Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ (The 1st Generation) Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon R ❯ Episode Four: Papa Don’t Preach – Birthdays, Families And Other Problems ( Chapter 4 )

Title: (1st Generation) Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon R (4/?)

Status: Alpha

Author: Matthias aka MysticMew

Email: Minaru@gmx.de

Beta-reader: Ayrki

Rating: Mild R

Established Pairings: Usagi/Mamoru, Minako/Hotaru

Timeline: After Season 1, complete "re"-write of the Anime without Chibiusa traveling back in time.

Stories in Series until now: The 1st Generation, Sailor V Vol.4, 5, 6 and the Special Issue.

Summary: What would happen, if Chibiusa never made her trip back in time? What DID happen before she changed the timeline? There must be a past where she never went back, right? New choices are made, new enemies appear. Were things for the better or the worse? Go read and find out!

Distribution: Starsinlove-group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/starsinlove), MSD (www.catstrio.de), ff.net (www.fanfiction.net), Mediaminer (www.mediamer.org), ASMR (www.moonromance.net), Shoujo Ai.com (www.shoujoai.com). Anyone else, you can have it but please ask first, 'kay?

Chapter Summary: When parents wake up and find their child grown up it can result in unexpected and often unwanted results. Right on cue for Minako's birthday her parents go through a similar thing because of simple luck… or bad luck, whatever you may call it. This on top of everything else will be the cause of a very interesting birthday…

Disclaimer: Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon/Sailor V belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei and Kodansha

Story Disclaimer: Copyright©2002-2003 by Matthias Engel

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

Senshi Diary Codename: Crescent, access only by registered and acknowledged members of the Royal Court.

Scan activated

Scan positive

Recognition: Senshi Saturn

Login: Senshi Journals

Receivers: Sailor Senshi of 20th Century

Hiya, minna-san,

this is Hotaru, summarizing this entry. This one is all around Minako's 16 birthday and what a birthday it was… An emotional roller coaster all along, especially for Minako and me but the others as well.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Usagi)

Birthdays among Senshi… as few as we actually had, followed a basic principle. At the head of organization would be a pending triumvirate of Minako, Rei and me. Plans would be made between us, tasks given and schedules made. Makoto would provide the food of course and Ami would help where she could, not to mention keep an eye on costs and that everything looked just right - she had an eye for such things, even without using that computer of hers.

Now, the 21st of October was no different in the usually come and go, the hectic of the day before a birthday, the last bits of preparations… There were a few differences though. Since Minako was the lucky one, she couldn't be planning her own party of course. Not that it would be much of a surprise. Being one of the head party girls herself she knew all too well the routine. No, it was of course simply a tradition that you would pretend the honor guest would be totally surprised… and the honor guest had to play surprised anyway.

The next difference was that Rei was in a particular foul mood lately, especially since the disaster with the Aura Knights. We all were actually. Rei had claimed that her presence at the studio - so far away from the Jinja - was merely a coincidence and that she had made some errands in the area… I wasn't one to press, not with her mood at the moment, but I could not help but to doubt the explanation. Strangely enough it was Minako who was covering for her story the most… Since I hadn't been there myself, I would refrain from passing judgment. However, Ami and Makoto seemed to share an at least basic doubt about the whole thing.

And as conclusion to all that, I had practically been taking care of preparations myself most of the time. Rei was away often and we couldn't ask Minako after all. And I did miss their help and competence in this. Rei was very resourceful when it got to organizing an event and Minako had just the knack for the right thing to add here and there. Be it as simple as the single red balloon everyone had forgotten to hang up somehow, or as crazy as the exploding flower filled with confetti she had unleashed on Makoto. The only real birthday all five of us had celebrated together before heading out for D-Point. We had a few other parties in-between but that one held a fond memory for all of us. This would be the second birthday all of us could celebrate together and I wanted it to be as wonderful as possible.

"I think this should take care of most of the setups," someone commented next to me. That someone had been surprisingly a great help… Well, not so surprisingly actually since it was in her best interest to make the party worthy for her girlfriend. Hotaru had proved to be rather innovative once unleashed from her chains of insecurity and shyness. After some initial caution and insecurity, Hotaru had been right in the midst of planning and executing in no time. Rei, for some reasons, hadn't commented at all, the few times she was actually present. She only shot the younger girl some weird, almost thoughtful looks.

I looked around at the decorated inside of the Jinja - or at least the room we had chosen as the main party room. Rei had protested at first against "misusing" her home and complained about a further lack of privacy but had quickly relented after we pointed out that we were practically here most of the time anyway. And, point in fact, Rei was strangely absent from her own home a lot the days between the Aura Knight battle and Minako's birthday. In this period of time we had managed quite a bit under the combined efforts of everyone else. It wasn't as if Rei wasn't trying to help when she could. The problem was, most of the time she was incapable of doing so, because of simple absence.

"I think you are right," I mused, letting my gaze wander around the room one more time. Over the table with gifts, the decoration of a rather intriguing design, courtesy of Hotaru, that even Rei seemed to be impressed with. Bound together above the entrance of the room and stretching around the room, were bands of gold, with tiny heart shapes combined with the outlines of the western astrological symbol of Libra. There was also a cross-like shape right in the middle above the entrance that symbolized the Venus Tear in battle mode. Makoto had insisted on adding a small picture she had taken recently of Minako and Hotaru. It showed the blonde with her arms around Hotaru and chin resting on the black-haired girl shoulders. Hotaru had been heavily protesting, saying that this was supposed to be for Minako alone but Mako-chan had been relentless. It was sort of meant as a welcoming gesture as well, and I think the younger girl could need it.

"What do you think, Rei? Anything to add?" Makoto asked, coming up behind us with an apron and a bit… untidy. Makoto was still working on that cake but had promised it would be ready by tomorrow.

Rei putting up a last band turned around and gave the effort of a smile. "I think it's quite nice. A miracle, I say, since our Odango Atama planned most of it." I fixed the other girl with a glare who just shrugged in response.

"I'm not incompetent you know, Rei-chan? Besides, I had quite inspiring help from someone other than you," I shot back, crossed my arms and pointedly ignored her, as I smiled at Hotaru who blushed a little. "Arigato, Hotaru-chan, I don't think we could have done it without you… Especially since some of us are blissfully absent most of the time."

Makoto laughed at that and Ami hid a smile. "She got you there, Rei. And I must admit I was surprised how well you managed too, Hotaru-chan," the tall brunette commented, rewarding Hotaru with a friendly smile. Rei didn't say anything. She just glowered.

Ami looked out of the window. "It's getting dark already. I think we should get back home since training is cancelled for today. Our families are worrying enough already," she said. That was true, even though it mostly was meant for me - since the others didn't have to worry about parents so much - but even Ami had gotten a few calls from her mother who was simply worried.

I took one last look at the room and nodded, before a yawn escaped my mouth. It had been tiring to pull this off in-between all the stress our lives were under in the last two weeks but there had simply been not an argument whether or not we would wait with a party until everything had calmed down. Tempers were flaring and everyone's nerves were on edge anyway. The mood wasn't the best. The group needed this. No one was going to argue with that and no one had.

"Alright. Let's head home, everyone. I think Minako must be missing Hotaru already." Hotaru flushed scarlet under Makoto's laugh and Ami's quiet giggles. Artemis just smirked and Luna smiled slightly. Rei didn't express any humor at the comment but I could see a slight twinkle in her eyes… of course, it could have been my imagination.

Shortly afterwards everyone had separated to head their individual ways home.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(First gong)

Scene fades up on the surface of a hilly land, covered with vivid green grass and a field of flowers. We see Usagi standing in the center in her princess gown but without the Crescent Moon sigil, Mamoru is standing off to the side in a black suit, watching her with a quiet smile.

(Second gong)

The camera swings around, capturing Minako and Hotaru sitting and leaning against each other in the flower field. Minako has an arm around Hotaru's shoulders and Hotaru's head is on her right shoulder, their fingers interlocked and eyes half-closed.

(Third gong)

The camera swings yet again towards Ami, Rei and Makoto a short distance away from the couples, enjoying the weather. Ami against a tree, reading, Rei dozing off in the sun and Makoto, chasing Artemis for some reason, while Luna sits nearby shaking her head.

(First notes up to lyrics)

The scene fades black shortly and then shows Usagi/Serenity rising into the sky, transforming into Sailormoon in the process, Tuxedo Kamen right beside her. The familiar shape of the Moon comes into view and the surface draws closer as the pair descend, showing the ruins of the fallen Moon Kingdom. Mercury, Mars and Jupiter join them shortly, as does Venus without Hotaru, Luna and Artemis to their respective partner's feet. The season logo is slowly drawn over the assembled senshi.

(Gomen ne sunao janakute)

(Yume no naka nara ieru)

(Shikou kairo wa shooto sunzen)

(Ima sugu aitai yo)

We see Ami with a book in her hand walking down a street, before she looks and turns around to face the screen. The sign of Mercury flashes on her forehead and her form is momentarily overlaid by a translucent image of Sailormercury.

Rei can be seen with her back to the screen, working on something at the Jinja. Phobos and Deimos fly into the scene and perch upon Rei's shoulders. The miko turns around and the sign of Mars flashes on her forehead and her form is momentarily overlaid by a translucent image of Sailormars.

Makoto can be seen working out, her motions flowing flawlessly into each other. She suddenly halts in mid-motion and turns her head to face the camera. The sign of Jupiter flashes on her forehead and her form is momentarily overlaid by a translucent image of Sailorjupiter.

(Nakitaku naru you na moonlight)

(Denwa mo dekinai midnight)

(Datte junjou doushiyou)

(Haato wa mangekyou)

Minako can be seen with jogging clothes, running down a street, sweat pouring from her forehead. She comes closer and the scene is suddenly frozen with a close-up on Minako, the sign of Venus on her forehead and the translucent layer of her senshi identity. The screen splits, leaving Minako frozen in place and showing now Hotaru in her room, lit by various candles and lamps, kneeling in a circle of the former. Her hair is hanging down and half-covers the concentration on her face. Suddenly darkness engulfs the room as well as Minako in the other scene. Hotaru desperately reaches out towards the other. For a moment her eyes turn blank and emotionless, the sign of Saturn flashes briefly on her forehead and her form is overlaid by the translucent image of Sailorsaturn, before everything turns black.

(Tsuki no hikari ni michibikare)

(Nando mo meguriau)

A group of four shadows becomes more detailed on the background of darkness. A brown-blond haired man, a light blue-haired one, a dark haired, very tall and heavy man and a redheaded pig-tailed one that looked remarkably female. A "shadow" can be seen looming over the four like a cloak covering a head.

Two points of light suddenly disrupt the darkness. On the left, the Silver Crystal can be seen and on the right the Venus Tear. A thin line of violet slashes through the middle of the screen and shows Serenity and Endymion on the left side, Saturn and Venus on the right. Serenity holds the Silver Crystal high into the air, while Endymion supports her with one arm, the other on the sword hilt. Venus has the Venus Tear in both hands and Saturn swings the Silence Glaive a few times for emphasis.

A brief flash shows Sailorpluto at the Time Gate looking worriedly upon the scene.

(Seiza no matataki kazoe uranau koi no yukue)

(Onaji kuni ni umareta no)

(Mirakuru romansu)

Scene shifts to the Moon once again. Among the ruins, a large, black structure can be seen, vaguely resembling a military base. The scene shows the Senshi again, running side by side on the surface of the Moon, being assaulted by various Youma and other things… The Princess's guard jumps into the air, Mercury sending a stream of water and Jupiter a barrage of lightning combined into the enemy rows, Mars ignites a few more and Venus slashes through several opponents with a four-bladed, cross-like weapon out of pure crystalline light.

The scene shifts to an image of the Moon again, hanging loosely in black space. A blue, red and green star appears to the left, an orange and violet one to the right. In the middle, a bright silver and golden star joins the others. The stars are transformed into the Inner Senshi, Moon, Tuxedo Kamen and Hotaru, standing beside Venus on the right, a translucent image of Saturn hovering over her. The image of the intact Moon Palace is added to the background. Pluto appears above the group with the Time Staff raised; the Garnet Orb flashes a bright crimson and the scene freezes.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(1st Generation) Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon R - by Matthias

Episode Four: Papa Don't Preach - Birthdays, Families And Other Problems

Based on the works of Naoko Takeuchi

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Ami)

The last sunrays sparkled on the horizon, bathing the world in a beautiful display of color that was the cause for so many romantics and poets. Some found the color of sunset to be a crimson-red, almost like blood. Some said it was more an orange-red, a deep gold maybe… There were so many descriptions. Of course, I could probably determine the color of the sunset right now down to the last nuance of red. However, I would not spoil myself the fun.

Closing the notebook I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed in the scent of the late evening that was just about now breaching into night. The Autumn air was clean and fresh, a little cold this time of day maybe but not overly uncomfortable. None of the others knew about my secret hobby of poetry. I didn't believe it to be much good, anyway, but it was only a question of time before someone - especially Makoto right now - would stumble over it. I saw it more as a method of relaxing instead of a hobby. Something abstract compared to the logical, maybe a leftover trait from my father that had developed only recently. It helped to keep me reminded of the beauty and chaos of the world instead of just the order of numbers and characters…

I looked over my shoulder to see if Makoto was coming but didn't spot the brunette. She wanted to see to it that the birthday cake was flawless, and discussing culinary perfection with Makoto was a waste of time, especially when you had a slightly different opinion. Instead of my host I saw Rei at the side of the Jinja. She was almost out of view and, if one hadn't specifically looked in that direction, would have been hard to spot. Making sure once more that Makoto wasn't coming yet, I made my way over to the miko.

There was hardly any sound at this hour. The main street down the stairs in front of the Jinja once in awhile sported a bus or a couple of cars. Begin and end of school was where the most traffic was in this area of Azabu-Juuban. And so, there was hardly any sound other than the occasional chirping of birds that hadn't went to take their own rest already. Neither Rei or I talked, neither of us really felt a need to.

Yes, I did have my suspicious as everyone else did but while Rei might be able to fool everyone else, I wasn't the brain among our group for nothing, not to mention that I had just the right personal experience to guess what was going on. If not in detail, then at least in theory.

"Not an easy decision, is it? You would think so, but actually making it…" I let the words trail off. Rei hadn't acknowledged my presence other than a slight shift in position. It didn't really bother me. "But is it really so hard at the same time?" I mused gently, not really asking but voicing my thoughts aloud. "You know, it wouldn't matter what we say, just what your heart tells you."

Rei gave a low chuckle. "And that from you." I hid a smile but kept silent otherwise. A cluster of birds flew out of the tree alerted by the sudden shriek of one of Rei's ravens - I could still not tell the difference - as he had a slight misunderstanding with his kindred over one thing or another. Rei sighed. "How did you guess?"

"I'm not really sure if it is much a guess or more a hunch, based on recent personal experience," I replied, tugging on the rim of my blouse under the jacket, a sudden chill went over my body as a cold breeze passed by.

"Oh," Rei stated and fell silent for a few moments. "I guess saying you could have told us would be hypocritical?"

"What makes you hesitate?" I countered. "Is it just the whole thing with Minako and Hotaru getting on your nerves? I know you are a prideful person, Rei, but I had always the impression that you cared enough for us to not hide such important things from the others."

"There never would have been a decision to make if I knew who and what I was at that time. I suppose you know the feeling - even when we were still asleep - that held us here, that told us of something more important was waiting for us?" I nodded, all too familiar with the feeling. "And yes, I am prideful. I admit to that. And maybe that's why I didn't listen. And now… Now it is hard to just say no. There might never be a better chance. Declining in this field is like admitting defeat as good as your reasons might be… And I can't even name them officially."

A dilemma, clearly. I would not wish to trade. For me, I had always other options. Doctors were needed everywhere and could study everywhere. Tokyo wasn't as bad a place as you might think. In Rei's case though… "And still… Does it really change things?" I inquired, knowing on a conscious level what was going on inside the miko.

Rei finally turned to me and shrugged. "I guess not. I made my vow lifetimes ago and I renewed it at D-Point as I took the last DD Girls with me…" There was pain in her eyes and it must have been mirrored in mine. Those memories were amongst the heaviest and most gruesome of our young life, for all of us. "I will not leave her. I suppose I'm just curious and nervous at the same time, if there had been a chance…" The miko fell silent and turned back, her gaze again lost somewhere else when the courtyard of the Jinja.

There wasn't really anything to add. We had both said what we wanted to say. And while I still only had a guess I was a bit smarter today about Rei's problem. It was one of her problems and the others helped to actually make it one, yet it had been the problem I was most familiar with at the moment. If I had managed to help in some way, all the better. Hopefully tomorrow would help to relax her a little more.

I had stopped my return to the front entrance to look back at the miko for awhile, seemingly lost in thought sitting on the porch that went all around the shrine. Therefore I jumped slightly as I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw that it was Makoto who had unbeknownst to me stepped up behind me. "How is she?" There was genuine concern in the brunette's voice and that wasn't all so surprising. Her and Rei tended to clash sometimes because they were rather similar, both very prideful in what they were doing. But Makoto had a soft spot for her friends and would often act the part of a big sister, protective and caring. Her recent training had brought that aspect a little bit more to the forefront.

"She'll manage," I answered quietly. "On her own, as always."

Makoto snorted. "Stubborn, but I suppose that is Rei for you."

I turned around and walked past Makoto. "Oh, I know someone else who can get pretty stubborn. We were supposed to be gone half an hour ago."

Makoto gave an exclamation of protest as she followed me down the stairs but she was grinning and I wasn't hiding the small smile. Both of us were quickly getting used to each other. And Makoto would leave no opportunity unused to prompt me to act a little bit more open, a little less shy. I had found it easy to fall back in the strong friendship that had developed between us ever since the taller girl joined our team. We had sort of become good friends immediately. Sharing an apartment did help to strengthen that bond.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Priapos)

From my vantage point across the street, on the roof of the house there, I had a wonderful look into Minako's room. It was late at night already and both younger inhabitants of Aino-ke were sound asleep, both in anticipation of the big day. They were sleeping rather close together under the covers as well, but that was nothing unusually. My sister's parents would probably just think it cute and shrug it off as two girls being close friends… A term more true than they might think.

Minako had been half asleep already when Hotaru had returned home. Of course both knew where the other was. I suppose I had been a little extra eager in training for this evening. But Minako had been restless with Hotaru away so often to plan her party, as well as her parents return, that she needed a different outlet. Not that I would complain, I loved a good all-out spar as much as my sister.

It was with a little sadness that I found myself here, unable to muster the strength to return home to the small apartment I had… acquired for myself. The last days before Minako's parents came home were often spent in the company of the two girls, my family, and I had finally allowed myself to settle down a bit. Youma activity had surprisingly decreased dramatically. Obviously the loss of both Aura Knights had hit them harder than expected. None of us was complaining. It left the three of us more time together.

However, even with the Ainos coming home later than expected, staying wasn't an option right now. There was no way we could explain the blood bonds between Minako and myself to the clueless adults and right now neither of us wanted to take any chances. I felt myself missing the constant presence of the two girls.

At the same time I had found some distraction in the company of Osaka Naru, a fact my kin sister was teasing me about endlessly. She was steadfastly implying that the way I talked about the other redhead looked like I had a crush on her or something. Ah huh… Yeah, sure… Topic closed, no discussion held today.

Besides that, Naru was pleasant company, even if the original source for her interest in me was a more sadder topic. Her boyfriend, Umino, and Naru herself sort of had noticed certain differences and a gap building between them and she wasn't so certain anymore if they just hadn't misjudged good friendship for more. Of course, Umino was heavily devoted to Naru and telling him this or talking about it seriously was close to impossible. Usagi, Naru's best friend, was too occupied right now and somehow I had gotten in the mix as a neutral observer…

Not that I didn't have some counseling skill. That was one thing growing up with Hebe at court had taught me very well. I had managed to give Naru some advice on how to try and talk to the boy without getting him worried immediately. We were still waiting for results though…

Naru was a nice girl and easy to talk to. She wouldn't press for tricky topics or ask uncomfortable question and if then only in a teasing manner I could very well compete with and enjoy. Her remark aside, Minako had been happy that I was making friends outside the Senshi, even if it was coming close to them, and had actually encouraged me to spend more time with the other girl. I could never quite wipe out that sly smile on her face… I swear that girl will be the death of me one day.

