Hi. Am I busting your mailboxes? :)

"Moonlight Romance" kicks off the new series of fanfics I'm currently 
writing, picking up where "Black Ice" left off. The series isn't named 
as yet. Romance is going to be a major part of the plot, although by no 
means the only one. The Dark Senshi are back on track, with a few scores 
to settle and with a seriously underpowered leader. So, they're off 
gathering energy again. Well, not exactly... anyway, the Sailor Senshi 
are training for battle (since they're somewhat tired of getting their 
butts whipped) while Sailor Moon is on... a date. A rather romantic 
date, too, as the title suggests. Hope you enjoy it.

JB

"Moonlight Romance"

Grey clouds rolled in the darkened sky of the night. The moon was nearly 
full, shining brightly in its customary manner. Many who gazed at the 
moon thoughout the centuries if the moon was like a ball of rice, 
pounded by a rabbit...

Tonight, however, as a grey cloud moved between the moonlight and the 
earthly shadows it created, a different question arose, a question of 
life and death, of victory and defeat.

This section of Tokyo, at night, was a blend of faraway buildings, 
concrete walkways, and scenic trees. The leaves would turn golden soon, 
among other colors. Yet gold was also the color of the thin ray of light 
that nevertheless in its brightness blinded the four observers gathered 
here, temporarily emitting a shrill cry as it shot dangerously close to 
another of the four here tonight, forcing her to leap to the side, 
narrowly escaping its power.

The battle continued to rage. After perhaps half of but a single minute, 
the battle was over. There were no victors here, only four teenage girls 
with magical powers struggling to prepare themselves to face powerful 
enemies.

Each was a warrior. Their collective purpose was to protect and assist 
the reincarnated Princess of the Moon, the pretty heroine known in Tokyo 
as "Sailor Moon". They were, collectively, known as the Sailor Senshi, 
as their uniforms were of a distinctive "sailor" style, though of course 
their famous short skirts were somewhat more so than usual.

Their "dear leader" was on a date and currently unavailable. This night, 
though, had little in fact to do with her. This concerned the others. 
Each of the remaining Sailor Senshi were named after the planets they 
were identified with in their former lives.

Sailor Jupiter, the youngest though by far the tallest and most 
aggressive of the Sailor Senshi, was licking her wounds, singed by hot 
flame. She possessed the power to summon electricity and channel it 
through her body, and to gather the concentrated force of thunder to 
release it in an attack. She was also very strong and skilled in the 
martial arts. She was absolutely fearless.

Sailor Venus, the blonde bombshell of the team, was desperately trying 
to wring the water out of her hair. She was the most experienced warrior 
among them, formerly known as "Sailor V". She was quite a fighter then, 
and needed that sharp edge now. The beam described earlier was one of 
her attacks, as well as a shower version and a gold chain she used as a 
precision attack. Although the others did not know her for her fighting 
talent, she was very good in a pinch.

Sailor Mercury was tending to a nasty and painful flesh wound caused by 
a crescent beam. She was least among fighters and first among thinkers. 
She possessed powers over water, fog, ice, and cold. Her powers were 
largely defensive, to protect and assist the others. Her weapon was her 
mind, assisted by a VR visor and a mini-computer to scan for weaknesses 
in enemies and analyze strange phenomenae. She was a hard worker, always 
eager to pull her own weight.

Sailor Mars' black hair was standing on end due to her being fried by 
electricity. She was aching all over. She had power over fire, and 
succeeded as a fearsome fighter mainly by sheer force of will. She was 
also a Shinto priestess born with uncanny powers of clairvoyance and a 
sensitivity to the spirit world. This was a time of bad omens, which was 
the reason why they were training.

The clouds moved onward with little haste, permitting the nearly full 
moon to shine once more, illuminating the faces of the Sailor Senshi.

Sailor Mars commented, "I haven't had a workout like that in ages." That 
drew a few snickers. Sailor Venus said, "We were too slow and too 
relaxed before. We need to be faster and more aggressive."

Sailor Mercury had a different opinion, "We also need to outsmart our 
opponents. We need to use their own strenghs against them."

Sailor Jupiter answered, "We still need to be able to bash them head-on 
if it comes down to a fight."

Sailor Mars said, "I'm beat. That's enough tonight. I think we're 
getting better. Same place, same time?" The others nodded.

