Ami yawned and snapped awake as usual. She was lying on her side, however, which was unusual. Usually she slept on her stomach. She felt something warm pressed into her back, which was also unusual. It felt like someone's arm. A few seconds later, she realized that one, she was surrounded by satin sheets, and two, she was buck naked. I guess our clothing didn't come with us, she thought, then she remembered that Pluto said they would just be observing. Going along for the ride. It felt like she was feeling everything and she couldn't hear her past self's thoughts, though. Maybe the real me is still asleep, Ami speculated. She opened her eyes. Hmm. The body is responding to my commands. Someone blonde and naked with a long pony-tail was lying next to Ami. At first Ami thought it was Minako, but a few seconds later, she heard Minako muttering something about toast behind her. She rolled over and looked and saw Minako, cuddled up to someone with long white hair. Someone Ami identified a few seconds later as Kunzite. Which means, her brain deduced, that blond person is probably Zoisite. She instinctively tried to get her transformation pen, then realized it was about 20 to 25 thousand years in the future. A mixture of panic and something else she couldn't quite identify washed over her. Where's my clothing? What have I been doing? Did we really...Ryo-kun's not going to be pleased, I... Her mind spun. The icing on the cake came when Zoisite rolled over, opened his eyes and said, "Hello, Athena dear. Are we supposed to actually be doing anything today?" He tried to sit up, then mumbled something about his arm falling asleep. Ami panicked, leapt out of the bed--taking the sheets with her--and ran screaming out of the room. Zoisite blinked. While Minako can sleep through many things, Ami screaming is not one of them. She woke up, groggy as usual, feeling something warm and male cuddled up to her. Her brain wasn't too clear on what was going on, so she said, "Steven, was that someone screaming or am I dreaming this?" Kunzite, who was rather more awake than she was, though just about as confused, replied. "It was someone screaming. I suspect it was the Lady Athena since the door is wide open, the sheets are now missing and Zoisite looks rather baffled to say the least." He reached with one arm to the floor and grabbed his cape, pulling it up onto the bed and covering himself and Minako. "It gets really cold in this palace in the morning." He was about to ask Zoisite what happened when a thought struck him. "Who is this Steven person?" Minako opened her eyes the rest of the way. Several realizations flooded over her. First of all, she was naked. Secondly, she was cuddled up to someone naked. Thirdly, that man was not her boyfriend, Steven, it was in fact Kunzite, who she had last seen two years ago in the process of dying at the hands of Sailor Moon. Fourthly, Zoisite, also dead, was in the same bed with her, as had been someone else, apparently this Athena person, whoever she -- or he -- was. Minako rapidly considered her options, then realized something had clearly gone horribly wrong. She instinctively reached for her transformation pen. Too bad it was in Makoto's apartment. Kunzite looked at his love, who was getting a series of very strange expressions on her face. He glanced over at Zoisite, who was trying desperately to get dressed quickly. "Has everyone gone mad but us?" Minako panicked, wrapped the cape around herself, and ran screaming out of the room. By now, there was movement in the hallways. All the screaming was attracting attention, to say the least. Zoisite looked back at Kunzite. "Perhaps they didn't enjoy last night as much as we thought." Kunzite started getting dressed. "So do you think Luna will lecture us for one hour or two hours?" "You seriously think she'll stop of her own free will?" Good point, Kunzite thought. ***** Naru: I'm tired of always running I've grown tired of the night I wish I had some cunning, Had some power, had some might. We see a collage of Naru running from monsters, grabbed by monsters, trapped inside big moss balls by monsters, etc. Sailors: You don't need to keep on running. You don't need to fear the night. We can save you with our cunning, With our power, with our might. We see a collage of images of Usagi and the other Sailors saving Naru and many other people from monster attacks. Naru: I don't want someone to save me; I'd just like to save myself I don't want to be a helpless doll That must sit upon the shelf. We see Naru sitting at her window, looking out on the starry night sky of the city. One by one, lines trace the constellations. Pluto: If you want to have the power You must reach into your heart Look inside to find your strength For that's where power starts We see Pluto holding out an eight-pointed star, which hovers just above her hand. ***** Sailor Moon Z: Series Concept by Jeff Hosmer and John Biles Primary Writer this Episode: John Biles Based on the Series Sailor Moon, copyrighted by a whole lot of people who aren't us. Episode 11 Sailor Moon Z special #2 "A Stumble in Time Can the Past be changed?" ***** Makoto stretched out, luxuriating in the feel of the nice silk sheets on her bed. She was naked, but having slept naked before, this didn't surprise her too much. I wonder how long I'm going to stay in bed, she thought. Though if it feels this good, I won't mind if my past self takes a while to get up. She dimly remembered Pluto telling them that they would just be riding along observing, so she prepared herself to observe. A voice broke the silence. "Ahh, you're awake. I was starting to think you would sleep all morning." The voice was familiar, yet she couldn't place it. Whoever it was, it was a guy. Must be my past self's boyfriend. He's got a really nice voice. She opened her eyes. It was a tall man with long wavy brown hair and a handsome face. He wore a grey and red uniform with white gloves. He was sitting at a table by the window, consulting a book and fiddling with charts. The strangest thing was that Makoto could see a night sky with stars through the window, yet it felt like morning. She was fully rested, anyway. Makoto waited to see what her past self would call this person. Nothing happened. Total silence. In fact, the body seemed to be under her own control, not her past self, she realized as she moved her hand slightly. I guess I'm gonna have to bluff. "Well, you sort of wore me out last night." I hope we're that close. Given he's hanging out in my room when I'm naked and he was waiting for me to wake up... The man got up and came over and sat down on the bed by Makoto, draping an arm across her shoulders. "But are you refreshed now?" Makoto got big eyes. He's really handsome. A few seconds later she realized that her body wanted him pretty badly as well. She knew she shouldn't hit on her past self's boyfriend, even through since her past self WAS her, it wouldn't be like he was cheating or anything. And she and Chester weren't that serious yet. Rather swiftly, she rationalized away all of her doubts and reached an arm up and around him, pulling him down into a kiss, then said, "I feel VERY refreshed." Before she could actually do anything else, however, there was a sound of running and someone went by screaming at the top of her lungs. A second set of screaming could be heard in the distance, slowly getting louder. The man frowned. "That's not good." He released his embrace of Makoto. "You'd better get dressed. Sounds like more work for us." Makoto blinked. She could hardly believe what she had almost just done. It just seemed so right to be with him. Yet, she didn't even know his name. She looked around the room, trying to figure out where her past self kept her clothing. Probably that nice wardrobe over there, she guessed. There were several shelves along the walls with hand carved wooden and crystal statuettes, along with a lot of potted plants. She ran to the wardrobe, knowing she was naked in front of this guy, but being in too much of a hurry to care. He was heading into the hallway, anyway. She hastily grabbed a shirt and some odd looking trousers and underwear and tossed them on. No bras, she noticed as she got dressed. She sprinted off, following the sound of screaming. ************************************************************************* Rei woke up hearing screaming going by in the hallway, followed by more screaming. She instinctively reached for her transformation pen, only to discover it was gone. Of course, she thought. I'm 25,000 years in the past. Just my mind went. A few seconds later, she remembered she was supposed to just be riding along, but she could sense no other presence inside the head she was in. Great, I'm stuck in my old body and don't know anything. She looked around the room. It was sparsely furnished, with a nice bed, a table, three chairs, a tapestry of a stout man forging a suit of armor on top of a volcano, and a painting of herself, Usagi, and the rest of the Inner Senshi, but in fancy court garb. There was a blue crystal on the table, carved into the shape of an infinity symbol. There was also a wardrobe that she now walked over to and got dressed. The clothing was rich and finely made, mostly in shades of red and black. She didn't mind, since she liked red and black. I guess I should go check out that screaming, she thought. I hope I don't get totally lost. She paused and picked up the gem, which had caught her eye. A voice suddenly spoke from the air. She recognized the voice of Jadeite. "Sorry to run out on you, dear. Lord Endymion decided to take me riding this morning and wouldn't take no for an answer. He wouldn't let me wake you to come with us, either. He had a weird dream last night or something. I'll see you at dinner if not before." His voice was soft and pleasant, without a trace of the bitterness, anger, or conceit that had marked him in her encounters with him as Sailor Mars. Flashes of memory suddenly ignited in her head. Riding through green countryside under a starry sky with Jadeite. An impromptu race, ending with him successfully catching her. The two of them... She blushed. I...with Jadeite? The memory burned in her mind. I loved him. A few more vague memories dredged themselves from ancient slumber. Parties, singing together, a walk along a beach which seemed to scare her for reasons she could not recall. Most vivid of all was a hunt in a huge forest of towering trees, being surrounded by more green and alive stuff than she had ever seen in her life. She had gotten completely lost, unable to see the sun, the moon, or the stars. The trees were moving. She could hear them whispering to each other. She stood silently, the memory possessing her utterly in a rush. She heard movement in the brush and called upon her fire powers, blasting the rabbit to ash and igniting the nearby forest. Fleeing screaming through the burning forest, terrified of her own powers and what she had done, utterly lost and confused, feeling like the trees and bushes were trying to get her. It was all so completely alien to her existence. The rains came and put out the fire. Perhaps it was fate that the estate they were hunting on belonged to a noted weather Sorcerer, or perhaps someone had been expecting this. When you go hunting with Pluto, interesting things tend to happen. Princess Serenity found Aurora huddled by a pool of water, crying. It was the most embarrassing experience of her entire life. She had lost it completely. Serenity said nothing and simply hugged her tightly, offering wordless comfort all the way back to Lord Pyrite's manor. The next day, Serenity had taken her out alone on a horseback ride to see the eastern shore of the Ocean of Peace. It was more water than Aurora had ever seen in her entire life. It seemed like a huge waste of water, but it was beautiful. "Would you like to go out on the water?" Serenity asked her. She still hadn't said anything about the previous night's incident. "I'm sorry, Serenity, about what I did yesterday. There was no excuse for it." It was a deeply shaming admission, but she couldn't just ignore the horrendous mistake she had made. "I could have killed everyone with that forest fire." "Don't worry about it, Aurora. Everyone's afraid of something." her voice was soft and kind. "And no one got hurt." "And what happens the next time if I panic? I was just lost! I had no excuse for what I did! People could have been hurt! Could have been killed!" Her voice was quieter. "I could have killed you or Jade-chan or Endymion or my own cousin or..." Serenity walked over to her. "And you could have been eaten by a manticore as well. That's what we were hunting after all. Next time, let us know you're not used to riding horses. I should have known, but I didn't even think about it. When I saw your horse bolt at that snake and carry you off, I felt really bad about not watching out for you. Can you forgive me?" "It's not your fault I wouldn't admit I didn't know what I was doing, Serenity." She turned and stared over the water. Something was coming. She cold see a small sailboat moving down the coast from the north. Some blond guy was driving it. Serenity came up behind her. "Next time, let me know. You know I won't laugh at you, Aurora-chan. There's too many things I don't know to laugh at people who don't know something I do." "You've never set an entire forest on fire. I should be punished." "I can't punish my friends, Aurora-chan. If you want to be punished, you're going to have to do it to yourself." She looked out to sea. "Ahh, he finally got here." Aurora looked. It was Jadeite, waving at them. Endymion was there too. He tried to bring the boat in to the shore, but the water was too shallow. "He can't reach us." Serenity pulled off her riding boots. "Ever gone wading?" "Only in sand. I've swum in canals, though." "This will be new for you, then. C'mon!" Serenity waded out into the water, heading for the boat. Aurora followed her, trying to figure out an appropriate penance for what she had done. Maybe I should talk to Parias when we come back, she thought. Won't he gloat. She sighed. The memory faded, leaving Rei staring in shock at the crystal. I was Aurora, a princess of Mars. I was engaged to Jadeite. Who is this Parias person I was thinking about seeing? She had much to think about. ************************************************************************** Parias knelt in meditation in the chapel. Mornings were usually quiet and good for prayer and contemplative thought. The chapel was a huge crystal dome with a round altar in the middle and statues of the Seven Virtues along the walls. The room was marked off into five segments, each with a triangle