*nasaly announcer voice* Before our story begins, we have a public service announcement.

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Land of Confusion
by AngelAnne

Chapter Three: Dream A Thousand Dreams
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Little Lesson
by: Sailor Star Maker

I can hear you groaning all the way from here. Yes, I know, I know. You aren't here to learn, you're here watch me turn into a puddle of emotional goop while Fighter gets all romantic and mushy and whatever. As appealing as that is, or isn't, it has been brought to my attention that some of you as readers don't know a great deal about Kinmokusei. With that in mind, I give you a little lesson about our planet, its history and culture.

First off, a brief explanation of our solar system. We have a sun, as every solar system must in order to have living organisms. The nearest planets to ours are Mermaid and Cocoon. After that, Coronis and Chuu. We have two moons: Yuri and Bara. With advances in space travel, the people from our separate planets mingle easily from place to place. As you already know, Rhys is a prince of Mermaid. Lucas is a member of the royal family of Cocoon. Under the threat of justice from a certain spatula, I am not allowed to divulge any information on Vail at this time. (However, you'll be getting to him later in this chapter.)

We've had to face a lot of issues that you have faced on Earth. The events that have affected us most profoundly, however, are wars. I'm not solely talking about the Sailor Wars, although they did play a great part in my personal history. But for your sake, I'll go back to the very beginning. Kinmokusei got along fine for thousands of years, living in little village communities. When this planet decided to divide itself into nations, things began to fall apart. Everyone claimed that their nation was superior, and they refused to create alliances. Resources necessary for a healthy existence, like food and shelter, were becoming increasingly scarce. To top it all off, our population was growing at a rapid pace.

So we went and started a civil war. In retrospect, there were better ways to fix our problems. But we're only human, after all. Actually, that was probably the heart of our problem, but I'm digressing.

Of course, no one actually won this war. Kakyuu-sama's great-grandmother was a well-respected diplomat. When she showed the populus what they were doing to their own kind, they were horrified. They realized that cooperation was the best way to work together. A union of nations took place, forging alliances between warring factions. And who was in charge of this union? Great-grandmother Lirio, of course. The union faded, and in its place rose a monarchy. Who was our first queen? Think about it. Think really, really hard. There you go.

Queen Lirio's first executive order was doing away with weapons. Not all weapons, mind you. The most basic were allowed: swords, small pistols, what have you. However, anything that involved lasers, guided sight, or explosives were illegal. This didn't stop the black market sales, but after a decade or so, it dissolved. This led to a wonderful era of peace that, until the Sailor Wars, was our way of life. But you know all about the Sailor Wars from what you've read and seen, so I don't need to explain it.

As far as culture goes, we have many similarities with you. Mass-media is everywhere, and I'm constantly dogged wherever I go. It's incredibly annoying. I now understand why Tsukino-san wished to hide her Senshi identity from the public. Our means of transportation are similar; instead of cars, we have personal hovercraft vehicles, which are much more environmentally efficient. As you may have noticed, Kinmokusei has a set language. As you may have also noticed, it's very similar to a language you have called Portuguese. I still find that coincidence a little..."freaky", you might say, but I'm digressing again. For easy reading, Anne has translated the original account of this story into English. Some words remain in their original format for continuity's sake.

Fighter's complaining that I already have enough screen-time, and I'd better leave before she starts cracking forehead jokes again. So from all of us in the royal house of Kinmoku, I wish you happy reading. Adues!

Sailor Star Maker

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Now back to your regularly scheduled story!

*****

What's going on? Suddenly, I'm so cold. Where did Fighter and Rhys go? They were right in front of me, but it's all so blurry...Did I call her name? Was that my voice? God, why is it so bloody cold all of a sudden? It's getting dark, I can't see...Lucas, is this what you see? Darkness with no end? I miss you, Lucas...My legs are giving out. Am I dying? There would be more light if I was dying, wouldn't there? Is this Hell? That's all I deserve, anyway.

"Did someone call my name...?! Oh, shit! Rhys, help me!" I hear a voice; Seiya's voice. No, I guess I'm not dead yet...

"What happened?!"

"Taiki passed out! Here, prop her up against the wall. Careful..."

Maker groaned softly, and Fighter removed a glove with a yank from her teeth. She held a hand up to Maker's forehead.

