Sailormoon Eternity
Book 1 - The Poison of Amaranth
Chapter 1: Poison
------------------------------
"What is happening to me? What has happened to my life?"
------------------------------


	"Ja ne, Artemis!"
	Minako cheerfully waved goodbye as the white cat jogged off down
the street. ~I wonder where he had to rush off to?~ she thought to
herself. ~Oh well. Cat business, I guess.~ She shrugged ambiguously.
	Turning around, Minako started to walk in the other direction.
She would be meeting her friends at the ice cream parlor soon. It was a
nice day, but the wind was unusually brisk, and it swept her long blonde
hair out behind her as she walked. Large fluffy clouds rolled across the
sky, sailing on the wind. The sun was warm on Minako's face, and she 
smiled and sighed contentedly. 
	Since the day Sailor Galaxia had been freed from Chaos, the
Earth had been at peace. Although they remained always on the alert, the
Inner Senshi were hoping that at last they had been left to enjoy their
remaining high school years as normal girls. The five young soldiers had
returned to their studies and old pursuits. 
	It was rather surreal, Minako mused. Five years of fighting for
love and justice and the safety of the world had nearly transformed them
all into battle-hardened fighters like the Senshi of the outer planets. 
Now, their greatest concerns were their scores on the next exam and 
whether or not that cute guy had smiled at them.
	Minako stretched and yawned as she passed through the shadow of
a tree, and glanced casually at the digital clock on the bank across the
street. She did a double-take. Her eyes bugged out of her head. She
started to run. She was late.

	"Where are they?"
	Rei paced back and forth on the corner, her deep violet hair
streaming in the wind. She ground her teeth together impatiently, her
hands on her hips.
	"Rei-chan, stop that, you're making me dizzy," Makoto
complained. Pressing one hand against her forehead, the tall
brown-haired young woman turned away from Rei and leaned back against
the lamppost on the corner.
	"They're only ten minutes late," Ami observed.
	"Yes, it's not like this is unusual," Makoto concurred,
grinning at Ami.
	The young scholar swept her short blue hair off her forehead
and squinted into the sunlight. "There's someone running...long blonde
hair," she announced.
	Rei stopped pacing and turned to look down the street.
"Minako-chan!" she called sharply.
	The approaching blonde blur waved cheerfully, missing the 
irritation in her friend's voice. Soon she had hurried up to them.
	"Konnichi-wa, gomen," Minako greeted the group. Then her eyes 
narrowed. "Where's Usagi?"
	"We don't know," Makoto answered. "She's late, as usual."
	"She's not the only one," Rei chided. "Been taking lessons from
her, Minako-chan?"
	The blonde growled, but Rei was smiling. 
	"We can't all be Miss Perfect, Rei-chan," Minako shot back with 
a grin. "Maybe you don't have a life, but some of us do."
	"Hey!"
	Minako drew herself up. "After all, 'A minute saved is a minute
wasted'," she said importantly.
	"That's a PENNY saved is a penny - Oh, never mind!" Rei
exclaimed, exasperated. "What an airhead..."
	The pair launched headlong into a playful teasing argument. Ami
rolled her eyes, but Makoto listened with an amused smirk on her face.
The banter went on and on, until Ami and Makoto were both shifting
uncomfortably on their feet, tired of standing up. As their friends'
faces began to take on irritated looks, Minako and Rei finally seemed to
be winding down.
	"And furthermore-"
	"Wait," Rei cut Minako off. Her brow furrowed, and she looked
around, frowning. "Where IS she?" Rei muttered. "This is strange, she's
been so close to us since...um, the last battle." 
	None of the four girls liked to talk about their last fight with 
Galaxia, preferring to forget the time they spent in the abyss of death. 
Usagi had watched them all die, and since their return to life she had 
spent almost every spare minute with the girls who had been her comrades 
for the past five years, becoming almost overly clingy.
	"It's not like Usagi to be this late," Ami agreed with concern.
"I'll try contacting her," she added as she pulled her communicator out
of her purse.
	"You're still carrying that thing?" Makoto asked incredulously.
"It's been months and months since anything...happened."
	"You mean you don't carry yours?" Ami replied, stunned.
"Mako-chan! What if there was an emergency! Something could happen at
any time! We have to be prepared!"
	"Oh, don't dampen our mood, Ami-chan," Minako sighed. "It's
about time we had some peace, don't ruin it with paranoia."
	"After all we've been through, we should know better than to
relax completely," Ami argued seriously.
	"Ami-chan," Makoto muttered, "you know how things have been
since we defeated Chaos. There's barely a hint of evil in the universe
anymore. Even Luna agrees with that." 
	Indeed, the usual shadow of dark evil forces moving about in nature 
had dissapated, as if a weight had been lifted from the world. It seemed 
that the presence of Chaos had been responsible for most of the natural 
uprisings of youma on the planet.
	Although the blue-haired girl's narrowed eyes barely reached
Makoto's chin, she refused to back down. 
	"Ne, minna, even now, don't you sense something-"
	"There she is!" Rei interrupted, relief in her voice. She
pointed down the street, where a familiar hairstyle was approaching.
Usagi was several blocks away, strolling along casually as if she had
nowhere to go.
	"Oy! Usagi!" Minako called.
	At first, Usagi didn't seem to hear. Then, slowly, her blue eyes
focused on the group, and she smiled. She slowly ambled up to the group,
walking so slowly that despite the brisk wind her twin pigtails hung
nearly motionless to her feet.
	"Hurry it up, slowpoke!" Rei called. The girls would have gone
to meet Usagi, but they were standing right next to their destination,
the ice cream parlor. Usagi just shrugged, and seemed to slow down a
little as she turned her head lazily to look at anything and everything
around her. 
	"We're going to leave you here!" Rei threatened, but she got no
reaction. The four girls were annoyed and crabby when Usagi finally
reached them.
	"Took you long enough!" Rei scolded. "We've been waiting
forever!" 
	Usagi shrugged again. "I knew you wouldn't leave without me,"
she said matter-of-factly. "So why should I rush?"
	Since their time of peace began, Usagi would normally have
babbled apologies and thrown an enthusiastic hug around Rei. Now she
stood motionless, without even a friendly smile on her face. The
purple-haired girl gaped at her friend, momentarily at a loss for words.
Then her face focused as she clearly found some choice things to say.
She opened her mouth again to speak. 
	"So," Ami broke in, trying to draw her friends away from a
fight. "How about some ice cream?"
	Makoto jerked her thumb toward the parlor behind them. "Too
late," she grumbled.
	The group turned to see a CLOSED sign posted on the door of the
shop. It had closed only five minutes ago.
	"That's just great!" Rei exploded. "I was craving a sundae!"
	"Hmm, Rei," Usagi mused, a strange look coming over her face.
"That's an unusual craving for you. Irritated mood...weird cravings...
Looks like you've gained a bit of weight, too. Is there something you're
not telling us?"
	Now the entire group stared at Usagi, open-mouthed. Rei's eyes
burst aflame, her face turning purple with rage. 
	"NANI??" she roared.
	Makoto extended a strong arm to hold Rei back from leaping at
Usagi, her face still locked in shock. Ami was calmer, but puzzled.
Usagi and Rei often teased each other, but they were best friends. Usagi
had never behaved like this toward any of them before.
	"Usagi-chan, is everything okay?" Ami asked gently.
	The odango-headed blonde folded her arms and leaned casually
against the lamppost. "Everything's fine, Ami. I've just had a lot on my
mind lately."
	"That was really mean, Usagi-chan," Minako pressed, her face
creased with emotion. "If there's something going on, you know you can
tell us."
	"I'm fine," Usagi insisted. "Gomen, Rei," she added, but she
didn't sound sorry at all, and her face remained impassive. "So are we
going to do something now that I came all the way here, or what?"
	"Let's go to a movie," Minako suggested, quickly trying to
smooth things over. "There's a new romance out that looks really great!"
	"Isn't the lead actor that hot redhead?" Makoto asked, an 
interested grin spreading across her face. "Sounds good, Minako. We
haven't seen a movie together in a while." The group started to head
down the street toward the theatre.
	"No!"
	The four girls whirled around.
	"Iie," Usagi repeated. "Let's go to the arcade."
	"The arcade?" Rei asked. "Demo, we went there yesterday!"
	"I wanna go to the arcade!" wailed Usagi. "It's not fair!"
	This behavior seemed a bit more normal than the stoic coldness,
but in recent years it was unusual for Usagi to get so emotional about
something so trivial. 
	"Usagi, what's wrong?" Ami asked, touching her
whinier-than-usual friend's arm.
	The girl jerked her arm away, her blonde pigtails swinging.
	"Don't touch me! I'm the Moon Princess!" she shouted.
	"Usagi-chan, shhh!" Minako warned urgently. Several people
across the street were looking at them curiously.
	"I've been thinking about this a lot lately," Usagi rambled on.
"I'll be a Queen someday. I don't think you all have been showing me the
respect I deserve," she complained.
	Ami had clasped both hands over her own mouth, horrified as
Usagi spilled secrets to anyone within hearing range. Minako was
flapping her hands at her friend, flustered. Makoto was simply standing
frozen, her mouth hanging open. Only Rei was still thinking clearly
enough to act.
	Usagi was still talking. "Just because you guys are the Sailor-"
	Rei leaped forward, seized Usagi around the back of the head,
and clasped one hand firmly over her mouth. "Shut UP!" she hissed.
"Look, I don't know what's gotten into you, but we'll discuss it
somewhere PRIVATE, okay?"
	!SLAP!
	Violet hair streaming, Rei fell sideways on to the pavement,
raising one hand to touch the burning red mark on her cheek.
	"Usagi-chan..." she whispered, tears beginning to sting her 
eyes. "What's wrong with you?"
	"I told you, don't touch me," Usagi snapped. "I'm the leader,
not you! You have to listen to ME! We are going to the arcade!" Usagi
turned, fuming, and stomped down the street.
	The other four stared at each other in disbelief. "Maybe we
should just do as she says, just this once," Ami suggested as Makoto
gave the stunned Rei a hand up off the ground. "We don't know what's
wrong yet. Maybe if we humor her, she'll soften up and tell us what's
bothering her."
	"Do you think she's finally snapped?" Makoto wondered
incredulously. "I knew that our years of fighting were wearing her out,
but we've been at peace for so long now. I thought she'd be okay."
	"Well, she has been missing Mamoru-san terribly," Minako 
observed, always the genius when it came to relationships. After the
defeat of Chaos, Mamoru had finally made his trip to America to study.
He sent Usagi a postcard every day and a letter every week, and they
both put on a happy face to the world, but Minako knew it wasn't enough
for either of them.
	"Maybe she's just having a really bad day," Ami guessed.
"Another failed test, or something. If her grades don't improve soon she
won't be graduating."
	Usagi was a block away by now. "Well," Makoto sighed, "leaving
her like this definately won't help." At this, the girls gave in and
followed Usagi toward the arcade. 
	Rei could not say a word. She wandered beside the others in a daze, 
her fingers still pressed to the angry red mark of her best friend's 
hand on her pale cheek.

