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



Chapter 21 -

"You'll be happy to know that Mako-chan'll be fine. Whoever stabbed her had lousy aim and struck mostly bone. Hotaru sealed the wound, but it'll be a few days until Mako-chan recovers completely. She lost a lot of blood."

"Why didn't Hotaru just heal Mako-chan completely?"

"She's too weak magically to heal someone with our level of magic. That is, not until Saturn's been dealt with." Clean, wearing a fresh change of clothes, Rei followed Minako as they walked the halls of the Palace.

"I see." Minako stopped walking before a pair of large doors. "I've been looking around the Palace while you were gone. I don't know how they designed this place, and I can't figure what half these rooms are for." She pushed the doors open. "But, this is the strangest room. See if you can make sense out of it, Rei-chan." She motioned Rei in front of her.

The room was small and dark and cylindrical, the only feature a deep, circular pool that took up most of the floor. Blue light glimmered in the depths, reflected off the ceiling, setting off flashes deep within the crystalline walls, and was the only source of illumination. The surface of the water was still, almost unnaturally calm. Breathing in air that suddenly felt to thick, she walked further into the room, stopped to crouch at the edge of the pool. "There's so much magic here," she whispered. "More than all the Senshi combined, focused right here in the water."

From her position near the door, Minako said, "I thought it might be a bath, but if you look closer you can see there's no bottom to that pool, and I can't tell how deep it goes."

Rei nodded absently. Shifting to a more comfortable position on the slick tile, she pulled the sleeve of her sweater up, baring to her right arm to the shoulder. "Make sure I don't fall in, Minako-chan."

"What! Rei-chan, what're you do-"

Rei plunged her hand into the water and-

Something, a presence, woke Me. I opened My eyes, searched for the intruder. I spotted Her immediately; in the darkness of My prison, any living being stands bright, but Her shine, even flawed as it is, is brightest of all. "VENUS."

Her arrogance slipped somewhat; She knew I was not happy to see Her. "Highness, I... I have brought You the girl. As You ordered."

"I DO NOT RECALL GIVING YOU THAT ORDER." She flinched at My tone, as She should have. "WHERE IS THE GIRL?"

Venus stared at a point beneath Me, at the surface of the pool. "I left her with the Outers." She hesitated, then looked up, directly at Me. Her gaze hardened. "Highness, that child has destroyed Mercury and Mars. She must be dealt with before-"

"YOU DARE TO LOOK AT ME?!" A thought slammed Venus back, into a wall with enough force to crack to the thick stone. She collapsed in a limp heap. From Her position near the door, a sketch of a smile appeared on Saturn's face.

After a full minute, Venus twitched, and pushed Herself up. Her voice, when She spoke, was subdued. "My apologies, Highness. I did not mean to lose control of Myself." She stood, careful to keep Her eyes on the floor. "It is just that... Highness, what is so important about that girl?"

If I had been able to, I would have smiled. "WITHIN HER LIES THE KEY TO MY FREEDOM, VENUS."

"Your... freedom?"

Saturn abruptly spoke. "We are being watched." The blade of Her glaive flashed-

"Rei-chan? Rei-chan, can you hear me?"

Rei stared, unseeing at Minako's face. Suddenly, her gaze snapped into focus and she blinked. "Minako-chan?"

Relieved, Minako moved away slightly, and only then did Rei realize she was lying on her back. With Minako's help, she managed to sit up. From the elbow down, her right arm was completely numb. "What happened?"

"You tell me. One second you're being an idiot and plunging your arm into that water, the next you're screaming bloody murder." She tugged at on of her ears. "I think I'm deaf."

"It would serve you right," Rei muttered. An unsuccessful attempt at wiggling her fingers made her sigh. "We have a problem: the Outers have Terri-chan."

Minako looked at the pool. "You saw her?"

"No, I saw Serenity, Venus, and Saturn. They were talking about her, in a room a lot like this one." She scowled. "But that room could've been anywhere in the world. How the heck do we find her?"

Minako stared at Rei, surprised. "Wait... you saw Serenity? You actually saw Serenity?"

