--TOMORROW--


"Where IS that flea-ridden mongrel?"

"Artemis does NOT have fleas, Rei. Would I let him sleep in my
bed if he did?"

"I still say she’s Serena."

"How could it be Serena, Mako-chan? The hair and eyes are all
wrong. I know the fukus keep us from being recognized, but our
hair color and eye color at least remain the same."

"I don’t care Mina, it’s too much of a coincidence. She shows up at
school--with a mind shield--and two days later Sailor Moon shows
up--with a mind shield. How much more proof do you need?"

"Ami, what do you know about the disguise properties of the fukus?
Could it change Serena’s hair and eye color to keep us from
recognizing her?" Mina hoped to end the argument there. Ami’s
word on technology, magic, and just about everything else was law.

"I’m not sure. All the pictures of us as senshi show us with the
proper hair and eyes, even if the rest of our features are vague
enough to provide anonymity, but her fuku may have different
properties. And she may have the ability to change her
appearance herself. I don’t know enough about Sailor Moon or her
powers to make any predictions."

"See?"

"Mako-chan..."

"Where IS Artemis?!?!?"

"Calm down Rei, I’m right here." Artemis stalked into the temple
with Darien following in his wake. The cat perched on the low table
in the center of the room, and looked around at the girls and
Darien. He sighed. //There’re going to be some disappointed
senshi this afternoon.//

"First of all, don’t interrupt me. This is, as Luna promised, a long
story--even if I’m only telling selected parts. Secondly, I will not
tell you Sailor Moon’s ‘civilian’ identity. That was the first thing
Luna and I agreed upon. She won’t tell Sailor Moon your names,
and I won’t tell you Sailor Moon’s name." He paused and got half-
hearted nods and not a few dark looks from the girls.

"Fine. Sailor Moon is, as she said, a warrior for peace, love and
justice--like you five. She has been waging her battle in another
part of the world, like Minako and I before the rest of you awoke
and we returned to Tokyo. She also fought against Beryl and was
actually with you when you four went to rescue Darien." He looked
slightly annoyed. "Unlike you guys, however, Sailor Moon retains
all of her memories from that battle...coherently, I might add."

"So she knows the identity of the moon princess? And how is it
that she has the crystal?"

Artemis sighed. "I’ll get to that Mako-chan, stay with me. So you
girls HAVE fought alongside Sailor Moon before--and quite
successfully too--even if you don’t remember it. And yes,
Sailor Moon does know who--and where--the princess is." He
flicked his tail in annoyance. "This is where the story gets rather
complicated...mostly because I don’t remember as much as Luna
does."

"During the Silver Millennium, you four were the companions and
guards of the moon princess, just as your mothers--queens of their
respective planets--were the advisors and defenders of Queen
Serenity. But at certain points during the Silver Millennium--times
of extreme danger or unrest--there was a fifth guard: Sailor Moon.
Her duty was to both the queen and princess and she was
commonly regarded as the last line of defense between the royalty
of the moon and the enemy."

"The current Sailor Moon was sent ahead in time by Queen
Serenity along with the rest of the princess’ court, and after the
defeat of Beryl last year, the princess gave her the Silver Imperium
Crystal before disappearing once more. According to Luna, the
princess remains hidden for her own protection, allowing Sailor
Moon to wield the crystal in her place. Thus, the princess is doubly
protected: she’s kept out of the line of fire, and Sailor Moon has
the most powerful artifact in the galaxy at her disposal to keep the
enemy away from the princess."

"Which brings me to this new enemy..."

"Hold on, Artemis. How is it that Sailor Moon has such an intimate
connection with the princess? Why were we not included in this
venture, and how can Sailor Moon use the crystal? I thought only
the royalty of the Moon Kingdom could wield it without being killed."

Artemis flicked his tail and gazed solemnly at the senshi of fire.
"Rei, I know you have questions above and beyond what I can tell
you. Much of this situation is based on what happened a thousand
years ago, and we are handicapped by our lack of memory;
whereas, Sailor Moon and Luna both remember nearly
everything--both about the Silver Millennium and our more recent
battles. I will tell you this: Luna shared everything she knows with
me--even what I don’t remember and don’t completely
understand--and I trust both her AND Sailor Moon."

