Sailormoon, its characters, struggles and story, are the copyright 
and children of Naoko Takeuchi. No recognition to this tale can be 
given without properly paying honour to her first. They are 
rightfully hers and I respect how she has raised them all. May what 
I have written here, the dark and the light, be considered worthy 
as a token of my appreciation for the world she has created.


His lordship Chaos / Angel Electric 
08 - The Demons and the Darkness

Rated PG13.


*****

Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared

	--David Bowie, "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)"

*****



	The Kingdom of Venus looked all the more breathtaking from 
the zeppelin. Kunzite could not help but marvel at its inherent 
beauty as he looked out through the windows of the guest cabin. 
Minako, on the other hand, had her hands pressed against the 
window, her face right up against the glass.
	"Kunzite, look!" she exclaimed. "There it is!"
	Every archway, every pillar--the entire palace resembled a 
work of blown glass, and as far as he could tell there was not a 
sharp corner anywhere. The architecture was curved, free flowing 
and looked as if it had been constructed from an enormous, single 
piece of amber. Spires and towers reached for the starlit skies. 
The surrounding city shimmered like silver stones, each house and 
building echoing the majesty of the Venusian palace.
	Minako turned back and grinned at him. "Isn't it beautiful?"
	Dressed in his ceremonial armour, Kunzite nodded. The 
Lunarian bards had not been over-exaggerating when their poetry 
described this kingdom. Striking without being flamboyant, and 
memorable without being pompous. The closer they came to 
approaching the palace itself, the more Kunzite could see sprawling 
gardens and greenery. Trees and gardens seemed to be as plentiful 
as the streets and walkways. 
	Kunzite's gaze drifted to the world behind the palace and its 
city. He could see a towering wall at the rear of the kingdom, and 
beyond it was darkness. Nothing but sheer, impenetrable darkness. 
The remnant of Venus was at the edge of the dark side of the moon.
	"I can't believe I'm here again," Minako said, her voice 
still overflowing with excitement. Her voice softened, as did her 
smile. "I'm home."
	Kunzite was content to let her stare out the windows of the 
zeppelin for as long as she wanted to. He tried to take a step 
back, but she caught his wrist and held him at bay. "Oh no, you 
don't," she stated, glancing back and giving him an impish grin. 
"You gave me this present, so now you have to watch me unwrap it 
from start to finish."
	She looked back out the window, and suddenly let out a squeak 
of joy. "There's the gardens!" she exclaimed, frantically poking a 
fingertip against the glass.  Kunzite glanced down at the garden in 
question, and saw that it was actually an enormous hedge maze.
	"I haven't seen that in years!" Minako said. "It looks so 
much less impressive from up here though. Usually they'd throw 
lavish dinner parties in that space in the centre. My sister and I 
used to know every turn and corner of that place. I wonder if I can 
still run through it without getting lost..."
	Once more she turned back to Kunzite and shook her head in 
amazement. "I can't believe you managed to do all this behind my 
back."
	Kunzite smirked. "I've orchestrated entire battles with 
little more to go on than a best guess of enemy numbers and a 
relative notion of where the battlefield would be. It hurts to 
think you believe me incapable of putting together something as 
simple as this."
	"True, but I think you'd be inclined to agree that I'm more 
of a handful."	
	"I've noticed, yes." 
	Minako's gaze flickered to the cabin's king-sized bed, where 
three large trunks sat at the foot. "I also see you had Ami 
secretly pack some of my things beforehand."
	"How do you know it was Ami?"
	"Today Ami asked if she could borrow a few of my clothes, and 
wouldn't say why. I was on guard duty with Serenity all afternoon, 
so I didn't see the problem and let her choose at her leisure. 
Imagine my surprise after my shift ended, when I discovered just 
how many of my outfits she'd 'borrowed' for herself." Minako 
laughed. "She's tough to crack when it comes to giving away 
secrets."
	A series of flickering lights were abruptly fired into the 
air, seconds later welcoming them to the Venus kingdom with a 
myriad of exploding colours.
	Minako leaned back, letting herself become enfolded in 
Kunzite's arms. "It's a wonderful surprise. How long are we going 
to be here?"
	"A few days at least," Kunzite replied. "We've been granted 
leave by both Endymion and Halcyon. Unless something important 
arises, we won't be called back anytime soon." 
	"So I have you all to myself then." Minako grinned and stared 
out the window at the dancing colours in the sky. "I guess I'll 
have to show you my room after all."
	"Fair enough," Kunzite agreed. "You've already seen my room."
	"Yes," Minako said, "but you weren't naked when you showed it 
to me."
	Kunzite winced slightly. "As I recall, Jadeite had that 
dubious honour."
	Upon hearing that, Minako burst out laughing. "The look on 
your face when he walked by was priceless!" she said, and turned 
around.
	Kunzite flashed her a playfully indignant look. "I also 
recall that you didn't look away or try to hide your eyes."
	"Afraid I'm thinking his butt is cuter than yours?"
	"No, but thank you for making me feel insecure about how 
attractive I look."
	Minako stuck her tongue out at him, and then leaned forward 
on her tiptoes to kiss him. "So will you be bringing your sword to 
bed this time around, General?" she whispered into his ear.
	"That depends on how much you're wearing when you show me 
your room, Sailor Venus," he whispered back.
	The cabin of the zeppelin shuddered as it began its descent.
	Kunzite and Minako stared at each other, their faces 
perilously close together.
	"We should probably get ready to disembark," Minako said 
quietly, reluctant to part. "I hold very little doubt my family 
will be there waiting to greet me the second we touch down."
	"As you wish," Kunzite said, slowly drawing himself away from 
her.
	As he turned and walked towards their luggage, Kunzite 
distinctly felt Minako squeeze his backside. Kunzite paused, but 
never looked back, and as a result missed the grin on Minako's face 
as she murmured to herself, "Definitely cuter." 
	A trio of porters arrived with a cart to take their trunks. 
Kunzite couldn't help but assist them in moving the trunks onto the 
cart. Especially since the heaviest one belonged to him, and housed 
most of his books and weaponry.
	"So what sort of reception should I be expecting?" Kunzite 
asked as he and a porter slowly lowered the trunk onto the base of 
the cart.
	Minako shook her head. "I'm not sure. They visited the palace 
earlier this year, but that was over eight months ago. I haven't 
visited them in what feels like forever. Not to mention I've got a 
guy like you in tow."
	A slight frown creased Kunzite's brow. "They don't have a 
problem with Terrans, do they?"
	"Not that they've ever mentioned to me," Minako said. "And my 
people tend to be very gregarious." She glanced over at Kunzite. 
"Then again, you are a guy."
	The trunk in place, Kunzite stood up and rolled his neck 
around his shoulders. "The king's very protective of his daughter 
then?" 
	"No, not really. You'll understand when you meet them."
	For a moment, Kunzite could have sworn he saw Minako trying 
desperately to feign some form of innocence, or was at least trying 
to downplay something. Much to her chagrin, it seemed. The last of 
the trunks were set on the cart and the porters wheeled it off.
	"We should be landing within the next five minutes," one of 
the porters told Kunzite in Lunarian. "Whenever you are ready, 
please make your way to the reception hall on the lower level."
	Kunzite nodded his thanks and allowed the porter to close the 
cabin doors in departing. "Well, I'm dressed for the part," he 
stated once they were alone again. "Are you going to be a princess 
or a Sailor Soldier for the reception?"
	"I can go as both," Minako said. She was looking into one of 
the full-length mirrors fastened to the wall, adjusting her tresses 
of blonde hair. "I'm royalty and a soldier. The only thing that 
changes from time to time is what I wear." 
	Kunzite's reflection appeared behind hers in the mirror.
	"This is the first time in a long time I've returned home," 
she continued. "I don't want to greet my family wearing a reminder 
of why I had to leave in the first place. Could you get that 
pendant for me?"
	A pendant rested comfortably upon one of the bedside tables, 
a gemstone fit snugly into a gold frame and golden chain. Kunzite 
picked the pendant up by the chain and let the polished stone 
dangle before his eyes. 
	It was a star sapphire, shimmering in the light with a 
radiant blue.
	It would look beautiful on her.
	"What sort of language should I be bracing myself for?" 
Kunzite asked as he returned to his place behind Minako.
	"Everyone can speak Venusian and Lunarian," Minako said, 
gathering what hair she could and pulling it away from her neck. 
"Most kingdoms encourage their people to use the old language as 
much as possible, so it's not forgotten, but Lunarian is still the 
common tongue used everywhere on the Moon."
	As he draped the pendant around Minako's neck and fastened 
the clasps together, Kunzite let out a sigh. "I only know 
Lunarian."
	"I know," Minako said with a grin. "I'll do what I can to 
either translate or ensure that everyone speaks Lunarian around 
you."
	Her hands gracefully slid out from her hair, unleashing with 
it the scent of jasmine and roses. Kunzite closed his eyes as he 
took in the smell. Before his eyes could open back up, Minako 
turned around and sensually pressed her lips against his. No other 
part of their bodies touched each other. When Minako drew away, 
Kunzite let out a deep breath.
	"A kiss for good luck," she explained, heading for the door.
	"Am I going to need that much?" Kunzite asked. "Should I get 
another kiss just in case?"
	Minako opened the cabin door and flashed him as sultry a look 
as she could. "You tease," she stated, then glided through the 
doorway. 
	"You say that like it's a bad thing," he remarked, following 
after her. 
	Inside the zeppelin's passenger compartment, they made their 
way through winding halls lined with closed doors, and down spiral 
staircases that took up less space than Kunzite would have 
expected. On one of the lower-most levels not restricted to the 
flight crew, the corridor opened up into a two-floor lobby adorned 
with vibrant red paint and elegant furniture. It reminded Kunzite 
of a large studio meant for entertaining partygoers. Chances were 
that wasn't far from the truth.
	The main lights turned off, momentarily plunging them all 
into darkness. A series of gentle, silver lights came to life in 
the wake of the dark. Most of the passengers and assembled crew 
preferred lounging amidst the furniture, talking in excited words 
and whispers. Kunzite ducked through all the other people until he 
was at the far wall.
	Through one of the portholes he could see a gathering crowd 
of dignitaries and officials on the ground below them. The entire 
area where they were to land was silver, with smooth stairs weaving 
through gardens of stone and trees, gradually leading into the rear 
of the palace
	The zeppelin shuddered again as it quickened its decent.
	"Minako," Kunzite called out, gesturing with his chin to the 
porthole.
	Minako eagerly raced over and looked through the porthole. 
Over the noise of their descent, Kunzite heard a loud cheer rise up 
from outside. Evidently the crowd had seen her.
	Minako glanced back at Kunzite and winked. "My adoring 
public." She looked back out the porthole, waving as best she could 
despite the limited window space. "My people are so much more open 
and honest with each other. I trust them more than any other 
courtesan or official in the Lunarian palace."
	Her smile saddened for a brief instant. "They know that there 
are greater things in this life than power and position."
	Kunzite gently rested a hand on her shoulder.	 
	There came one last shudder, and the zeppelin grew still. The 
mooring ropes of the zeppelin were secured, and with a grand 
ceremony the gangplank was lowered. Minako and Kunzite appeared as 
silhouettes with the silver light shining behind them. A chorus of 
cheers and welcome home's were lifted up to the heavens, and a new 
barrage of fireworks painted the darkened skies with amazing 
colours and patterns. Minako took the first steps down the 
gangplank, Kunzite just behind her. 
	The crowds awaiting them pressed closer together, though no 
one dared overstep past the three people of notable prominence who 
stood in front of the rest. The elaborate crowns worn on their 
heads gave them away as members of the royal family. Kunzite took a 
quick moment to size them up. Within a heartbeat he realized that 
the King of Venus was enormous, and had the high potential of 
crushing him with just one hand. The king's stern expression as his 
fingers stroked the hairs of his long, black beard was enough to 
set Kunzite on edge.
	Next to the king stood the queen, as regal and collected as 
any other Kunzite had seen before. Their eyes met briefly, and she 
inclined her head ever so slightly in a courteous gesture. Beneath 
her headdress of silk and gems flowed tresses and braids of 
incredible golden hair. So that was where Minako got her exotic 
colour. 
	The youngest of the three, no doubt Minako's little sister, 
just stared up at Kunzite with something in her green eyes that 
bordered between awe and probably suspicion. She stood no higher 
than mid-chest, but already she had the look of an over-protective 
sibling.
	Before they had reached the end of the gangplank, Minako 
broke into a run and raced into her family's arms. With a joyous 
laugh the king picked his daughter up in his arms and embraced her 
tightly. Before Minako could be set down, her mother was showering 
her with kisses. Only her younger sister seemed stand-offish, 
waiting with a cross and impatient expression on her face. However, 
the moment Minako knelt down to eye level, the little girl let out 
a giggle of glee and flung herself into her older sister's arms.
	Minako exchanged excited and rapid conversations with them 
all in Venusian. Kunzite had not the slightest idea what was being 
said, though he felt certain they were catching up on lost time. It 
went on for easily ten, fifteen minutes. Kunzite waited patiently. 
At times like this, first impressions were everything, and first 
impressions depended on patience.
	Soon enough Minako looked over her shoulder and suddenly 
remembered Kunzite standing there. Her smile did not waver or fade. 
She led her father by the hand up to Kunzite and made the 
introductions. 
	"Father, this is General Kunzite of Lord Endymion's envoy," 
she said, speaking in Lunarian. "Kunzite, this is my father, Lord 
Temagami."
	Kunzite bowed formally at the waist.
	Seconds later he was picked up off the ground by Lord 
Temagami and wrapped up in the biggest, most crushing bearhug he'd 
ever received in his life. "Welcome, my future son!" Temagami's 
voice boomed across the courtyard. 
	Once his feet were allowed to touch the ground again, Kunzite 
let out a gasp for air and tried not to look so winded. Lord 
Temagami stepped back, his wife gliding into his place. Minako slid 
her hand into Kunzite's, letting their fingers lace together. She 
gestured to Kunzite, and then spoke something the Venus tongue that 
Kunzite missed entirely. However, Minako's mother gave an approving 
smile and nodded her head.
	"My mother, Lady Chihiro," Minako said, turning to Kunzite.
	Again Kunzite bowed formally at the waist. Instead of a 
bearhug, he was received with a warm smile and an equally 
respectful bow. "Welcome, Master General," Lady Chihiro spoke in a 
very crisp, formal Lunarian. "We are honoured by your presence and 
your courtesy."
	Abruptly the little princess pushed her way through, and 
stared almost defiantly up at Kunzite. Kunzite hadn't expected 
everything to go perfectly; in fact things were going smoother than 
he could have possibly dreamed. However, now came the inevitable 
conflict he'd been bracing himself for.
	Sensing the tension, as graciously as she could Minako knelt 
down next to her little sister and said, "Yurino, I'd like to 
introduce you to General Kunzite."
	Yurino stared up reproachfully at Kunzite. And the first 
words out of her mouth were, "He's cute! Why does she get the cute 
guy, Papa?" 
	Kunzite stared down blankly at her. Minako had an equal look 
of surprise on her face. On the other hand, Lord Temagami burst out 
laughing, and Lady Chihiro discreetly covered her face with her 
hand so no one could see her openly chuckle.
	"I fail to see what is so funny," Yurino stated as she 
crossed her arms over her chest. She looked over to her older 
sister and said, "If you make him unhappy, I'm going to steal him 
from you the first chance I get."
	Minako blinked. "Um...okay?"
	Yurino grinned like she'd won some personal victory.
	"They certainly are...up front," Kunzite murmured in Terran-
Nihongo.
	Minako let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I wasn't entire sure 
how to warn you about this," she replied in Terran-Nihongo. "It 
looks like they've gotten worse since the last time they visited 
the palace."
	"That must have been an adventure," Kunzite said.
	He glanced over his shoulder as he saw movement in his 
peripherals. The other passengers and crew were beginning to 
disembark. The crowd broke apart as friends and family went forward 
to meet each other. Amidst the throngs of people, the porters made 
their way down the gangplank with the luggage.
	"You both probably want to wash up after your journey," Lord 
Temagami said, and placed a large hand on Kunzite's shoulder. 
"Yurino, why don't you show them to their room?"
	Kunzite stopped, noting the lack of a plural. "Room?"
	With a bit of an awkward laugh, Minako said, "Um, Papa? Maybe 
I should just sleep in my old bedchambers."
	"Nonsense!" Temagami exclaimed, aghast with her suggestion. 
"You brought us this fine-looking guest, Minako. It would be a 
great dishonour to have him left all by himself for most of his 
stay. Besides, we've remodelled all our guest chambers. The two of 
you can personally test one out to see if it meets with your 
approval."
	And with that, he winked at Minako.
	Minako blushed furiously. 
	"I swear that wasn't my idea," Kunzite remarked in Terran-
Nihongo as he walked in behind her. 
	"I know," Minako groaned. "Trust me, I know."
	Yurino was already halfway up the staircase that would lead 
them into the palace. She waved a hand at the others and shouted 
impatiently, "Well? Are you guys coming or what?"
	Lord Temagami gestured for Kunzite to go first. "After you, 
Master General. We have many things to talk about over the next few 
days, and many things to celebrate."
	"The honour is mine," Kunzite said, trying not to sound as 
overwhelmed as he felt. As he turned towards the stairs, Lady 
Chihiro smacked him across the butt. Kunzite froze, his eyes wider 
than he'd have liked them to be, and in the end he just steeled 
himself and continued walking without looking back.
	Behind him, he heard Minako exclaim, "Mother!"
	Lady Chihiro immediately retorted with, "What? He's got a 
cute butt. Don't act like you haven't groped it, my dear."
	"And what if I haven't?"
	"Then, child, you are seriously missing out on a very good 
thing."
	Kunzite briefly closed his eyes and shook his head.
	It was going to be a long trip.




