SMZ18

     Jadeite gazed across his new obsidian conference table
with a faint feeling of pleasure.  It was shot through with
red quartz veins, veins that seemed to pulse in the light
as if blood or fire flowed through them.

     The table was one of his new innovations.  Seated
around it where his Generals, eight of the most powerful
human-form youma that remained in the Dark Kingdom.  As he
had told his followers, he was not going to hold with the
trappings of Queen Beryl's court.  Her methods -- and
madness -- had led them to defeat and almost total
destruction.  He would not repeat them.

     He looked around the table.  Some would say that
having eight generals -- twice as many as Beryl had -- was
too many, or an infantile attempt to somehow "top" Beryl.
Jadeite had thought long and hard over the Dark Kingdom's
failures, however, and believed that his New Generals were
a solution, not a problem.  Each had strengths and
weaknesses but their roles were carefully chosen to
emphasize their strengths.

     Sitting directly to his right was Amazonite, a red-
haired, muscular beauty in her form-fitting blue uniform
with purple stripes.  She had a striking resemblance to his
old Queen.  That was not why he had chosen her as a
General, no matter what the rumors said.  While no
strategist, she was strong and aggressive, a good front-
line leader and fighter... as long as someone else made the
plans.

     The same could not be said of the General next to her.
Hematite was utterly nondescript, easily forgettable with
his brown hair and brown eyes... even a brown uniform that
seemed to blend into the background.  But behind that bland
exterior were layers of deception and guile.  The perfect
spy.

     Next to him sat Anthracite, a burly, black-haired
youma with a disfiguring scar running across his eye and
into his short beard.  His uniform was black with silver
trim and his power was terror.  A master of psychological
weapons and a skilled torturer, Jadeite kept him on a short
leash.  The scar was a legacy of the long ago battle
against the Crystal Kingdom of Earth, when the young Prince
Endymion had shown who was the more skillful swordsman.
Jadeite knew of his General's lust for revenge.  He dangled
it before him like bait on a hook, using it to keep
Anthracite under control.

     Control was the core of the next man at the table.
Marcasite was pale of skin and hair, with gray eyes and a
gray uniform.  He was passionless and manipulative, a
former student of Nephrite who used the power of the stars
to his own advantage but with none of the fatalism of his
teacher.  Marcasite was also the only General with an
actual victory under his belt, having struck at the Sailors
on a beach trip and destroying Mercury's computer.  It was
because of his abilities that Jadeite had made him one of
his chief strategists.

     Next to him sat the oldest youma any of them had ever
seen.  Magnetite was hunched over, yellow-skinned and
wrinkled, his yellow uniform hanging loosely over his
emaciated form.  His hair was stark white, though short and
mostly covered by a conical cap.  He kept a gnarled wooden
staff -- one of the few pieces of wood left in the Dark
Kingdom -- in his aged hand at all times.  But his dark,
silver-flecked eyes showed that a keen mind still lived
beneath the aged exterior.  Neither a fighter nor a
plotter, Magnetite had served as Beryl's majordomo, and was
perhaps the only one besides Jadeite and Anthracite who
could remember the glories of Atlantis.  Not all youma had
long life spans.  Most were even shorter-lived than humans
unless Metallia had gifted them with her energy.  Magnetite
was one of the exceptions.  Jadeite kept him for his
encyclopedic knowledge of the past and his skill at running
the youma breeding vats.  Sailor Moon's victory had
decimated the Kingdom and Jadeite desperately needed the
troops Magnetite could furnish him.

     Sapphire was sitting next to him, scribbling away on
his crystal pad.  The only other non-fighter in Jadeite's
Generals, the blue-skinned, blue-haired, blue-uniformed
youma was a genius whose droids offered to solve the
Kingdom's manpower shortage... if they could ever work out
the bugs.  He lived in his own little world, Jadeite
thought, with no thoughts for what lay outside it save as
problems to be solved.

     The golden haired youma next to him also lived in his
own world... but if Sapphire lived in a world of windows on
the larger universe, Alexandrite lived in a world of
mirrors.  His looks and vanity matched that of Zoisite,
save for his green eyes and less perverse tastes.  Zoisite
also would never have worn Alexandrite's gaudy green and
gold uniform.  Still, Alexandrite had his uses.  Numerous
rings and baubles glittered on the vain General's body for
Alexandrite was in charge of the Artificers, the engineer
youma who built the magical machines and weapons Sapphire
devised.  Jadeite had his own opinion of those who depended
overmuch on tools, but Alexandrite's skill made him
useful... for now.

     The last General, sitting at Jadeite's left, was
perhaps the most flamboyant of them all.  With a ruby-red
uniform with gold piping, and copper-hued hair, Pyroxenite
seemed to embody fire... and like fire he could burn out of
control if not watched carefully.  Madness and anarchy
lurked behind the youma's blood-red eyes, but it was a
cunning madness that Jadeite could use... and whose
unpredictability made him a useful trump against the plots
of the other Generals.  Jadeite's power could keep
Pyroxenite on a short leash... but the other Generals'
could not.  While Pyroxenite hated humans with a rabid
intensity, he seemed not to mind if a few -- or all --
youma had to be killed along the way as well.

     The New Generals were not his equals, of course.  No,
everyone understood where the balance of power lay.  But
here, at this table, safe from the eyes of their followers,
Jadeite allowed open discussion.  The Generals could even
tell him to his face he was wrong.  Even more incredible,
Jadeite made himself listen to them and accept the fact
that occasionally -- only occasionally, though -- they were
right.  Once he reached a decision, however, Jadeite had
made it very clear that there was to be no dissension where
the rank and file could hear.

     Queen Beryl had it easy, Jadeite mused.  She never had
to worry about morale and desertions... at least no more
than how to get the most sport out of torturing the
deserters.  That always seemed to raise morale, too.

     He shook his head.  He could ill afford the
desertions, though he had a plan for how they could be used
to his advantage.  Killing his own troops 'pour encourager
les autres' was definitely out of the question.

     Shaking himself out of his reverie, Jadeite turned to
his master spy.  "Have you had any luck confirming the
existence of these 'Elder Senshi,' Hematite?"

     The Dark Kingdom's last operation had been a major
one, an attempt to overwhelm the Sailors through brute
force and teamwork.  The cost in energy had been
atrociously high, and in the end Amazonite had only been
able to return with one third of her troops... all because
ANOTHER set of Senshi had appeared to thwart them.  Some of
the youma had even said that the Generals -- Nephrite,
Kunzite, Zoisite, and even himself, Jadeite -- had fought
along side these new Senshi.  Amazonite claimed to have
fought the false Kunzite herself.

     The master spy smiled nervously.  "No, sir.  We've
seen no sign of them at all since that night."

     Amazonite glared at Hematite.  He gave her a little
smug smile that made her blood boil.

     "They have not appeared at any of the droid attacks?"

     "No, sir, but the regular Senshi proved more than
adequate to defeat our current crop of droids... perhaps
these 'Elder Senshi' only choose to emerge when the need is
great?"

     Jadeite considered this.  "Hmm.  Does anyone else have
anything to contribute?"

     Marcasite's cold voice slithered across the room.  "I
have been observing the latest batch of droids, Lord
Jadeite," the silver-haired General said. "Their abilities
are limited, compared to a youma, but I think that we can
use them to draw out these 'Elder Senshi.'"  He laid out
his plan, point by point, then leaned back to observe their
reactions.

     Magnetite was already shaking his gnome-like head.
"The energy costs will nearly drain us dry," he protested.

     "The droids' ability to channel energy into the Dark
Crystals as they drain it will help us cover the cost, even
if they are all destroyed.  And they will all be destroyed
only if the 'Elder Senshi' DO exist."

     "If we're going to use this plan, why not just use the
Gibberlings again?" Anthracite said.  He had been in charge
of the Gibberlings during their invasion of Earth.  A
master of fear, he enjoyed using the repulsive creatures to
engender fear in others.

     Marcasite allowed himself a cold little smile.  "We
could use them, of course... if we wanted to see Sailor
Saturn smash them all by herself AGAIN."

     Anthracite almost lunged across the table at
Marcasite, but Jadeite held up a hand and the scarred
General smashed into a wall of force instead.

     "These meetings are to remain civil, Anthracite," the
Master of the Dark Kingdom said coolly.  "Please remember
that."

     "Yes, Master," the burly General said, glaring across
the table at Marcasite, who ignored him.

     Sapphire, meanwhile, held his crystal pad before him
and began scribbling some equations on it with a stylus.
His blue hand seemed to fly, magically inscribing the
formulae into the crystal's memory.  Finally, he looked up.
"It should be possible to create droids along those
lines... in fact, it would be easier than most designs.  I
will have to do some tests to optimize them for their
combat conditions, of course."  He paused and looked at
Jadeite.  There was no fear in his face, only an earnest
need to communicate.  "I do not think I can create one
capable of stopping Sailor Saturn, however.  Not with the
power levels she's exhibited."

     A low murmur went around the room.  Jadeite tried not
to sigh in exasperation.  Did they still think he would
destroy a valuable follower who was just admitting that he
could not do the impossible?

     "Understood, Sapphire," he said, trying not to show
his ire.  It would be misinterpreted as anger towards
Sapphire and ruin what he was trying to achieve... well,
misinterpreted by all but Sapphire himself, who probably
wouldn't notice.  "Sailor Saturn will have to wait until we
acquire the Silver Empyrean Crystal."

     Jadeite tried not to smile at the relieved nods all
around.

     "I think this plan is worth trying," he said finally.
"It offers the best chance to flush out our Elder Senshi
with minimal risk to ourselves.  If there are no Elder
Senshi -- if what Amazonite faced was some sort of trick --
it offers us a chance to eliminate at least some of the
Senshi.  In the worst case, we will lose little and still
gain some energy."  He gazed around the table, meeting all
of their eyes (except Sapphire, who was already deep in his
calculations for the new droids).  "We will use Marcasite's
plan."

     The others noted the finality of his decision and were
silent.

     "You are dismissed," Jadeite said.  "Marcasite may
call on you if he has need of you in this operation.  If he
does not, continue training your troops."  With that, he
disappeared in a burst of flame.

     The New Generals all tried to relax without seeming
to.  Then they all got up and started to leave, each
keeping a wary eye on the others as they left -- except for
Sapphire, who was still working on his droid designs.

     Amazonite glared at Marcasite as he left the room.
She was the one who had lost over two-thirds of her crack
troops.  Vengeance was HERS.

     A hand suddenly touched her cheek.  Snarling, she
grabbed it in an iron grip.

     "Troubled, Amazonite?" came a deep, yet decidedly
androgynous voice, as if a woman was trying to pass as a
man and not doing a good job of it.  "Maybe I can take your
mind off it."

     Amazonite's snarl became a sneer.  Amazonite's looks,
being so close to the former Queen's, had made her the
subject of some ridicule (at least until she cracked open
the jokesters' heads).  Alexandrite's unfortunate
resemblance to Zoisite and similar experiences could have
been a bond between them.  It wasn't.

     "Alexandrite, if you ever touch me again I will tear
your hand off-- and any other appendages I can find."

     Alexandrite laughed and slipped his ringed hand out of
her grasp.  She frowned, wondering how he had managed that.

     "Temper, temper, my dear."

     "Why don't you go find some man to play with, fem-
boy," she sneered.

     Alexandrite's perfect complexion turned red with rage.
While he looked remarkably like Zoisite, he shared none of
his tastes... and went to great lengths to prove it.

     "I'll have you know that I can bed any woman I want!"
he hissed.

     "Except me," she said snidely, stepping around him.
"Go play with your toys... maybe you can have the
Artificers make you a girl."  Laughing at her own joke,
Amazonite left the fuming General behind.

*****

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 18
"When Dreams Become Nightmares.
 The Battle for Jupiter's Sanity!"

*****

     The Green Knight slid quietly off her horse and
observed the path before her.  It was faint, little more
than an overgrown game trail, but to her emerald eyes it
was like a signpost.  Her quarry had passed this way.

     She brushed aside a few errant strands of chestnut
hair from her forehead and then glanced up.  Already the
sun was riding low in the sky and it was not a good idea to
be about the Forest of Twilight when night was near.

     Perhaps not a good idea, but she had sworn that the
Prince of the Roaring Waves would be returned home safely.
If his captors had entered the Forest, then so would she.

     She turned to her friends and spread her hands as if
to encompass them all.  "I cannot ask you to come any
further," she began.  "This is my quest, not yours."

     "We will not let you enter the Forest alone," the
White Knight chimed in, her clear, melodic voice somewhat
muffled by the trail ration she was eating.

     The Red Knight lightly rapped White on the head with a
gauntleted knuckle.  "Stop talking with your mouth full,"
she snapped and then turned to the Green Knight.  "We are
your friends and sworn companions," she said.  "Of course
we will accompany you."

     "Yea, verily!  Let us show these spooks our might,
forsooth!" the Orange Knight proclaimed, her garish armor
clanking as she moved restlessly atop her steed, a white
stallion that seemed to resign itself to the antics of his
rider.

     The Blue Knight rolled up a scroll she had been
perusing and smiled.  "I have always wanted to explore the
Forest of Twilight," she said simply.

     The Green Knight felt tears come to her eyes at the 
devotion of her friends and mounted her horse.  "Thank you,
my friends," she said as she led them into the dusky bowers
of the wood.

     The transition was abrupt and would have frightened
them, but for their training as Knights of the Crescent
Moon.  As the branches of the ancient wood closed over
them, the sunlight seemed to dim from afternoon to the
gloom of twilight.  The Green Knight could see where the
Forest had gotten its name.

     They rode deeper into the woods, the Green Knight
unerringly following the path left by their prey.  Evil
elves from the Obsidian Kingdom had kidnapped the Prince of
the Roaring Waves, a small but significant kingdom that
bordered their realm, the Emerald Empire.  Upon hearing of
his capture, the Green Knight had been quick to ride in
pursuit.  Rescuing princes in peril was part of her job
description.  Still, she was glad that her boon companions,
the Knights of the Crescent Moon, were willing to come with
her.

     The trail led into a clearing and the Green Knight was
glad to be out from under the black, gnarled limbs of the
twilit trees.  The light did not improve, however.  A
glance above showed a gray sky with no sun or stars
visible.  In the center of the clearing stood a black tree.
The shadows seemed darkest under its twisted boughs, which
stirred in a breeze none of them could feel.

     /GO BACK./

     The voice whispered, deathlike and musty, in their
heads.

     /THE PRINCE IS OURS.  NO MORE SHALL HE KNOW THE LIGHT
OF THE THRICE-CURSED SUN.  HE SHALL KNOW TWILIGHT
EVERMORE./

     "Never!" cried the Green Knight drawing her blade,
lightning crackling down its length as it cleared the
sheath.  She was soon followed in kind by her companions.
Their blades flashed impossibly bright in the twilit
clearing.  In answer, the gnarled branches of the tree
uncurled and lashed out at the Knights.

