Makoto stared up in awe at the full Earth hanging over the Moon
Palace.  Swirls of white clouds, blue ocean, and green land mixed together
into the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.  Around her, the light of
the earth gave the palace gardens an ethereal glow, sparkling off the
silver leaves and gray bark of the trees and refracted in the bubbling
fountains.

     It was a dream.  She knew it was a dream.  The Moon Kingdom was dead
and gone, beyond recall except in the dreams wrought by the memories of her
past life.  She didn't mind, though, for there was nothing that could
possibly be more romantic than a kingdom on the moon.

     An old, gnarled tree with silver leaves stood next to a silver pond. 
It seemed familiar to her, so she stopped and, moved by an impulse she
couldn't explain, leaned against its trunk.  The bark felt soft and its
branches moved in the faint breeze as if to embrace her.  She could smell
the scent of its blossoms and closed her eyes to take in the strangely
pleasant fragrance.  No other dream had ever seemed so real.

     Opening her eyes again, she walked over to the small pond and knelt
down by its edge.  Perfectly reflected in it were the trees and the sky,
and the Earth's light let her see herself, her past self, for the first
time.

     She was beautiful, she thought in shock.  Shaking hands rose to touch
her face, making sure it was hers.  It was, but it was so different that it
could have been someone else looking back at her.

     Growing up had been difficult for Makoto, since she had always been
taller and stronger than any of the other girls, or even most of the boys. 
She had been gangly and awkward and no boy would ever take an interest in a
giant freak, she thought.  Then nature had played another cruel trick and
she had been an early bloomer, her body's development outstripping the
other girls.  The boys had flocked to her then, but not for her beauty. 
They were not Prince Charmings, come to sweep her off her feet as she had
imagined when her mother had read fairy tales to her.  The boys just wanted
to grope her or feel her up and the other girls had been jealous of the
attention she got, attention she didn't want.  It was around then that the
fights had begun.

     But the girl--no, the woman--looking back at her had grown beyond that
ugly duckling stage.  Time had softened the lines of her face, once strict
and straight, into something elegant.  Makeup--not too much--had been
artfully applied to enhance that, helping to highlight, rather than hide,
her character.  A golden tiara, like the one she wore as Sailor Jupiter,
kept her long, silky hair in place.  It all made her seem almost regal.

     She looked in wonder, and was so wrapped up in her reflection that she
didn't hear anyone approach until she saw him in the pond.  A tall man, she
noted, in some sort of grey uniform lined with purple.  He had long brown
hair and his face was cloaked in shadows, but she knew she would somehow
recognize him if she could see him.  He was almost painfully familiar, like
an old friend or relative.

     "Juno," he said, and she knew he meant her, "please, you must listen
to me.  A great danger is coming and you must prepare for it.  Warn the
others."

     Makoto tried to turn around, ask the man who he was, what did he mean? 
But as she turned, the dream shattered.  For a moment, another image of the
man swam before her eyes.  He was silhouetted by flames, and she knew the
flames marked the Moon Kingdom's destruction.  The sounds of battle could
be heard in the background and the once fragrant air was filled with smells
of death.

     His face was still hidden in shadows, but his eyes were glowing with
some dark power, and she knew, somehow, that  his features were be twisted
by rage and pain.  The image was vague, and the memory like quicksilver,
but she had just said something that had hurt him horribly.  He raised his
hands, now glowing with the same light in his eyes.  She knew this was the
end, but merely watched as a bolt of energy leapt towards her.  It slammed
into her chest with a horrible, burning pain, then darkness came...

     ...to be dispelled by a beautiful silver light.

     Makoto woke up, sweat-soaked and breathing heavily.  As she tried to
calm her racing heart, she wondered about the dream.  Never before had any
of her dream-memories been so vivid.  And the warning?  Was it real or just
a memory?

     She didn't know.

                                   *****

Naru:     I'm tired of always running
          I've grown tired of the night
          I'm 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 out 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 a eight-pointed star, which hovers just above
her hand.

                                   *****

Sailor Moon Z:

Series Concept by Jeff Hosmer and John Biles
Primary Writer this Episode:  Jeff Hosmer

Based on the Series Sailor Moon, copyrighted by a whole lot of people who
aren't us.

Episode 2
"Final Exams are Coming!
 Can Usagi Make the Grade?"

                                   *****

     Naru rang the doorbell to the Tsukino residence a little resignedly. 
How did I ever let Usagi talk me into getting her up early today?  Oh,
right... Haruna-sensei's mock final.  I bet she didn't even study.

     It was too nice a day for a test, even a practice exam, she thought as
she waited.  And it was, with blue sky dotted by a few, white clouds and
mild temperatures, for February.

     A scream then split the morning air.  "Mom!  Why didn't you wake me
up?!"

     Good thing I got here early, Naru thought.  She could hear the sounds
of Usagi running through her house, getting dressed, eating a quick
breakfast--most likely just a slice of toast, no wonder she was always
hungry--and cleaning herself up, in generally the right order.

     Ten minutes later, Usagi tore out of the house, barely pausing to grab
Naru's wrist in a clamp of steel.  "ComeonNaru-chan,we'relateforthemock-
exam!!"

     "Relax, Usagi-chan.  I got here early.  We can walk to school."  Naru
smiled, pulling at her frantic companion to slow her down.

     Usagi stopped.  "You mean I could have slept in some more?"

     "Is sleeping all you ever think about, Usagi?"

     "No... I think of other things!  There's... eating, reading manga,
dating Mamo-chan..."

     "Whoa, get your feet back on the ground before you fly off there,
space-case," Naru teased.  "Now, seriously, Usagi-chan, did you study for
this mock exam?"

     "Hey, it's just a mock exam.  I did some mock studying for it!  It's
not like we're going to be GRADED on it."

     "It's that kind of thinking that will get you held back a year,
Usagi!"  The girls looked up at the new voice.  Luna was on top of the
nearby wall, glowering down at Usagi.  "You told me you were going to study
last night.  I never would have left you alone if I didn't think--"

     "Oh, c'mon, Luna!  I studied!"  Usagi looked down at her feet.  "For,
um, about five minutes.  But I've got all of this COLD!"

     Luna hopped down onto Usagi's shoulder.  "You mean you glanced at the
book and gave up, right?"

     Naru was still amazed every time she heard Luna speak.  It was just
too incredible, a talking cat?  And her friend, Usagi the ditz, was a
superhero.... and a princess.

     And I'm the reincarnation of one of her ladies-in-waiting, Naru
thought.  I had a whole other life I know nothing about.  Not to mention
that time they say we all lost when they fought the... Dark Kingdom? 
Sounds right.

     "What were you doing last night, Luna?"  Naru asked, trying to get her
mind off that train of thought.

     "Oh, Artemis and I were discussing how to get your memory back.  Both
from the time we fought the Dark Kingdom and your memories of the Moon
Kingdom, to see who you were."

     "What?  You still don't remember her, Luna?" Usagi teased.

     Luna stiffened.  "No, I don't."

     "Face it, Luna, you are going SENILE!" Usagi crowed.

     "I AM NOT!"

     "Shhh!" Naru hissed.  "Do you two want to attract attention?"

     "Oh, hahahahaha!" Usagi laughed, looking around nervously, one hand on
the back of her head.  A few people across the street stared back at her
and her face turned red.  In a quieter voice, she said, "Sorry, Luna,
Naru-chan."

     Naru turned to Luna.  "Did you and Artemis figure anything out?"

     In a quieter voice, Luna said, "We think we can do it with the Luna
Mind Meld."

     Naru blinked.  "Like in Star Trek?"

     Usagi giggled.  "Live Long and Prosper, Luna!"

     "USAGI!"  Turning to Naru, Luna tried to get control of her temper. 
"It might be SIMILAR to that, but it has NOTHING to do with a TV show."

     "Captain!  She canna take anymore!" Usagi said in a very bad scottish
accent, giggling madly.

     Luna sighed the sigh of one who has become the butt of some cosmic
joke.

     "When do you want to do it?" Naru asked.

     "Anytime you're ready."

     Naru shivered.  She wasn't sure she wanted to go through with this. 
But if there was a slight chance she might be able to do what Usagi did...
"I'll come over to Usagi's tonight..."

     "It'd be better if we did it at the Temple... less witnesses... and
Rei can help make it easier by purifying the area."

     "Beam us up!"

     "USAGI!!!  Why don't you--!"  The rest of Luna's statement was cut off
by a clock bell tolling.  Usagi jumped, her pig-tails flying.

     "Oh, no!  Naru-chan,we'regonnabelate!"

     Naru looked at her watch.  They had taken too long talking.  They WERE
going to be late!  The two school girls ran for the school.

                                   *****

     The door to the Tsukino house opened very, very quietly.  Sticking
just her head in, Usagi looked around furtively.  Good, no sign of Mom, she
thought.

     "Tadaima," she whispered, announcing she was home, though not in a way
anyone could hear.  Walking in, her shoes already in hand, she started for
her room.  With a little luck, she could make it to her room and get a nap
before--

     Suddenly, a nauseating sense of deja vu struck her.  Usagi trembled
and tried to fight it off.  She knew what it was.  It was a memory of her
past life, fighting its way to the surface.  She hated the memories, even
though she liked the idea of being a princess, because they made her
DIFFERENT.

     It was no use.  Her house seemed to change before her eyes, becoming
the vaulted marble halls of the Moon Kingdom with its glowballs' dimmed for
the night.  She was now Princess Serenity, trying not to get caught after a
midnight raid on the palace kitchen.  A small sound made her freeze. 
Someone was approaching, a man in a grey uniform and with long brown hair. 
Princess Serenity quickly ducked to one side of the hall, hoping to avoid
notice--

     And knocked a lamp off an end-table.  Usagi jumped at the sound and
tried to grab it, but it bounced off her fingertips and fell to the floor
with a crash.