	Later that night when the group separated to return to their
homes, Rei departed from the others without saying goodbye. She strode
stiffly into the temple, moving like a zombie, her eyes blank. Without a
word to anyone, she headed straight for her room and firmly closed the
door. For a moment she stood there, motionless. 
	Then she screamed at the top of her lungs. Rei ripped furiously 
at her clothes, tore at her hair, and swept everything off every surface 
in her room. Several items smashed on the floor, and she stomped on them. 
Her hands clenched tightly into fists, Rei roared with fury.
	Then she collapsed on her bed and burst into tears, her entire
body quaking with each heart-wrenching sob.
	Rei couldn't even think. During the months of peace, she and
Usagi had become closer than they had ever been. The little quirks that
had once annoyed Rei had become cute and funny to her lately, and Usagi
had been taking some of Rei's gentle criticisms to heart and learning
from them. She just couldn't understand what had brought on this change.
	Usagi had been calmer for the rest of the evening, as long as she 
was getting her way, but she was nowhere near her usual friendly, bubbly 
self. And although the mark had faded from her cheek, the slap still 
stung the surface of Rei's heart.
	After a period of pain that seemed endless, Rei slipped into the
unconsciousness of sleep, exhausted. It seemed an instant later when she
was startled awake by someone knocking on her door.
	"Rei?" It was her grandfather. "One of your friends is on the 
phone," he called through the closed door. "She sounds like a real cutie."
	"Iie, I don't want to talk to anyone right now, Grandpa," Rei
muttered, trying to keep her voice steady.
	"Are you sure?" came the reply. "It seems important...sounds
like she's crying or something."
	At this, Rei sat up. She wanted nothing more than to sit and
nurse her own pain, but one of her friends needed her. She wiped her
face absently and her palm came back soaking wet. 
	~I must look a mess,~ Rei realized with dismay. 
	"Grandpa," she called again, "tell her I'll be right there."
	She listened as her grandfather's footprints receded, and
stalled for a minute, hoping he would leave the phone and go to another
room. Cautiously, she opened the door. The hall was empty. Swiftly Rei
dashed down the hall, grabbed the phone from its stand, and slipped into
a darkened side room. She didn't want anyone to see her, or she'd have
to explain what was wrong.
	Sliding down the wall to sit in a corner of the room, Rei lifted
the phone to her ear. "Moshi-moshi?" 
	"Rei-chan??" sobbed a voice.
	Rei almost hung up the phone right there. It was Usagi's voice. 
	Her breath caught in her throat and her finger flew to the button 
that would disconnect the phone, and hovered there, as she clutched the 
receiver with whitened knuckles.
	"Rei? Are you there??" 
	It was definately Usagi, she sounded like she was barely keeping 
herself together. 
	"Rei, gomen nasai, I'm so sorry, I don't know what's come over me, 
I can't believe I... Rei-chan, please speak to me!"
	Huddled in the corner of the dark room, Rei opened her mouth,
but nothing came out. 
	"Usagi," was all she could bring herself to say.
	"I've just been so stressed out lately," Usagi babbled. "School,
and my family, and Mamoru being gone...I think I'm really losing it!"
	~"Mamoru?"~ The thought flashed briefly across Rei's mind. Usagi
hadn't called him that in years. In the next instant Rei's puzzled 
thought disappeared into the emotional storm that was raging inside her.
	"Please speak to me, Rei!" Usagi was sobbing. "You're my best
friend! Please forgive me!"
	"Usagi," Rei said again. "I..." 
	She didn't know what to say, but Usagi sounded truly sorry, and 
if it was stress that had brought her to this point, she needed Rei's 
support more than ever. Rei forced herself to swallow her wounded heart. 
	"It's okay, Usagi," she mumbled numbly.
	"Oh, I'm so glad," Usagi bubbled. "Listen, Rei-chan, let's do 
something tomorrow after school, just you and me. Okay?" The hint of 
desperation in her voice did not slip by unnoticed.
	"Hai, Usagi," Rei agreed heavily, her voice sounding like stone
to her own ears. "I'll see you tomorrow. Ja ne."
	~It must have been a mistake,~ she told herself as Usagi hung up
the phone. ~She didn't mean those things she said earlier. She couldn't
have meant them.~