The senshi and Tuxedo Kamen regarded each other solemnly.
Artemis was not one to fling the word "trust" around lightly, and the
senshi instinctively believed the white cat’s assertions about their
new ally--for Sailor Moon had just been recategorized, from
"potential enemy" to "ally."

"Artemis," Makoto was the first to recover from her contemplation.
"Why isn’t she telling us this herself? Why go through you and
Luna? Does SHE not trust US?"

Surprisingly it was Ami who answered. "Mako-chan, would YOU
be willing to tell HER your identity?"

"Artemis trusts her. I don’t see why not."

"Would you have been willing to tell her your identity last night?"
Ami persisted.

Makoto fell silent and Artemis nodded. "Exactly, Ami. Sailor Moon
realized that you would be unwilling to trust her immediately--with
good reason. That’s why she requested that Luna and I discuss
things before you met again."

"And we’re meeting again when?" Rei demanded.

"Luna suggested--and I think it’s a good idea--that you meet with
Sailor Moon sometime in the next few nights to discuss the new
enemy. They have been fighting this ‘Dark Moon family’ far longer
than us; apparently, we’ve been dealing with the least of the
monsters, while Rubeus is the third general they’ve faced in the
past sixth months. It’s not going to be easy." He watched the
faces of the warriors before him harden with determination.

Darien and the rest of the girls looked to Minako. "Tell Luna, we’ll
meet with Sailor Moon tomorrow night, at eleven, atop the Starlight
Tower. That will give us time to discuss the situation and return
home at a decent hour."

"Providing no unexpected guests drop by," Makoto added darkly.

"Really, Mako-chan," Rei chided, "what youma has ever had the
sense of style to attack anything but the park?"

Darien rolled his eyes, and checking his watch, made his escape to
class before he could get drawn into the "friendly" argument in the
making.

~~~

"Let us review." The silver-haired man lounging on the throne
watched his kneeling, redheaded general squirm. "Your utter and
complete incompetence has caused Sailor Moon to join the rest of
the senshi in Tokyo. While you’ve managed to put all of the targets
in one, relatively small area, you’ve also succeeded in giving the
senshi--at best a mildly annoying group of girls--the one person
who can, and will, congeal them into a seriously troubling force."
His voice remained soft as he regarded the dark liquid swirling in
the brandy glass in his left hand. "Tell me again, exactly WHY
should I allow your blood to remain in your body?"

"My Lord Demando, Sailor Moon shows every sign of succumbing
to the plan we set in motion a month ago. You witnessed the
change in her fighting style and manner. And I’m told by one who
watches the time portal that Sailor Pluto has been disappearing
much more frequently--presumably to repair rifts in the time
stream."

"She has not yet become so overwhelmed that Esmeraude and
Saffir could seize control of the time gate."

"No, my Lord, but her increased efforts indicate that our actions
now are having a rather adverse effect on the timeline leading to
Crystal Tokyo--otherwise, why should she bother?"

"Rubeus, while you were indeed able to implement a plan
approaching brilliance--which is all that is keeping you from death
at the moment--you still lack a fundamental understanding of the
motivations of our enemies." His underling remained silent;
Demando smiled coolly. "And if you think that I will be the one to
undertake your education, you are mistaken. Continue your efforts,
I have authorized you to utilize as many droids as necessary. You
are dismissed." The general disappeared without so much as
raising his head.

Demando shifted, throwing a leg across the arm of the throne.
Sipping from his glass, he stared into the darkness of the "throne
room," seeing the opulence of his real palace and an enticing
silhouette, rather than the modest emptiness of this place created
sparingly from dark energy in a little-traveled corner of subspace.
//Soon, my princess, the battle for your soul will be complete...both
here and in the future. I do look forward to the victory celebration.//

~~~

"Serena!"

She looked back, searching for the familiar voice. Motoki dragged
an obviously unwilling Darien over to where she stood, halfway
between her classroom and the main gates of the university
campus. She greeted them with a small smile.

"I didn’t know you were taking classes at the university, Serena!"

"Good evening Motoki...Darien. Just one class, I’m in the midst of
learning to speak Russian, and the high school doesn’t offer it."
She recommenced her walk towards the gate. "What class have
you two got tonight?"

