--APPEARANCES-- She confused them. She stood calmly, slowly sweeping her gaze around the room with no expression on her face as the other thirty students sized her up. Her appearance startled many of them: a petite, almost fragile build, a delicately attractive but pale face, and silver hair that fell to the floor behind her, caught up at the nape of her neck and intricately wrapped to the height of her waist with a forest green leather thong. She did not wear the traditional uniform of the high school; instead, she wore a deep green, long sleeved, soft linen dress that clung to her figure to the waist, before falling in folds to just below her knees. The scoop-neck collar and the hem were adorned with embroidered knotwork patterns in gray, and she wore rather beat-up brown leather sandals. Instead of the expected briefcase, she had a rugged but worn black camping backpack slung over one shoulder. But it was her eyes that grasped the attention of the other students and made them stare and suddenly turn away in nervous embarrassment when their gaze was caught and returned. Large and so light as to be gray, her eyes seemed to lack something...a lack that even these students--whose classroom she’d entered just moments before--subconsciously recognized. Those frightening eyes settled on the eyes of each student in turn, looking immediately beyond the physical reality into their souls. Only three girls, sitting near the middle of the room, were able to return her gaze; she answered their smiles of welcome with a ghost of a wry grin. "Tsukino-san, this is Haruna-sensei. She will be your Literature teacher." Even the authoritative, often imposing principal seemed nervous with those strange eyes looking at him and was surprised to find himself relieved when the new student transferred that gaze to her teacher. "Good morning, Haruna-sensei," she greeted her teacher politely. Haruna, just as perturbed by that gaze as most of her students, paused for a single, flustered moment before replying. "Won’t you introduce yourself to the class?" Turning once more to face the rows of desks, she nodded her head slightly. "Hello. My name is Sorcha naGealaí, which translates roughly to Tsukino Serena." For the first time, she smiled noticeably: a small half-smile, "I’ve noticed that Irish names are a bit difficult to pronounce for those unaccustomed to them." The smile faded away. "I’m from a small village on the western coast of Ireland, and I will be finishing my schooling here in Tokyo." Serena’s voice was soft and melodic, but like her eyes, seemed to lack something intangible, something crucial. "Thank you, Tsukino-san," Haruna handed her a folder of loose papers. "We are beginning the year with world literature--I believe you were told we were reading Albert Camus’ THE STRANGER, have you purchased a copy?" At Serena’s nod, the teacher smiled. "Good, then please take a seat. If you have any questions or need any help getting caught up, we can meet after school sometime this week." With another nod, Serena moved down a row, receiving covert glances the whole way. Sitting down, she looked up to see the blond in front of her turned around to smile at her with laughing eyes. Next to the blonde, the brunette offered her a quirky grin, while the blue haired girl next to Serena glanced away from the three books spread out across her desk to offer a shy smile. She returned their welcome with the same half-smile that had graced her countenance before the class, but this time her eyes seemed to soften slightly. "Aino-san! If you start talking AGAIN, you have detention!" Haruna seemed rather exasperated, and the blonde’s eyes widened as she spun in her seat, plastering a look of angelic innocence on her face. With a small sigh, Haruna directed her attentions to her newest student. "Tsukino-san, perhaps you would like to begin the discussion by reading the beginning of Book 2? We will center today’s discussion around the first few pages of that chapter." "Of course, Haruna-sensei." She pulled out a hardbound book, the cover so worn that the embossed words were nearly illegible. She opened it to a bookmarked passage, flipped through a few pages before beginning to read--slowly and with many pauses. Her new classmates were uneasy; some seemed embarrassed for her while others smirked at her obvious difficulty with the Japanese language. Serena, however, took no notice and continued to read. "Tsukino-san," Haruna-sensei stopped her in the midst of the first paragraph. "I was under the impression that you spoke and read Japanese fluently. What is the problem?" "I apologize Haruna-sensei." "And what translation is that? I wasn’t aware that there were any other translations aside from what we’re reading." Wordlessly, Serena offered the dilapidated volume to the teacher who had come to stand at her desk. Placing her own dog-eared, paperback copy on the student’s desk, Haruna turned to the cover, attempting to find the name of the translator. Not seeing it, she frowned, flipping through the book; suddenly, she stopped and stared at her new student incredulously. "You’re reading this from the