	The next day dawned bright and clear. In school Usagi seemed 
perfectly normal. Whatever had been wrong with her the previous day had
evaporated overnight, and she was her usual friendly self. The other
girls decided not to mention yesterday's events to her, hoping it had
just been a fluke, and that Usagi would bring it up herself if she
wanted to talk. 
	In the afternoon, Ami was walking to cram school when she heard
a strange sound. She looked around, puzzled, and as she kept walking, it
seemed to be following her. The sound was oddly familiar.
	"The communicator!" she exclaimed aloud as the realization hit
her, confusing a few students walking nearby. 
	Blushing, Ami ducked into a nearby yard and slipped behind a 
tree. The sound continued impatiently as she dug into her bag, searching 
for the item she had not needed in quite some time. 
	~What's going on?~ she wondered wildly. ~Is our time of peace 
over so soon?~
	Finally her fingers closed around the rectangle of plastic and
she ripped it out, letting her bag fall to the ground. Usagi's face
appeared in the little screen.
	"Usagi-chan!" she whispered urgently. "What's the problem? Do
you need help? Where are you?"
	"Hey, Ami, calm down," Usagi admonished. "There's nothing wrong."
	The blue-haired girl took several deep breaths to calm her
rushing heart. 
	"Why are you using the communicator then?" she asked, puzzled.
	"Look, genius girl," Usagi said brusquely, "something's come up
and I won't be able to do my homework tonight. I'll need you to bring me
your history essay later so I can copy it. I don't want my mom to find
out, so meet me by the library at 9:00, okay?"
	"Na - nani?" Ami stammered, taken aback by Usagi's clipped, cold
manner. "You know I can't-"
	"I have to go," Usagi interrupted. "Don't let me down, Ami. I'll
see you later." 
	The screen went blank.
	Once again, Usagi had become a bitter imitation of their beloved 
friend. 
	~When I see her tonight, I'll figure this out,~ Ami resolved.
 
	Minako studied her communicator as she headed home, her
schoolbag slung over her shoulder. When she got up this morning, she 
had glimpsed the familiar device half-buried beneath an assortment of 
papers on her desk. Remembering Ami's speech, Minako had been motivated 
to scoop it into her bag along with the homework.
	~Not that we need them any more,~ she thought happily. ~I
haven't even felt the call to henshin in such a long time.~
	Suddenly the communicator beeped. Minako yelped and jumped a
foot in the air, startled, as it buzzed in her hand. Hurriedly she
slipped into an alley and pressed a button. A familiar face filled the
screen.
	"Usagi-chan!" Minako exclaimed in surprise. "What's up?"
	"Hey, I need a favor," Usagi replied. Her voice was pleasant,
although it was missing its usual cheerful energy. "There's a math quiz
tomorrow, and I know it's hopeless. The teacher said if I don't pass,
there aren't enough points left for me to raise my grade enough." 
	Her lip trembled, and tears began to well up in her bright blue 
eyes. "I asked Ami, but she said she didn't have time for me!" Usagi 
wailed. "She said the meanest things, Minako-chan...that it was all my 
own fault, and she wouldn't help me. Could you meet me at the library 
at 8:00 tonight to study?"
	Minako was stunned. ~Ami refused to help? Is she angry about
yesterday?~ 
	Aloud she said, "Are you sure you want ME to help, Usagi-chan? 
You know I'm all pinkies when it comes to math."
	"Onegai, Minako-chan, I need you!" the odango-headed blonde
whimpered.
	"All right, all right," Minako gave in. "I'll see you at eight."
	"Arigato," Usagi gushed. "I'll be there, I promise. Ja ne."

	After school Rei waited nervously outside the ice cream parlor,
wondering if Usagi would be back to normal or if she would attack her
again. 
	She waited...and waited. For an entire hour. She didn't want to
give up on her perpertually tardy best friend. 
	Two hours. Three hours.
	Usagi never came. 
	Annoyed, frustrated, and confused, Rei began to search each of 
her friends' favorite haunts.

