Konnichi wa, minna-san, and welcome again to my insanity...Ha!  I've
 got you in my web now...and there's no escaping from it...^_^
Welcome, welcome one and all to my fic, Diamonds, which has not had an
 update in over two months despite the fact that I said that I would
 have this chapter out by the end of August.  Ah, well...you'll forgive
 me, won't you?  Minna?  Minna, where are you going?  Come back!  Oh
 well, we can still have fun then, ne?  ^_-
Read and enjoy, minna...


Diamonds, Roses, and the Heart of the World
Part Four: Truth Unknown
dremdancer


	The restaurant was beautiful.  It was elegant and stylish,
 absolutely what I like to see in service, and the food was wonderful. 
 The room was filled with deep shades of rose and violet, and the
 tablecloth was a soft shimmering gold.  Fresh flowers were hung at
 every chair, and every table had two lit candles.  I had discovered an
 outfit much like my old one, pure white, with accents of silver.  One
 might wonder why I have placed all of this down such.  My reason is
 simple.  I was on a date with Usagi. 
	It was a celebrational dinner.  My villa was finally completed
 and I wanted to consecrate this occasion with one I held dear.  Usagi
 was thrilled when I told her, and surprised when I asked her to come
 to the 'Ryuu no Hi' restaurant with me.  Despite its name, the 'Ryuu'
 was English, with ballad singers and musicians and a full dance floor. 
 It was new, and had fantastic reviews.  It also didn't take much to
 convince her to come.
	She looks like a vision of some sort.  A vision of the Neo-Queen. 
 It isn't often, but sometimes I am almost certain that it _is_ the
 Queen to whom I speak.  Now she is dressed in a dress of gold, which
 complements her well.  In her hair are red flowers, of which type I
 know not.  Her eyes have almost lost their sadness for the night, and
 she seems to be happy.  I know that I am.  Just looking at her is
 electrifying; to be close is indescribable.
	Now as I study her, she is looking at the musicians, who play a
 slow soft ballad.  
	"Isn't it wonderful, Hitowa-san?"
	I look to the music and nod.  Usagi looks back at me.  "This is
 so kakoii.  Aligatou, Hitowa-san."  
	I smile at her.  "It's my pleasure, Usagi-chan.  I'm glad that
 you could make it."  Indeed I was.  The time was drawing close that I
 would need to tell Usagi everything.  About my past, and also what I
 hoped for my future.  She deserved to know.  I loved her too much to
 lie to her.  And in a very true way, by keeping my silence I was
 hurting her as much as Chiba had.
	"Me too."  She sat back to look at the musicians again, while I
 went back to my study of her.  Music was wonderful; it described
 passion in a way that none other could.  Indeed the two playing now
 were simply amazing.  A young pianist played soft accompitment to a
 female violinist.  I looked at her sharply.  She seemed almost
 familiar, and the pianist gave me much the same feeling.  Vaguely, I
 wondered who they where.  At the moment though, my mind was on other
 things.
	I returned to my study.  By now several of the couples there had
 left their tables in favor of the dance floor.  Usagi looked at them
 wistfully.  I smiled her.  "Usagi-chan?" 
	She turned back to face me, her face lightened by candle glow. 
 "Hai?"
	"I was wondering," I paused, raptured again by her features.
	Her features were, however, beginning to get annoyed.  "Hai?" She
 repeated herself, this time a trifle more forcefully.
	"Would you care to dance?"


*****

	Usagi blinked.  Hitowa-san had just asked _her_, of all people to
 dance?  The music was beautiful, and if the rolls were anything like
 the food to come, then it would be fantastic.  It was all too perfect. 
 'Even Mamo-chan never took me out to a place like this...' She blushed
 scolding herself mentally.  '_Mamoru-san_ never had the money to do
 anything like this!  I can't go dancing, I'll mess up for sure, and
 then it will all be ruined and Hitowa-san would have spent all this
 for nothing!'
	She looked back at Hitowa.  'But still...I haven't done any
 dancing since the Lady Rose's class, and I used to dance all the time
 on the Moon, and...'  Hitowa smiled at her.   'He's too damn nice!'
	"Hai, Hitowa-san, I'd love to."

*****

	Chiba Mamoru was unhappy.  He had thought that he was unhappy an
 hour ago, but that unhappiness was like a minor depression compared to
 this new despondantness that he found himself in.  'Well,' he reasoned
 silently looking at the mysterious Sailorpluto, the one who had chosen
 fit to pull him from his own world into hers to tell him of the
 troubles concerning Usako, 'I suppose that 'unhappy' doesn't go quite
 far enough.  Dejected might do a trifle better at my current mood,
 though that only hits half of it!' He had _known_ that there had been
 something up with the man at the restaurant.  He had figured that the
 guy was an echii, one whom Usagi could stand to do without.  
	But a Prince of the Dark Moon Family?
	It was a little hard to swallow. 'However, look at Usako's track
 record!' He allowed himself a smile.  'First Motoki, who was waaaay
 outta her league, (not to mention what Reika woulda had to say about
 it) then there was Skijor, or should I say 'Ail'?  He was a bad guy,
 even if he and Natsumi are doing okay now.  I wouldn't be surprised if
 this Hitowa _did_ turn out to be a youma or something.'  He smirked
 slightly.  Usagi was absolutely beautiful to him.  However, he didn't
 think that she had been out on all that many dates before he himself
 had come along.  Not that it mattered now, of course.  He had to
 protect her.  Usagi could be with that monster now!
	"Endymion?  Endymion-sama?" He jerked back to attention guiltily.
	"Hai, Pluto-san?  Gomen, I was thinking of something."  He had
 been doing that a lot.  It was the third time she had had to call back
 his thoughts to the matter at hand. After all, it was a lot of
 material to receive in such a short time.  But it wasn't important. 
 Not then.  Not ever.
	Hitowa, whose actual name was Demondo, was a threat.  'And he's
 probably with Usagi now!' Mamoru thought, flushing slightly.  It was
 no wonder that his thoughts could stray at times.  The bastard.  It
 didn't matter too much though.  He would explain to Usagi that this
 Hitowa that she had made 'friends' with was no good for her and she
 would listen to him.  She always did.  Mamoru knew what was best for
 his Princess, and that was not getting involved with an enemy Prince. 
 His thoughts then strayed to a different topic as a single image
 flashed into his mind:
	Serenity, clad in pure white as the cathedral tumbled down around
 her.  Her eyes looked at him appealingly, her lips slightly parted as
 they whispered his name.  The golden crescent shined with a light
 brighter then the sun.  
	The point was made.  No Princes for Serenity then.  He tuned back
 into Pluto's statements.
	"---see, you have to go and tell her of this 'Hitowa'.  I can't
 go, as she doesn't know me and wouldn't believe me anyway.  You
 however, Endymion-sama, stand a much better chance.  Go.  Talk to her. 
 Let her know that what she does is folly."
	Mamoru sighed.  "Pluto-san, I would go to her in a heartbeat,
 were it not for one thing."
	The woman standing opposite him cast depthless red eyes towards
 him.  They looked somehow as though they had lost some of their calm. 
 "Hai?  What is it?"
	"I go near her and she dies."
	
