Sailor Moon Crystal Generation

Author: yumecosmos

Rated: PG

Chapter 4

Façade

For the fourth time that hour, Seresu's phone rang, and the pink-haired girl sighed wearily. "Yes, Itokuri-san?" she answered, knowing who it was without having to ask.

"Guess what? Tsukino-san and I found this funny-looking mushroom in the park, and I wanted to eat it, but she said we shouldn't but it looked really tasty. It had a big red top and it kind of looked like an apple except that apples don't have purple spots, so I thought it might taste like an apple." Here Atena paused long enough to take a deep breath. "...But then Tsukino-san said we should find out what kind it was first so we picked it and took it to the library and we looked in a mushroom book and it was actually a poisonous kind, so I'm really glad I didn't eat it!"

"Well, I'm glad you're safe. Bye!" Seresu said airily, and hung up before Atena could start chattering again. She collapsed back onto her bed with a moan. When I told her to call if anything happened, this wasn't exactly what I meant...

She reached for the box of tissues on her bedside table. That morning she'd woken up with a nasty cold, which she had decided to blame on the chilling battle they'd fought with Cobalt two days before. She frowned as she caught a glimpse of her reddened nose in her vanity mirror. On top of that, her lovely pink hair was a frayed mess, and her normally beautiful eyes were puffy and bloodshot. Just when Seresu thought she couldn't possibly feel any more pathetic, her phone rang again.

"What is it now?" she snapped, not realizing how grouchy she sounded.

"Garnier-san? You sound awful! What's wrong?"

"P-princess!" she stammered, turning bright red as she realized her mistake. "Please forgive me, I thought it was Itokuri-san again..."

"We're having a meeting at the palace," Usagi began.

"Are you sick?" Atena's high-pitched voice interrupted from somewhere behind her.

"I seem to have caught a cold after the fight at school," Seresu sighed.

"Oh no! Garnier-san is sick, everyone!" Atena announced. "Come on, we have to go cheer her up! Tomoe-san, you make the chicken soup! I'll get some stuffed animals and a good movie, and we can all go over to her place-"

"That won't be necessary, Itokuri-san," Seresu said quickly.

"The best thing for a cold is to get plenty of rest," Hotaru advised. Seresu smiled gratefully. She had never been gladder to have Hotaru in their group. Without her quiet rationality to balance out Atena and Usagi, Seresu was quite sure she would've gone insane by now.

"Aww, this is no fun!" Atena complained. "Why'd Garnier-san have to get sick today?"

Seresu sniffed. "It's no surprise, really. Between you and that monster, it got so cold I was nearly frozen!"

"But Tomoe-san really was frozen, and she's fine," Atena pointed out.

"Well, a maiden such as myself is delicate like a flower!" Seresu said, tossing her head. She immediately regretted it as a throbbing headache flared up between her eyes.

"Hey, we're maidens too!" the blue-haired girl protested, grabbing Usagi's wrist so she could shout into the receiver.

"Oww, you're twisting my arm!" Usagi yelped.

"Eek! I'm so sorry!"

Hotaru said something, but her quiet voice was lost in the din.

"I don't think this is going to work," Seresu said. "Perhaps we'll have to postpone the meeting."

Atena's eyes lit up. "Wait! I have an idea! Do you have a computer?"

"Of course I have a computer. Who doesn't, these days? Mine's the top of the line, too."

Thankfully, Atena interrupted before she could start bragging. "All right, let's set up a video conference!"

"Oh, but I'm hardly dressed for the occasion! And my hair looks awful!"

The others groaned. They'd only known Seresu for a few weeks, but she had already become infamous for her lengthy primping sessions.

"Fine, fine. Let's get started."

~*~

His sister was around here somewhere.

Pyrolusite knew it not only by the distinctive trail she left — disposable chopsticks, wads of used tissue, and a few coupons for miracle beauty products — but by the faint, nauseating smell that hung in the air. It was the smell of candy and cheap perfume and frivolity, and it reminded him of all the ways she infuriated him.

He thought it was odd for a person who normally abhorred dirty things to be hiding out behind a dumpster. But then, few of the things his sister did made sense to a rational mind. Pyrolusite kicked the dumpster hard, his steel-toed boots producing a satisfying metallic clang against the empty container. A startled squeak issued from behind a nearby stack of old tires, and a smug grin spread over his face. She had never been good at hiding.

"What are you doing hiding here, Calomel?" he asked, feigning concern. "Did Ripidolite make you cry again? My poor little sister. Why don't you just give up and let us handle this mission?"

Her head shot up from behind the tires, and for a moment he was taken aback at how slovenly she looked. Her face was smudged with grime, her clothes were ripped, and her blue hair had come down from its usual ponytail and hung in limp, tangled strands. "Shut up, Pyrolusite! If you're so concerned about the dumb mission, why don't you go do something about the senshi yourself?"

His smile turned dangerous. "For your information, I've been busy with other equally important matters. But as a matter of fact, I have been working hard on a little project I've been saving for them."

In spite of herself, Calomel looked mildly interested. "What kind of project?"

"Oh, you'll see soon enough. In the meantime..." He paused to look her up and down disdainfully. "You might want to clean yourself up before you return to headquarters."

Calomel cringed. "I can't go back like this! Mother will be so angry! I can't face her just yet."

"If you go back now, she'll be angry at you for failing. If you put it off, she'll be angry with you for failing and for hiding from her and wasting valuable time. So you'd better prepare your best sob story and get back as soon as possible."

"But Ripidolite said I shouldn't bother coming back until I kill a sailor soldier!" Calomel sniffled.

A disdainful grunt rumbled in his throat. "I see. And you were hoping to accomplish this by cowering in a garbage heap?"

Calomel turned her nose up in a pout. "I'll do things when I'm ready. Now leave me alone!"

With that, she disappeared once more into her humble rubber abode. Realizing there was no more reasoning with her, Pyrolusite turned abruptly and left her there.

~*~

"All right, I have a theory," Vesta announced. She was pacing back and forth, tapping a long stick against the ground. She had picked up the stick intending to draw some sort of explanatory diagram in the dust, but illustrations were not her strong point, so instead it had become an instrument of stress relief. "Suppose we've somehow been sent through a time warp into an alternate dimension where Crystal Tokyo has been destroyed!"

"That sounds like a bad science fiction movie," Juno said, rolling her eyes. "I'd say it's more likely none of this is real at all."

"You mean it's a hallucination?"

