Sailor Moon: Strategy and Tactics
                                by Ken Arromdee

                                   Chapter 5
                               Nondestined Couple

    The Dark Kingdom had, recently, been pretty good to Tsukino Usagi.  The
main reason for this is that, due to her unceasing efforts that made things
go just a *little* better than they would have otherwise, it wasn't around.

    But all Usagi knew was that once again, there was a lull in the youma
supply.  After the customary week of procrastination, she headed out on a
quest.

                                *   *   *   *   *

    It was actually sort of fun, thought Usagi, to look for new Senshi.  There
was no real danger, unless she wanted to count the chance of mistaken
identity, and she could make cool new friends that way--she really didn't
need to put it off at all.

    The building that the new Senshi candidate lived in, though, seemed a
little intimidating.  It was a condominium, and if it wasn't that case of
mistaken identity, whoever lived there would have to be rich.  Usagi had never
really known anyone rich before.  She wondered if she should have tried
calling first, but the place was close, and it didn't seem necessary to call
when there was nobody else in the area with the name "Ten'oh".

    Usagi entered the elevator, then, and pressed the button for the 11th
floor.  It lit up and the elevator carried her up smoothly.  She exited,
walked to #1127, and knocked.

    The person who answered was wearing a boy's school uniform.  'He' was a lot
taller than her, but seemed about the same age.  'He' had blonde hair and Usagi
thought he was positively handsome.  "Hi!" said the person.  "Can I do anything
for you?"

    Yes, thought Usagi, he could go on a date with her, but he probably
already had a girlfriend.  Stammering a little, she asked him "Hi...  I'm
Tsukino Usagi...  Do you know if Ten'oh Haruka is around?"

    "Sure!"

    "It's really very important", insisted Usagi.

    The person grinned and replied "Can I take a message?"

    "I can't!  I have to talk to Haruka.  Nobody else."

    'He' replied "Oh.  Well, that's okay.  You're speaking to Haruka.  Come
on in!"

    Usagi followed Haruka in, but not entirely believing what 'he' said.
"B-- but you can't be!  You're a...."

    "And you're cute" replied Haruka.

    Usagi beamed, dropping the sentence she was about to complete.  "Really?
Do you think so?  Anyway I'm here on an important quest...  wait a minute...
my cat's acting funny..."  She picked up Luna, removed an imaginary nail from
her foot, and whispered "Is Haruka really a Sailor Senshi?  You can do the
same sensing thing you did before..."

    The cat whispered "I think so" as Usagi put her down on the carpet.

    "So", asked Haruka, "would you like to go out with me?"  Haruka added a
little laughter, as if making it into a joke in case 'his' target thought it
was a little too pushy.

    "I, er...  well, I'll think about it" answered Usagi."

    "Oh, I'm disappointed.  I thought you came here to meet me."

    "No, it's something different.  This may seem like a strange question,
but Haruka, what do you know about the Sailor Senshi?"  She'd have to be
careful in asking, though.  Luna didn't have Haruka's magical pen.  It wasn't
as easy as handing over the pen and asking Haruka to shout 'Crossdresser Power,
Make Up!'.  Usagi would have to hint about it, find out what Haruka knew and if
she had gotten her powers yet....

    "The what?"

    "The courageous girls who go around saving Tokyo from evil!  They wear
sailor-suited uniforms and have awesome powers."

    "Oh" replied Haruka.  "I've heard of them but I don't know a lot about
them."

    "Well, we're..."  Luna tugged at Usagi's skirt; she hastily withdrew the
sentence.  "*I'm* looking for Sailor Uranus and I know she's from around here.
Do you know anything about her?"

    Haruka frowned.  "Are you for real?  There's no such thing as a Sailor
Uranus.  Let me guess, you're really a fan of mine."

    "A fan of yours?  What do you do?"

    The expression of surprise on Usagi's face looked, to Haruka, to be
genuine.  "You're really not?" she answered.  "I'm a race car driver.  You can
look around if you want to, I have some awards from my last few races on the
shelf over there, and they did a short article on me in a magazine recently."

