Please ignore the email address in the attacted files.

Please direct all inquiries here: laughiln@accessv.com

Thanks

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This Fanfiction is, in fact, a work of fiction.  Any resemblance of the 
characters to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.  People who 
insist otherwise need help.  The Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen are all 
copyright of Toei Animation and Takeuchi Naoko, as if you didn't know that.  
This fic is considered PG-13 by its Author due to violence, mild horror and
potentially offensive language.  If you can't handle Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
don't read on.

Shades of the Soul - By Gaunt

Chapter One.
-------------------------------------

     "It's still coming!" Jupiter roared as the savage beast shrugged off her
Supreme Thunder.  The Senshi dove for cover as the massive thing hurled slabs 
of uprooted pavement at them, under the watchful eyes of she who created it.  
As the sabre-toothed, scarlet-furred youma continued to assault the hard-
pressed Senshi, its mistress laughed.

     The woman stood on top of a ruined wall, her arms crossed over her
chest in a pose of haughty supremacy.  She wore her tight black jumpsuit like
armour, the spiked metal shoulder pieces only enhancing the image.  Her right
hand casually clasped a scarlet wand, all points and edges.  For a helmet, a
smooth plate of reddest copper adorned her head, thousands of fine wires 
rising from it in the place of hair in a coarse, wild style.

     "Is my slave too much for you, O `Guardians of the Earth'?"  The
Sorceress's voice dripped with sarcasm.  "That's so sad.  Perhaps if I 
enslaved someone who cares for you, they wouldn't try so hard.  Maybe you'd 
like to suggest someone?  Friends, family, a lover perhaps?"  Cruel laughter 
echoed across the battlefield.

     Mars, recovering from a bad fall, gritted her teeth.  "This is insane.  
We can't risk hurting the monster because it used to be an innocent person, 
but if we hold back we can't even slow it down!"

     With a flash of blue, Mercury rushed into the fray.  "I'll try and 
distract it. SHABON SPRAY!!"  Abruptly, the whole street was shrouded in 
thick mist. "That should slow..." Mercury was cut off as several hundred 
pounds of red-furred muscle drove into her like a freight train.

     "MERCURY!"  Sailor Moon rushed to her downed friend's side.  As
she cradled the unconscious Senshi in her arms, the Sorceress' laughter drove
into her back like knives of ice.

     "Oh how tragic.  It seems the poor blue moppet is all wet.  I suppose 
I'll just have to put the two of you out of my misery."  With that, the 
Sorceress raised a black-gloved hand.  A crack of thunder split the sky, 
the lighting casting highlights on her burnished-copper hair.

     "You MONSTER!  BURNING MANDALA!"  Fiery of eye and voice, Mars hurled
wheels of fire at her opponent.  With a laugh, the Sorceress deflected them
easily with her wand.

     "How amusing.  You Senshi are really too much fun.  If you survive this,
I think I will choose your next playmate from the children's park.  Won't 
THAT be amusing?  Oh, wait, I forgot, there won't be a next time."  A savage 
glow enveloped the end of the wand, and the Sorceress levelled it at Mars.  

     There was suddenly a flash of red.   "Aiagh!"  The Sorceress grabbed her right 
bicep, which now sported a lovely red rose.

<Start Tuxedo Kamen music>

     "YOU?  Who are you, who rescues these snivelling children again and
again?"  The Sorceress glared at Tuxedo Mask, gritting her teeth at the pain.  
"No matter.  "Slave!  Destroy the interloper!"
 
     "DEEP SUBMERGE!" From nowhere, a wave of blue light engulfed the
youma, slowing its advance to a crawl.  "Now, Sailor Moon!" Neptune cried,
landing her jump gracefully next to the injured Mercury, as Uranus and Pluto
rushed the Sorceress.

     As Sailor Moon healed the monster, five attacks struck at the Sorceress. 
Vanishing at the last moment in a burst of fire, the Sorceress' voice echoed 
across the battlefield: "This isn't over!"  

        The Senshi's attacks spent themselves on the torn pavement.

-------------------------------------

     A temple which would not be out of place among the ruins of Greece
floated in the middle of a blue void of sky.  In the distance, slipping in and 
out of banks of clouds, four grim castles floated, unseen, above the innocent 
city.  At the centre of the temple, waited on by wild-eyed minions, lounged a 
woman in revealing black.  She reached out to caress a stack of gold coins, 
the countless jewelled bracelets on her arms jingling together with every 
move.  From a gold skull cap, long `hair' of spun gold flowed across her 
shoulders.

     Avaria looked up from the game of "poker" her slaves were trying to
teach her.  A fiery flare announced Ranka's arrival at the common.  "Back so
soon, Ranka?  Your little sortie was a crashing success, I suppose?  Your 
hordes of new extra-strong slaves crushed those meddling Senshi like chaff 
before the wind?  Your tummy all full of nice spicy anger?"

     Ranka glared at Avaria, and didn't try too hard to avoid bleeding on the game. 
"Cove's new crystals aren't worth spit.  Of the twenty she gave me, only ONE
worked."  At this, Ranka's face became thoughtful.  "Though that one WAS quite
effective.  He came quite close to destroying those INFURIATING Senshi."

     "Oh?  Oh I SEE.  Had a run in with lover boy, did you?"
     
     Ranka sneered at the rose which still protruded from her arm.  "Him...
and three more Senshi."

     The slaves in the common dashed for the shadows, and the gold coin in
Avaria's hand slipped and fell to the floor, it's chime echoing in the sudden
silence.  "I find your humour lacking, Ranka."

     "If only I WAS joking.  I was winning when cape boy and three Senshi
interrupted.  They appear older, more experienced AND more powerful than the
five we've already encountered."

     Avaria frowned.  "We will have to speed up our `special' projects."  A
growl is heard.  "And I haven't fed in days as it is..."

-------------------------------------

     "Ami?  AMI?  Are you okay?"  The girls and Mamoru were gathered around a 
bed which had been set up in the temple.  A battered and bandaged Ami Mizuno 
rested with her eyes closed.  

     "Geez, Usagi, give her a break!  She took a major hit back there, do you
THINK she's okay?"  Rei Hino glared daggers at the crying blonde.

     "Gnn.  R-Rei.  Don't...don't pick on Usagi.  Sh-she's just concerned
about...me."  Ami, now awake, attempted a weak smile.

     Setsuna, checking Ami's injuries, patted her on the shoulder.  "You 
should rest," she turned her gaze on the room.  "And the rest of you should 
give her the opportunity to do so."  At this, Michiru smiled gently and left, 
with Haruka swaggering out behind her.  Mamoru gave Usagi's shoulder a 
reassuring squeeze and lead her out, Minako and Rei following.  Makoto paused 
at the door.

     "Are you sure she's fine?"  Concern shadowed the tall girl's face.  
Setsuna just nodded, and Makoto, still not fully reassured, drifted out to the 
discussion in the next room.

     "We could have handled it ourselves.  I was about to give that monster
the cooking of its life."  Rei angrily glared over her tea.

     "Oh sure, that's why that witch was about to enamel you onto the
pavement."  Haruka smirked back across the table, tossing her bangs out of her
eyes.

     Artemis, who was attempting to shield himself from a shower of senbe*
crumbs coming from his left where Usagi was `refreshing herself', broke in. 
"Look, you two, I think we have more important things to discuss here than who
saved who's buns from what fire for the umpteenth time."
(* Rice Cracker)

     Luna nodded.  "Yes.  That youma was stronger than any we've seen
recently."

     "Yeah, and it was acting a lot different then the ones that usually hang
around with that Sorceress.  They usually taunt people and make a mess.  This
one was just destroying things, and it came straight for us as soon as we
arrived."  Minako punctuated this statement by popping a senbe into her mouth.

     "You ask me, they've decided that they've got to waste you guys before
they can finish whatever it is they're really doing."  Haruka raised an 
eyebrow at Rei.  "You wouldn't by any chance KNOW what it is they're really 
doing?"

     Rei frowned.  "We have some theories.  Ami thinks it has something to do
with the fact that each sorceress we've seen seems to act in a consistent way,
attacking the same type of targets with the same type of youma.  Usagi, on the
other hand," Rei shot at look at the blonde, who paused her feast at the sound of
her name long enough to look at Rei with a questioning expression. "Usagi thinks
they're stealing energy to resurrect their King."

     Usagi laid into Rei with a burst of righteous indignation, not bothering 
to clear her mouth first.  The other assembled girls shielded themselves from 
the spray of crumbs as well as possible.  "Hey, it makes SENSE!  Queen Beryl 
sent her generals, who were men, to collect energy with monsters who were 
usually the same, in order to resurrect Queen Metallia!"

     "Then why weren't any of these latest victims drained of ANYTHING?"

