Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Redemption ❯ Extinguished Flames ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

EXTINGUISHED FLAMES


The tall teen-ager walked swiftly along the sidewalk, his
long stride eating up the concrete. Still dressed in his
dark-blue school uniform, an expensive-looking dark-green
duffel bag slung over his right shoulder and a frustrated
look on his handsome face, the auburn-haired boy stormed
onward, oblivious to the world around him.

*I don't see how they manage,* he thought, his frown
deepening. *What a pathetic existence this is turning out to
be. I feel half-deaf, half-blind and half-alive.* Just then,
a sharp twinge shot through his shoulder from the weight of
the bag. Annoyed, he stopped walking and switched his load
to the other side. *And the constant complaints from this
stupid, weak form are starting to drive me insane.*

Behind him, a couple of blocks back or so, a tall girl
dressed in a sailor-like school uniform of white and tan
halted as well, grateful for the momentary pause. Healthy
and fit, used to fast-paced walks, even she was having a bit
of trouble keeping up with the other teen. However,
determination glittered in her forest-green eyes. She'd told
the others she'd keep an eye on him, and she was a person of
her word. Her temporary stop having quieted her long legs'
complaints, she ran forward before he could get started
again.

His bag once more slung comfortably, this time on his left,
the tall teen was about to begin his fast-paced walk once
more when a feminine voice shouted from behind. "Hey,
Nathan! Wait up!"

Startled, the auburn-haired boy turned around to see the
athletic girl -- who'd shared her lunch with him the day
before -- sprinting toward him. "Uh... Hello, Lita."

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

The boy called Nathan fixed the pretty brunette with a
thoughtful stare. Although his first instinct was to tell
her to buzz off and mind her own business, that impulse was
quickly replaced by something... else. There was something
about her, something he'd caught a flash of the day before
as well. Irritated by his inability to sense things better,
drowning as he was in the silence within him, he sighed.
"The tennis club. I'm out of practice and I need to work on
my serve."

Lita frowned, the tone of his voice reminding her once again
what a jerk Nathan could be. Still, he was so dreamy, she
was willing to make a few allowances for personality flaws.
"Mind if I tag along?" Before he could reply, she grinned.
"Thanks! Come on."

As the long-legged girl started walking on ahead, the
auburn-haired teen sighed once more. "No, I don't mind at
all..." he muttered, following her.

While the pair continued to stride down the sidewalk, the
boy kept staring at the ponytailed brunette with his
jade-green eyes. *What is it about her?* he asked himself.
*I felt it yesterday as well, but I know I haven't seen her
before.* A wicked smile then crossed his face. *Serena,
however, is another story. So *that's* the infamous Sailor
Moon.*

He silently laughed. *She's a bit more pathetic than I
imagined. Combine that with the psychic distortion field
that disguises the Senshi and it's no wonder I didn't figure
it out sooner. Granted, I'd caught enough of her "normal"
aura before that transformation to find her again -- I
wasn't bluffing when I told her that -- but I never really
thought just how... human... the Senshi were these days.

Glancing back up at the tall girl walking just in front of
himself, frowning just a bit, his mind turned to the events
of the day before. *There was also something about those
other girls... Amy and Callie, I believe. A different
something, but there nonetheless. And the way Amy looked at
me...*

A sudden, intuitive flash -- an image of a blue-haired,
sailor-suited warrior standing tall and brave on the roof of
a sleek red car, a miniskirted girl with the audacity to
challenge *him* of all people -- crossed the auburn-haired
boy's mind. The look on the warrior's face had been the same
look Amy had given him yesterday. *By the Cosmos! Nephrite,
you can be such an idiot at times,* he admonished himself.
*Serena may not have been able to figure out who you really
are by what you did, but you can be sure Amy did. Sailor
Mercury may be pathetic, but she's certainly no fool.*

Nephrite's frown grew darker as he continued to stare at
Lita's back. She and Callie... Other Senshi? Possible... But
which ones... ? He abruptly broke off his thoughts as the
ponytailed brunette suddenly stopped and turned back to look
at him, forcing him to halt as well.

"You into any other sports besides tennis?" Lita asked, a
curious expression on her pretty face.

Startled, Nephrite blurted, "A few."

"Into ice skating at all?"

*Ice skating.* The two words made a memory flash to the
front of the former Negaverse warrior's mind.

**********************************

In the past, on the Moon: The scene is one of the gray
moonscape at night, the brilliant stars as well as the
Earthshine above glittering down on the crater below. In the
background, the Palace of the Moon Kingdom lifts its domed
towers to the star-spangled sky.

One rather large crater, with a flat surface and well-formed
rim, is filled with a smooth sheet of ice, reflecting back
the blue glow of the Earth and the sparkling stars. The
Gemlord Nephrite -- dressed in the white coat and pants of
Prince Darien's Court -- sits on the edge of the crater,
then looks down from the stars with a sigh. Below him,
already on the ice, stands the tall, graceful, athletic
figure of Princess Jupiter clad in a shimmering miniskirted
skating outfit of deepest green. "Come on, slowpoke," she
laughingly chides.

Nephrite smiles a bit as he laces up his remaining skate.
"Sorry. I was sort of lost in thought."

Princess Jupiter giggles at his reply. "I noticed." Still
smiling, she turns and looks at the people on the rink.

Among the couples gliding across the ice can be seen
Princess Serena and Prince Darien in one of the few times
the young Royal from Earth was actually invited to a social
event. They make a stunning couple as they go sailing by,
graceful streaks of black and white. Also to be seen are
Princess Mars and the Gemlord Jadeite, both of whom appear
to be having fun despite their apparently mediocre talent on
the ice.

But on the end of the rink close to where Nephrite sits and
Princess Jupiter stands, the crowd of skaters have stopped
to watch in wonder as a lone figure dressed in white soars
in the center of a patch of clear ice made especially for
the skater. Among those watching is Princess Mercury, a
pretty figure in her blue ensemble. Her sapphire eyes stare
in wonder at the performance she beholds.

The lone skater continues to execute a stunning series of
moves, leaps and spins flawlessly. Blond ponytail flying,
his slender body a white blur and a poem of strength and
grace, the Gemlord Zoisite nails a high, spinning leap that
Princess Jupiter admires. "Wow!" she breaths. "He's really
good."

His boot now laced, Nephrite looks up in time to see his
younger compatriot execute another impressive series of
maneuvers. "Yes, he is." A frown crosses the auburn-haired
Gemlord's handsome face. "However, he's not as good as
either Her Royal Highness Serenity, His Royal Highness
Darien or you, dear Princess."

The tall, ponytailed brunette smiles sweetly at the sharp
tone of her companion. "A bit jealous, Nephrite dear?"

Off in the near distance, Zoisite flawlessly performs one
last graceful leap, then glides to a stop right in front of
a shyly smiling Princess Mercury. As the audience of other
skaters applauds the blond Gemlord's routine, the beautiful,
androgynous-appearing warrior bows gallantly to the
blue-clad Princess. He then offers her his hand, and skates
off with her in his arms when she accepts.

"Hardly," Nephrite growls in reply. "What a show off..."

Laughing slightly, Princess Jupiter reaches up and takes one
of the auburn-haired man's hands in hers. With a tug, she
pulls him from his perch on the crater's wall and onto the
ice. When he lands on his blades with a somewhat startled
shout, she giggles and then gives Nephrite a light kiss on
the cheek. "Don't worry, Nephrite. You're quite the good
skater as well. Not everyone can keep up with me." Smiling
brilliantly, Princess Jupiter then pulls the green-eyed
warrior out to the center of the rink.

As for Nephrite, he appears to be in a mild state of shock
from Princess Jupiter's friendly kiss.

**********************************

"Nathan! Earth to Nathan!" Frowning, Lita waved a hand in
front of the other teen's unfocused, jade-green eyes. What's
with this guy?

Blinking, Nephrite shook his head, still a bit dazed.
*Princess Jupiter?* he thought, confused. Looking up at the
sound of the insistent voice, he was suddenly jolted back
into the here-and-now, finding a somewhat irritated Lita
staring at him. "Huh?" was all he could come up with to say.

Crossing her arms, the breeze ruffling her waist-length
ponytail, the athletic girl repeated her question. "Do you
ice skate?"

He shook his head slowly in reply. "I did, but that was long
ago."

"Well then, why not join me sometime and brush up on that as
well? Like tomorrow afternoon?"

Getting slightly irritated himself, Nephrite replied, his
voice curt, "I'm busy, Lita."

Undeterred, a spark of determination lit the tall girl's
forest-green eyes. "How about the next day?"

*How about buzzing off?* he wanted to scream, but for some
reason, the words just wouldn't come out. Instead, he heard
himself saying, "I'm busy then, too."

For a moment, disappointment was etched on Lita's pretty
face, but it rapidly disappeared. "Sunday?" she asked,
hopeful. *I just know it'd be dreamy skating with him, no
matter who he is.*

Nephrite frowned in annoyance. "I really--" he started to
say, only to be interrupted by the athletic girl.

"Good! Then it's settled. I'll go to your place and get you
Sunday. You live in that mansion on the wooded hill just
outside downtown, right?" When Nephrite can only nod in mild
shock at the way Lita just sort of took over, the
tan-and-white-uniformed girl turned back around and strode
up the street once more, a satisfied grin on her face.

*What have I just gotten myself into?* the now-human Gemlord
wondered with a sigh as he also continued his walk to the
tennis club.

They reached their destination minutes later, each teen-ager
continuing to stroll onwards in silence, but for differing
reasons. For the ponytailed brunette, it was a smug sense of
accomplishment. *There. Now I can skate with a hunk, keep an
eye on Nathan and truthfully tell Artemis that I've kept my
promise.*

For the auburn-haired boy, it was confusion and irritation.
His mind returning to that flash of memory, he mentally
growled, *Where the hell did that come from? I remember
playing games with Princess Jupiter, keeping her occupied so
that Prince Darien could meet with Princess Serena, but
this?* He shook his head, refusing to dwell on it anymore
now that he was approaching the fenced-off grounds of the
tennis club.

When the two of them came up to the wide-open iron-barred
gate, Lita turned and faced her companion once more. "Well,
seeing how you have to be a member to get in, I guess I'll
see you out back on the court."