    "Oh, that must be why you can afford a place like this..." said Usagi,
looking over the things.  It seemed this Haruka person really was famous among
some crowds.  But she was at a loss as to how to get Haruka to become a Sailor
Senshi without a transformation device, since Luna didn't have it.

    "So what's this all about?" wondered Haruka.  "You couldn't have come over
here just to ask me about girls in short skirts.  Could you?"

    "You make that sound so etchi, Haruka", said Usagi.  "But yeah, in a way I
did come here to tell you that.  It's a long story, a long, I-can't-tell-you
story."  She wanted to tell, but...  what if the kanji in Haruka's name were
just a coincidence and Haruka wasn't Sailor Uranus?

    "You have an innocent face.  I wouldn't call you etchi.  Maybe I can call
you...  Umm...  How about 'Dumpling Head'?"

    "I don't know about that."

    "So anyway, Dumpling Head, is that it?"

    "Well, yeah.  It's been really nice meeting you.  I probably should
go...."  Usagi wondered if Jehovah's Witnesses felt this way.

    "Okay, see you around.  And one last thing?"

    "Sure...  ask whatever you want...  I barged in here on you, after all."

    "About that date...  I know you have my phone number.  Why don't I get
yours?  Just in case I might want to talk to you some time again, you know.
Or you could call me first."

    "I didn't say 'yes' to the date", replied Usagi, "but I guess it couldn't
hurt."  She fumbled in her pocket for a gum wrapper and, as she was about to
write it down on that, Haruka passed her a real piece of paper.

                                *   *   *   *   *

    The meeting of the five girls that day happened to be a park, which had
been Ami's suggestion.  It really was a nice place, thought Usagi; it was all
very pretty, and the smell of the plants and flowers and the sound of the
animals made it feel much more alive than a city street.

    "It's a nice place", said Rei.

    "A perfect place for a date" replied Usagi.

    "I'm glad you all like it", said Ami.  "I come here to read all the time.
The owner of the land sold it and it's not going to be here any more.  They're
going to put up a big building complex instead."  She pointed to some heavy
construction machinery.  "In just a few days, they'll have torn most of it
up."

    "That sounds like it would be much uglier" said Makoto.  Usagi really
didn't think it would be that bad...  Haruka lived in a big building complex
and that place looked great.  It even had plants around the outside.  She'd
love to live in a big building like that.  Tear down the park, and build a
*big* castle made all of crystal on the spot....

    "Yeah, it would", replied Rei, interrupting Usagi's train of thought.  "So
I'm going to go on a date with Mamoru here before the park gets paved over!"

    Minako, whispering to Usagi discreetly, wondered.  "I thought Rei was
supposed to be this big spiritual person.  She should be worried about what
happens to the birds and animals when the park is gone.  Not about going out
with a guy to the park.  That's for us!"

    "She's like just about everyone else", replied Usagi.  "She likes guys
too.  You know, I was curious about Mamoru myself!  He's pretty handsome, and
he might always end up being Tuxedo Mask.  But on the other hand he's pretty
suspicious.  I don't know if it's good for Rei to go out with him either way."

    "Do you think she could really get him to go out with her?"

    "I don't think so.  She doesn't even know where he lives.  She'd have to
bump into him on the street or something."  Saying that, Usagi began to imagine
that Rei might deliberately do just that.  It would be pretty funny.  But it
couldn't work; could it?

                                *   *   *   *   *

    In the arcade, Usagi and Minako were facing off on the Sailor V fighting
game.  For someone who actually was Sailor V, Minako had been doing badly
enough that Usagi felt she had a fighting chance.  Ami and Makoto were just
hanging around.  Meanwhile, Rei had ignored the machines and was pestering
Motoki for information.  

    "You do?!" exclaimed Rei, easily heard by Usagi over the din of the
arcade.  "I was lucky, then.  You do know Mamoru."  Of course.  What else
would Rei be asking him about?