"Yes... No... It's hard to explain." Rei closed her eyes, using darkness to help focus her jumbled thoughts. "It's... It's like being locked in an empty room, knowing that there's a venomous snake waiting to kill you, but no matter how hard you search, you can't find it." She opened her eyes. "I knew Serenity was in the room. I could hear her, I could sense her, but if I tried to focus on her, on what she was, she vanished."

"Okay, so when you didn't focus on her, what did you see?"

"I don't know. But, I think I'm beginning to understand why we never found out what she looked like.

"Serenity doesn't have a body of her own, she couldn't and live. The sheer amount of power pouring off her would destroy a physical body, and any normal person coming into contact with her would just simply burst into flames." She put her good hand to her head. "I think I'm lucky the same didn't happen to me."

"That's ridiculous, she has to have a body. Why else have a throne room? What's she gonna do? Hover over it?"

Rei shook her head and sighed. "I don't know. I just don't know. All that raw power... if she ever focused it on something..."

Minako said, "I don't know, either, but we'll solve that problem later. Right now, I want you to go back to the D-point and start organizing people for transport." She laughed suddenly. "We spent all that time fixing the place up, and now we don't even need it." When Rei started to protest, Minako continued blithely, "Have Hotaru or Ami-chan look at your arm. Oh, and tell the Ku'dath.. Screw it. I'll tell them myself." She stood.

Grimacing, holding her numb arm close to her body, Rei climbed to her feet. "Minako-chan, I think I need to-"

Minako stopped so quickly Rei nearly ran into her. Minako faced Rei. "You do realize that arguing with me would be a big waste of time, dont'cha, Rei-chan? You do? Good." Grinning in a completely infuriating manner, Minako waltzed off, whistling.

Rei glared at her back. I'm gonna kill her. One day, I'm just gonna SNAP and kill her!

Minako smirked over her shoulder, "You should, but you won't.

"Ja ne, Rei-chan!"

Hotaru observed the scene with frustration. A full-scale war had developed, although in all the chaos and snow, it was hard to tell which side was winning. Or who was on which side. Then again, as Hotaru peered closer, she realized there really didn't seem to be any sides at all. But none of that was the point.

She waded through the snow, taking cover behind hastily built walls, until she finally located her quarry, camped out in a trench with three others. Hands on her hips, she glared down. "You are supposed to be resting!"

Makoto grinned. "I am resting. Incoming!" She pulled Hotaru into the trench as a volley of badly aimed snowballs flew past.

Hotaru brushed snow off, only to be pelted in the head by another snowball. She said, "You call this resting?"

"I'm lying down, aren't I?"

Hotaru looked past Makoto. "And you're letting her do this?"

Ami smiled. "I gave up trying to stop her an hour ago."

Makoto laughed at Hotaru's glower. "Relax, Hotaru, I'm fine. The kids'll keep an eye on me." She looked at the two boys. "Ne, guys?"

"Right!" The duo chorused. One boy added," Nothing'll happen to Mama Mako!"

Hotaru couldn't help it, she snickered. "'Mama Mako?'"

"Tell the others and I'll kill you."

Ami laughed.

Makoto stood. "Right, then!" Hefting a snowball, she pointed at a nearby wall, where several children screamed and dove for cover. "Charge!" Hotaru ducked as Makoto and the two boys scrambled out of the trench.

Ami poked her head up over the edge. "Oh! There goes one boy... and there goes the other... I think Mako-chan's going to make-"

"Aaaaa!"

Sliding back down, Ami grinned. "She didn't make it."

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "How do we get out of here without being mistaken for enemies?" A blast of heat answered her. She looked up at the top of the trench to see Rei looking around, puzzled. "What the heck is going on here?" Her expression grew alarmed. "And why is Mako-chan half-buried in snow?"

Ami said, "Ano, Rei-chan, you might want to-"

A dozen snowballs smacked into Rei, and she tumbled backwards, into the trench and narrowly missed landing on Ami and Hotaru.

"Duck," Ami finished lamely.

"I leave you alone for one hour and I come back to find you playing in the snow like some kid! You are supposed to be resting!"

Makoto draped her towel around her shoulders, and said patiently, "I'm fine, Rei-chan."

