The Ghosts of Dreams We Left Behind

By

Crawlspace

Chapter Five: Tell Me a Secret

It was a pretty morning, a light breeze slowly tumbling cottony white clouds through a pale blue sky.

He should be staring out a window this morning, thought Michiru sadly as they approached the shrine where the service for Masanori was being held. He should have a sketchbook in his lap and carbon on his fingers while he dreams.

Piled in the back seat of the car, Usagi, Chibi-usa, and Hotaru were being unnervingly quiet. Chibi-usa's head rested on Usagi's shoulder, and occasionally the older girl would whisper a condolence.

This was not where any of them should be today.

Haruka brought the car to a stop, then reached over and laid a hand over Michiru's. "Here we are," she said quietly.

Michiru nodded and watched as several black-clad mourners made their way under the ornate red arches to the shrine's entrance. Her fingers carefully gripped the small envelope they held, her thumb playing unconsciously along the black ribbon wrapped around it. They were all waiting for her, she realized, and she gave Haruka a sad grin.

She led them inside, bowing politely to the trio of greeters. An aunt and Masanori's grandfather she found out as she introduced herself, and an uncle who stood behind them recording the names of those paying their respects. All three looked tired, and the grandfather's eyes were rimmed in red, though his voice was steady as he accepted the envelopes she and Usagi offered along with their condolences.

Chibi-usa and Hotaru slowly wandered away from their parents, coming to stand in front of the altar that had been set up at the far end of the room. A small shrine stood in the center of the altar, flanked by white lilies and sprigs of summer green. Incense sticks burned beside the flowers and a picture of Masanori in a pale, formal kimono smiled back at them. Chibi-usa sniffled as she felt Hotaru's warm fingers wrap around hers.

A girl of about 13 or 14 came up quietly beside them and helped them each to light an incense stick, while an elderly woman watched them closely from her chair a few feet away. The girl was Masanori's sister, Jenai, Chibi-usa recalled, though she'd only met her once in passing. The girl wiped a hand across her eyes, then inclined her head at a small statue of a dragon in flight that rested beside the picture on the altar.

"That was the last piece he finished," she said softly, almost to herself. She smiled as her eyes filled with tears. "He loved it so much, because he said the creature was a dream set free. Then his imagination saw something else that he loved even more. I never got it, how he could look at a rock or a pile of dirt and see… whatever it was he saw. I teased him about being a crazy mad genius, and he'd stick his tongue out at me." A few tears fell down well-worn paths on her cheeks. "But then he stopped. He was working on something that he was so excited about and he just… stopped. I took him to the park, and once to the lake, but he just looked sad. Said he couldn't see it anymore. I should have known," she said, her voice cracking on an angry note. "I should have known."

"It was the demon," broke in the elderly woman from her chair.

Chibi-usa's eyes went wide in surprise at the sudden claim, but Masanori's sister only hung her head and sighed. "Grandmother, please don't," she muttered.

"She stole his soul," went on the old woman, her cane striking the floor sharply as she rose from her chair and walked towards them. Her movement attracted attention more than her hoarse voice, but she was upon the children before anyone thought to stop her. "It was the demon," she repeated as a withered hand grabbed Chibi-usa's arm weakly. "That green-eyed devil, she stole his soul!"

Chibi-usa tried to step backward as Jenai began to call frantically for her father. As frail as the old woman's grip was, it held the small child in place, her brown eyes clouded as her voice rose in volume. Then Usagi was there, grabbing Chibi-usa from behind to try and pull her away. Those old eyes lit upon the blonde, then landed on Michiru. A smile born in the haze of her dementia touched her lips.

"You. You know," she said, and would have taken a step in Michiru's direction if her sons hadn't been there. They took hold of her arms as she tried to point a shaking finger at Michiru. "The demon!" she called again as they began to move her from the room. "You've seen her! She stole his soul! In the depths of that hell we sent him into, that green-eyed devil stole him from us! She killed him!"

Her ravings became muffled and finally stopped as she was pulled into another room and a door closed. The room stood in stunned silence, slowly becoming murmurs and soft, almost gossipy whispers. A quiet sobbing punctuated it as Masanori's mother cried into the shoulder of another woman who looked lost at how to comfort her. Usagi held tightly to Chibi-usa as Hotaru leaned closely into Haruka's side.

