If this is the first thing that you're reading, you must have skipped the Author's Notes, which is very, very bad. Go back and read them, please. Yes, this chapter does overlap with another one of my fics, "Correspondence." This fic is rated R. It contains violence, sexuality, and language. Parental discretion is advised. ^_^ _______________________________________________________________________ Old friend, what are you looking for? After those many years abroad you come With images you tended Under foreign skies Far away from your own land. George Seferis, "The Return of the Exile" Don't it make you wanta go home, now? Don't it make you wanta go home? All God's children get weary when they roam, Don't it make you wanta go home? Don't it make you wanta go home? Joe South, "Don't It Make You Wanta Go Home" Despite the windswept blanket of wild grass and luxurious green foliage of the distant trees, the view from the hilltop was decidedly barren and desolate. Not a living soul, for miles around. "Do you really think that they'll come back?" Seiya whispered into the wind, reaching for her princesses' hand and squeezing it tightly. "Yes. Some, but not all." Princess Kakyuu squeezed her eyes shut. The wind teased her hair, brushing it over her cheeks. "Galaxia held the star seeds within her own subspace container. Some of the star seeds rotted over time, and winked out of existence. Some of them simply faded out into another universe, to be reborn there. Some of them have been too far from this planet for too long, and will not be able to find their way back here. But some of them - the exceptionally strong, or the exceptionally stubborn, or the exceptionally lucky - will return to our world. It will take time." Seiya swallowed a lump in her throat. "Will they hate us?" "What?" "Will they hate us? If their friends and family never make it back? If they have to accept our rule, burdened with the knowledge that because we failed them, the population is now decimated? How can they accept us again? We ran away." "We left, because there was nothing left to protect." Kakyuu squeezed Seiya's hand, tighter. "When we fought again, we won. We defeated Galaxia, and returned to this planet to rebuild. If it weren't for us, *nobody* would be left. At all. There would be no more galaxy. Just Chaos." "You sound as if you're trying to convince yourself." Kakyuu merely pulled her hand away from Seiya's, and that was enough of a reprimand. "The people will not accept us, unless we can first accept ourselves," she said quietly. "I do not need an additional burden of guilt to bear. I feel enough pain as it is." There was silence between them, and wind. Seiya shaded her eyes. "Who is that . . . on the horizon?" Four figures were cresting a faraway hill, waving cheerfully. "It's Taiki and Yaten," Kakyuu said confidently. "They've found the first of the survivors." _______________________________________________________________________ Kinmokusei Story Chapter One: Rebirth by Kotetsu _______________________________________________________________________ They came, emerging from the hills and the forests surrounding the royal palace, sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs, but never in the droves that Seiya hoped for. Sometimes they wept with grief, and sometimes they danced with joy when they realized that they really truly were alive again. Sometimes they were numb, without emotion and without feeling. But they all bowed and paid homage to the new Queen Kakyuu, and then left the palace, returning to their homes to begin their lives anew. They ranged from the infantile to the old and senile, and came from every possible walk of life - wealthy doctors and destitute artists, plumbers and carpenters and news reporters and city council members, spaceship pilots and military officials. By the seventh day, six of the Queen's elite Knights had returned to the palace. Together, they immediately formed an Crisis Council and began delegating tasks among the survivors. The buildings that had weathered and crumbled during the two years in which Kinmoku had been uninhabited had to be repaired. Where wilderness had begun to reclaim human habitation, it had to be beaten back. Animals were driven from buildings, and overgrown flora killed or trimmed. Water and electricity had to be restored, as well as television, radio, and the Subspace net. Contact was established with Kinmoku's galactic neighbors Mau and Chuu. When certain Knights, palace guards, and Assembly members did not return, successors were immediately chosen. The same phenomenon occurred in the major businesses and corporations throughout the planet. Where posts were missing, they had to be filled. Life began to return to normal. On the twentieth day, the survivors stopped appearing. Kakyuu announced wearily that there would be no more star seeds returned to Kinmoku. The rest of the planet accepted her word as the truth, for it was. Hardly half of the original population of Kinmoku was left. But this figure was not entirely accurate, because it included the surviving members of the three Colonies that had surrounded Kinmoku. The survivors from the Colonies had reappeared on Kinmoku, and showed no intention of returning to their Colonial homes. Because there were so few people left on Kinmoku, and there was so much work to be done to rebuild the planet, Kakyuu declared that the Colonies would be abandoned indefinitely. The survivors now shared one planet as their mutual home. On the twenty-first day, Lady Melinda, one of the remaining Knights, called a meeting with Queen Kakyuu and her Sailor Senshi. They gathered at the Queen's round conference table, somewhat uneasy and stiff in the unusual formality of the situation. Seiya wore her casual trousers and a man's shirt; Taiki and Yaten had already taken to wearing dresses again, but were still more relaxed in their appearance than the Knights, who were adorned in their formal skirts and light armor. Kakyuu, as usual, was the most regal presence at the table. Seiya settled back in her chair, scanning the table with her eyes. Ten of the Knights from before Galaxia had returned. Seiya still remembered their names, a fact which mildly startled her. Melinda, Anthea, Zahra, Leilani, Mai, Umea, Sigrid, Rosalind, Isolda, and Felina. The remaining ten Knights were all new faces. Seiya suspected that she had seen one or two of them as palace guards. She guessed that the rest were recruited from the military ranks. Lady Melinda had a stack of archaic books before her, and was frowning disapprovingly at Seiya's attire. Melinda cleared her throat, and began speaking. "Your royal highness, Queen Kakyuu, we present ourselves as your loyal Knights, to honor and to serve the Crown of Kinmoku, our lives be forfeit if otherwise." The Knights bowed their heads to the table. Kakyuu acknowledged them with a nod. "The Crown depends upon the courage and bravery of the Knights," she intoned. It was a speech that she had watched her late mother make thousands of times. "In addition," Melinda continued, raising her eyes to meet the Queen's, "the Knights wish to make known their willingness to cooperate with the Sailor Senshi. We will work together to protect and serve our great Queen." "So it is." "So it is." "So it is." The same chorus echoed three times around the table, making the arrangement official. Seiya felt a pang inside her chest. She remembered Lady Anya, the knight who had recruited her to become a Sailor Senshi, who had trained her and taught her until the fateful day when the first of Galaxia's servants had threatened Kinmoku . . . . Anya's star seed was among those that never returned. Seiya wasn't sure that she liked Lady Melinda, who appeared to be the new leader of the Knights. She reminded Seiya of Lady Lara, another past Knight who had always been prim, proper, and uptight about following rules and doing things by the