Pacing, wisps of steam rising from her hair and clothing, Rei said, "You were stabbed, Mako-chan. Stabbed. You almost died two hours ago! Do you know how much blood you lost?"

Makoto squeezed the excess water out of her shirt. "Rei-chan, I don't need you to lecture me, and you're too old to be doing it, anyway."

Rei opened her mouth to argue, closed it, and swiveled to where Hotaru and Ami sat on another cot, trying their best to keep straight faces. "How could you let her do this, Ami-chan? You're a doctor, for crying out loud!"

Ami shrugged. "Have you ever been able to make Mako-chan do anything she didn't want to do?" And Hotaru added, "If she says she's fine, then she's fine."

"It's a conspiracy," Rei muttered.

"Fnord," Ami said quietly, and Hotaru started laughing, choking it off when Rei glared at them.

Makoto's grin vanished. She leaned forward, studying Rei closer. "What happened to your arm, Rei-chan?"

Ami stood and caught Rei's right arm. She hissed in surprise. "It's freezing cold." She pushed Rei towards the seat she had vacated. "Sit down. Flex your fingers. Are you flexing them? Never mind, just tell me how this happened."

While Ami examined Rei's arm, Rei told them of the room with the pool, and what she had seen after she had plunged her hand into the water. When she was done Hotaru said, "How is Minako going to find Ganabile-san? That room could be anywhere in the world."

"That's what I said, but- Ow! Ami-chan!" Ami stood and Rei flexed her hand, grimacing. "Geez, is it supposed to hurt this much?"

"Australia," Makoto said abruptly and was surprised that she had spoken. When everyone looked at her, she shrugged. "It... just kinda popped into my head while you were talking, Rei-chan." She frowned slightly as she folded her arms. "But, the more I think about it, the more certain I am. Terri-chan's in Australia, but I don't know why I'm so certain."

Rei and Ami looked at each other. Ami shook her head. "I don't recall gaining any specific memories from Mercury."

And Rei said, "All I ever got from Mars were some strong emotions, but those faded after a few hours." She met Makoto's eyes. "Mako-chan, are you telling me that you actually know some of the things that Jupiter knew?"

Makoto considered the question, and said thoughtfully, "I'm not really sure. I think something you said triggered something in my head."

Hotaru said, "Maybe we can trigger it again. Do you remember anything else, Rei? Anything more specific?"

Rei closed her eyes. "Something Serenity said... 'Within her lies the key to my freedom.'" She opened her eyes. "Anything, Mako-chan?"

Keeping her movements slow and deliberate, Makoto pulled her towel off her shoulders and neatly folded it and set it beside her. Only then did she look at the others. "We need to go to Crystal Tokyo. Now."

The lab was a mess: tables were overturned, computers and cabinets smashed in, and glassware, metal, and chemicals lay scattered everywhere. And that wasn't taking the bloodstains into account. Hands on her hips, Minako thought, Well, at least they removed the bodies.

She walked into the room, crunching shards of glass underfoot. Three Ku'dath crouched in the center of the room, sifting through a pile of debris, and one of them looked up at her as she approached. Minako said, "Did you find anything?"

The Ku'dath, tall, lanky, and with the characteristic small head and spots of a cheetah, shook his head. "No." He lifted part of what had been a beaker. "Crap."

Nothing significant, then. Jupiter, what am I supposed to be looking for? Minako sighed. "Thanks, guys. I'll take it from here." As the trio stood, she caught the cheetah-man's arm. "If you guys find anything else, be sure to let me know, okay?" She smiled. "And tell Stormcatcher I owe him one." The Ku'dath, who probably hadn't understood one word in three, nodded and Minako released him.

Alone, Minako surveyed the lab. "Dammit, Jupiter, why didn't you just tell me straight out?"

"Maybe because you're smart enough to figure things out on your own."

Minako turned, and felt some of her tension ease. "Mako-chan! Er... shouldn't you be-"

Makoto held up a hand. "Don't say it. Please. I've been taking flak all day long, I don't need it from you."

"Well, maybe if you would actually obey your doctor's orders instead of running around. You're only human, Mako-chan."

"Yeah, yeah." Makoto righted a table and sat on it. "Better?"

