The group rematerialized in the gallery office. "What happened?" Yumemi asked, while Thetis said, "It looks like you lost this one."

"Actually, they ran away first," Nephrite said. "Naru and I have an attack we can do together that apparently we aren't quite in control of yet. So it got everyone."

"A lot of people saw what happened," Jadeite added. "I think we're going to be in the news."

"Oh, damn," Yumemi said. It was the first time Naru had ever heard her swear.

Thetis left to bring in some lunch. Yumemi turned on the small television on the counter and repeatedly flipped through serials, game shows, and children's programs until Naru pointed out that they weren't going to miss anything if she stayed on one channel for more than three seconds, and anyway it was too soon for any reports to start coming out. Thetis returned without incident, and they began eating.

The noontime news report came on, and the first item was an amateur video of the fight against the Senshi. "Damn," Thetis said. "Everyone there probably had cell phone cameras." The announcer came on, talking over a montage of viewer-submitted photos of the fight, including the blast of light from Nephrite and Naru's combined attack. Mysterious explosion in the Roppongi district, the announcer said. Fight between unknown persons and a group who appeared to be the legendary Sailor Senshi. No word on injuries or damage, no word on who the unknown participants in the fight were.

Another announcer interrupted him. "This just in, a woman claiming to be the legendary Sailor Moon, who was involved in the fight and explosion, has come forward with a statement. She is in a TV studio at an undisclosed location in Tokyo, to give her statement live over all the television networks."

They cut to a shot of Sailor Moon sitting on a wooden chair in a plain television studio. "My dear people of Tokyo," she said. "Some of you may have seen me before, some of you may believe I'm only an urban legend. It doesn't matter to me if anyone believes in me or knows who I am; the important thing is that I've worked hard, day and night, for years, giving everything I have to protect you from threats that most of you never even knew about. Today, something terrible happened. I'm sure you've seen the pictures already on the news shows. My Sailor Senshi and I were attacked by a group of people that, sadly, includes people who I thought were my dear friends. Even," her lip trembled, and tears shimmered in her midnight-blue eyes, "the man I love, my beloved husband. I'm also sure you've heard about how the nights are getting longer - the sun isn't coming back the way it should - and there's snow in places on Earth where there should never be snow. The Earth is headed for a disaster like it's never seen before, and these people are the cause."

"What?" Naru demanded in disbelief. Mamoru dropped his head into his hands. "Usagi, why are you doing this?"

"I would go so far as to call them eco-super-terrorists." Usagi pronounced the word carefully; Ami probably came up with it, Naru thought. "You might have heard of three of them - noted businessman Sanjouin Masato, Yumeno Yumemi the renowned artist, and Mikami Tetsiya, owner of the trendy Crystal Sky Gallery." Pictures of the three flashed on the screen as Usagi said their names. "These people have huge resources available to them, and they are using these resources to disrupt the balance of the Earth. Why would they do such a terrible thing? Why would they want people to suffer so much? Basically, so that they can take control of all the Earth's resources and take over the world."

Jadeite jumped to his feet. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

"She doesn't seriously think people are going to believe all this, does she?" Nephrite asked.

"Look at her staff," Naru said. "But don't stare at it too long. That's got to be the Silver Crystal." The large gem on top of Usagi's scepter was pulsing ever so subtly, giving off darkish iridescent waves. "I bet she's using that for hypnosis or mind control or something." Several of the others nodded agreement.

On the television, Usagi was still speaking. "Please help me," she pled. "You've seen on the news how powerful these people are. Some of them are people I love dearly, and I want to try to avoid hurting them if possible. I need all of you to help me. Please don't try to fight them yourself, but make sure they know that there is nowhere they can run or hide from me. Keep them afraid, keep them trapped, and that will give me the help I need to end this terrible threat to our planet and all of us who live here. Thank you."

The picture returned to the news studio. The anchorman took a piece of paper that was handed to him. "In breaking news, in response to Sailor Moon's plea, the Tokyo Police have said that they will cooperate with Sailor Moon in hunting down this environmental terrorist group. Other national and international law enforcement agencies are also expected to lend their assistance. We will bring you further updates as new developments occur. Our next story -"

Yumemi shut off the television without another word.

