The sky over Vulcan's City was black and the air was 
thin and cold.  Lights sparkled on the plains, but they were 
the fires of burning villages, a few scattered still functioning 
canal lights, or beasts that glowed with their own light.  Once, 
Mars had sparkled like a faceted gem at night, but now 
all the facets had grown dull but one.  Vulcan's City was 
the last stronghold of mankind on the entire world.  All 
else had fallen in three years of war.  

      	There was no one to come to their aid.  The Star 
Kingdom had fallen close to two decades ago.  The Moon 
Kingdom was laid waste five years ago.  The outworld 
colonies had all burned and been destroyed in a single 
month four years ago.  The dwarves of Mercury and the 
elves of Venus had vanished, shrouding their worlds and 
refusing outside contact.  Atlantis had sunk beneath the 
waves, and the rest of the Earth was in utter chaos, at 
best.  Even the Great Shield had withdrawn, now 
protecting only the Earth and the wreckage of the Moon.  
The Silver Compact was shattered.  

        The King and Queen were dead.  The royal family was 
gone.  The wreckage of the nobility squabbled over who 
would rule.  The people looked to the one person who 
stood above the conflict, the Elder Sailor Mars, who had 
been on Mars when the Moon Kingdom fell.  She was the 
last of the Sailor Senshi, both Elder and Younger.  

        Their faces haunted her.  The elder Neptune and 
Uranus had fallen somewhere in the outer planets.  Over 
half the Senshi had perished with the Moon Kingdom.  Both 
Jupiters and Mercuries had fallen, along with the younger 
Mars and Venus.  The Elder Venus had gone to Venus for help, 
and never returned.  Pluto had vanished, and the younger 
Uranus and Neptune...Mars had heard their final cries in her 
soul.  The hand of Saturn could be seen on the blasted wasteland 
that was once the Moon Kingdom, but she slept once more, Elder Mars believed.  

	Serenity had sent Elder Mars to ask for aid from Mars 
when attack from Atlantis seemed imminent, but she had 
arrived too late, and the help was too slow.  Too much 
of the fleet had been lost a dozen years earlier, and the
royal family had focused on other projects instead of 
replacing it.  Before the battle with the beast that 
destroyed the Star Kingdom, it had been little used anyway, 
so they had focused on merchant ships instead.  They had only
been able to destroy the last tattered remnants of Atlantis' 
etherfleet, the few pitiful survivors of Serenity's final 
stroke, from whom they confirmed that Serenity had destroyed 
Atlantis.  

        The Earth was cast into chaos, as floods, 
earthquakes, and unnatural winter descended upon the 
land.  They might have been able to help the people of 
Earth rebuild, but then the Things had returned.  Their 
vengeance was horrible.

	Mars stood upon the thousand-year old walls, walls 
which had until recently had only been a monument to an 
earlier age when the new colony on Mars had needed its 
defense against the Things that had hidden beneath the red 
sands when the Great Shield had been erected.  Now the walls' 
time had come again, but they were old and crumbling now, 
decaying with the rot of things that live past their time. 
They had repelled the last five assaults, each one weaker 
than the one before.  It was a tiny sliver of hope, and she 
clung to it.  

        Three huge metal humans stood near her.  One was made of 
iron, one of gold, and one of silver.  There had been nine 
of them once.  Two were lost.  One was now on Earth.  
Two had been sacrificed in her recent battle upon the 
plain.  One had been possessed by a Thing and had to be 
destroyed.  They were the Golems, the great warrior 
automatons forged by Vulcan a thousand years ago.  Nine 
great warriors and craftsmen had merged with them, 
giving them a mind and a soul.  Iron was female, while 
Gold and Silver were male.  Gold was the leader now, for 
Marble had fallen in battle.  His sacrifice had not been in 
vain.  

        The Things had been led by one of the Great Old 
Ones, Lilliandror, the Spider-Queen.  She was dead now.  
Even she had not been able to stand before the power of 
the King and Queen of Mars, the great Hammer of Vulcan, 
the Armor of Mars, Mars herself, and six Golems.  She had 
corrupted one, poor Copper, who had to be destroyed, and 
Marble and Sandstone and the King and Queen had given 
their lives to destroy her.  With the Spider Queen's death,
her hordes had lost their leadership.  They roamed mindlessly, 
and many turned upon each other.

        All that remained now was to wait until Earth and 
Mars came into conjunction.  There were still too many 
Things to kill them all, but they could evacuate.  Flee 
with the remaining ships to Earth and begin anew.  The 
Great Shield would protect them.  

        During the last conjunction, a few ships had fled 
successfully.  The King and Queen's youngest daughter, 
Ninhursag, had been evacuated, and the young boy who 
would one day marry her, Duke Hammer's son, Enlil, and 
his twin brother Enki.  One of the last of the long-sight 
crystals had gone with them, and little bits of news 
dribbled back and forth.  They had found a new home, in a 
place where two rivers met and became one.  The land 
was warm like home.  The floods were a problem, but it made 
the land fertile.

      	At least we will be remembered, Mars thought.  She 
yawned.  "Keep watch and get me if another attack seems 
imminent.  I must sleep."  She yawned again.  "Farewell, 
brave ones."

        Gold smiled.  "Farewell, Brigit."

        The Elder Mars started.  "No one has called me that 
in years."

        "I remember the day they brought you to the palace, the
shock they all felt when for the first time in centuries, a
commoner became the Senshi of Mars.  We do not forget. Golems 
endure, and so do our memories."  His smile was peaceful, and Mars envied him.  How can they be so calm?  Nothing seemed to 
ruffle them, and even the death of the King and Queen had 
only affected them for a short while.  "I could recite 
conversations I had with Vulcan himself, but there would 
be little point to it."  He cocked his head for a moment.  
"Hmm.  Well, perhaps one conversation."  

   	Iron turned her head.  She was the tallest of the 
surviving golems, bearing a great iron wand, elaborately 
carved.  It was clear that Vulcan had a sense of humor, if 
a strange one, for he had made her to resemble a faerie 
queen, clad in an elaborate gown and a crown.  Nowhere 
else would you find iron cunningly forged to resemble 
lace.  "Upon the Crowning of his son.  Yes, I remember." 
She turned to Silver.  "If you will."

        Silver spoke with an ancient voice, one that Mars had 
never heard except in a single recording crystal that had 
cracked when played.  "You ask if this makes me sad, 
Gold?"

       	Gold said, playing the part of himself from long ago, 
"I do not understand why you must leave.  Your son will make 
a good ruler, but you have many years left in you."

       	Silver replied with Vulcan's voice.  "Serenity is dead.  
Astra is gone.  Endymion has passed on as well.  Metallia 
will outlive us all, outlive even you, my friends, but I 
shall never see her again, touch her face, feel her 
embrace, run from the lash of her tongue.  My friends 
have gone, and so must I."  The voice was sad, but calm.

        A look of pain shadowed Gold's face.  "So you seek 
death?"

        "It is not death I seek.  Not yet.  There is still much 
I want to do, but I need not be a king to do them.  I never 
wanted a throne.  To make, to build, to create, that is my 
pleasure, my food.  A king has little time to build.  There 
is much I must do while I still can.  And...I would not hold 
onto power too long.  Let Haephestus have the throne 
while he is still young, so that he will not grow bitter 
from waiting for it.  If we cling to something when it is 
time to move on, then it turns to bitterness for both 
ourselves and others."  Silver stretched his arms, then 
rubbed his back as if it hurt, though Golems feel no 
physical pain.

        Iron spoke now.  "We shall guard what you have 
made.  It shall endure forever, and we will never forget 
you."

        Silver's voice turned a little sharp.  "It will all be 
destroyed one day.  All my labors will be dust.  They will 
become only memory, and even memory will gutter and go 
out."

        Iron said, her voice tight, "No!  We won't forget you!"

        "Even you, my friends, will be destroyed one day.  No 
man, no woman, can make something immune to time.  If 
we believe our works are eternal, then we will always be 
disappointed.  But winter, the end of things, always gives 
way to spring.  There will be new creations.  New 
makings.  The old can be melted down to create the new.  
When times grow dark, my friends, remember that 
darkness never lasts forever.  I go now to my forge to 
make all the things of which I have dreamed these long 
years.  Perhaps Death will need a new scythe as well."  
He laughed.  "Good-bye, my friends, until we meet again."  
Silver fell silent, and changed in demeanor, becoming 
himself again.  

      	Iron said quietly, "I wonder sometimes, if he had 
some way of seeing the future.  He told us much, and it 
always came true."

     	Mars smiled.  "Thank you."  A massive yawn nearly 
knocked her off her feat.  "I think I must sleep before I 
return to this forge."

     	"Goodnight,"  Iron said.  That night, the last 
fortnight of Vulcan's City began.


*******************************
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 17:  Rei Hino, Princess of Mars
             Who shall rule in Vulcan's City?

*******************

	Minako paused in mid-homework, thinking about other things.  Am I
acting more flakey than usual?  she wondered.  She'd had a lot on her mind
too much since this Elf business had happened.  Not to mention, every guy
in the school had suddenly decided to ask her out.  Why couldn't this have
been happening a year ago, she asked herself.  She was borrowing Usagi's
disguise pen so she could at least look normal, but she didn't want to
keep using it forever.

	The phone rang, so she grabbed it.  "Minako and Himeko's Secret
Base.  Dr. Aino, future world conqueror, speaking."

	"Hey, this is Ken.  Wanna go see a movie with me?"

	"Sure...ly not.  I've been dating someone for six months!"  I
almost said yes, Minako thought.  What is WITH me?  

	"You have?"

	"YES!  Thank you for calling, good bye!"  She hung up.  Steven's
gonna KILL me, she thought.

	There was a knock on the door.

	"GO AWAY!  I ALREADY HAVE A BOYFRIEND!" she shouted.

	There was a brief silence, then Derith said through the door, "I
think Hotaru would kill me if I asked you out.  But anyway, I came to
talk to you about your...problem."

	What's Derith doing here?  She opened the door a crack.  "Here to
cast more magic I didn't ask for on me?"

	He shook his head.  "No.  That wasn't MY idea."  He sighed.  "I
take it the glamour has already kicked in."

	She opened the door, then sat down on her bed and pointed to her
desk, where he sat down.  "Everyone sure seems to think I'm glamorous.
It's kind of flattering, but I...my brain feels funny."

	"You keep getting wild thoughts?"

	"Something like that."

	"The first thing you have to learn is how to look like a normal
human.  That will help, and it's easy to learn.  The disguise pen won't
stop your glamour at all...this won't entirely stop it, but it will help
some.  It's the first step in controlling it."

	Hotaru stuck her head in the door.  "Hey, you didn't wait for me!"

	"Well, it looked like you and Usagi were going to gab all day, and
since Sensa-san WILL wake up eventually..."

	"You put Sensa-san to sleep?"  Minako asked.

	"Yes.  It's a simple spell."

	"TEACH ME THAT ONE FIRST!"  Minako shouted.  "She...she's been my
Nemesis!"

	"Let's get you looking like you used to first; that's the most
pressing problem."

	Hotaru came over and perched on Himeko's desk.  "Make her look
like Sharon Stone!"

	Minako laughed.  "Okay, how do I do this?"

	"First, you have to clearly visualize your own face and what you
want to look like.  Then you just think about moving what you want to look
like over your face.  Generally, I sort of reach out and physically move
my hand as if I was putting a mask on, as a sort of concentration aid."
He demonstrated, bringing his hand around, and suddenly, he looked like
Mamoru.  "Ta da!"

	"Do Mel Gibson!" Hotaru said.  "Please?"

	Minako nodded, trying to ignore Hotaru's begging of Derith.  It
was easy to imagine her old self, but she wasn't entire clear on her new
self's appearance, and now she kept getting mental flashes of Mel Gibson.
Finally, she finished.  "How do I look?"

	Hotaru began to cackle.  Derith smiled.  "Not quite what you
planned, I think.  I suggest you try it with the mirror."  

	She went over and looked in the mirror, and realized she looked
like Mel Gibson wearing a long blonde wig.  "AAAAAAAA!!!!!"

	"Practice makes perfect.  Let's just try again," he said.

	Minako nodded and tried again.  And again.  And again.

	Far away, Mel Gibson began to wonder if he was coming down with a
cold.

***********

	Ami, Ryo, Noriko, Manami, and Yuki crowded around Yuki's TV along
with a good dozen other boys and girls from their dorm.  Channel 10 was
showing an 'Investigative Report:  The Sailor Senshi' special, just before
the TV premiere of the second Sailor V movie.  Minako would have been with
them, but she was watching it with Steven and Himeko and Daichi in
Daichi's room; Daichi's dad had just given Daichi a new TV.  A fair number
of the others were watching it at Makoto's apartment...that group was
pretty much Sailors and Auxilaries only.  Ami would have been with them,
but Noriko and Yuki had grabbed her and dragged her here before she could
join them.  

	"This is your On the Scene Investigative Reporter Masamichi
Kyoyama."  He was tall and handsome, with neat black hair and soft hazel
eyes, dressed in a nice suit and standing in front of the ruins of Mugen
Gakuen.  "This school was destroyed months ago in what the authorities
claim to have been a terrorist attack.  Or possibly a gas leak.  Or swamp
gas interacting with the planet Venus, depending on who you talk to."

     	"UFOs did it!" one of the people in the room shouted, and everyone
laughed.

	"But the locals tell another story, a story of demons erupting
from the school and a battle between them and the legendary Sailor
Soldiers, a much-debated urban myth whose existence is officially--and
repeatedly--denied by government sources."  He began to walk through the
ruins, which was being levelled and turned into a park.

	"Because they're idiots!"  Yuki shouted.  "Everyone knows they're
real!"

    	"SSSSHHH!!!!"

*******************

	Makoto ran back and forth refilling popcorn bowls.  She had quite
a crowd at her apartment.  All the Sailors except for Ami, Minako, and
Himeko were there.  Hotaru's boyfriend, the elf guy...Derith, was there,
along with most of the other boyfriends and hangers on (or as Steven had
begun to refer to them, the Senshi Male Auxillaries). It rather
reinforced the point that she and Rei were the ONLY senshi without a
boyfriend or girlfriend, and Rei only didn't have one because she was a
stubborn idiot.  If she doesn't get together with Yuuichiro soon, I'm
going to have to spank her, Makoto thought.  Or something.

	"While everyone claims to know someone who has been attacked by a
monster and saved by the Sailor Senshi, efforts to actually trace such
people seem to remain futile."  

  	Everyone turned and looked at Setsuna, who simply smiled and took
another handful of popcorn.