original French?" "Hai, Haruna-sensei. It seemed rather pointless to purchase a new copy when I had a perfectly acceptable one already." There was no inflection in the new student’s voice. The smirks on the faces of the students vanished. They stared along with their teacher before Haruna regained her self-control. "Very well, Tsukino-san. As long as you can keep up with the class, you are certainly more than welcome to use the original text. Mizuno-san, would you lend Tsukino-san your copy so that she can read the passage?" Mizuno-san--the blue-haired girl next to her--handed Serena a paperback with another shy smile. "Thank you." And Serena proceeded to read the passage in flawless Japanese. ~~~ Ami, Minako, and Makoto followed her quickly striding figure across the courtyard. She stopped and contemplated the large oak tree before her, and then grasped the lowest branch, swinging herself up to sit four feet off the ground. She pulled a notebook from her bag before dropping the backpack unceremoniously to the ground and settled against the trunk of the tree. "That was impressive," Makoto greeted her with a smile. At Serena’s curious look, the tall girl waved vaguely at the branch. "I’ve never seen anyone get into a tree in a dress without flashing everyone." The silver-haired girl grinned slightly. "Lots of practice." She twisted her legs around and leapt from the branch. Turning to the three girls, she brushed some bark from her skirt. "It’s a pleasure to meet you..." "Kino Makoto," the brunette offered. "I’m Aino Minako--but call me Mina. Welcome to Tokyo!" "Hi, I’m Ami." The girls settled at the base of the tree, Serena once more leaning against the trunk. The silence became a trifle uncomfortable, as Serena showed no signs of starting a conversation. "What’s Ireland like?" "Where did you learn to speak French so well?" "And why do YOU get out of that hideous cultures class???" Serena half-smiled once more as the three looked at each other and giggled, embarrassed. "To start with the easiest question, this year you’re studying Europe in cultures class. Because I’m European, they assume I don’t need to take the class." With a theatrical groan, Minako flopped back on the grass. Ami looked at her worriedly, "Mina, if you’d just READ what Benet-sensei assigns..." "Ami’s our resident genius and tutor," Makoto informed Serena, making Ami blush furiously. "So, where did you learn to speak French, Serena?" Ami asked, trying to steer the conversation back to less embarrassing ground. "In Nancy, a city in the province of Lorraine, about three hours east of Paris. My mother taught in the university there for three years." "Benet-sensei must absolutely love you," Mina said from her prone position. "He’s always bitching about no one wanting to learn French." "Benet-sensei?" Serena asked. "I’m supposed to meet with him after lunch." "Good luck. He’s an ogre!" "Mina! Honestly, he’s only mildly offensive and moderately horrible!" Makoto crossed her arms and glared mockingly. "But Mako-chan, even AMI won’t take a class with him, outside of what’s required." The blue-haired girl blushed once more. But before she could defend herself, Mina sat up once more to question Serena. "Hey, how are you managing to get out of class to meet with another teacher?" "I don’t have a class directly after lunch--just like I don’t have a class before Literature in the mornings. I’m excused from taking Cultures, and Russian is only offered at the University, so I’m excused from taking a language class during the day." Mina and Makoto looked at her slightly startled. "Russian? You’re taking a FOURTH language?" Mina stuttered. "No, actually Russian is my fifth language. I speak Irish-Gaelic as well," Serena said. Silence once more reigned. "I think I hate you," Mina close her eyes and fell back into her former position. Makoto rolled her eyes. "Ignore her. We do...Hey don’t poke me Blondie!" Serena smiled that same half-smile at Makoto’s look of outrage and Ami and Mina’s laughter. The bell sent the three girls scrambling for their books and bags as Serena replaced her still unopened notebook in her backpack. As she prepared to dash back into the school building, Mina turned. "Serena, would you like to go to the Crown Arcade with us after school? We’ll introduce you around..." Thinking back to her route home, Serena realized she’d have to pass by the arcade anyway. "Sure, Minako-san, but I can only stay a few minutes." "Great...and call me Mina! Meet you here after school!" And the blonde was gone, racing into the building after her friends. With a sad smile and an undetectable sigh, Serena walked towards the building. //They haven’t changed much at all.