Life's Lessons
A Sailor Moon fanfic by Kristin Renee Taylor



Chapter 18 -


They needed her.

It could've been as simple as that, but Terri refused to believe that anything could be that simple.

If you're going to go with us when we leave, then let it be because you truly want to go with us, not because you feel that somebody forced you into it. Ami's words from earlier that day drifted back to her.

Did Terri want to go with them?

"You look miserable, Ganabile-san. What are you thinking about?"

Terri jumped, startled by the sudden voice. While she had been busy brooding, the cave had nearly emptied. Only several people remained and even those were leaving. She looked up at the figure standing over her. "Hotaru!" Terri smiled sheepishly. "You surprised me."

Hotaru sat across from Terri, on another pallet. "You have no idea how often I hear that," she said wryly. Her smile faded. "What were you thinking about?"

"My friends," Terri said. "I miss them."

"Well, you're the one that wanted them to stay on my island."

"Your..." Terri shook her head and ignored the obvious question. "I know I wanted them to stay. I... didn't want them to think... to know that I'm..." She looked at Hotaru. "Do you know what I am?"

"Nobody really knows what they are," Hotaru said cryptically. When Terri's gaze hardened, Hotaru chuckled. "Gomen. I've been spending too much time around Setsuna... which is really ironic considering who she is." She sobered. "Yes, I do know."

Terri nodded and muttered, "Of course. Everybody else seems to know about me, why not Hotaru, too?" Louder, "Why are you fighting, Hotaru?"

"Fighting?" Hotaru's expression grew distant. "I don't think I am fighting."

"Then what are you doing? Why are you here?"

"I'm waiting," Hotaru said softly.

"Waiting?"

Hotaru nodded. "I'm not a soldier, not in the sense the others are. I lack Mako-chan's strength, Rei's will, Minako's intensity, and Ami's patience. I don't have Michiru's intuition or Setsuna's certainty. Heck, I don't even have Haruka's unwavering self-confidence. All I've got is a talent for healing, and even that's incomplete."

Terri frowned. "Incomplete? What do you mean?"

Hotaru lifted her hands. "In order to truly understand life, you have to embrace death. And I've lost the ability to do so." She shook her head. "But enough about me. I'm a boring person. Let's talk about you, Ganabile-san." She leaned closer. "Why this sudden moodiness?"

Terri looked down at her hands. "I need a reason, Hotaru. I thought... I thought I could just tag along with everyone, and just do what they needed me to, but Ami's right. If I just go around mindlessly obeying orders, I'm asking to be used.

"I want to fight for myself, Hotaru. For my own reasons, and not because somebody told me to."

"Then do it. Fight for yourself. Find a reason."

"You make it sound easy," Terri muttered.

Hotaru's smile was sad. "If you stop and think about it, everything is easy. The simplicity of the world can be downright scary sometimes."

"Yes... yes, it can be." She looked up. "Hotaru, tell me... Tell me about the Senshi. What are they?"

Hotaru's brow furrowed in thought. "Hm... well... I guess the easiest way to put would be that they're reflections of the Descendants. Twisted reflections, but reflections nonetheless. But that's only just the basics. What they really are is power. Sheer unadulterated power given a human form that was loosely based off of their corresponding Descendant."

"And is that why, when they die, their power goes into the Descendants?"

Hotaru nodded. "To go back to the mirror example, there are three main parts: the reflections, which are the Senshi, the reflectors, which are the Descendants, and the mirror itself, which is the magic keeping the two separate.

"Killing a Senshi is nothing more than destroying her physical body, since you really can't destroy power. Of course, if you kill a Senshi, all that power you've just released has to go somewhere, so it travels back to its source."

"The reflector. The Descendants."

Hotaru smiled. "Hey, you're catching on pretty quick."

Now it was Terri's turn to nod. "So, as long as the Senshi lives, the Descendant lives."

"Yes, but the reverse isn't true. You've got proof of that in Rei and Ami.

"But, take it a step further, and you hit a new problem. A dead Descendant means that there's a dead Senshi somewhere, too."

"What?"

