Somewhere, in a realm where no industry has ever polluted the 
skies, where few men have ever breathed the scented breezes, a castle 
made of crystal stood.  The sun sparkled off its many towers and high 
walls.  It stood on an obsidian cliff, next to a clear stream that 
flowed down the mountainside and over the cliff in a thundering 
waterfall, rainbows thrown everywhere by water and prismatic crystal.

     Inside the crystal castle, a meeting was taking place.  It was not 
the beginning.  Some would say that there were no beginnings or endings 
to meetings.  Most of the participants in this meeting would agree with 
that statement, as the meeting seemed to have been dragging interminably 
long, even by their standards.  But it was a beginning.

     The participants of this meeting were all, how to put this 
tactfully, advanced in years.  In other words, old.  Old for a race that 
measured youth in millennia and middle-age was a term used for 
geological epochs.  Long white beards flowed from lined faces (except 
for the women, of course).  Pointed ears pointed from the their thinning 
hair, showing them to be members of the First (or Second or Third or 
Twenty-Ninth, depending on who you asked) Race of Man: Elves.

     Well, there was one exception to the general age and decrepitude.  
This elf stood in the center of the meeting room, surrounded by the 
elders and looked uncomfortable.  He was young, with shoulder-length 
silver hair, a neat goatee, and crystal blue, almond-shaped eyes.  He 
wore grey finery, topped by a silver cloak with a sky-blue lining, and 
was trying his hardest not to fidget.

     "This is a most serious situation," the Second Eldest said gravely.

     "Eh?" said the Eldest.

     "HE SAID IT'S A SERIOUS SITUATION!" yelled the Third Eldest (and 
the Eldest's wife.)

     "Didn't he say that before?" the Eldest mumbled.

     Senility is not a state unique to humans.

     Ignoring the three eldest, the Fourth Eldest rose from his chair.  
"Thank you, Second Eldest, for summing up our situation so succinctly.  
Now, it is time for a decision.  Thanks to Derith, we know that the 
Senshi of Saturn has been awakened.  We can only assume that the rest of 
the Senshi are awake as well.  Soon, the Senshi of Venus will want what 
she believes is hers by the Ancient Compact.  How shall we deal with 
this matter?"

     The votes were cast.  The decision was made.

                                   *****

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: Jeff Hosmer

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

Episode 16
"The Bow of Avalon.
 Visitation Day at Tsunami!"

                                   *****

     "STEEEEEVEEEEN!"

     Steven Grant looked up from the hamburger he was munching happily 
on.  Well, it would be happily if it hadn't cost him so much.  The price 
of beef in Japan still amazed him some times.

     Seeing his girlfriend approaching, he swiftly dropped his burger 
and sat up straight... not because she was picky on matters of posture 
and table etiquette, but because she was throwing herself bodily at his 
lap.

     *WHAM*

     One Aino Minako missile has again reached its target.

     "Miss me?" she chirped happily, throwing her arms around his neck.

     "I wasn't aiming at you," he joked.

     Across the table from him, Kasuga Kyousuke and Ayukawa Madoka 
struggled not to laugh as Minako tried to drive her knuckle through 
Steven's skull.

     "Oww!  Okay, okay, I give up!  I missed you!"

     "You better have, buster," Minako replied, before kissing him.

     After the kiss had gone on for a time, Kyousuke gave an embarrassed 
little cough.

     And then another.

     Steven was starting to wave his arms in exaggerated 'Air!  Air!  
Give me air!' motions when Minako finally broke the kiss.

     "Oh!  Hi, Kasuga-san, Ayukawa-san," she said finally, looking a 
little flushed.

     "Hello, Aino-san," Madoka said, covering a smile by pretending to 
wipe her lips with a napkin.  "Just get off school?"

     "Oh, I cut my last class because I heard that Steeeeeven has a day 
off coming up."

     "It's just a teacher's seminar.  They decided to give us the day 
off rather than hire substitutes," Steven explained.

     "Lucky," Kyousuke said.

     "And how are you going to spend your day off?" Minako asked 
playfully.

     "Well, since you and the rest have school, I thought I'd work on... 
my... bike..."  Steven trailed off as Minako's expression darkened.

     "STE-VEN," she growled.

     "Or, I could meet my lovely girlfriend after school and--"  The 
expression didn't lighten up at all.  "Mina-chan, I can't come over 
before then, you'll be in classes."

     "Not if I have a reason NOT to be..." she purred, running her hand 
over his chest, which did interesting things to his body temperature.

     "But... but... you can't be serious!"

     Kyousuke and Madoka, meanwhile, were beginning to turn an 
interesting shade of red as the thrust of Minako's conversation became 
clear.

     "Um, I think we'll be going, Steven-kun," Kyousuke stuttered.  "See 
you back at the house later."

     "It was nice meeting you again, Aino-san," Madoka said, practically 
pulling Kyousuke out of his seat.

     Minako gave a cheery wave, not budging an inch from Steven's lap.  
"Nice couple.  How long have they been going out?"

     "They're not.  Kyousuke's dating her best friend, that's all."

     Minako gave him her dubious look.  "For someone who claims to see 
the present, you're not awfully observant."

     "Well, I try not to look at them like THAT.  It's invasion of 
privacy."  Like how I found out that the Kasugas are all psychic.  I 
should tell them I know.  It's getting hard to pretend to NOT notice 
Kurumi using telekinesis to move her furniture around.

     Any other thoughts about the Kasuga clan were promptly driven out 
of his mind as Minako shifted on his lap.  "Anyway, I thought that since 
you're going to have the day off, you should come visit me."  Her 
expression turned sly again.  "I think I won't be feeling well enough to 
attend classes."

     "Mina-chan, you know you shouldn't cut class to--"  She shifted 
again, snuggling closer to him.  "I mean, it's not right--uh..."  She 
began to nibble on his neck.  "Mina-chan!  We're in public!"

     "So, you'll come?"

     "Yes!  Yes!"

     "Oh, goody!"  Minako jumped off his lap.  "I've got some more 
shopping to do, so I'll see you later, Steven-kun!"

     Steven sat there, hamburger forgotten, and watched the blonde 
whirlwind roar off.  Oh well, he thought, what could it hurt?

     Thunder suddenly rumbled outside, followed by a very unexpected 
downpour of rain.  He heard a very familiar shriek a moment later.

     "Oh, boy."

                                   *****

     Hotaru sighed as she looked out the window at the pouring rain.  
She was supposed to be working on her calculus homework (Hey, Tomoe-
sensei is a good teacher, okay?) but instead she found herself doodling 
pictures of a man.  For once it wasn't one of the bishonen pop stars 
whose images adorned her walls.  This man had pointed ears and a goatee.

     "Hotaru-chan?" came a soft voice.  "I have some tea for you."

     Hotaru looked up and smiled as Setsuna entered the room.  The 
Mistress of Time was wearing, of all things, an apron on over a t-shirt 
and a pair of jeans.  The t-shirt had a cartoon of a clock face with 
paws, a tail, and a large jaw chasing a salaryman up a tree.  The 
caption read "Time's A Bitch."  One of Haruka's gifts, obviously.

     "Just what I needed," Hotaru said.  Setsuna just smiled her usual 
enigmatic smile.  Hotaru began to feel worried.  "Um, this doesn't mean 
it's time for another lecture on something, does it?"

     For a brief moment, a hurt look crossed Setsuna's otherwise serene 
face, but it was swiftly replaced by a wry expression.  "No, no 
lectures.  What made you think that?"

     "Well, usually when you come in here, you have some reason..."

     "Not this time.  I just brought you some tea.  I knew you'd want 
it."  Setsuna put the tea down on the table.  Hotaru noticed there were 
two cups beside a candle.

     "Tea for two?"

     "I thought we might sit and watch the rain for a bit."

     Hotaru looked surprised for a moment, then a shy smile crossed her 
face.  "I'd like that."

     Soon the two of them were sitting in the love seat of a bay window, 
listening to the rain pound against the panes of glass and sipping their 
tea.  Hotaru reached over and felt the coolness of the glass, even 
though it was summer.  Then, hailstones started pelted against the 
window, adding a staccato beat.

     "Souichi-chan will have to fix the roof, after this," Setsuna said, 
picking up a book of matches.

     "Why did you--"

     The lights went out just as Setsuna struck the match.

     "Oh."

     Setsuna lit the candle and smiled.  "A minor abuse of my power, I 
think," she said, blowing out the match.

     Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, incredibly loud, and Hotaru 
squealed in fright.  She cowered in fright for a moment as the thunder 
died away, and then realized she was being held.

     Setsuna softly stroked the younger girl's hair.  "Shhh, it's 
alright, Hotaru-chan," she murmured.  

     Being held in someone's arms, being comforted... Hotaru could 
remember her father doing that, long ago, before the Accident... and 
before him, the memory of another person...

     "Mama..." she whispered.

     Setsuna's hand paused for a moment, then resumed its stroking 
motion.  Hotaru did not look up, so no one noticed one tear escape 
Setsuna's eye.

                                   *****

     "Well?"

     Izuko tried not to wince.  She was a very competent, highly paid 
mercenary.  Such people do not wince simply because their employer is 
acting like a teenager impatient to hear the latest gossip.

     Such people also don't have employers who ARE impatient teenagers 
waiting for the latest gossip, a small voice whispered to her, but she 
mowed it down with an AK-47 (which she could field strip in record time, 
thank you VERY much).

     "She met him at the mall, where he was eating a hamburger," Izuko 
said, TRYING to make this sound like a standard surveillance report.

     "And then?"

     "She... sat on his lap and... well, the pictures say it all."

     Polly Amberson, a.k.a. Gemini-P twitched as she looked at glossy, 
high definition, hot off the laser printer digital photos of Minako and 
Steven's public display of affection.

     For the thousandth time, Izuko wished Hudson was here.  Not because 
she missed him, but because it was SO much easier to appear professional 
when he was around.  Plus, he would have said or done something lewd, 
rude, crude or (very likely) all three and they would have been thrown 
out by now.  And that would have placed Izuko very far away when Gemini-
P read the report.

     "That...!  That...!!  That...!!!"  Polly was beyond seeing red.  It 
would take a radio astronomer to describe the wavelengths she was 
viewing the universe in.

     Izuko decided it would be best not to suggest any words to describe 
Minako.  Doing so would probably just draw attention to herself.

     "THAT!!!!!" screamed Polly, tearing the photos to shreds.  The bits 
of ripped paper scattered over her coffee table and burst into flame.  
Without the gestalt with her brother, Gemini-P could not move things 
with her telekinesis, but her PYROKINESIS was still pretty strong.

     Izuko tried to ignore the burning coffee table.  Angry pyrokinetics 
did not take well to even politely phrased reminders of the 
combustibility of normal matter.

     "What... did... they... talk... about?" Polly grated out, her teeth 
trying to grit and grind at the same time.  The sound that produced was 
horrible and unpleasant to anyone who heard it (except perhaps her 
dentist who was thinking of getting a Malibu beach house.)

     "He apparently has a day off coming up and she was trying to... 
induce him to... er..."  Izuko suddenly realized that the truth was 
probably going to get her burnt to a cinder.  Damn my professionalism! 
she thought.  "She wanted him to spend that day with her... in her dorm 
room."

     Fortunately for Izuko, the merrily burning coffee table finally set 
off the smoke alarm in Chet and Polly's apartment.

     Three hours, two fire trucks, and a dozen gawkers later, Polly was 
once again locked in her closet by her very upset brother.

                                   *****

     "You better have got it right this time," Derith Moontears 
whispered irately to his companion.

     The downpour had died down to a faintly irate drizzle.  It was as 
if the storm was reduced to muttering, Oh, I'll drench you again, see if 
I won't.

     The elf was currently stuck in the high branches of a tree, glaring 
at the reptilian form crouched on the lawn below.

     Bob the Star Dragon yawned prodigiously.  "It's not my fault you 
made a scene at that dojo," he pointed out.

     "You COULD have told me that you were hovering by the BATHROOM!" 
Derith hissed trying not to lose his balance.

     "I thought you would have noticed the steam."

     "In summertime?!"  The branches shook as Derith once again almost 
fell out of the tree.  With a yelp he grabbed a thin branch with both 
hands.

     "-I- noticed," Bob said smugly.

     "You also got singed by her boyfriend's chi attack," Derith said, 
with a slight zing to his tone.

     "Touche," Bob returned grumpily.  "Now, find YOUR girlfriend and--"

     "Stop calling her that!  We only met once."

     "You sure haven't wasted any time trying to see her again.  A year 
hasn't even passed."

