A Sailor Moon story by Tim Nolan
e-mail: nomad@cyberverse.com

Please see comments following the story.

Awakening

part 1


	" Yes, Lieutenant?"
	" Azarite reporting, sir."
	Kunzite put aside the reports he was reading and leaned back 
in his favorite couch in the quarters he shared with Zoisite while 
he studied the younger man. He knew Zoisite didn't like his doing 
business in their quarters, but he refused to do any serious work 
in the spy infested military compounds. 
	Azarite looked more like a clerk than a warrior, with his 
short brown hair and serious expression. His only concession to 
fashion or individuality was the well-tailored uniform with a 
smart looking black half-cloak that saved him from looking too 
plain. The lieutenant was one of the few survivors of the attack 
on the Moon Kingdom and one of the rising stars among Kunzite's 
sub-commanders since the emergence of his abilities as a mage 
a few centuries ago. That's probably because he learned to 
survive by thinking instead of  relying on any powers, he 
thought to himself. I wish I had more who did that than being 
barely one step better than the youma.
	" I have just received an assignment from Queen Beryl," 
Kunzite said with a wry smile.  " The magi in the research branch 
have finally managed to stabilize a portal to Earth."
	" You mean it only took them 13 years, sir," Azarite 
responded with a tight grin. " I'm still glad you pulled me 
out of there after my abilities began to manifest. I'd have 
died of shame being in an outfit that took that long to do 
such a simple task."
	" They had the Queens' favor at that time and were 
able to swing what they thought was a soft assignment that 
would leave them covered in glory. The only swinging that they 
will be doing soon is from the end of a rope. Her Majesty was 
not pleased with their lack of progress,"  Kunzite replied, 
grinning at the thought of those pompous asses in Research 
getting their just rewards. " Remember this in regards with the 
Queen; don't volunteer and then fail her. Pass this tale on 
to the other lieutenants. Maybe they will learn something from it.
	" Her Majesty has commanded me to begin scouting operations 
on Earth. They are to concentrate on two locations. The islands 
the inhabitants call England and Japan. You've read the information 
packet that was sent to you. Tell me why she chose those areas."
	Azarite thought for a few moments, recalling the facts he 
had gleaned from the initial contact reports. " Those two 
islands are small enough in size for the gate spells to be accurate 
as the accuracy depends on the size of the targeted land mass. If 
we tried to hit one of the large continents, we could be tens to 
hundreds of their kilometers off target. 
	" Second, they have a large enough population base to 
support mass energy draining operations once those operations 
get under way; and their military forces are small enough 
for us to deal with using conventional weapons if our normal 
tactics and strategies don't work. I assume the third is the 
scans for magic resources, although my packet did not have 
that," he finished, fishing for a third good reason to impress 
the general. The four of them knew far more about the situation 
regarding Earth and volumes more on strategy and deception than 
the junior officers under them. There was a good reason that there 
were so few captains serving the generals. The four were 
perfectionists about their staffs and were notorious for promoting 
only for ability, and not connections or bribes. That was 
also why they ran so many important operations themselves. 
	Kunzite watched the lieutenant for a few more moments 
calculated to make the other just begin to sweat. " Short and 
accurate, Lt. Azarite. The magic resources are the deciding 
point on this." He pulled out a chart and handed it over. " There 
are two major concentrations of magic present on the planet. Queen 
Beryl would much prefer taking those two over the slower process of 
the mass draining. Either source should just be about enough 
to awaken Queen Metallia and allow Beryl to smash her way out of 
here like the bindings placed by Serenity were so much wet paper. 
	" The sources in England  are concentrated in two major 
points. The other, in Japan, is the more difficult to pinpoint. 
It doesn't seem as to be concentrated, instead it seems to be a 
very high level of background energy. I don't think Japan will 
be of much use, so I want you to work the area of England. Send 
your second to Japan with a smaller force to see if they can get 
any results."
	Kunzite then gave the younger man the grin Azarite had 
hoped to avoid. " I plan on making this an interesting assignment 
for you, Azarite.  You have a simple mission: get information and 
energy samples from the local humans. Just to make it more 
challenging, I'm sending Drake along with your squad. If we can 
ever get him to start thinking before smashing things, he will be 
a valuable resource. You get to give it a try.
	" Your other interesting factor is that Zoisite is 
insisting on sending one of his 2nd Lieutenants along so he can 
be represented in this and not miss out on the action. He 
has assigned Beld to the mission. She is a telepath and telekinetic, 
so her abilities should be useful in Japan if there is something 
hidden there. The problem, according to Zoisite, is that she is a 
sadist who enjoys inflicting pain with her gifts just because 
she can. Show me you can handle this bunch and complete the 
assignment to Beryl's satisfaction, and I just might bump you 
up to captain," Kunzite finished. " If nothing else, you will 
be on the fast track for that position. Dismissed."

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

	Azarite walked into the briefing room as the occupants 
rose and saluted with crisp efficiency. They all wore the 
simple gray tunics and trousers of the military forces, along 
with brown boots made from hides. Most kept the personalized 
adornments to a minimum as they were only second lieutenants. 
The only real exception was the strikingly exotic young woman 
with long, braided blue hair and the insignia of  Zoisite's forces. 
Her uniform was set off by a bright red sash and gold in place 
of the metals that normally made the buckles and snaps. This must 
be Beld, Azarite said to himself. She's beautiful, but just 
doesn't look right, he decided from the cruel cast of her 
features. Sort of blighted, like a rose grown in poor 
conditions and harsh environs. He also realized that she 
would be a tough one to control on this mission from that 
look on her face, nor would it do any good to tell her of 
her problems. Besides, he thought wryly to himself, she isn't 
old enough to remember roses. He did.
	" At ease, troopers. We have been assigned to a recon 
and information gathering mission by Lord Kunzite. These 
operations will be conducted on the Earth in two 
locations. We will traverse the dimensional gate to the base 
camp set up in the polar regions. From there, we will be using 
regular gates to reach the operation area. You will be dropped 
off and pick up will be several hours later by gates. We are 
not able to keep these up for the length of the missions, so 
do not miss the pick-up. The exact assignments and schedules 
will be given to you later.
	" These are not difficult tasks. All you will be 
doing is going to your target area and wandering around 
for several hours. The crystals you will be given will handle 
the sampling of energies in your area. They can also be 
used to drain energy from the humans. You are not to use 
them as such. Your job is to not, I repeat, not get involved 
with the inhabitants in any way that might alarm them. We 
still don't know enough about them to risk any engagements 
right now. All you have to do is observe and write up your 
findings later on. The translation pendants will facilitate 
your work with the language." 
	" Sir, wouldn't it be more effective for me to probe 
some of the locals for information?" Beld interjected. " It 
would be far more effective and quick than this cautious 
approach."  
	Azarite took a breath to keep his temper from flaring 
up and decided to nip this in the bud at once. He did not 
want her challenge to have a chance to even linger in 
the mind of his squad. 
	" These orders came directly from Lord Kunzite, who 
was given them By Her Majesty, Queen Beryl. Perhaps you 
would like to discuss these issues with her, Second Lieutenant 
Beld?" he said, laying on what he thought was just enough 
sarcasm to back her down but not outright antagonize her. He 
for one did not want a telepath too angry with him.
	" No, Sir," she replied, somewhat chastened. 
	Azarite surveyed the group for any other signs of 
dissent or disagreement, aside for Drake's look of boredom. 
That one was just waiting for an opportunity for a good 
fight and was hoping an earthling could give it to him, he 
decided.
	" All right, then. We form up for the first gate at the 
barracks in two hours. Standard equipment packs will not be 
required for this mission, so you all have a few moments to 
prepare for this. That is all." 
	He saluted, turned sharply, and left the room.

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

	Beld was still furious as she stalked through the streets 
of Tokyo, ignoring the stares from passers-by as they looked at 
the distinctive figure she cut among them. I'll show that bastard 
of a lieutenant, she swore to herself. Nobody puts me down like 
that and lives. I'll rip out his soul piece by piece and feed it 
to a youma as he watches. 
	After several more minutes of cursing where she only 
repeated herself once, she finally started thinking about her 
assignment here. She still had to do it right so she would not 
get in trouble while she plotted and enacted her vengeance on 
Azarite. She looked about for a few minutes, studying the 
crowds and looking for a good target. 
	There, she thought to herself. She slashed into the young 
man's mind with her talent and seized the sections regarding the 
surrounding area and the concept of charts and maps. She then tore 
her way out and made her way to a nearby store that dealt in maps 
and tourism information. Behind her, the young man collapsed onto 
the ground as his mind went into shock from the breakage of memory 
chains in his mind.
	She went into the shop and browsed through it for a few 
minutes and selected several good atlases of Japan and England, 
as well as the rest of the world. She threw in a stack of 
information books on the two countries as well that were designed 
for tourists. These ought to show him up, she thought. Let him try 
to give me a hassle when I'm getting all of this information abut 
the target area. 
	It only took a moments work to brush her mind across that 
of the cashier and convince her that she had paid for these items. 
She also made her ignore the fact that several small stacks of 
currency floated out of the register and into Belds' hand, 
and with another touch of her mind the cashier was kind enough 
to throw in an expensive book bag to carry all of her items in. 
Now for a bit of fun, she decided.

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

	Something had happened, she decided. Something had happened 
about twenty one orbits ago. She was not as fast at analyzing 
things as her swifter sibling who was first out from the center, 
but she had a truer picture of their minds, and more importantly, 
their hearts. 
	She had been born a very long time ago by any standards, 
in a system far removed from the galactic core. She was second 
out from the center and had nine other siblings who came into 
being around the same time as her, so to speak. She had come to 
a limited form of awareness, but had never even thought that there 
were others like her. They felt the same way, she later found out.
	It was the cries of suffering from one of her sisters that 
alerted them to each other. In her pain, she reached the conclusion 
that there _may_ be something besides herself. She had tried to 
form too close to her largest brother, and the mistake had 
proved fatal. There was nothing they could do except watch her 
slow, painful death as she was ripped apart by his mere presence.
	This did not make them sad, however. They had learned of 
each other from this, and promised the dying one that she would 
be remembered forever for giving them the glorious gift of 
togetherness that they now shared. They continued their contemplation, 
but now conversed with each other and remembered their sister.	
	Her sister who was third out brought them surprising news 
after more time had passed. She had discovered new things upon 
her. Small things that died soon after their birth, but made 
copies of themselves before their death. They marveled at this 
and celebrated the diversity of this thing called life.
	Even more pleasing was the form of life called humans 
that became predominant.The humans did something they had not 
expected. The humans slowly spread to the other siblings after 
reaching the child of the third one out from the center. The 
siblings came to love the humans and grew protective of them. 
	They all agreed to hide their presence from the humans 
and only let them see their physical forms so as to not hinder 
their growth. They instead successively empowered a small group 
of humans to be their avatars and help guide and protect their 
humans. The only exception to this was the third one out. She 
had so much life in abundance on her that she could not choose 
to help one type over the others.
	The siblings were happy for a brief time. Suddenly, in a 
struggle between the humans, they suddenly lost contact with all 
the avatars, save one. Much of their essence had gone into their 
avatars, and they lacked the power to protect the humans who were 
not on the third one out.
	The loss of their inhabitants troubled them. The furthest 
one out then spoke up. The others listened, for he was wise and 
patient. He counseled them to wait for a time. His avatar still 
lived, and might restore the others. They agreed to bide their time, 
and dropped into a deep slumber to conserve their dwindled energies. 
	This was some 1600 orbits ago for her. Something had happened 
recently. It had been so long since she had stirred that she 
had been very slow to wake and realize what she thought she 
had felt. Her sleep would be lighter now. She had to listen 
for something. It was for only the tiniest fraction of a 
moment, but she thought she had heard her avatar.

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

	It took her an hour of wandering around and searching 
for a suitable candidate while she entertained herself with 
a few minor tricks of telekinesis and telepathy. A dropped 
and broken package here, a choice thought suddenly vocalized 
against a person's will there, and dissension ruled in her 
wake.  Her new prey, however, was easily going to be far more 
entertaining and satisfying. 
	The new mother practically radiated her uncertainty in 
dealing with her infant. It was so strong she couldn't tell 
why the natives couldn't pick it up, even at their lack of 
talent. It was a simple mental nudge of a leg that caused the 
mother to trip and sent the stroller out into the busy traffic. 
The results were predictable. Screams of alarm and anguish rang 
out and the sound of several cars colliding resounded in the air. 
	Beld had long since established a link to the woman 
and rejoiced in the feelings of guilt and despair she had 
caused. This was far better than the finest wines, in 
her opinion. Nothing could compare to feeling this from her. 
She didn't even have to try and make the sobbing woman feel 
that it was her fault; her sense of shame and grief were 
already doing a wonderful job of  convincing her subconscious. 
	She studied the mind she was linked to for a few moments 
more to fix the pattern in her mind. She then severed the link 
so gently as to not even make the slightest disturbance. She 
simply would have to return later and see what the results of her 
handiwork were. But for now, she left and walked back to the 
recall site, humming contentedly to herself.