****

	Setsuna, for her part was feeling more then a trifle annoyed with
 the man seated in front of her.  They were seated at the Gate of Time,
 where they could talk and not have to worry about the ever-so
-bothersome temporal abnormalities that swept the time/space continuum
 at intervals.  The look in his eyes when he had first seen the Gate
 had been fantastic.  She wondered if she had looked like that when
 Pluto-sensei had first brought her there.
	'I wonder what she's up to now, anyway.  I haven't seen her at
 all since I brought Mamoru-sama here.'  She hid a grimace.  'Knowing
 Pluto-sensei, she's probably hiding and judging my every move!'  It
 was pure torture having to act so cool and calm and collected. 
 Setsuna worked hard to keep her temper.  And she was beginning to get
 somewhat annoyed with the man whom she was supposed to inform of the
 dangers of a misbegotten Timeline.
	He was staying away from his future wife because of a _dream_?!?
	This made no sense to her.  And she said so.  Quite verbally.
	"Endymion-sama, with all due respect, may I suggest in that you
 haven't looked at all of the aspects here?"
	Mamoru looked at her.  "How so?"
	"The dream could have been sent to you by an enemy seeking to
 make Sailormoon weaker.  Being denied of your love would have
 certainly accomplished that."
	He looked stricken.  "I thought that it might have been sent by
 an enemy, but I wasn't willing to take a chance with it.  Most of my
 dreams about Serenity have been to find her or the Ginzuishou, or some
 such.  I figured that this had to be true as well."
	"And just 'why' do you think that the world would be in peril if
 you wed Serenity?"
	"I don't know.  I just wasn't taking any chances on her safety,
 okay?"  His own temper was beginning to flare.
	Setsuna glanced away from him.  Grilling the man for things
 already done and over with would accomplish nothing.  But
 still...Hadn't Pluto-sensei told her about Endymoin's dreams?  One of
 the first things she had learned when she began studying the monarchs
 of the Future realm was of the bond between the two.  It allowed them
 to have a mental picture of the other, what there emotions were, or if
 the other was in danger.  The Dreams of the Prince Endymion had been
 in there somewhere as well...hmmm...What were they again?  The
 Princess calling out for help, had been the first.  Then the Princess
 calling out for the Ginzuishou, and then that final one, the dark
 ones...what were they about?  
	Oh yeeeaaahh!  The Wardings!  She blinked.  'That must be what
 he's going through now!' Setsuna thought with a trace of smug
 satisfaction.  'But he figured those out, eventually, with the
 Princess' help, of course!  No way she was going to lose her man over
 a simple dream.  Now only if _he_ had such confidence!'  
	She turned back to face him.  "Your dreams...in them you are in a
 church or temple or shrine of some sort getting married, right?"  He
 started.  'Got'cha!'  Setsuna allowed herself a small grin.  "Those
 dreams were sent to you from the King of Crystal Tokyo, King Endymion. 
 Your future self."


****

	Elsewhere in the space-time continuum, a seven-year-old time
 traveler was having a meeting with her Luna P.  "It was really scary!"
	The cat-like sphere glinted.
	"I'm serious!"  Chibi-usa sighed slightly.  The dream last night
 had been so weird, and strange.  She hadn't told Usagi anymore about
 it, and had pointedly ignored any questions asked about the name
 'Small Lady'.  Pluto-sama had told so many times not to say anything
 about her real name that she worried over what would happen next. 
 Still, Chibi-usa doubted that a baka-usagi could do anything with it,
 or even figure out what it meant.  Even if she had been shouting out
 that it was her name in her sleep.
	Chibi-Usa placed her head in her hand and blew at the bangs that
 covered her eyes.  Much as she didn't like to admit it, she was
 scared.  Not scared enough to emit the moonbeam, but close enough. 
 "The dream was probably a warning."  I've got to get back to the
 Future!  But I can't go back with out the Ginzuishou."  She gnawed on
 her lip for a moment.  "But Usagi has the Ginzuishou, and she won't
 give it to me!'  A small voice in her head reminded her that the only
 time that she actually _had_ asked for it, she was brandishing a gun,
 even if it was only a toy.  Chibi-Usa went back to chewing on her much
 abused lower lip.
	"Maybe if I tell her...but I can't do that!  Sailorpluto-sama
 would have a fit!  But I have to get back...maybe if I tell her only
 part of it?"  Her eyes lit up.  That was it!  She'd go to Usagi and
 explain to her that her mother was in danger and so she had to have
 the crystal to save her, and so hand it over!  'Sounds good,' she
 thought picking up Luna P.  After all, Usagi might be a baka, but she
 was a softhearted baka.  'Except when it comes to her room!'  Chibi
-usa cringed remembering the last big argument regarding her liberal
 searching.
	Even so, it didn't matter now.  Chibi-usa, Luna-P following fast
 ran out of the Tsukino household.  It was time to find Usagi.  It was
 time to end this.  It was time to save the Future.

