The feeling in the air at the home of the Outer Senshi was grim.  
Akuma  was slumped in one of the chairs in the living room, and 
practically growled at anyone who came near him.  In the kitchen, 
there was a hushed discussion between the three younger women. 
Setsuna watched them  silently as she sipped her tea.

"This is ridiculous!" Haruka hissed.  "I refuse to stay out of my own 
living room just because dark-and-stormy out there has his nose out 
of joint!"

"I think it's sweet," Hotaru sighed.  Michiru and Haruka looked at 
her in shock, and the frail girl giggled, her purple eyes sparkling.  
"He's acting just like Haruka-papa did when she thought Michiru-mama 
was breaking up with her."

Setsuna smiled slightly.  "From the mouths of babes comes wisdom," 
she murmured, too low to hear.

[All: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

"Doesn't make sense," Haruka disagreed, shaking her head.  "He'd have 
never let that guy with the mohawk come near Toraneko then.  Even if 
he trusted him that much, Akuma would've made sure he was beside her 
too.  He was acting more like a guy who wanted someone else's 
girlfriend."

"How do you know that?" Michiru asked, surprised.

Haruka snorted.  "Trust me, I KNOW how guys think."  She frowned and 
looked inquiringly at Hotaru.  "There's one thing I really want to 
know, though."

"What's that?" Hotaru asked, feeling a little nervous under the 
scrutiny.

"Who's Ranma?"

[Flashman: Saw that coming?
(Everyone raises their hand.)]

Nighttime on campus.  The air was full of the sounds of students 
heading back to their dorms, the hum of cars, and the chattering of 
crickets.  Sentaro waited under the lamp-post like Sayuri had told 
him to.  He impatiently checked his watch for the twelfth time.  
"Where the hell is she?" he demanded.

"Sssentaro," a breathy voice hissed from the shadows.  "I'm sssorry 
I'm ssso late."

Sentaro peered out into the night, barely making out a humanoid form. 
 "Sayuri, is that you?"

"Come, Sssentaro," the voice whispered.  "I have sssomething to 
ssshow you."

[Trident: Why isn't he suspisious?
Zero: Bit character in something like this tend to have low IQs.]

"I'm sssorry, Sssentaro," the creature spoke, and then covered his 
mouth with a clawed, scaly hand and bit at the juncture of neck and 
shoulder.

[Flashman: When Dracula gets crossed with Fing Fang Foom.]

The lizardman stood tall, and looked into the other's eyes.  "The 
Sssenssshi must be dessstroyed," he intoned.

"No," the other one said.  "Jussst Pluto and Moon.  The ressst must 
only be dessstroyed if they get in our way.  Now we mussst get more 
convertsss."

[Flashman: Why does it ALWAYS have to be my two favorites who are the 
main targets?
Sakura: 'Cause one's the title character and the others a Time 
Traveler?]

The next morning, the Outer Senshi waited in the cafeteria at the 
university for the other Senshi to arrive.  Conversation focussed on 
the rash of disappearances over the night.

"Where is that twerp?" Haruka demanded.  "For a guy who's supposed to 
be guarding us," she snorted in derision, "he's doing a pretty lousy 
job."

"There is more than one way to guard a person, Haruka-kun," Setsuna 
said mildly.

Hotaru nodded in agreement, then brightened and waved out the window. 
 Looking to see what caught the younger girl's attention, they saw 
Ami in a rather foul mood, an embarrassed Kesshu at her side.

"What's the problem, Ami-chan?" Michiru asked as the girl plopped 
down in the seat beside her.

Ami pointed an accusing finger at Kesshu.  "HIM!  All through my 
physics and chemistry classes that baka was snickering, making snide 
comments, and making fun of the senseis!  I've never been so 
embarrassed!"

"I'm sorry," Kesshu said in a tone that implied he was tired of 
repeating himself.  "I just couldn't help myself, it was so funny.  
Imagine how you'd feel siting in a class where they're teaching 
material that if it wasn't out of date, was just plain wrong!"  He 
shook his head in dismay.  "I honestly can't believe the narrow world-
view they have in those classes.  How could they turn a blind eye to 
so much?"