"She's on fire!" Figher exclaimed. "There's no way I can get her all the way back to the palace."

She shook her head. "This is all my fault," she muttered. "Maker should be resting, but I made her come with me."

"Why go all the way back there? I have a spare room," said Rhys.

Fighter pondered this, and nodded. "Alright, thanks."

She put her glove back on and slipped her arm around Maker's waist. With a little grunt, she hoisted the pale girl up to her feet and slowly carried her into the house with Rhys at her heels.

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"You should be dead. Every time you face death, you come away alive. Why are you blessed with luck?"

Taiki cursed and rolled her eyes. She knew that voice, because it haunted her often. Every chance it got.

Galaxia placed a hand on her hip. "Come on, now. You're not going to start ignoring me, are you?"

Taiki just glared icily. "I would, but we both know that wouldn't do any good."

Galaxia smiled maliciously, baring her teeth. "Yes, we do."

"Why do you keep coming back? Sailor Moon healed you, I saw it myself. What do you have to prove to me?" she asked angrily.

"No, Sailor Moon did not heal what you see before you. I am part of your imagination now. I am the Galaxia you knew before. The real Galaxia is healed now, but I will always be the same woman you met all those years ago."

For a moment, the two women stood face to face, staring each other down.

"Fighter doesn't remember how it happened. Her memories are mixed and jumbled like a spilled puzzle; but you remember it all." Galaxia's voice was soft and dangerous, like a snake in tall grass. "Do you want to see it again? Do you? I can replay that day like an endless roll of film, every time you are weak. Do you want to see it again?"

"No...Please, no, I don't want to see it again..." Taiki moaned, stepping back. She knew this Galaxia had no mercy; pleading wouldn't help.

"Please..." she said again, this time a hoarse whisper. She grabbed at her chest, afraid of what happened next.

Galaxia's face turned up into a hideous smile that made Taiki's blood run cold. "Then it shall be done."

With the snap of her fingers, she began to fade into the blackness that was Taiki's subconscious. It was quiet for a moment, and then a seering pain ripped through her chest. Her knees gave out from beneath her. She was sinking...Everything lost focus...and then she was back.

"We're losing time, Rhys!" said Maker, voice full of anger. She gripped the wound at her side; she could feel the blood running down her leg. "Every second we stand here, Galaxia gets closer to Kakyuu!"

"I know it, Taiki-chan, I know it!" His deep green eyes smoldered. "We're going to have to split up. I'll try to find the girls...See if you can find Lucas and Vail."

She nodded shortly. "Yes."

As he turned to go, she put a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to look at her.

"Hey. Be careful, waterbaby. I'd never forgive myself if we lost you," she said softly, violet eyes shimmering with concern and fear.

"You, too, " he said seriously. "We've already lost so much..."

He broke out into a beautiful, toothy smile. "Let's go show Galaxia what we're made of, huh? I'll teach her not to mess with the prince of Mermaid!"

He pulled out a long sword from its hilt at his side. Waving it around his head once, he winked. In a flash, he turned around and ran back toward the rubble of the Grand Arena. She said a silent prayer that it would not be the last time she would see him.Maker gritted her teeth, and began to run in the opposite direction.

You can almost smell the fear in the air, she thought. Galaxia is nearby.

On the balcony of the palace, Lucas struggled to pull himself to his feet, and sighed in defeat. A piece of falling debris had caught his leg, and he was trapped. Everything had happened so fast. Galaxia had burst into Kakyuu's birthday celebration. The princess had fled, however unwillingly; her guardian soldiers had fought with the Golden Senshi, and he...where had he been? He'd been with Vail, guarding the entrance. Vail had disappeared, probably buried alive under the same rubble that trapped his leg. Worse still, the feeling in his stomach warned him that he might not live to see another day.

He took a deep breath. There was a strange energy in the air, and it made him shiver. God, I'm going to die, he thought. I don't want to die yet. I can't die yet...

Maker sprinted up the stairs as fast as her legs would carry her. She jumped over fallen columns and pieces of the palace walls. Lucas was trapped up here, she felt it in every nerve and vein. Another piece of stone fell from the palace and hit her shoulder. It threw her off balance, and she fell down, rolling down a few stairs before she grabbed a remnant of railing.