     "It's different with humans, you know."

     "Since when have you cared?"

     "You'd look good as luggage, you know."

     "Get a new line," Bob yawned again.

     The two glared at each other so fiercely that neither heard a 
window open.

     "Who's there?" Hotaru called out.  Then she blinked at the elf 
clinging to her tree and the dragon sitting in her back yard.  "Derith?  
Bob?"

     "I TOLD you we had the right place," Bob said.

     "Hotaru-chan, I--AAAAAAAAAA!"

     *CRASH*

     "That looked like it hurt.  Did it?" Bob asked sagely of the Derith 
shaped impression in the ground.

     "Derith!" Hotaru cried.

     "Medic..." Derith said weakly.

                                   *****

     Derith sat gingerly on the Tomoe's couch and tried to not look 
uncomfortable.  Hotaru had insisted on healing his wounds, but one of 
them had been in an embarrassing place and he hadn't wanted to call it 
to her attention.  It wasn't life threatening, but it did make him wish 
he was standing.

     Hotaru sat next to him and kept trying to dab at his face with a 
damp cloth.  What good that would do that magical healing hadn't, he 
wasn't sure, but she had pouted when he protested... he sighed.  Already 
he couldn't refuse her anything.

     He couldn't refuse Pluto anything, but that had less to do with the 
heart... well, it did have something to do with the heart, but only in 
those regards that kept said heart beating.  Pluto had transformed 
before Hotaru had brought him in, so there was no mistaking the Senshi 
of Time as she sat on the couch across from him.

     The white-haired man sitting next to Pluto had needed an 
introduction, but Derith could have guessed his relationship to Hotaru 
simply from the sharp-eyed stare he had been receiving.  Fathers 
everywhere received that stare as a gift at their first daughter's birth 
and it only grew stronger with age.

     Bob had deigned to use a bit of his magic to shrink to something 
the size of a large dog and was currently sipping tea near the window.  
With a groan, Derith knew that the Dragon was here to see how much 
amusement he could get from his rider's current predicament.

     "Are you okay, Derith?  Does anything still hurt?" Hotaru asked 
anxiously.

     "No, no... I'm fine, Hotaru-ch--"  Derith glanced at Tomoe-sensei 
and amended himself.  "--Hotaru-san, really."  He tried to ignore the 
hurt look she shot him, a look that quickly chilled until her violet 
eyes reminded him frosty amethysts.

     Bob sniggered faintly.

     Pluto arched an eyebrow at the by-play and seemed to smile faintly.  
It was gone in an instant, however, replaced by a look that was all 
business.  "Might I ask what brought you here tonight, Sir Moontears?"

     "Surely it wasn't just to see my daughter," Tomoe-sensei 
interjected.  Derith couldn't read his look at all.  It almost seemed as 
if the man's glasses were magical, for no matter how Derith looked, the 
glasses reflected the light of the room back at him, hiding the 
scientist's eyes.

     "No, it wasn't," Derith admitted.  "I--ow!" he said as Hotaru 
dabbed extra hard at one of his remaining sore spots.  "I am came to see 
the Senshi... specifically Senshi Venus--OW!"

     "Gently, Hotaru-chan," Pluto admonished, her lavender eyes alight 
with amusement.

     "I'm sorry Derith, did that hurt?" Hotaru asked sweetly, digging 
her cloth-covered fingers a little deeper.

     "N-no, of course not... I'm just overly sensitive."

     Bob sniggered again.

     "So, what business do you have with Venus?" Pluto asked.

     "After I met Hotaru-chan near Saturn, I returned to my home in 
Avalon... you would call it an 'pocket dimension', I think, Sensei.  It 
exists in the same space as the planet Venus, only at one remove from 
reality... I don't really know how it works.  I'm not a Spatial 
Topologist."  Tomoe-sensei nodded at the explanation.  Derith shook his 
head and tried to get back to the topic at hand.  "Anyhow, my report 
that Senshi Saturn was active created quite a stir in the Council of 
Elders.  Especially when I told them that Senshi Venus was active as 
well."  I better not tell them how they reacted about Hotaru, he 
thought.

     "Do they intend to keep her Talisman, then?" Pluto asked, cutting 
to the heart of the matter.

     "Talisman?" Hotaru asked.  "You mean they know where it is?  I 
thought Minako would have to go and find it."

     "The Bow of Avalon is a highly magical object," Derith said.  "When 
its owner dies, it returns to us.  By our Ancient Compact with Serenity, 
we have been guarding it for the last 25 millennia.  Actually, it's 
become a bit of a status symbol, passed from house to house, wagered, 
won, lost, fought over... well, you get the picture.  The Royal House 
finally took control of it after six separate Houses laid claim to it at 
one time.  So, you can see that we prize it very highly.  But, if the 
Senshi of Venus is back, then...."

     "It's like someone from China going over to England and claiming 
the Crown Jewels?" Hotaru asked.

     "Yes.  The Elders were quite worried that another war would start.  
On the one hand, they didn't want to give it up.  On the other, they 
didn't want to break the Ancient Compact.  My people already have a bad 
enough reputation as... um, well..."

     "Oath Breakers?" Bob interjected, showing a lot of teeth.

     "I would have said a bit... relaxed in our interpretation of honor, 
but that... term has been used."

     "But aren't elves good guys?" Hotaru asked.

     "Elves, Hotaru-chan," Pluto answered, "are much like humans.  On 
the whole, taken on average, they are good people.  But they often are a 
scatter-brained and hedonistic lot... and they have been known to... 
forget their promises when something new comes along."

     "We have trouble keeping any one thought in our minds unless we 
focus on it to the exclusion of almost everything else... and then we 
tend to become obsessed with it.  'Middle ground' is not something we 
elves are known for," Derith added.

     "So, what did your King and Queen decide?" Pluto asked.

     "Ah, well... the King and Queen aren't speaking to each other... or 
anyone else at the moment."  Derith blushed.  "It seems the King had 
a... an indiscretion with a court squire and the whole Court found out 
about it, and when they went to tell the Queen they found her in the 
bath with an Ogre... by the Ogre's husband, no less... and..." Derith 
trailed off as he noticed that Hotaru's face had gotten quite red.  
"Well, in any event, they had a fight and we're still trying to find 
them AND put the Royal Castle back together again.  That left the 
decision in the hands of the Elders."

     "And they decided...?" Pluto prodded.

     "They're sending representatives to judge whether or not Venus is 
worthy of the Bow.  I thought I better warn you."

     "I see," Pluto said.

     "Oh, then it's no problem!  Minako will show them!" Hotaru 
exclaimed.

     "That is rather what I'm worried about, Hotaru-chan," Pluto said 
dryly.

     "Oh."

     "She's not... THAT bad, is she?" Derith asked.

     "It has been some time since I last reviewed the Ancient Compact 
with Avalon," Pluto said, "mainly because the only copies still in 
existence are in Avalon and I have had my reasons for not visiting 
there.  How many people are in this party, Derith?"

     "Three, plus two Nightwalkers as guardians.  Lord Eien--"

     Pluto groaned.  Everyone looked up in surprise.

     "Please tell me he's changed," Pluto said faintly.

     "Um, well, the first thing he said on receiving the commission was 
to shout, 'I'm coming to save you, Pluto-chan!' if that helps...."

     Pluto groaned again.

     "The other members are Lord Axok'zan and... my sister, Dia."

     "You have a sister?" Hotaru asked.

     "An older, half-sister, yes.  We have the same mother."  His tone 
said that as if it were something he would rather not admit.  "She also 
was extremely eager to come and see the Senshi Reborn."

     "Why?" Hotaru asked.

     "She was a... friend of Senshi Mercury at one time."

     "A friend?"

     "A VERY good friend."

     "So she wants to meet Ami because of her friendship with her past 
life?"

     "Um, Hotaru-chan, I don't think you're getting the point here," 
Derith said with a sweatdrop.

     "I'm not?  What's the point, then?"

     "Um, you could ask your father--"

     The light reflecting off Tomoe-sensei's glasses seemed to turn 
pink.

     "Or Pluto could explain it..."

     "I am going to go and hide for the next millennium... maybe he'll 
have forgotten about me by then..." Pluto was mumbling to herself.

     "Or... BOB!  Explain it."

     "She's YOUR sister."

     "Derith," growled Hotaru, "what's the point???"

     The extra question marks seemed to spin around and hook the poor 
elf in the soul.  Finally, he whispered something in Hotaru's ear.  
Hotaru immediately turned bright pink... and fainted dead away.

     "Oh, nicely done," Bob said.

                                   *****

     "Kino-san!  You're next!"

     "Hai, Tanamoto-sensei!" Makoto said, running toward the vaulting 
horse.  She had to be careful not to exert too much force.  She had 
always been stronger than most girls, but she had begun to notice her 
senshi strength was affecting her civilian form.  It wouldn't do her 
secret identity any good if she suddenly showed superhuman strength in 
gym class.

     Leap, hands on the horse, push--not too hard.  OK, focus on the 
landing.  See Maguson-sensei enter the gym in kendo gear--

     *THUD*

     "Ow!"

     Makoto peeled her face off the mat and glared over at her English 
teacher.  Clark, for his part, was looking on with concern.  Instead of 
his usual suit, he was wearing a white and black hakama which seemed 
just a little large for him.  It hung open a bit at the chest, which had 
a few of the girls making googly eyes at him.  He seemed not to notice.

     Are you alright, Kino-san?" Tanamoto-sensei asked.

     "I think so..." Makoto said, rubbing her sore nose.

     "OK, get back in position.  Aino!"

     Minako gave Makoto a "V" sign as she passed her.  Still rubbing her 
nose, Makoto sat down next to Noriko.

     "Doesn't 'Gus-sensei look cool, 'Ko-chan?"

     "No."  Ice ages could begin with the ice in that single word.  
Noriko seemed unfazed.

     "Come on!  I don't know why you're so down on him.  Look at him!"

     The blue-haired student grabbed Makoto's head and turned it around 
until she could see Clark in the far corner.

     It could be likened to Tai Chi, if Tai Chi used swords.  Slowly and 
gracefully, Clark was working through some sword katas that Makoto 
didn't recognize.  Despite her extreme dislike for the man, she had to 
admit that he had some grace and that he was almost, but not quite, 
entirely not unappealing... if you went for that sort of guy.  Which she 
didn't.  

     "'Ko-chan?"

     I mean, she thought, look at him!  He's NOTHING like my sempai!

     "'Ko-chan?"

     Okay, so he's got some muscles, but he's way too thin.  And so what 
if he moves like a hunting lion?

     "Hello?  'Ko-chan?"

     Nope!  Definitely un-handsome!  Nothing whatsoever handsome about 
him!  I really don't see why anyone would give him a second look.

     "'KO-CHAN!"

     "Ah!  What?"

     "Class is over, Mako-chan," Minako said, mischievously.  "You were 
too busy watching Maguson-sensei to notice."

     "I was NOT!"

     "Riiiiight."

     The girls trooped into the locker room and began getting out of 
their sweaty gym clothes.

     "I'm telling you, I wasn't!" Makoto said, pulling off her shirt.

     "Sure you weren't," Minako teased, already sliding off her shorts.  
"You were staring at him hard enough to--"

     "Just drop it!"

     "He IS cute, 'Ko-chan," Noriko piped up, wrapping a towel around 
herself before heading to the shower.

     Makoto fumed all the way through her quick shower.  I was NOT 
staring at him! she thought to herself.  He is NOT cute.  He's a jerk!

     "So, when you going to ask him out?" Minako asked, as she let the 
shower wash the soap off her body.

     "Minako!  He's a teacher!"

     "So?  It'd be forbidden love, then," the self-proclaimed goddess of 
love said with a wink.

     "Having a steady boyfriend has turned your brain to mush," Makoto 
groaned.

     "I don't know why you don't like 'Gus-sensei," Noriko said.  "At 
least he treats us like we have brains in our heads."

     "He's the TEACHER FROM HELL!"

     "Methinks the lady doth protest too little," Minako giggled, drying 
herself off.

     Any further conversation was stopped short by a pair of small hands 
suddenly reaching around Noriko to clasp her well-endowed bosom.  
"Surprise!" came a low, sultry voice.

     Minako and Makoto stared, their jaws dropping open so far that 
Captain Nemo could get lost in there.

     Noriko looked down at the hands holding her, then looked over her 
shoulder.  "Oh, hi, 'Mi-chan."

     Ami let go of Noriko like she was scalded, her face turning so red 
it was like she was on fire.