     "We're just so amazing, we stopped them before they could do anythi-!" 
Usagi was cut off by a large pillow which had found itself lodged in her 
mouth, its source unknown.  Everyone looked around innocently.

     Michiru turned to Rei.  "What is this about the sorceresses acting
consistently?"

     It was Makoto who responded.  "The one we fought today, for example,
always taunts us during fights, and her youma do it too.  That's why this one 
was so weird.  It never said a word, only attacked."

     Minako nodded.  "Yeah, there's another sorceress who's youma usually do
that."  She frowned.  "They're usually uglier than that though, and not nearly 
as strong."

     "How do the youma act around ordinary people?"  Everyone looked up as
Setsuna walked in and quietly closed the door behind her.
     
     "How is Ami?" Usagi asked, having removed the pillow from her face. 

     Setsuna smiled. "She will be fine, given rest.  My question?"

     Minako thought for a minute.  "Well, it depends which of the sorceresses
they work for.  The youma of the sorceress we fought today tend to do a lot of
property damage.  Y'know, wreck cars, storefronts and things, and they taunt
people."

     "Another sorceress and her youma seem to enjoy terrorizing people." 
Luna added.  "The youma are really horrible looking, and they always attack
people, but they don't really seriously hurt anyone.  All the youma we've seen
also try to keep people from leaving the area."

     Setsuna nodded thoughtfully.  "Fear and Anger."

     "What?"  Haruka sat up and paid attention.

     "Fear and anger.  The sorceresses you've described seem to be going out
of their way to inspire fear or anger in their victims."

     Makoto slapped a fist into her palm.  "Hey, yeah!  And that other cheap
floozy who was pretending to be a rich movie star must have been going for
jealousy, right?"  Silence fell and Makoto was confronted with a room of 
shocked faces.  "What, don't you think I could have thought of that myself?!"

     Setsuna continued, "Do you agree with Makoto's assessment?"  The
others nodded.

     Rei thought for a minute.  "I guess the last sorceress we've seen has 
been fostering greed."  

     "Then they may be feeding off of strong emotion directed at them, or using it
for some other purpose."  Michiru held her chin thoughtfully.

     "This is bad," Mamoru frowned.  "Two of these sorceresses have been
getting stronger by fighting us.  We're going to have to learn to fight them 
without getting angry or afraid."

     Usagi suddenly felt four pairs of eyes staring at her.  Haruka could
sympathize.  As if cued, they spoke as one. 

     "WHAT??"

-------------------------------------

     Stone flags floored a room where the opulence was only limited by the 
need for utility.  Rich tapestries warmed the walls, interspersed with fine 
bronze sculptures and mahogany tables dripping with wealth.  In the centre of 
the room, below a beautiful stained glass skylight and bathed in the rainbow 
cast from it, stood a ceramic brazier in an intricately wrought iron stand.  
Standing next to the brazier was a woman who's appearance matched the room
for both opulence and purpose.  The clean, smooth lines of her black sheath dress 
were set off by the gleaming planes of a half cloak of raven-dark feathers.  
Her skirt was slit high on the hip for ease of movement, her simple earrings, 
bangles and pendant were encrusted with countless carats of sparking diamonds, 
and from a gleaming plate on her head, strands of brilliant platinum cascaded 
like the finest hair down to the small of her back.

     Cove stood, relaxed and focused, before her crucible.  Arms
outstretched, she shaped the delicate strands of power that held and shaped 
the crystal which floated in the glow from the skylight, rippling with colour 
like oil on diamond.  After an indeterminate time, the crystal came to rest 
in Cove's hand, and the light faded.  Sweeping from the room, she strode
purposefully to her throne room where her ice-white wand floated, upright in 
the centre of space.  Rotating slowly, the wand glowed brightly, giving light 
to the room and power to the castle and its wards.  Cove sunk gratefully 
into the purple satin cushions of her golden throne, resting a hand on the 
head of one of the two sculpted griffons that formed it.  A single, heartbreakingly
handsome slave paced silently in with a tiny crystal glass of wine.  He presented
her with the wine, kissed her hand, and kneeled.  

     Refreshed, Cove waved a hand at her wand, causing an image of Gothic horror 
to appear in the air above it.  A grim chamber, lit by guttering torches and 
strewn with grisly remains, framed a throne of sinew and bone.  Her slaves 
slithering and chittering in the shadows, Terra looked out of the image at
Cove.  Her heartless face was framed by the ragged spray of blued-steel spikes
that passed for her hair.  Her voice was an echoing void.

     "Is this a social call, Cove, or do actually have a good reason for
wasting my time?"

     Cove absently petted her slave.  "I believe I have created something in
which you would be interested." A negligent gesture indicated the flawless
crystal formed but minutes ago.

     "That, then, is your new `miracle'?  Ranka was less than impressed with
your last model."  Terra stared coldly at Cove through the vision.  "We are
becoming very disappointed with you, Cove."

     Cove dismissed the whole idea with a flip of her hair.  "You are
welcome to do this research yourself, if you are capable."  The jab meeting 
only silence, Cove continued.  "An untested weapon is as dangerous to its 
wielder as to the enemy.  I will strengthen these new crystals at any rate I 
see fit."

     "And how strong have you made THIS one, O mighty shaper of facets?" 
The dark tone of Terra's sarcasm hinted at a threat.

     Ignoring Terra, Cove admired her crystal in the light of the wand.  "Oh,
no stronger than the last, Terra.  The slave it created was quite effective 
as it was.  No, the problem was that very few humans seem susceptible to the
crystal's influence.  To expend a crystal with no guarantee of success is
undesirable."

     "I KNOW that!  What have you done to solve this problem?  What makes
a human susceptible?"

     Cove paused in her scrutiny to look back at the fuming Terra.  "I really
have no idea, but it does not matter.  If we effect enough humans, some will 
be enslaved.  To that end, this crystal throws out a wide field of chaos 
energy, effecting everything within its radius, rather than a specific 
target."

     Terra threw herself angrily back into her throne, cracking several of 
its ribs.  "Hmph.  Very well.  I will take this new surprise of yours on my 
next sortie.  I will enjoy watching those cursed children fleeing from a host 
of enhanced slaves."  She favoured Cove with one more knife-edged glare.  "I 
hope you know what you're doing.  A field of chaos that broad may have 
unexpected effects."

     Cove smiled sweetly.  "What ever is the matter, Terra?  Are you
perhaps...frightened?"

     Terra shut down the image, but Cove's crystal-bell laughter continued to
echo in her mind.

-------------------------------------

     Ami carefully walked towards Rei's temple.  The climb up the countless 
stairs had been agony, even with Makoto helping.  However, this meeting was
important, and couldn't be avoided to ease a little discomfort.  Ami looked
over at her tall friend.  "Thank you for helping me, Makoto.  I'm afraid I've 
made us both late."

     Makoto smiled.  "Hey, they can't complain too much, you're hurt.  
Besides," she laughed, "we're way earlier than Usagi."

     As they walked across the grounds, they couldn't help but notice Rei's 
grandfather loudly showing off the temple to a large tour of high school 
students.  Makoto smirked at the old man who had cornered several young 
ladies.  "Heh.  Looks like Rei's grandfather is looking to show some young 
girls the secrets of Shintoism." 

     Ami just blushed.

     The two friends walked into the room where the others were assembled.  
Luna and Artemis were recounting the inner Senshi's previous encounters with 
the Sorceresses and their minions to Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru.  Usagi was
attempting to embellish the stories with claims of bravery, which Rei was
diligently giving the lie.  All looked up as the two girls entered.  Setsuna 
looked a little cross.  "You should be resting Ami."

     Ami carefully sat down.  "This is important.  Besides, I feel much 
better." 

     Setsuna only frowned.

     "Hey," Makoto plopped into a sitting position.  "How come Usagi's here
already?  I'd have thought we'd have to wait at LEAST half an hour for her to
show up."

     Rei, arms crossed and eyes closed, grumbled.  "She was here two hours ago
asking to borrow my new Sailor V Manga.  She didn't even remember we had 
a meeting today."

     The assembled girls, cats and Mamoru turned away from the heated argument
that ensued, and continued the discussion.  Michiru spoke.  "We've decided 
that the Sorceresses are creating, and probably gathering, strong emotion, 
usually directed at themselves.  It's probably a good bet that they're gaining 
strength or feeding off this emotion."  She looked around, and when nobody 
disagreed, continued.  "The good news is, if we can keep them from succeeding, 
they will probably weaken.  However..."

     "However, they will also get desperate, and dangerous." Mamoru finished
for her.

-------------------------------------

     On the roof of the temple, a flare of green fire appeared.  Leaving a 
burning trail in the air, the flare traced out a large, vertical square in 
space.  Two figures stepped through the square as through a door.

