Chris Davies <cdavies@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca>


                           Panorama Interlude X:
                                  Tense

"They say that time is the fire in which we burn."
-- Soran, "Star Trek:  Generations"

	"When the time comes, you will," I say as I begin to walk out the
hole in the wall that we make.  I turn back to look at her, for just a
moment, favoring her with the ghost of a smile.

	And I start back up passage that Uranus and Neptune carve through
solid rock, putting aside my thoughts of the formidable Raye Hino (she
blocks me, and no one ever blocks me, EVER) to focus on the immediate
problems facing us.

	It is an odd feeling, thinking in the short term.  Always before,
I am most concerned with the long term effects of the actions of others.
Even now, it is easy for me to slip into a mode of thought where I can
tell myself that Serenity is physically undamaged, that Endymion recovers
from his injuries shortly, and that they go on, bear Small Lady, and bring
about That Which Must Be Brought About ...

	But it is also easy -- so, so easy -- to fall out of that mode of
thought.  To worry about the emotional damage to the strange woman-child
who had caused me so much trouble over these brief moments in the cycle of
eternity.

	So much trouble.  So much joy.

	<First Serenity, then Venus, now ...>

	None of them ever dare to defy me in the ancient days.  For I am
Pluto, and my word is law, except to the most powerful of the godling
rulers of the Silver Millenium.  And even Serenity, Ourannos, and
Rheannion can not stand against me alone.

	Now, I am Pluto still.  They respect me.  But they do not fear me.

	And I do not know how I feel about that.

	I finally catch up with Uranus and Neptune just as they arrive in
the cave in which we had left the Scouts.  Saturn is gently treating a
burn on Jupiter's arm, and Venus regains consciousness.  She glares
at Neptune ferociously.  "Court martial," she hisses.

	Neptune doesn't even bother to look back at her.  "Pluto, could
you take whatever you put on Serena off now?"

	After Uranus gently sets her down, I gently press a certain point
just under Serenity's jaw.  Her eyes come open, blearily.  "Warez ...
Raye?" she mutters.

	"She is ... she's taking care of things," Uranus says, her face
twitching at the lie.

	"Ogay."

	"Uranus.  Neptune."  Venus' voice is harsh.  "You violated my
orders.  I am turning you over to Serena for trial, as soon as she's back
up to ..."

	"Wha?" Serenity inquires.

	"Never mind, Serena, not important right now," Venus says too
quickly.

	"Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, and I ignored some orders that Venus
gave, Serenity," I state calmly.  "You have to decide if we were right to
do so."

	"But that can --"

	" 'M sure you did the right thing, Puu ..." Serenity mutters, and
I control a flush at her use of Small Lady's name for me.  I think I hear
Neptune *giggle*.

	"So you elect to pardon us?" I ask.

	"Uh-huh ..."

	Venus appears to be on the edge of a conniption fit.  I consider
reminding her that she doesn't want to be the leader ... but that is too
cruel. Still, it is necessary to take some of the wind out of her sails
...

	And then it happens.

	Princess Mars' mother, Anhur Khan, uses the Mars Eternal Flame
only once, at the very end of her life -- and then it is the benign aspect
of the ultimate expression of fire, as she gives her own life to restore
that of an innocent whom her troops slay during a rebellion.

	I feel her soul tremble under the burden of that much power, and I
can never forget it ... and she has borne the flame for vastly longer than
Mars has, in either life.

	Even the others sense it, Saturn most of all.

	Nine seconds ...

	The flames die, and I let out a sigh of relief.  She has not
killed herself to ...

	The flames surge up again, for a fraction of an instant.

	It is rare for me to encounter that which I do not understand.  I
never enjoy it.

	"What ... what was that?" Jupiter gasps.

	"Do not follow me," I tell them, and head down the tunnel at a
run.  The air is thick with smoke, but I move swiftly, and yet when I
arrive her heart has already stopped from the shock of Jadeite's final
attack, and her brain has begun to die.  No.

	I increase my pace, and I arrive just in time to see her final
exhalation of breath.  No.

	I increase my pace again, and I arrive just in time to take her
into my arms and feel her heart give out, and No.

	I am running at a pace that would leave our Princess in the dust
as she makes her daily dash to her classes, and as I burst into the
chamber, I channel every reserve of energy I possess into easing the pain
of her traumatic injury, preventing her from slipping from the bliss of
unconsciousness into the depths of shock, and stopping the minute bleeding
that she has experienced.

	When I am certain that Mars will not die immediately, I turn my
attention to other affairs.  Jadeite, First General of the Dark Kingdom,
is truly dead now ... as he ought to be, save that someone is hiding his
continued existance.