	"Cameras malfunction, film mysteriously disappears, witnesses move
without leaving an address...but now, today, I have the honor of revealing
proof that the Sailor Senshi DO exist and are not just a publicity stunt
by the creators of the Sailor V series."  

   	Setsuna winced for no discernable reason.  

	Haruka said, "So who did they get on film and when?"

	Everyone shrugged and many dunnos filled the air.  

        "Thanks to an enterprising young future journalist, one Hibino
Hikaru, I have the pleasure of bringing you footage of the Sailor Senshi.
In fact, not just of the Sailor Senshi, but evidence that two of them are,
in fact, as rumors have claimed, lesbian."

     	"Well, that answers THAT question,"  Makoto said.

        Michiru began to sweat, but no one noticed.  Yet.

	Haruka scratched her head.  "When would Hikaru have gotten footage
of the two of us?"

 	Rei's eyes suddenly widened, and she began to grip her seat to
keep from leaping to her feet and running screaming out of the room.

 	"Without further ado..."

	The film was in color and slightly fuzzy, though the view was
steady, and the camera technique showed some talent.  The first image was
of Neptune, gazing in adoration at someone who could not be seen on the
screen.  She was murmuring something, but the tape was mostly silent
except for a voice over by Hikaru.  "This is Sailor Neptune."

	"Gee, I thought it was Sailor Elvis!"  Haruka said, laughing.

	"Naah, it's Sailor Trixie gazing at Sailor Speed Racer!"  Makoto
said, finally finishing serving everyone and sitting down.

	"And this is Sailor Mars."  The camera swung over to Sailor Mars,
the view moving back to make it clear she and Neptune were gazing at each
other.  Mars was clearly enraptured by Neptune, unable to look away.

      	Michiru and Rei twitched as one, then Rei bent over and buried
her face in her hands, not looking up. "Noooo..." she whispered.

        Usagi reached over and patted Rei's shoulder.  "It's not your
fault you got shot with a love arrow."

	Haruka laughed.  "I'm glad I wasn't around...I probably would have
ended up in love with my car."

	The camera zoomed in on Neptune again, just as Sailor Mars ALSO
zoomed in on Neptune, hurling her arms around the aqua-haired Senshi of
the sea.  Their lips met and they plunged into the most passionate kiss
Hotaru had ever seen, and one of the most passionate any of the others had
ever seen.

	Haruka's eyes bulged, and her jaw dropped.  Makoto boggled.  Usagi
said, "Wow.  I wonder if we look like that, Mamo-chan."  Mamoru, wisely,
said nothing.  A few seconds later, Usagi realized she really shouldn't
have said that.

        Derith said, "Now that's a serious kiss."  Hotaru nodded.

        Rei curled up into a little ball and prayed for a mountain to fall
on her immediately if not sooner.  Michiru began to crush the arm of the
sofa she was sitting on.

	The kiss was broken off several times, and they clearly spoke to
each other.  Hikaru's voiceover said, "Unfortunately, we can't hear them
speak because some idiot tried to pretend my boom mike was a
transformation wand at the last TDDC meeting."

	Haruka continued to stare in shock, jumping visibly when Neptune
squeezed one of Mars' buttocks.  "Hey, you did that..."  Shock was
starting to turn into irritation.  Clearly, this wasn't so funny any more
to her.

	Usagi was starting at Rei.  "I...I didn't think you..."

	Neptune then began to run her fingers through Mars' hair.  The
only sound was a faint hiss and periodic mechanical scrapings.  Mars was
clearly enjoying it, and one of her hands was steadily coming up to touch
Neptune's left breast.

     	Tomoe-sensei and Derith both put a hand over Hotaru's eyes.  She
said, "HEY!"

	Rei didn't respond to Usagi, she just kept staring at the fabric
pattern on the chair, trying to blank out the universe.  How could I have
done that?  The love arrow was no excuse in her mind.  Not for betraying
those she loved.  

	I should have told Haruka before, Michiru thought.  But she had
been afraid of how her lover would react to knowing Michiru had kissed
another woman, choice or not.  And now from looking at her...  I'm going
to be sleeping on the couch, Michiru thought.

 	The two Senshi suddenly jumped away from each other as if they had
been bitten, both clearly crying out and then staring in horror at each
other.

  	Derith visibly started and lost his 'grip' on Hotaru's eyes, not
that there was much to be seen besides two horrified Senshi.  

 	Michiru glanced over at Haruka, who was clearly not a happy
camper.  "Minako dies,"  Haruka muttered.  Michiru feared Minako wouldn't
be the only corpse.

*****************

     	Himeko bigsweated.  "I can't BELIEVE she did this!"

     	Pokota nodded.  "Yeah, Neptune just isn't Mars' type."

	"I'm talking about Hikaru!  How incredibly...so...I mean...Putting
them kissing on PUBLIC TV!"  Himeko growled and got up.  "I'm going to go
break her camera into little bitty bits."

	Daichi grabbed her arm.  "Calm down.  I'm sure Mars and Neptune
will do enough damage to Hikaru without you adding to it.  Especially when
you don't have a reason to beat her up that won't make her suspicious."

	"She just...it's not even TRUE!"

   	"Yeah!  Let's go kick her ass!"  Minako announced, jumping up, but
Steven grabbed her.

	"The Dorm Mother already chewed you out for 'wearing Vulcan ears'
in violation of the Dress Code, Minako.  You want to get in MORE trouble?"
It wasn't just the ears either, Steven thought. When Minako forgot her
disguise--which happened a lot more often than either of them liked, given
the elvish tendency to scatter-brainedness--it was obvious that her face
had changed.  Her face was a little more angular, her eyes more almond
shaped.  It was beautiful, and he liked it, but now she was getting
attention that they didn't want.  Especially that he didn't want. Four
different guys had asked her out today when he was with her, clearly doing
the boyfriend thing.  He didn't like this at all.  He couldn't figure out
what was doing it either; only he could see through the glamour to tell
what she really looked like, he was sure.  But they seemed to find
SOMETHING different about her, which attracted them.

	Himeko and Minako sat down, both pouting.  Artemis said, "I'm
gonna hide under Daichi's bed for a few days until the smoke clears from
them killing you, Minako.  I hope you don't mind."

	"I was just...I mean..."  Minako pouted.  "It's not MY fault that
Hikaru got it on film!"

	"But it's your fault that it HAPPENED,"  Daichi said flatly.
"Take responsibility for the results of your actions.  No one made you go
on a shooting rampage.  And the Vice Principal had to save you."

     	"I'd like to have seen YOU do better!"

	"Given the Vice Principal had to save you, I probably COULD have
done better," Daichi said hotly.

        They soon had a proper screaming match in progress.

*******************

	"There we have it."  They had cut back to the reporter.
"Conclusive proof that two of the Sailor Senshi EXIST and are lesbians.
This leads, of course, to a variety of speculations.  More on this after
a few words from our sponsors."  The show cut to an ad for 'Kimco Pocky',
which seemed to consist of people running around in their pajamas,
attacking each other with brooms.

	Yuki shook her head.  "What a crock.  Mars and Neptune ARE not
lovers.  Those idiots didn't even mention all the love arrows getting
fired around campus by Sailor Venus, which is why it HAPPENED!"

	Noriko said, "Me and 'mi-chan missed the whole thing."  She
smiled, and Ami felt an incredible pang of nervousness.  She still
couldn't remember ANYTHING which had happened after Noriko had shown up.
And Athena was dead silent.  Normally, she would have been pleased by
this, but it seemed like a bad omen.

	"So why do you think Sailor Venus DID that?"  Manami asked.
Everyone turned to Yuki, as they all knew she was the dorm's 'Sailor
expert'.  In fact, several people suspected she WAS one of the Sailor
Senshi.  How else could she know so much about them?

	"She was possessed.  I saw her Bow change into this HUGE snake
that was so tough none of her attacks worked on it!  Then Vice Principal
Yamamoto attacked it with his sword and drove it off!"  Everyone who had
not witnessed the fight looked at her dubiously.  "It's true!  I guess
he must have some serious spiritual power," Yuki said.

     	Many of the other students laughed at that.  Then the TV finished
the commercials and the report came back on.  "Indeed, this footage will
likely further a variety of rumors about the Sailor Senshi which have had
some circulation for some time now, such as the rumor that Tuxedo Kamen is
actually a crossdressing woman."

        Yuki stared mindlessly, her brain cells clearly blown.  "WHAT?"

       	Ami began to laugh.  Mamoru is going to die at that, she thought.

	"Indeed, they may ALL be lesbians, which would support the
crossdressing Tuxedo Kamen theory.  It's clear that 'he' is romantically
attached to Sailor Moon by all accounts, but it may be that we're really
dealing with a CONCEALED lesbian relationship here."

	Yuki began to pull her hair.  "This is the biggest pile of hooey
since they opened Tokugawa's tomb!"  Manami restrained her before she
could render herself bald.

 	"You know, I bet the Sailor Senshi are pulling their hair out too,
'mi-chan,"  Noriko said.

   	"I think you're right,"  Ami said as the man on the TV wandered
further into completely unfounded but titillating speculation.

*******************

	Usagi put a hand on Rei's shoulder.  "It's not your fault, Rei.
You couldn't help yourself.  We know that."

	Rei flinched, jumped to her feet, and simply ran out the door.
A second later, Usagi was on her feet.  "Come on, Mamo-chan!  We have to
stop her before she does something stupid!"  She dragged Mamoru out the
door before he even quite knew what was going on.

	Rei had vanished into the hallways of Makoto's apartment building
by the time Usagi and Mamoru reached the hallway.  Usagi looked around
frantically.  "You go left, I'll go right!" she shouted, and ran off,
trying to follow the sound of Rei's footsteps.  Mamoru ran off the other
direction.

  	With effort, mostly due to the speed acquired in years of
running across town to save Usagi, he managed to keep up with the
footsteps, which led him up a staircase several stories to the roof, 
where he found Rei hugging herself in the chill night air and staring 
out across the city.  

	She didn't notice his approach, probably too busy crying.  When he
put a hand on her shoulder, she nearly fell over the edge, but he caught
her.  "Rei-chan, what are you doing?  We all know it wasn't your fault you
kissed Michiru.  I'm sure Haruka won't be too happy, but..."

	"I shouldn't have done it!"  Rei shouted.  "It was WRONG!"

	"It was Minako's arrow that made you do it."  He wondered briefly
which of several possible ways of interpreting her second sentence was
what she had meant.  "No one is angry with you, Rei-chan."

      	"Don't call me that," she hissed, pulling away from him.  "I
don't...I don't deserve that."

	"Rei-chan, you haven't done anything wrong.  Why are you so..." he
wasn't sure what the right word was.

	"I almost...And now everyone's going to think..."  She shuddered,
and tried to run past him, but he cut her off.

        "Rei-chan, stop running away.  No one is angry with you.  I know
it's humiliating, but we're your friends.  Usako is very worried about
you, running off like that."

	She stared at the ground.  "My love was too weak," she whispered.

	"I saw what happened.  You stopped yourself.  I don't think ANYONE
else overcame the arrows by themselves, but you two did.  Your love was
strong."  He wanted to do something for her, but he didn't know what.
They had dated once, and though her feelings for him had been stronger
than his feelings for her, he cared about her and didn't like to see her
hurting.  "Your true feelings were stronger than magic."  He took her hand
and squeezed it reassuringly.  "Come on.  We've got to find Usako before
she falls off a fire escape or something."

      	"You really think...that my love was..."

    	"Your love is a fire within you," he said.  "You're not the Senshi
of Fire for nothing."

	"Thank you, Mamoru," she said quietly.  "Let's go find Usagi
before she..."

	A resounding 'WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH' cut through the night air.

	"Too late."  

        After they fished Usagi out of the trash chute--they never did get
a satisfactory explanation as to how she got caught in it--they returned
to Makoto's apartment.

        "Hey, is everything... okay?" Makoto asked as they came in.
Getting a brief nod from Mamoru, she quickly changed the subject.  "Hey,
Mamoru, you just missed it... they were claiming that Tuxedo Kamen is a
crossdressing lesbian."

        Mamoru stared at her in shock.  "What--?"

	Usagi, of course, overreacted.  "WAAAAAH!  My Mamo-chan's a
lesbian!"

        "Usako, it's not true!"

        "But they said it on TV!"

        Rei sighed and turned on her princess.  "You meatball head!
You've seen him in a swimsuit!  How could he be a lesbian?"

        "Oh... right... but you didn't have to yell at me, Rei-chan!  And
don't call me meatball head!"

        "I'll call you what you deserve to be called--!"

        "WAAAAAAAH!"

        Everyone watched as another tongue war began.

*******************

	Hotaru stopped by Michiru, who was settling down to sleep on the
couch.  "Is Haruka really going to make you sleep out here?"

 	"She's not very happy right now,"  Michiru said.  "Best to let her
cool down."

	"But it wasn't your fault!"  Hotaru said.  "It wasn't fair."

	"Love isn't about fairness,"  Michiru said.  "Sometimes it's
hideously unfair.  But after the ragging I gave her about Noriko...I
suppose I deserve this."  She settled down into her nest of blankets.
"Good night, Hotaru-chan."

	"Can I ask you just one more thing?"

	"Sure."

	"What was happening while Pappa and Derith-san had their hands
over my eyes?"

	Michiru began to sweat.

*******************

	Tethys stirred in her "cage".  She felt something.  
Something powerful.  It was coming towards Tokyo.  Not that 
she could do anything about it. She was trapped in a rather 
boring laboratory.  The worst part of it was that the man 
holding her didn't even have any powers, unless you counted 
inventing weird things that frequently malfunctioned as a power.

        One of his machines began to ping.  Maybe he can 
sense what's coming too, she thought.  I can't tell WHAT 
it is, but...something is coming.  "Hey, old man, what's 
that pinging?"

        "Ahh, my toast is ready.  Thank you, Tethys."  Sensei 
Udaigaku, an old man in a labcoat whose mind was keener 
than he looked, walked over to the computer controlled 
toaster and extracted his toast, adding butter and jelly 
himself, as the automatic butterer had proven more 
trouble than it was worth.  "Would you like some?"

        "Sure."  She didn't NEED food, but eating was at least 
SOMETHING she could do.  And much as she hated to admit 
it, some of the old man's foodmaking machines produced 
a lot better food than she had expected.  "So are you going 
to hold me in here forever?"

        "Given that the authorities can't hold you, most 
likely yes.  It's not strictly legal, I suppose, but given 
that they would have killed you otherwise, I don't feel 
any real guilt about holding you prisoner."  Sensei started 
eating his toast after putting in two slices on medium, 
just the way Tethys always took her toast.  "Would you 
like some fresh fruit?"

