Tales of Younger Earth
By Douglas "Candle Light Author" Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, Sailor Senshi, and all terms, names, etc.
associated with the series are copyrighted by Naoko Takeuchi and
Kodansha. We make no claim to them and this work of fanfiction should
not be seen as making a claim.

Those characters that are original and the story "Tales of Younger
Earth" are copyrighted (c) 1998 by Douglas Helm & Will Wolfshohl.

This fanfic and hundreds of other Sailor Moon fanfics reside in "Tuxedo"
Will's SM Fanfics Archive at http://log.on.ca/users/helm/anime/index.htm

Send comments to: Douglas "Candle Light Author" Helm (dhelm@log.on.ca)
or "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl (wwolfshohl@logicon.com)


Chapter 11 - Muted Song

Misako smiled slightly, her eyes closed, head lying comfortably on her
father's shoulder. She could feel one of his arms supporting her back
and, in addition, she could feel his slow and steady breathing as she
hugged him. She could also imagine the disapproving look her mother was
giving her. Misako didn't care though. They weren't out in public; they
were at home in the Royal Suite.

The peacefulness of the living room was shattered by Usagi's voice
calling for her mother. It sounded slightly distressed. Misako was only
mildly curious but not enough so to get up and try to investigate. She
felt her mother rise from the couch and heard her walk out of the room.

"Daddy?" Misako questioned softly

"Hmmm?" Endymion responded turning his eyes down to his daughter, "I
thought you were sleeping."

Misako smirked slightly before asking, "Can I bring a boy to Sakuya and
Masao's wedding?" She giggled slightly as Endymion's fingers found one
of her ticklish spots.

Endymion smiled slightly. "So you want to bring a boy to the wedding?
Who is he?"

"He's my boyfriend," Misako declared as she looked up at him. Her blue
eyes sparkling with delight. "I met him at the dance a couple of days
ago."

"And he's your boyfriend already?" Endymion asked trying hard not to
laugh. At Misako's nod, his smile grew larger. <Well isn't that kawaii.
I wonder who it is?> He tried to remember what boys Misako's age were at
the dance but couldn't. "Well, Mesume, I'll have to meet him first."

"Okay Daddy, I'll bring him home to meet you," Misako agreed then
blinked in confusion as her father started to chuckle. "What's so
funny?" she questioned him.

Endymion just shook his head in response. <I wonder if Usagi ever said
that to her father?> He bent and gave his daughter a kiss on her
forehead and said, "Miko-chan, it's past your bedtime. Since you're up,
you can head off to bed."

"Can't I stay up? Please Daddy?" Misako pleaded.

"Misako, it's past your bedtime," Endymion said firmly, "Good night."
Grumbling slightly, Misako got up and, giving her father a hug and a
kiss, she headed towards her bedroom. Certainly, she was put out at
having to go to bed but with Senji as her boyfriend, she could put up
with a minor inconvenience such as having to go to bed.

                                 ******

Misako tried hard to sit still in the limousine as it drove towards
their destination. She was only partly successful though. Her excitement
was just too high for her to sit still for long. Most of her classmates
were in awe of her. She had a boyfriend, and one that was older than
even her sister! It hadn't taken long for the rumor mill at school to
circulate the news that Etsuji Senji was Princess Tsukino Misako's
boyfriend. Usagi was horribly embarrassed by this because her friends
and even her classmates were teasing her about losing Senji to her
younger sister. She was also mortified because she was sure Senji knew
and he'd never speak to her now. Senji for his part was taking just
about as much teasing as Usagi was but for an entirely different reason.
At first, it had been about him wiping out at that dance but soon enough
the talk had turned to him going out with Misako.

Now it was well into the third day of the "relationship" and Misako was
on her way to invite her boyfriend to the wedding. Kimeko was tagging
along, not really sure what Misako was up to. She had heard some of the
rumors but had dismissed them out of hand. Now, however, she was
starting to think that there was some substance to them. After a short
time, they came to their destination.

The servant that opened the door of the car only blinked in surprise
before bowing as Misako stepped out. They were graciously shown to a
comfortable room where they could wait for Mrs. Etsuji to greet them. A
moment later, a slightly flustered Mrs. Etsuji entered into room and
curtsied while saying, "Your Highness, Younger Venus, I was not
expecting you."

"Gomen nasai, Lady Etsuji," Misako began while giving the woman a
deferential nod, "I did not mean to intrude." She gave Mrs. Etsuji her
best reassuring smile before saying, "May I please speak with
Senji-kun?"

"Hai, with your leave, Your Highness, I will get him for you," Mrs.
Etsuji replied. At Misako's excited nod, she left the room to find her
son. After a minute or so, in which time Kimeko considered whether or
not to pump Misako for information, Mrs. Etsuji returned with her son.

"Your Highness," Senji said while bowing, "My mother tells me you wish
to speak with me."

"Hai!" Misako chirped and, walking over to him, stated, "Senji-kun, my
dad wants to see you." Senji paled slightly at this while his mother
gave Misako a wide look of surprise.

"Nani?" Senji questioned hoarsely after a moment.

"I asked my dad if I could take you to Rakurai-san's wedding and he said
he'd have to meet you first." She gave him a wide, innocent smile and
tilted her head slightly.

Senji was desperately trying to think of something to say when his
mother interrupted, "Your Highness, may I speak to my son alone?" Misako
gave her a curious look but nodded. She watched with even more
fascination as Senji was herded out of the room. He never took his eyes
off Misako and she took that as a good sign.

Once out of the room, Senji turned to his mother and hissed out softly,
"What am I gonna do?!?"

"You're going to go and be polite," Mrs. Etsuji instructed, "This is a
perfect opportunity to get you noticed by Their Majesties." She gave her
son a comforting smile. "Just think when you're twenty-two, Princess
Misako would be eighteen... the right age for courtship."

"Okaa-san..." Senji protested, "She's just a little kid. I can't be her
boyfriend. I'm already taking a lota flak from school for dancing with
her and somehow she's gotten the impression that I want to date her!"
<Now I know where that rumor was coming from. Why did she ever think I
would want to be her boyfriend?!>

"Oh Senji, don't be silly. I doubt Princess Misako knows the full
meaning of `boyfriend'. You might see Princess Usagi as well. She seems
like a nice girl as well. A bit of a klutz but I think she'll grow out
of it."

Senji crossed his arms and scowled, "You're just using me to brown-nose
with the King and Queen."

His mother scowled then and seemed on the verge of a hot rebuke but
subsided. "I'm thinking of your future, Senji. Just being noticed by
Their Majesties would enhance our family a little and managing to
befriend someone in high places never hurts. You're assuming that
Endymion-sama will allow you to date Misako. He might disallow that."

"Mom, why don't I just go in there and tell her the truth about it? Tell
her I'm not her boyfriend and I wouldn't want to be," Senji asked.

She placed a hand on her son's shoulder and said, "Because you aren't
that mean. And because if you don't do it right, you'll break that
little girl's heart." She gave her son a reassuring look and added, "I
won't force you into anything, Senji. You're old enough to make some
decisions and this is one of them." Privately though, Mrs. Etsuji hoped
her son would at least go with Misako.

"Hai Okaa-san, I'll go with the squirt." He grinned at the disapproving
look his mother gave him and they both headed back into the room where
their guests were.

                                 ******

Usagi stabbed at her lunch mercilessly, a deep scowl marring her
features. <I can't believe it!> Usagi thought angrily, yet again, <I
come running out of my bedroom and slam poor Senji-sempai into the
wall.> Stopping her attack, she tightly gripped her chopsticks which
snapped under the pressure. <He came with Misako! That little spore went
and managed to bring him home!>

"Usagi-chan?" Hana asked softly from beside her, "What's the matter?"

"Senji-sempai came by my house yesterday," Usagi growled out. <I don't
want to talk about it.> But these were her friends and she was hoping
for some type of sympathy. "My baby imouto went to his house and dragged
him home!" She thumped the table in rage and glared at Ikado. "It's your
fault!"

"My fault?!?" Ikado questioned in surprise, "How on Earth could it be MY
fault?!?"

"Ikado, you're the one that went around and told everybody that Misako
stole him from me," Usagi answered grumpily, "Bad enough I wipe out on
the dance floor with him and into Rakurai-san too..." She suppressed a
slight wince that came at the thought of Sakuya and Masao. <I wish I
could see her.> With an effort, she pushed that thought out of her mind
and concentrated on the problem before her. "But then, my dad has a
private talk with him." Covering her face, she mumbled out, "Now there's
no way he'll speak to me."

"I... I wouldn't be so sure of that, Usagi-chan," Hana remarked softly
and gave Usagi a nudge. Usagi looked up and gave Hana a scowl.

"Princess Usagi?" That voice made her heart start to beat faster; its
full tenor making her quiver slightly. "Princess Usagi, may I speak with
you in private?" She turned then, eyes wide in disbelief, and stared at
Senji. He gave her a soft smile in return.

She sat there trying to respond but she seemed to be lacking in breath
for a moment. It took a poke from Hana to get her going again. "Hai!"
Usagi squeaked. <Kami-sama,> Usagi despondently thought as her voice
nearly cracked and her friends giggled. Getting up, she followed him off
to a quiet corner of the cafeteria, quite aware of the mass of eyes that
were following her and Senji.

<Sempai's talking to me... actually to ME!> As she looked towards the
ground, all she could hear was the rushing of blood in her ears as she
blushed furiously. After what seemed like eternity, Usagi raised her
head and asked softly, "Wh-What did you want to talk to me about,
Senji-sempai?" <Maybe he'll see that I'm more mature than Misako.> Hope
raised itself in her heart. <Maybe he's going to ask me out.> That was a
tantalizing thought.

"Your Highness, I wondered..." Senji trailed off and licked his lips, "I
wonder if you could help me with a problem?"

"Hai, what's the problem?" Usagi asked. She felt like she was floating.

"Well you see... Misako asked me to Rakurai-san's wedding and..." He was
interrupted as Usagi gave screech of protest. The room fell silent as
all eyes once again turned to look at them. Reddening, Senji shifted
from one foot to the other uncomfortably.

