On the train, Naru looked over the large group. Benjiro was reading, Jomei, Keiji, Meiko, Mitsu, and Jae and Mina's two boys were absorbed in their pocket video games, Nariko and Renjiro were having a story with Mrs. Osaka, and Tamika was napping in Naru's arms. Jasmine sat by herself, watching the other children play their games. Her attention seemed especially focused on Keiji, while Keiji, who was jumping out of his seat and yelling "Bull's eye!" every time he zapped an alien invader, seemed oblivious to her. Naru smiled to herself. Keiji really was too young to be getting distracted by girls, but not in the way that Nephrite meant. He was simply not ready to notice them.

A few times, Naru caught Jasmine's eye. The girl would smile quickly, hiding a worried look on her face. Naru hoped that her own worries didn't show; the children didn't need to know that anything was wrong. After a while, Jasmine came over to Naru and sat beside her. "Lady Naru?" she began, shyly.

"What's wrong, dear?"

"I don't know. I'm just, I don't know, kind of worried. I overheard my dads talking about something they're doing and it sounded like they didn't want to do it, like it was wrong or dangerous or something."

Naru tried to keep her voice calm and reassuring. "I know that the Guardians are going to be working on something very difficult for a few days. It's going to keep them away from home most of the time, so they decided that we might as well take those days and go on a holiday. It's nothing to worry about."

"Is that what Lord Nephrite told you?"

Naru smiled at the slim blonde girl. "Yes." Actually, she had put the words in Nephrite's mouth, but he hadn't contradicted her.

"He wouldn't lie to you, would he?"

"Of course not. Everything will be fine, Jasmine."

"Okay." Jasmine gave her a tentative smile. "Thanks, Lady Naru."

"Tell you what, dear, while we're on this outing, why don't you just call me 'Mom.' It's easier than saying 'Lady Naru' all the time."

Jasmine's face lit up, then she hid the brief flash of happiness with her usual quiet reserve. "Thanks, Mom." She got up and went back to her seat.

Naru caught a glimpse of Benjiro, who was seated facing her, looking up from his book with a questioning look on his face. He must have heard the whole conversation. He was so like his father; he and Nephrite even thought alike, and it would be obvious to him that his father wasn't being completely forthcoming. She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. He lifted one eyebrow slightly, indicating his refusal to accept her false assurance, but went back to his book without saying anything.

When they arrived at the lakeside village, the first thing the children wanted to do was swim, despite the chill in the early autumn afternoon. At the house, they excitedly got into their swimsuits while Naru spoke to the servants, a middle-aged couple who lived at the lake house full time, then she took the whole bunch out to swim. Little Renjiro played with Midori in the shallows while the older children took turns jumping off the small dock. Naru sat in her one-piece turquoise swimsuit on the grassy shore, Tamika lying on a blanket beside her, and watched the children yell and splash in the lake.

Benjiro emerged from the water and walked over to his mother. He winked as he sat down beside her. "You know, if I were twenty years older and you weren't my mom..."

"Oh, stop it," Naru said, laughing. "You're as bad as your father."

Benjiro laughed a bit, too, then became serious. "Speaking of Dad, he hasn't completely told you the truth about why he sent us out here, has he?"

"Your father swore to me a long time ago that he would never lie to me again."

"I know," Benjiro said. He had been told the story of his parents' past on the eve of his seventeenth birthday. "But hiding things isn't quite the same as lying, is it?"

"No, it isn't."

"And I think Dad's hiding something. I also think you have an idea about what it is. Listen, Mama, I'm the oldest, and I'm more than halfway through my training to be a Guardian. Don't you think I ought to know what's going on? In case something bad happens?"

Naru hesitated, wanting to shield her child. He wasn't a child, though, she reminded herself. He was seventeen, a Guardian-in-training, old enough to fight to defend his King and Queen and his family. A man. Naru sighed. "I don't know very much," she said quietly. "I'm not supposed to know anything - what I do know, I accidentally overheard. The Guardians have been working with Lord Shingo on a way to defend Crystal Tokyo against enemies like the Dark Moon. They're going to try out something they've discovered, that's dangerous and possibly treasonous in its implications."