			Are you dancing?
	

			 ANGEL ELECTRIC




	Even in the dead of night, there was light and life within 
the Archives. While the lighting had softened considerably to 
reflect the hour, Jadeite could still walk between shelves of 
ancient and forgotten texts. The lower levels had no windows, and 
thusly no unusual shimmer from the Earth perched so close by in the 
heavens. Every last possible space of wall was designed to house 
shelves and store various relics of generations past. It had the 
feel of a place lost to time itself, and to everyone else on 
Lunaria. Jadeite was amazed at how little dust or cobwebs had 
accumulated on the books and scrolls. 
	Despite the emptiness and eerie silence pervading the deepest 
levels of the Archives, Jadeite found himself oddly at home. It 
reminded him of the Terran-Nihongo temple where he had chosen to 
live and carry out his duties as a General, a place of tranquility 
rather than luxury. (And given his demon, he needed all the peace 
he could find.) Lanterns hung over a large worktable he had claimed
as his own. Upon sensing his presence, the lanterns brightened and 
welcomed his return.
	Jadeite had to smirk upon seeing a white cat curled up on the 
table next to a stack of books. Artemis had become a frequent 
visitor, even down here. The cat had an uncanny knack of knowing 
his way around the palace, and knowing where Jadeite was. For now, 
Jadeite let him sleep; Artemis wasn't on anything important.
	If Jadeite had to contend sharing space with anyone, it was 
Artemis. Fewer distractions, fewer questions.
	The inherent lack of people in the lower levels allowed him 
to keep all the books and notes out in the open, and arrangements 
had long ago been made to ensure nothing on the table was cleaned 
away and put back into its proper place. The hours not spent in 
meetings or meditations were divided between the Hall of Antiquity 
and the Archives. The majority of his meals came to him at this 
table. At best, he attended only half the masques; most of the 
time, he only realized how late it was when he resurfaced within 
the palace to discover that everyone was sleeping.
	Whispers amongst the Lunarians were rising: after falling 
into his berserker state against Spinel, he was becoming a recluse, 
shunning the scorn and fear of those around him. Jadeite knew this 
was not the case. He also knew that the others, Endymion foremost 
among them, openly dismissed those rumours. In a war of secrets and 
shadows, he had chosen how he would fight. 
	There were too many striking similarities with the Darkstorm 
and his Berserker state. Why was it that only he could hear the 
howls and roars of the ancient evils depicted inside the Hall of 
Antiquity? Why was the howling of the Darkstorm the loudest and 
clearest of them all? Why could it trigger the madness within his 
mind, and deliver chills down his spine whenever he thought back to 
that painting?
	And worst of all: why was he starting to feel those chills 
wherever he went in the palace? Lunaria's capital, of all places, 
should be void any such blatant darkness. But now Jadeite could 
feel eyes upon his back. Whispers and the giggles of children 
seemed to echo down the bends and corners of empty hallways. Each 
time Jadeite felt his chest constrict, the demon stirred within the 
back of his mind.
	It had never been so active before, not in years.
	Something was starting to filter into the palace, permeating 
the very air they breathed. His own heightened sensitivity to the 
malignant echoes of the Darkstorm made him more aware than the 
others. "Something was coming," the others were saying.
	They were wrong.
	Something was already here.
	How or why, he didn't know, but he knew beyond certainty they 
were being watched, and whatever was watching them held some link 
with the Darkstorm of old. There could be no other explanation. He 
refused to believe there could be any other explanation. But for 
the time being, Jadeite had kept his theories to himself. Michiru 
had already dismissed his worries as paranoia stemming from his 
Berserker rage. Until he had answers, concrete and certain, this 
corner of the Archives alone would know of his research. It had 
taken days upon days to piece together the scraps of information 
from that centuries-old war. 
	Jadeite found an open corner and set down the latest stack of 
books and papers he'd scavenged from countless different areas in 
the Archives. Then he unfastened his weapon from his side and laid 
it atop another pile of books. His withdrawing hand paused over 
Artemis' head and stroked the cat behind the ears. As he sat down 
and picked up a faded fragment of a scroll, Jadeite wondered how 
many others were as knowledgeable about the subject as he'd become.
	He studied the crumbling paper.
	The fragment in his hands spoke of war and desolation, of the 
military strategies of the planet Saturn as it faced the Darkstorm 
and inevitable doom. Nothing was written of the fate of the 
survivors. No mention could be found of the name of the painter of 
that terrifying picture in the Hall of Antiquity. Jadeite scanned 
the fragment once more to ensure he had not missed anything, and 
then set it atop an ever-growing pile of notes and annals that had 
already been examined. 
	As one hand set down the fragment, his other hand scooped up 
a tattered and weathered scroll. Jadeite carefully unrolled the 
scroll and scoured its fanciful writing for anything relevant. Not 
surprisingly, almost everything it had to give were words and 
concepts he'd read before in a dozen other places. There was a 
random mention of Elysian, and some claim that it was born out of 
the Darkstorm--the heaven to the Darkstorm's hell. As Jadeite 
expected, it was the mention of a myth, a utopian fantasy created 
by idealists and poets. No such paradise existed, not on Earth, and 
he would be hard-pressed to believe anyone advocating that Elysian 
was just another name for Lunaria.
	Jadeite rolled the scroll back up, set it aside, and picked 
up a new document to study. There were no common Lunarian 
characters; the language written here was specific to one of the 
old worlds. Jadeite had read enough ancient works now to easily 
recognize the majority of the older languages, and in some cases 
how old the work was based on the style of writing.
	"Shit," he muttered, letting his head drop onto the 
worktable. "It's from Uranus."
	That made it the most complicated language to translate. 
Jadeite grumbled to himself as he pushed his chair back, stood up, 
and began the task of rummaging through piles of thick, dusty books 
until he located a dictionary. He stared down at the cover, which 
proudly told him it could translate the old (and mostly dead), 
written language of Uranus into Lunarian. Which didn't exactly 
help, since his grasp of the Lunarian written language was spotty 
at best. It was always easier to listen and read than to talk and 
write.
	Resigned, Jadeite tossed the dictionary next to the document 
and fixed up the pile of the books to allow for some room to 
actually write down whatever translation he could manage. After an 
hour, he had translated four paragraphs, and the remainder of the 
scroll was starting to blur.
	"Time to call it a night," he muttered.
	He grabbed his katana from atop the book piles and fastened 
it back at his side. Artemis continued to sleep as Jadeite 
carefully scooped him up and carried him out. 
	In the depths of the Archives, there were two ways of 
travelling: the lifts or the stairs. Jadeite knew that the lowest 
level the lifts descended to were in fact two levels above him. 
He'd have to walk part of the way regardless. It didn't matter; he 
needed to stretch his legs out. The higher he ascended, the 
brighter the chambers seemed to get, as if they needed to look 
pretty for a higher volume of guests and patrons. Jadeite found it 
odd to consider that a room might suffer from a slight case of 
vanity.
	He traversed two flights of elegantly polished, silver 
staircases that spiralled around a large circular shaft lined with 
framed paintings and artefacts of old. From there Jadeite weaved 
between rows of bookshelves and storage units until he came to the 
Archives' primary lift. The ride on the lift was slow, but 
relaxing. He almost nodded off twice before the lift made a slight 
shudder and stopped on the main floor.
	Jadeite glanced over at one of the chronometers fixed to a 
pillar. It was still early morning; in another few hours most 
everyone else in the palace would be waking up to get on with their 
day. He needed sleep. He'd already put it off for too long today. 
At best, Jadeite believed that he could manage a few hours of sleep 
at most before returning to that unpleasant text. 
	On the other hand, maybe Garnet was still up. She kept hours 
just as irregular as he did. Maybe she could help him with a bit of 
the translation. As far as Jadeite knew, whenever she slept it was 
usually in her own office. He scoured the usual places Garnet 
tended to haunt on the main floor. In the end, it was the sound of 
her breathing that gave away her location.
	Garnet had fortified herself behind a desk whose edges were 
guarded by uneven and teetering stacks of books that completely 
blocked her from view. Her head pillowed on her arms, and her arms 
propped up on a ridiculously thick book that looked ready to 
crumble with a mere sneeze, Garnet slept in her chair.
	Jadeite let out a chuckle, smirking to himself as he brushed 
a strand of strawberry blonde hair away from her face. "And you're 
probably working the hardest of us all," he told her.
	He turned away and let her catch up on her sleep. As he 
passed by her office, Jadeite saw the door had been left open 
partway. With a glance back in Garnet's direction, he quietly 
stepped inside and glanced around. There was nothing inside he 
could use as a blanket for her. Jadeite looked down at the sleeves 
of his own jacket, then carefully set Artemis down on one of the 
chairs. Jadeite removed his jacket and returned to Garnet, covering 
her with the coat as best he could. 
	He made sure to retrieve Artemis on his way out.
	The Archives were left behind him, and Jadeite felt the cool 
air of the palace rush past him as the Archives' large doors swung 
closed behind him. He sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes 
as he let the breeze wash over him. The winds brought with them a 
familiar scent and shadow, and the chilling laughter of two little 
girls.
	Jadeite froze, the fingers of his sword hand wrapping around 
the grip of his katana. But their giggles were already gone, and 
the hall was silent. Jadeite slowly looked back over his shoulder. 
He was alone. And somehow, impossibly somehow, he knew he was being 
watched.
	Artemis stirred, his ears flicking, but didn't wake up.
	"Like I'm going to be able to fall asleep now," Jadeite 
muttered to himself, and grudgingly began the journey back to the 
guest chambers.  