Yawning, I stretched my tired body for a moment and flapped my wings to get back a little feeling into them. Then, with a last glance back at Aino-ke, I took off towards my own home, opting to make one short round around the neighborhood. I passed over Tsukino-ke briefly. The repairs had gone of smoothly as had the cover story. None of the three other Tsukinos suspected anything about their daughter, boyfriend or myself. A small part of me had feared that the meddling Time Senshi had altered a little more than just that particular memory but she had held true to her word. If anything, the whole encounter left a positive side effect. The acceptance of Mamoru from both adults. Their fuzzy memories seemed not to have lost the actions of protectiveness from the Prince towards their daughter.

Everything seemed quite in the house, Usagi should be long home by now. It was a school day after all tomorrow and finals were in spite of everything still a serious topic for the girls. The party would be in the afternoon and would hopefully give everyone time to prepare… Granted that there wasn't a Youma or other interruption which, to be honest, I had a hard time holding my hopes up for.

I changed course and was almost back home in another two minutes. Immediately my sharp, elf eyes noted the figure on the roof of the tall apartment complex and it took even less time to identify him as one of my kin. Hair a silvery-white the other elf was bearing much greater age and wisdom. No warrior, but experience and wisdom was a skill I was drilled to never underestimate. I knew now who it was. The head of the elves I had taken from Venus to scout for and into enemy territory this summer after Adonis' defeat.

I landed gently on the roof, managing a small bow in my tired state. "I greet you, Asara-dono. What brings you here, at this time?"

The other elf smiled apologetically. "I am truly sorry about the lateness of the hour. Long travels are seldom predictable and I am not getting younger. I believe though that the information I bring might be useful…" Asara, High Elf, Priest of Ateria, the essence and harmony of life and death, made his report and it was disturbing, that much can be said. Given, a lot of the information was speculation as well, theories, bits and pieces gathered from the reports of the spies. But I knew that Asara was one of the best in his field, one of the very few elves that had survived in the pocket dimension on Venus from the Silver Millennium until today.

After about ten minutes I watched with a much heavier heart and more worries to add to the already existing ones as the older elf raced off into the night sky again. It seemed sleep would have to wait. Not that I couldn't manage but I had wanted to be fit for tomorrow… Luna and Artemis needed to be informed about this though and I wanted to make sure that the warning Asara had given me wouldn't be in vain.

More ancient creatures, I thought grimly. It seems they brought back more than just me and a few others from the past. Pluto must be getting quite irritated. I cast a quick spell on me to help combat my exhaustion - more like prolong it - and set off towards the direction of the main Juuban district again. Knowing Luna she would probably be still in the communication center anyway.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Luna)

For a long while I stared after the retreating form of the redheaded elf. She must have hated it by now to always deliver bad news… Granted, what she had to say was a lot speculation but that was better than anything we had yet to learn about our mysterious enemy. And for once, as disturbing the info was, we might have a slight advantage against the next "Youma". That info was nice, but I had no real hope that we would have the time to use it to prepare. Especially not with Minako's birthday coming up. I would rather cut my tail off again before ruining that with a tactic session. It would mean extra work for me and less sleep but I was going to take that risk.

If Artemis was here, he would have dragged me home at this point despite all protests, however, the other cat had decided to stick with his mistress for the evening and the next day. I guess I wouldn't have done as well in Usagi's case. Artemis and Minako showed a bond and understanding I often envied. I know it was stupid and that their partnership had always been less interrupted by conflicting royal duties between the Princess and me, or the year - and a half now - they had in advance of working together closely in this time period.

With a bit of regret I looked upon the sad fact that none of us had found a solution for the sudden unlocking of our natural-born shape-shifting ability in the last big battle. Ever since then both Artemis and me had tried again and again. And while I first had hoped it was just about the tail injury I suffered, it proved to be the unchangeable truth that the return of our abilities was, at least for now, a temporary thing. The sheer intensity of the situation and fear of loss might have broken through whatever blockage the hibernation had put on the ability to shift shape freely between cat and human.

This made working a little hard. However, considering how long I did that already, it was just a slight discomfort. My paws were trained to control the big computers in the underground headquarters. I wouldn't complain about the better position being human would put me in but there was no sense in regretting what you couldn't have. And I had too much work ahead of me to whine about my bad fate.

Within a very short time I had access to the network still existing on the Moon and the data I needed. This was something I felt very thankful for. Despite the enemy's presence the network was still working, a considerable amount slower and some sections were very hard to access, a circumstance we had traced back to the continued influence of negative energy. It didn't totally shut off the connections though.

Priapos' spies had reported about discovering a secret chamber and several sightings of the mysterious robed man before. The leaders seemed to stay away from the general henchman for most of the time which made it hard to get any identities in without drawing attention to the spies. The newest rumors, however, had told of something like an alarming high concentration of negative energy in an area that shouldn't even be there. Asara, the leader of the covert operation that I still knew from the past to be a very competent one, had provided Priapos with some of the mental readings. The Moon Computer had no problem converting the mental waves into data and if what I saw was anything close to the truth - and there was no way why a mental reading should or even could be faked - we were speaking of an energy akin to the Ginzuishou. Not just close, as Metallia had been, but practically on the same level. It was still undeveloped and posing no danger right now, but following the relative growth chart I had managed to execute on the little data available, I strongly believed my earlier analysis to be more than a distinct possibility.

REQUESTED INFORMATION FOUND. DATA ARCHIVE "DARK ENTITIES" NOW AVAILABLE.

PLEASE ENTER AUTHORIZATION CODE.

"Alana has fallen," I said, earning a sound of confirmation in return. Alana was a warrior very close to the Serenity of a couple of generations ago. Not many truly knew her or her role and what she had truly represented and it should stay that way.

ARCHIVE NOW OPEN FOR ACCESS. ENTER SEARCH TOPIC?

"I will upload an energy signature for comparison. List results of closest matches." I did as I said and transferred the converted energy signature.

AFFIRMATIVE. DATA RECEIVED. NOW SEARCHING…

I knew that the search would take a while so I opened a low-level side channel to review the data about Golems again. They were quite common, native to both Jupiter and Mars but with distinct differences between the two species. However, both were golems and golems tended to be hard to miss and so the info from the spies came as no small surprise. Alone the fact that gate transportation would be out of the question because the special nature of a golem that prevented such a method, would alert anyone in a near proximity to its dispatch.

I wasn't quite sure what they hoped to achieve with this move. Golems were strong but usually very weak to combined magic power. One or two Senshi should be able to take one down without much problem, especially with Mercury's control over ice and water. That, of course, made me more wary. All of us who were familiar with the Aura Knights had detected the changes and the slight increase in power levels. This wasn't to be taken lightly. And there had been master craftsmen in the Silver Millennium who could make a golem that would be stronger than any three natural ones.

So, that left either the conclusion that this one was a distraction or a more serious threat than you would first suspect. I wasn't sure what I would prefer other than the option - as unavailable as it was - that it wouldn't act until after tomorrow. The Senshi had been able to breathe again after the Aura Knight battles and tomorrow was supposed to be a relaxing day for everyone. Couldn't the forces of darkness for once give us a little rest?

SEARCH COMPLETE. NOW LISTING RESULTS.

I looked away from what I was doing to look at the bigger screen and the data rattling down. The list was actually pretty thin and most matches were so low I immediately dismissed the possibility. The Moon Archives had a fairly big database of dark beings clouded in mystery and doubted to exist by some. They tended to crowd the space around this solar system in the days of the Silver Millennium, unable to perceive the holy barrier created by the combination of Ginzuishou and the other planets. Recordings were inaccurate in the best of cases since there were not many brave - or stupid - enough to go outside and check.

There was a record at the top of the list, though, I was unable to tear my gaze away from for several moments.

95% MATCH

LAGUNA FORCE

POWERFUL ENTITY, RUMORED TO BE DIRECTLY BORN FROM THE VOID THAT WAS BEFORE THE CHAOS OF EXISTENCE. SUPPOSEDLY CAPABLE OF TIME MANIPULATION AND NEGATIVE ENERGY PRODUCTION NEAR THE GINZUISHOU'S LEVEL. EXISTENCE DOUBTED BY A GREAT NUMBER OF MAGES AND HISTORIANS. NO FURTHER INFORMATION AVAILABLE.

REQUEST MORE DETAILED SEARCH?

I shook my head to clear the dizziness that was threatening to overtake me. That was absurd. Granted, I had the nagging fear that this result would come out of the search but still… This data wasn't the most reliable because of the explained reasons. And the Laguna Force was a mythos…

As was… had been the Venus Tear.

"Confirmed. Run detailed search, notify me or Artemis about any findings, as unimportant as they might seem."

AFFIRMATIVE.

I didn't feel very much like working anymore suddenly. I printed the information about golems, stowed them in subspace and left the center, some more troubling thoughts added to the ones already presented. It was getting crowded up there.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Minako)

Birthdays in my life always had a special meaning. When people hear a special meaning, usually they associate something important or mostly good. In my case birthdays were always kind of the hope that the next one might be better. That sounds an awful lot pessimistic, I agree. However, having parents who tend to think of you as a little kid all the time doesn't help much to make your birthdays enjoyable. Not even in the private school I had visited before coming to Azabu-ku but also the first time at my school here was spent rather lonely, with only a couple of distant friends. Where other kids my age had big parties, with lots of people, mine were practically nonexistent. Dull and always the same.

That is why my sixteenth birthday this year was so very special. In the span of about two years, my life had found the purpose I had always missed, friends and comrades to trust like sisters, a long-lost sister from a past life and not to mention a beautiful girl who wanted to be my girlfriend. This was definitely something to celebrate.

And so, this morning, when I woke up and felt the oh so familiar warmth of the smaller form snuggled up to me, I didn't really think about parents in the house and the possibility of being found out. Still half asleep I rolled over slightly to gaze upon the sleeping body of the dark-haired girl, lying there in perfect serenity, and touched my lips to hers in a gentle kiss, slowly pulling her out of her slumber.

The response was quickly to follow and I closed my eyes to savor the contact, semi-aware that it might be the only one we would get until we got out of the house. Both Hotaru and I had acquired a near harmony in our sleeping and it never took one much longer to follow the other to wakefulness. And quite frankly, those kisses were better than every alarm clock.

"Happy Birthday, Aino-chan," Hotaru whispered after finally parting. Even so early in the morning, right after waking, her gaze was so full of affection, her eyes so full of love. It was a miracle that we were able to hide it at all.

I trailed a finger along her cheek, smiling fondly and cherishing the wonder of that amazing girl who was my girlfriend. "It is already. I believe the best gift was delivered right into bed today." I grinned and kissed her on the nose before instincts took over and I couldn't help myself but initiate another one further below. Quickly the contact became heated and when I opened my eyes from the sensual overload I had subconsciously rolled on top of Hotaru.

"Geez," Hotaru tried to giggle but it came out more as a groan, "you really know how to make a girl feel special." I didn't immediately pull away and a low moan came from the raven-haired girl under my heated gaze. "Megami-sama… I want you…"

Against every instinct of my body I rolled off of Hotaru and sat up. "I know. Maybe we can stay at Rei's tonight…" I made a face as the mental image came up and couldn't suppress a giggle in which Hotaru joined in. I might even give it a try just for the sake of seeing Rei's face.

However, keeping in mind what I had learned a couple of days ago, I wouldn't want to further aggravate the miko. Hotaru didn't know yet… not through me telling her at least. I had promised Rei not to tell anyone what she had been doing as the first attack came. Not because I thought it was the right thing to do, Kami knows I had every right to be mad at her myself. No, I had seen something far more important that day. I had seen a part of my own dream which still lies so far away. And that is why I knew that Rei would have to make that decision herself. Whether or not it was already made in her mind. Accepting or not accepting it was Rei's dilemma. Not mine, not anyone's else.

"Minako?"

I glanced back to Hotaru who was watching me worriedly. With a start I realized that I hadn't paid much attention. "Huh? Gomen, Raven, what did you say? I was thinking about something else."

Hotaru inclined her head but then shrugged. "I was just saying we should get dressed. It's a bit late already and we both have to get to school. Your parents are probably wondering already what's taking us so long."

I snorted at that. "Sure. I believe that if I see it." Picking up a still snoring Artemis at the nape of his neck, I got the proper reaction of one irritated cat. "Get up, lazy. And you were the one complaining all the time that I sleep too long." I grinned at his grumbling, half-asleep expression.

I went in search of my clothes as Hotaru's voice halted me. "I think you are misjudging your parents, Minako. I mean no offense and you know them better of course, but I think they may get more of what is going on when you think." Blinking, I stared back at her for a moment, searching for some hidden joke. There was none, however, and that made me stare some more. Hotaru cast her eyes downwards. "Then again… Maybe I'm just over-interpreting things. It's not that I have the role parents either."

I dropped the shirt I was holding and went over to her to take her hand in mine. "Never think that your opinion doesn't matter. Often it takes an outside observer to point out things you don't want to see. I still think they live just in their merry little world but I have seen people with even better acts - just for the moment saying it is one - who turned out to be something completely different. The both of us should know that all too well."

A long silence followed the silence. I could see something glistering in Hotaru's right eye but she blinked it away. "And again, you know how to make a girl feel special…" she whispered and suddenly I found myself at the receiving end of a big hug which I didn't hesitate to return. The connection between us was as strong as ever. Any other would probably not have even noticed the small… tension in the brief exchange of words. I had and I knew fully fell that even after all this time Hotaru still tended to feel a bit insecure and unworthy of my love. I guess that is the dilemma of true love. It was a paradox and yet so fulfilling.

"I don't want to be a hypocrite but… It is twenty minutes 'til eight," Artemis pointed out, making us both jump and vanish in a flurry of motion…

About five minutes later - I'm still not sure how we managed - we had made it downstairs and to the table to grab a very quick bite of breakfast. Okaasan and Otousan were already at the table of course even though both wouldn't have to be out for work for a couple of days. Otousan had studied law in his youth and had for awhile actually been a lawyer but then turned his interest to architecture and became a well-reckoned realtor. Mother had also studied in this field but mostly was assisting her husband with his work these days. They managed quite a bit of premises over abroad and thus they were away quite often.

"A good morning, Minako," Otousan greeted without really looking up from his paper, "and a Happy Birthday of course." He put the paper aside and nodded at us. "You are a bit late for your own birthday, wouldn't you say?"

I laughed sheepishly but inwardly I was fuming a bit. I knew that they were sometimes a little forgetful but totally disregarding Hotaru… It was probably nothing, I reasoned though, besides, we didn't have time anyway. "Gomen, I guess it took me awhile to get to sleep yesterday." A good thing I knew how to pull off the one or other lie if need be. I actually had been in bed early and sleeping like a rock after the training session with Priapos.

"I am sure about that…" I caught Otousan mutter and raised an eyebrow. Was it just me or had the temperature in the room just dropped?

I looked over at Hotaru but before I could gauge her reaction, Okaasan had already come out of the kitchen with two plates. "Hai, after all fourteen is a special age…"

I groaned, having almost expected that. "I am sixteen now, 'Kaasan. Sixteen." I shot Hotaru a knowing look, as if daring her to repeat her earlier statement about more observant parents.

Okaasan laughed in an attempt to downplay the matter. "Of course, silly me, where is my mind this morning? But you should grab something to eat quickly or you are running late. And you don't want to stay in after school on your birthday, right?"

"If she doesn't want to run late for her own party," Hotaru teased and we sat down to quickly devour our food at a speed that would have made Usagi stare. But I was hungry after yesterday's training and the constant battles required a constant nutrition. Ever since using the Venus Tear I understood partly why Usagi was consuming her food the way she did.

"So, you are going to celebrate with your friends, yes?" Okaasan asked while Otousan had resumed reading. I nodded between a lungful of food and the next. Not that I was supposed to know but that was beside the point. "Oh dear, and I guess it is too late for your gifts now… Hmm," she looked at Hotaru suddenly, "why don't you come by after school and take them to your party?" Otousan shot Okaasan a look that I found a little bit weird but didn't pay more attention, since I was concentrating on finishing the quick breakfast.

Hotaru nodded in confirmation. "Sure. But you could give them to me now, too…"

"No, no… You really need to get to school and I think I haven't finished wrapping one of them since we were back so late…"

And that was pretty much the end of the discussion since Okaasan vanished into the kitchen. Hotaru and I exchanged a look and I shrugged, not quite understanding the behavior of my parents… Then again that was the norm, anyway.

A couple of minutes later we were out of the door and I had to take us to the rooftops for us to make it to our schools in time.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Mamoru)

The quiet of the apartment was often mundane and making me feel kind of lonely. Quite frankly I didn't spent much time alone in here or anywhere else lately. Especially the last days had been filled with a lot more social activity when I had wished for so fast. I wasn't complaining, though. After all the one good thing that came out of the wreckage of Tsukino-ke was the obvious acceptance of the older Tsukinos of Usagi and my relationship. Since Usagi had been busy with school and the party preparations I had actually offered to help out with rebuilding. It was more a suggestion from my girlfriend at first but I found her argument that maybe this was a chance for a bit more bonding occurring very valid.

Ikuko and Kenji had gladly accepted the extra help and I was beginning to relax around the older Tsukinos. At least this one crisis seemed to be averted. And there was no clear recollection of the particular day's events that could get us in trouble as well. To be honest, Ikuko was actually a bit scary. She was so motherly it put shame to the term itself. I got along well with Kenji after a short awkward time and was actually considering taking a semester photography myself because it seemed to be more interesting than I had initially thought.

I had the morning off… well, actually the whole day. The only two important classes I had on a Tuesday were cancelled and the rest were in the afternoon. Boring stuff. I didn't actually think I would ever say that as much as I didn't believe I would ever skip them for attending the birthday of one of my girlfriend's best friends. There was a first time for everything, I guess. And I really didn't need the classes. Usagi took that whole party very seriously. I suppose birthdays for all of us hadn't been that wonderful, not only in Minako's case. And here we were now, suddenly a group of very close friends, family actually, she felt it was her mission to make this party a lasting experience.

I really did love her. Usagi was such a gentle soul and she always wanted the best for people. She wasn't perfect, even if she had discarded a lot of her quirks recently. She needed the attention of her friends just as much as she gave it. But that was a simple concept of giving and receiving. Usagi would never intentionally demand something of her friends or anyone for that matter. A rare trait if I've ever seen one. She was a girl who simply loved life and wanted to enjoy it to its fullest. It was inspiring to people around her and you couldn't help but love her.

And that was why I was so worried about her, worried about not being able to fulfill her expectations. Not that she would expect anything but… We had that already. I had felt powerless for a long time compared to her and now that I had found something at least coming remotely close to be helpful I wasn't sure what to make of it, and yes, I was scared. Still scared. I didn't have much of a choice in that moment, when I drew on that incredible power, feeling what I had access to, what I could do, but now, afterwards, it was all starting to register.

I sighed and took a deep breath, chastening myself for losing concentration. For a long moment I stared at the stones laid out on the small table. I was sitting in front of it lotus-style and trying to achieve a state of mental concentration where I could feel the flow of power again. Like in the Tsukinos' house, but not forcefully this time. Gentle, probing, slowly… With my eyes closed, I slowly reached out to touch each stone, feeling the cool, smooth surface, the vibrations of dormant energy, the ripple under my fingertips… huh?

My eyes snapped open and I saw the four stones each glow a different color. They were a Jadeite, a Nephrite, a Zoisite and a Kunzite. I never thought the significance of the names was a rare coincidence. Actually seeing the ghost-like figures floating over the stones now, only their heads and upper bodies visible, was still a shock. I did have flashes of memories but my past life was still rather blurry. The Senshi might have only dim recognition of theirs but I was even more detached from Endymion. Therefore I could only guess all the time to the significance and role of the four man in my memories. It all came rushing back to me now, slowly, in bits and pieces making hardly any sense but more than everything before.

"Master," the white-haired man, Kunzite, bowed his head. "We are glad to see you at good health. Now that we are finally free of Metallia's control, we wish to aid you as best as our remains can. What is it you wish?"

I blinked a couple of times. That was all a little too much for me at once and the memories were still coming. I hadn't expected to actually achieve something on the first try anyway. The stones had been in my possession over a year - probably starting with the time loop - and I hadn't had any idea what exactly they were other than their obvious importance in some way or another.

