Minako paused outside Rei's door, listening for sounds of
trouble within.  Like, say, objects hitting the wall and shattering.
Silence greeted her, but it was laden with tension, and after a
moment she decided that an audible tantrum might have been
preferable after all.
     The red lettering on the sign that hung jauntily on Rei's
door said it all: TRESPASSERS WILL BE VIOLATED.
     The sign had seemed funny when Minako'd given it to her.
It seemed moderately less amusing just at the moment.
     Tentatively, she knocked.  Then again, harder.  No answer.
Finally she braced herself and eased the door open part way,
sticking her head inside.
     "Rei-chan?"
     "Go away."  The words were delivered flatly, without
inflection, and Minako winced.  Going away would be the smart
thing to do, but Rei had been closeted away up here all afternoon,
and Minako was beginning to worry.  The news had been hard on
them all, but she suspected Rei was taking it particularly badly.
She eased into the room and softly closed the door.
     Daylight was beginning to fade, and the room was full of
shadows that lay long and dangerous across the floor.  Minako
padded across the deep plush carpet, noting how the low light stole
most of the colour from the room.  Cheerful.  She paused as she
caught sight of the dresser by Rei's bed.  There was a picture frame
lying face down, a tiny splinter of broken glass speaking mutely of
the force which had been used.  Minako didn't have to try very
hard to remember which picture that had been.  Rei and Usagi, in
their matching school uniforms.
     Rei may have come up here for sanctuary, but her room
would be full of such emotional land-mines.  Usagi had become a
large part of her life, of all their lives, so quickly.  And now ...
     Rei was sitting on the floor on the far side of the bed,
leaning against it with her back to the door.  Her closet was open
and a few things were strewn across the usually tidy floor, but
Minako noticed that Rei didn't appear to have changed.  She
crawled slowly across Rei's large bed, deciding to abandon
subtlety for the direct approach.  She stretched out on her stomach,
wrapping her arms around the girl's shoulders.
     "You don't listen very well," Rei said flatly.  Minako
grinned, her best I'm-naughty-but-you've-gotta-love-me-anyhow
grin.
     "Well, I guess you'll have to punish me then," she
murmured huskily.  Rei didn't react, but she didn't tell her to leave
again either, which was something.  Minako had become attuned to
Rei's moods, enough so that she knew how far she could push.  She
hadn't reached the limit yet.
     Then she followed Rei's blank gaze and caught sight of
what was lying on the floor by her feet.
     "Oh," she sighed.
     "I guess I won't be needing these anymore," Rei muttered,
nodding almost imperceptibly at the school uniforms.  Minako
hadn't even thought about that.  Rei wouldn't be able to go back to
the academy now.  Usagi's people could find her there much too
easily.
     Usagi's people ...
     "Mako-chan got back a while ago," she said, trying to
distract Rei from her black thoughts.  "We filled her in.  She was
pretty floored, as you can imagine."  Rei didn't respond, and
Minako sighed again.  She wormed her way forward, hooking her
chin over Rei's shoulder.
     "Rei-chan," she breathed.  Rei closed her eyes, her long lashes a
lush sooty line against the pale skin of her high cheekbones.
     "I never brought her to the house because I was worried,"
she whispered.  "Can you imagine?  I worried about bringing her to
such a rough part of Undercity."  She smiled then, but there was no
humour in it.
     "Of course, if I'd brought her here, it wouldn't be safe
anymore," she continued, pushing her hair back out of her face
untidily with one hand.  "You'd all have been in danger because of
me ..."
     "Stop that!" Minako snapped, squeezing Rei's shoulders.
"We all welcomed her into our lives, Rei-chan, don't forget that.
Whatever happens, we were friends, all of us."
     "Were we?"
     "How can you doubt that?" Minako asked, almost plaintive.
"This doesn't change anything ..."
     "It changes everything," Rei responded dully.  "I thought I
knew her, but ... she's a princess who wants to be a queen.  She's
willing to do what it takes to be the one who comes out on top.
She's not who we thought she was, Minako-chan."  She probably
thinks the same about us, Minako thought darkly.  She didn't say it
out loud, though.  That definitely wouldn't help, and she knew how
often Rei had agonized over the secret part of their lives, the part