"NANI???" Usagi demanded again, eyes sparking with fury. "That...
that..." she muttered darkly for a second and then blushed, "Gomen,
Sempai, I'm really sorry my imouto embarrassed you..." She was about to
say more but Senji held his hand up defensively.

"Your Highness, what Misako did was kawaii and I can understand her
confusion. His Majesty made it clear that it would be unwise to allow
this situation to persist." He could see the anger still and he added,
"I didn't want to go to the wedding with Misako... but I might have with
you."

"Me?" Usagi asked softly, her anger flowing away like a fast moving
river.

Senji smiled then and nodded, "Hai, but considering what your father
said yesterday, I don't think it would be a good idea to push my luck."
He felt sorry for Usagi but there wasn't much he could do. "I have to
tell your imouto that I can't be her boyfriend and that I can't go to
the wedding."

Usagi blushed then, <Oh Imouto... Baka odango atama, that's what you
are, Usagi. You not only make a fool out of yourself but you jump to
conclusions.> She sighed then. <This will really hurt Misako; she's too
young to really understand.> "Sempai, would you call me `Usagi-san'
please. I mean we aren't at Court or anything." She blushed again and
hurried to ask, "So how can I help?"

"I would be honored," Senji agreed and bowed deeply with a flourish.
"Well, Usagi-san..." he said, now relaxing more, "You have to know
Misako. How can I make her understand without hurting her feelings?"
<She's a kawaii kid and she's certainly polite.> He wouldn't say that
though, not out where people could overhear him.

Usagi gave him a thoughtful look for a long time before saying, "Sempai,
I have an idea." She grinned slightly. "But I don't think you'll like it
very much." Senji only gulped slightly. Under the circumstances, he
didn't have much of a choice.

                                 ******

The late afternoon sun was hanging low in the west. The day's warmth was
still present despite the chilly weather. Misako pumped her legs as hard
as she could. <What was Usagi doing with MY boyfriend?> she thought as
she rode the swing, <What were they talkin' about at lunch?!?> She
hadn't wanted to play with Yuki or Yumeko. She was too annoyed at Usagi
for trying to steal Senji away from her.

"Miko-chan, not so high!" Younger Venus commanded, her voice holding a
trace of irritation. "If I have to tell you again, we'll simply go
home!" The little girl didn't seem to hear. Younger Venus was about to
go over and tell Misako that they were leaving when she noticed someone
approaching them, so did Misako.

"SENJI-CHAN!!!" Misako cried joyfully. She didn't notice the expression
of disapproval that came onto Senji's face. Quickly stopping, she got
off of the swing and bounded towards him happily. "How come you didn't
come sit with me at lunch?" she demanded as she skidded to a halt in
front of him.

Bowing, Senji tried hard to control his pounding heart. "Princess..." he
started but Misako cut him off.

"I told you to call me `Miko-chan'." She gave him a stern look. "You are
my boyfriend after all."

"Princess Misako," Senji began again, "I usually eat lunch with my
friends." Misako was glaring at him and he shifted uncomfortably. "I
wanted to talk to you about the wedding."

"It's going to be great! Especially with you there, Senji-chan," Misako
bubbled with glee. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him and he gulped.

"I would prefer if you call me 'Senji-kun', Your Highness," Senji
stated.

Misako gave him a confused look before giggling, "You're so silly,
Senji-chan. Everybody knows that boyfriends are called `-chan'. Sakuya
does it. She calls her boyfriend `Masa-chan'." She cocked her head and
gave him a devastating smile.

"I won't be able to go to the wedding," Senji quickly blurted out.

Misako's smile disappeared and a disappointed look came onto her face.
"How come?" she questioned, "You're my boyfriend and Dad met you." Her
eyes misted slightly and she asked softly, "Don't you like me?"

<I hope Usagi's right about this,> Senji thought, <I really do.> "Your
Highness, I can't be your boyfriend." He gave her an apologetic look but
all he got in return was a sad and depressed expression. "I did enjoy
our dance but I never said I would be your boyfriend."

"But... but you danced with me," Misako said softly, her eyes shimmering
with unshed tears.

"Because my parents made me. You shouldn't have told everybody that I
was your boyfriend. That was a lie," Senji said gently. <Please don't
cry, Miko-chan.>

Misako's bottom lip trembled slightly and she sniffled. "Why don't you
like me, Senji-kun?" she asked softly, "Why are you trying to be mean?"
Her eyes drooped even more and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"I'm not trying to be mean, Your Highness, but you have to understand.
You are too young to be my girlfriend." He was about to say more but
Misako's angry voice cut him off.

"You think I'm a baby!" It was more a statement than a question. <Baka
Usagi made him hate me!> "You think I'm just a baby and that's why you
hate me!" Her bottom lip trembled even more with the effort she was
putting forth. The occasional tear streaked her face and she wiped at
her eyes. "You teased me. You just wanted to make fun of me..."

"Iie, Misako-san," Senji said desperately, "I don't hate you. I don't
think you're a baby."

"You do so! You don't want to be my boyfriend because I'm too young!"
Misako shouted. Angrily, she turned and fled back towards the swings.

<If she thinks I'm going to feel guilty... it's working,> Senji thought
as he ran after Misako. He noticed Younger Venus then but she seemed to
be staying out of it. "Your Highness..." he began after catching up with
her.

"Go away!" Misako cried. Her breathing was short and ragged, her voice
sounded thick with frustration, anger, and sorrow. "Everybody thinks I'm
just a baby. I'm not old enough to do anything!"

"Iie, that isn't true," Senji said softly, "Your parents let you come to
that dance. I hear you go to gymnastics. If you were a baby, they
wouldn't let you do that." Misako turned to look at him, her eyes puffy
with tears and sniffled. "You are a very good dancer. I liked dancing
with you," Senji admitted softly, "Babies can't dance."

"Then please come with me to the wedding, Senji-kun," Misako begged as
she looked at him, "Pretty please?" She looked at him then, eyes
drooping, face showing how disappointed she was. "I'll be all alone."

"Gomen nasai, Misako-san," Senji said softly, "I told you I couldn't."
But there was something in that look of hers that was compelling him to
accept her request.

"What did I do wrong?" Misako questioned sadly, "Why don't you like me?"

It took a large effort to stop from screaming in frustration. <Do I
really want to admit that I like her? Usagi says I need to tell her that
I like her. I need to let Misako know that I wouldn't mind being her
friend.> He had thought about that the rest of that afternoon and had
came to a strange and disconcerting conclusion.

Closing his eyes, Senji stated, "You didn't do anything wrong. I don't
hate you; I do like you, Pri... Miko-chan. I just can't be your
boyfriend." There was silence then. He waited for the outburst to come,
waited for the protests to come, or the squeals of delight but there was
nothing except for the singing of birds, the sounds of the city, and the
faint rustling of the wind. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw that
Misako was now sitting on a swing. Her head lowered, her shoulders
shaking slightly as she cried.

When she spoke, it was so soft Senji barely heard it. "Usagi took you
away from me. She doesn't want me to be happy." <Why do you hate me,
Usagi?> The little girl raised a tear-streaked face to look at him, an
almost palpable hurt showing in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak,
to try and give vent to her frustrations but couldn't. After a moment or
so, she sat there, the sun glinting off her blonde-white hair. Then
after another moment, she stated simply, "I was baka."

Senji who had been fighting his own feelings spoke up at this point,
"Iie, Miko-chan, you weren't baka." He gave her a smile. "You just got
confused and everybody has that happen... even grownups." He saw a flick
of a smile spread across Misako's face. The sniffle that followed
sounded almost like a giggle. Taking a moment to steady himself, he
said, "Would you like a push?"

"Senji-kun, you'd give me a push?" Misako asked softly with a surprised
expression on her face.

"Well I can't be your boyfriend but there's nothing that says I can't be
just a friend," Senji explained. He was stunned then when Misako came
over and gave him a hug. Younger Venus was closer now but didn't seem to
be protesting. <If I didn't know any better, I swear she approves of
this.>

"Arigato," Misako whispered. Looking up, she then said something that
stunned both Younger Venus and Senji. "You're sorta like Uncle Shingo.
He had acted like he didn't like me but he did." Letting the hug go, she
sat back up on the swing. Giving her eyes one last wipe and a little
sniffle, she gave both a soft and somewhat content smile.

                                 ******

The day before Usagi's twelfth birthday, the afternoon sun peeked
through a dark bank of clouds. They had called for rain that day but
none had fallen. However, it was looking as if Crystal Tokyo would see
rain within another day or so. Standing in the kitchen, Endymion was
helping Serenity prepare supper for that evening. His mind, however, was
occupied by something else that he had noticed.

Endymion glanced over to his wife, a curious look on his face.
"Serenity, is something bothering Usagi? I know there was something at
the dance that bothered her but I thought that was cleared up after I
spoke to Senji." Serenity had the temerity to giggle then. "That isn't
funny," Endymion huffed out, "Anyway, Usagi seems to be walking around
on egg shells." Serenity, who had been chopping vegetables, stopped and
gave a little sigh. "I know if it was important, you'd tell me,"
Endymion said, "I'm just curious though."

"Endymion, I promised Usagi I wouldn't say anything," Serenity said.

"But?" Endymion prompted. He could sense that Serenity wanted to tell
him but was constrained somehow.

"If Misako says anything, it would really embarrass Usagi," Serenity
explained, more to herself then to Endymion. She paused for a moment,
then said, "Last night, while you and Michiru were taking care of that
little matter, Misako happened to barge in on Usagi when..." She paused
then before continuing, "Let's just say Misako barged in on Usagi at an
inopportune time." Endymion gave her a confused look so Serenity pulled
him closer and whispered into his ear.

"Oh..." Endymion said, his eyes going wide. He then blushed slightly and
said, "I think it's best I forget that." Serenity who was also blushing
slightly nodded. "It's a good thing you told me though if Misako had of
said anything to me about it." He shook his head and shivered slightly.