Haruka put one arm around her daughter and laid a hand on Michiru's shoulder. Her partner's eyes were narrowed and still staring after the shadow of the old grandmother.

"Please forgive her," begged Masanori's aunt as she hugged her niece. "She's been ill for quite some time and all of this has taken her to a point she doesn't seem able to come back from. We apologize." She bowed deeply. "Kaioh-san, Masanori admired you greatly. His parents are honored that you and your family have come to pay your respects to him."

Michiru shook her head and smiled kindly. "There's no need for apologies," she assured the woman. "He was a kind boy. He brought me flowers once," she offered, then bowed politely before the aunt led Jenai away from the stares and whispers.

Haruka let out a slow whistle. "That was…"

Michiru shot her a reproachful look.

"Well how else would you describe it?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know," answered Michiru as her hand found Hotaru's. "But you know as well as I do her outburst isn't coincidental. It shouldn't be dismissed by us as easily as it will by others."

"I know," replied Haruka. A priest began to try and settle the crowd, to restore some kind of peace before he began the service. "When we're done here."

Michiru relented, then moved in for a rare public hug. She rested her head against Haruka's shoulder and let out a low sigh, finding comfort in her partner's warmth. It was a beautiful day outside, her mind recalling the blue of the sky and the sound of the birds. It was the only kind of day it should be for them to say good-bye to her little lost love.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Minako sat cross-legged on the grass and stared hard at the tree in front of her. Every now and then, a warm breeze would rustle the leaves, but she heard nothing. She couldn't divine an answer from the elements the way Rei could. She couldn't sense an unhappy ocean or decipher graphs and numbers on a computer screen like Michiru or Ami.

She frowned. She couldn't do any of those things. But as much as it annoyed her, she knew she wasn't supposed to be able to. Her job was to put all of those things together to create the full picture. She was supposed to focus them, to make sure each individual piece was as solid and strong as the whole. She was supposed to lead.

"I thought I was," she said to the tree. "I thought I was doing it right."

Her answer was silence as an ant crawled across her bare toe.

Again she sighed and went back to staring at the tree, the symbol for Jupiter that she'd tacked onto the trunk refusing to give her any of the answers she'd come out here to find. She wondered what time it was or if Michiru and the others had gotten back yet. They needed answers. They needed to focus.

Footsteps began approaching from several yards behind her. As they slowly moved over the grass, she looked back over her shoulder and saw Setsuna. The woman seemed almost tentative as she came to a stop behind her.

Minako turned back to the tree for a silent moment before slowly standing to greet her guest, the smile she usually wore noticeably missing. "Hello," she said quietly, her arms crossing over her chest.

Setsuna inclined her head. "Good morning. I don't mean to interrupt," she added, seeing the symbol and understanding this was the tree that represented their former leader.

Minako shook her head. "It's okay. She doesn't want to speak to me today, I don't think. Have you heard from Michiru?"

"No, not yet." Setsuna hesitated, then looked down and took a deep breath. When she looked back up at Minako, there was a distinct embarrassment behind her hesitancy. "I came to speak with you… to apologize. My personal reasons aside, I was out of line in how I spoke to you the other day, both as my commanding officer and my friend. You didn't deserve my ire, and I wish to ask forgiveness."

A slight smile touched Minako's lips. "You're forgiven, though you know I'm going to ask and expect some kind of real answer this time."

Setsuna sighed, having expected as much. "I am in a position I knew I would find myself in, but that I am apparently not prepared for. Hotaru has begun to ask questions. She remembers her past life clearly, but lacks context for most of it. We are both confused by it and there are a lot of memories I find I don't want to relive, even for her."

"So that's what it is," replied Minako. "I thought I felt some tension there, and that would do it." She turned back to the tree as its branches swayed lazily. "It's not easy remembering sometimes."

Stepping up so they stood side by side, Setsuna studied the old tree. "It does have a certain quality that is reminiscent of her. Do you still see her frowning at you?"

"Yeah," answered Minako unhappily. "She's still unhappy with me." Then a small box found its way into her line of sight and she blinked. "What's that?"

"A gift for my friend," replied Setsuna, a hint of a smile appearing as Minako took the slender box from her. "To go along with the apology to my leader and perhaps to help erase the image of Aria frowning."

