Apologies for reposting some of this material, but it was really more
convenient to do it this way.

Chapters one through four have been seen on my website, though some
revisions have been done here and there. Chapter five is new material that
has not yet been posted anywhere. This is still draft stage, so comments are
very much appreciated. If you ever had the urge to comment on this story,
now would be a good time.



The Eternal Lost Lurker (lurker@lurkerdrome.com) presents...


                       Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon Crystal
                                    Book Two:
                                 City of Crystal




            TOKYO, JAPAN (AP) -- Answers to mysteries which have
            captivated the entire world for three days are finally
            forthcoming.
            The Office of the Prime Minister in Tokyo today released
            an official press statement regarding the Crystal Palace--
            the object which was previously known as the 'Maboroshi no
            Daizuishou'. This official statement reads as follows:

              On the morning of 3 July 2001, the Prime Minister and
              members of the cabinet were approached by a young woman
              identifying herself as "Sailor Venus". Venus invited
              the government officials to attend a private function
              at the crystal structure located in Juuban. This meeting
              has shed new light on many of the bizarre events of the
              past few days.
              While the Prime Minister does not wish to disclose all
              details of the meeting for reasons of national security,
              the government assures the public that there is no threat
              imminent from the "Sailor Senshi" or from their current
              base of operations, which they refer to as the "Crystal
              Palace". The Senshi have assured the cabinet that they
              did not cause the destruction of the Juuban district,
              and until such time as any evidence to the contrary is
              presented, the Prime Minister has stated that he is
              inclined to trust the Senshi.

            Further comments from the Prime Minister's press secretary
            were limited at the time of the press statement; there was
            however mention of a proposal by the Sailor Senshi to aid
            in the relief efforts and reconstruction of the Juuban
            district.
                                      --Associated Press, 4 July 2001



                             <><><><><><><><><><><><><>
                             PART ONE: Independence Day
                             <><><><><><><><><><><><><>


                                    Chapter One


Ami grumbled as she went over the list she'd spent half the night compiling.
"This is going to be a major headache," she mused.

"Whatcha workin' on, Ami?" Makoto asked as she ambled over, setting a cup of
coffee in front of the blue-haired girl, who sipped it carefully.

"Mm..arigatou, Mako-chan," she said. Running a hand through her hair, she
sighed. "I'm trying to figure out how to go about setting up communications
with the outside." She rubbed at her eyes. "It helps that the Prime Minister
is willing to cooperate to an extent...at least, until we start discussing
our plans for reconstruction."

The auburn-haired Senshi sat down. "You think they're gonna hit the ceiling,
don't you?"

Ami snorted. "They're already hitting the ceiling. I danced around it as
much as possible, but..."

"It's not exactly hard to see that we're planning to make our own rulebook
as we go along," Makoto finished.

The other girl drank the remainder of her coffee in one swallow, flinching
slightly at the heat and the bitterness. "The impression I get is that
they're willing to accept it, simply because the Palace is here and they
can't really do anything about it." She gazed into the depths of her empty
cup. "But when we start outlining certain...details," she grimaced, "It's
not going to be pleasant."

Makoto nodded. "So, how about that communications stuff?" she asked, feeling
a topic change was in order.

Ami picked up the thin crystal pad she'd been using, tapping it with a
stylus. "The major problems are going to be connecting to the outside and
convincing the Palace to retrograde some of its resources enough to
interface with modern equipment." She laughed softly. "It's silly, isn't it?
We're sitting in a palace that was built before Rome, and I'm complaining
about having to make it backwards-compatible because the technology is a
thousand years ahead of its time."

Makoto snickered. "So...can you do it?"

"It'll take a while, but I think so," the blue-haired girl replied. "I'm
hardly an engineer, though. I don't even understand half the stuff I've been
working with...all I can do is try."

"I'll be happy to help," a male voice broke into the conversation. The girls
looked up at the smiling white-haired man who had just entered.

"Ohayou, Tomoe-sensei," Ami said.

The professor helped himself to some coffee and sat down. "I hope you don't
mind," he said, "but I've spent most of the night in the libraries and in
the Palace's equivalent of a computer room. I've been studying what makes
this place tick."

Ami nodded. "I assumed as much. That's why I authorized access for you."

"I was wondering how I got into the system so easily," Tomoe chuckled.
"Anyway...it's more complex than anything I've ever seen, even..." He
grimaced, and let that matter go unvoiced. "I think I can figure it out
sooner or later, though."

"I'll be grateful to have your help, sensei," Ami said. "Every time I try to
deal with the Palace, it seems more amused by me than anything else." She
stood, passing the scientist her clipboard and stylus. "Would you mind
working on this problem for me? I have a lot to do today."

Tomoe nodded. "Of course." He paused. "Do you remember what we talked about
the other day?"

The blue-haired Senshi nodded, frowning. "One of the first things I plan on
doing this morning is finding my mother and making sure she's alright.
Wherever Okaa-san is, that's where...*she'll* be."

Makoto blinked. "What're you guys talking about?"

"You probably don't want to know, Mako-chan," Ami said. "You probably don't
want to know." With that, she left the commissary.


          *****


Hotaru yawned as she shuffled out of the bedroom, trying to rub the sleep
from her eyes. "Good morning, Lady Hotaru," Mimas chimed softly.

"Mornin', Mimas," Hotaru said. She glanced around and spotted her suitemate
asleep on the sofa, his cape draped over the back of the couch and his boots
tossed haphazardly aside. "I knew something was missing," she murmured,
sighing. "What was he doing sleeping on the couch all night?"

"Actually, Lord Shingo only returned home an hour and a half ago," the
assistant said. "His Lordship did not wish to disturb you."

The youngest Senshi frowned, crossing over to the sofa. She peered down at
her boyfriend...and gasped. "Shingo-kun! What in the...?"

The young general sported a fair number of bruises and scrapes. Scabbed-over
shallow cuts were visible through rips in his uniform. Without wasting a
moment, Hotaru placed her hands on his chest, channeling her healing
energies. Shingo's wounds slowly began to fade. He mumbled something
unintelligible, then turned over a bit, snoring softly.

With a sigh of relief, Hotaru collapsed beside the sofa, drawing her knees
to her chest. "How'd he get all beat up like that?" she asked.

"His Lordship went down to the training facilities again during the night,"
Mimas replied. "Apparently, so did the Lady Uranus. From what I understand,
they suffered a mutual lack of a sparring partner..."

Hotaru closed her eyes. "I'm going to kill Haruka-papa," she decided. "She
should know better..."

Mimas made a sound which could have been a chuckle. "I have been in contact
with the assistant module in the Lady Uranus' suite," he said. "Apparently,
Lady Uranus is rather regretting her decision to test Lord Shingo's
powers..."


          *****


Michiru fought to hide a smile as she fetched another ice pack for Haruka.
Her partner had returned to their combined suite this morning sporting a
number of minor injuries and a rather foul mood. At first, Michiru had been
deeply concerned...until she'd heard the details of what had happened in the
training room.

Haruka, for her part, was slumped on the sofa, nursing an abused elbow and
grimacing. "I don't get it," she moaned again. "I just don't get it. The
kid's had powers for three days. Three DAYS!"

The aqua-haired Senshi couldn't help herself, and giggled as she handed
Haruka the ice pack. "Well, I did hear Hotaru-chan say that Shingo's been
spending a lot of time downstairs practicing." She sat down beside her lover
and smiled. "And really, it makes sense...Her Majesty *did* use the
Ginzuishou to give him his powers." Michiru kissed Haruka on the cheek
lightly. "Anyway, you should get some rest now. I'm sure Hotaru-chan will
fix your arm up later."

Haruka grumbled. "Remind me *never* to fight someone who has gravity attacks
again." At that, Michiru lost it completely, doubling over with laughter. A
moment later, Haruka joined in despite herself.


          *****


The door to Serenity's chambers opened, admitting her parents. Ikuko
immediately rushed over to the young queen, gathering her up in her arms.
"Usagi-chan..."

Tsukino Kenji walked stiffly and slowly around the perimeter of the suite,
taking in everything. "How are you holding up, sweetheart?" he asked.

Serenity smiled softly. "I'm trying to hold on, Papa," she said. She
motioned to one of the sofas, and the trio sat down.

"Gomen nasai," Ikuko said. "We...we should have been with you sooner,
but..."

"We really weren't even sure how to deal with this," the bespectacled man
said.

The young queen smiled. "It is alright," she replied. "I understand that the
shock of what happened on top of everything else could not have been any
easier on you than it was for anyone else."

Ikuko sobbed. "Still, I feel horrible...a mother should be with her daughter
when...when..."

"It's okay, Mama," Serenity said, hugging the older woman. She looked down.
"I believe it was probably for the best that you waited to see me." At the
confused expressions on her parents' face, she sighed, eyes moistening. "I
do not mean to imply I did not wish to see either of you," she said softly.
"It is simply..."

"I think we understand," Kenji said.

Serenity shook her head. "No, you don't...you couldn't." She swallowed.
"This is the third time I have seen Endymion slain in battle. You are the
best parents I could ask for in this life, but..."

Ikuko gasped in shock. "Thr--three? How...?"

The young queen stood, pacing. "It's not something I like to talk about,"
she said, "but..." There was a chime from the door.

"Osaka Naru wishes to enter," the statue of Sailor Moon standing by the
entrance spoke, startling the elder Tsukinos. At Serenity's nod, the door
opened, and the auburn-haired girl walked in, followed by her fiancee.

"Ohayou, Naru-chan, Umino-kun," Serenity said. "Please, sit...you've arrived
just in time."

The young couple looked at each other in confusion, but took a seat on one
of the other sofas.

"Please forgive my...inattendance recently," the queen said. "I believe you
can understand..."

Naru nodded, swallowing. "I'm sorry I haven't come to see you sooner," she
said.

"So what is it we're just in time for?" Umino asked.

The young queen sighed deeply, moving to sit across from her parents and
friends. "I was about to tell my parents a rather...painful detail that was
omitted the day the Palace appeared."

*Another secret...it never ends,* Naru thought to herself.

"Serenity...you don't have to tell us if you don't want to," Ikuko said. "I
know it's painful for you..."

"No, I need to tell you," the ponytailed woman said, shaking her head. "It's
something I should have told all of you sooner...in private, but definitely
something I shouldn't have held back. I just..." She sighed. "I didn't want
to burden you with uncomfortable details. And," she admitted, "I really
didn't want to talk about it.

"As I said a moment ago," she continued, eyes beginning to glisten with
tears again, "the loss of...of Endymion is especially painful to me, not
just because I lost the man I loved, but..." She looked down. "This is the
third time I've stood by helplessly and watched Endymion die protecting me."

Naru gasped, and Umino stared. "Three times? Sonna..."

"The first time," Serenity continued, "was at the end of the Silver
Millenium, shortly before my mother...Queen Serenity...sacrificed herself to
seal away the Dark Kingdom. Endymion was fighting youma which had invaded
the Moon, and...was slain before my eyes.

"The second time was during this lifetime. I had just learned the identity
of Tuxedo Kamen, when he was mortally wounded by a general of the Dark
Kingdom named Zoicite." Tears ran down her cheeks. "As I knelt over his body
and began to cry, the Ginzuishou..." She cupped the crystal resting on her
chest. "Everyone had been looking for the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou. Tuxedo
Kamen was killed because of it. My tears recreated the crystal and
reawakened my memories...it was then that I learned who I truly was, and who
he was...and he had been taken from me, again."

Ikuko and Naru were weeping, and Kenji and Umino looked solemn. "That's
horrible..." Naru said.

"I...I can't begin to imagine going through something like that,"  Ikuko
said. She rushed across the room, engulfing her daughter in a hug. "How can
fate be so cruel?"


          *****


*Kaorinaito-kun.*

In the emergency aid camps on the outskirts of Juuban, a young woman dressed
in a nurse's uniform clutched her head and grimaced.

*Why are you not looking for pure hearts? Remember our mission.*

Kaori stood, walking over to the small strongbox in the corner of her tent.
After rooting through it a moment, she pulled out a small mirror. She
examined her pale, slightly scarred visage, her bloodshot eyes, and her
tangled, messy hair disdainfully. "God, I look like a wreck, I feel like a
wreck..." She set the mirror aside and ran her hands through her long red
bangs, trying to straighten them somewhat.

*Kaorinaito-kun.*

With a frustrated sigh, she grabbed a bottle of aspirin from the trunk,
swallowing two of the bitter pills dry. "I hope they have some coffee in the
mess tent," she grumbled. "I need to clear my head if I'm going to be able
to help anyone today."

*Why do you help these humans? The humans you so hate? The humans you wish
to destroy? Why do you help them?*

Kaori adjusted her outfit and stalked out of her makeshift quarters, intent
on finding her doctor friend. "I think I'm losing my mind," she muttered to
nobody in particular.

*Kaorinaito-kun...*


          *****


Aino Minako smiled softly as she played with a little girl who had lived
next door to her for several years. "Looks like you win again," she said.

The girl giggled. "I'm glad your mommy and daddy found you Minako-san," she
looked apprehensive. "Do you think my mommy and daddy will find me?"

Minako's smile fell, and she patted the girl on the head encouragingly. "I'm
sure they will, honey," she said. "Listen, why don't you go look for that
silly cat of mine? I wanna talk to my parents for a few minutes."

"Okay!" the girl said brightly, running off. The blonde sighed, and wandered
into her parents' tent.

"I look at that little girl, and I feel so horrible," she said as she hugged
her mother. "And I...I'm just thankful I didn't lose the two of you," she
said.

Her mother smiled sadly, holding her daughter tightly. "Minako-chan..." She
looked into the young woman's eyes. "You've changed so much, dear...I guess
it's just knowing you're a Sailor Senshi now...but..." The woman seemed
uncomfortable.

The blonde sighed wearily. "Mom," she began, "I...it's not just you," she
said softly. "I really am changing...it scares me a little."

"How so?" her father asked, drinking coffee from a styrofoam cup.

A far-away look entered Minako's eyes. "I'm turning into Venus."

Her parents blinked. "Anou...aren't you already...?"