     Terra stared over the edge of the roof at the crowds of laughing high 
school students below.  She licked her lips.  "I think _I_ should create the 
disturbance, and YOU should wait in ambush."

     Ranka frowned disgustedly at Terra's back.  "I don't understand how you 
can stand that cold, sickly garbage.  It's revolting."  Ranka flipped the 
chaos crystal in her hand, and shook her head.  "Go on, pork yourself out.  
I'll smash those fashion-challenged little drama queens when they show up."

     "You're too kind." Terra pulled out a wand of entwined, living snakes.  
With a pass of the wand, she was disguised as an American tourist.  Slipping 
from the roof, Terra was quickly lost from view.

     Ranka absently caressed her wand.  As she waited for Terra to act, she 
muttered to herself.  "She is such a fool.  To sacrifice the opportunity to 
enslave the Sailor Senshi for one plain slave and a meal is a tremendous 
waste."

-------------------------------------

     "So, you're saying we're going to have to focus on teamwork more than 
ever, right?"  Minako looked across the table at Ami.

    "That's right.  Not only because we may encounter youma too strong for 
any one of our attacks to stop, but also in order to prevent the sorceresses 
from singling any of us out to be enraged or terrified."  Ami, still 
uncomfortable, adjusted herself on the cushion.

     "Hey, we're the Pretty Sailor-Suited Soldiers, right?"  Usagi clenched a 
fist in the air.  "We're the greatest team that ever was!  We'll beat these 
guys and have time left over for snacks!"

    Rei slammed her hands on the table.  "Be serious for a minute, can you?  
This isn't some kind of stupid game!"

     "I AM being serious!  We'd be a perfect team if you weren't always 
yelling at me!"

     "I AM NOT YELL-!"  Rei's yell was cut off by terrified screaming from
outside.

     "The tour group is under attack?" Minako was shocked.

     Makoto was already raising her henshin wand.  "Somebody is either real 
brave or real stupid.  JUPITER STAR POWER!"

     As the others began to transform, Rei rested a hand on Ami's shoulder. 
"You're still recovering from the last fight.  Sit this one out."  Ami nodded
resignedly.

     "Hey, don't worry." Sailor Uranus gave Ami a thumbs up at the door.  
"We'll give that monster an extra kick in the head for you."

-------------------------------------

     Shrill, piercing laughter ripped through the screams of terrified 
students.  "Fear me!  Fear me you snivelling worms!" Terra's wand barked and 
a whirling orb of light tore into the pavement in front of a pack of kids who 
were trying to flee, driving them back towards the temple.  Barring escape in 
the other direction was a terrible, four-armed youma.  The corpse-like monster 
had until moments ago been a short teenage girl who wanted nothing more than 
for the class bully to stop picking on her.  Terra granted that wish.  The 
beast roared at its former classmates with the ghastly mouth its ribcage had 
become.  The beast was all the more horrible for having the same innocent face
as the girl it had once been.

     "Run!  Run, you sheep!  Run when there is nowhere to run to!"  Terra
gleefully herded another batch of students with a blast from her wand.

     "SPARKLE VITAL PRESSURE!" Terra was caught off guard by the ball of
energy, barely parrying with her wand in time.  Jupiter's follow-up kick was 
more easily avoided.

     "So you've realized that you cannot overcome me in straight battle?  How
clever.  Unfortunately, you cannot overcome me with cowardly surprise attacks
either!"  Terra spat at four points surrounding Jupiter, concentrated, and 
raised her wand.

     "WARD!"  Four sickly-green walls of light erupted from the ground around
Jupiter, forming a box bounded by Terra's spit.

     "Jupiter!" Sailor Moon cried at her friend's plight.

     Mars grabbed Sailor Moon by the arm.  "The best way to help her is to 
stop the Sorceress and her youma.  You're the only one who can heal the youma, 
so Venus and I'll cover you, while the others take out the Sorceress."  
Without waiting for a reply, Mars dragged Sailor Moon towards the monster.

     The teams rushed their targets, and Terra found herself in desperate 
hand-to-hand with Tuxedo Kamen.  "Give it up, witch, you're outnumbered."  
Tuxedo Kamen casually parried Terra snake-fanged wand with his cane.  Uranus 
and Neptune circle the two warily, looking for an opening in the flurry of 
blows.  Pluto stood back near where Jupiter was imprisoned, ready to add her
strength wherever it might be needed.

     "That's about to change!"  Ranka yelled at Tuxedo Kamen, leaping from the 
tree where she was hiding and hurling a black chaos crystal straight at the 
trapped Jupiter.

     Reacting on instinct, Pluto whipped her staff around to point at the 
incoming crystal.  "Dead scream."  As Pluto's energy gathered, the onrushing 
chaos crystal burst, and a sphere of blackness erupted, growing rapidly, from 
the shards.  

     Pluto's planet strike, still not fully formed, collided with the racing 
darkness.  There was a blinding flash.

-------------------------------------

      "Ngg."  Ranka painfully picked herself up off the ground, blinking the 
spots from her eyes.  That stupid Senshi had rammed her staff into the sphere 
of chaos energy and...  Ranka whipped her head around to look at Pluto.

     Gritting her teeth, Sailor Pluto fought to free her staff from the black 
sphere of energy.  Streamers of power from both her incomplete planet strike 
and the ball of darkness intertwined and merged.  As she felt her strength 
being drawn off, Pluto watched the sphere begin to twist and warp.  Something 
was terribly, dangerously wrong.  The sphere flattened and began to spin, 
resembling nothing so much as a... time portal.  Suddenly, the disk TWISTED in 
an indescribable direction, reversed spin and began to rush even faster in 
its mad circle.  "No, this can't be."  Pluto's eyes widened with horror.

     Ranka, giving the chaos crystal ploy up as a lost cause, whipped out her 
wand and rushed the occupied Sailor Pluto.

     Sailor Venus, seeing Pluto vulnerable, left the youma to Mars and Moon,
and rushed to intercept Ranka.

     Without warning, the ebon disk rocketed off the end of Pluto's staff, 
hurling her back into the wards surrounding Sailor Jupiter.  Solid as steel, 
the seething green walls smashed Pluto into unconsciousness.  Like an insane 
linebacker, the black portal smashed into Ranka, driving her off the temple 
steps, and ricocheted, still not slowed, into Venus.  As Venus passed through 
the temple's door, the disk spiralled through the sky deep into the city.  
Moments after it disappeared behind a building, it exploded, throwing shards 
of black energy into the clouds, which glowed darkly for a moment.

      Terra, narrowly avoiding a handful of thrown roses, saw Ranka fall and
caught the tell-tale sparkle of a slave being freed from the corner of her 
eye.  Outnumbered, the plan a failure, Terra realized she had only one option.  
She gave Tuxedo Kamen a triumphant smile.  "And you thought duelling me
would save your friends?  How naive!"  Laughing, Terra dove and rolled, opening
a portal in her path long enough to leap through but not be followed.  A
corresponding flash from the direction of the steps showed Ranka had come to a
similar conclusion.  Abruptly, there was silence, broken only by the sobbing 
of the girl who had been enslaved.  The green walls of warding faded, and 
Jupiter moved to the side of the fallen Pluto.

     "Are you okay?"  Concern showed on the tall girl's face.

     Blinking slowly back to consciousness, Pluto grimaced.  "We have a
problem.  A big problem."

-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------

     I'm not sure why I'm writing this.  It's as if I have fallen under some 
strange and nefarious influence. <laughs>  Maybe I just want to prove to the 
world that I can write a better story than most of the dreck I've had to sift 
through in pursuit of decent fan fiction.

     For those of you will ask, yes, this is in fact the first chapter.  No 
there is no other story which introduces the four (ask me about the number 
four sometime) sorceresses, at least not yet.  I just decided I was going to 
skip all the boring prelude and introduction, and get to the meat of the 
story.  (Though I've gotten several people bugging me about this.  I may very
well end up writing such a `prequel'.)

     Yes, the names of the sorceresses are derivative, yet they're much better
disguised than most such.  I take particular twisted pleasure in having a
VILLAIN named Terra.

     If any of you are looking for Sailor Saturn, don't hold your breath.  
This takes place before she dies and is reincarnated, so she's still 
dangerously mental, and wouldn't fit in the plot anyway.

     Why did I try to keep the original names and attack names?  What can I 
say, I'm a purist.  If I was fluent enough, I'd probably write it in Japanese. 
<laughs> 

     This is the first chapter of what looks like a potentially long story.  
It may take me some time to finish, so don't rush me.  I'll write it when I 
write it.