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

	Damn, the young woman said to herself. She turned away 
from the tragic scene so quickly her hair flared about her, a 
green so dark as to practically be black. She studied the face 
and odd gray clothing of the only person to walk away from the 
sight of the accident with a smile on her face as the blue-haired 
woman walked past her and into the distance. 
	After several more minutes had passed, she went to a 
coffee shop that had opened recently. The waitress brought her 
order over after a few minutes and she relaxed into the cushions 
of the booth. The sounds from the arcade downstairs were barely 
noticed as she thought about the situation. She didn't have time 
for this. There were too many things that required her personal 
attentions right now. The sight of the gray clothing was a sign 
to her that she was correct in her earlier assumptions. The problem 
was in how to deal with it. She could not deal with it by 
herself, as much as she would have liked to. I can't have 
too many irons in the fire at once, she said to herself. 
	An hour was spent juggling the possibilities, and then 
a course of action was decided on. She reached out to her 
right and took hold of a staff that suddenly was there, although 
none in the cafe seemed to notice it. The red orb at the top of 
the staff glowed faintly as she visualized two objects in her 
mind. They still had not fully adjusted to this time and would 
still be traceable for about another year at the most. One was 
still moving towards this area, but the other was still in the 
same general physical location that it had occupied for about 
four years. It looked like one of the hunters had found prey. It 
was time to give it a nudge. 

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

	The two figures emerged from the thick fog of a London 
night. One was of medium height and build. The other looked 
more like a giant than a man, standing slightly over two meters 
with broad shoulders and powerful limbs.  As he stumbled 
out of a pub and looked blearily at the two, a half-drunken patron
of said establishment called out to the large man.
	" Let me know what football team your rooting for in 
the match 'tween Arsenal and Manchester, mate. I'd hate to 
be wearing the wrong colors if your team lost."
	A deep voice rumbled back. " Arsenal. They have a better 
sounding name. Now, leave us and get out of here." The larger 
of the two took a step towards the drunk, who went pale and 
quickly left the two alone as he hurried back to the pub. He 
turned back to the smaller man as they returned to their walking. 
	" Would you mind if I stuck around for this 'match' that 
he mentioned, Lieutenant? It sounds like there might be a fight 
as a result of it and it could give me a chance to get some first 
hand experiences of how these people fight each other."
	"Sorry, Drake, but I think you are just looking for a 
fight and coming up with an excuse," Azarite responded with 
a chuckle. " Besides, I don' think that this planet offers a 
person who could give you a real workout. I don't even know 
anyone in the Dark Kingdom who could challenge you in a physical 
fight short of the Four."
	After thinking about this for a few moments, Drake pushed
back his coarse red hair, now dampened by the fog. " I still don't 
get it, Lieutenant. The other officers I've had over me treat me 
as a little more than a weapon to be used and discarded. Why do 
you and the general keep on trying to get me to do more? Ever 
since he pulled me out of Nephrite's corps in the exchange 
program, it's been nothing but books and lessons."
	" Well, Drake," Azarite replied. " The reason is what 
I just told you. I don't know of any besides the Four who 
could beat you in a physical match. If the general 
and I can teach you to think before using your fists, we'll 
gain a valuable commodity for our use. You benefit by becoming 
a better soldier, and we benefit by having you become better. 
	" The general is also looking forward to the challenge 
you may pose to him later on. If you become a more skilled 
officer and learn to use your skills more effectively, you 
may become a challenge to him, and that keeps him sharp. At 
least, that's what he told me when he gave me my training as a 
mage. He said he wanted me to become better so as to make him 
better."
	Drake mulled this over for a few minutes as they approached 
the point were they would separate for their patrols. " So that's 
why you keep on working with me to learn how to fight you as a 
mage and not just as another combatant?"
	" Exactly. If I just went against you with my fists, you'd 
beat me ten falls out of ten every day. Instead, I use my abilities 
to counteract yours. You leap to the attack and I simply use a 
little bit of energy to give you a push that will change the 
angle of your leap. You charge, I use that groundshaker spell."
	The big man laughed harshly at the memory of that one. He'd 
been surprised when Azarite challenged him to a bout as part of 
his training. He had expected to tear the smaller man apart. The 
ground seemed to fall out from under his feet as he charged in 
to attack and he ended up with a lump on his head, a bruised 
backside, and a rage that would have made him try to kill his 
adversary if he was being laughed at. Instead, the lieutenant 
had simply explained what he had done to him and that this was 
a lesson in not underestimating your opponents. No gloating, 
no boasting. This was nothing like his previous commanders.
	" We're here, Drake." Azarite said, breaking him out of his 
reverie. " I'll take the route to the left. You go right, into the 
upper class areas. There are probably going to be less unruly 
'football' fans there, whatever it is."

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

	The white cat pulled himself up onto his favorite branch 
in the tree by the house. It wasn't his house, but he thought of 
it that way. This spot gave him some very good options for watching 
the residents, jumping to the balcony for attention, escape and 
comfort. The latter was a requirement, after all. He examined his 
thoughts while he settled himself down for a nap in the 
mid-afternoon sun. 
	It was almost four years since he had spotted her. She didn't 
look quite the same at the time, but the memories that had burst 
into his mind upon seeing her convinced him that he had found her. 
The sight of her long, blonde hair, blue eyes, and the red 
ribbon holding her hair back had been a wonderful surprise to 
him. It had been what... eight, nine years he had been searching 
for them. Some he had to find. One he had to protect. 
	Why the stasis capsules, Serenity? he asked himself bitterly.  
I don't have any unusual powers. I can't do any heroic, last minute 
rescues. Why did you have to mess with my memories. They're my only 
weapon here. I've spent four years looking for the other senshi, and 
I haven't found them. Or worse, I couldn't recognize them if I did. 
	At least he had found one of them. It was a good thing she 
was here in Tokyo. If she was in America or Europe, he might not 
have even noticed her due to her hair. In Japan, she stood out in 
the crowd. He was so shocked by seeing her, he nearly fell out 
of the tree. After that encounter, he followed her home 
closely enough to be her shadow. This area became his new 
home, at least after he drove off the other cats and the 
dogs. There's only one other cat he wanted prowling around 
here, and he wished he could find her.  
	The worst of it was the fear of the decision he may have to 
make. What if he did it and turned out to be wrong? Could he condemn 
her to a life without her real friends? A life that may go on 
forever without any need for her, or anyone who would understand 
what she truly is, except for the stupid cat who did such a 
terrible thing to her? What if she hates me so much for it she 
leaves me? He didn't think he could handle that.
	Then there were the last words from Queen Serenity. She had 
wanted the children of the Moon Kingdom to be happy. To know 
peace and not be burdened by the memories of their past. He had 
promised to try and achieve that. How could he do it and still 
hold true to that promise?
	He began to make a list in his head concerning the 
issue, but gave it up after a few moments. The only thing on 
the other side was that he felt uneasy and the dreams. He had 
bad ones every several days starting about six moons ago that 
he could not remember but left him shaking and snarling when 
he woke. More importantly, he thought that she was beginning 
to have them also. 
	He had watched with concern as her lifestyle began to 
change. She had always been able to juggle her schooling, 
training and friends before. She'd go to school and then to 
one of several different masters she had been studying under 
since her sudden interest in martial arts a couple of years ago. 
She hadn't stayed with any one for a long period but had gathered 
a lot of basics from several different styles. After her workout, 
she'd return home to spend time with her family and friends and 
was the terror of the local mall and arcade on the weekends. This 
all changed after his dreams began. Her contacts with her school 
friends had dwindled down to a few quick gatherings every couple of 
weekends. Her sleep was not as good as it once was, for he had 
watched the lights go on in her room in the middle of the night 
and stay on far too many times to be simple insomnia. 
	Something was up. It had to be. It was the only option 
that fit the available information. He was a strategist; a tactician. 
He could tell that something was going to happen. He should be able 
to make this decision as easily as the other ones in the past. It 
should be as easy for him as when he was teaching tactics at the 
Guard Academy in the days of the Silver Millennium. He just 
studied the situation and moved the pieces accordingly. Could 
he ask this piece to pay such a price?

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

	The girl winced as she pulled on a bathrobe after her 
shower. The movements caused the sore muscles in her arms to 
complain to her of the work they did today. Her sensei had 
decided she needed more strength and flexibility in her arms 
and had worked her harder than usual. She walked through a 
quiet house and into her room. Her parents were at the theater 
tonight, courtesy of the tickets she had bought with most of her 
savings from her allowance. The play was a favorite of her 
parents and they had been so happy to get another chance to 
see it. They had tickets for the opening night, but her father 
had been called away for an emergency situation at his job at 
the last minute. Their smiles this morning when she gave them 
the tickets had been worth the effort. Luckily for her, the 
daughter of a previous sensei had lived up to her promises and 
found the tickets.
	She eased herself into the seat in front of the mirror in 
her room and began to brush her long hair as the late afternoon 
sun turned her room to a golden red. It took a lot of work to 
maintain her hair and she was more than willing to do it. Blondes 
were rare in Japan and it was almost like a magnet for the boys 
at her school. She had started noticing them a couple of years 
ago and liked being the center of their attentions. She just 
wished she had more time for that. For the last several months, 
she had been throwing herself into her studies at school and the 
dojo with a vengeance. Her last outing with her friends had been 
two weeks ago, and that had just been for a movie and ice cream. She 
hadn't been shopping at the mall for a month.  
	Something was driving her with an increasing sense of urgency. 
It felt like she somehow knew the calm moments before the storm were 
running out. The anxiety was stretching her thin between her 
preparations and her lack of sleep recently. Something was 
going to happen. Something had to happen, or she would go crazy
from the waiting. If she wasn't so tired, she thought as she put 
the brush down and tied her hair back, she could think about it 
for a while. 

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

	The woman stepped out of the doorway to the roof access 
several rooftops away from the now sleeping cat. She was 
dressed differently now, in a white blouse and short skirt 
and carried the staff openly as a dim light from the red orb 
lit her way through the early evening darkness. I just have 
enough time to do this before my appointment, she thought. 
What she intended was not as difficult as a full portal, but 
it did still require her full concentration. She took a seat
on the chair she had put on the roof earlier in the day and 
closed her eyes.
	Images of the Silver Millennium filled her mind. The 
joyous memories of the happiness there still tugged at her 
heart after all this time. The balls held every night for 
celebrating the peace and progress around them. The fireworks 
shattering the darkness for a moment, bringing murmurs of 
appreciation from the crowds and causing lovers to seek their 
sanctuary deeper in the luxurious gardens of the palace. The 
libraries that held the knowledge that was the cornerstone of 
their progress.  The colonies on the other planets that had 
thrived and were prosperous centers of culture on their own. 
It made the images of the destruction all the worse as it passed 
away in scenes of poignant sorrows and sacrifices as an era died. 
	Fleeting thoughts of those lost quickly followed. The Queen, 
with gentle eyes and a look of youth that belied her wisdom. Her 
councilors, skilled and benevolent diplomats, who held the 
darkness of war away with their combined talents. The nobles 
of the court, who administered their sprawling estates with a 
tender concern for all in their care. The skilled artisans and 
craftsmen whose joy was creating beauty, and the commoners who 
strove to pay back the care given to them with their utmost 
efforts and glad hearts.
	 The sadness was especially sharp when the thoughts 
concerned several young woman wearing outfits similar to what 
she now wore. They were all of high birth and would be royalty 
except for their decision to sacrifice that life of ease so as 
to protect the people they loved.  I miss you, my friends, she 
thought, even if I was not there as often as I would have liked. 
Our duties may have been different, but our purpose was the same.  
	All of these images and feelings were tied into the 
matching eddies and currents of the time stream and directed 
gently towards the cat. He was about to have a dream he would 
never forget, she thought. It will be like he was right there, 
because in a sense he will be. 
	" I'm sorry, Artemis," she said softly. " I wish there 
was another way." She reverted to her regular clothing and looked 
at the ticket in her pocket. She had just enough time to make the 
classical music recital at Mugen Gakuen High School.

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

	The one who was sixth out from the center stirred in 
his sleep and woke briefly to consider his worries again. Long 
ago, before the growth of life, something had troubled him. He 
spent a long time comtemplating it, but to no avail.
	It was only after the humans had begun to prosper on his 
siblings that he realized what it was. He confererred with his 
brothers who were further out than he. The largest brother was 
busy in his care for the humans, as he considered this his 
atonement for his part in the death of their sister long ago, 
and would not discuss it with them. The others closer in were 
also similarly pre-occupied. The ringed one was concerned that 
something meant to harm the humans, or even the siblings themselves.
He could not determine what the threat was, however, but felt it 
came from further from the center than even the outermost of the 
brothers.
	The outer four considered this issue for a while. The one 
furthest out suggested that this may be an event yet to come, as 
the siblings did not journey through time like the humans did. The 
ringed one may be foreseeing a problem that was to occur. The four 
decided to watch for this threat, and to set their avatars to guard 
against any harm from beyond.  
	He who was sixth out thought about the decision made long 
ago. The siblings involved had not found any threat, nor had their 
avatars when they were present. He couldn't be totally sure, 
but he thought he had a better idea of what concerned him. The 
unease now centered on the fact that something seemed to be very 
interested in his avatar. This confused him; however, as his 
avatar was missing like the others.