     Noriko smiled and kissed her roomate on the cheek.  "See you back 
at the room, 'Mi-chan!" she said cheerily, before getting dressed and 
leaving Ami there, sputtering.

     "Um, Ami... is there something you want to tell us?" Makoto said.

     Minako, for her part, was watching Noriko go.  "No wonder she likes 
Haruka so much..."

     "I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I," sputtered Ami, who seemed stuck.  She kept 
looking at her hands like she wanted to wash them for weeks... in 
boiling water... with a wire brush and a cheese grater.

     Minako grabbed Ami by the shoulders and shook her vigorously.  
Ami's head snapped up and down, and finally focused... on Minako's 
chest.

     "Oh, that doth look so nice..." she said with a strange accent, 
then she seemed to get a grip on herself.  "Oh, god..." she moaned, 
dropping to a bench and covering her face in her hands.

     Makoto looked around.  Fortunately, only she, Minako, and Noriko 
had lockers in this section of the room this period.  No one else seemed 
to have noticed.

     "Ami-chan, what's wrong?" she whispered.

     "I can't go back to the room... how will I explain this?  And my 
homework is there... I'll flunk all my courses.  I'll have to go to 
another school... I'll need new books.  Mom will want to know what all 
the money is for...  I'll tell her I need an abortion..."

     "Ami-chan!" Makoto hissed.

     Ami finally seemed to focus.  "She won't shut up, Mako-chan!  She's 
always suggesting I do this or that--"  Her tone left no doubt she meant 
THIS or THAT.  "--and I just want her to go away!"

     "Who, Ami-chan?"  Oh, great... she's finally snapped.  Usagi was 
right about all that studying...

     Ami seemed to realize the look she was getting.  "I'm not mad, 
Mako-chan."

     "Right, of course you aren't."

     "Really, I'm perfectly sane."

     "Right, of course you are."

     "It's Athena!  She..." her voice drops to a whisper, "makes me do 
things."

     "Right, of--wait, you mean your past life?  She's talking to you?"

     "Ever since we visited the past... Just now, I only wanted to make 
Noriko leave... I just wanted an excuse to talk to you two alone... 
and... Athena... she..."  Ami's hands began to twist the material of her 
skirt.  "She did it, before I knew what was happening..."

     "Wow, can I talk to her?" Minako burst in.

     "Minako!"

     Ami's strange accent came back.  "Oh, Inanna, I would... talk 
with THEE anytime."

     Ami clapped a hand over her mouth.

     "I think we better take you to see Rei or Pluto or something," 
Makoto said.

     "Mmm mmm mmmm mm mmmm," Ami said, behind her hand.

     Makoto took a deep breath and said, in the same sort of calm voice 
that police use to talk people off ledges, "Ami-chan... you need to take 
your hand off your mouth if I'm to understand you, okay?"

     Ami nodded.

     "Good girl."

     Ami carefully removed her hand and then waited to see if her mouth 
was going to say anything.  It didn't.  "Pluto called on my 
communicator.  She says we have to meet her after last period.  She 
couldn't get you guys, and I had a study period, so..."

     "Well, it's kinda hard to hide my communicator in gym shorts," 
Makoto said.

     "Hey, can I talk to Athena again?" Minako asked.

     Ami and Makoto glared at her.

     "It was just a simple question," Minako groused.  "How come my past 
life never talks to me?"

     She and Inanna are so much alike, she'd never notice, came a 
thought in Makoto's head.

     She hoped it was one of her own.

                                   *****

     Dawn broke over Tsunami High in a pastel burst of colors that a 
painter would kill to possess on his pallet... but the view was wasted, 
for no one was up that early to see it.

     Which meant no one was around to see the Elves return from Avalon.

     Strictly speaking, this wasn't the Return, when King Arthur returns 
in England's darkest hour.  That wouldn't happen until the year 2065 
when the Great Ice descended on the world... but that is a story for 
another time.

     Seeming to ride the rays of the rising sun (this is Japan, after 
all), a ship floated serenely over the campus.  It looked like a three-
masted sailing ship, the sort used by explorers such as Raleigh and 
Drake.  As it hovered over the athletic field, an anchor clanked noisily 
to the ground and the ship slowed gracefully to a stop.  A ramp of 
octarine energy blazed into being, leading from the deck of the ship to 
the ground below.  Five figures stood at the top of the ramp.

     "Thank you, Captain," one of them said, a tall thin elf wearing a 
toga of Black and white, trimmed in imperial purple.  His hair was long 
and as green as jade, and his skin was a dusky shade.  It made him look 
like one of those scraggy pines you find on a mountain side, but for the 
incredible beauty of his face.  He was obviously male, but if you took 
him by his face alone, he could pass for a female.

     "I think we can make it the rest of the way on our own legs," he 
added.

     The Captain, a red-haired, red-bearded, red-faced man of 
indeterminate age, sat nearby in a crude wheelchair shaped like a boat.  
"Och!  You have a woman's legs, m'lord!" he exclaimed.  "I'd wager those 
legs have never been sheared clean off by a falling mast and fed to the 
byakhee while you watch!"

     Another man, who stood next to the first, sighed ever so gently, as 
if he had heard such things before.  He was pale of skin and had jet 
black hair.  He was always smiling, but when you looked in his eyes, the 
yellow eyes of a wolf looked back hungrily.  His clothes were simple 
compared to his companion, being similar to a Japanese school boy's 
uniform, only in shades of grey.  A sword was buckled to his belt in a 
plain leather scabbard.

     "We know all about your misfortune," said the third figure, a 
stunningly beautiful woman.  Her skin was a light golden tan.  It was 
readily apparent that this was her natural skin color because she was 
showing so much of it.  She wore a red, sleeveless outfit which ended in 
a micro-miniskirt and left her back bare.  A large triangle was cut out 
of the front of the dress, showing a generous amount of cleavage.  Long, 
silver hair flowed down her back, accentuated her unearthly beauty.  Two 
eyes like sapphires blazed with amusement as she smiled at the Captain.

     Their good-byes said, the party headed down the ramp, flanked by 
two figures of darkness.  They were not made of darkness, but even in 
the direct path of the sun's rays, shadows seemed to cloak them.  
Nightwalkers, the most stealthy and subtle of the fae.  It is said that 
no one can hear or see them approach unless they wish it.

     At the bottom of the ramp, one of the Nightwalkers surreptitiously 
opened the collar of his black trenchcoat and fanned himself quickly.  
These suits were HOT in the summer.  He took off his black hat and 
fanned himself.

     The last one to leave the ship was a cat.  The cat walked with a 
haughty demeanor that would put even other cats to shame.  Her fur was 
as black as space.  It seemed almost like starlight radiated from it as 
she moved.  On her brow, a silver crescent moon sat, seeming to float 
over her golden eyes.

     "Three days, Captain," the woman said as she walked down the ramp.

     "Och!  You have a woman's bottom, m'lady!" the Captain began.

     Pausing, the woman shook the mentioned part of her body at the 
Captain and winked.  "I should hope so," she purred.

     The Captain was at a loss for words.

     As soon as the party was on the ground, the ramp faded from sight 
and the anchor was weighed.  The ship swiftly gained altitude and soon 
was lost from sight.

     "Earth...." said the elf in the toga.  "It has been too, too long 
since I last walked among its green hills."  He looked at the buildings 
surround him and smelled the smog-filled air.  "Much has changed."

     "I was here last week, Eien," the woman said.  "So you can drop the 
long-lost-prodigal act if it's for my benefit."

     "What could possibly bring you here from fair Avalon, Dia?" Eien 
asked haughtily.

     "Victoria Secret's sale."

     "I would remind you that we are here on a sacred mission to affirm 
the Ancient--"

     "--Compact, yadda yadda yadda," Dia said.  "You're just here to see 
your Pluto-chan."

     "Pluto-chan..." Eien said dreamily.

     The second man watched their bickering with amusement, then turned 
toward the cat.  "What will you do now, Hecate?"

     Surprisingly (or not, since this is Sailor Moon and you probably 
expected this ever since you saw the crescent moon, right?) the cat 
spoke.  Her voice was like a clear bell ringing in a small room.  Andrew 
Lloyd Weber would KILL to have such a voice in one of his musicals.  "I 
think I can find Luna without too much trouble.  Her scent is everywhere 
here."

     "I wish you luck, then."

     "She has much to answer for, Lord Axok'zan.  It is she who should 
be wishing for luck."

     With that, Hecate bounded away, her nose leading her unerringly on 
her way.

     Axok'zan turned his smiling face toward his companions.  "Come, we 
must assume our glamours before someone sees us."

     "Oh, very well," groused Dia.  She spun briefly around.  There was 
a flash of light, and then she stood there in a fuku.  The colors were 
the normal green and white of Tsunami, but the skirt was a few inches 
shorter than regulation, the blouse was tight and let a bit of her 
midriff show, and several of its buttons were unbuttoned.  She was a 
traffic accident waiting to happen.

     Eien's transformation was more subtle.  His hair darkened to black, 
his skin lightened, and his toga became an ordinary Tsunami outfit.

     Axok'zan did even less, merely making himself look younger so that 
he could pass as a high schooler.  His outfit could always be explained 
away as being from another school's.  His sword vanished, invisible to 
mortal sight.

     The Nightwalkers simply faded into the shadows.

     Eien and Dia looked at Axok'zan and hastily made themselves look 
younger as well.  "There," Dia said, "now we shouldn't attract too much 
attention."

     Eien looked her over in disbelief.  "Not attract attention?  Why 
not simply wear a sign saying 'Take me right here on the floor?'"

     "A girl has to play hard to get," Dia answered with a wink.

     "Come," Axok'zan said.  "We must find Senshi Venus."

     "I'm sure she will be glad to see us," Eien added.

     "Somehow, I doubt that..." Dia muttered under her breath.

                                   *****

     The current Senshi of Venus WAS expecting visitors... well, one 
visitor.  And if that visitor knew what was good for him, he better show 
up.

     Himeko watched and shook her head.  "It'll never work, Mina-chan."

     Minako adjusted the lacy almost-nothing she was wearing and winked 
at her roommate.  "You worry too much, Hime-chan.  Of COURSE it will 
work!  My plan is perfect!"

     "I don't know why I should let you get away with it...."

     "Because of sisterhood!  Because of friendship!  Because I'll let 
you sneak Daichi in sometime!"

     Himeko blushed bright red.  "I never ASKED for that...."

     Minako giggled and went back to putting on her makeup.  "You didn't 
have to.  I AM the Ai no Megami, Aino Minako!"

     "Calling yourself the Goddess of Love doesn't make you one.  I 
remember when you tried to date Daichi."

     "It didn't work out because you two were MEANT to be!"

     "It didn't work because I dumped chocolate pudding down your dress 
when you wouldn't let go of him."

     "That too," Minako said agreeably.  She was too happy to let ANY 
negative thoughts get her down today!

     "What about the elves Derith warned us about?  Who KNOWS when 
they'll arrive!"

     "It's no problem!  I'll put a Do Not Disturb sign on the door!  
They can wait," Minako said giddily.

     Himeko sighed.  "It's going to blow up in your face, I know it.  
How are you going to get him past Sensa-san, anyway?" she asked, picking 
up Pokota.  She was seriously considering leaving the little lion behind 
to give her a full report, but she couldn't invade her friend's privacy 
like that.  Besides, Pokota was terribly shy about such things.

     Minako froze.

     "Mina-chan?  How are you going to get him past her?"

     Minako just stared at the mirror.

     Himeko put both hands on her hips and glared at her roommate.  "You 
forgot, didn't you?  How could you forget the dorm mother?  You know 
she's supposed to prevent what you plan to do."

     "Of course I have a plan!"

     "I have a bad feeling about this," Himeko groaned.

                                   *****

     "What?!"

     "Oh, come on, Steven!  It's not that bad," Minako whined to her 
boyfriend.

     The two of them were currently behind Tsunami's gym, Minako having 
hurriedly put on her uniform and run out to meet him.

     "Mina-chan, we don't have to go THAT far... we could go back to the 
Kasugas..."

     "Nope!  I don't like the way Manami looks at me!  I swear, she 
blushes every time I even think of kissing you!"

     "Ah, well... she's shy.  Besides, you leer--OOF!"

     Minako removed her elbow.  "I do NOT leer.  It's a smile."

     "You drool, too--OW!"

     "You wanna walk or limp home, buster?"

     "Okay, okay....  Seriously, though, we could," he blushed slightly, 
"go to a love motel."

     "And how much money do YOU have?"

     "Um, well... not that much.  I wasn't expecting to need it 
today..."