    "We go to the same college together and he's in a lot of my classes."

    "Really?  I thought that your college was pretty hard to get into.  So
what's he like, Motoki?  I want to know!"

    "Umm..."

    Well, thought Usagi, Rei was pretty serious about this.  Could Rei really
get a date with Mamoru?  "You're looking for Mamoru?" yelled Usagi.  "If
anyone sees him, tell me too, okay?"

                                *   *   *   *   *

    "Look, is that him?  He's cute, anyway!" said Makoto, looking out the door
of the arcade.

    Usagi broke her concentration on the game to ask Makoto "What does the
guy look like?"  Her lapse was rewarded with damage when Sailor V's kick
connected.  But who would really care about losing some color on a life bar,
if she was going to find out more information about Mamoru in the process?

    "He's blonde...  taller than me, wearing a Mugen Gakuen uniform...."

    "Oh.  That's not Mamoru.  Mako-chan, you made me get hurt in the game!
Mamoru's got dark hair, he cuts it short...  And he goes to Motoki's college."

    "Come on", said Makoto.  "So what if that's not Mamoru.  Maybe we could
still meet him."

    Usagi thought.  Briefly, and then she let her character lie motionless to
look at the new potential catch.  Fortunately, Minako, the blonde on the
other side of the game, had done the same.  The teen smiled at Minako, who
nearly glowed, her obvious happiness announcing to the world her pride at
attracting the attention of such a handsome guy.

    Then the teen smiled at Usagi.  Usagi frowned--she *knew* that person.
"Hi Haruka", she said.  "I didn't know that you were into video games."

    "Hi, Usagi.  I come here all the time; you must have just never noticed me
until now.  Oh, I like the racing games.  Do you see all those T-H scores?"
she said, indicating the list being flashed on the screen of one of the
machines.  "Those are mine."

    "But you're a racer.  Isn't playing racing games like going to school all
day and then reading in order to have fun?"  (To her credit, Ami barely
blushed.)

    "I don't race all the time.  I go to school, like the rest of you."

    "So Usagi, who's your, ahem, friend?" wondered Rei.

    "Haruka.  I met Haruka during my search for the you know whats."

    Looking out of the door again, Makoto announced "Someone else is coming!
It has to be Mamoru."

    Rei appeared torn between staying near Haruka or seeing if that was really
Mamoru out there.  There were lots of guys with short black hair, after all.
What was the chance that Makoto really...?  And then Rei saw and ran out of
the game center.  It was him, of course.

                                *   *   *   *   *

    Rei had wanted so badly to meet Mamoru.  Just accidentally happen to run
into him, apologize profusely, say hello...  get to know each other, go out to
dinner and kiss....  The thoughts of what she could do with Mamoru occupied
her head....

    At least until the pole she walked into threatened to occupy the same space
as her head first.  *WHAM*.

    It hurt...  it didn't just hurt Rei's head, but it hurt that she looked
like an idiot in front of Mamoru.  What would he think of her now?

    "Are you okay?" asked Mamoru, approaching.  Could it be?  He was walking
towards her.  He liked her, right?

    "I'm...  I'm fine!  It was just an accident.  I wasn't looking where I
was going and I bumped into a tree."  Meanwhile, Rei completely failed to
notice that the arcade door was opening and that Usagi was hovering in the
doorway, listening.

    "Do you mean a pole?" asked Mamoru.

    "Oh, yeah, I meant a pole!  Did you know that I always wanted to meet you,
Mamoru?  I'm Hino Rei."  She bowed.

    "Well, I guess you did want to meet me.  You knew my name."

    "I heard about you from Motoki", explained Rei.  "Do you have a girlfriend?
Why don't we go and have tea together?"

    "Sure" said Mamoru.  Rei thanked whatever kami was watching over her that
day.

    Meanwhile, at the door, Usagi was astonished.  Rei had done everything
wrong.  But somehow Mamoru had thought it was cute, or amusing, or that she
meant well...  Usagi would have to follow them to see what was really
going on.  Such a handsome guy was too dangerous for Rei.  That was it, she
needed to watch them to protect her.