---

In another place a moderately darkened room was filled with the sounds 
of large numbers of human voices. In a far corner of the room, a dark 
polished round wooden table, betweem two benches with dark purple seats, 
back to back with other seating areas separated by a few choice plants, 
a single round, short, fat white candle continued to burn in a little 
brass dish. Shadows bounced off the walls as the candle flickered.

Serena was sitting back in one of the comfortable seats, sitting 
straight up, her alert eyes darting around the room. She commented 
somewhat nervously, "There sure are a lot of people here."

Sitting across the table was her date this evening, the much older 
college student, Darien. Their history together went _way_ back... since 
Serena was once the Moon Princess, and Darien was a Prince of the Earth.

That was then. Now, Darien was Tuxedo Mask, the romantic warrior who had 
more than a few times saved Sailor Moon and the other Sailor Senshi from 
certain demise. He did not, at least in his opinion, have magical 
powers. It was not an issue he often touched upon or thought about. He 
was, however, an able warrior, and in this way he protected his one true 
love.

He replied, "Maybe I should have brought you somewhere more private."

Serena reflected lightly on that, and, raising her left index finger 
into the air, commented, "No, this is still a very nice place. I'm 
really glad you brought me here, Darien."

A short black-haired waitress wandered over, carrying two plates of 
varied and delicious seafood. The cute waitress laid the plates in front 
of both Serena and Darien, and said, "Enjoy," while leaving. Serena 
immediately began to dig in, taking unusually small bites yet still 
proceeding to stuff her mouth with food. Darien had to smile. When it 
came to food, Serena completely ignored all semblance of manners. 
Although she tried...

The couple continued eating for a while, talking about trivial things.

Darien had something on his mind. Once they were finished eating, and 
the waitress took the empty dishes away, both were talking a little 
while drinking some tea. Darien took a moderately deep breath, and 
started to speak his thoughts. He said, in a serious tone, "Serena, I've 
been doing some research." Serena asked him casually, staring into his 
dark eyes, "What kind of research?" He replied, "Research into genetic 
engineering."

Serena thought aloud, "What for? Why would you be... OH!" she gasped, 
suddenly realizing what it might be.

The clone.

Darien didn't want her excited about it. He said, "Look, Serena, it's no 
big deal. It's just that I thought that maybe I could get some leads by 
checking around." Serena asked, "What did you find?"

Darien frowned, thinking to himself. He didn't want to mention Setsuna. 
Not here, and certainly not now. Not that there was anything between 
them, but Serena might not allow for that situation. After all, she was 
a good-looking girl.

Darien said, instead, "I found out a few things. Like making a clone 
wouldn't be easy, at all, and modern technology isn't advanced enough to 
do it."

Serena replied, "But couldn't they find a way, using some sort of 
magic?" She was very interested in this. Darien answered, "Well, I 
suppose so, but... well, there has to be more to it than that. I was 
thinking that this Chris guy can help..." Serena asked, "You mean Amy's 
friend, right? He never called, she has no idea where he is." Darien 
said, "I heard he's been around the university." Serena's eyebrows 
popped up. She asked Darien, "Do you mind if I tell Amy that? I think 
she's been worried, but didn't want to talk about it to anyone." Darien 
nodded.

He said, reaching out to touch Serena's left hand with his right and 
leaning forward, "Anyway..."

She answered, "Yes?", as she revelled in his warm touch.

Darien said, "I still think we should go somewhere more private. Did you 
like the dinner?" Serena said, "Of course. I just LOVE seafood!" She was 
beaming. Darien was happy, too, as he called the waitress over to pay 
her, leaving her with a small tip. Not much. He explained, "I'm a bit 
short on cash after that expensive dinner." Serena told him that "I 
really, really appreciate everything you've done for me tonight."

Darien replied, "What makes you think I'm done yet?"

---

The clouds were thinner now, and a young woman gazed up at the 
moonlight, and the few stars bright enough to be seen with the cloud 
cover and the brightness of the moon. She was sitting on a bench, her 
legs gently crossed, revealed under the slit of her dress, bluish silk 
this evening, fitting, under the moonlight. A casual observer would 
mistake her for Serena, since she had a similar hairstyle, a hairstyle 
that could hardly be said to be common. Little girls had been known to 
change their hair to look like Sailor Moon's, because they were fans. 
But this was no childish fan. No, she had far more in common with Sailor 
Moon, and Serena, than that.