// ~~~ "Three...two...one......now." DING "Crap." A cocky grin. "Pay up, Rei." "He cheated." "I’m hurt! Where is your faith in my powers of perception?" "Powers of perception, my..." "REI!" WHOOSH Makoto, Ami, Minako, and Serena stood just inside the arcade as the electric door closed behind them. Before them, a grumbling black-haired girl in the uniform of a private school was handing a small wad of cash to a tall dark-haired, blue-eyed college student, while a blond man in an apron stood behind the counter attempting to look wounded. "Why do you have to be so damn punctual?" "Rei! Just because YOU haven’t figured out that Motoki has everyone’s routine memorized doesn’t mean you have to curse at US!" Makoto admonished as she hopped onto a stool between the two already seated. "And you, Darien," she turned her attention to the man on her right, "you ought to stop while you’re ahead. One of these days we’re going to be late." "But until then I’m going to keep taking her for all she’s worth," Darien responded in a baritone laced with humor. Mina stood impatiently waiting to be noticed before finally giving up. "Oh forget that Mako-chan! Guys, meet Sor...Sor." "Serena," she corrected. "Right. Serena, the cute one behind the counter is Motoki, the touchy one is Rei, and the one counting his winnings is Darien." Once again silver eyes gazed at strangers. Motoki smiled at her, shuddering imperceptibly at the emptiness he saw in her look. Rei locked eyes with her and frowned slightly as she automatically set out a probing thought towards the newcomer and met with...nothing. //The silver-haired freak is shielded! How’d she manage that?// She caught herself and smiled a greeting before anyone could notice her lapse. //You will have to wait for the answer to that question, my dear priestess.// Serena kept a tight reign on her thoughts, knowing that Rei--even half-trained--could pick up stray thoughts if they were left unguarded. Serena braced herself as she turned her gaze to Darien; even so, she was only just able to keep from showing the shock that ran through her body, mind, and soul as she locked eyes with him. She felt her soul reaching for him, and with her body hovering on the edge of a trance, she could almost see the ends of the severed soul bond seeking each other. With a savage mental jerk, she wrenched her soul away from his, forcing her mind and heart to obey her will, withdrawing her emotions once more behind her mental walls. As she brought herself under control, she gave him a half-smile. "It’s a pleasure to meet you." She swept her gaze over the other two as well and was relieved that her voice remained calm. Darien was stunned. For a single instant, when their eyes met, he’d seen enough emotion in those gray orbs to send him spinning into madness: love, joy, friendship, laughter, mischief, tenderness, need, pain, tears, sorrow, and hatred. Each feeling vied with the others for control, and Darien was struck by the sudden premonition that the world depended on the outcome of the war in this girl’s soul. Yet almost as soon as that instant arrived, it was gone, leaving behind only his confused impression and a sense of utter loss. By the time he recovered his composure, the others had thankfully engaged the newcomer in a conversation. "Sor?" Motoki questioned. "My real name is Sorcha naGealaí, but I translated it to be pronounceable in Japanese." "What language is that?" Rei asked. "What does it mean?" Motoki added almost immediately. "In Irish-Gaelic, Sorcha means light and happiness, naGealaí is literally ‘of the moon.’ Hence my Japanese name Tsukino Serena." "Oh, that’s not pretentious." Darien rolled his eyes, having visibly recovered. He fell back on his time-honored method of dealing with individuals who disturbed his hard-won mental balance--mocking sarcasm dripped from his handsome mouth. Serena turned and quirked an eyebrow at him, somewhat amused. "Actually, to be truly pretentious, I’d be Solas rather than Sorcha. Solas connotes divine light." Darien opened his mouth to retort, but before he could widen the war of insults, Motoki had his hand over his friend’s mouth. Shooting the other man a warning glare, Motoki invited Serena to sit down. "I’ll fix you a ‘Welcome to Tokyo’ milkshake--on the house, of course." Letting go of Darien, he winked at the silver-haired girl. Serena smiled slightly at Motoki’s kindness. "Thank you, I really appreciate it, but I have to leave. I have to get back home to change before going to work. Can I take a rain check?" "Sure! Stop by again!" With a chorus of good-byes from the others hovering in her ears, Serena turned and walked out of the arcade. As soon as she was past the windows, two hands descended, smacking Darien in the head. He ducked and yelped, trying to ignore the tongue lashing that Minako (who was too far away to smack him), Makoto, and Motoki were dishing out. Only Ami, who sat shaking her head and rolling her eyes, and Rei, who remained strangely quietly, deep in thought about Serena’s startling--and troubling--ability to shield her thoughts, refrained from joining in the chastisement. "...her first day here and you’re being a jerk already!" "...lucky I didn’t smack harder." "...a little harsh, don’t you think?" "Fine! If I’m just going to be abused, I’ll leave!" Darien made as if to storm out, when Rei’s placed her hand on his upper arm to stop him. "What?!?" With a meaningful stare, Rei responded flatly, "you ARE coming to the study session to help me study for my chemistry test tomorrow." It wasn’t a question. Catching