"Master seems troubled about something," the one I knew as Jadeite said. Various feelings made themselves known. Conflicting feelings. Anger, hate, friendship, loyalty… They had tried to kill Usagi and the others but they had also been my… guardians. Yes, that was it. Metallia had taken them over just as she did with Beryl. But still there were all those times still fresh in my memory where they had caused the Senshi pain. I knew it wasn't their fault but…

"No really? Give him a moment to get his memories straight, will you? Our controlled selves aren't holding the most fondest place there, you know." That was Zoisite, chastening his fellow generals who fell silent for awhile which I was very thankful for. The storm of memories began to settle down. It wasn't an enlightenment in the sense of my whole past life revealed, it just took so long to sort out because of the conflicting feelings.

"It is good to see you again, my friends," I finally said with some sense of dignity. The smiles on their faces were warming and I allowed myself a moment of wistfulness. I wished they could be here in person. But that was beyond mine or anyone's power. Their physical selves were gone, their last remains were those stones and I knew deep in my heart that even those wouldn't hold forever. They had been great friends, and the most loyal ones I ever had known, much like the Senshi were to Usagi. Knowing that they were truly lost was saddening.

Gathering my composure, I focused my mind back on the original task. I had started this seeking answers and that was still my purpose. "I believe we have much to discuss…"

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Rei)

Well, that was that, I thought morosely as I sat in the bus that would take me back to Hikawa Jinja. I would probably run a little late but I had had to do this now. It would be the last time I came too late because of possible carrier issues anyway. This chapter of my life and future was closed, for now at least. The sad thing was… they would have taken me. And no, of course they had not understood my decision but what could I have said to make it believable? Surely not, "I have to fight Youma on a daily basis to protect the world from evil." Yes, that would have gone really well. Family problems were so damn overused and I doubt anyone believed that anymore.

Sure, I was still young but showbiz was a tough field and just as I had said to Ami earlier, retreating is often like surrendering, especially if you are not established yet. It wasn't that the chance was totally gone but it would take years, especially with the little time that I had being a Senshi and with school, to get to the point I had worked to reach for almost a year. That's why it hurt so much to make that decision, regardless of the knowledge that it was the only possible decision.

I couldn't get those images out of my head though. Images of D-Point. I'm sure all of us had nightmares about that. However, I had been the last one to fall. I had seen Jupiter sacrifice herself. I had sensed Mercury die and it had felt like a sword had been rammed right through my soul. I had witnessed Venus die. And then my own death… But it was the memory as a spirit, of Moon sitting on the icy ground of the North Pole, lost and left alone, disbelieving of what happened to her friends, it was that memory that made my heart ache. I vowed that moment that if we ever earned ourselves a second chance that I would never, ever again let my friends and especially my best friend and Princess down like this. I had done everything I could and protected her but that moment I had felt like the worst friend in the world. I had felt like I had failed her.

My friends were the most important thing to me and lately I hadn't actually been the role model of a good friend. That had been one of the major points in making my decision final. This whole ordeal had driven a bit of a wedge between us. Not too big to totally alienate me from my them but big enough to get me angry about things I normally would never have.

Yes, I still wasn't sure what to think about Tomoe Hotaru. Her visit had, however, changed my view a little. I realized that I really had let my personal experience guide me and didn't let myself see the honest emotion between the two girls. I had watched them a little more carefully lately when I had the chance and could not deny that I had hardly seen anyone as happy in a long time ever since Serenity and Endymion. Usagi and Mamoru weren't as far ahead in their relationship as their alter egos had been and would still need some time to really develop, but I could clearly remember the sweet and unconditional - not to mention forbidden - love between Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion. The Senshi had all known about it and the main reason why none of us ever let something slip was because their love was simply too beautiful.

I really wished I could be less prejudicial about the relationship between our leader and Tomoe Hotaru. That aside I believed that I would even get along very well with the younger girl. Every time I saw them, though, I involuntary had to remember that own bit of my past and I cursed myself forever making that mistake… or for being so damn curious. It didn't help that the memory was still so young and fresh.

It wasn't fair to judge them because of my personal experience but unfortunately that experience had been a hard impact on my young life, with consequences that had opened wounds that I thought buried for a long while, to extend I doubted even Hotaru could have guessed. I was over the whole thing now.

Or so I had thought. Then Minako brought Hotaru in and coupled with the stress my life was already in, it just all came rushing back. I had spent hours meditating in front of the Holy Fire to regain my center after my temper tantrum with Minako that day. And the ridiculous thing was neither of the two really had much to do with. Not really anyway. I had been more angry at myself for losing it at that moment, angry at myself for being so patronizing over my friends. And then there was the fact that they looked so damn alike…

A memory flashed unbidden through my mind's eye and I pressed my eyes tightly shut, trying to ward off the images. This was in the past. I should concentrate on the present, there surely were enough problems in the present to concentrate on.

I blinked twice and looked back out of the window, noticing that I had been so lost in thought that I had run the danger of almost missing my stop. Grabbing my bag, I got up as the bus pulled up in front of Hikawa Jinja. Time to leave all this behind me. Today was supposed to be a day of relaxing for us and I wanted to make it up to Minako for being so harsh lately. Especially after she had covered for me.

I had just left the bus as a voice behind me called my name. I turned around to see Hitome standing there, smiling. "Hitome? What are you doing here?" I thought I had told her that she wouldn't have to come today because of the party… Or had I? Damn, I really had too much on my mind lately.

Hitome mock-glared. "What, just because you have a party I can't come? I'm sure your grandfather needs some help, besides you could have invited me, you know?" She sounded a bit hurt, adding, "I am your friend, aren't I?"

"Of course you are," I stated vehemently, chastening myself for never actually thinking about asking. We had been so absorbed in our personal affairs that none of us had really thought about inviting people outside of the Senshi. I think Usagi hadn't even asked Naru… "I thought, well… You don't know Minako that well and well…" I fumbled weakly for an apology, then dropped my head and mumbled, "Gomen."

Hitome's mock-glare turned into a gentle smile as she closed the gap between us and put a hand on my shoulder. "Iie, don't apologize. I know you had a hard time lately. You can't think of everything after all." She laughed lightly, something that strangely always managed to raise my mood almost as well as Usagi could. "I forgive you if I get some cake."

I laughed heartily and gave Hitome a brief hug before stepping back. "How do you always do that?" I asked. Hitome could be rather compassionate at times, displaying a maturity that you wouldn't expect of someone her age. The other girl was only about a year older than I was after all.

"What do you mean? Not so long ago, people sometimes told me I could be quite a brat." Hitome smiled and I smiled back.

I suddenly felt so much better. In a spur of the moment thing I grabbed Hitome's hand and pulled her after me, running up the stairs, laughing. "Come on! I bet Usagi already sampled half of the cake."

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Hotaru)

How long had it been since I had been in such good spirits? Well, everyday beginning with this one down to the day I met Minako the first time probably… I smiled quietly to myself as I walked down the street towards Aino-ke. That was the truth after all. The blonde bundle of energy had really changed my life so much, in more ways than one. However, today was a little different. Because right now I felt like nothing could touch me, nothing bad could happen to me. Today was my girlfriend's birthday, not to mention sort of an official welcome for me from her friends as well - regardless of how much I had protested. It felt good. No, let me correct that. It felt wonderful.

The last years had been awful. Lonely and scared of the world and myself in general I had spent the time only with myself, locked up in my room, and of course, the ever-present companion of sudden seizures and attacks of weakness. Those were gone now. As was the loneliness. And the fear of the world had began to dim to a vague background sensation. Like a scary dream that you forgot as soon as you were awake for a few moments and which left only a vague memory of how scaring and, in most cases, ridiculous it had been.

Today would be a great day. Maybe even the last bit of animosity with Hino-san could be revolved. I felt that I had gotten through to her with my visit a couple of days ago. There weren't any acid comments when she was around anymore. She hadn't even protested to my presence or my part in the planning of the party. The miko hadn't said anything either but that was rather beside the point. In my heart I just knew she never meant her initial reaction to turn out quite the way it had.

I was so positive about the fact that this would turn out to be a wonderful day, I completely ignored the prickling feeling of dread that had built up ever since I left Mugen to quickly snatch Minako's gift from her parents.

Unlocking the door, Minako HAD given me a key after all, I stepped into the house. "Tadaima," I called out, looking around for the Ainos.

"In the living room!" came Aino Miyako's voice and I couldn't help but wonder at the odd strained tone in the normally cheerful voice. Then again, it could be a side effect because she had to shout. I shrugged it off as nothing, slipped out of my shoes and headed towards the living room.

"Konnichi wa, I just came by to…" As soon as I stepped into the room, I noticed something was VERY amiss. Minako's mother stood leaning against a wall, her lips drawn together in a thin line, her arms obviously trying to decide whether to be crossed in front of her or to put her hands onto her hips… Neither was a very reassuring posture to me right now.

Aino Satoru, Minako's father, was sitting on the couch, his newspaper discarded to the side. While you could see that Minako's mother was really about to explode about whatever was bothering her, he sat stoically and didn't let anything about his intent slip at all. I decided that was even harder to deal with.

"Come in, Hotaru-san," Minako's mother said. There was an odd strain on the suffix, not to mention that she had always called me "Hotaru-chan" from the first time I had stayed over. As I stepped into the room, tentatively, a sense of dread befalling me, I caught sight of Artemis skidding around the corner with a panicked expression. The feeling of dread heightened. But on the other hand I was in too good of a mood. And thus I told myself that it was unreasonable to think anything was wrong or at least that wrong that I couldn't handle it. Everything was fine in my life right now, finally. What could possibly go wrong?

"… get Minako's gift…?" I finished, hesitantly, looking at the two adults with a bit of caution.

"I am afraid that won't be possible," Minako's father stated, just the tiniest hint of disapproval leaking through. I could tell now that a lot of the calm was a serious effort on his part. To hide what I wasn't sure.

At my puzzled expression, Aino Miyako picked up for her husband, far less subtle. "We will not allow you toy with our daughter ever again," she said sharply and I flinched at the look of anger in her eyes, boring into me like a spear of burning heat. Her hands seemed to clench and unclench now in an unsteady rhythm.

"Hah?!" I stated intelligently, knowing that surely wasn't the best reply in this situation. But I couldn't help it. "What are you talking about?!" I felt a twinge of anger at the mere thought of me ever TOYING with Minako. The thought was the most absurd thing that had ever crossed my mind. And it never would have crossed my mind if the older Aino hadn't just voiced it. I wanted to laugh but found it neither appropriate nor really amusing. Ridiculous maybe but…

"We are talking about your… relationship… with Minako," Aino Satoru said.

And suddenly the good mood crumbled away, the slight bit of anger that had been rising at hearing the accusation went out like a candle in the middle of a tornado. A sinking feeling began in my stomach and slumped further down until my knees threatened to give way. I sought the doorframe for support as I suddenly felt weak.

"You… know?" I managed weakly, denying not even crossing my mind. The way the two parents were, it was plain that anything I would have said would have done more harm than good. And this was surely not good. Not today, I thought almost pleading mentally. Onegai, not today. We are not ready for that right now! This was supposed to be a happy day, Minako's birthday. How could they have found out now and… Something managed to pierce through her frantic thoughts with a sharp, clicking sound as what Aino Miyako had said begin to register fully and connect with the knowledge that the Ainos were aware of her and Minako's relationship. "Matte… You think that I…?"

"YES!" roared Minako's mother and I almost stumbled back in shock. "I can't believe I thought you were such a sweet and nice girl while behind our back you were seducing our daughter, IN OUR HOUSE! Our little Minako-chan is still too young for that! Not too mention that a whore like you doesn't deserve her at all!"

"Now, Miyako. Please, we want to be civil about this…" interjected Minako's father at this point but met deaf ears.

"Well, I DON'T! Minako's going to find a nice young man one day and not the likes of her. I don't want someone like her here any longer." Her eyes flared as she focused her sole attention on me. I had been following everything in a dazed state, not quite believing what I heard. Renewed anger warring with the old, oh so familiar feelings of rejection, a youth of spite, prejudices and loneliness. It was so easy to fall back into that routine. I had heard it so often, the murmurs, the accusations the disdain of the other students because they didn't understand me. I was a freak in their eyes as I probably was right now in the eyes of Aino Miyako. And I could hear the rejection coming again, clearly, as if spoken already. The order for me to leave, back to the cold place that I hadn't considered home ever since staying here for the first time. Back to my old room. Alone, feared, scared and sealed off from the world. That I did not deserve someone as pure and wonderful as Minako…

However, then there was Minako herself. There was the time spent with the gorgeous blonde who had always tried to boost my self-confidence, who had always been there for me and who made such an effort to reintroduce me to the world. I had never felt so loved before. I had never felt so NEEDED before. There was no doubt in my heart that what we had was pure, pure and unconditional. Minako had been the best thing that ever happened to me and the mere thought that I could ever do to her what the raging woman implied hit too close to home. It simply was too close to the accusations of the other students, the whispers behind my back…

And then things went from worst to purely chaotic. So absorbed into the confrontation, I only had a mere moment of warning recognition before the sharp voice of my girlfriend, lover and mate cut off her mother's surely final say in this matter. "I hope I didn't hear you just call my girlfriend a whore."

I turned my head slowly while shivering at the iciness in her voice. I had no idea what she was doing here but that really didn't matter. She must have been here for a bit or maybe just heard that bit coming in. And the sheer lack of emotion in that freezing cold tone of voice made me squirm even though I wasn't the one it was directed at. I knew all too well that Minako was fiercely protective of me, something that I surely didn't mind and that always felt more like a sense of security than dominance. Heck, she had lifted a whole base full of Youma in order to save me from Adonis! But that voice… And that look in her eyes.

"What, you are not even denying it?!" screeched her mother, her shock about Minako's entrance obviously quickly overcome.

Minako regarded her mother with an emotionless stare. Emotionless and indifferent. She didn't blink, didn't raise her voice or anything when she replied but there was a note of acid in there and I felt the barely controlled volcano of emotion through our link. "I don't need to deny the best thing that ever happened in my life. And I really do not hope that I don't have to deny something that I thought I heard you say, Okaasan."

And suddenly everything crumbled completely. The last semblance of order. Everything that had happened to me over the last months. The happy memories, the wonderful times spent together, the thought that for once in my life I was happy again, it all burst like a bubble. Easy and simple like that, proving how fragile such a tiny thing was. And everything came back. The whispers, the accusations and as much as I tried to deny, to show it away my consciousness screamed at me that I hadn't been doing anything different than I had done all this time since the accident. That I was selfish, that I was taking Minako away from her friends, that I made her and Rei fight, that I took most of her time away and - the one that hit home the most - that I was now about to destroy the relationship between Minako and her parents.

And I knew how that was. I knew better than anyone else how valuable a family was as uncaring as they might seem. They were still her parents. I had lost all of my family in the accident. Okaasan, Megumi and Otousan too. If not in body, then at least his soul.

And the fundament of confidence built up over the months just could not stand against the thought that I was now destroying Minako's family if not in the literal, then the very least in the emotional sense. And that fragile fundament crumbled as I turned to flee the room.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Makoto)

"Golems are basically the oldest of the semi-human species that exist. Species like elves, fairies and other far less known ones that you shouldn't concern yourself with now. They have been known to exist both in the Deeplands of Jupiter, the uninhabited surface regions, as well as on Mars. There are some superficial difference that will be necessary for a fighting tactic."

Everyone was gathered at the Jinja. The preparations were as complete as they could be and everyone was there other than Minako and Hotaru. Getting a moment alone had been hard though and Luna obviously wanted to tell us about some new creature that might drop in soon. Obviously Priapos' contacts had spotted it but Luna had no idea when it would happen. Nobody really objected to Minako not being here even though she was our leader. First off, this was her birthday and none of us wanted to really bother her with Senshi business. Also it was given knowledge that Minako seemed to be much more in tune with her past self. From all of us she would be more likely to know how to deal with a golem than we did.

"Golems from Mars are extremely resistant to heat. But they are few and actually not very useful in combat. Their stone skin has adjusted to the volcanic heat of the subterranean areas they used to live in and every rapid change in outside temperature would make them extremely sensitive. Golems from Jupiter though are far more adaptable because of…"

"… the chaotic weather," I finished absentmindedly. "They are far more resistant to their natural weakness, water, because of the thunderstorms and heavy rain…" I trailed off, blinking, as I noticed everyone looking at me. The memory began to fade even though I tried to hold onto it. "Darn, it's gone… There was something about special kinds…" I tried to recall whatever had been nagging at my mind ever since Luna mentioned the word golem. It had been like a nagging sense of… something. I didn't know what but it was a strong pull and it seemed very important. I wished I had Minako's connection with her past self…

I shook my head in the negative at Luna's inquiring gaze. "Gomen, I can't remember. Ever since you said 'golem' there was something that felt important nagging me but…"

I looked around when I felt a hand on my shoulder to see Ami looking at me worriedly. "It's alright. Don't try to force it." She smiled. "I am sure we can take of this golem now that we know what we are dealing with."

"For once," mumbled Rei, keeping an eye on the door. Hitome had gone to help Yuuichirou with something, which had actually given us the time to talk in the first place. The miko was in far better spirits when she and her friend came in. Nobody had really protested about the addition to the party. She was Rei's friend and I was sure Minako wouldn't mind.

"Ami-chan is right," said Usagi cheerfully, obviously trying to get back into my good graces because I had caught her ALMOST sampling some of Minako's cake. "Luna said already that a golem won't stand a chance against the Senshi. So what is to worry?" I think she knew better than anyone else what to worry about. The horror of the Aura Knights was still fresh in our memory. That had been our toughest battle, yet. The toughest battle that we survived anyway… But no one said anything, we all knew that. And we all knew that the power-up the Aura Knights had received could have easily been applied to that golem, too.

"I know. It just irks me that we know so little about our real enemy. Every little detail could help us. There is something about Golems, special types that…" The solution to the puzzle fled away again and I gritted my teeth. Chastening myself for my impatience I took a deep breath, recalling my Martial Art lessons.

I only vaguely heard Luna speaking when I began to focus inwardly, relaxing but at the same time concentrating. Not force, I had to let it come to me… "Special types? Well, there were artificial works to animate Golems but compared to the natural ones they were mostly mindless and with a very short lifespan. They were not helpful other than as workers for easy tasks that required a lot of muscle… Makoto?"

Something passed through my mind. It was faint and really not much but I grabbed onto it, speaking before it got away again. "I remember someone I once knew, in my past life. That person could make golems that were more advanced then anything. He…" The memory drifted away again and despite my best efforts I couldn't reclaim it. Sighing I opened my eyes again, relaxing my body. "That's all, gomen…" A sudden urge to get out of here overcame me and I stood up. "I… I need some fresh air." Ignoring the stares of the others I walked to the door, slid it open and sat down outside. Something about the memory I tried to recall about the man - I think it was a man at least - disturbed me. I didn't know why or who that person was but once again I couldn't get the feeling out of my head that it was important and that knowing would maybe make it even more disturbing. Maybe it was a mental block of my past life's subconsciousness.

"Want to speak about it?"

I sighed, somehow I wasn't surprised. I had expected Ami to follow me actually. That time we had spent together, it felt like we were getting attuned to the other. Not like… lovers or something, more like that we knew what the other would be doing. It didn't bother me. I had grown to like the other girl's constant company. Ami never pushed a subject or pressed me to talk when she thought I should.

I chuckled slightly, trying to shake off the feeling of… I didn't even know of what exactly. "I wish I would talk to myself about it." At Ami's blank look I finally laughed. "The memory disturbed me somehow but I have totally no idea why. I think Jupiter is shying away from it or something." Shaking my head I leaned back against one of the pillars and closed my eyes, my stress level already rapidly falling. "I don't know why I bolted anyway. Just head to get away and clear my head."

Ami was silent for some time and we sat there with only the sounds of the birds that had taken residence in the trees disrupting the silence. "When I first met you, you would have been more… frustrated about it. Now, you just get out, sit down and then after a few minutes you seem okay again." It was a statement but the way she said implied a lot more. I could understand that. The recent training I had gotten had helped my self-discipline a lot. She was right, a year ago or so I would have wanted to clobber something. However, I wasn't the only one here who Ami's statement could include.

"And when I first met you, you would have stayed inside, worrying maybe, but you would have told yourself to respect my privacy." I turned my head to smirk slightly at her startled expression. Ami looked as if she had just realized it herself. "We all changed in some small ways. We are all older and more mature now, Ami. You are not saying that I am not allowed to grow up, are you?"

Ami shook her head, a small smile tugging on her lips. "You are right. And even though we changed, what we really are, the inside, is still there, right?"