of benches for worshippers during ceremonies. Morning meditation went blort, however, when the sound of screaming began to echo through the hallways. He got up. "Well, this is different." His Acolyte, Justice, said, "Sounds like Lady Athena screaming to me." Parias nodded, then paused in the doorway, turning back to Justice. "And how would you know what she screams like?" Justice, a handsome young man with short black hair blushed. "Uhhh...." Parias laughed and headed towards the yelling. A Clerist's work is never done. **************************************************************************** Ami rounded the corner and thudded head on into a man in white metal armor. THUD. Ami promptly passed out. Ami woke up, still wrapped in the sheet, inside what looked like some kind of changing room. A man stood nearby, wearing white metal armor without a helmet. A seven-spoked wheel decorated the simple white surcoat he wore over it. He looked vaguely familiar with his short brown hair and kind grey eyes, but she couldn't place his face with any kind of a name. The armor seemed strangely out of place with her dim memories of the Moon Kingdom...why would anyone be wearing armor inside the palace? "What's the armor for?", she muttered, only half realizing she had just spoken. "I had a premonition of danger this morning, Lady Athena, and at first I thought the screaming might be it. So why exactly were you running through the hallways wrapped in a sheet?" Parias frowned. He could sense something was wrong with Athena, but what could it be? The door opened and Justice ushered in Minako, wrapped in a cloak. "You were right. There were two screamers." Minako sat down next to Ami, looking vaguely stunned. Ami thought hard. So my name is Athena in this time? It fits, I guess. The wise goddess of war. "I...uh..." She wrapped the sheet more tightly around herself. "Can someone get me some clothing?" Parias smiled faintly. I thought she had no decency at all. I suppose I was wrong. We all have our limits. "Justice, go to Lady Athena and Lady Inanna's chambers and bring them some clothing." He turned to Minako. "I don't suppose you'll tell me what's going on, Inanna?" Justice left quietly to get the clothing. "When we get home, I'll kill Pluto," Minako muttered. "I didn't know she did practical jokes." She noticed Parias giving her a funny look. "I...are you talking to me?" "Have you perchance changed your name? I believe I was." Pluto playing a practical joke? Surely not, Parias thought. Yet, something sent them running. "A practical joke you say? Did someone put frogs in your beds or something?" Minako laughed. "Something like that." Who is this guy? She was starting to calm down. From the look of the place, we are in the past, she thought. Who's this guy, though? I don't recognize him, but he looks kinda important and he knows my past self...what was that name? Inanna? He's kinda cute, in fact, she thought. Too serious looking, though. She looked around the rather plain vestry, trying to act like she knew what was going on. They're not telling me something, Parias thought. Still, neither of them would normally do something quite this crazy. "Are your fiances responsible for this?" Kunzite always did have a strange sense of humor, Parias thought. Maybe he did something. They both got rather shocked looks on their face. Parias thought he heard Inanna mutter something about how someone named 'Steven' wasn't going to be happy. "So who is this Steven person you're talking about?" Parias asked. Minako nearly jumped out of her skin. "I...uh...how do you know about Steven?" Parias sighed. "Been taking lessons from Lady Athena, have we?" He smiled faintly. I feel like a parent catching their child's hand in the cookie jar. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Ami said. She wasn't quite sure he meant what she thought he meant, but there was no way any past life of hers could have been doing what he seemed to be insinuating. At least, Ami certainly hoped that was not the case. Justice returned with two sets of clothing, and two people in tow. Ami and Minako recognized Makoto, who was walking with a handsome man with long brown wavy hair in a uniform they could both recognize as that worn by the Dark Kingdom generals. Ami, in fact, knew this man. It was Nephrite. Makoto was holding hands with him. Minako tried not to laugh. Maybe that's the past life of Makoto's old boyfriend, she thought. She fell over laughing as Justice brought her some clothing. Justice raised a black eyebrow. "I was not aware you found your clothing to be so funny." "It's not the clothing, it's...It's..." Minako took the clothing. "Are you two okay?" Nephrite asked. "We heard screaming, but we couldn't find you. Luckily, Justice told us where you were." Makoto looked at Ami and Minako. "Geez, why are you running around without any clothing on?" Parias ushered everyone out of the vestry and into the chapel. "Let's give the ladies some privacy to change." Once he got them out in the chapel, he said to them, "I think their fiances played some sort of practical joke that got a little out of hand. Or possibly someone named 'Steven', though I've never heard the name before in my life. I'm not even sure where a Steven would be from." Makoto said, "STEVEN?" What the hell is Steven doing here? He's supposed to be back in Tokyo in the present watching over our bodies. Something has definitely gone wonky. Nephrite said, "I take it, Jupiter, that you know this person?" He knows me, she thought, but I still don't know what his name is, though. "He shouldn't be within 25,000...miles of here if it's who I think." Great, now I have to come up with some bullshit story. I should have just denied everything. Nephrite said, "They wouldn't tell you what happened, Parias?" Parias nodded. "I don't think anything really bad happened, but it certainly gave them a good scare. I'm sure the rumor mill is already hard at work 'explaining' this." Two heads poked in through the chapel door in unison and looked around. It was Kunzite and Zoisite. Zoisite said, "Excuse us. Have you seen two screaming half-naked women by any chance?" Nephrite laughed. "You need to stop losing your toys, Zoisite. Mom will be angry with you." Zoisite stuck out his tongue. "Just because you keep yours tied to your arm doesn't mean we all have to. And I'm her toy. You keep forgetting that." Kunzite said, "So they didn't come through here?" Parias said, "If you quest after Lady Athena and Lady Inanna, they are currently getting dressed in the vestry. I take it you two did something?" "Unless this is a sign I need to shave more often," Zoisite said, stroking the stubble he wished he had had time to shave off before chasing his fiancee, "and she mistook me for a dog, I can't think of anything I did." Makoto stared in disbelief. They're engaged to Ami and Minako? But they...I mean... I guess we did know that. I'm just not used to thinking that way. She looked at Nephrite. I wonder if you're one of the generals who died before I showed up. She thought for a moment, remembering as much as she could from past talks with those who remembered the Moon Kingdom. This must be Nephrite. "Did you walk in on her while she was naked or something?" Zoisite and Kunzite walked over to the group. "If she did this every time that happened, this palace would be far more exciting. Athena finds it amusing to watch people blush when they see her naked. I thought you knew that." Makoto blinked. Athena must be Minako. Not that Minako would find it amusing, but it makes more sense than it being Ami. "I don't typically hang around Mi...Athena when she's naked." "Well, you're certainly welcome any time you like," Zoisite began. Kunzite put a hand over Zoisite's mouth. "You know they don't like that sort of thing." He turned to Jupiter. "My apologies. Zoisite is always insane before breakfast." His stomach rumbled. "While, I, on the other hand, simply get noisy." Nephrite smirked. "Don't make me start." Several minutes of conversation followed, with Makoto simply listening and making minimal comments so they wouldn't get suspicious as she sized things up. She noticed that Parias was largely doing the same thing. Zoisite and Kunzite were both different from how she expected them to be. They were both cheerful and a little boisterous, rather similar in personality, though Zoisite tended to tease, while Kunzite was a little more sedate, reining Zoisite in when he got out of hand. She had no real preconceptions about Nephrite, though she was rapidly seeing how Naru could have fallen for him, if he was anything like this in the future. He was so handsome and witty and kind, and she could already feel the massive crush coming on like a tidal wave. Not that she minded. Ami and Minako walked out of the vestry, both blushing horribly, especially Ami. Zoisite stepped over to Ami. "Am I really that bad before I have my morning coffee?" Ami blinked, then laughed nervously. "Uh, er.." Minako said, "Sorry about that. We both had these awful nightmares and couldn't quite tell we'd woken up." She sounded like her usual cheerful self, though Makoto knew here well enough to tell she was faking it. "I could really use some breakfast." Usagi, Rei, and Luna stuck their heads in the door. "What was all that screaming about?" "Our fair ladies were oppressed by bad dreams," Kunzite said. "So bad they could not tell upon awakening that the dreams were over." Parias listened quietly. There was something more to this. Something wasn't quite right about any of the Senshi, though he wasn't quite sure what. Just seeing Athena actually blushing was making him suspicious too. She wouldn't blush if the entire army of the Kingdom of Atlantis walked in on her while she was bathing. He had never seen her flustered by anything, but she looked embarrassed enough to die, now. Usagi said, "Right. Let's go get some food! I'm hungry!" Kunzite nodded. "A good idea, your highness. I believe we've all missed our breakfast in this excitement." **************************************************************************** The dining hall was huge, which was not surprising given that an average meal had to feed one to two hundred people, and even more on festivals. Since this was not a regular mealtime, it was mostly empty except for the Senshi, Kunzite, Zoisite, and Nephrite. Parias had joined them as well. He wasn't really hungry, but he was feeling a little suspicious. The Senshi really wanted to slip off and try to confer on what was going on, but they hadn't succeeded yet. Makoto leaned over against Nephrite, listening as Zoisite told a wild story about a horse race he and Kunzite had been in a few weeks ago. She glanced over and noticed Parias had a look of complete dubiousness on his face. Several other people joined him in looking that way when Zoisite said, "So then I spotted the Queen of Mars in disguise in the audience watching me. Well, with royalty watching, you know I had to put on a good show, so..." At that point, the servants brought out the food. It was the first time the Senshi had ever had pheasant for breakfast in this life. It was the first time the Senshi had ever had pheasant for breakfast -- at least, in their present lives. They dug into the food as Zoisite continued his increasingly ridiculous story. Apparently, he expected them to believe that the Queen of Mars had tried to seduce him. Much to his surprise, his fiancee, who he had expected to laugh, seemed to actually be believing him, while Aurora, who normally would be frowning in disapproval, was actually laughing and enjoying the story. Given that he was claiming her mother had tried to seduce him, normally, she'd be freaking out by now. Parias ate quietly. His suspicions were getting stronger now. None of the Senshi were acting quite right. Maybe they were just shook up, but for one thing, Princess Serenity did not normally eat like a pig. More amazingly, Luna was simply shaking her head and suffering in silence instead of trying to correct her. "You seem quite hungry today, Princess." Usagi looked up, a roll halfway into her mouth. She finished it off, then said, "I feel like I haven't eaten in 25,000 years." Minako and Makoto both started laughing hysterically. Ami smiled. Rei laughed a little, then said, "I think he's trying to tell you that you're eating like a pig, Me...Serenity." I'd better not call the Moon Princess Meatball Head in front of these people, she thought. "I am not!" Luna sighed. "Your manners leave much to be desired." "Hey! I've watched YOU snarf down cookies when you thought no one was looking!" Luna blushed. "You must have mistaken Artemis for me." Ami laughed. "Oh yes, that happens every day. No wonder I keep seeing you napping everywhere." A voice spoke from the doorway. "I do not nap everywhere." It was Artemis. "Hey, food!" The little white cat suddenly became a dapper white-haired young man dressed in orange and black. He walked over, sat down next to Minako and grabbed a plate. The Senshi blinked in unison. Luna stared. How did he do that? Is that really Artemis? "I hear you and Aurora decided to race naked through the hallways together this morning," Artemis said to Minako. "Who won?" Ami blushed. "It was all a mistake." It was at that moment that Zoisite realized that Athena's accent was gone. So was Aurora's. Something funny is going on here, he thought. Princess Serenity is acting strange, Luna is so quiet, Aurora didn't care that I claimed her mother tried to seduce me, Athena seems to almost be scared of me and she's so quiet too...only Inanna and Jupiter seem to be acting normal. He looked across the table at Jupiter, who was whispering something in Nephrite's ear. Nephrite laughed. Nephrite said, "Will you be riding out to join your fiance this afternoon, Aurora?" Rei started. "I'm sorry, were you talking to me?" Nephrite said, "Will you be joining your fiance this afternoon? I was thinking of riding out with Jupiter to join them." Rei thought for a moment. "They rode off without me...Jadeite left me a note saying that Endymion wouldn't let him wake me and bring me. I'm not sure if that would be a good idea." Usagi blinked. "He wouldn't let you go with them? That's not like him." "Perhaps they're having an affair," Zoisite teased. If that doesn't get a rise out of Aurora, then I'll KNOW this has to be an impostor or something is seriously wrong. Rei got big eyes. "You're joking, right?" Maybe the Moon Kingdom was more warped than we remembered...no, this has to be a joke. Usagi stared at Zoisite. "NO WAY!" she shrieked. "Serenity, don't throw a fit at the breakfast table," Luna said. "I'm sure he's joking." I'm going to have to talk to Queen Serenity, Parias