn’t have to walk past her. They had drawn a small crowd of whispering shoppers, all curious about Naru’s anger.

When Usagi saw tears slide down Naru’s cheeks, she couldn’t take it anymore. She inhaled sharply and stepped out from her hiding spot.

“Naru,” Usagi said, her mouth twisted into a grimace. “Why are you doing this?”

Catching sight of Usagi, Naru froze with her mouth hanging open. Her red face paled so that she looked sickly. Her face, Usagi noted, was sallow and pinched with tension. Why hadn’t she known that her friend had all this anger bottled up inside her? Why hadn’t she seen that her best friend in the world was in so much pain that she couldn’t talk to anyone? Why had she always assumed that Naru and Umino would stay together forever, because they loved each other?

“Usagi…” Naru whispered, swallowing convulsively. “What are you… why are you here?”

“I know you, Naru,” Usagi said, ignoring the question. She took a step towards her and held out her hand as if she were approaching a wild animal. Naru had begun to tremble, tears sliding along her jaw. “And I know how you really feel about Umino. I know you love him no matter what he looks like. Why are you hurting yourself like this, Naru?”

“S-Shut up,” Naru whispered, clenching her fists at her sides. “You have no idea… you haven’t even been paying attention…”

“Stop making excuses,” Usagi said, frowning. “I’ve been your friend our whole lives. I know you better than anyone – better than Umino.”

“You haven’t been my friend for a long time,” Naru said in that same cold voice she had been using for days. “You never have time for me… you don’t care what happens to me.”

“You know that isn’t true,” Usagi whispered, fighting back the hurt tears that threatened to overflow. She suddenly hated how emotional she was, how every little thing could make her cry.

But this wasn’t about her – this was about Naru, and her pain. She had to be strong. She swallowed back her tears and took another step forward. “You know I’ll always love you, Naru.”

“You’re so full of yourself,” Naru said, taking a step away from her. “All you care about is… is your other friends and… and Mamoru. You don’t have time for me anymore. You haven’t for years.”

“No,” Usagi chided, still stepping cautiously towards her. She spared a glance for Keiko, who was plastered against the wall with her umbrella clutched tightly to her chest, breathing slowly in and out. She looked relieved to no longer be in Naru’s immediate attention. Usagi’s eyes swiveled back to her trembling friend. “That isn’t true and you know it. And besides, that isn’t what this is about. This is about you and Umino.”

“You never liked Umino,” Naru growled, anger showing through her coldness again.

“I’ve always liked Umino,” Usagi corrected gently. “I see how much he loves you. He tries so hard to make you happy. He did all of this for you, to impress you.”

“I KNOW!” Naru yelled, stomping up to Usagi’s face and jabbing a finger into her shoulder. Startled by the sudden aggression, Usagi backtracked with Naru following, jabbing her in the shoulder continuously. “I know, okay? I know he did all of that stupid stuff just to make me happy! He never thinks about himself, he never considers things before he does them, and he only ever thinks about me! I know all of that! And I know that the second Yuuki finds him and bats her big lashes at him and flips her beautiful hair his way, he’s going to fall madly in love with her and forget all about me! You know why? Because I’m a horrible person who couldn’t stand the idea of some other girl making a move on my boyfriend!”

This last part galvanized Usagi and she shoved Naru away, startling her. “Then you’re a coward! And you don’t trust Umino at all if you think he would leave you for the first pretty girl that pays attention to him. Umino is faithful through and through!”

“It isn’t that easy,” Naru yelled, fisting her hands. “You only think he’s faithful because Mamoru is faithful to you!”

“This has nothing to do with Mamo-chan!” Usagi yelled, her shoulders shaking. “This is about you and Umino!”

“No, it has everything to do with you and Mamoru,” Naru yelled back. “Everything is so perfect between the two of you! He’s so handsome and all he ever thinks about is you! He doesn’t even see it when girls hit on him! But not everyone has it so easy, Usagi!”