"Does this day get any better?" she hissed. Not only had she fallen on the wound on her side, aggrivating it more, but she'd gotten plenty of new ones. Scrambling to her feet, she continued up and over the rubble all around her. As she climbed, her foot caught on something. Bending down to look, she realized that it was a sword. Not just any sword, either; it had the crest of the royal family of Coronis on it, and there was the tineist amount of blood on it.

"No...Nononono..." she murmured, wide-eyed. She began to dig away at the piles of stone.

"Damn it! Vail! Can you hear me?! Are you alive in there?!" She frantically pulled rock after rock away from the pile, throwing them down the stairs. After a moment, she heard heavy breathing.

"It's...not very becoming for a woman to swear, you know..." said a weak voice from under the rubble. Maker shoved the largest piece of rock out of the way, and under it was Vail's top half. His bottom half was trapped under more boulders. Blood ran down his forehead, most likely from a knock on the head from a falling piece of the support beam. One of his eyes had been blackened, and his armor was very much shredded. His bright red hair spilled all over his face, and his piercing green eyes seemed dull.

"I think I'm stuck," he said. Maker chuckled, and so did he. The effort made himshudder, and he started to cough violently.

"Vail, I've got to get you out from there," said Maker, kneeling down. "If Galaxia finds you like this..."

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty much screwed as it is," he said. "If anything inside me isn't bleeding, it'll be a miracle."

Vail looked up at her, sending her a look of warmth. "Don't worry about me. Just find Yaten, and tell her...Tell her..." He closed his eyes and grimaced. The pain was incredible, in his head and all down every nerve and muscle.

He opened his eyes again, and two sets of tears fell down his face. "Tell her the best way for me to die would be for the one I love, and that I'll never love anyone else more than I loved her."

"Vail, don't talk that way!" said Maker urgently. "You're not going to die!"

He smiled weakly. "Just promise you'll tell her?"

Maker nodded, and her eyes began to sparkle with unshed tears. "Of course I will."

Vail smiled again, and then his chest tightened. He couldn't breathe, and dark spots danced on the edge of his vision. He couldn't help it; he had to close his eyes.

Maker shook her head vigorosouly. "No! Vail, you're not going to die! You won't!"

She felt for a pulse; yes, he was still alive. As soon as she pummeled Galaxia, she'd get him to a doctor. If he even lasted that long. She bent all the way over, and kissed his forehead. Grabbing his sword, she began to climb back up the rubble to the balcony. Maybe if she was lucky, she'd find Lucas alive up there, too.

Lucas groaned, and struggled to hear the voices below him. Thank God, someone had finally come to help him. Maybe he wouldn't die here, after all. Some of the weight disappeared from his back legs; thankfully, the rubble was falling away.

"Ah, so the mighty prince of Cocoon has finally decided to bow at my feet," said a crisp voice from above him. He struggled to pull himself up to his feet, but his legs would not respond.

"I'm afraid you can't escape this time," said Galaxia smugly. "The explosion has paralyzed your legs." Her armor shined in the lurid glow of other explosions from the ground below, and her eyes were chilling.

"Gee, first I'm paralyzed, and then you show up," he said sourly. "How could my day get better?" He felt a sharp pain in his mind as Galaxia had lashed out with her own.

"Don't disrespect me," she snapped. "I'm going to crush this planet, and everyone that goes with it. I'll capture the princess and her guardians, and I'll enjoy it when I tell them of how you screamed when your starseed left your body."

"What makes you think you'll get it?" he said. "I'd rather crush it with my own foot than let it be a tool for you."

He pulled himself up onto his knees, and stared her straight in the face. "I'll fight you to the death, Galaxia, and I'll enjoy watching you die. Cocoon Metamorphasis Flame[4]!

A little spark of fire developed at his fingertips. It sped toward Galaxia, changing into a giant butterfly composed of nothing but flame. She was trapped against the railing of the balcony, and she cursed when the fire scorched her skin.

"You idiot. You just signed your death warrant," she snarled, holding up her bracelets. "I'll enjoy this."

"The only one who's going to die is you, Galaxia!" A long blade cut a deep, bloody gash down Galaxia's arm. She shot her arm out to catch the sword, but Maker was faster.

"Tsk tsk, Galaxia, you're getting slow," Maker said, smirking.