"Treasonous?"

"I heard one of them say something about Beryl."

Benjiro was silent a moment, no doubt remembering what he'd been told about how his father and the other Guardians had betrayed Endymion to serve the evil queen. "Damn," he whispered.

"I know," Naru said. "Of course, I was just hearing things out of context, so it might not mean anything...." She trailed off at the cynical look her son was giving her.

"Maybe, but you don't really believe that. I think Jasmine knows more than she's letting on, too. I'm going to try to find out what she knows. I think Jomei and I ought to find out as much about this as we can, in case something happens." He stood up.

"Benjiro," Naru said.

He looked at her. "What, Mama?"

"If you want to talk to Jasmine and Jomei, that's all right. But please don't go frightening the younger children. Please."

"I'm not going to frighten them, Mama. But I want to be able to protect them if it's necessary."

Naru watched her fine, strong son walk back to the lake to find Jomei and Jasmine. She felt proud and terrified at the same time. Surely, she tried to assure herself, Nephrite would never do anything that would put their children in danger.

* * * * * * * *

Late that night, in the workroom at the top of Lord Shingo's tower, Shingo and the four Guardians sat around a wooden worktable, preparing to carry out their test. Each Guardian held a small, round crystal that had been specially prepared for this spell. The crystals were flat, round gems about two centimeters across, with convex, multi-faceted surfaces. Nephrite's was deep cobalt blue, Jadeite's was a pale, pure green, and Kunzite's and Zoisite's were ice-blue and silvery-pink, respectively. Four small, sharp knives lay on the table, one in front of each Guardian. In the center of the round table sat the Imperium Silver Crystal. Lord Shingo had not been quite forthcoming on whether Neo-Queen Serenity knew that her brother was borrowing the Crystal tonight. Nephrite decided that maybe this was something he would prefer not to know.

"Are we ready, gentlemen?" Lord Shingo asked, looking at each of the Guardians.

Nephrite tried to push aside his misgivings. On paper, the plan was flawless. Foolproof. This experiment was the climax of three years of study. None of the Guardians wanted to throw away three years' worth of work, and none of them wanted to appear less than fully dedicated to protecting Crystal Tokyo. "We're ready, my Lord," Kunzite said, and Nephrite and the other two echoed him.

"Very good. You know what to do? Then let us begin."

Shingo had awakened from the Sleep with a moderate amount of magical power. It was believed that he had absorbed it from his sister's crystal as she awakened the world. The Guardians had trained him to use his power, and now he was a reasonably skilled mage. As he began murmuring the necessary magical formulas, each Guardian picked up his knife and made a small cut on his thumb. The Guardians squeezed drops of blood from the cuts onto their crystals, which began to glow. Slowly, tendrils of light the same colors as the crystals snaked out from each crystal towards the others and towards the Silver Crystal in the center, weaving a net of multicolored light. The net stretched upward from the central crystal, forming a narrow tube. The top of the tube began to flare out; soon, it would spread to create a barrier of strong magical power over the palace and then over the city, to keep out invading forces.

Nephrite was beginning to feel drained, as he concentrated on controlling his power, keeping it woven with the others' to form the web of magic. But it was working; the net of power reached higher, higher, extending to the ceiling of Lord Shingo's tower, then through it....

Female laughter that was too familiar suddenly rang in Nephrite's ears. Beryl. Behind her, he could hear the harsh, grating tones of Metallia's laughter, too. As intended, the spell had attracted their attention from the farthest reaches of the Universe, where their souls had been banished a thousand years ago, before the Sleep. The barrier should be strong enough to keep them out; this was the test that Shingo had suggested. But what if it wasn't? Nephrite thought again. What if it failed -

"Good work, Lord Shingo," Beryl said. "You have succeeded."

There was a sudden rushing sound in Nephrite's ears, a weight descended on his soul, the chill of evil magic shot through his veins. As darkness veiled his sight, he realized that the magic intended to create a barrier had instead provided a bridge for the very powers it was supposed to keep out. What have we done? he thought as the onrushing darkness swallowed him.