     The Green Knight parried the branch that reached for
her, slicing off a length the size of her arm.  The others
acted similarly, but the Red Knight was not so quick, her
fiery sword missing its mark.  The branch touched her face
through her open helm.

     Her scream echoed amongst the scabrous trees,
beginning with the sound of pain and life, but ending in a
dry screech that reminded the Green Knight of the door to a
tomb opening.  She spared a glance to her friend and was
horrified to see the Red Knight's face grow emaciated and
withered, a death mask of rotting skin and gray bone and
glowing red eyes.

     "No!" she screamed, as the undead knight turned on its
one-time companions.  The Red Knight's armor was rusting as
it moved, the crimson red turning the color of dried blood,
her sword burning now with ebony flames.  The sword bit
deep into the thigh of the Blue Knight, evoking another
scream that turned into a death rattle.

     The branches and undead knights swarmed on the
remaining companions.  The Green Knight fought as she never
had before, trying to keep the horror away from her.
Branches and corrupt blades whirled around her, and her
heart shattered as two more dying screams punctured the air
of the glade.  Bone-like hands grabbed her, pulling her
down from her horse, tearing off her armor.  She heard a
terrified whinny as her horse fell to its attackers.
Looking up, she saw four skull-like faces, once the faces
of her dearest friends, looking down at her with hunger.
Their death's head smiles opened wide, dark drool running
out of their mouths as they prepared to feast--

     "NOOOOO!"

     Makoto sat upright with a scream, her chest heaving
against her sweat-soaked nightshirt.  She stared around her
room for several seconds, not recognizing the familiar
surroundings as the dream faded.  Then it was gone, leaving
only the horror behind.  The bedraggled girl ran one hand
through her hair, grimacing in disgust as she realized it
was plastered to her skull with sweat.  She glanced over at
the window air-conditioner, whining futilely against the
July heat.

     "Just a dream," she whispered to herself.  "It was
just another freaking dream."  She stumbled out of bed and
into her bathroom.  Hitting the switch, she winced as the
harsh light struck her eyes.  Turning on the taps, she
splashed some lukewarm water on her face, not caring as it
ran down her face and dripped onto her shirt.  Finally, she
focused her bleary eyes on the mirror before her.

     A death's head with glowing red eyes grinned back at
her.

     Her hand slammed into the glass, shattering it and
cutting her palm deeply.  The pain lanced through her hand
and she found herself sobbing in pain, looking at the
thousands of normal reflections in the shards of mirrored
glass.

     "Oh, God..." she moaned, sinking to the floor, her
blood dripping down her arm.

*****

     "All right, class," Clark Maguson began.  "Today's
assignment will be to write a short story, a page or two,
in ENGLISH," he stressed, just for the smart alecks in his
class.  "Any subject will do -- as long as it's in good
taste.  You could write about some video game or anime for
all I care, but it has to be in English."

     A low groan could be heard from the students, who then
dutifully pulled out some loose-leaf -- or borrowed some
from friends -- and got to work.

     With two exceptions.

     Minako gave Makoto a long, searching look.  Her friend
was pale and wan this morning, with dark circles under her
bloodshot eyes that makeup could not cover... not that
Makoto had tried.

     "Psst!  Hey, Mako-chan, you okay?" Minako whispered
over the rustling of paper.

     There was no response from Makoto.  She hadn't even
taken out paper to do her assignment.  The brunette was
just staring, glassy-eyed, at the blackboard.

     Now Minako was starting to get freaked.  She looked
her friend over, wondering if the school was falling victim
to another energy-draining attack.  Then she noticed a
thick bandage around Makoto's hand.

     "Hey, Mako-chan," Minako whispered, a little louder.
"Wake up!"

     Her friend gave a little start, and then glanced over
at the blonde.  Seeing Minako's concerned look, Makoto
tried to summon a smile.

     "Sorry, Minako-chan," she whispered, getting out some
paper.

     "What happened to your hand, Mako-chan?  Did
something...?" she trailed off, her eyes darting around the
classroom to see if anyone had noticed their conversation.

     Makoto understood what she meant and shook her head.
The noise of rustling paper was dying down, so she simply
mouthed 'I'll tell you later' and started to work on her
assignment.

     Minako sighed noisily in frustration.  SOMETHING had
happened to her friend and she couldn't stand not knowing
what it was!  Maybe Makoto had gotten into another fight.
Or maybe that Zodiac creep had found her like he found Rei?
Or maybe Makoto had joined one of those all-girl gangs that
Minako had heard stories about.  That might be it, some
kind of blood oath!  Now poor Mako-chan would be dragged
into a seamy life of drugs, violence and sex... all because
she didn't have a boyfriend!

     Minako stood up.  "I swear, Mako-chan, I will get you
laid!" she proclaimed to the heavens.

     An eraser caught her in the face, covering her with
chalk dust.  "Aino, in the hall!" Clark said, trying to
keep his composure.  Why do these things always happen in
my class? he wondered.

     "Yes, sensei," Minako grumbled as she made her way to
the door.  God, would she ever get these weird urges under
control?

     Makoto, for her part, had turned beet red.  She knew
that Minako was acting stranger than usual because of
becoming an elf, but to blurt out something like THAT!
What was she thinking?  She looked up, seeing most of the
class smirking at her, but at least they weren't laughing.
Clark had made sure that everyone knew he didn't appreciate
that sort of behavior.

     Clark noticed Makoto's mortified look... and the dark
circles under her eyes.  He was surprised, however, to find
himself walking over to her.

     She wouldn't meet his gaze as he stopped by her desk.
He couldn't blame her, given that one swee--illicit kiss.
He shook his head.  He was a teacher.  He had to have
better control of himself than that.

     He forced his words out, so he wouldn't stand there
like an idiot.  "Are you all right, Kino-san?" he asked,
cursing how stiff and awkward they sounded.

     Makoto couldn't look up at him.  Why did Minako have
to spaz out in HIS class?  First I kiss him, then he goes
out on a date with Haruna-sensei, now...

     Now what?

     "Kino-san?"

     I have to talk to him, she realized.  There was no
getting around it, not in his class.  Slowly, she met his
concerned gaze.

     His eyes were gray, she noted, wondering why she had
never really noticed that before, nor how intensely they
could look at you.  He was looking quizzically at her over
the tops of his glasses, making her think of Clark Kent
using his x-ray vision.  But Clark Maguson didn't have x-
ray vision, of course... he wouldn't be staring at her--

     With a blush, she tore her mind away from that train
of thought.  Was Minako's elvishness catching?

     "Yes, s-sensei?" she stuttered.  Now a few heads in
the class were looking at them.  Was Maguson-sensei
starting to blush as well?  Was he thinking of kissing her
again?  Here?

     "Are you feeling okay, Kino-san?" he asked again,
flushing even more as the class began to titter.  Damn it,
he could lose his job if he kept acting this way.  But when
she had looked up, her eyes had been such a vivid green he
had caught himself staring into them.

     "Ah..." she stammered.  This was it, a way out.  "No,
sensei.  I'm feeling kinda sick, actually."  She could
escape this purgatory now, if he excused her from class.

     She was sick?  Instinctively, Clark placed his hand on
her forehead.

     The both froze.  They stood there, paralyzed, for
several millennium-long seconds until a crash came from the
hall outside.  Clark almost snatched his hand away.

     Minako stuck her head in.  "Um, Maguson-sensei, can I
get a mop...?" she asked, one hand held behind her head.
"The bucket... kinda slipped."

     Clark sighed.  "Yes, you can get a mop.  Kino-san..."
He looked at her again, and then turned away with a cough.
"Why don't you go see the school nurse?" he finally said,
hoping that an illness would be enough of an excuse to
explain why he was spending so much time around her.

     "Yes, sensei," Makoto said, gathering her books.  She
had to get rid of these nightmares, she thought to herself.
They were starting to seriously mess with her mind, if her
reaction to that jerk were any indication.

     Clark found himself watching her go, hating himself
for doing it.  How could he lose all self-control around
her?  He looked back at her empty desk and frowned.  Makoto
had left something on the floor.  Picking it up, he saw
that it looked like some kind of Magical Girl show's tie-in
merchandise.  Hmmm, kinda like the Dick Tracy communicator 
only in pink, he mused.  He pocketed it.  I'll make sure
she gets it later, he thought.

*****

     Somewhere, out among the moons of Jupiter, something
moved.  Its form was murky and indistinct, as if it carried
its own shadows with it, to hide it from view.  Anyone
nearby should be glad for the shadows, however.  Looking
directly at a Thing from Beyond could cause madness... at
best.

     Slowly, ponderously, the Thing set down on the icy
rock known to Man as Europa.  The moon's sky was filled
with the overwhelming bulk of Jupiter, its multi-banded
surface slowly swirling as it has for millions of years.

     Part of the Thing seemed to reach up, almost as if in
supplication, toward Jupiter's Great Red Spot, which looked
down upon the moon like a baleful Eye.

     For a moment, the Thing did not move.

     Then, slowly, it slithered over the ice, moving in a
purposeful way under the ancient Eye of the mightiest of
planets.

*****

     "Steven-kun!"

     Steven Grant stiffed in one of the ABCB's booths and
tried not to show fear as he turned to meet his girlfriend.
He loved Minako dearly, but he was sure that she'd be the
death of him one day.  Especially when she called his name
with that singsong lilt.

     Minako engulfed him in the bear hug Glomp O' Death.
"Miss me?  Wait, don't answer that unless you're serious."

     "Of course I missed you," he said, quite seriously.

     She gave him a slow, appraising glance, trying to find
the joke in his statement.

     "What?" he asked as her silent inquisition continued.

     She shook her head.  "I don't think I'll ever figure
you out, Steven Grant."

     "Good," he said smugly, earning himself an elbow to
the ribs.  "Ow!"

     "Steven-kun," Minako said, "I need you to be very
serious right now, ok?"

     Steven nodded, taking a sip of his water.  This must
be important Sailor business or something.

     "I need you to help me get Mako-chan laid."

     Steven spewed water all over his girlfriend.

     Minako arched a dripping eyebrow at her boyfriend.
"What was that for?" she asked, scrambling for napkins.

     "Mina-chan, I don't think... I mean, I love you, not
Mako-chan...."

     Minako's voice fell into the sub-zero range.  "You
better not even THINK of doing anything with Mako-chan."

     "Yes, ma'am!"

     "Good!" Minako said with a chirpy voice, wiping the
water off her face.  Unfortunately, this was the same sort
of action that she used to help her remove her disguise
spell, so Steven soon found himself looking a very
beautiful elf in the face.

     "Mina-chan--"

     "Now, all you have to do is help me make the PERFECT
plan to get Mako-chan a boyfriend -- NOT you, however."
The icicles were back.  "And then she won't have to join a
girl gang and do drugs and get into fights."

     "Huh?  Mina-chan, you--"  Now that he knew, thanks to
Derith, what to look for, Steven could see Minako's glamour
wash across the ABCB.  Heads were starting to turn and
this, he could tell, would be trouble.

     "Hush, Steven-kun."

     "But your EARS are showing!" he hissed.

     Minako blinked.  Then she reached up and fingered one
pointed ear and blushed.  This made her look very cute and
sent waves of glamour rocketing through the small cafe.
Steven groaned, even as Minako hastily replaced her
disguise.

     "Hey, you bothering the lady, shrimp?" came a big,
beefy voice.

     Steven looked up... and up.  He swallowed nervously.
The person before him could, perhaps, be called a
schoolboy, but Steven was more of a mind to call him the
school Terminator.

     "Um, no?" he offered feebly.

     The bruiser grabbed him by his shirt and slowly lifted
Steven out of his seat.  "I think you are," he said.

     "Put him down, now," said a very dangerous-sounding
voice from behind the bruiser.

     "Everyone turned and saw a dark-haired beauty wearing
an ABCB apron glaring at the bruiser, her green eyes
glittering with a promise of much pain in his future if he
didn't do what she wanted.

     "Madoka the Pick," he muttered, carefully putting
Steven down.  Then, never taking his eyes off the girl, he
slowly made for the cafe door.

     "Hold it!" she snapped before he got halfway there.

     "What?" he replied, a whine entering his previously
rough voice.

     "Don't forget to pay your bill," she said coldly.  "I
can't stand deadbeats."

     "Yes, ma'am," her poor victim said, all pretense of
machismo fleeing.  He soon left after it.

     "You all right, Steven?" Ayukawa Madoka asked.

     "Except for my male pride, yeah," Steven said.

     "Don't worry about it," Madoka said with a warm grin
and patting him on the shoulder before returning to work.
Minako glared after her.

     "You better not be thinking too much about HER either,
Steven-kun."

     Steven held up his hands before him to placate her.
"I never would think of any girl but you, Mina-chan...
besides, I'm staying with her boyfriend, remember?"

     "I thought he was dating Hikaru-chan?"

     Steven sighed and started trying to explain THAT mess
again.

*****

     Jupiter let out a sigh of relief as she escaped the
party.  She wasn't technically 'on-duty' at the moment...
Aurora and Athena were watching Serenity and she doubted
that they would face anything they couldn't handle.

     She began walking briskly through the corridors of the
Moon Palace.  The party would, of course, go on for hours
and she had little heart for it.  Her love was still on
Earth, somewhere.  He had to be alive.  The Crystal Kingdom
had fallen and there was no sign on Endymion or his
Guardians, but she was SURE Nephrite was still alive.  He
would still be down there, fighting a desperate battle,
never giving in.  He HAD to be alive.

     She found herself before the doors to the Palace
chapel.  She smiled, despite the gloomy times.  Trust her
feet to bring her to the one spot where she could find some
comfort.

     The door opened at her touch and she felt the peace of
the large room fill her.  The crystal dome overhead was
dark, but simple wax candles filled the room, their warm
glow making her feel welcomer than any light crystal.

     In the center of the room, Parias, clad in his white
armor and sapphire-colored cloak, turned and smiled in
greeting, his gray eyes twinkling with pleasure.
"Greetings, Juno," he said with a small bow.

     Jupiter looked around the room, making sure they were
alone.  Very, very few people knew her true name and she
liked to keep it that way.  But the chapel was empty, with
everyone at the party.  Given that war would soon sweep
down upon the Moon Kingdom, she found this lack of faith
disturbing.

     "Not much to keep you busy here, is there?" she asked
quietly.  She raised one eyebrow.  "Candles?"

     "They serve their purpose as well as any crystal,"
Parias said calmly, lighting another one as he spoke, "and
it is sometimes more comforting to light one candle against
the coming darkness than to try and banish the darkness
with magic."

     Juno smiled.  "You always seem to know what to say,
Parias," she said, stepping closer to her friend.

