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Chapter 02

The Moon
The Council Meeting had begun, though things were obviously tense due to the recent homecomings of Minako, Yahara, and Setsuna... Things were especially uncomfortable seeing as no one knew who the leader was. There was a choice between Rei, who had taken over the position in lieu of the absence of Jupiter and Pluto, Setsuna, who had been granted co-leadership with Makoto after Venus' removal, or Minako, who had at one time been a strong and capable leader. Thus, in that respect, the tension in the room could have been cut with a knife.

Deciding that things had to begin moving in the right direction, the Queen called for Minako to explain just why she had returned. She did so, telling the others that she and Yahara had obtained some parchments that they believed to be important. One was a picture depicting a purple eclipse, the other image was that of a staff topped by a crimson flame, and there was also a prophecy which she believed foretold the possible downfall of their kingdom...

In a time when Terrans bow to the Lunar,
Secret resentments shall arise
From the ashes of tragedy wrought
By the Illuminated demon.
Red flame is reborn, crying out.
The elements converge to revolutionize
And to destroy.
Then the sun shall be hidden
By violet darkness
And four shall be brought to light,
Mirror reflections of the Outer Realm.
The nine shall wreak havoc,
And the Crown falls into darkness.

When it came time for the Council to try and interpret what the passage could mean, Usagi convinced herself that it had to be referring to Beryl's initial attack on the Moon Kingdom rather than believe that her friends would once again be placed in grave danger. While no one wanted to go against her, somehow Minako, Kodia, and Setsuna managed to explain to the Queen that while it may appear that way from her point of view, it simply could not be when one held the entire passage in mind. However, Setsuna made it crystal clear to Minako that while she would stand with her on this issue, it was probably going to be the only thing that they would see eye to eye on in the near future... The Senshi was not willing to act as if nothing had happened, and she was not going to accept the Venusian Senshi back into the group that easily.

In a successful venture to break the tension, Kodia brought up the fact that he suspected the eclipse was his wife's doing, but before things got too off subject, Setsuna managed to remind them of the topic at hand. She had already suggested that the Outer realm line surely had something to do with the Outer Senshi, but they knew little more than that. So, they began talking about what it could mean, everyone shouting out suggestions which often led to nowhere and made little sense. After getting absolutely nowhere in that aspect and using up just about all of the aspirin Minako had provided, Setsuna asked to look at the other papers Minako brought...

It was at this point that Rei and Hotaru managed to get a good look at the staff engulfed in red flame. Rei was the first to proclaim that she had witnessed it in a vision, along with five shadows who appeared to be worshipping it and the purple eclipse. Hotaru quickly confirmed that it was the same staff she had seen in her visions as well, adding that the eclipse was indeed connected to Saturn in some way.

It was at this point that Regale, a trusted friend of Kodia's entered the room. It was she who told the Senshi of the staff's origins... Namely that it was the golden eye of the Illuminati, a secret organization that had been running things from behind the scenes since before any of them had been born in the First Silver Age. She went on to say that she thought it was odd that the staff had been brought to light in connection with the highly publicized Revolution. After all, the Illuminati never made their presence known unless one of their leaders was killed...

It was then that Minako reminded them that Urami had once spoken of her father being a member of the High Council, a code name of sorts for the Illuminati. Regale confirmed her suspicions, saying that Ermys had indeed been a high ranking member of the organization, and that Hebi had wanted his position for himself... Their worst fears were almost certainly confirmed when Regale added that Ermys had said that Hebi would never come to power while he was on the High Council on the very night of his death.

Due to the nature of the Illuminati, the prevalent fear was that they could infiltrate any organization because one could never see them coming. While the Royal Family was a priority, everyone was sure that they would be fine due to the fact that there surrounded by guardians at every moment. Urami on the other hand did not have that luxury. The need to contact her on Earth became a priority, but communication between the Earth and the Moon was temporarily shut down due to the Eclipse. Even so, it was decided that Haruka and Michiru should be contacted to see if they had any idea as to where Urami and Joshua were. Before any more could be said on that subject, Minako (who had been directing the entire meeting up to this point) asked Setsuna about Europa...