I nodded at that and we continued to sit there for a few minutes longer in silence before joining the others inside.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Minako)

A thousand emotions stormed through my head. I had just gotten out of school when Artemis reached me, telling me that somehow my parents had found out about Hotaru and me. I think Kanzaki-san would have only seen dust at the marathon two weeks ago if I had run this fast then.

But all that didn't help anything because the harm was already done the moment I reached our house. For the first time I cursed and blessed my sensitive Senshi hearing at the same time because I could clearly pick up any shouted or spoken world several feet away from the door. When I had reached the door, I heard it loud and clear, that one word my mother used and it struck like a sledgehammer right into my heart. For a moment I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think… Then a coldness settled down right there and an arctic rage, burning with an intensity of a cold, blue flame of the kind I had never felt it before began to burst forward. And everything except the need to defend my mate was suddenly gone.

Aino Minako disappeared into the background. Venus, Hebe, they all melted into each other and all that was left dominating was the corporal form of our bond. All other aspects of my personality were just a background sound, a vague presence, nothing more. Only the need to protect was there, the need to defend, defend the honor of my mate. Looking back that was all a little scary. I hadn't been totally out of control since I mostly agreed with that part right that moment but it was still a terrific feeling.

And then, without warning, all that warped again as my mate, Hotaru, fled the room and the sheer emotional echo from our bond was pressing my heart together into a small abstraction of itself and then threw it away carelessly in a garbage can… I could not better describe it because never before had I felt this much pain before. Not at the end of the Silver Millennium, when Kunzite tried to kill me, and not at D-Point, seeing Mako-chan and feeling Ami die. This time it was worst. Far more than I ever imagined one person could feel and I wasn't even the one who actually felt it!

No, that wasn't right. Hotaru's pain was like my pain and so I considered it mine as well.

And the cold rage turned into a burning volcano.

"Look what you've done!" I screeched, hot tears streaming down my face as I felt my resolve and emotional shields had already collapses under the emotional backlash from Hotaru. I could feel the turmoil of my mate over our bond even though she was putting an effort in shielding it from me… a vain effort. "I needed all summer to get her that happy and self-confident as she was a few minutes ago! Hotaru is a sweet and wonderful girl and if anyone doesn't deserve someone here, then I don't deserve her. She lost all of her family in an accident, her father is a cold, heartless bastard and she never had any friends… But, but…" My voice wavered, sobs disrupting the strength and fury I tried to back it up with until it was only a whisper. "She's the best thing that ever happened to me. And I love her so much it hurts…"

Okaasan had been ready to retaliate in kind but my words must have had some effect because she stepped back a little startled at the abrupt change in volume. Otousan stood up at this point and took a tentative step forward. "Minako-chan, all we want is your best and that you are happy. We are you parents and we should know what…"

I laughed. I couldn't help it anymore. I laughed. And it wasn't amusing or ridiculous. It was neither funny nor sarcastic. All it was, was a release of emotion bubbling to the surface. Like a huge bubble needing to burst before it would consume me inside out. Both of my parents stared at me not quite comprehending. But how could they? How should they ever since they never had understood anything about me before?

"I can't believe I actually thought Hotaru might be right that you are a little more observant than I always thought." I laughed again, devoid any real emotion. But a little bit of sadness began leaking through and I think they heard it, for once. "You think, you know what is best for me?" I looked at them hard before finally closing my eyes, deciding that I had been here long enough. No use in being dramatic now when I needed to be elsewhere. "You never ever cared," I said quietly, almost too low to hear. "You never remembered my right age, you never remembered my friend's names or that I never used to have that many before. You never ever cared about me or anything that is going on in my life. It didn't matter to me because I found people who really care about me. But now… Well, I guess this is it…"

I started to take a step forward when Okaasan's voice stopped me briefly. "Wh-where are you going?"

I considered saying something but my thoughts were already somewhere else. Why bother anyway? It didn't matter. She wouldn't understand. Without another word I started to walk away, slowly at first, step by step, ignoring the calling of my name. But then I began to run finally unable to resist the sensation of powerful grieve from the other end of our link anymore. I ran, tears continuing to run down my cheeks. I didn't care.

Flashes of my time spent with Hotaru flew before my mind's eye.

That rainy night, the alleyway, our first meeting. London, the meeting at the airport, the Youma, her saying my name even though I was transformed. Our first kiss, our first night together. It had been so rushed and at the same time felt so unbelievable right. That time in England, getting to know each other, Priapos and Adonis, Hotaru getting kidnapped… Raiding Adonis' hideout, desperately trying to save my heart's desire, almost defeated by Adonis and then… Then that icy fear and the disbelief about my mate's true identity and following that the relief and the assurance that whatever happened she would be protected.

"Your duty will always come before your love," Adonis had said once and I had defied his premonition. He didn't want to believe it but I did.

My feet had a mind of their own, always following the strong tug from the other sight of the invisible but quite real band that tied us together. Never had I felt that strongly. The only who I would give the same for was Usagi/Serenity. Times spent without a boyfriend, without that special partner at your side, the many failed dates, they had been just a phantom in the night during the time spent together with Hotaru. However, now they were all raging freely again and an indescribable fear of losing the one thing I had searched so long for threatened to swallow me.

Then I found her. And all the words I had tried to perform, all the reassuring, the kind and gentle whispers of love were blown away like cherry blossoms in the wind. She was sitting there on that little bench in our backyard, head in her hands, shaking with silent sobs, her hair like a veil, a protection from the world. However, the moment I fully came to a stop, Hotaru looked up and our eyes met.

There was nothing but us.

They say that words can never really explain love. That is true. They say that a single kiss can say more than a thousand words. True. But also true is that you don't need a kiss, a gesture, a word or anything else if your love is honest. All you needed was each other.

I could see it in her eyes. All the emotions, the rejection she had lived through for more than six years. The consequences of that accident, the demonic presence in her scaring away everything and everyone that wanted to get close to her. The long hours spent alone, in the room. And the feelings of hate. Not towards the world but towards herself. The unbidden thoughts of being evil and unworthy of any kind of love, be it even that of her family who had been taken from her. The small part that still blamed herself for the accident even though it was absurd. And then the realization that she might have done the same with me, fear of having me separated from my friends and now my family. I could see it all in that one moment.

And Hotaru saw my feelings. I do not need to guess, I know she did.

With two steps I was next to her on the bench and pulled her in my arms, tears now freely streaming down my face as my school uniform I was still wearing began to soak from our mingled tears. I wrapped my arms firmly around the younger girl and buried my head in her hair as she had hers buried in my shirt. No word was said but I began to softly hum a melody of a song I had liked to listen to while I was in England.

"Looking in your eyes now, I see a paradise

This world that I found is too go to be true

Standing here beside you, want so much too give you

This love in my heart that I'm feeling for you"

I know what you are thinking right now, Hotaru. But it's not true. You are not a horrible person, you never were. If anyone, then I am. I love you so much, I never want to be separated from you even though I want you to go out into the world and be a normal girl as you always wanted to be.

I was a little bit surprised as Hotaru's voice joined into the lyrics. It was muffled, and hoarse but at the same time probably the most beautiful thing I had ever heard.

"Let 'em say we're crazy, I don't care about that

Put your hand in my hand, baby, don't ever look back

Let the world around us, just fall apart

Baby, we can make it if we're heart to heart

And I heard her thoughts that moment as clearly as she had mine.

All I ever wanted was you. Because of you my life suddenly makes sense. When I am with you I feel that my only purpose is to be at your side. And it is the most wonderful thing I can imagine. You are not selfish. If love is a selfish thing then pretty much everyone would be selfish. I am sorry for running, sorry for doubting you. I know you would never think that about me. There just has been so much pain and heartbreak in my life already. I can't stand it anymore.

As we fell into the chorus, our voices gaining strength, drawing from the bottomless pool that was our love, joining as did our thoughts.

"And we can build this thing together

Stand this storm forever

Nothing's gonna stop us now

And if this world runs out of lovers

We'll still have each other

Nothing's gonna stop us,

Nothing's gonna stop us now"

They can yell at us, they can try to pull us apart but we will always find together again. We will survive this and every other challenge life throws at us because we love each other. We don't need words. We don't need reassurance. We just need each other. And we will always have each other.

"I'm so glad I found you, I'm not gonna lose you

Whatever it takes, I will stay here with you

Take it to the good times, see it through the bad times

Whatever it takes, here's what I'm gonna do"

You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. You have so much good in you that you never want to acknowledge. I feel sometimes like I pale to your inner beauty. You are strong and brave and you have always been there for me without a question, without a thought. If it means to break with my family to be with you, I will. There is simply no contest there. I can't stop loving you. I can't give you up. Never again.

"Let 'em say we're crazy, what do they know

Put your arms around me, baby, don't ever let go

Let the world around us just fall apart

Baby, we can make it we're heart to heart"

I know what you mean because I am feeling the same. From the moment we first met I knew you were my fate. I didn't really understood it then but that feeling never left me, until I saw you again and then it only grew, we…

"And we can build this thing together

Stand this storm forever

Nothing's gonna stop us now

And if this world runs out of lovers

We'll still have each other

Nothing's gonna stop us,

Nothing's gonna stop us…"

We can't stop to love each other. Even if we suddenly couldn't stand each other's presence, we couldn't stay apart. It is scary but it is also a wonderful feeling.

Hotaru had her head rested on my shoulder now, our voices now clear. Not loud but devoid the former grief and if anyone could have heard, they would have stopped to listen for sure.

"Oh, all that I need is you," I sang with absolute conviction, my thoughts echoing the lyrics.

"All that I ever need" answered Hotaru in kind and she raised her head to look at me again. Our eyes met again. The world had long ago faded around us.

"And all that I want to do," I continued and it felt more like I said it.

"Is hold you forever, and ever and ever," we joined together, a warm feeling rushing through our bond. The sensation too much and too unique to ever try to describe. I leaned in for a brief kiss and found Hotaru's lips halfway, my arms drawing her even closer.

"And we can build this thing together

Stand this storm forever

Nothing's gonna stop us now

And if this world runs out of lovers

We'll still have each other

Nothing's gonna stop us,

Nothing's gonna stop us now"

And as we sang the final chorus, a peace settled over me that I had not known ever before. Despite all that happened, all the possible consequences. I never felt so at peace, then at that very moment. And I didn't realize the next thought at first but then I did it startled me and at the same time felt so natural.

If I ever have to choose, I would put you before my duty, Hotaru… Always.

We sat there on the bench of our backyard for a long time, wrapped in each other's arms, marveling in that forever fresh feeling of love and an intensity I never could have imagined. I thought what we had was strong already. But right this moment, nothing could compare to the feelings of absolute belonging. Barriers were simply failing and thoughts of rejection, loneliness and grief simply faded in each other's presence.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Usagi)

"Did we say something wrong?" I wondered, looking at Rei. Ami had left shortly after Makoto which surprised both of us. Ami normally would never rush after someone when they obviously wanted to be alone. Not that I didn't like the change. The first few times I had taken Ami shopping I quickly got the impression that she actually wanted to be more normal and not just scooped up in class or her room studying all the time. The change now was rather subtle but I think it had a great deal to do with the fact that she and Mako-chan were living together. It seemed they were getting awfully attached. Of course, I was probably interpreting too much into it and talking to Rei about those things right now would not end well.

"Psychic flashes and mental exercises can do that to you," Rei replied, glancing at the closed door where the two girls had vanished. "When I get visions sometimes they can call up old memories that I really don't want to remember."

"It's a gift and a curse sometimes, isn't it?" Hitome chimed in, coming back into the room, thus making any Senshi-related conversation impossible. Rei smiled at her and nodded. I was glad that Rei was in such a better mood. Hitome was doing her some good obviously. I had quickly learned in the little time I knew Hitome that Rei seemed to listen to her. To know that Rei had found a friend as good as Hitome who wasn't a Senshi proved that we all had grown up some and the other girls slowly begin to leave their lonely past behind.

Speaking of friends outside the Senshi… I knew I had forgotten something… or someone. Before I could rack my brain further, the answer literally entered the room, in company of a rather cheerful Priapos. I froze up momentarily, loathing at myself for forgetting to invite Naru. She was our friend, not too mention my best friend since childhood, and I had totally forgotten about it.

"Hello, minna-san. Seems we are not the last ones after all," Priapos greeted and Naru waved. I was torn between jumping up and asking for forgiveness and the urge to just hide somewhere. Long things short, I felt fairly awful right now as I watched the two girls sitting down, while I was stuck on my place, unmoving.

Naru looked at me with a slight smile and a nod but didn't seem to further comment. Up to this day I was not really sure how she managed to do it. I would probably be fuming by now if my best friend ignored me for weeks, instead hanging out with several other people at the same time with no apparent, logical explanation. It wasn't that Naru knew Minako much more than a couple of hours spent together since all the chaos had begun, however, that was beside the point. Naru and I had ALWAYS invited the other to one of our parties if it was possible in any way. And I seriously had no intention of excluding her.

And yet, Naru did not comment at all and likewise didn't seem angry about it. Why I had become much calmer lately I admired her for always being so kind AND polite at the same time. After my first awakening as Serenity in this time, I had been pretty unwilling to accept all that happened. One of my wandering thoughts produced during this tragic periods was that Naru would probably make a much better princess than I ever could.

Obviously sensing my inner conflict, Naru had turned and taken my hand, which snapped me out of my little reverie. "Usagi. It is alright. No one expects you to think of everything. You are as much human as I am." A loaded statement, surely. Somehow I almost got the impression Naru KNEW this. Luna had dropped a suspicion in this direction but I had shrugged it off. There was no way a normal girl like Naru could penetrate a Senshi's glamour on her own. Naru smiled and squeezed my hand. "We all had a lot of stress lately and you picked up a few new, good friends. I appreciate that, really, because you surely deserve it."

I felt a little put off by the sudden praise. Hearing something like that was new for me. While it was true that Naru had always stood up for me even when I really deserved a taunt or joke, such sentences were rare and often only came up when she felt guilty about something. Sometimes I really wondered why she stuck to me all those years. Naru could have had a lot of better friends that were not as clumsy and embarrassing as I had been and still was occasionally.

Such is the ways of best friends, I suppose.

"I am still sorry, Naru-chan. I didn't want you to feel left out," I said and squeezed back. There was a moment of silence between us, everyone else was watching, too. Then we blinked and laughed a little embarrassed at the sudden emotional episode. Not embarrassed because of being emotional. Just that it was actually silly and one knew exactly what the other was thinking anyway.

Conversation turned to trivial things then. Like exams and such things. The last results had been surprisingly well lately, for all of us. After the Aura Knight disaster it had been quiet on that front and we all had time to concentrate on our grades. I just hoped we would have this crisis solved BEFORE the final exams came which would determine whether or not we could all go to the same high school as we had decided to at least try.

One thing had me curious though and that was the interaction between my best friend and Priapos. The two seemed to have hit it off fairly well. Maybe I was just seeing things but there was something in the way they… Must be Minako's influence, I corrected myself. The blonde had the funny idea that they were in love or something. Which was silly, of course. Naru was still with Umino the last time I checked and the boy was so devoted to her that Naru would never really think about hurting him like that. She just had too big of a heart to ever do this to him.

Makoto, who had joined us with Ami again shortly after the two had arrived, looked at her watch. "They sure are taking long. Shouldn't Hotaru be here by now, she is finished earlier, right?" To be honest, I was becoming a little worried myself. It would be just our luck for something to happen at one of our birthdays. The cosmos seemed to like play its pranks when we least needed it. However, I had no intention of getting paranoid today. Everything was peaceful for once and even Rei enjoyed herself.

"Oh, I… met… Hotaru-chan on her way to school. She told me it could be a little later. They overslept this morning and now she's getting Minako's gift from her parents," Priapos explained. Nobody worried yet about Minako since she had her school's sport courses to attend to which sometimes took longer than planned.

"I am surprised they actually got her something," Rei, off all people, remarked dryly. Then again… I didn't really know that much about Rei's parents and their history but I got enough of an impression that it wasn't something she liked to discuss. "I mean…" she elaborated, quickly covering the blush that came with the stares she received. "I was over there a couple of times and I must admit they ARE pretty scatter-brained…" Somehow I expected a question how long Rei and Minako knew each other from Naru or Hitome. Rei was probably speaking about the time we fought the Dark Kingdom. Amazingly enough no question came which made me twitch for no apparent reason. "Even more when Usagi sometimes is," Rei added almost like an afterthought.

"Hey!" I protested but failed to actually get angry. Instead I allowed myself a smile and upon seeing Rei return it, harrumphed and looked away in mock-fuming. Yes, Rei was definitely more her usual self today. Thank the Kami. I don't think I could have endured more of the Rei of late for very long.

"Are they really that…" Naru started but was interrupted as several things happened almost at once. Priapos suddenly stiffened and then doubled over in pain without any warning at all. While everyone rushed to her side, the familiar noise of the Mercury Computer made its presence known. The last thing that really made my head swirl with too many things at once to process, was Naru's reaction. "Pria-chan!" she called out, reacting quickly to steady the - I checked - still quite disguised elf. How had…?

Shoving the thought back for the moment, I knelt next to the two, followed closely by the others. "Daijobu desu?" I addressed the elf, not quite sure how to call her right now. IF Naru knew, using the cover name would sound kind of silly.

"Hurts… So much…" She drew in a sharp breath. "Hebe…" Priapos closed her eyes and for a moment I saw the glamour waver. I am not sure anyone noticed but… The moment passed and clenching her teeth the elf seemed to get whatever pained her so much under at least a bit of reasonable control. She looked up with a grimace of pain on her face at our worried expressions. "It's…" she stopped to look at Naru, then seemed to remember that Hitome was here as well and trailed off.

"Ah… I am going to get some water," Hitome said that very moment and was out of the room before anyone could blink.

Rei stared after her with a peculiar expression on her face. "Does everyone around here know?" At everyone's startled look, she sighed in obvious exasperation. "Look it is obvious Naru knows, yes?" She fixed Naru with a glance and slowly the auburn-haired girl nodded.

Once again I felt the sensation of shame run through me. Shame and disappointment. It didn't quite matter at the moment how she had found out. More important was the question, why she had not told me. Had I been this absent and busy that it appeared that I had no time at all for my best friend anymore? I quickly pressed down on those thoughts though since more immediate things had to be taken care of. "Ami?" I asked without looking away from the elf who seemed to struggle with her composure and actually had let the glamour fade now.

Ami had gotten out her computer already and after consulting it for some time, nodded. "I set an automatic detection for that golem. It's not far from here in the city…"

"We'd better hurry then," Luna pointed, deciding to drop the charade of being a normal cat as well.

"But what about…" I protested.

Priapos was quick to cut in though. "Go, I'll be fine. It's just an emotional backlash, something upset Hebe… Minako pretty much. It'll pass in a few minutes." Not that that news helped any to relieve my worry. I knew a little about bonding through my link to Mamoru, not to mention all of us Senshi shared a close sisterly bond. And anything to produce that kind of reaction must be… I cut of my thoughts, not wanting to imagine the possibilities right about now.

Sometimes I hated my duty. However, torn between staying and making sure that Priapos was alright, running over and checking on Minako and the immediate threat of a golem running wild in the city, there was no real contest. As much as it pained me emotionally.

"Alright, Naru you stay with Priapos, yes?" Naru nodded. I put a hand to my broach. "Then let's go."

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Priapos)

To understand what exactly happened, you ought to know how exactly elf bonding worked. There were several different forms how elves bonded with each other and with other races. There was the mate bonding which was essentially for life. There was virtually no separation or, using the human term, divorce possible. That was not because it was not approved ethically. No, it was simply not necessary. Mate bonds between elves - and any magical races for that matter - were an act of harmony as much as fate. For us the concept was never much a believe system rather than a fact. When an elf found their mate they usually knew and if they bonded it was with the knowledge that the other was exactly the right person for them.

Cross-mating with humans was a little different, simply for the fact that mankind wasn't as bound to the order of the things and the nature of creation as we were. There were humans who actually had a soul mate, as they called it, and others who might seek that person for their whole life without knowing there never was one to begin with. Now, under those circumstances it had always been hard to sense the familiarity with a human mate even if they might have known each other for years.

But that was rather beside the point. Next to the mate bonding, there was the kin bonding. That happened between elves as well as between elves and humans… or other races. Kin bonding is the highest form of devotion an elf can express for another being except mating. Kin bonding makes those who enter it brothers or sisters, in every sense you can imagine with the word. The closest thing to describe it might be the human terms of blood brother or blood sister but that really covered only the surface of the bond.