“Easy?” Usagi spluttered. “You think my relationship with Mamo-chan is easy?”

“Your mom loves him,” Naru said, her eyebrows pinching. “Your brother hero-worships him. Your friends get along with him. He loves you, takes you out, understands you in so many ways. Even your dad won’t have much of an excuse to keep you from openly dating him since he’s been around so long. Everything is just so… perfect for you! Nothing ever tries to keep you apart!”

The words felt like arrows penetrating Usagi’s soul and for a split second, she heard a voice echoing in a distant memory. The Earth hung in the sky like a pale peach… the cold wind of the Moon blew against her neck… Luna sat beside her on a ledge overlooking an enormous garden.

“You are never to see that boy again. Never.”

“It isn’t easy,” Usagi whispered, horrified by the pain of that memory more than anything. Naru snorted derisively.

“You don’t even know what it means to have a relationship you need to work at,” she said snidely. “You don’t know what it’s like when it feels like the whole world is pitted against you and Mamo-chan being together. So don’t even try to argue.”

Naru turned on her heel and ran down the street, her shoes clacking on the wet sidewalk. Usagi stared after her, ignoring the disapproving buzz of voices all around. The small crowd that had gathered to witness their humiliating fight had an opinion about the argument. Some offered consoling words to Usagi as they passed while others hurried along with their heads down. Show’s over, Usagi thought insanely, staring after Naru without acknowledging those idiots brave enough to speak to her.

Keiko, up until this point forgotten, crept towards Usagi. “I don’t get it,” she mumbled. Usagi’s eyes swiveled to her. This seemed to fortify Keiko’s courage as she puffed out her chest and shook her umbrella. “Naru’s being such an idiot. I don’t know what she’s complaining about. Who cares if Umino is good-looking now or what? Not like she’s going to get another boyfriend, not by the way she’s been acting lately. Right, Usagi?”

Usagi felt the blood freeze in her veins. Was this the kind of person that Naru hung out with when Usagi wasn’t there? Was it true… did she not spend as much time with her friend as she should have?

All the hurt of Naru’s biting words evaporated, eclipsed by the knowledge that Naru had said all of those things because she was in pain. Usagi ran after her, knocking down a couple that didn’t get out of the way fast enough. She didn’t stop to apologize or help them up, as she normally would have, because she’d just caught sight of Naru’s curly red hair just ahead. Her friend had slowed down and walked confidently away, hair swishing against her neck as she went.

Usagi picked up speed and dashed towards Naru even as Keiko yelled after her. Naru heard Keiko and glanced back, only to find Usagi chasing her. With a startled cry, Naru ran fast, leading Usagi down alleys and streets that passed too quickly to recognize their names.

“Stop following me, Usagi!” Naru yelled, ducking under a surprised delivery boy. Usagi yelped and crashed into the box at his feet, landing flat on her face. With a determined grunt, she shoved herself off the concrete and ran after Naru again, ignoring the indignant yell from behind her.

“No! Stop running, Naru! I won’t let you get away with all that stuff you said back there! We’re going to talk until we figure this out!” Usagi said, barely panting as she managed to dodge some kids loitering in front of an apartment building. Some of the kids wore baggy pants with torn T-shirts; one had long hair streaked with purple and the other had piercings all over his face. Part of Usagi wondered where she was, what part of the city had punks like them hanging around outside.

“Just give it up!” Naru panted, sounding far more winded than Usagi felt. Thank god for Senshi training, she thought as she started catching up. “It’s hopeless! Just leave me alone!”

“I won’t leave you alone! You’re my best friend!” Usagi yelled, putting on a burst of speed. She nearly caught Naru but her friend dodged and ran down a small alley squished between a ramen store and a laundromat. Usagi tripped on her own feet and nearly twisted her ankle on the way down. Grunting at the added pain on her bleeding knees, she wobbled to her feet and ran after Naru.

She was so focused that she didn’t sense the aura of danger surrounding her all at once.