thought. I'm going to have to talk to Endymion, Zoisite thought. I'm going to have another helping, Artemis thought. *************************************************************************** Queen Serenity waited until Parias finished speaking. "Hmm. That would explain why she didn't show up for our morning conference like she was supposed to. We had important affairs to discuss. Do you think something has happened to all of them or just some?" "It would be most logical to assume that all of them had been affected, but Jupiter and Inanna seemed to be fairly normal, except for Inanna being a little nervous for some reason. It might just be embarrassment over their morning escapade." Serenity sighed. "I think I need to keep them busier." "So now what do you want me to do?" "Keep an eye on them. I shall confer with Endymion and the Elder Senshi. We don't need another Pallas incident on our hands." They both shuddered. Fifty years ago, a crazed cult had almost replaced the King of Mars with a Thing from Beyond. The entire city of Pallas on Mars had to be destroyed to root out the cult, which controlled the town, and had tried to replace him during a royal progress. Serenity prayed nothing permanent had happened to her only remaining daughter. ************************************************************************ With a few hasty excuses, the Sailors managed to slip off together to have a conference in 'Princess Serenity''s chambers. The necessity of shucking off ladies in waiting forced them to move again, this time to Aurora's room. They spread out as best they could, sitting at the table and on the bed. Usagi said, "I think something has gone wrong." "Brilliant deduction, Sherlock. Would you like to tell us where the crown jewels are now too?" Rei said. "My theory is that instead of co-inhabiting with our past selves, instead, we have been switched with them completely, so that they are in the future in our bodies." Ami said. "Maybe we've been completely switched...bodies and all," Minako speculated. Makoto said, "No, I feel different, and we all look older." "You feel different?" Ami asked. "Don't you? I thought I was in good shape, but this body is in even better shape. I feel a lot more...graceful than I used to, too." Makoto said. "We all look like we're all at least 20, if not older. I think Ami's right and Pluto screwed up and mind-swapped us." "Then we'd better go find Pluto." Usagi said. "That's easier said than done. Shouldn't she have realized her mistake by now?" Minako asked. Rei nodded. "Our past selves would stand out pretty badly...we at least had some warning of what was going to happen." Ami said, "Not that we're likely to do much better...we know very little about our past selves. Can you remember anything of what we were like, Luna?" Luna was lost in thought. If that idiot Artemis can assume a human form, there must be some way for me to do it. She gritted her teeth and concentrated. It was easier than she thought it would be, once she put her mind to it. In an instant, she flowed into a human form, with long black wavy hair and a bright yellow dress. She looked rather silly curled up on the floor. Everyone blinked and Luna sat up. "Hmm. That was easier than I remembered it being. Did you ask me something, Ami? I was working on this." "I thought you needed the crystal's help to do that." Usagi said, surprised. "Once I saw that goofball Artemis do it, it was easy." Luna got off the floor and sat down on the bed. "Do you remember anything about our past selves, Luna?" Luna thought hard. "I remember that Aurora was the daughter of the King of Mars, and Athena was her cousin." "I'm Athena and Rei is Aurora, right?" Ami asked. Luna nodded. "You both spoke with a Martian accent." "What does that sound like?" Luna couldn't remember, so she ignored the question and plowed on. "Jupiter, was from one of the colonies on the moons of Jupiter. She was a farmer and loved plants and growing things. She and Zoisite sometimes talked about plants together because he also loves to grow things, especially flowers." "And I'm engaged to Nephrite, right?" "You were eventually...I'm not sure what year this is. Jupiter was engaged to Nephrite, Aurora to Jadeite, Athena to Zoisite, and Inanna to Kunzite." Makoto frowned faintly. "So what was my past life's real name? Everyone calls me Jupiter...or was I actually named Jupiter?" "I don't know. You wouldn't ever tell anyone, and I don't know why." "I'm Inanna, right?" Minako asked. Luna nodded. "You're from a merchant family on Venus. You and Athena were very good friends, as were your fiancees, so the four of you did a lot together. You enjoyed hunting a lot and being outdoors." Minako laughed faintly, "And a few other things as well, as we found out this morning." Ami blushed horribly. Usagi laughed. "Don't be ecchi, Minako." "So you four were really all together in one big bed this morning?" Makoto asked. "Yeah. I don't think I've ever freaked so badly in my entire life." Minako said. "Being Kunzite's girlfriend...this is gonna be a challenge." Makoto said, "Good thing Steven didn't see that." Minako said, "Ack...I think I called Kunzite Steven when I woke up..." "We need to come up with some kind of plan," Ami said. "I suppose we'll need to try and find Pluto in this time. Hopefully, she'll know how to send us home." Usagi nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. We also need to try and find out as much as we can about our past selves so we don't make too many mistakes." There was a knock at the door. Ami answered it. A young pageboy stood in the doorway. "Princess Serenity, your mother wishes to see you." Usagi didn't panic more than she would have if a giant sabre-tooth tiger was chewing off her leg. ************************************************************************ Endymion said to Jadeite, "So you think I should do it?" "If Zoisite actually got engaged to someone, I think you're way overdue. You know her mother will approve. You know your parents will approve. Everyone else is engaged to each other. And we both know she loves you and you love her." They were both sitting on a hill near the palace, but not too near. Endymion looked up at the Earth. "I wish we didn't have to leave soon." "Your father doesn't like you to be gone for long. There is much we must do. It will be a long time before you inherit, but if you spend all your time away, people will think you're lazy and unfit for the throne." Endymion nodded. "I know. I'll do it tonight, then." They could hear galloping horses nearby. Jadeite looked over. "Ahh, looks like we've been found." Nephrite and Jupiter rode up. Jupiter seemed to be having a rather hard time of it, nearly falling off as her horse stopped. Endymion said, "Are you all right, Jupiter?" Jupiter laughed nervously. "I just don't know what's wrong with me today." She flawlessly vaulted off the horse. "Neph-chan and I thought we'd come see what you two had snuck out of the castle early in the morning to do." Jadeite smiled. "Just trying to get the Prince's courage up to propose to the Princess." "It's about time," Nephrite said. "I was thinking we'd have to cast a spell on you or something." He dismounted as well, and stood by Jupiter. Jadeite said, "Aurora couldn't come?" "Something gave her the impression Endymion didn't want her around, I think." "Well, I wanted a chance to talk to Jadeite in privacy, but we're done now, I think." "Well, you missed some excitement this morning." "What kind of excitement?" Jupiter began to laugh. Nephrite said, "Inanna and Athena apparently decided to have a race naked through the palace. Athena actually blushed afterwards. I could hardly believe it." He paused. "Oh, Zoisite wants to talk to you about something, I think." "Okay, I'll talk to him when I get back." **************************************************************************************************** Ami looked around her bedroom. This can't really be my room, she thought. There's no books. The room was lavishly furnished, with a huge king sized bed with blue satin sheets. The wardrobe was full of attractive, but rather revealing outfits. Don't I have any decent clothing, she wondered? What kind of person am I? The wall tapestries, on the other hand, were very nice, showing a red, sandy land cut by canals and houses of red clay and brick. A shelf on one wall had a collection of nicely painted plates as well. Well, my past self has taste in art, at least, Ami thought. Why am I so different from her? Do we have anything in common at all? She wandered through the room, trying to find something that would enable her to believe that this Athena person was really her. In one cranny of the room, she found a small book on top of a cabinet. She opened the book. It was a diary. "Wow...this is a godsend. I'll just read this and it should help me a lot as I try to be Athena." She opened to a random entry and began to read. Ami blinked. Well, I guess Zoisite must be around a lot if I never slept alone. Ami dropped the book as if it was a poisonous snake. This was MY diary? Even Mako doesn't get THIS bad. She paged through the book, trying to figure out how long ago that entry was. It was from six months ago. Was this before or after I got engaged to Zoisite, she wondered. A quick search revealed the engagement happened three months ago. Ami took a deep breath and skimmed through the entries around that day. The entry stopped there. Well, that I can sympathize with a little more, Ami thought. I want to get married one day, but I don't want to end up like my parents either. I wonder who Athena's parents were... Ami turned to the next page. Ami laughed faintly. "At least she can't call my past self meatball head." Embarrassing as it often was, she continued reading the diary. *************************************************************************** Endymion rode back to the palace with Jadeite, leaving Nephrite and Jupiter to enjoy the great outdoors together. Jadeite said his farewells and went to find Aurora. Endymion soon found Zoisite in his quarters. Each of the Guardians had a semi-permanent guest room at the palace. Theoretically, they didn't have personal rooms, but in practice, they always took the same rooms and each of them had left various items in 'their' rooms over periods of months at a time. Zoisite's room in fact, was almost as fully furnished as his room at the palace on Earth. Handmade tapestries woven by his mother and his sisters, noted weavers, lined the walls, depicting various legends of his homeland, Hyperborea. The most elaborate of them depicted King Kull's victory over the snake-men of Leng. It hung over Zoisite's bed, which had dark blue satin sheets and two dozen pillows, or so it seemed at least. The closet was full of clothing, and dozens of potted plants were everywhere, including a rosebush which Zoisite had somehow convinced to grow indoors. Zoisite was busy watering his plants as Endymion entered. "Nephrite said you wanted to tell me something?" Zoisite looked up, his face dark. "I think someone has done something to the Senshi and the Princess. Possibly replaced them with duplicates, or they might be possessed. I was thinking duplicates, but then realized possession was more likely. I can't guess who would be behind this, except maybe one of the Cults of Entropy." Endymion sat down in a chair. "They seemed normal last night." "Either something has shook them all up severely and they're not telling us, or they've had something done to them. Given that Athena and Inanna didn't go anywhere between last night and waking up and starting to act strange..." He paused. "Have you ever heard of someone named Steven?" Endymion cocked his head for a moment. "Are you sure that's a name? I've never heard of ANYONE named that." "Inanna muttered it right after she woke up. Perhaps he or she is responsible for whatever has happened." "So what have they done that makes you suspect this?" "Have you ever known Athena to WANT to be alone? To blush at being seen naked? Have you ever seen Serenity lose all her manners and eat like a pig? I insulted Aurora's mother and she LAUGHED! She should have fed me my intestines. Luna didn't correct anyone's manners. Inanna was too quiet. Jupiter seemed to be normal, but why would she be the only one unaffected?" Endymion frowned. "I hope nothing has truly happened to them. Jupiter and Nephrite seemed to be carrying on the same as usual, except for Jupiter nearly falling off her horse. I shall go and talk to Queen Serenity." "You might talk to Parias as well. I didn't get much of a chance to talk to him, but I think he is suspicious as well." "What does Kunzite think about this?" "He thinks I'm being paranoid. He's off being romantic with Inanna right now." Endymion said, "Well, this may delay my decision." "What decision?" "To ask Princess Serenity to marry me." Zoisite laughed faintly. "Great timing, Endymion. You finally get up the courage and she gets possessed." "Story of my life." ************************************************************************** Rei sat quietly on a bench in the gardens surrounding the palace. I bet I'm probably supposed to be off doing something, but I don't know what. She let the beauty of the palace grounds seep into her soul. This place is so beautiful, she thought, and so peaceful. I hope we can stay a while before we have to go. I don't know how we're going to successfully pass off being our old selves, though. We came back to LEARN about them, not to try to BE them. I have virtually no idea what I was like, except for being engaged to... Her introspection was interrupted by a voice near her head. "Hello, Aurora-chan. I'm sorry I couldn't take you with me this morning. Endymion wanted to have a private talk with me and he wouldn't even wait and let me wake you up and say bye myself." Jadeite's hands came down onto her shoulders and she shivered slightly. "Endymion is going to propose to Serenity, finally." The voice was calm and pleasant, a far cry from the anger and hatred that had run through Jadeite's voice the last time they had done battle with him. She could hardly believe this was the same person who had tried to crush out her life by running her over with an airplane. "Is something wrong? You're not angry with me, are you?" He sounded worried now. My own fiancee tried to kill me. A memory flitted through her head. Angry voices, shouting, power flowing from Jadeite's hands. Death. He did kill me. After Beryl took him and twisted him. Oh, Jadeite...All my loves turn to ashes, burn away in flames. I lose everyone I love. She began to cry. I don't want to be alone. "Help me...I'm sorry...I don't want to be alone." Jadeite's arms wrapped