Indifference: Rational Madness Part A Black Beyond ~'~ This part is confusing. And it's only half a part, I apologize profusely for that fact, minna. Do not kill me, I implore you. For the fZct it is short and the fact it took so long. ~'~ The heavens roared their fury with crashing thunder and blinding lightning. Usagi listened to it, nodding to herself occasionally. Yes, this all made sense. It made so much sense she didn't understand an iota of it. But she was used t that. She was used to doing things without controlling them or understanding them. Story of her life. There was a word for it... Chaotic peace. There was a silence that had hung over the appartment for days, a silence that came and left with Usagi. After the final battle with Beryl, it was almost like she was too imdimidating to speak to. Something in her eyes, something cold and so sad, that left one speechless the second they saw it. Finally, Jadeite, studiously avoiding Usagi's eyes, was the first to break the looming silence. "Alright, Usagi, Selene, Renity, whatever you want to be called. Spill. Now. Except for major energy drain, that fight... it was easy for you. Why did you draw it out?!" His voice started out at normal and built itself into a yell. Surprisingly, Nephrite found himself agreeing with the blonde gaurdian. "He's right, Ren." "I know you had to have had some type of reasoning behind this, Sere." Zoisite's eyes were almost pleading, his tone unsure. "What was it?" Kunzite was silent, staring at Usagi with silver- gray eyes, his expression closed as they all waited for her response. Usagi waited until the thunder crashed once more before she answered, in a world-weary tone of voice full of regalness and a silver thread of steel running through it that was not her own. "I had no reason." She said, her gray-blue eyes sad. "I had hoped.... hoped that Dolomite was lying. I hoped that Celestite was confused. I even thought perhaps Halite had been tricked." She looked away from them and focused on the murky clouds that darkned the horizen through the window. "I didn't want to believe that Beryl and Metalia had risen forth again." Jadeite flushed slightly and Zoisite sighed. "Renity...." Nephrite didn't know quite was to say. "I know. It was foolish." She smiled forlornly at the clouds. "I wanted to hope someone was merely impersonating her... I didn't want to believe someone... something... actually had the pwoer to ressurect her, after taking sich a loss as Diamond's defeat must have been." She looked at Kunzite. "Whoever did this is still out there." Kunzite said slowly. It was more of a statment than a question. Usagi nodded. "I feel It now." She whispered. "Just before I killer her, I felt it's presence. It's like a whisper of a shadow, but growing stronger. I feel it plotting it's next move." She hesitated. "It knows everything." They frozeat the complications of this, and it seemed like eternity before Zoisite spoke. "What is everything?" "~*EVERYTHING*~." Their stunned silence gave Usagi ample time to walk out the door, eerie calmness in her aura. She, for one of the first time in her strange existance, actually felt serene. It was a strange feeling. Was this how her mother had felt when she realized that, instead of a simple invasion, she was facing Armangedam? When she watched her family and kingdom fall and she knew she had to die t win? Was this that feeling? This utter calm that was full of conflict and yet completely at peace? She looked around at the people in raincoats and umbrellas, struggling against the raging winds and furious downpour. She hardly noticed that the rain didn't touch her as she walked, ridiculously out of place in a pair of too- big jeans and t-shirt, nothing protecting her against the gale, but she didn't care, either. She had no true destination. Just to walk and sort out her thoughts, which were jumbled and yet frustratingly easy to understand. "Usagi? Usagi, is that you?" She was startled out of her reminincing by a familar voice. Who could possibly... "Kuno?" "Usagi, it is you! It's been forever since I've seen you! How have you been? I asked Bulma-san, she said you'd left." "Oh, I'm so sorry. I've been out of the country since I've seen you. I just got back." She said, speaking half-truth. Kuno nodded, taking in Usagi's dry appearence though the woman stood with the rain beating down on her. She also noticed the bruise-like spots of color beneath