     "Was the party that boring?" he asked gently.

     She turned away in sudden anger.  "It's so
frustrating!" she screamed suddenly.  "The Crystal Kingdom
fell weeks ago!  We should be leading an attack against our
foes.  We should be doing SOMETHING!"

     Parias lit another candle and said nothing, calmly
waiting for the storm of her emotions to pass.

     "He could be dying..." Juno whispered, brokenly.

     Parias stepped closer and wrapped Juno in a hug.
"Nephrite will return for you, Juno.  Trust in the Light."
The priest cracked a small, self-deprecating smile.  "Any
man who could best ME for your hand is not going to let all
the forces of Darkness keep him from you."

     Juno blushed.  "Do you ever... I mean, for not
choosing you..."

     "Regret it?  Aye, but the choice was always yours,"
Parias said.  "Nephrite and I were friends before you ever
even came to the Moon.  I am glad that he won your love, if
I couldn't have it."

     "But you do have my love, dear friend," Juno
exclaimed.  "I wish I never had to choose.  Sometimes, I
wonder... if you had come to the Moon before I met
Nephrite... if I had known you first..."

     "Shush, dear child.  Might-have-beens and what-ifs are
naught but pleasant day-dreams."

     Juno elbowed him.  "Child?  I'm only seven years
younger than you, you know!"

     Parias held up his hands in a placating gesture.  "I
yield, dear lady."

     "I was glad when you did come here after finishing
your training on Earth, Parias.  It was good to have
someone from home around."

     Parias chuckled.  "I remember.  Here I was, newly
ordained in the Church and placed as an acolyte at the most
important chapel on the Moon.  I was a stranger in a
strange land with only my faith to sustain me, and then I
heard the sounds of home in your voice... even if I did
think you were a gardener at the time, what with the cast-
off guard uniform you were wearing and how you were knee-
deep in the flower beds."

     Juno blushed.  "I guess I was a little... rough around
the edges then."

     "Nay, don't be ashamed of it, Juno," he said, clasping
her hand. "You were hurting and alone, even here among the
many."

     "More so here than anywhere else," Juno said softly.
"Here was never home, till Nephrite and you came."

     Parias raised an eyebrow.  "Didn't Princess Serenity
try to make you feel at home?"

     "Well, yes... but she was the Princess.  It was my
'duty' to her that made me leave my parents forever."

     "Do you feel that way about your duty?"

     "No... I am glad to be here, to serve... even if I
still don't appreciate the manner in which I was called to
service.  What of your duties?"  She looked around the
empty chapel.  "Does no one here require your services?"
she asked acidly, her sarcasm aimed at the nobles of the
Moon Kingdom.

     "Justice and the other acolytes are busy helping the
priests in the city.  The common folk are worried about the
war, even if the nobles care not to show their fear.  I
remained in case the Queen needed me.  She was here, not
long before the party."

     "She is worried?  But she has the Empyrean Crystal."

     "Power does not free one from worry, Juno," Parias
chided her gently.  "And even the Crystal cannot solve all
of the Queen's problems, save that if she used it her
problems would pass to the Princess."

     Juno shuddered.  She had almost forgotten that death
was invariably the price for using the Crystal.

     "The Queen prays, I believe, for some solution that
will not require that final price... and she prays for the
fortitude to pay that price if need be.  I think," he said
quietly, "that she need not worry about the second, for it
has already been given to her."

     Juno opened her mouth to speak, but her words were
stillborn as the candles suddenly flickered.  Parias
stiffened and he drew his broadsword, the magical runes
along its blade glowing with the light of the sun.

     A great dark hole appeared in the air, and a man fell
through it to lie, bleeding, on the floor of the chapel.
They both recognized him instantly.

     "Prince Endymion!"

     "My Prince!"

     Parias was by Endymion's side instantly, his face
paling as he noted the extent of the Prince's wounds.
"He's badly hurt," he said.  "I must--"

     Endymion opened his eyes and surged drunkenly to his
feet.  "Must warn--" he started to shout, but then he fell
again, blood dripping from his mouth as he groaned in pain.

     "Lie still, my prince," Parias said, holding his hands
over the man he, as a fighting cleric, had once sworn to
serve before his faith had brought him the Moon.

     "Serenity," moaned the Prince of Earth.

     "Jupiter, I need your help," Parias said urgently.

     "What can I do?" she asked, hesitantly.  She had never
seen so much blood before, not from a man she counted as
friend.

     "Hold him still while I heal him... this is going to
hurt."  Hurt both of us, the cleric thought to himself,
already beginning the mantras to buttress himself against
the pain to come.

     Juno nodded and leaned over the Prince to hold his
shoulders against the floor.

     Parias got ready, then cursed and looked around.
Grabbing a thick candle, he blew it out and handed it to
Juno.  "Get him to bite this.  It won't be as good as wood
or leather, but we have no time."

     Juno nodded and forced the large wax taper between
Endymion's feeble lips.

     Parias fell back inside himself, seeking that font of
energy that was his blessing as both a living being and as
a priest of a faith dedicated to nurturing that energy.  He
reached out with that energy, felt its like all around him,
and joined his energy to that of the universe.  It filled
him, its power burning in every cell, and then he channeled
it into the dying man before him.

     Endymion screamed and convulsed as Parias directed the
energy against the Prince's wounds.  Torn muscles rejoined,
bones realigned and were made whole, and bleeding was
stopped, but the healing hurt as much as the wounding
did... more so, because it happened all at once.  Parias
felt every bit of it, but did not let his concentration
waver.

     The energy seemed to empty out of him, what he had
gained from the universe and more, draining that spark of
vitality that was HE.  He had known priests who overtaxed
their ability to handle the energy and had been left dead
or as withered husks, burnt out and spent.

     That was not his fate this time, though he was left
exhausted and drained.  Endymion opened his eyes and they
were clear of pain.

     "Prince Endymion?" Juno asked.  Then, hearing a groan
behind her, she turned to see Parias, his face an ashen
hue, slump down next to his altar.  "Parias!"

     "See to him," Endymion said quietly, after spitting
out the candle he had almost gnawed in half.  "He has done
more healing than any priest I've have ever heard of
doing."

     Juno propped the drained cleric up and then turned to
see Endymion marching out of the chapel.  "Prince
Endymion!"

     He glanced back over his shoulder and answered her
unasked question.  "He is lost to us, Jupiter... pray that
we will not follow him into the Darkness.  Jadeite's last
act of defiance got me here, but I fear he is gone now as
well."

     "No....  It's a lie... he's not dead.  He can't
be...."

     Endymion's hard gaze softened.  "He fought until the
end, Jupiter.  I would not be here, capable of warning
Queen Serenity, if not for him and the others."  With that,
he swept out the door.

     "Wait!" Juno called, though he was already gone.  She
looked helplessly at Parias.  Endymion didn't know of the
standing orders the guards had been given against everyone
from Earth, after the fall of the Crystal Kingdom.  She
should go after him to escort him, but Parias...

     "Go...."

     She looked down at the priest.

     "Go... he'll only get... in trouble..." Parias said,
managing a weak smile.  "I'll be safe... here."

     Juno smiled and leaned down to kiss him gently on the
lips.  "Thank you, my friend."  And then she ran out the
door.

     She had not made it very far before she heard it.  The
awful roar of the monsters, the boot tramp of the invading
army.  All around her, the walls of the Moon Palace began
to crumble from a magical assault.  Magic crystals
immolated themselves, often taking those around them with
it.  Youma stalked the halls, killing and maiming.  She
fought her way out into the gardens, desperate to reach her
Princess, her Queen.

     "Juno," came a familiar baritone voice.

     Shock and surprise, quickly turning to joy, froze her
in her tracks.  Happy tears filled her eyes as she turned
to face Nephrite.

     "Nephrite!  Endymion said you were dead!" she
exclaimed joyously.  She started to run towards him, but
then stopped in her tracks

     He stood there, in his familiar gray uniform.  The
same features, the same hair, the same voice... but
something warned her that this was not the same man she
loved.

     "Where is Endymion, Juno?" Nephrite asked, his eyes
starting to glow red.

     "Nephrite... what...?"

     "I will give you one chance to answer me, Juno.  Tell
me where Endymion is and I will spare you."

     "I don't understand... how can you...?"

     "Tell me!" he barked, his eyes glowing once more, his
voice both imperious and somehow desperate.  "Tell me, and
I will take you before Metallia.  We will live together
forever, immortal and all-powerful."

     Metallia.  He served the ancient spirit of the Great
Shield, now evil and twisted.

     "No," she said softly.  "You are not the man I loved."

     His face screwed up for one second in agony, his eyes
pleading with her for forgiveness, then that awful Dark
Power surged forth again, blazing from his eyes and hands.
"Then die, bitch," he spat.

     She made no move to defend herself.  What was the
point?  Her world was ashes.  Despair took her, as readily
as Nephrite's energy blast did, cutting through her body
and sending her back into darkness.  The last thing she
heard was someone screaming her name.

     Par--

     Darkness took her.

*****

     Makoto sat up in bed, screaming.

     Another nightmare, she told herself.  Another
nightmare, that's all.

     But she knew that this nightmare was more than just a
dream.  And that made it the worst of all.

*****

     Out on the icy moon of Europa, the Thing from Beyond
paused.  It was quite a distance from its landing point and
making good time.  It left a caustic trail in its wake that
ate at the ice, fouling it beyond mortal comprehension.  It
looked up once more at the Red Spot and something about its
manner seemed satisfied.  Then it moved on toward a
destination it knew well.

*****

     Clark Maguson turned the blade over in his hands as he
stood in his apartment.  It seemed to be no more than a
shaft of steel, sharpened to a razor-fine edge and bound to
a plain black hilt.  The runes seemed to be nothing more
than fanciful etchings.

     But the sword had come to life in his hand.  He had
fought an elf with it.  And that last symbol, the one that
stubbornly refused to be translated, though it hovered on
the tip of his tongue, had glowed with the light of the
sun.

     He knew he should take it to Udaigaku-sensei for
study, but something had stopped him.  He hadn't given it
much thought at the time -- there was so many other things
demanding his attention, like the elf and Makoto -- so he
was tempted to think it had honestly slipped his mind...
but he did not believe this was the case.

     "What are you?" he whispered to it.

     "A legacy of times and lives long past," said a strong
baritone voice.

     Clark swung around and found himself facing a white-
uniformed man with long brown hair.  For a moment
recognition sparked and he knew the man, then it was gone.
A second later, he realized he could see through his
unexpected visitor.

     "What are YOU?" Clark asked, holding Quietus before
him.

     "A friend," the apparition, said.  "A very old
friend."

     "I think I'd remember a ghost friend," Clark quipped.

     "You don't?  That complicates matters," the ghost
said, considering the teacher.

     Clark stared in confusion.  "I don't think things can
get much worse," he moaned.  Whoever his strange visitor
was, he didn't seem threatening.  Clark wasn't even sure if
Quietus could harm him, anyway.

     The ghost seemed to read his thought and smiled.  "Oh,
your sword could hurt me... but trust me, you wouldn't like
the consequences.  And even it could not kill me."

     "Why are you here?"

     "I came to ask your help, old friend, but I am bound
by oaths not to interfere too much with the waking world."

     "Then why come at all?"

     "Because Makoto's life is in danger."

     The blood drained from Clark's face.  "How?  Is it
that elf again?"

     "No, her enemy is striking at her in her dreams.  I am
going to let you share her dreams, so that you may defend
her."  He shook his head.  "I wish you remembered more, but
perhaps this visit will revive the memories of the dead
past.  The stars know all--"

     "--everything is ruled by the stars," Clark said,
completing the spirit's phrase.  He blinked with surprise.
Why did I say that?

     The ghost chuckled.  "Indeed.  Already your memories
stir."  He began to fade.

     "Wait!" Clark said.  "Why me?  Why Makoto?  Is it
because of the sword?"

     "Look to your heart for the answers..." the spirit
said, but it was just a faint whisper.

     Clark sank back down into his seat and placed Quietus
on his lap.  He then held his face in his hands.  "How can
I?" he whispered.  "I don't even know my own heart
anymore."  Unconsciously, he began to run his fingers over
the one, unreadable rune.

*****

     Luna and Artemis ran through the bushes of Tsunami
High, playing an impromptu game of tag.  It was part fun
and part stalking.  It felt good to relax and engage in a
purely feline activity, without the problems of monsters or
Senshi intruding.

     It was not to last, of course.

     Suddenly, in the middle of pouncing on Luna, Artemis
froze in place.  Luna, who by now was getting tired and
quite willing to be pounced upon, glared back at him in
irritation.

     "What is it, O Great White Hunter?" she inquired
acidly.  "Am I too quick for you?"

     "Shhh, Luna!" he said in a low voice.  "Do you sense
that?"

     Luna started to open her mouth then closed it.  There
WAS a strange feeling in the air, something she couldn't
quite place.  "Do you think it's HIM again?" she said.

     Artemis could not repress a frown.  Luna INSISTED that
the strange cat they had seen on the Tsunami grounds back
in April was a faerie cat like them, but Artemis wasn't
sure.  He may have had a crescent moon on his forehead, but
he hadn't spoken or given any other sign of intelligence
(other than leading them into one of Sensei's traps).
Maybe the crescent moon was just a trick of the light.
Besides, they had combed the grounds of Tsunami for months
and detected no trace of the cat.

     Now, they felt something... something surrounding
them.

     "Run?" Artemis asked.

     "Too late," Luna said.  All around them in the night,
eyes glowed.

*****

     In the Tsukino household, a rare (but getting
commoner) occurrence was taking place.

     Rei and Usagi were together... without arguing.

     Actually, they were reading manga, but they had both
read them before so it was more of an excuse to just spend
a quiet evening together, occasionally chatting about
school, boys, clothes, boys, food, boys, and other matters
of interest to young girls (boys).

     Rei was lying on her side with her head on the pillow,
reading an Evangelion manga.  "Hey, Usagi," she said,
propping herself up on one elbow.  The shrine maiden was
trying to stay cool in a long but thin Utena t-shirt.

     Usagi, who was also lying on her side but with her
head near the foot of the bed, looked up at her friend.
"What, Rei?" she asked.  She was also trying to beat the
heat with a Battle Athletes shirt.

     "Do you think Misato looks a little like you?"

     "No way!" Usagi said, then considered the notion.
"Well, maybe a bit with the nose and mouth... nah."

     "I guess it was a silly idea."

     "Besides, there's no way I'd have dark hair."

     Rei twitched.  "What's wrong with dark hair?"

     Usagi smirked.  "Blondes have more fun, don't we?"

     "Usagi, jokes are supposed to entertain and amuse, not
to cause suffering.  For that HORRIBLE joke, on behalf of
Mars I will punish you!"