    A minute later, Usagi figured out that she was lying to herself, and she
just wanted to know more about Mamoru and make sure that Rei didn't get too
far.  Of course, it didn't stop her from continuing to sneak around behind the
two.

    A block later, Luna caught up with her.  "What are you doing?" asked the
cat.

    "I'm following Rei and Mamoru.  What does it look like I'm doing?"

    "You're being silly, Usagi.  I thought you were trying to be smart?"

    "I just want to know what they're up to.  Look, they're going into that
dessert shop down the street.  I should turn into a waitress and go follow
them."  She thought a moment.  "No, that wouldn't work.  They'd recognize all
their employees.  Maybe I could just pretend I have a reason to be there."

    "Well", said Luna.  "There's your friend from school on the other side
of the street.  You could say you're on a date with him."

    Usagi looked.  "Umino?"  She strongly suspected Luna was making a joke
But maybe...  "Naaah.  Luna, I have a better idea."  Usagi turned around and
rushed back to the arcade.

                                *   *   *   *   *

    Usagi stepped inside the arcade and positioned herself right next to the
person she was looking for.  "Haruka!" she exclaimed.  "You wanted a date with
me..."  (At that, Minako nearly fainted.)  "Well, since I wanted to go and
watch Rei, and you wanted to go with me somewhere, it would be a perfect
match.  So let's go!"  She reached for Haruka's hand.  (Minako nearly fainted
again.)

    Wait a minute, thought Usagi.  The game wouldn't take more than a minute
anyway.  Why not just let Haruka finish?  Usagi wouldn't want to be
interrupted like that if *she* was playing an arcade game.

    A minute later, Haruka finished the fifth lap in her virtual car and
proudly entered her initials, then grinned at Usagi.  "I knew I could convince
you somehow."

    "So let's go!" said Usagi.  "They're in a dessert shop down the street.  I
don't want to miss anything."

    "Anything you say, Usagi, as long as you don't just spy on your friends and
run away from me when you get the chance."

    "Would I do that?"

    "I don't know, Usagi.  We've barely met.  I hope you won't...  I really do
like you."

                                *   *   *   *   *

    Spotting Rei and Mamoru through the window of the dessert shop, Usagi
pulled on Haruka's arm.  "We'd better go in fast!" she said.  "I don't want
them to see us.  And we need to sit close to the entrance so we don't walk
by them."

    "What a strange date", said Haruka.

    "If you want to make it more normal", said Usagi, "we could have some tea?"
Haruka was rich, after all.  Haruka could afford it.  And...  "And I'd like
some chocolate cake myself."

    They entered the shop and sat down at a table next to Rei and Mamoru's,
the better to listen to them from.  Usagi picked the side closest to Rei's
and paid careful attention to their conversation while Haruka gave the
waitress their order.

    After a minute of this, Haruka cleared her throat and tried to attract
Usagi's attention.  "Dumpling Head?" she asked.

    "What?" replied Usagi.

    "I already ordered and well, I was wondering if you heard what you were
waiting to hear over there."

    "She was telling Mamoru something about her living in a shrine...  But I
already know that."

    "Oh.  I bet that must be different from where you live, Dumpling Head."

    "Yeah, it is!  I have my parents and my brother and we're in...  wait,
stop distracting me.  Please?"

    "We're supposed to be on a date", said Haruka.  "Why shouldn't I and a
sweet girl like you be talking to each other instead of listening to someone
at the next booth?"

    "Well, because...  I guess you're right, Haruka.  It's not fair to you if
I don't do anything but listen.  I live pretty near here and I go to Juuban
Junior High.  I'm in 8th grade, age 14."

    "I'm in 9th grade, age 15."

    "Really?  You looked older than that to me.  Hey, I hear something."
Meanwhile, the waitress brought each person's order over, Haruka only having
ordered tea.

    "What do you hear, Dumpling Head?"