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


	A lucky swing of a paw caught a branch and stopped 
Artemis just before he hit the ground. 
	" What the hell was that," he said aloud, disregarding 
years of training in keeping himself from talking in the 
wrong circumstances. Then he heard the screaming from inside 
the house. That's it, he thought to himself as he almost flew 
through the branches and flung himself into a leap impossible 
for an ordinary cat. If her dreams can do this to me, imagine 
what it's like for her. He would have to do it. It must be 
about to start if she's getting dreams this strong, he decided. It 
was as clear as if he was there, although the images were so fast 
he could barely recognize any of them. They  were clear images, 
however, unlike his earlier nightmares and shocking enough to 
cause him to fall out of his tree. 
	He landed lightly on the railing of the balcony outside 
her window and looked in. She was sitting in front of her mirror 
where she had apparently fallen asleep while at the desk. She 
had a wild look to her eyes and was breathing large gasps of air in 
response to her sudden awakening. Sweat had matted her hair 
down and she got up and took the ribbon off. She then walked 
out of the room and into the hallway. Artemis heard the sound 
of a bath being drawn a few moments later. 
	" That's good," he said. "It will help her relax." After 
she is done, he'd have a talk with her. He began to groom himself. 
The act was as much to make himself more presentable as it was 
to have the familiar routine relax himself. 

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

	Minako came out of the nightmare screaming. It took 
her several moments to realize she wasn't at the place in her 
dream. The sensation of loss was like a knife in her belly, 
it hurt so much. Her home and her friends were gone, destroyed. 
No, she thought savagely to herself. That was just the dream. 
She was in her house. No, her home, she emphasized. This was 
her home, not some fairy tale castle with a blue moon far bigger 
than it had any right to be.
	But why did that place feel so right? The deeper parts 
of her mind still screamed at her that what she saw in the 
nightmare was the proper place for her. The people she had 
glimpsed so briefly felt like old and familiar acquaintances. 
Her heart almost broke from the pain at the memory of a certain 
group of young women whose images had a strong emotional context 
to them.
	She concentrated on evening out her breathing and soon 
felt her heart slow to a more normal rate. She'd have the shakes 
soon from coming down after all that adrenaline in her system. 
After getting up, she removed the ribbon from her hair and went 
down the hall to draw a hot bath. It was the only way she'd 
relax after waking up like that. Maybe I'll have a sundae 
later on, she thought. I probably won't get any more sleep tonight. 

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

	The applause thundered out in the auditorium as the 
violinist finished her piece with a flourish. This had easily 
been the most skilled performer of the evening and her talent 
was more on a level with a professional than a high school student. 
It was a welcome relief to the usual caliber of players at school 
recitals. She did an elegant bow to the appreciative crowd and 
smiled as several bouquets came out of the audience to land on 
the stage. Red roses for the most part, mainly from some of the 
boys at school who were infatuated with her. She did find the 
flower she was looking for, a yellow rose in a simple yet 
deceptively elegant arrangement. This was the one she picked 
up as she bowed again to the audience and flashed a smile that
was only meant for one person in the crowd. 
	The violinist left the stage to let the next performer 
on and walked towards the small dressing room that was hers 
for this night. The privacy after performing for an audience 
was valuable to her and she knew she would be left alone for 
a few minutes by her friend so she could wind down from the 
high of her work on stage. She paused briefly before a full 
length mirror to check that her hair was in order. The turquoise 
color of her hair was nicely set off by the black dress. She had 
a date later on and wanted to look her best. She closed the door 
behind her and then gasped as she realized she was not alone.
	The woman with the long dark green hair stood and warmly 
smiled at her. 
	" You play very well, Michiru. My name is Setsuna Meiou. I'd 
like to talk with you for a few moments."

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

	Minako felt much better after soaking in hot water for 
a couple of hours and making a quick snack for herself. She 
returned to her room and sat in front of her mirror again. She 
didn't believe in superstition and doubted that sitting there 
would cause another nightmare. The routine of brushing her hair 
relaxed her as she let her thoughts wander to anything but what she 
dreamed of earlier. A soft voice woke her from her reverie.
	" Venus?"
	She turned slowly, not realizing who had spoken. There 
was nobody in the room except for herself. Then she noticed the 
white stray cat who had taken over their yard. He had somehow 
gotten into her room and was sitting in a patch of light from 
the rising moon. He almost looked like a transparent statue. She
knew he was friendly, although the cat has always been very 
reserved, almost shy around her. This was the first time she 
could think of where he had gotten into the house. He was normally 
content with staying in the yard and accepting handouts on rare 
occasions. She began to get up to let him out and started to 
dismiss the notion that someone said anything. I'm just hearing 
things, she thought. 
	Then she noticed what was different. There was something 
on the cat's forehead. Some kind of half-circle, she thought. No, 
wait. It's a crescent shape. A golden crescent, like the moon 
when it was low in the sky.  She wondered where the cat had gotten 
it or why she had not seen it before when it began to glow a faint, 
warm gold that seemed to grow until it occupied her entire field 
of vision. 
	Suddenly, her world twisted and fell out from underneath 
her as a word reverberated through her soul.
	" Remember."

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

	That's enough time, the young woman thought to herself. If 
we don't get started soon, we'll be late and I worked so long at 
the track to have time for this evening. She got up and looked at 
the stage where a custodian was picking up a few scattered roses 
from the bouquets thrown earlier in the program. A tear or two 
threatened to form in her eyes as she considered the situation. My 
rose, she picked up my rose and no others. Such romantics the two 
of them were. 
	With a smile, she spun to her right and walked to the aisle. 
The sudden movement caused her short, golden hair to twirl around 
her head and settle back into it's normal position. She reached into 
a pocket and took out a gold loop earring that was a gift from 
her friend and put it in her left ear as she walked up the aisle and 
into the lobby of the auditorium, steering her way through 
the few remaining knots of people gathered there.
	 An older man made to intercept her, attracted by her good 
looks and slim figure, no doubt. He wasn't even put off by the 
fact she wore a suit more appropriate for a man than a woman. Old 
pervert, she thought and fixed him in his tracks with a steely-eyed 
stare that made him blink and remember the wife he had left a few 
paces behind him. 
	After that, it was only a few more steps and she was through 
the door and into the area where the dressing rooms for the 
performers were. She was excited about the prospects she had for 
the evening ahead of her. She was even a bit nervous. Driving a 
car at 350 kilometers an hour didn't even phase her, and here 
she was, nervous at what was to come. 
	Well, she thought to herself as she straightened her 
slender tie, here is her room. It was showtime. Tonight was a 
night they would never forget. She licked her lips once in a 
brief surrender to her nerves as she reached for the door.

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

	She felt like she was slowly rising through a thick, clear 
liquid as she fought her way to consciousness. Her heart was 
racing at the edge of her control and she fought that down as 
well while she opened her eyes. It was still there.
	The cat remained were he had been, the golden crescent 
moon and his large blue eyes shining in the gentle moonlight. Was 
he the cause of this, she wondered. What is with the mark on 
his head? I never saw it before. I know it hadn't been there 
before. These and many other questions about what had happened 
raced through her mind at a frantic rate. 
	The third major shock of the evening came in and hit her 
like the proverbial freight train. The cat looked at her for 
a few moments with what seemed like concern, and then he spoke.
	" I'm sorry, Venus. I truly am sorry to have had to do 
this."
	" Venus," she exclaimed. " Who is Venus? I'm Minako. Why 
are you calling me Venus? You're a cat. How can you talk? Am I 
still asleep or am I crazy?" she finished in a rush, panting for 
breath. 
	The cat sat there and waited for her to catch her 
breath. " I know, you are Minako Aino," he said calmly. " You 
are also someone else. Please sit down and I'll try to explain 
it to you."
	She numbly moved back and sat on the bed. The cat jumped 
up and sat on the desk by the window, next to one of her many 
stuffed animals. This was too much, she thought. I'm talking to a 
cat. A talking cat. I've flipped, she thought, almost in hysterics. 
I'm going to scream soon and wake up from this. It has to be a 
dream. 
	" This must be a dream," she told the cat. " A dream, or 
that crazy American TV show with the hidden cameras. Cats can't 
talk. I'm barely thirteen; I'm too young for a nervous breakdown. 
Where is the speaker hidden, or is there a ventriloquist hiding in 
here? Where is the camera?" she yelled at the cat, her nerves 
starting to go.
	The cat studied her for a moment, noting the growing 
hysteria in her voice and the strain she seemed to be under. 
Her muscles were taught and she was starting to tremble. The 
sigil of Venus shone on her forehead, but it wasn't the clear 
glow he had expected. The light was flickering and wavering. This 
isn't going right, he thought to himself. He had only one other ace 
to play.
	" I have to ask something of you before I can explain 
it," he said to girl in a soothing tone. You will need to do 
something before I can really explain it to you properly."  He 
looked down at the table and concentrated for a moment. The 
moonlight at his feet seemed to grow brighter and brighter and 
something appeared. 
	" Please come here," he said to the girl, using a touch 
of command in his voice to ensure her response. If she ran right 
now, I may not be able to undo the damage. Her memory blockage 
seems to be worse than mine.
	Minako slowly stood and walked over to the desk. A short 
wand lay there. Maybe it was a pen. It had an orange body and a 
gold cap, like a pen, but there was a symbol on the end. A 
heart with a cross coming off of the base. For some reason 
it was familiar, but she couldn't remember ever seeing it before. 
Her mind, her whole body felt numb. Why am I doing this? she 
screamed at herself. 
	" Take the pen and hold it up over your head," the cat 
said in the same calm voice that made her keep on going and pick 
up the pen. It was something that seemed stable as everything 
around her seemed ready to spin away. 
	" Now, say the words, Minako. I know you know them. They're 
just hidden away from you, just like your past has been. Say the 
words. Say the words and you can remember."
	She slowly raised the pen to just over her head. Part of 
her screamed at what was going to happen. You'll lose yourself, 
that part cried in fear. No, another part sang in exultation. You 
will be whole again. The siren call of the latter proved to be 
more temptation than she could take. It was a hope of inner peace, 
an end to the pain and uncertainty she felt for the last two years. 
She took a deep breath and shoved her right arm to it's full length 
over her head.
	" VENUS POWER, MAKE UP!"
	The world exploded around her.

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

	Artemis leaped clear as she yelled. He was away just 
in time as gold and orange lights fountained up behind him 
and surrounded her form. He was still seeing spots and stars 
before his eyes as he landed on the bed at the other side of 
the room. It worked! It worked, you lucky fool. I've got her 
back! He turned around to see the welcome sight as relief 
washed over him. 

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

	There. There it was, again. She rejoiced inside and 
sang her pleasure in a hymn of joy. She could be whole 
again, and so could her beloved siblings. It had only been 
a tiny flash, and not very bright, but it was there. It was 
unmistakable.
	She basked for a short time in her joy, enjoying her 
pleasure after the ending of so much pain and uncertainty. 
They had suffered due to the loss of their humans, but that 
paled in comparison to the heights they could feel because 
of them. They had learned so much because of them, and now 
the siblings could begin to repay the debt once again.

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

	Everything suddenly felt right within her. All of 
the myriad small differences were gone. This is how she 
was meant to be. Tension faded away as long-clenched muscles 
relaxed and the worries of two years were swept away from her 
mind. I'm who I am supposed to be. I'm whole, not a small part 
hiding from the rest. 
	She turned to look at the other occupant of the room 
and stopped as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. 
Her hair descended in a beautiful golden cascade around her 
shoulders. A tiara, gold with an orange stone in the center 
graces her forehead. An orange ribbon was around her neck like 
a choker. She wore a white, sleeveless blouse with a dark blue 
bow in the front held by a yellow broach. Her skirt was orange 
with a yellow bow at the back of her waist. Orange trim on her 
long white gloves and orange sandals completed her outfit.
	" This is me?" she gasped in surprise. This wasn't a 
slightly insecure 13 year old. The image before her was someone 
to be reckoned with. She giggled, " Wow. Wait 'till the boys see 
me now."
	After admiring her image a moment more to make sure 
she wasn't dreaming, she turned to the cat and engulfed him 
in an embrace. " Artemis," she said, her voice thick with emotion.
	She held the cat a few moments more and then the tears 
came. She started sobbing as the effects of the losses she 
had suffered in the past came back to her. She now knew she 
had lost something very important to her and could now mourn 
that loss. All of the images from the nightmare of earlier 
flashed before her again, this time with an air of familiarity 
to it. She could still not make out many names and places, or 
understand what they were, but now she knew she was a part of it. 
	After several minutes, the tears stopped. She reached 
out from her seat on the bed where she must have sat down 
while she was crying and took a tissue from the box on the 
desk. She wiped her eyes and cheeks, and then realized the 
cat was in far worse shape than her face. He was partially 
soaked from her tears and wore a bemused expression. 
	" I'm sorry, Artemis. I didn't mean to do that to you. 
It's just... I finally remembered who I was and then what I 
lost. What we lost. The Silver Millennium is over, isn't it?"
	" I'm afraid so, Venus. It is gone, but not forgotten. 
I remember it, and now you do also. As long as it is not 
forgotten, it will still exist, at least in our hearts. Don't 
worry about the fur, either. I'm probably due for a real bath, 
anyway."
	She smiled at the joke and thought for a few moments. " I've 
seen you around here for several years," she said. " Why did you 
wait for so long to wake me up?"
	" Serenity wanted you to have a peaceful, normal life. She 
wanted that for all of the children of the Moon. You were 
reincarnated into this body. I assume that the others from the 
Moon have also been returning."
	" Artemis, it's not 'this body'. I'm Minako Aino. I'm 
also Venus," she said, almost testily. She continued in a more 
gentle voice. 'Please, call me Minako. I don't know if I can fill 
the shoes...uhm, sandals of Venus."
	He laughed at the joke. " Certainly, Minako Aino."
	How long had it been since he had laughed, he wondered.