  

-- Listar MIME Decryption --------------

This Fanfiction is, in fact, a work of fiction.  Any resemblance of the 
characters to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.  People who 
insist otherwise need help.  The Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen are all 
copyright of Toei Animation and Takeuchi Naoko, as if you didn't know
that.  The Sorceresses are my characters, and if they bear resemblance to
your characters, please tell me so we can both be astounded by the
coincidence.  Don't bother trying to figure out where this fits into the
continuity.  I certainly didn't.

Shades of the Soul - Chapter Two.
-------------------------------------

     A stone temple floated, unseen, above Tokyo.  Its marble pillars and
granite flags seemingly of no more substance than the clouds that hid
them from the people below.  At its heart, a massive slab of a table sat.  A
square table, there was a seat at each side.  Behind each chair, slipping
through the clouds in the distance like wraiths, were dark and sinister
castles.  The mistresses of those castles stared across the table at each
other.  Physically beautiful, they bore themselves with strength, grace and
confidence.  All dressed in black, they were still as different as night and
day.  

     To the north, Cove's lean form was caressed by a sheath dress, the
skirt slit to the hip.  Her shoulders were warmed by her raven's-feather
half cloak, and the metallic platinum hair which flowed down her back.  

     To the East, feet on the table, Ranka slouched.  Spiked, armoured
shoulder plates were the only adornment to her black jumpsuit, and a wild
tangle of fiery red copper on her head caught the light of dawn.  

     Across from Ranka, in the Western chair still shrouded in shadows
at this hour, sat Terra.  Her whole appearance radiated cruelty and
brutality.  The jumpsuit she wore was jaggedly torn, and held together
with barbed hooks, bone shards and pieces of sinew, a pair of spiked
leather arm guards finishing the outfit.  The forest of blued-steel spikes
she called hair made even her head appear a vicious weapon.

      Finally, to the South sat Avaria.  Tight black leggings and a loose
silk blouse, ornamented with a host of gold bangles, gave her the
appearance of a better-class whore.  She casually played with the shining
golden bangs which fell in front of her eyes.

     The four had known each other for a very long time.  They knew and
respected the other's powers and skills.  Yet this was not a social meeting
among peers.  This was a council of war.

     "You wasted my crystal." Cove's comment was a statement, not a
question.

     "That Pluto Senshi destroyed the chaos energy before it could effect
anyone.  Had she not interfered, I would've had the Senshi fighting each
other!"  Ranka slammed a fist onto the table.  Cove's only response was a
level gaze, but Avaria burst into gales of laughter.  Terra sneered at
Avaria.

     "Something amuses you, eater of Greed?"

     "Listen to yourself!"  That's the most sorry excuse for failure I've
ever heard!  Next you'll tell us the dog ate your homework!"  Avaria
punctuated her mockery with a wave of her hand.

     "You could have done better?"

     "Maybe not, but I wouldn't have wasted the crystal.  What were you
thinking?"

     "That the Sailor Senshi would have made fantastic slaves!  I threw
it into their midst for that purpose.  If that key-carrying cow hadn't
intercepted it, the war would be over now!"

     "And what did you do to make them want the power?  You KNOW
they have to ask for it to be enslaved.  Honestly Ranka, I thought you were
smarter than that."

     "Cove's crystal was designed to affect a wide area!"  Now Ranka
was leaning across the table, spitting flecks of foam in her rage.

     A cold voice, like a winter wind, broke quietly into the argument. 
"That's a quantitative change, Ranka, not a qualitative one.  We each have
a task, and Cove's is to increase the power of the crystals.  Someone else is
supposed to find a way to force another to be our slave."  Terra smiled
coldly as Avaria paled.  This last was Avaria's assignment, and
incomplete.  As Ranka realized her accuser was the one responsible for
the failure being mocked, her face twisted into a rictus of rage.  She
reached for her wand.

     "ENOUGH BICKERING."  Avaria, Terra and Ranka froze, and
turned to the north.  Cove NEVER shouted.  The three were each, in turn,
pierced with a gaze like tempered steel.  "None of us are capable of
standing up to the Sailor Senshi alone.  We are outnumbered severely, and
are fighting on our enemies' home territory.  Unless we pool our resources,
we will fail.  If we fail, we will all slowly starve to death.  However,
together we are strong enough to win.  When we win, we split six billion
people between us.  That should be enough motivation for us to stop
bickering and finish our special projects.  Do you agree?"

     In response, the other three Sorceresses sat back in their seats, and
became silent.  Cove nodded.  "Good.  Now, if we're done with that, there
is only one other bit of new business to discuss."

     Avaria's head snapped up.  "New business?  What are you talking
about?"

     Cove pointed over Avaria's shoulder, and to the right.  "That."  

     All turned to look.  A grey cloud, threatening storm, had become
caught in an eddy of wind, and drifted apart.   Its departure revealed a
sight more shocking to the Sorceresses than their temple would be to the
people below.  Glittering like a fairytale prop, a fifth castle drifted above
the unknowing city.

-------------------------------------

     At the Crown Juice Bar, the five inner Senshi went over the events
of the previous day.  Ami had mostly recovered from her run in with the
red-furred super-youma, and Minako was in fair shape considering being
thrown through the temple doors only hours ago.  While the scene
appeared no more significant than five school friends talking shop, the
mood at the table was more serious than it appeared.

     Luna, the black cat, looked at the girls from where she sat in Ami's
lap.  "Your teamwork is improving.  That was a good, coordinated effort
in that last battle."

     "Maybe," Rei admitted.  "But we still only won because of luck.  If
the outer Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen weren't there, we probably would
have lost.  Makoto would have certainly been hit by that black energy
thing." Rei, dejected, played with her sundae.

     "Don't sell yourself short, girls."  Artemis, the white cat, put a paw
on the table for emphasis.  "Almost any of you could have intercepted that
black sphere, and you've held off the Sorceresses two on one before."  A
deep sigh cut off Artemis before he could continue.  He turned to look at
Ami, its source.

     "Fog or ice couldn't intercept a ball of energy like that."  Ami
looked for consolation in the ice cubes at the bottom of her glass.

     Makoto put a hand on her friend's shoulder.  "Don't be so hard on
yourself, Ami.  You're the brains of this operation.  If it wasn't for you,
we'd be fighting blind all the time."

     "Yeah, Ami, we need you."  Rei confirmed.  "Speaking of which,
what did your computer scan turn up on that whirling thing?"

     Ami, still not really reassured, pulled out her Mercury computer. 
"Not much, I'm afraid.  I was only able to take readings after the battle, so
all I had to work with was residual energy.  I think the black energy was
the same type the Sorceresses use to enslave humans.  That's not
surprising as you said it came from the same sort of black crystal they've
been using for just that purpose.  The whirling disk, on the other hand..."
Ami shook her head.  "With only the minimal readings I was able to take
in the part of the city where we think it came down, and Setsuna's
description of the experience to go on, I can only speculate."

     "Hunh?"  Usagi blinked, confused, at Ami.

     "She said she doesn't have enough to do more than guess, Odango
Atama!"* Rei yelled at Usagi.

(* Meatball (dumpling) head)

     "I trust your guesses more than most people's facts, Ami.  Please
tell us.  Even a guess is more than we have now." Minako pointedly
ignored the shouting match happening two feet away.

     "Well, we know that this dark energy reacts with people to make
them stronger, but strangely twisted.  Setsuna and I believe that in this
case, it may have reacted similarly with the energy of her planet strike,"
Ami paused to make sure the significance of this reached the others. "Or
possibly with her Senshi energy as a whole."

     Artemis looked grim.  "It DID look a lot like a time portal."

     "So, exactly what happens when you overcharge a time portal with
weird energy?" Makoto asked, her voice uneasy.

     Ami frowned.  "I'm afraid we may soon find out."

-------------------------------------

     A dirty, unkempt young woman staggered out of the alley where she
had spent the night.  Leaning weakly on the brick wall, she gnawed at a
piece of stale pizza crust.  Abruptly, she threw the crust back into the
alley, and began to cry.  There had been enough half-edible trash in the
dumpster she had slept in to feed a family of four, and she hadn't been
picky about eating it.  She had eaten until she couldn't physically force
anymore into herself.  Yet she was still ravenous, as though she hadn't
eaten in days, or even weeks.  She wept as the insatiable hunger wracked
her with pain.  Then, the wind changed, and the girl was drawn from her
misery by the sounds of music, joyful voices, and laughter.  There was
some sort of music festival happening at a nearby park.  Without
warning, the girl felt, KNEW that what she needed, what she would die
without, was in that park.  Weakly, but without hesitation, she walked
towards the bright colours and laughter.

-------------------------------------

     "That," Ranka said, with a totally unwarranted tone of conviction, "is
impossible."