And it was at this point that Setsuna did something quite out of character. It was in her nature to observe quietly, offering her opinion when needed and nothing more. However, Minako's actions both before she left and now that she returned had thoroughly incensed the woman so much that she felt the need to go against her nature. So, she flat out told the blonde that she would not stand for her coming back after leaving without word and acting as if everything was all right again, and taking over position as leader. And she would not regard Minako with anything but contempt until there was some kind of apology...

Well, as per Minako logic, Minako had been hesitant to apologize until the other issues were settled, although by doing that she had lost her nerve to do so. And she had been quite afraid all other meetings would be this tense because of it, never once thinking that just apologizing in the first place would have eliminated all of that mess. But more to the point, Minako did then take that opportunity to apologize for seeming as though she were trying to take things over again as that had not been her intention as well as apologize for all the wrongs she had committed before she left them. She then apologized more specifically to Usagi, feeling that she had broken their bond more so than the others and feeling sickened by that over just about everything else save her attack on Luna and, more specifically, Artemis. Along with an apology, came a confession to high treason, a crime punishment by death, and a promise that should she be allowed to, she would more than make up for any trespass she had committed against the Crown, the Council, her Partner, and most importantly, her family.

Usagi, as always, proved to be in possession of the biggest heart in the universe by accepting Minako in spite of what she had done, and asking that the other accept her as well, as a friend and nothing more. However, she did not overlook the attack on Luna and Artemis, advising her to turn her apologies to them as she would not accept them. Minako assured her that she was leaning more towards groveling before them, embracing her despite it all.

Then the meeting moved on, back to the original topic, when Kodia said that finding Urami was imperative in order to get rid of the rogue element of the Illuminati that was tied to the Revolution as taking down the organization was impossible. He suggested that two teams be sent to Earth, one to find his wife and one to locate Uranus and Neptune in order to locate Urami. He suggested that he and Heion lead the team searching for his wife, given their ability to sense her presence. Rei was the next to speak, saying that they should make sure that enough be left behind in case of a disaster on the Moon. Hikari then spoke, suggesting that Setsuna and Hotaru track down Haruka and Michiru, given the fact that they are closest to them. All that waits now, is their answer...

The Earth
Speaking of Urami, she is currently having a number of problems back in Neo-Rome. Joshua had a very strong reaction when the eclipse came, and now he has grown too weak for his own good. Urami was about to heal him using the Tome when Haruka and Michiru interrupted her, wishing to ask her about a strange rose Michiru had found. It had appeared white, but it looked as though it bled purple. Urami confirmed that the rose had either been created from or had been influenced by magick, but not of this world. Haruka was convinced that it was a sign of Chenoa, but Joshua continued to insist that she was still on Kamiyo with Heion. He would have felt her otherwise. However, eventually he decided to take the Senshi on their word. It was also decided that if Chenoa was indeed there, they were not going to have to look for her. She would find them.

Then Michiru and Haruka left for a brief press conference about the concert, leaving Urami to heal Joshua on her own. She did so, despite his protests, and then he went back to sleep. Urami ventured down into the garden, and after feeling a magical presence there, wished for guidance either from Regale or from her dead parents. After thinking about that problem for awhile, she was drawn back inside by Joshua where the two heard about Gypsy, who by all appearances, was against the monarchy. Urami did notice that the woman on the screen did look familiar, but Joshua proved to be too much of a distraction for her to pursue that line of thinking...

Meanwhile, on the way home, Michiru had gotten to looking at herself in her mirror... Unbeknownst to her, her image shifted into that of the woman she would later face, Kemuri. She also heard a voice through the mirror, speaking of Poseidon as well as something about fire and smoke... and destruction. After relating the disturbing vision to Haruka, they decided it was best to speak to Urami and Joshua about it.

