Konichiwa minna-san! Well here's the first chapter just for you! I got
so many wonderful comments and positive e-mails this week that I felt
that I had to write this chapter as soon as possible! Thank you SOOOOOO
much to everyone who wrote! I really loved getting your e-mails! I know
that most people have busy schedules... so this means a lot to me! I
hope it lives up to everyone's expectations... I feel like I might
disappoint people. I hope not! One more thing! When you see a name
surrounded by * * ~ ~ then that means that the story will be told from
their point of view! Just wanted to clear things up a bit! ^_^ Please
tell me whether or not you like it!

I would like to thank Lady Suna for drawing such a beautiful image of
the Mage Princess! It's a really good drawing and I liked it a lot!
Thank you Lady Suna! If you want to see it here it is:
http://www.fanaticsmworld.com/highmagekou.jpg

A few disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon... if I did I would be
publishing these stories because I would have enough money to do so...
I'm also an extremely poor college student who has to rely on her
scholarship to pay off the registration fees so don't sue me... you'll
get nothing out of it! One more thing: Washi is my character... Hou is
also my character and I guess that Kou is my character too since she is
so very different from Serenity ne? ~.^ Anyway I made all of them up so
don't steal any of them, okie? ^^

I guess it's on with the story!

The Mage Princess

CHAPTER ONE
By: Sailor Berkeley

* * ~ ~ Serena ~ ~ * *

	I blink a couple of times to get rid of the soft white light
that surrounds me and look around my room; the room I had left so long
ago and never given it another thought. I had missed it though. I
missed the feeling that the Moon gave me. The magic on the Moon is so
different from the magic of Angreemon, where the Academy is located and
where the Institution has its meetings. In Angreemon the magic is heavy
and hangs off yours shoulders - almost smothering in a way. It is so
thick that it seems visible at times and makes it hard to breathe if
one is not used to magic; which is why only mages live on Angreemon. It
used to be called something else. A long time ago it was called Daruja.
I smile slightly. Daruja was such an imperfect word to describe the
small green planet. Daruja, in the old language, means dull and boring,
and Angreemon was everything but. It was well known to play jokes and
to change its scenery so that the Pasamages (people who cannot use
magic) would get lost and wander around for hours, even days. As soon
as the Institution found Daruja it changed the name to Angreemon.
Angreemon. Full of life.
	I look all over the room but avoid looking at the dresser.
There's a mirror on the dresser. As an instinct my power finds its way
to my hands and forms a ball of ice-fire. I catch myself before I throw
it and therefore break the mirror. Mirrors made me uneasy even when I
was a child but now, as a Mage, they were completely unwanted. Mages
are not allowed to own mirrors or to look into them. Mirrors make
people vain. They force one to think about outward appearance, and that
is a horrible thing for a Mage. High Mages, especially, must never
worry about their outward appearances because it makes us clumsy in our
magic. It neglects the very important inner-self. The outer self
matters not at all. A mage's inner appearance dictates his or her
capability as well as how magic will obey his or her commands. If a
mage is worrying about outward appearance then he or she will stop
concentrating on the inner-self. And magic could care less about what a
mage looks like - it only cares about what the mage can do. So mages
cower away from mirrors and keep themselves beautiful in the inside.
That is also why Dark Mages are obsessed with mirrors and are usually
very beautiful - they attract dark magic.
	However, I am now a Princess again, and a Princess must look
good for her Kingdom. I sigh, exasperated. Washi had warned me of this.
He just told me not to spend too long in front of a mirror. As if I
would do that. I look away from the area where the dresser is. I can do
that afterwards. I'll just put my dress on first and then look my
dreaded enemy in the face. I take off the red and gold tunic that I
wear as Kou and put on the white and gold dress that Serena Serenity
wears. I notice that it is tight across my bosom and that it is about
four or five inches too short. I frown slightly. I had last worn this
when I was sixteen, but I had not noticed that I had grown.
	Closing my eyes I concentrate on getting to that state between
sleeping and waking and find, in a small corner, the white light
fringed with red and gold that is my power. I dive into it and am