Minako shook her head. "No, I don't just mean the powers and the seirafuku
and..." She trailed off. "I mean, I'm really turning into Venus. Into the
Venus that existed thousands of years ago, and the Venus that exists in the
future." She glanced down at her hands. "It's...it's like part of me is
being replaced by something else...I don't know how to feel about it."

After a long moment, the Senshi's mother took her hands gently.
"Minako-chan," she began, "we love you very much, and you know we're always
here for you." She paused. "As for this change, well..." She glanced at her
husband.

The Aino patriarch coughed nervously. "You've always been a
little...flighty, Minako-chan," he said. "We know you've had a lot of
pressure on you, between the multiple moves and...well, everything else...so
we've done our best to be supportive and hope one day you'd...well..."

"Grow up?" Minako suggested with a wry smile.

"Ah...something like that, yes," her father said, chuckling.

The elder woman rolled her eyes. "We've always been proud of you, dear, and
we knew you'd go on to be very successful someday, no matter what you ended
up doing. But...we always have hoped you'd overcome certain...quirks
eventually." She paused. "When I look at you now, I see my daughter, but I
also see a young woman who has matured...and it makes me even more proud of
you."

The blonde sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes. "Mom...Dad...thanks. For
everything. And...I'm really glad you two are safe." She hugged each of them
in turn. After a moment, she asked, "Are you sure you don't want to...?"

Her father shook his head. "We appreciate the offer, but...I don't think
either of us could get used to it," he said. His wife nodded agreement.

"Besides," she added, "We'd just get in your way...it sounds like you're
quite a busy young woman these days."

Minako smiled. "That's for sure." With a sigh, she looked around. "I promise
we'll see to it that everyone has a place to live again. I hope you'll come
back to live in Juuban when it's restored."

"Of course we will," her father said. "We plan to stick around and do our
part for the reconstruction effort as well."

"Take care of yourselves," Minako said. Glancing around to ensure nobody
outside was watching, she silently transformed in a flash of silver light.
Sailor Venus bowed deeply to her parents. "I'll be in touch." With a final
wave, she vanished.


          *****


Artemis flicked an ear in annoyance as he followed his erstwhile
partner/mate with his eyes. "You wanna knock off the pacing, Luna?"

Luna cast the white cat an annoyed glance, grumbled, and continued to pace.
"I'm just thinking about our memory gaps, and something that's nagging at
me," she said.

"Oh? What's that?" Artemis asked, stretching.

The black cat stopped, facing him. "Do you ever feel...confined? Like
something's missing, but you can't tell what it is?"

Artemis frowned. "Now that you mention it, there is *something*..." He stood
and began to pace, ignoring Luna as she rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, when I
get frustrated over something, I catch myself thinking it'd be easier if I
were..."

"Were what?" Luna asked.

"That's the problem," the white cat shrugged. "I can't remember." He paused.
"I do feel...incomplete, somehow," he added. "It's like there's a muscle I
want to tense, but it's not there..."

Luna nodded. "I think I know what you mean." She sighed. "This is
frustrating. You'd think with Serenity on the throne, we'd get our memories
back. Not to mention the power we lost..."

"Yeah," Artemis said. "You'd think someone was playing a joke on--" He
stopped, blinking. "What did you say?"

"I just said I wish we had back the...power we lost..." Luna trailed off,
eyes widening.

"I think we need to talk to Her Majesty about this," Artemis said solemnly.


          *****


Sailor Mercury silently watched the proceedings at what was once the Juuban
Shopping Center. JSDF troops and a fair number of able-bodied citizens had
been working hard through the morning, having started at sunset the previous
night. Trucks full of cinder blocks, logs, and miscellaneous equipment lined
the area, and every so often a truck would arrive carrying unassembled
portable buildings. A simple yet sturdy building had already been partially
constructed, and crews were striving to complete it as quickly as possible.

"We're confident the meeting hall will be complete in time for the
conference this afternoon," an aide from the Prime Minister's office spoke
up beside her.

Mercury nodded. "How about the barracks for all the residents?"

"Slightly longer," the aide replied. "Reconstruction is our prime focus
right now, so that these people can have homes again as soon as possible.
The people agree that the camps will suffice for the time being."

The Senshi stood watching the crews at work for a long moment. Finally, she
began to walk away. "Please excuse me, I have much to attend to," she said.


As the azure-haired Senshi passed behind a large utility dumpster, she took
on her civilian form, clad in ordinary jeans and a light blue sweater.
Double-checking to make sure she hadn't been seen, Ami picked her way around
the construction site, headed for the medical camp.


          *****


"Alright, it's time to get a proper cast on that leg," the doctor said,
carefully unwrapping the man's splint while a pair of orderlies carried a
box of equipment into the makeshift pavilion.

Mizuno-sensei stifled a yawn as she treated what had to be her hundredth
patient of the morning. She'd worked tirelessly for the past day, trying to
tend to all the serious injuries sustained during the quake, and was now
looking forward to taking a rest break as soon as she took care of a few
more patients.

As she worked, she thought about her daughter...it hadn't been long since
she'd learned the truth, and now she worried whether or not Ami was alright.
Sailor Senshi or not, she'd been at the epicenter of that quake to be
certain.

The doctor also found herself wondering once more about the enigmatic Kaori.
The young woman was certainly recovering rapidly, although there had been a
few moments--not long before the quake that levelled Juuban, for that
matter--when Kaori had seemed ill at ease. She still hadn't remembered much
about herself, but Mizuno-sensei had noticed a haunted look in the redhead's
eyes...

"There, all done," she said some time later. "Now, you just rest here for a
while, alright?"

The man nodded. "Arigatou, sensei."

"Sensei!" an orderly called out, rushing toward the pavilion. "There's
someone out here looking for you!"

"I'll be just a minute!" Mizuno-sensei called. Straightening herself, she
walked out into the camp...and gasped. "Ami-chan!"

The blue-haired girl smiled at her mother. "Ohayou, Okaa-san."

The doctor rushed to embrace her daughter. "Oh, thank goodness you're
alright!"

Ami hugged her mother tightly. "You needn't worry about me," she said. "I
have been worried about you, though." She paused. "I'm sorry I didn't come
looking for you sooner, but I've been a little...occupied."

Mizuno-sensei nodded. "I thought that might be the case." She glanced around
uneasily, then whispered, "What happened?"

"I'll tell you about it as soon as I have a chance," Ami said.
"Okaa-san...how is Kaori-san?"

The doctor smiled. "See for yourself." She led her daughter over to another
pavilion, where a red-haired woman in a nurse's uniform was busily taking
temperatures and measuring blood pressures. "Kaori-san!" she called out.

The woman looked up, and smiled. "Ohayou, sensei." She noted the blue-haired
girl, and inclined her head. "Ami-san, wasn't it? I'm glad to see you are
well."

Ami nodded to the woman. "Likewise."

"Kaori's recovery has impressed us all," the doctor said. "When we evacuated
the hospital, she helped get all the other ICU patients to safety, and as
you can see, she's been helping out ever since."

Ami smiled. "That's good." She paused. "Kaori-san, how about...is your
memory returning at all?"

Kaori looked disconcerted briefly. "I don't think so," she said. "I keep
having unsettling dreams, but no concrete memories."

"It's probably only a matter of time," Mizuno-sensei said. "As quickly as
you've recovered from your physical injuries, I'm sure your memory won't be
long in coming back." She yawned. "Forgive me, I'm rather exhausted."

"You should get some rest now, sensei," Kaori said. Inclining her head
again, she addressed Ami. "You'll make sure your mother takes it easy for at
least a few hours, I hope?"

Ami smiled. "I'll try."

"Yes, I think I'm due for a break," the doctor said. "Come on, Ami-chan.
Let's let Kaori get back to work."


As they left the pavilion, Ami whispered, "Okaa-san...I'll be leaving soon,
but before I do, I'd like to speak to you privately."

Mizuno-sensei frowned. "Privacy is a bit hard to come by here, but..."
Leading her daughter a bit away from the camp, she found a pile of
construction materials, and nodded. "Alright, what did you want to talk
about?"

Ami fidgeted. "I should have told you the other day, but I didn't expect any
of this to happen...it's about Kaori-san."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What about her?"

The blue-haired girl looked down. "Okaa-san...I know who she is. Who she
really is."

Mizuno-sensei blinked. "You...you're saying you *know* Kaori-san? Well why
didn't you say anything sooner? This could be invaluable to her recovery."

Ami shook her head. "It's...I don't know how to tell you this, but..." She
took a few steps away. "I haven't said anything because I wasn't sure how to
deal with this. And...it might be a bad thing if Kaori remembers who she
is."

"How so?"

The Senshi swallowed. "Because before my visit to the hospital the other
day, the last time I saw Kaori was three years ago...when she died."


          *****


"So, is everything set for this afternoon?"

"Yes sir. The meeting hall will be completed on schedule, and the committee
analysis on reconstruction costs and timetables is being prepared as we
speak."

"Excellent. Then the only unknown factor is the proposal by the Sailor
Senshi."

"Hai. I've received word that Sailors...Mercury and Pluto will be attending
the meeting."

"Let's just hope everything goes smoothly..."


          *****


"When she...*what*?" Mizuno-sensei gasped.

Ami nodded. "I saw her thrown from the observation deck of Tokyo Tower. I
also..." She paused. "I was also there when she was apparently disintegrated
only a few months later."

The doctor stared at her daughter. "Ami-chan...even knowing what I know now,
I'm having a hard time believing that."

The blue-haired girl shrugged. "I thought as much, which is why I didn't say
anything before. But..." She sighed. "All things considered, you need to
know the truth about her...because you're going to have to keep an eye on
her."

"Well, I always look out for my patients, but..."

"Not just her health, but her behavior," Ami said. She paused for a moment,
looking around warily. "She calls herself Kaori, and she did use that name
for a while, but her real name--or at least the name we knew her by--is
Kaolinite."

"Kaolinite?"

"She's...dangerous, Okaa-san." The Senshi turned away, speaking quietly.
"She was our enemy, three years ago. She worked for a powerful evil entity
which was collecting pure hearts in crystal form, intent on using them to
bring about the destruction of the world." She turned around, and winced at
her mother's shellshocked expression. "I know she doesn't seem so now, and
perhaps she isn't, but...back then, she was thoroughly evil."

Mizuno-sensei glanced toward the medical camp. "Gomen nasai, Ami-chan, but
I...I just can't believe..."

"That's why you need to watch her," Ami said. "Keep her occupied, listen to
her, help her if she starts to remember." She locked gazes with her mother.
"You must not tell her anything I told you."

"Of...of course not," the doctor said.

Ami reached into her pocket and handed her mother a small, round plastic
object, like a wristwatch without a band. It was blue, with the symbol of
Mercury on it. "If...if anything happens," she said, "I want you to use
this. All you have to do is press the button inside...it's an emergency call
switch. No matter where I am, I'll receive the signal and come right away."

Mizuno-sensei pocketed the item. "Alright," she said.

The blue-haired girl hugged her mother. "I have to go now, Okaa-san. Take
care, and try to get some rest."

"I will." She smiled. "Take care of yourself."

Ami nodded and vanished.


          *****


In the depths of space, a brilliant light streaked through the cosmos, a
rogue star moving with a purpose, with determination.

It is the nature of all things to follow the course set for them by destiny.
Much like the heavens in their orbits, the path of fate determines how each
life will affect another.

And yet, there are times when a shining light must break away from the
course of destiny to illuminate an unforgivable darkness. For these shooting
stars, fate becomes malleable, and through their actions the destiny of all
things may change.

The darkness of space parted before the shining star that sought to blaze
its own destiny...


                         Chapter Two


The throne room of the Crystal Palace once again buzzed with activity. The
Queen sat upon her throne, her Senshi surrounding her. The Royal Guard had
stationed themselves around the edges of the room, and the other courtiers
knelt a respectful distance from the throne.

"The Queen will now address matters of importance," Sailor Pluto spoke. "In
light of recent events, the Court respectfully asks that business be
conducted in as brief a manner as possible."

Serenity glanced around at her subjects. "I wish to know the status of our
situation with the outer world."

Mercury stepped forward. "There is to be a conference at the emergency
shelter on the outskirts of the Juuban area," she said. "Sailor Pluto and
myself will attend to offer assistance in reconstruction on behalf of Your
Majesty."

"Also, at the Prime Minister's bequest, I've agreed to a press conference
prior to the reconstruction meeting," Pluto added. "The general public isn't
sure what to make of all this, and apparently needs reassurance that we're
not a threat."

Serenity nodded. "Very well, I trust you will deal with this
issue...diplomatically." Noticing that Mercury failed to return to her
position, the queen inclined her head. "Is there anything further, Sailor
Mercury?"

The blue-haired Senshi nodded. "There is, Your Majesty. I beg forgiveness in
not bringing this matter to your attention sooner, but..." she shifted
nervously.

"Continue," Serenity said gently.

"Two days ago," Mercury began after an awkward pause, "while I was visiting
my mother on the outside..." She swallowed. "I discovered that one of our
former enemies is still alive."

Everyone blinked. "I see," the queen said. "And which enemy might that be?"

The blue-haired Senshi barely spoke above a whisper, yet her voice carried
clearly throughout the room. "Kaolinite."

The other Senshi gasped. Uranus grew angry. "NANI!? That bitch was
vaporized! How the hell--?" The soldier was quickly reminded of her place by
a gentle but firm swat of Pluto's staff.

"Are you certain, Mercury?" Serenity asked quietly.

Mercury nodded. "She was in the intensive care unit of the hospital my
mother works...worked at. Apparently, she had just come out of a coma when I
went to visit my mother."

"Why did you not bring this matter to my attention sooner, Sailor Mercury?"
The queen's voice was still gentle, but a somewhat stern tone had crept into
it.

"I beg forgiveness, but I felt it prudent to gather certain data first." A
pause. "Kaolinite does not remember who she is. She has remembered only the
name 'Kaori', and nothing more.

"I consulted with Tomoe-sensei, who confirmed that Kaolinite could well have
survived both the fall from Tokyo Tower and being destroyed by Mistress
Nine," Mercury continued. "He believes it may be possible, provided her
memory is slow in returning, to rehabilitate Kaolinite."