they'd had to keep hidden from their friend.
     "But she knows us now, Rei-chan," she insisted softly.
"We're not just obstacles to be dealt with, we're people she knew,
was friends with.  She won't hurt us, any of us.  I would think you,
of all people, would believe in her."  Rei's body was stiff and
unyielding under her arms, and for a long time she didn't say
anything.  Finally, she lifted her head and stared straight ahead.
     "I thought I knew her too," she said finally, her voice strangely
soft.  "But think about it.  She's the White Moon Princess.  That
means she destroyed Beryl and Metallia.  Can you imagine Usagi
doing that?"  Minako was taken aback by the question.  Of course,
Rei was right.  She never could have imagined Usagi being able to
do anything like that.  But ... but ...
     She sighed, burrowing her chin lightly into Rei's shoulder
and letting her cheek rest against the other girl's.
     "There's nothing I can say to make this better, is there?"
she asked wryly.  Rei shook her head slightly, still staring into the
gathering shadows.
     "No," she muttered.  Minako fell silent for a time.  Rei and
Usagi had shared a bond, a special closeness.  It seemed to her that
Rei was dealing with her shock and pain by trying to close herself
off from that bond, by denying it utterly.  There would be no half-
measures with Rei, but if that helped her get through the next few
days then Minako supposed she shouldn't complain.  But it would
take more than denial to keep Rei going, she was certain of that.
They all needed to do something, anything other than sitting around
this house with shell-shocked expressions on their faces.
     After all, maybe there was a way out of this.  And if there
wasn't, then they were all going to have to get used to the idea that
they wouldn't be seeing Usagi again.
     There was a dull ache in her chest at that thought, but she
covered it up with a smile and nudged Rei.
     "I can't help it," she murmured.  "I'm just optimistic that things
will get better."  Rei snorted.
     "That," she said sourly, "is one hell of a lot of optimism."
Minako shrugged, kicking her feet lightly in the air.
     "Whatever," she said.  "Listen, Ami-chan says that we're okay
here, what with all the precautions we've taken.  None of us can be
linked to this house, and you know how hard it is to trace anybody
down here.  And we have enough contacts that, if somebody puts
out feelers, we'll know pretty quick.  So we've got some time to sit
back, let this sink in, get some perspective on things.  Trust me,
babe, things are going to get better."
     "Well, they couldn't get much worse," Rei sighed, causing
Minako to grin and squeeze her again.
     "That's the spirit!" she exclaimed.  "Now, you can stay in
this room all night sulking, or you can work off some of that pent-
up aggression."
     "I don't think ..." Rei began.  Minako ignored her protests.
     "Hmmm.  Loud music, a big crowd, and dancing until
dawn.  Just what the doctor ordered!"
     "I appreciate the thought, Minako-chan," Rei muttered flatly.
"But I'm just not up for anything like that.  I'm just going to sit and
think for a while."  Minako paused.  She really didn't want to let Rei
brood all night.  In her experience, the longer Rei had to dwell on
something the harder it was to pull her out of her slump.  And if she
thought too long about this situation with Usagi, she just might do
something really stupid ... like heading back to the Upper City, for
instance.
     Languorously, she pressed herself more tightly against Rei's
shoulders, turning her head so that her mouth was against Rei's ear
and she could smell the dark, luxuriant scent of that raven mane.
     "Well," she purred throatily, "if Rei-chan and Minako-chan
can't go out on the town, what about Mars and Venus?  Think
about it, babe.  All the miscreants, criminals, demons, rift-kin and
assorted riff-raff of the dark underbelly of Tokyo at your feet, just
waiting for you to vent your frustrations on them.  We might even
pick up a few bounties tonight if we're lucky.  You could cut loose
to your heart's content, blow a few things up ... does that thought
get your motor running?"  She could feel the subtle change in Rei's
posture, and smiled triumphantly.
     "Minako-chan," Rei said slowly, some animation coming into
her face at last, "you just may have something there."
     "Of course I do," Minako said immodestly.  "It comes from
being a genius.  Now come on.  Mako-chan should nearly have
supper ready.  First we eat.  Then," she said with a wicked smile,
"we take on the night."