	The light was fading from the sky, the sun having already dipped
below the horizon. The shadows were deepening as the streetlights
switched on. Ami hurried toward the library, clutching her schoolbag.
Her history essay was gripped tightly in her hand, and she rehearsed her
words in her head firmly as she walked. 
	~Just this once, Usagi. Just this once.~ 
	The wind was picking up and the sharp scent of fall was in the 
air. It was 9:00.
	There was indeed a girl with long blonde hair waiting outside
the library, but it wasn't Usagi. Furrowing her brow, Ami jogged up to
Minako, a question in her deep blue eyes.
	Minako was huddled in a ball on the library steps, shivering in
the gathering chill. As Ami approached she looked up eagerly, but sighed
when she saw who it was. Ami was surprised to see a touch of suspicious
bitterness in Minako's wide eyes.
	"What are you doing here?" both girls asked each other in unison.
	"I'm supposed to be meeting Usagi," Ami explained.
	"Nani? She asked me to meet her, because you couldn't. And it's
not like you to be late," Minako replied in clipped tones.
	"I'm not late," Ami protested. "She said 9:00. What do you mean,
'because I couldn't'?"
	"I was supposed to meet Usagi here at 8:00," Minako clarified.
I've been waiting for an hour. Besides-" She cut herself off, staring at
something behind Ami.
	The other girl whirled around, her short hair swishing around
her ears. A figure was approaching through the growing darkness.
Automatically Ami tensed and extended her fingers at her side, ready to
summon her henshin wand. A sharp intake of breath behind her signaled
that Minako had reacted the same way. 
	"Who's there?" Ami called out.
	The figure crossed into the path of a streetlamp. 
	"Rei-chan!" Minako exclaimed. "What are you doing out so late?"
	Rei approached slowly, dragging her feet. She kicked at every
pebble on the ground. Her face was set in a bitter scowl. 
	"What time is it?" she muttered when she reached them.
	"It's 9:10," Ami reported after scrambling for her watch.
	An angry snarl escaped Rei's thinned lips. "Damn her."
	Minako trembled more violently, not just from the cold this
time, her blue eyes wide. 
	"Rei-chan...what's wrong?"
	Before Rei could explain, they were both distracted by the sound
of bright laughter. All three pairs of eyes searched the distant gloom
until they located the source of the sound.
	A young couple was passing through the beam of a streetlight.
The girl swayed on her feet, as if she had been drinking, and leaned
heavily on the boy's arm. He said something to her, and she exploded
into fresh peals of laughter. For a moment Minako almost looked away
again, uninterested, but then she recognized the familiar hairstyle.
	"Usagi?" Ami breathed hoarsely, having noticed the same thing
as Minako. Rei stood speechless at her side.
	It was indeed Usagi, hanging eagerly on the arm of a boy with 
short auburn hair that the other girls had seen at school but had never 
met. She was clearly attracted to him, and stumbled along in her clumsy 
way, not bothering to watch where she was putting her feet. As she 
turned her head Usagi glimpsed the three girls on the library steps. 
	"Just a moment, Akito-chan," they heard her say. Usagi came
hurrying up to them. 
	"Is this the essay, Ami?" she asked in a definately sober, 
businesslike tone, taking it from Ami's unresisting hand. "Gotta run. See 
you all later." Usagi whirled around, blonde hair swinging around her. 
	Rei stepped forward, reaching an arm toward her friend.
	"Usagi-chan, wait," she protested.
	"Hai?" the blonde replied, her voice irritated. "What is it?"
	"We - we were supposed to meet today-"
	Rei's hesitant words were interrupted by cold laughter. 
	"Nani?" Usagi laughed, in chilled tones, her back firmly turned
toward her friends. "Why would I want to spend time with you?"
	In an instant, she was back at the strange boy's side again. 
	Ami, Minako, and Rei watched in stunned, disbelieving silence 
until the pair disappeared once again into the night.

	"Luna, I'm telling you, something is seriously wrong with her."
	"That's nice."
	There was a pause.
	"LUNA!" Minako yelled, startling the black cat so badly that she 
almost fell off the chair she was sharing with Artemis. The two cats
had been sitting together, tails intertwined, lost in their own world
as the girls had tried to explain their concerns about Usagi. Recently
a strong romance had been blossoming between Luna and Artemis, and
their love had ceased to be a hidden feeling and was now something they
showed openly. 
	It had taken a great deal of time, however. Luna had been the
last of the team to let down her guard after the defeat of Chaos. For
longer than anyone else she had been always on the alert for signs of
evil, and it had been difficult for her to let go of her near-permanent
paranoia. At last, after months without any sense or feeling of the
presence of evil, Luna had finally been able to relax and concentrate
on living her life. At the same time, she had been able to admit to
herself that she wanted that life to include Artemis.
	"I'm listening, Minako, really I am," Luna insisted, straightening 
up and tearing her large eyes away from those of Artemis.
	The four younger Senshi and the cats had gathered in Makoto's
apartment after school. Over the past few days Usagi's behavior had
worsened, and she had become more two-faced than ever, seeming normal
at school and biting their heads off later. The girls were extremely
worried and frustrated, and for a few of them, the worry was turning
into annoyance. Nothing they did seemed to make any difference. During
school, and occasionally at other hours, Usagi would act as if
everything was okay again. No sooner would they relax, thinking the
problem was solved, than she would turn back into the sharp-tongued,
demanding brat they were growing to dread. It was time to seek outside
help.
	Ami leaned closer to Luna, her face deadly serious. "Usagi-chan
is... Luna, she's..." Ami swallowed hard and tried again. "She's seeing
someone," she said in a low voice, a blush rising in her cheeks.
	"Don't make it sound so innocent, Ami-chan!" Minako scolded.
"She's cheating on Mamoru-san!"
	At this, both pairs of cat eyes widened in shock and alarm.
	"Nani!?" Luna exclaimed. "That - it's not possible -"
	"It is," said a solemn voice.
	The entire group turned to look at Rei, who up to this point had
been sitting silently in her chair next to a window, her eyes fixed on
the jumble of her own fingers that lay in her lap.
	"I've seen her myself, Luna," Rei added, her voice nearly a
whisper.
	The other girls shifted uncomfortably. As Usagi had become
colder, Rei had become quieter. The fire that had always burned within
their friend's personality seemed to have faded to ashes. The spark and
spice of her usual demeanor was gone. For five years as Sailor Mars,
she had been a rock that could not be shattered. She had been beaten
sometimes, but never conquered. However, through all the trials that
her life as a Senshi had brought, always she had had the support of her
friends. Despite her teasing and borderline cruelty, Usagi had always
been beside her when times were tough. Usagi had been a friend Rei had
found more than worthy of giving her life to protect. 
	Now, Rei was defeated inside. Usagi's cruel, hearless behavior
had cut her more deeply than any youma's attack. Without a place in the
heart of her Princess, all the meaning had gone out of Rei's life. The 
miserable woman raised her head slowly, her deep violet eyes meeting 
Luna's round cinnamon gaze. 
	"Onegai, will you speak with her?" Rei's eyes began to shift, 
tears rising to distort their color. Her voice rose and she spoke in 
earnest, showing a hint of her usual self. 
	"She's risking everything we have worked for all these years, the
future itself could be at risk if she doesn't remain true to..." Rei's
voice caught in her throat. "...Mamoru-san," she finished lamely,
lowering her eyes again. Everyone in the room knew that wasn't exactly
what she meant to say.
	Makoto's sharp gaze turned to Luna as well. Her fingers were
wound into the cloth of her skirt, curled into fists, her knuckles
white against the dark fabric. 
	"She won't listen to us," Makoto explained bitterly. "We don't
even know what the problem is. Compassion doesn't seem to be working,
and Luna, you're the best at helping people see reason."
	Sighing, Luna lowered her head. She hadn't noticed any change in
Usagi, but she had been spending a lot of time with Artemis lately and
hadn't been as observant as she used to be. Slowly she uncurled her black
tail from Artemis' white one.
	"Hai, minna," she replied, nodding. "I'll talk to her tonight."
	"Usagi-chan," Rei half-whispered, raising one hand to the glass
of the window. Her eyes were focused on something far below on the ground.
	Sliding her chair back, Makoto got to her feet and moved to Rei's
side, laying a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder.
	"It looks like Usagi got out of detention early today," Makoto
informed the others. "She's passing this building right now."
	Ami's eyes narrowed. 
	"I didn't know she came this way on her walk home from school,"
she wondered aloud.
	"Maybe she's coming to talk to...iie, she passed the doors."
Makoto sighed, her tone betraying her disappointment.
	Luna got to her feet and jumped nimbly to the floor. "Well, no
time like the present," she said brightly, trying to disguise the
unease growing in her heart.