"I see," Serenity said. "Where is Kaolinite now?"

"She is in the medical aid camp, acting as a nurse. I've asked my mother to
keep a close eye on her. And of course, I gave her a way to contact us
immediately if something should happen."

The queen was silent for a moment. "Very well then. You have dealt with this
matter appropriately, in light of the circumstances." She smiled briefly as
Mercury bowed and moved away from the throne. "Are there any other matters?"

The two cats approached the throne. "We wish to request something of you,
Your Majesty," Luna said.

"Very well, state your request."

Luna glanced at Artemis. The white cat cleared his throat. "As you know,
Luna and I have had certain gaps in our memory for a long time. After
discussing the matter, we've come to the conclusion that in the last days of
the Silver Millenium, the former Queen sealed away certain abilities we
possessed."

Serenity raised an eyebrow. "Abilities? Such as?"

"We're...not exactly sure, Your Majesty," Luna admitted. "It's just a hunch
we both have...we were hoping you'd use the Ginzuishou to break any limiting
spells that may have been placed on us in the past."

The queen frowned. "Hmmm..." She glanced at Pluto, who shrugged. "Very
well...I'll see what I can do." The silver crystal began to shimmer
brilliantly as Serenity focused on the two cats. Her eyes flew open. "You're
right...there *are* strong Royal spells on both of you." Closing her eyes
again, she concentrated, the Ginzuishou strobing brilliantly. Luna and
Artemis were bathed in brilliant silver light as the young queen attempted
to dispel ancient magicks.

The throne room suddenly erupted in a blinding flash, causing everyone to
shield their eyes. As the illumination became more tolerable, those present
watched in awe as the silhouettes of the two cats began to grow and change.
For a long moment, the two figures before the throne were silhouetted by the
strobing luminescense of the Ginzuishou and the golden aura surrounding
them.

When the dazzling light show finally faded, two humans--one male and one
female--stood where two cats had been only a few moments earlier. The man
was easily two meters tall, with long, wavy white hair and storm-grey eyes.
A finely tailored white uniform with grey trim covered his slim, muscular
frame, accented by a gleaming pearl breastplate and flowing white silk cape.
A basket-hilted rapier hung sheathed at his side. The woman, somewhat
shorter than her counterpart, had flowing blue-black hair and eyes like
sparkling garnets. Her outfit consisted of elegant golden silk robes adorned
with various crests and runes and a tall, cylindrical hat of similar design.
An ornate brass staff topped with a crescent-shaped crystal was held loosely
in her right hand. Golden crescent moons adorned both of their foreheads.

"It is done," Neo-Queen Serenity said. "The limiting spell has been
released, and your true forms restored to you."

The man and woman glanced at each other, wide-eyed, and gasped. They then
promptly turned to kneel before the throne, heads bowed. "We thank you
sincerely, Your Majesty," the man spoke in a familiar voice.

The queen's eyes sparkled with mirth. "You may rise, my Royal Advisors."

As the two advisors stood, the Senshi goggled. "A-Artemis?" Sailor Venus
gasped.

"Luna?" Mars' voice held a similar note of surprise.

"Yes, it's true. We remember everything now," Luna said.

"That's right," Artemis nodded. "In the Silver Millenium, we had the ability
to take on either human or cat form at will. When the war with the Dark
Kingdom broke out, and things began to look desperate..."

"My mother sealed your human forms and powers away, making it impossible for
the youma to find you while you revived the Sailor Senshi," Serenity said.

"What the Queen didn't realize," Luna added, "was that locking us in our cat
forms would interfere with our memories. That's why we've had so many
annoying lapses over the years."

"The worst, of course, being that we forgot we even *had* human forms,"
Artemis muttered.

Serenity giggled. "Well...now that you've been restored to your full power,
I trust you will be happy to resume your former rank as Captain of the
Guard?" she asked the white-haired man.

Artemis bowed. "It would be an honor, Your Majesty," he said.

"And I shall be happy to resume my duties as advisor and oracle," Luna
added.

"Very well, then. Is there any other business?" Serenity asked. After a
period of silence, she rose from her throne, prompting the Senshi and other
courtiers to kneel. "Then I shall retire for the day. Mercury, Pluto...I
wish you well in dealings with the outside world. Act in my name, but act
carefully." The Queen departed, and the court was dismissed.


           *****


Goro scowled down at the body of the man he had just killed, mind whirling.

He had lost contact with his savior, which could only mean that she had done
something foolish, and was either bereft of her power or dead. He had also
felt a tremendous surge of dark energy which he couldn't make sense of.

As his power grew, he began to think less and less of his "savior". Clearly
mired in idiotic tactics that would never lead to dominance, Princess Wraith
was doomed to failure, doomed to be defeated again. A being of his power and
intelligence should not be forced to serve one so foolish.

After two days of striking silently from the shadows, he had decided on a
course of action. The dead human at his feet was a powerful Japanese
businessman, ruthless in his own right...a man Goro could respect.

What he planned to do would involve expending a fair amount of his own
personal power, but...what gain came without loss?

Picking up the corpse, Goro began to concentrate, probing the dead man with
tendrils of dark energy. The flesh began to dissolve from the body,
absorbing itself into the Shokan prince's muscular arms, and Goro clenched
his jaw, fighting the scream of pain that wished to emerge...

Fifteen minutes later, the three-meter-tall, four-armed subterranean general
had been replaced by a Japanese businessman in his fifties, immaculately
dressed in a navy blue suit. The only sign of the imposing figure that had
stood there before were the burning red eyes that glared out from beneath
heavy grey eyebrows.

Removing a pair of expensive sunglasses from his breast pocket and slipping
them on, Goro emerged into the outside world.

It was time to go to Japan.


            *****


In sub-level one of the Palace, the Guard had assembled for a training
session.

At the head of the room stood Artemis, armor gleaming; the old priest Hino
and Yuuichirou stood with him. Motoki, Umino, and Shingo formed a line
before them, waiting for instruction. Off to the side, Hotaru, Haruka, and
Michiru observed quietly.

"Today, we will be pairing off for training," Artemis said. "Shingo, you
will train with Yuuichirou, since he has experience in the bo and the
naginata."

"Hai," Shingo said, removing his cape and banishing it to pocketspace. He
easily caught the crystal quarterstaff his sensei tossed him, bowing before
the two moved off to a more open area.

"Umino, I'll be training you today," Hino-san said, pulling an old pair of
nunchaku out of his robes.

"And that leaves you, Motoki," Artemis said. "Have you given any thought to
what type of weapon you might wish to use?"

"Well, I used to fence a bit," the young man said. "How about that?"

Artemis grinned. "Perfect." With a flourish, he produced a silver foil,
tossing it to the other man, along with a protective mask. After equipping
himself similarly, the two began to spar.

"I hope Yuuichirou doesn't wear Shingo out too much," Haruka said. "He's
still got advanced training to do downstairs later."

Hotaru glared sharply at her. "Speaking of which, Haruka-papa..."

Haruka gulped, and Michiru giggled.

"Your lover is a fast learner, Hotaru-chan," Sailor Pluto said as she
appeared without warning.

Eyebrows were raised, and Hotaru blushed. "Setsuna! We're not...I mean..."

Pluto covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide. "Oops! Silly me, I was
looking farther ahead..." She ducked as, incredibly, the shorter girl
managed to bap her on the back of the head.

"Well, it's not like you needed to see into the future to know," Haruka
commented dryly.

Hotaru blushed deeply, hoping nobody else was overhearing this conversation.

"Pluto's right about one thing, though," Michiru said. "Shingo-kun *does*
learn quickly. I thought you said he wasn't a fighter at all..."

Hotaru shrugged. "I think it's a mix of natural talent and what he absorbed
when Serenity-sama gave him part of the Saturn powers." She watched as
Shingo deftly evaded a strike and countered by sweeping Yuuichirou's legs
out from under him. "He was already pretty good with a staff without any
powers or training at all, remember?"

Pluto nodded. "Yes, I have to admit I was surprised at his skill."

"Well, the Saturn powers he absorbed enhanced that. Also," she frowned. "I
don't know how it is that he's gotten so good with his actual powers so
fast, but..."

"It's because he's always turned on," Haruka commented. Everyone glanced at
her, and Hotaru began blushing again. The blonde smirked. "What I mean," she
amended, "is that he doesn't transform and detransform the way we do."

"That's precisely it," Pluto agreed. "Since he has no transformation, he
always has full access to his powers."

"So he can learn and grow outside of battle or practice," Hotaru realized.
"Since he never reverts, it never 'shuts off'..."

"I'm surprised nobody else noticed he's been playing with his gravity powers
all day," Pluto added. "Testing how much control he has over them when
nobody's looking."

"Sou ka," Haruka said. "Ne, Hotaru, I don't suppose you know exactly what
abilities he has...?"

The youngest Senshi blinked. "Well, I was here when he was training alone
before. So far, I know he has two gravity attacks, and..." She trailed off.

"And?"

"And...a really bad attack that scares both of us," she said quietly. "He
can..." She lowered her eyes.

"He can do what?" Pluto asked, although she already knew the answer.

"He can drain energy," Hotaru whispered.

Haruka and Michiru eyed the seemingly happy teenager who was enjoying his
sparring session with the scruffy-looking acolyte. They then shared a
nervous glance.


Across the room, Umino grinned as he ensnared the chain of the old priest's
nunchaku with one sai, and used the butt end of the other to deliver a sharp
blow to his wrist. Hino-san yelped as he reflexively let go of the weapon,
which clattered noisily to the ground.

"Excellent, excellent!" he said, smiling at his student. "I see you're quite
the quick study."

"Well, I'm not entirely without experience," Umino said. As the old priest
launched himself into the air, the younger man sidestepped, catching him and
tossing him to the ground with a simple yet effective judo maneuver.

Hino-san picked himself up, rubbing his back. "Careful, youngster! I'm not
as sturdy as I used to be!"

Umino smiled. "I guess the stars are just aligned in my favor today."


          *****


"I'm glad you came up again, Naru-chan. I didn't really want to be alone
right now..."

The young queen and her friend sat in the parlor of the royal suite, sipping
tea. "I can't imagine how it must feel," Naru said.

Serenity nodded, eyes shimmering. "It's hard, but..." She sighed. "For some
reason, I want to think he'll be coming back to me again." Her gaze fell
into the honeyed liquid in her cup. "So many times, love has found a way...I
keep thinking love will find a way again..."

Naru reached out, patting her friend on the hand. "I hope so," she said. "I
hope so. Still..." Her gaze became unfocused for a moment. "I can't imagine
losing anyone I loved like that..."

The queen's eyes clouded at a distant memory. "No, I suppose you can't," she
said. "You know, I never expected Umino-kun to turn out the way he did," she
changed the subject as she sipped her tea.

The auburn-haired girl smiled. "Yeah, who would have guessed? Nerdy, geeky
Umino Gurio..." Her eyes sparkled. "I loved him even when he was still a
geek, you know. But he...well, he changed. He turned cool somehow..." She
shrugged. "It wasn't an overnight thing or anything, but..."

"It was still one of those things you didn't realize until you woke up one
morning beside him, like in those old shoujo manga we used to read?"
Serenity said, smiling impishly.

Naru giggled. "Yeah, something like that." She gazed dreamily out the
window. "You know, he'd probably tell you to hold onto your hopes about
Endymion. He's always been a bit of a romantic..." She smiled. "Even more
after he took up astrology."

"Astrology?" the young queen asked, setting aside her empty cup.

"Yeah," her friend said. "He's always telling me how love is guided by the
stars and stuff like that. I don't always understand it, but it sounds so
romantic..."

Unnoticed by the daydreaming girl, Serenity's eyes widened.


            *****


"Are we ready to go live?" a reporter from one of the national networks
asked her crew. All around the area facing the magnificent Crystal Palace,
news crews were busily setting up cameras and microphones, cables snaking
from the palace entrance to the street below, which was now lined with as
many news vans as it was with jeeps and tanks.

"It's getting close to showtime," the cameraman noted. "We're all set here."
He paused. "We're getting a network signal. They're ready to cut to live
feed."

The reporter smoothed her skirt and assumed her most professional demeanor.
As the cameraman finished the countdown, she raised her microphone. "I'm
standing here in front of the structure which is officially recognized as
the 'Crystal Palace', awaiting the start of one of the most unusual and
momentous press conferences in history.

"In a few short minutes, I'm told the Sailor Senshi known as Mercury and
Pluto will address news media from across the globe regarding the appearance
 of their Palace four days ago, as well as the earthquake which destroyed
the Juuban district." The cameraman motioned behind her, and she turned
partially. "Well, it appears the two Senshi have arrived, so let's listen to
what they have to say."


            *****


The blue-haired Senshi in the silver and blue fuku stepped up to a podium
decked with microphones, holding a palmtop computer and a slender pad. She
coughed once before tapping a microphone to test it. "Ladies and gentlemen
of the press, welcome," she greeted in a soft voice. "I am Sailor Mercury,
and this," she gestured to the tall, stately woman with dark skin and
flowing green hair, "is Sailor Pluto. We're here today to speak to you on
behalf of Her Majesty, Neo-Queen Serenity. We are aware that the world has a
number of questions, and we hope to provide answers to satisfy your
curiosity.

"Before that, I wish to assure everyone that we were not responsible for the
destruction that occurred two nights ago. Had it been within our power to
prevent, we would have, but we were dealing with something far too unstable
to contain. Rest assured, we will be assisting the Japanese government in
the reconstruction of Juuban-cho."

"I believe we will take questions at this time," Pluto said.

One reporter raised his hand. "Where did this Crystal Palace of yours come
from?"

"The Palace was constructed thousands of years ago, and hidden in a number
of pieces both deep within the Earth and the Moon," Mercury said. "It was
dormant until the marriage of our queen, upon which time it appeared as was
prophecized long ago."

"Who is this queen you keep mentioning?" another reporter queried.

"Although she is not available for comment at this time due to a personal
tragedy which occurred the night of Juuban's destruction, the ruler of this
Crystal Palace is Neo-Queen Serenity, heir to the throne of the Moon
Kingdom."