"Yes. Some kind of trick by the enemy. Think about it. We showed up here right after we got hit by that Petalite woman's attack, right?"

Vesta frowned. "Good point. Then all we need to do is wake up, right?"

"Wrong!" a deep voice boomed in reply. Vesta and Juno looked up to see a slender woman in a pink kimono hovering over their heads with a sneer on her face.

"Petalite!" they exclaimed in unison.

The two senshi took a defensive stance, but Petalite made no move to fight them, only yawned and examined her needle-like scarlet nails. Her silk garments twisted and fluttered wildly in the cold wind, but there was something poetic about the motion, as if every moment were a painting. This landscape was her stage, and she the prima Donna; even the wind was carefully choreographed to highlight her terrifying beauty.

"You were almost right the first time," she said. "This is the Crystal Tokyo of the future. This is how your world will look in twenty years."

"That's a lie!" Vesta shot back immediately.

"How could you know about the future?" Juno demanded at the same time.

Petalite's eyes narrowed, a hint of anger creeping into her arrogant smirk. "You'd be better off to stay in this dream," she told them. "With every step you take, you move closer to your inevitable destiny. Think about that for a second. Your every action, your every thought sets off the cascade of events that will someday bring your world to ruin. It would be better for you to simply stop moving."

"We'll take our chances!" Vesta retorted. Red fire sprung from her hand, forming her whip.

Petalite shook her head, making a disappointed clucking noise. "Very well. If you wish to continue this senseless fight, I will oblige you." She pulled a handful of deep red rose petals from her sleeve and scattered them over the ground.

"Watch out!" Juno cautioned as the petals began to stir. They grew and twisted into human shapes, each with velvety red skin and a tangled mess of briars for hair. Their fingernails, long and curved like thorns, were poised to slash at the two girls.

Petalite's lips curved in a cruel smile. "Farewell, sailor soldiers!" she called as she faded away.

~*~

Atena was true to her word. Ten minutes and two phone calls to Mercury later, she had Seresu's laptop connected to the Crystal Palace network. After a few seconds of static, a fuzzy image of Seresu appeared in front of them, looking slightly impatient.

"Can you hear me?" Atena asked.

Seresu nodded. "It would appear that it actually works. Shall we begin?"

"What do you mean, ‘actually'?" Atena muttered under her breath.

"Nice work, Itokuri-san. Okay!" Usagi said, sitting down cross-legged in front of the screen. "Let's get started!"

"All right, first order of business. Usagi-chan, what's on your mind?" Hotaru asked.

Usagi blinked. "Hmm?"

"You've been acting really distracted since yesterday. Is something troubling you?"

Usagi looked sheepish. She had never been able to hide from Hotaru. "Someone, actually. I guess it's about time we discussed a certain mysterious stranger."

"Which one? I can think of at least three mysterious strangers that need discussion."

"Well, I was talking about the one who keeps showing up to congratulate us after we win a fight."

"The handsome one with the mask?"

"They all had masks, Garnier-san."

"Oh... right." She giggled. "And from what the security cameras caught, I'd say they were all pretty handsome!"

Hotaru frowned. "At least two of them are enemies," she reminded Seresu.

"I know that, but I can still make the observation, can't I?"

"About those guys who stole the crystal. Hypnos and Aether, right? What do you think they're gonna do with it?" Atena wondered.

"I don't know," Usagi said, looking worried. "Actually, Aether sent a letter to my father saying that the crystal was in a safe place and he'd return it in due time, whatever that means."

Hotaru raised an eyebrow. "A letter? That's strange. First he steals the crystal and then he tries to act friendly?"

"Did it have a return address?" Atena asked.

"Don't be silly," Seresu scoffed. "A criminal wouldn't put his own address on it."

"Then how was it delivered?"

Usagi smiled grimly. "He was pretty clever. He slipped it inside another envelope that was a letter from one of our friends. That way he knew we'd receive it."

"My, how arrogant," Seresu remarked. "He wanted to make sure you knew he had it. It's like he's taunting you!"

"Not necessarily. Maybe he really was trying to reassure us that the crystal is safe, or justify his actions," Atena reasoned.

"Don't be so naive, Itokuri-san!"

"We all know Aether is bad news. But what about the man in the white tuxedo?" Usagi asked again, cutting the dispute short. She was anxious to hear what her friends thought of him, especially after the incident two nights ago. She had decided not to tell anyone about how the stranger had appeared to her as Pegasus and taken her for a ride over the city. It would probably just make them worry. Still, she felt like she'd go crazy if she didn't talk to someone.

"Well," Seresu mused, "he certainly didn't seem like a bad person, but…"

"She just thinks he's cute," Atena said, with a wink at Seresu.

Seresu blushed. "I'm certain that had nothing to do with it!" She sounded indignant, but a twinkle in her eye gave her away.

"Still, it's a little strange that he never shows up in time to help," Hotaru pointed out.

Seresu nodded, turning serious. "I hate to think that such a nice-looking man is our enemy, but for the moment I must agree. It's too early to trust him."

Usagi sighed. Her friends' feelings made perfect sense, but for some reason she instinctively felt that the stranger in white couldn't be evil.

Atena spoke up suddenly, making Usagi jump. "Say, doesn't he look a lot like the priest of Elysion?"

"You mean Helios? Come to think of it, there is quite a resemblance," Seresu agreed. "From what I can see, anyway. It's hard to tell with that mask over his face."

"And he also seems to be quite fond of Usagi. He's always looking right at her, and he called her 'Lady'," Hotaru added. "Do you suppose...?"

Usagi shook her head. "But if he was Helios, he'd have said something to me. Right?"

"Unless he had a good reason not to," Hotaru speculated.

"He wouldn't have forgotten about her, right?" Atena blurted out. Usagi looked crestfallen.

"Of course not! That would never happen!" Hotaru said quickly. Seresu nodded vigorously in agreement.

The group sat in silence for a moment, pondering.

"Well, whoever he may be, I hope he's on our side," said Seresu at length. "So, second order of business! Ah, that is... is there a second order of business?"

Atena remembered something. "Atena has an important question! Can I tell my parents I'm a senshi?"

"Certainly not," Seresu replied immediately. "It's dangerous to go revealing our identities to other people. Who knows what the enemy might do to obtain that information? Besides, they might slip and tell someone else. If word got out, our lives as normal girls would be over forever!"

"Aww, I bet they would've been proud of me," Atena sighed.

