And here's the next chapter of Suiseiki. Chapter 25 of Onna: Red Side
is due out shortly...

	Chapter Seven

	"Your Majesty," Artemis said, performing a feline bow before
Serenity's throne.
	"Something's troubling you, Artemis," Serenity stated. It was not a
question.
	The white cat frowned. "Originally, Luna and I planned not to bother
you with this, but...I thought it might be best if you were aware..."
	"Of what?" Serenity asked.
	"Before the wedding, Luna and I noticed a spark of dark energy
coming from the west side of the shopping district." He paused,
shifting uncomfortably. "We didn't think anything of it at first, but
earlier today we felt a much stronger evil presence."
	Serenity's eyes widened. "Could it be another enemy?" she wondered.
	Artemis shrugged. "We're not sure, but I can tell you one thing,
which is the reason I decided to tell you." He sighed. "The energy
signature...I recognized it. So did Luna."
	"Recognized it?" Serenity asked.
	Artemis nodded. "No mistake. It was a youma."
	Serenity gasped. "A youma...are you positive?"
	"Hai, Serenity-sama."
	"A youma..." Serenity frowned. "Is it very powerful?"
	"We couldn't tell. It's powerful enough to detect, but it's
disappeared again."
	Serenity was quiet for several moments. "Find Ami-chan and Rei-chan,
and ask them to come see me."
	"Hai, Serenity-sama," Artemis said, turning to pad out of the throne
room. Before he left, he said, "By the way...Luna's begun selecting
candidates for the palace guard. If you want to watch the first
qualifying session, they're in the class three training room now."
	Serenity smiled. "I believe I will have a look," she said, rising
from her throne.

	*****

	"Whew," Saturn said, wiping her forehead with her gloved hand as she
climbed back into her suite. "You sure that's gonna hold, Mimas?"
	"Of course, Lady Saturn," Mimas said. "The base of the satellite
receiver is safely encased in the outer wall of the Palace."
	"Sure beats nails and screws," Saturn commented. "And there's no
chance of it breaking loose?"
	"Not under normal conditions." Mimas paused. "You forgot about the
connection cables."
	"Oh no," Saturn said, groaning. She leaned outside. "Great, how am I
supposed to do this?"
	"Just push them against the wall," Mimas said. Saturn did so, and
the crystal began pulling the wires through. Within seconds, the ends
of the cables poked through the interior wall of Saturn's quarters. 
	"Sugoi," Saturn said, moving away from the window. It closed behind
her, and went opaque. Working quietly for a few minutes, she finished
setting everything up. "There, all done. Now I need to find
Shingo-kun so I can show him."
	"Lord Shingo is currently in the class three training facility on
sublevel one," Mimas said after a moment. 
	Saturn blinked. "Wonder what he's doing there...I'll be back
afterwhile, Mimas," she said as she headed out the door.

	*****

	Shingo grunted as he staggered back a step. The crystal rod in his
hands shuddered under the impact from Pluto's staff. 
	Pluto twirled her staff lazily. "Come at me," she said. 	Shingo
shifted his grip on his quarterstaff, and swung it at Pluto. She
batted it away easily. He aimed for her head. She dodged, and brought
the staff down in an arc, knocking his feet out from under him. He
grunted as he hit the floor.
	Pluto stood over him, the Garnet Orb hovering inches above his
chest. Part of him wanted to stay where he was, not move, submit. *If
I think that way though, I end up dead,* he told himself. Shifting
his rod to one hand, he reached up and grabbed the haft of Pluto's
staff, pushing it away. He rolled to the side to avoid a fast strike,
and brought his staff up and forward, catching Pluto in the gut
before she had a chance to block. Pluto grunted as Shingo got to his
feet. 
	"Impressive," she said, before coming at him with a flurry of fast
strikes.

	In the doorway, Serenity and Saturn stood side-by-side, watching.
Both had been surprised when they met at the entrance and looked in
to see Pluto and Shingo fighting. The bigger surprise came when they
realized that Shingo was holding his own. From across the room, Luna
had given them a signal to keep quiet, so they watched silently as
Shingo took one of Pluto's rapid strikes to the stomach.

	"Oof," Shingo said, his breath whooshing out. He scrambled backwards
as Pluto pressed her attack, barely blocking a few of the strikes.
Finally, he dropped to one knee, leaning against his quarterstaff.
Pluto twirled the Time Staff, raised it over her head, and brought it
down...

	"SHINGO!!" Saturn cried out.