"A little." Minako sat next to her. "Where are the others?"

"Looking for you. This is a big Palace, so we split up. I had a feeling you'd be here."

"You remember," Minako said. Makoto nodded and looked around, avoiding Minako's eyes. Makoto said, "Certain things, yeah."

Minako buried her hands in her hair. "I screwed up, Mako-chan. Serenity's got Terri-chan and I've got no idea how we're gonna get her back."

"You haven't screwed up," Makoto said gently. "You'll think of something, Minako-chan. You always do."

"And if I can't?"

"Hm..." Makoto tugged on a strand of hair, and smiled. "Then we'll just have to kick you out and I'll be the leader."

Minako snorted. "You couldn't lead the others out of a wet paper bag." She grinned. "Thanks, Mako-chan."

"No problem," Makoto said. She stood and surveyed the room. "So, what exactly are we looking for?"

"I don't know. I've had the Ku'dath turn this place upside-down, but..." She scowled. "Nothing but junk." Makoto walked over to one of the walls and begin to tap on it. Minako followed her movements. "What are you doing?"

"Listening," Makoto answered. "If you didn't find anything in the room, maybe you weren't searching hard enough." One of her taps produced a hollow thunk and she glanced at Minako. "See?"

Minako leaped to her feet and ran to the spot Makoto indicated. She ran her hands along the smooth surface. "Mako-chan, I love you. I really do." She beamed. "And I'm sorry for that paper bag comment." Clearing a space around the section of wall, Minako backed up, braced herself, and slammed her shoulder into the wall. With a loud crack the entire section of the wall collapsed, spilling Minako into cold darkness beyond.

Coughing in the thick cloud of dust Minako had raised, Makoto stepped into the new room and helped Minako to her feet. Minako groaned. "I think I just dislocated my shoulder."

"Nobody told you to do that," Makoto said, but her voice was distracted. Minako caught her breath.

The light spilling from the laboratory revealed a rectangular room, longer than wide. A series of tubes lined either wall, stretching from floor to ceiling, each full of a thick bluish liquid. Bodies, humanoid but completely void of features, like blank mannequins, hung suspended in most of the tubes. There had to be at least twenty or thirty.

Makoto said, "Clones. She was using unfinished clones."

Minako matched Makoto's grim tone. "I think it's time we found the others."

They gathered near the center of the Palace, in what Minako had dubbed the War Room, significant only because it contained a large, panoramic view of Crystal Tokyo. While Rei and Minako dragged in a table and some chairs, Ami forced Makoto to sit and tell her every detail of the hidden room.

When she was done, Hotaru shook her head. "I don't get it. What do those clones have to do with Ganabile-san?" She flopped into a chair. "In fact, what do they have to do with anything?"

Ami said, "We've never actually confirmed what Serenity looks like, or that she even existed until a few hours ago. Personally, I always felt that the Serenity many people mentioned was a mass-hallucination, created by the Senshi and maintained by their magic."

Rei folded her hands. "Now, we know she really does exist. And, like I said earlier, she doesn't have a body of her own. She'd destroy it. But, she has to have audiences, otherwise she wouldn't have a throne. The clones are how she sits on it."

Makoto picked up the thread. "The clones are like puppets. Serenity's the hand controlling them, but in the process she burns them up. That's why we found so many of those clones in the lab. Serenity picked one, Mercury finished the generation process, and Serenity'd do whatever she wanted until the body was a greasy smear on the floor."

"Okay," Hotaru said. "I get all that. But, back to my first question: what the clones have to do with Ganabile-san?"

Makoto said softly, "She's going to use Terri-chan like she uses those dolls."

Into the stunned silence that followed, Ami whispered. "Impossible! She couldn't..."

"No, she couldn't," Rei said firmly. "She'd kill Terri-chan if she tried that."

"But, Terri-chan isn't a normal person-"

Rei shook her head. "Doesn't matter. All that power inside of Serenity... I don't think there's anything that could contain Serenity and remain undamaged."

For the first time in the discussion, Minako spoke. "Rei-chan, what about the Silver Crystal?"

Rei was startled, then puzzled. "Well, yes, the Crystal may have been able to hold her, but it was destroyed after the fight with Jedite."