The rituals were different for every race and tribe but the meaning and the effects were mostly the same. In my case I had offered Hebe virtually a part of myself. All nature elves were born from nature in a way. No, not like dryads or something. But the original elves, the first ones that ever walked Venus' surface were.

Every tribe since then had a mother spirit, one of the great trees only native to Venus and upon birth every elf received a branch of their tribe's guardian, that branch was called a Meshi and held part of the guardian's life energy. It wasn't like we needed our Meshi to live or to do anything special. The Meshi was a link to our ancestors, to our heritage. They were what symbolized us as what we were. And thus the ritual for kin bonding demanded to give part of what you were to the other. The Meshi was separated and sprinkled with the blood of both. After that each received and kept one of the halves.

Taking all that into consideration, a kin bonding wasn't even half as much an emotional bonding of spirit, mind and soul than a mate bonding was. Kin Sisters, like Hebe and I were, did not feel the other's every emotion or something like that. There was a conscious bonding and we could sense the other much better than, say two Senshi could normally sense each other. However, it wasn't like we were affected by each other for the most part.

Therefore, the sudden pain entering my system was as unexpected as it was mind-numbing. I had never felt such a searing pain crash over our bond as I did in that moment. Everything faded into a distant background sound as I felt my heart ache with such unbearable pain I thought that I would explode right there on the spot. Conscious control over my body and my senses was ripped from me like a leaf from a tree under the effect of a hurricane.

I fought with every bit of control left in me to keep the sensations at bay but it wasn't much use. Such was the nature of a kin bonding. If there was an emotional effect - and those could really only transfer in the worst of cases - they were pretty much not to block. I could feel Hebe's pain as it was mine. Not a physical one but one that went much deeper, much more complex. It was a cry of anguish, loss, deep concern and an at least heavily damaged heart.

And it was more or less over after only a few seconds actually. The sensation faded more to a distant dull throbbing, an intense concentration and determination overriding the emotional pain and pushing it back. I had, however, learned enough already to know at least to some extent what was going on and I wanted to cry in anguish and loathing to the insensibility and ignorance of those people. I had almost anticipated something like that happening but had not expected such a drastic outcome…

Of course, in the midst of it Naru had blown her cover. I had heard her call me by name and the curious glances from everyone that I could detect when I found some control back were enough to tell me I hadn't imagined it. Not that it mattered much. The younger girl had planned on telling Usagi anyway. So, the only thing that slip managed was to cause some confusion and maybe hurt feelings.

I managed to send them off finally. That golem needed to be dealt with. I desperately hoped that it was not as freaking powerful as those Aura Knights had been. Normally a couple of Senshi would easily be able to bring a normal golem down without any problems. If it was anything like the Aura Knights had been, though… Well, Venus probably wasn't in any position to help right now and I needed to go and find her quickly. I couldn't leave them alone right now.

Looking up at a gentle hand on my shoulder, I found myself looking into genuinely concerned eyes. "Are you feeling any better now?" the auburn-haired girl kneeling beside me asked, one hand reaching for my own before she stopped hesitantly, obviously not quite sure what to do.

I smiled and took her hand in mine gently, making my best to reassure her. The worry touched me and for the first time I really realized that I might have found an actual friend in this time other than the Senshi. And that made me instantly feel a little better. "I am alright. Arigato, Naru-san."

The other girl blinked, startled. "For what?"

"For being so concerned," I answered truthfully. "For being there for me."

"Why would I not? We are friends after all." She was so much like the Princess it was scary sometimes. I could see why they were such good friends. While different in a lot of other areas they both had a very kind heart. I nodded at her, conveying with my eyes how much that meant for me. Naru smiled slightly.

"Here." I looked up, having been caught totally off guard. My senses had yet to return to full alertness and I had missed the reentrance of Rei's friend, Kanzaki Hitome, who just now offered me a glass of water which I accepted with a nod. I didn't even bother to assume my glamour again. There was no real need for that.

Emptying the glass in one big gulp, I looked at the part-time miko - or whatever actually her position here was. "You knew all along, didn't you?" Hitome nodded but didn't further elaborate. I pondered briefly to press the issue but decided to drop it for the moment. There were more important things to do and it might be better that the girl discussed this with Rei personally first.

I shook my head and, accepting Naru's help, managed to stand up. I took a moment to get some feeling back into my body. "My sister needs me," I stated. "I really need to go, the faster the better." I shot a pleading look at Naru. I wanted to explain what exactly happened since one could still clearly see the worry but I could still feel the echoes of my kin sister and her mate now too. It had dimmed more to sadness and I was relieved that their bond had obviously not been shattered under the confrontation but I still NEEDED to be there. "I…"

Naru cut me off with a shake of her head. "Go. I understand." She hesitated for a moment, then laughed faintly. "At least I think I do."

Flashing her a grateful smile and nodding to Hitome, I left the room and was soon on my way back to Aino-ke.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Artemis)

Logically seen, something like that had to happen sooner or later. Even more logical seen something like that almost always happened at days there you least expect it…

I don't care much about logic.

All my life at court I had been the guardian and steady partner of Venus. Whether Hebe or Minako now. And seeing the catastrophe unfold without being able to do at least SOMETHING… It hurt. It hurt a lot. Minako meant so much to me and I would do anything for her and being limited as I was proved to be painful, more than I can put into words.

Back in the Silver Millennium I could have spoken in the presence of everyone. I was Venus' guardian, everybody knew that. Heck, I could change to any shape between human and cat that I wanted to with not more than a thought. Now I could only watch, being chained to keep my superior intelligence that differed Luna and me from terran cats a secret. If I just could have acted freely…

I would have slapped them silly!

Unfortunately all I could do was call Minako when I discovered that her secret relationship wasn't so secret anymore. And of course, the normally so oblivious Ainos had found out the nature of her daughter's relationship to their almost permanent houseguest in the WORST possible way.

Once again I found myself cursing my own laziness even though I knew deep down that I probably couldn't have made any difference at all - but my already bruised ego didn't want to accept that. We had all slept in this morning after all and that had been the unintentional mistake. Because for once in their life Aino Miyako decided to be nosy instead of her usual behavior that was anything but. Apparently she had peeked into the room just before the girls woke up… or maybe even shortly afterwards, that didn't become very clear. However, I knew how those two could get just after waking up. Some physical contact was always there and judged by the elder Aino's reaction, the possibility was becoming more and more likely.

I had tried to warn Hotaru when I found out but I had been out most of the morning and just came in to catch up with Hotaru when she came to get Minako's gift. As I listened into the heated discussion figuring out what had transpired, I rushed to intercept but unfortunately the timing was again the worst possible.

Now I sat in a corner, trying my best to look innocent and disinterested regarding the events in the living room. Those events had come to a complete stop altogether. A vast, thick silence had descended… no, more like smashed down on the room, as if the ceiling had collapsed, ever since Minako had made her dramatic exit.

Aino Miyako was standing in the door frame, her hand occasionally twitching as if reaching out for her daughter who wasn't there anymore. Satoru had fallen back into his chair with a heavy sigh and hadn't moved since then. However, while his wife seemed more like a stature, he seemed to actually be contemplating the situation, appearing deep in thought.

Finally, after a near eternity, Minako's father stood up and walked over to the window which I had been watching for most of the time. The window that led to the backyard where Minako and Hotaru were. At least that had filled me with immense relief. The emotional pain I felt from my partner for a moment was sheer overwhelming and I had been on the verge of bolting after them myself but my curiosity as to her parents reactions held me back. From what I could see they hadn't moved much for several minutes now, holding each other tightly.

"I think," Satoru started, "this didn't turn out very well." Now THAT was an understatement if I ever heard one! I don't think they had expected that kind of reaction from their daughter at all. Seeing as most of the time her age and other things were confused anyway that wasn't very surprising.

Miyako, obviously roused by her husband's words, turned around, a mixture of conflicting emotions in her word. "How can she say those things? We, we are her parents and she is still our baby. What could that Tomoe girl possibly give her that a decent boy couldn't?"

"Like those dozen or so she dated before the summer she went to England and came back with Tomoe-san?" The question, which sounded more like a statement actually, surprised me probably as much as it surprised Minako's mother whose face reflected a little bit of shock. "Look at them." Aino Satoru hadn't moved from his place at the window and motioned for his wife to come over. Reluctantly she obeyed the request and went to stand next to her husband. "Have you ever seen anyone that… happy? Especially after what just happened?"

Minako's mother wanted to protest, I could almost smell it, her lips opened slightly to form words but then swallowed whatever she wanted to say. My excellent vision helped me to spot the barely visible tears in her eyes before they were blinked away in an act of sheer stubbornness. "That still doesn't excuse what they were obviously doing behind our back."

"We haven't been much older, you remember?"

Now that quite effectively killed any sound in the room for another minute or so. I began to reevaluate my opinion of Aino Satoru. Quite frankly I had believed that a man with his intellect could not be as dense as he sometimes appeared to be and the same should go for his wife. I had no idea why they chose to act like they do but whatever reason, Minako's outburst had left a huge crack in their possibly self-made delusion and the crack was getting wider with any passing moment.

Miyako never got the chance to reply to the statement as the doorbell rang just that very moment. Minako's father grumbled and both adults didn't make a move to answer it until the bell chimed another two times. Getting annoyed, Satoru went to answer it. Curious, I jumped down from my place and followed, his wife doing the same.

There was a fairly suspicious-looking man at the door. Elegantly glad in a black business suit and with dark sunglasses he gave off an air of perfect professionalism. Too perfect. Not to mention that I knew these men. Very well actually. I couldn't help the frustrated un-catlike groan as I realized it was one of the men who usually came by to pick up Hotaru after she ran away. They were obviously employed by the elder Tomoe to do the dirty work. It was a pure shame. He wouldn't even care to show up himself. Not surprising though since Hotaru's possession led to the logical conclusion that her father was as much victim as she had been.

"May I help you? We are busy right now with a family problem, can you come by later," Satoru said but I could see that he had suddenly become tense. Obviously he had recognized the man as well. I am sure the fates are laughing their old heads off right now at the perfect timing of it all. I could care less. The next time I saw Pluto I would bring forth a formal protest.

"It will not take long. I am correct that Tomoe Hotaru is currently… in your care?" The man didn't wait for a confirmation but took a step forward. He found his way blocked, however, by the other man. "I am here to take her home. Her father wished for her return and I am sure you will welcome to be relieved of the bother." The man smirked in a matter that wasn't really cruel, more uncaring, indifferent.

"I can't say that Hotaru-san has been a bother lately," Minako's father surprised once again everyone present with his reply. Especially since it was given with a conviction that didn't indicate at all the major fight that had just occurred over the very issue. "Also, I wonder why Tomoe-san would not come himself to get his daughter. I believe that would be the least a father could do for his daughter, yes? Then again, that probably is why she ran away so often."

The man lifted his glasses slightly and narrowed his eyes. "I do not think that is your business, Aino-san. Tomoe Souichi is a busy man who has a lot of work to do and he is worried about his wayward daughter which is why I am here now. So if you would please…"

"I don't think I can live with myself if I pushed Hotaru-san back into an obviously unstable and uncaring family." At this point his wife was about ready to say something while I looked on calmly, very interested in the turn this whole event had suddenly taken. Satoru held up a hand to silence his wife and after a moment she stepped back looking torn between stubbornness, anger and resignation.

The other man was ready to explode any moment, I could tell, but surprisingly enough Minako's father didn't seem to be worried at all. I wondered where he found the calm until I remembered his former profession. "I ask you one last time to let me take Tomoe-san home. She is still underage and you can be charged for your uncooperative behavior."

Aino Satoru stared at the man with an unreadable expression and then softly spoke, "Maybe. But are YOU willing to risk it. I have studied law and while it might have been awhile ago that I had to use my knowledge I am certain that it is in Tomoe-san's best interest that this situation is not to be made official." At the dangerous glare he received, Satoru merely blinked and actually relaxed, arms crossed. "I do read the paper, sir. I know how the public already thinks about Tomoe Labs. Your boss has been kicked out of the association already. Are you really willing to risk a public trial. Even if you would win, this would almost certainly cause investigations, reporters and of course, in the eye of the public a lot of people would declare you at fault, albeit what the court decided."

The man froze, standing there totally motionless. His expression went from confusion to shock, to anger, to shock again and finally to a trapped look that clearly indicated that this kind of publicity and hassle was certainly not in his boss' interest. Not surprisingly since we already considered them enemies and an exposure to the public in their obviously still fresh stage could cause a lot of unwanted problems.

"Here is what we do," Minako's father said and his tone bode a finality that made the other man flinch. "Hotaru-san will stay with us as long as she wishes to and you can tell her father that he may permit us full custody for the time being. If he chooses to refuse or wishes to bring this matter to court, which I don't believe, he can do this. Sayonara, kind sir." He gave the man a little push and closed the door before he could even utter a reply.

As soon as the door was closed Aino Satoru's posture slumped and he let out a weary sigh. Turning around to face his wife, the two adults looked at each other for several moments before breaking eye contact and walking back into the living room to take their spot on the window again. Minako and Hotaru were gone.

"Where are…?" Minako's mother started but was stopped by the hand of her husband on her shoulder.

"We have done a lot of damage today. Our little girl isn't so little anymore. She's become almost a woman already. I think we didn't want to accept that but now we must. If we don't…" He trailed off, letting the sentence hang in the air like a Damocles sword.

Miyako stood silently next to her husband, her eyes fixed on the bench where her daughter and her girlfriend had sat a few minutes ago, escaping from their actions. I could see the last bit of stubbornness melt away and giving way to tears as I slipped out of the room. The last I saw was Satoru taking his wife in his arms.

I had seen enough and maybe telling Minako of what had transpired after they left might make the healing a little easier. I wasn't under the delusion that healing the deep wound that had been created would be an easy task but I had seen that the parents were willing and I knew that despite her understandable reaction Minako still loved her family.

Right now I suspected that I was needed elsewhere. Most certainly that golem was loose. Luna had me informed earlier the day and I could feel the hairs on my neck tingling with the presence of evil not far from here. Of course our enemies had to choose this day to send their next monster. I would most certainly make this file this protest. With a formal document, signature and all…

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Mamoru)

Dodging another wild swing I tried to desperately put some distance between myself and the towering figure weighting several tons of surely crushing force. I had to hit the ground suddenly and only a moment later the air produced by the swing of the giant fist blew up my cape and would surely have decapitated me if I hadn't reacted fast enough. Using the little time I gained by the successful evasion I rolled to one side, sprang up onto my hands and then backwards several times before I finally came to rest a respectful distance away.

"That was a very smart idea," I muttered darkly. How exactly I had gotten it into my head to take on that thing all by myself was beyond me right now, not that I had much time to think about it. I had been on my way to the Jinja, finished with my classes for today and having taken the day off of work to attend the party when I literally ran into the somewhere above thirty feet tall stone monster. The talk with my former Guardians had woken a lot of old memories and I had identified it right away as a Jupiter-native golem. That hadn't helped me very much though since the thing was running wild in the city, directly on the main street. I glanced back at my - brand-new - car and sighed. I just hoped my insurance covered complete destruction through golems…

Well, there was the reason for me being there. I hadn't had much choice other than to transform and defend myself, rather poorly, I admit. The thick stone skin was as expected practically impossible to break. Roses were out of the question and the Smoking Bomber I tried had only the effect of annoying the beast which in turn made me the sole focus of its attack.

Assessing the situation I knew that I was in deep trouble. One blow would probably chain me to a hospital bed for several weeks even with my natural healing… if I was lucky. Of course, with its size the Golem was slow but still fast enough to make dodging a hard task in itself. Counter-attacking was as successful as trying to wrestle with a grizzly. So what to do?

I didn't have much more time to think about it as the golem roared. I felt the charged air and didn't need to look in order to know something major was coming. The unintelligent seeming eyes of the creature suddenly flashed a jade green that spoke of unrestrained fury. Taken aback by the unexpected occurrence I barely managed to move before the golem thrust his arms forward and a sphere of darkish-green launched from its palms.

"What the…?" I cursed myself for not being more prepared for this. We were dealing with a very resourceful enemy after all, something the Aura Knight episode had shown. Our foes had proved stronger than expected every time and so it should be only natural to assume the same thing now… This insight came to late though.

"FIRE SOUL BIRD!"

I threw up my cape to shield myself as the fiery bird suddenly crashed through the incoming attack, making both explode. The resulting shockwave lifted me up into the air and several feet through it before I crashed down again in a not exactly gentle manner.

"Wrecking havoc in the middle of our city, we won't allow that!" I could hear Usako's voice ringing out over the faded sound of the explosion. I glanced up, some spots still dancing before my eyes since I hadn't have enough time to shield myself properly. Moon, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter were standing on the remaining part of what was once a small bridge built over the street. "Ai to seign no! Sailor-fuku Bishoujo Senshi, Sailormoon!"

"I don't think it is intelligent enough to understand you," Mars interrupted and Moon, as expected, glowered at her friend. I wasn't too sure about the not being intelligent part anymore but had not much time to express my opinion on the matter. The golem obviously DID hear them or maybe it simply reacted to Mars' counterattack. Either way, without even bothering to make a sound I could practically see the insane fury in its eyes rising even more. Bringing one fist down onto the pavement, the ground shook violently and I had the presence of mind to evacuate the lower battle areas as did the Senshi. That proved to be a very good thing since only a moment later the ground split up as if someone had sliced with a sharp knife through a piece of paper, sending debris flying everywhere.

"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"

I was surprised that the glowing disc of lightning actually managed to stagger the golem a bit, obviously it had hit upon a weak spot. But staggering was all the attack did and soon we all had to move again as the golem rushed into our already disorientated formation and took wild, unpredictable swings. Moon tried to hurl her tiara at it but was forced to break off the attack as she staggered back under a sudden assault in her direction. With a couple of quick leaps I was at her side and had picked her up. Unfortunately I had once again underestimated the, for the creature's size, rather fast swings and realized too late that I wouldn't have time to move again before…

"SHABON SPRAY!"

Then again, maybe I had enough time. Thankful that the golem was apparently confused enough to not simply follow through with the attack I quickly retreated backwards, instinctively knowing where the others would be. Another part of Venus and Priapos' rigorous training and right now I was very thankful for that.

"Any bright ideas, minna," Mars asked a bit out of breath from being forced to such a display of agility. "I don't think we can hold up with dodging forever."

I glanced at Moon, not oblivious to the troubled and a little distracted expression on her face. I couldn't favor what put it there but there was no time for that now. Gently squeezing her hand I was rewarded with a small smile before her expression turned serious again.

"Didn't you say one or two Senshi should easily be able to handle a golem?" she directed her question at Luna who had joined us in the fog.

"I wasn't talking about over thirty feet tall ones that actually seem to be able to fire magical blasts. This is definitely an artificial Golem. Correct me if I am wrong, Jupiter, but to my knowledge they are quite lifeless and don't possess a spirit to draw magic from."

Jupiter nodded at Luna's comment, appearing deep in thought even though keeping a close eye on her surroundings. It was Mercury who answered. "From what I can see this one is clearly animated. There is no magical signature at all." She frowned at her computer before tugging it away and looking helpless. "I have no idea how it was able to do that." Seeing Mercury helpless usually produced the unbidden sensation of impending doom. Where the hell was Venus anyway, she usually knew what to…

The train of thought was interrupted as an inhuman growl broke through the fog and it wasn't very far away. Everyone whirled around to see the golem break through the mist, blindly smashing the ground or punching the air. Jupiter narrowed her eyes. "This is definitely a Jupiter design. Even though, as Luna said, they are more resistant to water, it is still a natural weakness. Mercury, wait for an opportunity!" Nodding at Mars and Moon, the three broke off into different directions closing in on the golem from different angles.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"

"FIRE SOUL!"

I hung back a second and then launched my own attack before the smoke had fully cleared.

"TUXEDO SMOKING BOMBER!" As I focused my energy I fueled the attack with even more energy than on my previous try. Talking with my former friends had helped me to understand my power a little better.

Mercury behind me waited for a second more after the concussive blast smashed against where the head most likely was and then shouted out her own attack. "SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!"