			*	*	*
	Kunzite awoke amidst a tangle of sheets, laying upon a large 
bed with only a single body in it: his. For a few groggy moments, 
he couldn't recall where he was, or why he was there. His head 
pounded in rhythmic echoes, dull and distant. His clothes were 
strewn in different corners of the bed. Sweat trickled down his 
chest and clung to his skin. Naked, Kunzite sat up and swung his 
legs over the edge of the bed.
	Three mostly-empty bottles of some sort of liqueur, exclusive 
to the Venus kingdom, stood proudly upon his bedside table. As his 
feet brushed the cool marble floors of his bedchamber, they touched 
another empty bottle. It rolled beneath the frame of his bed, 
making sounds that caused Kunzite to wince.
	"Amateratsu have mercy," he mumbled, clutching his forehead. 
	A much-needed burst of cool air blew against his back. 
Kunzite glanced over his shoulder and saw that he had left the 
patio windows open. Elegant drapes resembling little more than 
wisps of whitened cloud reached out as far towards the bed as they 
could, their bodies rippling with each new gust of wind.
	Kunzite held a hand out in front of his face and carefully 
tested his fingers. Each one was splayed and curled in turn. After 
that he wiggled them all together, and ended the exercise by 
clenching and relaxing his fist. His results were met with minimal 
success. Kunzite let out a cough and fumbled for one of the bottles 
on his table. A careful sniff of the contents still left inside met 
with a sweet and overpowering odour.
	"What the hell was in this?" he muttered before tossing the 
bottle over his shoulder. It bounced harmlessly across the sheets, 
tumbled to the floor and rolled towards the patio doors.
	A loud and unwelcome knock at the door came accompanied by an 
equally loud and unwelcome roar in Kunzite's ears. He flinched and 
pushed himself off the bed. His balance pitched wildly off-course 
and he fell back onto the mattress. Swearing, Kunzite grabbed a 
handful of sheets and covered his waist.
	"Who is it?" he called out irritably in Terran-Nihongo.
	A voice speaking Terran-Nihongo replied, "Room service, Kun-
chan!"
	Kunzite groaned and closed his eyes. "That woman and her 
nicknames," he grumbled.
	Before he could respond or even issue a warning, the doors to 
the guest chambers swung open and Minako bounded inside. By the 
time the doors had closed behind her, Minako stood at the foot of 
Kunzite's bed. The dress upon her body was blue like the untouched 
oceans, and it left her navel as exposed as her arms and legs.
	Kunzite looked up at her. "Aren't you cold in that?"
	She in turn stared down at him, and then at the ball of 
sheets covering his crotch. "Do you greet all your guests like 
this?"
	"Only the important ones," Kunzite replied. He laid an arm 
over his eyes and savoured the shadows. His eyes already hurt from 
the dim light filtering in through the patio. A string of Terran-
Nihonjin curses were muttered. 
	Minako evidently heard him, and more to the point understood 
what he'd said. Kunzite heard the settling of the mattress as she 
sat upon the edge next to him, felt the warmth of her hand as she 
rested it on his shoulder.
	"How are you doing?" she asked, concerned.
	He grimaced. "Been better."
	"What's the last thing you remember?"
	"A private dinner." Everything was jumbled or blurry. Sake 
had never had this sort of effect on him, at least not in recent 
years. "Your father...insisting I try whatever he poured into my 
glass...dancing, I think..."
	Minako waited, her silence prompting him to tell more. 
	There was nothing else he could recall.
	"Oh," Minako said at last, in a way that Kunzite didn't like.
	"'Oh', what?" he said, worried and suspicious all at once. 
"What do you mean by that?"
	"You have no idea how strong our cognacs are, do you?"
	Kunzite moved his arm a little, allowing a crack of light to 
trickle over his eyes. He squinted up at Minako. "That's a bad 
thing, isn't it?"
	"Depends on who you were last night," Minako said. Her 
fingertips were gliding down the length of Kunzite's chest, 
following the contours of his abdominal muscles. "The two of you 
had quite the crowd going."
	Kunzite groaned.
	That definitely ranked high in the 'bad things' category.
	"Were we fighting or dancing?" he asked.
	Again, Minako's evasiveness failed to be comforting. "A 
little of both, actually," she said. "My father...well, he wanted to 
hear some of your stories from Earth. And you decided to re-enact 
an entire battle for everyone there in the ballroom."
	Kunzite's gut tightened into an unpleasant knot. The urge to 
roll over and pretend to be dead suddenly became hard to resist.
	"Don't get me wrong!" Minako said hastily. "You're a great 
storyteller! It was just unexpected that you'd give such a lively 
re-enactment of a Terran battle with Lord Temagami as the enemy 
General. Did you know you're a good swordfighter even when you're 
drunk?"
	Kunzite bolted upright, an action he instant regretted as his 
pulse hammered in his head with newfound ferocity. He ignored it as 
best he could, his concern elsewhere. "I didn't injure him, did I?" 
he asked.
	Minako was trying not to grin so obviously. "No, not at all. 
But the both of you were running around with your swords drawn, 
ducking and weaving around the guests. Occasionally you both 
managed to actually swing at each other. Though I think my father 
enjoyed his role as the villain far too much; you wouldn't believe 
the lines he was ad-libbing by the end of it." She then added, "Oh, 
and don't worry about the antique vase."
	Kunzite's stomach sank. "What about the antique vase?"
	After a moment of trying to choose her words, Minako replied, 
"It needed to be cleaned anyways. You just...helped it along."
	Letting out another groan, Kunzite collapsed back down onto 
the sheets and covered his eyes. This was the sort of debacle he'd 
expect of Nephrite. If word of this got out, there was no telling 
what sort of ill news would be spread. And Endymion would have his 
ass as a kicking board.
	"Well, look at it this way," Minako offered, flashing him an 
optimistic smile. "At least you got most of the cognac out of your 
system when you threw up into the vase."
	One arm bent over his eyes, Kunzite fumbled for a pillow with 
his free hand, and then threw it at Minako.


			*	*	*
	Four hours later, Jadeite returned to the Archives. Artemis 
was still curled up on his bed. Sleep had proven evasive, and the 
times Jadeite had been able to pass out were racked with strange 
dreams where two little girls chased him down never-ending 
passageways. Whoever they were, he hated them. 
	Already sensing his approach, the doors to the Archives swung 
open just enough to let him inside, the gesture filled with a sense 
of warmth and greetings. It was a gesture that never ceased to 
instil some degree of calm and hope in him, and Jadeite waved his 
thanks to whatever unseen presence existed in the Archives.
	The lifts to the lower echelons were located near the middle 
of the main floor, not too far from Garnet's main desk. Jadeite 
slid between shelves and down aisles towards it. If Garnet was up, 
he could probably retrieve his jacket. Just so long as she didn't 
gush any sort of thanks, he'd be happy.
	Garnet was definitely up, and definitely not alone. Jadeite 
could hear Ami and Zoicite's voices as well.
	"That," stated Zoicite in no uncertain terms, "is the ugliest 
looking thing I have ever seen. What did you say its name was 
again?"
	Ami's gentle voice replied, "Tuatara, the Wild Wicker."
	"Excuse me? The what?" Zoicite then added with a sigh, "I 
don't even know how to begin spelling that."
	"Tuatara," Ami repeated, and though he couldn't see her face, 
Jadeite was certain she was smiling. "Tuatara was a centipede-like 
monster who preyed upon the small children of Uranus. He lured them 
into holes he dug into the earth, and chased them through an epic, 
underground labyrinth of dirt and stone. Armies were sent into the 
underground after him. None ever returned. Then one day the king's 
own daughter, no older than sixteen of your earth years, fell into 
one of Tuatara's holes. Three nights passed, and suddenly she 
reappeared--dragging Tuatara's severed head behind her. She never 
spoke of what happened, or how she had slain the demon. To this 
day, her victory remains a mystery cloaked in blood and secrets."
	Jadeite scowled as he listened to the story, and suddenly 
found he had developed a distaste for it.
	"The way you talk," Zoicite said quietly, "it's like he 
wasn't a myth."
	"He wasn't," Garnet stated. "Tuatara's head still hangs over 
the throne of the king of Uranus. I've seen it with my own eyes."
	Jadeite stiffened when he heard that.
	Evidently Zoicite had as well.
	"Not all the monsters in our system came from the Darkstorm, 
General," Garnet said. "Evil has infested each of our worlds since 
before memory. That's why we're looking at all these old legends. 
One of these creatures may be what we're looking for."
	There was a brief interlude as all three began scouring 
whatever books were around them.
	"Um, what about this Kobatu?" Zoicite suggested. "It says 
here he was an unseen hunter who claimed even the mightiest of 
Saturn's warriors."
	Garnet gave it a great deal of thought. "Nobody's disappeared 
from the palace, at least that I know of. Put him down as a 
contender; I'll see what else we can dig up on Kobatu later." She 
flipped a few pages of her own text. "Chalderon: a scourge of wind 
and fire who ravaged Venus for centuries before being locked away 
in a box. Doesn't really sound like what we're looking for."
	"There might be a sect of people who worship Chalderon," 
Zoicite said. "Maybe the red-haired woman is the leader of this 
cult, and they're trying to find a way to break Chalderon out of 
its box."
	That elicited a groan from Garnet. "Please don't say that," 
she sighed. "Over half these creatures had their own scary little 
set of worshippers. It'll take days just to figure out if any of 
these sects still exist."
	"Give me your list when it's done," Zoicite said, "and I'll 
hand it off to Cioran. The Seraphim should be able to find out for 
us. Trust me: they've been keeping tabs on almost everyone for a 
very long time."
	"Thanks. So who else do we have?" 
	"Oryxandri," Ami said in a quiet voice. "Devourer of the 
ships and souls who rode the waves of my planet's seas. My father 
told me about it. None of the stories were ever pleasant."
	"Well," Garnet offered, "at least we know this Oryxanwhatever 
-it-was perished with the planet. We can scratch that name off the 
list of potentials." She then added in a loud voice, "You might as 
well come out, General. You should know that no one can hide from 
me in my Archives."
	Jadeite paused, blinking in surprise. He heard Ami bump into 
something, probably out of surprise herself. And he really should 
have figured on Garnet having that sort of sixth sense as far as 
the Archives were concerned. He emerged from his hiding place and 
casually strolled towards Garnet's book-covered desk. 
	"Thanks for the coat," Garnet said.
	"The least I could do," he said, "and I'll pick it up later." 
	Zoicite frowned and glanced back at the bookshelves. "Just 
how long were you going to wait before stepping out?"
	"Didn't want to disrupt your concentration," Jadeite said 
with a wry smirk. He glanced over at Ami. "I know how easily 
distracted you can get, Zoicite."
	Garnet chuckled.
	Zoicite smiled pleasantly and muttered something in Terran-
Nihongo about Jadeite's ass and the inevitable kicking it was going 
to receive in the near future.
	"What about you, General?" Ami asked. "How is your search 
going?"
	For as much as he hated to do it, Jadeite shook his head. 
"I'd rather you ask that question when I have a more optimistic 
answer to give. Good luck with your monsters."
	"And you with yours," Garnet said. 
	Jadeite left the three to their doubts and questions and 
monsters. In the silent depths of the Archives he set about working 
through forgotten manuscripts and sifting through piles of 
scattergore papers, his ultimate goal still so far ahead of him. 
The scroll from Uranus, once translated, held nothing of value. 
Jadeite set it aside. Through other dead ends and countless 
frustrations, he researched the one responsible for that painting 
of the Darkstorm in the Hall of Antiquity.
	Thus far, all he had discovered was that the Neptunian 
artists of old not only painted an image, but painted a memory. 
Only those with unique abilities could touch the canvas and feel 
the memory. In a rare moment, Jadeite almost felt like his demon 
side actually had a benefit going for it.
	Almost.
	For hours into the day he unrolled crumbling scrolls and took 
notes from scraps and fragments of paper. Every now and again he 
sat back in his chair and let out some cry of exasperation, and the 
Archives would console him as best it could. Hours upon hours of 
looking at the oeuvres and biographies of artists from centuries 
ago, and not even a guarantee that the one he sought would actually 
have anything that had been collected and placed in the Archives.
	In the end, it was so blatantly displayed that Jadeite almost 
tossed it into the discard pile without so much as glancing at it. 
His eyes caught a rough sketch bearing a very close resemblance to 
the Darkstorm painting. Jadeite did a double take and snatched the 
paper off the 'discard' pile. In his hands were some of the initial 
drafts the artist had drawn, before proceeding to capture the 
Darkstorm on canvas.
	He began to rummage through the papers that had been beneath 
it. They showed similar sketches and styles of drawing. He found 
information and doctor's records and the names of the foster family 
the artist had been remanded to. An entire stack of answers.
	Jadeite let out a deep, triumphant breath.
	"Found you."
	He learned of the artist's name, of how she had been there to 
bear witness to the Darkstorm's razzing of Neptune. She was a child 
prodigy, gifted in whatever artistic medium they could possibly 
have thrust into her hands. Her entire family was slaughtered, and 
she alone had escaped unharmed--but not untouched. 
	Jadeite learned of her gradual descent into madness. The 
painting in the Hall of Antiquity was one of the first she had 
painted in the wake of her planet's annihilation. The horror had 
been so fresh that the memory itself had seeped into the painting 
and been locked inside. Jadeite wondered how many others had 
accidentally touched the painting and found themselves standing on 
the threshold of hell itself. He wondered how many had ever been 
able to fall asleep at night after that.
	Over the following four or five years, all the pictures and 
paintings done by that little girl from Neptune grew more 
disturbing and graphic. She had looked into the eye of the 
Darkstorm, and seen the face of a demon. She grew more secluded and 
became terrified of the darkness. She woke up screaming about how 
the wind was whispering her name to the Darkstorm. Her art 
dissolved into insanity. In the end, all the girl drew was a 
single, chaotic scrap of what might have been kanji. Over and over 
and over, usually one on top of the other until it became a blurry 
mess of charcoal and smudges.
	Jadeite picked one of the fragments up and held it out in 
front of his face. The lone symbol stood out before him, brilliant 
and large and black. The rest of the paper had been filled with 
smaller versions of this one symbol, creating a tile effect that 
overlapped almost to the point of turning the entire page black 
with ink. 
	Setting aside the paper, Jadeite picked up another sheet--and 
froze. The same symbol, identical if not written more erratically, 
scrawled in something that murmured of blood. Probably hers. 
Jadeite pressed his fingertips against the surface, feeling the 
stains in the paper where the blood had once flowed.
	She had killed herself soon after, that little girl. She'd 
escaped the Darkstorm, and in the end it still claimed her.
	Jadeite set aside the sheet, his jaw tightening as he mulled 
over that child's tragic life. As he did, his gaze shifted. His 
eyes were instinctively drawn back to the paper. He could not look 
away from the symbol. There was a macabre fascination with it. And 
a connection.
	Jadeite's fingers, trembling from either fear or excitement, 
though he knew not which, traced the symbol on the paper. A single 
downwards line curving at the base into a u-shape. Next to it on 
the left, a series of strokes resembling a sideways 'w', and above 
the initial stroke was a jagged line topped with a single, ragged 
dot. 
	Whatever the hell it meant, he had no idea.
	But he knew he was getting closer to the truth.


