For three days, Naru waited. She took her meals in her room, so that she wouldn't miss any messages that might come for her. Every time an orderly came to her room with her meals or to help her make her bed and tidy up, she asked if any messages had come. Maybe letters and notes were kept in an office somewhere until the inmate asked for them. If so, it could be that Nephrite had sent her a note even before she saw him, and she just hadn't received it. His note would have gone unanswered, and he would think she was ignoring him, or that she had forgotten him. She asked repeatedly if any messages had come for her since she had moved into the Independent Living section, or even before then, but the answer was always no. The orderlies were invariably polite and cheerful, but on the third day, the orderly that she stopped as he passed by her door asked, with exasperated cheerfulness, "So what is this message that you're expecting, that's so important, Naru-san? I thought you didn't have any family on the outside."

"It's from the Palace. An old friend of mine is living at the Palace."

The orderly gave her a pitying look. Clearly, he didn't believe her. As far as they were concerned, she was still crazy, even if she wasn't being kept locked up in her room all the time. "I promise, as soon as a message comes for you, we'll let you know."

Naru went back in her room, sat down at the small table by the window, and rested her head in her hands. Why hadn't Nephrite tried to make contact with her? She had tried to convince herself that the man she had seen wasn't really him, but his stance, his manner of walking, the way he had turned his head to look back up at the Institute as he walked away were all too familiar to her, as though it had only been a few weeks since she had last seen them rather than almost ten years. She knew it was him.

Maybe Usagi--Serenity--had never told him about her or where she was, or he had never asked about her. Or he knew, and had chosen not to get in touch with her. Or, given his difficult past in the Dark Kingdom, he might have allowed the Queen to purify him to remove any lingering traces of evil inside him. Which meant that he would have been willing to give up his memories of her, for the sake of remaining free and being allowed to enter the service of the Queen and King. This thought was worse than a knife in the heart--that his memories of her would have meant so little, after all, and that he would choose to exclude her from his life. Whatever the reason he hadn't tried to reach her, it seemed as much of a betrayal as Usagi consigning her to life in a mental institution.

Naru finally dragged herself back to the dining hall for dinner that evening. As she sat alone, trying to force down one mouthful of food at a time, Mumeishi came over and sat with her. "I haven't seen you in three days," he said. "I hope you are well."

Try as she might, Naru just couldn't force the usual "I'm fine" from her mouth. "No, I'm not very well."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Would you care to tell me about it? You don't seem like you've been ill."

Warnings sounded in her head. She knew nothing about him, had no idea if she could trust him. But he was the only person in her world who treated her like she was sane. He was the only thing in her world that made her feel sane. She sighed heavily. "Every time I think they've done everything they can do to me, there's something else."

"Ah. The betrayal grows deeper." He laid one of his hands next to hers so that they were lightly touching. She started a bit at the contact, but didn't pull away. How long had it been since anyone had touched her in sympathy? "What has happened?" he asked.

"I'm not sure--" The story was too crazy, too complicated.

"I'm sorry. The question is too personal. My apologies." He picked up his tray and started to stand up.

"No, wait, it's okay." Now that she had finally found someone to talk to, she didn't want to drive him away. "There's a friend of mine, who I thought...I hadn't seen him in years. I saw him, a few days ago, down on the street. He was with one of the Senshi. It looked like he has a position at the Palace. I thought my friend would try to find me, but he hasn't. If he works at the Palace, the Queen would tell him I'm here, if he asked. Or maybe he did ask and she won't tell him..." She trailed off, reluctant to give away too much about her one-time friendship with Neo-Queen Serenity.

"You are neglected, forgotten, by those who should care for you and help you. So are we all, here. We who do not fit in. We who will not allow our minds and hearts to be ripped apart in order to conform to the ideal of this happy, perfect city, and are therefore banished to live in its shadows."

Again, he said exactly what she had been feeling but had never quite expressed to herself in words. She didn't fit in, she didn't belong in the paradise of Serenity's Crystal Tokyo. She wasn't wanted here. Though she was hungry, she had to force herself to eat one bite of food, then another, then another, all the time feeling like she was going to choke or throw up. Finally, she laid down her spork. "I think I've had enough."

Mumeishi had finished his meal. He took both of their trays back to the food counter, then returned to their table. "Let's walk for a while."

Naru followed him out of the dining hall, and they walked up and down the brightly-lit white linoleum hallways. The doors to most of the rooms were open. In the rooms she glimpsed people reading, eating meals in private, resting, staring out the windows. The sounds of the four radio stations--pop, classical, tradtional, and talk shows--spilled out into the hallway. White-uniformed nurses and orderlies passed them, smiling cheerfully and nodding or asking if they were well. No one tried to stop them in their walk; the section was blocked at all exits with doors that required two different staff ID cards to unlock. There was no need to worry about the "guests" escaping.