"You're going to hang around and watch?" the tall, athletic
teen asked, mild surprise in his jade-green eyes.

The ponytailed girl shrugged. "Sure, why not?" She smiled
just a bit. "I was just curious as to how out of practice
you are."

Nephrite frowned slightly in return, but didn't say a word
as he readjusted the weight of his duffel bag and strode
into the club. *Better watch my step. If she is another
Senshi, and Sailor Mercury... Amy... figured out who I am,
then I'd better assume she's watching me.*

Lita stared after him, a dreamy look in her forest-green
eyes. *He's so cute...* With a slight shake of her head, the
long-legged teen walked on the sidewalk around the club's
grounds. Scanning the small crowd of people gathered along
the chain-link fence that separated the three courts from
the rest of the world, the tall brunette suddenly lost her
good mood as her gaze froze on a certain red-headed girl.
*No. Not Molly...*

The girl in question was standing at the fence along the
edge of the middle court, her fingers curled around a few
metal links as she stared into the area beyond. Sunlight
glimmered in her bright-red hair, a startling contrast to
the slate-blue bow that pulled back the locks around her
sweet-looking face.

Lita frowned, a bit annoyed. She didn't know why, but
something about Serena's friend had always put her slightly
on edge. However, she did her best to tolerate the shorter
girl for Serena's sake. After all, those two had been
friends long before Lita had met the ponytailed blond.

With a sigh, the athletic brunette found a position along
the nearer court, a safe distance from the other teen.
Looking past the chain-link fence into the courts beyond,
Lita noticed that the courts were full. The pairs on the
near and far ones appeared to be somewhat talented, but it
was the one girl on the center court that caught her
attention.

Tall and pretty, her dark-brown hair pulled back in a
ponytail high on her head in a style similar to Lita's own,
the teen-aged girl made a graceful figure standing there in
her light-blue shirt and short, white skirt. Around her brow
was a dark-blue sweatband and concentration gleamed in her
dark-blue eyes. With a practiced flip of her wrist, the
dark-haired player tossed her bright-yellow ball in the air
and whapped it hard at her opponent.

Nodding in admiration, the green-eyed girl watched the
following volley as the boy and the dark-haired player vied
against one another for the point. Finally, the girl hit a
vicious spike that forced the boy to leap forward to try to
hit the ball back. He missed, and the ball bounced off the
court to land in the bushes beyond.

"All right, Katie!" Molly shouted, jumping up and down in
joy as her close friend won that point.

Lita couldn't help but shudder at the red-head's voice. Just
then, her gaze focused on a new figure stepping out onto the
courts... and her annoyance faded away.

It was Nathan, his tall, athletic form accentuated by the
white shirt and dark-blue shorts he now wore, the duffel bag
held in both hands in front of him. She noticed that he
scanned the area of both the courts and the crowd beyond as
he walked along the edge of the near court like he owned the
place. Unable to take her eyes off him, she just stared as
he set his bag down next to the bench near the fence, pulled
out a racquet from it and then sat down, his back to her.

With a quick glance at Molly, Lita was relieved to see that
the red-headed girl had continued to watch her dark-haired
friend as she and her opponent rallied for another point.
Remembering how interested Nathan was in the freckle-faced
teen the day before, Lita stifled an annoyed sigh. *Not
sure I could stand listening to her gush on about just how
cute he is,* she told herself.

Meanwhile, Nephrite scanned the area once more as he sat on
the wooden bench, absently bouncing his racquet against the
palm of his left hand. For a moment, his jade-green eyes
lingered over Molly's familiar form. With a slight smile on
his handsome face, he thought, *Strange how I hardly noticed
her when I was last here. Just another face in the crowd
watching people play. Who'd've known...*

Sighing, he turned his attention back to the real reason why
he'd come to the club. *Katie Sandler,* he silently mused.
*The first victim chosen by the stars in my ill-fated
attempt to gather energy for the Negaforce.*

Just then, the girl being scrutinized called out, "Match
point!" Another toss of the fuzzy, yellow ball, another
agile leap and forceful slam, and the next rally was on.

*So young, so alive, so... full of energy,* he thought as he
stared at the dark-brown-haired girl. In those few hours
he'd had left of his former self, Nephrite had used his
powers to locate and observe the current situations of his
former victims, driven by a still-unidentified compulsion to
do so. Katie, he'd learned, had just recently turned
professional after having won a couple of somewhat important
amateur tournaments. While he continued to watch her agile
bounces and vibrant dashes across the court during the
energetic battle for the match, his own words -- spoken
before Queen Beryl herself -- came back to haunt him. *The
human race is ruled by the movement of the stars throughout
the heavens, and each person lives according to a unique and
special rhythm that is theirs alone. Everyone has a moment
in their lives when their energy level rises to its very
highest point.*

As he well knew, Katie had already reached that peak -- that
one moment in her life that she'd have the creative energy
to do anything she thought possible. And though there would
be other times in her rhythm where she'd come somewhat close
to that one moment, never again would she hit quite that
intensity of energy in her life.

His mind froze on the words *never again*, and a painful
*something* ripped through him as the enormity of what he'd
done sank in. Dazed by the unfamiliar feeling, Nephrite
kept staring at Katie as she continued to fight for the
point. Her rhythm, determined by the stars. Her energy.
And he'd stolen it from her. *You had no right to it,* a
quiet voice whispered in his mind.

*I was merely following my orders,* he responded,
aggravated.

*It was her moment -- her energy -- to do with as she
willed.*

*I needed that energy to carry out the mission entrusted to
me by my queen.*

*Because of you, she's missed her one chance to truly shine,
to tap into her full potential.*

He started to protest the hushed voice yet again when
suddenly everything clicked with a clarity he'd never known
before. Shame, remorse, regret -- they washed over him with
painful intensity, searing themselves into his soul. Falling
from abruptly numbed fingers, his racquet clattered to the
ground as he closed his eyes, put his hands to his
dark-auburn head and doubled over.

The unexpected sound caught Lita's attention. A bit alarmed
at seeing the teen-aged boy in such obvious distress, the
ponytailed brunette called out, "Nathan? You okay?"

The teen addressed didn't reply. Instead, Lita got a totally
different response. In a matter of moments, Molly was there
next to her, grabbing onto the chain-link fence and gazing
at the hunched-over boy sitting on the bench beyond.
"What's wrong, Nathan?" the red-head asked, a worried tone
in her voice. "Are you gonna be all right?"

*Am I going to be all right?* he asked himself, sitting up,
Molly's words sinking in as the emotional turmoil within him
subsided. He turned and looked out at the two girls standing
there, concern on their pretty faces, and heard himself say,
"Yeah, I think so. Just a sudden headache. It'll go away
soon."

Although the tall, brown-haired girl appeared skeptical, the
freckle-faced red-head smiled sweetly in acceptance of his
words. "Gee, I hope so," Molly replied. "That didn't look
too good."

Nephrite sighed as he turned back to gaze out across the
tennis courts. "I'll live." Focusing his jade-green eyes on
Katie again, he thought, his feelings absolutely sincere, *I
wish there was something I could do to somehow make it up to
my victims for what I've done. If only I could atone for my
sins...*

In response to his heart-felt wish, he felt *something*
spark to life within him, a momentary flash of the unearthly
music of the Universe itself accompanying the ember's
awakening. Within heart, mind and soul glowed a symbol
colored at long last its proper silvery-green, no longer the
blood-red indicative of a Negaforce contamination. And it
was once more his to use again despite his now-human state.

He sat there a moment longer, staring at Katie in surprise
as the young professional player finally slammed home the
final point, winning the match. *A poor substitute to what
I'd stolen, but it's a way to make amends.* He stood then as
Katie and her opponent approached their respective sides of
the net, picked up his racquet from where it had fallen, and
stepped out onto the court after the pair of players shook
hands. "Ms. Sandler, Katie, may I please have the honor of a
match with you?"

The short-skirted girl with dark-brown hair blinked at the
auburn-headed teen in mild surprise. "Excuse me? Do I know
you?"

"Let me introduce myself," the athletic boy quietly said,
giving the tennis player a slight, polite bow. "I'm Nathan
Sanford, nephew to Maxfield Stanton."

"I remember your uncle," Katie responded. "He gave me a few
tips on my serve and did quite well at a tournament we both
attended."

Nephrite smiled, knowing that that would be all that she
would recall. "Before he left to go take care of some other
business, he told me about you and how impressed he was with
your game. So I decided to come here and satisfy my own
curiosity."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the chain-link fence at the
end of the center court, Lita and Molly stood nearly
side-by-side, each one watching the pair of teen-aged
athletes standing there. The ponytailed brunette remained
silent, tightening her grip on the fence and narrowing her
forest-green eyes slightly in mild annoyance at Nathan's
apparent friendliness toward the dark-haired girl. *Wish I
knew what they were saying,* she thought. Though she could
hear their quiet voices, Lita found herself unable to make
out a single word.

Next to her, the short redhead also grabbed the fence, her
whole attitude one of almost bubbly excitement. "Gee! I
just don't know who to root for," Molly exclaimed.

Lita winced.

On the court, Katie sweetly smiled. "You mean to tell me
that you came here just to see me?"

Nephrite returned the smile, absently twirling his racquet.
"And to play a match against you. I wanted to see if you
played as well as my uncle had said."

The dark-brunette girl widened her smile into a grin. "Well
then, come on! Let's see if you're as good as I remember Mr.
Stanton being." With that, Katie retreated from the net,
taking up a serving position.

Nephrite walked over to his end and got into a ready stance.
Jade-green eyes focused on the ball, he watched as the other
teen tossed it up then smashed it at him. putting her weight
into it like he'd told her long ago. With an agile jump, he
returned the serve, putting Katie on the run.

The rally for their first point was well-fought, with both
athletes struggling to outdo the other. Katie found herself
hard-pressed to come up with something that the
auburn-haired boy couldn't counter, while Nephrite himself
was mildly surprised at just how much the blue-shirted girl
had improved. Outside the court, the audience became
enraptured at the battle.