Meanwhile, Urami was having her own visions... In her dreams she saw the strange woman Gypsy accompanied by the sign of Cronus. Then she saw a staff that seemed both alien and familiar at the same time, with four shadows behind it. Disturbed, she went to the Tome to see if she could find the staff... And she did, along with the very same prophecy that Minako had found and brought back with her. She read on about Ermys and the Illuminati, how she was bound to their oaths as a daughter of a member of the High Council, and that Dis had been adamant that Ermys take his oaths before she was born, forever binding her to their laws. This meant what she had not even dreamed to fear: She was the cause of the revolution.

It was then that Haruka and Michiru arrived, and through Joshua's prompting, she explained to them that since she was born after her father had sworn his oaths, she was bound to the High Council's laws... And that since she had been the principle cause of Hebi's death, they would come after her. But this did not answer the question of why they were targeting the Moon Kingdom as a whole and why they were now so visible...

Meanwhile, concerning the Revolution itself...

The four girls had agreed to join the Revolution, and had promptly retreated afterwards as they were quite tired. As they left, Draco arrived, late as usual. With the five leaders of the Revolution assembled, Strife and Turmoil were called upon to explain themselves... After some amount of sisterly bickering, they told Alemand and the others that Sailor Venus, Sailor Pluto, and Yahara Shugin had returned. Additionally, another energy that they did not recognize now resided in the palace.

After the initial angered outburst, they managed to calm down in order to readjust their plans to fit the fact that they were now dealing with more people. It was quickly decided that the Outer Senshi would be disregarded as they had the Negative Senshi to deal with them. They also had no worries with Urami and Joshua, as Alemand had said that they were being taken care of... Little did the other Revolutionaries know that this was due to his ties to the Illuminati... And little did they know that their symbol, the eternal flame, was a symbol of the Brotherhood.

Next, Rom reviewed the various watchers/spies that had infiltrated the Moon Palace. It was this that gave Alemand his ideas... They would convince them to be more than eyes and ears and become saboteurs of sorts, and dangerous ones. They would secretly commit acts of violence which could go so far as to result in the Council members' deaths if planned right. And if not, it would certainly set them off balance and convince them that the Monarchs would be safer away from the palace... Where they would be more vulnerable to a direct attack.

When Rom brought up that it might be hard to convince them, Alemand said that they had Draco's powers of "persuasion." Lyda was outraged at that and Garrett had already made it known that he was not happy with any plan that might result in any deaths, but Alemand told her he simply did not have the time to waste to do things her way when people were still dying in the streets. On that note, the meeting ended with a promise to meet up again the next morning.

On his way home, Alemand happened to walk by the Illuminari Auditorium where he happened on some homeless people who had found Chenoa. They had been prepared to steal her jewelry, when one of them tried to touch the pendant and drew back, feeling its heat. Alemand didn't hear that part as he had picked that opportunity to make his presence known, scaring them off. He was surprised to discover it was Gypsy, and equally surprised to see her clutching a rose that was glowing with some purple enchantment. Suspicious, he brought Chenoa to his flat. He then got Draco over there to fetch her, demanding an explanation. After several failed attempts of bullshitting on Draco's part, Chenoa intervened, saying it might have had something to do with her gypsy heritage. Alemand didn't buy it, but he allowed them to leave regardless, Draco taking her back to her flat so that she could rest for the concert the next day.

A few moments after they left, Alemand began brooding, convinced that they were holding out on him. And incensed at that as well, as he was growing increasingly more agitated with Draco's attempts to take over his leadership of the revolution... And being that much more annoyed that he still found the blond scalawag attractive in spite of that. He knew he had to find out what they were up to, but he didn't know how...

It was then that Hakai popped up on his doorstep, looking for Keiken who had run out of their flat earlier... And for whatever reason, Alemand felt that she had been accompanied by a heavenly choir...

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