     "Usagi-chan?  Is that you?  What was that noise?" came her mother's
voice, dispelling the last vestige of Usagi's memory.

     Spinning around to face the kitchen door, Usagi forced a laugh. 
"Tadaima!" she said, much louder than she had before.

     "What was that noise, young lady?" Tsukino Ikuko asked, coming into
sight.  She didn't look very much like her daughter with her long black
hair but she had a kindly face.  She was wearing an apron and held a
spatula in one hand.  Taking in the sight of her nervous daughter and a
broken lamp, she sighed.  "Usagi, why can't you be more careful?"

     "I'mreallysorry,mom!Ididn'tmeantoand--"

     "Whoa, slow down!  I know, I know.  You were probably rushing in to
show me how you did on your mock exam and knocked it over, right?"

     Usagi looked down on her feet and began to nervously push her fingers
together.  "Um, something like that..."

     "Well, let me see it, then."

     With another sense of deja vu, Usagi took the test paper out of her
satchel and handed it over.

     There was a terrible, ghastly silence.  (Apologies to Douglas Adams.)

     "U-SA-GI!"  Usagi considered bolting for her room, locking the door,
and not coming out for a few years.  "How do you explain this grade?  A
25!?"  Ikuko was in a towering rage, a fiery aura forming around her head. 
Usagi wondered if her Mom could send youmas packing when she was like this. 
Facing Queen Beryl was a piece of cake in comparison.

     "But, Moooooom!  It was just a mock exam!  I'll ace the real thing,
nooooo problem!"  Yeah, if there is a miracle of some sort, Usagi thought
in a moment of honesty.  "It's just... I had so much OTHER work to do, I
kept getting, um, distracted, yeah!"

     "Oh, I THINK we can arrange a few less distractions for you, dear,"
Ikuko said in a dangerous voice.

     Moments later, Usagi was wailing and holding on to her mother's waist,
trying to prevent her from taking a large box out of her room.  "No, Mom!!!
Not my manga!  How do you expect me to study if I can't use them to relax?? 
I'll become a big ball of stress and EXPLODE!"

     "Don't worry about THAT, Usagi.  From now until you pass your finals,
you are grounded!  No going out except to study, and no comic books or TV! 
How do you expect to graduate junior high?  Haruna-sensei told us that your
are this close," Ikuko held her fingers less than a centimeter apart, "to
being held back."

     "Held back?  MORE school?" Usagi looked horrified at the thought.

     "Yes, and if you think your father and I were hard on you before now,
just wait."

                                   *****

     Elsewhere, in a hallway of shadowed marble, a tall, lanky man walked
hurriedly.  The cause for his haste was evident in the atmosphere of the
place.  To say it was oppressive might be overstating it a bit, but there
was an air of grief and loss that hung in the air, never seeming to fade.

     He shook his head and forced his steps to slow.  It was irrational of
him, he knew.  They had been using this place for years as their base and
nothing untoward had ever happened.  Oh, there were rumors, but nothing
concrete.

     It took every bit of his rational convictions, however, to remain calm
when a green-haired woman in a turquoise robe stepped out of the shadows.

     "Greeting, Pisces," he said, in a cool tone.  "What can I do for you?"

     Pisces cocked her head at him, considering her words before she spoke. 
Not for the first time, the man wondered if that was a true mannerism, or
if she adopted it as fitting her office.  He sometimes thought her face
seemed somewhat fish-like, though not unattractive.  Her personality was as
cold as a fish, that's for certain, he grumbled to himself.

     "Capricorn," she said at last.  "I am interested in your report on the
White Knight."

     "I made my report to the Council," Capricorn replied irritably.  "I
don't know what you all think I could be hiding."

     Pisces's eyes narrowed.  "Do not forget whose month this is,
Capricorn.  I am Ascendant, and I wish to know if you can tell us anything
more about the whereabouts of the Princess."

     Capricorn sighed.  "I only have Izuko's description of the girls. 
Hudson's useless.  He was so panicked by the appearance of the Sailor
Senshi we couldn't get anything coherent out of him."

     "It would seem that you need a better grade of henchmen," Pisces said,
her lips frowning in disapproval.

     Capricorn started walking down the hall, apparently unmindful of
Pisces's disapproval.  "I have told you all I know, Pisces.  Surely your
vaunted spirits can find out more, even given what little we have.  I'd
hurry, though, before your month is gone."  With that, he vanished into the
shadows.

     Pisces looked after him for a moment, then vanished from the hallway. 
In her chambers, well removed from the hallway, she relaxed.  It had been a
strain to project her image without Capricorn realizing, but she had not
had the time to seek him out personally.  And appearances were everything,
she chuckled to herself, remembering the look on his face when she had
appeared.  She clapped her hands and an acolyte, also clad in robes of
turquoise, brought her a glass of wine.

     "Thank you, my dear," Pisces murmured, reaching out a hand to caress
the short-haired blond's face.  "Now, go and prepare the summoning room. 
We have much work to do before tonight."

     The boy bowed and moved away quickly, but without haste.

                                   *****

     Rei, clad in her Shinto robes, paused in her sweeping of the temple
grounds to bow to Naru when she reached the top of the Temple stairs.

     "Hi, Naru-san!" she exclaimed, running over to the girl.  She saw then
that Naru had Luna draped around her shoulder.  "Oh, hi Luna.  Where's
Usagi?  Out mooning over Mamoru again?"

     "No," Luna said.  "I'm afraid that her mother grounded her after she
saw her mock exam."

     "Usagi got the worst grade in the class," Naru explained.  "She might
be held back a year if she doesn't pass the finals."

     Rei frowned.  "That's just what I would expect out of such a meatball
head.  She didn't study at all, did she?"

     "What?  Our Usagi change tactics after it has worked so well for her
in the past?" Luna asked acidly.  "Never."

     "Are the others here, Rei?" Naru asked, hoping to get them off the
topic.  She knew Usagi's faults better than anyone, but she still didn't
want to hear them talking behind Usagi's back.

     "Yeah, Artemis is helping them get the room set up.  I'm just keeping
an eye out for Grandpa."

     "What about Yuuichiro?"

     Rei grinned mischievously.  "I told him he had to purify himself
tonight.  He's off somewhere pouring hot and cold water over himself."

     "At least this time you didn't do it just to peep on him, Rei," Makoto
said, walking up without warning.  Like Naru, she was still wearing her
school uniform.  She waved to Naru and Luna.  "Hi, guys.  Artemis sent me
to see if you had come yet.  Where's Usagi?"

     Rei's face had turned as red as her outfit.  "I was not peeping!  I
was just checking on him."

     "For fifteen minutes?"

     "I'll have you know that--waitta second, how do you know I was there
for fifteen minutes unless..."

     Makoto coughed and blushed a little.

     Luna took advantage of the break in the conversation to speak up. 
"Usagi's been grounded until she passes her final, Makoto.  She could be
there a while."

     "Hah!  She'll be there forever if she has to pass to get out," Rei
proclaimed, dropping the subject of Yuuichiro, though the way she looked at
Makoto promised that this was not the end of it.

     "Well, Umino and I promised to help her study..." Naru began.

     "We'll all help her!" Makoto exclaimed.  "We're the Sailor Senshi,
after all... there's nothing we can't do.  Right?"

     The others just stared at her.

                                   *****

     Inside Rei's fire reading room, Artemis looked over carefully the item
Luna had asked him to prepare.  It was a small mirror, no larger than a
compact, with a strange, interlocking sigil carefully inscribed on the
back.  He compared it to the image floating in his memory, and it matched
perfectly.  If only he was certain that it was the memory he wanted...

     "That looks familiar to me, somehow, Artemis," Minako commented,
watching him.  She was sitting cross-legged, in her school uniform next to
Ami, who had her nose buried in a book.

     "It does?"  Artemis sat on his haunches and regarded the blonde-haired
girl curiously.

     "Yeah... except I don't remember where I saw it."  Minako thought
about it, resting her chin in her hand.  "It might have been in the Moon
Kingdom, except... no, I remember something about green, forested hills,
and huge trees.  That's not what the Moon Kingdom was like, was it?"

     "No, the Moon Kingdom had trees, but they had silver leaves."  I
think.  Though her description sounds familiar to me, too.  I'd ask Luna,
but after all the fun I poked at her memory problems, I don't want to open
that kettle of fish... Fish, hmm, I wonder if I can get a can of tuna out
of Minako later...

                                   *****

     Pisces knelt down in the center of the large, hemispherical room.  She
had claimed it for herself when they had come here, and it had served her
well.  A brazier, a censer, a pouch, and a bowl of water were all arranged
before her and she could sense her acolyte behind her, watching.

     Composing her thoughts, Pisces prayed silently for success, then
concentrated on her task.  She sent out a call, opening the Ways between
this world and another.  Power, nearly undetectable but strong, radiated
outward from the center of the room.

     Moving silently, her acolyte lit the brazier.  The flames crackled,
sparked, and seemed to climb impossibly high in its metal bowl.  Next, the
acolyte picked up the censer and lit it from the brazier.  The sweet smell
of incense filled the room as the acolyte circled the brazier three times
and the smoke from the censer spiraled down into the brazier.  As the
acolyte made the final circle, the flames turned blue and began to burn
more brightly.

     Pisces took no notice of the fire, but she could feel the Great Shield
between worlds was weakening.  What she was trying was risky, for this was
no familiar spirit she was summoning.  She was attempting to reach some
intelligence, some force, that could help her find and capture the
princess.  Dealing with mighty spirits could be rewarding, but it was also
deadly, as more than one would-be summoner had found.

     The acolyte now picked up the pouch and opened it, revealing a very
fine black earth.  A pinch of the dust was added to the brazier, the flames
leaping to meet it.  The acolyte picked up the bowl of water last, and then
looked at Pisces.