book. But looking around the table, Seiya was mildly encouraged. She was sure that she could befriend at least some of the Knights. An unruly hairstyle, a dimpled smile, a daring pierced ear here and there. Yeah, some of the Knights were all right. Especially the new ones, who were younger than some of the returning Knights. "Speaking of Sailor Senshi," Melinda coughed and cleared her throat, "I have before me the remaining body of research that Lady Anya collected, concerning the phenomenon of the Senshi and their Sailor Crystals." "Hey, I was looking for that!" Taiki blurted out. "Those books have been missing from the palace library . . . I was in charge of cataloguing the library, and I was wondering where they went . . ." "These books were found in Lady Anya's private quarters," Melinda explained. Kakyuu nodded her head. "Yes. My mother allowed Lady Anya to keep those books. She was . . . ah . . . the resident expert, concerning that particular area . . . If it weren't for her knowledge, Kinmoku wouldn't have any Sailor Senshi today. We owe her a great debt." "We owe the Sailor Senshi a great debt," Melinda said as she bowed her head. She slid the books across the table to Taiki. "I'll return these to you, Lady Kou." "Erm, just Taiki, if you will," she muttered as she pulled the books toward herself. Seiya felt a trickle of sweat run down her back. <'We owe the Sailor Senshi a great debt.' . . . . Why did her voice sound so icy when she said that? Does she hate us? Does she blame us for what happened? I knew it. I knew that some of them would hate us. I don't blame them, not entirely. I wonder if she lost somebody that she loved.> Seiya glanced across the table, and caught Yaten's eye. Silently, Yaten mouthed, "She's angry." Seiya trusted Yaten's empathic abilities more than her own instincts. In this case, it only confirmed her suspicions. She stared at Lady Melinda, sitting straight and tall across the table, her back arched with pride, her shoulders slumped forward in sorrow. She looked as if she had an immeasurably heavy burden to bear, weighing upon down her soul. Seiya though petulantly. Suddenly, Seiya understood Kakyuu's words from before. Stewing over the past would do her no good. Her burden was heavy, but it would fade with time. The important thing was to move forward, to not look back, and to rebuild the people's trust in both the Queen and her Sailor Senshi. Lady Melinda bowed her head one final time toward Kakyuu. "The Knights will begin their training anew tomorrow. Tonight we must choose a successor for Captain of the palace guards. We will inform the Queen of our choice before sundown." "Excellent. You are dismissed." Kakyuu waved her hand. Proudly, silently, the Knights filed out of the room. The Queen and her three friends were left sitting in silence. Taiki wrapped her hands around the books in front of her, and brought them to her chest, clasping them tightly. She sighed, but said nothing. Yaten cocked her head. "What are you thinking?" "It's unbelievable. I even miss Kuno. I thought that he was too stubborn to die," Taiki murmured softly. There was more silence. Yaten stood up abruptly, pushing her chair away from the table. "I have to write a letter to someone," she announced to nobody in particular, and then strode out of the room. Then Taiki stood up, slower, more quietly. "I have to get back to the library. These books need to be shelved," she muttered apologetically, then hurriedly left. Silence, again. Seiya felt Kakyuu's bright presence burning into her soul. So she leaned back in her chair, rested her boots on the polished wood table, threw back her head, and laughed loudly. "What's so funny?" "Nothing. I don't know. I think it's funny that I can put my feet up on the table, and neither Anya nor Kuno is here to reprimand me for it!" "What makes you think that *I* won't reprimand you for it?" "Because I know you too well." Kakyuu smiled, serenely. "We all have our way of dealing with pain, Seiya. You're just the type of person who laughs at the dark. Is that right?" "Hmmmm." Seiya laced her fingers behind her head and said nothing. "Seiya . . ." Kakyuu let the name fall from her lips, a soft whisper. "I know what Melinda thinks of us. But not all the Knights are like that. We must wait, and be patient. She's a good woman. She'll understand, with time." Seiya pulled her feet off the table and let her chair fall forward. She sat upright, with a thud, and turned to face Kakyuu. "But what about you?" "Excuse me?" "So, like, I laugh at the dark, right? And Yaten and Taiki, I don't know exactly what they do, but they can take care of themselves. But what about you? You said that we all have our ways of dealing with pain. But I've only seen you contain it within yourself, never letting anybody else see or feel your torment, always bottling it up inside. You *must* have a way to deal with it, don't you?!" Kakyuu's expression became unreadable. "Seiya, I'm the Queen of Kinmoku. I do not have the luxury of indulging in emotional weakness." "Liar!" Kakyuu raised her eyebrows. "I beg your pardon?" "You're lying! You're not some sort of emotionless robot! You're - my - my Queen!" Seiya was dismayed to find her own voice trembling. "If there's anything that I can do for you, just tell me!" And then Seiya surprised herself with her own audacity. She sprang forward from her chair, slid into a kneeling position beside the sitting queen, and grasped Kakyuu's torso in a fierce, tight hug, wrapping her arms around the petite woman and pulling her head level with her own, until their cheeks were touching. "If there's anything that I can do, please . . . " Seiya whispered into Kakyuu's ear. She sensed, rather than saw, Kakyuu close her eyes. The Queen relaxed her body with a sigh, melting into Seiya's embrace. "Just hold me, Seiya," she murmured. "As long as I know that you love me, that's enough. That's enough to make all of the pain and guilt and fear go away." Seiya was confused, not only by the Queen's words, but by the arrythmatic thumping of her own heart and the heat of her own blood-flushed skin. "What do you mean? Of course I love you." "No, no, I mean . . . " Kakyuu trailed off. Silence enveloped the pair. Prudently, Kakyuu decided that now was not the right time to finish that particular thought. Instead, she switched tactics. "I just want to know that you still love me. Even after I left you three alone. Even after I found you, but I wasn't strong enough to stand up to Galaxia a second time, so I had to leave you again. Can you ever forgive me for that?" "Forgive you?!" Seiya's voice was an intense growl of emotion. "I never held any of that against you in the first place!!!" "I'm so glad." Kakyuu sighed with relief, and melted even further into Seiya's strong encircling arms. "I'm so very glad . . ." The two remained in a warm, silent embrace, until the sun set and darkness settled upon the conference room. ******************** There were three other survivors working with Taiki to reorganize and catalogue the palace library. One was actually the librarian, and had always been since before Galaxia had attacked; the other two were novelists who had lost their friends and family to Galaxia, and were sticking around the palace for a few extra weeks before leaving to start their lives from scratch. " 'I danced 'neath the moonlight with a white-haired nymph girl,' " one of them was singing in a cheerful baritone as Taiki entered the library and strode toward the shelves full of archaic volumes of lore. " 'She kissed me on my lips, then my belt did unfurl--' " "That's quiet enough of that!" the older librarian, Adella, snapped. "I'll have none of your bawdy tavern songs in this sacred place of *real* poetry and music." The singer, Arturo, laughed heartily. "So, I'm good for counting and shelving, 'cause I can get the decimal system right, but I'm not good for cheering up this dreadfully