With great curiosity, Minako lifted the lid from the box and moved aside the tissue paper. Wrapped up inside was a six inch glass square outlined in shiny black. Without conscious thought, Minako found the tiny power button that sat flush against the frame and nearly cried at the image that appeared. Against the backdrop of the palace courtyard, Aria laughed, her auburn hair loose and falling in waves around her uniformed shoulders with green eyes twinkling in merriment. The picture had spent years on young Venus' nightstand as a way for her to say goodnight to her beloved Jupiter when she was away on the queen's business. When Venus was grown, it became a favorite link to her fallen mentor and foster mother. A reminder that Aria had spent most of her life smiling and happy.

"Where did you get this?" whispered Minako. "How did you get this?"

Setsuna grinned. "I am forbidden from altering the time line or acts of direct interference. Simply observing or quietly revisiting the past has never seemed to give the Goddess cause for concern. Perhaps she gives me that as a reward for my service." Then her smile changed to something somewhat self-congratulatory. "I promised Serenity I would never let her kingdom die. This may be another planet with different customs that we're standing on," she continued, just a hint of the dark emotion from their last conversation unintentionally showing through, "but it will be the Moon Kingdom Usagi rules over, regardless of what we call it. You will be amazed by the antiquities museum and history collection when they're completed."

Minako's eyes widened, and then she laughed. She wasn't going to argue with any of Setsuna's points simply because she had no way to right now. Instead, holding the picture against her heart, she said with genuine sincerity, "Thank you. I never thought I'd have a way to really see her again, and this means the universe to me. It still hurts, you know? More than it should since we're different people in a different lifetime. But it's gotten a lot harder to separate who I was then with who I am now. Those old memories actually feel like mine now rather than me just knowing about things someone else did a long time ago."

She held the picture back out so they could both see it and her lips quirked in contemplation. With a touch of sadness, she went on, "I want Makoto to remember so badly sometimes, just because no one should forget when they're loved that much by someone. But then I remember what it was like when I saw all of you standing over Aria's body in that corridor… Maybe it's better she doesn't remember." She shuddered, sudden tears burning her eyes. "The first time I remembered that in this lifetime – I mean really remembered, not just the pictures in my mental history book, but what it was really like – I thought I would die. I was 13 years old, had never been through someone dying and certainly never been in any kind of real battle. War was a TV show where no one actually bled when they were shot, and Sailor V was still stupid pointless fun, just me knocking bad guys on their butts and striking a cool pose afterward. But I was walking home with Artemis, and I could smell something burning. And then I was there. I could smell the ozone and the burning flesh, the blistering heat in that corridor from the damage she had done and the bitterness of the ash as I tried to breathe, and then the metallic taste of blood that lingered in the air… Artemis got me into an ally before I started to throw up. I don't even remember getting home, but I slept with my parents for almost a week until Artemis made me stop. He said they knew something was really wrong, but I didn't care. I just wanted the nightmares to stop." She shook her head. "And that was all just from me seeing the aftermath of what happened to her. Makoto actually saw it happen. I don't want her to go through that again."

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder as she gazed at the picture, and Minako continued, "I wish I could pick and choose what she remembers so she'd just remember this. Just her sister when she was happy, and the way she read us bedtime stories and took us camping on the training arena when we were little. Just the good stuff so she isn't hurt anymore."

"When she does remember," said Setsuna softly, "she'll have you to remind her of those things. We won't let her be hurt this time the way we did before."

Minako nodded, once again hugging the picture to her.

"However," went on Setsuna, "this does bring me to something of a favor I must ask you in regards to your gift." Minako tilted her head in question, and Setsuna went on, "While I am not expressly forbidden from this activity, I would prefer not to broadly advertise it. If this is a reward, it is a tenuous one and something I deeply cherish. I do not want it taken away, and would therefore ask that you keep this a secret between us. The picture is meant for you, and only for you."

Minako grinned in understanding. "I won't tell anyone. I promise." Then, in a moment of spontaneity, the blonde threw her arms around Setsuna's waist and hugged her tightly. She felt the other woman tense in surprise for a moment, but then she relaxed and returned the childish embrace. "Thank you," Minako whispered, earning a heartfelt smile.

From the overlook above the gardens, Rei chuckled. "I wonder if that means she figured things out and they won't be slamming doors anymore," she murmured to herself.