instantly surrounded by magic. It's comforting and friendly. I then
concentrate on making my dress longer and making it fit the exact way
that I want it to. I can feel my mental hands moving over the dress and
everywhere they touch the fabric responds and moves here and stretches
there. One particular stitch is stubborn and refuses to move. I frown
and my mental hands tug sharply and the stitch moves after a second. I
see all of this happening in slow motion and it is beautiful. The dress
turns the same white color as my magic and becomes warm and embracing.
The magic flowing around me and commanding the cloth to move is almost
like a dance. Ribbons of white light dance around me and the gold and
red beams play in my dress, turning it different colors. It's like
meeting old friends. My hands make the magic respond and it flows
through them as if it would escape, reminding me, as it always does,
that it only does what I tell it to because it likes me. My hands stop
moving and the magic circles me and I hear a tinkling laughter before
it engulfs me and returns to that small corner in my sleep-wake state.
It was laughing at me for doing something as silly as fixing a dress.
	"Well!" I say aloud, indignantly, before opening my eyes,
momentarily feeling sad that I had to leave my laughing magic. Of
course it was always in me, but I missed it nonetheless. "Much better!"
I say to myself as I see that the dress fits perfectly once more.
	Any Pasamage watching me would have thought that I had just
closed my eyes for two seconds at the most and that when I opened them
the dress had changed instantaneously. People who can't wield magic
have no idea how much planning and time it actually takes to perform
spells - even minor spells such as the one I had just accomplished. It
isn't easy and it takes a lot of energy. Mostly because working with
magic slows time down for the mage and, though it might look like a
couple of seconds to anyone else, a spell can take days to perfect.
	I then turn around and walk towards the dresser with my eyes
closed. When I feel the hard edge hit my thigh I stop and gather my
thoughts as my magic expands and tries to get rid of the object that
was causing me so much worry and pain. My magic, because it is like the
Phoenix, is very overprotective of me and tends to get rid of things
that I don't like without consulting me. Which is why it takes so much
of my effort to hold it all in me.
	I stop and wait for the Houou, as I call my magic from time
to time, to calm down. Houou means a Mythical Phoenix and that's what
my magic is: A Phoenix made just for me. As soon as my inner-self
settles again and the turmoil subsides the Houou stops and retreats,
acknowledging me as Master once again. I take a deep breath and open my
eyes slowly. Then they snap open and I gasp. It couldn't be.
	I walk around the mirror and look to see whether it is made of
only glass and does not contain any silver lining. I find it to be a
real mirror - silver lining and all. I raise my hands to my face and
the image in the mirror returns the gesture. Slowly my lips curve into
a very ironic smile. I couldn't believe that the person in the mirror
is really me. She is pretty.
	Her hair is vibrant and looks gold-spun. Her face has grown
around her eyes and, although they are still large, they now look nice.
She definitely is not flat-chested and she is quite tall enough for her
legs and hands. Nothing is disproportionate.
	My ironic smile is placed on her lips as well and I almost
laugh at myself. The thought that I went through so much because I was
a homely child and now I became quite pretty, as my mother had told me
I would, was quite ironic to me. But I sigh and just put my hair up in
the odango-style that I hadn't worn in eight years. It didn't matter
anymore. Whatever I looked like had no effect on anything since my
Prince was gone and who did I want to impress? My mother? I smile at
the thought and instantly feel better. My fear of the reflected girl is
gone as the Houou calms down and realizes that I'm not about to
become a Dark Mage just for looking into a mirror.
	I'm Kou, the Phoenix, once again as I gather my power to
teleport to the front door where my mother and my friends are expecting
me. My magic happily dances around me and I can almost hear its sigh
of relief as the red and gold become more vibrant - as if welcoming me
back and trying to make me forget the girl in the mirror.
	"She's not important." I hear the Houou whispering to me and
I smile to myself.
	I take one more look at the girl before I teleport and give her
a superior smile. She is not Kou. And she doesn't have the Houou living
inside of her. As I leave I see that she doesn't return my smile as
confidently as I gave it. And then she is replaced by the soft light of
my magic.