	...and lightly bopped him on the head. She stepped back, leaning
against her staff, and smiled. "Not bad for a beginner," she said.
	Shingo grinned, and pulled himself to his feet. "Thanks," he said.
"Although if you'd been going all out, I'd be dead right now."
	Luna padded over to them. "You did very well," she said to Shingo. 
	Serenity strode quickly into the room, attempting to show the
decorum and grace she knew was expected of her. Saturn, on the other
hand, ran over and flung herself at Shingo. 
	"Shingo-kun!" she said, throwing her arms around her boyfriend as
she crashed into him.
 	"Oof! Take it easy, Hotaru-chan," Shingo said, catching her before
she collided with his abused midsection. 	
	Saturn whirled angrily on Pluto. "What on earth were you *doing*?"
	"Just a test," Pluto said. "We needed to see how well Shingo could
fight already before he begins training."
	"Training?" Saturn asked, blinking.
	"Shingo is going to be one of the palace guards," Luna replied. 
	"More than that," he said, smiling at Saturn. "Luna's going to let
me be your bodyguard."
	Saturn blinked. "Bodyguard? Shingo-kun...I don't need..."
	"Yes you do," he said. "There's lots of curious and crazy people
outside the Palace, that won't realize how dangerous it is to mess
with a Sailor Senshi. But they're still just ordinary people. You
wouldn't want to use your powers against them, would you?" Saturn
blinked. "That's why the Senshi need bodyguards," Shingo said.
"Especially you, Hotaru-chan."
	Saturn sighed, looking down. "I suppose so," she said. "You're
right." 
	Shingo frowned. "Hotaru-chan...gomen..."
	Serenity looked puzzled. "What's wrong with Hotaru-chan?" Pluto
whispered something to her. After a few moments, Serenity's brow
furrowed. "Hmmm..."
	As Shingo consoled Saturn, Luna approached, dragging a strip of
silver cloth. She dropped it at Shingo's feet. "Here, wear this," she
said.
	Shingo picked it up and unrolled it. It was a silver sash. He
blinked, but put it on over his left shoulder, straightening it. Luna
then produced a small white crescent moon pin, and instructed him to
pin it over his chest. 
	Saturn smiled. "It looks good," she said. She still seemed upset. 
	"Follow me, please," Luna instructed, padding over to a door at the
far end of the room. The group looked at each other, shrugged, and
followed the black cat.
	The door opened, and Luna stepped to one side. "This is the guards'
armory," she said. "Select a weapon you like from inside, it will be
your weapon from now on."
	Shingo walked into the weapons room, and whistled. Staves, swords,
bladed guantlets, and more lined the walls of the armory. *How am I
ever going to decide on one?* he wondered.
	Then, he saw it. A weapon which seemed to call to him. A naginata,
with a crystal haft and a pure silver blade. He picked it up, and
swung it experimentally. It felt natural in his grip.
	He walked out of the armory, holding his naginata proudly. His
sister and his girlfriend smiled at him. 
	"We'll begin your training tomorrow," Luna said. The group began
leaving the training room.
	As she left, Serenity's mind churned...

	*****

	/The Japanese government has released an official statement
regarding the Fushigi no Suishou. According to the JSDF, the large
crystal structure appears to be inhabited by the famous Tokyo urban
legends, the Sailor Senshi. At this time, the government of Japan has
decided, based on careful review of all known data on the Sailor
Senshi, that the super-powered vigilantes and their mysterious
dwelling pose no threat to the Japanese public./
	*So, that explains it,* Mika thought. *The Sailor Senshi built that
crystal monstrosity.* She scowled. *This is bad. I'll need to gather
a lot more energy if I'm to have any hopes of destroying them.* 
	As she walked away from the shop window, she felt the spark of evil
energy again. *There!* She walked to the edge of the street, and
peered down into the storm drain. *It's in the sewers,* she realized.
*Ugh. Oh well, it could be worse.* Making sure nobody was watching,
she willed herself insubstantial, and passed through the storm drain.
She slipped beneath street level before she could notice the two
Sailor Senshi approaching from a nearby intersection.

	"That's odd," Mercury said. "I was sure I picked something up around
here."
	"Me too," Mars said, "but it's gone now."
	The two Senshi walked away, continuing to look for the evil Artemis
had warned Serenity about.