*************************************

	Usagi sneezed suddenly.  And then again.  'Someone must be
 talking about me,' she thought.  Sudden warmth surrounded her.  Usagi
 started and looked at the white jacket suddenly adorning her
 shoulders.  Hitowa smiled at her.  She blushed and murmured thanks.  
	Seriously.  The guy was just too nice.  She smiled slightly. 
 'Maybe that's why I like to be around him,' she hugged the jacket
 closer.  'He treats me like they did on the Moon.  It's odd, but I
 like it.'  
	"The Moon is beautiful, isn't it?"  Usagi stirred from her
 thoughts at Hitowa's question.  "Look, it's full tonight."
	She followed his gaze upwards.  Just risen against the horizon,
 the full moon shone with a passion brighter then the sun.  They were
 in the park, near the docks where she had gone after-'Nope, nadda, uh
-uh, not thinking about Mamo-ch, *Mamoru-san* now.  It's too pretty,'
	The Moon cast it's reelections on the water like skipping stones. 
 The whole scene was drenched in mystic light, pure and breathtaking. 
 "Hai...she's very pretty."
	Hitowa looked over at her and smiled.  She blushed slightly,
 pulling the jacket around her tighter.  They continued walking down
 the dirt path.
	"It's too bad that the rowboat stand is closed," Usagi said
 looking out over the lake.  "It would have been fun to go on them."
 Hitowa laughed at that.  She looked over at him, surprised.  "Nani? 
 What's so funny?"
	He shook his head slightly, still smiling. "I was just thinking
 that if you had asked me a year ago what I would have been doing on a
 Saturday night I would have told you that I was working on a new film
 piece.  Now, however, I find myself walking in the moonlight with an
 angel.  I thought it to be slightly ironic."  He grinned at her. 
 "Don't you think so?"
	Usagi smiled as well.  "Well, maybe a little."  'Especially what
 my answer to that question would have been!  A Saturday night a year
 ago?  Probably sleeping or hunting youmas.  What a change a year has
 brought!'  She sighed inwardly.  'And what do I do on most Saturday
 nights now?  Cry over Mamoru or go out and fight droids to save Chibi
-Usa.'  She frowned at that.  'Chibi-Usa...I haven't seen her since
 this morning.  Some protector I turned out to be...Who knows what the
 little pustule has gotten herself into by now!'
	"What's wrong?" She blinked up at the unexpected voice.  Hitowa
 looked at her worriedly.  Usagi forced herself to smile lightly and
 whispered "Nothing"
	Hitowa gave her a long once over but didn't press it, a fact to
 which she was grateful.  She *should* be off looking for the rabbit,
 Usagi knew that.  But, still...it was _nice_ to be able to take a day
 off from saving the world.  Couldn't, just this once, could Rei or one
 of the others handle it?  She was having fun.  And having fun with out
 someone who was destined to be her 'one and only' at that.  And one
 who wasn't being mean, but instead was treating her like they had used
 to, long long ago on the Moon.
	It was almost as though he knew her secret.
	Which was impossible.  But still...
	Usagi had always hated the 'lines of destiny' that had kept her
 to her post of Senshi.  It was the one that had kept her up late at
 night battling whatever evil force was coming at them at the moment. 
 Destiny was the thing that made her a princess of a dead civilization,
 the thing that had given her friends and a love and a purpose in life.
	But sometimes Usagi wondered if she wouldn't give it all up, all
 of it, simply for a day as a 'normal' girl...  Let someone else be the
 senshi of love and justice...Someone else can do it better.. 
 .Onegai... just a few more minutes...Besides, what was one to do when
 love had rotted and turned to hate, and those who were supposed to be
 her protectors had become those to whom she would sacrifice everything
 to keep safe, and the purpose had become her life?  How was that
 supposed to be 'fair' or 'nice' or 'fun'?  'Kami-sama, I'm only 15...I
 don't want all of this!'
	Mamoru had been the one good thing about Destiny. Having a match
 made in heaven had been incredible; at least, it had been until he had
 decided that it was more like a match made in hell.  It had been for
 him that she had gone on when life was nothing but a series of battles
 to stop Kunzite and get him back...  It had been for him that she had
 been able to save Earl and Ann and pull them off the path of
 destruction that they had been on.  And it was for him that she had 
lived each and every day of the past two years, all the while knowing
 that tomorrow would be the same as yesterday, and nothing would ever
 change...  Sure, the name of the monster might, and they might grow
 more powerful, and more numerousome, until there was nothing left at
 all, and there was nothing that could save them, and she was gone,
 gone, gone...
	All of it had been for one soul, Chiba Mamoru.  And he didn't
 want her anymore.  And the Senshi didn't understand, or they didn't
 care.  Couldn't care.  Or didn't want to.  It wasn't like she could go
 and talk to her parents or the school counselor about it...'Sure, hi,
 my name is Sailormoon, champion of justice, and I used to be one of
 love as well, but I've seemed to have flunked at that lately...'
	The only good thing about destiny was turning out to suck as
 badly as the rest of them.  It really wasn't fair.
	Which, she supposed, was why she liked spending time with Hitowa
-san a lot.  He didn't have any prior conceptions of her, and what's
 more, he didn't have to do with her past, on the moon, or her future
 with her senshi duties.  He was just, there.  And it was nice to have
 a friend who didn't seem to care too deeply when she had to run out on
 him to go forth and do battle.  He was good about it too, when she was 
late, or too tired to go out and do something.  
	He was nice.
	And he didn't make any demands.
	'And,' she thought, 'With Mamoru gone, he keeps me sane.'  It was
 something that no one else seemed to care all that much about.  'If 
only Luna or the others knew how close I was to cracking...they'd be
 amazed.  Hell, they'd be amazed if they found out that I was capable
 of thinking on my own or doing something by myself.  Like going out on
 a date...'
	Usagi reinstated that thought firmly in her mind.  It wasn't the
 time to freak out.  There wasn't a monster in sight, and she was with
 someone who had yet to make a mention of ships, let alone Sailors. 
 And it was so pretty...Nothing could spoil her night.  
	Not now.
	All the worries could be put aside until morning.  Usagi smiled,
 feeling Hitowa's arm encircle her own as they walked away from the
 docks.  It was perfect.  Nothing could go wrong.
	Which was, of course, why the 'watch' on her wrist suddenly began
 beeping.
	'Ah, well...'she thought, letting fun-loving Usagi slip into the
 back of her mind and the more forceful Sailormoon take over.  'Duty
 calls after all.'