     "Exactly!  So, we need to sneak you into the dorm!"

     "But... THIS?"

     "Sensa-san is the most paranoid person I know!  This is the ONLY 
way!"

     "But..."

     "I think you'll look sexy..."

     "Mina-chan, it's a GIRL'S uniform and a wig."

     Minako blinked innocently.  "And?"

     "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a guy."

     "I know that!  But Sensa-san won't let you into my room as a guy!"

     "But she'll let in a guy dressed in a girl's uniform with a wig?"

     "Exactly!"

     "That was sarcasm, Mina-chan."

     "Oh... but this will work!  Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

     "I have a BAD feeling about this," Steven groaned.

                                   *****

     Sensa Kuzuki looked up from her daytime drama as the door to the 
dorm opened.  She was a stout, middle-aged woman with her hair done up 
in a bun so tight that bullets would like bounce off it.  Not one bit of 
grey showed, though her face was lined with wrinkles.  Several dye 
manufacturers owed their success in business to her.  Her eyes were like 
gimlets, however, as she glared at the newcomers.

     Aino Minako stumbled in, followed a by a tall young brunette in an 
ill-fitting school uniform.  "Hi, Sensa-san... I'm afraid I'm not 
feeling very well... I think I'm going to go lie down..."

     "Who's your friend?"

     "Oh, this is... Steve-ko!  She's just making sure I get back 
alright..."

     Sensa glared at both of them, making Minako and Steven both sweat 
nervously.  Steven cursed himself for the ten millionth time for being 
unable to refuse Minako anything.

     "Finally, Sensa-san relented.  "Right... but you go straight to 
your room, young lady!  If I find you faking..."

     "Hai, Sensa-san!" Minako cried, running up the stairs, pulling 
Steven along.

     Sensa sighed and turned back to her show.  Silly girl, she thought.  
Why didn't she just sneak her boyfriend in the back door?  Well, I'll 
give them 30 minutes, then go scare them to death.  Ah, to be young 
again.

                                   *****

     "Usagi-chan!  Usagi-chan!  Wake up, Usagi-chan!"

     Luna wanted to turn human just so she could tear her hair out.  It 
had been over two years (three if you counted an annoying time loop) 
since she had first met Tsukino Usagi, and she could count the number of 
times her charge had gotten up on time unassisted on one paw.  She 
didn't dare transform, however, because who knew when Usagi's mother 
would walk in.

     "Problems, Luna-chan?" came a voice from the open window.

     Luna froze.  She hadn't remembered that voice before she heard it, 
but now she KNEW it.  And feared it.  Looking up at the window, she saw 
Hecate.

     Hecate slowly cleaned one of her paws with a dignity and grace that 
a Queen would envy.  Slowly she raised her head and met Luna's eyes.  
"You know, when I heard that the Senshi were reborn, I just KNEW you'd 
be in the thick of it, Luna-chan.  You never did know when to quit."

     "I did my duty," Luna said quietly.

     "Un... five mo' minnits, Luna..." muttered Usagi.

     "I see how well you're doing your duty, Luna-chan."

     Hecate bounded over to the bed and extended one claw delicately.

     "YEOW!!!"

     "Was that really necessary?" Luna asked resignedly.

     "I don't have time to mollycoddle her, Luna-chan, if I'm going to 
correct your mistakes before I leave."

     "Luna!" Usagi screeched, "you CLAWED... me..."  Usagi's shout ran 
down to blessed silence as she took in the two talking cats.  Then two 
and two added to five in her odangoed brain.

     "Ooh, Luna, Artemis is gonna be jealous when I tell him you're 
cheating on him!"

     "ARTEMIS?!"

     "Usagi!  Be quiet!"  Luna hissed.  "It's not what you think," she 
started to say to the other cat.

     "It better not be, young lady!  Or you'll feel the rough side of my 
tongue!"

     "Um, Luna... what's going on?"

     Luna tried to draw herself up into a regal pose, but her nerves 
were too frazzled to do more than an approximation.  "Tsukino Usagi, who 
was Princess Serenity, may I present Hecate, Queen of the Venusian 
Cats..." Luna seemed to deflate even further, "and my mother."

     "MOTHER?"

                                        *****

     "It didn't work, Mina-chan.... what are you doing?"

     "Of course it worked!  I fooled her completely!  And I am going to 
have my way with you, little girl."

     "Look, it's not funny, Mina-chan... let me get out of this 
outfit..."

     "Great idea!"

     "Mina... she's... er... ah... going to be up here... oh... any... 
stop that!"

     "She's not going to come up here!  Stop being such a worry boil!"

     "Wart.  Worry WART."

     "I don't think you REALLY want me to stop."

     "Yes, I... Mina..."

     "Don't worry... NO one is going to walk in on us.  Trust me!"

     There was a sharp snap as the air in the middle of the room was 
suddenly slashed open, like velvet cloth tearing, and bright sunlight 
poured in from... elsewhere.  Five figures scurried in.

     "You see?" Lord Eien proclaimed.  "It was easy to... oh, my."

     "I like her already," Dia said.

     Axok'zan raised an eyebrow.

     "AAAAAAAGH!  Is it too much to ask for some PRIVACY!?"

     The first elven embassy to the Senshi Reborn had arrived... though 
their timing left much to be desired.

                                   *****

     "So let me get this straight," Minako said after a brief 
explanation.  "You guys are going to judge my fitness as Sailor Venus?

     Lord Eien cleared his throat nervously.  For a mortal, this 
incarnation of Senshi Venus can be quite unsettling, he thought.  "Well, 
not your worthiness to be Senshi Venus," he said, "just your 
qualifications as the wielder of the Bow of Avalon."

     Minako cocked her head to one side and thought about that.  "Oh.  
That'll be easy," she finally said.  "I am, after all, Sailor Venus, so 
the bow's mine, right?"  She smiled and nodded enthusiastically.  "So 
just run along and get it and Steven and I will be right here when you 
get back.  Just knock first, OK?"

     "Mina, will you PLEASE let me go get dressed?" Steven asked from 
under the covers of her bed.

     "Oh, don't mind us," Dia said with a smile.

     "Nope!  They're just leaving, RIGHT?"

     "You should know, Aino Minako, that the responsibility of bearing 
the Bow of Avalon is a grave trust and not one we Elves bestow lightly," 
Lord Eien began.

     "Yadda dabba doo," Minako said.  "Look, I understand that, so just 
run along and get it and I'll do whatever tests and challenges you 
want."

     "It's 'yadda yadda yadda,' Mina-chan," Steven said hesitantly.

     "Whatever!  Now, Steven and I have important business, so make like 
a tree and burn rubber!"

     The elves all looked at Steven.

     He sighed.  "She means 'Make like a tree and leave,'" he said.

     "Hey!  Who speaks Japanese as a native tongue here, Steven?"

     "It was an ENGLISH phrase, Mina-chan."

     "That doesn't matter!  We're in Japan!"

     "What are you talking about?  English is English everywhere!"

     "Nope!  Here it's Eigo!"

     "But that MEANS English."

     "Um, could I continue here?" Lord Eien began hesitantly.

     "BUTT OUT!" Minako snapped, leveling a fierce glare at him.  
"Steven and I are having a discussion here!"

     "It looks more like an argument to me," Axok'zan said, lighting a 
cigarette.

     "NO SMOKING!" Minako bellowed, getting right in Axok'zan's face.

     He regarded the maniacal visage before him and took a long draw on 
his cigarette.  Then, he calmly blew the smoke into Minako's face.

     "ACK!"

     "I like her," he said as Minako hacked and coughed.  "I vote she 
can have it."

     "I like her too," Dia said.

     "But there are forms and protocol--" Lord Eien protested.

     "Do you see Hecate around?" Dia asked.  All the elves looked around 
surreptitiously, as if expecting the Queen of Venusian Cats to appear at 
the sound of her name.  After a moment, Dia continued.  "So let's just 
get this done and then do what we really came here to do," she said.

     "Pluto-chan," Lord Eien said dreamily.

     "He votes yes," Dia said quickly.

     "Very well," Axok'zan said, reaching behind him.  There was a faint 
pop and suddenly he held a large bow in his hands.

     It was made of some orange wood Steven and Minako had never seen 
before.  Scrollwork topped the ends in white and blue, completing the 
colors of the Senshi of Venus.  No string connected the ends, but Steven 
could see that the entire bow practically hummed with power.

     "What, you're giving it to me just like that?" Minako asked 
incredulously.

     "No, not 'just like that,'" Lord Eien said.  "We are the Elves of 
Avalon, no idiots."

     "Could have fooled me," Steven muttered.  Everyone ignored him.

     "There will be a trial period, where we will watch how you conduct 
yourself with the Bow.  After that, we will make our formal decision as 
to its disposition."

     "Oh, so it's a loaner right now?" Minako asked.

     "You COULD look at it that way, I suppose," Lord Eien agreed 
slowly.

     "Great!  Look, Steven!  Ain't it cool?"

     "Very well!" Lord Eien declared.  "We will take our leave now, but 
one of us will always be watching!"

     The two Nightwalkers looked at each other and sighed.  There was no 
question in their minds who would be doing the watching.

     Axok'zan drew his sword and parted time and space with it to create 
a portal.  Then, with a wave from Dia, the elves left.

     "I got my Talisman!  I got my Talisman!" Minako chanted, hugging it 
close.  "Wow, that was a lot easier than I thought!"

     "Um, Mina-chan?" Steven began.

     "I mean, Ami and Haruka had to go to Mercury!"

     "Mina-chan, I think--"

     "And they had to fight giants and monsters and Ami got her Super 
form--"

     "Mina, I--"

     "Not that I would have minded going to Venus.  Hotaru says Derith 
says it's very beautiful -- think we can go there on our honeymoon?"

     "Mina-chan, doesn't a bow--"

     "Now, where were we?" Minako asked with a wink.

     "--need arrows?"

     Minako stopped moving.  She looked over at the Bow.

     "A bowstring is also useful," Steven added.

     "Those... AGH!  Those cheaters!"

     In Hime-chan's pile of stuffed animals, a trench-coated plushie 
began to sweat.

                                   *****

     "You have a mother, Luna?" Usagi asked incredulously.

     "Did you think I was dropped off by a stork or something?" Luna 
asked.  "Of COURSE I have a mother."

     "If your mother is a queen... does that make you a princess?"

     "That IS how it usually works," Hecate said acidly.  "She really is 
swift, isn't she, Luna?  Haven't you taught her anyhting?"

     "Oh, Luna didn't--" Usagi began before Luna poked her with a claw.  
"OW!"

     "Now, Luna," Hecate chided.  "There are PROPER ways to keep 
Serenity from blabbing about your mistakes."

     "I have done the best I could," Luna said in a miserable voice.  
"My memory has been poor ever since Queen Serenity placed me in cold 
sleep."

     "It's always excuses with you, isn't it, Luna?" Hecate said.  "No 
wonder Serenity has turned out so poorly.  From what I have seen, she is 
lazy, ill-mannered, spoiled, and a disgrace to her lineage."

     "Hey!  Take that back!"

     "She's also loud, isn't she?" Hecate added.

     "Mother, please--" Luna began.

     "And what was that she said about Artemis?  I made my feelings on 
HIM quite clear, I thought.  And I was right, wasn't I?"  Hecate sighed. 
"I can see that Serenity isn't the only one who needs to be 
retrained.... Luna, could you wake her up, please?"

                                   ****

     "Hey, do you know where 'Mi-chan is?" Noriko asked Makoto.  They 
were sitting outside, trying to find a cool breeze while eating lunch.

     "I think she... had to go study, Noriko," Makoto answered 
hesitantly.

     "Oh," the blue-haired girl said, disappointed.  "She is always 
studying!  I was hoping she wanted to do something fun."

     Makoto almost snorted her milk.

     "Well, I'll go see if she's in the library," Noriko said, jumping 
up and dashing off.

     "Doesn't that girl ever eat?" Makoto asked herself.

     "Never trust an elf!" came a loud voice.

     "Agh!" Makoto said.

     Minako plopped herself down next to Makoto in a huff, the Bow of 
Avalon in her hands.

     "What's that?"

     "My freaking Talisman, but those stupid elves cheated me!"

     Steven sat down next to Minako.  "At least we got out of your dorm 
before your dorm mother decided to interrupt us, Mina-chan."

     "Interrupt what?  That's why I'm really mad.  They ruined a perfect 
moment we'd tell our grandchildren about!"

     "I don't think I'd want to explain what I was wearing to any 
grandkids," Steven mumbled.  Makoto shot him a look.

