Chapter Two

	It had used up almost all of its energy, but some impulse drove it
onward.
	Soon, it would be where it needed to be, and it could do what it
needed to do. 
	All it needed was more energy, enough to regain its strength, enough
to restore its power. Yes, energy. Lots of energy. Human energy.

	A small Ainu tribe ritual in Hokkaido was interrupted by the excited
shrieking of one among their number, a young woman whose sister was
about to give birth. "It's time! The baby has arrived!" she shouted
excitedly. The closer family members shot up and ran into the small
hut where the new mother lay, with the midwife encouraging the new
infant to hurry forth into the world. 
	The baby was half-born when it coughed up a mouthful of fluid and
began shrieking. The mother's constant screams of pain took on a new,
horrifying pitch. Both mother and child screamed as though something
was ripping the life from their bodies.
	In seconds, before the rest of the tribe could even determine the
cause of the situation, it was too late. The mother and the
partially-born infant were both dead. 
	As the dead woman's sister collapsed in a sobbing heap, and the rest
of the tribe moved in to pray to the gods and comfort the girl, a
flicker of darkness, a shadow which should not have existed, flitted
from the shack, completely undetected by the small Ainu tribe. 

	It is the energy of new life, something told the shade. A bright,
glowing energy more powerful than ten healthy young humans, and far
easier to take. With this knowledge firmly planted in its formless,
intangible consciousness, the shade continued southward, towards the
largest of the islands known as Japan.

	*****

	"Do you see her shining light? Even from this great distance, she
fills the darkness with her essence."
	"You miss her terribly."
	"Yes, I do. But my place is here, and hers is there."
	"So you simply content yourself to stare out into the darkness,
wistfully?"
	"I suppose I'm being silly, ne?"
	"No...it's important to hold onto your dreams and romance.
Someone...close to me once told me that."
	"Do you think...?"
	"We'll ever meet her again? In life, many things are possible."
	"But until then, it is the dreams in our hearts that will sustain
us, right?"
	"Well said."
	"Why, thank you."

	*****

	The dress shop was a flurry of activity, young women and colored
fabric flying in all directions. 
	"This is too much...are you sure we can afford all this?" asked a
tall girl with a chestnut ponytail.
	"Hey, Setsuna's picking up the tab for the dresses, remember?"
remarked a beautiful blonde who was admiring a rack of exquisite
evening gowns across the room. 
	"What's up with that, anyway?" the first girl asked. "I mean, it's
not like her to do something so...generous."
	"I agree with Mako-chan," chimed in a slight blue-haired girl from
amid a rack of accessories. "It seems completely out of character for
her. Don't you think so, Rei-chan?"
	Rei was sitting on a stool, trying on a pair of red leather pumps.
"Hmm? I don't know. I'm sure she has...some reason," she commented
absently. 
	"Hey, Rei-chan, you alright?" Kino Makoto asked. "You've been kinda
distracted lately."
	"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little worn down from all the excitement, I
guess," Rei said, smiling at her friends. 
	"Well, I say don't look at a gift horse's teeth through the looking
glass," the blonde said, eliciting a groan from the other occupants
of the room. 
	Rei stood up, walked over to Minako, and rapped her knuckles against
the blonde's head. "I don't think anyone's home," she said. Minako
glared at her and made a rude gesture.	
	"Maybe you're right, Minako-chan...I think," the blue-haired girl
commented. "I mean, we all want to look our best for Usagi and
Mamoru's wedding. We should just be grateful to Setsuna-san and don't
worry about it." 
	That matter settled, more or less, the girls continued poring over
the wares of the dress shop, picking out dresses and accessories to
try on. 

