Crystal Flaws � Part 01 Crystal Tears

The next morning the castle was unusually quiet. Everyone was cautious and subdued because there was trouble in the Royal family.

Usagi and Small Lady had requested breakfast be sent to their suites. Mamoru stood looking at the empty seats around the breakfast table. He rubbed his eyes tiredly then left the room.

The meal service workers spoke sadly to each another in hushed tones as they cleared the untouched food from the table. No one in the palace was used to the strained environment.

Mamoru sighed as he paused in front of the untouched food tray on the floor by Small Lady’s door. [She must be really upset if she didn’t eat again,] observed Mamoru. He hesitated, thinking he should try to talk to his daughter, but continued on when he realized he still didn’t know what to say to her.

Down the hall was the suite Usagi had chosen to use. Likewise her tray of food was untouched. [Usako didn’t eat again, either. Neither of them have left their rooms since…since our big blowup yesterday,] Mamoru thought as he sighed again and rubbed the back of his neck. [Well,] he thought, [You messed up big time Tux and you knew it all along. You just hoped it would never be found out, but now it has. What do I say to Usako? I still don’t know, but we have to do something about Small Lady. Oh well, here goes nothing!] He reached out and knocked on the door.

Mamoru heard Usagi say, “Enter,” so he opened the door and stepped inside. As he shut the door Usagi, who stood on the balcony, turned. He could see she had been crying, a lot. It just tore him up inside even more. She stared at him. Sadness, hurt and anger were reflected in her eyes. She stood silent waiting for him to speak.

Mamoru cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “I know there isn’t anything I can say to make this better. All I have is, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry! For keeping a secret like this from me all this time?” Usagi whispered incredulously.

He turned his head from her piercing stare and swallowed the lump in his throat. “Usako, we need to talk about Small Lady first.” He tried to speak calmly.

Usagi sighed. “Yes, I realize now, this was why we sent her to the past again. I knew it was soon, I just didn’t know why…” Her voice broke with a stifled sob. “We will deal with this after she leaves. Please be sure to be there when she goes. We need to put on pleasant faces so she won’t worry or fight going. Agreed?”

Mamoru nodded his head yes. He knew Usagi was right. “I will tell her to come talk to you. I will also make the arrangements with Pluto to meet us by the palace medallion in half an hour.” Mamoru said this then opened the door and left. Usagi stood staring at the door then realized she needed to prepare because Small Lady would be there soon.

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When Small Lady knocked Usagi was again standing on the balcony, but this time in her Royal gown and with a smile for her daughter. “Small Lady, please come in.”

As Small Lady hesitantly walked into the suite she started to question her mother. “Why are you here in this room and not with Poppa? Are you angry with me because of the file I found? Why are you angry with him?”

Usagi could hear the worry, hurt and fear in Small Lady’s voice. She knew this wouldn’t be easy. Taking a deep breath, Usagi looked out over the balcony to the gardens below. She tried to gather peace and words to say to her daughter. Finally she spoke. “Small Lady, the papers you found were a surprise to us. Some of them good and some of them unsettling, as you could tell.” Small Lady’s eyes grew bright with unshed tears as she nodded but didn’t speak. “Your Father and I need to discuss the issues and we’ll work it out. Things should be normal again soon. Okay?” Usagi looked at her daughter hopefully.

Small Lady looked uncertain but she nodded. “Okay, Mother.” Looking up at her mother she asked, “You’re not mad at me, are you?”

Usagi could see that Small Lady felt as if she had caused the problem between her parents. Usagi gave her daughter a hug of reassurance as she said, “No, of course not. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

Small Lady sighed with relief. She then looked at her mother with hopeful eyes and asked, “Does that mean I can go back to work on the Archive?”

Usagi stood up and said, “Well, actually I have something else I need you to do right now. I promise the archive will wait for you to finish this. I need you to visit a place where a special friend is waiting to meet you.” Usagi delivered this statement with what she hoped was a good mix of excitement and mystery.

Small Lady took the bait. “A friend? Who? Where is he or she?” she asked with surprise in her voice.

“This person is in the past. You will get to see Sailor Moon and the Senshi again. They will take care of you, and also help further your training as a Senshi.”

Small Lady visibly brightened at the thought. “It sounds like fun and I’d love to see everyone again. But Momma, how will I recognize my special friend? Will he or she be looking for me?” she asked.

Usagi smiled and said, “Don’t worry, just make lots of friends and you’ll know when you find the right one. I will send a note with you to give to the Senshi.” Usagi sat down at her desk with a pen and paper. After a moment, she handed Small Lady the paper. “Don’t lose the note. We’ll need to grab your senshi equipment on the way. Your father and Pluto should be waiting by the palace medallion for us now so let’s hurry.” Usagi opened the door and they left to get Small Lady ready to go.

When they got to the medallion, Small Lady gave Pluto a big hug.

“How are you, Small Lady? Ready for a trip?” Pluto greeted as she returned the hug.

“I’m fine, and yes,” Small Lady replied politely. She turned to her parents and looked uncertain. The recent family conflicts had made her feel insecure and it was reflected in her eyes. “Are your going to miss me?” she asked worriedly.