Hotaru patted her shoulder. "I'm sure they would have. But it's safer this way."

Usagi looked around at the group. "Is there anything else to talk about?" The others shook their heads. "All right. Meeting adjourned! Just in time for lunch."

Seresu coughed and moaned. "I'm afraid I must take my leave of you. You three have fun. I'm going back to bed."

"Feel better, Garnier-san!" Atena said, waving goodbye.

As the image on the screen faded away, Atena realized Usagi and Hotaru looked less than happy. "Umm... what's wrong?" she asked.

"She seemed so polite at first, but she's kind of stuck up," Usagi said, looking annoyed. "She could've at least thanked you for setting up the computers."

"I wonder if she doesn't like us," Hotaru worried.

"You mean Garnier-san?" The blue-haired girl shrugged. "Atena doesn't understand either. But I'm sure she'll come around if we give her some time." Then she brightened. "So, about lunch... want to come over to my house? My mom's making sandwiches and chocolate cake."

At the words "chocolate cake", Usagi jumped and headed for the door. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

"I live in Hachioji, so let's take the train."

Hotaru checked her watch. "If we hurry, we can catch the next one."

"By the way, my house is a little messy," Atena warned them. "Hope you don't mind."

"Don't worry about it," Usagi reassured her. "It couldn't be that bad."

~*~

Usagi had seen messes in her day (she had, after all, lived with her mother's past self), but Atena's apartment put them all to shame. The aging paint was peeling off the walls, the ceiling in one corner of the kitchen area had collapsed to expose rusty pipes, and piles of paper and garbage littered every surface. Dirty dishes were stacked in the sink, and even larger heaps of laundry covered most of the remaining floor space. Usagi tried not to cringe as she noticed a huge cobweb in the corner of the room.

Just as she was beginning to regret accepting Atena's invitation, a delicious smell wafted in from the oven. "The cake's almost done," Atena, told them, licking her lips.

A thin young woman in a yellow apron emerged from the bedroom. Her long blue hair was tied back with a matching bandana, which had come undone and fell over her eyes as she scurried over to usher them in. "Hey Atena!" she greeted her with a smile. "And you must be her friends! Come on in! Sorry about the mess."

"Thank you," Usagi said, slipping off her shoes and stepping tentatively into the house. "Are you Atena's older sister?" she asked.

The woman burst out laughing, and so did Atena. "No, I'm her mother," she explained when she caught her breath.

Usagi and Hotaru couldn't hide their surprise. "I'm sorry," Usagi apologized quickly.

"Don't be. I'm flattered." Atena's mother re-tied her bandana with one hand as she waved them into the kitchen. "Please have a seat. I'll have lunch ready in a moment." Just then, the phone rang. "Right after I take this call, that is!" She scurried off just as quickly as she had arrived.

"Itokuri-san, your mother looks so young!" Hotaru commented after they sat down.

"That's because she is. She's only twenty-nine," Atena said matter-of-factly.

"Really? But that would mean she had you when she was fifteen!"

"Mmhm." Atena busied herself rearranging a pile of old mail. "My mom fell in love with her high school teacher. She got pregnant, so they eloped."

Hotaru wasn't sure how to reply, so she just said, "Oh."

"Where's your father now?" Usagi ventured after a moment.

"He works in another city, so we don't see him very often. He calls mom every night, though. They still act like newlyweds. It's disgusting." Atena pretended to gag, but she was smiling.

Atena's mother returned. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "You're in luck! I'm cleaning out the fridge. And you know what that means," she said with a wink at Atena.

"All right! LWL sandwiches!"

"What are LWL sandwiches?" Hotaru asked.

"It stands for Last Week's Leftovers sandwiches," Atena explained. "Besides cake, it's mom's other specialty!"

"Oh," Hotaru said again.

~*~

Vesta's blazing whip ensnared a rose monster, quickly reducing it to ash. Behind her, an arc of lightning from Juno finished off two more. But there were plenty more to take their place.

"These guys seem tougher than the ones before," the red-haired senshi noted, falling back a few steps to power up her flame attack.

"Really? I didn't notice."

"Liar." Vesta grinned at the remaining group of creatures. She extended a hand, beckoning them to come at her. And come they did, clawing at her face with their thorny hands. She held them at bay with small bursts of flame, but they were relentless.

A monster's thorny hair wrapped around Juno's arm. Seizing the opportunity, she pulled it toward her, straight into the path of her right hook. The monster fell limp, and she grabbed the vines and swung it around into the group that was threatening Vesta, knocking them all to the ground.

"Enough of this." A spark jumped from Juno's clenched fist. Then another, and another, until a greenish cloud of electric energy surrounded her. "Diamond... Storm!" she cried, and released the pent-up energy in a sudden burst of white-hot electricity.

"Oh, fine, take all the fun out of it. Ember Strike!"

The combined attacks struck the monsters in a huge explosion. Clouds of dust and charred flower petals flew into the air. A few moments passed before Vesta and Juno could see again. When they were sure the danger had passed, they made their way up the road. They turned and walked up a hill for a few minutes in silence. A thick fog filled the air as they climbed higher, until they could barely see their own feet. Juno grabbed on to Vesta's collar so they wouldn't lose each other.

The fog abated as they reached the top of the hill. Around them were the ruins of a magnificent garden. Empty and dry marble fountains, withered plants, and the skeletons of tall hedges were laid out in an eerie maze, a hollowed-out shell that whispered tales of a glorious age long gone by. Beyond, the wreckage of what had once been the Crystal Palace crowned the desolate scene.

"What happened here?" Juno wondered out loud.

She started to move forward to investigate, but Vesta suddenly grabbed her arm. "Wait! There's someone there." She pointed to a crumbling crystal spire on the opposite end of the palace grounds. Sure enough, the shadow of a tall man was visible through the glassy walls.

Never the subtle one, Vesta called out, "Hey, you there! Show yourself!"

He turned slowly to look at them. In a fluid motion he crouched and leapt over the tower, what seemed an impossible distance, and suddenly landed right in front of them. Up close, he was an intimidating figure, and the two girls were immediately on edge. He stood a head taller above Vesta, and wore a long white robe with a hood that covered most of his face. His hands were hidden within his sleeves, which was more than enough to make Juno nervous. His commanding posture and intense, sharp eyes only added to her uneasiness. Whoever he was, he was powerful, and he knew it.

"Who are you?" she asked, since he didn't seem inclined to introduce himself.