	It is obvious who that someone is, of course, but as yet, her
interference must go unnoted.

	And then I see it.  The tiny fleck of eternal darkness that is the
Dark Crystal goes dormant once more, as it does after Zoisite dies, and I
can touch it without feeling its plea to be used.  That is the danger of
willful artifacts such as this -- they cry out to be used.

	A moment later, and the force that would have come to gather the
Dark Crystal to her arrives, and finding nothing, departs to be punished
by her.  It is instructed to destroy any present, as well.

	But I twist time and space to my will, and am outside the hospital
when that happens.  A flicker, and I am dressed in torn garments
appropriate to a survivor of an automobile wreck, as is she.  A handful of
believable injuries are easily induced -- I have known most of them, at
one time or another.

	I stagger into the lobby, and cry out for aid.  It comes, swiftly,
as does a certain doctor whom I prepare for just such an emergency -- he
does not know who or what I am, but he knows that he is obligated to me in
many ways, and will not ask unpleasant questions.

	As she is taken into the emergency room, I consider the automobile
wreck.  It will not be an easy task to fake.  But there are ways, and one
of the reasons that I have chosen this particular hospital as our last
resort is its proximity to a stretch of rarely traveled highway.  My alibi
for being with Mars is also fairly easy to fabricate -- her public near
breakdown in the church, earlier today, will serve nicely as an excuse, as
will my usual role as a counsellor to youth.

	An overly persistent nurse insists on performing first aid on my
injuries, and to complete the cover I agree, counting the minutes.
Finally, I am released.  Stepping into the washroom, I undo the effects of
the treatments, and heal the injuries in the blink of an eye.  It is
painful, but I am used to pain.

	Another spacefold brings me back to the cavern in which the others
are resting.  Jupiter lets out a gasp of surprise as I suddenly
materialize, but I ignore her.  "Mars has been gravely injured --" I
begin.

	"WHAT?" explodes Serenity, who has recovered sufficiently under
Saturn's care that she is both able to stand and only being held back from
heading down the tunnel by Uranus.

	"-- however, she will be all right," I insist, bending down to
look at Saturn, who is slumped against the wall of the cave, with dark
circles under her eyes.  She manages a small smile.

	"Who was responsible for this?" demands Venus.

	"Jadeite," I reply calmly, letting a small amount of my power flow
into Saturn so as to replenish her reserves.  I am startled to realize
that there is already a small amount being added from another source.  A
quick look at Mercury confirms it when she looks away from me.  Yet
another one who bears watching.

	"Jadeite?" Jupiter asks.  "But ... didn't he get killed?"

	"Obviously not," I reply in my driest tone.

	"I want to see Raye!" Serenity cries.  "She ..."

	I hate myself a little more as I know what I must do.  "What about
Darien?" I ask mildly.  "Don't you want to see if he's feeling better?"

	The look on the Princess' face is one of utter horror.  "Darien?
What happened to him?"  She looks at her defenders, none of whom can meet
her eyes.  "Where is he?"

	"Jadeite did him injury, Princess.  He has been in the hospital
all this while."

	She immediately starts racing up out of the cavern, towards the
video arcade above this place.  She stumbles several times, but doesn't
pause to heed those who have followed her.  I gather Saturn up into my
arms, and feel the cold eyes on me.  I turn to meet Neptune's gaze
neutrally.

	"You had no right to do that to them," she says, barely holding
back her anger.  I need not ask which them she refers to.

	"I made my decision," I explain unnecessarily, "by considering
what Mars would have wanted."

	I do not lie, exactly.

	As I touch her essence, I glimpse the entirety of the heart and
soul of	Raye Hino, she who is Mars.

	And I know that she would want the two she loves most to be
together, to draw strength from each other as they always do, even if she
is left alone.

	I know her heart.

	For it is very like my own.

	And I go on, hated and hating, bearing the burden ... 

	Ever and always ...

Author's Notes

	This one's for John Carp.

	This story, needless to say, takes place during the events of
"Celebrations".  Thus, its place in the Panorama Interludes is uncertain
... hence the "X".  When I get up to the right place, it will be given a
proper number.

	Sailor Moon was created by Naoko Takeuchi and brought to North
America by DiC.  This story, while incorporating elements of a motion
picture held under copyright by others, is copyright 1997 of Chris Davies.

	Nobody sue me okay?

Chris Davies, Advocate for Darkness, Part-Time Champion of Light.
"Damn it all, how am I supposed to sit here and wallow in self-pity and
disgust with all this racket going on?" -- Yuusaku Godai, Maison Ikkoku.
http://www.ualberta.ca/~cdavies/hmpage.html