"That's why I figured I should have `The Talk' with Misako after she
gets home." She giggled as Endymion paled slightly.

"Good, I'll go hide someplace in case she wants me to answer any of her
questions." He saw Serenity's look and he said, "Don't even think about
it."

Giggling, Serenity gave her husband a kiss, "You sound like my dad.
Although you're gonna have to handle the boy stuff."

"Me?!?" Endymion protested, "Serenity, we've been married for almost a
thousand years. I highly doubt there is anything you couldn't tell
Misako that I could."

Wrapping her arms around Endymion, Serenity cooed, "But Endymion, I
meant boys in general. Not all are alike. And besides, you're mine and I
still haven't found where you said that tattoo was."

"I told you I was joking," Endymion reminded his wife as he hugged her,
"But I suppose Misako will ask me something out of the blue. Better I
know that she might ask than if she just springs it on me."

"Would you like a private lesson tonight, Mamo-chan?" Serenity asked
softly.

"Iie," Endymion said while blushing and lowering his head, "We'll both
be dead tired tomorrow with Usagi's birthday so we need our sleep
tonight." Before Serenity could protest, Endymion kissed her and after a
moment, she returned it.

The moment was shattered by Usagi's disgusted sounding voice,
"Kami-sama... is this a movie or something?"

Sighing slightly, Serenity broke the embrace and, looking at Usagi,
mused, "Well isn't that a surprise. Endymion, did you hear that? Usagi
was asking for a extra portion of carrots tonight." Endymion smiled and
turned to look at his daughter but she wasn't there. "Now where were
we?" Serenity questioned reaching up to kiss him again.

"Cutting vegetables, Misako will be home soon," Endymion said and smiled
as Serenity pouted slightly but turned back to her task.

                                 ******

The first of July was crisp and clean. A light misting of rain was
coming down from the sky coating everything in a fine warm mist.
Endymion reclined into the couch reading that afternoon's paper. He was
waiting for the girls to get home but at the same time, he didn't want
the peacefulness to be disturbed. The ticking of the clock and the
comfort of the couch was starting to loll Endymion when he heard a
familiar voice.

"Daddy!" it sang out, "I'm home!" After a few moments, Misako came into
the living room and flopped down beside her father before giving him a
hug. "I love you."

"I love you too," Endymion said while hugging his daughter, "How was
your gymnastics practice, Miko-chan?"

"Okay," Misako chirped and then asked, "Daddy, can I ask you a
question?"

<Uh oh,> Endymion thought, <Serenity had `The Talk' with Misako so I
suppose questions were bound to come up.> So far, he had been lucky and
Misako hadn't asked him anything. "Sure Miko-chan, what is the
question?"

"Are you an admiral?" Misako asked.

Endymion breathed a silent sigh of relief before considering his answer.
"In a way... hai, I'm an admiral. I don't know how I could explain it
properly though."

"But you can tell seamen where to go?" Misako inquired.

"Hai, as King, I can move any part of our Defense Force within reason,"
Endymion said, "Why?" <What's she been reading? Maybe they're starting
to learn command structures.> Somehow though, that didn't seem to fit.

Misako didn't immediately respond. Instead, she tapped her lip and
considered his response. After a minute or two, she said, "But then, I
don't understand something." She paused again and her father waited.
"How do you tell the other seamen where to find the mom's egg?"

Endymion blinked rapidly for several seconds. "Nani?" he questioned, his
mouth becoming dry.

"Well seamen fight, ne?" Misako questioned while looking at her father.
He nodded a confused and had a wary expression on his face. "So when a
man and a woman make a baby, the semen go to the mom's egg... If you're
an admiral, how do you know where the mom's egg is and how do you tell
the seamen where to go?"

Endymion shifted uncomfortably before saying, "Misako, I think maybe you
should talk to your mother about this."

"How come?" Misako demanded.

"Well you're a girl and I think it would be easier if you asked your
mother," Endymion answered, "I mean she did speak to you last night
about this type of thing, ne?" Misako nodded, a dubious expression on
her face. "So you should ask her."

"But I want to ask you," Misako said firmly, "I want you to tell me."
She then gave her father a pleading look and said, "Please Otou-san?"

<Well, you can't avoid it forever I suppose,> Endymion thought then
sighed. "Hai, what if we talk after supper?" She seemed ready to protest
this so he added, "Miko-chan, would you please wait until after supper?"

"Hai," Misako agreed, "Can I help with supper, Daddy?"

Happy for any change in the subject, Endymion nodded while saying, "Hai,
go change and wash up. Then when you get back, we'll make your mother
and sister the best meal they've ever had." Misako nodded and skipped
out of the living room headed towards her own.

                                 ******

Sailor Chibi-Moon was particularly excited at the next Sailor Senshi
training session. It was few days after her birthday and her mother had
agreed to come and practice with her. The only downside was that Misako
couldn't come as well. But maybe that was for the best. Misako had
started pulling away from her again and Chibi-Moon didn't want anything
to spoil the mood.

"Venus," she said to Younger Venus, "What's up? Almost all the Elder
Senshi are here... Even Dad's here."

"Got me," Younger Venus replied, "I mean it isn't like they haven't seen
Serenity-sama fight before." <Just wait until she finds out,> Younger
Venus thought but she kept her composure cool and calm. She glanced over
to the door where Neo-Queen Serenity was talking to Younger Saturn and
Younger Jupiter.

"Younger Saturn, may we have a run through?" Neo-Queen Serenity asked,
"I haven't fought in a while." <Kami-sama, that was an understatement.>

"Certainly, Your Majesty," Younger Saturn said, "I will go up and make
some modifications to the course."

"Iie, I want to have it just like the others. I'm going to be fighting
as a true Sailor Senshi so I don't want it being toned down." She
regarded Chibi-Moon and smiled.

"Not that, Your Majesty, but I think we can come up with some unique
features," Younger Jupiter said and then gave Younger Saturn a wink. She
then grinned towards Serenity.

"Younger Jupiter, if you will clear the room, I will setup the
Simulator. Your Majesty, if you and Chibi-Moon would please wait outside
the door," Younger Saturn requested as she pointed to the door behind
her.

Serenity nodded and, motioning to her daughter, both left via the door.
Once it was closed, she turned to Chibi-Moon and asked, "Chibi-Moon, how
come we start out here?" It was a small room with two exits. One into
the Simulator and another one that apparently led up to the Control
Booth.

"Surprise, so we don't know what's coming up next. Also the room shifts
as needed and this is just a safe area where we can stand," Chibi-Moon
explained. She beamed happily as her mother smiled at her, "Mom, aren't
you going to transform?"

"When I get out there. I figured if I'm going to put on a show, I might
as well do it all. I wonder what they have in mind?" Serenity wondered
hoping her daughter could give her some insights into what was to come.

Chibi-Moon shrugged. "Could be anything, Mom. We've started in a large
building and wound up in a swamp." She grimaced then, "Practices aren't
like anything in the past. They're a lot of work..." Getting a wry smile
on her face, she added, "I'd rather do six hours of homework than a
Senshi workout." Serenity giggled at this and rumpled her daughter's
hair. Chibi-Moon giggled as well before taking on a serious expression,
"The Simulation Chamber is huge. The sections of the floors, walls, and
ceilings can shift. Also with the magic of the Palace as well, they can
create very interesting and unique encounters," Chibi-Moon explained.

"You sound like you've heard that several times before," Serenity noted.
She could feel the ground shaking slightly under hear feet.

"Hai, they picked my brain for battles we did when we were in the past.
I bet they picked the all the Elder Senshi's brains too." She watched as
her mother's face colored slightly in a blush. "Nani?"

"Well, some of my first attempts at being Sailor Moon would not have
inspired any amount of great confidence in the Youngers," Serenity
confessed softly.

"Stand by," came Younger Saturn's voice, and then after a few seconds,
the door slid open to reveal an almost complete blackness.

                                 ******

After entering the Simulation Chamber, the door closed behind them.
Serenity blinked in the darkness and was about to ask what was going on
when light suddenly flooded in.

"Oh!" Serenity exclaimed after she had cleared her eyes. She could feel
her eyes moisten slightly as the setting brought back memories. They
were standing in the Tsukino's kitchen of the past. She looked around,
noting that some details were out of place but that others were still
present. "It's been a long time," Serenity whispered out.

"Mom, are you okay?" Chibi-Moon questioned.

"Hai," Serenity said then glanced up to where she had last saw the seats
to watch the Simulator. "Why can't we see them?" she asked.

"You mean the Elders and the other Youngers?" Chibi-Moon questioned
while running a hand over the familiar countertop. Serenity nodded.
"It's full immersion. We won't see them or hear them. The Control Booth
can talk to us but they won't unless it's an emergency."

Serenity gave Chibi-Moon a look of pride, <You seem so professional as a
Senshi... Not like I was and you're even younger than me.> "I suppose I
should change then," Serenity remarked. She paused then for a moment,
drawing upon a seldom-used transformation phrase. "MOON ETERNAL
MAKE-UP!" she cried. A blinding light shrouded her and Chibi-Moon turned
away. Eternal Sailor Moon let her gaze rest on Chibi-Moon. She had a
warm feeling. She felt pride at being able to fight along side her
daughter. <Like I did in the past; we were some combination. I wonder
what you and Misako would be like? Or Endymion and Misako...> After a
moment, Eternal Sailor Moon asked, "Well, Chibi-Moon, what do you
think?"

Blinking her eyes, Chibi-Moon turned to regard her mother. She felt the
corners of her mouth being tugged into a smile. Her eyes danced with
mirth and after a brief struggle, she burst out into laughter. "You mean
you ran around with THOSE on your back?!?" Chibi-Moon questioned while
pointing at Eternal Sailor Moon's wings.