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

	They resumed their conversation after he showed her 
how to change her clothes back and had dunked himself in a 
bathtub filled with warm water and suffered through a 
shampooing from her. He did draw the line when she pulled 
out the hair dryer and mousse.  
	They went back to her room after a quick snack and 
kept the lights off to keep her parents from being suspicious. 
They were due back at any time now. Minako got under the covers 
of her bed and Artemis curled up near her on the other pillow. 
	" How much do you remember, Minako?  Tell me what you 
recall of the past."
	She slowly told him, pausing for a few moments here 
and there to search her mind for things that felt like they 
should be there but she couldn't recall. The gaps were of 
some concern to her as she started to realize that she was 
missing much of the information of her distant past.
	" Don't worry too much, Minako" he responded to soothe 
her fears. " I didn't fare much better. Let me start from 
the beginning.
	" There was an era of peace and prosperity for this 
system starting a little over two thousand years ago. The 
Moon Kingdom had spread it's influence and quitely helped 
the people on Earth. They had established colonies on the 
other planets. The cavern cities on Mercury were designed by 
their princess and hewn from rock deep beneath the surface 
there. There were the domed cities on Venus, and the great 
canals built on Mars to bring water down to the cities from 
the icecap. The moons of Jupiter were settled and the Floating 
Palace there was truly a sight to behold. The other planets 
were also settled and grew into prosperity.
	" In honor of the works of those before them, and in 
honor of their goals in the upcoming years, the Queen of 
the Moon Kingdom proclaimed that a new age had begun. It 
was to be called the Silver Millennium. This was just over 
a thousand years ago. It looked to truly be a great thing. 
The arts and sciences flourished. People were happy and 
knew peace. 
	" This was all possible because of the Queen of the 
Moon. Her name was Serenity. She was a good, wise ruler. Her 
daughter was raised to follow in her footsteps. The people 
loved and revered them.
	" Unfortunately, there are always people who will 
spoil this kind of happiness. A Queen on Earth grew to 
despise the Moon Kingdom and coveted their position and 
power. She gathered evil people from Earth around her 
and attacked the Moon by surprise."
	" That was Beryl, right? I seem to remember hating 
that name," Minako said. The name caused her skin to crawl. 
Artemis nodded and continued.
	" The Moon Kingdom had it's protectors, however. The 
Guard was never large but they were very capable. They lay 
down their lives to give the other protectors a chance. The 
others were the Sailor Senshi, Minako. As Sailor Venus, you 
were one of them.  Do you remember the images of the other 
young women from the dream? They were royalty from the colonies 
on the planets. They gave that up to become the Sailor Senshi 
and be the last line of defense for the Moon Kingdom."
	" Royalty," she said. " Me, royalty? What was I, a 
princess?"
	Artemis nodded. " Yes, a princess. Your parents 
there were the rulers of the domed cities on the planet 
Venus. That's where you got your name; it's from the planet 
you came from." He broke off at her giggling.
	" What's so funny?"
	" All girls want to be princesses, Artemis. I did 
when I was little and now I just found out that not only 
was I a real princess, but I gave it up."
	" You're not being too serious about this, Minako 
Aino." the cat replied. " It is very important for you to 
know this."
	" I'll try to be more serious, sensei," she replied 
with a wink. " Why was it Sailor Senshi?"
	" I'm not really sure about that. Why do you ask?"
	" I just realized the clothes look a lot like a school 
uniform."
	Artemis sighed and hung his head for a moment. He 
looked back into her eyes and continued.
	" They were able to defeat the rest of the army of 
Queen Beryl, but fell before the power Beryl herself wielded. 
Beryl destroyed the Moon Kingdom in her wrath and faced Serenity."
	" What happened to the other planets. Where they 
attacked? "
	" Yes, Beryl attacked them also.  The power of 
the Imperial Silver Crystal was the only thing enabling 
the colonies to exist. The Queen chose to sacrifice herself 
by using the Crystal and giving up her life to save the 
children of the Moon Kingdom and seal Beryl and the rest of 
her forces away forever. Without that, the colonies were 
destoyed. The environmental conditions were too severe without 
the power of the Crystal.
	" The spirits of the Sailor Senshi, along with those 
of the Moon Princess and the children of the Moon, were sent 
ahead by Serenity to a time where they could be reincarnated 
and know peace like they did in the Moon Kingdom. The Senshi 
were to protect them if Beryl somehow returned." 
	Minako thought about this for a few minutes as Artemis 
paused to give his voice a chance to recover. It had been out 
of practice for several years, after all. Minako got him a 
drink of water and then asked him a question.
	" What was your part in all of this? I remember that 
you were an advisor, but nothing else is very clear."
	" I was one of the advisors to Queen Serenity." he said 
with a degree of pride, but Minako caught the slight bitterness 
behind his tone of voice. " She sent me to 
Earth in a stasis capsule since I was one of the few survivors 
when Beryl destroyed everything. That's why my memories are not 
perfectly clear. The stasis affected them. I was hoping that yours 
would be better, since you were reincarnated here."
	" Something you said bothered you."
	The cat considered his feelings for a few moments before 
responding. " I feel that I should have seen the attack coming 
when it did. We had an idea that something was up on Earth, but 
Beryl surprised us. I still sometimes feel like it's my fault for 
not seeing it. I know better than that. I know it's not my fault, 
but I still can't help feeling it."
	" Beryl wasn't quite...sane, was she? She seemed twisted, 
turned in on herself. How can you expect to anticipate a sick 
mind? From what I recall, nobody thought it would happen like 
that. All I remember is the surprise of the attack."
  	She quickly changed the conversation away from what was 
obviously a tender subject for him. " Our job is to protect 
the Moon Princess, from what you said." Minako said to him. " How 
many others of the Sailor Senshi have you found and woken up?"
	" None," he replied. " You're the only one I found or could 
recognize."
	" What about the Moon Princess? Surely you've found her."
	" No, I haven't found her either."
	" Any of the children from the Moon Kingdom?"
	" No," he said sheepishly. " It's just the two of us, 
I'm afraid."
	Minako hit him gently with a pillow before yawning and 
closing her eyes to go to sleep.
	" Some wise advisor you are."

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

	" That was good work getting the maps of the target area, 
Beld."
	" Thank you, Sir." she replied to the lieutenant in front 
of her. After sketching a brief salute, she returned to studying 
her briefing notes as he moved away. She was sure he was being 
condescending to her. He had to be, to be so calm. She wished 
she could scan him, but he always had his mindscreen up, like any 
competent mage.
	The squad was in an small chamber near the gate to Earth, 
preparing for the next mission. It would be daylight at her 
insertion time, on what was generally a day of rest for the 
humans in Tokyo. They called it a weekend and it was generally 
looked forward to, she recalled from her notes. 
	 The mission was going to be another milk run like the 
first. Wander around, let the crystal gather energy samples, 
and watch the stupid humans. At least she would be able to 
check in on her plaything and see how she was doing. The memory 
of the anguish she had caused a shiver of pleasure to run down 
her spine. Then she would look for an even larger canvas to work 
on. It was a big city, after all. 

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

	Azarite walked away from Beld and started getting the gear he 
needed ready. He carried a few specialized pieces of equipment that 
his squad didn't. He used this as a cover to observe the telepath out 
of the corner of his eye. She looked far too happy about something 
for his liking. She's up to something, he thought to himself.
	Azarite may not have been the most powerful mage in the Dark 
Kingdom, but he was one of the best at getting the full use of what 
he had. Subtlety was the key, not raw power. Kunzite had worked 
long and hard with him to prove that point. He quickly wove 
together a few strands of energy from a crystal he carried in 
his pocket that was one of his stored reserves of power. These 
were looped together and then sent towards the telepath. The 
strands settled about her without her noticing. 
	It's such a low power spell, she didn't even feel it. Now, 
if she tried using her power on Earth, she's be as loud as an 
explosion to anyone looking for a magical disturbance. One of 
the troopers also going to Tokyo had a minor talent. He couldn't 
cast any spells, but he could 'hear' them if they were sufficiently 
'loud.' This would definitely be loud. The trooper was also 
squarely in Azarite's camp. This way, he'd have proof of 
her disobeying his orders if she acted up.

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

	The dawn was particularly nice today, Artemis thought to 
himself. He had let himself out the window a bit before sunrise to 
make quick patrol of his territory. A brief chat with one of the 
local tomcats had assured him that there had been no sign of the 
cat that he had been looking for, at least not in this area. Once 
he had assured them that he was not trying to claim any territory 
except the one house, his relationships with the local cats had 
improved and they were often a good source of information about new 
cats in the surrounding area. The appearance of a sharp-clawed and 
sharp-tongued new female in the area would be noticed by the other 
cats and he would eventually hear of her arrival. I was drawn here 
by something, so I would assume she would be, also. 
	It may not be the best logic, but it's the only hope he had on 
this. I need her help. She was always with the Queen and the Senshi. 
She'd know more about how to handle things here. I guess I'll have 
to teach Minako the basics on my own. He got up and stretched 
lazily in the clear sunlight of the early morning. He had slept 
well last night, he thought. I just may be able to face this day. 	
	" Once more into the breach," he whispered to the wind, and 
left to find his new pupil.

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

	Minako took the stairs at her usual three-at-a-time pace 
and the last several in one leap, landing lightly in the hallway 
and startled her mother, who was headed for the stairs.
	" Good morning, dear," her mother said, after getting her 
breath. She embraced her daughter warmly and continued 
speaking. " Your father and I would both like to thank you 
very much for getting those tickets. We had a wonderful time, 
thanks to you."
	" Any time, mom. I knew you both had wanted to see that 
show and that it a big disappointment to have had to miss it. 
I'm glad you had a good time. Where's Dad?"
	" He's in the garage packing up the car. We decided last 
night after the show to go out for a picnic today in the forest. 
You know, the camping site by the old temple we sometimes go to. 
We both realized how much fun we had last night and how some 
things had been keeping us apart lately. We are going to go up 
there and spend a little time together today. We'll be back later 
on, at about seven or eight. Think you can handle a day on your 
own, sunshine?"
	" I think so, mom. I'm glad I could play matchmaker for the 
two of you. Have fun up there."
	" That's good. Here, go to the mall and have some fun today 
or get out for a bit." Her mother pressed several bills into her 
hand. " It's too nice a day to stay inside."
	Her mother studied her for a few moments. " You look like 
you're in good spirits today. I hope that you're over whatever had 
been keeping you down lately"
	" I think I am. I got a good night's sleep and I think I 
could take on the world! Tell Dad I said hi and I hope you both 
have a great time," she said as she slipped around her mother 
and into the kitchen to take care of her growling stomach.

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

	The young man who walked into the mens clothing shop was a 
real hunk, the saleswoman thought. With those looks and eyes, 
she'd be surprised if he wasn't a model. She kept her eye on him 
as he browsed around the shop while she finished setting up the 
register for the day ahead. Saturdays were always busy, and the 
first of the boys coming in for suits for graduation and the 
proms should be starting soon. 
	The young man had finished looking over the casual clothes 
and business suits without really finding anything that 
interested him, she thought. She saw him go over into the 
formal wear section and took her chance. She walked over to 
him while considering what she thought he should be wearing. 
	" Can I help you, sir?" she said in a sweet voice. She 
didn't want to frighten him off by being too pushy or 
insistent. " Are you looking for anything in particular?"	
	His eyes narrowed for a few moments as he was obviously 
thinking about something. " I don't have anything coming up 
that I need it for, but I thought I'd get a new suit today." he 
replied to her. She helped him take off the green jacket he was 
wearing which left him in a black shirt.	" Let me take some 
measurements," she said. " Then I'll bring out a few things 
in the right size and we can see what you would like." After 
measuring him and resisting the temptation of a quick feel, 
she spent about an hour with him trying on several different 
suits.
	She had just returned from briefly helping another 
customer while he was considering one her latest choices. The 
tuxedo looked wonderful on him, and she decided to tell him 
so. She took a rose from a vase and handed it to him as 
he stood before a full length mirror. 
	" You look great in that. The girls will be all over 
you. "
	He smiled back at her.
	" Thank you. I think I'll take it."
	He turned back to the image in the mirror. The sight 
of himself in the elegant formal wear with the rose in one 
hand just seemed so... so right.