     A crack appeared in the Great Shield.  It could not be seen, but
Pisces felt it.  Opening her eyes, she nodded sharply at her acolyte, and
he doused the brazier with the water.  The flame went out, and a hissing
cloud of dark smoke went up from the brazier.  The smoke, as black as
night, congealed in the air above the doused brazier and Pisces could feel
some entity probing through it.  She encased the smoke and the probe within
her will, holding it there.

     [WHO CALLS?] came a voice, yet not a voice.

     "I am Pisces, Entity.  I have called to you across the Great Shield,
opening the Ways so that we might speak."

     The entity tested the strength of her will, pushing against its
confines.  Pisces stood calmly, not wanting to show the sudden strain she
felt.

     Finally, the pressure eased.  [YOU ARE STRONG,] the not-voice said. 
[WHAT DO YOU WISH AND WHAT DO YOU OFFER?]

     "My organization has an enemy, a person who can tap the same power we 
use.  As long as she exists, we cannot utilize our full might.  We wish to
capture her, and strip the power from her."

     She could sense the entity mulling over what she said.  Then it spoke,
[IF YOU OPEN A WAY, I CAN SEND A MINION TO COLLECT HER.  BUT WHAT DO YOU
OFFER?]

     "What is it you desire?"

     The laugh began then.  It sounded human, but was all the worse for
that.  Madness lurked in it, madness and hatred, edged with fury.

     [REVENGE!]

                                   *****

     Kneeling before the fire, Rei concentrated on purifying the room
around her.  Luna and Artemis had explained to her what they were
attempting.  It really was no different from what Luna had done to reawaken
her own memories, but that had been a rushed job, and the memories
recovered had been incomplete and confused.

     Rei remembered when Luna had flooed her mind with memories of those
last minutes in the fight with Queen Beryl, her identity, and her destiny. 
That was enough to let her become Sailor Mars and fight the minotaur-like
monster Ail and Ann had set upon them, but there were gaps.  She didn't
like to think about the memories much, anyway.  They brought her too close
to the memory of her death.

     Luna and Artemis were trying to avoid causing Naru that confusion. 
The mirror and the purification would make the entire process much easier
and Naru would remember everything clearly, even from her previous life. 
At least that was one reason.  Rei knew that the cats had another, more
personal reason to try this.

     Though they didn't want to admit it, Luna and Artemis obviously didn't
remember much more of the Moon Kingdom than the Sailor Senshi.  All of
their memories were vague and uncertain, making the Moon Kingdom more like
a dream they had shared than an actual event.  Reawakening Naru's memories
completely would help them all remember more about their past, and
hopefully avoid any more unpleasant surprises in the future.

     Rei banished such thoughts and concentrated on her faith.  It was like
a fire within her, fed by her beliefs, and she let its light shine out. 
Moments later, she opened her eyes and murmured a small prayer of thanks.

     "Are you ready, Rei?" Artemis asked.  He had not seen anything but the
young girl--no, she and the others were almost ladies now, he realized with
a start--kneeling before the fire, but he had felt something.

     Rei nodded.  "The room is purified.  You can begin anytime."

     Luna leaped over to stand in front of Naru, who was holding the small
mirror in her hand.  Rei moved over to kneel by Makoto near the door. 
Minako and Ami stayed on the far side of the room, though Ami did put her
book away.  "Now, Naru," Luna began, as everyone looked on, "all you need
to do is look into the mirror as I use the Mi--I reawaken your memories. 
You'll see them, clearly and in order, in the mirror as you remember them. 
Are you ready?"

     "I guess," Naru said hesitantly.  She looked into the mirror with some
trepidation.  Then she hardened her resolve.  "Let's do it."

                                   *****

     Elsewhere, Pisces cautiously split a sliver of her concentration away
from holding the entity in check and flung out a Seeking.  The Seeking was
a spirit, bound to find the object or person she wanted.  It was a minor
trick, but useful when she did not need to know where her target was. 
Given the vague descriptions she had gotten from Izuko, Capricorn, and
Hudson, it was all she could do.

     The entity attached its own rider to the Seeking as it passed,
transforming a simple messenger into a transport for something evil.

                                   *****

     Rei was the first to sense it.  The Seeking crashed against her wards
with all the subtlety of a Mack truck.  Her head began to ache from the
pressure it exerted, but she could still sense the evil that came with it.

     BONG!  The Temple Bell, which Grandpa had blessed to ring when evil
approached (a precaution against all the monsters that had been appearing
lately) began to sound.

     The Seeking's rider now tore through Rei's ward, driving a bolt of
agony through her skull.  She saw it break through the door and stood up in
shock as she recognized its emanations.  Or she tried to stand up, rather. 
Her head felt like it was going to split open.  She couldn't concentrate on
the mantras her grandfather had taught her to banish pain and spiritual
attacks.  Clutching her head in her hands, it was all she could do to stay
on her knees.

     Naru screamed, scrambling to get away, and Ami and Makoto yelled in
surprise.  Minako leapt to her feet to face it while Makoto scrambled over
to Rei and tried to help her get away from the monster.  The temple fire
flared up, as if it was offended by the creature's intrusion.

     The monster was humanoid, but with leathery skin the color of char and
a huge, horned head.  Its hands and feet ended in sharp claws of bone which
extended from its knuckles and a pair of bat-like wings protruded from its
back.  Crimson orbs served set high in its skull served as eyes and
observed the scene with inhuman intelligence.

     "RAVATOR!" it roared, revealing a maw of sharp, white teeth.  Luna and
Artemis bolted to the far side of the room and crouched protectively before
Naru.

     Rei, drawing on every bit of her faith and self-confidence, got slowly
to her feet.  Grandpa's mantras slowly drove back the pain, and she stood
before the beast.  "Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen. Akuryou
taisan!" she chanted, making the signs as she did to charge her prayer. 
Her warding scroll stiffened and seemed to be lined with flames as she
threw it at the monster.  The other Senshi watched to see if the prayer
would work.

     "Somebody, help!" Naru screamed as Ravator turned toward Rei.  Rei
stood her ground... and was amazed when the ward was destroyed a good foot
away from the monster.

                                   *****

     Pisces smiled and an answering chuckle could be heard from the entity. 
The creature facing the girls was protected by both their magics, making it
impossible for the young girl's prayer to affect it.

                                   *****

     "Mercury--" Ami began.

     She was cut off by a deep voice from the shattered remains of the
door.  "Defiling a house of worship and threatening those weaker than you? 
Why not face a worthy opponent, monster?  Turn and face the White Knight,
defender of the innocent!"

     Standing in the hole the monster had made of the door was the White
Knight, clad in his samurai armor and masking helmet, eight-pointed star
glittering on his chest plate.  In his right hand he held his sword and in
the other a black shield with a white star in the center.

     Makoto stared at him.  "Where did he come from?"  The others looked
about in frustration.  They couldn't transform while the White Knight,
whoever he was, could see.

     There was no time for an answer to the question, however, for Ravator,
was already charging the interloper.  The White Knight held his ground, a
glow surrounding his sword and shield.

     The two met with a mighty crash, and Ravator actually pushed the
Knight back.  The Knight grunted and swung his sword against the beast's
side, cutting into the leathery skin.  Ravator howled with pain and
grappled with him, and the two wheeled drunkenly around the room,
scattering schoolgirls in their wake.  They both fought with inhuman
strength, trying to get through each other's defenses.

     "Quick, while they're distracted," Minako said and held up her
transformation pen.  "Venus--"

     "What in the name of the kamis...?!" shouted Grandpa Hino as he
finally arrived, in full Shinto regalia.

     "No, Grandpa, get away from here!" Rei screamed, running towards him.

     "Please, somebody stop that thing!" Naru yelled.

     Ravator still grappled with the White Knight, its claws digging into
the Knight's armor.  The Knight seemed unaffected, however, and slowly kept
cutting out chunks of the monster's hide.  Then Ravator caught the Knight
in a bear hug and began to squeeze.

     "Rei, quickly, dispel the demon," Grandpa shouted, pulling out his
prayer stick.

     "I already tried, Grandpa!  It's too tough for it!"

     "Together, we can beat it!"  Grandpa began to pray.  Not being able to
transform, Rei joined him.

                                   *****

     [SOMETHING IS HAPPENING,] said the entity, and Pisces herself felt the
intrusion of the prayers on the Way linking her to the monster.

     "We cannot hold it!" she gasped.

                                   *****

     Ravator screamed as the prayers rose in volume, then broke away
desperately from the White Knight.  Its head turned left and right, seeking
an avenue of escape.

     "You're not leaving this fight alive, monster!" grated the White
Knight.  Flinging aside his dented and scored shield, he took his sword in
both hands and, thrusting with all his might, impaled the monster through
the belly.  While Ravator shrieked in agony, the Knight spun it around and
into the fire pit.  The Temple Fire flared as it eagerly consumed Ravator's
corrupt flesh.

     The White Knight removed his sword, stained with Ravator's black ichor
and watched his foe thrash around in the purifying flame.

     "It is over," he said, turning his back on the fire.

     He had just begun to step away when Ravator, with an unholy screech,
threw itself out of the fire and spread its wings.  It was badly burned and
with one eye gone out but it was still moving.  Shedding bits of burned,
charred flesh, the monster leapt into the air and smashed through the roof
of the temple.  Slowly, the monster flew away from the fight.

     The White Knight let out a piercing whistle.  Galloping hoof steps
could be heard and a moment later, the Knight's white stallion came into
view.  Without a word of farewell, he rode off in the direction Ravator had
gone.

     Rei and Grandpa stopped praying.  Rei just sank to the ground,
exhausted, while Grandpa began examining the damage to the room.

     "Wow, that was great, Grandpa... why couldn't I dispel it before?"

     "It was either very powerful, or had some sort of protection... maybe
it will not be so strong now."

     "Good going, Grandpa," Minako crowed, patting the old man on the back.