	*****

	Pandemonium reigned on the studio lot.
	"What is it?"
	"It's got to be some kind of promotional stunt."
	"I don't think so..."
	The crowd of onlookers continued to murmur, even as the loud thumps
drew closer. They gasped as the body of a security guard flew from
behind a building, crashing into the guardhouse with a solid thud.
The thumps grew closer still.
	Some studio workers began running in terror and panic, crashing
right through the studio gate. They were screaming incoherently as
they scrambled away. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" one man screamed. "GORO'S
COMING!"
	"Goro? The thing from Mortal Kombat?" one of the onlookers asked.
	"Told you it was a publicity stunt."
	Just then, all two-and-a-half-plus meters of Goro rounded the
corner, walking towards the gate. He dropped the two dead bodies he
held, his eyes glowing dark red. 
	"Shit...I don't think this is publicity!" the first onlooker yelled.
	"How very observant of you," Goro rumbled as he approached the
panicking crowd. "If you do not resist me, I promise to make your
deaths as painless as possible," he continued. "But if you dare to
defy me..." The sounds of twelve thick knuckles cracking rang out
like gunshots. Half the crowd was already in motion, running for
their lives.
	"Heh, what a show," the skeptical observer said. 
	"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Goro said. "Because it'll be the last
thing you ever enjoy." He grabbed the hapless man by the collar.
"Your life force...give it to me!" he roared, eyes glowing intensely.

	The man screamed as his very soul was ripped from his body,
collecting into a ball in one of Goro's upraised hands. A final spark
of energy drifted out of the corpse, and the powerful beast tossed
the empty shell aside. 
	Three police cars pulled up. "Hold it right there, you!" said an
officer as he jumped out of one car, gun aimed at Goro's head.
	The youma regarded the new arrivals with curiosity. "And what if I
should refuse?" he rumbled, advancing.
	The cop fired. The bullet tore a chunk of flesh from the beast's
shoulder, exposing muscles of metallic fiber. 
	Goro roared, and clutched at his injured shoulder. "You shall pay
dearly for that!" he growled, extending his lower arms. Black energy
gathered between his hands, and he unleashed a ball of dark flames at
the police officer. The man tried to dodge, but was hit head-on by
the blast, and screamed as he burst into flames.
	"Your soul is *mine*," Goro bellowed, stalking towards the cop. The
others began firing, but he leapt high into the air. Everyone looked
up, then around, confused.
	Goro landed on one of the cars, crushing it. With two quick swipes
of his powerful arms, he downed the four officers surrounding it.
Before the cops from the next car could open fire, he leapt again. 
	It was over in a matter of seconds. Three police cars destroyed, and
ten dead policemen. Goro laughed evilly as he robbed them of their
life force. 
	"Soon, my savior, I will have the power to return to you, to serve
you with my full might." 
	The evil youma stomped down the street, in search of fresh prey.

	*****

	"You sent for us, Your Majesty?"
	"Yes."
	Saturn and Shingo knelt before their queen. Serenity gazed intently
at Saturn. "Sailor Saturn, it is my understanding that the terrible
power you wield weighs heavily upon your mind."
	"Hai, Your Majesty," Saturn said. 
	Serenity sighed. "It is terrible for one so young to be the bearer
of such destructive forces. And yet, this is the nature of what you
are, and cannot be changed." She turned her gaze upon Shingo.
"Shingo," she said. "You have made me, and everyone else, proud of
you. You have shown your courage, your loyalty, and most of all, your
deep love for Sailor Saturn."
	"I'd lay down my life for her," Shingo said.
	Serenity smiled. "Yes, you would," she said. "Yet you feel
inadequate to the task of protecting her, not only from the world
outside, but from herself, and from her destiny."
	There was an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Serenity rose from her
throne, and approached the two kneeling teens. "Please face each
other," she directed softly.
	Saturn and Shingo turned to look at one another, still kneeling.
Both were extremely puzzled. 
	Serenity touched Saturn on the shoulder. "Give me your hand," she
directed. Saturn did so. She then took Shingo's hand, and instructed
them to join hands with one another.
	The other Outer Senshi entered the throne room at this point, but
Pluto motioned them to stay put as she saw what was going on. *She's
not going to...*
	Serenity closed her eyes, and the Ginzuishou's soft glow
intensified. Saturn's tiara dissolved, replaced by her glowing sigil,
and a soft violet aura surrounded her. The aura slowly crept up
Serenity's arm, flickering across the Ginzuishou briefly, before
traveling down her other arm, passing into Shingo's.
	"What the..." Uranus whispered.
	Shingo gasped as he felt a gentle surge of power flow into his body.
The power intensified, coursing through him, surging, changing him
somehow. 
	As the Outer Senshi watched, Shingo's forehead began to glow. Weak
and diffuse at first, the soft lavender light slowly intensified,
focusing. After a full minute, the same sigil that shone upon
Saturn's brow also shone brightly upon Shingo's. 
	Shingo's uniform began to darken, the crisp white becoming a dark
purple. The silver sash he wore took on a shimmering orchid color,
and the white crescent moon pin upon the sash transformed into a dark
purple Saturn crest. His boots turned silver, and silver gloves
formed on his hands. His naginata, which he had laid on the floor
before him, also began to change; the haft darkened like smoked
glass, and an ornate crystal mounting, engraved with both the silver
moon crest and the insignia of Saturn, grew around the base of the
blade, which transformed from pure silver into sharp, silver crystal,
equally beautiful and deadly. 
	The Ginzuishou resumed its usual soft glow, and Serenity opened her
eyes. The glowing sigils on the two teens' foreheads disappeared.
Serenity smiled, and turned to face Shingo. "Arise, and accept your
new destiny...General Dosei."