around her and his head rested on her shoulder. "Don't cry, my love. Even when I cannot be at your side, my heart is with you. I know we have to go again soon, but we will return as soon as we can." Jadeite held her for a very long time. ************************************************************************* Usagi was scared out of her mind. She had been summoned to the Queen's quarters, and she didn't know what to do. There's no way I can fake being Princess Serenity, she thought, even if she was me. I'm not like that anymore...I don't know anything. There's a million and one questions she might ask me that I don't know the answer for. I can't even recognize anyone except my friends, the gener...guardians and Endymion. Well, and Luna and Artemis and Naru-chan...well, Lady Patience. I don't even know where the Queen's Quarters ARE! She followed Luna, who seemed to be remembering the layout of the palace fairly well. Soon, Luna announced. "This is it." It was a door like many others in the palace, seemingly no different from them. "Are you sure?" Luna frowned. "I know this palace like the back of my hand. It took me a little while to recognize everything, but I'm fine now." Usagi nervously opened the door. At least Luna helped me get dressed properly and told me how to greet my mother. She walked in and bowed, "Greetings, your highness," she said. "I come at your command." Luna quietly departed, since she had not been personally summoned. Her mother smiled faintly. "Sit down, daughter." Usagi managed to sit down fairly gracefully, then had to struggle with the excessive train of her dress, which wouldn't fit between the chairback and her body. "What did you wish to speak to me about, Mother?" "I understand that the Prince still hasn't proposed to you yet." Usagi blinked. She is talking about Endymion, right? Of course she is. I guess this must be before we got engaged. "Yes, mother." I wish Mamo-chan was here. Would it be right for me to kiss his past self? I mean..he's the same person, but... "I understand that his father is looking for a wife for him and..." Usagi stared at her mother. "Are you saying that Ma...Endymion's father is going to try to marry him off to someone else?" Queen Serenity watched Usagi with a faint smile. "This bothers you?" Is our relationship some kind of secret?, Usagi wondered. Maybe we were trying to not tell anyone for some reason...but why? "Yes, mother, it does." "Well, at least you won't have to worry about Lady Beryl as rival anymore. She just married King Strathmore. Given that he's getting old, if she bears him a child...but I digress. So what are you going to do about it?" Usagi heard the word Beryl and started. So that's how she became a Queen, she thought. "I...we're not going to do anything about that...marriage?" Queen Serenity looked thoughtfully at Usagi. "Why should we care? King Strathmore needs an heir. To get one, he needs a wife. We can't afford another succession crisis in Atlantis. The last one nearly resulted in a coup by the Cult of Metallia." "But Beryl is...is..." Usagi tried to figure out what she could say coherently without simply shouting out that Beryl would lead an army to destroy the Moon Kingdom one day. She knew she should stay silent to avoid changing the future, but the more she thought about it, the more reluctant she was to stay silent. I have to warn my mother, warn everyone...If we'd only had time to prepare... The temptation was growing stronger by the minute. "I know you don't like her, Serenity, but a monarch cannot let personal feelings get in the way of important decisions. It's impossible to like everyone, but often we must act as if we do." Queen Serenity frowned. Something funny is going on, but what? How can I press her best to see if she is really an impostor? "For example, tell me the story of Queen Astra IV of the Star Kingdom." I have NO clue whatsoever, Usagi thought. "Ummm..." "You don't remember?" Either something is heavily on her mind, or she has been replaced. We watched a play about that queen two days ago. The jig is up, isn't it, Usagi thought. I've been caught. "AlrightIadmititI'm the reincarnationofyourdaughterfromthefuturePlutotried tosendusbackthroughtimetoseewhatitwaslikebackhere,butsomethingwent wrongandwe'restuckandwedon'tknowwhattodo." Usagi took a deep breath. "I feel much better now." Queen Serenity blinked. Of all the possible explanations for this, this was about three times stranger than anything she had considered. *************************************************************************** Luna wandered the hallways of the palace alone, trying to remember where everything was. To her surprise, it was all coming back to her. She wasn't used to being this successful at remembering things about the Silver Millennium. Every room brought back memories of happy times and sad. Many people nodded their heads to her, or bowed briefly as she passed. It was flattering. It was also nice to be able to relax and not worry about who knew she could talk. On the other hand, trying to walk as a human was a remarkably difficult operation. It seemed to work best when she didn't consciously think about it. Her body knew what to do better than she did. She wasn't sure how long she had wandered through the palace when she found herself in the library. Artemis was curled up asleep on top of an open book. It looked like a book on engineering from Mercury. She laughed faintly. I guess it put him to sleep, she thought. Spotting a glass of water nearby, she carefully dripped a single drop onto him. He flailed about in his sleep, then rolled over to another position. She dripped the water again. I shouldn't do this, she thought, but I can't resist. I know he just HATES this. After the sixth drop or so, he finally woke up. Luna hastily hid the glass. Artemis blinked. "The ceiling must be leaking." Luna nodded. "I take it the book put you to sleep?" He nodded. "Elder Mercury wanted me to read it for some reason. I have a bad feeling she's going to want help with an experiment soon." "If you don't want to help her, why don't you say no?" "I take it you've never tried to say no to her. I think she doesn't hear that word when you say it. Like some other people I could mention." Luna nodded. "I've known people like that." She tried to remember what the elder Senshi were like. Only a few fragments of memory surfaced. She remembered watching the Elder Jupiter working in the gardens of the palace, listening to the Elder Venus sing...badly, trying to restrain the Elder Mars from trying to stand on the back of a horse while drunk, something about being electrocuted by the Elder Mercury... "Hmm. Now that I think about it, I think I know exactly why you don't want to help her." Artemis blinked. "Really?" Luna never agrees with me if at all possible, he thought. She seems so much more relaxed and happier than usual. I suppose I shouldn't question my luck. All in all, the conversation that followed was the best one he had had with Luna in ages. ************************************************************************* "So you are a future incarnation of my daughter?" Serenity asked. The story was hard to believe, yet at the same time, surely if it was a lie they would have come up with something more plausible. And she wanted to trust the girl, so much like her daughter in many ways. "After the...After...After our lives here, we were reborn on the Earth, 25,000 years in the future. We live in Tokyo." "So Pluto sent you to learn what your previous lives were like?" "Yeah. She's trying to help us learn about our powers and everything, since we don't have anyone to train us." "I suppose we could not expect the current training system to last forever," Queen Serenity said quietly. "All things pass in time." Usagi hesitated. She wanted to tell her mother everything, but she was afraid she'd mess up the past if she said too much. "There's so much I want to tell you, to warn you about, but I'm afraid I'll mess everything up if I say anything..." She began to cry. "This is such a beautiful time and it shouldn't end like it did..." Serenity moved around the table and clasped her child in her arms. "Don't worry. I trust you." She knew they would have to make tests, but it would only be a formality. This was her daughter. ************************************************************************* Makoto and Nephrite lay on the hill, under a silver-leaved Eldilas tree. Blue and silver flowers bloomed around them, poking up through tall green grass. Farther east, the forest thickened. They were on the edge of the Royal Hunting Preserve, which spread westward for miles to the Sea of Dreams. Makoto laid on top of Nephrite, her head on his chest, listening to him breathe. They had chased each other round and round, laughing like children, and now both of them were tuckered out. I feel so comfortable with him, she thought. It must be my old memories slipping into my head. I wish he hadn't died before I met him, she thought. "What was that about death, dear?" Nephrite asked. "I couldn't hear you clearly." Makoto started. "Do you ever wonder when you are going to die?" Nephrite said quietly, "I know the day of my doom, but not the year." Makoto blinked. "You know when you will die?" "Everything is ruled by the stars. Our birth, our meeting, our love, our death. We cannot escape our fate, only deny it, or embrace it. We were linked before we were born in the infinitely complex web of destiny." "But what if it's a bad fate?" Nephrite shrugged. "It has been good to us so far, but none of us can see far enough to judge the overall pattern of the web of destiny. Sometimes, we must suffer undeservingly that others might not." "That's not fair!" "I never said it was." When the armed men came and hauled her away, it somewhat underlined his point. ************************************************************************* Queen Serenity, the Elder Venus, the Elder Jupiter, Endymion, and the Elder Mercury sat around the conference table. "So, what do you think, Endymion?" Queen Serenity asked. "If her story is true....hmmm." "What?" Elder Mercury wished Endymion had not picked up his father's bad habit of trying to act mysterious all the time. It was annoying beyond belief. "Well, last night, she was wondering what the future would be like." He remembered it well. ******** "What a perfect evening," Princess Serenity mused. "It's more like morning, my Princess," Endymion replied. "Endy-chan," Princess Serenity said, looking up at the Earth, "do you ever think about the future? What things will be like hundreds or thousands of years from now?" "I imagine it will be much the same as it is now. Throughout the Silver Millennium, things have not changed too much." "Oh." Princess Serenity seemed almost disappointed by that. "What's wrong, Serenity-chan?" Endymion asked, realizing her mood had turned serious. Slowly, the couple began to walk back to the Palace. "It's foolish, I know, but I read in the histories about how things were before the Founders, and I was wondering what people back then thought the future would be like." "Before the Great Shield was raised, they probably had enough trouble trying to live from day to day. The Things from Beyond.... It must have been horrible." "Still, I hope that the future is different! It will probably be full of strange and interesting things, new magicks, new knowledge, new types of food and dresses..." Endymion chuckled. "I am sure it will be, Serenity-chan." "Will you be there for me, Endy-chan, if I visit the future in my dreams?" They were now outside her door. Endymion glanced around for the guards, but saw none. That just meant they were being discreet, of course, but that was enough. "I will always be there for you, my Princess," he whispered, kissing her gently, then passionately. She moaned into the kiss, but then pushed him away. "Serenity..." he said. ******** "Perhaps she found a way to satisfy her curiosity, which had the side effect of bringing her future self back to the past." "Maybe, but why would she have left you behind? Why take Luna, but not Artemis? I'd like to hope she would have had the sense to tell us, as well," the Elder Jupiter said. "On the other hand, it seems rather too coincidental to not have some kind of connection," the elder Mercury said. "So what do you think, Venus?" Serenity asked the Elder Venus. "You haven't said anything." "Pluto is missing." "She spends much of her time away," the Elder Mercury said. "She told me she would see me today. Pluto NEVER misses an appointment. Ever. Something has happened to her." "Perhaps she was busy," the Elder Jupiter suggested. "Perhaps the Sun will be too busy to rise in the morning too." The Elder Venus shook her head. "Unless she deliberately missed that appointment to make some kind of point, something has happened to her. The same thing may have had something to do with why the younger Senshi's future selves are here." "So you believe their story?" "We tried every test we could think of and they have no taint of entropy upon them. Indeed, their spirits seem quite similar. Unless we can come up with a better theory, I'm inclined to believe them." Queen Serenity nodded. "I wonder what their future is like. I hope they're happy there." So do I, Endymion, thought. My poor princess... **************************************************************************** Artemis sat and listened to the green crystal that sat near him. It was a twin Cyrilin crystal. They were found in pairs, and by some magical process, anything you said near the blue one could be heard by whoever possessed the green one. The blue one was in the room where the Princess and her Senshi, or at least their bodies, were being detained, while the Queen consulted her councilors. He didn't like spying on them. The Prince's four guardians were here as well, sitting and fidgeting while they waited for a decision to be made. Finally, Jadeite turned to Nephrite. "What do your arts tell you of the future? Will we recover our loves?" "Do not fear. Our deaths are not yet to come, and the stars give me no reason to despair. We will face a great battle soon. I did not formerly see how that was possible, but I think we can all guess what may happen next." Kunzite frowned. "Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" "It made no sense. I do make mistakes sometimes, and omens are often unclear. It could have been a chess game or something." Zoisite frowned. "I hate waiting." "Patience, Zoisite," Kunzite said. "Your impatience will be the death of you one day." "I don't like being patient," Zoisite said petulantly. He got up and stomped about. Endymion entered. "The decision has been