"Film in Modern French Culture. Darien told me about it and led
me to believe it’d be an easy elective. I didn’t find out until too late
that it’s taught entirely in French!" Motoki rolled his eyes
theatrically. Darien looked unimpressed.

"You can stop trying to blame this on me, anytime. You speak
French well enough to get by in the class."

"You see, Serena, what kind of ‘friend’ he is!"

She grinned softly at Motoki--an action that caused Darien no
amount of consternation. "What films are you watching?"

"You ask that like you expect to have heard of them, shrimp,"
Darien sniffed.

"Vous seriez surprisés." [You would be surprised.]

They both gaped for a moment, but Motoki recovered quickly and
linked arms with the small girl. "My savior! You wouldn’t,
perchance, happen to have seen CYRANO DE BERGERAC?"

"Peut-être." She smiled, Darien frowned slightly. Her willingness
to play along with Motoki’s completely--in Darien’s view--unsubtle
flirting grated on him. As he watched her, he couldn’t help noticing
how the moonlight softened the strangeness he’d seen in her eyes
days ago, how her hair, pushed back from her face by a simple
bandana, flowed around her almost protectively, seemingly
swallowing up the moonlight, how...//how you seem to be losing
your damn mind.// He shook himself, as she directed her gaze
towards him. [Maybe.]

"Darien won’t mind an extra person in the discussion group, I’m
sure..."

"Right, Motoki. You want me to watch while you flirt the answers
out of a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT." The black-haired man rolled
his eyes. "Really...at least aim for someone who could discuss the
film intelligently."

"DARIEN!" Motoki had never heard his friend be so deliberately
insulting, even at his most sarcastic.

"Of course, Darien. I understand completely." Despite the
moonlight, the harsh emptiness was now clearly visible in her eyes,
though she had yet to lose the half-smile from her face. "What
WAS I thinking, believing *I* could contribute to an intellectual
discussion led by the oh-so-fabulous Darien? Oh silly, thoughtless
me! Why I’m sure, Darien, you have such a GRAND
understanding of the film; in fact, you probably WERE Cyrano in a
former life. Of course! I see it clearly: the same arrogance, the
same defensive sarcasm, the same insatiable urge to hear yourself
speak..."

Motoki was astounded; even in Japanese, her soft voice took on a
lyrical quality, lilting through the insults, delivering the sarcasm with
a flair that even Darien--the most caustic wit Motoki had ever
encountered--had rarely achieved. He couldn’t help but laugh at
the bewildered look on his friend’s face.

"Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must be getting home. Motoki, I’ll
surely see you this week. Good evening, Darien."

"Wait!" Motoki called after her, watching his chance at an easy A
disappear, desperate to draw her back. "You’re not going to WALK
home are you?"

She shook her head. "I’ve got a ride waiting."

"No, you’ve got a ride who got tired of waiting, Banphrionsa." The
man towered over Serena, his short blond hair reflecting the
moonlight. His wry grin belied his crossed arms and tapping foot.
Darien was hit by a wave of recognition that left him feeling
disoriented. //Where have I seen him before? And why do I feel
the need to grab Serena and run?// [Princess (this is important)]

"My apologies Jed, how long have you been waiting?"

"Not long, actually I got here early and decided to stretch my legs a
bit." He nodded to the two men who were still behind her. "Going
to introduce us, or were you waiting for him to recover from that
tongue lashing you just administered so gracefully?"

She shook her head somewhat admonishingly. "Jed, meet Motoki,
the gentleman who runs the Crown Arcade, and Darien of the
sarcastic ‘wit.’" She matched the newcomer’s wry grin before
turning to the other two men. "This is Jed, my dear friend and
distant cousin."

"Pleasure to meet you." The blond man smiled disarmingly, his
Japanese holding only the barest hint of an unidentifiable accent.

Darien remained silent as Motoki shook the stranger’s hand
warmly. He watched disapprovingly as Jed took a light but
protective hold on Serena’s arm and relieved her of the backpack
slung across her shoulder.

"It was nice talking with you two, but I have to get the car back to
my brother before he skins me. Come along Banphrionsa."

"Goodnight Motoki...Darien." With a gentle shake of her head, she
accepted Jed’s pretentiously offered arm and allowed him to lead
her to a rather shabby-looking car directly in front of the main gate.