     The four Sorceresses were staring at the inexplicable intruder into their
comfortable airspace, the fifth flying castle.  Attempts had been made to
discover its nature, enter it, or communicate with its owner.  All that had
been determined was that it was no illusion, and that it was guarded by
wards as strong as any of the four could raise.

     "There are only FOUR of us.  There has always been only four of us." 
Terra's hand clenched around her serpentine wand.  "That this, this
revolting mockery exists is an insult to us and everything we are."

    "What are you worried about, Terra?  Have you not heard that imitation
is the sincerest form of flattery?"  Avaria smirked.  "So there is a magical
flying castle over the city, so what?  Most likely it is a construct of the
people of this world.  We know they have some magic, we've seen it.  The
fact that it superficially resembles our strongholds, and has appeared near
them is probably coincidence.  The possibility that a fifth of us would
spontaneously appear, then fail to contact us, is laughably small!"

     The three turned to the wisest among them, who stood coolly regarding
the anomalous castle.

     "Small?  Yes, Avaria, the chance is small.  However, with an
undirected, uncontrolled, and most importantly very large chaos energy
discharge, very little is impossible."  Cove turned to regard the others. 
"That castle could mean anything, so as of now our top priority is finding
out what it does mean.  I, for one, do not enjoy mystery spectres hanging
over me.  If, by some miracle, a fifth Sorceress has appeared, we must
determine if she is friend or foe, and react accordingly.  If there is any
chance we can gain the aid of another Sorceress against the Senshi, we
should take it.  A fifth share of billions is still larger than a quarter of
nothing."

     Terra's cold voice raised the alternative.  "And if she is not with us, she
must die.  There must be no chance of the Senshi gaining the aid of one
like us."

     As one the Sorceresses nodded and, agreed, vanished from the temple
to pursue the truth behind this disturbing turn of events.

-------------------------------------

     At the music festival, many performers had gathered to help raise
money for a local hospital.  The musicians had volunteered to play in the
park, in the hopes that an appreciative public would donate to the fund. 
Small groupings of spectators surrounded the various acts, such that even
if you were out of earshot, you could often tell the talent and popularity of
a given performer by the size of the knot of fans around them.

     Michiru's delicate hands danced across the strings of her violin.  She
had chosen to play one of her favourites, a song bursting with energy and
untamed strength, yet which occasionally surprised you with glimpses of
tenderness.  The piece was difficult, but her face did not show the strain of
concentration.  Joy and pride shared space on the young woman's face,
and were mirrored nearby on the face of another.  Another who's qualities
bore a striking resemblance to the song Michiru played with such gaiety.

     Haruka listened, rapt with the power of the music, from where she
leaned on a nearby tree.  She marvelled, as always, at the beauty Michiru
could coax from a simple piece of wood.  Often at times like this, Haruka
would try and decide if Michiru looked more alive while playing, or while
swimming.  Visions of the green-haired girl in a swimsuit biased the
decision, unfortunately.

     About halfway through the performance, an uneasy feeling came over
Haruka.  Something wasn't right.  Haruka looked around, trying to figure
out what triggered the feeling.  The truth shocked her.  People were
leaving Michiru's audience to listen to someone else.  Mystified and a
little affronted, Haruka walked over to see what the big deal was.  The
music was being played on a flute, and very well, though she didn't
recognise the piece.  The crowd parted to admit her.  Haruka looked at the
musician for the first time, and gasped.  

     The woman was radiantly beautiful.  Blonde hair like sunlight on water
cascaded down her back like a river, its colour matching the gilded flute
she held to her lips.  Her fingers moving as fluid and as lightly as smoke,
she played the obviously difficult piece as if it was as easy as breathing. 
As the crowd murmur died to nothing, Michiru's violin could be heard. 
Haruka, shocked, suddenly realized the two musicians were playing their
respective parts of the same piece.

     [[How dare she?]] Michiru fumed silently.  [[What kind of arrogance
does a woman have to have to try and out-play someone at a charity
benefit?]] Michiru concentrated, and easily brought her level of
performance up to that of the other musician.  [[And what's wrong with
Haruka?  Drooling over a stuck-up piece of fluff like that.]]

-------------------------------------

    [[What a wonderful day I'm having.]] Cove chuckled to herself as the
waves of jealousy surging through the music festival filled her with
warmth and strength.  [[Women jealous of my beauty and the looks their
mates give me, musicians jealous of my talent, my audience and even the
quality of my instrument, and all completely innocuous.  I can feast
without going to the trouble of creating a slave, and without fearing the
interference of those Sailor Senshi.]]

     As Cove played, she carefully scanned the crowd with her eyes and her
magic.  She'd been searching the crowd for some time before beginning to
play, without luck.  Her current efforts were an attempt to draw her quarry
out.  Feeding was merely a pleasant bonus.  [[Show yourself, O mystery. 
If you are what I believe you to be, you cannot resist this.  A park full of
people actually SEEKING to have their emotions played with?  Chance
does not give us such gifts often, and to waste them is the height of
foolishness.  The others would be here, had we not long ago agreed not to
compete.  So where are you?]]

     Cove's attention was diverted from her search by a change in the focus
of the crowd.  The violinist had realized Cove was playing the same piece,
and had matched her efforts.  [[Oho, it seems the young woman is stung
by my jest. You are a regular font of power for me, my dear.  I will have
to remember you for later.]]  Cove channelled some of her power into her
hands and her instrument, and upped the ante.

     So the contest began, with each player matching the other's skill, then
surpassing it.  One by one, all the other musicians at the festival fell silent,
awed by the spectacle as the two played like women possessed.  Save for
flute and violin, the park was silent.  Even the birds would not sing before
such majesty. 

     Then, a voice arose, weak but clear.  It did not interrupt the music, but
joined it.  First as an accent, it rose in power and clarity to become an
equal.  The crowd parted to reveal a girl covered in filth and rags.  To
weak to stand, she knelt in front of the two musicians, eyes closed and
tear-streaked face raised to the sun.  The piece was orchestral, there was
no singing part, yet the girl sang like she'd studied the part all her life. 
She sang of aching loneliness, and pain, and hunger.  She sang of fading
hope, and looming despair.  As she sang, the crowd wept.  

     Then, the music began to rise, and as it did, the girl stood and her voice
rose as well.  As it rose, so did her spirit of her song.  She sang of new
hope found, of compassion and the relief it brings.  She sang of love and
perseverance, and the strength they bring. 

     As the strange girl sang, the two musicians played on.  They played
like they had never played before.  Caught up in the whole of it, they
would not, COULD not stop.  They had become mere accompaniment
to the song, but it didn't matter.  The lifted the singer, gave her strength,
and that made them great.
 
     Too soon, the last notes died away, and the spell ended.  As the roar of
applause erupted, the ragged singer blinked and shook her head, as if
coming out of a trance.  Cove stood, and walked towards her, noting the
violin player seemed to have the same idea.  As she approached, Cove
could see the singer appeared confused and... frightened?  Sure now, Cove
picked up her pace.  She had to reach the girl first.  Then, having
approached unseen by any of them, a handsome blond put his hand on the
dirty girl's shoulder.  The singer's eyes widened.  She began to scream, and
vanished into a rippling doorway of light.

-------------------------------------

     "What the h- !" Haruka futilely looked around for the vanished girl as
Michiru strode up to her.  "Michiru, what's going on?"

     "That must have been one of the Sorceresses the inner Senshi were
talking about."  Michiru seemed to be only half listening.  The aqua-haired
girl was actively scanning the crowd, a task made much more difficult by
the press of admiring fans.

     Haruka forced a path through the mob, and pulled Michiru to a place
with some semblance of privacy.  "It's strange, though.  That wasn't
anything like the incidents the girls have dealt with.  She sure didn't look
like she knew what she was doing."

     "Well there's nothing we can do about it now, she's gone."  Michiru
snapped at Haruka.  "Now help me find that flautist, if you can keep your
tongue in your head while doing it."  She glared at the tall blonde.

     Haruka caught the look, and winced.  "Geez, Michi-chan, I'm sorry.  I-" 
Haruka trailed off, the pain on her face being replaced with a thoughtful
expression.  "Maybe... maybe there were two Sorceresses here today."

     "What are you babbling about?"

     "That flute player went way out of her way to get right up everyone's
nose.  She blew in here out of nowhere, and deliberately set about proving
she was the most beautiful, richest, most talented person in the place.  She
was playing the crowd better than she played that flute."
 
     "Are you telling me that I'm too stupid to see when someone is
manipulating me?"

     "Oh come on, Michiru, take a hard look at yourself.  If we could see
jealousy, right now you'd be greener than your hair."

     The two women locked gazes for long moments.  Then Michiru
relented.  "Okay, I admit it.  I let her push all my buttons.  That doesn't
make her a Sorceress, though."  She left what it did make the flautist
unsaid.