	Luna followed Usagi all the way home, choosing to wait until they
were in the safety of the blonde-haired girl's room before trying to
have a serious conversation with her. When she arrived at the house,
Usagi was already upstairs. When the black cat slipped in through her
bedroom door, she found Usagi in front of her mirror, tying ribbons
around the odango-shaped buns of hair on her head and humming to herself.
	"Hello, Usagi-chan," Luna greeted her cheerfully.
	"Luna, where have you been?" Usagi replied, not turning from the
mirror. "I haven't seen you around the house lately."
	Leaping lightly up on the bed, Luna tried to hide the blush that
crept into her feline face.
	"Gomen, Usagi-chan..." she said softly. "I...I've been spending 
a lot of time with Artemis recently, and haven't been home as often as 
I used to be."
	"I really don't think it's safe for a cat to be wandering around
outside without its owner," Usagi stated without much emotion, tucking
a few stray hairs back into place. Luna looked puzzled. 
	"I don't understand."
	"Really, Luna, you are a cat, you know," Usagi sighed,
exasperation rising in her voice. "The rest of us have been living as
normal high-school students. I think it's time you started living as a
normal house cat. I don't like you going out of the house without me."
	"U - Usagi, you know I'm not a normal cat!" Luna spluttered, 
startled. "I can't just stay cooped up in the house like some mindless
animal!"
	"Well, while we don't have enemies to fight, you may as well be a
mindless animal," Usagi muttered. She opened a drawer in her dresser
and lifted out some barely-used makeup. Opening a tube of foundation,
she began to expertly apply the makeup to her face.
	"Usagi, I..." Luna trailed off, her eyes narrowing. "What are you
doing?"
	"Putting on fresh makeup," Usagi replied shortly. "What does it
look like I'm doing?"
	"But...why?"
	A loud, exasperated sigh burst from Usagi's lips. "Why do you
have to question everything I do?" she snapped. "If you must know, I'm
going out with Akito in a little while."
	The cat gasped, her heart sinking to her paws.
	"You're dating some boy?" she exclaimed, a bit louder than she 
meant to.
	"Well, yes," Usagi said flatly. "What's wrong with that? Humans
date. That's what we do."
	Ignoring the comment about "humans," Luna's voice became more
erratic and confused.
	"Demo...Mamoru-san..."
	"Mamoru is on the other side of the planet," the young woman
interrupted coldly. "He left me here alone. What am I supposed to do?
Just sit here and pine away all by myself, when there are so many
attractive, available guys around? I don't think so. Besides," she
added, smirking at her reflection in the mirror, "he doesn't have to
know."
	A chilling anger rose within Luna's heart, and her eyes narrowed
sharply. She was devastated to learn that what the other girls had said
was true, and was determined to put a stop to Usagi's betrayal of
everything they had worked so hard for.
	"I can't believe you would do this," she scolded. "How could you
turn your back on Mamoru-san? I think you should put this other boy out
of your mind. Your friends are worried about you. Why don't you come
over to Makoto's with me and we'll-"
	Abruptly Usagi whirled around, her eyes flashing with anger. 
"Who are you to tell me what I should do?" she demanded so suddenly that 
Luna backed up slightly on the bed.
	"It's my life, not yours! You're just a cat!" Usagi exclaimed,
towering over the cowering body of her mentor. "I want you to act like
one, even if that means not talking any more! Our years of fighting are
over, we have a chance to be normal, and I'm going to have some fun
with my life whether you like it or not!"
	"Just a cat, am I?" Luna growled, her claws running out and
gripping the comforter of the bed. "I'm not just going to stand here
and let you do this, Usagi! You know better than-"
	"So don't stand there!" Usagi yelled, snatching a book from the
desk beside her and throwing it at the black cat. Luna dodged, but she
just barely avoided being struck.
	"Usagi!" she cried, her eyes wide with shock. "What has gotten
into you?"
	A sudden thought entered the cat's mind. She opened her sensory
powers and pulled a reading from her friend, searching for any signs of
youma possession. She detected no traces of youma energy. The person in
front of her was one person, through and through, and was not being
possessed or controlled in any way.
	While Luna was distracted, Usagi's fingers had found a picture
frame on the dresser, and she hurled that at the bed as well. The frame
hit the cat dead on in the face, knocking her backward across the bed.
Luna let out a yowl of pain, her eyes watering as a bolt of agony shot
through her head. It was followed by a bottle of lotion, which hit her
sharply in the side, sending her tumbling over the edge of the bed and
down to the floor.
	Survival instincts kicking in, the cat struggled to her feet and
Usagi's raging form approached her. Luna looked up, hoping that seeing
her cat injured would make Usagi realize what she was doing, but she 
found only bitter anger in the girl's half-made-up face.
	"Get out!" Usagi roared, drawing her leg back. "Get out of my life!"
	The toes of Usagi's foot connected with the tenderness of Luna's
side, and she went flying across the room with another yowl of pain and
fright. Her blue eyes sharpened in fury, Usagi had put all her strength
into that kick, her twin streams of blonde hair swinging at her sides.
	Eyes wide open in terror, Luna dragged her aching body to its
feet and dashed out of the room and down the stairs, straight out of
the house without looking back.
	"Don't ever come back!" Usagi yelled after her.