        "You confuse the hell out of me, old man.  You 
casually hold me prisoner in the basement of a high 
school, but half the time you act like I'm your daughter or 
something,"  Tethys said.  He was the first person she'd 
ever met as an adult that she simply didn't understand.  
"Yeah, an apple would be good."  

	Before she had been captured she had never eaten 
Earth food.  It was very different from the staple foods 
of the Dark Kingdom, which ran more towards barely edible 
fungi and beasts that would make a meal of you rather than 
the other way around if you weren't careful.  Still, Earth
food was surprising good, and solid food seemed more 
nourishing than just draining energy.  Maybe it had something 
to do with all the life energy Earth had, she mused.  The Dark 
Kingdom was a blasted heath in comparison.

    	"All sentient beings are worthy of some basic 
respect until proven otherwise,"  Sensei said, looking 
around.  "Horus, where is the newspaper?"

      	Horus said, "You have not brought today's newspaper 
here yet."

        He sighed.  "Bring up the CNN webpage, then.  I'll 
read that."

        One of the many monitors stopped showing a screen 
saver and showed a web reader loading up.  Tethys 
watched it, fascinated.  "So are you his familiar, Horus?"

        Horus laughed briefly, although it was a fake 
sounding laugh.  "How amusing."  He paused.  "That was a 
joke, correct?"

        "Horus is an Artificial Intelligence, Tethys."  The 
toaster pinged and Sensei went and got the toast while 
Horus brought a tray with some apples and a glass of 
milk around, using some of his servo arms.  "He is my 
second best creation, a mind simulated using a computer.  
Indeed, I'd go so far as to say he has as much of a mind as 
either of us.  Superior in some respects, inferior in 
others."  He put the toast on the tray.  "Butter?"

        "And jelly please."  Tethys said, "So how smart are 
you, Horus?"

        "It depends upon what you mean.  In seconds or 
minutes, I can call up answers to millions upon millions 
of questions whose answers are stored either in my 
databanks or in all the systems I can access through 
telecommunications and the Internet.  I can perform 
million variable mathematical sums thousands of times 
faster than any human.  On the other hand, I often have 
problems with subtleties of language and often cannot 
tell what a person really means any better than any 
human.  I have rather limited creative capabilities; I can 
create music fairly well, but I'm not much of an artist or 
storyteller.  My knowledge of what really motivates 
humans is fairly limited.  I can..."  Horus rattled on and on 
while Sensei brought Tethys her food.

        "Are you smart enough to figure out who the Sailor 
Senshi are in their civilian identities?"  Tethys asked 
curiously, then began eating one of the apples.

        "Only with help, as I lack many of the appropriate 
information gathering capabilities,"  Horus said.  
"However, with help from Sensei, I am now 90% certain 
of the identity of a majority of the Sailor Senshi, as they 
do a rather bad job of hiding their identities.  Find one, 
and you can swiftly deduce the others through simple 
observations."

     	"Like the way they spilled their identities to me on 
that beach trip,"  Tethys said.  She then mentally slapped 
herself as she had intended to keep that knowledge to 
herself.

        Sensei sat down by the CNN web page monitor and 
began to read, eat, and talk at the same time.  "I was 
wondering about that.  None of them are very discreet, 
really.  Then again, their opponents usually operate in an 
entirely dimwitted haphazard fashion.  So much power 
and so little common sense."

        Tethys fumed.  "And what would YOU have done in 
our place, oh wise one?"  She was so irritated, she bit 
her entire apple in half and nearly swallowed it without 
chewing.

       	"The real question for me is this:  once you learned 
that Sailor Moon was in Tokyo, why didn't you just go 
somewhere she wasn't to gather energy?  Especially 
since she always stumbled into all your operations here."  
Sensei punched a few keys and scanned the web page 
quickly.  "Another gargoyle sighting in New York, I see."

        "We could only reach the Earth in a few limited 
locations because only they had enough ambient magic 
for us to survive for long.  And once Beryl learned of the 
Senshi, she wanted them dealt with before they could 
find the Silver Crystal and destroy us.  And we knew the 
Silver Crystal would either be in their hands or near 
them."  She sighed.  "So what are your guesses as to who 
the Sailor Senshi are?"

	You're mostly right, she thought when he told her, 
but you're likely going to have a few embarrassing 
moments with the wrong ones.  

*******************

	"Why didn't you stop her?"  Michiru demanded of Setsuna, who was
trying to do the dishes.

	"Why do you think I am omniscient?  I know what must happen to
create Crystal Tokyo, and I know many of the major milestones along the
way.  And often, I can quickly deduce what is going on from my superior
knowledge of the forces of this world.  But I do not generally use my
powers to predict what will be shown on television.  That's what the TV
guide is for."  She put a plate in the dish rack, then got some steel wool
to use on a frying pan covered with caked on glop.  "For example, I have
absolutely NO idea what this stuff on this frying pan is."

	"But you ACT like you know everything!  And the way the guy was
talking about tapes fritzing out and everything..."

	"Most people don't really know what they're doing with regard to
videotapes.  And I have, at times, seen nexi of probability where a
videotape of us could lead to disaster so I took action to destroy it.
This videotape will lead to no lasting harm to us, other than the sort of
ludicrous speculation you see in the tabloids."  She frowned at the frying
pan; the gunk refused to come off.  "I may have to borrow some acid from
Soichiro-kun."

	"I think Haruka was trying to cook again," Michiru said.  "So it's
just fine and dandy that everyone thinks Mars is my lover?"

	"Half the people think it was faked.  It's not as if someone
couldn't easily duplicate Senshi costumes and fake the footage. And most
of the rest will forget in a month.  It's too late now, anyway. The cat is
out of the bag.  You will have to deal with it.  You're not the one who is
really going to suffer from this."

	"At least Rei doesn't have someone who is going to be mad at her
for what Minako did!"

	"Actually, I'm thinking of Hikaru Hibino."

	"Frankly, I don't CARE if she suffers,"  Michiru said, crossing
her arms under her breasts.  "She can have her legs chewed off by wild
dogs for all I care."

	Michiru clamped her mouth shut and tried to regain control of her
temper.  She was beginning to realize how harshly she had treated Haruka
over Noriko.  After just one night on the couch, without the feeling of
Haruka's arms around her, she felt very little of her usual inner peace.
She also had a crick in her neck from sleeping on it wrong that was
making her very irritable.

	"Every single person looking for us is going to have their eyes on
her,"  Setsuna said, then grunted at the stubbornly refusing to become
clean frying pan.  "Thinking she may know more than she is telling,
thinking that they can follow her to us."

	"They'll figure out she's an idiot fast enough."

	"Maybe.  Or maybe they'll decide it's an act.  Or perhaps they'll
kill her or turn her into a droid or carry her off for the sort of
interrogation session where they are so sure they already know the answers
it doesn't matter if you tell the truth."  The caked on gunk finally came
loose, and Setsuna smiled faintly for a moment.

	Michiru frowned.  "You're about to tell me I have to protect her."

	"I intend to tell Miss Hibino what she's gotten herself into
myself.  And I'm going to set people to watch her.  Not you.  You and Mars
have to go find her talisman.  And...it would be better you stay away from
her for a while."

	Michiru's eyes narrowed.  "Are you saying you don't trust me?"

	"You said yourself that you wouldn't care if wild dogs chewed her
legs off,"  Setsuna said flatly, finishing off the frying pan.  Michiru
blushed at the undeniable accusation.  "I shall recommend to Usagi that
Minako and Hotaru get the job.  Minako now has the disguise capabilities
to do the job, and Derith can help Hotaru with that."

	"So where is Mars' talisman?"

	"Mars, of course.  I suggest you start planning now."  Setsuna
turned back to the dishes.  

   	Michiru made a face at her.

	"Be careful, it might stick that way,"  Setsuna replied.  

********

        One problem with the "climb to the top on a pile of 
bodies" method of advancement that had prevailed in the 
Dark Kingdom under Beryl was that your own body tended 
to become the peak.  All four generals could have 
testified to that, if most of them hadn't been dead.  Well, 
two were dead.  One now ruled the Dark Kingdom after 
spending a period as a piece of very large jewelry.

        "So your researches have revealed nothing, 
Sapphire?"  Jadeite asked.  

        "He's quite definitely not in Hell, maybe."  Sapphire 
said.  Sapphire had blue-grey skin, dark blue hair which 
was short and snarled, brown eyes,  and constantly wore 
a jeweler's loupe as an accessory to his blue, black-
trimmed General's uniform.

        "I already knew that.  He dropped in to taunt me a 
few too many times.  So the demon told you nothing of 
use?"

        "It claims that when it came for his soul, it got 
blown apart by the Star Power, and then his soul went 
off the 'available' list."  Sapphire said.  "Since then, it 
has..."

        Jadeite raised an eyebrow.  "Blown apart by the Star 
Power?"

        "Yes, sir.  I think it was telling the truth.  Why make 
such a crazy claim otherwise?"

        "The Star Power wielded by who?"

        "A human girl.  He didn't know her name.  Some 
redhead."

        The Star Princess, Jadeite thought.  Likely blew the 
thing apart without even knowing it.  If she understood 
the full extent of her power, those fools in the Zodiac 
would be dead now.  Now he knew where that extra Sailor 
came from.  Not that Sailor Moon couldn't have made 
another one, if she only knew what she was doing.  

        He restrained himself.  She had gotten better from 
the little nitwit she had been when he had first clashed 
with her.  And the Sailors were at full numbers.  They 
would have to be picked off one by one.  "I have a new job 
for you, Sapphire."

        "Yes?"

        "I have an idea.  I want you to figure out how to 
make it."  Time to see if that information I pried out of that fool
in the Zodiac who thought she could summon and control me pays off,
he thought.

        "As you command, my lord."  Sapphire soon realized 
this would be quite a challenge, but there was nothing he 
loved more than a good puzzle.  

******************************

       	It was a bright, shiny summer afternoon.  Naturally, 
Neptune and Mars were beating each other up.  "Mars 
Fire...OOF!"  Neptune had just kicked Mars in the gut, 
knocking her down.  "Mars..."  She lost concentration again 
as Neptune dropped to one knee and boxed her ears.  
Managing to sweep Neptune's legs with her own, she 
rolled to her feet just in time for Neptune to grab her 
legs and somehow do a backflip, tossing her into a tree.  

        The tree shook, dropping acorns on her head.  She 
snarled and charged at Neptune, who moved into a ready 
stance, waiting.  Just before she got within reach of 
Neptune's arms, she focused her mind and teleported.  
Flames engulfed her, and sulfurous smoke.  Choking a bit, 
she appeared behind Neptune, kicking her in the butt and 
sending her sprawling.  However, she had to pause to 
catch her breath, and Neptune recovered, getting to her 
feet.  She paused and said, "Ready to surrender?"

        Mars shook her head.  "Only you could ask someone to 
surrender AFTER they kicked your butt."  She charged 
forward, then dropped low for a sweep.  Unfortunately, 
she wasn't very practiced at this move, and ended up 
missing Neptune's legs entirely and landing on her back, 
leaving her open to Neptune stomping on her stomach.  

	She gave a cry, then Neptune dropped to one knee 
and put a hand to her face, quickly saying, "Neptune Attack 
You Wouldn't Survive."  Mars didn't laugh, however.  Neptune
sighed and offered Mars a hand.

        Mars stared, reminded uncomfortably of their last close
encounter, then took the hand, getting up.  "You're a lot more
 vicious than my last combat teacher."  For just a moment, she'd 
had a mental image of Neptune leaning down and kissing her instead 
of faking an attack.  She stomped on the thought, then mentally 
stomped on Hikaru Hibino.  I'm going to have to do something about 
that girl, she thought.

        "Your last teacher didn't have to fight monsters, I 
suspect.  Be glad you didn't get partnered with Haruka."  
Neptune shuddered slightly.  "You wouldn't THINK someone 
could beat up a person they care about so badly, but..."  
she trailed off, remembering a lonely night on the couch.

	"I knew virtually nothing about combat before I 
became a senshi.  My parents didn't encourage their daughter 
to do battle."  She laughed a little, but her voice was sad.  
"I wonder what they would think of me."

      	Mars sat down and looked out across the hilly 
countryside they were practicing in.  "Where are your 
parents, anyway?"

        "Dead."  Neptune said flatly.  "They died the day I 
became a Senshi when the boat we were on sank.  I killed 
the creature that did it, but..."  She sighed.  "My family 
was very rich, and so I won't ever have to worry about 
money.  It's ideal for being a Senshi, really.  I have the 
money and time to travel, no relatives to take hostage..."

        "But you wish they weren't dead."

        Neptune nodded.  "What about your folks?"

        Mars started at the question and almost didn't answer it.  She
didn't like talking about her family, not even to Usagi and Mamoru.  At
the moment, she was almost glad that Grandpa had insisted she stay with
the Tsukinos while the Shrine underwent repairs--repairs that were
dragging on expensively.  She almost felt like a part of their family...
even when she fell victim to one of Shingo's practical jokes.  She
definitely had to stay somewhere so she could attend school.

        She worried about her grandfather's health, sleeping in a tent on
the Shrine property, but she knew Yuuichiro was keeping an eye on him.
The Shrine proper was almost finished.  Repairs to the house were going
to take even longer, however.

        She stopped her mind from wandering and got back to Neptune's
question.  For some reason, she wasn't angry at the aqua-haired Sailor
over the mess they were in.  It wasn't their fault, and their shared
humiliation was almost a bond between them.  Besides, Neptune had talked
about her parents, and Mars was pretty sure that no one other than
Haruka (and probably Pluto) knew about that.

        "Dad is in business, Mom does physics.  They're both 
Catholic, which is why I went to a Catholic middle 
school.  When I was in the seventh grade, they moved to 
Sapporo, but they wanted me to stay at T&A because it 
was such a good school and Sapporo didn't have a Catholic 
school.  Also, Grandpa was living here, so I could live 
with him for free, and since they were trying to mend 
their fences with him, it was a good way to...well, build 
better relations.  Mom and Grandpa don't like each other 
too much."

        "Why?  He seems like a nice old man, if a bit ecchi."  
Neptune said.  

     	"She's extremely Catholic and he's a Shinto Priest."  
Mars sighed.

        "And?"  

        Mars blinked.  "And?  In her opinion, he's a fraud at 
best.  And he thinks Mom turned Dad to the dark side so to 
speak."  She sighed.  "If they ever find out what I've been 
up to, they'll blow up."