As the rally continued, the former Negaverse warrior
suddenly became aware that he was getting a bit winded. Yet
despite the abrupt complaints of his new form, he also
realized that -- with his pulse pounding, his breathing
rapid and his body suddenly exhausted -- he was feeling more
alive than he'd ever had in centuries. Distracted by the
thrilling sensation that filled his thoughts, he momentarily
froze, utterly astonished. The ball hit the court
unanswered, then bounded off into the brush up against the
fence.

"All right! Way to go! Yay, Katie!" Molly shouted, the
sweet-faced redhead jumping a bit in excitement. Turning to
the tall girl standing next to her, she grinned. "That was a
really good rally, but I'm thrilled Katie got the point.
Even though I think Nathan's cool, and neat, and a real
hunk, I just have to wish my 'sister' well."

In reply, Lita just stared at the shorter girl for a moment.
Her irritation hitting a boiling point, she thought, *That's
it. I can't stand any more.* Her voice colored with a slight
growl, the brunette abruptly said, "Excuse me, but I got to
book it. I just remembered that there was something I was
supposed to do." With that, Lita turned on a heel and strode
off.

Blinking her large, slate-blue eyes in surprise, Molly
replied in a quiet voice, having lost some of her
enthusiasm, "Uh, okay. Guess I'll see you around then."

Lita just stormed off, not even responding to the redhead's
farewell.

The tall, athletic girl's departure was noticed by one other
person. Having come back to his senses and gone after the
ball, Nephrite was standing up from his search, fuzzy yellow
object in hand, when his eye was caught by the movement of
Lita's retreat. Staring after the pretty brunette's
disappearing form, he felt a strange twinge of emotion flash
through his mind. Caught between the high of feeling so
alive and the low of pushing his body too far in his fight
for the rally, the odd aggravation of Lita's departure and
mild relief at Molly continuing to stay and watch just added
to the chaotic jumble within Nephrite. With a sigh, the
auburn-haired boy tossed the ball back to Katie for the next
serve.

**********************************

Lita stormed along the well-maintained pathways through
Fairview Park, irritation still filling her mind. Although
accompanied by guilt -- after all, it wasn't Molly's fault
she was so annoying in the first place -- the athletic
brunette couldn't shake the angry emotion. *Bad enough
Nathan shows more interest in her than me, but knowing that
she might be just as interested back...* Breaking off the
thought, she clenched a hand into a fist and involuntarily
growled. For some reason, the whole thing just made her more
upset, even though she really didn't have a clue why. *I've
been disappointed and jealous before, but this time it's
really bad.*

"Oh! Hi there, Lita. I really didn't expect to see you
here," came a cheerful, female voice, her words as carefully
enunciated as always. "I thought you were going to keep an
eye on Nathan."

The familiar voice broke through the ponytailed brunette's
dark thoughts, and she stopped to stand next to the park
bench where her friend sat, a smile now on her pretty face.
"I was, but he's off playing tennis. Boring."

Amy gave Lita a look of surprise, a stray breeze ruffling
both her short, dark-bluish hair and the taller girl's
waist-length ponytail. Sitting on a bench overlooking the
rose garden that Fairview Park was so well-known for, the
studious teen had come to visit her long-time friend, Mr.
Baxter, the park's gardener. Once the victim of the
Negaverse General Nephrite's schemes, the sweet older man
remembered nothing of the incident. In fact, after the park
had been mysteriously saved and he'd been enthusiastically
retained as the caretaker, Mr. Baxter had gone on with life
as if nothing had ever happened.

Lita continued talking, ignoring the look of inquiry in the
other girl's sapphire-blue eyes. "Besides, Molly was there
cheering on her friend."

Amy blinked, then frowned thoughtfully. The fact that the
redhead was there explained much of the the tall brunette's
current mood, but the mention of Katie Sandler sent a
frizzon of alarm through the intellectual teen's mind. "And
you say Nathan went there? Where Katie was?"

"Yeah." Lita fixed her companion with a startled stare.
"Something wrong, Amy?"

The blue-haired genius slowly shook her head, sunlight
glittering in her close-cropped locks. "I'm not sure yet."

Frowning slightly, the athletic girl gazed down at her
friend. "Any word on Callie yet?"

"No. Serena and Mina haven't checked in." Carefully
scrutinizing the area and noticing that the only other
person even remotely nearby -- Mr. Baxter -- was too busy
pulling weeds from around the beautiful rose bushes to pay
attention to his surroundings, Amy pulled out a small
electronic device that resembled either a calculator or an
electronic day-planner. Tapping a button, the soft-spoken
teen-ager talked at the item. "Serena, Mina, come in,
please."

For a moment, there was only static over both the miniature
speaker and the round, quarter-sized viewing screen up in
the right-hand corner of the communicator. During that time,
Lita moved over to stand behind the park bench so that she
could look over Amy's shoulder.

Then came a bubbly voice, accompanied by Serena's smiling
face on the small screen. "Yo, Amy! What's up?"

"Nothing at the moment. Have you been by Callie's place
yet?"

"Yup, sure have! No answer, though. Guess she wasn't home."

From the background came Mina's sunny voice, "No answer at
Darien's either." The two girls in Fairview Park could hear
the sunshine-blond's amused giggle as Serena's image turned
and momentarily glared off-screen.

A faint frown graced Amy's pretty face. "That's not like
Callie. Sure, being absent from school, but with no reason?
And then no answer at home as well?"

The twin-ponytailed blond turned back to face the viewer and
shrugged slightly. "Anyway, Mina and I are hitting the mall.
We'll keep an eye out for Callie while we're there."

"Sounds fine with me. See you." With that, the blue-haired
genius turned off the communicator and put it away. She
then turned and looked up at the ponytailed brunette
standing behind her. "For some reason, I can't shake the
feeling that there's something strange going on."

**********************************

Nephrite watched the annoying yellow ball sail just over his
racquet as he dove to return the smash. Swearing under his
breath, he braced himself as well as he could for the
impact. Both the ball and his outstretched form hit the
court at the same time. The landing knocked the wind out of
the auburn-haired teen and sent his racquet skittering
across the court. The fuzzy yellow orb zinged off into the
bushes yet again.

In response, just about everyone watching the thrilling
match gasped, including both Molly and Katie herself. As
the sweet redhead thought, *That had to hurt. Hope he's all
right...* the dark-brown-haired girl dashed up to the net.

"Are you okay, Mr. Sanford?"

Slowly, Nephrite stood. Ribs aching, muscles cramping
slightly from the overexertion forced upon them by an owner
unused to his body's limits, he found the mere sensation of
trying to catch his breath alarming. Hearing Katie's voice,
he glanced over at her, answering in between gasps. "Yes...
Think so... Please... Call me Nathan." For the first time,
he got a sharp sense of just how vulnerable he was. Compared
to his former Lithosian body, this one was proving to be so
very fragile.

The professional player breathed a sigh of relief. "That's
good... Nathan. I was afraid you'd hurt yourself. It was a
valiant try, and a valiant match. I haven't had to fight so
hard to win one here in a while."

"Yeah... Well... I'm a bit rusty. Guess it shows." Taking a
deep breath, his gasping now under control, he walked over
and picked up his racquet. Pain still needling into his
awareness, the athletic teen then shuffled up to the net,
aggravation at his predicament once more giving his handsome
face a slightly cold tone.

Katie gave her opponent a good looking-over with her
dark-blue eyes. Catching his bitter, defeated expression,
she cheerfully smiled. "If that's you being rusty, then
watch out when you're back on your game. You sure gave me a
bit of a challenge, so don't take it so hard." Still
smiling, the short-skirted teen held out her hand over the
net. "A very good match, Nathan. You should be proud."

He stifled an impulse to growl, *Yeah, right,* and forced
himself to smile back. Recalling his whole reason for coming
in the first place, he pushed aside all of the negative
feelings and concentrated instead on that spark of power
newly awakened within him. As the silvery-green symbol
appeared in his mind's eye, ready and quietly waiting, he
gave Katie a true smile as he held his own hand out.
"Thanks. That means quite a bit coming from you, Ms.
Sandler."

The unsuspecting girl warmly shook the handsome teen's hand.
"You're welcome."

When the ponytailed player let go of his hand, Nephrite
reached out and placed a fingertip on the royal blue
sweatband around Katie's slender wrist. Time seemingly stood
still as energy flared to life, transferring from the human
Gemlord to his former victim. *I endow this item with the
power of the stars. May their movements guide her path and
may they augment her energy with theirs in the times hers is
low.* Beneath his finger, the silvery-green symbol of his
mark of power glowed on the wristband, tapping her into the
workings of the energy flows of Nature itself.

The timeless moment ended, and Nephrite looked at Katie,
slight nervousness in his jade-green eyes as his hand
dropped back down to his side. When the athlete just grinned
and turned to walk away, seemingly unaware of the exchange,
the auburn-haired teen silently sighed in relief. The deed
was done, and she was none the wiser. *Now for Mr. Baxter,
the next one on my list...*

**********************************

"Great Mirror of the Vortex, to whom all ways are open and
no place unknown, hear my command." In response to the dark
lord's words, the ebony-glassed Symbol of Space embedded
within the wall of the circular Hall began to glow with a
deep, blackish-green light. Obsidian stood before the
Mirror, deep golden-brown eyes cold as he concentrated on
the energies under his control.

Behind him, slightly to the left, was a tall, silent figure,
his pale-lavender eyes fixed on the Mirror's shimmering
surface as the reflection of the Hall rippled away. Neither
Gemlord spared even a second's glance at the human-sized,
deep-green glass crystal propped against the wall just to
the left of the Vortex Mirror itself, the mystic glow of the
Symbol reflecting off the deep-emerald surface of Sailor
Andromeda's prison.

Closing his eyes, Obsidian made a graceful gesture with both
hands as he continued to fine-tune the flow of the Mirror's
power. "Gaze beyond the realms of shadow and illusion. Turn
aside false reflections, cut through magic and power. Show
me the true image I seek."

The Mirror shone brighter, the energy currents stirring
through the room high atop the Tower, ruffling through
Obsidian's dark-brown hair and Kunzite's silver locks,
causing the floor-length cloaks of both Gemlords to billow
slightly. Feeling the energy swirling around the Hall while
the Symbol before him took on a glimmering, watery
appearance as it powered up, the silent Warrior of Elemental
Fire kept his eyes on the Mirror.