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

	She finished the last of her breakfast and let the cat in.
	" Here, I saved you some."
	The cat thanked her and began to eat. She finished cleaning 
up and waited for him to finish. 
	"What happened to your parents, Minako? I haven't seen them 
around here this morning."
	" They left to take a trip up to the mountains today. Dad's 
job has been keeping him busy lately and they haven't had much 
time together recently. I was hoping that the show last night 
would help bring them a little closer together. It worked, so 
when it comes to love, Venus knows all," she said with a wink 
at him.	
	" Congratulations. That will give us plenty of time to 
work on some things today. You'll have to start practicing to 
learn more about yourself."
	" More practice!" she cried in dismay. " I'm still sore from 
the other night."
	" Are you really?" he replied. 
	She thought about it for a moment and flexed her arms around 
in a very conservative motion, expecting a jolt of pain. It didn't 
come. She swung her arms about her, reveling in the lack of the pain 
she had from her workout yesterday. 	
	" What happened? I should be so sore I shouldn't be able to 
move."
	" I think there may have been some changes in you due to the 
transformation. The senshi were all very strong and tough for their 
size. Maybe your body is changing. Do you have a scale for measuring 
with?"
	" Yes, in the bathroom. Why?"
	" We need to check something out. " He indicated for her to 
lead the way, and they went into the other room. 
	" Try weighing yourself, Minako." The cat turned away and sat 
with his back to her.
	" Don't peek, Artemis," she teased him as she slipped off the 
robe and stepped on the scale.
	" What?!?" she exclaimed, and got off the scale and back on 
a few times. " I don't believe this. I put on five pounds between 
yesterday and today. I barely ate anything. It's not fair," she 
finished with a pout as she put the robe back on. 
	Artemis glanced over his shoulder at sound of cloth on skin 
and verified it was safe. He turned to her and said, " It may not 
be your fault. Come on, let's go up to your room and check 
something out. I think I know what happened."
 	In her room, he directed her to try on several items 
of clothes while he resolutely kept his back turned. After 
she had finished and put on a pair of white shorts and a 
shirt, they discussed the results.
	" Minako, you gained about five pounds and grew about 
a half inch overnight. It's either one sudden growth spurt 
or there have been a few changes made by the transformation 
process. Now, you should start practicing using that pen. Change 
back and forth several times." 
	She complied by switching to Venus and back as directed. 
She hated the changing back part, she decided. It felt like 
she was somehow lessened by taking her normal form. After he 
was satisfied by that, he had her spend a couple of hours as 
Venus. This was, he explained, to let her get to know the 
differences in her bodies. He had her go through several of 
her martial arts drills as part of her practice. 
	" What were you doing, following me to my workouts?" she 
complained after several repetitions of a difficult maneuver. 
She was starting to get sore from all the exercise he was putting 
her through. This cat was a worse taskmaster than her current 
sensei.
	" No, but you did spend a lot of time working out in the 
yard in the summer." he replied. " I just watched you here 
at the house while you were outside. Karate, kendo, indiscriminate 
grappling, kung fu, hapkido, and now jujitsu, if I recall."
	" How do you know so much about what I was practicing?" she 
questioned him a few moments later.	
	" One of my duties was as a strategist. To do that 
properly, I had to have a very good grounding in a lot of 
different things concerning warfare and politics. I was able 
to notice the different styles you used. "	
	" That's another thing I thing I wanted to ask, Artemis. 
You've been around here for about 4 years. How come we didn't 
notice the crescent on your forehead before?"
	" Of the few things that I can do, one of them is to hide 
the crescent moon from people seeing it. From what I've been 
able to figure out, it just seems unremarkable and is forgotten 
about. This is a low level enchantment that affect everyone who 
sees it. I can concentrate on a specific person and make them 
forget they ever saw it, if the other ability doesn't work."
	" Did you ever do that to me?" she said.
	He thought for a moment and sighed. " No, Minako Aino. 
I did not. I would never do anything like that to you." She 
thought about the implications in his statement and how he 
had worded it. The cat continued.
	" Now, I think that's enough practice for the day. I've 
got one other thing to show you. You need to have the pen 
to be able to transform, to the best of my knowledge. This 
is how you access your storage space for keeping it in when 
you're not using it."

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

	The bells of a clock tower tolling noon found them in one 
her favorite outdoor malls. She already had picked a new dress to 
buy later on and was looking for some accessories to go with it. 
Artemis was currently riding on her shoulders as he found it safer 
than trying to avoid the feet of so many people. 
	Minako had already spent about a half an hour talking to 
some of her school friends she had ran into. He had to play at 
being a normal cat during that time, and was glad when she 
seemed to notice his plight and had left the group with a promise 
to see them at school.
	" I'm sorry about that. I haven't seen them for a while 
and got to talking to them about a few things. You know, I feel 
really good today, Artemis. I don't think I've enjoyed going out 
and shopping and seeing people for a few months. I feel like I'm 
floating." she said a she stepped up onto the rim of a fountain 
and walked around on the narrow rim while pirouetting. " Let's get 
some ice cream! There's a good shop up ahead."
	From her vantage point on the fountain, she could see a 
crowd of people gathering up ahead. Sensing something amiss, 
she jumped down and raced through the crowd and elbowed her 
way to the front.
	The scene in front of her was one of confusion. A young 
man lay unmoving on the pavement. Several other young men, 
wearing similar shirts to their fallen companion, were gathered 
around the fallen figure and a tall, pale man in a gray uniform 
of some sorts. They were arguing about something.
	She felt the hair on her neck rising as a chill swept 
over her. The cat had arched his back and dug his claws into 
her shoulder. He hissed at the memories the uniform brought 
to the surface of his mind.
	" Minako, get back out of here, now!" he said in her 
ear. " That is the uniform of a soldier of the Dark Kingdom." She 
had worked her way out of most of the crowd when a mass of black 
tendrils rushed through the front rows of people and dropped them 
in their tracks. The pale man stood there, clenching a black crystal 
and speaking in a strange tongue. She backpedaled and cut into a 
side walkway as the mass of people behind her broke and ran in 
panic, narrowly missing her in their flight.
	" Artemis, get down." she barked as the cat leaped away 
from her. She reached behind her and concentrated on the 
transformation pen. She surged forward towards the main walkway, 
the cat in close pursuit.
	" Venus power, make up!" she cried and changed while she 
turned the corner and looked at her adversary while charging him. 
He looked surprised and confused already by what had been 
happening. I hope he's up to another shock. 
	Her leap had been planned to just clear a person who had 
fallen and had partially risen. She landed behind the pale man, 
who had gone even whiter upon seeing her.
	" It can't be! You're dead. We killed you back-"
	She whirled and snapped out a kick to his stomach that 
robbed him of his words and breath. This was followed up by a 
chop to the neck that caused a sickening crunch of bone when it 
landed. He crumpled and fell to the ground. 
	Venus looked at the body with a sense of grim satisfaction. 
Minako looked at him in horror. She'd just killed a man. She 
didn't know why, but she'd just came in at him and everything 
she had learned the past two years had clicked together and she 
had used lethal force. This was against all her training, all 
her convictions she had learned when she was growing up. Killing 
is wrong, she cried out to herself. Why did you make me do this, 
she shouted at a part of her mind. Why did you make-
	" Minako!" Artemis yelled at her and smacked her in the 
leg with a paw. " The roof, now. Jump!" The cat leaped up to 
her shoulder as part of her realized that getting away from 
the scene might be a good idea. She looked up and leaped, not 
really believing she could make it. 
	Her feet came to rest on the top of the ledge surrounding 
the roof of the two-story building she had been in front of. How, 
she thought to herself. How can I do that. The cat nudged the 
side of her face.
	" Turn around, Minako. You need to see this." 
	The body on the ground was starting to disappear, turning 
into a mound of dust that seemed to melt away. Some of the people 
on the ground were beginning to stir. She stepped back away from 
the ledge.
	" Are they going to be all right?"
	" I think so. Those tendrils were draining energy from 
them. Their life energy. They'll probably just need a few days 
rest to recover." Artemis caught her eyes and held them on his. He 
needed to make her understand the next part or self doubt would 
start to cripple her.
	" Minako, I recognize that look on your face. You were blaming 
yourself. You did not kill a man. You killed a monster who would've 
preyed on these people and destroyed them if he had the chance. You 
are not to blame here. You did not do anything wrong."
	Minako stood there on the verge of tears for a few moments. 
Then she gathered her self control and calmed herself. " I think I 
know that now. It just scared me how part of me killed him 
so... casually. So easily. I never thought I could do anything 
like that. Venus did it without a second thought. I was thinking 
that being Venus was going to be a breeze. I didn't realize that 
there would side effects like this."
	" Venus had been a warrior for some time, Minako." the cat 
replied. " She has fought these things before. I think you can 
trust that part of you. She was never, never malicious or dishonest. 
I don't think you have anything to worry about there. Look, the 
crowds starting to wake up down there. Let's go check them out 
and make sure they are all right. Then, I want to try that ice 
cream." he said with a plaintive voice that brought a little smile 
to her. 
	She moved to the back of the roof and leaped down after 
making sure it was clear. She put the cat down and reverted. Then 
they went to take a look at the real victims of this engagement.

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

	Azarite was growing concerned. He had already returned from 
his mission in England. The scans he was making of the two primary 
magic sources were complete. He would be able to go and directly 
investigate the two sites on his next mission.
	His problem had to do with the group going to Tokyo. Aside 
from Beld, two of the three lieutenants had already reported 
back in. The one who was missing was his spy. This is not good, 
he thought to himself. She must have done something to him, the 
mage thought. My agent was too good to have provoked her.
	The gate flared into life behind him. He turned with 
anticipation that faded as the blue haired telepath  stepped 
through and sketched him a quick salute. She handed him her 
crystal and spoke.
	" Sir, I believe that something happened in Tokyo that was 
unusual. The crystal grew very warm around midday for a few 
moments. Then it seemed to vibrate and then settled down. I 
could not track anything down in the limited time I had 
remaining without using my other abilities, sir. I'm sorry 
I could not determine what had happened."
	Azarite gritted his teeth and collected the crystals from 
the other two who were in Tokyo. They denied feeling anything 
unusual. He cast a few spells, openly this time, and studied 
the sampling crystals. There was a sharp spike in the background 
emanations, all at the same time index and all about the same 
power in relation to it. The three others would have had to be 
all at the source or all at the same distance away from it at 
the time of the surge to have that kind of information. This 
isn't helping determine what happened.
	" Beld, keep watch here until they close the gate. Report 
back to me if the lieutenant comes through. Please also be here 
when the gate is open tonight when they try for a delayed pick up. 
In the meantime, I think we have just about enough information 
on Tokyo. I'll send you in for one more recon in a few days. 
I'll have more orders on it for you tomorrow." He swiftly went 
out of the room and to his office, where he sprawled in a 
chair to think about the events that had just occurred. This 
time, she had dodged his thrust.

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

	The girl sat in front of the roaring fire and contemplated 
what she had seen there earlier. In spite of the warmth, she wore 
a red robe with a white shirt over that. She kept the concentration 
up that enabled her to continue her rapport with the flames.
	She had seen something. A blurred outline of a man in dark 
clothing, attacking a group of people with some kind of energy. 
The feelings she got from the man were bad enough, but the black 
tendrils chilled her to the bone with the evil she sensed from them.
Then, almost too quick for her to see, a shadow swept by the man 
and he fell and faded away just before her visions did.
	With a thought, she banked the fire in the ceremonial pit and 
returned to the coolness of her rooms. This was not just a simple 
matter of finding a lost key for someone, she had mastered that 
years ago. This was the first time the fire had given her a 
premonition of danger like this. The other warnings had only 
the vaguest  feeling of danger to them. This one seemed serious. 
	Just to be on the safe side, she went to the storage room 
and got some writing parchments and brushes and an inkstone. The 
very old inkstone, the one that had been at the temple since 
the time before the gaijin came. These were the best in the 
temple, and her grandfather would have a fit if he found her 
using them. She returned to her room and began the laborious 
rituals for making her wards against evil. If anything did 
happen, she would have a brand new set at the height of 
their power. 


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

	" Why did you let me eat so much? I think I'm going to die."
	" You insisted that you could handle it."
	" Yes, but why did you believe me? "
	" I figured that you would know your limitations."
	Artemis groaned and collapsed on the bed in Minako's room. He 
never had thought that it was that rich, before. That shop must be 
using some really good cream.
	The day had gone better than he expected. They had checked out 
the victims of the attack and found them to be all right, but very 
tired. The police had been talking about mass hysteria and UFO's 
when they left to hit the ice cream shop. They had seen the 
crystal, or the remains of it once they got around to looking for 
it. Something had broken it, perhaps the fall when the man had 
flung it away due to Minako's kick. It had been disintegrating 
like the corpse had. After a few moments, it was gone.
	" Minako, I've got an idea." 
	She looked up from her reading of the late edition of the 
paper. 
	" Yes?"
	" He seemed to recognize you, at the last moment."
	" You're right, he did."
	" I think that we could get around that. If the Dark Kingdom 
knows one of the Sailor Senshi is here, they might attack in force 
right way. I don't think you're up to dealing with a small horde on 
your own, just yet. I also think it would be a good idea to have 
someone for them to see doing things that they will notice. They 
will probably stop and investigate. It just might give us more 
time to find the other senshi or the princess. How do you feel 
about becoming a super-heroine?"
	" A what! Did that ice cream go to your head? " she said 
with a little smile, teasing him about his overdoing it earlier. 
She sighed and thought about it for a moment. " You mean hiding 
in plain sight? I could still fight the Dark Kingdom, but they 
wouldn't recognize the enemy as one of their hated foes. I 
recall they didn't like us very much there."
	" I should say so. There was a nice bounty on the heads of 
the senshi if a Dark Kingdom warrior could collect it. If we change 
the costume, we can confuse them. A few emblems of the Moon Kingdom 
thrown in will make them believe they're facing someone from 
there, but their intelligence won't have any up to date 
information. They must have only broken out recently, or we 
would have heard of them before. We make a new costume, and 
Bingo!, an enemy who looks like a Sailor Senshi but isn't like 
any of the ones they know. I like it!" the cat finished, his 
stomach forgotten. " I know that none of them used a color 
scheme of white, blue and red. That'll be our motif. Open up 
the closets, girl, and pull out that transformation pen. We 
have a senshi to create."