made." **************************************************************** The Sailors were starting to get a little stir-crazy as they sat in Princess Serenity's quarters. Rei was pacing around the room like a caged lion. "I hate waiting!" "Yeah, this is really making me nuts, too," Minako said. "I hope we don't have to go through any more tests." Makoto nodded. "I hope they're not mad at us for deceiving them." Rei said, "Well, given the way you were making time with Nephrite like he was your old boyfriend..." "EXCUSE ME? Who did I see necking with Jadeite in the garden?" Makoto shouted. "Ohhhh! You made out with Jadeite in the garden? Is he a good kisser? Does he..." Minako began. Rei blushed. "I was crying and...dammit, it's none of your business!" "Oh, so if I see a cute guy and do something, it's evil, but if you do it, it's okay, is that it?" Makoto shouted. Usagi tried to get between them. "Please don't fight." Rei and Makoto glowered at each other, then Rei backed up and sat down hard, then stared silently into the corner of the room as if someone had hidden all wisdom there. Makoto sat down and picked her own corner to glower into. Usagi sighed and was about to say something when Queen Serenity entered. "We have decided to accept your story and to do our best to help you return to your own time. We believe that only Pluto can properly fix this, since we are not sure of what exactly she did or how. You will need to travel to Pluto and find her or the Gate of Time, which you can then use to find her. It will be a long journey. Prince Endymion and his Guardians will be accompanying you to guide you on your way. I wish you well." Usagi got up and curtseyed as best she could. "Thank you, Queen Serenity. We really appreciate this." The Queen looked around the room. "I see you are busy. Come and see me when you are ready and we shall make the arrangements for your departure." She leaned over and whispered to Usagi. "Let me know how the peace negotiations go as well." She swept out of the room and everyone wondered why Usagi was laughing. ************************************************************** It took time for the Queen to make arrangements for transport to Pluto and to make sure that King Endymion would be properly notified of the delay in his son's return. These were not pleasant days for the Sailors. They had to keep up the masquerade in the public eye, which wasn't easy. Even worse, however, was dealing with the people who DID know about it. Usagi and Luna hit upon the expedient of pretending to be sick. This enabled them to limit their social contacts, plus Usagi didn't mind having breakfast, lunch, and dinner in bed. After two days of malingering, Endymion finally came to see her. Usagi's face brightened immediately. "Hi! I never thought getting all the sleep I want could be so BORING...I wish they'd hurry up and invent manga." Endymion sat down on the edge of the bed. "What is manga?" Luna laughed. "A form of book that combines pictures and words to tell stories. Instead of writing that the characters do things, they're drawn doing them, with little word bubbles to show their thoughts and actions." Endymion nodded. "These are common in your time?" "Usagi spends all her time reading them, even when she shouldn't be doing that." "I do not! Don't nag me, Luna!" Endymion smiled faintly. "You should show Luna respect as befits her position." "Now you're on her side too! Hmph." Usagi pouted. Luna leapt up in Endymion's lap and purred. He laughed. "You'll make the Princess jealous, Luna." He turned to Usagi. "Do I live in your time? Have you...ever met me?" His voice was more serious now. Usagi smiled. "We've been dating for close to two years now. Your future self is named Chiba Mamoru. You're studying to become a geneticist." "What is a geneticist?" "They...uh...I'm not sure." Endymion facefaulted. "He studies the patterns of heredity in creatures in order to understand how to breed creatures more effectively," Luna said. "More or less." "Yeah, he's a college student," Usagi said. "And he looks just like you, but with different clothing." Endymion's voice sounded a little strange. "So he is just a young scholar? Where do you both live?" "We live in Tokyo, on Japan." Usagi paused. "Umm...I guess you don't know those places." "You would be correct." "It's on the east coast of these islands just south of this big peninsula that juts out from the eastern shore of Asia, which is this really big continent connected to two other continents." She paused. "Umm. It's on the Northern half of the planet and..." Endymion thought for a moment. "On the western shore of the largest ocean of the planet?" "Yeah." I think so, Usagi thought. "The Pacific Ocean." Endymion smiled. "The more things change...I believe those are the same islands where my father's capital stands, Crystal City. So we are not Kings and Queens and Princes and Princesses in that time?" "Not by a long shot. Even if Luna tries to act like one." "Hey! You will be a princess again one day, and you need to learn proper manners." "I suppose Serenity must be enjoying her trip to your time very much. She was wondering what it was all like just before...you arrived." "Are you two engaged yet?" Usagi asked. "I take it that means we WILL become engaged." Endymion looked visibly relieved. "Yeah. You and I got engaged a little while before..." Usagi trailed off. "A little after this, I guess." Endymion had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. She's hiding something, he thought. And I don't know if I want to know what. ************************************************************************** The Elder Mercury was hard at work in her lab trying to perfect a potion she had been working on, when there was a knock on the door. She shouted, "Come in!" Ami walked in and looked around. The room looked like the den of a crazed alchemist, with chemicals bubbling everywhere over fires ranging from wood to charcoal to coal to strange burning gems. She dodged a pair of small fuzzy animals that looked like a cross between a rabbit and a badger and approached the Elder Mercury. "I have a question for you." "I have an answer." The Elder Mercury smiled. "You're curious about how you use your powers in this life, right?" Ami blinked. "How did you know that?" "I haven't seen you make one use of your abilities since you arrived. Athena revelled in her abilities. So how did you use your abilities in your life in the future?" "Well, we had to transform with our transformation pens, which unfortunately didn't come with us." Elder Mercury sat down and pulled out a stool for Ami. "Ahh, like this?" She pulled out a short ash rod painted blue with a large sapphire on the tip. Imbedded inside the gem was the symbol of Mercury in gold. "Similar, yes, although ours were designed to look like pens." Elder Mercury handed it to Ami. "When we first began our training, we used these as foci to help us concentrate. I don't need it anymore, but it has a certain sentimental value. You can use it for this trip if you like. Just try not to lose it. I'm sure Athena probably has hers somewhere, but I don't know where." Ami took the wand and held it up. "Mercury Star Power!" The familiar feeling of transformation swept over her and soon she had become Sailor Mercury. "I guess I should go bug the other Elders for theirs so everyone can transform, though that won't help Sailor Moon." Elder Mercury thought for a moment. "Hmmm. I think I have an idea." ************************************************************************** Makoto wished she could fake being sick and hide like Usagi, but she knew she'd go mad cooped up in her room. She took to the garden instead, wandering around helping out the gardeners. She had not seen Nephrite since the arrest. He must be angry with me, she thought. I know I wouldn't be too happy if I was him. I should have controlled myself. I mean...I am the same person he was dating, but I'm not. Not quite the same. She sighed, sitting down under an old tree. It was alien to her, like many of the plants of the garden. She had never seen a blue tree before, but it was beautiful with multi-colored leaves and vast spreading branches that tried to embrace the sky. Resting her head against it, she began to doze off. A voice crept into her mind, 'He's looking for you'. She started. "Did someone say something?" There was noone nearby. 'It's me, little one. Is something wrong? Did you two have a fight?' The tree is talking to me, she thought. Or maybe I've just whacked out. "I...I'm not quite what he thought I was." 'No one ever is, dear. He'll just have to adjust. If he really loves you, you'll be able to patch things up. But it will never happen if you keep hiding from him.' She nodded. "You're right. I'll go talk to him. Where is he?" 'By the fountain.' Makoto got up and hugged the tree. "Thank you." 'You're welcome.' She found him sitting by the fountain, staring up at the cloudy sky. She looked up and saw a cloud. "That one looks like a heart," she said softly. He pointed to another cloud. "And there's an arrow aimed at it." He turned around, his face carefully impassive. "Eros' arrow can leave a nasty wound." She sat down near him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lead you on. I just couldn't help myself and we were trying to keep anyone from knowing something had gone wrong and..." She trailed off. Her excuses sounded stupid to her. "You loved my past self very much, didn't you." It wasn't a question. "I love the lady Jupiter very much. Don't speak of it in the past tense. So you are her future self?" Makoto nodded quietly. "My name is Makoto. Kino Makoto." "Like the hero of the Five Day War?" "The what?" He sighed. "I suppose you forget a lot in 25,000 years. You are so much like her, except..." "She's a lot more perfect than I am. If she could win the heart of someone like you...I can't get any of my relationships to last more than a few days." Depression was settling over her. "And I've gone and gummed this up too." "Makoto, don't be so hard on yourself." She turned away and stared off across the garden. "I...I'll understand if you hate me now. I deceived you and pretended to be the woman you loved and..." Nephrite put a hand on Makoto's shoulder. "Makoto, I'm not angry with you. I understand why you did what you did." She could feel the tears building up, but she fought them back. "I just couldn't stop myself. I didn't want to stop myself. It felt so good to have someone love me that I never even thought about what I was doing. I can't understand how I could have fooled you for a second. I'm not a very lovable person. I'm so clumsy and too tall and..." Nephrite said, "Makoto, I couldn't tell the difference between you and the woman I love. That's because you're the same person. I can't understand how you could have such a low opinion of yourself." He moved closer, putting his arm around her shoulders. It is her, he thought. She can be so vulnerable sometimes, if you get past her tough exterior. Makoto leaned into the arm, feeling guilt for doing so. "Because it's all true." He leaned his head close to hers. "You are an angel, not a worm. The stars see all, and they tell me you are destined for greater things than you can imagine. Do not think that I hate you. I cannot, for you are the one who I love most in all the world, though you be her future self. Perhaps we have not yet met in your life, but know that..." Makoto cut him off softly. "You died before I could meet you." Nephrite blinked. "I what?" "You were killed by...you died defending someone you loved." "But if we..." She sighed. "You get my point. Not every love transcends death, I guess." She sighed again. "I'm being really depressing, aren't I?" "If that is my fate, then I shall accept it." "How can you be so calm about this?" "There is a saying in the Star Kingdom. 'He who defies fate dies unhappy. He who accepts it dies anyway, but at least he enjoyed the ride.'" He paused. "Hmmm. That's not quite right, but you get the point. If we rail against what we cannot change, we just make ourselves miserable and it happens anyway. I will love the Lady Jupiter with all my heart for as long as I am able. If we both must one day change partners in the dance of life, so be it. I know that if I could find someone worth dying for in your time, then surely you will find someone worth living for. You have been loved before, and you will be loved again." "You...you really think so?" "The stars tell me it is true, and they are never wrong." He leaned closer and gently kissed her lips. "My ghost will rise from its grave if it must to ensure you find the love that you deserve." Makoto felt herself melting. Her despair was fading, and the love she had felt for him before was rushing upon her again. She could hardly believe this was all true. "You mean it?" "I always keep my promises. Who knows. Perhaps you've already met that lucky soul who will dance through time with you forever." Nephrite spoke truer than he knew. ************************************************************************** Rei didn't know where to go. She spent a lot of time in her quarters, quietly reading books from the royal library. When she and Jadeite encountered each other, they usually stared in silence, then turned away. One day, she found herself in the chapel. It was full of religious symbols she didn't recognize, though the number seven seemed to play an important role. Seven men dominated the paintings on one side of the chapel, and seven women on the other. I wonder what these people believe, she thought. This place looks like a weird cross between Grandpa's temple and a Christian church. Can't be Christian, though...we're way before the Jews, let alone Christ. And I doubt Shinto's that old either... Footsteps startled her out of her reverie. "I would never expect to see you here...if you were your older self," the man said. It was the cleric named Parias. "I take it you have changed your ways in so many years." Rei blinked. "It wasn't common for me to come here?" "I think this is the second time you've entered this place for more than three minutes of your own free will." He sat down on a bench near her. "I suppose this is all strange to you." He waved his hands about. "Not much like Grandpa's temple." "You grew up in a temple?" "I've only lived there since I was 12. When I started Junior High, my parents had to move, but they wanted me to stay at the school I was at. We couldn't afford to have me board there, so they put me in Grandpa's care. I became a shrine maiden." Parias laughed faintly. "I cannot imagine Aurora becoming a holy woman if her life depended on it." Rei frowned. "I was that bad?" "Not bad. Aurora is a good