Usagi's eyes, tousled, loose hair, and weary look. "Yes, that's what Bulma-san told me." She smiled. "You look terrible. Come on, let's get you out of this weather before you catch your death of cold." Usagi followed her old friend into a cafe. "How have you been?" Usagi asked, as they found a booth and sat down. "Quite well, actually." Kuno smiled. "Hori's growing up to be such a rouge. How have you been?" Usagi frowned. "Considering. "Considering, I suppose, I'm a lot beter than I should be." She smiled a galf-smile. "I have a daughter now. She'll be two months old in a few days." Kuno couldn't help but note the wistful tone in Usagi's voice. Although her instincts warned her form it, she asked her question. "Really? Where is she?" Usagi sighed. "I don't know." Kuno gasped. "What? How awful!" "No." Usagi said quickly. "No, I know she's somwhere safe. It's the one assurance I have right now. She's with my..." She hesitated, only slightly. "My family. I can't be near her now, I'd only put her in danger. She wasn't kidnapped, but in a way, I was." "What do you mean?" Kuno asked. "Usagi smiled, looked around at the enarly empty cafe, and then back at Kuno. "Well, it's a long story. But it got more... interesting when I was fourteen. Do you believe in magic?" "I suppose." "Well, it began when this talking cat named Luna told me I was Sailor Moon..." ~'~ The clouds were worrying him. The state of Gohan's mind was worrying him. The ant that was crawling up the wall was worrying him. The fact they'd not heard from Usagi in days was worrying him. The reaction of Chichi was worrying him. What if the ant fell down? It could hurt itself! All that for a guy who'd never worried in his entire life. So it was kind of explanable when he tried to cook. Yes, that was totally and completely rational-- sort of. You do strange stuff when you're worried. But this... "I'm gonna faint." Chichi announced. Somehow, somwhere, (and we're not talking about rainbows, either) Goku had the hidden talent. It had only appeared this once, and the chances were that Goku would build a fission-powered rocket from scratch with legos before he'd do it this again, but... Somehow, he'd cooked a gormet feast that would make the best chef red in shame. Yes, it looked good. Yes, it smelled good. Hell, it even tasted good. Piccolo, who had entered the house behind Chichi, stood with his jaw hanging somewhere around his knees. Goku blushed, toying fitfully, nervously, with his 'KISS THE COOK' apron. "I'm sorry, Chichi. I was so jittery-- I had to do something, and since no one was around to spar with me besides Goten and he had homework..." THUMP. Piccolo and Goku looked down at the presently unconscious Chichi. "Oops." Goku said apologeticaaly. "Did you really cook all this by yourself?" Piccolo asked doubtfully. "Sure did! Want to try the Baked Alaska? Or the sushi? The ginger chicken's a little spicy, but this curry's really good..." THUMP. Piccolo less-than-gracefully joined Chichi on the floor. Goku looked from his wife to his former-enemy-now- friend and shrugged. All that good food couldn't go to waste, and as tempting as the idea was, he couldn't just eat it all by himself. "GOTEN!" He yelled. "Dinner's ready!" Now, if there is one thing that will send a saiya- jin, demi or full, running towards you with the speed of light, it's the mention of food waiting to be consumed. Goten flew down the stairs at SSJ4 speed and stopped as he saw the table and counters and stove full of gormet food. "Who cooked?" He asked, observing Piccolo and Chichi spawled on the floor, stunned expression still legible on their faces. "Oh, I did." Gou said matter of factly, turning the stove off with great concentration. "YOU?! COOK?! I didn't even know you could turn the stove on!" Goten exclaimed, inspecting the food with the air of a man looking for poison. "Oh, I called Videl and asked her." "YOU know how to use a PHONE?" Goten looked at his father suspiciously. "Who the hell are you and what have you done with Son Goku? And..." Goten carefully tasted a perfect truffle, and then devoured a strawberry dipped in white chocolate. "How long can you stay?" "Very funny. Are you going to help me eat all this r what?" "OKAY!" They done into the food, eating with the speed and skill that only one with saiya-jin blood can do and not eat their hands in the process... "OUCHIES!" We stand corrected *sweatdrop*. Videl chose that moment