"And just what are wrong with these, young lady?!?" Eternal Sailor Moon
huffed out. She glared balefully at her daughter who simply snickered
and shook her head. <There's nothing wrong with these,> she thought and
gave her wings a tweak. <I thought they were silly looking too at first
but...> It was better than running around naked with a pair of
full-blown wings. Seeing that her daughter was not going to let her live
this down, she abruptly turned. One wing swept over the countertop and
connected with the flower vase and two bowls that were there. This
caused Chibi-Moon to howl in laughter as the contents of the countertop
went sailing everywhere. "Heh, forgot about that," Eternal Sailor Moon
said while blushing.

"This should be good," Chibi-Moon snickered out.

"These wings will just have to go," her mother responded. Closing her
eyes, she concentrated before calling out, "CRISIS MAKE-UP!" Bathed in
light, Sailor Moon stood there, dressed in an older fuku and much more
to her relief, no wings.

Chibi-Moon was about to make a smart remark when something knocked both
Sailor Senshi off of their feet. They looked at each other and carefully
peeked over the countertop. The outside seemed to be sunny and clear;
they could hear the regular sounds. Then the shaking came again.

"Let's check it out," Sailor Moon instructed moving towards the door.
Chibi-Moon nodded and followed her mother. Carefully opening the door,
Sailor Moon looked out.

"See anything?" Chibi-Moon asked.

"Iie," Sailor Moon said and cautiously stepped out of the house. She
walked to the front gate and peeked around the corner. "Kami-sama!"
Sailor Moon exclaimed and pulled back from the corner. "What's HE doing
here?!"

"Who???" Chibi-Moon asked with concern in her voice and, moving quickly
to her mother, looked around the corner. "Rubeus!" she declared.

There not more than fifty feet from them with his back turned was the
red-haired and life-like visage of Rubeus. His laughter sent a shiver
through Chibi-Moon. She gave a little whimper before a grim expression
came onto her face.

"I'm going to kill him," Chibi-Moon stated with venom.

"We'll do it together," Sailor Moon said, "Let's go." With that, they
sprinted away to circle around to Rubeus' side.

"Where's that Rabbit?" Rubeus snarled in a low voice as he scanned the
burning wreck of a car in front of him. As they circled, the Senshi
could see that he was scanning the area intently, as if he knew they
were there. Rubeus sensed movement from behind him; smiling evilly, he
turned to attack but no one was there. Then a voice came from behind, a
voice that grated on his nerves.

"A dead doornail should not come loose so I will simply have to pound
you back into the worm ridden wood you crawled out from!" Rubeus turned,
fire raging in his eyes. "I am the Pretty Sailor suited Senshi, Sailor
Moon..."

"And I am Sailor Chibi-Moon."

"And in the name of the Moon, we will punish you!" both Sailors
declared.

"My, my, my, so the Rabbit wants to be like Sailor Twit? How
appropriate."

"You leave my mother alone!" Chibi-Moon snarled. Drawing out a small
wand that looked like a pencil, she drew a picture with glowing lines in
the air while she called out, "LUNAR BUNNY CUDDLY HUG!" The lines flared
for a moment, and then a glowing, bluish-white rabbit flew towards
Rubeus. He stared at it in horror before desperately throwing energy
balls at it.

"`Lunar Bunny cuddly hug'?!?" Sailor Moon questioned then watched in awe
as the glowing rabbit proceeded to latch on and squeeze Rubeus.

"Hurry, Sailor Moon, before he breaks free!" Chibi-Moon directed. She
watched in glee as her attack continued to squeeze Rubeus; the brute's
face was turning blue from lack of oxygen. Sailor Moon nodded and was
about to draw out her scepter for the finishing blow when something
purple whizzed by her.

Both Senshi blinked and turned to see what had caused the purple. They
saw a figure, his hair was long and flowing white like a mane. His
features hard as if hewn from stone. His eyes smoldering with fury and
power. A cape fluttered behind him in the wind that had picked up from
nowhere and he wore a uniform of some kind.

"Don't be so useless, Rubeus," he commanded Rubeus.

Rubeus gave a choking snarl and teleported away. As he appeared above
the attack, he fired downward enveloping the "Lunar Bunny" in a glowing
mass of dark energy. "That's what I'm going to do to you, Rabbit," he
snarled at Chibi-Moon.

"Who's he?" Chibi-Moon asked indicating the other stranger.

"I don't know," Sailor Moon said although there was a something about
him that pulled at her memories.

"I don't know how you lived so long, or where that new Senshi came from
but I will not let you go unpunished for my love's death!" Crossing his
arms, he clenched his fists. Purple energy started to flare brightly.
First in shafts, then they became solid. "Sailor Moon, I will kill you
as I promised!" he snarled and flung the energy boomerangs at the two
Senshi.

<Kami-sama...> Sailor Moon thought as she saw the projectiles whirling
towards her. Then in a flash, she grabbed Chibi-Moon and leapt away,
losing herself among the nearby buildings.

"What's..." Chibi-Moon began but her mother clamped a hand over her
mouth.

"Shhh... be quiet," Sailor Moon said softly, pressing herself against
the wall. She removed her hand but gave her daughter a warning look.

"What was that all about, Sailor Moon?" Chibi-Moon asked softly.

"That was Kunzite," Sailor Moon breathed. She looked down at Chibi-Moon
who had a confused expression on her face. "You should know about
Kunzite from your lessons." She gave the young girl a look at that said
she better have heard about Kunzite.

"You mean one of Beryl's Generals?!" Chibi-Moon asked, "This isn't good,
ne?"

"Iie, Kunzite was the most powerful of the Generals. I think if they
were alone, we'd have a chance but when they're together..." She gave
Chibi-Moon a sharp look. "How hurt can you get in here?"

"Depends... Since this is a warm up, they've likely put the safeties up
to full. We'll feel it if we get hit."

"Come on, let's circle around and see if we can separate them," Sailor
Moon suggested as she leapt up to a rooftop; Chibi-Moon followed. As
they worked their way cautiously back, she said, "I hope you don't come
in here when the safeties are off."

"The older Senshi won't let me. There are only three that come in here
with the safeties off and those are Younger Jupiter, Younger Saturn, and
Younger Mercury."

"Not Younger Uranus?" Sailor Moon questioned as she came to the edge of
the roof and knelt. Below them, they could see Kunzite and Rubeus
talking.

"Iie," Chibi-Moon replied and giggled while covering her mouth, "She
doesn't like live-fire training."

"Okay, Chibi-Moon, let's take these guys out," Sailor Moon said then
thought, <I'll just make sure you don't partake of any of these
live-fire training sessions either!> "Chibi-Moon, go right and swing
back around to the opposite side. Take Rubeus out. Whatever you do, DO
NOT engage Kunzite."

Nodding, Chibi-Moon slipped off to the left while Sailor Moon watched
the two enemies talk. <What are they talking about?> she thought, <And
why do I get the feeling that this is going to be very bad news?>

Rubeus must have been wondering about the same thing. "We should be
searching for them, Kunzite," he stated defiantly, arms crossed.

"Iie, I say let's draw the Senshi out," Kunzite said and then smiled, "I
underestimated the Senshi before, Rubeus. If we search and split up,
we'll both likely die." Rubeus by his expression wasn't satisfied with
this explanation and continued to push the point. Both seemed unaware of
the danger that was closing around them.

Chibi-Moon picked her way along carefully, making sure she wouldn't trip
at an inopportune time. Though in her Senshi form, she was much less
likely. <Rubeus, you terrified me. Now I'm going to make you pay.> She
knew that revenge wouldn't solve anything. She knew that getting angry
wouldn't do anything helpful, but she wanted to hurt Rubeus badly and
this was about the best way to do it.

When Chibi-Moon was in position, she crouched and waved across the road
at Sailor Moon who waved back. <What's she up to?> Chibi-Moon thought as
she saw Sailor Moon stand up and pull out something out. Chibi-Moon
blinked to ensure she was seeing things right, <How'd she get THAT
scepter without me calling Helios? I don't even think we could call
him.> She wasn't about to try a "Twinkle Yell" in a training practice
anyway.

"MOON GORGEOUS MEDITATION!" Sailor Moon shouted the attack. Both Kunzite
and Rubeus jerked their heads up to see the attack coming. While Rubeus
teleported straight up, Kunzite seemed to vanish. Sailor Moon blinked
then and started to run as Rubeus launched his own attack.

"PINK SUGAR HEART ATTACK!" Chibi-Moon cried as she drew out her scepter.
The pink hearts flew on their way to Rubeus and made contact with him.
He screamed in pain as the deadly, once child-like, hearts ripped into
his back drawing blood.

"I'M GOING TO GET YOU FOR THAT!" Rubeus sneered to Chibi-Moon as he
fired off a set of energy balls. Chibi-Moon leapt high, her arc carrying
her over Rubeus' head. "YOU WANT TO PLAY WITH ME, RABBIT? BECAUSE I'M
THE FOX!" He flitted out of sight and reappeared where Chibi-Moon had
intended on landing.

"IIE!" Chibi-Moon panicked and then got herself under control. Quickly
changing her position, she extended her leg. "SAILOR MOON KICK!" she
shouted. It had the desired effect and her boot connected with Rubeus'
face. He reeled back under the blow, snarling in anger. <Where's Mom?!?>
Chibi-Moon thought as she scrambled up to her feet.

Kunzite appeared to be wondering the same thing. He was about a block
away from Chibi-Moon and Rubeus. He scanned the area searching for the
one who had killed his love, the one that had caused him so much pain.
Something drew his attention and he saw her then, standing defiantly
before him, hands on hips, a confident air about her.

"Your days are numbered, Kunzite!" Sailor Moon shouted, "You will be
banished from this world once again!" With a snarl, he launched the
energy boomerangs that he had used so long ago. They swirled before
turning to close the distance on their target. "Not this time!" Sailor
Moon shouted as she leapt high and shouted out her own attack, "SILVER
MOON CRYSTAL POWER KISS!" The attack lanced out then, striking Kunzite
and enveloping him. He screamed in agony for a moment, then all fell
silent. <That was easy,> Sailor Moon thought as her attack dissipated
and she saw nothing was left, not even a scrap of clothing. She was
about to move back up to higher ground to look for him again when the
voice surprised her.

