No One's Fault Chapter 5
Author: Patch
E-mail: patchkhan1@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13

The next morning Usagi woke up in time to see Mamoru leaving the bedroom, dressed and washed up.
"Mamo-chan, where are you going?" she asked, not wanting him to leave her this early.
He turned around and walked back to the bed, sitting next to her. He brushed back a few strands of her hair and spoke. "I have to preside over the court hearing and trial for Tiros. He has much to answer for and I have to make sure he has no leeway whatsoever to get out of this."
Usagi's eyes had been closed when Mamoru had brushed her bangs back but they immediately popped open upon hearing his words. "I want to go with you," she said and tried to rise.
But Mamoru stopped her. "Iie, you have to stay here. First of all, you're still weak and I can't risk worsening your health. Second, I have no idea what Tiros might try down there. Bastards like him always have tricks up their sleeves."
Usagi's eyes widened at how vehement he sounded. In that moment he looked like a man to be feared.
Nevertheless she still wanted to be with him and perversely she thought it unfair that he have all the fun in making Tiros quake in his shoes. She knew she was probably thinking childishly but she wanted to see the man suffer for all the pain that he had caused. It was just.
"Mamo-chan, please-"
"No Usako, I want you to stay here. I'll send one of the Senshi up to have breakfast with you. It'll be safer that way and you'll have some company. Ja ne."
He left the room and Usagi slowly sat up hurt and anger warring within her. How dare he treat her as an invalid! She did not want anyone's company at the moment, all she wanted was to see the fear in the eyes of the man who had caused their misery as his sentence was carried out.
But a few minutes later, Rei came in holding a tray of food.
"Good morning Usagi-chan, I thought I'd keep you company while you ate breakfast. How are you feeling?" she asked.
"I'm fine Rei-chan, I know Mamo-chan sent you up here."
The Senshi blushed slightly and averted her gaze. "Hai, he did, but it's not like he forced me to sit with you. I *wanted* to see you, you, are after all, one of my best friends."
"It is the same for me, Rei-chan," Usagi replied, feeling a little guilty for sounding so accusing. They ate in amicable silence, chatting a little, completely avoiding the topic of Usagi's miscarriage. Usagi noticed that time was ticking away and she quickly thought of something that would get Rei out of the room.
"Can you please get me a glass of water, Rei-chan?"
"Of course. I'll be right back." She left taking the tray with her.
As soon as she had closed the door, Usagi slowly sat up.
"You have to do this," she whispered to herself, "you have to."
Her feet on the floor she pushed away from the bed and used the various pieces of furniture around the room as support as she made her way to her closet to pull out some fresh clothing.
Just as she finished, the door to the room opened and she heard a gasp.
"Usagi-chan! What do you think you're doing?"
It was Rei and Usagi stood up straighter, a determined look on her face.
"I'm going down to the throne room."
"You can't! You're not well enough and-"
"I know how I feel Rei-chan and I know I am able to go down there."
"Demo... we have orders from Endymion himself, to not let you-"
"I will go," Usagi said with finality. She crossed her arms and stood there with a challenging stance. Rei stared back and then sighed heavily.
"And how will you get down there? If you haven't forgotten, there are many steps you'll have to use to reach the throne room."
"I can use the ginzuishou to transport me down," the Queen replied with confidence.
"Iie, you'll only use more of your energy and that'll weaken your state- Usagi-chan!"
Heedless to the Senshi's warnings, Usagi had pulled forth the ginzuishou and was now surrounded in light.
"Usagi-chan! Matte!" Rei ran to her friend but it was too late, she had already disappeared. "Shimatta! That Odango Atama is too stubborn for her own good!"