There were a number of murmurs among the media crews below. Pluto took this
as a sign to elaborate.

"Many millenia ago," the green-haired Senshi began, "a great empire existed
which spanned the entire solar system. It may be difficult to believe,
especially in light of what modern science has discovered about these nine
planets, but rest assured it is true. The seat of government for this empire
was the Earth's moon.

"This great empire came to be known not only as the Moon Kingdom, but as the
Silver Millenium, a name given in light of the peace and prosperity which
Queen Serenity of the Moon brought to the entire solar system for one
thousand years. The Silver Millenium ended when a powerful evil force from a
place known as the Dark Kingdom invaded Earth, spreading death and terror
across this planet and beyond. In the end, the glorious empire was
decimated, and Queen Serenity sacrificed her own life to seal away the
demonic legions of the Dark Kingdom.

"As her dying act, Serenity preserved the souls of her daughter and her
court, sending them into the future...to this time, where the Sailor Senshi
were reborn to destroy the Dark Kingdom once and for all. Our queen,
Neo-Queen Serenity, is the Princess of that ancient empire."

There was a long moment of silence as the reporters digested this tale. "So
what you're saying is, you consider yourselves separate from the nation of
Japan?" one reporter asked at length.

"That is correct," Pluto said. "The Crystal Palace is a sovereign nation. We
humbly ask the governments of the world to recognize our sovereignty with no
objection."

"What do you offer the government in return for your sovereignty?" This
question was put forth not by a reporter, but by Major Takada.

Pluto inclined her head. "The same thing we have always provided," she
replied. "Protection from dangerous forces no normal military can defeat."

"Like the one that destroyed this district?" the major pressed.

Mercury broke in. "That enemy was an anomaly," she said. "A rogue general
named Jadeite who somehow escaped the destruction of the Dark Kingdom. We
are admittedly uncertain as to how he gained so much power, but we *are*
certain that he destroyed himself, and that he was the *last* threat from
the Dark Kingdom."

"We're also stepping up our own training regimen to familiarize ourself with
new powers gained when Neo-Queen Serenity ascended her throne," Pluto added.
"Jadeite caught us at a bad time, but we assure you we *will* be ready
should such a threat appear again."

After a few more questions, some handled perfunctorily and some evaded with
a 'no comment', the press conference ended, and the two Senshi retreated to
the palace antechamber.

"That went well," Mercury said, grimacing.

Pluto nodded. "It did. Better than I expected, to be honest. The world is
going to be wary of us for a while to come, but I foresee no immediate
difficulties."

"In other words, we didn't just set off a war," the blue-haired Senshi
commented. "At least, not until the reconstruction meeting."

"Which we should be leaving for," Pluto said. The two Senshi teleported to
the edge of Juuban.


                         Chapter Three


Shingo sighed, not for the first time that day, and braced himself against
the Gravity Lance. Waving his hand, he dispelled the field of double gravity
he'd created at the top of the Palace steps, all the while fighting off
exhaustion from the excessive use of his powers.

After Mercury and Pluto had departed, the curious (or downright nosy,
depending on your point of view) reporters had begun doing their best to try
to infiltrate the Palace for an exclusive. The Senshi had quickly dispatched
him to stand guard over the entrance, and he'd had to get...creative to
deter the presshounds.

When the camera crews started dropping their heavier-than-usual equipment
and the reporters suddenly felt like they weighed two hundred kilos or so,
the prospect of getting that career-boosting scoop became far less
appealing, and the news crews had sullenly retreated to their vans.

The front wall of the Palace shimmered behind him, emitting the youngest of
the Sailor Senshi. "Getting bored out here, hmm?" she asked, wrapping an arm
around her boyfriend.

Shingo turned and smiled. "Nah. Actually, I'm just glad to be able to take a
breather." He wiped his brow with the back of his gloved hand. "Those news
people are persistent."

Saturn giggled. "Well, it looks like they're all cleared out now." She
handed him a glass of lemonade, blushing. "You look like you could use a
cold drink."

Shingo blushed as well, accepting the drink. "Arigatou, Hotaru-chan."
Draining half the glass in one gulp, he let out an appreciative "ahh" and
smiled at his girlfriend. "Just the thing I needed after an hour of chasing
off nosy reporters." A flash caught his attention, and he glanced off to the
side, where a man was winding film after snapping a picture. Frowning, he
whirled his naginata and flung a ball of dark energy at the shutterbug. The
man yelped, dropping his camera...which turned into a pancake of crushed
metal, plastic, and glass as the young general contracted and compressed the
gravity ball. The snooping reporter got the message rather quickly, and took
off like a shot.

"...wasn't that a little harsh, Shingo-kun?" Saturn asked, blinking.

"That guy was a tabloid journalist. Before I cleaned house earlier, he was
asking all kinds of idiot questions about the Senshi. I wasn't about to let
him walk out of here with a picture of the two of us." Shingo sighed. "It'll
probably be like this all day."

"Sou ka na," the dark-haired Senshi replied. She blinked at the remains of
the camera. "You're really getting good at that," she noted.

The young general shrugged. "Not good enough. That one took a lot out of
me." Leaning his weapon against the wall, he finished his lemonade and
handed the glass back to Saturn. "I can do little bursts of high gravity, or
cover a bigger area with a less intense gravity field like I did earlier.
Problem is, it wears me out really fast."

Saturn hugged him. "It'll get better. You just need time to grow into your
powers, so you can handle them without wearing yourself out."

"Yeah, you're right." He smiled. "So, you wanna go somewhere for lunch after
I'm off duty?"

The Senshi giggled. "Sure, I'd love t--" She blinked, snapping her head
around and staring off to the east. "What was...?"

"What was what?" Shingo asked, peering off into the distance. "I didn't see
anything."

Saturn shook her head. "No...it was something very faint...I felt it more
than saw it."

The young general retrieved his weapon, concerned. "You think it's trouble?"

"I...I'm not sure..." The youngest Senshi sighed. "I don't think so, but it
was really weird. It's gone now, though." Giving her boyfriend a peck on the
cheek, she smiled. "Anyway, I'll let you get back to work now. Don't push
yourself too hard!"

Shingo chuckled. "I'll see you later, Hotaru-chan."


            *****


Dust, soot, and loose gravel stirred beneath her feet as she landed,
scuffing her highly-polished black shoes and staining her socks grey.

The state of her attire was not a pressing concern, however, as her wide,
disbelieving eyes took in the destruction all around her.

"So-sonna...what happened here...?"

Everywhere she looked, there was rubble. The crumbled remains of buildings
dotted the landscape as far as the eye could see, jagged bits of foundations
poking up from the ground like a sea of tombstones. Roads were cracked and
twisted out of usable condition, power lines lay coiled on the ground, and
not a soul could be found among the wreckage.

Shock, confusion, and sorrow worked together to root her in place, mouth
agape and watery eyes staring uncomprehendingly at the scene which her mind
told her was utterly impossible.

She was vaguely aware of the sound of a car engine behind her. A moment
later, a stern yet concerned voice called out, "Miss? This is a restricted
area. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to--"

She whirled, coming face-to-face with a man wearing the uniform of the Japan
Self-Defense Force. "What happened here?" she asked. "Tell me, please!"

The soldier eyed her warily. "Umm, miss, are you sure you're alright?"

The girl fixed him with a penetrating stare. "You have to tell me what
happened here! You have to!"

The uniformed young man grimaced. "You mean you don't know anything about
the quake?"

"Quake? A quake did this?"

"Well...sorta. It's...how can you not know? It's been the biggest news in
the world for the past three days!"

The girl looked distraught. "I..." Noticing something out of the corner of
her eye, she glanced off into the distance....and gasped. "Oh...oh my..."

The soldier noticed where she was looking, and nodded. "The Crystal Palace.
It's the only thing lef--hey! Hey, you can't go that way! Stop right there!"

But the teenaged girl didn't heed his cries as she charged in the direction
of the tall spire. "Dammit," the soldier grimaced, reaching for his radio.
Just as he started to report the disturbance, there was a blinding flash of
light...

...and the pink-haired schoolgirl was gone.


            *****


Her mind raced with a whirlwind of possibilities, each more horrible than
the last, as she raced across the devastated landscape toward the towering
crystal spire in the distance.

*What in the world could have happened?* she asked herself over and over.
She had come back in time to attend the wedding of her parents, the first
time she'd gone to the past since she was a kid. At the age of fourteen, the
Crown Princess of Crystal Tokyo had matured considerably and gracefully, and
was often compared by the Senshi to her mother at that age, minus the klutz
attacks. The young woman which had replaced the bratty child was refined,
dignified, generally polite, and tried hard to do her best at everything
asked of her. Growing up in the Palace had not been easy, but between
learning from her parents and the Senshi in her own time, and learning from
them in the past, she had eventually put aside the childish behavior of her
past and learned to carry herself like a true princess.

And, fortunately, a warrior...which she feared would be needed now.
Clutching the crescent moon brooch on the bow of her uniform, she cried out,
"MOON CRYSTAL POWER...MAKE-UP!"

As the blinding flash of light faded away, Sailor Moon practically flew
toward the Crystal Palace, long pink ponytails streaming behind her.


            *****


A roomful of politicians, city planners, district officials, and contractors
were crammed around a large collection of portable tables which had been
jammed together in the center of the makeshift assembly hall to form one
large conference table. Sailors Mercury and Pluto watched the proceedings
silently as the men of power attempted to plan a reconstruction schedule and
budget for the ruined city.

"Look," a contractor growled. "The bottom line is, we're looking at several
billion yen just to get foundations repaired and utilities reconnected. And
that alone will take well over a year given the extent of the damage."

"I think we need to concentrate on first establishing more permanent relief
camps for anyone who's not planning to pack up and leave Juuban," a
councilman put in. "These people have lives, a lot of them are out of a job
because the places they worked were destroyed...we've got to think about the
people before we think about several square kilometers of rubble."

For several minutes, the committee bickered about reconstruction budgets,
timetables, relief for the people, and the cost of setting up a permanent
shelter camp. At length, the two Senshi glanced at each other, nodding.

Sailor Pluto stood, clearing her throat. "Gentlemen," she began, "if I may?"

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose presence was a direct result of the
Senshi's attendance, nodded. "Yes, I believe it's time we heard what the
Sailor Senshi have to offer."

Pluto walked to the head of the table with measured steps. "We believe we
have a way to facilitate an expedient and efficient reconstruction of
Juuban-cho which will only require measures equivalent to a temporary
construction effort and a minimal budget on the part of the government."

The committee murmured amongst themselves. "Very well...we're listening."

Mercury rose, moving to stand beside Pluto. "As you've no doubt surmised,
the Crystal Palace is entirely self-sufficient. Its power is generated by
the lattice structure of the crystal itself, which is imbued with
self-replicating energy whose properties even we don't fully understand.
However, what we do know is that the Palace is capable of expanding its own
structure by expending its energy surplus into a type of matter
replication." At the rather lost expressions on many of those present, she
coughed. "The Palace is capable of growing," she clarified.

"I see," someone said. "So what does that have to do with rebuilding this
district?"

The blue-haired Senshi produced a long, thin crystal out of nowhere. It was
tapered to points at both ends, and seemed to pulse with a gentle prismatic
light. "This crystal is an offshoot of the Crystal Palace, designed to
function as both a beacon and an energy conduit that links back to the
palace itself. I call it a 'Crystal Point'." Leaning forward, she began to
push one of the myriad tables away from the gathering. "I advise everyone to
stay back," she commented as she hefted the Crystal Point and drove it into
the ground right beside the table. Pushing the furniture closer so that it
was in direct contact with the glowing shard, she stepped back and began
tapping keys on her computer. In a flash of light, the ordinary wood, metal,
and particle-board furnishing began to change...

There was a collective gasp from the assembly. "It...it turned into
crystal!"

"That's amazing!"

The mayor of the ward rose from his seat and walked over to tap on the
surface of the table. It lit up, bathing him in warm luminescence. "This is
absolutely incredible! But how...?"

"When the Crystal Palace appeared, it didn't destroy the Hikawa Shrine. It
absorbed the structures of the temple and integrated them into its own
infrastructure." Mercury laid a hand on the smooth, glassy surface. "The Cry
stal Point doesn't possess a great deal of energy on its own, but it does
have enough energy to self-replicate, provided it can find pre-existing
matter to convert in a similar manner. This table is now generating energy
of its own, as you can see, and can self-replicate just like the Crystal
Point and the Palace itself."

Pluto moved among the assemblage, picking up another of the tables with an
ease which disconcerted some of the men present. In a sudden, violent
motion, she slammed the wooden furniture over the newly formed crystal. The
table in her hands shattered under the impact, while the softly glowing
crystal surface remained unblemished. "As you can see," she remarked,
smirking at the stunned expressions on the committee's faces, "the crystal
is quite sturdy as well."

Mercury nodded. "The reason the Crystal Palace survived Jadeite's explosion
completely intact is because, with the exception of an extremely powerful,
sustained attack, it's virtually indestructible."

"So," another member of the Diet who was present said, leaning forward,
"What exactly are you proposing?"

The two Senshi glanced at each other. Pluto nodded silently, and Mercury
approached the crystal table, setting her compact computer on its surface.
The committee murmured in awe as a holographic map of Juuban-cho sprang
right out of the tabletop.

As the blue-haired Senshi spoke, she tapped keys, changing the hologram bit
by bit. "The first step will be to get up as many portable buildings as
possible. Prefabs, trailers, worksite buildings, welded-together hulls of
broken-down buses...whatever can be done quickly and cheaply. This will be
used for housing, and should be on the inner rim of the district.

"The next step will be to repair the damaged roads to a degree of
functionality. They don't have to be perfect, just usable.

"Then we get construction crews to build frameworks for new buildings
farther out; these can be two or three stories each, and they'll no doubt
take longer to build.

"Finally, companies who want to rebuild in this district can bring in their
own crews to reconstruct their buildings on the outer rim of the district,
around where the office buildings and shopping streets stood. This part of
the reconstruction, we'll leave to private interests."