	As she watched the terrible scene from the confines of Starlight
Palace, Dejana's eyes filled with tears. The Space Portal was a window
into the horrors of the conflict, and as she stood beside its liquid
depths Dejana clenched her fists in hopeless frustration. 
	"Who is doing this?" she muttered to herself. She had been
watching many of the painful scenes that her former friends had endured
over the past few days, and she knew more of the truth than they did,
although much of it remained a mystery to her.

	A few minutes later, Usagi strolled up to her front door, her
schoolbag dangling over her shoulder.
	~Detention again. Even in high school, I can't seem to avoid it.~
The blonde student opened the door and entered, removing her shoes with 
a sigh. "Mom! I'm home!"
	Ikuko's confused face appeared around the edge of the kitchen
doorway. "I thought you were already home," she said, puzzled. "There 
were voices upstairs." She shrugged, reaching a decision. "It must have 
been Shingo."
	Usagi climbed the stairs, her step slightly heavier than usual.
Her friends had been acting strangely lately, as if they were almost
angry with her for some reason. She didn't understand it.
	"Luna! Are you home?" she called, opening the door to her room.
	It was empty.
	Blue eyes narrowed as they surveyed the scene. There were no
signs of the black cat anywhere.
	~Oh well, she must be out with Artemis. They make such a cute
couple.~ As she tossed her schoolbag on the floor, Usagi's gaze caught 
the picture of her and Mamoru that was in a frame on her dresser.
	The glass was fractured.
	
	Dejana sighed and stepped away from the Space Portal. From where
she stood, Dejana could see that there were two Usagis, one of them
impersonating the Princess Serenity she had once loved. She could
follow the path of the false Usagi on the Earth, but when the blonde
imposter had finished making trouble, she would disappear. The Space
Portal could not automatically locate anyone who was not a Senshi, and
the Earth was too large for Dejana to search everywhere to find the
home base of the imitation. She could not determine who was master of
this plan.
	From the limited perspective of people on Earth, the other girls
were falling for the deception. Dejana knew it was only a matter of
time before permanent damage was done. 
	"Let me take care of this!" she begged her cloaked sensei. 
	As always, he firmly refused.

	When Luna showed up on Ami's doorstep, bruised, limping, and
nearly unconscious from pain and exhaustion, the blue-haired Senshi
called her other three friends right away. Ami's mother insisted on
taking the injured cat to the veterinarian to check for internal
bleeding. Minako accompanied her, to provide an excuse for Artemis to
be at Luna's side. The other three girls gathered solemnly in Ami's
living room, waiting anxiously for news.
	Makoto couldn't sit still. She paced ceaselessly beside the front
window, visibly fuming. Ami didn't dare disturb her. Soon the tall
soldier was repeatedly slamming her right fist into her left palm, her
teeth bared. The tension rolled through the room, nearly tangible in
its intensity. Ami shifted uncomfortably, but Rei sat motionless on the
couch, her head bowed.
	Finally Makoto snapped.
	"I can't believe this!" she roared, causing even Rei to jump a
foot in the air. "How could she do this to Luna!? How could she do this
to all of us!?"
	"Mako-chan," Ami began, trying to make her voice soothing.
"Onegai, stay calm-"
	"I'm tired of staying calm!" Makoto griped. "Being calm isn't
getting us anywhere. Being nice isn't solving anything. She could have
KILLED Luna, Ami-chan!"
	"I know," Ami sighed. She hated to admit it, but the situation
was rapidly escalating out of their control. "Still, we have to
remember-"
	"Remember what?" Rei broke in.
	The other two girls fell silent, turning to Rei with the usual
worried expressions on their faces.
	"Remember what?" Rei repeated, her voice growing stronger. "That
she's our friend? That she's the Princess? Well, forget that! It's all
garbage!"
	The violet-haired flame was roaring now, her fists clenched as
she leapt to her feet. The fire had erupted anew within Rei, but it was
a different color.
	"After all, she seems to have forgotten everything we meant to
her! Why shouldn't we do the same?" she demanded, breathing heavily in
her anger.
	Ami looked shocked, but Rei found her words echoing in Makoto's
expression.
	"She's crossed the line," Makoto muttered. "I'm sorry, Ami-chan,
but I'm with Rei on this one. It's not fair that we should have to stay
by her side just to be abused. I certainly won't expect Luna to to show 
her face around her again after what happened tonight."
	Sighing, Ami lowered her head, her locks of blue hair tumbling in
front of her face. 
	"Hai, Mako-chan, Rei-chan," she murmured into her chest. "If you
don't want to give her any more chances, I understand."
	"Maybe she just needs a good shock to wake her up to reality,"
Makoto mused. "If her best friends abandon her, she'll probably realize
that she must be doing something wrong."
	"And if not, who cares?" Rei snapped bitterly.
	"Well, what do we do now?" Ami asked quietly. "Should we contact
the others?"
	None of the girls had seen Setsuna since the threat of Chaos had
ended. Haruka and Michiru were raising Hotaru in their house outside of
town. The reborn Sailor Saturn was still growing rapidly, returning to the
age she had been before her awakening. Michiru was educating Hotaru at
home, planning to enroll her in school as soon as she stopped growing
several inches overnight.
	"What for?" Rei muttered. "They only show an interest when
there's an enemy they think we can't handle."
	"Rei-chan, that's not fair," Makoto chided, but she and Ami knew
Rei's emotions were clouding her judgement.
	"As much as you don't want to admit it, we do have
responsibilities," Ami said firmly. Rei snarled, but Ami forced the next 
sentence past her lips. "We're Sailor Senshi, and are bound by destiny to 
protect the Princess."
	Makoto looked about to argue, but then she sighed, hanging her head.
	"Ami-chan's right," she admitted. "We can't just abandon her. She
is the future Queen, and we are her guardians. It's who we are."
	"Oh, hell," Rei exclaimed. "She has her communicator. If some
monster attacks, she can contact us and we'll come rescue her pathetic
self."
	Ami swallowed hard, chilled by her friend's forsaking of a 
friendship that had forged a stronger bond than most people could
ever hope to achieve. 
	"Agreed," Makoto said solemnly, laying a comforting hand on Rei's
shoulder. "Ami-chan?"
	"Agreed," Ami whispered.