"Very sloppy, Sailor Moon!" came a growling voice from behind. She
started to turn to see who was behind her but a blow caught her between
the shoulder blades and she fell to the ground, stunned and gasping for
air.

Chibi-Moon was distracted by a cry. She jerked her head around but saw
nothing. That was the wrong move though because Rubeus delivered a kick
of his own and sent her skidding across the roof. She grasped her sides
and gasped for air.

"Now I'll finish you off, maybe one joint at a time," Rubeus hissed as
he started to come forward.

<Gotta finish this. I can't wait for Mom and I think she's in trouble.>
Drawing forth the pen once more, she quickly sketched the rabbit as she
choked out, "Lunar Bunny Cuddly Hug!" As the glowing rabbit went after
Rubeus, she drew out her other scepter and waited pointing it to where
she anticipated he would go.

"NOT THIS TIME, RABBIT!" Rubeus snarled again, flitting out of existence
he reappeared over the "bunny" and shot downward.

At that exact same moment, Chibi-Moon released her other attack, "PINK
SUGAR HEART ATTACK!!!" There for the briefest of moments, Rubeus looked
up and saw the coming attack. He opened his mouth to scream but it only
came out as a gargled sound as Chibi-Moon's attack slammed into his
face. Chibi-Moon watched in horrified satisfaction as Rubeus' body
dropped from the air and lay twitching on the ground.

<Gotta save Mom!> Chibi-Moon thought. She scrambled to her feet made her
way quickly towards where her mother was. She came upon a strange sight.
Kunzite was holding a huge boomerang, its purple energy flickering
angrily as she stood over Sailor Moon's form. "MOM!" Chibi-Moon shouted.
Kunzite snapped around and launched his deadly weapon. Chibi-Moon gave a
cry of surprise as the building she was standing on began to shake.
Leaping away, she tried desperately to launch her own counterattack but
there was too much risk she would hit her mother.

That didn't matter, however. Quickly twisting, Sailor Moon planted the
tip of her weapon in the small of Kunzite's back and cried her attack
phrase once again. The pair was shrouded in a pure light for a moment,
blinding Chibi-Moon temporarily. As she blinked to clear her vision, she
saw Sailor Moon sitting on the ground, staring at the spot that had been
where Kunzite was standing.

"Are you okay, Sailor Moon?" Chibi-Moon asked as she came over to her
mother.

"That was close, Chibi-Moon," Sailor Moon said softly, "That was just
too close." She looked at Chibi-Moon and gasped, "You're bleeding!"

Chibi-Moon looked down and noticed a small spattering of blood. "Iie,"
Chibi-Moon answered softly while walking over to her mother, "That's
Rubeus, he's gone too." She then gave Sailor Moon a hug. "You did pretty
good for not doing this for so long, Mom. I really enjoyed it." Then
regaining her worry, she looked at her mother and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Hai," Sailor Moon replied while continuing to sit, "My Eternal mode
attack isn't designed for this form. I couldn't do it a lot. In fact, I
think two's my limit." She then leaned against her daughter, hugging her
back. There was a slight pause before Sailor Moon said, "I enjoyed it
too, Mesume, arigato." Looking around, she then asked, "How do we get
out of here?" As if that was a cue, the entire world went black once
again.

                                 ******

A few minutes later, Serenity sat beside Endymion and watched as the
Youngers one by one went through their practice. Chibi-Moon was last
because she was lowest in seniority; that didn't seem to bother
Chibi-Moon though. And it was with great pride that she watched both
Younger Venus and Chibi-Moon work through the tough exercise that was
unique to each Younger Senshi.

"I couldn't do that," Serenity whispered to Endymion who snorted.

"You could do it better than me, Serenity. I'm getting fat," Endymion
whispered in return. "I just get tired watching them." He wrapped his
arm around his wife and hugged her then. "I'm so very proud of you."

"I'm proud of Usagi," Serenity said. <I think we're all proud of our
daughters.> She looked around at the gathered Elders. <No matter being
it daughter, granddaughter, or goddaughter,> Serenity thought. <I wonder
if Usagi will ever do this?> She pushed that thought away; that would be
a long time into the future.

                                 ******

A short time after the training session had ended, Younger Saturn
conducted the regular post-training debriefing. Chibi-Moon covertly
looked around. It wouldn't do to have Younger Saturn see she wasn't
paying attention. <I wouldn't think the Elders would stay for a Senshi
debriefing. I could see Elder Venus and maybe Elder Jupiter but why the
others?>

As time passed, the debriefing came to the part that the Youngers hated
the most. Younger Saturn glanced down at her notes on the latest
training runs and scanned them before looking back up at the Youngers.
"Younger Uranus, you did well... except two civilians got killed...
UNnecessarily I might add." Younger Uranus only looked mildly perturbed
and shrugged. Scribbling a note, Younger Saturn thought, <Okay, I'll
chew you out later.> "Younger Neptune, nicely done. You need to work on
your speed attacks though. Younger Mars, the point was to destroy the
enemy, not invite him over for tea." This caused the Youngers to giggle
while Younger Mars flushed brightly. "However, your tactic worked,"
Younger Saturn added. She sounded almost grudging in it. "Younger
Venus... given your priorities, you did quite well in eradicating the
enemy without putting Princess Misako in danger." Elder Venus smiled
with pride at her daughter. Chibi-Moon was also smiling -- that had been
a very neat trick.

"Younger Mercury... maybe we should call you `Chibi-Mercury'," Younger
Saturn said with a twinkle in her eye. Younger Mercury seethed for a
moment then got what Younger Saturn was driving at. "Your idea of trying
to come up behind him was quite good but you failed to take into account
his rear guard." She scratched her forehead for a moment and then glared
at Younger Jupiter. "Younger Jupiter, you did that on purpose, ne?"

"Nani?" Younger Jupiter asked innocently.

"You know bloody well what you did," Younger Saturn griped good
naturedly, "You shaved a whole second off of that sim's best time. Now
how am I going to beat you?" Younger Jupiter just grinned in reply.
"Very efficient considering the outside distractions." Younger Jupiter
flushed brightly and then mumbled something acidic. "Not very creative
though," Younger Saturn added. Glancing at her notes once again, she
tried not to smile. "Chibi-Moon, get up here," she commanded.

Nervously, Chibi-Moon stood up and walked up to the front of the room.
"Hai, Sensei?" she questioned, all of her attention focussed on Younger
Saturn. <What did I do wrong?> She had thought that the training
session, although hard, had gone very well.

Shaking her head slightly, Younger Saturn tsked, "Must you make
speeches?" Chibi-Moon didn't respond; this was a standard phrase she was
used to hearing. "And because of what appears to be total lack of
coordination..." She gave the young girl a smile to soften that barb,
"You really managed to stick your foot into it."

"Hai, Sensei," Chibi-Moon answered meekly. She was desperately trying to
figure out what she had done wrong besides nearly getting clobbered
twice. Once because of her speech and once because she literally ran
into the enemy.

"Despite all of that, you managed to finish off the enemy properly and
you made some good judgement calls and followed instructions," Younger
Saturn said, "However, there is only one thing I can do for this type of
behavior." She fought to keep an expression of sternness on her lips.

"Nani?" Chibi-Moon questioned softly.

"Give you the `Younger' designation."

"Oh..." Chibi-Moon said sullenly. Then, ever so slowly, comprehension
sunk in. Chibi-Moon blinked rapidly for several seconds before giving a
squeal of delight. "Younger!!! I'M A YOUNGER!!!" she declared starting
to bounce up and down excitedly. "Finally, after all this time! No Chibi
for me!!!" She attempted to do a cartwheel and failed miserably. Sitting
on the ground, she blushed and giggled at the same time.

"Honestly, Chibi-Moon that is no way for a Younger to act," Younger
Saturn admonished but her eyes were full of laughter.

"Congratulations," came a voice from behind Chibi-Moon.

Scrambling to her feet, she stared at Younger Jupiter for a moment
before speaking, "Arigato, Younger Jupiter." And for the briefest of
times, she thought she saw a warm and proud smile on the regularly stern
visage.

                                 ******

"Miko-chan, are you sure you don't want to go out and play?" Serenity
asked her daughter, "We only have one more meeting and you've been
really good today."

"It's okay," Misako said, "If Daddy's stayin', then I'll stay too." She
was bored but the chance to spend a good chunk of the day with both her
parents was just too good an opportunity to pass up. <And I want to make
sure they'll let me stay up as long as I want at Sakuya's party.>

A knock came at the door then Hiroshi opened it and announced, "Your
Majesties, Elder Venus and Younger Saturn are here to see you."

"Send them in, Hiroshi-san," Serenity said. Hiroshi bowed and stepped
out of the room. Elder Venus and Younger Saturn entered the room and
bowed while acknowledging the Royal Family.

"Please sit down," Serenity said.

"Arigato," Elder Venus said and sat down, "Your Majesties, Your
Highness, I have some very exciting news." She shot a look towards
Endymion who winked. <Good, he hasn't told her yet.> "We'll have to
certainly have a celebration over this. Would Her Majesty care to
guess?"

Serenity gave Venus an odd look and then said, "Hmm... I don't think you
would get pregnant, Minako-chan." She scowled as Elder Venus giggled.
Her gaze swung over to Younger Saturn and studied her. "If I'm correct,
Yasha-san, you are not married."

"Hai, Your Majesty, and I am not pregnant. However, it is a birth of
sorts. Hai, that would suit very well. It is a birth of sorts," Younger
Saturn repeated and grinned. <It's been a day and Usagi's kept her word.
She hasn't told her mother... Kami-sama, knows that would be hard. I
remember bursting at the seams to tell Mom.>

"We will, of course Your Majesty, have to have a formal ceremony," Elder
Venus went on, "But before we go any further, I was wondering if you've
given any thought to that other matter I mentioned."

"You mean about reappointing Younger Jupiter as head of the Younger
Senshi?" Serenity questioned, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I suppose
if Younger Saturn has no objections..." She looked towards the woman.