dull place?" "You should listen to Arturo, Ma'am," the other writer, Tegan, said. "He's a bestselling novelist." "An author of tawdry bodice-rippers!" "Surely you can't deny the fact that even *you* enjoy a tawdry bodice- ripper every now and then, Miss Adella," Taiki said softly as she rested her hand on the startled Adella's bony shoulder. "I'll admit that it's a little vice of mine, even. And I do so enjoy Mr. Arturo's works . . . " "Taiki!" Adella laughed nervously. "I didn't expect you back from your meeting yet! But you should have *heard* the smutty song that Arturo was singing!" "I heard. It was inappropriate." Taiki winked at Arturo. Then the four of them laughed, easily. It was good to be among friends in such a strange new world. When Taiki's giggles had subsided, she dropped her hand from Adella's shoulder. "Believe me, Adella, I appreciate a bawdy tavern song as little as you do. But I will not have whimsy, romance, or dreams stifled or repressed in *my* library." Adella wagged her finger in Taiki's face. "It's MY library, I'll have you know! And since when did you care so much for romance and whimsy? The little Taiki that I remember wouldn't waste her time on such nonsense!" Taiki laughed again. She remembered Adella from her youth in the palace, an intellectual spitfire who held indomitable sway over the royal library and all of its denizens. Taiki had always admired her as a child. Now that she was older and more mature, she was pleased to find that Adella viewed her on an equal level as herself, and thus became her friend. "Romance and whimsy . . . It's something that I learned in my travels. But you're right, it's your library." "HER library?!" Arturo protested. "You're practically giving the old crone permission to wring my neck!" He made a dramatic show of strangling himself with his own hands. Tegan laughed and slapped at his knee; Adella and Taiki engaged in quieter giggles, but a tear of mirth still slid down Adella's wrinkled cheek. "All right, what's so funny?! With all of this laughter, a man can hardly concentrate on anything." Taiki abruptly stopped laughing, and whirled around, her defensive instincts automatically flaring up. A new voice had entered the library. It was a young man, probably no older than seventeen or eighteen, dressed in worn traveling clothes and scuffed leather boots, a guitar strapped to his back, a parchment and inked quill grasped in one hand, his other hand resting on his hip. His eyes twinkled with amusement. "Mind letting me in on the joke?" "Who are you?" Taiki demanded tersely. The twinkle faded from his eyes, replaced with uneasiness. "I'm a musician, that's all. I was trying to sit over in that corner, and compose a little, but your laughter kept distracting me. I thought that I might join in on the fun." "His name is Hideaki," Arturo explained hastily. "He's been hanging out around the palace for several days now. Says his family is gone, and his home is far away, and he feels no particular need to go anywhere anytime soon." "A drifter, like you," Tegan needled him. "That's the pot calling the kettle black!" Adella sniffed. Taiki eyed Hideaki coldly, suspiciously, like she did all the strange faces that came into her life. He certainly appeared harmless enough. And about her age, too, which made her trust him an iota more than she would have normally. His simple face was unassuming, but she sensed something steely just underneath the surface of his skin. His hair was a wispy chocolate-brown, with shaggy bangs falling almost into his eyes, and his skin was light and creamy, as if it hadn't seen too much sunlight in the space of a few years. Hideaki refused to wilt under her cold-eyed scrutiny. Instead, he lifted his own eyes to meet hers. His eyes were a rather ordinary shade of muddy brown. They were open, vulnerable, yet strangely challenging and defiant. his eyes said. Taiki turned toward Adella. "He's okay by you?" "He's fine by me." "Good." Taiki addressed Hideaki, easing some of the tension out of her voice. "Then I guess that you can stay around here a little while longer." Hideaki dropped to one knee and kissed Taiki's hand. "The ever-so-generous Lady Kou! I've heard about you. You're one of those three Sailor Senshi, aren't you? My life is in your debt." "C-C-Call me Taiki," she stammered, too shocked speak coherently. She could hear Arturo and Tegan guffawing behind her back, and Adella primly stifling her chuckles behind her hand. Abruptly, she pulled her hand away from his lips. He stood up quickly, smiling sheepishly. Taiki merely glared. "Have I offended you?" he asked innocently. Taiki sniffed. "You're a musician, aren't you?" "Yes." "Then entertain us. Play some music," Taiki commanded haughtily. "Right now?" "Yes, now! I've had a long, tiring day, and I need to unwind with some music! Adella would like very much to hear some, too, wouldn't you, Adella?" Adella stifled another laugh, then winked at Taiki. "Oh, yes, very much so." "I'll get some chairs!" Arturo chortled gleefully as he dashed off, Tegan in tow. The two returned a moment later with five chairs, and arranged them in a loose circle. Taiki made a great show of arranging her skirts and sitting down gracefully, and Adella followed suit. Arturo and Tegan flounced down onto their chairs next. Finally, the four-member audience waited expectantly, eyeing the suddenly hesitant musician, who was still standing in bewilderment. "Sit down," Taiki commanded him again. Hideaki sat. He unslung his guitar from his shoulder, and tuned it, humming. Then he unrolled the parchment that he had been holding, flattening it onto his lap. "This is a song that I've been working on since I arrived at the palace," Hideaki explained, somewhat thrilled at the prospect of an impromptu performance, somewhat nervous about his audience's reaction. "It's not finished yet, but . . . Well, it's not finished yet. Let's leave it at that." "Less talking, more playing!" Tegan hooted rudely. "Very well." Hideaki plucked the strings of his guitar. "This is called, 'Ballad of the Fireball Princess.' " He began to sing, strumming his guitar in accompaniment. " ' 'Twas a cherry-haired Princess, skin white as snow, With a temper like a mule and claws like a cat, Unruly and beautiful, brave and strong and true, Became Sailor Kinmoku, engaged the Demon in combat, A cold-hearted crocodile monster, who did slay the Queen, Unscratched by the swords of the mighty palace guards, A specter in jade, with eyes of black fire, fangs like a wolf, Who cackled and reeked of the stench of graveyards. The proud-hearted Sailor stood her ground, A vision in blood-colored fuku and ruby-red light, Who summoned her powers, and with an incantation sent The monster back into the realms beyond twilight.' " Hideaki finished the last chord, and blushed, slightly embarrassed. "Well, um, it's not finished yet," he mumbled. There was a moment of hushed silence, in which nobody breathed. Suddenly, Arturo and Tegan burst into an enthusiastic applause. "Marvelous, simply marvelous!" Tegan exclaimed. Adella let her breath out with a gasp, and then joined in the applause. "Mister Hideaki, that was simply SUPERB!" Hideaki's grin stretched from ear to ear as he basked in their praise. "Oh, surely it wasn't *that* good," he demurred. "It's just a rough draft." Then he turned toward Taiki. "And what of the lady Sailor Senshi? Have you nothing to say?" Taiki folded her hands in her lap. "You're not a musician," she pronounced with finality. "You're a *poet.