"Show me the Soldier of the planet Mars!" His rich baritone
ringing with the sound of command, the Lord of Lithos
released the energies he'd gathered to seek out his stated
target. A blackish-green aura flaring around his athletic
form, Obsidian's awareness rode the river of power,
searching for the one person on Earth who radiated the
energy of the red planet.

Hair and cloak rippling in the mystic wind, Kunzite
continued to stare at the watery surface of the Mirror. For
a long moment, nothing further happened. Then, at last, an
image began to form.

The grounds of a Shinto temple took shape within the
eerily-reflective black glass. Peaceful and orderly, the
scene was dominated by graceful buildings, a fair-sized pond
surrounded by ginko trees, an orchard of cherry trees in
late spring, and a torii upon which perched a pair of large,
glossy ravens. The Mirror then focused on a beautiful girl
with long, unbound, ebony-colored hair dressed in a
comfortable, loose-fitting outfit of white and red. At the
moment, she was leaning over slightly and talking to a
short, bald-headed, old, squinty-eyed human in similar
clothes of white and blue. Kunzite's eyes narrowed
wolfishly as he could see the symbol of Mars glimmering with
a red light on the raven-haired priestess's forehead, the
energy of the Mirror having slashed through her Senshi
camouflage power to reveal the Scout within.

With a start, the silver-haired warrior realized that he
recognized the place shown. Pale-lavender eyes narrowing
more, the short priest, the ravens, the temple grounds
themselves and the cherry trees all combined to bring a
poignant image to his mind. For a moment, he could see her
again, a beautiful, sensuous and gracefully slender woman
whose golden cloud of soft, wavy hair shimmered in the light
of the Negaverse, barely controlled by her ponytail, and
whose large, violet-blue eyes shone with gentle passion
solely for him, holding only cold, harsh contempt for the
rest of the world.

**********************************

From the past: Dim light from numerous eerily-luminescent
patches on the cavern's stone walls and ceiling illuminated
the otherworldly chamber of the Negaverse. "Crows! Icky,
nasty creatures! Oooh! I *hate*them! And that old geezer!
How could he resist my power like that?" Agitatedly pacing
back and forth, Zoisite is a picture of pretty frustration.
Though the female general's perfectly-tailored uniform makes
her graceful form even more ambiguous to an observer, it
also accentuates her sensuously slender build. It's a sight
that the shadowy figure sitting on a naturally-formed
bench-like ledge in the cavern wall apparently admires from
the look in his pale-lavender eyes as he watches her.

Zoisite suddenly stops and spins on a foot to give her
silver-haired companion a very worried look. "Oh, Kunzite,
what am I going to do? 'Grandpa' turned out to be stronger
than I thought, I was attacked by some horrid crows, and I
was forced to retreat without Pox's Crystal because the
whole thing was becoming too huge of a ruckus." Her
beautiful face taking on an agitated pout, her strident
voice continues, "I can't face Queen Beryl emptyhanded.
She's already upbraided me for not having all five."

A soft chuckle sounds in the cave. "Your success at gaining
Techniclon's Blue Crystal has made up for losing the other
two." Holding out a white-gloved hand, he beckons to the
androgynous-appearing female. "Come here, Zoe."

She brightens immediately and strides up to the handsome,
silver-haired general sitting in the shadows. Putting her
dainty hand in his, she sits down next to him, leaning up
against his comforting, solid form with a contented sigh.

Kunzite gently smiles, apparently rather amused by his
lover's antics. "Hush, love. Once again, you're letting
emotion cloud your judgment. If you'll just relax and gather
your thoughts, I'm sure something will spring to mind."

"Hmmm." Zoisite purrs softly as she snuggles up against her
companion, slipping a white-gloved hand into the unbuttoned
flap of his violet-pink-lined jacket in order to absently
caress the skin beneath. A dreamy look in her long-lashed
eyes, she murmurs, "With all the fuss, they may not expect
another attempt right away. I should go back now, see if I
can catch him off-guard once again."

"See? That really wasn't all that difficult, now was it?"
the silver-haired warrior asks, his low voice still holding
a tone of amusement.

"No," the ponytailed general sighs, a sunny smile on her
pretty face. "Oh, Kunzite, you're so wonderful."

Another soft chuckle ripples through the cavern. "I know.
You've told me a million times." Still appearing rather
entertained, he leans forward and gently kisses the slender
woman on the forehead. "Now steel your resolve and try
again. I have faith in you, my love, and I know you'll do us
both proud."

With a wicked giggle, the golden-blond warrior takes to her
dainty feet and tugs her sharp-looking uniform back into
place. Her stride purposeful, her lithe body taking on a
predatory air, the sweet and loving light in her large,
violet-blue eyes freezing into harsh, glittering ice,
Zoisite paces back to the middle of the eerie cavern's
floor.

Kunzite's pale-lavender eyes remain fixed on his sensuous
lover as she materializes the Dark Crystal in her gloved
hand. Once again magic and power swirl within the cave as
the thin ebony-colored stone homes in on the current Crystal
Carrier, the mystic wind blowing back Zoisite's golden
ponytail and stirring even his own silver hair and white
cape. The image of a short, old, bald-headed, squinty-eyed
Shinto priest appears in the cone-shaped magical field once
more.

A cold, evil smile graces the slender Gemlord's
slightly-masculine face, giving her feminine features the
look of a carnivore on the prowl. Focused on the task at
hand yet again, her strident voice holds a note of contempt.
"The old guy won't be able to fight me off forever. No one's
*that* strong." Her deep, violet-blue eyes gaze in icy
amusement at the diminutive priest in the Dark Crystal's
field. "Go ahead and resist, old man, but it won't do you
any good." A peal of feminine laughter rings through the
cave. "Like it or not, you're one of us."

Zoisite raises the back of her curled-up hand near her mouth
as she laughs once again. Then, with a wave of that hand,
she calls the slender prism back to her and snatches it out
of the air. The Dark Crystal dematerializes as she mentally
locks onto her intended target. A determined, evil light
shining in her long-lashed eyes, she spins on a dainty boot
to look one last time at the tall, white-caped figure
sitting in the shadows. "I'm gonna bring that Crystal home,
love, just for you."

A similarly wicked smile crosses the silver-haired warrior's
handsome face as he watches a swirl of pink cherry petals
appear around the other general's graceful form. The
spinning cloud intensifies for a moment, then fades away,
the petals melting into thin air as the Gemlord's teleport
field makes the jump from the Negaverse to Earth. "Yes, I'm
quite sure you will, my love."

**********************************

For a moment, the Warrior of Elemental Fire gazed at the
cherry trees in the background of the scene within the
Vortex Mirror. From now until the end of time, he would
always associate cherry petals with his dead lover. *They
were a tribute to me,* he quietly said to himself. *Ever
since that one time I saw her standing in the Spring under
the cherry trees and complemented her, she made her teleport
field swirl with pink petals. Everywhere she went, they were
a testament to the love she bore me; she always wanted to be
beautiful in my eyes.* Shaking his head, he broke his
reverie.

Meanwhile, Obsidian's athletic form remained still, his
awareness having traveled with the power of the Symbol under
his control. The raven-haired priestess upon whose brow the
glowing red glyph of the planet Mars shone filling his
psychic senses, the Guardian of Space mentally commanded,
*Great Mirror of the Vortex, hold the image of she whom we
sought within your heart. Let nothing she does, nowhere she
goes, keep you from losing her true form.* Feeling the magic
of the Mirror lock in on the Senshi's psychic signature,
knowing that he would be able to instantly find her any time
he wanted, the dark lord slowly came back to his physical
self.

Opening his deep golden-brown eyes, the dark-cloaked Gemlord
turned and faced his silver-haired warrior. "There. Our
next target's chosen." A chilling smile crossed his handsome
face, an expression that made Kunzite blink in mild
surprise. "Follow me. We have plans to make." With that,
Obsidian disappeared from the Hall of the Mirror in a
shimmer of blackish-green energy.

The lavender-cloaked Commander frowned slightly, something
about his lord's demeanor not quite right. *In all my years
of being his friend, I've never seen that look in his eyes
before. Strange...* Shrugging, Kunzite dismissed his
misgivings. Reaching out with his mind, he sensed where
Obsidian had gone. In a flash of violet-pink energy, the
tall Elemental teleported out of the Hall as well.

**********************************

Nephrite hiked up the duffel bag once more, his long-legged
stride carrying him through the mostly silent woods. Still
in his tennis shirt and shorts, which were more comfortable
for the weather than his school uniform, he sighed as he
walked, still sore physically and emotionally. Reaching the
edge of the lightly-forested land, he stopped and leaned up
against the solid mass of a tree, taking in his surroundings
with jade-green eyes.

The breeze blew gently around him, ruffling his
shoulder-length dark-auburn hair, rippling the surface of
the small lake located in the center of the park and making
the leaves of the surrounding greenery dance with its
passing. He broadly smiled then, enjoying the sight.
*Fairview Park, slated for destruction in the name of
'progress'. Yet the very thought of its demise bothered me,
Negaverse warrior that I was, almost as much as the gardener
Baxter.* As he watched a couple blissfully row out on the
lake, a pair of white swans gliding in the boat's wake, a
warm sense of satisfaction filled his soul. *It was easy
convincing them to sell the property to me, especially with
the combination of the money offered and the stories of the
park being haunted by rabid squirrels attacking the crew.
Now that I'm here again, I'm glad I decided to save the park
after all.* Scanning across the mirror-like water, he
noticed the beginnings of the fabled rose garden. Continuing
to smile broadly, he pushed off the tree and walked over in
that direction.

Lita closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the warm breeze
on her face. Sitting on the bench next to Amy, the athletic
girl let her tensions drain away. As for the other teen, her
sapphire-blue eyes were glued to the textbook she'd brought
with her. Waiting for her friend Mr. Baxter to get done with
the weeding so that she could continue her conversation, she
was taking the opportunity to get further ahead in her
school's required reading.

With a sigh, the park's gardener pulled up one last weed
around a well-foliaged Tropicana rosebush. Straightening
up, knees cushioned by the springy earth beneath them, the
old man tossed the weed into a white, nearly full
five-gallon bucket, then wiped his brow with a gloved hand,
accidentally dislodging his floppy yellow hat.