to walk in the door, a look of worry on her face. "When you asked how to turn on thwe stone, I rushed over to keep you from burn..." She trailed off, eyeing the scene before her in a mixture of amusement and shock. "Wait, lemmee guess. You figured out what a knob was and turned the stove on and somehow you took no notice of what you were doing and you were suprised when you saw how seemingly easy it all was and cooked until you ran out of food and then Chichi walked in and saw this and fainted and Piccolo fainted after her and then you and Goten st5arted eating." She took a deep breath. Goten stopped eating long enough to say, "Gohan's right. She's good." Goku nodded, his mouth full. Goten started to laugh, and choked on them truckload of escargo (don't ask) he had in his mouth. Videl grinned, and sat down, grabbing a crescent roll. "What possessed you to cook?" She asked, as the two resumed eating. "You worried about Usagi too?" Goku nodded, emptying a bowl of odangos as he did so. "Gohan barely sleeps. Pan and Bra say he doesn't train, either." Videl sighed. "D'you think she's okay? I... I don't know her as well as you guys do but I think she's a nice person." Goku swallowed the last bit of food. "I don't know, Videl. She'd used almost, if not all, of her energy at once. She's survived it before, but not in the condition she was in..." Videl's eyebrows shot up. "Condition? She was sparring with Gotenks rigtht before the fight. And winning." "She's usually a lot faster than that." Goten said. "She was still partically recovering from having Chibi-usa and Zoisite told me she hadn't been feeling well either." "Do you think she's at least alive?" "I can't sense her, but she might." "I am SO glad to know that you have faint in my ability to survive." They turned to the open door. Selene rolled her eyes, her wings closing behind her and vanishing as she stepped inside and dehenshined. "Usagi?" "No, It's Hecate. Yes, Usagi. Heesh. I spend two weeks recooperating and everyone goes to pieces. How on earth did you survive those three years?" "I helped!" Goten grinned. "I bet." Usagi looked down at Chichi and Piccolo, one eyebrow delicatly drawn up. "Do I want to know?" "No." Videl said. "You probably don't." Usagi nodded. "Sorry I took so long to come back from the brink of death." She said dryly, looking disdainfully at Goku. "Care to bring me up to date?" Only too oblidgingly, Goku jumped into a full, day-by-day, detailed explanation of what had happened since her departure with the four generals, with commentation by Videl and intterruptions by Goten. Usagi rolled her eyes. "Figures. Vegeta locks himself in the G-room, Bulma works herself haslf-to-death, Gohan blames himself, and everyone else runs around like chickens with their heads cut off." "Hey, I do NOT run around like a chicken with my head cut off." Goten protested. "I was cool." "You told Bra you'd go out with her." Videl teased. "I DID WHAT?!" "Yup. And she told Vegeta all about it." "Oh, SHIT!" "And Vegeta wanted to kill you, but Bra got him to agree he'd only kill you if you were a jerk." "Life hurts." "My point is proven." Usagi sighed. "Videl was cool. Piccolo was cool. You, my friend Goten, were not cool." "I'm going to go jump off Mount Fuji. Excuse me." Goten said, walking out the door. ~'~ Carefully, methodically, in the way that only It could be careful and methodical, It picked up the piece of parchement that held It's next plan and ripped it intio small pieces, not bothering to be surprised when the pieces vanished with tongues of blue flame. It picked up a black, hooded robe and meculously slipped it on, placing the hood so that It's face was covered entirely. Not a single bit of skin showed in those shrouds of darkness. It smiled. "Now, Selene. You have faced your nightmares. You have more, so many more, you do know. Perhaps you ponder what one I shall bring to life next? Nephrinia? Galaxia? Chaos? Ail and Anne? Mistress 9? The Pharoah 90? No. Not them, my pretty queen. And I know you heard my words as I speak. No, your last nightmare shall be the one that is deeply embedded within your subconscious, a nightmare Princess Serenity knows of only too well. "Your last nightmare will be me." And it waited. ~'~ "Dare." "Are you sure?" Bra asked, looking at the gleam in Usagi's eye. Who thought the senshi of the moon could be so damn mischeivious? "Hn." Vegeta glared at his daughter. "Dare." "Okay!" Usagi