*" The applause died down, rapidly. Hideaki cocked his head. "What do you mean by that?" "I mean, in a poetic sense, the words and the rhythm are beautiful. But the harmonic accompaniment leaves something to be desired. And that last stanza . . . I don't know, rhyming 'light' and 'twilight' sounds kind of cheap to me. How about 'smite?' Something like, 'The demon she did smite.' Well, I'm sure that you could think of something better than that. But that accompaniment has got to go." Hideaki raised an eyebrow. "You're quite the critic, ma'am." "I told you to call me Taiki." Adella laughed yet again. "Don't mind Taiki here. She's a hopeless perfectionist. Especially when it comes to composing music." "I was in a band once," Taiki explained vaguely. "We were very successful. I've developed an ear for this sort of thing." "Ah, the lady has a mysterious past!" Hideaki smoothed over the parchment in his lap again. "Would you care to contribute your musical expertise toward the completion of my magnum opus?" "Well . . . " Taiki chewed her lip. "Yaten was always better at that sort of stuff than I was . . . " "Oh, come on now. You can't brag about your talents one moment, and then refuse to show them to me as soon as I ask you to! At least, *you* wouldn't let *me* get away with it." Hideaki implored, half teasing, half reprimanding. And finally, Taiki yielded. "Fine. All right. If I'm not too busy tomorrow, I suppose that I could find some time to work with you. Where shall I find you?" "Right here, in the library. I like it here. It's the best place to compose music, surrounded by the poetry and music of others." Taiki felt a childish protest rising in her throat. But the more rational part of her mind began whispering that it might be nice to expand her circle of friends a bit more. It certainly was nice to be with Adella, Arturo, and Tegan, especially considering how Yaten was spending more and more time by herself, and Seiya and Kakyuu seemed strangely wrapped up with each other, a problem that Taiki had decided to contribute to Seiya's wavering loyalty toward the Moon Princess, and the effect that it might have had on Kakyuu. Taiki had warned baka Seiya . . . But that was in the past. Like Mizuno-san was in the past. Mizuno-san, who had told her that romance and dreams were important, and that friendship could save a person from sinking into the depths of loneliness and despair. Since returning to Kinmoku, Taiki had been trying her hardest to live by that advice. Yes, befriending Hideaki was just another way to test herself, and her ability to be open and social. "Okay. I'll meet you tomorrow, here, and we'll compose some music together. But not if I'm too busy with real work!" "No, not if you're too busy with . . . real. . . work . . ." Hideaki laughed lightly. Taiki didn't understand what was so funny, but it didn't matter. It was a pleasant way to end the day, regardless. ******************** If there was one thing that Yaten rejoiced about upon returning to her home world, it was that she, Seiya, and Taiki had been given their own private apartments within the royal palace, and thus she could finally have some decent living space all to herself. No more scrambling to be the first in the bathroom every morning! No more fighting over the limited hot water supply! No more squabbling over vacuuming and dusting and washing the dishes! It was freedom, pure and simple. It felt absolutely delicious, to lie sprawled out on her own bed in her own bedroom, surrounded in peaceful silence, utterly absorbed in reading the precious letter held carefully between her delicate fingers. Yaten held Minako's letter in her hand, scanning the familiar words over and over again, mouthing them silently to herself. She had already read the letter many times over, enough to know it by memory. It didn't matter. The repetitious reading was soothing to her heart and soul, calming and comforting. She lay back on her bed, clothed only in her nightdress, feeling the cool breeze blow in through the open window of her bedroom. Night seemed to fall quickly during the summer on Kinmoku. This was all right by Yaten, because she needed an excuse to fall asleep, and escape to the refuge of her dreams. "Kimi wa itsumo kagayai te ta . . ." Yaten mouthed the words to herself as she rolled over on her side, setting the letter down onto her bedside table, switching off her bedside lamp. In the darkness, she threw back her covers and flopped down on her soft pillows, sighing contentedly. Life was good. Good weather, good food, good clothing (skirts again! such a luxury), good times. The Queen was among them once again, Seiya was happier, Taiki was happier, and even Yaten herself felt that she could allow herself to be just a little bit happier than she used to be. Yes, she was finally dealing with the pain, even if she was only truly scratching the surface of it. The letters from Minako help immeasurably. Yaten closed her eyes and fell asleep. Her mind drifted through the shadowy realms of the dream world. Images twisted, melted, intertwined. Swaying windblown trees, twittering birds, blooming flowers, a hallucinatory kaleidoscope of green and red and white and blue. The breeze felt cool on her skin. The images solidified, and she realized that she was opening her eyes. She found herself standing in the midst of the olive orchard inside the palace grounds, leaning against the trunk of an olive tree, watching Queen Kakyuu, standing with her back to Yaten and several meters in front of her, tending to the younger saplings. She was humming to herself quietly, oblivious to Yaten's presence. This was just as well, because Yaten realized with peaceful serenity that she was dreaming. She shaded her eyes against the bright sunlight, relaxing a moment to admire her Queen. She remembered the unruly little palace brat who had shouted and cursed and broken almost every official rule during her escapades with Seiya, Yaten, and Taiki. She also remembered the grief-stricken young lady who had held her dying mother's head in her lap. She remembered the eerily calm and serene princess who had mourned for a year, growing sadder and more beautiful each day, until she had finally ascended to the throne of her late mother. She remembered the fiery, steel-willed woman who had confronted Sailor Galaxia face-to-face, not once, but twice. And she had been defeated both times. Her voice had become even softer, and her eyes even more downcast, after she had returned to Kinmoku. She was so unbelievably strong, so radiant, so painfully beautiful . . . "Do you realize how much we love you?" Yaten whispered to the Queen's back. The Queen did not hear her. She continued humming, dirtying her hands and knees and skirts happily, absorbed in her gardening, blushing slightly, thinking of someone else. Yaten closed her eyes and stretched her empathic senses outward. She was mildly curious about whether or not she could use her talents in a dream; indeed, it seemed to work. She brushed Kakyuu's mind lightly, then pulled pack quickly, feeling a brief flush of shame when she realized that she had somehow violated her Queen's privacy. But it wasn't a terrible secret that Yaten had uncovered, anyway. It just confirmed her suspicions, that was all. Kakyuu was thinking of Seiya. "Oh ho, we shall *have* to keep this a secret from the Knights!" Yaten chuckled to herself. She wondered if Taiki had figured it out yet . . . Or Seiya, for that matter. Baka Seiya. A cold finger slipped down Yaten's spine. She gasped and whirled. A dead man was smiling at her with his black teeth. He raised a hand and waved. Yaten took a disoriented step backward. She did not recognize the man, but she recognized his rotting uniform as standard military-issue. His flesh was grayish-green and distended, his hair was long and lanky, and his fingernails hooked into yellow claws. When he spoke, the sound of his voice seemed to crawl with maggots. "Have you come to walk in the garden of the dead?" he asked. Yaten shook her head, afraid to open her mouth, afraid to even breathe, struggling to suppress her gag reflex. She instinctively crossed her arms in front of her chest, and took another step backward. "Who are you?" she finally managed to croak. "It doesn't matter. I am dead." "H-How . . . How did you die?" He