"We are so screwed," Jadeite said.

"Well, we can't stay here," Nephrite said. "The police could be here any moment. Not that we couldn't fight them off, but that would only make things worse for us in the long run. We'll go to my place. Jadeite, you help power the teleport and I'll take the lead."

"I can teleport, too," Thetis said.

"Good. Everyone around me, and hang on." Naru tucked herself securely against Nephrite's side, Jadeite and Thetis gripped his shoulders, and Mamoru and Yumemi held on to whoever's arms they could grab. Yumemi had her painting of Elysion and Helios/Pegasus under her free arm. "If something happens to it, we might not be able to get them back," she said.

"Ready?" Nephrite asked. Jadeite and Thetis nodded.

The world spun away, there was that instant of cold black nothingness, then Naru found herself and the others in the huge main room of Nephrite's mansion. The group separated, getting themselves reoriented. "You think it's safe here?" Mamoru asked.

"The police can't find us here. This location isn't entirely on Earth. It can only be accessed from the street if I want it to be."

"So we're safe for the moment," Yumemi said. "Thank you."

"But what comes next?" Thetis asked. "We can't sit around in here forever."

"Even if there was somewhere to sit," Jadeite pointed out.

Nephrite sat down cross-legged on the dusty floor. "I haven't had time for interior decorating," he said. The others joined him on the floor, Thetis kneeling fastidiously so as not to get the skirt of her suit dirty. Jadeite took off his jacket and laid it on the floor next to her. Without a word, she spread out the jacket and sat on it. Naru watched the interchange out of the corner of her eyes; maybe there was a chance that Thetis might let Jadeite live, after all.

"Now, let's take stock," Nephrite said. His natural self-confidence - arrogance, even, Naru thought - made him fall easily into the position of leader. Naru, Yumemi, and Thetis were technically equals, and none of them were especially inclined to take a position of leadership; some of that function had defaulted to Yumemi simply because of her ability to See things the others couldn't. Jadeite lacked that same self-confidence, and as for Mamoru, the poor guy was just along for the ride, caught up with them because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Plus he was too emotionally distraught over Usagi's condition to be able to lead, or make any decisions at all. Nephrite was the obvious choice of leader for their group, and somehow Naru knew that he would be the best leader.

"We're screwed," Jadeite said again.

"True," Nephrite said. "But exactly how bad is it?"

"Nights are getting longer when they should be getting shorter, and the Earth is getting colder," Naru said.

"The Earth is getting to the point where it's going to need the Celestial Crystal, or at least a purified Silver Crystal, to transform it into its next phase," Yumemi added. "But the Golden Crystal is beyond our reach for the moment, and it's clear that the Silver Crystal has become completely corrupted. It's also clear that Usagi has become corrupted along with the Crystal, and is going to fight against us rather than help us."

"Usagi wanted to kill me," Mamoru said. "Then she went on TV and lied about us, and now every police force in Japan, and probably in the world, is looking for us."

"There's still a little bit of the real Usagi in there," Naru pointed out. "For just a few seconds, she seemed to... break through. She begged me to help her."

"How far would you go to help her?" Nephrite asked.

Naru thought about it. The answer was clear, but very hard. "As far as I have to. I'm sorry, Mamoru - but after she spoke to me earlier, I think she would rather die than go on the way she is now. She would rather die than hurt you. We know from Nephrite and those guys that death isn't the end; if she's still needed here she'll come back somehow. If not, then she'll hopefully go on to something better. But if that's what it takes to free her, that's how far I'll go." She was shaking by the time she finished speaking, and Nephrite put an arm around her.

After a moment, Thetis spoke. "We have to get the Crystal soon, and our only chance of doing that is to forcibly take it from Usagi. Once we've got the Silver Crystal and we've purified it, its power added to ours may be enough to force a way into the corrupted Golden Crystal's dimension. If the Senshi are returned to normal by the purification of the Crystal and we can get them to help us, so much the better."