     "Hey, wait!  HAHAHAHAHA!  Rei, you know -- hahaha --
I'm ticklish!  NOT THERE!" Usagi shrieked.

     "Where's your Frisbee now, huh?"

     "This means war!"

     "Hey!  Usagi!  Get off!  Hahahahaha! Hey, you swore
you'd never tickle me there again!"

     Luna and Artemis bounded in through an open window.
"Usagi!" Luna said, sounding very out of breath.  "We have
a problem."

     The cats stared at the scene before them.

     "Um, would you like us to give you two 20 more
minutes?" Artemis asked.  Luna turned and scratched him
across the face.

     A few minutes later, once calm had been restored.

     "We have a problem, Usagi."

     "But Luna," Usagi said in a panicked voice, "I'm gonna
do my homework, really!  And those manga I bought are
historical, all about the Meiji Era.  And I didn't snack
between meals, so don't look at me to explain where those
cookies went--"

     Luna let out an exasperated sigh.  "I said WE have a
problem, not that YOU have a problem!"

     "Oh," Usagi said in a little voice.  "Then never mind
that bit about the cookies."

     "This problem is going to affect all of you," Artemis
was quick to interject, before Luna lost her temper at her
charge... again.

     "Well, quit with the suspense already!" Rei said.

     Luna slumped down on the bed next to Usagi, who
immediately began to pet her feline advisor.  "It seems my
mother hasn't forgiven or forgotten me yet, the no-good
bitch."  The icy venom in Luna's voice made them look at
her in concern.

     "But Luna, she's your mother," Usagi said.  "I'm sure
she just wants what's best for you."

     "She wants what SHE thinks is best for me, you mean,"
Luna said acidly.

     "What's she done, anyway?" Rei asked.

     "Well, she's decided to help Luna and I advise you,"
Artemis said wearily, "so she sent us some 'assistance.'"

     "Assistance?" Rei asked

     "She decided that EVERY Sailor needed an advisor, so
she sent seven cats to help.  The dwarves of Mercury sent a
Mercurian collie."

     Rei looked a little flabbergasted.  "I'm getting a
cat?"

     "Yes," sighed Luna.  She called out the window.  "You
can come in now!"

     Instantly a cat with fiery red fur jumped into the
room.  Large and well muscled, the cat also had a long scar
running down one side of his face.  Unlike Luna and
Artemis, however, there was no crescent moon on his
forehead.  The cat bowed before Luna, then looked over at
Rei with interest.

     "Greetings, Sailor Mars.  I have been charged by my
Queen to serve as advisor and confidant to you."  His voice
was a deep bass purr.

     Rei reached out and gently stroked the new cat's fur.
"Wow," she said.  Truth to tell, Rei had always felt a
little jealous of Usagi and Minako and their special
relationships with their cats.  Oh, she had her ravens,
Phobos and Deimos, but while she could talk to them, they
couldn't talk back.  "What's your name?" she asked.

     "That is up to you, Sailor Mars," the cat said.  "I
have forgone all previous titles and names to enter your
service."

     Rei looked over to Luna, who nodded.

     "It's part of the bonding process, Rei-chan.  Artemis
and I were named by Serenity when we became her advisors.
My mother was named by the first Serenity."

     "Wow, Luna, I didn't know you were that old!" Usagi
exclaimed.

     "USAGI!" Luna snapped.

     "Ahem," the red cat said, trying to ignore the
squabbling behind him between his princess and her ward.
"Sailor Mars, I have served as a general in my Queen's
army.  I would consider a great honor to place my not
inconsiderable talents at your disposal, you who draw power
from the Planet of War."

     Rei winced.  This cat had a bigger ego than Artemis,
she thought.  "Um... do we have to do anything special to
bond?"

     Artemis spoke up, trying to stay away from Luna and
Usagi.  "Not really.  Just accept his service and present
him with the name.  Hecate --"

     The red cat glared at Artemis.

     "-- QUEEN Hecate," Artemis corrected himself, "has
already taken care of the preliminaries."

     "Very well," Rei said.  She regarded the cat
curiously, trying to think of a name that suited him.
Something from her ancient studies?  She ran through a list
of names and then came across one she liked.  "I accept
your services," she said, "and I name you Futsu-Nushi-no-
Kami, after the God of Fire and Lightning, later God of War
and General of Amaterasu's armies."  Rei managed to appear
very regal and dignified, despite her sleepwear.

     The cat stood still for a second, then the symbol of
Mars appeared on his forehead, glowing red.

     "Thank you, Sailor Mars.  I will serve you well."

     "I think I'll just call you Futsu for short, most of
the time, if that's alright," Rei said.

     Artemis bit back a snigger, which sent him into a
coughing fit.  'Futsu' also could mean 'Ordinary' in
Japanese.

     Rei arched an eyebrow at the white cat.  "Hairball,
Artemis?" she asked sweetly, her eyes promising swift death
if Artemis spoiled her little joke.

     "You may call me whatever you wish, Sailor Mars,"
Futsu said.

     "You can just call me Rei when I'm not in uniform,"
the Shrine Maiden was quick to put in.

     "As you wish."

     Artemis looked at Luna and Usagi and sighed.  "I
better grab the princess over there and get going.  We've
got six more cats and a collie to deliver tonight."

     "I'll help you," Rei said, reaching over and grabbing
Usagi in a headlock.  "Shut UP, odango-for-brains, or
you'll regret it!"

     "Ack!  No fair, Rei!  Stop picking on me!"

     "MARS NOOGIE ATTACK!"

     Futsu tried not to let his shock show.

     Artemis, meanwhile, took advantage of the confusion to
grab Luna and run.

*****

     "My own advisor?" Ami asked.

     "Yes," Artemis said.  He nodded at the collie that had 
just bounded into the room.  "The dwarves of Mercury sent
him to help you."

     "I guess I'll call him... Hermes."

*****

     Hotaru looked at the black female cat that stood
proudly before her.  "I get to name her?" she asked
eagerly.

     "Yes, Hotaru-chan," Luna said.

     "I'll name her... Isis."  For a moment, Hotaru's voice
seemed subtly different as she named her cat, but then she
had scooped Isis up in her arms and held her close.  "Oh,
thank you, Luna."

     Isis purred loudly, and everyone tried to ignore the
tears that were in Hotaru's eyes.

*****

     "Cats?  For us?" Haruka said.

     "Yes," Luna said for what felt like the millionth time
that night.  "Here they are," she said, indicating a rather
fat male cat with fluffy white fur and a slim female cat
with short, aquamarine fur.

     "Hey, I saw that cat on my bike!" Haruka said,
pointing at the fat one.

     Michiru took the other cat into her arms.  "I take it
that this one is for me?"  She looked into the eyes of the 
cat and found them looking back at her quizzically.
Michiru gave a short laugh of delight.  "I'll name her
Benten, then.  After the Goddess of the Ocean."

     The symbol of Neptune appeared on Benten's brow.

     "Hmph, how am I supposed to run like the wind with
fatty here?" Haruka said.  The cat yowled in protest but
seemed too fat and lazy to actually do anything about
Haruka's remarks.

     Haruka smiled.  It was not a nice one.  "I'll name him
Go," she said.

     Michiru sighed loudly even as the symbol of Uranus
appeared on Go's forehead.  "Haruka, your obsession with
that show --" she began.

     "Hey, it was my favorite as a kid!"

     "I hope you never, ever, find a Mach Five.  I
definitely am not riding with you if you do."

*****

     "Hime-chan!  Wake up, Hime-chan!" Artemis said,
shaking the younger Pluto awake.

     "Huh?  What?  Artemis?  What's going on?"

     One quick explanation later, Himeko was a lot more
alert and inspecting her gray and black cat curiously.  "I
get to name her, you said?"  She considered it, trying to
ignore the snores of her roommate.  "What do you think,
Pokota?"

     The little stuffed lion looked at the new cat, who
regarded him curiously.  "How about Cassandra?"

     Himeko thought about it.  "Are you any good at
predicting the future?" she asked the cat.

     "Perhaps," the cat said in a silken, slightly amused
voice.

     "Oh, she's the cat for a Pluto, all right," Himeko
groused.  "Never a straight answer.  Alright, I name you
Cassandra."

*****

     Naru looked at the light gray cat with something
approaching awe.  "My own talking cat?"

     "You're a Senshi now, Naru-chan," Luna said.  "It's
one of the perks of the job."

     "Greetings, Princess of the Stars," the cat said in a
mellow voice.  "I have long foreseen your return in the
Stars and am glad of the chance to aid you."

     "You know about Astrology?  About Star Magic?" Naru
asked.  Luna and Artemis seemed impressed as well.

     "I know what little has been preserved since the Fall
of Odysseus," the cat said.

     "Could you--could you teach me?"

     "I would be honored."

     "I'll name you... Augur," Naru said, "after the
diviners of old."

     An eight-pointed star appeared on Augur's forehead and
he bowed before his ward.

*****

     For their last nightly visit, Luna and Artemis were
somewhat shocked at what they found.

     It was very late, around 2:00 AM in the morning when
they finally made their way to Makoto's apartment.  It took
time for cats to make their way around the city, especially
when stealth was necessary and they were followed by a
large group that couldn't work together if thrown together
in a sack.

     Now there was just one cat left, a large male with
green fur, and one Sailor left.

     A Sailor who apparently had not been to sleep yet that
night.

     Makoto was sitting in front of her TV, drinking coffee
and flipping through channels.  Her eyes were bloodshot and
her hands shook as she held her cup, from too much caffeine
and too little sleep.  Makoto was so jittery she nearly
leapt out of her skin when the cats came through her
window.

     "Mako-chan?" Luna asked worriedly.  "Are you alright?"

     "Ewwww!  They show THAT on TV?" Artemis said, having
rarely seen what ran on late night Japanese TV.

     "Artemis!" Luna said, scratching him across the face
repeatedly.

     "I... I'm okay, Luna, really," Makoto tried to
reassure the cat, swaying slightly.  "Just some insomnia."

     "And you treat that with coffee?" Luna asked in a
suspicious tone.

     "It's nothing."  Makoto then caught sight of their
companion.  "Who's your friend?" she asked, blinking
blearily at him.  "Is he really green?"

     The new cat laughed.  "I get asked that a lot," he
said in a deep, resonant voice.  "Yes, it's my natural
color, Lady of Jupiter, and I hope that I can be your
friend."

     Makoto collapsed back down on her sofa.  "No you
don't.  Horrible things happen to my friends."

     "Mako-chan!" Luna exclaimed.

     Makoto buried her face in her hands and began to sob.
"It's t-true," she said.  "My parents, my old boyfriend,
Nephrite, Parias... all gone."  She glared at Luna.  "Look
at me, Luna.  I'm some big overgrown freak who brings death
to everyone she meets!"

     This took Luna aback.  She and Artemis exchanged
helpless glances.  The newcomer, however, seemed to take
this in stride.  He leaped up into Makoto's lap and wormed
his way close, purring the whole time.

     After a moment, Makoto clutched him close, sobbing
even louder.

     "There, there," he said, nuzzling her and licking her
nose.  "Cats are very absorbent.  It's why we hate water.
But it does make us good for crying on."

     Luna hoped that Usagi never heard that explanation.

     "I'm j-just so alone..." Makoto sobbed.

     "Not any more," the cat said firmly.  "I'll be with
you, if you'll have me, Lady Jupiter."

     Luna and Artemis bounded over and added their purrs
and furry bodies to support the green cat's claim.  Slowly,
Makoto regained some of her composure.  "I'm sorry," she
said at length, "I've just been having these horrible
nightmares.  I'm a-afraid to go to sleep because of them."

     "I understand," the green cat said.  "Let's see if I
can help you keep them at bay."

     "What's your name?" Makoto asked the new cat
curiously, a bit of her old spark re-igniting in her eyes.

     "That's up to you, Mako-chan," Luna said.  "Each
Senshi gets to name their advisor as part of the bonding
ceremony."

     Makoto looked at the cat that had brought her back
from her bout of self-recrimination and tears.  "I'll call
you.... Raiden," she proclaimed.

     The sign of Jupiter appeared on Raiden's forehead.

     "A good choice, Mako-chan," Artemis said.  "The God of
Lightning fits you well."

     "Is he?  I was naming him after the video game
character."

     Raiden was glad Makoto was holding him as Luna and
Artemis fell off the couch in surprise.

*****

     Clark tossed and turned on his bed, trying to get to
sleep.  Too many things plagued his mind: Quietus, Makoto,
and his strange visitor.  But try as he might, no solutions
presented itself.  Finally, he dropped off to sleep.

     And into dreams.

     He found himself in a plane stowing his carry-on.

     First class?  I MUST be dreaming.

     He sat down in his seat and tried to make sense of
this dream.  A young couple walked by with an adorable
preschooler in tow.  Something about the girl, a brunette
with bright green eyes, caught his attention.

     The girl saw him looking at her and smiled a gap-
toothed smile.

     "Hi!  I'm Makoto and I'm going flying!"

     "Hush, Mako-chan," her mother told her.  "Don't bother
the nice man."  She turned and smiled apologetically at
Clark.  He found he couldn't quite focus on her face.  She
had brown hair and seemed pretty, though it was hard to
tell.

     "Bye, mister!" Makoto said, running after her mother,
ponytail bobbing.

     Makoto?  A ponytail?

     Clark looked over his shoulder, catching another
glimpse of the kid.  She did look like a younger version of
his student.  But what did that mean?

     The words of his mysterious visitor came back to him.
"I am going to let you share her dreams, so that you may
defend her."  Was he actually in one of Makoto's dreams?

     The flight certainly seemed to proceed with dreamlike
rapidity.  Before he knew it, they were coming in for a
landing.

     Then it all went wrong.  The cabin suddenly jerked
around, the end fish-tailing wildly.  The airframe groaned,
a groan that turned to an ugly shriek.  Air masks dropped
from the ceiling as a strong wind roared through the cabin.
Clark watched in horror as a stewardess flew past his seat.
He quickly looked out his window and saw the ground
approaching rapidly.

     The airliner hit the ground, bounced once, then began
to slide out of control, its belly scraping horribly along
the tarmac.  Then, with a shuddering jerk, they came to a
stop.

     Clark's first thought was of Makoto.  He tore off his 
seatbelt and climbed out of his chair.  It was hard to
ignore the bodies strewn over the cabin, but he kept
reminding himself that it was only a dream.  He and Makoto
were the only real people here.

     But that belief was hard to keep as he stepped over
the broken and bloody bodies.  He heard the shrill cries of
a young girl, however, and kept moving.

     Makoto was still strapped in her seat, screaming for
her parents to wake up.  She was covered with blood, but
didn't seem too badly hurt.  Most of it must have come from
others.

     "Makoto!  Keep calm, I'm coming," he yelled, shoving
aside some bloody luggage.