#####

     "There must be a trail somewhere," Haruka fumed.  Luna
nodded glumly.
     "I'm sure there is," she said.  "The problem is finding it.
Undercity is a perfect place to hide.  People are not fussy about
rules and regulations, as long as you've got money.  Even
assuming the names Usagi has for these girls are real, they could be
registered at schools under aliases.  There are millions of people in
Undercity, Haruka-san.  Finding four girls is not going to be easy."
Haruka shook her head and turned to Michiru.
     "We got nothing from the apartment," her partner replied to
the unspoken question.  "She left all the furniture behind, but took
everything personal.  There was no paper, nothing to give us an
address."
     "The landlord might know something," Setsuna offered.
     "Yes, but we have to be careful about poking around into
this," Michiru replied.  "To all intents and purposes, a girl has just
up and disappeared.  In Undercity that wouldn't rate a second
glance, but she was living up here, in an expensive apartment,
apparently a respectable girl.  We don't want to be linked to her
disappearance, not in either of our identities."
     "Wait," Haruka said slowly.  "The school.  It isn't easy to
get into Sugashita Academy.  Money isn't enough, it requires at
least a patina of respectability, as we all remember."
     "We still can't just go around asking awkward questions
about a missing girl," Michiru pointed out.
     "No," Haruka smiled.  "But we might pay a late night visit
to the records office.  That might turn up some interesting facts."
     "Ah," Michiru said, her smile matching her partner's
perfectly.  "That it might."
     "You two will have to be careful," Setsuna cautioned.
"After the attack yesterday, security will be tightened.  A lot of
students live on campus, and I'm certain that the headmistress has
been hearing a lot of concerns from a lot of very important people
over the last twenty-four hours.  She won't be leaving anything to
chance."
     "Oh, I think we can handle that," Haruka said, pleased to
finally have a starting point.  "Of course, all this would be easier if
Usagi-chan would be a little more co-operative.  Any luck getting
her to open up, Luna?"  The small black cat jerked, obviously
caught off-guard.
     "What?" she asked weakly.  "Oh.  No, Haruka-san.  Usagi-chan
isn't talking to me about this.  In fact," she continued
disconsolately, "she isn't talking to me about anything right now."
     "Luna," Michiru said firmly.  "You acted in her best
interests.  She'll understand that.  Just give her some time."
     "I hope you're right," Luna mumbled, staring longingly in
the direction of Usagi's rooms.  "I've never seen her like this, not
since her family was killed.  I just wish there was something ..."
     "Wishing won't change what is," Setsuna said gravely.
"Destiny has placed the princess on one path, and those girls on a
conflicting one.  Their friendship was not meant to be."
     "It's sad, though," Michiru murmured, toying idly with one
lock of her hair by winding it around her index finger.  "She's been
so happy since she met them.  How cruel that they should turn out
to be her enemies."  Haruka stood up, shrugging her shoulders to
loosen muscles stiff from sitting too long.
     "If she's going to fulfill those prophecies and someday
unite all the factions pledged to the White Court, she'll have to get
used to life's little disappointments," she said curtly.  Michiru
caught the hint of anger in her partner's voice; Haruka could tell
just by the way the elegant senshi tilted her head slightly, peering up
out of the corner of her eye.  She knew Michiru wouldn't press the
matter in front of the others, but she'd be hearing more about this
later.
     "In any event, the more information we have about them,
the better off we'll be," Setsuna said.  "Knowing where Usagi-chan
lives gives them a definite advantage."
     "Which is why we'll be relocating," Haruka announced.
"For a couple of days, at least."
     "The penthouse?" Michiru asked.  When Haruka nodded,
she frowned.  "It's not as private as I'd like.  If something does
happen ..."
     "They won't know to look for her there," Haruka pointed
out, "so the chances of something happening are minimal.  And it
isn't traceable to us, either.  With her out of school for a few days,
she'll be safe for a while.  Long enough for us to get a handle on
the Shadow Senshi, if we're lucky."  She looked at Michiru, then at
Setsuna.  Neither seemed to have any objections, so she turned to
Luna.
     "Luna, go tell her to pack some things, enough for at least a
week.  We'll head over there now, then later tonight Michiru and I
will hit the school."  Luna appeared less than enthusiastic, but she
hopped down off the couch and went to tell Usagi the news.
Haruka turned to the others as the cat padded out of the room.
     "We should get our things together as well," she said.
"Let's not waste any time."  She turned and walked towards the
rooms she shared with Michiru, crossing the room with long,
athletic strides.
     Usagi hadn't spoken to any of them since they'd shown up
at Rei's apartment.  Haruka could only hope that their relationship
with the girl would not be irreparably damaged in the days to come.
However, her duty to the princess overrode any desire she might
have to make this easier for her.  The enemy might not come after
Usagi right away, but they would come.  Sooner or later, they
would come.  She was the greatest obstacle to the ascension of the
Shadow Queen, after all.  Their duty would be to remove that
obstacle, no matter what.
     Unless someone stopped them.
     As someone was planning to do.
     She started as a gentle hand pressed against her back,
sliding up to her shoulder.  Without looking she reached back and
laced her fingers with Michiru's, pausing by the door to their
bedroom.
     "We can only protect her now," Michiru whispered, able to
see the turmoil in Haruka's heart as easily as always.  "We can't
heal her broken heart."
     I wish that it didn't have to be this way, Haruka thought,
bleakness welling up in her for a moment.  Brutally, she forced it
back down.  She was a senshi, and protecting the princess was her
duty.  There was no sense in wasting time wishing things could be
easier.  If she faltered, all she had to do was call up the memory of
Usagi's crumpled body cruelly impaled on that sword, and of the
hand on the hilt.  That hand had belonged to a girl who had once
sworn to protect the princess.  She'd betrayed her oath then.
     She wouldn't get another chance.
     Michiru squeezed gently, and Haruka sighed, releasing the
smaller woman's hand and opening the door.  Michiru understood.
Of that she could be certain.
     "Come on," she said softly.  "We'd better get started."




End of part one


So.  Loved it?  Hated it?  Intensely ambivalent?  Let me know at: 
Lunatic_knight@hotmail.com!

Part two follows very soon ...


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