"That was decidedly unexpected," Motoki said as he watched the
two climb into the car, speaking in rapid Irish. "And Darien, what
the HELL were you thinking..." He trailed off as he saw his friend
watching the rapidly departing car, realizing it was a lost cause.

//Why do I feel the need to follow them and get her out of that car?
Why do I care who drives her where? What the hell is she doing to
me?//

~~~

Serena sighed. She could feel her companion’s arm trembling
under her hand. "Jed, will you be alright?" she asked softly in Irish.

"Of course, Banphrionsa, but suppressing the urge to kneel before
your prince and genuflect when you see him for the first time in
over a thousand years is a bit draining." His mocking tone did
nothing to hide his obvious grief; he watched her from the corner of
his eye as they approached the car. "It must be hellish for you."

Her eyes closed at his blunt invitation for a confession. She half-
smiled at him, her eyes soft and sad despite her efforts to mask
them, "I manage."

He sighed, and helped her into the car without a word.

~~~

She was sitting on her bed, translating a simple Russian folksong
when the sharp, tingling in the back of her mind began. Without a
second thought, her hand grasped the necklace that she still wore,
and she whispered, "Moon Crystal Power!" The room was
suddenly awash in silver brilliance as her flannel pajamas were
replaced by the silver and white fuku. As the crystal settled atop
her silver staff, the illumination in the room diminished back to
nothing more than moonlight and a single desk lamp, and she felt
the familiar weight of her feline advisor settle on her shoulder.
Closing her eyes, she focused her will and *leapt,* allowing the
feeling of danger to pull her to the site of the droid attack.

//Well, at least there aren’t as many trees here...// Sailor Moon
regarded the twin droids before her. I’d hate to see them in the
grove at home. Piercing red eyes and fangs notwithstanding, they
resembled nothing so much as lanky, skinny black apes, with long
arms and legs and dangerously sharp tails. She jumped from the
tree, leaving Luna to observe the fight from a safe distance.

"Moon Tiara Action!" She kept her voice quiet, sending the
spinning disk towards the droids. She succeeding only in
scratching the shoulder of the closest one, but both monsters
turned to swipe at the projectile. Despite the weakness of the
attack she sent the disk swirling around the two, driving them
closer together and into the middle of the treeless area of the park.
Once she’d driven them far enough away from the trees, she
commanded the tiara to return; watching them closely, she gripped
her silver staff in both hands, infusing it with energy from the
crystal. "Crystal Moon Destruction!" Once again, her voice
remained quiet, denying the enemy any warning. Even so, she
reduced only one of them to dust. As the other one gave an
enraged shriek, trying to decide whether to attack the warrior or
flee, another voice called out. "Celestial Fire Surround!" The wall
of fire sent the already weakened droid reeling, and the almost
immediate "Jupiter Thunderclap!" that followed finished it off neatly.

The four Japanese senshi approached the newcomer slowly, joined
halfway by Tuxedo Kamen, as Sailor Moon scattered the ashes of
the droids with a swift kick. "Thank you for your timely intervention.
Simultaneous attacks can be difficult when the droids are even
moderately intelligent."

"Droids?" Mercury questioned. "You mean the youma?"

Sailor Moon smiled her characteristic half-smile as Luna
approached. "Perhaps now would be a better time for the meeting.
Unless it’s too late?"

"Not at all," Venus answered quickly. "We’ll go to the tower,
though. It’s deserted after dark."

"We shall meet you there." Luna jumped to her charge’s shoulder,
and both disappeared.