     "It WOULD have been perfect," Minako insisted," but those elves 
screwed it up!"

     "Wait a moment... you mean they gave it to you just like that?"

     "They said they would watch me, but I bet they just ran off to have 
some fun."

                                   *****

     Ami slowly opened the door to her dorm room.  Looking around, she 
was glad to see no sign of her roommate.

     "I'll just grab my books and go," she said aloud.

     Why dost thou run from such a beautiful girl? came a voice in her 
head.

     Ami dropped to her knees and uselessly clapped her hands over her 
ears.

     "Go away," she groaned.

     Nay, I will not.

     "You're dead..."

     I am your soul, reborn in you.  Thou must accept that.

     "No!  You're NOT me."

     Tis no picnic for me to accept thee either, Ami-chan.  But thou 
must or thou wilt go mad.

     Ami began to giggle.  "Maybe I'm already mad.  I'm hearing voices, 
aren't I?"

     Of all the heads for me to be stuck in, it must be that of a 
madwoman.

     "Come to bed, Athena-chan," came a new voice, "and I will drive the 
voices away."

     Ami's head snapped up.  Standing before her now was a tall, silver-
haired woman with pointed ears and wearing a lacy nothing that was 
almost nothing in fact.  Ami had never seen her before, but Athena knew 
her.

     "Dia!" she exclaimed joyously, seizing control of Ami's body.  She 
launched herself at Dia and hugged the elf close, greeting her with an 
enthusiastic kiss.

     "I have missed you so, Athena-chan," Dia moaned, returning the kiss 
eagerly.

     Suddenly, Ami broke the kiss and fell to the floor.  She shoved 
Athena deep into her mind, slamming shut the locks and barring the 
doors.  "No," she said.  "I can't..."

     "Athena?  What's wrong?"

     "I am NOT Athena!" Ami cried.  "I am Mizuno Ami, a high school 
student at Tsunami High!  That's all!"

     "But you are Senshi Mercury.  My magic led me to Athena."  She 
smirked.  "An easy matter, since I know her so... intimately."

     "Athena is dead."

     "Then how did you know my name?  Why did you kiss me?"

     "I... I don't know!"

     "You are Athena reborn, aren't you? Dia asked.  "Why do you fight 
what you are?"

     Ami sobbed.  "I don't want to be like her.  I'm not a slut."

     "Is that what you think?  Athena was no slut," Dia laughed.  "She 
was a huntress, say, prowling high society for only the choicest 
tidbits."  Dia sobered as she continued.  "She loved life with a passion 
I have rarely seen, even among elves."  She reached over and cupped 
Ami's cheek.  "Tell me that you honestly don't envy her passion, Ami-
chan.  Tell me that you don't wish to be as free in your expressions of 
love."

     Ami found herself unable to meet Dia's gaze.  She thought of all 
her lonely nights before meeting Usagi, of sitting in corners at school 
dances and watching everyone else socialize with ease.  She was smarter 
than any of them, but somehow they understood how to have fun in ways 
she just could not grasp... or was afraid to grasp.

     "I..." she stammered.

     "Let Athena out," Dia whispered gently, moving slowly closer to 
Ami.  "Use her strength."  She smiled, her lips inches away from Ami's.  
"I guarantee you'll love it."

     Her lips touched Ami's.  Ami stiffened for a moment... then closed 
her eyes and relaxed.

     At that moment, the door slammed open.

     "'Mi-chan!" Noriko exclaimed, then stopped on seeing the scene 
before her.

     Ami's overtaxed brain decided it was time to reboot.  She fainted.

                                   *****

     "Good morning Rei," Michiru said on seeing the priestess in the 
halls of Tsunami at lunchtime, trying not to sound snappish.  It was 
hard enough getting along with her new partner without Rei losing her 
temper over the tone of her voice.

     "Good morning," Rei said grumpily.

     "Have you seen Usagi?"

     "She was still asleep when I left the house," Rei said.  "I had to 
come early to see one of my teachers."

     "No problems, I hope?"

     Rei wanted to snap that it was none of Michiru's business, but she 
reminded herself that Usagi wanted them to try to be civil to each 
other.

     "Anderson-sensei is interested in starting a singing club and wanted 
me to help organize it," she said at last.

     "Oh?  That's good.  You have a lovely singing voice," Michiru said, 
making another overture of friendship to the Senshi of Fire.

     Once again, it fell flat.  Rei cast a suspicious look at Michiru 
and said, "I'm not like THAT."

     Michiru sighed and tried to suppress her own irritation.  "I know," 
she said.  "You've made it quite clear to me only a few hundred times."  
Her attempt to control herself was failing and she tried to make herself 
care.  "And don't YOU think highly of yourself, thinking I would leave 
Haruka for you!"

     They both glared at each other for a minute before Rei finally 
looked away.

     "I'm sorry," she said stiffly, the words forced out between 
clenched teeth.

     Michiru reined in her own temper, recognizing that this was 
probably the best she would get from Rei.  Ordinarily she wouldn't have 
flown off the handle so easily, but this new partnership was irritating 
both of them.  Haruka and Ami's success at the Mines of Mercury had 
driven both of them to try harder to become partners in fact as well as 
name... but usually the result was tempers boiling and harsh words 
exchanged.

     Michiru tried again.  "Rei, if my... tastes are such a problem for 
you, why don't you go speak to the Princess?  I'm sure she can reassign 
you or--"

     "No!  She made us partners and I'm not going to let that meatball 
head have the satisfaction of admitting that I couldn't hack it."

     "But... every time I say anything, you--"

     "It's not you," Rei said softly.  "And it's not about... who you 
love.  It's me.  I'll just have to work it out for myself."

     "Could you do it sometime before the founding of Crystal Tokyo?" 
Michiru asked, regretting the words as soon as they were spoken.

     Rei's head snapped up, anger evident on her features.  But whatever 
she was about to say was interrupted by screams from outside the 
building.

                                   *****

     Clark took a deep breath and again tried to wipe the sweat off his 
brow.  It was shaping up to be a scorcher today and he was glad he could 
get outside for some fresh air at lunch time.  Oh, Tsunami had air-
conditioning, but with so many students going in and out it didn't seem 
to do much good.  In fact, all the people made him feel almost 
claustrophobic.

     The students greeted him as he passed, though some were obviously 
uncomfortable with him being a "gaijin."  It was part of their cultural 
baggage, he knew, and he tried to put them at ease as much as he could 
by mastering Japanese etiquette.  It wasn't enough for some of them, 
however, and probably never would.

     Well, that may be, he thought, but some of them are trying.  And as 
for those who don't... well, they'll respect me as a teacher at least, 
or I'll see them before Vice-Principal Yamamoto.  Clark smiled.  The 
Vice-Principal was, in his opinion, the product of watching too many war 
films, but his lectures did have an excellent effect on students.  None 
of them ever wanted to sit through a second one.

     He grinned at the thought in a most un-teacher-like way and then 
looked down at the bag he was carrying.  He grin vanished, replaced by a 
thoughtful expression.  The object inside the bag was very strange, and 
the way he had acquired it was even stranger.

                                   *****

     Clark frowned in concentration as he graded the latest homework 
from his classes.  The students were improving, but not as much as he'd 
hoped.  Still, any improvement was welcome, as long as they were 
learning.  Even in a society which emphasized education as it did in 
Japan, he could only push so hard.

     His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.  Deciding 
that grading could wait for a bit, he put his pen down.  He made a 
mental note to review cell division before the test.  The students still 
had difficulty distinguishing between mitosis and meiosis.

     "Come in,"  he said.

     A man in his mid-fifties entered carrying some sort of largish bag.  
Most of his hair was rapidly retreating from his scalp, and what 
remained was a crown of salt-and-pepper.  His lined, gaunt face 
brightened into a smile.

     "Are you Clark Maguson?"  he asked in English.

     "That would be me,"  he confirmed, also in English.  He rose from 
his desk and offered the older man his hand.

     "I'm Arthur Turnay, attorney at law.  You'll have to forgive the 
name; my parents had a vicious sense of humor."

     "I can understand that.  You'll have to imagine the number of 
'Superman' jokes thrown my way in the last few years."

     "May I come in?  I have something that your parents wished to give 
you."

     "Eric and Wanda?  Why didn't they just--"

     "No, Mr. Maguson.  Your REAL parents."

     Silence reigned for an awkward moment.

     "Have a seat."  Clark gestured to a nearby couch, swallowing 
slightly.  "You were saying?"

     "Ah, yes, well..."  It was then that the teacher finally noticed 
the carefully-wrapped bundle that Arthur was carrying.  "Your real 
parents expressed their wish to give you this upon your twenty-first 
birthday."

     "I'm twenty-five now."  Clark pointed out.

     "Yes, and I daresay that you've given me a few ulcers before my 
time.  You and your foster parents were INCREDIBLY hard to track down.  
It was only a few months ago that I had any idea which hemisphere you 
were in."

     "What were they like?"

     "Hm?"

     "My parents."

     Arthur smiled at the memories.  "Marie was kind, gentle, and 
wouldn't hurt a soul.  She was quite into that mystical mumbo-jumbo... 
palm readings, numerology, whatever.  Bernard was strong, a bit 
boisterous at times, but with a good heart."

     "What happened?"

     The attorney sighed.  "Car accident.  You were scarcely a week old 
when it happened.  I arranged for the orphanage, made sure that the 
right couple took care of you.  This is my final duty to your parents."

     The bundle was placed on the desk and unzipped.  Inside was a 
largish sword covered in strange, rune-like symbols.  It was about four 
and a half feet long, not including the hilt, and was most definitely 
illegal anywhere in Japan.  It was somewhat more slender than a typical 
broadsword, but with more substance to it than a saber.  

     "A sword?" Clark looked at in surprise.  Since coming to Japan he 
had made something of a study of swords since there were so many 
beautiful examples of the craft in the country.  This one took his 
breath away, however.  His hands hovered over it, almost afraid to touch 
it.  He almost expected to have it disappear if he did touch it, the 
dream disturbed.

     "Your father wanted you to have this when you were older.  Seems 
this is a family heirloom that's been passed down.  I'm told that it's 
at least several hundred years old, but nobody I know can figure out 
exactly HOW old." Arthur explained.  "They didn't have much of an 
estate... most of it went to pay for the funeral arrangements."  The 
older man stopped suddenly.  "Sorry, I've been a lawyer too long, I 
think."

     Clark gently picked up the sword, testing the weight, barely 
listening to Arthur.  Even though Arthur implied that this was rather 
old, the blade looked almost brand new, with only a few nicks marring 
the edge.  It felt...right.  It was like finding a piece of himself that 
he didn't even know he'd lost.

     "Going to knight someone with that?"

     Arthur's voice jolted him out of his reverie.  With exaggerated 
care, he put the sword back on his desk.  "No, I--hold on.  These 
markings...they look very familiar."

     "I didn't know you were an archaeologist."  the lawyer commented.

     "'Know that Quietus may only be used for good and in defense of the 
Seven Virtues.'"  Clark read out.

     "'Quietus?'"  Arthur asked, more than a little astonished.  "Is 
that the name of the sword?"

     "I think so.  There's more..."  the teacher cautiously ran a finger 
above the blade.  "'These souls have proven worthy:  Ralarus, Celand, 
Thurel, Baratus, and...' funny, I can't make out the last one...'"

     "Don't feel bad about it.  I've taken it to every linguist and 
archaeologist I know, and they haven't been able to GUESS at what it 
said.  You've just figured it out in five minutes.  Where did you learn 
those runes?"

     "I wish I could explain it, but I can't.  I just...I just KNOW, 
that's all.  I don't understand why or how, but I obviously can."  He 
looked over the blade again.  It seemed so familiar to him, in weight, 
balance, and feel.  It was an eerily deja vu-like feeling.

     "Are you all right?" Arthur asked after a moment.

     The teacher snapped out of his reverie.  "Hm?  Oh.  I'm...I'm fine.  
It's just...well...it's like I've found a piece of myself."

     "I can't imagine how a piece of you would be linked to an old sword 
like this."  Arthur commented.

     "I've seen myself wielding this sword in my dreams."

     "Some Freudian psychologists I know of would have a field day with 
that statement."  Arthur joked.  Then he looked serious, "Though I 
remember Mari mentioning something like that, when she was pregnant with 
you...."

     "What?"

     The attorney shrugged.  "Nothing.  I can't remember it right now, 
but if you can put up with an old man's ramblings, I'd like to take you 
out for a beer and we can talk some more about your parents."

     Clark put Quietus back in its case.  "I'd like that," he said.  
"I'd like that a whole lot."