Mamoru knelt down, looked in his daughter’s eyes and answered, “Oh Pumpkin, we’ll miss you more than you could ever know! You will have fun and before you know it you will be back with many wonderful stories and adventures to tell us.” He hugged her close, then handing her a rose he said, “Here’s a rose for you from me. Look at it and you will be reminded of my love for you.”

“Thank you, Poppa!” Small Lady said as she hugged him back with all her strength.

Usagi then hugged her daughter as she promised, “I will miss you every day. Always remember that I love you.” The insecurity in Small Lady’s eyes melted with the warmth of her parent’s reassurances.

“Bye Momma, I love you too!” Small Lady gave her mother a final hug and then stood by Pluto. “I’m ready now,” she stated. With that, the sky shimmered and swirled. They rose up together and were gone.

“Well, I guess that went okay,” Usagi stated wearily as she turned to walk away.

“Wait, Usako!” Mamoru implored.

She shook her head. With tears in her voice she said, “I can’t face all that right now too. Please give me time. We will speak tomorrow.” With that Usagi quickly walked away.

[What will we do now?] Mamoru wondered sadly. He went to his office. “At least there’s still work to do,” he sighed.

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The four Senshi sat drinking tea in Makoto’s apartment. They often gathered here to discuss things and relax. Makoto’s was the favored place because she could always be counted on to cook up some fabulous food to eat. If it weren’t for the active training the girls did regularly, they would be big as houses from Makoto’s food! Today was no exception. Makoto presented them with a chocolate cheesecake, fruit salad, and shortbread cookies filled with raspberry jelly then dipped in chocolate. They groaned in appreciation as Makoto dished out servings of the heavenly treats.

“Eat up,” Makoto encouraged. All four girls spoke in chorus as Makoto continued with, “There’s plenty more!” Makoto blushed as they laughed.

“I think we know there’s more, Mako!” teased Minako.

Smiling, Makoto defended herself. “I can’t help it, it’s a habit! Don’t tease me or I won’t make anything more for you!”

“No, Please! We’ll be good!” they all wailed in mock terror.

“Ah-ha!” Makoto crowed as she dramatically raised the plate of cookies above her head with one hand then pointed at the girls with the other hand. “I have you right where I want you - addicted to my cooking! Now bow down to me in fear!”

All four girls burst out laughing.

After they ate a bit, Ami said, “Let’s get down to business.” They all looked a bit uncomfortable but they knew they had to discuss what happened the day before at the palace. Ami started with, “Are we in agreement that this is a very serious discovery and that we need to think our response through and come to a consensus?” The other girls nodded.

After a few moments, Makoto spoke. “I can’t believe he did this. Did he remember these facts from his past?”

“From his expression yesterday, I would say he did,” stated Ami.

Minako mused, “You know this explains many things that had me puzzled. I could sense jealousy and evil in Beryl, but also a great sorrow. She was obsessed with Prince Endymion. Metalia took advantage of that and exploited her weakness. Now that we know this, I actually feel sorry for her.”

Rei spoke bitterly. “I blame him! He caused so much pain and sorrow to so many people. He dropped Beryl when he saw a better opportunity come along and we all paid dearly for his actions! Our lives would’ve been so different if he had honored his promise to her.”

Makoto interjected, “Rei, I don’t think you’re being completely fair. First of all, he may have been forced into the engagement with Beryl, and second, we don’t know the reasons he broke the engagement. There may be much more to this than we know.”

Ami spoke up. “Beryl and the Earth Princes all looked so happy in the pictures. They looked like different people from the ones we knew. It makes me sad to know that Kunzite, Zoisite, Jadeite and Nephrite were Prince Endymion’s court and loyal guardians. How miserable they must have been as Beryl’s pawns.”

Makoto said, “I wonder how Usagi is taking it? How will she ever forgive him for causing the destruction of the Moon Kingdom and the death of her mother?” All the girls shook their heads.

“I wouldn’t want to be Usagi right now,” said Minako.

Ami looked up. \"I almost forgot to mention that Small Lady was sent back to the past this morning.\" The other three girls looked up with surprise then nodded as they remembered Small Lady’s second visit.

“I think that was a wise move.” Makoto said as she stood to clear the plates. “It would’ve upset Small Lady to watch her parents struggle with this.” She paused then worriedly added, “Hopefully everything works out okay by the time she returns.”

Minako had a concentrated pensive expression on her face as she absently bit her thumbnail. Rei noticed her and teased, “Hey Minako, I think I see smoke coming out your ears. Be careful or you’ll get a brain cramp!”

Startled, Minako dropped her hand to her lap. “Lay off me, Rei! I was just thinking that everything *has* to workout okay. I’m fairly certain that if it hadn’t Small Lady would have mentioned it to us when she returned to the past the third time. I don’t think she could have hid something like that from us.”

Minako was trying to reassure the others and herself but her brain did hurt. Thinking about the past, the future and the future’s past was more Ami’s department. [However,] Minako thought. [We didn’t have a clue the King and Queen were having problems when Small Lady visited the second time. Now we know they obviously were.] Minako decided to keep that discouraging thought to herself.