* * ~ ~ Queen Serenity ~ ~ * *


	I'm quietly awaiting the arrival of my only daughter and, on
the outside, I look the perfect image of serenity. I know this because
I have practiced it so many times. Inside, however, there's a tempest
of emotions wreaking havoc on my mind.
	I mentally give a sigh. Eight years without my daughter has
made me an edgier person. No one has noticed, of course, but I find
myself stopping my mouth before my mind snaps out things that I do not
mean. Not having her nearby has taken its toll on me. She was always my
light and happiness. Especially after Aeris died. Her golden hair
always reminded me of him and her cheerful eyes and smile were all I
ever needed to make my day a bit brighter.
	I should have never let her go. But I could never deny her
anything she really wanted. The other planets frowned upon me and
declared me a bad mother for allowing the Mage Princess to gain all her
powers. In truth, I hated that name: Mage Princess. I wanted to lash
out whenever anyone said it aloud. She has a name! Serena Serenity! Is
that so hard to say? But I would never say that aloud. Instead I
protected her and allowed her to develop her Mage skills and supported
her in everything she wanted to do. And I encouraged her. Overly
praised her and made sure I saw everything she did with magic - no
matter how small the spell or how many problems she encountered.
	So I really can't complain. I made her become the person she is
now. Sometimes, though, late at night, I wonder if I should have just
said no and kept her locked up forever and forced her to marry. But
then I realize that I would never do such a thing and that I could
never hurt her in such a horrible way. She deserves everything she has.
And, most importantly, she is happy. So I am too. Almost completely
happy, that is.
	She doesn't know this, but I tried everything in my power to
get her and that Earthling Prince together. They met when she was six.
That was my planning. I sent him to the garden that day because I knew
that she had just been working on a miniature solar system. It was a
beautiful spell.
	The Sun actually gave off heat and, if one looked closely
enough, the gaseous Jovian planet actually contained small lightning
storms and all the planets circled the sun in their perfected orbits.
Each planet had the correct number of moons and everything was measured
precisely and scaled down. I knew she was extremely proud of it and she
had told me that she was just going to add some asteroid showers to it
the morning that the Earthling Prince arrived. I had heard from his
mother, Queen Gaia, that he was extremely interested in magic and that
he had just started some lessons. I knew then that he would like it.
	So I sent him to the garden that day and left the rest up to
fate. It worked so well. When she came back she was shining and happy
and showed me a beautiful red flower, the rare rose that only grows on
Earth. She treasured it. I knew she was too young to be in love; but I
saw potential there. So I held it off. And noticed that she kept the
rose by her bed and that, when I went to give her a good night kiss,
she would reach for it before she fell asleep and caressed its silky
petals.
	When she turned thirteen I saw the perfect opportunity for a
ball and made sure to invite Prince Terrence Titan Darien Endymion of
Earth. I will never forget that day. It was the day I thought my
daughter would be happily married as soon as she was of age. However,
it all went terribly wrong.