All she saw was that Naru had climbed over a chain link fence into the construction area beyond. That she was so desperate to get away made Usagi run faster, ignoring the bite of the metal as she climbed over the obstacle faster than Naru. The added speed gave her the precious few seconds she needed to trap Naru against one of the bulldozers.

They stood there for a moment, Naru with her back pressed up against the machinery and Usagi leaning on her hands, trapping Naru between them as they fought for air. When Usagi lifted her head to look Naru in the eye, she stopped breathing. Naru’s face was no longer angry but red and tear-stained. She sobbed and covered her face with both hands, gasping for air as she cried.

Usagi breathed deeply, watching Naru cry with tears in her own eyes. She wrapped her arms around Naru and hugged her, letting her best friend cry for the both of them as she murmured soothing words into her ear. Naru gasped and choked on her sobs, clutching at Usagi as she cried.

“I-I couldn’t… stand it… anymore,” Naru whispered. “The way everyone looked at him, like he was a piece of meat. I couldn’t stand the way they looked at him like he wasn’t even human anymore.”

“Why did you break up with him?” Usagi whispered. “It must have hurt him so much.”

“Don’t,” Naru whispered, her body stiffening. “Please don’t say that! I can’t bear the thought… of him hurting… because of something I did. I’m such a horrible girlfriend.”

“But then why?” Usagi said. “Why would you hurt him like that?”

“Because! I was holding him back. Don’t you see? I was so selfish, trying to hide him from everyone. I got so crazy, worrying that he’d slip and take off his glasses during class to clean them. Or he’d spill something and have to take them off. Or… Usagi, I was even worried that you’d want him!” She lifted her head, her face twisted in pain. “And I know you have eyes only for Mamo-chan! But I still thought it! I still worried!”

“Umino has never seen anyone but you in front of him,” Usagi said.

“No, that isn’t true,” Naru whispered, lowering her head to hide her face. “He liked you first… don’t you remember? How he chased you?”

“He had a minor crush on me,” Usagi said, fighting a small blush. “And anyway, it didn’t even last more than a little while! He never seriously asked me out, like he did with you. And he’s never once looked at me the way he looks at you.”

“That may be true… but… it isn’t enough,” she stepped away from Usagi, ducking her head lower to hide her shame. “I’m a coward. I’ve heard the rumors. About… Yuuki. I’ve heard what she does to other girls in order to get their boyfriends. All she had to do was scare me once and I gave him up rather than go through the torture she wanted to put me through.”

“Scare you? What did she do?” Usagi said, eyes widening. Even after the nasty rumors she’d heard about Yuuki, she had a lot of trouble imagining that lovely girl harming anyone.

“S-She caught me… after gym. Spoke with me in private when everyone left. She said some… things… that were true. About me. And… she threatened to make my life really difficult. But worst of all, she threatened to tell Umino.”

“Tell Umino what?” Usagi said, frowning. Naru nodded and looked up imploringly.

“I’m not strong like you, Usagi. I have friends at school… but not like you do. I can’t surround myself in a cocoon of people the way you can, people who support and love you no matter what. If I’m around you and your friends, I’m okay… but the second I step away from you, it’s like your light leaves me. I can’t see things the way you do; I can’t see the good in people as easily. And I didn’t see how cruel Yuuki was until it was too late.”

“Too late?” Usagi repeated, fighting to keep up with Naru’s words.

“I…” Naru hesitated. “I went to a… party… a few months ago. I shouldn’t have gone; I didn’t know many people there and I wasn’t even invited. But it was one of Yuuki’s parties and those are pretty famous for having all the popular people at school. I told Umino I couldn’t see him, that I had a stomach ache and that I was going to sleep early that day, and I went with Keiko to the party.”

“Mmm,” Usagi said encouragingly. She had no idea where this story of Naru’s was supposed to go, nor why she was telling it, but Naru’s face was constricted with guilt and pain. She wanted to confess something. If that meant that Usagi was confused while Naru explained, then that was okay.