"None, Your Majesty," Younger Saturn said, "I would actually be much
happier if Younger Jupiter had to do the paperwork." <She has a knack
for it.> She smiled slightly. "It is a shame though that Younger Jupiter
was not able to tell you about this good news."

"Quite right," Elder Venus chirped in agreement, "Well, we can have that
when we have the formal ceremony." She tapped her lip. "Your Majesty,
who do you suppose we should invite for such a grand occasion?" she
questioned.

"Okaa-san," Misako interrupted, "I'm confused." <Everybody is actin'
weird. 'Sagi was and now these two.> She crossed her arms and gave Elder
Venus an intense look.

"So am I, Mesume," Serenity agreed. Scowling towards Elder Venus, she
demanded, "Elder Venus, would you please tell me what you are talking
about?"

"I am, Your Majesty. We must ensure that all protocol is followed
correctly in the formal ceremony so I suppose that Younger Jupiter will
have to be re-instated before we can proceed. Then again, it might be
better to have it at the end so that it gets buried by all the
excitement."

"Mina, spit it out!" Serenity commanded. Misako nodded in agreement.
These two were keeping her from playing by wasting time.

"Why, haven't you heard?" Elder Venus asked innocently, "Princess Usagi
has passed her Younger Senshi test. She has qualified for the Younger
designation. I thought Your Majesty knew that she was testing for it the
day that you attended."

<So that's what 'Sagi was saying...> Misako thought, her eyes going wide
in surprise. Then her brow furrowed. <Why didn't she tell me? I
wouldn'ta blabbed it to Mom!> Misako's scowl deepened as she thought of
why Usagi could have kept that from her.

"MI-NA-KO..." Serenity ground out and then blinked. "She passed?" her
tone had a strange quality to it.

"Hai," Younger Saturn chimed in, "With flying colors. I don't know how
Her Highness stopped herself from telling you. She was very excited."

"Did you know about this?" Serenity demanded turning toward her husband.

"Iie," Endymion said, a stunned expression on his face, "I knew she was
doing well as a Sailor Senshi but... that's great news!" His eyes though
twinkled with excitement and pride.

"What a father, doesn't even know that his daughter passed." Serenity
sighed while fixing Endymion with a glare. "How could you be so cruel as
not to know that Usagi passed her Younger test? You were there."
Serenity paused then a broad smile slowly coming onto her face as she
squealed, "My baby passed! She's worked so hard for it." She sniffled
then, "Usagi always hated the Chibi part of her training." <Except when
we were in the past together.> The other Senshi grinned. Serenity then
surprised the others when she suddenly sprung from her chair and headed
for the door.

"Where are ya going, Mom?" Misako asked in surprise.

"I'm going to find your onee and hug her and congratulate her... then
I'm going to kill her for keeping this from me!" Serenity called over
her shoulder.

"I wanna help with that!" Misako declared and hopped off her chair to
follow her mother but Endymion drew her back.

"I don't think so, Misako, we still have guests," Endymion admonished
gently and both Senshi giggled as Misako pouted slightly before
grinning.

"Daddy, I want to be a Senshi," she stated. She then looked with concern
as her father groaned.

                                 ******

Two days later, Misako was debating with herself whether or not she
should be happy for her sister. On the one hand, she was proud of Usagi
for passing the test. She didn't want to be proud but there was just
something about Usagi showing she could accomplish something that gave
Misako a warm feeling. She was also happy that Usagi hadn't forced Senji
away. The thing that was giving Misako pause to consider if she hated
Usagi or not was that she was being forced to wear a formal and frilly
dress; she was also being forced to sit beside her parents in the Throne
Room.

She looked around at the gathered assemblage. All of the Younger and
Elder Senshi were there in the first two rows. Behind them were the
nobility and distinguished guests of Crystal Tokyo and finally behind
them were the regular people.

<Everybody got all dressed up,> Misako thought as she wrinkled her nose
slightly before catching herself. <I hate getting dressed up.> It was so
nice and sunny a day too; she'd much rather be in school than here or,
better yet, outside playing.

After a few moments, Elder Venus stepped forward and bowed to the Royal
Family before leaning forward and whispering something in Serenity's ear
who nodded. Straightening, Elder Venus bowed again and stepped away. The
murmuring that had permeated the room vanished as Serenity rose. She
smiled down at the gathered crowd then. "Lords and Ladies of the Court,
distinguished guests, and others, thank you for coming to this special
occasion." She took a breath to calm herself before continuing on, "As
you know, we are here to hear the confirmation of the oaths that
Princess Tsukino Usagi Serenity took when she became Sailor Chibi-Moon.
Elder Venus, if you please?" At Elder Venus' nod, Serenity sat down, her
heart pounding with anticipation and excitement.

<Please don't trip. Please don't trip,> Serenity thought to herself over
and over again as Chibi-Moon was summoned into the Throne Room. The sigh
of relief that Serenity and Endymion breathed when Chibi-Moon made it to
the designated spot a few feet away from the dais without incident was
almost audible. The one that Chibi-Moon gave was heard though and those
that knew her propensity for klutzing out smiled.

Chibi-Moon bowed towards the Royal Family and Elder Venus who stepped
forward to stand before her. "Sailor Chibi-Moon, are you prepared to
reaffirm your oaths that you took when you first became a Sailor
Senshi?"

"Hai, Elder Venus, I am prepared to reaffirm my oaths," Chibi-Moon said
only after a slight pause.

Elder Venus gave her a private smile before turning, "Your Majesties,
Her Royal Highness Princess Tsukino Usagi Serenity wishes to reaffirm
her oaths as a Sailor Senshi and take on the responsibilities and title
of Younger Moon."

Serenity rose and gracefully stepped forward and down until she was
standing on the second to last step before the ground. She gave Elder
Venus a nod who bowed and moved off to assume her position in the line
of Elder Senshi. "Come forward, Sailor Chibi-Moon, and speak to me your
oaths," Serenity intoned.

Nervously, Chibi-Moon stepped forward and knelt. Her voice quavered
slightly as she started to speak but it strengthened as she gained
confidence. "I, Tsukino Usagi Serenity, hereby do swear fealty to Their
Majesties Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. I shall endeavor to
promote and protect the interests of Their Majesties at home and
abroad." She paused then, her heart stopped, her mind a blank.
<Kami-sama, I've forgotten,> Usagi thought. She closed her eyes and felt
a blush rising in her cheeks. When she opened them again, she let them
wander away from her mother, desperately trying to remember. Then a slow
smile spread across her face as she saw Misako mouth something. "As a
Sailor Senshi, I shall place the needs of the people above my own. I
knowingly take upon myself the responsibilities of the Office of Younger
Moon. I give this binding oath, willingly, in front of witnesses."
<Misako, I could just kiss you.>

"May the Holy Light of the Moon and Kami-sama guide you in your
judgement and future," Serenity announced. She reached out and touched
Chibi-Moon then on her forehead, her tiara shimmered and the Moon sigil
could be seen brightly glowing, "Arise, Younger Moon, and take your
place with your fellow Sailor Senshi."

As Younger Moon rose, she could feel tears in her own eyes, but she
could also see tears in her mother's eyes. Bowing once more, she moved
to the end of the line in the Younger Senshi row. She proudly took her
place beside Younger Venus who smiled at her, a friendly and knowing
smile.

Daintily dabbing at her eyes, Serenity took a moment to compose herself
before speaking once again, "I have another announcement to make.
Younger Jupiter, please approach us." A slight murmur ran through the
crowd as Younger Jupiter left the middle of the Younger Senshi row,
bowed, and took a position in front of Neo-Queen Serenity.

"Your Majesty," Younger Jupiter said solemnly.

"Today... today, I ask you to reaffirm your own oaths. Not of
guardianship. Not of your loyalty to me; for I have no doubt of their
validity. I wish to hear your oaths of leadership. I want you to assume
the position of Leader of the Younger Senshi." <Where you belong,>
Serenity thought as she looked up to the woman before her.

Elder Uranus sucked in her breath but both Elder Neptune and Elder
Saturn gave her warning looks. The crowd was making enough noise but
that soon died down.

There was a long pause before Younger Jupiter started to speak. "I,
Rakurai Sakuya, hereby swear to teach and guide those that would seek
wisdom from me. I will endeavor to have an open mind when dealing with
those that I may disagree with. I also will endeavor to promote the
causes of Their Majesties. This I do swear."

"Arigato Sako-chan," Serenity whispered out, then louder, she announced,
"May the Holy Light of the Moon guide your hand and your heart. May
Kami-sama protect your soul against the dark and those that would snuff
out the light."

Bowing deeply, Younger Jupiter turned. A warm feeling ran through her
heart when she saw the small sad smile on Younger Moon's face.
<Imouto... please wait till after the wedding.> She would forgive her
then, would try and make up for what she did. Walking back, she resumed
her place at the head of the Younger Senshi row, directly behind Elder
Venus. But to the Youngers, she had never left, she had always been
there and that's where she would always be.

                                 ******

Over the next few days, Usagi came to feel as if she were finally part
of the Sailor Senshi. As Chibi-Moon, she had been a Senshi, but now that
she was Younger Moon, she felt as if she truly belonged. The others
seemed to be proud of her and would make a big deal out of calling her
"Younger Moon".

Even Sakuya, in her stern way, seemed to convey a sense of pride in
Usagi. What irritated Usagi, though, was Sakuya's lack of movement
towards forgiveness. Not that Usagi was expecting it, or even wanting it
now, but it seemed at odds with what Sakuya was displaying. Eventually
though, Usagi convinced herself that she was imagining it. It didn't
hurt so much that way.

After about a week or so, the grand flourish of calling her "Younger
Moon" died down, however, the feeling of belonging didn't vanish. Usagi
was an accepted member of the Sailor Senshi now. She was no longer
simply a princess playing at being a Senshi. She was Younger Moon, a
Sailor Senshi, nothing more nothing less. She stood proudly at the end
of the Younger Senshi line, furthest from the action, but it was a
position she could be proud of because she had earned it. She had
struggled long and hard to get her position without her parents'
influence or using her rank as Crown Princess and that meant a great
deal.