woman. But she thinks that religion is for losers and makava addicts." Blinking, Rei said, "No way." Parias said, "I kid you not. She believes in machines and herself and that is about it. Princess Serenity used to drag her to ceremonies here, but she stopped after Aurora...well, let's just say it was a disaster and leave it at that. We've only talked once since then for more than a brief courtesy on social occasions." He turned and stared off at one of the figures on the wall, a woman with a dove in her hand and a horn of plenty in the other. "She believes I am a fraud. The only time she came to talk to me was when she wanted to be punished." "To be punished?" "It was after that disaster with the forest she burned down on Earth. You see..." Suddenly it all came back to her. ************************************************************************** The chapel was quiet, since services had been completed for the day. Parias was observing something through the windows, his hands clasped behind his back. Aurora hesitated. She had never been particularly at ease in this place, since her philosophy was diametrically the opposite of what it represented. It had gotten both her and the cleric in some...tense moments. However, after what happened a short while ago, he was the only person she could turn to. It didn't quite gall her. "Good day, Lady Mars," Parias said, turning to face her. "How may I be of service?" His hearing is better than I thought, she noted, then strengthened her resolve. She strode towards him. "I wish to discuss...a certain incident." "Ah," he nodded. "May I assume that this is related to what happened on Earth, not long ago?" He gestured for her to sit down on a bench. Aurora's eyes widened slightly, then she lowered her gaze. The memory of what happened still weighed on her. Actually, it gnawed at her, making her feel guilty every time she looked in the mirror. "Yes," she mumbled. "Perhaps we can get to the root of the problem, yes?" Her glare made it evident that she could do without the jokes. "Sorry, poor choice of words." "Yes, it was," she agreed. "This isn't easy for me." "I knew that when you came here. I also know that you were not at fault for what happened. After all, the forests of Earth are quite different from the sands of Mars. Such a drastic change can be somewhat...disconcerting." "I panicked." she stated flatly. "I got lost, I wasn't in control, and I nearly burnt down an entire forest. I could have killed someone!" "And you feel guilty, even though the fault was not yours?" he asked. "Yes! Isn't there some ritual, some punishment that will make the guilt go away? I can't even close my eyes, without thinking of that day." The cleric closed his eyes in thought, then opened them. "Only you can truly forgive yourself. When you have accomplished that, the guilt will subside. As for a punishment...you seem to be doing an excellent job of it on your own. However, that appears to be rather self-destructive, so...hm..." "What?" she demanded. "In the royal gardens, there is a young sapling. It is ill, but not to a point where it is life-threatening. Your punishment is to nurse that sapling back to health. If you are successful in keeping it alive one year from today, you may consider your sentence completed." "That's it? I have to babysit a tree? *That's* my punishment?" "Well, it is certainly a great deal more productive than what you're doing to yourself. Besides, it will not be as simple as you think. When you encounter firsthand the amount of work that is required to produce a single tree, I believe that you will be less likely to burn one down without due cause. I also suspect that you will be more careful the next time a similar occasion arises. Do you wish to dispute the sentence?" he finished formally. "No." she said quietly. "`So I have judged, so shall it be.'" he quoted the ancient words. "You will find your tree in the royal gardens. Take care of it well. Lady Jupiter may be of some service in determining its health, but you are not to request that she make it grow by her power." "I understand." she stood up to leave, then hesitated. "Thank you." she said, so quietly that he barely heard her. "You're quite welcome. Sleep well, Lady Mars." The year she had spent nursing the sapling back to health was one of the most frustrating, tedious, time-consuming affairs of her life. Yet somehow, it was also one of the most fulfilling times of her life, watching *her* tree rid itself of the fungus which attacked it. Earlier, she wouldn't have given a second thought to the budding of new leaves or the sprouting of fruit (a kind of apple, which Parias happened to be fond of). However, since the tree was hers...that made everything somehow special. Someone had set up a bench, and from that moment on, only she or Jadeite would sit on it. ************************************************************************** Rei shook her head faintly. I can't understand how I could be so...how I...I guess she would find me as strange as I find her. "So what do you believe in? We came back in time to learn...there's so little we remember." Parias smiled faintly. "I could spend far longer than you have explaining that, but in brief..." He took a deep breath and launched into a long speech. "The world is the site of the conflict of two great powers, the Lady of Light and the Lord of Darkness. Each is served by seven great gods who champion the Seven Virtues and the Seven Vices respectively. The conflict between those two powers drives forward time in its course, until the day of Decision, when one side or the other will win and reshape creation in its image. No one knows the day or the time of that battle, so we must always be vigilant. As time passes, the conflict sways back and forth. We live in a period of the dominance of Light which followed on the heels of the great age of Darkness, in which the worlds groaned under the slavery of the Things from Beyond." He pointed about the room. "There have been many holy ones who have shown us the way of righteousness, and the seven greatest each of men and women are depicted on the walls of this chapel. We hope to follow the paths they have marked for us, the seven-fold path of holiness. Love, hope, faith, fortitude, temperance, justice, and modesty are the Seven Virtues that we strive to follow." Rei looked around the room. "So what do you do?" "My job is to preach, to counsel, to inspire, and to guide. I lead the faithful in the sacred rituals that mark the changings of the seasons and the great days of remembrance of the deeds of the virtuous." He sighed. "Lady Aurora is not alone in her doubts and her turning away from the old ways. When we groaned under the oppressions of the Things, we remembered our need for Divine help. In these times, we increasingly trust in ourselves. We wield the power of gods and forget we lack their wisdom." He turned and stared at one of the figures on the wall, a man gazing up from his plow to the stars above. "But enough of the rantings of an old man. It is ever the job of the old to whine about the young." "You're not old, Parias." She looked at him carefully. "Surely, you're not more than thirty or so, right?" He smiled faintly. "I'm still young enough to have twinges of vanity, I suppose. I'm 30, seven years older than you. Well, than your body." "Well, the real me is sixteen. Well, in my normal body...uh, you know what I mean. But I live with my grandpa, who's about twice your age. So you don't count as old to me." "You lived in a temple, right? Tell me about the beliefs of your time." This took Rei quite a while. By the time she was finished, she was feeling a lot more relaxed, which was exactly the idea he had had in mind when he asked her. ************************************************************************* Usagi was relaxing, enjoying a pleasant nap when a pair of hands shook her awake. She muttered, "Five more minutes, Luna." She heard Naru's voice. "Get up, sleepyhead." Usagi snapped awake. "Naru-chan?" Lady Patience, clad in a simple blue dress like the white ones that Princess Serenity favored, laughed and said, "No, it's me, Patience." A tall, elegant girl with dark red hair done up in the double-odango style of the royal family, clad in a long green dress said, "And your cousin. Remember me?" No, I don't, Usagi thought. I'll just fake it, though. She coughed a lot, and tried to look pathetic. "Don't get too close. You'll get sick." Lady Patience sat down on a nearby chair, as did the other girl. "So what exactly happened? There have been all sorts of crazy rumors floating around, and all your Senshi seem to be on the outs with their fiances except for Jupiter and Nephrite." "I can't talk about it." The other girl said, "Reasons of State?" Usagi nodded, not being sure what that was, but it seemed as good a reason as any. Patience said to the other girl, "I told you so, Charity. Otherwise, she would have told us, right, Serenity?" They both gazed expectantly at Usagi, who felt like a fink for not telling them everything. "Right." So the other girl is named Charity? She looked vaguely familiar to Usagi. Must be a memory trying to surface, she thought. They chatted for a while longer, with Usagi fumbling to keep up with the conversation without giving away that she hardly remembered anything. This wasn't easy. Finally, Lady Patience said, "Are you okay? You're acting kind of weird." Usagi sighed. "I wish I could tell you about it, but..." Lady Charity cut her off. "You can't." She didn't seem pleased. "I'm sorry." She yawned. "I think that's our cue to leave," Lady Patience said. "Get well soon, Serenity." Charity nodded. "Can I have your room if you die from this?" Usagi threw a pillow at her as Charity ran away laughing. ************************************************************************* Everyone was milling around in Usagi's room, getting ready to go. Each of them was carrying a small wand borrowed from the various Elder Senshi, all except Usagi, who wished she had actually thought about this earlier. There was a knock on the door, and Rei let the Elder Mercury in. "Ahh, I have a present for you," the Elder Mercury said to Usagi. Usagi sighed. "It wouldn't happen to be my transformation brooch, would it?" The Elder Mercury handed her a long golden rod with a large red heart on the end. It looked like a simplified version of the Spiral Heart Moon Rod. The red heart was embossed with a golden crescent moon. "Try this. It should work. I've been working night and day on it." Usagi waved it around. It was nicely balanced. Could it really work? Well, it couldn't hurt to try, she thought. "Moon Star POWER!!!" She transformed into Sailor Moon. "It worked!" The Elder Mercury smiled and carefully didn't mention the item had started its life as a toy belonging to one of her children. ************************************************************************* The Sailors arrived at the Royal Spaceport after a several hour carriage ride. It was the smoothest ride of their life. The road was a ribbon of crystal that the carriage hovered over and zoomed along at high speeds. Ami had asked how it worked, but only Nephrite really understood it, and since she lacked an advanced degree in transportation magic, the explanation flew way over her head, which was a new experience for her. The Sailors rode in one carriage, the Guardians rode in a second one, just behind them. Luckily, they didn't have to drive their own carriage, since they didn't know how. The driver, a man from the Ganymede colony named Robin, was polite and quiet, carefully ignoring their chatter and responding only to direct questions. Soon, the carriages pulled into the small village that surrounded the Royal Spaceport. Most of the houses were maintained by off-world nobles from families closely allied to the Moon Kingdom, and the rest belonged to the families of space sailors in the Royal employ. Their homes were often more elaborate than the noble ones, for the sailors of the seas of space were very highly paid. The port itself serviced both sailing ships on the Sea of Serenity and space going ships, since both needed a water harbor when not in motion. The space ship itself was shaped like a huge crystal dove, except for the masts and sails. The Sailors and the Guardians soon loaded their respective gear onto the ship and prepared for take off. The captain called them all up to the deck. She was tall, with long bluish black hair, blue eyes, and a pleasant smile. Her uniform was dignified, but bulky, with several layers of white and red vests, shirts, and pants, topped with a red jacket that looked like it must be very warm in the winter and miserably hot in the summer time. Strangely, though, she did not sweat. There was a ceremonial looking sword hanging from her belt, and next to it a short crystal rod tipped with an opal. "Hello. The Queen had me briefed on your mission. I'm Captain Yuri. Welcome to the Lovely Angel." The Sailors had a strange sinking feeling, but they weren't quite sure why. "Anyway, I hope you enjoy your ride. We should be leaving as soon as my lazy first mate gets off her butt and..." The Captain was interrupted by a red haired woman clonking her in the head with a belaying pin. "I am NOT lazy! I just had to finish putting on my uniform. We're all ready to go now, sir." Her voice failed to convey respect. She turned to the Sailors and bowed to Usagi. "Request royal permission to toss the Captain overboard until she gets some sense into her." Usagi laughed, ignoring the growing feeling of impending doom. "I think we really need to get going." Captain Yuri frowned. "Indeed we do. Let's get this show on the road." First Mate Kei began barking out orders at the crew, who hustled about, chanting, waving their arms, and climbing or running to their positions. Captain Yuri sighed. "You know how those Lemurians are. Hot tempers are their stock in trade. She does a good job, though, once you get her out of bed." Kei shouted from the forecastle, "I HEARD THAT! And WHICH one of us slept through the battle of Pallas?" She went back to harrassing the crew. Captain Yuri smiled. "Anyway." She turned and walked over to the huge chair that sat beneath the masts. It was plush and carved of mahogany with a high back. She sat down and closed her eyes. "Go." The sails suddenly filled with wind and the boat sailed out of the harbor and onto the sea. The wind got stronger and Usagi, Rei, and Minako's hair whipped about their heads frantically. Makoto had to grab her own pony-tail to keep it out of her face. As the boat sped up, it began to ride higher in the water. Zoisite stood by the rail at the edge of the deck, letting the wind and flying water