    "It's Rei and Mamoru.  We got to telling each other our ages before they
did...  I can't believe he's 20.  I guess he likes younger girls!  And that
means I..."   Usagi looked at Haruka, sitting right across from her.  Haruka
looked so earnest, like someone who really did want to be with Usagi.  It
would disappoint Haruka pretty badly to say "I still have a chance with
someone else."  Not to mention that it would make Usagi look like a fool,
and a little of that goes a long way.

    "You what?"

    "Oh.  I, er... It's nothing.  Anyway, you must already be studying for
your entrance exams...  it must be a lot of work, with a career and all that."

    "It's not that hard.  I don't have entrance exams--Mugen Gakuen has a
high school too, so everyone can just move up into it.  And while I do
win some money from races, it's more of a hobby than a job.  I wouldn't
call that a career."

    "But it's still sort of like a job, and you like it.  With me...  there's
something I have to do.  It hasn't taken up too much time yet, and Natsuna
even pays me, and sometimes it's fun, but if I could just pick a job, I'm not
sure I'd take it."

    "Dumpling Head?  What is it?"
    
    "Oh, I'm sorry, it's nothing I should bother you with, Haruka."  After an
uncomfortable silence, she stuffed a piece of chocolate cake in her mouth and
ate it, then tried to change the subject.  "Say, Haruka, can you hear Rei and
Mamoru saying anything?"

    "Maybe if I tried.  Dumpling Head, you do talk about whatever this problem
is with your friends, right?"

    "Sure I do."

    Haruka grinned.  "That's good then.  It's not good to keep a burden all to
yourself.  Let's talk about something different.  What *do* you hear them
saying?"

    Good, thought Usagi, Haruka wouldn't try to press the issue.  "Hmm...
Oh, she's trying to convince him that maybe they knew each other in a previous
lifetime."

    "That's silly."

    "Well, she's a priestess.  She thinks about that stuff more than us!  It
would be sort of cool...  suppose we did know each other in another lifetime?
Me and Mamoru.  Even me and you.  Let's say you were Prince Uranus and I was
engaged to marry you."

    "I don't think I'd ever be a Prince Uranus, Dumpling Head."

    "You don't like the idea?"

    "There's just something about being a prince that's not right for me.
Besides... what if you were someone's enemy in the past.  You shouldn't be
forced to feel that you hate them just because of that.  Or what if you were
engaged to two different people in two diffferent lifetimes, or if in a past
life you were engaged to your brother...."

    "But it would be so romantic!  If it worked out right, anyway, I mean, I
don't want to marry my brother.  I wonder if it would work out."

                                *   *   *   *   *

    At a lull in the conversation, Usagi listened again.  Rei and Mamoru
were talking about the park this time...  which was pretty much expected.
"I think we'd better go so we can watch them in the park", said Usagi.  "We
have to leave first; if they pass us they'll figure it all out."

    "You're still going to do that?"

    "Sure!  You knew I was going to do that, anyway."

    "Welll, all right.  I hope I wasn't bad company", said Haruka, slightly
smiling with that remark as she counted out enough money to pay for both her
and Usagi's repast.

    Usagi watched.  Well, that made it a date...  sort of, anyway.  She felt
bad about using Haruka like this, but at least they were having some fun
together even aside from the whole spy thing.

                                *   *   *   *   *

    The park was really not that far away; just a couple of blocks.  Usagi and
Haruka talked more on the way.  Once they arrived, however, Usagi warned Haruka
to lower her voice and be careful of noise, while tugging on her hand to
maneuver her behind a clump of bushes.

    "Here they come", said Usagi quietly.  "I just hope no monster decides to
barge in and mess everything up."

    "Monster?"  Haruka was now quite amused.  "You're sounding like a little
girl, after all."

    "Little?  I'm only six months younger than you...  anyway, Haruka, we'd
better keep our voices down."

    "It's you who wants to spy.  Maybe I should go home..."  She uncrouched
and prepared to get up.