			*	*	*
	Nephrite leaned back against the doors that would lead him 
into the Fire chamber. He was waiting for Rei, had been waiting for 
her for some time now. While he had been expecting all of this to 
begin earlier, he didn't entirely mind the chance to relax. 
Besides, he didn't like going into the chambers without some sort 
of invitation. For as brazen as he knew he was, walking up to the 
Fire without being accompanied by its priestess was something he 
dared not do. Lately he really couldn't tell if there was some 
living entity within the flames.
	He glanced down one of the corridors as he heard hurried 
footsteps racing towards him. Rei came half-running around a 
corner, trying to move as fast as she could without looking like 
she'd run the entire way over.
	Nephrite had to smile. He uncrossed his arms and pushed away 
from the doors. "You're a little late," he remarked.
	"Sorry," Rei said. "My time guarding Serenity ran a little 
longer than expected. With Minako gone, our watches have been 
extended. We're still getting used to it."
	"I know the feeling all too well," Nephrite said, pushing the 
main doors open. "So, told anyone about your newfound abilities 
yet?"
 	Rei shook her head. "Not yet. I'd prefer to wait." 
	Nephrite regarded her with mild surprise.
	"The Outer Soldiers are going to be leading our training 
session tomorrow. I'd rather wait, especially for Uranus. Her 
physical power easily rivals mine, but she has a better mastery of 
it."
	After a moment of consideration, Nephrite agreed. "Makes 
sense." 
	What good was a weapon if you couldn't control it?
	They cleansed their feet and their lips before entering the 
chamber itself. As before, they first sat before the Fire and paid 
homage to it. Rei spent a great deal of time in silent prayer and 
meditation, seeking whatever answers might be there. Nephrite spent 
his time within his mind, where he knelt before a world of space 
and stars, and sought answers of his own.
	The stars had much to say, much to show, and Nephrite wasn't 
sure how much of it he liked learning. Great things were coming 
into alignment, the stars told him. Great and terrible things: a 
revolution, a cleansing and a war between the forces of light and 
darkness. The inevitability of this war didn't surprise Nephrite. 
Hell, he'd been expecting it. The urgency of the stars, however, 
worried him immensely. As if this war was already on their 
doorstep, knocking and waiting.
	"Not good enough," Nephrite muttered. 
	He pressed the stars for more.
	Their designs and dances whispered of cataclysms and 
bloodshed. The war would begin in heaven, and then fall to earth 
before returning to heaven for one last confrontation. It had the 
feel of an apocalypse, of an end to everything. And there the stars 
stopped--they would say nothing more to him. Again. For days now, 
every time he reached this point, the stars refused to reveal 
anything else.
	And he was losing patience.
	Nephrite let out a growl and tipped his head back, glaring at 
the stars surrounding him. "Don't tell me what I already know!" he 
shouted at them. "Damn you, what is coming for us? A name, a 
location, a weakness! Anything!"
	The stars kept their secrets to themselves.
	With a snarl, Nephrite roared, "Show me!"
	The mindscape around him flickered, and suddenly all Nephrite 
could see were the stars dancing around him in a dizzying blur. He 
whirled, his fingers wrapping around the grip of his katana. "The 
hell?" he hissed.
	By the time he turned again, the world changed, and he stood 
a stranger in it--uninvited and unnoticed. 
	It was Lunaria. Or it had been, once. Now all Nephrite could 
see were ruins and corpses. Broken stones and broken bodies 
littered the landscape. Everything seemed spattered in blood. 
Nephrite turned his eyes to the skies, and saw a writhing storm of 
black and purple light. Infernal veins of lightning coursed over 
the clouds before slamming themselves onto the desolate wastelands 
that used to be the moon palace. 
	The end had come for them all.
	"Amateratsu save us," Nephrite whispered.
	The echo of footfalls reached his ears.
	He wasn't alone.
	Nephrite turned around, and felt his pulse quicken as he 
beheld himself. And yet this other self, this second Nephrite, was 
different. Terrifyingly different. This Nephrite wore the royal 
robes of the Lunarian military, a General's rank. This Nephrite 
stood over Sailor Jupiter, the sole of his boot grinding against 
the side of her face. Her eyes were open, staring up at the 
pulsating stormclouds, but there was no life in them. She wasn't 
moving. She wasn't breathing. She was already dead. 
	"Girls like you break so easily," the other Nephrite stated 
in a voice as cold and merciless as ice. "Such a pity. Even in the 
end, you couldn't give me the challenge I so sought."
	The other Nephrite turned his head and made a sweeping gaze
of the ruined palace. He licked his lips. "I wonder if the others 
have left me any more playmates."
	Nephrite fell to his knees, almost vomiting on the spot. His 
body went rigid, his chest shaking violently. A cold sweat broke 
out, washing over him in a wave of fear and revulsion. He'd killed 
her. He'd just killed her. But that was impossible. To kill her was 
to turn against Lunaria and Earth! What had he seen? Was it a 
premonition, a vision of what could happen? Or had he seen the 
future?
	When Nephrite dared to open his eyes again, he found himself 
sitting in his chamber of stars.
	"Impossible," he muttered. 
	He didn't like Makoto all that much, but he didn't hate her 
enough to kill her. Not kill her. And not with such wanton 
savagery. The look in that other Nephrite's eyes...the bastard had 
enjoyed it! Enjoyed killing a Sailor Soldier just as much as he'd 
enjoyed watching the world fall apart around him.
	Nephrite willed his body to move. It did so only grudgingly. 
He unfolded his arms from around his chest, and began to curl and 
uncurl his fingers.  He couldn't tell the others. His heart raced 
frantically in his chest, and Nephrite again fought back the urge 
to vomit. He couldn't tell Endymion. Not any of them, not yet. Not 
until he could unravel whatever this dark omen meant. 
	That other Nephrite had been an ally of the very evil they 
were hunting. That one had turned away and embraced the darkness 
embodied by the red-haired witch. If that was him, or would one day 
be him, how could such a thing have happened? Was he capable of 
such vile betrayal?
	A gentle rush of air flowed past him	
	Nephrite flinched and turned his head. Rei stood behind him. 
She leaned over his shoulder, her long black hair falling behind 
her like a waterfall. "Are you all right?" she asked.
	Nephrite swallowed his emotions and nodded.
	She couldn't know either. 
	She'd never trust him if she believed him capable of...of that.
	"I've found what answers I could from the Fire," Rei said. 
She cast a worried look up at the stars. "Something is coming. It's 
almost here."
	"I've heard the same thing," Nephrite agreed. "The stars are 
talking all at once, but they're whispering in hushed voices, as if 
they're afraid of what I might hear."
	Of how he might betray their secrets to the very enemy he 
hunted.
	Nephrite forced himself to rise to his feet, to pretend that 
nothing was wrong. It proved hard enough to look into Rei's eyes, 
let alone face her general direction. He knew she suspected 
something was wrong. He didn't know how long he could keep it from 
her before Rei started demanding to know what was frightening him. 
They had to find that red-haired witch, now more than ever.
	His own soul might now depend on it.
	"We're running out of time, Rei," he stated. "We're doing it 
tonight."
	Rei blinked. "What?"
	"Take the afternoon off and get some rest," Nephrite said. 
"Tonight, we're going to see if we can break into her mind."
	"But we've barely done any training!" Rei protested, visibly 
daunted by the task ahead of them. "Hell, I've only beaten you 
inside your own mind once. That doesn't automatically mean I'm 
going to get into this woman's mind just as easily."
	Her reluctance almost caused Nephrite to snap at her. He 
would have, normally. But when he glared at her, all he could see 
was Makoto's broken body beneath his boots. Nephrite's acrid glare 
faded, revealing how exhausted he suddenly felt.
	"Beating me wasn't a one-time stroke of good luck," he said 
to Rei. "Your power evolved, and I'm betting if you transformed in 
front of me here and now, you'd be the same Super Sailor Soldier I 
saw kicking my ass inside my mindscape."
	Rei looked elsewhere, and Nephrite knew he was right.
	"Believe me when I say this," he told her. "The need to find 
out who she is and what she's plotting has never been more 
critical. We'll meet here again tonight, and I'll explain what you 
need to do." 
	He managed a reassuring smile. "I am confident in your 
abilities, Rei. Go and sleep now. Our success is dependant on how 
focused you are."
	Rei nodded respectfully, but with no enthusiasm whatsoever. 
She got to her feet and turned to leave. Two steps from the door, 
and she realized Nephrite had not moved. "Aren't you coming?" she 
asked.
	Nephrite shook his head. "If you will permit me, I would like 
to sit in the presence of the Fire for a little while longer."
	Rei glanced at the Fire and then down at Nephrite. "Stay as 
long as you feel you must. Until tonight, General."
	When she was gone, Nephrite watched the Fire. Watched its 
eternally dancing flames. The dance did little to abate the dread 
threatening to devour him whole.