     "Mommy!  Daddy!" Makoto screamed, tears streaming down
her bloodstained cheeks.

     "It's alright, Makoto," he said, hating himself for
the lie.  Her parents were definitely dead.  Clark didn't
like to look at the bloody messes that were their faces.

     "I want my Mommy!" Makoto cried.

     "Your parents have gone away, Makoto," he said,
unbuckling her belt and picking her out of her seat.  She
wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed onto her
shoulder.  "Shhh... It's alright, little one," he
whispered.

     "Maaaa-koooo-toooo...." came a whispery voice.

     Clark stiffened.  The bodies around them were starting
to move.   Their skin was turning gray and flaking off,
revealing wet, ropy muscles and yellowing bone.

     "Maaaa-koooo-toooo," said the animated corpses that
were once her parents.  He stumbled backward over the
crawling zombies, clutching Makoto close.  Clark tried to
hide her face, keep her from seeing the details, but he
wasn't entirely successful.

     "Maaa-kooo-tooo, you bad girl.... We died because of
you!"

     Makoto screamed and buried her face in Clark's
shoulder.  He held her close and tried to run for the rear
of the plane.  There were too many of the zombies, swarming
on them, jaws open and drooling dark spittle, eye sockets
burning with Dark Power.

     Dark Power?

     The thought skittered away as he looked around for
some method of escape.  For once, he wished he had Quietus.

     Sometimes, wishes are answered.

     With a burst of silver flame, Quietus appeared,
floating in front of him.  The zombies recoiled from the
light.

     Clark dropped Makoto behind him.  "Stay close to me,
Mako-chan," he said, grasping Quietus' hilt.

     The light died as he touched the sword and the
monsters swarmed forward.

     Quietus was there to meet them.

     The runes on the blade glowed again as Clark sliced
through rotting flesh.  He tried not to gag at the zombies'
stench.

     "Makoto!"  He pointed toward the wing emergency exit.
"Open that door!"

     Makoto ran over to the exit, clambering over the seats
and luggage.  Clark concentrated on the undead, severing
any limb that came to close.  He knew that Makoto would
never let him down.

     The exit swung open, letting in a ray of brilliant
sunlight.  The zombies screeched and fell back.

     "Makoto, go!" Clark screamed, backing up desperately
as the undead flailed at him, sensing their prey was
escaping.

     "Not without you!" Makoto yelled.

     "Maa-koo-too," came the dry, whispery voice.  "You
killed us....  Bad girl.... You killed us...."

     "Stop it!"  Makoto yelled.  "You're not my parents!
You're not!  You're NOT!"  Tears ran down her face as she
screamed.

     "Makoto!  Get going!  I'll be right behind you.  Go!"

     Makoto dove through the exit, into the sunlight.
Clark took a few more swings at the zombies, then jumped
through the portal after her.  The zombies screamed... then
all was silent.

*****

     Raiden let out a sigh of relief as Makoto finally
settled down in her sleep.  For the last several minutes,
his charge had been tossing and turning, mumbling
incoherently all the while.  He had only caught a word or
two.  Mostly "No!" and "You're not my parents!"  But now
Makoto was sleeping soundly, for which Raiden could only
thank the Powers of Light.

*****

     Clark blinked at the sight before him.  It was like no
place he had ever been, that was safe to say.  The sky
overhead was black and filled with stars, but the sun also
shone in the sky, brilliantly lighting the silver trees and
grass.  Flowerbeds, fountains, ponds, and statues stood all
around him.  A large structure, worthy only of the name
palace, stood nearby.

     And a half Earth hung low over the horizon.

     "My God," he said.  "Where are we?"

     "The Royal Gardens, of course," Makoto said behind
him.

     Grateful that she was okay, Clark turned to speak to
her, intending to ask her about this strange place... but
when he saw her, he could only stare.

     He had always noticed that Makoto was beautiful.
Those who made disparaging comments about her height were
narrow-minded fools in his opinion.  She had a vitality
about her, a grace that he loved to watch.  But he had
never tried to imagine what she would look like when she
was older.  He couldn't afford to, not when the young
Makoto gave him enough trouble!  Now, however, he had his
answer and it would haunt him forever.

     She was stunning.

     Gone was the preschooler or the high schooler.  In
their stead was a gorgeous woman in her twenties wearing a
green-and-white toga with yellow flowers threaded through
her hair.

     "Cat got your tongue?" she asked impishly, her tone
and manner assuring him that this was the same young woman
he had fought for and traded sarcastic barbs with.

     "Is that... Is that really you, Makoto?" he asked, his
mouth suddenly dry.

     The happy expression on her face suddenly became
guarded.  "Where did you hear that name?"

     "It's yours, isn't it?"

     "It's one of my names, but I wouldn't expect anyone
here to know it.  That 'me' won't be born for thousands of
years."

     "Where are we?" Clark asked.

     "The Moon Kingdom, of course," she said.  "You should
know that, if you're who you appear to be."

     "Who do I appear to be?"

     "If this is a joke, I won't be very happy with you,
Parias."

     Parias!  The name shot through him like a thunderbolt.
Quietus stirred in his hand.  Clark looked at it in shock.
That last, indecipherable rune shone with light of the sun
again, but this time, its meaning was clear:  Parias.

     For the first time, he took stock of himself.  He was
wearing some form of armor, all done in white.  A silver
cloak with a sky-blue lining hung off his shoulders.

     "Is this me?" he asked.

     "Who do you think you are?" Makoto asked.

     "Clark Maguson."  He was not ready for the reaction he 
got.

     "Maguson-sensei?  Why am I dreaming of that jerk?"

     "'Jerk?'  Is that what you think of me?"

     "Oh, go away, you figment of my imagination."

     "I'm glad you've paid some attention to my classes.
And calling me a jerk is a fine thank you after I saved
your life!"

     "I would have been fine!"

     "Oh, really?"

     "Oh, shut up.  You're not really here, anyway."

     "I beg to differ.  A... Someone told me that you were
being attacked in your dreams and wanted me to help you."

     "Did this Good Samaritan have a name?  Or was he just
a passing dream voyeur?"  She snorted.  "Listen to me,
arguing to a dream."

     "I don't know why me, unless this 'Parias' business
had something to do with it."

     Makoto looked at him closely.  "You do look like him.
But you can't be him.... You're NOTHING like him!"

     "Who was he, anyway?"  The answers floated just beyond
his grasp.  He just needed a little more....

     A shrill noise tore through the air, startling both of
them.  The landscape crumbled around then, like canvas
ripping or film burning....

     And then Clark was awake in his own bed, alarm clock
beeping.  He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

     Had it all been a dream?

     He stumbled out of bed, trying to regain his
equilibrium through his morning routine.  On his way to the
bathroom, however, he stopped short, staring at his dresser
where Quietus sat.

     Black ichor was dripping down the blade.

*****

     Rei paused in her sweeping to look around.  The Shrine
was slowly returning to normal.  The house portion was
still in need of repair, though it was livable now.  The
Hikawa Shrine was back in business.

     And business was booming.

     That bothered her.  More people were coming to the
Shrine for blessings and charms.  It seemed like some sort
of spiritual malaise was growing over the city.  A malaise
that was probably connected to their enemies.

     Of course, thoughts of the enemy led her to think
about Jadeite.

     *Jade-chan,* Aurora sighed inside Rei's head.

     "Kami, I thought you were gone!" Rei blurted out.

     *I wish.  Where would I go?*

     "Frankly, I could care less, just so long as you
left."

     *Believe me, I'd rather be anywhere else than a...
TEMPLE, a place of deluded superstition.*

     "Be quiet, or I'll ward you."

     *You'll look pretty silly with a piece of paper stuck
to your forehead.*

     "I'm warning you--"

     "Talking to yourself, Rei-chan?"

     Rei stopped arguing with herself and looked up
guiltily.  Minako stood there, looking at the priestess
quizzically.

     "Oh, sorry, Minako-chan.  I was...."

     *Oh, go ahead, make yourself look like a lunatic.*

     Rei shook her head, hoping she might shake Aurora out
of her mind.  It didn't work, of course, but it did quiet
her a little.

     "Sorry, Minako," she said.  "I'm tired today, I guess.
What brings you by?"

     "Oh, I want to borrow your boyfriend," Minako said
matter-of-factly.

     "My WHAT?"

     "Oh come on, Rei-chan.  We all know you like him!"

     "I do not!"

     "Riiiight.  Nudge, nudge, wink, wink."

     Rei, not having the benefit of Minako's exposure to
British television, stared at her friend as if she had
grown a third eye.

     "I mean, it is SO obvious.  Your face is a closed
slate."

     A what?  Rei quickly gave up trying to figure Minako
out and just hoped her friend was wrong.

     "Minako, WHAT are you talking about?"

     "Well, duh...  I mean Yuuichirou."

     "YUUICHIROU?"

     "Hey, calm down.  I just want to borrow him for a day
or so."

     "He's NOT my boyfriend!"

     "Suuuuure, he's not.  Of course not."

     "He's NOT!"

     "Anyway, I need him to make love to Mako-chan!"

     "WH-WH-WHAT?"

     "Mako-chan has joined an all-girl gang and has sworn a
blood oath to hate all men and dance the Macarena!" Minako
pronounced.

     Rei placed her hand on Minako's forehead.  "No fever,
but you certainly SOUND delirious."

     Minako twitched.  "Why does everyone think I'm crazy?
This is for Mako-chan's own good."

     Rei sighed.  "Minako, I'm sure that Mako-chan has not
joined an all-girl gang that does the Macarena."

     "Oh, you're right!"

     "I mean, look at it... I'm right?"

     "Absolutely!"

     Rei looked at her friend suspiciously.  This was too
easy.  Usually Minako was more stubborn about her crazy
ideas.  Then again, Derith had said that elves were flighty
creatures.  Perhaps that--

     "I mean, the Macarena is SO dated.  They'll probably
dance to swing music!"

     --had driven Minako totally insane.

     "Minako," Rei began, tiredly, "IF Mako-chan HAD joined
an all-girl gang, what good would it do to have Kumada-san
make love to her?"

     Minako was going full-steam ahead, however, and wasn't
going to let any trifle like facts get in her way.  "It'll 
show her that LOVE conquers all!" she shouted.

     Aurora stirred again.  *Mayhap my love can still save
Jade-chan...?*

     "Fat chance," Rei muttered.  But Usagi's love had
saved Mamoru... couldn't she do the same for the man she
lov-- had loved?

     *He is MY love, not yours!*

     Meanwhile, Minako was still rambling on.  "And once
she sees that there can be another man in her life other
than her sempai, she won't be forced to turn to girls!"

     Rei twitched.  "I never took you for a homophobe,
Minako," she said.

     Minako blinked.  "What?  Oh, I'm not!  I just want
Mako-chan to enjoy it both ways!"  She suddenly turned red
and clapped a hand over her mouth.  "Oh!" she said after a
minute.  "I can't believe I said that!  What am I going to
do, Rei-chan?  I get these weird thoughts and I just go
wild."

     Rei looked at Minako flatly.  "Really?  I hadn't
noticed."

     Minako began to tear up.  "I'm going crazy, Rei-chan!"
She grasped the miko's hands.  "I mean, sometimes I just
get these..."  She stepped closer to Rei.   "...URGES," she
said, a little breathily.  "It makes me want... all SORTS
of things."  The blonde leaned closer, her face now inches
from Rei's.  "For instance, right now, I want... I
want...."  She leaned still closer to Rei, who was frozen
in shock.

     "Rei-chan!"

     Usagi's cheery voice floated up the stairs, ending the
raven-haired girl's paralysis.  She stumbled backwards,
trying to get away from her crazy friend-turned-elf.
Suddenly, her sandal caught on a broken flagstone and she
found herself falling backwards.

     "REI-CHAN!!" she heard her princess scream before her
head hit something hard and everything went black.

*****

     In the Throne Room of the Dark Kingdom, Jadeite stood,
staring at Beryl's Orb.  It had not been moved since
Beryl's unlamented demise.  He knew it held some great
power, but he didn't know what.  It had resisted all his
efforts to master it.  He wondered how Beryl had managed.
Of course, Beryl had Metallia's power supporting her, so
perhaps he was giving his former queen too much credit.
Still, his new allies had offered some interesting theories
about it... or rather, their existence had sparked his old
memories.

     But now was not the time for the orb.  He had new
troops to review.  Troops who would hopefully insure the
end of the Senshi once and for all.

     With bursts of blue, green, and silver flame three of
his New Generals appeared: Sapphire, Alexandrite, and
Marcasite.  At the same time, Magnetite hobbled in from a
side door, the same one he had used as Beryl's major-domo.
Old habits died hard, especially in old youma.

     "Lord Jadeite," Marcasite began, "we are ready to
begin the operation."

     "The droids?" Jadeite asked Sapphire.

     "It was a very demanding puzzle," the youma genius
began.

     "Yes, yes," Jadeite said impatiently, waving Sapphire
to silence.  "We can go over the specifics of the droid
later, before we brief the controllers.  What of them?"

     Alexandrite and Magnetite both began to speak at the
same time.  The gaudily appareled General practically
shouted out the older youma.

     "The devices are ready and fully tested," Alexandrite
said as Magnetite lapsed into silence, glowering at the
blond youma.  "They will work flawlessly."

     Magnetite gave a snort.  Now it was Alexandrite's turn
to glower as Magnetite gave his report.  "Despite greater
than expected personnel requirements from the Artificers--"
Alexandrite's frown increased.  "--due to unexpected losses
in testing, we have enough youma with the appropriate
skills for the operation to proceed."

     Jadeite noticed the sniping among his followers, but
he was more interested in Marcasite's small smile.
Magnetite and Alexandrite had never really gotten along,
especially given Alexandrite's materiel-based strategies
and Magnetite's need to conserve troop strength.  Jadeite
now wondered if Marcasite had used this opportunity to
deepen their rivalry.  He would have to keep an eye on the
pale-haired General.

     "We will begin running drills and planning sessions,"
Jadeite said.  "I want to finalize this by the end of the
week."

*****

     Rei opened her eyes slowly, wincing as she did so, and
saw she was in her room.  Her head was throbbing painfully.
She must have really cracked her head on the flagstones.

     "Oooh, Usagi!"

     What is Minako up to now?  Rei thought distractedly.
She didn't know what to make of Minako's behavior.  First
Michiru, now Minako.  Why can't I attract the right person?

     "M-mina-chan!  What are you doing?"

     Usagi!  What was that crazy elf doing now?

     "Come on, Usagi-chan... Once you try it, there is NO
going back."

     "I don't know... Rei-chan might wake up...."

     "She can join us if she likes... I don't mind
sharing."

     Rei listened with growing horror.  She tried to stand
and the pain nearly made her retch.

     "But... I don't think Rei-chan would like it if
we...."