chirped, jumped up, and practically danced to Vegeta, and she whisdpered something in his ear. Vegeta's eyes widened so much they looked ready to explode, and for the first time ever, he flushed a brilliant red. "WHAT?!" "Do it or take the concequences." Usagi said solemnly. "And the concequences are worse." "WORSE?!" "You bet." Jedite mumbled, mournfully. "Kunzite, Vegeta will need the you-know-what that you bought to entertain Minako." Usagi said, looking straight at the silver-haired general. Kunzite kept his face perfectly straight as Vegeta followed him into the back bedroom. Bulma looked at Usagi sceptically. "What did you dare him to do?" She asked. Nearly all of the Z warriors, wives, girldfriends, and children included, were joined at the general's house. Playing truth and dare. So far, it had been very interesting. Understatment. "Oh, I'll tell you in a minute." Usagi said gleefully, staring at the the door the pair had disappeared into. "I'm a genius, you know." They waited. There were sounds of a scuffle. Kunzite steppeed out, slightly disheveled, but really okay. There was a definate grin on his face now. "Presenting, Prince Vegeta, to Lady Bulma." "WHat?!" Bulma gasped, as Vegeta stepped out, looking sullen. Chichi giggled. Goku laughed. Hell, they all laughed. Vegeta stood, in a bright, electric, neon pink, fuzzy bunny suit. With a tail, folks. In his hair was a pair of fuzzy, pink, bunny ears. It was too much for Usagi. She fell over, laughing so hard her face turned blue. Trunks and Goten were smothering their laughter into pillows, also smothering themselves in the process. The four generals did their best to remain stoney faced as the warriors around them also attempted this. All their attempts went to hell when Usagi turned on the music, and stopped laughing long enough to choke out, "And I know you know the words, Vegeta. I heard you singing them." Vegeta's face turned a pefect match for his bunny suit as the music began. Glaring daggers at Usagi, he began to sing, surprisingly good. "I dream of rain I dream of gardens in the desert sand I wake in pain I dream of love as time runs through my--" He looked up in surprise as the music came to a screeching halt. Everyone stared at Usagi, who was trembling. She looked at Kunzite. "Kunzite..." She gasped. "Kronus..." The other three generals were baffled as Kunzite jumped up from his seat on the floor and was at Usagi's side in a flash. He led her outside, murmuring to her in soft tones. "What was that about?" Goten asked. "Who's Kronus?" Chichi added. "I remember something..." Nephrite muttered. "Kronus... the mage..." "He..." Jedite went pale. "Ohmigod." Zoisite gasped. "Far from god." Nephrite said grimly. "WHAT IS IT?!" Pan screeched. "Kronus. The murderer of over half of the House of Serenity." ~'~ Bakimo smiled slyly as she walked silently up to Setsuna's back. She hesitated, just to make sure the senshi of time hadn't heard her, before tapping on Setsuna's shoulder. She jumped, ebfore spinning around, the look on her face furious. "Bakimo! What do you want now?!" She yelled "I thought I would be helpful, this once." Bakimo said. For the first time, Setsuna saw that the other woman looked worried. "I will tell you the name of the Shadow Lord." "The... you mean the one who is bringing our foes back to life? You knew who it was? And you didn't tell me!?" "I am bound by rules. As are you." Bakimo shrugged. "His name is Kronus." An eternity pasted. Setsuna stared at Bakimo in shock. "Not the Mage..." "Yes, it is the mage. And you must be prepared, for his next step." Bakimo sighed. "He will not bring forth the Mistress 9. That was his next plan. No, he plans to use Queen Selene's torment against her. He plans to bring the cause of her troubles to her, and then... everything shalll be chaotic." "Just what he likes." Setsuna spat in disgust. "What will he do?" Bakimo shook her head gleefully. "Now now, Setsuna. That would be against the rules. I can not speak of the plan... directly." She cocked her head, her expression frustratingly blank. "How good are you at riddles, oh great senshi of time?" Setsuna growled in response. "Earth will visit the Sun and the Moon will decide. The moon's daughter will be the key." Bakimo said simply. Setsuna's eyebrow twitched. "That's all?" "That's all." Bakim smiled. "If you think about it, you will see the answer. It is quite simple, really. I just told