    "No!" spoke Usagi, forgetting to keep quiet.  Then realizing that, she
lowered her voice again and tried to get Haruka back into hiding.  "If you
go out there, that very spot is right where Rei and Mamoru will be coming
along...."

    "Hi Usagi!" said Rei, standing in the exact spot Usagi had referred to.
Usagi's startled jump took her far enough into the air that Haruka had to
catch her when she fell down.  "Are you here on a date?" asked Rei.  "Your
boyfriend's nothing compared to Mamoru.  You're not watching us, I hope?"

    "Uh...  hee...  I'm not watching you.  We're not watching you, really!
Not at all!" replied Usagi.

    "How could we be watching you?" asked Haruka.  "We were just going to see
a movie.  Come on, Usagi, let's go!"

    "But wait!  We can't just..."

    "Oh, have fun!" said Rei.  "Now, Mamo-chan, why don't you show me around
this park before they tear it down.  It'll be nice and *private*."  She
emphasized the word.

    "But I don't know anything about---"

    "Yeah!" said Usagi.  "He doesn't."

    "Come on", said Haruka.  She grabbed Usagi's hand and ran away, dragging
her along.  "We don't want to miss the showing, do we?"

                                *   *   *   *   *

    Usagi looked around, to be sure that Rei and Mamoru weren't anywhere
nearby, and then slipped her hand away from Haruka's.  They both stopped,
"I don't know about this", said Usagi, panting a bit from the exertion.

    "Dumpling...  Usagi" asked Haruka.  "Is something wrong?  I was going to
take you to see the Ranma 1/2 movie.  It's for everyone...  either girls or
guys.  Or maybe we could see something live-action instead."

    "I....  I just don't know.  Haruka, you knew I wanted to come along so I
could see what Rei was up to with Mamoru..."

    "Yeah, but I was hoping we could make it a little more than that, Usagi.
Not just a trick to play on one of your friends."

    "Haruka, I really do want to be friends with you.  But I'm not sure I want
to find out what my parents would think if they knew I was dating a girl, and
I'm not sure I'm into that sort of thing anyway...."

    "You knew!" said Haruka.

    "Of course I knew, Haruka.  I may be late for school sometimes but I've
always managed to get things right when they really matter.  So it's fair."

    "Fair?"

    "Haruka, I used this date as an excuse to spy on Rei.  And you used it as
an excuse to go on a date with a girl.  How many other times have you flirted
with a girl knowing that that the way they saw you wasn't the way you really
were?  How many of them did you go out with when she said 'aww, he's cute'?
If I'm playing tricks on people, so are you.  At least I told you."

    "It really isn't much more than a joke, Usagi.  One date is about as much
as I can do like this.  It would be silly to have a steady girlfriend who
didn't know what sex I was."

    "And you'd never be able to get her in bed", said Usagi.

    "Oh, you do think about such things?"

    "Haruka, I may be stupid, but I'm not dumb."  Wait, thought Usagi, that
didn't come out right.  "Look at you.  You're all suave and mature and you
even look older...  I wouldn't be surprised if you did go all the way."

    "I'm only six months older than you, Usagi, remember?"

    "But it seems like so much more than that.  I wish I could be like you."

    "Don't think so little of yourself, Usagi.  From what I know of you I
think you have the potential to be a very mature girl.  And I don't mean that
as a pickup line.  Why don't we go see the movie anyway?  I'm sure you'll
enjoy it and hey, if you want to be like me, we can see the same movie."

    "Well..."  What else would Usagi be doing?  Not much that she hadn't done
a zillion times before.  "All right!  But you have to promise me one thing,
Haruka..."

    "Yes, Dumping Head?"

    "You have to act like a perfect gentleman!"

                                *   *   *   *   *

    "Well, goodnight, Haruka.  Take care.  It was fun... and you did pick a
nice movie.  It wasn't very different from going with a guy, really."

    "I'll see you around.  Look, if you ever want to get together so we can
talk about that Sailor Senshi stuff, I'll be glad to visit."

    Hmm... Haruka remembered that?  "Oh, really?"