"What happens if you destroy the reflector? If there's nothing to reflect..."

"Then there's no reflection." Terri finished, surprised. She grinned wryly. "Well, geez. If that's the case, why don't all of the Descendents just-"

"No," Hotaru said sharply. "And you're a fool for even thinking it." With a glance over Terri's shoulder at something that Terri couldn't see, Hotaru laughed and added, "Although I'm pretty sure that Mako-chan and Rei have considered that option many, many times."

Aino Minako was not in the best of moods.

Getting the Ku'dath to do anything that they did not want to do was like trying to pull a rotting tooth from an angry, hungry lion while it was being attacked by bees. Fortunately, using skills honed from living with a talking cat for almost twenty years, she had convinced the Abradì to let her 'borrow' fifteen of his best warriors, and had convinced him that it was his idea to begin with.

In fact, he had been so enthusiastic by his idea that he thrown a celebration party, which Minako had escaped from by leaving Makoto in her place. The entire ordeal had left her with a serious migraine; all she wanted to do right now was find some quiet and drink something hot. Mostly, though, she needed to think about her next move.

Which was why when Rei called her name softly, Minako grimaced and dragged her focus outwards again.

Rei was ahead of her, crouching next to a cave entrance, half- hidden in shadows. She beckoned Minako closer, then returned her attention to whatever was going on inside. Heaving an internal sigh, Minako stood behind her and looked into the cave.

It was one of the sleeping areas, currently empty save for Terri and Hotaru. The two were talking, but too quietly for Minako out the words. Watching them, Minako murmured to Rei, "You're missing one heck of an awesome party."

Rei smiled slightly. "I don't think I'm missing too much."

"Mako-chan's getting roaring drunk."

"Then I take it back. I'm missing a ton."

"Yeah, she's such a silly drunk." She looked down at Rei. "What're they talking about?"

"Don't know. Can't hear. But, Terri-chan's pretty distraught. Whatever Ami-chan said, it hit her pretty hard." She glanced up at Minako. "What have you been doing?"

"Playing the 'Happy Mediator' with the Ku'dath. How much of her memory was returned?"

"About a third of it. I stopped after your coma. And it's the 'Happy Medium.'"

"What?"

"Forget it."

"First coma or second coma?"

"You were never in a second coma, Minako-chan. That was just a case of severe shock."

"Sure felt like a coma to me," Minako said. "Why didn't you tell her the rest?"

Minako felt Rei tense. "It's enough that she knows we're really the Senshi. The rest isn't important."

"Rei-chan-"

"It isn't important." Rei's voice was hard.

Minako regarded the top of her friend's head. "Rei-chan, you shouldn't..." Frowning, Minako said instead, "After this is over-"

"After it's over," Rei said firmly. She met Minako's eyes. "And not a minute before."

Minako resisted the impulse to sigh. On this issue, there was no forcing Rei. Shrugging away the topic, she said, "Ami-chan thinks she can hack the generators in Crystal Tokyo."

"What good will that do?"

"With luck, she can overload them. Flood the magic grid and shut it down."

"That would disable just about everything outside the Palace," Rei said thoughtfully.

Minako nodded in agreement. "With most of the CTDF out of commission and the Barrier down, it'll be a cinch for you to sneak into the Palace and take out the Senshi."

Rei almost knocked Minako down when she shot to her feet. "What?"

Minako grabbed Rei's arm and hauled her back, out of sight as Hotaru looked in their direction. When Hotaru laughed and returned to the conversation, Minako leaned closer to Rei. "Listen, Ami-chan needs a direct link to the generators in order to hack it. Terri-chan and I are going to set that up. Mako-chan'll be with us, covering our backs. Ami-chan'll be busy hacking the network, and Hotaru's no good in a fight as she is now. That leaves you and the fifteen Ku'dath I wheedled out of the Abradì."

Rei scowled. "You expect me to take on two Senshi?"

"No, I expect you to delay them," Minako said calmly. "Rei-chan, unless Jupiter suddenly decides to commit suicide, you're the only one who can hold your own in a fight against them. You know that."