	Serena spent the entire day in her bedroom, trying to look as
beautiful as possible. I knew she thought herself plain. I thought the
same thing too, when I was her age and first met Prince Solaris Levin
Aeris Apollo, and fell in love. He was so handsome and I was such a
plain girl. All women from the line of Serenity go through this. When I
turned seventeen I suddenly grew and took on my woman's form. It only
took about two weeks for me to change completely. In two weeks' time I
grew six inches and filled out all over, losing my baby fat and growing
hips and showing a waist and, finally, I remember thinking, some
breasts. So I knew what Serena was going through and I helped her in as
many little ways as I could. I knew she was looking forward to seeing
Endymion. Of course she would never tell me such a thing - she was
always like her father in that respect - but I felt it. Mothers feel
things about their children that are inexplicable. And I felt this very
distinctly.
	My daughter might have been plain, but her eyes held such
emotion and love in them that it was hard not to notice such beautiful
twinkling orbs. And that was how Endymion first noticed Serenity.
	I had been trying to get him to look at her, but the swarm of
girls around him was growing by leaps and bounds and I felt helpless.
	"Luna?" I called softly, knowing that the feline woman was
never to far away.
	"Yes, Your Majesty?" She noiselessly made her way to my elbow
and awaited my instructions silently.
	"I would like you to do something for me." I stopped a second.
If she had any objections she would say something. She stayed silent.
"The Earthling Prince, the dark haired one, make him notice Serena."
	I could feel her smiling and her eyes lit up at the challenge.
"Of course, my Queen."
	She left my side and made her way through the crowd of girls to
the Prince's side. I watched as he turned around and looked behind him.
And he saw her. He sat there for a long while as he met her cerulean
eyes and stood paralyzed as she came to him. The crowd parted for her
and she slipped her hand in his as the next song started right on cue.
And of course that was also my doing.
	I smiled and waited for Luna to come back to me. She returned
to my side within a few moments and, my curiosity getting the better of
me, I asked her what she had said.
	She laughed her feline laugh and I almost saw her tail appear
as she felt so happy. She quickly became a full human once more and
stopped laughing long enough to slip out four words: "The Earth looks
beautiful." I then smiled a genuine smile. Luna really was a very
ingenious cat. She had made him look towards my daughter because she
was standing next to the windows, but she had given nothing away.
	The whole room was watching as the two danced. A match appeared
to have been made and Queen Gaia and I even shared a look as our
children seemed so engrossed in each other. And then, as suddenly as it
had begun, it was over. My daughter disappeared - one of her magic
tricks no doubt - and the Prince was speaking to another girl so he did
not notice.
	I left the ballroom then and stopped outside Serena's room. I
pressed my ear to her door and heard her sobbing her heart out. I put
my hand on the handle before I stopped myself. I couldn't ask her what
was wrong. Not now. She was too upset over it still. So I sighed and
left her to herself.

	The next three years flew by and I never asked her what had
really happened. She never spoke about it, and she seemed happy. I
wasn't as shocked as she thought I was about her refusal to marry. I
knew she still loved the Earthling. But there was not much else I could
do. He had apparently started to travel and was rumoured to have a
bride. I allowed her to go to Angreemon, but I still hope that one day
she will marry a man who loves her as much as she deserves to be loved.
	So I look for eligible bachelors for her and wait for her to
come home so we can talk all of this over and see if it can get sorted