Now that her efforts to earn her companions' respect had proved
successful, Usagi turned her attention to other matters. Namely, the
matter of her sister Misako. Slowly over time, Usagi came to a
conclusion: Misako had to become a Sailor Senshi. She had redouble her
efforts to convince her parents that Misako would be a great Sailor
Senshi. She had to convince Younger Jupiter as well. But first her
mother. She would start to work on her mother. That way, Serenity could
help her with her father.

                                 ******

As the blistering heat of summer gave way to the cooler temperatures of
autumn, Misako found herself becoming frustrated again. Whatever she had
been doing to please her parents and show up Usagi was failing. Her
parents were starting to spend more time with Usagi again and Usagi's
grades were approaching her own. Misako thrust herself into school,
giving up diving to concentrate on the aspects that she knew would gain
her father's attention and pride. She also continued to push to be a
Sailor Senshi but to no avail. Her father wouldn't hear of it but as far
as Misako was concerned, it was her mother and sister's doing; her
mother didn't want Misako to show up "her little girl" and so was making
Endymion deny Misako something that she wanted, that she needed, so that
she could once again, reclaim the love that seemed to be slipping away.

Her birthday in September was not what she was hoping for. Usagi was
there and seemed insistent on spending her time with Misako and her
friends. Misako suffered through Usagi stealing her friends away from
her for most of the afternoon but as evening approached and time for the
sleepover, she vowed she would not let Usagi into the room; she would
not allow her sister to do what she herself was denied.

It was also because it was Misako's first real sleepover. She had spent
the night with a friend before but only one at a time. She had tried to
have this gathering a little earlier but her parents had been firm.
Usagi wasn't allowed to have slumber parties until she was nine so
Misako wasn't going to either. That was another thing that was irking
Misako -- Usagi was careful to invite her to her other slumber parties
but Misako always declined believing that it was their mother who was
forcing Usagi. Of course, Usagi hotly denied such accusations and
Serenity was completely oblivious to them.

Now as she was sitting in her room with her friends dressed for bed and
preparing to spend what looked to be like a great night, Misako thought
of how she was going to prove that she wasn't a baby. She was going to
make sure that Usagi paid for calling her a baby in front of the older
girls so long ago.

Yumeko grinned at Noriko. The little girl had dark almost black eyes
like her mother. Her hair a glossy black and silky. She sat in her
pajamas and yawned. "Why don't you go to bed, Nori-chan?" Yumeko
questioned the younger girl.

"No way!" she declared, "Minna, if you guys get to stay up, there's no
way I'm goin' to bed." She fixed Yumeko with a glare. "In fact, I think
I'll stay up all night."

"Not if your mom has anything to say about it," Misako said, "Or have
you forgotten about that little talk she gave you?" Noriko flushed then.
Getting up from her position near the desk, Misako walked over to her
futon that was on the floor beside Yuki and flopped down on it.
"Nori-chan, you could always push your luck."

"Iie," Noriko replied, "Mommy always does what she says she's going to."
She grimaced slightly, "At least you don't have to put up with an new
otouto." <Mommy's getting really big. She looks likes she hiding a ball
or somethin'.>

"Just boss him around," Misako easily answered, "You'll be his onee so
you can boss him around." <Just like Usagi tries to do to me.>

"Miko-chan," Yuki squeaked with some shock, "That isn't very nice." She
turned to look at Noriko and said, "Don't listen to Misako, Nori-chan,
she's just mad at Usagi again."

"Yuki!" Misako snapped while glaring at her friend, "If I want your
opinion, I'll give it to you."

"Oh leave her alone, Miko-chan," Yumeko said, then turning to Noriko,
"Yuki's right, Nori-chan, Misako's just peeved because Usagi spent all
day with us." She turned back to Misako and added, "Which was really
nice of her. She even covered for us when that little accident
happened." <No other sempai would have done that.>

Misako's featured twisted into a grimace of irritation and she was about
to yell when there was a knock at the door. "Nani?!" she demanded while
turning her glare from Yumeko to the door. It opened and Usagi came
walking in dressed in a pair of pajamas, wearing a pair of bunny
slippers, and carrying her favorite stuffed bunny. "What do YOU want?"
Misako asked standing up to glare at Usagi.

"Could I sleep in here tonight, Miko-chan?" Usagi asked. <Please Imouto,
it seems like the past couple of months, we've hardly seen each other.
That's because of school but now my Senshi practices are being cut back
and I'd like more time to spend with you.> And that was something that
Usagi wanted to do. She wanted to try and repair whatever had caused
them to split apart.

"We don't want you here, Usagi," Misako sneered.

"I do," Yuki muttered out. This caused Misako to give Yuki a dark
smoldering glare. "I think it would be really neat. Maybe Usagi-chan can
tell us a story." <I wish I had an onee or onii. Usagi's really nice and
I think if I had an onee like her, it would be great.>

"We are having a sleepover," Misako stated, "Not a camp-out." She walked
over to her sister and glared up at her. <You're getting even bigger.
I'm never going to grow!> "Leave us alone, U-sagi," Misako fiercely
whispered out. She dragged out the last word to make her point. "We
don't need a baka Senshi here."

<I hope Misako won't hate me,> Yumeko thought before she said,
"Miko-chan, please let Usagi stay. We can have a lot of fun. We did this
afternoon." <Yuki was right about her.> "'Sides, Usagi could be a lot
worse." <If my two baka onii were only like Usagi...> She was fairly
safe from them; her two brothers were even older than Senji. Her parents
blamed her aggressiveness on her brothers which to one extent was well
founded.

"Hai, please Imouto?" Usagi begged, "I really liked being with you
today." <I hated getting dirty but I guess it won't hurt me and a good
bath did get me clean. Weird game that Youma Catch.> "I think I might be
able to sneak us a late night snack too." <I think there's some
chocolate cake left.> Unconsciously, she licked her lips.

"This is MY sleepover and I don't want you here," Misako stated firmly,
"You called me a baby and wouldn't let me be in yours when I wanted to
come in, so I'm not gonna let you in MINE!" Giving Usagi a slight shove
towards the door, she commanded, "Now get out!" Usagi gave her a sad,
pleading look but Misako only glared and placed her fists on her hips.
Turning, Usagi sadly walked towards the door. She had just placed her
hand on the doorknob when Yuki's voice stopped her.

"Usagi-chan!" Yuki called. Scrambling up, she ran over to the older girl
and said, "Wait please! Me and Yumeko want you to stay." She turned to
Misako and gave her friend an apologetic and pleading look, "Miko-chan,
please let Usagi stay." <You two need to make up.>

The room fell silent for several seconds before Misako moved. She
stalked over to Yuki and towered over the young girl. "Yuki-SAN," Misako
hissed, her body shaking with controlled anger, "Either you're my friend
or you're Usagi's friend. If you want her to be in a sleepover, then you
go spend the night in her room. This is MY sleepover and I do not want
Usagi here!"

Before Yuki could answer, Usagi, her eyes misting over, said, "It's
okay, Yuki-chan. Misako is right. I didn't let her into my sleepover. If
she doesn't want me in hers, then it that's her right." She gave the
young girl a soft smile but Yuki only looked towards her pleadingly. "I
want you to be Misako's friend." Rumpling Yuki's hair, Usagi gave Misako
one last sad look before leaving the room.

Yuki turned and was about to make her way back to her futon when Misako
stopped her. "Well?" Misako questioned.

"You were mean, Misako," Yuki stated simply, "I like Usagi and she's
your onee. So what if she didn't let you come to her sleepover. That
doesn't mean you should do the same."

"Hai!" Noriko added with a nervous glance towards Yumeko who wasn't
looking particularly happy. "Onee-chan says, `Treat others with respect
and eventually that will come back to you.'"

In a bout of frustration, Misako did the only thing she could think of.
She shut the lights off with a growl before stalking back to her futon
and curling up under the covers to go to sleep.

It was sometime after all four girls were asleep that the door opened.
Carefully Usagi peered into the room surveying its dark interior. After
a moment or so, she quietly slipped in and closed the door with her
foot. Hefting the futon and a blanket, she crept across to where the
girls were sleeping. Quietly she set her futon down and unrolled it
before spreading the blanket.

<Imouto...> Usagi thought sadly as she gently nudged her futon against
Misako. <I hope you don't mind.> Deep in her heart, Usagi somehow knew
that Misako would eventually forgive her; crawling under the blanket,
she blinked away the moisture that entered her eyes. <I've worked so
hard to keep you from slipping away. Why are you going away now?> What
occurred next nearly made Usagi jump. An arm came over and hugged her.
She glanced over as Misako mumbled something before falling back into a
deeper sleep. <What do I do?> Usagi thought desperately, <If she wakes
up now...> Well she'd just have to face Misako's wrath. Gently shifting,
she wrapped an arm around Misako and gave her sister a hug in return
before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

                                 ******

Amazingly enough, the only one to discover that Usagi had snuck back
into the room was Yuki. She was happy to see Usagi. She woke up Usagi
and they slipped out of the room to have breakfast together. By the time
that Misako and the others woke up, it was if Usagi hadn't even been
there.

As time passed, Usagi found that having extra free time was a great
boon. She could spend more time with her friends, and try at least to
spend it with Misako; what was even better was her grades had climbed
back to a comfortable "B" average. It had taken a lot of hard work to
get that far but she was happy she could. Her parents were proud that
she had managed to achieve that and were glad that whatever had been
bothering her was absent. She hoped Misako would be proud of her as well
but Misako never showed it.

Preparations for Sakuya's wedding continued. Usagi even found that she
didn't mind being around Younger Jupiter in Senshi practices as much as
she had first feared she would. Younger Jupiter was still as merciless
and business-like as ever but she was that way with everyone when it
came to training.