			*	*	*
	Somehow, Kunzite found himself on his feet and thinking with 
a reasonable degree of coherency. The pounding in his skull had 
quieted down to a mild annoyance at worse, and the photophobia he'd 
experienced hours before was all but gone. He walked alongside Lord 
Temagami, and in front of them Minako and Yurino were regaling each 
other with tales of their respective palaces and the good-looking 
guys populating them. Lady Chihiro had expressed her regrets, but 
there were matters she had to attend to, and would rejoin with them 
as soon as she could.
	The halls of Venus' palace were so very different from the 
Lunarian palace. Instead of stone, everything appeared to be made 
from polished glass, from the pillars to the ceilings and towers. 
Every stair, every curve of every corridor, was smooth and opaque. 
Different colours decorated different areas. Banners and tapestries 
hung from the walls, each mural and script complimenting the feel 
of the halls.
	"What do you think of our hallowed halls?" asked Lord 
Temagami.
	"They're beautiful," Kunzite said, and meant it. "There is 
nothing like this on Earth. Nothing even remotely comes close."
	Temagami beamed as he glanced over at Kunzite. "If you think 
this is amazing, you should see the Mercury kingdom. The city 
itself is sprawled over an ocean, with almost every window looking 
out into some sort of view of a canal or river. It's also very 
confusing to go anywhere there, moreso than the Lunarian palace. 
How are you feeling?" 
	Kunzite scratched the back of his neck, never so happy to be 
dressed in casual clothes and not in any heavy battle gear. 
"Better, thank you."
	"My people's tonics are legendary on the moon," Temagami 
said. "You'd be amazed at the sort of symptoms we can treat, or at 
least suppress, with a single phial of medicine."
	"That doesn't surprise me," Kunzite ruefully agreed. "Your 
ancestors must have come up with this cure-all pretty damned fast 
after concocting that cognac of yours."
	Temagami let out a hearty laugh that echoed down the hall. He 
slapped Kunzite on the back, causing Kunzite to stumble forward. 
"Indeed, Master General! Indeed! And I for one must thank you for 
such an enjoyable evening. Never have I had so much fun with such a 
story."
	"I fear I made an ass of myself," Kunzite admitted.
	"Fear nothing," Temagami said, scoffing at Kunzite's worries. 
"From what I've been hearing, everyone is rather eager for another 
harrowing tale of honour and combat." He added, "I do apologise for 
Lady Chihiro's absence." 
	"I suspect important affairs have her attention elsewhere," 
Kunzite said, knowing all too well what that was like.
	Temagami nodded his head. His arms remained discreetly 
clasped behind his back, the folds of his robes gliding over the 
floor behind their footsteps. He constantly gave gestures and nods 
to the various officials and servants they passed by. "My wife has 
a place as the chancellor of our kingdom's senate," Temagami 
explained. "Under other circumstances she could excuse herself for 
a day or two and have a substitute replace her. But today we have a 
tricky matter that has divided our senate in half."
	"May I enquire what it's regarding?" Kunzite asked, genuinely 
curious.
	"The appointment of new senators," Temagami replied with a 
bit of a smirk. "Our senate has a rule that explicitly states no 
senator can hold a seat in the Venus Senate for more than...I believe 
it's five of your Earth years. No exceptions have ever been made, 
though as of late we've had a few senators who are arguing against 
this rule. They cite how it is an archaic law that should be done 
away with. Naturally these are the ones who've grown too 
comfortable with their chairs."
	"Can they be reappointed even after serving a term on the 
senate?"
	Temagami nodded. "Yes, certainly. Many of our best senators 
have been there for fifteen, twenty years. However, they always 
allowed the reappointment to stand. Sadly, the really good senators 
are the ones who, if they do not get reappointed, do not argue the 
matter, and gracefully and quietly step down." He let out a 
beleaguered sigh. "This time around, we have a lot of insecure 
braggarts who won't go quietly into the night. They don't even want 
to run the risk of reappointment, the cowards. These past few 
months we've barely been able to get anything of significance done. 
Everything winds up spiralling into a shouting match." 
	They momentarily lost sight of Minako and Yurino around a 
corner. As Kunzite and Temagami rounded the bend, they were 
presented with an enormous atrium of curving archways. No ceiling 
loomed over their heads and all the surrounding lights had been 
significantly dimmed.
	Here, the stars seemed to multiply in the heavens to the 
point where Kunzite lost count no matter where he looked or how 
hard he concentrated. The effect left him breathless and feeling 
very small when compared to the rest of the universe.
	"Our Arena of Constellations," Temagami said, his voice 
steeped in quiet pride. "This is the highest point in our kingdom, 
and one of the best places you'll find on the moon for star-
gazing."
	Kunzite's hands came to rest upon the pommel of his katana as 
he lost himself in the stars. On more than one occasion, he'd heard 
Nephrite trying to explain his mindscape: an imaginary realm of 
stars and shadows. If this was what Nephrite's mindscape looked 
like, he could understand why Nephrite would spend so much time 
meditating there. 
	"I must confess to a great deal of surprise and delight when 
I received your communiqué," Temagami said. "What made you decide 
to bring her here?"
	"She has not seen her home in years," Kunzite said, and bowed 
slightly towards Temagami, "and I wished to repay her for the 
assistance and generosity she has shown us."
	There was a glint of something devilish in the king's eyes. 
"Ah, and your affections for her had nothing to do with this 
either?"
	Kunzite and Temagami turned their heads as a loud noise 
boomed across the arena. Far ahead of them, Minako and Yurino had 
suddenly engaged in an age-old game of Tag, and Yurino was trying 
to avoid Minako by running circles around one of the servants.
	"She has a beautiful smile," Kunzite stated. "And a beautiful 
heart. It's been a long time since I've met someone with a heart so 
pure as hers. It reminds of me of why I've been fighting, of what I 
once swore to protect at all costs. She also infuriates me in a way 
that makes me laugh. When I'm around her, I feel alive--aggravated 
sometimes, a lot of times, but always more alive than I can 
remember being in a long time."
	Temagami nodded. "She's quite the handful, like her sister 
and her mother. I tell you, I am the luckiest man alive. And I may 
be even luckier should I have a man of honour like you for a son."
	Kunzite slowly turned his head towards the king. The look on 
his face made Temagami laugh again. 
	"She's smitten with you," Temagami stated. "It's easy enough 
to see. But you have to remember that I raised her, Master General. 
I know what each of her smiles really say. My daughter is a free 
spirit, yes, but she does not freely give her heart out to any man 
she encounters."
	They left the arena, and the lights grew brighter the further 
they were from it. A handful of fountains awaited them at various 
intersecting corridors. 
	"I knew your mother, Master General," Temagami said. "And 
your father too. He was a good man. I'm sorry things went the way 
they did." 
	He paused, studying Kunzite's face. Kunzite betrayed no 
secrets or emotions.
	With a sigh, Temagami said, "Forgive me if I am being too 
forthcoming in this."
	Kunzite made a vague, almost imperceptible nod.
	"The past is an unpleasant thing to face, even if you are 
ready," Temagami said. "Is that why you've never come here since 
she died?"
	"That is one of them," Kunzite said. It was easy to talk 
about such things.They had happened long ago, and he had made peace 
with them in years past. Even then, Kunzite preferred vague 
intimations rather than outright discussing them. Though years had 
gone by, some little remnant of pain and loss continued to go with 
him wherever he walked.
	"My place at Endymion's side also has its...added 
complications," Kunzite continued. "In the eyes of many, it would 
not look good if I made frequent journeys to the moon. I'd be 
branded a sympathiser at best, a traitor at worst."
	Temagami chuckled at the thought. "You could always be a 
spy."
	Kunzite was forced to nod, much to his disliking. "Most 
people prefer a scapegoat to a hero. I doubt even Endymion could 
convince many of them otherwise." 
	"Yes, the 'Lover Lunari', as I believe they're called." The 
words rolled off Lord Temagami's tongue like honey gone horribly 
wrong. "Human beings fear that which they cannot understand. 
Terrans and Lunarians are no different. We all hide our fear behind 
ignorance, arrogance and self-righteous piety."
	He glanced ahead at Minako. "Does she know?"
	Kunzite shook his head. "She hasn't asked about my past."
	"She will eventually, Master General. What will you tell her 
when she asks to meet your parents?" 
	"If she's that adamant, I can show her their gravesites." 
Kunzite found himself looking ahead, watching Minako. "It's upon a 
hill overlooking the sea, about three days' journey out from our 
capital." 
	"So your father has died. I'm sorry, I did not know."
	Temagami looked very much apologetic.
	"Everyone dies, Temagami-sama," Kunzite said. "Everyone. When 
my father died, he'd made his peace with the world and found 
serenity. I can only hope that when my time comes, I will be able 
to face the end like him."
	"Noble sentiments," Temagami said.  
	They journeyed through countless grand hallways. Arches and 
doors were scattered everywhere, giving them glimpses into great 
and secret chambers. Every now and again, Kunzite peered through 
one of the entranceways. Sometimes he saw gardens or sitting rooms. 
Sometimes he saw small galleries of art. There were a lot of echoes 
reminding him of some room or feature found in the Lunarian palace, 
though everything here was distinctly Venusian. The changes, 
sometimes subtle and other times very obvious, were a welcomed 
sight.
	Minako and Yurino continued in their games. Kunzite smiled as 
they tore circles around the palace staff, or tried to hide around 
corners and various dignitaries. A few of the dignitaries even 
joined in, feigning like they didn't know where one of the sisters 
was hiding. One older woman suddenly became It. Much to Kunzite's 
surprise, the older woman then chased after Minako at such a speed, 
he had to wonder if she was in fact as old as she looked.
	Kunzite turned towards Temagami, and found the king looking 
elsewhere. Temagami's broad smile was now marred by a solemn frown. 
They had reached a small T-junction in the corridor. The new 
corridor that opened up wasn't very long, nor was it ornately 
decorated like all the others. What set it apart from the rest of 
the palace were two guards, fully armoured and standing with 
weapons ready, standing before a set of cruel iron doors. In a 
palace such as this, the metal doors looked grotesque and 
blasphemous. 
	Temagami's pace never slowed as they crossed in front of this 
corridor, but his eyes intently watched those doors until they had 
passed it by. Only then did the king let out a short, audible 
breath. 
	Kunzite said nothing, and stared ahead at Minako. She hadn't 
noticed the change in her father. She was too busy playing with 
Yurino to even have noticed the guarded doors. 
	"'What could possibly be so important in that chamber?'" 
Temagami said abruptly. "Or so you ask yourself."
	Kunzite admitted, "The thought had crossed my mind." 
	"A mirror." The king threw a guarded look over his shoulder. 
"We do not let anyone go in there."
	Kunzite couldn't hope to hide his confusion. It showed in the 
way he blinked and clenched his jaw, mulling over so strange an 
answer.
	"If I didn't know any better," Temagami remarked, "I'd say 
you were inwardly smirking at the idea of a mirror under lock and 
key." 
	"Depends. What kind of mirror is it?"
	Kunzite half-expected to hear descriptions of a sacred 
treasure, of an old relic from when the kingdom of Venus 
encompassed a planet. He expected to hear of gold trim, of 
priceless jewels and a royal heirloom handed down for generations 
on end. Instead, all the king said was, "It is cursed." 
	His response made Kunzite frown. "I have never heard this 
story before," he said.
	"It is not a story, Master Kunzite," Temagami stated. "It is 
a threat my predecessors swore to guard against, one that I take 
very seriously. About two hundred years ago, there was another 
kingdom upon the moon. Like us, a small remnant had managed to 
escape the Darkstorm. They came from the planet Aurora."
	Kunzite stared at the king. "I've never heard of that name 
before."
	"I'm not surprised," the king said. "The Darkstorm pulverized 
it and scattered what was left across our entire system." 
	"The asteroid belt."
	"Yes. It saddens me to know that ring of lifeless rock used 
to be an incredible planet. They resisted the Darkstorm with all 
they had, and were punished because of it. Those who escaped were 
left without a home, and so they came to Lunaria like all the rest 
of us. That was almost four hundred years ago. They settled at the 
edge of the moon's dark side, like we did. As time went by, we 
became like sister kingdoms. For two centuries we lived in peace.
	"Then, two hundred years ago, something happened. We're not 
exactly certain when or how it happened, but it did. The reigning 
princess of Aurora, Princess Nehelenia, staged a coup and tried 
lead a revolt against the ruling Lunarian Queen. It failed. As 
punishment, the Queen of Lunaria called forth the shadow of the 
moon. It swallowed Nehelenia's kingdom up, and sealed it in 
darkness. No one has seen or heard from Nehelenia since."
	Now Kunzite regarded the door with newfound concern. The 
seriousness of Temagami's words reminded him of those fleeting 
shivers now following them all inside the Lunarian palace.
	"Where does the mirror fit into this?" he asked.
	"It is believed that a mirror was what led Nehelenia to try 
and seize the Lunarian throne. A cursed mirror, though no one is 
certain how it came to exist or why it suddenly appeared in front 
of Nehelenia. From what I've been able to gather, Nehelenia's 
parents died when she was but a child, and she grew up with adoring 
vassals but no one to comfort and love her. It made her easy prey 
for the mirror. 
	"There are no accounts I've been able to find detailing what 
happened in that final battle between the two queens. I do know 
that our Queen sealed Nehelenia into the mirror itself, where 
Nehelenia now dreams a dark and empty slumber. All records of 
Aurora were purged from the palace, and its very memory was wiped 
from the minds and hearts of every Lunarian."
	"And from Earth too, it appears," Kunzite added darkly.
	Temagami nodded his head. "The Earth and the moon had already 
been drifting apart for decades. That the asteroid belt had once 
been a planet was all but forgotten within a century. Time clouds 
all things in forgetfulness, Master General. Names, empires, even 
destinies--sooner or later, they are swallowed up and lost forever. 
After Aurora was sealed away, the henshin of that kingdom crumbled 
to dust and vanished. The last remnant of Aurora's existence ceased 
to be, and with it the destiny of its protector. Four hundred years 
ago, there used to be a Sailor Soldier of Aurora. This battle, 
however, we must fight without her."
	A loud and startled shriek boomed across the corridor.
	Up ahead, Minako had leapt out from a hiding place and 
startled Yurino. Yurino now took to chasing after Minako, egged on 
by Minako's teasing. The king smiled as best he could as he watched 
them play. "If you asked my daughter about all this, she would be 
as oblivious to the existence of Aurora as you were a short time 
ago. All the children of this age know nothing of Aurora, save for 
a handful of stories about a spectral Bogeyman that will appear in 
a mirror if you call to it ten times, and then drag you into its 
mirror world should you make eye contact."
	"But if Aurora's kingdom was forever sealed inside the 
darkness of the moon," Kunzite said, "they why does the moon's 
shadow continue to rotate?"
	"They are not trapped in a physical or geographical spot," 
Temagami said. "Aurora was banished to the darkness itself. The 
shadows can move wherever they want to, but Nehelenia won't ever 
step out of them. She's become a ghost, one that no can see or hear 
or even remembers. That is her curse. Even Nehelenia herself no 
longer knows who she is, so long as she sleeps.
	Temagami frowned once more and glanced back over his 
shoulder. "The task of safe-guarding that seal has been left to my 
kingdom. We were like sisters to Aurora, and we fought the hardest 
against their revolt. The mirror is all that remains. Even when her 
kingdom was sealed into darkness, the instrument of Nehelenia's 
power and downfall persists. That is why the doors to that chamber 
are locked and guarded, Master Kunzite. That is why even I will not 
venture inside, unless Halcyon Queen is by my side. 
	"If you were to enter the room, you too would sense an 
incredible darkness pervading the very air you breathed. Locked 
away in her mirror, Nehelenia sleeps, and dreams, and waits for a 
chance to finish the infernal crusade she once began. Someone 
walking into that chamber could very well trigger her return. I 
cannot be certain. But I do know it does us no good to awaken a 
sleeping demon. The fewer who know about the mirror, the safer we 
all are from it. The knowledge of Aurora and what that mirror is 
capable of has been passed down only to whomever is ruling the 
throne of Venus. My wife is aware of the mirror, as am I, and now 
so are you. But only the three of us know about it."
	"If this is all to be kept so secret," Kunzite said, "then 
why are you telling me everything? Why the risk?"
	"I love both my daughters," the king said. "But Minako has an 
innate sense of curiosity and a knack for letting it get her into 
trouble. I've lost count of how many times I've had to stop her 
from trying to enter that chamber when she was younger. Returning 
here might bring back the memories of the one room she was never 
allowed to go into as a child."
	Temagami shook his head. He suddenly looked so very old and 
tired. "I do not want to burden Minako with the knowledge of the 
evil that lies dreaming inside that room. She has enough burdens 
already. But you are someone she listens to, someone she cares 
about deeply. If you tell her not to venture inside, without even 
saying why it is so dangerous a thing to do, she will listen." 
	Kunzite made a formal bow. "I will honour your request," he 
stated. 
	"Thank you," Temagami said. "I can see why she loves you, 
Master Kunzite. You are a man of honour, and in this age that is a 
rare thing, even on Lunaria." He placed a fatherly hand on 
Kunzite's shoulder. "Keep my daughter happy, Master General. That 
is all I ask. And may you and her enjoy a lifetime of bliss, and 
many small children. I do, by the way, expect to see some of those 
small children running around my halls very soon."
	Kunzite opened his mouth, but no sound came out.