“I don’t know why I went,” Naru whispered. “You had free time… you’d finally invited me to go out and have fun. I missed you so much. But I said no… said I was busy. And I went to the party instead.” She leaned her head back and stared at the sky, arms wrapped around her shoulders. “I dressed in clothing I would never wear… slutty things. Things I thought made me look attractive. Yuuki was so nice to me at the party, laughing and talking with me as if we were friends for a long time instead of cold acquaintances at school. And when her older brother came over, I just thought he was being friendly.”

Usagi stopped breathing, her eyes widening as she extended her hands to Naru.

“Don’t worry,” Naru said, sensing her alarm. “Nothing happened. I mean… nothing like what you’re thinking. He was a little drunk and he just… hugged me is all. And kissed me on the cheek and said I was good for his sister, that I made her less crazy. I laughed… I thought he was joking. I’d heard about Yuuki but I remembered what you said – that everyone should have a chance to explain themselves. I mean, just look at Mako-chan… she had a reputation for being violent and starting fights at her old school, but she has never once been anything but sweet to me. I just thought other girls were jealous because Yuuki is so beautiful… I thought they were jealous that their boyfriends were unfaithful and chased her because of that.”

She stopped and lowered her chin, breathing deeply. Usagi gently rubbed her shoulder, listening.

“Yuuki took a picture of us. She said that we looked so cute together… she said she had never seen a girl who looked good next to her brother. She said that… that she really thought we’d make a cute couple. And he was really nice… he said he would love to go out with me. And I just laughed and said I’d be flattered. I said that I didn’t have time for a boyfriend – that I study too much. I didn’t once say that I had a boyfriend. I didn’t once think of Umino. Oh god, I’m such a horrible person.”

“No, Naru-,” Usagi said.

“After that,” Naru interrupted quickly, her words coming faster. “After that, I treated Yuuki as a friend. We never associated at school together – her friends were a lot more popular than me – but we’d hang out at her house sometimes. And her brother was always so nice to me… and I… I never told him I had a boyfriend. But Yuuki knew. And she… when she grabbed me after gym she… she had a picture…”

“But you said nothing happened!” Usagi blurted.

“Nothing happened,” Naru repeated, flushing. “But it looks like something happened… in the picture. If you look at it, it’s like we’re dating. He has his arm around me and I’m hugging him and… and… And she threatened to take it to Umino and make him think I cheated on him. I… I’m a coward. I just couldn’t bear it! I wanted him to think it was… a-anything else but that! He could… he could forgive me one day, if it was anything but that!”

“Umino would never believe anything Yuuki told him about you,” Usagi said firmly, struggling to keep her own feelings on the subject under wraps. She wanted to shake Naru for being stupid – hugging another guy who wasn’t her boyfriend – but Naru was still trembling. “Naru, he’d forgive you! You said it yourself – nothing happened. Umino is one of the most forgiving, kindest-,”

“I know!” Naru yelled. “That’s the whole point! He’d forgive me and smile and smile, but it would tear him up inside to think that I might have been with another guy. It would hurt him so much if he thought that he wasn’t good enough.”

“And this is better? Making him think that the very sight of him repulses you? The difference here is that you’re not even trying! Either you break his heart by making him think he’s a disgusting bug and dump him, or you admit you made a mistake and work through your problems like any other couple! But what you’re doing to him now… You’re just… giving up on him!”

“Don’t make me sound so cruel,” Naru said. “I know how horrible I am! But I just… I’m so confused. It seemed like the best option. And Yuuki… she threatened to spread it around the school – she said her brother had a reputation for being a playboy. That it would just make things look like we’d slept together.”

“Umino would never believe that!” Usagi said.

“But my friends would! Everyone at school would! I told you, Usagi, I told you I’m not as strong as you! It would be okay if I was with you all the time but I can’t be! They’d get me alone – they’d tear me up inside. I can’t do it. I just… I can’t…” She broke off, her entire body shaking as she hugged herself. “I’m so ashamed. I’m not strong enough.”