The others nodded agreement, then Jadeite said, "In the meantime, how do we get ourselves in a position to take the Crystal from Sailor Moon? We won't be able to do it with the other Senshi around; we'll have to get her by herself. And with every policeman in the country looking for us, we're going to have to stay hidden."

Naru turned to Nephrite. "And, well, I know this isn't as important, but I don't want to waste any time because if things don't work out we won't have another chance. How are we supposed to get married? We can't just walk into a registry office if we're on the top ten most wanted list." She blushed, suddenly feeling stupid. "Sorry, forget I brought it up..."

Nephrite gripped her hand. "No, don't be sorry. Hesitancy in anything is what's going to ensure our failure. We can't let the situation control us; we have to control the situation. If we can't get married here in Tokyo, we'll go somewhere else. Somewhere where they haven't heard of us yet."

"Or maybe..." Mamoru said, "somewhere where they will know about us but it'll look like you're trying to hide. There's one thing that might get Sailor Moon to separate herself from the others, especially if she thinks the rest of you are hiding somewhere else." He explained his idea.

"That's not a bad plan," Nephrite said when Mamoru was finished.

"It's better than anything I've got," Jadeite added. "Better than sitting around here waiting for the world to end."

"We'll need a day or two to plan and choose our locations, and to let the news get out," Nephrite said. "But we can't wait too long." He walked over to the cluttered work table at the far end of the room and turned on the computer there.

"In the meantime," Naru said, "we need food and blankets. Nephrite, if I call my mother and ask her to bring us some things, can you make it so she can find us? She's got a car, even though we don't use it much."

"Sure," Nephrite said. He told Naru the address her mother should look for. "When she gets to that driveway, tell her to call you back - I assume she's got a cell phone too - and I'll open up the way for her."

Naru took out her phone and dialed her mother's number. "Mama? It's me."

"Naru-chan! Are you all right? I saw the news -"

"I'm fine, Mama. We have to hide out at Nephrite's place for a few days. He's kind of low on food and blankets and stuff like that, and we can't go out to get any. Could you bring us some?"

"Of course. I'll bring what I've already got, and I'll just stop here and there on the way over to pick up one or two things so it won't look like I'm stocking up. Where should I bring it?"

Naru gave the directions to the driveway that didn't quite lead up to Nephrite's mansion. "I don't think anyone will connect you with us, but be careful anyway. When you get there, call me back and he'll let you in."

"All right. Are you sure you're okay? Is there anything else I can do to help?"

“Would you please also bring a copy of my birth certificate? I'll need it to get married. We’ve got a plan and that's part of it. You don't need to worry about me."

"If that’s what you want... I'll see you in a while."

Nephrite, Jadeite, Thetis, and Mamoru were gathered around Nephrite's computer, discussing different locations that were remote yet would allow them to be seen and identified. They picked four different mountain resort areas, fairly far apart from each other, and Nephrite, Jadeite, and Thetis began intensively studying all the photos and maps they could find of those locations.

After an hour or so, Naru's mother phoned to say she had arrived at the driveway. Without appearing to do anything, Nephrite said, "Okay, it's open." A few minutes later there was a knock on the huge, heavy front door. Naru opened it; Midori stood there with an armful of blankets and a shopping bag of instant soups and other packaged food. "There's more in the car," she said. Naru followed her out to help bring everything else in from the small blue hatchback. "I guessed from the news reports that there are six or seven of you, so I hope I brought enough." There were pillows, more blankets, and several more shopping bags full of food. Naru hoped her mother had been able to acquire everything without being spotted, identified, and followed. She and her mother bore a strong resemblance to each other, but hopefully no one just seeing Midori in a store or from a car would connect her to the blurry camera-phone photos on the news.

Naru helped Midori carry everything else into the house. As her mother started to leave, Naru put her arms around her and hugged her. "Thanks, Mama. I'm sorry we didn't talk much for a long time; thank you for sticking with me anyway."