	*****

	On the other side of Juuban, a spectacle that could only be
described as comical was taking place in a men's formal wear shop. 
	"Anou...this is a rather unusual measurement," the sales clerk said
as she held her measuring tape across the chest of a young man with
sandy blond hair. 
	The young man smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Is it now?" he said
dryly.
	The woman nodded, checking her measurement again. "Yes...I just
don't get it, I must be doing something wrong. A man with your build
shouldn't..."
	From a bench near the entrance to the shop, Chiba Mamoru snickered.
"Haruka, stop teasing this poor girl."
	The blond grinned. "Oh, okay. Spoilsport." She leaned in and
whispered something to the salesclerk, whose eyes widened. "Oh...I
see," she said, looking relieved. "Well then, that explains it.
Now...are you sure you want a tuxedo?"
	"Positive," Haruka said, smirking. 
	"Okay...then let me finish taking your measurements, and we'll take
a look at colors."
	The door to one of the dressing rooms opened, and Umino stepped out,
dressed to the nines in a handsome classic black tuxedo. "Well?" he
asked, turning for the group to get a good look.
	"Oh, very nice," the clerk said. The others nodded agreement. 
	The other dressing room opened, and an embarrassed-looking Shingo
shuffled out, blushing furiously. He wore a slightly-too-large
tuxedo, with a white cummerbund and bowtie. "Hmm...needs to be
altered," the clerk said, "but otherwise, it looks just fine."
	"How do guys stand to wear this kinda stuff?" Shingo groused.
	Mamoru chuckled. "You'll get used to it," he said. Haruka snickered
as though at some private joke. 
	"What about you, Mamoru-san?" Umino asked. "Are you going to try one
on?"
	Mamoru shook his head. "I've already been fitted. I'm having mine
special made." He grinned. "After all, I have to be the best-looking
guy there, ne?" 

	***** 

	/And in other news today, three more mysterious pregnancy deaths
have been reported. The first two reports came from the south shore
of Hokkaido, while the third report came out of a hospital in
northern Honshu. This most recent report has hospitals,
obstetricians, and expectant mothers all over Japan alarmed, as it is
now apparent that whatever is causing the mysterious deaths is
spreading. So far, a total of ten cases of death during birth have
been reported, all but one from Hokkaido, and all on a line that
seems to be stretching south by southeast, towards Tokyo./
	Shingo switched off the television. "That's really weird," he
commented absently.
	"What is?" Usagi asked from behind him. 
	"All those pregnant women and their babies dying in labor," Shingo
said. "They had three more, and the last one wasn't on Hokkaido." 
	"How terrible," Usagi said. "I wonder what's causing it?"
	"Nobody knows," Shingo said, turning to face his sister. "It really
sucks, though." 
	"Yeah. So, how did the fittings go yesterday?" Usagi asked, deciding
a topic change was in order.
	Shingo smirked. "I really don't see how guys can look so calm
wearing that junk." Usagi giggled.
	"You wouldn't think it's so bad if you saw the dress I'm wearing,"
she said. "It's gonna take me an hour to get into it, at least."
	"Yeah, well..." he trailed off, staring at Usagi. The older girl
blinked, then frowned.
	"What? Have I got something stuck in my teeth or something?" Usagi
asked.
	Shingo shook his head as though to clear it. "No," he said,
"just...I dunno. For a moment I thought--"
	"Thought what?"
	Shingo waved the question off. "Nah, forget it. Just a trick of the
light."
	Usagi gave her brother a puzzled glance, before heading upstairs. 
	As she left, Shingo briefly glanced at the spot where she'd been
standing. *Baka,* he chided himself. *It's just that incident with
Hotaru the other day. Your mind is playing tricks on you.* "Yeah,
just my imagination," he said quietly to nobody in particular, before
heading to the kitchen to grab a snack.
	What his imagination had suggested continued to distract him all
day.

	*****

	Umino walked into the apartment, and received a surprise.
	"Welcome home, Guri-chan!" Naru said. She twirled, showing off the
dress she wore. "What do you think?" Her dress was a simple yet
elegant cut, made of a shimmering pearl-colored fabric. 
	"Oh, you're beautiful, Naru-chan," Umino breathed. "I sure hope
Usagi has one special wedding gown, because you're likely to steal
the spotlight in that." 
	Naru giggled. "Silly," she said. "Besides, from what I hear, the
other girls are going to put me to shame."
	Umino nodded. "Yeah...you know, I wonder where they're getting the
money for all the dresses and suits and everything. I mean, it's all
a bit much, don't you think?"
	Naru shrugged. "Usagi has some rich friends. One of them decided to
pay for all the dresses and stuff." 
	Umino shook his head. "It must be nice to have that kind of money to
play around with."
	"Well," Naru said, "I'm going to get out of this dress." 
	"Can I watch?" Umino said lecherously. 
	Naru blushed, then favored him with an impish wink and grin. "If you
*really* want to," she said. "If you're lucky, maybe you can even
help me take it off..."
	Umino reddened slightly, then grinned and followed her into the
bedroom.