**********

	The street was almost deserted, something that seemed to fit
 considering that it was almost eleven at night.  The few remaining
 pedestrians were hurrying to catch the last train, or a bus to make
 their way home.  None of them had the time or the inclination to
 wonder why a young child was cowering in a corner of the metro, gray
 sphere in hands and pink hair tumbling out of it's ponytails.  
	Chibi-usa looked nervously over the top of Luna-P at the
 remaining people who seemed to fill the corridor.  The last trains
 were coming in.  After that there wouldn't be anyone but the homeless
 and crazy.  No one who would be able to help her or want to, for that
 matter.  'Stupid baka chibi usagi!'
	She had _had_ her money earlier; she had made certain of it when
 she had gotten on the metro earlier.  It was going to be easy.  Usagi
 had been telling her about the Ryuu place that she was going to with a
 'friend', as she had gotten dressed, and that it had been in the
 center of Tokyo, and what it would be like, and what they would be
 doing.  At the time Chibi-usa had just wanted to smack the older Usagi
 to make her be quiet.  But still, she had been nice the night before,
 and hadn't even pushed her on the 'Small Lady' stuff.  'Another thing
 that I'm stupid about!  I nearly gave away everything...Puu should
 never have trusted me to come back to get the Ginzuishou.  She shoulda
 gone herself...I'll bet _she_ would have been able to make Usagi hand
 it over.'
	But if Puu had gone, then Chibi-usa would still be in the Future. 
 With Papa asleep and Mama in the crystal.  And she would have been
 stuck knowing each and every moment that it was her fault, that it all
 had been her fault...It was her fault that the Ginzuishou was gone and
 that she had had to go to the Past in the first place.  And it was her
 fault that Mama was stuck.  'If I hadn't gone outside, then Mama
 wouldn't have been caught by, by whoever they were.'  She shuddered
 into Luna-P, arms trembling slightly.  She didn't want to think about
 them.
	They reminded her of the dream...
	She didn't want to think of the nightmare that she had the night
 before.  Chibi-usa's eyes watered, but she refused to let the tears
 fall.  Instead she wiped her hand across her eyes impatiently.  'Well,
 sitting here isn't gonna 'complish anything.'  She knew that she
 should get up and ask one of the few people left if they could help
 her.  But, they scared her.  Like the old lady with no teeth and with
 the shopping cart.  And the man that had _looked_ at her.  He had
 reminded her of a wolf, grinning, leering, and ready to bite and claw
 and hurt.  People like that _scared_ her.  She didn't want to go with
 anyone like that.
	She didn't want anything from people like that.
	Not even if it would get her home.
	"Oh, poor thing...what are you doing so far from home little
 one?"  
	'Huh?'  Chibi-usa's head shot up and she looked with wide eyes
 towards a nice looking woman with blue eyes and hair up in a braid in
 a business suit who towered over her.  The woman smiled and offered
 Chibi-usa her hand.  "Are you lost?"
	Chibi-usa looked away, and almost against her will nodded.
	The woman's voice took on a slightly triumphant tone.  "Well
 then.  It's late, I'll bet your okoa's looking for you.  Would you
 like me to give you a ride?  I'll make sure you get home safe and
 sound."
	Chibi-usa looked back.  A voice in her head whispered that it was
 bad, she shouldn't go, but...she was so tired.  All she wanted was to
 go home and maybe curl up in Usagi's bed and listen to a story.  And
 she _seemed_ nice enough..."I've got candy.  Would you like some?" 
 The woman offered some to her.  Chibi-usa took it hesitantly,
 unwrapping it and sniffing it lightly.  It _smelled_ okay.  Actually,
 it smelled a lot better then 'okay'.  It smelled pretty good.  She put
 it in her mouth.  It tasted even better.
	Chibi-usa took the woman's hand and stood up.  Luna-P fell to the
 floor next to her.  With her free hand she wiped the traces of tears
 away from her face and blinked in the dim subway light.
	"What a kawaii kid," the woman cooed.  "Tell me kawaii, where do
 you live?"
	"In Juunon."  Chibi-usa was just tired.  She really noticed when
 they got on.  She certainly didn't see the sign saying 'Lokunon' on
 the front of the train.  All she cared about was getting home.  She
 didn't even notice when Luna-P's eyes started to glint warningly, or
 when things started to get blurry.  
	No one seemed to notice as a young woman picked up her pink 
haired daughter off the seat next to her.  The biggest response that
 they got was some condemning the young mother for keeping her child
 out so late.  Others just smiled at the picture that they made. 
 Nothing was sweeter then a sleeping child, after all.  The girl was
 relaxed completely, totally oblivious to everything.  She didn't
 notice as they got off the train, leaving a small gray ball hovering
 behind.  
	Stranger yet, none of them seemed to care as the ball picked
 itself off the cushions and followed to two out just as the doors
 began to close in Lokunon.  Or notice as it shot off in a direction
 completely different then the one that the 'mother' and 'daughter' had
 gone off in.