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

	" All right, hand over the cash! Now!"  the young man yelled. 
He emphasized the point by waving the wicked looking knife in 
the face of the bank teller and shoved a bag at her. " Do it 
quickly, and you won't get hurt. Hurry!" he yelled at her 
again.
	She had finally put the money in and he took off for the door 
with the bag. As he ran out, he saw a pair of policeman running 
towards the bank from the nearby substation.
They must have gotten to the silent alarm, he thought. In 
desperation, he looked around for a diversion or distraction. 
There! He raced towards a group of children and grabbed a small 
girl and waved the knife in front of her face. I just have to 
hold 'em a few more seconds and I'll be at my ride.
	" Back off, man! I'll cut her if you don't!" he shrieked at 
the police. He started backing away from them, with the child 
being dragged along while crying. Just a few more feet.
	Something whipped past him and hit the knife, sending it 
flying away to land near the police officers. A woman stood there, 
looking at him with disdain. She had long blonde hair and wore a 
short blue skirt. Her white shirt was cut short, exposing her 
waist and a red ribbon was tied in a bow in the front. Sort of 
like a schoolgirl, he thought, except for the red mask. He 
relaxed a little at the sight of the pretty girl, and eased 
his grip on his hostage. It proved his undoing. Her high kick 
slammed into his chest, safely above the child's head. He flew 
back onto his car and barely saw his partner there, with his 
hands tied to passenger side door, before he blacked out. 
	She posed briefly for the mini-cam she pretended she didn't 
notice being run by a concerned onlooker. " Don't worry, little 
girl," she said to the youngster, who had stopped crying. " I'm 
Sailor V. I'm here to protect all of you." She flashed a V sign 
with her fingers at the camera and gave it a quick, dazzling smile 
before jumping down the street and up onto a building. She 
continued for a few blocks, going from rooftop to rooftop. She 
finally jumped down, changed back and scooped up the white cat.
	" Just like clockwork, Artemis. It couldn't go better if we 
had planned it. There was even a camera. I bet we get on the news 
tonight."
	" That's great, Minako. Sailor V is off to a good start. 
Let's make the most of this holiday you have this week. "

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

	The evening news on Monday led off with a feature about the 
mysterious heroine who had foiled a bank robbery in the morning and 
was full of eyewitness accounts and the amateur footage from the 
scene. She watched it with her parents and did a good job of 
being impressed by it. She then went in to help her mother fix 
dinner. Her father continued to watch the news program. He left 
to come to the table just before the sports segment.
	" The auto racing world was stunned yesterday by the sudden 
retirement of racing sensation Haruka Ten'ou, last years rookie 
champion. Personal reasons were cited by the driver. This puts the 
trophy in anyone's hands, as Ten'ou had a commanding lead in the 
standings on the circuit. More sports and business, after these 
messages..."
	Minako walked into the room to turn off the television. She 
thought the boy in the picture was real cute, although she 
only saw him for a moment before the commercials started. 

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

	Azarite finished the reports concerning the missing soldier. 
There was no sign of him or the crystal. He would have to send Beld 
there one more time to complete the survey properly. He couldn't do 
it himself, as much as he wanted to. He did not like losing any of 
his men and would have liked to find out what had happened. The 
results on England were just too important to ignore.
	The power sources there were gigantic. A small portion of 
either would be enough to make him as powerful as Kunzite, at least 
in terms of raw power. He still didn't think he was ready for that 
challenge, yet. Maybe after a few more centuries of my studying 
him and Zoisite's meddling, he thought. He still wasn't impressed 
by the nature of the other general. He gets too involved in things, 
Azarite said to himself. He can't keep business separate from 
personal issues. 
	Still, there was much he could do in England before he turned 
in his final, doctored  reports. They should keep anyone from 
noticing what I'm up to. The chance to work with a power source 
of that magnitude was not one to be passed up. The experience 
would give him a great advantage over his rivals here. The rivals 
he had now and the ones to come. If he could somehow fully tap 
one or both sources, that list could include anyone he could 
think of. Even Beryl herself. 

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

	Beld stepped through the gate to Tokyo. The alley she used 
for her entry point was nice and secluded. There had been no 
problems with anyone finding it during several jumps. She walked 
to a park and read the notes her spy in Azarite's group had 
written for her. The lieutenant had been pre-occupied and used 
one of his troopers to deliver his reports to Kunzite. She had 
him briefly read it and give her a summary of the contents.
	He seems to think he can get away with this, she thought to 
herself. He's got access to something with almost as much power as 
Metallia and he's going to play with it. Beryl will have his head 
on a pike, she thought with a happy smile at the image. She would 
never let anyone get used to working with something like that. The 
Queen liked to keep her advantages, and one of them was that she was 
the only one who dealt with Metallia.
	I've got to leak this out, she thought. That will be a 
beautiful revenge on him, she thought. Beryl will probably keep 
him alive on that pike for a while, too. She got up and left to 
finish her assignment. 
	She had refrained from using her powers on her last assignment. 
This would be her last time here, so she decided to check on her toy. 
She fixed the image of the young mother in her mind and gently 
reached towards it. The chaos and suffering that her target was 
going through was sheer bliss to her. She savored it while 
walking throughout the city streets, looking for a fitting event 
to mark her last visit here for the near future.
	She didn't even notice the activation of the spell that 
Azarite had cast a few days earlier.

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

	Tuesday had been a boring day for the new darling of the 
media. The consensus was that the heroine was from America, 
according to the press. She still wondered why she let Artemis 
get that side of the bet. She was sure she would have been 
considered an alien princess. The only things she helped out 
with on Tuesday were a few accidents and getting cats out of 
trees. 
	Wednesday had been a far different story. The morning had a 
fire in an apartment complex and she had rescued a firefighter 
from being trapped by the blaze. She was still astonished by 
how fast she could run when she was Venus. As Minako, she was 
a fast runner. Venus could move like the wind. She was considering 
what other differences there might be when she felt her skin crawl. 
	She turned and looked at the cat next to her. " You felt it, 
also?"
	" Yes," Artemis replied. He scanned the skyline from their 
vantage point up on a building. He finally stopped when looking in 
the direction of the Tokyo Tower. " There, I think. It seems to be 
coming from that direction. I wish I could figure it out. As soon 
as I start to notice it, it's gone."
	She put the cat on her shoulder and headed towards the tower.

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

	" Yes, Mother?"
	The young girl sat and looked at her mother. She wished she 
looked more like her mother. She was feeling slightly awkward at 
this age and would have loved to trade in her blue hair for the 
lustrous black her mother had. Besides, she had explored the family 
tree as far back as she could and found no mention or record of 
blue hair. Genetics was an interesting thing but there was no valid 
reason she could find for the color. She returned her attention to 
her mother.
	" I told you a few weeks ago that I had applied for a 
position at the hospital near the Juban region. I just received 
word from them today. I've been accepted for the pediatrics 
position there." 
	" That's nice, Mother. I'm glad you were accepted. You were 
really looking forward to it."
	" Yes, dear. I was."
	After a few moments, the girl continued. " I guess this 
means we will be moving again?"
	" I'm afraid so. We won't have to go for about six months to 
a year, however. The hospital has already lined up a deal on a 
wonderful house very close to the hospital, so I'll have more time 
to spend with you there. I'm sorry it has been so difficult for you 
here, Ami.  Please bear with it for a little longer."
	She gave her mother a faint, sad smile. " It's all right, 
Mother. At least I'll be able to have a chance to say good bye to 
some of my friends this time." 
	She turned and left the room to continue her studies.

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

	Now, this has possibilities, Beld decided. Busy traffic and 
a crowded park. She spent several minutes looking for a suitable 
approach. Her last work had come out just fine, but the artist in 
her did not want to do a mere repeat performance.
	She sat on a bench and moved the bag to her side. Another 
clerk had been more than happy to give her duplicates of the maps 
she had obtained earlier on her first mission here. These joined 
the notes from her spy in the bag, obtained in  much the same 
manner as the first. 
	Decisions, decisions, she thought to herself. Hoping that 
inspiration would strike her in a way as satisfying as it had 
before, she steered a child away from the now dozing mother in 
front of her. The child could walk relatively well, and gamely 
trundled along at the top speed his short legs would sustain.
	She almost had him into traffic when someone raced in and 
snatched up the child and put him on the grass near his mother.
	" Afraid to pick on someone your own size, witch?" the 
figure before her said. " Going after poor, defenseless children 
is pretty low.  I'm Sailor V! On behalf of mothers everywhere, 
I'll punish you for that." 
	The cat hiding behind the park bench the gray-clad menace 
sat on winced at her choice of words and delivery. 
	" So you're the Sailor V I heard people talking about this 
morning," Beld said as she rose to her feet, letting the bag 
slip from her shoulder. There would be time to return for it 
after she dealt with this nuisance. She whipped out the crystal 
and shouted the command for it to drain everyone in the zone of 
effect except for her.
	The tendrils started to shoot out, but her primary target 
had moved as soon as she had. The crystal was smashed out her 
grip by a white-gloved hand. She heard the crystal break on 
the concrete as Sailor V smashed into her and the two went 
flying from the collision. 
	" You'll pay for that one, maggot." Beld hissed as 
she struggled to her feet. That shoulder in her chest had 
hurt. She lashed out with her mind at her opponent, who had 
also just risen. She clamped down on her assailant to keep 
her from moving. It was not an easy struggle, for her opponent 
had a resilient and stubborn mind. This was her turf, however. 
Few of the operatives in the psi-branch of the Dark Kingdom 
could even best her at this. That is how she stayed out the 
organization; it had proven to be too expensive for them to 
continue trying to bring her in. 
	" I've got you now. You can squirm all you want, but 
I've got you. Your mind is nothing compared to mine. You'll 
wish you were dead when I get through with you."
	She sent a lash of white hot pain through the link and 
was rewarded by a scream of agony. Several more followed as 
she explored how much this one could take. This promised to 
be a very fun time for her. Then, she saw the right hand 
begin to rise. 
	 Her mind bore down in a furious assault on the one 
in her mental grasp. Still, the hand slowly continued to 
rise until it was pointed at her, the thumb and index finger 
pointed at her and the rest clenched. She could barely contain 
the seething maelstrom of raging fury in front of her, but 
she_still_could_contain_it.
	Pain?!? What happened? Her concentration slipped for a 
moment as she looked down at the white cat who stood by her 
leg and fastidiously examined the claws it had just removed 
from the holes in the sensitive skin at the back of her left 
knee.
	" Crescent Beam!"
	A blast of light tore across the space between 
the two as it punched through the gray uniform.