Rei grumbled. "Yeah... yeah, I know." She gave Minako a look. "But you owe me for this."

"What the heck do I owe you for?"

Rei's smile was vicious. "You're making me deal with fifteen demi- humans that barely speak Japanese. What don't you owe for?"

Planning the downfall of the Senshi while pretending to be on Their side could be a tiring job, especially for someone who had not slept in thirty-seven hours. Correction, Yoko thought fuzzily as she checked her clock, Thirty-eight hours.

Her room was a mess, stacks of papers stood everywhere: on the floor, her dresser, a second blanket on her bed, and spilling out of her closet. The papers were records of Mercury's activities for the last five decades, and Yoko had gone through every sheet so often that it felt like someone had poured hot burning sand into her eye sockets.

The only clear spot was the immediate area around her desk where she sat working on her computer. The papers strewn about were only a front, the real focus of her attention was the glowing screen floating above her desk, currently showing a top-down view of Crystal Tokyo.

The entire city had been built in the shape of a large pentagram, with the Crystal Palace in the exact center. Lines of light radiated from the Palace, each connecting to a vertex on the pentagram. And at each vertex sat a glowing dot; the location of a generator.

Those generators were responsible for eighty percent of the power in Crystal Tokyo. Because they were tied directly into the magic grid, if the generators failed, most of Crystal Tokyo would be without power. So, Yoko understood perfectly why Jupiter had increased the security around them.

What Yoko couldn't understand was why Jupiter was only concerned with the generators. If the Descendants attacked, as Jupiter believed they would, then it would probably make much more sense to attack the Palace itself. After all, supposedly the Descendants were trying to take over Crystal Tokyo; it would make sense for them to leave as much of the City as intact as possible, to avoid rebuilding later.

Yet Jupiter was certain to the point of smugness that the Descendants would make a go for the generators. Why? What did She know?

Yoko stopped rubbing her eyes as it came to her. It wasn't that Jupiter knew anything; it was what Pluto knew that made Jupiter so smug.

Yoko laughed giddily. How could she have missed it? Pluto had been the one to tell Jupiter that Mars was dead. Pluto would have certainly told Jupiter where the Descendants would strike next! Pluto would know everything that was going to happen. Pluto-

Pluto would know about Yoko's plans, too. "Oh, shit."

"Such language. I'm tempted to take offense."

Heart pounding, sleep forgotten, Yoko stood. In a single smooth motion, she grabbed the back of her chair and hurled it across the room. It crashed into the far wall hard to enough splinter and break. But, there was nobody else in the room.

Yoko was alone.

Breathing hard, Yoko stumbled into the center of her room. Shaking her head, she massaged her head. "I need to go to bed."

"You need many things, Yoko. Right now, sleep is the least of them."

Yoko spun.

A woman sat calmly at Yoko's desk, watching Yoko with dark, blood- red eyes. She sat in a chair.

Yoko's chair.

The exact same chair Yoko had just thrown across the room.

Backing away, Yoko fought with her panic. How the hells did she get past my shielding? She's not dressed like a Senshi... Finally managing to master her voice, she said, "Who are you? And how did you get in here?"

"My name is Meioh Setsuna. How I got here is unimportant. The only thing that is important is what you will do in these next few days."

Realization. "You're a Descendant!"

The woman's expression hardened. "I already told you that was unimportant. I have very little time to spend and I will not waste it listening to your worthless questions. Now. Listen."

Yoko started to tell this Meioh woman what she could do with her time-

-And jerked her head up as the alarm on her computer beeped softly. Checking the clock, she was surprised to see that two hours had passed. Muttering a stern reminder to not fall asleep at her desk, she set to work. She had very little time left.

"I take it things went according to plan?"

Setsuna lifted an eyebrow in mild puzzlement. Setting her teacup down, she said, "Whatever are you talking about, Michiru?"

Michiru's smile was slightly smug as she slid into the seat across the table. "You only look this pleased with yourself when some part of your plan has gone the way you wanted it to." She leaned forward. "So, which part just happened to fall into place this time?"