        "Why would a Buddhist think Shinto priests are 
frauds?"  Neptune asked.  

        "She's Catholic, not Buddhist."

         "I thought Catholics were Buddhists."

         Mars stared blankly at Neptune, trying to figure 
that out.  Finally, she said very slowly, "What gave you 
that idea?  They're a Christian group."

         "They worship Santa Claus, right?  And he's one of 
the Buddhas according to...um...some person I was talking 
to."  Neptune frowned.  She paid little attention to 
religion, although if she had to choose, she would have 
seen herself as Buddhist in a very loose sense.  

         As a result, she was surprised when Mars began 
repeatedly banging her head against a tree.

*******************

      	The old man grumbled as he fished.  His son had 
finally left him, and he felt lonely.  He'd thought the boy 
would never marry, but still...it just...he'd hoped they'd 
stay, but they'd never come back from the honeymoon.  
That Kurenai girl didn't LOOK like a tramp, he thought.  
Even if she was so much younger than my boy.

        He sighed.  They'll come back eventually.  Surely.  He 
looked out across the water.  It was a beautiful evening.  
The sun was vanishing behind the mountains to the west, 
and the Pacific glimmered in the dusk off to the horizon 
in the east.  He loved the sea, for it could always soothe 
him.

        Something was disturbing the water off to the east, 
so he tossed his line that way.  It caught on something, 
so he started to reel it in.  The line went slack at first, 
then went taut.  He kept trying to reel it in, but then the 
resistance grew to be too much.  The fish was coming 
right at the boat from the way the line was moving, but 
the line stayed taut.  This bothered him.

        Then the fish passed under the boat.  He couldn't get 
his line loose and he didn't want to lose his rod and reel, 
so he wedged himself in place.  The boat whipped around  
and started to get towed to shore.

        He could hardly believe it.  His arms were beginning 
to really hurt as the a figure began to rise from the 
water.  It was a man made of some sort of porous black 
rock.  The line was snagged on a fish that had somehow 
tangled the line around the stone man's arm.  The stone 
man now noticed the fish, and snapped the line, then 
carefully removed the hook from its mouth and tossed it 
back into the water.  It turned and stared at him.

        "Uh...a man's gotta eat, you know!"

      	The figure blinked, then bent over and plucked a 
fish out of the water, tossing it into the boat.  It made an 
odd three fingered sign with its left hand, a sort of v-
sign with the pinkie and ring fingers.  It smiled, then 
turned and walked out of the water onto the beach, then 
started north.  As it walked, the 'clothing' that it was 
wearing altered to resemble the fisherman's clothing.  

        The fisherman shook his head.  I thought you had to 
have taken LSD to have an LSD flashback.

*******************

   	Rei wasn't entirely clear on how she had agreed to go 
on a date with Yuuichiro.  It was Usagi's fault.  She knew 
that much.  She suspected Usagi was trying to get her mind off
the recent disaster with the footage being shown on TV.  She 
was fairly certain Usagi had concluded it must have been 
thoughts of Yuuichiro which had enabled her to break free.

	It was a double date, really.  Usagi and Mamoru and 
herself and Yuuichiro.  It had actually not gone badly so far.  
She was enjoying the date, if not the movie they were attending, 
and Yuuichiro hadn't done anything embarrassing yet.  In fact, 
she'd found herself liking the attention she was getting from him. 
She wanted to forget the recent TV disaster, and this definitely
helped.

    	The movie, however, was definitely NOT a date 
movie.  How exactly they'd ended up at it, she wasn't 
sure.  Probably because it had the word, 'Romance' in the 
title.  However, so far she could only give 'Regency 
Sailboat Romance Troopers' one star, and that was only 
because some of the men in the movie were good looking.  
The moment she had seen the words 'based on the works 
of Georgette Heyer and Robert Heinlein' in the title 
sequence, she had concluded that she had just wasted the 
cost of one movie ticket.  

   	On the screen, a group of men in steam powered plate 
mail were being wiped out by what looked like a mob of 
angry mimes in French Revolutionary army uniforms.  
Meanwhile, it kept cutting back and forth between this 
scene and some woman in a huge dress with a skirt large 
enough to hide her own army of mimes.  She was sitting 
by the bedside of one of the major characters, William 
Pitt the Even Younger, who had been injured in a previous 
scene when he had tried to fight a duel of Proust 
quotations with a French officer during the siege of 
Amiens.  

        Mamoru was taking a nap while Usagi watched the 
screen intently, desperately trying to make some sense 
of the movie.  "Isn't that Winona Ryder?"  Usagi 
whispered to Rei.

        "She's playing Lucy Wollestonecraft, I think."

        "So she's going to be attacked by Dracula next?"

        "Probably."

        Yuuichiro whispered into Rei's ear, "I told you we 
should have gone to see 'Escape from Gotham'.  Even with 
Kurt Russell as Batman."   Rei nodded.

**************

        If you'd asked Makoto why she was wandering 
through a park at ten o'clock at night, she would have 
told you she was just bored.  She would have been lying.  
Something was calling her.  She was supposed to be here, 
but she didn't know why.  Most of her friends were off on 
dates.  

	It struck her again that she was the only 
Senshi who didn't have a boyfriend or girlfriend or at 
least a potential person to take that role.  That had 
wrecked her ability to do homework, which she had been 
doing for once, but that wasn't what drove her off into 
the park near her apartment complex.  

   	Some weird instinct was driving her.  Someone 
was in danger.  Someone she knew.  The park was mostly 
empty, except for couples making out, which aggravated her.  
Someone was rowing around on the pond.  A red-haired 
woman who looked sort of familiar and some guy.  When 
the couple came into sight, she recognized both of them.  
Miss Haruna and her English teacher, Clark Maguson.  

  	Her eyes widened.  Were they...dating?  How dare 
they be dating when she couldn't get a date!  Especially 
after I KISSED HIM!!, Makoto thought.  I must be
COMPLETELY INSANE!  That...that...YOU BASTARD! she thought.  
Running around like that!

        Ruining their date would be the petty thing to do.  
Makoto felt pretty petty.  She began following them, 
waiting for them to come near the shore.  Instead, they 
circled and circled and circled.  To make matters worse, 
they were talking so quietly that she couldn't hear 
anything at all.  

        She tried to think of something clever she could do 
to wreck the date, but her brain was drying up on her 
from wanting revenge too much.  Too bad I don't control 
water, she thought.  I doubt Ami would be willing to help 
with this.  Or Michiru.  

        She tried anyway, focusing her will on the water.  
To her surprise, it began to ripple around the boat in 
ways beyond those caused by the boat moving.  Blinking 
in surprise, she focused harder and the water rippled 
more.  Wow, she thought!  I've learned a new power!  Now 
I just have to figure out how to tell the others without 
telling them how I learned it.

        When the black and green tentacle erupted out of 
the water and wrapped around the boat, her illusion of a 
new power was shattered.  Miss Haruna screamed, and 
Maguson-sensei beat at it with one of the oars.  This 
didn't please it too much, and the tentacle retreated.  
Makoto pulled out her transformation wand.

        Then Miss Haruna spotted her.  "MAKOTO!  Run!  Call 
the Police!"

        Maguson-sensei looked up, blinking.  "Makoto?"  He 
suddenly looked embarrassed.

     	Another tentacle snaked in low and pulled him 
into the water.   Makoto ran, but not far.  Only just 
enough to transform out of sight, then ran back.  
Maguson-sensei was struggling desperately with a 
tentacle wrapped around him, while Miss Haruna now 
beat on the tentacle with an oar.  Two more now casually 
flicked over the boat, sending Miss Haruna into the water.  
She flailed about in her nice dress, trying to stay afloat.  

     	"SUPREME THU..."  she began.

        "Water conducts electricity!"  Maguson-sensei 
shouted.

        "Shit," she said.  Well, Jupiter always did enjoy a 
good brawl.  She charged forward and leaped feet first 
onto one of the tentacles, then ran along it to Miss 
Haruna, whom she picked up.  Then she took a running jump 
and deposited her on the shore.

     	"You have to save Clark!"  she gasped.

        "How can you date someone as obnoxious as him?"  
Jupiter asked, unable to stop herself.

        She laughed a little hysterically.  "We're just 
friends.  There's someone...I think he's got a crush on
someone, but he won't tell me who.  Something happened, and 
he wanted to talk about it, but he wouldn't talk about it.
If you know what I mean."  Miss Haruna staggered to her feet.  
"Not to tell you your job, but..."

     	Jupiter nodded and leaped into the water, 
swimming down to look for the thing's body.  It was a 
huge mottled squid.  What is a SQUID doing in a pond, she 
wondered.  Then she spotted the blue gem set in its 
forehead.  Three tentacles grabbed her and began to 
squeeze, but she ignored them and dragged herself along 
its body to the gem.

        Ignoring the tentacles was getting harder.  She 
needed air.  Her lungs were screaming at her.  I can 
survive in deep space, she thought.  Why can't I hold my 
breath under water?  Suddenly, the need for air 
slackened, though she felt a tiny bit weaker.  

        She lunged forward and smashed at the gem, but her 
fist bounced off it.  She knew her powers could destroy 
it, but the electricity would spread in the water and 
crisp Maguson-sensei.  Much as he deserved it, she 
wouldn't do that.  Especially not before she had a chance to
chew him out for dating Haruna-sensei.

        She looked around for a rock or a stick, or anything 
sharp.  Looking up, she could see that Maguson-sensei had 
managed to dig a Swiss Army Knife out of his pocket, and 
was now trying to open it with one hand, since his other 
arm was pinned.

         Grabbing it, she pulled it open and stabbed it into 
the sapphire.  It shattered and the squid stiffened, then 
swiftly crumbled into mottled dust.  Pushing off the 
bottom, she swum to the surface, closed the knife, and 
handed it to Maguson-sensei, who was staring at her in 
surprise.  

         Jupiter looked at herself.  She looked normal as far 
as she could tell.  "Is something wrong?"

         He glanced over at the shore, then said quietly, 
"Just a moment of...deja vu."  He pocketed his knife, then 
began to swim for shore.

         Jupiter swam after him, then shook herself dry.  
Miss Haruna said, "Thank you, Sailor Venus."

         Jupiter laughed.  "Jupiter.  Sailor Venus is blonde."

         "Whatever your name is, you saved our lives.  Thank 
you.  I wish I could...do something for you."  

         "Well, you could have graded m...um, I just did my 
duty,"  Jupiter said quietly.

         "If you ever need something graded, feel free to 
ask us,"  Maguson-sensei said, eyes twinkling.  "Or some 
science knowledge.  I teach at Tsunami."

         Jupiter nodded.  "I know."  Too well, she thought.  

         "We should go find Makoto,"  Miss Haruna said.  
"And let her know we're okay."  She looked around.  "Is 
there a phone?"

      	Jupiter started to point the way to the phone, but 
Maguson-sensei started to drag Miss Haruna off the 
wrong way.  "This way, I think."  She would have 
corrected him, but decided that letting him wander 
around lost was a fitting punishment for them being on a 
date when she wasn't.        

*******************************

     	The two couples walked under the stars.  Usagi and 
Mamoru were holding hands.  Rei could tell Yuuichiro 
wanted to hold her hand, but she wasn't sure if she 
should.  She wasn't quite ready to commit that far, but it 
was tempting.  Not that holding hands was much of a 
commitment, she told herself.  He's been a very nice date 
so far, really.  

        She had almost talked herself into taking his hand 
when her preternatural senses started to go off.  Something 
powerful was coming.  She glanced over at Mamoru.  Like her, 
he had a knack for sensing danger.  He seemed unconcerned, 
talking softly with Usagi and pointing out some constellation 
to her.  

        Maybe I'm imagining it, she thought, glancing up 
and down the street.   Other couples and some single 
people drifted by.  They were in the heart of a business 
district.  Storefronts full of goods lined the street.  
There was a wall of TVs across the street.  Dozens of 
different shows and movies were showing.  Then, one by 
one, they winked out and static filled them.  The sense of 
approaching power grew.  When static took them all, they 
suddenly each flickered into a separate picture which 
together formed the face and shoulders of Jadeite.  

        Rei froze up and tried to subtly elbow Mamoru.  She 
only succeeded in knocking him down on top of Usagi, who 
yelped.  The yelp was strangely muted, as the TVs drew 
her eyes and ears to what they presented.  He was 
reaching out to her, and she felt herself reaching out to 
him.  Usagi said something, but she couldn't hear it, and 
Yuuichiro's hand on her shoulder seemed to fade to mist, 
for she could only barely feel it.

        He wanted her.  He needed her.  Without her, he was 
incomplete.  There was a hole in her heart he knew how 
to fill.  Once, he had been a good man.  She knew that, for 
she had met him.  What had happened to him?  How had he 
been changed into the man willing to burn down Tokyo 
just to get at Sailor Moon?  Beryl had done something to 
him.  She must have.  Just like happened to Mamoru.  And 
love had been able to help him, so...

        She started to step towards the bank of TVs, but 
something was holding her back.  Her efforts to wrench 
loose were unsuccessful.  The harder she pulled, the more 
something pulled her back.  A desperate voice was saying 
something to her.  She ignored it.  He needed her.  She 
could redeem him.  She knew she could.  Her prince was 
waiting for her.  

        "Rei, stop!  What are you doing?"  The voice 
registered.  It was her princess.  Why was Usagi trying to 
stop her?  She was just going to do for her love what 
Usagi had done for hers.  Was she...jealous?  

        "I have to help him.  Like you did for Mamoru.  
My love can win him back.  I know it can.  It will
be strong enough!  Strong enough I won't fail him like...
like..."  With a great wrenching effort, she slipped loose 
and ran towards him.  "I'm coming!  Wait for me!"  The power 
was getting closer.  It had to be him.  Her love.  Her Jadeite.

     	She could see his arms opening wide to receive 
her, and then...WHAM, something hit her from behind, 
pushing her off to one side.  A massive rumbling noise 
passed behind her shortly afterwards.  Whatever had hit 
her spoke.  "Rei-san, WHAT are you DOING?"

        It was Yuuichiro.  "Let go of me!" she shouted at 
him.  "I have to go to..."

        Another car whizzed by.  It suddenly struck her 
that she had just run out into traffic without looking.  
She could have easily been squashed flat.  She'd been 
running in the street, instead of across it directly.  

        Turning her head, she could see the bank of TVs 
was just showing reruns of 'How Low Will You Go?', one 
of the most tasteless game shows on TV.  Yet, she still 
felt the presence that had helped get her into this 
situation.  Its power was more clear to her now.  Not 
Jadeite's power, but strong.