The steady beam of water crashed against the huge golem, his size making it hard to miss. Moon, Mars and Jupiter joined us again and we watched in anticipation as the golem howled under the assault. I was just about to suggest another attack and for Moon to stay ready to blast it to pieces when another unexpected thing happened. The creature's eyes narrowed suddenly and I could see tiny spark dance over its body, almost like…

"Take cover!"

The warning came too late as without warning electricity raced down Mercury's own attack with the force of a thunderbolt…

(Hotaru)

I don't know how long exactly we sat there, holding each other. It could have been hours but probably was not more than a few minutes. I wasn't sure and quite frankly I didn't care at all. The feeling of belonging was simply too strong to ever want to leave again. This was where I needed to be, always. This was where home was, regardless of families and friends. In her arms I would always be home, no matter where we were, who we were and what was happening around us.

When I felt Minako finally pull away after a small eternity the feeling of loss was only a short sensation before I felt her hands cupping my face. I looked and thought I would forever be lost in the blue eyes so full of devotion and unconditional love. I really didn't deserve her but there was no going back now. If we learned something out of the events from this day it was that. We couldn't be without each other.

"It is scary sometimes, isn't it?" I blinked at Minako's words not fully understanding. She smiled softly and it seemed like the shadows of the backyard were actually retreating. "That we can feel that strong. That we can love and need each other so much that it becomes almost painful. We haven't known each other for that long, but still…"

I put a finger on her lips before leaning in and capturing her lips with mine, raveling in the sensation of the sweetest of touches. That was something I had come to love ever since the first kiss Hebe gave me on the fair. Somehow Minako had learned to do it and to be kissed by the Senshi of Love was… You just couldn't describe it with words. I pulled away slightly after a long while of slow, sensual contact. "Does it matter? You told me yourself love knows no time nor reason. We should not question our fates."

Minako didn't respond just kissed me again and I felt that if I had been standing my legs would have given way underneath me. In a way her words rang very true. I had never felt so strongly when I did right now. All the time I was with Minako actually, but especially right this moment, everything was even more pronounced and stronger. That was scary in a way but at the same time it made me simply not care. There was nothing bad about this, so why worry? Right now, I thought that nothing could shatter that peace that had settled over us…

Minako's communicator beeped.

Well, maybe ONE thing could…

We parted and looked at each other, the beeping noise of her watch becoming a distant background sensation… A grin began to creep into my mate's face and I couldn't hold the smile any longer. Finally we broke out into laughter and I could feel the last bit of tension created by the earlier confrontation pouring out of me like a waterfall.

"We," I gasped out, between bits of laughter, trying to calm myself, "shouldn't laugh about this… Could be… serious…" I took several deep breaths and giggled again before settling down.

Minako nodded, managing to control her laughter as well. "You are right. We better go check this out." She clicked open her watch and frowned at failing to get a response. "This is bad. They probably rushed right in and now they are getting in trouble again." Shaking her hand, she pressed a button. A mini-map of Tokyo shimmered into view in form of a hologram. A need little thing Ami had implanted into the new communicators. There was a cluster of colored dots in one spot, indicating the position of the other Senshi - or at least the signal their own communicators were sending.

"This is rather far away from here." I said, trying to gauge the distance from here to what was apparently somewhere on the main street that ran along both Usagi's home and Chiba-san's apartment complex. Aino-ke was located far more north and I knew Minako's was complaining sometimes that she was so far away from the main city complex of Azabu-Juuban.

Minako glanced around and then up to the windows of the house, a bit reluctantly as I couldn't help noticing. "Well, I better hurry then." Pulling out her pen, she proceeded to transform right on the spot, stepping just slightly into a corner. "VENUS STAR POWER, MAKE UP!" I felt myself blushing as I watched the familiar transformation. The whole thing was still a miracle for me, something mystical and beautiful that couldn't be explained rationally. Not to mention that I could see my girlfriend naked for a split moment! Really, if I hadn't known what to look for from experience you probably wouldn't see anything you shouldn't, the process was too fast for that.

Venus had caught my gaze obviously and winked. She hesitated for a moment, then held out her hand. "Shall we?" I know she wouldn't have asked normally and it had to take a lot of willpower on her part. Minako was fiercely protective of me, I knew, but even without out our shared thoughts earlier I had always understood why. However, right now I didn't want to be separated from her, not even for a short time. And I surely didn't want to stay here. And she seemed to be as opposed to the thought as I was.

Smiling I took her hand and soon I found the wind rushing past us, pulling on our hairs and clothing as Venus raced over the rooftops towards the location of battle. I was a helpless victim for the rush of excitement and adrenaline in her arms but didn't mind the sensations one bit. Once again I marveled at the strength and grace of my chosen mate. In this form she often seemed to be a totally different person even though I knew her and Hebe were as closely joined as none of the other Senshi had achieved yet. Still, seeing her move, feeling that powerful arms wrapped around me, Venus seemed every bit the otherworldly warrior she was.

Halfway to our destination the problem the other Senshi were facing became all too clear to us since it was impossible to miss the huge figure from afar and the destruction wrought in the battle. Priapos and Artemis joined us shortly afterwards, the latter had been picked up by the elf and from the looks of it had obviously informed her about what happened at Aino-ke earlier. There were a few looks traded but no words spoken, neither from the cat, the elf or one of us. But there wasn't really a need to be. I knew if it came down to it, my real family were those four. My mate, her guardian and the elf who had become every bit a sister to me as she was to Minako.

Quietly we made our way towards the battlefield.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Jupiter)

There had been times in the last weeks I had really hated that lightning rod in my tiara. Sometimes I did have nightmares about D-Point and the experience of having several thousand volts of raw, natural lightning mixed with magical, youma-infested ones racing through your body and tearing you apart. There were, however, times I could bless the little thing… Just like the moment the electricity came barreling down Mercury's attack. If the counter had impacted with full might I'm not sure if we had survived it, at least we would have been unconscious by now. The lightning rod, however, managed to take most of it and the rest was just a little staggering.

Not that surviving this surprising onslaught had brought us closer to beating the golem. Whatever we threw at it did little but annoy the creature and the wild, uncontrolled attack style kept us on our toes and unable to form a decent tactic again. We were acting like an amateur in martial arts would. Something along the lines of stupid thinking as offense is the best way to beat an opponent. We were uncoordinated and the golem didn't let us breathe longer than a couple of seconds to regroup. Simply put, without Venus, we were lost.

I never had seen it like that but ever since our reawakening Venus had been every bit the leader my dim memories said she had been for the Inner Senshi in the Silver Millennium. Training as well as fighting was done within that concept and everyone seemed to have accepted that. Venus had the most experience off of all of us and she was more in tune with her past as well. It was true after all, an army without a leader was destined to fail.

If I just could remember why the heck I thought that I should recognize the golem's style! Not only the fighting style, I mean. That was a lot like the Aura Knights actually, even though you could clearly see that despite its new tricks a golem was never designed to be intelligent. No, it was also the way it was built, the structure and very essence. I could swear it wasn't a natural one but when how could it produce magic without a spirit? Elemental magic at that! I felt that I should know the answer but, damn it, whatever my past life knew she was blocking fiercely.

Sprinting into a run I tried to blindside the golem while it was focusing on the others. My lightning had as much effect on it as a pencil would have on an elephant, so I had to try something different. Gathering my chi I channeled the spiritual energies into my palms as I had been taught, creating a sphere of swirling red-purplish energy. Jumping, I took to the air to get a clear shot at one of the weak points my vague memories let me remember… and had thrust the chi blast downward by instinct as the Golem suddenly whirled on me. That proved to be a good thing because I probably would have crashed flat against the next wall if the momentum hadn't carried me over the swing. Twisting my body I managed to barely find a wall to bounce off from and then back down to the ground.

When I landed things had gone from worse to catastrophic. Somehow the rest of our group had gotten scattered all over the place now, not even remotely close too each other. I wanted to shout out a warning when I saw the golem move in on Mars who was on the ground but realized it was too late. A helpless fury began to fill me, washing away my self-control. If I could just remember…!

"Hotaru, no!" I caught the movement actually before the shout came and I balked as I saw Minako's girlfriend rush in front of Mars. What the heck was she thinking?! My shock turned into stunned surprise though as the golem who had his massive fist already cocked back for a devastating blow… froze.

I really cannot describe it any better. There was a sudden rush of… fear reflecting in his eyes? That was totally absurd since I knew golems were prone to such emotions if made artificially. What the hell could scare a mindless creature like that? It looked almost terrified for the barest of moments. My gaze snapped back to Hotaru, trying to find any clue. This had happened before when we though the Youma at the Fruit Parlor. I hadn't paid it much mind then, speculating the appearance of the Moon Staff had something to do with it but… Whatever happened had obviously done so while I was focused on the golem's reaction.

And suddenly the stunned silence was broken. "VENUS WINK-CHAIN SWORD!" Venus jumped into the scene, Venus Tear blazing as a golden blade of energy slammed into the stunned golem sending it tumbling a bit. "Really, can't I let you take care of something without me for once?" Our leader's words seemed to snap everyone out their daze. It was like someone had hit the "Play" button. Everything seemed to click and fall into place suddenly.

Mars who a moment ago seemed to be paralyzed as if she had a seen the devil himself suddenly jumped up. Pushing Hotaru behind her, who by now seemed have realized the foolish thing she had done, Mars' eyes narrowed at the golem. Flames began to twirl around her body like an angry cobra. "MARS SNAKE FIRE!" A tornado of fire began to engulf the Golem making it trash wildly even though the flames didn't seem to hurt it very much. I was just about to ask what this was supposed to achieve when Mars turned her head and called out, "Mercury!"

I could have slapped myself silly. The golem seemed to have abilities similar to the natural ones on Jupiter. But even if, repeatedly heating and cooling the rock skin would take its toll. I said they were more resistant not invulnerable. Mercury seemed to have caught on as well. She had been reluctant to use her elemental powers again after the counterattack but as soon as Mars retreated her fire a galloon of water smashed into the golem, giving it no time to react.

Unfortunately all the dual attacks did was exhaust Mercury and Mars to the point of collapse. The onslaught did weaken the Golem but not nearly enough that Moon could take it down. I wasn't sure if her scepter worked on it at all. This wasn't a dark entity, a spirit or something other that could be healed or hurt by her light… powers…

Obviously my past life had decided that she couldn't hide anymore. Memories flashed through my mind. Of a man, somewhere far in my past's past. Of that more cruel than even remotely close to endearing smile. The obsession in his eyes. The countless battles for dominance and for the sake of my own sanity. His methodical, cold demeanor, not actually evil but repelling. A master of fighting he had been among other things. Things like creating artificial creatures far more complex, honed and dangerous as anyone else could. Among them golems.

ATLAS

I broke into a run, rushing right for the golem, pushing away the unpleasant pictures and sensations that my past self had so desperately tried to hide and shy away from. At the same time I cursed myself for not thinking of this earlier. I remembered HIM dimly, I had while fighting the Aura Knight as something as an unconscious reaction in the heat of battle. Surely their enhancement had to be his doing as well. It made all so much sense now… But that could be dealt with later.

Ignoring the shouts of my comrades I pulled every bit of chi and magic I could manage together. As I jumped this time I didn't go for an obvious weak point, instead it had to seem for the others like I was rushing the thing head on. I bet Sensei never thought I'd use that technique THAT way, I thought grimly as I drew back my hands for my newest standard attack. "SPARKLING…" I really, really hoped I would be right or I would have set me up for a world of pain. Instead of gathering the lightning I forced it into my right hand until little bolts crackled over the fabric of glove. Aiming at the massive chest area it appeared as if I would strike randomly when in reality my chi-sight let me find that one thing I desperately hoped to find. Thrusting out my hand I finished the attack born out of sheer improvising. "… TENKETSU!"

I had to smile grimly as upon contact the golem began to crack at first, lightning racing over its body parts before bursting into several tiny splinters rushing past me like a violent storm of tiny, sharp needles. A good thing that fuku had a better protection than any earth-made armor.

As I looked back, twisting my body in an effort not to be hit too often I saw what I had expected to see. A misty form of pitch-blackness hovered in the spot where the golem had been, green, unearthly eyes drawn to slits in anger but also surprise over what had just happened. "Shadow Ghoul," I mumbled… One of Atlas' favorite toys… I grinned to myself. That was where the magic came from but the golem itself had still been an inanimate object. Therefore it had a natural breaking point.

"Sailormoon!" I called out in the general direction of where I thought the rest were.

Fortunately Moon had obviously been prepared to use her staff already and had it already in her hands and in the space of a mere moment aimed at the ghoul spirit. "MOON PRINCESS HALATION!"

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Rei)

It was about half an hour later that we had managed to all gather in the Fruit Parlor to unwind. Some of us had to be treated, nothing major just scrape wounds and a little charred flesh from the electricity. All in all we had gotten away easier than in some of the last major battles. However, none of was oblivious to the fact that something Luna said one or two Senshi could deal with easily, gave us a run for our money until Venus showed up. Until her and Hotaru showed up that is.

I had, quite frankly, no freaking idea what exactly happened, but I had an idea of what I had felt. That aura in the brief moment where Hotaru had shielded me, the distinctive sense of familiarity but yet unable to define exactly what it was that I felt. The sensation had been like a cold hand sliding down my spine, a vague sense of death and finality had overcome me.

A few days ago I would have been freaked out and trying to pursue the nature of exactly who Tomoe Hotaru was. I would have done readings, I would have confronted Minako who obviously knew… something. I would have done a lot that I wasn't willing to do now.

Tomoe Hotaru HAD saved my life. I wasn't sure why or how. Right now I didn't exactly care though. And if my training as both a miko and a Senshi had taught me one thing, it was that whatever power was at work inside Hotaru, it might be tainted and dark but it was obviously on our side. Simply following my upbringing, the Shinto religion believed in the good in every person and would have treated every seemingly dark spirit as a disease. However, being a Senshi had shown me that not always being of otherworldly nature meant being evil. Nephrite was a wonderful example. He had fallen in love with Naru even though he was still controlled. There had been no indication that the control had broken and still…

I resolved silently to thank the younger girl for what it was worth and hoped that my reactions of the past weeks hadn't totally destroyed the basis for a good friendship. There was no evil in Hotaru, just something I didn't quite understand and maybe I simply didn't WANT to understand. Minako, who once again showed that we were only at best under her lead, obviously trusted her and whatever was there inside of the younger girl, and if she could I would very well have to do the same. And I had already decided for myself that my ill feelings of late had not primarily something to do with those two as a couple.

I sighed. Better to get that over with. I tapped my glass, calling attention to me. Not that that was hard since everyone was silent right now, trying to catch their breath from all the unplanned activity. "Before we start recapitulating, I wanted to say something." Everyone looked from their drinks. "I…" I swallowed, pride warring against the need to get this cleared up. Ami was right. The time for hiding was over. I had made my decision and I needed to get this fully out of my system to concentrate on other things again. "I want to apologize to everyone." Catching Minako and Hotaru's eyes in my gaze for a moment I smiled faintly. "Especially to both of you. I have really not been myself."

"Rei-chan, it's alright, we all were in a lot of…" Usagi started but I held up a hand, cutting her off.

Nodding to Ami I went on. "This had nothing to do with Senshi business or school. You see a couple of months ago, I had an offer from a reckoned studio that searched for young talents to support and promote. Obviously I caught their interest through my organizing of our local school festival and the few songs I sang there. It… was quite a surprise."

I looked around, waiting for reactions, but everyone was silent, listening quietly. I sighed again and dropped my gaze. "Then I became Mars again and everything just happened too fast. I wasn't sure what to do. I had worked for this chance for months and well, I guess I wasn't quite ready to give up. I know for certain that I HAD a good chance there…"

"Rei-chan…" Usagi whispered. She was sitting next to me with Mamoru and reached out to touch my hand.

I caught her hand in my mine and fixed her with a firm, yet gentle gaze. I knew what she was going to say and I would have none of it. "No, Usagi. Don't you realize. None of us is ever going to leave your side as long as you need us. For us it is not only duty but because you are our best friend as well." I swallowed. Showing emotions like this never was my strong point but the need to express myself and all the feelings I had tried to ignore over the last weeks were threatening to erupt if I didn't let them out. "We know you wanted us to be normal girls. But, for me - and I'm sure for all of us - something just wasn't right during the time we forgot about being Senshi." Leaning in, I added with a quiet whisper, "And I will never let you get hurt ever again if I can help it." Sitting back I pulled up my emotional shields again, feeling rather relieved. "So don't think you are getting away from us so easily, Odango Atama," I teased.

Usagi sat there for several seconds, her mouth working silently as if trying to form words. Then, after several moments, a small smile tugged on her lips and she squeezed my hand before letting go.

"What made you decide?" Ami's voice drew my attention back to the others. I noted that there was not very much surprise over the revelation even from those I was sure hadn't known. What I found was more sympathy and understanding. And that helped immensely. I had been a real bitch lately and I would have deserved a more negative reaction. At the same time, however, I knew it wouldn't come.

"All of you did," I said, looking out of the window, my mind drifting a little. Fighting the golem had called something back into my mind that I had always treated as a given ever since I met my fellow Senshi. "What if I hadn't been there today to weaken the golem with Ami?" Would Makoto still have been able to do what she did? Maybe, maybe not. But the question did not really need an answer. It wasn't designed for that purpose. Looking back at the other three I saw my own feelings reflected just as I had expected and I knew that I didn't need to elaborate further. We were a team. Only together could our individual strengths be an unstoppable force. Alone we were strong but in the end still helpless. That had always been the purpose and strength of the Inner Senshi. Leaving them, even if with their approval, would have ultimately made me feel like I betrayed them. I knew they would never think that way about it but that wouldn't change the fact that I would forever blame myself if something happened and I could have been there. Never again did I want to feel like I did at D-Point. So hopeless and a failure to my duty AND my friends.

"I think we all learned something from today's battle," Luna spoke up but had to pause when Unazuki brought a new drink for Usagi. "You all have grown up a lot and you have become much stronger. I am not sure if you would have been able to handle all that happened lately when you were still fighting Beryl. But now, I think, whoever our enemies are together you will be able to overcome them eventually," she continued and then added softly, "without any sacrifices this time."

Getting a praise from Luna is a rare thing which is why everyone smiled at the cat's words. I doubt she really could fool anyone that she was the stern advisor she always pretended to be. I believe that if it came down to it Luna wished us a normal life probably as much as Usagi did.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Luna)

What I just said was the truth but at the same time it might have been an attempt of comfort for myself. As much as I wished to deny the results from the network, I knew that there was more than just a distant possibility of truth behind them. And that had me deeply unsettled. I had not yet shared my findings with Artemis, maybe because that would make it any more real. After all it was just a reading, a very unreliable one. It could have been a lure or a trap, maybe our enemy had already tapped into the network and was feeding us false information. As frightening as the thought seemed I would almost prefer it over the information I had gathered.

"Speaking of our enemies," Makoto spoke up and my head immediately snapped up to look at her, "I think I remembered now what I couldn't before." I had hoped it had been something like that which made her take action the way she did. Especially with her recent behavior, I would have not expected a reckless attack from her.

Makoto waited for a couple of seconds and it was easy to tell how uncomfortable whatever memory the battle had dug up made her. I almost wanted to tell her it could wait, give her time to deal with it first, but I knew that could prove disastrous. Today's battle had been tougher than I had suspected, even if I expected an enemy enhanced beyond what we expected, and time was running out. After the Aura Knight incident already it had become clear that SOMETHING had to be done and not being able to find any clues whatsoever galled me and everyone else.

Minako, who sat next to Makoto, touched the brunette's shoulder at her continuing silence. "Mako-chan?"

Makoto sighed even though her face was seemingly calm. I had to marvel at the self-control since the subject was clearly causing her trouble. "When I grew up on Jupiter, there was a man there who had an almost animal obsession towards me. Atlas was… a very strong-willed man from Callisto. He had quickly risen to the rank of Admiral in our planetary armies at a young age. His ruthless and cold tactics that often demanded a lot of sacrifices for victory were feared. One day he pushed too far and got several of his best men unnecessarily killed. He was striped of his rank and exiled."

Makoto… no, Jupiter looked up at the ceiling, her tone becoming distant. "We had been friends once. But his friendship quickly turned into obsession. He thought that only he as the strongest warrior of the planet should have the right to be with the future Jupiter. Despite his great strength he had never been able to beat me in actual combat and soon began to be obsessed by the thought that if we beat me he would… owe me." The last words were almost spat.