"What are 'they' missing?" Haruka inquired.

"Magic," Ami muttered, and grimaced as if the word left a bad taste 
in her mouth.

Kesshu gave her a disgusted look.  "Must you call it that?" he 
complained.  "What you call 'magic' is nothing more than a different 
way of manipulating the universe.  You treat it as magic merely 
because you're experiencing the end product, like a computer to a 
caveman.  It's not like anything you can do with your...powers is 
really that different from a properly equipped person can do today, 
anyway."  By that time, his voice had gained a lecturing tone.

[Trident:(Sniffs) This man sounds like Xaiver.]

Haruka began waving her hands to stop him.  "Whoa! Hey, enough," she 
insisted.  "I get enough of that in class already!"  She caught a 
glance of something out the cafeteria window which made her sigh.  
"You boys are just great at getting into trouble, aren't you?" she 
chuckled, pointing out the window.

There, heading towards the doors to the cafeteria was a group 
consisting of the remainder of the Inner Senshi, Mamoru, Usako, and 
Yosho.  Yosho was in the midst of a heated argument with the Inners, 
while Mamoru, Usako and Toraneko watched with bemused expressions.  
Finally, Usagi stopped, whirled, and yelled at Yosho for several 
seconds, then stormed through the doors.

"Honestly!" she huffed as she sat down beside Ami.  "I can't see what 
Usako-chan sees in that baka!"

"I'm sensing a trend here," Michiru murmured to Haruka.

[All:<Snicker>]

"What's wrong, Usagi-chan?" Hotaru asked worriedly.  The others filed 
in silently.  Seeing the lack of seeing space, Makoto and Minako 
quickly shifted over a nearby table.  Mamoru sat beside his wife and 
shook his head in amused dismay.

"That..." she pointed her finger at Yosho almost exactly the same way 
Ami had at Kesshu, "...BAKA sat in our literature class and argued 
for half an hour with the sensei!"

Minako snorted.  "Tell them what it was about."  She continued on, 
overriding Usagi.  "He sat there trying to convince everyone that 
creep Claudius was the real hero in Hamlet!"  As Yosho opened his 
mouth to argue, she wagged a finger at him.  "Not a word, you!"

[Flashman: Oh BROTHER!
Sakura: What IDIOT taught him THAT?
(A tanuki statue drops on her head.)
Sakura: OW! (Glares upwards.)
Voice: I didn't do it.]

Any further discussion was halted by a high pitched scream, and 
someone flying through the window to the cafeteria with a deafening 
crash.  Yosho shot to his feet and placed himself between the 
disturbance and the Senshi, his sword in his hand but not activated.

The person was facing away from the Senshi, but slowly turned, 
revealing a green scaled face and yellow eyes that burned with a 
feral gleam.  A low hiss erupted from the lizardman's throat.  
"Sssenssshi..."

[(Everyone wipes lizard spit out of their eyes.)]

Kesshu's holocomputer snapped into existence, and he punched a few 
keys.  With a muffled pop, a hyperspatial portal opened, and dumped 
out a handful of small gray spheres.  "Transform!" he yelled, and 
threw the spheres out in an arc, surrounding the gathered Senshi.  
Where each one landed, there was a flash of light and a thick smoke 
burst into existence.  A crossbow dumped out of the portal, he 
grabbed it.

The Inner Senshi exchanged a glance and nodded to each other.  "I 
hope we have clothes this time," Rei muttered.

"Mercury Crystal Power-"

"Mars Crystal Power-"

"Jupiter Crystal Power-"

"Venus Crystal Power-"

"MAKE UP!"  With that, the four women were surrounded with the 
familiar lights and phenomena that surrounded a transformation. The 
familiar sailor fukus formed, except this time the girls all had 
large ribbons tied at the small of their backs.