The holographic display now showed a concentric map of the district, with
three rings of crude, unfinished buildings arranged around the Crystal
Palace. The inner ring was flagged "Projected completion: 2-4 weeks", the
middle ring displayed an estimate of five to nine months, and the outer ring
was simply labelled "~12 months". A gridwork of roads framed the entire
area, with no estimate given on its completion.

"Once the infrastructures are in place, the Senshi and members of the palace
staff will begin distributing Crystal Points at locations around the
district." The map lit up with dozens of glowing dots, arranged in a
five-pointed star with the Palace at the direct center. Lines and circles
and polygonal patterns zagged through the star, connecting every vertex.

"The next step is the tricky part," Mercury continued. "By my calculations,
we may not be able to complete the entire project in one shot...it may take
at least three iterations of the final phase before the project is
completed." Tapping her computer again, she continued, "By focusing surplus
energy reserves from the Palace, we will activate the Crystal Points
distributed throughout the city, causing a wave of lattice synthesis and
infrastructure absorption similar to the event that occurred on the day the
Palace appeared."

On the holographic map, the Crystal Palace began to glow, and a concentric
wave of silver light poured forth from it, striking each of the glowing
points on the map. Each point spawned a similar ripple of energy, and in
short order the entire map was shining. The brilliant silver light faded
slowly, revealing a gleaming city of crystal. The words "SUISHOU-CHO"
snapped into view, floating prominently above the map. The council ooh'ed
and aah'ed appreciatively.

"The initial wave will supply sturdy crystal foundations for the buildings.
Depending on how much energy is required overall, the number of buildings,
and various other factors, the larger structures may remain incomplete at
first, as they will need time to recover enough energy for self-replication.
During that time, crews may begin filling in the gaps with secondary
construction materials, to hasten the process by which skeletal crystal
buildings will become full-fledged, inhabitable constructs.

"With the Palace as the primary energy source, and the crystalline buildings
generating their own internal energy supplies, the district will be
completely self-sufficient as far as utility concerns," Mercury explained.
"The energy generated by the crystal lattice easily converts to alternating
current, allowing for the use of any household appliances the citizens
choose to utilize. Furthermore, the Palace--and all offshoot buildings--are
capable of synthesizing water readily, and re-absorbing sewage and waste
water directly as energy. In return, the energy output of the crystal
buildings serves to fortify the Palace itself."

There was a long silence as the councilmen stared thoughtfully at the
shimmering holographic map.

"I guess the only question left to ask," the mayor put forth, "is what the
Sailor Senshi demand in return for this miracle."

Mercury looked over at Pluto. The taller Senshi nodded, and moved to address
the committee.

"In return for providing a fast, economical, and ultimately superior total
reconstruction of Juuban-cho, we will require that the government of Japan
first recognize the sovereignty of the Crystal Palace. Second, we will
require that the Japanese government recognize the newly rebuilt district,
'Suishou-cho', as territory belonging to the city-state of Crystal Tokyo."

*One large wad of feces thrown into the fan? Check,* Mercury thought to
herself as the assembled politicians and businessmen reacted in the expected
manner.


          *****


A shadowy flash of movement broke Shingo out of a near-doze, and he snapped
upright, bringing the Gravity Lance to bear. "Halt! Who goes--"

A booted heel slammed into his face, knocking him back a few steps.
Grimacing, he twirled his naginata, lashing out to trip his attacker. The
other form backflipped out of range, rising to a standing position. "Stand
aside! You will not impede my passage!" The female voice of the intruder
spoke.

"That's sorta the whole idea of me being here," Shingo muttered. He tried to
size up his opponent, but she was gone again...

...there she was! Overhead, silhouetted by the sun, moving too fast to make
out any details. *We'll fix that,* he mused, calling forth his power as he
spun his lance in a circle. "GRAVITY RING!"

The attack struck home, bands of compressed darkness tightening around the
interloper as she crashed to the ground in front of the young general with a
sickening *thud*. The girl twitched, gritting her teeth as she strained
against the gravity.

"Nn...name of...moon....punish..."

Shingo blinked. He then crouched to get a better look at the struggling
girl. She was roughly his age, with long pink hair done in a familiar
style...way too familiar...and wearing a seifuku that was also disturbingly
familiar...

A memory tickling his mind, fuzzed by long-weakened magicks...
"Ch...chibiusa!?"

The pink-haired girl's head snapped up, eyes wide. "Sh--shingo?"

The young general dispelled the gravity effect, helping the pink-haired
Senshi stand. "Gomen ne, Chibiusa-chan," he said, red with embarassment. "I
thought you were another stupid reporter...didn't recognize you...and you're
older than you were, too..."

The princess stared at the young man before her, eyes wide. "Shingo?
Where...where did you come from...? How are you...you can't be...and..." She
took in his uniform, his weapon, the reeling aftereffects of the gravity
attack, and wobbled unsteadily.

The young general quickly moved to support her. "H-hey...you alright?"

The pink-haired girl stared up at him, then further at the Palace spire, and
murmured, "I...don't understand..."

She then promptly fainted.


          *****


"You can't be serious!"

"Why not?" Pluto asked, calm in the face of the furious storm surrounding
her.

The mayor of the ward shot out of his seat. "You honestly expect the
government to just...just...just SURRENDER a large chunk of the NATIONAL
CAPITAL to a bunch of girls in school uniforms?"

"They planned it! The whole thing! The earthquake and all! It's a setup!"

"Bunch of...this is inexcusable!"

"Of all the nerve...!"

"GENTLEMEN! Please! Calm down and let's discuss this rationally," Mercury
interrupted, her generally calm demeanor slipping a bit.

"Yes, I concur," the Minister of Foreign Affairs said, his calm, controlled
voice somehow carrying over the pandemonium. "This is something that we must
discuss with cool heads." As the shouting and exclamations died down in the
face of two voices of reason, the Diet member cleared his throat, turning to
face Mercury. "Young lady, would you mind clarifying and explaining the
logic behind such a request? I mean no disrespect, but your companion
seems...well..."

"Prone to drama and generally irritating?" Mercury laughed lightly. "Yes,
she can be that way at times." Sailor Pluto made an exaggerated display of
mock offense, which seemed to lighten the mood in the room a bit. Clearing
her throat, the blue-haired senshi began in a serious tone, "I assure you,
there is no conspiracy, plot, trick, or setup involved here. When we earlier
stated that we did not cause the destruction of Juuban, this was the truth.
In fact, our King was killed in battle by the very monster which did in fact
destroy the district.

"As my colleague has pointed out, however, we do consider ourselves to be a
self-governing nation-state, a monarchy ruled by a benevolent queen. It is
only natural that any nation would wish to expand its borders. This was once
the way of many nations on Earth, including Japan."

"Yes, well..." The middle-aged diplomat coughed. "It's generally not a
common practice for a nation to appear right in the center of another nation
and start attempting a peaceful takeover."

Mercury winced. "The emergence of the Crystal Palace right in the middle of
Tokyo was...unexpected." *At least, a few hundred years earlier than we
thought it'd happen,* she didn't add. "There was a prophecy concerning our
Queen which we were unaware of at the time."

"Oh? Please, enlighten us."

Pluto stood up again. "The prophecy, which we only became aware of after the
fact," the green-haired senshi explained, "concerned the marriage of the
former princess of the Moon Kingdom to the crown prince of what was long ago
considered to be the predominant empire on Earth. This civilization is known
to most as Atlantis."

There were a number of murmurs at that.

"In the Silver Millenium, Princess Serenity of the Moon and Prince Endymion
of Atlantis were deeply in love, and would have married, uniting the two
realms, had the Dark Kingdom not risen and laid waste to everything.

"Because it had been foretold that one day a princess of the Moon and a
prince of the Earth would unite the two realms, engineers and magicians from
both kingdoms worked in conjunction to create a grand palace, constructed
with the highly advanced technology of Atlantis and powerful Lunar magic.
The Palace was designed as the ultimate beacon of peace, prosperity, and
tranquil unity...the centerpiece of what would surely be a grand utopia to
rule the solar system for eternity.

"The Crystal Palace was constructed in pieces, which were buried deep
beneath the surface of both Earth and the Moon. Powerful lunar spells were
imbedded into the palace, and it was decreed that, should a princess of the
Moon marry a prince of the Earth on the day of her eighteenth birthday, on
that day the great Palace would rise on the spot where the two were married,
and they would become the Queen and King of a new era of peace.

"The thirtieth day of June was the eighteenth birthday of Princess Serenity,
and the day on which she wed Prince Endymion. The ancient prophecy fulfilled
itself at the moment they were joined in matrimony...and I believe you are
aware of the rest." With that, Pluto sat back down.

There was a long pause as everyone digested this. "Ahem...alright, I suppose
that explains away the location," the Diet member spoke after a while. "That
aside..." He steepled his fingers, leaning forward. "What you're asking is
for the nation which prides itself on recovering from adversity and strife
to hand over an entire district of the very heart of its capital city, with
no reasoning aside from averting the time and cost of reconstruction." He
paused for a moment. "Putting aside diplomatic factors, that's not exactly a
fair trade-off. Crystal Tokyo, as you call it, would gain territory and
increase its citizenship potential. The true Tokyo would gain nothing in
return."

"That's not entirely true," Mercury said. "We are more than willing to
engage in trade with Japan, but more to the point, we offer..." She paused,
covering a grimace. "We offer the government of Japan a strategic alliance."

There was a pause as the Minister of Foreign Affairs considered this
comment. At length, he stood. "I believe that, at this time, we should
adjourn. This matter is moving beyond the scope of this committee, and it
will be necessary to take the matter of any...alliances with the Sailor
Senshi up with the Prime Minister, as well as a full session of the Diet."

Sailor Mercury nodded. "I agree, this is a serious matter that deserves
serious discussion and consideration." She tapped some more keys on her
palmtop before folding it up and banishing it to pocketspace. A thin
rectangle of crystal popped out of the table, which she retrieved and
offered to the middle-aged diplomat. "This is a full transcript of the
meeting, including everything said about Crystal Tokyo by both Sailor Pluto
and myself, and the offer we made." Showing him how to page through it, she
continued, "Please, give this to the Prime Minister and anyone else you feel
necessary to share this with, within the body of the Japanese government."

The man nodded, examining the slender tablet with curiosity. "Alright. We'll
contact you as soon as a preliminary concensus is reached."

Mercury bowed. "We await your response. Please consider our offer
carefully--it would be beneficial to both our nations."

The diplomat schooled his expression carefully as he bowed. "I assure you,
all due consideration will be given before we reach a decision."


          *****


Once the two Senshi had teleported back to the Palace, Mercury commented,
"That went well."

Pluto shrugged. "These things are never easy, Ami. But generally speaking,
this meeting went rather well." She chuckled. "At any rate, consider it a
success if we don't hear tank shells pounding on the walls by nightfall."

Mercury couldn't help but smile at that. "So, how is this going to turn out?
Wait, no...you can't tell me, I know."

Pluto smiled enigmatically. "It's more fun to wait and see, don't you
think?"

Any response Mercury might have made was forgotten as a rather panicked
Shingo appeared in the corridor with them, an unconscious girl in his arms.
The two Senshi blinked at him.

Rushing over, the young general exclaimed, "Mercury! Pluto! Gimme a hand
here!"

Mercury was quickly scanning the girl, lips pressed into a thin line.
"Vitals are steady...she's in good shape...her tissue is showing stress from
brief exposure to a high gravity field." The blue-haired Senshi glanced
pointedly at Shingo, who blushed.

"I didn't know who she was," he admitted. "She just...attacked me out of the
blue."

Pluto, meanwhile, was staring at the girl in shock. "I..."

Mercury glanced up. "Pluto? What's wrong?"

The green-haired senshi simply pointed. Mercury followed her finger, and
looked--really LOOKED--at the girl Shingo was carrying for the first time.

"...oh my God," she breathed.

Shingo blinked at them. "What?"

The Guardian of Time stepped forward, peering into the unconscious face of
the pink-haired girl. "S...Small Lady..."

"But...how?" Mercury wondered.

Shingo shook his head at them. "I don't know what's wrong with you two, but
shouldn't we, I dunno, put her somewhere where she can recover? Besides,
she's kinda heavy..."

"I guess...we should just take her into the throne room," Mercury said.

Pluto sighed. "I hope Her Majesty isn't in there. She won't be ready for
this."

The two Senshi and Shingo carefully carried the unconscious pink-haired girl
into the throne room.


          *****


The buzz had quickly spread through the Palace, and a good many of its
residents were already gathering in the throne room, observing the young
girl who had been laid out on a futon taken from the old shrine building, a
cold compress on her forehead.

"It...it can't really be her, can it?" Jupiter asked.

"How can it not? Who else would look this much like odango-atama?" Mars
commented, stroking the young girl's hair affectionately.

"She's wearing the uniform of...of Sailor Moon," Venus noted.

"Makes sense," Uranus said. "Her Majesty isn't Sailor Moon anymore, after
all..."

"Right," Mercury nodded. "So it makes sense, logically, that Chi--that Small
Lady would become Sailor Moon when she was old enough...and she's physically
fourteen, according to my equipment."

"Not such a small lady anymore," Jupiter said, chuckling.

Shingo stood. "I'm gonna go find Hotaru," he said, excusing himself.

"That's a good idea," Venus said. "They're really good friends."

Luna, who had arrived only a moment earlier from the training facilities,
frowned. "How is it possible for Small Lady to be alive?"

Pluto shrugged. "It startled me as well. Endymion is dead, and it doesn't
seem Her Majesty could be pregnant with Small Lady right now, given the
date. But..." She scowled. "I can't see this in the future. I'm being
blocked."

Mars freshened the cold compress as she commented, "It could mean...I don't
know how or...but..."

"It might indicate that Endymion will be resurrected yet again," Mercury
finished the thought.

Jupiter chuckled. "That'd make sense. He's got more lives than a cat."

Luna scowled. "This isn't something to joke about, Jupiter!"

The tall Senshi appeared properly chaste. "Still," she said, "it's
possible...anything is possible, when you get right down to it."

At that moment, the pink-haired girl stirred, groaning. "Ugh..."

Mars gently prompted, "Are you alright, Chib...Small Lady?"