you his plan and what will happen." "You did not!" Setsuna yelled. "I did too. I am not going to play games with you, Setsuna. I am cruel, but not that cruel." Bakimo smiled. "Think about it. I want to see the Princess Serenity, thought, before the next step is taken. Happy thinking...." Bakimo disappeared. Setsuna did something very out of character. She screamed. ~'~ "The earth will visit the Sun and the Moon will decide. The Moon's Daughter will be the key." Three hours later, Setsuna hadn't got very far. "The moon must mean Selene. The Earth is most assuredly the prince. But who's the Sun? There is no representative for Sol." She rubbed her temples, grumbling as she felt a migrane approaching. "Moon's daughter. Chibi-usa. Has to be. She's the key. But who's the sun? Sun... Sun... Son..." She froze. "Son. Son Gohan. Oh my..." "I was wondering when you would figure it out." Bakimo was suddenly behind Setsuna. "It really was simple, you know. But you are too late. The prince and both princesses have already been warped." "BAKIMO!" Setsuna aimed the time staff at the Michiru look-a-like. "Now now, Setsuna." "Now now nothing! THIS SHALL RUIN EVERYTHING!" Setsuna shouted, loosing her composture quicker than you could say Serenity. "You haven't the slightest clue what kind of fluxes this will set off." Bakimo looked calmly at the senshi of time, and merely smiled her frustrating smile. "There was nothing to ruin, Setsuna. Chibi-usa has never been the Earth's daughter. She has always been the moon. You simply did not See this, Setsuna. You were not premitted to see this. You can cause just as much damage to the way things really must play out just as any time traveller can. Perhaps more so." Sertsuna gripped the time staff tighter, her aim impeccable, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead as she calculated the thousands of complications that the time streams now had to face. "This is the way things must be, Otohime Setsuna." Bakimo shook her head. "You were chosen because you do not ask questions. Now you must follow out on this order. Chibi-usa and Princess Serenity must do this. It is time Chibi-usa knew, and the prince must know also. If you wish Kronus to do the same he did before, then you may go ahead and stop them from meeting with Gohan and Queen Selene. I will tell you how to get to the Z realm." Bakimo's unwavering stare finally made Setsuna, silent tears running down her cheeks, lower her staff. "I will tell the senshi where Chibi-usa and Chibi-chibi- usa and Mamoru have gone." She said, in a quietvoice, and teleported away. Bakimo nodded to herself. "I am sorry, sister. But this must happen. And Kronus... he must not win." She said, more to assure herself than to simply say it. "Queen Selene must do this. It will be her most difficult task in the many that now lay before her." And the shadows shrank away to nothing as Bakimo too vanished, a much diferent destination in mind. Far away, a shadow shrouded man began to map out the next phase of his plan, laughing to himself the while. "Honest deceptions!" He crowed. "Ha!" ~'~ At first, Chibi-usa didn't recognize the house before her. One moment, she had been looking at the palace grounds of Zenious, and the next, she was standing on lush grass, Mamoru beside her, and Serenity, her younger self, in her arms. "Where are we?" Mamoru asked. Chibi-usa stared, open-mouthed, at the huge CC logo printed on the side of the building. "Capsule Corp." She said, finally, when her voice came back to her. "Capsule Corperation, of the Z dimension. How on earth..." "Small Lady." Bakimo appeared a few paces away, her usual smirk gone. "Greetings. Princess Serenity. Prince Endymion." She bowed slightly. "You have been warped here by the Mage Kronus. Small Lady, you know of him. Now, Selene and Gohan and coming this way. Tell them who sent you, and also that I said that secrets are to be revealed. I must go." She vanished before either of them could protest. "Shit." Chibi-usa whispered. "I was NOT supposed to be mixed up in this. Not with Kronus!" "Watch your mouth." Mamoru said automatically, gazing at his surroundings in nothing short of shock. "Ha! I'm sixteen. And if you remembered who Kronus was, you'd be saying worse." Chibi-usa shot back. "And there's Mama... MAMA! MOM!" Chibi-usa shoved her younger self into Mamoru's arms and ran, her odangos flying as she tackled her astonished mother. "CHIBI-USA!" Usagi