	Mamo-chan,
	I miss you so much that sometimes I can barely breathe. I loved 
the postcards this week, arigato, all those gardens were beautiful. I
wish I could be there to walk through them by your side.
	I've been so lonely lately. Something's going on... My friends
have been acting strange. Rei-chan seems angry, and I don't know why.
Mako-chan and Minako-chan have been ignoring me. At least Ami-chan's
been polite...but she's still so cold. They all are. When I ask why,
they act like I should know.
	But I don't know, Mamo-chan, I have no idea what I've done wrong.
Luna's run away from home. I think I saw her walking with Ami-chan
once, but they were far away so I'm not sure.
	Nobody will tell me what's going on. I'm all alone...I'm so
lonely, I wish you could be here with me. Hurry home, Mamo-chan, I need
you. Come home to me. Onegai.
	Aishiteru,
	Usako

	Usagi crumpled up the letter and twisted it in both hands, tears
glistening in her bright blue eyes. 
	~I can't send this,~ she thought bitterly. ~What I wrote is true,
but Mamo-chan would come rushing back here if I sent a letter like
this.~ Usagi fought the tears, but they overflowed their banks and
poured down her cheeks, splattering gently against the crinkled paper
of the letter.
	~His studies in America are very important to him,~ Usagi
reminded herself, choking on the sadness in her throat. ~I must be
strong for him. I have to make him believe everything is okay. I can't
tell him.~

	A chill breeze swept through the air, bringing with it the scents
of an approaching winter. On her bench in the schoolyard, Ami pulled
her coat tighter around herself and crouched over the open book in her
lap. Impatiently she glanced at the school's clock, longing for the end
of the lunch period.
	Her friends did not share her sentiment, despite the wind that
sent shivers up their spines. Minako and Makoto were seated on the
ground in front of Ami's bench, chatting in cheerful tones as they
enjoyed their lunches. 
	After a while Ami looked up from her book. "Could you guys keep
it down a little? Onegai?" she asked politely. "I have an exam this
afternoon."
	"Ah, gomen Ami-chan," Minako apologized energetically. She waved
a hand dismissively in Ami's direction. "Demo, you know you don't have
to worry about any exams." The blonde girl winked at her blue-haired
friend and flashed her trademark victory sign before turning back to
Makoto.
	Ami stared at her friends, who were acting so normally despite
the circumstances, and felt a rush of shame. ~What has happened to us?~
she asked herself. ~We've been friends with Usagi for what seems like
forever...and yet, after only a few weeks of avoiding her, we're going
on with our lives.~ She thought about Rei, who had become unusually
quiet and withdrawn since their troubles with Usagi began. ~Why don't
we all feel like Rei-chan? How could I lose my feelings of guilt so
soon?~
	A bright tone interrupted her thoughts. It echoed strangely, as
if it were coming from two directions at once. In unison, Ami and
Minako both snatched up their schoolbags and hurriedly pulled out their
communicators. Both devices were ringing insistently. Ami looked up and
met the wide, frightened blue eyes of her blonde friend. All the cheer
had drained out of Minako's face, replaced by a look of nervous dread.
	"Usagi," Minako whispered, her voice wavering.
	~At least I'm not the only one who still worries about her,~ Ami
thought with relief. 
	They both pressed the buttons on the communicators, and Usagi's
odangoed head appeared in the small screens. 
	"Hai?" Ami said in a businesslike tone, preparing herself to
spring into action.
	The eyes of their estranged friend were solemn and sad, her face
downcast, but she spoke quietly and without a tremble in her voice.
	"Ami-ch...chan," she began, stumbling uncertainly over the
honorific, as if she were unsure if it was still appropriate. "Minako-
chan...is Mako-chan with you?"
	"Yes, she's right here," Ami replied, relieved to see that Usagi
had not transformed and was therefore in no immediate danger. Usagi
seemed to be contacting them from the other end of the schoolyard.
Minako turned her communicator so the other girl could see. Makoto
leaned over to look on, although her face was skeptical.
	"Minna, I...I don't know what..." Usagi trailed off, with her
eyes lowered to the ground within the small window of the communicator.
She sighed deeply before speaking again. "Could we meet somewhere after
school to talk? Could you ask Rei-chan to come too?" The blonde young
woman raised her head, and her eyes were brimming with tears. 
"Onegai...I want to understand..."
	"Will you actually BE there this time?" Makoto asked sharply, her
voice cold and hard.
	Usagi's small image looked startled. "Of course I will," she
replied with disbelief in her voice.
	"At the ice cream parlor, then," Minako cut in suddenly. Abruptly
she punched the button on her communicator to shut it off. Ami
hesitated, but Makoto leaned forward and turned it off for her before
returning to her seat on the ground. Minako slipped her own
communicator back into her schoolbag and turned to face Makoto again.
	"So, as I was saying," Minako began, her usual bright smile
returning to her face, "this guy in my math class-"
	"Wait a minute," Ami cut in. "Aren't you affected at all by what
just happened?"
	Minako turned her head toward Ami, the smile fixed firmly in its
place. "What do you mean, Ami-chan?"
	"Don't you want to talk about Usagi?" Ami pressed on. "This is a
good sign, isn't it?"
	An exasperated sigh escaped Makoto's lips and she leaned back on
her hands. "She'll probably stand us up anyway. Why bother thinking
about it?"
	Ami turned back to face her blonde friend. The smile on Minako's
face was beginning to look more and more strained with every passing
second. "What's the point of worrying, Ami-chan?" she asked, the bright
tone of her voice now sounding slightly forced. "Let's talk about other
things."
	Momentarily at a loss for words, Ami stared at Minako intently.
Within the crystal blue eyes she found a strange look, an emotion that
did not match the cheerful smile that covered the rest of Minako's
face. It was a look that said, plain as day for those who could find
it: ~If we don't talk about something else I'm going to burst into
tears.~
	The blue-haired girl's face softened, and she gave Minako a small
smile. "Well, whatever happens, happens," she said dismissively,
closing the book on her lap and setting it aside. "Now, who's this boy
you were talking about?"