    "Yes, you were going to talk about it, and you stopped, but it felt like
there was something you meant to say, but you didn't.  You were about to do
that again at the tea shop."

    Maybe it was time to tell her all the details.  Haruka was clearly a good
person.  Now that Usagi had gone on a date with her, she knew it.  "Well,
Haruka, it goes like this", she said.  "I think that...."

    Suddenly a woman around Mamoru's age crashed into Haruka from behind.  A
paper bag she was carrying ripped, spilling vegetables and tofu blocks all
over the sidewalk.  "Excuse *me*?" said Haruka.

    "Oh, I'm so sorry" replied the woman, pushing her long greenish-black hair
back with a hand.  "I really should watch where I'm going.  Are both of you
okay?"

    "Yes, but that's very rude", said Usagi.

    Haruka moved in front of Usagi.  "Let me handle this, Dumpling Head.  You
wanted me to be a perfect gentleman, remember?"

    "Does your girlfriend..." said the woman.

    "I'm not 'Haruka's girlfriend', I'm Usagi."

    "Usagi, I'm very glad I bumped into you, because there's something about
your boyfriend I think you ought to know."

    "Oh, really?  Aside from the fact that you're about to step on a banana?"
The woman looked down at the sidewalk in front of her.  Usagi giggled.  "Just
kidding.  What is it you were going to tell me?  Just whisper it."

    The woman bent over to Usagi's ear, and whispered with faint overtones of
triumph, "Haruka...  is a girl!  She tricked you, crossdressing so she could
go on that date."

    "What?!" exclaimed Usagi.  How did that woman know about that?  Hmm, this
was getting *weird*.  Usagi suddenly got an idea.  Perhaps not the best of
ideas, but she needed to practice getting and using ideas.  She hoped Haruka
would cooperate, though.

    Usagi pulled Haruka aside with the strength of an excited 14 year old,
which easily beats that of a calm 15 year old (even a mature one).  Quickly
whispering, she demanded "Haruka, let me slap you."

    "What?"

    "That woman didn't just bump into us.  She must've been watching us... just
like we were watching Rei and Mamoru!  And she never heard that I know you're
a girl because I said that right after we ran a long distance.  She must have
told me that to keep us apart for some reason.  I'm going to pretend it
worked."

    "Fine.  But please tell me about the other stuff later, okay?"  She winked
at Usagi.  "Don't hurt me too much."

    Usagi began to raise her voice.  "And you know what else?  If I ever see
you try that on any other helpless girls I'll...  I'll put up posters around
your school saying that you're a crossdresser!"  She slapped Haruka.  "And
that's for not being a real guy like Mamoru!"

    Haruka rubbed her face.  Usagi ran away.  Now, she wondered, just how was
she going to explain this to everyone else?

                                *   *   *   *   *

    Luckily for Sailor Pluto, she was able to sense the upcoming time
distortion before it happened.  She knew what it was; soon a cute, annoying,
9 year old child with pink hair would fall out of it.  For time to remain
correct, for everything to happen as it was supposed to happen, the child--
Small Lady--would have to travel from the future to the present.

    But for Small Lady to appear *now*--to appear almost a year before she
was supposed to--would be a total disaster.  Pluto's future self should have
ensured that she was going to arrive in the proper time--what could have
happened?

    The air shimmered above Pluto's head and suddenly it was no longer theory.
The little pink princess fell, yelling, into Pluto's lap.  Pluto caught her
and smiled at her--the girl must be terribly frightened by the Dark Kingdom
invasion, and there was no need to let her know that anything else was wrong.
Just help her get where she was supposed to be.

    Small Lady looked up.  "Puu!  It's you!  I was so scared...."

    Pluto hugged her.  "Don't worry, it'll be all right now.  You need to go
find Sailor Moon and the Crystal, right?"

    "Uh-huh..."

    "Well, I'll send you right to her!"