"So," Mumeishi asked Naru, "what will you do? Bereft of your family, betrayed and forgotten by your friends, are you content to give in and just spend the rest of your life in this place?"

"I don't want to stay here the rest of my life. I'm sure that sometime--"

"Sometime the law will be changed, and you will not be required to allow the Queen to tear your mind and heart apart and make you into someone happy, docile, and non-threatening? Don't hold your breath, Naru-san."

"What am I supposed to do, then?"

"Do you believe in standing up for yourself, Naru-san? In letting someone know that what they're doing is wrong, and you won't allow them to do it any more?"

She remembered once, a long time ago, putting herself between Nephrite and Sailor Moon's Moon Tiara, and begging Sailor Moon to let Nephrite live. She hadn't been afraid to die to save Nephrite. Sailor Moon had stopped the Moon Tiara for her. But Nephrite had died anyway, a few days later, because of her. And she had stood up for the truth, and landed in the mental hospital for it. "Yeah. Though it doesn't always seem to do much good."

An orderly walked past them, carrying a stack of clean linens. He smiled and greeted them, and they gave him a friendly greeting in return. Then Mumeishi continued speaking, his voice lowered. "What if you had numbers on your side? Others who were willing to stand and fight with you to change things?"

If she could find the right people to go with her to Neo-Queen Serenity, tell their stories, ask her to change the policy... A queen couldn't make an exception to the law just for one person, but maybe if she saw how her laws really affected a large number of people, she would consider making a change. It was an idea worth considering.

But who could she have join her? There was no way the Queen would change her laws to allow criminals to have their freedom. And those who were insane could not safely be allowed to go free on the streets. If she could find some of the homeless people who had been rounded up for purification and refused it, they might have a more credible case. Just because they were homeless and poor didn't mean they were dangerous or insane. But really, how many of them who were otherwise in their right minds would have refused the chance for a fresh start?

Again, she wondered which category Mumeishi fell into. He didn't seem insane; though intense, he seemed perfectly calm and rational when he talked to her, and never said any of those odd little things that were usually clues that someone wasn't quite in touch with reality. He seemed well-educated and had good manners, but this could be true of homeless people and people who were mentally ill. A criminal? Possibly, though he seemed so sincere in his desire for justice. So sincere, and so genuinely interested in her, that it was hard to remember not to trust him...

If she wasn't going to spend the rest of her days locked in the mental institution, she was going to have to figure out some way to get free. She had hoped that Nephrite would help her, but it seemed that wasn't going to happen. It was up to her now. And, maybe, to the one friend she had, Mumeishi.

They had walked the full length of the hallways in the Independent Living section again, and now arrived at Naru's room. "Think about what I've said," Mumeishi said. "Good evening, Naru-san." He left her at her room with a nod and walked away.

* * * * * * * *

Mumeishi didn't sit with Naru at every meal. He worked the dining hall, stopping to speak with several different people before settling on one person or group to sit down and eat with. Orderlies lingered near the conversations but walked away, smiling, after a moment or so. Mumeishi had obtained a pack of playing cards from somewhere and was adept at a number of card tricks, which he demonstrated to the people he was sitting with. The other inmates and the orderlies were fascinated by his tricks; it was a good excuse to have people gather around him. Though Naru never overheard his conversations with other people, she had a feeling that he was finding more support for his opposition to the purification law.

One evening after he had joined Naru for supper, he asked her to walk through the halls with him again. As they walked, he took Naru's hand and tucked it around his elbow. It felt strange to walk with him as she had once walked with Umino or as she had longed to walk with Nephrite, but she didn't pull away. If she was going to be able to accomplish what she wanted, his help would be necessary. Even though she still wasn't sure whether or not to join his resistance to the purification policy, she was still keeping an open mind on the matter. And if she was going to be able to do anything about her situation, she might need his help.

"I've learned that the purification isn't always permanent," he said in a low voice. "Which would mean that, rather than being taken away, the undesirable memories and emotions are sealed up deep inside the victim's mind. It seems that under great physical or emotional stress, a few people have recovered their lost memories and feelings. According to the report I received, at least one of these people refused to be re-purified."

"Who are you getting your reports from?" If Mumeishi could send and receive secret messages between the Institute and the outside, then why couldn't a message from Nephrite get through to her? Or maybe she could get a message out to him. Would anyone deliver a message from a crazy, unpurified person to a member of the Palace staff?

"I can't reveal that, for their protection," Mumeishi said. "Suffice it to say that I have allies on the outside, as well as one in here."

Careful not to show any reaction, Naru filed away for future use the fact that he had an ally inside the Institute. "I've heard that everyone who works here is supposed to be purified."

"I understand that it's possible to receive a certificate of purification even if one has not actually been purified." Mumeishi's voice seemed as carefully neutral as Naru's. She wondered if his 'understanding' extended to being personally involved in the production of forged purification certificates.