Haruka scowled and shot to her feet.  "Let's do it!  Uranus Crystal 
Power-"


"Neptune Crystal Power-"

"Saturn Crystal Power-"

"Pluto Planet Power-"

"MAKE UP!"  With the exception of Pluto, the Outers' uniforms were 
altered as well, but the ribbons on their backs were somewhat less 
pronounced and decorative than their counterparts.

[Flashman: Nit pick here.  I thought you said this takes place in 
SM:S.  If so, the Senshi wouldn't have Crystal Power yet and the 
Outer Senshi didn't have Crystal Power anywhere in the series.  Not 
even Stars.]

"Moon Eternal Power, MAKE UP!"  Mother and daughter were both 
transformed

[Flashman: Now because "Usako" showed her how to do it, this is 
acceptable.
S/Z/B/T: You have GOT to get out more.
Flashman: Bite me.]

The lizardman stared at the transformed duo, and hissed in confusion. 
 "Two Moonsss?"  It turned to another creature that had entered the 
cafeteria behind it.  This one seemed to be somewhat more feminine.  
"Which one?" it demanded as the Senshi fled outside.

Its companion looked at Sailor Moon, then the other, and shook its 
head fiercely.  "Kill them both!"

[Sakura: When in doubt, go for overkill.]

He was wounded, his black and blue skinsuit torn and bloodied.  Four 
huge gashes were on his upper left thigh, and blood flowed down from 
the wounds to form a puddle at his foot.  His right hand was covering 
a deep wound on his left side, and he was frantically firing energy 
blasts from his free hand.

"I guess we know where he was," Yosho began, and concentrated.  Small 
logs appeared in the air around Akuma, and the other man shot Yosho a 
look of relief before collapsing.

"Akuma!" Toraneko shrieked, and pointed her arms at the lizardmen 
surrounding him.  The flesh became crystalline, forming into two long 
greenish white crystals.  In between the two crystals, a large 
greenish ball of energy formed.  "Leave him alone!" she yelled, and 
streaks of light exploded from the ball, smashing into the lizardmen 
and throwing them away from the man.

[Flashman: Ouch.
Sakura: Now THAT attack I like.]

Kesshu knelt beside Akuma inside Yosho's forcefield while Toraneko 
fired blast after blast into the surrounding lizardmen.  Information 
scrolled past his eyes on his visor, and he frowned.  "Kuso," he 
swore.  "You've really had the crap kicked out of you."

"How is he?" Toraneko panted from outside the force shield.

"He'll be OK, I think," Kesshu said, then glanced up at her, and then 
looked around.  The younger Moon was surrounded by the lizardmen, and 
was battling them furiously, her Arrow Strikes sending lizardmen 
reeling.  Yosho was at her back, using Tenchi-ken as best he could, 
considering that his weapon was behaving as little more than a bokken 
against their scaled enemies.

The elder Moon was at the center of a circle consisting of the Inner 
Senshi, who guarded their princess against all attackers with grim 
determination.  The Outers, who were fighting as a group of four, 
were also going reasonably well.

[Trident: "Doing resonably well" works better then "going reasonably 
well".]

As he watched, a lizardman was engulfed by an attack by Sailor Mars.  
Through the filter of his computer visor, Kesshu noticed the creature 
flicker for a moment between its collapse on the ground and its 
return to the battle.  He quickly replayed the sequence on his visor, 
and paled at what he saw.  "Tora-hime!" he yelled to the girl as she 
prepared a particularly powerful barrage of laser attacks.  "Don't 
kill any of them.  They're people!"

The younger Sailor Moon stopped in the midst of her latest attack as 
the statement took her by surprise.  "You mean they're-" she began, 
then shrieked as a lizardman grabbed her by the throat and threw her 
into a mass of others.  "Yosho!  Help me!"

"Usako-hime!" he yelled, and jumped towards the group, but found 
himself blocked by more of the lizardmen.  He tried to fight through 
them, but the uselessness of his sword made it impossible.  A 
collective attack by the monsters found him restrained and the 
princess unconscious.  A pair of lizardmen held her up while a third 
snatched the Ginzuishou from her chest, transforming her back to her 
normal self.