Usagi appeared just outside of the doors of the throne room and as she entered, was surprised to see that the room had been restored to its original splendor from before the attack.
She saw her husband sitting on his throne, the Senshi stood behind him and Tiros stood on the floor, two guards on either side of him. Mamoru was speaking and when he noticed her, his voice faltered a bit and when he continued, his voice came out slightly louder and harsher.
The Senshi saw her walking towards the dais and she saw that their eyes had grown wide.
Her head held high, she walked up the few stairs leading to the thrones and then sat in her own.
"You have now had the evidence laid against you. Do you have anything to say to defend yourself?" Mamoru asked.
"I see that your Queen has arrived, Endymion. May I at least express my sympathies towards her?"
Mamoru nodded curtly, his lips thin.
Tiros turned to face Usagi and she stiffened at the mocking glint she saw in his eyes.
"Queen Serenity, my deepest apologies... on the loss of your child. I am sure this must be a very hard time for you and I must say that if I had known about your... condition, I would have never initiated an attack upon the Palace."
Usagi's back was now ramrod straight and she did not like the tone of the man in front of her.
"I find it hard to believe that your apology is sincere Tiros."
"Well... that is too bad, my Queen." He smiled evilly and pressed the inside of each wrist releasing a greenish gas. Everyone panicked and Mamoru pulled Usagi from her chair and pushed her behind the thrones.
"Contain that gas!" he yelled and pulled out a handkerchief and covered Usagi's mouth and nose with it. He pressed a hidden knob somewhere on the wall in front of them and a door slid open revealing a passageway. "Come on," he said and pulled her with him.
"No! I can't leave the Senshi like that! Who knows what that gas will do!" Usagi yelled fearfully.
"Which is why you are not staying there," Mamoru replied.
"I have to go back!" she broke from his grasp and yelled out for Sailor Mercury to release her Bubble Blast Attack which stopped the gas from spreading further. Then closing her eyes, Usagi held her hands out in front of her and as she chanted words a clear ball formed between them, growing bigger. She released it and as it floated around the room, the ball sucked the gas into it, gradually gathering every last bit.
When everything began to clear up, Usagi opened her eyes and looked around. Tiros lay on the floor, unmoving and facedown. The Senshi stood around him, in a fight stance, ready to use their powers if necessary.
"Sailor Mercury, do a scan on that gas right now," Usagi ordered.
Flipping open her mini- computer, Ami typed a few buttons and then a bluish beam shot out, hitting the now green ball. Information poured onto the screen and Ami quickly skimmed through it.
A smile formed on her face and she looked at everyone. "It's harmless," she announced, as sighs of relief came from everyone. "It's a form of menthene gas known as menthiclosis and it's non-toxic... at least for us. Hold on a minute."
She let the beam travel to Tiros' body and typed in a few more keys. More information came up and Ami's eyes widened. "His bloodstream has an unusually high amount of toxicolene." She raised her eyes to see blank stares and quickly continued. "It's a chemical that reacts quite unstably with menthiclosis and as we speak, Tiros' organs are literally being eaten up by the combination."
Usagi faltered a little and Mamoru came up behind her, supporting her. "Guards," he ordered, "get the body out of here."
"Take him to my lab," Ami added. "I want to run some tests and complete a more detailed examination." She turned back to the group.
"According to the scan here, the toxicolene has been in his system for a few days now which could only mean that he had planned this whole thing."
"You mean, he committed suicide?" Makoto asked incredulously.
"It makes sense," Rei added, "He probably had an inkling of an idea that his plan to take over wouldn't work so he probably prepared himself to have the 'last word', in a sense."
"What a coward!" Minako said, shaking her head in disgust.
As soon as the guards had left, Usagi sunk to her throne, closing her eyes. She snapped them open at the sound of her husband's voice.
"What were you thinking when you decided to come down here?" he asked quietly and calmly. But no one was fooled. The King was furious... at his wife.
"I told you before, I wanted to be here for the proceedings," she replied standing up.
"I specifically told you that it was safer for you to remain in bed yet you come down here, selfishly putting your life in danger," he said harshly.
"I was doing no such thing!" Usagi cried, "I told you why I wanted to be here. I wanted the satisfaction of knowing that man would pay for what he did!"
"And then look what he did! He released gas that could have turned out to be poisonous!"
"But it wasn't and if it had been, you had a solution ready!" Usagi replied defensively.
The Senshi stood by tensely, watching the couple argue. They shared looks, Outer and Inner, knowing that sooner or later, one would hurt the other or both would hurt each other... badly.
"Alright you two!" Minako said stepping forward, "You shouldn't be going on like this, it's not right at a time like this when you need each other!"
But either they didn't hear her or they didn't pay attention for they continued to fight.
"If only you would understand what I feel, Mamo-chan! I wanted to see that man pay for what could have been! We might have been happy, a living miracle inside of me, but he destroyed her, our baby!" Usagi was near the breaking point. Everything was going horribly wrong and she wanted it all to stop. She didn't want to fight but she wanted her husband to know how she felt; she needed his understanding. Why wasn't he helping? "Why can't you see that I wanted to see justice dealt? That is the only reason I came down here. It would have made me feel better, maybe pull me out of this depression!"
"If you hadn't insisted on coming down with me on that day you wouldn't be in some kind of depression!" Mamoru said sharply... unthinkingly. Instantly he regretted the words for hearing her inhaled breath and then seeing the shock and then deep sadness on her face wanted him to so badly take back what he had said.
The other Senshi gasped also, unbelieving that they had heard their King speak in such a way.
"You do blame me for her death, don't you? That's why you've been so distanced from me," Usagi said, her gaze lowered. "I knew it from the beginning but I was hoping I was wrong." She raised her face, a sheen of tears in her eyes. "But I wasn't wrong was I? I'm sorry Mamo-chan, I'm sorry! I never wanted any of this happen, but it did! I swear if I could turn back time I would, I even asked Sailor Pluto for help but she couldn't do anything!" she said, gesturing to the tall Senshi, who started guiltily.
Everything was eerily silent for a few seconds, until Usagi spoke again, in a quiet, almost child-like voice. "Gomen ne, Mamo-chan. I wish... I wish I had more sense, then, yes, none of this would have never happened. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." she ran from the room and no one could move, they were all so stunned.
Silence fell over all of them again until it was broken by Mamoru's whisper, "I never meant it, any of it..."
Rei heard him and turned to him, fire burning in her eyes. "Well, it's too late now, isn't it *King* Endymion?" she said, sarcastically emphasizing his title. "You've probably devastated her by bringing to light her worst fear... that she caused the death of her own child... of Chibi-Usa!"
"I... I don't know what to do," he said quietly. "I don't blame her for anything, I thought *she* blamed me..."
"Well, you have to tell her that, but not now," Rei replied, sighing heavily. "She doesn't need to see you right now."
"I'll go check on her," Ami volunteered and left the room.
Mamoru sat on his throne and rested his head in his hands. "It is my fault," he said miserably, "I should have been more strong, more adamant. I should have tied her up in our room... but of course I didn't I didn't and then I couldn't-"
"It is no one's fault, Your Highness," Setsuna said, coming to stand next to him. "The Fates had decided this long ago. It was... destined."

"They know of us," said the child.
"They have known of us for a long time. The question is..." trailed the second.
"Where will they place their blame?" finished the oldest.
"They must overcome..." the youngest whispered.

End.