	Yuuichiro frowned at her.  Win who back?  Who could
she be talking about?

        Usagi and Mamoru were at her side a few seconds 
later.  "What's wrong, Rei?  Are you okay?  You just...I 
don't understand!"  Usagi was in a panic.  Mamoru simply 
frowned and looked thoughtful.

        Rei laughed nervously. "I thought...I saw...umm...I'll 
be more careful crossing the street."

     	Yuuichiro helped her up.  "You could have died!  What
the...What were you babbling about?"  He frowned at her, and she
knew he must have heard something, though not sure how much.

     	Usagi said, "What were you yelling about?"

      	"Let's go home, Usagi.  I need some sleep."  She couldn't
quite make herself look at Yuuichiro.

**************

        Makoto was searching the park for clues, any kind 
of clue, when Naru arrived, quite out of breath from 
running.  "Are you okay, Makoto?  I got your communicator 
message, so I came running." She leaned against a tree.

      	"I'm fine.  The fight was over about ten minutes 
ago, and I just got Haruna-Sensei and Maguson-sensei out 
of here."  She frowned.  "I think I just fought a droid."

        "A what?"

        Makoto quickly went over their war with the Black 
Moon Family.  When she got to the end, she said, "This one 
had a blue gem instead of a red one, though."

        "First Youma, now this."  Naru sighed.  "Did you get 
the gem?"

     	Makoto sighed.  "Time to go diving, I guess."

************

        Rei sat in front of the mirror, brushing her hair.  It 
was silly to brush it before sleeping; she'd just tangle it 
again.  Still, it was soothing.  The presence still lurked 
on the edge of her consciousness, but she hadn't said 
anything.  She wasn't trusting her preternatural senses.  
It had just nearly gotten her killed.  Had it been a trap by 
Jadeite?  

	Surely he wouldn't have tried to kill...no, 
Jadeite as he was now didn't care about her.  Whatever 
Beryl had done to him was stronger than what happened 
to Endymion.  Or maybe her love had been weaker than...no.  
That wasn't possible.  The more she thought about 
Jadeite, the more she knew how strongly Aurora had 
loved him.  If her love wasn't enough...but maybe she 
hadn't really had the chance.

     	Aurora's last memories of life burned before Rei's 
eyes.  They were of Jadeite killing her, his face frozen in 
cold rage.  It was like he was some other person entirely 
than the man she knew from her trip to the past and from 
brief flutters of memory.  Maybe that was it.  Maybe 
Beryl had replaced him with a clone.  Yes, that was...no.  

	The generals weren't duplicates, just the friends and 
lovers of the Senshi twisted and bent.  Corrupted and left 
to stew in their juices for a score and five millennia.  
She could see little flashes of the men they had been in 
the men they had become.  And yet...Nephrite had been 
redeemed.  Surely, somehow...she could save Jadeite.  She 
had to.  But how?  Was there anything left of the love he 
had felt for her?  Did he even know she was the same 
woman he had once loved?  

        Her tears were interrupted by two arms enfolding 
her and a gentle voice.  "Please tell me what's wrong, 
Rei-chan."  It was Usagi, her voice a mirror of the worry 
and love in her heart.

        Rei would have told her, if she could have only 
stopped crying long enough to do so.

************

        Ami said to Makoto and Naru, "It's a sapphire."  She 
had come out to Makoto's apartment so they could get the 
privacy they'd need for Sailor business.  

        Naru said, "I already knew that.  I did grow up in a 
jewelry store, you know.  We hoped you could figure out 
something with your computer."

        Ami transformed and took a look at the gem with 
her visor.  "Hmm.  Traces of typical youma energies.  A 
different pattern than the ones the droid gems used, but 
there are similarities.  It's cruder than the droid gems."  
She shrugged.  "That's as much as I can tell."

        Makoto thought for a minute.  "Maybe the Black Moon 
People copied this process.  In the future.  So Jadeite's 
people invent it, and then later, they found the secret or 
something and improved on it."

        Ami blinked.  Makoto wasn't noted for thinking 
things through like that.  "Good thinking.  It could just be 
parallel inventions, but...who knows.  Anyway, I dunno 
what to do with it now."

        "Maybe Usagi could purify it and use it for 
something."  Naru said.  

        "We need a big trophy room like Batman has,"  
Makoto said.  

        Naru laughed.  "What, the Sailor Cave?"

        "I'm sure we'll have one in the palace of Crystal 
Tokyo, one day,"  Ami said.  "Well, not a CAVE, but a 
trophy room.  And museum and library and stuff."

        The conversation turned to talk of dreams of the 
future to come.

************

        Rei knelt before the sacred fire and tried to clear 
her mind, which wasn't easy.  Images flitted in the fire, 
ranging from some game show she couldn't remember the 
name of to a ruined city.  Slowly, as her mind cleared, all 
the images vanished except for the ruined city.  It 
seemed to be sitting inside some sort of weird valley or 
maybe a really huge pit with black basalt rising up all 
around it in a circle.  

        It was crumbling and ancient, but unlike most 
ruins, it had no plants growing over it.  In fact, she 
couldn't see any plants at all except for a handful of 
scrubby bushes.  Just reddish and black sand everywhere.  
The ground was riven with cracks, a few of which had 
become large enough to swallow buildings.  The huge wall 
of basalt around the city had a vast crack in it in the 
south face.  

        Slowly, her vision moved towards the huge palace 
of black basalt in the heart of the city.  It had great 
colored crystal windows and its top was shattered so 
that light shone down in great beams through the 
windows after coming down through the non-existent 
roof.  

     	The building loomed ever larger, and then suddenly, 
her sight passed right through its walls, through a maze 
of marble and bronze tunnels and into a throne room, 
with a huge throne of reddish stone, upon which sat a 
young blonde woman, perhaps around twenty-five years 
of age, idly twirling a copper sceptre tipped with a huge 
black opal which matched the copper bracelet she wore.  
She looked bored as she talked to the air.  

	Or perhaps she was talking to the tall, heavily 
built woman kneeling on the floor next to her like a dog.  
Where the sitting woman was pretty, but looked useless, 
the kneeling woman looked like she had been battered by life, 
but had battered life back in return.  Her hair was long, red, 
and unkempt and she looked middle aged.  It was not her face 
that attracted Rei's attention.  It was the fact that the 
kneeling woman, except for the large copper bracelet 
around her left wrist, was dressed as one of the Sailor 
Senshi.  And not just any senshi.  Rei recognized the 
uniform because it was her own.  

    	Rei gasped and the image suddenly broke up.  "Bring 
it back!  Bring it back!"

        The sacred fire simply roared and crackled, then 
showed her an image of a huge obsidian man, walking 
down a Japanese country road, right past a startled 
okonomiyaki seller.  The statue paused, looked at the 
okonomiyaki seller, and suddenly was dressed in 
equivalent clothing made of obsidian.  

        Rei laughed slightly; the statue had been dressed as 
a fisherman before.  I wonder if it imitates everyone it 
meets.  The image flickered, and then there was only fire.  
Rei stared a while longer, but the fire had nothing more 
to say.

        She stood up.  I'd best ask Pluto about this.

        "Hey, Rei.  Wanna go to Colonel Chicken for dinner?"  
It was Yuuichiro.  "I came by to see how the repairs were 
going."  He looked around.  "I guess we'll be able to reopen 
the shrine soon, even though the house is gonna take a while
to be finished."

        "Sure, if you pay.  I don't have much money on me,"  
Rei said.

        "Really?  That would be great!"

**************

	Ami was afraid to go back to her room.  Noriko hadn't tried
anything hentai or done anything or acted any different, but...something
had happened.  It had to have happened.  Unless some cosmic force had
stolen Ami's clothing and put Noriko in a bathrobe, somehow they had both
lost their clothing.  And she didn't need Athena in her head to know how
that likely had happened.  But...Noriko acted as if NOTHING had happened.

	Her whole loss of control horrified her.  She was glad Athena had
run off to hide, but she was starting to spend every moment wondering when
Athena was going to come jumping out and say 'boo'.  The not knowing was
worse than what she remembered.  The business with the elf woman she could
at least blame on glamour...maybe.  Athena had been raring to go, glamour
or no glamour.  

     	She nearly jumped out of her skin when Ryo put a hand on her
shoulder.  "Ami, why are you standing in the hallway staring at the
doorknob of your room?"

	"Because...I...uh..."

	"I was gonna ask if you wanted to come hang out with me for a
while.  My roommate got sick and went home to stay with his folks for a
few days, so we'd have it all to ourselves.  I already finished my
homework, so..."

	"Sure!"  Anything but her room.  Especially with Ryo.  Although
she was somewhat dreading REALLY telling him what had happened.  He knew
vaguely she'd had some problems, but she hadn't really gotten into it
before.  She took his hand.  "Lead on."

**************

    	Rei stared off into space as she ate her chicken.  
Yuuichiro was prattling on about something.  Finally, he 
got through to her.  "Rei, hello?  Earth to Rei?"

        Rei started.  "I'm sorry, Yuuichiro.  I'm just 
distracted."

        "If you go running into traffic again..."

        She laughed a little.  "You may spank me if I do that 
again."  Shaking her head, she said, "I can't believe I was 
that stupid."

        "Did you have a vision in the Sacred Fire?"  
Yuuichiro asked.  "I finally had one the other day."

     	Rei started.  Despite his long efforts, Yuuichiro 
usually had about as much spiritual power as a rampaging 
mongoose.  Probably less.  "What did you see?"

        Yuuichiro fell silent, staring at his biscuit, then 
said, "I was probably just worried about you getting in 
another accident."

      	Frowning, Rei said, "What did you see?"

        "Some blonde guy killing me trying to..."  He stared 
at his biscuit, apparently trying to extract the secrets of 
the universe from it.  "You don't know any psycho blonde 
guys, do you?  Who might have a...umm..."  He sighed.  
"Maybe it was just a flashback to that fight I had with 
your friend, Haruka."  Rattling his fingers nervously on 
the table, he said, "That was one of my dumber moves."

        Rei laughed a little, remembering that incident.  
"I'll keep an eye out for psycho blond guys."

        "The weird thing was that...I dunno.  I felt like I'd 
met him before or something.  But I couldn't recognize 
him.  I just... Something about the guy."  Yuuichiro turned 
to his chicken and assaulted it, dropping the topic.  

**************

 	Ryo tried to figure out why Ami was so jumpy.  She wouldn't come
much closer to him than about five feet, and she kept looking around like
she thought evil elves were watching her.

	Then again, after what had happened to Makoto, it wasn't too
implausible to worry about that.  And she had had some trouble with an elf
herself, although she hadn't been very talkative about it.  That had to be
what was bothering her.  

	"Ami, what's eating you?  That elf woman didn't do
something, did she?   What happened?"

        "I can't remember," she said faintly.  "And I can't hear Athena
anymore.  And I don't know why."

        He got up, walked across the room and sat down by her; she was
sitting on his roommate's bed.  "You can't remember anything at all?"  He
was worried now; people sometimes blanked out really traumatic
experiences.

     	"I don't know."  She stared at her hands.  "I just know...I came
out of it...I was naked, and Noriko was in her bathrobe, fixing her
computer..."

       	I could see Noriko doing that after sex, he thought, then mentally
slapped himself.  "It was broken?"

      	"I was on the verge...of Athena taking over completely, when
Noriko showed up.  Then everything goes black, and then...like I said."
She was shaking physically, and he put an arm around her, which soothed
her.

    	"We should talk to Pluto.  That sounds pretty bad," he said.  I'd
be scared out of my mind if my past lives started taking me over, he
thought.  Especially my most recent one.  For a moment, he remembered
being transformed into one of the Seven Shadows.  He wasn't sure if it was
a past life or just imprisoned inside him, but it scared him.  "I know
what it's like to have someone else make you...turn into something you're
not," he said quietly.  "Like when I became one of the Seven Shadows."

     	Ami turned her head to face him.  "Thank you, Ryo.  You
won't...you're not mad at me, are you?"

       	"Well, I'd rather you have woken up naked with me, but..."  he
blinked.  He hadn't quite meant to say that.

	Ami blushed.  "I'd rather have woken up...like that...with you
too.  I just...If Athena...do you think she would have..."

	"She wouldn't even try to seduce me once understood what our
relationship was like."

	"I think the elf was an old...girlfriend of Athena's,"  Ami said
quietly.  Am I going to start...wanting to sleep with everything that
moves? she wondered.  

	He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Well, she showed up too
late, because I'm not going to let you go.  And if she comes back,
I'll...I'll...I'll tell her to try hitting on Haruka.  Then watch her
die."

	Ami laughed.  "Really, though, if Athena comes back as strongly as
she did last time..."

   	"I'll seduce you,"  Ryo said.  "She'll never resist me."  He
laughed.  "Hmm.  I wonder if Athena sprung out of her father's forehead."

       	Ami stared at him, then it hit her, and she began to laugh.
"Thanks, Ryo-chan.  I needed that."  They smiled at each other, then
kissed, gently at first, then a little more fiercely.  Ami wrapped her
arms around him and pressed herself against him, expecting some comment
from Athena, but there was nothing but silence.  Maybe Athena WAS gone.
Maybe the woman had somehow taken Athena with her.

     	She felt Ryo's hands roaming up and down her back, and it felt
good.  Moving one hand up his back to gently knead his shoulders, she
broke off the kiss for a moment, needing air, then went to it again.
Slowly, she began to fall back, instinctively rather than deliberately,
moving his body around so he was over her.

	Finally, he broke off the kiss and smiled at her.  "I love you,
Ami."

        "I love you too, Ryo."  She reached up to pull him down for
another kiss.

	"Your communicator is going to go off in about ten seconds."

	Ami frowned.  "Drat."   *BZZZZZT!*  She turned it on.  "Hello?"

	"Hey, Ami, have you done the Earth Science homework yet?"  Usagi
asked.

	She thought for a moment.  "Yes.  See you later!"  Click.  She
sighed.  "I shouldn't have done that."

	"Yes you should have."  Ryo said.  "She needs to learn psychic
powers so she can see the answers in advance like I did."

	Ami laughed.  "You sound like they turned you into an Elf too."

	"Maybe they did," he said, laughing.  "And I just got quick ear
surgery."

         She reached up and tugged his ears.  "They did a good job.  Kiss
me like you are an elf."  I can't believe I said that, she thought.

	Pretty soon, they were at it again.  And pretty soon after that...
*BZZZZT!*

  	Ami broke off the kiss reluctantly.  "Yes?" she said into the
communicator.

	"What's the answer to number five?" Usagi asked.

	"Nineveh."