***************

	Hino Rei was tired.  It had been a busy day, what with an attack,
 and she was relaxing in the furo before bed. What had made it
 particularly difficult was that the Weird Sisters had shown up again,
 and there had been NO Tuxedo Kamen to help them, thankyouverymuch. 
 The jerk.  Even if he was mad at Usagi, for reasons that none of them
 could understand, it didn't matter.  When there was an attack, there
 was an attack.  You didn't simply not come!  Ami had almost been hurt. 
 If Minako hadn't distracted it at that last moment, then...She didn't
 want to think about it.  
	But, Chibi-usa was all right now.  Or at least she hoped that she
 was.  Usagi was going out with a 'friend' of hers.  At least, that's
 what she called him.  It didn't matter to the rest of the Senshi. 
 'Good for her!  Mamoru-san was treating her horribly.  If she's found
 someone that will treat her right, I say go for it!'  She started
 guiltily.  Usagi was in love with Mamoru.  She always had been, and
 Rei supposed, she always would be.  Till the end of time.  
	And wishing her a new boyfriend would only make it worse.
	Except...Usagi didn't see Hitowa as a boyfriend.  He was just a
 listen board for when she wanted to rant.  Or, that's what she said. 
 To the casual eye however, it seemed rather as though the two of them
 were closer then that.
	Rei knew that was how Mamoru saw it.
	And she was glad.
	All of the senshi, with the exception of the Princess, knew that
 Mamoru was playing with her somehow.  'It's obvious that he still
 loves her...the sadistic bastard.  I don't see how he gets off with
 causing them _both_ pain, and not enjoying it somehow.'
	It was for that reason that Rei wasn't sure that she _wanted_ to
 see her Princess reunited with her Prince.
	'*But*,' she decided, sinking lower in the furo until all that
 was out of the water was her nose, 'Heavy thoughts like those can wait
 until tomorrow.  Right now, I just want to sleep...'
	She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, enjoying the
 sensation of warm water against her bare skin.  It wasn't all that
 often in a Senshi's life that they could take time out for simple
 pleasures such as these.  The water was so nice...All she wanted to do
 was to stay there forever, not thinking or caring about what the next
 day would bring.
	Which was, of course, why she was so annoyed when she heard the
 scratchings at the window.
	"YUURICHO!!!  You hentai!"  Rei jumped out of the tub so quickly
 that her body blurred and wrapped a towel about her form.  The
 scratching came again.  Rei glowered darkly.  'You'd figure that he
 would have learned his lesson after the *last* time he played peeping
 tom!'
	It was about then that Rei remembered that she was alone in the
 Shrine.  'That's right...Ojii-chan and Yuuricho went left for one of\
 the shrine's in the mountains this morning.  But then...who?'
	Even faster then she had grabbed her towel Rei pulled an anti
-evil charm out of her interspacial pocket.  Who ever it was in
 trouble!  Moving slowly, she looked out the window, expecting to find
 one of the boys from town there at the best and at the worst
 another youma.
	The fact that a small gray cat-shaped sphere was what greeted her
 caused her to blink.  What caused her to get worried was that the pink
 haired girl who usually accompanied such a girl was no where in sight.
	Hino Rei had not once seen the kid with out Luna-P.  Or Luna-P
 without Chibi-usa, for that matter.  She opened the window and let the
 ball float in.  Watching it carefully, she reached for her
 communicator.