Makoto blinked. "Show-off."

~~~

"The minions we battle are not the same youma Beryl used.
Though they’re driven by dark energy, they’re more mechanical
than living, droids or robots, not animate monsters." Sailor Moon’s
soft, mellifluous voice was recorded by Mercury’s computer as she
explained what she knew of the enemy they faced. "The droids are
directed by a general--the current one is Rubeus, the redhead we
battled last night. He, in turn, is an underling of a self-styled King
Demando of the Dark Moon. Apparently, they come from the future
and are attempting to disrupt the present in order to better achieve
their goals in the future." For the first time she looked at the other
senshi. "Somehow our future selves are involved; thus, they attack
us now, hoping to change destiny in their favor."

"What did Rubeus mean when he asked about you surrendering?"
Venus asked when no more information seemed forthcoming.

Sailor Moon glanced at the full moon in the heavens and sighed
before answering. "Demando offered to make me queen of the
Dark Moon. In fact, he’s indicated that he’ll leave Earth alone if I
accept."

"Then why don’t you?" Mars demanded harshly.

"Though my surrender would save our present world, it would
doom the future to an era of darkness and evil." She looked
squarely at Mars. "I’ve been reliably told that my surrendering to
Demando now would be the one event that would guarantee the
Dark Moon victory over Crystal Tokyo."

"Crystal Tokyo?"

"The site of the battles of the future."

For the first time, Makoto spoke up. "How do you know all this?
About the future, and what will happen if you surrender?"

Sailor Moon glanced at Luna and began to answer only at the cat’s
nod. "There is a sixth senshi, Sailor Pluto, guardian of the Time
Gate, protector of the Time Stream. I don’t know much about her,
other than her duty, but it was she that alerted me to the dangers
the Dark Moon family presented."

The senshi were silent, absorbing the deluge of information the
newest senshi had presented them. It was Artemis who broke the
silence. "I don’t think there’s much else that Sailor Moon and Luna
can tell us. Why don’t we all head home to think this through, and
if problems arise, we can meet again."

The senshi nodded and turned to leave when Sailor Moon’s voice
halted them. "I’d like to ask you a favor." At their odd looks, she
continued, gazing seriously into the eyes of each warrior. "Please
don’t try to face any of the generals without me."

Mars stared. "Why not? Afraid we’ll take the glory? Or do you still
not trust us?"

"I don’t doubt you in the least, Lady Mars, but from past
experience, I know that the generals can only be defeated by the
power of the Silver Imperium Crystal. And while a combined attack
of sheer planetary energy would rival the use of the crystal, none of
these generals would ever allow you to gather enough energy to
damage him or her. He or she would think nothing of killing you as
you powered up."

Mars still looked upset and Jupiter seemed ready to comment, but
Venus stopped them. "Thank you for the advice, Sailor Moon. We
shall certainly remember the warning. Let’s go." And with that,
they departed, leaving Sailor Moon and her guardian on the roof
with Tuxedo Kamen.

"I still don’t trust you."

Sailor Moon gazed at Tuxedo Kamen whose face remained hidden
by mask and shadow. "And I still have not given you a reason to
trust me." She paused, then continued, hesitantly. "I would
however, like to thank you."

"For what?" He was genuinely confused.

"For helping the senshi fight, for protecting them."

"And I was supposed to let them fight on their own? Allow them to
die?"

Her gaze never wavered from his mask-covered features, and he
saw her body go completely still, not tense, just still—as if any
movement would betray some hidden emotion. "Of course not.
But I thank you just the same. Good evening, Tuxedo Kamen."

And she was gone.

//What the hell? Damn, I seem to be asking that quite a bit
lately...//

~~~

She stood at her window, watching the moon descend below the
horizon, her body entranced. In less than two hours, the sun would
burst forth, signaling the beginning of a new day, dragging her from
her short rest to venture out into the normal world of school and
work. Yet now, in the darkest part of the night, as the rest of Tokyo
slumbered beneath only the stars, she moved in the realm of the
mind and soul, sending her spirit venturing about the city. She
dipped into the minds, hearts, and souls of her four fellow warriors,
carefully avoiding stray thoughts, feelings, and dreams, seeking the
slender, opalescent lines of energy that led seemingly to nowhere,
but in actuality connected them to the rest of the city. Upon
reaching each "danger link," with a deft twist of her mind, she sent
it into dormancy.

Drawing her mind and soul back into her body, she woke herself
from her trance and replaced the crystal she’d been grasping into
the setting of her silver knotwork pendant. //I failed them before,
but I’ll not see them be forced into any more unnecessary battles.//
Her gaze followed the moon as the last of it sank out of sight, her
body remaining unnaturally motionless.

Once the last of the light had faded, she turned and crawled into
bed, silently and carefully to avoid waking the sleeping Luna.
Curling around a pillow, she once again stilled her body. //I’ll not
kill anyone else.//



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