"My name isn't important," he replied in a voice clear and cold as starlight. "I'm the one who has just destroyed this city. And now I will destroy you." With no further warning, he released an intense beam of light from his hands.

Vesta and Juno screamed.

~*~

To Usagi and Hotaru's surprise, LWL sandwiches were pretty good. Hotaru had pears, walnuts, and watercress, while Usagi had chicken and a couple of other unidentifiable substances — she didn't want to spoil the meal by asking what they were. Atena had her favorite, a "super-deluxe triple olive sandwich." Usagi watched with morbid fascination as she emptied an entire can of olives onto her plate, then topped it off with olive oil and olive spread.

"I like olives," she said with a nod. Usagi just blinked, dumbfounded.

"Well, enjoy! I'll be in the bedroom if you need anything!" Atena's mother said cheerfully. She stole an olive from her daughter's plate (prompting an annoyed grumble from Atena) before skipping away into the back room.

"Thank you for lunch," said Hotaru, but Mrs. Itokuri was already gone. Hotaru was beginning to see where Atena got her boundless energy.

"Say, Tsukino-san. Did you get in trouble for that language arts test?" Atena asked.

"Well, my parents were disappointed, and Dad said I couldn't go shopping. But I didn't get punished or anything."

Her friend looked relieved. "Atena didn't either! I apologized a whole lot, and mom couldn't stay mad at me."

"But we'll study hard next time!"

"Yup! The future is more important than the past, right?"

Hotaru sighed. "Honestly, you two."

At that moment, a loud crack echoed through the apartment, and a pipe in the kitchen began spewing water all over the floor. The girls jumped up to avoid getting soaked.

"Not again!" Atena's mother cried as she rushed into the room with a washcloth. She tried to tie it around the pipe to stop the gushing water, with only marginal success.

"Say, Atena... maybe you and your friends should find a drier spot to hang out for now," she suggested.

"I know! Want to have a sleepover at my place?" Usagi offered.

Atena's eyes filled with stars. "At the Crystal Palace? Wow! Mom, can I go, please?" She was off to grab her clothes before she even heard the reply.

"Sure, that's fine! Stay as long as they'll have you... I mean, have a good time! I think I'll go call a plumber."

"Shouldn't the landlord take care of that?" Atena said, returning from the bedroom with her bag.

"He's on vacation for the next two weeks." Mrs. Itokuri gave up on the washcloth and picked up the phone. "Eek! The phone book got all wet!"

"Umm... are you gonna be okay?" Atena asked hesitantly.

Mrs. Itokuri forced a laugh. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Don't you worry! Run along now and have fun!" As she spoke, she was shoving them out the door while trying not to make it look like she was shoving them out the door.

"Thank you for the food!" Usagi called as they plucked their shoes from the three centimeters of water that now covered the entryway and rushed out.

There was an awkward silence. Atena scratched the back of her neck nervously. "Please don't tell Garnier-san."

~*~

Calomel slid along the wall, keeping to the shadows as she crept down the dimly lit corridor. At precisely 10.2 meters away from the door, she ducked under the invisible beam that she knew guarded the hallway. She'd discovered rather painfully last time she'd try to sneak in to her brother's lab that breaking the beam would set off a series of blowtorches in the ceiling.

Once she was clear, she made her way down the last stretch, avoiding the electrified floor and the switch that would set off the fire hose. At last, she reached the door. It opened with a turn of the knob. Calomel couldn't help but snicker; after all those elaborate security measures, he'd neglected the plain old-fashioned lock and key.

His latest project sat hidden under a tarp on a stool in front of his dusty, crowded workbench. She didn't dare touch that — it wasn't finished anyway — so instead, she made her way to the back, where he kept his older work.

In the dim light of the single yellow bulb that hung from the ceiling, she could see the glint of heavy armor and ferocious metal blades. This one wielded a scythe, another had a giant hammer for an arm... but these weren't what she was looking for.

Before he had gotten into fuel cells, Pyrolusite had made a foray into steam-powered mecha. His greatest endeavor had been shelved because it had been, in his opinion, too bulky and slow to start.

He'd forgotten that his sister could conjure up enough hot steam to power a small city with a mere thought.

Calomel kissed the tip of her finger, and a little white puff of water vapor formed. With a flick of her wrist, it flitted over to the massive contraption and down one of the numerous pipes that protruded from its back. The sound began imperceptibly, a low rumbling in the ground that tickled the bottom of Calomel's feet. It grew stronger, making the boxes of bolts on Pyrolusite's desk rattle. The robot's eyes lit up as it straightened, life returning to its long-dormant limbs. Calomel had found the controls now, and carefully started it walking. With a rusty creak, lurching one-step forward, then another.

She smiled. This was going to be fun.

~*~

Atena amused herself by bouncing on Usagi's amazingly plush mattress. She was entertaining herself this way because Usagi and Hotaru were currently evaluating the attractiveness of various boys, a pastime in which she had minimal interest.

"Hitoshi-kun is probably the best looking," Usagi said, after some consideration.

Hotaru shrugged. "Sure, he's cute, but I don't like his attitude. I think a polite guy like Julian-san is much more appealing."

"Too bad he's so infatuated with Ibuki Aya." Usagi's expression was distasteful at the thought of the pretty, popular brunette.

"He and Aya? Really?"

"Well, maybe. I don't know what's going on with those two,"

Atena yawned, wondering when they would move on to more interesting topics. Just then, something shiny caught her eye high on a shelf next to Usagi's bed. She stood on her tiptoes to get a closer look. It was a thin, delicate flute made of mother of pearl. The instrument was oddly shaped, curling into a spiral at the end. Atena marveled at it for a few seconds. When she could no longer bear her curiosity, she tugged on Usagi's shirt.

"Hey, Usagi-chan. What's that?"

Her friend looked up in the direction she pointed. Her face suddenly grew wistful. "Oh, that. I got it from Perle."

"Who's Perle?" Hotaru wanted to know.

"A boy I met when I was young. We had a big adventure together."

Atena's curiosity was piqued. Boys in general might be boring, but Usagi's secret untold odyssey with a mysterious person she'd not even told her best friend about was definitely engaging conversation. "What kind of adventure?" she asked.

Usagi climbed up onto the bed and sat cross-legged next to her. Hotaru followed, and Atena smiled, now feeling more part of the group. "We talked for a while and I gave him some cookies," Usagi recalled.

The shorter girl was unimpressed. "You call that an adventure?"