“You have to try,” Usagi whispered. “Love is always worth it. You have to try… for Umino. If you don’t, you’ll only hurt him worse than ever. It must be torture for him to see you in pain like this.”

“Please don’t say that,” Naru whimpered.

“Jeez…” Usagi whispered, taking a step back. The tension between them dissipated slightly, the air feeling cleaner and fresher now that the ugliness between them was visible. Naru took that break from Usagi’s piercing gaze to catch her breath, rubbing her face clean of her tears. Usagi paced a little in front of her with a hand to her forehead, going through everything Naru had just told her.

Usagi stared at the sky, breathing in deeply a few times. When she knew what she wanted to say, she turned back to Naru.

“Do you love Umino?” she asked simply. Her face was honest and open – free of reproach or disapproval. It was just a question.

“Yes,” Naru whispered. “I love him very much.”

“Then that’s all that matters,” Usagi said.

Naru looked into her eyes – those blue eyes that saw right through all of her defenses and half-hearted excuses – and felt the truth of those words. Her mother had said that too, that love was all that mattered. But Naru saw the lack of passion in her parents’ marriage, saw the way that couples got together and broke up in the same breath. She listened to Yuuki’s poisonous words and felt that love wasn’t enough, not nearly enough, would never be enough. But Usagi’s eyes were sincere, her smile was confident, and she spoke those words as if there were no truer words ever spoken.

“Y-You don’t understand,” Naru tried weakly. It was her last defense. “High school is so hard… I don’t know if I can be strong.”

“There is far more to life than high school,” Usagi said, taking her hand. “Love is more important than anything else in this world. If you love him and want more than anything to be with him, then you can’t let anyone or anything stand in your way. You can’t live your life regretting something so small. You and Umino will work this out together. You have to be honest with each other and you have to be strong. There is no other option if you want to be happy.”

“Usagi…” she whispered, mesmerized. “It’s so easy, when you say it.”

“If that’s true, then I’ll come with you,” Usagi said, grinning confidently. It was a sad smile, something Naru had not seen in a long time. But it was strong and filled Naru with that strength. With Usagi’s strength. “We’ll go talk to Umino right now, see? And you’ll sort everything out. And if Yuuki gives you any trouble, you ignore her. She isn’t worth your time.”

And it was true. As Usagi said these things, confidently, rationally, Naru saw the truth in them. The ugliness that had coiled in the pit of her stomach loosened and her shoulders relaxed. Tension she had been experiencing for days ebbed away to leave her feeling hollow and light. She felt as if she could float away.

“I…” Naru said. She shook herself, blinking as if she had just woken from a dream. Or a nightmare. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Right!” Usagi said more enthusiastically. “We’ll win him back for you! And it won’t matter what Yuuki says because Umino will know the truth.”

“Yeah,” Naru said, smiling despite herself. They trudged back to the chain link fence and helped each other over.

“I can’t believe I was so stupid,” Naru mumbled, tugging her frizzy hair out of her face. She must have looked like a disaster.

“We all make mistakes,” Usagi said gently. “Don’t worry… it’s never too late to fix things.”

“But I… I must look horrible. Maybe we shouldn’t go now. Maybe I should just stop by my house and clean up…”

“No way!” Usagi said firmly. “We’re going straight to Umino’s house. Right now. And you aren’t leaving until you’ve talked to him.”

“But I look terrible,” Naru groaned. “My face is all swelled up from crying, my eyes must be all red, too. I’m dirty and wet from trying to get away from you-,”

“It doesn’t matter,” Usagi said. “He should know what you’ve been through to come to this decision. He should know how difficult it was for you. He’ll understand when you talk to him.”

“Mmm,” Naru mumbled, trying unsuccessfully to scrap mud off the back of her shoes. She glanced at Usagi and wearily sighed.