"What happened to the person who wouldn't be re-purified?" Naru asked, going back to the earlier topic of conversation.

"He has been confined somewhere. Not here, though, if my in-house source is correct. I have instructed my contacts on the outside to try to find this person. If I can find out what it was that broke the seal on his mind, perhaps that knowledge can be used to undo the purifications on more people. Surely some of them will also refuse to be repurified, and can be persuaded to join our cause.

"I suppose that if enough people went to the Queen to tell her why the purification law is wrong--"

"If there were enough of us, she would have no choice but to change the law."

He wasn't just talking about presenting grievances to the Queen, Naru realized. He was talking about a full-scale rebellion. "Do you really think so?" she asked, cautious to keep her reservations out of her face and voice.

"I would make sure of it." He smiled, and his smile sent a chill up her spine. She wasn't sure exactly what he had in mind, but it sounded like trouble. If there were enough angry people on the outside, and he could tell them what to do... It was possible that people might get hurt. Maybe even the Queen. Naru didn't have to think about it to know how she felt about that. Neo-Queen Serenity might no longer bear any resemblance to Tsukino Usagi, but Naru still couldn't stand aside and let her get hurt. No matter how much she felt like the Queen had betrayed her.

Should she try to warn someone in authority of what Mumeishi was planning? But she didn't know for sure what that was. And anyway, who would listen to her? Besides, getting Mumeishi arrested at this point wouldn't do her any good; she would still be stuck here in the Institute. Mumeishi was her best chance to get out of there. He had supporters on the outside and one in the Institute. If she continued to work her way into his trust, he could help her get out. Then she could go to the Palace and warn someone there. Maybe Nephrite would listen to her, if no one else would.

"I'm sure you would," she said, smiling up at Mumeishi.

* * * * * * * *

One day there was a birthday party in the dining hall. Naru couldn't quite figure out if they were celebrating the birthday of someone important or if this was a group birthday party for everyone living in the unit. There were gifts of new house slippers and candy for all the inmates, balloons, sushi brought in from a restaurant outside, cakes, fancy hats, and karaoke. Mumeishi got up and sang several duets with the orderlies. None of the other residents seemed interested in getting up and singing, but they cheered and clapped for Mumeishi, and the orderlies competed to see who would have the next turn to sing with him. He was pretty good; he sounded like he might have been a singer in a lounge or jazz club at one time.

Mumeishi and one of the female orderlies finished a duet. Among applause and cheers, Mumeishi pleaded a dry throat and came to sit with Naru. As two orderlies and a kitchen worker began belting out another song, he said softly to Naru, "My contacts on the outside have identified three more people whose purification has come undone and who are refusing to be repurified. My contacts have taken them to a safe house, but they seem reluctant to join forces with us, or to tell us how their purification was reversed."

"Do you know anything about them? If you knew what was important to them, maybe you could use that to persuade them."

"They aren't giving us many details about their lives, or what sorts of things they were purified of. But we're pretty certain that one of them is a high-level yakuza leader, who agreed to purification under the forgiveness program. Apparently he missed his old lifestyle. Being a respectable, cheerful member of society doesn't pay as well."

An organized crime leader... A role that might fit Mumeishi. Naru carefully tucked the idea in the back of her mind. "Are you sure that's the kind of person we want to be dealing with? He might not hesitate to use violence."

"On the contrary, that's exactly the kind of person I need. Good at organizing, and willing to do what's necessary. Violence is only one of the many tools at their disposal."

"Well, if you're sure." Naru tried to sound convinced that teaming up with gangsters was a perfectly sensible thing to do. "You know, if I could talk to them, tell them about what the Queen tried to take from me--I'm just a widow, a law-abiding citizen, who wanted to be allowed to mourn her husband and mother for a suitable length of time--maybe they would be more willing to trust us."

He sipped at his paper cup of punch and gave her a sideways look. "They might... I would like to know exactly what it was that broke the purification barriers on their minds."

The song ended; she waited until the next one started. Then she said, quietly, "If you can get me out of here, I'll do what I can."

Mumeishi nodded slightly, drained the rest of his punch, then jumped back up on the temporary stage to join the group that was singing, to the sound of more cheers and applause. Everyone liked Mumeishi, he was the friendliest and most popular person in the unit. Naru wondered if she was the only one who wondered what secret he was hiding and who was concerned about what he might be planning.

Right now what mattered was that she keep his trust and convince him to help her get out of the Institute. And then she could warn someone. Serenity, if she would listen. If she couldn't get to the Queen, maybe Nephrite would listen.

Another song started, one that she knew. Naru hurried up to the stage to join Mumeishi in a duet. He gave her a surprised look, then smiled the wide, charming smile which had won over everyone else. With that smile, she knew that she had won him over.