Usagi hesitated, looking as if she were about to tell them something else. But then she clapped a sheepish hand to the back of her head and burst into loud laughter. "Well, looking back I guess it wasn't such a big adventure after all!"

Hotaru glanced sideways at her, a little surprised that Usagi had kept such a potentially juicy secret. "You never told me about him."

"Yeah. I met him the winter before everyone's high school entrance exams. You were a baby at the time." Atena looked very confused. In hindsight, Usagi realized, the statement sounded strange, as Hotaru now appeared to be older than them both. "He had to leave soon after. But even in that short time, Perle and I became good friends. It felt like we'd known each other for a long time."

Atena scrutinized Usagi for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I think she has a fever. Her cheeks are all red, and she's staring off into space."

"I knew it! Usagi-chan has a secret love from the past!" Hotaru declared.

Usagi balked, "I-its not like that!" she insisted.

Atena gasped, realizing the scandalous implications. "Does Helios know about this?"

"Helios wouldn't go prying into my secrets!" Usagi retorted. She turned her back on them and buried her head under the blankets in mortification.

"Usagi-chan?" Atena inquired softly after she had been hiding for quite some time.

"We're sorry. Please come out."

"Can you breathe under there?"

After about half a minute of silence, Atena smiled mischievously. "Let's tickle her."

It did not take long to flush Usagi out of hiding.

~*~

Serenity flopped onto her feather bed with an exhausted sigh. To her relief, the giggling and screeching from the next room had finally subsided to an occasional whisper and the soft rumble of someone snoring (probably Atena.)

She thought Endymion was already asleep, so she was startled when he slid an arm around her waist and buried his face in her hair. "Long day?" he asked.

"Always," she groaned. "First I got a message from Coronis explaining why their delegates didn't show up for last month's summit. Apparently, they got lost because they were using our old Sol-based coordinates instead of the Zero-Star-based ones, never mind that we made the switch thirty years ago, just like the rest of the known galaxy! So I had to explain that to the Phidarans, because of course they refuse to talk with Coronis themselves. Then I find out Venus is getting sued again, I didn't dare ask why this time..." Serenity continued her tirade for several minutes, recounting in detail every stressful incident she'd faced that day and why each one was entirely not her fault. Endymion could only listen patiently, occasionally stroking her hair. Eventually he felt his hand building up a static charge, so he stopped.

"And just when I'm ready to finally get some rest, our daughter springs this sleepover on me! You've spoiled her too much, Endymion! Are you listening to me? Endymion?"

Now he really was asleep.

Serenity glanced wryly at him, pretending to be annoyed. He was lucky that she was so tired, and that he was so warm. She nestled against his chest and drifted off into pleasant dreams.

Her daughter was, at that moment, having a very vivid dream of her own.

~*~

The loud crack of a wooden spoon striking someone's hand echoed across Kino Makoto's apartment. It was followed by a dramatic howl of pain. The other girls, accustomed to the sound, barely glanced up from their work.

"You're mean, Chibi-Usa! What was that for?"

The short, pink-haired girl wagged the spoon in admonition. "Don't open the oven too soon! You have to wait until they're brown at the edges!"

Makoto wiped her hands on her green and yellow gingham apron and stepped in to break up the dispute. "That's right, Usagi-chan. Otherwise they won't bake properly."

Chibi-Usa looked smug. The blonde glared at her, then climbed onto a stool in the corner and proceeded to sulk.

"Stop eating all the chocolate chips, Mina!" Rei complained, looking ready to unleash her own brand of spoon-fu on her gluttonous companion.

"Aww, come on!" Minako protested. "I was just- wow!" She interrupted herself to marvel at Ami, who was busily making flower-like prints on her cookies with the bottom of a glass. "That's a neat idea, Ami-chan!"

Ami smiled softly. "My mother showed me how," she explained. "When I was young, my mom always made cookies to cheer me up when I got discouraged."

"My mom's cakes were something special, too," Makoto recalled. Her eyes grew misty in spite of herself. "That's what inspires me to cook. Although it seems like I can never quite get the same flavor."

Rei gave her shoulder a squeeze, a slight touch of sympathy that needed no words. Makoto took a deep breath and perked up again. "Looks like Chibi-Usa and Usagi's batch is almost ready now!" She armed herself with an oven mitt.

"The sweetest snacks are full of sweet memories," Diana intoned from her perch atop Chibi-Usa's head. Chibi-Usa nodded vigorously in agreement, which unfortunately sent the kitten tumbling to the floor. Chibi-Usa cringed and quickly scooped her up.

"But future happiness is more important than memories," Rei said.

"Yup!" Minako chimed in. "That's why we're here getting lessons! We'll grasp happiness this Valentine's day!"

"Suit yourself," Rei muttered, looking disgusted.

"So if Makoto-sama is a good cook... does that mean she's already grasped happiness?" Diana asked. The others heaved a collective sigh. No one could blame Diana; her reasoning was sound, but the stark contrast to reality was depressing.

"Happiness becomes real while you're chasing it," Makoto volunteered, sounding more sure of herself than she felt. Her friends looked less than convinced. The buzzer on the oven saved her, and she quickly reached in to retrieve the tray.

"It's too bad my mother can only make burnt cookies!" Chibi-Usa complained. Usagi shot her another glare.

As if on cue, Makoto set the piping hot trays down on the counter. Several dozen small, misshapen black lumps were all that remained of what had seemed to be promising lumps of batter. The two would-be chefs were crestfallen.

"I wanted to give them to Mamo-chan, but they're all burnt! This is all your fault!" Usagi wailed.

"What? I was going to give them to Mamo-chan! It's your fault they got burnt!"

"Hey, he's my boyfriend! I should be the one to give him cookies!"

"What does it matter, since you went and burnt them?"

Makoto paused, inhaling the sweet yet earthy scent of freshly baked oatmeal and raisins. "Wait a minute. They still smell all right." She broke a piece off and tentatively put it in her mouth. A second later, her face brightened. "Hey, these aren't bad!"

Chibi-Usa tasted one and nodded in approval. "In that case, I'll take them to Mamo-chan after all!" Wasting no time, she bundled them in a napkin. "Thanks a bunch, Mako-chan!" she called as she skipped out the door.

"Oh, no you don't!" Not to be outdone, Usagi grabbed a handful of cookies and shoved them into her school bag. She jammed her feet into her shoes and ran after Chibi-Usa. Three seconds later, she stuck her head back in the door, said a quick thank-you-and-goodbye, and took off again, shouting a long stream of threats and insults at her future daughter.