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

	Minako sank to her knees as both of them collapsed. 
The other fell full-length on the grass of the park and 
began to turn to dust. The pain in her head was unbearable 
and the light was causing more waves of pain. From somewhere, 
she gathered her strength and forced herself to stand.
	" Meow?"
	This caused her to open her eyes. This had to be Artemis, 
she thought. If he wasn't speaking, it had to mean something was 
going on. She spotted him on the park bench, standing on the bag  
the telepath had dropped with his eyes full of concern. He 
couldn't say anything as there was a crowd forming around her.
	" Who is she?"
	" It's that girl who's been on the news."
	" Is it Sailor V? She's so cool?"
	" Sailor V! Where?!?" 
	" Hey, everybody. It's her!"
	The crowd started to gather in around her, cutting off 
her from her intended path to the cat and the bench. People 
started to grab at her and a multitude of questions were shouted 
at her over the din of the throng. She couldn't move without 
hitting someone. This was getting bad, she thought over the rising 
panic.  
	A man in front of her reached out and took a firm hold on her 
wrist. She didn't like the look on his face and instinctively 
pulled her arm back a little bit. It was enough to cause him 
to react by unconsciously pulling his arm back. This was the 
opening she needed, as she remembered one of her lessons. His 
center of gravity shifted back when he tried to withdraw his arm 
and she turned her wrist slightly, yanked it free and shoved him. 
Her push combined with his shift caused him to fall back, taking a 
few others with him.
	Freedom, she thought, and desperately leaped clear of the 
pack. She landed near the cat and scooped him and the bag up as 
she tore out of the park at her fastest speed. A few blocks 
later, she jumped up to her new, private walkway that the city 
roofs had become. She stumbled to a halt and put the cat down.
	" What did I do?" she asked the cat. " What was that?"
	" One of your abilities, I guess. Now that I've seen you do 
it, it doesn't seem strange. I must have forgotten about it," the 
cat responded with another look of concern in his eyes. " You were 
really spooked there."
	" That wasn't good. I didn't think people would react like 
that. Oh, gods, I never thought I'd be afraid of a crowd."
	" That wasn't a crowd, Minako. That was a mob. Are you all 
right? You were really screaming back there." 
	" I think so. Beld was really messing me up, until you 
distracted her. Thanks, Artemis. You saved my life there."
	" Beld? What, do you know her?" he said in surprise. 
	" No, we were still in rapport when her concentration 
lapsed and the words came to me out of nowhere. It must have 
been Venus again. I think we're starting to learn how to work 
together, finally. When Beld died, I got a flash of images 
from her."
	" What about Beld? Who was she, where was she from? This 
could be the break we need to stop the Dark Kingdom." Artemis 
replied, excitedly. 
	" She was a telepath in the armies of the Dark Kingdom. 
She was here on a scouting mission. They're planning something. 
I just can't make it out."
	Minako walked around in a circle for a few moments, and 
then reverted back to her normal self. It didn't feel so bad, 
today. She opened the bag and started to look through the 
contents as the cat looked on. The bag was full of maps.
	There were maps of Tokyo. These she recognized right 
away. The others were of an island she did not easily 
recognize, with several small circles in some areas. She 
looked at the characters on the map and translated them. 
	" England? Why would she have maps of England?" she 
said to her companion. " I can understand Japan and Tokyo. 
Why England if she was here?"
	" Look! That page there. It's handwritten, not printed. 
Open it up so I can see it." 
	Minako opened the note and held it so both could look 
at it. The characters were unfamiliar to her, but Artemis 
had swung both his ears forward and tensed. He looked just 
like a cat concentrating on a mouse.
	" That looks like writing from an Old Earth language. 
It hasn't been used since the end of the Silver Millennium."
	" How do you know that?"
	" Atlantis sank, silly. That's were Beryl had her 
staging area. I can make out a few words. The language 
must have changed over the intervening years. These symbols 
mean 'magic' and this one modifies it to mean large or 
great. This is 'hero' and this translates out to 'rock.' " He 
paused as he thought about the others. " I think this one is 
'blade' and this is 'ring.' The others I'm not too sure about. 
I wasn't up on my Atlantean."
	She thought about it for a few moments when something 
started nagging at her. She searched her memories for a few 
moments and came up blank.
	" What is magic? I know it seems a foolish question 
right now, but what is it?"
	The cat sighed and put on his best instructor's 
demeanor. " Magic is energy. It comes from all living 
beings and has to do with their being alive. This type 
is normally the stronger. The other has to do with what 
people believe in. This type has to do with faith. If someone 
believes in something, a portion of their energy is instilled 
in it. It is normally not as strong as the first, but if enough 
people believe in the same thing-"
	" Wait!" She interjected. " Faith, like religion? Or is 
it just 'faith' in something. What if a bunch of people believed 
in the same story? Could that be a concentration of energy?"
	He nodded to her. " I don't see where you're taking this, 
though." 
	Minako pulled out the map of England. She stabbed her 
finger at one of several spots that were circled. " Rock. 
Ring. Stonehenge."
	Artemis frowned. " But what is the other? Blade. Hero. 
What's the connection?"
	Minako snapped her fingers in triumph.
	 " Arthur!"
	He looked up at her and sat down on his haunches, 
clearly startled. " They still believe in that old story? 
After all these years? This is real bad. Minako, we have to 
go there. Now! If they can tap that kind of power, the combined 
faith of a nation that has built up for that long, they'll be 
able to break Serenity's seal and take over the Earth. They'll 
be unstoppable."

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

	The two had raced back to her house in order to figure 
out what to do next. Minako used the stairs while Artemis took 
his shortcut through a tree, and they met in her bedroom. 
	" How are we ever going to get to England, Artemis. 
I don't have that kind of money. I'm just a kid to most people. 
They won't let me go there alone."
	He paced back and forth on the desk, his tail switching as 
he considered the alternatives. He looked at the computer she had 
at the far wall and a plan began to form. 
First the computer, and now the excuse.
	" Minako, is your father still at work? Can we get there 
before he leaves?" 
	She looked at the clock and nodded. It was only three 
o'clock. " I don't think the buses can, but I can, if you don't 
mind being carried. He only works a few miles away."
	" Good. First, I want you to turn on that computer. Then I 
want you to go make a snack of some sort and pack it to go. We're 
going to go visit your father."

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

	" Hi, Miss Aino! What brings you here today?" the secretary 
said to her with a smile. Mr. Aino's daughter was always a welcome 
visitor due to her cheerful disposition and the sweets she sent in 
for her father's co-workers. 
	Minako set her bags down to give the cat a chance to get out. 
She saw him scamper off around the corner and smiled back at the 
woman after giving her a short, impulsive bow. " I thought I'd 
surprise him today. Is he in his office?"
	" Yes, go right on in. He's not in a meeting or on the 
phone right now."
	" Thanks! " she replied and picked up the now-lighter load 
and went further into the maze of corridors on the second floor. 
She took the familiar path to her dad's office and smiled at 
the greetings she got. 
	" Hi, Dad! " she said as she opened the door. " Surprise!"
	" Hi, sweetheart. What brings you in here today? " He sat 
back and looked around conspiratorially. " Did your mother say 
no to a raise in your allowance?"
	" Dad! Stop it. I just wanted to surprise you today."  She 
took out a package from one of her bags and handed it to him. Here 
are a bunch of cookies for you and your friends here. What are 
you designing today?" she said, indicating the computer in front 
of him. " I know that's a CAD program."    
	He laughed and made some room in front of the terminal for 
her. 
He tapped in the save command and then spent several minutes 
showing her the portion of a building he was working on. A knock 
on the door interrupted them.
	" Mr. Aino. I'm glad you're here. Hello, Minako," her 
father's supervisor said warmly as he came in and took a seat. 
Minako stood, bowed respectfully, and made to leave.
	" No, please stay, Miss Aino. This will only take a 
moment. Get ready to pack your bags, little girl.  There is 
a company in England that we've been dealing with that wants 
an engineer to consult with on a project. I'm sending your 
father there for this assignment. He's done great work here 
for us here and I think that he's the best person we have for 
the job."
	She giggled to herself. So that's what he was up to. She 
smiled eagerly and turned to her father. " That's great, Daddy. 
Can we go, please? I've been wanting to go there for so long. 
We've been studying about it in school" 
	Her father nodded and spoke to his supervisor. " How 
long of an assignment are we talking about here?  This is very 
sudden."
	" It should be about three months. The firm in England 
contacted me a few days ago and I just made my final decision. 
They will be covering the expense of the visit. We have a hotel 
lined up for now, and they are looking into a house for you to 
stay in and a tutor for your daughter to help cover her missed 
schooling here. 
	" They do need you right away, however. The plane leaves 
tomorrow evening at around eight. What do you say?"
	" I'd be glad to, sir. It sounds like a good assignment. 
Thank you for the opportunity." her father replied.
	" That's good, very good. My secretary, Kimiko, has the 
tickets being sent over and the paperwork being drawn up.  Check 
with her when you leave today for them. You'll need tomorrow to 
pack, so don't bother coming in." 
	He turned and left after snagging a cookie as she 
congratulated her father. She was excited about the trip, even 
though the prospects of what she might face there scared her.  
She barely heard her father's supervisor speaking to someone 
outside.
	" -and one other thing. That cat got up on my windowsill 
again somehow. Please go get him down, and give him some milk 
or fish or something."

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

	" Good evening." the girl said cheerfully with a forced 
smile on her face as the door opened. The older man stepped 
back in surprise at the cloth covered plate she pushed into 
his hands.
	" What's this for?" he questioned her.
	" My cousin decided to rent the apartment you showed 
to me last weekend." She piled several pieces of paper and 
an envelope filled with currency on top of the cloth as 
she continued. " Here is the rental agreement and information 
forms he picked up last night, the first and last month's rent, 
and a plate of cookies for you."
	She smiled at him again and bowed quickly, the brown hair 
in her ponytail bobbing up and down. Please say yes, she thought 
desperately. I couldn't take it in that foster home and I think 
I'll go crazy or kill somebody if they try the orphanage again.
	The man frowned for a moment and then relented with a 
smile at her hopeful expression. " All right, we'll do it. I 
was expecting to see your cousin, however. I had thought he 
would be handling this."
	" I'm sorry, sir, but he had to take on a second job 
because of me. My parents died several months ago and he was 
the only one of my family who would take me in." Actually, none 
of them had, she thought bitterly. Her 'cousin' had been a close 
friend of hers.  Both her parent's families had been against the 
marriage and she was treated as an outcast by both branches. She 
forced herself to continue past the sudden tightness in her throat 
at the memory of her parents.
 	"His old apartment was too small for two people, so he got 
a second job to cover the new expenses and he's looking for a 
new job closer to this area. He'll be around on some of the 
weekends, however. Sometimes the commute is tough enough for him 
to rent out a coffin near work, sometimes.  I handle keeping up 
the house so he won't have to do that also. He's pretty exhausted 
doing this and it's very sweet of him."
	The weekends were the only time her friend could come over 
and pretend to be her cousin. She was tall  enough to put on a 
guys clothing and come and go a few times at night to help keep 
up the illusion of two people staying there. As long as the 
insurance checks continued to come, she'd be all right.
	The man turned and rummaged through a drawer near him. He 
took out a set of keys which he put down while he signed the 
forms and counted the cash and made her a receipt. Then he 
handed her the keys.
	" Here you go, Miss Kino. I'm very sorry about your parents 
and I hope that you enjoy your stay here."
	" Please, call me Mako-chan. Everybody does," she said back 
with another smile, this one not as forced.

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

	" There is a danger here, master." the boy said. He looked 
at the old man before him. The years had not been kind to one who 
had eluded their touch for so long. The master's face was deeply 
lined by the sudden onset of old age in the last several years. He  
wished all the others who slept could be here to help the three of 
them. The only other person in the room dozed before the fireplace, 
his broad shoulders blocking most of the light.
	" I know, young one. It is our job to face it." he paused to 
cough a few times, hoarse dry coughs that brought him no relief 
from the fluid in his lungs. " We have to protect the realm, but 
only if someone in the realm defends it first. If nobody does, then 
the dream is dead and the realm is not worth protecting. Those are 
the rules the dreamer gave us."
	The boy thought about this for a few minutes. The particulars 
about this case that confronted them were slightly different from 
the normal emergencies. " Master, what if the threat is one who 
should defend the realm, like in this case?" 
	The old man smiled at the eagerness that the boy approached 
the problem with. The lad wasn't sure of himself yet, but he will 
be someday. He'll make a fine successor for him to pass the reins 
to. " Then, someone will come from outside the realm to protect it, 
just like the legends say."  

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

	The old place doesn't look the same, he thought to himself 
with a touch of homesickness. The fields that were his were now 
tracts of housing on the outskirts of London. He shrugged off the 
emotion. It was a luxury for him that he could not afford.
	He had come a long way since he had last left his fields. 
He had been a successful and prosperous farmer at one time, with 
an eye for opportunity. He had convinced several farmers near him 
to cooperate with him and pool their crops together, which he sold 
in nearby Londonium, as the Romans had called it. Some of the 
natives had still called it that in his time.
	The profits he had made were split up among the other 
farmers, with his getting a double share for his work in selling 
it. This had enabled him to own and have several farms operated 
for him by the time he was thirty. Then he heard the siren call 
of power. The attack on the Moon Kingdom promised much in the way 
of spoils and power if it succeeded. While most considered it a 
myth, he knew better. He had spent much of his free time in the 
libraries the Romans had left and consulting with the traders who 
visited the growing city. There was a kingdom up there, and it was 
rich beyond his wildest dreams. 
	He sold off his farms and that of his partners, as they had 
made him the manager of their affairs. He used that money to 
outfit enough troops to give him a position of rank in the armies 
that were forming up on Atlantis as Beryl readied her attack on the 
Moon Kingdom.
	The ensuing battle was a nightmare. Most of his troops were 
unskilled farmers eager for the glory he had promised them to lure 
them to his side. They died to a man in the first clash with the 
Guard on the moon. He had barely escaped his death there, but the 
press of numbers had prevailed and the Guard had been defeated. 
	Then the nightmare got worse. Several women in strange 
costumes slashed in from all sides at Beryl's forces. They were 
unstoppable, going through ranks of armed men like he had once 
gone through rows of wheat with his scythe. The elements 
themselves seemed to conspire against them as the women bested 
the remainder of Beryl's mercenaries. He had seen a bird made of 
fire rise from the legends he had read. Others told tales of 
wondrous and terrible sights; ice that fell from the sky, 
waves without oceans, shafts of sunlight that burned, a shrieking 
madwoman with a sword that went through iron and flesh without 
seeming to notice the difference, and lightning that fell from 
the cloudless skies of the moon.
	Later, after he had learned of the personalities of those 
involved and the powers used, he was able to piece together what 
had happened after he somehow had made it to the rallying point 
around Beryl. She had her agents preparing long and well for this. 
The mercenaries had all just been cannon fodder to exhaust the 
Guard and slow down the Sailor Senshi. On Earth, monasteries and 
churches were ransacked and libraries plundered all over what 
was to be known as Europe. Priceless works of art, rare and 
valuable tomes, people and the whole kingdom of Atlantis were 
sacrificed to gain power for Beryl, and those times truly became 
the Dark Ages. The 'sacrifice' spells gave power based on the 
value of what was sacrificed. She had used this to annihilate 
the senshi in one blast and destroy the Moon Kingdom. She was 
sure she had her triumph, for her enemy did nothing to resist 
her destruction.
	Serenity; however, did the one thing Beryl could not 
anticipate and would never consider. Her hired mages would not 
do it, either. The sacrifice spell gives one power in relation 
to the value of the item to the one who sacrificed it. 
	Serenity sacrificed her life. In one awesome blast of white 
light, the scales were tipped. The remaining several hundred troops 
loyal to Beryl who had made it to her standard were sealed away in 
the darkness, sealed away from the Earth. Metallia was comatose, 
and Beryl not much better for several years. The generals who 
Beryl had bewitched took over running the remaining troops and 
exploring this new land that they were in. None of their efforts 
could break the seal. They learned to support themselves and eke 
out an existence in the darkness.
	They used their tactics to carve a kingdom from the monsters 
around them. The more intelligent and humanoid of the monsters were 
subjugated. Some could cross breed with the refugees from Earth and 
those children became the hideous youma. They would be the cannon 
fodder of the next war. The remaining troops became the officer 
corps for the growing armies. As the survivors grew older, they 
made a startling discovery. Whatever happened on the moon had 
changed them in one way. They were not aging as fast as their 
children, and would enjoy a life that was long enough to give 
them a hope of getting revenge on the ones who had banished 
them here.