	Scribble, scribble.  "How about number eight?"

	"Donuts."
	
	Ryo began to laugh.

	Scribble, scribble.  "How about number twelve?"

	"I am a yellow pen."

	Ami put a hand over Ryo's mouth; Usagi wouldn't be able to hear
her if he wasn't quieter.

	Scribble, scribble.  "And number sixteen?"

	"Queen to Queen's Bishop's Five."

	Ryo fell off the bed, he was laughing so hard.  Ami was starting
to have a hard time not laughing herself.

	Scribble, scribble.  "And number eighteen?  That's the last one I
couldn't get."

	"God is in his heaven and all is right in the world."

	Scribble, scribble.  "Thanks, Ami!  Bye!"  She hung up.  

	Ami exploded in laughter as Ryo clambered back up on the bed.  Ryo
was laughing too.  "Ami, you are EVIL!" he proclaimed.

	"I just...Her timing...She really needs to learn to do her own
homework.  It was for her own good, really."

	"Liar."

	Ami giggled.  "Okay, maybe just this ONCE I was a little
aggravated."

         He leaned down and kissed her again.  "Remind me to never ask you
for help with homework."

	"Not when we could be doing this."  She pulled him down into an
embrace again, surprised with herself; she felt faintly giddy, they had
almost never made out this much.  

	What came next was a blur, though a pleasant one.  Eventually, her
growing arousal brought her to the point where she realized she either
would need to stop soon, or she was going to rip his clothing off.  In
fact, her blouse had come out of her skirt, and he had slid an arm up
inside it; his touch on her back felt very good.  

	They both stopped and stared at each other, not sure what to do
and half expecting someone would walk in if they did anything.  He gulped,
then said, "My roommate won't be back.  Would you like to...stay with me
tonight?"

         Her eyes widened.  She wanted to.  "Yes, I do."

	He reached over to her wrist, took off her communicator, and put
it in his roommate's microfridge, which was technically illegal in the
dorm, but rather common.  "They'll have to do without Sailor Mercury for a
while then," he said, then went and locked the door.

   	She laughed.  "I'm sure Usagi can flunk on her own."  I just have
to remember to take it back out when we're done, she thought, then
shivered with excitement.  My first time, she thought.  I hope.  If my
first time was with...she didn't want to think about.  She wasn't going to
think about it.  

         He then went over to the phone and took it off the hook.
"Nothing to disturb us."

  	Scared out of her mind, she began to unbutton her blouse.  A
million images flooded her head, memories of the last time they had come
close to doing this, memories of that ecchi Sailor Mercury manga, memories
of an incredibly BAD porno they had somehow ended up watching at Makoto's
sixteenth birthday party, supposedly because the star 'reminded her of her
old boyfriend'.  Ami had run off and hid through most of it.  Everyone had
teased her afterwards, but it had given her a strange feeling of deja vu
which terrified her.  Thinking about Athena, she understood why now.

	His shirt came off easily, easier than hers, since he had changed
to a t-shirt after class was over.  His chest was not very impressive.
While Ryo wasn't fat, he wouldn't be appearing in a muscle mag any time
soon, either. Ami didn't love him for his body, although she enjoyed
seeing him like this, which scared her; she wasn't used to feeling like
this.  For a moment, she was afraid Athena was doing something to her,
but she was sure she would have heard Athena by now.

	He was shivering a little as he sat down by her and wrapped his
arms loosely around her while she finished taking off her blouse.  It was
reassuring to know he was scared too.  The last button finally fumbled its
way out of its little button hole, and she wriggled out of the blouse,
then turned to Ryo.  "So what do you foresee for us?"

	"Haruka breaks down the door and begs us to seduce her."
	
	Ami's eyes widened.  "WHAT?"

	"Got you!"  He laughed.

	"Now I'm going to GET YOU!" she shouted, throwing herself at him.
He got gotten while the getting was good, so to speak.

	Much later, after they were done, they lay together, softly
kissing each other and smiling more than usual.  Suddenly, Ryo's
expression darkened.  "Well, I've got good news and bad news," he said.

   	"What's the good news?"
	
	"I'm pretty sure nothing happened with you and the elf woman, or
at least nothing entered your body very far."

	She nodded, remembering the sensation she'd felt.  He was right,
although it didn't rule out all the possible things she and the elf might
have done.  "And the bad news?"

    	"We just deposited some of the proof on my roommate's bedsheets."
He pointed to a blood stain on the sheet they were lying on.

	"..."

	"Luckily, we have time to wash them, but..."

	She blushed.  "I didn't even think about..."

	They could hear the faint muffled buzz of Ami's communicator.  "It
never rains but it pours," Urawa said.

         Ami scrambled over and took it out of the fridge, sighing.  "What
is it?"

	"I forgot to do the Earth Science homework,"  Minako said.  "Did
you do it?"

	"Ask Usagi.  I gave her the answers."

	"Okay!  Thanks!  I guess you're getting ready for bed?"

	"Uh...yeah.  How could you tell?"

	"You're naked."

`	Ryo tossed Ami her bra, which she quickly put on.  "Oh yeah."  Ami
blushed beet red.

	"Hey, wait a minute...who threw that bra to you?"

	"It was...uh..."

	"So you and Ryo FINALLY did something?  I was starting to think
I'd have to use my bow on you!"

	"I think you already did enough damage for one century,"  Ami
said, still blushing.

	Ryo came over, leaning so only his head would show.  "Go shoot
your boyfriend."

	"Oh, is that an invitation for a foursome?"  Minako asked,
laughing.

	Ami turned beet red.  "MINA!"

	"Just like in the old days!"  

	Now Ryo turned red too.  "You and her and..."

	"Hey, it worked for Inanna and Athena and Kunzite and Zoicite!"
Minako giggled.

	Faintly, they heard Steven yell, "MINAKO!"

	Memories stirred vaguely, along with one clear one of being in the
bed with Minako and Kunzite and Zoicite.  Then the image shifted to the
two of them with her current boyfriends.  Ami got about as red as she
could get without someone spilling paint on her.  "I...Minako...are you
serious?"

 	Steven's head popped onto the tiny viewscreen.  "She's going to be
orbiting Sirius if she doesn't stop...iya."  She was pretty sure he could
see her chest, although she did have the bra on, which was as decent as
the average bathing suit.

	"Changed your mind now that you've had a look?"  Minako asked
teasingly.

	Steven blushed, and Ami wondered for a moment if he could see
through bras.  Surely not, she thought.  Or he'd be blushing all the time.
"Let's leave them alone."

	"But I wanna hear all the details!  Was he as good as Zoicite,
Ami?"

	"Better," she said, hoping it would get Minako to shut up and go
away.

	Her eyes widened.  "Oh wow, you can remember?  I have this really
dim memory of me and Kunzite on the roof of the palace one time, but..."

	Ami could see Steven and Minako were wrestling now.  "I think
that's ENOUGH," Steven said.

	"Oh, I'm sure I'm much better than Kunzite," Ryo said.  "Don't you
agree, Ami?"  he winked at her.

	She stared mindlessly for a moment, then understood.  "Oh, much
better than Kunzite ever was.  Kunzite just couldn't go the distance like
Ryo-kun can."  She had to resist the urge to giggle.  The only way to deal
with Minako when she went over the top was to go MORE over the top.  "I
didn't think it was possible to...five times in one night."  I'm just
silly myself tonight, she thought.

	"FIVE TIMES?"  Minako boggled.  "Steven, why can't you do that?"

  	"It's not humanly possible for a male to do that without magic or
something!"  

	"We were going to go for six when you called," Ryo said,
struggling not to collapse laughing.

	Minako's jaw dropped.  "SIX?  You've GOT to teach Steve-kun!"  Her
eyes lit up.

	"Come on down.  It'll be just like the old days," Ryo said.  

	"We're on our way!"  *Click!*

   	Ami stared at Ryo.  "WHAT?"

	"You know Steven won't go for it," Ryo said, "But it got Minako to
go away."

	"I hate to burst your bubble, but she's even gotten him to dress
up in a girl's uniform one time.  I don't think him protesting will stop
her once she gets an idea in her head."

	He tinysweated.  "Should we call back and say it's a joke?"

	"She won't listen."  Ami sighed.  Minako would get her feelings
hurt if they said no now, but...that was no reason to...do something like
that.  Although Steven was cute.  What am I THINKING?  She shook her head,
trying to make the thought fall out.

    	"The door's locked."  He paused.  "You think she'd blast it with
her powers?"

	"Maybe we can make a rope ladder with the sheets and climb out the
window," Ami said, thinking.  "Maybe if you suit up in that armor the
Dwarves gave you...Minako would get so frustrated trying to get it off
you, she'd have to give up."

	Ryo laughed.  "It would be the first time it had any use to it.
It is in the closet..."

	Ami got up.  "We'd better get dressed, in case they DO show up."

	They quickly threw on some clothing, then pulled the sheets off
the roommate's bed and tossed them in the laundry hamper.  Minako and
Steven hadn't arrived yet.  They weren't sure if the pair was coming.
"Any visions?"  she asked Ryo.

	"Nope.  Call Himeko and ask if she left the room."

	"Good idea!"  Ami got her communicator and called Himeko.  "Hey,
Hime-chan, is Minako there?"

	"I'm over at Daichi's, trying to figure out this stupid Earth
Science.  Have you finished it?"

	Ami sighed.  "Call Yuki.  I helped her work them out earlier
tonight."

	"Thanks.  What do you need Minako for?  Want me to tell her
something when you see her?"

	"Hmm.  Is Pokota with you or in your room?"

	Hime-chan blinked.  "He's with me."

	"I guess I'll have to just guess if Minako's going to show up."

	"Having a late night study session with her?"

	"Something like that.  See you!"

   	"Bye!"  *Click!*  Ami stared at her wrist.  "So, will Rei or will
Mako-chan call me next?"

	Ryo came over and sat on the floor by her.  "My powers tell me it
will be someone wanting help with their homework."

	"Or to sleep with us."  She shivered.  Athena would have said yes
in a second.  And it was a little tempting.  Steven was handsome and a
nice guy and...she shook her head.  I don't do things like that, she
thought firmly.  Just one guy for me is enough.

	"Ahah!" he said.  "You could find her with your computer!  Then
we'd know if they were coming!"

      	Ami laughed.  Luna would just die.  "Right."  She pulled the
computer out of wherever it was when she wasn't using it.  It was very
easy to do a search for Minako.  Minako was coming down the staircase with
Steven, and they had just reached Ryo's floor.  

	"She's coming, 100 meters.  90 meters.  80 meters."  

	Ryo laughed.  "'We should be able to see them by now!'"

  	Ami blinked, then laughed.  "Minako the Hive Queen.  I can see
that."

	Ryo pointed to a briefcase in his closet.  "And there's the
exoskeleton."

	"30 meters.  20 meters."  It was like a countdown of doom.  "10
meters.  Wait...she stopped."

	They could hear a faint banging on a door down the hallway.  Ryo
thought a moment, then laughed.  "The nametags on our doors only have
first names, because they got lazy by this point.  And I don't think
Minako's ever been to my room."

	"So she's banging on the wrong door?"

	"Ryo Moroboshi, notorious lech, lives there, I think."

	"Should we save her?"

	Ryo laughed.  "I think the Senshi of Love can take care of
herself, especially with her boyfriend with her."

	They could hear an 'Oh Baby!' and a Minako howl from the hallway.

	"We're just EVIL tonight," Ami said.  "Twenty meters.
Thirty...Forty..."

    	No one bothered them for the rest of the night.

************

	The next morning, Minako came up to Ami and Ryo on their way to
class.  "I'm going to have to destroy you both," she said.

	Ryo laughed.  "It's not MY fault you went to the wrong room.  You
could have asked."

	"The dorm mother threatened to make me live on the roof if I ever
ran screaming through the hallways during quiet hours again."

	"Did Steven get in trouble?"

	"I don't think she really noticed him."  She sighed.  "And I
dressed up sexy too.  A little too sexy, I think."  She blushed.

	{Thou couldst never be too sexy,} Athena said in Ami's head.
	
	[You're back!] Ami replied nervously.  

	Minako said, "Ami, are you okay?  You're staring off into space."

	{Do you know if Dia is still around?}

	[She left, but...]

	{A pity.  To see her again after so long, then to be parted so
soon.}

	[You nearly got me in a LOT of trouble!  I don't even know if
we...]

	{If anything happened, I slept through it, myself.}

	"Earth to Ami.  Come in, Ami," Ryo said, sounding concerned.  "Is
it Athena?" he whispered.

	{Hello, Ryo-kun,} she said. 

	"She says hello,"  Ami whispered, then sighed.  [I suppose you're
disappointed Ryo and I didn't have a foursome with Minako and Steven.]

	{If I had slept through it, I would have been disappointed.  But
as it is...I need to help you train him first so he can perform up to the
standard Inanna deserves.}

	Despite the chill of the air conditioning, Ami began to sweat.

**************

    	Rei sat in Setsuna's office.  "So what can you tell 
me about Mars' talisman?  And also...I thought I saw..."

        "A ruined city?"  Setsuna asked.  "Probably Mons 
Olympus, an extinct volcano in which rested Vulcan's Forge,
the capital of the Kingdom of Mars."  

        Shifting in her chair, Rei wondered if Setsuna had 
deliberately picked uncomfortable chairs for her office.  
From the way Setsuna kept shifting, she suspected Pluto 
might not have had a choice in the matter.  The weird 
fungus in the aquarium kept shifting about as well, 
although it had no chair.  "I sort of recognized it, but 
there was a blonde woman and this red haired 
woman...she...She's the Elder Mars, isn't she."  Rei's 
instincts and some of her memories of her life as Aurora 
were insisting on this.  "So who is the blonde?"

        "I wish I could tell you,"  Setsuna said, frowning.  
She stopped fidgeting and stared off at the rather tacky 
picture of ducks bathing in a sink that someone had stuck 
on the wall of her office.  Perhaps it had some secret 
occult significance.  Probably not.

        "What, more oaths?"

        "I have no idea who the blonde is, but your verdict 
of the woman being the Elder Mars...it is possible.  I was 
never able to learn for sure if she died.  Although why 
she would still be on Mars...If she has the strength to live 
this long, she would have the strength to teleport to 
Earth, although it would not be easy."  Setsuna got out a 
piece of paper and began doodling on it, drawing what 
looked like a map of the solar system and making arcane 
calculations.

        Rei boggled.  "You...don't know?"