Midori returned the hug. "No matter what else happens, you'll always be my child. Good luck and be careful, and when everything is back to normal we'll have a big reception for you and Sanjouin-san."

Midori left, and Naru went back inside. Her help wasn't needed in working on the locations, since she couldn't do any of the teleporting, so she went and sat down with Yumemi, who had the unsuccessful painting of Elysion laying on the floor in front of her. "Are you worried about Helios?" she asked.

Yumemi nodded. "I've tried to keep my personal feelings out of this. But if Sailor Moon has gone so bad, I wonder what he's like now. I'm afraid we'll have to fight him for the Golden Crystal. He was always so gentle and peaceful, never a fighter. I don't want him to get hurt."

"Maybe Kunzite and Zoisite have found him, maybe they're helping him right now."

Yumemi rested her hand gently on her painting of the white-haired priest. "I wish there was some way to find out. I can do amazing things with my gift, but at the same time it seems so limited in some very important ways."

Naru felt that her reassurances were hollow - for all she knew, Kunzite and Zoisite had died when they had gone into the warped dimension of Elysion - but she wasn't ready to give up hope until she saw for herself that there was no more hope. She rested her hand gently on Yumemi's on the painting. "It'll be okay. I'm sure everything will work out."

* * * * * * * *

Zoisite and Kunzite pursued Pegasus from one tree to the next, from one copse to the next. Each time, just as Zoisite came close enough to touch the creature, he ran away again. Finally, Kunzite didn't think any of the three could keep running. They found Pegasus again, resting against yet another tree trunk. "Let me," he whispered to Zoisite, who nodded.

"Helios," Kunzite said. "You are Helios, guardian of the Golden Crystal." The unicorn snarled, but made no move to attack or run away. "Where is the Golden Crystal, Helios? It's become corrupted. That's what is making you sick. If you tell us where it is, we can help you."

Pegasus whined and growled, shaking his head and trying to scrape his hooves against his body, as though trying to push away something that was hurting or irritating him. Zoisite slowly moved closer, but again the unicorn scrambled away. This time he only went a short distance before collapsing again. He started rubbing his belly back and forth against the ground, as though trying to rub something that was hurting him.

"I wonder," Kunzite said, watching the creature, "do you suppose the Crystal could be inside him?"

"That would explain why he's acting like something inside him is hurting him," Zoisite said.

"How do we get it out without killing him?” He thought for a moment. “Remember when you were removing the Rainbow Crystals from the humans who hosted them?"

"And that damn cat? I remember." Zoisite shuddered at the memory of his rat-filled misadventure in the sewers.

"How did you do that?"

"I had that stupid crystal of Nephrite's, remember? It finally broke."

"Hmm. So that's no help.” Kunzite thought some more. “If the others are able to get the Silver Crystal and purify it, that might do it. If we're able to get out of here and take him with us."

"Big ifs," Zoisite said.

"I know. But it seems that our only other choice would be to kill him. Which I don't think would be a good idea because we'll probably end up needing Helios for the rest of what needs to be done. Besides..." Kunzite trailed off. He was going soft. If killing the corrupted Pegasus was what needed to be done, then why was he so reluctant to think about doing it? Other than the thought that Helios would be needed later, of course.

"I know," Zoisite said. Zoisite was so good at reading his moods, sometimes too good. "I want to help the poor ugly little monster, not kill him. But if the only thing we can do is put him out of his misery, that's what we'll have to do."

"You're right. If we can't help him, it's better we kill him than let him keep suffering. But first we have to catch him." Kunzite looked at the unicorn. He was staring at them; he wondered if the beast had understood what they were saying. Kunzite crouched in front of him. "Helios, do you understand me? If you let us get close to you, we can help you. Will you let us?"

He crept closer. The unicorn waited, trembling. Closer, closer, he could reach out his hand and almost touch him...

In a panic, the unicorn stumbled away.

"Maybe the problem is that unicorns prefer virgins," Zoisite said.

"Thank you for that observation, it was very helpful," Kunzite said through his teeth as he got back to his feet and ran after the unicorn again.