	*****

	Mika scowled at the stench as she approached the source of the evil
energy she'd been feeling. Her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of
the sewer, and she spotted a gleaming black crystal, lying amid a
pile of rotted animal corpses. 
	The tiny shard of crystal, no larger than her fingertip, radiated
death and malice. <I am hungry,> a voice whispered in her mind. <Come
to me, feed me your soul, your life force.>
	Mika narrowed her eyes. Telepathic suggestion, is it? <Feed me
*your* soul,> she projected. <I need energy far more than a piece of
glass.> She bent down, and picked up the crystal, studying it. It was
trying desparately to absorb her life, to drain the precious energy
from her, but she easily resisted its efforts.
	<You are strong,> it said after a while. <And I sense a familiar
darkness about you.>	
	<It is your darkness that drew me here,> Mika projected. <A soul as
black as my own...how did you come to be trapped in a sliver of
crystal?>
	Fragmented images filled her mind, of a vast city of glass,
sparkling in the rising sun; of a beautiful, powerful queen who
rejected all things dark in the nature of man; of warriors wearing
sailor fuku, erecting an impenetrable forcefield; of a young,
innocent girl with hair the color of cotton candy, and the same girl
all grown up, her nature dark and twisted; of a massive crystal
spaceship; and of death at the hands of a princess bearing a crescent
moon upon her brow. Finally, an image of the loss of identity, of
body, of spirit; becoming nothing more than a concentrated essence of
evil, existing for no other purpose than to suck the life from
everything around it. The last two images struck Mika as painfully
familiar. 
	<This great city of crystal,> Mika said, <it exists in the future of
this world, does it not?>
	<Yes.>
	<Would you like to see that the future dominated by the city of
crystal never comes to pass?>
	<More than anything else.>
	<Then join with me,> Mika said. <Together, with our combined
knowledge and power, we can crush the future of light, and replace it
with one of darkness.>
	<Yes...> the voice within the crystal said.
	Mika pressed the shard of crystal against her forehead. It began to
glow, and her back arched as black sparks coursed across her body.
When she withdrew her hand, the crystal was gone, having been
absorbed into her body. Her forehead now sported an inverted, black
crescent moon, which seemed to radiate a black aura all its own. 
	More memories of her former life emerged, combined with fresh
memories from the other entity. The dark being Mika had become merged
with the shredded evil soul from the crystal, giving rise to a new,
more powerful entity. *I was once Metallia, supreme ruler of the Dark
Kingdom,* she realized, *and I was also once Death Phantom, of the
Black Moon Family, enemies of Crystal Tokyo.* Narrowing her eyes and
scowling, she spoke aloud, "Now, I am she who will crush Serenity and
her Sailor Senshi, and destroy their precious Palace. I will take
their lives, and I will take their power, and use it to rule this
world in darkness. Beware, Serenity...beware the Bringer of Despair,
Princess Wraith!"
	Princess Wraith threw her head back and laughed maniacally. 

	*****

	The Ayakashi Sisters were practicing in the class two training room.
Suddenly, they froze, looks of shock on their faces. 
	"Did you feel--?" Cooan asked.
	"I felt it," Karaberas said.
	"So did I," Petz agreed. "We'd better inform Her Majesty."