     "Neither does the other evidence, but all together it's sure worth being
suspicious about."

     "What other evidence?"  Her ire waning, Michiru's mind was slipping
into the familiar patterns of a warrior.
 
     "Other than our dirty diva, do you know any musicians who don't like
honest applause and recognition?"  Haruka raised an eyebrow at her
companion.
 
     "What are you getting at?"
 
     "The moment after the singer disappeared, I looked around, and the
flute player was just as gone."

-------------------------------------

     With a flash, Cove appeared in the floating temple.  She sat heavily in
the northern chair, and rubbed her temples for a moment.  She leant back
and took a few deep breaths to relax herself.  Then she made an arcane
pass with one hand over the table, and waited.  One by one, her three
allies appeared and took their places around the table.

     Terra graced Cove with a cruel smile.  "Your fear is a rare vintage
indeed.  I cannot remember when last I tasted of it.  Please, tell us what
brings the wise and powerful eater of jealousy to tremors.  I'm sure it
concerns us all."

     Ranka crossed her booted feet on the table.  "You found the answer to
our riddle?  Or does this concern those cursed Sailor Senshi?"
 
     Cove, composed, ignored Terra's goading.  "Yes, I found the answer,
and yes, there is a fifth of us.  HOWEVER-" Cove interrupted the other's
questions.  "However, she doesn't know anything about us, or what we are. 
I don't even think she knows what she is herself."
 
     "So she is malleable."  Avaria pondered this news with a gleam in her
eye.  "We can shape her as we choose."  

     Terra and Ranka smiled along with Avaria at this thought.

     Cove nodded, but continued in a serious tone.  "Yes, we can shape her,
but only if we get to her first.  She fed today, from more than one source. 
She obviously wasn't doing it on purpose, wasn't seeking a specific
emotion.  If we can find her, we can teach her to feed from a source
agreeable to us.  From there, we can begin to bring her into our council."
 
     Terra stood up.  "The alternative is that the Senshi find her and mold
her in their own way, an event which MUST not occur.  We must find her
first, but we also must keep her.  The first contact is the most important. 
We must draw her near enough that her fear and confusion holds her more
closely, instead of driving her off."
 
     Ranka also stood.  "We've also got to have the time to do it.  Terra and
I will do what we can to delay and divert the Senshi.  If we can, we'll also
try and alienate this newcomer and the Senshi from each other."
 
     Cove nodded.  "Good.  Avaria and I will do all in our power to find and
try to communicate with this new one."
 
     Avaria looked at the fifth castle, floating ominously close to her own. 
"We must succeed.  If the Senshi turn her, she may be the end of us."

-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------

Well, that's chapter two in the bag.  This thing is turning into more of an
epic project than I had imagined.  Yet,  I persevered.  My drive came from
two sources.  Firstly, several people have told me they really enjoyed
reading what I had already written, and were looking forward to more. 
Since on of these people wasn't really a Sailor Moon fan, I took her
comment as a complement on the quality of my writing
(watch me dislocate my shoulder patting myself on the back).  Secondly,
I've developed a fondness for the characters I have created, and wish to
use them to hone my skills at writing.  Who knows, one of these days I
may publish something (hah!).

Anyone still waiting for a Prequel to introduce the Sorceresses is going to
be old and grey when they recieve it, if ever.  I'm having enough trouble
getting THIS fic done.

On the subject of the Sorceresses, Cove is turning out to be an audience
favourite (mine, too), but I still take evil pleasure in having a villain
named Terra.

    


-- Listar MIME Decryption --------------

This Fanfiction is, in fact, a work of fiction.  Any resemblance of the 
characters to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.  People who 
insist otherwise need help.  The Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen are all 
copyright of Toei Animation and Takeuchi Naoko, as if you didn't know that.  
This fic is considered PG-13 by its Author due to violence, mild horror 
and potentially offensive language.  If you can't handle Buffy the 
Vampire Slayer, don't read on.

Shades of the Soul - By Gaunt

Chapter Three.
-------------------------------------

     A rumpled heap lay in the middle of an empty, stone-flagged room. 
Long moments passed as a haunting wind blew through an open window
arch and echoed around the room.  The heap stirred, and revealed itself to
be a dirty, unkempt young woman.  The girl struggled to her knees, then to
a sitting position.

     "What the heck is going ON."  The girl held her head as a rush of
memories from the last few days hit her with a wave of vertigo.  She'd just
been at some kind of music festival.  That memory was clear.  She had
sung along with a violin and a flute.  She had hoped that someone in the
audience would help her, because she was so hungry she thought she'd die. 
So she had sung hoping to get their attention.  A lot of people had
crowded around to listen and... and now she wasn't hungry anymore.  The
girl put her hands to her stomach and was amazed to realize that not only
was she full, she actually felt bloated and nauseous from eating so much
garbage.  Distasteful memories of the dumpster where she had slept
welled up.  The dampness, the darkness, the stench, the erratic hidden
movements and noises of the things that lived in the alley, all these came
back to her, and she trembled.  The dumpster was where she'd taken
shelter in the night, and where she'd been driven by merciless hunger to
eat garbage.  She'd eventually collapsed with exhaustion and slept there,
after aimlessly walking the streets for hours.  She'd been trying to find
her way back to... she didn't remember.

     Thoughts previously overwhelmed by insistent hunger, now sated, erupted
in her mind.  She didn't remember where she was from.  She didn't even
remember who she WAS.  Overcome with fear and confusion, the girl wept.

-------------------------------------

     Ami paced through a green, forested park, periodically poking at her
Mercury computer.  Rei was walking a similar path, but stopped
periodically to close her eyes and concentrate.  The cats and the other
inner Senshi sat on benches nearby, watching their friends.  Eventually
Ami stopped, frowning at the display on her computer.

     "I'm only getting vague readings, but I don't like what I see."  The
short-haired girl played with her data for a few more moments.  "If Haruka
was right, and there were two sorceresses here, we may have a big
problem."

     "What KIND of big problem?" Usagi asked, a small tremor in her
voice.

     "The power each sorceress uses has a specific waveform signature, and
I've recorded a lot of samples of these waveforms from when we've fought
them before.  Essentially, I can tell them apart by their magic."  After
checking to see if everyone understood this explanation, she went on. 
"The problem is that while I'm picking up the remains of two power
waveforms, I only recognise one of them.  It matches the jealousy
sorceress, which fits with Michiru and Haruka's report.  The second
signature I have no samples of at all.  It's new."
 
     The girls' and the cats' eyes grew very large.  

     "There's five of them now?"  Usagi twitched once, and fell over in a
dead faint.

     As Luna attempted to rouse their fearless leader, Rei walked over to
the discussion.  "Well I don't know WHAT to make of the impressions I'm
getting.  If there were two sorceresses here, and they were both `feeding',
there should be two strong emotional impressions.  Only there isn't. 
There's only one strong impression, and it's jealousy, which we already
knew about."  The young spiritualist leaned, dejected, against a tree.
 
     Usagi, now roused, climbed gingerly down from a decorative wall,
keeping an eye on Luna's sharp claws.  "I'm awake now Luna, okay? 
Really.  Stop looking at me like that."  Taking a position of relative 
safety with Makoto between herself and Luna, Usagi addressed Rei.  "So 
maybe only the jealousy girl was feeding.  Maybe the other one had been
snacking before."

     Minako shook her head.  "As much as I'd like to believe that
explanation, I don't think so Usagi.  From what we've seen before, these
women like their privacy, and only team up when there's a bigger plan
going on.  Plus, if any of the others had been feeding before, we'd have
heard about it.  None of them but jealousy seems to know what the word
subtlety means.  What do you thinARTEMIS!"

     Minako's shout drew the Senshi's eyes to the white cat, who was 
sitting rigid, his fur standing on end and his tail straight up in the 
air.  "R-Rei.  Are there any unusual emotion impressions at the point 
where Haruka told us the singer was?"
 

     The brunette walked over to the spot and concentrated.  "Umm, yes
actually.  Nothing as strong as the wave of jealousy, but there are a 
couple of unusually strong echoes."  Her brow furrowed.  "Only they're
all different.  There's jealousy, of course, but there's also disgust,
pity, awe, a little fear and even love.  There are many traces.  Why 
do you ask?"  Rei opened her eyes.

     Minako, attempting to brush Artemis back to some semblance of
normalcy, paused and looked him in the eye.  "No way Artemis, you can't
be thinking what I think you're thinking."

     "I'm afraid so." The white cat looked grim.

     Usagi, eyes wide, whipped her head back and forth to look between
Artemis, Minako and the rest of the group.  "What, what?  Why am I
always the last one to be told anything?"