out. I don't know how exactly this will happen. All I know is that I
will not pressure her to tell me. I will wait until she comes to me.
	But today she is coming back home. And the Silver Crystal is
glowing more than ever to welcome her back. She really did have a knack
with magic. More like a Gift. 
	I see the soft light that starts to grow in front of the steps
and I smile. She is here. Her white light is now fringed with red and
gold, which is something new to me, and I can sense, with the little
bit of magic that I can wield, that it has grown stronger since the
last time I saw her. I see the Silver Crystal glowing on the Moon
Scepter in my hand and its light shoots into the red and gold and they
play with each other for a moment.
	I'm not very knowledgeable in magic, my daughter knows a lot
more than I do, but I do know that each mage's magic has a certain
personality and that each planet carries magic that also has its own
mind. So when a mage arrives at a planet, or returns to one, the two
magics mingle for a while, to approve of each other, before returning
to their respective separate entities. But since my daughter is
Princess, and will someday wield the Silver Crystal for herself, the
Crystal leaves a bit of its magic behind and I can sense it as it gets
incorporated into my daughter's red and gold magic.
	Then the lights are all gone and there stands my only child. I
cannot help it. My eyes fill up with tears of joy and I leave my 
scepter behind as I run to her and hold her in my arms. She returns my
hug just as fiercely as I give it.
	I revel in the moment. It had been too long since I had held
her in my arms. And how I had missed it. Mothers should never have to
let their children go. It was so painful to us.
	"Oh, how I missed you!" I whisper in her ear and hug her even
tighter.
	"I missed you too, Mother. I'm happy to be back."
	I then put her at arm's length and look at her for the first
time in eight years. She was beautiful. And her hair was just like her
father's. As were her eyes.
	"You are so beautiful. You look just like your father." I see
her smile happily. And I know she isn't smiling because I told her she
is beautiful. She is smiling because I said she looked like her father.
	"Thank you. I always did want to turn out like him."
	I nod slightly and remember as Aeris held his first child on
the day she was born. I remember how delicately he handled her and how
his eyes were filled with awe and love at the life he held in his arms.
	The two of us fell asleep in his arms and when we woke up he
kissed me lovingly and told me that never had anyone given him such a
precious gift and that, if it were possible, he loved me more than he
ever had before.
	He only enjoyed his Gift for four years. I shiver as I recall
the horrible day he was taken from me.
	"Mother?" I look back into her eyes and snap out of my reverie.
	I smile reassuringly at her and her eyes lose the worry she had
been feeling at my lapse. I suddenly feel like I must ask her this one
thing. No matter how strange it might sound.
	"Serena, are you truly happy?"
	She looks taken back and gathers her train of thought after a
moment. "Y... yes, Mother. I have everything I have ever desired." I
search her eyes and notice the small amount of pain there and know she
is lying. She was still in love with him. Eleven years had passed and
she still thought about him. I made up my mind right then and there
that I would find someone else for her so she could forget him. And be
happy again.
	But I smile and pretend I don't know she is lying. "Good." I
say and notice her relief as she believes I did not perceive her
falsehood. "Now come, your friends are waiting to see you. They have
been looking forward to this day for years! We must not keep them
waiting."
	She smiles and we rush up the stairs. I stop long enough to
pick up my Moon Scepter, which I had left so carelessly on the floor. I
then walk hand in hand with my daughter into our home.