                                   *****

     Clark was going to show the sword to Udaigaku-sensei after school.  
The old man was eccentric, but he was also an expert on antiquities.  
Maybe he could shed some light on the blade's runes... runes Clark had 
never seen before yet at the same time knew intimately.

     He shouldn't be carrying it with him around the school, but it was 
obviously old and rare, so he felt nervous whenever it left his sight.  
Also, it felt somehow right for the sword to be by his side.  He had 
even been tempted to wear the scabbard, but had stopped himself.  That 
would have been just too silly, he thought.  Clark Maguson, Samurai 
Teacher.  Of course, he thought with a chuckle, they say the pen is 
mightier than the sword... but I'll believe that when I see a pen as big 
as this sword.

     He found a nice shady tree that currently wasn't surrounded by 
students and sat down.  He took a deep breath, listened to the birds, 
closed his eyes, and settled down to a nice little nap to rejuvenate him 
for his afternoon classes.

     Then the screams began, of course.

                                   *****

     "The princess goes HERE?" Hecate asked in amazement.

     "Mother--" Luna began.

     "Luna, what were you thinking?  A princess does not mix with the 
common rabble."

     "Usagi is not a princess in this life, mother," Luna said with a 
sigh.

     "What does THAT have to do with anything?  Breeding shows," Hecate 
replied with a flip of her tail.

     "Luna!"  Artemis bounded up.  "Good thing you're here... Minako--"  
He stopped upon seeing Hecate.  "Um..."

     Hecate glared at Artemis.  "So, the mongrel  who besmirched my 
daughter's honor shows himself."

     "Y-your majesty!" Artemis stammered.  "You're, um, looking well."

     "You rarely saw me before you left Venus, Artemis, so how would YOU 
know?  As I recall, you were more interested in ingratiating yourself 
with Senshi Venus and her line.  Why she favored you over so many other, 
more suitable, cats is beyond me."

     "Your majesty, it was with your permission that I took my position 
at the Moon Kingdom..."

     "Hah!  It was only because your mother asked me to look after you, 
her bastard boy,"  Artemis flinched, "that I included you in the running 
for Senshi Venus's advisor.  How you got yourself picked is simply 
beyond me."

     Artemis tried to meet Hecate's gaze as the memories came back.  He 
always knew his memories of the Silver Millennium were suspect, but he 
hadn't realized how much self-aggrandizement had gone into it.  He had 
played the happy-go-lucky fool for Senshi Venus and she had taken pity 
on him in selecting him as her advisor.  His service had repaid her 
trust, but that did not erase his hard-scrabble roots, the bastard of a 
noble with no idea as to his father's identity... and he dared to love 
the princess of his kind.

     "Mother, that's enough!" Luna snapped.

     Hecate raised an eyebrow at Luna, but Artemis spoke before the 
Queen of Cats could.

     "It's alright, Luna-chan," he said, stressing the endearment.  
"She's right.  I am just a bastard who's gotten above himself... I don't 
deserve you."

     Hecate looked smug.  "It's about time you realized it, Artemis."

     "But," Artemis said almost immediately, "I thank my stars every day 
for your love and I hope to one day convince myself and others," he 
said, glaring at Hecate, "that I AM worthy of it."

     Hecate worked her mouth, but no sounds came out.  She had not been 
so challenged in millennia... and by such an ignoble upstart!

     Artemis turned his back on his Queen and left Luna with her mother.

     Luna watched him go, feeling prouder of him than she could ever 
remember.  Then she looked at Hecate.

     "Until you came here, mother, I didn't remember you.  All I could 
recall was a feeling of love, security, and happiness when I thought of 
my mother."  Her eyes met Hecate's own.  "Now I wonder who I was 
remembering... because it does not seem to have been you."

     With that, Luna stalked off after Artemis, leaving the Queen of 
Cats feeling very old.

                                   *****

     "No good rat-fink, motherless, no-good--"

     "You said no good twice," Steven ventured.  He and Makoto were a 
captive audience now, listening to Minako call down every curse she knew 
on elves.  They had gotten somewhat imaginative for a while, but Minako 
was beginning to run out of inspiration.

     Minako pouted.  "I don't see why they would give me a useless 
talisman," she grumped.  "I'm Sailor Venus after all!  I should be out 
there right now, using the Bow to punish evil-doers in the name of 
Venus!"  She struck a heroic pose, aiming the bow at an imaginary 
monster.  "I'd zap them, like this!"

     She mimed drawing the bowstring.  At that moment, silver energy 
flared between the ends of the Bow, forming a string and arrow.  Minako 
yelped and let go of the "string," sending the arrow flying through the 
bushes and into the school yard proper.  Steven and Makoto rushed over 
to see a sandy-haired boy wearing gold-rimmed glasses fall over, 
clutching his chest with one hand, a soft drink in the other.

     There was no blood or wound.  The arrow had disappeared as it hit, 
apparently.  The boy got up almost instantly, a little woozy, but none 
the worse for wear, apparently.  Then he looked confusedly at the drink 
in his hand.

     "I LOVE YOU, DR PEPPER!" he exclaimed suddenly, holding it close.  
"Everyone, I LOVE Dr. Pepper!" he shouted, dancing around with the 
object of his desire.  Everyone else looked at him like he was nuts.  
Everyone except Minako.

     She ducked back behind some bushes and began to cackle.  "Now I AM 
the Goddess of Love!" she exclaimed.

     "I suddenly have a BAD feeling about this," Steven said.

     He regretted speaking almost as soon as the words were out, for 
Minako turned her attention to him.  "Oh, Steven," she crooned.

     "Um, yes, Mina-chan?"

     "I think we need to test this thing more thoroughly," she said, 
caressing the Bow lovingly.

     Steven looked at her in horror... then bolted.

     "Hey!  Get back here!" Minako complained.  In a blink of an eye, 
she had her henshin stick out.  "Venus Star Power!" she exclaimed, 
transforming to Sailor Venus.  "Steven!" she cried, letting loose an 
arrow after him.  Then she was gone, plowing through the bushes like a 
woman possessed.

     Makoto watched this all in stunned silence, then let out a small 
sigh of relief.  Then she looked after the two with concern.  I better 
get after her, she thought, reaching for her own henshin stick.

     A rustling in the bushes stopped her.  "Who's there?" she cried.

     A strange boy in a black uniform came out of the bushes, clutching 
his chest.  "I was shot...?" he murmured, not yet really aware of 
Makoto.

     "Uhoh," Makoto said.  That got the boy's attention.  His eyes 
seemed to glaze over almost instantly.  Makoto had a sinking sensation 
she knew what he had been shot with.

     "What a beauty," he breathed, looking at her closely.  Makoto felt 
like he was a butterfly collector and she was a specimen he wanted to 
pin to a display.  It was not a good feeling.  "You will return with me 
to Avalon, my love, to know pleasures you have never before imagined."

     Makoto didn't care for THAT at all.  "Forget it buster!" she said, 
getting to her feet.  "I'm not going anywhere with you."

     "So, the lovely one sets her will against that of Axok'zan?  She 
has courage."  He changed before her eyes, gaining pointed ears and 
golden eyes.  And, Makoto noticed, a very wicked looking sword.

     "Let me make your options clear," he said.  "You will either 
accompany me as my bride... or as my trophy, human."

     People were beginning to scream in the school yard, probably 
because of Minako.  Looking at the glittering edge of Axok'zan's blade, 
Makoto wanted to join them.

                                   *****

     Vice Principal Yamamoto's head snapped up as the screaming began in 
the school yard.  Looking out his window, he was startled to see 
students running around, apparently being chased by one of the Sailor 
Senshi he had heard so much about.  Another monster attack, no doubt.  
Picking up his phone, he dialed the Principal's office with calm self-
assurance.

     "Principal's Office," Yuriko said after one ring.

     "Yuriko-san, it would seem there is some sort of disturbance in the 
school yard.  Is the principal taking any action?"

     "I'm afraid he's not available at the moment.  Would you like me to 
take a message?"

     "No, that's quite all right," Yamamoto said, grinding his teeth 
together.  "I will deal with this matter."

     "Okay, I'll leave him a note," Yuriko said brightly.

     Slowly, Yamamoto placed the receiver on its hook, resisting the 
urge to slam it down.  Then he turned around and reverently took his 
katana out of its display.

     "Now these students will learn the TRUE meaning of discipline," the 
educator said, holding his sword aloft.

                                   *****

     Rei and Michiru ran to a supply closet and drew out their henshin 
sticks.

     "What do you think it is?" Michiru asked.  "Youma or the Zodiac?"

     "I don't sense any evil," Rei said, "but I may need to get closer 
to be certain.  What about your mirror?"

     Michiru drew it out and held it before her.  She stared at its 
surface intently for a moment.  "I see Venus," she said at last.  "She 
seems to be chasing something with a bow that fires magical arrows."

     "Great," Rei groused.  "She must have gotten her talisman and is 
going nuts with it."  She held her henshin stick up.  "Mars Crystal 
Power, Make Up!" she said, transforming to Super Sailor Mars.

     "Neptune Planet Power, Make Up!" Michiru cried, transforming to 
Sailor Neptune.  Together, they ran out into the hallway and jumped out 
the second story window to the school yard below.

     Everything was pandemonium.  Students were running everywhere, 
those that weren't busy making out with each other.  It was equal parts 
panic and lust and the sight stopped the two Sailors in their tracks.

     "What in Neptune's name?"

     "Love magic," Mars said.  "What idiot would give MINAKO access to 
love magic?"

     "Ah, Senshi Mars, Senshi Neptune," came a voice.  "They looked over 
in surprise at the man approaching through the screaming crowd.  "I am 
Lord Eien of Avalon," he said, giving a full and courteous bow.  "Do 
either of you know where I can find Senshi Pluto?"

     "You're an elf?" Mars asked.

     "But of course."

     "Then YOU'RE responsible for this?"

     Before Eien could respond, Steven ran by.

     "HELP!  HELP!" he screamed, not stopping as he ran between the 
Sailors and Eien.  Eien saw this and gave a yelp, running after Steven.  
Mars turned to look after them, while Nepune turned to look the other 
way, the direction Steven had come from.

     The twang of a bowstring being loosed came.  A silver arrow slammed 
into Mars's back, came out her chest and shot into Neptune's chest.  The 
two nearly fell from the shock, then looked up... and their eyes met.

                                   *****

     Makoto glared fiercely at Axok'zan but made no move against him.  
His sword was held at ready and he seemed sure that he could kill her 
before she could do anything against him.  She didn't feel like testing 
that assumption at the moment, but if the odds changed....

     "Now," he said, "let me look at you.  Turn around."

     She did not move.

     The sword's point now rested lightly over her heart.  "Turn," he 
ordered, slowly pulling the sword back.

     Scowling, she did so.

     "Lovely," he breathed.  "Take off your blouse."

     "No," she growled.

     The edge of the sword was placed instantly against her throat.  She 
could feel its razor edge prickling her skin.  "Strip," he ordered in 
the same manner as before.

     "I'd rather die."

     "Such spirit," he mocked.  Then his sword flashed in the sun.

     Makoto's blouse fell to the ground in pieces and the sword was back 
at her throat before she could blink.

     "My affinities are speed and stealth, little one," Axok'zan said.  
"Your anger amounts to nothing before my skill."  The sword flashed 
again and her skirt fluttered to the ground, leaving her clad only in 
her underwear.  "Nice," he commented, looking her over.  "You will breed 
well."

     Makoto's fists clenched, but another voice spoke before she did 
anything rash.

     "Hey!  What are you doing--ulp!" Clark said, coming upon the scene.  
The teacher had tried to take a shortcut to the screaming and gotten 
turned around somehow.  Then he had seen Makoto being accosted by some 
boy.  Closer observation showed that things were even stranger than he 
thought.  Pointed ears?  A sword?

     The sword in question swung toward Clark like lightning--

     --to be blocked by Quietus.

     Clark looked in amazement at his parents' sword.It had been in its 
bag a moment ago, tied in its sheath.  Now it was in his hand, bared, 
and the unreadable symbol was glowing with the light of the sun.

     Axok'zan's eyes narrowed.  "So you have some skill.  Are you this 
little one's protector?"

     "Run sensei!" Makoto screamed.  She charged the elf.  Magic sword 
or not, there was no way her English teacher could face this guy.  If 
only she had time to transform--

     "Freeze," the elf ordered.  Makoto found her muscles locking in 
mid-step.  She toppled to the ground like a statue.

     "What did you do to her?" Clark demanded, outrage overcoming his 
shock and fear.  That was one of HIS students there.