"Usako," Kesshu and Toraneko yelled and began running towards the 
girl.  The lizards redoubled their attacks on all of the fighters, 
hoping to buy enough time for their victory.

Awakening, Akuma rolled over onto his front, and began to crawl 
towards the combat.  "No..."  On his forehead, a lone golden bar 
began to shine.

[All: Uh oh.]

"Lady Tiamat will be pleasssed," the creature grated, then turned to 
the girl.  "And now, Sailor Moon, you will pay for the crimes done in 
your name," it proclaimed, and a roar of triumph rose from the 
lizardmen.

"No!"  Kesshu screamed, and fired his crossbow at the lizard.  The 
monster hissed in pain, but otherwise ignored the attack.  Kesshu 
swore and ran faster, not noticing the golden bar that gone from 
above his eyes.

[Trident: That last sentance is alkward, fix it.]

"Usagi-chan," Yosho whispered, and then threw his head back in an 
animalistic cry.  "NOOOOOO!"  On his forehead, a third bar shone 
through the skin.  A burning golden aura rose form his body, and the 
lizardmen holding him were thrown off.  Two rays of the golden light 
exploded from his body, impacting first Kesshu and then Akuma, who 
began to howl as well.  Everything seemed to stop as their cries rose 
in volume, overwhelming everything.

And in the center of the triangle the three young men formed, a star 
shone, expanding into a three-winged fan that shone with a blinding 
light.  The fan began to spin with greater and greater speed, until 
it was nothing more than a golden disk of light.  Then, with a burst 
of power, the wings flew off, each one towards one of the young men.

Yosho threw up his arm, and the blade rotated in the air, the flat of 
the wing colliding with the limb.  A light blue flame began to rush 
across it, converting it into an ornate shield that seemed to be 
hewed from living wood.  The flame also flowed across his body, 
turning the Juraian battle armor into a pastel blue and white version 
of the uniform.

The second wing stopped inches from Kesshu and hung in the air.  He 
reached out his hand to touch it, and it reformed into a long thin 
staff made of some white material, each end shod with an intricate 
blue cap.  His dark red skinsuit was suddenly made the palest red, 
and his ever-present labcoat was shortened into a sort of bomber-
style shirt.  His computer visor was suddenly made opaque from the 
outside, yet from Kesshu's actions it was clear he could see.

The final wing flew into Akuma passing around his body like a window. 
His blue and black skinsuit was repaired as his wounds disappeared 
from his body, and he rose to his feet.  The two crystals in his 
wrists exploded with light, and his suit was suddenly bleached, the 
pattern on it now light blue flames on a light gray background.  He 
held out his right hand and formed an energy blade made out of golden 
light.

"The Light Hawk Wings," Toraneko breathed as she stared at the men in 
wonder.

"Kami-sama," Mercury whispered.  She examined the men through her 
computer, "Their power is off the scale.  It is on par with..." she 
turned and looked at Sailor Moon.  "The Ginzuishou."

[Flashman:(Scrunches his nose) Are you SURE the Light Hawk Wings are 
THAT powerful?
Sakura: Flashman, they can overcome the gravitational pull of a Black 
Hole.
Flashman: Yeah, but the Ginzuishou can effect an entire PLANET... 
then again, I am a bit biased... and I've never seen an effective 
demonstration of what the Wings can do, so I'm not so sure of their 
power level. (Growls to himself) Forget I said anything, this 
requires some research.]

"Usagi-chan!" Toraneko cried as she reached the girl's side.  Yosho 
looked impassively on before making a waving motion with his shielded 
arm.  A white, featureless sphere surrounded the two young girls, and 
the three men then turned to face the remains of their attackers, now 
less than a dozen.  The creatures watched the men warily, but did not 
spring to the attack.