her tone, Darien paused, fighting down surprise for the second time that afternoon, and glanced at his watch. "Half-hour?" Rei nodded. "I’ll see you at the temple then." With a nod to the rest of them, he strode out of the arcade towards his motorcycle. A moment later, Motoki was called away to the other end of the counter. "Get Artemis, Mina-chan. We’re having a meeting," Rei commanded. ~~~ "You couldn’t get ANYTHING?" Rei sighed. "Absolutely nothing--she has the most well-shielded mind I’ve ever come across. Even BERYL leaked something. With Serena, it was like running into a blank wall." She stared into the fire; when the silence dragged on, she continued. "The good news is, I’m fairly sure she didn’t notice what I was doing. And I know she didn’t attempt to read any of us." Darien looked up. "Fairly sure?" She closed her eyes. "With a shield that strong, I obviously couldn’t see what she was thinking. But the nature of a shield like that is a wall. It divides things; it keeps inside what belongs inside and outside what belongs outside. In other words, her own shield would keep her from noticing what I was doing outside it." "That’s just an assumption," Artemis pointed out. "Yes, but a fairly accurate one, I’d say," Ami said. "When she met her, Serena didn’t show any kind of reaction that would indicate that she felt Rei inside her head." "Whether she knows or not, what does this mean? Who could she be?" Makoto was already thinking in operational terms. It was Ami who answered. "I suppose she could be an enemy--a leftover from the Dark Kingdom or someone associated with this new menace. But that’s just one possibility with no more than circumstantial evidence to back it up." She shrugged. "She could have nothing at all to do with us." Darien raised his eyebrows incredulously. "Ami, what are the chances that a new student with an unbreakable mind shield at your school and a new enemy are unrelated?" "Probability aside, Darien, I still don’t think she’s necessarily an enemy. None of the rest of us felt anything out of the ordinary. And why would an enemy practically announce her presence with a shield like that? Rei, aren’t there more subtle ways of disguising thoughts?" "Several, as a matter of fact, most of which I couldn’t break outside of a full trance in front of the fire." Rei looked thoughtful for a moment. "There is one possibility. After the destruction of the Silver Millennium, at least some families with mental talents survived right?" She looked to Artemis for confirmation. "Metallia destroyed as much of the Moon Kingdom as possible before she was trapped by Queen Serenity. It’s not likely that she killed absolutely everyone, though. Some of them may have been talented," the white cat confirmed. "There have been cases of "wild" talent cropping up generations after the last truly talented member of the family died off. Who’s to say that Serena isn’t the product of a talented family, and her shield isn’t just a vestigial part of the talent." Darien remained unconvinced, Ami was tapping numbers into her computer, and Makoto and Minako simply looked thoughtful. "It’s possible," Artemis told them. "The probability is low but definitely not impossible," Ami confirmed. "Look, Darien," Rei attempted to head off the explosion of his temper. "I’m not saying we should ignore this. I just don’t think there’s any reason for us to start treating her like an enemy." "But we should keep an eye on her." //There’s something...not quite RIGHT about her.// Suddenly Minako spoke up, clasping her hands to her chest and fluttering her eyelashes theatrically. "Oh how CUTE! Darien wants to STALK Serena! Isn’t love wonderful?" The silence that met Minako’s statement was broken by gales of laughter. Artemis winked at his charge as--after a tense moment-- Darien decided to smile tightly rather than kill her. //Mina-chan certainly knows how to break the tension.// "So we’re agreed? We befriend her and if she starts trying to suck the energy of the citizens of Tokyo, we dust her?" "Hai, Minako." "And you’re going to be nicer to her, Darien?" "I never said that." "Before the gossip or fighting can even begin," Artemis interrupted, "I think we should discuss the--other--new enemy." "I haven’t been able to get anything new on them, yet." Ami sounded apologetic as she tapped at her computer. "But I’ve got my computer scanning the city almost continuously, and from the patterns we’ve seen in the past month, we should be about due for another attack." "We’ll be ready." Makoto spoke for everyone. "Hai." "Now, Darien, about your attitude..." "Later, Mina-chan. I really DO need his help studying for a chemistry test tomorrow." "Riiiiiiiiiight..." Artemis curled up for a nap. ~~ //What IS it about three o’clock in the morning? Are youma naturally nocturnal? And the park--what IS their fascination with the park? I don’t know WHY they choose to attack at 3 O’CLOCK IN THE DAMN MORNING IN THE BLOODY FRICKING PARK! There’s not a soul here!!!