*What luck. He's right there.* Nephrite grinned as he peeked
around a tree-trunk and spied Mr. Baxter kneeling near a
rose. Although a strong twinge of regret for what he'd done
mellowed his happy emotions, the auburn-haired teen still
smiled. Determined to make it up to all of the people he'd
wronged and given a way to do just that by the
powers-that-be affecting his now-human life, he couldn't
help but feel pleased with the world despite his aching body
and smarting pride. Concentrating, he called forth the mark
of his power, then stepped out from behind the sturdy oak.

Another timeless moment passed as energy leaped from his
hand to the gardener's battered headgear. Repeating the
same invocation he'd used for Katie Sandler, Nephrite felt
his symbol lock onto the material of the hat, linking his
former victim to the ebb and flow of the power of the stars
themselves. Then the moment was over, the deed done.
Nephrite dropped his hand, smiling down at the old gardener.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Baxter."

Startled, the man addressed looked up, his yellow hat
falling to the ground. Finding himself blinking up at a
young man who seemed vaguely familiar, Mr. Baxter got a
puzzled look on his slightly weather-worn face. "Uh, hello.
Do I know you?" Realizing that he'd lost his hat, the
gardener turned away, found it, and then put it back on.

The handsome teen-ager shook his head, an amused-looking
smile dominating his visage. "Not me, but you've talked to
my uncle." The kid held out a hand. "I'm Nathan Sanford. I'm
sorta keeping an eye on Uncle Max's affairs while he's busy
elsewhere, and I'd thought I'd drop by and see how the park
was doing."

"Uncle Max? You mean Maxfield Stanton?" Catching the
newcomer's nod, Mr. Baxter smiled and warmly shook the
teen's hand. "Well, then, pleased to meet you. I thought you
seemed familiar. You look like a younger version of Mr.
Stanton."

"I do?" For some reason, that appeared to bother the
bag-toting boy. But before the gardener could reply, the kid
shook his head and smiled again. "I see Fairview Park's
doing well."

Mr. Baxter smiled as well, beaming brightly as he glanced
around first at the roses and then to the green spaces
beyond. "Yes, it is. I can't thank your uncle enough for
buying the land from the developers and setting up the
maintainance fund."

Nephrite grinned, thrilled at the old man's obvious joy. "He
was happy to do it, Mr. Baxter. The thought of all this
getting torn up by bulldozers for just another stupid
building of cold glass and steel rankled him as much as you.
There are few enough spots in this city where the green of
Nature remains. 'Progress' didn't need to swallow up
another."

The sound of voices on the wind caught Lita's attention, and
she opened her eyes. Focusing on Nathan -- of all people --
standing there holding a conversation with the
still-kneeling Mr. Baxter, the tall brunette blinked in
surprise, then gently elbowed her companion. "Hsst! Amy!"

Startled, the blue-haired genius looked up from her book,
staring wide-eyed at the other girl. "Lita, what's gotten--"

"Look!" the ponytailed teen whispered. With a subtle
gesture, she pointed out the old gardener and the
auburn-haired boy talking on the other side of the roses.

"That's Nathan," Amy said out loud to herself. Her eyes
narrowed slightly in thought. "First Molly, then Katie, and
now Mr. Baxter? A suspicious pattern indeed."

The athletic girl frowned. "Don't tell me you're convinced
he's really that Negaverse warrior back from the dead. He
sure doesn't *seem* like one."

Amy carefully set down her textbook, a finger still holding
her place. Fixing the teen-aged boy with her intelligent,
sapphire-blue eyes, she replied, "I'm certainly convinced
that there's more to this than pure coincidence."

Lita just frowned, not liking that thought at all.

Crossing his arms, Nephrite scanned the scenery with an
appreciative gaze as the park's caretaker stood up and
brushed off the knees of his pants. Focusing on the rose
garden, a few plants already showing the first gorgeous
blooms of the season, another memory from long ago crossed
the now-human Gemlord's thoughts.

**********************************

From the past once again: Roses of many colors, both mundane
and exotic, fill the formal rose garden within the inner
bailey walls of the Jovian castle, their sweet perfume
scenting the air. Resplendent in his emerald-green-trimmed
white uniform, Nephrite bends over to better appreciate the
smell of a particularly beautiful dark rose. "You're right.
For a black one, this bush has a very noticeable scent."

Amused laughter sounds from the elegant young woman walking
through the garden. Her shiny brunette hair done up in a
topknot ponytail, dressed practically for garden work in
pants and a shirt, Princess Jupiter smiles brightly at her
companion. "I'm glad you appreciate it, Nephrite. Thank you
for escorting me home to Io Castle."

He straightens up, running a hand through his
mid-back-length hair in order to get it back out of his
face. "It was the least I could do, dear Princess. After
all, teleporting from place to place is no big deal to me."

She laughs again. "I know. That's why I asked. Besides, I
wanted you to see my home -- and I have something to show
you."

A look of surprise crosses his handsome face. "You do?"

The tall brunette princess grins as she approaches. Taking
him by the hand, she starts dragging him off through her
gorgeous rose garden. "Come on! It's over here."

The white-clad commander quietly follows, a puzzled
expression still quite evident on his face. It was a look
that grew deeper when he sees that they walk up to an
isolated flower bed next to where the steps up to the castle
keep itself ascend.

Princess Jupiter stops, then spins around, still giving her
companion a mysterious smile. "Now close your eyes." Seeing
the slightly-annoyed look that lights up his jade-green
eyes, she softly laughs. "Humor me, dear Nephrite." Nodding
her head as his eyes close, she wraps an arm around his
waist and guides him to the flower bed. Positioning him just
so in front of a particular rosebush, she leans over and
whispers in his ear, "Okay. Take a look."

He opens his eyes, then blinks in surprise as he finds
himself looking down at a magnificent flower. The huge
double-rose was nearly as big as his palm, its silky petals
a translucent white that appears to almost glow with its own
internal light. The most striking thing about the bloom was
the edging of each delicate petal. Bright emerald green
lined the flower, fading off into the shimmering white.
Having never seen anything quite like it before, Nephrite
can only gaze at it speechlessly.

Amusement dances in Princess Jupiter's forest-green eyes.
"For a number of years, my gardeners have been trying to
develop a white rose in honor of Her Serene Majesty. At
first, they were going to get rid of this sport -- after
all, they knew they hadn't achieved their goal when the buds
remained greenish in color -- but I wanted to see how it
bloomed. I couldn't help but think of you when I realized
what this rose would look like."

"It's absolutely stunning, Your Highness, but why think of
me?"

With a laugh, the ponytailed princess playfully tugs at
Nephrite's green-lined white jacket. "It reminded me of your
uniform, plus I know how much you love roses. So even
though we're calling it the 'Jupiter Rose', I'm dedicating
it to you." As the Gemlord blinks in astonishment, the
athletic young woman hugs him, kissing his cheek. "I'm so
glad Lord Obsidian let Prince Darien borrow you, dear
Nephrite. When the rose is established enough, I'll send a
cutting to Lithos as a thank-you to the Guardian of Space. I
hear that he's quite the gardener as well."

The Commander of the North remains speechless for a moment,
then warmly smiles. "I'm sure my lord will appreciate your
token of thanks. I'm... touched, dear princess."

She stares deep into his beautiful, jade-green eyes, lips
slightly parted, for a long moment. "No, dear, sweet
Nephrite," she finally whispers. "'Tis I who am touched."
She then kisses him, softly, longingly...

**********************************

With a violent shake of his head, the teen-aged human
Nephrite now was shoved the memory from his mind. *No, it
couldn't have happened like that. I was only playing games
with her,* he growled at himself. Yet the feelings stirred
by the memory were just as real as everything else he'd been
feeling lately -- emotions similar, but stronger, than the
ones evoked by knowing he'd saved the park, stronger even
than the feelings brought about whenever he looked at Molly.

"Mr. Sanford? Is everything all right?" The gardener's
slightly worried voice cut through his confused thoughts.

"Huh?" Concentrating on Mr. Baxter, the auburn-haired boy
faintly smiles. "Oh, yeah, everything's fine."

Lita glanced over at Amy. "That's it. I've had it." Before
the blue-haired girl could respond, the ponytailed teen
leaped to her feet and began striding through the roses to
the pair of males at the garden's edge.

"Lita, wait," Amy called after her friend, hastily setting
her textbook down on the bench and getting to her feet as
well.

The other girl just ignored the sapphire-eyed genius.
Topknot ponytail bouncing with her movements, her long
stride swiftly carrying her along a narrow path through the
roses, Lita continued her approach.

As the park's caretaker slowly turned to face the source of
the footsteps along the gravel, the athletic boy noticed the
two girls walking toward him. Nephrite frowned slightly.
*Coincidence? Or are they here because they suspect me?*
When the tall teen came close, he forced himself to smile.
"Hello again, Lita. Fancy meeting you here."

"Hrmph. I could say the same." She easily met his gaze,
determined to get to the bottom of this once and for all. "I
came to find my friend Amy. What's your excuse?"

The intellectual girl just named stopped behind her
companion, sapphire eyes slightly wide in apprehension.

Nephrite gave the short-haired female a cursory glance, then
stared back at the brunette confronting him. "You left the
tennis club in a hurry."

"Sorry, but I got bored." Lita's expression wasn't
apologetic in the least. "I could tell from the start that
you needed to work on much more than just your serve.
However, you still haven't answered my question."

The auburn-haired teen felt himself turn red in
embarrassment as he was reminded of his slightly humiliating
loss. Annoyed, he growled, "If you really want to know, I
came to see Mr. Baxter."

Amy couldn't help but glance at her long-time friend.
Slightly relieved to find the sweet old man apparently well
at the moment, she turned her focus back to the shady boy.

"Now why in the world would you want to do that?" Lita
asked, a suspicious tone to her voice.

"Excuse me, ladies, but he came to see how the park's
doing." At the gardener's quiet proclamation, the pair of
females looked at Mr. Baxter in surprise. "After all, his
uncle was the one kind enough to save it. It's only natural
he'd come to see what's up."