"HOLD!"  The lizards froze, and then parted as a pale woman with 
thinly slanted green eyes and long black hair strode through them.  
She wore a translucent strapless white gown, and from her back sprung 
two white wings, like those of a bat...or a dragon.  "You would use 
such power to save one such as her?" she demanded angrily.  "You 
would risk destroying the very planet you are trying to save?"

Yosho spoke, his voice cold and emotionless.  "Usagi-hime..."

"...and Tora-chan..." Akuma continued in the same dead voice.

"...are of supreme priority."  Kesshu finished his voice as cold as 
his brothers'.  "Threats to them must be eliminated."

[All:(Shudder)]

"Why are you doing this, Tiamat?" Pluto asked wearily, a tone of 
sadness in her voice.  "Why can't you let it go?"

"Until you pay for his death, Pluto, this will never be over.  Until 
you and Serenity pay..." she turned her cold gaze onto the elder 
Sailor Moon, who was looking on in confusion, and frowned.  "She does 
not know, does she?" she said in sudden understanding.  "You've 
treated her just like you treated everyone else, a pawn in your 
brutal game."  She waved her hand, and the remaining lizardmen turned 
human and collapsed.  "That changes everything," she said, and turned 
away.

"Wait!" Sailor Moon yelled, and ran towards Tiamat, stopping several 
feet away as the woman turned to her. "Why?  Please, tell me why..."

"For the death of Bahamut," she said. "For the lives, she has twisted,
 and controlled, and changed for her own purposes, for the means she 
used to reach the end you all benefit from," she paused, and a harsh 
edge entered her voice.  "I will punish her."  She looked at the 
three men, who even now were watching her warily.  "But this will 
come later, when I finished my...gifts.  When they are in my debt, 
they will aid me, no matter what you do, Pluto."  A green swirling 
portal opened behind her, and she stepped through.

[Flashman: So, is she here to help?
Sakura: Not bloody likely.]

***

"I wish you didn't have to go yet," Usagi said tearfully as she and 
Usako embraced.  The other Senshi were a few steps back, giving the 
mother and daughter some privacy to say their good-byes.

"I don't want to either, Usagi-chan," Usako sniffled, "but I have to 
go.  We can't just let Tiamat go, and I have to find out why she's 
doing this."

Usagi nodded and gave her daughter one final squeeze before releasing 
him.  "It would have been nice to get to know your friends a little 
better too, even Yosho" she sighed, and then giggled a bit, "but I 
think they're not too popular with the others."

Usako smiled and turned to look at Yosho, who was waiting by the time 
gate with Pluto and her friends.  "They can be a little hard to take, 
ne?" she said fondly.

"I like him," Usagi said approvingly, and Usako blushed deeply.  
"Don't even try to deny it, Usako-chan."

"I can't hide anything from you, and you're not even my mother yet," 
the pink-haired girl complained.

[All: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!]

Usagi turned her daughter and gave her a little push to her friends, 
then grabbed her arm and pulled her back to whisper in her ear.  
"Remind me to get the full story out of Setsuna-san in the future."

[Flashman:(Singsong) Pluto's in trouble!  Pluto's in trouble!
Trident: MUST you be so imature?
Flashman:(Shrugs) Go with what works.]

"I hope it gets easier," Kesshu mused as he watched the others go 
through the portal, until only he and Pluto were remaining outside.  
He arched an eyebrow at her.  "But I have a feeling it won't."

[All: You can say that again.]

Coming hopefully before Easter: Turn the Page Book 2: Wild Horses 
Couldn't....(tentative title)

[(Everyone facefaults.)]
_____________________________

Flashman: So, what did you think?
Sakura: A good continuation of an excelent story.  Hope you can meet 
your self inflicted deadline God-Boy.  Unlike SOME people.
Voice: Bite me.
Sakura: No way, you'd enjoy that.
Trident: There were a few minor errors, but none that took away from 
the enjoyment of this tale.
Zero/Bison: Thumbs up.
Flashman: There you have it.  Until next time...

May The Spirit Preserve You!