*************

	Setsuna looked at the dark figure disappearing on the horizon. 
 Endymion had left to try to reconcile with his Princess.  'Good
 luck.'  she thought after him.  She could tell thought that the Prince
 had his work cut out for him.  'After all of that 'we can't be
 together anymore shit', it's going to take a miracle to get the two of
 them back together.' 
	Sure in the Baton Timeline they had had their fights, and
 arguments, and warning dreams, and the occasional brainwashing, but
 they had wound up together in the end.  In the Baton Timeline,
 however, there had been no Demondo.  
	At least there hadn't been a *nice* Demondo.
	There had been one who had been as ruthless as Beryl in his
 determination to win over the Neo-Queen, and failing that, her prior
 form.
	'This' Demondo was quite different then the one that Pluto-sensei
 had shown her.  He was going at things a good deal differently.  And
 what didn't help was that Pluto-sensei kept harping about 'making sure
 that the _Baton_ stayed intact.  No other possibilities allowed.  The
 _Baton_ timeline, Setsuna-chan...the _Baton_ timeline!'.  
	'Honestly,' Setsuna mused, nibbling on a lock of dark green hair. 
 'It's not like that _other_ timeline would be all that bad either.' 
 The latest Possible was almost the same as the first, except that the
 King had white hair instead of dark.
	'And the succession is changed...'
	That was it, right there.  Endymion might not be the best choice
 of a King, but the succession had to be kept intact.  Setsuna couldn't
 see all that much of the Possible, only that the Queen was happy and
 that there was another daughter.  Another _older_ daughter.  
	Which meant another Queen.
	Small Lady wouldn't rule if the Possible became Baton.
	And she had too, Pluto-sensei said so.
	Setsuna pulled the lock of hair out of her mouth.  'I've gotta
 stop doing that.  It'll give me split ends, just wait and see.'  She
 couldn't see past that part of the Possible, but Pluto-sensei had, and
 _she_ said that it would cause the death of Crystal Tokyo if another
 Queen ruled in Small Lady's place.
	And Setsuna had no reason to disbelieve her.
	Not yet anyway.  Pluto-sensei might not tell the whole truth
 sometimes, but she had never, _ever_ lied to her protāgā before.  And
 knowing her cryptic teacher, she would start.  Pluto was rather big on
 telling part of the truth and never lying.  
	Hell, if she had started to lie somewhere along the line, think
 about what would have happened.  The Queen, Setsuna knew, hated liars. 
 She tried not to associate with them.  If, sometime in there, Serenity
 had decided not to listen to the Senshi of Time...Setsuna didn't
 shiver but she sure felt like it.
	'We all would have been SOL.'
	She hadn't actually met the Neo-Queen.  She'd met the Queen's
 mother several times, the original Serenity.  Well, not the original,
 actually several Moon Queen's down the line from when she had lived,
 but it was close enough.  Queen Serenity VIII, mother of the Neo-Queen
 of Crystal Tokyo had been even more headstrong then the girl whom
 Endymion was going to go find.
	'What a great woman.' Setsuna smiled thinking of the past Queen. 
 'It really is too bad what happens there. I wish that we *could* do
 something about that.'  The smile dropped.  'But I remember the
 visions.  If we had warned the Queen before the attack then the 
Princess would have had to assume the thrown early.  And Princess
 Serenity IX was no where 'near' ready to rule then.  The Moon would
 have fallen anyway, and then the Senshi wouldn't have been reborn, and
 Earth would have become the slaves of a set of aliens, up until the
 rest of the baddies showed up.  And then the Silence would fall
 forever because Galaxia wouldn't have been healed, and the Universe
 would have been plunged into a Darkness to last for eternity...'
	Nope.  Better to leave that one alone.
	She thought back to how she had argued with Sensei over that,
 until at last she had seen the Visions.  Pluto-sensei had been right
 about that one.  And she was probably right about the Baton Timeline
 and the Possible.  And in time, Setsuna would see the visions for
 herself.  And she would realize that Pluto had been right, and that
 would be the end of it.
	But even so...Setsuna couldn't shake off a feeling of discomfort
 as she watched the Prince of Earth disappear into the shadows and back
 to the mortal's world.  She felt the urge to shiver, and this time she
 didn't suppress it.  She was still standing there when the Vision
 started.