Makoto grumbled softly as she realized they had left her with the dishes.

~*~

Unfortunately, for Chibi-Usa, Usagi had much longer legs. Soon enough she overtook the younger girl, and before long, she was out of sight in the distance. Even Chibi-Usa had to marvel at her stamina, considering her usual laziness.

Usagi might have every physical advantage, but Chibi-Usa prided herself on cunning. She cut through a narrow alley, crawled through some bushes, rounded a corner, and emerged on the street a few blocks ahead of Usagi. Dusting herself off, she set off running again, in what she thought was the direction of Mamoru's apartment. After several more shortcuts, she decided she must be miles ahead of her rival and slowed to a walk, congratulating herself for such a brilliant maneuver.

But gradually it dawned on her that the roadway seemed very unfamiliar. In fact, she had never seen any of the buildings before. She forced herself not to panic, and began looking for road signs. At least it was still daylight, and she seemed to be in a fairly nice neighborhood.

She was so caught up in trying to get her bearings that she didn't notice the white haired boy standing in front of a shop window until she ran smack into him.

He turned to look at her with wide gray eyes. For a split second when she looked at him in the sunlight, she imagined she saw a pair of giant, prismatic dragonfly wings sprouting from his back. Chibi-Usa gawked and blinked hard. When she looked again, he was a perfectly normal boy, wearing a perfectly normal red vest, with no wings in sight. Her mouth moved, but no words would come out. He was starting to look annoyed with her.

"Excuse me," she finally said.

He shook his head. "It's all right. Hey, that's a cute kitten you've got there."

Diana mewed happily and nudged him with her nose. He chuckled and obliged, stroking her head. Diana jumped up onto his shoulder and licked his cheek, making him laugh even more. Chibi-Usa relaxed and decided this stranger was all right.

"I'm Tsukino Chibi-Usa," she introduced herself.

"I'm Perle. Nice to meet you." He reached out to shake her hand.

"Are you waiting for someone?" she asked.

Perle shrugged. "My brother is in the store. I'm just watching all the children go in and out. They all look so happy." He smiled as another excited child came bouncing out with an armful of sweets. "This is a nice town. All the mothers look kind and gentle." There was an inarticulate longing in his voice, not the grief of a boy who had lost his mother, but the unaffected curiosity, combined with a touch of envy, of one who wondered what it would be like to have one. Maybe he had never known his family, Chibi-Usa thought. Maybe he and his brother were all alone.

But the mention of mothers and cookies brought her mind back to her own parental woes. "Not my mother!" she scoffed. "She's a selfish crybaby, and she can't cook!"

Perle just blinked, surprised at the outburst. "Do you not like her or something?"

"That's not it, exactly." Chibi-Usa glanced in the window. "Wow, the snacks look really yummy!"

"Mmhm. They're so cheerful, they look like they might just get up and dance!" Perle pulled a slender, oddly shaped white flute from his sleeve and began to play. The melody was light and cheerful, but there was an indefinite hollow eeriness to the sound, like a whisper she couldn't quite understand. She scarcely had time to marvel at the music, though, because a far more astonishing occurrence soon caught her attention in the center of the shop's glossy window display. A gingerbread man stirred and sat up, scratching its head as if awakening from a long slumber. Several gumballs and a slice of baklava arranged themselves into the shape of a woman, who offered her hand to her pastry companion. As Chibi-Usa stared, the desserts began to waltz around on their platter, surrounded by a cloud of rainbow sprinkle butterflies.

"Perle," a low voice came from the doorway. Perle quickly lowered his flute. As soon as the music stopped, the confections dropped and lay still. Chibi-Usa rubbed her eyes, wondering if it had all been her imagination.

An older boy with deep green hair beckoned to Perle. "I've got what we needed. Let's go."

"Oh, that's my brother. Gotta run, see you later!" Perle said, flashing her a brief smile. He waved over his shoulder and then turned to follow his brother.

Chibi-Usa just stood staring for a few seconds. Then, on impulse, she hurried after him. "Wait, Perle!" she called as she caught up to him."

"What's the matter?"

"I, um..." She hesitated, then shoved her bag of cookies toward him. "Here. I want you to have these."

The boy looked surprised, but cautiously took the bag. "Hey, thanks!" he said with a smile. "Let's meet again, Chibi-Usa-chan!" He tucked the cookies into his belt and skipped off after his brother.

"Diana," Chibi-Usa sniffled.

Diana realized with alarm that her mistress had tears streaming down her cheeks. "What's wrong, Small Lady?"

"I've got nothing left to give to Mamo-chan!"

~*~

An ear-splitting crash interrupted Usagi's dream. The all-too familiar sound of alarms rose up around the palace. She jumped to her feet and stumbled to the window in the dark. Along the way, she accidentally stepped on Atena, who snorted and sat up sleepily. Peering out into the night, Usagi could see a huge, dark shape lumbering across the palace lawn. Hotaru was now wide-awake and managed to find the light switch. As the spotlights that hung from the palace walls lit up, the intruder was revealed: a massive black tarantula with glowing orange eyes and legs the size of tree trunks. A sinking feeling grew in Usagi's stomach as she realized it had somehow gotten inside the shields. If it was hostile — which she suspected it was — they were going to have to fight it.

Atena's eyes lit up excitedly. "Wow, cool! Wish I had a camera."

The spider casually crushed the brick wall of the south garden and advanced on the palace. Usagi gulped. "Not cool. It's an enemy!" She looked from Atena to Hotaru, and the three girls nodded in understanding.

Moments later, a bright flash of pink, violet, and cerulean shone briefly from Usagi's bedroom, and three glowing figures leapt down from the balcony. Ribbons of energy wound around their bodies as they fell. They landed, graceful as cats--though one of them, after her experience with a certain hapless feline companion, would argue that the phrase was a misnomer. As their feet touched the ground, one last burst of magical sparks surrounded them, and when they stood, a single, intense beam of moonlight streaked down to illuminate the three freshly transformed sailor soldiers.

Sailor Moon tried not to yawn as they sprinted across the dew-covered grass. Being woken up in the middle of the night, having to fight a creature that quite honestly gave her the creeps, and now having wet toes all put her in a very bad mood.

They intercepted the arachnid assailant just before its forelegs smashed into the palace walls.

"Stop right there!" Pallas commanded. The monster halted and swiveled its head to gaze upon them with eight beady eyes. Moon felt her skin crawl.