The blue-haired girl stared at Nathan, an astonished light
in her eyes. "Are you saying that it was Maxfield Stanton
that bought Fairview Park to preserve it?" Somehow, that
concept just didn't seem possible.

"That's precisely what he's saying, Amy," Nephrite replied,
unable to stifle his slight smile at the girl genius's
puzzlement.

Lita continued looking at the old gardener, light glimmering
off her pink, rose-shaped earrings. "Are you sure that's
all, Mr. Baxter?"

A rose-colored flash of sunlight caught Nephrite's eye.
Focusing on it, he realized that he was staring at an
earring that looked like a perfect pink bloom from a
fairy-sized rosebush. For some reason, an overwhelming
sensation of familiarity hit him as he stared at the earring
Lita wore, and with it came another memory.

**********************************

Another flash from the past: The white-clad Northern
Commander stands on the balcony of the Moon palace, a
nervous expression on his handsome face. Beyond the entryway
back into the palace, the sounds of merriment and music can
be heard. Nephrite turns from gazing down at Queen
Serenity's rose garden two stories below and looks through
the door into the ballroom, scanning for the tall, graceful
form of Princess Jupiter. "Where can she be?" he mutters to
himself, glancing at a small box in his hand. "She told me
she'd be right out." Sighing, he opens the box once again to
see its precious contents.

They sparkle in the gentle starlight, the pair of pink
sapphire earrings that Lieutenant Sapphire of the Tower
Guard on Lithos had so painstakingly shaped into delicate
rose blooms. "I owe you one, Lady Sapphire," he reminds
himself, knowing from his own experiences how much time and
magical effortit took for a Gemlord to shape a piece of his
or her namesake stone with such fine precision. "They're
gorgeous. I know she'll like them."

"Like what, dear Nephrite?" comes an amused feminine voice.

With a start, the auburn-haired warrior glances at the
source of the sound, hiding the hand holding the small box
within the folds of his white cape. "Cosmos, you startled
me, my princess."

The brunette laughs, the emeralds withinher intricate
hairstyle glimmering softly. Dressed in a forest-green
formal gown, Princess Jupiter is a stunning sight. "My
apologies for being so late, sweet Nephrite, but I was
waylaid by Princess Venus. She wanted me to hear yet again
just how wonderful Lord Kunzite is."

"I see," He responds, smiling just a bit. "I bet my
commander enjoyed every minute of her recitation of all his
positive points." The Gemlord's tone is teasingly sarcastic;
it's a well-known fact that Kunzite often finds himself
blushing in mild embarrassment whenever he's around to hear
the sunny-haired princess's glowing words.

"To tell you the truth, Lord Kunzite was nowhere nearby, but
Lord Zoisite was." The elegantly-dressed brunette frowns
slightly. "Strange. Your Western Commander gave Princess
Venus a very nasty look and stormed off, leaving poor
Princess Mercury standing there confused and embarrassed.
Wonder what got into him?"

Though he has his suspicions, Nephrite keeps his peace, only
shrugging in reply. "Never mind about that, dear princess."
He smiles again, this time a bit shyly. "I... have something
for you. That's why I asked you to come out here."

Princess Jupiter doesn't say a word. Instead, she just
gives her companion a questioning look.

Closing his eyes, almost dreading her reaction, he brings
out the hand hidden behind his athletic form and holds out
the still-open box. "Here. I had a Gemlord back home make
these for you."

The young brunette woman slowly takes the box from the
auburn-haired man, gazing at the glittering contents in
happy astonishment. Finally, she finds her voice. "Oh,
Nephrite! They're gorgeous." Smiling broadly, she puts the
box back in the Northern Commander's hand. "Hang onto those
while I take these ones out."

Ignoring her companion's slightly startled look, she reaches
up and removes the dangling emerald earrings she already
wears. One by one, Princess Jupiter drops her discarded
jewelry into Nephrite's hand next to the small container
perched on his palm, then takes out a pink rose, sliding the
golden post through the piercing in her earlobe and then
fastening the back. Following that, she turns her head from
side to side, modeling the delicate pink-sapphire flowers
for him.

"They look wonderful on you, dear princess." The white-clad
man's smile is now as bright as the one on her pretty face.
"I remembered that you like roses just as much as I -- pink
roses most of all -- and I knew these would do your beauty
justice."

Princess Jupiter merely continues to smile, unphased by her
companion's compliment. "Thank you, sweet Nephrite. I'll
cherish this gift for all eternity."

Blushing slightly, he reaches out with his free hand and
takes one of hers in it. Lightly caressing her slender
fingers with his thumb, he opens his mouth to say
something...

**********************************

T he memory abruptly ended, leaving the former Negaverse
warrior staring at Lita's rose-shaped earring in confusion.
*I swear those are the same ones. Could it possibly be?*

"I'm positive, Lita," Mr. Baxter affirmed, giving the tall
teen-ager a puzzled look. "Was there supposed to be
something else?"

The ponytailed brunette shot her female companion a quick
glance. At the subtle, negative shake of Amy's short-haired
head, Lita gave the old gardener a slight smile. "No.
Please, excuse me for barging in like that." She then turned
her gaze on the auburn-haired boy, only to discover him
looking at her, his jade-green eyes unreadable. Somewhat
irritated, she snapped, "And what are you staring at,
Nathan?"

Before Nephrite could snap back his own abrasive reply, the
pretty ponytailed girl's words dumping him solidly back to
reality once again, a small beeping filled the air. Though
it sounded like the alarm on an electronic watch, the
reactions from the two girls seemed to make the sound appear
to be something more.

"Lita, we really need to be going," the intellectual teen
spoke up, concern lighting up her sapphire-blue eyes.
Smiling apologetically at the park's caretaker, Amy
continued, "I'm sorry, Mr. Baxter, but I just remembered
that the two of us have a very important appointment we must
attend."

The athletic girl nodded in reply, echoing her companion's
concern as her aggravation faded away.

"That's quite all right, Amy dear," the old gardener smiled.
"I understand. Rush off now. I wouldn't want you to be late
on my account."

As the girl genius turned and retreated down the gravel path
at a somewhat unusually fast pace, the other teen-ager fixed
Nephrite with her forest-green gaze. "I'll be seeing you
again, Nathan," she said, her voice carrying a tone of
warning. The ponytailed brunette then spun on a heel and
rushed off after her friend.

Nephrite watched the long-legged beauty depart, wondering if
her frosty promise was a good thing or a bad thing.

**********************************

As always, the grounds of Hikawa Jinja -- the Cherry Hill
Temple -- were peaceful, the sunny, late spring weather
highlighting the beauty of the area. High up on the torii
near the main building of the temple complex, the pair of
raven guardians kept a watchful eye. At the moment, all was
silent; no visitors walked through the well-maintained
grounds, and the staff themselves were busy with their
various chores. As Phobos scanned the area near the spirit
gate with her sharp, black eyes, Deimos shook herself,
fluffing out her sleek, glossy feathers in order to get more
comfortable.

A dark shadow suddenly appeared floating in the air,
blackish-green cloak swirling around his athletic form. His
clear baritone ripped through the breeze. "Crystal Freeze!"

The pair of startled ravens looked at the source of the
sound in time to see the glowing globe of blackish-green
energy right before it swallowed them up. Solidifying
around the birds and the section of the torii upon which
they were perched, the glass sphere imprisoning the temple
guardians made an unusual sight. With a cold smile on his
handsome face, Obsidian's tall form faded away.

Raye knelt before the sacred fire in the heart of the
temple, her awareness in a light trance brought about by the
everyday ritual of adding more fuel to the perpetual flame.
Thousands of years of grace and harmony flowed through her
movements as she instinctually followed the ritual taught
her long ago. Then came a sensation of something that
shattered her slightly altered state.

*Huh?* she thought, her posture stiffening, violet eyes wide
in surprise. *I sense danger nearby. Not evil... just
hostile.* Quickly rising to her feet, the light of the fire
reflecting off her loose-fitting temple uniform, she turned
around just as a psychic chill filled the air. Before her
disbelieving eyes stood a horribly familiar figure, his
tall, lean form seemingly filling up the entryway into the
chamber of the sacred flame. "You!" she gasped, her nearly
frozen mind wondering where in the world did he get *that*
strange, lavender outfit. "You're supposed to be dead!"

The silver-haired Gemlord smirked, having expected his
appearance to create such a moment of confusion. Taking
advantage of the situation, Kunzite threw out his hands to
either side and called a trigger-phrase, "Fire Energy
Electrify!" In response, a sphere of violet-pink energy
flared to life around the young priestess, trapping her
within.

Finding herself surrounded, Raye snapped out of her state of
shock. "Let me out of here, creep, or I'll make you regret
ever coming back to mess with me," she growled.

"Go ahead and try, Sailor Mars," Kunzite chuckled, seemingly
amused.

The raven-haired teen's violet eyes grew wide in renewed
astonishment. *How did he know?* Recovering rapidly, Raye
narrowed her eyes. *I'll worry about that later...* "Very
well, if you insist." Reaching into her white top, she
pulled out a red pen with an elaborate gold cap and held it
high. "*Mars--*"

That was the moment for which the silver-haired warrior was
waiting. Barking out another trigger, "Fire Energy Shrink!"
he coldly watched as the force field collapsed in around the
pretty priestess.

With an involuntary groan forced out of her by the sudden
pressure, Raye found herself stuck in place, the violet-pink
energy constricting her so tightly, she couldn't move at
all. Worse yet than the painful crushing sensation was the
realization that every time she breathed out, the tightness
grew worse. Eyes squeezed shut, teeth clenched in pain, the
raven-haired girl's frightened mind could only comprehend
one thing. *Not much longer, and I won't be able to breathe
at all...*

The tall Gemlord continued to dispassionately watch his
captive, concentrating on keeping the pressure on, yet
simultaneously casting out with his psychic senses to make
sure the two of them remained alone. The struggle, if it was
even that, didn't last long at all; in a matter of moments,
the girl's agonized expression relaxed into the blank one
characteristic of unconsciousness. His orders to merely
incapacitate foremost in his thoughts -- even though he
personally wasn't inclined to kill the Senshi anyway despite
their past enmity -- Kunzite dismissed the force field with
a cutting gesture of his hand. Without a sound, the
priestess's graceful form slumped to the floor, the red and
gold pen rolling from her unmoving hand.