			*	*	*
	One of the largest and emptiest places in the Lunarian palace 
was its observatory. Located at the far end of the palace, on the 
other side of the menagerie and animal pens, an immense cylindrical 
monolith rose up and cast a shadow over the lunar surface. Its 
domed ceiling was half open, allowing for the observatory's 
telescope to stare out into the heavens.
	Inside the gargantuan, single room, Garnet sat on the other 
end of the telescope. The entire device had been mounted on a 
revolving platform, allowing the entire telescope (and subsequently 
the person looking through it) to rotate three hundred and sixty 
degrees. There were few angles the telescope couldn't glimpse. 
Before Garnet's eyes, the universe became a vast and amazing place, 
adorned with colours and constellations. Great mysteries paraded in 
front of her, glimpses of ancient enigmas and beacons of light 
caught by the telescope. 
	Lunaria employed only a handful of astronomers. Not many felt 
the allure of studying the stars to begin with. Comparable 
observatories had also been constructed in the Saturn and Jupiter 
kingdoms, allowing others to use those places as alternative bases 
of operation. As a result, Garnet rarely had to worry about her 
hobby conflicting with the schedules of the full-time astronomers.
	This remained the best place to go for total peace and quiet.
	People could walk into the archives easily enough and 
interrupt her. But here, they really had to go out of their way to 
find her.
	After assembling as best a list of fallen gods and monsters 
for Zoicite, Garnet had opted to retreat to the observatory for a 
little down time. All the tension and worry slowly drained from 
Garnet's mind as she studied the stars. She'd needed this little 
escape. Zoicite had been right recommending she do this at least 
once a day. So far the morning and afternoon had passed by with 
what felt like a complete lack of progress on their already 
fruitless searching. It was turning into a hell of a day. And to 
think it had started out with some glimmer of optimism. Garnet 
glanced over at Jadeite's coat, which hung off the back of her 
chair, and smiled.
	To the right of the chair, built into the entire swivelling 
platform of the telescope, was a table currently occupied by 
numerous pieces of paper bearing charcoal sketches, and even more 
sticks of charcoal worn all the way down to a nub. With part of her 
attention trained on the image being magnified through the 
telescope's lenses, she continued her sketch of a distant nebula.
	A half hour later, Garnet leaned away from the eyepiece and 
stretched out her arms over her head. Sitting like this for hours 
on end always required a follow-up session in a nice, warm tub. Her 
muscles were getting sore, a few already starting to fall asleep on 
her, but she hadn't reached the breaking point just yet. 
	Garnet reached for the orb built into the left side of the 
chair's armrest. Placing her hand on the orb, Garnet brought up a 
floating map of the stars and their constellations. She selected a 
new place to look, and the map disappeared as it activated the 
platform. With a groan, the telescope and its base began the slow 
and somewhat loud rotation, until they faced a different part of 
the heavens.
	Drawn once again by the allure of the eyepiece, she looked 
out into one little piece of the cosmos. Sunspot activity was 
increasing again. No surprises there. She'd been monitoring that 
for months now, off and on.
	A peculiar whisper drifted past her ears. 
	Startled, Garnet spun around in her chair. The observatory 
was empty. The only ones within the domed walls were her and the 
telescope. Unnerved, Garnet slowly swung her chair back into 
position and resumed examining the sunspots. 
	The whisper returned.
	Garnet whirled, almost throwing herself out of the chair. The 
observatory was still empty. The only other sounds she could hear 
were the echoes of the creaking of her chair. And then the whispers 
breathed into her ear. Garnet stiffened, frightened by what felt 
almost like a warm breath against her cheek. 
	A woman's voice. A woman's words.
	She was giving coordinates.
	Garnet's brow furrowed in puzzlement. She'd heard rumours 
about ghosts and disembodied laughter floating around the palace. 
But so far as she knew, no one had said anything about being given 
positions for starcharts. It still seemed completely ridiculous.
	Garnet brought up the map again.	
	"This is insane," she muttered to herself as she selected the 
coordinates spoken by the voice. "Simply insane. I've lost it. All 
those hours, all those books, and now I've simply gone and lost my 
mind. I'm listening to voices inside my head, and now I'm talking 
to myself. That can't be a good sign."
	With a slight protest and a lot of shuddering, the platform 
began to move. A short time later, it was at the preset spot and 
angle. Garnet stared up the length of the telescope's body. "What 
the hell," she sighed. "It's not like anything's going to be there. 
I probably just need some sleep in an actual bed."
	She put her eye up to the eyepiece, and adjusted the focus of 
the lenses.
	She found a comet.
	Garnet jerked her head away from the eyepiece and blinked 
deliberately.
	"Impossible," she said.
	Maybe she was just imagining it. Maybe it was a mistake, a 
speck of dust or a streak across the lens of the telescope. She 
checked again. The comet was still there. Frantic, Garnet scrambled 
for the papers on the desk, and began plotting starcharts and 
references.
	Two hours later, the results were still the same.
	Garnet found herself shaking almost out of control. She 
stared down at the equations, at the maps and trajectories. 
Countless scribbles and scratched-out numbers decorated no less 
than a dozen pages. Her jaw tightened. Her hand squeezed the 
charcoal stick to its breaking point; it snapped in half between 
her fingers.
	The comet was heading straight for the moon. If her 
calculations were even remotely correct, they had less than two 
days before it would hit. 
	"Halcyon save us," Garnet whispered.
	If she couldn't, then no one else could.


			*	*	*
	Upon her throne of ice, surrounded by the cold and the dark 
of space, the Snow Queen gazed upon all that stood before her. 
Lifeless planets, inhospitable pits of gases and mass. They had 
nothing to give her--no warmth, no beauty, no screams. The Snow 
Queen ignored them, fixing her gaze solely on a single, tiny moon 
still far ahead of her. 
	She could feel the warmth of that place reaching out even 
this far. It was exhilarating, the temptation driving her into a 
near exquisite frenzy. This was what she sought, what she had been 
seeking for her entire existence. This place, this moon, was in 
possession of something she wanted. She craved. Something that she 
would soon possess for herself.
	But not yet. Soon, but not yet.
	The Snow Queen's brow furrowed, a flush of anger marring her 
otherwise smooth complexion. 
	That...woman! That red-haired bitch!
	Already the Snow Queen's thoughts of ecstasy, of drinking up 
the light and heat of this moon, were being lost in a miasma of 
rage. That some mortal, some creature of mere flesh and skin, would 
so openly defy her. So openly mock her. All intoxicating thoughts 
of conquest fell before the vision of that red-haired woman's 
quiet, convincing smile. As if she, the Snow Queen, was already 
doomed to failure.
	How dare such a finite little creature defy a god!
	The Snow Queen rose from her throne and stood atop her 
platform. She stretched out her arms and summoned her children. The 
snow and ice on the surface of her comet began to churn. One by 
one, they awoke and answered her calling. Beautiful women, sculpted 
from ice, began to gather before the Snow Queen's throne. They 
smiled and giggled and whispered such sweet destruction.
	The Snow Queen held out her arms once more, and her children 
were silent. "My beautiful snow dancers," she told them all, and a 
vicious smile preyed upon her face. "It is time."
	Time to send out her messengers.
	To tell those upon the moon that death was coming for them.
	To bury that red-haired bitch in the ice at the foot of her 
throne.