* * ~ ~ Mina ~ ~ * *


	Princess Rei Hera of Mars stood up for the twelfth time - I was
counting - in the last twenty minutes and paced nervously before
resuming her seat again. I watched, and decided that if I weren't so
nervous myself, I would find this scene very amusing. The Martian
Princess had never shown any feelings of apprehensiveness in her life,
so this was something new to me. Princess Lita Rhea of Jupiter was
mechanically clenching and unclenching her hands as she waited, her
eyes clearly expressing her feelings of impatience. Princess Ami Maia
of Mercury looked the most calm of us all - her nose being stuck in a
book as usual - and I was almost fooled; but then I saw that the book
was being held upside down and that she hadn't even noticed it.
	As for me, well, I was acting just as nervous, I must admit. I
had started to bite my nails. A very bad habit, I know, but one that my
mother has had no success in eliminating. I watched as Rei got up once
more - thirteen, I said to myself - and began to pace. This time she
didn't sit back down because Ami closed her book so forcefully that it
echoed throughout the small room and the three of us jumped.
	"This is ridiculous!" She exclaims. "Serena is our friend! Why
are we so worried?"
	We all looked at each other and wonder why, indeed, we are so
nervous. Serena had always been our friend so she always would be,
right? At least that's what I kept telling myself before I start to
bite my nails once again.
	"Well, yes." Rei, the most mysterious of the Planetary
Princesses - except for Pluto perhaps, starts with a little
uncertainty. "But she is so powerful now. Last time I heard from Karasu
he said that she had been invited to hold a very important position in
the Institution. And not only any position, but the position of
Zen'yokuhikouki."
	We all stand silent for a moment as we take the news in. Karasu
was Rei's younger brother. He had gone to Angreemon three years after
Serena left and he had always been the one to keep us informed on her
doings. That was also the first time we had heard Serena was Kou, the
Phoenix.
	She had written to us all, she still does, but she never talked
about her magic. She was always modest and hated to praise herself. So
we were so surprised when we heard. Mages keep the names of birds and
each bird represents a certain degree of power. Washi, Serena's old
Master whom we had all had a crush on in the past, was the Eagle and
Karasu was the Crow. His real name was Ares, but he had become Karasu
when he went to Angreemon.
	The Phoenix, however, was considered one of the highest birds
that a mage could aspire to be. And Serena was Kou - the Female Phoenix
 - and she was, of course, very powerful.
	"Zen'youkuhikouki?" Lita asks, a little confused.
	"The highest honor for a mage." Ami supplies us with her more
than abundant knowledge. "It means Flying Wing in the old language and
is only given to a High Mage who has defeated the current
Zen'youkuhikouki in a Mage Battle." Ami stops as she realizes what she
had just said. That meant that our Serena, our small Serena, had
defeated the most powerful High Mage alive. I gasp and notice that Rei
had started pacing again.
	"Ami, if that was supposed to make us feel better I don't think
it succeeded very well." I say, a little upset.
	She blushes, and for a second looks like the twelve-year-old I
remember who would always be shy and apprehensive about everything. She
had become a very mature woman and was a great leader in Mercury. "Ummm
I'm sorry. It doesn't mean anything Rei! It... it's just that..." I'm
surprised as I notice that Ami is speechless. Never have I seen her so
powerless with words!
	"What is happening to us?" I say, taking up my role as leader
once more. "We just need to calm down. It's just Serena. She grew up
with us! It doesn't matter that she has become one of the most powerful
mages in the universe! She is still our Serena!"
	"Of course I am." We all turn around abruptly as we see that
she had been standing in the doorway for a while now. She walks in and
we can't help but notice that not only had she grown beautiful, but she
was also confident. Her head was set purposely and her eyes shone with
a wisdom that we could never have.
	Suddenly my apprehensions grew and I felt even more nervous
than before. She was so confident and even us, who could only use our
respective planets' magic and were only considered Noohane - No Wings -
Mages, could feel the power that she carried and the magic around us
seemed to be attracted to her and gave her a little glow.
	But then she smiled and held her hands out to us. And there
stood our Serena again. Our playmate. The one we used to run around
with, who got in trouble with us, who was our friend.
	I saw Rei put her hands in Serena's and the two just stand like
that for a second before Rei smiles widely and the two hug. The three
of us then rush to her and we take turns hugging her and welcoming her
back. We all sit down on the floor, not giving another care to our
dresses, and suddenly we are fourteen again and I almost feel like
talking about the latest ball and the handsome boys and the latest
gossip. I know that they all feel that and we smile at each other.
	"We have missed you so much Serena!" Lita suddenly says and
Serena smiles.
	"I missed all of you too! I am so happy to see you again! And
I'm dying for news! Gossip! Anything! It's been so long since I've been
among girls my own age and I've missed it. Sometimes, when I was
desperately homesick, I even missed the balls."
	At that we all laugh. Serena hated balls. She couldn't stand
them. For her to say such a thing meant a lot to us. As the night wore
on and we talked about our lives and things that she had missed out on,
I noticed that she kept quiet about her own doings. I guess she didn't