     Minako looked at the blonde.  "We seem to have a sorceress who's
power signature we don't have a record of, who doesn't seem to have
chosen a particular emotion to feed off of, and according to Haruka and
Michiru's report, didn't recognise Jealousy and didn't seem to know she
was using magic."
 
     "A new sorceress."  Makoto cracked her knuckles.  "A new enemy."

     "Let's hope she's not a new enemy."  Ami spoke up.  "She hasn't 
hurt anyone yet, and she doesn't seem to be allied with the others.  
Still, if she IS a new sorceress, she might be the answer to our other
mystery.  She may be the result of that strange energy discharge that 
interacted oddly with Setsuna's powers at the temple the other day."

     Usagi put a hand to her mouth.  "But that would mean... that would
mean we... created her."

-------------------------------------

     The setting sun had painted the stones of the room in shades of 
fire by the time the mysterious girl had gathered herself enough to 
stop crying.  With a haggard gaze, she surveyed her surroundings.  The
room was of moderate size, and perfectly round.  The walls and floor 
seemed to be made from closely fitted stone, and the ceiling was wooden.
One wall held a large, window-like arched opening, and there was a 
stairwell descending opposite it.  [[Where am I?  What is this place?]]
The girl thought to herself.

     The girl stood, and walked to the window to see if that would 
reveal anything.  Abruptly, she grabbed the windowsill with white-
knuckled tension.  As clouds drifted past a hundred feet below it,
the window had revealed exactly where she was.  The window looked out
over empty sky.  Even gripped by shock as she was, the girl couldn't 
help but be awed by the view.  The setting sun burned the sky with 
colour, and the city below shone as if cast from pure gold.  In front
of her, impossibly, four stone castles and a pillared temple floated,
majestically.  The fortresses plied the skies like mighty ships in 
calm seas, clouds cresting and breaking against their walls.  Soon,
realization dawned to the girl that she herself was looking out the
highest tower window of just such a fantastic castle.

     More stable now, the girl put a hand to her thudding heart.  
"That's just... just ridiculous.  Why doesn't anybody see this place?
 For that matter, what IS this place, and how did I get here?"

     [[Detection Ward is operating fully.  You are in the observation 
room at the top of the North Tower of your castle.  Your castle is 
currently above the place known as Tokyo, Japan on the planet Earth.
The planet is in a star system within the constellation Yassailia's Crown.
You Gated yourself here.]]  The voice came from nowhere, cold and flat.  
It was in the girl's head, but it wasn't her thought.

     She spun around, but there was no one there.  "Who are you, where 
are you?"  The girl moved away from the window, trying to keep an eye on
it and the stairwell at the same time.  "What do you want from me?"

     [[First question cannot be answered.  I am in the Throne Room.  
Third question cannot be answered.]]

     Faced with this cryptic response, the girl stood silent and still.  
When no further comments were forthcoming, she tried again.  "Do you 
mean me harm?"

     [[I cannot do you harm.]]  There was still no inflection in the
disembodied voice.  

     The girl realized that this voice, whatever it was, was only 
answering direct questions.  Biting her lip, she screwed up her courage.
Putting on the bravest face she could, she mostly kept the fear out of 
her voice.  "I want to meet you."

     There was no response.  

     After several minutes of breathless waiting, she almost smacked
herself when she realized her error.  "How do I get to where you are, to
the Throne room?"

     [[Follow.]]  Immediately, the girl felt a strange sensation.  It 
wasn't so much an actual pull as a feeling of direction.  She just knew,
suddenly, which way to go.  Trembling slightly, she followed the 
impression through the empty, echoing stone halls of the castle.  Finally,
a doorway opened up into a huge, yawning space.  The girl moved slowly, 
overcome with awe at the massive, domed ceiling, and the sheer size of 
the space enclosed by the stone walls.  Eventually, her eyes were drawn
to the only other thing in the hall.  In the exact center of the room, 
floating in space, was a two-foot long, featureless grey rod.

     She paced out the perimeter of the room, looking into every shadowed
alcove.  She found no one.  "Where are you?  You said you were in this
room."

     [[I am here.]]  It was the rod.  The ROD was speaking to her in her
mind.

     "What... what are you?"  She tentatively reached forward, and 
touched the rod lightly with one hand.  Immediately she felt a rush
of strength.  Information flooded her mind.  She suddenly knew what
magic was making the castle float, and all of the things which protected
it from detection, attack and intrusion.  She knew with complete certainty
that she could change, strengthen or weaken any of those magics at any 
time she chose.  It was incredible, and it was only a fraction of the 
potential.  She realized she could do almost anything she wanted, almost
anything at all.

     [[I am your wand, Sorceress.]]  The voice was still without emotion,
but it seemed less frightening now.  It was really more... subservient.

     She held the rod lightly and turned it from side to side, watching
the light play along its smooth surface.  The girl's eyes widened with 
wonder.  This thing was not some mysterious force to be feared, it was 
just a tool.  HER tool, she knew with complete certainty, hers and no 
one else's.  Her fear left her as more knowledge came to her.  She had
feared the castle when it was a mystery, but it was a mystery no more.
She intimately knew every passage, every room, every nook, cranny, door,
shelf, tower, everything.  The castle held no secrets from her, and she 
felt safe there.  Castles exist to protect those who belong within their
walls, and somehow the girl knew she belonged here in this castle, in 
this room, more than anywhere else in the world.

-------------------------------------

     At a granite table in an impossible, flying temple two women 
worked, one with platinum hair, one with gold.  Cove and Avaria 
poured over tables and charts in their quest to reach the mysterious
fifth sorceress.  Not only were they attempting to divine her location,
but they also sought a way to breach the wards on her castle, at 
least enough to send a message through.

     Cove ran a tired hand through her shining tresses.  "This 
divination is getting us nowhere.  We simply don't know enough about
her to read the charts right, and we can't learn anything about her 
until she's found."

     "You must have job experience to be hired for this job."  At 
Cove's raised eyebrow, Avaria explained.  "It's a similar paradox 
the locals inflict on themselves when chasing wealth.  I discovered a
lot of things like that while studying them.  Makes me wonder why we 
haven't subjugated them completely yet."

     Cove smiled.  "They are a most bizarre people, true.  Now, to 
the business at hand.  Have you made any progress against her wards?"

     Avaria shook her head.  "No, and I don't think I'm going to.  
I've tried every trick in the book, and even made up some new ones.  
They didn't even wiggle.  I think her entire power is tied up in those
wards right now, and unless she diverts some of it, they're staying 
right where they HELLO."  Avaria leapt half out of her chair to look 
at the castle in question.

     "Success?" Cove also turned to look.

     "It wasn't me.  I've been monitoring the wards all along, but 
I wasn't doing anything right then.  There was just a big flux in every
ward on that rock, and even in the levitation spells.  It was like 
somebody was playing with them."  Avaria didn't like surprises, but 
this was the first response of any kind from the new castle.

     "So our mysterious woman has found herself a new toy."  Cove put 
a hand to her mouth thoughtfully.  "If she's realized her power, it's 
become even more crucial for us to bring her to our way.  Avaria, 
resume trying to communicate.  If she's in the castle and touching 
her power, maybe she'll answer this time."

     "It might be too many shocks too fast for her."  Avaria cautioned 
while beginning a message spell. "Metal-haired, magic-wielding women 
in a floating temple aren't too reassuring.  Can you think of something
that will make this easier for her?"

     Cove paced for a moment, then smiled.  "Send the first message 
sound only."  With a wave of her hand, a golden flute appeared.  "In 
her current state of undoubtable confusion, even a small familiarity 
will be an anchor she will cling to.  Once we have her attention, we 
can answer her no doubt numerous questions."

     "Feeding her our truth in the process.  Very slick, Cove.  You 
keep her busy, and tell her what she needs to know.  I'm going to 
contact the others and tell them this is a good time to cast the 
Senshi in an unfavourable light."  Avaria grinned and rubbed her 
hands together.  "If we play this right, we can make the whole 
population of this sorry world look bad, and crush out any budding
sympathy our neonate may have for them."

     "I hadn't thought of that, but it's an excellent idea."  A 
wide smile came to Cove's face.  "If this new one works as well with
the rest of us as we work with each other, this world is ours.  Now, 
I think we should stop talking about it and begin."  With that, Cove 
put the flute to her lips and began the same piece she'd played in the
park earlier that day.

     Avaria made a gesture with her wand.  "Sending.  Now all you do 
is wait.  I've set it up so you can send your image whenever you want.
I'm going back to my castle to contact the others now."  With that, 
Avaria bowed and gated herself away.

     Cove continued to play her flute, enjoying the pure tones.  
It was a great blessing that something that gave her so much pleasure
was also so useful to her.  Several minutes passed, and then a 
tentative signal came through the link.