Setsuna favored Michiru with a disdainful look. "First of all, Michiru, I do not 'plan' anything; I have too much respect for Time to try and influence events." Michiru made a sound of disbelief, which Setsuna chose to ignore. "Second, even if I decided to influence Time, I would certainly tell you and Haruka the instant I chose to do so. Seeing as how you have not been informed, it is safe to say that I am not doing any such thing."

"Or," Michiru said casually, "you could be influencing Time and just lying about it."

In the act of sipping her tea, Setsuna met Michiru's eyes and said nothing. Deliberately, she placed the cup on the table and sat back in her chair.

Michiru's eyes widened. "You are-"

Setsuna lifted a hand, silencing Michiru. "As I have already said, if I was influencing Time, you would be the first to know." Michiru frowned and seemed about to argue, but an explosion pulled both women to their feet. Michiru said, "That was near the pier!"

Setsuna reclaimed her seat, chuckling quietly. "Water is your jurisdiction, so I'll let you handle things."

Michiru's glance was wry. "You just don't want to admit the truth."

Setsuna's answer was to gesture towards the rising column of smoke in the distance.

Flashing Setsuna a final irritated glance, Michiru set off towards the beach at a run.

Time ticked by. Setsuna watched as the distant smoke slowly changed from dark grey to white. She was finally beginning to relax when she heard the distinctive thump of something striking wood behind her.

Setsuna said, "I could have gotten rid of her without your help. You might have injured someone."

A soft voice. "I am not concerned with the welfare of your people." A pregnant pause, then, "Have you done as I asked?"

Gazing into her cup, Setsuna said, "I have... completed my tasks. Should things proceed the way I expect them to, then You should have no problem carrying out Your end of the plan."

"And the Descendants?"

"Will no longer be a threat, so long as You and Yours are concerned."

"Excellent. Her Majesty will be pleased."

Staring down without really seeing anything, Setsuna muttered, "Long live the Queen." I'm sorry, Minako.

Kino Makoto had passed drunk, skipped sloshed, and was well on her way to getting absolutely smashed out of her mind, much to the amusement of many of the Ku'dath gathered.

"Y'know," she slurred to the panther-like demi-human sitting on her right, "yer not that bad lookin'... I mean, fer a cat... man... thing..." Gesturing with her shotglass, Makoto leaned so far over that she nearly fell into the Ku'dath's lap. Sitting to her left and looking only slightly put-out, her husband, known as Stormcatcher, suffered her behavior and the jabs of his fellow warriors in stony silence.

The Ku'dath Makoto had addressed grinned broadly at Stormcatcher. <She's got spunk, Brother. And I think she likes me!>

Stormcatcher shot his Hunt-Brother a baleful glare and returned the mind-speech. <She isn't like one of your Felas, Trackless. She won't wave her tail for you.>

<She doesn't have a tail.>

<You know what I mean.>

Smirking, Trackless gently pried Makoto's grip loose. He poured her another glass of tikil, the Ku'dath's highly intoxicating brew.

Makoto stared into the glass. "This stuff tastes like horse piss." Tilting her head back, she downed the contents of the glass and exhaled explosively. "God, that's awful! Gimme more!" She held the glass out.

Stormcatcher neatly intercepted Trackless as the Hunt-brother started to pour more. To Makoto he said, "You had enough." He pulled the glass from her hands.

Makoto stared at her empty hands for a long moment. "What the Hell..?" Squinting at Stormcatcher, she said, "D'ya know where my glass went?" Not waiting for an answer, she rose unsteadily to her feet and shouted, "Ya'll know where my glass went?!"

Still sitting, Stormcatcher buried his muzzle in his hands. What had he been thinking?!

When not a single one of the nearly two hundred assembled demi- humans answered her, Makoto muttered, "Damn mutants..." Then she brightened. "Y'know what ya'll need? Music! I'll sing for ya!"

Stormcatcher made a desperate grab for Makoto as she staggered off, claiming she needed a platform to stand on, but Trackless blocked him. Trackless winked. <This should be interesting.>

Stormcatcher stared sourly after his human wife. <Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to regret this?>