			*	*	*
	Rei was already waiting outside the doors to the Fire chamber 
when Nephrite arrived. Her robes were even more elaborate than 
before, with folds upon folds of white and red layering her body. 
Her long, black hair had been braided in three different places, 
and strange runes were painted down along the sides of her neck.
	Nephrite, for his part, had not changed out of his casual 
uniform.
	He suddenly felt very underdressed.
	"Ready?" he asked after removing his footwear.
	Rei sucked in a deep breath of air, then shook her head. 
	"I know the feeling," Nephrite agreed, and pushed open the 
main doors.
	Side by side, they went inside. The doors swung shut behind 
them, and they were left to walk the first hall.
	"You don't act worried," Rei said. "In fact, you look like 
this is just going to be another ordinary session." 
	"There's a subtle difference," Nephrite told her, "between 
not being worried, and pretending not to be worried. I hide my 
apprehension well. What are they?" 
	Rei looked up. "Hm?"
	"The markings on your neck."
	Instinctively, one of Rei's hands clasped the side of her 
neck. "These?" The runes did not smudge when she lifted her palm 
away. "They're verses from my peoples' holy texts. The one on this 
side is a warning for the one who would bring harm to the bearer of 
these marks. The other is a prayer of protection for the one who 
wears the mark of the sacred Fire, which has been written here."
	She loosened her collars as best she could and tilted her 
head down. As she pushed her hair aside, Nephrite could see a very 
large and very detailed rune at the base of her neck.
	"Impressive," he remarked. "How long did it take to have 
those drawn on you?"
	"Two priestesses-in-training and the entire afternoon," Rei 
said. "I have others." She pushed back one of her sleeves. Even 
more intricate markings had been branded upon her arms, covering 
her entire forearm from the wrist up. Nephrite suspected the runes 
continued all the way to her shoulder.
	"There are even more," Rei added, her face a little flushed, 
"but I don't think it would be proper to show them to you."
	Nephrite had to smirk. "I'll bet." 
	"There are only a handful of ceremonies that require such 
markings," Rei said. "I don't think any of them have been performed 
for at least a decade." 
	"So are they just talismans for protection?"
	"Some are. The others...it's somewhat complicated to explain."
	They were just steps away from the last set of doors, and 
beyond that the inner sanctum where the Fire laid.
	"A few serve as focus points to help draw power and 
concentration," Rei continued. "Others are meant to amplify 
whatever powers I have or can gather to me. There's one painted on 
my stomach that serves as a contract between myself and the Fire, 
asking for success in exchange for a sacrifice."
	Nephrite froze, his hands against the last set of doors.
	In a very slow, deliberate voice he asked, "What sacrifice?"
	Rei was evasive in her answer. "Now is not the time to talk 
of such things," she said, stepping forward to open the last set of 
doors. She brushed past Nephrite with what felt like all the 
deliberate coldness she could assert. Nephrite swore through his 
teeth as he followed after her.
	The flames before them crackled with a ferocity Nephrite had 
never before seen. They swarmed and danced and cast frantic shadows 
upon the walls and ceiling. It was as if the Fire itself was lost 
in a near uncontrollable frenzy. Nephrite dared not walk further 
than halfway into the chamber. Rei assumed her seat only a few feet 
from the inferno, kneeling as she always did, going through the 
same ritual movements that would mark the beginning of her 
meditation. The markings upon her body, at least the ones Nephrite 
could see, abruptly changed from black to amber.
	"Okay, that's a new thing," he muttered. 
	The Fire had accepted her contract.
	"Everything is ready," Rei spoke. "We should begin." 
	She did not turn her head. She did not turn around. Her voice 
didn't even sound like hers anymore. It was really starting to 
creep Nephrite out. With some degree of apprehension, Nephrite 
knelt down on the floor behind her. He closed his eyes and focused 
his mind.
	The next time he opened his eyes, he stood within his chamber 
of stars. Super Sailor Mars was already waiting for him. The 
markings he had seen on Rei were still decorating Mars' body, even 
here inside the mindscape.
	Nephrite tried to smile, smile as much and as arrogantly as 
he could despite knowing what they were about to do. Once again, he 
saw a flash of Makoto's broken body being crushed beneath his 
boots. If the gods were willing to hear him, Nephrite prayed this 
encounter might at least prepare Rei for whatever darkness might 
set them against each other. For all he knew, what they were about 
to do might trigger his betrayal.
	If an attack was unavoidable, then let it not find her 
surprised and unready.
	"What must be done?" Mars asked.
	"This will be the first time you're farsensing into a mind 
other than mine," Nephrite explained. "While I'd have rather given 
you the chance to first attack someone other than me, that would be 
dangerous if not potentially fatal to both of you. But do not relax 
your guard; the risks inherent to what we are about to do will be 
no different. There could be complications. The more unaware your 
target is, the better the chances are of this happening without 
incident."
	"But this woman knows we might try farseeing again," Mars 
stated. 
	"I know." Nephrite turned his gaze to the stars. They still 
refused to tell him what he wanted to know. Now he wasn't even sure 
himself if he wanted to know the full extent of their secrets. "A 
master farseer can look into the minds and secrets of others, and 
even change them, without anyone else knowing. We are both, 
however, nowhere near such a level of expertise, and the red-haired 
witch we seek is very much a master."
	Super Sailor Mars remained insistent and optimistic. "But you 
think I can break through her defences. That's why you've trained 
me."
	"No," Nephrite told her flatly. "On your own, I doubt you'll 
have any more success than I." Before she could look crestfallen, 
he continued, "But where one is weak, two are stronger. And two 
coming at her is not what this woman will be expecting."
	Mars took in a deep breath. "What is your strategy?"
	"Misdirection." Nephrite's gaze was diverted elsewhere, his 
focus sharpening on a face he'd glimpsed only once. "I have been 
hunting this witch's mind for days upon days. There are times when, 
in deep meditation, I have sensed her--always just out of my reach, 
always keeping her mind guarded and hidden in the shadows. She 
enjoys watching me falter and fail. It amuses her.
	"Make no mistake, Rei, what I am planning can be done once 
and only once. Our enemy's let herself fall into a false sense of 
complacency. She believes we are like a blind animal that cannot 
see where to strike. I will search her out, and once I sense her, 
she will dart away, taunting me like always. And then you must come 
out and attack her. Attack her with your entire breath and being." 
	Super Sailor Mars stayed silent, listening and weighing his 
words. When Nephrite said nothing else, she waited and carefully 
crafted her next question. "How can we do that when we'll be so far 
apart?"
	"You'll be with me," Nephrite answered. "Tagging along-
hidden behind my back, so to speak. Think of it like my mindscape: 
I shall seek her out in my chamber of stars, and catch glimpses of 
her reflection somewhere in the air. You'll be there too, tucked 
away in a corner or patch of darkness. When you see that ripple, 
when you sense her mind--that is when you must reveal yourself and 
come out from the shadows to attack. Grab hold of that ripple or 
reflection and drag it fully into our sight. When I sense you 
attacking, I shall join the battle. Ideally we'll catch her by 
surprise long enough for one of us to glimpse her plans.
	"But as I said, this can only be done once. Afterwards, 
succeed or fail, she will be very careful to never let this two-
pronged attack happen again. I doubt if we'll ever be able to sense 
her after this."
 	A twinge of fear twisted its way into Nephrite's side. This 
also had the high potential for the witch to break into their minds 
and turn them against everyone else. He let his expression remain 
impassive and unreadable, and the fear was ignored. It had to be. 
	"What's required will be a little different from what we have 
done up to this point, and I wish there was time to allow for me to 
help you develop this technique. Time is no longer our ally. We 
must act now. I will sense out the mind of our target, and show it 
to you. From there, you alone must throw yourself into the battle: 
you must break down her mental defences and discover what memories 
and secrets she to offer. And she will in all likelihood know and 
feel that her thoughts are under siege." 
	Super Sailor Mars glanced around at the stars, as if 
believing this would be the last time she'd see them like that, and 
let out a short, rueful laugh. "Well, if you happen to see this 
woman before I do," she said to Nephrite, "tell her she can go to 
hell."
	In a quiet voice, Nephrite replied, "I will."
	They knelt down within his chamber of stars. Nephrite stayed 
out in the open, kneeling in the very centre. Super Sailor Mars 
knelt along the outermost rings of shadow and solitude. At the 
fringes where the fewest stars shone with the least light, she 
allowed the darkness to lovingly enfold her. There she knelt, 
hidden and waiting.
	Nephrite closed his eyes. He could feel Mars mimicking his 
actions.
	He reached out his mind and sought out his target.
	The chamber of stars became alive with the sound of a hundred 
different voices, all singing and laughing and shouting at once. 
Ghostly flickers of people appeared all around him. They paraded on 
and on, twirling around him, ever changing and never wholly 
visible. An eternity of searching and waiting seemed to go by.
	And then at last he found the thoughts of his prey.
	Nephrite's eyes opened as one of the wraith-like silhouettes 
began to take form. The cacophony of voices was dying and crumbling 
into dust, the flickers of people growing infrequent. He heard her 
voice. He caught sight of her red hair. Almost immediately the 
silhouette began to dissolve, losing form as the red-haired woman's 
taunting laughter echoed across the chamber.
	"Not this time," Nephrite hissed.
	He made his intentions known to Mars.
	Out from the shadows she sprang, charging across the chamber 
of stars with alarming speed. Mars slid to a stop not two paces 
from her target, her hands moving in a rapid series of gestures. 
The silhouette flickered into full shape and form, and Super Sailor 
Mars drove her will into the other woman. There were next to no 
mental barriers set up. No obscure haze, no impenetrable darkness. 
Mars smashed right through with such speed that she recoiled in 
surprise, and she could sense the woman recoiling in the same 
fashion from such a brutal invasion.
	Super Sailor Mars tumbled sidelong into a memory, a mindscape 
and a sanctuary all at once. Her eyes opened, and she found himself 
kneeling within a room that had no windows and only one door. The 
walls were silver, and adorned with designs etched in gold. It all 
looked distinctly Lunarian.
	Beryl was sprawled upon a sofa the colour of ripe apples, 
clutching at her face in anger and pain. Her waves of auburn hair 
flowed over the armrest and dangled above the floor. A stream of 
blood ran down the side of her face, crimson drops tumbling onto 
the sofa.
	"You," she snarled. "How dare you!"
	Mars fought to get back up to her feet, but her legs suddenly 
became like stone. Beryl slowly rose from the sofa, her breaths 
coming in heavy gasps for air. She lifted her hand away from her 
face. The wound continued to bleed. 
	"To think he would let a Sailor Soldier learn his secrets," 
Beryl stated as she approached Mars. "I should have realized 
something was different when he so blatantly tried to search my 
mind out. And now I see he was merely a decoy."
	With a cold scowl on her face, Beryl stared down at Super 
Sailor Mars. Her gaze roamed up and down Mars' uniform. "I 
underestimated the lengths your people were willing to go to. Had I 
known you'd evolved, I would have constructed more elaborate mental 
barriers."
	Her eyes stopped at Mars' chest.
	A faint amber light glowed through the fabric of Mars' 
uniform.
	"And you performed the contract too, no less," Beryl said in 
a quiet voice. A spatter of blood fell from her chin and struck 
Super Sailor Mars' uniform. 
	Despite being paralysed beneath Beryl's shadow, Mars had to 
smile. 
 	"Very impressive, my dear," Beryl said. "Such powerful 
countermeasures. Such dedication." A savage smirk pulled at the 
corners of her mouth. "Tell me, how much does Nephrite know about 
the sacrifice?"
	A cold stab of dread sent Super Sailor Mars' entire body on 
edge.
	Beryl began to laugh. "Oh yes," she stated. "I know his name. 
I know your name too, priestess of the Fire. I know so many 
wonderful little secrets...but it appears that even I have my 
limitations. You caught me by surprise today, little soldier. Gloat 
all you want about seeing into my mindscape."
	She reached out her arms, her cold fingertips pressing hard 
against Mars' skull. Super Sailor Mars winced, and no matter how 
hard she struggled she could barely even move. Pain exploded inside 
her skull. Mars tried to scream, but all that came out of her mouth 
was a sad, pitiful squeak.
	"Unfortunately my delightful little twins aren't around to 
probe your secrets," Beryl said. "I would have very much enjoyed 
making a Sailor Soldier one of my loyal little puppets, but I guess 
I'll just have to content myself in killing you where you kneel."
	It felt like something was drilling itself into her mind.  
Madness overtook Mars' emotions. A hundred different monsters 