The girl sat up, shaking her head as if to clear it. "I just had the
strangest dream..." Looking around, she said, "I dreamed...I dreamed the
whole city was destroyed, and I ran to the palace...and I saw Shingo...he
looked like one of those Dark Generals Mother used to tell me about..."
Noticing that everyone was glancing at each other and shifting
uncomfortably, she sat up straighter, confused. "What? What's wrong?"

Pluto crouched beside the girl. "Small Lady...what you saw wasn't a dream."

The pink-haired Senshi blinked. "But...then...why...how..." Her eyes
widened. "Mother! Is Mother...why isn't she here? And who's attacking us?
Why is everyone here and not out..."

"Shh, calm down, calm down," Pluto said.

"How can I calm down?" the younger girl screamed, rising. With a flash of
light, a crystal longsword appeared in her hand, a gleaming golden crescent
moon inset with a large pinkish stone at its hilt. "Crystal Tokyo's being
destroyed, and everyone's standing around and nobody's telling me what's
going on and--"

Mars walked over and firmly slapped the hyperventilating girl across one
cheek. "Settle down, Chibiusa-chan. Everything's under control."

The pink-haired girl's eyes widened. "You..."

The raven-haired Senshi crossed her arms. "Would you please tell us the last
thing you remember before you saw...what you saw?"

Leaning heavily against her sword and still in a shellshocked state, Small
Lady swallowed. "I...I was headed to the past...back to old Tokyo, to
surprise Mother and Father. I...went back to attend their wedding. But
after...after I went through the Gate of Time, everything was wrong..."

The Senshi shared a glance, then turned as one to Pluto, who nodded. "I
think I understand what happened." Walking up to the pink-haired girl, she
spoke softly, "Small Lady...today's date is the fourth of July, 2001."

"Two...two thousand...one..." Small Lady repeated, blinking. "Then...then
I'm not...and Crystal Tokyo isn't...and...this is the past?"

"That's right," Pluto affirmed.

Standing and banishing her sword, the pink-haired Senshi looked around,
remaining quiet for a long moment. At length, she said, "...so what the hell
happened here?"

"It's a long story," Venus supplied.

Pluto nodded. "That is true. And...as for how you ended up here today, since
I know you're going to ask..." She shrugged. "My guess is that the energy
from the appearance of the Palace, or from...other subsequent events...gave
off some kind of temporal distortion that most likely threw off your
trajectory in time."

Small Lady pondered. "The ride *did* feel a little bumpy..." She blinked.
"What *is* the Palace doing here in this time anyway?"

"It appeared when your mother and father married," Mars explained. "It seems
there was a prophecy we were unaware of, and it fulfilled itself right in
front of a lot of very surprised bystanders."

It was then that the teenager noticed the roomful of people who were not
Senshi. "Ikuko-mama? Kenji-papa? Tomoe-sensei?" She noticed the Ayakashi
Sisters, and blinked. "And even you four..."

"And Shingo, to whom you owe an apology for kicking him in the forehead,"
Pluto nodded. Smiling, she added, "And someone else you probably miss..."

At that moment, the two avatars of Saturn re-entered the throne room. "Ah,
she's awake," Shingo commented.

Sailor Saturn blinked. "Chibiusa-chan?"

The pink-haired girl's eyes widened. "Ho--hotaru-chan..."

What happened next caught everyone present off-guard.

Faster than anyone could blink, Small Lady flew across the throne room,
latched onto a surprised Sailor Saturn...

...and kissed her passionately.

"Mmf...!" Saturn commented.

"Aaaaaaaaaanooooooo........" Shingo offered.

"...goodness," Neptune chimed in.

"This is..."

"...eeetooooo...."

"This is NOT appropriate behavior in the throne room!"

"Mercury, can't you hose them down or something?"

"Umm...I would if my brain weren't frozen solid right now, I think. Yes."

"....ooooroooooooooo...."

Small Lady broke off the kiss, and hugged Saturn fiercely. "Oh, Hotaru-chan!
I'm so happy to see you!" She blinked. "Hotaru-chan? Hello? Hey, anyone in
there? Hotaru-chaaaan..."


                                    Chapter Four


It is the nature of the world that a balance must exist. There cannot be
good without evil, nor can there be evil without good. The belief that one
can exist without the other is a falsity.

It is also the nature of the world that good and evil must maintain a
balance of power. When one gains strength, the other must supplement its
forces to compensate.

Should one side ever overpower the other utterly, a state of imbalance will
exist during which one side feels content, superior, or at peace. This is a
false state which cannot endure, for the balance must return.

"The light grows too strong, and chaos reigns," a cultured male voice
intoned from the shadows of a dark, subterranean realm. "The major forces of
darkness have been erased by the light, creating the false state which
spawns the chaos."

"Chaos!" a female voice chimed in. The owner of this voice was likewise
concealed in shadow.

"It is our time. The duty of bringing darkness to the world above has fallen
unto us. We are the chosen; we are the empowered. We will crush the forces
of light and perfect the chaos of the world above into an all-encompassing
darkness. This is our destiny, and now is the moment to strike."

"Strike!"

"...I have misplaced my copy of Tokimemo Advance. This is unforgivable.
Ekusushi! Go to the world above and strike terror into the hearts of those
who would deny the fallen their simulated dating pleasure!"

"Hai! For my lord Irupara-sama, I will provide dark pleasure!"

"...and bring me a new copy of Tokimemo Advance."

"Haaaaaiiii! Ankoku no senshi Ekusushi-chan, hasshin!"

The darkness is upon us once again. Let the world quake in terror.


          *****


Sailor Saturn blinked once, then a second time. After a moment, she
carefully extricated herself from the pink-haired girl's grip, cheeks
flushed. "Ummm...it's uh, it's good to see you too, Chibiusa-chan, but
umm..."

Shingo appeared between the two girls faster than anyone could see him move,
waving his arms frantically. "Just WHAT do you think you're doing with
Hotaru-chan, baka odango-atama!?"

Small Lady blushed suddenly, recoiling. "Ahhh...gomen, gomen! I...I don't
know what came over me!" She looked down, shuffling her feet. "I was
just...so happy to see Hotaru-chan...I..."

Hotaru peeked over her boyfriend's shoulder, still redder than a tomato.
"It's...it's alright, Chibiusa-chan, but please don't do that again."

The pink-haired Senshi nodded. "Hai, hai..." She paused, frowning. "You
know, about that 'Chibiusa' stuff..."

The others glanced around at one another. "Well...she has a point," Ikuko
spoke up, having finally recovered from the rather bizarre display earlier.
"She's hardly 'chibi' anymore."

"So then...should we call you Small Lady? Or how about just Usagi?"

"Hmmm..." The girl from the future paused. "I suppose Usagi is more
convenient." She blinked. "Speaking of which, where are Mother and Father?"

Another round of uncomfortable silence and glancing about told Usagi that
something was amiss. "Your mother is in the royal suite," Mercury said.

"And...Father?"

Heads were bowed all around. "Endymion...is no longer with us."

The young Senshi gasped. "So--sonna..." She swallowed hoarsely. "H--how?"

"He was slain by Jadeite," Sailor Mars said quietly. "The same night Juuban
was destroyed."

Usagi sank to her knees, tears spilling from her eyes. The others shifted
uncomfortably. Finally, Mars stepped forward. "Usagi-chan...come on, I think
you should go see your mother."

"Father..."

The other Senshi and palace denizens watched the young girl with sympathy as
the Senshi of fire carefully pulled her to her feet and led her to the
elevator. As they exited the throne room, Venus cleared her throat.
"Mercury, Pluto, how did the conference go?"

"About as well as expected," Mercury grimaced. "Should I go ahead and
prepare for a debriefing now, or shall we wait for Her Majesty?"

The Senshi commander frowned. "You two come with me and we'll discuss
things. Everyone else is dismissed for now...do whatever needs to be done,
or take some time to rest and relax. At the rate things keep happening
unexpectedly, we all need to be as alert as possible."


          *****


Two Senshi paused outside the door to the Royal Suite at the top level of
the massive crystal spire. The pink-haired girl was still sobbing into her
hands after having heard a brief recount of the last few days from the other
Senshi, and Sailor Mars' heart went out to her. Wrapping an arm around the
younger girl's shoulders, she drew her in for a hug. "I know, it's a
shock..."

"This all...I don't understand any of this," Usagi whimpered. "Everything's
been destroyed, the Palace doesn't look right, Father's dead...everything's
going so horribly wrong..."

"I know...the last few days have been really hard on everyone," the
dark-haired Senshi replied. "On your mother more than anyone."

Usagi's weeping slowed, and with a final sniffle, she looked up, wiping
unshed tears from her red eyes. "You're right, Rei," she said. "I've got to
be strong for her right now, just like she's always been strong for me."

*I'm impressed,* the red-skirted Senshi thought, casting a critical gaze at
her younger companion. *She's her mother all over again, and then some...*
Smiling reassuringly, she pressed the door chime.


          *****


The sleek crystal golem within the royal chambers seemed to blink, an action
unnoticed by the room's occupants. "Your Majesty?" she queried, confusion
seeping through her synthetic voice.

"Yes, what is it?" the young queen asked, setting aside her teacup.

"Two Senshi request an audience..." the animated statue frowned. "Sailor
Mars and...Sailor Moon?"

Naru blinked. "Huh? But I thought you're Sailor Moon, Serenity..."

"I am...I mean, I *was*..." the ponytailed woman blinked in confusion.
Turning to face the door, she straightened in her chair. "Let them in."

The door opened, and Sailor Mars stepped in. "Your Majesty," she greeted,
bowing her head. "I have someone here who wishes to meet with you." She
stepped to the side, allowing the other visitor to enter.

The young queen's eyes widened at the familiar uniform, face, and hair. The
younger girl's eyes were puffy from crying, and a sad expression marred her
pretty features. She offered a halfhearted bow. "Hello, Mother," she
greeted.

Serenity's dress billowed as she flew across the room to hug her daughter.
"Chibiusa...Small Lady..." The teenager practically vanished within her
mother's embrace.

Naru blinked. "Serenity, did she just call you 'mother'?"

The young queen looked up, tears in her eyes, and nodded, smiling.

Naru stared at the pink-haired girl in the uniform of Sailor Moon. Her brow
furrowed as she felt a fuzzy memory tingling her brain. "Wait, I recognize
you..."

"Tsukino Usagi, but you used to know me as Chibiusa," the teenager replied.

The auburn-haired girl's eyes widened. "NANI!?" She then glanced up at her
long-time friend. "But...she's a lot older than I remember. And..and how can
she be your daughter? Even...as I remember her..."

"She's from the future, Naru-chan," Serenity explained. "Far in the future.
Something close to a thousand years. But she *is* my daughter..." The queen
trailed off, blinking. She turned to stare at the younger girl. "...Small
Lady...did they tell you...?"

"Hai, mother," Usagi said, nodding.

Serenity took a step back from her daughter, eyes widening. "Wait...how...?"

"What is it, Serenity? What's wrong?" Naru asked.

"Endymion's gone...how can you possibly be here?" the young queen asked her
daughter.

The pink-haired girl shook her head. "I don't know. The best any of the
Senshi can come up with is..." She looked down. "He'll come back somehow."
Looking into her mother's eyes with her own tear-filled red ones, she cried,
"He just HAS to!"

Serenity strode across the room and leaned against the sill of the large
observation window in the center of the suite. "Yes...he will. I feel it
somehow..."

Glancing between the queen and her daughter, Naru stood silently. "I think
I'll excuse myself to give you two a little time alone...you have a lot to
talk about, I'm sure..."

The blonde smiled gratefully at her friend. "I'll see you later, Naru-chan.
You're welcome to come up for tea any time."


          *****


"Hotaru-chan," Shingo began as the two made their way toward the staff
dining room.

"Hai?"

Pausing to collect his thoughts, Shingo began uncertainly, "You...and
Chi--err, Usagi..."

The youngest of the Senshi shot a glance at her boyfriend.

"I mean, um...well...you were...good friends, right?"

"Haaaai..." Saturn nodded warily.

Shingo fidgeted. "How...um, how good...?"

Hotaru abruptly stopped, turned, and *glared* at him. "Shingo!" she snapped.
"You know me better than that!"

The brown-haired boy laughed nervously. "H-hai, I guess so..." Blushing
sheepishly, he looked away. "I just...that whole scene made me really
nervous, you know?" He sighed. "If anything came between us...I just...I
don't know. I just got scared..."

He suddenly found himself enveloped in a hug, dark violet eyes staring into
his own. "Shingo-kun..."

For a long moment, Uranus and Neptune stood further down the hall, smiling,
making sure not to disrupt the two of them as they kissed.


          *****


"So the matter of our proposal has been brought before the Prime Minister,
and we'll be contacted when the Diet has made a decision."

"Very well," Venus nodded. "Do you think our offer will be accepted?"

Mercury shrugged. "At this point, it's hard to tell. There's a lot of
confusion and distrust regarding everything that's happened recently, and
the Japanese government isn't likely to want to put too much faith in us."

"A gesture of good faith would be in order," Pluto interjected. "We should
send some of the Senshi to assist in the relief efforts."

Venus nodded. "I'll send Jupiter and Uranus, but I need everyone else here
right now. At least until we're more certain there won't be any more..." She
grimaced. "Unwelcome housewarming gifts."

"I'd like to assist at the medical camp," Mecury said.

The blonde Senshi shook her head. "No...you need to start producing as many
Crystal Points as you can, in the event our offer is accepted. If it's not
accepted, at least we can donate the points and some sort of...umm...thingie
to activate them to the government as a goodwill gesture." Frowning, she
added, "Feel free to visit your mother and check on Kaolinite's status
whenever you need a break, of course. Just try not to be away from the
Palace for more than two hours at a time."

Mercury nodded, and left, leaving Pluto in the room with the Senshi
commander.

"Pluto, about the Small Lady situation..."

"It's unsettling," Pluto admitted. "Added to everything else we've
seen...something is going on which I've been deliberately shielded from
knowing about. The only thing I can think of is that my future self has not
been entirely truthful in some of the information we were given about the
future."