	*****

	Usagi shuddered and gasped in pleasure, her back arching almost
acrobatically, then collapsed back onto the bed. "Oh, Mamo-chan," she
whispered huskily.
	Mamoru collapsed beside her, snaking an arm under her head and
cradling her. "I love you, Usako," he said breathlessly.
	Usagi rolled over to face him, and kissed him. They kissed for a
long moment, holding each other. Mamoru's free hand caressed Usagi's
thigh, up to her hip, and slowly all over. "Mmmm..." Usagi said, then
giggled as her lover's hand touched a particularly sensitive spot.
They lay like that for a long moment, then Usagi looked deeply into
Mamoru's eyes. "Mamo-chan...there's something I need to tell you,"
she said, smiling.
	"Oh? What's that?" he asked, as he played with her long pigtails.
	"Remember the last time we did this?" she asked. Mamoru nodded.
"Well, guess what..."
	Mamoru froze, and looked into Usagi's happy, beautiful face.
"Usako...what is it?" he asked quietly.
	There was a long pause, during which Usagi giggled for a moment,
before saying, "You're going to be a daddy." 
	Mamoru bolted upright. "Say what!?"
	Usagi sat up slowly, not bothering to hold the sheet against her
nude body, and wrapped her arms around her fiance. "I'm pregnant,"
she said. 
	"Usako..." Mamoru breathed, his eyes wide. "You're...really...?"
Usagi nodded. Mamoru felt a strange mixture of excitement, happiness,
and fear. "I...I don't know what to say..."
	"Well, whatever you say, don't say it to my parents," Usagi said. "I
won't start showing until at least a month after the
wedding...there's no need for them to know when we did the deed." She
leaned against him, rubbing her chest against his. "I love you," she
said.
	Mamoru slowly grinned, and wrapped his arms around Usagi. "I love
you too, my odango-atama," he said. After a long moment, the two
lovers lay back down, and drifted off to sleep.