* * * * * * * *

Naru awoke to a flash of greenish light and the sound of someone shouting her name. It was Setsuna, Sailor Pluto. The desperate urgency in the Senshi's voice drove Naru to hurry. She scrambled out of bed, pulled her white embroidered cotton robe around her, and ran down the stairs. Behind her, her mother and several of the older children looked down over the second-floor railing.

Sailor Pluto stood in the center of the main room, her tall, elaborate staff glowing. She was leaning against the staff, and when Naru's eyes adjusted to the light, she saw that the Senshi's uniform was singed and bloodstained, and blood was seeping from a large gash across her forehead. It's begun, Naru thought numbly.

"There's no time to waste, Naru," Setsuna said. "I need all the older children down here."

There were so many questions Naru wanted to ask- Why, what happened, is my husband all right? - but Setsuna's desperate tone forbade any delay. Naru turned to the staircase and called the older children down.

"Benjiro, Jomei," Setsuna ordered. "You two are needed at the Palace immediately. Keiji, have you had any Guardian's training at all?"

Keiji, looking pale and very young, nodded. "I started last month."

"Then you must go also. You three must be the Guardians now."

"No..." Naru suddenly felt weak with fear. Her oldest son's arm went around her, steadying her. "What happened to Dad and the others?" Benjiro asked.

"I'm not sure. They disappeared during the fight," Sailor Pluto replied curtly. "Go directly to Serenity's private tower; when I left, that was the only part of the Palace we were still holding."

Benjiro and Jomei each grasped one of Keiji's wrists, and the three of them disappeared in a swirl of red and white light, much like their father's teleport. "But they're so young! Keiji's only twelve!" Naru protested as her mother took Benjiro's place at her side, supporting her.

"His King and Queen need him to be a man now," Setsuna answered. "Jasmine, Mieko, Mitsu, and Toshiro. Come here, please." The four frightened-looking children reluctantly stepped forward. Pluto held out the hand that wasn't grasping her staff, revealing four small, circular crystals lying in her palm. "These were used in the magic that brought Beryl and Metallia back tonight. Sailor Neptune was nearly killed in the battle to take them from Lord Shingo's tower, and I myself barely escaped. I'm not entirely sure of their properties, but I do know that they must be kept out of Beryl's hands. Jasmine, come here."

The tall blonde girl stepped forward.

"I'm sorry," the Senshi said. "You'll have to carry two of these. The crystals were activated with blood, and they must be given only to those who carry the same blood. Otherwise they could kill the carrier." Setsuna held out a pale blue-gray crystal and touched it to Jasmine's chest, near her heart. The crystal seemed to melt into the girl's chest. Jasmine gasped a bit and tensed up. "Breathe slowly and relax," Setsuna advised her, then placed a silvery-pink crystal into Jasmine's chest. This time it seemed to be less of a shock as the crystal buried itself in the girl's body.

"Meiko, you're next," Setsuna said.

The boy stepped forward and squared his shoulders. It nearly broke Naru's heart to see him trying so hard to be brave. She forced herself to not intervene. Setsuna would not be doing this if it were not absolutely necessary.

Sailor Pluto held out Nephrite's cobalt-blue crystal, and embedded it Meiko's slender chest. Meiko winced and bit his lip, but didn't make a sound. "Now, Toshiro," Setsuna said.

The yellow-haired boy came to stand beside Meiko. He seemed determined to be as brave as his friend had been, as Jadeite's pale green crystal entered his chest.

"What about me?" Mitsu asked.

Setsuna held out her hand, and a larger, silvery crystal appeared in it, dropping out of a pocket of negative space. Naru drew a sharp breath at the sight of the Imperium Silver Crystal. She understood its importance, that it was a powerful weapon in the fight against evil, but she still hated the thing. Nephrite had once died because of it, and now it was going to tear her world apart again. "This can only be placed inside a female of Moon descent," Setsuna said. She turned to Naru. "You are of the Moon people, Lady Naru, therefore your daughter is of the necessary lineage. The Silver Crystal is the key to the spell that allowed Beryl and her demon mistress to return. We must keep it from them at all costs." She touched the Crystal against the center of Mitsu's chest, and it disappeared into the girl's body. Mitsu swayed; her twin caught her and kept her from falling.