Just then, a mental aura stepped into the Elemental's
expanded awareness. Instantly on the alert, the
lavender-cloaked warrior stepped away from the entry, power
tingling in a hand at the ready.

The newcomer that walked into the chamber of the sacred fire
was a tall, lanky youth dressed in a white and blue temple
uniform. Sporting longish, shaggy brown hair and holding a
mop and pail, he seemed quite at home as he strode in,
unaware of the silent figure lurking just to the side.
"Raye? Hey, Raye? I got--" Spying the unconscious priestess
lying on the floor through his long bangs, the young man
dropped the cleaning supplies. "Oh man! Raye, you all
right?"

As the mop and pail clattered to the wooden floor, the empty
metal container tipping onto its side and rolling just a
bit, the silver-haired Gemlord thrust his hand at the new
arrival. With a cry of "Zai!", a concentrated burst of
rose-colored energy hit the shaggy-haired human, sending the
young man flying into one of the sturdy wooden beams that
made up the chamber's wall. The temple worker hit hard; with
a groan, he collapsed to the floor, out cold.

Kunzite sensed the abrupt appearance of a new aura just
before he heard the familiar baritone voice. "A bit of
interference?"

Bowing slightly in acknowledgment of Lord Obsidian's
arrival, the Warrior of Elemental Fire shook his head. "Not
quite, my lord. Just an innocent who wandered in at the
wrong time."

"Good," the dark lord acknowledged. Striding over to where
the pen Raye had brandished lay on the floor, Obsidian knelt
down long enough to retrieve it, his long cloak pooling
around his athletic form. Standing once more, he held the
slender object up to inspect it, the orange glow of the fire
reflecting off the planet-like emblem at its top. "So herein
lies the key to the power of the planet Mars," he murmured
to himself, coldly smiling. Sparing a glance at the
still-unconscious priestess, whose body was beginning to
stop gasping for breath, he fixed his warrior with a stern
gaze. "Keep her under until I return. And remain alert for
any other possible interference."

"As you wish, my lord," Kunzite responded. Maintaining his
psychic scan of the surrounding area, the silver-haired
Gemlord bowed his head. Pale-lavender eyes closing in
concentration, he mentally reached out to the unconscious
girl and tapped into her body's energy. Quickly assessing
the pattern and flow of her natural power, the tall
Elemental began siphoning off energy at a rate that he knew
would only keep his victim out cold and nothing more.

Nodding in approval, the Guardian of Space dematerialized in
a gleam of blackish-green light.

Finding and maintaining the balance of the flow of power
into himself, Kunzite opened his eyes and stared down at the
raven-haired teen, a sense of unease at what he'd done and
was continuing to do momentarily stabbing his conscience.
*So young, so vulnerable. And an ambush is not honorable
combat.*

Once more, that contemptuous laughter that had become the
bane of his mental peace sounded deep within himself,
bringing with it an overwhelming *need* to feed on the dark
power at its control. *How touching, dear Kunzite. Your
concern is most... pathetic.*

*Leave me be*! the warrior thought with a snarl, shoving
aside the compulsion to send his victim's energy to the
presence in exchange for the dark, seductive strength of the
Negaforce he craved.

The shadowy voice laughed again. *What matters honor when
you can have power? With power, you can create whatever
honor you desire. Once more, I offer you anything you wish;
open yourself to me, and everything you dream of will become
yours. You remember how it felt, the thrill of the energy of
your Element magnified to its utmost limits through my
might...*

A shudder ran through Kunzite's tall form, one that was
equal parts of dread and desire. Breaking out into a cold
sweat, he closed his eyes and steeled his resolve.
*Begone*! he silently raged, using nearly every ounce of his
iron will to suppress both the mocking voice and the gnawing
hunger that tore at his soul.

The dark sound came one last time, an amused peal of
feminine laughter that slowly faded away. *You're still
mine, Kunzite. You will always belong to me,* it whispered.
Then it was gone.

Near the temple's sacred fire, Raye softly moaned, moving
slightly. The sound cut through the lavender-cloaked
Gemlord's awareness, bringing him back to reality. Realizing
that he'd let his concentration slip, he brutally quelled
the craving that still clawed at him -- easily done now that
the presence of the Negaforce had left -- and re-established
his control over the teen-aged priestess. Casting outward
with his psychic awareness once again, keeping a vigilant
watch for any more possible witnesses, he suddenly sensed
that the other young human was beginning to come to as well.
With a flicker of thought, Kunzite read and tapped the
shaggy-haired man's energy pattern also, adding him to the
low-level siphon.

For a couple of minutes, nothing stirred in the chamber;
only the occasional pop of the sacred flame broke the
stillness of the moment. Then came the flare of a powerful
aura. The Elemental looked up in time to see Obsidian
reappear in front of him, a frustrated look on the dark
lord's handsome face.

Before Kunzite had a chance to ask what was wrong, a new
voice cut through the air, a feminine voice that held the
ring of challenge in its precisely-enunciated words. "Hold
it right there!"

Startled, the pair of Gemlords stared at the entryway to the
room, only to find a pair of sailor-suited Senshi standing
there. One was a pretty girl with short, bluish hair, her
clothing composed of a white bodice accented by
sapphire-blue bows and a sapphire-blue miniskirt; the other
was a tall, ponytailed brunette outfitted in white and
green, a determined look in her forest-green eyes.
Recognizing them instantly as Sailors Mercury and Jupiter,
the dark-brown-haired Guardian of Space snapped his fingers
and barked out a command. "Get the priestess, now!"

Recovering, the silver-haired warrior quickly responded.
Thrusting out a hand, Raye's unmoving form suddenly rose
into the air, held aloft by his telekinetic power.

"Leave her alone, megadweeb!" shouted the forceful, slightly
deeper voice of Jupiter. "You -- *huh*?" Suddenly realizing
just *who* the tall, silver-haired man in the odd, slightly
medieval-looking violet-pink outfit was, the green-skirted
brunette broke off in complete astonishment.

The bluish-haired soldier recognized the former Negaverse
general at nearly the same moment. "*Kunzite*!" Mercury
hissed in shock.

However, neither Scout had much of a chance to recover from
the unexpected encounter. As the lavender-cloaked warrior
quickly drew Raye's floating body to him with an abrupt
gesture, Obsidian took up an attack stance, legs braced and
feet wide apart, then thrust a hand in the Senshi's
direction. A powerful beam of concentrated blackish-green
energy raced towards the sailor-suited females as Kunzite
called out, "I have her, my lord!"

Seeing the burst from the dark-haired stranger speeding
their way, both Mercury and Jupiter leapt to the side, each
girl taking a different direction to dodge the blast. The
energy hit the temple floor with a small explosion, the
force of it strong enough to both blow a shallow crater in
the wooden planks and knock the Scouts to their knees.

Shaking off the effects of the attack, the ponytailed Scout
shot her fellow soldier a startled look. "That was close!"

Mercury nodded in reply, light glittering off her golden
tiara. "Deliberately so. He didn't aim for us."

"Who cares?" Jupiter snapped, getting back to her
green-booted feet. "They're after Raye! Time to knock some
heads together." She was through the door before the
blue-skirted Scout could get back up to give her friend a
hand.

Dark golden-brown eyes narrowing slightly, Obsidian watched
as the taller miniskirted girl came thundering back.
Glancing over at Kunzite and noticing that his warrior had
the still-unconscious priestess slung unceremoniously across
a shoulder, the dark lord telepathed a crystal-clear picture
to his fellow Gemlord. "Follow me!" he commanded, then
disappeared in a dark shimmer.

Hastily readjusting the raven-haired girl's dead weight to a
more comfortable position, Kunzite noticed the eerie
electric-blue flicker of lightning beginning to glimmer in
the sacred chamber as Jupiter began her attack sequence, the
antenna on her tiara extended. But before she could actually
shout the triggering words, the silver-haired Elemental
teleported, guided by Obsidian's lead.

"No! Raye!" the brunette Scout shouted as Mercury dashed
into the flame's chamber. Powering down, the lightning
fading away, Jupiter could only stare blankly at where
Kunzite and her unmoving friend had been.

Just then, a low groan caught the girls' attention.
Searching around and discovering Chad's crumpled form
against the wall, moving slightly, the Senshi momentarily
pushed aside their worries to see if the shaggy-haired rock
star was all right.

**********************************

*Oh my aching head and ribs,* Raye silently moaned. Though
still woozy, she suddenly became aware of the fact that she
felt like she was floating in the air. Carefully opening
her violet eyes and fighting off the sudden dizziness, she
found herself looking down at a marble floor from a position
right around six feet up, a pastel lavender cloak foremost
in her view.

The color brought back a memory, a flash of a former foe
back from the dead and on the attack again. With a start,
the raven-haired teen tried to come back to full awareness,
only to discover herself unable to do so. Instead, something
was mentally inhibiting her, keeping her in a twilight state
reminiscent of a dream.

Raising her head slightly and peering through her long,
silken tresses, she saw that she and her captor were located
in what appeared to be the heart of a palace of some sort.
They were in a somewhat wide corridor of black-veined
reddish marble, the dull polish, dim light and dust-powdered
tapestries hanging on the stone-lined walls all testifying
to a long age of emptiness and neglect. Though she couldn't
remember ever being here before, the whole place had a very
familiar feeling to it; for some reason, the quiet
atmosphere seemed to make the Shinto priestess feel like
she'd finally come home.

"As I found on my first trip, it appears it will take more
than just the transformation pen to open the chamber."

Raye blinked in muzzy surprise. *A second person? And it's a
voice I don't recognize.*

"And you believe that it would take the princess herself, my
lord?" quietly rumbled a deep voice the teen-ager knew was
Kunzite's.

"I'm fairly certain that it will," replied the first person.
"If you'd kindly set her down, we shall see what happens."

In response, Raye felt herself being gently shifted then
swung down off the silver-haired man's shoulder. Though
still locked in that dream-like state, unable to shake the
sensation of befuddlement that clouded her mind no matter
how much she fought it, she found herself able to stand.
Focusing on a pair of knee-high black boots into which were
tucked a pair of ebony pants, the young priestess slowly
raised her gaze.