     "Yeah, that was pretty good," Makoto added.  Ami just nodded, looking
around for any clues of the monster's origins, surreptitiously scanning
with her computer.

     "It was nothing," Grandpa said, modestly.  "Maybe now you girls will
reconsider about becoming acolytes of the temple, eh?"

     "Um... We'll think about it."

     "I think I have to go wash my hair."

     "I've got studying to do..."

     "Rei-san!" came a panicked voice, soon followed by an equally panicked
Kumada Yuuichiro.  The would-be acolyte ran up, clad only in a loincloth. 
"What happened?  Oh, geeze, what a mess!  Are you OK?"

     "I'm FINE, Kumada," Rei snapped.  "And where were you?!  It was up to
Grandpa and me to fight off that monster all by ourselves!"

     "I came as soon as I heard the noise, I--"

     "Hey, nice loincloth," Makoto smirked.  Yuuichiro turned bright red
and tried to back away.  He tripped over a piece of rubble and sprawled
flat on his back.

     "He's hopeless," Rei sighed.

                                   *****

     "Why, hello, Ami-chan!" Ikuko said after she opened the door.  Ami
ducked inside the house to get out of the rain that was falling outside. 
She shook her head to try and dislodge some of the rainwater in her hair.

     "Good evening, Tsukino-san," she said politely, bowing.  "I heard that
Usagi didn't do so well on her mock exam, so I came over to help her
study."

     "That's very nice of you, Ami.  I'm sure Usagi will appreciate it. 
She's up in her room studying now."

     Ami blinked.  "She must be really worried about this, then.  I've
never known Usagi to voluntarily study..."

     "Well, her father and I convinced her that she should work harder on
it," Ikuko said, leading Ami up to Usagi's room.  Shingo, Usagi's younger
brother, poked his head out of his room when they passed.  Ami frowned when
she saw him stifle a giggle, but couldn't figure out what he was up to.

     "Usagi!  Ami is here to--" Ikuko began, opening the door to Usagi's
room.  Then she stopped.

     Ami gasped as she saw that some changes had been made to Usagi's room,
obviously against the occupant's wishes.  All of Usagi's manga, posters,
music, gaudy jewelry and other junk was gone, leaving the room bare and
empty except for a bed, a desk covered with school books, and a chair. 
Then she sighed as she saw the reason Ikuko had stopped so suddenly.

     Usagi was curled up on the bed asleep, still in her school clothes.

     "U-SA-GI!!!"

     Usagi leapt out of her bed and began looking through her closet in a
blind panic.  "I'm up!  No time for breakfast, Mom, I gotta get to
sch--hey, it's not morning, is it?"

     "No, Usagi," Ikuko grated out as her daughter turned towards her
vacuously, "it's not morning.  It's evening, the time you were SUPPOSED to
spend studying?"

     "Mom, oh, I, er... I did study, really!!  I was just taking a little
break, hahaha!"

     "She's been snoozing for almost two hours now," Shingo yelled from the
hall outside.  "I could hear her snoring and talking in her sleep!"

     "You little vermin!  Listening at my door again!  I'm gonna--!"

     "USAGI!  All you are 'gonna' do is sit down and study with Ami until
bedtime!  Do you understand?"

     "Ami's here?  Oh, hi, Ami!" Usagi waved to her friend.

     Ikuko sighed.  "Ami, if you two need anything, just let me know.  I'll
bring up some tea and cookies later."

     "Cookies?" Usagi asked, her eyes getting big.

     "Not for you unless you study, young lady!"  With that, Ikuko marched
out the door.

     "Your mom is really serious about your studies, isn't she?" Ami asked
once the door had closed.

     "Yeah, it's a real bummer... look at this room!  They took all my cool
stuff out and stuck it in the attic!  How does she expect me to study if I
can't relax properly?"  Usagi began to sob.  "It's not fair!"

     "Well--Usagi, where's your brooch?" Ami said, suddenly in a startled
voice.

     "My--?"  Usagi's hand went to her chest, where she normally wore her
transformation brooch.  It was quite obviously missing.  "Oh!  Mom took it
and the rest of my jewelry away.  Don't worry, Luna snuck up into the attic
and got it back.  I got it right here..."  She reached into her right
pocket and fished around for it.  Not finding it, she tried her left
pocket.  Next, she scooted over to where her purse hung on the chair, and
looked through it.  Then she looked on the desk, in the drawers, and
finally under the bed.  "Got it!" she said, holding it up.

     "Usagi!  You have to be more careful!  What if someone came looking
for the Crystal again?"

     "Don't worry!" Usagi shrugged off her friend's concerns.

     "Listen, you need to keep that near you.  When we were trying to give
Naru her memories back--"

     "Without me?!  How could you do that without me?"  Usagi began to cry. 
"You guys never want to include me in anything!"

     "Usagi!  Shhhh!" Ami tried to quiet her friend before Ikuko heard her. 
"You were grounded, what could we do?  Now, listen!  A monster attacked us
when we tried..."

     "You fought a monster without me too?  You can't do that! 
WAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

     Ami felt her temper fray, but she bit down the urge to shout at Usagi
to get a grip.  "Usagi," she said in a calm, measured voice, "we would have
included you if we could, you know that.  We're best friends, after all."

     "That's right... I'm sorry, Ami.  So, what happened with the monster?"

     "Well, we didn't fight it, the White Knight did.  Rei and her
grandfather managed to hurt it with their prayers, but it escaped.  But we
may have a more serious problem than a monster loose, Usagi."

     Usagi plopped down on her bed.  "What's another monster to us?  We've
beaten everything from youmas to cardians to droids to... what was the last
group called?  Anyway, we can handle all these silly things. No problem!"

     "But Usagi, Rei thinks it was a youma!"

     Usagi looked up.  "So?  We can handle those.  I just told you that."

     Ami sighed.  "Think for a moment, Usagi.  Where do youma come from?"

     Usagi clutched at her head and curled up into a ball on the bed.  "No
more questions, Ami!  I've got enough problems studying English."  Her face
brightened.  "Is this anything like the chicken and the egg saying?  Or was
that a road?"

     "No, Usagi..." Ami sighed again, a deeper one this time.  "Youmas come
from the Dark Kingdom, remember?"

     "Oh, I knew that."

     "And what did you do to the Dark Kingdom?"

     "Are you OK, Ami?  You were there, remember?  OK, you weren't really
THERE there, but you were still there, you know?  Um, I mean, your spi--"

     "I know, Usagi!" Ami snapped.  Like everyone else, she didn't like to
think about what had happened to her in the final battle against the Dark
Kingdom.  Usagi, on the other hand, took a "everything turned out OK in the
end, so why worry?" approach which infuriated and amazed them all.

     "Look, Usagi, if you destroyed the Dark Kingdom, where could a Youma
come from?" Ami spelled it out as clearly as she could for her friend.  She
sigh, this time in relief, when her friend's face lit up in comprehension.

     "Maybe it was a leftover?"

     Ami gave up.  She should have known better than to expect Usagi to
understand the problem.  She wasn't sure if Rei was right, as the readings
she had gotten with her computer were so inconclusive, but if it was a
Youma, then what did that mean for the Dark Kingdom?

     "Let's just try and study, Usagi.  Why don't we start with Science. 
How far have you gotten in the book?"

     "Um, er, well... Chapter 2?"

     "Chapter 2?" Ami said, incredulously, staring at her friend in
disbelief.  "Usagi, the final is in 2 weeks!  How are you going to be able
to read the entire book in that time?"

     Usagi looked down at her hands and said, "Well, I thought I could
borrow some notes from my brilliant, wonderful, generous, kind friend
Ami... pleeeease?"

     Ami knew then this wasn't going to be easy.

                                   *****

     "--and she somehow managed to sneak in a manga when I was reading for
the English final," Ami said, sipping her tea.  "I should have realized she
was giggling too much to actually be studying science, but--"

     "It's a gift," Rei snorted.  "Usagi can always manage to find some way
to slack off.  I tried to help her make study outlines, but look what she
did."  Rei slapped a sheet of paper down on the table in front of them.

     "She doodled all over the paper?" Makoto asked.

     "No," Minako said, "I think these scrawls in the middle are supposed
to be notes.  Hey, that's a pretty good likeness of you, Rei... um, minus
the horns, pitchfork, and goatee," she hastened to add.

     The four girls were enjoying some tea at a small coffee shop near
their schools.  They were all still dressed in their school uniforms and
wore glum expressions.  Finals were only a few days away, and their
attempts to help Usagi study for them had all met with failure.

     "I tried to make her flash cards," Makoto said, "but she somehow ended
up spraying them all over my room."

     "What about you, Minako?" Rei asked.  "Did you have any luck?"

     "No," sighed the usually optimistic blonde, "I usually study listening
to music, and I thought she'd be able to handle that.  But..."

     "What did she do?" Ami asked.

     "While I was listening on my headphones, she snuck off to play my
Sailor V game."

     A collective sigh went around the table.

     "OK," Rei said, "barring a miracle, Usagi is going to flunk.  In the
meantime, why don't we face something we can change, like that youma
running around?"

     "We still don't know it's a youma, Rei," Ami said.  "And if it is a
youma, it's been awfully quiet for one.  I can't detect it with my computer
and your fire readings have gotten us nowhere."

     "I've been thinking about this," Makoto said, "and I'm starting to
wonder if this really was a random monster attack."

     "You mean that the monster may know who we are?" Minako asked.  She
looked mildly distressed at the thought.  I've just found a perfect
boyfriend (even if we are too busy to see each other right now, darn the
luck!), she thought, and I don't want to lose him now!

     "It's possible, but I don't think so,"  Makoto said, holding up her
hand to count off her points.  "One, if it did, it would have picked us off
one by one, instead of all together.  Two, even if it is currently healing
up from its battle, it would still be strong enough to go after our
families and friends.  Three, it didn't seem interested in any of us at the
Temple, even though Rei and I were both close enough for it to attack
before the White Knight appeared."  Everyone stared at Makoto in shock. 
"What?"