     "She is unhurt," Axok'zan laughed.  "It would not do for the prize 
to interfere with our duel."

     "Duel?"  Now panic began to overtake outrage again.

     "It is rare that I, Axok'zan of Avalon, find someone capable of 
blocking my sword.  I will not let this opportunity pass."

     Clark backed away slowly, holding Quietus before him.  True, he 
practiced Kendo, but he was nowhere near as good as this man--elf, he 
corrected himself--claimed.

     Still, he found himself automatically taking an en garde 
position... and not one he was familiar with.  It felt perfect for 
Quietus's weight and balance, however.

     "I respect your competitive spirit," Clark said with false bravado, 
"but she is one of my students.  I will NEVER allow you to hurt her.  
This I swear by the Seven Virtues."  Where did THAT come from? he 
wondered.

     Axok'zan looked surprised.  "You are more than you seem, teacher," 
he said a little less mockingly and taking a ready stance.  "Let us 
begin."

                                   *****

     Pluto stepped out into the school yard and sighed.  The look on her 
face was that of a woman facing an onerous task.

     Said task became obvious a moment later as Lord Eien turned a 
corner.

     "Finally lost her," he said before spotting Pluto.  "Pluto-chan!" 
he exclaimed.

     "Lord Eien," she said neutrally.

     He ran to her side and bowed courteously.  "It has been too long 
since your loveliness has graced Avalon, my dear," he said.

     "I have had my reasons," she said.

     "Let me take you there now.  You will see such sights--"

     "I am more concerned with the sights before me now," she said, 
indicating the chaotic school yard.

     "Ah... just a bit of harmless fun," Eien said, twitching slightly.

     Pluto's eyes narrowed.  "This is more than Minako's usual manic 
behavior, then.  What did you do?"

     "Um... we bound a chaos spirit to the Bow.  Seeing how she deals 
with it was considered to be a good test for the Senshi of Venus."

     "Oh, well done.  Are you pleased with the results of your 'test?'" 
she asked sarcastically.

     "Please, Pluto-chan, you must believe me, I had nothing--well, very 
little--to do with the test.  It was the elders who--"

     Pluto looked at him and suddenly smiled.  The smile made him feel 
like his brain was melting.

     "It's okay," she purred, stepping close and wrapping her arms 
around him.  He was suddenly aware of how short and tight her dress-suit 
was and looking down he got an impressive display of cleavage.  "I like 
chaos," she whispered in his ear before giving it a little nibble.  "It 
gets me so hot...."

     "P-P-P-Pluto-chan!" Eien stuttered.  He had dreamed of this for so 
long and it was better than he had imagined!  And she had barely done 
anything yet!

     He was so besotted with Pluto's embrace that he never heard someone 
run by screaming for help, or the twang of a bowstring,  He did feel 
Pluto's hands tighten on his head and twist his head to one side just as 
something hit him in the ribs.

     There she was, a blonde vision of beauty in orange and white.  She 
was a huntress, swift and graceful in her movements as a unicorn.  How 
could he have passed this beauty over for Pluto?  Oh, the Senshi of Time 
was pretty, but his feelings for Venus were so much stronger.  THIS was 
true love.  All that had gone before was mere infatuation.

     "Excuse me, Lady Pluto," he said, trying to extricate himself from 
her grip.

     Pluto began to rub her body against his.  "Don't go.  I want you to 
come with me," she purred enticingly, running her hands up and down his 
back.

     Already his huntress was a distant figure.  He must go before he 
lost her, but this... harpy insisted on forcing her attentions on him!

     "Let me go, woman!" he roared.

     She stopped cold.  "I thought you wanted me," she said in despair.

     "I do not!" he declared.  "My heart now is only for the lovely 
Venus!  Now let me go!"

     Her arms tightened around him instead, pressing her bountiful chest 
against his.  "I'll take your mind off her," she whispered, kissing his 
neck.  "Take me now, in the school, behind a tree, wherever you want..."

     "By blood and bone, woman, I do not want you!  I swear by my honor, 
my House, my line, the Seven Virtues and my hope of rebirth that I want 
nothing to do with you, now or ever!  Let me go!"

     Tears brimming in her eyes, Pluto released him.  He ran off after 
Venus with nary a look back.

     After a moment, Pluto grinned.  "Sucker," she said mischievously 
and with relief in her voice.

                                   *****

     Mars felt herself drowning in Neptune's eyes.  She could not, would 
not look away.  How could she have been so blind to this beauty before 
her?

     Neptune likewise could not stop looking at Mars.  That long black 
hair, her beautiful face, those long, sexy legs... "Beautiful," she 
whispered.

     The word seemed to break their paralysis and they were in each 
others arms, their tongues exploring  each others mouths, their hands 
wandering over each others bodies.

     "Michiru-chan," whispered Mars lovingly between kisses.  How could 
she have been angry with this aqua-haired goddess?  She must have been 
pushing her away, like--

     "Rei-chan," Neptune replied, running her fingers through Mars's 
silky black hair.  It was so long and beautiful, different from--

     "Haruka!" she gasped.

     "Usagi!" Mars cried out at the same time.  "Mamoru!"

     The spell was broken.  The desire was still there, but it paled now 
beside the power of true love.

     "This is wrong," Neptune said, tearing her gaze away from Mars.  
Oh, how she wanted to kiss those lips!

     "Yes," Mars said, gritting her teeth.  Even now, she wanted Neptune 
in her arms.  Only one thing to do.  " Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, 
retsu, sai, zen.  Akuryou taisan!" she chanted, producing an ofuda.

     The ward flared and then even the desire was gone.

     "That... that was not fun," Neptune said.

     "I am going to rip out Minako's heart and feed it to the Sacred 
Fire," Mars said hotly.

     Neptune looked over at Mars.  "'Usagi?'" she asked.

     Mars turned red and opened her mouth to deny it... then turned 
away.  "It's not like that," she said quietly.  "It cannot EVER be like 
that.  She is for Him... and He is for Her.  Maybe in some other world, 
in some infinite future it could be, but I would never be worthy of--I 
would never jeopardize their love, ever."

     "Does she know?" Neptune asked sadly.

     Mars looked at her, both despairing and fiercely proud.  "When has 
she ever NOT known the heart of another?"

     Screams came from the direction of the gym.

     "Minako," Mars groaned.

     "We better stop her," Neptune said.  "And Mars... I won't tell 
anyone."

     Mars was silent for a moment, then gave a curt nod and ran towards 
the gym, followed closely by Neptune.

     After they left, Hibino Hikaru climbed down out of a nearby tree, 
holding her camcorder with awe.  She didn't think the mike had picked up 
much, but she had FINALLY gotten footage of the Sailor Senshi... and 
what footage!  She was going to be famous!

                                   *****

     Venus pouted as she tried again to hit Steven with a love arrow.  
If only he would stop dodging like that!  He was making things so 
difficult.

     Still, the Bow was so cool!  She had found that she could vary the 
intensity of the love produced by her arrows, send them bouncing off 
walls toward their targets, and hit almost anything.

     Except Steven, that is.  By her count, she had hit almost 50 
people, including Mars and Neptune.  She giggled at the thought.  Boy, 
were Haruka and Usagi going to be mad!

     Usagi, the Princess....

     Slowly she looked around.  Something wasn't right.

     No, everything was perfect!  She just had to hit Steven and....

     Had she really shot all those people and made them fall in love--
no, lust--like that?  She was Sailor Venus, Senshi of Love and Beauty.  
How could she have done such a thing?

     It was her duty to spread love by any means.  Love, love, love!

     That's not my thought," Venus whispered to herself.

     Yes, it is!

     No!  She was Sailor Venus, and she was the champion of love, not a 
corrupter of it.

     What does it matter where the love comes from?  Love is love.

     No, she thought, certain now the other thoughts were not her own.  
She spoke aloud to separate her thoughts from its voice.

     "Love is different for everyone.  It can be a fire, burning out in 
a blaze of glory, or a candle, lit against the darkness.  It can be like 
the Sun, giving warmth and light without asking anything in return.  
Yes, it can burn and scar, but it can also heal and nourish.  In the 
name of love, I cannot let this travesty continue!"

     Love is a trick of nature, aimed at perpetuating the species.  It 
is a sham, instinct overriding intellect.  It is random, capricious, 
uncaring.  It is chaos!

     Minako dropped the Bow like it was a snake... and a snake it 
became, with iridescent, scintillating scales and eyes of fire.  It 
began to grow in size as she watched.

     "DauGHteR oF cHaOS, yOu wOULd StaND aGainSt mE?" it said in a voice 
that varied widely in tone and pitch every second.

     "Monster!  Love is a special emotion for young people.  I will not 
allow you to pervert it!  In the name of Venus, I will punish you!"

     "tHE sEeDs Of CHaoS wERe In You dAugHteR.  thIs iS tHe FRuIt."

     "I never wanted this!"

     The serpent, now the size of a mid-sized car, hissed menacingly.  
"oRdER NOw ruLes YoU.  wE CAnnOT tOUCh YOur ChaOs.  BUt iT Is tHEre."

     "Die!  CRESCENT BEAM!"

     The beam of energy struck the serpent's scales and scattered 
harmlessly.

     "AtTAcK iS hoT, LIGhT.  CHaOs Is, HArm US noT."

     "Now you tell me," Venus groused.

     The serpent lunged at her and she was barely able to leap away in 
time.  It's head gouged a large crater in the earth and it was still 
getting larger!

     "cHaos sPreAds, daUgHteR... MAkES us sTroNG."

     I need more power, Venus thought desperately.  Then she remembered 
something Ami had said about her adventure at Mercury, how she had 
gotten her Super transformation.  Rei had found her Super form as well, 
back when the Gibberlings had attacked.  No words were coming to her 
mind, but she had to try it.  "Venus Crystal Power, Make Up!"

     Light swirled around her as she transformed into Super Sailor 
Venus.  Her usually orange skirt was white with yellow and orange bands 
on the hem and a belt marked with the symbol of her planet,  The power 
flowed through her...

     And then the bottom fell out of her mind.  It was too much for her 
to handle.  She wasn't ready for the power yet.  For the first time, she 
was conscious of her past life awake in her mind as Inanna tried to take 
control.  The Venus of the Silver Millennium knew how to handle this 
power and tried to act accordingly while Minako panicked.  But they were 
too similar, too alike.  Neither could tell whose thoughts belonged to 
whom and total chaos was the result.

     Through the madness, Venus heard the Serpent laugh.  "LovELy CHaOs, 
it RuLEs yoU noW."

     Minako and Inanna both united now and shut down the Super 
transformation.  In time, she would be ready for it, but not now.  The 
chaos receded and Inanna quieted.  At that moment, the serpent struck, 
wrapping her in its coils.

     "NoW tO fEaST!"

     "Hold, monster!"

     The serpent recoiled, screaming in agony as a katana sliced into 
its side.  Venus scrambled free as its grip loosened and ran out of 
range before looking at her rescuer....

     Vice Principal Yamamoto?

     "No monsters will interrupt these halls of learning!  Face my 
wrath!" Yamamoto cried.

     "CUrSEd OrDER!" the serpent screamed.  There was almost no chaos in 
this man.  His thoughts were orderly and regimented, meticulously 
organized.  That made him anathema to the chaos spirit.  "YOu PlaNNeD 
tHiS, DauGHter!"

     "Of course!" Venus exclaimed confidently.

     "FLee wE MUsT, BUt RemEMBer We SHaLl!"

     The serpent began to shrink, screaming again as Yamamoto struck at 
it with his sword.  Soon the Bow of Avalon fell to the ground, 
surrounded by a whirling cloud of light that shot into the air and fled 
as fast as it could.

     "Ha!" Yamamoto cried.  "Victory is mine!"  He felt flushed with his 
victory.  Let those morons in the Ministry of Education try to belittle 
his discipline now!

     "Thanks, sensei!" Venus cried, grabbing the Bow.  "I've got to put 
all this right now..."  

     Yamamoto nodded to her, then spotted two students making out.  
"Hey!  You!"  Yamamoto exclaimed, pointing his sword at them.  "Come 
here!  I want to talk to you!"  The students bolted on seeing the Vice 
Principal bearing down on them waving a sword

     Venus held the Bow above her head and called to Inanna in her mind.  
Inanna awoke and, sensing what Minako wanted, supplied the knowledge and 
experience she needed.

     The Bow was drawn back and a huge arrow shot up into the air.  High 
over the school, it exploded into a hundred streaks of light the came 
down like Venus's Crescent Beam Shower.  Each streak hit one of her 
victims, erasing the false love from their hearts.  Soon the sounds of 
shrieks and hands slapping cheeks filled the air.