Minako felt a sick sourness begin to spread in her stomach. "Really? Are you absolutely sure of that? Because, I'm not. Seeing as how I was unconscious at the time, maybe one of you could confirm that the Crystal was actually destroyed."

After exchanging glances with the others, Rei said, "Minako-chan, none of us found it. We just assumed-"

Minako interrupted her. "We 'assumed' Jedite was dead. We 'assumed' Nehelenia wouldn't attack us again. We 'assumed' that our futures would end happily ever after." Minako slammed a fist on the table and stood. "Dammit, we assume to much!"

Glaring at the others, she gave voice to the thought that had been plaguing her since seeing the clones. "Terri-chan's star seed is silver. Silver! The only people with special star seeds are Senshi, planet Guardians, and Princesses. And since Terri-chan's none of those, the only reason her star seed is different, the only reason Serenity would attempt to use her, would be if her star seed was somehow connected to the Silver Crystal!" She shook her head. "No, I should've realized it months ago when I first saw it. Terri-chan's star seed is the Silver Crystal."

The horror Minako felt reflected on her face, Ami said, "If that's true... then Serenity would be able to merge with Terri-chan. And if that happens-"

"If that happens," Minako finished, "she'll destroy everything. And there won't be a damn thing we can do to stop her."

Serenity roiled, barely able to contain Her excitement. "LEAVE US." Saturn bowed and left, closing the door behind Her. Serenity barely noticed the Senshi's exit, all of Her attention focused on the unconscious woman lying at the edge of Her pool.

Carefully, Serenity examined her. With some disgust, She noticed that the girl had been damaged. Venus would have to pay for that, but later.

Serenity reached out, brushing a finger of power across Terri's temples. Even at such a brief touch, the girl cried out in pain, forcing Serenity to withdraw. The woman was much more sensitive to magic than expected; Serenity would have to be extremely careful, or else risk killing Terri and losing both Crystal and body.

Very well. Delicacy, it would be. Reigning in all but the barest fraction of Her power, Serenity reached out once more and touched Terri, feather-light. This time, Terri groaned, but did nothing else.

With connection established, Serenity whispered into Terri, <Do you remember, child? Do you remember when we met, so many years ago?>

"Hot," Terri gasped. "So hot..."

<Yes, child. The heat. Remember the heat.

Remember the volcano.>

Heat blasted along my face, shocking me awake. The lava spout burst upwards, sprayed the wall nearby, and came dangerously close to the ledge where Super Sailor Venus lay, unconscious. Jake's initial attack had blown her and I clear across the pit.

Standing, I shielded my eyes from the harsh light rising from below, and peered through smoke at the other side of chasm, searching for any sign of Jake or the Senshi.

I found Mars and Jupiter easily enough, fighting back to back, a clear spot in the storm of youma Jake had summoned. I couldn't see Mercury, but the intermittent harp music told me she was somewhere, and still fighting. There was no sign of Jake.

More lava bubbled up, and a section of Venus' ledge fell away. The lava must be eating away at the platform she was on. Every minute she stayed there she risked falling into the sea of molten rock below. I had to save her, before she fell in. I had to save-

"No..." The ground canted sharply and I fell to my knees, gripping my head. Super Sailor Venus was Minako. Minako was my friend. I had to save-

"No!" Jake hold told me to kill the Senshi. I had to, I wanted to, I must kill the Senshi. But, Minako was a Senshi and I had to save-

"NO!" I can't hurt my friends! I can't kill my friends!

Minako was Venus.

Venus was Minako.

Kill Venus.

Save Minako.

I was going to be torn apart. "Jake! Help me!"

"It's okay." The soft voice cut through the chaos within me. I looked up. "You're..."

"It's okay." She knelt in front of me, her smile warm despite the dirt and blood and sweat on her face. Gently, she took my hands. "Everything's going to be all right now, Terri-chan."

Oddly enough, I believed her.

"YOU!" Jake shouted, and slammed into the two of us. Power blasted me away, to the edge of the lava pit. Wracked with pain, barely able to move, I watched in horror as Jake ripped the brooch off of her fuku.

There was a terrible, blinding flash of light.