stepped forward, not menacingly, but purposefully, sending the clear message that he would not allow Yaten to increase the distance between them. "I was killed by one of the invaders." Yaten spared one lightning-quick glance over her shoulder. The Queen was gone! Thank goodness. She turned back toward the walking corpse, staring him straight in the eye. "What do you mean, invaders?" "As a Sailor Senshi," he intoned, raising one pussing finger as if to make a point, "it is your duty to protect your planet from foreign threats. However, you abandoned your planet for nearly two whole years. You left Kinmoku completely vulnerable, completely unguarded. This was understandable, considering the circumstances. The dead do not hold it against you. But the living might. Beware of the living, Sailor Senshi. They are your greatest enemies. And beware of that which is neither living nor dead. For the last is a breed apart, neither good nor evil, but most definitely opportunistic." "Why are you telling this to me?" Yaten nearly screamed. She would have given anything to close her eyes and shut out the awful vision of the decomposing soldier. But she knew that she couldn't; her eyes were already closed, and what she did in the dream mattered not. "Because you are the only one with the ability to listen. You are the one who's an empath, aren't you? If I were you, I would be very careful to watch my back. Your abilities expand every day, but you have yet to reach the point where you can listen to what really matters . . . or to even remember what you hear." Yaten was about to ask what the last comment was supposed to mean, but suddenly the world dissolved back into the same kaleidoscope of green and red and white and blue from which it had originally emerged. Yaten's eyes snapped open, and she awoke with a gasp. "YATEN! HEY YATEN!! YOU'RE MISSING MARLA'S HOMEMADE CINAMMON ROLLS, YOU LAZY LUMP OF LARD!!!" Seiya's shouting, and her subsequent pounding on Yaten's bedroom door, had aroused Yaten from her slumber. She rolled over in her bed and blinked against the bright sunlight streaming in through her window. Was it already so late in the morning?! She almost *never* slept so late! Yaten sat up in her bed and sighed. "I'm coming, I'm coming," she mumbled in the general direction of the door as she fumbled for her robe and slippers. "Right, I'll see you there!" Yaten blearily realized that she was hearing Seiya's footsteps pounding away from the door. Yaten didn't remember her dreams from the previous night. In fact, she would not remember her dreams for many nights to come. It wasn't until the first victim's dead body was found in the military barracks two months later that Yaten would remember the portents in her dreams. But that's getting just a bit ahead of ourselves, isn't it? Kou Yaten brushed back her silvery hair, secured it with a ribbon, and emerged from her room to face a new day, a feeling of vague optimism fluttering in her heart. ******************** At the breakfast table that the four of them shared in the Queen's private quarters, Kakyuu, Seiya, and Taiki were already waiting for Yaten. Kakyuu was still dressed in her nightdress and an ornately embroidered robe, her crimson hair tied loosely at the back of her neck with a cherry-colored scarf. It was unusual for Kakyuu to appear before anybody in such a state, especially without any facial makeup, or her trademark hairstyle. Only her Sailor Senshi would ever see her relaxed and undressed, in the early-morning moments before she washed up properly and prepared her face for the public. Seiya lounged back in her chair, dressed in her sleepwear, which happened to be boxer shorts and her favorite t-shirt from Earth, white cotton with "I LUV NY" printed across the front. She munched on a cinnamon roll and waved cheerfully when Yaten finally appeared at the table. Taiki sniffed. "I suppose that *I* am the only one who bothers to shower and dress before breakfast," she grumbled. She was already dressed in her violet skirts, and her hair, freshly washed, fell in a braided rope down her back. "Some of us value our sleep," Seiya asserted around a mouthful of food. "Why wake up earlier than you have to?" "So that I can get some hot water in my shower, before it's all used up." "Oh, yes, I forgot," Kakyuu sighed into a cup of coffee. "We still have to deal with the plumbing around here." Yaten sat down and helped herself to a piece of toast. No butter, just berry preserves; just the way that she liked it. "What's on the docket today?" she asked. "Docket? We have a docket?!" Seiya giggled. "I have to work all day in the library," Taiki answered flatly. "We're trying to get the electronic card catalogue back online. But Tegan says that the only way to salvage the current system is to wipe nearly half of its memory banks clean. Which means the we'll have to re-enter over a thousand entries manually." "Well, *I'm* going to be a terribly lazy brute, and I'm going to the beach to photograph the waves and seagulls," Yaten announced to the breakfast table. Seiya applauded. "Marvelous. Can I come too?" "No," Kakyuu answered firmly. "You have to meet with the Knights. I know that it's my duty, but I have to travel south to Rio Provinca and make an appearance before their senate. I trust only you to take my place." "What about Yaten?" "Yaten has to photograph seagulls." Yaten stuck her tongue out at Seiya. "See? Hah!" "But of course," Kakyuu said softly as she sipped her coffee again, "this means that Yaten owes both of us for a favor, sometime in the future." Yaten laughed. "You're too bloody fair, that's your problem, Kakyuu." "Thank you. I try to be." "Stop by the library if you have time," Taiki said as she stood up and cleared her place. Ever since she had returned from Earth, she never allowed the servants to clean up after her. "We really must have tea together someday. Tegan wants to meet you, Yaten." "Tegan wants to get on you, Yaten," Seiya echoed with a wink. Yaten blushed. "Taiki, if you spend too much time with your weird friends, you won't have any time left for me," she mumbled as she fluttered her eyelashes, feigning jealousy. "Whatever. I've got work to do." Taiki left the breakfast table. When she arrived at the library, Tegan had already buried himself in the large computer chassis in the darkest, farthest corner of the library. Arturo was leaning against a nearby wall and jotting down notes furiously in a black notebook. "Taiki!" he exclaimed when he saw her. "We've nearly got the memory wipe confirmed. I've got a list of some of the directories that we're going to lose--" "We're not going to lose ANY if I can help it!" Tegan boasted, his voice muffled from inside the tangle of wire and metal that he had buried himself in. "He's boastful this morning," Arturo whispered conspiratorially. "Where's Adella?" Taiki asked. She was feeling strangely tired this morning, and Arturo and Tegan's usual antics failed to amuse her. She was bothered by this; she had just begun to discover the joy of daily laughter. But whatever the case, she wanted to be away from both of them before she said something cruel that she might regret later. Something was vexing her, but she couldn't articulate what. "Adella's over in the printed periodical archives." "Right. Good luck with the system," Taiki called over her shoulder. She was already halfway across the library. She needed a nice, long conversation with calm, cool-headed Adella. Her nerves had been frazzled all morning, for no reason that she could possibly fathom. Unfortunately, when Taiki found her, Adella was bent over a table covered in parchments and antique documents, deeply involved in a conversation with Hideaki, who sat at the opposite side of the table, talking, but not working. Taiki made a face at Hideaki. "What are *you* doing here?" Hideaki seemed startled for a moment, but he quickly collected himself, and managed