Anyone who looked into her blue eyes would be astonished to find that 
here was, in a slightly aged form, an exact replica of Serena. Certainly 
the latter had been shocked when they had once met. She was old enough 
to be a fully formed young woman, yet she gazed at the moonlight for the 
first time tonight, and was hypnotized by its beauty.

A sample of Serena's blood had been transformed by the very man here 
tonight, standing a few feet from the bench, arms crossed, thinking, his 
bluish white cloak blowing in the wind. His glasses shone in the pale 
light, his hair, bluish but nowhere near as white as his cloak, blew in 
the soft breeze that seemed to be picking up now. It was a cool night, 
but he did not notice, for he was Frost, master of the cold.

His mentor, Jadeite, had told him once that when he was like this he 
reminded him of a fellow general of the Dark Kingdom, Malachite. There 
was something of a ressemblance, he knew, but Frost was much different. 
He was an intellectual, a genius of science and mathematics, and, using 
a combination of magical forces, human energy, and technology well 
beyond state of the art, he had created this very woman, whom the Dark 
Senshi, of whom he was the first, called Princess Serenity, the Moon 
Princess.

Frost was a master of the cold, but also of certain magical powers, such 
as flight, levitation, teleportation, hypnosis, and the art of illusion. 
This impressive array hid the fact that he was not nearly the hard 
warrior that the others were; they were simply less experienced and 
would gain power as they fought. Then again, so would the Sailor Senshi, 
most likely.

He was unsure of what to think at times like this. Serenity was, in a 
manner, like a daughter to him, and his cold heart was gentle only to 
her. Yet she was nearly his own age, biologically, and quite beautiful 
at that. But he had more important things to think about. Serenity was 
also thinking of the same subject, and let her thoughts be known.

She asked him, softly, as if her voice was the wind itself, "What are 
your plans, your next step?"

Frost was thinking about it. He replied without turning, "I'm still 
waiting for Bishoujo Mask to finish her assignment. After that, and she 
has gathered some power for your new Crystal, I will continue my work." 
Following their last battle Serenity had lost the Empyrean Silver 
Crystal. Lost was perhaps too strong a word. She practically gave it 
away when she was weak, just before she collapsed. It was not important 
as long as they could rebuild their strengh with a new Dark Crystal, one 
that would be filled with magical power. This would allow them to 
neutralize their main threat, the Sailor Senshi, and conquer the earth.

Not that they really cared now. There were important things, and then 
there were very important things. The fact was that the Crystal was 
needed for Serenity's own health, for the time being. After that, they 
would take things slowly. They were new to this, unlike the Dark 
Generals - and even they were defeated, one by one. They were stronger, 
or so they believed, under Serenity's guidance. But now... Bishoujo Mask 
would be the key. For better or for worse. She was their link to the 
Underworld. There was no changing that, and that was their main ace in 
the hole. A hole called the Abyss.

---

Serena was feeling quite odd, coming into Darien's apartment. The room 
she entered was not lit, and she couldn't see much, so she groped for 
the switch to turn on the lights. She turned the lights on, but they 
were unusually dim. She didn't know what to expect. Her heart was 
beating at a faster rate, and she was a little excited, a little 
frightened, even.

Then, a door before her, beside her somewhat, opened slowly. Moonlight 
from the other room poured in, meeting the dimmed artifical light. 
Serena's breath was cut short, as she smiled somewhat, at what she saw. 
There, in the doorway, stepping into the light, was Tuxedo Mask. With a 
few changes, that is. He was without the top hat, and for some odd 
reason, the rose he wore was white tonight, shining in the moonlight. He 
wore the mask, though, which made him look very romantic, to her, that 
is. Suddenly she started feeling warm all over.

He extended her his white gloved hand, and said to her, "Princess, may I 
have this dance?"

Serena was clasping her hands together, a hopeful and excited expression 
upon her face. She tried to calm down. This was her dream hunk, asking 
her for a dance! Not that she could say no. She just wasn't dressed for 
the part. She was wearing a tight skirt that went down three quarters 
the way to her knees, and sandals with short, hard heels. Her top was a 
light pink cotton shirt, with short sleeves.

Somehow, it didn't matter.

Darien took her into his arms. She was holding onto his hand on the one 
side, as he stroked her back with the other. She stared into his face, 
and reached up with her free hand, which was her right one, and gently 
removed the mask, revealing his loving eyes. Then, they danced....