	*****

	"Argh! This stupid stuff is driving me crazy!" Shingo picked up his
algebra book and tossed it across the room. 
	Hotaru blinked. "Shingo-kun...does that run in your family?"
	Shingo looked confused for a moment, then blushed, and put his hand
behind his head, laughing nervously. "Uhh...I hope not," he said. "I
don't wanna end up like my sister the dumpling-brain."
	Hotaru giggled. "I tell you what, Shingo-kun..." she said, walking
over and kneeling behind her boyfriend. "Just take a break for a
little bit, and then I'll help you figure it out, okay?"
	Shingo smiled. "Thanks, Hotaru-chan." He noticed the newspaper
Hotaru had been reading. "Anything interesting in the news today?"
	Hotaru's mood dropped, and she sighed. "The war in the Middle East
is getting worse." She looked depressed again, the way she'd been
that day in the ice cream shop. 
	"Hotaru-chan," Shingo commented, "I know the war has everyone
nervous, but it seems to bother you especially."
	Hotaru smiled sadly. "And you'd like to know why, right?"
	Shingo shrugged. "Well, yeah, if you feel like talking about it..."
	Hotaru sighed. "You remember what I said about the powers I weild as
Saturn?" Shingo nodded, barely supressing a shudder. "Well, there's
more to it than that."
	"How so?"
	Hotaru was silent for a moment. "Shingo-kun, I'm the most powerful
of the Sailor Senshi." 
	Shingo's eyes widened. "No way! More powerful than Sailor Moon?"
	Hotaru giggled. "Hai, more powerful than Sailor Moon. You see, my
powers...well, let's put it this way. When I emerged a while back,
some of the other Senshi didn't want me to live long enough to become
Saturn." 
	Shingo gasped. "What!? Why?"
	"The Saturn powers exist only to destroy, to bring Silence." She
looked down, wringing her hands in her lap. "I have the power to
Silence this entire world." 
	Shingo paled, his eyes wide as saucers. "Silence the world...you
mean kill everyone on Earth?"
	"Every person, every creature, every plant, and the lifeforce of the
planet itself," Hotaru said quietly. 
	Shingo trembled. "But...but why?"
	Saturn shook her head. "I don't understand it completely myself. All
I know is that there are times when all things must cease, and that
is why Sailor Saturn was created." 
	The room was quiet for a long time. Then, Shingo softly said,
"That's why this war upsets you. You're afraid that you'll have
to...to Silence..." his voice failed him.
	Hotaru nodded. "Hai." She swallowed heavily. "That maniac...he has
access to weapons that could destroy all life on Earth. If he uses
them, we're all dead...but it would be a very slow, and very painful
death. It would take weeks for the fallout to kill everything, and
all the people who weren't near enough ground zero to die instantly
would suffer terribly." She paused. "If those weapons are used, I
will use my power, to Silence the world before the suffering begins.
It will be swift and merciful. There will be very little pain before
it's over." 
	Shingo felt like he could faint at any moment, hearing such ominous
things from the girl he was falling in love with. He moved over to
her side, and hugged her tightly. "It won't come to that,
Hotaru-chan," he said. "I just know it won't." 
	Hotaru broke down in tears, clinging tightly to Shingo, burying her
face in his chest. "You must...you must think I'm terrible now..."
	Shingo shook his head fiercely. "No, Hotaru-chan...it's alright. I
understand."
	"You couldn't..." Hotaru sobbed. "I...I think I should go..."
	Shingo held her tighter, refusing to let her go.
"Hotaru-chan...don't go. Please." He tilted her chin up, and stared
into her violet eyes. "Don't go away...I care about you too much to
let you go."
	"You...you mean it?" she asked, her lower lip quivering.
	Shingo smiled. "I mean it, Hotaru-chan." He stroked her hair
affectionately. A sudden impulse seized him, and before he could
think about what he was doing, he pulled Hotaru close and kissed her
on the lips.
	Hotaru's eyes widened as Shingo kissed her. The surprise fled
quickly, and she closed her eyes, kissing him back. 
	
	Neither of the two teens noticed the pair of cats sitting outside
Shingo's window. 
	"They're really getting along well," Artemis noted.
	Luna nodded, her surprise evident. "I have to admit I never expected
to see this."
	Artemis shrugged. "Hotaru could do a lot worse." They watched in
silence for a moment longer.
	"If they don't come up for air soon, I'm going to scratch on the
window," Luna said. Artemis snickered.

	*****

	The shade passed through the same wall of the hospital through which
it came, freshly charged with the life energy of a human birth. With
each feeding, it began to regain its consciousness piece by piece.
Instinct no longer drove it to absorb energy. It now absorbed energy
to remember, to recreate its identity. It did not know what it was,
but it knew that it had been defeated, reduced to this wisp of its
former essence, in a mighty battle. 
	It sensed power...a lot of it, in this area. If it could seize that
power, it would be complete again...unstoppable...

	*****

	The two teens sat facing each other, blushing terribly. 
	"Um," Shingo said.
	"Um," Hotaru replied. 
	There was a long silence, during which the young couple fidgeted
nervously, not daring to look at one another.
	Finally, Shingo found words. "I'm, uh...I mean...was that okay with
you?"
	Hotaru nodded. "Yeah...it was nice." She smiled. 
	There was another silence as they each contemplated a possible
change of subject. At length, Shingo remembered something. "Oh yeah,
Hotaru-chan...I wanted to ask you a question."
	Hotaru looked up. "Hm?"
	"I feel kinda silly asking this, but..." He paused. "A couple days
ago, I noticed something...I dunno, maybe it was just my imagination,
but...for a moment, I thought my sister looked like--"

	*****

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"Try to control yourself..."
"Hey, I'm 20. I'm male. I'm single. I'm not 
getting any. What do you expect?"
"...I stand corrected. And you...just...stand."
-Conversation between Lurker and an 
anonymous AOL user
---
The Eternal Lost Lurker
...gettin' ficcy wit' it...
EternalLostLurker@worldnet.att.net
http://www.geocities.com/~etlostlurker

"Heeere leezard, leezard, leezard..."
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