looked from Gohhan to the girl upon her. "What-- how-- who--" "Kronus, Mama. Bakimo said it was Kronus. She also said to tell you secrets must be revealed. Ohayo, Gohan. Man, you look older!" "So do you." Gohan replied, in a choked, gasp of a voice he didn't recognize. It was so different, seeing her now, now that he knew she was his. "Oh my... Mamo-chan?" Usagi stood up. "And--" She gazed from the baby to the elder Chibi-usa. "I'll call her Rini. For Serenity." She said with a sigh. "Hello-- you're Gohan?" Mamoru said, noting he was the same height as the Z warrior. Gohan took a deep breath before nodding, as Usagi snatched Rini out of Mamoru's arms and held her close. "Oh, Rini. I missed you so much... are you okay? Yes, yes you are. Oh, Gohan, isn't she just adorable? You're going to be very pretty-- see? Just like Mommy." Usagi showed Rini to Chibi- usa, who rolled her eyes. "Oh, great." She muttered. "Well, Mamo-chan, this is Son Gohan. Gohan, this is my father, Chiba Mamoru." Chibi-usa didn't notice the strange look on Gohan's face. "Where's Goten? And Chichi? And Goku? And minna?" "Er... there's people you haven't met yet, Chibi-usa. My wife, Videl, my daughter, Pan.... Vegeta and Bulma's son and daughter..." "GET OUT OF TOWN! When did THAT happen?!" "Long story." Gohan shot a funny look to Mamoru, who was standing in silence, observing. "Trunks and Bra are Bulma's son and daughter." "Where are they?" "Chibi-usa, why don't I take you and Mamo-chan on a tour of Capsule Corp while Gohan tells minna you're here?" Usagi shot a pointed glance to Gohan. "It's been remodeled, you'll love my rooms." Se pushed the pair in the direction of the building best she could and then turned to Gohan. "I'm so sorry." "It's okay, Usagi." "No, it's not. I have to be honest. To them. Mamoru has to know. It's only fair to Chibi-usa... the older one." Usagi hung her head, avoiding Gohan's eyes. "I'll go tell minna not to say anything until you're ready, Usagi." Gohan replued. "It's okay. I understand." "Thank you. You might be the only one that does." ~'~ Mars was spazzing. Spazzing was the only word that Michiru could come up with that fitted the ood Rei was in. She was throwing fireballs and cursing in languages she was sure the fire senshi hadn't learned at the T.A. Private School. Not that Rei waas the only one, mind you. Makoto and Haruka were having fits of their own, and Minako was arguing loudly with the moon cats about ways to resuce the missing royalty. Hotaru was standing back, conversing with an irrated Setsuna frantically, in low tones, while Michiru hersel was trying to help Ami find out where the prince of the Earth and the two moon princess were. She was glad the starlights had left when they'd first warps. Truth be told, she didn't want to deal wioth their reactions. "God damn it, Setsuna! WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY!?" Rei yelled, breaking into Hotaru's conversation. "Calm down, minna. Now." Setsuna sasid. Her voice wasn't the soft, quiet voice they were used to. It was loud and resigned, and the mournful glint in her garnet eyes screamed something was deadly wrong. "The Mage Kronus has returned to this universe." Hotaru said quietly. "He was the one that destroyed the House of Serenity, leaving only the queen and Princes in the Silver Millennium. He has returned to finish the job. He's the one that has been bringing back our foes." At that, everyone shut up. Fast. "WHy Mamoru, then?" It was Minako that asked the fateful question. "Why Mamoru? He's the Princfes of the Earth, not of Serenity, or the moon!" "Because he will be the key to the destruction of the prncess." Setsuna said miserably. "Mamoru?" Haruka nearly dropped her Space Sword. "How?" Rei demanded. Setsuna shot a look to Hotaru, who shrugged and turned away. "Because Chibi-usa isn't Mamoru's daughter." Ami sat down, whether it was relief or grief she couldn't tell. Rei went pale and gaped, jaw slack. Makoto's eyebrows shot up. Minako grinned. Luna fainted. Artemis froze. Haruka laughed. Michiru rolled her eyes. Setsuna sighed. "So...?" Makoto asked. "Who's the father? How did it happen? Are they together? Does Chibi-usa know? Does *Mamoru* know?" "The father is Son Gohan." "Setsuna's not joking." Ami said. "I am not." Setsuna glared at the incredious senshi. "As for how it happened--" Hotaru grinned. "Do we really have to explain that process to you, Makoto?" Makoto