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

	He returned to the problems of the present. If he could 
manage to pull off his plans here, he could get his revenge on 
Beryl for using him like that. He went to a public garden near 
his old home and stretched out under a tree there. The smell of 
the roses reminded him of all he had lost here and had to go 
through in the past thousand years. The flowers and the other 
growing things were the things he had missed most of all in the 
Dark Kingdom. 
	The two power sources were of different kinds. Stonehenge 
was a node, a rare gathering point of magical energies. When he 
was younger, he had wondered why the druids had put the stones 
there. Now, he knew. It was a great source of power, but tricky 
to work because of the sheer magnitude. 
	He had worked with the small node in the Dark Kingdom that 
sat under Beryl's castle. This one was not really that much 
different except for the sheer size. His mage sight had told him 
that much during his studies. It would be his first goal, as he 
was confident he could control it.
	The other had truly surprised him. He had heard the stories 
when he was a youngster. There were still bards in those times, and 
he had thrilled to the exploits of the boy who became king and drove 
invaders from his land. The tale had persisted over the years and 
spread and grew, until many besides those from England truly 
believed the tale that he still rested, waiting to protect it. 
	Glastonbury Abbey was the supposed resting site of King 
Arthur. He knew better from the stories of his time. They were 
not distorted by a millennia of artisans exploiting it for their 
own gain. The bards of his days were honored and revered, and 
held true to the tradition of passing down stories without change. 
	Glastonbury Tor was his point of attack. That was the place 
where Arthur was supposed to rest in. According to his mage sight, 
the hill was the focal point of this power, not the Abbey. That 
building was just an attempt by the followers of the Christ to 
absorb a pagan legend.
	It was too soon to try anything, however. He decided to 
stop operations in Tokyo and concentrate on England. This would 
give him more time to study the situation here and keep him away 
from the Dark Kingdom where he would be observed more readily. The 
moon was full right now and he did not want to challenge these 
places at the peak of their power. He would wait until the new 
moon in a few weeks and do it then. The power he would gain if he 
was successful would still be more than enough for his purpose. He 
considered the irony of it. A Briton was about to steal the 
power from the ultimate protector of Britain. 
	He stood and stretched as he walked over to the rose garden 
and chose two of the best there. One was for his quarters so he 
could remember his home and the place he was about to try and 
conquer. The other was for his commander. He'd take it and give 
it to Zoisite, and the two would be too smitten to think straight 
for a week or more. That should keep Kunzite from realizing what 
was between the lines in his reports long enough for him to make 
his play.    

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

	Minako was frantically packing her clothes and trying to 
figure out what she really needed for an extended stay in another 
country and possibly saving the world. She looked over at the cat 
who slept contentedly in the sun. He'd done his work earlier in 
the day.
	With her permission, he had gently altered the memories of 
her parents to make him seem like a pet they had for several years. 
She had her misgivings, but his arguments were correct. He had to 
go to England with her. It would take him too long on his own to 
get there, and sneak through customs to avoid the quarantine they 
put on animals traveling from one country to another. That was 
worse than a prison to him. He could handle customs with her 
help.  
	Last night, he had explained what he had done to her 
father's supervisor.
	" I told you before that I would never use my mind to 
do anything to you, Minako.The reason you never saw much of me 
was that eventually I have to change someone's memories if they see 
me too many times. The spell I use that masks me will only affect 
a person for so long. After that, they'll start to notice the 
crescent mark. I never wanted to have to do that to you or your 
parents, so I stayed away from you most of the time. I stayed out 
of sight, and therefore out of mind.
	" The same doesn't apply to anyone else. What we are doing 
is far too important. I changed your father's supervisor's 
decision on this project. He was going to give it the son of 
a business partner of his in a company he has stock in as a 
gift to keep his partner happy. I kept him from sending your 
father away to a position in Hokkaido two years ago, and made 
him give your father the promotion he deserved and got last 
Christmas. Your father deserved it, and I saw that he got it. 
	" It also insured that you would not be moved away from 
this area. I found you here after searching all over the world. 
I think I woke up about when you were born, Minako. I roamed all 
over Europe, and when I didn't find anyone I recognized, I went 
west to the United States. I still didn't find anyone that I knew. 
When I arrived in Tokyo a year before I found you, something felt 
right about it. When I did find you, I decided that I would not 
lose you. 
	" Furthermore, I found you here. If any of the other Sailor 
Senshi are to be found, it will probably be here. I will not lose 
you again, Minako. I will sacrifice anything, including my life, 
to be able to find the Moon Princess and protect both you and her."
	She sat down suddenly, overwhelmed by the force of his 
convictions. Then, she realized something. " You said again. 
When did you lose me before? " 
	The cat replied in a quiet, sad voice.  " I lost you when 
the Moon Kingdom was destroyed. I know you're Minako Aino, but 
you're also Sailor Venus. I was friends with the Sailor Senshi, 
and the pain I suffered when Beryl destroyed them was nothing I 
plan on going through again."
	She picked him up and held him to her as he shook from the 
pain of the emotions he was remembering. She recalled him saying 
that there was a bond between them. If the pain she was feeling 
was part of that, he must be in anguish right now.
	She thought she was having problems with adjusting to being 
Venus. He'd been alone for at least thirteen years, with nobody to 
talk to or relate to and had a mission to fulfill while not even 
knowing what to do to accomplish it. She'd held him until he had 
gone to sleep, and then gently put him on pillow to let him rest. 

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


	Minako slipped out of her room and walked to the stairs at 
the end of the hallway. The separate rooms that Artemis had 
arranged through her computer had been very welcome. She couldn't 
have been doing this every night if she was in the same room as 
her parents. 
	England was a very different place than Japan. Gray and 
gloomy, she thought. The only bright spot was what she was learning.  
Her skill with the language had been improving steadily since her 
arrival a week and a half ago.
	True to his word, customs had been a breeze for Artemis 
with her help. She had simply stuck him in a bag and he had suffered 
through the long flight with her in the passenger compartment. At 
customs, he merely made himself 'unremarkable' for a moment and the 
customs agent had merely thought it was a stuffed animal the girl 
had in there. She had kept the vacant look and sweet smile up for 
as long as she could and he was busier looking at her than her bags.  
	Sailor V had been making appearances in England with a great 
deal of success and the press was now fully into the swing. She even 
could be a princess again, if the stories in the tabloids were 
correct. The older of the two young princes was apparently head 
over heels in love with her, and one was even running a story 
that she was meeting him for romantic trysts at night on the 
castle grounds. Her real nightly excursions had been into a 
different world than what her textbooks told her about England. 
She had stayed in the worst areas of town and broken up several 
fights and robberies, and rescued a few others.
	There had been no signs of the gray uniforms. There weren't 
any magical disturbances, either. At least, none they could detect. 
She had gone on a tour of several tourist spots on their second day 
there, including Stonehenge and Glastonbury with her mother and a cat 
hiding in a bag. There was nothing unusual about what was going on 
there. She had returned to the hotel with her mind full of questions. 
They had discussed it on the night after the tour and decided 
Sailor V needed to generate some publicity to turn up the heat 
and see if anything was flushed from it's cover.

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

	" It's better than we could have dreamed about, sir," the 
younger man said to his supervisor. " She's was seen here for 
about a week and now she's in London.  It's perfect. We've got a  
super-heroine who travels the globe and fights crime. No licensing 
fees. Free advertising from the press."
	" I know. The staff in the model department has been working 
overtime on this since the word broke out she was spotted in London 
on  last Monday. We expect to have the lawyers'  decision tomorrow.
	 " In the meantime, get some people to start on designs for 
buttons, patches and anything else we can put her likeness on. Then 
go see the video game people. Tell them to drop whatever they are 
working on and adapt their engines for games with her. We'll ride 
this wave as far as we can. The profits could be remarkable on this 
one."
	" And then I'll go check on the animation studio, sir," the 
younger man said with a predatory smile.

*********************************************************
	
	This couldn't be going better than if I planned it, Azarite 
thought to himself. The situation in the Dark Kingdom was one of 
chaos. General Nephrite had led a campaign to have himself made 
the commander of the armies that would attack the Earth. Kunzite 
held that position and was not about to give it up for anything. 
Zoisite, who was Kunzite's biggest supporter, had gotten mad at 
Kunzite due to something Nephrite had said to him and he had turned 
on Kunzite and belittled him in public before the throne. Jadeite 
simply stood out of the way. Nobody knew where Nephrite got his 
information, but Azarite thanked several deities for the timing. 
	The day after tomorrow, he would make his move. The uproar 
in the ranks of the generals had kept them from their normal 
duties and no concerns had been raised at his recommending that 
Tokyo was to be disregarded as a source of energy. Two agents had 
been lost there, and no information had been gained on the magic 
there. He had reported that there were too many variables there, 
and suggested that operations be halted while he concentrated on 
the delicate situation in England. 
	The prospect of the power available in England had blinded 
Beryl to his machinations, thanks to the distractions the generals 
had provided. He had not mentioned anything of the problem that 
this Sailor V person might represent. That would cause the generals 
and Beryl to drop everything to concentrate on what appeared to be 
an old enemy who had returned. His curtailing of many of the 
scouting missions, and the misdirection of the others into the 
uninhabited areas had worked. He didn't think that any of his 
troopers had even heard of her or seen any of the papers that 
covered her exploits. 
	He'd have to be careful, of course. She could show up at 
any time, but he had a defense against her. Drake had been thrilled 
at the prospect of combat with one of these legendary enemies, and 
had sworn an oath of loyalty to Azarite in exchange for the chance 
to hunt her down. He hadn't seen Drake for a couple of days, but he 
was not too concerned. Drake was not bright, but he was extremely 
cunning. He'd figure out a way to flush her out and then he would 
destroy her.

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

	" Don't these kids do anything but fight," she remarked to 
her companion as they perched on a roof.  " Arsenal this, Manchester 
that, and the next thing you know there is a brawl going on that the 
bobbies don't even want to break up because they're arguing it out 
among themselves."
	" Don't be too harsh, Minako," the cat laughed. " I saw the 
look on you're face when that pop star showed up at the hotel the 
other night. You were ready to turn into Venus just to get up 
there for an autograph. I saw you start to reach for _the_  pen, 
and it wasn't for him to sign something with."
	" I did not!" she exclaimed in her defense. " That girl in 
front me of had sent my other pen flying with her elbow. That big 
cow did it on purpose."
	" Now, now," the cat said, trying to placate his partner. 
	As the fight before them began to calm down, a large figure 
walked up from out of an alley. " It looks like I'm almost too 
late for the fun, lads." He wore a green, white and orange flag 
draped over his shoulders. He looked at the apparent winners and 
sneered at them. " You Manchester fans are a bunch of poofters. 
Arsenal isn't any better. The lads over in Dublin would eat 'em 
alive if you weren't afraid to play in the same league."
	This was too much for the group of young men. With a roar 
of outrage, enemies became allies as they staggered up and rushed 
the newcomer. He awaited them with a smile. The flag was flung 
into the face of the first victim as he delivered a powerful 
forward kick that sent the young man flying to the accompaniment 
of several broken ribs.
	The rest didn't even stop. They piled onto the large man, 
but the pair observing the fight from the roof top had seen 
enough. The antagonist had been wearing a gray uniform under 
the Irish flag. As they leaped down to the street, the man was 
laying about him with a passion and sending bodies flying. The 
last of the toughs fell to the ground as Minako came running up. 
The giant turned to her.
	She gasped in surprise. From a distance, he had not looked 
so big. Up close, she could see he was a monster. About a foot 
and a half taller, and probably twice or more her weight. She'd 
have to be careful here. She'd already made the mistake of 
getting in too close for her crescent beam, she chided herself 
as she slid her feet into a combat position. She wouldn't have 
the time to fire it off before he could hit her. 
	He looked at her for a moment and then spoke in a deep 
rumble. " You're that girl in the papers. They taught us about 
you. The Sailor Senshi were supposed to be the best the Moon 
Kingdom had to offer. I've always wanted to fight one of you." A 
savage grin spread across his face. " My name is Drake. Your head 
will make a worthy trophy!" 
	He darted forward and swung a roundhouse at her. It was fast