     "Do you think it was the attempt to reawaken Naru's memories then that
attracted its attention?" Ami asked thoughtfully.

     "Hey, that's right!" Rei chimed in.  "It could be that it somehow
homed in on what we were doing."

     "Or maybe it was sent to stop us," Makoto said.  She leaned forward to
talk in a lower tone of voice.  "I know Naru doesn't want to try to
reawaken her memories right away..."

     "Yeah... but I think she wants us to take care of the monster first,
really.  She doesn't want her personal business to get in our way," Minako
chimed in.  They didn't mention that the new monster attack had frightened
Naru--frightened all of them, in fact.  Was there no end to these things?

     Makoto nodded with the others, then added, "I think that we should try
to awaken her memories again.  If it draws the monster out, then we can
trash it!"

     "That sounds good to me," Ami said.  "Even if it doesn't attract the
monster, we'll get Naru's memories back."

     "I think I can get Grandpa and Yuuichiro out of the way," Rei said. 
"He wants me to go with him to some ceremonial springs over break.  If I
tell him you all want to go, but that your parents want to know what sort
of chaperones we'll have..."  Rei looked embarrassed.  "Well, they'll spend
the entire day going from house to house, freeloading on whatever they can
get."

     "That sounds like a lot of fun, Rei!" Minako said.  Then she frowned,
"Of course, Usagi won't be able to go unless she passes her tests..."

     "And my mother is working the day shift at the hospital, and probably
won't be able to see him," Ami said, a little sadly.  She sometimes
wondered if things would be better if she lived with her father, instead of
with her mother, who was always on duty or attending conventions.  She knew
her mother loved her, but it was so hard to find time together.

     "Great, so unless Usagi passes, her parents won't let her go, and just
using Minako's parents won't be enough to get Grandpa away from the Temple
long enough," Rei grumbled.

     "Can't you think of another excuse?" Makoto asked, playing idly with
her straw wrapper.

     "Um, not anything that would work as well," Rei said hurriedly.  Yeah,
the only thing that would distract Grandpa from six young girls at his
temple is the prospect of seeing six young girls at a hot spring, she
thought glumly to herself.  If only Grandpa wasn't such a... a... 

     "I guess it's a good thing your Grandpa is such a dirty old man, huh,
Rei?" Makoto joked.  She stopped chuckling when she saw the scowl on Rei's
face and realized how flat the joke had fallen.

     "Makoto!  You take that back!"

     So much for quiet afternoons.

                                   *****

     Chiba Mamoru took a deep breath and stretched after he pulled the last
piece of luggage out of the trunk of his car.  He didn't think he had taken
so much with him to Osaka, but luggage had a way of multiplying.

     He chuckled to himself.  Of course, he might be just a little out of
shape.  The entire time he had been away, he hadn't transformed into Tuxedo
Kamen even once.  There was nothing like dashing halfway across town to
save five young girls from danger to burn up those calories.

     Groaning, he hefted his luggage and took the elevator up to his
apartment.  The stairs will do more to get you back in shape, he argued to
himself.  It's almost break, he argued back.  You'll have plenty of time
for that after you turn in your paper.

     He had been worried that being away might have exposed Usagi to
danger, but the opportunity had been too good to pass up.  A six-week
internship at Osaka University under Professor Tatewari Hiroe, one of
Japan's leading geneticists and plant biologists was not something a
graduate student working towards his masters could pass up.  And, after
defeating Professor Tomoe and his Death Busters, there hadn't seemed to be
much need for Tuxedo Kamen and the Sailor Senshi.

     Until Usako called asking if I had gone insane, he corrected himself
as he watched the elevator lights flash.  He shrugged.  Who knows what goes
through her head at times?

     The elevator doors opened and he walked down the hall to his
apartment.  I'll get settled in, take a shower, then give Usako a call, he
told himself as he searched for his keys.  Finding them and inserting them
in the lock, he entered his apartment and promptly tripped over something.

     The "something" turned out to be a big stack of love letters, all
written in a nearly illegible scrawl that he recognized.  "She really needs
to work on her penmanship," he muttered, looking around the apartment he
had asked Usagi to keep an eye on.  A quick check of his roses confirmed
his fears.  She had over-watered them.  He'd just have to get some more
from the University greenhouse.

     There were some messages on his machine, he noted, as well as more
messages written down in Usagi's sloppy style.  At least she had remembered
to listen to his messages each day.  He might even be able to read a few of
them.  He punched the PLAY button as he gathered up all the love letters.

     BEEP.  "Mamoru, this is Dr. Hatamoto.  I know you've probably just
gotten in from Osaka, but I'd appreciate it if you drop by my office
tomorrow.  We need to talk about your class load for next semester."  CLICK

     Right, he'd have to hurry to take care of pre-registration.  He made a
note to return the doctor's call.  The roses in his bedroom were dead, too,
he noted with a sigh.  Usagi had forgotten to water them at all.

     BEEP.  "Hi, Mamo-chan!  I just wanted to say welcome back!  I couldn't
resist--" "Usagi!  What are you doing on the phone?!  Get back to studying
for your finals!" "But MOOOOOOOOOM--!!" CLICK

     That brought out a chuckle.  He checked out his refrigerator, seeing
what he'd have to run to the store to get.

     BEEP.  "Mamoru-san?  This is Rei.  Listen, we have a small problem.  A
monster attacked my grandpa's temple--don't worry, we're all OK--but it got
away.  Better give us a call.  Um... I hope you're ok and your trip was a
good one.  Bye!"  CLICK.

     A monster.  Great, just great.  At least they had almost waited until
he got back.  Once more unto the breech.

                                   *****

     "--and I organized my notes on my computer, see?"  Umino held up the
tiny, state-of-the-art laptop.  Usagi's eyes were glazed over, but Naru
looked appreciative.

     "Wow, that must be very handy, Umino," she managed.

     Umino beamed.  "Thanks, Naru... I did it for you."  He held up a
computer disk.  "I made copies for you and everything!"

     Naru smiled.  He really did care, but he never knew how to show it, so
he retreated to what he did know.  It was funny, in a way, but it also
touched her.  "That's very sweet of you, Umino.  Don't you think so,
Usagi?"

     "Huh?  What?"  Usagi snapped out of her trance.  "Oh, yeah, right...
hahahahahahaha!" she laughed to cover her own nervousness.

     The three of them were sitting in Usagi's room, studying.  Two of them
at least were studying.  Usagi was not doing as well.  They had been there
for several hours now, but Usagi showed no signs of taking things
seriously.

     "Oh, Umino?" Usagi said in a sing-song voice.  Naru flinched.  She
knew that Usagi was going to try to wheedle something out of Umino.  One
look at Umino's blushing face said that he would almost certainly agree and
they would get even more behind in their studies.

     "Yes?" he said.

     "Could you do me a favor?  You see, Minako told us she has this really
super cool new boyfriend, but he goes to another school, so we don't know
anything about him... but you're such a gossip-meister, I'm sure you
could--"

     "Usagi, are we here to study, or to gossip?" Naru asked crossly.

     Usagi looked at Naru blankly.  "Oh, we've BEEN studying!  This is just
a break."

     Naru just clenched her fist around her pencil.  This was their 5th
break in two hours.  She was just about to give it up, mark Usagi off as a
flunk-out, and pull Umino away when she heard the doorbell ring.

     Moments later, Rei, Makoto, Minako, Ami, and Mamoru all trooped up to
Usagi's room and glared at her.

     "Mamo-chan!  When did you..."  Usagi trailed off under the weight of
the stares.  "Um, guys... is something... wrong?"

     "Listen, meatball brain," Rei began, speaking for the group, "We're
sick and tired of you blowing off your finals.  How many times do we have
to tell you, you are going to FLUNK!"

     "Waaaaaaah!  Why do you have to be so mean, Rei?"

     Ami spoke up.  "We're not being mean, Usagi, but you have to study or
you'll be held back for a year."

     "And that would be a real shame," Makoto said.  "High school just
wouldn't be right without you there."

     "Because we're your friends, we've decided we're going to help you,
whether or not you want it."

     There was a moment of silence, and Usagi looked at each of their grim
faces.  Grim and unyielding, but something about the way they looked at her
showed her how much they cared.  She was touched by their concerns and the
lengths they were willing to go to.

     "But I don't WANNA study!" she wailed.  Everyone facefaulted.

     "Usako," Mamoru said, after he picked himself up, and Usagi
immediately cheered up, looking over at him with her heart in her eyes.

     "Yes, Mamo-chan?"

     "You have to study, Usako.  I know you don't want to, but if you don't
graduate Junior High, I don't see how we can be together.  Can't you please
try, for me?"

     "I don't see what's so bad about studying," Umino muttered, drawing a
whack on his head from Naru and a sympathetic nod from Ami.

     Usagi sniffled, then nodded her head once.

     "YAY!" everyone cheered.

     Then the quizzing began.

     "What's the relation of a hypotenuse of a triangle to its sides?"

     "Name three underlying causes of the Meiji Restoration."

     "Translate 'Kono wa pen desu' into English!"

     "How is an adverbial clause used in a sentence?"

     "Ahhhhh!  Mamo-chan, help me!"

     "Sorry, Usako!  I'll see you after your finals!  Bye!"

     "HEEEEELLLLLPPPPP!"

                                   *****

     The room was part of the basement level of a long-abandoned warehouse. 
The company that had used the warehouse had gone out of business, and land
was cheap in the area.  So, except for a few squatters and homeless, it was
usually empty.

     Today, it was not.

     In a corner of the room, the one furthest from the entrance, a patch
of darkness lay.  It was about the size of a child, and as wide as it was
tall.  A man could fit inside it, if he curled himself up.