Usagi looked ethereal after all their physical exertion. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were electric blue. Her hair, although mused and obviously disorganized, only made her look more beautiful. Even her clothes, damp with rain and sweat, only accentuated her beauty. Worst of all, she was completely unaware of how beautiful she was. Naru wanted to feel jealous – but then she gave up. She’d tried being jealous of Usagi once, when they were in grade school, but it was simply impossible. Usagi was too good to be mad at.

“I’m sorry… about the stuff I said. About you and Mamoru,” Naru said meekly.

“Don’t worry about it,” Usagi said and smiled. Except the smile wasn’t Usagi’s easy smile but rather a forced, fake one. Huh, Naru thought. What was it about what I said before that’s making Usagi act like this?

As they walked down the deserted alley, avoiding huge puddles of water, Usagi stiffened.

“Hey… do you feel that?” she whispered. Naru looked around. There didn’t seem to be anything unusual out of place. She gasped and jumped when Usagi grabbed her hand.

“What? What is it?” Naru said, gripping Usagi’s hand in return. She hadn’t felt anything unusual but Usagi’s sudden tension made her alert. The alley didn’t look different – a couple trash bins beside an open door and a shaggy cat pawing at some cardboard boxes were the only scenery.

“… must be… -ouma…” Usagi mumbled to herself.

“Huh? What’d you say?” Naru said.

The wall to their left exploded.

Usagi somehow sensed the explosion before it happened.

She covered Naru’s body with hers and took the brunt of the blast on her back. Naru lay back against the opposite wall with her eyes wide open. She felt something sticky dribble onto her knee but Usagi was strewn on top of her lap so she couldn’t see what it was. Usagi struggled to her knees and collapsed against her again.

“Usagi,” Naru mumbled, stunned by the suddenness of it. She stared at the shattered wall, at the twisted pipes sticking out of the brick. She could smell soy sauce and fried rice drifting from inside the crippled building. Distantly, screams started up.

“Naru, are you okay?” Usagi said, struggling to stand again. She managed it with difficulty, leaning against the wall for support. Her back was lacerated and red with blood but the wounds appeared to be shallow. Naru touched her own eyebrow and it came away sticky, red with blood. The dribbled liquid on her lap was also the red of fresh blood. She wasn’t sure who’s blood it was.

~*~*~

“Naru, can you hear me?” someone shook her shoulder. Naru looked up into Usagi’s determined, charcoal-colored face. Had she lost consciousness? Usagi hadn’t been covered in ash a moment ago. “Naru, you have to get up. We have to run. Naru, listen to me. We can’t stay here.”

She looked up at the blackened sky and noticed that the cloud over her head spiked lightening from every point. Then she realized that there were things in the cloud, things that moved. She glanced from side to side, barely taking in the crumbling brick walls and twisted metal frame of the building structures.

“Naru!” Usagi said urgently, shaking her again.

“Ughn…” Naru said, acknowledging her. The last few moments returned like a steamroller. There had been another explosion and this time Usagi hadn’t been fast enough. Naru had bumped her head and her vision had gone fuzzy. But she was okay now – she could understand Usagi’s words.

“Usagi,” Naru said, gripping Usagi’s wrists. “O-Okay…”

“Okay?” Usagi said, staring into her eyes.

“Yes, okay.”

“Good.” Usagi grabbed her arm and ran.

The street they had run through minutes ago was strewn with debris and bodies. When Naru tried to stop and look at the twisted corpses on the ground, Usagi nearly dislocated her shoulder by yanking her forward. The numbness was fading and something else bubbled up inside Naru. She tripped at one point and grunted. The grunt turned into rapid, shaking breathing. It almost became screaming.

Usagi had grabbed her again and yanked her hard. She didn’t let Naru absorb what she was looking at.

They kept running without stopping, their eyes fixed on some imaginary destination that only Usagi seemed capable of seeing. Her face held a firm determination, her goal clear in her eyes.

Naru was too confused and too terrified to ask her where they were going.