     "Trust me, Usagi, she'll do it with YOU...."

     "You think she would?"

     Rei couldn't listen anymore.  She had to stop Minako
before she did something to the Princess.  Stumbling to her
feet, she tried to get to her door.

     "Of course!  Now, come here!" Minako said with a
giggle.

     "Minako-chan!  Stop!  Eeep!  That tickles!"

     Rei staggered out into the hall.  Her head was still
throbbing, but it seemed to be getting better.  She had no
time for it, anyway.

     "So?  What do you think?" Minako purred.

     "It tastes so...."

     "Good?"

     Rei finally made it to the living room.  "What is
going on here?" she snapped.

     Then she stared.

     Minako and Usagi both looked up at her guiltily,
juices running down both their faces.

     Rei saw red.

     "Those pies were for tonight!" she snapped, pointing
at the cherry pies the two had been eating.  Rei looked at
the kitchen and groaned.  "And look at this mess!  The
monsters didn't do this much damage!"

*****

     Makoto stared blankly at the paper before her.  She
should be doing her homework, but her mind was totally
blank.  All she wanted to do was sleep... but that was also
the LAST thing she wanted.

     Raiden sat in her lap and purred as loud as he could,
but there seemed little he could do.  His charge was
wasting away.

     There came a knock at the door.  It startled Makoto
out of her fugue state, for which Raiden was grateful... at
least until she opened the door.

     "Maguson-sensei!" she exclaimed.  "What do you want?"

     Raiden heard the hostility in her voice and hissed at
the newcomer.

     His cool gray eyes looked at her steadily.  "It's a
home visit," he said calmly.  "I'm here to talk to you
about your schoolwork."  He smiled slightly as she
continued to block the doorway.  "May I come in?"

     "Can I stop you?" Makoto asked sarcastically.  She
stepped aside and let him in.

     Clark looked around curiously.  Her place was a mess,
but it was not what he expected.  He had made some
inquiries and learned that Makoto lived by herself, under
the nominal guardianship of some relative after her parents
had died a couple of years ago.  That had led him to think
her place would be some sort of teenage 'crash pad.'
Instead, it was tastefully decorated, under the more recent
mess.  Someone had taken a lot of time to make the
apartment look nice, even though a lot of the furnishings
were second-hand.

     Makoto flopped down on the couch and glared balefully
at him.  He said nothing, merely reached into his duffel
bag and placed Quietus on her coffee table.

     Makoto gasped, recognizing the blade she had seen in
her dreams, wielded by someone who had claimed to be the
man who sat before her.  "Where did you get that?"

     "So you recognize it?"

     "It's a sword," Makoto said, lamely.  She realized
that it was the same sword Clark had used against the
elf... why hadn't she noticed it then?

     "Anything else?  Anything special about it?"

     It was Parias's sword, she wanted to say, but she kept
her mouth shut.

     Clark ran his fingers over the runes inscribed on the
blade.  The silence stretched out between them.

     "I... I saw it in a dream," Makoto said finally.

     Clark nodded and produced another item, a gaudily
decorated watch with a star on it.  Makoto blanched as he
placed it on Quietus.  "Is this yours?"

     Makoto nodded dumbly, wanting to snatch up her Senshi
communicator but afraid to.  How much did he know?  And if
he did know, what were his intentions?

     "You left it behind at school," he said.  "It looks
expensive, underneath all that glitter."

     "Oh, it isn't," she said quickly.  "Just a stupid
piece of merchandizing."

     "Oh?  From what?"

     Makoto tried to think of one of the ubiquitous magical
girl shows on TV, but her tired brain refused to work.
"It... It was... er..."

     "Makoto, I'm not your enemy here.  Something happened
last night, something incredible, and you're my only source
of answers."  He looked at her earnestly.  "Please.  I
can't help you if you don't trust me."

     Makoto curled up in a ball.  "Why should I?  Why
should I trust anyone?  If I let them close, they hurt me,
leave me... or die."

     "Like your parents did?"

     Makoto's anger stirred.  "What do YOU know about
that?"

     "My parents died when I was young, Makoto.  I was
lucky and got two foster parents who made sure that I got
the home environment--"

     "And are you saying I didn't?  This is my home.  I can
take care of it myself.  I don't need anyone!"

     Raiden jumped up to Makoto's side and purred loudly,
disagreeing as strongly as he dared.  She clasped him
close.

     Clark tried another tack.  "Makoto, I was told about
your dreams," he began.

     "What dreams?" Makoto stonewalled.

     "Dreams like the one we shared last night."

     "Oh, we kiss once and you think there is some cosmic
connection between us?"

     "Perhaps not....  But maybe there is one between
Parias and you."

     Makoto bristled at that.  "Parias is DEAD.  He died a
long time ago.  You have nothing in common with him."

     "Except dreams, it seems."

     The two stared at each other, at an impasse.  Clark
sighed and stood up.

     "I'm sorry you don't trust me, Makoto," he said.  "It
doesn't matter.  The dreams will continue and we will
continue to share them.  I'll see you in class."  He picked
up Quietus and put it back in his duffel.

     "Wait," she said.  "What do you know about the
dreams?"

     He was tempted to be silent, to repay her distrust in
kind.  Looking into her desperate green eyes, however, he
couldn't muster the resolve.

     "A... visitor told me that an enemy was attacking you
in your dreams and that he would arrange for me to share
them."  He held up a hand to forestall her questions.  "I
don't know who he was or why he picked me."  Clark met her
gaze coldly.  "I was hoping you could help me answer that."

     "What did he look like?" Makoto asked.

     "Does this mean that you're going to answer my
questions?"

     Makoto fidgeted and looked away.  "I can't.  I'm
sorry."

     Clark walked to the door.  "I'm sorry too, then."

     Makoto growled and threw her TV remote at the closing
door.  It shattered.  "Jerk!"

*****

     Jadeite looked over Sapphire's creation.  Something
akin to awe crossed his face.

     The latest droid was based on a denizen of the Dark
Kingdom known as a L'knar Beetle.  Covered with a diamond-
hard black chitin, no vulnerable spots save its mouth
(which it only opened when feeding) and with the ability to
spit a corrosive acid, the L'knar was a persistent pest.
However, it was only a foot long.

     The droid was seven feet tall.  That and its bipedal
shape were the only deviations from its model.

     "It _looks_ good," he said to the droid's creator.

     Sapphire nodded, oblivious to his leader's emphasis.
"Its strength is greater than our strongest youma and its
reflexes are extraordinary for its strength."

     "What of its armor?"

     "It's an absorptive-adaptive armor.  It grows stronger
the harder it is hit... up to a point.  It can be broken,
but not by anything less than Sailor Saturn or the Silver
Crystal."

     Jadeite grunted.  "You're sure of that?"

     "As sure as I can be," Sapphire replied.  "It is the
strongest armor I can forge without sacrificing too much
mobility.  I can show you my calculations if you like,
where I have a matrix of the droid's strength, speed,
armor--"

     "That won't be necessary," Jadeite said, cutting
Sapphire off.  "What of its brain?"

     "Vegetative," Sapphire said, disappointed.  "The
L'knar is more intelligent."

     "Weaknesses?"

     "Only the control gem, and that is located inside the
mouth.  Like the L'knar, it only opens that to feed,
defecate, procreate, or expectorate acid.  As a manavore,
it doesn't worry about the first three.  It is at risk when
spitting, but the desirability of a ranged weapon meant--"

     Jadeite waved his minion to silence again, studying
the droid.  As he had said, it looked good, but so had
Ravator, the Gibberlings, and Amazonite's attack.  Was this
simply the Dark Kingdom's latest failure?

     Sapphire was babbling on about the droid's combat
trials, but Jadeite tuned it out.  He had seen it in
action.

     The humans had a saying: Be careful what you wish for,
you might get it.  Jadeite had often wished to replace
Beryl.  Now he had, but as a consequence had no one's
orders to blame if something went wrong.  It was all on his
head.

     He snorted to himself.  Now was not the time to doubt
himself.  They were so close to victory.  Only the Senshi
stood in his way.

     As always.

     Jadeite made his decision.

*****

     On Europa, the Thing from Beyond had reached its
destination at last.  It sat in a small ice cave before a
crude stone altar.

     On the altar lay a white staff.  Both ends of the
staff bore delicate carvings of green ivy, so carefully
wrought and colored as to seem alive.  A pale glow
surrounded the staff... or tried to.

     Dark shadows filled the cave, centered on the staff.
They seemed to pulse and grow stronger with each second,
trying to smother the glow.  Each time they tried, the
light threw them back, but they pressed forward again and
again.  The light grew weaker with each assault.

     The Thing was pleased.  There had been a complication,
but things were still proceeding according to plan.

*****

     Another Sailor training session was in progress...
with typical results.

     Luna tried not to sigh as the new cats watched their
sailors train.  Given that the Sailors had been her
responsibility all this time, how they acted was a
reflection on her.

     She moaned as another Venus Love-Me Chain went
shooting overhead.  Saturn was _supposed_ to try and block
it with her Glaive. Things had not gone according to plan.
Saturn had ducked instead of blocking.

     Artemis shared her moan as the chain slammed into the
dirt by Mars and Neptune.  The sudden explosion of dirt and
stone startled Mars and she let loose a burst of flame that
left Neptune's face covered with soot.

     "They do much better against real enemies," Artemis
said with a small sigh.

     "It seems we have arrived just in time," Futsu said.
"There is much I can teach them about strategy and
tactics."

     Benten sniffed contemptuously.  "Perhaps there are
things you need to teach your charge.  Mine is a woman of
culture and learning."

     "Mine is nice!" Isis piped up, her eyes never leaving
her charge.

     "I don't think they are doing that badly," Hermes
said.  "Sailor Venus has undergone some changes lately.  We
need to allow for that."

     Go merely grunted and curled up to take a nap.

     Raiden barely heard his comrades arguing.  His
attention was focused on Sailor Jupiter.

     The tall Sailor did not look well.  Dark circles
surrounded her eyes.  Her hair hung limply, lusterless and
her skin was so sallow it seemed yellow.

     She had not been plagued by nightmares since that
night, at least as far as he could tell.  It did not
matter, however, since the fear of those nightmares kept
her awake until exhaustion claimed her.

     And there seemed to be nothing he could do to help
her.  He had tried to talk to her about Clark's visit, but
if he hadn't already guessed about her stubbornness, he
soon was acquainted with it first hand.

     Fortunately, he was not the only one to notice
Jupiter's condition.

     "Are you alright, Mako-chan?" Sailor Moon asked.

     Jupiter blinked at her princess, obviously having
trouble understanding her.  "What?"

     "I asked if you were feeling alright."

     "Oh...."

     Moon waited for a moment, growing concerned.  "ARE you
OK, Mako-chan?"

     "Eh?  Oh, I'm fine, fine.  Come on, let's train."

     Sailor Moon looked at her partner dubiously but took a
combat stance anyway.  "OK, try to dodge this, Mako-chan!"
She began to empower her tiara.

     Jupiter burst into motion, ducking and rolling to her
left.  Diving behind a tree, she grinned triumphantly at
Moon.

     "Um, I haven't thrown it yet, Mako-chan," Sailor Moon
said with a nervous laugh, her glowing tiara hovering
before her.

     Jupiter sighed and leaned against the tree.  Slowly
she sank to her knees, trying not to cry.

     "Mako-chan?" Sailor Moon was instantly at her Senshi's
side.  "What's wrong, Mako-chan?  Are you hurt?  Should I
get Ami-chan?"

     Jupiter's shoulders shook as she held back her sobs.
Instantly, she felt her princess' arms around her, holding
her close.

     "Let it out, Mako-chan," Serenity said calmly.
"Whatever it is, speaking of it will not hurt as much as
holding it back."

     Jupiter looked up and saw that everyone was standing
around them, their faces full of concern and sympathy.

     "Princess--" she began.

     Suddenly, the Mercury's computer began to sound an
alarm.  She looked at it, startled, then opened it and
summoned her visor.

     "What is it, Mercury?" Serenity asked.

     "My computer is registering Dark Energy in the city.
It could be a youma attack."  She began to rapidly type in
several commands.  "I'm reading... ten loci?  We have ten
attacks, scattered throughout the city," Mercury said in
disbelief.

     "Ten?  At once?" Venus asked.

     "Jade-ch--JADEITE must be trying to split us up," Mars
said.

     "We can't do that," Uranus said, authoritatively.

     "Yes, it's an obvious ploy," Neptune added.  "We have
to stay focused."

     Princess Serenity looked down at her hands and sighed.
She knew that they were making sense... but people were
getting hurt, maybe killed... people she was supposed to
protect.

     She turned to the eldest Senshi.  Pluto met her gaze
squarely, her thoughts and feelings hidden, as always,
behind the enigmatic Guardian of Time mask.

     "You must do as you see fit, Princess," she said
calmly.

     "We will split up," Serenity said at last.

*****

     People ran screaming from the small park in Tokyo as
the black droid began its rampage.  From his safe vantage
point, the youma Agate watched his charge with mixed
feelings of pride and shame.  The droid was following his
psychic commands, transmitted by the helmet he wore,
perfectly.

     Marcasite's idea had taken the flaws of the droid
design, the inverse relationship between strength and
intellect, and made it an advantage.  By having a youma
nearby to direct the otherwise mindless droid, the Dark
Kingdom had a potent new weapon.  Combined with the droids'
ability to transmit their stolen energy to the Dark
Crystals gave even a low-powered youma the ability to
harvest large amounts of energy.

     But Agate still felt that warriors should meet their
foes face-to-face.  Not this fighting by proxy.

     Still, orders were orders.

     "Halt!"

     Agate smiled.  It seems that his droid had attracted
the attention they sought.  Even if he was not fighting her
directly, he still faced a foe of distinction.

     "Parks are for the enjoyment of all!  For despoiling
this pretty day, I will never forgive you!  In the name of
the Moon, I'll punish you!"

*****

     Udaigaku Noriko hummed a little tune as she walked
around the shopping district.  It was such a pleasant day,
she felt like running around and shouting for joy.

     She settled, however, for a bounce in her step and a
smile on her face.  Everything was going so well.  She knew
her grandfather's predictions had been overly pessimistic.

     Then a seven-foot tall, black carapaced droid jumped
out in front of her, snarling viciously.

     Noriko cocked her head to one side and looked at it
curiously.  She blinked.  "Ano, are you a monster?" she
asked politely.

     In answer, the droid took a swipe at her with its
wickedly sharp claws.

     "Shabon Spray!" came a voice from behind her.
Immediately, a thick fog sprung up around them, even as
Noriko dove to the ground.  She felt the claws swish by
overhead and heard the monster's frustrated bellow as it
missed.

     Then she was pulled to her feet and dragged away into
the fog.  Noriko tried to see who it was, but it was hard
to tell.