want to be reminded of her Mage skills so soon. And we didn't ask her
about it either. She would tell us eventually.
	So we enjoyed the day and when we were ready to retire she
gives each of us a hug and holds our hands one more time before smiling
and going to her own room.
	I stand there as Lita and Rei both leave and watch the door
that she had disappeared into, reminding myself that she was really
here. The Princess we had sworn to protect - not that she needed it, I
remind myself - and whom we had befriended when we were each five years
old was back. And I couldn't help but feel content.
	I feel Ami leaning her head on my shoulder and I smile.
	"When are you going to tell her?" I ask.
	She blushes once more and I feel like laughing. "I don't know.
I don't want to make her sad." We all knew about Serena's love for the
Prince Darien Endymion. She always felt she hid it so well. But we had
known each other for twenty years. We could read her like a book. And I
am from Venus afterall. I live with love.
	"Well you must sometime... and I'm sure she will notice the
rings eventually." Ami holds up her left hand and looks at the three
silver bands around her first finger, the Mercurian symbol for an
engagement. I notice her smiling and know she is thinking about Zoicite
and the fact that he was coming tomorrow. I myself am happy because all
the Generals will be coming. Including Kunzite. I sigh. "And at least
Zoicite proposed... Kunzite is so formal and polite I'm afraid he never
will."
	She then laughs and I feel like there's something she knows
that I don't. Before I can ask she says good night and leaves the room.
	I leave after her and walk to my room. In front of the door I
see Serena. She gives me a smile as I walk to her.
	"Is something wrong?" I ask.
	"Oh, no. I just wanted to reassure you that... well... although
I am the Zen'youkuhikouki I will never stop being Serena. And that I
will never ever forget our friendship. So don't ever doubt that."
	I smile then, giving her a tight hug and look into her eyes.
	"You don't have to worry about me, Serena. I feel love, you
know. And I know that you love all of us. I can feel it."
	Her smile widens at that and she hugs me tightly. "You have
always comforted me Mina. Thank you."
	She then takes my hand and I can feel the magic being drawn to
her and her face adopts that confident and powerful look once again as
she concentrates. I know that this is taking some time for her. I might
only be a Noohane but I am not a Pasamage. And I know that spells take
time. But only a second later, for me at least, a small golden pendant
is sitting on my hand. The symbol of Venus. I can feel its power in my
hands. I look up at her and my eyes ask her what it is.
	"It's a channel. When you want to talk to me, or any of the
girls, you just have to concentrate on it and will it to find us and we
can all speak to each other. No matter how far away we are. It will
also tell you where I am. Or where Ami, Lita and Rei are. I have given
each of them a channel as well."
	I stare at the pendant and notice that it is drawn through a
golden chain. I put it around my neck. It's practical, but she made it
pretty too. So it only looks like a normal necklace. A link to a High
Mage is a very powerful thing and so I know how important of a gift
this really is. I give her a tight hug and watch as she walks down the
hall and back to her own room.
	I clutch the small pendant in my hands and sigh. I could tell
she still loved the Prince. I'm lost in my own thoughts when I suddenly
hear an extremely large noise, as though the Moon itself were cracking.
	I run down the hall to Serena's room and see the other girls
there. We close our eyes and there is a small ripple in the air as the
four of us transform.
	I feel the golden light of my planet around me and the heart-
shaped chains of light surround me and engulf me. It's like being
embraced by love. I see the light forming the Senshi uniform around me
and I open my eyes as my tiara appears and twinkles in the hallway.
	In the hallway stands the four Planetary Senshi: Mercury, Mars,
Jupiter and Venus. I try to open the door but it's locked. Jupiter
sends her Jovian lightning to it and it explodes. We rush in and gasp
at the sight.
	Serena, no, Kou, is floating fifteen feet up in the air. Her
golden hair had broken free of her odangoes and was currently spread
all around her. She is dressed in red and gold robes, the sleeves hang
around her in a flurry of colors. Her eyes are closed and she glows
white with the magic she is controlling. There are red and gold strands
of light flowing around her, encasing her in a circle, and making her
hair turn red then white then golden once again. For a moment the light
looks like fire and I see that the red and gold rays are actually part
of the Phoenix's tail and that the Phoenix is flying around its master
in a circle. Then the image is gone and Kou is once again alone with
her magic. Her eyes open abruptly and I notice that they are now
completely blue and have no white in them. They are powerful eyes; the
pupils so large that they took over her eyes - she now only sees magic
and is blind to the rest of the world. They are eyes to be feared. And
they show anger. I feel sorry for whoever dares get in her way.
	Suddenly she closes those unnatural eyes and the circle
disappears from around her body. I watch as her body is still for a
second and then collapses to the floor. Mars runs and catches her
before she strikes the ground. We look at each other and our eyes show
our worry. What in the name of Venus had just happened?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ooooh cliffhanger! hehehe Sorry peeps but I just had to do it! Chapter
two will be coming out soon! Please tell me if liked this chapter! I
love getting e-mails! Please e-mail cfmc@uclink4.berkeley.edu with your
thoughts! Ja ne!