"And since you know better than anyone how skilled you are at deception,"
Venus stated bluntly, "that means we need to be cautious with how we
proceed."

"We shouldn't second-guess ourselves," Pluto pointed out. "This is probably
simply a block to prevent us from seeing the future as written in stone, in
case we inadvertently disrupt it by thinking we're creating it. In any case,
the fact is the future is malleable, so the only thing we can do is proceed
as normal and take things one day at a time."

"Well put," Venus said, smiling. "If you should have any...insight that you
feel should be addressed, though, report to me immediately."

"Of course," Pluto said, bowing as she vanished from the room. Sighing,
Venus departed as well, detransforming as she made her way to her suite.


          *****


Serenity cast an appraising glance at her daughter. "So. You're Sailor Moon
now."

Usagi nodded. "For about a year now."

The queen smiled. "You look so much more sure of yourself than I was."

The pink-haired girl blushed. "Well, I've had about six years of practice at
being a Senshi already..."

"I suppose that would make a lot of difference." Serenity sat down,
motioning for Usagi to take a seat. "Small Lady...I need to ask you
something important."

Nodding, the teenager took a seat in one of the plush lounge chairs littered
about the room.

Folding her hands in her lap, the queen was silent for a moment. "Small
Lady...we never asked you this before, but...could you please tell me when,
exactly, you were born?"

Usagi blinked. "Huh? Why--?"

"Just..please, tell me."

"June 30, 2987. Why?"

Serenity frowned. "I see."

"What's going on, mother?"

The young queen looked at her daughter, smiling sadly. "I only ask
because...I'm pregnant."

"WHAT!?" Usagi shot to her feet, rushing to her mother's side. "Are you
sure?"

The blonde woman nodded. "Hai."

"But..." The young senshi began to pace. "With...with..." In a small voice,
she asked, "Me?"

Serenity shook her head. "Mercury doesn't believe this child will be you."

"But...but that's impossible!" Usagi cried. "I'm the *only* child of
Endymion and Serenity!"

The queen looked down. "That you know of, you mean."

"What?" the pink-haired girl asked, blinking.

Standing, the blonde woman turned again to the window, placing a hand on her
stomach. "Small Lady...I've begun to question some of the things we were
told about the future by Endymion and Sailor Pluto." She turned to face her
daughter. "I know that you haven't given a second thought to the things you
accept as your own history...to you, the next thousand years are something
that already happened. But to us, here...the next thousand years are ahead
of us, and already a lot of things don't seem to be making sense." Serenity
paused. "I have a feeling you didn't expect to see the palace here when you
arrived. Or to learn that Endymion was...was gone."

The younger senshi shook her head numbly. "Father wasn't supposed to die
again..and the Palace shouldn't be here until far in the future."

Serenity was silent for a long moment. "The night Endymion was killed...I
had a dream. It was more than a dream...I think it was a message from him."
As Usagi's eyes widened, the queen continued, "I can't really remember very
well, but I think..."

"Mother...I hope he'll come back to us someday," Usagi said. "I really do.
But...for now, we need to be strong. For him. For everyone."

Nodding and wiping silent tears from her eyes, Serenity smiled at her
daughter. "You're certainly a lot more mature than I remember," she teased.

"Well, I learned from the best," she replied. Embracing her mother tightly,
she furrowed her brow. "Now...would you explain to me why Shingo looks like
a Dark General?"

Giggling, the queen began filling her daughter in on some of the finer
details of the week...


          *****


Those resting and recovering in the aid camp were roused by a team of
hardhat-wearing construction workers and military men sweeping through the
area. "Okay, everyone! We need to break this camp and relocate it!"

Mizuno-sensei rushed out of the tent where she'd been catnapping, followed
closely by her newly-found aide Kaori. "What's going on here?" she asked.

"Doctor, we have to get all these people out of here. We've been doing
infrastructure checks on some of the underground utilities in the area, and
there's a gas main running right under this camp that may be badly damaged."

The doctor frowned. "Alright, I'll need help getting the tents down and the
wounded loaded onto stretchers." Taking the megaphone from the lead of the
party (with some protest), she shouted, "May I have your attention,
everyone! We'll be moving this camp in a few minutes, as soon as we can get
all the wounded out and all the equipment packed. Anyone who's able to walk
and lift things, get ready to help with the move."

Within a few minutes, the medical camp had erupted into a flurry of activity
as tents were taken down and trucks and jeeps hauled portable buildings to a
safer location. Three troop buses pulled up, waiting to transport the staff
and patients to the new camp location.

Huffing under the weight of a heavy crate of supplies, one nurse commented,
"This...reminds me...of an old American show I liked as a little girl..."

"What show was that?" Kaori asked, walking alongside the nurse and carrying
a stack of blankets.

"M*A*S*H," the nurse replied.

"Hmm. Wish I could remember if I'd ever seen it or not."

After loading their supplies into one of the portable buildings, a jeep
backed up to it, and the driver began hooking the winch to the towing rig.
In his haste, he fumbled the winch hook with a curse...

...and the ground began to shift, with a disconcerting hiss as the rear end
of the jeep and the front of the trailer began to sink toward the rupture.

"Oh, shit..." The soldier backed off a few steps, and cupped his hands
around his mouth. "GAS! CLEAR OU--"

The rear of the jeep struck the front of the portable building, and the
deafening roar of an explosion shook the area.

"Everybody RUN!" Mizuno-sensei shouted into the megaphone, barely audible
over the roar of gas igniting and children screaming. The relief camp began
to scatter haphazardly as a fireball blossomed from the ground, a great gout
of flames erupting half a kilometer into the air. The wrecked trailer
tumbled end-over-end across the field...


          *****


Mercury's head snapped up as her computer began beeping an alarm at her.
"The panic button..." Setting aside the pad she was working with, the
blue-haired Senshi teleported to the relief camp, and found Hell literally
breaking loose.


          *****


"Get those children out of here!" Kaori yelled, helping two of the nurses
get infirmed patients onto a bus that was about to leave the area.
Elsewhere, able-bodied adults were trying to round up all the panicking
children and less able-bodied patients who were scattering in fear from the
expanding ball of flames.

A blue flash appeared halfway between her and Mizuno-sensei. "What's
happening here?" a tense voice asked.

Kaori glanced over to see one of the mysterious 'Sailor Senshi' everyone
spoke of, and a brief sense of unease shuddered its way through her body.
Forcing it down, she shouted back, "Gas main exploded! We were breaking camp
to let the construction crews check it out, and something set it off!"

Sailor Mercury looked up at the column of flames, nodding. "Right. Get all
these people out of here, I'll take care of the fire." Faster than any
ordinary human could follow, Sailor Mercury was gone, leaving a blur of
silver and blue behind.

Kaori stood stunned for but a moment before the situation reasserted itself,
and she shook her head to clear it. "You heard the lady! Everybody move it!"
She began rushing back and forth between the column of running people and
the bus full of wounded, doing what she could to expedite things.

A panic-stricken woman suddenly rushed up to her and grabbed the lapels of
her jacket. "My baby! I can't find my baby!"

"Calm down, ma'am!" Kaori snapped.

"I can't! My baby! She's just four! She was outside the tent when everything
started, and she's not on the bus and I don't know where she--"

"Just help these people on the bus, ma'am...I'll find your child. I
promise." Glancing around, Kaori began looking for any sign of a lost child
in the midst of the chaos. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted
over the noise, "Sensei! There's a lost little girl, four years old!"

The doctor nodded with concern, glancing around the area. Most of the people
had already cleared out, and debris from the jeep and trailer destroyed by
the initial explosion littered the ground. Sirens could be heard as
emergency vehicles raced into the area, and brilliant flashes of ice magic
illuminated the area as Sailor Mercury struggled to control the gas-fueled
inferno.

A piercing wail rose above the din, and Kaori homed in on it, following it
to the overturned, smoldering husk of the portable building that had been
destroyed in the initial explosion. A little girl was on the ground,
screaming; her leg was pinned under the debris. "Help me!" she cried as
Kaori approached.

The redhead briskly rushed over and examined the girl and the debris pinning
her. She frowned as she saw the deep, bloody gash the torn metal had rent in
the little girl's calf; she'd need to be treated quickly. "Just calm down,
sweetie," she soothed. "I'm gonna try to get you out of here."

"Where's my mommy?" the child asked.

"Your mommy is very worried about you, so she sent me to help look for you,"
Kaori explained as she tried to figure out some way to extract the little
girl from underneath the portable. Turning her head, she yelled, "I found
her! She's trapped! I need some hel--"

Her words were drowned out by a secondary explosion. The girl screamed in
fright; Kaori whipped around and stared in shock as a second, much larger
fireball erupted from the ground. The silver-blue form of Sailor Mercury was
flung several meters from the blast, smoldering slightly. Huge chunks of
earth and debris rained down...

The terrified cries of the child alerted Kaori to the fact that an enormous
chunk of debris was arcing directly toward them. Time seemed to slow for the
redhead; the next few seconds played out in horrifying slow motion.

Mercury struggled to her knees, weak and unsteady; she was in no condition
to help anyone until she caught her breath.

The little girl was panicking wildly, and had nearly doubled the length and
width of her wound in her efforts to tear herself free.

A slab of red-hot metal was headed straight for them, and there'd be no time
to get out of the way with the child, nor any way to protect both herself
and the child.

And then, something in the back of Kaori's mind said "No."

Kaori suddenly flung her hands forward, creating a large ball of black
energy which she then hurled straight into the path of the oncoming
shrapnel. The glowing chunk of metal crackled with arcs of dark power before
simply ceasing to exist.

Drawing herself upright, the redhead grabbed hold of the building which
pinned the small child and lifted it, hurling it as far as she could--which
was quite far indeed, as it landed nearly half a kilometer away.

She wasn't through yet, however. Turning to face the erupting flames, she
held out her arms, palms facing forward, and leaned as though pushing
against a wall. A column of powerful wind roared across the ruined terrain,
slamming into the raging inferno...and almost immediately extinguishing it.

As the flames and the wind died down, Kaori's world snapped back into sharp
relief, and she sank to her knees on the blackened ground. The four-year-old
girl unsteadily crawled to her on her hands and good leg, but she paid the
child no notice. The people still working in the former camp were staring,
but she ignored them.

The only thing her suddenly exhausted mind and body paid much attention to
before she passed out was the intense expression of worry and anxiety with
which Sailor Mercury was looking down at her.


                                    Chapter Five


Concealed by the smoke and standing in the shadow of a construction vehicle,
the minion of darkness watched the aftermath of the chaos caused by the gas
explosion.

The busloads of homeless Juuban residents had pulled out, and were being
moved to emergency housing in another ward. The Sailor, the red-haired
woman, and another woman had vanished mysteriously amid the confusion. All
that was left were military men and workers.

"A powerful lady with darkness in her soul...this could be useful to me..."

The beeping of a digital watch startled the minion.

"Ohmygoshit'slateandthestoresaregonnaclosebeforeIgetmymaster'sgame!"

With a flash, the minion of the shadows rushed off to carry out her orders.


          *****


"So the cover is I went with her to a hospital elsewhere in Tokyo,"
Mizuno-sensei said as she paced at the foot of an infirmary bed.

Her daughter nodded, continuing to silently scan the woman on the bed with
her visor and computer, trying to determine something, but unsure what.

"So this is your new home?" the doctor asked conversationally, glancing
around. "Very nice...a little chilly, though..."

"Infirmary temperature increase two degrees Celsius," Mercury said absently.
The room became slightly warmer.

"Ami-chan?" the Senshi's mother tried again. "Is something wrong?"

Finally, Mercury looked up and sighed, deactivating her visor and rubbing
her forehead. "No, Mother," she said. "Well...yes and no. I'm just..." She
sighed. "How's the little girl doing?"

"I checked on her a few minutes ago. Sailor Saturn managed to heal most of
the damage. I gave her a few stitches, and she should be fine."

The woman on the bed stirred. "Ugh..." She squinted at the ceiling. "Where
am I?"

"Kaori-san," Mercury said softly. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Remember? There was...fire...gas main blew up. I was trying to free a
little girl who got trapped..." She blinked. "Sailor Mercury?"

The Senshi nodded. "Yes. You fell unconscious."

"The girl! Is she--"

"She's perfectly fine. One of the Senshi healed her leg, and she's going to
be just fine."

A sigh of relief. "Good." She frowned. "Am I where I think I am?"

"Where do you think you are?" Mercury asked gently.

"Is this...the Crystal Palace?"

Mercury nodded. "Hai."

Kaori tried to sit up, grimacing. Mercury and the doctor gently pushed her
back down. "What am I doing here?"

The other two women shared a glance. "Sailor Mercury thought it would be
best to bring you here, in light of certain...events."

"What events?"

Mizuno-sensei sat down on a chair near the bed. "Kaori-san, do you happen to
remember what happened right before you passed out?"

The redhead frowned. "The girl was crying, and she was...trapped. There was
another explosion, and a big piece of metal, coming right at us, then..."
She shook her head. "That must be when I blacked out." She looked up at the
doctor. "Am I...how bad am I hurt?"

Mizuno-sensei laughed softly. "Relax, Kaori-san. You're perfectly unharmed.
In fact, it was you who saved the little girl's life."

Mercury peered intently at the pale woman. "Kaori-san...have any of your
memories returned? Any at all?"

"My memory..." The redhead's brow furrowed. After a long moment, she sighed.
"Nothing. I still...I just can't remember."

"Hmm." The Senshi frowned. "Well, get some rest, Kaori-san. We'll come check
on you again later."

As the two women left, Mizuno-sensei turned to her daughter. "So what were
you checking on so intently in there?"

"Just trying to get some readings on her power while I had the chance," the
blue-haired Senshi replied. "My computer can't make any sense of her, and
most of her power is latent aside from her healing factor...the most I can
tell is what we already know. Whatever she is, I don't think anything can
kill her." She sighed. "I only hope that she stays as friendly and nice as
she is right now, because if the old Kaolinite wakes up, we may all be in a
lot of trouble."

"Well, you beat her before, right? I mean, if she does turn bad..."

Mercury shook her head. "What good's it do to beat an enemy that'll just
keep coming back?"