***************

	Tsukino Usagi stumbled tiredly into the Shrine.  'We already had
 a fight today...I had wanted to relax for a change.  Thank Kami-sama
 Hitowa-san took it well.'  She had been afraid that Hitowa would have
 been upset at her for running away so suddenly, but he had been very
 nice about it.  'He said that sometimes things came up, and that he
 understood.  He even gave me a ride over here...Damn him!  He's too
 good to me!'
	"Usagi?  About time you made it!"  Luna.  The small black neko
 glared up at her.  "If you hadn't been fooling around with
 Misterwhat'shisface then we could have been started a lot sooner!"
	"Oh lay off Luna, she's not that late." Both cat and human turned
 to stare incredulously at the raven-haired girl who had spoken.  Rei
 smiled lightly.  "She was on a 'date' after all."
	Usagi blushed.  "It wasn't a date!  We only went to dinner,
 that's all..."
	Minako came up behind her and poked her in the side.  "Uh-huh. 
 And I'm the Queen of England."
	Makoto grinned as well, getting in on the fun.  "Yeah, Usagi...do
 tell!  What *else* did you do...besides dinner I mean!"
	'Even _Ami_ seems to be enjoying this!'  Usagi scrunched up her
 face and stuck her tongue out to the group at large.  "Aren't we
 supposed to be here for a Senshi meeting?  I'm sure that Rei didn't
 call us all here to talk about my date with Hitowa, particularly since
 we weren't done yet!"
	"Oh, so you admit it was a date now, do you?"
	Usagi groaned and sunk to the floor, burrowing her head in her
 arms.  "I think that you need to get boyfriends of your own, and stop
 coming up with new one's for me!"
	Rei just grinned.  It was such fun to torture her Princess.  A
 slight pressure on the back of her leg caused her to spin around. 
 Luna-P pressed against her ankle and she was reminded as to just _why_
 they had pulled the Princess away from her fun.  
	"Minna, much fun as it might be to tease Usagi, I think she has
 the right idea."
	"What, about the boyfriends?" Minako asked wide-eyed.
 	Mako chuckled at Mina's comment.  "I think, blondie," she said
 dryly, "that she was talking about getting back on topic."
	Minako turned on her violently.  "What was that about being
 blonde?  This coming from some one who's been harping on the same guy
 for years now!"
	"At least _I_ had a boyfriend, Mina-chan."
	"Hmph!"  
	Ami just sighed at sat down next to the princess.
	"Minna!"
	All of them started guiltily.  "Hai Luna?"
	"I think that Rei has something to tell us...don't you Rei?"  The
 small neko's soft voice was deceptively calm. 
	"Hai Luna..."
	Artemis smiled to the more frazzled member of the feline duo. 
 She glared at him and pulled her ears back against her head.
	Briefly Rei gave the details on how she had became in charge of
 Luna-P, emitting the parts about the suspected peeping tom.
	It was one thing to debrief them.  It was another thing
 altogether to _debrief_ them.
	"Hmm..." Ami looked at the gray cat ball.  "Any way to find out
 where Chibi-usa went?"
	"No clue." Makoto said scratching her head lightly.  "Rei, could
 you do a reading in the Fire?"
	"I already tried."  Rei frowned.  "I didn't get anything though."
	Usagi's worried voice cut through the sudden silence.  "Why
 weren't you able to pick up on her Rei-chan?  I thought that you could
 find anyone that way!"
	Rei sighed slightly.  "Only if they are awake and unshielded,
 Usagi.   If she doesn't want to be found and was able to create a
 mental cloak then I wouldn't be able to pick up on her presence."
	"Rei-chan, what would the chances be that she could be shielding
 against you?"  Mina asked.
	"Not a chance at all.  I've never heard of a kid who could create
 cloaks at seven before.'
	Usagi sounded even more perturbed then before.  "So then she's,
 ah, uncotios, I mean, uncontho,  ah well, asleep right?"
	Rei nodded.  "It's all I can think of.  If she was caught then we
 would have seen the Moonbeam go off."
	"Not unless they got her by surprise," Minako said grimly.  "She
 might not have been able to set one off if they came to quickly."
	Usagi shuddered and hugged her knees tighter.  'Chibi-usa-chan...
 onegai...be okay...please...'
	Ami had pulled out her computer and was typing on it furiously. 
 "No, she's all right...See?"  She gave her computer to Usagi who
 stared at it bewildered.  "Those dots here," she said pointing to a
 series of multicolored specks in one corner of the screen, "are us.  
This one," she pointed to another dot, pink, "is Chibi-usa."
	Usagi frowned.  "But how'd she get to Lokunon?  I _know_ that she
 didn't have enough money to get that far..."  She looked at the dot 
again.  "Mmm...Ami-chan?  Is it supposed to be moving that fast?"
	Ami took the computer back.  "No...that's faster then a car would
 be going.  And it's not on any of the train tracks..."
	"So what's that mean?" Makoto peered over Usagi's shoulder at the
 small screen.  
	"It means that somehow our rabbit is moving at approximately
 200km per hour!   At that rate she'll be out of scanning range in less
 then five min-"  Ami stopped quite suddenly.  And blinked.
	"Ah, Ami-chan?  What happened to the dot?"
	Ami frowned and began typing again.  "I don't know...There's no
 way that she could have gotten out of range that quickly...wait...oh,.
 I've got it..."  Ami blinked again scrolling down information.  "Oh,
 shimatta..."
	"Ami?  What is it?"  Usagi's voice was hard.  Ami looked over at
 her surprised.  It wasn't like the leader of the Senshi to get so
 worried about her newest charge.  Soundlessly she handed over her
 computer.  Usagi looked at it and closed her eyes.
	Where Chibi-usa had been there was now trace signatures of
 energy.  _Dark_ energy.  
	"Ami-chan?  What does that mean?"
	She looked out at the wall, avoiding eye contact with all of
 them.  "Teleport."
	"_WHAT?_"
	"She was teleported by someone who uses Dark Energy."
	Makoto whistled softly.  "The Weird Sisters."
	"Can't think of anyone else."
	"Shit."
	"Yeah.  That about sums it up."
	Minako looked at Usagi.  "So what do we do now?"
	Usagi peered out from under her closed lids.   "We go to Lokunon
 and get her back."
	Artemis nodded towards his partner.  She looked at him silently
 and gave her agreement.  The two soundlessly leapt up and out the
 door.  Minako watched them go, but didn't try to stop them.  They
 could get to Lokunon faster then any of the humans in the group and
 search in places that the rest of them wouldn't be able to get to.  It
 would be all right.
	Usagi stood.  "Minna, henshin-yo!"
	Rei looked at her surprised.  It was very un-usagilike to take
 charge.  'She must be worried about the kid.  Maybe that will knock
 some sense into her.  Be about time that something did.' 
 Nevertheless, she gave her leader a look of approval before shouting
 the incantation that would change her.

MARS STAR POWER!	

The others looked at each other and shrugged.

VENUS STAR POWER!

MERCURY STAR POWER!

JUPITER STAR POWER!

	Usagi looked at them and smiled.

MOON CRYSTAL POWER!

	And then in unison:

MAKE UP!