Makoto offered, “My opinion is we should try to stay neutral and a bit distant in this. Usagi and Mamoru need space to work it out. If Usagi comes to one or more of us about this, we should listen and be supportive, but not give an opinion. If we choose sides, we could cause more strife and lengthen the conflict.” The other girls agreed.

Minako looked at Rei. “Are you sure you can do this?”

Rei nodded her head. “I’ll have teeth marks in my tongue, but I can do it,” she replied.

“One last thing,” Minako noted. “Since Luna and Artemis are still on a diplomatic trip I don’t think they should be bothered with this now. We’ll catch them up when they get back. Okay?”

“Yes, that’s a good point, Minako. Anything else?” Ami asked. Each girl shook her head no. “Meeting adjourned,” she stated.

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The palace was eerily quiet and deserted. All reconstruction meetings had been canceled. The media quickly heard about the disruption and began circling the castle like vultures honing in on a kill. The Senshi were able to keep the media out of the Castle but couldn’t control what the workers who came and went from the Palace said.

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That evening Luna and Artemis, in their human forms, were at the ambassador of Europe’s house for a diplomatic party. They knew something was up. People kept ending whispered conversations abruptly and giving them curious glances.

Finally, Luna couldn’t stand it any more. “Artemis,” she whispered as she held his arm and turned them toward a French door that led to the gardens. “Something’s going on…”

“I know,” Artemis interrupted.

Looking annoyed, she pointedly continued. “I’m going to find out what.”

Artemis looked alarmed. “Can’t you just wait? I’m sure it’ll come out soon enough.”

Luna shook her head then gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she turned to go.

Grabbing her arm, Artemis stopped her. He worriedly said, “Be careful. We’re not home and you’re not familiar with the area or local animals.”

With a sigh, Luna nodded then disappeared into the darkness. At that moment Artemis couldn’t decide if their special talents were a blessing or a curse. [She always was better than me at that sort of thing so I shouldn’t worry,] he thought, but he did worry anyway.

For about thirty minutes Artemis was kept busy making up excuses for his wife’s absence. He sighed when he finally saw her enter through the garden door then quickly moved toward her. She looked calm outwardly but he could tell she was upset. As he slid his arm around her waist, he offered, “Let’s dance.”

Once they were on the dance floor he quietly asked, “Well…”

Luna slowly shook her head then whispered, “Something has happened at home. If you believe the rumors then Crystal Tokyo’s King and Queen are dying of a rare incurable disease. They’re also getting a divorce and the Princess has been either kidnapped and taken off planet or she was raped by an ancient alien dug up at the moon archives then sent into seclusion on the planet Mars.”

Artemis raised his eyebrow skeptically as he looked at Luna. He wanted to laugh because the scenarios sounded so ludicrous. However, he and Luna both knew rumors could often have a small grain of truth wrapped up deep inside of them. Finally he spoke. “We need to call Minako.” Luna nodded.

The call they made to Minako was of little help. She was uncommunicative and vague. Disconnecting their call, Luna and Artemis looked at each other. Artemis turned and said, “I’ll pack while you check the transport schedule.” They both wondered what could’ve happened in such a short time.

On the trip home Artemis grabbed an international newspaper. A lengthy article had lots to say about the monarchy of Crystal Tokyo but again, most of it was obviously speculation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Senshi were notified of the Cats’ early return. That evening they waited by the Transport pad.

[So much for not bothering them about this,] thought Minako.

The Palace transport arrived and Luna and Artemis, in their preferred cat forms, stepped out. Luna spoke first to Minako, “What’s going on?! Where are the King and Queen?”

Minako didn’t answer Luna’s question, and instead said they’d talk later in a more appropriate place.

[We’re at the palace!] Luna thought as she walked toward her and Artemis’ apartment. [What could make the palace an inappropriate place to talk?] Luna sighed. “What did that Meatball-headed Queen do now?” she anxiously whispered to herself.

Later, the Senshi met with the cats and gave them an accurate update of the situation. Luna sat in shocked silence and Artemis shook his head slowly. “What a mess!” he stated.

Luna ruefully said, “And here I thought Usagi was the one causing trouble. Sighing, she thought for a moment then continued. “Tomorrow I will try to talk to Usagi and see if I can help her. Artemis, you will need to speak with Mamoru and see if he has any logical explanation for all this. We all need to get some rest tonight. Contact me if anything changes.”

Everyone answered, “Yes, Luna!” They sometimes teased Luna for her tendency to jump in and take over, but in this situation they were relieved.

I\'d like to thank my terrific beta reader, Sophia Prester, for helping with the revision of this book. Her help was very valuable and is much appreciated. ^_^

Thank you for reading my story. If you liked it, or if you have any (kind and gently worded) suggestions/comments about my story, please let me know. You can email me at ndeblock@att.net .

Bye, Luna Hope

Disclaimer>Sailor Moon and all her friends don\'t belong to me. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I just borrowed them for a little bit of fun. ^_^