     "H-Hello?"  It was a soft voice, but Cove recognised it 
immediately.

     Cove took the flute from her lips.  "Hello.  I'm very glad to 
finally hear from you.  I was very impressed by your singing at the
park.  You have a beautiful voice."

     "You're the flute player?  How are you calling me?"  The girl's
voice was filled with confusion.  Cove smiled invisibly.

     "Yes, I am the flute player.  My name is Cove, and I can call 
you because I have a castle like yours."  Cove then interrupted the
other girl before she could reply.  "This is awkward, only hearing 
each other.  Would you accept a visual image?"

     There was a long pause.  "I... I guess so.  How do I... oh, 
right."  With a shimmer, an image appeared, floating in the air 
above the temple's stone table.

     The girl was dirty, dressed in rags, and her hair was a wild 
nest of tangles.  In contrast, her eyes were bright and clear, her
posture straight, and her face composed.  Only an occasional nervous
twitch betrayed her insecurity.

     [[Power suits you, girl.]] Cove thought to herself.  [[Already 
you shed the trembling babe you were this morning.]]

     On seeing Cove, the girl startled, but composed herself.  "You 
look so... different than you did in the park."  She seemed to look 
over Cove's shoulder.  "Where are you?"

     Cove affected to look sad.  "This style is my preference, and 
the fashion among my friends.  However, when going about among 
common people, I must adapt to local custom, or risk attracting 
scorn and ridicule."  Cove took a few steps away from the image and
gestured at the temple surrounding her.  "As for where I am, you've
probably seen it from the windows of your castle.  This temple is a
common meeting place for we of the castles.  It is a neutral place
where we meet to share each other's company and to work on common 
projects.  You are welcome here."

     The girl bit her lip thoughtfully, and looked around herself 
before addressing Cove again.  "I keep hearing that this is my 
castle, but I don't understand.  Frankly, I don't understand any
of this."

     Cove nodded, and searched for words.  [[I must be careful.  
A wrong word here may ruin everything.]]  The Sorceress of jealousy
gave the girl her most reassuring smile.  "Each of the castles you've
seen is owned and ruled by one of my friends or I.  They are both our
homes and the seat of our power, as the wands are both the symbol of 
our station and the focus of that power.  Each of us has a castle 
and a wand.  It is the way it has always been."  Cove paused to 
let the girl draw her own conclusions.

     The fifth Sorceress stood gazing at the grey rod in her hand, 
an unreadable look on her face.  Finally, she spoke.  "Why?  Why 
do I have this... power?  What am I?  What are... we?"

     Cove smiled broadly.  "I will be happy to tell you everything 
you need to know.  We are Sorceresses, women who wield great 
magical power.  While we are long lived, and our powers grant us 
many benefits, until recently, there have only been four of us, and 
we have been lonely.  Your sudden appearance has brought us joy."

     The girl looked at her own hands, caked with dirt, one 
holding the grey rod.  "Sudden appearance?  How long... how old... 
how?"

     Cove graced the girl with a look of deepest sympathy.  "Less 
than two days ago, warriors from this world interfered with powerful 
magic we were researching.  Great, uncontrolled energies were released, 
and before we had realized what was happening, your castle had 
appeared in our skies.  We inferred your existence from that, and have 
been searching for you ever since."

     "No, that can't be.  These clothes I'm wearing..." The rag-clad 
girl put her hands to her head.  [[How much do I really remember about 
those first few hours?  I could have found these clothes in the 
dumpster.]]  After agonizing for a few moments, she spoke again.  
"I can't be only two days old, I CAN'T."

     Cove nodded.  "Maybe so.  However, that you are one of us is an
undeniable truth."  Catching the girl's uncertain look, Cove smiled
reassuringly.  "A HAPPY truth, as far as the rest of we four are 
concerned.  The world is a vast, empty place, and even with such power
as we possess it is a sad thing to be alone in it.  Please, come here.
The others will be arriving shortly and I'm sure they will be overjoyed
to meet you."

     At that moment, Avaria re-appeared in the temple.  She and Cove
bowed to each other, and Avaria bowed to the new one's image.  "So
you're the new Sorceress.  Pleased to meet you, I'm Avaria." Avaria
waved, her gold bangles jingling against each other.  "It would be 
great to meet you in person.  This temple is the best place to view 
the stars from.  Plus, you've probably not had a chance to really 
furnish or settle into your castle properly, am I right?  Well, until 
you do, there are comfortable chairs here, and nice people to talk 
with."  Avaria smiled warmly.  "I've got some chairs and other stuff 
I'm not using in storage, too.  You can have them, if you don't mind 
hand-me-downs."  

     With a gesture Avaria created an image of the storage room in
question.  Never had the new Sorceress seen such opulence treated so
casually.  Antiques and the latest high-fashion furniture were piled 
on each other with no care or organization.  Gold leaf shone from 
tables and the frames of silver mirrors.  State of the art sound 
systems were buried under silk curtains and satin pillows.  Uncountable 
wealth was strewn about like the makings of a garage sale.  The gold-
haired woman smiled at the newcomer.  "Do you want what I have?"

     The image of the girl staggered backwards.  "I... I'm sorry.  
This is all happening so fast.  Please, I need... I need a short time 
to myself.  Forgive me."

     Cove, smiling a little sadly, bowed.  "Of course.  You can't be 
expected to accept such momentous things casually, as if they occurred 
every day.  Take as much time as you wish.  We have waited an eternity 
for a new one of us, we can wait a bit longer."  

     The girl's image vanished, and Cove turned to Avaria.  "That was 
not your best plan..." Cove trailed off as she recognised a wicked 
twinkle in Avaria's eyes.  "Or am I missing something?"

     "Ranka and Terra asked me to help them with the set up.  They're 
ready to put on a show, but they wanted an appreciative audience.  That
girl is very seriously looking for a bit or normalcy, so she's going 
to head down to the city for some nice, unmiraculous urban grey.  What
she's going to find is the Senshi viciously attacking two sadly 
outmatched Sorceresses."  Avaria watched Cove, smiling, as this 
information sank in.  Then Cove's face split into a wide grin.

     "Please open an illusion window, dear Avaria.  This is going to be
simply too wonderful to miss."

     Avaria, laughing, complied.  "I am having the BEST day."
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------

     Well, further proof that the delays in the writing of this monster 
are due to a lack of interest in writing about the Sailor Senshi, 
especially the Outers.  This chapter, which is mostly about my own 
characters, just flew onto the page.  It's getting out of hand, though.  
I'm getting more cynical, and have considered at least once having the 
Senshi lose.  Not die, just lose.  They ALWAYS win, though sometimes at
terrible cost, and losing might be a refreshing change of pace.  You, 
dear readers, are going to have to wait and see what outcome I finally 
decide on.  Remember though, there are losses and losses.  My four 
magical beauties need mankind alive, which is a step up from most of 
the dark powers the Senshi encounter.  What?  Is the evil writer dropping
realism onto our nice white hats/black hats cartoon world?  Oh, the 
horror.  <laughs>

     Hmm, Terra self-check... yep, still evil glee.  Oh well.

     Another observation from the world of the writer, for all you
prospective would-bes.  A deadline, even an arbitrary one, is 
surprisingly motivational.  I wrote this chapter, and the second half
of its predecessor, in the early part of August, 1998.  I had set the
arbitrary deadline of the 22 - 23 weekend (the date of Anime North, a
local Anime con) to finish writing the second chapter.  I finished it
so far ahead of schedule, I decided to see exactly how much I could 
finish before the con. This chapter is the result of that deadline.  
Odd, as I usually leave things to the last minute.  

     For those of you who have wondered for the last three chapters 
WHY I get such sadistic enjoyment from having a villain named Terra,
I will let you in on the joke.  Most Sailor Moon fanfics involve the
introduction of a new Sailor Senshi (usually a shameless self-insertion
by the author).  And any new Senshi needs a celestial body to be named
after, right?  Often writers of such fanfictions are struck with the 
thought `hey, every planet has a Senshi, except the Earth' (completely
ignoring the fact that Tuxedo Kamen/Prince Endymion is the guardian of
the Earth) and so create a Sailor Earth.  (Other common choices include
Sailor Sun (why would you need a guardian of the Sun?  No one lives 
there.) and Sailors for mythic or fictitious planets.)  In an even 
more horrible lack of creativity, these Sailor Earths are almost 
invariably named Terra in their `normal girl' guises.  There are 
probably a dozen such Terra Senshi on the web, which means the number
created quietly in the privacy of people's homes is probably ten times
that.  To turn the tables and have a villain named Terra, for a
good reason, amuses me.  

     (Yes.  I AM easily amused.)