blushed. "It happened before Usagi fought Diamond, and they are not together. Goahn is married to his soulmate and he has a daughter, and happily, I might add." Setsuna shook her head. "This will be distasterous. And Chibi-usa and Mamoru don't know yet--" "But they should soon!" Setsuna growled as Bakimo walked by her and up to Ami. "Code: Seventy-two lower case A. K. N." She said simply. Ami looked up at her. "How did you--" "Never mind!" Bakimo danced away and put her arm around a flinching Haruka. "The prince and princess have arrived, fairly safly. How unnvered, I could tell, but I will not." Rei's hands twitched, as though she longed to hold her Flame SNuiper in them. Michiru glared at her look-a-like in great distaste. "Gohan and Usagi are... delaying... the discovery they so tactfully made from Mamoru and Chibi-usa for now, but I am afraid to say that Kronus has already put the next phase of his plan to play." "And that would be?" Hotaru now realized why Setsuna really did NOT like Bakimo. She herself was fighting an urge to use her glaive on the lilac-haired woman. "Oh, it is not important." "YES IT IS!" "Tut tut, Setsuna." Bakimo waved her finger like a mother would when scolding a naughty child. "Temper Temper. Why, I do not believe that reviving Nehelina back from her prision is much to worry about at all." "HE WHAT!?" The senshi screeched as one. "Why, yes. Nehelenia is currently preparing her remlins to attack full scale on the Z diminsion. Kronus has instructed that, as both Beryland Diamond failed to win in a subtle attack, a full army at ionce should to the trick nicely." Setsuna was taking deep breaths, clutching her time staff so tightly Michiru feared it would snap. "You... let... Kronus... bring... back... the... queen... of the... DARK MOON?!?! HOW ON CHARON COULD YOU ALLOW SUCH A BONE- HEADED, IRRESPONISBLE, STUPID THING TO HAPPEN?!" Never had Setsuna screamed like that, not once in her thousands of years of lief. Well, maybe that one time when she walked in on Haruka and Michiru... No, not even then had she screamed that loud. And certainly never had she been so angry. "I've got a lock on Chibi-usa and Mamoru." Ami said, in the silence that followed Setsuna's ourburst, which was full of Setsuna glaring hatefully at Bakimo. "I can open a portal by manipulating their energy signatures, but only four of us can go. We want to send the strongest, and I have to go in order to keep it open and open it again when we have to leave." "I'm going." Haruka and Hotaru both said at the same time. "Who else?" Ami asked. "I will." Rei said. "I wouldn't advise it." Bakimo said. "Why the hell not?" Minako demanded. "You'll interfere, Rei. You're too close to Serenity. If she has to do something.. you won't let her." Hotaru said quietly. "She's changed, a lot." Rei nodded. "I say Minako." Artemis said. "Minako suspected, Hotaru and Ami already knew, and Haruka... is best for a bodygaurd." "I feel loved." Haruka rolled her eyes. "Did you hear that, Michiru? I make the best bodygaurd." "I heard." Michiru was still glaring at Bakimo, who was grinning gleefully at an enraged Setsuna. "Now, Setsuna, you are going to turn yourself hoarse with all the yelling you have been doing lately!" She said. "Now, Haruka. When you meet Vegeta... ignore his taunts, please. He is very arrogant. Minako, you need to go straight to Usagi and make her talk about Kronus... before something drastic happens. Hotaru and Ami... distract Mamoru and CHibi-usa. Don't tell either of them anything you know that they don't. Selene will tell when the time comes." Setsuna walked over to the wall and hit her head on it, and then turned to face Bakimo. "And *THAT* wasn't giving away the future?!" "Of course not. They just needed instructions. You can find loopholes, Setsuna. If you do not tell them what is going to happen but tell them how to deal with it, it is completely okay." Bakimo smiled an odd smile. "You will all need to transform. You will be transported instantly by that warphole, landing approximately four hundred meters south of Capsule Corp. So go north." Bakimo walked away... through the wall. "Mercury Crystal Power, Make up!" "Venus Crystal Power, Make up!" "Uranus Planet Power, Make up!" "Saturn Planet Power, Make up!" After they had said their goodbyes, Mercury instructed them to form a ring, holding hands. "Okay, this is it--" They vanished. Rei sighed, "Good luck. You'll need it."