"You were friends with someone like that?" Usagi asked, obviously not able to grasp the concept. Now that the name was mentioned I remembered hearing about the man but never really realized that he would have had deep ties with the Senshi of Jupiter.

Makoto laughed, the sound more sad than bitter. "He was a good man once. We sort of grew up together and before he began his military career, he wasn't that bad. The power corrupted him, I suppose, to a point where I wasn't able to reach him anymore at all. When I came to the Moon as a Senshi, I was relieved to finally have left him behind…" I could tell the version was slightly edited but that was only to understandable. There must have been a lot of bad blood between them and I didn't think Jupiter would leave out any necessary details.

"What makes you think he is behind this?" asked Artemis and I nodded in agreement. As I said I remembered reading a bit about him but… it was still rather blurry.

"Atlas has not only been a formidable warrior but also a master craftsman for golems and similar artificial tools. As long as they were able to be used for warfare he could do a lot of things with them. The kind we encountered today was an animated golem, but it was powered with a Shadow Ghoul spirit. Something akin to a Youma but it cannot materialize physically in this world. Atlas found a way to use the ghoul spirit's essence as a conduct to enhance the artificial golems magically."

Everyone blinked at that and traded confused looks, except Ami and Hotaru who seemed to have comprehended the information easily and nodded. Well, I couldn't blame them. Makoto was so full of surprises lately, I hadn't expected to hear something that analytical detailed. However, it was clear that was more Jupiter than Makoto speaking.

Minako seemed thoughtful ever since Jupiter had begun relating her tale about Atlas and I couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking about. True, both Hotaru and her had been VERY subdued ever since we left the battleground and they were practically clinging to each other with a force I hadn't see them do before. Fortunately everyone had the sense to not comment on this and I wasn't about to make the day even more miserable by prying. But Minako's current concentration seemed to be about something different.

As if she had been reading my mind, Minako looked up. "This is rather coincidental after all." At the questioning looks turned in her directions, she continued, "First I ran into Adonis. Now Mako-chan thinks that one of her… ex-pursuers was behind this attack and maybe some of the earlier ones. If I understand that Atlas has been as annoying for you as Adonis probably was for me." Makoto nodded at that and slowly the pieces began to fall into place. "Does anyone else see a pattern here?"

There were quite murmurs around the table but no one commented. It was obvious anyway that Minako had brought a valid point and that was probably the closest we had ever come to unveil our enemies' identity in all the time since their reawakening.

"I wish I could remember more about my past," Rei spoke up softly, a thoughtful look on her face. "What you are saying stirs something but I can't really remember." She glanced at Ami who nodded in agreement. "So… Are we to suspect that some of our enemies have personal relations with our past lives?"

"We must assume that. This is our only lead so far," Minako confirmed. Closing her eyes, she leaned against Hotaru a little more and I could tell that both girls were really tired from whatever happened earlier.

Trading a glance with Usagi who had watched them for a while now as well, I realized that this was probably the furthest we would get at the moment. We had made a lot of headway today. Unfortunately my charges had once again been denied a normal, happy day that I had so much wished them. I wanted to curse someone but had really nobody that I could…

"I think this is enough for today. Why don't we all go back to the Jinja. I believe we still have a birthday to celebrate."

Minako looked openly thankful at that and favored me with a smile while replying, "Am I supposed to know that?"

Everyone laughed at the comment.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Usagi)

I yawned profoundly and stretched to try and get at least some of my tired muscles to respond again. "I am glad this day is over," I said more to myself since I noticed almost everyone was huddled together in individual conversations. Ami and Makoto were outside somewhere, Luna and Artemis were talking with Mamoru about something but I was too exhausted to get up and be curious, Rei and Hitome were chatting in another corner of the room and Minako and Hotaru quietly sat close together, obviously simply enjoying each other's company. It had indeed been a long and draining day. Both physically and emotional. With a glance at the quiet couple I could only shake my head sadly. They had told us that Minako's parents obviously found out about them and kind of overreacted. I doubt that was all there was to it, however, none of us asked further questions. This had all been bad enough already.

At least we had been able to pull of a somewhat successful party after we finally got back to the Jinja. Hitome hadn't commented at all and at the moment none of us had the nerve to ask her about it. We had enough surprises already today. I still couldn't quite believe what Rei told us, even though I suspected already something like that was behind it. Once again I was reminded how unfair of a life we had to live but at the same time how lucky we were that we had each other. Any of us would give everything for the group. And to have such loyal and good friends made it all a bit easier to accept.

Glancing to the side, I noticed Naru coming towards me and plopping down. I turned to face her with a teasing smile. "Done flirting with Priapos?" I couldn't suppress the humorous jibe towards the, I had to admit, rather familiar interaction between my best friend and the elf. It hurt a little at first, to see that someone else had taken my place to be there for my friend when I couldn't, but in the end I realized how selfish that thinking was, considering the kind of friendship demonstrated by Rei today.

Naru, to my complete surprise, actually blushed and looked down into her lap. "Ano… I wasn't…" I blinked. That had been more a teasing comment than anything serious. I knew that I was only seeing things where nothing existed. I mean how likely would it be… At least I thought so until right now.

Then, suddenly, I remembered something that I hadn't actually been giving any thought yet. "Um, Naru-chan… I haven't seen you and Umino together that often in the last days. Is there something… wrong?" I asked cautiously, some things beginning to fall into place. I had been so busy at school that I hadn't paid much attention to it even though I noticed it. For as long as I could think back, since those two started dating, you'd always see them together around school.

Naru fidgeted slightly, then nodded. "Hai. We… I don't know how to explain it. Maybe we really just mistook good friendship for love. I am not sure about it anymore but I don't want to hurt him either. That is why I asked Pria-cha… Priapos-san for help. I don't know why I came to her of all people. You were so busy with everything and well, I needed someone's opinion…"

I leaned forward to hug my best friend, once again feeling guilty for my absence in her life. I should have been there, I should have helped… But what was done was done. Naru already made clear she forgave me and I respected that even if it didn't help much to make me feel better. However, another thing occurred to me and once again it was indirectly my fault.

"Gomen nasai, Naru-chan… I… I think… Maybe it's because I turned back time and let everyone repeat one year after Beryl and Metallia were defeated. I just wanted us all to be normal. But you two hooked up because of the Dark Kingdom's actions and…"

I trailed off as Naru placed her hands on my shoulders and held me at arm length. "No, Usagi-chan. That's not it. I don't think this has anything to do with how we began dating although I was always curious about that since I never seemed to be able to remember. It doesn't change the feelings in my heart, you know? Umino is a sweet boy and he is so devoted that I don't think I even deserve it. It's… I am just not sure anymore that this thing between us is love." She trailed off and looked down.

I reached up to take one of her hands in mine. "Tell you what. We make a deal. From now, we are not going around anymore to hide things from us. Even if the other is busy at the moment, we both proved that we will always have time for each other. You are my best friend, Naru-chan. Yes, the others are too but that doesn't lessen your importance. Let us not have any further secrets. I, for my part, will trust you with anything."

Naru blinked and just started at me for several seconds, then slowly began to nod and break out into a genuine smile. I smiled back and hugged my friend one last time before settling back.

"So. You are not mad about me finding out about your secret?" Naru inquired but I held up a hand and shot her glance. She blushed, realizing the question was silly since we had just made that promise and giggled. "I guess you aren't. Arigato, Usagi-chan. I feared you might get mad at me for not telling you. But thinking about it, that was stupid thinking. You would never get mad about things like that, I should know you better than that."

I sighed a little and allowed myself a faint smile. Naru looked at me quizzically, clearing not understanding the reaction. "We all changed a little over the last years, Naru-chan. I… I have responsibilities that caused me to change and will continue to change me. I am going to be sixteen soon and if I look back on my life I know I have been pretty childish until recently. Sometimes I wish I could have that back, but when we were reawakened two weeks ago, I realized that was all it would ever be. A wish. I AM a princess. And at some point in the future I might be the heir to the throne. I'm not sure I want this but I know it has to be done…" I broke of my monologue, noticing that Naru was giggling uncontrollably which served to utterly confuse me and made Naru laugh even more. "What's so funny," I asked, now a little irritated.

"You. I was just trying to picture you as a princess or queen. It's just… Impossible!" As soon as she blurted out the last words with a twinkle in her eye she had already jumped up and was running.

Within a heartbeat my exhaustion had evaporated and I was chasing my friend out of the Jinja, startling Ami and Makoto on the front porch half to death. Despite appearing totally outraged I was laughing. I hadn't felt that good ever since reawakening. Not getting together with Mamoru and my friends again had produced that kind of happiness. No, it was the simple thing of a lifelong friend reminding me that despite all the duties that I had began to accept despite their weight, I was still Tsukino Usagi, a normal girl, just like Okaasan had wanted it.

"Come back here!" I screeched after Naru who proved much more agile when I expected. "I'll teach you impossible!"

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Mamoru)

I watched Usagi chase after Naru with a smile tugging on my lips. She looked a lot more relaxed like this, much more like the Usagi I couldn't help but flirting with during the first year… Well, we both probably would have never admitted to calling it that but in a way that was exactly what our banter had been. For the last two weeks that Usagi had almost totally disappeared in light of the events. The constant pressure had me afraid that she might break under it soon and I was very glad for at least those short moments of relaxing and normalcy. It wasn't going to last, I knew, not until the situation had relaxed a little more.

My expression shifting to serious again as I turned back to the two cats who had also watched the brief disruption of quiet. "I wish they had told me more but the energy that's keeping the stones charged is fading and won't hold for very long," I explained, picking up the earlier topic of our conversation. "However, what Kunzite and the others could tell me matches Minako's theory. There seems to be some sort of personal connection. Kunzite knew Adonis but couldn't fathom how he could have shown up here. He hadn't even been in the initial assault on the Moon, so it's rather impossible that he has been reincarnated because of that…"

Artemis looked thoughtful at that. "No, you are wrong. Adonis HAS been reincarnated. At least while I awakened Minako the first time. He was leading the Dark Agency. But the Adonis we met in England… His memories seemed more like he was ripped right out of the Silver Millennium and placed into this time. But the information we gathered from his base back in England don't indicate how he would have gotten past Pluto." He frowned. "I really don't like that. If they, whoever, they are found a way past the Gate we could have a lot more of surprises the kind we faced in the last weeks. What do you think, Luna?" Luna didn't reply right away. Actually she seemed to have been lost in thought for quite some time now. "Luna?"

The black cat looked up startled and tried to cover her absentminded state. "Ah, nani… Oh yeah, that is really strange. I don't think anyone could time travel without Pluto knowing and we know how serious she takes her duty. Or at least that's how it always appeared. After all not much is known about her." I caught Artemis cringe at that last statement. Both seemed to hide something from the other, which I thought a bit weird, but shrugged it off, not really planning on probing into private matters now. They would tell us if it was important, right?

"Anyway," I interjected, trying to change the topic. "I have that feeling that we will know soon enough who exactly we are fighting. Jadeite believes this might really be a testing phase and I think at least with the Aura Knight scenario we have proven that we aren't going to be picked off that easily."

I sighed inwardly but didn't let it show as I shot a glance over my shoulder at Minako and Hotaru who set huddled together. The party seemed to have lightened their clearly depressed mood but now that the excitement was over… I had gotten to like those two, Usako and I had found ourselves spending a lot of time with them. I thought it a shame that they had to go through all this. A blind fool should be able to see the unconditional love between them.

"They are still just children," I said quietly. "It's a wonder they didn't break under the pressure yet." Luna and Artemis shared a look but didn't respond. It wasn't really necessary. I knew the two cats wished for nothing more than a normal life for their charges. Unfortunately, that wasn't about to happen. Probably not ever. There would always be some evil out there and those brave girls had just the kind of hearts that wouldn't allow them to ignore it. It was a vicious cycle but one that we couldn't break out from. That was one thing the talk with my former Guardians had taught me. Responsibility was a heavy duty but if you fought the inevitable it would only become worse. I would stand with them, as untapped as my powers might be right now. If there was a chance of lessening the burden only a little, the effort would be worth it.

The conversation turned to hypothetical theories then and it soon became apparent that we all were too tired to make any serious headway about the situation, especially Luna seemed to be distracted. Judging how little sleep I suspected she had in the last days I wasn't very surprised. Therefore I excused myself and went in search of my errand girlfriend.

I found her just outside, standing alone in the yard of the Jinja. Neither Ami, Makoto or Naru were anywhere in sight which served to confuse me a little since I hadn't seen any of them come in or pass me… Then again the Jinja was big enough that you might pass by each other without noticing. As I came to a stop a few feet away I was suddenly mesmerized by the sight. It had really become late and the Moon had risen already, silhouetting Usagi's figure against the soft moonlight. The effect was stunning to say the least and for a long moment I felt myself unable to move, several flashes of Serenity flickering through my mind. I could actually swear there was a soft glow around Usagi now, but maybe that was just because I began to become more and more apt in reading auras.

Closing the distance between us, I wrapped my arms around her and was a little surprised to feel her relax into the embrace instead of being a little startled. I was sure she hadn't noticed me… Then again, I shouldn't be. I tended to sense her when she was nearby as well. "Feeling better, Hime-chan?" I inquired.

Usagi was silent for a moment and I enjoyed the close contact. She had really grown up from the fourteen year old crybaby I had met first just outside Osa P and with a start I realized exactly how beautiful she had become. I couldn't help but tightening my grip around her waist. Usagi turned her head and smiled up at me. "Hai, my Prince." She giggled and I couldn't help but smirk. We had settled into this relationship so naturally it seemed scary but Usagi made it look so normal and just right. "I guess I needed that."

"You shouldn't take all of this so much to heart, Usako," I chided gently, looking into her eyes seriously. "You have very understanding and supporting friends. And they don't need you fretting over their problems all the time, they need you happy and carefree."

Usagi nodded but didn't say anything as she turned her head to look up at the Moon. A long silence settled over the yard, not really an uncomfortable one but not really comfortable either. Finally Usagi sighed and looked down. "I accepted all this because I know it won't do any good to fight against it. Sometimes these last two weeks I just get depressed though and ask myself who I really am. I know what you say is true but most of the time I feel like I have been more Serenity than I have been Tsukino Usagi…"

I cut her off by turning her around. Holding my girlfriend on arm's length I looked at her intently. "That is not true. You are not the one thing or the other. I talked to Minako awhile ago about how she felt about the reincarnation thing and if it was bothering her to be so… close to her past life. Do you know what she said?" I didn't wait for Usagi to answer, continuing in a soft voice. "She said there isn't any difference. Hebe and her might have led different lives but they ARE the same person now. Both are part of the whole. When we were reincarnated our past lives became a part of what we are today. They ARE us, not just some hidden personality that pops up and every now and then and helps us out. Tell me, did you feel that something was missing when we lost our memory after Beryl?"

Usagi had been holding my gaze until this moment. Now she blinked, surprise beginning to creep into her face. "Ano… Not exactly. It felt more like… something was locked away. I always though it was just the memories but…" Her eyes began to shine with strange expression of surprise and then actually relief. "You mean, with the memories, the part of us that is our past life had been locked away and that was why we never felt totally complete."

I nodded. "Hai. All our memories, what we experience, all that makes us what we are. If we try to deny a part of it, it is like denying apart of ourselves."

Usagi's face broke into a wide smile and she leaned forward to bury her head in my chest. "Arigato, Mamo-chan. That is exactly what I needed to hear."

"You are welcome, Usako." I leaned down and wasn't surprised to meet Usagi halfway for a long kiss.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Ami)

The evening air was a bit cold and the wind added an extra chill at that time of the year. The temperatures had rapidly dropped the last weeks and I wouldn't be surprised if there was early snow this winter. As expected I found Makoto sitting on the porch of the Jinja, head in her hands and gazing up into the night's sky, lost in thought.

I had noticed her missing after the main celebrations had died down and everyone split up into little groups. So much had happened today, it was only natural that some things needed to be cleared up. And Makoto, being as stubborn as ever, tried to deal with hers alone, of course. As much as she had changed, I knew her good enough by now to realize my roommate wasn't one to burden others with her personal problems. She tended to rather keep them inside herself which only ended in depressing her further.

As I wordlessly sat down next to her, she glanced at me for a moment with a wry smile before turning back to watch the Moon and the stars. "This is becoming a habit, you know?" True. First it was Rei, then Makoto earlier in the day and now again the brunette. I don't think I had ever pried into other people's business so much before.

I had to chuckle at that line of thought. "That's entirely your fault. You are always telling me not to keep everything to myself and that I have friends that will help me if I have a problem. You realize, of course, that the same goes for you."

My brunette friend laughed at that and suddenly let herself fall back onto the porch. "Touché." Her gaze drifted over to me with a genuine smile now, before a faraway look crossed her face. "I guess I'm just not good at taking my own advice." A faint chuckle escaped my friend's lips before she continued. "I won't lie to you, Ami. This IS bothering me. More than anything ever bothered me for a long time now. There are a lot of unresolved feelings between Atlas and me. He made my life on Jupiter a living hell most of the time and I used to hate him for that. But at the same time I feel sorry for him, because he let himself succumb so easily to power. I just don't know how to face him and face him I will. Soon actually…" Makoto held a hand over her heart. "I feel it, in here."

I was silent, looking up into the night's sky as well, as if it was holding all the answers to our questions and problems. My heart went out to my friend who I had gotten to know so much better over the last two weeks and it made me feel helpless, knowing that there wasn't much that I could do about Makoto's problem. "He was… your friend once, yes? That's why it is so hard despite whatever he has become since then."

"He was my friend, yes. I know it's foolish. He treated me like a prize for almost all the time we knew each other. And still I can't help but think back at the innocent boy I once knew…" Makoto sat back up and we simultaneously turned to look at each other. "I guess it does not matter. I will have to face him eventually and I will be ready then," she stated a little firmer. However, I could still here the distress over the concept in the other girl's voice. I wasn't sure, but somehow I had the impression she wasn't telling me anything. I wouldn't pry any further though, enough old and new wounds had been opened today already.

I reached for her hand and took it in mine, clasping it tightly. "WE will face him, Makoto. All of us together. Just like we always do."

Makoto looked down at her hand in mine and then back up to fathom me with a smile which spoke of a much lighter heart. Before I could react, she had draped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer against her taller frame, totally surprising me with the action. "Arigato," was the only thing she said as her other hand continued to grasp my own, now with an almost fierce need.

I didn't know what to do, not sure what exactly the change in contact meant. It felt nice but I wasn't really sure what to make of it. "Mako-chan, I…" Makoto put a finger over my lips and I immediately fell silent. I felt myself staring into these emerald eyes and once again had this odd sensation, just like last time in Makoto's apartment. I couldn't quite grasp it but was sure that Makoto would have wanted to do something totally different before moving her finger from my lips and settling down against me, staying silent.

We sat there for several minutes. Neither speaking or even moving. For some reason the closeness felt… right. I still couldn't figure out what it meant. If I was falling for my friend or maybe not. For the moment though I really didn't care that much and quickly gave up trying to figure it out. What I knew with absolute certainty was that Makoto obviously needed someone to hold onto right now. I honestly wished I remembered more of my own past, maybe there was something similar in those memories that could help me understand her situation better. As it was, this was the only thing I could do. And I did it without regret.

The silence was suddenly disrupted as without warning Naru ran past us into the courtyard, followed by a blonde whirlwind called Usagi, yelling angry but looking more like she was enjoying a day in an amusement park. After getting over the initial shock, I turned my head towards Makoto and found her smirking at the scene. "Looks like they worked out their problems at least. I am glad," my friend stated, then glanced back at me and actually colored slightly before moving her arm away… Was it just now that she realize what she had been doing?

I think I surprised myself when I reached up and caught her hand before she could move away. Makoto stared at me perplexed but I just smiled at her, trying to look as understanding as possible. I felt her muscles tense slightly, then relax as she settled her arm back into place.

Nothing was said as we turned back to watch the chase that continued all over the yard and back. When Usagi finally did catch up with her friend, they were wrestling a little even though you could clearly see that the blonde girl was holding back her strength. Finally she had Naru pinned underneath her and they were grinning at each other.

"Why didn't you tell them about it when Rei did, anyway," Makoto asked suddenly.

I blinked, not understanding right away. After a moment I realized she meant the application in Germany. "There wasn't a need to. My and Rei's situation were similar in a way, at least the reaction would have been the same. I know what the others would say and the same that Rei said to Usagi goes for me as well." I followed the two girls now getting up and going over to the stairs to sit down there. "Why bother them with even more that can't be changed anyway. I have made my decision already, just like Rei."