One evening in mid-October, the sound of a hand slamming against a
desktop echoed in the room. The other occupants jumped at the sound and
stared with a mixture of nervousness but determination. Endymion glared
back at them, his nostrils flared in irritation. A vein along his
forehead seemed ready to burst and his eyes held a smoldering fire.

"But Dad," Usagi argued softly into the awkward silence that had fallen
over the room, "Misako would make a great Sailor Senshi. She even wants
to be a Senshi, so what's the problem?"

Setting his jaw firmly, Endymion concentrated on breathing. He glared at
Serenity, feeling somewhat betrayed that she was supporting Usagi in a
bid to have Endymion allow Misako to become a Senshi. "Usagi," Endymion
said after a minute or so, "We have talked about this before. We have
argued about this before. I do not want Misako to be a Senshi..." He
gave her an appraising look and said, "I don't even want you to be a
Senshi."

"Nani?" Usagi asked. "Why not?!?" she demanded.

"For the same reason I don't want Misako to be a Senshi. You could get
hurt and I don't want to see that." Sighing, Endymion rubbed his
forehead and added, "But I can see how important being a Senshi is to
you. I'm not going to make you quit. That would be wrong of me; however,
I have no desire to put Misako in that type of danger."

"Oh Dad, lighten up," Usagi said off-handedly and then stiffened
slightly. She looked warily towards her father who was flushed with
anger. "Gomen nasai, Otou-san," Usagi apologized quickly, "I know you
care about us but I know Misako will be a great Sailor Senshi! She's
done really well in gymnastics and being a Senshi could help that."
Usagi took a breath then. <Kami-sama save me...> she thought before
adding aloud, "Besides, what's there for her to do? I mean one day, I'll
be Queen. What will she be?"

As soon as she had said it, Usagi realized that it had been the wrong
thing to say. Both her parents stared at her, mouths opened looking
shocked. Usagi held her breath wishing she had thought before speaking.
"Usagi, please go to your room," Serenity directed, her voice remote and
cold, "I wish to speak with your father alone... then I will be speaking
with you." Wincing at her mother's tone, Usagi got up and left the room,
closing the door behind her. Waiting for another moment, Serenity stood
and walked to stand behind Endymion. Placing her hands on his shoulder,
she started to massage it as she said, "Don't worry about what Usagi
said."

"I'm not," Endymion replied. He brushed Serenity's hands away and walked
to the window. He peered out into the dimly lit formal gardens and
sighed. "She might not even have a Senshi aura," Endymion said softly,
"Damn it, Serenity, why are you so insistent on this? Does Misako really
need to be a Senshi?"

Gliding over to him, she wrapped her arms around him and sighed. Leaning
her head against his back, she closed her eyes. They stood like that for
a minute or more, lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Serenity spoke.
It was soft and she tried to be gentle in what she said. "Without being
able to be a Sailor Senshi, Misako will grow old and die; Usagi's just
starting to realize that. She doesn't want to see that happen. She
doesn't want to see the one person she would do anything for die."

"She may not even have a Senshi aura," Endymion stated again stubbornly.
Turning, he hugged her. "I don't want to fight with you. I hate fighting
with you," he said while drawing Serenity close, feeling her warmth, her
understanding, and her love.

"Then ask Artemis to scan her. Get it over with," Serenity compromised.
"If Artemis says that there is no aura, then there is nothing any of us
can do about that."

<Artemis will come through for me.> "All right, Serenity, I will speak
with Artemis and have him scan Misako for a Senshi aura." They kissed
then, deeply. After breaking contact, Endymion sighed, "I hate fighting
with you but making up is a lot of fun."

Serenity giggled and blushed slightly, "Well I'd make up more but right
now, I have to go shove a good dose of humility into a certain
princess." She then got a coy smile on her face as she added, "Why don't
you go check on Misako and I'll meet you in our room in say... an hour?"

"It'll take you an hour to yell at Usagi?" Endymion asked as he started
to move towards the door.

"Iie," Serenity said while stopping him. Reaching up, she drew him close
and said, "That'll only take twenty minutes. I'll need the other forty
to set everything up." Giving him a quick kiss, Serenity then skipped
out of the room, a large grin on her face.

                                 ******

Misako lay on her bed trying hard not to giggle. Artemis was staring
down at her and had been doing so for some time now. The Lunar cat had
one ear cocked at an odd angle as if listening for something, his
eyelids were half-closed while his crescent moon sigil glowed slightly.
<I hope I'm a Senshi,> Misako thought once again. <But how come it takes
so long to see if I have an aura? Whatever THAT is.> Wriggling slightly,
she asked, "Artemis-san, is this going to take much longer?"

"Shhh..." Artemis admonished with great effort, "I'm busy."

"But I have to go to the bathroom," Misako complained. <Hurry up,
Artemis.> Much to her distress, it took another five minutes before
Artemis allowed her to move. Scrambling, she rushed into the bathroom
and slammed the door behind her.

"I take it she's mad?" Endymion asked as he poked his head around the
half-open bedroom door.

"Iie, Your Majesty," Artemis said, "She had to use the bathroom." He
heaved a sigh, "They always do. They never listen to me when I say it'll
take a while and they should go before we begin." He cocked his head and
gave a feline grin at Endymion who smiled in return. "Shall I tell you
now what I found, Endymion-sama?"

"Iie," Endymion said, "Better come out and tell everybody." Raising his
voice, he called out, "Miko-chan, when your done, come into the living
room!" There was a muffled response from behind the closed door. Shaking
his head, Endymion let the room and walked down into the living room
with Artemis following behind him.

While Artemis was searching for Misako's aura, three people were
involved in a fierce and private debate. "We don't need another Sailor
Senshi now, especially a young one. We're just now getting back into a
proper swing with Younger Moon."

"Oh come on, Sako-chan," Kimeko said softly, "It would be great to have
those two together." She glared as Sakuya snorted and admonished, "I
know what you're thinking but Misako and Usagi WILL work out their
differences and what a better place to do it than in a controlled
environment?"

"I'm going to have to train her, Ko-chan," Sakuya stated with a sigh, "I
was looking forward to a nice easy training schedule. Misako is even
more rambunctious than Usagi."

Sawa rolled her eyes and shook her head before saying, "Honestly,
Sakuya-san, Misako respects you. Out of the three of us, you're likely
the only one that Misako wouldn't push her luck with." Sakuya looked
unconvinced so Sawa added, "Do you know what I resorted to on a couple
of occasions?"

"Nani?" Kimeko and Sakuya asked together.

"I told Misako that if she didn't behave, I'd phone Sakuya." She grinned
then as Sakuya scowled and Kimeko giggled.

"I still say she's too young and there's no need for another Sailor
Moon," Sakuya griped, "Besides, Princess Usagi is the driving force
behind this thing. She wants her sister to be a Sailor Senshi and that's
not only a selfish reason but also it could be a dangerous one. I'm with
His Majesty on this one." As if to punctuate the point, the three heard
a door slam from inside Misako's room.

It was a few minutes before Misako appeared. She walked into the room
and gave each person present a searching look. Her father was standing
by the bay window looking none-too-pleased about something. Her mother
and Minako were sitting on the couch also looking irritated while a
slightly battered looking Artemis wobbled on the coffee table before
them. Usagi was trying hard to look as if she were part of the trio of
Senshi that were standing off to one side of the fireplace. Kimeko,
Sawa, and Sakuya were huddled into a tight group and discussing
something with great intensity but in so low a whisper that it was only
a faint buzzing.

"There she is!" Usagi declared as she spotted Misako, "Okay Artemis-san,
you can tell us now."

"He had better tell us," Minako and Serenity growled in unison.

"Now Minako-chan, Your Majesty," Artemis protested, "You know I wasn't
going to say anything until Misako was here." He caught the dangerous
look in Minako's eyes and gulped. "Now she is. Your Majesty, would you
like to sit down?" Endymion only shook his head slightly before staring
out the window. "Your Highness, would you come over here."

Misako gave her father a worried look and then walked to the others.
Artemis got up and moved along the coffee table until he was standing in
front of the little girl before sitting down again. "Do you know what I
was doing?" Artemis questioned.

"Seeing if I could be a Senshi?"

"Hai," Artemis said an gave her an approving smile, "And I am pleased to
say that you can be a Senshi." He watched with mild amusement as
Misako's eyes opened wide and she stared at him. "I sense great
potential within you, Your Highness."

Artemis gave a yelp of surprise as something flew past him, knocking him
from his position onto the floor. "Imouto, you're gonna be a Senshi!"
Usagi declared as she hugged her sister tightly and started to bounce up
and down. "Oh just wait till I tell everybody at school!" Usagi's eyes
shone with excitement. Minako joined Usagi and hugged both girls tightly
while babbling about how great it would be to have sisters as Senshi.

<Oh Endymion,> Serenity thought sadly as she saw him slump slightly. A
haggard expression flitted across his face before he recovered himself.
She was about to get up when she noticed that Artemis was looking
uneasy. "What is it, Artemis-san?"

"Your Majesty," Artemis said, "I... I do have some bad news, however."
That brought the celebrations to an abrupt halt. Everyone looked at him
with mixed expressions on their faces. "We do not have a transformation
broach or wand for Princess Misako."

"But Usagi had one," Serenity protested.

"Luna had that in her dimensional pocket. How it got there or why it was
there, only Queen Serenity knows," Artemis explained, "It was sheer luck
or maybe Pluto had a hand in it because she knew that Chibi-Moon would
be needed in the past. As it stands though, there is no catalyst for her
Senshi starseed to become active."

"What does that mean?" Misako asked softly.

"Gomen nasai, Princess Misako, but unless we can find a catalyst for
your Senshi starseed, you will only have the `potential' to be a Sailor
Senshi. You will never be one."

"Never?" Misako asked softly.

"Never," Artemis said again. He watched as Misako turned before running
down the hall and into her room, slamming the door behind her. <Gomen
nasai, little one,> Artemis thought sadly, knowing that it would do no
good. It would not allow Misako to do something that couldn't be done.

End of Chapter 11

Coming next in Chapter 12 - Wedding Bell Blues