	*****

	Shingo picked up his naginata as he stood, and examined it, then
himself. "What--?"
	"Your Majesty, what did you just do?" Uranus asked as she and the
other Outer Senshi approached the throne.
	Serenity smiled. "Using the Ginzuishou, I have taken a portion of
Sailor Saturn's power, and transferred it to Shingo."
	The others gasped. "That is highly irregular," Pluto commented.
	"I know this, Pluto, but..." Serenity sighed. "Hotaru needed
something to lessen her burden, and Shingo needed the power to defend
his love without sacrificing his life for her." She paused. "If I'm
right, Shingo will look after Hotaru the way Endymion looks after me.
His love is that strong. Without what I've done, that would likely
get him killed, should a true foe arise to challenge us."
	"But...how much does this weaken Saturn? And what kind of power does
Shingo have now?" Uranus wondered.
	"The only effect the transfer has had on Saturn is to temper her
basic Senshi powers," Serenity said. "Her attacks are no longer
capable of killing ordinary humans."
	"But...her Silence..."
	"Is a power which requires the sacrifice of her own life to use,"
Serenity said, "and was not affected." She turned to Shingo.
"Shingo...from now on, to the outside world and in this court, you
will be known by the name General Dosei. Your powers are not on par
with those of a Sailor Senshi, but are far beyond those of an
ordinary human being. You must work hard with the Senshi to learn how
to properly use and control these new powers."
	Shingo bowed. "Hai, Neo-Queen Serenity-sama." 
	Saturn stared first at Dosei, then at her queen, and back at Shingo.
Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. "Your Majesty...I don't know how
to thank you for this..."
	Serenity smiled. "You are one of my Senshi, and I care very deeply
for all of you. No thanks are neccessary." 
	"I wonder what side effects this transfer is going to have on them,"
Pluto wondered.
	"Their souls are now bonded together for eternity, as are mine and
Endymion's," Serenity said. "Even should both die, they will find
each other in the next life. It's a bond of love, of destiny, deeper
and stronger than any marriage on Earth." The young queen's eyes
twinkled mischeviously. "You might say I've just established the
standard practice for Sailor Senshi weddings." 
	Saior Saturn and General Dosei blinked, then blushed deeply. The
other Outer Senshi chuckled. "Congratulations, you two," Uranus said.
"Wait a few years to have the honeymoon, you're too young yet." 
	Neptune elbowed her in the ribs. "Uranus! Be nice." 
	Pluto recovered from her mirth, and frowned thoughtfully. "I hope
this doesn't cause any serious problems," she said.
	"If I thought it would, I wouldn't have done it," Serenity said.
"Please have faith in me...and in them."
	Pluto bowed. "Of course, Your Majesty."
	Saturn grabbed the somewhat stunned Shingo by the arm, and dragged
him towards the door. "C'mon, I got something to show you," she said,
"and then we can talk about this." She paused to glare at the other
Outer Senshi. "No spying, okay?" She summoned the Silence Glaive to
back up her point.
	This only sent the Outers and Serenity into another fit of laughter.
"Don't worry, we'll leave you two newlyweds alone," Uranus teased.
Saturn made a frustrated noise, and dragged her shellshocked soulmate
out of the throne room. 

	Mere seconds after the two teens left, the Ayakashi Sisters rushed
into the room. "Your Majesty," Petz said, "we may have a problem..."

	*****

	"Hey! Hey you!" 
	Princess Wraith turned, and smirked at the burly workman bearing
down on her. "You're addressing me?"
	"Look, you ain't supposed to be down here in the sewers, kid. C'mon,
get back up where you belong," the worker said.
	Wraith examined him, frowning. "You'll do nicely," she said.
	"Eh?" the workman blinked. Wraith traced a circle in the air with
her index finger. A disk of blinding white light appeared, trapping
the sewer worker in the middle. "Hey! What the--!?" 
	Wraith smiled nastily, and made a gesture as though closing a
ricepaper door. An inky blackness crept across the disk, eclipsing
it. The disk exploded, and where the workman stood before, now stood
what appeared to be a partially decayed zombie, weilding a massive
pickaxe. 
	"Go, Gesshoku Mattock," Wraith said. "Go to the surface, and spread
darkness across the souls that dwell in the light. Collect their
brightness, and bring it to me."
	Mattock screeched, and leapt up, smashing a hole in the street
above. 
	Wraith laughed. "Yes...soon, I will have an army of Gesshoku,
powerful enough to eclipse the Crystal Palace for all time." 

	*****

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