a warm smile. "I'm helping Adella with the archiving--" Adella abruptly stood up, gathering a sheaf of papers in her arms, and bowed in Hideaki's direction. "Forgive me! I just forgot, I absolutely must mail these documents to the Paun archives before tomorrow!" She scurried off. Hideaki pretended to pout. "Now look what you've done. That thundercloud over your head has scared off Miss Adella." "What thundercloud?" "It's a metaphor." "Oh." "Well, as long as you're here, you owe me a melody." "I beg your pardon?" "Last night. You said that you would help me compose." "I wanted to talk to Adella." "Well, she's obviously busy right now." Taiki plopped herself down on a chair, and sighed. "I don't understand you." "What's not to understand?" Hideaki blinked. "Why are you a musician?" "You're the one who told me that I wasn't a musician. You told me that I was a poet." "But why do you work with music?" "Because I love music!" Hideaki's eyes twinkled. "Music is the language of our *souls*. With music, I can make the intangible tangible, I can capture a thought or a feeling in a single note, I can spin romance and dreams--" Taiki's head thunked against the wooden table. "Are you all right?!" Hideaki leaned toward her. "I'm fine." Slowly, Taiki uprighted herself, with deliberate, dignified movements. "I'm all right," she repeated the idea firmly. "I'm sorry," Hideaki blushed. "Was it something that I said?" "As a matter of fact, yes. But don't feel sorry. You reminded me of a good friend I once had." "See? I knew that you had *some* friends." "Wha . . . What's that supposed to mean?!" "Nothing!" He laughed, cheerfully. "Come on, now, you owe me a song!" "That's another thing I don't understand. For someone so forward, you sure do get embarrassed easily." "I'm not so terribly forward, am I?" "Yes," Taiki answered flatly. "Well." A sigh, and a shrug. "I wasn't always like this. I was the most shy, most antisocial little creep when I was younger. I was always happy, and never lonely, but I kept my happiness to myself, because I didn't know how to share it. Things like . . . Oh, a bird singing, or the full moon at night, or the smile on the face of this pretty girl at school . . . I was always happy, because life was so full of GOOD, beautiful things. I started writing poetry and songs when I was in prep school. My sister broke into my room one day and started reading my journal, where I kept all my compositions. Said that they were too good for me to keep to myself, and that I was too good of person to keep to myself. Don't raise your eyebrows at me. I'm just quoting my sister. Her name was Yoko. She was the most popular girl in her grade. She was three years older than I was. I remember her very well. She was so pretty, all dark and tanned with smooth long black hair and almond eyes. So she became my coach, sort of. My trainer in life. She taught me to become open and free, to share everything about myself, my observations, my poetry, and my music with the rest of the world. I guess you could say that she was the defining person in my life. A free spirit, like I try to be. Like I am. So that's my motto now. Eat, drink, be merry, and share everything that's inside your heart. Well. I just told you my life story. Now it's your turn." "Whatever happened to your sister?" asked Taiki quietly. "Ah . . . She was among the star seeds that never returned," Hideaki said this quickly, clinically. Taiki could see that it pained him to hear the words spoken aloud. "I understand," Taiki said softly. "Well, no, not entirely. That's a lie. But I think that I understand at least a little bit. Yaten had a sister, and Seiya had some older brothers. None of them made it back after Galaxia's defeat. Yaten cried on my shoulder for an hour. Seiya was pretty upset, too, only she's better at hiding it." As soon as the words slipped out of her mouth, Taiki bit her lip nervously. Why had she said that?! Yaten would kill her for letting that slip! She didn't normally entrust such personal information to near- strangers . . . Taiki reached the firm conclusion that Hideaki was a dangerous man. Anybody who could trick her into letting her guard down, even for just a few seconds, was a force to be reckoned with. Hideaki waved the subject aside. "Anyway, it's your turn now. You owe me your life story." "Oh, no you don't. You said that I owed you a song. I can't owe you more than one thing at a time." "Will you at least tell me about what happened to you after you left Kinmoku?" "No. Why should I entrust you with that information? None of us has even made a press statement yet." "But you're under pressure, aren't you? The people won't tolerate secrecy for long. Their gratefulness and awe will wear off shortly." "Seiya, Yaten, and I have deferred the decision to the Queen. She alone will decide when we are to speak openly about the matter." Taiki mentally winced at the frigid iciness in her voice. "Right. I understand." Hideaki's eyes bored into her soul, searching for revelations. "Well, can we at least get this melody started?" "I suppose that I have no choice, do I?" "No. But I'm sure that you'll enjoy this. You're a musician, after all, aren't you?" "I told you that I've developed a professional ear for it. That doesn't mean that I'm a musician. I'm like you. I'm a poet at heart." Hideaki laughed, warmly and openly. "Then we're in the same boat! All right, this'll be fun!" Taiki and Hideaki spent the rest of the afternoon humming, plucking at Hideaki's guitar, and scribbling down notes furiously. By the time the sun had set, they had created their song. ******************** The sun rose and set, and the green planet of Kinmoku whirled on its access. Yaten measured the passage of time in letters and photographs. And flowers. Dozens and dozens of bouquets of flowers, delivered to her in her bedroom, at the breakfast table, and any time she happened to be within sight of a messenger or a guard. The suitors had arrived. Tegan was among the first to send Yaten a bouquet of flowers, gathered with a ribbon, a confession of love scrawled onto a gilded card nestled between the blossoms. Unfortunately, he sent them by way of Taiki, which led to much embarrassed mumbling and shuffling of Taiki's feet when she finally shoved the flowers in Yaten's face. "For me?" Yaten blinked in surprise. "They're from Tegan. Don't be to hard on him, okay? I did my best to warn him about you, but he just didn't listen. He's a fool, but his heart is in the right place." "Why on Kinmoku did you feel that you had to *warn* him about me?" Yaten asked innocently as she viciously ripped apart the delicate blossoms with her freshly manicured claws. In the end, the flowers often met the same fate as the misguided love letters from the year before. Tegan was crushed for the duration of one day, but quickly bounced back to his cheerful self. Others were not so lucky. For weeks, the palace was afflicted with love struck guards and workers who wept, moaned, gnashed their teeth, and pulled at their hair in frustration. "Army men are the worst," Yaten would sigh and roll her eyes as she disposed of another bouquet. More and more, she turned her attention toward the letters that she wrote to Minako. Seiya, who had grown accustomed to the role of the resident sex symbol, would have been jealous, had she not been preoccupied with a fair amount of love letters and flowers of her own. But *unlike* in the past, she chose to ignore these acknowledgements of her beauty, instead of reveling in them. Seiya was too busy scheming to spend some time, any time, in the company of her beloved Kakyuu. The Queen's demanding schedule conspired to make her unavailable, except for a few brief moments, such as the daily private breakfasts, when she gathered together all three of her Senshi. Seiya enjoyed these respites, but it wasn't enough. Seiya wanted time *alone* with her Queen. Taiki, for her