"Anjo, you made it!" Lucas exclaimed.

"What, you thought I would leave you?" she said. "I've got an ass-kicking to deal out."

Galaxia chuckled. "Big word from the both of you, but I don't have to remind you who has the stronger power here. Galactica Super String!"

Maker and Lucas screamed as the power ripped through them. Galaxia took a step toward the couple as they gasped for breath."I was going to take him first, but you've gone and pissed me off, Sailor Star Maker," she hissed. "It's time for you to die."

She held up her bracelets again, as a trail of blood ran down her arm and dripped off her elbow. Everything went in slow motion: There was a flash of golden light, headed straight for Maker's chest. Just as Maker prepared to jump away, there was a purple blur in fron of her face. Lucas screamed and clutched his chest; it felt as if his life had been pulled straight out of his chest. The light faded, and in Galaxia's bloodstained hand was a beautiful starseed, glistening a light red color.

Maker's eyes were widened in shock. She refused to believe that had just happened. Her heart sank into her stomach as Lucas flopped to the ground, skin pale as chalk.

"Lucas!" cried Maker, bending down at his side. The dam broke, and all of her tears for Vail and Kakyuu and her people came flooding out at once.

"Don't cry like that, anjo..." he whispered. "You're too beautiful for tears like that."

That was meant for me," she whimpered, taking his hand.

"I wanted to die protecting you," he said simply. "I've already failed to protect Cocoon's people, and yours as well. If I only do one thing right, it will be that I saved you from Galaxia."

His body began to shimmer and fade, disappearing in golden bubbles."I love you," he said, smiling up at her.

"I...I love you too," she said, as her tears fell through the empty space where his body had been. For a moment, all she could do was hug her chest and cry quietly. Finally, she turned a hardened face to Galaxia. It felt like something inside of her had died as she gathered the courage to speak.

"You're a coward," she said coldly. Even her voice had changed. It got deeper and stronger, as the last piece of innocence she'd dared hold on to shattered like glass. "I'll take every last breath I have to destroy you and give the lives back to the people of Kinmoku."

"There is so much power in his starseed," Galaxia said, as if she hadn't heard. She was almost in awe. "Those who die for love always give the greatest power."

She stared at it a moment longer, and then looked at Maker's stoic face. With an evil grin, she closed her fingers around the crystal. With one quick motion, the starseed was crushed in her grip, shattering into millions of pieces. All Maker could do was stare, aghast. Everything that had meant anything to her had been in that starseed, and now it was nothing more than dust in her hair. It was too much for her; something in her mind snapped, and she lost it.

She rushed forward, punching and kicking rapidly with all of her strength. One after another, she lunged for Galaxia, hoping to land one and send her tumbling to her death.Galaxia grinned as she bobbed and wove and dodged all of the attacks. She thrust her hand forward, and laid a crushing punch to Maker's midsection. Maker let out a pained cry as the force of the punch sent her rocketing backwards into a broken pillar. The blow had so much power, the pillar shattered when she hit.

"I'd take your starseed now," said Galaxia. "but I'd much rather leave you here to bleed. It will be all the more agonizing when your companions find your broken body."

Maker could not make her mouth obey to move, so she just lay there on the broken pillar. With that, Galaxia faded away into a black portal, leaving Maker alone. She could feel every vein pulsing, and her heart beat in her ears. Blood seeped out of wounds on every exposed part of skin. As she bled, her thoughts turned to Lucas.

Maker knew that even when a Sailor Soldier died, they would be reborn after their starseed returned to the Cauldron. It was something basic she had learned all those years ago, in the very beginning. But, if there was no starseed, his soul would just fade away into the air. He had truly been eliminated. He would not come back. She had no hope of seeing him again.

Galaxia had dealt her a crushing blow, for now the young woman was doomed to be alone. His death alone had hurt her immensely, but the reality that he would never be reborn made her sick. Not only had she failed Lucas, she failed the Princess and her friends. She was a complete failure. All she could hope for was that she would die, and she would be reborn somewhere with no memories of any of this.

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Mua! I'm evil. Despite what you're thinking, I really do like Maker. ^_^; Sometimes it's just really hard to tell.

I'll remind you again: please limit objects thrown to marshmellows and kittens. Thankee.