"For love and justice!" Saturn declared bravely.

"We are the sailor-suited soldiers of the First Crystal Generation!" Pallas joined in. "The Soldier of Cleverness, Sailor Pallas!"

"The Soldier of Reticence, Sailor Saturn!"

"The Soldier of Dreams, Sailor Moon! And I'm really tired, so in the name of the moon, let's get this over with! Moon Tiara...tiara... oh, crap." She grasped in vain at her forehead, where her tiara should be. Too late, she remembered the last battle they had fought, where Cobalt had caught her weapon and shattered it.

"Watch out, Sailor Moon!" Pallas cried. The monster's powerful foreleg swatted the distressed moon soldier aside. Another pinned her down, and the giant spider slowly turned, preparing to stab her with its deadly fangs.

"Get away from her!" Saturn's glaive flashed as she charged forward to rescue her friend. She meant to chop the leg that was holding Sailor Moon down. But her feet were still numb from sleep, her eyes were still adjusting to the dark, and the wet grass was slippery. Suddenly her feet slid out from under her, and her glaive flew out of her hands.

By sheer luck, the blade did succeed in slicing off the spider's other front leg, and the arachnid staggered to the side, nearly stepping on her. Moon barely escaped, but she was promptly kicked into a wall by one of its seven remaining legs.

Now it was angry.

Pallas tried to avoid the stomping feet while looking for an opening to attack, meeting with minimal success in the latter endeavor. Dark brown fluid spurted from the open wound as it flailed about. Pallas sniffed a drop that had fallen on her hand.

"Oil? It's a machine?" As it came closer, she could see the exhaust pipes protruding from its back and the rows of bolts embedded along the metal plating covering its body.

She didn't have much time to contemplate, because the spider had backed her into a corner of the garden wall. Pallas glanced around, searching for a way out, but the wall was too high to jump and the monster was advancing too fast for her to get around it. The other two senshi were still on the ground, and Moon wasn't moving.

She tried to attack, but scarcely got one arm out before it shot a glob of blue gel from its mouth. The stuff stuck to her wrist and rapidly congealed. It was freezing cold, and Pallas realized it was not a web as she had expected, but ice. She tried to shake the heavy chunk off her arm, but it was stuck tight. Her hand was already losing feeling. Two more rapid shots of ice froze her feet together, and then knocked her to the ground. The ice began to spread across her chest, and she gasped, suddenly struggling to breathe.

Pallas smiled up at the spider in a futile attempt to appeal to its better judgment.

Suddenly, someone leapt from atop the wall and slammed into the monster from above. Caught off balance, its knees buckled and it came crashing to the ground.

"Attacking in the middle of the night! How very rude! I need my beauty sleep."

Pallas would recognize that haughty, feminine voice anywhere. "Ceres!" She waved weakly. Ceres knelt and removed the ice from Pallas body, wincing at the cold every time her gloved hands touched it.

"Thanks," Pallas gasped breathlessly. The two quickly moved away from the robot and rejoined Saturn, who was checking on Moon.

"Glad you could make it," Saturn said to Ceres.

Ceres made a gesture of fluffing her hair. "I like to make an entrance."

"Say, weren't you sick, Ceres?" Pallas recalled, her brow furrowing in concern.

"Well, I assure you that I'm perfectly fine now," Ceres promised. Then she sneezed.

The three senshi formed a wall around Sailor Moon, who was just beginning to stir. The spider was also getting to its feet. Harsh, metallic scraping sounds filled the air and a large cloud of steam rose from the pipes on its back as its segmented legs levered its body off the ground.

"How do we beat this... thing?" Ceres asked Saturn.

"We're working on that."

Sailor Moon stood, trying to ignore her injuries. Still gasping for breath, she leaned on Saturn's shoulder. Saturn smiled as Moon got back on her feet, but she never took her eyes off their enemy for a second.

A hatch on the spider's back opened, and shrill laughter rang out from within. A small hand emerged from the opening. Its owner tried to lift herself out, but slipped and banged into something with a hollow thud. Muttering curses, she gripped the edge more tightly and finally managed to drag herself out. Somehow, the senshi were not surprised to see that it was Calomel.

Dusting off her short blue dress, Calomel perched on the mechanical monster's head and gave the senshi her best intimidating sneer.

"What's the matter, girls? Scared of a little spider?" Calomel covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she laughed, a gesture that might have seemed ladylike if not for her general air of childish rudeness. She pushed the throttle forward, and the spider reared up and charged at the senshi again.

"She's controlling it with that remote," Saturn noted. "Try to knock it out of her hand!"

Ceres stepped forward with hands outstretched, willing her power to focus. But when she opened her mouth to call out the spell, she was suddenly overcome by a rush of dizziness. She wobbled and collapsed.

"Ceres! What happened?" Sailor Moon cried worriedly, rushing to her side.

Ceres coughed. "Perhaps I am a touch ill after all."

"Look out!" Saturn shouted, pushing both of them out of the way of the charging mechanical beast. She and Pallas stood protectively in front of Moon and Ceres as the spider skidded to a stop and turned to face them again.

In spite of her apparent confidence, Calomel was starting to tire. Controlling so much steam was taking more effort than she'd anticipated. Maybe this was why Pyrolusite had decided not to use this particular model. Now she also recalled another problem he'd mentioned, something about a vulnerable spot on the underside. But no matter, she just wouldn't give them a chance to hit her.

She tried to knock Pallas out of the way and reach the two weakened soldiers, but Saturn lunged forward, grabbed one of the spider's back legs, and tripped it. It smashed headlong into the palace wall instead, and got its foot stuck there. As Calomel tried to yank it free, Pallas saw her chance to attack.

"Don't look, you guys!" she warned the other senshi. Silver drops of liquid formed in the air all around her and gathered into a ball in front of her. Pallas flung the ball at Calomel's face, squeezed her eyes shut tight, and shouted, "Pallas Quicksilver Burst!"

A brilliant flash of light momentarily flooded the area, and for a moment, the night sky was as blue as at noon. Calomel screamed and dropped to her knees, her hands over her eyes.

She groped for the remote and pushed another button. "Auto-Attack Mode! Get them!" she commanded.

Red lights flared up along the spider's back. It crouched, then leapt at them with renewed speed and viciousness. Calomel could only hang on for dear life. It was taking all her concentration just to keep supplying the steam the thing demanded. She severely regretted ever having come out of the armored compartment to taunt her opponents, but it was too late now.