Her communicator interrupted her amusement and she pulled it from the pocket of her dogi. Haruka's face appeared, and the first words out of the blonde's mouth were, "You really need to get a cell phone."

Rei smirked. "In spite of Luna's disapproval, I'm not going to pay for something I already get for free." Then she sobered a bit. "Is the service over?"

"Yeah," answered Haruka, sounding suddenly weary. "The grandmother's crazy, but Michiru thinks there may be more to it than that. They're all kind of shaken by it, though. Odango and the kids."

Rei sighed. She knew she should have gone with them, but one sensitive had seemed like enough. And Michiru had actually known the boy. "Setsuna's already here. Do you still want to come by?"

Haruka shrugged, then looked over her shoulder. She nodded in response to whatever was said to her, then turned back to her communicator. "Michiru says yes. Wants to get it over with."

"Okay," answered Rei. "I'll call Ami and Makoto."

"Hey," Haruka threw in as an afterthought. "What's Setsuna doing there? She ran off this morning without saying anything to anyone."

Rei grinned as she watched the woman try to pry an evilly grinning Minako from around her waist. A threat was issued, and Minako let go, feigning contriteness. Setsuna wagged a finger at her causing Minako to hold up a small box and bow quickly several times. Both women wore wide grins, and Setsuna appeared to be holding back a laugh.

"Whisper session," replied Rei with a chuckle.

"Huh?"

"Never mind," returned Rei, waving it off. "Just come on and ask her when you get here."

The communication ended and Rei started walking towards the other two, waving to get Minako's attention. The blonde waved back, and she and Setsuna moved forward to meet Rei so they could go back to the house and wait for the others to arrive.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Their meeting that afternoon had been brief and somber. Michiru relayed the details of their encounter with Masanori's grandmother, and Minako agreed it was too coincidental to ignore. But how to go about asking a mourning grandmother, crazy as she may be, about the invisible demon who had killed her grandson?

The final solution became a consolidation of ideas that would get answers but prevent the action from being traced back to them. Luna and Artemis agreed willingly to speak with the grandmother, because who would ever believe that a couple of talking cats walked in through a window to ask questions about a green-eyed demon? Either she would accept them in her world of hazy reason or they would have to make a hasty retreat before being scooped up as trespassing strays.

They would wait several days, out of consideration for the family and to give the visiting relatives a chance to go back to their lives. Then the cats would go in late at night with one of the communicators so the group could hear and questions could be relayed. Details of the operation were worked out and after a bit of friendly lingering everyone said their good-byes.

Alone in their room, Rei grinned as she watched Minako brush her hair after her shower. Some bit of weight had been lifted from Minako after her talk with Setsuna earlier in the day. Curiosity tickled at Rei, because she still hadn't found out about the conversation or what was in that box, and she hadn't had a chance before now to ask about it. "So… you and Setsuna got things worked out, huh?" she asked casually.

Minako nodded, setting her brush down on their shared desk. "I think so, at least to a degree. I do have a better understanding of why she's been the way she has lately." She let out a small sigh. "This has all just been really bad timing."

"Story of our lives," huffed Rei. "Even for Setsuna." Then she grinned and pointed to the folded up paper still sitting on the edge of the desk. "So why Mako-chan? Did she help you figure it out or did you just want to glare at her effigy all morning?"

Minako glanced at the paper that hid Jupiter's symbol in its folds and chuckled. "I wasn't trying to glare at her. Just thinking really hard. And it wasn't Mako-chan. It was the Jupiter before her." Blue eyes became soft with the memory and her mind focused on the smile Setsuna's gift had given back to her. "I know you don't remember her, but she was in command of the guard before we took over. I spent a lot more time with her than the rest of you did, because of circumstances, and she was the one person I as Venus always wanted approval from. Sometimes I try to ask her for help… and to see if she thinks I'm doing it right when I do find an answer."

"You're doing it right," said Rei matter-of-factly. "As much as she may have meant to you in that other life, you don't need an old memory to tell you that. Aino Minako, who is currently Sailor Venus and the leader of this motely group, is excellent at what she does even when it seems like we're faltering a bit. And she has all of us - she has me - here to help her when she needs it."