      	"I am not all knowing.  My future sight has its 
limits and I have not been to every place and time to 
observe all events.  I do not know what you had for 
breakfast; I do not know for sure who the blonde is.  
Possibly a Zodiac member.  Possibly a surviving Martian 
noblewoman; a fair number of them were blonde, although 
it wasn't a common color on Mars.  I believe Aurora had a 
blonde aunt.  If I saw her, I might recognize her; I only 
met the most important nobles.  There were tens of 
thousands of them."

        Rei leaned forward.  "I think she's enslaved the 
Elder Mars in some way.  It looked like she was keeping 
her as a pet."

        Setsuna blinked.  "Probably some horror with a 
human-like form, then.  Enslaving a senshi, especially one 
of Brigit's experience, to one's will, is difficult.  VERY 
difficult."  She frowned, crumpled her doodle, and tossed 
it at the garbage can.  It rattled around the rim, nearly 
fell on the ground, but finally toppled in.  "This could 
make getting your talisman very hard or very easy."

        "Why?"

        "If she is the Elder Mars, she will either have it, or 
know where it is to be found.  If she has it and is 
enslaved to the will of another, defeating her in battle 
will be incredibly difficult.  The Armor of Mars was 
perhaps Vulcan's most cunning invention, although the 
Royal Icons have more raw power."  

     	Setsuna got out a piece of paper and started trying 
to sketch something that was probably supposed to resemble 
a senshi of Mars, but could have easily passed as Senshi Skullhead.  
"Basically, it adapts to its wearer and grows stronger by 
learning to play to her strengths and compensate for her 
weaknesses.  The third Senshi of Mars, for example, was 
horribly clumsy, so it focused much of its power into 
keeping her balanced and compensating for that, eventually 
making her more nimble than most of the other Senshi.  
While she wore it, anyway."

        Given that the Elder Mars would have had thousands 
of years to adapt the armor to her own requirements, 
this was starting to scare Rei.  "Shouldn't it compensate 
for her being mind-controlled, then?"

        Setsuna thought a moment.  "Likely she isn't using 
it, then.  Eventually, it should have compensated, given 
the amount of time she's had to adjust.  Although I'm not 
sure how she could even be alive, unless she's been in 
stasis most of this time."

        "You're alive."

        "I'm a special case.  Anyway, you and Neptune will 
have your hands full, I see."

        Rei swallowed nervously.  "Shouldn't we all go?"

        "You must earn your talisman as Ami and Minako 
did."  She paused.  "Hopefully better than Minako did.  
If it proves more than you can bear, then we can 
come to your aid."  She paused again.  "Ask Usagi.  It is her 
decision, ultimately.  It is not my...place to tell you what 
to do in this case.  Especially not when I do not know all 
the facts for sure."  She fell silent, although Rei could 
tell she wanted to say more.

        Rei stared at Setsuna's desk.  It didn't feel right 
for  Setsuna to actually NOT know something for once.  I 
wonder how often she's bluffing as to how much she knows, 
Rei thought.  "Yuuichiro had a vision of Jadeite.  Of Jadeite 
trying to kill him."

        "If Jadeite wanted him dead, he would be dead.  Or 
at least we would have witnessed an attempt,"  Setsuna 
said.  "I suspect he saw the future, rather than a vision of 
present intent." 

        Rei's eyes widened again.  "Him?  He has the 
spiritual power of...of...cheese-wiz."

        "You see him as he was when you met him.  He has 
grown some, but you have been too busy to notice, Rei.  
He has far to go, but he is not quite the shallow fool he 
was when first you met him."  Setsuna said.  "Like all of 
you, he has grown."

        "Do you think Jadeite will really try to kill him?"  
How can I keep an eye on him AND do all my other duties?  
Rei was irritated.  How do you get yourself into these 
things, Yuuichiro?

        "Perhaps.  He probably doesn't even know Yuuichiro 
exists.  That may change."  The bell rang.  "You'd best get 
to class."

        I wonder if she planned that, Rei thought as she got 
up and sprinted off to class.

************

	"Hey, Mako-chan, you're not gonna BELIEVE this,"  Yuki said as she
sat down by Makoto, Ami, Ryo, Minako, and all the rest of Makoto's gang of
friends at lunch.  They were eating outside since the weather was nice.  

	"What?"

	"I meant to tell you before, but I got so caught up writing a
nasty letter to Hibino Hikaru about that stuff she sold to the TV station
that I forgot!  I met this guy at Kenichi-kun's social club who knows
you!"

	Makoto blinked.  "You did?"  She tried to think of any college
students she knew.  "Motoki?"

	"No, his name was Gendo Toriyama!  He was really seriously cute,
and pretty charming.  Kenichi had to stop him flirting with me."  Yuki
laughed as she sat down and opened her bento.

	Makoto's eyes widened.  "Gendo Toriyama?  Tall with short black
hair and really dreamy green eyes?"

	"Yeah.  He said he had met you when he was in high school.  He's a
freshman now, like Kenichi-kun."

	Usagi said, "Lemme guess.  Some guy who..."

	"Gets a little fresh when he's drunk, but then sends flowers as an
apology?"

	Yuki nodded.  "You do know him!  I got the flowers today which
reminded me."

	"Oh man," Makoto said.  "I never thought I'd ever hear of him
again after his family moved to Osaka.  He called from Osaka and dumped
me!"

	"Wait, he's..."  Usagi began.

	"Oh wow!  I was the first one to meet Mako-chan's legendary
boyfriend!"   Yuki boggled.  "We all thought he was a myth like the
abominable snowman."

	"He called from Osaka and dumped you?"  Naru asked.

	"Yeah.  He hadn't even told me he was moving.   But I never went
to his house because his parents didn't like me, so I didn't realize they
were moving.  Two weeks later, I transferred to Juuban."

	"Oooh, I wanna meet him!"  Usagi said.  "I wanna see how he can
look like every guy on Earth!"

	"Actually, he does look sort of like Mamoru,"  Yuki said.
"Anyway, he asked how you were doing, Mako-chan, so I told him about how
you were going here and how great an athlete you were.  And how pretty
you'd become."

	Makoto blushed.  "I'm not that pretty."

	"I wish I was as pretty as you,"  Yuki said.  "You want his phone
number?"

	"You got his PHONE NUMBER?"

	"I thought you might want to call him."

	Makoto wasn't sure if she did want to.

************

	She had taken the phone number; if she did decide she wanted it,
she could use it.  A few months ago, she would likely have called him,
possibly thrown herself at him.  They'd only broken up because he
moved...she'd fantasized at times about them getting back together, but
now...when she thought about him, another image interposed itself.

	Clark Maguson.  He was nothing like her old love, except for being
male.  He was an obnoxious jerk who threw erasers at people in class.  He
ran around dating other women after they had kissed!  Not that she any
idea why she had kissed that obnoxious jerk! He had yelled at HER for
helping to save him from that deranged elven would be...He had risked his
life to save her from an Elf, despite not having any powers.  And she had
chewed him out for it.  He could have died if the Elf had done to him what
he did to her.  And Clark didn't have any magic powers to help him break
free.

    	I never thanked him, she realized, and felt an intense pang of
guilt.  He was outmatched, but he was willing to sacrifice himself so I
would get away.  Crazy man!  He could have died!  Why had he been willing
to do it?  Yamamoto probably would have been crazy enough to do that for
one of his students...was that it?  Was he just being a good teacher?  No,
they had kissed afterwards, but...

	Crazy man.  He fights for me, then lets me kiss him (why did I
kiss him?), then DATES MISS HARUNA!  AAARGH!!!!  Why can't I have a nice
normal man JUST ONCE?  Well, Gendo had been fairly normal...until he
dumped her over the phone!  Bastard!

        She stuck the phone number to her bulletin board by the
refrigerator.  Maybe eventually, once she got her brain sorted out, she
might call him.  But not today.  Not until she figured out what to do
about Clark Maguson.

**************

	Clark Maguson stood in the hallway outside Yamamoto's office,
feeling like a child waiting for a spanking.  Getting a summons from
Yamamoto usually meant one of two things:  a long, boring 'inspirational'
speech, or a chewing out.  He had no doubt it was the second.  He had
assumed no one else had noticed what had happened with him and Makoto in
all the chaos, but someone must have.

	The door opened, and he stepped inside.  "I'm here."

	Yamamoto smiled.  "I'm glad to see you."

	Clark blinked.  He is?  "What did you want to see me about?"

	"Sit down."  He pointed at a chair and began to pour a glass of
tea.  "I understand you had to defend one of your students from a maniac
with a sword."

	"Yes sir."  He still wasn't quite sure WHAT the assailant had
been.  The man was probably the best fighter Clark had ever faced in his
life and certainly the only one really intent on killing him.  And he had
done...something to Makoto.  Makoto wouldn't have frozen up from terror;
he knew that.  

	She'd also saved his life.  He knew that too, although they'd
ended up fighting with each other, he knew he owed her thanks he hadn't
given her.  If she hadn't intervened, he would have lost his life.  And
they had...If Yamamoto knew about this, he must have known about the other
thing.

	"I'm authorized to grant bonuses for meritorious actions by
teachers.  You'll be getting one in your next check."  He handed Clark a
glass of tea.  Clark fumbled with it and almost spilled it all over
himself in shock.  It was one of his favorite blends, he noticed as
tried to think of something to say to the Vice-Principal.

 	"Thank you, sir.  Just doing my duty."  

	"More than your duty.  Several witnesses indicated you nearly
died.  I should have come to your assistance, but I was distracted with
other matters."  He frowned.  "I had discounted these rumors, but I must
regretfully conclude that Sensei is right.  There are creatures roaming
around Tokyo.  I suppose that riot should have been enough to convince me,
but now this...A new age is coming, I think.  We must prepare our students
for it."

	"A new age, sir?"  He sipped more of the tea and began to relax.

	"I wish I knew myself.  But I'm sure that with teachers like you,
we'll be able to prepare our students for it.  I would appreciate it if
you would come and practice with me sometimes.  I need to build my sword
skills back up."

	"Certainly," he said quietly.  

	"Very good.  Well, you can stay or go as soon as you finish your
tea.  I just wanted to inform you of this."

	Maybe no one noticed, he thought, relieved.  He quickly finished
his tea.  "Thank you, sir."

	Yamamoto watched Clark go.  Best not to bring up about the student
kissing him, he thought.  It happened all the time when people were
rescued from danger.  He'd been kissed himself like that once.  If they'd
been kissing in some other situation, he would have had to discipline the
man, but he was quite certain it wouldn't happen again.  And given the
risk he had taken...for once Yamamoto would give someone some leeway.
Just this once.

************

	"Here you go, 'mi-chan,"  Noriko said, handing a wrapped package
to Ami.

	Ami blinked.  "Huh?"  She looked up from her desk, where she was
doing homework.

	"Your clothing got burnt some after my computer exploded while I
was fighting the elf woman,"  Noriko said.  "I hung a horseshoe upside
down over the door, so she won't be back, I think."  She went over to her
computer and sat down to check her email.  "Three hundred messages!  ACK!"

	"Did she..."  Ami was hesitant to ask.

	"Naah, neither of us really got hurt, but I wouldn't relish
another tussle with her.  And don't worry about paying me back; your
clothing wouldn't have gotten charred if I had done a better job dealing
with her."  She glanced over at the horseshoe, which Ami now noticed was
nailed over the door.  "I hope that thing works."

	"Me too," Ami said quietly. She got up.  "I think I'm going to
take a walk, and get some fresh air."

	"Okay! See you later, 'mi-chan!"

************

     	Rei had an idea.  "Hey, Ami, this is gonna sound 
weird, but...can you do a solar system wide search with 
your computer?"

        Ami, who was sitting under a tree reading, blinked.  
"I could, but it would take an awfully long time."

        Rei came over and sat down.  "Actually, I just need 
you to search Mars.  For the Elder Mars."

        "The what?"

        "I think Elder Senshi Mars is alive."

        Ami stared at her.  "What, after all this time?  But 
how?"

        "Can you check?  I need to know."

        "I'll get right on it."

***********

        Ryo looked up from the pile of books that 
surrounded him in the library.  "No, I haven't had any 
visions about Yuuichiro.  Well, except for one minor one."

        Rei pushed books out of the way, sending them 
flying, and leaned forward, listening intently.  "What?"

        "You kissing him."  Ryo smiled.  "Then Usagi shows 
up and you get mad at her."

        "I wouldn't..." she started.  "No other visions?  
Nothing at all?"

        "Not about Yuuichiro."

        "What about?"

        Ryo looked uncomfortable.  "Myself screaming 
after I had a vision.  But I couldn't tell what the vision 
was."

        "..."

        "I think it had something to do with Ami's friend, 
Yuki, but I'm not sure what.  I yelled something 
incoherent about her in the vision."

        Rei frowned.  Probably she's going to be kidnapped 
by someone who thinks she knows more about the Sailors 
than she really knows.  I should warn her.  Somehow.  
Hmm.

***********

        Ami started to open the door to her room, only to 
freeze in place when she clearly heard the words "VENUS 
POWER, MAKEUP!" from inside the room.  They sounded a 
little weird, oddly distorted, but Ami didn't have time to 
think about that.  She flung the door open, reaching for 
her transformation pen.  

        Instead of seeing Sailor Venus ready for action, 
what she saw was Noriko, Kimiko, and Yuki huddled 
around Noriko's computer.  Noriko and Kimiko were 
holding joysticks and directing Sailor Venus and Sailor 
Mercury, who were squaring off with each other on the 
screen.  It looked like a fighting game, however, unlike 
the Sailor V fighting game, it had the REAL sailors 
instead of the fictional ones of the TV show.  They used 
their real moves.  Ami laughed as Sailor Mercury froze 
Venus in a block of ice with Shine Aqua Illusion in the 
first three seconds.  "New game you bought?"

        They all jumped, then Noriko said, "Hi, 'mi-chan!  
Nice to see you!  'ki-chan and I have been making our own 
Sailor fighting game!"

        Ami blinked and walked over.  "You did all of this?"

        "I took the code from another fighting game and 
modified it, then 'ki-chan helped me design each of the 
Sailors and the bad guys.  She has a lot of pictures and 
films and stuff of the sailors and we even got some 
usable sound files!"  Noriko smiled.  "I think she cheated 
in Mercury's favor, though, cause Yuki keeps beating both 
of us as Mercury."

        Ami laughed and sat down on her bed.  "Can I play?"

        "Sure."  Kimiko handed the joystick to Ami and 
explained the controls.  

        Ami listened carefully and selected Sailor Uranus.  
Yuki selected Mercury again.  She looked over at Ami's 
choice.  "Why'd you pick Uranus?"

        Smiling, Ami said, "Long story."