strike him. He looked exhilarated by it. He turned and said, "I really love sailing." Before the Sailors could quite realize what was happening, the boat rose from the water and began to rise into the air. The captain sat in the command chair, her eyes closed, silent, as the surface of the moon swiftly dropped away below them. Ami rushed over to the side and looked down. "Wow." Minako staggered over, trying to keep the conflicting winds from totally mummifying her face with her own hair. She looked down. "We must be rising at hundreds of meters per minute. I can see the palace. Look!" She pointed. Everyone looked down. They could see the palace, and cities dotting the shores of the sea of Serenity and fields and forests spreading out from those shores. Makoto laughed. "Imagine what the astronauts would have thought if they had seen all this when they landed on the moon." "It looks so much like Earth, except for the continents being different. It's mostly land instead of water, for one thing," Ami said. Nephrite, standing nearby, quietly said, "Earth, Venus, and the Moon, plus many of the Jupiter and Saturn colonies are all very similar in appearance. Earth has the most water and Venus has the most trees, but except for the predominance of the faerie folk on Venus, you couldn't tell just by looking which of those you were on. As compared to Mars, where there's never any doubt as to where you are." Usagi smiled. "Just look for the canals and red dust everywhere?" "I take it things have not changed much in your time in that respect." "What is the captain doing?" Ami asked Nephrite. Before he could answer, Zoisite came over. His voice was carefully neutral and he didn't look directly at Ami, directing his answer to Nephrite as if Nephrite had asked. "The Captain is a powerful sorcerer trained at the Crystal City Naval Academy on Earth. During takeoffs, landings and lulls in the solar winds, she powers the ship with her magic, enabling it to achieve the speeds necessary to reach the ether that fills the voids between the worlds. The chair amplifies her abilities to enable her to move a ship of this size for the length of time necessary. Once we reach the ether, she will leave the chair and likely take a nap to regain her energy. In the ether, we will ride the solar winds out to Pluto." "How can the ship move against the solar winds to return to the Moon? Does she have to power the ship the whole way?" Ami tried to will Zoisite to actually look at her. He had been trying to act as if she was imaginary ever since the Guardians had found out about what was really going on, and it was starting to really aggravate her, though she had no idea what to do about it. At least he's answering my questions, she thought. "The ship will likely use stored power crystals most of the way back, though the captain could do it. It would be very slow. As it is, we will take three days to reach Pluto and the ship will likely spend three times that coming back afterwards." Soon, the Moon had become a green and white sphere beneath them. The ship ricocheted around the Moon and began to fly off towards the outer limits of the Solar System. The journey was begun. ************************************************************************** It is very cold in space. Ether, however, is another question. It's rather like going through warm, transparent fog. You feel wet all the time, but it doesn't block your sight. This did not fill the Sailors with joy, especially since the Guardians seemed to know some trick for not being constantly damp, but they weren't telling anyone. What also drove most of the Sailors nuts was that Nephrite and Makoto were still buddy-buddy while Zoisite, Jadeite, and Kunzite were stiffly polite at best. Endymion was more friendly, but constantly seemed distracted, though by what, no one could tell. He and Usagi often went off on their own and talked, leaving Ami, Minako, and Rei to stand at the rail and count stars or complain about the length of the trip. Ami wished again that she had brought more books. She had finished the three she had brought with her on the first day. I'm not used to it taking more than a few hours to get anywhere. Minako sighed. "This would really be cool if the guys weren't mad at us." Rei glanced over at Makoto and Nephrite, who were up in the forecastle of the ship. "I just can't BELIEVE that girl. She'll hit on anything that moves." "Hey, if I wasn't dating someone, I'd probably be competing with her," Minako said. "I wish Steven was here." "I wish Ryo-kun was here," Ami said. "I wish you'd stop talking about your boyfriends," Rei snapped. "Wishing won't make them drop from the sky onto your heads." She stormed off. Minako sighed. "We really need to find Rei a boyfriend." "Maybe Mako-chan could give her lessons." Ami suggested. Minako laughed. "Do you think she and Yuiichiro will ever get together?" "I don't know. I'm not sure what Rei likes in men." Ami paused. "Minako, can I ask you a question?" "Blue." Ami blinked. "Huh?" "I guess I won't be joining the psychic friends network any time soon. What's the question?" "I was reading my past life's diary and..." "You found a diary? You're lucky. I had to just guess and go by a few comments I heard from people." Minako gave a sigh of relief. I was afraid Ami was going to bring up something to do with when we both woke up naked together. "I was...well, I was kinda shocked by some stuff I read in it." Ami wasn't sure how to put this. Just thinking about it was making her very uncomfortable. "What kind of stuff?" Now Minako began worrying. "I was a rather...indecent person. Among other things, I was going through boyfriends the way some people go through tissue paper." I committed adultery, she thought. And I didn't have any remorse about it, either. She felt the need to confess, to purge herself, but she couldn't bring herself to actually say it. "I didn't like finding out what my past self was like. Maybe there's a good reason we can't remember much about our past lives. We always thought we were just the same, but I certainly wasn't. What about the rest of us?" "Makoto seems to be enough like her old self that she and Nephrite are pretty happy together. Still, we really don't know enough to judge. All I know about my past self is that I grew up as a merchant's daughter on Venus. I'm not even sure when I met Kunzite or how we got engaged, or even how long ago it was. I've learned a little more, but now Kunzite won't talk to me, and anyone who will doesn't know anything more than I did already." She sighed. "I wish I knew what the point of all this was." "Sometimes the truth hurts, I guess. Maybe it'll be important to know some day." Ami said it, but she didn't really believe it. ************************************************************************** Makoto stared over the railing at Jupiter, which hung hugely in the dark sky. Tiny globes drifted through space around it. However, something seemed to not quite be right. Makoto cocked her head. Something is missing. Nephrite followed her gaze. "You look like you're looking for something." "Jupiter doesn't look quite right." "Even a dead ball of gas changes in 25,000 years, I suppose. What's wrong?" "Ahah! That's it! The big red spot on the northern half is gone." "Big red spot?" "Yeah. It's like a semi-permanent storm. I guess we know now that it wasn't 25,000 years old." She looked at the moons of Jupiter. "Do you know their names? I can't remember any of them." Nephrite began pointing out moons. "Io. Ganymede. That one is Europa, where you were born." He paused. "Well, where Lady Jupiter was born. You can't see Callisto right now, but it's out there too." Makoto stared at the tiny blue and green marble. "It's inhabited?" Nephrite nodded. "It's not inhabited in your time?" Makoto nodded. "Just Earth." "Were we driven off the other worlds by the Things from Beyond?" "I'm not sure. I only know a little bit about how everything came crashing down after..." She paused. "I shouldn't talk about that." Nephrite sighed. "The doom I have forseen through the power of the stars." Makoto started. "You know something bad is coming?" Nephrite nodded quietly. "Astrology is not always a pleasant art. It predicts the bad as well as the good, though most people try to ignore the bad predictions. A great conjunction is coming and it is evilly aspected." "There has to be something we can do about it!" "If we knew more, yes. Even the movement of the stars is not fixed in stone. Yet, it is very hard to defy destiny. We shall see, I suppose." They would see, indeed. ************************************************************************* It was another lazy day on the Lovely Angel. The ship's crew went about their daily tasks while the Captain sat in the command chair and relaxed, not needing to take direct control since they were running with the solar wind instead of against it. While some of the Sailors tried to teach Endymion how to play Poker, Ami chatted with Captain Yuri. "So the chair basically amplifies your own magical powers to let you control the ship?" "I become the ship. I fuse with it, intertwining my soul with it. Then I can make it move however I want. Too much exertion and eventually I become exhausted. Sunward runs are very exhausting because the ship can't make any headway without me. When I join with the ship, I can see anything and everything on it. It's a trip. One reason that few people can become ship captains is that a lot of them go mad from the experience." "Well, you also have the crystal batteries, right?" She nodded. "Yes. But I still have to join with the ship if we have to maneuver at all. Plus, the batteries can and do fail, sometimes. They've made sunward sailing a lot easier, though. It also helps that you rarely have to sail directly at the Sun. Usually we're going at an angle, anyway. I'll admit that you Martians' technomagick ships are a lot more efficient for sunward traveling, though. Still, give me a soulship any day. Those Martian ships...they just lack something. The spark of life. All metal and gears and funky gases and whatnot. How can you people stand it?" Ami had no clue how to answer that. "You get used to it. It has its advantages." "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" Yes, Ami thought. "No, not at all." "You're engaged to Guardian Zoisite, right?" She nodded. "Hai." "Did you have an argument or something? He's been giving you funny looks this whole trip like he expects you to split open and sprout tentacles. I had the impression both the Senshi and the Guardians were pretty close, but..." Ami sighed. "There was a big fight before we left and a lot of us aren't getting along too well." "Would you like me to talk to him for you? You shouldn't have to be lonely when your own fiancee is on the ship. Whatever happened, I think he's taking it too far." Ami sighed and stared off into space. "I can't blame him at all." A glint caught her eye. "Look, a big ice meteor!" The captain looked, then barked out orders for a change of course. "There, now it won't hit us. That wouldn't be half as...uh oh." The meteor seemed to be breaking up at first, then it became clear that what was actually happening was that tiny figures were breaking off the surface and heading for the ship. "What are those?" Ami asked. "Byakhee. I guess they either somehow drifted through the shield on that rock, or more likely, they've been riding it for centuries, waiting for it to find a planet for them...or a ship. Every time we think we've killed the last of the blasted things, more of them pop up. Of course, given this system is full of millions of rocks, we've hardly searched them all." She turned to the crew. "Battlestations! Byakhee at five o' clock!" The sailors leapt to their feet and transformed. The Guardians shifted into their battlegarb and prepared to do battle if necessary, forming a square around Endymion. The Sailors noted this and imitated them. "We'll guard the left side, you guys move to the right," Venus said. Kunzite nodded. "Right." They moved into place. The captain activated the ship's chair and took control of the ship. Its wings began to glow, then spread out and began to flap. The ship began to arc upwards, moving to gain the high ground over the byakhee. Some of the crew retired below decks and ports opened up on the sides. Long crystal rods extended through the ports and began to fire beams of silver energy into the oncoming wave of byakhee, which came on in an ice-rimed horde. First mate Kei stormed around the deck, barking orders at the crewmen and speaking into a small crystal to deliver orders to the wandmen. The Guardians began firing blasts into the oncoming horde, laying waste to the hideous creatures. The Sailors joined together and fired a Sailor Planet attack into the horde, destroying a large swarm of twenty byakhee. They resembled giant winged ants in some ways, though with a head rather like a mantis, and basically bipedal in form, but with chitinous skin and a divided segmental body like an ant. Instead of legs on the middle segment, they had huge porous chitinous wings that shouldn't have been able to flap, but did anyway. The rock seemed to have a nearly infinite number of them. More continued to rise off the rock as the ship's crew and its protectors laid waste to the first wave. Only four of the creatures reached the deck. Kunzite formed a blade of energy and engaged one. Jadeite ringed a second in fire and trapped it. Sailor Moon hurled her tiara and cut a third one in half. The fourth was double teamed by Nephrite and Jupiter, who swiftly slew it. Kei took a moment to bow to Sailor Moon. "Nice trick, Princess. I never realized you could fight." Sailor Moon laughed nervously. "A princess has to be ready for anything." I wish I had my Spiral Heart Moon Rod so I could actually do more. I bet I could blow away a lot of them, but all I have is my tiara. The voice of the Captain echoed everywhere, voicelessly. SECOND SWARM COMING FROM BELOW AT 9 O'CLOCK. They all rushed to the other side of the ship as it arced around to give the wandmen the maximum opportunity to fire at the onrushing swarm. The deck got steeper and steeper, and suddenly, Sailor Moon slipped and found herself rolling towards the edge. Mercury muttered something about gravity planes as Jupiter leapt after Sailor Moon, grabbing her by her ponytails. Suddenly, the ship felt level again, although they were now moving at a steep angle compared to their previous flight. Kei sighed. "Bloody thing doesn't adjust very fast, but Yuri never remembers that. Sorry, Princess." More byakhee exploded from Guardian, Sailor, and wand attacks. Unfortunately, the third wave was able to launch