A wide smile broke out on Minako's face. She moved over to the bed and draped her arms over Rei's shoulders. "And I couldn't ask for better. I love you."

Rei's arms wrapped lightly around Minako's waist. "I love you, too." Her grin turned mischievous. "So… do you love me enough to tell me about what was in that box Setsuna gave you?"

Surprise flushed Minako's face. "You saw that?"

An eyebrow arched, and Rei's playfulness turned a touch defensive. "I was looking for you and didn't know she was here. I saw her give it to you and was wondering what was in it, since you were teasing her so much after she gave it to you."

"Oh," replied Minako, her eyes falling for a moment. Then she smiled again and met Rei's gaze. "It was just a little something meant as an apology for the way she was the other day when I went to see her. Nothing much worth mentioning."

Rei blinked, silently asking, 'So… what is it?'

Minako sighed, and even though she didn't like the way the words sounded in her head, she let them fall from her lips anyway. "I promised her I wouldn't tell. I think she might be embarrassed by the sentimentality of it."

Not really sounding like she meant it, Rei answered, "Okay, if you told her you'd keep it a secret I don't mind." Then her arms tightened around Minako and she pulled them down onto the bed so Minako was on top of her. "But for the rest of the night, the only whisper sessions you're going to be having are with me."

Minako giggled, then brought her lips down to meet Rei's.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Kaya held her car keys in a tight grasp and brought them to the ignition… only to let them slowly fall, once again, to her lap. She closed her eyes and sighed. She had come with the intention of laying out Fredrick's findings for Setsuna to explain. She had come unannounced because she didn't want to give any time or warning for excuses or cherry-picked explanations. She had not come here to sit in the driveway for 30 minutes, paralyzed by indecisiveness over whether or not she really wanted to know more about this mess her original need for answers had created.

A sudden, quick knock on her window startled her. Keys dropped to the floor as an undignified yelp escaped her lips. The polite smile Setsuna greeted her with only served to make the situation worse, and her cheeks reddened slightly.

"Good evening, Meioh-san," Kaya began evenly as she opened the car door, her professional mask slowly falling into place.

"Good evening, Mizuno-sensei," returned Setsuna, her guard raised even more by Kaya's tone. "You've been out here for quite some time. I apologize for not coming out sooner to see what the problem might be."

Kaya shook her head. "No, no. I should be the one to apologize for my hesitancy in announcing myself. I realize today must have been difficult for your family, and at the very least I should have called before coming over."

Setsuna inclined her head, tacitly accepting the required apology before getting to the point. "And what is it I can do for you this evening? It must be important or, as you said, you would not have come unannounced."

The grip Kaya had on the briefcase she had pulled from the passenger seat became white-knuckled. "Could we go inside and speak privately? You are the one I was hoping to speak with tonight. I have some… information… that I was hoping you could clarify for me."

The polite smile Setsuna wore faltered, but she nodded and led them into the house.

Things were quiet as they made their way to Setsuna's study. Kaya had never been in their home before, but in her mind she associated certain sounds with this family. Tonight, though, there was no music or blipping video games. The halls were empty of running footsteps and a child's laughter. The silence lent an oppression to things she believed didn't belong here.

Setsuna led them to the study, taking a moment to muse on how much she was beginning to hate this room. She offered a seat to Kaya, then took one herself as the doctor continued to stand.

Opening her briefcase and pulling out several folders to spread across the desk, Kaya began in a clinically clipped tone, "I won't mince words. I believe you know what my intentions where when I collected samples from all of you, regardless of how it may have been presented." She stared down at the folders, then crossed her arms tightly over her chest and looked back over at Setsuna. "And you know what I've begun to find. The results are very early. The complexity of the samples, I'm told, could take years to fully break down. But all I want to know now is how? How is any of it even possible?"

Calmly, Setsuna sat forward a bit and answered, "We suspected your reasons, and I suspect you're finding some interesting things. However, you are going to have to elaborate a bit for me if I'm to attempt to give you any answers. But I must ask, why come to me? Why not go to Ami?"

"Because it has to be you!" returned Kaya, any professional calm she had presented now gone. Without realizing it, she began to pace. "How could I take this to Ami? She's a child still, in spite of her life. My child in spite of all of this. But you… you're a scientist and an adult. And one of the greatest mysteries in my reports. You and Hotaru. All of them to some degree except for Mamoru, Miki, and the cats. Those damn cats, of all things, are completely genetically normal." She laughed, the sound a touch bitter. "It's just one awful genetic mish mash. And how in the hell is Chibi-usa Usagi's child?"