Dressed in a tunic and nearly floor-length cloak as dark as
his pants and boots, both of which were accented with
metallic gold and golden brooches bearing glossy-black
cabochon stones, the other man was tall, though still half a
head shorter than Kunzite. His hair was slightly wavy and a
brown so dark it was nearly black, a thick mane that fell
midway down his back, and a golden circlet with a black gem
glimmered from beneath his longish bangs. But the most
captivating feature of the handsome stranger was his eyes; a
golden-brown so dark they appeared pupil-less, their
limitless depths seemed to fill Raye's dazed mind. The
stranger gestured to the girl's right. "Dear Princess Mars,
if you would be so kind?"

Slowly the raven-haired teen turned and looked at where the
dark-clad man pointed, still feeling as if she were in a
dream. There, in the marble-chased wall, was a set of ornate
double doors that looked as if they were made of bronze.
Cast in high-relief, the pair of doors were decorated with
scenes of war, victory and parades, the symbol of the planet
Mars filling the center of the metallic area. As she blinked
in confusion at the oddly-familiar scene, she felt something
get placed in her hand. Dropping her violet gaze, she saw
that she once more held her transformation pen.

For a second, a thrill of defiant satisfaction cut through
her confusion, and Raye once more held the pen high. But
then the dream-like fog reasserted itself, detaching her
will from her actions. Helplessly, she felt herself change
into someone other than Sailor Mars, a someone unable to
resist the gentle but insistent suggestion to open the
doors.

Kunzite stood in the silent hall, watching as a fiery-red
shimmer surrounded the young priestess. She became taller,
more elegant, more mature, her temple uniform transforming
into a gown of shimmering red, ruby jewelry glimmering at
ears and throat. For the first time in a millennium,
Princess Mars stood before the silver-haired warrior, as
sophisticated and as beautiful as he remembered.

Violet eyes looking far-off and dreamy, the young woman
reached out and touched the center of the circle that made
up part of the Mars symbol on the doors with the golden cap
of the pen. "By the power and in the name of Mars, I ask
that you open to me, your mistress. Allow me passage to the
Sacred Flame beyond."

In response, the symbol of Mars on the entryway flared
bright red, the same glyph glowing within the transformation
pen in sympathy. Then the bronze panels slowly swung inwards
on their own, revealing the room within. Still appearing
entranced, the raven-haired princess gracefully strode
through the entry. Without a word, the pair of Gemlords
followed.

The room was plain, an unadorned chamber of well-polished
black-veined red marble, yet both Obsidian and Kunzite could
sense the overwhelming flow of energy filling the
atmosphere. In the center of the room was located a
free-standing dais of three steps upon which rested a large
brass brazier within a wrought-iron tripod. Red and orange
tongues of flame leaped into the air from the metal bowl,
its strong, flickering light reflecting off the polish of
the marble chamber. Princess Mars walked up to the edge of
the dais, then stopped, the still-glowing transformation pen
in hand.

The dark lord glanced around, then focused on his companion.
"If you please, Kunzite."

The silver-haired warrior nodded in acknowledgment, then
strode up the three-stepped platform to stand before the
burning brazier. Closing his eyes, he opened himself up to
the energy that flowed around him and filled the room. Fiery
hot and intense, the prickly power was comforting; born of
the Element of Fire, it was, by its nature, sympathetic to
the Commander of the South. Reveling in the energetic
sensation, Kunzite reached into the heart of the flames.
When he pulled out his unharmed hand, he held a glittering,
deep red jewel.

The lavender-cloaked Elemental was about to step away when
he heard Obsidian's baritone voice give him an order to move
the brazier from the dais. "My lord?" he inquired, blinking
in surprise.

"You heard me, Kunzite. Move it."

"If I do that--"

"Of course!" the dark-haired Gemlord snapped. "That's
precisely why I want it done. Now carry out my order,
Commander."

Eyes narrowing slightly in distaste, Kunzite raised a hand.
Under his telekinetic control, the brass and iron focus of
the power of the planet Mars floated into the air. With a
gesture, the tripod gently glided over and down, coming to
rest on the floor right next to the three-stepped platform.

Deep inside her confused, dreamy state, Princess Mars
silently screamed in frustration and despair as she watched
the Sacred Flame be moved from its point of focus. Around
her, she felt the delicate balance of energy go askew,
watched in befuddled horror as the Flame died out and the
chamber lost its unearthly polish. In her hand, the
red-barreled pen went dark, the Mars symbol disappearing.
Then, with a sickening lurch, the dissonance washed over
her; the energy gone, Princess Mars slumped to the floor,
unconscious, shimmering deep red and reverting back to Raye
as she fell.

Kunzite frowned darkly as he returned to his lord's side, a
sad feeling of emptiness filling him in the wake of the
extinguishment of the Sacred Flame. As the Warrior of
Elemental Fire, his action bothered him quite a bit, yet he
said not a word. Instead, he merely gave Obsidian a cool
look as he handed the jewel to the Guardian of Space.

Easily meeting the other's pale-lavender gaze with one just
as cold, Obsidian took the glittering stone, then held it up
to look at it. "The Ruby of Flames," he quietly stated,
smiling. His eyes then flicked to the young priestess lying
on the marble floor. Handing the jewel back to his warrior,
the dark lord commanded, "Take the Ruby home. I'll return
the Senshi to her temple."

With a bow and a salute, the deep-red gem in his fist as he
placed it over his heart, Kunzite mentally called the
trigger to open the Vortex Mirror, then disappeared in a
gleam of rose-colored light.

Obsidian first picked up the transformation pen, then knelt
down next to the unmoving girl and clipped it to the
neckline of her white top. Gently picking her up and
cradling her in his arms, he closed his eyes and
concentrated, expanding his mental awareness across the
miles of space between the Shinto temple on Earth and where
he stood in the middle of Phobos Deimos Castle floating over
the surface of Mars. In his mind's eye, he could see the
presence of all the other Inner Scouts gathered in the main
building as four distinctive auras -- pink, yellow, green
and blue -- near the consecrated feel of the heart of the
temple. Centering on the residual sensation of his own
power, which was a slight distance away from the Senshis'
auras, Obsidian made the teleportational jump.

In a swirl of blackish-green energy, the dark lord
rematerialized next to the torii on the grounds of Hikawa
Jinja. Taking a moment to scan the area, confirming the fact
that no one else was around, Obsidian then knelt down and
carefully laid the priestess on the grass at the foot of the
spirit gate. Staring upwards at the crossbar of the torii
where the black glass prison remained, the Guardian of Space
made a sharp gesture with his hand. The vitreous globe
exploded, the dark shards dissipating as so much ebony mist
into nothingness. With a raucous caw, Phobos and Deimos took
wing, none the worse for wear.

Continuing to screech and scold, the pair of avian guardians
wheeled in the air, intent on driving off the hostile
intruder. Watching the ravens dive in his direction with a
less-than-amused expression on his face, the Lord of Lithos
gathered his focus and called his trigger, "Obsidian Mirror
Return." He teleported away in a dark shimmer, leaving the
ravens to circle and complain in frustrated confusion.

The commotion caught the attention of the group of
sailor-suited Scouts gathered within the large common room
of the main building. Breaking off their discussion of the
startling events of not long ago, the young warriors dashed
outside, Sailor Moon in the lead. Discovering the
raven-haired priestess lying on the ground, the soldiers
gathered around her, Sailor Mercury kneeling down to assess
her friend's condition. "Raye?"

"Is she all right?" asked Moon, light glittering off her
golden tiara and the red and gold brooches on the round buns
in her long blond hair.

"Hope so," replied the white- and orange-suited Sailor
Venus, her sunshine-blond hair swirling around her in the
slight breeze.

"Look alive, Scouts. Those jerks might still be around,"
Sailor Jupiter warned, forest-green eyes carefully scanning
the area.

The familiar voices of her friends cut through Raye's foggy
awareness, bringing her back to full consciousness. Slowly
opening her violet eyes and seeing a worried-looking Mercury
next to her, three other sailor-suited soldiers standing in
the background, she smiled up at the group. "Am I glad to
see you."

"Are you okay?" inquired the blue-haired Senshi as she
helped the priestess to her feet.

"I think so," Raye answered.

"What happened? I mean, I heard about what Kunzite and that
other Negasleeze did to you, but what happened after that?"
Moon's lovely blue eyes were full of curious concern.

The brunette Scout scowled. "I'm gonna make Pretty Boy there
regret that he ever came back from the dead."

A thoughtful frown crossed Venus's beautiful face. "If
Kunzite's back, and it sure looks like he is, then it just
might mean that that guy you were all worried about *is*
Nephrite."

Jupiter's scowl deepened. "He wasn't anywhere near the
temple. Mercury and I were there with him when we got the
alarm. And that creep that shot at us wasn't Nathan."

Mercury mentally sighed at the green-uniformed girl's
insistence. Nodding her short-haired head, she confirmed,
"The second aggressor wasn't Nephrite. In fact, he was a
complete stranger, someone I've never seen before. However,
it was quite obvious that Kunzite was taking orders from
him."

The Scout with the knee-length blond ponytails continued to
gaze in worry at Raye as the teen-aged priestess unclipped
the transformation pen from her temple uniform and stared at
it.

"Wonder why Andromeda didn't show up?" the tall brunette
growled. "You'd think a direct attack on one of us would've
brought her running."

The sunny-blond soldier remained thoughtful. "Maybe they
got her first? After all, Callie *has* been missing today."

Ignoring the conversation around her, Raye looked at her pen
a moment longer, recalling the dream-like encounter in the
mysterious palace. *I need to know for sure. Here goes
nothing...* Holding the pen high, the raven-haired teen's
stern voice filled the air. "*Mars Power*!"

Nothing.

The other Inner Senshi all stared at Raye, wide-eyed in
shock.

"No!" Anger and determination glittering in her violet eyes,
she tried again, concentrating with all of her fiery will.
"*MARS POWER*!"

Still nothing, not even a spark.

"Oh Raye! What did they do to you?" Moon gasped, her voice a
hushed, compassionate whisper as she looked like she might
start crying right there.

The priestess slowly lowered her hand, gazing sadly at the
gathering of sailor-suited warriors. "Let's go inside and
I'll tell you the whole story."