    "The Silver Crystal will help me and I need to get her these papers!"
Small Lady waved around several rolled-up sheets, that seemed to have
Serenity's mark on them.  Her little hands were clenched tightly around them
as if they were the most important thing in the world.  What was going on?
Pluto had foreseen the exact moment when Small Lady was to appear.  She didn't
have any papers.

    Pluto took the papers.  "Don't worry", she said.  "I'll see that this gets
to Usagi, all right?"

    The little girl nodded and gave up the papers.  Sailor Pluto waved her
staff and the orb on the end of it glowed.  Small Lady vanished.

    A moment later, Pluto vanished too.  She reappeared at the Time Gate, and
opened up the papers that Small Lady had found so important.  She would get them
to Usagi in a year, but first, she would read them...  perhaps they held some
clue as to why things had been going wrong.  The Dark Kingdom was gone.  Usagi
was on a date with Haruka.  Small Lady had appeared in the wrong time period.
If things became too different from what they were supposed to be, the future
would become completely unknown.  Neo-Queen Serenity's future kingdom was a
place of goodness, of happiness... and Pluto had her own duty as one of the
protectors of that kingdom.  If it were to never happen, who knew what would
replace it instead?

    And as she read the papers, she gasped in horror, knowing that she would
never give *these* papers to Usagi on any date.  What they said was this:

    "To the Usagi of the 20th Century.  I'm Neo-Queen Serenity, ruler of
Crystal Tokyo and the world, in the year 2995.  Your future self.  I'm
printing this out on a computer so that I know all the kanji will be correct--
Your Ami-chan would be really amazed what those machines can do now.  But
anyway....

    "It all started when I, or you, decided to put a bit more effort into
figuring things out.  And it worked.  The Dark Kingdom died without a fuss.
But Pluto warned me that events had to come at their proper times; if I
defeated the villains too fast, I would jeopardize destiny.  So I did what she
asked, and let them have some successes, so that everything was timed right.
I defeated the Black Moon, and Pharaoh 90, and Nehelenia, and redeemed
Galaxia, but not too early.  And then I lost to the ice.

    "Pluto assured me that when it receded, I would have my kingdom of peace
and prosperity, and she proved as good as her word.  It all happened as
promised.  But there were always doubts in the back of my head.  Doubts about
whether this was the right way for the human race to live...  and worse, there
was always that realization that I had refused to save many, many people, for
the sake of preserving the timeline.  If I had to do something like that, it
should be a last resort, not a first.  My beloved Endymion had worries,
too, and when the Black Moon attacked in the 30th Century, killing so many of
my people, we decided that this way would have to end.

    "I know--by having lived through the twentieth century side of it--that
soon I will fall, and that only after the defeat of the Black Moon in the
twentieth century will I be revived.  I also know that Chibi-Usa--Small Lady--
my daughter with Endymion--would escape from the Black Moon attack and make
her way to the past.  So I'm leaving this message for her to take to you,
Usagi.  Read the next pages, and learn of the enemies you haven't faced yet;
learn the truth about them, their methods and their goals, and how to defeat
them.  Learn about your allies, learn the identities of the other Senshi,
and learn how the items of power you need will come to you.

    "With this information, none will die to Wiseman's Black Moon, not even
his fleeing minions.  Stopping Galaxia earlier will save billions of lives on
other worlds.  When the ice comes, you will be fully prepared, and when the
Black Moon attacks in the 30th Century, the kingdom will be safe.  You don't
need to follow Pluto, Usagi.  You don't need to be a pawn of destiny.  My
timeline will fade into nonexistence, but I am you, and you are eternal.

    "And we've made one last change.  Mercury's science could only give
Chibi-Usa a small push, since time is not her realm, but it is enough for
Chibi-Usa to appear a year earlier.  She will learn with you, and when the
Black Moon finally does appear, she will already have her powers and be more
than just a hostage."

    There was a signature and one last sentence before the information--
information that Pluto dared not let Usagi get.  But she didn't understand it.
She mulled over that last phrase as she tore the papers up: "And to you and
the Senshi of the 20th Century: Be excellent to each other."
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