     "Ah, am I good or what?" Venus said with a smug grin.

     "Excuse us," came a voice as cold as ice.  "Could we have a word, 
Venus?"

     Venus turned around and saw a very, very angry Mars and Neptune 
glaring at her.

     "Um, hi guys... I can explain..."

                                   *****

     Clark blocked another of Axok'zan's strikes and tried to catch his 
breath.  The elf's attacks had come fast and furiously, pressing the 
teacher's skill to its utmost, even with Quietus helping to guide his 
hand.

     "You are better than I expected," Axok'zan said with a smile.  "But 
not good enough!" he exclaimed, driving the teacher back so hard that 
Clark slammed into a tree and almost had the breath knocked out of him.

     "I'm not finished yet," Clark exclaimed, trying to put as much 
bravado as he could into his words.  In truth, he was beaten.  Axok'zan 
had him beat in speed, strength, and skill.  But with Quietus's help, 
Clark could draw the fight out... maybe long enough for Makoto to throw 
off whatever this bastard had done to her and get away!

     Makoto lay face down on the ground, cursing her helplessness.  Some 
warrior I've turned out to be, she thought morosely.  Stopped with a 
word.  I bet Ami would have found a way to beat this guy by now with her 
brains, or Rei would have some special spiritual trick that would help 
her break free.  What do I have?  Nothing.

     But, as she watch Clark fight desperately against the elf, a new 
emotion surged against her depression.  She WOULD find a way to defeat 
this bastard's spell, she thought.  She would help her sensei before he 
got skewered.  He may be the biggest jerk of all time, but she wasn't 
about to let him get hurt saving her.  She'd never live it down!  She 
gathered her will.  She was going to move.  She was not some prize to be 
fought over.  She was a Sailor Senshi and she... WAS... GOING... TO... 
MOVE!!

     Clark tried to hide his exultation as he saw Makoto sit up 
suddenly.  It would be a bad thing for Axok'zan to notice her now.  Run, 
Makoto! he urged silently, drawing on all his reserves to distract 
Axok'zan.  And, to his surprise, he actually managed to drive the 
smirking elf back, forcing him to concentrate on Clark.

     Great, Clark thought, now he's going to get serious!

     But before the elf could strike, a large rock was smashed against 
his head.  His eyes crossed in bewilderment, and then he slowly slumped 
to the ground.  Standing over him, like a a Boris Valejo painting 
(except in plain underwear rather than chain mail) stood Makoto.

     "That'll teach you!" she snarled at the unconscious elf.  She 
raised the rock again.

     "Hey!  He's down.  Don't you think that's uncalled for?" Clark 
said.

     Makoto fixed him with a glare.  "It's no less than he deserves!  
Look what he did to me!" she said, indicating her underclad body.

     Clark tried very hard NOT to look.  "Why did you hit him at all?" 
he asked.  "Why didn't you just run?"

     "I couldn't let him skewer you, you jerk!"

     Now Clark began to lose his temper.  He had almost gotten killed 
and this was his thanks.  "I was keeping him busy so you could get 
away!"

     "Did I ASK you to do that?  I can take care of myself!"  She 
stepped closer to him, practically yell in his face.

     "You were doing a GREAT job!" he snapped back, glaring into her 
vivid green eyes.

     They both opened their moths to yell at each other again... and 
suddenly, she was in his arms and his mouth was pressed against hers in 
a kiss that seemed to go on and on.

     After a while, they stepped back, looking at each other in shock.  
Then, without a word, Makoto grabbed her shredded clothes and ran 
towards the gym.  Clark stood there, looking befuddled.

     Why did I kiss HIM?" Makoto thought as she ran, tears falling from 
her eyes.

     Why did I KISS her? Clark thought, looking at the elf at his feet 
in shock.

                                   *****

     It was a very subdued Minako who sat in the living room of the 
Tomoe house later that night.  All the Sailor Senshi were there, except 
for Hotaru, and they alternated between glaring at Minako and at Eien 
and Axok'zan, who were sitting on the couch and trying not to look 
worried.  The Nightwalkers kept to the corners of the room and were, not 
for the first time, grateful for their ability to be ignored.  Hecate 
sat on the arm of the couch, looking sadly at Luna, who pointedly 
ignored her mother.

     "Now, now," Eien said, trying to calm everyone down.  It didn't 
help that Pluto kept smirking when she looked at him  Freed now of the 
enchantment of the Bow, he could see how she had tricked him, and his 
heart was heavy.  But the oath he had sworn was too binding to break, 
even if it was given in the heat of passion.  "There was no real harm 
done," he said for the umpteenth time.

     "No harm done?" Usagi shrieked.  "Look at what you put Rei and 
Michiru through!"

     "Um, Usagi," Rei sai, blushing.  "You don't have to--"

     "And Mako-chan was almost raped by him!" she said, pointing at 
Axok'zan.

     The wolf-eyed elf merely shrugged.

     "And... wasn't there another one of you?"

     "Lady Dia seems to be missing," Axok'zan.  "Maybe you should ask 
Senshi Mercury about her."

                                   *****

     Ami slowly opened her eyes and squinted at the ceiling above her.  
I'm in my dorm room, she thought.  Then more information became 
available.  I'm in my bed in my dorm room.  I'm NAKED in my bed in my 
dorm room!

     She sat up suddenly, clutching the sheets to her chest.  At her 
computer nearby, Noriko looked up.  "Oh, hi, 'Michan!" she said 
cheerfully.

     Ami looked around the room and shivered.  The room was a mess, with 
clothes and furniture tossed willy-nilly.  Noriko was apparently putting 
her computer back together after some accident.  Ami also noted that her 
roommate was wearing a bathrobe and apparently nothing else.

     "N-noriko..."

     "Your friend was awfully pushy," Noriko said, putting the case back 
on her computer.

     "M-my friend?"

     "Yeah... but I had a lot of fun!" she said, leaning over to give 
Ami a peck on the cheek.  "I'm going to go take a shower now," she said, 
grabbing a towel and her toiletries,  She made a face.  "I'm all 
sweaty."  She smiled at Ami.  "When I get back, we can do something else 
fun, okay?"  With that, she bounced out of the room.

     Ami watched her go, then quietly fainted again.

                                   *****

     Back at the Tomoe household, things were winding down semi-
peacefully.

     "So, Minako-chan passed your test?" Pluto asked.  "She can keep the 
Bow of Avalon?"

     "Of course, of course, Pluto-ch... Lady Pluto," Lord Eien hastened 
to say.

     "Then I think we had best be going," Hecate said.  She paused for a 
moment, then turned to Luna.  "Daughter, will you return with me?"

     Luna turned up her nose and did not acknowledge her mother.

     Hecate sighed.  "Yes, we do seem to have worn out our welcome."

     Usagi looked between Luna and Hecate.  "Luna--" she began.

     Luna got to her feet and stalked out of the room, followed by 
Artemis.

     "I'm sorry, your majesty," Usagi said.  "I'll talk to her."

     "It's my fault," Hecate said.  "I spoke to her as a Queen does to a 
subject, not as a mother to a long-lost daughter.  We will deal with it 
in our own time.  I thank you for your offer, however."

     Axok'zan drew his sword.  "We should be going," he said, ignoring 
the tense looks he got from everyone in the room.  With two swift 
slashes, he tore a rip through space, making a portal to the deck of 
their ship.  With hardly a word, he stepped through.

     "Again, I apologize for all the mess," Lord Eien said, with one 
last regretfully look at Pluto before he and Hecate stepped through the 
portal.

     The Nightwalkers were last, bowing respectfully at the Sailor 
Senshi.  Then the portal snapped shut.

     "Whew!  I thought they'd never leave," Minako exclaimed.

     "Now, Minako," Haruka began, "let's talk."

     Minako gulped.

     At that moment the door banged open to let in Hotaru and an 
ambulatory stack of packages... er, Derith.  "Hi everyone, we're back 
from shopping!" Hotaru exclaimed.  Then she looked at them all.  "What?  
Did we miss anything?

                                   *****

     "Well, that was interesting," Axok'zan said to Eien.

     "Yes, well--Dia!  What happened to you?"

     The third member of their party stepped onto the deck from her 
cabin, one eye blackened and an arm in a sling.  "Athena's girlfriend is 
strong," she said, in tones that made it clear she was not going to 
clarify things any more.  "Do we get to keep the Bow?" she asked.

     "No," Eien said.  "Senshi Venus managed to drive off the chaos 
spirit."

     "I knew the elders' scheme wouldn't work," she said with a sniff.

     "Well, we have other ways of keeping the Bow in elven hands," Eien 
said, "and I think that the current Senshi of Venus has proven well-
suited for one of them, don't you agree?" he asked, holding up a rod 
with arcane runes inscribed along its length.

     The others nodded.

                                   *****

     Minako sighed as she stepped out of her shower.  The others hadn't 
let her go for over an hour.  It's not like it was HER fault that the 
elves had bound a chaos spirit to the bow.  She hoped that Steven would 
speak to her again soon.

     She stepped over to the mirror and wiped the fog off it and tried 
to summon a smile.  Then she took a good look at her face and the smile 
fell away.  She reached up with a trembling hand.

     "Oh, joy," she said, fingering her long pointed ear.

                                   *****

Closing Credits:

     "My road leads me far away."

     We see Nephrite telling Juno that he must go soon for a great 
conflict is about to begin.

     "Though my heart tells me to stay,"

     We see Princess Serenity clinging to a worried looking Endymion.

     "When my duty calls, I must go"

     We see Pluto appearing in the midst of the ballroom at the Diamond 
Gala.

     "'Twixt worlds of fire and worlds of snow."

     We cut to a shot of the solar system, with the nine planets and the 
moon lined up from the Sun at the left to Pluto at the right, with the 
Senshi and Prince Endymion standing on their planets as shadowy figures.

     "The road I travel will be long"

     We see the White Knight galloping down a Tokyo street on horseback.

     "To set things right, to end the wrongs."

     We see Tuxedo Mask tossing a red rose into the barrel of a gun, 
which backfires and explodes.

     "But this message will I send,"

     We see Rei picking up a blue crystal, which starts to play back a 
message.

     "Wait for me at Journey's End."

     We see Naru waiting for someone outside a restaurant.

     "Do not forget the love we share"

     We see Princess Serenity and Endymion tearfully bidding each other 
farewell.

     "Though I must leave, my heart will stay."

     We see Naru crying as Nephrite dissolves away in her arms.

     "Do not think I ceased to care"

     We see Beryl implanting crystals in the foreheads of the four 
Guardians and cackling maniacally.

     "When my duty took me away."

     We see Steven waiting at a restaurant, then sighing as he checks 
his watch.

     "The road I travel will be long"

     We see the Sailors using the Sailor Teleport to travel to the ruins 
of the Moon Kingdom.

     "To set things right, to end the wrongs."

     We see Umino trying to fight a monster in "Tuxedo Umino Kamen" 
mode.

     "But this message will I send,"

     We see Luna trying to use a dial only phone.

     "Wait for me at Journey's End."

     We see Umino leap to his feet as Naru comes running up the sidewalk 
to him with Usagi and company.

     "I have only my heart to give"

     We see Haruka and Michiru sharing a quiet moment.

     "For my life is not my own."

     We see the baby Saturn in a crib.

     "It is for others that I must live"

     We see Pluto having a frustrating time trying to counsel a young 
girl.

     "But it is for you that I come home."

     We see Mamoru following a trail of smoke to Usagi in his kitchen.

     "The road I travel will be long"

     We see Capricorn vanishing through a portal.

     "To set things right, to end the wrongs."

     We see a chamber with stars for a ceiling and a horoscope on the 
floor.  A man stands in grey robes in the center and stares down at the 
horoscope.

     "But this message will I send,"

     We see Usagi listening to a message on the phone, her eyes getting 
big.

     "Wait for me at Journey's End."

     We see a closing tableux of the Sailors, Umino, Naru, Steven, 
Tuxedo Mask, and twelve shadowy figures standing on a Zodiac wheel.

NORIKO SAYS:

Noriko: Today on Sailor Moon Z, we learned...

Ami:  Ack!  You can't talk about that!

Noriko:  But, 'Mi-chan, we--

Ami:  Stop the film!  Stop the film!

[Ami charges the camera, which then tilts crazily and smashes to the 
ground.  After a moment, Usagi peers in the lens.]

Usagi: Just for the record, -I- wasn't the one who interrupted this 
segment this time!

                              The End