Makoto nodded, not surprised at my answer as it seemed. I had the impression anyway that she had known I would say this anyway. There really was no need to burden Usagi further. She was already taking so much responsibility. I knew without her telling me that my problems would always be appreciated and that made feel very special. They were like the big family I never had but always wished for and that is why not accepting the invitation wasn't really a problem for me. In the end I would end up losing more than I gained and that just wasn't worth it.

The two of us sat there for awhile. Watching Priapos come by, from wherever she had vanished to earlier, and offering to take Naru home. That made us aware of how late it actually had become. We still had a school day tomorrow, after all. And so, after saying some quick goodbyes, we went home as well.

(Hotaru)

It was close to midnight outside when the group finally parted and almost everyone went home. Priapos, Naru, Ami, Makoto, Usagi and Mamoru, plus Luna, had went home already and Rei was just now seeing Hitome off. While she did work here, she had her own home after all. Minako had stayed outside under some lame excuse to get some fresh air after we saw Priapos off. I had considered staying with her but while I wanted to be nowhere else right now than close to my mate, I knew deep down that she might need some time to really sort things out in her head. Minako might be tough and certainly stood to the decision she made today, but it had to affect her in some way after all.

I really wished I could help somehow. Artemis had told us about what happened after the screaming war in Aino-ke and that gave us a sliver of hope that things would work out in the end. I was surprised to hear what Minako's father had done for me and felt rather relieved by the concept that I might have that problem taken care of at last. Still, a lot of hurt had been generated today and it would be awhile until those wounds would be closed and trust could be rebuild. At least Minako's parents seemed to have realized that.

Now, the question remained where to stay. Somehow the question had been forgotten over the course of the evening and now everyone was gone. We could always go over to Priapos' apartment. Even though it provided not much space, for tonight it surely would be enough. In one thing we silently agreed on though. Neither of us wanted to go home right now. There would just be too much awkwardness and the constant reminder of what happened. The party had taken our minds off the events earlier in the day and neither of us was to keen of being reminded directly.

"You want to stay here?" I glanced up and saw Rei, who had come back in without me noticing, sitting down opposite of me. "We have enough space here and I doubt you want to go back right now."

The surprise clearly must have shown on my face. Minako had joked about it this morning but that had been more amusement on her part. Sure, we probably both thought about it later but hadn't asked, not quite sure if the miko would be willing. Sure, she was a lot more relaxed and her confession seemed to have drained much of her sharp temper of the last days, however, staying here might have been asking a bit too much. "If it is no problem," I replied carefully. Her tone didn't seem to supply any reluctance but one could never know.

Rei shook her head and smiled faintly. "It is the least I can do after you saved my life back there." Her face became stern. "That was pretty reckless though. I hope you didn't just do that to impress me."

I could see that she was only half serious with the last statement. Still, I wasn't too sure about that incident myself. Why the heck had I done something so foolish. I could have… I SHOULD have gotten killed. Yes, there was that… other part of me that seemed to protect me from harm but I had no idea what it was and how to control it. I'm not sure I even thought about that at the moment.

We had arrived at the battle scene and had spotted Mars in trouble. Quite frankly, I'm not even sure if I had moved on my own account, something inside of me just seemed to urge me on, to save her. As ridiculous as that sounded to me. I choose my answer carefully, knowing that the miko was already wary of my other side, there was no further need to strain the peace that was achieved today. "I am not sure myself why I did that. I know where is something else, inside of me, it seems to protect me from harm. I was aware of what I was doing, at least for awhile but it wasn't really me doing it… If that makes any sense."

Rei rubbed her chin thoughtfully for a moment. "I don't believe it, whatever it is, is evil." At my surprised look her thoughtful expression turned into a smile. "It saved me after all. I… couldn't really identify the power but I was right next to it and I couldn't feel any evil intentions. And now it seems, I owe you my life." Almost like an afterthought she said, "Besides, Minako trusts you and I have the feeling she knows already. And while I might have said some dumb things lately, I know that she has always been serious when it came to us Senshi and what might be a danger."

That was something I could only agree on. As Venus, my mate was always more confident and concentrated purely on the situation at hand almost all the time. This side of her was fascinating and had always intrigued me and from watching her work I knew Rei was right about it. "It scares me sometimes, Hino-san," I said softly, not very comfortable talking about the subject. While I knew deep down that this other side of me didn't want any harm, I had my fair share of experience by the demon - or so Minako and Artemis claimed - that had used me as a host for several years of my life, thus destroying my childhood and my family in the process.

"Onegai, call me Rei. You are part of the family after all." My face lit up immediately at the words and I was pleasantly surprised at the honesty of the statement. Somehow I had the feeling Rei had meant a lot more with it when I was able to grasp but that wasn't really all that important right now. Rei chuckled at my expression. "You have been the moment Minako introduced you, even if I might have been less… accepting. I wanted to apologize for my behavior anyway, I had no right to judge you from personal experience. Maybe my problem was not that I didn't see how much you two belonged together but that you actually seemed to be inseparable by whatever was thrown at you…" She trailed off, then began to speak again but closed her mouth with something akin to a nostalgic look on her face.

"Maybe you were right," I picked up the conversation again before an awkward gap could appear. "Maybe we really don't know what society can do to us. Today ought to have shown this and it is just now beginning to sink in." I paused for a moment, daring to look the miko straight into the eyes. "However, what matters in the end is that we are together. It might sound fatalistic but I really can't imagine a life without Minako anymore. It is scary sometimes, yes, yet I do not regret anything as long as we can be together."

Rei held my gaze for several moments and then sighed wistfully. "I guess you are lucky then." Under her breath she added, "Luckier than me." I didn't comment on it, seeing no need to aggravate her. Maybe I was wrong after all. I thought I had figured out what exactly had bothered her about us but judging by the reactions I had the strong feeling now that there was more than just a relationship gone wrong. Whatever the case, it was not my place to pry. Also, looking up at the clock and feeling for the item in my pocket, I still had something to do.

"I am going to fetch Aino-chan then," I said, getting up. "We have a school day tomorrow after all."

We ended up calling in sick but that was beside the point.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

(Minako)

I had always had a strong affirmation with the Moon. Maybe, it was because Serenity and Hebe were so close or the Moon and Venus were so similar in their mystical nature. Whatever it was, the soft, pale light of the night had always managed to calm me and wash away the perils of the day. Until I became Venus I never really know why that was but I trusted it nonetheless, not questioning the connection.

And so I found myself under the moonlight once again, sitting on the edge of the Jinja's roof, my feet dangling over the edge as I gazed out over the city sleeping peacefully, more or less ignorant of the true horrors that its nexus-like properties spawned day for day. There was no questioning that Tokyo indeed had to be a magical nexus in a way, judging by the fact that all of us had been born… or at least been drawn here. Here our destiny unveiled and the struggle with the Dark Kingdom that had begun ages ago finally came to an end. Or so we thought. Now, I wasn't too sure anymore.

The puzzle had begun to make more sense now with Jupiter's recollection. Was that really a personal thing? Or better, was it just a personal thing? They, whoever they were, were using Youma, too. Youma, Metallia's spawn, twisted beings of evil that once had been human. But most of them were old and couldn't be healed anymore, like the Seven Shadows or the Youma turned in this time.

What troubled me even more were the emotions evoked by Jupiter's tale of Atlas. Adonis… The tale was different, the outcome similar. He had become as obsessive with me as Atlas had with Jupiter. Unfortunately I never had the possibility to fully get away from him since he had been under Kunzite's command. I felt a certain uneasiness thinking about him now that I didn't understand. He was dead, there was no way he could have survived the final battle in England. No power known to me, not even Metallia, could have saved him from his fate. But still…

I sighed deeply. This was getting me nowhere. I knew I was just distracting myself from the real problem, thinking about Senshi matters. All that did was creating new worries that I really didn't need right now. On the other hand I wasn't too eager to think about the more personal problem either. True, it was easy to say that it didn't effect me but stating that turning away from my family really did not matter would be… was a lie. I knew it, Hotaru knew it. What happened today HAD hurt. At that moment though the pain had been dull and pretty much insignificant to Hotaru's. Now, with some distance and secure in the knowledge that we had weathered this storm, the realization of what exactly happened began to kick in. And I really didn't want to think about this right now.

Spotting a figure step out into the yard, a smile came to my face as I felt my heart soar at the sight of Hotaru looking around in mild confusion. I knew it wouldn't be too long until she sensed me up here and so I stood up carefully and jumped down behind her. There was practically no sound at all as my feet touched the ground below with cat-like grace. Wrapping my arms around the smaller girl who squeaked a little in surprise which just showed that we both had a lot on our minds, normally she would have known somehow I was behind her.

The surprise quickly changed to contentment as Hotaru let out a sigh of happiness and fell back into the embrace. "You weren't planning on running out on me now, were you?" she asked with a mix of half-joking, half-serious tone. I once again marveled at how naturally we fit together this way. Probably most of it was imagination but sometimes it seemed as if we were meant to be one. Geez, could I sound anymore cheesy?

I chuckled. "I don't think my feet would have cooperated with the idea." I let go of her and turned to head back and sat on the porch. Hotaru followed and sat down next to me. I put an arm around her and she rested her head on my shoulder and no words were spoken for several minutes. A few crickets were chirping and a lone owl added to the otherwise silent night's atmosphere. I felt my worries retreating for the moment and was more than happy about it. All this could be taken care of later, not now. Now all I really needed was already here with me.

I felt Hotaru shift next to me, lifting her head from my shoulder, and looked to the side. Blue met purple and I became transfixed for a moment, losing myself in the intense gaze. The sensation of Hotaru's hand touching mine made me look down. She was interlacing her fingers with mine and I clasped them lightly. I could feel her shiver but it didn't seem to be from the chilly autumn air.

"Rei said that we can stay tonight," Hotaru finally said. I was aware of her fidgeting now and frowned, trying to gauge her feelings over our link. However, I couldn't get anything from that end as she was obviously tightly blocking it. Just as I was about to ask, my mate began to relax and used her free hand to cup my cheek. I leaned into the touch on instinct, raveling in the smoothness of the pale skin against my own.

"What you… said to me, that you would put me before your duty…"

I sighed, interrupting her before she could say anything more. "I meant it. Well, let's say I'd put you on the same level at least. Usagi is as much like a sister to me as Serenity was to Hebe. We've been close in both lives. For me it is not really a duty anymore as it is natural, just as it is with you. Maybe it always has been. That is what Adonis never really understood. I guess I didn't understand it myself until recently, until I met you."

Hotaru blinked, her hand falling down, obviously she hadn't expected that sort of reply. A moment later she broke out into a wide smile that instantly reminded me of one of those things I swore to always protect. "Even so, that was the sweetest thing someone ever said to me. I know what it meant to you, saying this, I didn't need to see it this detailed to know. That's why…" She trailed off and I looked on curiously as she fumbled for something and finally coming up with a red velvet box. Hotaru proceeded to place it into my hand.

I drew in a sharp breath, not quite sure what was coming next but I had a sneaking suspicion. Carefully I opened the lid of the box and gasped at what I saw. I had expected a ring or something, that would have made sense and somehow I had almost suspected something like this of my mate. But there wasn't a ring.

Inside lay a simple looking golden band with tiny little crescent moons on its surface. What was most fascinating was the fact that it was tied together by what appeared to be a crystalline shape resembling the symbol of Venus. I couldn't quite identify what kind of crystal it was but it sparkled as the pale moonlight hit it, creating a rippling effect and highlighting another symbol that rested inside the heart shape. The sign of Libra.

"Raven, this is…" I searched for words but couldn't find anything to properly describe what I was feeling, too strong and diverse were the sensations. The object despite the crystalline symbol that was obviously made with a lot of care wasn't looking really expensive, however, it emanated an aura of calm and a sense of warmth flooded through me that I could only vaguely decipher as what a child might feel like in its mother's arms. Also despite not looking very expense, it was definitely beautiful.

"Okaasan gave that to me. She said to keep it and that I would one day fall in love with someone born under the sign of Libra who would take care of me. I don't think I believed her back then, after all I was just a child and all that seemed so far away," Hotaru explained and I began to understand the feeling of warmth better and was amazed at the same time of the accuracy of Hotaru's mother's predicament. The way Hotaru spoke of her, as rare as those occasions were, made me wish I could have met the woman.

Hotaru reached over to take out the band and then slid down from the porch, to kneel on the cool ground. Taking my hand she looked up at me with a silent question in her eyes. I could only nod, my heart nearly exploding with happiness. What else could I have done? I was so overwhelmed a coherent thought was hard to form. Not to mention that I had no intention of declining what would come next. It was only with her next words that I realized exactly what she was up to.

"A token of our love this is," she said, her voice quivering slightly before becoming firmer. Her eyes were conveying a silent begging but there was no real need to. With all that happened today, this ending came natural and the words sprang from my lips without hesitation.

"Together we traveled the stars," my voice was shaking as well, as a sudden float of memories assaulted me. Somewhere else, in a different time, under the light of the Earth hanging in the sky, it had been the same situation with the only person whose love was the only one coming close to this one. And it had only been a short time before his betrayal and the fall of the Moon Kingdom…

"My perils are yours as yours are mine."

"Now I take this token, so that our fates shall be entwined."

Hotaru slipped the band around my wrist with trembling fingers and I grasped her hand tightly, pulling her up to a standing position. I think I was… No, I was sure that I was crying openly. This wasn't even a really formal proposal but it meant something for the part of me that was Hebe, not to mention that it meant something for me as well. A part of me was scared, that this was maybe a sign that I could lose Hotaru as I had Kunzite, however, this sensation quickly faded as I pushed onward, fulfilling the ancient poem.

"Selene, bless this union of our hearts, make it know forever in the stars," we finished the old oath. I did not question it this moment. After all there were enough people around here who still remembered some of the old customs of the Silver Millennium and who could have told Hotaru. One of those customs was that a loving heart may offer his or her partner a token of love at midnight eve of their coming-of-age, which in the Silver Millennium was the sixteenth birthday. The custom was said to bless the union, granting the lovers a long and happy life.

I slid down to the ground standing in front of Hotaru, the Moon above seemed to bask us in a single ray of light, as if sensing what was happening. My worries of the day were long forgotten and once again where was only us. Grasping Hotaru's hands tightly I searched for her eyes, seeing the tears mirroring my own there. For a long moment none of us moved, then Hotaru slowly closed the thin distance between us and my arms closed around her without a second thought.

"I will never leave you, Aino-chan," she whispered and I believed her. Our lips met in a sensual kiss, full of feeling and care as well as passion at the same time. I felt myself melting into the touch and for a moment, just for a moment, there was the sensation of two spirits, long dead but now living within us, reaching out to brush against each other tentatively.

Hotaru finally pulled away to nestle her head under my chin. Her words were barely a whisper, even in the silence of the night. "Happy Birthday, Anata."

And that it was indeed. Despite all that happened. Despite the fight with my parents, despite the disruption through the golem attack. Something had been different that was more important than anything else. I had friends as close as a family to celebrate with and I had Hotaru who, against all that was thrown our way, was still here, with me, and our love was even stronger now than before. That is what mattered and nothing else. That is what made this birthday one that I would ever remember. The negative, I knew, could and probably would be resolved later, the positive would forever stay with me and hopefully never change.

TBC in Episode 5

In which we will have a closer look in Rei's life. Her past and future. Hitome is trying to help Rei cope with a traumatic event of her past while Rei is trying to find her future, now that she has given up on the offer. And when the first of their enemies finally shows their face, Rei finds herself in a situation that might me to much for her.

-----Bishoujo-----Senshi-----Sailor---Moon-----R-----

Moon has signed in.

Moon: *looking around* Ano? Hotaru-chan? Hello? You there? *spots Venus and Saturn making out in a corner* WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO GIVE US A MORAL!!!

Saturn: *jumping in surprise* Ah… Err… *looks sheepish and a little scared at the fuming Moon*

Venus: …

Maia: *appearing out of nowhere* Oh, forget it, Odango Atama! No one is EVER going to do your moral!

Usagi: *spluttering* And how would YOU know?

Maia: *arms crossed* Because I am inspiring the whole thing.

Venus: *scratches her head* Huh? How can you inspire memories?

MysticMew: *grabbing a startled Maia* You, come back here! What the hell are you doing IN the story?

Maia: *struggles free* That's not the story, it's that stupid moral idea of yours.

MysticMew: My idea? You wouldn't leave me alone before I did it!

Maia: *crosses her arms again* Oh yeah, everyone can say that. You should rather be doing a better job of finishing your parts sooner with all the inspiration I waste on this…

MysticMew: *interrupting angrily* And you should keep a steadier flow on that inspiration! Not months of Writer's Block and then you are making everything longer than I plan for!

Maia: Writer's Block? Hah! A petty excuse for… *trails off and slowly turns to see Saturn looming over here with her glaive poised for a strike* Um…

Saturn: *in a chilling voice* So you were responsible that those recordings took so long? Aino-chan and I had things planned today, you know?

Maia: *sweatdrops* Well, I… *looks for MysticMew to blame but he has, wisely, disappeared* You see… that is… *dodges a swing* Hey, save it you… you… glaive-wielding maniac!

Saturn: *now twirling her glaive around* Maniac? I show you a maniac, you crazy pixie!

Maia: *glowering with rage* Pixie? PIXIE?!? Take that back! FIREBALL!

Saturn: *blocking the spell* You have to do better than that! DEATH REBORN REVOLUTION!

Maia: DRAGON SLAVE!

Moon: *turning to Venus* Aren't you going to help her?

Venus: *watching as the two blast each other into tiny bits* There's a time to stand up for the one you love… and there is a time where you wisely leave them alone.

Moon: *thoughtful* Hmm… I suppose that will have to do, even though it has not much to do with this…

The screen wavers slightly and then turns into static before going blank completely.

MysticMew: *popping up* Gomen, it appears this has gotten a little out of control. I am forced to end this now before any more damage can be done.

Screen turns black again.

Author's Note

Phew, this has surely been a long one. The longest episode yet. First off, I have to apologize for the lack of ANY updates lately (especially off-list in the archives). There had been several reasons for that, none of which has much to do with time (maybe only, that I have to MUCH right now). First off, I had been busy with several games and actually typing the entire story script of Skies of Arcadia Legends) over the summer months, then the heat here was doing nothing good for my concentration and lastly Maia decided to be stubborn and infuse me with a bad case of Writer's Block…

Now she's back full force though and I have no idea what to do first. :) I tell you, the terror is going to be the death of me one day.

Anyway, on to the notes, since this episode has already been so long, I don't want to bore you to death with page-long notes now.

There actually really is not much to say. I explained things so thoroughly within the story I doubt there are too many questions left open.

There is the issue of Minako's parents for once. I didn't want them to be exactly like Crawlspace's version and I don't intend the current wedge a permanent one. What I needed here was simply an extreme reaction and I believe I managed that. Sometimes it needs a drastic action to bring people out of their own little world. Anyway, I don't plan on including anyone's family that much since it was never a big issue in canon anime and manga either, but there will be the one or other occurrences.

Mamoru's stones are again taken from the manga, as so much about him. Anime simply screwed up his character and it is not really surprising that so many people don't like him. The stones are what is left of the guardians and they sometimes help them to appear in spirit to aid their Prince.

The song I used in the middle part is "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" from Jefferson Starship. I originally had another song planned but then I came across this one and it just perfectly fit for what I wanted. I never actually wanted them to sing it, that was simply a spur of the moment thing, but my beta assured me it worked off very well.

I hope you liked the little excursion into elf bonding. This came about as a mixed influence by several works, mostly those of Greywolf (Guardians of the Star) and a bit of Biles and TheJudge's (Millennials) stuff, as well as my own opinion on the matter.

Some of you might have realized already who Mako's sensei is (not that hard to tell) and therefore probably figured out where the idea for the improvised attack came from. It was just simply perfect for that occasion.

Otherwise that is pretty much it. Most of the secrets with Rei will be cleared up in the next chapter probably. The next chapters will be centered on Mars, Mercury and Jupiter. In this order. Manga readers might realize this but I am not going to tell how much will be similar as well.

Feedback as always is appreciate, wanted and needed. I want to take the time to thank everyone who has been sending feedback and was patient enough to wait the now nearly five months since the third episode…

Ja ne, yours

Matthias