part, spent most of her days in the library. The restoration process was running smoothly, thanks to the leadership abilities of Adella, and the hardy work ethic of Arturo and Tegan. Taiki would have helped. She honestly would have. Only she was increasingly busy writing poetry and composing music with Hideaki, whose ability to capture romance and dreams and weave them into prose and song fascinated her . . . And then, one morning, all hell broke loose. Yaten showed up at the breakfast table in a baseball cap, t-shirt, and jeans. She smiled cheerfully, although the shadows under her eyes betrayed the fact that she hadn't slept for over twenty-four hours. Yaten also happened to be holding the hand of a panting and breathless Aino Minako. "Ohayou, minna!" Minako waved cheerfully. She bowed slightly in Kakyuu's direction, then plopped herself down in Yaten's chair, and helped herself to a piece of toast, which she slathered generously with butter. "We spent all night running around the olive orchard, playing hide-and- seek," Yaten stated simply, as if this were enough explanation. "And when we got tired, we laid on our backs and stared at the stars. But then the sun rose, and we realized that we hadn't eaten all night, so . . . here we are." Seiya stared. Taiki stared. Kakyuu offered Minako the jar of marmalade. "Would you care to try some of this? I hear that this berry doesn't grow on Earth." "Waaai!" Minako squealed with delight. "It's such a gorgeous color! I almost don't want to eat it!" She giggled the high-pitched giggle of the exhausted and the insanely happy. Taiki struggled to form words. "Yaten . . . how . . . why . . . back . . . she get back?!" "Daijoubu," Minako muttered around a mouthful of buttered toast and marmalade. "Last night, I told Yaten that I had to be back by morning, 'cause my mom would worry. But I think that Yaten's too tired to take me back right away. Well, that's enough of an excuse for me. There's so much that I want to see! I'll have a tour of the palace, I suppose, and then Yaten and I can rest for a little while, and then we can go back tonight. Mom'll just have to worry. She's used to it by now, anyway." At that moment, one of the palace messengers knocked politely on the door to the breakfast room. "Special delivery! Flowers for the lady Senshi!" Minako blinked, startled. "Eh? What kind of a strange language is *that*?" For a moment, there was confused silence around the table. Then, suddenly, Taiki slapped her forehead. "Oh, of course! I'd forgotten all about it. In Lady Anya's old books, there was something about the Senshi Communication Principle . . . " "The what?" "It's an unnatural phenomenon that has been catalogued and observed across the galaxy for centuries. Whenever Sailor Senshi meet, they can always automatically communicate with each other, regardless of language barriers. That was why Kakyuu could speak to you and Sailor Moon while she was on Earth, even though she didn't know a word of Japanese. And that's why you've always been able to understand what Yaten was saying to you, although I doubt that she spoke a word of Japanese last night." "Oh my God, Taiki, you're right." Yaten's hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened with sudden understanding. "I was speaking in Galactic Standard all last night." "Whoa, no way!" Minako whirled toward Taiki. "So, like, what about you three? Couldn't you sing in front of all of your fans on Earth--?" "No. It doesn't work like that. The principle only seems to apply to Sailor Senshi. Seiya and Yaten and I had to learn Japanese when we settled into Tokyo, actually. Because nobody could have understood our language otherwise. And the same thing just happened a moment ago. You heard the voice of the delivery man, who spoke in our native language--" "SPECIAL DELIVERY! FLOWERS FOR THE LADY SENSHI!!" The knocking was more persistent this time. "Coming, coming," Seiya grumbled as she stood up from her chair. "Really, now, I thought we had made it clear that these breakfast sessions were not to be disturbed . . ." "I *did* make it clear," Kakyuu muttered as she sipped her tea daintily. The slightest frown turning down the corners of her lovely lips was the only outward sign of anger that she was showing. Seiya opened the door, only to be confronted with an impatient courier holding three golden-colored blossoms in his hand. "For you, Lady Senshi," he said, as she thrust the flowers forward. "The message is tied to the stems. Good day." He whirled and left. "How rude," Yaten sniffed. "He's not from the postal service," Seiya said glumly as she closed the door again and shuffled toward the table. "I saw the badge on his jacket. He was a congressional page. No wonder he was so nervous." Seiya tossed the flowers down on the table. "Look, see?" Taiki picked up a flower, and pulled open the folded, gilded note that had been tied to its stem. "It's an invitation . . . To a congressional hearing. From the Sol Report subcommittee." "The Sol Report subcommittee? What the heck is that?!" "A committee established to investigate the events leading up to and during the defeat of Chaos, on Earth, in the Sol system," Kakyuu explained calmly. "Forgive me for not telling you three sooner. This was only brought to my attention late last night. I meant to tell you at this breakfast, but . . . well, something else came up." She smiled warmly at Minako, who was blushing, suddenly embarrassed. "We've been very secretive about our travels in the year after Galaxia destroyed this system," she explained for Minako's benefit. "The public is becoming more and more demanding about the information that we've been withholding. As, it is true, they have a right to demand. They have the right to know." "So, then . . . You've just received a subpoena by flower?" Minako asked, incredously. "Yes. Awfully nice of them, wasn't it?" "The hearing is tomorrow." Taiki sighed and tossed the flower aside. "I'm sorry, Aino-san, but . . . we need today to prepare. Seiya and I have to talk to Yaten. You understand." Minako lowered her eyes. "Yeah, I understand. You're not going to tell them everything, are you? So you need to get your stories straight." "Exactly," Taiki responded levelly. "You have an objection to that?" "No." Minako shook her head, and grinned. "No, I guess not. So what are you going to leave out, anyway?" "Nothing important. Just whatever might make us look stupid." Both Taiki and Yaten cast pointed looks at Seiya, who coughed and blushed. "Oh, but can't I stay just a little longer?!" Minako pleaded. Kakyuu answered gently, "It would probably be best that nobody else saw you here, Miss Aino. At this point in time, the sudden appearance of a Senshi from Earth might cause a scandal. They might even go so far as to subpoena you, which I can guarantee will not be a pleasant experience. My honest opinion is that you should go home as soon as possible." Yaten looked down at her hands and said nothing. Minako was profoundly disappointed. "But . . . But I wanted to tour the palace and see all the aliens and visit the library and look at the old spaceships and--" "Oh, come on. It's not like you're not ever going to come back, you know," Yaten suddenly snapped. "REALLY?!" Her mood suddenly reversed, Minako grabbed Yaten in a rib- crushing hug and squeezed tightly. "Oh, Yaten-chan, I can't wait to come back! Oh, and I have to take YOU back to Earth sometime, so that we can go shopping and say hi to Luna and you can come to one of my volleyball games--" "All right, all right!" Yaten laughed, more relaxed and joyful than either Taiki or Seiya ever remembered seeing her before, and returned Minako's hug with equal enthusiasm. "We can plan that all later, okay?" She stood up and took Minako's hand. "Come on. Let's go out to the gardens one last time. We can teleport from there." "Yaten-chan, are you sure that you're strong enough right now?" "No