Setsuna sighed, then stood and walked over to the desk, her presence stopping Kaya's pacing. "Show me, please. Even with my background in the sciences, I'm not a geneticist, but I will answer what I can. As for Chibi-usa, sometime in the distant future well after her marriage, Usagi will give birth to her. The Usagi of that period will send her back in time to visit with us. She has very good memories of these times and will reason that it will be good for her child to experience them also. Like going to visit a beloved aunt for the summer."

Kaya blinked. "She's a time traveler?"

"Yes, if you wish to be literal."

"Okay," replied Kaya. She licked her lips and nodded. "Time travel does go hand in hand with reincarnated alien princesses and talking cats. But," and here she picked up the folder marked for Usagi. Handing it to Setsuna, she began to pace again. "These are very basic tests that were run, nothing more than you would do if you were trying to match relatives, pinpoint paternity, or find genetic variances for predisposed conditions. However, Fredrick - my colleague who is helping me and who I promise you is above reproach and the most discrete of researchers - he is terribly thorough. He was trying to create family groups for me. But what he found fascinated him. He actually accused me of giving him fake samples just to test him, then put himself on a private flight from Germany to see if he could get more information from me in person. Thank goodness he doesn't mind living out of a hotel."

She opened the file Setsuna was holding to show the other woman papers with numbers and graphs. "After that story Usagi told me, I just needed to know about Ami. That was really all I wanted. It should have been simple, but Fredrick was having a hard time because the usual markers were just a trace different. The helixes were human, but not… there's something extra there that he can't find a word for in any of the four languages he speaks." She picked up two folders and stared hard at them. "And then there were the helixes for you and Hotaru… human on only a superficial glance."

A sigh passed Setsuna's lips. "Your daughter was concerned about that. Hotaru and I are obviously not like the others. They are souls reborn on this planet, we are not. They are human in this lifetime regardless of where their consciousness resided in the past."

"No, they aren't, not entirely," returned Kaya, Hotaru's folder haphazardly thrown to the desktop. "There are markers in their DNA that aren't in normal human DNA. And some of it appears to be familial. Miki doesn't carry the same unnamed markers that Makoto does, but he does come out as a positive familial match. Chibi-usa went to Mamoru and Usagi genetically, though it was a full genetic match with the same odd markers he found in Usagi's sample." She paused, then held out Setsuna's folder as she went on, "He found trace matches to almost all of you in Usagi. Except what he found between you and Usagi was considerably more than a trace."

Setsuna's eyes became sad for just a moment as she took the folder from the doctor. "I was Usagi's mother once, biologically even though I did not give birth to her. The source that provides us with our power also allowed the queen and I to conceive her. However, the Tsukinos are her parents, both spiritually and genetically. I don't know what your numbers mean, but in this life, she is not my child."

Kaya refused to take the folders Setsuna was attempting to hand back to her. "Like hell she isn't. I don't care what she is spiritually, but she is genetically linked to you. She is to some degree to all of them except Mamoru and Hotaru. Usagi's genetic code is awful when closely examined. Not awful as in defects, but there is something in the helixes, some twinge that Fredrick is probably going to spend the next 10 or 20 years trying to decode."

Setsuna dropped the folders on the desk, any compassion she may have felt for the confused doctor's emotional plight gone. "Usagi is not my child. I have been forced to let go of that world and that life, and I would ask you to refrain from either discussing it or pursing the line of thought further. None of the others know about that part of my past, Usagi included. She may find out one day, but that time is not now. In this lifetime, she is the Tsukinos' child. Just as Ami is yours."

"That's the problem, though, isn't it?" returned Kaya softly as she backed down just a bit. She lifted the folder with Ami's information in it and went to sit in one of the chairs she had previously ignored. Holding the folder tightly in her hands, she went on, "I love Ami. Nothing Fredrick could have come back with would change that. But I needed a definitive answer. Something concrete I could base my acceptance of who she is on. As selfish as it is, a large part of me wanted to be able to see, in a way I could understand, that she is my child and that she exists because of what I have done."

"You didn't get the answer you wanted?"