          *****


In the chambers of the Senshi Commander, Aino Minako sat at a vanity table
more suited to a twelve-year-old girl than a woman who wielded the power of
Sailor Venus, brushing her long, luxuriant hair.

A soft voice spoke up behind her. "What's wrong, Mina-chan?"

The young woman sighed, setting aside the brush and turning to face her
long-time partner. "I'm just trying to figure everything out, Artemis."

The small white cat padded over and hopped up onto the cushioned bench.
"You? Thinking this much? That's something I never expected."

Minako smiled slightly and cuffed the cat gently on the head. "Baka kitty,"
she said. Looking down at her hands, which were folded across her lap, she
shook her head. "It's just...everything. Serenity, Endymion, Jadeite, the
Palace, Juuban, Kaolinite, Small Lady...even you and Luna..."

"I know, it's all happening so fast. It's almost impossible to keep track of
everything that's happened this week," Artemis replied. "You've been doing a
great job, Mina-chan. I can't think of anyone better suited to being Senshi
Commander than you."

"But I...it's just really hard. I haven't had a moment to breathe since this
all started. And without Serenity's help, I'm not sure I'm doing things
right..." She trailed off and stiffened suddenly as a pair of strong arms
embraced her. Eyes wide, she looked up...and into the storm-grey eyes of her
long-time friend's human form.

"Stop worrying and doubting yourself, Lady Venus," Artemis said softly.
"You've always been strong and decisive, even when things were at their
worst...every step you're taking now is the right one. Everyone trusts you.
They know that even though you can be a little...flaky sometimes, you're
best suited to making the big decisions. You're just like Serenity in that
regard...everyone can count on you to know what to do."

"But I can't count on myself!" Minako cried, burying her face in Artemis'
long white hair. "It's hard...everyone looks to me for the answers, and I'm
just guessing what to do next..."

Artemis smiled. "Many great leaders throughout history became great leaders
because they were very good guessers."

Minako giggled, and wrapped her arms tightly around the knight. "Thanks,
Artemis." She sighed contentendly. "Mmm, you're warm like this..."


          *****


A Japanese businessman sat in a small lounge at the international airport in
San Francisco, drinking sake quietly and watching the people who came and
went with disinterest.

Earlier, a corporate aide had apologized profusely, but informed him that
the private jet was in severe need of maintenance, and would not be safe to
fly to Japan. Further, the first optimal choice of a first-class flight to
Tokyo on any major airline would not be for several more hours.

Fortunately, Goro was a patient man. He decided to make use of the
intervening hours collecting information via the news broadcasts on the
television in the lounge. Much coverage was being given to the bizarre
situation in the heart of Tokyo, and his interest in the events there went
far beyond mere commercial concerns.

Behind his dark glasses, Goro's eyes burned red. The Senshi would not be
facing an ill-prepared enemy when he confronted them. Time was on his
side...


          *****


An intelligence officer met with the Diet in a secret session.

"What do you have to report?" the Prime Minister asked.

The intelligence man set a folder on the table. "The identities of the
Sailor Senshi."

The various politicians glanced around at each other. "Their identities?"

The man nodded. "Based on everything learned from the Senshi themselves and
the location where the Crystal Palace appeared, my team has learned, with
certainty, who these girls are."

One of the ministers folded his hands. "Does that really matter at this
point?"

"It might," the Minister of Foreign Affairs said. "Continue, please."

The man pulled out a sheaf of papers and began passing them around. On each
sheet of paper was a simple list of names. "At the time of the appearance of
the Palace, a wedding was taking place at the shrine formerly occupying
those grounds. The bride was one Tsukino Usagi. Based on accounts from the
Senshi themselves, this leads us to believe that she is their leader, Sailor
Moon.

"The other names on the list are the known female guests whose age matches
the age range estimates of the Sailor Senshi. We pulled school photographs
and compared them to photos of the Senshi, and while some..." He frowned.
"Some *force* prevents us from making an exact comparison, a psychic
specialist was able to clearly match each Senshi to a guest on that list."

"Okay, so we know who they are. What's the use of that? Does it matter at
this point?"

The Prime Minister shook his head. "Even if we were planning to start a war
with these girls, which we are NOT, the only point of knowing who they are
would be if we intended to use their families as leverage. To employ such
Yakuza tactics would be shameful and dishonorable." He sighed. "Thank you
for your report, you are dismissed."

As the intelligence man left, the Minister of Foreign Affairs asked,
"So...what *are* we going to do?"

The Prime Minister shook his head. "The reports from Juuban are not good.
Clearing the rubble and laying new foundations and streets alone would take
months, perhaps well over a year. This isn't even considering the fact that
the cost of reconstruction, if funded entirely from our relief budget, will
cause significant financial damage." He glanced at the information from the
meeting with the Senshi, and at the other papers scattered across the table.
"I believe...the only option we have is to agree to what the Senshi have
asked for. With...provisions."


          *****


The meeting hall that had been host to the reconstruction conference earlier
that day now saw a steady stream of soldiers and construction workers,
having been converted into the headquarters of the relief effort in the
ruined Juuban district. Trucks of materials streamed into the area, and
construction vehicles made steady progress in clearing rubble and unearthing
damaged foundations. A large majority of the work, however, was being done
by the two Senshi who were presently demolishing the foundation of what had
been a large shopping center.

"WORLD...SHAKING!" Uranus slammed a fist into the ground, and workers
watched in fascination as a huge stone slab erupted from the ground,
shattered into giant chunks. Smirking, the sandy-haired Senshi called out,
"Your turn, Jupiter!"

"Yosha!" Pumping a fist and grinning, the tall, chestnut-haired Senshi posed
a little for the crowd of men before unleashing her attack. "And
now...Multiple Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

Uranus rolled her eyes as Jupiter unleashed six blasts at once. Within
seconds, the broken foundation was reduced to a heap of gravel and dust.

"Whew," the tall girl said as she admired her handiwork. "I need to rest a
bit after that."

"That's what you get for showing off," Uranus remarked. She looked around at
the mostly-clear terrain. "Still, we did get a lot done here for just having
worked a few hours."

"Yeah, I--huh!?" Jupiter broke off as an enormous cloud of dust rose in the
horizon, drawing nearer. The soldiers around the worksite became uneasy, and
weapons were hastily checked.

"I think we've got company," Uranus said.

A silhoutted figure appeared in the dust. "Sailor Senshi, bringers of the
chaos and sworn enemies of the darkness! I greet you, and come bearing a
gift...a gift of... There was a hesitant pause. "A gift of Tokimemo Advance?
No wait, that was for my master...what was it I brought the Senshi..."

Uranus and Jupiter looked at each other in confusion.

"Oh yeah!" The figure in the dust jumped up and down for a moment, before
apparently posing dramatically. "I bring you a gift...of death!"

The two Senshi sweatdropped. "Whoever you are, just...go away, alright?"
Jupiter shouted. "We're not in the mood to kick your ass right now."

"Too bad! You're going to have to kick my ass! Err...I mean, I'm gonna kick
YOUR asses! Yeah!" The voice from the dust cloud rose as the figure within
made a gesture familiar to the two Sailors. "Dark Cross Power, Make-UP!"

With an explosion of chaotic, swirling light, the cloud of dust cleared to
reveal a girl with long blond hair and green eyes, dressed in an odd parody
of a Senshi costume: a low-cut black bodice, a pink collar and bow, broad
mint-green shoulderpads, a white skirt, and mid-calf black boots.

"Who in the world are you supposed to be?" Uranus wondered.

"I'm so glad you asked!" the mystery girl said,  performing a variety of
silly poses, which included mooning the two Senshi. "Zouo to hakai no,
seira-fuku ankoku senshi Sailor XL! Daakurosu ni kawatte, korosu yo!"

Uranus and Jupiter stared blankly at her.

A lieutenant walked over to the two Senshi, rifle in hand. "Sorry to ask,
but uh...is she one of you guys?"

Jupiter shook her head. "Not hardly."

"Of course I'm not one of them!" Sailor XL shouted angrily. "I'm their sworn
mortal enemy, sent to destroy them by my dark lord Irupara-sama!"

Uranus sighed. "Alright, alright, let's get this over with. WORLD..."

"Matte, matte!" The dark Senshi waved her hands frantically. "That's not how
it works! You don't get to fight me yet! You have to fight my minions
first!" She rolled her eyes. "Mou, you guys have been doing this for *how*
long, now? You should know this already."

"Is she for real?" Jupiter asked.

"She's a complete and total lunatic," the older Senshi replied.

"Oh, come on, come on, fight my minion! Please?" Sailor XL cried.

Jupiter rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright! We'll fight your minion. If you
promise you won't make a break for it and run away while we're fighting."

"Wai! XL-chan promises!" Reaching into her cleavage, the dark sailor pulled
out a deck of cards. "What to use, what to use..." Drawing five cards from
the deck, she began to look them over. "Ah! That one!" She placed the card
on the ground face-down, then leaned over and tapped the center of the black
cross on the back. "I'll play the Black Magic Woman, Hayate!"

The card began to glow, and a girl with curly lavender-blue hair rose out of
it, spinning gracefully. With pale skin and amber eyes, the beautiful girl
wore a low-cut, dark purple leotard that left her legs and shoulders bare,
with knee-high boots and wristguards of the same color. A blood-red
half-skirt and cape hung from her back, and she held a short wand with a
curly golden top in one hand. As she fully emerged from the card, she bowed.
"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

"Don't bow politely to the enemy! Destroy them!" Sailor XL shouted.

"Hai." Stepping forward, she smiled sadly at the two Senshi. "Gomen nasai,
but I must kill you now." She raised her wand...

"Be careful, Jupiter," Uranus warned. "She may be a tough opponent."

The wand fell from Hayate's hand as she doubled over with a sudden coughing
fit. "Oi, what's wrong with you, Black Magic Woman Hayate?" Sailor XL asked.

"Gomen...nasai...I'm not very strong..." Blood trickled from the mage's lips
as she collapsed to the ground, dead. Her card glowed and her body faded
away.

"..." Jupiter offered.

"..." Uranus replied.

Sailor XL collapsed to her knees. "Wah! My minion is useless! And I'm
hungry! And I don't wanna die! And my master still hasn't gotten his game!"
Standing, she posed dramatically. "Listen up, Sailor Senshi! You may have
won today, but the Dark Cross will dominate the light and turn the chaos
into neverending night!" She frowned. "At least, I think that's
right...ANYWAY!" She flung a smoke bomb at the ground. "Goodbye, Sailor
Senshi!" When the smoke cleared, she was gone.

"...that was...insane and pointless," Uranus said at length.

"Yeah. Anyway, it's almost night, we should be getting back to the palace."


          *****


The long silence in the room was broken by a soft flash of orange light.
"Lady Venus, the Prime Minister of Japan wishes to meet with you."

Minako looked into Artemis' eyes. "It's time," she said.

He nodded. "Good luck, Mina."


          *****


Shortly after sunset, the programming on all television and radio stations
in Japan was interrupted. /We apologize for this interruption, but we have a
special news bulletin to share this evening. We go now live to a press
conference with the Prime Minister.../

/People of Japan, good evening, and please excuse this interruption. I have
here with me Sailors Venus, Mercury, and Pluto, acting on behalf of their
queen, Neo-Serenity. Meetings have taken place between our government and
the Senshi, and a solution has been reached to the Juuban reconstruction
problem which we feel will be favorable for all concerned parties.

/It is the decree of the office of the Prime Minister and the Diet that,
effective this day, 4 July 2001, the government of the nation of Japan
officially recognizes the sovereign nation of Crystal Tokyo, a monarchy,
under the rule of Neo-Queen Serenity, with Her Ladyship Sailor Venus acting
as minister of operations.

/It is also the decree of the office of the Prime Minister and the Diet
that, effective this day, 4 July 2001, the territory formerly known as
'Juuban-cho', in Minato-ku Tokyo, is hereby peaceably surrendered to Crystal
Tokyo by the government of the nation of Japan as a goodwill gift to a newly
allied nation.

/However, all relief operations funded by the government of Japan for the
territory formerly known as Juuban-cho are now terminated. From this point
forward, the sole responsibility of financing and executing the
reconstruction in Juuban-cho lies with the government of Crystal Tokyo.

/All Japanese citizens who wish to remain in the territory once it is
rebuilt will be asked to file for citizenship of Crystal Tokyo. The forms
and procedures for this change of citizenship will be made available within
a week's time. Private Japanese enterprises are encouraged to accept
construction contracts from, and establish business offices in, the
city-state of Crystal Tokyo, as this will benefit both their economy and our
own.

/I'm sure you all have many questions about this monumental occurrance, but
we ask that you be patient. All details will be made available to the public
over the course of the next few weeks. Both the governments of Japan and
Crystal Tokyo appreciate your support during these troubled times, and we
ask that those interested parties help make this transition as smooth as
possible. Thank you, and goodnight./


          *****


The Sailor Senshi and palace courtiers stood around in the rear courtyard of
the palace, watching the sky as fireworks blossomed brilliantly above,
lighting the night with beautiful blooms of color.

"Is it right to celebrate like this?" Hotaru wondered.

"It'd look strange if we didn't," Pluto replied. "Besides, it's healthy.
Fireworks cheer you up."

"Mmm," Michiru noted. She nestled against Haruka's chest. "Yes, I always
feel warm when I watch fireworks with someone I love."

Haruka chuckled, tightening her embrace on the shorter girl. "You know, July
Fourth is a big holiday in America."

"That's right, it's their Independence Day," Ami added.

"And now, it's also our Independence Day," Minako said from where she stood
beside Artemis. "I wonder if this is fortunate, or merely the next disaster
in the making?"

"Don't think that way, Mina-chan," Makoto said. "We'll do our best and take
each day as it comes, and hopefully everything will work out alright in the
end. That's all anyone can do."

The last blossom of fire faded from the sky. The group filed back into the
palace, ready to rest after a long, eventful day.



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

Studio ELL: Back in Crack!
http://www.lurkerdrome.com
The Eternal Lost Lurker
lurker@lurkerdrome.com
http://www.livejournal.com/users/lurkerdrome



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