	The street was filled with students, eagerly heading home to
their hobbies or out with their friends. School had just ended for the
day, and young voices complaining about homework and exam scores
blended with the cold swirling breeze. One student was walking
solemnly, two long pigtails of blonde hair streaming behind her in the
wind. Her satchel hung in front of her, gripped in both hands, and her
blue eyes were fixed on the ground. 
	Through all the pain and hardship she had endured since she
became Sailor Moon, Usagi had always had her friends by her side. She
thought they had a bond that could not be broken, but now, for no
apparent reason, all four of her closest friends had alienated her. 
	It had taken all the strength she had to call this meeting
together. Usagi was determined to set things right. ~I'll ask them what
I did wrong, and I'll fix it,~ she thought, trying to inspire
confidence in herself. She tried to ignore the nervous fluttering in
her stomach, but it was rapidly making her nauseous. ~It'll be okay,~
she insisted to herself. 
	~What if it isn't?~ a little voice inside her whispered. ~What if
they tell you they never want to see you again?~
	"Iie! That WON'T HAPPEN!" Usagi cried...aloud.
	Everyone in the area turned to stare at her. Blushing furiously,
Usagi sped up and scooted down the road as fast as she could without
running. 
	"Oy! Usagi! Wait up!" someone called from behind her. 
	Usagi stopped and turned around, surprised to hear a male voice
calling out to her. An auburn-haired boy of medium height ran up to her
side, panting from his dash from school. Usagi's eyes narrowed as she
studied the stranger, who was standing far too close to her. She had
seen him occasionally and knew they were the same age, but they had
never formally met.
	"Where are you off to? May I join you?" the boy asked. 
	Abruptly he leaned forward, his eyes sliding closed. Startled,
Usagi barely turned her head in time. The kiss intended for her lips
landed on her pale cheek.
	"What are you doing!?" Usagi cried, her eyes wide with shock.
Roughly she pushed him out of her personal space. "Who are you?" People
nearby were beginning to stare.
	The boy stepped forward again and seized Usagi's shoulders gently
with both hands. His dark brown eyes stared intently into her blue
ones. "I know you wanted to keep our relationship a secret during
school," he said softly, "but I just can't live that way any more. The
evenings we spend together are all I think about. I think...I'm
starting to love you, Usako."
	Without thinking, Usagi slapped him.
	His mouth hanging open, the strange boy pressed a hand to his
cheek where Usagi had struck him and backed up a few steps, a deep
emotional pain spreading in his eyes. As they stared at each other,
Usagi began to feel ashamed of her rash act.
	"G...gomen nasai," she stammered, backing away from the auburn-
haired boy, one hand raised to her own mouth. "It's just that...I..." A
furious blush began to burn Usagi's cheeks as she became acutely aware
of all the eyes that were staring at her. Without another word, Usagi
turned and ran, hiding her face in her hands.
	~It's not my fault,~ she rationalized in her mind. ~I don't even
know him. Only Mamo-chan is allowed to call me Usako. No one else. He's
a stranger and he tried to kiss me. I didn't do anything wrong.~
Despite her internal argument, Usagi could not banish the blush of
shame from her cheeks.
	The embarrassment took Usagi's mind off the meeting for a while.
She was halfway to the ice cream parlor when her communicator beeped.
Usagi slipped into an alley before she pressed the response button.
	Her heart began to pound as Rei's face came into view. She 
swallowed hard, trying to keep the nervousness from showing on her
face. Then Usagi's eyes narrowed in puzzlement. The background of the
image was filled with green, as if Rei was in front of a hedge or
something.
	"Rei-chan? Where are you?"
	"Last minute change," Rei informed her in cold tones. "We're
meeting in the park."
	"Wh-huh?" Usagi stammered, caught off-guard. "Okay-"
	"Ja ne." The screen went blank.
	~What is happening to me? What has happened to my life?~ 
	Lost in her own disturbed thoughts, the young soldier did not
stop to wonder why Rei suddenly had a communicator with her.

	The four high school students strolled down the street toward the
ice cream parlor, barely speaking to each other. Each was lost in her
own thoughts, only emerging occasionally to make a comment to one of
her friends.
	"This is the last time," Makoto muttered, half to herself and
half to the others. "The last chance. This is it." She continued
murmuring this as she walked, her fists clenching and releasing
sporadically. Beneath the irritated exterior, a thought crept into
Makoto's mind. ~Maybe I was right, and she just needed a shock to bring
her back to reality. Onegai, Usagi-chan, tell us it's all a mistake.~
The tall brunette fought the unbidden thought down again. ~It's too
late. She's done too much damage,~ she insisted mentally.
	~We can fix this,~ Ami thought confidently as she walked,
carrying her schoolbag in front of her. She concentrated on preventing
the bag from banging against her knees, trying to keep her mind off the
imminent confrontation. ~We know Usagi-chan's not like this. There must
be a reasonable explanation. By this evening, it will all be okay
again,~ she told herself. Desperately Ami tried to ignore the nagging
doubt that was tainting her faith in her friend. Her short hair blew
into her face, but she didn't notice.
	Minako was still smiling cheerfully, looking around at everything
they passed, waving to other students who walked by. She hummed to
herself absently, a slight spring in her step as she tagged along
beside her friends, her blonde hair streaming in the brisk wind. ~Some
ice cream will brighten us right up,~ she thought happily. ~Usagi-chan
loves ice cream. Usagi-chan...~ An image of Usagi's gentle, smiling
face materialized within Minako's mind. Her own smile faded, her
bouncing steps faltered slightly, and Minako shoved the image away.
~Don't think about her. Have to be happy for the other girls, so they
won't be so sad. Happy...happy...~
	Violet hair hung in a curtain around the sides of Rei's face as
she walked with her head bowed. Her friends frequently had to slow down
to allow her to catch up to them. She hadn't spoken a word to any of
them in quite some time. Within her mind a circle of memories rotated
endlessly, trapping Rei within their cruel embrace. 
	She was remembering every cruel word she had ever said to Usagi.
Every time she had raised a hand against her friend. Every time she had
doubted Usagi's abilities as a Senshi or as a Princess. Every time Rei
had hurt her. And at the end of each cycle, her cheek burned from
Usagi's hand and her heart withered beneath her friend's cruel words.
Then it would repeat, forcing Rei to relive the memories again.
	~It's all my fault. I did this. I deserve this. It's all my
fault...~
	Three of the four girls were startled from their reverie by the
beeping of Ami's communicator. Rei continued walking until she collided
with Makoto.
	"Hai, Usagi-chan," Ami spoke into the device when the blonde-
haired girl appeared. The background of the image was filled with
green, as if Usagi was among some bushes or something.
	"Change of plan," Usagi replied brusquely. "We're going to meet
at Makoto's place instead."
	Ami heard Makoto snarl over her shoulder, and the tall brunette
muttered something about being bossy and inconsiderate. The screen of
the communicator went blank before Ami could respond. With a resigned
sigh, the blue-haired girl slipped the device back into her schoolbag.
	~Onegai...Usagi-chan...~


------------------------------
End of Book One, Part One
------------------------------

Sailormoon: Eternity copyright 2003 by dejanatalis@aol.com
Original version copyright 1997 by dejanatalis@aol.com
Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon and its associated characters and canon 
belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha. Sailor Infinity/Dejana Talis was
created by dejanatalis@aol.com and is her exclusive property, and may
not be used without permission.  Sailor Moon Says: Don't steal! ^.^