"No," said Kaya bluntly.

"Does it really matter?" asked Setsuna. She sat on the edge of the chair across from Kaya. "If the answer or lack of one doesn't change your love for her, does it really matter?"

Kaya met her eyes, in their blue a sadness mixed with resentment. "Yes, because I dislike being used. Because I resent the idea that my life was so meaningless to your "goddess" that she felt it could be turned upside down and left in shambles just so she could have her world rebuilt using my daughter. Or the girl who should have been my daughter.

"Ami was an accident, you see," went on Kaya by way of explanation. "She happened in spite of my best efforts to prevent her from happening. Her father… well, he was an accident, too. I met him when I was in medical school. We met at a park I rarely walked through on one of the rare times in my life that I put aside my studies to go out on a midweek whim with some friends. He was out trying to sell some of his work to anyone who would give him enough yen to buy some groceries. He drew a picture of me, smiled at me, and I was gone. Stupid, young, and in love, just like that. And with someone, even at that point in my life, I knew I shouldn't be in love with."

Leaning back in the chair, a small grin touched Kaya's lips for just a moment. "But I have never been loved so thoroughly and so completely as I was by him - body and spirit." She let out a short laugh. "So of course my parents hated him. But I was certain I was right. I went head to head with my father over it, and somehow I won. In the end, he trusted my judgment and let us marry. Then Ami happened, and she was like the justification for everything we had been through to get to that point. But then Suoh's attention began to wander. That brilliant candle finally burned out, and the dark it left behind was devastating. I lost my parents' trust and confidence, and I've never really gotten it back. Ami couldn't understand why her father left, and I lacked in finding the words to explain it." A self-depreciating sound passed her lips. "I made up something about squiggles and lines on a canvas. How fully unhelpful is that for a five-year-old whose family has shattered?

"But at least I had Ami. My wonderful little surprise. In her smile I could see her father and everything that had been good about us. It made it worth it." Kaya sat forward and leaned her arms on her knees. "Do you understand? It was okay when it was my mistake, and even that huge mistake had meaning because it brought Ami into the world. But I am angered… incensed is actually a better word… that I was used and that my child grew up in the situation she did solely because of the whims of whatever force you all protect."

"You were not used by our goddess," said Setsuna softly. Then she grinned, unable to help herself. "And Ami happened because birth control is only effective when you remember to take it."

Kaya's eyes narrowed. "You've been talking to my brother," she accused.

Setsuna shook her head. "If you go seeking answers, you must be willing to accept them when they are given. Ami is yours. She would have been born to you in the same manner and at the same time even if Mercury hadn't been needed. I can not explain what your colleague is seeing in his samples. Genetically, as far as I am aware, each one of them belongs to the people who conceived them on this world. Ami will be the one you need to speak to. She will postulate the theories that will begin to answer your questions. She may have already begun to do so, as it was she who came to us with concerns over me and Hotaru. Though the technology she has as Mercury shows all of them as human."

Not considering how some of the oddness of this conversation had worn off, the researcher in Kaya came forward with an added spark in her eye. "How is Ami able to do that? I know she has some very advanced technology in the Mercury form. And why are you and Hotaru different? Is it an evolved difference? Will they all eventually… well, I guess stop being human?"

"I was never human," answered Setsuna. "I was born on Pluto. I have never died and never been reborn to human parents. Hotaru's situation is similar to mine." She held up a hand to stop the questions. "Mizuno-sensei, I would ask and encourage that you speak with your daughter. She is not a child, and she will understand why you are asking the questions. You know her well enough to know how she craves knowledge. If you give her the information you have and that you will come to have, she will help you find answers. Truthfully, I would like to have some of those answers as you find them. For my own reasons."

Kaya took a deep breath, then slowly nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Meioh-san, for your time and great patience this evening. And if you will allow me the indulgence of crossing one more line with you?" When Setsuna nodded, albeit hesitantly and with trepidation, Kaya continued, "I was truthful when I said nothing in these folders can make me love Ami any less. My need to know and be in control of my life are simply my needs. But regardless of why and how, they are always our children. Consider telling Usagi."

With that Kaya stood and bowed. She collected her materials, and in silence they walked to the door. When she was gone, Setsuna went upstairs and closed herself in her room. She held the music box her sister had given her, wondering again why everyone insisted on bringing up the past. Then, in a moment of weakness, she picked up the phone and dialed.