"But Beryl will find out that the children have the crystals inside them," Naru said. "She'll -" She couldn't bring herself to say "kill them."

"I've hidden the crystals, now I mean to hide the children," Setsuna said. "Don't worry, they'll be in good hands where they're going."

"Where is that?" Naru demanded. "Whose hands will they be in?"

Setsuna gave her a small, distant smile. It looked rather gruesome in her bloodied face. "Yours. Do you remember how I sent Rini back to the past to hide her from the Dark Moon?"

Naru couldn't even speak. She just nodded once.

"I'll do the same thing with these four. If Beryl does figure out where to look for them, they'll have the Senshi and Sailor Moon to protect them there. And your past self will take care of their other needs." She turned her attention back to the four children who bore the crystals inside their bodies. "It's time to go." She raised her staff.

"Wait!" Naru cried out. In a few steps she was with the children. She gathered all four of them into her arms. "Be careful," she said, trying not to sound as frightened as she felt. "I love you. All of you. Please be careful."

Setsuna allowed them a few seconds for one more hug, then said. "We have no more time." Naru stepped back, reluctantly breaking her hold on the children. Setsuna raised her staff again, and green light streamed out from it, wrapping around the Senshi and the four children. The light flared out, obscuring the group, then they were gone.

Naru stared at where they had been, struggling to take in everything that had happened. Nephrite had disappeared, his fate unknown, and five of her children were suddenly gone too. What had gone wrong? Had the Guardians and Lord Shingo known that they would be unleashing an evil force into the world? Naru became aware of little Nariko and Renjiro clinging to her, along with Seiji, Jadeite and Mina's younger son,. She pulled the little ones into her arms, wondering if she would be able to protect them if she had to. "Mama," she pled, feeling terribly lonely and frightened.

Midori put her arms around Naru. "I'm here, dear. You aren't alone."

Naru nodded. "Thank you, Mama."

At that moment, Tamika began to wail in her crib, ready for her middle-of-the-night feeding. "I'll go get her," Midori said, and went upstairs.

Green light filled the room again, and Sailor Pluto reappeared. She looked pale, and was leaning heavily on her staff. "They've arrived safely, Naru. The younger ones will be all right where they are, at least for now."

"What about my boys?" Naru asked.

Setsuna gave her a look that was gentle, yet filled with something Naru couldn't quite name, some sort of old and terrible wisdom. "We are at war, Lady Naru. Though they are young and not fully trained, your sons are warriors. You understand the inherent dangers in that."

"Yes." They were soldiers in a war. They could be killed. Naru tried to turn her mind to something else. "Why couldn't Rini take the crystal?" She felt terrible for wanting another woman's child - her best friend's child - to take the risk in place of her own, but still... Rini was the Princess, the future Queen, and a Senshi; Mitsu was only a little girl.

"Rini's absence from the Palace would be noticed by our enemies, and based on past history, they would know where to look for her. Hopefully, it will be some time before they realize that Mitsu and the others have disappeared. Also, Rini is old enough and powerful enough now to fight alongside her mother and the Senshi, should that become necessary. Naru, don't worry," Setsuna went on, suddenly sounding exhausted. "They're safe. Your younger self will look after them, and they have all the Senshi, in their full powers and without any other distractions, to protect them."

Midori came back downstairs and placed Tamika in Naru's arms. Naru let the baby gnaw on her finger for a moment. "But, Setsuna, if they were with me in the past, why don't I remember anything about it?"

"The past will be changing a bit, though I'm trying to keep the amount of change to a minimum. The memories will come to you as they happen." The tall, green-haired Senshi sagged a bit, then forced herself to stand up straight. "I have to return to the Palace," she said. "I'm needed there." She teleported in another swirl of green light.

Naru stood still, trying to figure out how her whole world had fallen apart so suddenly, until Tamika lost interest in Naru's finger and began nuzzling at the front of her white muslin nightgown. It was out of her hands, Naru told herself. All she could do now was take care of the children she still had, and pray for the others and for Nephrite.

* * * * * * * *