~*~*~

A scream tore through the air and abruptly cut off. Gaea hid her face in her knees, huddled in a corner under an overturned table. Pieces of porcelain strewn around the floor picked up the red emergency lights and reflected them back at her, like stars winking from the dark ground. She lifted her head and hugged her arms tightly. She pressed her thighs to her arms and chest as she fought to stop shaking.

The compound was under attack from within. No one could explain how the monsters had gotten in, nor how there could be so many of them. The attack had been sudden, without warning, and solely concentrated against Queen Serenity and Sol. Even the Senshi had seemed overwhelmed by the youma attack.

“We sensed something coming, but nothing of this magnitude,” Pluto had said. Saturn did not once speak as they had escaped the garden room. All she’d said was, “Hide,” and gone off to fight a group of youma clustered around some of the astrophysicists. Before Gaea had a chance to do just that, she herself was attacked.

She ran and hid far away from the screams and explosions. The desk overhead cast a long shadow over her, effectively hiding her from the couple of youmas that had whizzed shrieking by overhead. She ducked her head, breathing sharply through her nose.

“Get up,” she whispered to her knees. It took a moment but she managed it, carefully avoiding the pieces of broken porcelain on the ground.

Her dress hung in tatters around her legs and the heel of one shoe had broken off. She assessed this damage distantly as her eyes wandered around her. There was no more screaming, only an eerie silence that seemed to go on forever. Where was Sol? Where were the guards? Where was everybody? Could it be… was she the only one left?

She crab-walked around several cubicles lined with torn literary articles and shattered pens. She used a trash bin filled with used food wrappers as a weapon held out in front of her. Whenever she caught a hint of movement, she ducked for cover again and waited until her heart stopped racing.

It was during one of those adrenaline-fueled evasions that she heard actual conversation. She peeked out from her hiding spot behind an upturned glass table and saw a strange girl arguing with one of the demon creatures. Her long pink hair tied back in a braid looked highly suspicious but otherwise she looked like a normal human girl. There was no mistaking the creature sneering at her – exposing a fang at one corner of his mouth – and his aura of darkness.

As if sensing her, the creature lifted his eyes and stared directly at her. Gaea did the only thing she could, under the circumstances. She screamed.

“No no! It’s okay!” the girl said, rushing to her side. Gaea threw her arm up to protect herself but the girl backed up before touching her, holding her hands palm-out in a gesture of peace. “We won’t hurt you. I’m sorry. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Gaea trembled, panting hard and staring up at the creature. He didn’t look quite so sympathetic as the girl.

“Why are you talking to that… that…” Gaea said, her voice hoarse. It surprised her so much that she lowered her arm to touch her throat.

“I prefer monster,” the man said, smirking to show all of his very sharp, very white teeth. The smirk vanished with a disgruntled “oomph” as the girl elbowed him in the sternum.

“You are not going to scare the first person we see!” the girl said in such a disgusted, snotty voice that Gaea blinked. That was around the time that she realized two things: one, the girl was totally human. And two, she had somehow wrapped a powerful, brutal youma around her little finger. This was also around the time she stopped cowering and felt a little bit foolish for her behavior. After all, the youma had not attacked her. Yet. That in itself was a first in her life.

“Whatever,” the youma muttered, averting his gaze as if Gaea no longer existed. Gaea observed the way his glance flicked briefly to the strange girl and then again in the opposite direction. “I’ll make sure none of my friends are still hanging around.”

“You go do that,” the pink-haired girl said coldly. The youma snorted and took off, easily leaping over the disaster zone around them. He probably flew – not that Gaea would have known the difference. She could barely stand, let alone wax philosophic on whether or not youma jumped long distances or simply flew. Or maybe they hovered?

“I’m sorry about him,” the girl said with a comforting smile. She held out her hand and as Gaea reached for her, she was stunned by that smile. She took a moment to study her delicate face – bright brown eyes, button nose, and soft pink lips. The smile warmed as her fingers curled around Gaea’s wrist. “I’m Chibi Usa. What’s your name?”

There was something strangely familiar about this girl…