// Mars ran from the temple two nights after the discussion about Serena, her violent thoughts stirring her anger and her power. She arrived just in time to see Mercury coat the immediate area in fog as Jupiter fried off one of the monster’s arms. She caught a brief glimpse of green scales, slime, and tentacles before the fog cut off her view. "Why must they always be so fantastically grotesque?" Mars demanded of no one in particular. "To match your simply stellar personality, my dear Mars," Venus replied, readying her gold chain to restrain their opponent. They waited. The true power of Mercury’s icy fog was the disorienting effect it had on the unprepared. There was a short space of time--perhaps as long as three or four seconds for particularly idiotic youma--as it dissipated in which the monster was completely confused, while the senshi remained alert. As planned, the fog began to dissipate, and the senshi unleashed hell. Venus wrapped the thing with her golden chain, rendering its many tentacles and arms useless. Mars cast her fires from its right, while Jupiter unleashed another thunderclap from its left. The fire and thunder was followed immediately by a half-dozen steel-tipped, blood-red roses thrown in quick succession, seemingly from a tree directly in front of the thing. Mercury remained in the background in case she was needed as emergency backup. The attacks proved too much for the monster, and with a scream, it promptly disintegrated. //They work well together, don’t they Luna?// The figure in the tree sent her thought to her companion carefully. Mars might not be fully trained yet, but she was formidable in the art of telepathy. //Thank the gods for that. I suppose they had to learn quickly.// //*I* certainly wasn’t there for them.// //Sailor Moon...// //Wait, Luna...I don’t like the feel of that energy.// Below the two observers in the tree, dark energy was converging above the remains of the youma. A portal appeared and out stepped a figure that none of the senshi recognized yet each one immediately distrusted. Taking up fighting stances, the senshi and Tuxedo Kamen--who had descended from his own tree--faced this new enemy. "Who are you and what do you want?" Venus wasted no words. The figure hovered ten feet off the ground, his red hair glinting in the light from the far off street lamp, his eyes professing the madness that all villains seemed to suffer from, an upside-down black crescent moon adorning his brow. "My droids have been defeated by four girls in short skirts and a boy in a tuxedo?" His eyes burned with anger. "This must be some sort of joke. Where is she?" "Who?" He laughed wildly, sarcastically. "Oh, the sophisticated mind games! She’s here, I can FEEL her! Now where is she?" Mars and Jupiter began to power up their attacks quietly, while Mercury tapped at her computer and scanned with her visor. Tuxedo Kamen moved slightly to gain a better shot. "Oh, I think not, freaks." With that, he began to gather a ball of black energy--much like the portal energy--in his hands. "Rubeus! That’s quite enough." The senshi and Tuxedo Kamen looked up, startled. Rubeus grinned wolfishly into the darkness. "I see you’ve managed to find more of your own kind, Sailor Moon. Tell me, are they as incompetent as you are? Or do you honestly think they can protect you from us?" As he spoke, a shadowy figure leapt from the branches of a tree and approached the group of warriors. As she stepped into the pool of dim illumination, the senshi and Tuxedo Kamen were plunged, once more into confusion. She stood calmly, her gaze fixed on the man floating above the ground. Her long golden hair flowed down her back to her knees from two buns atop her head; deep blue eyes that followed Rubeus’ every movement dominated her pale yet beautiful face. Her petite figure did not hide her obvious strength. She wore a fuku, like the other senshi, but hers was white, with a silver skirt and bow. Similarly, her knee-high boots were white and trimmed in silver, and a silver tiara--adorned with a moonstone rather than a gem--rested on her forehead. She gripped a silver staff almost exactly her own height, inscribed with patterns of knotwork, atop which rested a crystal all of them had seen before. She didn't move, didn’t respond to Rubeus’ taunts, didn’t react to the others’ surprise. Except for her golden hair, she might have been a reflection of moonlight, still and silent. "Do tell me I have the pleasure of accepting your surrender, Sailor Moon. I’m sure Demando might contemplate sparing your city were you to willingly join us." The villain smirked at all of them, not letting go of the energy he’d gathered. When she still didn’t respond, he grew visibly angrier. "I grow bored with this game Sailor Moon, and you’ve seen what..." She vanished and reappeared, floating directly behind Rubeus. Whispering something unintelligible, she struck the portal with the butt of her staff. Rubeus’ scream of pain was indistinguishable from the shriek the portal itself emitted as it collapsed. He fell, catching himself just above the ground, and she came to float before him, her face an emotionless mask, her voice steely and determined. "You have my answer. It has not changed, and nothing you or your tyrant ‘king,’" her voice