its attack as they were finishing off the second one. Two dozen byakhee reached the deck this time, the last of the ones from this meteor. The fighting quickly broke up into individual duels on the Sailor's side as they fought in the way they knew best...as individuals. Things went rather better on the Guardians' side, due to their fighting in the way they knew best--as a team. Sailor Moon was being chased round and round the main mast by a byakhee when Endymion stepped in and chopped it into bits with one sword stroke. "Are you okay, Serenity?" She ran over and sank her face into his chest, whispering, "I can't do hardly anything without my rod and the Silver Crystal. I feel so useless." Not sure what to do, he hugged her. "You did your best. You always do. I saw you fighting earlier. You were magnificent." He paused and whispered, "It is said that the first Serenity was a great warrior when she had to be. You do your line honor. And you did much better than my Serenity would have." "Really?" "She knows nothing of combat, while you fight very well." "Thanks." She turned back to the battle in progress. Elsewhere, Nephrite dived in and hacked up one of the byakhee that had trapped Jupiter by the cabin door. She blasted the second, and they mutually annihilated the third. Zoisite found Mercury hiding inside one of her magical mists while two Byakhee tried to stalk her. A third one was frozen in a block of ice nearby, though it was starting to break free. He paused and stabbed it through the neck with a crystal dagger, slaying it, then plowed into the mist. Being used to her mists, he easily saw through it and found another Byakhee, slicing off its wings, then its legs. It fell and he cut off its head. The third one died just as well. He found Mercury, busily punching away at her computer, apparently looking for weaknesses in the creatures. He grabbed her shoulders. "Why are you hiding in here? Why are you all fighting on your own like some fools out of classical legends? Has the concept of teamwork been forgotten in your time?" Mercury frowned. "Even Shining Aqua Illusion wasn't slowing these things down much. They like cold. My powers aren't a lot of use against them." "Why not enter your super mode and use the Mercury Ice Blade on them?" Mercury blinked. "The what?" She sighed. "I don't know how to use that power and I can't do a super mode yet. Only Sailor Moon can." Zoisite frowned and pulled his own ponytail. "Have you people had ANY training at all?" "By WHO? Everyone who could really teach us is DEAD or turned evil. Luna and Artemis did their best, but..." "Like fish trying to teach baby birds to fly." "Yeah." "Dammit, if you get Athena's body killed before I can get her back, I'll...I'll..." "It won't happen." "If you keep fighting like this it will! You're completely incompetent!" Zoisite twitched with rage. "How you can possibly be the same person when you're such an idiot...." Mercury's temper snapped. "I am NOT AN IDIOT! I have an IQ so high it goes off the scale! I'm at the top of my class and I passed my entrance exam with almost the highest possible grade! I speak six languages and I know things you people will NEVER discover! Yes, I'm not a freaking killing machine like you! I want to be a doctor! I want to heal people!" Luckily, Mercury's mist muffles noise, and while others could hear shouting, they couldn't hear what was being shouted. Zoisite yelled, "I'm not a killing machine! But if you get Athena's body hurt...I'll...I'll..." "You'll WHAT? Kill me? Beat me? Stab me in the back with one of your daggers like you did to Tuxedo Kamen?" She mentally beat herself. I shouldn't have mentioned that "What the hell are you talking about?" Who the hell is Tuxedo Kamen and why does she think I stabbed him? Zoisite wondered. Mercury sighed. "I shouldn't have mentioned that. You can't be blamed for what you haven't done yet. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be yelling at you. I didn't fight very well. None of us do. We just do the best we can." She turned and stared off into the mist. "I can't be your Athena." I don't want to be her, she thought. "But I will do my best to keep her body intact. After all...she is me. She was me." Though I can't understand how I ever was her. "She loves you very much. She must be missing you wherever she is." She paused. "I read her diary." "You WHAT?" "Hey, I am her, so I wrote it. That makes it okay." I hope. "I could barely believe it." She hugged herself, shivering a bit in the mist. "She's so..." Zoisite's voice dropped a few levels. "Wild? Out of control? Free-spirited? Chaotic? Undisciplined?" He sighed. "I've noticed. You're so stable and calm and she got crazier than me sometimes. She's the only person I've ever met who could match me for...whatever you want to call it. Her powers are cold, but her heart is warm and burns with a flame that draws me in like a moth." He sighed. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I just..." "You want your Athena and you're afraid this is all a trap...that you may never see her again. You suspect we're up to something." Zoisite tried to speak, but Mercury cut him off. "I wish I could prove this is no trap. I think I've proved we're no threat to you, whatever else might happen." "Well, if we ever get out of this fog, I can try to give you some advice on ways I've seen Athena use her powers." "I'd appreciate that." The ice was broken, so to speak. Elsewhere, Jadeite had found Mars dueling a single byakhee. It was too agile for her, dodging her Fire Mandalas. He observed silently for a moment, then blasted it right as it dodged one of her shots. It couldn't adjust fast enough and evaporated in a spray of flame. He turned and gazed at Mars, who stared back at him. She had wanted desperately to talk to him, but every time she tried to muster the courage, he had given her this strange look she couldn't read. It felt so good to be with you, she thought. It was so natural, so right...I led you on. I want to apologize for it, but I can't approach you when you look at me like that. I don't have the strength. I want you too much. I can't trust myself. She sighed. This is going nowhere. He broke the silence. "It is perhaps disappointing to think that you still make the same mistake after 25,000 years that you do now." Her lips moved without sound. She wanted to reply, but she could not. "Strafing an area with your fire will only waste your energy. Your power is great, but not infinite. If they are faster than you, then you must either seek help or lure them close enough that it will not matter." He fell silent and turned and stared at the corpse. "The closer you get to someone, the harder it will be for them to get away." A crewman approached and he fell silent. "Excuse me sir," the crewman said, then began to heft the remains of the byakhee and toss it overboard. Jadeite turned to go. "We should get out of his way." "Don't go," Mars whispered. He started and turned to look at her. His face was hard to read again, perhaps because even he didn't know his own mind. Finally he said quietly, "I don't trust myself if I stay. I bear you no ill will, for I know that you are she who I love, though her future self. But you have changed and I have not." He paused. "I am not Nephrite, who can carry on with the Lady Jupiter as if nothing had changed. But neither am I Zoisite, to be eaten up with paranoia. Yet, I don't know how to deal with you. You are so similar and so different. I want to be your friend, yet I know little of you, and whenever I make assumptions..." He sighed. "Have we even met in your own time? I take it from your behavior that we have, yet..." Mars said quietly, "Our relationship in my time is very different from that of you and Aurora. I've never even had a steady boyfriend, let alone a fiancee." She moved over and leaned on the railing, gazing off into space. "I know I seem very different to you...you're different too in that time." She paused. "Well, actually, I did date one guy for a while, but I was a lot more serious than he was. I always kinda sensed he was meant for someone else, but I ignored it. I was such a complete goober." Jadeite moved over to stand by her. "Was it anyone I might know? Well, their reincarnation, I suppose." "Actually, yes." She took a deep breath. "It was Endymion." To her surprise, Jadeite laughed. It was a short, but healthy laugh. "History repeats itself. Aurora also had a ...relationship with Endymion." He turned and winked at Mars. "Then she saw the light and left him for me." Rei blinked. "Really?" "Well, it wasn't quite like that. Aurora and Endymion have known each other, though vaguely at first, for a long time. I think they first met when she was five or so and he was eight, when he accompanied his uncle on a diplomatic trip to Mars. They encountered each other periodically thereafter. Endymion's father wanted his son to be exposed to all the cultures of the system so he sent Endymion all over the system on a series of trips. Endymion's original intended bride was in fact Martian, so as he grew older, it was also intended to help him get to know his fiancee so they wouldn't meet on the wedding day, so to speak." "What was her name?" This was something Rei had never heard of before, and it was starting to intrigue her, just a little. Nothing like THAT had happened in their lives. Or had it? Who knows how many women Mamoru might have had before me, she thought. "She was Aurora's cousin, Lady Vestia. Unfortunately, she drowned when her canalboat collapsed, since she didn't know how to swim for obvious reasons." Jadeite held out his hand and summoned up a small red sphere, laced with tiny blue lines and capped on top and bottom with little white circles. A green dot appeared at the heart of the lines. "Here's Vulcan's Forge, the capital. She died in the Grand Canal, this blue line here." He pointed with his free hand. "She and Endymion didn't get along, anyway. She had a swelled head, probably from spending too much time anticipating being a Queen. Endymion was around 17 when that happened. That's when Aurora first became seriously romantically interested in him. That's also when I met her. By that point, the four of us Guardians had begun training and taken up our duties of protecting Endymion. We went with him to Mars for the funeral, and Aurora was there." He smiled. "I remember thinking she was a cute little kid. I had such an inflated sense of being grown up because I was one of the Prince's Guardians. I thought I could do anything." She laughed faintly. "I felt like that when I became a Senshi too." "Shortly after that, an endless round of marriage negotiations began. Disaster after disaster struck. Potential brides eaten by monsters. Brides deciding they hated him on sight. He got the Venusian flu for two months from one of them. After two years of that, his father consulted the Great Oracle, who told him to abandon the search for a bride. The Prince would find his own bride in his own time. By that point, all of the new generation of Senshi were being trained in the Moon Kingdom, and we often came to visit to train with them or to conduct various diplomatic business. It was at this point that Endymion and Aurora began to see each other." "How long did that last?" Rei asked. "They were a couple in name for close to a year, but only a few weeks really, so to speak. Endymion wanted out, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings, so..." Rei smirked. "So he threw you at her?" It feels weird to talk about myself in the third person, she thought. Jadeite laughed nervously, putting a hand behind his head. "Yes. It worked out better than any of us might have hoped, though. We've been engaged for months now. The only reason we haven't actually married is that Aurora's parents are causing problems." She blinked. "Why? What, one of the Prince of the Earth's bodyguards isn't good enough for them?" "Her mother hates me for no apparent reason. She hates Zoisite too, but that's because his father was a potato farmer. Her parents are the biggest snobs in the solar system." He sighed. "I think she's just disappointed because she hoped Aurora would end up with Endymion. Anyway, we're waiting for Endymion to FINALLY propose to Serenity so she has to give up." "What, he hasn't proposed to her yet?" Jadeite smiled faintly. "I take it that means he does finally do it?" "Yeah. I don't know if it made her mom give up, though." Jadeite looked across the deck to where Zoisite was talking to Mercury, agitatedly waving his arms about in the air as he spoke. He smiled. "I'm glad he's not going to give everyone the cold shoulder like he was before. He does that too easily." "I'm glad we won't be giving each other that either," Mars said. Jadeite turned back to Mars. "She's so different. Both you and Mercury are...while the others seem to be much like they are in this time. Do you have any idea why?" Mars cocked her head for a moment. "Neither of us is royalty in my time. I don't think Aurora ever spent any time in temples like I have, either. I also attended a Catholic girls' school." Jadeite nodded. "Aurora would rather die. So what is a Catholic?" "Uhh...okay, let me figure out where to start." This took a while. ******************************************* Minako sat atop the stern of the ship and gazed back across space. Everyone else was asleep except a few crew members, who largely ignored her. After much searching, she finally found what she was searching for. Venus hung in the sky, a tiny dot nearly hidden by the Sun, though it too was shrunk greatly at this distance. "I thought I'd find you here." The man's voice nearly sent Minako flying over the railing with surprise. It was Kunzite. Minako turned around, not knowing what to say. "I couldn't sleep." "Neither could I." He turned and stared out at the stars. "But the stars always comfort me, though I'm not a maniac about them, unlike some people." Minako smiled faintly. "Like Nephrite?" "No one is as fanatical as the converted, they say. He thought it was all hooey before he went to study in the Star Kingdom...before it fell." Kunzite sighed. "If the stars rule all, why weren't they prepared? They had no warning from their precious stars." "They're just balls of gas burning with nuclear flame. We make our own destiny," Minako said. "Though it can be fun to pretend otherwise," Minako said, feeling very grown up in her debunking. "I don't disbelieve in the power of the stars. I've seen too much proof of it. It's the thing that Nephrite and all the other astrologers don't seem to ever think about that bothers me." Kunzite's voice was flat and controlled, making it hard to tell what he really thought. Minako could