***********

        Haruka frowned.  Why do I keep feeling like someone's 
about to attack me?  She walked across campus, heading for her 
bike, having finished a bit of research at the library.  A huge, 
fat cat was perched on it, glaring at her with defiance.  

	She laughed.  Maybe I had a premonition of this cat, she thought.
"You wanna go for a ride, cat?"

	It tried to look imposing, but mainly succeeded in demonstrating
it was flabby.  She chased it off, and it lumbered away, trying to act as
if it had meant to leave all along.  She laughed, dismissed the ominous
feeling, and rode off.

***********

        Usagi was pretending to do homework and actually 
reading Vogue when Rei came up behind her.  "Usagi."

        Vogue went out the window and Usagi began hastily 
scribbling down mathematical equations on her paper.  
Given she was supposed to be reading for Earth Science, 
this was going to lead to problems later.  "I'm studying, 
don't worry, I just needed to rest my eyes and..."

        Rei put a hand on Usagi's shoulder.  "I had a vision, 
Usagi."

        "I'll study more; I didn't mean to...what?"

        "Mind if I sit down?"

        Usagi hopped over to the bed from her desk.  "You 
can have my chair."  She sprawled out.

        "I think the Elder Mars may be alive and living on 
Mars."  Rei told Usagi everything.

        Usagi listened gravely, nodding and tapping one 
finger against her cheek.  "So you want to know if we 
should all go."

        Rei nodded.  "I just...I'm starting to think Pluto is 
right, but at the same time...I mean...The Elder Mars.  I 
remember...I remember when I was learning about my 
powers.  I mean, when Aurora was..."

*************

        Aurora wiped the sweat off her brow.  She'd known 
abstractly what humidity was before coming to the Moon, 
but she'd never experienced it except for in saunas, 
which weren't natural.  The whole planet felt like a huge 
sauna to her.  And all the trees and green stuff.  It was 
creepy.  It was like the entire planet was a garden.  A 
garden sauna.

        At least the ground under her feet was somewhat 
familiar.  She had come out to the special training 
grounds that the first Senshi Mars had built, a small 
arena built of hard-to-melt basalt.  It was frighteningly 
smooth, and falling down on it hurt like hell, but it was 
one of the few places they could practice their powers 
without risking setting the Palace and gardens on fire.  

        The Elder Mars was not what Aurora expected.  She 
had fiery red hair and a sense of mischief that was 
completely undignified.  Not quite as bad as the Elder 
Venus, who Aurora was quite sure would have been 
imprisoned for life after the goldfish incident if it had 
happened on Mars.  Athena fit right in with the group 
of lunatics known as the Elder Senshi, but Aurora didn't 
quite approve of any of them.  

	The Elder Jupiter came the closest to what Aurora 
expected of the Queen's bodyguards, but her pupil was the 
most uncouth of all the Younger Senshi.  She would have 
worried about the woman, whatever her name was, being a 
bad influence on Athena, but she had to admit that no one 
could be a worse influence on Athena than Athena was on 
herself.  She was quite sure that Athena had already 
seduced some lord's son the first night she was here.  

     	The elder Mars was quite short, with hair almost 
down to her knees, rising up in huge arched bangs in front 
and covering her ears with a cascading sheet of locks on 
the side.  She had violet eyes that almost glowed, and 
enough freckles for five people.  Brigit was from Mars, 
but she didn't look it; in fact, she looked like she might 
have had an Elven ancestor somewhere along the line.  
Generally good-natured, Aurora had heard that she had 
quite a temper, but hadn't seen any examples of it except 
for an accident when a table collapsed on her, which 
Aurora could quite understand making someone mad.  

    	They had started Aurora's training several days 
ago.  It wasn't going well; Aurora wasn't sure why.  
Probably it was because of the fact that the magic of the 
Senshi bore no resemblance to the technomagic of Mars.  
Aurora was quite fluent in technomagic; she knew the 
properties of crystals, the laws of ethereal motion, 
mathemagic, Enki's laws of linguistics and sonics, and 
the chart of elemental substances.  She could pilot an 
Ethership in an emergency, although she had never done a 
successful landing.  All this shouting and posing the 
Senshi did, on the other hand, seemed ludicrous beyond 
belief.  It was like turning on the lights in a room by 
clapping your hands or something.

       	Suddenly, she became aware that the Elder Mars was 
looking at her and clearly expecting something.  "Yes?"

       	"Did you hear ANYTHING I said?"

       	"Of course I did!"  Aurora couldn't stand to admit 
she'd drifted off.

        "Then DO it!"

        "Where?"  Probably she wants me to try shouting 
that ludicrous phrase again, Aurora thought.

        Brigit looked around.  She pointed at a pillar.  
"There."

        "Fire Soul!"  She pointed at the pillar.  Nothing 
happened.  "Dammit!"

   	Brigit laughed.  "You might want to TRANSFORM 
first."

        "You're not transformed.  Why the hell do we have to 
go through this stupid transformation rigmarole to do 
this?  I mean, if I want to use a crystal voice set, I don't 
have to dance around and shout out command phrases 
first."  

        Brigit began juggling balls of flame.  "Do you teach 
someone to ride a horse by starting them out bareback on 
a stallion?"

        "I wouldn't know; I've never ridden one."  Aurora 
frowned.  She never understood Brigit's metaphors.

        "Would you expect a five year old to disassemble 
and reassemble a crystal voice set by themselves with 
no instructions and no tools?  Would you turn them loose 
in an alchemy lab with no safety equipment?"  Brigit's 
voice was more serious.  "One day, like me, you will BE 
the fire, and then you will not need to transform.  
Because you will be able to sustain your higher state all 
the time.  But for now, you need these tools, because you 
neither understand nor accept your power.  As long as you 
don't believe that you can call up and control the Fire, 
that the Fire is part of you, always has been, and always 
will be, you will need things to let you believe."  

        "I'd rather stick to technomagick.  I frankly can't 
see how setting things on fire is going to do anything but 
make a big mess.  And with a decent fire extinguisher, I 
could stop you from even doing that."  Normally, Aurora 
would have had more sense to smart off to one of the 
Elder Senshi.  But she was on a roll.  "I mean, if I want 
fire, I can just use the Nicomancian formula and make 
some Vulcan Fire that will burn longer and even burn in 
water.  Or I could..."

        Brigit smiled.  "Then go.  You have a week.  Longer 
if you need it to gather the materials you need.  If you 
can defeat me with your technomagick, then I will leave 
you to do as you wish.  If you lose, then you will study 
THIS way of doing things, as is your duty.  Agreed?"

        "Agreed!"  Aurora stomped off and started making 
plans.  It was a busy week for her, spent in the 
laboratories of the palace, banging on metal, mixing 
powders and hunting for rare ingredients.  She went to 
bed every night exhausted, but it was a satisfying 
exhaustion.  It was a sign she was getting things done.  

        Several people came to talk to her.  The first was 
Marduk.  He was the younger Uranus.  Aurora had heard of 
him, but never met him, since he was usually out 
patrolling the outer reaches of the Solar System with the 
younger Neptune, who was said to be his lover.  Indeed, it 
was said that he had dueled the elder Uranus and won, in 
order to become the new Uranus, so that he would not be 
separated from her.  "So you're the new Mars?"  he asked 
idly.  He was quite handsome, with short blond hair and a 
pleasant smile.  His figure was slender, and he was 
dressed in casual but elegant clothing in shades of 
orange and green, which she quite approved of.  

        "Yes.  So how did you beat the Elder Uranus?"  
Aurora decided to get to the point.  "I assume you heard I 
have a duel with the Elder Mars."

        "I was curious about that.  Did she refuse to teach 
you too unless you beat her?"  His voice was casual, but 
his stare was quite intense.  It made Aurora a little 
uncomfortable.

        "No, I'm trying to beat her so I don't have to learn 
this hokey dance and pose and shout claptrap."  Aurora 
said, searching through one of the supply cabinets.  "Who 
organized this mess?  Why are there beholder eyes next 
to powdered bronze?"

        "Don't ask me.  I never come here.  So you don't 
WANT to learn to be a Senshi?"  He looked past her at the 
cabinets, then smiled to himself.

        Aurora stood up.  "Why did you want to?   I 
mean...you... umm.."  She had heard he turned into a girl 
when he transformed.  Aurora knew she would be on a 
ship back to Mars if being a senshi meant being a boy.

        "For each of us, there's something that only we 
can do.  We have to find that thing and do it.  I was born 
to be Uranus.  If I have to turn into a girl sometimes to 
be with Ishtar, then so be it.  I love her, and I'd happily 
turn into a cow if I had to."  He sat down on a work bench.  
"So what makes you so suicidal you're willing to try to 
fight the Elder Mars to get out of this?"

        "I'm not suicidal!  I can do far better than a few 
hokey fire tricks with technomagic, even at my age."  
Finally, she found the alkali extracts she needed.  
"Besides, it can't be that hard.  I mean, you beat the Elder 
Uranus and she's supposed to be one of the toughest ones, 
right?  And I know you're from Earth, so you didn't have 
any technomagic, either."

        Marduk laughed.  "You think this is going to be easy?  
I nearly died.  I only won because the Elder Uranus kept 
underestimating me and because I knew I HAD to win, or 
life wouldn't be worth living.  I don't think you have 
enough drive."

        Aurora frowned.  "And how would YOU know 
anything about me?"

        He got up.  "You can't even figure out the cabinets 
are organized in alphabetical order.  And you expect to 
beat someone who has been fighting battles for decades?  
Who can teleport interplanetary distances with a 
thought?  What kind of flowers would you like at your 
funeral?"

        "GET OUT!"  He got out.

        After that, little doubts ate away at Aurora's 
confidence, but she shoved them aside.  She was going to 
win.  She was going to show these people the power of 
technomagic.  Brigit had probably sent Marduk to just 
demoralize her.  

        The week passed faster than Aurora had expected.  
Still, she wasn't too scared.  Until she entered the arena 
and realized most of the inhabitants of the palace were 
seated in hastily constructed stands behind a crystal 
shield around the arena.  Including all of the Elder Senshi 
except for Pluto and Saturn (and Saturn was in suspended 
animation, which made her unlikely to attend this sort of 
thing) and all the junior senshi as well.  

    	Her uncle, Lord Arch, the ambassador from Mars, was 
there as well.  He gave her a thumbs up and she smiled.  He 
had always supported her in everything she did; she was glad 
that someone was rooting for her.  Athena sat by him, arm in 
arm with some boy Aurora had seen around the palace.  
She gave Aurora a thumbs up as well and so did the boy.  
Aurora smiled and returned the gesture, then strode out 
to face the Elder Mars, who was lying on a large stone 
table, apparently taking a nap.

     	Aurora wished the outfit she had designed was 
somewhat less ungainly, but since she lacked the 
resources and skill to build a suit of proper battle armor, 
she had had to settle for this suit of vulcanim cloth that 
made her look like a peasant, but had lots of pockets, a 
backpack, and places to attach the various things she 
would need.  Her biggest question was whether the fire 
extinguisher would work right; she had the chemicals 
right, but she had lacked all the proper parts she had 
wanted and the valves tended to get stuck.  At least the 
sun was out with no clouds so her Icthela lens would 
work right.  "You planning to sleep through this?"  

        A large chunk of the audience roared with laughter.  
They fell silent as the Elder Mars sat up.  "Just being 
bored in advance.  You ready?"

        "Yes.  Go ahead and transform or whatever."

        "I already have."  Her clothing vanished, revealing 
her uniform.  "Hit me with your best shot, Aurora."

        Aurora held up her Icthela lens, which was a long 
conical tube with a series of lenses of special crystal 
that would focus ambient light into an intense beam.  She 
flicked off the cap on the wide end and aimed it at the 
Elder Mars.  It would take a while to get up to full force, 
but it would distract her long enough to let her get in 
close and use the Powder of Astrela that she had 
prepared for the coup d' grace.  

        "Fire shield."  A circle of flames formed in front 
of the Elder Mars, blocking the ray of focused light, even 
as it grew in intensity.  "Next?"

        Time for plan two.  Yumi and Takeen crystals 
sparked, making a HUGE flash when struck together, as 
Aurora had been taught when she was eight.  Aurora 
quickly lowered her smoked-glass visor; she couldn't 
wear it all the time, it worked too well and she would 
have only been able to barely see, even in full sunlight.  
Then she struck two of the crystals together.

        The results were gratifying.  The Elder Mars 
clearly hadn't expected that, and she staggered 
backwards, rubbing her eyes.  Aurora closed in, pulling 
out the canister of powder, unscrewing the top, and 
shoving the plunger.  She hadn't had time to build a better 
delivery system.  

        This worked even better than she had hoped.  A 
huge gout of the powder landed all over Brigit's head and 
shoulders.  She began to stagger, coughing and gasping, 
her eyes watering.  Also, she started sneezing violently.  

        All was silent except for Brigit coughing and 
hacking.  Aurora glanced up at the stands.  Everyone 
seemed strangely still, fixed on watching Brigit.  Too 
still.  Aurora frowned.  Has something happened to them?

        Brigit then burst into flames.  A rising spiral of 
flame erupted around her, combusting every speck of 
powder and burning it away.  Her voice cried out words 
that hung in the air, yet Aurora couldn't grasp them to 
understand them.  The remains of the powder and the 
canister itself burst into flames and burned away.  She 
hastily dropped it and backpedaled.

    	Brigit smiled.  "Thank you, Aurora.  We all need a 
reminder that we're not all powerful sometimes.  I 
underestimated you."

        "Are we done?"

        Brigit grinned ferally.  "I let you hit me with your 
best.  Now I'm going to show you mine.  Fire is 
everywhere, in everything.  There is nothing that cannot 
burn."

        Aurora's clothing began to smoke.  Her eyes 
widened.  Vulcanium was non-flammable unless you 
threw it in a volcano or a star.  That's why many Martian 
technomancers used it for making work uniforms.  Or 
combat ones.  Also, it held dyes well.  If she could ...no, 
she must be bluffing me.  She hosed herself down with 
her fire extinguisher, and the smoke went out.  "And no 
fire I can't put out."

        "We'll see."  A gout of flame hurled itself straight 
at Aurora, who doused it with her extinguisher.  Then a 
second one.  And a third.  And a fourth.  Soon, her 
extinguisher ran out of fuel; she hadn't expected this 
much use for it.  How many times could Mars DO this 
attack before she had to...umm...recharge?

        Aurora reached for a flashbomb.  I've got to get her 
off balance.  As she reached for her smoked glass visor, 
the flashbomb went off in her hand.  Hey, i