Sailor Moon dove to the side, dragging Ceres with her, as the spider fired a volley of freezing globs at her. Luckily, Saturn and Pallas arrived to distract it. Pallas grabbed a large rock and hurled it at the spider's head. It struck the monster squarely in the face, crushing its "mouth." It tried to spit ice at her, but as she'd hoped, the blue liquid bubbled weakly out of the smashed-in opening and solidified in icicles around the spider's jaw, like a jagged white beard.

"Take care of Ceres. We'll handle the monster," Saturn told Sailor Moon. "Let's go, Pallas!"

The two dashed toward the monster in what seemed an insane head-on charge. The spider crouched in predatory anticipation. But at the last second, Saturn veered off sharply to the left and Pallas to the right.

The spider paused, confused by the sudden movement. When it realized what had happened, it began stomping its feet wildly in an attempt to crush the girls. But they were ready and dove under its belly, out of reach. Saturn jabbed the Silence Glaive into a seam in the spider's abdomen and twisted hard. Screws and bolts flew in all directions as she wrenched off a large section of metal plating, revealing the complicated tangle of gears and pistons that drove the mechanical creature.

Pallas was ready. "Blizzard Spear!" she shouted, and launched a sharp chunk of ice straight into the hole Saturn had created. The spider shuddered as the attack smashed into its innards. Calomel tried to turn it around, but it was too late. Fingers of ice crept into every crevice of the engine and spread rapidly, locking up gears and cracking pipes as it expanded. The metal plates of the spider's hide began to bulge and crack off as ice swelled up beneath. Saturn and Pallas scrambled out from under the machine as it collapsed with a tremendous crash.

Saturn jabbed the blunt end of her weapon into the fallen spider's thorax, right between Calomel's feet. Cracks spread out from the point of impact and rapidly traveled along the spider's frozen frame.

"Surrender," Saturn ordered.

"Never," Calomel hissed, pure hatred in her voice. With a snap of her fingers, a blue fog surrounded her, whisking her away. Saturn back flipped away from the spider, and the senshi took cover as it exploded into shards of ice and metal.

~*~

Calomel staggered out of the portal and collapsed to the cold steel floor, clutching her eyes and moaning. Heavy footsteps warned her that her brother was coming. She whimpered and tried to crawl away, but ran headfirst into a wall. She fell, stunned, and lay curled in the fetal position, trembling in terror.

Pyrolusite's voice came from behind her, low and dark, every word sharply enunciated, shaking with barely contained rage. "You went into my lab without permission again," he accused. "How many times do I have to- Calomel?"

He realized something was wrong when she did not argue or even turn to look at him, only groped at the air with claw like hands. He seized her shoulders and spun her to face him. Still she only stared blankly through him. He waved a hand in front of her face, but she didn't even blink.

"Can you see anything?" he asked.

"No."

He released her, and she slumped back against the wall. "The sailor senshi did this to you, didn't they?"

"Yes." Calomel bit her lip. "Pyrolusite, I... I'm scared of the dark."

There was a long silence. She began to wonder if he had left.

When he spoke again, some of the anger had gone out of his voice. But his tone was still cold as he said, "You got yourself into this mess. I have no sympathy for you."

~*~

The next thing Seresu knew, she was surrounded by the soft, warm luxury of feather pillows and blankets. She didn't remember passing out, but she must have at some point during the battle.

"She's awake, you guys," she heard Hotaru say. Moments later, Usagi and Atena's footsteps came thundering towards her bedside.

"Where am I?" she croaked.

"You're in my room," Usagi replied. "We carried you here after you collapsed."

"It seems you pushed yourself too hard," Hotaru said.

Seresu sat up slowly. "Perhaps I did. I suppose that was foolish... what's this?" She broke off mid-sentence as she noticed the sleeping bags strewn across Usagi's floor. "You guys were having a sleepover?"

Atena nodded. "Yup! It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing."

"We decided to come here because the pipes in Itokuri-san's house expl-" Usagi began, then clapped a hand over her mouth when she remembered she wasn't supposed to tell. "Um, I mean, we just decided while we were eating lunch."

Seresu's lip trembled. "And you didn't invite me?" she asked, looking betrayed. "I thought we were friends!"

Usagi didn't answer at first. Seresu's behavior at the meeting had not been particularly friendly, but Usagi knew better than anyone what it was like to feel awkward with her peers, and how one learned to hide that awkwardness with a facade of superiority. She hesitated, caught between the urge to make a retort and the desire to comfort her.

Seresu took her silence as an answer. "Perhaps I was mistaken." She seemed suddenly fascinated with her fingernails.

Then Atena spoke up. "Seresu-chan."

Like water on a wilted flower, the term of endearment roused Seresu from her drooping melancholy. She looked up at Atena with anxious hope.

"I'm glad you're okay, Seresu-chan," said Usagi. Seresu's eyes turned to her, and Usagi was surprised at the desperation she saw in them. Gone was the classy, refined socialite she had pictured Seresu to be. Now she could see a lonely and insecure girl who Usagi realized reminded her quite a lot of herself.

"Let's be friends from now on," Hotaru suggested with a warm smile.

Seresu smiled back. "That would be splendid." She sighed, looking as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Everyone relaxed, enjoying the warm and fuzzy moment.

Seresu made a small sound of puzzlement. Her eyes had fallen on the pearl flute that Atena had left sitting on Usagi's table. "What a lovely little instrument! Where did you get it?" she asked.

"From her boyfriend, uh... Nonpareil," Atena answered for her.

Usagi's fists balled in mock anger. "His name is Perle, and he wasn't my boyfriend!" she insisted.

"So she claims, but she can't say his name without blushing!" Hotaru teased.

"I'm blushing because you're embarrassing me!"

Seresu cleared her throat, and the others looked at her expectantly. "I have determined...," she said, pausing for effect, "that as it is Usagi's heart we're discussing, Usagi knows best."

"Thank you! I'm sitting with her now," Usagi announced, crawling over beside Seresu.

There was a short, tense silence. Hotaru and Atena glanced over at the pink-haired camp, then back at one another.

No one was sure who fired the first shot. But the next thing Usagi knew, she was hit in the face with a lacy pink pillow. She retaliated with a stuffed rabbit, aiming for Hotaru but somehow hitting Seresu instead. Atena grabbed another cushion and jumped into the fray, and soon a no-holds-barred, every-woman-for-herself pillow fight ensued.