     It almost seemed to pulse, like a beating heart, and each time it did
the room seemed darker and colder than before.  This continued for a long
time.

     Then, the pulsing stopped.  For a moment, it seemed time had stopped
as well, then the darkness began to fold in on itself, unwrapping around
whatever lay inside it.

     The figure silently rose up on its feet, spread its wings, and roared
its approval to the skies!  "RAVATOR!"  It was now fully healed of the
injuries it had suffered at the hands of the White Knight, with only scars
running across its leathery skin to show it had ever been injured.  It had
taken much energy to heal itself, but the derelicts and vermin it had found
here had supplied enough for it to construct a healing cocoon.  It flexed
its wings, then growled, eager to be on its way.

     [RAVATOR,] came the voice of its master.

     The monster cocked its head, listening.

     [I HAVE A JOB FOR YOU, MY PET,] the voice inside Ravator's head said. 
A small dark hole appeared in the air before Ravator and ten black,
spindle-shaped crystals appeared.  Ravator scooped them up and looked at
them curiously.  Then, an image of a five-pointed star super-imposed over a
map of Tokyo appeared in the creature's brain.  [PLACE A CRYSTAL AT EACH OF
THESE POINTS,] the voice continued, and the five points and five
intersections of the pentagram began to blink, [AND THEN YOU MAY HUNT DOWN
THE ONE THAT HURT YOU.]

     Ravator nodded it head in acknowledgement, then left the small room. 
The entity began to laugh.

                                   *****

     "--has anyone seen Tsukino Usagi?" Haruna-sensei asked desperately.

     It was the day of final exams at last at Juban Junior High and
Haruna-sensei had approached it with a horrible feeling of dread.  She
knew--not just thought, but KNEW--that Usagi was going to fail these tests. 
And be held back a year.  Another year teaching Usagi.  It made the junior
high teacher want to cry.

     But, what she thought or felt was not the issue.  If she could pass
Usagi, she would--gratefully--but if Usagi didn't merit it...

     She sighed.  It wasn't the girl's fault, really.  She had potential,
but it was as if she didn't want anything to do with it on some level. 
Haruna-sensei could almost swear that Usagi was TRYING to be mediocre and
succeeding too well at it!

     Well, she wasn't here... that was almost the final nail in the coffin. 
Her pen moved to mark her absent--

     A small tornado hit the door.  Or that's what it seemed like.  Two
panting, exhausted students--Mizuno Ami and Osaka Naru, Haruna-sensei
noted--almost shoved Usagi through the door.  All three girls looked as if
they hadn't had any sleep the night before.  Usagi's eyes were glazed over
and she was mumbling quietly to herself.  Then Ami was gone to her own
class.

     "Sorry we're late, Haruna-sensei!" Naru called out, dragging Usagi to
her desk.

     "I'm used to it, Naru-chan," Haruna-sensei said.  "I won't mark you as
late since I haven't handed out the tests yet."

     "Whew... thanks, Haruna-sensei.  Isn't that good, Usagi-chan?"

     "<This is a pen.  I am a girl>," Usagi muttered in English.

     Haruna-sensei blinked, and that sense of doom came back.  She thought
longingly of the bottle of sake she had snuck into her desk, but shoved the
thought away and proceeded to hand out the tests.

                                   *****

     "Really?  Your friends want to go?"

     Rei grimaced internally, but managed a big smile for her grandfather. 
"Yes, Grandpa.  I was telling them about the hot springs and they wanted to
know if they could come along, since finals are over and we have our
break."

     Grandpa Hino chortled.  "Oh, this is wonderful!  Of course they can
come!  The Five Roaring Spirits Hot Springs is very therapeutic and its
spiritual nature will be a balm for them after all that studying!"

     Five Roaring Spirits? Rei thought to herself.  I've heard that name
somewhere else recently, haven't I?

     "Ooogh... Don't mention studying, please..." came a whine from the
door.  Usagi stumbled in, followed by Makoto, Minako, Ami, and Naru.  They
were all in their uniforms and looked worn out.  Usagi actually seemed to
be on the verge of collapsing.  "How could you all do that to me...
fighting monsters is eas--MMPH!"

     Minako clapped a hand over Usagi's mouth.  "She means it would be
easier to fight a monster, right, Usagi-chan?"

     "Hello, girls!" Grandpa crowed.  "Welcome to the shrine!  I'm so
pleased that you want to broaden your spiritual horizons by going to the
Five Roaring Spirits with us."  He danced around them.  "Want a good luck
charm for your grades?  It's still not too late."

     "How about one for Usagi, Grandpa?" Makoto said teasingly.  "She needs
all the help she can get."

     Grandpa," Rei interjected, trying to get the conversation back on
track, "my friends' parents are worried about them going with us, though. 
I was thinking you could go visit them--and take Yuuichiro with you--to
show them that they don't have anything to fear.  I'm sure they'll be happy
to know a priest is going with us."

     "My mom is baking up a pie for your visit, Grandpa," Minako said, "I
hope you like it.  No one makes better pies than my mom."

     "You said the same thing about MY pies when you tried them, Minako,"
Makoto said in a flat voice.

     "Um, did I?  Er, well..."

     Grandpa, meanwhile, had started salivating.  With an effort, he got
control of himself.  "I'll go and speak to them right away, of course...
and it will be good for Yuuichiro to see how a priest conducts himself in
the community, you're right... are you sure you don't want to come, Rei?"

     "No, no, Grandpa... I'll stay and watch the temple."  Rei leaned close
to his ear and whispered, "But if you can get me a piece of that pie, I'd
appreciate it."

     "I thought you were on a diet, Rei-chan," Usagi smirked, leaning in
close to overhear.  She seemed to make a remarkable recovery from her
finals.

     "Look, meatball brain, I was having a private conversation--"

     "Please, don't start fighting today," Ami said, coming between the
two.  "We're all stressed out from the finals and we should try and relax
now."

     "An excellent idea!  Please, make yourself at home while Yuuichiro and
I are out.  Rei-chan will take care of you, right, Rei?"

     "Of course, Grandpa."

                                   *****

     Cloaked in the shadows of a nearby building roof, Ravator watched the
temple carefully.  It didn't want to fly too close and set off the wards,
so it had found a good vantage point nearby.

     There was no sign of the one it wanted, that cursed warrior in the
white armor.  But, it noted, all the others who were present for its first
defeat were here.  Maybe they could somehow summon the White Knight.  It
would watch a while longer.

                                   *****

     At Juban Junior High, Haruna-sensei approached the stack of test
papers warily.  She had put Usagi's on the top of each subject pile,
determined to get it out of the way.

     On the other hand, she thought, it wouldn't matter if I put it off
just a little... graded a few other tests first.

     She sighed, and started in on Usagi's papers.  It wouldn't change if
she put it off.

     For a long while, the only sound was that of pen on paper.  Then
Haruna-sensei sat back, reached into a drawer and pulled out a small sake
bottle, and took a good, stiff drink.  Then she began to laugh
hysterically, tears running down her face.

                                   *****

     "Wow, you said Yuuichiro did all this?" Minako commented, looking
carefully at the repairs that had been made on the roof and door of the
temple.

     "Yup," Rei answered, sweeping the floor of the room while Makoto fed a
few more aromatic logs to the fire.  The fire crackled hungrily at each
log, and let out a hiss when Makoto stopped.  She didn't notice.

     "He's pretty good."

     "He said he worked at some construction jobs while on the road and
picked up a few things."

     "I don't know why he chose to walk around the country like that when
his parents are so rich."

     "It's a spiritual thing," Rei said quietly, then coughed.  "Well, as
spiritual as HE gets.  He told me once that he felt something was missing
from his life, so he decided to go out and find it.  You should listen to
him talk about his adventures sometimes.  He's gotten into a lot of
trouble.  It's all his own fault, of course."  Rei swept the floor a little
more briskly than she needed to, keeping her head down low.

     "Of course," Makoto smirked.

     "Could you keep it down?" Usagi spoke up from where she was curled up
on a prayer mat.  "Some of us are trying to get some beauty sleep."

     "Well, SOME of us sure need it," Rei snapped.

     Ami sighed, "Please, don't start up again.  I've got enough on my mind
worrying about my final."

     "YOUR final?" everyone asked.

     "Yes, I think I may have gotten an answer wrong on the history final. 
I spent so much time helping Usagi, I didn't get a chance to completely
reread the book."

     Everyone just stared at Ami.  Fortunately, the silence was broken by
Luna and Artemis leaping through an open window.  Artemis carried the
mirror in his mouth.

     "We're here!" Luna announced.  "Is everything all set?"

     Artemis spat out the mirror.  "Ugh, that tasted awful."

     "Well, if you hadn't forgotten it in the first place," Luna jabbed,
gloatingly.

     "I know, I know..."  Artemis looked disgusted with himself.

     Luna looked around curiously.  "Where's Naru?"

     "She's outside," Rei said, putting her broom away.  "She said she
wanted a little time alone before we begin."

     Luna nodded.  "It's a big step she's taking, I don't blame her.  I'll
go get her, while the rest of you get ready."  There were nods all around
and Rei knelt before the fire to begin the purification.

                                   *****

     Naru looked up at the first stars of the evening and tried to sort out
her feelings.  She felt both frightened and excited about what her friends
were going to do.  She wondered if she was going to be the same person
after she got the memories back.  After all, the Naru who had seen the
Sailors fight against the Dark Kingdom might be different from the way she
was now.  As for whoever she had been in the Moon Kingdom, that had been a
totally different society.  Who knew how she saw things?

     "Naru-chan?" intruded Luna's soft voice, and Naru turned towards the
cat.  For a moment, she thought she saw a jeweled collar around Luna's
neck, but that was just a trick of the moonlight.

     "Having second thoughts, Naru-chan?" Luna asked gently.  "You don't
have to do this, you know.  And if you do... well, even if my memory is
rotten, that doesn't mean you are a Sailor Senshi like the others, no
matter what Usagi thinks."  And I am NOT going senile, she added to
herself.