Serena was holding Darien's mask behind his back with her other hand. 
They were close as they danced around each other in the light, as Serena 
placed her head gently against his shoulder as they twirled around, 
slowly, gently, savoring the moment.

Darien let her slip further away, still holding her, touching her hand, 
allowing her to rest against his arm, falling back gently, as he guided 
her into the dance. She was dancing on her toes now, and then moved 
closer to him once again, looking up into his eyes, neither knowing what 
to expect. Darien let her hand go free. Serena's hand fell to her side, 
as she continued to gaze at his handsome face. Then... Darien, who was 
still holding her lower back, also grasped her left shoulder. He looked 
into her eyes. Their gaze locked.

And then, they kissed.

She fell into his arms, and they continued to embrace each other for a 
long time.

---

Songbirds chirped as the sunlight of early morning filtered into the 
room. Lita, also known as Sailor Jupiter, was laying in her bed, and was 
turning a little. Then she reached up with her arms, grasping at the 
clouds, and yawned as she stretched. Luna, the black cat, with a golden 
crescent moon symbol on her forehead, also yawned as she awoke as she 
was lying on top of the bed right beside Lita. She had been Serena's 
magical guide since the day she became Sailor Moon. Luna could talk, 
very much so. As cats went she was very opinionated. Lita wasn't always 
the most graceful sleeper, but she was far better than Serena, Luna 
thought to herself. Luna took a sniff in the air, and her eyes fluttered 
open. She jumped off the bed, and said, "Serena's back."

Well, that wasn't really news. Or was it?

Lita, who was in white two-piece pijamas, slowly awoke and slipped out 
of bed. She realized what Luna had said just now, and said, "Gee, I 
wonder how it went. Between her and Darien, I mean." Now curious, Lita 
opened the door to the bedroom.

Her apartment wasn't especially large, for her, that is. Lita wasn't 
exactly the petite type of girl. She yawned again. She looked around, 
and saw Serena lying on her futon. Serena had to make due with that and 
a couple of blankets. There wasn't a regular bed for her since she moved 
in a week and a half ago. School was out now, so there was no problem 
with her sleeping in late, but it was late enough already. Serena was 
laying on her side, snoring. Lita didn't think that was very lady-like, 
but that was Serena. Lita gently nudged Serena, and Serena stopped 
snoring. Then, slowly, very slowly, Serena opened her eyes and awakened. 
Then she, too, yawned, and moved her blanket aside. She was in her usual 
pink pijamas.

Lita asked, "So, how'd it go?"

Serena was less than fully concious at the moment.

---

A few minutes later, as Lita had some coffee being prepared (a habit she 
picked up from one of her boyfriends to get going early in the morning, 
and followed when she was in the mood), Serena was ready to talk about 
it. She still had goosebumps all over. "It was SO romantic," she said. 
"First there was dinner, and then he took me to his apartment." Lita 
thought to herself, I wonder how far they went. She asked, "So... what 
happened?" Serena started to say something, and then crossed her eyes, 
saying, "Um, no, nothing like _that_ happened. He was a perfect 
gentlemen." She said, "He was all dressed up like Tuxedo Mask, except 
for the hat. I'm not sure why but he had a white rose, and it was just 
SO romantic," she said, repeating herself. "We danced... oh, and we 
kissed, oh, I'm telling you Lita, it's the best moment I've had in my 
life, ever!" Lita said, "You're not blowing this out of proportion?" 
"No," Serena answered, "no not at all! It really was wonderful. Ooh, we 
were meant for each other!" She said, as she had her arms around 
herself, imagining herself holding Darien close to her.

Lita asked, "So what then?", eager for more details. Serena answered, 
"Then he walked me here. He was in his regular clothes then... but 
that's OK, it would have seemed strange to see a guy in a tux and top 
hat walking around at night, right? Anyway, he walked me here under the 
moonlight." Lita sighed, smiling. Serena finished, "Then I was just too 
tired to do anything else. I kissed him goodnight, and changed into my 
pijamas. Then I went to sleep. There?" she asked, "Satisfied?" Lita 
said, "That's enough. I just wanted to know if you had, you know..." 
Serena said, "NO, I said it once and I won't repeat myself. "That's for 
when we get married, and have kids, and live happily ever after." Lita 
said, "You can't get married for a while yet, you know." Serena said, "I 
know!... but I can dream," she said, smiling.