	A few seconds later and the fully transformed Sailor Senshi stood
 in the Shrine.  "Are you ready?" Sailormoon looked at her companions. 
 They nodded.  "Then let's go!"  She turned and led the way out of the
 Shrine.  
	'Down the hallway, out the door, across the yard, opps, careful
 of the stairs...'  They had just reached the bottom when a dark arm
 reached out and snagged Sailormoon's waist.
	"Nani?!?"  She pulled away and turned to stare at the one who had
 grabbed her.  "What the...Tuxedo Kamen?  What are you doing?"
	Tuxedo Kamen looked at her, eyes glittering strangely beneath his
 mask.  "Usako, we have to talk."
	Sailormoon blushed.  'Mamoru you idiot!  Never, *ever* call me
 Usako when I'm transformed!'  The next thought that crossed her mind
 was 'Waaaaiiit a minute...Usako?  He hasn't called me that
 since...well, since we broke up!  Then, does this mean...' An image
 crossed her mind then, of Chibi-usa being blasted by a dark force
 blast as she had been when she had gotten too close in the battle the
 day before.  Whatever Mamoru had to say could wait until they got
 Chibi-usa back.
	She pulled completely out of his arms.  "Gomen, Tuxedo Kamen, I
 can't talk now, I've got-"  she was interrupted by a sudden kiss.  For
 a brief moment, she relished in it, it had been so long...but then it
 suddenly crossed her mind that she had told him to wait.  And he had
 ignored her.  'That's not right!'
	She pulled back again, eyes snapping.  "_Gomen_, Tuxedo Kaman
-_san_.  As I was saying, I'm on senshi business."
	He held onto her hand, suddenly a  lot tighter then she would
 have liked.  "Usako, I'm sure that it can wait a few minutes...This is
 more important."
	She stared at him, acutely aware of the others pressing in on
 her.  "No.  I am on _Senshi_ business, Tuxedo Kaman.  It's not more
 important then that!"  'How could he think that *anything* could be 
more important then Senshi business?'  A growing anger settled in her
 stomach.  'That's his problem.  He doesn't 'think' at all.  How can he
 even imagine that I would stop everything when *Chibi-usa's* in danger
 and go off with him?  Maybe I would have before, but that was
 different...That was before I'd met-'
	"_Usako..._"  His voice became even more incessant.
	"Ah, Sailormoon?"  Mercury's voice came up from behind.  
	She felt her eyes go hard as she watched the man before her.  'He
 probably just wants to chew me out about something else.  Not tonight
 Mamoru.  I've got more important things to do then to listen to you
 yell at me.'  She turned back to her assembled soldiers.  "Minna, I'll
 be there in a few minutes.  This won't take long."
	Mars looked deep into her eyes and searched them thoughtfully
 before turning and running down the road.  The others followed.  Venus
 hesitated a second.  "Hurry, okay?" 
	 Sailormoon nodded.  "I'll be there soon."  She watched them
 disappear down the road.  "All right Mamoru, what the hell's going on? 
 This had better be important."
	His own eyes had turned ice blue.  "This is because of Hitowa,
 isn't it?"
	She blinked.  "Nani?  What the hell are you talking about?"
	He glared at her.  "Didn't you know?  He's playing with you
 Usako.  He knows all about you.  That you're Sailormoon.  That you're
 the Moon Princess.  He knows it all Usako!"
	She shook her head and pushed tears back.  "I wouldn't have
 thought you to be so low, Mamoru..."
	"You see!  He's turned you against me!"
	Before she even knew what was happening, her hand swung out and
 backhanded him.  Mamoru just watched her, eyes accusing.
	"Mamoru, stop it.  Go home.  I don't want to hear this anymore."
	"You may not want to hear it, Usako," he said darkly, "but you
 need to.  Usako, he's the leader of the guys that we're fighting! 
 He's evil!"
	She shook her head and wrapped her arms around her sides,
 suddenly feeling very, very cold.  And old.  "You're wrong.  If you
 were going to make a story up, Mamoru, then you should have chosen
 someone besides Hitowa.  He's as innocent as they come."  Hitowa had
 been nice...Something that she was beginning to see that Mamoru was
 not.
	"His name's not even Hitowa!  It's Demondo, Prince of the Dark
 Moon Family!  Usako,"  he reached out and grabbed her arm again as she
 started to turn.  "He's _evil.  He's from the Future, Usako.  And he
 wants to have you and kill the rest of us!  Usako listen to me!"
	Sailormoon started shaking uncontrollably.  'It's not true, it
 can't be true...Mamoru's lying...he has to be...he has to be...'	"You're lying."  Her words were soft and cold.  His hand dropped
 from her wrist as she store up at him.  "You're lying Chiba Mamoru." 
 His jaw dropped slightly.  'I guess it never occurred to him that I
 might not believe him...the bastard.'  "And if you'll excuse me,
 Chibi-usa was taken and I have to go find her."  She stepped back from
 him, down to the sidewalk.  "Good bye Mamoru."  Sailormoon spared one
 last look at her one time lover and turned to run down the street,
 trying to ignore the tears that were falling freely on her cheeks.
	Tuxedo Kaman looked after her, eyes wide.  'That didn't go
 well...She must be under Demondo's control.'  His eyes narrowed. 
 'Don't worry Usako...I'll set you free!'  He looked at her retreating
 figure.  It would do no good to try to talk to her again.  Instead, it
 was time to talk to those that still mattered to her.  'I'll go to the
 Senshi...They'll understand, even if she doesn't.  We can go after
 Demondo then.  he wouldn't be able to stand against all of us.'  
	Tuxedo Kaman took off after his Princess.  After all, where _she_
 went, the others were sure to follow.


END CHAPTER FOUR

	So, what did you think?  It's a good deal longer then normal,
 isn't it?  About twice the length for some reason.  Heheheh...I guess
 I just got wrapped up in it.  ^_^
	I hope that you liked it, anyway.  The truth be known, this was
 out a good deal sooner then I expected it to be.  I started the
 chapter in August and got a good 14KB done.  The rest of it was
 written two nights ago on a major caffine rush and with a thousand
 different ideas floating through my brain.  Hopefully, this will make
 the rest of the storyline somewhat better, and offer satisfactory
 promises with what shall happen in the future.  However, only Pluto
 knows when the next chapter will be out.  I'm a juinor in high school
 now, and things are out of control.  Between chem labs and english
 test, (which I'm supposed to be studing for now, but, what the
 hell...) and reports and hours of homework nightly, plus the fact that
 I'm trying to get enough money together for Christmas...Well, time is
 slim.
	Besides which, creative energy flow was heading towards a
 different source, namely, a new book series by Mercedes Lacky that I
 have gotten maeself involved with.  Fortunatly for Sailormoon and D
-chan, however, ideas returned with a vengence a few days back and I
 wrote all of this in a two day spree of trying to take up as much room
 as possible on my computer.  Smiles for everyone, though!  It's done,
 and what's more, it's out, too!
	Umm, and on to chapter five, Boiling Point.  BP is the fifth, and
 second to last chapter.  Two more to go, minna!  Can't be _too_ bad,
 now can it?  ^_^  
Well , I certainly hope not!
	I'm not going to put a date on this one.  Chapter four had a
 whole lot of twists and susprises, most of which were asa new to me as
 they are to you.  In the next two I have to incorperate these changes
 into the story and make it all fit together.  It will take work, but
 the new ideas ought to make it a whole lot better then what I had in
 mind for it.  Then again, in the original version the climax was in a
 hotel room with Usagi, Mamoru, Hitowa, and Pluto all duking it out. 


 Nothing like it is now, I assure you!
Well, until next time, minna-sama...
Dremdancer
October 7, 1998