"Oh, hey, Setsuna," answered Minako, her voice sounding as if she had run to find a misplaced phone.

"I was wondering if perhaps you'd like to have tea with me tomorrow morning?" asked Setsuna, her fingers tracing over the pattern in the music box's lid.

"Sure," answered Minako. "Usual place? They have the best pastries there!"

Setsuna grinned. "Yes. And the usual time." She hung up the phone and placed the music box on the stand beside her bed without opening it or dwelling on the tiny blonde curl it housed. Some parts of the past just needed to stay in the past.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Warm summer nights led to many open windows throughout the district. Luna and Artemis perched silently in a tree outside Masanori's home, Luna with Usagi's communicator strapped to her back like a tiny backpack. The family was up later than anyone had expected them to be, and back at Makoto's apartment, they were starting to get sleepy and restless.

From their spot in the tree, the cats watched silhouettes in lit rooms as this broken family tried create a new routine for itself. The sister lingered in her brother's bedroom, sitting on his bed and turning pages in a large sketchbook until her father came to get her. The mother roamed around downstairs, going from room to room completing some small task in each. It was the grandmother who stopped those random tasks by coming up behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder. They stood like that for several moments, words being spoken before they embraced. Luna wondered if the grandmother was having a moment of lucidity and how that lucidity would affect their task tonight.

Finally, the downstairs lights went out. The cats watched, now more alert, as the grandmother was put to bed. They waited a bit longer for the last bedroom light to go out, then activated the communicator. "We're about to go in," said Artemis. "Looks like everyone is finally in bed."

"We'll keep this channel open from here on out," answered Ami as those around her perked up. "We'll try to be as little distraction as possible, but let us know if you need help."

"We will," answered Luna with a nod they couldn't see. Then the cats made their way in through the open bedroom window. They landed silently on the carpet floor, but their caution didn't seem to matter.

"Who's there?" asked the old woman in a gravelly voice as she sat up slowly in her bed. "Don't try to hide. I can hear you and know you're there."

"Forgive our intrusion," answered Luna quickly. "We won't hurt you in any way. We're friends and only wish to speak with you."

The grandmother turned on the dim light beside her bed and squinted at the cats on the floor. Her eyes then scanned the room. "Show yourselves. Then I'll decide if you're a friend or not."

"Down here," Artemis answered, bowing his head politely.

The grandmother looked back at them, though this time when her eyes narrowed it was in speculation. "And why would such creatures be visiting me and calling themselves friends?"

Through the communicator, Luna could just barely make out Haruka quipping, "At least she didn't shriek in horror." The cat agreed and took this gift they had been given.

"We knew your grandson," answered Luna. "We were very saddened by what happened to him, but we don't believe things happened the way people have said they did."

"We don't believe you do, either," picked up Artemis. "But they won't listen to you. We would like to listen to you, if you will tell us."

Tears replaced the suspicion in the old woman's eyes. "My precious little angel sent you, didn't he? Of course he would send his muses to me."

"That's right," confirmed Luna. "But he's confused. He's lost his soul and he said you were the only one who knew what happened to it."

The grandmother nodded sharply, anger clouding her visage. "I tried to tell them, but they wouldn't listen to me. Said I was crazy for such talk. I told them that woman was a demon and not to send him to her. Then she stole his soul, but when I told them they still wouldn't listen. All they could hear was his silence. They couldn't see what was missing."

"Who is the demon?" asked Artemis.

"The woman with green eyes," answered the grandmother. "At the university she calls herself Sono Chisato. She was his instructor."

"Thank you," said Artemis, giving her a gentle feline smile.

The grandmother smiled back at him and motioned for them to come closer. Tentatively, they jumped on the bed beside her. She reached forward and lightly scratched around their ears. "My grandson chose his rescuers well. I know you will avenge him and return his soul so he can finally be at peace."

Content with what she believed was the truth, the grandmother turned out the light and settled back in her bed. Her hand reached for the cat closest to her as they both settled into the warmth at her side. The communicator made the faintest sound as the channel was cut off, and they stayed with her until her grip loosened and her breathing evened. When she was asleep, they slipped back out the window silently, two wispy muses disappearing into the night.