The phone rang.

Lita was startled. She thought to herself out loud, "I wonder who that 
could be." She picked up the phone, and when she heard the voice, she 
beamed, "JOE!" Luna, who had hopped onto the table and was sitting 
there, wondered what this was all about. Lita started talking to him. 
"Uh huh? Great! Glad to hear everything's alright. So I was wondering... 
Yes... okay..." Serena said, "That must be Game Machine Joe."

Then Lita's expression turned... spacey. Like she had the stuffing 
knocked out of her. She was standing straight up, just staring ahead. 
She said, "Oh." She didn't say anything for a little bit, and then said, 
"Yes, I understand. Hope it works out. Bye." She hung up the phone. 
Then, she slumped back into her seat, looking down.

Serena asked, "What is it?" Lita said, "He's seeing someone else."

Serena gasped. She asked, "Well, who is it?" Lita responded, "It's some 
nurse he met in the hospital." Joe had been drained of energy by one of 
the Dark Senshi. The problem was, it was Lance Stockton, actor, and Joe 
was still working for him. Well, not _him_, but close enough. He got his 
old job back, but hadn't been working for a while. Lita had heard that 
part of it was that they were filming a scene in San Francisco, and Joe 
hadn't been up to making the trip. Now that Lance, a.k.a. Apollo, was 
back in town, the Senshi were keeping an eye on him.

Trouble was, Joe had a new girlfriend. Lita was heartbroken. She was 
actually starting to cry.

Lita sobbed, "I'm never going to get a good boyfriend." Serena tried to 
comfort her.

---

Chris Kazuko, the ace senior high school student, was taking advantage 
of the summer break to work at a computer terminal at the Jubei* 
University. The room had other students in it at most times during the 
day, but this was still early in the morning. Besides, it was summer 
break, and most students were doing something more enjoyable. He, 
however, was doing some research.

*Name might be inaccurate

Chris wore glasses and was not very tall for someone who was 18. He was 
dressed in a casual yet formal-looking brown, short-sleeved shirt as he 
was typing up a storm. Then he heard a friendly voice behind him, that 
of a worried girl, saying, "Where have you been?" He turned around, 
having stopped typing, and saw Amy there. He smiled somewhat, mainly for 
her benefit. She said, in a rather downward manner, "I've been worried 
sick about you. Where did you disappear to?" Amy was in a short white 
dress. (It was a hot day and she needed something light."

Chris replied, "I took ill. I'm sorry if I worried you. Now I'm back 
working. I didn't know how to get in touch with you, anyway." Amy's 
expression softened. She had never really thought of that, but then 
again, "You could have told some of the teachers." Chris replied, "I 
guess I just never thought it was important enough. They knew I was gone 
but I never mentionned why. Will you accept an apology?" Amy smiled, and 
said, "Of course."

She walked up beside him as he turned back to his console. She said, "So 
what are you doing? I heard that you were back here doing some 
research." Chris turned, and thought about what he should tell her. He 
said, "It's a science project on experimental robotics."

He brought up an image of an armored battle robot. "This design is a 
prototype that's going to be exhibited by the police at the end of this 
week." Amy replied, "Yes, I've heard about it. It's supposed to help 
keep the peace and stop high-tech criminals." Chris said, "It's part of 
my research project. I'm studying the techniques they used to design it. 
I'm going to be at the unveiling. I have a friend in the press." Amy 
asked, "Who?" He said, "Well, you'll meet him eventually."

Amy said that she was probably distracting him and said goodbye. Chris 
turned back to his console and began to work again.

Chris pressed a key. The blueprints of several buildings flashed on the 
screen. Then diagrams followed, detailing the security system of the 
Ratka Security Corp. It would be a challenge to break into. Hacking was 
one thing. Penetration was another. This was a job for Bishoujo Mask.

Bishoujo Mask was a ninja of the blackest sort. Though the Dark Senshi 
were her only allies now, to trust her would be to invite death and 
destruction. She was crafty, and named "Pretty Mask" because she was 
indeed beautiful, though her face was always hidden. She was a tall 
brunette, very nice, but only because she was a deadly viper, always 
ready to strike. Frost admired her for her cunning and despised her for 
her lack of honor, for her methods. But this was a perfect job for her. 
Ninja did have their uses.