     "Get out of here!" her savior said shoving her in a
direction that Noriko could only assume was away from the
monster.

     "But I want to--" she protested, holding her ground.

     The fog was starting to clear, but Noriko still
couldn't get a good look at her rescuer.

     "No time to argue," the other person said, listening
to the monster bellowing.  "Get going!"

     "No!  I can--"

     "RUN, 'ri-chan, now!"

     Noriko froze, the voice suddenly familiar to her.  At
the same time, however, she finally got a good look at the
other person, one of the Sailor Senshi.  The conflict
between what her ears heard and what her eyes saw made her
head hurt.  Shaking it, she tried to approach the matter
logically.

     "'Mi-chan?"

     Sailor Mercury didn't waste anymore time arguing with
her roommate, shoving Noriko aside.  She was just in time,
as the monster finally caught sight of them and charged.
Noriko went sprawling.

     Mercury tried to dive away as well, but Noriko had
delayed her just long enough.  The droid's claws sliced
into her shoulder, drawing blood.  She gritted her teeth
and tried not to scream.

     Noriko was back on her feet almost instantly.  She had
heard Mercury's grunt and knew the Senshi of ice had been
hurt saving her.  She lowered her head and charged the
black-skinned droid.

     She slammed her shoulder into it at full speed.  It
was totally focused on Mercury, so she caught it by
surprise.  It was bowled over, giving Mercury a chance to
regain her feet.

     "Get out of here, Noriko!" Mercury said, holding her
wounded shoulder.

     "It is you, 'mi-chan!" Noriko exclaimed.  She took up
a combat stance.  "Let's kick some monster tail!"

     Mercury groaned as Noriko got into an exaggerated
wrestling stance she had seen on TV.  She wondered if she
could pull off a Shine Aqua Illusion with her shoulder in
this condition.

     The droid got back on its feet, snarling.  Mercury
realized she would have to find out.

     "SHINE AQUArrrggghhhh!!!" she screamed, the pain
shooting through her shoulder as she tried to gather her
power.  She fell to the ground

     "'Mi-chan!" Noriko exclaimed, scrambling over to her
roommate.  A shadow fell over her, causing her to look up.

     The droid towered over them, snarling.  Still
shielding Mercury, Noriko raised her arm to fend off the
monster.

     The monster severed it with a swipe of its claw.

*****

Elsewhere:

     "Hey!  Get back here and hold still!" Venus yelled at
her quarry, her bow rapid-firing.

~~~

     "Silence Glaive Surprise!"

~~~

     "Mommy!  Lookit the sentai!"

     Mars grit her teeth at the comment and tried to
concentrate on nailing her droid with a Flame Sniper.
Stupid armor.

~~~

     The droid looked at the stump of its right arm in
shock.

     "What are you so surprised about?" Uranus asked it.
"It's a sword.  It cuts things."  She grinned.  "Want
another demonstration?"

     The droid roared at her.

     "Always glad to oblige."

~~~

     "Star Bolt!"

     "Dead Scream."

     The two attacks passed through each other, crossing
just in front of a very surprised droid.  Odysseus and
Younger Pluto shared a glance.

     "Uh-oh," they chorused.

~~~

     "Fang of the Rainbow Serpent!"

     The water serpent plunged toward Talcite's droid,
which he sent diving for cover.  No one had told him that
the Senshi had new attacks, he whined to himself.

~~~

     A droid ran through the crowded subway station,
draining energy from every human it touched.  Most of the
energy was transmitted to the nearest Dark Crystal.  The
rest went toward healing the droid's injuries.  It was only
safe as long as it was in a crowd....

     Behind it, slipping effortlessly through the mob,
Sailor Pluto smiled.

*****

     Clark ran through the streets of Tokyo, frantically
searching for... something.

     He had been in his apartment grading papers when he
suddenly felt like the world had dropped out from under
him.  It had passed quickly, but he had grabbed Quietus,
put it in a duffel bag, and ran into the streets.

     He didn't know how long he had been running aimlessly
before he heard the screams.  He headed toward them,
fighting his way through the mob of people running away,
feeling like a salmon swimming upstream.

     Turning a corner, he saw a black-skinned monster out
of his worst nightmares facing Sailor Jupiter.  He suddenly
knew that this was what he was looking for.  He pulled
Quietus from its bag and charged.

     Sailor Jupiter saw him coming.  "Stay back!" she
screamed, barely dodging a claw swipe by the monster.

     Clark didn't listen, didn't question his actions, and
swung Quietus at his foe.  The monster turned to face him
and blocked Quietus with its forearm.  Clark was shocked as
the blade caught in a gap in the creature's exoskeleton and
was flung from his grasp.

     Clark stumbled backward and the monster seemed to grin
at him.  Slowly, it began to walk toward him, amused at the
actions of its new prey.  However, in doing so, it forgot
all about its OLD prey.

     "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

     Ball lightning slammed into the back of the monster,
sending it sprawling.  With a snarl, it scuttled around to
face Sailor Jupiter, forgetting about Clark for the moment.

     Clark could see that Sailor Jupiter was not looking
well.  She was out of breath and was moving in an
uncoordinated, jerky fashion.  Something about her haggard
face seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't place it.

     Jupiter started to wind up for another attack.  She
had never felt so tired in her life.  Her limbs felt like
they had lead weights attached to them and her attacks were
not even half as powerful as normal.  And now Clark, of all
people, had tried to rescue her.  Again.  And not even
doing that good a job of it this time!

     She began to back up, hoping to lead the droid away
from her teacher.  But she was moving so slowly.  The droid
reached for her again and she twisted desperately aside....

     ...right into its other claw.

     With a shriek of triumph, the droid's claw closed over
her face, digging into her skin.  Its other claw grabbed
her by the waist and with a jerk it hoisted her over its
head.  She flailed helplessly, unable to break free of its
grip.  Suddenly she was flying through the air, headfirst
toward a brick wall... and then everything exploded into
darkness.

     Clark, meanwhile, had managed to retrieve Quietus and
was just getting to his feet when he saw the monster hurl
Sailor Jupiter toward the wall.  The bricks cracked under
the impact and she fell bonelessly to the ground, blood
smearing down the wall.

     He froze, watching in horror as Jupiter's fuku
dissolved into green ribbons and faded away, revealing Kino
Makoto with blood covering her face.

     For a long moment, he could only look at her in shock.
Then a powerful rage built within him.  It seemed to
crackle around him like lightning at first, then it
changed, becoming a warm glow.  He welcomed it, grasping it
and pulling it inside him, merging it to his soul.

     His body began to glow with a brilliant light, a light
which swirled around him, blinding the droid and its
controller.  Then, the light faded, to reveal a person clad
in white armor and a sapphire cloak.

     "Now, fight me," Parias growled, leveling Quietus at
the creature before him.

*****

     Super Sailor Moon raised her wand, about to unleash
the Rainbow Moon Heart Ache.  Tuxedo Kamen had arrived and
thrown a rose, distracting the monster she was fighting,
and now it was time to finish it off.

     Then a horrible feeling of loss flooded her.  She
gasped and dropped to her knees, her lips forming words she
barely recognized through the haze.

     "Mako-chan," she whispered.  With that, she turned and
ran off into the city, barely aware of Tuxedo Kamen's yell
and the sound of a cane striking something, or of the
growls of the monster she had just left behind.

     Her friend needed her NOW.

*****

     Shardicite could scarcely believe what she was seeing.
She had been briefed by Marcasite to expect Elder Senshi,
or maybe Endymion to come running to aid the Sailor Senshi.
Who was this guy?  His armor resembled that of Prince
Endymion, but it was white instead of black.  How many
defenders did this human dung heap HAVE?

     No matter, she thought.  Her droid could handle him,
just like it had taken care of the Sailor bitch.

     In response to her commands, the droid opened its
mouth and spat a stream of acid at Parias, who twirled his
cape around to block it.  His eyes widened as the cloak
dissolved away, barely shielding him from the corrosive
liquid.  He leapt away, touching down behind the droid, and
charged it, Quietus extended.

     Again, the droid seemed to have eyes in the back of
its head, turning to meet his charge.  He barely managed to
duck beneath its swipe and skidded to a stop behind it, his
armor squealing on the asphalt.  The droid turned and
opened its mouth to spit acid at him again.  As it did, he
caught sight of something sparkling within its maw, just
before he had to leap way to avoid another corrosive blast.

     Something about the sparkle tugged at his memory.  A
gem?  He remembered suddenly when Sailor Jupiter had fought
that lake monster.  It had a gem on its forehead and had
died when the gem was broken.  Did this monster have the
same weakness?

     Quietus jarred his hands as it smacked off the droid's
armor again.  It was a powerful weapon, but it was made to
bash through obstacles, not slice effortlessly though them.
Broadswords were weapons of power, not elegance.  He needed
to get at that gem, and it seemed that there was only one
way to do it.

     He dodged around the monster, gratified in one
instance to see that HIS armor stopped its claws as
effectively as its armor stopped Quietus.  Soon, it opened
its mouth to spit again.

     Parias lunged forward, plunging Quietus into the droid
mouth.  Acid splashed down his arm, burning through his
armor and onto his skin.  He choked back a scream and
shoved with all his might.  There was a tinkle as something
shattered.  The droid screamed in agony and dissolved into
a pile of ash.

     Parias stumbled backward, clawing off the armor on his
right arm.  It fell off, sizzling on the pavement.  Quietus
seemed unharmed, but the acid was eating into everything
else.  Parias was glad he had worn gauntlets.  Finally, all
the affected armor was off, fortunately before much of the
acid had reached his skin.  Blisters and charred flesh were
still apparent, however, where the acid had leaked through.

     Then he saw Makoto, still slumped against the wall,
and forgot his own pain.  He hurried over to her, still
operating on instinct, and examined her.  It was not good.
At the best, she had a very bad concussion.  At worst...

     It wasn't going to come to that.  He reached inside
himself, preparing to call upon his healing powers.  At
that moment, however, the situation began to sink in.  He
was Clark Maguson, a teacher at Tsunami High.  What could
he do?

     Warring memories and personalities swirled through his
head.  He tried to sort them out.  There WAS something he
could do, he thought, but now that the battle was over, it
was getting harder and harder to remember what.

     "Mako-chan!" came a scream.  He turned and saw Sailor
Moon running towards Makoto, tears running down her face.
He held up a hand before she could touch the injured girl.

     "Stop, Princess.  You might aggravate the injury," he
said in his best voice of authority.

     Sailor Moon stopped and looked at him tearfully.  "But
Mako-chan...." she whispered brokenly.

     "I think I can help her... if only I was sure..." he
said, wracking his brains.  Healing, he could heal, he
thought.  I knew how to a moment ago.  What do I do?

     "The Silver Crystal can--" Sailor Moon began, reaching
up to touch her brooch.

     "No!" Parias snapped, before he could even think about
it.  The thought of using the Crystal filled him with
dread.

     "But--" Sailor Moon began.  She still didn't seem to
recognize him, or care very much.  She only had eyes for
her fallen friend.

     He didn't have much time before she did something
foolish, he realized, still not certain where all of this
knowledge was coming from.  He had to help Makoto, of
course, but he couldn't wait forever.  Following his first
instincts, he placed his hands gently on the stricken
girl's head.  Please, he pleaded, if there is something I
can do to help her, please let me have the power to do so.
He didn't know who he was asking or what sort of answer he
expected.  But it scarcely mattered, for he WAS answered.

     The Light swallowed them both up again.

*****

     On the icy moon of Europa, the Thing from Beyond
froze.  The staff was beginning to glow more and more
brightly, threatening the shadows it had carefully nurtured
around it.  For the first time, it feared for the success
of its plans.  Gathering its powers, it threw them at the
light.

*****

     Clark found himself back in the garden of the Moon
Kingdom, but it was no longer the oasis of peace and beauty
he remembered.  Instead, darkness covered the stars and
sun, and fired burned everywhere.  In the distance, he
could hear the screams, screams and the tramp of boots.

     He was stumbling through the ruins, looking for
something.  He had never felt so weak.  Still, he found the
strength to stumble on from somewhere deep inside him.

     Looking up, he saw seven shadowy shapes detach
themselves from the unnatural darkness covering the sky and
fall toward the Moon Palace.  He could sense their evil
from here, but there was nothing he could do about them.
He had to find what he was looking for.

     He turned a corner of what remained of the garden maze
and found it.

     "Then die, bitch," spat a man in a gray uniform, a man
identical to the "old friend" who had visited him, telling
him of Makoto's dreams.  Clark screamed as the man fired a
bolt of dark energy at the woman before him.  As if moving
through quicksand, Clark threw himself forward, but he
could not move quickly enough.  The woman, who he
recognized as the grown up Makoto, was cut down, and the
man vanished in a spray of light.

     Clark reached Makoto and cradled her head in his arms,
tears running down his face.  It couldn't end like this.
He refused to let it end like this.  It was too cruel, too
heartless, even for the uncaring universe.  He clutched her
body and called upon all the healing power he had.  The
lines between Clark and Parias blurred, the barrier between
past and present broke.  He suddenly realized who he was,
who the Sailor Senshi were, and how it all fit together...
and knew that this nightmare could not be changed.  It had
already happened.  He would burn himself out, trying to
save Juno, and they would both die, only to be sent to the
future through Queen Serenity's counterstroke.

     Then the girl in his arms moaned.

     That wasn't right.  That wasn't how it happened.  Juno
was dead when Parias reached her, and he burned himself
out, trying in his grief to do the impossible, to bring the
dead back to life.

     He looked up, and realized that this all felt
familiar.  It was another dream.  Somehow, they were
sharing another dream, a dream of the worst moment in their
past lives.  But it was JUST a dream.

     The darkness began to gather around them, swallowing
the palace, creeping over the garden.  Again, this wasn't 
how things had gone.  Something was controlling this dream.

     "Juno," he whispered.  "Wake up.  This is a nightmare.
You need to wake up."

     The shadows seemed to be whispering something, a
constant gabble that almost made sense to him... and what
little he could understand chilled him to the bone.  Again,
a memory of Parias came to him, telling him what he faced.
A Thing from Beyond, a monstrosity so alien it barely could
exist in the normal universe.

     He shook Makoto again.  "Makoto, please wake up," he
said.  Somehow, he knew that they could only face this
monster together.  They were sharing these dreams for a
reason, and they could only find that reason together.

     Makoto opened her eyes.  "No," she moaned, looking at
the darkness and chaos that surrounded them.  "I can't do
this again," she said, tears running down her face.

     "I'm with you, Makoto," Clark said.  "You're not
alone."

     Makoto's green eyes stared up at his.  "I'm always
alone," she said.  "Sooner or later, I end up alone."

     The darkness surged forward, almost like it was
feeding on her despair.