mocked the title, "can do will change that answer. Now, are you leaving or must I help you on your way...again?" He formed another portal below his back, which disappeared as soon as he fell through it. She stared at the spot for a moment, then closed her eyes, sweeping the area with her mind, startling Mars, who was also monitoring the energy of the area. Settling to the ground, she turned to face the five warriors who had yet to relax their fighting stances. With a curiously familiar half- smile, she bowed her head in greeting. "Good evening, Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Jupiter, Tuxedo Kamen. I am Sailor Moon." Acting on instinct, Mars reached out with her mind, only to slam into an impenetrable shield for the second time that week. This time, however, the object of her probe responded. //Please don’t do that Sailor Mars. It’s rather unpleasant and potentially dangerous.// Shocked, Mars dropped her probe and stared at the newcomer. As the silence lasted, she seemed content to wait, gazing at each in turn. Finally, Venus spoke once more. "A little elaboration might be in order." "And some proof would be nice," added a rather disgruntled Sailor Mars. "You want my credentials?" She appeared amused, which further aggravated the senshi of fire. //Luna, I think it’d be best if you told them--they’d believe you more readily.// A small shape detached itself from the shadows and approached the group; the dark cat stepped before her mistress, the light revealing the peculiar crescent moon mark on her forehead. "Good evening Ladies, Tuxedo Kamen. I am Luna, former advisor to Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom and guardian of Sailor Moon. What exactly were you curious about, Sailor Venus?" "LUNA!" "Artemis?" A white shape raced between the legs of the senshi and nearly bowled over the cat in front of Sailor Moon. The two cats stared at each other for a moment before touching noses and rubbing heads. "Luna, I can’t believe it, where have you been, why are you here now, how did you get here, what is going on..." "ARTEMIS! Do you think you could play lover kitty AFTER we’ve determined who this is?" Mars rudely jerked her head at the warrior standing over the two cats with an amused smile that matched Luna’s expression. Artemis’ eyes went wide with recognition, but before he could speak, Luna slammed a paw over his mouth and shot a warning look in his direction. "Good evening, Lord Artemis. I am Sailor Moon." Artemis returned his gaze to Luna. "Why?" She looked away and he saw nothing but sorrow in her eyes. "It’s a long story." "Would someone KINDLY inform the rest of us of the relevant details that seem to have been missed in tonight’s little show?" Tuxedo Kamen’s deceptively soft baritone left no doubt about his frustration with the current situation. Sailor Moon swept her gaze over the group once more. "As I said, I am Sailor Moon. Like you, I am a remnant of the Silver Millennium, but I am a child of the Moon, rather than one of the planets. I battle against the same enemies and strive towards the same goals as you." "Really," Mars responded in a flat voice. "Why don’t you let us judge that for ourselves?" "Do you trust Artemis?" Once again, the senshi and Tuxedo Kamen were caught by surprise. "Of course," Venus answered somewhat bewildered, "completely. But what does that have to do with anything?" "I propose that we allow Luna and Artemis to discuss the situation and report back to us. There are things that need to be left unsaid as well as much that must be explained, and we are all unwilling to give up our secrets to virtual strangers. Furthermore, Artemis and Luna remember the most about the Silver Millennium and thus are the best qualified to understand our relation to the past and to each other. Finally, I think they’d like a more private reunion." She half- smiled at the two cats at her feet. //I’ll get you for that.// //Of course, Luna. But would you rather we chaperoned?// Mars seemed to be on the verge of protesting again, but Mercury laid a gloved hand on her friend’s arm. "Let Artemis speak with Luna. He won’t agree to anything we would oppose, and he and Luna can work out the relevant histories more efficiently without our interference." "Very well," Mars acquiesced, and turned to leave. One by one, with final glances thrown in the direction of Sailor Moon and the cats, the senshi followed. Tuxedo Kamen remained, staring at the new senshi. "I don’t trust you." "You have no reason to trust me," she agreed. "That’s why I suggested they work it out." She gestured towards the cats, already deeply involved in a quiet conversation. //Luna, when you want to come home, call for me. I’ll teleport you back.// Feeling Luna’s vague agreement, she turned back to the masked, caped man. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll take my leave as well. Good night Tuxedo Kamen." And once more, she disappeared. With a last look at the two cats--who ignored him completely--he turned and walked to the street where he leapt to the roof of a nearby building. //Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.//