He managed to smile.

---

That afternoon, Lita had finally gotten herself together, and with 
Serena and Mina, were off to pay a visit to Game Machine Joe. Lita was 
going to have a little talk with that guy. She had her mind set. Serena 
tried to tell her maybe she shouldn't, but Mina said that Lita has to 
fight for her boyfriend. Serena tried saying that they were also going 
to keep tabs on Apollo, but that was a secondary issue. Besides, he 
wouldn't be around.

So when he was on break after the filming of a stunt scene, the three 
girls got to him. Joe was glad to see them. Jerk, Mina thought to 
himself, he doesn't even feel sorry. Who does he think he is? Must be 
really dense. Joe said, "Hey, glad to see you."

Lita tried to talk to him. "Joe," she said, "I don't think you should be 
working here." Joe was puzzled. "Why?" "Because," she said, "That Lance 
Stockton guy is bad news. You should stay away from him." Joe would have 
none of it, "No way! He stood up for me when they could have canned me. 
I kept my job because of him."

Someone called Joe's name from the background. It was a woman. Lita 
frowned.

Joe turned and said to the girls, "I want you to meet my girlfriend, 
Jane." 'Jane' was running towards him. Lita's expression changed to 
confusion, and simple displeasure. Because she was... well... she was... 
um... okay, okay. She was _gorgeous_ and Lita couldn't deny it. She was 
a really nice woman, well formed, running towards them with purple 
jogging pants that sticked extra-tight to her, or so Lita thought, with 
a green top and a little sack around her waist, the weight on her right 
hip. Her hips were another thing. The competition was fierce.

Jane ran up to Joe. They embraced, and they kissed passionately. Jane 
lifted her right foot in the air behind her as they kissed. Lita was 
livid.

Joe "introduced" them all. Then he said, "Sorry, gotta go. See ya." As 
he went, he was holding Jane's hand.

As Jane turned, she winked at Lita. Lita clenched her teeth. She had 
beautiful hazel eyes. Her brown hair bobbed as she turned. Lita's fists 
tightened. Serena was starting to get worried.

After they were gone, Lita was fuming. She muttered to herself, "I'm 
going to KILL that little weasel!" Mina got in front of her and said, 
with feeling, "Come on, you don't mean that! Let it go." Lita said, "I 
don't _want_ to let it go." Mina said, "Let's all go for a chocolate 
sunday. It'll make you feel better." Lita said, "I don't want to feel 
better." Mina said, "Come on. You need a break."

Lita's expression softened and she finally agreed. She looked really 
tired all of a sudden.

---

Later, Jane was in an otherwise nondescript apartment. She heard a 
beeping sound in her purse. Pager, she thought. She had just kissed Joe 
goodbye and jogged back home. She unzipped her light purple bag and 
looked inside. What she pulled out was not a pager. It was a white round 
compact, but it was making that beeping sound.

She laid the compact down next to the kitchen sink.

She turned around, and pulled out a large piece of cloth, colored black, 
and long. She began folding it. When it was the right width, she pulled 
the cloth over her face. Now that the black cloth covered her mouth she 
drew the long ends back and tied it behind her neck. Now, she turned 
around, and picked up the compact nonchalantly, and opened it.

A displeased male voice said through it, "You're late."

She looked into the viewscreen of the open compact. Frost was waiting 
for her to respond. "Keep your socks on. I'm here, aren't I?" she said. 
Frost answered, "Here are the plans. Downloading now." Frost looked down 
and pressed a key on his computer. The compact's mini-database confirmed 
the data had been sent. Frost said, "Don't disappoint me."

She said, "You're no fun." She closed the compact and tossed it back 
onto the kitchen counter.

Then she went to the washroom, to change.

She looked into the mirror, gazed into her hazel eyes. She thought to 
herself about her assignment, about their plans. About her plans.

Then she thought of Joe. She said to herself, "What a gulliable fool. I 
hope Frost can make some sense of these readings. Maybe there's 
something to this after all."

At least it would be fun.

She gazed at herself, posing with a little swing of the hips. She 
smiled, but that smile could only be seen in her eyes, and in the shape 
of her cheekbones.

For she was Bishoujo Mask. Her enemies never saw her face. And 
recognized her, that is.

She said to herself, "I will not be denied."

And then she laughed.


---