     Clark drew Quietus and held it before them.  "You're
not alone, Makoto.  You have friends who will help--"

     "They'll die!  They always die!" Makoto screeched,
trying hysterically to pull herself from his grasp.

     "Listen to me, Makoto," he shouted above her screams,
one eye still on the encroaching darkness.  "LISTEN TO ME!"

     She stilled in his arms, looking at him in shock.

     "What do you want me to say?  That people never die?
I wish I could.  I wish I could make the hurt go away.  But
I can't.  It's not natural for pain to simply vanish.  But
pain can be healed.  It can be conquered.  But never alone.
You're stronger than this, and you have people who will
help you.  But you need to stop wallowing in the pain.  You
need to get beyond it."

     "No... it hurts too much."

     "Damn it, you have to try!  Nothing will get better if
you don't try!"

     The shadows were almost upon them.  He stood and spun
around, Quietus beginning to burn with a silver light.

     "Makoto, please.  I need your help.  I can't do it
alone."

     She opened her eyes.  Green pupils locked with gray,
and she could feel his faith flowing into her.  He believed
in her, that she could do this.  Slowly, she got to her
feet, her hand still clutched in his.

     She looked out at the darkness around them, feeling
how WRONG it was.  This was one of the things she had been
born to fight.  This was one of the things that had taken
her from her parents in a past life.  If this evil had not
existed, there would have been no need for Senshi, no need
for all the hardship and anguish she had ever suffered, she
felt.  Her fear and helplessness burned away, to be
replaced with an emotion she knew all too well.  Anger.
Burning anger at her foe.  Deep in her mind came the words
of power that she needed, and she threw them into the face
of the shadows.

     "Jupiter Crystal Power, Make Up!" she screamed.  Power
flowed into her, more power than she had ever felt before.
Her senshi uniform appeared around her, and then changed,
the skirt turning white with a green band on the hem.

     Super Sailor Jupiter glared at the darkness, glowing
with a brilliant light.  The shadows shrank before this for
a moment, then surged forward, intent on striking her down.

     "JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!"

     The attack met the shadows and tore through them,
burning them away.  An unearthly howl filled the night as
the shadows burned, causing Clark to clutch at his ears.

     Then everything blew up.

*****

     On the moon of Europa, a section of its surface
exploded into a ball of light.  Astronomers later
attributed it to a meteor strike on the icy satellite.

*****

     Sailor Mercury watched in horror as the droid severed
her roommate's arm.  The limb fell to one side with a
fleshy plop.  Noriko stared in incomprehension at the stump
she was left with.

     Then Noriko leapt to her feet and bowled the droid
over again, screaming furiously.

     Mercury watched in shock as Noriko began to pound away
on the droid with her remaining arm.  Then, other small
facts began to seep in.  For one thing, Noriko wasn't
bleeding.  Instead, what looked like wires and tangled
metal trailed from the stump.  A quick look over at the arm
revealed that it too seemed to be mechanical.  Stunned,
Mercury activated her computer and ran a scan on her
roommate.  What she found stunned her.

     Meanwhile, Noriko continued to attack the prostrate
droid, keeping it off balance.  It flailed at her with its
claws, but she paid no mind to the deep furrows it was
digging into her skin, revealing metal and wires beneath
the human-looking exterior.  Finally, it opened its mouth
to spit at her, and her remaining arm plunged deep within
its mouth, crushing its control gem before coming out the
back of the droid's head.  The black monster then dissolved
into dust.

     Noriko slumped to the ground, shaking slightly, her
hair falling over her face.  Mercury, still stunned,
detransformed and walked hesitantly over to her friend.

     "Noriko...?"

     "Don't look at me, Ami," Noriko replied, her voice
toneless.  It nearly broke Ami's heart to hear her usually
bright and bubbly friend so.... lifeless.

     She didn't even shorten my name, Ami thought.

     Taking a deep breath, Ami tried again.  "Noriko...
I..."

     "Don't bother," the girl said.  "I know what you
really think.  I'm a freak.  A thing.  I've betrayed your
trust, lied to you.  Go ahead and say it.  Make yourself
feel all superior to the little wind-up doll."

     "I don't...  I think this is amazing.  I never
suspected at all."

     "You weren't supposed to.  Grandfather does good work
on his toys."

     "Would you cut that out?" Ami said, feeling her ire
flare.  "You are not a toy!  You're my friend."

     Noriko looked up at that and Ami let out a little
gasp.  The droid's claws had scratched the pseudo-flesh off
her friend in long jagged strips, leaving the metal
endoskeleton and raw, plastic muscles revealed.  She
couldn't help comparing it to the Terminator movies for one
second, and some of her shock must have shown.

     "Friend?  Hah!  You can't be friends with a machine,"
Noriko spat.

     Ami could feel tears gathering in her eyes.  She had
roomed with Noriko for months and had never guessed that
her roommate could sound so full of despair and self-
loathing.

     Ami held out her hand to her roommate.  "Come on,
let's get you to your grandfather.  We have a lot to talk
about."

     Noriko stared at her friend in disbelief, then slowly
reached up one hand to take Ami's.  Ami smiled down at her
as she did so.

     * Poor child, * Athena thought in Ami's head.

     We have to help her, Ami agreed.

     * Now I understand how she beat Dia so handily. *

     Ami pulled her roommate to her feet, then went over
and collected the severed arm, careful to show no
revulsion.  It still felt remarkably human to the touch.
Then, slowly, the two walked off in the direction of
Tsunami.

*****

     Clark blinked, finding himself standing once more in
the gardens of the Moon Palace, restored to its former
beauty.  The sun was shining down on them and there was no
sign of the shadows that had threatened them.  He looked
over at Jupiter and suddenly found himself kneeling.

     Jupiter was also kneeling before a silver-haired woman
of remarkable beauty.  The woman had her hair bound in a
strange, two-tailed style that Clark recognized but could
not place, and was holding a green and white staff in her
hands.

     "Rise, Lady Jupiter," the woman said in a musical
voice.  "I am long past the need for such courtesies, and
it is my daughter to whom you owe your allegiance."

     Jupiter got to her feet slowly.  "But, you're Queen
Serenity--"

     The name shot through Clark like a lightning bolt.  He
had served this woman, as priest and warrior, as subject
and confessor, in his past life.

     His shock must have shown, for Queen Serenity smiled
over at him.  "And you may rise as well, good Parias.  I
thank you for striving so hard to help one of my daughter's
senshi.  I would offer you a reward, but I have a suspicion
that the Lady Jupiter will handle that herself."  There was
a twinkle in the Queen's eyes that made Jupiter blush,
though Parias barely noticed it.

     "My Queen," he said at last, bowing respectfully.

     Nodding, the Queen turned back to Jupiter.  "You did
well, Senshi of Jupiter.  The Thing from Beyond thought to
weaken you through dreams and nightmares before stealing
your birthright.  I now restore it to you.  Accept this,
the Jupiter Staff, and use it well."  She handed the white
and green staff over to Jupiter, who looked at it in awe.

     "I... thank you, my Queen."

     "Now, you must return to the waking lands," Queen
Serenity said with a smile.  There are those who no doubt
worry about you.  Fare you both well, my friends."

     And the gardens of the Moon Palace faded from sight.

     Opening his eyes, Clark could see Makoto's eyes
fluttering open.  He was still kneeling beside her,
clutching her head in his hands, but now the only sign of
her injury was the dried blood on her face.  She blinked up
at him.

     "Parias?" she whispered.

     Then he sat back, utterly exhausted and his armor
dissolved into bands of silver light.  Soon, Clark Maguson
was sitting there, and Makoto stared at him in shock.

     "Mako-chan!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, grabbing Makoto in
a huge bear hug.  "You're OK!"

     "Ugh!  Usagi!  Can't breathe!  Leggo!"

     Clark decided to pass out from fatigue at that moment,
and let someone else handle things.

*****

     Sensei turned back from the liquid-filled vat that
Noriko floated within.  The metal and flesh of her arm was
slowly knitting back together as he and Ami watched, and
the various rents and tears over her body were healing as
well.

     "I thank you, Mizuno-san," he said at length, "for not
revealing her secret to the world.  The poor girl has
already been through so much."

     "She's my friend, Udaigaku-sensei," Ami replied, never
taking her eyes off of Noriko.  An unspoken question,
however, hovered in the air between them, until Sensei gave
a sigh.

     "She IS my granddaughter," he said at last.  "She is
not simply some creation of mine, no matter what she
thinks."

     "I know that she has a human brain, but the rest of
her... it's an astounding accomplishment, Sensei."

     "When I was younger, I used to work for Mishima Heavy
Industries," the old scientist said after a heavy pause.
"I was totally devoted to my work in artificial
intelligences and robotics.  I barely made any time for my
family after my wife died of cancer.  I didn't attend my
daughter's wedding, or the birth of her child.  I told
myself there would be time for that, later, when I had
finally succeeded in creating a true automaton.

     "But then my daughter, her husband, and my
granddaughter were in a car crash.  They were killed, and
Noriko was left in a coma.  Her spine was crushed and...
there was brain damage.  I pulled in every favor I had...
even some I am still paying off.  What you see is the final
result."

     "Brain damage?" Ami asked, as politely as she could.

     Sensei nodded.  "She has powerful computers assisting
her, but she seemed to have developed some quirks.  Still,
it was the best I could do for her.  I just wanted her to
have a normal life... I left my job and took up this simple
teacher's position, devoting myself to her life.  It will
never make up for neglecting her before... but now..."

     "I'm sure she knows and loves you for it, Sensei."

     "Sometimes, I think she hates me instead."

     The two of them went back to watching Noriko in
silence.

*****

     "Well, Marcasite?  Report," Jadeite said from his
throne.

     Marcasite tried not to wince at his leader's barely
hidden contempt.

     "The operation went as planned, my lord, in the
initial stages," he began.

     "And in the later stages?" Jadeite asked.

     "The Senshi proved more powerful than we anticipated.
Some we had known would find the droids no problem, but it
seems that some of them have new attacks, or at least new
strength.  While there was no sign of the Elder Senshi,
several Senshi did receive aid from previously unknown
sources."

     "So, we lost all the droids, did not prove the
existence of these Elder Senshi, and barely collected
enough energy to cover the costs of this operation.  Would
you say that sums the matter up, Marcasite?"

     "We did seriously injure Sailor Jupiter," Marcasite
said, "but no Elder Senshi came to her aid.  We are still
trying to identify who exactly did."

     "I am not happy with these results, Marcasite.  You
promised me much and I got very little in return for my
trust.  I am taking you off Earth Operations for a time, to
consider your mistakes."  Jadeite dismissed the silver-
haired snake with a gesture.  "Alexandrite!" he called.

     Alexandrite stepped forward from the crowd of youma.
"My Lord?"

     "You are now in charge of our plans against these
annoying Sailor Brats.  But be warned.  I am growing very
tired of failure."

     Alexandrite bowed.  "I hear and obey, my Lord."

*****

     Clark lay down on his bed and stared at his ceiling.
He was exhausted.  Every muscle in his body, including some
he didn't know he had, ached.  He knew from Parias's
memories now that healing took a lot out of a person, but
this seemed a bit excessive.  To make things worse, Makoto
was avoiding him, refusing to return his phone calls.  What
was he to do, now that he knew her secret?  Finally, he
drifted off to sleep.

     He found himself in the gardens of the Moon Palace,
with Juno standing shyly before him.

     "Makoto," he said, awestruck again with her beauty.

     "I was hoping," she said, "that we might still share a
dream or two."

     "What are we going to do, Mak... Kino-san?"

     Juno stepped closer to him.  "I didn't want to admit
who you were... I guess some part of me was stubbornly
trying to hold on to a past that could never be again.  Or
else I wanted to spare you the same heartbreak Parias
suffered."

     "I... I don't understand," he said.

     "Don't you?" she whispered, bringing her face closer
to his.  Their lips brushed.  "I ran from the past," she
whispered.  "Now, I don't care about anything but the
future."

     "But... I'm your teacher... we can't...."

     Juno kissed him to silence.

     "We can," she said at last, breaking the kiss.

     "But...."

     "Shhhh," she whispered, laying a finger on his lips.
"This is a dream.  No harm will come of this.  And we've
both waited too long for each other."

     "This... we should stop.  As responsible adults--"

     "I'm a teenager," she said with an impish grin before
silencing him again, this time for a good long time.

*****

     Elsewhere, a man with long brown hair in a white
uniform smiled sadly as he watched the two newfound lovers,
then banished the image.

     "Be well, my friend and my love," whispered Nephrite,
former Guardian of Earth.

The End.

*****

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.

*****

CLARK SAYS:

Clark:  [gets onto stage in his suit] All right, exactly
who saw that one coming?

[nobody in the audience responds]

Clark:  [surprised] Nobody?  *Really*?  [talks to someone
offstage]  Wow, I'm pretty surprised.  I've been around
since Episode 8, and nobody guessed.

Setsuna:  [leans out from the side and smiles] I knew.

Clark:  I kind of expected that.  Anything else you'd care
to share with the audience?

[Setsuna just looks at the audience and continues her
enigmatic smile.  Clark sweatdrops.]

Clark:  Okay...anyway, I think that the moral of this story
is...you can find the most interesting things about a
person if you look.  Still waters and all that, and--
[sees someone offstage and blinks]  What happened to *you*?

Mamoru:  [stumbles out onstage, looking a bit bruised]  I
had to take care of that droid by myself.

Clark:  Well, so did I.

[Makoto comes up from behind Clark and hugs him.  Clark
blushes a bit.]

Makoto:  Yeah, and he doesn't say "now, Sailor Moon" all
the time!

[Mamoru is about to protest, but then Nurse Usagi runs up
and drags him off stage.]

Usagi:  [as she and Mamoru leave]  Come on, Mamo-chan!  I
haven't finished nursing you back to health yet!

Mamoru:  [sweatdropping]  I'm fine, really!  I--owowow!

Makoto:  [whispering in Clark's ear]  You know...you'd
*better* not leave me for my own good or do anything
boneheaded.  [squeezes him for emphasis]

Clark:  [winces]  I wouldn't dream of it, Mako-chan.  [they
separate, and he thinks for a moment]  Wait a minute...I
just thought of something else.  I'm a fairly serious male
character in a Sailor Moon universe.  Does that mean that
I'm going to have to deal with a large amount of abuse?

[as if on cue, a large anvil flattens him, missing Makoto
by a hair's breadth]

Clark:  [from under anvil]  ...never mind.  Medic...

Loudspeaker:  Clark Maguson, please report for your
hypnosis session.  Clark, report for your hypnosis session.

[The author rubs his hands gleefully.]

(Clark Says by Pearson "Doc" Mui.)

Author's Note:

     Well, sorry this took so long.  It's over now.

Jeff Hosmer
9 July 2000
SMZ18 25