     "I know, Luna...." Naru whispered, sitting down next to the cat and
petting her.  "But now that I know about those bits missing from my life, I
need to know all of it.  It's... it's like it's my destiny, or something."

     "You know," Luna said, with a hint of a cat-smile, "it's a good thing
you didn't talk like this before... I might have thought YOU were the Moon
Princess, and Usagi would never let me live it down."

     Naru started laughing.  "She wouldn't, would she.  Usagi means well,
though--"

     "Hey, Luna!" Usagi yelled from the doorway to the fire room.  "You
better get your lazybones back in here!"  A burst of high-pitched giggles
came from Usagi then.  Luna stiffened.

     "No wonder I couldn't remember she was the Moon Princess, if she
treated me like that..." Luna muttered and Naru had to laugh again.

                                   *****

     Soon, everyone was gathered before the fire pit.  Luna and Artemis sat
with their backs to the fire.  Naru knelt before them and the remaining
five girls were in a semi-circle behind her.

     "Well, just in case the monster does come back," Makoto said, holding
up her transformation pen, "JUPITER STAR POWER--!"

     "MERCURY STAR POWER--!"

     "VENUS STAR POWER--!"

     "MARS STAR POWER--!"

     Everyone looked at Usagi, who was fishing around for her pendant. 
"Oh, here it is!  COSMIC MOON POWER!"

     Then they all said together, "--MAKE UP!"

     Within seconds, the Sailor Senshi stood behind Naru.  They all seemed
different to her now.  Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars were a little
self-conscious at having transformed in front of her, but they also seemed
older and wiser than Ami and Rei.  Sailor Jupiter stood there with her arms
crossed, a fierce smile on her face and an expectant gleam in her eye.  She
was looking forward to a fight, Naru knew.  But Sailor Venus seemed to have
changed the most.  Minako's cheerfulness had been replaced with the cool
look of an experienced warrior, a veteran who had seen many campaigns.

     Naru wondered if she knew her friends at all, since they became such
totally different people.  She looked at Sailor Moon and saw a small smile
and a wink there for her and that calmed her.  They were still her friends,
but were they wearing masks, or had they just taken the masks off?

     "Last chance, Naru-chan," Artemis said, pushing the mirror towards
her.  "If you want to change your mind, that is."

     "No," she said, surprised she had managed to say it so clearly despite
the tightness in her throat, "let's get it over with."  She picked up the
mirror and held it in her hand.  Sailor Mercury pulled out her computer and
focused it on the mirror to record what Naru saw for analysis.

     The crescent moons on Luna and Artemis's foreheads began to glow, then
beams of light flew from them to hit Naru on the forehead.  Looking down,
she could see the light reflected in the mirror.  Then, reality
shattered...

                                   *****

     Ravator's interest in the Temple peaked.  Some sort of magic was being
worked!  Perhaps they were summoning the White Knight.  Even if they were
not, the magic seemed powerful, and it was bored of waiting.  It would
trash those humans and drain their energy.  If the White Knight showed, so
much the better.  If not, well at least it would be well fed.

     Spreading its dark wings, Ravator flew off into the night, angling
towards the Temple.

                                   *****

     [MY SERVANT IS MAKING ANOTHER ATTEMPT, PISCES,] the entity in the dark
smoke said to the priestess.

     "Good," was all Pisces could say in reply, not wanting to show
weakness before the supernatural power.  Her month of Ascendancy was
slipping away, and with it the strength to keep the Ways open for this
monster.  Keeping it open for the time the monster had needed to heal had
been hard enough, but now she had to help channel it more energy to fight
with.  She hoped she was equal to the task.

                                   *****

     For a moment, the bright light blinded Naru, and she could see
nothing, then this gave way to memories.

     She could see herself and her mother huddling together as all the
lights on Earth suddenly and inexplicably went out.  Memories of monster
attacks, the Sailor Senshi, time spent at school or talking with friends,
Umino dressing as Tuxedo Kamen, trying to save her from a giant ball of
moss, flew before her eyes.

     Then, a man was dying in her arms, and her heart felt like it had
shattered into a million pieces.  He wasn't strictly human, she knew, for
the blood staining the makeshift bandage on his arm was green, but he had
loved her.  She could feel tears rolling down her face as his name came to
her along with the knowledge that he had died trying to keep her safe.

     "Nephrite," she whispered, even as the memories carried her further
back.  But she held the images of her time with him before the longest. 
Then, he was gone, but the monster attacks continued, finally
ending/beginning with a monster disguising itself as her own mother.

     She had a vague sense of other memories of her life, but they were
already known to her and skipped over, touching lightly only on the most
important ones.  Then, it all vanished in a silver light.

     The next memory was of pain and lingering fear.  She could see the
Moon Kingdom of her dreams, wracked with fire and death as it was
destroyed, and felt her own death, at the hands of some monster she never
even saw.  Her page boy--Turquoise was his name, she somehow knew--was
running towards her, tears running down his screaming face as he took a
sword from a dead guard to try and defend her.  Funny, she thought, he
looks like U--

     The thought was swept away in a flood of memories that had nothing to
do with Osaka Naru.  She was Patience, a Lady of Princess Serenity's court. 
With the name came an image of Princess Serenity and Naru gasped as she saw
Usagi, but a more regal and elegant Usagi than she ever could have
imagined.  And Mamoru, clad in black armor that seemed so fitting on him. 
Others were all there, and she recognized some of them.  Haruna-sansei as
the royal tutor?  Who would have guessed?  She thought she saw Motoki as
some court functionary, too.

     And Nephrite appeared again, dancing with Mako--no, Senshi Jupiter on
a dance floor.  Her heart felt like it was going to burst all over again. 
He had never even known of her love then, for she had never been able to
tell him.  She saw herself dancing with others, including one lord in red
and orange, a man only interested in what marrying her would gain him.  If
he only knew--

     Reality shattered again, but this time painfully, and she only heard
one thing, "RAVATOR!" before darkness claimed her.

                                   *****

     "RAVATOR!" the monster screamed as it burst through the roof,
scattering Sailor Senshi and cats alike.  Sailor Mercury covered Naru with
her body just before timber and roof tiles rained down through the gaping
hole Ravator made.  A cloud of dust rose into the air.  Ravator stood there
amongst them for a moment, then moved quickly to the nearest target.

     Now, Ravator was not the brightest of creatures, but it did possess a
natural cunning where hunting prey was concerned.  It knew that it had made
a mistake to close with its opponents before.  It was slower on the ground
than flying, but it was still fast enough to confuse its opponents.  It was
time to use that quickness to wear down his prey.

     The Sailor Senshi, for their part, were still recovering from the
shock of Ravator's appearance.  Its sudden attack had already removed
Sailor Mercury from the fight, and it was swooping toward Sailor Mars by
the time anyone could move.

     Sailor Mars screamed as she felt a pair of claws tear into her
stomach.  The wound bled profusely, but was not fatal, being meant to
incapacitate instead of kill.  She clutched at it, watching her blood stain
her sailor suit, and tried to call upon her power.  Her concentration
wavered and she fought not to fall.  Dimly she was aware of Sailor Moon
trying to steady her.

     "Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mars said, gritting her teeth against the pain,
"Leave me and go finish that thing off!"  Sailor Moon looked uncertainly at
Sailor Mars's wound, then back to the fight.

     "VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!" Sailor Venus shouted, sending a set of
spinning, glowing rings that slammed past the frantically ducking Ravator
to smash through the walls of the temple.

     Impossible! thought Sailor Venus, as she readied herself to try again. 
Ravator rushed forward as soon as the attack had ended, claws extended
towards her.

     "SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!" came Sailor Jupiter's attack, a ball of
lightning tumbling end over end.  Ravator caught the edge of it and howled
into the sky.  Sailor Venus took advantage of this and dove to one side
under the rushing monster, tumbling into a wall.

     "Stop right there, monster!"  Sailor Moon shouted.  "Whether you are
youma or... some other monster, I won't let you hurt any one else!  For I
am Sailor Moon, and in the name of the moon, I will--Hey, where'd he go?" 
Sailor Moon turned her head left and right, for Ravator had decided not to
wait around for the conclusion of the speech.

     "Behind you, Sailor Moon!" Luna screeched, digging herself and Artemis
out of the rubble in time to see Ravator rush behind the Sailor Moon.

     "Eeeeek!" screamed Sailor Moon, trying desperately to dive aside. 
Ravator swooped down upon her.  Sailor Jupiter started running, trying to
get a clear shot at the monster, but it would be able to attack before her. 
Sailor Venus tried to get up, but she seemed to have hurt her ankle in her
tumble and could only hobble to her feet.

     A small, red missile flew through the air at that moment, catching
Ravator in the arm.  It screamed and everyone looked in surprise.  It was a
perfect red rose.  Looking up, they saw Tuxedo Kamen perched on the edge of
the hole in roof.

     "Sorry I took so long, Sailor Senshi," he said, "but someone let my
roses die and I had to replace them.  Now, Sailor Moon, finish it!"

     Sailor Moon nodded.  "Right!  MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!"  Soon, it was
all over but the pyrotechnics.  Ravator collapsed into dust.

                                   *****

     Pisces cursed as the Ways closed.  The monster her ally had provided
had found only death at the hands of the Sailor Senshi.  It seemed her
organization would have to take steps to deal with them as well, sometime
soon.  But that would be a job for another day.  She turned to dismiss the
entity she had summoned back across the Great Shield, but the smoke was
already dissipating in the air.  It was gone.

                                   *****

     Elsewhere.

     "I told you that they'd stop you," said a man with long dark hair.

     [BE QUIET!  MY PLAN IS ALREADY IN MOTION.  THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP
ME IN THE END.]

     There was no reply.