problem." Then her face clouded over. "But to make it back by myself . . . I mean, two cross-galaxy round-trip jumps in one twenty-four hour period may be a little much." She chewed her lower lip, thinking. But inspiration quickly lit up her face. "Seiya, you come too." "Why me?" "Because during most mornings, you're the most energetic person I know." "But . . ." "Oh, come off it. We're not going to stay for more than one minute on Earth. So don't you worry about any ghosts from the past coming to haunt you." She reached across the table and grabbed Seiya's hand, pulling her roughly toward her and Minako. "Come on, don't be lazy! We have work to do!" "Seiya, onegai? Will you do it for me?" Minako batted her luscious eyelashes at Seiya. "So, like, I'd really be coming along as nothing more than an expendable power booster for you and Yaten." "That's one way to think of it," Yaten agreed. Taiki nodded gravely, fighting desperately to contain her threatening giggles. The Queen sipped her tea and said nothing. Finally, Yaten succeeded in wrenching Seiya around the table. Seiya sighed, scratched her head, and muttered, "Yeah, I guess I'll go along too." And with that, the three of them quietly left the breakfast room, plotting among themselves as to how they would sneak out the back windows of the Queen's chambers and make their way through the palace gardens without being seen by any guards. The room was left in silence. Kakyuu continued to sip her tea quietly. Taiki waited a few moments, and when nothing seemed to be happening, slammed her teacup down on the table with a clatter. "Did you LISTEN to her?! 'Two cross-galaxy round-trip jumps in one twenty-four hour period may be a little much.' And she says that like it's an everyday occurrence! Does she have ANY idea how powerful she's become?" "No," Kakyuu answered calmly. "But then again, neither do either of you two." "Come again?" "Your Senshi powers have grown an incredible amount during a very short time span." "How did you reach that conclusion? I mean, I've only transformed two or three times since leaving Earth, and those were for practice sessions and battle training, when we don't really exercise or test obtuse manifestations of our powers--" "I can tell." Kakyuu picked up a biscuit and began buttering it nonchalantly. "I can *feel* it within my own Sailor Crystal. But I'm puzzled as to how, or why, this change in you three has taken place. Or I should say, is still taking place. Because, you know, you *have* changed since we've returned to this planet." "How so?" "Taiki . . ." Kakyuu folded her hands on top of the table. "You were always such a warm, caring person. But lately, you've been doing an absolutely terrible job of hiding it from the rest of the world." Taiki blushed. "Um, I'll take that as a compliment." "Thank you. It warms my heart to see you making friends so readily." "You're embarrassing me. You sound like my first grade teacher." Taiki rolled her eyes, but still blushed deeper. "No I don't. You didn't have any friends in first grade." Taiki was taken aback by the bluntness of Kakyuu's words. She stared at her for a moment, aghast, her mouth hanging open. But then she saw the Queen's merrily twinkling eyes and small, sly smile. And she remembered, suddenly and quite vividly, the Kakyuu that she had first met when she was only twelve years old - impish, impertinent, blunt, outgoing, and sometimes even a little obnoxious. But she had never intended to hurt anyone, had never intended to insult or threaten, and always knew exactly what to say to cheer up someone when they were feeling down. Which meant, of course, that most of what she said had to be interpreted as meaning exactly the opposite of what she was verbalizing. Now, looking at the graceful and elegant woman sitting before her, Taiki could catch just the briefest glimpse of the child she had once been shining through her mischievous ruby eyes. "You're horrible," Taiki chuckled. "Hmmm." Kakyuu dipped her finger in her tea and stirred it idly, a horribly unladylike gesture if Taiki ever saw one. "Why do people change, Taiki?" "If you gather fifty psychologists into a room and ask them that same question, you'll get fifty different answers." "Oh." Kakyuu sighed, disappointed. "And here I was hoping that you would say something saccharine and sentimental, like, 'they change because of love.' " "Love?" "You know." The small, sly smile danced across her lips again. "Romance and dreams." Taiki coughed suddenly, her face turning red. "Love can either provide our souls with freedom that we never even imagined, or it can hurt us so deeply that we alter the shape of our souls permanently," The Queen continued, ignoring Taiki's coughing. Taiki suddenly stood up. "Um, I have to go now." "To the library?" "Unfortunately, you've got me pegged." "Enjoy yourself." "I will. No, wait, we have work to do! Tell Seiya and Yaten to meet me there." Taiki hurried out of the breakfast room. Which left the Queen of Kinmoku alone with her thoughts, watching her mostly uneaten breakfast cooling before her. she mused thoughtfully. Deeply absorbed in her own ponderings, she began gathering up the used plates and silverware in neat little stacks. She could have called her handmaidens to do it for her, but at the moment, she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Suddenly, Kakyuu gasped softly and dropped a small china plate to the ground. It smashed into dozens of pieces and laid unnoticed at her feet as her trembling hands slowly rose to her face. "What . . . what is this?" she whispered. Red and black swirls had begun inexplicably flashing across her field of vision, the earth had rumbled underneath her, and a chorus of low voices chuckled maliciously as the echo of their laughter reverberated inside the invisible walls of her mind. And now, her hands raising in front of her face, she could see blood oozing out from underneath her fingernails and from between the creases in her palms. "If this is a vision, Mother Maresuu, please make it stop," Kakyuu pleaded. But it didn't stop. In fact, it was about to get a whole lot worse. <<---Blood on her hands! Blood on her hands! Blood on the Queen's hands!--->> <<---this is the garden--->> "NO! Bloody voices, get out of my head!" Kakyuu scrunched her eyes shut and squeezed her hands into fists, pressing them against her temples. <<---this is the garden of the dead--->> The shrieking laughter crescendoed to a dull roar inside her head. Kakyuu screamed against it, trying to drown it out with her own voice. "No, stop it please, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. Kakyuu shakily lowered her hands to her side and opened her eyes, blinking in the bright morning sunlight. The plate that she remembered dropping sat whole and untouched on the edge of the table. And the room was silent, except for the chirping of birds beyond the windows. Hadn't the guards heard her screaming? Wasn't anybody coming to help her? Kakyuu blinked again, and looked at the china plate again. Then she looked at the floor. No broken plate fragments. She looked down at her own hands. No blood. The garden of the dead. Kakyuu shuddered. What a terribly unpleasant experience. Kakyuu shook her head, smoothing her hair into place, setting her jaw with determination. Okay, so she had a vision. It was a serious matter, to be sure. But even more serious was the pressing issue of the Sol Report subcommittee, and the fact that her three Senshi were, for all intents and purposes, about to stand trial in front of all of Kinmoku. The last thing that any of them needed was to be worrying about whatever evil may be lurking around, lying in wait for them. She could tell them about her vision soon. The day after tomorrow. The day after their testimonies before the Assembly. Yes, the discussion of the vision could wait for another time. For today, Kakyuu had a planet to rule. - end part one -