invaded a hundred of her memories and turned her happiest moments 
into terrifying massacres. She couldn't look away. She couldn't 
close her eyes. Blood and screams and the past she'd so cherished 
had to be witnessed and endured. Tears began to run down Super 
Sailor Mars' cheeks as the exquisite torment tore her mind to 
shreds. Her body violently shook as Beryl's vicious laughter echoed 
across the room.
	Beryl leaned down and whispered into Mars' ear, "Before you 
die in that chamber where your Fire burns, tell Nephrite I'll be 
seeing him again soon."
	An unseen rune suddenly burned amber upon Mar's forehead.
	Beryl's laughter came to an abrupt stop, and her eyes widened 
in shock.
 	A shadow loomed behind her, and a pair of cold, furious brown 
eyes glared at her.
	"Get your hands off her, you bitch," Nephrite snarled.
	Beryl released Super Sailor Mars, frantic as she tried to 
whirl around. It made little difference. Nephrite clamped his own 
fingertips against Beryl's skull. Beryl grinned at his attempts to 
gain access to her secrets. 
	"You think you can beat me inside my own mindscape?" she 
sneered.
	And then Super Sailor Mars pressed her hands atop Nephrite's. 
A rune Nephrite hadn't seen before burned like the sun upon Mars' 
forehead. Super Sailor Mars glanced momentarily at Nephrite, and he 
understood.
	With Beryl between them, they showed no mercy.
	First the imaginary room around them shattered like glass, 
the shards scattering in all directions. Seconds later, Beryl 
herself shattered. Fragments of her face and body spun wildly in 
the air, her scream coming to an abrupt stop as they were dashed to 
tiny slivers on the floor.
	Super Sailor Mars looked around at the prevailing darkness. 
"Where are we?"
	"Inside her mind." Nephrite's eyes narrowed as the ground 
beneath their feet rumbled. "This can't be good."
	Everything exploded in a wave of electricity and terror.
	Nephrite grabbed hold of Mars and shielded her as a blast of 
cold air and debris smashed past them. The darkness was torn to 
ribbons, and then Nephrite beheld the carnage. Devastation towered 
all around them. A once beautiful palace was being dashed to 
pieces. Walls crumbled and great halls imploded. Columns collapsed 
and crushed people desperately trying to escape.
	The skies overhead were a writhing mass of blasphemous 
darkness. Nephrite found himself rooted to the spot as he stared up 
in horror at the cauldron of dark, pulsating clouds. People 
screamed and stampeded past them. People Nephrite recognized from 
all his times wandering the Lunarian palace. They stank of blood 
and death and stark terror. The ran past him, ran into each other, 
and burst into dust & ash as electrical arcs rained down from the 
ungodly black clouds pulsing in the skies. Even more  victims were 
slaughtered by an army of shrieking monstrosities as they overran 
the crumbling palace.
	Through the roars of thunder and deafening reverberations of 
a collapsing world and crumbling city, they could hear laughter. 
And with it, a blatant delight in a voice Nephrite could almost 
call human, and it did not belong to Beryl. 
	Super Sailor Mars shouted something in her native tongue and 
pointed up at the sky. Nephrite stared up into the heavens, and saw 
the impossible. Somewhere amidst the unholiness churning above 
them, he could visibly see crimson eyes and a cackling mouth.
	The storm was staring back down at them.
	And the storm roared in fury.
	"YOU!!!"
	The storm threw Nephrite from its presence.
	He was launched from the vision, from Beryl's mindscape, and 
from where he sat upon the floor of the Fire chamber. He struck the 
walls and dropped in a heap to the floor. Nephrite hissed through 
clenched teeth as he felt a sharp pain rampage through his left 
arm. Cradling his arm against his chest, Nephrite looked over at 
Rei. 
	Rei no longer knelt before the Fire. She was on the floor, 
her back arching up in the air so much it looked as if she would 
snap in half. The rune upon her forehead blazed with a violent 
light, the amber hues now burning blue. And she was screaming, her 
eyes wide and vacant, the terror in her voice reverberating across 
the room.
	"Oh god," Nephrite whispered.
	She was still locked inside Beryl's mind. And the visions 
were still coming, relentless and drowning her in whatever that 
monstrous storm was. It had refused to let her go, maintaining the 
farsensing link. 
  	Nephrite was on his feet instantly. He wrapped his good arm 
around Rei and forcibly yanked her off the ground, pulling her away 
from the Fire. Without a second thought he plunged into her mind. 
The once comforting ruins upon the hill he had first seen within 
her mindscape were exploding all around him. The golden fields of 
grain were on fire, a veil of black smoke trying to suffocate him. 
High above his head, Nephrite saw the same infernal storm roaring 
across the heavens.
	That unholy thing had followed Rei into her own mind.
	Standing beneath its fury, Nephrite's first impulse was to 
turn and run. He clenched his fists, stared up at the storm, and 
then raced up the broken stairs to the apex of the hill. Pillars 
toppled down around him, and a rock exploded, slicing apart 
Nephrite's back. He grimaced and refused to slow his pace. When he 
came to the topmost point of the ruins, he found Super Sailor Mars 
laying upon the ground.
	Lightning from the storm was attacking her.
	She screamed in agony and thrashed upon the stone floor, 
curling up into a ball as best she could as she was relentlessly 
struck again and again. Blood ran from countless wounds upon her 
body. 
	"Vile soldier!" the storm bellowed. "Die!"
	For a moment, Nephrite was lost to the horror of what he saw. 
Then he ran into the path of the lightning and threw himself over 
Super Sailor Mars. The storm howled with renewed fury, and the 
savage attacks seemed to double. Searing pain beyond anything he'd 
ever experienced before stabbed at every inch of Nephrite's being. 
Every part of him wanted to curl up next to Mars and wish for 
merciful death to take him quickly.
	Nephrite's lips curled back.
	He'd be damned before he'd let this storm take either of 
them!
	A rune identical to the one upon Mars' forehead suddenly 
burned upon his back. 
	Summoning whatever power and strength he could, Nephrite 
gathered Super Sailor Mars up with his good arm, and with a defiant 
roar he dragged her back into the Fire chamber. She was torn from 
he mindscape, falling back onto Nephrite. Nephrite continued to 
hold Rei as he pushed them across the floor, away from the Fire. 
Rei's eyes opened, unleashing a flood of hot tears, and she 
violently thrashed about in Nephrite's grip.
	Nephrite winced as her elbows and heels kicked and rammed and 
dug into his sides. He focused his efforts solely on Rei, letting 
his voice be all that she could hear. The glazed look in her eyes 
went away, the soul and heart of Super Sailor Mars returning to 
them. When she was at last calmed down, Nephrite let her see the 
rest of the chamber. The Fire worked to immediately soothe her, and 
she went limp, though her body continued to shudder.
	"Too close," Nephrite murmured to himself. "Too damned 
close."
	He'd almost lost her, almost lost them both.
	This had never happened before, not in all the times he'd 
farsensed into someone else's mind. Even when it had been a 
struggle to break into their minds, he'd always been able to sever 
the link. But with Rei...it was a different matter altogether. She'd 
tried to retreat, and that infernal storm refused to let her go. 
	What the hell had happened?
	Even now, with Rei shaking in his grasp and his arm most 
likely broken, Nephrite could not understand. Something bound them 
together, Rei and that storm, and it was deeper than blood. It 
smelled of destiny, of a power so old it had no name, and it 
frightened him.
	He didn't count the time waiting for Rei to recover. All he 
did was wait, and brace himself for the fury and the wrath. 
Abruptly she jolted in his arms, her mind having sorted through the 
last traumatic sensation.
	"It's all right," Nephrite whispered to her. "You're safe. 
The storm's gone."
	Rei began to cry.
	She burrowed her head against his chest and sobbed for a very 
long time. Despite the pain racking his arm, and his back, and 
pretty much everywhere else, Nephrite lay still and let her 
recover. Eventually her voice tapered off and she grew still. 
Nephrite was ready to believe that she'd fallen asleep.
	He doubted he'd ever be able to sleep again after this.
	"You came back for me."
	Rei's voice was soft, subdued.
	Nephrite tipped his chin down. Rei sat up, her face gaunt and 
tear-stained, but otherwise looking intact. "Even when you were 
cast aside and it came for me...you returned."
	It was incredibly awkward being on the receiving end of such 
quiet praises.
	Nephrite shifted uncomfortably. "I barely got either of us 
out," he stated. "Quite frankly, I'm stunned we're still alive."
	Rei smiled, one hand gliding across her chest. "The pact," 
she said, and looked back at the Fire.
	Nephrite began the slow, arduous process of sitting up 
himself.  "Yeah, well call it whatever you want," he said, "but it 
was blind luck I managed to locate this Beryl woman after you broke 
into her mind."
	"You saw into her name too?" 
	Nephrite nodded. "Didn't learn much else about her beyond 
that. The vision, on the other hand...I almost wish I hadn't seen 
it."
	Rei shivered. "What...what was that we saw?"
	"The palace of Lunaria," Nephrite said grimly. "Or whatever 
was left of it after Beryl mowed it down."
	"Do you believe that's the future?"
	Nephrite suddenly saw himself standing over Makoto's corpse 
once more. Yet another unwelcome chill slid down his spine. "It's 
the future she wants to see happen," he said. "We've just caught a 
glimpse of her plans, Rei. Lunaria is her primary target."
	"What about that storm?"
	Nephrite shook his head. "I don't know. I've never seen 
anything like it before."
	"We have to go to Halcyon Queen," Rei stated. "Now."
	"I know."
	Even then, neither of them moved.
	Neither wanted to move.
	"It deliberately went after you," Nephrite said finally. He 
could feel trickles of blood soaking into the back of his uniform. 
"It tossed me aside. It didn't care about me. But you...it was 
seriously pissed off at you, Rei. I don't know how or why, but it's 
holding some kind of deep-seeded grudge." 
	Rei shivered once more and wrapped her arms around her chest. 
"I tried to retreat," she whispered. "I tried, but it chased after 
me. It hates me, Nephrite. It hates what I am." 
	"Yeah, and I don't think it's going to be very thrilled if it 
ever sees me again too," Nephrite added. "We really do need to tell 
Halcyon about this."
	He struggled to get to his feet.
	Only when Rei tried to help him up did she notice his arm.  
After letting loose a string of foreign words that probably ended 
in some sort of curse, she exclaimed in Lunarian, "What happened to 
you?"
	"Gravity," Nephrite grumbled. He winced as prickles of pain 
traipsed up and down his back. Rei tried to wrap her arm around him 
as he got up, and her palm pressed against the back of his 
bloodstained uniform.
	"I think you came out of this worse than me," she said.
	Her legs almost gave out, and Nephrite had to hastily grab 
hold of her waist to stop her from falling to the floor. "You were 
saying?" he remarked.
	In spite of how she felt, Rei laughed.
	"Come on," Nephrite sighed. "Halcyon or Hotaru: I don't care 
who we wind up with first, just so long as we don't pass out along 
the way." 
	Their journey out of the Fire chamber was filled with 
multiple stops. Both suffered from shock and exhaustion. More than 
once, Nephrite stumbled and nearly crashed into something, or Rei 
collapsed onto the floor. The palace seemed a little more surreal 
and dreamlike. By the time they reached a more heavily travelled 
courtyard in the palace, both Nephrite and Rei were laughing.
	"You look terrible," Rei giggled.
	Nephrite let out a bark of laughter. "And you're as white as 
a ghost. But don't worry, I have some Sake that can fix that 
problem."
	They nearly tripped over their own stumbling feet and 
careened headlong into Makoto. With a startled shout, Makoto caught 
Rei up in her arms. Her eyes wide in disbelief, she looked from one 
to the other.
	"What happened to you?" Makoto exclaimed.
	"I'm all right," Rei insisted. "Nephrite's the one who needs 
help. We have to get him to a Healer."
	Makoto hesitated, a distinct frown across her face.
	"I can walk just fine," Nephrite stated, and promptly pitched 
sideways into a pillar.
	Grudgingly Makoto pulled him back upright. With a great deal 
of effort, Makoto went between Rei and Nephrite, draped their arms 
over her shoulders and helped carry them through the courtyard. 
	Something small and white fluttered down past Makoto's face.
	It was beginning to snow.





	The dance continues soon with the dancers in the ice...



Sailormoon, its characters, struggles and story, are copyright and 
the children of Naoko Takeuchi. No recognition of my story can be 
made without giving her proper recognition first. There are 
original characters in my story (Halcyon, Cioran and the twins at 
this moment), and if you wish to make use of them I'd rather you 
asked first than after the fact.


Close, personal thanks goes out to: Mel, the Fic Bitch and Meara, 
who all helped in deciding where to split this chapter, and change 
it from a 70-page chapter eight into something a little more 
manageable; and to Yumeko, who is probably wondering when Helios is 
finally going to show up. (All things to those who wait. ;)
 

My sincerest appreciations to Andrea & George for creating, 
updating, maintaining and revising 'A Sailormoon Romance.' 
(www.moonromance.net) It is good to know that so many wonderful 
stories will always have a home at ASMR, and it is a good home I 
will always enjoy coming back to.


Email Chaos at: hislordshipchaos@hotmail.com