                                   *****

     "Hey, come on, Naru-chan, wake up," came the voice.  It seemed
incredibly distant, but Naru forced herself to listen to it.  She slowly
opened her eyes.

     "Hey, how you feeling?" Usagi asked, smiling despite her concern.  Ami
had taken the worst of the hit, but she was a Senshi and thus better able
to take the damage.  Makoto and Minako were tending her and Rei, but it
didn't seem too bad.  Still, it seemed to take forever for Naru to wake up.

     "Awful... but I think I'll live."

     "What about your memories?  Did you get them back?"

     Naru nodded, then it all crashed down on her again.  Nephrite, the
monsters, the world almost coming to an end.  She started to cry, great,
heaving sobs.  "Nephrite..." she said to herself, hating the fact that she
had forgotten him, even if she had no choice.

     Usagi just hugged her friend close.  "I know, Naru-chan..."

     Naru got control of herself.  Still sniffling, she said, "I remember
the Moon Kingdom, Usagi... I was one of your ladies-in-waiting.  My name
was Patience then."

     "Oh!" Luna said, then clapped a paw over her mouth.

     "Wait a second... do you remember her NOW, Luna?" Usagi said
sarcastically.

     Luna shook her head very quickly and then ran outside as fast as she
could.  Everyone else tried to keep from laughing.

     "But I don't remember all of my life then..." Naru said, frustratedly. 
"Only bits and pieces."

     "Maybe Ravator's attack disrupted the process," Ami said, looking a
little banged up but otherwise okay.

     "That's all any of us remember, Naru-chan," Makoto said, taping down a
bandage on Rei's stomach.  "It's a shame, it's just a beautiful place, and
the dances and the music..."

     Naru looked glum.  "Yeah... you and Nephrite made a lovely couple,
too..."

     "WHAT?!"

                                   *****

     The complete explanation took most of the walk to Usagi's house to
cover.  Makoto still couldn't believe it, and Naru had to repeat herself
several times.  Usagi's jokes didn't help.  Minako went home a different
way, so she had already left after her ankle (which was only twisted) had
been taped up by Makoto (and after she had been told emphatically that her
'nursing' skills weren't required by Rei).  Ami had stayed with Rei until
her Grandpa came home.

     "Wow, so you were engaged to a Youma General, huh, Makoto?" Usagi
teased for the dozenth time.

     "It's not like that, Usagi!" Naru protested.  "He was a good guy
then... something happened, but I don't remember what it was!"

     "Hey, no problem Naru... I believe you."

     "Nephrite... I never even met him and..."  Makoto's dream came back to
her.  "Nephrite had long brown hair, didn't he?"

     "Yeah, how did you...?" Usagi asked.

     "I think I saw him in a dream... he was trying to warn me of something
and..."

     They stopped in front of Usagi's house.  All the lights were on and
there was the sound of a party going on.

     "What the...?" Usagi said, storming up to the front door.  "How could
they have a party and not tell me?!"

     She no sooner opened the door when her mother gripped her in a big
hug.  "Usagi-chan!  I knew you could do it!"

     "Huh?" Usagi said wittily.  "Mom, are you OK?"

     "Congratulations, Usagi-chan," Tsukino Kenji said, coming up behind
his wife, still wearing his business suit.

     Noting the blank looks on the teenagers' faces, he chuckled and
motioned them inside.

     It looked like the party had been going on for a while, for there were
a few sake bottles out and some cake.  Grandpa Hino, Yuuichiro, and
Haruna-sensei were all clustered around the table, toasting something.

     "What's going on?" Usagi asked again.  "Haruna-sensei?"

     "You passed, Tsukino-san!" Haruna-sensei said, a little tipsily. 
"Barely, but you did it!  You graduate!  Congratulations!"

     "I... did it?"

     "You see, I told you my good luck prayers would help!" crowed Grandpa
Hino.  Yuuichiro just grinned in a vague way and drank some more sake.

     "Yes," Ikuko said, hugging her daughter again.  "Now, your grades
aren't stellar, but they're just good enough to pass.  All that studying
your friends made you do was worth it now, don't you think?"

     "Yeah, I guess so..." a still stunned Usagi said.

     "Good going, Usagi-chan!" Makoto said, slapping her friend heartily on
the back.

     "I'm so happy for you, Usagi-chan!" Naru added.

     "Oh, and Rei's Grandfather was just telling us about a trip to some
hot springs... Since you did manage to pass you exams, your mother and I
decided that you can go.  We'll even help pay for it."

     "I can?  Yippee!" yelled Usagi.  Then she sobered.  "Wait a second. 
Those tests were hard... I thought I failed them all."

     "You almost did, Tsukino-san," Haruna-sensei said, "but, the extra
credit questions you answered at the end pulled up your grades just
enough."

     "Oh... wait, we had extra credit?  I just circled those at random when
time ran out."

     A loud groan came from everyone

                                  The End

MAKOTO^R^R^R^R^R^R^R USAGI SAYS:

Usagi:  Today on Sailor Moon Z, we learned--

Naru:  (popping up behind Usagi.)  Wait a second, I thought this was
supposed to be Makoto Says.

Usagi:  (A big sweat drop appearing behind her head.)  No, no, Makoto's a
little busy right now, so I'm filling in.

(We cut to a broom closet, where an obviously fuming Makoto is tied and
gagged.)

Naru:  (disbelievingly.)  Uhuh... and where is everyone else?

Usagi:  Still with Biles-sama renegotiating their contracts after you and
Makoto pulled a fast one!

(We see John Biles surrounded by Sailor Senshi waving contracts under his
nose and shouting at him.  Two other women, one with green hair and horns,
the other with dark hair and wearing a leotard, stand near him.  The green
haired girl waves a sword at any Senshi who gets too close, the other
whacks John with a mallet any time he gets too close to a Senshi or looks
at any of the Senshi for very long.  It would help if he could make up his
mind whether he's hitting on them or negotiating.)

Naru: It wasn't a fast one!  We were just smarter than you!

Usagi:  (muttering to herself)  I knew I should have tied her up, too.

Naru:  What was that?

Usagi:  ANYWAY, the moral of this story is that you shouldn't steal scenes
from the star of the show--namely me!

Naru:  Says who?  And who made you the star?

Usagi:  (smugly)  It's Sailor MOON Z, not Sailor Mercury or any of you. 
Not even you, Miss St--

Naru:  SHHHHH!  Do you want to give everything away?

Usagi:  I can do whatever I want!  I'm the star of this show.  (She sticks
her tongue out at Naru) Biiiiiiiiiii!  So there!

Naru:  I want to speak to the writer of this episode about that.

(The writer looks up from his computer and sees a camera trained on him. 
Panicking, he accidently corrupts 20K of work and just starts pounding his
head against the keyboard.)

Usagi:  Explains a lot, doesn't it?  (Naru sweat drops.)  Anyway, be sure
to tune in next time to see more of ME!

Makoto:  (appearing limned in flames and that angry blue aura trick. 
Broken ropes hang off of her.) U-SA-GI!

Usagi:  Eeep!  Gotta run!  Bye!

                              REALLY THE END 

Appendix:
               Japanese Names      =>   American Dub Names
Tsukino Usagi/Princess Serenity    =>   Serena
Mizuno Ami                         =>   Amy Anderson
Hino Rei                           =>   Raye Hino
Kino Makoto                        =>   Lita
Aino Minako                        =>   Mina
Chibi-Usa                          =>   Rini (Renie? Short for Serena, I
                                        assume)
Chiba Mamoru/Endymion              =>   Darien/Prince Darien
Osaka Naru                         =>   Molly Baker
Gurio Umino                        =>   Melvin
Tsukino Shingo                     =>   Sammy
Haruna Sakurada                    =>   Patricia Haruna
Furuhata Motoki                    =>   Andrew
Kumada Yuuichiro                   =>   Chad

Author's Note:
     OK, another episode done... now I can relax, and--what, John's already
finished episode 3?  Aaaaaa!
     Well, as you can tell, this storyline is running out of control.  :) 
If I knew that this would happen when John and I started brainstorming, I
never would have agreed to it... OK, I would have agreed, but I think I
would have thought about it for a minute.
     Sailor Moon Z sprung about from watching far too much of the American
Dub of Sailor Moon.  My exposure to the original was pretty low and I held
a scornful opinion of the series in general.  But, then again, I only saw
episodes 1 and 2 of the original series.  When the dub came on the air, I
started watching it because, hey, it was anime on TV, and therefore cheap. 
I thought I could try and see the appeal it had for so many.  And I think I
found it.
     The secret is girls in short skirts. :)  No, though that is a part of
it, but the story of the Sailor Senshi has an undefinable quality of humor,
romance, and story-telling that makes it enjoyable, even if you're watching
the dub.  And actually, the dub isn't that bad.  OK, Molly/Naru has an
unbelievable accent (but she's not a bad actress, watch the Nephrite
episodes), yes, and they butchered the end of the first series, but I think
some of the writer/translators are really trying.  Blame American
censorship laws for a lot of its problems while we're at this.  I've even
compared the voices to the originals where I could, and they sound a little
alike.  Not the same, but close.  And let's face it, we non-Japanese
speaking people can't REALLY tell how good a voice actor/actress is in the
original unless they're REALLY good (like voices for Ataru Moroboshi, Sylia
Stingray, Belldandy... gomen, don't want to mangle the Japanese spellings
of their real names) or really bad.  The rest is just Japanese.
     Anyway, I've rambled far afield.  I hope you enjoy our version of the
further adventures of the Sailor Senshis.  (And anyone wanting to flame me
for reintroducing Crystal Points, you can direct them to rogue1@netcom.com. 
I also accept praise and constructive criticism there. :)

Jeffrey Hosmer
03 May 1996
-- 
Jeffrey Paul Hosmer			rogue1@netcom.com
4001 Old Quarry Terrace			
Alexandria, VA  22306